bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Natural history of untreated HDV patients: Always a progressive disease?
Authors: Kamal Habiba , Aleman Soo ,   D‐SOLVE Consortium
Published: October 2022

A severe course has been described in early studies on chronic hepatitis D (CHD), with faster pace towards liver cirrhosis with subsequent high liver‐related morbidity and mortality in the majority of patients. Earlier studies have included risk groups as people using intravenous drugs (PWID) or those with multiple co‐morbidities. During the last decade, the epidemiological landscape of CHD has changed with domestic cases decreasing while increasing cases of CHD consisting of younger persons immigrating from endemic regions to low‐endemic regions. Recently, further insights into the spectrum of the disease with an indolent disease course in a substantial proportion of persons with CHD have been gained. At diagnosis, ≥30%–50% had already established liver cirrhosis. Older age, liver cirrhosis, co‐infection with HIV and lack of interferon (IFN) therapy are the main predictors of worse clinical outcome. The newly introduced and upcoming antivirals against CHD are highly anticipated, considering the historically low virological response rates to antiviral therapy. Further knowledge is needed to fully comprehend the natural course and the spectrum of this severe form of viral hepatitis. This is also to be able to evaluate the long‐term effects of the new antivirals on disease progression.
CARDA: Guiding document analyses in health professions education research
Authors: Cleland Jennifer , MacLeod Anna , Ellaway Rachel H.
Published: October 2022

Introduction

Documents, from policies and procedures to curriculum maps and examination papers, structure the everyday experiences of health professions education (HPE), and as such can provide a wealth of empirical information. Document analysis (DA) is an umbrella term for a range of systematic research procedures that use documents as data.

Methods

A meta‐study review was conducted with the aims of describing the current state of DA in HPE, guiding researchers engaging in DA and improving methodological, analytical and reporting rigour. Structured searches were conducted, returns were filtered for inclusion and the 115 remaining articles were critically analysed for their use of DA methods and methodologies.

Results

There was a significant increase in the number of articles reporting the use of DA over time. Sixty‐three articles were single method (DA only), while the others were mixed methods research (MMR). Overall, there were major lacunae in terms of why documents were used, how documents were identified, what the authors did and what they found from the documents. This was particularly apparent in MMR where DA reporting was typically poorer than the reporting of other methods in the same paper.

Discussion

Given these many lacunae, a framework for reporting on DA research was developed to facilitate rigorous DA research and transparent, complete and accurate reporting of the same, to help readers assess the trustworthiness of the findings from document use and analysis in HPE and, potentially, other domains. It was also noted that there are gaps in HPE knowledge that could be addressed through DA, particularly where documents are conceptualised as more than passive holders of information. Scholars are encouraged to reflect more deeply on the applications and practices of DA, with the ultimate aim of ensuring more substantive and more rigorous use of documents for understanding and constructing meaning in our field.
Axin1: A novel scaffold protein joins the antiviral network of interferon
Authors: Guo Yujie , Bamunuarachchi Gayan , Vaddadi Kishore , Zhu Zhengyu , Gandikota Chaitanya , Ahmed Kainat , Pushparaj Samuel , More Sunil , Xiao Xiao , Yang Xiaoyun , Liang Yurong , Mukherjee Sanjay , Baviskar Pradyumna , Huang Chaoqun , Li Shitao , Oomens Antonius G. P. , Metcalf Jordan Patrick , Liu Lin
Published: October 2022

Acute respiratory infection by influenza virus is a persistent and pervasive public health problem. Antiviral innate immunity initiated by type I interferon (IFN) is the first responder to pathogen invasion and provides the first line of defense. We discovered that Axin1, a scaffold protein, was reduced during influenza virus infection. We also found that overexpression of Axin1 and the chemical stabilizer of Axin1, XAV939, reduced influenza virus replication in lung epithelial cells. This effect was also observed with respiratory syncytial virus and vesicular stomatitis virus. Axin1 boosted type I IFN response to influenza virus infection and activated JNK/c‐Jun and Smad3 signaling. XAV939 protected mice from influenza virus infection. Thus, our studies provide new mechanistic insights into the regulation of the type I IFN response and present a new potential therapeutic of targeting Axin1 against influenza virus infection.
Novel insights into the contribution of plastoglobules and reactive oxygen species to chromoplast differentiation
Authors: Morelli Luca , Torres‐Montilla Salvador , Glauser Gaétan , Shanmugabalaji Venkatasalam , Kessler Felix , Rodriguez‐Concepcion Manuel
Published: October 2022

Plant tissues can be enriched in phytonutrients not only by stimulating their biosynthesis but also by providing appropriate sink structures for their sequestering and storage. In the case of carotenoids, they accumulate at high levels in chromoplasts naturally found in flowers and fruit. Chromoplasts can also be artificially differentiated from leaf chloroplasts by boosting carotenoid production with the bacterial protein crtB.

Here we used electron and confocal microscopy together with subplastidial fractionation and transcript, protein and metabolite analyses to analyze the structural and biochemical changes occurring in crtB‐induced artificial chromoplasts and their impact on the accumulation of health‐related isoprenoids.

