bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Toward T-Wave Recognition of ECG Signals Through Modulated Ensemble Empirical Mode Decomposition
Authors: Huang Chun-Hsiang , Hsiao Tzu-Chien
Published: February 2021

The cardiovascular diseases are the major cause of death globally. To diagnose heart disease, automatic recognition of ECG’s T-wave is necessary. Empirical mode decomposition (EMD) can be used to decompose nonlinear and nonstationary signals. However, using EMD to decompose ECG potentially leads to a mode mixing problem. This study proposes modulated EEMD (mEEMD) as a solution, which can solve mode mixing problems with almost no influence from noise. Furthermore, the mEEMD has a less problematic boundary side effect and does not cause any phase shift. The sensitivity of T-wave onset and offset recognition is [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text].
Trajectory Outlier Detection
Authors: Djenouri Youcef , Djenouri Djamel , Lin Jerry Chun-Wei
Published: February 2021

This article introduces two new problems related to trajectory outlier detection: (1)
group trajectory outlier (GTO) detection
and (2)
deviation point detection
for both individual and group of trajectory outliers. Five algorithms are proposed for the first problem by adapting
DBSCAN
,
k nearest neighbors (kNN)
, and
feature selection (FS)
.
DBSCAN-GTO
first applies
DBSCAN
to derive the
micro clusters
, which are considered as potential candidates. A pruning strategy based on density computation measure is then suggested to find the group of trajectory outliers.
kNN-GTO
recursively derives the trajectory candidates from the individual trajectory outliers and prunes them based on their density. The overall process is repeated for all individual trajectory outliers. FS-GTO considers the set of individual trajectory outliers as the set of all features, while the FS process is used to retrieve the group of trajectory outliers. The proposed algorithms are improved by incorporating ensemble learning and high-performance computing during the detection process. Moreover, we propose a general two-phase-based algorithm for detecting the deviation points, as well as a version for graphic processing units implementation using sliding windows. Experiments on a real trajectory dataset have been carried out to demonstrate the performance of the proposed approaches. The results show that they can efficiently identify useful patterns represented by group of trajectory outliers, deviation points, and that they outperform the baseline group detection algorithms.
Fixed-Confidence, Fixed-Tolerance Guarantees for Ranking-and-Selection Procedures
Authors: Eckman David J. , Henderson Shane G.
Published: February 2021

Ever since the conception of the statistical ranking-and-selection (R8S) problem, a predominant approach has been the indifference-zone (IZ) formulation. Under the IZ formulation, R8S procedures are designed to provide a guarantee on the probability of correct selection (PCS) whenever the performance of the best system exceeds that of the second-best system by a specified amount. We discuss the shortcomings of this guarantee and argue that providing a guarantee on the probability of good selection (PGS)—selecting a system whose performance is within a specified tolerance of the best—is a more justifiable goal. Unfortunately, this form of fixed-confidence, fixed-tolerance guarantee has received far less attention within the simulation community. We present an overview of the PGS guarantee with the aim of reorienting the simulation community toward this goal. We examine numerous techniques for proving the PGS guarantee, including sufficient conditions under which selection and subset-selection procedures that deliver the IZ-inspired PCS guarantee also deliver the PGS guarantee.
Are Comments on Stack Overflow Well Organized for Easy Retrieval by Developers?
Authors: Zhang Haoxiang , Wang Shaowei , Chen Tse-Hsun (Peter) , Hassan Ahmed E.
Published: February 2021

Many Stack Overflow answers have associated informative comments that can strengthen them and assist developers. A prior study found that comments can provide additional information to point out issues in their associated answer, such as the obsolescence of an answer. By showing more informative comments (e.g., the ones with higher scores) and hiding less informative ones, developers can more effectively retrieve information from the comments that are associated with an answer. Currently, Stack Overflow prioritizes the display of comments, and, as a result, 4.4 million comments (possibly including informative comments) are hidden by default from developers. In this study, we investigate whether this mechanism effectively organizes informative comments. We find that (1) the current comment organization mechanism does not work well due to the large amount of tie-scored comments (e.g., 87% of the comments have 0-score) and (2) in 97.3% of answers with hidden comments, at least one comment that is possibly informative is hidden while another comment with the same score is shown (i.e., unfairly hidden comments). The longest unfairly hidden comment is more likely to be informative than the shortest one. Our findings highlight that Stack Overflow should consider adjusting the comment organization mechanism to help developers effectively retrieve informative comments. Furthermore, we build a classifier that can effectively distinguish informative comments from uninformative comments. We also evaluate two alternative comment organization mechanisms (i.e., the
Length
mechanism and the
Random
mechanism) based on text similarity and the prediction of our classifier.
Robustly Safe Compilation, an Efficient Form of Secure Compilation
Authors: Patrignani Marco , Garg Deepak
Published: February 2021

Security-preserving compilers generate compiled code that withstands target-level attacks such as alteration of control flow, data leaks, or memory corruption. Many existing security-preserving compilers are proven to be fully abstract, meaning that they reflect and preserve observational equivalence. Fully abstract compilation is strong and useful but, in certain cases, comes at the cost of requiring expensive runtime constructs in compiled code. These constructs may have no relevance for security, but are needed to accommodate differences between the source and target languages that fully abstract compilation necessarily needs.

