bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Citywide Traffic Flow Prediction Based on Multiple Gated Spatio-temporal Convolutional Neural Networks
Authors: Chen Cen , Li Kenli , Teo Sin G. , Zou Xiaofeng , Li Keqin , Zeng Zeng
Published: May 2020

Traffic flow prediction is crucial for public safety and traffic management, and remains a big challenge because of many complicated factors, e.g., multiple spatio-temporal dependencies, holidays, and weather. Some work leveraged 2D convolutional neural networks (CNNs) and long short-term memory networks (LSTMs) to explore spatial relations and temporal relations, respectively, which outperformed the classical approaches. However, it is hard for these work to model spatio-temporal relations jointly. To tackle this, some studies utilized LSTMs to connect high-level layers of CNNs, but left the spatio-temporal correlations not fully exploited in low-level layers. In this work, we propose novel spatio-temporal CNNs to extract spatio-temporal features simultaneously from low-level to high-level layers, and propose a novel gated scheme to control the spatio-temporal features that should be propagated through the hierarchy of layers. Based on these, we propose an end-to-end framework, multiple gated spatio-temporal CNNs (MGSTC), for citywide traffic flow prediction. MGSTC can explore multiple spatio-temporal dependencies through multiple gated spatio-temporal CNN branches, and combine the spatio-temporal features with external factors dynamically. Extensive experiments on two real traffic datasets demonstrates that MGSTC outperforms other state-of-the-art baselines.
Fully Dynamic Approximate k-Core Decomposition in Hypergraphs
Authors: Sun Bintao , Chan T.-H. Hubert , Sozio Mauro
Published: May 2020

In this article, we design algorithms to maintain approximate core values in dynamic hypergraphs. This notion has been well studied for normal graphs in both static and dynamic setting. We generalize the problem to hypergraphs when edges can be inserted or deleted by an adversary.

We consider two dynamic scenarios. In the first case, there are only insertions; and in the second case, there can be both insertions and deletions. In either case, the update time is poly-logarithmic in the number of nodes, with the insertion-only case boasting a better approximation ratio. We also perform extensive experiments on large real-world datasets, which demonstrate the accuracy and efficiency of our algorithms.
The Gene of Scientific Success
Authors: Kong Xiangjie , Zhang Jun , Zhang Da , Bu Yi , Ding Ying , Xia Feng
Published: May 2020

This article elaborates how to identify and evaluate causal factors to improve scientific impact. Currently, analyzing scientific impact can be beneficial to various academic activities including funding application, mentor recommendation, discovering potential cooperators, and the like. It is universally acknowledged that high-impact scholars often have more opportunities to receive awards as an encouragement for their hard work. Therefore, scholars spend great efforts in making scientific achievements and improving scientific impact during their academic life. However, what are the determinate factors that control scholars’ academic success? The answer to this question can help scholars conduct their research more efficiently. Under this consideration, our article presents and analyzes the causal factors that are crucial for scholars’ academic success. We first propose five major factors including article-centered factors, author-centered factors, venue-centered factors, institution-centered factors, and temporal factors. Then, we apply recent advanced machine learning algorithms and jackknife method to assess the importance of each causal factor. Our empirical results show that author-centered and article-centered factors have the highest relevancy to scholars’ future success in the computer science area. Additionally, we discover an interesting phenomenon that the
h
-index of scholars within the same institution or university are actually very close to each other.
A Conflict-free Scheduler for High-performance Graph Processing on Multi-pipeline FPGAs
Authors: Wang Qinggang , Zheng Long , Zhao Jieshan , Liao Xiaofei , Jin Hai , Xue Jingling
Published: May 2020

FPGA-based graph processing accelerators are nowadays equipped with multiple pipelines for hardware acceleration of graph computations. However, their multi-pipeline efficiency can suffer greatly from the considerable overheads caused by the read/write conflicts in their on-chip BRAM from different pipelines, leading to significant performance degradation and poor scalability. In this article, we investigate the underlying causes behind such inter-pipeline read/write conflicts by focusing on multi-pipeline FPGAs for accelerating
Sparse Matrix Vector Multiplication
(SpMV) arising in graph processing. We exploit our key insight that the problem of eliminating inter-pipeline read/write conflicts for SpMV can be formulated as one of solving a row- and column-wise tiling problem for its associated adjacency matrix. However, how to partition a sparse adjacency matrix obtained from any graph with respect to a set of pipelines by both eliminating all the inter-pipeline read/write conflicts and keeping all the pipelines reasonably load-balanced is challenging.

