bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Numerical Investigation of an Orthotropic Plate with Interactions of Crack, Inclusions and Voids under Uniaxial Tensile Loading by XFEM
Authors: Lal Achchhe , Vaghela M. B.
Published: November 2020

This work is focused to investigate the effect of various discontinuities like cracks, inclusions and voids for an orthotropic plate, to evaluate the normalized mixed-mode stress intensity factors (NMMSIFs) by implementing the extended finite element method (XFEM) under uniaxial tensile loading though considering the various numerical examples. The NMMSIFs are investigated with the interaction of crack, single- and multi-inclusions/voids for an orthotropic plate. The effect of NMMSIFs is analyzed for an orthotropic plate with several orthotropy axis orientations by changing the position of single- and multi-inclusions/voids while aligned, above and away with respect to an edge crack of the plate and for the both side inclusions/voids aligned the center crack. It is also investigated for the effect of various shapes of inclusions/voids for an edge crack orthotropic plate under uniaxial tensile loading using XFEM.
Synthesis of Ce-doped SnO2@Ti3C2 nanocomposites for enhanced lithium-ion storage
Authors: Wang Fen , Liu Kaiyu , Wang Zijing , Zhu Jianfeng , Yin Shu
Published: November 2020

It is accepted that cerium doping is a great way to stabilize the structure of metallic oxides and improve the electrochemical performance of lithium (Li)-ion batteries (LIBs). Using a simple hydrothermal method, we doped Ce into tin-based oxides and synthesized Ce-doped SnO2@Ti3C2 nanocomposites with Ti3C2-MXene as a framework. The as-prepared Ce-doped SnO2@Ti3C2 nanocomposites show higher surface area and lower Li+ diffusion barrier, and the galvanostatic charge/discharge cycle stability is better than that of SnO2@Ti3C2. Additionally, the nanocomposites exhibit excellent initial discharge capacity (1482.6 mAh g[Formula: see text]) at 100 mA g[Formula: see text] and a remarkable cycle rate performance. After 150 cycles, the achieved discharge capacity remained at 310.8 mAh g[Formula: see text]. This study provides a new method of using two-dimensional (2D) layered materials and rare earth elements as lithium-ion storage materials.
Unsupervised method of clustering and labeling of the online product based on reviews
Authors: Billah Md Masum , Bhuiyan Mohammad Nuruzzaman , Akterujjaman Md.
Published: November 2020

This paper presents an unsupervised approach to cluster reviews of products collected from Amazon and then generates its labels of each cluster. Instead of using a complete review, this paper splits a review into sentences and considers all sentences from the reviews as inputs for Clustering. Hierarchical Agglomerative Clustering (HAC) is used to cluster sentences. The approaches of cluster labeling are also unsupervised. For labeling, three different methods have been used to find a limited number of essential words for each cluster. Extracted essential words are used to construct phrases. Constructed phrases are used as labels for each cluster. This paper compares the result of the labeling method with baseline labeling. In the result evaluation, all the labeling methods outperform the baseline method. The aim of this research is cluster labeling that makes a set of labels to describe a cluster content and distinguishes the labels from other cluster labels.
Efficient Mining of Non-Redundant Periodic Frequent Patterns
Authors: Afriyie Michael Kofi , Nofong Vincent Mwintieru , Wondoh John , Abdel-Fatao Hamidu
Published: November 2020

Periodic frequent patterns are frequent patterns which occur at periodic intervals in databases. They are useful in decision making where event occurrence intervals are vital. Traditional algorithms for discovering periodic frequent patterns, however, often report a large number of such patterns, most of which are often redundant as their periodic occurrences can be derived from other periodic frequent patterns. Using such redundant periodic frequent patterns in decision making would often be detrimental, if not trivial. This paper addresses the challenge of eliminating redundant periodic frequent patterns by employing the concept of deduction rules in mining and reporting only the set of non-redundant periodic frequent patterns. It subsequently proposes and develops a Non-redundant Periodic Frequent Pattern Miner (NPFPM) to achieve this purpose. Experimental analysis on benchmark datasets shows that NPFPM is efficient and can effectively prune the set of redundant periodic frequent patterns.
Stoneley wave velocity variation
Authors: Kuznetsov Sergey V.
Published: November 2020

Stoneley wave velocity variation is analyzed by solving the modified Scholte secular equation for velocity of Stoneley waves, allowing to find dependency of the Stoneley wave velocity on the Wiechert parameter and construct a set of inequalities that confines region of existence for the appropriate root of the secular equation. Numerical analysis for Stoneley wave velocity dependence on the Wiechert parameter for both auxetics (materials with negative Poisson’s ratio) and nonauxetics revealed the presence of (i) asymptotes indicating degeneracy of Stoneley waves into the corresponding Rayleigh waves; and (ii) common extremums relating to degeneracy of Stoneley waves into the corresponding bulk shear waves.
Energetic Evaluation and Optimization of Hydrogen Generation and Compression Pathways Considering PEM Water Electrolyzers and Electrochemical Hydrogen Compressors
Authors: Zachert Lars , Suermann Michel , Bensmann Boris , Hanke-Rauschenbach Richard
Published: November 2020

Electrochemical hydrogen compression is seen as a promising alternative to mechanical compression in the context of power-to-gas plants. It can be carried out either as direct co-compression in a water electrolyzer (WE) or via a separate electrochemical hydrogen compressor (EHC). This study analyzes the specific energy demand of different hydrogen generation and compression pathways using WEs and EHCs, both based on proton exchange membrane (PEM) technology, for pressures up to

