bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An approach to high-density polyethylene (HDPE) geomembrane selection for challenging design requirements
Authors: Rowe R. Kerry , Abdelaal F.B. , Zafari M. , Morsy M.S. , Priyanto D.G.
Published: December 2019

An approach for selecting a high-density polyethylene (HDPE) geomembrane (GMB) for a long design life is described and illustrated for five 2 mm thick textured GMBs when immersed in a simulated municipal solid waste leachate (L3) and two simulated leachates representative of low-level radioactive waste leachates (L7 and L9) for 9–16 months at a range of temperatures. Although made from the same nominal resin, substantial differences are reported in both the initial properties and the rate of antioxidant depletion for the five GMBs. At an expected operating liner temperature of 10 °C and immersed in L3, the projected time to antioxidant depletion for the five GMBs ranges from 125 to over 2000 years. The antioxidant depletion in leachates L7 and L9 were similar or slower than in leachate L3. There was no evidence of traditional thermal-oxidative degradation reported over the 9–16 months of monitoring; however, there was a significant reduction in stress crack resistance due to physical ageing ranging between 30% and 70% of the initial value. Two GMBs are considered highly likely to have service life well in excess of the required design life of 550 years. It is suggested that the proposed approach could be adopted for selecting GMBs for other projects that require a long design life.
Improving estimation of forest aboveground biomass using Landsat 8 imagery by incorporating forest crown density as a dummy variable
Authors: Li Chao , Li Mingyang , Li Yingchang
Published: December 2019

Optical remote sensing data are widely used in estimation of forest aboveground biomass (AGB), and the accuracy of AGB estimations has drawn wide attention. A method to improve the accuracy of remote sensing-based AGB models was developed by combining Landsat 8’s Operational Land Imager (OLI) and forest crown density (FCD). Remote sensing-based AGB models with and without an FCD dummy variable were developed using linear regression based on vegetation type (coniferous forest, broadleaf forest, mixed forest, and total vegetation). The differences between the models with and without an FCD dummy variable were analysed and compared. The models involving stratification of vegetation types provided more accurate estimations than the models of total vegetation. The models with an FCD dummy variable performed better than the models without an FCD dummy variable for each vegetation type. In each FCD class, the models with an FCD dummy variable provided more accurate estimations than the models without an FCD dummy variable, and the over- and underestimation problems associated with the models without an FCD dummy variable in thin and dense stands were significantly alleviated by the models with an FCD dummy variable. Therefore, introducing FCD into remote sensing-based AGB models has great potential to improve AGB estimation.
Causal structures and dynamics of black-hole-like solutions in string theory
Authors: Kang Subeom , Yeom Dong-han
Published: December 2019

We investigate spherically symmetric solutions in string theory. Such solutions depend on three parameters, one of which corresponds to the asymptotic mass while the other two are the dilaton and two-form field amplitudes, respectively. If the two-form field amplitude is non-vanishing, then this solution represents a trajectory of a singular and null hypersurface. If the dilaton and two-form field amplitudes are non-vanishing but very close to zero, then the solution is asymptotically the same as the Schwarzschild solution, while only the near horizon geometry will be radically changed. If the dilaton field diverges toward the weak coupling regime, this demonstrates a firewall-like solution. If the dilaton field diverges toward the strong coupling limit, then as we consider quantum effects, this spacetime will emit too strong Hawking radiation to preserve semi-classical spacetime. However, if one considers a junction between the solution and the flat spacetime interior, this can allow a stable star-like solution with reasonable semi-classical properties. We discuss possible implications of these causal structures and connections with the information loss problem.
New constraints on Lorentz Invariance violation from Crab Nebula spectrum beyond 100 TeV
Authors: Satunin Petr
Published: December 2019

Recently two collaborations, Tibet and HAWC, presented new measurements of gamma-ray spectrum from Crab Nebula (Amenomori et al. in Phys Rev Lett 123(5):051101, 2019, arXiv:1906.05521 [astro-ph.HE]; Abeysekara et al. [HAWC Collaboration] in Astrophys. J. 881, 134, (2019), arXiv:1905.12518 [astro-ph.HE]) which continues beyond 100 TeV. We use these data to establish two-sided constraints on parameters of Lorentz Invariance violation in quantum electrodynamics. The limits on Lorentz violating mass scale for quartic dispersion relation are $$4.1\times 10^{14}\, \text{ GeV }$$4.1×1014GeV (photon splitting) and $$1.9\times 10^{13}\, \text{ GeV }$$1.9×1013GeV (photon decay) for superluminal case, and $$1.4\times 10^{12}$$1.4×1012 GeV (suppression of shower formation) for subluminal case.
On the Construction of Binary Optimal LCD Codes with Short Length
Authors: Fu Qiang , Li Ruihu , Fu Fangwei , Rao Yi
Published: December 2019

A [Formula: see text]-ary linear code [Formula: see text] is called a linear complementary dual (LCD) code if it meets its dual trivially. Binary LCD codes play a significant role for their advantage of low complexity for implementations against side-channel attacks and fault injection attacks. In this paper, the problem of finding LCD codes over the binary field is discussed. Many new codes and new bounds are presented, as well as a table of optimal LCD codes (or upper and lower bounds on such codes) of length up to 30 bits.
An Input/Output Efficient Algorithm for Hessenberg Reduction
Authors: Mohanty Sraban Kumar , Sajith G.
Published: December 2019