We present a conflict-free scheduler, WaveScheduler, that can dispatch different sub-matrix tiles to different pipelines without any read/write conflict. We also introduce two optimizations that are specifically tailored for graph processing, “degree-aware vertex index renaming” for improving load balancing and “data re-organization” for enabling sequential off-chip memory access, for all the pipelines. Our evaluation on Xilinx®Alveo™ U250 accelerator card with 16 pipelines shows that WaveScheduler can achieve up to 3.57 GTEPS, running much faster than native scheduling and two state-of-the-art FPGA-based graph accelerators (by 6.48× for “native,” 2.54× for HEGP, and 2.11× for ForeGraph), on average. In particular, these performance gains also scale up significantly as the number of pipelines increases.
Edge2vec
Authors: Wang Changping , Wang Chaokun , Wang Zheng , Ye Xiaojun , Yu Philip S.
Published: May 2020

Graph embedding, also known as network embedding and network representation learning, is a useful technique which helps researchers analyze information networks through embedding a network into a low-dimensional space. However, existing graph embedding methods are all node-based, which means they can just directly map the nodes of a network to low-dimensional vectors while the edges could only be mapped to vectors indirectly. One important reason is the computational cost, because the number of edges is always far greater than the number of nodes. In this article, considering an important property of social networks, i.e., the network is sparse, and hence the average degree of nodes is bounded, we propose an edge-based graph embedding (
edge2vec
) method to map the edges in social networks directly to low-dimensional vectors.
Edge2vec
takes both the local and the global structure information of edges into consideration to preserve structure information of embedded edges as much as possible. To achieve this goal,
edge2vec
first ingeniously combines the deep autoencoder and Skip-gram model through a well-designed deep neural network. The experimental results on different datasets show
edge2vec
benefits from the direct mapping in preserving the structure information of edges.
Helping Students with Learning Disabilities Through Video-Based, Universally Designed Assessment
Authors: Zydney Janet , Hord Casey , Koenig Kathy
Published: May 2020

The problem with many assessments is they impose barriers for students with learning disabilities who struggle with memory and information processing. Traditional assessments often present multiple pieces of information at one time through written text, which can challenge students who have difficulty processing, storing, and integrating multiple pieces of information simultaneously. Simple text-to-speech or computerized read-aloud accommodation cannot address these issues. This is unfair to these students and doesn?t provide an accurate measurement of their knowledge. Therefore, alternative measures that are accessible to students with learning disabilities must be developed. This article will highlight best practices and challenges in creating a video-based, universally designed assessment. Readers will be introduced to ways to incorporate universal design for learning principles to assessments through an example video-based assessment on scientific reasoning.
A Novel Approach to Carrying Capacity: Froma prioriPrescription toa posterioriDerivation Based on Underlying Mechanisms and Dynamics
Authors: Mote Safa , Rivas Jorge , Kalnay Eugenia
Published: May 2020

The Human System is within the Earth System. They should be modeled bidirectionally coupled, as they are in reality. The Human System is rapidly expanding, mostly due to consumption of fossil fuels (approximately one million times faster than Nature accumulated them) and fossil water. This threatens not only other planetary subsystems but also the Human System itself. Carrying Capacity is an important tool to measure sustainability, but there is a widespread view that Carrying Capacity is not applicable to humans. Carrying Capacity has generally been prescribed a priori, mostly using the logistic equation. However, the real dynamics of human population and consumption are not represented by this equation or its variants. We argue that Carrying Capacity should not be prescribed but should insteadbe dynamically derived a posteriori from the bidirectional coupling of Earth System submodels with the Human System model. We demonstrate this approach with a minimal model of Human–Nature interaction (HANDY). ▪  The Human System is a subsystem of the Earth System, with inputs (resources) from Earth System sources and outputs (waste, emissions) to Earth System sinks. ▪  The Human System is growing rapidly due to nonrenewable stocks of fossil fuels and water and threatens the sustainability of the Human System and to overwhelm the Earth System. ▪  Carrying Capacity has been prescribed a priori and using the logistic equation, which does not represent the dynamics of the Human System. ▪  Our new approach to human Carrying Capacity is derived from dynamically coupled Earth System–Human System models and can be used to estimate the sustainability of the Human System.
Reconstructing Vertebrate Paleocolor
Authors: Vinther Jakob
Published: May 2020

Melanin and other pigments are now well known to be important in exceptional preservation of soft tissues in vertebrates and other animals. Because pigments confer coloration and even structural colors, they have opened a new field of paleocolor reconstruction. Since its inception about a decade ago, reconstruction of color patterns has been performed on several vertebrates, including feathered and scale-clad dinosaurs. Iridescence and other types of structural color can also be identified through melanosome shape and arrangement. How pigments and melanosomes fossilize and are altered has become an important research subject. Ancient color patterns that may range from crypsis to brilliant displays have revealed insights into the evolution and escalation of visual systems, the nature of ancient animal interactions, and how several unique characteristics of birds already arose among dinosaurs. ▪  Melanin and other pigments preserve in exceptional fossils; this opens paths for reconstructing coloration of extinct organisms, such as dinosaurs. ▪  The most abundant pigment is melanin, which can be identified chemically and through preserved melanosome microbodies. ▪  Melanosome shape reveals clues to original hue ranging from reddish brown and black to gray and structural coloration. ▪  Other pigments may preserve, such as porphyrin pigments in theropod dinosaur eggshells. ▪  Fossil color patterns contribute new insights into the evolution of visual systems, predator-prey interactions, and key innovations.
Effectiveness in Bowel Cleansing and Patient Tolerability of Polyethylene Glycol versus Sodium Picosulphate in Patients Undergoing Colonoscopy
Authors: Jaiswal Amit Kumar , Chaudhary Shatdal
Published: May 2020

