bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Spatiotemporal variation of environmental conditions and prey availability that drive Arctic nearshore fish community structure in the Point Barrow, Alaska, region
Authors: Barton Mark B. , Vollenweider Johanna J. , Heintz Ron A. , Norcross Brenda L. , Boswell Kevin M.
Published: August 2020

The Arctic nearshore surrounding Point Barrow, Alaska, is a dynamic system with complex oceanographic and meteorological processes that drive community composition to change rapidly in space and time. Nearshore fish and zooplankton communities were sampled in the summers of 2013–2015. Spatial, temporal, environmental, and biological drivers of fish community structure in the Arctic nearshore surrounding Point Barrow were investigated using multivariate canonical correspondence analysis (CCA). A CCA model using the 13 most explanatory variables (three environmental, one spatial, four temporal, and five zooplankton abundances) explained 73% of the variance in community structure in this region. Distinct fish communities were identified within the three waterbodies that were studied (Chukchi Sea, Beaufort Sea, and Elson Lagoon), and these distinctions were largely driven by salinity. Species move into the nearshore at various times after landfast ice breaks up, creating an annual succession of species that can be found in these nearshore habitats. Low-latitude species tend to become abundant later in the summer season, whereas true Arctic species are present under the ice or move in shortly after breakup. Arctic species are also more abundant in colder years, whereas low-latitude species dominate during warmer years. The increasing abundance of low-latitude species in the Arctic nearshore may have serious implications for the food webs in these ecosystems as climate change continues.
Estimating community feedback effect on topic choice in social media with predictive modeling
Authors: Adelani David Ifeoluwa , Kobayashi Ryota , Weber Ingmar , Grabowicz Przemyslaw A.
Published: August 2020

Social media users post content on various topics. A defining feature of social media is that other users can provide feedback—called community feedback—to their content in the form of comments, replies, and retweets. We hypothesize that the amount of received feedback influences the choice of topics on which a social media user posts. However, it is challenging to test this hypothesis as user heterogeneity and external confounders complicate measuring the feedback effect. Here, we investigate this hypothesis with a predictive approach based on an interpretable model of an author’s decision to continue the topic of their previous post. We explore the confounding factors, including author’s topic preferences and unobserved external factors such as news and social events, by optimizing the predictive accuracy. This approach enables us to identify which users are susceptible to community feedback. Overall, we find that 33% and 14% of active users in Reddit and Twitter, respectively, are influenced by community feedback. The model suggests that this feedback alters the probability of topic continuation up to 14%, depending on the user and the amount of feedback.
High Accuracy Behavior Prediction of Nonlinear Dynamic System with Semi-Parametric Model-Based Signal Separation
Authors: Wang Jun
Published: August 2020

The behavior prediction of nonlinear dynamic system is a challenging problem, especially when the system includes many independent subsystems. The observations from the complex dynamic system are the result of the interaction of multiple dynamic subsystems, which results in a loss of predictability. In this paper, semi-parametric model-based signal separation technique, in which validity function with penalizing is used to estimate the component number of the Gaussian mixture model (GMM) for every hidden source signal, is adopted to separate the observations of complex nonlinear dynamic system in order to improve its predictability. Then local support vector regression (SVR) technique is used to model the separated observations and make prediction. Finally, the prediction results are remixed as the original observation prediction or the behavior prediction of the complex nonlinear dynamic system. The experimental results show that the proposed method can separate the observation of the complex dynamic system robustly, improve the prediction accuracy substantially and perform better than the other comparison methods.
A No-Reference Image Quality Comprehensive Assessment Method
Authors: Fan Yuan-Yuan , Sang Ying-Jun
Published: August 2020

On the basis of the research status of image quality comprehensive assessment, a no-reference image quality comprehensive assessment function model is proposed in this paper. First, the image quality is classified as contrast, sharpness, and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and the interrelation of each assessment index is researched and analyzed; second, the weights in the comprehensive assessment model are studied when only contrast, sharpness, and SNR are changed. Finally, on the basis of studying each kind of distortion separately, and considering the different types of image distortion, we studied how to determine the weights of each index in the comprehensive image quality assessment. The results show that the no-reference image quality comprehensive assessment function model proposed in this paper can better fit human visual perception, and it has a good correlation with Difference Mean Opinion Score (DMOS). Correlation Coefficient (CC) reached 0.8331, Spearman Rank Order Correlation Coefficient (SROCC) reached 0.8206, Mean Absolute Error (MAE) was only 0.0920, Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) was only 0.1122, Outlier Ratio (OR) was only 0.0365. The method proposed in this paper can be applied to photoelectric measurement equipment television system and give an accurate and reliable quality assessment to no reference television images.
Niblack Binarization on Document Images: Area Efficient, Low Cost, and Noise Tolerant Stochastic Architecture
Authors: Mitra Shyamali , Santosh K. C. , Naskar Mrinal Kanti
Published: August 2020

