bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Adversarial robustness assessment: Why in evaluation both L0 and L∞ attacks are necessary
Authors: Kotyan Shashank , Vargas Danilo Vasconcellos
Published: April 2022

There are different types of adversarial attacks and defences for machine learning algorithms which makes assessing the robustness of an algorithm a daunting task. Moreover, there is an intrinsic bias in these adversarial attacks and defences to make matters worse. Here, we organise the problems faced: a) Model Dependence, b) Insufficient Evaluation, c) False Adversarial Samples, and d) Perturbation Dependent Results. Based on this, we propose a model agnostic adversarial robustness assessment method based onL0andL∞distance-based norms and the concept of robustness levels to tackle the problems. We validate our robustness assessment on several neural network architectures (WideResNet, ResNet, AllConv, DenseNet, NIN, LeNet and CapsNet) and adversarial defences for image classification problem. The proposed robustness assessment reveals that the robustness may vary significantly depending on the metric used (i.e.,L0orL∞). Hence, the duality should be taken into account for a correct evaluation. Moreover, a mathematical derivation and a counter-example suggest thatL1andL2metrics alone are not sufficient to avoid spurious adversarial samples. Interestingly, the threshold attack of the proposed assessment is a novelL∞black-box adversarial method which requires even more minor perturbation than the One-Pixel Attack (only 12% of One-Pixel Attack’s amount of perturbation) to achieve similar results. We further show that all current networks and defences are vulnerable at all levels of robustness, suggesting that current networks and defences are only effective against a few attacks keeping the models vulnerable to different types of attacks.
Diffusion in a disk with inclusion: Evaluating Green’s functions
Authors: Stana Remus , Lythe Grant
Published: April 2022

We give exact Green’s functions in two space dimensions. We work in a scaled domain that is a circle of unit radius with a smaller circular “inclusion”, of radiusa, removed, without restriction on the size or position of the inclusion. We consider the two cases where one of the two boundaries is absorbing and the other is reflecting. Given a particle with diffusivityD, in a circle with radiusR, the mean time to reach the absorbing boundary is a function of the initial condition, given by the integral of Green’s function over the domain. We scale to a circle of unit radius, then transform to bipolar coordinates. We show the equivalence of two different series expansions, and obtain closed expressions that are not series expansions.
Eye-tracking-based experimental paradigm to assess social-emotional abilities in young individuals with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities
Authors: Cavadini Thalia , Courbois Yannick , Gentaz Edouard
Published: April 2022

Individuals with Profound Intellectual and Multiple Disabilities (PIMD) experience a combination of severe cognitive and motor impairments frequently associated with additional sensory deficits and numerous medical disorders. The purpose of the present study was to propose an experimental paradigm based on eye-tracking that combines various pre-existing tasks from infancy research as an assessment tool. This would enable the investigation of social-emotional abilities in nine young individuals with PIMD through their visual preferences for different types of stimuli. The first objective was to test the feasibility of this paradigm, by expecting individuals to look more at the tasks’ presentation screen than elsewhere during its implementation. The second objective was to investigate whether PIMD individuals exhibit visual preferences for (a) biological (vs. non-biological) motion, (b) socially salient (vs. non-social) scenes, (c) the facial area of the eyes (vs. the mouth), (d) happy (vs. angry) faces, (e) objects of joint attention (vs. non-looked at ones), and for (f) prosocial (vs. anti-social) behaviors similar to those of a control group of typically developing children aged two years on average. Overall, the feasibility of this paradigm proved to be good, resulting in high individual looking rates that were not affected by the presentation or the content of the tasks. Analyses of individual social-emotional abilities, supported by the visual preference patterns of each PIMD individual, firstly revealed strong—but expected—variability both within and between subjects, and secondly highlighted some individual task-specific abilities although few similarities between these individual results and those of the control group were found. These findings underline the great relevance of using this type of paradigm for assessing PIMD individuals and thus contribute to a better understanding of their social and emotional development.
Compositional action recognition with multi-view feature fusion
Authors: Zhao Zhicheng , Liu Yingan , Ma Lei
Published: April 2022

Most action recognition tasks now treat the activity as a single event in a video clip. Recently, the benefits of representing activities as a combination of verbs and nouns for action recognition have shown to be effective in improving action understanding, allowing us to capture such representations. However, there is still a lack of research on representational learning using cross-view or cross-modality information. To exploit the complementary information between multiple views, we propose a feature fusion framework, and our framework is divided into two steps: extraction of appearance features and fusion of multi-view features. We validate our approach on two action recognition datasets, IKEA ASM and LEMMA. We demonstrate that multi-view fusion can effectively generalize across appearances and identify previously unseen actions of interacting objects, surpassing current state-of-the-art methods. In particular, on the IKEA ASM dataset, the performance of the multi-view fusion approach improves 18.1% over the performance of the single-view approach on top-1.
Wastewater surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 mutational profiles at a university and its surrounding community reveals a 20G outbreak on campus
Authors: Swift Candice L. , Isanovic Mirza , Correa Velez Karlen E. , Sellers Sarah C. , Norman R. Sean
Published: April 2022