Reduction of an [Formula: see text] nonsymmetric matrix to Hessenberg form which takes [Formula: see text] flops and [Formula: see text] I/Os is a major performance bottleneck in the computing of its eigenvalues. Usually to improve the performance, this Hessenberg reduction is computed in two steps: the first one reduces the matrix to a banded Hessenberg form, and the second one further reduces it to Hessenberg form by incorporating more matrix-matrix operations in the computation. We analyse the two steps of the Hessenberg reduction problem on the external memory model (of Aggarwal and Vitter) for their I/O complexities. We propose and analyse a tile based algorithm for the first step of the reduction and show that it takes [Formula: see text] I/Os. For the reduction of a banded Hessenberg matrix of bandwidth [Formula: see text] to Hessenberg form, we propose an algorithm, which uses tight packing of bulges, and requires only [Formula: see text] I/Os. Combining the results of the two steps of the reduction, we show that the Hessenberg reduction can be performed in [Formula: see text] I/Os, when [Formula: see text] is sufficiently large. To the best of our knowledge, the proposed algorithm is the first I/O optimal algorithm for Hessenberg reduction; the worst case I/O complexity matches the known lower bound of the problem.
Cobham’s Theorem and Automaticity
Authors: Mol Lucas , Rampersad Narad , Shallit Jeffrey , Stipulanti Manon
Published: December 2019

We make certain bounds in Krebs’ proof of Cobham’s theorem explicit and obtain corresponding upper bounds on the length of a common prefix of an aperiodic [Formula: see text]-automatic sequence and an aperiodic [Formula: see text]-automatic sequence, where [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] are multiplicatively independent. We also show that an automatic sequence cannot have arbitrarily large factors in common with a Sturmian sequence.
Confinement Effect Driven Quantum Spin Hall Effect in Monolayer AuTe2Cl
Authors: Zhong Guyue , Xie Q. , Xu Gang
Published: December 2019

Based on first-principles calculations, we predict that the monolayer AuTe2Cl is a quantum spin Hall (QSH) insulator with a topological band gap about 10 meV. The three-dimensional (3D) AuTe2Cl is a topological semimetal that can be viewed as the monolayer stacking along [Formula: see text] axis. By studying the energy-level distribution of [Formula: see text] orbitals of Te atoms for the bulk and the monolayer, we find that the confinement effect driven [Formula: see text] band inversion is responsible for the topological nontrivial nature of monolayer. Since 3D bulk AuTe2Cl has already been experimentally synthesized, we expect that monolayer AuTe2Cl can be exfoliated from a bulk sample and the predicted QSH effect can be observed.
The Road to High-Temperature Quantum Anomalous Hall Effect in Magnetic Topological Insulators
Authors: He Ke , Xue Qi-Kun
Published: December 2019

Elevating the temperature needed to realize the quantum anomalous Hall effect (QAHE) to above 77 K or higher is the key to practical applications of the effect as well as many others based on it. Here, we briefly review the recent progresses, especially the experimental ones, on searching for magnetic topological insulators that can exhibit the QAHE at higher temperature. Based on our understanding of these results, we will give the principles and roadmap for designing and constructing high-temperature quantum anomalous Hall systems.
Optical Design of COLIBRÍ: A Fast Follow-up Telescope for Transient Events
Authors: Fuentes-Fernández J. , Watson A. M. , Cuevas S. , Basa S. , Floriot J. , Dolon F. , Valentin H. , Challita Z. , Vola P.
Published: December 2019

COLIBRÍ will be a Franco-Mexican 1.3-m telescope and imager for observing the visible and near infrared counterparts of transient events detected by the future SVOM mission. The imager is divided into two instruments: DDRAGO, with two 4k[Formula: see text][Formula: see text][Formula: see text]4k CCDs observing in [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text], respectively, and CAGIRE, with one 2k[Formula: see text][Formula: see text][Formula: see text]2k LYNRED or H2RG detector observing in [Formula: see text]. DDRAGO will directly image the telescope focal plane with a field of view (FoV) of 26[Formula: see text][Formula: see text][Formula: see text]26 arcmin. CAGIRE will reimage the focal plane to make a pupil image available for a cold stop and adjust the plate scale to deliver a similar FoV. CAGIRE will not use a conventional collimator-camera configuration but rather an arrangement of lenses that sends the pupil image close to the focal plane after all of the reimaging optics. This allows most of the optics, including the infrared filters, to be at ambient temperature and avoids the complexity of having mechanisms and powered optics within the cryostat (CR). We present here the optical design of the system and a thorough analysis on the expected image quality of the instruments and the telescope.
A Survey of Robot-Assisted Language Learning (RALL)
Authors: Randall Natasha
Published: December 2019

