bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Microstructural properties of major white matter tracts in constant exotropia before and after strabismus surgery
Authors: Wang Yanming , Wang Xiaoxiao , Shi Hongmei , Xia Lin , Dong Jiong , Nguchu Benedictor Alexander , Uwisengeyimana Jean De Dieu , Liu Yanpeng , Zhang Du , Feng Lixia , Qiu Bensheng
Published: January 2021

Aims

The purpose of this study was to explore the microstructural properties of the major white matter (WM) tracts in constant exotropia (XT) before and after strabismus surgery, and further investigate the association between microstructural alterations and the ocular dominance (OD).

Methods

We collected diffusion tensor imaging data of patients with XT before (n=19) and after (n=15) strabismus surgery and 20 healthy controls and evaluated OD and stereopsis. The probabilistic streamline tractography of the 24 major WM tracts was reconstructed by using the automated fibre quantification package. Fractional anisotropy and mean diffusivity (MD) along each tract were estimated, and their differences between the groups were examined. Furthermore, we evaluated the relationship between OD and the absolute value of altered microstructural parameters.

Results

While all postoperative XT patients restored normal stereopsis, most of their OD remained aberrant (9 out of 11). Compared with that of preoperation, the MD of postoperative patients decreased significantly along left anterior thalamic radiation (ATR), left arcuate fasciculus (AF), left corticospinal tract (CST), left cingulum cingulate (CGC) and left inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus. Moreover, OD was negatively correlated with the absolute value of MD changes in left ATR, left AF, left CST and left CGC.

Conclusion

Microstructural alterations after surgery in the visuospatial network tracts may contribute to the stereopsis restoration. Additionally, the results of the correlation analysis may signify that the balanced binocular input may be more conducive for the restoration and improvement of binocular visual function, including stereopsis. Thus, restoring normal ocular balance after surgical correction may be necessary to achieve more substantial improvements.
Integrative analysis reveals early and distinct genetic and epigenetic changes in intraductal papillary and tubulopapillary cholangiocarcinogenesis
Authors: Goeppert Benjamin , Stichel Damian , Toth Reka , Fritzsche Sarah , Loeffler Moritz Anton , Schlitter Anna Melissa , Neumann Olaf , Assenov Yassen , Vogel Monika Nadja , Mehrabi Arianeb , Hoffmann Katrin , Köhler Bruno , Springfeld Christoph , Weichenhan Dieter , Plass Christoph , Esposito Irene , Schirmacher Peter , von Deimling Andreas , Roessler Stephanie
Published: January 2021

Objective

A detailed understanding of the molecular alterations in different forms of cholangiocarcinogenesis is crucial for a better understanding of cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) and may pave the way to early diagnosis and better treatment options.

Design

We analysed a clinicopathologically well-characterised patient cohort (n=54) with high-grade intraductal papillary (IPNB) or tubulopapillary (ITPN) neoplastic precursor lesions of the biliary tract and correlated the results with an independent non-IPNB/ITPN associated CCA cohort (n=294). The triplet sample set of non-neoplastic biliary epithelium, precursor and invasive CCA was analysed by next generation sequencing, DNA copy number and genome-wide methylation profiling.

Results

Patients with invasive CCA arising from IPNB/ITPN had better prognosis than patients with CCA not associated with IPNB/ITPN. ITPN was localised mostly intrahepatic, whereas IPNB was mostly of extrahepatic origin. IPNB/ITPN were equally associated with small-duct and large-duct type intrahepatic CCA. IPNB exhibited mutational profiles of extrahepatic CCA, while ITPN had significantly fewer mutations. Most mutations were shared between precursor lesions and corresponding invasive CCA butROBO2mutations occurred exclusively in invasive CCA andCTNNB1mutations were mainly present in precursor lesions. In addition, IPNB and ITPN differed in their DNA methylation profiles and analyses of latent methylation components suggested that IPNB and ITPN may have different cells-of-origin.

Conclusion

Integrative analysis revealed that IPNB and ITPN harbour distinct early genetic alterations, IPNB are enriched in mutations typical for extrahepatic CCA, whereas ITPN exhibited few genetic alterations and showed distinct epigenetic profiles. In conclusion, IPNB/ITPN may represent a distinctive, intermediate form of intrahepatic and extrahepatic cholangiocarcinogenesis.
Ambulatory blood pressure profile and stroke recurrence
Authors: Xu Jie , Jiang Fei , Wang Anxin , Zhi Hui , Gao Yuan , Tian Junping , Mo Jinglin , Chen Zimo , Xu An-Ding , Luo Benyan , Hu Bo , Zhang Yuqing , Zhao Xingquan , Wang Yilong , Li Hao , Shen Haipeng , Wang Yongjun
Published: January 2021

Objectives

To establish a new ambulatory blood pressure (ABP) parameter (24-hour ABP profile) and evaluated its performance on stroke outcome in ischaemic stroke (IS) or transient ischaemic attack (TIA) patients.

Methods

The prospective cohort consisted of 1996 IS/TIA patients enrolled for ABP monitoring and a 3-month follow-up for stroke recurrence as outcome. Profile groups of systolic blood pressure (SBP) were identified via an advanced functional clustering method, and the associations of the profile groups and conventional ABP parameters with stroke recurrence were examined in a Cox proportional hazards model.