Wastewater surveillance of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has been leveraged during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic as a public health tool at the community and building level. In this study, we compare the sequence diversity of SARS-CoV-2 amplified from wastewater influent to the Columbia, South Carolina, metropolitan wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) and the University of South Carolina campus during September 2020, which represents the peak of COVID-19 cases at the university during 2020. A total of 92 unique mutations were detected across all WWTP influent and campus samples, with the highest frequency mutations corresponding to the SARS-CoV-2 20C and 20G clades. Signature mutations for the 20G clade dominated SARS-CoV-2 sequences amplified from localized wastewater samples collected at the University of South Carolina, suggesting that the peak in COVID-19 cases during early September 2020 was caused by an outbreak of the 20G lineage. Thirteen mutations were shared between the university building-level wastewater samples and the WWTP influent collected in September 2020, 62% of which were nonsynonymous substitutions. Co-occurrence of mutations was used as a similarity metric to compare wastewater samples. Three pairs of mutations co-occurred in university wastewater and WWTP influent during September 2020. Thirty percent of the detected mutations, including 12 pairs of concurrent mutations, were only detected in university samples. This report affirms the close relationship between the prevalent SARS-CoV-2 genotypes of the student population at a university campus and those of the surrounding community. However, this study also suggests that wastewater surveillance at the building-level at a university offers important insight by capturing sequence diversity that was not apparent in the WWTP influent, thus offering a balance between the community-level wastewater and clinical sequencing.
Can digital finance reduce industrial pollution? New evidence from 260 cities in China
Authors: Wen Hongmei , Yue Jingliang , Li Jian , Xiu Xuedan , Zhong Shen
Published: April 2022

Industrial pollution reduction is a crucial issue in the pursuit of sustainable economic and environmental development. As a product of the deep integration of traditional finance and Internet information technology, digital finance has become an effective tool for regulating the use of funds and strengthening the effectiveness of policies in the context of the digital era, which has obvious effects on industrial pollution emissions. Using panel data of 260 prefecture-level cities in China from 2011–2019 and the digital inclusive finance index jointly compiled by Peking University and Ant Financial Services Group, this paper empirically analyzes the impact of digital finance on industrial pollution emissions through fixed effects model, mediating effects model and threshold effects model. The empirical results show that digital finance can effectively reduce industrial pollution and part of the impact is achieved through industrial structure. In the process of reducing industrial pollution by digital finance, there exists double threshold effects. When the development of digital finance breaks the threshold value, the industrial pollution emission reduction effect appears to accelerate. Finally, this paper puts forward targeted suggestions to promote industrial pollution reduction and environmental economic development.
Impact of USMLE Step-1 accommodation denial on US medical schools: A national survey
Authors: Petersen Kristina H. , Jain Neera R. , Case Ben , Jain Sharad , Meeks Lisa M.
Published: April 2022

Introduction

In 2019, 4.6% of US-MD students self-identified as students with disabilities (SWD); many of these students will require accommodations on the USMLE Step-1 examination. Given the high-stakes nature of Step-1 for medical school advancement and residency match, SWD denied accommodations on Step-1 face considerable consequences. To date no study has investigated the rate of accommodation denial and its impact on medical school operations.

Methods

To investigate the rate of accommodation denial and evaluate whether Step-1 accommodation denial impacts medical school operations, a 10-question survey was sent to Student Affairs Deans and disability resource professionals at all fully-accredited US-MD granting programs. Two open-ended questions were analyzed using qualitative content analysis.

Results

Seventy-three of the 141 schools responded (52%). In the 2018–2019 academic year, 276 students from 73 schools applied for Step-1 accommodations. Of these, 144 (52%) were denied. Of those denied, 74/144 (51%) were delayed entry into the next phase of curriculum and 110/144 (76%) took the Step-1 exam unaccommodated. Of the 110 who took Step-1 without accommodations, 35/110 (32%) failed the exam, and 4/110 (3%) withdrew or were dismissed following exam failure. Schools reported varied investments of time and financial support for students denied accommodations, with most schools investing less than 20 hours (67%) and less than $1,000.00 (69%). Open-responses revealed details regarding the impact of denial on schools and students including frustration with process; financial and human resources allocation; delay in student progression; lack of resourcing and expertise; and emotional and financial burdens on students.

Discussion

Step-1 accommodation denial has non-trivial financial, operational, and career impacts on medical schools and students alike. The cause of accommodation denial in this population requires further exploration.
Bayesian hierarchical lasso Cox model: A 9-gene prognostic signature for overall survival in gastric cancer in an Asian population
Authors: Chu Jiadong , Sun Na , Hu Wei , Chen Xuanli , Yi Nengjun , Shen Yueping
Published: April 2022

Objective

Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the most common tumour diseases worldwide and has poor survival, especially in the Asian population. Exploration based on biomarkers would be efficient for better diagnosis, prediction, and targeted therapy.

