bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Iron status is associated with worker productivity, independent of physical effort in Indian tea estate workers
Authors: Blakstad Mia M. , Nevins Julie E.H. , Venkatramanan Sudha , Przybyszewski Eric M. , Haas Jere D.
Published: June 2020

Iron deficiency is the most common nutrient deficiency in the world, affecting roughly 40% of women in nonindustrialized countries. Iron is the essential element in hemoglobin, the major carrier of blood oxygen and oxidative metabolism that supports physical and cognitive performance. The relationship between iron and physical work capacity suggests that iron deficient individuals could experience reduced work output. Participants were 138 experienced tea pluckers aged 18–55 years from the Panighatta Tea Estate in Darjeeling District of northern West Bengal, India. Hemoglobin, serum ferritin, and soluble transferrin receptor were measured from venous blood. Energy expenditure was estimated from accelerometry and heart rate, and plucking productivity was measured as amount of tea plucked during the morning work session when temperature and rainfall conditions are optimal. At a given level of energy expenditure, iron deficient, anemic, and iron deficient anemic women plucked less tea during a 3-h period. The results warrant further research as to whether interventions providing supplemental iron might improve worker productivity and work efficiency. Further study should examine evidence of economic incentives for policies and programs targeting nutritional deficiencies.

Novelty Anemia predicts up to 2.02 kg (9.1%) less tea plucked per 3 h, or 4.0% lower wage per 3 h, compared with nonanemic women, controlling for physical effort. An increase of 1.0 g/L in hemoglobin concentration predicts 0.71 kg (3.3%) more tea plucked over 3 h. An increase of 1.0 g/L in hemoglobin concentration predicts a 1.6% wage increase.
PhaseTracer: tracing cosmological phases and calculating transition properties
Authors: Athron Peter , Balázs Csaba , Fowlie Andrew , Zhang Yang
Published: June 2020

We present a C++ software package called for mapping out cosmological phases, and potential transitions between them, for Standard Model extensions with any number of scalar fields. traces the minima of effective potential as the temperature changes, and then calculates the critical temperatures, at which the minima are degenerate. is constructed with modularity, flexibility and practicality in mind. It is fast and stable, and can receive potentials provided by other packages such as . can be useful analysing cosmological phase transitions which played an important role in the very early evolution of the Universe. If they were first order they could generate detectable gravitational waves and/or trigger electroweak baryogenesis to generate the observed matter anti-matter asymmetry of the Universe. The code can be obtained from https://github.com/PhaseTracer/PhaseTracer.
Regularities in stock markets
Authors: Kakkad Abhin , Vasoya Harsh , Ray Arnab K.
Published: June 2020

From the stock markets of six countries with high GDP, we study the stock indices, S&P 500 (NYSE, USA), SSE Composite (SSE, China), Nikkei (TSE, Japan), DAX (FSE, Germany), FTSE 100 (LSE, Britain) and NIFTY (NSE, India). The daily mean growth of the stock values is exponential. The daily price fluctuations about the mean growth are Gaussian, but with a nonzero asymptotic convergence. The growth of the monthly average of stock values is statistically self-similar to their daily growth. The monthly fluctuations of the price follow a Wiener process, with a decline of the volatility. The mean growth of the daily volume of trade is exponential. These observations are globally applicable and underline regularities across global stock markets.
Quantum proxy signature with provable security
Authors: Xin Xiangjun , Yang Qinglan , Li Fagen
Published: June 2020

A quantum proxy signature scheme makes the proxy signer can generate a quantum signature on behalf of the original signer. Although many quantum proxy signature schemes have been proposed, none of them can be formally proved to be secure. There is not even security model for the quantum proxy signatures. Some quantum proxy signature schemes have been proved to be insecure against forgery attacks. In this paper, first, the formal definition and the corresponding security model for the quantum proxy signatures are proposed. Second, based on the Hadamard operator and the controlled NOT operation, a new quantum proxy signature scheme is proposed. The security of our quantum proxy signature scheme can be formally proved under security model. The security model of the quantum proxy signatures is helpful for analyzing and improving the security of the quantum proxy signature schemes. On the other hand, compared with the other quantum proxy signatures, the new one proposed in this paper is the first that can be formally proved to be secure under security model.
Phase separation in spin-orbit-angular-momentum coupling Bose–Einstein condensate systems
Authors: Xu Jin , Li Jinbin
Published: June 2020

