bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Skin microbiota: Friend or foe in pediatric skin health and skin disease
Authors: Schneider Andrea M. , Nelson Amanda M.
Published: October 2019

The human integument and gastrointestinal tract host unique microbial ecosystems. Within the last decade, research has focused on understanding the contributions of the microbiota to human health and disease. The majority of skin microbiome studies involve adults. This review focuses on key studies conducted within the pediatric population and provides a framework for future skin microbiome work in this ever‐expanding field. This article begins by exploring the skin microbiome at birth and reviews the impact of delivery mode on infant skin colonization. How skin microbial colonization evolves from infancy to adulthood and normal development impacts the abundance of skin commensals such as Streptococcus, Staphylococcus, and Cutibacterium is also highlighted. Finally, several skin microbiome research studies in common pediatric skin conditions are reviewed, including body odor, atopic dermatitis (AD), and acne. The bacteria involved in metabolizing sweat, the impact on body odor, and how this process evolves from childhood to adulthood is outlined. In AD, different bacteria genera that predominate in children and adults and the impact of current AD therapies on skin microbiota are explored. Finally, in acne, the understanding of how Cutibacterium acnes contributes to acne pathogenesis and how acne therapies impact the skin microbial communities is reviewed.
Severe recurrent aphthous stomatitis treated with adalimumab: A case report in a teenage patient
Authors: de Perosanz‐Lobo Dario , Latour Irene , Ortega‐Quijano Daniel , Fernández‐Guarino Montserrat , Torrelo Antonio
Published: October 2019

Recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS) is a chronic disorder of unknown etiology characterized by recurring ulcers involving the oral mucosa in patients with no other manifestations. It is a common cause of oral ulcers in children. In its major form, RAS can be a severe and disabling disorder due to pain and scarring, and poses a therapeutic challenge. Therapies for major RAS include prednisone, thalidomide, colchicine, and dapsone. However, many patients do not achieve adequate control of the disease with them (J Clin Diagn Res, 10, 2016 and ZE08). We report a case of severe RAS in a teenager with a dramatic response to adalimumab.
Measuring, monitoring, reporting and verification of shipping emissions: Evaluating transparency and answerability
Authors: Deane Felicity , Huggins Anna , Karim Md Saiful
Published: October 2019

In October 2016, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) adopted mandatory fuel data reporting requirements by amending Annex VI of the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships. Before the adoption of the IMO Data Collection System (IMO DCS), the European Union (EU) introduced a regulation requiring monitoring, reporting and verification of greenhouse gas emissions from ships as an initial step to inform further action. This regulation enabled the EU to include greenhouse gas emissions from shipping as a part of their collective climate change strategy, known as the EU MRV system. This article analyses the EU MRV system and the IMO DCS against standards of transparency and answerability. It argues that whilst neither the EU MRV system nor the IMO DCS promotes optimal transparency or answerability, the EU MRV represents a framework that comes closer to promoting answerability through transparency.
Get in line: Do part‐time legislatures use sunset laws to keep executive agencies in check
Authors: Baugus Brian , Bose Feler , Jacob Jeffry
Published: October 2019

Sunset provisions are clauses embedded in legislation that cause a piece of legislation or a regulatory board to expire on a certain date unless the legislature takes affirmative action to renew the legislation or board. Supporters and legislators offer several reasons why sunset laws are valuable and useful. An article by Baugus and Bose (2015), reported on the king‐and‐council model of Congleton (2001), suggests that sunset laws are a key tool legislatures use in asserting themselves against an executive branch that often dominates state government. We investigate this possibility using empirical analysis, which suggests that part‐time legislatures, specifically, a form of part‐time legislature referred to as hybrid legislatures, are more prone to use sunset legislation as a tool to keep the executive preferences in check.
Producing knowledge about mercury mining: Local practices and textual tools
Authors: Raphael Renée
Published: October 2019

This contribution analyses accounts of the refining of mercury in the printed works of Biringuccio, Agricola, and Barba and in archival documents related to mercury production at Almadén. Similarities in printed texts, coupled with the lack of connections of their authors to significant sites of mercury mining in the early modern world, suggest that these authors developed their accounts not through personal experience or knowledge exchanges with practitioners but through the types of textual borrowings associated with period humanist scholarship. Examination of local archival sources produced at Almadén indicates, moreover, the lack of correspondence between these printed accounts and local practices at the foremost site of mercury production in early modern Europe. These findings indicate the continuing importance of textual forms of scholarship in the production of period technical knowledge and the dangers of using such learned treatises as indicators of actual practice.
Pragmatic and (or) Constitutive? On the Foundations of Contemporary Risk Communication Research
Authors: Rickard Laura N.
Published: October 2019

A diffuse and interdisciplinary field, risk communication research, is founded on how we understand the process and purpose of communication more generally. To that end, this article outlines two fundamental functions of risk communication: (1) a pragmatic function, in which senders direct messages at audiences (and vice versa), with various intended (and sometimes unintended) effects; and (2) a constitutive function, in which messages re(create) what we mean by “risk” in a given social context, including how we can, and/or should relate to it. Although representing distinct epistemological and theoretical social scientific traditions, these functions necessarily coexist in a broader understanding of risk communication, including its so‐called “effectiveness.” The article concludes by considering how we might enact this fuller understanding of risk communication's dual functions through engagement in collaborative, sustainability science‐oriented research.
Exploiting autoimmunity unleashed by low‐dose immune checkpoint blockade to treat advanced cancer
Authors: Bakacs Tibor , Moss Ralph W. , Kleef Ralf , Szasz Marcell A. , Anderson Colin C.
Published: October 2019