Results

Three discrete profile groups (n=604, 781 and 611 in profiles 1, 2 and 3, respectively) in 24-hour ambulatory SBP were identified. Profile 1 resembled most to the normal diurnal blood pressure pattern; profile 2 also dropped at night, but climbed earlier and with higher morning surge; while profile 3 had sustained higher nocturnal SBP without significant nocturnal SBP decline. The incidence of stroke recurrence was 2.9%, 3.9% and 5.5% in profiles 1, 2 and 3, respectively. After adjustment for covariates, profile 3 was significantly associated with higher risk of stroke recurrence with profile 1 as reference (HR 1.76, 95% CI: 1.00 to 3.09), while no significant difference was observed between profiles 2 and 1 (HR 1.22, 95% CI: 0.66 to 2.25). None of conventional ABP parameters showed significant associations with the outcome.

Conclusions

Ambulatory 24-hour SBP profile is associated with short-term stroke recurrence. Profiles of ABP may help improve identification of stroke recurrence by capturing the additive effects of individual ABP parameters.
In-vitro anti-fungal assay and association analysis reveal a role for the Pinus monticola PR10 gene (PmPR10-3.1) in quantitative disease resistance to white pine blister rust
Authors: Liu Jun-Jun , Fernandes Humberto , Zamany Arezoo , Sikorski Michal , Jaskolski Mariusz , Sniezko Richard A.
Published: January 2021

Pathogenesis-related (PR) proteins play important roles in plant defense response. However, functional investigation of PR10 genes is still limited and their physiological roles have not been conclusively characterized in biological processes of conifer trees. Here, we identified multiple novel members in the western white pine (Pinus monticola) PmPR10 family by bioinformatic mining available transcriptomic data. Phylogenetic analysis of protein sequences revealed four PR10 and two PR10-like clusters with a high synteny across different species of five-needle pines. Of 10 PmPR10 genes, PmPR10-3.1 was selected and expressed in Escherichia coli. The purified recombinant protein exhibited inhibitory effects on spore hyphal growth of fungal pathogens Cronartium ribicola, Phoma exigua, and Phoma argillacea by in-vitro anti-fungal analysis. Genetic variation analysis detected a total of 21 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within PmPR10-3.1 in a collection of P. monticola seed families. A nonsynonymous SNP (t178g) showed significant association with relative levels of quantitative disease resistance (QDR), explaining about 8.7% of phenotypic variation as the peak value across all SNPs. Our results provide valuable insight into the genetic architecture underlying P. monticola QDR and imply that PmPR10-3.1 may function as an important component in conifer basal immunity for non-specific resistance to a wide spectrum of pathogens.
Fermion and photon gap-equations in Minkowski space within the Nakanishi integral representation method
Authors: Mezrag Cédric , Salmè Giovanni
Published: January 2021

The approach based on the Nakanishi integral representation of n-leg transition amplitudes is extended to the treatment of the self-energies of a fermion and an (IR-regulated) vector boson, in order to pave the way for constructing a comprehensive application of the technique to both gap- and Bethe-Salpeter equations, in Minkowski space. The achieved result, namely a 6-channel coupled system of integral equations, eventually allows one to determine the three Källén–Lehman weights for fully dressing the propagators of fermion and photon. A first consistency check is also provided. The presented formal elaboration points to embed the characteristics of the non-perturbative regime at a more fundamental level. It yields a viable tool in Minkowski space for the phenomenological investigation of strongly interacting theories, within a QFT framework where the dynamical ingredients are made transparent and under control.
Dynamics of entanglement and population inversion of two qubits in a hybrid nonlinear system
Authors: Khalil E. M. , Mohamed A.-B. A.
Published: January 2021

An analytical solution is obtained when the Kerr medium and Stark shift are considered as nonlinear interaction terms to the system containing two-qubit and two-mode electromagnetic field from the parametric amplifier. Dynamics of the population inversion, cavity–qubit and qubit–qubit entanglements are analyzed under the unitary cavity–qubit interaction, the Kerr medium and the Stark shift. The population inversion of a qubit presents periodic revivals and collapses. The results show that the entanglement and the population inversion as well as the inversion have the same stable intervals, that is, the collapse intervals. It is found that the Kerr medium and the Stark shift may lead to reduction of the periods and the amplitudes of the population inversion and the cavity–qubit/qubit–qubit entanglement. The deteriorated qubit–qubit/cavity–qubit entanglement and the population inversion, due to the Kerr medium, may be increased by increasing the Stark shift and vice versa.
Dynamical stability and electronic structure of β-phosphorus carbide nanowires
Authors: Shcherbinin S. A. , Ustiuzhanina S. V. , Kistanov A. A.
Published: January 2021

In this work, [Formula: see text]-phosphorus carbide 1D nanowires (PCNWs) are investigated in the framework of density functional theory. The dynamical stability of the considered [Formula: see text]-PCNWs at 300[Formula: see text]K is verified using ab initio molecular dynamics calculations. According to the results on the band structure calculations, [Formula: see text]-PCNWs can be semiconductors, semimetals or metals depending on their size and form. Thus, owning to their unique shape and high tunability of electronic properties, [Formula: see text]-PCNWs may be used in optical and photovoltaic nanodevices.
Decidability of a Sound Set of Inference Rules for Computational Indistinguishability
Authors: Koutsos Adrien
Published: January 2021

Computational indistinguishability is a key property in cryptography and verification of security protocols. Current tools for proving it rely on cryptographic game transformations.