We show that leaf chromoplasts develop plastoglobules (PG) harboring high levels of carotenoids (mainly phytoene and pro‐vitamin A β‐carotene) but also other nutritionally relevant isoprenoids, such as tocopherols (vitamin E) and phylloquinone (vitamin K1). Further promoting PG proliferation by exposure to intense (high) light resulted in a higher accumulation of these health‐related metabolites but also an acceleration of the chloroplast‐to‐chromoplast conversion. We further show that the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) stimulates chromoplastogenesis.

Our data suggest that carotenoid accumulation and ROS production are not just consequences but promoters of the chromoplast differentiation process.
Obesity and glucose metabolism abnormalities by post‐disaster evacuation
Authors: Kawasaki Yukihiko , Nakano Hironori , Hayashi Fumikazu , Hosoya Mitsuaki , Yasumura Seiji , Ohira Tetsuya , Satoh Hiroaki , Suzuki Hitoshi , Takahashi Atsushi , Sakai Akira , Shimabukuro Michio , Ohto Hitoshi , Kamiya Kenji
Published: October 2022

Background

The objectives of this study were to determine the longer‐term trends in childhood obesity and glucose metabolism abnormalities among residents of Fukushima Prefecture 5 years after the Great East Japan Earthquake.

Methods

We evaluated the changes in height, weight, body mass index (BMI), BMI SD score, fasting plasma glucose (FPG) concentration, and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) among elementary and junior high school residents who had lived in the evacuation zone between 2011 and 2015.

Results

Of the residents, 11,112 received health checks in 2011, while in 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015, 5,737, 4522, 4297 and 3405 received health checks, respectively. The mean BMI SD score for all participants in 2011 was 0.149, and this score gradually decreased from 2011 to 2015. FPG levels and HbA1c levels for all participants with a BMI value +2SD or more in 2011 were higher than those in residents with a BMI value of less than +2SD. The frequency of participants with a FPG level of 126 mg/dl or more and the frequency of participants with a HbA1c level of 6.5% or more in 2011 were higher than those in 2012, 2013, and 2015.

Conclusions

These results suggest that a number of pediatric residents suffered from obesity and glucose metabolism abnormalities. However, the longer‐term observations indicated an improvement in obesity and glucose metabolism abnormalities. There was a strong association observed between obesity and glucose metabolism, thus, it is important to continue with health checks for children with obesity and strive to improve their health.
Serving the cause when my organization does not: A self‐affirmation model of employees’ compensatory responses to ideological contract breach
Authors: Deng Hong , Coyle‐Shapiro Jacqueline , Zhu Yanting , Wu Chia‐huei
Published: October 2022

Transactional and relational contract breach occur when organizations fail to deliver on promised personal benefits for employees and are associated with negative behaviors reciprocating such mistreatment. However, recent research suggests that ideological contract breach, a unique form of contract breach, may yield constructive behaviors because it is not organizations’ direct personal mistreatment of employees, but organizations’ abandonment of a valued cause to benefit a third party. Such an interesting prediction goes beyond the dominant social‐exchange framework, which mainly forecasts destructive responses to breach. In this research, we develop a novel self‐affirmation model to explain how ideological contract breach results in counterintuitive positive outcomes. In a hospital field study among medical professionals (N = 362) and their supervisors (N = 129), we found that ideological contract breach induces employees’ rumination about the breach, which in turn prompts them to self‐affirm core values at work. This self‐affirmation eventually spurs proactive serving behavior and self‐improvement behavior to compensate for the breached ideology. Professional identification enhances this self‐affirmation process.
Hostile media perceptions and consumption of genetically modified and organic foods: Examining the mediating role of risk‐benefit assessments
Authors: Wang Sai
Published: October 2022

Drawing upon the hostile media effect, this study examined how perceived media bias in covering genetically modified (GM) food influences individuals’ risk–benefit assessments of it and their food consumption behaviors. The results of a nationally representative survey (N = 1364) showed that individuals seeing media coverage as more biased in favor of GM food perceived it as more hazardous, which was related to a higher proportion of organic food consumption in their diets. In contrast, perceived media coverage as less slanted toward GM food was associated with more benefit perceptions of it, thereby predicting its higher proportion in individuals’ diets. More importantly, the indirect effect of perceived media bias on GM food consumption through benefit perceptions was more pronounced among males than females. The findings of this study not only provide empirical evidence of the perceptual and behavioral outcomes of hostile media perceptions, but also offer valuable insights for journalists and education practitioners to improve public understanding of emerging food technologies.
Organic matter deposition and preservation in ancient deep‐sea levée sediments: Implications for Neoproterozoic trends in carbon burial
Authors: Cunningham Celeste M. , Arnott R. William C.
Published: October 2022