We study the phase separation in three-component spin-orbit-angular-momentum coupled Bose–Einstein condensate with spin-1 in three dimensions. Different types of phase-separation are acquired upon an increase of the coupling strength, magnetic gradient strength, spin-dependent interaction strength and particle number above a critical value. Increasing the value of coupling strength and other related parameters shows distinct behaviors which are produced by repulsion for large strengths of spin-orbit angular-momentum (SOAM) coupling. The present investigation is carried out through a numerical Crank–Nicolson method of the underlying mean-field Gross–Pitaevskii equation.
On the nature of the microwave field emerging from a composite pupil
Authors: Cacciari Ilaria , Mugnai Daniela , Ranfagni Anedio
Published: June 2020

Further experimental investigations in the microwave field emerging from a composite pupil are reported in order to determine the nature of the wave propagation. The experiments consisted of delay-time measurements as a function of the distance of the detector from the pupil under test, as well as of the phase variation of a radio-frequency signal at 35 MHz that modulated the same microwave carrier at 9.33 GHz. In addition, measurements employing an admittance comparator were made in order to determine the character of the propagation impedance. All results obtained confirmed superluminal behavior in the near field, up to a distance of about 40 cm. These results were then interpreted within the framework of a stochastic model.
Tunable wavelength conversion based on a nanoscale slot waveguide in communication bands
Authors: Guo Rujing , Han Mengxiong , Wei Peiqi , Yin Shenwei , Ma Yan
Published: June 2020

This paper introduces a new nanoscale slot waveguide using organic material, graphene, and silicon-based materials. The physical mechanism of additional biased voltage can improve the performance of graphene-related waveguide, the proposed waveguide exhibits tunable performance including effective refractive index and dispersion without changing its structure and geometric dimension, which contributes to the practical value in future complex signal processing system. Based on the waveguide, wavelength conversion based on four-wave mixing is theoretically investigated in the near-infrared region and the tunable wavelength conversion is realized. These research results will have potential in the fields of data transmission and optical communications and help researchers deeply understand the physical mechanisms and nonlinear effects about the optical pulse generation processes and signal processing.
α-Attractors and reheating in a nonminimal inflationary model
Authors: Shojaee R. , Nozari K. , Darabi F.
Published: June 2020

We study [Formula: see text]-attractor models with both E-model and T-model potential in an extended Nonminimal Derivative (NMD) inflation where a canonical scalar field and its derivatives are nonminimally coupled to gravity. We calculate the evolution of perturbations during this regime. Then by adopting inflation potentials of the model we show that in the large [Formula: see text] and small [Formula: see text] limit, the value of the scalar spectral index [Formula: see text] and tensor-to-scalar ratio [Formula: see text] are universal. Next, we study reheating after inflation in this formalism. We obtain some constraints on the model’s parameter space by adopting the results with Planck 2018.
The scattering length effect on properties of cold interacting Fermion systems in LOCV framework
Authors: Gholami Hatam E. , Moshfegh H. R.
Published: June 2020

The properties of cold interacting Fermi gases in terms of scattering length are investigated. The scattering length is calculated by exact solution of Schrödinger equation. A Cosine hyperbolic potential with variable strength is employed in this study. The different interaction regimes are provided by choosing different strength of potential, which are characterized by an inverse of S-wave scattering length and Fermi wave number. The energy per particle for 3He system is calculated within the lowest order constrained variational (LOCV) method. It is found that the bound bosonic pairs as well as bound molecules are formed at positive scattering length, only by considering two-body interactions.
The algebraic and geometric classification of nilpotent noncommutative Jordan algebras
Authors: Jumaniyozov Doston , Kaygorodov Ivan , Khudoyberdiyev Abror
Published: June 2020

We give algebraic and geometric classifications of complex four-dimensional nilpotent noncommutative Jordan algebras. Specifically, we find that, up to isomorphism, there are only [Formula: see text] non-isomorphic nontrivial nilpotent noncommutative Jordan algebras. The corresponding geometric variety is determined by the Zariski closure of three rigid algebras and two one-parametric families of algebras.
Optical limiting properties of D-π-A BODIPY dyes in the presence and absence of methyl groups at the 1,7-positions
Authors: May Aviwe , Mack John , Nyokong Tebello
Published: June 2020