We follow Bana and Comon’s approach [7, 8], axiomatizing what an adversary cannot distinguish. We prove the decidability of a set of first-order axioms that are computationally sound, though incomplete, for protocols with a bounded number of sessions whose security is based on an IND-CCA
2
 encryption scheme. Alternatively, our result can be viewed as the decidability of a family of cryptographic game transformations. Our proof relies on term rewriting and automated deduction techniques.
Bang the gavel: animal experimentation on trial—an interdisciplinary mock trial at the school of health sciences
Authors: Ghimouz Rym , O’Sullivan Siobhan , Baltatu Ovidiu Constantin , Campos Luciana Aparecida
Published: January 2021

Active learning activities offer opportunities for medical students to facilitate the retention of knowledge and develop soft skills. We aimed to create a guide for an interdisciplinary mock trial learning activity within the medical curriculum of the College of Medicine, Anhembi Morumbi University—Laureate International Universities, Sao Paulo, Brazil. We designed an “Animal Experimentation Mock Trial” in which students are coached to search for scientific, legal, and ethical arguments pro and contra animal experimentation in medical research. The mock trial is prepared and staged with student teams to play the 1) presiding judge, 2) the plaintiff’s attorney and expert witnesses contra animal research, 3) the defense attorney and expert witnesses pro animal research, and 4) the jury. The plaintiff and defense teams made presentations, and between each presentation the jury put questions to presenters (cross-examination). The jury team gave two evaluation scores after the plaintiff’s presentation and then after the defense presentation. The formal feedback for this active learning activity indicated that students expressed satisfaction with the teaching strategies employed in the course. The mock trial with the lesson plan provides a learning mean to exemplify the complex relationship between animal experimentation, medical evidence, ethics, and law/regulations. This mock trial helps medical students to develop their soft skills, such as the ability to collaborate and also to recognize the limits of their own knowledge, important for professional development. The importance of interdisciplinary discussions is demonstrated by increasing the awareness of the multidisciplinary aspect of animal research.
Background Modeling Based on Statistical Clustering Partitioning
Authors: Li Biao , Zhiyong Xu , Zhang Jianlin , Wang Xiangru , Fan Xiangsuo
Published: January 2021

In order to effectively detect dim-small targets in complex scenes, background suppression is applied to highlight the targets. This paper presents a statistical clustering partitioning low-rank background modeling algorithm (SCPLBMA), which clusters the image into several patches based on image statistics. The image matrix of each patch is decomposed into low-rank matrix and sparse matrix in the SCPLBMA. The background of the original video frames is reconstructed from the low-rank matrices, and the targets can be obtained by subtracting the background. Experiments on different scenes show that the SCPLBMA can effectively suppress the background and textures and equalize the residual noise with gray levels significantly lower than that of the targets. Thus, the difference images obtain good stationary characteristics, and the contrast between the targets and the residual backgrounds is significantly improved. Compared with six other algorithms, the SCPLBMA significantly improved the target detection rates of single-frame threshold segmentation.
The Elimination Effect of Take-Back Regulation on Backward Production Capacity Remanufacturing Supply Chains
Authors: Li Bangyi , Chen Xintong , Wei Shanting , Cheng Yongbo
Published: January 2021

With more and more end-of-life products in daily life, many companies are engaging in remanufacturing, including backward production capacity (BPC) enterprises. Meanwhile, take-back regulation always asks the manufacturer to take back end-of-life products to reduce pollution. However, the effect of take-back regulation on remanufacturers remains unclear. In this paper, we first analyzed the take-back regulation threshold with the elimination effect. We then discussed the impact on stakeholders, such as the manufacturer, the remanufacturer, consumers, and the government. A two-stage dynamic market model is proposed, which considers the market with/without BPC remanufacturer. Take-back regulation’s elimination effect is studied, and the results show that when the collection target reaches the elimination threshold, the manufacturer’s profit declines, the BPC remanufacturer is eliminated, consumer surplus decreases, and social welfare is improved. Besides, to cope with a high take-back regulation target, the manufacturer will reduce new product output, which leads to BPC remanufacturer’s benefits decline. A numerical study is given with a different collecting strategy of the BPC remanufacturer, the incentive interval, the inhibition interval, and the elimination interval of the take-back regulation for stakeholders which are described. At last, some managerial insights are given to help the regulator implement take-back regulation.
Clinical Phenotypes and Age-Related Differences in Presentation, Treatment, and Outcome of Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction: A Vietnamese Multicenter Research
Authors: Nguyen Ngoc-Thanh-Van , Tran Diep Tuan , Le An Pham , Van Hoang Sy , Nguyen Hoai-An , Chau Hoa Ngoc
Published: January 2021

