bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Exploiting the Diversity of Saccharomycotina Yeasts To Engineer Biotin-Independent Growth of Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Authors: Wronska Anna K. , Haak Meinske P. , Geraats Ellen , Bruins Slot Eva , van den Broek Marcel , Pronk Jack T. , Daran Jean-Marc
Published: April 2020

The reported metabolic engineering strategy to enable optimal growth in the absence of biotin is of direct relevance for large-scale industrial applications of
S. cerevisiae
. Important benefits of biotin prototrophy include cost reduction during the preparation of chemically defined industrial growth media as well as a lower susceptibility of biotin-prototrophic strains to contamination by auxotrophic microorganisms. The observed oxygen dependency of biotin synthesis by the engineered strains is relevant for further studies on the elucidation of fungal biotin biosynthesis pathways.
Impact of Poultry Processing Operating Parameters on Bacterial Transmission and Persistence on Chicken Carcasses and Their Shelf Life
Authors: Chen Stanley H. , Fegan Narelle , Kocharunchitt Chawalit , Bowman John P. , Duffy Lesley L.
Published: April 2020

Culture-based and culture-independent approaches were utilized to reveal bacterial community changes on chicken carcasses at different processing steps and potential routes from the local processing environment. Current commercial processing effectively reduced bacterial loads on carcasses. Poultry processes have similar processes across facilities, but various processing arrangements and operating parameters could impact the bacterial transmission and persistence on carcasses differently. This study showed the use of a single tunnel incorporating scalding, defeathering and plucking may undesirably distribute the thermoduric bacteria, e.g.,
Campylobacter
and
Anoxybacillus
, between the local environment and carcasses, whereas this does not occur when these steps are separated. The length of immersion and air chilling also impacted bacterial diversity on carcasses. Air chilling can transfer
Pseudomonas
from wall surfaces onto carcasses; this may subsequently influence chicken product shelf life. This study helps poultry processors understand the impact of current commercial processing and improve the chicken product quality and safety.
Opsonophagocytosis of Chlamydia pneumoniae by Human Monocytes and Neutrophils
Authors: Lausen Mads , Pedersen Mathilde Selmar , Rahman Nareen Sherzad Kader , Holm-Nielsen Liv Therese , Farah Faduma Yahya Mohamed , Christiansen Gunna , Birkelund Svend
Published: April 2020

The human respiratory tract pathogenChlamydia pneumoniae, which causes mild to severe infections, has been associated with the development of chronic inflammatory diseases. To understand the biology ofC. pneumoniaeinfections, several studies have investigated the interaction betweenC. pneumoniaeand professional phagocytes. However, these studies have been conducted under nonopsonizing conditions, making the role of opsonization inC. pneumoniaeinfections elusive.
Genomic Analysis of Mycobacterium abscessus Complex Isolates Collected in Ireland between 2006 and 2017
Authors: Redondo Natalia , Mok Simone , Montgomery Lorraine , Flanagan Peter R. , McNamara Eleanor , Smyth Edmond G. , O'Sullivan Niamh , Schaffer Kirsten , Rogers Thomas R. , Fitzgibbon Margaret M.
Published: April 2020

Members of the
Mycobacterium abscessus
complex (MABC) are multidrug-resistant nontuberculous mycobacteria and cause opportunistic pulmonary infections in individuals with cystic fibrosis (CF). In this study, genomic analysis of MABC isolates was performed to gain greater insights into the epidemiology of circulating strains in Ireland. Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) was performed on 70 MABC isolates that had been referred to the Irish Mycobacteria Reference Laboratory between 2006 and 2017 across nine Irish health care centers.
Computer Vision and Artificial Intelligence Are Emerging Diagnostic Tools for the Clinical Microbiologist
Authors: Rhoads Daniel D.
Published: April 2020

Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly becoming an important component of clinical microbiology informatics. Researchers, microbiologists, laboratorians, and diagnosticians are interested in AI-based testing because these solutions have the potential to improve a test’s turnaround time, quality, and cost. A study by Mathison et al. used computer vision AI (B. A. Mathison, J. L. Kohan, J. F. Walker, R. B. Smith, et al., J Clin Microbiol 58:e02053-19, 2020,
https://doi.org/10.1128/JCM.02053-19
), but additional opportunities for AI applications exist within the clinical microbiology laboratory.
Insights into the Role of Innate Immunity in Cervicovaginal Papillomavirus Infection from Studies Using Gene-Deficient Mice
Authors: Scagnolari Carolina , Cannella Fabiana , Pierangeli Alessandra , Mellinger Pilgrim Rebecca , Antonelli Guido , Rowley Dayana , Wong Margaret , Best Simon , Xing Deyin , Roden Richard B. S. , Viscidi Raphael
Published: April 2020