Deep‐marine levées are areally extensive features that experience high rates of sedimentation, making them ideal sites for significant carbon burial and preservation. Although modern deep‐marine levées have been shown to sequester a large proportion of the world's total buried organic carbon, few studies have attempted to assess carbon deposition and preservation in ancient deep‐marine levée deposits. Observations of well‐exposed levée deposits of the Neoproterozoic Windermere Supergroup in British Columbia, Canada, have shown that depositional processes in levées can result in the concentration and enrichment of sedimentary marine organic matter. In contrast to many previous studies where organic‐rich strata occur as black shales formed in anoxic conditions, organic matter in this study occurs mostly in banded, mud‐rich sandstones deposited under oxic conditions. Scanning electron microscopy shows that this organic carbon occurs primarily as nano‐scale coatings on clay particles, but also as uncommon sand‐sized organomineralic aggregates and discrete sand‐sized amorphous grains. As flows overspilled the channel margins, the rapid collapse of the turbulent suspension resulted in elevated rates of sediment fallout that promoted aggregation of organic matter and clay particles, increasing cohesive forces in the flow, and ultimately en masse deposition. Rapid burial plus association with clay mineral surfaces prevented organic matter degradation, thereby effectively sequestering significant amounts of carbon in the sediment and therefore a net sink for atmospheric CO2. However, the mechanisms and efficiency by which organic matter is buried and preserved on geological timescales is influenced by many factors, including glacial, sea‐level and tectonic cycles. This work elucidates the fundamental physical and chemical processes that control organic matter accumulation and preservation in deep‐marine levées, and how these processes have evolved throughout geological time.
The peptide link between pathogens and human centromere proteins
Authors: Huang Zhuowei , Liang Yingjie , Liu Xiaolan
Published: October 2022

This work tested the hypothesis that infection causes unexplained production of anti‐centromere protein antibodies (ACA) via autoimmune cross‐reactivity. To further examine the clinical origin of ACA, the overlapped peptides between human pathogens, including viruses, bacteria and fungi and centromere proteins (CENP‐A, CENP‐B and CENP‐C) were assessed. We found a broad overlap of pathogenetic peptides with human centromere proteins. These data indicate potential immune cross‐reactivity between pathogens and human centromere proteins. Additionally, the current findings corroborate a molecular and mechanistic framework for autoimmune disorders related to infection. Moreover, preliminary evidence for a potential role of infection in ACA‐related autoimmune diseases was presented.
Job retention for people with bipolar disorder: A qualitative analysis
Authors: Marion‐Paris Elise , Beetlestone Emma , Paris Raphaël , Bouhadfane Mouloud , Villa Antoine , Lehucher‐Michel Marie‐Pascale
Published: October 2022

At least half of people with bipolar disorder, whose global prevalence is greater than 1% of the general population, do not have a stable occupation. The objective of this study is to identify the factors perceived by bipolar people as having an impact on retention in employment. Semi‐directed individual interviews were offered to subjects with bipolar disorder, of working age, who had been seen by three different hospital departments in the south of France. These people had to be medically stable and have at least one occupational experience. Each interview was recorded and transcribed manually and then analyzed according to a thematic classification of verbatims. Nineteen people participated in the interviews. Three major themes identified were classified into intrinsic (working routine and working environment) and extrinsic (external aids) factors for the bipolar person. The majority believe that working regular hours is a balancing factor. For everyone, night work and stress factors can lead to relapses. All stressed the need to destigmatize the disease. Most believe that it is necessary to develop employment support organizations specific to mental illnesses. This research helps to inform people with bipolar disorder about the occupational factors that help balance their condition. Personalized multidisciplinary care pathways involving occupational medicine must be developed in order to promote the balance of the disease and job retention.
Assessment of features in facial hyperpigmentation: Comparison study between VISIA and CSKIN
Authors: Zuo Ying , Li Anqi , He Hailun , Wan Ruoyu , Li Yu , Li Li
Published: October 2022

Background

Hyperpigmentary disorder is one of the commonest skin concerns in dermatology clinics. The availability of noninvasive instruments provided a convenient, objective, and reproducible methodology for the evaluation of pigmentation and skin color. The aim of this study is to compare CSKIN and VISIA in measuring facial hyperpigmentation, as well as to assess the correlation between the instrumental analyzing and clinical evaluation.

Methods

Eighty Chinese patients were enrolled. Images were taken and analyzed by VISIA from Canfield and CSKIN from Yanyun Technology, and the facial hyperpigmentation was graded by three dermatologists.

Results

Feature counts within the facial pigmented areas analyzed by VISIA showed positive correlations with brown pixels (r = 0.331, p < 0.05) and brown percent (r = 0.395, p < 0.0001) measured by CSKIN. The parameters measured by CSKIN and VISIA were significantly correlated with visual scores graded by the dermatologists, with VISIA presenting a moderate correlation (r = 0.509, p < 0.001) and CSKIN a slightly stronger correlation with the visual scores (r = 0.653, p < 0.001).

Conclusion

CSKIN could serve as an alternative in the assessment and follow‐up of skin disease featuring with facial hyperpigmentation.
Critical Temperature of a Superconductor/Ferromagnet Nanostructure near a Magnetic Skyrmion
Authors: Tumanov V. A. , Zaitseva V. E. , Proshin Yu. N.
Published: October 2022

Contact between a superconductor and a chiral ferromagnet containing complex magnetic structures (helical or conical texture, skyrmion, and chiral float) has been considered. The case of a single skyrmion has been studied more thoroughly. The influence of these magnetic inhomogeneities on the critical temperature becomes significant only for nanoscale spin structures (about 100 nm or smaller). Skyrmion lattices and single skyrmions of such sizes have recently been observed in experiments with thin magnetic layers. Within the proximity effect theory in the dirty limit, an approximate approach has been proposed to calculate the critical temperature in these systems. Great influence of nanoscale spin vortices on the critical temperature, in combination with topological stability and a low current density that is necessary for their motion, makes it possible to use these systems as efficient superconducting spin valves.
A global analysis of $$b \rightarrow s \ell \ell $$ data in heavy and light $$Z'$$ models
Authors: Alok Ashutosh Kumar , Chundawat Neetu Raj Singh , Gangal Shireen , Kumar Dinesh
Published: October 2022

