bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Inhibition of p38 ameliorates axonal loss with modulation of autophagy in TNF-induced optic nerve damage
Authors: Sase Kana , Tsukahara Chihiro , Fujita Naoki , Arizono Ibuki , Otsubo Mizuki , Kitaoka Yasushi
Published: April 2023

Purpose

A relationship between p38 and autophagy remains debated. The aim of the current study is to investigate whether an inhibitor of p38 prevents axon loss induced by TNF and whether it affects autophagy.

Methods

Rats were given intravitreal injection of TNF, TNF plus SB203580, a p38 inhibitor, or SB203580 alone. Immunoblot analysis was performed to examine p62 expression which is a marker of autophagic flux and LC3-II expression which is an autophagy marker in optic nerves 1 week after intravitreal injection. Morphometric analysis of axons was performed to evaluate the effects of SB203580 against TNF-induced optic nerve damage 2 weeks after intravitreal injection. Immunohistochemical analysis was performed to evaluate the expressions of LC3, neurofilament, phosphorylated p38 and p62 in the optic nerve.

Results

Quantification of axon number showed that TNF-induced axon loss was significantly protected by SB203580. Immunoblot analysis showed that the increase of p62 induced by TNF was totally eliminated by SB203580, and the SB203580 alone injection decreased the expression of p62. The level of LC3-II was significantly upregulated in the TNF plus SB203580 group compared with the TNF alone group, and the SB203580 alone injection increased the expression of LC3-II. Immunohistochemical analysis showed that LC3 immunoreactivity was found in the neurofilament positive fibers and that these immunoreactivities were enhanced by SB203580. Some colocalizations of p-p38 and p62 were observed in the TNF-treated optic nerve.

Conclusion

These results suggest that inhibition of p38 exerts axonal protection with upregulated autophagy in TNF-induced optic nerve damage.
Analysis of (sub-)Riemannian PDE-G-CNNs
Authors: Bellaard Gijs , Bon Daan L. J. , Pai Gautam , Smets Bart M. N. , Duits Remco
Published: April 2023

Group equivariant convolutional neural networks (G-CNNs) have been successfully applied in geometric deep learning. Typically, G-CNNs have the advantage over CNNs that they do not waste network capacity on training symmetries that should have been hard-coded in the network. The recently introduced framework of PDE-based G-CNNs (PDE-G-CNNs) generalizes G-CNNs. PDE-G-CNNs have the core advantages that they simultaneously (1) reduce network complexity, (2) increase classification performance, and (3) provide geometric interpretability. Their implementations primarily consist of linear and morphological convolutions with kernels. In this paper, we show that the previously suggested approximative morphological kernels do not always accurately approximate the exact kernels accurately. More specifically, depending on the spatial anisotropy of the Riemannian metric, we argue that one must resort to sub-Riemannian approximations. We solve this problem by providing a new approximative kernel that works regardless of the anisotropy. We provide new theorems with better error estimates of the approximative kernels, and prove that they all carry the same reflectional symmetries as the exact ones. We test the effectiveness of multiple approximative kernels within the PDE-G-CNN framework on two datasets, and observe an improvement with the new approximative kernels. We report that the PDE-G-CNNs again allow for a considerable reduction of network complexity while having comparable or better performance than G-CNNs and CNNs on the two datasets. Moreover, PDE-G-CNNs have the advantage of better geometric interpretability over G-CNNs, as the morphological kernels are related to association fields from neurogeometry.
Maximum Principle for Stochastic Control of SDEs with Measurable Drifts
Authors: Menoukeu-Pamen Olivier , Tangpi Ludovic
Published: April 2023

In this paper, we consider stochastic optimal control of systems driven by stochastic differential equations with irregular drift coefficient. We establish a necessary and sufficient stochastic maximum principle. To achieve this, we first derive an explicit representation of the first variation process (in the Sobolev sense) of the controlled diffusion. Since the drift coefficient is not smooth, the representation is given in terms of the local time of the state process. Then we construct a sequence of optimal control problems with smooth coefficients by an approximation argument. Finally, we use Ekeland’s variational principle to obtain an approximating adjoint process from which we derive the maximum principle by passing to the limit. The work is notably motivated by the optimal consumption problem of investors paying wealth tax.
Outcomes of science-industry collaboration: factors and interdependencies
Authors: Cantner Uwe , Kalthaus Martin , Yarullina Indira
Published: April 2023

We analyse the outcomes for scientists from science-industry collaboration projects and study the conditions under which these outcomes emerge. While previous research analyses the motivations for scientists to collaborate and the characteristics of such collaborations, we focus on the generated outcomes. We provide a new conceptualisation of collaboration outcomes and distinguish three different types: scientific outcomes, commercialisable outcomes, and follow-up cooperation. We argue that scientific factors influence the generation of scientific outcomes, and economic factors the generation of commercialisable outcomes, accordingly; interaction factors are proposed to influence the emergence of follow-up cooperation. We further propose that these outcomes depend on each other and hence are co-generated. We test our propositions with survey data from scientists in the German state of Thuringia. We develop novel survey items about characteristics of scientists’ last collaboration with an industry partner and its outcomes. Multivariate probit estimations show that scientific factors positively relate to scientific outcomes, and interaction factors are relevant for follow-up cooperation. However, when it comes to economic factors, we find mixed evidence of their relation to commercialisable outcomes. The outcome interdependence exists between scientific outcomes and the other two types of outcomes but not between commercialisable outcomes and follow-up cooperation. Our results can be used by policymakers and science managers to design and strengthen the support for collaboration projects.
Adaptive cooperative coevolutionary differential evolution for parallel feature selection in high-dimensional datasets
Authors: Firouznia Marjan , Ruiu Pietro , Trunfio Giuseppe A.
Published: April 2023