As an alternative to fully abstract compilation, this article explores a different criterion for secure compilation called robustly safe compilation or
RSC
. Briefly, this criterion means that the compiled code preserves relevant safety properties of the source program against all adversarial contexts interacting with the compiled program. We show that
RSC
can be proved more easily than fully abstract compilation and also often results in more efficient code. We also present two different proof techniques for establishing that a compiler attains
RSC
and, to illustrate them, develop three illustrative robustly safe compilers that rely on different target-level protection mechanisms. We then proceed to turn one of our compilers into a fully abstract one and through this example argue that proving
RSC
can be simpler than proving full abstraction.

To better explain and clarify notions, this article uses syntax highlighting in a way that colourblind and black-8-white readers can benefit from Reference [58]. For a better experience, please print or view this article in colour
.
1
Information Integrity
Authors: Harley Kelsey , Cooper Rodney
Published: February 2021

The understanding and promotion of integrity in information security has traditionally been underemphasized or even ignored. From implantable medical devices and electronic voting to vehicle control, the critical importance of information integrity to our well-being has compelled review of its treatment in the literature. Through formal information flow models, the data modification view, and the relationship to data quality, information integrity will be surveyed. Illustrations are given for databases and information trustworthiness. Integrity protection is advancing but lacks standardization in terminology and application. Integrity must be better understood, and pursued, to achieve devices and systems that are beneficial and safe for the future.
Generative Adversarial Networks in Computer Vision
Authors: Wang Zhengwei , She Qi , Ward Tomás E.
Published: February 2021

Generative adversarial networks (GANs) have been extensively studied in the past few years. Arguably their most significant impact has been in the area of computer vision where great advances have been made in challenges such as plausible image generation, image-to-image translation, facial attribute manipulation, and similar domains. Despite the significant successes achieved to date, applying GANs to real-world problems still poses significant challenges, three of which we focus on here. These are as follows: (1) the generation of high quality images, (2) diversity of image generation, and (3) stabilizing training. Focusing on the degree to which popular GAN technologies have made progress against these challenges, we provide a detailed review of the state-of-the-art in GAN-related research in the published scientific literature. We further structure this review through a convenient taxonomy we have adopted based on variations in GAN architectures and loss functions. While several reviews for GANs have been presented to date, none have considered the status of this field based on their progress toward addressing practical challenges relevant to computer vision. Accordingly, we review and critically discuss the most popular architecture-variant, and loss-variant GANs, for tackling these challenges. Our objective is to provide an overview as well as a critical analysis of the status of GAN research in terms of relevant progress toward critical computer vision application requirements. As we do this we also discuss the most compelling applications in computer vision in which GANs have demonstrated considerable success along with some suggestions for future research directions. Codes related to the GAN-variants studied in this work is summarized on https://github.com/sheqi/GAN_Review.
A Multi-view Approach to Preserve Privacy and Utility in Network Trace Anonymization
Authors: Mohammady Meisam , Oqaily Momen , Wang Lingyu , Hong Yuan , Louafi Habib , Pourzandi Makan , Debbabi Mourad
Published: February 2021

As network security monitoring grows more sophisticated, there is an increasing need for outsourcing such tasks to third-party analysts. However, organizations are usually reluctant to share their network traces due to privacy concerns over sensitive information, e.g., network and system configuration, which may potentially be exploited for attacks. In cases where data owners are convinced to share their network traces, the data are typically subjected to certain anonymization techniques, e.g., CryptoPAn, which replaces real IP addresses with prefix-preserving pseudonyms. However, most such techniques either are vulnerable to adversaries with prior knowledge about some network flows in the traces or require heavy data sanitization or perturbation, which may result in a significant loss of data utility. In this article, we aim to preserve both privacy and utility through shifting the trade-off from between privacy and utility to between privacy and computational cost. The key idea is for the analysts to generate and analyze multiple anonymized views of the original network traces: Those views are designed to be sufficiently indistinguishable even to adversaries armed with prior knowledge, which preserves the privacy, whereas one of the views will yield true analysis results privately retrieved by the data owner, which preserves the utility. We formally analyze the privacy of our solution and experimentally evaluate it using real network traces provided by a major ISP. The experimental results show that our approach can significantly reduce the level of information leakage (e.g., less than 1% of the information leaked by CryptoPAn) with comparable utility.
A Minority of One against a Majority of Robots
Authors: Salomons Nicole , Sebo Sarah Strohkorb , Qin Meiying , Scassellati Brian
Published: February 2021

Studies have shown that people conform their answers to match those of group members even when they believe the group’s answer to be wrong [2]. In this experiment, we test whether people conform to groups of robots and whether the robots cause informational conformity (believing the group to be correct), normative conformity (feeling peer pressure), or both. We conducted an experiment in which participants (N = 63) played a subjective game with three robots. We measured humans’ conformity to robots by how many times participants changed their preliminary answers to match the group of robots’ in their final answer. Participants in conditions that were given more information about the robots’ answers conformed significantly more than those who were given less, indicating that informational conformity is present. Participants in conditions where they were aware they were a minority in their answers conformed more than those who were unaware they were a minority. Additionally, they also report feeling more pressure to change their answers from the robots, and the amount of pressure they reported was correlated to the frequency they conformed, indicating normative conformity. Therefore, we conclude that robots can cause both informational and normative conformity in people.
Cryptographic Software IP Protection without Compromising Performance or Timing Side-channel Leakage
Authors: Biswas Arnab Kumar
Published: February 2021

