bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Internalizing and Externalizing Behaviors of Children with Writing Disabilities
Authors: Jordan Rebecca L. P. , Fernandez Edmund P. , Costa Lara‐Jeane C. , Hooper Stephen R.
Published: February 2020

Students with specific learning disabilities (SLDs) are more likely to exhibit internalizing and externalizing behaviors than typically developing peers. Virtually none of the literature, however, reports on the behaviors of students at‐risk for writing disabilities (AR‐WD). We compared the behaviors of writers who are AR‐WD and typically developing writers (TDW) from first through fourth grade (N = 138). We found that students who are AR‐WD were only significantly different from TDW on Externalizing and Total Behaviors at Grade 2. These findings illustrate the benefits of studying behavior across different forms of SLD, as it appears that students ARWD do not consistently manifest significant behaviors, although interventions that simultaneously target writing and behavior may be warranted and mutually beneficial.
Aha! Taking on the myth that simulation‐derived surprise enhances learning
Authors: Monteiro Sandra , Sibbald Matthew
Published: February 2020

Objectives

This paper aims to discuss the recurring education‐related issue of the high‐fidelity simulation myth. In the current instantiation, educators erroneously believe that trainees benefit from authentic uncertainty and surprise in simulation‐based training.

Methods

We explore the origins of this myth within the experiential learning and social constructivism theories and propose an evidence‐based solution of transparent and guided instruction in simulation.

Results

Constructivist theories highlight meaning making as the benefit of inquiry and discovery learning strategies. Inappropriate translation of this epistemology into an element of curriculum design creates unfortunate unintended consequences.

Conclusions

We propose that the translation of constructivist theories of learning within simulation‐based education has resulted in a pervasive myth, which decrees that scenarios must introduce realistic tension or surprises to encourage exploration and insightful problem solving. We argue that this myth is masquerading as experiential learning. In this narrative review, we interpret our experiences and observations of simulation‐based education through our expertise in education science and curriculum design. We offer anecdotal evidence along with a review of selected literature to establish the presence of this previously undetected myth.
Producing the nation through philanthropy: Legitimising coethnic and prorefugee civic action in Hungary
Authors: Zakariás Ildikó , Feischmidt Margit
Published: February 2020

This paper explores interconnections between nationhood and philanthropy, namely, how philanthropy works as a domain of meaningful social practice framed by national ideologies and how interpretations born in the institutional contexts of philanthropy may play a central role in making sense of the nation. We observe how various divisions inherent in philanthropic practices—between helpers and the helped and between those who take part in helping as opposed to those who do not—become reflected in concepts of nationhood shaped by these activities. The study of two cases—first, the philanthropic actions of Hungarian citizens towards Hungarian minority communities in Ukraine and Romania, and second, humanitarian volunteer initiatives aimed at supporting refugees during the summer of 2015 in Hungary—makes it possible to understand how philanthropic practices become a site for reproducing competing definitions of nationhood.
Median Lingual Foramen, a new midmandibular cephalometric landmark
Authors: Vandekerckhove David , Deibel Dionne , Vinayahalingam Shankeeth , Claeys Gilles , Kwon Tae‐Geon , Bergé Stefaan , Xi Tong
Published: February 2020

Purpose

In asymmetrical mandibles, it is often challenging to identify the mandibular midline. The median lingual foramen (MLF) is located at the midline of the anterior mandible. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the reproducibility of identifying the MLF compared to conventional landmarks on cone beam computed tomography's (CBCT's) to mark the mandibular midline.

Material and Methods

Ten symmetrical class II, 10 symmetrical class III, ten asymmetrical class II and 10 asymmetrical class III patients were included. On CBCTs, the cephalometric landmarks menton, pogonion, genial tubercle and MLF were identified twice by two observers.

Results

A high intra‐ and interobserver reproducibility was found for all landmarks, the highest being the MLF. The gain in accuracy is 0.998 mm, 0.824 mm and 0.361 mm compared to pogonion, genial tubercle and menton, respectively (P‐value <.05).

Conclusion

MLF is a reliable and reproducible landmark to indicate the midline of the mandible, particularly in Class II asymmetric mandibles.
Practices of biological soil crust rehabilitation in China: experiences and challenges
Authors: Zhou Xiaobing , Zhao Yunge , Belnap Jayne , Zhang Bingchang , Bu Chongfeng , Zhang Yuanming
Published: February 2020

Biological soil crusts (biocrusts) are a central component of dryland ecosystems. However, they are highly vulnerable to disturbance and natural recovery may be slow. Therefore, finding ways to enhance the reestablishment of biocrusts after disturbance has been of great interest to researchers. This article provides a review of the laboratory cultivation and field inoculations of biocrust materials in China (mostly published in Chinese). Larger filamentous cyanobacteria (e.g.Microcoleus) are relatively easy, although slow, to grow in culture compared to other biocrust components. Thus, most researchers have focused their efforts on the cyanobacteria and a few species of mosses that are also easily grown but at smaller scale. For all the studies, a small amount of biocrust material was collected and its biomass enhanced under controlled conditions. However, the enhancement was done using various methods and techniques in different regions. These materials were then applied to disturbed field sites, again with various methods. Results show that keeping the inoculated soil surface wet for some time period after inoculation was crucial for restoration success. Cyanobacterial establishment was improved by installing automatic sprinkling using micro‐irrigation techniques and/or physical structures that reduced sediment moving onto the inoculated area. Experimental applications in China showed that cyanobacteria can be successfully inoculated at a large scale (hundreds of ha). Moss inoculation, on the other hand, was only accomplished at a small scale (several m2). To assess whether biocrust restoration can enhance the establishment of a self‐supporting ecosystem, further research is needed on how inoculation affects vegetation diversity and structure and ecological processes.
Organizational Risk: “Muddling Through” 40 Years of Research
Authors: Pettersen Gould Kenneth
Published: February 2020