Background. Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is a rising health problem with heterogeneous presentation and no evidence-based treatment. While Southeast Asia reported the highest mortality and morbidity among Asian population, little is known about the Vietnamese population, including patient characteristics, prescribing pattern and mortality rate. Methods. We conducted an observational study on 477 patients diagnosed with HFpEF from seven hospitals in Southern Vietnam from January 2019 to December 2019. Results. Mean age was 67.6 (40.9% < 65 years). 62.3% were female. 82.4% were diagnosed within 5 years. Dyspnea, congestion, and hypoperfusion on admission were noted in 63.9%, 48.8%, and 4.6% of the patients, respectively. Median ejection fraction was 63%. Valvular heart disease (VHD) was the leading cause of heart failure (35.9%). 78.6% had at least two comorbidities, mostly hypertension (68.6%). 30.6% of the patients were hospitalized, with a median stay of 7.0 (4.0–10.0) days and inhospital mortality of 4.8%. Older patients (≥65 years) were more likely to be females (OR = 1.52); had multimorbid conditions (OR = 3.14), including hypertension (OR = 4.28), diabetes (OR = 1.73), coronary artery disease (CAD) (OR = 2.50), dyslipidemia (OR = 1.94), and chronic kidney disease (OR = 2.44); and were more frequently prescribed statin (OR = 3.15). Younger individuals (<65 years) were associated with higher mineralocorticoid antagonist uptake (OR = 0.52) and VHD (OR = 0,40). Prescription rate for renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system inhibitor, beta blocker, mineralocorticoid antagonist, and loop diuretic was 72.5%, 59.1%, 43.0%, and 60.6%, respectively. Four phenotypes were identified, including the lean/elderly/multimorbid; congestive/metabolic; CAD-induced; and younger/atrial fibrillation (AF)/VHD. The novel phenotype “younger/AF/VHD” exhibited high symptom burden and poor functional capacity despite being the youngest and least multimorbid. The “lean/elderly/multimorbid” phenotype demonstrated the highest symptom severity and inhospital mortality. Conclusions. Our research highlights a younger, predominantly female population with high disease burden. The four novelly identified phenotypes provide contemporary and pragmatic insights into a phenotype-guided approach, exclusively targeting the Vietnamese population.
Sonar Objective Detection Based on Dilated Separable Densely Connected CNNs and Quantum‐Behaved PSO Algorithm
Authors: Wang Zhen , Wang Buhong , Guo Jianxin , Zhang Shanwen
Published: January 2021

Underwater sonar objective detection plays an important role in the field of ocean exploration. In order to solve the problem of sonar objective detection under the complex environment, a sonar objective detection method is proposed based on dilated separable densely connected convolutional neural networks (DS‐CNNs) and quantum‐behaved particle swarm optimization (QPSO) algorithm. Firstly, the dilated separable convolution kernel is proposed to extend the local receptive field and enhance the feature extraction ability of the convolution layers. Secondly, based on the linear interpolation algorithm, a multisampling pooling (MS‐pooling) operation is proposed to reduce the feature information loss and restore image resolution. At last, with contraction‐expansion factor and difference variance in the traditional particle swarm optimization algorithm introduced, the QPSO algorithm is employed to optimize the weight parameters of the network model. The proposed method is validated on the sonar image dataset and is compared with other existing methods. Using DS‐CNNs to detect different kinds of sonar objectives, the experiments shows that the detection accuracy of DS‐CNNs reaches 96.98% and DS‐CNNs have better detection effect and stronger robustness.
Children’s Eating Behavior Questionnaire Correlated with Body Compositions of Thai Children and Adolescents with Obesity: A Pilot Study
Authors: Panichsillaphakit Ekkarit , Chongpison Yuda , Saengpanit Puthita , Kwanbunbumpen Tanisa , Uaariyapanichkul Jaraspong , Chomtho Sirinuch , Pancharoen Chitsanu , Visuthranukul Chonnikant
Published: January 2021

Introduction. Obesity is a major threat to public health. Eating behavior and dietary intake of especially high energy-dense food with low nutrients contribute to the current epidemic of childhood obesity. However, the relationship between eating behavior and body composition has yet to be examined in Thai children and adolescents with obesity. We assessed the association between children’s eating behaviors and their body composition in prerandomized patients who participated in the randomized trial titled “Impact of Dietary Fiber as Prebiotics on Intestinal Microbiota in Obese Thai Children”. Methods. During the prerandomization process, a cross-sectional study was conducted. We recruited children and adolescents aged 7 to 15 years from Bangkok, Thailand. Eating behaviors were assessed by the Children’s Eating Behavior Questionnaire (CEBQ), which is a parent or self-reported research instrument conducted by face-to-face interviews. Body mass index (BMI), BMI-for-age Z-score, waist and hip circumferences, and body compositions were assessed. Pearson’s correlation coefficients were used to assess associations between the study variables. Results. Ninety-seven Thai children and adolescents with obesity participated in the study; 59 (61%) were male. Median [IQR] of age and BMI z-score were 10.5 [9.0, 12.2] years and 3.0 [2.6, 3.7], respectively. Subscale for Enjoyment of Food had the highest score. There were no associations between eating behaviors and BMI z-score. However, Emotional Overeating was associated with fat-free mass index (correlation coefficient = 0.24,p=0.02) and girls with obesity had lower scores in “Slowness in Eating” compared to boys [mean 2.1 versus 1.8, 95% CI: (−0.06, −0.01),p=0.04]. Conclusion. Among Thai children and adolescents with obesity, the difference in multidimensional eating behavior might be affected by fat-free mass. Additional study with a larger sample size needed to explore underlying mechanisms and findings can be used to develop future behavior modification program.
Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on the Incidence, Prehospital Evaluation, and Presentation of Ischemic Stroke at a Nonurban Comprehensive Stroke Center
Authors: Velasco Cesar , Wattai Brandon , Buchle Scott , Richardson Alicia , Padmanaban Varun , Morrison Kathy J. , Reichwein Raymond , Church Ephraim , Simon Scott D. , Cockroft Kevin M.
Published: January 2021

