bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Mechanisms affecting the gut of preterm infants in enteral feeding trials: a nested cohort within a randomised controlled trial of lactoferrin
Authors: Young Greg , Berrington Janet E , Cummings Stephen , Dorling Jon , Ewer Andrew K , Frau Alessandra , Lett Lauren , Probert Chris , Juszczak Ed , Kirby John , Beck Lauren C , Renwick Victoria L , Lamb Christopher , Lanyon Clare V , McGuire William , Stewart Christopher , Embleton Nicholas
Published: November 2022

Objective

To determine the impact of supplemental bovine lactoferrin on the gut microbiome and metabolome of preterm infants.

Design

Cohort study nested within a randomised controlled trial (RCT). Infants across different trial arms were matched on several clinical variables. Bacteria and metabolite compositions of longitudinal stool and urine samples were analysed to investigate the impact of lactoferrin supplementation.

Setting

Thirteen UK hospitals participating in a RCT of lactoferrin.

Patients

479 infants born <32 weeks’ gestation between June 2016 and September 2017.

Results

10 990 stool and 22 341 urine samples were collected. Analyses of gut microbiome (1304 stools, 201 infants), metabolites (171 stools, 83 infants; 225 urines, 90 infants) and volatile organic compounds (314 stools, 117 infants) were performed. Gut microbiome Shannon diversity at 34 weeks corrected age was not significantly different between infants in the lactoferrin (mean=1.24) or placebo (mean=1.06) groups (p=0.11). Lactoferrin receipt explained less than 1% variance in microbiome compositions between groups. Metabolomic analysis identified six discriminative features between trial groups. Hospital site (16%) and postnatal age (6%) explained the greatest variation in microbiome composition.

Conclusions

This multiomic study identified minimal impacts of lactoferrin but much larger impacts of hospital site and postnatal age. This may be due to the specific lactoferrin product used, but more likely supports the findings of the RCT in which this study was nested, which showed no impact of lactoferrin on reducing rates of sepsis. Multisite mechanistic studies nested within RCTs are feasible and help inform trial interpretation and future trial design.
Visual loss in surgical retinal disease: retinal imaging and photoreceptor cell counts
Authors: Anguita Rodrigo , Charteris David
Published: November 2022

Vision loss after detachment of the neurosensory retina is a complex process which is not fully understood. Clinical factors have been identified which contribute to loss of macular function after retinal detachment and laboratory studies have played an important role in understanding the cellular and subcellular pathological processes which underlie the loss of visual function. As clinical imaging has advanced, multiple studies have focused on identifying and correlating clinicopathological features with visual outcomes in patients with rhegmatogenous retinal detachment. Optical coherence tomography, fundus autofluorescence, optical coherence tomography angiography and adaptive optics studies have contributed to the understanding of the anatomical changes in relation to clinical outcomes. A clear understanding of the macular pathology of retinal detachment is fundamental to develop strategies to improve outcomes in patients with rhegmatogenous retinal detachment and analogous retinal diseases where macular neurosensory retinal detachment is part of the pathology. This review assesses the evidence from experimental and pathological studies together with clinical imaging analyses (optical coherence tomography, fundus autofluorescence, optical coherence tomography angiography and adaptive optics) and the contribution of these studies to our understanding of visual outcomes.
Subretinal drusenoid deposits are strongly associated with coexistent high-risk vascular diseases
Authors: Ledesma-Gil Gerardo , Otero-Marquez Oscar , Alauddin Sharmina , Tong Yuehong , Tai Katy , Lloyd Harriet , Koci Micaela , Scolaro Maria , Pillai Cinthi , Ye Catherine , Govindaiah Arun , Bhuiyan Alauddin , Dhamoon Mandip S , Deobhakta Avnish , Lema Gareth , Narula Jagat , Rosen Richard B , Yannuzzi Lawrence A , Freund K Bailey , Smith Roland Theodore
Published: November 2022

Background/aims

Demonstrate that subretinal drusenoid deposits (SDDs) in age-related macular degeneration (AMD) are linked to coexistent high-risk vascular diseases (HRVDs).

Methods

Cross-sectional study. Two hundred AMD subjects (aged 51–100 years; 121 women, 79 men) were recruited. Spectral domain optical coherence tomography, autofluorescence and near-infrared reflectance imaging, and lipid profiles were obtained. Subjects were assigned by health history questionnaires into those with or without HRVDs, defined as: cardiac valve defect (eg, aortic stenosis), myocardial defect (eg, myocardial infarction) and stroke/transient ischaemic attack. Masked readers assigned subjects into two groups: SDD (with or without drusen) and drusen (only). Univariate testing was performed by χ2test. We built multivariate regression models to test relationships of coexistent HRVD to SDD status, lipid levels and other covariates.

Results

The prevalence of HRVD was 41.2% (40/97) and 6.8% (7/103) in the SDD and non-SDD groups, respectively (correlation of SDD with HRVD, p=9×10−9, OR 9.62, 95% CI 4.04 to 22.91). Multivariate regressions: only SDDs and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) in the first two HDL quartiles remained significant for HRVD (p=9.8×10−5, 0.021, respectively). Multivariate regression model: SDDs and an HDL in Q1 or Q2 identified the presence of HRVD with the accuracy of 78.5%, 95% CI 72.2% to 84.0%.

