bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Three-dimensional micro strain gauges as flexible, modular tactile sensors for versatile integration with micro- and macroelectronics
Authors: Xu Chen , Wang Yiran , Zhang Jingyan , Wan Ji , Xiang Zehua , Nie Zhongyi , Xu Jie , Lin Xiang , Zhao Pengcheng , Wang Yaozheng , Zhang Shaotong , Zhang Jing , Liu Chunxiu , Xue Ning , Zhao Wei , Han Mengdi
Published: August 2024

Flexible tactile sensors play important roles in many areas, like human-machine interface, robotic manipulation, and biomedicine. However, their flexible form factor poses challenges in their integration with wafer-based devices, commercial chips, or circuit boards. Here, we introduce manufacturing approaches, device designs, integration strategies, and biomedical applications of a set of flexible, modular tactile sensors, which overcome the above challenges and achieve cooperation with commercial electronics. The sensors exploit lithographically defined thin wires of metal or alloy as the sensing elements. Arranging these elements across three-dimensional space enables accurate, hysteresis-free, and decoupled measurements of temperature, normal force, and shear force. Assembly of such sensors on flexible printed circuit boards together with commercial electronics forms various flexible electronic systems with capabilities in wireless measurements at the skin interface, continuous monitoring of biomechanical signals, and spatial mapping of tactile information. The flexible, modular tactile sensors expand the portfolio of functional components in both microelectronics and macroelectronics.
Modified C-type natriuretic peptide normalizes tumor vasculature, reinvigorates antitumor immunity, and improves solid tumor therapies
Authors: Lu Zhen , Verginadis Ioannis , Kumazoe Motofumi , Castillo Gerardo M. , Yao Yao , Guerra Rebecca E. , Bicher Sandra , You Menghao , McClung George , Qiu Rong , Xiao Zebin , Miao Zhen , George Subin S. , Beiting Daniel P. , Nojiri Takashi , Tanaka Yasutake , Fujimura Yoshinori , Onda Hiroaki , Hatakeyama Yui , Nishimoto-Ashfield Akiko , Bykova Katrina , Guo Wei , Fan Yi , Buynov Nikolay M. , Diehl J. Alan , Stanger Ben Z. , Tachibana Hirofumi , Gade Terence P. , Puré Ellen , Koumenis Constantinos , Bolotin Elijah M. , Fuchs Serge Y.
Published: August 2024

Deficit of oxygen and nutrients in the tumor microenvironment (TME) triggers abnormal angiogenesis that produces dysfunctional and leaky blood vessels, which fail to adequately perfuse tumor tissues. Resulting hypoxia, exacerbation of metabolic disturbances, and generation of an immunosuppressive TME undermine the efficacy of anticancer therapies. Use of carefully scheduled angiogenesis inhibitors has been suggested to overcome these problems and normalize the TME. Here, we propose an alternative agonist-based normalization approach using a derivative of the C-type natriuretic peptide (dCNP). Multiple gene expression signatures in tumor tissues were affected in mice treated with dCNP. In several mouse orthotopic and subcutaneous solid tumor models including colon and pancreatic adenocarcinomas, this well-tolerated agent stimulated formation of highly functional tumor blood vessels to reduce hypoxia. Administration of dCNP also inhibited stromagenesis and remodeling of the extracellular matrix and decreased tumor interstitial fluid pressure. In addition, treatment with dCNP reinvigorated the antitumor immune responses. Administration of dCNP decelerated growth of primary mouse tumors and suppressed their metastases. Moreover, inclusion of dCNP into the chemo-, radio-, or immune-therapeutic regimens increased their efficacy against solid tumors in immunocompetent mice. These results demonstrate the proof of principle for using vasculature normalizing agonists to improve therapies against solid tumors and characterize dCNP as the first in class among such agents.
Comparison of subconjunctival TRIamcinolone acetonide injection and intravitreal dexamethasone (OZurdex) injection for uveitic and postoperative macular oedema: the TRIOZ study
Authors: Couret Chloé , Quintart Pierre-Antoine , Poinas Alexandra , Vibet Marie-Anne , Le Lez Marie-Laure , Labalette Pierre , Bodaghi Bahram , Labetoulle Marc , Rougier Marie-Bénédicte , Angioi Karine , Chiquet Christophe , Titah Cherif , Kodjikian Laurent , Baillif Stephanie , Creuzot-Garcher Catherine , Errera Marie-Hélène , Weber Michel
Published: August 2024

Aims

To compare effectiveness of subconjunctival triamcinolone acetonide injections and intravitreal injections of dexamethasone 700 µg implants in reducing central macular thickness (CMT) in uveitic and postoperative macular oedema (ME).

Methods

We conducted an open-label, French multicentre randomised comparative trial with a logarithmic CMT non-inferiority margin set at 0.06. Patients were adults with non-infectious inflammatory ME, without any contraindication to the treatments. They were randomised 1:1 to receive either triamcinolone or dexamethasone. The primary endpoint was the difference in CMT among treated eyes between baseline and 2 months, measured with spectral-domain optical coherence tomography. Secondary outcomes included visual acuity, laser flare, vitreous haze, duration of action, tolerance to injections and adverse events.