We perform a model-independent global fit to all $$b \rightarrow s \ell \ell $$

b
→
s
ℓ
ℓ

data in the light of recent measurements of the lepton flavour universality violating (LFUV) observables $$R_{K_S^0}$$

R

K
S
0

, $$R_{K^{*+}}$$

R

K

∗
+

, and the updated observables in $$B_s \rightarrow \phi \mu ^+ \mu ^-$$

B
s

→
ϕ

μ
+

μ
-

decay, by the LHCb collaboration. Assuming NP only in the muon sector, we find that the 1D NP scenarios $$C_9^{\textrm{NP}} <0 $$

C
9
NP

<
0

and $$C_{9}^{\textrm{NP}}=-C_{10}^{\textrm{NP}}$$

C

9

NP

=
-

C

10

NP

continue to be the most favoured ones. However, the significance of the favoured scenario $$C_{9}^{\textrm{NP}}=-C'_{9}$$

C

9

NP

=
-

C
9
′

has reduced and the updated data now marginally prefers $$C_{10}^{\textrm{NP}} > 0$$

C

10

NP

>
0

scenario. The 2D scenarios $$(C_9^{\textrm{NP}}, C_{10}^{\prime } )$$

(

C
9
NP

,

C

10

′

)

, $$(C_9^{\textrm{NP}}, C_{9}^{\prime } )$$

(

C
9
NP

,

C

9

′

)

and $$(C_9^{\textrm{NP}}, C_{10}^{\textrm{NP}} )$$

(

C
9
NP

,

C

10

NP

)

, continue to be favoured by the data in the listed order. We analyse generic TeV scale $$Z'$$

Z
′

models which can generate the 1D scenarios, $$C_9^{\textrm{NP}} <0 $$

C
9
NP

<
0

and $$C_9^{\textrm{NP}} = -C_{10}^{\textrm{NP}}$$

C
9
NP

=
-

C

10

NP

as well as 2D scenarios $$(C_9^{\textrm{NP}}, C_{9}^{\prime } )$$

(

C
9
NP

,

C

9

′

)

and $$(C_9^{\textrm{NP}}, C_{10}^{\textrm{NP}} )$$

(

C
9
NP

,

C

10

NP

)

. We find that all four models provide an equally good fit to the data. We also consider a model with a 25 MeV $$Z'$$

Z
′

that couples to muons only and has a $$q^2$$

q
2

dependent $$b - s$$

b
-
s

coupling. We study the implications of the current data on the LFUV observables $$R_{\phi }$$

R
ϕ

, $$Q_{4,5}$$

Q

4
,
5

as well as $$R_{K^{(*)}}$$

R

K

(

∗
)

in the high $$q^2$$

q
2

. We find that the $$Q_{4,5}$$

Q

4
,
5

observables have a potential to discriminate between a few favored solutions, and disentangle different heavy and light $$Z'$$

Z
′

scenarios.
Cylindrically symmetric self-sustaining solutions in some models of nonlinear electrodynamics
Authors: Sokolov V. A.
Published: October 2022

In this article, we discuss the extension of the Melvin solution for the geon to some models of non-linear electrodynamics with the exact form of the Lagrangian, in particular, for a conformally invariant model (CNED), whose Lagrangian depends on the second and fourth order invariants of the electromagnetic field tensor.
Consistency of Information About Type-2 Fuzzy Preference Relation
Authors: Baskov O. V.
Published: October 2022

In this paper, an axiomatic approach to Pareto set reduction problem is considered. The reduction is based on accounting for preferences of a decision maker which are modeled with the use of a type-2 fuzzy binary relation. This relation is only partially known through a set of so-called information quanta. Since these quanta are provided by the decision maker, it must be verified that they are consistent with the requirements of the axiomatic approach — the axioms of rational choice. Several theorems giving necessary and sufficient conditions of quanta consistency are proved. Ideas for dealing with inconsistencies are discussed with a few examples.
Predicting Rating Distributions of Website Aesthetics with Deep Learning for AI-Based Research
Authors: Eisbach Simon , Daugs Fabian , Thielsch Meinald T. , Böhmer Matthias , Hertel Guido
Published: October 2022

The aesthetic appeal of a website has strong effects on users’ reactions, appraisals, and even behaviors. However, evaluating website aesthetics through user ratings is resource intensive, and extant models to predict website aesthetics are limited in performance and ability. We contribute a novel and more precise approach to predict website aesthetics that considers rating distributions. Moreover, we use this approach as a baseline model to illustrate how future research might be conducted using predictions instead of participants. Our approach is based on a deep convolutional neural network model and uses innovations in the field of image aesthetic prediction. It was trained with the dataset from Reinecke and Gajos [2014] and was validated using two independent large datasets. The final model reached an unprecedented cross-validated correlation between the ground truth and predicted rating of
LCC
= 0.752. We then used the model to successfully replicate prior findings and conduct original research as an illustration for AI-based research.
DAISY: Dynamic-Analysis-Induced Source Discovery for Sensitive Data
Authors: Zhang Xueling , Heaps John , Slavin Rocky , Niu Jianwei , Breaux Travis , Wang Xiaoyin
Published: October 2022