The recognition that organizations are a part of adverse outcomes has become commonplace in risk research. Social organization is a key theme in relation to risk minimization through institutional control and monitoring, and in how organizations are connected to society's perceptions of risk (beyond outcomes). The article reviews progress made in research on organizational risk over the last four decades and the contributions made to the field by fieldwork and descriptive approaches, understanding risk as partly determined by organizational context. A key issue for risk analysis is to figure out what these insights mean for risk professionals, such as while developing assessment methodologies and management approaches. Analysis of the literature shows that what to model if organizational factors are to be included in risk assessments remains as big a question as how to model. Integrating fieldwork and descriptive approaches for analyzing organizational risk, accidents, and safety is argued to be a main task for the risk analysis community.
Growth decomposition bias when accounting for heterogeneous regimes: Evidence from China
Authors: Liu Guanchun , Ma Shichang , Lee Chien‐Chiang , Xu Ming
Published: February 2020

When exploring the logic why some economies grow faster than others, previous studies commonly assume that all economies follow a universal growth path. This paper explores the heterogeneity of growth regimes across economies and then investigates the decomposition bias of growth sources in traditional methods. Using a panel data of China's provinces, the empirical results show that a finite mixture model with three classes is best to describe the data, revealing that there are multiple growth regimes across provinces. Also, some provinces switch regimes over time while the others remain stable. Further, neglecting heterogeneous regimes overestimates the importance of factor endowment and underestimates the importance of sector productivity, while it does not greatly influence the importance of of factor market efficiency. In particular, the decomposition bias embodies in physical capital and energy input rather than labor. Our findings indicate that the existing literature may underestimate the contribution of sector productivity. Thus, it is critical to account for heterogeneous regimes when exploring the sources of economic growth.
Overexpression of chalcone isomerase in apple reduces phloridzin accumulation and increases susceptibility to herbivory by two‐spotted mites
Authors: Dare Andrew P. , Tomes Sumathi , McGhie Tony K. , van Klink John W. , Sandanayaka Manoharie , Hallett Ian C. , Atkinson Ross G.
Published: February 2020

Apples (Malus spp.) accumulate significant quantities of the dihydrochalcone glycoside, phloridzin, whilst pears (Pyrus spp.) do not. To explain this difference, we hypothesized that a metabolic bottleneck in the phenylpropanoid pathway might exist in apple. Expression analysis indicated that transcript levels of early phenylpropanoid pathway genes in apple and pear leaves were similar, except for chalcone isomerase (CHI), which was much lower in apple. Apples also showed very low CHI activity compared with pear. To relieve the bottleneck at CHI, transgenic apple plants overexpressing the Arabidopsis AtCHI gene were produced. Unlike other transgenic apples where phenylpropanoid flux was manipulated, AtCHI overexpression (CHIox) plants were phenotypically indistinguishable from wild‐type, except for an increase in red pigmentation in expanding leaves. CHIox plants accumulated slightly increased levels of flavanols and flavan‐3‐ols in the leaves, but the major change was a 2.8‐ to 19‐fold drop in phloridzin concentrations compared with wild‐type. The impact of these phytochemical changes on insect preference was studied using a two‐choice leaf assay with the polyphagous apple pest, the two‐spotted spider mite (Tetranychus urticae Koch). Transgenic CHIox leaves were more susceptible to herbivory, an effect that could be reversed (complemented) by application of phloridzin to transgenic leaves. Taken together, these findings shed new light on phenylpropanoid biosynthesis in apple and suggest a new physiological role for phloridzin as an antifeedant in leaves.
Consolidation of Clinical Microbiology Laboratories and Introduction of Transformative Technologies
Authors: Vandenberg Olivier , Durand Géraldine , Hallin Marie , Diefenbach Andreas , Gant Vanya , Murray Patrick , Kozlakidis Zisis , van Belkum Alex
Published: February 2020

Clinical microbiology is experiencing revolutionary advances in the deployment of molecular, genome sequencing-based, and mass spectrometry-driven detection, identification, and characterization assays. Laboratory automation and the linkage of information systems for big(ger) data management, including artificial intelligence (AI) approaches, also are being introduced. The initial optimism associated with these developments has now entered a more reality-driven phase of reflection on the significant challenges, complexities, and health care benefits posed by these innovations.
Genomic Investigation Reveals Contaminated Detergent as the Source of an Extended-Spectrum-β-Lactamase-Producing Klebsiella michiganensis Outbreak in a Neonatal Unit
Authors: Chapman Paul , Forde Brian M. , Roberts Leah W. , Bergh Haakon , Vesey Debra , Jennison Amy V. , Moss Susan , Paterson David L. , Beatson Scott A. , Harris Patrick N. A.
Published: February 2020

