bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Nutritional immunity of fish intestines: important insights for sustainable aquaculture
Authors: Dawood Mahmoud A.O.
Published: August 2020

Intensive culture systems are usually employed to increase the production, but we suspect that, in such systems, fish suffer infection and stress, which weakens their health. However, such systems may fail due to lack of resources or difficulty in controlling the rearing conditions’ optimization. When intensive culture systems fail, aquatic animals gradually stop feeding. Accordingly, their physiological status deteriorates, and their immunity is suppressed. Through some strategies, it is possible to protect fish from disease by providing balanced food that maintain intestinal health and improve digestion, thereby increasing immunity. Protecting the health of the intestinal barriers is the primary guarantee of fish health. The local immunity of the intestine is associated with the innate and adaptive immunity of the fish’s entire body. Thus, it is necessary to understand the interaction between the gut microbiota and the general immune system, as well as the most important reasons that can increase or suppress intestinal immunity. Many studies have confirmed that balanced diets containing basic nutritional requirements are the primary factor for maintaining intestinal health in aquatic animals. Another strategy for improving the intestine’s local immunity is to use some non‐nutritional food additives that increase the activity of beneficial bacteria and the secretion of digestive enzymes and decrease the harmful bacteria. This review article aimed to clarify the relationship between a balanced aquafeed and the intestinal health of aquatic animals by discussing the findings of related studies. Awareness of this correlation between diet and intestinal health is expected to aid the aquaculture industry to develop proper nutritional strategies that ensure the protection of fish health.
The politics of platform capitalism: A case study on the regulation of Uber in New York
Authors: Seidl Timo
Published: August 2020

Platform companies like Uber not only disrupt existing markets but also contest existing regulatory regimes. This raises the question of how, when, and why such companies are regulated. This article develops, tests, and defends a theoretical framework that explains the politics of regulatory response to the rise of platform capitalism. Using discourse network analysis and a case study on the regulation of Uber in New York, it shows that the success or failure of regulations depends on the ability of actors to mobilize broad coalition; that narratives affect the composition of these coalitions; and that platform companies have both unique political strengths and vulnerabilities. This article makes substantive contributions to our understanding of the politics of platform capitalism, and it makes theoretical contributions to the literature studies on coalitional politics, ideational institutionalism, and business power.
The immunomodulatory potentials of interleukin‐27 in airway allergies
Authors: Jafarzadeh Abdollah , Nemati Maryam , Jafarzadeh Sara , Chauhan Prashant , Saha Bhaskar
Published: August 2020

Allergic airway disorders such as asthma and allergic rhinitis are mainly caused by inhaled allergen‐induced improper activation and responses of immune and non‐immune cells. One important response is the production of IL‐27 by macrophages and dendritic cells (DCs) during the early stage of airway allergies. IL‐27 exerts powerful modulatory influences on the cells of innate immunity [eg neutrophils, eosinophils, mast cells, monocytes, macrophages, dendritic cells (DCs), innate lymphoid cells (ILCs), natural killer (NK) cells and NKT cells)] and adaptive immunity (eg Th1, Th2, Th9, Th17, regulatory T, CD8+ cytotoxic T and B cells). The IL‐27‐mediated signalling pathways may be modulated to attenuate asthma and allergic rhinitis. In this review, a comprehensive discussion concerning the roles carried out by IL‐27 in asthma and allergic rhinitis was provided, while evidences are presented favouring the use of IL‐27 in the treatment of airway allergies.
The potential involvement of P2X7 receptor in COVID‐19 pathogenesis: A new therapeutic target?
Authors: Pacheco Paulo A. F. , Faria Robson X.
Published: August 2020

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pathogenesis remains under investigation. Growing evidence indicates the establishment of a hyperinflammatory response, characterized by sustained production of cytokines, such as IL‐1β. The release and maturation of this cytokine are dependent on the activation of a catalytic multiprotein complex, known as “inflammasome”. The most investigated is the NLRP3 inflammasome, which can be activated by various stimuli, such as the recognition of extracellular ATP by the P2X7 receptor. Based on the recent literature, we present evidence that supports the idea that the P2X7R/NLRP3 axis may be involved in the immune dysregulation caused by the SARS‐CoV‐2 infection.
Characterization of the novel HLA‐DQB1*05:176 allele by next‐generation sequencing
Authors: Genebrier Steve , Elsermans Vincent , Nivet Carl , Chérel Mathilde , Renac Virginie
Published: August 2020

DQB1*05:176 differs from DQB1*05:01:01:03 by one nucleotide substitution at position 184 in exon 2.
Characterization of the novel HLA‐DRB1*01:107 allele by next‐generation sequencing
Authors: Genebrier Steve , Elsermans Vincent , Texeraud Emeric , Bertrand Gerald , Renac Virginie
Published: August 2020

DRB1*01:107 differs from DRB1*01:01:01:01 by one nucleotide substitution at position 484 in exon 3.
Characterization of the novel HLA‐B*44:476 allele by next‐generation sequencing
Authors: Genebrier Steve , Elsermans Vincent , Texeraud Emeric , Bertrand Gerald , Renac Virginie
Published: August 2020

B*44:476 differs from B*44:03:01:01 by one nucleotide substitution at position 934 in exon 5.
Evaluation of targeted versus universal prophylaxis for the prevention of invasive fungal infections following lung transplantation
Authors: Linder Kathleen A. , Kauffman Carol A. , Patel Twisha S. , Fitzgerald Linda J. , Richards Blair J. , Miceli Marisa H.
Published: August 2020

Background

Antifungal prophylaxis to prevent invasive fungal infections (IFI) is widely used following lung transplantation, but the optimal strategy remains unclear. We compared universal with targeted antifungal prophylaxis for effectiveness in preventing IFI.