Mobile apps are widely used and often process users’ sensitive data. Many taint analysis tools have been applied to analyze sensitive information flows and report data leaks in apps. These tools require a list of sources (where sensitive data is accessed) as input, and researchers have constructed such lists within the Android platform by identifying Android API methods that allow access to sensitive data. However, app developers may also define methods or use third-party library’s methods for accessing data. It is difficult to collect such source methods, because they are unique to the apps, and there are a large number of third-party libraries available on the market that evolve over time. To address this problem, we propose DAISY, a Dynamic-Analysis-Induced Source discoverY approach for identifying methods that return sensitive information from apps and third-party libraries. Trained on an automatically labeled dataset of methods and their calling context, DAISY identifies sensitive methods in unseen apps. We evaluated DAISY on real-world apps, and the results show that DAISY can achieve an overall precision of 77.9% when reporting the most confident results. Most of the identified sources and leaks cannot be detected by existing technologies.
miRNAs: The Key Regulator of COVID-19 Disease
Authors: Hardin Leyla Tahrani , Xiao Nan
Published: October 2022

As many parts of the world continue to fight the innumerable waves of COVID-19 infection, SARS-CoV-2 continues to sculpt its antigenic determinants to enhance its virulence and evolvability. Several vaccines were developed and used around the world, and oral antiviral medications are being developed against SARS-CoV-2. However, studies showed that the virus is mutating in line with the antibody’s neutralization escape; thus, new therapeutic alternatives are solicited. We hereby review the key role that miRNAs can play as epigenetic mediators of the cross-talk between SARS-CoV-2 and the host cells. The limitations resulting from the “virus intelligence” to escape and antagonize the host miRNAs as well as the possible mechanisms that could be used in the viral evasion strategies are discussed. Lastly, we suggest new therapeutic approaches based on viral miRNAs.
Effect of Lycopene Supplementation on Some Cardiovascular Risk Factors and Markers of Endothelial Function in Iranian Patients with Ischemic Heart Failure: A Randomized Clinical Trial
Authors: Karimian Bahareh , Soleimani Azam , Mohammadsharifi Ghasem , Heshmat-Ghahdarijani Kiyan , Rejali Laila , Shafie Davood , Amerizadeh Atefeh , Sadeghi Masoumeh
Published: October 2022

Aim. This study aimed to explore if supplementary lycopene tablets may help heart failure (HF) patients improve their lipid profile, BP, and the flow-mediated dilation (FMD) index for endothelial function. Methods. Fifty patients with ischemic HF with a reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) were randomly assigned to one of two groups: the lycopene group which received 25 mg lycopene tablets once a day for 8 weeks and the control group which received placebo tablets containing starch once a day for 8 weeks. Results. Our results showed that after two months, the amount of triglyceride (TG) and FMD improved significantly compared to the control, TG decreased (219.27 vs. 234.24), and the mean of FMD increased (5.68 vs. 2.95). Other variables, including total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density cholesterol (HDL-C), systolic blood pressure (SBP), and diastolic blood pressure (DBP), showed no improvement. Also, only SBP and FMD showed intragroup improvement in the intervention group. In the intervention group, only SBP and FMD exhibited intragroup improvement. Conclusions. It can be concluded that supplementing with lycopene can enhance endothelial function and reduce the TG levels in ischemic HFrEF patients. However, it had no positive effect on BP, TC, LDL-C, or HDL-C. Trial Registration. This clinical trial was registered at the Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials with IRCT registration number: IRCT20210614051574N4.
Modeling and Analysis in Peer-To-Peer Botnet with Virtual Patching and Quarantine Strategy
Authors: Yang Wei , Fu Qiang , Yao Yu , Sun Wei
Published: October 2022

Botnets, especially peer-to-peer (P2P) botnets have become the root because of many Internet attacks recently. To effectively suppress P2P botnets, quarantine and virtual patching strategy are proposed and two dynamical models (SIIQR model and SIIQPR model) are given based on the SIIR model. The two models can examine the impact of different containment strategies on the growth of the P2P botnets. In addition, the stability of equilibrium is investigated and the basic reproduction number is obtained, which governs whether or not P2P botnets are extinct. The virtual patching strategy and quarantine strategy can effectively contain the propagation of the P2P botnets. Numerical and simulation results show the effectiveness of our models, larger infected rate, and larger deploying rate of virtual patching can control the number of infected hosts more effectively.
Modeling Complex Systems: A Case Study of Compartmental Models in Epidemiology
Authors: Siegenfeld Alexander F. , Kollepara Pratyush K. , Bar-Yam Yaneer
Published: October 2022

Compartmental epidemic models have been widely used for predicting the course of epidemics, from estimating the basic reproduction number to guiding intervention policies. Studies commonly acknowledge these models’ assumptions but less often justify their validity in the specific context in which they are being used. Our purpose is not to argue for specific alternatives or modifications to compartmental models, but rather to show how assumptions can constrain model outcomes to a narrow portion of the wide landscape of potential epidemic behaviors. This concrete examination of well‐known models also serves to illustrate general principles of modeling that can be applied in other contexts.
X-Ray Lung Image Classification Using a Canny Edge Detector
Authors: Jadwaa Sana’a Khudayer
Published: October 2022