Conclusions

High-risk cardiovascular and neurovascular diseases were accurately identified in an AMD cohort from SDDs and HDL levels. The SDDs may be related to inadequate ocular perfusion resulting from the systemic vasculopathies. Further research with this paradigm is warranted and might reduce mortality and morbidity from vascular disease.
Cryoballoon Pulmonary Vein Isolation as First-Line Treatment for Typical Atrial Flutter
Authors: Gupta Dhiraj , Ding Wern Yew , Calvert Peter , Williams Emmanuel , Das Moloy , Tovmassian Lilith , Tayebjee Muzahir H , Haywood Guy , Martin Claire A , Rajappan Kim , Bates Matthew G D , Temple Ian Peter , Reichlin Tobias , Chen Zhong , Balasubramaniam Richard N , Ronayne Christina , Clarkson Nichola , Morgan Maureen , Barton Janet , Kemp Ian , Mahida Saagar , Sticherling Christian
Published: November 2022

Objective

We aimed to compare cryoballoon pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) with standard radiofrequency cavotricuspid isthmus (CTI) ablation as first-line treatment for typical atrial flutter (AFL).

Methods

Cryoballoon Pulmonary Vein Isolation as First-Line Treatment for Typical Atrial Flutter was an international, multicentre, open with blinded assessment trial. Patients with CTI-dependent AFL and no documented atrial fibrillation (AF) were randomised to either cryoballoon PVI alone or radiofrequency CTI ablation. Primary efficacy outcome was time to first recurrence of sustained (>30 s) symptomatic atrial arrhythmia (AF/AFL/atrial tachycardia) at 12 months as assessed by continuous monitoring with an implantable loop recorder. Primary safety outcome was a composite of death, stroke, tamponade requiring drainage, atrio-oesophageal fistula, pacemaker implantation, serious vascular complications or persistent phrenic nerve palsy.

Results

Trial recruitment was halted at 113 of the target 130 patients because of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic (PVI, n=59; CTI ablation, n=54). Median age was 66 (IQR 61–71) years, with 98 (86.7%) men. At 12 months, the primary outcome occurred in 11 (18.6%) patients in the PVI group and 9 (16.7%) patients in the CTI group. There was no significant difference in the primary efficacy outcome between the groups (HR 1.11, 95% CI 0.46 to 2.67). AFL recurred in six (10.2%) patients in the PVI arm and one (1.9%) patient in the CTI arm (p=0.116). Time to occurrence of AF of ≥2 min was significantly reduced with cryoballoon PVI (HR 0.46, 95% CI 0.25 to 0.85). The composite safety outcome occurred in four patients in the PVI arm and three patients in the CTI arm (p=1.000).

Conclusion

Cryoballoon PVI as first-line treatment for AFL is equally effective compared with standard CTI ablation for preventing recurrence of atrial arrhythmia and better at preventing new-onset AF.

Trial registration number

NCT03401099.
WISQARS Cost of Injury for public health research and practice
Authors: Peterson Cora , Rice Ketra L , Williams Dionne D , Thomas Robert
Published: November 2022

Aim

Since 2011 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS) has demonstrated per-injury average and population total medical and non-medical costs of injuries by type (such as unintentional cut/pierce) in the USA. This article describes the impact of data and methods changes in the newest version of WISQARS Cost of Injury.

Methods

Data sources and methods were compared for the legacy version of the WISQARS Cost of Injury website (available 2011–2021; most recent prior update was published in 2014 with 2010 injury incidence and costs) and the new version (published 2021; 2015-present injury incidence and costs). Cost data sources were updated for the new website and the basis for medical costs and non-fatal injury work loss costs changed from mathematical modelling (combined estimates from multiple data sources) in the legacy website to statistical modelling of actual injury-related medical and work loss financial transactions in the new website. Monetary valuation of non-medical costs for injury deaths changed from lost employment income and household work in the legacy website to value of statistical life. Quality of life loss costs were added for non-fatal injuries. Per-injury average medical and non-medical costs by injury type (mechanism and intent) and total population injury costs were compared for years 2010 (legacy website data) and 2020 (new website data) to illustrate the impact of data and methods changes on reported costs in the context of changed annual injury incidence.

Results

Owing to more comprehensive cost capture yielding higher per-injury average costs for most injury types—including those with high incidence in 2020 such as unintentional poisoning and unintentional falls—reported total US medical and non-medical injury costs were substantially higher in 2020 (US$4.6 trillion) compared with 2010 (US$693 billion) (both 2020 USD).

Conclusions and relevance

New data and methods increased the injury costs reported in WISQARS Cost of Injury. Researchers and public health professionals can use this information to proficiently communicate the burden of injuries and violence in terms of economic cost.
Cost–benefit analysis of a distracted pedestrian intervention
Authors: Rahim Md Jillur , Schwebel David C , Hasan Ragib , Griffin Russell , Sen Bisakha
Published: November 2022

Objective

Cellphone ubiquity has increased distracted pedestrian behaviour and contributed to growing pedestrian injury rates. A major barrier to large-scale implementation of prevention programmes is unavailable information on potential monetary benefits. We evaluated net economic societal benefits of StreetBit, a programme that reduces distracted pedestrian behaviour by sending warnings from intersection-installed Bluetooth beacons to distracted pedestrians’ smartphones.