Methods

Adult patients who underwent lung transplantation at the University of Michigan from /1 July 2014‐31 December 2017 were studied for 18 months post‐transplant. Universal prophylaxis consisted of itraconazole with or without inhaled liposomal amphotericin B. Using specific criteria, targeted prophylaxis was given with voriconazole for patients at risk for invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA) and with fluconazole or micafungin for patients at risk for invasive candidiasis. Risk factors, occurrence of proven/probable IFI, and mortality were analyzed for the two prophylaxis cohorts.

Results

Of 105 lung transplant recipients, 84 (80%) received a double lung transplant, and 38 (36%) of patients underwent transplant for pulmonary fibrosis. Fifty‐nine (56%) patients received universal antifungal prophylaxis, and 46 (44%), targeted antifungal prophylaxis. Among 20 proven/probable IFI, there were 14 IPA, 4 invasive candidiasis, 1 cryptococcosis, and 1 deep sternal mold infection. Six (10%) IFI occurred in the universal prophylaxis cohort and 14 (30%) in the targeted prophylaxis cohort. Five of 6 (83%) IFI in the universal prophylaxis cohort, compared with 9/14 (64%) in the targeted prophylaxis cohort, were IPA Candida infections occurred only in the targeted prophylaxis cohort. The development of IFI was more likely in the targeted prophylaxis cohort than the universal prophylaxis cohort, HR = 4.32 (1.51‐12.38), P = .0064.

Conclusions

Universal antifungal prophylaxis appears to be more effective than targeted antifungal prophylaxis for prevention of IFI after lung transplant.
Pelvic floor functional bowel disorders in gynaecology
Authors: Britton Marika , Maslekar Sushil , Marsh Fiona
Published: August 2020

Key content

Many women with pelvic floor problems have a mixture of urogynaecological and colorectal symptoms.

The most common conditions include faecal incontinence, constipation, obstructive defaecation syndrome, haemorrhoids and anal fissures.

Investigations specific to these pelvic floor disorders comprise imaging (endoanal ultrasound and defaecating proctography, including dynamic magnetic resonance imaging), and physiology (anorectal manometry, pudendal nerve terminal motor latency and colonic transit studies).

There is a close relationship between the urogynaecology and colorectal specialties; here, we provide guidance with respect to the care of women with pelvic floor functional bowel problems.

Learning objectives

To be aware of the most common low intestinal tract conditions that gynaecology patients present with.

To be able to undertake a relevant consultation, order investigations and formulate an appropriate management plan.

Ethical issues

Ineffective and delayed management of women with pelvic floor problems leads to considerable deterioration of quality of life.

Inappropriate treatment has medico‐legal consequences.
Development and evaluation of a Novel RT‐PCR system for reliable and rapid SARS‐CoV‐2 screening of blood donations
Authors: Li Meng , Zhao Yuwei , Li Ying , Chen Xue , Luo Dongxia , Luo Mei , Hou Jue , Liu Juan , Liu Humin , Wang Huan , Dong Yufang , Zhang Lanjiang , Ji Maosheng , Zhao Xin , Wei Caibing , Li Wen , Gao Jialiang , Shan Hua , Fu Xuemei
Published: August 2020

Background

The ongoing outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) has caused great global concerns. In contrast to SARS, some SARS‐CoV‐2–infected people can be asymptomatic or have only mild nonspecific symptoms. Furthermore, there is evidence that SARS‐CoV‐2 may be infectious during an asymptomatic incubation period. With the discovery that SARS‐CoV‐2 can be detected in plasma or serum, blood safety is worthy of consideration.

Study Design and Methods

We developed a nucleic acid test (NAT) screening system for SARS‐CoV‐2 targeting nucleocapsid protein (N) and open reading frame 1ab (ORF 1ab) gene that could screen 5076 samples every 24 hours. The 2019 novel coronavirus RNA standard was used to evaluate linearity of standard curves. Diagnostic sensitivity and reproducibility were evaluated using artificial SARS‐CoV‐2. Specificity was evaluated with 61 other respiratory pathogens. Diagnostic performance was evaluated by testing two sputum and nine oropharyngeal swab specimens. The reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR) assay was used to screen SARS‐CoV‐2 RNA in blood donor specimens collected during the outbreak of SARS‐CoV‐2 in Chengdu.

Results

Limits of detection of the SARS‐CoV‐2 RT‐PCR assay for N and ORF 1ab gene were 12.5 and 27.58 copies/mL, respectively. Intra‐assay and interassay for the SARS‐CoV‐2 RT‐PCR assay based on cycle threshold were acceptably low. No cross‐reactivity was observed with other respiratory virus and bacterial isolates. The overall agreement value between the SARS‐CoV‐2 RT‐PCR assay and clinical diagnostic results was 100%. A total of 16 287 blood specimens collected from blood donors during SARS‐CoV‐2 surveillance were tested negative.