Papillomaviruses infect stratified squamous epithelia, and the viral life cycle is linked to epithelial differentiation. Additionally, changes occur in viral and host gene expression, and immune cells are activated to modulate the infectious process.
In vitro
studies with keratinocytes cannot fully model the complex viral and host responses and do not reflect the contribution of local and migrating immune cells. We show that female C57BL/6J mice are susceptible to a transient papillomavirus cervicovaginal infection, and mice deficient in select genes involved in innate immune responses are susceptible to persistent infection with variable manifestations of histopathological abnormalities. The results of our studies support a working model of innate immunity to papillomaviruses, and the model provides a framework for more in-depth studies. A better understanding of mechanisms of early viral clearance and the development of approaches to induce clearance will be important for cancer prevention and the treatment of HPV-related diseases.
Existence of Replication-Competent Minor Variants with Different Coreceptor Usage in Plasma from HIV-1-Infected Individuals
Authors: Maeda Yosuke , Takemura Taichiro , Chikata Takayuki , Kuwata Takeo , Terasawa Hiromi , Fujimoto Riito , Kuse Nozomi , Akahoshi Tomohiro , Murakoshi Hayato , Tran Giang Van , Zhang Yu , Pham Chau Ha , Pham Anh Hong Quynh , Monde Kazuaki , Sawa Tomohiro , Matsushita Shuzo , Nguyen Trung Vu , Nguyen Kinh Van , Hasebe Futoshi , Yamashiro Tetsu , Takiguchi Masafumi
Published: April 2020

The coreceptor switch of HIV-1 from R5 to CXCR4-using variants (R5X4 or X4) has been observed in about half of HIV-1-infected individuals at late-stage infection with loss of CD4 cell count and disease progression. However, the mechanisms that underlie the emergence of CXCR4-using variants at this stage are unclear. In the present study, CXCR4-using X4 variants were isolated from plasma samples of HIV-1-infected individuals that dominantly carried vRNA of R5 variants. The sequences of the X4 variants were detected as a minor population using next-generation sequencing. Taken together, CXCR4-using variants at late-stage infection are likely to emerge when replication-competent CXCR4-using variants are maintained as a minor population during the course of infection. The present study may support the hypothesis that R5-to-X4 switching is mediated by the expansion of preexisting X4 variants in some cases.
Effect of SUMO-SIM Interaction on the ICP0-Mediated Degradation of PML Isoform II and Its Associated Proteins in Herpes Simplex Virus 1 Infection
Authors: Jan Fada Behdokht , Kaadi Elie , Samrat Subodh Kumar , Zheng Yi , Gu Haidong
Published: April 2020

HSV-1 ICP0 is a multifunctional immediate early protein key to effective replication in the HSV-1 lytic cycle and reactivation in the latent cycle. ICP0 transactivates gene expression by orchestrating an overall mitigation in host intrinsic/innate restrictions. How ICP0 coordinates its multiple active domains and its diverse protein-protein interactions is a key question in understanding the HSV-1 life cycle and pathogenesis. The present study focuses on delineating the regulatory effects of the SUMO-SIM interaction on ICP0 E3 ubiquitin ligase activity regarding PML II degradation. For the first time, we discovered the importance of multivalency in the PML II-ICP0 interaction network and report the involvement of different regulatory mechanisms in PML II recognition by ICP0 in HSV-1 infection.
Study of lump and lump-kink solitons of a coupled reduced Hirota bilinear equation
Authors: Wang Shun , Li Chuanzhong , Wang Zhenli
Published: April 2020

By symbolic computation and searching for the solutions of the positive quadratic functions of the related bilinear equations, two kinds of lump solutions of the (3[Formula: see text]+[Formula: see text]1)-dimensional weakly coupled Hirota bilinear equation are derived, and the practicability of this method is verified. Then we add an exponential function to the original positive quadratic function, and obtain a new solution of the Hirota bilinear equation. The interaction between the lump solutions and lump-kink solutions is included in the new solution. On this basis, we give the possibility of adding multiple exponential functions. Finally, we give the coupled reduced Hirota bilinear equation lump-kink solitons by combining the above two methods. In order to ensure the analyticity and reasonable localization of the block, two sets of necessary and sufficient conditions are given for the parameters involved in the solution. The local characteristics and energy distribution of bulk solution are analyzed and explained.
Exact optical solutions of the (2+1) dimensions Kundu–Mukherjee–Naskar model via the new extended direct algebraic method
Authors: Günerhan Hatıra , Khodadad Farid Samsami , Rezazadeh Hadi , Khater Mostafa M. A.
Published: April 2020

In this work, the researchers for computing an exact solution of the (2[Formula: see text]+[Formula: see text]1) dimensions Kundu–Mukherjee–Naskar (KMN) equation used a newly developed technique, namely, the new extended direct algebraic method. This powerful method gives an exact solution to the KMN equation considered in this paper. The results are new and attest to the efficiency of the proposed method.
Investigating the Effects of Social Media on Higher Education with a Case Study
Authors: Abdulqader Mamoun Masoud , Almunsour Yousof Zohair
Published: April 2020

