bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Bézier curves as a total approach to measure the upper lid contour: redefining clinical outcomes in palpebral surgery
Authors: Huelin Fernando J , Sales-Sanz Marco , Ye-Zhu Cristina , Cruz Antonio Augusto V , Muñoz-Negrete Francisco J , Rebolleda Gema
Published: August 2021

Aims

To define and quantify the upper lid contour by adapting Bézier curves with a newly developed software in normal subjects, assessing their reliability.

Methods

Fifty eyes of 50 healthy patients with no ocular pathology were included in this study from October 2020 to November 2020. All measurements were performed on Bézier curves adjusted to the upper lid contour. An original software was used to measure the radial and vertical midpupil-to-lid margin distances (MPLD), temporal-to-nasal (T/N) ratios, contour peak location and grade of superposition (GS) and asymmetry (GA) indexes. We calculated differences in the variables measured regarding age, gender or the side of the eye being assessed.

Results

The mean Bézier curve showed an excellent level of inter-rater reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.99). The median GS index of each eyelid to the mean Bézier curve was 95.4%, 8.5 IQR, and the median GA index was 3%, 3.4 IQR. The mean contour peak location was −0.35 mm, SD 0.45. Overall, the mean central MPLD was 4.1 mm, SD 0.6. No significant differences were found between male and female patients in variables derived from Bézier curves.

Conclusion

Bézier curves may become a very useful tool for the assessment of upper lid contour, contour peak and symmetry. GS and GA indexes, along with the T/N area ratio are potential outcomes for this purpose. All current variables can be obtained just from one single Bézier curve measurement. Our results offer an in-depth exhaustive description of these variables and their distribution in the normal population.
Public awareness and influencing factors regarding hepatitis B and hepatitis C in Chongqing municipality and Chengdu City, China: a cross-sectional study with community residents
Authors: Li Tingting , Wang Ruoxi , Zhao Yong , Su Shu , Zeng Huan
Published: August 2021

Objective

Hepatitis B and hepatitis C cause a heavy disease burden in China. This paper aims to investigate the public’s knowledge on hepatitis B and hepatitis C in Chongqing municipality and Chengdu City, China.

Design

A cross-sectional study was conducted from December 2016 to April 2017.

Setting

Two communities from Chongqing and Chengdu were involved in this study.

Participants

Data from 928 community residents were analysed.

Outcome

Demographic characteristics, knowledge on hepatitis B and hepatitis C and sources of hepatitis knowledge were obtained from questionnaires. The participants’ scores ranged from 0 to 24, and a test score about more than 14.4 (60% of the total score) was defined as sufficient knowledge.

Results

Among the participants, only 36.10% presented sufficient knowledge on hepatitis B and hepatitis C, and about 40% were unaware of the two antidiscrimination policies in China. The sources of information about hepatitis were mainly from doctors and the internet. Unmarried individuals, people with secondary education and above and those with an annual income above US$2108 tended to exhibit a higher level of knowledge on hepatitis B and hepatitis C.

Conclusions

The community members demonstrated limited awareness and level of knowledge on hepatitis B and hepatitis C, particularly in relation to the antidiscrimination policies. Extensive health education should be provided to the public, particularly to those with low educational status and income.
Prevalence of cleft lip and/or cleft palate in Guangdong province, China, 2015–2018: a spatio-temporal descriptive analysis
Authors: Zhu Yingxian , Miao Huazhang , Zeng Qinghui , Li Bing , Wang Degang , Yu Xiaolin , Wu Haisheng , Chen Yuliang , Guo Pi , Liu Fenghua
Published: August 2021

Objectives

This study aimed to investigate the temporal and spatial characteristics of cleft lip and/or palate based on a large-scale birth defect monitoring database.

Methods

Data on perinatal infants and children with cleft lip and/or palate defects from 1 January 2015 to 31 December 2018 in Guangdong province of China were collected. The variables including the demographic data, basic family information (address, education level, etc.), the infant’s birth weight, gender and other basic parameters were collected and analysed.

Results

During the study period, the prevalence of cleft lip and/or palate was 7.55 per 10 000 perinatal infants. The prevalence of cleft lip, cleft palate and cleft lip and palate were 2.34/10 000, 2.22/10 000 and 2.98/10 000, respectively. The prevalence of cleft lip and/or palate showed a pronounced downward trend, reducing from 8.47/10 000 in 2015 to 6.51/10 000 in 2018. We observed spatial heterogeneity of prevalence of cleft lip and/or palate across the study period in Guangdong. In the Pearl River Delta region, the overall prevalence of cleft lip and/or palate was 7.31/10 000, while the figure (7.86/10 000) was slightly higher in the non-Pearl River Delta region (p<0.05). Concerning infant gender, the prevalence was in general higher in boys than girls (p<0.05). In addition, the higher prevalence was more common in mothers older than 35 years old. For the birth season, infants born in spring tended to have a higher prevalence than those born in other seasons, regardless of the prevalence of cleft lip and palate calculated separately or jointly (p<0.05). The majority of newborns with cleft lip and palate were accompanied by other birth defects.

