bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Interpreting the field emission equation for large area field emitters
Authors: Biswas Debabrata
Published: January 2022

Both single emitters and large area field emitters (LAFEs) are generally characterized using the slope and intercept of a Murphy–Good (or Fowler–Nordheim) plot, which are used to extract the field enhancement factor and the emission area. Using a shielding model that has been developed recently for a LAFE, the validity of the underlying assumption is investigated. It is found that in the case of a LAFE, the slope has contributions from the enhancement factor as well as the rate at which the effective number of superemitters changes with the applied field. As a consequence, the emission area is related to both the slope and intercept in a LAFE. When the mean spacing in a LAFE is much larger than the height of the emitter, the usual interpretation of the slope and intercept is recovered.
Amplification of human interneuron progenitors promotes brain tumors and neurological defects
Authors: Eichmüller Oliver L. , Corsini Nina S. , Vértesy Ábel , Morassut Ilaria , Scholl Theresa , Gruber Victoria-Elisabeth , Peer Angela M. , Chu Julia , Novatchkova Maria , Hainfellner Johannes A. , Paredes Mercedes F. , Feucht Martha , Knoblich Jürgen A.
Published: January 2022

Evolutionary development of the human brain is characterized by the expansion of various brain regions. Here, we show that developmental processes specific to humans are responsible for malformations of cortical development (MCDs), which result in developmental delay and epilepsy in children. We generated a human cerebral organoid model for tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) and identified a specific neural stem cell type, caudal late interneuron progenitor (CLIP) cells. In TSC, CLIP cells over-proliferate, generating excessive interneurons, brain tumors, and cortical malformations. Epidermal growth factor receptor inhibition reduces tumor burden, identifying potential treatment options for TSC and related disorders. The identification of CLIP cells reveals the extended interneuron generation in the human brain as a vulnerability for disease. In addition, this work demonstrates that analyzing MCDs can reveal fundamental insights into human-specific aspects of brain development.
Nitrogen recycling via gut symbionts increases in ground squirrels over the hibernation season
Authors: Regan Matthew D. , Chiang Edna , Liu Yunxi , Tonelli Marco , Verdoorn Kristen M. , Gugel Sadie R. , Suen Garret , Carey Hannah V. , Assadi-Porter Fariba M.
Published: January 2022

Hibernation is a mammalian strategy that uses metabolic plasticity to reduce energy demands and enable long-term fasting. Fasting mitigates winter food scarcity but eliminates dietary nitrogen, jeopardizing body protein balance. Here, we reveal gut microbiome–mediated urea nitrogen recycling in hibernating thirteen-lined ground squirrels (
Ictidomys tridecemlineatus
). Ureolytic gut microbes incorporate urea nitrogen into metabolites that are absorbed by the host, with the nitrogen reincorporated into the squirrel’s protein pool. Urea nitrogen recycling is greatest after prolonged fasting in late winter, when urea transporter abundance in gut tissue and urease gene abundance in the microbiome are highest. These results reveal a functional role for the gut microbiome during hibernation and suggest mechanisms by which urea nitrogen recycling may contribute to protein balance in other monogastric animals.
A single-cell atlas of the normal and malformed human brain vasculature
Authors: Winkler Ethan A. , Kim Chang N. , Ross Jayden M. , Garcia Joseph H. , Gil Eugene , Oh Irene , Chen Lindsay Q. , Wu David , Catapano Joshua S. , Raygor Kunal , Narsinh Kazim , Kim Helen , Weinsheimer Shantel , Cooke Daniel L. , Walcott Brian P. , Lawton Michael T. , Gupta Nalin , Zlokovic Berislav V. , Chang Edward F. , Abla Adib A. , Lim Daniel A. , Nowakowski Tomasz J.
Published: January 2022

Cerebrovascular diseases are a leading cause of death and neurologic disability. Further understanding of disease mechanisms and therapeutic strategies requires a deeper knowledge of cerebrovascular cells in humans. We profiled transcriptomes of 181,388 cells to define a cell atlas of the adult human cerebrovasculature, including endothelial cell molecular signatures with arteriovenous segmentation and expanded perivascular cell diversity. By leveraging this reference, we investigated cellular and molecular perturbations in brain arteriovenous malformations, which are a leading cause of stroke in young people, and identified pathologic endothelial transformations with abnormal vascular patterning and the ontology of vascularly derived inflammation. We illustrate the interplay between vascular and immune cells that contributes to brain hemorrhage and catalog opportunities for targeting angiogenic and inflammatory programs in vascular malformations.
Intensifying existing urban wastewater
Authors: Winkler M.-K. H. , van Loosdrecht M. C. M.
Published: January 2022

Aerobic granular sludge offers improvements to treatment processes
Staying strong during hibernation
Authors: Sommer Felix , Bäckhed Fredrik
Published: January 2022

The microbiota of hibernating squirrels salvages urea to replenish amino acids
Alternatives to fecal transplants near approval
Authors: Servick Kelly
Published: January 2022

Trial shows spore-filled pill derived from human stool treats tough gut infections
Draft Genome Sequence of Bacillus tropicus Strain UPM-CREST01, Isolated from the Bulk Paddy Soil at Kampung Gajah, Perak
Authors: Mohd Azim Khan Nur Arisa , Jaya Jothi Sasireigga , Mohd Hata Erneeza , Parimannan Sivachandran , Vadamalai Ganesan , Rajandas Heera
Published: January 2022

