bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Acceleration during neonatal transport and its impact on mechanical ventilation
Authors: Lantos Lajos , Széll András , Chong David , Somogyvári Zsolt , Belteki Gusztav
Published: June 2022

Objective

During interhospital transfer, critically ill neonates frequently require mechanical ventilation and are exposed to physical forces related to movement of the ambulance. In an observational study, we investigated acceleration during emergency transfers and if they result from changes in ambulance speed and direction or from vibration due to road conditions. We also studied how these forces impact on performance of the fabian+nCPAP evolution neonatal ventilator and on patient-ventilator interactions.

Methods

We downloaded ventilator parameters at 125 Hz and acceleration data at 100 Hz sampling rates, respectively, during the emergency transfer of 109 infants. Study subjects included term, preterm and extremely preterm infants. We computationally analysed the magnitude, direction and frequency of ambulance acceleration. We also analysed maintenance and variability of ventilator parameters and the shape of pressure-volume loops.

Results

While acceleration was <1 m/s2most of the time, most babies were occasionally exposed to accelerations>5 m/s2. Vibration was responsible for most of the acceleration, rather than speed change or vehicle turning. There was no significant difference between periods of high or low vibration in ventilation parameters, their variability and how well targeted parameters were kept close to their target. Speed change or vehicle turning did not affect ventilator parameters or performance. However, during periods of intense vibration, pressure-volume ventilator loops became significantly more irregular.

Conclusions

Infants are exposed to significant acceleration and vibration during emergency transport. While these forces do not interfere with overall maintenance of ventilator parameters, they make the pressure-volume loops more irregular.
Prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 positivity in infants with bronchiolitis: a multicentre international study
Authors: Cozzi Giorgio , Cortellazzo Wiel Luisa , Amaddeo Alessandro , Gatto Antonio , Giangreco Manuela , Klein-Kremer Adi , Bosis Samantha , Silvagni Davide , Debbia Carla , Nanni Laura , Chiappa Sara , Minute Marta , Corsini Ilaria , Morabito Giuliana , Gortan Anna Jolanda , Colombo Marco , Marchetti Federico , Garelli Davide , Piffer Arianna , Cardinale Fabio , Levy Nitai , Curatola Antonietta , Gojsina Bojana , Basu Suvradeep , Barbi Egidio , Sovtic Aleksandar
Published: June 2022

Background

Bronchiolitis is the leading acute respiratory tract infection in infants during the winter season. Since the beginning of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, a reduction in the number of bronchiolitis diagnoses has been registered.

Objective

The present study aimed to describe the incidence and clinical features of bronchiolitis during the 2020–2021 winter season in a large cohort of children in Europe and Israel, and to clarify the role of SARS-CoV-2.

Setting, patients, interventions

We conducted a multicentre observational cross-sectional study in 23 paediatric emergency departments in Europe and Israel. Clinical and demographic data about all the cases of infants diagnosed with bronchiolitis from 1 October 2020 to 30 April 2021 were collected. For each enrolled patient, diagnostic tests, treatments and outcomes were reported.

Main outcome measures

The main outcome was the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2-positive bronchiolitis.

Results

Three hundred and fourteen infants received a diagnosis of bronchiolitis during the study period. Among 535 infants who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, 16 (3%) had bronchiolitis. Median age, male sex predominance, weight, history of prematurity and presence of comorbidities did not differ between the SARS-CoV-2-positive and SARS-CoV-2-negative groups. Rhinovirus was the most common involved pathogen, while respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) was detected in one case. SARS-CoV-2 bronchiolitis had a mild clinical course, with one patient receiving oxygen supplementation and none requiring paediatric or neonatal intensive care unit admission.

Conclusions

During the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, a marked decrease in the number of bronchiolitis diagnoses and the disappearance of the RSV winter epidemic were observed. SARS-CoV-2-related bronchiolitis was rare and mostly displayed a mild clinical course.
Designing and evaluating a patient decision aid for patients with locally advanced or locally recurrent rectal cancer: a national multicentre mixed methods study protocol
Authors: Williams Anwen , Hutchings Hayley Anne , Harris Dean Anthony , Evans Martyn , Harji Deena
Published: June 2022

Introduction

Approximately 5%–10% of new rectal cancers are locally advanced (locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC)) at presentation with 4%–8% recurring (locally recurrent rectal cancer (LRRC)) after initial treatment. Patients with potentially curable disease have to consider many trade-offs when considering major exenterative surgery. There are no decision tools for these patients and current resources have found to not meet minimum international standards. The overall aim of this study is to produce a validated patient decision aid (PtDA) to assist patients considering radical pelvic exenteration for LARC and LRRC created in line with international minimum standards.

Methods and analysis

This study is a national, multicentre mixed methods project and has been designed in keeping with guidance from the International Patient Decision Aids Standard.

This study is in four stages. In stage 1, we will develop the PtDA and its content using agile developmental methodology. In stage 2, we will assess the content and face validity of the PtDA using mixed-methods with key stakeholders. In stage 3, we will assess the feasibility and efficacy of the PtDA. In stage 4, we will establish the barriers and facilitators to the use of a PtDA in the outpatient setting. Questionnaires including the QQ-10, EORTC PATSAT-C33, Preparation for Decision-Making Scale and the NoMAD survey will be analysed during the study. Interviews will be analysed using thematic analysis.