Introduction. Colonoscopy is considered as a gold standard investigation for screening of colorectal cancer and other lower gastrointestinal pathologies. Adequate bowel preparation is absolutely necessary for a fruitful colonoscopy. Various bowel cleansing agents are being used for his purpose. The aim of the present study was to compare the two bowel cleansing agents: a single dose of Polyethylene Glycol (PEG) solution and a split dose of Sodium Picosulfate (Na PICOSUL) tablet with regards to cleansing efficacy and tolerability among the patients scheduled for colonoscopy. Methods. It is an open-label hospital-based observational study. A total of sixty-four patients were grouped randomly into two groups of bowel cleansing agents that are PEG and Na PICOSUL during the study period between 1st December 2015 and 30th November 2016. Patients’ tolerability was evaluated using a structured questionnaire, and the bowel cleansing efficacy was evaluated using the Aronchick Bowel Preparation Scale (ABPS). Results. The group that received PEG solution was found to have better efficacy than that which received Na PICOSUL tablet (63.3% versus 29.4%, respectively, with a P value < 0.028) with excellent grade as per ABPS. The Na PICOSUL group was found better in terms of tolerability than the PEG group as nausea/vomiting was encountered significantly higher in the PEG group than in the Na PICOSUL group (43.3% versus 11.8%, respectively, with a P value < 0.01). Conclusions. Colonic preparation with a split dose of Na PICOSUL tablet was better tolerated than the evening before regimen of PEG solution. However, PEG solution was found to be more efficacious in bowel cleansing, but procedural performance and lesion detection were similar for both agents.
Involvement of the G‐Protein‐Coupled Receptor 4 in the Increased Expression of RANK/RANKL/OPG System and Neurotrophins by Nucleus Pulposus Cells under the Degenerated Intervertebral Disc‐Like Acidic Microenvironment
Authors: Li Hao , Liu Huafei , Zhang Ning , Zhu Zemin
Published: May 2020

Intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration is associated with local inflammation and increased expression of neurotrophins. Acidic microenvironment is believed to cause the progression of IVD degeneration. However, there is a paucity of information regarding the relationship between acidic microenvironment and the inflammation and expression of neurotrophins in IVD. G‐protein‐coupled receptor 4 (GPR4) is a pH‐sensing receptor, which can activate the inflammation and increase the expression levels of nerve growth factor in acidic microenvironment. In this study, culture media with pH 7.2 (representing the normal IVD‐like acidic condition) and pH 6.5 (degenerated IVD‐like acidic condition) were prepared. The gene and protein expression levels of GPR4 in SD rat nucleus pulposus cells were determined under the acidic conditions. And cyclic AMP (cAMP), the second messenger of GPR4, was assayed. Furthermore, the expression levels of receptor activator of nuclear factor κ B (RANK), RANKL ligand (RANKL), osteoprotegerin (OPG), nerve growth factor (NGF), brain‐derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), and neurotrophin‐3 (NT‐3) were also determined. To clarify the involvement of GPR4 in the upregulation of the expression of RANK/RANKL/OPG system and neurotrophins, gene knockdown and forced expression of GPR4 and inhibiting its downstream cAMP accumulation and Ca2+ mobilization were performed. The alternation of the expression levels of matrix metalloproteinase‐3 (MMP‐3), MMP‐13, and aggrecanase‐2 (ADAMTS‐5) were evaluated by RT‐PCR and western blot. The results showed that GPR4 was expressed in rat nucleus pulposus cells, and the expression was upregulated under the degenerated IVD‐like acidic microenvironment. cAMP accumulation levels were increased under the degenerated IVD‐like acidic culture conditions. The expression levels of RANK, RANKL, OPG, NGF, and BNDF were significantly upregulated under the degenerated IVD‐like acidic microenvironment. GPR4 knockdown and reduction of cAMP by the inhibitor SQ22536 abolished the upregulation of the expression of RANK, RANKL, OPG, NGF, and BNDF under the degenerated IVD‐like acidic microenvironment. On the opposite, acidosis‐induced cAMP accumulation and upregulation of RANK, RANKL, OPG, NGF, and BNDF were further promoted by GPR4 overexpression. The expression levels of MMP‐3, MMP‐13, and ADAMTS‐5 were upregulated under the degenerated IVD‐like acidic condition, which can be promoted or attenuated by GPR4 overexpression or knockdown, respectively. We concluded that GPR4‐mediated cAMP accumulation was involved in the increased expression of RANK/RANKL/OPG system and neurotrophins by nucleus pulposus cells under the degenerated IVD‐like acidic microenvironment.
A Robust Extended Kalman Filter Applied to Ultrawideband Positioning
Authors: Wang Chuanyang , Han Houzeng , Wang Jian , Yu Hang , Yang Deng
Published: May 2020