Conclusions

A high‐throughput NAT screening system was developed for SARS‐CoV‐2 screening of blood donations during the outbreak of SARS‐CoV‐2.
Antioxidant power measurement in platelet concentrates treated by two pathogen inactivation systems in different blood centres
Authors: Lotens Anaïs , Abonnenc Mélanie , Malvaux Nicolas , Schuhmacher Anne , Prudent Michel , Rapaille André
Published: August 2020

Background and objectives

The antioxidant power measurement can be useful to validate the execution of the pathogen inactivation treatment of platelet concentrates. The aim of this study is to evaluate the technology on different blood preparations including INTERCEPT and Mirasol treatments that are in routine use in Belgium and Luxemburg.

Materials and methods

The antioxidant power measurement was tested on 78 apheresis platelet concentrates and 54 pools of buffy‐coats‐derived platelet concentrates before and after INTERCEPT treatment. In addition, 100 Reveos platelet pools were tested before and after Mirasol treatment. The antioxidant power was quantified electrochemically using disposable devices and was expressed as equivalent ascorbic acid concentration.

Results

Mean results for apheresis platelet concentrates were of 90 ± 14 and 35 ± 10 µmol/l eq. ascorbic acid before and after INTERCEPT treatment, respectively. The mean results for pools of buffy‐coats‐derived platelet concentrates were of 81 ± 10 and 29 ± 4 eq. µmol/l ascorbic acid before and after INTERCEPT treatment, respectively. For buffy‐coats‐derived platelet concentrates treated by Mirasol technology, the mean results were of 98 ± 11 and 32 ± 10 µmol/l eq. ascorbic acid before and after illumination, respectively.

Conclusion

The antioxidant power significantly decreases with pathogen inactivation treatments for platelet concentrates treated by INTERCEPT or Mirasol technologies.
Daratumumab interference in flow cytometric anti‐granulocyte antibody testing can be overcome using non‐human blocking antibodies
Authors: Baig Nisar A. , Dukek Brian A. , Falbo Deborah K. , Wakefield Laurie L. , DiGuardo Margaret A. , Bobr Aleh , Kreuter Justin D. , Gandhi Manish J.
Published: August 2020

Background

Daratumumab (DARA), a human IgG1K monoclonal antibody targeting CD38, is used to treat refractory multiple myeloma patients. CD38 is expressed on many cell types (RBCs, granulocytes, lymphocytes, etc.), and thus, DARA can interfere with serological tests. Information regarding how DARA affects anti‐granulocyte antibody (AGA) testing and optimal neutralization of DARA will help laboratories perform accurate testing.

Methods

Screening of AGA was performed by the granulocyte agglutination test (GAT) and the flow cytometric granulocyte immunofluorescence test (Flow‐GIFT). Samples were tested from patients on DARA (n = 7), non‐transfused blood donors (healthy controls, n = 7) and AGA reactive samples (positive controls, n = 5). Two neutralization experiments, CD38 removal with DTT and DARA epitope blockage with mouse anti‐CD38, were evaluated.

Results

Positive reactivity of human IgG binding was observed in 5/7 DARA cases when tested by Flow‐GIFT; however, all 7 cases had negative GAT agglutination results. Further studies by Flow‐GIFT revealed DARA concentrations >0·63 μg/ml bound to granulocytes. DARA binding was negated by DTT though a reduced Flow‐GIFT sensitivity was observed in positive control samples due to increased background detection of human IgG. Mouse anti‐CD38 neutralized the detection of human IgG observed in DARA‐treated patient serum without effecting controls.

Conclusion

We established that DARA can interfere with AGA testing, leading to false positive Flow‐GIFT results without causing GAT agglutination. DTT treatment increased background binding of secondary antibodies causing a decrease in Flow‐GIFT sensitivity. In comparison, blockage of the DARA binding epitope using mouse anti‐CD38 antibody was effective in neutralizing DARA interference while maintaining Flow‐GIFT sensitivity.
The potential of mini‐ridging for controlling intrarow weeds: estimating minimum lethal burial depth
Authors: Merfield Charles N. , Bennett Jacquelyn R. , Berry Nadine A. , Bluon Arthur , O’Connell Dean M. , Hodge Simon
Published: August 2020

