bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Efficiency of U.S. Public Space Utilization During the COVID‐19 Pandemic
Authors: Benzell Seth G. , Collis Avinash , Nicolaides Christos
Published: September 2021

The COVID‐19 pandemic has called for and generated massive novel government regulations to increase social distancing for the purpose of reducing disease transmission. A number of studies have attempted to guide and measure the effectiveness of these policies, but there has been less focus on the overall efficiency of these policies. Efficient social distancing requires implementing stricter restrictions during periods of high viral prevalence and rationing social contact to disproportionately preserve gatherings that produce a good ratio of benefits to transmission risk. To evaluate whether U.S. social distancing policy actually produced an efficient social distancing regime, we tracked consumer preferences for, visits to, and crowding in public locations of 26 different types. We show that the United States’ rationing of public spaces, postspring 2020, has failed to achieve efficiency along either dimension. In April 2020, the United States did achieve notable decreases in visits to public spaces and focused these reductions at locations that offer poor benefit‐to‐risk tradeoffs. However, this achievement was marred by an increase, from March to April, in crowding at remaining locations due to fewer locations remaining open. In December 2020, at the height of the pandemic so far, crowding in and total visits to locations were higher than in February, before the U.S. pandemic, and these increases were concentrated in locations with the worst value‐to‐risk tradeoff.
Shedding light on incidence and burden of physeal injuries in a youth elite football academy: A 4‐season prospective study
Authors: Materne Olivier , Chamari Karim , Farooq Abdulaziz , Tabben Montassar , Weir Adam , Holmich Per , Bahr Roald , Greig Matt , McNaughton Lars R.
Published: September 2021

Introduction

Physeal injuries have been overlooked in epidemiological research in youth sports. Our prospective study investigated the incidence, severity, and burden of physeal injuries in a youth elite football academy.

Methods

In total, 551 youth male football players from under‐9 to under‐19 were included and observed over four consecutive seasons. Injuries involving the physis were diagnosed and recorded according to type, location, and diagnosis. Injury incidence (II), severity (days lost), and injury burden (IB) were calculated per squad per season (25 players/squad).

Results

There were 307 physeal injuries: 262 apophyseal (85%), 26 physeal (9%), 2 epiphyseal (1%), and 17 other physeal injuries (5%) with 80% (n=245) causing time‐loss. The overall mean incidence of time‐loss physeal injuries was 6 injuries/squad‐season, leading to a total of 157 days lost/squad‐season. The U‐16s had the highest burden with 444 days lost per squad‐season [median: 20 (95% CI: 12–30) days; II: 10 (95% CI: 7.3.1–13.4)]. Apophyseal injuries of the hip–pelvis resulted in the greatest burden [median: 13 (95% CI: 10–17); II: 2.5 (95% CI: 2.1–3.0)]. Peak apophyseal injury incidence per body parts occurred in U‐11 for foot–ankle (II: 2.4; 95% CI: 1.0–4.9), U‐14 for knee (II: 4.5; 95% CI: 2.7–7.1), and U‐17 for hip–pelvis (II: 6.4; 95% CI: 4.2–9.3).

Conclusion

Physeal injuries accounted for a quarter of all‐time loss with the largest injury burden in U‐16. Most physeal injuries involved the lower limb and affected the apophysis. Physeal and apophyseal injuries incidence, burden, and pattern vary substantially depending on age. Hip–pelvic apophyseal injuries accounted for the largest injury burden.
Lipid distribution on ethnic hairs by Fourier transform infrared synchrotron spectroscopy
Authors: Barba Clara , Oliver Marc Adria , Martí Meritxell , Kreuzer Martin , Coderch Luisa
Published: September 2021

Background

A synchrotron‐based Fourier transform infrared micro‐spectrometer (μ‐FTIR) allows the spatial determination of lipids across the different layers of ethnic hairs and differentiates between the lipid order arrangement and quantity.

Materials and methods

The three ethnic fibers were delipidized, the lipid extracts were characterized, and the delipidized fibers were studied by dynamic vapor sorption experiments (DVS) and FTIR‐synchrotron techniques.

Results

The average spectra from the different hair regions exhibited the most intense CH2 sym peaks on the medulla, followed by those from the cuticle and cortex for all hairs of different ethnicities. Differences in the lipid fraction of the three hair types have been observed, and they can explain some barrier properties. African virgin hair was demonstrated to have more lipids mainly in the medulla, which implies an important hydrophobicity with low hysteresis between absorption and desorption water vapor processes. In addition, these lipids are highly disordered, mainly in the cuticle, which can be related to its high water vapor diffusion. Asian and Caucasian virgin hairs presented a similar lipid order in all regions, with similar diffusion coefficients. Results indicate that the higher order of the lipid bilayer hinders water permeation kinetics in some way.