We characterized the draft genome of the potentially beneficial
Bacillus tropicus
strain UPM-CREST01, which was isolated from the bulk soil at a paddy cultivation area in Kampung Gajah, Perak, Malaysia. The final draft assembly of 5,252,705 bp, with a G+C content of 35.23%, was found to harbor 5,368 coding sequences, including several plant-growth-promoting genes.
Genome Sequence of Bacillus velezensis P1, a Strain Isolated from a Biofilm Captured on a Pig Farm Building
Authors: Guéneau Virgile , Piard Jean-Christophe , Frayssinet Bastien , Loux Valentin , Chiapello Hélène , Plateau-Gonthier Julia , Castex Mathieu , Briandet Romain
Published: January 2022

The genome of the
Bacillus velezensis
P1 strain isolated from a biofilm on the wall of a pig farm was sequenced. The strain harbors many surface colonization genes involved in surfactant, matrix, and antibacterial synthesis.
Amount and intensity effects of exercise training alone versus a combined diet and exercise lifestyle intervention on health-related quality of life in the STRRIDE-PD randomized trial
Authors: Collins Katherine A , Ross Leanna M , Piner Lucy W , Fos Liezl B , Slentz Cris A , Bateman Lori A , Willis Leslie H , Bales Connie W , Siegler Ilene C , Wolever Ruth Q , Huffman Kim M , Kraus William E
Published: January 2022

Introduction

To determine the relative contributions of various amounts and intensities of exercise alone to a combined lifestyle intervention on health-related quality of life (HrQoL) measures.

Research design and methods

Participants (n=162) were sedentary, overweight/obese, with pre-diabetes, and randomized to one of four 6-month interventions: (1) high amount/moderate intensity exercise–energy expenditure of 16 kcal/kg of body weight/week (KKW) at 50% oxygen consumption (V̇O2) reserve; (2) high/vigorous–16 KKW at 75% V̇O2reserve; (3) low/moderate–10 KKW at 50% V̇O2reserve; (4) low/moderate plus diet–10 KKW at 50% V̇O2reserve plus a calorically restricted diet. The 36-Item Short-Form Survey (SF-36) and Satisfaction with Physical Function and Appearance (SPF/SPA) survey were assessed at baseline and post-intervention. Analyses of covariance determined differences in change scores among groups (p<0.05). Paired t-tests determined significant pre-intervention versus post-intervention scores within groups (p<0.05).

Results

Across the intervention, all groups (p<0.05) improved the physical component, SPF, and SPA scores. Only the low/moderate/diet group (p<0.001) significantly improved the mental component score. The high/vigorous group achieved 84.5% of the low/moderate/diet group effect for change in physical component score, and the low/moderate group achieved 83.7% of the low/moderate/diet group effect for change in mental component score.

Conclusions

In general, a low amount of moderate intensity exercise combined with diet was the most effective intervention for improving HrQoL. Of the exercise-only interventions, vigorous intensity exercise provided the greatest impact on changes in physical function. On the other hand, low amounts of moderate intensity exercise provided the greatest impact on mental well-being, potentially being a more attainable exercise dose for previously sedentary individuals with pre-diabetes to achieve.
Improving the supply of critical medicines from pharmacy to reduce the delay in medicines administration on wards
Authors: Patel Vitesh , Quinn Gemma
Published: January 2022

It is nationally and locally recognised that doses of critical medications are missed or omitted on a daily basis. This has been highlighted by a National Patient Safety Agency alert published in 2010. Since then Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trusthas introduced initiatives to tackle this problem, but there are clear indications that further work is still required. The aim of this service improvement project was to improve the availability of critical medications on the ward to ensure they are available thirty minutes prior to the next scheduled dose.

Two plan–do–study–act cycles were undertaken over a 14-day period (January/February 2020) to reduce the time taken for critical medications to be supplied to the ward after a request was placed on the eOrdering system, on one care of the elderly ward. Medication request and prescription tracking data were captured during working hours each week (Monday to Sunday) and examined. The time taken for a request to be processed was captured.

Following the introduction of a critical medicines checklist in the pharmacy dispensary and later a flow chart on the ward, availability of critical medication on the ward rose from 89% to 93%. However, the project did not meet the project aim of ensuring 95% of critical medications requested were available on the ward.

The project highlighted that for sustainable and robust improvement, the electronic prescribing system required improvement rather than change in the work processes of the ward and pharmacy professionals.
Decrease in injuries from fireworks in Hawaii: associations with a county policy to limit access
Authors: Galanis Daniel J , Koo Sylvia SJ , Puapong Devin P , Sentell Tetine , Bronstein Alvin C
Published: January 2022

Objective

To examine trends in fireworks-related injuries (FRI) before and after enactment of an ordinance to limit access in the City and County of Honolulu (the island of Oahu).

Methods

Surveillance of FRI treated in all emergency departments in the state, for 18 new year’s periods (31 December through 1 January) from 2004 to 2021. Prelaw (2004 to 2011) and postlaw (2012 to 2021) number of FRI were compared, by patient age and county.