As a result of the cancer immunotherapy revolution, more than 2000 immuno‐oncology agents are currently being tested or are in use to improve responses. Not unexpectedly, the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to James P. Allison and Tasuku Honjo for their development of cancer therapy by the blockade of co‐inhibitory signals. Unfortunately, manipulation of the co‐inhibitory receptors has also resulted in a safety issue: widespread iatrogenic immune‐related adverse events (irAEs). Autoimmunity is emerging as the nemesis of immunotherapy. Originally, it was assumed that CTLA‐4 blockade selectively targets T cells relevant to the antitumour immune response. However, an uncontrolled pan T cell activation was induced compromising tolerance to healthy self‐tissues. The irAEs are very similar to that of a chronic graft‐versus‐host‐disease (GVHD) reaction following allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT). We hypothesized that ipilimumab induced a graft‐versus‐malignancy (GVM) effect, which eradicated metastatic melanoma in a minority of patients, but also involved an auto‐GVHD reaction that resulted in widespread autoimmunity in the majority. Therefore, we argued for a profound theoretical point against the consensus of experts. The task is not to desperately put the genie back in the bottle by immune‐suppressive treatments, but instead to harness the autoimmune forces. In this way, the same goal could be achieved by an antibody as by the adoptive transfer of alloreactive donor lymphocytes, but without severe GVHD. The proof‐of‐principle of a low‐dose‐combination immune checkpoint therapy, consisting only of approved drugs and treatments, was demonstrated in 111 stage IV cancer patients.
A novel allele HLA‐B*38:02:01:02, identified in an Angami individual from Nagaland, North‐East India
Authors: Keppen Chenole , Sharma Akanksha , Gautam Shashi K. , Khamo Vinotsole , Kanga Uma
Published: October 2019

A single nucleotide change (C to T) in HLA‐B*38:02:01 results in the novel allele, HLA‐B*38:02:01:02.
Smart devices for the management of pediatric asthma: a scoping review protocol
Authors: Betz Cecily L. , Lewinter Katherine , Kysh Lynn , Hudson Sharon , Espinoza Juan
Published: October 2019

Objective:

The objective of this scoping review is to identify the scope of literature published on the use of smart devices for interventions in pediatric asthma, including low income and culturally diverse populations.

Introduction:

Childhood asthma results in substantial morbidity and costs that pose a significant burden to families and healthcare systems. Low-income and culturally diverse pediatric populations have increased rates of morbidity and mortality compared to higher income families. Smart devices have the potential to improve pediatric asthma health outcomes and reduce health disparities.

Inclusion criteria:

This scoping review will consider studies with participants who are children, adolescents and young adults with the diagnosis of asthma (ages zero to 26 years). Studies of children and adolescents and young adults with asthma may include adult participants who manage and/or supervise asthma care or provide asthma instruction.

Methods:

This scoping review will be conducted using the Ovid MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, Web of Science, PsycINFO, ERIC, and both Compendex and Inspec through Engineering Village databases. Gray literature searches will also be conducted. Studies will be reviewed independently by two reviewers, with any conflicts adjudicated by a third member. Data extracted will be presented in a tabular format with an accompanying narrative.
Accelerating Clinical Innovation in Biomedical Engineering Education by Using a Digital Portal for Collaboration
Authors: Berry Joel L. , Noles Kristen , Eberhardt Alan , Wingo Nancy
Published: October 2019

The rapidly changing healthcare landscape requires continuous innovation by clinicians, yet generating ideas to improve patient care is often problematic. This paper describes the development of a digital tool used in an interprofessional program designed to enhance collaborations between clinicians, undergraduate, and graduate STEM students, particularly biomedical engineering (BME). The program founders began by connecting clinicians and students through a course portal in a learning management system (LMS). They eventually secured internal funding to create an open access tool for posting and viewing problems, allowing interprofessional teams to rally around healthcare challenges and create prototypes for solving them. Results after three years of the program's inception have been encouraging, as teams have created devices and processes that have led to intellectual property disclosures, provisional patents, grant funding, and other productive interprofessional relationships. The open access tool has given clinicians and STEM students an outlet for convenient team formation around unsolved clinical problems and allowed a fluid exchange of ideas between participants across a variety of clinical disciplines.
Modeling of Top Burr Formation in Micro-End Milling of Zr-Based Bulk Metallic Glass
Authors: Ray Debajyoti , Puri Asit Baran , Hanumaiah Naga , Halder Saurav
Published: October 2019

