bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Mutant and Recombinant Phages Selected fromIn VitroCoevolution Conditions Overcome Phage-Resistant Listeria monocytogenes
Authors: Peters Tracey Lee , Song Yaxiong , Bryan Daniel W. , Hudson Lauren K. , Denes Thomas G.
Published: September 2020

Listeria monocytogenesis a life-threatening bacterial foodborne pathogen that can persist in food processing facilities for years. Phages can be used to controlL. monocytogenesin food production, but phage-resistant bacterial subpopulations can regrow in phage-treated environments. Coevolution experiments were conducted on aListeriaphage-host system to provide insight into the genetic variation that emerges in both the phage and bacterial host under reciprocal selective pressure. As expected, mutations were identified in both phage and host, but additionally, recombination events were shown to have repeatedly occurred between closely related phages that coinfectedL. monocytogenes. This study demonstrates thatin vitroevolution of phages can be utilized to expand the host range and improve the long-term efficacy of phage-based control ofL. monocytogenes. This approach may also be applied to other phage-host systems for applications in biocontrol, detection, and phage therapy.
Nanoluciferase Reporter Mycobacteriophage for Sensitive and Rapid Detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Drug Susceptibility
Authors: Jain Paras , Garing Spencer , Verma Deepshikha , Saranathan Rajagopalan , Clute-Reinig Nicholas , Gadwa Jacob , Peterson Chelsea , Hermansky Gleda , Astashkina Fernandez Anna , Asare Emmanuel , Weisbrod Torin R. , Spencer Ethan , Mulholland Claire V. , Berney Michael , Bell David , Nichols Kevin P. , Le Ny Anne-Laure M. , Ordway Diane , Jacobs William R. , Somoskovi Akos , Minch Kyle J.
Published: September 2020

Phenotypic testing for drug susceptibility of Mycobacterium tuberculosis is critical to basic research and managing the evolving problem of antimicrobial resistance in tuberculosis management, but it remains a specialized technique to which access is severely limited. Here, we report on the development and validation of an improved phage-mediated detection system for M. tuberculosis. We incorporated a nanoluciferase (Nluc) reporter gene cassette into the TM4 mycobacteriophage genome to create phage TM4-nluc. We assessed the performance of this reporter phage in the context of cellular limit of detection and drug susceptibility testing using multiple biosafety level 2 drug-sensitive and -resistant auxotrophs as well as virulent M. tuberculosis strains. For both limit of detection and drug susceptibility testing, we developed a standardized method consisting of a 96-hour cell preculture followed by a 72-hour experimental window for M. tuberculosis detection with or without antibiotic exposure. The cellular limit of detection of M. tuberculosis in a 96-well plate batch culture was ≤102 CFU. Consistent with other phenotypic methods for drug susceptibility testing, we found TM4-nluc to be compatible with antibiotics representing multiple classes and mechanisms of action, including inhibition of core central dogma functions, cell wall homeostasis, metabolic inhibitors, compounds currently in clinical trials (SQ109 and Q203), and susceptibility testing for bedaquiline, pretomanid, and linezolid (components of the BPaL regimen for the treatment of multi- and extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis). Using the same method, we accurately identified rifampin-resistant and multidrug-resistant M. tuberculosis strains.

IMPORTANCE Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the causative agent of tuberculosis disease, remains a public health crisis on a global scale, and development of new interventions and identification of drug resistance are pillars in the World Health Organization End TB Strategy. Leveraging the tractability of the TM4 mycobacteriophage and the sensitivity of the nanoluciferase reporter enzyme, the present work describes an evolution of phage-mediated detection and drug susceptibility testing of M. tuberculosis, adding a valuable tool in drug discovery and basic biology research. With additional validation, this system may play a role as a quantitative phenotypic reference method and complement to genotypic methods for diagnosis and antibiotic susceptibility testing.
Respiratory Syncytial Virus Sequesters NF-κB Subunit p65 to Cytoplasmic Inclusion Bodies To Inhibit Innate Immune Signaling
Authors: Jobe Fatoumatta , Simpson Jennifer , Hawes Philippa , Guzman Efrain , Bailey Dalan
Published: September 2020

Many viruses replicate almost entirely in the cytoplasm of infected cells; however, how these pathogens are able to compartmentalize their life cycle to provide favorable conditions for replication and to avoid the litany of antiviral detection mechanisms in the cytoplasm remains relatively uncharacterized. In this manuscript, we show that bovine respiratory syncytial virus (bRSV), which infects cattle, does this by generating inclusion bodies in the cytoplasm of infected cells. We confirm that both bRSV and human RSV viral RNA replication takes place in these inclusion bodies, likely meaning these organelles are a functionally conserved feature of this group of viruses (the orthopneumoviruses). Importantly, we also showed that these organelles are able to capture important innate immune transcription factors (in this case NF-KB), blocking the normal signaling processes that tell the nucleus the cell is infected, which may help us to understand how these viruses cause disease.
Horn‐induced traumatic caudoventral abdominal wall hernia management and repair in an adult Highland cow
Authors: Benham Caroline Knox , Doré Vincent , Mulon Pierre‐Yves
Published: September 2020