Results

The average annual number of FRI for all ages decreased significantly in Oahu, from 74 during the prelaw period to 27 during the postlaw period (p<0.01), but not in the remaining neighbour islands (p=0.07). Decreases were particularly evident for Oahu paediatric patients (under 18 years), among whom FRI declined from 42 to 10 per year (p<0.01). FRI were approximately halved for older Oahu patients and neighbour island paediatric patients.

Conclusions

Legislation requiring permits for a specified number and type of fireworks, and limiting access to persons 18 years and older was associated with significant decreases in FRI in the City and County of Honolulu.
Cancer Immunotherapy in Adult Patients with HIV
Authors: Abu Khalaf Suha , Dandachi Dima , Granwehr Bruno P , Rodriguez-Barradas Maria C
Published: January 2022

The availability of antiretroviral therapy (ART) has increased the life expectancy of people with HIV (PWH) and reduced the incidence of AIDS-associated malignancies, yet PWH have a significantly increased incidence of malignancy and less favorable outcomes of cancer treatment compared with the general population.

Immunotherapy has revolutionized cancer therapy, becoming the standard of care for various malignancy treatments. However, PWH are an underserved population with limited access to clinical trials and cancer treatment.

This review of the available evidence on different classes of cancer immunotherapy in PWH is mostly based on case reports, case series, but few prospective studies and clinical trials due to the exclusion of PWH from most oncologic clinical trials. The results of the available evidence support the safety of immunotherapy in PWH. Immunotherapy has similar effectiveness in PWH, an acceptable toxicity profile, and has no clinically significant impact on HIV viral load and CD4-T cell count. In addition, there is no reported change in the incidence of opportunistic infections and other complications for PWH with well-controlled viremia.

This review aims to briefly summarize the current state of immunotherapy in cancer, guide clinicians in the management of immunotherapy in cancer PWH, and encourage the inclusion of PWH in clinical trials of cancer immunotherapy.
CD40L-armed oncolytic herpes simplex virus suppresses pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma by facilitating the tumor microenvironment favorable to cytotoxic T cell response in the syngeneic mouse model
Authors: Wang Ruikun , Chen Jingru , Wang Wei , Zhao Zhuoqian , Wang Haoran , Liu Shiyu , Li Fan , Wan Yajuan , Yin Jie , Wang Rui , Li Yuanke , Zhang Cuizhu , Zhang Hongkai , Cao Youjia
Published: January 2022

Background

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the most malignant cancers worldwide. Despite the promising outcome of immune checkpoint inhibitors and agonist antibody therapies in different malignancies, PDAC exhibits high resistance due to its immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME). Ameliorating the TME is thus a rational strategy for PDAC therapy. The intratumoral application of oncolytic herpes simplex virus-1 (oHSV) upregulates pro-inflammatory macrophages and lymphocytes in TME, and enhances the responsiveness of PDAC to immunotherapy. However, the antitumor activity of oHSV remains to be maximized. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of the CD40L armed oHSV on the tumor immune microenvironment, and ultimately prolong the survival of the PDAC mouse model.

Methods

The membrane-bound form of murine CD40L was engineered into oHSV by CRISPR/Cas9-based gene editing. oHSV-CD40L induced cytopathic effect and immunogenic cell death were determined by microscopy and flow cytometry. The expression and function of oHSV-CD40L was assessed by reporter cell assay. The oHSV-CD40L was administrated intratumorally to the immune competent syngeneic PDAC mouse model, and the leukocytes in TME and tumor-draining lymph node were analyzed by multicolor flow cytometry. Intratumoral cytokines were determined by ELISA.

Results

Intratumoral application of oHSV-CD40L efficiently restrained the tumor growth and prolonged the survival of the PDAC mouse model. In TME, oHSV-CD40L-treated tumor accommodated more maturated dendritic cells (DCs), which in turn activated T helper 1 and cytotoxic CD8+T cells in an interferon-γ-dependent and interleukin-12-dependent manner. In contrast, the regulatory T cells were significantly reduced in TME by oHSV-CD40L treatment. Repeated dosing and combinational therapy extended the lifespan of PDAC mice.

Conclusion

CD40L-armed oncolytic therapy endues TME with increased DCs maturation and DC-dependent activation of cytotoxic T cells, and significantly prolongs the survival of the model mice. This study may lead to the understanding and development of oHSV-CD40L as a therapy for PDAC in synergy with immune checkpoint blockade.
Amantadine treatment is associated with improved consciousness in patients with non-traumatic brain injury
Authors: Rühl Lena , Kuramatsu Joji B , Sembill Jochen A , Kallmünzer Bernd , Madzar Dominik , Gerner Stefan T , Giede-Jeppe Antje , Balk Stefanie , Mueller Tamara , Jäger Jakob , Schwab Stefan , Huttner Hagen B , Sprügel Maximilian I
Published: January 2022

Objective

This study determined the effect of amantadine treatment on consciousness in patients with non-traumatic brain injury.

Methods

We pooled individual patient data of five single-centre observational studies to determine the effect of amantadine treatment among patients with ischaemic stroke, intracerebral haemorrhage, subarachnoid haemorrhage, community-acquired bacterial meningitis and status epilepticus, admitted between January 2012 and December 2015 and ventilated ≥7 days. Patient selection and multivariable regression modelling were used to adjust for differences in intergroup comparison and for parameters associated with consciousness. Improvement of consciousness 5 days after treatment initiation was defined as primary outcome. Secondary outcomes included Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) at day 5 and GCS at day 10, rate of ICU delirium, epileptic seizures and all-cause mortality at 90 days.

