bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Embolus Retriever with Interlinked Cages (ERIC) versus conventional stent retrievers for thrombectomy: a propensity score-based analysis
Authors: Ducroux Célina , Renaud Nicolas , Bourcier Romain , Marnat Gaultier , Sibon Igor , Gory Benjamin , Richard Sébastien , Dargazanli Cyril , Arquizan Caroline , Eugene Francois , Vannier Stephane , Labreuche Julien , Walker Gregory , Blanc Raphaël , Obadia Mickael , Consoli Arturo , Lapergue Bertrand , Fahed Robert
Published: June 2020

Background

The Embolus Retriever with Interlinked Cages (ERIC) is one of the latest devices for thrombectomies. It has several architectural features that are supposed to enhance its ability to remove clots and prevent distal emboli. We aimed to compare ERIC with standard stent retrievers (SRs) using propensity score (PS) matching.

Methods

The clinical and radiological data of all consecutive patients treated with ERIC or standard FDA-approved stent retrievers were collected from a prospective multicenter registry. We compared procedural outcomes (recanalization rates according to the modified Thrombolysis In Cerebral Infarction (mTICI) score and procedural complications) and clinical outcomes (modified Rankin Scale (mRS) and mortality at 3 months). Matching of the populations with PS was performed to account for differences in baseline characteristics.

Results

A total of 1230 patients were included. In both the PS-matched cohort (195 ERIC patients, 630 SR patients) and the inverse probability of treatment weighting PS-adjusted cohort (206 ERIC patients, 1024 SR patients) there was no difference in terms of successful recanalization (modified TICI score ≥2b), good clinical outcome (mRS=0–2 or equal to pre-stroke mRS), or mortality at 3 months. Patients treated with first-line ERIC had a higher rate of complete recanalization (mTICI 3); however, they also required more passes and more frequent rescue therapy than the SR patient group.

Conclusion

In a large multicenter registry with PS matching, the ERIC device provided equivalent angiographic and clinical results to conventional SRs.

Clinical trial registration

URL:http://www.clinicaltrials.govUnique identifier:NCT03776877.
Sociodemographic and behavioural factors associated with testing for HIV and STIs in a US nationwide sample of transgender men who have sex with men
Authors: Antebi-Gruszka Nadav , Talan Ali J , Reisner Sari L , Rendina H Jonathon
Published: June 2020

Objectives

Transgender men who have sex with men (TMSM) represent an understudied population in relation to screening for HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STIs). We examined HIV and STI testing prevalence among TMSM along with the factors associated with testing in a diverse US nationwide sample of TMSM.

Methods

Data from a cross-sectional online convenience sample of 192 TMSM were analysed using multivariable binary logistic regression models to examine the association between sociodemographic and behavioural factors and lifetime testing for HIV, bacterial STIs and viral STIs, as well as past year testing for HIV.

Results

More than two-thirds of TMSM reported lifetime testing for HIV (71.4%), bacterial STIs (66.7%), and viral STIs (70.8%), and 60.9% had received HIV testing in the past year. Engaging in condomless anal sex with a casual partner whose HIV status is different or unknown and having fewer than two casual partners in the past 6 months were related to lower odds of lifetime HIV, bacterial STI, viral STI and past year HIV testing. Being younger in age was related to lower probability of testing for HIV, bacterial STIs and viral STIs. Furthermore, TMSM residing in the South were less likely to be tested for HIV and viral STIs in their lifetime, and for HIV in the past year. Finally, lower odds of lifetime testing for viral STIs was found among TMSM who reported no drug use in the past 6 months.

Conclusions

These findings indicate that a notable percentage of TMSM had never tested for HIV and bacterial and viral STIs, though at rates only somewhat lower than among cisgender MSM despite similar patterns of risk behaviour. Efforts to increase HIV/STI testing among TMSM, especially among those who engage in condomless anal sex, are needed.
Membership Problem for Two-Dimensional General Row Jumping Finite Automata
Authors: Madejski Grzegorz , Szepietowski Andrzej
Published: June 2020

Two-dimensional general row jumping finite automata were recently introduced as an interesting computational model for accepting two-dimensional languages. These automata are nondeterministic. They guess an order in which rows of the input array are read and they jump to the next row only after reading all symbols in the previous row. In each row, they choose, also nondeterministically, an order in which segments of the row are read. In this paper, we study the membership problem for these automata. We show that each general row jumping finite automaton can be simulated by a nondeterministic Turing machine with space bounded by the logarithm. This means that the fixed membership problems for such automata are in NL, and so in P. On the other hand, we show that the uniform membership problem is NP-complete.
THE DRIVERS OF ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION IN ASEAN + China: DO FINANCIAL DEVELOPMENT AND URBANIZATION HAVE ANY MODERATING EFFECT?
Authors: EHIGIAMUSOE KIZITO UYI
Published: June 2020