An adult Highland cow weighing 380 kg presented following a five‐day history of inappetence, recumbency and trauma inflicted by herd‐mates. Physical exam demonstrated significant swelling of the right ventral abdomen with skin excoriations. Abdominal ultrasound of the bulging area indicated significant oedema within pockets, thinning of the right body wall compared with the left side, as well as accumulation of free abdominal fluid. Severe mastitis was noted in three quarters of its udder. The patient was stabilised with intravenous fluids, electrolytes and a belly band. It developed severe, haemorrhagic diarrhoea over the following days, and an exploratory laparotomy was performed. A complete 50 cm‐long abdominal wall laceration in the caudoventral right paralumbar fossa was repaired, and jejunal resection and anastomosis performed. The patient recovered with supportive care. Surgical complications included postoperative pneumonia and development of a surgical site infection. The patient maintains good quality of life.
Additive actions on complete toric surfaces
Authors: Dzhunusov Sergey
Published: September 2020

By an additive action on an algebraic variety [Formula: see text] we mean a regular effective action [Formula: see text] with an open orbit of the commutative unipotent group [Formula: see text]. In this paper, we give a classification of additive actions on complete toric surfaces.
Knot diagrams on a punctured sphere as a model of string figures
Authors: Arai Masafumi , Taniyama Kouki
Published: September 2020

A string figure is topologically a trivial knot lying on an imaginary plane orthogonal to the fingers with some crossings. The fingers prevent cancellation of these crossings. As a mathematical model of string figure, we consider a knot diagram on the [Formula: see text]-plane in [Formula: see text]-space missing some straight lines parallel to the [Formula: see text]-axis. These straight lines correspond to fingers. We study minimal number of crossings of these knot diagrams under Reidemeister moves missing these lines.
A note on the orderability of Dehn fillings of the manifold v2503
Authors: Varvarezos Konstantinos
Published: September 2020

We show that Dehn filling on the manifold [Formula: see text] results in a non-orderable space for all rational slopes in the interval [Formula: see text]. This is consistent with the L-space conjecture, which predicts that all fillings will result in a non-orderable space for this manifold.
Uncertainty-Aware Dissimilarity Measures for Interval-Valued Fuzzy Sets
Authors: Torres-Manzanera Emilio , Král Pavol , Janiš Vladimír , Montes Susana
Published: September 2020

Dissimilarities are a very usual way to compare two fuzzy sets and also two interval-valued fuzzy sets. In both cases, the dissimilarity between two sets is a number. In this work, we introduce a generalization of the notion of dissimilarity for interval-valued fuzzy sets such that it assumes values on the set of subintervals instead of the set of numbers. This seems to be more realistic taking into account the available information. We also investigate its relationship with the classical notions of dissimilarity between fuzzy sets and we obtain that the new class is richer than the existing one.
MPE Computation in Bayesian Networks Using Mini-Bucket and Probability Trees Approximation
Authors: Cano Andrés , Gómez-Olmedo Manuel , Moral Serafín , Moral-García Serafín
Published: September 2020

Given a set of uncertain discrete variables with a joint probability distribution and a set of observations for some of them, the most probable explanation is a set or configuration of values for non-observed variables maximizing the conditional probability of these variables given the observations. This is a hard problem which can be solved by a deletion algorithm with max marginalization, having a complexity similar to the one of computing conditional probabilities. When this approach is unfeasible, an alternative is to carry out an approximate deletion algorithm, which can be used to guide the search of the most probable explanation, by using A* or branch and bound (the approximate+search approach). The most common approximation procedure has been the mini-bucket approach. In this paper it is shown that the use of probability trees as representation of potentials with a pruning of branches with similar values can improve the performance of this procedure. This is corroborated with an experimental study in which computation times are compared using randomly generated and benchmark Bayesian networks from UAI competitions.
Influence of Material Stochasticity on Buckling Characteristics of Initially Imperfect Higher-Order Shear Deformable Gradient Plates
Authors: Shakir Mohammed , Talha Mohammad
Published: September 2020

This paper demonstrates the influence of material stochasticity on buckling characteristics of higher-order shear deformable gradient plates with initial geometric imperfections. The gradient plates are assessed by smooth variation in the volume fraction of the constituents (i.e. ceramic and metal) as power-law distribution function in the thickness direction. The effective material properties are achieved by means of the Voigt model. Plate kinematic based on Reddy’s higher-order shear deformation theory (HSDT) associated with initial geometric imperfection in the transverse direction is employed. The governing differential equation is produced using a variational approach. The mean and standard deviation of the critical buckling load are evaluated using finite element method and a mean-centered first-order perturbation technique in order to highlight the variation in buckling response. Numerical results are compared both in deterministic and probabilistic frameworks along with convergence in support of efficacy and performance of the proposed model. Based on the results, it can be concluded that the combined influence of geometric imperfection and uncertain material properties prominently affect the buckling response of the gradient plates.
Unstable entropy and unstable pressure for random partially hyperbolic dynamical systems
Authors: Wang Xinsheng , Wu Weisheng , Zhu Yujun
Published: September 2020