Results

Overall, 84 of 294 (28.6%) eligible patients received amantadine. Amantadine treatment was associated with improvement of consciousness at day 5 (amantadine: 86.9% vs control: 54.0%; absolute difference: 32.9 (20.0–44.2); adjusted OR (aOR): 5.71 (2.50–13.05), p<0.001). Secondary outcomes showed differences in GCS 5 days (9 (8–11) vs 6 (3–9), p<0.001) and GCS 10 days (10(8–11) vs 9(6–11),p=0.003) after treatment initiation. There were no significant differences regarding all-cause mortality (aOR: 0.89 (0.44–1.82), p=0.758) and ICU delirium (aOR: 1.39 (0.58–3.31), p=0.462). Rate of epileptic seizures after initiation of amantadine treatment was numerically higher in the amantadine group (amantadine: 10.7% vs control: 3.0%; absolute difference: 7.7 (0.3–16.4); aOR: 3.68 (0.86–15.71), p=0.079).

Conclusions

Amantadine treatment is associated with improved consciousness among patients with different types of non-traumatic brain injury in this observational cohort analysis. Epileptic seizures should be considered as potential side effects and randomised controlled trials are needed to confirm these findings.
A logical development: biomedicine’s fingerprints are on the instrument of close reading in Charonian Narrative Medicine
Authors: Neilson Shane
Published: January 2022

Narrative Medicine as originated by Rita Charon began as an attempt to redress the unopposed biomedicalisation of the medical profession. Although the movement has been self-positioned as a corrective to deliver an ideal of care, it began within the rhetorical framework of biomedicine and not outside of it. Thus, Narrative Medicine justifies itself in biomedical terms, invoking instrumental rationales for its use. This seeming ‘scientification’ of narrative is only half of the biomedicine-indebted Narrative Medicine story. An equally important but as-yet unmentioned debt is the quasi-scientific origin story of Narrative Medicine’s signature method of close reading. Thus, there is an inherent paradox at the heart of the Narrative Medicine movement: designed to resist a reductive biomedicine, it exists in a dependent relationship on biomedicine at the level of justification and at the level of praxis. Thus, it is an open question if the Narrative Medicine movement is the proper vehicle for a rebalancing of humanities and biomedicine.
Altered distribution, activation and increased IL-17 production of mucosal-associated invariant T cells in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome
Authors: Kim Tae-Ok , Park Ki-Jeong , Cho Young-Nan , Jin Hye-Mi , Jo Young-Goun , Kim Hyo Shin , Ju Jae Kyun , Shin Hong-Joon , Kho Bo-Gun , Kee Seung-Jung , Park Yong-Wook
Published: January 2022

Objective

Mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells are a subset of innate-like T cells that are engaged in a number of diseases, but their roles in acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) are not fully examined yet. This study aimed to examine levels and functions of MAIT cells in patients with ARDS.

Methods

Peripheral blood samples from patients with ARDS (n=50) and healthy controls (HCs, n=50) were collected. Levels of MAIT cells, cytokines, CD69, programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) and lymphocyte-activation gene 3 (LAG-3) were measured by flow cytometry.

Results

Circulating MAIT cell levels were significantly reduced in patients with ARDS than in HCs. MAIT cell levels were inversely correlated with disease severity and mortality. Cytokine production profiles in MAIT cells showed that percentages of interleukin (IL)-17 producing MAIT cell were significantly higher in patients with ARDS than in HCs. Patients with ARDS exhibited higher expression levels of CD69, PD-1 and LAG-3 in circulating MAIT cells. Moreover, levels of MAIT cells and expression levels of CD69, PD-1 and IL-17 in MAIT cells were higher in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid samples than in peripheral blood samples. Our in vitro experiments showed that MAIT cells triggered macrophages to produce proinflammatory cytokines such as tumour necrosis factor-α, IL-1β and IL-8.

Conclusions

This study demonstrates that circulating MAIT cells are numerically deficient in patients with ARDS. In addition, MAIT cells were found to be activated, migrate into lung, secrete IL-17 and then stimulate macrophages. These findings suggest that MAIT cells contribute to the worsening of inflammation in the lung of patients with ARDS.
Comparison of nicotine emissions rate, ‘nicotine flux’, from heated, electronic and combustible tobacco products: data, trends and recommendations for regulation
Authors: El Hourani Mario , Shihadeh Alan , Talih Soha , Eissenberg Thomas
Published: January 2022

Introduction

Tobacco smoking is a major cause of disease and premature death worldwide. While nicotine is recognised as the main addictive component in tobacco smoke, the total nicotine amount emitted (nicotine yield) and the rate of nicotine emission per second (‘nicotine flux’) contribute to the abuse liability of a given product. These variables can be regulated for public health ends and conveniently so for electronic cigarettes or electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS).

Methods

In this study we computed nicotine flux from previously reported values of yield and puff topography for a wide range of tobacco products.

