bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Research on self-adaptive clustering algorithms for large data sparse networks based on information entropy
Authors: Ma Tingting , Zhang Guanhong
Published: June 2021

With the advent of the era of artificial intelligence and information technology, a large number of data and information pour into all walks of life. These data packages include many online and offline data such as text files, audio and video. However, so many data are unnecessary in real life. The application of data clustering algorithm based on artificial intelligence technology can solve such problems very well. However, the traditional clustering algorithm relies too much on manual operation when choosing clustering centers, which greatly reduces the efficiency of the whole algorithm. At the same time, the traditional clustering algorithm based on sparse network has too many coefficients in its coefficient matrix design, so it can not aggregate the relevant data well. This paper will measure the correlation of related data based on information entropy, and innovatively improve the existing sparse data network model. A model training algorithm based on multi-strategy pattern optimization is proposed to realize the automatic selection of clustering centers and reduce the training time of the algorithm. In terms of data clustering correlation, this paper proposes an optimized adaptive clustering algorithm based on the joint model of sparse subspace clustering algorithm model and the norm of adaptive subspace segmentation. In the experimental part, this paper compares the proposed algorithm with the traditional density peak clustering algorithm. The experimental results show that the proposed algorithm has obvious advantages in text data collection and classification, image data collection and filtering.
Application of Hybrid Moran’s I Index and SE Model on the spatial Impact and time dradient changes of regional development
Authors: Yu Linhui , Chang Jing
Published: June 2021

Spatial econometrics includes space, which has long been neglected in econometrics, into the model. To explore the two themes of spatial dependence and spatial heterogeneity is a branch of econometrics dealing with the spatial relationship of geographical units. Moran's I index test is a method to test the correlation of development in a spatial region, and the combination of spatial econometric model and Moran's I index test can add spatial effect to Moran's I index test and make a series of regression to get the regional correlation. According to the spatial econometric model, this paper collects the changes of per capita GDP scale level and real per capita GDP growth rate from 1980 to 2015, and applies Moran's model to the central, Western and eastern parts of China The results show that the spatial correlation of the development and growth of the eastern region is increasing year by year, the central region shows a fluctuating trend, and the spatial correlation of the western region shows a downward trend The change trend of I value predicts that the imbalance of regional development in China is gradually changing to the national development balance, which is consistent with the actual situation in China. It proves that the model combined with Moran's I index test is accurate and the prediction results are reliable.
Research and simulation of network security situation prediction algorithm
Authors: Li Zhengmao , Ma Tingting , Zhou Yanling , Wang Xianhui
Published: June 2021

Monitoring and predicting the security state of network environment is the key to solve network security. On the basis of studying the principle of network security situation awareness, a network security situation prediction model based on artificial immunity and Kalman algorithm is designed according to the artificial immunity evaluation model. First, Wireshark software was used to analyse DARPA99 dataset. Then, the situation value was obtained by using the artificial immune evaluation model. In the Curver Fitting Tool, the Kalman algorithm is written to achieve the optimal prediction of the situation value. The test results show that the model has a good prediction effect.
Research on impulse response and variance decomposition analysis of co-integrated systems
Authors: Wang Yang-Chao , Tsai Jui-Jung , Dong Yueying
Published: June 2021

The cointegration test explores whether a relationship of long-term equilibrium exists between the multi-dimensional series. It helps to exclude the possibility of spurious regression. As for the vector auto-regressive (VAR) model, it describes the interrelationship between endogenous variables. With impulse response and variance decomposition, the VAR model can further capture the dynamic response path of the dependent variable after being impacted by other variables, and the contribution rates of different variables to the impulse response of the dependent variable. In this paper, impulse response and variance decomposition analysis of cointegrated systems are adopted based on the VAR model to evaluate measurable data of RMB internationalization. The framework consists of four steps. First, the long-term equilibrium between variables after confirming the existence of cointegration relationship is explored. Second, the VAR model is adopted to consider the endogeneity between variables. Then, through the impulse response function, the dynamic response path of the system impacted by unit impulse is observed. Finally, combined with variance decomposition, further analysis is taken to realize the contribution rates of variables to the impulse. The results show that foreign influencement has the greatest impact on RMB internationalization, followed by foreign exchange reserves. However, the corresponding paths of RMB internationalization still requires to be adjusted.
Application of Error Correction model with monetary function factors in the return of bitcoin
Authors: Liang Huan
Published: June 2021