Ultrawideband (UWB) is well-suited for indoor positioning due to its high resolution and good penetration through objects. The observation model of UWB positioning is nonlinear. As one of nonlinear filter algorithms, extended Kalman filter (EKF) is widely used to estimate the position. In practical applications, the dynamic estimation is subject to the outliers caused by gross errors. However, the EKF cannot resist the effect of gross errors. The innovation will become abnormally large and the performance and the reliability of the filter algorithm are inevitably influenced. In this study, a robust EKF (REKF) method accompanied by hypothesis test and robust estimation is proposed. To judge the validity of model, the global test based on Mahalanobis distance is implemented to assess whether the test statistical term exceeds the threshold for outlier detection. To reduce and eliminate the effects of the individual outlier, the robust estimation using scheme III of the Institute of Geodesy and Geophysics of China (IGGIII) based on local test of the normalized residual is performed. Meanwhile, three kinds of stochastic models for outliers are expressed by modeling the contaminated distributions. Furthermore, the simulation and measurement experiments are performed to verify the effectiveness and feasibility of the proposed REKF for resisting the outliers. Simulation experiment results are given to demonstrate that the outliers following all the three kinds of contaminated distributions can be detected. The proposed REKF can effectively control the influences of the outliers being treated as systematic errors and large variance random errors. When the outliers come from the thick-tailed distribution, the robust estimation does not play a role, and the REKF are equivalent to the EKF method. The measured experiment results show that the outliers will be generated in the nonline-of-sight environment whose impact is abnormally serious. The robust estimation can provide relatively reliable optimized residuals and control the influences of the outliers caused by gross errors. We can believe that the proposed REKF is effective to resist the effects of outliers and improves the positioning accuracy compared with least-squares (LS) and EKF method. Moreover, the adaptive filter and ranging error model should be considered to compensate the state model errors and ranging systematic errors respectively. Then, the measurement outliers will be detected more correctly, and the robust estimation will be used effectively.
Deep Belief Network for Feature Extraction of Urban Artificial Targets
Authors: Dai Xiaoai , Cheng Junying , Gao Yu , Guo Shouheng , Yang Xingping , Xu Xiaoqian , Cen Yi
Published: May 2020

Reducing the dimension of the hyperspectral image data can directly reduce the redundancy of the data, thus improving the accuracy of hyperspectral image classification. In this paper, the deep belief network algorithm in the theory of deep learning is introduced to extract the in-depth features of the imaging spectral image data. Firstly, the original data is mapped to feature space by unsupervised learning methods through the Restricted Boltzmann Machine (RBM). Then, a deep belief network will be formed by superimposed multiple Restricted Boltzmann Machines and training the model parameters by using the greedy algorithm layer by layer. At the same time, as the objective of data dimensionality reduction is achieved, the underground feature construction of the original data will be formed. The final step is to connect the depth features of the output to the Softmax regression classifier to complete the fine-tuning (FT) of the model and the final classification. Experiments using imaging spectral data showing the in-depth features extracted by the profound belief network algorithm have better robustness and separability. It can significantly improve the classification accuracy and has a good application prospect in hyperspectral image information extraction.
Research on Velocity Fluctuation of High Pressure and High Flow Double Booster Cylinder Hydraulic System
Authors: Chen Fuqiang , Wu Rendong , Yuan Chaolong , Wei Wei , Jiao Wei
Published: May 2020

In the extrusion machine with double booster cylinder hydraulic system, the stability of the extrusion velocity is affected because of the switching process of the two booster cylinders in the hydraulic system. In this paper, the analytical solution of the extrusion velocity fluctuation caused by the double booster cylinder hydraulic system is derived. Firstly, the model of the double booster cylinder hydraulic system was established, and the switching process of the two booster cylinders was studied under the condition of high pressure and high flow. Secondly, the traditional control method cannot obtain stable extrusion velocity under the condition of high pressure and high flow rate, and the new control method was proposed to significantly reduce the fluctuation of extrusion velocity. Thirdly, the fluctuation of extrusion velocity caused by the booster system was derived and the influence of the parameters of the hydraulic components such as the hydraulic cylinder and the hydraulic valve and the working conditions such as the flow rate and the pressure on the fluctuation of extrusion velocity was analyzed. Finally, based on the AMESIM software, the double booster cylinder hydraulic system of the 35 MN extrusion machine was simulated and analyzed. The numerical simulation results were used to verify the analytical solution of extrusion velocity fluctuation. The analytical solution can be applied to the engineering design of the hydraulic system and more in-depth optimization analysis.
Reactive Strategies in the Multiproject Scheduling with Multifactor Disruptions
Authors: Wang Weixin , Su Jiafu , Xu Jin , Ge Xianlong
Published: May 2020

Multiproject scheduling aims at the generation of the baseline schedules, which has been studied for several years with the goal of minimizing the total cost of the project. In this paper, we analyzed the impact of network structure disruption, activity disruption, and resource disruption on scheduling scheme, respectively; this problem is related to the disruptions in scheduling process, which leads to a deviation between actual scheduling and baseline scheduling. The mode of the related activities is changed and the start time is reset. Because it is a NP-hard problem and involves a large number of activities, the dual population genetic algorithm is designed to solve this problem. From the results of case analysis, we find that single disruption on scheduling was local, when there was no resource conflict. While multifactor disruptions have greater effect on duration and total cost, multifactor disruptions would affect each other, so it was more complicated.
Analysis of Outage Probability and Throughput for Energy Harvesting Full-Duplex Decode-and-Forward Vehicle-to-Vehicle Relay System
Authors: Nguyen Ba Cao , Thang Nguyen Nhu , Hoang Tran Manh , Dung Le The
Published: May 2020

