bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
TeleNeurological evaluation and Support for the Emergency Department (TeleNS-ED): protocol for an open-label clinical trial
Authors: Mandrioli Jessica , Santangelo Mario , Luciani Antonio , Toscani Stefano , Zucchi Elisabetta , Giovannini Giada , Martinelli Ilaria , Cecoli Sonia , Bigliardi Guido , Scanavini Sara , Meletti Stefano
Published: May 2021

Introduction

The COVID-19 pandemic compelled health systems to protect patients and medical personnel during transit in hospitals by minimising transfers, prompting the use of telehealth systems. In the field of neurology, telemedicine has been used in emergency settings for acute stroke management between spoke and hub hospital networks, where good outcomes have been achieved. However, data on the use of telemedicine in non-stroke acute neurological conditions accessing the emergency department (ED) are currently missing.

Methods and analyses

This is an interventional, open-label trial on the use of teleconsultation in the ED for neurological diseases other than stroke. The study aims to develop a remote consultancy system (TeleNeurological Evaluation and Support, TeleNS) for patients with acute neurological symptoms referred to hospital facilities without a 24-hour availability of a neurologist consultant (spoke hospitals). The study population will include 100 ED patients referred to two spoke hospitals in 6 months, who will be asked to perform teleconsultation instead of inperson visits. As a control group, retrospectively available data from patients admitted to the ED of spoke hospitals during the same time period over the last 2 years will be evaluated. The primary objective is to assess whether a TeleNS for the ED guarantees a faster but qualitatively non-inferior diagnostic/therapeutic work-up if compared with inperson examination, assuring the availability of all the necessary examinations and treatments with consistent time-saving.

Ethics and dissemination

The trial was designed following the national guidelines on clinical investigation on telemedicine provided by the Italian Ministry of Health and according to the Standard Protocol Items for Randomized Trials statement guidelines. This research protocol was approved by Comitato Etico Area Vasta Emilia Nord in September 2020 (number/identification: 942/2020/DISP/AOUMO SIRER ID 805) and was written without patient involvement. Patients’ associations will be involved in the dissemination of study design and results. The results of the study will be presented during scientific symposia or published in scientific journals.

Trial registration number

NCT04611295.
Sex differences in postural orientation errors and association with objective and patient-reported function in patients with ACL injury: an exploratory cross-sectional study
Authors: Nae Jenny , Creaby Mark W , Cronström Anna , Ageberg Eva
Published: May 2021

Objectives

There is limited research on sex differences in postural orientation (ie, alignment between body segments) in people with knee injury measured with a clinically applicable method. An understanding of the relationship between postural orientation and physical function may help guide decision making in rehabilitation. The aims were to evaluate (1) sex differences in visual assessment of Postural Orientation Errors (POEs) and (2) the association between POEs and objective and patient-reported physical function, in men and women with anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR).

Methods

Twenty-four women and 29 men (mean 26.7 (SD 6.5) years) with ACLR were included. Six POEs (lower extremity and trunk) were scored from a video of five tasks with varying difficulty to compute POE scores (total and subscores). Objective physical function was evaluated with the single-leg hop for distance and side hop. Patient-reported physical function was evaluated using patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs).

Results

Women had significantly more POEs than men (median difference 5.5–25, p≤0.028). More POEs were associated with shorter hop distance and fewer side hops in women (rs= −0.425 to −0.518, p<0.038), but not in men (rs<0.301, p>0.05). No associations were found between POE scores and PROMs, in either sex (rs< –0.246, p>0.05).

Conclusions

Women with ACLR seem to have more POEs compared with men, indicating worse postural orientation. More POEs were associated with worse hop performance, suggesting that POE scores may be used as criteria for rehabilitation progression. The lack of associations between POE scores and PROMs indicate that these measures complement each other.
Guselkumab induces robust reduction in acute phase proteins and type 17 effector cytokines in active psoriatic arthritis: results from phase 3 trials
Authors: Sweet Kristen , Song Qingxuan , Loza Matthew J , McInnes Iain B , Ma Keying , Leander Karen , Lakshminarayanan Vani , Franks Carol , Cooper Philip , Siebert Stefan
Published: May 2021

Objective

To investigate serum protein expression in participants with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and changes after guselkumab treatment.

Methods

Participants with PsA were treated with guselkumab or placebo in the DISCOVER-1 and DISCOVER-2 studies. Serum levels of acute phase reactants C reactive protein (CRP) and serum amyloid A (SAA) and inflammatory cytokines/chemokines were measured at weeks 0, 4 and 24 in 300 study participants and 34 healthy controls (HCs). The PSUMMIT studies measured serum interleukin (IL)-17A, IL-17F and CRP after ustekinumab treatment and levels with ustekinumab versus guselkumab treatment were compared.