Binarization plays a crucial role in Optical Character Recognition (OCR) ancillary domains, such as recovery of degraded document images. In Document Image Analysis (DIA), selecting threshold is not trivial since it differs from one problem (dataset) to another. Instead of trying several different thresholds for one dataset to another, we consider noise inherency of document images in our proposed binarization scheme. The proposed stochastic architecture implements the local thresholding technique: Niblack’s binarization algorithm. We introduce a stochastic comparator circuit that works on unipolar stochastic numbers. Unlike the conventional stochastic circuit, it is simple and easy to deploy. We implemented it on the Xilinx Virtex6 XC6VLX760-2FF1760 FPGA platform and received encouraging experimental results. The complete set of results are available upon request. Besides, compared to conventional designs, the proposed stochastic implementation is better in terms of time complexity as well as fault-tolerant capacity.
Iterability for (transfinite) stacks
Authors: Schlutzenberg Farmer
Published: August 2020

We establish natural criteria under which normally iterable premice are iterable for stacks of normal trees. Let [Formula: see text] be a regular uncountable cardinal. Let [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] be an [Formula: see text]-sound premouse and [Formula: see text] be an [Formula: see text]-iteration strategy for [Formula: see text] (roughly, a normal [Formula: see text]-strategy). We define a natural condensation property for iteration strategies, inflation condensation. We show that if [Formula: see text] has inflation condensation then [Formula: see text] is [Formula: see text]-iterable (roughly, [Formula: see text] is iterable for length [Formula: see text] stacks of normal trees each of length [Formula: see text]), and moreover, we define a specific such strategy [Formula: see text] and a reduction of stacks via [Formula: see text] to normal trees via [Formula: see text]. If [Formula: see text] has the Dodd-Jensen property and [Formula: see text] then [Formula: see text] has inflation condensation. We also apply some of the techniques developed to prove that if [Formula: see text] has strong hull condensation (introduced independently by John Steel), and [Formula: see text] is [Formula: see text]-generic for an [Formula: see text]-cc forcing, then [Formula: see text] extends to an [Formula: see text]-strategy [Formula: see text] for [Formula: see text] with strong hull condensation, in the sense of [Formula: see text]. Moreover, this extension is unique. We deduce that if [Formula: see text] is [Formula: see text]-generic for a ccc forcing then [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] have the same [Formula: see text]-sound, [Formula: see text]-iterable premice which project to [Formula: see text].
On graphs with same metric and upper dimension
Authors: Pirzada S. , Aijaz M.
Published: August 2020

The metric representation of a vertex [Formula: see text] of a graph [Formula: see text] is a finite vector representing distances of [Formula: see text] with respect to vertices of some ordered subset [Formula: see text]. The set [Formula: see text] is called a minimal resolving set if no proper subset of [Formula: see text] gives distinct representations for all vertices of [Formula: see text]. The metric dimension of [Formula: see text] is the cardinality of the smallest (with respect to its cardinality) minimal resolving set and upper dimension is the cardinality of the largest minimal resolving set. We show the existence of graphs for which metric dimension equals upper dimension. We found an error in a result, defining the metric dimension of join of path and totally disconnected graph, of the paper by Shahida and Sunitha [On the metric dimension of join of a graph with empty graph ([Formula: see text]), Electron. Notes Discrete Math. 63 (2017) 435–445] and we give the correct form of the theorem and its proof.
The effect of Ba/Sr ratio on the Curie temperature for ferroelectric barium strontium titanate ceramics
Authors: Gatea Hamed A. , Naji Iqbal S.
Published: August 2020

The powders of lead-free material namely (nonhazardous) barium strontium titanate (BST) with different stoichiometric compositions have been synthesized by the sol–gel method. Ba[Formula: see text]Sr[Formula: see text]TiO3 (BST) materials possess the properties of both ferroelectric and dielectric materials. These materials have spontaneous polarization that can be reversed by an applied electric field and they remain polarized even when the applied external electric field is removed. Synthesized samples have been subjected to structural, morphological, and dielectric characterizations. In this study, BST nanopowders with different substitutions of [Formula: see text] (where [Formula: see text]= 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, and 0.6) were prepared by the sol–gel method, which is an easy method with low power consumption and low temperature requirement and produces higher yield. Nanopowders had average particle sizes of 12–24 nm and particles sizes after sintering at 1000[Formula: see text]C for 3 h were 197, 267, 79.80, 63.09, and 63 nm. All resulting pellets had a polycrystalline structure. Crystal structure, space group, morphological characterization, and particle size were determined from the structural analysis using X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The dielectric measurements were made for BST pellets under different frequencies (1–200 kHz) from room temperature to 250[Formula: see text]C. The dielectric constants for the bulk were 743, 1566, 1091, 766, and 626 for [Formula: see text]= 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, and 0.6, respectively. From dielectric measurements, samples with [Formula: see text]= 0.2 and 0.3 had the Curie temperatures of 70[Formula: see text]C and 28.5[Formula: see text]C, respectively, and remained intact below 0[Formula: see text]C. The sample with [Formula: see text]= 0.3 had a good dielectric measurement and moderate dissipation factor; it may be used in capacitance application as energy stores.
Price Impact in a Latent Order Book
Authors: Lemhadri Ismael
Published: August 2020

The latent order book of [Donier et al., 2015, A fully consistent, minimal model for nonlinear market impact, Quantitative Finance 15(7), 1109–1121] is one of the most promising agent-based models for market impact. This work extends the minimal model by allowing agents to exhibit mean-reversion, a commonly observed pattern in real markets. This modification leads to new order book dynamics, which we explicitly study and analyze. Underlying our analysis is a mean-field assumption that views the order book through its average density. We show how price impact develops in this new model, providing a flexible family of solutions that can potentially be calibrated to real data. While no closed-form solution is provided, we complement our theoretical investigation with extensive numerical results, including a simulation scheme for the entire order book.
Facing an Uncertain Past
Authors: Kelly-Bootle Stan
Published: August 2020