The medical imaging technique is used in order to obtain a tissue image of a specific part of the human body without any surgical intervention. The presence of differences in the clinical experiences of a section of doctors or doctors in general can lead to discrepancies in the analysis and understanding of medical images and thus affects the accuracy of the diagnosis for the patient’s condition. The use of a medical imaging system for reliable diagnosis through the use of the computer will lead to high accuracy in diagnosis. For this reason, the need to improve the special performance of systems that perform computer-aided diagnosis used in the medical imaging process has increased special performance of the computer-aided diagnostic systems used in the medical imaging process. The medical image classification technique has the ability to perform a preliminary analysis as well as an understanding of medical images and also can identify the affected parts of the human body, which leads to helping doctors in the process of optimal diagnosis. The process of classifying medical images needs to extract the features of the image so that the classification process is carried out with high accuracy, and one of these features is detecting the edges of the image using a Canny edge detector. This is what the author performed in the research, and the experimental results show the effectiveness and goodness of this method.
Effects of Puddling Types and Rice Establishment Methods on Soil Characteristics and Productivity of Rice in Southern China
Authors: Asenso Evans , Wang Zhimin , Kai Tian , Li Jiuhao , Hu Lian
Published: October 2022

Puddling is an important operation to minimize soil nutrient leaching and thereby increasing the availability of plant nutrients and achieving reduced soil condition. Good puddle field conditions are needed to create a favorable environment for normal growth of rice plants. However, long-term effects of puddling could lead to forms of large clods in fine textured soils, resulting in negative effect on the soil characteristics, preventing seed-soil contacts, and leading to decline in rice yield. This study was conducted in 2 years with treatment including puddling the land twice with moldboard plow and pregerminated seeds were hill-seeded with direct seeding machine (PD), puddling the land twice with rotary tiller and pregerminated seeds were hill-seeded with direct seeding machine (RD), puddling the land twice with moldboard plow and 15-day-old seedlings were hill-transplanted with transplant machine (PT), and puddling the land twice with rotary tiller and 15-day-old seedlings were hill-transplanted with transplant machine (RT) to assess the effects of puddling and rice establishment method on soil characteristics and rice yield. Results revealed significant improvement in the bulk density and increase in SOC, N, P, and K in PD. The maximum microbial population was found in PD. Rice grain yield showed a higher productivity increase of 7.65 t·ha−2 (31.25%) and 3.93 t·ha−2 (13.91%) for 1H and 2H (1H: 1st harvest and 2H: 2nd harvest), respectively, in PD compared with the lowest of 5.76 t·ha−1 and 3.45 t·ha−1 in 1H and 2H, respectively, under RT. Overall, PD was found to be the most suitable puddling type and rice establishment method for soil improvement and increasing rice yield.
Impact of Change of the Interlocking on the Acceleration of Railway Transport: A Case Study from the Podbrezová Railway Station
Authors: Šperka Adrián , Valla Michal , Nedeliaková Eva , Čamaj Juraj
Published: October 2022

Accelerating rail transport is a key factor in improving the quality of passenger and freight transport. The main research question of the article asks whether it is possible to increase the speed due to the change in the interlocking. The main research tool is a comparison of the interval of crossing before and after the reconstruction of the interlocking. As the entire research is carried out on a single-track line at the Podbrezová station, the interval of crossing is the most relevant indicator. An associated goal of the entire research is to point out a possible increase in the carrying out of station tracks and an overall improvement in the working conditions of operational staff (station inspectors and switchmen).
Filling Control of a Conical Tank Using a Compact Neuro‐Fuzzy Adaptive Control System
Authors: Espitia-Cuchango Helbert , Machón-González Iván , López-García Hilario
Published: October 2022

This document describes the implementation of a conical tank control system using an adaptive neurofuzzy system. For implementation, an indirect approach is used where the controller is optimized using the model obtained during the plant identification carried out using data obtained during the system operation. Furthermore, implementation includes training of neuro fuzzy‐systems and application to control a conical tank. Regarding plant identification, preliminary training takes place using data obtained for different input values. The controller configuration is established considering the analogy with a discrete‐time linear system. The simulation shows that the control system manages to approach the desired response given by the considered reference model.
Real-World Efficacy and Safety of Tafluprost in Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma Patients with Corneal Disorders: A Taiwan Experience
Authors: Lin Ju-Kuo , Wei Fu-Tsung , Liu Yi-Chun , Yen Yung-Chang
Published: October 2022