Klebsiella
species are problematic pathogens in neonatal units and may cause outbreaks, for which the sources of transmission may be challenging to elucidate. We describe the use of whole-genome sequencing (WGS) to investigate environmental sources of transmission during an outbreak of extended-spectrum-β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing
Klebsiella michiganensis
colonizing neonates. Ceftriaxone-resistant
Klebsiella
spp. isolated from neonates (or their mothers) and the hospital environment were included.
Risk Factors concerning Complications following Permanent Pacemaker Implantation for Patients on Antithrombotic Therapy: A Cohort Study
Authors: Carrión-Camacho Mª Reyes , Molina-Doñoro José Manuel , González-López José Rafael
Published: February 2020

The objective of this study was to identify the complications and associated factors presented by patients after pacemaker implantation, according to a regimen of antithrombotic therapy or without it. This is an analytical observational study on a prospective cohort of 310 consecutive patients with a permanent pacemaker implanted, included from January 1 to December 31, 2014 from 1 single center. The follow-up was conducted on 310 patients for 6 months. 239 patients (77%) received antithrombotic therapy at the time of the pacemaker implantation. 20.8% of complications are presented in patients without anticoagulant therapy, 80.8% of them being minor ones. In the case of patients with anticoagulant therapy, 30.3% of the complications are major ones. Factors associated with major complications were contusion (OR 2; 95% CI 1 to 3.8; p=0.049), and minor complications, arm immobilization >24 hours (p=<0.001) and contusion (p=0.002). This study found an increase in the overall risk and complications that can occur when implanting a permanent pacemaker in patients with antithrombotic therapy based on the time of immobilization and contusions after the implantation.
Resolution of sclerosing encapsulating peritonitis in a young dog
Authors: Isaac Ingrid , Carrera Ines , Martí Juan , DiBella Andrea
Published: February 2020

An eight‐month‐old Labrador retriever presented with abdominal effusion. Abdominal ultrasonography revealed significant free fluid and a linear hyperechoic band surrounding the abdominal organs. CT showed the gastrointestinal organs to be located centrally, enclosed by a thin, hyperattenuating enhanced band with no peritoneal effusion in this region. Surgery was performed to obtain biopsies for diagnostic purposes. Histopathology revealed granulation tissue with reactive fibroblasts, lymphoplasmacytic inflammation and neovascularisation; these findings were consistent with the diagnosis of secondary sclerosing encapsulating peritonitis. The patient responded well to treatment with tamoxifen, prednisolone and spironolactone. Four months later, follow‐up abdominal ultrasonography revealed a small volume of free fluid. However, there was a mild adverse reaction to tamoxifen, causing protrusion of the penis and attraction of other dogs. Two and a half years after diagnosis, the patient continued to have good quality‐of‐life with no clinical signs or relapse.
Lability of dissolved organic carbon from boreal peatlands: interactions between permafrost thaw, wildfire, and season
Authors: Burd Katheryn , Estop-Aragonés Cristian , Tank Suzanne E. , Olefeldt David
Published: February 2020

Boreal peatlands are major sources of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) to downstream aquatic ecosystems, where it influences carbon cycling and food web structure. Wildfire and permafrost thaw alter peatland vegetation and hydrology and may affect the quantity and chemical composition of exported DOC. We studied the influence of wildfire and thaw on microbial and photochemical lability of near-surface porewater DOC, assessed through 7 d incubations. We carried out these incubations in spring, summer, and fall but only found differences in spring when DOC biodegradability (% loss during dark incubations) increased with lower DOC aromaticity and C/N ratios. During spring, the most labile DOC was found in recently formed thermokarst bogs along collapsing peat plateau edges (25% loss), which was greater than in mature sections of thermokarst bogs (3%), and peat plateaus with intact permafrost (9%). Increased DOC lability following thaw was likely linked to high DOC production and turnover associated with productive hydrophilic Sphagnum mosses and sedges, rather than thawed permafrost peat. A wildfire (3 yr prior) reduced DOC biodegradability in both peat plateaus (4%) and rapidly collapsing peat plateau edges (14%). Biodegradability of DOC in summer and fall was low across all sites; 2% and 4%, respectively. Photodegradation was shown to potentially contribute significantly to downstream DOC degradation but did not vary across peatland sites. We show that disturbances such as permafrost thaw and wildfire have the potential to affect downstream carbon cycling, particularly as the largest influences were found in spring when peatlands are well connected to downstream aquatic ecosystems.
Region crossing change on spatial theta-curves
Authors: Shimizu Ayaka , Takahashi Rinno
Published: February 2020

A region crossing change at a region of a spatial-graph diagram is a transformation changing every crossing on the boundary of the region. In this paper, it is shown that every spatial graph consisting of theta-curves can be unknotted by region crossing changes.
Hawking temperature for various kinds of black holes from Heisenberg uncertainty principle
Authors: Scardigli Fabio
Published: February 2020

