bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Global dynamics of humoral and cellular immune responses to virus infection
Authors: Cerón-Gómez Miller , Yang Hyun Mo
Published: October 2019

We study the global stability of a model of virus dynamics with consideration of humoral and cellular immune responses. We use a Lyapunov direct method to obtain sufficient conditions for the global stability of virus free and viruspresence equilibriums. First, we analyze the model without an immune response and found that if the reproductive number of the virus is less than or equal to one, the virus-free equilibrium is globally asymptotically stable. However, for the virus-presence equilibrium, global stability is obtained if the virus entrance rate into the target cells is less than one. We analyze the model with humoral and cellular immune responses and found similar results. The difference is that in the reproductive number of the virus and in the virus entrance rate into the target cells appear parameters of humoral and cellular immune responses, which means that the adaptive immune response will cease or control the rise of the infection.
Morphology and morphometric relationships for sagitta otoliths in Lutjanus argentiventris (Pisces: Lutjanidae) and Hyporthodus acanthistius (Pisces: Serranidae) from the Colombian Pacific Ocean
Authors: Puentes-Granada Vladimir , Rojas Paola , Pavolini Giovanni , Gutierrez Carlos Fernando , Villa Angel Andres
Published: October 2019

Fish earstones, or otoliths, are  inner ear structures that can be studied to determine a fish’s age and are a source of taxonomically informative data. In the present work, sagitta otoliths of the Yellowtail snapper (Lutjanus argentiventris) and the Red grouper (Hyporthodus acanthistius) were collected in the Colombian Pacific, and their key morphological features were studied. Otoliths of the Yellow tail snapper were distinctly concave by their distal surface, revealing features shared with species of its genus (Lutjanus). Red grouper otoliths were elliptic and compressed laterally by their proximal surface, bearing similarities to those of other Serranid species. Morphometric relationships between otolith size weight and whole fish size and weight were also studied. In Red groupers significant statistical morphometric relationships between otolith and body features were found via power regression models; successfully relating otolith length with total fish length, otolith weight with total fish length, otolith length with total fish weight, and otolith weight with total fish weight. No significant morphometric relationships were found for the Yellow snapper data. In both fish species, otolith transversal sections proved best to identify its internal features and to distinguish otolith growth rings, as a method for determining the specimen’s age.
Maltrato a las personas mayores: una revisión narrativa
Authors: Forero Borda Laura Margarita , Hoyos Porto Saith De Jesús , Buitrago Martínez Viviana , Heredia Ramírez Rodrigo Alberto
Published: October 2019

El maltrato a las personas mayores es un tema de interés creciente, tanto así que se considera un problema de salud pública. Hay particularidades que hacen del entorno colombiano un ambiente propicio para generar situaciones de maltrato: la exposición a la “violencia a gran escala”, la diferencia de género y el cambio de la pirámide poblacional. Según el estudio SABE Colombia, el 12,9 % de las personas mayores informó haber sufrido maltrato, del cual el más común es el psicológico, seguido por el físico, el financiero y el sexual. A pesar de que el Estado reconoce al adulto mayor como “sujeto de especial protección”, aún hay desconocimiento por parte de los profesionales de la salud a la hora de enfrentar estos casos. Este debería ser un tema de obligatoriedad moral, por lo que se debe abordar a profundidad para así identificarlo oportunamente y proponer estrategias de prevención de una manera contextualizada. Esta revisión de la literatura tiene por objetivos sintetizar la información epidemiológica disponible, los factores de riesgo y las estrategias de evaluación y plantear las rutas de atención idóneas asentadas en los aspectos legales alrededor del maltrato hacia los ancianos en Colombia.
Caracterización de los niños con osteosarcoma no metastásico quienes recibieron tratamiento con mifamurtida en dos instituciones de Bogotá (Colombia) entre 2014 y 2017
Authors: Martinez Beltrán Leila , Eidelman Daniel Ozaeta , González Suárez Natalia Lucía
Published: October 2019

Introducción: El osteosarcoma es el tumor óseo más frecuente en los niños. La supervivencia de los que no tienen metástasis al inicio del tratamiento no ha cambiado significativamente en la última década. Existen estudios que sugieren el beneficio del uso de nuevas moléculas como mifamurtida. Métodos: Se describieron las variables de interés en 8 pacientes menores de 18 años con osteosarcoma de alto grado no metastásico, que recibieron quimioterapia convencional y mifamurtida como adyuvante en 2 instituciones de Colombia entre 2014 y 2017. Resultados: La mayoría de los pacientes tenía afectación del fémur por osteosarcoma convencional. Todos se manejaron con quimioterapia pre y posquirúrgica. El 75 % de los pacientes fue llevado a salvamento de extremidad. En total se evaluaron 375 ciclos de mifamurtida a dosis de 2 mg/m2 de superficie corporal total. Se presentaron efectos adversos en 7 de los 375 ciclos administrados (1,87 %), en 4 de los 8 pacientes participantes en el estudio. Al finalizar el estudio, 6 de los 8 pacientes estaban vivos. Conclusiones: En los pacientes evaluados, el uso de mifamurtida fue bien tolerado; sin embargo, por el tipo de estudio, no se puede determinar si el uso de este medicamento tuvo impacto en la supervivencia.
Sistemas electrónicos de administración de nicotina: ¿una amenaza para el neurodesarrollo de los adolescentes?
Authors: Botero-Rodríguez Felipe , Marroquín Rivera Arturo , Leal Jaramillo Alejandra , Cabarique Mendez Camilo , Gómez-Restrepo Carlos
Published: October 2019