This study examines the drivers of environmental degradation in ASEAN + China. It focusses on three unresolved questions: (i) Does the inclusion of China in ASEAN panel aggravate environmental degradation, given that China is a high carbon emissions country? (ii) Does financial development moderate the impact of energy consumption on environmental degradation in ASEAN? (iii) Does urbanization moderate the impact of energy consumption on environmental degradation in ASEAN? It employs empirical strategies that account for heterogeneity, endogeneity and cross-sectional dependence. The results show that economic growth, energy consumption and non-renewable energy aggravate environmental degradation, whereas renewable energy, foreign direct investment and trade openness mitigate it. The inclusion of China in ASEAN panel weakens the EKC hypothesis. Financial development favorably moderates the effect of energy consumption on environmental degradation in ASEAN, but adversely moderates the effect in ASEAN + China. Urbanization adversely moderates the impact of energy consumption on environmental degradation in both panels. Hence, efforts to address environmental degradation should consider these different drivers.
Linear and nonlinear Alfvén wave propagation in compressible MHD plasmas
Authors: Li Zhong-Zheng , Han Juan-Fang , Wang Fang-Ping , Chen Zheng-Wu , Xie Li-Qiang , Duan Wen-Shan
Published: June 2020

Evolution of both low-frequency harmonic Alfvén wave train and Alfvén solitary wave is studied by using the compressible MHD fluid model. A critical point is found at which linear wave theory should be replaced by a nonlinear one. A small, but finite amplitude Alfvén solitary wave is numerically found. The head-on collision between an Alfvén wave train and an Alfvén solitary wave is also numerically investigated. An interesting result is that there is no phase shift for both colliding waves which is different from that between two KdV solitary waves.
Exploring Assimilation Order to Improve Assimilation with Serial Ensemble Kalman Filter
Authors: Zhao Juan , Zhao Chengwu , Leng Hongze , Song Junqiang , Wang Zhilin
Published: June 2020

Serial ensemble Kalman filter (EnKF) is a kind of EnKF which treats observations serially during every assimilation step. The assimilation order can be generated by different rules and has significant impacts on the performance of serial EnKF when localization algorithm is applied. In this study, we seek to examine and better understand the characteristics of various ordering methods when they are applied in the serial EnKF. The results show that different ordering methods demonstrate almost the same changes in analysis as the localization radius changing. Moreover, the optimal parameters of localization radius and forgetting factor of serial EnKF are found varying among different ordering rules. In addition, a novel rule for confirming the assimilation order is proposed to further improve the performance of serial EnKF. The observations are sorted from “better” to “worse” (OBS-BtoW), which are evaluated by estimating the distance of analysis between the prior and observations. Compared with the existing ordering methods, the proposed method can improve the performance at a very small computation cost without needing future forecasts and the truth.
Neurocomputing approach to predict 2D ferromagnetic lattices by spin dynamics
Authors: Belayadi Adel , Bourahla Boualem , Mougari Ahmed , Mekideche-Chafa Fawzia
Published: June 2020

An artificial neural networks modeling, based on spin dynamics, has been proposed to predict the 2D ferromagnetic crystals. The purpose is to establish an artificial neural network model (ANNM), which is able to predict the ordered magnetic surfaces. In crystal surfaces, Wood’s notation is used to describe different configurations. From the magnons dispersion curves and group velocity data of 2D spins crystallographic waveguide, we deduce the data used as an up input–output set to feed the ANNM. The input data are being given by the magnons modes over high symmetry points, or, by the group velocity of the magnon modes. However, the basis vectors of matrix notation and the rotation angle that aligns the unit cell of the reconstructed surface are giving the output data.

The proposed neurocomputing model was capable of predicting the 2D crystals for the possible arrangements that the surface might take. In addition, the magnon excitations data were a useful approach for building a neural model which was able to predict and classify the magnetic surfaces of the crystals.
Computational study of time-fractional porous medium equation arising in fluid flow through a water-wet porous media
Authors: Kesarwani Juhi , Meher Ramakanta
Published: June 2020

In this paper, we consider a time-fractional porous medium equation in the imbibition phenomenon in a water-wet porous medium. The Homotopy analysis method, along with its stability analysis via fixed point theory, is used to solve the fractional-order porous medium equation and to study the behavior of different fractional orders on the saturation rate of the medium with the consideration of some parametric effects.
Variations in Ocean Mixing from Seconds to Years
Authors: Moum James N.
Published: June 2020

Over the past several decades, there has developed a community-wide appreciation for the importance of mixing at the smallest scales to geophysical fluid dynamics on all scales. This appreciation has spawned greater participation in the investigation of ocean mixing and new ways to measure it. These are welcome developments given the tremendous separation in scales between the basins, [Formula: see text]) m, and the turbulence, [Formula: see text]) m, and the fact that turbulence that leads to thermodynamically irreversible mixing in high-Reynolds-number geophysical flows varies by at least eight orders of magnitude in both space and time. In many cases, it is difficult to separate the dependencies because measurements are sparse, also in both space and time. Comprehensive shipboard turbulence profiling experiments supplemented by Doppler sonar current measurements provide detailed observations of the evolution of the vertical structure of upper-ocean turbulence on timescales of minutes to weeks. Recent technical developments now permit measurements of turbulence in the ocean, at least at a few locations, for extended periods. This review summarizes recent and classic results in the context of our expanding knowledge of the temporal variability of ocean mixing, beginning with a discussion of the timescales of the turbulence itself (seconds to minutes) and how turbulence-enhanced mixing varies over hours, days, tidal cycles, monsoons, seasons, and El Niño–Southern Oscillation timescales (years).
Social Evolution and Cheating in Plant Pathogens
Authors: Friesen Maren L.
Published: June 2020