Methods

Expression profiles were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. Survival-related genes were identified by gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) and univariate Cox. Then, we applied a Bayesian hierarchical lasso Cox model for prognostic signature screening. Protein-protein interaction and Spearman analysis were performed. Kaplan–Meier and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis were applied to evaluate the prediction performance. Multivariate Cox regression was used to identify prognostic factors, and a prognostic nomogram was constructed for clinical application.

Results

With the Bayesian lasso Cox model, a 9-gene signature included TNFRSF11A, NMNAT1, EIF5A, NOTCH3, TOR2A, E2F8, PSMA5, TPMT, and KIF11 was established to predict overall survival in GC. Protein-protein interaction analysis indicated that E2F8 was likely related to KIF11. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed a significant difference between the high-risk and low-risk groups (P<0.001). Multivariate analysis demonstrated that the 9-gene signature was an independent predictor (HR = 2.609, 95% CI 2.017–3.370), and the C-index of the integrative model reached 0.75. Function enrichment analysis for different risk groups revealed the most significant enrichment pathway/term, including pyrimidine metabolism and respiratory electron transport chain.

Conclusion

Our findings suggested that a novel prognostic model based on a 9-gene signature was developed to predict GC patients in high-risk and improve prediction performance. We hope our model could provide a reference for risk classification and clinical decision-making.
Analysis of multidrug efflux transporters in resistance to fatty acid salts reveals a TolC-independent function of EmrAB in Salmonella enterica
Authors: Yoneda Tomohiro , Sakata Hiroki , Yamasaki Seiji , Hayashi-Nishino Mitsuko , Nishino Kunihiko
Published: April 2022

Fatty acids salts exhibit bacteriostatic and bactericidal effects to inhibit bacterial growth and survival. Bacteria adapt to their environment to overcome these antibacterial effects through undefined mechanisms. In Gram-negative bacteria, drug efflux systems are associated with resistance to various substances. Studies have identified multiple drug efflux systems in Salmonella enterica. The aim of this study was to investigate whether drug efflux systems contribute to fatty acid salts resistance in S. enterica. We used deletion and overexpressing strains of S. enterica for drug efflux transporters. Susceptibility to fatty acid salts was determined by measuring minimum inhibitory concentrations and performing growth assays. Our findings revealed that acrAB, acrEF, emrAB and tolC in S. enterica contribute resistance to fatty acid salts. Furthermore, EmrAB, which is known to function with TolC, contributes to the fatty acid salts resistance of S. enterica in a TolC-independent manner. This study revealed that drug efflux systems confer fatty acid satls resistance to S. enterica. Notably, although EmrAB is normally associated with antimicrobial resistance in a TolC-dependent manner, it was found to be involved in fatty acid salts resistance in a TolC-independent manner, indicating that the utilization of TolC by EmrAB is substrate dependent in S. enterica.
Contractility analysis of human engineered 3D heart tissues by an automatic tracking technique using a standalone application
Authors: Rivera-Arbeláez José M. , Cofiño-Fabres Carla , Schwach Verena , Boonen Tom , ten Den Simone A. , Vermeul Kim , van den Berg Albert , Segerink Loes I. , Ribeiro Marcelo C. , Passier Robert
Published: April 2022

The use of Engineered Heart Tissues (EHT) as in vitro model for disease modeling and drug screening has increased, as they provide important insight into the genetic mechanisms, cardiac toxicity or drug responses. Consequently, this has highlighted the need for a standardized, unbiased, robust and automatic way to analyze hallmark physiological features of EHTs. In this study we described and validated a standalone application to analyze physiological features of EHTs in an automatic, robust, and unbiased way, using low computational time. The standalone application “EHT Analysis” contains two analysis modes (automatic and manual) to analyzes the contractile properties and the contraction kinetics of EHTs from high speed bright field videos. As output data, the graphs of displacement, contraction force and contraction kinetics per file will be generated together with the raw data. Additionally, it also generates a summary file containing all the data from the analyzed files, which facilitates and speeds up the post analysis. From our study we highlight the importance of analyzing the axial stress which is the force per surface area (μN/mm2). This allows to have a readout overtime of tissue compaction, axial stress and leave the option to calculate at the end point of an experiment the physiological cross-section area (PSCA). We demonstrated the utility of this tool by analyzing contractile properties and compaction over time of EHTs made out of a double reporter human pluripotent stem cell (hPSC) line (NKX2.5EGFP/+-COUP-TFIImCherry/+) and different ratios of human adult cardiac fibroblasts (HCF). Our standalone application “EHT Analysis” can be applied for different studies where the physiological features of EHTs needs to be analyzed under the effect of a drug compound or in a disease model.
Bridging the knowledge gap between technology and business: An innovation strategy perspective
Authors: Peykani Pejman , Namazi Mehdi , Mohammadi Emran
Published: April 2022