Program obfuscation is a widely used cryptographic software intellectual property (IP) protection technique against reverse engineering attacks in embedded systems. However, very few works have studied the impact of combining various obfuscation techniques on the obscurity (difficulty of reverse engineering) and performance (execution time) of obfuscated programs. In this article, we propose a Genetic Algorithm (GA)-based framework that not only optimizes obscurity and performance of obfuscated cryptographic programs, but it also ensures very low timing side-channel leakage. Our proposed
T
iming
S
ide
C
hannel
S
ensitive
P
rogram
O
bfuscation
O
ptimization
F
ramework (TSC-SPOOF) determines the combination of obfuscation transformation functions that produce optimized obfuscated programs with preferred optimization parameters. In particular, TSC-SPOOF employs normalized compression distance (NCD) and channel capacity to measure obscurity and timing side-channel leakage, respectively. We also use RISC-V rocket core running on a Xilinx Zynq FPGA device as part of our framework to obtain realistic results. The experimental results clearly show that our proposed solution leads to cryptographic programs with lower execution time, higher obscurity, and lower timing side-channel leakage than unguided obfuscation.
Grus
Authors: Wang Pengyu , Wang Jing , Li Chao , Wang Jianzong , Zhu Haojin , Guo Minyi
Published: February 2021

Today’s GPU graph processing frameworks face scalability and efficiency issues as the graph size exceeds GPU-dedicated memory limit. Although recent GPUs can over-subscribe memory with Unified Memory (UM), they incur significant overhead when handling graph-structured data. In addition, many popular processing frameworks suffer sub-optimal efficiency due to heavy atomic operations when tracking the active vertices. This article presents Grus, a novel system framework that allows GPU graph processing to stay competitive with the ever-growing graph complexity. Grus improves space efficiency through a UM trimming scheme tailored to the data access behaviors of graph workloads. It also uses a lightweight frontier structure to further reduce atomic operations. With easy-to-use interface that abstracts the above details, Grus shows up to 6.4× average speedup over the state-of-the-art in-memory GPU graph processing framework. It allows one to process large graphs of 5.5 billion edges in seconds with a single GPU.
Artificial intelligence for students in postsecondary education
Authors: Martiniello Natalina , Asuncion Jennison , Fichten Catherine , Jorgensen Mary , Havel Alice , Harvison Maegan , Legault Anick , Lussier Alex , Vo Christine
Published: February 2021

AI-based apps can facilitate learning for all post-secondary students and may also be useful for students with disabilities. Here we share some reflections from discussions that took place during two advisory board meetings on the use of such apps for students with disabilities at the post-secondary level.
Cellular Heterogeneity in Adipose Tissues
Authors: Corvera Silvia
Published: February 2021

Adipose tissue depots in distinct anatomical locations mediate key aspects of metabolism, including energy storage, nutrient release, and thermogenesis. Although adipocytes make up more than 90% of adipose tissue volume, they represent less than 50% of its cellular content. Here, I review recent advances in genetic lineage tracing and transcriptomics that reveal the identities of the heterogeneous cell populations constituting mouse and human adipose tissues. In addition to mature adipocytes and their progenitors, these include endothelial and various immune cell types that together orchestrate adipose tissue development and functions. One salient finding is the identification of progenitor subtypes that can modulate adipogenic capacity through paracrine mechanisms. Another is the description of fate trajectories of monocyte/macrophages, which can respond maladaptively to nutritional and thermogenic stimuli, leading to metabolic disease. These studies have generated an extraordinary source of publicly available data that can be leveraged to explore commonalities and differences among experimental models, providing new insights into adipose tissues and their role in metabolic disease.
Investigating the Role of Mo and Cr during the Activation and Passivation of Ni-Based Alloys in Acidic Chloride Solution
Authors: Henderson Jeffrey D. , Li Xuejie , Filice Fraser P. , Zagidulin Dmitrij , Biesinger Mark C. , Kobe Brad , Shoesmith David W. , Ogle Kevin , Noël James J.
Published: February 2021

The elemental dissolution behaviour of commercially available Ni-based alloys was investigated in the context of surface activation, spontaneous passivation, and electrochemically-assisted passivation in hydrochloric acid solution using atomic emission spectroelectrochemistry (AESEC). Following surface activation, the spontaneous passivation of each alloy was found to proceed by the accumulation of mainly Mo-rich, but also Cr-rich oxides. An alloy’s ability to recover from surface activation was found to improve with increased Mo content. For the alloy with the lowest Mo content considered here, approximately 8 wt.% Mo, spontaneous passivation was unsuccessful and active dissolution was observed. For alloys with higher Mo contents, greater than 13 wt.% Mo, spontaneous passivation occurred quickly, and dissolution rates stabilized at values comparable to those found for the native oxide, i.e., before perturbation by an applied potential. Mo(IV) oxides were found to be the species accumulating during spontaneous passivation using ex situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). During electrochemically-assisted passivation, i.e., applying a potential within the passive region, a portion of the previously accumulated Mo was removed while Cr oxides accumulated at the surface. However, based on the dissolution rates observed after electrochemically-assisted passivation, Cr-content did not dictate the barrier layer properties.
Cu/ZnO Nano-Thorn with Modifiable Morphology for Photoelectrochemical Detection of Glucose
Authors: Yang Bingwang , Han Ning , Hu Shiyu , Zhang Liying , Yi Shasha , Zhang Zongtao , Wang Yu , Chen Deliang , Gao Yanfeng
Published: February 2021