Hawking temperature for a large class of black holes (Schwarzschild, Reissner–Nordström, (Anti) de Sitter, with spherical, toroidal and hyperboloidal topologies) is computed using only laws of classical physics plus the “classical” Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle. This principle is shown to be fully sufficient to get the result, and there is no need to this scope of a Generalized Uncertainty Principle or an Extended Uncertainty Principle.
A Synergistic Antimicrobial Mechanism of GO: Why Oxidative Stress Can Inactivate E. coli
Authors: Li Xin , Zhao Haoqi , Wang Shidong , Zou Weiwu , Yang Peiyan , Xing Xiaodong , Gu Baoshan
Published: February 2020

Graphene oxide (GO), a 2D nanomaterial, is a promising material for medical application, thanks to its water solubility, antibacterial activity and relatively low cytotoxicity. However, many factors, such as lateral dimension, purity and surface chemistry, may influence its antibacterial activity, its exact mechanism is still unknown. In this work, E. coli was used as model bacterium to determine the antibacterial activity of well-dispersed GO which was obtained by a modified Hummer method and dialyzed to remove the salts and acid used in the oxidation process. After co-culture with GO for 2[Formula: see text]h, up to 90% E. coli cells were inactivated when GO concentration at 8[Formula: see text][Formula: see text]g/mL. The direct interaction was not detected in FE-SEM images and the results of [Formula: see text] potential showed that the interaction between GO and E. coli are repulsive[Formula: see text] Our results showed that GO can produce ROS and inactivate SOD and CAT enzymes in low concentration after co-cultured with E. coli which explained the antibacterial activity of GO in aqueous solution. Meanwhile, GO, with high purity, showed low cytotoxicity towards mammalian cells and did not cause any observable hemoglobin after co-cultured with blood cells. The data presented here prove that GO is effectively inhibit E. coli through inactivating SOD, CAT enzymes and the oxidative stress produced by ROS. Furthermore, the good biocompatibility promised its future application.
Isomorphism theorems for le-semigroups
Authors: Mahboob Ahsan , Muhiuddin G. , Salam Abdus , Khan Noor Mohammad
Published: February 2020

After investigating the concept of congruences and formation of quotient of [Formula: see text]-semigroups, some semigroups like isomorphism theorems on [Formula: see text]-semigroups have been proved.
The Impact of Olfactory and Wind Stimuli on 360 Videos Using Head-mounted Displays
Authors: Narciso David , Melo Miguel , Vasconcelos-Raposo José , Bessa Maximino
Published: February 2020

Consuming 360 audiovisual content using a Head-Mounted Display (HMD) has become a standard feature for Immersive Virtual Reality (IVR). However, most applications rely only on visual and auditory feedback whereas other senses are often disregarded. The main goal of this work was to study the effect of tactile and olfactory stimuli on participants’ sense of presence and cybersickness while watching a 360 video using an HMD-based IVR setup. An experiment with 48 participants and three experimental conditions (360 video, 360 video with olfactory stimulus, and 360 video with tactile stimulus) was performed. Presence and cybersickness were reported via post-test questionnaires. Statistical analysis showed a significant difference in presence between the control and the olfactory conditions. From the control to the tactile condition, mean values were higher but failed to show statistical significance. Thus, results suggest that adding an olfactory stimulus increases presence significantly while the addition of a tactile stimulus only shows a positive effect. Regarding cybersickness, no significant differences were found across conditions. We conclude that an olfactory stimulus contributes to higher presence and that a tactile stimulus, delivered in the form of cutaneous perception of wind, has no influence in presence. We further conclude that multisensory cues do not affect cybersickness.
Digital Libraries
Authors: Manghi Paolo , Candela Leonardo , Lazzeri Emma , Silvello Gianmaria
Published: February 2020

The Italian Research Conference on Digital Libraries (IRCDL) is the annual Italian forum to discuss research topics on Digital Libraries and related technical, practical, and social issues. Along the years, IRCDL touched several aspects underlying the ?Digital Library" domain and promptly adapted to the evolution of the field. Today, the ?Digital Library" field includes theory and practices reflecting the evolution of the role of libraries in the scholarly communication domain, and also embracing scholarly communication and open science.

The theme of IRCDL 2019 was ?Digital Libraries: Supporting Open Science". Three main reasons motivated this theme: (i) science is increasingly becoming digital, meaning that research is performed using data services and digital tools; (ii) the results of the research are no longer just traditional scientific publications; (iii) the outcomes of science are increasingly encompassing datasets, software, and experiments. As digital artifacts, such products can be shared and re-used together with the article, thus enabling comprehensive research assessment and various degrees of reproducibility of science. Positive consequences of this shift towards Open Science are: accelerating science, optimizing the cost of research, fraud detection, and fullyfledged scientific reward. Digital Libraries are central in the evolution of research outputs by targeting findability, preservation, interlinking, and re-use of research products and by integrating the components of the scholarly communication process.