The optical limiting properties of three meso-pentafluorophenylstyrylBODIPY dyes are investigated in the presence and absence of methyl groups at the 1,7-positions that hinder free rotation of the meso-aryl group. Pentafluorophenyl groups are introduced at the meso-position, while 4-diethylaminostyryl groups are introduced at the 3- and/or 5-positions to form dyes with strong donor-[Formula: see text]-acceptor (D-[Formula: see text]-A) properties to enhance the dipole moment of the molecule. Favorable optical limiting properties are obtained for all three dyes, with the highest second-order hyperpolarizability value obtained for a monostyryl dye with no methyl groups at the 1,7-position. Bromination at the 2,6-positions of a 1,7-methyl substituted dye is found to result in second-order hyperpolarizability that is an order of magnitude lower than that calculated for the analogous non-halogenated dye.
The Meshfree Analysis of Geometrically Nonlinear Problem Based on Radial Basis Reproducing Kernel Particle Method
Authors: Liu Zheng , Wei Gaofeng , Wang Zhiming , Qiao Jinwei
Published: June 2020

Based on the reproducing kernel particle method (RKPM) and the radial basis function (RBF), the radial basis reproducing kernel particle method (RRKPM) is presented for solving geometrically nonlinear problems. The advantages of the presented method are that it can eliminate the negative effect of diverse kernel functions on the computational accuracy and has greater computational accuracy and better convergence than the RKPM. Using the weak form of Galerkin integration and the Total Lagrangian (T.L.) formulation, the correlation formulae of the RRKPM for geometrically nonlinear problem are obtained. Newton–Raphson (N-R) iterative method is utilized in the process of numerical solution. Moreover, penalty factor, the scaling parameter, the shaped parameter of the RBF and loading step number are discussed. To prove validity of the proposed method, several numerical examples are simulated and compared to finite element method (FEM) solutions.
Substitutive number systems
Authors: Surer Paul
Published: June 2020

In this paper, we associate a primitive substitution with a family of non-integer positional number systems with respect to the same base but with different sets of digits. In this way, we generalize the classical Dumont–Thomas numeration which corresponds to one specific case. Therefore, our concept also covers beta-expansions induced by Parry numbers. But we establish links to variants of beta-expansions such as symmetric beta-expansions, too. In other words, we unify several well-known notions of non-integer representations within one general framework. A focus in our research is set on finiteness and periodicity properties. It turns out that these characteristics mainly depend on the substitution. As a consequence we are able to relate known finiteness properties that are viewed independently yet.
Solvent-Free Assembled Fe-Chitosan Chelates Derived N-Doped Carbon Layer-Encapsulated Fe/Fe3C for ORR and OER
Authors: Huang Renxing , Lei Ying , Zhang Dandan , Xie Huaming , Liu Xingyong , Wang Honghui
Published: June 2020

Carbon encapsulated transition metal catalysts receive extensive attention in electrochemical catalytic oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) due to the unique structure and highly adjustable electronic configuration. Herein, we synthesized 3D porous Active-N-rich graphene-like carbon layer-encapsulated Fe/Fe3C (Fe@NCG) via pyrolysis of a mixture of solvent-free assembled Fe-chitosan chelates and additional small molecule nitrogen source urea, wherein space-confinement effect of chelates suppressed agglomeration of [Formula: see text] ions and small molecule nitrogen source facilitated regulation of N configurations. The optimized catalyst Fe@NCG shows remarkable ORR/OER bifunctional catalytic activity with a half-wave potential of 0.86 V for ORR and a moderate potential difference of 0.85 V in alkaline medium. Comparative studies revealed that Active-N-rich carbon layer and inner well-dispersed Fe/Fe3C nanoparticles and the favorable interface structures between them were responsible for high catalytic activity. Excitingly, the assembled zinc-air battery with Fe@NCG catalysts exhibits a high open-circuit potential (1.45 V), extremely high peak power density (204.50[Formula: see text][Formula: see text] and energy density (814.70[Formula: see text]Wh[Formula: see text][Formula: see text]) as well as robust charge–discharge durability, surpassing those of noble metal catalyst. This proposed simple and universal strategy can also be extended to synthesize carbon encapsulated other transition metal electrocatalysts.
Colorimetric Nucleic Acid Detection Based on Gold Nanoparticles with Branched DNA
Authors: Zhang Zhikun , Ye Xiaojie , Liu Qingqing , Hu Cuixia , Yun Jimmy , Liu Runjing , Liu Yumin
Published: June 2020