In this paper, we evaluate the performance of a vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) system where full-duplex relay (FDR) harvests the energy from source and uses decode-and-forward (DF) protocol to forward data from source to destination. Unlike existing works about FDR systems, we consider the scenario that both relay and destination are moving vehicles, leading to the channel between relay and destination characterized by double (cascade) Rayleigh fading. We successfully obtain the closed-form mathematical expressions of the outage probability (OP) and throughput of the considered energy harvesting- (EH-) FDR-V2V system. Based on these expressions, the system performance is investigated through various scenarios. Numerical results indicate that the performance of the considered system is reduced compared with that of the system over Rayleigh fading channels. We also observe that there is an optimal EH time duration that minimizes the OP and maximizes the throughput. This value depends on the transmission power of source. Furthermore, the OP goes to outage floor faster due to the impact of the residual self-interference (RSI), especially when RSI is high. All analysis results are verified by Monte-Carlo simulations.
A Case of Acute Esophageal Necrosis from Unruptured Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm
Authors: Polavarapu Abhishek , Gurala Dhineshreddy , Mudduluru Bindu , Idiculla Pretty Sara , Philipose Jobin , Daoud Magda , Narula Naureen , Gumaste Vivek
Published: May 2020

Acute esophageal necrosis (AEN), also known as black esophagus due to its appearance on endoscopy, classically involves the distal esophagus (97% of cases). AEN affecting the midesophagus with sparing of the distal esophagus is rare and usually occurs in patients with thoracic aortic aneurysmal (TAA) rupture or aortic dissection. Herein, we report a unique case of AEN in the midesophagus in a patient with an unruptured and undissected TAA.
Potency of Selected Berries, Grapes, and Citrus Fruit as Neuroprotective Agents
Authors: Tan Shih Jen , Ismail Intan Safinar
Published: May 2020

A healthy diet should nourish the brain with essential nutrients, including bioactive compounds, for normal brain functioning and to protect it from the negative effects of inflammation and oxidative stress. In this review, a concise summation of the protective effects of selected fruits, namely, berries, grapes, and citrus fruits, against neurological disorder is presented. The focus is on the neuroprotective potential of these fruits against neurodegenerative and mental disorders. The fruits selection was based on the vast reported pharmacological studies on their neuroprotection efficacies. Hence, the respective knowledge and limitations are discussed based on the biological and pharmacological evidence compiled from the previously reported laboratory, epidemiology, and intervention trials.
Clinico-Epidemiological Profile and Treatment Pattern of Vitiligo in Selected Dermatological Clinics of Mekelle City, Northern Ethiopia
Authors: Tsadik Afewerki Gebremeskel , Legesse Goitom Fitsum , Desta Desilu Mahari , Assefa Brhane Teklebrhan , Kidanemariam Hailekiros Gebretsadik , Gidey Meles Tekie
Published: May 2020

Background. Vitiligo is not a well-studied disease in Ethiopia. Therefore, this study assessed its clinico-epidemiological profile and treatment patterns. Methods. An institutional-based cross-sectional study was conducted in conveniently selected dermatologic clinics of Mekelle city, Ethiopia. A two-phased study was conducted, in which the first was to determine prevalence of vitiligo while the second phase was to describe the clinico-epidemiological profile and treatment pattern of vitiligo. Four-hundred three randomly selected dermatological patients were included in the first phase study. The second phase study included vitiligo cases from the first phase study and additional vitiligo cases found in a two months period prospective study. Results. Of the 403 randomly selected dermatological patients who presented in the year 2017 to 2019, the prevalence of vitiligo was 13.15%. Of the 79 cases with vitiligo, nearly two-thirds (50, 63.3%) were males with five years as the median age at onset of the disease. Positive family history of vitiligo was recorded in about one-third (25, 31.6%) of the cases. Limbs (48, 44.5%) followed by the head and neck (26, 24%) were the most commonly affected parts of the body at the onset of the disease. The most prevalent clinical form of vitiligo was vulgaris (39.2%) followed by the focal type (26.6%). Emotional upset (24, 33.8%) and physical traumas (23, 32.4%) were the frequently reported triggering factors of vitiligo. Three-fourths (75.5%) of the cases had prescriptions of topical corticosteroids, and 24.5% of them had prescriptions of sun screen lotion. Conclusion. The prevalence of vitiligo was found to be high. The clinico-epidemiological profile of vitiligo in Ethiopia was similar with that found globally. However, treatment options of vitiligo were very limited in Ethiopia.
Germline Mutation in KIF1Bβ Gene Associated with Loss of Heterozygosity: Usefulness of Next-Generation Sequencing in the Genetic Screening of Patients with Pheochromocytoma
Authors: De Filpo Giuseppina , Contini Elisa , Serio Viola , Valeri Andrea , Chetta Massimiliano , Guasti Daniele , Bani Daniele , Mannelli Massimo , Rapizzi Elena , Luconi Michaela , Maggi Mario , Ercolino Tonino , Canu Letizia
Published: May 2020

