bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Association between breastfeeding duration and educational achievement in England: results from the Millennium Cohort Study
Authors: Pereyra-Elías Reneé , Carson Claire , Quigley Maria A
Published: June 2023

Objective

To evaluate the association between breastfeeding duration and educational outcomes at the end of secondary education among children from the Millennium Cohort Study.

Design

Cohort study comparing school results at age 16 according to breastfeeding duration.

Setting

England.

Participants

Children born in 2000–2002 (nationally representative sample).

Exposure

Self-reported breastfeeding duration (categorised).

Main outcome measures

Standardised school assessments taken at the end of secondary education (General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSEs), marked 9–1) in English and Mathematics, categorised as: ‘fail, marks <4’, ‘low pass, marks 4–6’ and ‘high pass, marks ≥7 (equivalent to A–A*)’. Additionally, overall achievement was measured using the ‘attainment 8’ score (adding the marks of eight GCSEs, English and Mathematics double weighted; 0–90).

Results

Approximately 5000 children were included. Longer breastfeeding was associated with better educational outcomes. For example, after full adjustment for socioeconomic markers and maternal cognitive ability, in comparison with children who were never breastfed, those who were breastfed for longer were more likely to have a high pass in their English and Mathematics GCSEs, and less likely to fail the English GCSE (but not the Mathematics GCSE). Additionally, compared with those never breastfed, those breastfed for at least 4 months had, on average, a 2–3 point higher attainment 8 score (coefficients: 2.10, 95% CI 0.06 to 4.14 at 4–6 months; 2.56, 95% CI 0.65 to 4.47 at 6–12 months and 3.09, 95% CI 0.84 to 5.35 at ≥12 months).

Conclusions

A longer breastfeeding duration was associated with modest improvements in educational outcomes at age 16, after controlling for important confounders.
Remarks on absolute continuity of positive operators
Authors: Kosaki Hideki
Published: June 2023

Ando studied Lebesgue decomposition for (bounded) positive operators, where a notion known as the maximal absolutely continuous part plays a crucial role. Based on technique involving unbounded operators we study certain expressions for the maximal absolutely continuous part, Radon–Nikodym type results, behavior of the maximal absolutely continuous part under the tensor product operation and characterization of mutual absolute continuity and so on.
THE BEHAVIOR OF A CLASS HOST-PARASITOID MODELS WITH HOST REFUGE AND STRONG ALLEE EFFECT UPON THE HOST POPULATION
Authors: KALABUŠIĆ S. , PILAV E.
Published: June 2023

This paper studies the dynamics of a class of host-parasitoid models with host refuge and the strong Allee effect upon the host population. Without the parasitoid population, the Beverton–Holt equation governs the host population. The general probability function describes the portion of the hosts that are safe from parasitism. The existence and local behavior of solutions around the equilibrium points are discussed. We conclude that the extinction equilibrium will always have its basin of attraction which implies that the addition of the host refuge will not save populations from extinction. By taking the host intrinsic growth rate as the bifurcation parameter, the existence of the Neimark–Sacker bifurcation can be shown. Finally, we present numerical simulations to support our theoretical findings.
A new construction of an MDS convolutional code of rate 1/2
Authors: Abreu Zita , Pinto Raquel , Simões Rita
Published: June 2023

Maximum distance separable convolutional codes are characterized by the property that the free distance reaches the generalized Singleton bound, which makes them optimal for error correction. However, the existing constructions of such codes are available over fields of large size. In this paper, we present the unique construction of MDS convolutional codes of rate [Formula: see text] and degree [Formula: see text] over the field [Formula: see text].
Homological properties of 3-dimensional DG Sklyanin algebras
Authors: Mao X.-F. , Wang X.-T. , Yang Y.-N. , Zhang M.-Y.
Published: June 2023

In this paper, we introduce the notion of DG Sklyanin algebras, which are connected cochain DG algebras whose underlying graded algebras are Sklyanin algebras. Let [Formula: see text] be a [Formula: see text]-dimensional DG Sklyanin algebra with [Formula: see text], where [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] We systematically study its differential structures and various homological properties. Especially, we figure out the conditions for [Formula: see text] to be Calabi–Yau, Koszul, Gorenstein and homologically smooth, respectively.
The Chinese and American Military Installations in Djibouti: National and Regional Security Implications
Authors: Melese Abebe Alemu
Published: June 2023

This qualitative case study examines American and Chinese military installations in Djibouti and their regional security implications. Data were collected from secondary sources. Besides, I relied on key informant interviews and media reports to generate qualitative data. What emerges from this analysis is that the two great powers have competing interests in the Horn of Africa. America is working to limit Chinese presence in the region. On the other hand, in 2013, China introduced its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) projects that serve as economic means of political interventions. The advent of great power rivalries in the Horn of Africa presents a major regional security challenge. First, the presence of rival powers in the Horn of Africa has exacerbated regional tensions. The protracted civil war in Ethiopia is a case in point. Second, the military engagements of the two great powers have brought securitization of ports and militarization of the Horn region. And third, U.S.–China rivalry at the systemic level has been reflected in the Horn of Africa. The integration of Indo-Pacific security space with the Horn of Africa has cast its long shadow in the Horn of Africa.
A Lineage-Based Referencing DSL for Computer-Aided Design
Authors: Cascaval Dan , Bodik Rastislav , Schulz Adriana
Published: June 2023