Nucleic acid detection is becoming increasingly important in the diagnostics of genetic diseases for biological analysis. We herein propose gold nanoparticles as probe for colorimetric detection of nucleic acids with branched DNA nanostructures, which enables a novel and simple colorimetric biosensor. In our system, the target DNA specifically triggered two short-chain ssDNA probes to generate branched DNA nanostructures (Y-shape DNA), which prevent AuNPs from aggregation in aqueous NaCl solution. On the contrary, when the target DNA did not exist, gold nanoparticles were unstable and aggregated easily because there is no anti-aggregation function from Y-shape DNA. Sensor response was found to be proportional to the target DNA concentration from 5 to 100[Formula: see text]nM, with detection limits determined as 5[Formula: see text]nM. The developed platform is for colorimetric nucleic acid detection without enzymes, label and modification holds great promise for practical applications.
Application of digital micromirror devices (DMD) in biomedical instruments
Authors: Zhuang Ziyun , Ho Ho Pui
Published: June 2020

There is an ongoing technological revolution in the field of biomedical instruments. Consequently, high performance healthcare devices have led to remarkable economic developments in the medical hardware industry. Until now, nearly all optical bio-imaging systems are based on the 2-dimensional imaging chip architecture. In fact, recent developments in digital micromirror devices (DMDs) are gradually making their way from conventional optical projection displays into biomedical instruments. As an ultrahigh-speed spatial light modulator, the DMD may offer a range of new applications including real-time biomedical sensing or imaging, as well as orientation tracking and targeted screening. Given its short history, the use of DMD in biomedical and healthcare instruments has emerged only within the past decade. In this paper, we first provide an overview by summarizing all reported cases found in the literature. We then critically analyze the general pros and cons of using DMD, specifically in terms of response speed, stability, accuracy, repeatability, robustness, and degree of automation, in relation to the performance outcome of the designated instrument. Particularly, we shall focus our discussion on the use of Micro-Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS)-based devices in a set of representative instruments including the surface plasmon resonance biosensor, optical microscopes, Raman spectrometers, ophthalmoscopes, and the micro stereolithographic system. Finally, the prospects of using the DMD approach in biomedical or healthcare systems and possible next generation DMD-based biomedical devices are presented.
Tracking the Flu Virus in a Room Mechanical Ventilation Using CFD Tools and Effective Disinfection of an HVAC System
Authors: Hasan Ali
Published: June 2020

Recent concerns raised by the World Health Organization over the Coronavirus raised a worldwide reaction. Governments are racing to contain and stop the Coronavirus from reaching an epidemic/pandemic status. This research presents a way in tracking such a virus or any contagious germ capable of transferring through air specifically where such a transfer can be assisted by a mechanical room ventilation system. Tracking the spread of such a virus is a complicated process, as they can exist in a variety of forms, shapes, sizes, and can change with time. However, a beginning has to be made at some point. Assumptions had to be made based on published scientific data, and standards. The tracking of airborne viruses was carried out on the following assumption (for illustrative purposes); one person with one sneeze in a period of 600 s. The presence of viruses was tracked with curves plotted indicating how long it could take to remove the sneezed viruses from the mechanically ventilated room space. Results gave an indication of what time span is required to remove airborne viruses. Thus, we propose the following: (a) utilizing CFD software as a possible tool in optimizing a mechanical ventilation system in removing contagious viruses. This will track the dispersion of viruses and their removal. The numerical solution revealed that with one typical adult human sneeze, it can take approximately 640 s to reduce an average sneeze of 20,000 droplets to a fifth; (b) upscaling the status of human comfort to a “must have” with regards to the 50% relative humidity, and the use of Ultraviolet germicidal irradiation (UVGI) air disinfection in an epidemic/pandemic condition. A recommendation can be presented to the local authorities of jurisdiction in enforcing the above proposals partially/fully as seen fit as “prevention is better than cure”. This will preclude the spread of highly infectious viruses in mechanically ventilated buildings.
Extracellular matrix dynamics in vascular remodeling
Authors: Ma Zihan , Mao Chenfeng , Jia Yiting , Fu Yi , Kong Wei
Published: June 2020