Decision-makers (DMs) are not sufficiently exposed to concepts such as efficiency and risk in innovative activities from the perspective of organizational strategy. The challenges become even greater when these DMs lack expertise in technology and deal with uncertain circumstances. In this sense, exchanging expert knowledge between DMs and technical teams will strengthen the link between technology planning and strategic management. The purpose of this study is to bridge the knowledge gap between these two groups. It introduces a framework to translate the organization’s strategy into technological decisions at an acceptable innovation risk level. This framework considers aspects such as knowledge, type of innovation, and innovation process. This study focuses on determining whether activities should be accepted or rejected by examining the uncertainty and efficiency of innovation. It also introduces a novel perspective on the hybrid "success-failure" uncertainty of innovation, and a new measure called "efficiency probability," which DMs and technology developers can use to intuitively engage in the innovation process. This paper seeks to propose a practical strategy map for new product development under uncertain conditions. To achieve this goal, the Fuzzy Front-End (FFE) concept, fuzzy data envelopment analysis (FDEA) model, and adjustable possibilistic programming (APP) approach are applied. The results of this study indicate that innovative activities typically have low efficiency and high uncertainty. Therefore, the decision to implement or abandon them requires reviewing and balancing the goals and strategic approach of the organization with technological and business features.
Fear of an unprecedented, invisible enemy: Difficulties experienced in establishing criteria for the release of COVID-19 patients from isolation in a Japanese University Hospital
Authors: Hagiya Hideharu , Hasegawa Kou , Otsuka Fumio
Published: April 2022

Introduction

The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has emerged as a global pandemic, and the United States and European authorities established criteria for the release of COVID-19 patients from isolation in October 2020. However, a huge discrepancy exists between the hospital-discharge protocol for COVID-19 patients and the release of patients from in-hospital isolation. Our initially proposed criteria for in-hospital release from isolation was not adhered to by healthcare workers (HCWs) due to prevailing concerns regarding disease infectivity. Herein, we report difficulties encountered in attempting to establish a common understanding of the management of emerging infections.

Methods

We performed a Google Form-based questionnaire survey targeting HCWs from Okayama University Hospital, Japan, via e-mail on January 21–28, 2021. The anonymous investigation required respondents to provide information regarding their background as well as perceptions regarding the requirement, level of understanding, and readiness for developing release criteria.

Results

We obtained 150 eligible responses, including 57 (38.0%) from medical doctors and 53 (35.3%) from nurses. Most HCWs managing COVID-19 patients advocated for the implementation of the criteria, whereas those not working in that capacity did not (p<0.001). Over half of the HCWs indicated discomfort at seeing COVID-19 patients transitioning to general management even after meeting the criteria.

Conclusions

It was challenging to establish a common understanding regarding the ideal criteria for in-hospital release of COVID-19 patients from isolation in our hospital. The dissemination of our experiences and multifaceted discussions with HCWs would be of great value as a countermeasure against the emergent pandemic.
Blockchain-based healthcare management system with two-side verifiability
Authors: Tan Tian Lim , Salam Iftekhar , Singh Madhusudan
Published: April 2022

The lack of data outsourcing in healthcare management systems slows down the intercommunication and information sharing between different entities. A standard solution is outsourcing the electronic health record (EHR) to a cloud service provider (CSP). The outsourcing of the EHR should be performed securely without compromising the CSP functionalities. Searchable encryption would be a viable approach to ensure the confidentiality of the data without compromising searchability and accessibility. However, most existing searchable encryption solutions use centralised architecture. These systems have trust issues as not all the CSPs are fully trusted or honest. To address these problems, we explore blockchain technology with smart contract applications to construct a decentralised system with auditable yet immutable data storage and access. First, we propose a blockchain-based searchable encryption scheme for EHR storage and updates in a decentralised fashion. The proposed scheme supports confidentiality of the outsourced EHR, keyword search functionalities, verifiability of the user and the server, storage immutability, and dynamic updates of EHRs. Next, we implement a prototype using JavaScript and Solidity on the Ethereum platform to demonstrate the practicality of the proposed solution. Finally, we compare the performance and security of the proposed scheme against existing solutions. The result indicates that the proposed scheme is practical while providing the desired security features and functional requirements.
Changes in elbow flexion EMG morphology during adjustment of deep brain stimulator in advanced Parkinson’s disease
Authors: Ruonala Verneri , Pekkonen Eero , Airaksinen Olavi , Kankaanpää Markku , Karjalainen Pasi A. , Rissanen Saara M.
Published: April 2022

Objective

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is an effective treatment for motor symptoms of advanced Parkinson’s disease (PD). Currently, DBS programming outcome is based on a clinical assessment. In an optimal situation, an objectively measurable feature would assist the operator to select the appropriate settings for DBS. Surface electromyographic (EMG) measurements have been used to characterise the motor symptoms of PD with good results; with proper methodology, these measurements could be used as an aid to program DBS.

Methods

Muscle activation measurements were performed for 13 patients who had advanced PD and were treated with DBS. The DBS pulse voltage, frequency, and width were changed during the measurements. The measured EMG signals were analysed with parameters that characterise the EMG signal morphology, and the results were compared to the clinical outcome of the adjustment.