Introduction. Many reports have described a decrease in the numbers of patients seeking medical attention for typical emergencies during the COVID-19 pandemic. These reports primarily relate to urban areas with widespread community transmission. The impact of COVID-19 on nonurban areas with minimal community transmission is less well understood. Methods. Using a prospectively maintained prehospital quality improvement database, we reviewed our hospital EMS transports with a diagnosis of stroke from January to April 2019 (baseline) and January to April 2020 (pandemic). We compared the volume of patients, transport/presentation times, severity of presenting symptoms, and final diagnosis. Results. In January, February, March, and April 2019, 10, 11, 17, and 19 patients, respectively, were transported in comparison to 19, 14, 10, and 8 during the same months in 2020. From January through April 2019, there was a 53% increase in transports, compared to a 42% decrease during the same months in 2020, constituting significantly different trend-line slopes (3.30; 95% CI 0.48–6.12 versus -3.70; 95% CI -5.76–-1.64,p=0.001). Patient demographics, comorbidities, and symptom severity were mostly similar over the two time periods, and the number of patients with a final diagnosis of stroke was also similar. However, the median interval from EMS dispatch to ED arrival for patients with a final diagnosis of stroke was significantly longer in January to April 2020 (50±11.7 min) compared to the same time period in 2019 (42±8.2 min,p=0.01). Discussion/Conclusion. Our data indicate a decrease in patient transport volumes and longer intervals to EMS activation for suspected stroke care. These results suggest that even in a nonurban location without widespread community transmission, patients may be delaying or avoiding care for severe illnesses such as stroke. Clinicians and public health officials should not ignore the potential impact of pandemic-like illnesses even in areas of relatively low disease prevalence.
Node Importance Evaluation of Cyber‐Physical System under Cyber‐Attacks Spreading
Authors: Liu Xin-Rui , Meng Yuan , Chang Peng
Published: January 2021

The study of cyber‐attacks, and in particular the spread of attack on the power cyber‐physical system, has recently attracted considerable attention. Identifying and evaluating the important nodes under the cyber‐attack propagation scenario are of great significance for improving the reliability and survivability of the power system. In this paper, we improve the closeness centrality algorithm and propose a compound centrality algorithm based on adaptive coefficient to evaluate the importance of single‐layer network nodes. Moreover, we quantitatively calculated the decouple degree of cascading failures caused by exposed nodes formed by attack propagation. At last, experiments based on the IEEE 57 test system show that the proposed compound centrality algorithm can match the cyber‐attack propagation scenario well, and we give the importance values of the nodes in a specific attack scenario.
Vehicle Routing and Scheduling of Flex-Route Transit under a Dynamic Operating Environment
Authors: Zheng Yue , Gao Liangpeng , Li Wenquan
Published: January 2021

To improve the reliability, responsiveness, and productivity of the flex-route transit service, this paper investigates the vehicle scheduling and routing problem under a dynamic operating environment. First, we discuss the new operating polices after the introduction of intelligent transportation systems (ITSs), including automatic vehicle location (AVL) system, mobile data terminal (MDT), and computer-aided dispatch (CAD) system. Second, a mixed integer programming (MIP) formulation is employed to solve the offline routing problem. Third, an online scheduling scheme is presented to tackle different dynamic events, such as dynamic requests, travel time fluctuations, cancellations of requests, and customer no-shows. Finally, simulation experiments based on a real-life flex-route transit service are conducted to assess the influence of different dynamic events. The results demonstrate that the proposed scheduling scheme is reliable for coping with various dynamic events, and our findings can be used to guide the policy making of flex-route transit services.
Complex Dynamics of a Stochastic Two‐Patch Predator‐Prey Population Model with Ratio‐Dependent Functional Responses
Authors: Liu Rong , Liu Guirong
Published: January 2021

This paper investigates a stochastic two‐patch predator‐prey model with ratio‐dependent functional responses. First, the existence of a unique global positive solution is proved via the stochastic comparison theorem. Then, two different methods are used to discuss the long‐time properties of the solutions pathwise. Next, sufficient conditions for extinction and persistence in mean are obtained. Moreover, stochastic persistence of the model is discussed. Furthermore, sufficient conditions for the existence of an ergodic stationary distribution are derived by a suitable Lyapunov function. Next, we apply the main results in some special models. Finally, some numerical simulations are introduced to support the main results obtained. The results in this paper generalize and improve the previous related results.
Reinforcement Learning‐Based Collision Avoidance Guidance Algorithm for Fixed‐Wing UAVs
Authors: Zhao Yu , Guo Jifeng , Bai Chengchao , Zheng Hongxing
Published: January 2021

A deep reinforcement learning‐based computational guidance method is presented, which is used to identify and resolve the problem of collision avoidance for a variable number of fixed‐wing UAVs in limited airspace. The cooperative guidance process is first analyzed for multiple aircraft by formulating flight scenarios using multiagent Markov game theory and solving it by machine learning algorithm. Furthermore, a self‐learning framework is established by using the actor‐critic model, which is proposed to train collision avoidance decision‐making neural networks. To achieve higher scalability, the neural network is customized to incorporate long short‐term memory networks, and a coordination strategy is given. Additionally, a simulator suitable for multiagent high‐density route scene is designed for validation, in which all UAVs run the proposed algorithm onboard. Simulated experiment results from several case studies show that the real‐time guidance algorithm can reduce the collision probability of multiple UAVs in flight effectively even with a large number of aircraft.
Efficient Deep Learning Models for DGA Domain Detection
Authors: Namgung Juhong , Son Siwoon , Moon Yang-Sae
Published: January 2021