Results

Between January 2016 and January 2020, 106 patients were enrolled (54 in the triamcinolone group and 52 in the dexamethasone group). Subconjunctival triamcinolone injections seemed to be non-inferior to intravitreal dexamethasone injections, especially at month 3 (and nearly at month 1). Nevertheless, we could not demonstrate it, with a treatment effect at month 2 of 0.05 (0.01 ; 0.09) (p value=0.001). This was corroborated by post hoc analyses in the postoperative subgroup, for whom the non-inferiority was nearly demonstrated at month 2 with a treatment effect of 0.02 (−0.03 ; 0.08) (p=0.37). There was no significant difference in the occurrence of adverse effects.

Conclusion

We could not demonstrate the non-inferiority of triamcinolone injections at month 2. Nevertheless, they showed some efficacity, particularly in treating postoperative ME, being as safe as dexamethasone injections, without any loss of chance if a therapeutic switch is necessary.
CD64+fibroblast-targeted vilanterol and a STING agonist augment CLDN18.2 BiTEs efficacy against pancreatic cancer by reducing desmoplasia and enriching stem-like CD8+T cells
Authors: Zhou Tianxing , Hou Xupeng , Yan Jingrui , Li Lin , Xie Yongjie , Bai Weiwei , Jiang Wenna , Zou Yiping , Li Xueyang , Liu Ziyun , Zhang Zhaoyu , Xu Bohang , Mao Guohua , Wang Yifei , Gao Song , Wang Xiuchao , Zhao Tiansuo , Wang Hongwei , Sun Hongxia , Zhang Xiufeng , Yu Jun , Huang Chongbiao , Liu Jing , Hao Jihui
Published: August 2024

Objective

The objective of this study is to improve the efficacy of CLDN18.2/CD3 bispecific T-cell engagers (BiTEs) as a promising immunotherapy against pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC).

Design

Humanised hCD34+/hCD3e+, Trp53R172HKrasG12DPdx1-Cre (KPC), pancreas-specific Cldn18.2 knockout (KO), fibroblast-specific Fcgr1 KO and patient-derived xenograft/organoid mouse models were constructed. Flow cytometry, Masson staining, Cell Titer Glo assay, virtual drug screening, molecular docking and chromatin immunoprecipitation were conducted.

Results

CLDN18.2 BiTEs effectively inhibited early tumour growth, but late-stage efficacy was significantly diminished. Mechanically, the Fc fragment of BiTEs interacted with CD64+cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) via activation of the SYK-VAV2-RhoA-ROCK-MLC2-MRTF-A-α-SMA/collagen-I pathway, which enhanced desmoplasia and limited late-stage infiltration of T cells. Molecular docking analysis found that vilanterol suppressed BiTEs-induced phosphorylation of VAV2 (Y172) in CD64+CAFs and weakened desmoplasia. Additionally, decreased cyclic guanosine-adenosine monophosphate synthase/stimulator of interferon genes (STING) activity reduced proliferation of TCF-1+PD-1+stem-like CD8+T cells, which limited late-stage effects of BiTEs. Finally, vilanterol and the STING agonist synergistically boosted the efficacy of BiTEs by inhibiting the activation of CD64+CAFs and enriching proliferation of stem-like CD8+T cells, resulting in sustained anti-tumour activity.

Conclusion

Vilanterol plus the STING agonist sensitised PDAC to CLDN18.2 BiTEs and augmented efficacy as a potential novel strategy.
Maternal cigarette smoking before or during pregnancy increases the risk of severe neonatal morbidity after delivery: a nationwide population-based retrospective cohort study
Authors: Yang Lili , Yang Liu , Wang Huan , Guo Yajun , Zhao Min , Bovet Pascal , Xi Bo
Published: August 2024

Background

The association of maternal cigarette smoking during pregnancy with severe neonatal morbidity (SNM) is still inconclusive. We aimed to examine the associations of the timing and the intensity of maternal cigarette smoking with infant SNM in the USA.

Methods

We used birth certificate data of 12 150 535 women aged 18–49 years who had live singleton births from the 2016–2019 US National Vital Statistics System. Women self-reported the daily number of cigarettes they consumed before pregnancy and in each trimester of pregnancy. Composite SNM was defined as one or more of the following complications: assisted ventilation immediately following delivery, assisted ventilation for >6 hours, neonatal intensive care unit admission, surfactant replacement therapy, suspected neonatal sepsis, and seizure.

Results

Maternal cigarette smoking either before pregnancy or during any trimester of pregnancy significantly increased the risk of infant SNM, even at a very low intensity (ie, 1–2 cigarettes per day). For example, compared with women who did not smoke before pregnancy, the adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals (OR, 95% CI) of composite SNM in the newborn from women who smoked 1–2, 3–5, 6–9, 10–19, and ≥20 cigarettes per day before pregnancy were 1.16 (1.13 to 1.19), 1.22 (1.20 to 1.24), 1.26 (1.23 to 1.29), 1.27 (1.25 to 1.28), and 1.31 (1.30 to 1.33), respectively. Furthermore, smokers who stopped smoking during pregnancy still had a higher risk of composite SNM than never smokers before and throughout pregnancy.