Results

The EMG signal correlation dimension, recurrence rate, and kurtosis changed significantly when the DBS settings were changed. DBS adjustment affected the signal recurrence rate the most. Relative to the optimal settings, increased recurrence rates (median ± IQR) 1.1 ± 0.5 (−0.3 V), 1.3 ± 1.1 (+0.3 V), 1.7 ± 0.4 (−30 Hz), 1.7 ± 0.8 (+30 Hz), 2.0 ± 1.7 (+30 μs), and 1.5 ± 1.1 (DBS off) were observed. With optimal stimulation settings, the patients’ Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale motor part (UPDRS-III) score decreased by 35% on average compared to turning the device off. However, the changes in UPRDS-III arm tremor and rigidity scores did not differ significantly in any settings compared to the optimal stimulation settings.

Conclusion

Adjustment of DBS treatment alters the muscle activation patterns in PD patients. The changes in the muscle activation patterns can be observed with EMG, and the parameters calculated from the signals differ between optimal and non-optimal settings of DBS. This provides a possibility for using the EMG-based measurement to aid the clinicians to adjust the DBS.
Associations between components of household expenditures and the rate of change in the number of new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Japan: Time-series analysis
Authors: Tomura Hajime
Published: April 2022

Background

Social distancing measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 included restrictions on retail services in many countries. In some countries, the governments also subsidized consumer spending on part of retail services to help struggling businesses. To evaluate the costs and benefits of government interventions in retail services, it is necessary to measure the infectiousness of each type of consumer activity.

Methods

This study regresses the log difference over seven days in the number of new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Japan on lagged values of household expenditures per household on eating out, traveling, admissions to entertainment facilities, clothing and footwear, and the other items, as well as a measure of mobility in public transportation in the past 14 days. The sample period of the dependent variable is set from March 1, 2020, to February 1, 2021, in order to avoid a possible structural break due to the spread of mutant strains in 2021. The regression model is estimated by the Bayesian method with a non-informative (improper) prior. The estimated model is evaluated by out-of-sample forecast performance from February 2, 2021, onward.

Results

The out-of-sample forecasts of the regression by the posterior means of regression coefficients perform well before the spread of the Delta variant in Japan since June 2021.R2for the out-of-sample forecasts from February 2, 2021, to June 30, 2021, is 0.60. The dependent variable of the regression overshot the out-of-sample forecasts from mid-June to August 2021. Then, the out-of-sample forecasts overpredicted the dependent variable for the rest of 2021.

Conclusion

The estimated model can be potentially useful in simulating changes in the number of new confirmed cases due to household spending on retail services, if it can be adjusted to real-time developments of mutant strains and vaccinations. Such simulations would help in designing cost-efficient government interventions.
Analysis and differentiation of tobacco-derived and synthetic nicotine products: Addressing an urgent regulatory issue
Authors: Cheetham Andrew G. , Plunkett Susan , Campbell Preston , Hilldrup Jacob , Coffa Bonnie G. , Gilliland Stan , Eckard Steve
Published: April 2022

There is significant regulatory and economic need to distinguish analytically between tobacco-derived nicotine (TDN) and synthetic nicotine (SyN) in commercial products. Currently, commercial e-liquid and oral pouch products are available that contain tobacco-free nicotine, which could be either extracted from tobacco or synthesized. While tobacco products that contain TDN are regulated by FDA Center for Tobacco Products, those with SyN are currently not in the domain of any regulatory authority. This regulatory difference provides an economic incentive to use or claim the use of SyN to remain on the market without submitting a Premarket Tobacco Product Application. TDN is ~99.3% (S)-nicotine, whereas SyN can vary from racemic (50/50 (R)/(S)) to ≥ 99% (S)-nicotine, i.e., chemically identical to the tobacco-derived compound. Here we report efforts to distinguish between TDN and SyN in various samples by characterizing impurities, (R)/(S)-nicotine enantiomer ratio, (R)/(S)-nornicotine enantiomer ratio, and carbon-14 (14C) content. Only 14C analysis accurately and precisely differentiated TDN (100% 14C) from SyN (35–38% 14C) in all samples tested. 14C quantitation of nicotine samples by accelerator mass spectrometry is a reliable determinate of nicotine source and can be used to identify misbranded product labelled as containing SyN. This is the first report to distinguish natural, bio-based nicotine from synthetic, petroleum-based nicotine across a range of pure nicotine samples and commercial e-liquid products.
The urban wage premium is disappearing in U.S. micropolitan areas
Authors: Shutters Shade T. , Applegate J. M.
Published: April 2022