In many fields, it is a common practice to collect large amounts of data characterized by a high number of features. These datasets are at the core of modern applications of supervised machine learning, where the goal is to create an automatic classifier for newly presented data. However, it is well known that the presence of irrelevant features in a dataset can make the learning phase harder and, most importantly, can lead to suboptimal classifiers. Consequently, it is becoming increasingly important to be able to select the right subset of features. Traditionally, optimization metaheuristics have been used with success in the task of feature selection. However, many of the approaches presented in the literature are not applicable to datasets with thousands of features because of the poor scalability of optimization algorithms. In this article, we address the problem using a cooperative coevolutionary approach based on differential evolution. In the proposed algorithm, parallelized for execution on shared-memory architectures, a suitable strategy for reducing the dimensionality of the search space and adjusting the population size during the optimization results in significant performance improvements. A numerical investigation on some high-dimensional and medium-dimensional datasets shows that, in most cases, the proposed approach can achieve higher classification performance than other state-of-the-art methods.
Recent advances in CAR T-cell therapy for lymphoma in China
Authors: Che Yuxuan , Sun Xiuhua
Published: April 2023

Lymphoma is a hematologic malignancy which mainly consists of Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). Although systemic chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and other advanced therapeutics, including rituximab or immune checkpoint inhibitors, have improved the prognosis in recent decades, there are still a number of patients with relapsed or refractory (R/R) lymphoma with a poor prognosis. Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy has provided a curative option for patients with relapsed or refractory lymphoma. Numerous clinical trials have been conducted worldwide and presented inspiring results that give insight into this breakthrough therapy. The development of cancer cell therapy in China has been rapid in the past years and dominates the field with the USA. This review aims to summarize the published results of CAR T-cell therapy alone or in combination with other therapies in mainland China, both in R/R NHL and R/R HL.
Bidiagonal factorization of tetradiagonal matrices and Darboux transformations
Authors: Branquinho Amílcar , Foulquié-Moreno Ana , Mañas Manuel
Published: April 2023

Recently a spectral Favard theorem for bounded banded lower Hessenberg matrices that admit a positive bidiagonal factorization was presented. These type of matrices are oscillatory. In this paper the Lima–Loureiro hypergeometric multiple orthogonal polynomials and the Jacobi–Piñeiro multiple orthogonal polynomials are discussed at the light of this bidiagonal factorization for tetradiagonal matrices. The Darboux transformations of tetradiagonal Hessenberg matrices is studied and Christoffel formulas for the elements of the bidiagonal factorization are given, i.e., the bidiagonal factorization is given in terms of the recursion polynomials evaluated at the origin.
GHRH + arginine test and body mass index: do we need to review diagnostic criteria for GH deficiency?
Authors: Gasco V. , Cuboni D. , Varaldo E. , Bioletto F. , Berton A. M. , Bona C. , Prencipe N. , Ghigo E. , Maccario M. , Grottoli S.
Published: April 2023

Introduction

The proportion of patients with low GH response to provocative tests increases with the number of other pituitary hormone deficiencies, reason why in panhypopituitary patients GH stimulation tests may be unnecessary to diagnose GH deficiency (GHD)

Purpose

To re-evaluate the diagnostic cut-offs of GH response to GHRH + arginine (ARG) test related to BMI, considering the patients’ pituitary function as the gold standard for the diagnosis of GHD.

Methods

The GH responses to GHRH + ARG were studied in 358 patients with history of hypothalamic-pituitary disease. GHD was defined by the presence of at least 3 other pituitary deficits (n = 223), while a preserved somatotropic function was defined by the lack of other pituitary deficits and an IGF-I SDS ≥ 0 (n = 135). The cut-off with the best sensitivity (SE) and specificity (SP), was identified for each BMI category using the ROC curve analysis. To avoid over-diagnosis of GHD we subsequently searched for the cut-offs with a SP ≥ 95%.

Results

The best GH cut-off was 8.0 μg/l (SE 95%, SP 100%) in lean, 7.0 μg/l (SE 97.3%, SP 82.8%) in overweight, and 2.8 μg/l (SE 84.3%, SP 91.7%) in obese subjects. The cut-off with a SP ≥ 95% was 2.6 μg/l (SE 68.5%, SP 96.6%) in overweight and 1.75 μg/l (SE 70.0%, SP 97.2%) in obese subjects.