Plant pathogens are a critical component of the microbiome that exist as populations undergoing ecological and evolutionary processes within their host. Many aspects of virulence rely on social interactions mediated through multiple forms of public goods, including quorum-sensing signals, exoenzymes, and effectors. Virulence and disease progression involve life-history decisions that have social implications with large effects on both host and microbe fitness, such as the timing of key transitions. Considering the molecular basis of sequential stages of plant–pathogen interactions highlights many opportunities for pathogens to cheat, and there is evidence for ample variation in virulence. Case studies reveal systems where cheating has been demonstrated and others where it is likely occurring. Harnessing the social interactions of pathogens, along with leveraging novel sensing and -omics technologies to understand microbial fitness in the field, will enable us to better manage plant microbiomes in the interest of plant health.
CO2-to-Formate Conversion by Pulse Electrodeposited Sn on Cu Electrode
Authors: Zhang Xurui , Hou Xiaofan , Liu Yuyu
Published: June 2020

Tin was electrodeposited for the first time on copper electrode with different pulse current densities and cycle times. The optimized one (namely CuSn(30–12C)) has a rougher surface, a smaller electron transport resistance, and a larger electrochemical surface area than others, exhibiting the best catalytic activity, a faster Faraday process, and the highest selectivity for the production of HCOO− in ERCO2. At −1.6 V vs SCE, a HCOO− Faraday efficiency of 84.5% was achieved and the current density was 45.4 mA cm−2 at −2.0 V vs SCE. In addition, this optimized electrode also has a catalytic stability of up to 23 h.
Fast Optical Sensing of Metals: A Case Study of Cu2+Assessment in Soils
Authors: Lvova Larisa , Acciari Elisa , Mandoj Federica , Pomarico Giuseppe , Paolesse Roberto
Published: June 2020

In this paper we report an application of a novel porphyrin ligand, Zn(II)TPP-BPI-crown (ZnPC), functionalized with two dibenzo-crown-ether moieties as cation-sensitive ionophore. The test on the optical response of ZnPC ligand inside PVC-based polymeric membranes towards different cations (Na+, K+, Li+, Ca2+, Mg2+, Co2+, Cd2+, Pb2+, Zn2+, Cu2+and NH4+) were performed. The influence of the lipophilic site functionalization on the ZnPC optode response was investigated. The visibly (naked eye) observed color change of sensing material from green to red demonstrated the suitability of the ZnPC-based optodes to perform fast monitoring of Cu(II) ions in the concentration range between 6.6 × 10−7and 2.4 × 10−2mol l−1, with a low detection limit (estimated by s/n = 3 method) of 0.03 mg l−1, which is lower than WHO guideline value of 2 mg l−1for natural waters. The membranes with the best composition were deposited onto paper support and employed for the express analysis of copper(II) ion in aqueous soil extracts. The results obtained were in a good agreement with a standard ASS method, thus suggesting the utility of developed sensors for aims of express environmental monitoring.
Frequent and mild scrotal heat stress in mice epigenetically alters glucose metabolism in the male offspring
Authors: Wan Xiaoyan , He Xiaomei , Liu Qian , Wang Xiaotong , Ding Xiaofang , Li Honggang
Published: June 2020

Several studies have reported that health problems occur in assisted reproductive technology (ART)-conceived offspring. Recently, investigations have demonstrated that paternal environmental conditions influence offspring health. However, it is unclear whether the factors that cause male infertility per se affect offspring health and contribute to health problems in ART-born children. Scrotal heat stress represents a common cause for oligoasthenozoospermia, and in these cases, in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer (IVF-ET) is typically recommended for those individuals trying to conceive. We exposed C57BL/6J male mice to frequent and mild scrotal heat stress (fmSHS) (39°C for 30 min once weekly for 5 consecutive wk). Sperm was subjected to IVF-ET with oocytes of untreated C57BL/6J females to produce offspring mice. Glucose intolerance and insulin resistance was observed in the male offspring mice derived from fmSHS-exposed fathers. Islets, after evaluation, remained unchanged. Genes involved in glucose metabolism, especially, those in insulin signaling pathways, showed dysregulation in the liver of the fmSHS-derived male offspring. Differentially methylated regions were found in the sperm of fmSHS-exposed mice by whole genome bisulfite sequencing. Interestingly, abnormal methylation of some genes with altered expression in offspring was observed in both the sperm of fmSHS fathers and the liver of their male offspring. Our results suggest that the factors that cause male infertility can affect male offspring health by an epigenetic mechanism.
Oxidative Stress Markers Differ in Two Placental Dysfunction Pathologies: Pregnancy-Induced Hypertension and Intrauterine Growth Restriction
Authors: Zygula Aleksandra , Kosinski Przemyslaw , Wroczynski Piotr , Makarewicz-Wujec Magdalena , Pietrzak Bronislawa , Wielgos Mirosław , Giebultowicz Joanna
Published: June 2020