Weed management using synthetic herbicides is undergoing a global decline, necessitating a re‐evaluation of existing control measures and the development of novel weed management tools. ‘Mini‐ridging’ is a non‐discriminatory, physical weeding method that functions by burying weeds in the intrarow with a laterally shifted ridge of soil. In glasshouse trials using potted plants, we found that plant recovery after soil application was influenced by plant size, which in turn was influenced by plant species, developmental stage and/or age. The likelihood of plant recovery after soil application was negatively related to the depth of soil applied: very few plants survived total coverage by soil but, conversely, survival could be substantial if some parts of the plants were not covered. The results suggest that burial under a depth of 6 cm of soil would eliminate most plants regardless of species or growth stage. Larger plants would require the application of a greater total depth of soil to achieve this 6 cm of soil cover, and weed management would, therefore, tend to be more successful and more practical if weeds were targeted when still small. This research demonstrates the potential of plant burial as a simple and reliable means of non‐chemical weed management, and re‐emphasises that, for weed control to be effective, the applied soil layer must cover the whole plant.
Passport to freedom? Immunity passports for COVID-19
Authors: Brown Rebecca C H , Savulescu Julian , Williams Bridget , Wilkinson Dominic
Published: August 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic has led a number of countries to introduce restrictive ‘lockdown’ policies on their citizens in order to control infection spread. Immunity passports have been proposed as a way of easing the harms of such policies, and could be used in conjunction with other strategies for infection control. These passports would permit those who test positive for COVID-19 antibodies to return to some of their normal behaviours, such as travelling more freely and returning to work. The introduction of immunity passports raises a number of practical and ethical challenges. In this paper, we seek to review the challenges relating to various practical considerations, fairness issues, the risk to social cooperation and the impact on people’s civil liberties. We make tentative recommendations for the ethical introduction of immunity passports.
Improved estimation of age composition by accounting for spatiotemporal variability in somatic growth
Authors: Correa Giancarlo M. , Ciannelli Lorenzo , Barnett Lewis A.K. , Kotwicki Stan , Fuentes Claudio
Published: August 2020

Age composition is defined as the proportion of a fish population belonging to each age class and is an informative input to stock assessment models. Variations in somatic growth rates may lead to larger errors in age composition estimates. To reduce this source of error, we compared the performance of four methods for estimating age compositions of a simulated fish population: two methods based on age–length keys (ALK, pooled and annual) and two model-based approaches (generalized additive models (GAMs) and continuation ratio logits (CRLs)). CRL was the most robust and precise method, followed by annual ALKs, particularly when significant growth variability was present. We applied these methods to survey age subsample data for Pacific cod (Gadus macrocephalus) in the eastern Bering Sea, estimating age compositions that were then incorporated in its stock assessment model. The model that included age compositions estimated by CRL displayed the highest consistency with other data in the model. CRL approach has utility for estimating age compositions employed in stock assessment models, especially when substantial variation in somatic growth is present.
The screening of albumin as a key serum component in preventing release of neutrophil extracellular traps by selectively inhibiting mitochondrial ROS generation
Authors: Zheng Yue , Zhu Yuanfeng , Liu Xin , Zheng Hang , Yang Yongjun , Lu Yongling , Zhou Hong , Zheng Jiang , Dong Zhi
Published: August 2020

Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) are extracellular DNA webs released from neutrophils to mediate the host antimicrobial defense. As NETs could also induce thrombosis and cause organ injury, their release should be strictly controlled; however, the intrinsic mechanisms that prevent unfavorable NETs are not well understood. Herein, an accidental finding of NET release from human peripheral neutrophils was first described in a serum-free culture, which was later determined to be a conserved NET prevention effect of serum. In contrast to canonical NETs induced by phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate (PMA), NET formation by serum-free culture was rapid and without prevalent NETosis. Next, albumin was screened out as a key serum component that mediated the suppression of NETs. Moreover, NETs induced upon serum or albumin deficiency were independent of the canonical pathway that involves NADPH oxidase 2 (NOX2) activation and cytosol reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. Instead, the generation of mitochondrial ROS (mtROS) was upregulated to promote NET release. Albumin exhibited mtROS scavenging activity and thus inhibited NETs. Serum-free culture also induced the release of NET-bound oxidized mtDNA, which stimulated interferon-β (IFN-β) production. Overall, our research provides new evidence that characterizes the NET production in serum-free culture and determines the mechanisms by which serum albumin inhibits NETs.
High-methionine diet in skeletal muscle remodeling: epigenetic mechanism of homocysteine-mediated growth retardation
Authors: Singh Mahavir , George Akash K. , Eyob Wintana , Homme Rubens P. , Stansic Dragana , Tyagi Suresh C.
Published: August 2020

Epigenetic DNA methylation (1-carbon metabolism) is crucial for gene imprinting/off-printing that ensures epigenetic memory but also generates a copious amount of homocysteine (Hcy), unequivocally. That is why during pregnancy, expectant mothers are recommended “folic acid” preemptively to avoid birth defects in the young ones because of elevated Hcy levels (i.e., hyperhomocysteinemia (HHcy)). As we know, children born with HHcy have several musculoskeletal abnormalities, including growth retardation. Here, we focus on the gut-dysbiotic microbiome implication(s) that we believe instigates the “1-carbon metabolism” and HHcy causing growth retardation along with skeletal muscle abnormalities. We test our hypothesis whether high-methionine diet (HMD) (an amino acid that is high in red meat), a substrate for Hcy, can cause skeletal muscle and growth retardation, and treatment with probiotics (PB) to mitigate skeletal muscle dysfunction. To test this, we employed cystathionine β-synthase, CBS deficient mouse (CBS+/–) fed with/without HMD and with/without a probiotic (Lactobacillus rhamnosus) in drinking water for 16 weeks. Matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) activity, a hallmark of remodeling, was measured by zymography. Muscle functions were scored via electric stimulation. Our results suggest that compared to the wild-type, CBS+/– mice exhibited reduced growth phenotype. MMP-2 activity was robust in CBS+/– and HMD effects were successfully attenuated by PB intervention. Electrical stimulation magnitude was decreased in CBS+/– and CBS+/– treated with HMD. Interestingly; PB mitigated skeletal muscle growth retardation and atrophy. Collectively, results imply that individuals with mild/moderate HHcy seem more prone to skeletal muscle injury and its dysfunction.
The role of aldosterone inhibitors in cardiac ischemia–reperfusion injury
Authors: Dragasevic Nevena , Jakovljevic Vladimir , Zivkovic Vladimir , Draginic Nevena , Andjic Marijana , Bolevich Sergey , Jovic Slavoljub
Published: August 2020