Conclusion

This study contributes a better understanding of the characteristics of spatio-temporal trends for birth defects of cleft lip and/or palate in south China.
Correlates of intended COVID-19 vaccine acceptance across time and countries: results from a series of cross-sectional surveys
Authors: Kerr John R , Schneider Claudia R , Recchia Gabriel , Dryhurst Sarah , Sahlin Ullrika , Dufouil Carole , Arwidson Pierre , Freeman Alexandra LJ , van der Linden Sander
Published: August 2021

Objective

Describe demographical, social and psychological correlates of willingness to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.

Setting

Series of online surveys undertaken between March and October 2020.

Participants

A total of 25 separate national samples (matched to country population by age and sex) in 12 different countries were recruited through online panel providers (n=25 334).

Primary outcome measures

Reported willingness to receive a COVID-19 vaccination.

Results

Reported willingness to receive a vaccine varied widely across samples, ranging from 63% to 88%. Multivariate logistic regression analyses reveal sex (female OR=0.59, 95% CI 0.55 to 0.64), trust in medical and scientific experts (OR=1.28, 95% CI 1.22 to 1.34) and worry about the COVID-19 virus (OR=1.47, 95% CI 1.41 to 1.53) as the strongest correlates of stated vaccine acceptance considering pooled data and the most consistent correlates across countries. In a subset of UK samples, we show that these effects are robust after controlling for attitudes towards vaccination in general.

Conclusions

Our results indicate that the burden of trust largely rests on the shoulders of the scientific and medical community, with implications for how future COVID-19 vaccination information should be communicated to maximise uptake.
Codesigning consumer engagement strategies with ethnic minority consumers in Australian cancer services: the CanEngage Project protocol
Authors: Harrison Reema , Walton Merrilyn , Manias Elizabeth , Wilson Carlene , Girgis Afaf , Chin Melvin , Leone Desiree , Seale Holly , Smith Allan Ben , Chauhan Ashfaq
Published: August 2021

Introduction

Consumer engagement is central to high-quality cancer service delivery and is a recognised strategy to minimise healthcare-associated harm. Strategies developed to enhance consumer engagement specifically in relation to preventing healthcare harm include questioning health professionals, raising concerns about possible mistakes or risks in care and encouraging patients and caregivers to report suspected errors. Patients from ethnic minority backgrounds are particularly vulnerable to unsafe care, but current engagement strategies have not been developed specifically for (and with) this population. Using an adapted approach to experience-based codesign (EBCD) to support the target population, the aim of the project is to codesign consumer engagement interventions to increase consumer engagement and safety in New South Wales and Victorian cancer inpatient, outpatient and day procedure services.

Methods and analysis

A mixed-method project will be undertaken at six study sites. Our EBCD approach includes a preparatory phase in which we will provide training and support to the codesign participants, in addition to recruiting and training consumer cofacilitators for the codesign workshops. The project will follow the EBCD process of gathering and synthesising observational data from each cancer service, with interview data from consumers and staff. With the resulting in-depth understanding of the safety threats commonly experienced by ethnic minority consumers in each site, we will work through feedback events and codesign groups with consumers and staff to determine how they can be more involved with their care to minimise the potential for patient harm. Consumer engagement interventions will be coproduced in each of the six participating services that are tailored to the ethnic minority populations served.

Ethics and dissemination

Ethics approval has been obtained from the Western Sydney Local Health District Human Research Ethics Committee. The project will provide strategies for ethnic minority consumers to engage with cancer services to minimise healthcare-associated harm that may be applied to diverse healthcare settings.
Duration of dual antiplatelet therapy and stability of coronary heart disease: a 60 000-patient meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials
Authors: Bularga Anda , Meah Mohammed N , Doudesis Dimitrios , Shah Anoop S V , Mills Nicholas L , Newby David E , Lee Kuan Ken
Published: August 2021

Background

Dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) has important implications for clinical outcomes in coronary disease. However, the optimal DAPT duration remains uncertain.

Methods and results

We searched four major databases for randomised controlled trials comparing long-term (≥12 months) with short-term (≤6 months) or shorter (≤3 months) DAPT in patients with coronary syndromes. The primary outcome was all-cause mortality. Secondary outcomes were any bleeding and major bleeding (safety), cardiac death, myocardial infarction, stent thrombosis, revascularisation and stroke (efficacy). Nineteen randomised controlled trials (n=60 111) satisfied inclusion criteria, 8 assessed ≤3 months DAPT. Compared with long-term (≥12 months), short-term DAPT (≤6 months) was associated with a trend towards reduced all-cause mortality (RR: 0.90, 95% CI: 0.80 to 1.01) and significant bleeding reduction (RR: 0.68, 95% CI: 0.55 to 0.83 and RR: 0.66, 95% CI: 0.56 to 0.77 for major and any bleeding, respectively). There were no significant differences in efficacy outcomes. These associations persisted in sensitivity analysis comparing shorter duration DAPT (≤3 months) to long-term DAPT (≥12 months) for all-cause mortality (RR: 0.91, 95% CI: 0.79 to 1.05). In subgroup analysis, short-term DAPT was associated with lower risk of bleeding in patients with acute or chronic coronary syndromes (RR: 0.66, 95% CI: 0.54 to 0.81 and RR: 0.53, 95% CI: 0.33 to 0.65, respectively), but higher risk of stent thrombosis in acute coronary syndrome (RR: 1.49, 95% CI: 1.02 to 2.17 vs RR: 1.25, 95% CI 0.44 to 3.58).