Enzyme free glucose detection is widely concerned because of its high stability and low cost, however, the sensitivity is relatively low in neutral solution. Compared with electrochemical sensor, photoelectrochemical sensor is more sensitive due to the independent excitation and detection source. Here, we present a Cu/ZnO nano-thorn array for photoelectrochemical detection to glucose in neutral solution，in which the uniform array structure and the Cu nanorod inside provide excellent conductivity, and the outside ZnO nanowire branches ensure large electrochemical active area. Moreover, the Schottky junction formed between the trunk of Cu nanorod and the branches of ZnO nanowires facilitates the separation of photogenerated electrons and holes. Therefore, the Cu/ZnO nano-thorn exhibits good photoactivity, which also shows an excellent performance in photoelectrochemical detection of glucose in neutral solution with a sensitivity of 63.76 μA mM−1 cm−2 in the range of 0.1–4.5 mmol l−1, and a limit detection of 3.762 μmol l−1.
Human placental-derived stem cell therapy ameliorates experimental necrotizing enterocolitis
Authors: Weis Victoria G. , Deal Anna C. , Mekkey Gehad , Clouse Cara , Gaffley Michaela , Whitaker Emily , Peeler Cole B. , Weis Jared A. , Schwartz Marshall Z. , Atala Anthony
Published: February 2021

These studies demonstrate a human placental-derived stem cell (hPSC) therapeutic strategy for necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). In an experimental model of NEC, hPSC administration improved macroscopic intestinal health, ameliorated epithelial morphology, and supported the intestinal stem cell niche. Our data suggest that hPSC are a potential therapeutic approach to attenuate established intestinal NEC damage. Further, we show hPSC are a novel research tool that can be utilized to elucidate critical neonatal repair mechanisms to overcome NEC.
Targeted intestinal deletion of Rho guanine nucleotide exchange factor 7, βPIX, impairs enterocyte proliferation, villus maturation, and mucosal defenses in mice
Authors: Cheng Kunrong , Larabee Shannon M. , Tolaymat Mazen , Hanscom Marie , Shang Aaron C. , Schledwitz Alyssa , Hu Shien , Drachenberg Cinthia B. , Zhan Min , Chahdi Ahmed , Raufman Jean-Pierre
Published: February 2021

To explore the role of βPix, a guanine nucleotide exchange factor encoded by ARHGEF7, in intestinal development and physiology, we created mice with intestinal epithelial cell Arhgef7/βPix deficiency. We found βPix essential for normal small intestinal epithelial cell proliferation, villus development, and mucosal resistance to injury. Moreover, Rho kinase signaling mediated developmental arrest observed in enteroids derived from βPix-deficient small intestinal crypts. Our studies provide insights into the role Arhgef7/βPix plays in intestinal epithelial homeostasis.
Matrix stiffening induces a pathogenic QKI-miR-7-SRSF1 signaling axis in pulmonary arterial endothelial cells
Authors: Woodcock Chen-Shan Chen , Hafeez Neha , Handen Adam , Tang Ying , Harvey Lloyd D. , Estephan Leonard E. , Speyer Gil , Kim Seungchan , Bertero Thomas , Chan Stephen Y.
Published: February 2021

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) refers to a set of heterogeneous vascular diseases defined by elevation of pulmonary arterial pressure (PAP) and pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR), leading to right ventricular (RV) remodeling and often death. Early increases in pulmonary artery stiffness in PAH drive pathogenic alterations of pulmonary arterial endothelial cells (PAECs), leading to vascular remodeling. Dysregulation of microRNAs can drive PAEC dysfunction. However, the role of vascular stiffness in regulating pathogenic microRNAs in PAH is incompletely understood. Here, we demonstrated that extracellular matrix (ECM) stiffening downregulated miR-7 levels in PAECs. The RNA-binding protein quaking (QKI) has been implicated in the biogenesis of miR-7. Correspondingly, we found that ECM stiffness upregulated QKI, and QKI knockdown led to increased miR-7. Downstream of the QKI-miR-7 axis, the serine and arginine-rich splicing factor 1 (SRSF1) was identified as a direct target of miR-7. Correspondingly, SRSF1 was reciprocally upregulated in PAECs exposed to stiff ECM and was negatively correlated with miR-7. Decreased miR-7 and increased QKI and SRSF1 were observed in lungs from patients with PAH and PAH rats exposed to SU5416/hypoxia. Lastly, miR-7 upregulation inhibited human PAEC migration, whereas forced SRSF1 expression reversed this phenotype, proving that miR-7 depended upon SRSF1 to control migration. In aggregate, these results define the QKI-miR-7-SRSF1 axis as a mechanosensitive mechanism linking pulmonary arterial vascular stiffness to pathogenic endothelial function. These findings emphasize implications relevant to PAH and suggest the potential benefit of developing therapies that target this miRNA-dependent axis in PAH.
YAP expression in endothelial cells prevents ventilator-induced lung injury
Authors: Su Kai , Wang Jianguo , Lv Yang , Tian Ming , Zhao You-Yang , Minshall Richard D. , Hu Guochang
Published: February 2021