3D Computer-Aided Design (CAD) modeling is ubiquitous in mechanical engineering and design. Modern CAD models are programs that produce geometry and can be used to implement high-level geometric changes by modifying input parameters. While there has been a surge of recent interest in program-based tooling for the CAD domain, one fundamental problem remains unsolved. CAD programs pass geometric arguments to operations using references, which are queries that select elements from the constructed geometry according to programmer intent. The challenge is designing reference semantics that can express programmer intent across all geometric topologies achievable with model parameters, including topologies where the desired elements are not present. In current systems, both users and automated tools may create invalid models when parameters are changed, as references to geometric elements are lost or silently and arbitrarily switched. While existing CAD systems use heuristics to attempt to infer user intent in cases of this undefined behavior, this best-effort solution is not suitable for constructing automated tools to edit and optimize CAD programs. We analyze the failure modes of existing referencing schemes and formalize a set of criteria on which to evaluate solutions to the CAD referencing problem. In turn, we propose a domain-specific language that exposes references as a first-class language construct, using user-authored queries to introspect element history and define references safely over all paths. We give a semantics for fine-grained element lineage that can subsequently be queried; and show that our language meets the desired properties. Finally, we provide an implementation of a lineage-based referencing system in a 2.5D CAD kernel, demonstrating realistic referencing scenarios and illustrating how our system safely represents models that cause reference breakage in existing CAD systems.
Lilac: A Modal Separation Logic for Conditional Probability
Authors: Li John M. , Ahmed Amal , Holtzen Steven
Published: June 2023

We present Lilac, a separation logic for reasoning about probabilistic programs where separating conjunction captures probabilistic independence. Inspired by an analogy with mutable state where sampling corresponds to dynamic allocation, we show how probability spaces over a fixed, ambient sample space appear to be the natural analogue of heap fragments, and present a new combining operation on them such that probability spaces behave like heaps and measurability of random variables behaves like ownership. This combining operation forms the basis for our model of separation, and produces a logic with many pleasant properties. In particular, Lilac has a frame rule identical to the ordinary one, and naturally accommodates advanced features like continuous random variables and reasoning about quantitative properties of programs. Then we propose a new modality based on disintegration theory for reasoning about conditional probability. We show how the resulting modal logic validates examples from prior work, and give a formal verification of an intricate weighted sampling algorithm whose correctness depends crucially on conditional independence structure.
Better Defunctionalization through Lambda Set Specialization
Authors: Brandon William , Driscoll Benjamin , Dai Frank , Berkow Wilson , Milano Mae
Published: June 2023

Higher-order functions pose a challenge for both static program analyses and optimizing compilers.
To simplify the analysis and compilation of languages with higher-order functions, a rich body of
prior work has proposed a variety of
defunctionalization
techniques, which can eliminate
higher-order functions from a program by transforming the program to a semantically-equivalent
first-order representation. Several modern languages take this a step further,
specializing
higher-order functions with respect to the functions on which they operate, and in turn allowing
compilers to generate more efficient code. However, existing specializing defunctionalization
techniques restrict how function values may be used, forcing implementations to fall back on costly
dynamic alternatives. We propose
lambda set specialization
(LSS), the first specializing
defunctionalization technique which imposes no restrictions on how function values may be used. We
formulate LSS in terms of a polymorphic type system which tracks the flow of function values through
the program, and use this type system to recast specialization of higher-order functions with
respect to their arguments as a form of type monomorphization. We show that our type system admits a
simple and tractable type inference algorithm, and give a formalization and fully-mechanized proof
in the Isabelle/HOL proof assistant showing soundness and completeness of the type inference
algorithm with respect to the type system. To show the benefits of LSS, we evaluate its impact on
the run time performance of code generated by the MLton compiler for Standard ML, the OCaml
compiler, and the new Morphic functional programming language. We find that pre-processing with LSS
achieves run time speedups of up to 6.85x under MLton, 3.45x for OCaml, and 78.93x for Morphic.
Compound Memory Models
Authors: Goens Andrés , Chakraborty Soham , Sarkar Susmit , Agarwal Sukarn , Oswald Nicolai , Nagarajan Vijay
Published: June 2023

Today's mobile, desktop, and server processors are heterogeneous, consisting not only of CPUs but also GPUs and other accelerators. Such heterogeneous processors are starting to expose a shared memory interface across these devices.Given that each of these individual devices typically supports a distinct instruction set architecture and a distinct memory consistency model, it is not clear what the memory consistency model of the heterogeneous machine should be. In this paper, we answer this question by formalizing "compound" memory models: we present a compositional operational model describing the resulting model when devices with distinct consistency models are fused together. We instantiate our model with the compound x86TSO/PTX model -- a CPU enforcing x86TSO and a GPU enforcing the PTX model. A key result is that the x86TSO/PTX compound model retains compiler mappings from the language-based (scoped) C memory model. This means that threads mapped to the x86TSO device can continue to use the already proven C-to-x86TSO compiler mapping, and the same for PTX.
Leveraging Rust Types for Program Synthesis
Authors: Fiala Jonáš , Itzhaky Shachar , Müller Peter , Polikarpova Nadia , Sergey Ilya
Published: June 2023