Conclusion

The differences in the presence and organization of the lipids in the different regions of the African hair can account for its differentiation with regards to moisturization and swelling from the other types of fibers.
BUILDING ENTHUSIASM AND OVERCOMING FEAR: ENGAGING WITH CHRISTIAN LEADERS IN AN AGE OF SCIENCE
Authors: Reid Lydia , Wilkinson David
Published: September 2021

In popular culture, the relationship between science and religion has often been portrayed as one of “conflict.” The impact of the conflict thesis can be observed in church leaders’ hesitancy in talking about science and religion in the public domain, and it was this finding that inspired the project “Equipping Christian Leadership in an Age of Science.” The data presented in this article (collected during 2015–2018) are derived from two separate pieces of research carried out in the United Kingdom. The first consisting of a survey of over 1,000 church leaders and interviews with 20 senior church leaders and, the second, with a strategic focus on ministerial training composed of 12 interviews with church educators. This article reflects on the findings from both pieces of research—covering topics such as church leaders’ enthusiasm toward science, how church leaders view the relationship between science and religion and the role of compartmentalization in ministerial training.
Analysis of Improving Automatic Transmission Upshift Performance by Using Off-Going Clutch During Inertia Phase
Authors: Cvok Ivan , Ranogajec Vanja , Deur Joško , Zhang Yijing , Ivanovic Vladimir , Fujii Yuji
Published: September 2021

The paper presents a detailed numerical and algebraic analysis of potential for improving the step ratio automatic transmission (AT) upshift performance by means of modulating the off-going clutch during the inertia phase. The numerical analysis is based on Pareto optimal frontiers obtained by using the previously developed methods for AT shift control trajectory optimization and piecewise-linear control profile parameter optimization, where the control objectives include minimization of shift time, vehicle root mean square jerk, and dissipated clutch energy. The analysis concerns the following control scenarios related to inertia phase: (1) oncoming clutch control only, (2) combined action of oncoming and off-going clutch, (3) oncoming clutch control extended with engine torque reduction control, and (4) combining all three control actions. The numerical results relate to an advanced 10-speed AT and various single-step and double-step upshifts, with emphasis on 1–3 shift. The numerical analysis results are proven algebraically based on a simplified AT model represented in bond graph form. The presented analysis shows that the off-going clutch can reduce either shift time or root mean square jerk index by introducing power recirculation via the two clutches, which is in turn paid for by certain increase of AT energy loss.
Atomically resolved interface structures of vacuum-deposited Pt on SnO2(110), (101), and (111)
Authors: Chida Yoshihiro , Todoroki Naoto , Wadayama Toshimasa
Published: September 2021

We investigated atomically resolved interface microstructures of vacuum-deposited Pt on SnO2(hkl) (hkl = 110, 101, 111; Pt/SnO2(hkl)) substrate surfaces. The Pt/SnO2(hkl) samples were prepared by electron-beam deposition of a 1.6-nm-thick Pt layer on SnO2(hkl) at room temperature under ultrahigh vacuum (∼10−8 Pa) followed by thermal annealing. Cross-sectional structural analysis was conducted by scanning transmission electron microscopy combined with x-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The Pt/SnO2(101) and Pt/SnO2(111) samples clearly showed Pt(111) epitaxial growth on the SnO2(101) and (111) substrate surfaces, whereas an islandlike Pt growth was observed on SnO2(110). Increasing the annealing temperature of the samples from 473 to 673 K resulted in alloying of the deposited Pt with Sn atoms from the substrate in the case of Pt/SnO2(110). In comparison, for Pt/SnO2(101) and Pt/SnO2(111), the interfaces were atomically steep, and no Pt–Sn alloys were generated even on 673 K annealing. The results clearly showed that the morphologies of the deposited Pt and the thermal diffusion behaviors of the Pt and substrate Sn atoms, i.e., the Pt/SnO2 interface microstructure, are determined by the lattice matching of the deposited Pt and SnO2 substrate interface.
Drone–drone collisions over New York City via the kinetic theory of gases
Authors: Walbridge Edward W.
Published: September 2021

It is anticipated that future skies over urban areas will be busy with drones flying back and forth delivering packages. Taking New York City as an extreme example, it is estimated that by 2026, 2600 delivery drones could simultaneously populate the city's airspace. The drone–drone collision rate of “dumb” drones can be calculated by treating them as a gas of large, randomly moving, spherical molecules, using the kinetic theory of gases. Collisions can be avoided by making each drone “smart,” i.e., by giving each a “sense and avoid” capability for detecting and avoiding a potential collision. For smart drones over New York City, the rate of potential collisions, or encounter rate, extends over a surprisingly large range: from 1 to 170,000 encounters/day, depending on input assumptions. This places stringent constraints on the probability that a smart drone encounter will result in a collision, constraints that must be met by the drone operator. Policy implications are discussed.
Using rectified linear unit and swish based artificial neural networks to describe noise transfer in a full vehicle context
Authors: Tsokaktsidis Dimitrios Ernst , Nau Clemens , Maeder Marcus , Marburg Steffen
Published: September 2021

Vehicle interior noise is a quality criterion of passenger cars. A considerable amount of resources is used to evaluate and design the acoustic environment with respect to given requirements. The customer's perception in the end-of-line vehicle is the main criterion. Therefore, full vehicle testing is a large part of today's sound comfort development. To increase efficiency, it is desirable to limit the hardware testing to a specific component. A later reassembly of the full vehicle is done virtually using transfer functions. These transfer functions of the substructures can be derived numerically or through measurements. However, full vehicle simulations are still challenging. Hence, transfer functions are typically measured but come with the burden of complex procedures. In this work, the authors propose a machine learning algorithm to reduce the effort for finding suitable transfer models in the automotive context. Artificial neural networks with rectified linear unit and swish activation functions are trained on full vehicle measurements. Multiple operation conditions are used for training. The networks compute spectral system responses and relative sensitivities for the input features. The performance is discussed with respect to the full vehicle validation data. The results indicate an effective procedure to reduce the costs of full-size vehicle measurements.
The impact of multiple concurrent factors on the length of the ultrasound pulmonary vertical artifacts as illustrated through the experimental and numerical analysis of simple models
Authors: Demi Marcello
Published: September 2021