In recent years, cyberattacks using command and control (C&C) servers have significantly increased. To hide their C&C servers, attackers often use a domain generation algorithm (DGA), which automatically generates domain names for the C&C servers. Accordingly, extensive research on DGA domain detection has been conducted. However, existing methods cannot accurately detect continuously generated DGA domains and can easily be evaded by an attacker. Recently, long short-term memory- (LSTM-) based deep learning models have been introduced to detect DGA domains in real time using only domain names without feature extraction or additional information. In this paper, we propose an efficient DGA domain detection method based on bidirectional LSTM (BiLSTM), which learns bidirectional information as opposed to unidirectional information learned by LSTM. We further maximize the detection performance with a convolutional neural network (CNN) + BiLSTM ensemble model using Attention mechanism, which allows the model to learn both local and global information in a domain sequence. Experimental results show that existing CNN and LSTM models achieved F1-scores of 0.9384 and 0.9597, respectively, while the proposed BiLSTM and ensemble models achieved higher F1-scores of 0.9618 and 0.9666, respectively. In addition, the ensemble model achieved the best performance for most DGA domain classes, enabling more accurate DGA domain detection than existing models.
A Solitary Volar Extradigital Glomus Tumor Mimicking a Painful Ganglion
Authors: Kim Dae-Geun , Kang Seung-Rim
Published: January 2021

Glomus tumors are neoplasms arising from the glomus body, which regulate skin temperature. They are mostly benign tumors and present in the subungual area of a distal phalanx. However, they can occur in extradigital location, and they may not be typical of intradigital glomus tumors. This makes it difficult to diagnose extradigital glomus tumors. We report a volar extradigital tumor mimicking a painful ganglion with a literature review.
Treatment with Diazepam in Acute Stroke Prevents Poststroke Seizures: A Substudy of the EGASIS Trial
Authors: van Tuijl Julia H. , van Raak Elisabeth P.M. , van Oostenbrugge Robert J. , Aldenkamp Albert P. , Rouhl Rob P.W.
Published: January 2021

Objective: The frequency of seizures after stroke is high, with a severe impact on the quality of life. However, little is known about their prevention. Therefore, we investigated whether early administration of diazepam prevents the development of seizures in acute stroke patients. Methods: We performed a substudy of the EGASIS trial, a multicenter double-blind, randomized trial in which acute stroke patients were treated with diazepam or placebo for 3 days. Follow-up was after 2 weeks and 3 months. The occurrence of seizures was registered prospectively as one of the prespecified secondary outcomes. Results: 784 EGASIS patients were eligible for this substudy (389 treated with diazepam [49.6%] and 395 treated with placebo [50.4%]). Seizures were reported in 19 patients (2.4% of the total patient group). Seizures occurred less frequently in patients treated with diazepam (1.5 vs. 3.3% in the placebo group); however, this difference was only statistically significant in patients with a cortical anterior circulation infarction (0.9% in the diazepam group vs. 4.6% in the placebo group, incidence rate ratio 0.20, 95% CI: 0.05–0.78, p = 0.02, NNT = 27). Conclusion: We found that a 3-day treatment with diazepam after acute cortical anterior circulation stroke prevents the occurrence of seizures in the first 3 months following stroke.
Adherence to Primary Prevention and Skin Self-Examination Practices by Spanish Melanoma Patients
Authors: Torrecilla-Martínez Irene , Manrique-Silva Esperanza , Traves Victor , Requena Celia , Nagore Eduardo
Published: January 2021

Background: The incidence of cutaneous melanoma, an important global public health problem, has been increasing over the last several decades. Objectives: In order to decrease melanoma-related mortality, ways to communicate and implement the correct methods for conducting primary and secondary prevention measures (such as early detection via self-examination) should be investigated. Materials and Methods: An observational, cross-sectional, retrospective study consisting of 409 patients diagnosed with cutaneous melanoma was conducted. An online questionnaire was created to evaluate knowledge levels, attitudes, and adherence to primary preventive measures and to skin self-examination practices. Results: The results revealed that even when 43% of the patients perform cutaneous self-examinations, only half of them fully followed the recommendations. Patients aged <45 years, female, with a I–II phototype, with an intermediate/high level of education, and with a history of NMSC were more likely to have an adequate degree of knowledge. Moreover, patients aged <45 years and with an adequate degree of knowledge more frequently showed an adequate adherence to the primary prevention measures. Finally, patients aged 45–60 years and with an adequate degree of knowledge presented a good adherence to the self-skin examination measures. Limitations: Possible limitations of this study were memory bias through the influence of age within the study population, and bias due to a greater proportion of subjects with a high education level. Conclusion: Within the population of patients with melanoma, a high percentage of patients do not rigorously follow the recommended prevention measures. Our study highlights the need to implement awareness in this population to improve the prevention of cutaneous cancer.
Higher Acceleration/Ejection Time Ratio Predicts Impaired Outcome in Aortic Valve Stenosis
Authors: Einarsen Eigir , Cramariuc Dana , Bahlmann Edda , Midtbo Helga , Chambers John B. , Gerdts Eva
Published: January 2021

Background:

Acceleration time (AT)/ejection time (ET) ratio is a marker of aortic valve stenosis (AS) severity and predicts outcome in moderate-severe AS.