In this study, an analysis is presented for the formulation of a model in top burr formation to estimate the width of the top burrs formed in micro-end milling process. In this analysis, the width of the top burrs, considered to be the measure of burr size of top burrs, represents the extent of burr formation. The model is applied to quantify the burr formation in Zr-based bulk metallic glass, an amorphous metallic alloy. In this study, micromilling experiments were carried out on the bulk metallic glass work material at different levels of feed rate, axial depth of cut, and cutting speed to compare the experimental values of top burr width with the predicted values. Analysis is carried out to characterize top burr formation based on the experimental results of burr sizes in the up-milling and down-milling side edges, and the influential effects of the cutting parameters on the burr formation are analyzed.
Investigation of impact of gate underlap/overlap on the analog/RF performance of composite channel double gate MOSFETs
Authors: Ajayan J. , Nirmal D. , Kurian Dheena , Mohankumar P. , Arivazhagan L. , Augustine Fletcher A. S. , Subash T. D. , Saravanan M.
Published: October 2019

The influence of gate overlap and underlap on the DC/RF behavior of a composite channel based double gate MOSFET (DG MOSFET) that can be used for RF/analog applications is investigated using the 2D Sentaurus TCAD tool in this work. An InAs-inserted In07Ga0.3As composite channel, double silicon delta doping technology, n+-In0.53Ga0.47As source and drain regions, and Si3N4 passivation are some of the key features of the proposed device. 2D-Sentaurus Technology Computer Aided Design (TCAD) simulation has been performed using the hydrodynamic model. Interface trap models have also been incorporated to increase the accuracy of TCAD simulations carried out at room temperature. Key RF/analog figures of merit such as drain current (ID), transconductance (gm), gate leakage current (IGS), subthreshold current, drain induced barrier lowering, electron velocity in the quantum well, cutoff frequency (fT), and maximum oscillation frequency (fmax) have been explored to analyze the RF/analog performance of the proposed device. TCAD simulations reveal the fact that reducing the gate length and employing a gate underlap strategy can improve the analog and RF performance of the proposed DG MOSFET.
Broadband sound propagation in a seagrass meadow throughout a diurnal cycle
Authors: Lee Kevin M. , Ballard Megan S. , Venegas Gabriel R. , Sagers Jason D. , McNeese Andrew R. , Johnson Jay R. , Wilson Preston S. , Rahman Abdullah F.
Published: October 2019

Acoustic propagation measurements were conducted in a Thalassia testudinum meadow in the Lower Laguna Madre, a shallow bay on the Texas Gulf of Mexico coast. A piezoelectric source transmitted frequency-modulated chirps (0.1 to 100 kHz) over a 24-h period during which oceanographic probes measured environmental parameters including dissolved oxygen and solar irradiance. Compared to a nearby less vegetated area, the received level was lower by as much as 30 dB during the early morning hours. At the peak of photosynthesis-driven bubble production in the late afternoon, an additional decrease in level of 11 dB was observed.
Rippled-spectrum resolution dependence on frequency: Estimates obtained by discrimination from rippled and nonrippled reference signals
Authors: Milekhina Olga N. , Nechaev Dmitry I. , Supin Alexander Ya.
Published: October 2019

The resolution of spectral ripples is a useful test for the spectral resolution of hearing. However, the use of different measurement paradigms might yield diverging results because of a paradigm-dependent contribution of excitation-pattern and temporal-processing mechanisms. In the present study, ripple-density resolution was measured in normal-hearing listeners for several frequency bands (centered at 0.5, 1, 2, and 4 kHz), using two paradigms: (i) discrimination of a rippled-spectrum test signal from a rippled reference signal differing by the ripple phase pattern, and (ii) discrimination of a rippled-spectrum test signal from a nonrippled reference signal. For the rippled reference signals, the resolution slightly depended on signal frequency. For the nonrippled reference signals, the resolution depended on the signal frequency; it varied from 8.8 ripples/oct at 0.5 kHz to 34.2 ripples/oct at 4 kHz. Excitation-pattern and temporal-processing models of spectral analysis were considered. Predictions of the excitation-pattern model agreed with the data obtained with the rippled reference signals. In contrast, predictions of the temporal-processing model agreed with the data obtained with the nonrippled reference signals. Thus, depending on the used reference signal type, the ripple-density resolution estimates characterize the discrimination abilities of the corresponding mechanisms.
An Alkylpyrazine Synthesis Mechanism Involving
l
-Threonine-3-Dehydrogenase Describes the Production of 2,5-Dimethylpyrazine and 2,3,5-Trimethylpyrazine by Bacillus subtilis
Authors: Zhang Lijie , Cao Yanli , Tong Jianan , Xu Yan
Published: October 2019

Despite alkylpyrazines' contribution to flavor and their commercial value, the synthesis mechanisms of alkylpyrazines by microorganisms remain poorly understood. This study revealed the substrate, intermediates, and related enzymes for the synthesis of 2,5-dimethylpyrazine (2,5-DMP), which differ from the previous reports about the synthesis of 2,3,5,6-tetramethylpyrazine (TTMP). The synthesis mechanism described here can also explain the production of 2,3,5-trimethylpyrazine (TMP). The results provide insights into an alkylpyrazine’s synthesis pathway involving
l
-threonine-3-dehydrogenase as the catalytic enzyme and
l
-threonine as the substrate.
Glucose-Mediated Repression of Plant Biomass Utilization in the White-Rot Fungus
Dichomitus squalens
Authors: Daly Paul , Peng Mao , Di Falco Marcos , Lipzen Anna , Wang Mei , Ng Vivian , Grigoriev Igor V. , Tsang Adrian , Mäkelä Miia R. , de Vries Ronald P.
Published: October 2019