Conclusion

Our meta-analysis suggests that short (≤6 months) and shorter (≤3 months) durations DAPT are associated with lower risk of bleeding, equivalent efficacy and a trend towards lower all-cause mortality irrespective of coronary artery disease stability.
Protective lipid-lowering variants in healthy older individuals without coronary heart disease
Authors: Lacaze Paul , Riaz Moeen , Sebra Robert , Hooper Amanda J , Pang Jing , Tiller Jane , Polekhina Galina , Tonkin Andrew , Reid Chris , Zoungas Sophia , Murray Anne M , Nicholls Stephen , Watts Gerald , Schadt Eric , McNeil John J
Published: August 2021

Objective

Genetic variants that disrupt the function of thePCSK9(proprotein convertase subtilisin kexin type 9) andAPOB(apolipoprotein B)genes result in lower serum low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels and subsequently confer protection against coronary heart disease (CHD). The objective of this study was to measure the prevalence and selective advantage of such variants among healthy older individuals without a history of CHD.

Methods

We performed targeted sequencing of thePCSK9andAPOBgenes in 13 131 healthy individuals without CHD aged 70 years or older enrolled into the ASPirin in Reducing Events in the Elderly trial. We detected variants in thePCSK9andAPOBgenes with predicted loss-of-function. We associated variant carrier status with serum LDL-C and total cholesterol (TC) levels at the time of study enrolment, adjusting for statin use.

Results

We detected 22 different rarePCSK9/APOBcandidate variants with putative lipid-lowering effect, carried by 104 participants (carrier rate 1 in 126). Serum LDL-C and TC concentrations for rare PCSK9/APOB variant carriers were consistently lower than non-carriers. Rare variant carrier status was associated with 19.4 mg/dL (14.6%) lower LDL-C, compared with non-carriers (p≤0.001, adjusted for statin use). Statin prescriptions were less prevalent in rare variant carriers (16%) than non-carriers (35%). The more commonPCSK9R46L variant (rs11591147-T) was associated with 15.5 mg/dL (11.8%) lower LDL-C in heterozygotes, and 25.2 mg/dL (19.2%) lower LDL-C in homozygotes (both p≤0.001).

Conclusions

Lipid-lowering genetic variants are carried by healthy older individuals and contribute to CHD-free survival.

Trial registration number

NCT01038583.
Pertussis toxin–induced inflammatory response exacerbates intracerebral haemorrhage and ischaemic stroke in mice
Authors: Zou Ming , Feng Yan , Xiu Yuwhen , Li Yan , Zhang Ying , Fan Junwan , Li Haowen , Cao Jingli , He Wenyan , Jin Wei-Na
Published: August 2021

Background

Stroke is a devastating disease, including intracerebral haemorrhage (ICH) and ischaemic stroke. Emerging evidences indicate that systemic inflammatory cascades after stroke contribute to brain damage. However, the direct effects and features of systemic inflammation on brain injury, especially comparing between ischaemic and haemorrhagic stroke, are still obscure.

Methods

Pertussis toxin (PT) was used to build a pro-inflammatory milieu after ICH and ischaemic stroke in mouse model. The neurodeficits, stroke lesion, immune response and blood–brain barrier (BBB) destruction were assessed.

Results

In ICH mouse model, PT-induced systemic inflammation exacerbated neurological deficits, and enlarged haemorrhage lesion and perihaematomal oedema. We also found promoted leucocyte infiltration and inflammatory cytokine release into the brain after PT treatment. Moreover, the integrity of the BBB was further disrupted after receiving PT. Furthermore, we demonstrated that PT enhanced brain inflammation and aggravated stroke severity in middle cerebral artery occlusion mouse model.

Conclusions

Our results suggest that PT increases inflammatory response that exacerbates brain injury after ICH or ischaemic stroke in mouse model.
Quantification of land–sea nutrient fluxes supplied by allis shad across the species’ range
Authors: Poulet Camille , Barber-O’Malley Betsy L. , Lassalle Géraldine , Lambert Patrick
Published: August 2021