Bitcoin is a kind of virtual currency based on block chain technology. In many scenarios, it shows the function of currency to a certain extent. However, many believe that the value of Bitcoin is hollow, speculative and unable to undertake monetary functions, which prevents it to circulate as a real currency. This paper assumes that Bitcoin can undertake monetary functions, which can verify the relationship between monetary functions and Bitcoin earnings. According to the availability of the data and the previous research results, the monthly value of the indexes to measure the monetary function from 2010 to 2020 are selected to form a regression equation with the monthly return data of Bitcoin in the corresponding period. ADF test shows that the explained variable is a first-order simple integer, and the explanatory variables have both first-order simple integer and stationary sequence, and there is a cointegration relationship between them. The result of error correction model shows that the relationship between Bitcoin rate of return and the relevant indicators to measure monetary function is not significant, which rejects the original assumption that Bitcoin can assume monetary function, indicating that Bitcoin does not have the ability and potential to assume monetary function. This may be due to the speculative nature of Bitcoin and the lack of powerful credit support. Therefore, investment in Bitcoin needs to be cautiously thought, but the blockchain technology used in Bitcoin needs to be vigorously developed, which could lead to a technological revolution; in addition, it is momentous for countries to develop digital currencies of central bank to meet the challenge.
Application of time series model and deep learning method in measuring the impact of COVID-19 on agriculture in Hubei, China
Authors: Zou Yonghong , Wang Jiaojiao
Published: June 2021

Taking the agricultural situation of Hubei Province as the research object, this paper uses the time series ARIMA model, ARMA model and deep learning LSTM neural network model to explore the impact of COVID-19 on the agriculture of Hubei Province. Three main indicators are screened out to measure the development of agricultural economy, that is, gross regional product, gross output value of agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry and fishery, agricultural product production price index. Based on the quarterly data of indicators from 2001 to 2019 from the National Bureau of Statistics, three indicators in Hubei Province in the first quarter and the second quarter of 2020 are predicted by using the deep learning-based time series ARIMA model, ARMA model and LSTM neural network model. By comparing the predicted data with the real data, the impact of COVID-19 is measured on the agricultural situation of Hubei Province. It was found that COVID-19 had a great impact on the agricultural situation of Hubei Province in both of the first and second quarters of 2020, with the impact in the first quarter being greater than that in the second quarter. At the same time, the prediction accuracy of the two methods is compared to find that the time series model is more effective and reliable in predicting the agricultural product price index. The LSTM neural network model with a long and short term memory has a good prediction effect on the regional gross product and the total output value of agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry and fishery.
Structural design and thermal performance analysis of hybrid electric vehicle battery pack cooling system
Authors: Sun Ye , Wang Yibo
Published: June 2021

In this paper, the flow channel structure and battery of battery cooling system are taken as the research object, and the heat transfer simulation is carried out. In order to analyze the temperature and influencing factors of battery pack in the initial scheme of cooling system structure at high ambient temperature of 40 °C, 50 °C and 60 °C, the temperature of battery pack under many working conditions is simulated, and then the optimization scheme is put forward, and the feasibility of the two schemes is compared with that of the initial scheme.
The cosmological effect of N-entangled state in multiverse
Authors: Trenggana A , Zen F P
Published: June 2021

We investigate the effect of quantum entanglement betwen N-causally disconnected universes by calculated the power spectrum of quantum fluctuation. To investigate it the general from of N-quantum state and specific N-entangled state(GHZ and W state) are used. We found that the power spectrum has the maximum value when the state is near to pure one particle state. For the specific N-entangled state, the power spectrum of W state is equal to pure vacuum state when the amount of N-causally disconnected universes is near to infinite and for GHZ state the power spectrum has same value for every N-causally disconnected universes.
The Geophysics evidence for fault in Tertiary, Pre-Tertiary deposits rock of Lok Ulo central Java, revealed by Gravity data
Authors: Laesanpura A , Wahyudi E J , Parnadi W , Gunawan W
Published: June 2021

Lok Ulo is a mayor river extended from north to South Kebumen. Area is famous pre-tertiary basement rock exposed to the surface. The evidence of fault directly is difficult due to in part by thick weathering surface, and second it could be hidden beneath the river. The gravity instrument of micro Gal precision is running to overcome the problem across the area where anticline valley is very subtle. Geology reconstruction is doing, but the geophysics evidence is giving another solution. The anomalous of 2.5 mGal is because of 1.5 km downthrown block. The reconciliation finally deducted, hence the fault is separating two block. Therefore, the thickness of sedimentary rock is becoming into two parts, the west and east. The throw of fault shows significant separating the mélange complex from the others. The gravity data is estimating the fault take deep seated origin. The thickness claystone of tertiary sedimentary is covering the mélange (the older one) and separating each other. By consequence, the sediments formation in east part is thicker than the west.
Subsurface Structure around Mas Crater of Papandayan Volcano based on Magnetotelluric and Geomagnetic Data
Authors: Diba Dieno , Nurhasan  , Sutarno Doddy , Ogawa Yasuo
Published: June 2021

Papandayan is a hydrothermally active volcano in Indonesia. We revealed the subsurface structure around the Mas Crater area of Papandayan based on the magnetotelluric (MT) and geomagnetic (GM) method. For the MT method, 14 sounding stations were deployed and two of them are located close to the active fumaroles. We estimated the MT response functions using a remote reference and then modeled the data with the aid of a 1-D robust inversion. The resistivity structure can generally be divided into three layers, namely a thin resistive surface layer, a middle conductive layer, and a more resistive basement. We interpreted the middle layer to be the hydrothermal zone or clay mineral. For the GM method, we measured the total intensity at 19 data points. The IGRF and diurnal variation were subtracted from the raw data. We then obtained the 2-D magnetic susceptibility model of magnetic field anomaly using an Occam inversion. The model shows a significantly low susceptibility structure beneath the fumaroles which might correlate with thermally demagnetized rocks.
Neutronic Performances of 100 MWe MSR with Weapon Grade Plutonium Fuel
Authors: Wulandari C , Waris A , Permana S , Pramuditya S
Published: June 2021