1000

bar

. The energy demand is systematically investigated as a function of design parameters such as pressure, current density, temperature and membrane thickness and presented in overpotential-specific and gas-crossover dependent shares. The analysis reveals intrinsic differences in the compression behavior of WEs and EHCs. In the EHC, permeated hydrogen is simply re-compressed back to the cathode. In the WE, instead, water has to be split again to compensate for the hydrogen loss, causing energetic disadvantages with increasing hydrogen pressure. Moreover, using an EHC enables design parameters to be optimized separately regarding hydrogen generation and compression. Therefore, at low current densities, compression via EHC is already favorable to co-compression via WE for pressures above

4

bar

. With increasing current density, however, this intersection point shifts up to pressures above

200

bar

.
ADAR1 deficiency protects against high-fat diet-induced obesity and insulin resistance in mice
Authors: Cui Xiao-Bing , Fei Jia , Chen Sisi , Edwards Gaylen L. , Chen Shi-You
Published: November 2020

This study identifies adenosine deaminase acting on RNA 1 as a novel factor promoting high-fat diet-induced obesity, at least partially, through modulating appetite-related genes ghrelin and PYY.
Retinal Capillary Nonperfusion on OCT-Angiography and Its Relationship to Kidney Function in Patients with Diabetes
Authors: Tom Elysse S. , Saraf Steven S. , Wang FuPeng , Zhang Qinqin , Vangipuram Gautam , Limonte Christine P. , de Boer Ian H. , Wang Ruikang K. , Rezaei Kasra A.
Published: November 2020

Background. Diabetic retinopathy and kidney disease share underlying mechanisms of microvascular damage and are often comorbid in people with diabetes. We evaluated whether there is a relationship between retinal capillary perfusion as measured by swept-source optical coherence tomography angiography and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and albuminuria in patients with diabetes and chronic kidney disease (CKD). Method. A cross-sectional pilot study was conducted at the University of Washington among a subset of participants with diabetes and CKD participating in a larger cohort study. Participants were excluded if they were known to have kidney disease from conditions other than diabetes. Ten participants (11 eyes) were included. Retinal nonperfusion (RNP) and vessel density (VD) were measured by swept-source optical coherence tomography angiography in 30° and 60° field of view (FOV) regions centered at the fovea. Correlations of RNP and VD with eGFR and albuminuria were analyzed. Results. Participants had a mean age of 72 years, hemoglobin A1c of 8.1%, eGFR of 45 mL/min/1.73 m2, and urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio of 162 mg/g. Mean (SD) RNP was 6.6% (4.2%) and 16.9% (7.7%) in 30° and 60° FOV regions, respectively. eGFR was negatively correlated to RNP in both the 30° and 60° FOV regions (R = −0.69,

p
=
0.004

, and R = −0.46,

p
=
0.057

, respectively), and correlations were stronger among a subset of 7 participants with evidence of diabetic retinopathy on exam and fundus photos. The estimated GFR was not significantly correlated with vessel density. Urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio was not significantly correlated with RNP or VD. Conclusions. Our proof-of-concept study showed that lower eGFR was significantly correlated with retinal nonperfusion in participants with diabetes and CKD. Advanced retinal imaging may enhance the noninvasive evaluation of kidney function in diabetes.
The Rise of Transradial Artery Access for Percutaneous Coronary Intervention in Patients with Acute Coronary Syndromes in Australia
Authors: Ocsan Ryan James , Doost Ata , Marley Paul , Farshid Ahmad
Published: November 2020

Objectives. The aim of this study was to evaluate the outcomes of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) via transradial artery access (TRA) or transfemoral artery access (TFA). Background. Over the last decade, evidence for the benefit of TRA for PCI has grown, leading to a steady uptake of TRA around the world. Despite this, the topic remains controversial with contrary evidence to suggest no significant benefit over TFA. Methods. A retrospective study of consecutive ACS patients from 2011 to 2017 who underwent PCI via TRA or TFA. The primary outcome was Major Adverse Cardiovascular Events (MACE), a composite of death, myocardial infarction (MI), target lesion revascularisation (TLR), or coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) at 12 months. Secondary outcomes included Bleeding Academic Research Consortium (BARC) bleeding events scored 2 or higher, haematoma formation, and stent thrombosis, in addition to all individual components of MACE. Results. We treated 3624 patients (77% male), with PCI via TFA (n = 2391) or TRA (n = 1233). Transradial artery access was associated with a reduction in mortality (3% vs 6.3%;

p
<
0.0001

), MI (1.8% vs 3.9%;

p
=
0.0004

), CABG (0.6% vs 1.5%;

p
=
0.0205

), TLR (1% vs 2.9%;

p
<
0.0001

), large haematoma (0.4% vs 1.8%;

p
=
0.0003

), BARC 2 (0.2% vs 1.1%;

p
=
0.0029

), and BARC 3 events (0.4% vs 1.0%;

p
=
0.0426

). On multivariate Cox regression analysis, TFA, age ≥ 75, prior PCI, use of bare metal stents, cardiogenic shock, cardiac arrest, and multivessel coronary artery disease were associated with an increased risk of MACE. Conclusion. Despite the limitations secondary to the observational nature of our study and multiple confounders, our results are in line with results of major trials and, as such, we feel that our results support the use of TRA as the preferred access site in patients undergoing PCI for ACS to improve patient outcomes.
Phylogenomics Analysis of SARS‐CoV2 Genomes Reveals Distinct Selection Pressure on Different Viral Strains
Authors: Ghosh Sanjana , Chakraborty Sandipan
Published: November 2020

