bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Subterahertz spin pumping from an insulating antiferromagnet
Authors: Vaidya Priyanka , Morley Sophie A. , van Tol Johan , Liu Yan , Cheng Ran , Brataas Arne , Lederman David , del Barco Enrique
Published: April 2020

A spin-pumping antiferromagnet

Antiferromagnets have been used in spintronics mainly as a source of the so-called exchange bias. However, they hold promise for a much more active role given that their magnetization dynamics can in principle be much faster than those in ferromagnets. For this promise to materialize, antiferromagnets must learn the tricks that come naturally to ferromagnets. Vaidya
et al.
observed one such phenomenon called spin pumping (see the Perspective by Hoffmann). The researchers irradiated the antiferromagnet MnF
2
with circularly polarized subterahertz light, causing the spins in this material to spring into action. These dynamics, in turn, caused the injection of spin current into a layer of platinum adjacent to MnF
2
.

Science
, this issue p.
160
; see also p.
135
Considering nonhuman culture
Becoming Wild: How Animal Cultures Raise Families, Create Beauty, and Achieve Peace
Carl Safina
Henry Holt, 2020. 384 pp.
Authors: Hannibal Mary Ellen
Published: April 2020

Animals have much to teach us about communication, mate preference, and social hierarchy
G20 leaders must answer to COVID-19
Authors: Atkinson Caroline
Published: April 2020

Last week, the United Nations declared the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic to be the greatest test the world has faced since World War II. Every day brings news of more infections and deaths, together with rising economic hardship as businesses close and jobs are lost. A global health crisis is now triggering a global economic crisis. On 26 March, the G20 nations, representing the world's 20 largest economies, declared their intention to unite in response to the emergency. What should be their next steps?
Novel Ionophores Active against La Crosse Virus Identified through Rapid Antiviral Screening
Authors: Sandler Zachary J. , Firpo Mason R. , Omoba Oreoluwa S. , Vu Michelle N. , Menachery Vineet D. , Mounce Bryan C.
Published: April 2020

Bunyaviruses are significant human pathogens, causing diseases ranging from hemorrhagic fevers to encephalitis. Among these viruses, La Crosse virus (LACV), a member of the California serogroup, circulates in the eastern and midwestern United States. While LACV infection is often asymptomatic, dozens of cases of encephalitis are reported yearly. Unfortunately, no antivirals have been approved to treat LACV infection. Here, we developed a method to rapidly test potential antivirals against LACV infection.
Pharmacokinetic-Pharmacodynamic Characterization of Omadacycline against Haemophilus influenzae Using a One-Compartment
In Vitro
Infection Model
Authors: VanScoy Brian D. , Lakota Elizabeth A. , Conde Haley , McCauley Jennifer , Friedrich Lawrence , Steenbergen Judith N. , Ambrose Paul G. , Bhavnani Sujata M.
Published: April 2020

Omadacycline is a novel aminomethylcycline with activity against Gram-positive and -negative organisms, including
Haemophilus influenzae
, which is one of the leading causes of community-acquired bacterial pneumonia (CABP). The evaluation of antimicrobial agents against
H. influenzae
using standard murine infection models is challenging due to the low pathogenicity of this species in mice. Therefore, 24-h dose-ranging studies using a one-compartment
in vitro
infection model were undertaken with the goal of characterizing the magnitude of the ratio of the area under the concentration-time curve (AUC) to the MIC (AUC/MIC ratio) associated with efficacy for a panel of five
H. influenzae
isolates.
Cohort study evaluating management of burns in the community in clinical practice in the UK: costs and outcomes
Authors: Guest Julian F , Fuller Graham W , Edwards Jacky
Published: April 2020

Objective

To evaluate health outcomes, resource use and corresponding costs attributable to managing burns in clinical practice, from initial presentation, among a cohort of adults in the UK.

Design

Retrospective cohort analysis of the records of a randomly selected cohort of 260 patients from The Health Improvement Network (THIN) database who had 294 evaluable burns.

Setting

Primary and secondary care sectors in the UK.

Primary and secondary outcome measures

Patients’ characteristics, wound-related health outcomes, healthcare resource use and total National Health Service (NHS) cost of patient management.

Results

Diagnosis was incomplete in 63% of patients’ records as the location, depth and size of the burns were missing. Overall, 70% of all the burns healed within 24 months and the time to healing was a mean of 7.8 months per burn. Sixty-six per cent of burns were initially managed in the community and the other 34% were managed at accident and emergency departments. Patients’ wounds were subsequently managed predominantly by practice nurses and hospital outpatient clinics. Forty-five per cent of burns had no documented dressings in the patients’ records. The mean NHS cost of wound care in clinical practice over 24 months from initial presentation was an estimated £16 924 per burn, ranging from £12 002 to £40 577 for a healed and unhealed wound, respectively.

