bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Human astrovirus capsid protein releases a membrane lytic peptide upon trypsin maturation
Authors: Ykema Matthew , Ye Kai , Xun Meng , Harper Justin , Betancourt-Solis Miguel A. , Arias Carlos F. , McNew James A. , Tao Yizhi Jane
Published: July 2023

The human astrovirus (HAstV) is a non-enveloped, single-stranded RNA virus that is a common cause of gastroenteritis. Most non-enveloped viruses use membrane disruption to deliver the viral genome into a host cell after virus uptake. The virus–host factors that allow for HAstV cell entry are currently unknown but thought to be associated with the host-protease-mediated viral maturation. Using
in vitro
liposome disruption analysis, we identified a trypsin-dependent lipid disruption activity in the capsid protein of HAstV serotype 8. This function was further localized to the P1 domain of the viral capsid core, which was both necessary and sufficient for membrane disruption. Site-directed mutagenesis identified a cluster of four trypsin cleavage sites necessary to retain the lipid disruption activity, which is likely attributed to a short stretch of sequence ending at arginine 313 based on mass spectrometry of liposome-associated peptides. The membrane disruption activity was conserved across several other HAstVs, including the emerging VA2 strain, and effective against a wide range of lipid identities. This work provides key functional insight into the protease maturation process essential to HAstV infectivity and presents a method to investigate membrane penetration by non-enveloped viruses
in vitro
.

IMPORTANCE

Human astroviruses (HAstVs) are an understudied family of viruses that cause mild gastroenteritis but have recent cases associated with a more severe neural pathogenesis. Many important elements of the HAstV life cycle are not well understood, and further elucidating them can help understand the various forms of HAstV pathogenesis. In this study, we utilized an
in vitro
liposome-based assay to describe and characterize a previously unreported lipid disruption activity. This activity is dependent on the protease cleavage of key sites in HAstV capsid core and can be controlled by site-directed mutagenesis. Our group observed this activity in multiple strains of HAstV and in multiple lipid conditions, indicating this may be a conserved activity across the AstV family. The discovery of this function provides insight into HAstV cellular entry, pathogenesis, and a possible target for future therapeutics.
Supplemental Material: Li isotope ratios of spring fluids as an effective tracer of slab-derived subducted sources across the Costa Rica forearc
Authors: Helper Jacob P. , Barnes Jaime , al. et
Published: July 2023

Detailed methods, Figures S1–S3, Tables S1–S4.  
Supplemental Material: On the crumpling and repaving of the North American continent
Authors: Wilkinson Bruce H. , Pérez-Consuegra N.
Published: July 2023

Table S1: Mapped rock types and assignment to major lithologic groups. Table S2: Lithologic abundances for North America and Earth from this study and other sources.
A surgeon’s trial success of curing pedal eumycetoma
Authors: Choudhry Baseem , Mitchell James , Milner Steve
Published: July 2023

Mycetoma is a chronic infection of underlying fungal (eumycetoma) or bacterial (actinomycetoma) origin. It is characterised by a clinical triad of tumour-like swelling, actively draining sinuses and macroscopic grains of characteristic colours.

We the case of a 66-year-old woman on immunosuppressive therapy presenting with eumycetoma of the foot (Madura foot). The fungal organism cultured wasAcrophialophora fusispora.

This case was managed with a combination of extensive surgical debridement, and packing with calcium sulfate (Stimulan) beads impregnated with vancomycin and voriconazole. As far as the authors are aware, this is a novel adjunct to the surgical treatment of deep fungal infection in the foot.

Eumycetoma treated with surgery and oral antifungal therapy leads to cure rates of 25%–35%. This novel treatment seems to bear further investigation for the potential to improve cure rates. At 8 months follow-up, our patient appears to be making good progress with no current signs of recurrence.
Prevalence of and factors associated with stenotic thoracic ligamentum flavum hypertrophy
Authors: Kim Chan-Sik , Kim Hyungtae , Kim Sehee , Lee Ju Hwan , Jeong Koun , Lee Hyun Seung , Kim Yeon-Dong
Published: July 2023

Introduction

Stenotic thoracic ligamentum flavum hypertrophy can cause leg and/or low back pain similar to that caused by lumbar spinal stenosis. However, the thoracic spine may occasionally be overlooked in patients with leg and/or low back pain. An accurate understanding of the prevalence of stenotic thoracic ligamentum flavum hypertrophy and its associated factors is necessary.

Methods

In this prevalence study, we reviewed whole-spine MRI scans of patients who visited the pain clinic complaining of leg and/or low back pain between 2010 and 2019. We analyzed the overall prevalence and prevalence according to the age group, sex, grade of lumbar disc degeneration, and thoracic level. In addition, we identified factors independently associated with stenotic thoracic ligamentum flavum hypertrophy occurrence.

Results

Among 1896 patients, the overall prevalence of stenotic thoracic ligamentum flavum hypertrophy was 9.8% (185/1896), with the highest prevalence observed in the ≥80-year-old age group among all age groups (15.9%, 14/88). The region with the highest prevalence was the T10/11 level (3.0%, 57/1896). Multivariable logistic regression analysis revealed that when compared with the <50-year-old age group, all other age groups were significantly associated with stenotic thoracic ligamentum flavum hypertrophy (p<0.01). In addition, grade 5 of lumbar disc degeneration was significantly associated with stenotic thoracic ligamentum flavum hypertrophy (p=0.03).