Methods:

We explored the association of increased AT/ET ratio on prognosis in 1530 asymptomatic patients with presumably mild-moderate AS, normal ejection fraction, and without known diabetes or cardiovascular disease. Patients were part of the SEAS study (Simvastatin Ezetimibe Aortic Stenosis). Patients were grouped according to the optimal AT/ET ratio threshold to predict cardiovascular death and heart failure hospitalization. Low-gradient severe AS was identified as combined valve area ≤1.0 cm
2
and mean gradient <40 mm Hg. Outcome was assessed in Cox regression analyses, and results are reported as hazard ratio and 95% CI.

Results:

Higher AT/ET ratio was significantly associated with lower systolic blood pressure, lower left ventricular ejection fraction, lower stress-corrected midwall shortening, low flow, and with higher left ventricular mass and higher peak aortic jet velocity. AT/ET ratio ≥0.32 provided the optimal cutoff for predicting incident cardiovascular death and heart failure hospitalization in the total study sample. In patients with low-gradient severe AS, this threshold was >0.32. AT/ET ratio ≥0.32 had a 79% higher risk of cardiovascular death and heart failure hospitalization (hazard ratio, 1.79 [95% CI, 1.20–2.68]). In patients with low-gradient severe AS, AT/ET ratio >0.32 was associated with a 2-fold higher risk of cardiovascular death and heart failure hospitalization (hazard ratio, 2.15 [95% CI, 1.22–3.77]).

Conclusions:

In asymptomatic nonsevere AS and low-gradient severe AS, higher AT/ET ratio was associated with increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.

Registration:

URL:
https://www.clinicaltrials.gov
; Unique identifier: NCT00092677.
Identification of Phenotypic Lipidomic Signatures in Response to Long Chain n‐3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Supplementation in Humans
Authors: Picklo Matthew , Vallée Marcotte Bastien , Bukowski Michael , de Toro‐Martín Juan , Rust Bret M. , Guénard Frédéric , Vohl Marie‐Claude
Published: January 2021

Background

Supplementation with long chain n‐3 polyunsaturated fatty acids is used to reduce total circulating triacylglycerol (TAG) concentrations. However, in about 30% of people, supplementation with long chain n‐3 polyunsaturated fatty acids does not result in decreased plasma TAG. Lipidomic analysis may provide insight into this inter‐individual variability.

Methods

Lipidomic analyses using targeted, mass spectrometry were performed on plasma samples obtained from a clinical study in which participants were supplemented with 3 g/day of long chain n‐3 in the form of fish oil capsules over a 6‐week period. TAG species and cholesteryl esters (CE) were quantified for 130 participants pre‐ and post‐supplementation. Participants were segregated into 3 potential responder phenotypes: (1) positive responder (R
pos
; TAG decrease), (2) non‐responder (R
non
; lacking TAG change), and (3) negative responder (R
neg
; TAG increase) representing 67%, 18%, and 15% of the study participants, respectively. Separation of the 3 phenotypes was attributed to differential responses in TAG with 50 to 54 carbons with 1 to 4 desaturations. Elevated TAG with higher carbon number and desaturation were common to all phenotypes following supplementation. Using the TAG responder phenotype for grouping, decreases in total CE and specific CE occurred in the R
pos
phenotype versus the R
neg
phenotype with intermediate responses in the R
non
phenotype. CE 20:5, containing eicosapentaenoic acid (20:5n‐3), was elevated in all phenotypes. A classifier combining lipidomic and genomic features was built to discriminate triacylglycerol response phenotypes and reached a high predictive performance with a balanced accuracy of 75%.

Conclusions

These data identify lipidomic signatures, TAG and CE, associated with long chain n‐3 response p henotypes and identify a novel phenotype based upon CE changes.

Registration

URL:
https://www.ClinicalTrials.gov
; Unique Identifier: NCT01343342.
MRI network progression in mesial temporal lobe epilepsy related to
healthy brain architecture
Authors: Morgan Victoria L. , Johnson Graham W. , Cai Leon Y. , Landman Bennett A. , Schilling Kurt G. , Englot Dario J. , Rogers Baxter P. , Chang Catie
Published: January 2021

We measured MRI network progression in mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (mTLE) patients as a function of healthy brain architecture. Resting-state functional MRI and diffusion-weighted MRI were acquired in 40 unilateral mTLE patients and 70 healthy controls. Data were used to construct region-to-region functional connectivity, structural connectivity, and streamline length connectomes per subject. Three models of distance from the presumed seizure focus in the anterior hippocampus in the healthy brain were computed using the average connectome across controls. A fourth model was defined using regions of transmodal (higher cognitive function) to unimodal (perceptual) networks across a published functional gradient in the healthy brain. These models were used to test whether network progression in patients increased when distance from the anterior hippocampus or along a functional gradient in the healthy brain decreases. Results showed that alterations of structural and functional networks in mTLE occur in greater magnitude in regions of the brain closer to the seizure focus based on healthy brain topology, and decrease as distance from the focus increases over duration of disease. Overall, this work provides evidence that changes across the brain in focal epilepsy occur along healthy brain architecture.
The Virgin Mother Sarah: The Characterization of the Matriarch in Genesis Rabbah
Authors: Schwartz Rami
Published: January 2021