Ethics and dissemination

Research ethics approval from North of Scotland Research Ethics Service 19/NS/0056 (IRAS 257890) has been granted. Results will be published in open access peer-reviewed journals, presented in conferences and distributed through bowel research UK charity. External endorsement will be sought from the International Patient Decision Standards Collaboration inventory of PtDAs.

PROSPERO registration number

CRD42019122933.
Incidence of acute lower respiratory tract disease hospitalisations, including pneumonia, among adults in Bristol, UK, 2019, estimated using both a prospective and retrospective methodology
Authors: Hyams Catherine , Begier Elizabeth , Garcia Gonzalez Maria , Southern Jo , Campling James , Gray Sharon , Oliver Jennifer , Gessner Bradford D , Finn Adam
Published: June 2022

Objectives

To determine the disease burden of acute lower respiratory tract disease (aLRTD) and its subsets (pneumonia, lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI) and heart failure) in hospitalised adults in Bristol, UK.

Setting

Single-centre, secondary care hospital, Bristol, UK.

Design

We estimated aLRTD hospitalisations incidence in adults (≥18 years) in Bristol, UK, using two approaches. First, retrospective International Classification of Diseases 10th revision (ICD-10) code analysis (first five positions/hospitalisation) identified aLRTD events over a 12-month period (March 2018 to February 2019). Second, during a 21-day prospective review (19 August 2019 to 9 September 2019), aLRTD admissions were identified, categorised by diagnosis and subsequently annualised. Hospital catchment denominators were calculated using linked general practice and hospitalisation data, with each practice’s denominator contribution calculated based on practice population and per cent of the practices’ hospitalisations admitted to the study hospital.

Participants

Prospective review: 1322 adults screened; 410 identified with aLRTD. Retrospective review: 7727 adult admissions.

Primary and secondary outcome measures

The incidence of aLRTD and its subsets in the adult population of Southmead Hospital, Bristol UK.

Results

Based on ICD-10 code analysis, annual incidences per 100 000 population were: aLRTD, 1901; pneumonia, 591; LRTI, 739; heart failure, 402. aLRTD incidence was highest among those ≥65 years: 65–74 (3684 per 100 000 adults), 75–84 (6962 per 100 000 adults) and ≥85 (11 430 per 100 000 adults). During the prospective review, 410/1322 (31%) hospitalised adults had aLRTD signs/symptoms and annualised incidences closely replicated retrospective analysis results.

Conclusions

The aLRTD disease burden was high, increasing sharply with age. The aLRTD incidence is probably higher than estimated previously due to criteria specifying respiratory-specific symptoms or radiological change, usage of only the first diagnosis code and mismatch between case count sources and population denominators. This may have significant consequences for healthcare planning, including usage of current and future vaccinations against respiratory infection.
Burden and factors associated with perceived stress amidst COVID-19: a population web-based study in Pakistan
Authors: Lakhdir Maryam Pyar Ali , Peerwani Ghazal , Azam Syed Iqbal , Ali Nathwani Apsara , Iqbal Romaina , Asad Nargis
Published: June 2022

Objective

This study aims to determine the burden and factors associated with perceived stress in the Pakistani population amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

Setting

A web-based cross-sectional survey was conducted from April to August 2020.

Population

This survey was broadcasted on the web using a Google form link and 1654 Pakistani residents had completed this survey. Individuals belonging to any province, city, village, or district of Pakistan irrespective of any age, having internet access and a link of Google form, with English/Urdu competency, consent to participate, and currently residing in Pakistan were eligible to participate.

Outcome measure

Perceived stress was measured using a validated tool of perceived stress scale-10. Multiple ordinal regression was used, and an adjusted OR along with a 95% CI are reported.

Results

The mean score of perceived stress was 19.32 (SD ±6.67). Most of the participants screened positive for moderate (69%) and high levels (14%) of stress, respectively. The odds of high-perceived stress among severely anxious participants were 44.67 (95% CI: 21.33 to 93.53) times than participants with no/minimal generalised anxiety during the complete lockdown. However, the odds of high levels of perceived stress among moderately anxious respondents were 15.79 (95% CI: 10.19 to 24.28) times compared with participants with no/minimal anxiety during the smart lockdown.

Conclusion

This study evidence that the pandemic was highly distressing for the Pakistani population causing the maximum level of perceived stress in more than half of the population. Adequate and timely interventions are needed before high-stress levels culminate into psychological disorders.
Systematic review of the effectiveness of non-pharmacological interventions used to treat adults with inducible laryngeal obstruction
Authors: Haines Jemma , Smith Jacklyn Ann , Wingfield-Digby James , King Jenny , Yorke Janelle , Fowler Stephen J
Published: June 2022

Introduction

Inducible laryngeal obstruction (ILO) describes transient laryngeal closure during respiration and can cause significant morbidity. Non-pharmacological behavioural therapy is the commonly cited treatment but efficacy is largely unknown.