Conclusions

Given the possibility for missed stenotic thoracic ligamentum flavum hypertrophy to potentially result in neurological complications, extending lumbar spine MRI covering the lower thoracic region may be considered for patients over 50 years of age with suspected severe lumbar disc degeneration.
Trajectories of self-reported pain-related health outcomes and longitudinal effects on medication use in rheumatoid arthritis: a prospective cohort analysis using the Australian Rheumatology Association Database (ARAD)
Authors: Pisaniello Huai Leng , Lester Susan , Russell Oscar , Black Rachel , Tieu Joanna , Richards Bethan , Barrett Claire , Lassere Marissa , March Lyn , Buchbinder Rachelle , Whittle Samuel L , Hill Catherine L
Published: July 2023

Objective

To determine distinct trajectories of self-reported pain-related health status in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), their relationship with sociodemographic factors and medication use.

Methods

988 Australian Rheumatology Association Database participants with RA (71% female, mean age 54 years, mean disease duration 2.3 years) were included. Distinct multi-trajectories over 15-year follow-up for five different self-reported pain-related health outcome measures (Health Assessment Questionnaire Disability Index, visual analogue scores for pain, arthritis, global health and the Assessment of Quality of Life utility index) were identified using latent variable discrete mixture modelling. Random effects models were used to determine associations with medication use and biologic therapy modification during follow-up.

Results

Four, approximately equally sized, pain/health status groups were identified, ranging from ‘better’ to ‘poorer’, within which changes over time were relatively small. Important determinants of those with poorer pain/health status included female gender, obesity, smoking, socioeconomic indicators and comorbidities. While biologic therapy use was similar between groups during follow-up, biologic therapy modifications (plinear<0.001) and greater tendency of non-tumour necrosis factor inhibitor use (plinear<0.001) were observed in those with poorer pain/health status. Similarly, greater use of opioids, prednisolone and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs was seen in those with poorer pain/health status.

Conclusion

In the absence of disease activity information, distinct trajectories of varying pain/health status were seen from the outset and throughout the disease course in this RA cohort. More biologic therapy modifications and greater use in anti-inflammatories, opioids and prednisolone were seen in those with poorer pain/health status, reflecting undesirable lived experience of persistent pain in RA.
Enhancing Prediction of Forelimb Movement Trajectory through a Calibrating-Feedback Paradigm Incorporating RAT Primary Motor and Agranular Cortical Ensemble Activity in the Goal-Directed Reaching Task
Authors: Wang Han-Lin , Kuo Yun-Ting , Lo Yu-Chun , Kuo Chao-Hung , Chen Bo-Wei , Wang Ching-Fu , Wu Zu-Yu , Lee Chi-En , Yang Shih-Hung , Lin Sheng-Huang , Chen Po-Chuan , Chen You-Yin
Published: July 2023

Complete reaching movements involve target sensing, motor planning, and arm movement execution, and this process requires the integration and communication of various brain regions. Previously, reaching movements have been decoded successfully from the motor cortex (M1) and applied to prosthetic control. However, most studies attempted to decode neural activities from a single brain region, resulting in reduced decoding accuracy during visually guided reaching motions. To enhance the decoding accuracy of visually guided forelimb reaching movements, we propose a parallel computing neural network using both M1 and medial agranular cortex (AGm) neural activities of rats to predict forelimb-reaching movements. The proposed network decodes M1 neural activities into the primary components of the forelimb movement and decodes AGm neural activities into internal feedforward information to calibrate the forelimb movement in a goal-reaching movement. We demonstrate that using AGm neural activity to calibrate M1 predicted forelimb movement can improve decoding performance significantly compared to neural decoders without calibration. We also show that the M1 and AGm neural activities contribute to controlling forelimb movement during goal-reaching movements, and we report an increase in the power of the local field potential (LFP) in beta and gamma bands over AGm in response to a change in the target distance, which may involve sensorimotor transformation and communication between the visual cortex and AGm when preparing for an upcoming reaching movement. The proposed parallel computing neural network with the internal feedback model improves prediction accuracy for goal-reaching movements.
Supersymmetric quantum mechanics and the Riemann hypothesis
Authors: Kalauni Pushpa , Milton Kimball A
Published: July 2023

We construct a supersymmetric quantum mechanical model in which the energy eigenvalues of the Hamiltonians are the products of Riemann zeta functions. We show that the trivial and nontrivial zeros of the Riemann zeta function naturally correspond to the vanishing ground state energies in this model. The model provides a natural form of supersymmetry.
Unsteady MHD hybrid nanofluid flow over a convectively heated linear stretching cylinder with velocity slip: A comparative study
Authors: Nandi Susmay , Barman Dipak
Published: July 2023