The Rust type system guarantees memory safety and data-race freedom. However, to satisfy Rust's type rules, many familiar implementation patterns must be adapted substantially. These necessary adaptations complicate programming and might hinder language adoption. In this paper, we demonstrate that, in contrast to manual programming, automatic synthesis is not complicated by Rust's type system, but rather benefits in two major ways. First, a Rust synthesizer can get away with significantly simpler specifications. While in more traditional imperative languages, synthesizers often require lengthy annotations in a complex logic to describe the shape of data structures, aliasing, and potential side effects, in Rust, all this information can be inferred from the types, letting the user focus on specifying functional properties using a slight extension of Rust expressions. Second, the Rust type system reduces the search space for synthesis, which improves performance.

In this work, we present the first approach to automatically synthesizing correct-by-construction programs in safe Rust. The key ingredient of our synthesis procedure is Synthetic Ownership Logic, a new program logic for deriving programs that are guaranteed to satisfy both a user-provided functional specification and, importantly, Rust's intricate type system. We implement this logic in a new tool called RusSOL. Our evaluation shows the effectiveness of RusSOL, both in terms of annotation burden and performance, in synthesizing provably correct solutions to common problems faced by new Rust developers.
VMSL: A Separation Logic for Mechanised Robust Safety of Virtual Machines Communicating above FF-A
Authors: Liu Zongyuan , Stepanenko Sergei , Pichon-Pharabod Jean , Timany Amin , Askarov Aslan , Birkedal Lars
Published: June 2023

Thin hypervisors make it possible to isolate key security components like keychains, fingerprint readers, and digital wallets from the easily-compromised operating system.
To work together, virtual machines running on top of the hypervisor can make hypercalls to the hypervisor to share pages between each other in a controlled way.
However, the design of such hypercall ABIs remains a delicate balancing task between conflicting needs for expressivity, performance, and security.
In particular, it raises the question of what makes the specification of a hypervisor, and of its hypercall ABIs, good enough for the virtual machines.
In this paper, we validate the expressivity and security of the design of the hypercall ABIs of Arm's FF-A.
We formalise a substantial fragment of FF-A as a machine with a simplified ISA in which hypercalls are steps of the machine.
We then develop VMSL, a novel separation logic, which we prove sound with respect to the machine execution model, and use it to reason modularly about virtual machines which communicate through the hypercall ABIs, demonstrating the hypercall ABIs' expressivity.
Moreover, we use the logic to prove robust safety of communicating virtual machines, that is, the guarantee that even if some of the virtual machines are compromised and execute unknown code, they cannot break the safety properties of other virtual machines running known code.
This demonstrates the intended security guarantees of the hypercall ABIs.
All the results in the paper have been formalised in Coq using the Iris framework.
Repairing Regular Expressions for Extraction
Authors: Chida Nariyoshi , Terauchi Tachio
Published: June 2023

While synthesizing and repairing regular expressions (regexes) based on Programming-by-Examples (PBE) methods have seen rapid progress in recent years, all existing works only support synthesizing or repairing regexes for membership testing, and the support for extraction is still an open problem. This paper fills the void by proposing the first PBE-based method for synthesizing and repairing regexes for extraction. Our work supports regexes that have real-world extensions such as backreferences and lookarounds. The extensions significantly affect the PBE-based synthesis and repair problem. In fact, we show that there are unsolvable instances of the problem if the synthesized regexes are not allowed to use the extensions, i.e., there is no regex without the extensions that correctly classify the given set of examples, whereas every problem instance is solvable if the extensions are allowed. This is in stark contrast to the case for the membership where every instance is guaranteed to have a solution expressible by a pure regex without the extensions. The main contribution of the paper is an algorithm to solve the PBE-based synthesis and repair problem for extraction. Our algorithm builds on existing methods for synthesizing and repairing regexes for membership testing, i.e., the enumerative search algorithms with SMT constraint solving. However, significant extensions are needed because the SMT constraints in the previous works are based on a non-deterministic semantics of regexes. Non-deterministic semantics is sound for membership but not for extraction, because which substrings are extracted depends on the deterministic behavior of actual regex engines. To address the issue, we propose a new SMT constraint generation method that respects the deterministic behavior of regex engines. For this, we first define a novel formal semantics of an actual regex engine as a deterministic big-step operational semantics, and use it as a basis to design the new SMT constraint generation method. The key idea to simulate the determinism in the formal semantics and the constraints is to consider continuations of regex matching and use them for disambiguation. We also propose two new search space pruning techniques called approximation-by-pure-regex and approximation-by-backreferences that make use of the extraction information in the examples.　We have implemented the synthesis and repair algorithm in a tool called R3 (Repairing Regex for extRaction) and evaluated it on 50 regexes that contain real-world extensions. Our evaluation shows the effectiveness of the algorithm and that our new pruning techniques substantially prune the search space.
Probabilistic Programming with Stochastic Probabilities
Authors: Lew Alexander K. , Ghavamizadeh Matin , Rinard Martin C. , Mansinghka Vikash K.
Published: June 2023