Nowadays, the diagnostic value of the artefactual information provided by lung ultrasound images is widely recognized by physicians. By carefully observing each individual artifact, an expert physician can derive important information on the distribution of the aerated spaces at the pleural level and, consequently, on the nature of the pulmonary disease. In this paper, a specific visual characteristic of the vertical artifacts (their length) is addressed. The impact of the acoustic properties of the interstitial medium, of the imaging parameters, and of the trap geometry on the length of the vertical artifacts is illustrated through experimental results and through the theoretical analysis of a simple model.
Integration of feeding behavior by the liver circadian clock reveals network dependency of metabolic rhythms
Authors: Greco Carolina M. , Koronowski Kevin B. , Smith Jacob G. , Shi Jiejun , Kunderfranco Paolo , Carriero Roberta , Chen Siwei , Samad Muntaha , Welz Patrick-Simon , Zinna Valentina M. , Mortimer Thomas , Chun Sung Kook , Shimaji Kohei , Sato Tomoki , Petrus Paul , Kumar Arun , Vaca-Dempere Mireia , Deryagin Oleg , Van Cassandra , Kuhn José Manuel Monroy , Lutter Dominik , Seldin Marcus M. , Masri Selma , Li Wei , Baldi Pierre , Dyar Kenneth A. , Muñoz-Cánoves Pura , Benitah Salvador Aznar , Sassone-Corsi Paolo
Published: September 2021

The inner workings of the clock system rely on communicating signals between distal tissues to maintain daily metabolism.
An ATPase with a twist: A unique mechanism underlies the activity of the bacterial tyrosine kinase, Wzc
Authors: Hajredini Fatlum , Ghose Ranajeet
Published: September 2021

While BY-kinases share many common features with P-loop enzymes, these are uniquely deployed for tyrosine phosphorylation.
Danger! This robot may be trying to manipulate you
Authors: Young James
Published: September 2021

Human-like social robots are designed to support communication, but this approach can enable them to be dangerously persuasive.
Parallel Sequencing Reveals Campylobacter spp. in Commercial Meat Chickens Less than 8 Days Old
Authors: Colles F. M. , Hedges S. J. , Dixon R. , Preston S. G. , Thornhill P. , Barfod K. K. , Gebhardt-Henrich S. G. , Créach P. , Maiden M. C. J. , Dawkins M. S. , Smith A. L.
Published: September 2021

Our results demonstrate the presence of
Campylobacter
DNA among fecal samples from a range of commercially reared meat chicks that are less than 8 days of age, consistent across 3 European countries. The recently developed, sensitive detection method indicates that infection occurs on commercial farms much earlier and more widely than previously thought, which opens up new opportunities to control
Campylobacter
contamination at the start of the food chain and reduce the unacceptably high levels of human disease.
Three Distinct Proteases Are Responsible for Overall Cell Surface Proteolysis in Streptococcus thermophilus
Authors: Boulay Mylène , Metton Coralie , Mézange Christine , Oliveira Correia Lydie , Meylheuc Thierry , Monnet Véronique , Gardan Rozenn , Juillard Vincent
Published: September 2021

Streptococcus thermophilus
is a lactic acid bacterium used widely as a starter in the dairy industry. Due to its “generally recognized as safe” status and its weak cell surface proteolytic activity, it is also considered a potential bacterial vector for heterologous protein production.
Simultaneous or Prior Activation of Intrahepatic Type I Interferon Signaling Leads to Hepatitis B Virus Persistence in a Mouse Model
Authors: Zou Shi , Du Yanqin , Huang Shunmei , Chen Mingfa , Yang Xiaoli , Li Sumeng , Chen Yingshan , Han Meihong , Li Jia , Yu Qing , Littwitz-Salomon Elisabeth , Huang Hongming , Trilling Mirko , Liu Shi , Pei Rongjuan , Liu Jia , Wang Baoju , Zheng Xin , Lu Mengji , Dittmer Ulf , Sun Shuilin , Yang Dongliang , Wu Jun
Published: September 2021

IFN-I plays a double-edged sword role during chronic HBV infection. Here, we identified that application of IFN-I at different time points causes contrast outcomes.
Human Herpesvirus 6A Tegument Protein U14 Induces NF-κB Signaling by Interacting with p65
Authors: Aktar Salma , Arii Jun , Tjan Lidya Handayani , Nishimura Mitsuhiro , Mori Yasuko
Published: September 2021

Human herpesvirus 6A (HHV-6A) is frequently found in patients with neuro-inflammation, although its role in the pathogenesis of this disease has not been elucidated. Most viral infections activate the NF-κB pathway, which causes the transactivation of various genes, including those encoding proinflammatory cytokines.
Phylogeographic Clustering Suggests that Distinct Clades of Salmonella enterica Serovar Mississippi Are Endemic in Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States
Authors: Cheng R. A. , Orsi R. H. , Wiedmann M.
Published: September 2021