Results

We found that nicotine flux varied widely across tobacco products, from less than 0.1 µg/s to more than 100 µg/s, and that since 2015 the upper limit of the ENDS nicotine flux range has risen significantly and is now approaching that of combustible cigarettes. We also found that products that differ in nicotine flux may exhibit similar nicotine yields due to differences in user puffing behavior. Nicotine flux is a tool that can be used to regulate nicotine emissions of tobacco products, including ENDS.
Rhabdomyolysis: an American Association for the Surgery of Trauma Critical Care Committee Clinical Consensus Document
Authors: Kodadek Lisa , Carmichael Samuel P , Seshadri Anupamaa , Pathak Abhijit , Hoth Jason , Appelbaum Rachel , Michetti Christopher P , Gonzalez Richard P
Published: January 2022

Rhabdomyolysis is a clinical condition characterized by destruction of skeletal muscle with release of intracellular contents into the bloodstream. Intracellular contents released include electrolytes, enzymes, and myoglobin, resulting in systemic complications. Muscle necrosis is the common factor for traumatic and non-traumatic rhabdomyolysis. The systemic impact of rhabdomyolysis ranges from asymptomatic elevations in bloodstream muscle enzymes to life-threatening acute kidney injury and electrolyte abnormalities. The purpose of this clinical consensus statement is to review the present-day diagnosis, management, and prognosis of patients who develop rhabdomyolysis.
Analysis of single nucleotide polymorphism and simple sequence repeat markers for the estimates of genetic diversity by using two oilseed Brassica napus populations carrying genome contents of Brassica oleracea
Authors: Jiang Junye , Kebede Berisso , Rahman Habibur
Published: January 2022

Reliable estimates of genetic diversity among the accessions in a breeding population is important knowledge for use in breeding. Among the different types of molecular markers, single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) and simple sequence repeat (SSR) are largely used by breeders; however, our knowledge of the reliability of the estimates of genetic diversity based on these two types of markers in multiple populations is limited. In this study, a doubled haploid (DH) and an inbred population developed from Brassica napus × Brassica oleracea interspecific crosses were used for comparative analysis of these two types of markers. The estimates based on SNP and SSR markers showed a stronger correlation in the inbred population which was expected to carry greater genetic diversity as compared to the DH population. This inference was also evident from the analysis of different diversity groups (least, intermediate, and most similar) of these two populations for significant difference between the groups for six agronomic and seed quality traits, where this analysis failed to differentiate the diversity groups of the DH population for any of the traits. However, both marker types could differentiate the diversity groups of the inbred population for several traits. Furthermore, the six sub-populations of the inbred population could also be differentiated by both marker types. Thus, the results demonstrate the greater utility of the SSR and SNP markers in a genetically diverse population. This knowledge can be used while grouping a breeding population for diversity groups; however, caution needs to be taken while using the markers in a genetically narrow population.
Lower extremity muscle strength reference values for young Saudi male adults aged 21 to 23 years and their correlation with anthropometric parameters and balance
Authors: Tedla Jaya Shanker , Sangadala Devika Rani , Reddy Ravi Shankar , Gular Kumar , Kakaraparthi Venkata Nagaraj , Samuel Paul Silvian
Published: January 2022

Normative reference values for muscle strength are needed for muscle strength assessment and estimation of prognosis in lower extremity related neuromuscular disorders, as muscle strength influenced by anthropometric parameters and muscle strength itself affects balance. Normative reference values for muscle strength in the Saudi Arabian population is lacking in the literature. Hence, the current study aimed to establish normative reference values for lower extremity muscle strength and to correlate these values with anthropometric parameters and balance. Lower extremity muscle strength and balance were assessed by baseline hand-held dynamometer and by forward, lateral, and oblique direction reach tests in 421 young male adults between 21 and 23 years of age. The mean and standard deviation of lower extremity strength ranged from 43.83 ± 16.92 lb to 62.07 ± 10.74 lb. Body weight, body mass index, and oblique and lateral reach distances were correlated with some knee and ankle muscle strength values. Body weight, body mass index, and balance showed significant effect on lower extremity muscle strength. Furthermore, decreased muscle strength may impair balance; the current clinical practice should evaluate body weight, body mass index, and muscle strength during the assessment process.
Radiation from Einstein–Gauss–Bonnet de Sitter black hole via tunneling process
Authors: Eslamzadeh Sareh , Firouzjaee Javad T. , Nozari Kourosh
Published: January 2022

In this paper, we probe in 4D Einstein–Gauss–Bonnet black hole and its thermodynamics. We illustrate the three asymptotically 4D EGB spacetime as an asymptotically flat, de Sitter, and Anti-de Sitter. Also, we apply the tunneling of the massless particles from the horizon of 4D EGB gravity and we investigate the correlation between the emission modes and temperature of the horizon. In asymptotically flat spacetime, the existence of the coupling constant alone constructs the regular spacetime, the radiation deviates from the pure thermal, and the temperature of the black hole horizon would be zero in the final stage of the black hole evaporation. In Asymptotically de Sitter spacetime, results illustrate that the evolution of the temperatures is in direction of the remaining rest mass with the probably same temperature for the black hole and the cosmological horizon. In addition, the exciting result is that temperature behaviors exactly match with the temperature behaviors of a regular black hole in Lovelock gravity in a higher dimension.
Reducing the $$H_0$$ tension with exponential acoustic dark energy
Authors: Yin Lu
Published: January 2022

The Hubble tension arises from different observations between the late-time and early Universe. We explore a new model with dark fluid, called the exponential acoustic dark energy (eADE) model, to relieve the Hubble tension. The eADE model gives an exponential form of the equation of state (EoS) in the acoustic dark energy, which is the first time to explore an exponential form for the EoS. In this model, the gravitational effects from the acoustic oscillations of the model can impact the CMB phenomena at the matter radiation equally epoch. We give the constraints of the eADE model by the current cosmological dataset. The comparison of the phenomena with the standard model can be shown through CMB and matter power spectra. The fitting results of our model have $$H_0 = 70.06^{+1.13}_{-1.09}$$

H
0

=
70
.