A key driver of urbanization is the pursuit of economic opportunities in cities. One such opportunity is the promise of higher wages in larger cities, a phenomenon known as the urban wage premium. While an urban wage premium has been well-documented among U.S. metropolitan areas, little is known about its existence in micropolitan areas, which represent an important link between rural and dense urban areas. Here we measure the power law scaling coefficient of annual wages versus employment for both U.S. metropolitan and micropolitan areas over a 37-year period. We take this coefficient to be a quantification of the urban wage premium for each type of urban area and find the relationship is superlinear in all years for both area types. Though both area types once had wage premiums of similar magnitude, the wage premium in micropolitan areas has steadily declined since the late 1980s while in metropolitan areas it has generally increased. This growing gap between micropolitan and metropolitan wage premiums is ongoing in parallel to other diverging characteristics, such as inequality and voting behavior, suggesting that our result is part of a broader social, cultural, and political divergence between small and large cities. Finally, we speculate that if urban residents respond to the COVID-19 crisis by migrating, the trends we describe may change significantly.
The nuclear lamina binds the EBV genome during latency and regulates viral gene expression
Authors: Caruso Lisa Beatrice , Guo Rui , Keith Kelsey , Madzo Jozef , Maestri Davide , Boyle Sarah , Wasserman Jason , Kossenkov Andrew , Gewurz Benjamin E. , Tempera Italo
Published: April 2022

The Epstein Barr virus (EBV) infects almost 95% of the population worldwide. While typically asymptomatic, EBV latent infection is associated with several malignancies of epithelial and lymphoid origin in immunocompromised individuals. In latently infected cells, the EBV genome persists as a chromatinized episome that expresses a limited set of viral genes in different patterns, referred to as latency types, which coincide with varying stages of infection and various malignancies. We have previously demonstrated that latency types correlate with differences in the composition and structure of the EBV episome. Several cellular factors, including the nuclear lamina, regulate chromatin composition and architecture. While the interaction of the viral genome with the nuclear lamina has been studied in the context of EBV lytic reactivation, the role of the nuclear lamina in controlling EBV latency has not been investigated. Here, we report that the nuclear lamina is an essential epigenetic regulator of the EBV episome. We observed that in B cells, EBV infection affects the composition of the nuclear lamina by inducing the expression of lamin A/C, but only in EBV+ cells expressing the Type III latency program. Using ChIP-Seq, we determined that lamin B1 and lamin A/C bind the EBV genome, and their binding correlates with deposition of the histone repressive mark H3K9me2. By RNA-Seq, we observed that knock-out of lamin A/C in B cells alters EBV gene expression. Our data indicate that the interaction between lamins and the EBV episome contributes to the epigenetic control of viral gene expression during latency, suggesting a restrictive function of the nuclear lamina as part of the host response against viral DNA entry into the nucleus.
Measurement of Thin Carbon Films Absorption in the Visible Spectrum
Authors: Belousow A.S. , Melnikova O.S. , Solomatin K.V.
Published: April 2022

The article is devoted to studying radiation absorption in the visible spectrum by thin carbon films. Two types of carbon films, diamond-like and graphite-like, with different structures, are investigated. The films are produced using laser vaporization of the initial material with a further coating of glass substrates. Measurements of light transmission through several samples of films with different thicknesses at three (or more) different areas are obtained for the wavelength range of 400-800 nm using the USB4000 compact fiber-optic spectrometer. The obtained results for the films with different thicknesses demonstrate scant differentiation of values (limiting to the same type of films). The imaginary parts of the films' complex refractive indices (absorption indices) are calculated. The comparison reveals the significant differences (by a factor of two or three) of the absolute values and trends of the absorption indices of diamondlike and graphite-like films. Both types of films are characterized by the expected increase in absorption when transitioning from the long-wavelength spectral region to the short-wavelength one. However, the rate of increase in absorption during such a transition is higher for the diamond-like films. These differences are related to the structure of the films.
On Calculation of the Stiffness Coefficients of Domain Boundaries in Magnetic and Electric Ordered Systems in Linear and Weakly Nonlinear Domains
Authors: Petrova L.P. , Ignatenko N.M. , Gromkov A.S.
Published: April 2022

This paper presents the study of the features of domain boundaries dynamics based on the macroscopic approach. In addition, a methodology for the calculation of domain boundary stiffness coefficient due to its importance among the relaxation parameters of magnetic and electric ordered systems is included in the study.

The proposed algorithm allows the calculation of stiffness coefficients of domain boundaries (DB) in ferromagnetic, ferroelectric, and ferroelectromagnetic materials in linear and weakly nonlinear DB displacement areas caused by an external force. The external force is identified as the difference in the densities of magnetoelastic (electroelastic) energies of crystals for domains separated by the DB. It is related to the difference of their energies because each domain has its own orientation of spontaneous magnetization IS and polarization PS vectors at the same equal values of external stress components σij. The desired stiffness coefficients of the DB are calculated as the second derivatives of magnetoelastic (electroelastic) subsystem energies with respect to DB displacements. The stiffness coefficients of the first k1 and the second k2 order of smallness are obtained in a similar way using cubic and biquadratic components of energies in terms of DB displacements, i.e. relative deformation of crystals.
Composite Piezotransformer Level Sensors for Bulk Materials
Authors: Sedalishchev V.N. , Kraev R.V.
Published: April 2022