We present a new approach to the design and implementation of probabilistic programming languages (PPLs), based on the idea of stochastically estimating the probability density ratios necessary for probabilistic inference. By relaxing the usual PPL design constraint that these densities be computed exactly, we are able to eliminate many common restrictions in current PPLs, to deliver a language that, for the first time, simultaneously supports first-class constructs for marginalization and nested inference, unrestricted stochastic control flow, continuous and discrete sampling, and programmable inference with custom proposals. At the heart of our approach is a new technique for compiling these expressive probabilistic programs into randomized algorithms for unbiasedly estimating their densities and density reciprocals. We employ these stochastic probability estimators within modified Monte Carlo inference algorithms that are guaranteed to be sound despite their reliance on inexact estimates of density ratios. We establish the correctness of our compiler using logical relations over the semantics of λSP, a new core calculus for modeling and inference with stochastic probabilities. We also implement our approach in an open-source extension to Gen, called GenSP, and evaluate it on six challenging inference problems adapted from the modeling and inference literature. We find that: (1)  ‍can automate fast density estimators for programs with very expensive exact densities; (2) convergence of inference is mostly unaffected by the noise from these estimators; and (3) our sound-by-construction estimators are competitive with hand-coded density estimators, incurring only a small constant-factor overhead.
Merging Inductive Relations
Authors: Prinz Jacob , Lampropoulos Leonidas
Published: June 2023

Inductive relations offer a powerful and expressive way of writing
program specifications while facilitating compositional reasoning.
Their widespread use by proof assistant users has made them a
particularly attractive target for proof engineering tools such as
QuickChick, a property-based testing tool for Coq which can
automatically derive generators for values satisfying an inductive
relation.
However, while such generators are generally efficient, there is
an infrequent yet seemingly inevitable situation where their
performance greatly degrades: when multiple inductive relations
constrain the same piece of data.

In this paper, we introduce an algorithm for merging two such
inductively defined properties that share an index. The algorithm
finds shared structure between the two relations, and creates a
single merged relation that is provably equivalent to the
conjunction of the two.
We demonstrate, through a series of case studies,
that the merged relations can improve the performance of automatic
generation by orders of magnitude, as well as simplify mechanized
proofs by getting rid of the need for nested induction and tedious
low-level book-keeping.
Fuzzing Loop Optimizations in Compilers for C++ and Data-Parallel Languages
Authors: Livinskii Vsevolod , Babokin Dmitry , Regehr John
Published: June 2023

Compilers are part of the foundation upon which software systems are built; they need to be as correct as possible. This paper is about stress-testing loop optimizers; it presents a major reimplementation of Yet Another Random Program Generator (YARPGen), an open-source generative compiler fuzzer. This new version has found 122 bugs, both in compilers for data-parallel languages, such as the Intel® Implicit SPMD Program Compiler and the Intel® oneAPI DPC++ compiler, and in C++ compilers such as GCC and Clang/LLVM. The first main contribution of our work is a novel method for statically avoiding undefined behavior when generating loops; the resulting programs conform to the relevant language standard, enabling automated testing. The second main contribution is a collection of mechanisms for increasing the diversity of generated loop code; in our evaluation, we demonstrate that these make it possible to trigger loop optimizations significantly more often, providing opportunities to discover bugs in the optimizers.
Embedding Hindsight Reasoning in Separation Logic
Authors: Meyer Roland , Wies Thomas , Wolff Sebastian
Published: June 2023

Automatically proving linearizability of concurrent data structures remains a key challenge for verification. We present temporal interpolation as a new proof principle to guide automated proof search using hindsight arguments within concurrent separation logic. Temporal interpolation offers an easy-to-automate alternative to prophecy variables and has the advantage of structuring proofs into easy-to-discharge hypotheses. Additionally, we advance hindsight theory by integrating it into a program logic, bringing formal rigor and complementary proof machinery. We substantiate the usefulness of temporal interpolation by implementing it in a tool and using it to automatically verify the Logical Ordering tree. The proof is challenging due to future-dependent linearization points and complex structure overlays. It is the first formal proof of this data structure. Interestingly, our formalization revealed an unknown bug and an existing informal proof as erroneous.
Putting Weak Memory in Order via a Promising Intermediate Representation
Authors: Lee Sung-Hwan , Cho Minki , Margalit Roy , Hur Chung-Kil , Lahav Ori
Published: June 2023