Introducción: Los cigarrillos electrónicos, introducidos en el mercado en el 2003 y con gran acogida comercial desde entonces, se han convertido en un dispositivo que puede igualar o superar el riesgo del cigarrillo de combustión respecto a múltiples desenlaces nocivos para la salud. A pesar de ello, estos dispositivos se perciben como menos lesivos o adictivos, y son más aceptados socialmente. Esta nueva práctica ha sido especialmente acogida por la población adolescente, época de la vida en la que existe una mayor vulnerabilidad debido a su proceso de neurodesarrollo. Objetivo: Realizar una revisión temática de los cigarrillos electrónicos, sus políticas de regulación, sus patrones de consumo y sus asociaciones con la salud mental. Métodos: Se realizó una búsqueda de estudios secundarios, en PubMed y SciELO, utilizando términos MeSH (o DeCS) y libres. Posteriormente, se revisaron los artículos obtenidos y se filtraron teniendo en cuenta los temas que se iban a evaluar. Después de realizar el proceso de tamización, se obtuvieron 54 artículos. Discusión: Se describe la influencia de la nicotina en el desarrollo cerebral del adolescente, así como la tendencia del consumo de cigarrillos electrónicos y las medidas regulatorias que se han implementado. El riesgo elevado para la salud mental de los adolescentes que representan los cigarrillos electrónicos, sumado a una pobre regulación en Colombia, genera la necesidad de fortalecer los sistemas de prevención e intervención para el consumo de nicotina, así como políticas comerciales más rigurosas frente a su venta en diferentes modalidades.
Antecedentes metafísicos del concepto ser de Sartre
Authors: Hernández Rodríguez Juan Camilo , Baracaldo Méndez Cristhian Alexander
Published: October 2019

En el presente trabajo analizaremos algunos de los principales elementos de la propuesta ontológico-fenomenológica que Sartre expone en El ser y la nada, relacionándolos con algunos referentes clave (principalmente, Parménides, Hegel, Husserl y Heidegger). Al aclarar los vínculos de esta propuesta con la tradición filosófica previa sobre el tema del ser, su papel en la existencia, el carácter de la realidad y su relación con el fenómeno se demuestra cuál es el verdadero aporte de Sartre en esta materia.
Investigating Instabilities in a Rotating Detonation Combustor Operating With Natural Gas–Hydrogen Fuel Blend—Effect of Air Preheat and Annulus Width
Authors: Roy Arnab , Bedick Clinton R. , Ferguson Donald H. , Sidwell Todd , Strakey Peter A.
Published: October 2019

Propagation characteristics of a detonation wave in an air-breathing rotating detonation combustor (RDC) using natural gas (NG)–hydrogen fuel blends is presented in this paper. Short-duration (∼up to 6 s) experiments were performed on a 152.4 mm OD uncooled RDC with two different annulus gap widths (5.08 mm and 7.62 mm) over a range of equivalence ratios (0.6–1.0) at varying inlet air temperatures (∼65–204 °C) and NG content (up to 15%) with precombustion operating pressure slightly above ambient. It was observed that the RDC, with an annulus gap width of 5.08 mm, was inherently unstable when NG was added to the hydrogen fuel while operating at precombustion pressures near ambient and at an inlet air temperature of 65 °C. Increasing the annulus gap width to 7.62 mm improved the stability of the detonation wave at similar temperatures and pressure permitting operation with as much as 5% NG by volume. While observed speeds of the detonation waves were still below theoretical values, an increase in inlet air temperature reduced the variability in wave speed. The frequency analysis thus explored in this study is an effort to quantify detonation instability in an RDC under varying operational envelope. The data presented are relevant toward developing strategies to sustain a stable detonation wave in an RDC using NG for land-based power generation.
Guidelines for Design of Dividing Manifolds With Discharge Uniformly Distributed at Different Positions Along the Device Axis
Authors: Yang Honggang , Wang Yi , Meng Xiaojing , Li Dong , Cai Xiaofan
Published: October 2019

For practical operation of dividing manifolds, the discharge uniformity is a property generally required. To investigate the dependence of discharge uniformity on the manifold geometry and operating conditions, analytical solution to the governing equation, Bajura's equation, was secured. Furthermore, examples were derived by substituting experimental data into the analytical solutions; the resultant curves of discharge distribution indicated essential agreement between the theoretical and experimental results. For evaluating the property of discharge distribution, a uniformity index, U, was introduced. The calculated results of U showed a well-defined dependence of uniformity on the dimensionless parameter, γ, and a maximum of U presented around 1.44 of γ.
PacBio Amplicon Sequencing Method To Measure Pilin Antigenic Variation Frequencies of Neisseria gonorrhoeae
Authors: Ozer Egon A. , Prister Lauren L. , Yin Shaohui , Ward Billy H. , Ivanov Stanimir , Seifert H Steven
Published: October 2019