Robot-assisted language learning (RALL) is becoming a more commonly studied area of human-robot interaction (HRI). This research draws on theories and methods from many different fields, with researchers utilizing different instructional methods, robots, and populations to evaluate the effectiveness of RALL. This survey details the characteristics of robots used—form, voice, immediacy, non-verbal cues, and personalization—along with study implementations, discussing research findings. It also analyzes robot effectiveness. While research clearly shows that robots can support native and foreign language acquisition, it has been unclear what benefits robots provide over computer-assisted language learning. This survey examines the results of relevant studies from 2004 (RALL's inception) to 2017. Results suggest that robots may be uniquely suited to aid in language production, with apparent benefits in comparison to other technology. As well, research consistently indicates that robots provide unique advantages in increasing learning motivation and in-task engagement, and decreasing anxiety, though long-term benefits are uncertain. Throughout this survey, future areas of exploration are suggested, with the hope that answers to these questions will allow for more robust design and implementation guidelines in RALL.
A Robotic Framework to Facilitate Sensory Experiences for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder
Authors: Javed Hifza , Burns Rachael , Jeon Myounghoon , Howard Ayanna M. , Park Chung Hyuk
Published: December 2019

The diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in children is commonly accompanied by a diagnosis of sensory processing disorders. Abnormalities are usually reported in multiple sensory processing domains, showing a higher prevalence of unusual responses, particularly to tactile, auditory, and visual stimuli. This article discusses a novel robot-based framework designed to target sensory difficulties faced by children with ASD in a controlled setting. The setup consists of a number of sensory stations, together with two different robotic agents that navigate the stations and interact with the stimuli. These stimuli are designed to resemble real-world scenarios that form a common part of one's everyday experiences. Given the strong interest of children with ASD in technology in general and robots in particular, we attempt to utilize our robotic platform to demonstrate socially acceptable responses to the stimuli in an interactive, pedagogical setting that encourages the child's social, motor, and vocal skills, while providing a diverse sensory experience. A preliminary user study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of the proposed framework, with a total of 18 participants (5 with ASD and 13 typically developing) between the ages of 4 and 12 years. We derive a measure of social engagement, based on which we evaluate the effectiveness of the robots and sensory stations to identify key design features that can improve social engagement in children.
The AirTight Protocol for Mixed Criticality Wireless CPS
Authors: Harbin J. , Burns A. , Davis R. I. , Indrusiak L. S. , Bate I. , Griffin D.
Published: December 2019

This article describes the motivation, design, analysis, and configuration of the criticality-aware multi-hop wireless communication protocol AirTight. Wireless communication has become a crucial part of the infrastructure of many cyber-physical applications. Many of these applications are real-time and also mixed-criticality, in that they have components/subsystems with different consequences of failure. Wireless communication is inevitably subject to levels of external interference. In this article, we represent this interference using a criticality-aware fault model; for each level of temporal interference in the fault model, we guarantee the timing behaviour of the protocol (i.e., we guarantee that packet deadlines are satisfied for certain levels of criticality). Although a new protocol, AirTight is built upon existing standards such as IEEE 802.15.4. A prototype implementation and protocol-accurate simulator have been produced. This article develops a series of schedulability analysis techniques for single-channel and multichannel wireless Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS). Heuristics are specified and evaluated as the starting point of design space exploration. Genetic algorithms are then defined and evaluated to assess their performance in developing schedule tables incorporating multichannel allocations in these systems.
Quantifying the Exploration of the Korat Solver for Imperative Constraints
Authors: Almaawi Alyas , Converse Hayes , Gligoric Milos , Misailovic Sasa , Khurshid Sarfraz
Published: December 2019

Tools that explore very large state spaces to nd bugs, e.g., when model checking, or to nd solutions, e.g., when constraint solving, can take a considerable amount of time before the search termi- nates, and the user may not get useful feedback on the state of the search during that time. Our focus is a tool that solves im- perative constraints to provide automated test input generation for systematic testing. Speci cally, we introduce a technique to quantify the exploration of Korat, a well-known tool that explores the bounded space of all candidate inputs and enumerates desired inputs that satisfy given constraints. Our technique quanti es the size of the input space as it is explored by the Korat search, and provides the user exact information on the size of the remaining input space. In addition, it allows studying key characteristics of the search, such as the distribution of solutions as the search nds them. We implement the technique as a listener for the Korat search, and present initial experimental results using it.
Incremental Attack Synthesis
Authors: Saha Seemanta , Eiers William , Kadron Ismet Burak , Bang Lucas , Bultan Tevfik
Published: December 2019

Information leakage is a signi cant problem in modern software systems. Information leaks due to side channels are especially hard to detect and analyze. In recent years, techniques have been developed for automated synthesis of adaptive side-channel attacks that recover secret values by iteratively generating inputs to reveal partial information about the secret based on the sidechannel observations. Prominent approaches of attack synthesis use symbolic execution, model counting, and meta-heuristics to maximize information gain. These approaches could bene t by reusing results from prior steps in each step. In this paper, we present an incremental approach to attack synthesis that reuses model counting results from prior iterations in each attack step to improve efficiency. Experimental evaluation demonstrates that our approach drastically improves performance, reducing the attack synthesis time by an order of magnitude.
The Teacher Accessibility, Equity, and Content (TEC) Rubric for Evaluating Computing Curricula
Authors: Weintrop David , Coenraad Merijke , Palmer Jen , Franklin Diana
Published: December 2019