Using my favorite Greek passive-present-neuter participle (I trust you have one, too), I offer a dramatic
prolegomenon
to this overdue column. To wit, an apology and an explanation for its tardiness. (You’ll notice the potentially unending recursion, since both column and excuses are late.) The apology is easy: we Brits just say "Jolly sorry, actually," and project a pained sincerity, whether we mean it or not.
A New Objective-C Runtime: from Research to Production
Authors: Chisnall David
Published: August 2020

The path from the research prototype (Étoilé runtime) to the shipping version (GNUstep runtime) involved a complete rewrite and redesign. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing: part of the point of building a prototype is to learn what makes sense and what doesn’t, and to investigate what is feasible in a world where you control the entire system, but not necessarily in production.
Noninterference specifications for secure systems
Authors: Nelson Luke , Bornholt James , Krishnamurthy Arvind , Torlak Emina , Wang Xi
Published: August 2020

This paper presents an analysis of noninterference specifications used in a range of formally verified systems. The main findings are that these systems use distinct specifications and that they often employ small variations, both complicating their security implications. We categorize these specifications and discuss their trade-offs for reasoning about information flows in systems.
Symbolic Reasoning for Automatic Signal Placement
Authors: Ferles Kostas , Van Geffen Jacob , Dillig Isil , Smaragdakis Yannis
Published: August 2020

Explicit signaling between threads is a perennial cause of bugs in concurrent programs. While there are several runtime techniques to automatically notify threads upon the availability of some shared resource, such techniques are not widely-adopted due to their run-time overhead. This paper proposes a new solution based on static analysis for automatically generating a performant explicit-signal program from its corresponding implicit-signal implementation. The key idea is to generate verification conditions that allow us to minimize the number of required signals and unnecessary context switches, while guaranteeing semantic equivalence between the source and target programs. We have implemented our method in a tool called Expresso and evaluate it on challenging benchmarks from prior papers and open-source software. Expresso-generated code significantly outperforms past automatic signaling mechanisms (avg. 1.56x speedup) and closely matches the performance of hand-optimized explicit-signal code.
IGF-1 inhibits MPTP/MPP+-induced autophagy on dopaminergic neurons through the IGF-1R/PI3K-Akt-mTOR pathway and GPER
Authors: Wang Xiao-Wen , Yuan Liang-Jie , Yang Ye , Zhang Mei , Chen Wen-Fang
Published: August 2020

Autophagy dysfunctions are involved in the pathogenesis of Parkinson’s disease (PD). In the present study, we aimed to evaluate the involvement of G protein-coupled estrogen receptor (GPER) in the inhibitory effect of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) against excessive autophagy in PD animal and cellular models. 1-Methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) treatment significantly induced mouse movement disorder and decreased the protein level of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) in the substantia nigra (SN) and dopamine (DA) content in striatum. Along with the dopamine neuron injury, we observed significant upregulations of microtubule-associated light chain-3 II (LC3-II) and α-synuclein as well as a downregulation of P62 in MPTP-treated mice. These changes could be restored by IGF-1 pretreatment. Cotreatment with IGF-1R antagonist JB-1 or GPER antagonist G15 could block the neuroprotective effects of IGF-1. 1-Methy-4-phenylpyridinium (MPP+) treatment could also excessively activate autophagy along with the reduction of cell viability in SH-SY5Y cells. IGF-1 could inhibit the neurotoxicity through promoting the phosphorylation of Akt and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), which could also be antagonized by JB-1 or G15. These data suggest that IGF-1 inhibits MPTP/MPP+-induced autophagy on dopaminergic neurons through the IGF-1R/PI3K-Akt-mTOR pathway and GPER.
Physiological profile regulation during weight gain and loss by ovariectomized females: importance of SIRT1 and SIRT4
Authors: Camargo Thaís Furtado , Zanesco Ariane Maria , Pacher Kayo Augusto Salandin , Andrade Thiago Antonio Moretti , Alves Armindo Antonio , do Amaral Maria Esméria Corezola
Published: August 2020

Obesity in menopausal women occurs because of the systemic effects of loss of ovarian function, resulting in increased body weight and oxidative stress. Caloric restriction (CR) is essential for weight loss, since it provides benefits associated with metabolic normalization resulting from the action of sirtuins. The aim of this work was to evaluate the physiological effects of weight cycling in ovariectomized females. Females aged 2 mo ( n = 8/group) were submitted to simulated surgery, ovariectomy (OVX group), and ovariectomy with weight fluctuation (WF group). In the WF group, weight cycling was performed two times, using 21 days of ad libitum commercial feed and 21 days of caloric restriction with 40% of the feed consumed by the OVX group. After 17 wk, the animals were evaluated experimentally. Weight fluctuations reduced triacylglycerol and the adipose tissue index of the WF animals, while increasing the expression of antioxidant proteins. In addition to causing fluctuations in the physiological parameters, the weight cycling led to increases of adipocyte number and serum fatty acids. These effects were reflected in increased expression of the sirtuin (SIRT) 1 and SIRT4 proteins, as well as protein complexes of the mitochondrial electron transport chain, especially in the liver and adipose tissues. The weight-cycling results suggested that mitochondrial and nuclear sirtuins were active in cellular signaling for the control of lipid metabolism, oxidative phosphorylation, and redox status. Weight cycling was able to restore the health characteristics of lean animals.
Praliciguat inhibits progression of diabetic nephropathy in ZSF1 rats and suppresses inflammation and apoptosis in human renal proximal tubular cells
Authors: Liu Guang , Shea Courtney M. , Jones Juli E. , Price Gavrielle M. , Warren William , Lonie Elisabeth , Yan Shu , Currie Mark G. , Profy Albert T. , Masferrer Jaime L. , Zimmer Daniel P.
Published: August 2020