Myocardial ischaemia–reperfusion (I/R) injury is a well-known term for exacerbation of cellular destruction and dysfunction after the restoration of blood flow to a previously ischaemic heart. A vast number of studies that have demonstrated that the role of mineralocorticoids in cardiovascular diseases is based on the use of pharmacological mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) antagonists. This review paper aimed to summarize current knowledge on the effects of MR antagonists on myocardial I/R injury as well as postinfarction remodeling. Animal models, predominantly the Langendorff technique and left anterior descending coronary artery occlusion, have confirmed the potency of MR antagonists as preconditioning and postconditioning agents in limiting infarct size and postinfarction remodeling. Several preclinical studies in rodents have established and proved possible mechanisms of cardioprotection by MR antagonists, such as reduction of oxidative stress, reduction of inflammation, and apoptosis, therefore limiting the infarct zone. However, the results of some clinical trials are inconsistent, since they reported no benefit of MR antagonists in acute myocardial infarction. Due to this, further studies and the results of ongoing clinical trials regarding MR antagonist administration in patients with acute myocardial infarction are being awaited with great interest.
Deep Q learning-based mitigation of man in the middle attack over secure sockets layer websites
Authors: Manhas Saloni , Taterh Swapnesh , Singh Dilbag
Published: August 2020

To ensure the security of web applications and to reduce the constant risk of increasing cybercrime, basic security principles like integrity, confidentiality and availability should not be omitted. Even though Transport Layer Security/Secure Socket Layer (TLS/SSL) authentication protocols are developed to shield websites from intruders, these protocols also have their fair share of problems. Incorrect authentication process of websites can give birth to notorious attack like Man in The Middle attack, which is widespread in HTTPS websites. In MITM attack, the violator basically positions himself in a communication channel between user and website either to eavesdrop or impersonate the communicating party to achieve malicious goals. Initially, the MITM attack is defined as a binary machine learning problem. Deep Q learning is utilized to build the MITM attack classification model. Thereafter, training process is applied on 60% of the obtained dataset. Remaining 40% dataset is used for testing purpose. The experimental results indicate that the proposed technique performs significantly better than the existing machine learning technique-based MITM prediction techniques for SSL/TLS-based websites.
Acoustic characteristics of water-jet propulsion with screw mixed-flow pump under quasi-submerged state
Authors: Han Wei , Chen Ran , Li Rennian , Su Min , Qiang Yan , Han Jinzhi , Li Han
Published: August 2020

As a key point of the stealth performance, acoustic characteristics of a screw mixed water-jet pump were investigated under the quasi-submerged state. The relationships between thrust and rotation speed of screw-mixed pump, drag, and submerged velocity of water-jet propulsion were obtained from the flume tests and numerical simulation. Based on the results of the unsteady flow field calculation with the detached eddy simulation (DES), the sound radiation fields of the screw mixed water-jet propulsion at different rotation speeds were investigated by the finite element method (FEM) coupled with the vibro-acoustic method. The flow-induced dipole source noise of every flow passage component increases with the increasing of rotation speed. The mathematical relations of the flow-induced noise at impeller between different rotation speeds were established. The maximum sound pressure level (SPL) of every flow passage component appears at the impeller blade-passing frequency (BPF). In the medium-high frequency domain, dipole source induced noise from the impeller is the main external noise field during the propulsion process. At the first-order BPF, the ratio of SPL of the impeller is equal to the 0.5 power of the rotation speed in the phase of [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], and [Formula: see text]. At the sixth-order BPF, the ratio of SPL of the impeller is directly proportional to the reciprocal power of rotation speed ratio in the phase of [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], and [Formula: see text].
Mode-I fracture analysis of micro-scale high-temperature superconductors via the double cantilever beam model and gradient elasticity theory
Authors: Wang K. F. , Wang B. L. , Fan Y. Y.
Published: August 2020

In this paper, fracture behavior of a micro-scale double cantilever beam (DCB) made of superconducting materials is investigated based on the strain gradient theory. Both zero-field cooling (ZFC) and field cooling (FC) magnetization processes are considered. The closed-form solutions of the energy release rates and stress intensity factors are obtained. For ZFC process, superconducting materials are easy to damage during the process of reducing magnetic field rather than increasing magnetic field. For FC process, applied magnetic field will impede superconductors to damage. Moreover, the normalized energy release rate predicted by classical beam theory is larger than that predicted by strain gradient theory. As the characteristic length increases, the normalized energy release rate decreases. The present model may be useful for designing experiments to test the fracture toughness of micro-scale high-temperature superconductors.
Vibrational properties of BaFe11.1Sc0.9O19 hexaferrite at high and low temperatures
Authors: Mammadov A. I. , Dang N.T. , Mehdiyeva R. Z. , Trukhanov À. V. , Huseynov R. E. , Trukhanov S. V. , Jabarov S. H.
Published: August 2020