The number of known so-called “polyphyletic” serovars (i.e., phylogenetically distinct clades with the same O and H antigenic formulas) continues to increase as additional
Salmonella
isolates are sequenced. While serotyping remains a valuable tool for reporting and monitoring
Salmonella
, more discriminatory analyses for classifying polyphyletic serovars may improve surveillance efforts for these serovars, as we found that for
S.
Mississippi, distinct genotypes predominate at different geographic locations.
Characterization of Phosphopantetheinyl Hydrolase from Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Authors: Pandey Shilpika , Singh Amrita , Yang Guangli , d’Andrea Felipe B. , Jiang Xiuju , Hartman Travis E. , Mosior John W. , Bourland Ronnie , Gold Ben , Roberts Julia , Geiger Annie , Tang Su , Rhee Kyu , Ouerfelli Ouathek , Sacchettini James C. , Nathan Carl F. , Burns-Huang Kristin
Published: September 2021

Tuberculosis (TB), caused by
Mycobacterium tuberculosis
, was the leading cause of death from an infectious disease before COVID, yet the
in vivo
essentiality and function of many of the protein-encoding genes expressed by
M. tuberculosis
are not known. We biochemically characterize
M. tuberculosis
’s phosphopantetheinyl hydrolase, PptH, a protein unique to mycobacteria that removes an essential posttranslational modification on proteins involved in synthesis of lipids important for the bacterium’s cell wall and virulence.
Serological Testing Reveals the Hidden COVID-19 Burden among Health Care Workers Experiencing a SARS-CoV-2 Nosocomial Outbreak
Authors: Nakagama Yu , Komase Yuko , Candray Katherine , Nakagama Sachie , Sano Fumiaki , Tsuchida Tomoya , Kunishima Hiroyuki , Imai Takumi , Shintani Ayumi , Nitahara Yuko , Kaku Natsuko , Kido Yasutoshi
Published: September 2021

We describe the results of testing frontline health care workers, from a hospital in Japan that had experienced a COVID-19 outbreak, for SARS-CoV-2-specific antibodies. Antibody testing revealed that a surprising 42% of overlooked COVID-19 diagnoses occurred when case detection relied solely on PCR-based viral detection.
Symplectic Geometry of the Koopman Operator
Authors: Kozlov V. V.
Published: September 2021

We consider the Koopman operator generated by an invertible transformation of a space with a finite countably additive measure. If the square of this transformation is ergodic, then the orthogonal Koopman operator is a symplectic transformation on the real Hilbert space of square summable functions with zero mean. An infinite set of quadratic invariants of the Koopman operator is specified, which are pairwise in involution with respect to the corresponding symplectic structure. For transformations with a discrete spectrum and a Lebesgue spectrum, these quadratic invariants are functionally independent and form a complete involutive set, which suggests that the Koopman transform is completely integrable.
Covering Planar Sets
Authors: Tolmachev A. D. , Protasov D. S.
Published: September 2021

Methods for improving upper and lower bounds for various coverings of planar sets are proposed. New bounds for various numbers of partition constituents are presented, and suggestions for the generalization of the presented methods are offered.
Use of home parenteral nutrition in severely neurologically impaired children
Authors: Ribeiro-Mourão Francisco , Bertaud Sophie , Brierley Joe , McCulloch Renee , Köglmeier Jutta , Hill Susan M
Published: September 2021

Objective

To review the outcome of children with severe neurological impairment (NI) and intestinal failure (IF) referred to our specialist multidisciplinary IF rehabilitation service and to discuss implications.

Design

Case report series, descriptive analysis.

Setting

IF rehabilitation programme at a tertiary children’s hospital in the UK.

Patients

Children with severe NI referred to our IF rehabilitation programme from 2009 to 2019.

Main outcome measures

Demographic and social data, diagnosis, clinical condition, use of home parenteral nutrition (HPN), complications, ethics review outcome and advance care plans.

Results

Six patients with severe NI were referred to our IF rehabilitation service. Consent for publication was obtained from five families. After thorough medical review and clinical ethics committee assessment, three children started HPN, one had intravenous fluids in addition to enteral feed as tolerated and one intravenous fluids only. The HPN children survived 3–7.08 years (median 4.42 years) on treatment. Objective gastrointestinal signs, for example, bleeding improved without excessive HPN-related complications. Symptomatic improvement was less clear. Analgesia was reduced in three of the five children. All cases had detailed symptom management and advance care plans regularly updated.