In response to the growing call to bring the powerful ideas of computer science to all learners, education decision makers, including teachers and administrators, are tasked with making consequential decisions on what curricula to use. Often, these decision makers have not been trained in computer science and are unfamiliar with the concepts taught and tools used. This is especially true in K–12 contexts where computer science expertise is less prevalent. To aid in the decision-making process around computing curricula, this article introduces the TEC Rubric. The TEC Rubric is composed of three main categories: Teacher Accessibility, Equity, and Content designed to support educational decision makers and designers when it comes to computing instruction. Along with presenting the full rubric and the process used in its creation, this article describes two examples of the rubric in action. First, the TEC Rubric is used to evaluate two widespread computer science curricula to demonstrate its evaluative capacity highlighting differences between the two curricula. Second, we show how the TEC Rubric can be used to help inform the design of new K–12 computing curricula. Overall, the TEC Rubric is designed to serve as a useful resource in the ongoing quest to bring effective, equitable, and engaging computing instruction into schools around the world.
β3-Adrenergic receptor blockade reduces mortality in endotoxin-induced heart failure by suppressing induced nitric oxide synthase and saving cardiac metabolism
Authors: Kawaguchi Satoshi , Okada Motoi , Ijiri Eriko , Koga Daisuke , Watanabe Tsuyoshi , Hayashi Kentaro , Kashiwagi Yuta , Fujita Satoshi , Hasebe Naoyuki
Published: December 2019

The β3-adrenergic receptor (β3AR) is related to myocardial fatty acid metabolism and its expression has been implicated in heart failure. In this study, we investigated the role of β3AR in sepsis-related myocardial dysfunction using lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced endotoxemia as a model of cardiac dysfunction. We placed mice into three treatment groups and treated each with intraperitoneal injections of the β3AR agonist CL316243 (CL group), the β3AR antagonist SR59230A (SR group), or normal saline (NS group). Survival rates were significantly improved in the SR group compared with the other treatment groups. Echocardiography analyses revealed cardiac dysfunction within 6–12 h of LPS injections, but the outcome was significantly better for the SR group. Myocardial ATP was preserved in the SR group but was decreased in the CL-treated mice. Additionally, quantitative PCR analysis revealed that expression levels of genes associated with fatty acid oxidation and glucose metabolism were significantly higher in the SR group. Furthermore, the expression levels of mitochondrial membrane protein complexes were preserved in the SR group. Electron microscope studies showed significant accumulation of lipid droplets in the CL group. Moreover, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) protein expression and nitric oxide were significantly reduced in the SR group. The in vitro study demonstrated that β3AR has an independent iNOS pathway that does not go through the nuclear factor-κB pathway. These results suggest that blockading β3AR improves impaired energy metabolism in myocardial tissues by suppressing iNOS expression and recovers cardiac function in animals with endotoxin-induced heart failure.

NEW & NOTEWORTHY Nitric oxide production through stimulation of β3-adrenergic receptor (β3AR) may improve cardiac function in cases of chronic heart failure. We demonstrated that the blockade of β3AR improved mortality and cardiac function in endotoxin-induced heart failure. We also determined that LPS-induced inducible nitric oxide synthase has a pathway that is independent of nuclear factor-κB, which worsened cardiac metabolism and mortality in the acute phase of sepsis. Treatment with the β3AR antagonist had a favorable effect. Thus, the blockade of β3AR could offer a novel treatment for sepsis-related heart failure.
Krogh’s capillary recruitment hypothesis, 100 years on: Is the opening of previously closed capillaries necessary to ensure muscle oxygenation during exercise?
Authors: Angleys Hugo , Østergaard Leif
Published: December 2019

In 1919, August Krogh published his seminal work on skeletal muscle oxygenation. Krogh’s observations indicated that muscle capillary diameter is actively regulated, rather than a passive result of arterial blood flow regulation. Indeed, combining a mathematical model with the number of ink-filled capillaries he observed in muscle cross sections taken at different workloads, Krogh was able to account for muscle tissue’s remarkably efficient oxygen extraction during exercise in terms of passive diffusion from nearby capillaries. Krogh was awarded the 1920 Nobel Prize for his account of muscle oxygenation. Today, his observations are engrained in the notion of capillary recruitment: the opening of previously closed capillaries. While the binary distinction between “closed” and “open” was key to Krogh’s model argument, he did in fact report a continuum of capillary diameters, degrees of erythrocyte deformation, and perfusion states. Indeed, modern observations question the presence of closed muscle capillaries. We therefore examined whether changes in capillary flow patterns and hematocrit among open capillaries can account for oxygen extraction in muscle across orders-of-magnitude changes in blood flow. Our four-compartment model of oxygen extraction in muscle confirms this notion and provides a framework for quantifying the impact of changes in microvascular function on muscle oxygenation in health and disease. Our results underscore the importance of capillary function for oxygen extraction in muscle tissue as first proposed by Krogh. While Krogh’s model calculations still hold, our model predictions support that capillary recruitment can be viewed in the context of continuous, rather than binary, erythrocyte distributions among capillaries.