This research aims to investigate the effects of social media use on higher education teaching and learning as well as the students’ academic performance. A total of 275 students and faculty members from the College of Computer Science and Information Technology at Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University took part in the study. The participants answered survey questions to analyse information on their use of social media in education and how that has affected their teaching, learning and grades. A majority of the participants reported that they used social media in training. However, they also stated that social media platforms were beneficial in academic matters. The number of participants who stated that the use of social media in learning helped improve their grades was 43%. The other 57% thought that social media had no impact on their grades or had an adverse effect or were undecided.
The Relationship Between Gender Diversity and Employee Representation at the Board Level and Non-Financial Performance: A Cross-Country Study
Authors: Lopatta Kerstin , Böttcher Katarina , Lodhia Sumit K. , Tideman Sebastian A.
Published: April 2020

This paper examines the relationship between the presence of employee representatives and female directors at the board level and a firm’s environmental and corporate social responsibility (CSR) performance. Using an international sample of firms from 23 developed countries between 2001 and 2014, we provide evidence that the presence of labor representatives and a larger proportion of women as well as female labor representatives at the board level are positively related to CSR and environmental performance. Furthermore, we find no substitutional relationship between female board members and labor representation when we include an interaction term between the two. Our findings illustrate that the relevant legislation in some non-Anglo-Saxon countries is beneficial and could be introduced in Anglo-Saxon countries where employee representation rights are limited and female board members are still a minority.
Gender Differences in Executive Compensation on British Corporate Boards: the Role of Conditional Conservatism
Authors: Al-Shaer Habiba , Harakeh Mostafa
Published: April 2020

We exploit the effectiveness of the [ Davies Report ( 2011 ). Women on Boards. London: Department for Business, Innovation & Skills], which urged FTSE 350 companies to increase female representation on corporate boards, to examine the potential effect that this may have on the gender pay differential at the executive level. To this end, we employ a multivariate regression and a difference-in-differences approach that compare executive compensation between all-male executive boards and boards with at least one female executive. Using a sample of FTSE 350 companies that spans the period 2008–2015, we find that differential executive compensation exists in bonus and equity compensation following the Davies Report ( 2011 ). Given that the differential compensation exists in the components primarily determined by the firm’s reported earnings and that female directors are prone to exhibit higher conditional conservatism in their financial reporting, we examine whether the firm’s financial reporting practice plays a role in determining the differential executive compensation. Our investigation reveals that the presence of female executive directors on the board makes the effect of conditional conservatism more prominent, resulting in lower bonus and equity-based compensation.
Predicting Maintenance and Rehabilitation Cost for Buildings Based on Artificial Neural Network and Fuzzy Logic
Authors: Otmani Amira , Bouabaz Mohamed , Al-Hajj Assem
Published: April 2020

In this paper, the study aims to develop a model for predicting and budgeting maintenance and rehabilitation projects costs for residential buildings throughout their life cycle based on artificial neural network, fuzzy logic and statistical techniques (multi-layer regression). Data consisting of bills of quantities were collected from local Algerian building construction agencies. The principle of costing significant items and work packages has been applied to optimize accurate and efficient document contract model. The results of the research show that neural network has more accuracy with 97% than the multi-layer regression analysis model.
Determining Subcategories of Facial Expressions for Improved Performance in Practical Applications
Authors: Wang Xuejian , Fairhurst Michael C. , Canuto Anne M. P.
Published: April 2020

In the context of facial expression recognition (FER), this paper reviews the fundamental theories of emotions and further explains the key dimensions of a defined emotional space. The main contribution of this paper is to propose a set of novel categorization methods for facial expressions to be used in the design of an automatic FER system. This novel categorization enables the facial expression to be interpreted in a better way that and to be more effective in practical applications of automatic FER systems. In order to validate the feasibility of the proposed categorization methods, a set of experiments is reported which investigates and analyzes the influence that the novel categorization brings to a multi-view FER system.
A Robust Deep Neural Network Based Breast Cancer Detection and Classification
Authors: Mansour Romany F.
Published: April 2020

The exponential upward push in breast cancer cases across the globe has alarmed academia-industries to obtain certain more effect and strong Breast cancer laptop Aided prognosis (BC-CAD) device for breast most cancers detection. Some of techniques have been evolved with focus on case centric segmentation, feature extraction and class of breast cancer Histopathological photos. However, rising complexity and accuracy regularly demands more sturdy answer. Recently, Convolutional Neural community (CNN) has emerged as one of the maximum efferent techniques for medical records evaluation and diverse picture classification issues. On this paper, a notably strong and green BC-CAD solution has been proposed. Our proposed gadget consists of pre-processing, more suitable adaptive learning based totally Gaussian aggregate model (GMM), connected element analysis based vicinity of interest localization, and AlexNet-DNN primarily based characteristic extraction. The precept factor analysis (PCA) and Linear Discriminant analysis (LDA) primarily based on characteristic selection that's used as dimensional discount. One of the blessings of the proposed method is that not one of the current dimensional reduction algorithms hired with SVM to perform breast most cancers detection and class. The overall results acquired signify that the AlexNet-DNN based capabilities at completely connected layer; FC6 together with LDA dimensional discount and SVM-based totally classification outperforms other country-of-artwork techniques for breast cancer detection. The proposed method completed 96.20 for AlexNet-FC6 and 96.70 for AlexNet-FC7 in term of assessment measures.
A Memetic Artificial Bee Colony Algorithm for High Dimensional Problems
Authors: Jia Dongli , Li Teng , Zhang Yufei , Wang Haijiang
Published: April 2020