Conclusions

HPN can play a role in relieving gastrointestinal signs/symptoms in children with severe NI and IF. HPN can be conceptualised as part of good palliative care if judged to be in the child’s best interests. However, given its risks and that HPN has the potential to become inappropriately life-sustaining, a thorough ethics review and evaluation should be performed before it is initiated, withheld or withdrawn in children with severe NI.
Stroke and refractory hypoxaemia: complications of pulmonary embolism
Authors: Pereira Mafalda Sá , Homem Rita , Judas Tiago , Delerue Francisca
Published: September 2021

Acute pulmonary embolism is one of the main causes of cardiovascular mortality. Treatment should be guided according to mortality risk stratification, but an individualised and multidisciplinary approach is often required. Concomitant persistent hypoxaemia can be present in cases of intracardiac shunt. In this report, we describe a 46-year-old woman with a history of surgery, presenting with pulmonary embolism with refractory hypoxaemia and simultaneous ischaemic stroke. Fibrinolysis was successfully performed, and the patient made a full recovery. Additional investigations identified a patent foramen ovale, which was later closed. She had no recurrent thrombotic events.
Unusual endophytic non-enhancing tumour in the renal pelvis: a diagnostic dilemma
Authors: Krishna Murali , Kumar Santosh , Parmar Kalpesh Mahesh , Dhana Sekaran Venkatesh
Published: September 2021

Renal cell cancer (RCC) is incidentally detected on imaging in 50%–60% of cases. Among the RCCs, clear cell variant is most common and classically seen as heterogenous enhancing lesion on CT imaging. Hypoenhancing mass presents a diagnostic dilemma with differential diagnosis being urothelial carcinoma, fat poor angiomyolipoma, oncocytoma or rarer variants of RCC. Such cases require further evaluation in form of urine cytology or newer molecular diagnostic techniques. Here, we present a case of renal mass with minimal enhancement on CT scan and imaging features suggestive of upper tract urothelial cancer. Final histopathology revealed the mass to be chromophobe variant of renal cell carcinoma.
Freedom within a cage: how patriarchal gender norms limit women’s use of mobile phones in rural central India
Authors: Scott Kerry , Shinde Aashaka , Ummer Osama , Yadav Shalini , Sharma Manjula , Purty Nikita , Jairath Anushree , Chamberlain Sara , LeFevre Amnesty Elizabeth
Published: September 2021

Introduction

India has one of the highest gender gaps in mobile phone access in the world. As employment opportunities, health messaging (mHealth), access to government entitlements, banking, civic participation and social engagement increasingly take place in the digital sphere, this gender gap risks further exacerbating women’s disadvantage in Indian society. This study identifies the factors driving women’s unequal use of phones in rural Madhya Pradesh, India.

Methods

We interviewed mothers of 1-year-old children (n=29) who reported that they had at least some access to a mobile phone. Whenever possible, we also spoke to their husbands (n=23) and extended family members (n=34) through interviews or family group discussions about the use of phones in their households, as well as their perspectives on gender and phone use more broadly. Our analysis involved comparing wife–husband pairs to assess differences in phone access and use, and thematic coding on the determinants of women’s phone use using an iteratively developed conceptual framework.

Results

While respondents reported that women could use the phone without needing permission, this apparent ‘freedom’ existed in a context that severely constrained women’s actual use, most directly through: (1) narrow expectations and desires around how women would use phones, (2) women’s dependence on men for phone ownership and lower proximity to phones, (3) the poorer functionality of women’s phones; (4) women’s limited digital skills, and (5) time allocation constraints, wherein women had less leisure time and were subject to social norms that discouraged using a phone for leisure.

Conclusion

Our framework, presenting the distal and proximate determinants of women’s phone use, enables more nuanced understanding of India’s digital divide. Addressing these determinants is vital to shift from re-entrenching unequal gender relations to transforming them through digital technology.
Radial artery access anatomy: considerations for neuroendovascular procedures
Authors: Narsinh Kazim H , Mirza Mohammed H , Duvvuri Madhavi , Caton Jr M Travis , Baker Amanda , Winkler Ethan A , Higashida Randall T , Halbach Van V , Amans Matthew R , Cooke Daniel L , Hetts Steven W , Abla Adib A , Dowd Christopher F
Published: September 2021

Although enthusiasm for transradial access for neurointerventional procedures has grown, a unique set of considerations bear emphasis to preserve safety and minimize complications. In the first part of this review series, we will review important anatomical considerations for safe and easy neuroendovascular procedures from a transradial approach. These include normal and variant radial artery anatomy, the anatomic snuffbox, as well as axillary, brachial, and great vessel arterial anatomy that is imperative for the neuroendovascular surgeon to be intimately familiar prior to pursuing transradial access procedures. In the next part of the review series, we will focus on safety and complications specific to a transradial approach.
A multisociety organizational consensus process to define guiding principles for acute perioperative pain management
Authors: Mariano Edward R , Dickerson David M , Szokol Joseph W , Harned Michael , Mueller Jeffrey T , Philip Beverly K , Baratta Jaime L , Gulur Padma , Robles Jennifer , Schroeder Kristopher M , Wyatt Karla E K , Schwalb Jason M , Schwenk Eric S , Wardhan Richa , Kim Todd S , Higdon Kent K , Krishnan Deepak G , Shilling Ashley M , Schwartz Gary , Wiechmann Lisa , Doan Lisa V , Elkassabany Nabil M , Yang Stephen C , Muse Iyabo O , Eloy Jean D , Mehta Vikas , Shah Shalini , Johnson Rebecca L , Englesbe Michael J , Kallen Amanda , Mukkamala S Bobby , Walton Ashley , Buvanendran Asokumar
Published: September 2021