The conference has been organized in Pisa, and the proceedings are published in the Springer CCIS series Vol. 988 [22]. Pre-print versions, research datasets, and research software relative to the accepted contributions are accessible via Zenodo.org.
Prevention and Management of Childhood Obesity and Its Psychological and Health Comorbidities
Authors: Smith Justin D. , Fu Emily , Kobayashi Marissa A.
Published: February 2020

Childhood obesity has become a global pandemic in developed countries, leading to a host of medical conditions that contribute to increased morbidity and premature death. The causes of obesity in childhood and adolescence are complex and multifaceted, presenting researchers and clinicians with myriad challenges in preventing and managing the problem. This article reviews the state of the science for understanding the etiology of childhood obesity, the preventive interventions and treatment options for overweight and obesity, and the medical complications and co-occurring psychological conditions that result from excess adiposity, such as hypertension, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, and depression. Interventions across the developmental span, varying risk levels, and service contexts (e.g.,community, school, home, health care systems) are reviewed. Future directions for research are offered with an emphasis on translational issues for taking evidence-based interventions to scale in a manner that will reduce the public health burden of the childhood obesity pandemic.
SBS Content Detection for Modified Asphalt Using Deep Neural Network
Authors: Wang Zhixiang , Li Jiange , Zhang Zhengqi , Zuo Youxiang
Published: February 2020

This study proposes a prediction model for accurately detecting styrene‐butadiene‐styrene (SBS) content in modified asphalt using the deep neural network (DNN). Traditional methods used for evaluating the SBS content are inaccurate and complicated because they are prone to produce errors by manual computation. Feature data of SBS content are derived from the spectra, which are obtained by the Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy test. After designing DNN, preprocessed feature data are utilized as training and testing data and are fed into the DNN via a feature matrix. Furthermore, comparative studies are conducted to verify the accuracy of the proposed model. Results show that the mean square error value decreased by 68% for DNN with noise and dimension reduction. The DNN‐based prediction model showed that the correlation coefficient between the target value and the mean predicted value is 0.9978 and 0.9992 for training and testing samples, respectively, indicating its remarkable accuracy and applicability after training. In comparison with the standard curve method and the random forest method, the precision of DNN is greater than 98% for the same test conditions, achieving the best predicting performance.
Efficient Routing Approach Using a Collaborative Strategy
Authors: Aziz Layla , Aznaoui Hanane
Published: February 2020

Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) are a huge number of sensors, which are distributed in area monitoring to collect important signals. WSNs are widely used in several applications such as home automation, environment, and healthcare monitoring. However, most of these applications face various difficulties due to sensor design. Therefore, the major challenge of designing WSNs is saving the energy consumed during communication and extending the network lifetime. Multicriteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) methods have been exploited for saving network energy. However, the majority of researches focus on the Cluster Head (CH) selection. In this paper, we aim to enhance the process of forwarder selection using an efficient combined multicriteria model. The proposed scheme improved the intercluster communication by controlling the distance separating CHs from the sink node. To minimize the cluster density, this work consists of activating only sensor nodes that detect enough strong signals. The activation phase presents a fault-tolerant technique to succeed in the communication process. Moreover, the proposed work is aimed at selecting the most efficient hops, which are responsible for routing data to the sink using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and the Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) methods. Simulation results proved that our new protocol maximized the residual energy by 15% and 25% and the network lifetime by 35% and 47% compared to the Distributed Clustering Protocol using Voting and Priority (DCPVP) and Low-Energy Adaptive Clustering Hierarchy (LEACH), respectively.
Zinc-Doped Boron Phosphide Nanocluster as Efficient Sensor for SO2
Authors: Hussain Shahid , Chatha Shahzad Ali Shahid , Hussain Abdullah Ijaz , Hussain Riaz , Mehboob Muhammad Yasir , Muhammad Shabbir , Ahmad Zaheer , Ayub Khurshid
Published: February 2020

Adsorption of SO2 on pure B12P12 and Zn-doped B12P12 is investigated through density functional theory methods. Zn adsorption on BP delivers four optimized geometries: B-Top, P-top, b64, and ring-enlarged geometry with adsorption energies of −57.12 kJ/mol, −14.50 kJ/mol, −22.94 kJ/mol, and −14.83 kJ/mol, respectively. The adsorption energy of SO2 on pristine boron phosphide is −14.92 kJ/mol. Interaction of SO2 with Zn-doped boron phosphide gives four different geometries with adsorption energies of −69.76 kJ/mol, −9.82 kJ/mol, −104.92 kJ/mol, and −41.87 kJ/mol. Geometric parameters such as dipole moment, QNBO, frontier molecular orbital analysis, PDOS, and global indices of reactivity are performed to visualize the changes in electronic properties of B12P12 after Zn and SO2 adsorption.
Antidepressant‐Like Effects and Cognitive Enhancement of Coadministration of Chaihu Shugan San and Fluoxetine: Dependent on the BDNF‐ERK‐CREB Signaling Pathway in the Hippocampus and Frontal Cortex
Authors: Yan Lijing , Xu Xia , He Zhenyu , Wang Sheng , Zhao Linlin , Qiu Juan , Wang Dongsheng , Gong Zhicheng , Qiu Xinjian , Huang Huiyong
Published: February 2020