Diadromous species act as nutrient vectors between their marine and freshwater habitats. Few valuations of this regulating service exist and none at the scale of species distribution ranges. This large-scale approach seems particularly relevant for species moving and exchanging individuals across borders and territories as these populations may strongly depend upon each other in terms of population viability and provision of ecosystem services. The development of a new nutrient routine within an existing mechanistic species distribution model provided estimates of the “maximum potential” of the anadromous allis shad (Alosa alosa) to provide nitrogen and phosphorous subsidies throughout western Europe. During their seasonal reproductive migration, shad provided low amounts of nutrient subsidies when compared to North American anadromous species and annual riverine nutrient loads. However, these subsidies are delivered as pulses concentrated in space and time, suggesting that more work is needed to figure out the significance of these shad-derived nutrients in terms of riverine ecosystem functioning. The evidence of a substantial flow of strayers delivering nutrient subsidies in several rivers confirmed the need for large-scale management of migratory species to ensure a sustainable provision of ecosystem services.
Calibration of the Gerda experiment
Authors: Agostini M. , Araujo G. , Bakalyarov A. M. , Balata M. , Barabanov I. , Baudis L. , Bauer C. , Bellotti E. , Belogurov S. , Bettini A. , Bezrukov L. , Biancacci V. , Bossio E. , Bothe V. , Brudanin V. , Brugnera R. , Caldwell A. , Cattadori C. , Chernogorov A. , Comellato T. , D’Andrea V. , Demidova E. V. , Marco N. Di , Doroshkevich E. , Fischer F. , Fomina M. , Gangapshev A. , Garfagnini A. , Gooch C. , Grabmayr P. , Gurentsov V. , Gusev K. , Hakenmüller J. , Hemmer S. , Hiller R. , Hofmann W. , Huang J. , Hult M. , Inzhechik L. V. , Csáthy J. Janicskó , Jochum J. , Junker M. , Kazalov V. , Kermaïdic Y. , Khushbakht H. , Kihm T. , Kirpichnikov I. V. , Klimenko A. , Kneißl R. , Knöpfle K. T. , Kochetov O. , Kornoukhov V. N. , Krause P. , Kuzminov V. V. , Laubenstein M. , Lindner M. , Lippi I. , Lubashevskiy A. , Lubsandorzhiev B. , Lutter G. , Macolino C. , Majorovits B. , Maneschg W. , Manzanillas L. , Miloradovic M. , Mingazheva R. , Misiaszek M. , Moseev P. , Müller Y. , Nemchenok I. , Pandola L. , Pelczar K. , Pertoldi L. , Piseri P. , Pullia A. , Ransom C. , Rauscher L. , Riboldi S. , Rumyantseva N. , Sada C. , Salamida F. , Schönert S. , Schreiner J. , Schütt M. , Schütz A-K. , Schulz O. , Schwarz M. , Schwingenheuer B. , Selivanenko O. , Shevchik E. , Shirchenko M. , Shtembari L. , Simgen H. , Smolnikov A. , Stukov D. , Vasenko A. A. , Veresnikova A. , Vignoli C. , von Sturm K. , Wester T. , Wiesinger C. , Wojcik M. , Yanovich E. , Zatschler B. , Zhitnikov I. , Zhukov S. V. , Zinatulina D. , Zschocke A. , Zsigmond A. J. , Zuber K. , Zuzel G. ,   Gerda Collaboration
Published: August 2021

The GERmanium Detector Array (Gerda) collaboration searched for neutrinoless double-$$\beta $$
β
decay in $$^{76}$$

76

Ge with an array of about 40 high-purity isotopically-enriched germanium detectors. The experimental signature of the decay is a monoenergetic signal at $$Q_{\beta \beta }$$

Q

β
β

$$=2039.061(7)$$

=
2039.061
(
7
)

 keV in the measured summed energy spectrum of the two emitted electrons. Both the energy reconstruction and resolution of the germanium detectors are crucial to separate a potential signal from various backgrounds, such as neutrino-accompanied double-$$\beta $$
β
decays allowed by the Standard Model. The energy resolution and stability were determined and monitored as a function of time using data from regular $$^{228}$$

228

Th calibrations. In this work, we describe the calibration process and associated data analysis of the full Gerda dataset, tailored to preserve the excellent resolution of the individual germanium detectors when combining data over several years.
New canonical analysis for higher order topologically massive gravity
Authors: Escalante Alberto , Aguilar Jorge Hernández
Published: July 2021

A detailed Gitman–Lyakhovich–Tyutin analysis for higher-order topologically massive gravity is performed. The full structure of the constraints, the counting of physical degrees of freedom, and the Dirac algebra among the constraints are reported. Moreover, our analysis presents a new structure into the constraints and we compare our results with those reported in the literature where a standard Ostrogradski framework was developed.
Worldline numerics applied to custom Casimir geometry generates unanticipated intersection with Alcubierre warp metric
Authors: White Harold , Vera Jerry , Han Arum , Bruccoleri Alexander R. , MacArthur Jonathan
Published: July 2021

While conducting analysis related to a DARPA-funded project to evaluate possible structure of the energy density present in a Casimir cavity as predicted by the dynamic vacuum model, a micro/nano-scale structure has been discovered that predicts negative energy density distribution that closely matches requirements for the Alcubierre metric. The simplest notional geometry being analyzed as part of the DARPA-funded work consists of a standard parallel plate Casimir cavity equipped with pillars arrayed along the cavity mid-plane with the purpose of detecting a transient electric field arising from vacuum polarization conjectured to occur along the midplane of the cavity. An analytic technique called worldline numerics was adapted to numerically assess vacuum response to the custom Casimir cavity, and these numerical analysis results were observed to be qualitatively quite similar to a two-dimensional representation of energy density requirements for the Alcubierre warp metric. Subsequently, a toy model consisting of a 1 $$\upmu $$
μ
m diameter sphere centrally located in a 4 $$\upmu $$
μ
m diameter cylinder was analyzed to show a three-dimensional Casimir energy density that correlates well with the Alcubierre warp metric requirements. This qualitative correlation would suggest that chip-scale experiments might be explored to attempt to measure tiny signatures illustrative of the presence of the conjectured phenomenon: a real, albeit humble, warp bubble.
Is non-particle dark matter equation of state parameter evolving with time?
Authors: Ghose Souvik , Bhadra Arunava
Published: August 2021