Conclusions

Maternal cigarette smoking before or during pregnancy increased the risk of infant SNM, even at a low dose of 1–2 cigarettes/day. Interventions should emphasise the detrimental effects of even light smoking before and during pregnancy.
Half-dose ticagrelor versus standard-dose clopidogrel in a dual antiplatelet regimen for stent-assisted coiling or flow diversion of unruptured intracranial aneurysms: a cohort study
Authors: Li Yi-Chen , Yi Man-Man , Wang Rong , Xu Man-Man , Liu Tao , Na Shi-Jie , Shao Teng-Fei , Ding Lan-Ping , Ge Wei-Hong , Peng Yu-Zhu , Zhuang Zong
Published: August 2024

Background

Intracranial hemorrhage is the major safety concern of standard-dose ticagrelor (90 mg twice daily) based dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT). The bleeding avoidance strategy through dose de-escalation has been investigated in interventional cardiology. However, the preserved antithrombotic efficacy and better safety of half-dose (45 mg twice daily) ticagrelor remains unverified in patients undergoing stent-assist coiling (SAC) or flow diversion (FD) treating unruptured intracranial aneurysms (UIA).

Methods

A single-center, prospective, cohort study was conducted to compare DAPT with aspirin 100 mg daily plus half-dose ticagrelor vs standard-dose clopidogrel (75 mg daily) in UIA patients. The adenosine diphosphate inhibition (ADPi) rate was utilized to quantify the antagonization of adenosine diphosphate (ADP)-induced platelet aggregation. The patients were followed-up at 6 month after discharge. The primary efficacy outcome was the major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (MACCE), and the primary safety outcome was major bleeding. The secondary outcome was minor hemorrhage.

Results

Our study included 322 UIA patients, of which 254 patients were eventually enrolled after propensity score matching. The ADPi of half-dose ticagrelor (51.56%±31.46%) was comparable (P=0.089) to that of clopidogrel (57.44%±22.76%). The outcomes were also comparable. Five (3.94%) patients in the ticagrelor group and eight (6.30%) patients in the clopidogrel group reported MACCE (P=0.393). One patient in the ticagrelor group was diagnosed with asymptomatic intracranial hemorrhage 1 month after stenting. There were 36 (28.35%) minor hemorrhagic events in the ticagrelor group and 35 (27.56%) in the clopidogrel group, (P=0.889).

Conclusion

Half-dose ticagrelor was effective and safe as a potential alternative to clopidogrel in the DAPT regimen for patients undergoing SAC/FD for UIA.
Stacking consecutive similar neuroendovascular cases is associated with reduced turnover time and procedure time
Authors: Fleming Charles , Terwiesch Christian , Reavey-Cantwell John
Published: August 2024

Background

Across a wide range of tasks it has been shown that workers switching between different activities have ‘switching costs’ due to slower performance and increased errors. Scheduling similar cases consecutively, or ‘stacking cases’, allows an operating room (OR) team to avoid switching costs and might therefore result in increased efficiency.

Objective

To investigate whether stacking neuroendovascular cases decreases turnover and procedure time.

Methods

A retrospective case series was identified of 4386 endovascular cases performed by vascular neurosurgeons between 2015 and 2023 at an academic center. A ‘stacked case’ was defined as a binary variable, which counted as ‘yes’ when the preceding case was the same procedure. Primary outcomes were turnover time and procedure time.

Results

Diagnostic angiograms (n=2575) and aneurysm embolizations (n=517) had a sufficient number of cases for statistical analysis.

Stacked diagnostic angiograms were associated with significantly faster turnover time (7 min, P=1e-12) in a multivariate regression model. Turnover time decreased with additional stacked cases, with a 4 min reduction for a single stacked case, up to 11 min for a fifth stacked angiogram.

For angiograms and aneurysm embolizations, stacked cases were associated with shorter procedure times: 4 min for angiograms (P<0.0001) and 20 min for aneurysm embolizations (P=0.0057).

Conclusion

This project demonstrates that stacking similar cases is associated with reduced turnover and procedure time, after controlling for other variables that affect the flow of an OR day. Stacking cases is a zero-cost intervention that offers significant efficiency gains in the OR schedule.
Mindful breathing for cancer pain: efficacy of a single 20-minute session – a randomised controlled study
Authors: Tan Seng Beng , Chai Chee Shee , Ng Diana Leh Ching , Zainuddin Sheriza Izwa , Capelle David Paul , Lam Chee Loong , Ang Chui Munn , Chai Win Lin , Ishak Nik Natasha Nik , Ong Yu Xiang , Ngu Ying Xi
Published: August 2024

Objectives

Cancer pain is a prevalent and challenging symptom affecting a significant number of patients globally, with inadequate control remaining a substantial challenge despite advancements in pain management. Non-pharmacological interventions, including mindfulness-based approaches, have shown promise in alleviating cancer-related pain. This study aimed to explore the efficacy of a single session of 20-minute mindful breathing in reducing pain among patients with cancer.

Methods

A randomised controlled study was conducted at the University of Malaya Medical Centre, Malaysia, involving adult cancer inpatients with a pain score of ≥4/10. Participants were randomly assigned to a 20-minute mindful breathing intervention or a 20-minute supportive listening control group. Outcome measures included pain intensity, pain unpleasantness and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale score, assessed before and after the intervention.

Results

The 20-minute mindful breathing sessions demonstrated significant efficacy in reducing pain intensity, pain unpleasantness and anxiety compared with the control group.