NEW & NOTEWORTHY Oxygen extraction in working muscle is extremely efficient in view of single capillaries properties. The underlying mechanisms have been widely debated. Here, we develop a four-compartment model to quantify the influence of each of the hypothesized mechanisms on muscle oxygenation. Our results show that changes in capillary flow pattern and hematocrit can account for the high oxygen extraction observed in working muscle, while capillary recruitment is not required to account for these extraction properties.
Exacerbated pressor and sympathoexcitatory effects of central Elabela in spontaneously hypertensive rats
Authors: Geng Zhi , Ye Chao , Tong Ying , Zhang Feng , Zhou Ye-Bo , Xiong Xiao-Qing
Published: December 2019

Elabela (ELA) is a newly discovered peptide that acts as a novel endogenous ligand of angiotensin receptor-like 1 (APJ) receptor. This study was designed to evaluate the effects of ELA-21 in paraventricular nucleus (PVN) on blood pressure and sympathetic nerve activity in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). Experiments were performed in male Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY) and SHR. ELA expression was upregulated in PVN of SHR. PVN microinjection of ELA-21 increased renal sympathetic nerve activity (RSNA), mean arterial pressure (MAP), heart rate (HR), plasma norepinephrine, and arginine vasopressin (AVP) levels in SHR. Intravenous injection of ELA-21 significantly decreased MAP and HR in both WKY and SHR, but only induced a slight decrease in RSNA. APJ antagonist F13A in PVN abolished the effects of ELA-21 on RSNA, MAP and HR. Intravenous infusion of both ganglionic blocker hexamethonium and AVP V1a receptor antagonist SR49059 caused significant reduction in the effects of ELA-21 on RSNA, MAP and HR in SHR, while combined administration of hexamethonium and SR49059 abolished the effects of ELA-21. ELA-21 microinjection stimulated Akt and p85α subunit of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) phosphorylation in PVN, whereas PI3K inhibitor LY294002 or Akt inhibitor MK-2206 almost abolished the effects of ELA-21 on RSNA, MAP, and HR. Chronic PVN infusion of ELA-21 induced sympathetic activation, hypertension, and AVP release accompanied with cardiovascular remodeling in normotensive WKY. In conclusion, ELA-21 in PVN induces exacerbated pressor and sympathoexcitatory effects in hypertensive rats via PI3K-Akt pathway.

NEW & NOTEWORTHY We demonstrated that PVN microinjection of ELA-21 increases sympathetic nerve activity and blood pressure, which can be abolished by pretreatment of APJ antagonist. This is the first demonstration that central ELA can induce hypertension. The pressor effects in PVN are mediated by both sympathetic activation and vasopressin release via PI3K-Akt pathway. Our data confirm that ELA is upregulated in the PVN of SHR and so may be involved in the pressor and sympathoexcitatory effects in hypertension.
Gender Differences and Risk Factors of Recurrent Stroke in Type 2 Diabetic Malaysian Population with History of Stroke: The Observation from Malaysian National Neurology Registry
Authors: Aziz Sohail , Sheikh Ghadzi Siti Maisharah , Abidin Nur Ezzati , Tangiisuran Balamurugan , Zainal Hadzliana , Looi Irene , Ibrahim Khairul Azmi , Sidek Norsima Nazifah , Wei Loo Keat , Keng Yee Lee , Abdul Aziz Zariah , Harun Sabariah Noor
Published: December 2019

Background and Purpose. Diabetes mellitus has been reported as a strong independent risk factor for stroke recurrence. Data on the modifiable factors contributing to the recurrence of stroke in type 2 diabetic Malaysian population with a history of stroke stratified by genders are lacking, and this supports the importance of this study. Method. The data of 4622 patients with T2DM who had a history of stroke was obtained from the Malaysian National Stroke Registry. Univariate analysis was performed to differentiate between genders with and without stroke recurrence in terms of demographics, first stroke attack presentations, and other clinical characteristics. The significant factors determined from the univariate analysis were further investigated using logistic regression. Results. Ischemic heart diseases were found significantly associated with the stroke recurrence in males (OR=1.738; 95% CI: 1.071-2.818) as well as female (OR=5.859; 95% CI: 2.469-13.752) diabetic patients. The duration of hypertension, as well as the duration of diabetes, has been associated with the recurrence in both male and female subjects (p value < 0.05). Smoking status has an impact on the stroke recurrence in male subjects, while no significant association was observed among their peers. Conclusions. Most of the predictive factors contributing to the recurrence of stroke in type 2 diabetic Malaysian population with a history of stroke are modifiable, in which IHD was the most prominent risk factor in both genders. The impact of optimizing the management of IHD as well as blood glucose control on stroke recurrence may need to be elucidated. No major differences in recurrent stroke predictors were seen between genders among the Malaysian population with type 2 diabetes mellitus who had a previous history of stroke.
Transcriptome Analysis Reveals the Molecular Mechanisms Underlying Adenosine Biosynthesis in Anamorph Strain of Caterpillar Fungus
Authors: Lin Shan , Zou Zhicheng , Zhou Cuibing , Zhang Hancheng , Cai Zhiming
Published: December 2019