The genetic approach of pheochromocytomas and paragangliomas has changed in the last two decades. Nowadays, we know that more than 40% of patients have a germline mutation in one of the susceptibility genes identified to date. Our aim is to underline how genetic diagnosis by next-generation sequencing (NGS) can improve the management of patients affected by pheochromocytomas and paragangliomas in our routine diagnostic screening. We reported a case presentation and next-generation sequencing analysis supported by in silico studies and evaluation of mitochondrial status in KIF1Bβ tissue. A 46-year-old male affected by a left secreting pheochromocytoma underwent surgery in 2017. After surgery, the normetanephrine levels decreased very slowly and a suspected abdominal lymph node was detected. We found a novel germline KIF1Bβ gene mutation, c.4052C > T, p. Pro1351Leu associated with tumor loss of heterozygosity, and resulted likely-pathogenetic by in silico studies. This mutation was also associated with an increased number of mitochondria through the electron microscopy compared with wild-type tissues as suggestive for mitochondria neoformation compensatory to the mitochondrial autophagic figures observed. Our results underline the usefulness of next-generation sequencing in the presence of multiple tumor predisposition genes and how, at the same time, its use may result challenging for the clinicians. To date, performing the genetic analysis according to the latest Consensus Statement is mandatory in patients affected by PHEO/PGL.
Luhong Formula Has a Cardioprotective Effect on Left Ventricular Remodeling in Pressure‐Overloaded Rats
Authors: Liu Qian , Qu Hui-Yan , Zhou Hua , Rong Jing-Feng , Yang Tian-Shu , Xu Ji-Jie , Yang Xiao-Li , Lan Zhen-Zhen
Published: May 2020

Background. Luhong formula (LHF)—a traditional Chinese medicine containing Cervus nippon Temminck, Carthamus tinctorius L., Astragalus membranaceus (Fisch.) Bge. var. mongholicus (Bge.) Hsiao, Codonopsis pilosula (Franch.) Nannf., Cinnamomum cassia Presl, and Lepidium apetalum Willd—is used in the treatment of heart failure, but little is known about its mechanism of action. We have investigated the effects of LHF on antifibrosis. Methods. Forty‐eight SD male rats were randomly assigned into six groups (n = 8), model group, sham‐operation group, perindopril group (0.036 mg/ml), LHF high doses (LHF‐H, 1.44 g/mL), LHF middle doses (LHF‐M, 0.72 g/mL), and LHF low doses (LHF‐L, 0.36 g/mL). Except the sham‐operation group, the other groups were received an abdominal aorta constriction to establish a model of myocardial hypertrophy. The HW and LVW were measured to calculate the LVW/BW and HW/BW. ELISA was used to detect the serum concentration of BNP. The expressions of eNOS, TGF‐β1, caspase‐3, VEGF, and VEGFR2 in heart tissues were assessed by western blot analysis. mRNA expressions of eNOS, Col1a1, Col3a1, TGF‐β1, VEGF, and VEGFR2 in heart tissues were measured by RT‐PCR. The specimens were stained with hematoxylin‐eosin (HE) and picrosirius red staining for observing the morphological characteristics and collagen fibers I and III of the myocardium under a light microscope. Results. LHF significantly lowered the rat’s HW/BW and LVM/BW, and the level of BNP in the LHF‐treated group compared with the model group. Histopathological and pathomorphological changes of collagen fibers I and III showed that LHF inhibited myocardial fibrosis in heart failure rats. Treatment with LHF upregulated eNOS expression in heart tissue and downregulated Col1a1, Col3a1, TGF‐β1, caspase‐3, VEGF, and VEGFR2 expression. Conclusion. LHF can improve left ventricular remodeling in a pressure‐overloaded heart failure rat model; this cardiac protective ability may be due to cardiac fibrosis and attenuated apoptosis. Upregulated eNOS expression and downregulated Col1a1, Col3a1, TGF‐β1, caspase‐3, VEGF, and VEGFR2 expression may play a role in the observed LHF cardioprotective effect.
DIM: Adaptively Combining User Interests Mined at Different Stages Based on Deformable Interest Model
Authors: Wang Xiaoru , Li Yueli , Yu Zhihong , Li Fu , Zhang Heng , Cai Yali , Li Lixian
Published: May 2020

User interest mining is widely used in the fields of personalized search and personalized recommendation. Traditional methods ignore the formation of user interest which is a process that evolves over time. This leads to the inability to accurately describe the distribution of user interest. In this paper, we propose the interest tracking model (ITM). To add the timing, ITM uses Dirichlet distribution and multinomial distribution to describe the evolutional process of interest topics and frequent patterns, which well adapts to the evolution of user interest hidden in short texts between different time slices. In addition, it is well known that user interest is composed of long-term interest and situational interest including short-term interest and social hot topics. State-of-the-art methods simply regard the users’ long-term interest as the users’ final interest, which makes those unable to completely describe the user interest distribution. To solve this problem, we propose the deformable interest model (DIM) which designs an objective function to combine users’ long-term interest and situational interest and more comprehensively and accurately mine user interest. Furthermore, we present the degree of deformation which measures the subinterest's degree of influence on final interest and propose in DIM the influence real-time update mechanism. The mechanism adaptively updates the degree of deformation through the linear iteration and reduces the degree of dependence of the interest model on training sets. We present results via a dataset consisting of Flickr users and their uploaded information in three months, a dataset consisting of Twitter users and their tweets in three months, and a dataset consisting of Instagram users and their uploaded information in three months, showing that the perplexity is reduced to 0.378, the average accuracy is increased to 94%, and the average NMI is increased to 0.20, which prove better interest prediction.
Comparing Oblique Lumbar Interbody Fusion with Lateral Screw Fixation and Transforaminal Full‐Endoscopic Lumbar Discectomy (OLIF‐TELD) and Posterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion (PLIF) for the Treatment of Adjacent Segment Disease
Authors: Yang Zhuo , Chang Jianjun , Sun Lin , Chen Chien-Min , Feng Haoyu
Published: May 2020