Conclusion

This research broadens the repertoire of cancer pain management by highlighting the rapid and holistic benefits of a single session of 20-minute mindful breathing. The findings suggest the potential integration of brief mindfulness exercises into routine cancer care to enhance pain management and overall well-being.
Long life spans can mitigate the genetic effects of strays from temporary conservation hatchery programs
Authors: Buckner Jack H. , Davies Trevor D. , McAdam D. Steven O. , Taylor Eric B. , Waples Robin S. , Baskett Marissa L.
Published: August 2024

While conservation fish hatchery programs can be a valuable tool providing demographic support, they can also cause domestication, risking unintended fitness consequences to both target and connected populations. When conservation hatcheries are used over a fixed amount of time, the interaction between program duration and species life history might determine the scale of fitness effects and the effectiveness of mitigation measures. We develop a mathematical model to quantify the effectiveness of approaches to mitigate unintended fitness consequences in such temporary conservation hatchery programs. We parameterize our model to represent a conservation aquaculture-based recovery program for white sturgeon ( Acipenser transmontatus) in the Nechako River (British Columbia), which might impose genetic risks on the adjacent populations within the Fraser River. We find that over a period spanning 50–200 years of hatchery operation, the life history characteristics of white sturgeon, particularly late age of maturity and longevity, reduce the genetic risks of conservation hatcheries when compared to shorter-lived species. The genetic impacts of the hatchery accumulate slowly increasing the potential for adaptive management in this system.
Astragaloside IV Ameliorates Colonic Adenomatous Polyps Development by Orchestrating Gut Bifidobacterium and Serum Metabolome
Authors: Wen Lu-Ping , Gao Shao-Wei , Chen Hua-Xian , Liu Qi , Xiao Guo-Zhong , Lin Hong-Cheng , He Qiu-Lan
Published: August 2024

Astragaloside IV (AS-IV), a natural triterpenoid isolated from Astragalus membranaceus, has been used traditionally in Chinese medicine. Previous studies have highlighted its benefits against carcinoma, but its interaction with the gut microbiota and effects on adenomatous polyps are not well understood. This present study investigates the effects of AS-IV on colonic adenomatous polyp (CAP) development in high-fat-diet (HFD) fed [Formula: see text] mice. [Formula: see text] mice were fed an HFD with or without AS-IV or Naringin for 8 weeks. The study assessed CAP proliferation and employed 16S DNA-sequencing and untargeted metabolomics to explore correlations between microbiome and metabolome in CAP development. AS-IV was more effective than Naringin in reducing CAP development, inhibiting colonic proinflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α), tumor associated biomarkers (c-Myc, Cyclin D1), and Wnt/β-catenin pathway proteins (Wnt3a, β-catenin). AS-IV also inhibited the proliferative capabilities of human colon cancer cells (HT29, HCT116, and SW620). Multiomics analysis revealed AS-IV increased the abundance of beneficial genera such as Bifidobacterium pseudolongum and significantly modulated serum levels of certain metabolites including linoleate and 2-trans,6-trans-farnesal, which were significantly correlated with the number of CAP. Finally, the anti-adenoma efficacy of AS-IV alone was significantly suppressed post pseudoaseptic intervention in HFD-fed [Formula: see text] mice but could be reinstated following a combined with Bifidobacterium pseudolongum transplant. AS-IV attenuates CAP development in HFD-fed [Formula: see text] mice by regulating gut microbiota and metabolomics, impacting the Wnt3a/β-catenin signaling pathway. This suggests a potential new strategy for the prevention of colorectal cancer, emphasizing the role of gut microbiota in AS-IV’s antitumor effects.
Quasi-Noetherian Lie algebras: Correction and further results
Authors: Aldosray Falih A. M. , Stewart Ian
Published: August 2024

We correct [3], Proposition 3.2] by showing that the class of quasi-Noetherian Lie algebras s is not [Formula: see text]-closed. We repair the resulting gap in Example 5.1 of that paper by proving that any simple-by-soluble Lie algebra is quasi-Noetherian. More generally, any Noetherian-by-quasi-Noetherian Lie algebra is quasi-Noetherian. We also prove that any quasi-Noetherian-by-soluble Lie algebra is quasi-Noetherian, and prove [Formula: see text]-closure for analogues of the quasi-Noetherian property for modules over associative rings and modules over Lie algebras. Using a wreath product for Lie algebras we prove that the quasi-Noetherian property is not inherited by ideals. Indeed, the derived algebra of a quasi-Noetherian Lie algebra need not be quasi-Noetherian. An analogous example is constructed for quasi-Artinian Lie algebras, which also shows that the Artinian and quasi-Artinian properties are not inherited by ideals of finite codimension.
A new development of the harmonic balance method: The hybrid harmonic balance method
Authors: Liu Liping , Barnes Caleb J. , Dowell Earl H.
Published: August 2024

The harmonic balance (HB) method is efficient in predicting the limit cycle oscillations for many dynamic systems including very high dimensional systems in fluid dynamics. Recently, some variations and extensions of the HB method have been developed and employed in the computation of large systems. This study focuses on a new development of the HB method. The new approach, the hybrid harmonic balance method (HHB), is developed based on the ideas in the conventional HB approach and the high dimensional harmonic balance (HDHB) approach. To demonstrate the applications and advantages, the new method is employed on a prototypical dynamic system in comparison with the results from both the HB and HDHB approaches. It is theoretically proved that when twice the number of harmonics in HB are included in the HHB derivation the results from HHB achieve the accuracy of the HB method for the cubic nonlinearity. Numerical simulations reveal that HHB combines the advantages of both the conventional HB and HDHB methods: Ease of implementation for very high dimensional systems regardless of the complexity of the nonlinearities and generation of meaningful solutions while the spurious solutions (from HDHB) are diminished. This new method is more accurate when compared with the HDHB method and much more computationally efficient when compared with the conventional HB method.
Capital Market Consequences of Information about Individual Auditors
Authors: Wu Bin , Liu Yunjing , Zhang Min , Zhang Ziyi
Published: August 2024

Synopsis

The research problem

This study examines the capital market consequences of the voluntary disclosure of individual auditor information. Specifically, we examined whether and how the disclosure of auditor qualification certificates is associated with information asymmetry and investors’ responses to earnings.