Let [Formula: see text] be a [Formula: see text] random partially hyperbolic dynamical system. For the unstable foliation, the corresponding unstable metric entropy, unstable topological entropy and unstable pressure via the dynamics of [Formula: see text] on the unstable foliation are introduced and investigated. A version of Shannon–McMillan–Breiman Theorem for unstable metric entropy is given, and a variational principle for unstable pressure (and hence for unstable entropy) is obtained. Moreover, as an application of the variational principle, equilibrium states for the unstable pressure including Gibbs [Formula: see text]-states are investigated.
Finsler warped product metrics with almost vanishing H-curvature
Authors: Zhu Hongmei
Published: September 2020

In this paper, we show that a Finsler warped product metric is of almost vanishing [Formula: see text]-curvature if and only if it is of almost vanishing [Formula: see text]-curvature. Furthermore, the corresponding one form is exact.
High-Performance Asymmetric Supercapacitors Based on the Ni1.5Co1.5S4@CNTs Nanocomposites
Authors: Zheng Xuan , He Xingxing , Jiang Jinlong , Jia Zhengfeng , Li Yu , Wei Zhiqiang , Yang Hua
Published: September 2020

In this paper, the Ni[Formula: see text]Co[Formula: see text]S4@CNTs nanocomposites containing different carbon nanotubes (CNT) content were prepared by a one-step hydrothermal method. More hydroxyl and carboxyl groups were introduced on the surface of CNTs by acidizing treatment to increase the dispersion of CNTs. The acid-treated CNTs can more fully compound with Ni[Formula: see text]Co[Formula: see text]S4 nanoparticles to form heterostructure. When the CNTs content is 10[Formula: see text]wt.%, the Ni[Formula: see text]Co[Formula: see text]S4@CNTs-10 nanocomposite exhibits the highest specific capacity of 210[Formula: see text]mAh[Formula: see text]g[Formula: see text] in KOH aqueous electrolytes at current density of 1[Formula: see text]A[Formula: see text]g[Formula: see text]. The superior performances of the Ni[Formula: see text]Co[Formula: see text]S4@CNTs-10 nanocomposite are attributed to the effective synergic effects of the high specific capacity of Ni[Formula: see text]Co[Formula: see text]S4 and the excellent conductivity of CNTs. An asymmetric supercapacitor (ASC) was assembled based on Ni[Formula: see text]Co[Formula: see text]S4@CNTs-10 positive electrode and activated carbon (AC) negative electrode, which delivers a high energy density of 61.2[Formula: see text]Wh[Formula: see text]kg[Formula: see text] at a power density of 800[Formula: see text]W[Formula: see text]kg[Formula: see text], and maintains 34.8[Formula: see text]Wh[Formula: see text]kg[Formula: see text] at a power density of 16079[Formula: see text]W[Formula: see text]kg[Formula: see text]. Also, the ASC device shows an excellent cycling stability with 91.49% capacity retention and above 94% Columbic efficiency after 10 000 cycles at 10[Formula: see text]A[Formula: see text]g[Formula: see text]. This aqueous asymmetric Ni[Formula: see text]Co[Formula: see text]S4@CNTs//AC supercapacitor is promising for practical applications due to its advantages such as high energy density, power delivery and cycling stability.
MITIGATING TSUNAMI DAMAGE BY PROMOTING GROUND EROSION
Authors: Takegawa Naoki , Sawada Yutaka , Kawabata Toshinori
Published: September 2020

To reduce the damage caused when a tsunami overflows coastal dikes, this study performs hydraulic experiments and numerical simulations and proposes a new method for slowing the tsunami by intentionally eroding parts of the ground. The effectiveness of the proposed method is assessed, velocity-reduction mechanism is clarified, and reduced tsunami velocity is predicted. Using crushed expanded polystyrene (EPS) as the ground material, vertical erosion is enhanced and a large depression is formed that changes the flow from supercritical to subcritical, thereby decelerating it. Assuming a constant tsunami overflow rate, the tsunami velocity after deceleration can be predicted with [Formula: see text] uncertainty.
Hypergroups associated with hypergraphs
Authors: Nikkhah A. , Davvaz B.
Published: September 2020

The purpose of this paper is the study of hypergroups associated with hypergraphs. In this regard, we construct a hypergroupoid by defining a hyperoperation on the set of degrees of vertices of a hypergraph. We will investigate some conditions to have a hypergroup.
Volcanic spherules condensed from supercritical fluids in the Payenia volcanic province, Argentina
Authors: Kirstein Linda A. , Kanev Silvestar , Fitton J. Godfrey , Turner Stephen J. ,   EIMF
Published: September 2020

Spherules can be formed by high-temperature processes during volcanic eruptions, lightning strikes and meteorite impacts. Here we report four different types of spherules and spheroidal particles associated with tephra deposits from two separate volcanic fields in the southern Payenia province of Argentina. These silicate and carbonate spherules represent <0.01% of the sampled material, with individual spherules <200 µm in size. Thirty particles were imaged. Only the transparent spherules are smooth, perfect spheres; other morphologies include ellipsoids and aggregated dumbbells. The spheroids are either hollow or solid. Major element analyses show that the spherules and spheroids have silica-rich, Fe-rich, carbonate and basaltic compositions. Chemical analysis of the carbonate spheroids shows some variability in the trace element content between the cores and rims, suggesting element mobility and loss towards the margins. All the analysed carbonate spheroids have elevated Sr/Y, La/Y and La/Ce ratios outside the range for sedimentary carbonates. All four spherule types are considered to be volcanic in origin, with the excess CO
2
required for the formation of the carbonate spherules potentially sourced from the basement lithologies. Based on the major and trace element analyses, we conclude that the silica-rich and carbonate spherules formed by instantaneous condensation from supercritical CO
2
-rich hydrous fluids saturated with dissolved silicates.