An advanced nuclear reactor Generation IV, called Molten Salt Reactor (MSR), has been developed with Thorium utilization for a sustainable energy system. In this paper, the study is focused in the neutronic calculation of 250 MWt/100 MWe MSR with Thorium-Plutonium (Th-Pu) fuel salt for 5 years time operation. Fuel salt is composed of a eutectic FLiBe, Th, and Pu, as a coolant, fertile, and fissile nuclide, respectively. Pu loaded is a weapon-grade which consist of 238Pu, 239Pu, 240Pu, 241Pu, 242Pu, and 241Am. The reactor is operated in the thermal energy range and moderated by the graphite. The reactor design is calculated in neutronic terms with program code CITATION in SRAC 2006 with JENDL 4.0 as a nuclear data library. The result shows some neutronic parameter changes with increasing Plutonium loaded and the reactor criticality is obtained for 5 years by minimal loaded of PuF4 of 2.41%mol. The utilization of Plutonium is described as a capability of MSR in burning a high-level waste of nuclear and radioactive isotopes. This system can be dedicated to future cleaning energy production in a nuclear reactor.
Determination of Motility and Charge Type of Mencit Sperm (Mus musculus) Through Study of Exposure Electrical Fields
Authors: Trimayanti E , Khotimah S N , Wibowo I , Viridi S
Published: June 2021

Analysis of sperm quality is still one of the most important tools for evaluating a man’s fertility. Sperm quality includes several aspects including motility and viability. Mice (Mus musculus) are usually used as experimental animals because the reproductive system is almost the same as human. The purpose of this study is to determine the motility, viability, and type of charge of sperm mice (Mus muculus) through the study of exposure electric fields in an ex vivo condition. Observations were made in the time At for sperm without influence and influenced by an electric field. Mice sperm is diluted with a solution of Phosphate Buffered Saline (PBS). The liquid is inserted into the hemocytometer and then placed between two iron plates connected with a DC voltage source. The distance between the two plates d = 7.0 cm. The magnitude of the voltage used is Δv = 0 (control) and Δv = 12.5 V. Sperm movement was observed using a fluorescence microscope then recorded using NIS Elements software. Then the movement of sperm is analyzed using Tracker software. Sperm without an electric field (Δv = 0) has a viability of 60 minutes longer than sperm affected by an electric field (ΔV = 12.5 V) which has a viability of 30 minutes. The sperms move almost randomly in all directions without the influence of the electric field but tend to move to a positive plate when under the influence of the electric field. Based on the direction of the movement of mice sperm, the sperm is thought to be negatively charged. From the results of this study, it was found that the fast zig-zag motion had a velocity v > 37 μm/s.
Shear velocity inversion from ambient seismic noise using RR-PSO: a case study of Nusa Tenggara Island
Authors: Farduwin A , Yudistira T
Published: June 2021

Ridge regression particle swarm optimization (RR-PSO) is an optimization technique based on the simulation of social behavior of some animal swarm that has been successfully used in many different engineering fields. In this study, RR-PSO was used to invert Rayleigh wave phase velocity curves that extracted from ambient seismic noise records to obtain the shear velocity (Vs) profile. The optimization algorithm is relatively faster, stable and the important aspect is that can provide uncertainty information of the inversion results. In order to determine the capabilities of the RR-PSO algorithm, the synthetic simulation was carried out using both noise-free and noise-contaminated data. The validity test includes the calculation of similarity index and estimation of the model uncertainty using their standard deviation. Based on the resulted model, the convergence of RR-PSO algorithm is relatively faster, stable and adaptable to some level of noise and can provide good model estimation of the subsurface. The application of RR-PSO to the real dispersion curve data is carried out in order to determine the seismic crustal structure beneath Nusa Tenggara islands.
A Stable Photoluminescence of Waste Derived Acrylic Plastics (PMMA) and MAPbBr 3 Composite Film
Authors: Mahen E C S , Nuryadin B W , Permatasari F A , Aimon A H , Suprijadi  , Iskandar F
Published: June 2021

This paper reports the synthesis and characterization of a composite thin of waste-derived acrylic plastic (PMMA) and MAPbBr 3 perovskite nanocrystal that prepared by ligand assisted re-precipitation (LARP) method. The composite thin film prepared from MABr, PbBr2, oleic acid and oleyl amine, N, N-dimethylformamide (DMF) as a precursor, toluene as a solvent, and waste-derived PMMA as polymer, and then deposited on glass substrate using a spin coater with different speed. As a result, the highest transmittance value was around 90% for the sample with a high spin speed (3000 rpm). The photoluminescence of MAPbBr3 film, when illuminated by UV shows a bright green color with a peak at 536 nm wavelength and maximum luminescence found in the sample with the lower spin speed (1000 rpm). Thus, the fabricated perovskite composite thin film using recycled acrylic plastic has a good prospect to be applied in optoelectronic application.
Towards a method for quantitative evaluation of nanoparticle from suspensions via microarray printing and SEM analysis
Authors: Bennet F , Burr L , Schmid D , Hodoroaba V-D
Published: June 2021