Ventilator-induced lung injury is associated with an increase in mortality in patients with respiratory dysfunction, although mechanical ventilation is an essential intervention implemented in the intensive care unit. Intrinsic molecular mechanisms for minimizing lung inflammatory injury during mechanical ventilation remain poorly defined. We hypothesize that Yes-associated protein (YAP) expression in endothelial cells protects the lung against ventilator-induced injury. Wild-type and endothelial-specific YAP-deficient mice were subjected to a low (7 mL/kg) or high (21 mL/kg) tidal volume ( VT) ventilation for 4 h. Infiltration of inflammatory cells into the lung, vascular permeability, lung histopathology, and the levels of inflammatory cytokines were measured. Here, we showed that mechanical ventilation with high VT upregulated YAP protein expression in pulmonary endothelial cells. Endothelial-specific YAP knockout mice following high VT ventilation exhibited increased neutrophil counts and protein content in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, Evans blue leakage, and histological lung injury compared with wild-type littermate controls. Deletion of YAP in endothelial cells exaggerated vascular endothelial (VE)-cadherin phosphorylation, downregulation of vascular endothelial protein tyrosine phosphatase (VE-PTP), and dissociation of VE-cadherin and catenins following mechanical ventilation. Importantly, exogenous expression of wild-type VE-PTP in the pulmonary vasculature rescued YAP ablation-induced increases in neutrophil counts and protein content in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, vascular leakage, and histological lung injury as well as VE-cadherin phosphorylation and dissociation from catenins following ventilation. These data demonstrate that YAP expression in endothelial cells suppresses lung inflammatory response and edema formation by modulating VE-PTP-mediated VE-cadherin phosphorylation and thus plays a protective role in ventilator-induced lung injury.
β2-Adrenergic receptor agonism as a therapeutic strategy for kidney disease
Authors: Kamiar Ali , Yousefi Keyvan , Dunkley Julian C. , Webster Keith A. , Shehadeh Lina A.
Published: February 2021

Approximately 14% of the general population suffer from chronic kidney disease that can lead to acute kidney injury (AKI), a condition with up to 50% mortality for which there is no effective treatment. Hypertension, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease are the main comorbidities, and more than 660,000 Americans have kidney failure. β2-Adrenergic receptors (β2ARs) have been extensively studied in association with lung and cardiovascular disease, but with limited scope in kidney and renal diseases. β2ARs are expressed in multiple parts of the kidney including proximal and distal convoluted tubules, glomeruli, and podocytes. Classical and noncanonical β2AR signaling pathways interface with other intracellular mechanisms in the kidney to regulate important cellular functions including renal blood flow, electrolyte balance and salt handling, and tubular function that in turn exert control over critical physiology and pathology such as blood pressure and inflammatory responses. Nephroprotection through activation of β2ARs has surfaced as a promising field of investigation; however, there is limited data on the pharmacology and potential side effects of renal β2AR modulation. Here, we provide updates on some of the major areas of preclinical kidney research involving β2AR signaling that have advanced to describe molecular pathways and identify potential drug targets some of which are currently under clinical development for the treatment of kidney-related diseases.
Approximate Crank–Nicolson Algorithm with Higher-Order PML Implementation for Plasma Simulation in Open Region Problems
Authors: Niu Liqiang , Xie Yongjun , Gao Jie , Wu Peiyu , Jiang Haolin
Published: February 2021

By incorporating the higher-order concept with the perfectly matched later (PML) scheme, unconditionally stable approximate Crank–Nicolson algorithm is proposed for plasma simulation in open region problems. More precisely, the proposed implementation is based on the CN Direct-Splitting (CNDS) procedure for the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) unmagnetized plasma simulation. The unmagnetized plasma can be regarded as frequency-dependent media which can be calculated by the piecewise linear recursive convolution (PLRC) method. The proposed implementation shows the advantages of higher-order concept, CNDS procedure, and PLRC method in terms of improved absorbing performance, enhanced computational efficiency, and outstanding calculation accuracy. Numerical examples are introduced to indicate the effectiveness and efficiency. It can be concluded from results that the proposed scheme shows considerable efficiency, accuracy, absorption, and unconditional stability.
Determination of Scale Effects on Mechanical Properties of Berea Sandstone
Authors: Li Hui , Song Kaoping , Tang Mingguang , Qin Ming , Liu Zhenping , Qu Ming , Li Ben , Li Yan
Published: February 2021

The key rock mechanical parameters are strength, elastic modulus, Poisson’s ratio, etc., which are important in reservoir development. The accurate determination of reservoir’s mechanical properties is critical to reduce drilling risk and maximize well productivity. Precisely estimating rock mechanical properties is important in drilling and well completion design, as well as crucial for hydraulic fracturing. Rocks are heterogeneous and anisotropic materials. The mechanical properties vary not only with rock types but also with measurement methods, sample geometric dimensions (sample length to diameter ratio and size), and other factors. To investigate sample scale effects on rock mechanical behaviors, unconfined compression tests were conducted on 41 different geometric dimensions of Berea sandstones; unconfined compressive strength (UCS), Young’s modulus (