Supplementary material
: Appendix A, containing the full analytical dataset collected by electron probe microanalysis and secondary ion mass spectrometry, is available at
https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.5108689
A Tour through the Visualization Zoo
Authors: Heer Jeffrey , Bostock Michael , Ogievetsky Vadim
Published: September 2020

Thanks to advances in sensing, networking, and data management, our society is producing digital information at an astonishing rate. According to one estimate, in 2010 alone we will generate 1,200 exabytes -- 60 million times the content of the Library of Congress. Within this deluge of data lies a wealth of valuable information on how we conduct our businesses, governments, and personal lives. To put the information to good use, we must find ways to explore, relate, and communicate the data meaningfully.
Moving to the Edge: CTO Roundtable Overview
Authors: Creeger Mache
Published: September 2020

The general IT community is just starting to digest how their world is changing with the advent of virtual machines and cloud computing. These new technologies promise to make applications more portable and raise the opportunity of more flexibility and efficiency in either on-premise or outsourced supporting infrastructure. Before taking advantage of these opportunities, however, data-center managers must have a better understanding of service infrastructure requirements than ever before. The CTO Roundtable on Network Virtualization focuses on how virtualization and clouds impact network service architectures, both in the ability to move legacy applications to more flexible and efficient virtualized environments and in what new functionality may become available. What follows are the key points of interest from that panel.
A Plea to Software Vendors from Sysadmins - 10 Do’s and Don’ts
Authors: Limoncelli Thomas A.
Published: September 2020

A friend of mine is a grease monkey: the kind of auto enthusiast who rebuilds engines for fun on a Saturday night. He explained to me that certain brands of automobiles were designed in ways to make the mechanic’s job easier. Others, however, were designed as if the company had a pact with the aspirin industry to make sure there are plenty of mechanics with headaches. He said those car companies hate mechanics. I understood completely because, as a system administrator, I can tell when software vendors hate me. It shows in their products.
Unikernels: Rise of the Virtual Library Operating System
Authors: Madhavapeddy Anil , Scott David J.
Published: September 2020

Cloud computing has been pioneering the business of renting computing resources in large data centers to multiple (and possibly competing) tenants. The basic enabling technology for the cloud is operating-system virtualization such as Xen1 or VMWare, which allows customers to multiplex VMs (virtual machines) on a shared cluster of physical machines. Each VM presents as a self-contained computer, booting a standard operating-system kernel and running unmodified applications just as if it were executing on a physical machine.
The NSA and Snowden: Securing the All-Seeing Eye
Authors: Toxen Bob
Published: September 2020

Edward Snowden, while an NSA (National Security Agency) contractor at Booz Allen Hamilton in Hawaii, copied up to 1.7 million top-secret and above documents, smuggling copies on a thumb drive out of the secure facility in which he worked, and later released many to the press. This has altered the relationship of the U.S. government with the American people, as well as with other countries. This article examines the computer security aspects of how the NSA could have prevented this, perhaps the most damaging breach of secrets in U.S. history. The accompanying sidebar looks at the Constitutional, legal, and moral issues.
The Network is Reliable
Authors: Bailis Peter , Kingsbury Kyle
Published: September 2020

The network is reliable tops Peter Deutsch’s classic list, "Eight fallacies of distributed computing", "all [of which] prove to be false in the long run and all [of which] cause big trouble and painful learning experiences." Accounting for and understanding the implications of network behavior is key to designing robust distributed programs; in fact, six of Deutsch’s "fallacies" directly pertain to limitations on networked communications. This should be unsurprising: the ability (and often requirement) to communicate over a shared channel is a defining characteristic of distributed programs, and many of the key results in the field pertain to the possibility and impossibility of performing distributed computations under particular sets of network conditions.
Privacy, Anonymity, and Big Data in the Social Sciences
Authors: Daries Jon P. , Reich Justin , Waldo Jim , Young Elise M. , Whittinghill Jonathan , Seaton Daniel Thomas , Ho Andrew Dean , Chuang Isaac
Published: September 2020

Open data has tremendous potential for science, but, in human subjects research, there is a tension between privacy and releasing high-quality open data. Federal law governing student privacy and the release of student records suggests that anonymizing student data protects student privacy. Guided by this standard, we de-identified and released a data set from 16 MOOCs (massive open online courses) from MITx and HarvardX on the edX platform. In this article, we show that these and other de-identification procedures necessitate changes to data sets that threaten replication and extension of baseline analyses. To balance student privacy and the benefits of open data, we suggest focusing on protecting privacy without anonymizing data by instead expanding policies that compel researchers to uphold the privacy of the subjects in open data sets. If we want to have high-quality social science research and also protect the privacy of human subjects, we must eventually have trust in researchers. Otherwise, we’ll always have the strict tradeoff between anonymity and science illustrated here.
Scalability Techniques for Practical Synchronization Primitives
Authors: Bueso Davidlohr
Published: September 2020