As part of the development of a library of accurate and efficient methods for measurement of nanoparticle properties, we develop and optimize a method for the efficient analysis of nanoparticle size distribution from suspensions via microprinting and digital analysis of electron microscopy (SEM and TEM) images, with the ultimate aim of automated quantitative concentration analysis (calculated from drop volume). A series of different nanoparticle suspensions (gold, latex, and SiO2 in varying sizes and concentrations) were printed onto TEM grids in a 4 x 4 array in the concentration range 7×108 to 1×1011 nanoparticles/mL and imaged with SEM. Concentrations and printing conditions (temperature, relative humidity) were varied in order to minimize the coffee-ring effect.
Safety and Efficacy of OncoTherad Nano-immunotherapy in Patients with Non-Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer
Authors: Alonso J C C , Maciel M C , Ferrari H A , Gonçalves J M , Sasaki B R S , Cintra A A , Durán N , Billis A , Fávaro W J
Published: June 2021

The new modalities for treating patients with non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) for whom Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) has failed or is contraindicated are recently increasing due to the development of new drugs. In this scenario, a new perspective is represented by OncoTherad nano-immunotherapy. We carried out a prospective, single-center (Municipal Hospital of Paulínia, São Paulo, Brazil), single-arm phase I/II study (Clinical Trial: RBR-6swqd2) in 29 (18 male, 11 female) patients with BCG-refractory, relapsed or intolerant NMIBC (≥ 1 previous course of BCG therapy). The median age of the 29 patients and follow-up were 65 years (range 34-96) and 24 months, respectively. OncoTherad treatment showed complete response of 79.3% and recurrence-free survival of 22.2 months at 24-month follow-up. Regarding toxicity, 62.1% of adverse events were Grade 1 or 2. The most commonly reported treatment-related adverse events were dysuria, cystitis, pruritus, rash, arthralgia and fatigue. Also, this study demonstrated an important effect of activation of the Toll-like Receptor 4 (TLR4) signaling pathway triggered by OncoTherad in the formation and organization of primary lymphoid follicles in most patients at 24-months follow-up, which may be related to antitumor and immunoprotective effects from this immunotherapy in bladder tissue. In conclusion, OncoTherad nano-immunotherapy seems a safe and effective treatment option for BCG-relapsed and/or intravesical chemotherapy-relapsed NMIBC patients and may provide benefit for preventing tumor recurrence.
Reduction of the effect of internal activity in LaCl3:Ce scintillator
Authors: Chattopadhyay D. , Sharma S. , Saha Sarkar M.
Published: June 2021

Despite having excellent energy and time resolutions, the intrinsic α and β contaminations in the lanthanum halide scintillators pose severe limitations in their usage in rare-event detections, especially. In the present work, pulse shape discrimination (PSD) with a pre-defined algorithm of a commercially available fast digitizer has been utilized to separate the effect of α contamination from the spectrum. The efficacy of the method has been measured experimentally and compared with simulation. The contribution of the β activity has been eliminated by generating its shape with the help of a Monte-Carlo based simulation code. Thus the background events generated by intrinsic β and α activities have been reduced appreciably. The present study will encourage the application of these detectors in low cross-section measurement experiments.
Time of emergence of economic impacts of climate change
Authors: Ignjacevic Predrag , Estrada Francisco , Botzen W J Wouter
Published: June 2021

We introduce the concept of time of emergence of economic impacts (ToEI), which identifies the initial moment when the climate change impact signal exceeds a previously defined threshold of past economic output shocks in a given geographic area. We compute the ToEI using probabilistic climate change projections and impact functions from three integrated assessment models of climate change: DICE, RICE and CLIMRISK. Our results demonstrate that, in terms of the business-as-usual carbon emissions scenario, the global economy could reach its ToEI by 2095. Regional results highlight areas that are likely to reach the ToEI sooner, namely Western Europe by 2075, India by 2083, and Africa by 2085. We also explore local-scale variations in the ToEI demonstrating that, for example, Paris already reached the ToEI around 2020, while Shanghai will reach it around 2080. We conclude that the ToEI methodology can be applied to impact models of varying scales when sufficient historical impact data are available. Moreover, unprecedented impacts of climate change in the 21st century may be experienced even in economically developed regions in the US and Europe. Finally, moderate to stringent climate change mitigation policies could delay the extreme economic impacts of climate change by three decades in Latin America, the Middle East, and Japan, by two decades in India, Western Europe, and the US, and by one decade in Africa. Our results can be used by policymakers interested in implementing timely climate policies to prevent potentially large economic shocks due to climate change.
Chesapeake legacies: the importance of legacy nitrogen to improving Chesapeake Bay water quality
Authors: Chang S Y , Zhang Q , Byrnes D K , Basu N B , Van Meter K J
Published: June 2021