Diversity generation systems are used by many unicellular organism to provide subpopulations of cell with different properties that are available when needed. We have developed a method using the PacBio DNA sequencing technology and a custom computer program to analyze the pilin antigenic variation system of the organism that is the sole cause of the sexually transmitted infection, gonorrhea.
Designed Ankyrin Repeat Protein (DARPin) Neutralizers of TcdB from Clostridium difficile Ribotype 027
Authors: Peng Zeyu , Simeon Rudo , Mitchell Samuel B. , Zhang Junjie , Feng Hanping , Chen Zhilei
Published: October 2019

We report the engineering and characterization of designed ankyrin proteins as potent neutralizers of TcdB toxin secreted by a hypervirulent ribotype 027 strain of
Clostridium difficile
. We further show that although TcdB toxins from both ribotype 027 and VPI 10461 interact efficiently with TcdB receptors CSPG4 and Pvrl3, TcdB
027
lacks significant ability to bind the only known physiologically relevant TcdB receptor, Frizzled 1/2/7.
Fifteen-minute consultation: Vaccine-hesitant parents
Authors: Bedford Helen E , Elliman David A C
Published: October 2019

Vaccination is a proven, highly effective intervention to protect against potentially serious infectious diseases. UK vaccine uptake rates are high overall, but considerable variation exists within and between districts. The main reason for under vaccination is difficulty accessing vaccination services for practical or logistical reasons. While some parents decline specific vaccines, only a small minority decline them all. It is unsurprising that many parents have questions about vaccination, but most are easily addressed. This article provides practical guidance on how to engage effectively with parents with the ultimate aim of supporting informed vaccination decisions. The focus will be on conversations with parents whose concerns make them unsure whether to accept vaccination or who have previously delayed or declined vaccines. In view of recent outbreaks of measles, the example question concerns MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine. Although conversations with some parents, especially those who are determinedly anti-vaccine, can be uncomfortable, even challenging, it is important to offer all parents the opportunity to discuss their concerns. Even though advice may go unheeded or even be unwelcome, parents can change their minds about previous decisions. Health professionals and the National Health Service are trusted sources of advice about vaccinations and have a responsibility to ensure parents are appropriately informed.
DNA methylation in bull spermatozoa: evolutionary impacts, interindividual variability, and contribution to the embryo
Authors: Kiefer Hélène , Perrier Jean-Philippe
Published: October 2019

The DNA methylome of spermatozoa results from a unique epigenetic reprogramming crucial for chromatin compaction and the protection of the paternal genetic heritage. Although bull semen is widely used for artificial insemination (AI), little is known about the sperm epigenome in cattle. The purpose of this review is to synthetize recent work on the bull sperm methylome in light of the knowledge accumulated in humans and model species. We will address sperm-specific DNA methylation features and their potential evolutionary impacts, with particular emphasis on hypomethylated regions and repetitive elements. We will review recent examples of interindividual variability and intra-individual plasticity of the bull sperm methylome as related to fertility and age, respectively. Finally, we will address paternal methylome reprogramming after fertilization, as well as the mechanisms potentially involved in epigenetic inheritance, and provide some examples of disturbances that alter the dynamics of reprogramming in cattle. Because the selection of AI bulls is closely based on their genotypes, we will also discuss the complex interplay between sequence polymorphism and DNA methylation, which represents both a difficulty in addressing the role of DNA methylation in shaping phenotypes and an opportunity to better understand genome plasticity.
Ad Lucem: QED parton distribution functions in the MMHT framework
Authors: Harland-Lang L. A. , Martin A. D. , Nathvani R. , Thorne R. S.
Published: October 2019

We present the MMHT2015qed PDF set, resulting from the inclusion of QED corrections to the existing set of MMHT Parton Distribution Functions (PDFs), and which contain the photon PDF of the proton. Adopting an input distribution from the LUXqed formulation, we discuss our methods of including QED effects for the full, coupled DGLAP evolution of all partons with QED at $${\mathcal {O}}(\alpha )$$O(α), $${\mathcal {O}}(\alpha \alpha _{S})$$O(ααS), $${\mathcal {O}}(\alpha ^2)$$O(α2). While we find consistency for the photon PDF of the proton with other recent sets, building on this we also present a set of QED corrected neutron PDFs and provide the photon PDF separated into its elastic and inelastic contributions. The effect of QED corrections on the other partons and the fit quality is investigated, and the sources of uncertainty for the photon are outlined. Finally we explore the phenomenological implications of this set, giving the partonic luminosities for both the elastic and inelastic contributions to the photon and the effect of our photon PDF on fits to high mass Drell–Yan production, including the photon-initiated channel.
Quantum Fuzzy Game Simulation
Authors: Alonso-Sanz Ramón , Situ Haozhen
Published: October 2019

This article studies quantum games with imprecise payoffs simulated by means of fuzzy numbers. Three two-person game-types are scrutinized via the iterated confronting of a large number of players laying in a two-dimensional lattice. In every iteration, every player interacts with his nearest neighbours and adopts the strategy of his best paid mate. Variable degree of quantum entanglement and of optimism in the fuzzy payoffs are taken into consideration in the study.
Hilbert–Samuel multiplicity and Northcott’s inequality relative to an Artinian module
Authors: Jorge Pérez V. H. , Freitas T. H.
Published: October 2019