Conclusions

This is the first study that evaluates the diagnostic cut-offs of GH response to GHRH + ARG related to BMI using a clinical definition of GHD as gold standard. Our results suggest that with this new approach, the GHRH + ARG cut-offs should be revised to avoid GHD over-diagnosis.
Effects of coals microscale structural features on their mechanical properties, propensity to crushing and fine dust formation
Authors: Kossovich Elena , Epshtein Svetlana , Krasilova Vera , Hao Jie , Minin Maxim
Published: April 2023

The work is dedicated to revealing the structural features of coals with different ranks, such as anthracites, metaanthracite and graphite, that determine their ability to crush and form fine dust. For this purpose, a combination of various nanoindentation techniques and Raman spectroscopy was used. The mechanical behavior of the selected coals was investigated by cyclic nanoindentation with increasing peak load and quasi-static loading. The alteration of the mechanical properties was studied by analysis of elastic moduli and damage indices Rw. Three groups of coals were identified based on their propensity to crushing during cyclic nanoindentation. Coals assigned to the first and second groups are characterized by local destruction in the contact zone with the indenter and the formation of a core of crushed material. Coals assigned to the third group are characterized by bulk destruction (outside the zone of contact with the indenter). In general, the ability of coals to fracture under mechanical loading decreases in the series of metamorphism due to microscale compaction of vitrinite matter. In the series of anthracite, metaanthracite and graphite, it is established that the coal matter compaction takes place for the anthracite and metaanthracite, whereas graphite reveals rather different behavior due to abrupt change of its structure. The ratios between the amorphous and crystalline phases of carbon (S) were determined by deconvolution of coals Raman spectra. The propensity of coals to crushing (a damage index Rw) increases with growth of the proportion of amorphous carbon in the coal matter. For the considered coals and metaanthracite, it is established that the proneness to destruction outside the contact zone with the indenter is determined by the ratio of amorphous and crystalline carbon of 1 and higher. When S parameter is lower than 1, the coals are being crushed only in the zone of contact with the indenter.
Mechanism of the delayed coal–gas outburst caused by creep instability of the ‘‘barrier layer and tectonic coal’’ combination
Authors: Xu Lehua , Jiang Haina , Zhang Hao
Published: April 2023

A delayed coal–gas outburst incident often represents a more severe threat to health and safety of mine personnel than an instantaneous coal–gas outburst incident. For a better understanding of mechanism of the delayed coal–gas outburst, structure of “barrier layer and tectonic coal” combination in the delayed coal–gas outburst is firstly introduced in this paper. Based on, the delayed coal–gas outburst under different conditions of mining depth and thickness of the barrier layer are numerically simulated. Results indicate that the barrier layer enters the tertiary creep stage in a shorter time as mining depth increases and as thickness of the barrier layer decreases. Then we analyze effect of dynamic disturbance on the delayed coal–gas outburst. Our enquires reveal that 92.31% of the delayed coal–gas outburst incidents in China from 2011 to 2020 were affected by dynamic disturbance within 10 days before their occurrence. It is also proved that presence of dynamic disturbance makes coal–gas outburst occur in advance. Finally, the creep instability model of the “barrier layer and tectonic coal’’ combination under dynamic disturbance is proposed, which reflects the comprehensive effect of four main factors: the ‘‘barrier layer and tectonic coal’’ combination structure, gas pressure, in-situ stress, and dynamic disturbance on the delayed coal–gas outburst, and thus can be useful for its prevention and control.
Why they do and why they don’t: a combined criminological approach to understanding assignment outsourcing in higher education
Authors: Awdry Rebecca , Groves Andrew
Published: April 2023

Assignment outsourcing is an intractable challenge for higher education. While various academic and legislative approaches have sought to explain/respond to this problem, recent media, community, and government concerns suggest students are increasingly outsourcing assessments. This paper reports on the qualitative findings of an international survey (n = 7000 +) of students’ perceptions and experiences of outsourcing, to test the utility of a multi-theoretical criminological explanation for this behaviour. The results reveal a complex learning environment where students’ knowledge is shaped by an assemblage of social, cultural, and institutional influences; a learning environment where engagement in, or avoidance of, cheating are dynamic. Interdependent behaviours are learnt, shared or observed, and reinforced through peer networks. Interrogation of students’ qualitative comments emphasises that intervention is possible, albeit equally complex.
Experimental Investigation on Bonded and Screwed Carbon Fiber-Reinforced Plastic Plates on Timber Column–Sill Joints
Authors: Ueda Rintaro , Sakamoto Akio , Sawata Kei , Sasaki Yoshihisa , Sasaki Takanobu
Published: April 2023

In this study, timber column–sill joints strengthened with carbon fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP) plates using bonds and screws were subjected to loading tests. Twelve joint specifications were considered depending on different combinations of the CFRP plate surface finish and thickness and the type of bond, and the corresponding effects on the load–displacement behavior of the joints were investigated. Three failure modes were observed in addition to the peeling of the CFRP plate. The specimens that failed owing to screw tear out and screw head pull-through in the CFRP plate or splitting of the sill showed load–displacement curves of a similar shape. Those that failed owing to buckling of the CFRP plate showed a rapid and substantial load decrease due to failure. This failure mode was only observed in 0.50 mm thick CFRP plate specimens. When a peel-ply CFRP plate was installed in the column–sill joint specimens, similar secant stiffnesses were observed in the silicon and epoxy resin-bonded specimens, both with high shear strength. Although the specimens with bonds with a high shear strength showed lower deformation performance, the specimens' maximum load increased with the bond's shear strength. The maximum load improved for a 0.75 mm thick peel-ply silicon- or epoxy-bonded CFRP plate. The load's maximum value after peeling the CFRP plate was 0.79–1.23 times as large as the maximum load of the no-bond specimens and did not change significantly.
Statistical power, accuracy, reproducibility and robustness of a graph clusterability test
Authors: Miasnikof Pierre , Shestopaloff Alexander Y. , Raigorodskii Andrei
Published: April 2023