This paper provides a comparative numerical analysis of unsteady hybrid nanofluid ([Formula: see text]/H2O) and nanofluid (TiO2/H2O) flows through a permeable linear stretching cylinder placed in a porous medium has been presented in the presence of oblique Lorentz force. The flow regulating boundary layer equations has been governed due to the sway of the suction, viscous-Ohmic dissipation, heat source, thermal radiation and first-order velocity slip with imposing convective boundary conditions on the surface. The self-similar transformation has been employed to convert the governing coupled nonlinear PDEs into a set of ODEs and finally solved them numerically by fifth-order Runge–Kutta method with shooting technique. Finally, a comparative study has been made on the thickness of the momentum and thermal boundary layers due to the effect of governing parameters for simple and hybrid nanofluids. Further, a numerical observation on local skin friction and thermal-transport coefficients is presented with the help of tables. The result indicates that the progressiveness of the velocity profile reduces for the unsteadiness parameter, Hartree pressure gradient, velocity slip parameter, inclination parameter, porous medium parameter, magnetic parameter and suction parameter while improving for velocity ratio parameter and temperature profiles increases with Biot number, Eckert number, heat generation parameter and thermal radiation parameter, but decreases for Hartree pressure gradient and velocity ratio parameter. This work has found various applications in high-temperature and cooling processes, paints, conductive coatings, medicines, space technology, biosensors, conductive coatings and so on.
Experimental characterization of ZnO properties and the impact of doping and DFT methods
Authors: Ben Ahmed A. , Benhaliliba M.
Published: July 2023

This study focuses on zinc oxide by both computational and experimental methods. Pure and In-doped ZnO thin films were produced by spray pyrolysis at 300∘C onto glass substrate. X-ray patterns reveal the polycrystalline structure according to wurtzite along the (002) direction recording a smaller grain size in nanometric scale. This aspect is confirmed by AFM scanned pictures. High transparency of thin film is observed in spite of the indium insertion into ZnO lattice which decreases it slightly. A wide bandgap exceeds 3[Formula: see text]eV of such as-grown films were recorded. Blue and orange emissions were detected as confirmed by photoluminescence analysis. Computational result analysis is used to demonstrate the ideal geometries in the ground states of pure and doped ZnO. The UV–visible absorption band shifts from 360[Formula: see text]nm to 448[Formula: see text]nm as a result of In-doping. The HUMO and LUMO diagrams demonstrate a drop in energy E as a result of doping, and the DOS profiles validate and confirm this detail. Also, the effect of indium on the linear and nonlinear optical parameters of zinc oxide was discussed.
Welding Groove Edge Detection Method Using Lightweight Fusion Model Based on Transfer Learning
Authors: Guo Bo , Rao Lanxiang , Li Xu , Li Yuwen , Yang Wen , Li Jianmin
Published: July 2023

Groove edge detection is the prerequisite for weld seam deviation identification. A welding groove edge detection method based on transfer learning is presented as a solution to the inaccuracy of the conventional image processing method for extracting the edge of the welding groove. DenseNet and MobileNetV2 are used as feature extractors for transfer learning. Dense-Mobile Net is constructed using the skip connections structure and depthwise separable convolution. The Dense-Mobile Net training procedure consists of two stages: pre-training and model fusion fine-tuning. Experiments demonstrate that the proposed model accurately detects groove edges in MAG welding images. Using MIG welding images and the Pascal VOC2012 dataset to evaluate the generalization ability of the model, the relevant indicators are greater than those of Support Vector Machine (SVM), Fully Convolutional Networks (FCN), and UNet. The average single-frame detection time of the proposed model is 0.14 s, which meets the requirements of industrial real-time performance.
A Digital Simulation and Re-Editing Method for Clothing Patterns Based on Deep Learning and Somatosensory Interaction
Authors: Sun Haiyan , Yao Jiali , Zhang Haoyu , Li Zhijun , Cai Xingquan
Published: July 2023

To address the issues in clothing pattern style migration, this paper proposes a digital simulation and re-editing method for clothing patterns based on deep learning and somatosensory interaction. First, the proposed method encodes the black-and-white line drawing image, generating random noise images through a diffusion process, introducing color information for synthesis, and using a decoder to reconstruct a colored image. Afterwards, an improved VGG19 model is used to reconstruct content features and perform linear color transformation on style images, enabling pattern style migration through the construction of a Gram matrix and resulting in colored clothing texture patterns. Finally, a KinectV2 is utilized for fabric simulation, overlaying colorful clothing texture patterns to achieve 3D virtual dressing. The experimental results show that the proposed method improves the structural similarity index measure (SSIM) by 9–11% and the peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR) by 3–8% when compared to existing algorithms. The experiments provide evidence that the proposed method effectively mitigates color overflow, delivers precise image coloring, and accomplishes realistic restoration of clothing texture. Furthermore, the method offers an improved garment fit to fulfill the user’s interaction requirements.
An Extended Labanotation Generation Method Based on 3D Human Pose Estimation for Intangible Cultural Heritage Dance Videos
Authors: Cai Xingquan , Lu Rui , Cheng Pengyan , Yao Jiali , Hu Yan
Published: July 2023