Let [Formula: see text] be a commutative quasi-local ring (with identity [Formula: see text]), and let [Formula: see text] be an [Formula: see text]-ideal such that [Formula: see text]. For [Formula: see text] an Artinian [Formula: see text]-module of N-dimension [Formula: see text], we introduce the notion of Hilbert-coefficients of [Formula: see text] relative to [Formula: see text] and give several properties. When [Formula: see text] is a co-Cohen–Macaulay [Formula: see text]-module, we establish the Northcott’s inequality for Artinian modules. As applications, we show some formulas involving the Hilbert coefficients and we investigate the behavior of these multiplicities when the module is the local cohomology module.
Transferring Knowledge from Monitored to Unmonitored Areas for Forecasting Parking Spaces
Authors: Ionita Andrei , Pomp André , Cochez Michael , Meisen Tobias , Decker Stefan
Published: October 2019

Smart cities around the world have begun monitoring parking areas in order to estimate available parking spots and help drivers looking for parking. The current results are promising, indeed. However, existing approaches are limited by the high cost of sensors that need to be installed throughout the city in order to achieve an accurate estimation. This work investigates the extension of estimating parking information from areas equipped with sensors to areas where they are missing. To this end, the similarity between city neighborhoods is determined based on background data, i.e., from geographic information systems. Using the derived similarity values, we analyze the adaptation of occupancy rates from monitored- to unmonitored parking areas.
COMPARISON OF HOT CORROSION PERFORMANCE OF BARE AND NiCoCrAlY-COATED AUSTENITIC STAINLESS STEEL AISI 347 IN AGGRESSIVE WASTE HEAT INCINERATOR ENVIRONMENT AT 650∘C
Authors: MUTHU S. M. , ANANT R. V. , RAGHUL D. , ISHWARYA M. , ARIVAZHAGAN N. , ARIVARASU M.
Published: October 2019

The hot corrosion behavior of bare and NiCoCrAlY-coated AISI 347 steel is investigated in Na2SO4-40%K2SO4-10%NaCl-10%KCl salt atmosphere at [Formula: see text]C for 10 cycles. Each cycle contains 5[Formula: see text]h heating and 30[Formula: see text]min cooling to ambient temperature. The NiCoCrAlY coating is employed on the austenitic stainless steel AISI 347 using high-velocity oxy-fuel (HVOF) coating method. Corrosion kinetics of the hot corroded steels are determined by thermo-gravimetric technique. The surface microstructures and compositions of the coating and corrosion products of the steels are characterized using a scanning electron microscope and energy dispersive spectroscopy. The phases of the coating are analyzed using X-ray diffraction method. Higher weight gain is observed on the uncoated specimen, and more oxide scale spallation is observed due to Fe2O3 oxide layer formation. In the coated specimen, there is no spallation of any oxide scales. The coating provides the resistance to the spallation of oxide scales. The EDS point analysis and elemental mapping analysis are performed on the cross-section to analyze the distribution of corrosion products with respect to depth.
A Benchmark of Four Methods for Generating 360∘Saliency Maps from Eye Tracking Data
Authors: John Brendan , Raiturkar Pallavi , Le Meur Olivier , Jain Eakta
Published: October 2019

Modeling and visualization of user attention in Virtual Reality (VR) is important for many applications, such as gaze prediction, robotics, retargeting, video compression, and rendering. Several methods have been proposed to model eye tracking data as saliency maps. We benchmark the performance of four such methods for 360∘images. We provide a comprehensive analysis and implementations of these methods to assist researchers and practitioners. Finally, we make recommendations based on our benchmark analyses and the ease of implementation.
Violence Detection by Pretrained Modules with Different Deep Learning Approaches
Authors: Sumon Shakil Ahmed , Goni Raihan , Hashem Niyaz Bin , Shahria Tanzil , Rahman Rashedur M.
Published: October 2019

In this paper, we have explored different strategies to find out the saliency of the features from different pretrained models in detecting violence in videos. A dataset has been created which consists of violent and non-violent videos of different settings. Three ImageNet models; VGG16, VGG19, ResNet50 are being used to extract features from the frames of the videos. In one of the experiments, the extracted features have been feed into a fully connected network which detects violence in frame level. Moreover, in another experiment, we have fed the extracted features of 30 frames to a long short-term memory (LSTM) network at a time. Furthermore, we have applied attention to the features extracted from the frames through spatial transformer network which also enables transformations like rotation, translation and scale. Along with these models, we have designed a custom convolutional neural network (CNN) as a feature extractor and a pretrained model which is initially trained on a movie violence dataset. In the end, the features extracted from the ResNet50 pretrained model proved to be more salient towards detecting violence. These ResNet50 features, in combination with LSTM provide an accuracy of 97.06% which is better than the other models we have experimented with.
Determinantal Representations of the Core Inverse and Its Generalizations with Applications
Authors: Kyrchei Ivan I.
Published: October 2019

In this paper, we give the direct method to find of the core inverse and its generalizations that is based on their determinantal representations. New determinantal representations of the right and left core inverses, the right and left core-EP inverses, and the DMP, MPD, and CMP inverses are derived by using determinantal representations of the Moore-Penrose and Drazin inverses previously obtained by the author. Since the Bott-Duffin inverse has close relation with the core inverse, we give its determinantal representation and its application in finding solutions of the constrained linear equations that is an analog of Cramer’s rule. A numerical example to illustrate the main result is given.
Olfactory Stimulation with Japanese Soy Sauce Improves Upper Limb Performance
Authors: Yano Yutaka , Murata Yoshihiro , Taniguchi Mutsuo , Okutani Fumino , Yamaguchi Masahiro , Kaba Hideto
Published: October 2019