This work proposed a memetic version of Artificial Bee Colony algorithm, or called LSABC, which employed a “shrinking” local search strategy. By gradually shrinking the local search space along with the optimization process, the proposed LSABC algorithm randomly explores a large space in the early run time. This helps to avoid premature convergence. Then in the later evolution process, the LSABC finely exploits a small region around the current best solution to achieve a more accurate output value. The optimization behavior of the LSABC algorithm was studied and analyzed in the work. Compared with the classic ABC and several other state-of-the-art optimization algorithms, the LSABC shows a better performance in terms of convergence rate and quality of results for high-dimensional problems.
Optimizing Nonlinear Parameters of Sugeno Type Fuzzy Rules using GWO for Data Classification
Authors: Abdulgader Musbah , Kaur Devinder
Published: April 2020

In this paper, a Sugeno type fuzzy system based on the fuzzy clustering has been developed for a variety of datasets. The number of rules for each dataset is based on the optimum number of clusters in that dataset. Rule sets provide the knowledge base for the classification of data. Each rule set is fine-tuned using the GWO with the intention to improve the classification. The approach is compared with the work of previous researchers on similar data sets using a variety of techniques, including nature-inspired algorithms such as genetic algorithms and Swarm based algorithms. Statistical Analysis of the performance of GWO shows that it is better than five other algorithms 95% of the time.
INVESTMENT ABROAD AND IMPACT AT HOME: A LITERATURE REVIEW
Authors: SARIN VISHAL , KUMAR SURESH
Published: April 2020

Recently, there has been a significant rise in the volume and significance of FDI flows. The foreign direct investment (FDI), which is undertaken by multinational corporations, affects not only the host economy but also the home economy in many ways. The impact of FDI on host economy has been very well explained by several researchers. But there is lack of literature that has investigated the impact of FDI on the economy of the investing country. The purpose of this paper is to revisit the empirical studies which are related with exploring the impact of outward FDI on various economic activities such as exports, domestic investment, productivity and economic growth in the investing country. In this pursuit, a through survey of empirical literature in this area, published since 1980 across different journals has been made and presented.
CONTAGION AMONG SELECT GLOBAL EQUITY MARKETS: A TIME-FREQUENCY ANALYSIS
Authors: BHANDARI AVISHEK , KAMAIAH BANDI
Published: April 2020

This paper investigates the phenomenon of contagion among some selected global equity markets using novel methods from wavelet-based time-frequency analysis. It surveys some seminal literature on contagion and examines, using both continuous and discrete wavelet methods, the effects of major financial crises on Indian markets. Strong evidence of co-movements in the short run, which indicates contagion, between Indian and some East Asian markets is observed, signifying diversification risks for Indian investors during periods of financial turbulence.
Measuring the Affordability of Water Supply, Sanitation, and Hygiene Services: A New Approach
Authors: Andres Luis , Brocklehurst Clarissa , Grabinsky Jonathan , Joseph George , Thibert Michael
Published: April 2020

One common method for assessing the affordability of water supply, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services is to compare a household’s reported WASH expenditure, as a proportion of total household expenditure, to a predefined threshold. Another common method is to subtract this reported WASH expenditure from the household’s total income (or expenditure), and then compare that result against a minimum amount needed to purchase other basic goods and services. The innovative, alternative approach to determining affordability introduced in this paper borrows from the method commonly used to draw the monetary poverty line. This offers five advantages over the common methods of investigating the affordability of WASH services. First, it defines a “basket” of WASH services that accounts for the type and level of WASH services that a household receives (and that involves a threshold quality of service, deemed necessary for health and well-being). Second, it makes use of the actual costs of service, therefore moving away from household estimates of WASH expenditure that tend to be inadequate and rarely reflect actual costs. Third, it considers both initial fixed costs and recurring consumption costs, each of which pose their own unique challenges to affordability. Fourth, it makes use of household-level data on access to WASH services, which allows for the grouping of households into categories with distinct policy implications. Finally, this approach facilitates scenario analyses, whereby the impact of different pricing policies can be assessed. This approach is then applied to rural Nigeria, using data from the General Household Survey (GHS) 2015–16, to demonstrate its utility as a tool to better focus policy reform on the actual affordability constraints of the unserved.
Fidelity and Performance of State Fast-forwarding in Microscopic Traffic Simulations
Authors: Andelfinger Philipp , Xu Yadong , Eckhoff David , Cai Wentong , Knoll Alois
Published: April 2020