We investigate the problem of developing an "in-order" shared-memory concurrency model for languages like C and C++, which executes instructions following their program order, and is thus more amenable to reasoning and verification compared to recent complex proposals with out-of-order execution. We demonstrate that it is possible to fully support non-atomic accesses in an in-order model in a way that validates all compiler optimizations that are performed in single-threaded code (including irrelevant load introduction). The key to doing so is to utilize the distinction between a source model (with catch-fire semantics) and an intermediate representation (IR) model (with undefined value for racy reads) and formally establish the soundness of mapping from source to IR. As for relaxed atomic accesses, an in-order model must forbid load-store reordering. We discuss the rather limited performance impact of this fact and present a pragmatic approach to this problem, which, in the long term, requires a new kind of hardware store instructions for implementing relaxed stores. The source and IR semantics proposed in this paper are based on recent versions of the promising semantics, and the correctness proofs of the mappings from the source to the IR and from the IR to Armv8 are mechanized in Coq. This work is the first to formally relate an in-order source model and an out-of-order IR model with the goal of having an in-order source semantics without any performance overhead for non-atomics.
One Pixel Adversarial Attacks via Sketched Programs
Authors: Yuviler Tom , Drachsler-Cohen Dana
Published: June 2023

Neural networks are successful in various tasks but are also susceptible to adversarial examples. An adversarial example is generated by adding a small perturbation to a correctly-classified input with the goal of causing a network classifier to misclassify. In one pixel attacks, an attacker aims to fool an image classifier by modifying a single pixel. This setting is challenging for two reasons: the perturbation region is very small and the perturbation is not differentiable. To cope, one pixel attacks iteratively generate candidate adversarial examples and submit them to the network until finding a successful candidate. However, existing works require a very large number of queries, which is infeasible in many practical settings, where the attacker is limited to a few thousand queries to the network. We propose a novel approach for computing one pixel attacks. The key idea is to leverage program synthesis and identify an expressive program sketch that enables to compute adversarial examples using significantly fewer queries. We introduce OPPSLA, a synthesizer that, given a classifier and a training set, instantiates the sketch with customized conditions over the input’s pixels and the classifier’s output. OPPSLA employs a stochastic search, inspired by the Metropolis-Hastings algorithm, that synthesizes typed expressions enabling minimization of the number of queries to the classifier. We further show how to extend OPPSLA to compute few pixel attacks minimizing the number of perturbed pixels. We evaluate OPPSLA on several deep networks for CIFAR-10 and ImageNet. We show that OPPSLA obtains a state-of-the-art success rate, often with an order of magnitude fewer queries than existing attacks. We further show that OPPSLA’s programs are transferable to other classifiers, unlike existing one pixel attacks, which run from scratch on every classifier and input.
Computational Technologies for Construction of Business Korean Translation Corpus Based on Association Rules Mining
Authors: Zhang Zhen
Published: June 2023

With the implementation of China's reform and opening up and China's accession to the World Trade Organization, Chinese business Korean translation plays an increasingly important role in international trade activities. Although the study of business Korean has aroused the strong research interest of scholars, its research focus is limited to word selection, grammatical transformation and various specific translation techniques, which is far from systematic. Good business translation should also involve factors such as the translator's role, cross-culture, and the client of translation. However, how to combine corpus with language teaching, make corpus enter the classroom and get practical application in daily language teaching is still in the exploratory stage. Most of the existing translation theories are tailored for literary translation, and business translation is a branch of non-literary translation, so these theories are difficult to guide business translation. Combined with the research results of translation studies and examples in business Korean, this paper discusses the characteristics and translation of business Korean as a special Korean, so as to provide reference for translation or related learners, and also want to attract more scholars to pay attention to business Korean and its translation.
Effects of Dietary Lysine Level on Growth Performance and Protein Metabolism in Juvenile Leopard Coral Grouper (Plectropomus leopardus)
Authors: Dou Xiaomei , Liu Yu , Cao Yixiong , Zhang Yumeng , Fu Xinlangji , Deng Junming , Tan Beiping
Published: June 2023

An 8-week feeding trial was conducted to evaluate the effects of dietary lysine level on growth performance and protein metabolism of juvenile leopard coral grouper (Plectropomus leopardus) and thereby obtained the optimal dietary lysine requirement of P. leopardus. Six isoproteic and isolipidic experimental diets were formulated to contain 1.10%, 1.69%, 2.30%, 3.08%, 3.56%, and 4.36% lysine of diets, respectively. Each diet was assigned at random to triplicate groups of 25 juveniles (initial mean weight is 10.57 g) per tank in a flow-through mariculture system maintained at 27–30°C. Dietary inclusion of 2.30–3.08% lysine improved the weight gain rate (WGR) and specific growth rate and decreased the feed conversion ratio (FCR) of juveniles (

P
<
0.05

). The intestinal digestive enzyme (trypsin, amylase, and lipase) activities were overall enhanced by dietary inclusion of 3.08–3.56% lysine (