Results

Baseline serum levels of CRP, SAA, IL-6, IL-17A and IL-17F were elevated in participants with active PsA vs HCs (p<0.05, geometric mean (GM) ≥40% higher). Baseline T-helper cell 17 (Th17) effector cytokines were significantly associated with baseline psoriasis but not joint disease activity. Compared with placebo, guselkumab treatment resulted in decreases in serum CRP, SAA, IL-6, IL-17A, IL-17F and IL-22 as early as week 4 and continued to decrease through week 24 (p<0.05, GM decrease from baseline ≥33%). At week 24, IL-17A and IL-17F levels were not significantly different from HCs, suggesting normalisation of peripheral IL-23/Th17 axis effector cytokines postguselkumab treatment. Reductions in IL-17A/IL-17F levels were greater in guselkumab-treated versus ustekinumab-treated participants, whereas effects on CRP levels were similar.

Conclusion

Guselkumab treatment reduced serum protein levels of acute phase and Th17 effector cytokines and achieved comparable levels to those in HCs. In participants with PsA, reductions of IL-17A and IL-17F were of greater magnitude after treatment with guselkumab than with ustekinumab.
Towards security recommendations for public-key infrastructures for production environments in the post-quantum era
Authors: Yunakovsky Sergey E. , Kot Maxim , Pozhar Nikolay , Nabokov Denis , Kudinov Mikhail , Guglya Anton , Kiktenko Evgeniy O. , Kolycheva Ekaterina , Borisov Alexander , Fedorov Aleksey K.
Published: May 2021

Quantum computing technologies pose a significant threat to the currently employed public-key cryptography protocols. In this paper, we discuss the impact of the quantum threat on public key infrastructures (PKIs), which are used as a part of security systems for protecting production environments. We analyze security issues of existing models with a focus on requirements for a fast transition to post-quantum solutions. Although our primary focus is on the attacks with quantum computing, we also discuss some security issues that are not directly related to the used cryptographic algorithms but are essential for the overall security of the PKI. We attempt to provide a set of security recommendations regarding the PKI from the viewpoints of attacks with quantum computers.
NORTH–SOUTH ASYMMETRY IN TARIFF BARGAINING: A BLESSING FOR THE URBAN UNEMPLOYMENT?
Authors: Fang Chen , Lin Shu-Fen , Lee Cheng-Te
Published: May 2021

In this study, North–South asymmetries are incorporated into a general equilibrium model to re-examine tariff bargaining. The asymmetric two-country model indicates that an import tariff charged by the North generates positive externalities that ameliorate structural unemployment in the South. The findings of this study yield two critical respects. First, the consideration of the urban unemployment in the South may reverse the consensus that a reciprocal tariff concession benefits both of the negotiators. Second and hence, this suggests that developing countries may bargain with opponents by manipulating second-best tariffs.
Translational symmetries of quadratic Lagrangians
Authors: Barducci Andrea , Casalbuoni Roberto
Published: May 2021

In this paper, we show that a quadratic Lagrangian, with no constraints, containing ordinary time derivatives up to the order [Formula: see text] of [Formula: see text] dynamical variables, has [Formula: see text] symmetries consisting in the translation of the variables with solutions of the equations of motion. We construct explicitly the generators of these transformations and prove that they satisfy the Heisenberg algebra. We also analyze other specific cases which are not included in our previous statement: the Klein–Gordon Lagrangian, [Formula: see text] Fermi oscillators and the Dirac Lagrangian. In the first case, the system is described by an equation involving partial derivatives, the second case is described by Grassmann variables and the third shows both features. Furthermore, the Fermi oscillator and the Dirac field Lagrangians lead to second class constraints. We prove that also in these last two cases there are translational symmetries and we construct the algebra of the generators. For the Klein–Gordon case we find a continuum version of the Heisenberg algebra, whereas in the other cases, the Grassmann generators satisfy, after quantization, the algebra of the Fermi creation and annihilation operators.
Triangle relations for XY Z states
Authors: Zhu Kai
Published: May 2021

We propose novel triangle relations, not the well-known triangle singularity, for better understanding of the exotic [Formula: see text] states. Nine [Formula: see text] resonances, [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], and [Formula: see text] have been classified into triples to construct three triangles based on the assumption that they are all tetra-quark states. Here [Formula: see text] has not been observed experimentally yet, and we predict its mass and roughly the width. We also suggest some channels deserving search for with high priority based on this hypothesis, as well as predictions of a few production/decay rates of these channels. We hope further experimental studies of the [Formula: see text] states will benefit from our results.
Digital Transformation of Human Resource Management: Social Media’s Performance Effect
Authors: Vardarlier Pelin , Ozsahin Mehtap
Published: May 2021