White-rot fungi are critical to the carbon cycle because they can mineralize all wood components using enzymes that also have biotechnological potential. The occurrence of carbon catabolite repression (CCR) in white-rot fungi is poorly understood. Previously, CCR in wood-rotting fungi has only been demonstrated for a small number of genes. We demonstrated widespread glucose-mediated CCR of plant biomass utilization in the white-rot fungus
Dichomitus squalens
. This indicates that the CCR mechanism has been largely retained even though wood-rotting fungi rarely experience commonly considered CCR conditions in their woody environment. The general lack of repression of genes encoding proteases along with the reduction in secreted CAZymes during CCR suggested that the retention of CCR may be connected with the need to conserve nitrogen use during growth on nitrogen-scarce wood. The widespread repression indicates that derepressed strains could be beneficial for enzyme production.
Complex Oxidation of Apocytochromes
c
during Bacterial Cytochrome
c
Maturation
Authors: Guo Kailun , Wang Wei , Wang Haixia , Lu Zhenmei , Gao Haichun
Published: October 2019

DsbA is a powerful oxidase that functions in the bacterial periplasm to introduce disulfide bonds in many proteins, including apocytochromes
c
. It has been well established that although DsbA is not essential, it plays a primary role in cytochrome
c
maturation, based on studies in bacteria hosting several cyts
c
. Here, with cyt
c
-rich
S. oneidensis
as a research model, we show that this is not always the case. Moreover, we demonstrate that DsbB is also not essential for cytochrome
c
maturation. These results underscore the need to identify oxidants other than DsbA/DsbB that are crucial in the oxidation of apocyts
c
in bacteria.
Multicenter Evaluation of the New Etest Gradient Diffusion Method for Piperacillin-Tazobactam Susceptibility Testing of
Enterobacterales
,
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
, and
Acinetobacter baumannii
Complex
Authors: García-Fernández Sergio , Bala Yohann , Armstrong Tom , García-Castillo María , Burnham Carey-Ann D. , Wallace Meghan A. , Hardy Dwight , Zambardi Gilles , Cantón Rafael
Published: October 2019

Piperacillin-tazobactam (P/T) is a β-lactam–β-lactamase inhibitor combination frequently used in the hospital setting. Etest is a gradient diffusion method that represents an alternative to broth microdilution (BMD) for performing antimicrobial susceptibility testing. We conducted a multicenter evaluation of the performance of the new P/T Etest compared to that of BMD following U.S.
Infrequent HIV Infection of Circulating Monocytes during Antiretroviral Therapy
Authors: Massanella Marta , Bakeman Wendy , Sithinamsuwan Pasiri , Fletcher James L. K. , Chomchey Nitiya , Tipsuk Somporn , Chalermchai Thep , Routy Jean-Pierre , Ananworanich Jintanat , Valcour Victor G. , Chomont Nicolas
Published: October 2019

The role of circulating monocytes as persistent HIV reservoirs during ART is still controversial. Several studies have reported persistent infection of monocytes in virally suppressed individuals; however, others failed to detect HIV in this subset. These discrepancies are likely explained by the diversity of the methods used to isolate monocytes and to detect HIV infection. In this study, we show that only flow cytometry cell sorting yields a highly pure population of monocytes largely devoid of CD4 contaminants. Using this approach in a longitudinal cohort of HIV-infected individuals before and during ART, we demonstrate that HIV is rarely found in monocytes from untreated and treated HIV-infected individuals. This study highlights the importance of using methods that yield highly pure populations of cells as flow cytometry cell sorting to minimize and control for CD4
+
T-cell contamination.
Live and Diet by Your Gut Microbiota
Authors: Bassis Christine M.
Published: October 2019

Diet influences health in multiple ways. One important effect of diet is on the gut microbiota. The effects of diet are often related to an individual’s specific microbiota composition. The close links between health, diet, and gut microbiota are illustrated in a new mouse model of sepsis where the combination of a high-fat/low-fiber Western diet, antibiotics, and surgery promotes the development of lethal sepsis. Diet can also influence infection via the gut microbiota beyond sepsis.
Current State of and Future Opportunities for Prediction in Microbiome Research: Report from the Mid-Atlantic Microbiome Meet-up in Baltimore on 9 January 2019
Authors: Sakowski Eric , Uritskiy Gherman , Cooper Rachel , Gomes Maya , McLaren Michael R. , Meisel Jacquelyn S. , Mickol Rebecca L. , Mintz C. David , Mongodin Emmanuel F. , Pop Mihai , Rahman Mohammad Arifur , Sanchez Alvaro , Timp Winston , Vela Jeseth Delgado , Wolz Carly Muletz , Zackular Joseph P. , Chopyk Jessica , Commichaux Seth , Davis Meghan , Dluzen Douglas , Ganesan Sukirth M. , Haruna Muyideen , Nasko Dan , Regan Mary J. , Sarria Saul , Shah Nidhi , Stacy Brook , Taylor Dylan , DiRuggiero Jocelyne , Preheim Sarah P.
Published: October 2019