Background. A potential long‐term complication of lumbar fusion is the development of adjacent segment disease (ASD), which may require surgical intervention and adversely affect outcomes. A high incidence of recurrent ASD was reported in patients who underwent the second (repeat) PLIF for symptomatic ASD. Herein, a feasible method, oblique lumbar interbody fusion combined with transforaminal endoscopic lumbar discectomy (OLIF‐TELD) for dealing with adjacent lumbar disc herniation with upward or downward migration after lumbar spinal fusion, was proposed. Methods. A total of 19 patients who underwent revision surgery at ASD were consecutively enrolled. Clinical efficacy analysis included operative time, intraoperative bleeding, visual analogue scale (VAS) score, Oswestry dysfunction index (ODI) score, and Japanese orthopaedic association (JOA) assessment treatment score. Results. Among them, 11 patients were treated in a new surgical strategy, which is OLIF‐TELD, and 8 patients underwent PLIF. There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in terms of age, gender, and preoperative scores of VAS, ODI, and JOA. The operative duration was shorter, and intraoperative bleeding was less in the OLIF‐TELD group compared with the PLIF group. PLIF had the greatest blood loss, and the OLIF‐TELD group had lower VAS scores than the PLIF group postoperatively. The symptoms of all patients improved postoperatively with statistical significance. Conclusion. OLIF with lateral screw fixation combined with TELD may be an alternative surgical method for the treatment of adjacent lumbar disc herniation with upward or downward migration after lumbar fusion surgery.
Exact Solutions for Interaction of Parallel Screw Dislocations with a Wedge Crack in One-Dimensional Hexagonal Quasicrystal with Piezoelectric Effects
Authors: Lv Xin , Liu Guan-Ting
Published: May 2020

The purpose of this paper is to consider the interaction between many parallel dislocations and a wedge-shaped crack and their collective response to the external applied generalized stress in one-dimensional hexagonal piezoelectric quasicrystal, employing the complex variable function theory and the conformal transformation method; the problem for the crack is reduced to the solution of singular integral equations, which can be further reduced to solving Riemann–Hilbert boundary value problems. The analytical solutions of the generalized stress field are obtained. The dislocations are subjected to the phonon field line force, phason field line force, and line charge at the core. The positions of the dislocations are arbitrary, but the dislocation distribution is additive. The dislocation is not only subjected to the external stress and the internal stress generated by the crack, but also to the force exerted on it by other dislocations. The closed-form solutions are obtained for field intensity factors and the image force on a screw dislocation in the presence of a wedge-shaped crack and a collection of other dislocations. Numerical examples are provided to show the effects of wedge angle, dislocation position, dislocation distribution containing symmetric configurations and dislocation quantities on the field intensity factors, energy release rate, and image force acting on the dislocation. The principal new physical results obtained here are (1) the phonon stress, phason stress, and electric displacement singularity occur at the crack tip and dislocations cores, (2) the increasing number of dislocations always accelerates the crack propagation, (3) the effect of wedge angle on crack propagation is related to the distribution of dislocations, and (4) the results of the image force on the dislocation indicate that the dislocations can either be attracted or rejected and reach stable positions eventually.
The On-Chip D-LMS Filter Design Method of Wireless Sensor Node Based on FPGA
Authors: Li Jian , Li Maojin , Meng Ming , Liu Zepeng
Published: May 2020

In the real-time position technology of underground shallow source, the signal denoising performance of wireless sensor nodes directly determines the location speed and accuracy of underground burst point. Because of the complexity and randomness of the underground medium and the fact that underground explosion is a nonstationary transient process, the problems of low convergence rate and poor steady-state performance of the filter exist when the existing LMS algorithm is used for signal denoising. In light of the above concerns, this paper comes up with a signal denoising algorithm and hardware implementation method based on D-LMS (delay-LMS). Firstly, according to the autocorrelation function characteristic of random signal, using the principle that the autocorrelation function time delay characteristic of narrowband signal such as explosion vibration signal is better than that of wideband random signal such as ground noise, the D-LMS filter algorithm is constructed by introducing the time delay parameter. Secondly, the selection method of key parameters in D-LMS hardware implementation is analyzed. Thirdly, the corresponding hardware circuit is designed by FPGA, and the simulation is carried out. Numerical simulation and experimental verification show that compared with the existing LMS improved algorithm, the D-LMS algorithm proposed in this paper has higher denoising stability and better denoising effect. Compared with the signal postprocessing method based on the host computer, the signal denoising speed of this method is significantly improved. This method will provide a powerful theoretical method to solve the problem of high-precision and fast source positioning and provide technical support for the development of high-speed and real-time source positioning instruments.
Stabilization of a Class of Complex Chaotic Systems by the Dynamic Feedback Control
Authors: Liu Zhi , Guo Rongwei
Published: May 2020