Background. Fluoxetine (FLU) is the first‐line and widely used medication for depression; however, FLU treatment is almost ineffective in 30%‐40% of patients with depression. In addition, there are some problems in FLU treatment, such as delayed efficacy, large side effects, and poor tolerance. Chaihu Shugan San (CSS) is a classic and effective antidepressant Chinese herbal medicine that has been used in China for thousands of years. CSS or coadministration of CSS and FLU has become one of the most recommended methods in the treatment of depression in China. However, the specific pathways of CSS and coadministration of CSS and FLU for antidepressant are still unclear. Objective. This study was designed to evaluate the antidepressant effects of CSS and coadministration of CSS and FLU. Methods. The chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) rat model was used to simulate depression. 120 healthy adult male Sprague‐Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into seven groups: the control group, CUMS group, low‐dose CSS group, high‐dose CSS group, FLU group, coadministration of low‐dose CSS and FLU group, and coadministration of high‐dose CSS and FLU group. The rats in different groups were given different interventions. Then, the depression‐like behavior and cognitive function were evaluated by the sucrose preference test (SPT), forced swimming test (FST), open field test (OFT), and Y‐maze test. What is more, the antidepressant mechanism of CSS and coadministration of CSS and FLU were studied through BDNF mRNA, ERK mRNA, CREB mRNA, BDNF, p‐ERK/ERK, and p‐CREB/CREB levels in the hippocampus and frontal cortex by Western blot and RT‐PCR. Results. Compared with the CUMS group, CSS and coadministration of CSS and FLU could alleviate the depressive symptoms and improve cognitive function in CUMS rats (p < 0.05); CSS and coadministration of CSS and FLU could increase the expression of BDNF, p‐CREB/CREB, p‐ERK/ERK, and BDNF mRNA, CREB mRNA, and ERK mRNA in the hippocampus and frontal cortex (p < 0.05). Besides, the high‐dose CSS combined with the fluoxetine group was significantly better than the fluoxetine group and CSS group (p < 0.05). Discussion and Conclusion. Finally, we found that both CSS and coadministration of CSS and FLU play an antidepressant role, which may be due to the regulation of the BDNF/ERK/CREB signaling pathway in the hippocampus and frontal cortex. Among them, the coadministration of CSS and FLU can enhance the antidepressant effect of CSS or FLU alone, and the underlying mechanism needs further investigation.
PPARγ and Its Agonists in Chronic Kidney Disease
Authors: Ma Yuhua , Shi Manman , Wang Yuxin , Liu Jian
Published: February 2020

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) has become a global healthcare issue. CKD can progress to irreversible end-stage renal diseases (ESRD) or renal failure. The major risk factors for CKD include obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases. Understanding the key process involved in the disease development may lead to novel interventive strategies, which is currently lagging behind. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) is one of the ligand-activated transcription factor superfamily members and is globally expressed in human tissues. Its agonists such as thiazolidinediones (TZDs) have been applied as effective antidiabetic drugs as they control insulin sensitivity in multiple metabolic tissues. Besides, TZDs exert protective effects in multiple other CKD risk disease contexts. As PPARγ is abundantly expressed in major kidney cells, its physiological roles in those cells have been studied in both cell and animal models. The function of PPARγ in the kidney ranges from energy metabolism, cell proliferation to inflammatory suppression, although major renal side effects of existing agonists (including TZDs) have been reported, which limited their application in treating CKD. In the current review, we systemically assess the function of PPARγ in CKDs and the benefits and current limitations of its agonists in the clinical applications.
Deeper and Mixed Supervision for Salient Object Detection in Automated Surface Inspection
Authors: Yan Senbo , Song Xiaowen , Liu Guocong
Published: February 2020

In recent years, researches in the field of salient object detection have been widely made in many industrial visual inspection tasks. Automated surface inspection (ASI) can be regarded as one of the most challenging tasks in computer vision because of its high cost of data acquisition, serious imbalance of test samples, and high real-time requirement. Inspired by the requirements of industrial ASI and the methods of salient object detection (SOD), a task mode of defect type classification plus defect area segmentation and a novel deeper and mixed supervision network (DMS) architecture is proposed. The backbone network ResNeXt-101 was pretrained on ImageNet. Firstly, we extract five multiscale feature maps from backbone and concatenate them layer by layer. In addition, to obtain the classification prediction and saliency maps in one stage, the image-level and pixel-level ground truth is trained in a same side output network. Supervision signal is imposed on each side layer to realize deeper and mixed training for the network. Furthermore, the DMS network is equipped with residual refinement mechanism to refine the saliency maps of input images. We evaluate the DMS network on 4 open access ASI datasets and compare it with other 20 methods, which indicates that mixed supervision can significantly improve the accuracy of saliency segmentation. Experiment results show that the proposed method can achieve the state-of-the-art performance.
Coordination of Time-Varying Price Supply Chain with Risk-Averse Members under Random Order Response Time
Authors: Song Shuanjun , Zhang Minyan , Hu Sheng
Published: February 2020