Accurate predictions across multiple fields of microbiome research have far-reaching benefits to society, but there are few widely accepted quantitative tools to make accurate predictions about microbial communities and their functions. More discussion is needed about the current state of microbiome analysis and the tools required to overcome the hurdles preventing development and implementation of predictive analyses.
MetaMed
: Linking Microbiota Functions with Medicine Therapeutics
Authors: Zhao Han , Fu Shaliu , Yu Yifei , Zhang Zhanbing , Li Ping , Ma Qin , Jia Wei , Ning Kang , Qu Shen , Liu Qi
Published: October 2019

Understanding how the human microbiome affects human health has consequences for treating disease and minimizing unwanted side effects in clinical research.
Gastric polyposis and desmoid tumours as a new familial adenomatous polyposis clinical variant associated with APC mutation at the extreme 3′-end
Authors: Disciglio Vittoria , Fasano Candida , Cariola Filomena , Forte Giovanna , Grossi Valentina , Sanese Paola , Lepore Signorile Martina , Resta Nicoletta , Lotesoriere Claudio , Stella Alessandro , Lolli Ivan , Simone Cristiano
Published: October 2019

Germline mutations of the APC gene, which encodes a multidomain protein of 2843 amino acid residues, cause familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP). Three FAP clinical variants are correlated with the location of APC mutations: (1) classic FAP with profuse polyposis (>1000 adenomas), associated with mutations from codon 1250 to 1424; (2) attenuated FAP (<100 adenomas), associated with mutations at APC extremities (before codon 157 and after codon 1595); (3) classic FAP with intermediate colonic polyposis (100–1000 adenomas), associated with mutations located in the remaining part of APC. In an effort to decipher the clinical phenotype associated with APC C-terminal germline truncating mutations in patients with FAP, after screening APC mutations in one family whose members (n=4) developed gastric polyposis, colon oligo-polyposis and desmoid tumours, we performed a literature meta-analysis of clinically characterised patients (n=97) harbouring truncating mutations in APC C-terminus. The APC distal mutations identified in this study cluster with a phenotype characterised by colon oligo-polyposis, diffuse gastric polyposis and desmoid tumours. In conclusion, we describe a novel FAP clinical variant, which we propose to refer to as Gastric Polyposis and Desmoid FAP, that may require tailored management.
Broadband acoustic cloaking and disguising with full-rangle incident angles based on reconfigurable metasurface
Authors: Song Xinpei , Chen Tianning , Zhu Jian , He Yanbin , Liu Zhiqiang
Published: October 2019

Narrow bandwidth and specific incident angle are the main drawbacks in real-life applications for the existed carpet cloaking based on the acoustic metasurface (AM). Here, we tackle to get over the problems by proposing a reprogrammable AM. The unit cell is composed of water sink and filling nozzle. By incorporating an external water pumping system into each individual unit cell, the reflected phase can be readily regulated. Since the pumping process is reversible, the AM is reprogrammable under the control of the water pumping system in the frequency range of 3430–6860[Formula: see text]Hz. Both the acoustic cloaking and disguising are designed based on the proposed AM. The double security for the target object can be ensured to avoid being detected by combining the two designs. Simulated results with the finite element method indicate that the acoustic cloaking and disguising can work in the broad bandwidth of 66.7% of the central frequency with full-range incident angles from [Formula: see text] to [Formula: see text]. Our design shows promise for applications in realizing the practical skin cloaking and disguising one step closer.
New construction of binary and nonbinary quantum stabilizer codes based on symmetric matrices
Authors: Nguyen Duc Manh , Kim Sunghwan
Published: October 2019

In this paper, we propose two construction methods for binary and nonbinary quantum stabilizer codes based on symmetric matrices. In the first construction, we use the identity and symmetric matrices to generate parity-check matrices that satisfy the symplectic inner product (SIP) for the construction of quantum stabilizer codes. In the second construction, we modify the first construction to generate parity-check matrices based on the Calderbank–Shor–Stean structure for the construction of quantum stabilizer codes. The binary and nonbinary quantum stabilizer codes whose parameters achieve equality of the quantum singleton bound are investigated with the code lengths ranging from 4 to 12.
Exact decoherence brought by one internal degree of freedom: von Neumann equation approach and examples
Authors: Besagas John Paul A. , Lima Jan Carlo L. , Galapon Eric A.
Published: October 2019

In a quantum measurement setting, it is known that environment-induced decoherence theory describes the emergence of effectively classical features of the quantum system–measuring apparatus composite system when the apparatus is allowed to interact with the environment. In [E. A. Galapon, Europhys. Lett. 113, 60007 (2016)], a measurement model is found to have the feature of inducing exact decoherence at a finite time via one internal degree of freedom of the apparatus provided that the apparatus is decomposed into a pointer and an inaccessible probe, with the pointer and the probe being in momentum-limited initial states. However, an issue can be raised against the model: while the factorization method of the time-evolution operator used there is formally correct, it is not completely rigorous due to some unstated conditions on the validity of the factorization in the Hilbert space of the model. Furthermore, no examples were presented there in implementing the measurement scheme in specific quantum systems. The goal of this paper is to re-examine the model and confirm its features independently by solving the von Neumann equation for the joint state of the composite system as a function of time. This approach reproduces the joint state obtained in the original work, leading to the same conditions for exact decoherence and orthogonal pointer states when the required initial conditions on the probe and pointer are imposed. We illustrate the exact decoherence process in the measurement of observables of a spin-1/2 particle and a quantum harmonic oscillator by using the model.
An Efficient Privacy-Preserving Protocol for Computing kth Minimum Value in P2P Networks
Authors: Huang Yue , Zeng Peng , Choo Kim-Kwang Raymond
Published: October 2019