Growing importance of technology and digitalization, leaded by globalization, has changed the nature of competition. Innovation becomes evident in that competitive environment, and firms began to transform their human resource capabilities and functions in that direction. It is commonly accepted that the competitive advantage depends on mostly efficient and effective utilization of human resources. Thanks to the communication technologies, social media evolved into the most-preferred method to reach high qualified human resource. Although firms have been active in social media networks for a long time, they have started to use this medium for human resource management purposes, such as internal communication, career management and recruiting process, recently. LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Google+ are primarily addressed social media tools which are used frequently in human resource management processes. In this respect, this study aims to examine the social media tools used in human resources management processes and the effects of social media use in human resource management processes on the human resources management performance and firm’s overall performance. The survey was conducted on human resource managers of 122 firms operating in manufacturing and service industry in Turkey. Data obtained from 122 human resource management managers were analyzed through the SPSS 21.00 statistical packet program. Descriptive analyzes, factor analysis, reliability analysis and correlation analysis have been conducted. Proposed relations were tested through regression analyzes utilizing Hayes’ PROCESS Macro. Research findings displayed that human resources management managers use social media tools frequently for recruitment and employee branding processes, and prefer mostly LinkedIn in all processes of human resources management. Furthermore, regression analyzes results revealed that human resources management performance mediates the effect of social media use at human resources management, on firm’s overall performance. The issue of social media use at human resources management have been examined in recent years and there is a limited number of research on that issue. Thus, this study examining social media use at human resources management and its performance effect is expected to contribute to literature.
Chelation Assembly of Cellulose Nanohydrogel onto Flower-Like Structured Foam with Underwater Superoleophobicity for Highly Efficient Oil–Water Separation
Authors: Wan Yuntian , Lin Xue , Chang Zhongshuai , Dai Xiaohui , Dai Jiangdong
Published: May 2021

Currently, with the increasingly serious pollution problem of oily wastewater, it is urgent to develop advanced materials and methods. In this work, a Fe(III)-CMC@Ni(OH)2@Ni composite foam with superhydrophilic and underwater superoleophobicity was fabricated by an in situ growth of flower-like Ni(OH)2 nanoparticles and chelated assembly of Fe(III)-CMC nanohydrogel via a layer-by-layer self assembly using [Formula: see text] ion and carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC). The composite foam could separate various oil/water mixtures and exhibited excellent efficiency over 99%. This foam possessed ultrahigh water flux (220000[Formula: see text]L [Formula: see text] [Formula: see text] and better resistant to penetration pressure (1.3[Formula: see text]kPa). After 30 cycles, the oil–water separation performance reduced only 0.5%, but the foam structure was still stable that guarantees a better lifetime. Besides, this composite foam showed anti-fouling, unique durability and excellent corrosion resistance performance. Taking into account all good properties, Fe(III)-CMC@Ni(OH)2@Ni composite foam was expected to be a potential candidate for responding to all kinds of complex oily wastewater conditions.
Interactive Programmatic Modeling
Authors: Broman David
Published: May 2021

Modeling and computational analyses are fundamental activities within science and engineering. Analysis activities can take various forms, such as simulation of executable models, formal verification of model properties, or inference of hidden model variables. Traditionally, tools for modeling and analysis have similar workflows: (i) a user designs a textual or graphical model or the model is inferred from data, (ii) a tool performs computational analyses on the model, and (iii) a visualization tool displays the resulting data. This article identifies three inherent problems with the traditional approach: the recomputation problem, the variable inspection problem, and the model expressiveness problem. As a solution, we propose a conceptual framework called Interactive Programmatic Modeling. We formalize the interface of the framework and illustrate how it can be used in two different domains: equation-based modeling and probabilistic programming.
Trust Prediction for Online Social Networks with Integrated Time-Aware Similarity
Authors: Gao Xiaofeng , Xu Wenyi , Liao Mingding , Chen Guihai
Published: May 2021

Online social networks gain increasing popularity in recent years. In online social networks, trust prediction is significant for recommendations of high reputation users as well as in many other applications. In the literature, trust prediction problem can be solved by several strategies, such as matrix factorization, trust propagation, and

-NN search. However, most of the existing works have not considered the possible complementarity among these mainstream strategies to optimize their effectiveness and efficiency. In this article, we propose a novel trust prediction approach named
iSim
: an integrated time-aware similarity-based collaborative filtering approach leveraging on user similarity, which integrates three kinds of factors to measure user similarity, including vector space similarity, time-aware matrix factorization, and propagated trust. This article is the first work in the literature employing time-aware matrix factorization and propagated trust in the study of similarity. Additionally, we use several methods like adding inverted index to reduce the time complexity of
iSim
, and provide its theoretical time bound. Moreover, we also provide the detailed overview and theoretical analysis of the existing works. Finally, the extensive experiments with real-world datasets show that
iSim
achieves great improvement for both efficiency and effectiveness over the state-of-the-art approaches.
Toward a Lingua Franca for Deterministic Concurrent Systems
Authors: Lohstroh Marten , Menard Christian , Bateni Soroush , Lee Edward A.
Published: May 2021

Many programming languages and programming frameworks focus on parallel and distributed computing. Several frameworks are based on actors, which provide a more disciplined model for concurrency than threads. The interactions between actors, however, if not constrained, admit nondeterminism. As a consequence, actor programs may exhibit unintended behaviors and are less amenable to rigorous testing. We show that nondeterminism can be handled in a number of ways, surveying dataflow dialects, process networks, synchronous-reactive models, and discrete-event models. These existing approaches, however, tend to require centralized control, pose challenges to modular system design, or introduce a single point of failure. We describe “reactors,” a new coordination model that combines ideas from several of these approaches to enable determinism while preserving much of the style of actors. Reactors promote modularity and allow for distributed execution. By using a logical model of time that can be associated with physical time, reactors also provide control over timing. Reactors also expose parallelism that can be exploited on multicore machines and in distributed configurations without compromising determinacy.
Link Recommendation for Social Influence Maximization
Authors: Coró Federico , D’angelo Gianlorenzo , Velaj Yllka
Published: May 2021