The paper presents the principles of construction and functioning of compound piezoelectric transformer sensors (PTS) for bulk materials. The studied PTS are suitable for high temperature, chemical, and mechanical applications. The sensing elements (SE) are piezoelectric composite transformers (PCT) with agreed dimensions. Depending on the construction and the intended use of the transducer, the PE can be an oscillating system with one, two, or more degrees of freedom or a system with distributed parameters. Therefore, it is possible to use these types of devices as alarm devices and perform continuous level control of bulk materials in containers. Excitation of mechanical vibrations in the sensitive element of the sensor and the formation of output signals can be carried out by the schemes with one or two PET. For the first variant, the ratio of output voltages taken from one PCT at normal synchronization frequencies (NSF) of in-phase and antiphase oscillations in the system is used as a transducer output signal. The second variant uses output voltages from two PTS at one of the NSF. Deployment of the appropriate scheme and the method of forming the sensor output signal allows increasing the metrological and operational characteristics of measuring devices of such types to extend the measurement range and operation conditions. The sensitivity mechanism of the sensor is described, the results of simulation of sensor operation are presented, and recommendations on the development and design of measuring devices of this type are worked out.
Steganographic Methods for Embedding and Detecting Hidden Messages Using GIF Images as Container Files
Authors: Ponomarev I.V. , Strokin D.I.
Published: April 2022

Over the past few decades, the development of new methods of storing, transferring, analyzing, and reproducing data has become increasingly important, considering the widespread development of information technologies and multimedia means. These methods also include means of ensuring the reliability, security, safety, and confidentiality of information when it is transmitted through various communication channels. Today, the fulfillment of the necessary data confidentiality requirements is developing in the direction of cryptography and steganography.

The article discusses a method of ensuring data confidentiality by means of Digital Steganography, using GIF images as container files. The features of this method are considered, the main steps of the algorithm are described, and the resulting file is analyzed. The second part of the article studies a method that estimates the probability of hiding information in the blocks of a container file. This method utilizes Pearson’s goodness-of-fit test. A number of test tests of the algorithm have been carried out to check the efficiency of this method. As a result, a computer program has been created using the Microsoft Visual Studio 2019 Community programming environment and the C# programming language (.NET Framework).
The Application of Logistic Regression to Measure the Impact of Covid-19 Pandemic on Household Credit Financing
Authors: Nurtiyasari Devi Nurtiyasari , Syahputra Angga , Hilmi Rashif
Published: April 2022

The spread of the Covid-19 outbreak has a direct impact on the economic sector. The impact of Covid-19 on the economic sector can be seen from Non-Performing Loans (NPL). Credit financing affects the Financial System Stability. Furthermore, households are the sector most affected by Covid-19, because household income is obtained from other sectors that are also affected by the spread of Covid-19. This impact can be seen in terms of income, savings/assets, and consumption. This study aims to analyze the impact of Covid-19 as measured by the variables of income, savings/assets, and consumption on household credit financing using the Logistic Regression Model. The modelling results show that the consumption and savings variables do not have a significant effect on household credit financing, while the income variables have a significant effect and are able to predict 15.5% of the variability of household credit financing. Furthermore, based on the odds ratio value of the model, information is obtained that the effect of decreased household income during the Covid-19 pandemic affected one time on the value of the odds ratio for household credit financing. Overall, the model was able to predict the data correctly by 81.4%.
Pengembangan Media Pembelajaran Matematika menggunakan Google Site dengan Pendekatan Metakognisi untuk Kelas XI
Authors: Disca Amellya  , Khasanah Uswatun
Published: April 2022

Online learning now days, learners experience a decrease in the understanding of learning materials. This happens, because the learning media used by teachers still uses conventional learning media such as Ms.word / PDF. Moreover, learners are required to learn independently. Therefore, a learning media is needed to help students overcome the problem. This research is a website-based learning media development research that aims to help students in the online learning process, as well as knowing the feasibility of learning media using google with a metacognition approach to problem solving. The data collection instruments used are observations and questionnaires. The development of this learning media, is done by the ADDIE (Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation) method. Technical data analysis is carried out qualitatively to measure data descriptively and quantitatively to calculate the score of the feasibility trial results of learning media that researchers have developed. The results of this learning media development research based on the feasibility of learning media earned a percentage on an 83% basis with excellent categories. For trials the metacognition capability of problem solving obtained a percentage of 76% with good categories. Thus, the learning media of mathematical learning media using google that researchers developed is very feasible to use.
Analyzing junior high school students’ mathematical creative thinking skill in mathematical modelling
Authors: Ramadani Iqbal , Wulandari Nidya Ferry , Triliana
Published: April 2022