We are witnessing a tremendous outbreak of a novel coronavirus (SARS‐CoV2) across the globe. Upon exposure to different population and changing environment, the viral strain might experience different mutational bias that leads to genetic diversity among the viral population. Also, the diversification can be influenced by distinct selection pressure on different viral genomes. We have carried out a comparative genomic analysis of 82 SARS‐CoV2 genomes. We have evaluated their evolutionary divergence, substitution pattern, and rates. Viral genomes under distinct selection pressure have been identified. Sites that experience strong selection pressure also have been identified. Our result shows that the translational preference of a few codons is strongly correlated with the mutational bias imposed by genome compositional constraint and influenced by natural selection. Few genomes are evolving with a higher mutational rate with a distinct signature of nucleotide substitution in comparison to others. Four viral strains are under the effect of purifying selection, while nine SARS‐CoV2 genomes are under strong positive selection bias. Site analysis indicates a strong positive selection pressure on two codon positions at 3606th and 8439th positions. Our study elucidates adaptation of few SARS‐CoV2 viral strain during the outbreak shaping by natural selection and genomic compositional constraints.
Research on Real-Time Multiple Single Garbage Classification Based on Convolutional Neural Network
Authors: Yuan Jian-ye , Nan Xin-yuan , Li Cheng-rong , Sun Le-le
Published: November 2020

Considering that the garbage classification is urgent, a 23-layer convolutional neural network (CNN) model is designed in this paper, with the emphasis on the real-time garbage classification, to solve the low accuracy of garbage classification and recycling and difficulty in manual recycling. Firstly, the depthwise separable convolution was used to reduce the Params of the model. Then, the attention mechanism was used to improve the accuracy of the garbage classification model. Finally, the model fine-tuning method was used to further improve the performance of the garbage classification model. Besides, we compared the model with classic image classification models including AlexNet, VGG16, and ResNet18 and lightweight classification models including MobileNetV2 and SuffleNetV2 and found that the model GAF_dense has a higher accuracy rate, fewer Params, and FLOPs. To further check the performance of the model, we tested the CIFAR-10 data set and found the accuracy rates of the model (GAF_dense) are 0.018 and 0.03 higher than ResNet18 and SufflenetV2, respectively. In the ImageNet data set, the accuracy rates of the model (GAF_dense) are 0.225 and 0.146 higher than Resnet18 and SufflenetV2, respectively. Therefore, the garbage classification model proposed in this paper is suitable for garbage classification and other classification tasks to protect the ecological environment, which can be applied to classification tasks such as environmental science, children’s education, and environmental protection.
Adult Patients Affected by Cystic Fibrosis in Therapy with Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Regulator Modulators and Lung Transplant: Renal Function, Metabolic and Nutritional Status
Authors: Lai Silvia , Mazzaferro Sandro , Mitterhofer Anna Paola , Tinti Francesca , Bonci Enea , Giovannetti Antonello , Casella Claudio , Perrotta Adolfo Marco , Bagordo Domenico , Murciano Manuel , Galani Alessandro , Celani Camilla , Troiani Patrizia , Cimino Giuseppe , Palange Paolo
Published: November 2020

Background. Cystic fibrosis (CF) is one of the most frequent genetic diseases. The discovery and implementation of new therapies prolonged the survival of CF patients in the last years. Evaluation of long-term complications could be useful to improve the outcome of these patients. Aim of the Study. To evaluate renal function, metabolic, nutritional, and inflammatory status in CF patients on cystic fibrosis transmembrane regulator (CFTR) modulators therapy as well as lung transplant recipients (LRs) and patients on conservative therapy (control group). Materials and Methods. We performed a prospective, longitudinal study on 69 CF patients. Clinical and laboratory parameters (metabolic and nutritional indices and inflammatory markers) were evaluated in all patients before starting CFTR therapy or transplant (T0) and after 3 years (T1). Results. We enrolled 69 CF patients (42 males). Patients were distributed into three groups. The average age was 35.01 ± 10.57 years for the control group (group 0), 32.47 ± 9.40 years for patients on CFTR modulators therapy (group 1), and 38.93 ± 7.14 years for LRs (group 2). At T1, we showed a significant difference among the three groups in terms of renal function indices: creatinine, eGFR, serum nitrogen as well as serum uric acid, sodium, and potassium (

p
<
0.001

,

p
<
0.001

,

p
<
0.001

,

p
<
0.001

,

p
<
0.001

, and

p
<
0.001

, respectively), particularly in LRs patients. Significant differences were found in nutritional status parameters among the three groups: total protein, serum albumin, serum fibrinogen, serum transferrin, and white blood cell counts (

p
<
0.001

,

p
=
0.037

,

p
=
0.04

,

p
=
0.003

, and

p
=
0.007

, respectively), particularly in LRs compared with other groups. Moreover, we found significant differences in metabolic profile (HbA1c,

p
=
0.026

) and inflammatory status, with a significant difference in C-reactive protein values, neutrophil counts, and neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) among the three groups (

p
<
0.001

,

p
=
0.005

, and

p
=
0.026

, respectively). Conclusions. Our study showed a reduced renal function and poor nutritional status in LRs, along with worse metabolic control. Moreover, we showed a lower inflammatory status in patients on CFTR modulators therapy. Therefore, we suggest early and careful monitoring of renal function, metabolic, and nutritional parameters in CF patients, whether they are on conservative therapy, CFTR modulators therapy, and LRs patients.
Research on Acoustic Emission Characteristics and Constitutive Model of Rock Damage Evolution with Different Sizes
Authors: Zhang Haijiang , Zhang Xiaohu , Zhou Hongbo
Published: November 2020