Aim

To synthesise the current evidence base on the effectiveness of non-pharmacological interventions used to treat adults with ILO.

Methods

Electronic databases (Medline/Embase/CINAHL/PsycINFO/AMED/CENTRAL) were systematically searched, informed by a population, intervention, comparison, outcome framework. Two reviewers independently screened a representative sample, with lead-author completion due to excellent inter-rater reliability. Data was extracted using a predefined piloted form. Methodological quality was appraised (blindly by two reviewers) using the Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal Tools. A narrative synthesis was performed due to heterogeneity of studies (PROSPERO registration number: CRD42020213187).

Results

Initial searching identified 3359 records. Full-text screening occurred in 92 records and 14 studies, comprising 527 participants, were deemed eligible. All studies were low-level evidence (observational by design, with four case reports), with a high risk of bias; none contained control arms for comparison. Intervention description was inconsistently and poorly described but direction of effect was positive in 76% of outcomes measured. The majority of studies showed a reduction in symptom scores and improved direct laryngeal imaging post intervention; there was an overall reduction, 59.5%, in healthcare utilisation.

Discussion

The literature is in an embryonic state and lacks robust data to truly inform on the effectiveness of non-pharmacological interventions used to treat adults with ILO. However, positive signals in the synthesis performed support non-pharmacological treatment approaches and further development is warranted.
Protective and aggressive bacterial subsets and metabolites modify hepatobiliary inflammation and fibrosis in a murine model of PSC
Authors: Awoniyi Muyiwa , Wang Jeremy , Ngo Billy , Meadows Vik , Tam Jason , Viswanathan Amba , Lai Yunjia , Montgomery Stephanie , Farmer Morgan , Kummen Martin , Thingholm Louise , Schramm Christoph , Bang Corinna , Franke Andre , Lu Kun , Zhou Huiping , Bajaj Jasmohan S , Hylemon Phillip B , Ting Jenny , Popov Yury V , Hov Johannes Roksund , Francis Heather L , Sartor Ryan Balfour
Published: June 2022

Objective

Conflicting microbiota data exist for primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) and experimental models. Goal: define the function of complex resident microbes and their association relevant to PSC patients by studying germ-free (GF) and antibiotic-treated specific pathogen-free (SPF) multidrug-resistant 2 deficient (mdr2−/−) mice and microbial profiles in PSC patient cohorts.

Design

We measured weights, liver enzymes, RNA expression, histological, immunohistochemical and fibrotic biochemical parameters, faecal 16S rRNA gene profiling and metabolomic endpoints in gnotobiotic and antibiotic-treated SPFmdr2−/−mice and targeted metagenomic analysis in PSC patients.

Results

GFmdr2−/−mice had 100% mortality by 8 weeks with increasing hepatic bile acid (BA) accumulation and cholestasis. Early SPF autologous stool transplantation rescued liver-related mortality. Inhibition of ileal BA transport attenuated antibiotic-accelerated liver disease and decreased total serum and hepatic BAs. Depletion of vancomycin-sensitive microbiota exaggerated hepatobiliary disease. Vancomycin selectively decreased Lachnospiraceae and short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) but expanded Enterococcus and Enterobacteriaceae. Antibiotics increasedEnterococcus faecalisandEscherichia coliliver translocation. Colonisation of GFmdr2−/−mice with translocatedE. faecalisandE. colistrains accelerated hepatobiliary inflammation and mortality. Lachnospiraceae colonisation of antibiotic pretreatedmdr2−/−mice reduced liver fibrosis, inflammation and translocation of pathobionts, and SCFA-producing Lachnospiraceae and purified SCFA decreased fibrosis. Faecal Lachnospiraceae negatively associated, andE. faecalis/ Enterobacteriaceaepositively associated, with PSC patients’ clinical severity by Mayo risk scores.

Conclusions

We identified novel functionally protective and detrimental resident bacterial species inmdr2−/−mice and PSC patients with associated clinical risk score. These insights may guide personalised targeted therapeutic interventions in PSC patients.
What are the mental health consequences of austerity measures in public housing? A quasi-experimental study
Authors: Kim Chungah , Teo Celine , Nielsen Andrew , Chum Antony
Published: June 2022

Background

As governments around the world implement austerity measures to reduce national deficits, there is an urgent need to investigate potential health impacts of specific measures to avoid unintended consequences. In 2013, the UK government implemented the underoccupancy penalty (ie, the bedroom tax) to reduce the national housing benefits bill, by cutting social housing subsidies for households deemed to have excess rooms. We investigated the impact of the bedroom tax on self-reported psychological distress.

Methods

Using data from the UK Household Longitudinal Study (2010–2014), the sample included those who received housing subsidies, aged 16–60, living in England. Control and treatment groupings were identified on their household composition and housing situation. We used matching methods to create an exchangeable set of observations. Difference-in-differences analysis was performed to examine changes across the prereform and postreform psychological distress of the treatment and control groups, using the 12-item General Health Questionnaire.