Aim. Pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH) and intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) are both multisystemic disorders of pregnancy that cause perinatal morbidity and mortality. Recently, researchers focused on the role of oxidative stress (OS) as a pathophysiological mechanism in the development of these pathologies. The aim of this study was to compare OS in placental-related pathologies (PIH and IUGR) and uncomplicated pregnancies. We also investigated which salivary OS markers reflect systemic oxidative status and which only reflect the state of the oral cavity.Material and Methods. A total of 104 pregnant women (n=104; 27 with PIH, 30 with IUGR, and 47 controls) were evaluated. Malondialdehyde (MDA), total antioxidant capacity (ORAC), aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH), and activity of glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and glutathione transferase (GST) in plasma/whole blood and/or saliva were analysed. Dietary nutrient intake was calculated using a Semiquantitative Food Frequency Questionnaire (SFFQ). Oral health was assessed to eliminate patients with bleeding, severe periodontitis, and other dental pathologies.Results. In the IUGR group, increased concentration of ORAC was observed both in saliva and plasma. Also, lower plasma levels of MDA in IUGR compared to the control group was detected. No sign of oxidative stress was confirmed in the PIH group. The examined groups did not differ regarding diet and markers of inflammation. ORAC in saliva was correlated with its level in plasma. No such correlations for MDA were observed. In the IUGR group, there were no differences in OS markers in plasma, but there was a lower ALDH level in the blood compared to the control group. It confirms OS occurrence in IUGR. In IUGR, a higher activity of salivary ALDH was probably due to worse oral health.Conclusion. Oxidative stress differs between IUGR and PIH groups: the presence of oxidative stress was confirmed only in the IUGR group. Salivary ORAC can be used to estimate ORAC in plasma. The activity of salivary ALDH reflects the state of the oral cavity.
CUMS Promotes the Development of Premature Ovarian Insufficiency Mediated by Nerve Growth Factor and Its Receptor in Rats
Authors: Fu Xiaoyan , Zheng Qun , Zhang Ning , Ding Mingxing , Pan Xiaoming , Wang Wenqian , Chen Haohao
Published: June 2020

This study aimed to investigate whether chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) affects follicular development in ovaries through the nerve growth factor (NGF)/high affinity nerve growth factor receptor, the Tropomyosin‐related kinase A (TrkA) receptor, mediated signaling pathway and to reveal the relationship between chronic stress and premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) development. In this experiment, a CUMS rat model was constructed. It was found that serum estradiol (E2), anti‐Mullerian hormone (AMH), and gonadotropin‐releasing hormone (GnRH) levels decreased, while follicle‐stimulating hormone (FSH) levels increased. The expression of NGF, TrkA, p75, and FSHR in ovarian tissue decreased significantly. The expression levels of TrkA and p75 protein in ovarian stroma and small follicles were observed by an immunofluorescence assay. In addition, the numbers of small follicles were significantly reduced. The expression of TrkA, p75, and FSHR in CUMS ovarian tissue was upregulated by exogenous NGF in vitro. Furthermore, after treatment with NGF combined with FSH, E2 secretion in ovarian tissue culture supernatant of CUMS rats also increased significantly. Therefore, CUMS downregulates NGF and TrkA and promotes the occurrence of POI in rats. Exogenous NGF and FSH can upregulate the NGF receptor, E2, and AMH in vitro, and improve the rat ovarian function. Future studies may associate these results with female population.
Energy Efficiency for Data Offloading in D2D Cooperative Caching Networks
Authors: Wang Weiguang , Li Hui , Zhang Wenjie , Wei Shanlin
Published: June 2020

D2D communication improves the cellular network performance by using proximity-based services between adjacent devices, which considered is an effective way to solve the problem of spectrum scarcity caused by tremendous mobile data traffic. If the cache-enabled users are willing to send the cached file to the requesters, the content delivery traffic can be offloaded through the D2D link. In this paper, we strive to find the maximum energy efficiency of the D2D caching network through the joint optimization of cache policy and content transmit power. Specifically, based on stochastic geometry-aided modeling of the network, we derive the data offloading rate in closed form, which jointly considers the effects of success sensing probability and success transmission probability. According to the data offloading rate, we formulate a joint optimization problem integrating cache policy and transmit power to maximize the system energy efficiency. To solve this problem, we propose two optimization algorithms that the cache policy optimization algorithm based on gradient update and the joint optimization algorithm. The simulation results demonstrate that the joint optimization has twice the superiority in improving the energy efficiency of the D2D caching network compared with other schemes.
A Crash Severity Prediction Method Based on Improved Neural Network and Factor Analysis
Authors: Zhang Chen , He Jie , Wang Yinhai , Yan Xintong , Zhang Changjian , Chen Yikai , Liu Ziyang , Zhou Bojian
Published: June 2020