Motivation

Regulators have recently started to focus on disclosing auditor information beyond their names such as in China, where it is increasingly important in practice. Although prior studies have demonstrated benefits associated with the mandatory disclosure of partners’ names, there is relatively little evidence of the usefulness of additional information about individual auditors that could be provided voluntarily. This study sheds light on the economic consequences of disclosing detailed information about individual auditors and extends the voluntary disclosure literature.

The test hypotheses

We tested the following hypotheses in this study: (a) voluntary disclosure of auditor qualification certificates is associated with lower information asymmetry and (b) voluntary disclosure of auditor qualification certificates is not associated with investors’ reactions to corporate earnings announcements.

Target population

Stakeholders of listed companies and audit firms, including company managers, investors, and accounting regulators.

Adopted methodology

Ordinary least squares regressions, archival data, interviews, and machine learning methods to obtain initial data.

Analyses

We first crawled the annual audit reports of listed companies in China and used machine learning methods to capture voluntary disclosure of auditor qualification certificates. In a sample of more than 14,000 Chinese company-years from 2012 to 2018, we identified 10.5% of the observations voluntarily disclosing auditor qualification certificates. We used the bid-ask spread as the proxy of information asymmetry, and the earnings response coefficient refers to the coefficient on unexpected earnings to the cumulative abnormal returns.

Findings

We found that the voluntary disclosure of auditor qualification certificates is associated with lower information asymmetry and stronger market reaction to earnings announcements. The main results hold through various robustness tests. Cross-sectional analyses show that this association is less pronounced when a company employs a larger audit firm or has higher analyst coverage. Further, the specific information conveyed by the auditor qualification certificate, such as the auditor’s facial trustworthiness, helps explain the economic consequences associated with voluntary auditor qualification certificate disclosure. Moreover, an initial disclosure of auditor qualification certificates is associated with greater effects.
Direct sum graph of the subspaces of a finite-dimensional vector space over finite fields
Authors: Wani Bilal A. , Altaf Aaqib , Pirzada S. , Chishti T. A.
Published: August 2024

In this paper, we study a new graph structure, called the [Formula: see text] on a finite-dimensional vector space. We investigate the connectivity, diameter and the completeness of [Formula: see text]. We also determine the degree of each vertex in case the base field is finite. We establish some results about Eulerian and triangulation of the graph [Formula: see text]. Finally, we find the domination number and independence number, size, girth, edge-connectivity, clique number and the chromatic number of [Formula: see text].
Bounding the beta invariant of 3-connected graphs
Authors: Xiao Jerry
Published: August 2024

The beta invariant is closely related to the Chromatic and Tutte Polynomials and has been extensively studied, see Brylawski [A combinatorial model for series-parallel networks, Trans. Amer. Math. Soc. 154 (1971) 1–22], Crapo [A higher invariant for matroids, J. Combin. Theory 2 (1967) 406–417], Lee and Wu [Bounding the beta invariant of 3-connected matroids, Discrete Math. 354 (2022) 1–11], Oxley [On Crapo’s beta invariant for matroids, Stud. Appl. Math. 66(3) (1982) 267–277], and others. Lee and Wu [Bounding the beta invariant of 3-connected matroids, Discrete Math. 354 (2022) 1–11] established that a [Formula: see text]-connected graph with [Formula: see text] vertices possesses a beta invariant of at least [Formula: see text], reaching equality only when the graph is a wheel or the Prism. Additionally, Oxley [On Crapo’s beta invariant for matroids, Stud. Appl. Math. 66(3) (1982) 267–277] provided characterizations for matroids with beta invariant values of two, three, and four.

This paper extends the findings of Lee and Wu by offering a comprehensive characterization of all [Formula: see text]-connected graphs with [Formula: see text] vertices that have a beta invariant of either [Formula: see text] or [Formula: see text]. As a consequence, we prove that any [Formula: see text]-connected graph with at least [Formula: see text] vertices other than a Wheel has a beta invariant of at least [Formula: see text].
Metric basis and metric dimension of some infinite planar graphs
Authors: Vidya S. , Sharma Sunny Kumar , Poojary Prasanna , Vadiraja Bhatta G. R.
Published: August 2024

Let [Formula: see text] be a nontrivial connected simple graph and [Formula: see text] be the distance between the vertices [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] in [Formula: see text]. The metric dimension of a graph [Formula: see text], denoted by dim([Formula: see text]), refers to the smallest set of vertices required to uniquely identify every vertex in the graph [Formula: see text]. A family of simple connected graphs say [Formula: see text], where [Formula: see text] has a constant metric dimension, if dim[Formula: see text] is finite and does not depend on the choice of [Formula: see text] in [Formula: see text]. In this paper, we consider two infinite families of planar graphs, say [Formula: see text], where [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text], where [Formula: see text], and investigate their metric basis as well as the metric dimension. Additionally, we prove that the metric basis for these two graphs are independent.
Almost resolvable even cycle decompositions of (Ku × Kg)(λ)
Authors: Duraimurugan S. , Muthusamy A.
Published: August 2024