Results

The implementation of the reform was associated with a moderate increase in psychological distress (0.88, 95% CI 0.06 to 1.71) among the treatment group, relative to the control group. However, the announcement was not associated with change in psychological distress (0.53, 95% CI 0.21 to 1.27).

Conclusion

Our study provides evidence that the implementation of housing austerity measures can increase psychological distress among social housing tenants. As the use of austerity measures become more widespread, policy-makers should consider supplementary interventions to ameliorate potential negative health consequences.
Income and outcomes of patients with incident atrial fibrillation
Authors: Biancari Fausto , Teppo Konsta , Jaakkola Jussi , Halminen Olli , Linna Miika , Haukka Jari , Putaala Jukka , Mustonen Pirjo , Kinnunen Janne , Hartikainen Juha , Aro Aapo , Airaksinen Juhani , Lehto Mika
Published: June 2022

Background

Socioeconomic disparities can be associated with adverse outcomes in patients with cardiovascular diseases. The impact of personal income on the outcomes of patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) is unclear.

Methods

Nationwide observational registry-based study on patients with incident AF in Finland during 2007–2018.

Results

203 154 patients (mean age 73.0±13.5; females 49.0%) were diagnosed with incident AF during the study period. Overall, 16 272 (8.0%) patients experienced first-ever ischaemic stroke and 63 420 (31.2%) died (mean follow-up 4.3±3.3 years). After adjusting for confounding factors, low personal income was associated with increased risk of overall mortality in all age strata and the incidence of first-ever stroke in patients aged <65 years and 65–74 years, but not in those ≥75 years. The magnitude of this effect was greatest in patients aged <65 years. After propensity score matching of patients <65 years in the lowest and highest quintiles of maximum personal annual income, at 10 years, those in the highest income quintile (≥€54 000) had significantly lower risk of first-ever stroke (subdistribution HR 0.495, 95% CI 0.391 to 0.628) and overall mortality (HR 0.307, 95% CI 0.269 to 0.351) compared with patients in the lowest income quintile (≤€12 000).

Conclusions

Personal annual income has a significant impact on the incidence of first-ever ischaemic stroke and overall mortality among patients with incident AF, particularly among patients of working age. Low-income indicate the need for intervention strategies to improve outcomes of AF.

Trial registration number

NCT04645537.
Repairing moral injury takes a team: what clinicians can learn from combat veterans
Authors: Cahill Jonathan M , Kinghorn Warren , Dugdale Lydia
Published: June 2022

Moral injury results from the violation of deeply held moral commitments leading to emotional and existential distress. The phenomenon was initially described by psychologists and psychiatrists associated with the US Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs but has since been applied more broadly. Although its application to healthcare preceded COVID-19, healthcare professionals have taken greater interest in moral injury since the pandemic’s advent. They have much to learn from combat veterans, who have substantial experience in identifying and addressing moral injury—particularly its social dimensions. Veterans recognise that complex social factors lead to moral injury, and therefore a community approach is necessary for healing. We argue that similar attention must be given in healthcare, where a team-oriented and multidimensional approach is essential both for ameliorating the suffering faced by health professionals and for addressing the underlying causes that give rise to moral injury.
Laboratory assessment of capillary rising in cement- and lime-treated engineered loess
Authors: Wang Sheng-Lin , Li Xiao-Yuan , Yin Shunde
Published: June 2022

The capillary rising is one of the most common phenomena in fine-grained soils. However, research is limited for capillary actions in cementitiously treated engineered soils. In this study, a soil column test was performed for the free capillary rising in compacted loess and modified loess samples. Moisture content of compacted soil samples was measured and analyzed to determine capillary height and rising rate. Results indicated that there was a considerable capillary rising in loess and lime-modified loess, while the capillary rising in cement-treated loess was significantly restrained. Current models are not appropriate for the rate and height predictions of capillary rising in cementitiously treated loess, especially in early ages. Therefore, a logarithmic form correlation was suggested and validated. In addition, salt migration effect and microscopic properties of soils after capillary rising were evaluated. Overall, the paper presented an experimental study and prediction on the capillary rising behavior of treated and recompacted engineered loess.
Rogue waves based on the coupled nonlinear Schrödinger option pricing model with external potential
Authors: Liu Bing , Zhang Xue-Er , Wang Bin , Lü Xing
Published: June 2022

Based on the coupled nonlinear volatility and option pricing model, we introduce a new external potential on the option price to a coupled nonlinear Schrödinger model. We derive the numerical solutions and the rogue wave solutions to explore the influence of external potential on option price fluctuating and financial rogue waves. The results provide more possibility of option pricing with the external potential in line with financial markets.
Shear-thinning property of liquid system in many-body dissipative particle dynamics model
Authors: Zhang Kaixuan , Wang Guanghui , Zhang Shuchang , Chen Shuo , Zhou Nan
Published: June 2022