In the Chesapeake Bay, excess nitrogen (N) from both landscape and atmospheric sources has for decades fueled algal growth, disrupted aquatic ecosystems, and negatively impacted coastal economies. Since the 1980s, Chesapeake Bay Program partners have worked to implement a wide range of measures across the region—from the upgrading of wastewater treatment plants to implementation of farm-level best management practices—to reduce N fluxes to the Bay. Despite widespread implementation of such measures and notable reductions in N inputs, water quality across the region has been slow to improve. Such lack of response has in some cases been attributed to N legacies—accumulations of surplus N in soils and groundwater—that can contribute to time lags between implementation of conservation measures and improvements in water quality. Here, we use the ELEMeNT-N modeling framework to explore the role of legacy N in slowing reductions in N loading to the Bay, and to provide estimates of the time required to meet water quality goals in nine major tributary watersheds. Our results first show that recent improvements in water quality can be attributed to decreases in N surplus magnitudes that began to occur in the 1970s and 1980s, and that such improvements will continue in the coming decades. Future simulations suggest that, even with no additional changes in current management practices, goals to reduce N loads across the region by 25% can nearly be met within the next two decades. The present results also suggest that time lags to achieving water quality may vary considerably in the individual study watersheds, with the longest lag times being found in the highly agricultural Choptank watershed, where N surplus magnitudes remain high and where legacy N remains a major control on water quality.
Longitudinal associations between C-reactive protein and cognitive performance in normative cognitive ageing and dementia
Authors: Lewis Nathan A , Knight Jamie E
Published: June 2021

Background

systemic inflammation appears to play an important role in the pathogenesis and expression of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. Previous research has found that elevated levels of serum C-reactive protein (CRP) is associated with poorer cognitive functioning and increased risk for dementia. However, most studies are limited by single CRP measurements, which fail to capture long-term inflammatory exposures or dynamic changes in inflammation and cognition which may occur across repeated measurements.

Methods

using data from 3,563 older adults aged 65–101 from the Health and Retirement Study, we examined bivariate changes in CRP and cognition measured repeatedly over a 10-year follow-up. Bivariate multilevel models estimated the effect of time-varying CRP on cognition among cognitively healthy older adults and in a subset of 427 participants who reported incident dementia onset during the follow-up period.

Results

in cognitively healthy participants, CRP was associated with lower level of cognitive functioning, but not rate of change over time. This effect was significant in participants under 80 years of age (b = −0.09, standard error (SE) = 0.05, P = 0.04), but not in older participants. In participants with incident dementia, those with higher CRP experienced smaller rates of cognitive decline, leading up to dementia diagnosis.

Conclusions

elevated levels of CRP predict poorer cognition and increased dementia risk in cognitively healthy adults under the age of 80. Conversely, increased CRP may confer protective effects on cognition in the prodromal stage of dementia.
An Illumination of a Floating World
Authors: Gallois William
Published: June 2021

If a picture was not seen to be art when it was made, can we imagine that its producer may have designed the work to be read elsewhere in time or space? Or, perhaps, that the eyes that have been trained upon the work have rarely been those that were able to see and describe its value? This piece (also available on Instagram @cendrillondefes) tries to dramatize the gains that come to history through a process of learning to read a text whose significance was not seen in the moment in which it was made. It aims at a discrete form of upending, in reevaluating the work of an important artist and the culture from which they came, while aspiring to be a more of a beginning than an ending in its more general goals. These humbler aspirations depend upon seeing its subject as a teacher, rather than simply as an object of study.
Is Alcohol Consumption Associated With Risk of Early Menopause?
Authors: Freeman Joshua R , Whitcomb Brian W , Purdue-Smithe Alexandra C , Manson JoAnn E , Langton Christine R , Hankinson Susan E , Rosner Bernard A , Bertone-Johnson Elizabeth R
Published: June 2021

Earlier age at menopause is associated with increased long-term health risks. Moderate alcohol intake has been suggested to delay menopause onset, but it is unknown whether alcohol subtypes are associated with early menopause onset at age 45 years. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate risk of early natural menopause among 107,817 members of the Nurses’ Health Study II who were followed from 1989 to 2011. Alcohol consumption overall and by subtypes, including beer, red wine, white wine, and liquor, was assessed throughout follow-up. We estimated hazard ratios in multivariable models that were adjusted for age, body mass index, parity, smoking, and other potential confounders. Women who reported moderate current alcohol consumption had lower risks of early menopause than did nondrinkers. Those who reported consuming 10.0–14.9 g/day had a lower risk of early menopause than did nondrinkers (hazard ratio = 0.81, 95% confidence interval: 0.68, 0.97). Among specific beverages, evidence of lower early menopause risk was confined to consumption of white wine and potentially red wine and liquor, but not to beer. Data from this large prospective study suggest a weak association of moderate alcohol intake with lower risk of early menopause, which was most pronounced for consumption of white and red wine and liquor. High consumption was not related to lower risk of early menopause.
Relationship Between Serum Cystatin C and Early Indicators of Arteriosclerosis in Hypertensive Patients with Normal Renal Function
Authors: Zhang Jie-mei , Shang Qian-hui , Wang Xiao-chun
Published: June 2021

Background

To explore the relationship between serum cystatin C (CysC) and arteriosclerotic indicators such as brachial ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV), carotid femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV), ankle brachial index (ABI), and augmentation index (AIx) in hypertensive patients with normal renal function.