Methods

Three data sources were used as follows: (1) fatal, severe, non-severe pedestrian injury rates from Alabama’s electronic crash reporting system; (2) expected costs per fatal, severe, non-severe pedestrian injury—including medical cost, value of statistical life, work-loss cost, quality-of-life cost—from CDC and (3) prevalence of distracted walking from extant literature. We computed and compared estimated monetary costs of distracted walking in Alabama and monetary benefits from implementing StreetBit to reduce pedestrian injuries at intersections.

Results

Over 2019–2021, Alabama recorded an annual average of 31 fatal, 83 severe and 115 non-severe pedestrian injuries in intersections. Expected costs/injury were US$11 million, US$339 535 and US$93 877, respectively. The estimated distracted walking prevalence is 25%–40%, and StreetBit demonstrates 19.1% (95% CI 1.6% to 36.0%) reduction. These figures demonstrate potential annual cost savings from using interventions like StreetBit statewide ranging from US$18.1 to US$29 million. Potential costs range from US$3 208 600 (beacons at every-fourth urban intersection) to US$6 359 200 (every other intersection).

Conclusions

Even under the most parsimonious scenario (25% distracted pedestrians; densest beacon placement), StreetBit yields US$11.8 million estimated net annual benefit to society. Existing data sources can be leveraged to predict net monetary benefits of distracted pedestrian interventions like StreetBit and facilitate large-scale intervention adoption.
Pharmacological treatment in patients with aortic dissection
Authors: Smedberg Christian , Hultgren Rebecka , Leander Karin , Steuer Johnny
Published: November 2022

Objectives

To describe medical management in aortic dissection (AD) and to analyse the possible associations between antihypertensive, antithrombotic, anticoagulant and statin agents, respectively, and long-term survival.

Methods

From Swedish medical registers, all patients diagnosed with AD in 2006–2015 were identified. Filled prescriptions prior to admission and within 1 year from discharge in patients discharged and alive at 30 days were registered. Associations between pharmacological treatment and long-term survival were analysed using Cox proportional hazards models.

Results

Of 3951 patients hospitalised with acute AD, 3046 (77%) were discharged and alive at 30 days. In hospitalised patients, mean age was 66 years (SD 13), and 36% (n=1098) were women. Within 1 year from discharge, 96% (n=2939) had at least one antihypertensive drug. Beta blocker was the most commonly used drug type (90%, n=2741). Statin treatment (47%, n=1418) was associated with higher long-term survival; HR 0.74 (95% CI 0.63 to 0.87, p<0.001). The positive association between statins and long-term survival remained, in subgroup analysis, in medically managed patients (HR 0.72 (95% CI 0.60 to 0.86, p<0.001)), but not in patients undergoing surgical repair (HR 0.82 (95% CI 0.58 to 1.14, p=0.230)). Beta blockers were associated with favourable long-term survival in surgically managed patients (HR 0.58 (95% CI 0.35 to 0.97, p=0.038)) but not in medically managed patients (HR 0.93 (95% CI 0.72 to 1.12, p=0.057)). Neither antiplatelet therapy nor anticoagulants were associated with long-term survival.

Conclusions

Statin treatment was associated with favourable long-term outcome in medically managed AD patients, whereas treatment with beta blocker was associated with higher survival only in surgically managed AD patients. Statin use as well as optimal antihypertensive therapy in the chronic stage of the disease need to be further analysed, preferably in randomised controlled trials.
Health inequities in human papillomavirus prevention, diagnostics and clinical care in the USA: a scoping review
Authors: Magana Kimberly , Strand Laura , Love Mitchell , Moore Ty , Peña Andriana , Ito Ford Alicia , Vassar Matt
Published: November 2022

Background

Human papillomavirus (HPV) represents the most common STI in the USA. HPV inequities in prevention, diagnostics and clinical care persist. We define inequities as systematic, avoidable and unfair differences in health outcomes.

Objectives

The objectives of this scoping review are to chart existing data on HPV-related inequities, identify gaps in existing literature and guide future research to reduce these inequities.

Methods

We completed a scoping review following guidelines from the Joanna Briggs Institute and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses scoping reviews extension. We performed a literature search on PubMed and Ovid Embase in July 2022 for articles pertaining to HPV and evaluating populations within the USA. We included English language publications from 2018 to 2022 evaluating at least one health inequity outlined by the National Institutes of Health. General publication characteristics and health inequity data were charted in a masked, duplicate fashion using a pilot-tested Google Form. We analysed frequencies of health inequities and summarised main findings from included studies.

Results

Our final sample included 170 publications. The most common inequities examined were race/ethnicity (140 studies), sex or gender (97 studies), and income (69 studies). Many historically marginalised racial/ethnic groups had lower rates of HPV-related knowledge, vaccination and worse overall outcomes related to HPV. Compared with women, men had lower rates of HPV vaccination and provider recommendation, and higher rates of HPV-infection. Results regarding income were largely conflicting.