Recently, the so-called Hubble Tension, i.e. the mismatch between the local and the cosmological measurements of the Hubble parameter, has been resolved when non-particle dark matter is considered which has a negative equation of state parameter ($$\omega \approx -\,0.01$$

ω
≈
-

0.01

). We investigate if such a candidate can successfully describe the galactic flat rotation curves. It is found that the flat rotation curve feature puts a stringent constraint on the dark matter equation of state parameter $$\omega $$
ω
and $$\omega \approx -\,0.01$$

ω
≈
-

0.01

is not consistent with flat rotational curves, observed around the galaxies. However, a dynamic $$\omega $$
ω
of non-particle dark matter may overcome the Hubble tension without affecting the flat rotation curve feature.
Comparison of trace elements in freshwater pearls cultured in Japan, China, and USA
Authors: Sakakura Ikuko , Tsuchida Hidetsugu , Sasaki Yoshitaka , Miwa Misako
Published: July 2021

In this paper, we performed PIXE analysis of trace elements in freshwater pearls cultured in four different areas: Lake Biwa (Japan), Lake Kasumigaura (Japan), an unidentified lake in China, and Kentucky Lake (USA). We investigated the difference of trace elements contained in the four pearls from different aquaculture environments. The observed trace elements are Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn, and Sr. The major trace elements are Mn, Sr for all the samples. From comparison of the proportions of elements contained, we found the following features: (1) The Kasumigaura pearl has a nucleus with a high Mn/Sr ratio, (2) The Biwako pearl is low in iron content, and (3) The American pearl has high in Fe/Sr, Cu/Sr, and Zn/Sr ratios.
Numerical analysis of multiphase flow of couple stress fluid thermally effected by moving surface
Authors: Nazeer Mubbashar , Hussain Farooq , Ahmad Fayyaz , Khan M. Ijaz , Gohar Fariha , Malik M. Y. , Sun Tian-Chuan , Saleem Adila
Published: July 2021

The study of multiphase flows gained much importance because of its extensive applications in nature and industry. These flows possess two or more thermodynamic phases, for example, one component phase (e.g., water vapors and water flow) or several components phase (e.g., water and oil flow). The most common example of multiphase flow in the context of the oil industry is petroleum. Further blood flow, porous structures, fluidized bed, bubbly flow in nuclear reactors, and fiber suspension in the paper industry are some significant examples of multiphase flows. In this paper, we considered the Couette flow of non-Newtonian (couple stress) fluid with variable magnetic field and thermal conductivity effects between parallel walls of the channel. The upper wall of the channel is in constant motion while the lower wall is in a fixed position. The variable viscosity effects with the suspension of hafnium particles are also discussed by taking Vogel’s viscosity case. The shooting method based on the R–K method is applied to obtain the numerical solution of the current problem. A comparison between Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluids is presented by sketching graphs. The variations in flow and temperature of fluid against various involved factors, including variable viscosity, wall temperature, thermal radiations, variable magnetic field, and thermal conductivity are sketched and also physically described. It is observed that variable viscosity parameter elevated both velocity and temperature profiles while wall temperature parameter decelerated both fields. Further, noticed that the variable thermal conductivity and variable magnetic field impede the velocity of the fluid and also retarded the temperature field. Our attempt is not just useful to investigate the mechanical and industrial multiphase flows but also delivers important results to fill the gap in the existing literature.
Structural and electrical properties of pure and doped lanthanum oxide
Authors: Dal Nazma D. , Chavda Nisha N. , Madhad Parul H. , Kumar Ramesh , Bhammar Neeta A. , Udeshi Bhagyashree , Trivedi R. K. , Solanki P. S. , Shah N. A.
Published: July 2021

In this communication, structural and electrical properties of rare earth oxides La2O3 (LO) and LaNdO3 (LNO) have been studied. To understand the structural properties of the LO and LNO samples, X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurement was carried out at room temperature. The XRD patterns have been analyzed by Rietveld refinement to confirm the single-phase nature of both the samples. The crystal structures of studied samples were created from the derived parameters of Rietveld parameters. The crystal size and lattice strain have been estimated using Williamson–Hall (W–H) plot analysis. Frequency-dependent dielectric constant and loss tangent have been studied for a frequency range of 20 Hz to 2 MHz. To estimate the relaxation time and contribution of the charge carriers in the studied samples, relaxation mechanism and universal dielectric response (UDR) model have been employed. The ac conductivity measurements were carried out for the same frequency range (i.e., 20 Hz to 2 MHz) which has been understood on the basis of Jonscher’s power law. The barrier height has been calculated by fitting the power law. Frequency-dependent impedance behavior has been discussed in the context of grains and grain boundaries for both the samples under study.
Video Frame Synthesis Combining Conventional and Event Cameras
Authors: Pini Stefano , Borghi Guido , Vezzani Roberto
Published: July 2021