A joint contract is proposed to coordinate the time-varying supply chain of risk-averse manufacturers and retailers. The joint contract uses price reduction subsidies and revenue-sharing strategies to enable manufacturers and retailers to share risks and achieve overall coordination of the supply chain. Firstly, a centralized and a decentralized decision-making model of the risk-averse supply chain are established. On this basis, reasons for the supply chain failure to coordinate are analyzed, and a joint contract is designed. Then, the specific form of the joint contract is given. Finally, the coordination effect of the joint contract is quantitatively analyzed through numerical analysis.
Edge Computing-Enabled Wireless Sensor Networks for Multiple Data Collection Tasks in Smart Agriculture
Authors: Li Xiaomin , Zhu Lixue , Chu Xuan , Fu Han
Published: February 2020

At present, precision agriculture and smart agriculture are the hot topics, which are based on the efficient data collection by using wireless sensor networks (WSNs). However, agricultural WSNs are still facing many challenges such as multitasks, data quality, and latency. In this paper, we propose an efficient solution for multiple data collection tasks exploiting edge computing-enabled wireless sensor networks in smart agriculture. First, a novel data collection framework is presented by merging WSN and edge computing. Second, the data collection process is modeled, including a plurality of sensors and tasks. Next, according to each specific task and correlation between task and sensors, on the edge computing server, a double selecting strategy is established to determine the best node and sensor network that fulfills quality of data and data collection time constraints of tasks. Furthermore, a data collection algorithm is designed, based on set values for quality of data. Finally, a simulation environment is constructed where the proposed strategy is applied, and results are analyzed and compared to the traditional methods. According to the comparison results, the proposal outperforms the traditional methods in metrics.
Flap Sliding Technique for Managing Flap Striae following Laser In Situ Keratomileusis
Authors: Abdelazeem Khaled , Nassr Mohamed A. , Abdelmotaal Hazem , Wasfi Ehab , El-Sebaity Dalia Mohamed
Published: February 2020

Purpose. To assess the efficacy and safety of a simple, noninvasive, “flap-sliding” technique for managing flap striae following laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK). Methods. This prospective, interventional study included eyes with post-LASIK flap striae. All eyes underwent flap sliding 1-2 days after surgery. Following flap edge epithelialisation, a cellulose sponge was used to gently slide the flap perpendicular to the striae direction. This technique allows for flap striae treatment without flap lifting, avoiding any associated lifting complications. Uncorrected distance visual acuity (UDVA), corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA), and refractive error were monitored one day after the flap-sliding procedure. Results. Fifteen eyes (15 patients) with post-LASIK flap striae were managed using the flap-sliding technique. The procedure did not successfully relocate the flap striae in 1 eye, and flap elevation and floating (using a balanced salt solution) were required. Therefore, 14 eyes were included in post-flap-sliding analyses. The UDVA improved in all patients the first day after the flap-sliding procedure was performed, with 11 of 14 eyes (78.57%) reaching an UDVA of 20/25 or better. Complications following flap sliding occurred in 2 eyes (14.29%). One eye had intraoperative epithelial abrasion, and 1 eye had residual postoperative striae outside of the optical zone. Conclusion. The flap-sliding technique is a simple, noninvasive, efficient, and safe technique for managing post-LASIK flap striae that develop after epithelial healing in the early post-LASIK period. This trial is registered with NCT04055337.
Singularity of Electromechanical Coupling Field in Piezoelectric Composite Junctions
Authors: Jiang Li , Ge Renyu , Zhang Jinlun
Published: February 2020

The double singularities including singular stress field and singular electric displacement field, in the tips of piezoelectric composite junctions, are analyzed by the interpolation matrix method (IMM). The double singularity analysis problem of piezoelectric composite junctions is converted into eigenvalue solution problem of ordinary differential equations with variable coefficients under corresponding boundary conditions. In numerical examples, the first couple of singularity orders and the corresponding characteristic angular functions of displacement and electric potential for the electromechanical coupling field are obtained and comparisons are presented to validate the accuracy of the proposed method. The singularity of the electromechanical coupling field at the tip of piezoelectric composite material junctions is closely related to the bonding angle and fiber direction. According to the numerical results, the best scheme can be configured for the combination of dissimilar materials.
Parameter-Adaptive VMD Method Based on BAS Optimization Algorithm for Incipient Bearing Fault Diagnosis
Authors: Wang Heng-di , Deng Si-er , Yang Jian-xi , Liao Hui , Li Wen-bo
Published: February 2020

In view of the incipient fault characteristics are difficult to be extracted from the raw bearing fault signals, an incipient bearing fault diagnosis method based on parameter-adaptive variational mode decomposition (VMD) is proposed. The beetle antennae search (BAS) algorithm is adopted to seek for the optimal combination of the VMD parameters. The reciprocals of the calculated kurtosis values of intrinsic mode functions (IMFs) decomposed via VMD are employed as a fitness function in the searching process. The optimal mode number and the quadratic penalty term of VMD are adaptively set after the search. Afterwards, a vibration signal is decomposed into a set of IMFs using the parameter-adaptive VMD, and the IMF with the maximal kurtosis value is selected as the sensitive one. The selected IMF is further analyzed by Hilbert envelope demodulation. The resulting envelope spectrum can show the significant fault impulse characteristics which are highly helpful to diagnose incipient bearing faults. The kurtosis and the proportion of fault energy are introduced as the input vector of the extreme learning machine (ELM). Comparisons have been conducted via ELM to evaluate the performance by using EMD and the fixed-parameter VMD. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method is more effective in extracting the incipient bearing fault characteristics.
A New Spatial Branch and Bound Algorithm for Quadratic Program with One Quadratic Constraint and Linear Constraints
Authors: Zhou Jing
Published: February 2020