Common car-following models for microscopic traffic simulation assume a time advancement using fixed-sized time steps. However, a purely time-driven execution is inefficient when the states of some agents are independent of other agents and thus predictable far into the simulated future. We propose a method to accelerate microscopic traffic simulations based on identifying independence among agent state updates. Instead of iteratively updating an agent’s state throughout a sequence of time steps, a computationally inexpensive “fast-forward” function advances the agent’s state to the time of its earliest possible interaction with other agents. We present an algorithm to determine independence intervals in microscopic traffic simulations and derive fast-forward functions for several well-known traffic models. In contrast to existing approaches based on reducing the level of detail, our approach retains the microscopic nature of the simulation. An evaluation is performed for a synthetic scenario and on the road network of Singapore. At low traffic densities, maximum speedup factors of about 2.6 and 1.6 are achieved, while at the highest considered densities, only few opportunities for fast-forwarding exist. We show that the deviation from purely time-driven execution is reduced to a minimum when choosing an adequate numerical integration scheme to execute the time-driven updates. Verification results show that the overall deviation in vehicle travel times is marginal.
Machine Normalization
Authors: Zarnoufi Randa , Jaafar Hamid , Abik Mounia
Published: April 2020

User-generated text in social media communication (SMC) is mainly characterized by non-standard form. It may contain code switching (CS) text, a widespread phenomenon in SMC, in addition to noisy elements used, especially in written conversations (use of abbreviations, symbols, emoticons) or misspelled words. All of these factors constitute a wall in front of text mining applications. Common text mining tools are dedicated to standard use of standard languages but cannot deal with other forms, especially written text in social media. To overcome these problems, in this work we present our solution for the normalization of non-standard use of standard and non-standard languages (dialects) in SMC text with the use of existent resources and tools. The main processing in our solution consists of CS normalization from multiple to one language by the use of a machine translation--like approach. This processing relies on a linguistic approach of CS, which aims at identifying automatically the translation source and target languages (without human intervention). The remaining processing operations concern the normalization of SMC special expressions and spelling correction of out-of-vocabulary words. To preserve the coded-switched sentence meaning across translation, we adopt a knowledge-based approach for word sense translation disambiguation reinforced with a multi-lingual vertical context. All of these processes are embedded in what we refer to as the machine normalization system. Our solution can be used as a front-end of text mining processing, enabling the analysis of SMC noisy text. The conducted experiments show that our system performs better than considered baselines.
Topic-aware Web Service Representation Learning
Authors: Shi Min , Tang Yufei , Zhu Xingquan , Liu Jianxun
Published: April 2020

The advent of Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) has brought a fundamental shift in the way in which distributed applications are implemented. An overwhelming number of Web-based services (e.g., APIs and Mashups) have leveraged this shift and furthered development. Applications designed with SOA principles are typically characterized by frequent dependencies with one another in the form of heterogeneous networks, i.e., annotation relations between tags and services, and composition relations between Mashups and APIs. Although prior work has shown the utility gained by exploring these networks, their analysis is still in its infancy. This article develops an approach to learning representations of the Web service network, which seeks to embed Web services in low-dimensional continuous vectors with preserved information of the network structure, functional tags, and service descriptions, such that services with similar functional properties and network structures are mapped together in the learned latent space. We first propose a topic generative model for constructing two topic distribution networks (Mashup-Topic and API-Topic) from the service content. Then, we present an efficient optimization process to derive low-dimensional vector representations of Web services from a tri-layer bipartite network with the Mashup-Topic and API-Topic networks on two ends and the Mashup-API composition network in the middle. Experiments on real-word datasets have verified that our approach is effective to learn robust low-rank service representations, i.e., 25% F1-measure gain over the state-of-the-art in Web service recommendation task.
Formulation of a Yield Surface for Sand Based on the Elastic Threshold Strain
Authors: Woo Sang Inn
Published: April 2020

The present study proposes a rigorous expression of a yield function for sand based on the linear elastic threshold strain concept and empirical expression for the maximum shear modulus. The new yield function was calibrated for Toyoura sand. The calibration results show that the proposed yield surfaces are nonlinear curves that depend on the void ratio of sand in the p′‐q plane, whereas the linear lines have been adopted in the bounding surface modeling of sand. This study also found that elliptic yield surfaces are the best fitted with the proposed yield surface and they can be used as alternatives to the proposed yield surface under the undrained shearing where the void ratio (or density) of sand is fixed.
A Study on the Calculation of Platform Sizes of Urban Rail Hub Stations Based on Passenger Behavior Characteristics
Authors: Zhang Na , Chen Feng , Zhu Yadi , Peng Hui , Wang Jianpo , Li Yu
Published: April 2020