In this study, considering the scale effect of rock mass, the influence of different height‐to‐diameter ratios on rock mechanics and acoustic emission characteristics was studied by using PFC2D software. The damage constitutive model of rock was established, and the damage evolution characteristics of rock with different height‐to‐diameter ratios were further analyzed. The results showed that, with the increase of height‐to‐diameter ratio K, the uniaxial compressive strength and peak strain of rock exhibited a gradual decrease; however, the elastic modulus gradually increased. Moreover, rock failure modes exhibited different characteristics under different K values. The scale effect showed little influence on the acoustic emission characteristics in the elastic stage; nonetheless, in the plastic deformation stage and the residual damage stage, with the increase of the rock’s height‐to‐diameter ratio, the maximum number of impacts of acoustic emission increased, the range of strong strain of acoustic emission decreased, and the maximum time of acoustic emission impacts increased gradually. The height‐to‐diameter ratio of the rock slightly influenced the zero‐damage stage of the rock, but the damage affecting the rock increased slowly and accelerated the development stage. The damage evolution law was found to be similar when the K values varied from 1.0 to 2.0; however, when the K was greater than 2.0, the damage evolution law exhibited the characteristics of slowing down in the acceleration phase.
High-Fructose Diet Increases Inflammatory Cytokines and Alters Gut Microbiota Composition in Rats
Authors: Wang Yong , Qi Wentao , Song Ge , Pang Shaojie , Peng Zhenzhen , Li Yong , Wang Panli
Published: November 2020

High-fructose diet induced changes in gut microbiota structure and function, which have been linked to inflammatory response. However, the effect of small or appropriate doses of fructose on gut microbiota and inflammatory cytokines is not fully understood. Hence, the abundance changes of gut microbiota in fructose-treated Sprague-Dawley rats were analyzed by 16S rRNA sequencing. The effects of fructose diet on metabolic disorders were evaluated by blood biochemical parameter test, histological analysis, short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) analysis, ELISA analysis, and Western blot. Rats were intragastrically administered with pure fructose at the dose of 0 (Con), 2.6 (Fru-L), 5.3 (Fru-M), and 10.5 g/kg/day (Fru-H) for 20 weeks. The results showed that there were 36.5% increase of uric acid level in the Fru-H group when compared with the Con group. The serum proinflammatory cytokines (IL-6, TNF-α, and MIP-2) were significantly increased (

P
<
0.05

), and the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 was significantly decreased (

P
<
0.05

) with fructose treatment. A higher fructose intake induced lipid accumulation in the liver and inflammatory cell infiltration in the pancreas and colon and increased the abundances of Lachnospira, Parasutterella, Marvinbryantia, and Blantia in colonic contents. Fructose intake increased the expressions of lipid accumulation proteins including perilipin-1, ADRP, and Tip-47 in the colon. Moreover, the higher level intake of fructose impaired intestinal barrier function due to the decrease of the expression of tight junction proteins (ZO-1 and occludin). In summary, there were no negative effects on body weight, fasting blood glucose, gut microbiota, and SCFAs in colonic contents of rats when fructose intake is in small or appropriate doses. High intake of fructose can increase uric acid, proinflammatory cytokines, intestinal permeability, and lipid accumulation in the liver and induce inflammatory response in the pancreas and colon.
Experimental Research on the Impact of Temperature on the Adhesion Characteristics of Soil-Structure Interface
Authors: Qiu Tao , Liu Cheng , Zhong Xiaochun , Zhu Yueyue
Published: November 2020

Under the working condition of mud cake, the continuous action between the shield cutter head and the soil on the excavation surface can generate high temperature in the process of shield tunneling and excavation, which changes the characteristic of the adhesion between the soil and the cutter head to intensify the phenomenon of making a mud cake on cutter, finally leading to a vicious circle. To study the effect of temperature on the characteristics of the adhesion of the soil on the surface of the structure, the soil adhesive situation and adhesion force at different interface temperatures were tested through a self-made experiment device. According to the result, it was indicated that the moisture content has a significant effect on the adhesion force of the soil, and the adhesion force firstly increased and then decreased with the increased of the moisture content and reached the maximum value near the plastic limit moisture content. The adhesion force changes very gently when the interface temperature is low. When the temperature reached 50°C, the adhesion force continues to increase as the interface temperature continuously increases except for the soils with high moisture content; moreover, the interface temperature has a great influence on the content of soil adhered on the structure surface. As for the soil with moderate moisture content (