In this paper, we prove that there exists an almost resolvable [Formula: see text]-cycle decomposition of [Formula: see text], (where × represents tensor product of graphs) for all even integers [Formula: see text] with some possible exceptions.
Recent Advances in Tribology: A Review
Authors: Choubey Mayank , Mishra Shweta , Deshwal Dinesh
Published: August 2024

In the last decade, there has been immense growth in research activities related to tribology. Tribology can have a big impact on the needs of industries to reduce losses and waste by developing new tribological components and materials. Hence, there is a strong connection between tribology and the fourth industrial revolution, i.e., industry 4.0. Tribology is a multidisciplinary field, and the results of research in the field of tribology are widely spread among various disciplines. This review paper briefs the recent advances in various research areas in tribology covering surface engineering, wear and lubrication. The main objective of this review is to summarize the new aspects in the field of tribology, like the numerical techniques of lubrication to model new lubrication schemes, solid superlubricity, superlubricity at the microscopic scale, superlubricity with coating and new 2D materials. The direction for future research in the field has been highlighted. The paper will be beneficial for researchers working in the field of tribology.
Terminal Phase Guidance Law Against Maneuvering Targets: Adaptive State-Dependent Differential Riccati Equation Approach
Authors: Setayeshi Amirali , Nasrollahi Saeed , Moharampour Ali
Published: August 2024

This paper provides a methodology to address the terminal guidance issue for a highly maneuverable target by formulating the problem as a nonlinear autonomous system with matched term uncertainty. This method involves the utilization of the State-Dependent Differential Riccati Equation (SDDRE) technique to develop an optimal adaptive strategy. Since the SDDRE is vulnerable to variations in the model, the adaptive framework has been devised to address the issue of system uncertainty. The utilization of Laguerre Functions (LFs) is employed to characterize the target acceleration due to its arbitrary shape, while the adaptation law computes the coefficients associated with this representation. The effectiveness of the proposed guidance law has been demonstrated in numerical simulation for various target maneuvers. In addition, the effect of the type and number of basis functions on the estimation had been studied. Ultimately, a sensitivity analysis of design parameters is presented and a comparison is provided between the effectiveness of the proposed guidance law and some of the methods that have been proposed in the literature.
Information Geometry in Underwater Acoustics: Tutorial, Case Study, and Outlook
Authors: Spendlove Jay C. , Mortenson Michael C. , Neilsen Tracianne B. , Transtrum Mark K.
Published: August 2024

This tutorial demonstrates the use of information geometry tools in analyzing environmental parameter sensitivities in underwater acoustics. Sensitivity analyses quantify how well data can constrain model parameters, with application to inverse problems like geoacoustic inversion. A review of examples of parameter sensitivity methods and their application to problems in underwater acoustics is given, roughly grouped into “local” and “non-local” methods. Local methods such as Fisher information and Cramér-Rao bounds have important connections to information geometry. Information Geometry combines the fields of information theory and differential geometry by interpreting a model as a Riemannian manifold, known as the model manifold, that encodes both local and global parameter sensitivities. As an example, 2-dimensional model manifold slices are constructed for the Pekeris waveguide with sediment attenuation, for a vertical array of hydrophones. This example demonstrates how effective, reduced-order models emerge in certain parameter limits, which correspond to boundaries of the model manifold. This example also demonstrates how the global structure of the model manifold influences the local sensitivities quantified by the Fisher information matrix. This paper motivates future work to utilize information geometry methods for experimental design and model reduction applied to more complex modeling scenarios in underwater acoustics.
CONVERSATIONS
Authors: Bunde David P. , Butler Zack , Hovey Christopher L. , Taylor Cynthia
Published: August 2024

Conversation with a Prominent Propagator: Ann Gates
UPSILON PI EPSILON
Authors: Popyack Jeffrey L.
Published: August 2024

Rising Tide of Honor Students
THINKING ISSUES
Authors: Clear Tony
Published: August 2024

Software Developers and Collective Empathy---Can They Be Disposed to Care?
Modelling and Analysing Routing Protocols Diagrammatically with Bigraphs
Authors: Albalwe Maram , Archibald Blair , Sevegnani Michele
Published: August 2024

As more end-user applications depend on Internet of Things (IoT) technology, it is essential the networking protocols underpinning these applications are reliable. Using Formal Methods to reason about protocol specifications is an established technique, but, due to their perceived difficulty and mathematical nature, receive limited use in practice. We propose an approach based on Milner’s bigraphs—a flexible
diagrammatic
modelling language—that allows developers to “draw” the protocol updates as a way to increase use of formal methods in protocol design. To show bigraphs in action, we model part of the Routing Protocol for low-power and Lossy Networks (RPL), popular in wireless sensor networks, and verify it using model checking. We compare our approach with the more common simulation approach and show that analysing the bigraph model often finds more valid routes than simulation (which usually returns only a single routing tree even with 500 simulations) and that it has comparable performance. The model is open to extension, with less implementation effort than simulation, and we show this through two examples: a security attack and physical link drops. Bigraphs seem a promising approach to protocol design, and this is the first step in promoting their use.
Mentor: A Memory-Efficient Sparse-dense Matrix Multiplication Accelerator Based on Column-Wise Product
Authors: Lu Xiaobo , Fang Jianbin , Peng Lin , Huang Chun , Du Zidong , Zhao Yongwei , Wang Zheng
Published: August 2024