Conclusions

Due to incomplete documentation in the patients’ records, it is difficult to say whether the time to healing was excessive or what other confounding factors may have contributed to the delayed healing. This study indicates the need for education of general practice clinicians on the management and care of burn wounds. Furthermore, it is beholden on the burns community to determine how the poor healing rates can be improved. Strategies are required to improve documentation in patients’ records, integration of care between different providers, wound healing rates and reducing infection.
Relative burden of lung and pleural cancers from exposure to asbestos: a cross-sectional analysis of occupational mortality in England and Wales
Authors: Harris Elizabeth Clare , D'Angelo Stefania , Darnton Andrew , Coggon David
Published: April 2020

Objectives

To explore the extent to which asbestos-exposed jobs vary in the ratio of excess mortality from lung cancer to deaths from pleural cancer.

Design

Using data on underlying cause of death and last full-time occupation for 3 688 916 deaths among men aged 20–74 years in England and Wales during 1979–2010, we calculated proportional mortality ratios (PMRs), standardised for age and social class, with all occupations combined as reference. For each of 22 asbestos-exposed job groups with significantly elevated PMRs for pleural cancer, we calculated excess mortality from lung cancer (observed minus expected deaths) and its ratio to number of deaths from pleural cancer. To reduce confounding effects of smoking, we adjusted expected deaths from lung cancer in each job group, according to a formula based on its PMR for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Setting

England and Wales.

Participants

3 688 916 men who died aged 20–74 years during 1979–2010.

Outcome measures

Ratios of excess mortality from lung cancer to deaths from pleural cancer by job group.

Results

Adjusted PMRs for lung cancer were elevated in all but 4 of the 22 asbestos-exposed job groups, but the ratio of excess lung cancer to deaths from pleural cancer varied widely between job groups, being significantly greater than the overall ratio in six, and significantly less in seven. Analysis for 2001–2010, when (because of changes in coding) ascertainment of pleural tumours was more reliable, showed similar variation between job groups, and indicated an overall ratio of 0.28.

Conclusions

Excess lung cancer in asbestos-exposed jobs is not in a simple proportion to deaths from pleural cancer, and the ratio may vary importantly according to intensity of exposure to different types of asbestos and concomitant smoking habits. The current burden of lung cancer from occupational exposure to asbestos in Britain may not be so high as previously thought.
Neuronal pentraxin 2: a synapse-derived CSF biomarker in genetic frontotemporal dementia
Authors: van der Ende Emma L , Xiao Meifang , Xu Desheng , Poos Jackie M , Panman Jessica L , Jiskoot Lize C , Meeter Lieke H , Dopper Elise GP , Papma Janne M , Heller Carolin , Convery Rhian , Moore Katrina , Bocchetta Martina , Neason Mollie , Peakman Georgia , Cash David M , Teunissen Charlotte E , Graff Caroline , Synofzik Matthis , Moreno Fermin , Finger Elizabeth , Sánchez-Valle Raquel , Vandenberghe Rik , Laforce Jr Robert , Masellis Mario , Tartaglia Maria Carmela , Rowe James B , Butler Christopher R , Ducharme Simon , Gerhard Alex , Danek Adrian , Levin Johannes , Pijnenburg Yolande AL , Otto Markus , Borroni Barbara , Tagliavini Fabrizio , de Mendonca Alexandre , Santana Isabel , Galimberti Daniela , Seelaar Harro , Rohrer Jonathan D , Worley Paul F , van Swieten John C
Published: April 2020

Introduction

Synapse dysfunction is emerging as an early pathological event in frontotemporal dementia (FTD), however biomarkers are lacking. We aimed to investigate the value of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) neuronal pentraxins (NPTXs), a family of proteins involved in homeostatic synapse plasticity, as novel biomarkers in genetic FTD.

Methods

We included 106 presymptomatic and 54 symptomatic carriers of a pathogenic mutation inGRN,C9orf72orMAPT, and 70 healthy non-carriers participating in the Genetic Frontotemporal dementia Initiative (GENFI), all of whom had at least one CSF sample. We measured CSF concentrations of NPTX2 using an in-house ELISA, and NPTX1 and NPTX receptor (NPTXR) by Western blot. We correlated NPTX2 with corresponding clinical and neuroimaging datasets as well as with CSF neurofilament light chain (NfL) using linear regression analyses.

Results

Symptomatic mutation carriers had lower NPTX2 concentrations (median 643 pg/mL, IQR (301–872)) than presymptomatic carriers (1003 pg/mL (624–1358), p<0.001) and non-carriers (990 pg/mL (597–1373), p<0.001) (corrected for age). Similar results were found for NPTX1 and NPTXR. Among mutation carriers, NPTX2 concentration correlated with several clinical disease severity measures, NfL and grey matter volume of the frontal, temporal and parietal lobes, insula and whole brain. NPTX2 predicted subsequent decline in phonemic verbal fluency and Clinical Dementia Rating scale plus FTD modules. In longitudinal CSF samples, available in 13 subjects, NPTX2 decreased around symptom onset and in the symptomatic stage.