To address the issues of low accuracy in existing 3D human pose estimation (HPE) methods and the limited level of details in Labanotation, we propose an extended Labanotation generation method for intangible cultural heritage dance videos based on 3D HPE. First, a 2D human pose sequence of the performer is inputted along with spatial location embeddings, where multiple spatial transformer modules are employed to extract spatial features of human joints and generate cross-joint multiple hypotheses. Afterward, temporal features are extracted by a self-attentive module and the correlation between different hypotheses is learned using bilinear pooling. Finally, the 3D joint coordinates of the performer are predicted, which are matched with the corresponding extended Labanotation symbols using the Laban template matching method to generate extended Labanotation. Experimental results show that, compared with VideoPose and CrossFormer algorithms, the Mean Per Joint Position Error (MPJPE) of the proposed method is reduced by 3.7[Formula: see text]mm and 0.6[Formula: see text]mm, respectively on Human3.6M dataset, and the generated extended Labanotation can better describe the movement details compared with the basic Labanotation.
Joint Measurement of Thermal Discomfort by Occupant Pose, Motion and Appearance in Indoor Surveillance Videos for Building Energy Saving
Authors: Wang Yu , Wang Yingjie , Duan Wenjun , Zheng Yuanjie , Duan Peiyong
Published: July 2023

To accurately describe the thermal comfort of indoor occupant used to regulate heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system is a key goal to reduce energy consumption in intelligent buildings. In this paper, we propose a noncontact measurement of occupant thermal discomfort behavior as an index of thermal comfort. The method takes the existing monitoring image data in the building as the input to infer the occupant thermal discomfort directly, which saves the cost because there is no need to install new sensors in the building and the occupant does not need to wear additional equipment. The framework combined three channels of body posture, motion and performance information to infer occupant thermal discomfort behavior, it consists of a human detection and crop module, a posture analysis module, an optical flow extraction module and a 3D convolutional neural network module. The three channels describe the actions from different perspectives, and the proposed method makes full use of the complementarity of the three modalities to identify the occupant’s thermal discomfort behaviors. Sixteen postures related to thermal discomfort were identified through a questionnaire, and 14,800 video clips containing these postures were collected for experimental evaluation. The results demonstrate the superior performances of our approach to the state-of-the-art techniques. The framework achieves noninvasive, cost-effective thermal comfort evaluation, and has potential value in improving energy efficiency of HVAC systems.
A Deep Learning Network-on-Chip (NoC)-Based Switch-Router to Enhance Information Security in Resource-Constrained Devices
Authors: Shahrani Ali M. Al , Rizwan Ali , Algarni Abdullah , Alissa Khalid A. , Shabaz Mohammad , Singh Bhupesh Kumar , Zaki John
Published: July 2023

In a resource-constrained environment of the 21st century, the use of hardware-based reconfigurable systems such as Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGAs) is considered an effective way to enhance information security. In comparison with traditional custom circuitry that does not give a flexible approach, it is observed that the reconfigurable hardware shows an excellent potential for cyber security by increasing hardware speeds and flexibility. Therefore, in a quest to integrate multi-core systems, the Network-on-Chip (NoC) has become one of the popular widespread techniques to maximize router security. Due to the significant overhead of chip space and the power consumption of the routers, it is substantially more expensive to construct as compared to a bus-based system. The control component (CC) interacts with the networks that inject packets based on router switching and activity. These control components are coupled with each network to produce a system of controlled networks. The system is further linked with CFM or a Centralized Fabric Manager, which serves as the network’s focal point. After that, the CFM runs the algorithm regularly. The analytic parameters comprise flip flop, power, latency, number of lookup tables (LUTs), and throughput. In the proposed method, the number of LUTs is [Formula: see text], the flip flop is [Formula: see text], the power is [Formula: see text]W, the latency is 5941[Formula: see text]ns, and the planned throughput is 0.56 flits/cycle. Results indicate that the crossbar switch reduces errors and minimizes the delay in the architecture’s outcome level, which further overcomes the descriptions of performance, power throughput, and area delay parameters. The findings of the research can be useful to enhance information security among lightweight devices besides minimizing the chances of network attacks in today’s dynamic and complex cyberspace.
Study of optical, thermal, mechanical, dielectric and nonlinear optical study on nonlinear optical material Bis-(L-Tyrosinato) Cupric acetate single crystals for optoelectronics application
Authors: Raja R. , Samuel R. Sugaraj , Ganesan R. , Hidayathullah A. Mohamed , Janarthanan S.
Published: July 2023

The semi-organic nonlinear optical single crystal Bis (L-Tyrosinato) Cupric acetate (BLTC) was synthesized through a slow evaporation process in atmospheric conditions. A single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis of the formed crystal revealed that it is an orthorhombic crystal system with the space group P212121. Additionally, the powder X-ray diffraction patterns and diffracting planes of the BLTC crystal were recorded and identified. Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy analysis was used to characterize the formed crystals in order to identify the various vibrational modes caused by the different functional groups present in BLTC. The 1H and 13C NMR spectra were used to examine the crystal’s hydrogen and carbon environments. The UV-visible, near-infrared, and photoluminescence (PL) analyses have been used to do optical studies. According to our findings, the material has a decreased cut-off wavelength and a high transparency window, making it suitable for nonlinear optical (NLO) and optoelectronic applications. The BLTC crystal’s predicted band gap was found to be 4.1 eV. Thermo gravimetric (TG) and differential thermal analysis (DTA) techniques were used to determine the thermal properties of BLTC. With three different frequencies, the dielectric measurement of the crystal was observed with respect to temperature. An analysis has been done on the harvested crystals mechanical characteristics. In the developed BLTC crystal, morphological changes on the surface are seen. The material’s second harmonic generation (SHG) was tested using the Kurtz and Perry powder method, and it was found to be higher than the KDP.
Causal perturbative QFT and white noise
Authors: Wawrzycki Jarosław
Published: July 2023