Statistics such as [Formula: see text]th minimum value play a crucial role in our data-driven society, for example by informing decision-making. In this paper, we propose an efficient privacy-preserving protocol that allows a group of users who do not trust each other, for example in a peer-to-peer (P2P) network, to jointly calculate the [Formula: see text]th minimum value. Specifically, in our proposed protocol each user’s data is converted to a binary bit string following a certain rule. Then, the bits at the same position are aggregated from the leftmost to the rightmost. As far as we know, this is the first published scheme to obtain [Formula: see text]th minimum value in a P2P network without affecting users’ privacy. We also remark that the proposed protocol can be easily generalized to compute other statistics, such as maximum value, minimum value, and median value, while achieving high efficiency in a privacy-preserving P2P network. We then demonstrate that the proposed protocol achieves forward security and is resilient to a range of external and internal attacks.
Decompositions of algebras and post-associative algebra structures
Authors: Burde Dietrich , Gubarev Vsevolod
Published: October 2019

We introduce post-associative algebra structures and study their relationship to post-Lie algebra structures, Rota–Baxter operators and decompositions of associative algebras and Lie algebras. We show several results on the existence of such structures. In particular, we prove that there exists no post-Lie algebra structure on a pair [Formula: see text], where [Formula: see text] is a simple Lie algebra and [Formula: see text] is a reductive Lie algebra, which is not isomorphic to [Formula: see text]. We also show that there is no post-associative algebra structure on a pair [Formula: see text] arising from a Rota–Baxter operator of [Formula: see text], where [Formula: see text] is a semisimple associative algebra and [Formula: see text] is not semisimple. The proofs use results on Rota–Baxter operators and decompositions of algebras.
Rectangle condition for bridge decompositions of links
Authors: Kwon Bo-Hyun
Published: October 2019

In this paper, we define the rectangle condition for bridge decompositions of links in [Formula: see text] whose definition is analogous to the definition of the rectangle condition for Heegaard splittings of [Formula: see text]-manifolds. We show that the satisfaction of the rectangle condition for an [Formula: see text]-bridge decomposition can guarantee that the Hempel distance of the [Formula: see text]-bridge decomposition is greater than or equal to two.
Nondegenerate and degenerate two-photon absorption in cuprous oxide thin film
Authors: Liang Huijun , Ma Qunchao , Liu Jian , Shi Xinwei , Yang Gongjin , Chen Shu , Liang Erjun
Published: October 2019

A cuprous oxide (Cu2O) thin film was prepared by radio-frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering. The crystal structure, linear transmission spectrum and film thickness were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), ultraviolet–visible–near infrared (UV–Vis–NIR) absorption spectroscopy and ellipsometry. By performing the pump-probe and [Formula: see text]-scan technique, respectively, nondegenerate and degenerate two-photon absorption (D-TPA) coefficients of the Cu2O thin film at several different excitation wavelengths were experimentally determined. The nondegenerate two-photon absorption (ND-TPA) coefficient always exhibits larger magnitude than the corresponding D-TPA coefficient. In particular, the ND-TPA coefficient shows a maximum value of [Formula: see text][Formula: see text]cm/GW. This study indicates that the cuprous oxide could be a potential material for ultrafast nonlinear photonic devices based on two-photon absorption due to its large ND-TPA coefficient.
Development of a SaaS Adoption Decision-Making Model Using a New Hybrid MCDM Approach
Authors: Yadegaridehkordi Elaheh , Nilashi Mehrbakhsh , Shuib Liyana , Asadi Shahla , Ibrahim Othman
Published: October 2019

This study is the first attempt that aims to develop a comprehensive decision-making model for Software as a Service (SaaS) adoption in the educational environment. Accordingly, a new hybrid Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) approach of Grey Relational Analysis (GRA), Classification and Regression Trees (CART), and Fuzzy Rule-Based (FRB) techniques is developed to reveal the importance level of significant factors, model adoption status in the form of “IF-THEN” rules, and predict the level of adoption based on the significant adoption factors and their relationships. This study is the first-hand experience that takes complementary advantages of GRA, CART, and FRB techniques for technology adoption decision-making. The findings can be used as a guide by the administrator of universities, ministry of education, and services providers to successfully proceed for SaaS-based applications adoption in the educational environments.
Previous Studies and Differences Between Lean Management and World Class Manufacturing
Authors: De Felice Fabio , Petrillo Laura , Ranieri Luigi , Petrillo Antonella
Published: October 2019