Many scientific research papers report that jet-like flow during speech is a potent route for viral transmission in the COVID-19 pandemic. Droplet emission occurs during breaking, speaking, singing, coughing and sneezing, which could be affected by the shear-thinning rheology of the liquid. Here we test the viscosity of simple liquid system in many-body dissipative particle dynamics model under different driven forces, which illustrates that the simple liquid system interestingly has shear-thinning property. Based on this, we simulate the process of jet-like flow and capture the rupture of liquid cylinder and the process of drop generation, which implies the jet-induced liquid pinchoff and drop generation can be regulated by initial driven force and its temperature. The results show that larger pressure pulse could generate longer liquid cylinder and larger drops, as well as at lower force frequency. This work can provide an insight in liquid jet-like flow with shear-thining property and yield a better understanding of virus spreading via salivary droplets.
Freeway traffic safety state classification method based on multi-parameter fusion clustering
Authors: Sun Dongye , Ai Yunfei , Wang Lin
Published: June 2022

In order to deeply analyze the quantitative relationship between traffic flow state and crash risk, a highway traffic safety state classification method based on multi-parameter fusion clustering was proposed. First, attribute data of highway traffic crashes and corresponding upstream and downstream traffic flow data were extracted, and matched with paired case-control method. Secondly, considering the different roles of traffic volume, speed and occupancy in traffic state classification, the weight optimization algorithm is introduced to calculate the weight of the three parameters. Therefore, the comprehensive evaluation index of traffic state with the fusion of three parameters is obtained and used as the input index of traffic safety state clustering. Finally, [Formula: see text]-means clustering method is used to classify the highway traffic safety status. The result of the case study shows that the proposed method can achieve reasonable and effective traffic safety state division. The classification results are helpful to quantitatively evaluate highway crash risk levels under different traffic safety states.
Cooling a long-range interacting system faster via applying an external magnetic field
Authors: Li Zhi-Xia , Hou Ji-Xuan
Published: June 2022

If a mean-field spin ring interact with a cold external thermal reservoir, the system might first evolve to the paramagnetic metastable state along the paramagnetic path, and then fluctuate around the metastable state for a long period due to an energy barrier. The spin system must absorb sufficient energy from the thermal reservoir to achieve a phase transition to the final ferromagnetic equilibrium state. However, if an external magnetic field is applied to the system, the energy barrier becomes smaller, which can reduce the relaxation time of the system significantly. Moreover, if the magnetic intensity is strong enough, the energy barrier vanishes and the system evolves directly to the equilibrium state.
A Conceptual Approach for Business Model Innovation Including Strategic Simulations as Digital Prototypes for Decision Support
Authors: Nawroth Georg , Herrmann Florian , Spath Dieter , Bauer Wilhelm
Published: June 2022

Business model innovations (BMIs) are a promising approach to be successful in hyper-competition. There are several approaches for the systematic development of BMI. Within these approaches, however, companies are faced with major challenges, especially, in the decision-making process. On the one hand, certain information is not available, and on the other hand, cause-and-effect relationships within the innovation networks or systems are not known. In certain contexts, simulations can close this gap. Thus, this paper addresses the research question of how simulations can be systematically integrated into BMI approaches. Therefore, BMI processes and different simulation applications are reviewed, the aspect of BMI prototyping is identified and an extended BMI approach is developed, which systematically integrates simulations.
A Multilevel Spectral Framework for Scalable Vectorless Power/Thermal Integrity Verification
Authors: Zhao Zhiqiang , Feng Zhuo
Published: June 2022

Vectorless integrity verification is becoming increasingly critical to the robust design of nanoscale integrated circuits. This article introduces a general vectorless integrity verification framework that allows computing the worst-case voltage drops or temperature (gradient) distributions across the entire chip under a set of local and global workload (power density) constraints. To address the computational challenges introduced by the large power grids and three-dimensional mesh-structured thermal grids, we propose a novel spectral approach for highly scalable vectorless verification of large chip designs by leveraging a hierarchy of almost linear-sized spectral sparsifiers of input grids that can well retain effective resistances between nodes. As a result, the vectorless integrity verification solution obtained on coarse-level problems can effectively help compute the solution of the original problem. Our approach is based on emerging spectral graph theory and graph signal processing techniques, which consists of a graph topology sparsification and graph coarsening phase, an edge weight scaling phase, as well as a solution refinement procedure. Extensive experimental results show that the proposed vectorless verification framework can efficiently and accurately obtain worst-case scenarios in even very large designs.
Reinforcement Learning based Recommender Systems: A Survey
Authors: Afsar M. Mehdi , Crump Trafford , Far Behrouz
Published: June 2022