Social link recommendation systems, like “People-you-may-know” on Facebook, “Who-to-follow” on Twitter, and “Suggested-Accounts” on Instagram assist the users of a social network in establishing new connections with other users. While these systems are becoming more and more important in the growth of social media, they tend to increase the popularity of users that are already popular. Indeed, since link recommenders aim to predict user behavior, they accelerate the creation of links that are likely to be created in the future and, consequently, reinforce social bias by suggesting few (popular) users, giving few chances to most users to create new connections and increase their popularity.

In this article, we measure the popularity of a user by means of her social influence, which is her capability to influence other users’ opinions, and we propose a link recommendation algorithm that evaluates the links to suggest according to their increment in social influence instead of their likelihood of being created. In detail, we give a

factor approximation algorithm for the problem of maximizing the social influence of a given set of target users by suggesting a fixed number of new connections considering the Linear Threshold model as model for diffusion. We experimentally show that, with few new links and small computational time, our algorithm is able to increase by far the social influence of the target users. We compare our algorithm with several baselines and show that it is the most effective one in terms of increased influence.
Fast and Robust Dictionary-based Classification for Image Data
Authors: Zeng Shaoning , Zhang Bob , Gou Jianping , Xu Yong , Huang Wei
Published: May 2021

Dictionary-based classification has been promising in knowledge discovery from image data, due to its good performance and interpretable theoretical system. Dictionary learning effectively supports both small- and large-scale datasets, while its robustness and performance depends on the atoms of the dictionary most of the time. Empirically, using a large number of atoms is helpful to obtain a robust classification, while robustness cannot be ensured when setting a small number of atoms. However, learning a huge dictionary dramatically slows down the speed of classification, which is especially worse on the large-scale datasets. To address the problem, we propose a Fast and Robust Dictionary-based Classification (FRDC) framework, which fully utilizes the learned dictionary for classification by staging

- and

-norms to obtain a robust sparse representation. The new objective function, on the one hand, introduces an additional

-norm term upon the conventional

-norm optimization, which generates a more robust classification. On the other hand, the optimization based on both

- and

-norms is solved in two stages, which is much easier and faster than current solutions. In this way, even when using a limited size of dictionary, which makes sure the classification runs very fast, it still can gain higher robustness for multiple types of image data. The optimization is then theoretically analyzed in a new formulation, close but distinct to elastic-net, to prove it is crucial to improve the performance under the premise of robustness. According to our extensive experiments conducted on four image datasets for face and object classification, FRDC keeps generating a robust classification no matter whether using a small or large number of atoms. This guarantees a fast and robust dictionary-based image classification. Furthermore, when simply using deep features extracted via some popular pre-trained neural networks, it outperforms many state-of-the-art methods on the specific datasets.
Blockchain Privacy Through Merge Avoidance and Mixing Services
Authors: Simoes Jefferson E. , Ferreira Eduardo , Menasché Daniel S. , Campos Carlos A. V.
Published: May 2021

Cryptocurrencies typically aim at preserving the privacy of their users. Different cryptocurrencies preserve privacy at various levels, some of them requiring users to rely on strategies to raise the privacy level to their needs. Among those strategies, we focus on two of them: merge avoidance and mixing services. Such strategies may be adopted on top of virtually any blockchain-based cryptocurrency. In this paper, we show that whereas optimal merge avoidance leads to an NP-hard optimization problem, incentive-compatible mixing services are subject to a certain class of impossibility results. Together, our results contribute to the body of work on fundamental limits of privacy mechanisms in blockchainbased cryptocurrencies.
Robustness analysis of Bitcoin confirmation times
Authors: Stoepker Ivo , Gundlach Rowel , Kapodistria Stella
Published: May 2021

Bitcoin payments require a random amount of time to get confirmed (i.e. to be grouped by the miners into a block and to be added to the Bitcoin blockchain). In [8, 11], the authors propose the modelling of the Bitcoin confirmation time by the so-called time to ruin of the Cramer-Lundberg (CL) model. This provides off-the-shelf results directly aimed at predicting the confirmation time. However, analyses suggest that the data may not fully conform with the CL model assumptions. In this manuscript, we show by means of a robustness analysis that the time to ruin of a CL model is near insensitive to small changes in the model assumptions and illustrate that the proposed heuristic model can be used to accurately predict the confirmation times even when the data deviate (to a small degree) from the model assumptions.
Improving Web QoE Monitoring for Encrypted Network Traffic through Time Series Modeling
Authors: Wehner Nikolas , Seufert Michael , Schuler Joshua , Wassermann Sarah , Casas Pedro , Hossfeld Tobias
Published: May 2021