Sparse-dense matrix multiplication (SpMM) is the performance bottleneck of many high-performance and deep-learning applications, making it attractive to design specialized SpMM hardware accelerators. Unfortunately, existing hardware solutions do not take full advantage of data reuse opportunities of the input and output matrices or suffer from irregular memory access patterns. Their strategies increase the off-chip memory traffic and bandwidth pressure, leaving much room for improvement. We present
Mentor
, a new approach to designing SpMM accelerators. Our key insight is that column-wise dataflow, while rarely exploited in prior works, can address these issues in SpMM computations.
Mentor
is a software-hardware co-design approach for leveraging column-wise dataflow to improve data reuse and regular memory accesses of SpMM. On the software level,
Mentor
incorporates a novel streaming construction scheme to preprocess the input matrix for enabling a streaming access pattern. On the hardware level, it employs a fully pipelined design to unlock the potential of column-wise dataflow further. The design of
Mentor
is underpinned by a carefully designed analytical model to find the tradeoff between performance and hardware resources. We have implemented an FPGA prototype of
Mentor
. Experimental results show that
Mentor
achieves speedup by geomean 2.05× (up to 3.98×), reduces the memory traffic by geomean 2.92× (up to 4.93×), and improves bandwidth utilization by geomean 1.38× (up to 2.89×), compared with the state-of-the-art hardware solutions.
Overdispersion in Gate Tomography: Experiments and Continuous, Two-Scale Random Walk Model on the Bloch Sphere
Authors: Nowak Wolfgang , Bruennette Tim , Schalkers Merel Annelise , Möller Matthias
Published: August 2024

Noisy intermediate-scale quantum computers (NISQ) are computing hardware in their childhood, but they are showing high promise and growing quickly. They are based on so-called qubits, which are the quantum equivalents of bits. Any given qubit state results in a given probability of observing a value of zero or one in the readout process. One of the main concerns for NISQ machines is the inherent noisiness of qubits, i.e., the observable frequencies of zeros and ones do not correspond to the theoretically expected probability, as the qubit states are subject to random disturbances over time and with each additional algorithmic operation applied to them. Models to describe the influence of this noise exist.

In this study, we conduct extensive experiments on quantum noise. Based on our data, we show that existing noise models lack important aspects. Specifically, they fail to properly capture the aggregation of noise effects over time (or over an algorithm’s runtime), and they are underdispersed. With underdispersion, we refer to the fact that observable frequencies scatter much more between repeated experiments than what the standard assumptions of the binomial distribution would allow for. Based on these shortcomings, we develop an extended noise model for the probability distribution of observable frequencies as a function of the number of gate operations. The model roots back to a known continuous random walk on the (Bloch) sphere, where the angular diffusion coefficient can be used to characterize the standard noisiness of gate operations. Here, we superimpose a second random walk at the scale of multiple readouts to account for overdispersion. Further, our model has known, explicit components for noise during state preparation and measurement. The interaction of these two random walks predicts theoretical, runtime-dependent bounds for probabilities. Overall, it is a three-parameter distributional model that fits the data much better than the corresponding one-scale model (without overdispersion), and we demonstrate the better fit and the plausibility of the predicted bounds via Bayesian data-model analysis.
Potamoi: Accelerating Neural Rendering via a Unified Streaming Architecture
Authors: Feng Yu , Lin Weikai , Liu Zihan , Leng Jingwen , Guo Minyi , Zhao Han , Hou Xiaofeng , Zhao Jieru , Zhu Yuhao
Published: August 2024

Neural Radiance Field (NeRF) has emerged as a promising alternative for photorealistic rendering. Despite recent algorithmic advancements, achieving real-time performance on today’s resource-constrained devices remains challenging. In this article, we identify the primary bottlenecks in current NeRF algorithms and introduce a unified algorithm-architecture co-design,
Potamoi
, designed to accommodate various NeRF algorithms. Specifically, we introduce a runtime system featuring a plug-and-play algorithm,
SpaRW
, which significantly reduces the per-frame computational workload and alleviates compute inefficiencies. Furthermore, our unified streaming pipeline coupled with customized hardware support effectively tames both SRAM and DRAM inefficiencies by minimizing repetitive DRAM access and completely eliminating SRAM bank conflicts. When evaluated against a baseline utilizing a dedicated DNN accelerator, our framework demonstrates a speedup and energy reduction of 53.1× and 67.7×, respectively, all while maintaining high visual quality with less than a 1.0 dB reduction in peak signal-to-noise ratio.
Exploring Scalability of BFT Blockchain Protocols through Network Simulations
Authors: Berger Christian , Toumia Sadok Ben , Reiser Hans P.
Published: August 2024

Novel Byzantine fault-tolerant (BFT) state machine replication protocols improve scalability for their practical use in distributed ledger technology, where hundreds of replicas must reach consensus. Assessing that BFT protocol implementations meet their performance expectations requires careful evaluation. We propose a new methodology using scalable network simulations to predict BFT protocol performance. Our simulation architecture allows for the integration of existing BFT implementations without modification or re-implementation, offering a cost-effective alternative to large-scale cloud experiments. We validate our method by comparing simulation results with real-world cloud deployments, showing that simulations can accurately predict performance at larger scales when network limitations dominate.