Discussion

We conclude that NPTX2 is a promising synapse-derived disease progression biomarker in genetic FTD.
Exact discretization of non-commutative space-time
Authors: Tarasov V. E.
Published: April 2020

Non-commutative space-time is discussed for discrete case. An exact discretization of the non-commutative space-time is proposed. New discrete operators, which satisfy the same algebraic relations as standard derivatives of integer orders, are used. Exact discretization of the non-commutative space-time is suggested by using generalization of the star-product (the Moyal–Weyl product) based on the recently proposed exact finite differences. The suggested discrete non-commutative space-time corresponds to the standard “continuous” non-commutative space-time without any approximations. The suggested discrete non-commutative space-time can be interpreted as a special physical (crystal) lattice with long-range interaction.
Effect of Axial Compression Ratio on Seismic Behavior of GFRP Reinforced Concrete Columns
Authors: Sun Li , Yang Zeyu , Jin Qiao , Yan Weidong
Published: April 2020

Traditional reinforced concrete columns have demonstrated poor seismic performance especially in corrosive environment as the reinforcement bars experience severe corrosion under such conditions. To overcome the problem of steel corrosion, glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) reinforced concrete columns have gained significant attention in recent years. However, the seismic performance of GFRP reinforced concrete column is not well understood yet. One of the main challenges associated with the use of GFRP bars is its brittle behavior. Therefore, it is necessary to investigate the mechanical properties and failure modes of GFRP reinforced concrete structures under seismic action. In this research, the seismic behavior of GFRP reinforced concrete columns and conventional columns under different axial compression ratios are analyzed by low-cycle repeated pseudo-static loading tests. As a result, the deformation and the seismic energy dissipation capacity of GFRP reinforced concrete columns are investigated and discussed. Furthermore, the failure mechanism of GFRP bar structure is studied to provide the basis for improving the seismic design method of GFRP reinforced concrete structure and modifying the code for seismic design. In addition, the influence of axial compression ratio on the seismic behavior of full GFRP reinforced concrete columns is investigated. The results of this experiment demonstrate that with the increase of axial compression ratio, the ultimate bearing capacity of GFRP reinforced concrete columns increases, while the deformation and the cumulative energy dissipation capacity decrease.
Securing Cyber-Physical Social Interactions on Wrist-Worn Devices
Authors: Shen Yiran , Du Bowen , Xu Weitao , Luo Chengwen , Wei Bo , Cui Lizhen , Wen Hongkai
Published: April 2020

Since ancient Greece, handshaking has been commonly practiced between two people as a friendly gesture to express trust and respect, or form a mutual agreement. In this article, we show that such
physical
contact can be used to bootstrap secure
cyber
contact between the smart devices worn by users. The key observation is that during handshaking, although belonged to two different users, the two hands involved in the shaking events are often rigidly connected, and therefore exhibit very similar motion patterns. We propose a novel key generation system, which harvests motion data during user handshaking from the wrist-worn smart devices such as smartwatches or fitness bands, and exploits the matching motion patterns to generate symmetric keys on both parties. The generated keys can be then used to establish a secure communication channel for exchanging data between devices. This provides a much more natural and user-friendly alternative for many applications, e.g., exchanging/sharing contact details, friending on social networks, or even making payments, since it doesn’t involve extra bespoke hardware, nor require the users to perform pre-defined gestures. We implement the proposed key generation system on off-the-shelf smartwatches, and extensive evaluation shows that it can reliably generate 128-bit symmetric keys just after around 1s of handshaking (with success rate >99%), and is resilient to different types of attacks including impersonate mimicking attacks, impersonate passive attacks, or eavesdropping attacks. Specifically, for real-time impersonate mimicking attacks, in our experiments, the Equal Error Rate (EER) is only 1.6% on average. We also show that the proposed key generation system can be extremely lightweight and is able to run in-situ on the resource-constrained smartwatches without incurring excessive resource consumption.
Browser Fingerprinting
Authors: Laperdrix Pierre , Bielova Nataliia , Baudry Benoit , Avoine Gildas
Published: April 2020

With this article, we survey the research performed in the domain of browser fingerprinting, while providing an accessible entry point to newcomers in the field. We explain how this technique works and where it stems from. We analyze the related work in detail to understand the composition of modern fingerprints and see how this technique is currently used online. We systematize existing defense solutions into different categories and detail the current challenges yet to overcome.
An Intelligent Ship Image/Video Detection and Classification Method with Improved Regressive Deep Convolutional Neural Network
Authors: Huang Zhijian , Sui Bowen , Wen Jiayi , Jiang Guohe
Published: April 2020

The shipping industry is developing towards intelligence rapidly. An accurate and fast method for ship image/video detection and classification is of great significance for not only the port management, but also the safe driving of Unmanned Surface Vehicle (USV). Thus, this paper makes a self-built dataset for the ship image/video detection and classification, and its method based on an improved regressive deep convolutional neural network is presented. This method promotes the regressive convolutional neural network from four aspects. First, the feature extraction layer is lightweighted by referring to YOLOv2. Second, a new feature pyramid network layer is designed by improving its structure in YOLOv3. Third, a proper frame and scale suitable for ships are designed with a clustering algorithm to reduced 60% anchors. Last, the activation function is verified and optimized. Then, the detecting experiment on 7 types of ships shows that the proposed method has advantage compared with the YOLO series networks and other intelligent methods. This method can solve the problem of low recognition rate and real-time performance for ship image/video detection and classification with a small dataset. On the testing-set, the final mAP is 0.9209, the Recall is 0.9818, the AIOU is 0.7991, and the FPS is 78–80 in video detection. Thus, this method provides a highly accurate and real-time ship detection method for the intelligent port management and visual processing of the USV. In addition, the proposed regressive deep convolutional network also has a better comprehensive performance than that of YOLOv2/v3.
A Heterogeneous QoS-Based Cloud Service Selection Approach Using Entropy Weight and GRA-ELECTRE III
Authors: Liu Mingming , Shao Yifan , Yu Chunxia , Yu Jiacheng
Published: April 2020