Conclusion

Findings from our review demonstrate clear gaps in HPV-related inequity research. Vaccine completion, provider recommendation and intersectionality should continue to be evaluated to implement targeted interventions.
Understanding sexual transmission dynamics and transmission contexts of monkeypox virus: a mixed-methods study of the early outbreak in Belgium (May–June 2022)
Authors: Vanhamel Jef , Laisnez Valeska , Liesenborghs Laurens , Brosius Isabel , Berens-Riha Nicole , Vanbaelen Thibaut , Kenyon Chris , Vercauteren Koen , Laga Marie , Hammami Naïma , Lambricht Oriane , Mahieu Romain , Lecompte Amaryl , Vanden Berghe Wim , Vuylsteke Bea
Published: November 2022

Objective

The available epidemiological and clinical evidence from the currently ongoing monkeypox (MPX) outbreak in non-endemic areas suggests an important factor of sexual transmission. However, limited information on the behaviour and experiences of individuals with an MPX infection has to date been provided. We aimed to describe the initial phase of the MPX outbreak in Belgium, and to provide a more in-depth description of sexual behaviour and transmission contexts.

Methods

We used routine national surveillance data of 139 confirmed MPX cases with date of symptom onset until 19 June 2022, complemented with 12 semistructured interviews conducted with a subsample of these cases.

Results

Sexualised environments, including large festivals and cruising venues for gay men, were the suspected exposure setting for the majority of the cases in the early outbreak phase. In-depth narratives of sexual behaviour support the hypothesis of MPX transmission through close physical contact during sex. Despite awareness of the ongoing MPX outbreak, low self-perceived risk of MPX acquisition and confusing initial signs and symptoms for other STIs or skin conditions delayed early detection of an MPX infection. In addition, we describe relevant contextual factors beyond individual behaviour, related to sexual networks, interpersonal interactions and health systems. Some of these factors may complicate early MPX detection and control efforts.

Conclusion

Our results highlight the role of sexual contact and networks in the transmission of MPX during the early phase of the outbreak in Belgium. Risk communication messages should consistently and transparently state the predominant sexual transmission potential of MPX virus, and prevention and control measures must be adapted to reflect multilevel factors contributing to MPX transmission risk.
Guidance for selecting base temperatures when using degree-days in fish growth analyses
Authors: Honsey Andrew E. , Rypel Andrew L. , Venturelli Paul A.
Published: November 2022

Degree-days (DD) are a useful metric for describing the thermal scope for fish growth and other physiological processes, but there is a lack of advice about how to calculate DD for a given fish species. In particular, appropriate values for the base temperature for growth ( T0) are unknown for most fish species. Previous work showed that inappropriate T0 values can bias growth rate estimates and lead to erroneous conclusions when comparing growth among populations. It is therefore critical to use biologically relevant T0 values when calculating DD. We used two approaches that leverage empirical growth data and bioenergetics models to estimate T0 for 82 fish species. We found that T0 varied among species and across thermal guilds, with coldwater species having relatively low T0 values and warmwater species having higher T0 values. In addition, T0 varied across life stages and depended on whether one selected air or water temperature data to calculate DD. We provide guidance for calculating DD in fish science for many species and scenarios.
A new maximum-likelihood method for template fits
Authors: Dembinski Hans , Abdelmotteleb Ahmed
Published: November 2022

A common statistical problem in particle physics is to extract the number of samples which originate from a statistical process in an ensemble containing a mix of several contributing processes. The probability density function of each process is usually not exactly known. Barlow and Beeston found an exact likelihood for the problem of fitting binned templates obtained from Monte-Carlo simulation to binned data, which propagates the uncertainty of the templates into the result. Solving the exact likelihood is technically challenging, however. The original paper also did not provide a way to use weighted simulation samples with varying weights. Other papers have introduced alternative likelihoods to address these points. In this paper, a new approximate likelihood is derived from the exact Barlow–Beeston one. The new likelihood is generalized to fits of weighted templates to weighted data. The performance of the new likelihood is evaluated based on toy examples. The performance is excellent – point estimates have small bias and confidence intervals have good coverage – and is comparable to the exact Barlow–Beeston likelihood when the templates are not weighted. The new likelihood evaluates faster than the Barlow–Beeston one when the number of bins is large.
Modeling of Security Fault-Tolerant Requirements for Secure Systems
Authors: Pathirage Don , Shin Michael , Jang Dongsoo
Published: November 2022

Security services can keep a system from security breaches for a while, but they are ultimately compromised as the system is deployed and used. This paper describes the modeling of security fault-tolerant (SFT) requirements, which can tolerate the failures of security services for systems. SFT requirements are specified together with the security services requirements so that they tolerate breaches of the security services. This paper addresses an approach for specifying and analyzing SFT requirements using a meta-model. Threats to systems are identified in the requirements specification and analysis phases, and SFT measures against the threats are described with security services. An electronic commerce system is selected to illustrate the approach.
SOME IDENTITIES OF FULLY DEGENERATE DOWLING AND FULLY DEGENERATE BELL POLYNOMIALS ARISING FROM λ-UMBRAL CALCULUS
Authors: MA YUANKUI , KIM TAEKYUN , LEE HYUNSEOK , KIM DAE SAN
Published: November 2022