P
<
0.05

). The mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway was activated in fish fed diets with 1.69–2.30% lysine by upregulating the relative expression levels of hepatic TOR and S6K1 (p70 ribosomal protein S6 kinase 1) but downregulating the relative expression level of hepatic 4E-BP2 (eIF4E-binding protein 2). Conversely, the amino acid response signaling pathway was inhibited in fish fed diet with 2.30% lysine by downregulating the relative expression levels of hepatic GCN2 (general control nondepressible 2), ATF3 (activating transcription factor 3), ATF4a (activating transcription factor 4a), and ATF4b (activating transcription factor 4b). Additionally, dietary 1.69–3.08% lysine enhanced the plasma total protein level and hepatic lysine α-ketoglutarate reductase activity but depressed the blood urea nitrogen level and hepatic adenosine monophosphate deaminase activity (

P
<
0.05

). Moreover, dietary 3.08% lysine increased the contents of whole-body crude protein and total amino acids, while 1.69%–4.36% lysine depressed the whole-body lipid content (

P
<
0.05

). These results indicated that optimal dietary lysine increased the digestive enzyme activities, promoted protein synthesis but depressed protein degradation, and thereby improved the growth performance of P. leopardus. Based on the second-order polynomial model, the optimal lysine requirement of juvenile P. leopardus for WGR, FCR, and lysine deposition was 2.60%–2.97% of diets (4.91%–5.60% of dietary protein).
MRI and the Critical Care Patient: Clinical, Operational, and Financial Challenges
Authors: McLean Barbara , Thompson Douglas
Published: June 2023

Neuroimaging in conjunction with a neurologic examination has become a valuable resource for today’s intensive care unit (ICU) physicians. Imaging provides critical information during the assessment and ongoing neuromonitoring of patients for toxic‐metabolic or structural injury of the brain. A patient’s condition can change rapidly, and interventions may require imaging. When making this determination, the benefit must be weighed against possible risks associated with intrahospital transport. The patient’s condition is assessed to decide if they are stable enough to leave the ICU for an extended period. Intrahospital transport risks include adverse events related to the physical nature of the transport, the change in the environment, or relocating equipment used to monitor the patient. Adverse events can be categorized as minor (e.g., clinical decompensation) or major (e.g., requiring immediate intervention) and may occur in preparation or during transport. Regardless of the type of event experienced, any intervention during transport impacts the patient and may lead to delayed treatment and disruption of critical care. This review summarizes the commentary on the current literature on the associated risks and provides insight into the costs as well as provider experiences. Approximately, one‐third of patients who are transported from the ICU to an imaging suite may experience an adverse event. This creates an additional risk for extending a patient’s stay in the ICU. The delay in obtaining imaging can negatively impact the patient’s treatment plan and affect long‐term outcomes as increased disability or mortality. Disruption of ICU therapy can decrease respiratory function after the patient returns from transport. Because of the complex care team needed for patient transport, the staff time alone can cost $200 or more. New technologies and advancements are needed to reduce patient risk and improve safety.
A Rare Incidence of Sweating Sickness-Like Symptoms in a Crossbred Holstein Friesian Cow in Chattogram, Bangladesh
Authors: Faruq Omar , Sarkar Eti R. , Sikder Suchandan
Published: June 2023

In this report, an incidence of sweating sickness-like symptoms in a crossbred Holstein Friesian cow was diagnosed. The cow was suffering from vaporization of the skin, dehydration, wet hair coat, and matting of hair due to excessive sweating. There were several ticks, flies, and mosquitoes in tail switch and other parts of the body. Blood and urine parameters were tested. We treated the patient successfully with ivermectin as ectoparasite control, ceftiofur sodium antibiotic to treat bacterial infections, ketoprofen as analgesics and antipyretics, chlorpheniramine maleate as H2-blocker, and trichlorfon and povidone-iodine skin spray to prevent fly invasion and prevent opportunistic bacterial infection, respectively. Acyclovir and oil of turpentine were suggested to be sprayed on the floor and wall of the shed for viral and ectoparasitic control. Our treatment regime successfully recovered the cow with no recurrence.
Enhancements of Nonlinear Substructuring Control for Shake Table Experiments on Severely Damaged Structures
Authors: Enokida Ryuta , Kajiwara Koichi
Published: June 2023

This study introduces enhancements for nonlinear substructuring control (NLSC) to achieve simultaneous control of acceleration and displacement in shake table substructuring experiments with severely damaged structures. Although shake table control is greatly affected by a specimen placed on its top and its nonlinear characteristics, accurate control, even with nonlinear characteristics, is essential for experimental purposes. The NLSC was developed for a dynamically substructured system (DSS) scheme involving nonlinear substructures, and its first application to a shake table experiment was performed on a one-storey steel frame. In the experiment, NLSC realised simultaneous control of table acceleration and displacement with a slight nonlinear characteristic within the frame, although its performance degraded as the nonlinearity became stronger. To address this degradation issue, this study introduces two techniques for enhancing NLSC shake table substructuring experiments. One is a composite filtering technique to minimise noise-contaminating displacement data fed back to the table control so that the error feedback action in NLSC can be fully utilised. The other involves a new linear model that is assumed to be more highly damped than the actual system to enhance the stability robustness of NLSC against nonlinear characteristics. After a series of numerical examinations, this study experimentally examined the enhancements on actual shake table experiments using a steel frame. Using the NLSC with the enhancements, a substructuring experiment was successfully conducted; moreover, the NLSC realised simultaneous control of the table acceleration and displacement with nearly 100% accuracy, even with severe nonlinear characteristics.
Association of Chest Anteroposterior Radiography with Computed Tomography in Patients with Blunt Chest Trauma
Authors: Choi Young Un , Kim Chang Whan , Lim JiHye , Park Il Hwan , Byun Chun Sung
Published: June 2023