E

), Poisson’s ratio (

υ

), bulk modulus (

K

), and shear modulus (

G

) were obtained and compared. The results indicate that sample geometry can significantly affect rock mechanical properties: (1) UCS decreases with the increase of length to diameter ratio (LDR), and the UCS standardize factor is between 0.71 and 1.17, which means -30% to +20% variation of UCS with LDR changing from 1 to 6.7. The test results show UCS exhibits positive relationship with sample size. (2) Young’s modulus slightly increases with LDR increases, while Poisson’s ratio decreases with the increase of LDR. For the tested Berea sandstones, Poisson’s ratio standardizing factor is between 0.57 and 1.11. (3) Bulk modulus of Berea sandstone samples decreases with the increase of LDR, while shear modulus increases with LDR increases. Both bulk modulus and shear modulus increase with the increase of sample size. (4) The principal failure modes were analyzed. The failure modes of the tested Berea sandstones are axial splitting and shear failure. Stocky samples (

LDR
<
2

) tend to go axial splitting, while slender samples (

LDR
>
2

) tend to show shear failure.
Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Sosiho-Tang, a Traditional Herbal Formula, on Acute Lung Injury in LPS-Sensitized Mice and -Raw 264.7 Cells
Authors: Choi La Yoon , Kim Mi Hye , Jung Da-Hwa , Yang Woong Mo
Published: February 2021

Acute lung injury (ALI) is a series of syndromes with persistent inflammation and abnormally increased vascular permeability. Sosiho-tang (SSHT), a traditional herbal formula consisting of a mixture of seven herbs, has been used to treat allergic reactions and chronic hepatitis disease in East Asia. In this study, we determined whether SSHT has an inhibitory effect against lipopolysaccharide- (LPS-) induced acute lung injury (ALI) in mice. 0.05, 0.55, and 5.55 mg/kg of SSHT were orally administered to C57BL/6J mice for 7 days prior to the administration of LPS. After 2 h of LPS sensitization, lung tissues were collected to confirm the lung histology and ALI-related inflammatory factors. SSHT ameliorated the LPS-induced alveolar hemorrhage, alveolar wall thickening, and the shrinkage of the alveolar spaces in the ALI mice model. Proinflammatory cytokines including IL-6, TNF-α, and IFN-γ in the lung tissue were significantly regulated in the SSHT-treated groups compared to the LPS only-treated group. Also, increases of IL-6 and TNF-α and decrease of IFN-γ expressions were dose-dependently modulated by SSHT treatment in LPS-induced raw 264.7 cells. Additionally, the translocation of NF-κB into nucleus and phosphorylation of mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase were significantly attenuated by the treatment of SSHT in LPS-sensitized ALI mice. SSHT showed anti-inflammatory activities by inhibiting proinflammatory cytokines and NF-κB signaling in LPS-induced ALI. This study demonstrates that SSHT has preventive effects on LPS-induced ALI by regulating inflammatory responses as an alternative for treating lung diseases.
Expression of Nitric Oxide Synthase and Nitric Oxide Levels in Peripheral Blood Cells and Oxidized Low‐Density Lipoprotein Levels in Saliva as Early Markers of Severe Dengue
Authors: Hapugaswatta Harsha , Wimalasekara Ruwani L. , Perera Suharshi S. , Premaratna Ranjan , Seneviratne Kapila N. , Jayathilaka Nimanthi
Published: February 2021

Background. Severe dengue (SD), experienced by only a fraction of dengue patients, can be lethal. Due to the lack of early markers that can predict the evolution of SD, all dengue patients have to be monitored under hospital care. We discovered early oxidative stress markers of SD to identify patients who can benefit from early intervention before the symptoms appear. Methods. The expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) in peripheral blood cells (PBC), nitric oxide (NO), and oxidized low‐density lipoprotein (oxLDL) levels in plasma and saliva collected at early stages of dengue infection from 20 nonsevere dengue fever (DF) patients and 20 patients who later developed SD were analyzed in a retrospective nested case‐control study. Results. The expression of iNOS is significantly (P < 0.05) lower in patients who developed SD than in DF patients at admission within 4 days from fever onset. Median plasma NO concentration within 4 days from fever onset is also significantly (P < 0.05) lower in patients who developed SD (17.9 ± 1.6 μmol/L) than DF (23.0 ± 2.1 μmol/L). Median oxLDL levels in plasma within 3 days from fever onset is significantly (P < 0.05) lower in patients who developed SD (509.4 ± 224.1 ng/mL) than DF (740.0 ± 300.0 ng/mL). Median salivary oxLDL levels are also significantly (P < 0.05) lower in patients who developed SD (0.8 ± 0.5 ng/mL) than DF (3.6 ± 2.6 ng/mL) within 4 days from fever onset. Conclusions. These findings suggest that the expression of iNOS (73% sensitivity, 86% specificity) and plasma NO (96% sensitivity, 61% specificity at 22.3 μmol/L; P < 0.05) may serve as early markers of SD within 3 days from fever onset. Salivary oxLDL levels may serve as early noninvasive markers of SD with a sensitivity and specificity, respectively, of 57% and 91% at 0.9 ng/mL; 76% and 55% at 2.3 ng/mL; and 100% and 50% at 4.6 ng/mL (P < 0.05) within 4 days from fever onset.
A Benders Decomposition Algorithm for the Passenger Train Service Planning
Authors: Pu Song
Published: February 2021