Recommender systems (RSs)
have become an inseparable part of our everyday lives. They help us find our favorite items to purchase, our friends on social networks, and our favorite movies to watch. Traditionally, the recommendation problem was considered to be a classification or prediction problem, but it is now widely agreed that formulating it as a sequential decision problem can better reflect the user-system interaction. Therefore, it can be formulated as a
Markov decision process (MDP)
and be solved by
reinforcement learning (RL)
algorithms. Unlike traditional recommendation methods, including collaborative filtering and content-based filtering, RL is able to handle the sequential, dynamic user-system interaction and to take into account the long-term user engagement. Although the idea of using RL for recommendation is not new and has been around for about two decades, it was not very practical, mainly because of scalability problems of traditional RL algorithms. However, a new trend has emerged in the field since the introduction of
deep reinforcement learning (DRL)
, which made it possible to apply RL to the recommendation problem with large state and action spaces. In this paper, a survey on
reinforcement learning based recommender systems (RLRSs)
is presented. Our aim is to present an outlook on the field and to provide the reader with a fairly complete knowledge of key concepts of the field. We first recognize and illustrate that RLRSs can be generally classified into RL- and DRL-based methods. Then, we propose an RLRS framework with four components, i.e., state representation, policy optimization, reward formulation, and environment building, and survey RLRS algorithms accordingly. We highlight emerging topics and depict important trends using various graphs and tables. Finally, we discuss important aspects and challenges that can be addressed in the future.
Multimodal Classification: Current Landscape, Taxonomy and Future Directions
Authors: Sleeman William C. , Kapoor Rishabh , Ghosh Preetam
Published: June 2022

Multimodal classification research has been gaining popularity with new datasets in domains such as satellite imagery, biometrics, and medicine. Prior research has shown the benefits of combining data from multiple sources compared to traditional unimodal data that has led to the development of many novel multimodal architectures. However, the lack of consistent terminologies and architectural descriptions makes it difficult to compare different solutions. We address these challenges by proposing a new taxonomy for describing multimodal classification models based on trends found in recent publications. Examples of how this taxonomy could be applied to existing models are presented as well as a checklist to aid in the clear and complete presentation of future models. Many of the most difficult aspects of unimodal classification have not yet been fully addressed for multimodal datasets, including big data, class imbalance, and instance-level difficulty. We also provide a discussion of these challenges and future directions of research.
A Survey on Dynamic Fuzzy Machine Learning
Authors: Liu Li , Li Fanzhang
Published: June 2022

Dynamic fuzzy characteristics are ubiquitous in a lot of scientific and engineering problems. Specifically, the physical systems and learning processes in machine learning are dynamic and fuzzy in general. This fact has driven researchers to integrate dynamic elements into fuzzy theory and proposed dynamic fuzzy sets and dynamic fuzzy logic. Based on these pioneering theoretical works and various theories for uncertain datasets, an innovative machine learning paradigm that is referred to as dynamic fuzzy machine learning (DFML) was proposed in the early 2000s. DFML extends existing fuzzy machine learning paradigms to deal with dynamic fuzzy problems in machine learning activities. This article provides an insightful overview of DFML by surveying the field from basics to advances in five aspects: (1) the theoretical basics; (2) the system and the learning model; (3) typical DFML methods and categorization of the methods; (4) the open challenges; and (5) the research frontiers. As the first survey addressing the topic, this article intends to help more researchers better understand the basics and state-of-the-art in this field, find the most appropriate tools for a particular application, and identify possible directions for future research.
Anomaly Analysis in Images and Videos: A Comprehensive Review
Authors: Tran Tung Minh , Vu Tu N. , Vo Nguyen D. , Nguyen Tam V. , Nguyen Khang
Published: June 2022

Anomaly analysis is an important component of any surveillance system. In recent years, it has drawn the attention of the computer vision and machine learning communities. In this article, our overarching goal is thus to provide a coherent and systematic review of state-of-the-art techniques and a comprehensive review of the research works in anomaly analysis. We will provide a broad vision of computational models, datasets, metrics, extensive experiments, and what anomaly analysis can do in images and videos. Intensively covering nearly 200 publications, we review (i) anomaly related surveys, (ii) taxonomy for anomaly problems, (iii) the computational models, (iv) the benchmark datasets for studying abnormalities in images and videos, and (v) the performance of state-of-the-art methods in this research problem. In addition, we provide insightful discussions and pave the way for future work.
Lyrics Analysis of the Arab Singer Abdel ElHalim Hafez
Authors: Gomaa Walid
Published: June 2022

In this work we analyze the lyrics of one of the most famous and influential Arab artists in the twentieth century, namely,

(Abdel ElHalim Hafez). Lyrics analysis provides a deep insight into the artist’s career evolution and his interactions with the surrounding environment including the social, political, and economic conditions. In order to perform such analysis we had to collect and compile the lyrics of Abdel ElHalim accompanied with the necessary metadata into an organized and structured form. The data are preprocessed by removing stop words and doing some normalization operations over the songs’ prose. We did not perform any lemmatization or stemming as the original form of the tokens convey much more information than the source words. We performed a lexical analysis in order to study both the lexical density and diversity over the course of Abdel ElHalim’s career life. We have as well studied the most significant words, idioms, and terms played in the songs using tools such as word clouds and more quantitative measures such as term frequency-inverse document frequency. We have divided the career life of Abdel ElHalim into sub-decades of length 5 years and all analyses are done both in a yearly fashion and more coarsely over such sub-decades. We have found a strong correlation between our statistical analysis and the socio-political status in Egypt and the Arab world during that time. This is especially relevant knowing that Abdel ElHalim is very much truly considered the son of the generation of the 1952 revolution in Egypt. The significance of Abdel ElHalim and his lyrics stem essentially from being contemporaneous to radical changes in Egypt across all sectors including political (support of liberation movements across the world, and the conflict with Israel), and socio-economic (especially changing the social class structure in Egypt). We also investigated the potential effectiveness of
PoS (Part of Speech)
tagging in genre analysis and classification.
Microarchitectural Attacks in Heterogeneous Systems: A Survey
Authors: Naghibijouybari Hoda , Koruyeh Esmaeil Mohammadian , Abu-Ghazaleh Nael
Published: June 2022