This paper addresses the problem of Quality of Experience (QoE) monitoring for web browsing. In particular, the inference of common Web QoE metrics such as Speed Index (SI) is investigated. Based on a large dataset collected with open web-measurement platforms on different device-types, a unique feature set is designed and used to estimate the RUMSI - an efficient approximation to SI, with machinelearning based regression and classification approaches. Results indicate that it is possible to estimate the RUMSI accurately, and that in particular, recurrent neural networks are highly suitable for the task, as they capture the network dynamics more precisely.
Feasibility of Longest Prefix Matching using Learned Index Structures
Authors: Higuchi Shunsuke , Takemasa Junji , Koizumi Yuki , Tagami Atsushi , Hasegawa Toru
Published: May 2021

This paper revisits longest prefix matching in IP packet forwarding because an emerging data structure, learned index, is recently presented. A learned index uses machine learning to associate key-value pairs in a key-value store. The fundamental idea to apply a learned index to an FIB is to simplify the complex longest prefix matching operation to a nearest address search operation. The size of the proposed FIB is less than half of an existing trie-based FIB while it achieves the computation speed nearly equal to the trie-based FIB. Moreover, the computation speed of the proposal is independent of the length of IP prefixes, unlike trie-based FIBs.
Vicious Circles: Violence, Vulnerability, and Climate Change
Authors: Buhaug Halvard , von Uexkull Nina
Published: May 2021

Climate change threatens core dimensions of human security, including economic prosperity, food availability, and societal stability. In recent years, war-torn regions such as Afghanistan and Yemen have harbored severe humanitarian crises, compounded by climate-related hazards. These cases epitomize the powerful but presently incompletely appreciated links between vulnerability, conflict, and climate-related impacts. In this article, we develop a unified conceptual model of these phenomena by connecting three fields of research that traditionally have had little interaction: ( a) determinants of social vulnerability to climate change, ( b) climatic drivers of armed conflict risk, and ( c) societal impacts of armed conflict. In doing so, we demonstrate how many of the conditions that shape vulnerability to climate change also increase the likelihood of climate–conflict interactions and, furthermore, that impacts from armed conflict aggravate these conditions. The end result may be a vicious circle locking affected societies in a trap of violence, vulnerability, and climate change impacts.
Electrochemical Study on the Reduction of Si and Ti from molten TiO2–SiO2–Al2O3–MgO–CaO Slag
Authors: Martin-Treceno Samuel , Hughes Thomas , Weaver Nicholas , Marshall Aaron T. , Watson Matthew J. , Bishop Catherine M.
Published: May 2021

The reduction process during the electrochemical production of titanium via the electrolysis of molten TiO2–SiO2–Al2O3–MgO–CaO slags has been investigated. A laboratory scale, electrolytic cell was designed to study the effect of TiO2 concentration at ultra-high temperatures. Galvanostatic and potentiostatic experiments were performed and results were consistent with thermodynamic predictions using FactSage. We demonstrate the direct production of Si-Ti alloys from the molten oxide mixture. The reduction of Si and Ti ions from the melt on a molybdenum electrode is a complex process that combines electron transfer and chemical phenomena. For the concentrations studied, the extraction of pure metallic Ti directly from ironmaking slag is unlikely without the prior removal of SiO2 or other chemical modifications to the system.
Diesel Soot as a Supercapacitor Electrode Material
Authors: Singh Gurpreet , Sharma Moolchand , Mathur Ankita , Halder Aditi , Vaish Rahul
Published: May 2021

Diesel soot (DS) collected directly from the exhaust tailpipe of the diesel-powered vehicle was explored for its performance as an electrochemical supercapacitor electrode material. X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy evidenced the existence of graphite carbon form in DS along with low amount of defects in the form of disordered graphite, amorphous carbon, ionic, and polyene impurities. The carbon (C, ∼94 at.%) and oxygen (O, ∼5 at.%) elements were identified using the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy technique on the DS surface. The morphology of DS powder consisted of nanoparticles with nearly spherical-shaped morphology as observed under the scanning electron microscope. Further, the transmission electron microscope showed the chain type interconnectivity of DS nanoparticles. The average surface area, average pore radius, and total pore volume of DS were measured to be 88 m2 g−1, 1.62 nm, and 0.17 cc g−1, respectively. Cyclic voltammetry and galvanostatic charge-discharge studies were performed to explore the electrochemical behavior of DS slurry-coated electrode. The supercapacitor behavior of DS was studied using various aqueous and organic electrolytes. Higher values of specific capacitance (Csp) were achieved for DS in the case of aqueous electrolytes in comparison to organic electrolytes. The observed highest specific capacitance (Csp) value was 36.77 F g−1 for DS at the current density value of 0.25 A g−1 using 0.5 M H2SO4 electrolyte. DS retains nearly 78.10% of its initial capacitance even after the execution of 5000 cycles, clearly indicating the excellent durability and stability of the material. Thus, DS could be a promising supercapacitor electrode material.
Local Effects of Organic Inhibitor Molecules on Passivation of Grain Boundaries Studied In Situ on Copper
Authors: Sharma Sagar B. , Maurice Vincent , Klein Lorena H. , Marcus Philippe
Published: May 2021