The main objective of this study is to determine the relationship between Lean Management (LM) and World Class Manufacturing (WCM) practices of aeronautical company in Italy. The methodology should help managers to select those principles and tools of Lean Manufacturing and WCM that are expected to be effective in their company. The research aims to integrate the two models and to achieve a global manufacturing performance in order to maximize the company performance. To this end, a methodological approach, based on Fuzzy Cognitive Maps (FCMs) and the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), is proposed to quantitatively evaluate relationships between LM and WCM. The proposed model allows to identify key factors of Lean and WCM practices and to measure the quantitative relationship between these strategies. The final output is a dynamic analysis designed to identify how relations change with each individual factor.
Evaluation of the Impact of Selected Weighting Methods on the Results of the TOPSIS Technique
Authors: Vavrek Roman
Published: October 2019

The present research deals with selected multi-criteria methods identified according to available literature sources as a suitable instrument for the comprehensive evaluation of a set of alternatives. Further, it focuses on a group of methods including Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS), which is often associated in practice with the use of several subjective and objective methods for the determination of the weights of selected indicators. Accordingly, five of these objective methods are used in this research. The main contribution consists in emphasizing the differences between the results achieved through various methods for the determination of the weights of input indicators. Moreover, we restate the fact that the choice of an adequate method to weigh indicators significantly affects the overall results of the TOPSIS technique. The Coefficient of Variance method clearly identifies subjects in prominent positions. Subsequently, the Mean Weight method does not consider the structure of data and their variability, while focusing on all the indicators being equal. The results obtained via the Standard Deviation and the Statistical Variance Procedure methods are comparable with the results obtained for the identical weights of individual indicators, i.e., the Mean Weight method. Therefore, based on the overall results of our research for the determination of the weights of input indicators for the purposes of the TOPSIS technique, we recommend the use of the Standard Deviation method.
A short note on inverse sum indeg index of graphs
Authors: Balachandran Selvaraj , Elumalai Suresh , Mansour Toufik
Published: October 2019

The inverse sum indeg index of a graph [Formula: see text] is defined as [Formula: see text], where [Formula: see text] is the degree of the vertex [Formula: see text]. In a recent paper, Pattabiraman [Inverse sum indeg index of graphs, AKCE Int. J. Graphs Combinat. 15(2) (2018) 155–167] gave some lower and upper bounds on [Formula: see text] index of all connected graphs in terms of Harmonic index, second Zagreb index and hyper Zagreb index. But some results were erroneous. In this note, we have corrected these results.
Monotone submodular maximization over the bounded integer lattice with cardinality constraints
Authors: Lai Lei , Ni Qiufen , Lu Changhong , Huang Chuanhe , Wu Weili
Published: October 2019

We consider the problem of maximizing monotone submodular function over the bounded integer lattice with a cardinality constraint. Function [Formula: see text] is submodular over integer lattice if [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], where ∨ and ∧ represent elementwise maximum and minimum, respectively. Let [Formula: see text], and [Formula: see text], we study the problem of maximizing submodular function [Formula: see text] with constraints [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text]. A random greedy [Formula: see text]-approximation algorithm and a deterministic [Formula: see text]-approximation algorithm are proposed in this paper. Both algorithms work in value oracle model. In the random greedy algorithm, we assume the monotone submodular function satisfies diminishing return property, which is not an equivalent definition of submodularity on integer lattice. Additionally, our random greedy algorithm makes [Formula: see text] value oracle queries and deterministic algorithm makes [Formula: see text] value oracle queries.
A 4/3-Approximation Algorithm for the Minimum 2-Edge Connected Subgraph Problem
Authors: Hunkenschröder Christoph , Vempala Santosh , Vetta Adrian
Published: October 2019

We present a factor 4/3 approximation algorithm for the problem of finding a minimum 2-edge connected spanning subgraph of a given undirected multigraph. The algorithm is based upon a reduction to a restricted class of graphs. In these graphs, the approximation algorithm constructs a 2-edge connected spanning subgraph by modifying the smallest 2-edge cover.
Probabilistic Mixture Model for Mapping the Underground Pipes
Authors: Zhou Xiren , Chen Huanhuan , Li Jinlong
Published: October 2019

Buried pipes beneath our city are blood vessels that feed human civilization through the supply of water, gas, electricity, and so on, and mapping the buried pipes has long been addressed as an issue. In this article, a suitable coordinate of the detected area is established, the noisy Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) and Global Positioning System (GPS) data are analyzed and normalized, and the pipeline is described mathematically. Based on these, the Probabilistic Mixture Model is proposed to map the buried pipes, which takes discrete noisy GPR and GPS data as the input and the accurate pipe locations and directions as the output. The proposed model consists of the Preprocessing, the Pipe Fitting algorithm, the Classification Fitting Expectation Maximization (CFEM) algorithm, and the Angle-limited Hough (Al-Hough) transform. The direction information of the detecting point is added into the measuring of the distance from the point to nearby pipelines, to handle some areas where the pipes are intersected or difficult to classify. The Expectation Maximization (EM) algorithm is upgraded to CFEM algorithm that is able to classify detecting points into different classes, and connect and fit multiple points in each class to get accurate pipeline locations and directions, and the Al-Hough transform provides reliable initializations for CFEM, to some extent, ensuring the convergence of the proposed model. The experimental results on the simulated and real-world datasets demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed model.
Service-oriented Application Composition with Evolutionary Heuristics and Multiple Criteria
Authors: Zo Hangjung , Nazareth Derek L. , Jain Hemant K.
Published: October 2019