[Formula: see text] hexaferrite compound was synthesized, the crystal structure was studied by the X-ray diffraction method. Powder samples were prepared from the mark “analytical grade” oxides [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text] and carbonate BaCO3. It was found that under normal conditions and at room temperatures, the crystal structure of this compound has hexagonal symmetry with the P63mmc space group. The lattice parameters correspond to the values: [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text]. Atomic dynamics of [Formula: see text] hexaferrite in the range of low temperatures of [Formula: see text] and high temperatures of [Formula: see text] were studied. As a result of the analysis of the spectra obtained by the Raman spectroscopy method, it was determined that the structural phase transition does not occur in this compound over a wide temperature range [Formula: see text]. At the room temperature, the obtained Raman modes are observed at both low and high temperatures.
Calculation of the thermodynamic functions from the Raman frequency shifts close to the 𝜀–δloc–δ transitions and Pippard relations in nitrogen
Authors: Akay O. , Yurtseven H.
Published: August 2020

Thermodynamic functions of the thermal expansion [Formula: see text], isothermal compressibility [Formula: see text] and the difference in the heat capacity [Formula: see text] are calculated as a function of temperature ([Formula: see text] GPa) close to the transitions of [Formula: see text][Formula: see text]–[Formula: see text][Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text][Formula: see text]–[Formula: see text][Formula: see text] in the solid nitrogen. This calculation is performed by using the observed Raman frequency shifts of vibrons [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text]. Also, by using the observed [Formula: see text]–[Formula: see text] data, those thermodynamic functions are predicted at various pressures for the fluid–solid transition in nitrogen. For both calculations, observed data are used from the literature. From the temperature and pressure dependences of the thermodynamic functions studied, the Pippard relations are examined close to the [Formula: see text][Formula: see text]–[Formula: see text][Formula: see text][Formula: see text]–[Formula: see text][Formula: see text] transitions and also fluid–solid transition in nitrogen.We find that the thermodynamic functions can be predicted from the Raman frequency shifts and that the Pippard relations can be established for both the [Formula: see text][Formula: see text]–[Formula: see text][Formula: see text][Formula: see text]–[Formula: see text][Formula: see text] and fluid–solid transitions in nitrogen. This method of predicting the thermodynamic functions can also be applied to some other molecular solids.
A high-pressure study of HfC and nano-crystalline TiC by X-ray diffraction and density functional theory calculations
Authors: Xiong Lun , Li Bin , Liang Bi , Zhu Jinxia , Yi Hong , Zhang Junran
Published: August 2020

The equation of state (EOS) of HfC and nanosized TiC at high pressure has been studied by means of synchrotron radiation X-ray diffraction (XRD) in a diamond anvil cell (DAC) at ambient temperature, and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. XRD analysis showed that the cubic structure of HfC and nanosized TiC maintained to the maximum pressures. The XRD data yield a bulk modulus [Formula: see text] GPa with [Formula: see text] of HfC. In addition, the bulk modulus of nanosized TiC derived from XRD data is [Formula: see text] GPa with [Formula: see text].
Study thermodynamic assessment of the B-C and B-Si binary systems with swift heavy ions and high intense electron beam irradiation at the low temperature
Authors: Mirzayev Matlab N.
Published: August 2020

B4C and B6Si samples have been irradiated by using swift heavy ions and high intense electron beam. Ion irradiation of the samples was carried at the different electron fluences [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] cm[Formula: see text] ion/cm2, and energy of ions flux 167 MeV. Also, the samples were irradiated with high energy electron beams at the linear electronic accelerator at different electron fluencies up to [Formula: see text] cm[Formula: see text] and energy of electron beams 2.5 MeV and current density of electron beams [Formula: see text]s. The unirradiation and irradiation of the thermodynamic kinetics of samples at low-temperature change with a differential mechanism. In the DSC curves, at the low temperature for unirradiation and irradiation, boron carbide and boron silicide samples do not undergo phase transition. But at the [Formula: see text] K temperature range, the thermodynamic mechanism of ions and electron beam irradiation are very difficult and measuring the temperature of conductivity, thermal conductivity, calibration factor, specific heat capacity becomes more complicated.
CLINICAL AND RADIOLOGIC OUTCOMES OF TWO TYPES OF CAGES USED IN THE TREATMENT OF DEGENERATIVE LUMBAR DISEASES: NOVEL TITANIUM CAGES VERSUS PEEK CAGES
Authors: Yang Meng-Yin , Chang Hsin-Huan , Chao Shao-Ching
Published: August 2020