Praliciguat, a clinical-stage soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC) stimulator, increases cGMP via the nitric oxide-sGC pathway. Praliciguat has been shown to be renoprotective in rodent models of hypertensive nephropathy and renal fibrosis. In the present study, praliciguat alone and in combination with enalapril attenuated proteinuria in the obese ZSF1 rat model of diabetic nephropathy. Praliciguat monotherapy did not affect hemodynamics. In contrast, enalapril monotherapy lowered blood pressure but did not attenuate proteinuria. Renal expression of genes in pathways involved in inflammation, fibrosis, oxidative stress, and kidney injury was lower in praliciguat-treated obese ZSF1 rats than in obese control rats; fasting glucose and cholesterol were also lower with praliciguat treatment. To gain insight into how tubular mechanisms might contribute to its pharmacological effects on the kidneys, we studied the effects of praliciguat on pathological processes and signaling pathways in cultured human primary renal proximal tubular epithelial cells (RPTCs). Praliciguat inhibited the expression of proinflammatory cytokines and secretion of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 in tumor necrosis factor-α-challenged RPTCs. Praliciguat treatment also attenuated transforming growth factor-β-mediated apoptosis, changes to a mesenchyme-like cellular phenotype, and phosphorylation of SMAD3 in RPTCs. In conclusion, praliciguat improved proteinuria in the ZSF1 rat model of diabetic nephropathy, and its actions in human RPTCs suggest that tubular effects may contribute to its renal benefits, building upon strong evidence for the role of cGMP signaling in renal health.
Soluble (pro)renin receptor promotes the fibrotic response in renal proximal tubule epithelial cells in vitro via the Akt/β-catenin/Snail signaling pathway
Authors: Xie Shiying , Su Jiahui , Lu Aihua , Lai Ying , Mo Shiqi , Pu Min , Yang Tianxin
Published: August 2020

Tubulointerstitial fibrosis has been regarded as a critical event in the pathogenesis of chronic kidney disease. The soluble form of (pro)renin receptor (sPRR), generated by site-1 protease (S1P) cleavage of full-length PRR, can be detected in biological fluid and elevated under certain pathological conditions. The present study was designed to evaluate the potential role of sPRR in the regulation of the fibrotic response in a cultured human renal proximal tubular cell line (HK-2 cells) in the setting of transforming growth factor (TGF)-β or sPRR-His treatment. The TGF-β-induced fibrotic response of HK-2 cells was indicated by upregulation of fibronectin (FN) expression; meanwhile, TGF-β could also induce the generation of sPRR, due to enhanced cleavage of full-length PRR. To explore the role of sPRR in the fibrotic response of HK-2 cells, we blocked the production of sPRR with a the S1P inhibitor PF429242 and found that PF429242 remarkably suppressed TGF-β-induced sPRR generation and FN expression in HK-2 cells. Administration of sPRR-His restored the PF429242-attenuated FN expression in HK-2 cells, indicating that sPRR could promote the TGF-β-induced fibrotic response. Furthermore, sPRR-His alone also increased the abundance of FN in HK-2 cells. These data suggested that sPRR was sufficient and necessary for the TGF-β-induced fibrotic response of HK-2 cells. Mechanistically, sPRR activated the AKT and β-catenin pathway in HK-2 cells, and blockade of the AKT or β-catenin pathway significantly abrogated sPRR-induced FN and Snail expression. Taking together, sPRR promoted the fibrotic response of HK-2 cells by activating Akt/β-catenin/Snail signaling, and it may serve as a potential therapeutic target in renal fibrosis.
Transcriptomic analysis of ileal tissue from Crohn’s disease patients identifies extracellular matrix genes that distinguish individuals by age at diagnosis
Authors: Eshelman Melanie A. , Harris Leonard , Deiling Sue , Koltun Walter A. , Jeganathan N. Arjun , Yochum Gregory S.
Published: August 2020