With the increasing proliferation of hardware accelerators and the predicted continued increase in the heterogeneity of future computing systems, it is necessary to understand the security properties of such systems. In this survey article, we consider the security of heterogeneous systems against microarchitectural attacks, with a focus on covert- and side-channel attacks, as well as fault injection attacks. We review works that have explored the vulnerability of the individual accelerators (such as Graphical Processing Units, GPUs, and Field Programmable Gate Arrays, FPGAs) against these attacks, as well as efforts to mitigate them. We also consider the vulnerability of other components within a heterogeneous system such as the interconnect and memory component. We believe that this survey is especially timely, as new accelerators and heterogeneous systems are being designed such that these designs understand the security threats and develop systems that are not only performant but also secure.
Toward Accurate and Fast Summation
Authors: Lange Marko
Published: June 2022

We introduce a new accurate summation algorithm based on the error-free summation into floating-point buckets. Our algorithm exploits ideas from Zhu and Hayes’
OnlineExactSum
, but it uses a significantly smaller number of accumulators and has a better instruction-level parallelism. In the default setting, our implementation
aaaSum
returns a faithfully rounded floating-point approximation of the true sum. We also discuss possible modifications for the computation of reproducible, correctly rounded, and multiple precision floating-point approximations. The computational overhead for any of these modifications is kept comparably small. Numerical tests demonstrate that
aaaSum
performs well for very small to large problem sizes, independent of the condition number of the problem. We compare our algorithm with other accurate and high-precision summation approaches.
Tobacco Mosaic Virus and the History of Molecular Biology
Authors: Creager Angela N.H.
Published: June 2022

The history of tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) includes many firsts in science, beginning with its being the first virus identified. This review offers an overview of a history of research on TMV, with an emphasis on its close connections to the emergence and development of molecular biology.
Role of androgens and androgen receptor in control of mitochondrial function
Authors: Ahmad Irshad , Newell-Fugate Annie E.
Published: June 2022

The effects of androgens have been extensively studied in a variety of organs and cell types with an increasing focus on the sexually dimorphic role androgens play not only with respect to cellular functions but also in metabolism. Although the classical mechanism of androgen action is via ligand-dependent binding with the nuclear transcription factor, androgen receptor (AR), cytosolic AR can also activate second messenger signaling pathways. Given that cytosolic AR can signal in this manner, there has been increased interest in the mechanisms by which androgens may control cellular organelle function. This review highlights the effects that androgens have on mitochondrial structure and function with emphasis on biogenesis, fusion/fission, mitophagy, bioenergetics (oxidative phosphorylation), and reactive oxygen species production. There are a number of publications on the effects of androgens in these general areas of mitochondrial function. However, the precise mechanisms by which androgens cause these effects are not known. In addition, given that the nucleus and mitochondria work in tandem to control mitochondrial function and the mitochondria have their own DNA, future research efforts should focus on the direct, mechanistic effects of androgens on mitochondrial function.
The Design of the Lightweight Smart Home System and Interaction Experience of Products for Middle-Aged and Elderly Users in Smart Cities
Authors: Ji Qingnan
Published: June 2022

The research aims to improve the comfort and safety of the smart home by adding a motion recognition algorithm to the smart home system. First, the research status of motion recognition is introduced. Second, based on the requirements of the smart home system, a smart home system is designed for middle-aged and elderly users. The software system in this system includes intelligent control subsystems, intelligent monitoring subsystems, and intelligent protection subsystems. Finally, to increase the security of the smart home, the intelligent monitoring subsystem is improved, and an intelligent security subsystem is proposed based on a small-scale motion detection algorithm. The system uses three three-dimensional (3D) convolutional neural networks (CNNs) to extract three image features, so that the data information in the video can be fully extracted. The performance of the proposed intelligent security subsystem based on a small-scale motion detection algorithm is compared and analyzed. The research results show that the accuracy of the system on the University of Central Florida (UCF101) dataset is 94.64%, and the accuracy on the HMDB51 dataset is 90.11%, which is similar to other advanced algorithms. Observing whether there are dangers such as falling inside and outside the family through motion recognition technology has very important application significance for protecting people’s personal safety, life, and health.
Laboratory Tests on Open‐Close Pile Jacking and Load Bearing Characteristics in Saturated Clay Soil
Authors: Song Qiang , Zhang Teng , Zhou Guangyu , Li Hongzhong , Li Xianghou , Jiang Yishun , Zhao Peng , Tian Weihui , Wang Yonghong , Zhang Chuantong , Liu Huining
Published: June 2022