The stabilization problem of the complex chaotic system is investigated in this paper. First, a systematic method is proposed, by which a given complex chaotic system can be transformed into its equivalent real chaotic system. Then, both simple and physical controller is designed for the corresponding real chaotic system by the dynamic feedback control method, thereby the controller for the original complex chaotic system is obtained. Especially, for some complex system, the controller is obtained by the linear feedback control method. Finally, two illustrative examples with numerical simulations are used to verify the validity and effectiveness of the theoretical results.
Effects and Mechanisms of Electroacupuncture on Chronic Inflammatory Pain and Depression Comorbidity in Mice
Authors: Huang Hung-Yu , Liao Hsien-Yin , Lin Yi-Wen
Published: May 2020

Comorbidity of chronic pain and major depression disorder (MDD) are common diseases. However, the mechanisms of electroacupuncture (EA) and the responses of N‐methyl‐D‐aspartate receptors in the brain remain unclear. Three injections of complete Freund′s adjuvant (CFA) were administered to induce chronic inflammatory pain (CIP). EA was then performed once every other day from days 14 to 28. Behavior tests of chronic pain and depression were evaluated to make sure of the successful induction of comorbidity. We used Western blotting to analyze brain tissue from the prefrontal cortex (PFC), hippocampus, and hypothalamus for levels of phosphorylated N‐methyl‐D‐aspartate receptor subunit 1 (pNR1), NR1, pNR2B, NR2B, and calcium/calmodulin‐dependent protein kinase type II alpha isoform (pCaMKIIα). The mechanical hyperalgesia, thermal hyperalgesia, and depression were observed in the CIP group. Furthermore, decreased levels of N‐methyl‐D‐aspartate receptors (NMDARs) were also noted. Not Sham EA but EA reversed chronic pain and depression as well as the decreased levels of NMDA in the signaling pathway. The CFA injections successfully induced a significant comorbidity model. EA treated the comorbidity by upregulating the NMDA signaling pathway in the PFC, hippocampus, and hypothalamus. Our results indicated significant mechanisms of comorbidity of chronic pain and MDD and EA‐analgesia that involves the regulation of the NMDAR signaling pathway. These findings may be relevant to the evaluation and treatment of comorbidity of chronic pain and MDD.
Fixed-Time Convergent Guidance Law with Impact Angle Control
Authors: Cheng Zhongtao , Wu Hao , Wang Bo , Liu Lei , Wang Yongji
Published: May 2020

The existing convergence control guidance laws are designed via the Lyapunov asymptotic stability theory or finite-time stability theory. However, guidance law based on the Lyapunov asymptotic stability theory would lead the states to zero only as time approaches infinity, which is imperfect theory. The convergence time for guidance laws based on finite-time stable theory is dependent on the initial states. A fixed-time convergent guidance law with impact angle control is proposed in this paper. The proposed guidance law consists of two parts. One is the heading error angle shaping term, and the other is the bias term to achieve the desired impact angle. The guidance command is continuous during the engagement without utilizing the switching logics. Unlike the existing guidance law in the literature, the fixed-time stability theory is utilized to ensure the impact angle error to converge to zero before the interception. Furthermore, the convergence rate is merely related to control parameters. Simulations are carried out to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed guidance law.
Prediction of Surface Subsidence Extension due to Underground Caving: A Case Study of Hemushan Iron Mine in China
Authors: Ding Hangxing , Chen Song , Chang Shuai , Li Guanghui , Zhou Lei
Published: May 2020

Underground caving can potentially lead to large-scale surface destruction. To test the safety conditions of the surface construction projects near the circular surface subsidence zone in the Hemushan Iron Mine, this paper proposes an analytical model to analyze the stability of the cylindrical caved space by employing the long-term strength of the surrounding rock mass, the in situ stress, and the impact of caved materials as inputs. The proposed model is valid for predicting the orientation and depth where rock failure occurs and for calculating the maximum depth of the undercut, above which the surrounding rock mass of the caved space can remain stable for a long duration of time. The prediction for the Hemushan Iron Mine from the proposed model reveals that the construction projects can maintain safe working conditions, and such prediction is also demonstrated by the records from Google Earth satellite images. This means that the proposed model is valid for conducting such analysis. Additionally, to prevent rock failure above the free surface of caved materials, backfilling the subsidence zone with waste rocks is suggested, and such a measure is implemented in the Hemushan Iron Mine. The monitoring results show that this measure contributes to protecting the surrounding wall of the caved space from large-scale slip failure. The contribution of this work not only provides a robust analytical model for predicting the stability of rock around a cylindrical caved space but also introduces employable measures for mitigating the subsequent extension of surface subsidence after vertical caving.