Purpose: This study reports the clinical effects of [Formula: see text]-shaped titanium cages (ReBorn Essence Z-Brace cages) and compares the clinical outcomes between [Formula: see text]-shaped titanium cages (ZTC group) and polyetheretherketone cages (PEEK cages, PK group) for the application in transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF). Methods: A retrospective and case control study with six patients using PEEK cages and four patients using ZTC was conducted. All patients underwent TLIF and had a 3-month follow-up. The Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) and Visual Analog Scale (VAS) were selected to assess the pain of low back and neurological status. The intervertebral disc height (DH) and segmental angle (SA) were also measured to estimate the radiological changes. At the 3-month follow-up, the fusion and subsidence rates were evaluated. Results: There was no significant difference between the two groups regarding the ODI and VAS scores. At the 3-month follow-up, the subsidence rates were 42% and 0% for the PK and ZTC groups, respectively; the bony fusion rates were 67% and 100% for the PK and ZTC groups, respectively. Conclusion: The study has indicated that both PEEK and [Formula: see text]-shaped titanium cages can be effective options used to treat degenerative disc disease (DDD). Moreover, the higher fusion and lower subsidence rates have revealed that [Formula: see text]-shaped titanium cages may be a better choice compared to PEEK cages for lumbar reconstruction after TLIF.
Theoretical design of quantum memory unit for under water quantum communication using electromagnetically induced transparency protocol in ultracold 87Rb atoms
Authors: Chauhan Vikas Singh , Manchaiah Dixith , Bhushan Sumit , Kumar Rohit , Easwaran Raghavan K.
Published: August 2020

In this paper, we present a theoretical proposal to realize Quantum Memory (QM) for storage of blue light pulses (420 nm) using Electromagnetically Induced Transparency (EIT). Three-level lambda-type EIT configuration system is solved in a fully quantum mechanical approach. Storing blue light has the potential application in the field of underwater quantum communication as it experiences less attenuation inside the sea water. Our model works by exciting the relevant transitions of [Formula: see text]Rb atoms using a three-level lambda-type configuration in a Two-Dimensional Magneto-Optical Trap (2D MOT) with an optical cavity inside it. We have estimated Optical Depth inside the cavity (ODc) of [Formula: see text], group velocity ([Formula: see text]) [Formula: see text][Formula: see text]ms[Formula: see text], Delay Bandwidth Product(DBP) of 23 and maximum storage efficiency as [Formula: see text] in our system.
Edge-Based Intrusion Detection for IoT devices
Authors: Mudgerikar Anand , Sharma Puneet , Bertino Elisa
Published: August 2020

As the Internet of Things (IoT) is estimated to grow to 25 billion by 2021, there is a need for an effective and efficient Intrusion Detection System (IDS) for IoT devices. Traditional network-based IDSs are unable to efficiently detect IoT malware and new evolving forms of attacks like file-less attacks. In this article, we present a system level Device-Edge split IDS for IoT devices. Our IDS profiles IoT devices according to their “behavior” using system-level information like running process parameters and their system calls in an autonomous, efficient, and scalable manner and then detects anomalous behavior indicative of intrusions. The modular design of our IDS along with a unique device-edge split architecture allows for effective attack detection with minimal overhead on the IoT devices. We have extensively evaluated our system using a dataset of 3,973 traditional IoT malware samples and 8 types of sophisticated file-less attacks recently observed against IoT devices in our testbed. We report the evaluation results in terms of detection efficiency and computational.
Predictive Cyber Situational Awareness and Personalized Blacklisting
Authors: Husák Martin , Bajtoš Tomáš , Kašpar Jaroslav , Bou-Harb Elias , Čeleda Pavel
Published: August 2020

Cybersecurity adopts data mining for its ability to extract concealed and indistinct patterns in the data, such as for the needs of alert correlation. Inferring common attack patterns and rules from the alerts helps in understanding the threat landscape for the defenders and allows for the realization of cyber situational awareness, including the projection of ongoing attacks. In this article, we explore the use of data mining, namely sequential rule mining, in the analysis of intrusion detection alerts. We employed a dataset of 12 million alerts from 34 intrusion detection systems in 3 organizations gathered in an alert sharing platform, and processed it using our analytical framework. We execute the mining of sequential rules that we use to predict security events, which we utilize to create a predictive blacklist. Thus, the recipients of the data from the sharing platform will receive only a small number of alerts of events that are likely to occur instead of a large number of alerts of past events. The predictive blacklist has the size of only 3% of the raw data, and more than 60% of its entries are shown to be successful in performing accurate predictions in operational, real-world settings.
Deep Learning for Multi-instance Biometric Privacy
Authors: Sudhakar Tanuja , Gavrilova Marina
Published: August 2020

The fundamental goal of a revocable biometric system is to defend a user’s biometrics from being compromised. This research explores the application of deep learning or Convolutional Neural Networks to multi-instance biometrics. Modality features are transformed into revocable templates through the application of random projection. During the user authentication phase, we employ Support Vector Machines, chosen over three other alternative classifiers after carrying out a comparative study. Comparison of the proposed method over other standard deep learning models and performance evaluation before and after revocability have also been discussed. Results demonstrate ability to improve identification accuracy and provide sound template security. The system was validated on three multi-instance iris and fingervein databases.
Time-based Gap Analysis of Cybersecurity Trends in Academic and Digital Media
Authors: Alagheband Mahdi R. , Mashatan Atefeh , Zihayat Morteza
Published: August 2020