Event cameras are biologically-inspired sensors that gather the temporal evolution of the scene. They capture pixel-wise brightness variations and output a corresponding stream of asynchronous events. Despite having multiple advantages with respect to conventional cameras, their use is limited due to the scarce compatibility of asynchronous event streams with traditional data processing and vision algorithms. In this regard, we present a framework that synthesizes RGB frames from the output stream of an event camera and an initial or a periodic set of color key-frames. The deep learning-based frame synthesis framework consists of an adversarial image-to-image architecture and a recurrent module. Two public event-based datasets, DDD17 and MVSEC, are used to obtain qualitative and quantitative per-pixel and perceptual results. In addition, we converted into event frames two additional well-known datasets, namely Kitti and Cityscapes, in order to present semantic results, in terms of object detection and semantic segmentation accuracy. Extensive experimental evaluation confirms the quality and the capability of the proposed approach of synthesizing frame sequences from color key-frames and sequences of intermediate events.
Coarse groups, and the isomorphism problem for oligomorphic groups
Authors: Nies André , Schlicht Philipp , Tent Katrin
Published: July 2021

Let [Formula: see text] denote the topological group of permutations of the natural numbers. A closed subgroup G of [Formula: see text] is called oligomorphic if for each n, its natural action on n-tuples of natural numbers has only finitely many orbits. We study the complexity of the topological isomorphism relation on the oligomorphic subgroups of [Formula: see text] in the setting of Borel reducibility between equivalence relations on Polish spaces.

Given a closed subgroup [Formula: see text] of [Formula: see text], the coarse group [Formula: see text] is the structure with domain the cosets of open subgroups of G, and a ternary relation [Formula: see text]. This structure derived from G was introduced in [A. Kechris, A. Nies and K. Tent, The complexity of topological group isomorphism, J. Symbolic Logic 83(3) (2018) 1190–1203, Sec.   3.3 ]. If G has only countably many open subgroups, then [Formula: see text] is a countable structure. Coarse groups form our main tool in studying such closed subgroups of [Formula: see text]. We axiomatize them abstractly as structures with a ternary relation. For the oligomorphic groups, and also the profinite groups, we set up a Stone-type duality between the groups and the corresponding coarse groups. In particular, we can recover an isomorphic copy of G from its coarse group in a Borel fashion.

We use this duality to show that the isomorphism relation for oligomorphic subgroups of [Formula: see text] is Borel reducible to a Borel equivalence relation with all classes countable. We show that the same upper bound applies to the larger class of closed subgroups of [Formula: see text] that are topologically isomorphic to oligomorphic groups.
THE INFLUENCE OF REGIONAL SUPPLY, DEMAND AND COMPETITION FACTORS ON THE KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER OUTCOMES OF UNIVERSITIES
Authors: ES-SADKI NORDINE , ARUNDEL ANTHONY
Published: July 2021

We use survey data for up to 292 universities in 17 European countries to examine the influence of the employment share in knowledge-intensive services (KIS), location in a metropolitan region, and competition from other universities and research institutes in the same region on three measures of university knowledge transfer outcomes: the number of research agreements, licensing, and the number of start-ups. The results show that the KIS employment share has a positive correlation with the number of start-ups, while the location in a metropolitan region is positively correlated with the number of research agreements. Competition from quality-weighted universities in the same region as the focal university decreases the number of research and licensing agreements, although the highest-ranked 13.4% of universities benefit from the regional co-location of other high-quality universities for license income. The number of research institutes in the same region is unrelated to the number of research agreements, licenses and start-ups, but has a positive effect on license income. These results suggest that universities compete with top-ranked universities for regional demand for knowledge.
Regression conditions that characterize free-Poisson and free-Kummer distributions
Authors: Piliszek Agnieszka
Published: July 2021

We find the asymptotic spectral distribution of random Kummer matrix. Then we formulate and prove a free analogue of HV independence property, which is known for classical Kummer and Gamma random variables and for Kummer and Wishart matrices. We also prove a related characterization of free-Kummer and free-Poisson (Marchenko–Pastur) non-commutative random variables.
drop
Authors: Fujioka Sadam
Published: August 2021

This paper describes an interactive art installation titled "drop." It is the first artwork using the Waterdrop Projection-Mapping (WPM) system, which animates levitating waterdrops. With this artwork, the anno lab team infuses physical characteristics into computer graphics and materializes them as tangible pixels. WPM consists of a waterdrop generator and an ultra high-speed projector. The team uses an ultra high-speed projector to cast stroboscopic spotlights mapping on waterdrops to create an optical illusion of animating each waterdrop individually. This is a new technique to show computer animation by animating levitating waterdrops. This technique explores a new horizon to create animations with tangible pixels that the viewer can touch physically.
Can the Subaltern Speak?
Authors: Farahi Behnaz
Published: August 2021