Crash severity prediction has been raised as a key problem in traffic accident studies. Thus, to progress in this area, in this study, a thorough artificial neural network combined with an improved metaheuristic algorithm was developed and tested in terms of its structure, training function, factor analysis, and comparative results. Data from I5, an interstate highway in the Washington State during the period of 2011–2015, were used for fitting and prediction, and after setting the theoretical three-layer neural network (NN), an improved Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) method with adaptive inertial weight was offered to optimize the NN, and finally, a comparison among different adaptive strategies was conducted. The results showed that although the algorithms produced almost the same accuracy in their predictions, a backpropagation method combined with a nonlinear inertial weight setting in PSO produced fast global and accurate local optimal searching, thereby demonstrating a better understanding of the entire model explanation, which could best fit the model, and at last, the factor analysis showed that non-road-related factors, particularly vehicle-related factors, are more important than road-related variables. The method developed in this study can be applied to a big data analysis of traffic accidents and be used as a fast-useful tool for policy makers and traffic safety researchers.
Rare Development of Primary Parotid Gland Epithelial-Myoepithelial Carcinoma in a Child
Authors: Saleh Daniyah , Al Ghamdi Doaa
Published: June 2020

Salivary gland tumors are uncommon in children. They consist of variable histopathological subtypes of benign and malignant tumors. EMC is a discrete entity among the WHO classification of salivary gland tumors since 1991. EMC is considered a low-grade malignant salivary gland tumor arising from intercalated ducts. Typically, it affects an adult female individual. Surgical resection with a negative margin is the mainstay treatment option. EMC has a potential for metastasis with a high rate of recurrence. Based on the available English literature, two cases of EMC diagnosed in a pediatric age group have been reported. Therefore, we describe the third EMC that developed in the left parotid gland of a young child. The diagnosis of EMC was established through histopathological examination of the total parotidectomy specimen and neck lymph node dissection, together with ancillary studies. Later, the patient suffered from cervical lymph node enlargement due to metastasis in which FNAB was taken. Metastasis from the known EMC was suspected with cytomorphological features in smears and cell block. Immunohistochemistry markers for the biphasic components were supportive of EMC. Due to advanced disease, the patient necessitated a concomitant treatment of radiochemotherapy. Besides, there was radiological evidence of bilateral multiple lung metastatic nodules. However, a biopsy was not sent for pathological confirmation.
An Experimental Study on Unconfined Compressive Strength of Soft Soil‐Cement Mixtures with or without GGBFS in the Coastal Area of Vietnam
Authors: Bui Truong Son , Nguyen Thi Nu , Nguyen Thanh Duong
Published: June 2020

Soft soil is widely distributed in Vietnam, especially in the coastal area. In engineering practice, soft soil cannot be used to build any construction and needs to be improved or treated before building construction. In addition, Vietnam has many pig‐iron or thermal power plants, which annually produce a huge amount of granulated blast furnace slag (GBFS). Thus, the use of this material for soft soil improvement needs to be considered. This paper presents experimental results on the unconfined compressive strength (UCS) of three Vietnam’s soft soils treated with Portland cement and Portland cement with ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS). Binder dosage used in this study is 250, 300, and 350 kg/m3 with the three different water/cement ratios of 0.8, 0.9, and 1.0, respectively. The research results showed that the UCS of soil‐cement mixtures depends on soil type, water/cement ratio, cement type, and binder content. Accordingly, the unconfined compressive strength increased with the increase of binder contents, the decrease of the natural water content of soft soil, water/cement ratios, and clay content. The highest value of UCS of treated soils was found for the soil at Site II with the Portland cement content, cement GGBFS, and water/cement ratio of 873 kg/m3, 2355 kg/m3, and 0.8, respectively. Besides, for all the three soils and two binder types, the water/cement ratio of 0.8 was found to be suitable to reach the highest UCS values of treated soil. The research results also showed that the UCS of treated soil with cement GGBFS was higher than that of treated soil with Portland cement. This indicated the effectiveness of the use of Portland cement with GGBFS in soft soil improvement. There is great potential for reducing the environmental problems regarding the waste materials from pig‐iron plants in Vietnam and the construction cost as well.
A Smoothing Newton Method with a Mixed Line Search for Monotone Weighted Complementarity Problems
Authors: Jiang Xiaoqin , Huang He
Published: June 2020

In this paper, we present a smoothing Newton method for solving the monotone weighted complementarity problem (WCP). In each iteration of our method, the iterative direction is achieved by solving a system of linear equations and the iterative step length is achieved by adopting a line search. A feature of the line search criteria used in this paper is that monotone and nonmonotone line search are mixed used. The proposed method is new even when the WCP reduces to the standard complementarity problem. Particularly, the proposed method is proved to possess the global convergence under a weak assumption. The preliminary experimental results show the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed method for solving the concerned WCP.
BSS: A Burst Error-Correction Scheme of Multipath Transmission for Mobile Fog Computing
Authors: Zhao Wentao , Dong Ping , Guo Min , Zhang Yuyang , Chen Xuehong
Published: June 2020