Railway transport becomes a more popular transportation in many countries due to its large transport capacity, low energy consumption, and benign environment. The passenger train service planning is the key of the rail operations system to balance the transport service and the passenger demand. In this paper, we propose a mixed binary linear programming formulation for the passenger train service planning to optimize the train route, frequency, stop schedule, and passenger assignment simultaneously. In addition, we analyze the computational complexities of the model and develop a Benders decomposition algorithm with valid inequalities to solve this problem. Finally, our model and algorithm are tested on a real-world instance of the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway line. The computational results show that our approach can solve these problems within reasonable solution time and small optimality gaps (less than 2.5%).
Trends in Stroke Prevention between 2014 and 2018 in Hospitalized Atrial Fibrillation Patients
Authors: Bielecka B. , Gorczyca I. , Jelonek O. , Wożakowska-Kapłon B.
Published: February 2021

In recent years, significant changes in stroke prophylaxis in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) have been observed. Non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs) are more commonly used in the prevention of thromboembolic complications in patients with AF. The aim of the study was to evaluate recommended stroke prophylaxis in patients with AF and to identify predictors of using NOACs in patients treated with anticoagulant therapy. The present study was a retrospective, observational, single-center study which included consecutively hospitalized patients in the reference cardiology center from January 2014 to December 2018. In the study group of 4027 patients with AF, to prevent thromboembolic complications, OACs were used in 3680 patients (91.4%), an antiplatelet drug(s) was used in 124 patients (3.1%), and 223 patients (5.5%) did not undergo any thromboembolic event prevention. In the group of 3680 patients treated with OACs, 2311 patients (62.8%) received NOACs and 1639 patients (37.2%), VKAs. Independent predictors of the use of NOACs were age (OR, 1.02; 95% CI, 1.01–1.03;

P
<
0.001

), a previous thromboembolic event (OR, 1.29; 95% CI, 1.01–1.65;

P
=
0.04

), nonpermanent AF (OR, 1.61; 95% CI, 1.34–1.93;

P
<
0.001

), and eGFR (OR, 1.22; 95% CI, 1.02–1.46;

P
=
0.03

). Between 2014 and 2018, an increase of patients treated with OACs, mainly with NOACs, was observed. Age, past thromboembolic complications, nonpermanent AF, and preserved renal function determined the choice of NOACs.
Mode I Fracture Behaviors between Cement Concrete and Asphalt Concrete Layer
Authors: Tang Zhongping , Huang Fanglin , Peng Hua
Published: February 2021

Asphalt overlay or concrete overlay on existing pavements is a common strategy for pavement maintenance. Interlayer bonding performance between asphalt and concrete layers is a critical concern in achieving optimal long‐term structural performance due to the possible cracking along the interface. In this study, bonding behaviors of asphalt concrete interface were characterized by employing mode I fracture tests conducted at −10 and 25°C, respectively. Two typical interface conditions were manually prepared. A tack coat material was applied on the interface with four distinct rates: 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, and 0.4 L/m2. Parameters including fracture strength, stress intensity factor (KIC), facture energy (GF), and energy release rate (J integral) were selected to evaluate the fracture performance. Results showed that optimum tack coat rates were 0.1 and 0.3 L/m2 for specimens with unmilled and milled surfaces. At the optimum tack coat rates, KIC and GF increased with the increase of interface roughness at −10°C, while, at 25°C, J integral of specimens with unmilled interface was larger than that of specimens with milled interface at the optimum tack coat rates. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was conducted to evaluate the significance of the factors on the fracture loads and found that surface roughness is significant at −10°C and becomes nonsignificant at 25°C. Temperature and tack coat rate were significant factors considering a given interface.
Feasibility of Audio-Recording Consultations with Pregnant Australian Indigenous Women to Assess Use of Smoking Cessation Behaviour Change Techniques
Authors: Bar-Zeev Yael , Skelton Eliza , Bovill Michelle , Gruppetta Maree , Bonevski Billie , Gould Gillian S. , DiGiacomo Michelle
Published: February 2021

Introduction. Behavioural counselling is an effective method to improve smoking cessation during pregnancy. Audio recordings of consultations have been used previously to assess fidelity in specialized smoking cessation services, but not in primary care. Aims. The study is aimed at assessing the feasibility of audio-recording smoking cessation counselling as part of an intervention in primary care settings and exploring the number and type of behaviour change techniques (BCTs) delivered. Methods. This study was a nested feasibility study within a larger trial. Health providers (HPs) and pregnant women were asked to agree or decline audio recording their smoking-related consultations. Data collected included percentage providing consent, number of recordings performed, HP type, and date (pre/post intervention). Interviews were conducted to assess the trial procedures’ acceptability. Results. Two services provided seven recordings, all pre-intervention. Of the 22 recruited women, 14 consented to being audio recorded (64%) and five provided recordings; of the 23 recruited HPs, 16 agreed (69%), and two provided recordings. Qualitative data suggest that HPs found audio recording difficult to remember. HPs spent on average two minutes discussing smoking and used few BCTs. Conclusions. Audio recordings of smoking-related counselling were not feasible as planned. Future research will need to explore acceptable methods to assess BCT use in primary care.
Genotype-Phenotype Correlation of G6PD Mutations among Central Thai Children with G6PD Deficiency
Authors: Boonyawat Boonchai , Phetthong Tim , Suksumek Nithipun , Traivaree Chanchai
Published: February 2021