Recently, Kim–Kim introduced the [Formula: see text]-umbral calculus, in which the [Formula: see text]-Sheffer sequences occupy the central position. In this paper, we introduce the fully degenerate Bell and the fully degenerate Dowling polynomials, and investigate some properties and identities relating to those polynomials with the help of [Formula: see text]-umbral calculus. Here, we note that the fully degenerate Bell poynomials and the fully degenerate Dowling polynomials are, respectively, degenerate versions of the Bell polynomials and the Dowling polynomials, of which the latters are the natural extension of the Whitney numbers of the second kind.
Iteratively consistent one-bit phase retrieval
Authors: Domel-White Dylan , Powell Alexander M.
Published: November 2022

We introduce the ICQPhase algorithm for iteratively consistent quantized phase retrieval. ICQPhase addresses the problem of recovering a signal [Formula: see text] or [Formula: see text] from one-bit quantized phaseless measurements [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], where [Formula: see text] are orthogonal projections and where [Formula: see text] is a one-bit scalar quantizer. We numerically validate the performance of ICQPhase and demonstrate that it experimentally achieves mean squared error of order [Formula: see text] in a variety of settings. We provide a theoretical analysis of the algorithm for the case of rank-one projections of signals in two-dimensional real space and prove that the mean squared error is of order [Formula: see text].
Analysing Knowledge-Sharing Practices Using Activity Theory in the SME Organisation
Authors: Syed Mustapha S. M. F. D.
Published: November 2022

An activity theory method is used to analyse the knowledge-sharing practices. The activity theory emphasises the necessity of analysing the SME organisation as a whole. In the context of knowledge-sharing practices, activity theory is used to collect interconnected parts of SME practices. A cross-sectional design was used to study the relationship among relationship commitment, knowledge-sharing practices, employee development, team performance, and a moderating role of social identification. The majority of the SMEs were established 3–5 years ago (46.3%), and 84.4% were private, with an employee range of less than 50 (73.1%). Furthermore, 82.1% of the SMEs in this study were in the growth stage. Knowledge-sharing practices have a significant positive effect on team performance (0.278, [Formula: see text]), with a moderating impact of role and behaviour on knowledge-sharing practices and team performance (0.178, [Formula: see text]). The findings have confirmed the significant and positive effects of knowledge-sharing practices on the mediation of employee development (0.045, [Formula: see text]). The activity theory models for knowledge-sharing practices emphasise the contextual nature of knowledge sharing and ensure systematic evaluation.
User Perception of Recommendation Explanation: Are Your Explanations What Users Need?
Authors: Lu Hongyu , Ma Weizhi , Wang Yifan , Zhang Min , Wang Xiang , Liu Yiqun , Chua Tat-Seng , Ma Shaoping
Published: November 2022

As recommender systems become increasingly important in daily human decision-making, users are demanding convincing explanations to understand why they get the specific recommendation results. Although a number of explainable recommender systems have recently been proposed, there still lacks an understanding of what users really need in a recommendation explanation. The actual reason behind users’ intention to examine and consume (e.g., click and watch a movie) can be the window to answer this question and is named as
self-explanation
in this work. In addition, humans usually make recommendations accompanied by explanations, but there remain fewer studies on how humans explain and what we can learn from human-generated explanations.

To investigate these questions, we conduct a novel multi-role, multi-session user study in which users interact with multiple types of system-generated explanations as well as human-generated explanations, namely
peer-explanation
. During the study, users’ intentions, expectations, and experiences are tracked in several phases, including before and after the users are presented with an explanation and after the content is examined. Through comprehensive investigations, three main findings have been made: First, we observe not only the positive but also the negative effects of explanations, and the impact varies across different types of explanations. Moreover, human-generated explanation,
peer-explanation
, performs better in increasing user intentions and helping users to better construct preferences, which results in better user satisfaction. Second, based on users’
self-explanation
, the information accuracy is measured and found to be a major factor associated with user satisfaction. Some other factors, such as unfamiliarity and similarity, are also discovered and summarized. Third, through annotations of the information aspects used in the human-generated
self-explanation
and
peer-explanation
, patterns of how humans explain are investigated, including what information and how much information is utilized. In addition, based on the findings, a human-inspired explanation approach is proposed and found to increase user satisfaction, revealing the potential improvement of further incorporating more human patterns in recommendation explanations.

These findings have shed light on the deeper understanding of the recommendation explanation and further research on its evaluation and generation. Furthermore, the collected data, including human-generated explanations by both the external peers and the users’ selves, will be released to support future research works on explanation evaluation.
Exploring Neuromorphic Computing Based on Spiking Neural Networks: Algorithms to Hardware
Authors: Rathi Nitin , Chakraborty Indranil , Kosta Adarsh , Sengupta Abhronil , Ankit Aayush , Panda Priyadarshini , Roy Kaushik
Published: November 2022