Methods

From January 2017 to May 2019, 2,486 hypertensive patients with normal renal function were recruited and grouped according to CysC quartile, age, blood pressure, and whether or not taking antihypertensive drugs. Analysis of variance, χ2 test, Pearson correlation, and multivariate logistic regression analysis were used to clarify the relationship between CysC and arteriosclerosis indicators.

Results

As CysC levels increased, the incidence of baPWV ≥1.4 m/s and cfPWV >10 m/s increased gradually (P < 0.05). With increasing age and blood pressure classification, the incidence of baPWV ≥1.4 m/s and cfPWV >10 m/s as well as ABI and AIx gradually increased (P < 0.05). The incidence of cfPWV >10 m/s and AIx in patients taking antihypertensive drugs were higher than those in patients not taking antihypertensive drugs (P < 0.05). Pearson correlation analysis showed that CysC was weakly correlated with baPWV and cfPWV (r = 0.334, 0.283, P < 0.05), and had no significant correlation with ABI and AIx (r = 0.013, −0.005, P > 0.05). After adjusting for various factors, the multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that compared with quartile 1 CysC patients, odds ratio (OR) (95% confidence interval [CI]) of baPWV ≥1.4 m/s in quartile 4 group was 2.51 (1.47–4.31) while OR (95% CI) of cfPWV >10 m/s in quartile 2, 3, and 4 groups were 1.60 (1.03–2.48), 1.96 (1.25–3.08), and 2.11 (1.30–3.43), respectively. For per standard deviation increase of CysC, the OR (95% CI) of baPWV ≥1.4 m/s and cfPWV >10 m/s were 1.25(1.04–1.51) and 1.31 (1.10–1.56), respectively.

Conclusions

CysC is an independent predictor of increased baPWV and cfPWV in hypertensive patients with normal renal function.
Resource preferences and the emergence of individual niche specialization within populations
Authors: Sol Daniel , Lapiedra Oriol , González-Lagos Cesar , de Cáceres Miquel
Published: June 2021

Growing evidence that individuals of many generalist animals behave as resource specialists have attracted substantial research interest for its ecological and evolutionary implications. Variation in resource preferences is considered to be critical for developing a general theory of individual specialization. However, it remains to be shown whether diverging preferences can arise among individuals sharing a similar environment, and whether these preferences are sufficiently stable over time to be ecologically relevant. We addressed these issues by means of common garden experiments in feral pigeons (Columba livia), a species known to exhibit among-individual resource specialization in the wild. Food-choice experiments on wild-caught pigeons and their captive-bred cross-fostered descendants showed that short-term variation in food preferences can easily arise within a population, and that this variation may represent a substantial fraction of the population foraging niche. However, the experiments also showed that, rather than being limited by genetic or vertical cultural inheritance, food preferences exhibited high plasticity and tended to converge in the long-term. Although our results challenge the notion that variation in food preferences is a major driver of resource specialization, early differences in preferences could pave the way to specializations when combined with neophobic responses and/or positive feedbacks that reinforce niche conservation.
Improving distance measures between genomic tracks with mutual proximity
Authors: Haschka Thomas , Morlot Jean Baptiste , Carron Leopold , Mozziconacci Julien
Published: June 2021

An increasing number of genomic tracks such as DNA methylation, histone modifications or transcriptomes are being produced to annotate genomes with functional states. The comparison of such high dimensional vectors obtained under various experimental conditions requires the use of a distance or dissimilarity measure. Pearson, Cosine and $L_{p}$-norm distances are commonly used for both count and binary vectors. In this article, we highlight how enhancement methods such as the contrast increasing mutual proximity’ (MP) or local scaling’ improve common distance measures. We present a systematic approach to evaluate the performance of such enhanced distance measures in terms of separability of groups of experimental replicates to outline their effect. We show that the MP’ applied on the various distance measures drastically increases performance. Depending on the type of epigenetic experiment, MP’ coupled together with Pearson, Cosine, $L_1$, Yule or Jaccard distances proves to be highly efficient in discriminating epigenomic profiles.
Snapshots Quiz
Authors: Ebrahim M
Published: June 2021

A 37-year-old, previously healthy, man presented with profuse rectal bleeding necessitating transfusion. Colonoscopy and oesophagogastroduodenoscopy were normal. CT angiography was performed. What is the diagnosis?
Contact Tracing Solution for Global Community
Authors: Narayanan Hari T S
Published: June 2021