ω
=
21.21
~
31

%), this content of the adhered soil increased exponentially with the increase of interface temperature; this content firstly decreased and then increased when the moisture content was high. When the soil was dry, there was almost no adhered soil on the surface and the interface temperature had no effect on the adhesive situation. By comparing and analyzing the adhesion state of the soil on the surface of the structure, the influence of temperature on the adhesion characteristics is mainly reflected on the variation of the soil moisture content within the influence range of the interface, the variation of the energy required for the destruction of the adhesion interface, and the change of the location of the weakest antistripping plane induced by both before. This research can better understand the law of formation and development of mud cakes and provided a new idea of solving the problem of mud cakes on the cutter head.
Associations between Macular OCT Angiography and Nonproliferative Diabetic Retinopathy in Young Patients with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus
Authors: Veiby Nina C. B. B. , Simeunovic Aida , Heier Martin , Brunborg Cathrine , Saddique Naila , Moe Morten C. , Dahl-Jørgensen Knut , Margeirsdottir Hanna D. , Petrovski Goran
Published: November 2020

Background/Objective. Optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) is increasingly used to supplement ophthalmoscopy in the diagnosis and follow-up of diabetic retinopathy. Our objective was to confirm if OCTA parameters can predict the development of nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR) and to clarify if any single OCTA parameter is associated with NPDR independently of well-known risk factors in young type 1 diabetes (T1D) patients. Methods. OCTA of both eyes was performed in a cross-sectional study of 14 to 30-year-old individuals with at least 10-year duration of T1D and controls recruited from the Norwegian Atherosclerosis and Childhood Diabetes (ACD) study. Vessel density (VD) and foveal avascular zone (FAZ) area in the superficial and deep capillary plexus (SCP and DCP), total retinal volume (TRV), and central macular thickness (CMT) were calculated using automated software. Univariate and multivariate ordered logistic regression (OLR) models were used accordingly. Results. We included 168 control eyes and 315 T1D eyes. Lower VD in DCP (OR 0.65, 95% CI 0.51–0.83), longer diabetes duration (OR 1.51, 95% CI 1.22–1.87), and higher waist circumference (OR 1.08, 95% CI 1.02–1.14) were significantly associated with progression of NPDR. VD in SCP and DCP were significantly lower in T1D patients without diabetic retinopathy than in controls. Conclusions. Sparser VD in DCP is significantly associated with severity of NPDR, supporting that OCTA might detect the earliest signs of NPDR before it is visible by ophthalmoscopy.
Hardware Implementation of Secure Lightweight Cryptographic Designs for IoT Applications
Authors: El Hadj Youssef Wajih , Abdelli Ali , Dridi Fethi , Machhout Mohsen
Published: November 2020

The recent expansion of the Internet of Things is creating a new world of smart devices in which security implications are very significant. Besides the claimed security level, the IoT devices are usually featured with constrained resources, such as low computation capability, low memory, and limited battery. Lightweight cryptographic primitives are proposed in the context of IoT while considering the trade-off between security guarantee and good performance. In this paper, we present optimized hardware, lightweight cryptographic designs, of 32-bit datapath, LED 64/128, SIMON 64/128, and SIMECK 64/128 algorithms, for constrained devices. Our proposed designs are investigated on Spartan-3, Spartan-6, and Zynq-7000 FPGA platforms in terms of area, speed, efficiency, and power consumption. The proposed designs achieved a high throughput up to 891.99 Mbps, 838.95 Mbps, and 210.13 Mbps for SIMECK 64/128, SIMON 64/128, and LED 64/128 on Zynq-7000, respectively. A deep comparison between our three proposed designs is elaborated on different FPGA families for adequate FPGAs-based application deployment. Test results and security analysis show that not only can our proposed designs achieve good encryption results with high performance and a low reduced cost but also they are secure enough to resist statistical attacks.
Matcha Improves Metabolic Imbalance-Induced Cognitive Dysfunction
Authors: Kim Jong Min , Lee Uk , Kang Jin Yong , Park Seon Kyeong , Kim Jong Cheol , Heo Ho Jin
Published: November 2020

This study was conducted to assess the protective effect of extract of match (EM) on high-fat diet- (HFD-) induced cognitive deficits in male C57BL/6 mice. It was found that EM improved glucose tolerance status by measuring OGTT and IPGTT with HFD-induced mice. EM protected behavioral and memory dysfunction in Y-maze, passive avoidance, and Morris water maze tests. Consumption of EM reduced fat mass, dyslipidemia, and inflammation in adipose tissue. Also, EM ameliorated hepatic and cerebral antioxidant systems. EM improved the cerebral cholinergic system by regulating ACh contents and expression of AChE and ChAT. Also, EM restored mitochondrial function in liver and brain tissue. EM attenuated hepatic inflammatory effect, lipid synthesis, and cholesterol metabolism by regulating the protein expression of TNF-α, TNFR1, p-IRS-1, p-JNK, IL-1β, iNOS, COX-2, HMGCR, PPARγ, and FAS. Finally, EM regulated cognitive function and neuroinflammation in the whole brain, hippocampus, and cerebral cortex by regulating the protein expression of p-JNK, p-Akt, p-tau, Aβ, BDNF, IDE, COX-2, and IL-1β. These findings suggest that EM might be a potential source of functional food to improve metabolic disorder-associated cognitive dysfunction.
Binary Political Optimizer for Feature Selection Using Gene Expression Data
Authors: Manita Ghaith , Korbaa Ouajdi
Published: November 2020