Crohn’s disease (CD) is a debilitating gastrointestinal (GI) disorder that can impact the entirety of the GI tract. While substantial progress has been made in the medical management of CD, it remains incurable, frequently relapses, and is a significant financial and medical burden. The pathophysiology of CD is not well understood, but it is thought to arise in genetically susceptible individuals upon an environmental insult. Further elucidation of the disease etiology promises to expose additional therapeutic avenues, with the hope of reducing the burden of CD. One approach to understanding disease pathophysiology is to identify clinically relevant molecular disease subsets by using transcriptomics. In this report, we use hierarchical clustering of the ileal transcriptomes of 34 patients and identify two CD subsets. Clinically, these clusters differed in the age of the patients at CD diagnosis, suggesting that age of onset affects disease pathophysiology. The clusters were segregated by three major gene ontology categories: developmental processes, ion homeostasis, and the immune response. Of the genes constituting the immune system category, expression of extracellular matrix-associated genes, COL4A1, S100A9, ADAMTS2, SERPINE1, and FCN1, exhibits the strongest correlation with an individual’s age at CD diagnosis. Together these findings demonstrate that transcriptional profiling is a powerful approach to subclassify CD patients.
Calenduloside E Ameliorates Myocardial Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury through Regulation of AMPK and Mitochondrial OPA1
Authors: Wang Min , Wang Rui-ying , Zhou Jia-hui , Xie Xue-heng , Sun Gui-bo , Sun Xiao-bo
Published: August 2020

Calenduloside E (CE) is a natural triterpenoid saponin isolated from Aralia elata (Miq.) Seem., a well-known traditional Chinese medicine. Our previous studies have shown that CE exerts cardiovascular protective effects both in vivo and in vitro. However, its role in myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury (MIRI) and the mechanism involved are currently unknown. Mitochondrial dynamics play a key role in MIRI. This study investigated the effects of CE on mitochondrial dynamics and the signaling pathways involved in myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (MI/R). The MI/R rat model and the hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R) cardiomyocyte model were established in this study. CE exerted significant cardioprotective effects in vivo and in vitro by improving cardiac function, decreasing myocardial infarct size, increasing cardiomyocyte viability, and inhibiting cardiomyocyte apoptosis associated with MI/R. Mechanistically, CE restored mitochondrial homeostasis against MI/R injury through improved mitochondrial ultrastructure, enhanced ATP content and mitochondrial membrane potential, and reduced mitochondrial permeability transition pore (MPTP) opening, while promoting mitochondrial fusion and preventing mitochondrial fission. However, genetic silencing of OPA1 by siRNA abolished the beneficial effects of CE on cardiomyocyte survival and mitochondrial dynamics. Moreover, we demonstrated that CE activated AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and treatment with the AMPK inhibitor, compound C, abolished the protective effects of CE on OPA1 expression and mitochondrial function. Overall, this study demonstrates that CE is effective in mitigating MIRI by modulating AMPK activation-mediated OPA1-related mitochondrial fusion.
Finite Element Analysis of Natural Thawing Heat Transfer of Artificial Frozen Soil in Shield‐Driven Tunnelling
Authors: Fu Yong , Hu Jun , Liu Jia , Hu Shengbin , Yuan Yunhui , Zeng Hui
Published: August 2020

The technology of artificial horizontal freezing method is increasingly being used in the soil reinforcement of urban underground projects such as shield‐driven tunnelling. Compared with the freezing process, the thawing process is more complicated, and the thawing behavior of artificial frozen soil surrounding shield‐driven tunnels has not been well investigated in both the academic and industrial domains. This study, therefore, aims to investigate the natural thawing heat transfer behavior of artificial horizontal frozen soil in shield‐driven tunnelling using a three‐dimensional finite element method. The finite element modelling is based on the horizontal freezing reinforcement project of Chating Station to Jiqingmen Station Tunnel in the Nanjing Metro Line 2. Validation between finite element results and site measured results is firstly conducted. The natural thawing temperature field contours as well as the radial and longitudinal distributions of natural thawing temperature in the frozen soil surrounding the tunnel are then explicitly examined. Furthermore, sensitivity analysis of influencing factors such as the thermal conductivity, latent heat of phase change, ambient temperature inside tunnel, freezing time, and original ground temperature is carried out. The results and findings of this study may enrich the current limited database and enable a better understanding of natural thawing heat transfer behavior of artificial frozen soil in shield‐driven tunnelling.
Efficacy of Sucralfate‐Combined Quadruple Therapy on Gastric Mucosal Injury Induced by Helicobacter pylori and Its Effect on Gastrointestinal Flora
Authors: Teng Guigen , Liu Yun , Wu Ting , Wang Weihong , Wang Huahong , Hu Fulian
Published: August 2020

Background. This study explored the therapeutic efficacy of standard triple therapy combined with sucralfate suspension gel as well as the mechanisms of action in mouse models of H. pylori infection. Materials and Methods. C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into 5 groups: NC (natural control), HP (H. pylori infection), RAC (rabeprazole, amoxicillin, and clarithromycin), RACS (RAC and sucralfate suspension gel), and RACB (RAC and bismuth potassium citrate). HE staining and electron microscopy were performed to estimate histological and ultrastructural damages. The IL‐8, IL‐10, and TNF‐α of gastric antrum tissues were measured by immunohistochemistry and qRT‐PCR. ZO‐1 and Occludin were also detected with immunohistochemistry. The genomes of gastric and fecal microbiota were sequenced. Results. The eradication rate of H. pylori in the RACS group was higher than the RAC group. RACS therapy had protective effects on H. pylori‐induced histological and ultrastructural damages, which were superior to the RAC group. RACS therapy reduced the protein and mRNA levels of IL‐8 compared with the RAC group. The expression of Occludin in the RACS group was significantly higher than that of the RAC group. The composition of gastric and fecal microbiota for RACS was similar to the RACB group according to PCA. Conclusions. The RACS regimen eradicated H. pylori infection effectively and showed RACS had protective effects against H. pylori‐induced histological and ultrastructural damage. The mechanisms of RACS effects included decreasing IL‐8, enhancing Occludin, and transforming gastric microbiota. Moreover, RACS and RACB have a similar effect on gastrointestinal flora.
Prevalence of Corneal Astigmatism in Patients before Cataract Surgery in Western China
Authors: Ma Wei , Zuo Chengguo , Chen Weirong , Zheng Shaoyang , Xu Jiangang , Gong Ruowen , Mijiti Maierhaba , Alifu Kaidiliya , Ding Lin , Lin Mingkai
Published: August 2020