In this paper, we present the Bogoliubov’s causal perturbative QFT, which includes only one refinement: the creation-annihilation operators at a point, i.e. for a specific momentum, are mathematically interpreted as the Hida operators from the white noise analysis. We leave the rest of the theory completely unchanged. This allows avoiding infrared — and ultraviolet — divergences in the transition to the adiabatic limit for interacting fields. We present here the analysis of the causal axioms for the scattering operator with the Hida operators as the creation-annihilation operators.
Exponential convergence in the trace norm and time-inhomogeneous Markovian evolutions on ℬ(ℋ)
Authors: Li Zheng
Published: July 2023

We consider a sequence of operators [Formula: see text] that describes the time evolution of normal states of an open quantum system. Our objective is to analyze the asymptotic behavior of [Formula: see text], where [Formula: see text] is an arbitrary initial normal state. Our focus is on specific situations in which the operators [Formula: see text] are produced by various quantum Markov semigroups of weak coupling limit-type. To tackle this problem, we introduce a new result concerning exponential convergence to equilibrium in the trace norm for quantum Markov semigroups, provided that their induced semigroups have a spectral gap. Moreover, applications to quantum annealing are discussed.
Dynamic Factor of Suburban Railway Bridge Considering Random Vibration
Authors: Cheng Zenong , Bai Yun , Yang Xinzheng , Feng Xujie , Zhang Nan
Published: July 2023

The focus of this paper is to examine the dynamic factor of the suburban railway by utilizing the random vibration approach. Breaking through the previous methods of relying on huge amounts of measured data, herein, the dynamic factor essentially results from two major parts: the dynamic effect caused by moving train loads and that generated by track irregularity, which has clear physical significance. As the internal excitation of the vehicle–bridge system, track irregularity has strong randomness. Based on the dimension reduction method, the spatial domain power spectral density (PSD) of the track irregularity is transformed into the time-domain PSD. Therefore, the randomness of the random process is reduced by exploiting the constraint form of a random function, and then, the typical samples of the track irregularity considering randomness are constructed. Using the vehicle–bridge coupled vibration model, the standard deviation of the dynamic factor is evaluated accounting for the random track irregularity and 99.7% guarantee rate. Finally, the impact coefficient of the track irregularity on the bridge is methodically obtained. The sensitivity of the standard deviation of the dynamic factor to vehicle speed and bridge frequency is analyzed. The given solution methodology can fully take into account the randomness of the track irregularity. Thereby, it provides the dynamic factor formulas as a reference for the dynamic performance evaluation of suburban railway bridges and possible revision of current design specifications.
Linear and Nonlinear Free Vibration and Optimal Design of Bio-Inspired Helicoidal CFRPC Laminated Plates
Authors: Lu Taoye , Shen Hui-Shen , Wang Hai , Chen Xiuhua , Feng Miaolin
Published: July 2023

Bio-inspired helicoidal carbon fiber reinforced polymer composite (CFRPC) laminates stacked with Bouligand configurations are considered to own great potential in engineering fields. The optimization design of helicoidal layups with single-form and combination-form of linear and nonlinear helicoidal arrangements is carried out using ABAQUS and Isight. Two single-objective optimizations and one multi-objective optimization of maximum fundamental frequency and the difference among the first four adjacent vibration frequencies of helicoidal CFRPC laminated plates are performed and the nonlinear free vibration characteristics of optimal ones are investigated for the first time. Numerical studies are carried out for 16-ply symmetrical rectangular helicoidal laminated plates under two different boundary conditions compared with quasi-isotropic counterparts. The results show that the combination-form helicoidal layup sequences can improve the linear vibration characteristics of CFRPC laminated plates. The plates stacked with the combination form of nonlinear Fibonacci and linear patterns are expected to provide better vibration characteristics.
Difference operators on lattices
Authors: Gan Aiping , Guo Li
Published: July 2023

A differential operator of weight [Formula: see text] is the algebraic abstraction of the difference quotient [Formula: see text], including both the derivation as [Formula: see text] approaches to [Formula: see text] and the difference operator when [Formula: see text]. Correspondingly, differential algebra of weight [Formula: see text] extends the well-established theories of differential algebra and difference algebra. In this paper, we initiate the study of differential operators with weights, in particular difference operators, on lattices. We show that differential operators of weight [Formula: see text] on a lattice coincide with differential operators, while differential operators are special cases of difference operators. Distributivity of a lattice is characterized by the existence of certain difference operators. Furthermore, we characterize and enumerate difference operatorson finite chains and finite quasi-antichains.
Additively idempotent matrix semirings
Authors: Kepka Tomáš , Korbelář Miroslav
Published: July 2023