The US Health and Human Services Pain Management Best Practices Inter-Agency Task Force initiated a public–private partnership which led to the publication of its report in 2019. The report emphasized the need for individualized, multimodal, and multidisciplinary approaches to pain management that decrease the over-reliance on opioids, increase access to care, and promote widespread education on pain and substance use disorders. The Task Force specifically called on specialty organizations to work together to develop evidence-based guidelines. In response to this report’s recommendations, a consortium of 14 professional healthcare societies committed to a 2-year project to advance pain management for the surgical patient and improve opioid safety. The modified Delphi process included two rounds of electronic voting and culminated in a live virtual event in February 2021, during which seven common guiding principles were established for acute perioperative pain management. These principles should help to inform local action and future development of clinical practice recommendations.
Evaluating the impact of plain packaging among Canadian smokers: findings from the 2018 and 2020 ITC Smoking and Vaping Surveys
Authors: Gravely Shannon , Chung-Hall Janet , Craig Lorraine V , Fong Geoffrey T , Cummings K Michael , Borland Ron , Yong Hua-Hie , Loewen Ruth , Martin Nadia , Quah Anne C K , Hammond David , Ouimet Janine , Boudreau Christian , Thompson Mary E , Driezen Pete
Published: September 2021

Background

In February 2020, Canada implemented plain packaging without any changes to the size and content of health warning labels (HWLs), which were last updated in 2012 (pictorial HWLs on 75% of the pack front and back). This pre-post evaluation study assessed the impact of plain packaging in Canada on: (1) pack appeal; (2) HWL effectiveness; and (3) support for plain packaging. Additionally, a quasi–experimental design was used to assess the Canadian results relative to two comparator countries: Australia, where plain packaging (with new larger HWLs) was implemented in 2012, and the United States (USA), where plain packaging has not been implemented and the same text warnings have appeared on cigarette packs since 1985.

Methods

Data are from adult smokers who participated in the 2018 and/or 2020 International Tobacco Control Smoking and Vaping Surveys in Canada (n=4600), Australia (n=1834) and the USA (n=3046). Online surveys were conducted before (February to July 2018) and after (February to June 2020) the implementation of plain packaging in Canada. Adjusted regression analyses were conducted on weighted data.

Results

Plain packaging was associated with a significant increase in the percentage of Canadian smokers who did not like the look of their cigarette pack (2018: 28.6% vs 2020: 44.7%, p<0.001), whereas no change in pack appeal was observed among smokers in Australia and the USA over the same period. Plain packaging was not associated with changes in HWL effectiveness in Canada. Support for plain packaging increased significantly among Canadian smokers (2018: 25.6% vs 2020: 33.7%, p<0.001).

Conclusions

Plain packaging in Canada substantially reduced pack appeal and increased support for the policy among adult smokers; however, there was no increase in the effectiveness of Canada’s 8-year-old HWLs. The impact of plain packaging on health warning effectiveness may depend on the design of the warnings and length of time since implementation.
Responses of frozen, fine-grained soils due to multiple packets of cyclic stress with variable amplitude and an empirical prediction model
Authors: Li Qionglin , Cui Kai , Jing Xiang
Published: September 2021

A suite of stress-controlled cyclic triaxial tests were performed on frozen, fine-grained soils to assess the characteristics of the accumulated and cyclic behaviours under packets of cyclic stress with variable amplitude. The influence of cyclic stress sequences is highlighted, and the results of the variable amplitude cyclic tests indicate that the applied cyclic stress amplitude sequence is of importance regarding the final accumulated deformations. A step change is observed in the accumulated strain when the applied cyclic stress amplitude is beyond that of the previous stress package, while a decreasing level of cyclic stress below the previous loading package results in slight additional strain accumulation. The results of these tests also indicate that the cyclic stiffness is dependent on both the past accumulated strain and the current cyclic stress amplitude. For frozen soil, a higher past accumulated strain and lower cyclic stress levels yield a higher cyclic stiffness. An empirical approach for representing the response of frozen, fine-grained soils under multiple packets of cyclic loading is proposed and then verified by the test data. The results show that the proposed empirical model is able to extract and predict the accumulated and cyclic behaviours under multiple packets of cyclic loading.
Exploring frequency analysis alternatives on instantaneous peak flow, in the context of flood plain delineation in southern Québec, Canada
Authors: Ricard Simon , Parent Annie-Claude , Bédard-Therrien Alexis , Morse Brian , Anctil François
Published: September 2021

A flood frequency analysis is conducted using instantaneous peak flow data over a hydrologic sub-region of southern Québec following three distinct methodological frameworks. First, the analysis is conducted locally using available instantaneous peak flow data. Second, the analysis is conducted locally using daily peak flow data processed to consider the peak flow effect. Third, a regional frequency analysis is conducted pooling all available instantaneous peak flow data over the study area. Results reveal a notable diversity in the resulting recurrence peak flow estimates and related uncertainties from one analysis to another. Expert judgement appears essential to arbitrate which alternative should be operated considering a specific context of application for flood plain delineation. Pros and cons for each approach are discussed. We finally encourage the use of a diversity of approaches to provide a robust assessment of uncertainty affecting peak flow estimates.
Combined effects of velocity ratio and radii sizes of internal cylinder on the flow instability in a two-sided lid-driven cubical cavity
Authors: Souayeh Basma , Aamir Muhammad , Waqas Alam Mir , Alfannakh Huda , Shuaib Khan Muhammad
Published: September 2021