Not all graphs are clusterable. Not all graphs have a clustered structure and can be meaningfully summarized through vertex clustering. Clusterable graphs are characterized by pockets of densely connected vertices that are only sparsely connected to the remaining graph. In this article, we re-introduce a very simple and intuitive, yet highly informative, statistical hypothesis test for graph clusterability that is based on vertex and neighborhood samples. The goal of this test is to determine if a graph meets the necessary structural conditions to be summarized meaningfully through vertex clusters. Our test is based on the hypothesis that a clusterable graph will display, on average, a local neighborhood induced subgraph density that is greater than the graph’s overall density. The test is also applied to graph comparisons, to test whether one graph has a stronger clustered structure than another. Significance is assessed using thet-statistic. Since it is based on sampling, we provide a focused examination of our test’s sensitivity to sample size. The main contribution of this article is a detailed examination of our test’s accuracy, sensitivity to sample size, conclusion reproducibility and robustness. Our empirical results remain consistent with our earlier conclusions and demonstrate the almost perfect accuracy of our test, even with very small samples of the graph. They also reveal that our test remains robust even under severe departures from the null hypothesis.
Effect of interfacial structure on peel strength between Cu and AlN bonded with a Mg–Ti co-deposited film
Authors: Terasaki Nobuyuki , Kon Naochika , Chiba Hajime , Ohashi Touyou , Sekino Tohru
Published: April 2023

Eliminating electrochemical migration of Ag is effective for improving the long-term reliability of power modules for high-voltage applications. In this work, a Cu plate was bonded onto an AlN substrate via Mg–Ti co-deposited films with three different compositions as Ag-free bonding materials between 800 and 950 °C for 0.5 h. The interfacial structures and the peel strength between the Cu and AlN were investigated by using the Surface And Interfacial Cutting Analysis System (SAICAS). Cu was bonded onto AlN through a TiN layer consisting of TiN particles and a Cu-containing grain boundary phase. All fractures at the Cu/AlN interface were observed to occur between the TiN layer and AlN after the SAICAS test. The peel strength at the Cu/AlN interface, which was independent of the thickness of the TiN layer, increased exponentially with increasing bonding temperature. Cu-containing phases, such as grain boundary phases and segregation phases between TiN particles and AlN, were present at the TiN layer/AlN interface. Mg and O were segregated at the interface, which had a high peel strength between the Cu-containing phase and AlN, while at the signal peak position of Mg, a plateau was observed in the Al concentration distribution between the Cu-containing phase and TiN particle. The peel strength of the Cu-containing phase/AlN interface, which increased as the O concentration in the Mg-containing segregation layer increased, dominated that of the TiN layer/AlN interface.
Educating for Democracy
Authors: Feinberg Walter
Published: April 2023

In our world of unceasing turmoil, an educated citizenry is the first and strongest line of defence for democratic renewal. Educating for Democracy shows how students can prepare for the responsibilities of 'the most important office in a democracy' – that of a citizen. Education can provide students with the dispositions and skills needed to exercise their role judiciously and responsibly, as a patriot who cares about democracy and as a custodian who cares for democracy. These two aspects of caring call for curriculum-wide reform. The outcome of this reform is a patriot who serves as custodian of democratic culture, where commitment and competence, heart and mind, love and intellect, are brought together for the sake of democratic renewal. While nations, as both instruments and proximal objects of care, have an important role to play in this renewal, the ultimate aim is the care and cultivation of a democratic culture.
Cross-Border Recognition of Formalized Same-Sex Relationships
Authors: Vaige Laima
Published: April 2023

Same-sex relationships have successively qualified for formalization through marriage or registered partnership in many European countries. However, some EU Member States still refuse to give them any form of recognition or only allow very limited legal effects. The irregular speed of development in domestic family laws in EU Member States results in 'limping family' relations, that is, family relations that are recognised as creating a formal civil status in many EU Member States, but not in all of them. The ordre public safeguard of private international law has widely been used to justify why a same-sex marriage or registered partnership cannot be recognised. The pretext tends to be that national identity, allegedly, becomes threatened. Nevertheless, the case-law of the European Court of Human Rights and the Court of Justice of European Union provides new standards for recognition, which create legal obligations for EU Member States.
Parametric amplification as a single-shot time-resolved off-harmonic probe for laser–matter interactions
Authors: Grepl Filip , Tryus Maksym , Chagovets Timofej , Margarone Daniele
Published: April 2023

An optical probing of laser–plasma interactions can provide time-resolved measurements of plasma density; however, single-shot and multi-frame probing capabilities generally rely on complex setups with limited flexibility. We have demonstrated a new method for temporal resolution of the rapid dynamics (