The need to create and deploy business application systems rapidly has sparked interest in using web services to compose them. When creating mission-critical business applications through web service compositions, in addition to ensuring that functional requirements are met, designers need to consider the end-to-end reliability, security, performance, and overall cost of the application. As the number of available coarse-grain business services grows, the problem of selecting appropriate services quickly becomes combinatorially explosive for realistic-sized business applications. This article develops a business-process-driven approach for composing service-oriented applications. We use a combination of weights to explore the entire QoS criteria landscape through the use of a multi-criteria genetic algorithm (GA) to identify a Pareto-optimal multidimensional frontier that permits managers to trade off conflicting objectives when selecting a set of services. We illustrate the effectiveness of the approach by applying it to a real-world drop-ship business application and compare its performance to another GA-based approach for service composition.
Spanning Circuits in Regular Matroids
Authors: Fomin Fedor V. , Golovach Petr A. , Lokshtanov Daniel , Saurabh Saket
Published: October 2019

We consider the fundamental Matroid Theory problem of finding a circuit in a matroid containing a set
T
of given terminal elements. For graphic matroids, this corresponds to the problem of finding a simple cycle passing through a set of given terminal edges in a graph. The algorithmic study of the problem on regular matroids, a superclass of graphic matroids, was initiated by Gavenčiak, Král’, and Oum [ICALP’12], who proved that the case of the problem with ∣T∣ = 2 is fixed-parameter tractable (FPT) when parameterized by the length of the circuit. We extend the result of Gavenčiak, Král’, and Oum by showing that for regular matroids

• the M
inimum
S
panning
C
ircuit
problem, deciding whether there is a circuit with at most ℓ elements containing
T
, is FPT parameterized by
k
= ℓ − ∣T∣

• the S
panning
C
ircuit
problem, deciding whether there is a circuit containing ∣T∣, is FPT parameterized by ∣T∣.

We note that extending our algorithmic findings to binary matroids, a superclass of regular matroids, is highly unlikely: M
inimum
S
panning
C
ircuit
parameterized by ℓ is W[1]-hard on binary matroids even when ∣T∣ = 1. We also show a limit to how far our results can be strengthened by considering a smaller parameter. More precisely, we prove that M
inimum
S
panning
C
ircuit
parameterized by ∣T∣ is W[1]-hard even on cographic matroids, a proper subclass of regular matroids.
Ordered Level Planarity and Its Relationship to Geodesic Planarity, Bi-Monotonicity, and Variations of Level Planarity
Authors: Klemz Boris , Rote Günter
Published: October 2019

We introduce and study the problem Ordered Level Planarity, which asks for a planar drawing of a graph such that vertices are placed at prescribed positions in the plane and such that every edge is realized as a
y
-monotone curve. This can be interpreted as a variant of Level Planarity in which the vertices on each level appear in a prescribed total order. We establish a complexity dichotomy with respect to both the maximum degree and the level-width, that is, the maximum number of vertices that share a level. Our study of Ordered Level Planarity is motivated by connections to several other graph drawing problems.

Geodesic Planarity asks for a planar drawing of a graph such that vertices are placed at prescribed positions in the plane and such that every edge
e
is realized as a polygonal path
p
composed of line segments with two adjacent directions from a given set
S
of directions that is symmetric with respect to the origin. Our results on Ordered Level Planarity imply
NP
-hardness for any
S
with ∣S∣ ≥ 4, even if the given graph is a matching. Manhattan Geodesic Planarity is the special case where
S
contains precisely the horizontal and vertical directions. Katz, Krug, Rutter, and Wolff claimed that Manhattan Geodesic Planarity can be solved in polynomial time for the special case of matchings [GD’09]. Our results imply that this is incorrect unless
P
=
NP
. Our reduction extends to settle the complexity of the Bi-Monotonicity problem, which was proposed by Fulek, Pelsmajer, Schaefer, and Štefankovič.

Ordered Level Planarity turns out to be a special case of T-Level Planarity, Clustered Level Planarity, and Constrained Level Planarity. Thus, our results strengthen previous hardness results. In particular, our reduction to Clustered Level Planarity generates instances with only two non-trivial clusters. This answers a question posed by Angelini, Da Lozzo, Di Battista, Frati, and Roselli.
Can Teamwork Promote Safety in Organizations?
Authors: Salas Eduardo , Bisbey Tiffany M. , Traylor Allison M. , Rosen Michael A.
Published: October 2019

In this review, we conceptualize teamwork as the linchpin driving safety performance throughout an organization. Safety is promoted by teams through various mechanisms that interact in a complex and dynamic process. We press pause on this dynamic process to organize a discussion highlighting the critical role played by teamwork factors in the engagement of safe and unsafe behavior, identifying five team-level emergent states that enable effective teamwork and safety: psychological safety, team trust, collective efficacy, shared mental models, and situation awareness. Additionally, we consider foundational conditions that support team-driven safety, the development of safety culture, and the importance of team safety climate in shaping performance. We discuss leveraging teams to generate safety and identify directions for future research investigating the relationship between teamwork and safety. Overall, we submit that researchers and practitioners would benefit from taking a systems perspective of safety by integrating principles of team science to better understand and promote safety in organizations.