This article analyzes the portrayal of the matriarch Sarah in the fifth-century Palestinian rabbinic midrash Genesis Rabbah. The midrash not only dedicates a large number of derashot to the matriarch, but it repeatedly depicts her as a model of personal and religious excellence. In order to understand this development, I turn my attention to the portrayal of Sarah in the works of Origen of Alexandria. Continuing New Testament themes, Origen presents her as the spiritual mother of Christianity and a prefiguration of Jesus’ mother Mary. Various textual and thematic parallels help demonstrate that the rabbis were both aware of this rhetoric and responded to it. Based on this, I conclude that the rabbis used their portrayal of Sarah to combat the Christian appropriation of the matriarch on the one hand, and to establish her as a Jewish alternative to the Virgin Mary on the other.
Popular Luxury in Southeastern Europe in the Long Eighteenth Century: A Case-Study of Italian Ceramics and Ottoman Greek Clients
Authors: Yagou Artemis
Published: January 2021

In late eighteenth-century Ottoman Epirus (today northwestern Greece), novel and pleasurable objects expressed on a material level the rise of new mentalities. We discuss specifically the ceramic trefoil jugs with Greek verses manufactured in Pesaro, Italy, by the firm of Casali and Callegari and its successors. These wine jugs follow a pre-existing formal typology and bear painted decoration; their particularity is that they are also inscribed with verses written in Greek, as they were produced following commissions by merchants from Epirus. This region boasted centers of commerce, wealth, and education of an emerging middle class; the economic power of this rising Greek bourgeoisie was combined with deepening ties with Europe, intellectual growth, and the strengthening of a distinct identity. We argue that these jugs are examples of popular luxury and the commissioning individuals were knowledgeable and proactive consumers exhibiting a growing confidence and indeed a new awareness with political connotations.
“Turkish” Textiles in South-Eastern and East-Central Europe in the Early Modern Period: The Evidence of Transylvanian Customs Accounts
Authors: Pakucs-Willcocks Mária
Published: January 2021

This paper analyzes data from customs accounts in Transylvania from the middle of the sixteenth century to the end of the seventeenth on traffic in textiles and textile products from the Ottoman Empire. Cotton was known and commercialized in Transylvania from the fifteenth century; serial data will show that traffic in Ottoman cotton and silk textiles as well as in textile objects such as carpets grew considerably during the second half of the seventeenth century. Customs registers from that period also indicate that Poland and Hungary were destinations for Ottoman imports, but Transylvania was a consumer’s market for cotton textiles.
Menstrual Taboos: religious Practices that Violate Women’s Human Rights
Authors: Anthony Natalia
Published: January 2021

Some world religions consider menstruation a taboo and impose different restrictions on menstruating women. This article argues that menstrual prohibitions based on religious grounds present a unique threat to women’s human rights. Although it is acknowledged that freedom of religion is an important human right, it is contended that, when it comes to a natural biological process like menstruation, it is the rights of women that must prevail in the clash between women’s human rights and freedom of religion.
New taxonomic and phylogeographic data on three nominal species of the genus Septaria Férussac, 1807 (Gastropoda: Cycloneritida: Neritidae)
Authors: ABDOU AHMED
Published: January 2021

Due to superficial morphological similarities, there is often confusion in the identification of some species of the genus Septaria. A combined analysis of the genital anatomy, morphometric and DNA, based on a portion of the COI gene, applied to three nominal species of this genus, confirmed the validity of Septaria tahitiana Eichhorst, 2016, and suggested that Septaria borbonica (Bory de Saint Vincent, 1804) is a subspecies of Septaria porcellana (Linnaeus, 1758), both taxa with disjunct distribution areas: Septaria borbonica in the western Indian Ocean and Septaria porcellana the western Pacific and eastern Indian Oceans. The possible presence of Septaria tesselata (Lamarck, 1816) in Mayotte (Comoros Archipelago) needs to be confirmed.
Extended diagnosis of the type species of Pseudogonatodes Ruthven 1915 (Gekkota: Sphaerodactylidae)
Authors: MONTES-CORREA ANDRÉS CAMILO , SABOYÁ-ACOSTA LILIANA P. , JIMÉNEZ-BOLAÑO JUAN DAVID , ANGARITA-SIERRA TEDDY , BRICEÑO-PÉREZ VLADIMIR , NÚÑEZ SAMUEL , RENJIFO JUAN MANUEL , SCHARGEL WALTER E. , DAZA JUAN D. , HOOGMOED MARINUS S.
Published: January 2021

Pseudogonatodes furvus is an endemic gecko from the region of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, an isolated massif located in the continental Caribbean region of Colombia. Pseudogonatodes furvus is the type species of the genus, and its morphology and natural history remain poorly known. This lizard was described based on two specimens. After its description, the species has only been mentioned in a handful of taxonomic studies of Pseudogonatodes, in which a few morphological characters of P. furvus have been mentioned. One other paper reported two new localities, without providing new information on the external morphology, especially the lepidosis of the newly obtained specimens. Here we review the external morphology of P. furvus, based on examination of the holotype and six additional specimens. We provide an extended diagnosis and definition, description of holotype, variation, comparisons with other Pseudogonatodes, geographic distribution (adding a fourth locality to the known distribution for the species), and conservation status. Additionally, we describe osteological features for the diagnosis of the genus.