In the scenario of mobile fog computing (MFC), communication between vehicles and fog layer, which is called vehicle-to-fog (V2F) communication, needs to use bandwidth resources as much as possible with low delay and high tolerance for errors. In order to adapt to these harsh scenarios, there are important technical challenges concerning the combination of network coding (NC) and multipath transmission to construct high-quality V2F communication for cloud-aware MFC. Most NC schemes exhibit poor reliability in burst errors that often occur in high-speed movement scenarios. These can be improved by using interleaving technology. However, most traditional interleaving schemes for multipath transmission are designed based on round robin (RR) or weighted round robin (WRR), in practice, which can waste a lot of bandwidth resources. In order to solve those problems, this paper proposes a novel multipath transmission scheme for cloud-aware MFC, which is called Bidirectional Selection Scheduling (BSS) scheme. Under the premise of realizing interleaving, since BSS can be used in conjunction with a lot of path scheduling algorithms based on Earliest Delivery Path First (EDPF), it can make better use of bandwidth resources. As a result, BSS has high reliability and bandwidth utilization in harsh scenarios. It can meet the high-quality requirements of cloud-aware MFC for transmission.
Collaborative Wireless Power Transfer in Wireless Rechargeable Sensor Networks
Authors: Amin Azka , Liu Xi-Hua , Saleem Muhammad Asim , Henna Shagufta , Islam Taseer-ul , Khan Imran , Uthansakul Peerapong , Qurashi Muhammad Zeshan , Mirjavadi Seyed Sajad , Forsat Masoud
Published: June 2020

Wireless power transfer techniques to transfer energy have been widely adopted by wireless rechargeable sensor networks (WRSNs). These techniques are aimed at increasing network lifetime by transferring power to end devices. Under these wireless techniques, the incurred charging latency to replenish the sensor nodes is considered as one of the major issues in wireless sensor networks (WSNs). Existing recharging schemes rely on rigid recharging schedules to recharge a WSN deployment using a single global charger. Although these schemes charge devices, they are not on-demand and incur higher charging latency affecting the lifetime of a WSN. This paper proposes a collaborative recharging technique to offload recharging workload to local chargers. Experiment results reveal that the proposed scheme maximizes average network lifetime and has better average charging throughput and charging latency compared to a global charger-based recharging.
Circulating Tumor DNA is Prognostic and Potentially Predictive of Eryaspase Efficacy in Second-line in Patients with Advanced Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma
Authors: Bachet Jean-Baptiste , Blons Hélène , Hammel Pascal , Hariry Iman El , Portales Fabienne , Mineur Laurent , Metges Jean-Philippe , Mulot Claire , Bourreau Camille , Cain Jason , Cros Jérôme , Laurent-Puig Pierre
Published: June 2020

Purpose:

Eryaspase is composed of l-asparaginase encapsulated in erythrocytes and has demonstrated significant efficacy in a randomized phase II trial. We assessed the prognostic and predictive value of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) in patients, plasma included in this trial.

Experimental Design:

Samples prospectively collected pretreatment were centrally analyzed by next-generation sequencing. Prognostic values of baseline ctDNA and ctDNA early changes between day 0 and 28 were assessed in both arms combined on objective response rate (ORR), progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS); three groups were defined: negative ctDNA (Neg), ctDNA responders (Resp), and ctDNA nonresponders (NResp). Predictive value of ctDNA for eryaspase efficacy was investigated.

Results:

ctDNA was positive at baseline in 77 patients of the 113 tested patients (68%). Detectable ctDNA was an independent negative prognostic factor for OS (4.6 vs. 8.8 months; P = 0.0025) and PFS (1.6 vs. 3.3 months; P = 0.00043). Early change in ctDNA levels was correlated with ORR (20%, 26%, 0%; P < 0.04), PFS (3.7, 3.4, 1.6 months; P < 0.0001), and OS (11.7, 6.5, 4.3 months; P < 0.0001) according to the three defined groups (Neg, Res, NResp, respectively). In patients with ctDNA detectable at baseline, eryaspase was associated with better PFS [HR = 0.53; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.3–0.94)] and OS (HR = 0.52; 95% CI: 0.29–0.91).

Conclusions:

We confirm from a prospective randomized trial that: (i) the presence of ctDNA at baseline is a major prognostic factor, (ii) the early change of ctDNA correlates with treatment outcome, and (iii) the ctDNA could be a predictive biomarker of eryaspase efficacy.
Indoor Climate and Air Quality in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
Authors: Wolf Monika , Diehl Thilo , Zanni Sara , Singer Dominique , Deindl Philipp
Published: June 2020