Vascular remodeling is the adaptive response to various physiological and pathophysiological alterations that are closely related to aging and vascular diseases. Understanding the mechanistic regulation of vascular remodeling may be favorable for discovering potential therapeutic targets and strategies. The extracellular matrix (ECM), including matrix proteins and their degradative metalloproteases, serves as the main component of the microenvironment and exhibits dynamic changes during vascular remodeling. This process involves mainly the altered composition of matrix proteins, metalloprotease-mediated degradation, posttranslational modification of ECM proteins, and altered topographical features of the ECM. To date, adequate studies have demonstrated that ECM dynamics also play a critical role in vascular remodeling in various diseases. Here, we review these related studies, summarize how ECM dynamics control vascular remodeling, and further indicate potential diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets in the ECM for corresponding vascular diseases.
Impact of high tidal volume ventilation on surfactant metabolism and lung injury in infant rats
Authors: Wiegert Susanne , Greco Francesco , Baumann Philipp , Wellmann Sven , Grest Paula , Hetzel Udo , Cannizzaro Vincenzo
Published: June 2020

The poorly understood tolerance toward high tidal volume (VT) ventilation observed in critically ill children and age-equivalent animal models may be explained by surfactant homeostasis. The aim of our prospective animal study was to test whether high VT with adequate positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) is associated with surfactant de novo synthesis and secretion, leading to improved lung function, and whether extreme mechanical ventilation affects intracellular lamellar body formation and exocytosis. Rats (14 days old) were allocated to five groups: nonventilated controls, PEEP 5 cmH2O with VT of 8, 16, and 24 mL/kg, and PEEP 1 cmH2O with VT 24 mL/kg. Following 6 h of ventilation, lung function, surfactant proteins and phospholipids, and lamellar bodies were assessed by forced oscillation technique, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, mass spectrometry, immunohistochemistry, and transmission electron microscopy. High VT (24 mL/kg) with PEEP of 5 cmH2O improved respiratory system mechanics and was not associated with lung injury, elevated surfactant protein expression, or surfactant phospholipid content. Extreme ventilation with VT 24 mL/kg and PEEP 1 cmH2O produced a mild inflammatory response and correlated with higher surfactant phospholipid concentrations in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid without affecting lamellar body count and morphology. Elevated phospholipid concentrations in the potentially most injurious strategy (VT 24 mL/kg, PEEP 1 cmH2O) need further evaluation and might reflect accumulation of biophysically inactive small aggregates. In conclusion, our data confirm the resilience of infant rats toward high VT-induced lung injury and challenge the relevance of surfactant synthesis, storage, and secretion as protective factors.
Antenatal PPAR-γ agonist pioglitazone stimulates fetal lung maturation equally in males and females
Authors: Lee Cindy , Sakurai Reiko , Shin Eugene , Wang Ying , Liu Jie , Rehan Virender K.
Published: June 2020

Antenatal steroids (ANS) accelerate fetal lung maturation and reduce the incidence of respiratory distress syndrome. However, sex specificity, i.e., being less effective in males, and potential long-term neurodevelopmental sequelae, particularly with repeated courses, remain significant limitations. The differential sex response to ANS is likely mediated via the inhibitory effect of fetal androgens on steroid’s stimulatory effect on alveolar epithelial-mesenchymal interactions. Since peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPAR-γ) agonists accelerate lung maturation by stimulating alveolar epithelial-mesenchymal interactions, independent of fetal sex, we hypothesized that the effect of PPAR-γ agonist pioglitazone (PGZ) would be sex-independent. Pregnant Sprague-Dawley rat dams were intraperitoneally administered dexamethasone (DEX) or PGZ on embryonic day (e) 18 and e19. At e20, pups were delivered by cesarean section, and fetal lungs and brains were examined for markers of lung maturation and apoptosis, respectively. Mixed epithelial-fibroblast cell cultures were examined to gain mechanistic insights. Antenatal PGZ increased alveolar epithelial and mesenchymal maturation markers equally in males and females; in contrast, antenatal DEX had sex-specific effects. Additionally, unlike DEX, antenatal PGZ did not increase hippocampal apoptosis. We conclude that PPAR-γ agonist administration is an effective, and probably even a superior, alternative to ANS for accelerating fetal lung maturity equally in both males and females.
Exoenzyme Y induces extracellular active caspase-7 accumulation independent from apoptosis: modulation of transmissible cytotoxicity
Authors: Renema Phoibe , Kozhukhar Natalya , Pastukh Viktoriya , Spadafora Domenico , Paudel Sunita Subedi , Tambe Dhananjay T. , Alexeyev Mikhail , Frank Dara W. , Stevens Troy
Published: June 2020