Purpose. To investigate the efficacy and safety of switching to 0.0015% tafluprost ophthalmic solution with reduced benzalkonium chloride (BAK) on primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) patients with corneal disorders under 0.005% latanoprost treatment. Material and Methods. This was a single-arm, open-label, switching study on adult POAG patients treated with latanoprost 0.005% for more than 3 months, with corneal disorders but no dry eye therapy. All patients were switched to tafluprost 0.0015% and followed up for 3 months. The primary outcome was the change in fluorescein staining score (National Eye Institute/Industry [NEI] score) at the end of the study. Secondary outcomes included changes in intraocular pressure (IOP), tear break-up time (TBUT), hyperemia score, and other ocular and nonocular adverse events. Results. Of the 20 patients initially enrolled, 17 patients, all with POAG, completed the study. At the end of the study, the mean NEI score significantly decreased by 1.8 ± 2.2 (

p
<
0.01

). No significant changes in IOP were observed (12.8 ± 4.6 mmHg at baseline vs. 12.3 ± 4.0 mmHg on visit 2;

p
=
0.470

). TBUT increased by 1.2 ± 1.7 seconds (

p
<
0.05

). The proportions of patients with no sign of hyperemia on the bulbar and palpebral conjunctiva increased from 58.5% to 64.7% at baseline (before switching to tafluprost treatment) to 94.1% and 94.1%, respectively, after switching to tafluprost treatment. Dry eye sensation scores were significantly reduced (

p
<
0.05

), while other ocular symptom scores did not change significantly. Conclusion. Switching to tafluprost 0.0015% significantly improved fluorescein staining score, TBUT, and conjunctival hyperemia while maintaining IOP control among POAG patients with corneal disorders.
In Silico Identification of Key Genes and Immune Infiltration Characteristics in Epicardial Adipose Tissue from Patients with Coronary Artery Disease
Authors: Deng Yisen , Wang Xuming , Liu Zhan , Lv Xiaoshuo , Ma Bo , Nie Qiangqiang , Fan Xueqiang , Yang Yuguang , Ye Zhidong , Liu Peng , Wen Jianyan
Published: October 2022

Background. The present study is aimed at identifying the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and relevant biological processes and pathways associated with epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) from patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). We also explored potential biomarkers using two machine‐learning algorithms and calculated the immune cell infiltration in EAT. Materials and Methods. Three datasets (GSE120774, GSE64554, and GSE24425) were obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. The GSE120774 dataset was used to evaluate DEGs between EAT of CAD patients and the control group. Functional enrichment analyses were conducted to study associated biological functions and mechanisms using the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG), Gene Ontology (GO), and Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA). After this, the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) and support vector machine recursive feature elimination (SVM‐RFE) were performed to identify the feature genes related to CAD. The expression level of the feature genes was validated in GSE64554 and GSE24425. Finally, we calculated the immune cell infiltration and evaluated the correlation between the feature genes and immune cells using CIBERSORT. Results. We identified a total of 130 upregulated and 107 downregulated genes in GSE120774. Functional enrichment analysis revealed that DEGs are associated with several pathways, including the calcium signaling pathway, complement and coagulation cascades, ferroptosis, fluid shear stress and atherosclerosis, lipid and atherosclerosis, and regulation of lipolysis in adipocytes. TCF21, CDH19, XG, and NNAT were identified as feature genes and validated in the GSE64554 and GSE24425 datasets. Immune cell infiltration analysis showed plasma cells are significantly more numerous in EAT than in the control group (p = 0.001), whereas macrophage M0 (p = 0.024) and resting mast cells (p = 0.036) were significantly less numerous. TCF21, CDH19, XG, and NNAT were correlated with immune cells, including plasma cells, M0 macrophages, and resting mast cells. Conclusion. TCF21, CDH19, XG, and NNAT might serve as feature genes for CAD, providing new insights for future research on the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases.
Evaluation Method of Water Hazard Control Effect of Coal Seam Floor in Deep Mining: Sequence Verification Evaluation
Authors: Hu Yanbo , Li Wenping , Wang Qiqing , Chen Xinmin , Zheng Gang
Published: October 2022

Deep, highly pressurized aquifers seriously threaten the exploitation of resources of North China coalfield. At present, there is no particular guidance system to evaluate the prevention and control effect of water inrush disaster in deep coal seam mining. Therefore, this research focuses on the evaluation of the method for confined water disaster prevention and control effect of deep coal seam mining. Based upon various methods, such as effective thickness and water resistance capacity of aquifuge, water inrush coefficient, GIS (Geographic Information System) analysis of grouting data, dense drilling verification, and professional analysis system based on integrated sequence evaluation, the evaluation of the method for confined water disaster prevention and control effect of deep coal seam mining was put forward for the first time. The proposed method was called the “sequence verification evaluation (SVE)” method. The prevention and control of the effects of Ordovician water inrush disaster in deep mining of Huanghebei coalfield was evaluated using the proposed SVE method. The results show that the SVE method can effectively reflect the prevention and control of the effects of water inrush from confined water and provide scientific basis for the safe production of deep coal seam mining.
Technology-Dependent Rehabilitation Involving Action Observation and Movement Imagery for Adults with Stroke: Can It Work? Feasibility of Self-Led Therapy for Upper Limb Rehabilitation after Stroke
Authors: McCormick Sheree A. , Ireland Christopher , Yohannes Abebaw M. , Holmes Paul S.
Published: October 2022