The effects of two organic corrosion inhibitors, 2-mercaptobenzothiazole (MBT) and 2-mercaptobenzimidazole (MBI), on grain boundary passivation was investigated on copper at the nanometer scale in NaOH solution using electrochemical scanning tunneling microscopy (ECSTM). Global electrochemical analysis by cyclic voltammetry showed that the organic surface layers, pre-formed after reductive dissociation of the native oxide in the presence of the inhibitors, block the formation of a Cu(I) surface oxide and thus passivation, but do not entirely suppress residual reactivity. Local ECSTM analysis in initial metallic, subsequently oxidized, and final reduced states confirmed residual intergranular reactivity except for coherent twins. On coincidence site lattice (CSL) and random boundaries, residual dissolution with accumulation of corrosion products or residual passivation was observed, depending on the barrier effect of the pre-formed inhibitor layer on oxide formation. For low Ʃ CSLs, no difference of barrier effect was observed between MBT and MBI. For more reactive high Ʃ CSLs and random boundaries, pre-adsorbed MBT formed a stronger barrier against passivation by oxide growth than pre-adsorbed MBI. The results provide deeper understanding of how passivation is altered by a pre-formed surface layer of organic corrosion inhibitor, including locally at different grain boundary types.
Conversion of Dinitrogen to Ammonia by FeB‑Embedded Graphyne
Authors: Song Wei , Fu Zhe , Fu Ling , He Chaozheng
Published: May 2021

The electrocatalytic nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR) performed under ambient conditions has provided alternative routes to realize green NH3 synthesis. Herein, the process of NRR has been investigated on transition metal (TM = Fe, Co, and Ni) single atoms supported by Bn-doped (n = 1–3) graphyne (GY) using density functional theory (DFT) calculations. We successfully identified FeB@GY as an ideal electrocatalyst via the distal pathway with a minimum limiting potential of −0.53 V. Additionally, the FeB@GY surface can efficiently promote electron transfer efficiency and significantly improve the stability of intermediate adsorption during the NRR.
Characterization of cytoplasmic lipid droplets in each region of the small intestine of lean and diet-induced obese mice in response to dietary fat
Authors: Zembroski Alyssa S. , D’Aquila Theresa , Buhman Kimberly K.
Published: May 2021

This study reflects the dynamics of fat absorption along the length of the small intestine in lean and obese mice in the physiological response to dietary fat. We identified unique features of cytoplasmic lipid droplets (CLDs) in the proximal, middle, and distal regions of the small intestine of lean and obese mice that may contribute to regional differences in dietary fat processing, absorption, or CLD metabolism.
Subclinical necrotizing enterocolitis-induced systemic immune suppression in neonatal preterm pigs
Authors: Ren Shuqiang , Pan Xiaoyu , Hui Yan , Kot Witold , Gao Fei , Sangild Per T. , Nguyen Duc Ninh
Published: May 2021

Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) and sepsis are common diseases in preterm infants. Many develop sepsis following an episode of suspected NEC, suggesting NEC as a predisposing factor for sepsis but mechanisms are unclear. Using preterm pigs as a model, now we show that subclinical NEC lesions, independent of clinical confounding factors, induces systemic immune suppression. The results may help to explain the increased risks of infection and sepsis in preterm infants with previous NEC diagnosis.
RSV attenuates epithelial cell restitution by inhibiting actin cytoskeleton-dependent cell migration
Authors: Linfield Debra T. , Gao Nannan , Raduka Andjela , Harford Terri J. , Piedimonte Giovanni , Rezaee Fariba
Published: May 2021

The airway epithelium’s ability to repair itself after injury, known as epithelial restitution, is an essential mechanism enabling the respiratory tract’s normal functions. Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the leading cause of lower respiratory tract infections worldwide. We sought to determine whether RSV delays the airway epithelium wound repair process both in vitro and in vivo. We found that RSV infection attenuated epithelial cell migration, a step in wound repair, promoted stress fiber formation, and mediated assembly of large focal adhesions. Inhibition of Rho-associated kinase, a master regulator of actin function, reversed these effects. There was increased RhoA and phospho-myosin light chain 2 following RSV infection. In vivo, mice were intraperitoneally inoculated with naphthalene to induce lung injury, followed by RSV infection. RSV infection delayed reepithelialization. There were increased concentrations of phospho-myosin light chain 2 in day 7 naphthalene + RSV animals, which normalized by day 14. This study suggests a key mechanism by which RSV infection delays wound healing.
The proprotein convertase furin inhibits IL-13-induced inflammation in airway smooth muscle by regulating integrin-associated signaling complexes
Authors: Wu Yidi , Huang Youliang , Zhang Wenwu , Gunst Susan J.
Published: May 2021