Background. Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency is the most common X-linked inherited erythroenzymopathy in Thailand. The clinical and hematological manifestations of G6PD deficiency are variable. Objective. This study aimed to characterize the genotype-phenotype correlation of G6PD mutations in Thai pediatric patients who were followed-up in Phramongkutklao Hospital, a tertiary center in central Thailand. Material and Method. A total of 102 children including 73 males (71.6%) and 29 females (28.4%) were included in our study. Mutation analysis was performed by direct DNA sequencing of all coding exons of the G6PD gene. Ninety-one patients (89.2%) were presented with neonatal hyperbilirubinemia and 11 patients (10.8%) were presented with acute hemolytic anemia beyond the neonatal period. Results. Molecular analysis of the G6PD gene in 102 G6PD-deficient Thai children identified 12 different mutations. G6PD Viangchan (871G > A) and G6PD Canton (1376G > T) were the first (46.2%) and the second (15.4%) most common identified mutations among both male and female G6PD-deficient individuals, respectively. All affected males were hemizygous for G6PD mutations and had an average G6PD level of 16.7 ± 11.5 (3–76) IU/ml.RBC. Majority of female patients (27 in 29, 93.1%) were heterozygous for G6PD mutations and had an average G6PD level of 133.6 ± 43.4 (9–195) IU/ml.RBC. Two female patients (6.9%) were either homozygous or compound heterozygous for the mutations and had G6PD level in the affected male range (35 and 10 IU/ml.RBC). Only 1 in 27 heterozygous females (3.7%) had G6PD level in the affected male range (9 IU/ml.RBC) which is possibly explained by nonrandom X-chromosome inactivation. The correlation of genotypes, G6PD levels, and clinical phenotypes was not demonstrated in our study in which all of the included G6PD-deficient patients were presented with neonatal hyperbilirubinemia and acute hemolytic anemia, since the genotype-phenotype correlation is normally demonstrated in chronic nonspherocytic hemolytic anemia (CNSHA) G6PD-deficient individuals. Conclusion. This study characterizes the molecular heterogeneity of G6PD variants causing G6PD deficiency in Thai children. Our study demonstrated the efficiency of direct DNA sequencing which can identify 12 missense mutations in Thai children.
A Population-Level Assessment of Smoking Cessation following a Diagnosis of Tobacco- or Nontobacco-Related Cancer among United States Adults
Authors: Matulewicz Richard S. , Bjurlin Marc A. , Feuer Zachary , Makarov Danil V. , Sherman Scott E. , Scheidell Joy , Khan Maria R. , El-Shahawy Omar , Ward Kenneth
Published: February 2021

Introduction. Smoking cessation after a cancer diagnosis can significantly improve treatment outcomes and reduce the risk of cancer recurrence and all-cause mortality. Aim. We sought to measure the association between cancer diagnosis and subsequent smoking cessation. Methods. Data was sourced from the Population Assessment of Health and Tobacco (PATH) study, a representative population-based sample of United States adults. Our analytic sample included all adult smokers at Wave I, our baseline. The exposure of interest was either a tobacco-related cancer diagnosis, nontobacco-related cancer diagnosis, or no cancer diagnosis (the referent) reported at Wave II or III. The primary outcome was smoking cessation after diagnosis, at Wave IV. Results/Findings. Our sample was composed of 7,286 adult smokers at the baseline representing an estimated 40.9 million persons. Smoking cessation rates after a diagnosis differed after a tobacco-related cancer (25.9%), a nontobacco-related cancer (8.9%), and no cancer diagnosis (17.9%). After adjustment, diagnosis with a tobacco-related cancer was associated with a higher odds of smoking cessation (OR 1.83, 95% CI 1.00-3.33) compared to no cancer diagnosis. Diagnosis with a nontobacco-related cancer was not significantly linked to smoking cessation (OR 0.52, 95% CI 0.48-1.45). Conclusion. Diagnosis with a tobacco-related cancer is associated with greater odds of subsequent smoking cessation compared to no cancer diagnosis, suggesting that significant behavioral change may occur in this setting.
Extraction of Least‐Dispersive Ultrasonic Guided Wave Mode in Rail Track Based on Floquet‐Bloch Theory
Authors: Yuan Maodan , Tse Peter W. , Xuan Weiming , Xu Wenjin
Published: February 2021

Ultrasonic guided wave (UGW) has shown great potential in the field of structural health monitoring of rail tracks due to its long‐range capability and full cross section coverage. However, the practical application of UGW has been hindered by the complicated signal interpretation because of the natures of multiple modes and dispersion. Therefore, it is desirable that the effective UGW modes with high excitability and least dispersion can be identified and extracted for practical applications. In this paper, a numerical study on the guided wave propagation was carried out on a standard rail with 56E1 profile. Firstly, Floquet‐Bloch theory was applied to obtain the dispersion curves of guided wave in a rail. Then, a 3D FE model was built to investigate the UGW propagation along the rail within the frequency range of 0–120 kHz. Wavenumber‐frequency analysis method was applied to decompose and identify the propagating UGW modes. With a carefully designed 2D bandpass filter, a specific mode W0 was extracted in the wavenumber‐frequency domain. Finally, a frequency band sweep technique was also proposed to get the optimal frequency band to achieve a pure and least‐dispersive UGW mode along the rail web. The proposed method provides an effective way to extract efficient UGW modes to assess the integrity of the rail track, as well as other waveguides with complex geometry.