Background. We have observed changes in body reactions during cooking, which is one of the treatment modalities used in occupational therapy. The perception of food-related odors during cooking may have behavioral effects on human activities through the activation of appetitive motivation. Objectives. We investigated whether odor components contained in seasonings could facilitate the human motor system and the specificity of this effect. Methods. The subjects were 72 healthy adults, randomly assigned to a water exposure group, a phenylethyl alcohol (PEA, pleasant rose-like odor) exposure group, and a Japanese soy sauce (Koikuchi Shoyu) exposure group (n=24 each). The subjects’ olfactory sense was stimulated by their sniffing of three different test tubes containing 5 ml of water, PEA, or Japanese soy sauce for 20 sec while they were seated. The modified Functional Reach Test (mFRT), which mimics a functional activity that is required in daily living and assesses a reliable measure of sitting balance, was performed prior to and immediately after the sniffing. Results. Sniffing the soy sauce increased the subjects’ mFRT scores. This facilitation effect was odorant-specific and was absent when the subjects were presented with water or PEA. Conclusions. Cooking interventions are aimed at improving tool-handling skills such as using knives and chopsticks. The results indicate that treatment interventions using odors of seasonings would be effective for improving subjects’ physical functions.
The Use of the Model of Occupational Self-Efficacy for Work Retraining: A Multiple Case Study
Authors: Soeker Mogammad Shaheed , Pape Candice
Published: October 2019

The South African labour law serves as a guide for employers to accommodate injured individuals in the work place. The aim of the study was to explore and describe the experiences of individuals with traumatic brain injury regarding returning to work through the use of the Model of Occupational Self-Efficacy (MOOSE). The study utilized a multiple case study research design, and 10 participants participated in the study. An analytical strategy of explanation building was used to analyse the data. Three themes emerged from the study, i.e., Theme 1: the model has its limitations (barriers), Theme 2: the model helps facilitate work integration (facilitators), and Theme 3: further enhancements to improve the model. The findings of this study indicated that the participant experiences of the MOOSE are a useful model to facilitate the return of individuals living with a TBI back to work. Coping skills and support groups were also viewed as being an important part of the vocational rehabilitation program.
Factors Associated with Cognitive and Functional Performance in Indigenous Older Adults of Nariño, Colombia
Authors: Paredes-Arturo Yenny Vicky , Yarce-Pinzon Eunice , Diaz-Velasquez Diego Mauricio , Aguirre-Acevedo Daniel Camilo
Published: October 2019

Introduction. Ethnicity in Latin America is a factor of poverty and social exclusion. Like in developed countries, demographic, medical, psychosocial, global cognitive, and functional variables interact in a complex relationship on the elderly population. Such interaction should be considered to determine cognitive and functional performance using screening tests. The aim of this study was to evaluate the demographic, medical, and psychosocial factors affecting global cognitive performance as well as functional activities. Methods. The study was conducted in a Colombian elderly indigenous population which included a sample of 518 adults. This research employed a structural model of latent factors to assess the effects of demographic, medical, and psychosocial factors on cognitive and functional performance. The model was estimated by least squares and used a maximum-likelihood procedure, and it was determined RMSEA, TLI, and CFI to assess the model’s goodness of fit. The categorical variables used in the model were as follows: (1) demographics, (2) psychosocial factors, (3) medical condition, (4) global cognition, and (5) functional factors. Results. Demographics, in addition to medical and psychosocial factors, were related to global cognition and functional factors (RMSEA = 0.051, CI 90% 0.045–0.057, CFI = 0.901, and TLI = 0.881). Conclusion. These results provide strong evidence about the complex relationships among demographics, medical conditions, and psychosocial factors and their influence on global cognition and functional performance in Colombian indigenous elderly population.
Weighted Consensus Problem for Multiagent Systems with Edge‐ and Node‐Weighted Directed Graphs
Authors: Gao Lixin , Fang Hui , Chen Wenhai , Cao He
Published: October 2019

In this paper, the concept of consensus is generalized to weighted consensus, by which the conventional consensus, the bipartite consensus, and the cluster consensus problems can be unified in the proposed weighted consensus frame. The dynamics of agents are modeled by the general linear time‐invariant systems. The interaction topology is modeled by edge‐ and node‐weighted directed graphs. Under both state feedback and output feedback control strategies, the weighted consensus problems are transformed into the equivalent conventional consensus problems. Then, some distributed state feedback and output feedback protocols are proposed to solve the weighted consensus problems. For output feedback case, a unified frame to construct the state‐observer‐based weighted consensus protocols is proposed, and different design approaches are discussed. As special cases, some related results for bipartite consensus and cluster consensus can be obtained directly. Finally, a simple example is given to illustrate the effectiveness of our proposed approaches.
Myeloperoxidase and Eosinophil Peroxidase Inhibit Endotoxin Activity and Increase Mouse Survival in a Lipopolysaccharide Lethal Dose 90% Model
Authors: Allen Robert C. , Henery Mary L. , Allen John C. , Hawks Roger J. , Stephens Jackson T.
Published: October 2019