DNA Microarray technology is an emergent field, which offers the possibility of obtaining simultaneous estimates of the expression levels of several thousand genes in an organism in a single experiment. One of the most significant challenges in this research field is to select high relevant genes from gene expression data. To address this problem, feature selection is a well-known technique to eliminate unnecessary genes in order to ensure accurate classification results. This paper proposes a binary version of Political Optimizer (PO) to solve feature selection problem using gene expression data. Two transfer functions are used to design a binary PO. The first one is based on Sigmoid function and will be noted as BPO-S, while the second one is based on V-shaped function and will be noted as BPO-V. The proposed methods are evaluated using 9 biological datasets and compared with 8 binary well-known metaheuristics. The comparative results show the prevalent performance of the BPO methods especially BPO-V in comparison with other techniques.
Vibration Response Analysis of Simply Supported Box Girder Bridge‐Maglev Train in Accelerated Test of Changsha Maglev Express
Authors: Liang Xiao , Jiang Tianyong , Hong Yue , Zhang Jiabing , Jiang Mai , Wang Zeyin
Published: November 2020

In order to study and analyze the vibration response of simply supported box girder bridge‐maglev vehicle, a 25 m span simply supported box girder bridge of Changsha Maglev Express was selected as the research object. Field tests were carried out to explore the dynamic response of maglev vehicle running on the bridge. Firstly, the dynamic characteristics of the bridge under the action of medium‐low speed maglev train at different speeds were analyzed, and the vibration response of vehicle and bridge was studied at the design speed of 60∼130 km/h. Among them, the longitudinal acceleration of simply supported box girder ranged from 60 km/h to 130 km/h, which increased linearly with the speed of the train and reached the maximum 0.59 m/s2. Its longitudinal deflection also increased with the increase in train speed, which reached the maximum 1.605 mm at 130 km/h. When the speed is 130 km/h, the suspension gap of the maglev vehicle was concentrated in the range of 7.24∼11.50 mm. Through the test analysis, this study provides a basis for the vibration response analysis of simply supported box girder bridge‐maglev train. It also provides a reference for the modification and formulation of relevant specifications and experimental verification for the acceleration work of medium‐low speed maglev train in the future.
Alternative Hysterotomy Technique for the Reduction of Prenatal Complications of Intrauterine Myelomeningocele Repair
Authors: Olejek Anita , Horzelska Ewa , Zamłyński Jacek , Horzelski Tomasz , Zamłyński Mateusz , Nowak Leszek , Pastuszka Agnieszka
Published: November 2020

Introduction: The main aim of the fetal surgery of myelomeningocele (MMC) is the improvement in prognosis for children with this defect and at the same time high safety of the procedure for mother and fetus. Objective: The aim of the study was to determine the effectiveness of alternative hysterotomy technique for fetal surgery of MMC in prevention of essential perinatal complications. Methods: Forty-nine pregnant women diagnosed with fetal MMC (fMMC) who underwent classic hysterotomy without the use of stapler formed the study cohort. Two cases of intrauterine fetal death or neonatal death in the immediate perioperative period in the study group (SG) were excluded from further analyses. In the historical control group (46 patients) from our center hysterotomy was performed according to Management of Myelomeningocele Study (MOMS) protocol. The study cohort’s outcomes were compared with the historical controls and with post-MOMS results in Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC). Results: In the SG we did not observe delivery before 30 weeks of gestation (0/47; 0%) and the incidence of chorionamniotic membrane separation (CMS, 3/47; 6%) and preterm premature rupture of membranes (PPROM, 7/47; 15%) was lower compared to the other groups. Preterm delivery as a result of uterine contractions occurred significantly less frequently in the SG (8/47; 17%). Fetal surgery with classic hysterotomy resulted in rare use of magnesium sulfate (3/47; 6%). Conclusions: The alternative hysterotomy technique for fetal surgery of MMC results in low occurrences of CMS, PPROM, preterm delivery, and the rare use of tocolytics.
Concurrent Bowen’s Disease of the Nipple and Breast Cancer
Authors: Yamaguchi Kei , Matsunuma Ryoichi , Kumeta Toko , Imada Sae , Hayami Ryosuke , Arai Kazumori , Suzuki Makoto , Tsuneizumi Michiko
Published: November 2020

Bowen’s disease is a squamous cell carcinoma in situ that commonly develops on the trunk, arms, or legs and has not spread beyond the top layer of skin. It seldom develops on the nipple. We report a patient who presented with Bowen’s disease of the nipple and had a concurrent breast cancer identified in the ipsilateral breast after careful examination. Histopathological examination of the surgical specimen after mastectomy confirmed the diagnoses.
Solving the Puzzle of Cognitive Reserve Effects on Cognitive Decline: The Importance of Considering Functional Impairment
Authors: Ihle Andreas , Gouveia Élvio R. , Gouveia Bruna R. , Orsholits Dan , Oris Michel , Kliegel Matthias
Published: November 2020