In an ideal world, applications are expected to scale automatically when executed on increasingly larger systems. In practice, however, not only does this scaling not occur, but it is common to see performance actually worsen on those larger systems.
Evolution and Practice: Low-latency Distributed Applications in Finance
Authors: Brook Andrew
Published: September 2020

Virtually all systems have some requirements for latency, defined here as the time required for a system to respond to input. Latency requirements appear in problem domains as diverse as aircraft flight controls, voice communications, multiplayer gaming, online advertising, and scientific experiments. Distributed systems present special latency considerations. In recent years the automation of financial trading has driven requirements for distributed systems with challenging latency requirements and global geographic distribution. Automated trading provides a window into the engineering challenges of ever-shrinking latency requirements, which may be useful to software engineers in other fields.
Natural Language Translation at the Intersection of AI and HCI
Authors: Green Spence , Heer Jeffrey , Manning Christopher D.
Published: September 2020

The fields of artificial intelligence (AI) and human-computer interaction (HCI) are influencing each other like never before. Widely used systems such as Google Translate, Facebook Graph Search, and RelateIQ hide the complexity of large-scale AI systems behind intuitive interfaces. But relations were not always so auspicious. The two fields emerged at different points in the history of computer science, with different influences, ambitions, and attendant biases. AI aimed to construct a rival, and perhaps a successor, to the human intellect. Early AI researchers such as McCarthy, Minsky, and Shannon were mathematicians by training, so theorem-proving and formal models were attractive research directions. In contrast, HCI focused more on empirical approaches to usability and human factors, both of which generally aim to make machines more useful to humans. Many of the attendees at the first CHI conference in 1983 were psychologists and engineers. Papers were presented with titles such as "Design principles for human-computer interfaces" and "Psychological issues in the use of icons in command menus," hardly appealing fare for most mainstream AI researchers.
Crash Consistency
Authors: Pillai Thanumalayan Sankaranarayana , Chidambaram Vijay , Alagappan Ramnatthan , Al-Kiswany Samer , Arpaci-Dusseau Andrea C. , Arpaci-Dusseau Remzi H.
Published: September 2020

The reading and writing of data, one of the most fundamental aspects of any Von Neumann computer, is surprisingly subtle and full of nuance. For example, consider access to a shared memory in a system with multiple processors. While a simple and intuitive approach known as strong consistency is easiest for programmers to understand, many weaker models are in widespread use (e.g., x86 total store ordering); such approaches improve system performance, but at the cost of making reasoning about system behavior more complex and error-prone. Fortunately, a great deal of time and effort has gone into thinking about such memory models, and, as a result, most multiprocessor applications are not caught unaware.
Automation Should Be Like Iron Man, Not Ultron
Authors: Limoncelli Thomas A.
Published: September 2020

A few years ago we automated a major process in our system administration team. Now the system is impossible to debug. Nobody remembers the old manual process and the automation is beyond what any of us can understand. We feel like we’ve painted ourselves into a corner. Is all operations automation doomed to be this way?
Componentizing the Web
Authors: Savage Taylor
Published: September 2020

There is no task in software engineering today quite as herculean as web development. A typical specification for a web application might read: The app must work across a wide variety of browsers. It must run animations at 60 fps. It must be immediately responsive to touch. It must conform to a specific set of design principles and specs. It must work on just about every screen size imaginable, from TVs and 30-inch monitors to mobile phones and watch faces. It must be well-engineered and maintainable in the long term.
Why Logical Clocks are Easy
Authors: Baquero Carlos , Preguiça Nuno
Published: September 2020

Any computing system can be described as executing sequences of actions, with an action being any relevant change in the state of the system. For example, reading a file to memory, modifying the contents of the file in memory, or writing the new contents to the file are relevant actions for a text editor. In a distributed system, actions execute in multiple locations; in this context, actions are often called events. Examples of events in distributed systems include sending or receiving messages, or changing some state in a node. Not all events are related, but some events can cause and influence how other, later events occur. For example, a reply to a received mail message is influenced by that message, and maybe by prior messages received.
Research for Practice: Cryptocurrencies, Blockchains, and Smart Contracts; Hardware for Deep Learning
Authors: Narayanan Arvind , Miller Andrew , Han Song
Published: September 2020

First, Arvind Narayanan and Andrew Miller, co-authors of the increasingly popular open-access Princeton Bitcoin textbook, provide an overview of ongoing research in cryptocurrencies. Second, Song Han provides an overview of hardware trends related to another long-studied academic problem that has recently seen an explosion in popularity: deep learning.
How Is Your Week Going So Far?
Authors: Matsudaira Kate
Published: September 2020

None of us hears "thank you" or "awesome job" enough at work. Being the person who praises other people is an amazing person to be, especially when you follow this formula for making your praise ridiculously effective.
Toward a Network of Connected Things
Authors: Vasisht Deepak
Published: September 2020

While the scale of data presents new avenues for improvement, the key challenges for the everyday adoption of IoT systems revolve around managing this data. First, we need to consider where the data is being processed and stored and what the privacy and systems implications of these policies are. Second, we need to develop systems that generate actionable insights from this diverse, hard-to-interpret data for non-tech users. Solving these challenges will allow IoT systems to deliver maximum value to end users.
The Mythos of Model Interpretability
Authors: Lipton Zachary C.
Published: September 2020