$\sim 170$

fs) of plasma evolution within a single laser shot based on the generation of several consecutive probe pulses from a single beta barium borate-based optical parametric amplifier using a fraction of the driver pulse with the possibility to adjust the central wavelengths and delays of particular pulses by optical delay lines. The flexibility and scalability of the proposed experimental technique are presented and discussed.
Novel Gemini ionic liquid for oxidative desulfurization of gas oil
Authors: Mohammed Hoda A. , Mostafa Hamida Y. , El-Aty Dina M. Abd , Ashmawy Ashraf M.
Published: April 2023

The N1,N1,N3,N3-tetramethyl –N1,N3-diphenylpropane-1,3-diaminium dichloride ionic liquid (ILc) is an environmentally friendly catalyst for oxidative–extractive desulfurization of gas oil (sulfur content = 2400 ppm) in the presence of H2O2 as an oxidizing agent. The precise structure of the prepared IL was confirmed using FT-IR spectroscopy, and1H-NMR. The reaction temperature, IL ratios, H2O2 dosage, and reaction time were studied to assess their effects on the desulfurization efficiency. The thermodynamic parameters of the oxidation reaction were determined. A desulfurization efficiency of 84.7% was obtained after the extractive desulfurization process using acetonitrile as an organic solvent at a solvent to feed ratio of 1:1 (v/v). Furthermore, the prepared IL may be reused for at least six cycles without any significant change in its desulfurization performance or chemical structure, which confirms its high reusability.
Rapid population growth and high management costs have created a narrow window for control of introduced hippos in Colombia
Authors: Subalusky Amanda L. , Sethi Suresh A. , Anderson Elizabeth P. , Jiménez Germán , Echeverri-Lopez David , García-Restrepo Sebastián , Nova-León Laura J. , Reátiga-Parrish Juan F. , Post David M. , Rojas Ana
Published: April 2023

The introduction of hippos into the wild in Colombia has been marked by their rapid population growth and widespread dispersal on the landscape, high financial costs of management, and conflicting social perspectives on their management and fate. Here we use population projection models to investigate the effectiveness and cost of management options under consideration for controlling introduced hippos. We estimate there are 91 hippos in the middle Magdalena River basin, Colombia, and the hippo population is growing at an estimated rate of 9.6% per year. At this rate, there will be 230 hippos by 2032 and over 1,000 by 2050. Applying the population control methods currently under consideration will cost at least 1–2 million USD to sufficiently decrease hippo population growth to achieve long-term removal, and depending on the management strategy selected, there may still be hippos on the landscape for 50–100 years. Delaying management actions for a single decade will increase minimum costs by a factor of 2.5, and some methods may become infeasible. Our approach illustrates the trade-offs inherent between cost and effort in managing introduced species, as well as the importance of acting quickly, especially when dealing with species with rapid population growth rates and potential for significant ecological and social impacts.
A multi-modal machine learning approach to detect extreme rainfall events in Sicily
Authors: Vitanza Eleonora , Dimitri Giovanna Maria , Mocenni Chiara
Published: April 2023

In 2021 almost 300 mm of rain, nearly half of the average annual rainfall, fell near Catania (Sicily Island, Italy). Such events took place in just a few hours, with dramatic consequences on the environmental, social, economic, and health systems of the region. These phenomena are now very common in various countries all around the world: this is the reason why, detecting local extreme rainfall events is a crucial prerequisite for planning actions, able to reverse possibly intensified dramatic future scenarios. In this paper, the Affinity Propagation algorithm, a clustering algorithm grounded on machine learning, was applied, to the best of our knowledge, for the first time, to detect extreme rainfall areas in Sicily. This was possible by using a high-frequency, large dataset we collected, ranging from 2009 to 2021 which we named RSE (the Rainfall Sicily Extreme dataset). Weather indicators were then been employed to validate the results, thus confirming the presence of recent anomalous rainfall events in eastern Sicily. We believe that easy-to-use and multi-modal data science techniques, such as the one proposed in this study, could give rise to significant improvements in policy-making for successfully contrasting climate change.
Initiating and imaging cavitation from infused echo contrast agents through the EkoSonic catheter
Authors: Kennedy Sonya R. , Lafond Maxime , Haworth Kevin J. , Escudero Daniel Suarez , Ionascu Dan , Frierson Brion , Huang Shaoling , Klegerman Melvin E. , Peng Tao , McPherson David D. , Genstler Curtis , Holland Christy K.
Published: April 2023

Ultrasound-enhanced delivery of therapeutic-loaded echogenic liposomes is under development for vascular applications using the EkoSonic Endovascular System. In this study, fibrin-targeted echogenic liposomes loaded with an anti-inflammatory agent were characterized before and after infusion through an EkoSonic catheter. Cavitation activity was nucleated by Definity or fibrin-targeted, drug-loaded echogenic liposomes infused and insonified with EkoSonic catheters. Passive cavitation imaging was used to quantify and map bubble activity in a flow phantom mimicking porcine arterial flow. Cavitation was sustained during 3-min infusions of Definity or echogenic liposomes along the distal 6 cm treatment zone of the catheter. Though the EkoSonic catheter was not designed specifically for cavitation nucleation, infusion of drug-loaded echogenic liposomes can be employed to trigger and sustain bubble activity for enhanced intravascular drug delivery.
Effects of phosphogypsum on enzyme activity and microbial community in acid soil
Authors: Li Changan , Dong Yonggang , Yi Yun , Tian Juan , Xuan Chao , Wang Yan , Wen Yuanbo , Cao Jianxin
Published: April 2023