06

-
1.09

+
1.13

in 95$$\%$$
%
C.L. and a smaller best-fit value than $$\Lambda $$
Λ
CDM.
Noncommutative quantum cosmology with perfect fluid
Authors: Ghosh Saumya , Gangopadhyay Sunandan , Panigrahi Prasanta K.
Published: January 2022

In this paper, we study a noncommutative quantum description of Kantowski–Sachs cosmological model in the presence of perfect fluid matter field which governs the time evolution of the wave function for the universe. The effect of the noncommutative parameter for this cosmological model has also been analyzed through the behavior of the probability density function. It is observed that a multiverse universe model is possible even in the absence of noncommutativity. The effect of noncommutativity is revealed by a decrease in the highest value of the individual peaks. We also discuss on the unitarity of the model and show that it can be restored with a proper definition of inner product as it has been shown to happen in other models of anisotropic quantum cosmologies.
Passenger Flow Prediction for Public Transportation Stations Based on Spatio-Temporal Graph Convolutional Network with Periodic Components
Authors: Huang Weixi , Cao Baokui , Li Xueming , Zhou Mingliang
Published: January 2022

Station passenger float forecasting is a normal spatio-temporal statistics forecasting problem. Effectively capturing comprehensive spatio-temporal correlations in such data plays a key role in solving such problems. This paper proposes Spatio-Temporal Graph Convolutional Neural Network Based on Periodic Component (Periodic ST-GCN) to predict the passenger glide at public transportation stations. The model now not solely captures the spatio-temporal traits of visitors’ facts through the spatio-temporal convolution block with a sandwich shape composed of one spatial-dimensional convolution and two temporal dimensional convolutions. Also, it effectively considers the periodicity of passenger flow at public transportation stations through the recent, daily and weekly periodic components and, because the graph convolution in the spatial dimension uses pure convolution operations, it reduces the model’ training parameters and converges faster. Through the experiment of predicting the Origin–Destination (OD) of passenger flow at public transportation stations in Chongqing, it is found that Periodic ST-GCN achieves better results in two evaluation indicators, mean absolute error (MAE) and root mean square deviation (RMSE).
Bioproduction of Silver Nanoparticles by Myrtus Communis Leaf Extract and Their Effect on Plant Pathogenic Fungi in Vitro
Authors: Hamdi Rajaa Fadhil , Aljameel A. I. , Obaid A. S. , Ramizy Asmiet
Published: January 2022

In this study, Myrtus communis was used for the bioproduction of colloidal silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). The resultant AgNPs were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV-Visible spectroscopy and field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). The hump-like peaks were recorded near the wavenumber 422 nm and such peaks originated due to the electronic structures of silver tiny particles and silver nanoparticles. The four intensive peaks of XRD patterns indicated the crystalline nature and the face-centered cubic structure of the AgNPs. The average crystallite size of the AgNPs ranged from 19[Formula: see text]nm to 25[Formula: see text]nm. The FESEM image illustrates the good dispersion of the AgNPs and the spherical shape of the nanoparticles. The AgNPs were prepared to study antifungal activity against plant pathogenic fungi Aspergillus niger, Rhizopus stolonifer and Neurospora crassain vitro. Results showed that the AgNPs demonstrated high antifungal activity against these fungi with significant differences between treatments when compared with the control (without nanoparticles).
Global stability of traveling wave fronts for a population dynamics model with quiescent stage and delay
Authors: Zhou Yonghui , Ji Shuguan
Published: January 2022

This paper is concerned with the globally exponential stability of traveling wave fronts for a class of population dynamics model with quiescent stage and delay. First, we establish the comparison principle of solutions for the population dynamics model. Then, by the weighted energy method combining comparison principle, the globally exponential stability of traveling wave fronts of the population dynamics model under the quasi-monotonicity conditions is established, which extends the results of nonlocal scalar equations to the system.
Dielectric relaxation and conduction mechanism of NaMgPO4 compound
Authors: Miladi L. , Oueslati A. , Ben Gzaiel M. , Gargouri M.
Published: January 2022