Caterpillar fungus is a well-known fungal Chinese medicine. To reveal molecular changes during early and late stages of adenosine biosynthesis, transcriptome analysis was performed with the anamorph strain of caterpillar fungus. A total of 2,764 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified (p≤0.05, |log2Ratio| ≥ 1), of which 1,737 were up-regulated and 1,027 were down-regulated. Gene expression profiling on 4–10 d revealed a distinct shift in expression of the purine metabolism pathway. Differential expression of 17 selected DEGs which involved in purine metabolism (map00230) were validated by qPCR, and the expression trends were consistent with the RNA-Seq results. Subsequently, the predicted adenosine biosynthesis pathway combined with qPCR and gene expression data of RNA-Seq indicated that the increased adenosine accumulation is a result of down-regulation ofndk,ADK, andAPRTgenes combined with up-regulation ofAKgene. This study will be valuable for understanding the molecular mechanisms of the adenosine biosynthesis in caterpillar fungus.
Bubbles in Agricultural Commodity Markets of China
Authors: Zhang Xi-Xi , Liu Lu , Su Chi-Wei , Tao Ran , Lobonţ Oana-Ramona , Moldovan Nicoleta-Claudia
Published: December 2019

We employ the generalized supremum augmented Dickey–Fuller test to examine whether there are multiple bubbles in Chinese agricultural commodities. The proposed approach is suitable for time series data and identifies the origination and termination of multiple bubbles. The results indicate the existence of bubbles for some agricultural commodity prices, such as garlic, ginger, corn, and wheat prices, that deviate from their intrinsic values upon market fundamentals. The bubbles in the garlic and ginger market are related to speculative activities. The other bubbles, in the corn and wheat market, are associated with the rising oil price, international market, and the negative effect of stockpiling policy. The authorities should recognize bubbles and observe their evolutions, leading to Chinese agricultural commodity price stabilization. These findings suggest corresponding measures to be implemented. China should establish a unified market information release platform to avoid speculative activities and formulate a market‐oriented agricultural policy to enhance competitiveness among the international markets.
The Antioxidant Alpha-Lipoic Acid Inhibits Proliferation and Invasion of Human Gastric Cancer Cells via Suppression of STAT3-Mediated MUC4 Gene Expression
Authors: Yang Yu , Fang Erhu , Luo Jiajun , Wu Hongxue , Jiang Yue , Liu Ying , Tong Shilun , Wang Zhihua , Zhou Rui , Tong Qiang
Published: December 2019

Background. Metastasis and invasion are the main causes of mortality in gastric cancer. To improve the treatment of gastric cancer, the development of effective and innovative antitumor agents toward invasion and proliferation is needed. Alpha-lipoic acid (ALA), a naturally occurring thiol antioxidant, showed antiproliferative and cytotoxic effects on several cancers. So it is feasible to explore whether ALA can be used to inhibit proliferation and invasion in human gastric cancer. Methods. The expression of MUC4 in human gastric cancer tissues was assayed by immunohistochemistry. Then, we performed in vitro cell proliferation and invasion analysis to explore the antitumor effect of ALA using AGS, BGC-823, and MKN-28 cells. To further explore the mechanism of ALA-mediated downregulation of MUC4, we cotransfected human gastric cancer cells with STAT3 siRNA and STAT3 overexpression construct. ChIP assays were carried out to find the relationship between MUC4 and STAT3. Results. We found that the MUC4 gene was strongly expressed in human gastric cancer tissues. Meanwhile, ALA reduced proliferation and invasion of human gastric cancer cells by suppressing MUC4 expression. We also found that STAT3 was involved in the inhibition of MUC4 by ALA. Mechanistically, ALA suppressed MUC4 expression by inhibiting STAT3 binding to the MUC4 promoter region. Conclusion. ALA inhibits both proliferation and invasion of gastric cancer cells by suppression of STAT3-mediated MUC4 gene expression.
Genipin Ameliorates Carbon Tetrachloride-Induced Liver Injury in Mice via the Concomitant Inhibition of Inflammation and Induction of Autophagy
Authors: Wang Ya , Zhao Tianming , Deng You , Hou Lijun , Fan Xiaofei , Lin Lin , Zhao Wei , Jiang Kui , Sun Chao
Published: December 2019

Genipin, as the most effective ingredient of various traditional medications, encompasses antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial capacities. More recently, it is suggested that genipin protects against septic liver damage by restoring autophagy. The purpose of the current study was to explore the protective effect of genipin against carbon tetrachloride- (CCl4-) induced acute liver injury (ALI) and its underlying molecular machinery. Our results indicated that treatment with genipin significantly reduced CCl4-induced hepatotoxicity by ameliorating histological liver changes, decreasing the aspartate aminotransferase and alanine transaminase levels, alleviating the secretion of inflammatory cytokines, and promoting autophagic flux. Moreover, genipin effectively induced the conversion of LC3 and inhibition of p62 accumulation. The liver expressions of ATG5, ATG7, and ATG12 were significantly increased by genipin pretreatment in the ALI mice model. This protective effect may be mediated by the inhibition of mTOR and the activation of p38 MAPK signaling pathways. Meanwhile, genipin attenuated CCl4-induced inflammatory response by inhibiting the NF-κB and STAT3 signaling pathway. In addition, pretreatment with autophagy inhibitor 3-methyladenine (3-MA) or inhibition of p38 MAPK by SB203580 abolished the hepatoprotective effect of genipin. Taken together, our study implicates that genipin has a protective potential against CCl4-induced hepatotoxicity, which might be strongly associated with the induction of autophagy and the attenuation of inflammatory response.
Effect of Acid Activation-Hydrophilic-Modified Sepiolite on Comprehensive Properties of Oil-Well Cement
Authors: Zhang Yihang , He Miao , Xu Mingbiao , Xu Peng
Published: December 2019