With the development of cloud computing, more and more resources are provided in the form of cloud services. Then how to select suitable cloud service for users without professional knowledge has become an important issue. Existing cloud service selection models are usually considered as QoS-aware evaluation focused models. In practice, the QoS attributes have problems like subjectivity, vagueness, and uncertainty, and a range of formats are involved to describe QoS attributes. Therefore, it is necessary to consider the heterogeneous formats of QoS attributes in cloud service selection process. The aim of this paper is to develop a novel cloud service selection approach using entropy weight and GRA-ELECTRE III that can handle heterogeneous QoS attributes simultaneously. In the proposed approach, heterogeneous QoS attributes are handled simultaneously by being transformed into intuitionistic fuzzy numbers; the relative weights of QoS attributes are calculated objectively by the extended entropy measure method under intuitionistic fuzzy environment; and cloud services are evaluated by GRA-ELECTRE III integrated method under intuitionistic fuzzy environment. Experimental results show that the proposed approach has good stability and discrimination in dealing with heterogeneous data and can effectively avoid compensation between attributes.
Data-Driven Learning-Based Fault Tolerant Stability Analysis
Authors: Ge Lei , Chen Shun
Published: April 2020

In this paper, a new data-driven learning method is investigated based on the dynamical data of the system. A regularized regression wavelet (RRW) approach is proposed to optimize the learning result for the system fault. Based on the optimizing results, a fault tolerant stability scheme is given. Then, the efficiency of the proposed technique is verified by a vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft stability example.
Propranolol Is Associated with Lower Risk of Incidence of Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Patients with Alcoholic Cirrhosis: A Tertiary-Center Study and Indirect Comparison with Meta-Analysis
Authors: Li Tzu-Hao , Tsai Yu-Lien , Hsu Chien-Fu , Liu Chih-Wei , Huang Chia-Chang , Yang Ying-Ying , Tsai Hung-Cheng , Huang Shiang-Fen , Hsieh Yun-Cheng , Liu Hsuan-Miao , Lee Tzung-Yan , Hou Ming-Chih , Tsai Chang-Youh , Lin Han-Chieh
Published: April 2020

Alcoholic cirrhosis (AC) leads to enormous disease burden and occupies a substantial proportion in the etiology of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but scarce attention has been paid to this topic. Besides, propranolol has been reported to decrease the rate of HCC in viral hepatitis. We conducted a retrospective tertiary-center cohort study to identify the HCC incidence in AC patients with or without propranolol. A total of 1,046 AC patients with hospitalization had been screened, and those with regular follow-up for three years or otherwise until the date of malignancy diagnosis without meeting exclusion criteria were enrolled; finally, 23 AC patients with propranolol and 46 AC patients without propranolol were analyzed after twofold propensity-score matching. The cumulative incidence of HCC was lower in the propranolol group (log-rank test, P=0.046). Furthermore, we undertook the meta-analysis of annual incidence of HCC in AC patients, and 1,949 publications were screened, within which eight studies were analyzed; the pooled annual incidence was 2.41%, which was higher than the calculated annual incidence of HCC in our AC cohort with propranolol (1.45%). In conclusion, propranolol is associated with decreased risk of HCC incidence in patients with AC.
Nonlinear Vibration of the Blade with Variable Thickness
Authors: Jie Xiaobo , Zhang Wei , Mao Jiajia
Published: April 2020

In this paper, the nonlinear dynamic responses of the blade with variable thickness are investigated by simulating it as a rotating pretwisted cantilever conical shell with variable thickness. The governing equations of motion are derived based on the von Kármán nonlinear relationship, Hamilton’s principle, and the first-order shear deformation theory. Galerkin’s method is employed to transform the partial differential governing equations of motion to a set of nonlinear ordinary differential equations. Then, some important numerical results are presented in terms of significant input parameters.
Combining a COI Mini-Barcode with Next-Generation Sequencing for Animal Origin Ingredients Identification in Processed Meat Product
Authors: Pan Yanyi , Qiu Deyi , Chen Jian , Yue Qiaoyun
Published: April 2020

For revealing animal species in complex or adulterated processed meat product, we presented a method combining a novel cytochrome oxidase I (COI) mini-barcode with next-generation sequencing (NGS), which identifies various animal species (swine, bovine, Caprinae, and some of fish, shrimp, and poultry) accurately and efficiently in processed meat products. We designed a universal primer based on 140 sequences from 51 edible animal species. A mixture of 12 species raw meat samples were identified with the clone sequencing and also with a mini-barcode- (136 bp) combined NGS method, respectively. The mini-barcode of these 12 species was 100% identical to the target species sequence by Sanger sequencing. Compared to the clone sequencing method, the NGS method is superior in accuracy, sensitivity, and detection efficiency. Various edible animal species were identified in the species level both in the mixed samples and the 7 heavily processed food products. Moreover, some unlabeled species and dubious contamination were detected as well.
Assessment and Comparison of Various MCDM Approaches in the Selection of Manufacturing Process
Authors: Ghaleb Atef M. , Kaid Husam , Alsamhan Ali , Mian Syed Hammad , Hidri Lotfi
Published: April 2020