This paper presents AI-controlled robotic masks intended to empower women and allow them to communicate with one another. These are inspired by the historical masks worn by the Bandari women from southern Iran. Legend has it that these masks were developed during Portuguese colonial rule as a way of protecting the wearer from the gaze of slave masters looking for attractive women. In this project two robotic masks seemingly begin to develop their own language to communicate with each other, blinking their eyelashes in rapid succession using AI-generated Morse code. This project draws upon a Facebook experiment where two AI bots apparently began to develop their own language. It also draws upon an incident when an American soldier used his eyes to blink and spell out the word "TORTURE" using Morse code during his captivity in Vietnam, as well as stories of women using code to report domestic abuse during the COVID-19 lockdown. The aim is to sow anxiety within the patriarchal system where the "wink" of the sexual predator is subverted into a language to protect women from the advances of a predator. The project bridges AI, interactive design, and critical thinking (Figure 1).
Reversal, Disconnect, and Proposition
Authors: Day Kevin
Published: August 2021

This paper examines the potential countertactics of contemporary interactive media art to interrogate the data-mining practices that encode the everyday and exploit user data in the big data economy. It argues that noise is the "other" of information, a way to counter the operation of turning the world into data commodities. Through a Brechtian methodology informed by philosophy and critical theories of media and technology, the paper suggests that amplifying the "noise" of the digital media assemblages deviates from their everyday normative functions and estranges our relationship to them, inviting critical ways of understanding, relating to, and engaging these ubiquitous systems. All three noted artworks destabilize the protocols of data-mining to examine data politics. Specifically, the paper looks at three different tactics that amplify the "noise" of digital culture in different ways: reversing roles, disconnecting, and proposing viable alternatives.
Rotational Flocking with Spontaneous Directional Changes
Authors: Liu Xiaolu , Shao Guanbo , Tang Yudong , Chen Duxin
Published: July 2021

Revealing the underlying decision‐making strategy governing the high‐group polarization accompanied by conflicting individual preferences may play a central part in the lives of social animals. Hereby, we construct a structured spin model in accordance with empirical validation, which shows how distinct individual preferences converge from one consensus homeostasis to another lowest‐energy equilibrium. To verify the theoretical derivation, we use high‐resolution spatiotemporal GPS data of a flock of thirty pigeons and study the dynamical evolution mechanism of systemic spins. Therein, we find successful rotational direction transitions requiring a sufficient number of supporters. A few initiators trigger the phase transition from one equilibrium to another, where the symmetric transient state indicates a diamond hierarchical network being completed by the intermediates and the rear individuals. By further studying the nature, we reveal that decision‐making sequences are strongly triggered and influenced by individual positions and the leader‐follower relationship. Thus, we can predict which individual is more likely to make the decision before the initial transition moment and who will draw the complete stop. Consequently, the revealed decision‐making strategy facilitates a comprehensive understanding of collective behavioral transition.
[Retracted] Optimization of Remazol Black B Removal Using Biochar Produced from Caulerpa scalpelliformis Using Response Surface Methodology
Authors: Gokulan R. , Balaji S. , Sivaprakasam P.
Published: July 2021

Optimization of process conditions for the removal of Remazol Black B was investigated using response surface methodology (Box–Behnken design). The biodecolorization of dye was studied using biochar produced from waste biomass of Caulerpa scalpelliformis (marine seaweeds). The reactions were optimized by varying sorbent dosage, solution pH, temperature, and initial dye concentration. The results indicated that dye removal efficiency of 80.30% was attained at an operating condition of 4 g/L (sorbent dosage), 2.0 (solution pH), 35°C (temperature), and 0.25 mmol/L (initial dye concentration). The regression coefficient of the developed model was calculated to be 97% which shows good fit of the model.
Modelling and Simulation on Penetration into Stone Concrete
Authors: Huang He , Zhang Duo , Cheng Lirong
Published: August 2021

Penetration into stone concrete is an important research area of concrete penetration, and related experiments and simulation tests have been carried out. However, complete theories have not been formed yet. This paper develops a differential facet resistance model for penetration into stone concrete target. Firstly, the plastic damage model is used to analyze the penetration of concrete target, and the reliability of the numerical model is verified by comparing with the classical experimental results. Besides, the numerical model of stone concrete is established based on 3D Voronoi diagram according to the random characteristics of the shape and spatial distribution of stones in concrete. Then, simulation tests are carried out with the validated numerical model, a differential facet resistance model suitable for the penetration of stone concrete target is then proposed referring to the resistance formula of Forrestal and Rosenberg. At last, a method for fast calculation of penetration into stone concrete is introduced.
Lubrication Effect of Polyvinyl Alcohol/Polyethylene Glycol Gel for Artificial Joints
Authors: Zhang Shoujing , Hu Feng , Li Jianhui , Lv Leifeng , Lu Hailin
Published: August 2021

One of the most common problems encountered by patients using artificial joints is the high wear rate. In this study, a polyvinyl alcohol/polyethylene glycol (PVA/PEG) gel was prepared through the cross‐linking reaction between polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and polyethylene glycol (PEG) solutions. This gel can lubricate artificial joints, thereby lowering their coefficient of friction (COF) and increasing their service life. Various techniques, such as Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X‐ray diffraction, Raman spectra, X‐ray photon spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analyses, were used to analyze the structure of this synthetic gel. The tribological results indicated that the synthetic gel’s lubrication effect was the most optimum when it contained PVA (10 wt%) and PEG (15 wt%). An average COF of 0.05 was obtained under a load of 10 N and at a speed of 1.0 cm/s. In addition, the wear rate was reduced in comparison to distilled water. Furthermore, the biological tests proved that the PVA/PEG gel was highly biocompatible. Thus, this study introduces a novel technique to prepare PVA/PEG gels that improve the tribological performance of artificial joints.
Understanding Large-Scale Social Relationship Data by Combining Conceptual Graphs and Domain Ontologies
Authors: Huang Zhao , Yuan Liu
Published: July 2021