This paper proposes a novel second-order cone programming (SOCP) relaxation for a quadratic program with one quadratic constraint and several linear constraints (QCQP) that arises in various real-life fields. This new SOCP relaxation fully exploits the simultaneous matrix diagonalization technique which has become an attractive tool in the area of quadratic programming in the literature. We first demonstrate that the new SOCP relaxation is as tight as the semidefinite programming (SDP) relaxation for the QCQP when the objective matrix and constraint matrix are simultaneously diagonalizable. We further derive a spatial branch-and-bound algorithm based on the new SOCP relaxation in order to obtain the global optimal solution. Extensive numerical experiments are conducted between the new SOCP relaxation-based branch-and-bound algorithm and the SDP relaxation-based branch-and-bound algorithm. The computational results illustrate that the new SOCP relaxation achieves a good balance between the bound quality and computational efficiency and thus leads to a high-efficiency global algorithm.
Short-Term Load Forecasting Based on Frequency Domain Decomposition and Deep Learning
Authors: Zhang Qian , Ma Yuan , Li Guoli , Ma Jinhui , Ding Jinjin
Published: February 2020

In this paper, we focus on the accuracy improvement of short-term load forecasting, which is useful in the reasonable planning and stable operation of the system in advance. For this purpose, a short-term load forecasting model based on frequency domain decomposition and deep learning is proposed. The original load data are decomposed into four parts as the daily and weekly periodic components and the low- and high-frequency components. Long short-term memory (LSTM) neural network is applied in the forecasting for the daily periodic, weekly periodic, and low-frequency components. The combination of isolation forest (iForest) and Mallat with the LSTM method is constructed in forecasting the high-frequency part. Finally, the four parts of the forecasting results are added together. The actual load data of a Chinese city are researched. Compared with the forecasting results of empirical mode decomposition- (EMD-) LSTM, LSTM, and recurrent neural network (RNN) methods, the proposed method can effectively improve the accuracy and reduce the degree of dispersion of forecasting and actual values.
Some New Hermite–Hadamard-Type Inequalities Associated with Conformable Fractional Integrals and Their Applications
Authors: Iqbal Arshad , Khan Muhammad Adil , Ullah Sana , Chu Yu-Ming
Published: February 2020

In this article, we establish some new Hermite–Hadamard-type inequalities involving the conformable fractional integrals. As applications, several inequalities for the approximation error in the midpoint formula and certain bivariate means are derived.
Perineural Invasion Reprograms the Immune Microenvironment through Cholinergic Signaling in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma
Authors: Yang Min-Wei , Tao Ling-Ye , Jiang Yong-Sheng , Yang Jian-Yu , Huo Yan-Miao , Liu De-Jun , Li Jiao , Fu Xue-Liang , He Ruizhe , Lin Chaoyi , Liu Wei , Zhang Jun-Feng , Hua Rong , Li Qing , Jiang Shu-Heng , Hu Li-Peng , Tian Guang-Ang , Zhang Xiao-Xin , Niu Ningning , Lu Ping , Shi Juanjuan , Xiao Gary G. , Wang Li-Wei , Xue Jing , Zhang Zhi-Gang , Sun Yong-Wei
Published: February 2020

Perineural invasion is a common feature of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Here, we investigated the effect of perineural invasion on the microenvironment and how this affects PDAC progression. Transcriptome expression profiles of PDAC tissues with different perineural invasion status were compared, and the intratumoral T-cell density and levels of neurotransmitters in these tissues were assessed. Perineural invasion was associated with impaired immune responses characterized by decreased CD8+ T and Th1 cells, and increased Th2 cells. Acetylcholine levels were elevated in severe perineural invasion. Acetylcholine impaired the ability of PDAC cells to recruit CD8+ T cells via HDAC1-mediated suppression of CCL5. Moreover, acetylcholine directly inhibited IFNγ production by CD8+ T cells in a dose-dependent manner and favored Th2 over Th1 differentiation. Furthermore, hyperactivation of cholinergic signaling enhanced tumor growth by suppressing the intratumoral T-cell response in an orthotopic PDAC model. Conversely, blocking perineural invasion with bilateral subdiaphragmatic vagotomy in tumor-bearing mice was associated with an increase in CD8+ T cells, an elevated Th1/Th2 ratio, and improved survival. In conclusion, perineural invasion–triggered cholinergic signaling favors tumor growth by promoting an immune-suppressive microenvironment characterized by impaired CD8+ T-cell infiltration and a reduced Th1/Th2 ratio.

Significance:

These findings provide a promising therapeutic strategy to modulate the immunosuppressive microenvironment of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma with severe perineural invasion.