There are several Contact Tracing solutions since the outbreak of SARS COVID-19. All these solutions are localized—specific to a country. The Apps supported by these solutions do not interwork with each other. There are no standards to the proximity data collected by these Apps. Once the international travel restrictions are relaxed, this will become an issue. This paper explores this issue, by addressing one of the key requirements of Contact Tracing solutions. All the current solutions use an Identifier, Proximity Identifier (PID), that anonymously represents the user in the proximity data exchanged. The PID used in these applications varies in their structure, management and properties. This paper first identifies the common desirable properties of PID, including some non-obvious ones for its global application. This identification is essential for the design and development of the Contact Tracing solution that can work across boundaries seamlessly. The paper also evaluates representative solutions from two different design classes against these properties.
Diagnostic Performance of Diffusion-weighted Imaging for Evaluation of Bowel Inflammation in Paediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
Authors: Kim Pyeong Hwa , Yoon Hee Mang , Jung Ah Young , Lee Jin Seong , Cho Young Ah
Published: June 2021

Background and Aims

The diagnostic performance of diffusion-weighted imaging magnetic resonance enterography [DWI-MRE] has not been clearly established in a paediatric population. We systematically evaluated the diagnostic performance of DWI-MRE for the detection of bowel inflammation in paediatric patients with suspected or known inflammatory bowel disease [IBD].

Methods

MEDLINE/PubMed, EMBASE, Web of science and the Cochrane library were searched for articles investigating the diagnostic performance of DWI-MRE for the detection of bowel inflammation in paediatric patients with suspected or known IBD up to December 31, 2020. Pooled sensitivity and specificity were calculated using a bivariate random-effects model. Pooled inter-reader agreement for the interpretation of DWI-MRE was also calculated. This study was registered as PROSPERO CRD42021228754.

Results

Nine studies covering 400 paediatric patients were included. The pooled sensitivity and specificity of DWI-MRE for the detection of bowel inflammation were 0.93 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.88–0.96) and 0.96 [95% CI, 0.87–0.99], respectively. Substantial heterogeneity was noted in both sensitivity [I2 = 66%; p < 0.01] and specificity [I2 = 94%; p < 0.01]. Meta-regression analysis identified that the use of spasmolytics contributed to higher specificity [0.89–0.99] and that quantitative assessment with an apparent diffusion coefficient cut-off value contributed to lower sensitivity [0.93–0.85] and specificity [0.98–0.72]. The pooled coefficient of inter-reader agreement, including four studies using visual assessment, was 0.97 [95% CI, 0.78–1.00].

Conclusions

DWI-MRE, especially when used with spasmolytics, is accurate for the detection of bowel inflammation in paediatric patients with suspected or known IBD. Quantitative measurement of ADC is not practical for this purpose.
The Trampslator: Performing the Translation of the Sound of Silence
Authors: Broqua Vincent
Published: June 2021

This article seeks to explore the aesthetics of translation through analysis of Charlie Chaplin’s Modern Times, in which the Tramp sings a song that can be analysed as a performance of the translation of the sound of silence. While defining silence as effects of silence, and clarifying the relation between performance and translation, the article places itself within a paradigm of heterodox translation, namely a practice of translation that while being non-metaphorical, expands the realm of translation in its relation to sound and multilingualism. The Tramp’s song is analysed in relation to its meaning for Modern Times and as carrying more meaning than critics usually read. Read from the perspective of translation studies and of US experimental poetry, the song is seen as a crucial sequence for translation at large, as an example of what the article calls ‘trampslation’ or, that is, a motley of translations such as homophonic or intersemiotic translations that destabilize our conceptions of translation and languages. Thus, the article seeks to use what Lawrence Venuti defines as heuristic translation and demonstrate that translation is a strong interpretive tool.
Do You Care Who Flagged This Post? Effects of Moderator Visibility on Bystander Behavior
Authors: Bhandari Aparajita , Ozanne Marie , Bazarova Natalya N. , DiFranzo Dominic
Published: June 2021

This study evaluates whether increasing information visibility around the identity of a moderator influences bystanders’ likelihood to flag subsequent unmoderated harassing comments. In a 2-day preregistered experiment conducted in a realistic social media simulation, participants encountered ambiguous or unambiguous harassment comments, which were ostensibly flagged by either other users, an automated system (AI), or an unidentified moderation source. The results reveal that visibility of a content moderation source inhibited participants’ flagging of a subsequent unmoderated harassment comment, presumably because their efforts were seen as dispensable, compared to when the moderation source was unknown. On the contrary, there was an indirect effect of other users versus AI as moderation source on subsequent flagging through changes in perceived social norms. Overall, this research shows that the effects of moderation transparency are complex, as increasing visibility of a content moderator may inadvertently inhibit bystander intervention.