Furin is a proprotein convertase that regulates the activation and the inactivation of multiple proteins including matrix metalloproteinases, integrins, and cytokines. It is a serine endoprotease that localizes to the plasma membrane and can be secreted into the extracellular space. The role of furin in regulating inflammation in isolated canine airway smooth muscle tissues was investigated. The treatment of airway tissues with recombinant furin (rFurin) inhibited the activation of Akt and eotaxin secretion induced by IL-13, and it prevented the IL-13-induced suppression of smooth muscle myosin heavy chain expression. rFurin promoted a differentiated phenotype by activating β1-integrin proteins and stimulating the activation of the adhesome proteins vinculin and paxillin by talin. Activated paxillin induced the binding of Akt to β-parvin IPP [integrin-linked kinase (ILK), PINCH, parvin] complexes, which inhibits Akt activation. Treatment of tissues with a furin inhibitor or the depletion of endogenous furin using shRNA resulted in Akt activation and inflammatory responses similar to those induced by IL-13. Furin inactivation or IL-13 caused talin cleavage and integrin inactivation, resulting in the inactivation of vinculin and paxillin. Paxillin inactivation resulted in the coupling of Akt to α-parvin IPP complexes, which catalyze Akt activation and an inflammatory response. The results demonstrate that furin inhibits inflammation in airway smooth muscle induced by IL-13 and that the anti-inflammatory effects of furin are mediated by activating integrin proteins and integrin-associated signaling complexes that regulate Akt-mediated pathways to the nucleus. Furin may have therapeutic potential for the treatment of inflammatory conditions of the lungs and airways.
Prevention of hemorrhage-induced renal vasoconstriction and hypoxia by angiotensin II type 1 receptor antagonism in pigs
Authors: Franzén Stephanie , Näslund Erik , Wang Helen , Frithiof Robert
Published: May 2021

Angiotensin II (ANG II) is a potent vasoconstrictor and may reduce renal blood flow (RBF), causing renal hypoxia. Hypotensive hemorrhage elevates plasma ANG II levels and is associated with increased risk of acute kidney injury. We hypothesized that ANG II antagonism prevents renal vasoconstriction and hypoxia caused by hemorrhage. Pigs were anaesthetized, surgically prepared, and randomized to intravenous losartan (1.5 mg·kg−1·h−1, n = 8) or an equal volume of intravenous Ringer acetate (vehicle-treated, n = 8). Hemorrhage was induced by continuous aspiration of blood to reach and sustain mean arterial pressure of <50 mmHg for 30 min. Plasma ANG II levels, hemodynamics and oxygenation were assessed 60 min prehemorrhage, 30-min after the start of hemorrhage, and 60 min posthemorrhage. Erythropoietin mRNA was analyzed in cortical and medullary tissue sampled at the end of the experiment. Hypotensive hemorrhage increased plasma ANG II levels and decreased RBF and oxygen delivery in both groups. Losartan-treated animals recovered in RBF and oxygen delivery, whereas vehicle-treated animals had persistently reduced RBF and oxygen delivery. In accordance, renal vascular resistance increased over time post hemorrhage in vehicle-treated animals but was unchanged in losartan-treated animals. Renal oxygen extraction rate and cortical erythropoietin mRNA levels increased in the vehicle group but not in the losartan group. In conclusion, ANG II antagonism alleviates prolonged renal vasoconstriction and renal hypoxia in a large animal model of hypotensive hemorrhage.
Action-dependent processing of self-motion in parietal cortex of macaque monkeys
Authors: Churan Jan , Kaminiarz Andre , Schwenk Jakob C. B. , Bremmer Frank
Published: May 2021

Neurons in macaque ventral intraparietal area (VIP) are responding to sensory stimulation related to self-motion, e.g. visual optic flow. Here, we found that self-motion induced activation depends on the sense of agency, i.e., it differed when optic flow was perceived as self- or externally induced. This demonstrates that area VIP is well suited for study of the interplay between active behavior and sensory processing during self-motion.
Encoding of limb state by single neurons in the cuneate nucleus of awake monkeys
Authors: Versteeg Christopher , Rosenow Joshua M. , Bensmaia Sliman J. , Miller Lee E.
Published: May 2021

The cuneate nucleus (CN) is the somatosensory gateway into the brain, and only recently has it been possible to record these signals from an awake animal. We recorded single CN neurons in monkeys. Proprioceptive CN neurons appear to receive input from very few muscles, and their sensitivity to movement changes reliably during reaching relative to passive arm perturbations. Sensitivity is generally increased, but not exclusively so, as though CN “spotlights” critical proprioceptive information during reaching.
Identification of Differentially Expressed circRNAs, miRNAs, and Genes in Patients Associated with Cartilaginous Endplate Degeneration
Authors: Xu Haiwei , Li Yongjin , Li Jianhua , Huo Zhenxin , Li Guowang , Du Lilong , Tian Lijun , Xu Baoshan
Published: May 2021