Neuromorphic Computing, a concept pioneered in the late 1980s, is receiving a lot of attention lately due to its promise of reducing the computational energy, latency, as well as learning complexity in artificial neural networks. Taking inspiration from neuroscience, this interdisciplinary field performs a multi-stack optimization across devices, circuits, and algorithms by providing an end-to-end approach to achieving brain-like efficiency in machine intelligence. On one side, neuromorphic computing introduces a new algorithmic paradigm, known as Spiking Neural Networks (SNNs), which is a significant shift from standard deep learning and transmits information as spikes (“1” or “0”) rather than analog values. This has opened up novel algorithmic research directions to formulate methods to represent data in spike-trains, develop neuron models that can process information over time, design learning algorithms for event-driven dynamical systems, and engineer network architectures amenable to sparse, asynchronous, event-driven computing to achieve lower power consumption. On the other side, a parallel research thrust focuses on development of efficient computing platforms for new algorithms. Standard accelerators that are amenable to deep learning workloads are not particularly suitable to handle processing across multiple timesteps efficiently. To that effect, researchers have designed neuromorphic hardware that rely on event-driven sparse computations as well as efficient matrix operations. While most large-scale neuromorphic systems have been explored based on CMOS technology, recently, Non-Volatile Memory (NVM) technologies show promise toward implementing bio-mimetic functionalities on single devices. In this article, we outline several strides that neuromorphic computing based on spiking neural networks (SNNs) has taken over the recent past, and we present our outlook on the challenges that this field needs to overcome to make the bio-plausibility route a successful one.
Digital Twin of Intelligent Small Surface Defect Detection with Cyber-manufacturing Systems
Authors: Wu Yirui , Cao Hao , Yang Guoqiang , Lu Tong , Wan Shaohua
Published: November 2022

With the remarkable technological development in cyber-physical systems, industry 4.0 has evolved by use of a significant concept named digital twin (DT). However, it is still difficult to construct a relationship between twin simulation and a real scenario considering dynamic variations, especially when dealing with small surface defect detection tasks with high performance and computation resource requirements. In this article, we aim to construct cyber-manufacturing systems to achieve a DT solution for small surface defect detection task. Focusing on DT-based solution, the proposed system consists of an Edge–Cloud architecture and a surface defect detection algorithm. Considering dynamic characteristics and real-time response requirement, Edge–Cloud architecture is built to achieve smart manufacturing by efficiently collecting, processing, analyzing, and storing data produced by factory. A deep learning–based algorithm is then constructed to detect surface defeats based on multi-modal data, i.e., imaging and depth data. Experiments show the proposed algorithm could achieve high accuracy and recall in small defeat detection task, thus constructing DT in cyber-manufacturing.
The Interplay of Trust and Subjective Norms in Telemedicine Adoption by a Minority Community at Einstein Medical Center Philadelphia
Authors: Lee Diane C. , Gefen David
Published: November 2022

Telemedicine is not released into a social vacuum. In some communities - such as the underserved, low income, mostly minority community served by Einstein Medical Center Philadelphia (EMCP) - the social context presents the medical center with unique challenges centered on a strong community sense of historical discrimination. That context is manifested in people being less inclined to trust symbols of external authority and in their strong reliance on subjective norms. Analyzing 540 survey responses by EMCP emergency department (ED) patients shows that trust in the EMCP portal was the strongest predictor of its acceptance. Being an African American had no effect on portal acceptance compared to others in the community. Importantly, there was a negative interaction effect of subjective norms and trust on portal acceptance - meaning that increasing this trust can reduce the importance of subjective norms or, alternatively, that lower subjective norms may increase the importance of trust in determining acceptance. This moderation may have very practical implications for EMCP because, while it might be challenging for EMCP to change long established subjective norms, it is within their power to increase trust in the portal. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.
Chemical Mechanical Polishing of MgO Substrate and Its Effect on Fabrication of Atomic Step-Terrace Structures on MgO Surface by Subsequent High-Temperature Annealing
Authors: Aida Hideo , Ojima Takumi , Oshima Ryuji , Ihara Takahiro , Takeda Hidetoshi , Kimura Yutaka , Sawabe Atsuhito
Published: November 2022

Single-crystalline MgO is used as a substrate for the deposition of various functional thin films. The present study focused on the development of a complete sequence of fabricating atomic step-terrace structures on the MgO substrate via a method that includes grinding, precise mechanical polishing, chemical mechanical polishing (CMP), and high-temperature annealing. The effect of a damage-free surface pretreatment on the subsequent high-temperature annealing was investigated. An atomically smooth and damage-free MgO substrate surface with an average surface roughness of 0.05 nm was obtained via a CMP process using a colloidal silica slurry. Atomic step-terrace structures were formed on the substrate after the high-temperature annealing process at 1000 °C for 20 h under atmospheric air. The obtained step height was 0.20 nm, which corresponds to one-half the unit cell of an MgO crystal (0.21 nm). By contrast, when a mechanically damaged MgO substrate was subjected to the annealing process, Ca segregation was observed on the annealed surface, without the formation of an atomic step-terrace structure. CMP was found to be necessary prior to high-temperature annealing to attain atomic step-terrace structures and to avoid the out-diffusion of impurities in the MgO bulk crystals.
Centralizing n‐Homoderivations of Semiprime Rings
Authors: El-Sayiad M. S. Tammam , Ageeb A. , Ghareeb A.
Published: November 2022

We introduce the notion of n‐homoderivation on a ring ℜ and show that a semiprime ring ℜ must have a nontrivial central ideal if it admits an appropriate n‐homoderivation which is centralizing on some nontrivial one‐sided ideal. Under similar hypotheses, we prove commutativity in prime rings.
TREM2 Is a Prognostic Biomarker and Correlated with an Immunosuppressive Microenvironment in Thyroid Cancer
Authors: Wang Jing , Li Zhendong
Published: November 2022