The stress characteristics of the pile‐soil interface have an important influence on the effect and long‐term bearing capacity of jacked piles. In order to obtain the stress characteristics of the pile‐soil interface of the jacked pile in clay, the development law of pore water pressure and earth pressure for open‐ and closed‐end jacked piles during the pile jacking process was studied using indoor model tests based on a saturated soft clay foundation. Test results show that, during the pile jacking process, the excess pore water pressure, earth pressure, and effective earth pressure at the pile‐soil interface all increase gradually along penetration depth, and the increasing trend first increases linearly and then increases sharply at the pile end. The excess pore water pressure at the pile‐soil interface of an open‐end pile is smaller than that of a closed‐end pile. The earth pressure and effective earth pressure at the pile‐soil interface of the closed‐end pile show a “lateral pressure degradation,” and the degradation becomes more and more significant with increasing depth. The pile‐soil interface adhesion coefficient increases with increasing penetration depth, and the greater the adhesion coefficient is, the higher the tightness between the pile and soil will be. As a method of determining the interfacial tightness between the pile and soil, the adhesion coefficient is closely related to the excess pore water pressure and earth pressure generated during the pile jacking process and can accurately reflect the mechanical mechanism of pile jacking in saturated viscous soil. Results of this contribution can provide reference for theoretical research on the mechanical pile jacking mechanism in saturated viscous soil.
Selection of Additive Manufacturing Machine Using Analytical Hierarchy Process
Authors: Raja S. , John Rajan A. , Praveen Kumar V. , Rajeswari N. , Girija M. , Modak Santanu , Vinod Kumar R. , Mammo Wubishet Degife
Published: June 2022

3D printing or additive manufacturing (AM) is considered to be the most important technology among the emerging technologies. 3D printing technology is considered as an alternative to the conventional manufacturer machine traditionally used in the manufacturing sector. 3D printing technology is generally classified into seven types. Each type of 3D printing technology has its separate own uniqueness (i.e., operation, material usage, and no wastage). The price of a manufactured item includes all its costs. The most important of these is to take into account the price of the machine being manufactured and the features of the machine. Moreover, the price of the product produced in AM will depend on all the costs required to produce it. Then, it is possible to reduce the cost of the product by choosing the AMM that has significant features and the right price. Therefore, this paper aims to solve a decision-making problem from the AMM selection by using one of the multicriteria decision-making (MCDM) tools, i.e., analytical hierarchy process (AHP). This paper outcome is meant to meet the expectation of end-users. As an initial step, the Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprise (MSME) company gets quotations from some AM companies to choose a type of AM machine known FDM for its structure product and doll product. The first step is to select the most appropriate machines based on cost, size/volume, extruder type, and weight of the machine. Criteria for AHP are derived from decision-makers. Also, in AHP, the pair-wise matrix is obtained from the decision-makers by answering the standard Saaty’s scale criteria questions. In this paper, such a selection method is explored. The outcome of this paper may vary depending on the expectations of the decision-makers. The end of this paper helps to choose the AMM with the right price and features to suit the decision-makers.
Impact of Amarogentin on Gastric Carcinoma Cell Multiplication, Apoptosis and Migration via circKIF4A/miR-152-3p
Authors: Tan Zhi , Wang Weining , Peng Jin , Zhou Zhen , Pan Jia , Peng Aiming , Cao Hui , Fan Wenling
Published: June 2022

Objective. The active ingredients extracted from natural plants have anti-GC actions and can slow down gastric carcinoma (GC) progression. To investigate the impact of Amarogentin (AG) on GC cell multiplication, apoptosis and migration and the possible mechanisms. Methods. qRT-PCR quantification of circKIF4A and miR-152-3p in GC tissues and normal counterparts as well as HGC-27 (human GC cell strain) and GES-1 (human gastric mucosal epithelial cell strain) was performed. HGC-27 cells were intervened by AG of various concentrations. si-NC, si-circKIF4A were further transfected into HGC-27 cells. Besides, pcDNA and pcDNA-circKIF4A were transfected into HGC-27 cells, after which 60 mmol/L AG was added for intervention. Cell multiplication, clone formation, as well as apoptosis and migration measurements were made by MTT, plate clone formation, flow cytometry and Transwell assays, respectively; Double luciferase reporter assay was performed for targeting relationship identification between circKIF4A and miR-152-3p; Western blots were carried out to measure Bax and Bcl-2 protein levels. Results. circKIF4A increased (P <0.05) and miR-152-3p decreased (P <0.05) in GC tissues and cell strains. Concentration-dependently, AG intervention contributed to enhanced cell multiplication inhibitory rate, apoptosis rate, miR-152-3p expression and Bax protein level (P <0.05), together with declined number of cell clones formed, migrating cells, circKIF4A expression and Bcl-2 protein level (P <0.05). After transfection of si-circKIF4A, cell multiplication inhibition rate, apoptosis rate and Bax protein level enhanced (P <0.05), while cell clones formed and migrating cells as well as Bcl-2 protein level reduced (P <0.05). miR-152-3p can be controlled by circKIF4A; pcDNA-circKIF4A transfection antagonized AG’s effects on HGC-27 cell multiplication, clone formation, apoptosis and migration. Conclusion. AG can decrease GC multiplication, clone formation and migration and induce apoptosis via modulating circKIF4A/miR-152-3p expression.