Phosphogypsum (PG) is a solid waste produced from decomposition of phosphate rock in sulfuric acid. It can improve the physicochemical properties of soil. However, the application of PG will inevitably change the living environment of soil microorganisms and lead to the evolution of the soil microbial community. The effects of PG (0, 0.01%, 0.1%, 1%, 10% PG) on soil respiration, enzyme activity and microbial community were studied systematically by indoor incubation experiments. The results showed that the addition of 0.01% PG had little effect on the soil physicochemical properties and microflora. The soil respiration rate decreased with the increase of PG; The activities of catalase, urease and phosphatase were decreased and the activities of sucrase were increased by 10% PG treatment, while 0.01% or 0.1% PG treatment improve the urease activity; Soil microbial community response was significantly separated by amount of the PG amendment, and the application of 10% PG reduced the abundance, diversity and evenness of soil bacteria and fungi. Redundancy analysis (RDA) showed that soil bacterial composition was mainly driven by electrical conductivity (EC) and Ca2+, while fungal composition was mainly driven by F− and NH4+. In addition, the application of PG increased the abundance of salt-tolerant microorganisms and accelerated the degradation of soil organic matter. Overall, These results can help to revisit the current management of PG applications as soil amendments.
Association of SLC11A1 polymorphisms with anthropometric and biochemical parameters describing Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus
Authors: Kavian Zahra , Sargazi Saman , Majidpour Mahdi , Sarhadi Mohammad , Saravani Ramin , Shahraki Mansour , Mirinejad Shekoufeh , Heidari Nia Milad , Piri Maryam
Published: April 2023

Diabetes, a leading cause of death globally, has different types, with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) being the most prevalent one. It has been established that variations in the SLC11A1 gene impact risk of developing infectious, inflammatory, and endocrine disorders. This study is aimed to investigate the association between the SLC11A1 gene polymorphisms (rs3731864 G/A, rs3731865 C/G, and rs17235416 + TGTG/− TGTG) and anthropometric and biochemical parameters describing T2DM. Eight hundred participants (400 in each case and control group) were genotyped using the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR–RFLP) and amplification-refractory mutation system-PCR (ARMS-PCR) methods. Lipid profile, fasting blood sugar (FBS), hemoglobin A1c level, and anthropometric indices were also recorded for each subject. Findings revealed that SLC11A1–rs3731864 G/A, –rs17235416 (+ TGTG/− TGTG) were associated with T2DM susceptibility, providing protection against the disease. In contrast, SLC11A1–rs3731865 G/C conferred an increased risk of T2DM. We also noticed a significant association between SLC11A1–rs3731864 G/A and triglyceride levels in patients with T2DM. In silico evaluations demonstrated that the SLC11A2 and ATP7A proteins also interact directly with the SLC11A1 protein in Homo sapiens. In addition, allelic substitutions for both intronic variants disrupt or create binding sites for splicing factors and serve a functional effect. Overall, our findings highlighted the role of SLC11A1 gene variations might have positive (rs3731865 G/C) or negative (rs3731864 G/A and rs17235416 + TGTG/− TGTG) associations with a predisposition to T2DM.
Feasibility of simultaneous development of laparoscopic and robotic pancreaticoduodenectomy
Authors: Chao Ying-Jui , Lu Wei-Hsun , Liao Ting-Kai , Su Ping-Jui , Wang Chih-Jung , Lai Chao-Han , Hung Jo-Ying , Su Pei-Fang , Shan Yan-Shen
Published: April 2023

Laparoscopic (LPD) and robotic pancreaticoduodenectomy (RPD) are both challenging procedures. The feasibility and safety of simultaneously developing LPD and RPD remain unreported. We retrospectively reviewed the data of patients undergoing LPD or RPD between 2014 and 2021. A total of 114 patients underwent minimally invasive pancreaticoduodenectomy (MIPD): 39 LPDs and 75 RPDs. The learning process of LPD and RPD were similar. The cutoff points of the learning curve were LPD, 13th patient (the 27th patient of MIPD), and RPD, 18th patient (the 31st patient of MIPD) according the cumulative sum analysis of operative time. A decrease in the operative time was associated with the case sequence (p < 0.001) but not with the surgical approach (p = 0.36). The overall surgical outcomes were comparable between both the LPD and RPD groups. When evaluating the learning curve impact on MIPD, LPD had higher major complication (≧ Clavien–Dindo grade III), bile leak and wound infection rates in the pre-learning curve phase than those in the after-learning curve phase, while RPD had similar surgical outcomes between two phases. Simultaneous development of LPD and RPD is feasible and safe for experienced surgeons, with similar learning process and comparable surgical outcomes.
Dietary micro-fibrillated cellulose improves growth, reduces diarrhea, modulates gut microbiota, and increases butyrate production in post-weaning piglets
Authors: Uddin Md Karim , Mahmud Md. Rayhan , Hasan Shah , Peltoniemi Olli , Oliviero Claudio
Published: April 2023