Myeloperoxidase (MPO) and eosinophil peroxidase (EPO) are cationic haloperoxidases with potent microbicidal and detoxifying activities. MPO selectively binds to and kills some Gram-positive bacteria (GPB) and all Gram-negative bacteria (GNB) tested. GNB contain endotoxin, i.e., lipopolysaccharide (LPS) comprising a toxic lipid A component. The possibility that MPO and EPO bind and inhibit the endotoxin of GNB was tested by mixing MPO or EPO with LPS or lipid A and measuring for inhibition of endotoxin activity using the chromogenic Limulus amebocyte lysate (LAL) assay. The endotoxin-inhibiting activities of MPO and EPO were also testedin vivousing an LPS 90% lethal dose (LD90) mouse model studied over a five-day period. Mixing MPO or EPO with a fixed quantity of LPS fromEscherichia coliO55:B5 or with diphosphoryl lipid A fromE. coliF583 inhibited LAL endotoxin activity in proportion to the natural log of the MPO or EPO concentration. MPO and EPO enzymatic activities were not required for inhibition, and MPO haloperoxidase action did not increase endotoxin inhibition. Both MPO and EPO increased mouse survival in the LPS LD90 model. In conclusion, MPO and EPO nonenzymatically inhibitedin vitroendotoxin activity using the LAL assay, and MPO and high-dose EPO significantly increased mouse survival in a LPS LD90 model, and such survival was increased in a dose-dependent manner.
Three‐Echelon Supply Chain Contractual Coordination with Loss‐Averse Multiple Retailer Preference
Authors: Ming Jian , Rajapov Azamat , Hayrutdinov Saidjahon
Published: October 2019

In this paper, we propose a supply chain contract model aimed to coordinate a three‐echelon supply chain, which is based on the revenue‐sharing allocation with loss‐aversion preference. We consider a three‐echelon supply chain consisting of a risk‐neutral manufacturer, a risk‐neutral distributor, and loss‐averse multiple retailers. To address this model, we consider a shortage product produced and sold within a single period in the stochastic market. The model allows the system efficiency to be achieved as well as it will improve the profits of all supply chain members by tuning the contract parameters. We used the expected utility function to describe the loss‐aversion member’s influence coefficient. The decisions of chain members under different conditions are studied by simulation analyses. The paper also analysed the relationship between different revenue‐sharing coefficient combinations with multiple retailers in the supply chain system. Furthermore, the study has addressed the supply chain coordination decision bias in the centralized and decentralized systems.
Hydrocephaly Analysis Supported by Computerized Tomography and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance
Authors: Zhang Tong , Zhou Yawei , Su Guohua , Shi Dianfeng , Gopinath Subash C. B. , Lakshmipriya Thangavel , Li Shujing
Published: October 2019

Hydrocephalus is widely known as “hydrocephaly” or “water in the brain,” a building up of abnormal cerebrospinal fluid in the brain ventricles. Due to this abnormality, the size of the head becomes larger and increases the pressure in the skull. This pressure compresses the brain and causes damage to the brain. Identification by imaging techniques on the hydrocephalus is mandatory to treat the disease. Various methods and equipment have been used to image the hydrocephalus. Among them, computerized tomography (CT) scan and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) are the most considered methods and gives accurate result of imaging. Apart from imaging, cerebrospinal fluid-based biomarkers are also used to identify the condition of hydrocephalus. This review is discussed on “hydrocephalus” and its imaging captured by CT scan and NMR to support the biomarker analysis.
On Katugampola Fourier Transform
Authors: Salim Tariq O. , Abu Hany Atta A. K. , El-Khatib Mohammed S.
Published: October 2019

The aim of this article is to introduce a new definition for the Fourier transform. This new definition will be considered as one of the generalizations of the usual (classical) Fourier transform. We employ the new Katugampola derivative to obtain some properties of the Katugampola Fourier transform and find the relation between the Katugampola Fourier transform and the usual Fourier transform. The inversion formula and the convolution theorem for the Katugampola Fourier transform are considered.
Cost-Effectiveness of More Intensive Blood Pressure Treatment in Patients with High Risk of Cardiovascular Disease in Saudi Arabia: A Modelling Study of Meta-Analysis
Authors: Almalki Ziyad , Alatawi Yasser , Alharbi Adnan , Almaklefi Bader , Alfaiz Suliman , Almohana Omar , Alsaidan Yasser , Alanezi Abdullah
Published: October 2019