Supervised machine-learning models boast remarkable predictive capabilities. But can you trust your model? Will it work in deployment? What else can it tell you about the world?
Online Event Processing
Authors: Kleppmann Martin , Beresford Alastair R. , Svingen Boerge
Published: September 2020

Support for distributed transactions across heterogeneous storage technologies is either nonexistent or suffers from poor operational and performance characteristics. In contrast, OLEP is increasingly used to provide good performance and strong consistency guarantees in such settings. In data systems it is very common for logs to be used as internal implementation details. The OLEP approach is different: it uses event logs, rather than transactions, as the primary application programming model for data management. Traditional databases are still used, but their writes come from a log rather than directly from the application. The use of OLEP is not simply pragmatism on the part of developers, but rather it offers a number of advantages. Consequently, OLEP is expected to be increasingly used to provide strong consistency in large-scale systems that use heterogeneous storage technologies.
Review—Three Dimensional Zinc Oxide Nanostructures as an Active Site Platform for Biosensor: Recent Trend in Healthcare Diagnosis
Authors: Napi Muhammad Luqman Mohd , Ahmad Noorden Ahmad Fakhrurrazi , Loong Peng Tan Michael , Jamaluddin Haryati , Hamid Fatimah Abd , Ahmad Mohd Khairul , Hashim Uda , Ahmad Mohd Ridzuan , Sultan Suhana Mohamed
Published: September 2020

Morphology effect is one of the essential factors that influence the performance of electrochemical biosensors based on ZnO nanostructures. These nanostructures are characterized by anisotropic growth with different dimensionalities such as zero-dimensional, one-dimensional, and two-dimensional. More interestingly, when combining each dimension into another advanced dimensionality, i.e. the three-dimensional (3-D), exceptional properties can be generated that are not otherwise found in low dimensionalities. The outstanding popularity of 3-D ZnO stems from many factors, with one of the most important being its synergic advantages from its low dimensional sub-unit and the additional surface area of the 3-D structure due to an increased geometric volume. This review briefly describes the principles and growth mechanism factors of 3-D ZnO via solution-based approaches and additional advanced methods. The paper further expands on the latest advancement of research into the 3-D ZnO nanostructure-based electrochemical biosensors to detect biomolecules that harm humankind. We also discussed the analytical performance of these biosensors using different nanocomposite materials. Additionally, limitations and suggestions on particular sensing works are proposed. Lastly, the five-year progress in research into 3-D ZnO-based electrochemical biosensors’ performance in healthcare diagnosis is compared and future challenges presented.
Involvement of capsaicin-sensitive nerves in the initiation of swallowing evoked by carbonated water in anesthetized rats
Authors: Tsuji Kojun , Tsujimura Takanori , Sakai Shogo , Suzuki Taku , Yoshihara Midori , Nagoya Kouta , Magara Jin , Satoh Yoshihide , Inoue Makoto
Published: September 2020

The initiation of swallowing evoked by laryngeal capsaicin and carbonated water application was diminished by the coapplication of QX-314 and capsaicin. Carbonated water-evoked swallows were also abolished by transection of the superior laryngeal nerves and were inhibited by the acid-sensing ion channel-3 inhibitor. Capsaicin-sensitive nerves are involved in the initiation of carbonated-water-evoked swallows.
Elevated FiO2 increases SARS-CoV-2 co-receptor expression in respiratory tract epithelium
Authors: Myti Despoina , Gunjak Miša , Casado Francisco , Khaghani Raziabad Solmaz , Nardiello Claudio , Vadász István , Herold Susanne , Pryhuber Gloria , Seeger Werner , Morty Rory E.
Published: September 2020

The severity of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is linked to an increasing number of risk factors, including exogenous (environmental) stimuli such as air pollution, nicotine, and cigarette smoke. These three factors increase the expression of angiotensin I converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), a key receptor involved in the entry of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)—the etiological agent of COVID-19—into respiratory tract epithelial cells. Patients with severe COVID-19 are managed with oxygen support, as are at-risk individuals with chronic lung disease. To date, no study has examined whether an increased fraction of inspired oxygen (FiO2) may affect the expression of SARS-CoV-2 entry receptors and co-receptors, including ACE2 and the transmembrane serine proteases TMPRSS1, TMPRSS2, and TMPRSS11D. To address this, steady-state mRNA levels for genes encoding these SARS-CoV-2 receptors were assessed in the lungs of mouse pups chronically exposed to elevated FiO2, and in the lungs of preterm-born human infants chronically managed with an elevated FiO2. These two scenarios served as models of chronic elevated FiO2 exposure. Additionally, SARS-CoV-2 receptor expression was assessed in primary human nasal, tracheal, esophageal, bronchial, and alveolar epithelial cells, as well as primary mouse alveolar type II cells exposed to elevated oxygen concentrations. While gene expression of ACE2 was unaffected, gene and protein expression of TMPRSS11D was consistently upregulated by exposure to an elevated FiO2. These data highlight the need for further studies that examine the relative contribution of the various viral co-receptors on the infection cycle, and point to oxygen supplementation as a potential risk factor for COVID-19.
The nitric oxide dependence of cutaneous microvascular function to independent and combined hypoxic cold exposure
Authors: Arnold Josh T. , Lloyd Alex B. , Bailey Stephen J. , Fujimoto Tomomi , Matsutake Ryoko , Takayanagi Masataka , Nishiyasu Takeshi , Fujii Naoto
Published: September 2020