This paper computes the laminar flow in a three-dimensional (2D) two-sided lid-driven cubical cavity induced by a centrally located circular cylinder by Finite Volume Method and multigrid acceleration. The cavity has left and right parallel lid-driven walls and all the other walls completing the domain are motionless. Furthermore, different wake parameters are considered throughout this study; velocity ratios [[Formula: see text] and 0.75] and radius size of the inner cylinder [[Formula: see text] and 0.2]. Thereafter, the study has been extended to the unsteady state by further increasing Reynolds number till reaching up to 2000. It is noticed that the highest critical Reynolds number corresponds to the lowest radius size and conversely. By further increasing the velocity ratio till reaching 0.25, 0.5 and 0.75, where the left moving lid began to have an effect, the opposite phenomenon occurs and we note that the highest critical Reynolds number corresponds to the highest radius. This can be explained by the fact that when the cavity is two-sided lid-driven, the velocity of the fluid particles accelerates. Besides, it has been proved that both parameters [Formula: see text] and a radius size [Formula: see text] promote faster transition to the unsteadiness rather than the remaining velocity ratios and radii sizes.
Curvaton and quantum gravity effect on the tensor-to-scalar ratio of the chaotic inflation
Authors: Suresh P. K.
Published: September 2021

The expected tensor-to-scalar ratio estimate of the upcoming CMB mission probe measurements may establish a lower value of the ratio than the currently obtained value. It can be described in terms of a single field chaotic inflation model along with the curvaton or quantum gravity or their combined effect. Consequently, the role of quantum gravity or curvaton in the dynamics of the early universe may not be ruled out. The curvaton scenario and quantum gravity effect can be tested experimentally. The upcoming CMB missions can validate the curvaton scenario and quantum gravity experimentally.
One-pot reaction of aminoarenes and porphyrin – A fused amino acid-tetraphyrin(1.1.1.1) hybrid
Authors: Urbańska Karolina , Pawilicki Miłosz
Published: September 2021

Tetraphyrins(1.1.1.1) (Porphyrins) were merged with amino acids forming a direct bond between a meso-position of macrocycle and a nitrogen available in the side chain of the amino acid. The following intramolecular fusion observed for a free base porphyrin forms a structure with extended [Formula: see text]-delocalisation on the additional carbocyclic fragment, that substantially modifies the observed absorption and emission. A further modulation of electron behaviour has been observed for a deprotonated form of the fused system. A nitrogen atom introduced into the system can be treated as a switching factor that controls the delocalisation significantly influencing the emission by shifting between the available amine and imine tautomeric forms.
Robot Selection Problem via Fuzzy TOPSIS Method Using Novel Distance and Similarity Measure for Generalized Fuzzy Numbers with Unequal Heights
Authors: Dutta Palash , Borah Gourangajit
Published: September 2021

Background: Mega multinational companies are highly dependent on robots to handle the maximum of their machinery workload, which significantly reduces human labor and saves valuable time as well. However, as vital as the role of robots is, a much more challenging task is its selection. Moreover, the robots need to be evaluated on the grounds of different specifications and their ease of handling, which results in a smooth and work-efficient environment.

Objective: The prime objective of this paper is to devise a fruitful decision-making model for a robot selection problem, which utilizes a multi-criteria decision-making method known as Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS). The TOPSIS method is based on the newly defined distance measure involving generalized fuzzy numbers with unequal heights (GFNUHs).

Methodology/Approach: At first, we define a novel distance measure based on the “expected value” and “variance” of GFNUHs, where both the parameters are evaluated with the help of the [Formula: see text]-cut method. We then also give the expression for the distance-based similarity measure and investigate some of their properties. Both the distance and the similarity measure(s) are then validated for their effectiveness through a hypothetical case study of pattern recognition. Moreover, we consider 10 different bunches of generalized fuzzy numbers (GFNs) and present a comparative study with the already established measures to establish the efficiency and superiority of our proposed measures. Finally, the distance measure is deployed in the TOPSIS method, which facilitates suitable robot selection by an automobile company.

Findings/Results: A comparison of results for the proposed distance measure and the similarity measure with the existing ones is presented which proves that the proposed measure(s) are effective and usable.

Novelty/Value: The evaluation of expected value and variance of GFNUHs with the help of [Formula: see text]-cut technique is a completely original idea showcased in this paper and its improved version of TOPSIS for GFNUHs as discussed shall add a new direction in the realm of decision-making.
Extending Isolation Forest for Anomaly Detection in Big Data via K-Means
Authors: Laskar Md Tahmid Rahman , Huang Jimmy Xiangji , Smetana Vladan , Stewart Chris , Pouw Kees , An Aijun , Chan Stephen , Liu Lei
Published: September 2021

Industrial Information Technology infrastructures are often vulnerable to cyberattacks. To ensure security to the computer systems in an industrial environment, it is required to build effective intrusion detection systems to monitor the cyber-physical systems (e.g., computer networks) in the industry for malicious activities. This article aims to build such intrusion detection systems to protect the computer networks from cyberattacks. More specifically, we propose a novel unsupervised machine learning approach that combines the K-Means algorithm with the Isolation Forest for anomaly detection in industrial big data scenarios. Since our objective is to build the intrusion detection system for the big data scenario in the industrial domain, we utilize the Apache Spark framework to implement our proposed model that was trained in large network traffic data (about 123 million instances of network traffic) stored in Elasticsearch. Moreover, we evaluate our proposed model on the live streaming data and find that our proposed system can be used for real-time anomaly detection in the industrial setup. In addition, we address different challenges that we face while training our model on large datasets and explicitly describe how these issues were resolved. Based on our empirical evaluation in different use cases for anomaly detection in real-world network traffic data, we observe that our proposed system is effective to detect anomalies in big data scenarios. Finally, we evaluate our proposed model on several academic datasets to compare with other models and find that it provides comparable performance with other state-of-the-art approaches.
SGN: Sparse Gauss-Newton for Accelerated Sensitivity Analysis
Authors: Zehnder Jonas , Coros Stelian , Thomaszewski Bernhard
Published: September 2021