Dietary fiber (DF) supplementation is one of the strategies to prevent on-farm infections; it has the capability to improve gut health and piglet performance. Among the beneficial DFs, micro-fibrillated cellulose (MFC) is a new-generation plant-derived innovative feed ingredient; MFC, originating from sugar-beet pulp, has a hyper-branched structure with the ability to form shear-thinning hydrogel and has a high water-binding capacity. We aimed to determine the effects of MFC supplementation on piglets' performance before and after weaning. We included 45 sows and their piglets in this trial and monitored the results until the piglets were 7 weeks old. Piglets supplemented with MFC had higher body weight and average daily growth (ADG) than did control piglets, both pre- and post-weaning. In addition, MFC supplementation in post-weaning piglets improved butyrate content, and reduced diarrhea incidence. These phenomena, perhaps due to the MFC supplementation at different stages until age 7 weeks. In addition, after weaning, MFC supplementation stimulated the growth of butyrate-producing bacteria such as Ruminococcus.2, Ruminococcaceae.UCG.014, Intestinibacter, Roseburia, and Oribacterium genera, as well as reduced the pathogenic bacteria, such as Campylobacter, and Escherichia. Evidently, supplementation of MFC in feed to young piglets can improve growth performance and butyric acid content and reduce post-weaning diarrhea.
Physics-informed reduced-order learning from the first principles for simulation of quantum nanostructures
Authors: Veresko Martin , Cheng Ming-Cheng
Published: April 2023

Multi-dimensional direct numerical simulation (DNS) of the Schrödinger equation is needed for design and analysis of quantum nanostructures that offer numerous applications in biology, medicine, materials, electronic/photonic devices, etc. In large-scale nanostructures, extensive computational effort needed in DNS may become prohibitive due to the high degrees of freedom (DoF). This study employs a physics-based reduced-order learning algorithm, enabled by the first principles, for simulation of the Schrödinger equation to achieve high accuracy and efficiency. The proposed simulation methodology is applied to investigate two quantum-dot structures; one operates under external electric field, and the other is influenced by internal potential variation with periodic boundary conditions. The former is similar to typical operations of nanoelectronic devices, and the latter is of interest to simulation and design of nanostructures and materials, such as applications of density functional theory. In each structure, cases within and beyond training conditions are examined. Using the proposed methodology, a very accurate prediction can be realized with a reduction in the DoF by more than 3 orders of magnitude and in the computational time by 2 orders, compared to DNS. An accurate prediction beyond the training conditions, including higher external field and larger internal potential in untrained quantum states, is also achieved. Comparison is also carried out between the physics-based learning and Fourier-based plane-wave approaches for a periodic case.
A five-electrode capacitively coupled contactless conductivity detector with a low limit of detection
Authors: Hu Chunqiong , Xie Bo , Li Hongmei , Xiao Dan
Published: April 2023

This work proposes a five-electrode capacitively coupled contactless conductivity detector (TIC4D) with a low limit of detection.
HOPAV: Hybrid optimization‐oriented path planning for non‐connected and connected automated vehicles
Authors: Babu Ananda , Kavitha Tamizhselvan , de Prado Rocío Pérez , Parameshachari Bidare Divakarachari , Woźniak Marcin
Published: April 2023

Over the past ten years, autonomous driving has garnered a great deal of interest from both the scientific community and business. Strong technological advancements have made automated driving more practical because human driving abilities seem limited in terms of driving experience, reaction time, and the effectiveness of real‐time decisions. The development of highly autonomous driving algorithms is inextricably tied to planning and changing a vehicle path that must be user‐acceptable, efficient, and collision‐free. Path planning for road vehicles is a difficult problem due to the high speed involved and the requirement to assure passenger safety. Here, a new path‐planning method is developed for both connected and disconnected automatic road vehicles on multilane highways. This paradigm states that the right phrases to describe the objectives of vehicle improvement, passenger comfort, prevention of vehicle‐to‐vehicle collisions and road deviations are included in the objective function. Hunger Games improved Archimedes optimization (HGE‐ARCO) is used to optimize the paths for achieving better‐planned outcomes. At the 100th penetration rate, the HGE‐ARCO scheme reached a top speed of about 99 km/h. The results shows unmistakably that the proposed HGE‐ARCO produces a time of 12.3021 s, which is less than other conventional methods.
Efficient physics‐based recurrent neural network model for radio wave propagation in tunnels at 2.4 GHz
Authors: Qin Hao , Huang Siyi , Zhang Xingqi
Published: April 2023

The vector parabolic equation (VPE) method has been widely applied to the modelling of radio wave propagation in tunnel environments. However, dense spatial discretizations are generally required for VPE simulations to achieve acceptable accuracy. This results in high computational costs for large‐size tunnels and high‐frequency wireless systems. This letter presents an efficient physics‐based recurrent neural network (RNN) model for modeling radio wave propagation in tunnels. The proposed RNN‐based model can leverage coarse‐mesh VPE to generate high‐fidelity received signal strength and achieve significant computational savings. The validity of the proposed approach is demonstrated against fine‐mesh VPE simulations in various tunnel cases.
Automatic cardiac arrhythmias classification using CNN and attention‐based RNN network
Authors: Sun Jie
Published: April 2023