Let [Formula: see text] be an additively idempotent semiring and [Formula: see text] be the semiring of all [Formula: see text] matrices over [Formula: see text]. We characterize the conditions of when the semiring [Formula: see text] is congruence-simple provided that the semiring [Formula: see text] is either commutative or finite. We also give a characterization of when the semiring [Formula: see text] is subdirectly irreducible for [Formula: see text] being almost integral (i.e. [Formula: see text] for all [Formula: see text]). In particular, we provide this characterization for the semirings [Formula: see text] derived from the pseudo MV-algebras.
A GENERALIZATION OF THRESHOLD-BASED AND PROBABILITY-BASED MODELS OF INFORMATION DIFFUSION
Authors: JAYALATH CHATHURA , GUNARATNE CHATHIKA , RAND WILLIAM , SENEVIRATNE CHATHURANI , GARIBAY IVAN
Published: July 2023

Diffusion of information through complex networks is of interest in studies such as propagation prediction and influence maximization, both of which have applications in viral marketing and rumor controlling. There are a variety of information diffusion models, all of which simulate the adoption and spread of information over time. However, there is a lack of understanding of whether, despite their conceptual differences, these models represent the same underlying generative structures. For instance, if two different models utilize different conceptual mechanisms, but generate the same results, does the choice of model matter? A classification of diffusion of information models is developed based on the neighbor knowledge of the model infection requirement and the stochasticity of the model. This classification allows for the identification of models that fall into each respective category. The study involves the analysis of the following agent-based models on directed scale-free networks: (1) a linear absolute threshold model (LATM), (2) a linear fractional threshold model (LTFM), (3) the independent cascade model (ICM), (4) Bass-Rand-Rust model (BRRM) (5) a stochastic linear absolute threshold model (SLATM) (6) a stochastic fractional threshold model (SLFTM), and (7) Dodds–Watts model (DWM). Through the execution of simulations and analysis of the experimental results, the distinctive properties of each model are identified. Our analysis reveals that similarity in conceptual design does not imply similarity in behavior concerning speed, final state of nodes and edges, and sensitivity to parameters. Therefore, we highlight the importance of considering the unique behavioral characteristics of each model when selecting a suitable information diffusion model for a particular application.
Robust partially linear trend filtering for regression estimation and structure discovery
Authors: Deng Hao , Han Yuxiang , Tao Yanfang
Published: July 2023

Partially linear additive models (PLAMs) have attracted much attention in the statistical machine learning community due to their interpretability and flexibility in data-driven prediction and inference. Since the performance of PLAMs is closely related to the structure information of linear and nonlinear components, several approaches have been proposed for regression estimation and data-driven structure discovery. However, the existing automatic discovery strategy is limited to the mean regression framework and is usually sensitive to non-Gaussian noises, e.g. skewed noise and heavy-tailed noise. To further improve the robustness of PLAMs, this paper proposes a Robust Partially Linear Trend Filtering (RPLTF) for regression estimation and structure discovery by integrating the mode-induced error metric and the trend filtering-based nonlinear approximation into regularized PLAMs. Besides the computing algorithm of RPLTF, we establish its upper bound on generalization error in theory. Empirical examples are provided to validate the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Exploring holographic dark energy with Hubble’s and Granda–Oliveros horizons as the infrared cut-off in non-static plane symmetric space-time
Authors: Shekh S. H. , Muzammil M. , Mapari R. V. , Khapekar G. U. , Dixit A.
Published: July 2023

The current analysis uses the non-static plane symmetric space-time to dynamically examine the holographic dark energy model as candidates of IR cut-offs (specifically Hubble’s and Granda–Oliveros cut-off). Any other cut-off is just a specific example of the Nojiri–Odintsov cut-off, which is the most universal [S. Nojiri and S. D. Odintsov, Gen. Relativity Gravitation 38 (2006) 1285]. Using the Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) method, we estimate the best fit values for the model parameters imposed from the combined datasets of CC+SC+BAO. Now, it has been found that the characteristics of space-time that have been addressed and formulated using both models are flat universe and observed that the model appears to be in good agreement with the observations. In addition, we investigate the behavior of equation of state (EoS) parameters along with the energy conditions. Finally, we found that in both the cut-offs the models predict that the present and late universe are accelerating and the EoS parameter behaves like the quintessence model.
The trace of uniform hypergraphs with application to Estrada index
Authors: Fan Yi-Zheng , Zheng Jian , Yang Ya
Published: July 2023

In this paper, we investigate the traces of the adjacency tensor of uniform hypergraphs (simply called the traces of hypergraphs). We give new expressions for the traces of hypertrees and linear unicyclic hypergraphs by the weight function assigned to their connected sub-hypergraphs, and present some perturbation results for the traces of a hypergraph when its structure is locally changed. As an application we determine the unique hypertree with maximum Estrada index among all hypertrees with perfect matchings and given number of edges, and the unique unicyclic hypergraph with maximum Estrada index among all unicyclic hypergraph with girth [Formula: see text] and given number of edges.
Early detection of chronic kidney disease using recursive feature elimination and cross-validated XGBoost model
Authors: Kumar Mukesh
Published: July 2023