When separated from local cooling, whole body cooling elicited cutaneous reflex vasoconstriction via mechanisms independent of nitric oxide removal. Hypoxia elicited cutaneous vasodilatation via mechanisms mediated primarily by nitric oxide synthase, rather than xanthine oxidase-mediated nitrite reduction. Cold-induced vasoconstriction was blunted by the opposing effect of hypoxic vasodilatation, whereas the underpinning mechanisms did not interrelate in the absence of local cooling. Full vasoconstriction was restored with nitric oxide synthase inhibition.
Applications of a novel radiotelemetry method for the measurement of intrathoracic pressures and physiological rhythms in freely behaving mice
Authors: Foster Andrew J. , Marrow Jade P. , Allwood Melissa A. , Brunt Keith R. , Simpson Jeremy A.
Published: September 2020

We have demonstrated for the first time in mice that radiotelemetry is an effective tool for the continuous and chronic recording of intrathoracic pressure (ITP) to facilitate circadian rhythm analyses. We show that continuous 24-h hypoxic stress alters the circadian rhythms of heart rate, body temperature, activity, and respiratory parameters, acutely and perpetually, through normoxic recovery. Radiotelemetry of ITP can complement traditional methods for evaluating respiratory function and better our understanding of respiratory pathophysiology.
Meta-Analysis of VTE Risk: Ovarian Cancer Patients by Stage, Histology, Cytoreduction, and Ascites at Diagnosis
Authors: Weeks Kristin S. , Herbach Emma , McDonald Megan , Charlton Mary , Schweizer Marin L.
Published: September 2020

Venous thromboembolisms (VTEs) have been a leading secondary cause of death among ovarian cancer patients, prompting multiple studies of risk factors. The objective of this meta-analysis is to quantify the associations between VTE and the most commonly reported risk factors among ovarian cancer patients. PubMed, Embase, and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) were used to identify observational studies. Two reviewers independently abstracted data and assessed quality via the Newcastle–Ottawa tool. A random effects model was used to calculate the pooled odds ratios for VTE with each of the following exposures: advanced cancer stage, clear cell histology, serous histology, ascites at diagnosis, and complete cytoreduction. The I2 and Q tests were used to evaluate heterogeneity. Twenty cohort studies with 6,324 total ovarian cancer patients, 769 of whom experienced a VTE, were included. The odds of VTE in ovarian cancer patients were higher among patients with cancer stage III/IV (versus cancer stage I/II, pooled odds ratio (OR) 2.73; 95% CI 1.84–4.06; I2= 64%), clear cell (versus nonclear cell) histology (OR 2.11; 95% CI 1.55–2.89; I2 = 6%), and ascites (versus no ascites) at diagnosis (OR 2.12; 95% CI 1.51–2.96; I2 = 32%). Serous (versus nonserous) histology (OR 1.26; 95% CI 0.91–1.75; I2 = 42%) and complete (versus incomplete) cytoreduction (OR 1.05; 95% CI 0.27–4.11; I2 = 88%) were not associated with VTE. This meta-analysis quantifies the significantly elevated odds of VTE in ovarian cancer patients with advanced stage at diagnosis, clear cell histology, and ascites at diagnosis. Further studies are needed to account for confounders and inform clinical decision-making tools.
Assessment of the Presence of Total Aflatoxins and Aflatoxin B1 in Fish Farmed in Two Cameroonian Localities
Authors: Tsafack Takadong Julie J. , Mouafo Hippolyte T. , Manet Linda , Baomog Annick M. B. , Adjele Jorelle J. B. , Medjo Evrard K. , Medoua Gabriel N.
Published: September 2020

This work aimed at assessing the presence of total aflatoxins (AFs) and aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) in fish farmed in two Cameroonian localities and the possible origin of that contamination through analysis of fish feeds as well as water and mud collected from the fish farming ponds. Four fish species (kanga, tilapia, catfish, and carp) were collected from two fish farming sites (Mfou and Batié). Mud and water from the farming ponds of the different species and the fish feeds used in these sites were also collected. The samples (34) were analyzed for their levels of AFs and AFB1 using the competitive ELISA method. The results obtained showed that all fish tissue contained AFs and AFB1. A level of AFs higher than the threshold value recommended by the FDA (20 ppb) was observed in catfish (31.38±0.29 ppb). AFs and AFB1 were presented in fish feeds as well as in muds collected from the farming ponds. Catfish was the fish species which mostly bioaccumulated aflatoxins in their tissue. This study presents the state of art on the mycotoxin contamination of fish farmed in some Cameroonian localities and suggests that attention should be paid to the quality of ingredients used to feed fish.
The Diagnostic Accuracy of Combined Enolase/Cr, CA125, and CA19‐9 in the Detection of Endometriosis
Authors: Rokhgireh Samaneh , Mehdizadeh Kashi Abolfazl , Chaichian Shahla , Delbandi Ali-Akbar , Allahqoli Leila , Ahmadi-Pishkuhi Mahin , Khodaverdi Sepideh , Alkatout Ibrahim
Published: September 2020