In our study, we applied this methodology to assess the performance of several “blockchain-generation” BFT protocols, including HotStuff, Kauri, Narwhal & Tusk, and BullShark, under realistic network conditions (with constrained 25 Mbit/s bandwidth) and induced faults. Kauri emerges as the top performer, achieving 6,742 operations per second (op/s) with 128 replicas, outperforming BullShark (2,318 op/s) and Tusk (1,952 op/s). HotStuff, using secp256k1 and BLS signatures, reaches 494 op/s and 707 op/s, respectively, demonstrating the efficiency of BLS-signature aggregation for saving bandwidth. This study demonstrates that state-of-the-art asynchronous BFT protocols can achieve competitive throughput in large-scale, real-world scenarios.
Improving Robustness in IoT Malware Detection through Execution Order Analysis
Authors: Lin Gao-Yu , Wang Po-Yuan , Cheng Shin-Ming , Lee Hahn-Ming
Published: August 2024

The rapid expansion of the Internet of Things (IoT) has significantly increased the prevalence of malware targeting IoT devices. Although machine learning models offer promising solutions for automatic malware detection, they are increasingly vulnerable to adversarial attacks. These attacks exploit the model’s feedback loop to iteratively refine malware, producing adversarial samples that evade detection. As such, enhancing the robustness of these models is of paramount importance. Our research introduces a novel approach to bolster malware detection by retaining additional semantic information within the execution order analysis of malware programs. The method significantly improves the resilience of detection models against adversarial samples and implements two adversarial attack methods to rigorously test our model’s robustness by generating authentic adversarial examples for validation. We highlight the critical impact of preserving semantic integrity in malware detection and present a solution to counteract the growing threat of adversarial attacks in IoT environments.
Depth Matters: Spatial Proximity-Based Gaze Cone Generation for Gaze Following in Wild
Authors: Liu Feiyang , Li Kun , Zhong Zhun , Jia Wei , Hu Bin , Yang Xun , Wang Meng , Guo Dan
Published: August 2024

Gaze following aims to predict where a person is looking in a scene. Existing methods tend to prioritize traditional 2D RGB visual cues or require burdensome prior knowledge and extra expensive datasets annotated in 3D coordinate systems to train specialized modules to enhance scene modeling. In this work, we introduce a novel framework deployed on a simple ResNet backbone, which exclusively uses image and depth maps to mimic human visual preferences and realize 3D-like depth perception. We first leverage depth maps to formulate spatial-based proximity information regarding the objects with the target person. This process sharpens the focus of the gaze cone on the specific region of interest pertaining to the target while diminishing the impact of surrounding distractions. To capture the diverse dependence of scene context on the saliency gaze cone, we then introduce a learnable grid-level regularized attention that anticipates coarse-grained regions of interest, thereby refining the mapping of the saliency feature to pixel-level heatmaps. This allows our model to better account for individual differences when predicting others’ gaze locations. Finally, we employ the KL-divergence loss to super the grid-level regularized attention, which combines the gaze direction, heatmap regression, and in/out classification losses, providing comprehensive supervision for model optimization. Experimental results on two publicly available datasets demonstrate the comparable performance of our model with less help of modal information. Quantitative visualization results further validate the interpretability of our method. The source code will be available at
https://github.com/VUT-HFUT/DepthMatters
.
An Ecological Neurodevelopmental Model of the Development of Youth Antisocial Behavior and Callous-Unemotional Traits
Authors: Hyde Luke W. , Tillem Scott , Westerman Heidi B. , Guzman Jose M.
Published: August 2024

Research has begun to identify genetic, environmental, and neurocognitive risk factors related to the development of youth antisocial behavior (aggression, rule-breaking). We review environmental and genetic risk factors for the development of antisocial behavior and related outcomes (e.g., callous-unemotional traits), as well as provide an overview of neural correlates of antisocial behavior. Next, we connect these findings to work in developmental neuroscience linking exposure to adversity to brain structure and function. Then we integrate across these literatures to provide a multilevel model of the development of antisocial behavior that includes transactions between genetic and environmental risk that shape brain development. Throughout, we focus on how pathways may differ for youth with different subtypes of antisocial behavior (e.g., early-onset) with a particular focus on callous-unemotional traits. We end by identifying challenges and future directions for the field.
Changing Human Behavior to Conserve Biodiversity
Authors: Veríssimo Diogo , Blake Katie , Flint Hilary Byerly , Doughty Hunter , Espelosin Dulce , Gregg Emily A. , Kubo Takahiro , Mann-Lang Judy , Perry Laura R. , Selinske Matthew J. , Shreedhar Ganga , Thomas-Walters Laura
Published: August 2024

Conservation of biodiversity is above all else an exercise in human persuasion. Human behavior drives all substantive threats to biodiversity; therefore, influencing it is the only path to mitigating the current extinction crisis. We review the literature across three different axes to highlight current evidence on influencing human behavior for conservation. First, we look at behavioral interventions to mitigate different threats, from pollution and climate change to invasive species and human disturbance. Next, we examine interventions focused on different stakeholders, from voters, investors, and environmental managers to consumers, producers, and extractors. Finally, we review delivery channels, ranging from mass and social media to interventions involving changes to the physical environment or carried out in person. We highlight key gaps, including the lack of scale and robust impact evaluation of most interventions, and the need to prioritize behaviors, overcome the reproducibility crisis, and deal with inequality when designing and implementing behavior change interventions.