Background. In cases of chest trauma, computed tomography (CT) can be used alongside chest anteroposterior (AP) radiography and physical examination during initial evaluation. Performing a CT scan may be difficult if a patient has unstable vital signs. In contrast, radiography may not always reliably diagnose nonmarked pneumothorax or extensive subcutaneous emphysema. Objectives. This study aimed to determine the agreement between chest radiography and CT findings in patients with blunt chest trauma. The study also aimed to determine the occurrence of occult pneumothorax and clarify the proportion of subcutaneous emphysema and pneumothorax detected through radiography and CT, respectively. Methods. We included patients (n = 1284) with chest trauma who were admitted to the emergency room of a tertiary hospital between January 2015 and June 2022. We excluded patients aged <18 years, those with stab injury, those without radiography and CT findings, and patients who required iatrogenic intervention, such as chest tube insertion, before imaging. We recorded age, sex, trauma mechanism, and Abbreviated Injury Scale score for each patient. From radiography and CT scans, we recorded the presence of rib fracture, subcutaneous emphysema, lung contusion, pneumothorax, and pneumomediastinum. The accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values were calculated to assess the reliability of radiography as a predictor of CT-based diagnosis. Results. Radiography exhibited a specificity of nearly 100% for all items. In most cases, findings that could not be confirmed by CT were not evident on radiographs. The incidence of occult pneumothorax was 87.3%. When subcutaneous emphysema was observed on radiography, CT findings indicated pneumothorax in 96.7% of cases. Conclusions. In situations where the patient’s vital signs are unstable and performing a CT scan is not feasible, the presence of subcutaneous emphysema on radiography may indicate the need for chest decompression, even if pneumothorax is not observed.
Analysis of Factors Affecting the Over-Representation of Sequential Crashes in Freeway Tunnels: Using Rule-Based Data Mining Method
Authors: Li Shun , Huang Shuai , Wang Jie , He Shijian
Published: June 2023

The paper provides an empirical analysis of road/tunnel design, traffic volume, and environmental factors associated with the increased likelihood of sequential crashes in freeway tunnels. The association rule mining and decision tree methods are employed since both of them are capable of identifying complicated interactions among variables and expressing them in the form of rules. Results show that tunnel length, traffic congestion, time of day, season, and vehicle type are the significant factors influencing the likelihood of sequential crashes in freeway tunnels. More importantly, association rule mining and decision tree analysis reveal that a combination of road/tunnel design, traffic, and environmental factors produces even a higher likelihood of sequential crashes, leading to a series of hazardous situations. For example, when factors including long tunnel and grade ≤ 2%, fourth level, and winter are combined, the proportion of sequential crashes is more than twice the average proportion of sequential crashes in the complete tunnel crash database. Traffic safety management should pay more attention to monitoring these hazardous situations which are more likely to be linked to sequential crashes.
May-Thurner Syndrome Presenting with Pelvic Hemorrhage in the Setting of Blunt Trauma
Authors: Laney Dan F. , Fairchild Alexandra H.
Published: June 2023

May-Thurner Syndrome is a vascular condition in which chronic compression of the left common iliac vein by the overlying right common iliac artery causes impaired venous return from the left lower extremity as well as possible development of pelvic varicosities. The condition typically presents with acute left lower extremity deep vein thrombosis or with signs and symptoms of pelvic or lower extremity venous insufficiency. In our patient, however, the presenting symptom was hemorrhage of pelvic varicosities in the setting of extensive pelvic fractures sustained during a motor vehicle collision. Acute hemorrhage in the setting of pelvic fractures is typically associated with the need for arterial angiography and possible embolization. This patient was instead treated with venography and stenting of her May-Thurner lesion which resulted in the resolution of her bleeding pelvic varicosities and improvement in her pre-existing pelvic and lower extremity venous symptoms.
Efficiency of the Green Surfactant Derived from Avena sativa Plant in the Presence of Different Salts for EOR Purposes
Authors: Azdarpour Amin , Norouzpour Milad , Nabipour Moein , Santos Rafael M. , Mohammadian Erfan
Published: June 2023