The selection of manufacturing processes for a given application is a complex problem of multicriteria decision‐making although there have been several different approaches that can be utilized to select a suitable alternative. However, identifying appropriate multicriteria decision‐making approach from the list of available methods for a given application is a difficult task. This work suggests a methodology to assess different selection approaches, which are the technique for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS), analytic hierarchy process (AHP), and VIKOR: stepwise procedure. This valuation was done depending on the following factors: number of alternative processes and criteria, agility through the process of decision‐making, computational complexity, adequacy in supporting a group decision, and addition or removal of a criterion. A case study in this study was presented to analyse the evaluation methodology. The criteria used to evaluate and identify the best manufacturing process were categorized into productivity, accuracy, complexity, flexibility, material utilization, quality, and operation cost. Five manufacturing processes were considered, including gravity die casting, investment casting, pressure die casting, sand casting, and additive manufacturing. The results showed that each approach was suitable for the problems of manufacturing process selection, in particular toward the support of group decision‐making and uncertainty modelling. Manufacturing processes were ranked based on their respective weights for AHP, TOPSIS, and VIKOR, and sand casting is the best. In terms of computational complexity, the VIKOR method performed better than TOPSIS and AHP. Moreover, the VIKOR and TOPSIS methods were better convenient to the selection of manufacturing processes for agility during the process of decision‐making, the number of alternative processes and criteria, adequacy in supporting a group decision, and addition or removal of a criterion.
Effects of Unloading Rate on Energy Evolution Mechanism in the Single‐Side Unloading Failure of Highly Stressed Marble
Authors: Xu Wensong , Zhao Guangming , Meng Xiangrui , Kao Siming , Huang Shunjie , Liu Chongyan
Published: April 2020

Highly stressed rock masses continuously exchange substances and energy with the outer environment during single‐side unloading, which is a damage evolution process with energy dissipation. The true triaxial unloading disturbance rock test system was utilized to perform single‐side unloading tests of marble specimens at different unloading rates and axial pressures. The unloading failure characteristics of the marble specimens were revealed from the perspective of energy conversion. Results indicated the following: (1) The marble specimen was more likely to be damaged under the single‐side unloading condition than under the loading condition, with the unloading failure strength reaching 80% of the loading failure strength. (2) Crack propagation under single‐side unloading was intermittent. (3) A high single‐side unloading rate corresponded to a high release rate of the energy concentrated inside the rock mass, a small amount of energy dissipated due to second failure, insufficient crack propagation, and occurrence of only tensile failure. (4) A large amount of axial strain energy indicated a great amount of energy aggregated inside the rock mass and the generation of tensile stress due to unloading dilatancy. Consequently, a high critical value for splitting the failure of the rock specimen implied large failure‐induced energy dissipation and a high failure degree. The study of failure energy evolution mechanism in the single‐side unloading of highly stressed rock masses at different unloading rates will provide great guiding significance in controlling underground engineering disasters and guaranteeing construction safety.
Threshold Dynamics and Competitive Exclusion in a Virus Infection Model with General Incidence Function and Density-Dependent Diffusion
Authors: Tang Xiaosong , Wang Zhiwei , Yang Jianping
Published: April 2020

In this paper, we investigate single-strain and multistrain viral infection models with general incidence function and density-dependent diffusion subject to the homogeneous Neumann boundary conditions. For the single-strain viral infection model, by using the linearization method and constructing appropriate Lyapunov functionals, we obtain that the global threshold dynamics of the model is determined by the reproductive numbers for viral infection ℛ0. For the multistrain viral infection model, we have discussed the competitive exclusion problem. If the reproduction number ℛi for strain i is maximal and larger than one, the steady state Ei corresponding to the strain i is globally stable. Thus, competitive exclusion happens and all other strains die out except strain i. Meanwhile, we can prove that the single-strain and multistrain viral infection models are well posed. Furthermore, numerical simulations are also carried out to illustrate the theoretical results, which is seldom seen in the relevant known literatures.
Optimization of Accelerated Destructive Degradation Testing of Cementitious Materials for Their Performances Qualification under Aggressive Environments: The Case of Carbonation
Authors: Yan Weian , Bigaud David , Chaibati Nadare Matoiri , Izoret Laurent
Published: April 2020