Introduction and Objective: The skin and respiratory system of premature neonates are in permanent contact with indoor room air. We longitudinally analyzed the room air climate and quality in neonatal intensive care inside and outside an incubator. Methods: Sampling was performed in 2 patient rooms and inside a neonatal incubator (Caleo, Draeger Medical, Lübeck, Germany) over 6 weeks with 5-min resolution resulting in 12,090 samples (U-Monitor, U-Earth Biotech, London, UK). Temperature, humidity, and air pollutants, including particulate matter (<1 μm [PM1] and <2.5 μm [PM2.5]), volatile organic compounds (VOC), and odorous gases (OG), were recorded. Room air parameters were analyzed using time series analysis. A linear regression model was used to check for statistically significant linear trends. Statistical analysis was performed using decompensation of time series analysis and spectral analysis by fast Fourier transformation. Results: The indoor climate target values of the ward’s central ventilation system for temperature and humidity were not always met. Room air parameters (PM, VOC, and OG) showed significant daytime-dependent fluctuations with different oscillation frequencies per day. The daily mean (first quartile – third quartile) concentrations of PM2.5 were significantly higher inside the incubator compared to the surrounding ambient air (2,158 [1,948–2,298] pcs/L vs. 2,018 [1,852–2,058] pcs/L; p < 0.001). OG were significantly lower inside the incubator compared to ambient air. VOC levels inside the incubator were substantially higher during the first 5 days of the observation period compared to VOC levels in the surrounding ambient air. Conclusions: The indoor climate of neonatal intensive care units should be monitored in real time to detect deviations from target parameters quickly. In our neonatal intensive care unit, indoor air quality fluctuated significantly depending on the time of day. We highly suspect that air pollutants are carried into the direct patient environment by visitors and medical staff. The incubator does not protect against PM and VOC exposure but reduces exposure to OG. Cleaning procedures may lead to substantially higher concentrations of VOC inside the incubator and may represent a potentially harmful factor for premature infants.
Meeting Treatment Goals in Patients on Extramural Dialysis in Health Social Security in Mexico
Authors: Muñoz-Menjivar Cristhian , Reyes-Sánchez Ivonne , Aguilar-Martínez Carolina , Rodríguez-Rodríguez Arturo , Mendoza-Gómez Jenner Leobardo , Guerrero-Soto Joseph , Lizardi-Gómez Luis Fernando , Venegas-Vera Angel Verner , Hernández-Rivera Juan Carlos H. , Ramos-Sánchez Alfonso , Paniagua Ramón
Published: June 2020

Introduction: For the majority of renal replacement therapy history, the main treatment option for patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in Mexico has been peritoneal dialysis. However, the use of hemodialysis is overwhelmingly increasing, driving public health care institutions to subrogate this service. Even when the actual hiring model for subrogation is accurate, there is a lack of quality control points in the hemodialysis prescription, poor adherence to clinical practice guidelines, and a few or no record of outcomes in hemodialysis patients of these subrogated services. The objective of this work is to fill this information gap to allow for uniform and safe hemodialysis for patients of Mexico. Material and Methods: An observational and cross-sectional study was performed, including all patients receiving chronic hemodialysis treatment in subrogated units of Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS) in the northern region of Mexico City. Clinical and biochemical data as well as hemodialysis dose by Kt/V and urea reduction rate were collected and evaluated. To determine distribution, mean or median and SD or interquartile range were used; for nominal variables, the difference in proportions was estimated using the χ2 test; proportions were analyzed for biochemical values using the statistical package SPSS version 25. Results: In our study, >60% (485) of the patients were anemic with an average hemoglobin of 9.39 mg/dL (SD ± 1.83); serum calcium was found below 8.4 mg/dL in 51.3% (383) of patients, and only in 45.8% (342) was at an optimal level of this parameter. Only 33.5% of patients have arteriovenous fistula for dialysis access. The hemodialysis dose was optimal in >75% of patients. Conclusions: It is necessary to enhance and monitor treatment of comorbidities in patients with ESRD in subrogated hemodialysis units in México. We observed adequate prescription of hemodialysis in a majority of patients, achieving quality control points for removal of nitrogen products. Yet, there is a lack of quality control of comorbidities; therefore, we should aim to optimize treatment for mineral-bone disorder, anemia, and nutritional status.
Development process and testing of partial discharge detection device on medium voltage XLPE cable
Authors: Radzi Mohamad Izmir Farhan Mohamad , Ali N H Nik , Ariffin Azrul Mohd , Rahman Muhamad Safwan Abd , Rameli Norhidayu , Ahmad Mohamad Radzi , Salleh Ali Syari’ati Mohd
Published: June 2020

High voltage assets play a vital role in providing uninterrupted power to the consumers and any slight problems experienced by the assets may cause losses in millions of dollars to businesses. Therefore it is of utmost importance to monitor the health of high voltage assets. This research presents the development process of a Partial Discharge (PD) device that is able to detect PD acoustic waves for monitoring high voltage assets purposes. Medium voltage Cross-Linked Polyethylene (XLPE) cable was used which was introduced with spherical void defects at the joints of the cable that functioned to produce PD acoustic waves. Outcome of the development processes provides the finished design of the PD sensing device, known as Partial Discharge Detection (PDD) device. The functionality of the PDD device was also assessed through controlled experimentations, and they proved to be successful. Pure PD waveform captured by the ultrasonic sensor was similar when compared to a HFCT sensor’s pure PD waveform. The PDD device is a small and affordable, and is opened to various improvements such as integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI) unto the device, and one day may replace most existing bulky and expensive PD sensing devices that are readily available in the market.
LE-OLSR protocol performance evaluation in various energy conditionsof mobile Ad-hoc and sensor wireless networks
Authors: Belkheir Mohammed , Rouissat Mehdi , Mokaddem Allel , Bouziani Merahi , Zerroug Abdelatif
Published: June 2020