Creative thinking skills are one of the skills that must be developed in order to pursue developments in the 21st century. The development of creative thinking skills must be applied within a formal education level. One of the areas of study taught in formal education is mathematics. Mathematics can be used to solve problems in everyday life by using mathematical modeling. This study aimed to analyze the students' mathematical creative thinking skills in mathematical modeling with descriptive design. The steps on this research consisted of designing a test of creative thinking skills; Interviewed test results of mathematical creative thinking skills; and analyzed student answers results on mathematical creative thinking skills tests. The subject of the study consisted of 65 of junior high school students of class VIII. Findings demonstrate the skills of creative thinking students in modeling in the category of students with high mathematical abilities is that students can create unique models and seek solutions using different ways with logical and systematic, in medium category, students have a tendency to use trial and error methods as well as procedural ways to test models made, while in low category, students tend to use trial and error Test the model and resolve the problem.
A lição dos gansos
Authors: Moraes Sylvio Luiz Costa de
Published: April 2022

Já faz algum tempo, deparei-me com este texto simples, mas interessante, perfeitamente empregado em diversas situações. A leitura, meditação e o amadurecimento sobre o seu teor certamente trarão uma importante contribuição para o seu cotidiano. “Quando vemos gansos voando na formação em “V”, normalmente indagamos o porquê de voarem daquela maneira? Eis a razão: À medida que cada ave bate suas asas, cria sustentação para a seguinte. Voando na formação em “V”, o grupo consegue voar 71% a mais do que se cada ave voasse isoladamente.”
Fratura mandibular patológica causada por osteomielite: relato de caso
Authors: Bett João Victor Silva , Bastos Rubens Martins , Tomm Alvim Gustavo Fasolin , Conto Ferdinando de , Felin Gabriela Caovilla
Published: April 2022

A osteomielite dos maxilares é uma infecção que acomete, principalmente, pacientes portadores de comorbidades. Tabagismo e higiene bucal precária são fatores de risco. Fraturas mandibulares patológicas decorrem da fragilidade óssea remanescente após o tratamento de alguma patologia intraóssea. Assim, o objetivo do presente artigo foi relatar um caso de tratamento cirúrgico de osteomielite mandibular, em um paciente do sexo masculino, 64 anos de idade, tabagista, que compareceu à emergência do Hospital de Clínicas de Passo Fundo/RS, com queixa de dor e aumento de volume mandibular. Ao exame físico, observou-se abaulamento na região mentual direita, consistência endurecida, hiperemia local, drenagem purulenta intrabucal no rebordo alveolar inferior, e higiene bucal precária. Prescreveu-se anti-bioticoterapia, realizou-se procedimento cirúrgico para curetagem óssea mandibular e envio do conteúdo para exame anatomopatológico. Os achados confirmaram o diagnóstico de osteomielite supurativa crônica. O paciente retornou à consulta pós-operatória com queixa de dor e mobilidade na área operada. Evidenciou-se, ao exame físico, crepitação mandibular, e um novo exame de imagem confirmou o diagnóstico de fratura patológica. Realizou-se novo procedimento cirúrgico para ressecção parcial mandibular e estabilização da fratura com placa de reconstrução, com a utilização de protótipo de mandíbula impresso, para a customização pré-operatória da placa. O procedimento não teve intercorrências. Uma nova tomografia evidenciou a placa de reconstrução e os parafusos em posição. A sequência de tratamento se daria com novo procedimento cirúrgico para reabilitação oral. Pode-se concluir que o pós-operatório de sequestrectomias e curetagens com ampla remoção de tecido mineralizado requer cuidados com dieta, medicação e acompanhamento pós-operatório rigoroso, pois fraturas patológicas não são incomuns.
Reabilitação de maxila atrófica com implante pterigoide como alternativa à complicação de cirurgia reconstrutiva: relato de caso
Authors: Moreira Júnior Rosenvaldo , Fernandes Marcus , Curi Marcos Martins , Koga Daniel Henrique , Moreira Roosenvelt , Araujo Rafael Zetehaku
Published: April 2022

A região posterior de maxila representa um desafio para a reabilitação implantossuportada, devido a fatores anatômicos como pouco volume e baixa qualidade óssea (osso tipo III ou IV), pneumatização do seio maxilar e acessibilidade cirúrgica e protética restrita, podendo inviabilizar as reabilitações sem que antes seja realizado um procedimento de reconstrução óssea. O aumento do custo, do tempo de tratamento e, especialmente, a morbidade de técnicas cirúrgicas reconstrutivas e suas possíveis complicações podem limitar a escolha de enxertos ósseos na prática clínica rotineira. O objetivo do presente trabalho é relatar um caso clínico no qual, após a perda da reconstrução óssea realizada por meio de levantamento de seio maxilar, foi utilizada como alternativa de tratamento a reabilitação com uso de implante pterigoide. Essa alternativa de reabilitação para maxilas atróficas é baseada na instalação de implantes no pilar de osso composto pela tuberosidade maxilar, processo piramidal do osso palatino e o processo pterogóideo do osso esfenoide. Essa forma de tratamento pode ser utilizada na reabilitação de maxilas atróficas totais ou parciais como uma alternativa a procedimentos cirúrgicos reconstrutivos e mais complexos para essa região. A literatura aponta para elevados índices de sucesso para essa forma de tratamento, além de poucas complicações associadas.