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is listed among the top 20 leading causes of death worldwide, highlighting the urgent need for effective methods of early disease prediction for chronic conditions. This paper presents a novel strategy for the early diagnosis of CKD, leveraging machine learning (ML) methods to support researchers in their pursuit of preventative approaches. The study incorporates data from 400 patients, analyzing a comprehensive set of 25 attributes. The missing values in the dataset handled by mean and mode statistics were employed for numerical and nominal dimensions respectively. The recursive feature elimination (RFE) with cross-validation (CV) technique was utilized to identify the most crucial attributes. The resulting predictive model achieved positive outcomes in terms of accuracy, precision, recall, and [Formula: see text]-measure across all implemented classification algorithms (random forest (RF), Naive Bayes (NB), decision tree (DT), multi-layer neural network (MLNN), partial decision tree algorithm (PART), repeated incremental pruning to produce error reduction (RIPPER), [Formula: see text] Star and extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost)). Notably, the XGBoost classification algorithm demonstrated an impressive accuracy of up to 99.5%. The utilization of predictive models is indispensable for healthcare professionals, as they play a pivotal role in enabling early detection of CKD and mitigating the risk of kidney failure occurrence. This research offers valuable insights into the development of reliable methods for the early identification of CKD, providing a promising avenue for enhancing patient outcomes and reducing the burden of this prevalent chronic condition.
Finite-Time Disturbance Observer-based New Fast Terminal Sliding Mode Control for Systems with Uncertainties in Dynamics and Disturbances: Application to Three-DOF Hover Quadrotor
Authors: Ouahab Badis , Alouane Mohamed Amine , Boudjema Fares
Published: July 2023

This paper proposes a Finite-Time Disturbance Observer-based new Fast Terminal Sliding Mode Control (FTDO–FTSMC) for systems under disturbances and parametric uncertainties with input saturation. Our approach begins with the design of a finite-time observer to estimate disturbances, in which we show that the errors in disturbance estimation converge to zero in finite time. Then, a new fast terminal sliding surface is proposed for the fast and finite-time convergence of the tracking errors. The closed-loop system under the proposed control scheme has been proved to be asymptotically stable by using the Lyapunov theory. Finally, the proposed FTDO–FTSMC framework is applied to the attitude control of a three-DOF hover quadrotor under time-varying disturbances and parametric uncertainties. Simulation results show that the proposed control strategy achieves excellent performance in terms of trajectory tracking, disturbance rejection and robustness, even in the presence of external disturbances and model uncertainties, compared with the existing control approaches.
Short- to Mid-term Results of Patient-Specific Polymethylmethacrylate Radial Head Prosthesis in Complex Radial Head Fractures Using 3-Dimensional Mold System
Authors: JAVADI Aidin , AHMADI Zahra , KACHOOEI Amir R.
Published: July 2023

Background: We used antibiotic-impregnated polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) bone cement to make a patient-specific radial head prosthesis (RHP) by applying the 3-dimensional (3D) designing technique in patients with Mason types 3 and 4 radial head fractures. The aim of this study is to report the short- to mid-term outcomes of this procedure.

Methods: This is a prospective study of all patients who underwent a patient-specific PMMA bone cement RHP at our institute over a 1-year period from May 2017 to June 2018. The outcome measures included range of motion, grip strength, visual analogue scale (VAS) for pain at rest and at activity, disabilities of arm, shoulder and hand (DASH) score and Mayo elbow performance index (MEPI). Radiographs of the elbow ere obtained at final follow-up and any complications were also recorded.

Results: Our study included eight patients with a mean follow-up of 18 months (13–20 months).

The mean arc of extension–flexion and supination–pronation of the operated side was 86% and 96% of the unaffected side, respectively. Mean grip strength was 86% of the unaffected side. The mean VAS for pain at rest was 0 and during activity was 2 out of 10. The mean DASH score was 8 out of 100 (0–22), showing minimal disability and ability to cope with most living activities. MEPI showed four excellent, three good and one fair result. One patient complained of proximal forearm pain that appeared 1 year after surgery. No patient complained of ulnar nerve symptoms requiring intervention. No RHP was removed during the follow-up.

Conclusions: PMMA RHP can be used safely as an alternative to metal prostheses to restore valgus and axial stability of the forearm. The use of 3D printing optimised the design and surgical technique of radial head arthroplasty, and we need further studies to assess the long-term follow-ups.

Level of Evidence: Level IV (Therapeutic)
Distal Interphalangeal Joint Arthroplasty – A Systematic Review
Authors: XU Joshua , GILPIN Bradley , MCCARRON Luke , SIVAKUMAR Brahman , GRAHAM David
Published: July 2023

Background: Arthritis of the distal interphalangeal joint (DIPJ) can result in significant functional limitations and pain. While arthrodesis is the most common surgical intervention, this can decrease grip strength and have other limitations. DIPJ arthroplasty may be an appealing alternative in select patient with this study aiming to review the outcomes of this procedure.

Methods: A search was conducted according to PRISMA guidelines using PubMed, Embase and Ovid Medline from date of inception to April 2022. Relevant studies were included if they reported on complications and functional outcomes of DIPJ arthroplasty. Data was then extracted and analysed.

Results: Seven studies were included including 171 patients with 269 digits. The mean age was 62.1 years, with 81% of the cohort being female. The indication for surgery was osteoarthritis in 97% of patients. Surgical approaches varied from dorsal transverse, dorsal T-incision, dorsal H-incision to radial incisions. A silicone implant was used in all patients. A total of 97.7% of patients were satisfied with their outcome, and pain improved or eliminated in all patients where it was reported. Joint stability was noted in 97.4% of cases. The mean preoperative DIPJ range of motion was 24° and improved to 36° post-operation. The mean preoperative extensor lag was 24° and reduced to 13° post operation. The rate of re-operation was 7.1%.