The Chinese national rail transit design specification decides the size of urban rail transit platforms in China. This suggested method treats passengers as homogeneous individuals when calculating the walking area within a platform. However, the heterogeneity of passenger behavior in a rail hub station has not been considered. It is not reasonable to see passengers as homogeneous individuals. In this study, by observing passenger behavior characteristics at rail hub platforms, two parameters were obtained, walking speed and luggage size. Passengers were then accordingly put into different groups, and dynamic spatial demands for each passenger group were calculated by parameter fitting functions. Based on the theory of spatiotemporal consumption, the nonlinear constraint model was constructed to determine the space-time consumption of each passenger group, and finally the area demands of different types of passengers were obtained for different time and passenger flows. An application was made to Beikezhan Station on Xi’an Metro line 2. The calculation results show the area demands ranges of four passenger groups with distinct characteristics, and their space-time consumption varied. The study can calculate the space demands for all passenger varieties within a rail hub transit platform and provide suggestions for the determination of the ideal walking area size of rail transit platforms.
Marcinkiewicz–Zygmund Laws of Large Numbers under Sublinear Expectation
Authors: Hu Cheng
Published: April 2020

In this paper, we derive the weak and strong results of Marcinkiewicz–Zygmund laws of large numbers under sublinear expectation. The results are extensions of the Kolmogorov laws of large numbers under sublinear expectation and the classical Marcinkiewicz–Zygmund laws of large numbers.
On Serre Reduction of Multidimensional Systems
Authors: Li Dongmei , Liu Jinwang , Zheng Licui
Published: April 2020

Serre reduction of a system plays a key role in the theory of Multidimensional systems, which has a close connection with Serre reduction of polynomial matrices. In this paper, we investigate the Serre reduction problem for two kinds of nD polynomial matrices. Some new necessary and sufficient conditions about reducing these matrices to their Smith normal forms are obtained. These conditions can be easily checked by existing Gröbner basis algorithms of polynomial ideals.
Molecular Aspects of Regional Pain Syndrome
Authors: Baronio Manuela , Sadia Hajra , Paolacci Stefano , Prestamburgo Domenico , Miotti Danilo , Guardamagna Vittorio A. , Natalini Giuseppe , Sullivan Stephanie G. B. , Bertelli Matteo
Published: April 2020

The purpose of this review is to summarize the pathophysiology of complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), the underlying molecular mechanisms, and potential treatment options for its management. CRPS is a multifactorial pain condition. CRPS is characterized by prolonged or excessive pain and changes in skin color and temperature, and/or swelling in the affected area, and is generally caused by stimuli that lead to tissue damage. An inflammatory response involving various cytokines and autoantibodies is generated in response to acute trauma/stress. Chronic phase pathophysiology is more complex, involving the central and peripheral nervous systems. Various genetic factors involved in the chronicity of pain have been identified in CRPS patients. As with other diseases of complex pathology, CRPS is difficult to treat and no single treatment regimen is the same for two patients. Stimulation of the vagus nerve is a promising technique being tested for different gastrointestinal and inflammatory diseases. CRPS is more frequent in individuals of 61–70 years of age with a female to male ratio of 3 : 1. Menopause, migraine, osteoporosis, and asthma all represent risk factors for CRPS and in smokers the prognosis appears to be more severe. The pathophysiological mechanisms underlying CRPS involve both inflammatory and neurological pathways. Understanding the molecular basis of CRPS is important for its diagnosis, management, and treatment. For instance, vagal nerve stimulation might have the potential for treating CRPS through the cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway.
The Prevalence and Associated Factors of Hypertension among Adults in Southern Ethiopia
Authors: Kebede Belachew , Ayele Gistane , Haftu Desta , Gebremichael Gebrekiros
Published: April 2020

Background. Hypertension is a growing public health problem in many developing countries including Ethiopia. Determining the prevalence of hypertension and identifying the associated factors is crucial.Objective. To assess the prevalence of hypertension and associated factors, among adult population of Arba Minch town, Gamo Zone, Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region, Ethiopia.Methods. A cross-sectional study design was conducted from December 1 to 30, 2017 among adults. Study participants were selected using a multistage systematic sampling method. Data were collected by face-to-face interview after getting written informed consent by using a structured questionnaire. Additionally, weight, height, and blood pressure of participants were measured following standard procedures. Data were entered into a computer using EPI INFO 7 and exported into SPSS version 20 for analysis. Bivariate and multivariable analyses were performed to explore the association between hypertension and associated factors. Multivariable logistic regressions were fitted to control the effect of confounders.Results. A total of 784 study participants were included in this study. The overall prevalence of hypertension in Arba Minch Town was 35.2%, (95% CI: 32.4%, 38.4%). Nearly 90% of hypertensive patients were screened for the first time. Age ≥55 years [AOR=7.74; 95% CI: 2.19, 27.23], income level which is greater than 2501 Ethiopian Birr [AOR=9.5; 95% CI: 4.5, 20.20], working hour less than seven hours per day [AOR=12.5; 95% CI: 4.3, 36.1], and chewing “khat” [AOR=11.06: 95% CI: 4.3, 27.7] were the independently associated factors with hypertension.Conclusion. The prevalence of hypertension is found to be high. Increasing awareness on control use of “khat,” increasing physical activity, and strengthening community-based periodic screening programs of high-risk populations are recommended.
An Integrated Approach Exploring the Synergistic Mechanism of Herbal Pairs in a Botanical Dietary Supplement: A Case Study of a Liver Protection Health Food
Authors: Chen Liang , Hu Chun , Hood Molly , Kan Juntao , Gan Xiaona , Zhang Xue , Zhang Yi , Du Jun
Published: April 2020