Background. The present study was designed to verify the accuracy of the noninvasive biomarkers enolase/Cr, CA125, and CA19‐9 as a clinical diagnostic tool for the detection of endometriosis. Methods. A cross‐sectional study was performed at Rasool‐e‐Akram Hospital affiliated to Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran, from April 2015 to April 2018. Eighty‐six women were scheduled to undergo laparoscopy due to chronic pelvic pain, infertility, pelvic mass, and abnormal uterine bleeding. Serum and urine samples of all patients were collected preoperatively. Serum levels of CA125 and CA19‐9, and urine levels of enolase‐1 were measured. Serum levels of CA125 and CA19‐9 were determined by the electrochemiluminescence method (ECL). Urinary enolase‐1 was measured by the ELISA method. Result. Serum levels of CA125 and CA19‐9 were significantly higher in the endometriosis group than in controls (p < 0.001, p = 0.004, respectively). Levels of enolase I and enolase/Cr were higher in patients with endometriosis, but the differences were not statistically significant. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) of combined enolase/Cr, CA125, and CA19‐9 were 65%, 66.6%, 71%, and 60.1%, respectively. The positive likelihood ratio (PLR) and negative likelihood ratio (NLR) of combined enolase/Cr, CA125, and CA19‐9 was 1.94 and 0.52, respectively. The area under the ROC curve for enolase/Cr + CA125 + CA19 − 9 was 0.675 (95% confidence interval 0.573‐0.710). Conclusion. The present study revealed that concurrent measurement of enolase‐1, CA125, and CA19‐9 might be a valuable noninvasive test for the identification of endometriosis.
Internal Combustion Engine Modeling Framework in Simulink: Gas Dynamics Modeling
Authors: Thompson Bradley , Yoon Hwan-Sik
Published: September 2020

With advancements in computer-aided design, simulation of internal combustion engines has become a vital tool for product development and design innovation. Among the simulation software packages currently available, MATLAB/Simulink is widely used for automotive system simulations, but does not contain a comprehensive engine modeling toolbox. To leverage MATLAB/Simulink’s capabilities, a Simulink-based 1D flow engine modeling framework has been developed. The framework allows engine component blocks to be connected in a physically representative manner in the Simulink environment, reducing model build time. Each component block, derived from physical laws, interacts with other blocks according to block connection. In this Part 1 of series papers, a comprehensive gas dynamics model is presented and integrated in the engine modeling framework based on MATLAB/Simulink. Then, the gas dynamics model is validated with commercial engine simulation software by conducting a simple 1D flow simulation.
Experiment and Analysis of Active Vibration Suppression via an Absorber with a Tunable Delay
Authors: Sun Yixia
Published: September 2020

A time-delayed absorber is utilized to suppress the vibration of a primary system excited by a simple harmonic force. The inherent and intentional time delays in the feedback control loop are taken into consideration. The value of the former is fixed, while the value of the latter is tunable in the controller. To begin with, the mechanical model of the system is established and the acceleration transfer functions of the system are derived. Consequently, the stability analysis of the coupled system is carried out. Finally, the experimental studies on the performance of the time-delayed absorber are conducted. Both experimental and theoretical results show that the time-delayed absorber with proper values of feedback gain coefficient and intentional time delay greatly suppresses the vibration of the primary system. The numerical results validate the correctness of the experimental and theoretical ones.
An Improved Elman Network for Stock Price Prediction Service
Authors: Liu Bo , Wu Qilin , Cao Qian
Published: September 2020

The rapid development of edge computing drives the rapid development of stock market prediction service in terminal equipment. However, the traditional prediction service algorithm is not applicable in terms of stability and efficiency. In view of this challenge, an improved Elman neural network is proposed in this paper. Elman neural network is a typical dynamic recurrent neural network that can be used to provide the stock price prediction service. First, the prediction model parameters and build process are analysed in detail. Then, the historical data of the closing price of Shanghai composite index and the opening price of Shenzhen composite index are collected for training and testing, so as to predict the prices of the next trading day. Finally, the experiment results validate that it is effective to predict the short-term future stock price by using the improved Elman neural network model.
Analysis and Monitoring of Small‐Scale Rock Fracture Zone Deformation and Shaft Failure in a Metal Mine
Authors: Lu Rong , Ma Fengshan , Zhao Jie , Wang Jianbo , Li Guilin , Dai Bing
Published: September 2020

Rock fracture zones were distributed in a metal mine, and their deformation was always neglected because they are available on a small scale. However, the deformation of the small‐scale fracture zone may lead to serious consequences, such as underground building and structure failure. Combined with the ground movement and surface fissure monitoring, the deformation of several fracture zones was analyzed by field monitoring, experimental test, and numerical simulation. The results showed that fracture deformation promoted the surface fissure movement. The horizontal movement of the foot wall rock of the fracture was found to be larger than the hanging wall rock. Deep mining engineering resulted in the squeezing of the shallow fracture, and the shallow fracture deformed more severely than the deep fracture. In the study area, fracture zone displacements were estimated according to a numerical model. The deformation and stress comparison of the shallow fracture zone and the deep fracture zone provided the characteristic of the broken structure in the field investigation.