Conclusions: DIPJ arthroplasty may be a viable alternative to arthrodesis in certain settings, providing high patient satisfaction, improvements in digital range of motion and relief of pain. However, the available literature is sparse, and limited by low-quality studies and heterogenous outcome reporting.

Level of Evidence: Level III (Therapeutic)
LP(a): Structure, Genetics, Associated Cardiovascular Risk, and Emerging Therapeutics
Authors: Tasdighi Erfan , Adhikari Rishav , Almaadawy Omar , Leucker Thorsten M. , Blaha Michael J.
Published: July 2023

Lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] is a molecule bound to apolipoprotein(a) with some similarity to low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), which has been found to be a risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Lp(a) appears to induce inflammation, atherogenesis, and thrombosis. Approximately 20% of the world's population has increased Lp(a) levels, determined predominantly by genetics. Current clinical practices for the management of dyslipidemia are ineffective in lowering Lp(a) levels. Evolving RNA-based therapeutics, such as the antisense oligonucleotide pelacarsen and small interfering RNA olpasiran, have shown promising results in reducing Lp(a) levels. Phase III pivotal cardiovascular outcome trials [Lp(a)HORIZON and OCEAN(a)] are ongoing to evaluate their efficacy in secondary prevention of major cardiovascular events in patients with elevated Lp(a). The future of cardiovascular residual risk reduction may transition to a personalized approach where further lowering of either LDL-C, triglycerides, or Lp(a) is selected after high-intensity statin therapy based on the individual risk profile and preferences of each patient.
High-Throughput Screening to Advance In Vitro Toxicology: Accomplishments, Challenges, and Future Directions
Authors: Lynch Caitlin , Sakamuru Srilatha , Ooka Masato , Huang Ruili , Klumpp-Thomas Carleen , Shinn Paul , Gerhold David , Rossoshek Anna , Michael Sam , Casey Warren , Santillo Michael F. , Fitzpatrick Suzanne , Thomas Russell S. , Simeonov Anton , Xia Menghang
Published: July 2023

Traditionally, chemical toxicity is determined by in vivo animal studies, which are low throughput, expensive, and sometimes fail to predict compound toxicity in humans. Due to the increasing number of chemicals in use and the high rate of drug candidate failure due to toxicity, it is imperative to develop in vitro, high-throughput screening methods to determine toxicity. The Tox21 program, a unique research consortium of federal public health agencies, was established to address and identify toxicity concerns in a high-throughput, concentration-responsive manner using a battery of in vitro assays. In this article, we review the advancements in high-throughput robotic screening methodology and informatics processes to enable the generation of toxicological data, and their impact on the field; further, we discuss the future of assessing environmental toxicity utilizing efficient and scalable methods that better represent the corresponding biological and toxicodynamic processes in humans.
A Comparative Study on the Activity and Stability of Iridium-Based Co-Catalysts for Cell Reversal Tolerant PEMFC Anodes
Authors: Marić Robert , Gebauer Christian , Eweiner Florian , Strasser Peter
Published: July 2023

In fuel cell applications with long lifetime requirements, the management of stressing operating conditions—such as hydrogen starvation events—plays a pivotal role. Among other remedies, the incorporation of an OER-enhancing co-catalyst, is widely employed to improve the intrinsic stability of Pt/C-based anode catalyst layers in PEM fuel cells. The present study investigates several supported and unsupported Ir-based co-catalysts comprising different oxidation states of iridium: from metallic to oxidic character, both anhydrous rutile-type IrO2 and hydrated amorphous form. Utilizing a single-cell setup, cell reversal experiments were conducted initially after break-in of the MEA and after seven days of continuous operation under reductive H2 atmosphere at application-relevant conditions. The initial cell reversal tolerance was found to increase in the order metallic Ir < crystalline Ir oxide < amorphous Ir oxyhydroxide. By contrast, after continuous operation under H2 the order changes drastically to amorphous Ir oxyhydroxide ∼ metallic Ir < crystalline Ir oxide. This led us to conclude that the amorphous Ir oxyhydroxide is likely reduced to metallic Ir during continuous H2 operation, while IrO2 provides a reasonable trade-off between initial OER activity, high structural and chemical stability at high anode potentials during H2 starvation and low reducibility under prolonged H2 operation.
Sleep efficiency and PTSD symptom severity predict microvascular endothelial function and arterial stiffness in young, trauma-exposed women
Authors: Tahsin Chowdhury Tasnova , Michopoulos Vasiliki , Powers Abigail , Park Jeanie , Ahmed Zynab , Cullen Kathryn , Jenkins Nathaniel D. M. , Keller-Ross Manda , Fonkoue Ida T.
Published: July 2023

This is the first study to investigate the individual and combined impacts of objective sleep and PTSD symptoms severity on arterial stiffness and microvascular endothelial function in young premenopausal women. We report that in young trauma-exposed women, although low sleep efficiency is associated with overall vascular function (i.e., microvascular endothelial function and arterial stiffness), the severity of PTSD symptoms is specifically associated with microvascular endothelial function, after accounting for age and body mass index.