We present a sparse Gauss-Newton solver for accelerated sensitivity analysis with applications to a wide range of equilibrium-constrained optimization problems. Dense Gauss-Newton solvers have shown promising convergence rates for inverse problems, but the cost of assembling and factorizing the associated matrices has so far been a major stumbling block. In this work, we show how the dense Gauss-Newton Hessian can be transformed into an equivalent sparse matrix that can be assembled and factorized much more efficiently. This leads to drastically reduced computation times for many inverse problems, which we demonstrate on a diverse set of examples. We furthermore show links between sensitivity analysis and nonlinear programming approaches based on Lagrange multipliers and prove equivalence under specific assumptions that apply for our problem setting.
Computational Object-Wrapping Rope Nets
Authors: Liu Jian , Xin Shiqing , Gao Xifeng , Gao Kaihang , Xu Kai , Chen Baoquan , Tu Changhe
Published: September 2021

Wrapping objects using ropes is a common practice in our daily life. However, it is difficult to design and tie ropes on a 3D object with complex topology and geometry features while ensuring wrapping security and easy operation. In this article, we propose to compute a rope net that can tightly wrap around various 3D shapes. Our computed rope net not only immobilizes the object but also maintains the load balance during lifting. Based on the key observation that if every knot of the net has four adjacent curve edges, then only a single rope is needed to construct the entire net. We reformulate the rope net computation problem into a constrained curve network optimization. We propose a discrete-continuous optimization approach, where the topological constraints are satisfied in the discrete phase and the geometrical goals are achieved in the continuous stage. We also develop a hoist planning to pick anchor points so that the rope net equally distributes the load during hoisting. Furthermore, we simulate the wrapping process and use it to guide the physical rope net construction process. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our method on 3D objects with varying geometric and topological complexity. In addition, we conduct physical experiments to demonstrate the practicability of our method.
Improving Variational Autoencoder based Out-of-Distribution Detection for Embedded Real-time Applications
Authors: Feng Yeli , Ng Daniel Jun Xian , Easwaran Arvind
Published: September 2021

Uncertainties in machine learning are a significant roadblock for its application in safety-critical cyber-physical systems (CPS). One source of uncertainty arises from distribution shifts in the input data between training and test scenarios. Detecting such distribution shifts in real-time is an emerging approach to address the challenge. The high dimensional input space in CPS applications involving imaging adds extra difficulty to the task. Generative learning models are widely adopted for the task, namely out-of-distribution (OoD) detection. To improve the state-of-the-art, we studied existing proposals from both machine learning and CPS fields. In the latter, safety monitoring in real-time for autonomous driving agents has been a focus. Exploiting the spatiotemporal correlation of motion in videos, we can robustly detect hazardous motion around autonomous driving agents. Inspired by the latest advances in the Variational Autoencoder (VAE) theory and practice, we tapped into the prior knowledge in data to further boost OoD detection’s robustness. Comparison studies over nuScenes and Synthia data sets show our methods significantly improve detection capabilities of OoD factors unique to driving scenarios, 42% better than state-of-the-art approaches. Our model also generalized near-perfectly, 97% better than the state-of-the-art across the real-world and simulation driving data sets experimented. Finally, we customized one proposed method into a twin-encoder model that can be deployed to resource limited embedded devices for real-time OoD detection. Its execution time was reduced over four times in low-precision 8-bit integer inference, while detection capability is comparable to its corresponding floating-point model.
RT-ZooKeeper: Taming the Recovery Latency of a Coordination Service
Authors: Li Haoran , Lu Chenyang , Gill Christopher D.
Published: September 2021

Fault-tolerant coordination services have been widely used in distributed applications in cloud environments. Recent years have witnessed the emergence of time-sensitive applications deployed in edge computing environments, which introduces both challenges and opportunities for coordination services. On one hand, coordination services must recover from failures in a timely manner. On the other hand, edge computing employs local networked platforms that can be exploited to achieve timely recovery. In this work, we first identify the limitations of the leader election and recovery protocols underlying Apache ZooKeeper, the prevailing open-source coordination service. To reduce recovery latency from leader failures, we then design RT-Zookeeper with a set of novel features including a fast-convergence election protocol, a quorum channel notification mechanism, and a distributed epoch persistence protocol. We have implemented RT-Zookeeper based on ZooKeeper version 3.5.8. Empirical evaluation shows that RT-ZooKeeper achieves 91% reduction in maximum recovery latency in comparison to ZooKeeper. Furthermore, a case study demonstrates that fast failure recovery in RT-ZooKeeper can benefit a common messaging service like Kafka in terms of message latency.