Purpose. To investigate the demographics and distribution of corneal astigmatism before cataract surgery in patients from western China and to compare and analyze these findings with those of patients in southern China.Setting. People’s Hospital of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.Design. Clinical-based cross-sectional study.Methods. Patients undergoing cataract surgery in the People’s Hospital of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region from February 2012 to August 2019 were recruited. Preoperative keratometric data measured by performing preoperative bilateral partial coherence interferometry (IOLMaster), and patient demographics were recorded and analyzed.Results. This study comprised 12,236 eyes of 7065 patients with a mean age of 64.75 ± 9.66 years, and 52.77% of the patients were female. The mean axial length was 23.14 ± 0.96 mm. Astigmatism ranged from 0 diopters (D) to 6.94 D, with a mean of 1.28 D. Corneal astigmatism was between 0.25 D and 1.25 D in 53.71% of eyes, 1.25 D or higher in 39.06% eyes, and less than 0.25 D in 7.23% of eyes. Astigmatism was with the rule (WTR) in 41.94% of the patients and against the rule (ATR) in 38.80% of patients. The mean flat and steep keratometry measurement was 43.19 ± 1.50 D and 44.24 ± 1.62 D, respectively. After matching, corneal astigmatism in western China was 1.30 ± 1.03 D, and it was significantly higher than that in southern China (0.98 ± 0.67 D,P<0.001). After matching, the proportion of WTR astigmatism was 40.99% in western China, which was also significantly higher than the proportion (26.46%) in southern China (P<0.001).Conclusion. Corneal astigmatism in patients before cataract surgery in western China was mainly between 0.25 D and 1.25 D. Compared with patients in southern China, patients in western China are younger, have a much higher degree of astigmatism, and have a higher proportion of WTR astigmatism.
Assessment of Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices on Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene in Some Selected LGAs in Kaduna State, Northwestern Nigeria
Authors: Sridhar M. K. C. , Okareh O. T. , Mustapha M.
Published: August 2020

Access to safe water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) facilities is a basic necessity for human livelihood, survival, and well-being. Adequate WASH facilities provision is a critical issue to most developing countries around the world including Nigeria. Knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding WASH are integral to effective and sustainable WASH facilities provision. This study assessed the level of knowledge, behavior, and practices towards water, sanitation, and hygiene in Kaduna state, Nigeria, with a view to ensuring sustainable WASH facilities intervention in the region. Data collection tools included spot check observation and questionnaire involving 854 participants, selected from five local government areas (LGAs): Chikun, Kajuru, Soba, Kachia, and Zango Kataf. From the results, major drinking water sources were surface waters (52.5%) and unprotected hand dug wells (44.8%); only 46.2% treated their water supply and few (16.6%) used chlorination method. Pit latrine toilets were the major (76.5%) excreta disposal means, and open defecation practices were widespread (41.4%). Level of personal and environmental hygiene understanding was fairly good in all the local government areas, and 65.4% claimed to use water and soap for washing hands after defecation. Incidence of water related diseases is generally low in the area. Despite the commendable findings in the study areas, communities are still at risk due to lack of safe water supply and poor practices of home treatment and excreta disposal. Therefore provision of WASH facilities and WASH education is fundamental for ensuring public health in the study area.
Data Association Methods via Video Signal Processing in Imperfect Tracking Scenarios: A Review and Evaluation
Authors: Li Hui , Liu Yapeng , Lin Wenzhong , Xu Lingwei , Wang Junyin
Published: August 2020

In 5G scenarios, there are a large number of video signals that need to be processed. Multiobject tracking is one of the main directions in video signal processing. Data association is a very important link in tracking algorithms. Complexity and efficiency of association method have a direct impact on the performance of multiobject tracking. Breakthroughs have been made in data association methods based on deep learning, and the performance has been greatly improved compared with traditional methods. However, there is a lack of overviews about data association methods. Therefore, this article first analyzes characteristics and performance of three traditional data association methods and then focuses on data association methods based on deep learning, which is divided into different deep network structures: SOT methods, end-to-end methods, and Wasserstein metric methods. The performance of each tracking method is compared and analyzed. Finally, it summarizes the current common datasets and evaluation criteria for multiobject tracking and discusses challenges and development trends of data association technology and data association methods which ensure robust and real time need to be continuously improved.
Evidence of the Prognostic Value of Pretreatment Systemic Inflammation Response Index in Cancer Patients: A Pooled Analysis of 19 Cohort Studies
Authors: Zhang Yi , Liu Fangteng , Wang Yang
Published: August 2020