In this investigation, a unique approach using a green surfactant extracted from the Avena sativa (AS) plant in conjunction with three different salts, including Na2CO3, NaCl, and Na2SO4, was examined for enhanced oil recovery. In addition, the efficiency of NaOH as a supplementary chemical in the process was investigated. Based on the results of the interfacial tension (IFT), the optimum value of NaOH was found to be 2,000 ppm, while the green surfactant had a CMC value of 4,000 ppm. The IFT value at the CMC point of NaOH was 2.34 mN/m, when the FB was used, and the IFT value was 2.78 mN/m, when deionized water was used. In addition, in terms of IFT reduction, wettability modification, and oil recovery factor enhancement, Na2CO3 was the most suitable salt with the AS surfactant at the CMC point (4,000 ppm), followed by NaCl and then Na2SO4. The IFT values at the optimum salinity point (10,000 ppm) of Na2SO4, NaCl, and Na2CO3 were 3.18, 3.05, and 2.87 mN/m, respectively. Moreover, the contact angles at the optimum salinity point of 10,000 ppm after 150 hr and at the reservoir temperature (80°C) were 36.58°, 40.76°, and 44.18° with Na2CO3, NaCl, and Na2SO4, respectively. Furthermore, the addition of NaOH improved the efficiency of the green surfactant in terms of maximizing the recovery factor by decreasing the IFT values and changing the wettability of the rock toward a more water-wet state. The final recovery factors of 88.45%, 80.87%, and 7.98% were attained using Na2CO3, NaCl, and Na2SO4, respectively, when 1 PV of NaOH was injected as the preflush, followed by 4 PVs of natural AS surfactant.
Identification of a ΔNp63-Dependent Basal-Like A Subtype-Specific Transcribed Enhancer Program (B-STEP) in Aggressive Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma
Authors: Wang Xin , Kutschat Ana P. , Aggrey-Fynn Joana , Hamdan Feda H. , Graham Rondell P. , Wixom Alexander Q. , Souto Yara , Ladigan-Badura Swetlana , Yonkus Jennifer A. , Abdelrahman Amro M. , Alva-Ruiz Roberto , Gaedcke Jochen , Ströbel Philipp , Kosinsky Robyn Laura , Wegwitz Florian , Hermann Patrick , Truty Mark J. , Siveke Jens T. , Hahn Stephan A. , Hessmann Elisabeth , Johnsen Steven A. , Najafova Zeynab
Published: June 2023

A major hurdle to the application of precision oncology in pancreatic cancer is the lack of molecular stratification approaches and targeted therapy for defined molecular subtypes. In this work, we sought to gain further insight and identify molecular and epigenetic signatures of the Basal-like A pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) subgroup that can be applied to clinical samples for patient stratification and/or therapy monitoring. We generated and integrated global gene expression and epigenome mapping data from patient-derived xenograft models to identify subtype-specific enhancer regions that were validated in patient-derived samples. In addition, complementary nascent transcription and chromatin topology (HiChIP) analyses revealed a Basal-like A subtype-specific transcribed enhancer program in PDAC characterized by enhancer RNA (eRNA) production that is associated with more frequent chromatin interactions and subtype-specific gene activation. Importantly, we successfully confirmed the validity of eRNA detection as a possible histologic approach for PDAC patient stratification by performing RNA-ISH analyses for subtype-specific eRNAs on pathologic tissue samples. Thus, this study provides proof-of-concept that subtype-specific epigenetic changes relevant for PDAC progression can be detected at a single-cell level in complex, heterogeneous, primary tumor material.

Implications:

Subtype-specific enhancer activity analysis via detection of eRNAs on a single-cell level in patient material can be used as a potential tool for treatment stratification.
As múltiplas vozes narrativas de Jane Eyre: romance e filme
Authors: Costa Cynthia Beatrice , Pisetta Lenita Maria Rimoli
Published: June 2023

O que acontece com a voz de quem narra quando a narrativa muda de língua, tempo, espaço e/ou meio? Para examinar tal questão, adotamos como exemplo uma tradução para o português e uma adaptação cinematográfica do romance Jane Eyre (1847), de Charlotte Brontë. No plano da tradução interlingual, várias questões se colocam, como quando a narradora-personagem se dirige ao leitor. Como traduzir esse ‘reader’, que em português necessariamente terá marcação de gênero? A quem Jane se dirige? Já no filme de Robert Stevenson (1943), a narradora desdobra-se: a voz de Joan Fontaine em voice-over divide a tarefa narrativa com a câmera. A partir de conceitos narratológicos de Booth (1980) e Genette (1995) e dos estudos de Kozloff (1988) a respeito do uso de voice-over no cinema, examinamos a hipótese de que tradução e adaptação pressupõem ajustes significativos na voz narrativa.
O sol de Meursault: a tradução intersemiótica do signo solar de O estrangeiro, de Albert Camus, para o cinema e os quadrinhos
Authors: Santana Jáder
Published: June 2023

O romance O Estrangeiro, publicado por Albert Camus em 1942, foi adaptado para o cinema uma única vez pelo cineasta italiano Luchino Visconti, em 1967. Em 2013, o artista argelino Jacques Ferrandez adaptou o texto de Camus para os quadrinhos. Nas três obras, prevalece a figura do sol como elemento central e catalisador dos atos e sentimentos do protagonista. Este trabalho se propõe a analisar a tradução intersemiótica realizada nas obras de Visconti e Ferrandez para o signo solar e seus índices — o calor, o suor, a luz — a partir do romance de Camus e o modo como tais elementos se configuram como signos do mal-estar do personagem em sua trajetória de confusão e dúvida existencial.