Herbal pairs are used as a bridge between single herb and polyherbal formulas in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) to provide rationale for complicated TCM formulas. The effectiveness and rationality of TCM herbal pairs have been widely applied as a strategy for dietary supplements. However, due to the complexity of the phytochemistry of individual and combinations of herbal materials, it is difficult to reveal their effective and synergistic mechanisms from a molecular or systematic point of view. In order to address this question, UPLC-Q-TOF/MS analysis and System Pharmacology tools were applied to explore the mechanism of action, using a White Peony (Paeoniae Radix Alba) and Licorice (Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma)-based dietary supplement. A total of sixteen chemical constituents of White Peony and Licorice were isolated and identified, which interact with 73 liver protection-related targets. Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis were then performed along with network analysis. Results showed that the synergistic mechanism of the White Peony and Licorice herbal pair was associated with their coregulation of bile secretion and ABC transporter pathways. In addition, Licorice exhibits a specific response to drug and xenobiotic metabolism pathways, whereas White Peony responds to Toll-like receptor signaling, C-type lectin receptor signaling, IL-17 signaling, and TNF signaling pathways, resulting in the prevention of hepatocyte apoptosis and the reduction of immune and inflammation-mediated liver damage. These findings suggest that a White Peony and Licorice herbal pair supplement would have a liver-protecting benefit through complimentary and synergistic mechanisms. This approach provides a new path to explore herbal compatibility in dietary supplements derived from TCM theory.
Voice and Power: Ḥafṣah bint al-Ḥājj and the Poetics of Women in Al-Andalus
Authors: Al-Mallah Majd
Published: April 2020

This paper examines the poetry of the Andalusī woman poet Ḥafṣah bint al-Ḥājj (d. 589/1191) in the context of a rich body of anecdotes surrounding that poetry as preserved in Nafḥ al-ṭīb, which al-Maqqarī (d. 1041/1632) wrote to preserve the cultural memory of al-Andalus. Known as the preeminent woman poet of Granada in the twelfth century, she lived most of her life under Almohad rule and had a connection to their court. Although literature surrounding Ḥafṣah is generally limited compared to major male poets, this paper will show that a close analysis of al-Maqqarī’s section on Ḥafṣah reveals the poet’s voice and agency. This paper argues that al-Maqqarī’s framing of Ḥafṣah in his landmark work elevates rather than marginalizes the poet and her status as a cultural figure in al-Andalus.
Relocating the Prophet’s Image: Narrative Motifs and Local Appropriation of the Zarathustra Legend in Pre- and Early Islamic Iran (Part I – East Iran)
Authors: Terribili Gianfilippo
Published: April 2020

From the very beginning of Iranian disciplinary studies, the material concerning Zarathustra’s biography has been analysed in depth, firstly to identify the homeland of the Prophet and then to discuss the historical reality of this authoritative figure. Despite the divergences of opinion, emphasis has always been placed on the reconstruction of the figure of Zarathustra and much less on the socio-cultural context in which the image of the Prophet was cultivated. The present paper represents the first part of a larger work that aims to reverse this perspective and emphasise those data, which link up narrative variations and extensions with local identities. In fact, variations in geographical setting reveal processes of acculturation through which social groups reinvented the influential image of the Prophet within a familiar horizon. In this respect, the Sasanian period proved pivotal in the formation of both Zoroastrian and Iranian communal identities, while this first work will analyses aspects connected to East Iran and the Khorāsān tradition.
Between Zoroastrian Mytho-History and Islamic Hagiography: Trajectories of Literary Exchange
Authors: Weinreich Matthias
Published: April 2020

The paper presents a comparative analysis of the Pahlavi “Story of Jōišt ī Friyān”, comparing it with three other tales, which span several hundred years and belong to several cultural traditions. By isolating structural and content-related features from the narrative core of these tales and setting them into relation with each other, the present author attempts to answer the following questions. Are there meaningful parallels between these four tales, which would suggest literary borrowing? And, if there are, would it be possible to identify one of them as the primary source of the others? The study is intended to contribute to our understanding of the process of literary exchange between Zoroastrians and Muslims in early Mediaeval Iran.
Remember the Chechens: A Process-Tracing Analysis of the Evolution of Chechen Terrorism
Authors: Albert Craig Douglas , Freitag Mark , Forde Christopher
Published: April 2020

This explorative study uses descriptive process tracing to outline the evolution of Chechen terrorism from 1994-2017. Analysis begins with simple descriptive statistics that characterize data from the Global Terrorism Database (GTD) and identify those years in which significant changes occurred in the processes, environmental context, and overall security conditions in Chechnya. A detailed narrative is then given to contextualize the security scenario in Chechnya and to illustrate the transition from nationalist violence to religious-based terrorism.
Pre-suppression Jesuit Activity in the British Isles and Ireland
Authors: McCoog Thomas M.
Published: April 2020