The polycrystalline NaMgPO4 ceramic, synthesized via a high-temperature solid-state reaction route, has been characterized by using different experimental procedures. The X-ray powder diffraction confirmed the phase formation of the synthesized compound in the orthorhombic phase. It assumed an olivine-type structure made up of corners linked between tetrahedral PO4 and octahedral NaO6 and MgO6 groups. Infrared and Raman spectroscopies confirmed the presence of PO[Formula: see text] groups. Local structure and chemical bonding between MgO6 octahedral and PO[Formula: see text] tetrahedral groups investigated by diffusion Raman is the feature in the phase transition at [Formula: see text] 693 K. The temperature dependences of the real [Formula: see text] and imaginary [Formula: see text] parts of dielectric permittivity show a distribution of relaxation times. From Nyquist plots, the presence of grain and grain boundary effect in the material is noticed. The impedance spectroscopy measurement showed a non-Debye-type process. From the impedance data, the determined grain resistance reduces with increment of temperature showing negative temperature coefficient of resistance (NTCR)-type nature of the material which also confirmed from conductivity analysis. The temperature dependence of [Formula: see text] reveals an Arrhenius-type behavior with two activation energies, 0.98 eV in region I and 0.67 eV in region II. Studied sample’s conduction is assured by Na[Formula: see text] ions’ hopping in tunnels and its mechanism was discussed.
MACROECONOMIC DETERMINANTS OF HOUSEHOLD CONSUMPTIONS IN GEORGIA
Authors: DILANCHIEV AZER , TAKTAKISHVILI TENGIZ
Published: January 2022

Household consumption and the variables driving it have garnered extensive attention in economic literature. GDP per capita, gross savings, and inflation are among the macroeconomic variables typically considered to affect household spending. The paper examines the effect of these macroeconomic variables on household consumption using the ARDL model. The yearly aggregate data utilized in this analysis spans the period from 1983 to 2018. The paper found a long-run negative relation between household final consumption expenditure and gross domestic saving in the long run. The study showed positive and significant long-run relationships between GDP per capita and household consumption and a significant and negative relationship between savings and household consumption both in the short and long runs.
Advances in basic research of traditional Chinese medicine herbal formulae in the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer
Authors: Lu Linwei , Dong Jingcheng , Gong Weiyi
Published: January 2022

Today, there is an increasing rate of morbidity and mortality in lung cancer worldwide. In China, lung cancer is also the leading cause of cancer-related death in China. The distinctive herbal therapy from traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has shown good efficacy in treating lung cancer principally by inhibiting tumor growth or improving the anti-tumor immune response according to considerable experimental studies, which also justifies the concept of dispelling pathogenic qi and strengthening healthy qi in TCM.
Online Learning for Adaptive Video Streaming in Mobile Networks
Authors: Karagkioules Theodoros , Paschos Georgios S. , Liakopoulos Nikolaos , Fiandrotti Attilio , Tsilimantos Dimitrios , Cagnazzo Marco
Published: January 2022

In this paper, we propose a novel algorithm for video bitrate adaptation in
HTTP Adaptive Streaming
(HAS), based on online learning. The proposed algorithm, named

Learn2Adapt (L2A)

, is shown to provide a
robust
bitrate adaptation strategy which, unlike most of the state-of-the-art techniques, does not require parameter tuning, channel model assumptions, or application-specific adjustments. These properties make it very suitable for mobile users, who typically experience fast variations in channel characteristics. Experimental results, over real 4G traffic traces, show that
L2A
improves on the overall
Quality of Experience
(QoE) and in particular the average streaming bitrate, a result obtained independently of the channel and application scenarios.
Multi-feature Fusion VoteNet for 3D Object Detection
Authors: Wang Zhoutao , Xie Qian , Wei Mingqiang , Long Kun , Wang Jun
Published: January 2022

In this article, we propose a Multi-feature Fusion VoteNet (MFFVoteNet) framework for improving the 3D object detection performance in cluttered and heavily occluded scenes. Our method takes the point cloud and the synchronized RGB image as inputs to provide object detection results in 3D space. Our detection architecture is built on VoteNet with three key designs. First, we augment the VoteNet input with point color information to enhance the difference of various instances in a scene. Next, we integrate an image feature module into the VoteNet to provide a strong object class signal that can facilitate deterministic detections in occlusion. Moreover, we propose a Projection Non-Maximum Suppression (PNMS) method in 3D object detection to eliminate redundant proposals and hence provide more accurate positioning of 3D objects. We evaluate the proposed MFFVoteNet on two challenging 3D object detection datasets, i.e., ScanNetv2 and SUN RGB-D. Extensive experiments show that our framework can effectively improve the performance of 3D object detection.
Facial-expression-aware Emotional Color Transfer Based on Convolutional Neural Network
Authors: Liu Shiguang , Wang Huixin , Pei Min
Published: January 2022

Emotional color transfer aims to change the evoked emotion of a source image to that of a target image by adjusting color distribution. Most of existing emotional color transfer methods only consider the low-level visual features of an image and ignore the facial expression features when the image contains a human face, which would cause incorrect emotion evaluation for the given image. In addition, previous emotional color transfer methods may easily result in ambiguity between the emotion of resulting image and target image. For example, if the background of the target image is dark while the facial expression is happiness, then previous methods would directly transfer dark color to the source image, neglecting the facial emotion in the image. To solve this problem, we propose a new facial-expression-aware emotional color transfer framework. Given a target image with facial expression features, we first predict the facial emotion label of the image through the emotion classification network. Then, facial emotion labels are matched with pre-trained emotional color transfer models. Finally, we use the matched emotion model to transfer the color of the target image to the source image. Considering none of the existing emotion image databases, which focus on images that contain face and background, we built an emotion database for our new emotional color transfer framework that is called “Face-Emotion database.” Experiments demonstrate that our method can successfully capture and transfer facial emotions, outperforming state-of-the-art methods.
Defining Scents: A Systematic Literature Review of Olfactory-based Computing Systems
Authors: Holloman Amanda K. , Crawford Chris S.
Published: January 2022