People worldwide communicate online and create a great amount of data on social media. The understanding of such large-scale data generated on social media and uncovering patterns from social relationship has received much attention from academics and practitioners. However, it still faces challenges to represent and manage the large-scale social relationship data in a formal manner. Therefore, this study proposes a social relationship representation model, which addresses both conceptual graph and domain ontology. Such a formal representation of a social relationship graph can provide a flexible and adaptive way to complete social relationship discovery. Using the term-define capability of ontologies and the graphical structure of the conceptual graph, this paper presents a social relationship description with formal syntax and semantics. The reasoning procedure working on this formal representation can exploit the capability of ontology reasoning and graph homomorphism-based reasoning. A social relationship graph constructed from the Lehigh University Benchmark (LUBM) is used to test the efficiency of the relationship discovery method.
Career Exploration and College Students’ Career Adaptability: The Mediating Role of Future Work Self-Salience and Moderating Role of Perceived Teacher Support
Authors: Xiao Yan , He Ying , Gao Xiaoxiao , Lu Lei , Yu Xin
Published: July 2021

Based on the theory of career construction, a moderated mediation model is built in this paper to probe into the relationship between career exploration and career adaptability, discussing the mediating role of future work self-salience and the moderating role of perceived teacher support. With the research sample of 1101 unemployed college students, SPSS and AMOS, a structural equation modeling software is employed for modeling so as to perform the linear regression analysis of three-stage data. The research findings are about four aspects; to start with, students’ career exploration is positively related to career adaptability; besides, future work self-salience plays a partial role in mediating between college students’ career exploration and career adaptability; next, perceived teacher support positively moderates two kinds of positive relationship: one is between career exploration and future work self-salience of college students and the other between their future work self-salience and career adaptability. Lastly, the indirect effect of the future work self-salience between career exploration and career adaptability is moderated by perceived teacher support. As opposed to a lower level of teacher support, this moderated mediating effect is significant only at a higher level of perceived teacher support. This research clarifies the link between career exploration and career adaptability through future work self-salience and practical enlightenment about how to enhance career adaptability via perceived teacher support.
Methods for Solving
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-Type Pythagorean Fuzzy Linear Programming Problems with Mixed Constraints
Authors: Akram Muhammad , Ullah Inayat , Alharbi Majed G.
Published: July 2021

A Pythagorean fuzzy set is the superset of fuzzy and intuitionistic fuzzy sets, respectively. Yager proposed the concept of Pythagorean fuzzy sets in which he relaxed the condition that sum of square of both membership degree and nonmembership degree of an element of a set must not be greater than 1. This paper introduces two new techniques to solve

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-type fully Pythagorean fuzzy linear programming problems with mixed constraints having unrestricted

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-type Pythagorean fuzzy numbers as variables and parameters by introducing unknown variables and using a ranking function. Furthermore, we show the equivalence of both the proposed methods and compare the solutions obtained by the two techniques. Besides this, we solve an already existing practical model using proposed techniques and compare the result.
Phase‐Field Modeling Fracture in Anisotropic Materials
Authors: Li Haifeng , Wang Wei , Cao Yajun , Liu Shifan
Published: July 2021

The phase‐field method is a widely used technique to simulate crack initiation, propagation, and coalescence without the need to trace the fracture surface. In the phase‐field theory, the energy to create a fracture surface per unit area is equal to the critical energy release rate. Therefore, the precise definition of the crack‐driving part is the key to simulate crack propagation. In this work, we propose a modified phase‐field model to capture the complex crack propagation, in which the elastic strain energy is decomposed into volumetric‐deviatoric energy parts. Because of the volumetric‐deviatoric energy split, we introduce a novel form of the crack‐driving energy to simulate mixed‐mode fracture. Furthermore, a new degradation function is proposed to simulate crack processes in brittle materials with different degradation rates. The proposed model is implemented by a staggered algorithm and to validate the performance of the phase‐field modelling, and several numerical examples are constructed under plane strain condition. All the presented examples demonstrate the capability of the proposed approach in solving problems of brittle fracture propagation.
On Degree-Based Topological Indices for Strong Double Graphs
Authors: Rafiullah Muhammad , Siddiqui Hafiz Muhammad Afzal , Siddiqui Muhammad Kamran , Dhlamini Mlamuli
Published: August 2021

A topological index is a characteristic value which represents some structural properties of a chemical graph. We study strong double graphs and their generalization to compute Zagreb indices and Zagreb coindices. We provide their explicit computing formulas along with an algorithm to generate and verify the results. We also find the relation between these indices. A 3D graphical representation and graphs are also presented to understand the dynamics of the aforementioned topological indices.