Objective. The current literature suggests that more intensive blood pressure (BP) treatment is clinically more effective than less intensive treatment in patients at high risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD). In this analysis, we evaluated the potential clinical benefit and cost-effectiveness of more intensive BP treatment in patients at high risk of developing CVD over their lifetimes.Methods. A Markov state-transition model was developed for the BP strategies to estimate the lifetime incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) per quality-adjusted-life-year (QALY) using evidence published from a meta-analysis. The other model inputs were retrieved from previous studies. Estimated costs were collected from five hospitals in Riyadh. The model used a lifetime framework adopting Saudi payer perspective and applied a 3% annual discount rate. Sensitivity analysis was conducted using one-way and probabilistic sensitivity analysis (PSA) to evaluate the robustness and uncertainty of the estimates.Results. Treating 10,000 patients with high CVD risk with more intensive BP therapy would avert a total of 873 CV events over their remaining lifetimes as compared with a less intensive strategy. The projections showed that more intensive BP therapy would be cost-effective compared to the less intensive strategy with incremental costs per QALY of $20,358. Probabilistic sensitivity analysis suggested more intensive control would be cost-effective compared with the less intensive control of BP 87.25 % of the time.Conclusion. The result of this study showed that more intensive BP treatment appears to be a cost-effective choice for patients with a high risk of CVD in Saudi Arabia when compared with a less intensive BP strategy. Thus, this finding provides strong evidence for the adoption of this strategy within the Saudi healthcare system.
Image‐Based Underwater Inspection System for Abrasion of Stilling Basin Slabs of Dam
Authors: Li Yonglong , Zhang Hua , Wang Shuang , Wang Haoran , Li Jialong
Published: October 2019

The abrasion of stilling basin slabs which is caused by waterborne particles is one of the main surface damages in the operation of hydropower station. For determining whether to repair the stilling basin slabs, periodic inspections of erosion condition of stilling basin slabs are required. The practical problem is how to get the underwater image without unwatering and how to analyse the abrasion though the images. This paper developed a novel underwater inspection system named UIS‐1 which consists of a customized underwater robot and special quantitative analysis method for this situation. Firstly, the integrated component was designed for the underwater robot that partially removes the siltation and obtains the image of the concrete surface of stilling basin slabs in the desired position. Secondly, the paper proposed an image algorithm to obtain aggregate exposure ratio for quantitative abrasion analysis. This image algorithm used SLIC superpixel and the SVM machine learning method to detect the coarse aggregate exposure automatically. Then, the aggregate exposure ratio was calculated to analyse the degree of abrasion. Finally, the UIS‐1 system was evaluated in the field experiments of a dam in Sichuan, China, and its performance was discussed by comparison.
Error Mechanism and Self‐Calibration of Single‐Axis Rotational Inertial Navigation System
Authors: Nie Bo , Chen Guiming , Luo Xianting , Liu Bingqi
Published: October 2019

With the rapid development of inertial technology, the rotational inertial system has been widely used for high‐accuracy navigation. In addition, the single‐axis rotational inertial navigation system is one of the most popular navigation systems due to its low cost. However, the fact which cannot be ignored is that although single axis rotational inertial navigation system can restrain divergence of attitude error, it cannot eliminate velocity error, which is mainly caused by the gyro misalignment and scale factor error related to rotational axis. A novel calibration method established on filter has been proposed. Position, velocity, and attitude are chosen to be the state variables. In order to estimate the gyro errors related to rotational axis, these errors must be included in the state equation. Correspondingly, zero velocity and rate of turntable are chosen to be measured. Simulation has been carried out to verify the correctness of the theory, and the real test has been performed to further demonstrate the validity of the method. By compensating the main error estimated by filter, it can be found that the accumulated errors in velocity and attitude are decreased. So, the precision of navigation is greatly improved with the proposed method.
HNF4α-Deficient Fatty Liver Provides a Permissive Environment for Sex-Independent Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Authors: Fekry Baharan , Ribas-Latre Aleix , Baumgartner Corrine , Mohamed Alaa M.T. , Kolonin Mikhail G. , Sladek Frances M. , Younes Mamoun , Eckel-Mahan Kristin L.
Published: October 2019

The incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is on the rise worldwide. Although the incidence of HCC in males is considerably higher than in females, the projected rates of HCC incidence are increasing for both sexes. A recently appreciated risk factor for HCC is the growing problem of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, which is usually associated with obesity and the metabolic syndrome. In this study, we showed that under conditions of fatty liver, female mice were more likely to develop HCC than expected from previous models. Using an inducible knockout model of the tumor-suppressive isoform of hepatocyte nuclear factor 4 alpha (“P1-HNF4α”) in the liver in combination with prolonged high fat (HF) diet, we found that HCC developed equally in male and female mice as early as 38 weeks of age. Similar sex-independent HCC occurred in the “STAM” model of mice, in which severe hyperglycemia and HF feeding results in rapid hepatic lipid deposition, fibrosis, and ultimately HCC. In both sexes, reduced P1-HNF4α activity, which also occurs under chronic HF diet feeding, increased hepatic lipid deposition and produced a greatly augmented circadian rhythm in IL6, a factor previously linked with higher HCC incidence in males. Loss of HNF4α combined with HF feeding induced epithelial–mesenchymal transition in an IL6-dependent manner. Collectively, these data provide a mechanism-based working hypothesis that could explain the rising incidence of aggressive HCC.

Significance:

This study provides a mechanism for the growing incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma in both men and women, which is linked to nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.
A Breath of Fresh Air: Opening up the Lung Cancer Genome
Authors: Bowcock Anne M.
Published: October 2019

In this issue of Cancer Research, Wang and colleagues identify a large number of regulatory sites within the genomes of non–small cell lung cancers with a global scan for open chromatin (assaying for transposase-accessible chromatin with sequencing). They show that this type of profiling might substitute RNA sequencing in classifying lung cancer samples and in making predictions about prognosis. They also show experimentally that genome editing of some regulatory sites upregulates the expression of GSTM1 and GSTT1, which are required for detoxification of carcinogens and whose low expression levels are associated with lung cancer risk.