In order to guarantee the performance or to qualify the risk of nonperformance of cementitious materials over time, a significant number of experimental data obtained from tests mimicking various degradation mechanisms are required. The slowness of the materials’ degradation under environmental service conditions is an issue, and thus, acceleration strategies are required to obtain reliable and comprehensive results in a shorter time. The objective of this research work is to provide a generic framework for the design of optimal accelerated destructive degradation tests (ADDTs) for cementitious materials qualification. The definition of the optimal design of experiments depends on the capacity to capture the influence of data variability and uncertainty from any sources; they are extracted either from physical models or from experimental tests. In this research, the evolution of carbonation depth is characterized with the Wiener process formalism and the random effects related to the material heterogeneity are taken into account. Once the process parameters are estimated through the maximum likelihood estimation (MLE), associated with the expectation-maximization (EM) algorithm, we provide a step-by-step and detailed method to investigate the optimal design of ADDTs. The latter is defined as the one for which we can estimate durability indicators such as mean-time-to-failure with the best accuracy based on three criteria (D-V-A optimality) considering constraints of time, total number of samples, or limited costs. The optimal total sample size for the accelerated carbonation test and the optimal sample size allocation proportions for each stress level are determined, and the effects of the stress level on the objective functions and of test time duration constraint are also discussed. A comparison of the relative efficiency of optimal three-level versus optimal two-level ADDT completes this work.
Flexural Behavior of Posttensioned Concrete Beams with Unbonded High‐Strength Strands
Authors: Kim Min Sook , Lee Young Hak
Published: April 2020

This paper assesses the applicability of high‐strength strands to current design codes and various existing equations. To evaluate the flexural performance of posttensioned concrete members with Grade 2400 strands, a flexural experiment was conducted on eleven specimens. Test variables included the tensile strength of strands, the number of strands, the cross‐section shape, and anchorage zone reinforcement details. The test results were compared with ACI 318‐19, AASHTO, and equations of Du and Tao, Naaman and Alkhari, and Harajli to evaluate the applicability of flexural strength equations for posttensioned concrete members using unbonded high‐strength strands. Results indicated that the provisions of ACI 318‐19 and AASHTO design codes and the existing equations underestimated the increased stress of the high‐strength strands. Additionally, results demonstrate that improved equations are needed to consider the strain‐compatibility model, plastic hinge length, and relationship between bonded reinforcement, concrete, and prestressing steel in posttensioned members using high‐strength strands.
Therapeutic Effects of the Combination of Alpha-Lipoic Acid (ALA) and Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) on Cisplatin-Induced Nephrotoxicity
Authors: Khalifa Eman Aly , Nabil Ahmed Ahmed , Hashem Khalid Shaaban , Allah Ahmad Gad
Published: April 2020

Background. Nephrotoxicity of cisplatin has been recognized since its introduction more than 25 years ago. However, despite intense efforts to develop less toxic and equally effective alternatives, cisplatin continues to be widely prescribed. Aim and Objectives. The study is aimed at assessing the possible prophylactic effect of coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) and alpha-lipoic acid (ALA) (separately or in combination) on experimentally cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity. Subjects and Methods. An experimental study was performed on adult male albino rats (n = 40), weighing 200–250 g. Rats were randomly divided into 5 groups: group I (normal saline control), group II (cisplatin control), group III (CoQ10 and cisplatin), group IV (ALA and cisplatin), and group V (CoQ10, ALA, and cisplatin). CoQ10 and/or ALA were given as pretreatment for 9 days, followed by cisplatin injection in the 10th day of the study, followed by a short posttreatment course for 3 days. Renal functions, tissue antioxidant activity, and inflammatory markers (tumor necrosis factor, TNF) were estimated along with histopathological study. Results. Renal function tests and urinary proteins were significantly higher within group II compared with other groups (P value <0.001). Creatinine clearance was significantly higher with combination therapy (group V compared to other groups). Both TNF and malondialdehyde (MDA) were significantly higher within group II whereas GSH content, catalase, and superoxide dismutase (SOD) were significantly lower in group II. MDA level was significantly lower when combination therapy was used. Marked renal damage was histologically detected in the cisplatin group, whereas the least renal damage was noticed in the combination group. Conclusion. The study confirmed the role of antioxidants in preventing nephrotoxicity caused by cisplatin; the prophylactic effect of combined therapy with CoQ10 and ALA is superior to that of monotherapy.
Institutional Investor Information Sharing, Stock Market Extreme Risk, and Financial Systemic Risk
Authors: Gong Xiao-Li , Du Zhi-Qiang
Published: April 2020

To analyze whether information sharing in the institutional investors plays the role of a market stabilizer or risk booster, this paper constructs the institutional investor information network employing the common holding stocks of the mutual funds as links. The information linkages between two funds with large positions in the same stock are hypothesized to be connected to each other. Then, we use the information sharing efficiency in the fund networks to study the effects of information transmission on stock market extreme risk and financial systemic risk. Especially, the speed of information diffusion in the network is characterized by the topology structures based on social network theory. Empirical research studies find that the Chinese fund information network exhibits small-world characteristics, which reflects rapid speed of information diffusion. Seen from the idiosyncratic risk of volatility, information sharing of institutional investors can improve the behavior consistency of fund managers, thus increasing the stock volatility via herd effects. Besides, it can be concluded that institutional investor information sharing can reduce the extreme risk by promoting the comprehensiveness of information flow and the market pricing efficiency of stocks, thereby reducing the degree of financial systemic risk. The obtained conclusions provide suggestions for decision-making of institutional investors. It can help the regulators to pay attention to the herd effects so as to control systemic risk.
A Pilot Study to Assess Food Safety and Potential Cholesterol‐Lowering Efficacy of Antrodia cinnamomea Solid‐State Cultivated Mycelium in Healthy Adults
Authors: Chen Wan-Jing , Chang Fung-Wei
Published: April 2020