In this paper, sepiolite was treated by acid activation, coupling agent treatment, and sulfonation modification. The purpose of this study was to explore the changes in the fluidity and mechanical properties of sepiolite cement slurry before and after modification. Therefore, the comprehensive properties of unmodified sepiolite fiber (HPS) and acid activation-coupling agent treatment-sulfonated sepiolite fiber (S-O-H-HPS) in oil-well cement slurry were evaluated. FT-IR and microscopic mechanism of cement paste fracture surface before and after sepiolite modification were analyzed. The results showed that HPS can effectively improve the toughness of cement paste, but when the content of HPS was more than 1%, the fluidity of cement paste deteriorated sharply and the compressive strength decreased gradually. The addition of S-O-H-HPS can significantly improve the fluidity and stability of HPS slurry. Without affecting the compressive strength, it can effectively improve the flexural strength and impact strength and reduce the elastic modulus of cement paste. The mechanism analysis showed that S-O-H-HPS can not only form network structure in cement paste but also improve the toughness of cement paste by forming a bridge. This also explains why the strength of S-O-H-HPS cement paste does not decrease significantly with the increase of S-O-H-HPS.
Effects of Huazhuo Jiedu Shugan Decoction on Cognitive and Emotional Disorders in a Rat Model of Epilepsy: Possible Involvement of AC-cAMP-CREB Signaling and NPY Expression
Authors: Ping Xin , Qin Shao-Kun , Liu Shu-Ning , Lu Ye , Zhao Ya-Nan , Cao Ya-Fei , Zhang Yan-Hong , Zhang Shao-Dan , Chu Li , Pei Lin
Published: December 2019

Background. Huazhuo Jiedu Shugan decoction (HJSD), a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), has been used to treat epileptic seizures for many years. Some ingredients in these herbs have been demonstrated to be effective for the treatment of brain damage caused by epilepsy. Aim of the Study. The object of the study is to determine the effects of HJSD on cognitive and emotional disorders in a rat model of epilepsy. Materials and Methods. After a predetermined time period, rats were intraperitoneally injected with pentylenetetrazol and observed in different phases of convulsions. The cognitive and emotional changes in the epileptic rats were assessed using behavioral and immunohistochemical tests. Results. Compared with the epilepsy group, the seizure grade was reduced and seizure latency was prolonged following HJSD-H treatment (P<0.01). Compared with the control group, the epilepsy group displayed marked worse performance on the animal behavior tests (P<0.05) and the HJSD-H group displayed improved behavioral performance (P<0.05). After HJSD-H treatment, the expression of adenylate cyclase (AC), cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP), cAMP-response element binding protein (CREB), and neuropeptide Y (NPY) immunoreactive cells markedly increased in the hippocampus, compared with that of the epilepsy group (P<0.05). Conclusions. The current results demonstrate that HJSD treatment in epileptic rats markedly inhibits epileptic seizures and improves cognitive and emotional disorders, which may be related to the regulation of AC-cAMP-CREB signaling and NPY expression in the hippocampus. The effects of the HJSD treatment may provide a foundation for the use of HJSD as a prescription medicinal herb in the TCM for the treatment of epilepsy.
Effect of Shear Creep on Long-Term Deformation Analysis of Long-Span Concrete Girder Bridge
Authors: Niu Yanwei , Tang Yingying
Published: December 2019

The purpose of this paper is to report on the development of a three-dimensional (3D) creep calculation method suited for use in analyzing long-term deformation of long-span concrete girder bridges. Based on linear creep and the superposition principle, the proposed method can consider both shear creep and segmental multiage concrete effect, and a related program is developed. The effects of shear creep are introduced by applying this method to a continuous girder bridge with a main span of 100 m. Comparisons obtained with the nonshear case show that shear creep causes long-term deformation to increase by 12.5%. Furthermore, the effect of shear creep is proportional to the shear creep coefficient; for a bridge with different degrees of prestress, the influence of shear creep is close. Combined with the analysis of a continuous rigid bridge with a main span of 270 m, the results based on the general frame program suggest that shear creep amplification is multiplied by a factor of 1.13–1.15 in terms of long-term deformation. Moreover, the vertical prestress has little effect on shear creep and long-term deformation. The 3D creep analysis shows a larger long-term prestress loss for vertical prestress at a region near the pier cross section. The relevant computation method and result can be referenced for the design and long-term deformation analysis of similar bridges.
Oleic Acid Protects against Hepatic Ischemia and Reperfusion Injury in Mice by Inhibiting AKT/mTOR Pathways
Authors: Guo Jianrong , Zhang Tao , Gu Jian , Cai Kailin , Deng Xiuling , Chen Ke , Huang Kun , Wang Guobin , Li Huili , Wang Jiliang
Published: December 2019