See related article by Wang et al., p. 4840
Sequencing the Events That Mediate Progression of Premalignant Lung Lesions
Authors: Merrick Daniel T.
Published: October 2019

Analysis of a large group of patients with multifocal premalignant disease by Krysan and colleagues in this issue of Cancer Research provides an informative view of the processes that may underlie progression of these lesions to invasive adenocarcinoma of the lung. The identification of the type and distribution of mutational changes reveals that common processes may be occurring within individuals but that these are generally unique between patients at risk for developing lung cancer. Furthermore, predicted neoantigens are identified and associated with characteristics of immune infiltrates supporting the role of alterations in adaptive immune surveillance in progression of these premalignant lesions. These findings provide critical insights that will help establish a foundation of knowledge for developing personalized prevention strategies with the potential to significantly impact overall mortality in lung cancer.

See related article by Krysan et al., p. 5022
An Integrative Approach to Inform Optimal Administration of OX40 Agonist Antibodies in Patients with Advanced Solid Tumors
Authors: Wang Rui , Gao Chan , Raymond Megan , Dito Gennaro , Kabbabe Dominic , Shao Xiao , Hilt Ed , Sun Yongliang , Pak Irene , Gutierrez Martin , Melero Ignacio , Spreafico Anna , Carvajal Richard D. , Ong Michael , Olszanski Anthony J. , Milburn Christina , Thudium Kent , Yang Zheng , Feng Yan , Fracasso Paula M. , Korman Alan J. , Aanur Praveen , Huang Shih-Min A. , Quigley Michael
Published: October 2019

Purpose:

The success of checkpoint blockade has led to a significant increase in the development of a broad range of immunomodulatory molecules for the treatment of cancer, including agonists against T-cell costimulatory receptors, such as OX40. Unlike checkpoint blockade, where complete and sustained receptor saturation may be required for maximal activity, the optimal dosing regimen and receptor occupancy for agonist agents is less well understood and requires further study.

Experimental Design:

We integrated both preclinical and clinical biomarker data sets centered on dose, exposure, receptor occupancy, receptor engagement, and downstream pharmacodynamic changes to model the optimal dose and schedule for the OX40 agonist antibody BMS-986178 alone and in combination with checkpoint blockade.

Results:

Administration of the ligand-blocking anti-mouse surrogate antibody OX40.23 or BMS-986178 as monotherapy or in combination with checkpoint blockade led to increased peripheral CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell activation in tumor-bearing mice and patients with solid tumors, respectively. OX40 receptor occupancy between 20% and 50% both in vitro and in vivo was associated with maximal enhancement of T-cell effector function by anti-OX40 treatment, whereas a receptor occupancy > 40% led to a profound loss in OX40 receptor expression, with clear implications for availability for repeat dosing.

Conclusions:

Our results highlight the value of an integrated translational approach applied during early clinical development to aggregate preclinical and clinical data in an effort to define the optimal dose and schedule for T-cell agonists in the clinic.
Amplification of the Mutation-Carrying BRCA2 Allele Promotes RAD51 Loading and PARP Inhibitor Resistance in the Absence of Reversion Mutations
Authors: Park Pyoung Hwa , Yamamoto Tomomi M. , Li Hua , Alcivar Allen L. , Xia Bing , Wang Yifan , Bernhardy Andrea J. , Turner Kristen M. , Kossenkov Andrew V. , Watson Zachary L. , Behbakht Kian , Casadei Silvia , Swisher Elizabeth M. , Mischel Paul S. , Johnson Neil , Bitler Benjamin G.
Published: October 2019

Patients harboring germline breast cancer susceptibility genes 1 and 2 (BRCA1/2) mutations are predisposed to developing breast, pancreatic, and ovarian cancers. BRCA2 plays a critical role in homologous recombination (HR) DNA repair and deleterious mutations in BRCA2 confer sensitivity to PARP inhibition. Recently, the PARP inhibitors olaparib and rucaparib were FDA approved for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer and patients with recurrent ovarian cancer with mutations in BRCA1/2. Despite their initial antitumor activity, the development of resistance limits the clinical utility of PARP inhibitor therapy. Multiple resistance mechanisms have been described, including reversion mutations that restore the reading frame of the BRCA2 gene. In this study, we generated olaparib- and rucaparib-resistant BRCA2-mutant Capan1 cell lines. We did not detect secondary reversion mutations in the olaparib- or rucaparib-resistant clones. Several of the resistant clones had gene duplication and amplification of the mutant BRCA2 allele, with a corresponding increase in expression of a truncated BRCA2 protein. In addition, HR-mediated DNA repair was rescued, as evidenced by the restoration of RAD51 foci formation. Using mass spectrometry, we identified Disruptor Of Telomeric silencing 1-Like (DOT1L), as an interacting partner of truncated BRCA2. RNAi-mediated knockdown of BRCA2 or DOT1L was sufficient to resensitize cells to olaparib. The results demonstrate that independent of a BRCA2 reversion, mutation amplification of a mutant-carrying BRCA2 contributes to PARP inhibitor resistance.