Antrodia cinnamomea is a Taiwanese medicinal mushroom with multiple pharmacological activities. Antrodia cinnamomea solid‐state cultivated mycelium (LAC) exerts health‐related effects in animal and cell models, but clinical data is limited. This study aimed to determine the safety and effects of LAC on human physiological functions. In an open‐label, single‐arm study, 32 healthy men and women ingested LAC capsules for three months. The subjects were monitored during the study and one month after the study end‐point. LAC consumption did not significantly change fasting blood glucose, blood pressure, and triglyceride levels or liver and renal function indices. No adverse events occurred during the trial. Moreover, a significant change from baseline in total cholesterol levels was observed; men and women had decreases of 5.7% and 5.3%, respectively. Based on these, the ingestion of LAC‐capsule has a considerable degree of safety and has the potential to reduce total cholesterol in healthy adults.
Nutritional Status and Educational Performance of School-Aged Children in Lalibela Town Primary Schools, Northern Ethiopia
Authors: Ayalew Muluken , Bayray Alemayehu , Bekele Abate , Handebo Simegnew
Published: April 2020

Background. Every student has the potential to do well in school. Failing to provide good nutrition puts them at risk for missing out on meeting that potential and leads to long-term irreversible damage to cognitive development. However, taking action today to provide healthier choices in schools can help set students up for a successful future full of possibilities. So, this study is aimed at assessing the effect of nutritional status on academic performance of school-aged children. Methods. A school-based cross-sectional study was conducted from Feb 05- March 30, 2017 in Lalibela town. A total of 505 primary school students were included in the study. The child anthropometric measures were calculated using AnthroPlus software version 1.0.4 WHO 2007 standards. Bivariable and multivariable ordinal logistic regression were fitted. The proportional odds ratio (POR) with a 95% CI and P value < 0.05 were considered statistically significant. Results. The overall prevalence of stunting, underweight, and thinness was 29.5%, 35.7%, and 29.5%, respectively. In this study, 14.7% of the study participants had low academic achievement in the semester. The multivariable analysis showed that rural residence (POR=0.39; 95% CI: (0.21, 0.75)), not studying regularly (POR=0.49; 95% CI: (0.29, 0.82)), severe underweight (POR=0.25; 95% CI: (0.09, 0.71)), and severe stunting (POR=0.03; 95% CI: (0.01, 0.37)) were associated with decreased odds of high average semester score achievement of school-aged children. Additionally, higher maternal educational status (POR=2.12; 95% CI: (1.10, 4.07)) and family income from 550 to 2999 ETB (POR=1.71; 95% CI: (1.04, 2.81)) were associated with increased odds of high semester average score achievement. Conclusion. Nearly one-third of school-aged children in Lalibela town were stunted, thin, and underweight. Rural place of residence, not studying regularly study, underweight, and stunting were associated with decreased academic achievement. While, family monthly income from 550 to 2999 ETB and higher maternal education status were associated with increased academic achievement.
Effect of Nano‐CaCO3 on the Mechanical Properties and Durability of Concrete Incorporating Fly Ash
Authors: Sun Yanqun , Zhang Peng , Guo Weina , Bao Jiuwen , Qu Chengping
Published: April 2020

Concrete mixtures consisting of nanomaterials and fly ash have been shown to be effective for improving the performance of concrete. This study investigates the combined effects of nano‐CaCO3 and fly ash on the mechanical properties and durability of concrete; the mix proportion is optimized through orthogonal experiments. In the first phase, nine concrete mixtures were prepared with three water‐to‐binder ratios (0.4, 0.5, and 0.6), three fly ash contents (15%, 20%, and 25% replacement of the cement weight), and three nano‐CaCO3 contents (1%, 2%, and 3% replacement of the cement weight). Based on the orthogonal analysis, the optimal concrete mix proportion was determined as a water‐to‐binder ratio of 0.4, 20% fly ash, and 1% nano‐CaCO3. In the second phase, further investigations were carried out to examine the superiority of the optimal concrete and evaluate the synergistic effect of nano‐CaCO3 and fly ash. The results showed that nano‐CaCO3 contributed to increasing the compressive strength of fly ash concrete at the early ages, but its effect was quite limited at later ages. Furthermore, the scanning electron microscopy analysis revealed that the seeding effect, filling effect, and pozzolanic effect were the primary mechanisms for the improvement of concrete performance.
Peak-Based Mode Decomposition for Weak Fault Feature Enhancement and Detection of Rolling Element Bearing
Authors: Xu Zhi , Tang Gang , He Mengfu
Published: April 2020