This study analyzes cybersecurity trends and proposes a conceptual framework to identify cybersecurity topics of social interest and emerging topics that need to be addressed by researchers in the field. The insights drawn from this framework allow for a more proactive approach to identifying cybersecurity patterns and emerging threats that will ultimately improve the collective cybersecurity posture of the modern society. To achieve this, cybersecurity-oriented content in both media and academic corpora, disseminated between 2008 and 2018, were morphologically analyzed via text mining. A total of 3,556 academic papers obtained from the top-10 highly reputable cybersecurity academic conferences, and 4,163 news articles collected from the
New York Times
were processed. The LDA topic modeling followed optimal perplexity and coherence scores resulted in 12 trendy topics. Next, the time-based gap between these trendy topics was analyzed to measure the correlation between media and trendy academic topics. Both convergences and divergences between the two cybersecurity corpora were identified, suggesting a strong time-based correlation between these resources. This framework demonstrates the effective use of automated techniques to provide insights about cybersecurity topics of social interest and emerging trends and informs the direction of future academic research in this field.
The Effect of the GDPR on Privacy Policies
Authors: Zaeem Razieh Nokhbeh , Barber K. Suzanne
Published: August 2020

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is considered by some to be the most important change in data privacy regulation in 20 years. Effective May 2018, the European Union GDPR privacy law applies to any organization that collects and processes the personal information of EU citizens within or outside the EU. In this work, we seek to quantify the progress the GDPR has made in improving privacy policies around the globe. We leverage our data mining tool, PrivacyCheck, to automatically compare three corpora (totaling 550) of privacy policies, pre- and post-GDPR. In addition, to evaluate the current level of compliance with the GDPR around the globe, we manually studied the policies within two corpora (450 policies). We find that the GDPR has made progress in protecting user data, but more progress is necessary—particularly in the area of giving users the right to edit and delete their information—to entirely fulfill the GDPR’s promise. We also observe that the GDPR encourages sharing user data with law enforcement, and as a result, many policies have facilitated such sharing after the GDPR. Finally, we see that when there is non-compliance with the GDPR, it is often in the form of failing to explicitly indicate compliance, which in turn speaks to an organization’s lack of transparency and disclosure regarding their processing and protection of personal information. If Personally Identifiable Information (PII) is the “currency of the Internet,” these findings mark continued alarm regarding an individual’s agency to protect and secure their PII assets.
On the Variety and Veracity of Cyber Intrusion Alerts Synthesized by Generative Adversarial Networks
Authors: Sweet Christopher , Moskal Stephen , Yang Shanchieh Jay
Published: August 2020

Many cyber attack actions can be observed, but the observables often exhibit intricate feature dependencies, non-homogeneity, and potentially rare yet critical samples. This work tests the ability to learn, model, and synthesize cyber intrusion alerts through Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs), which explore the feature space by reconciling between randomly generated samples and data that reflect a mixture of diverse attack behaviors without
a priori
knowledge. Through a comprehensive analysis using Jensen-Shannon Divergence, Conditional and Joint Entropy, and mode drops and additions, we show that the Wasserstein-GAN with Gradient Penalty and Mutual Information is more effective in learning to generate realistic alerts than models without Mutual Information constraints. We further show that the added Mutual Information constraint pushes the model to explore the feature space more thoroughly and increases the generation of low probability, yet critical, alert features. This research demonstrates the novel and promising application of unsupervised GANs to learn from limited yet diverse intrusion alerts to generate synthetic alerts that emulate critical dependencies, opening the door to proactive, data-driven cyber threat analyses.
Internet-scale Insecurity of Consumer Internet of Things
Authors: Mangino Antonio , Pour Morteza Safaei , Bou-Harb Elias
Published: August 2020

The number of Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices actively communicating across the Internet is continually increasing, as these devices are deployed across a variety of sectors, constantly transferring private data across the Internet. Due to the extensive deployment of such devices, the continuous discovery and persistence of IoT-centric vulnerabilities in protocols, applications, hardware, and the improper management of such IoT devices has resulted in the rampant, uncontrolled spread of malware threatening consumer IoT devices.

To this end, this work adopts a novel, macroscopic methodology for fingerprinting Internet-scale compromised IoT devices, revealing crucial cyber threat intelligence on the insecurity of consumer IoT devices. By developing data-driven techniques rooted in machine learning methods and analyzing 3.6 TB of network traffic data, we discover 855,916 compromised IP addresses, with 310,164 fingerprinted as IoT. Further analysis reveals China and Brazil to be hosting the most significant population of compromised IoT devices (100,000 and 55,000, respectively). Additionally, we provide a longitudinal analysis on data from one year ago against this work, revealing the evolving trends of IoT exploitation, such as the increased number of vendors targeted by malware, rising from 50 to 131. Moreover, countries such as China (420% increased infected IoT count) and Indonesia (177% increased infected IoT count) have seen notably high increases in infection rates. Last, we compare our geographic results against Global Cybersecurity Index (GCI) ratings, verifying that countries with high GCI ratings, such as the Netherlands and Germany, had relatively low infection rates. However, upon further inspection, we find that the GCI rate does not accurately represent the consumer IoT market, with countries such as China and Russia being rated with “high” CGI scores, yet hosting a large population of infected consumer IoT devices.