Hepatic ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury is a serious complication in patients who have undergone hepatic surgery such as orthotopic liver transplantation and partial hepatectomy. Recently, a new cytoprotective agent, ursodeoxycholyl lysophosphatidylethanolamide (UDCA-LPE), was reported to protect against hepatic I/R injury. However, the protective mechanism of UDCA-LPE is not fully understood. Therefore, we conducted this study to explore its underlying mechanism. We used liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) to analyze the liver lipid metabolism changes in mice during I/R. KEGG enrichment indicated that UDCA-LPE is likely to exert its protective role by regulating fatty acid (FA) metabolism. Further analysis found that UDCA-LPE significantly increased the ratio of oleic acid (OA) to palmitic acid (PA). We found that mice pretreated with OA improved tolerance to hepatic I/R injury. In addition, the phosphorylation level of AKT was markedly upregulated during oxidative stress to promote p65 nuclear translocation, triggering an inflammatory response that exacerbated cell damage and OA treatment significantly inhibited this process. Notably, OA was found to inhibit H2O2-induced oxidative stress, inflammation, and cell death in HepG2 cells. Furthermore, we found that OA supplementation to the medium did not result in a significant increase in intracellular OA, but marked increase in the ratio of OA to PA, which may be an important mechanism for the inflammatory response induced by oxidative stress during I/R. Finally, we demonstrated that OA increased the level of autophagy in HepG2 cells, which may be one of the protective mechanisms against oxidative stress. Collectively, this study revealed that FA metabolism functionally determines the oxidative stress-related inflammation caused by hepatic I/R. We hypothesize that OA treatment may be a promising strategy for preventing and treating I/R-induced liver damage.
Vegetation Response to Recent Trends in Climate and Landuse Dynamics in a Typical Humid and Dry Tropical Region under Global Change
Authors: Adepoju Kayode , Adelabu Samuel , Fashae Olutoyin
Published: December 2019

The influence of global change on vegetation cover and processes has drawn increasing attention in the past few decades. In this study, we used remotely sensed rainfall and land surface temperature to investigate the spatiotemporal pattern and trend in vegetation condition using NDVI as proxy from 2001 to 2017 in a humid and dry tropical region. We also determined the partial correlation coefficient of temperature and rainfall with NDVI and the response of NDVI to changes in landcover categories due to human activities. We found that the mean annual maximum NDVI was 0.42, decreasing at a rate of 0.06 per decade. About 27.4% of the area was found to have experienced a significant negative trend in vegetation cover, while only 0.34% exhibited significant increasing vegetation vigour. Land surface temperature increased at a mean rate of 0.75°C/decade, with higher rates in agriculture, savanna, settlements, woodlands, and riparian vegetation than in forest and mangrove vegetations. Precipitation also reduced at a mean rate of 58.69 mm/decade, with higher rates in agriculture savanna and riparian vegetation than in sahelian grasslands, mangrove, forest, and woodlands. NDVI was negatively correlated with temperature in savanna, settlements, degraded forest, and sahelian grasslands providing confirmation of ongoing land degradation. It was concluded that vegetation vigour will continue to decline under rainfall and increasing temperature conditions especially in dryer regions. The use of land surface temperature in this study is particularly valuable in highlighting areas where changes in NDVI occurred as a result of synergistic action between climate and human-induced landcover changes. Our findings underscore the importance of landuse policies that account for spatial variation in synergistic relationships between the nexus of climate and land conversion processes that influence vegetation cover change in different landcover types in tropical regions.
Outcomes of 25-Gauge Vitrectomy for Tractional and Nontractional Diabetic Macular Edema with Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy
Authors: Someya Hideaki , Takayama Kei , Takeuchi Masaru , Yokoyama Hiroshi , Kimura Takeshi , Morioka Masakazu , Takamura Yoshihiro , Sameshima Seiji , Ueda Tetsuo , Ogata Nahoko , Tashiro Maki , Kitano Shigehiko , Sakamoto Taiji
Published: December 2019

The benefit of pars plana vitrectomy with internal limiting membrane peeling for tractional macular edema and diffuse nontractional macular edema in diabetic retinopathy has been reported. Although these studies had included various stages, use of conventional 20-gauge vitrectomy system, small number of cases, single-center study, and lack of retinal structure measurements were limitations. We compared one-year outcomes of 25-gauge vitrectomy for refractory diabetic macular edema with or without the tractional proliferative membrane in proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) eyes and examined the prognostic factors for postoperative visual acuity. A total of consecutive 116 PDR eyes of 116 patients that underwent 25-gauge vitrectomy for tractional macular edema (TME group: 56 eyes) or nontractional macular edema (nTME group: 60 eyes) at six centers were retrospectively reviewed. Visual acuity (VA), central macular thickness (CMT), complications, and postoperative treatments before and 12 months after vitrectomy were compared. Mean VA improved significantly in each group (both P<0.01), and mean CMT decreased significantly in each group (both P<0.01). Thirteen eyes underwent additional vitrectomy, six eyes developed neovascular glaucoma, six eyes received intravitreal anti-VEGF injection, and thirteen eyes received subtenon triamcinolone acetonide injection. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that baseline VA and CMT in the TME group and kidney function in the nTME group were the predictable factors of the 12-month postoperative VA. Twenty-five-gauge vitrectomy effectively improved VA and macular structure both in TME and nTME groups. Baseline VA, CMT, and kidney function are important factors affecting postoperative VA.