Purposes. To identify the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) related to the immune microenvironment and elucidate the biological functions of key genes in papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) by analyzing the immune microenvironment. Methods. The relative quantities of immune and matrix components in 507 patients with PTC were calculated from the TCGA database. Analysis of differentially expressed genes in tumor samples throughout the genome, intersection of DEGs obtained from PTC patients, and genome-wide tumor samples and survival analysis were performed. Survival analysis was used for identification of prognostic factor. Immunohistochemical analysis of the TREM2 expression in PTC tissues, flow cytometry, and transwell assays were used to detect the effect of TREM2 on PTC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. Results. There were a total of 1242 upregulated genes with high intersection in the immune score and 124 downregulated genes with low intersection in the stromal score. A total of 1,366 genes in these DEGs may be determinants in the immune microenvironment. GO enrichment and KEGG enrichment analysis revealed that the overall function of DEGs appeared to map onto immune-related activities. Gene intersection and survival analysis showed that there were 435 DEG crosses in PTC patients and genome-wide tumor samples, only CXCL10, CD40LG, KRT14, TRAT1, and TREM2 were associated with patient prognosis, and TCGA showed that only the TREM2 expression was upregulated in PTC. TREM2 knockdown inhibited the cell cycle and cell proliferation, migration, and invasion by PTC cells. TREM2 was associated with the immunosuppressive microenvironment by via NF-κB pathway in PTC. Conclusion. TREM2 possibly was a potential indicator of altered TME status in PTC, and that TREM2 promoted PTC cell proliferation and cell cycle, migration, and invasion by NF-κB pathway.
The Continuous and Discrete Stability Characterization of Hepatitis B Deterministic Model
Authors: Li Shuo , Hussain Amjid , Khan Ihsan Ullah , El Koufi Amine , Mehmood Arif
Published: November 2022

The hepatitis B infection is a global epidemic disease which is a huge risk to the public health. In this paper, the transmission dynamics of hepatitis B deterministic model are presented and studied. The basic reproduction number is attained and by applying it, the local as well as global stability of disease-free and endemic equilibria of continuous hepatitis B deterministic model are discussed. To better understand the dynamics of the disease, the discrete nonstandard finite difference (NSFD) scheme is produced for the continuous model. Different criteria are employed to check the local and global stability of disease-free and endemic equilibria for the NSFD scheme. Our findings demonstrate that the NSFD scheme is convergent for all step sizes and consequently reasonable in all respect for the continuous deterministic epidemic model. All the aforementioned properties and their effects are also proved numerically at each stage to show their mathematical as well as biological feasibility. The theoretical and numerical findings used in this paper can be employed as a helpful tool for predicting the transmission of other infectious diseases.
Study on the Vector Quadrilateral Isoparametric Shell Element with Shear Deformation
Authors: Wang Zhen , Zhao Yang , Ding Zhi , Tang Huiping
Published: November 2022

Based on the linear superposition of the quadrilateral isoparametric membrane element and quadrilateral Mindlin plate element, basic vector formulas for the quadrilateral isoparametric shell element with the shear deformation is derived. Two different coordinate modes for updating the particle displacement and the element node internal force are put forward. The uniform numerical solution for an irregular quadrilateral element is realized by the isoparametric integral scheme along the element plane. Then, the bilinear elastoplastic constitutive of material is introduced into the vector finite shell element, and the nonlinear effect of the material is realized based on the integral method along the thickness. On this basis, the nonlinear calculation and analysis program of the quadrilateral isoparametric shell element is developed. Numerical example results show that the static and dynamic analysis, large deformation and large rotation analysis, and buckling analysis can all be well performed for the shell structures by the developed program, which verifies the validity of theoretical derivation and computer program.
Based on Fuzzy Measure Algorithm Message Adaptive Rate Algorithm of Internet of Things
Authors: Zhang Zhijie
Published: November 2022

In order to solve the problem that the existing LoRaWAN adaptive data rate control algorithm leads to low data transmission efficiency in the case of network congestion, a method combining a fuzzy logistic regression classifier and an improved adaptive data rate controller adjusting the avoidance time was proposed. The classifier could obtain the predicted congestion state by logistic regression learning. The data rate controller determined the data rate adjustment scheme according to the predicted congestion state. The experimental results showed that when the network congestion occurred in about 12s, the number of packet loss by the LoRaWAN default method was higher than that by the method in the research. The value of ADR_ MSG_CNT of the 15 source nodes in the method was 30 within 0–10 s, while the RCV_ACK_CNT of some nodes was 0. It proved that the method was more efficient than the original LoRaWAN adaptive data rate control algorithm.
BHF177 Suppresses Diabetic Neuropathic Pain by Blocking PKC/CaMKII/ERK1/2/CREB Signaling Pathway through Activating GABAB Receptor
Authors: Liu Boyu , Guan Fengxi , Zhao Jiapeng , Niu Yao , Jiang Hongbo
Published: November 2022