Aims: We investigated whether the longitudinal relation between cognitive reserve accumulated across the lifespan and rate of cognitive decline over 6 years differed by the individual’s degree of functional impairment. Methods: We analyzed longitudinal data from 897 older adults (M = 74.33 years) tested on the Trail Making Test (TMT) in 2 waves 6 years apart. Results: There was a significant interaction of functional impairment with cognitive reserve on latent change in cognitive functioning. Specifically, with no functional impairment in the first wave of assessment, greater cognitive reserve accumulated across the lifespan significantly predicted a reduced cognitive decline over 6 years (i.e., smaller increase in TMT completion time). In contrast, with certain functional impairment (in at least some activities) in the first wave, greater cognitive reserve build-up predicted a steeper cognitive decline (i.e., larger increase in TMT completion time). Conclusion: Individuals with greater cognitive reserve accumulated across the lifespan show a reduced cognitive decline if they still have relatively little functional impairment, while they will show a steeper decline (compared to individuals with less cognitive reserve) as soon as functional impairment becomes substantial.
COVID-19 Autopsies: A Case Series from Poland
Authors: Chmielik Ewa , Jazowiecka-Rakus Joanna , Dyduch Grzegorz , Nasierowska-Guttmejer Anna , Michalowski Lukasz , Sochanik Aleksander , Ulatowska-Bialas Magdalena
Published: November 2020

This paper presents autopsy findings of 3 COVID-19 patients randomly selected for post-mortem from two tertiary referral Polish hospitals. Analysis of macroscopic, histopathological findings with clinical features was performed. All 3 deceased patients were Caucasian males (average age 61 years, range from 56 to 68 years). Using real-time polymerase chain reaction assay, the patients were confirmed (antemortem) to have severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. Two patients were obese, and 1 patient had type 2 diabetes mellitus. The medical history of 1 patient included hemorrhagic pancreatitis, gangrenous cholecystitis, Acinetobacter baumanii sepsis, and cholecystectomy. Pulmonary embolism was diagnosed in 2 patients. At autopsy, in 1 case, the lungs showed bilateral interstitial pneumonia with diffuse alveolar damage (DAD), while in another case, interstitial pulmonary lymphoid infiltrates and enlarged atypical pneumocytes were present but without DAD. Microthrombi in lung vessels and capillaries were observed in 2 cases. This study revealed thrombotic complications of COVID-19 and interstitial pneumonia with DAD presence as the main autopsy findings in patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection that was confirmed antemortem with molecular tests. Autopsy studies using tissue sections handled in accordance with SARS-CoV-2 biosafety guidelines are urgently needed, especially in the case of subjects who were below the age of 60.
Progression of Beat-to-Beat Blood Pressure Variability Despite Best Medical Management
Authors: Webb Alastair J.S. , Lawson Amy , Wartolowska Karolina , Mazzucco Sara , Rothwell Peter M.
Published: November 2020

Beat-to-beat variability in blood pressure (BP) is associated with recurrent stroke despite good control of hypertension. However, no study has identified rates of progression of beat-to-beat BP variability (BPV), its determinants, or which patient groups are particularly affected, limiting understanding of its potential as a treatment target. In consecutive patients one month after a transient ischaemic attack or nondisabling stroke (Oxford Vascular Study), continuous noninvasive BP was measured beat-to-beat over 5 minutes (Finometer). Arterial stiffness was measured by carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (Sphygmocor). Repeat assessments were performed at the 5-year follow-up visit and agreement determined by intraclass correlation coefficient. Rates of progression of systolic BPV (SBPV) and diastolic BPV (DBPV) and their determinants were estimated by mixed-effect linear models, adjusted for age, sex, and cardiovascular risk factors. One hundred eighty-eight of 310 surviving, eligible patients had repeat assessments after a median of 5.8 years. Pulse wave velocity was highly reproducible but SBPV and DBPV were not (intraclass correlation coefficient: 0.71, 0.10, and 0.16, respectively), however, all 3 progressed significantly (pulse wave velocity, 2.39%,
P
<0.0001; SBPV, 8.36%,
P
<0.0001; DBPV, 9.7,
P
<0.0001). Rate of progression of pulse wave velocity, SBPV, and DBPV all increased significantly with age (
P
<0.0001), with an increasingly positive skew and were particularly associated with female sex (pulse wave velocity
P
=0.00035; SBPV
P
<0.0001; DBPV
P
<0.0001) and aortic mean SBP (SBPV
P
=0.037, DBPV
P
<0.0001). Beat-to-beat BP variability progresses significantly in high-risk patients, particularly in older individuals with elevated aortic systolic pressure. Beat-to-beat BPV and its progression represent potential new therapeutic targets to reduce cardiovascular risk.
Test Accuracy of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment in Screening for Early Poststroke Neurocognitive Disorder
Authors: Munthe-Kaas Ragnhild , Aam Stina , Saltvedt Ingvild , Wyller Torgeir Bruun , Pendlebury Sarah T. , Lydersen Stian , Ihle-Hansen Hege
Published: November 2020

Background and Purpose:

We determined the diagnostic accuracy of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) for poststroke neurocognitive disorder defined according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, criteria in a prospective observational study.

Methods:

Consecutive participants able to complete a cognitive test battery and MoCA 3 months poststroke were included. The reference standard of neurocognitive disorder was defined as a score of ≥1.5 SD below the normative mean in ≥1 cognitive domain on the cognitive test battery.

Results:

Among 521 participants (43.6% women; mean age/SD, 71.5/12.0 years; mean education/SD, 12.4/3.8 years), the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of MoCA for neurocognitive disorder was 0.80 (95% CI, 0.76–0.84). Using the standard MoCA cutoff <26, sensitivity was 0.71 (0.66–0.76) with specificity of 0.73 (0.67–0.79). MoCA cutoff of <27 gave higher sensitivity (0.82 [0.77–0.85]) at the expense of specificity (0.60 [0.53–0.66]).

Discussion:

MoCA has reasonable accuracy for poststroke neurocognitive disorder diagnosed using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, criteria.