A mobile Ad hoc and sensor wireless network commonly includes various mobile devices and sensors with limited resources. In such network, energy constraint and link stability are the most critical parameters to take into consideration when deploying routing mechanisms, to assure reliable communication between nodes.These requirements are due to the network scalability and the absence of a fixed infrastructure, which may cause a rapid depletion of the nodes batteries and leads onto network link breakages. LE-OLSR (Lifetime Enhancement - Optimized Link State Protocol) is a variant of the existing OLSR. This latter is widely used as routing protocol for mobile ad-hoc and wireless sensor networks. LE-OLSR implements a new load balancing algorithm; it takes into account energy constraints of a node when selecting routers, responsible for forwarding data packets over the entire network. The aim of our work is to study and simulate the LE-OLSR protocol behavior in realistic mobile environments, including scenarios with various residual energy constraints schemes. The performed simulations had shown that LE-OLSR performances decrease compared to the case of ideal mobile network. Nevertheless, LE-OLSR had shown persistence and fair results in the realistic environment.The obtained results show that LE-OLSR protocol is an adequate and a prime solution for dense mobile ad hoc networks.
Recognition of handwritten Arabic (Indian) numerals using skeleton matching
Authors: Alqaralleh Bassam , Alksasbeh Malek Zakarya , Abukhalil Tamer , Almahafzah Harbi , Al Rawashdeh Tawfiq
Published: June 2020

This paper brings into discussion the problem of recognizing Arabic numbers using a monocular camera as the only sensor. When a digital image is presented in this application, optical character recognition (OCR) can be exploited to comprehend numerical data. However, there has been a limited success when applied to the handwritten Arabic (Indian) numbers. This paper aims to overcome this limitation and introduces optical character recognition system based on skeleton matching. The proposed approach is used for handwritten Arabic numbers only. The experimental results indicate the effectiveness of the proposed optical character recognition system even for numbers written in worst case. The right system achieves a recognition rate of 99.3 %.
Multi-Ethnic Genome-Wide Association Study of Decomposed Cardioelectric Phenotypes Illustrates Strategies to Identify and Characterize Evidence of Shared Genetic Effects for Complex Traits
Authors: Baldassari Antoine R. , Sitlani Colleen M. , Highland Heather M. , Arking Dan E. , Buyske Steve , Darbar Dawood , Gondalia Rahul , Graff Misa , Guo Xiuqing , Heckbert Susan R. , Hindorff Lucia A. , Hodonsky Chani J. , Ida Chen Yii-Der , Kaplan Robert C. , Peters Ulrike , Post Wendy , Reiner Alex P. , Rotter Jerome I. , Shohet Ralph V. , Seyerle Amanda A. , Sotoodehnia Nona , Tao Ran , Taylor Kent D. , Wojcik Genevieve L. , Yao Jie , Kenny Eimear E. , Lin Henry J. , Soliman Elsayed Z. , Whitsel Eric A. , North Kari E. , Kooperberg Charles , Avery Christy L.
Published: June 2020

Background:

We examined how expanding electrocardiographic trait genome-wide association studies to include ancestrally diverse populations, prioritize more precise phenotypic measures, and evaluate evidence for shared genetic effects enabled the detection and characterization of loci.

Methods:

We decomposed 10 seconds, 12-lead electrocardiograms from 34 668 multi-ethnic participants (15% Black; 30% Hispanic/Latino) into 6 contiguous, physiologically distinct (P wave, PR segment, QRS interval, ST segment, T wave, and TP segment) and 2 composite, conventional (PR interval and QT interval) interval scale traits and conducted multivariable-adjusted, trait-specific univariate genome-wide association studies using 1000-G imputed single-nucleotide polymorphisms. Evidence of shared genetic effects was evaluated by aggregating meta-analyzed univariate results across the 6 continuous electrocardiographic traits using the combined phenotype adaptive sum of powered scores test.

Results:

We identified 6 novels (
CD36, PITX2, EMB, ZNF592, YPEL2
, and
BC043580
) and 87 known loci (adaptive sum of powered score test
P
<5×10
−9
). Lead single-nucleotide polymorphism rs3211938 at
CD36
was common in Blacks (minor allele frequency=10%), near monomorphic in European Americans, and had effects on the QT interval and TP segment that ranked among the largest reported to date for common variants. The other 5 novel loci were observed when evaluating the contiguous but not the composite electrocardiographic traits. Combined phenotype testing did not identify novel electrocardiographic loci unapparent using traditional univariate approaches, although this approach did assist with the characterization of known loci.

Conclusions:

Despite including one-third as many participants as published electrocardiographic trait genome-wide association studies, our study identified 6 novel loci, emphasizing the importance of ancestral diversity and phenotype resolution in this era of ever-growing genome-wide association studies.