Background. Motor (re)learning via technology-dependent therapy has the potential to complement traditional therapies available to older adults living with stroke after hospital discharge and increase therapy dose. To date, little is known about the feasibility of technology-dependent therapy in a home setting for this population. Objective. To develop a technology-dependent therapy that provides mental and physical training for older adults with stroke and assess feasibility. Specifically we ask, “Can it work”? Design. Single group repeated measures. Methods. 13 participants, aged 18 years and over, were recruited over a six-month period. All participants had mild upper limb impairment following a stoke and were no longer receiving intensive rehabilitation. All participants received 18 days of technology-dependent therapy in their own home. Information was gathered on recruitment and retention, usability, and suitability of outcome measures. Results. 11 participants completed the study. The recruitment rate (number recruited/number canvassed; 10.7%) suggests 1907 participants would need to be canvassed to recruit the necessary sample size (

n
=
204

) for a definitive trial designed to provide 90% power at 5% level of significance to detect a clinically meaningful difference of 5.7 points on the Action Research Arm Test. The usability of the application was rated as exceptional on the System Usability Scale. Effectiveness cannot be determined from this study; however, there was a trend for improvement in measures of upper limb function and emotional well-being. Limitations. The study was limited by a relatively small sample size and lack of control group. Conclusions. This study demonstrated proof of concept of a technology-dependent therapy for upper limb rehabilitation following stroke. The data suggest a definitive trial is feasible, additional strategies to improve recruitment should be considered. Outcome measures aligned with the residual motor function of participants are required.
A Survey of Data Aggregation Protocols for Energy Conservation in WSN and IoT
Authors: Begum Beneyaz Ara , Nandury Satyanarayana V.
Published: October 2022

Conservation of energy has been a major concern for Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) and IoT applications. Several strategies were devised, aimed at optimizing energy consumption in these applications, based on: (a) use of low-powered hardware devices, (b) deploying mobile/relay agents for data collection, (c) clustering, and (d) data aggregation. Amongst these, data aggregation is widely acknowledged as an important tool to conserve energy in WSN and IoTs. The paper provides a comprehensive survey of various data aggregation strategies, discusses the efficacy of these strategies in handling issues that are typical to WSN and IoT applications. These issues severely impact the performance metrics such as: energy efficiency, latency, fault-tolerance, network throughput, and network lifetime. Therefore, to optimize the data aggregation approach, an application developer needs to arrive at optimal tradeoffs between these parameters. A major contribution of the paper is to present a holistic review of data aggregation approaches emphasizing the effect of topology, security, mobility, interference, and fault-tolerance in WSN and IoTs. Based on gap areas in literature, we throw open few challenges and present them as “posers”, and put-forth suggestions for further research.
Directivity of Quantum Walk via Its Random Walk Replica
Authors: Yamagami Tomoki , Segawa Etsuo , Chauvet Nicolas , Röhm André , Horisaki Ryoichi , Naruse Makoto
Published: October 2022

Quantum walks (QWs) exhibit different properties compared with classical random walks (RWs), most notably by linear spreading and localization. In the meantime, random walks that replicate quantum walks, which we refer to as quantum‐walk‐replicating random walks (QWRWs), have been studied in the literature where the eventual properties of QWRW coincide with those of QWs. However, we consider that the unique attributes of QWRWs have not been fully utilized in the former studies to obtain deeper or new insights into QWs. In this paper, we highlight the directivity of one‐dimensional discrete quantum walks via QWRWs. By exploiting the fact that QWRW allows trajectories of individual walkers to be considered, we first discuss the determination of future directions of QWRWs, through which the effect of linear spreading and localization is manifested in another way. Furthermore, the transition probabilities of QWRWs can also be visualized and show a highly complex shape, representing QWs in a novel way. Moreover, we discuss the first return time to the origin between RWs and QWs, which is made possible via the notion of QWRWs. We observe that the first return time statistics of QWs are quite different from RWs, caused by both the linear spreading and localization properties of QWs.
Maintaining Compliance While Healing at a Distance: Telehealth Services within the Frame of Turkish Data Protection Regime
Authors: Küzeci Elif , Yeşiltuna Oğuzhan
Published: October 2022

Telehealth enables equal, high-quality, and efficient provision of health services, but it also poses serious risks in the absence of a legal basis. Despite its increasing use and promising potential, there has been no specific legal framework for telehealth in Turkey until recently. A new by-law governing the procedures and principles of telehealth services has been introduced by the Ministry of Health. As repeatedly referred to in the regulation, the most important issue is the positioning of telehealth in the data protection context. This article, therefore, aims to map telehealth services within the frame of the Turkish data protection regime. In this regard, we show how the category of personal data and the purpose of the processing should be determined. Thereafter we argue how relevant actors should be identified and present the rights and obligations of these actors in the light of basic principles regarding data processing, security, and transfer.
A Culture of Exclusion: Re-Configuring Inclusive Education in South Africa
Authors: Spies Amanda
Published: October 2022

The realisation of the right to education under the South African Constitution remains complex despite progressive legislation and a supportive policy framework. The complexity has highlighted the continued cultural and structural inequality of the South African public schooling system. Specifically, inclusive education and its support for learners experiencing barriers to learning illustrate the contested nature of this right, with many of these learners remaining marginalised. This article explores the concept of inclusive education as it relates to the broader contextual framework of the South African right to education. It highlights the shortcomings of the South African Schools Act 84 of 1996, in supporting authoritarian management through School Governing Bodies that has eroded the intended purpose of the Act as a beacon of community participation and transparent decision making. Key to the analysis, is establishing how South African courts have assisted learners experiencing barriers to learning, and how litigating access to public schools in challenging the policy prescripts of School Governing Bodies have hindered the implementation of inclusive education.