Cardiac disease has become a severe threat to public health according to the government report. In China, there are 0.29 billion cardiac patients and early diagnosis will greatly reduce mortality and improve life quality. Electrocardiogram (ECG) signal is a priority tool in the diagnosis of heart diseases because it is non‐invasive and easily available with a simple diagnostic tool of low cost. The paper proposes an automatic classification model by combing convolutional neural network (CNN) and recurrent neural network (RNN) to distinguish different types of cardiac arrhythmias. Morphology features of the raw ECG signals are extracted by CNN blocks and fed into a bidirectional gated recurrent unit (GRU) network. Attention mechanism is used to highlight specific features of the input sequence and contribute to the performance improvement of classification. The model is evaluated with two datasets considering the class imbalance problem constructed with records from MIT‐BIH arrhythmia database and China Physiological Signal Challenge 2018 database. Experimental results show that this model achieves good performance with an average F1 score of 0.9110 on public dataset and 0.9082 on subject‐specific dataset, which may have potential practical applications.
Improving voltage imbalance in inverter‐based islanded microgrids during line‐to‐line short circuits
Authors: Castilla Miguel , Miret Jaume , de Vicuña Luis García , Borrell Ángel , Alfaro Carlos
Published: April 2023

Line‐to‐line short circuits are the transient disturbances that cause the highest currents as well as the largest voltage imbalances in inverter‐based microgrids. This paper presents a control scheme for grid‐forming inverters in islanded microgrids that limits the current to a safe value during these types of short circuits while providing a lower voltage imbalance compared to state‐of‐the‐art current limiting techniques. This control scheme is based on reducing both the amplitude of the reference voltage with the maximum amplitude of the reference current and the instantaneous reference voltage with only the inductive component of the virtual impedance. The combination of these two control actions provides low voltage imbalance, as the theoretical and experimental studies reveal. This voltage imbalance improvement is the main contribution of this paper and is maintained when the microgrid supplies linear and non‐linear loads. In the theoretical study, the paper includes control design guidelines to satisfy static and dynamic specifications. The theoretical predictions are validated by means of experimental results measured in a laboratory microgrid. A practical performance comparison of current limiting techniques based on experimental tests is also reported.
Concurrent frequency–voltage stabilization for hybrid microgrid with virtual inertia support
Authors: Latif Abdul , Suhail Hussain S. M. , Iqbal Atif , Das Dulal Chandra , Ustun Taha Selim , Al‐Durra Ahmed
Published: April 2023

This paper presents a novel control scheme for combined frequency and voltage stabilization of an islanded multi‐generator hybrid microgrid (IHμG). The control concept incorporates an improved virtual inertia support scheme (IVIS) and the recently developed yellow saddle goatfish technique (YSGA) to obtain optimal control parameters. IHμG model consists of an AVR‐based voltage compensating loop for synchronous biodiesel generator, wind generator, wave generator, photon exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC), and controllable heat pump and freezer. An integer order proportional‐integral‐derivative (IOPID) controller is leveraged for frequency‐voltage stabilization. A comparative response assessment has been performed with/without IVIS. The utilization of YSGA has been justified by comparative assessment with particle swarm optimization, firefly, and sine‐cosine techniques. A meticulous performance evaluation of YSGA optimized IOPID control scheme in the IHμG has been conducted through several case studies. Furthermore, the rigorous sturdiness assessment of YSGA optimized IOPID controller was performed under different uncertainties such as: variation of amplifier gain, ±30% variation in demanded loading magnitude, moment of inertia and droop co‐efficient. Finally, real‐time hardware‐in‐the‐loop (HIL) simulation platform is utilized to validate the proposed control approach.
Performance analysis of linear detection for uplink massive MIMO system based on spectral and energy efficiency with Rayleigh fading channels in 3D plotting pattern
Authors: Al Soufy Khaled A. M. , Nashwan Farhan M. A. , Al‐Kamali Faisal S. , Al‐aroomi Salah Abdulhafedh
Published: April 2023

Massive multiple‐input multiple‐output (MIMO) is a critical component of 5G cellular networks, which utilizes large numbers of antennas at both the transmitter and receiver to enhance throughput and radiated energy efficiency. Various linear detection techniques are employed with massive MIMO to counteract path loss and interference, and maximize throughput. The first aim of this paper is to analyse the performance of uplink massive MIMO system for different linear detection techniques including: Maximum ratio combining (MRC), zero‐forcing (ZF), regularized ZF (RZF) and minimum mean squared error (MMSE) over Rayleigh channel model. The second aim is to jointly investigate the optimal values of signal‐to‐noise ratio (SNR), the number of antennas M and the number of users K for maximizing the spectral efficiency (SE) and energy efficiency (EE) through simulation using MATLAB and 3D plotting patterns. The obtained results show that the best SE and EE are achieved by uplink massive MIMO setup while using optimal values of SNR, M and K. It is observed that MMSE achieved the best performance. However, it requires estimation of average SNR at BS. Therefore, the best choice is ZF or RZF without any need for SNR estimation.