Registration:

URL:
https://www.clinicaltrials.gov
. Unique identifier: NCT02650531.
Conductance-Based Adaptive Exponential Integrate-and-Fire Model
Authors: Górski Tomasz , Depannemaecker Damien , Destexhe Alain
Published: November 2020

The intrinsic electrophysiological properties of single neurons can be described by a broad spectrum of models, from realistic Hodgkin-Huxley-type models with numerous detailed mechanisms to the phenomenological models. The adaptive exponential integrate-and-fire (AdEx) model has emerged as a convenient middle-ground model. With a low computational cost but keeping biophysical interpretation of the parameters, it has been extensively used for simulations of large neural networks. However, because of its current-based adaptation, it can generate unrealistic behaviors. We show the limitations of the AdEx model, and to avoid them, we introduce the conductance-based adaptive exponential integrate-and-fire model (CAdEx). We give an analysis of the dynamics of the CAdEx model and show the variety of firing patterns it can produce. We propose the CAdEx model as a richer alternative to perform network simulations with simplified models reproducing neuronal intrinsic properties.
Robust Stability Analysis of Delayed Stochastic Neural Networks via Wirtinger-Based Integral Inequality
Authors: Suresh R. , Manivannan A.
Published: November 2020

We discuss stability analysis for uncertain stochastic neural networks (SNNs) with time delay in this letter. By constructing a suitable Lyapunov-Krasovskii functional (LKF) and utilizing Wirtinger inequalities for estimating the integral inequalities, the delay-dependent stochastic stability conditions are derived in terms of linear matrix inequalities (LMIs). We discuss the parameter uncertainties in terms of norm-bounded conditions in the given interval with constant delay. The derived conditions ensure that the global, asymptotic stability of the states for the proposed SNNs. We verify the effectiveness and applicability of the proposed criteria with numerical examples.
A Novel Neural Model With Lateral Interaction for Learning Tasks
Authors: Jin Dequan , Qin Ziyan , Yang Murong , Chen Penghe
Published: November 2020

We propose a novel neural model with lateral interaction for learning tasks. The model consists of two functional fields: an elementary field to extract features and a high-level field to store and recognize patterns. Each field is composed of some neurons with lateral interaction, and the neurons in different fields are connected by the rules of synaptic plasticity. The model is established on the current research of cognition and neuroscience, making it more transparent and biologically explainable. Our proposed model is applied to data classification and clustering. The corresponding algorithms share similar processes without requiring any parameter tuning and optimization processes. Numerical experiments validate that the proposed model is feasible in different learning tasks and superior to some state-of-the-art methods, especially in small sample learning, one-shot learning, and clustering.
Enhanced Signal Detection by Adaptive Decorrelation of Interspike Intervals
Authors: Nesse William H. , Maler Leonard , Longtin André
Published: November 2020

Spike trains with negative interspike interval (ISI) correlations, in which long/short ISIs are more likely followed by short/long ISIs, are common in many neurons. They can be described by stochastic models with a spike-triggered adaptation variable. We analyze a phenomenon in these models where such statistically dependent ISI sequences arise in tandem with quasi-statistically independent and identically distributed (quasi-IID) adaptation variable sequences. The sequences of adaptation states and resulting ISIs are linked by a nonlinear decorrelating transformation. We establish general conditions on a family of stochastic spiking models that guarantee this quasi-IID property and establish bounds on the resulting baseline ISI correlations. Inputs that elicit weak firing rate changes in samples with many spikes are known to be more detectible when negative ISI correlations are present because they reduce spike count variance; this defines a variance-reduced firing rate coding benchmark. We performed a Fisher information analysis on these adapting models exhibiting ISI correlations to show that a spike pattern code based on the quasi-IID property achieves the upper bound of detection performance, surpassing rate codes with the same mean rate—including the variance-reduced rate code benchmark—by 20% to 30%. The information loss in rate codes arises because the benefits of reduced spike count variance cannot compensate for the lower firing rate gain due to adaptation. Since adaptation states have similar dynamics to synaptic responses, the quasi-IID decorrelation transformation of the spike train is plausibly implemented by downstream neurons through matched postsynaptic kinetics. This provides an explanation for observed coding performance in sensory systems that cannot be accounted for by rate coding, for example, at the detection threshold where rate changes can be insignificant.
Developing information literacy skills in elementary students using the web-based Inquiry Strategies for the Information Society of the Twenty-First Century (ISIS-21)
Authors: Wade Anne , Lysenko Larysa , Abrami Philip
Published: November 2020

This study was undertaken to learn about the impact of using the web-based Inquiry Strategies for the Information Society of the Twenty-First Century (ISIS-21), software developed by the authors, to improve the information literacy (IL) skills of late elementary students (10-12 years). Using a series of multi-media and learning strategies design principles, ISIS-21 was designed to be used in late elementary classrooms given the gap in children’s IL skills and the increasing importance for individuals to be critical consumers of information, particularly when using Internet-based environments. An exploratory, two-phase field trial was conducted in English schools in a central province of Canada. In both phases the research design was a one-group, pretest-posttest where data were collected from 150 students at the baseline and after the use of ISIS-21 for completion of an inquiry project. Teacher self-reports were also collected. The results were encouraging as we were able to establish the feasibility and importance of using ISIS-21 in classrooms to promote the development of IL skills in late elementary students.