Rolling element bearings are widely used in rotating machinery to support shafts, whose failures may affect the health of the whole system. However, strong noise interferences often make the bearing fault features submerged and difficult to be identified. Peak-based wavelet method is such a way to reduce certain noise and enhance the fault features by increasing the sparsity of monitored signals. But peak-based wavelet parameters need to be optimized due to the determined basis function and constant resolution, which will affect the efficiency of vibration signal analysis. To address these problems, a peak-based mode decomposition is proposed for weak bearing fault feature enhancement and detection. Firstly, to enhance the differences between repetitive transients and high-frequency noise, a peak-based piecewise recombination is used to convert the middle frequency parts into low-frequency ones. Then, the recombined signal is processed by empirical mode decomposition, combining with a criterion of cross-correlation coefficients and kurtosis. Subsequently, a backward peak transformation is performed to obtain the enhanced signal. Finally, the fault diagnosis is implemented by the squared envelope spectrum, whose normalized squared magnitude is used as a bearing fault indicator. The analysis results of the simulated signals and the experimental signals show that the proposed method can enhance and identify the weak repetitive transient features. The superiority of the proposed method for faint repetitive transient detection is also verified by comparing with the peak-based wavelet method.
Assessment of Knowledge and Practice on Hepatitis B Infection Prevention and Associated Factors among Health Science Students in Woldia University, Northeast Ethiopia
Authors: Gebremeskel Teshome , Beshah Tirfe , Tesfaye Mulugeta , Beletew Biruk , Mengesha Ayelign , Getie Addisu
Published: April 2020

Background. Hepatitis B virus is a global problem, with 66% of all the world population living in areas where there are high levels of infection. HBV is the leading risk factor for HCC globally and accounts for at least 50% of cases of HCC. Medical and health science students, being part of the health-care system, are exposed to the infection as a risk as other health-care workers when they come in contact with patients and contaminated instruments. Objective. The main aim of this study was to assess the knowledge and practice of hepatitis B virus infection prevention and its associated factors among health science students in Woldia University. Methods. Institutional-based cross-sectional study was conducted from January 30 to May 30, 2019, among health science students of Woldia University who had previous clinical attachments. Two hundred students were selected by the systematic random sampling method. Association of dependent and independent variables was computed using a bivariable and multivariable logistic regression model. P<0.05 was considered as significantly associated. Result. The study revealed that, out of 200 participants, 96 (48%) have poor knowledge, whereas 104 (52%) showed good knowledge about HBV. Regarding the practice of participants, 79 (39.5%) of the students have good practice to prevent HBV, whereas 121 (59.5%) had poor practice towards HBV infection prevention. Conclusion. Based on the current study, greater than half of the students who participated in the study have good knowledge of hepatitis B infection prevention and most of the students have poor practice about infection prevention of hepatitis B virus.
Nonlinear Dynamic Feature Extraction Based on Phase Space Reconstruction for the Classification of Speech and Emotion
Authors: Sun Ying , Zhang Xue-Ying , Ma Jiang-He , Song Chun-Xiao , Lv Hui-Fen
Published: April 2020

Due to the shortcomings of linear feature parameters in speech signals, and the limitations of existing time- and frequency-domain attribute features in characterizing the integrity of the speech information, in this paper, we propose a nonlinear method for feature extraction based on the phase space reconstruction (PSR) theory. First, the speech signal was analyzed using a nonlinear dynamic model. Then, the model was used to reconstruct a one-dimensional time speech signal. Finally, nonlinear dynamic (NLD) features based on the reconstruction of the phase space were extracted as the new characteristic parameters. Then, the performance of NLD features was verified by comparing their recognition rates with those of other features (NLD features, prosodic features, and MFCC features). Finally, the Korean isolated words database, the Berlin emotional speech database, and the CASIA emotional speech database were chosen for validation. The effectiveness of the NLD features was tested using the Support Vector Machine classifier. The results show that NLD features not only have high recognition rate and excellent antinoise performance for speech recognition tasks but also can fully characterize the different emotions contained in speech signals.
Effects of Flash Glucose Monitoring on Dietary Variety, Physical Activity, and Self-Care Behaviors in Patients with Diabetes
Authors: Ida Satoshi , Kaneko Ryutaro , Imataka Kanako , Okubo Kaoru , Shirakura Yoshitaka , Azuma Kentaro , Hujiwara Ryoko , Takahashi Hiroka , Murata Kazuya
Published: April 2020

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of flash glucose monitoring on dietary variety, physical activity, and self-care behavior in patients with diabetes. This study included outpatients with diabetes using insulin who presented at the Department of Diabetes and Metabolism of the Ise Red Cross Hospital. Before initiating flash glucose monitoring and 12 weeks after its initiation, blood glucose-related parameters were assessed and self-administered questionnaires were completed (Dietary Variety Score (DVS), the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), the Summary of Diabetes Self-Care Activities Measure (SDSCA), and the Diabetes Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire (DTSQ)) and compared between the two time points. We analyzed 42 patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus and 48 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. In patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, but not type 1 diabetes mellitus, there was an increase in moderate/high category scores for IPAQ (P<0.001) and for treatment satisfaction reported via DTSQ. Furthermore, in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, the glycemic excursion index improved significantly and HbA1c decreased significantly (from 7.7 (1.2) to 7.4 (0.8), P=0.025). Results showed that standard deviation and mean amplitude of glycemic excursions significantly decreased in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus (from 71.2 (20.4) to 66.2 (17.5), P=0.033 and from 124.6 (31.9) to 108.1 (28.4), P<0.001, respectively). Flash glucose monitoring is a useful tool to improve physical activity in patients with type 2 diabetes.