Objective. Systemic inflammation response index (SIRI) is a new inflammation-based evaluation system that has been reported for predicting survival in multiple tumors, but the prognostic significance of SIRI in cancers has not been evinced. Methods. Eligible studies updated on December 31, 2019, were selected according to inclusion criteria, the literature searching was performed in PubMed, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and Cochrane. Hazard ratios (HRs), and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were extracted and pooled by using Stata/SE 14.1. Results. 11 publications involving 19 cohort studies with a total of 5,605 subjects were included. Meta-analysis results evinced that high SIRI was associated with worse OS (HR=2.30, 95% CI: 1.87-2.83, p≤0.001), poor CSS/DSS (HR=2.83, 95% CI: 1.98-4.04, p≤0.001), and inferior MFS/DFS/PFS/RFS/TTP (HR=1.88, 95% CI: 1.65-2.15, p≤0.001). The association of SIRI with OS was not significantly affected when stratified by diverse confounding factors. It was suggested that tumor patients with high pretreatment SIRI levels would suffer from adverse outcomes. Conclusion. High SIRI is associated with unfavorable clinical outcomes in human malignancies; pretreatment SIRI level might be a useful and promising predictive indicator of prognosis in cancers.
Pharmacogenomics Study for Raloxifene in Postmenopausal Female with Osteoporosis
Authors: Lu Hsing-Fang , Chou Po-Hsin , Lin Gan-Hong , Chou Wan-Hsuan , Wang Shih-Tien , Adikusuma Wirawan , Mugiyanto Eko , Hung Kuo-Sheng , Chang Wei-Chiao
Published: August 2020

Osteoporosis is characterized by decreased bone mineral density and increased risk of fracture. Raloxifene is one of the treatments of osteoporosis. However, the responses were variable among patients. Previous studies revealed that the genetic variants are involved in the regulation of treatment outcomes. To date, studies that evaluate the influence of genes across all genome on the raloxifene treatment response are still limited. In this study, a total of 41 postmenopausal osteoporosis patients under regular raloxifene treatment were included. Gene-based analysis using MAGMA was applied to investigate the genetic association with the bone mineral density response to raloxifene at the lumbar spine or femoral neck site. Results from gene-based analysis indicated several genes (GHRHR, ABHD8, and TMPRSS6) related to the responses of raloxifene. Besides, the pathways of iron ion homeostasis, osteoblast differentiation, and platelet morphogenesis were enriched which implies that these pathways might be relatively susceptible to raloxifene treatment outcome. Our study provided a novel insight into the response to raloxifene.
Worthwhile Relevance of Infrared Spectroscopy in Characterization of Samples and Concept of Infrared Spectroscopy-Based Synchrotron Radiation
Authors: Odularu Ayodele Temidayo
Published: August 2020

The study explores the nitty-gritty of infrared spectroscopy. Firstly, the review gives a concise history of infrared discovery and its location in the electromagnetic spectrum. Secondly, the infrared spectroscopy is reported for its mechanism, principles, sample preparation, and application for absence and presence of functional groups determination in both ligands and coordination compounds. Thirdly, it helps in purity determination of unknown samples. Additional studies regarding this study entail infrared spectroscopy-based synchrotron radiation. It serves as a giant microscope to give detailed information of samples under investigation compared to the conventional infrared instrument. Infrared will continue to be useful to both chemical and pharmaceutical industries, in order to make chemical products and manufactured drugs put on wholesome integrity.
A Load Identification Application Technology Based on Regularization Method and Finite Element Modified Model
Authors: Miao Bingrong , Zhou Feng , Jiang Chuanying , Luo Yaoxiang , Chen Hui
Published: August 2020

An improved load identification technology of a beam based on different regularization methods and model modifying methods is presented in an attempt to minimize the estimation error at several periodic loads. A hybrid model is developed to simulate such ill-posed problem interactions under different noise levels. The finite element model is modified with the different optimization algorithms to obtain the equivalent constraint condition. Experimental verification is also carried out to obtain correct modes and frequencies by considered vibration response and different boundary conditions. The measured results demonstrate the good agreement with the identification results. The results are shown that the improved method not only has more adaptive range and higher identification accuracy but also has effective identification ability for loads under different noise levels.
Synthesis of 1,2-Dihydro-Substituted Aniline Analogues Involving N-Phenyl-3-aza-Cope Rearrangement Using a Metal-Free Catalytic Approach
Authors: Alduhaish Osamah , Varala Ravi , Adil Syed Farooq , Khan Mujeeb , Siddiqui Mohammed Rafiq H. , AlWarthan Abdulrhman , Alam M. Mujahid
Published: August 2020

An efficient metal-free domino reaction leading to structural/electronically divergent 1,2-dihydropyridines from easily accessible propargyl vinyl anilines via N-phenyl 3-aza-Cope sigmatropic rearrangement is reported with good to excellent yields using 1,2-dichlorobenzene as solvent under thermal conditions. Spirocyclic substitution is also tolerated under the present optimized conditions.
Cell Senescence: A Nonnegligible Cell State under Survival Stress in Pathology of Intervertebral Disc Degeneration
Authors: Zhang Yuang , Yang Biao , Wang Jingkai , Cheng Feng , Shi Kesi , Ying Liwei , Wang Chenggui , Xia Kaishun , Huang Xianpeng , Gong Zhe , Yu Chao , Li Fangcai , Liang Chengzhen , Chen Qixin
Published: August 2020

The intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD) with increasing aging mainly manifests as low back pain (LBP) accompanied with a loss of physical ability. These pathological processes can be preliminarily interpreted as a series of changes at cellular level. In addition to cell death, disc cells enter into the stagnation with dysfunction and deteriorate tissue microenvironment in degenerative discs, which is recognized as cell senescence. During aging, many intrinsic and extrinsic factors have been proved to have strong connections with these cellular senescence phenomena. Growing evidences of these connections require us to gather up critical cues from potential risk factors to pathogenesis and relative interventions for retarding cell senescence and attenuating degenerative changes. In this paper, we try to clarify another important cell state apart from cell death in IDD and discuss senescence-associated changes in cells and extracellular microenvironment. Then, we emphasize the role of oxidative stress and epigenomic perturbations in linking risk factors to cell senescence in the onset of IDD. Further, we summarize the current interventions targeting senescent cells that may exert the benefits of antidegeneration in IDD.
Nonlinear Spring-Mass-Damper Modeling and Parameter Estimation of Train Frontal Crash Using CLGAN Model
Authors: Dong Shaodi , Tang Zhao , Yang Xiaosong , Wu Michelle , Zhang Jianjun , Zhu Tao , Xiao Shoune
Published: August 2020

Due to the complexity of a train crash, it is a challenging process to describe and estimate mathematically. Although different mathematical models have been developed, it is still difficult to balance the complexity of models and the accuracy of estimation. This paper proposes a nonlinear spring-mass-damper model of train frontal crash, which achieves high accuracy and maintains low complexity. The Convolutional Long-short-term-memory Generation Adversarial Network (CLGAN) model is applied to study the nonlinear parameters dynamic variation of the key components of a rail vehicle (e.g., the head car, anticlimbing energy absorber, and the coupler buffer devices). Firstly, the nonlinear lumped model of train frontal crash is built, and then the physical parameters are deduced in twenty different cases using D’Alembert’s principle. Secondly, the input/output relationship of the CLGAN model is determined, where the inputs are the nonlinear physical parameters in twenty initial conditions, and the output is the nonlinear relationship between the train crash nonlinear parameters under other initial cases. Finally, the train crash dynamic characteristics are accurately estimated during the train crash processes through the training of the CLGAN model, and then the crash processes under different given conditions can be described effectively. The estimation results exhibit good agreement with finite element (FE) simulations and experimental results. Furthermore, the CLGAN model shows great potential in nonlinear estimation, and CLGAN can better describe the variation of nonlinear spring damping compared with the traditional model. The nonlinear spring-mass-damper modeling is involved in improving the speed and accuracy of the train crash estimation, as well as being able to offer guidance for structure optimization in the early design stage.
Developing an Infrastructure for Bereavement Outreach in a Maternal-Fetal Care Center
Authors: Cole Joanna C.M. , Budney Alexandria , Howell Lori J. , Moldenhauer Julie S.
Published: August 2020

Although bereavement programs are a common element of palliative medicine and hospice programs, few maternal-fetal care centers offer universal bereavement outreach services following perinatal loss. In this article, we describe the implementation of a bereavement outreach program at the Center for Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. The four primary goals identified when developing the bereavement outreach protocol included: (1) centralize communication for patient tracking when a perinatal loss occurs, (2) provide individualized and consistent resource support for grieving patients and families, (3) identify strategic outreach points throughout the first year post-loss, and (4) instate programmatic improvements in response to feedback from patients and their families. Strategies for establishing standardized follow-up protocols and operationalizing methods to address outreach initiatives will be shared, with the primary aim of providing other fetal care centers with a proposed model for perinatal bereavement outreach services.
Continuous Observation of Serum Total Magnesium Level in Patients Undergoing Hemodialysis
Authors: Yang Wenfang , Wang Erli , Chen Wenxiu , Chen Chunming , Chen Shanying
Published: August 2020

Background: Magnesium is an indispensable cation and plays an important physiological role in the body. Most previous studies focused on the single measurement of serum magnesium in patients undergoing hemodialysis. However, scant studies focused on continuous observations of serum magnesium levels. Objective: To provide continuous observations of serum magnesium levels in patients on maintenance hemodialysis (MHD). The levels of magnesium in patients initiating hemodialysis are also recorded and analyzed in the present study. Methods: In this retrospective study, we serially investigated the measurements of serum total magnesium in MHD patients and patients initiating hemodialysis. Our data were followed up for one year. We provided real-time update on the levels of serum magnesium in patients on hemodialysis. Results: On January 1, 2019, a total of 356 end-stage renal disease patients were receiving hemodialysis in our hospital. On December 31, 2019, the number had increased to 383. We found that serum total magnesium levels were in the normal range before initiating hemodialysis. With the initiation of hemodialysis, the levels of serum total magnesium increased. In patients on MHD, hypermagnesemia was very common. Hypomagnesemia was rare when 0.5 mmol/L magnesium dialysate was used. We did not find proton pump inhibitor associated hypomagnesemia. Conclusion: We find that serum total magnesium levels are in the normal range before initiating hemodialysis. However, in patients on MHD, hypermagnesemia is common when 0.5 mmol/L magnesium dialysate is used. Hypomagnesemia is very rare. Hypomagnesemia in patients on MHD is an indicator of poor condition.