The British Isles and Ireland tested the self-proclaimed adaptability and flexibility of the new Society of Jesus. A mission to Ireland highlighted the complexities and ended in failure in the early 1580s, not to be revived until 1598. The fabled Jesuit mission to England in 1580 conceived in wistful optimism was baptized with blood with the execution of Edmund Campion in 1581 and the consequent political manoeuvres of Robert Persons. The Scottish mission began in December 1581. The three missions remained distinct in the pre-suppression period despite an occasional proposal for integration. The English mission was the largest, the bloodiest, the most controversial, and the only one to progress to full provincial status. The government tried to suppress it; the Benedictines tried to complement it; the vicars apostolic tried to control it; and foreign Jesuits tried to recognize it. Nonetheless, the English province forged a corporate identity that even withstood the suppression.
A simple equation to correct for gadolinium interference on plasma selenium measurement using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry
Authors: Wilschefski Scott , Baxter Matthew , Pool Gertruida
Published: April 2020

Background

The measurement of selenium in human plasma is useful to assess deficiency or toxicity. The presence of gadolinium in clinical samples following administration of certain contrast agents used for magnetic resonance imaging can cause a significant positive bias in selenium results when measured using quadrupole inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (Q-ICP-MS).

Methods

A mathematical equation to correct for gadolinium interference was assessed using both patient samples and commercial quality control/external quality assurance (QC/EQA) materials spiked with gadolinium. Samples were analysed using an Agilent 7900 ICP-MS operated in ‘narrow peak’ (half-mass) mode. Accuracy was evaluated by comparing corrected selenium results with target concentrations.

Results

Corrected results were found to be accurate at all gadolinium concentrations tested (2, 4, 10 and 20 mg/L). Average recoveries ranged from 97.4 to 106.5%. Results for QC/EQA materials were within specified target ranges. Within-run imprecision was <3%, and between-run imprecision was <4.3%, demonstrating robustness.

Conclusions

The correction equation described here is a simple method to correct for gadolinium interference on plasma selenium measurement using ICP-MS. This approach eliminates the need for specimen recollections, and improves patient care by reducing laboratory turnaround times and preventing delays in diagnosis/treatment.
A World of False Promises: International Labour Organization, World Health Organization, and the Plea of Workers Under Neoliberalism
Authors: LaDou Joseph
Published: April 2020

Occupational health and safety is poorly served by United Nations agencies designated to protect workers: the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Labor Organization (ILO). The neoliberal programs initially adopted by the United Nations supported institutions of social protection and regulation and expanded worker protections and union growth. Neoliberalism later became synonymous with globalism and shared in its international success. The fundamental change under neoliberalism was the exchange and accumulation of capital. The major beneficiaries of neoliberalism, at the expense of workers, were large transnational corporations and wealthy investors. During this period, WHO and ILO activities in support of workers declined. As neoliberalism ultimately became neoconservatism, occupational health and safety was purposely ignored, and labor was treated with hostility. Neoliberalism had evolved into a harsh economic system detrimental to labor and labor rights. The United Nations is now in decline, taking with it the trivial WHO and ILO programs. Replacements for the WHO and ILO programs must be developed. It is not enough to call for renewed funding, given the United Nations’ failure to direct the global effort to protect workers. A new direction must be found.
Role of copper oxide nanoparticles and gamma irradiation in optimising mechanical and the DC-electrical properties of nylon 66
Authors: Abdeldaym A , Elhady MA
Published: April 2020

This study used an aqueous precipitation method to synthesise copper oxide (CuO) nanoparticles. Nylon 66/CuO-based nanocomposites were prepared through a melt-mixing process using CuO nanoparticles with differing contents (1, 2, 3 and 4 wt%) and varying doses of gamma radiation (100, 200 and 300 kGy). The study also investigated the impact of these combinations on the structural, mechanical and DC-electrical attributes of nylon 66. The combination of CuO nanoparticles and gamma irradiation caused nylon 66 to undergo structural changes verified through X-ray diffraction measurement and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. Scanning electron microscopy was used to examine the morphology of the nylon 66/CuO nanocomposites and revealed that the CuO nanoparticles belonging to the nylon 66 matrixes had a homogeneous dispersion. According to the mechanical finding, the influence of CuO nanoparticles and gamma irradiation significantly augmented the flexural strength and flexural modulus of the nanocomposites. However, this addition led to a decline of elongation at break. To better understand the tensile mechanism, a correlation of tensile strength using theoretical models premised on Money, Einstein and Pukanszky were undertaken. The optimal deviation was exhibited by the Pukanszky model using tensile plots on an experimental basis. The study also examined the nanocomposite’s DC-electrical conductivity; electrical conductivity increased with CuO nanoparticle content and gamma irradiation. For every sample, the prevailing transport mechanism was the Poole–Frenkel emission. This finding is encouraging for the development of innovative materials with augmented tensile strength and nanoelectronic devices.