Lay Summary

This study examines the effects of flagging unmoderated offensive posts on social media, and how this changes the users’ subsequent behavior. We examined users’ reactions to the flagging of these posts by other users, an automated system, or an unspecified process to determine whether this affects the users’ ensuing behavior. A 2-day experiment on a simulated social media site showed that the visibility of the “flagger” impacts how users perceive social norms and think about the accountability for their own online actions. The results showed that the visibility of the person/system that flagged the material generally deterred subsequent flagging. The analysis also shows that the effect was stronger when the users thought that it was other users, and not an automated system, that had flagged the online harassment.
Efficacy of Naturally Occurring and Commercial Entomopathogenic Nematodes Against Sugar Beet Wireworm (Coleoptera: Elateridae)
Authors: Nikoukar Atoosa , Ensafi Pooria , Lewis Edwin E , Crowder David W , Rashed Arash
Published: June 2021

Wireworms are the larval stage of click beetles (Coleoptera: Elateridae), and some of their species are serious pests of many crops. In the present study, we evaluated the efficacy of naturally occurring and commercial entomopathogenic nematode species against the sugar beet wireworm, Limonius californicus (Mannerheim), in the laboratory. First, efficacies of Steinernema feltiae (Filipjev) (Rhabditida: Steinernematidae) collected from an irrigated (S. feltiae-SSK) and a dryland (S. feltiae-SSC) field and the two commercial entomopathogenic nematode species, S. carpocapsae (Weiser) (Rhabditida: Steinernematidae) and Heterorhabditis bacteriophora Poinar (Rhabditida: Heterorhabditidae), were examined. Efficacies of the two field-collected S. feltiae isolates were also compared against a commercial S. feltiae strain. In the first bioassay, S. feltiae-SSK caused 63.3% wireworm mortality, followed by 30% caused by S. carpocapsae, 23.3% by S. feltiae-SSC, and 6.7% by H.bacteriophora. In the second assay, S. feltiae-SSK killed 56.7% of the wireworms, ≈2.1- and ≈5.7-fold higher than S. feltiae-SSC and the commercial isolate, respectively.
Searching for Vance Lowry: “Banjo King” and “A Kind of Parisian Figure”
Authors: O’Connell Deirdre M
Published: June 2021

The life stories of traveling people reveal hidden historiographical connections and serve as allegories for broader cultural patterns. This biographical portrait of African American banjo player Vance Lowry tracks a path from the Appalachian Mountains to the avant-garde salons of 1920s Paris. As a figure on the vanguard of cultural change, Lowry’s knowledge was absorbed by like-minded white people on both sides of the Atlantic. Yet he has been remembered only as a person who influenced the vanguard—if he has been remembered at all. If histories of the white avant-garde have emphasized the ruptures of modernism, this account of Vance Lowry’s life, family, and career point to its continuities. Namely, that Black materials fashioned American culture and the culture of the modern world. In tracing this tradition, the article chronicles the shifting place of the banjo in the modern imagination, while disassembling systems of white patronage that sustained Vance Lowry’s performing life but relegated him to a footnote in annals of modernism.
Reconciling Asgardarchaeota Phylogenetic Proximity to Eukaryotes and Planctomycetes Cellular Features in the Evolution of Life
Authors: Devos Damien P
Published: June 2021

The relationship between the three domains of life—Archaea, Bacteria, and Eukarya—is one of Biology’s greatest mysteries. Current favored models imply two ancestral domains, Bacteria and Archaea, with eukaryotes originating within Archaea. This type of models has been supported by the recent description of the Asgardarchaeota, the closest prokaryotic relatives of eukaryotes. However, there are many problems associated with any scenarios implying that eukaryotes originated from within the Archaea, including genome mosaicism, phylogenies, the cellular organization of the Archaea, and their ancestral character. By contrast, all models of eukaryogenesis fail to consider two relevant discoveries: the detection of membrane coat proteins, and of phagocytosis-related processes in Planctomycetes, which are among the bacteria with the most developed endomembrane system.

Consideration of these often overlooked features and others found in Planctomycetes and related bacteria suggest an evolutionary model based on a single ancestral domain. In this model, the proximity of Asgard and eukaryotes is not rejected but instead, Asgard are considered as diverging away from a common ancestor instead of on the way toward the eukaryotic ancestor. This model based on a single ancestral domain solves most of the ambiguities associated with the ones based on two ancestral domains. The single-domain model is better suited to explain the origin and evolution of all three domains of life, blurring the distinctions between them. Support for this model as well as the opportunities that it presents not only for reinterpreting previous results, but also for planning future experiments, are explored.
Inferring single cell expression profiles from overlapped pooling sequencing data with compressed sensing strategy
Authors: Huang Mengting , Yang Yixuan , Wen Xingzhao , Xu Weiqiang , Lu Na , Sun Xiao , Tu Jing , Lu Zuhong
Published: June 2021

Though single cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) technologies have been well developed, the acquisition of large-scale single cell expression data may still lead to high costs. Single cell expression profile has its inherent sparse properties, which makes it compressible, thus providing opportunities for solutions. Here, by computational simulation as well as experiment of 54 single cells, we propose that expression profiles can be compressed from the dimension of samples by overlapped assigning each cell into plenty of pools. And we prove that expression profiles can be inferred from these pool expression data with overlapped pooling design and compressed sensing strategy. We also show that by combining this approach with plate-based scRNA-seq measurement, it can maintain its superiorities in gene detection sensitivity and individual identity and recover the expression profile with high precision, while saving about half of the library cost. This method can inspire novel conceptions on the measurement, storage or computation improvements for other compressible signals in many biological areas.