Background. Intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD) disease is a global challenge because of its predominant pathogenic factor in triggering low back pain, whereas cartilaginous endplate degeneration (CEPD) is the main cause of IDD. Accumulating evidence have indicated that the differentially expressed microRNAs (DEMs) and differentially expressed genes (DEGs) have been determined to be involved in multiple biological processes to mediate CEPD progression. However, the differentially expressed circular RNAs (DECs) and their potential biofunctions in CEPD have not been identified. Methods. GSE153761 dataset was analyzed using R software to predict DECs, DEMs, and DEGs. Pathway enrichment analysis of DEGs and host genes of DECs and protein‐protein interaction network of DEGs were conducted to explore their potential biofunctions. Furthermore, we explore the potential relationship between DEGs and DECs. Results. There were 74 DECs, 17 DEMs, and 68 DEGs upregulated whereas 50 DECs, 16 DEMs, and 67 DEGs downregulated in CEPD group. Pathway analysis unveiled that these RNAs might regulate CEPD via mediating inflammatory response, ECM metabolism, chondrocytes apoptosis, and chondrocytes growth. A total of 17 overlapping genes were predicted between the host genes of DEGs and DECs, such as SDC1 and MAOA. Moreover, 6 upregulated DECs, of which hsa_circ_0052830 was the most upregulated circRNA in CEPD, were derived from the host genes SDC1, whereas 8 downregulated DECs were derived from the host genes MAOA. Conclusion. This will provide novel clues for future experimental studies to elucidate the pathomechanism of CEPD and therapeutic targets for CEPD‐related diseases.
Quantitative Analysis of Comprehensive Influence of Music Network Based on Logistic Regression and Bidirectional Clustering
Authors: Zhao Yi-Kun , Wang Guo-Qing , Zhan Xiao-Xiao , Yang Peng-Hui
Published: May 2021

This paper makes a quantitative analysis of the comprehensive influence of music networks. Firstly, 11 music features are selected from energy, popularity, and other aspects to build a comprehensive evaluation index of music influence, and the PageRank algorithm is used to quantify the music influence. Secondly, the multiobjective logistic regression is used to construct the music similarity measurement model and, combined with music influence and music similarity, to judge whether the influence of different musicians is the actual influence. Thirdly, the influence and similarity of the same music genre and different music genres are analyzed by using the two‐way cluster analysis method. Finally, the lasso region is used for feature selection to obtain the change factors in the process of music evolution and analyze the dynamic changes in the process of music development. Therefore, this paper uses network science to build a dynamic network to analyze the similarity of music, the evolution process, and the impact of music on culture, which has certain research significance and practical value in the fields of music, history, social science, and practice.
Association of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus with Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes and Its Interaction with Maternal Age in Chinese Urban Women
Authors: Wang Xueyin , Zhang Xiaosong , Zhou Min , Juan Juan , Wang Xu
Published: May 2021

Background. The prevalence of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) has been dramatically increasing worldwide. The aims of this study were to examine associations of GDM with pregnancy outcomes in Chinese urban women and to evaluate the interaction between GDM and other major risk factors for the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes. Methods. A retrospective analysis included 8844 women who delivered live singletons at ≥28 weeks of gestation between June 2012 and March 2013 among Chinese urban women. Structured questionnaires were used to collect information on demographic characteristics, lifestyle behavior, medical history, and pregnancy outcomes. The diagnosis of GDM was made between 24 and 28 gestational weeks according to the International Association of Diabetes and Pregnancy Study Groups criteria. Logistic regression models were used to assess the association of GDM with pregnancy outcomes and to examine the interaction between GDM and other major risk factors including maternal age, prepregnancy body mass index, and gestational weight gain for the risk of pregnancy outcomes. Results. 13.9% of women were diagnosed with GDM. We found that GDM was associated with higher risk of cesarean delivery (

odds
 
ratio
 

OR

=
1.69

, 95% CI (confidence interval): 1.48-1.92), preterm birth (

OR
=
1.32

, 95% CI: 1.07-1.64), macrosomia (

OR
=
1.69

, 95% CI: 1.34-2.13), and large for gestational age (LGA,

OR
=
1.43

, 95% CI: 1.18-1.73) after adjustment for potential confounders. We also observed the interaction between GDM and maternal age for the risk of cesarean delivery (

P
 
for
 
interaction
=
0.025

), and the OR of GDM for cesarean delivery was 1.71 (95% CI: 1.49-1.97) among women aged less than 35 years. Conclusions. GDM was associated with an increased risk of cesarean delivery, preterm birth, macrosomia, and LGA in Chinese urban women, and there was an interaction between GDM and maternal age for the risk of cesarean delivery.
A Classification Method of Tourism English Talents Based on Feature Mining and Information Fusion Technology
Authors: Wei Xin
Published: May 2021

With the rapid development of the Internet, text data has become one of the major formats of big data tourism and improves the quality and promotes the optimization and upgradation of tourism English talents. This paper proposes a model of tourism English talent resources based on data mining techniques using a big data framework. The characteristic distribution structure model is built to identify and blend the characteristics of tourism English talent resources. Connection feature mining and information fusion are combined to share data and schedule resources during the talent training process. Initially, the proposed research work uses a cloud storage system for developing intercultural communicative competence of tourism English talents. Next, the optimal scheduling design of tourism English talent training resource’s big data is carried out. Finally, the fuzzy clustering method deals with the adaptive clustering of tourism English talent resource distribution big data. The simulation findings show that the proposed method has high precision and big data computation efficiency. Moreover, it can successfully mentor the development of a new framework of tourism English talent training.