The gamma-aminobutyric acid type B (GABAB) receptor may participate in the development of diabetic neuropathic pain (DNP). BHF177 serves as a positive allosteric modulator of the GABAB receptor. In the current study, we sought to study the role of the BHF177-GABAB receptor in DNP and its underlying mechanism. Streptozotocin was adopted to induce a rat model of DNP, followed by determination of the paw withdrawal threshold (PWT), paw withdrawal latency (PWL), and glucose level. The effect of BHF177 on DNP by regulating the GABAB receptor in vivo was determined by the injection of BHF177 and/or CGP46381 (a GABAB receptor antagonist) into rat models of DNP. Hippocampal neuronal cells were isolated and cultured, and the neurons and DNP model rats were treated with activators of PKC (PMA), CaMKII (CaCl2), or ERK1/2 (EGF) to study the role of GABAB receptors in DNP via regulation of the NR2B-PKC-CaMKII-ERK-CREB pathway. BHF177 suppressed DNP symptoms by activating the GABAB receptors, as evidenced by increased PWT and PWL of DNP rats and the increased number of neurons expressing the GABAB receptor, but this effect was reversed by CGP46381 treatment. BHF177 treatment markedly repressed PKC, CaMKII, p-ERK1/2, and p-CREB expressions in the rat DNP model, but these suppressive effects were abrogated by treatments with PMA, CaCl2, or EGF treatment, respectively. To sum up, BHF177 suppresses DNP symptoms by blocking the PKC/CaMKII/ERK1/2/CREB signaling pathway to activate the GABAB receptors.
miR-877-5p Inhibits Epithelial Mesenchymal Transformation of Breast Cancer Cells by Targeting FGB
Authors: Liu Haixia , Xiang Lili , Mei Yu
Published: November 2022

Purpose. This present study is aimed at exploring the FGB expression in breast cancer (BC) and the role of FGB in BC. Methods. A total of 150 pairs of BC tissues and adjacent tissues from BC surgery patients were collected. RT-qPCR was utilized to evaluate the mRNA expression of FGB and miR-877-5p. Immunohistochemistry was applied to evaluate the protein expression of FGB. Chi-square test was performed to evaluate the relationship between FGB expression level and clinical characteristics. Cell proliferation was examined using CCK-8 assay. Cell invasion was evaluated by transwell assay. Flow cytometry assay was applied to measure cell apoptosis. The protein expression was evaluated by western blot. BALB/C nude mice were used to establish the xenograft tumor model. Results. FGB was more highly expressed in BC tumor, and the expression of FGB was relevant to TNM stage and lymph node metastasis and showed a positive correlation. FGB was proved to be directly regulated via miR-877-5p and enhanced proliferation and invasion of BC cells. FGB downregulation markedly inhibited the tumor growth, including tumor weight and volume. In addition, the Ki-67 expression was observably declined in the sh-FGB group. The protein expression of E-cadherin was markedly raised in the sh-FGB group while the protein expression of N-cadherin and vimentin was markedly declined in the sh-FGB group. Conclusion. In conclusion, miR-877-5p inhibits epithelial mesenchymal transformation, cell proliferation, and invasion of BC cells via downregulating FGB.
Multiplicity Results for Weak Solutions of a Semilinear Dirichlet Elliptic Problem with a Parametric Nonlinearity
Authors: Tchalla Ayékotan Messan Joseph , Tcharie Kokou
Published: November 2022

This paper deals with the existence of weak solutions to a Dirichlet problem for a semilinear elliptic equation involving the difference of two main nonlinearities functions that depends on a real parameter

λ

. According to the values of

λ

, we give both nonexistence and multiplicity results by using variational methods. In particular, we first exhibit a critical positive value such that the problem admits at least a nontrivial non-negative weak solution if and only if

λ

is greater than or equal to this critical value. Furthermore, for

λ

greater than a second critical positive value, we show the existence of two independent nontrivial non-negative weak solutions to the problem.
Study on Optimization Method of Visual Odometry Based on Feature Matching
Authors: Song Haili , Zhao Zengxu , Ren Bin , Xue Zhanpu , Li Junliang , Zhang Hao
Published: November 2022

The mismatching of image features affects the calculation of the fundamental matrix and then leads to poor estimation accuracy of SLAM visual odometry. Aiming at the above problems, a visual odometry optimization method based on feature matching is proposed. Firstly, the initial matching set is roughly filtered by the minimum distance threshold method, and then, the relative transformation relationship between images is calculated by the RANSAC algorithm. If it conforms to the transformation relationship, it is an interior point. The iteration result with most interior points is the correct matching result. Then, the homography transformation between images is calculated, and the fundamental matrix is calculated by it. The interior points are determined by epipolar geometric constraints, and the fundamental matrix with the most interior points is obtained. Finally, the effects of the visual odometry optimization algorithm are verified by the TUM data set from two aspects: feature matching and fundamental matrix calculation. The experimental results show that an improved feature matching algorithm can effectively remove mismatched feature points while improving the operation efficiency. At the same time, the accuracy of feature point matching is increased by 15.8%. The fundamental matrix estimation algorithm not only improves the calculation accuracy of the fundamental matrix but also increases the interior point rate by 11.9%. A theoretical basis for improving the accuracy estimation of visual odometry will be provided.