The human sense of smell is a primal ability that has the potential to reveal unexplored relationships between user behaviors and technology. Humans use millions of olfactory receptor cells to observe the environment around them. Olfaction studies are gaining popularity with the progression of scent delivering (commercial and prototype) devices. This influx of research features various software and hardware designs. Additionally, previous studies have explored numerous target audiences and evaluation methodologies. This article presents a systematic review of pertinent literature that investigates olfactory-based computing (OBC) systems in the field of Human-Computer Interaction. Last, this article highlights state-of-the-art study/system designs, evaluation methods, and offers insights on ways to address current challenges/contributions relevant to OBC technologies.
Optimizing Immersive Video Coding Configurations Using Deep Learning: A Case Study on TMIV
Authors: Hsu Chih-Fan , Hung Tse-Hou , Hsu Cheng-Hsin
Published: January 2022

Immersive video streaming technologies improve
Virtual Reality (VR)
user experience by providing users more intuitive ways to move in simulated worlds, e.g., with
6 Degree-of-Freedom (6DoF)
interaction mode. A naive method to achieve 6DoF is deploying cameras at numerous different positions and orientations that may be required based on users’ movement, which unfortunately is expensive, tedious, and inefficient. A better solution for realizing 6DoF interactions is to synthesize target views on-the-fly from a limited number of source views. While such view synthesis is enabled by the recent
Test Model for Immersive Video (TMIV)
codec, TMIV dictates manually-composed configurations, which cannot exercise the tradeoff among video quality, decoding time, and bandwidth consumption. In this article, we study the limitation of TMIV and solve its configuration optimization problem by searching for the optimal configuration in a huge configuration space. We first identify the critical parameters in the TMIV configurations. Then, we introduce two
Neural Network (NN)
-based algorithms from two heterogeneous aspects: (i) a
Convolutional Neural Network (CNN)
algorithm solving a regression problem and (ii) a
Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRL)
algorithm solving a decision making problem, respectively. We conduct both objective and subjective experiments to evaluate the CNN and DRL algorithms on two diverse datasets: an equirectangular and a perspective projection dataset. The objective evaluations reveal that both algorithms significantly outperform the default configurations. In particular, with the equirectangular (perspective) projection dataset, the proposed algorithms only require 95% (23%) decoding time, stream 79% (23%) views, and improve the utility by 6% (73%) on average. The subjective evaluations confirm the proposed algorithms consume fewer resources while achieving comparable Quality of Experience (QoE) than the default and the optimal TMIV configurations.
RD-IOD: Two-Level Residual-Distillation-Based Triple-Network for Incremental Object Detection
Authors: Yang Dongbao , Zhou Yu , Shi Wei , Wu Dayan , Wang Weiping
Published: January 2022

As a basic component in multimedia applications, object detectors are generally trained on a fixed set of classes that are pre-defined. However, new object classes often emerge after the models are trained in practice. Modern object detectors based on Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) suffer from catastrophic forgetting when fine-tuning on new classes without the original training data. Therefore, it is critical to improve the incremental learning capability on object detection. In this article, we propose a novel Residual-Distillation-based Incremental learning method on Object Detection (RD-IOD). Our approach rests on the creation of a triple-network based on Faster R-CNN. To enable continuous learning from new classes, we use the original model as well as a residual model to guide the learning of the incremental model on new classes while maintaining the previous learned knowledge. To better maintain the discrimination between the features of old and new classes, the residual model is jointly trained with the incremental model on new classes in the incremental learning procedure. In addition, a two-level distillation scheme is designed to guide the training process, which consists of (1) a general distillation for imitating the original model in feature space along with a residual distillation on the features in both image level and instance level, and (2) a joint classification distillation on the output layers. To well preserve the learned knowledge, we design a 2-threshold training strategy to guide the learning of a Region Proposal Network and a detection head. Extensive experiments conducted on VOC2007 and COCO demonstrate that the proposed method can effectively learn to incrementally detect objects of new classes, and the problem of catastrophic forgetting is mitigated. Our code is available at https://github.com/yangdb/RD-IOD.
Authentication of LINE Chat History Files by Information Hiding
Authors: Wu Da-Chun , Hsu Yu-Tsung
Published: January 2022

With the prevalence of smartphones, message exchanges via mobile chatting programs like LINE have become popular. The messages in the form of chat records in a LINE chat history, after being downloaded for legal uses, might be tampered with illicitly. A novel method for authenticating the chat history against such attacks is proposed. The signal used for authenticating each chat-record segment is created by concatenating the ID label of the segment and a digest yielded by hashing the segment content. The signal is then encoded by three types of spacing code, namely half space, full space, and tab, and embedded into the blank-space areas created by the tab codes in the chat records of the segment. Authentication of a history file is accomplished by extracting the authentication signals embedded in the file and comparing them with the original signals computed directly from the file. The embedded signals are invisible, arousing no suspicion from the hacker. The signals are fragile, because any modification of the records can be detected by the authentication process. Experiments for testing four types of tampering with text files of four languages have been conducted, yielding correct authentication results that show the feasibility of the proposed method.