Caspase-3 and -7 are executioner caspases whose enzymatic activity is necessary to complete apoptotic cell death. Here, we questioned whether endothelial cell infection leads to caspase-3/7-mediated cell death. Pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells (PMVECs) were infected with Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA103). PA103 caused cell swelling with a granular appearance, paralleled by intracellular caspase-3/7 activation and cell death. In contrast, PMVEC infection with ExoY+ (PA103 Δ exoUexoT::Tc pUCP exoY) caused cell rounding, but it did not activate intracellular caspase-3/7 and it did not cause cell death. However, ExoY+ led to a time-dependent accumulation of active caspase-7, but not caspase-3, in the supernatant, independent of apoptosis. To study the function of extracellular caspase-7, caspase-7- and caspase-3-deficient PMVECs were generated using clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/Cas9 technology. Caspase-7 activity was significantly reduced in supernatants from infected caspase-7-deficient cells but was unchanged in supernatants from infected caspase-3 deficient cells, indicating an uncoupling in the mechanism of activation of these two enzymes. Because ExoY+ leads to the release of heat stable amyloid cytotoxins that are responsible for transmissible cytotoxicity, we next questioned whether caspase-7 contributes to the severity of this process. Supernatants obtained from infected caspase-7-deficient cells displayed significantly reduced transmissible cytotoxicity when compared with supernatants from infected wild-type controls, illustrating an essential role for caspase-7 in promoting the potency of transmissible cytotoxicity. Thus, we report a mechanism whereby ExoY+ infection induces active caspase-7 accumulation in the extracellular space, independent of both caspase-3 and cell death, where it modulates ExoY+-induced transmissible cytotoxicity.
Targeted genotype analyses of GWAS-derived lean body mass and handgrip strength-associated single-nucleotide polymorphisms in elite master athletes
Authors: Crossland Hannah , Piasecki Jessica , McCormick Daniel , Phillips Bethan E. , Wilkinson Daniel J. , Smith Kenneth , McPhee Jamie S. , Piasecki Mathew , Atherton Philip J.
Published: June 2020

Recent large genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have independently identified a set of genetic loci associated with lean body mass (LBM) and handgrip strength (HGS). Evaluation of these candidate single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) may be useful to investigate genetic traits of populations at higher or lower risk of muscle dysfunction. As such, we investigated associations between six SNPs linked to LBM or HGS in a population of elite master athletes (MA) and age-matched controls as a representative population of older individuals with variable maintenance of muscle mass and function. Genomic DNA was isolated from buffy coat samples of 96 individuals [consisting of 48 MA (71 ± 6 yr, age-graded performance 83 ± 9%) and 48 older controls (75 ± 6 yr)]. SNP validation and sample genotyping were conducted using the tetra-primer amplification refractory mutation system (ARMS). For the three SNPs analyzed that were previously associated with LBM ( FTO, IRS1, and ADAMTSL3), multinomial logistic regression revealed a significant association of the ADAMTSL3 genotype with %LBM ( P < 0.01). For the three HGS-linked SNPs, neither GBF1 nor GLIS1 showed any association with HGS, but for TGFA, multinomial logistic regression revealed a significant association of genotype with HGS ( P < 0.05). For ADAMTSL3, there was an enrichment of the effect allele in the MA ( P < 0.05, Fisher’s exact test). Collectively, of the six SNPs analyzed, ADAMTSL3 and TGFA showed significant associations with LBM and HGS, respectively. The functional relevance of the ADAMTSL3 SNP in body composition and of TGFA in strength may highlight a genetic component of the elite MA phenotype.
Role of spinal neurons in the maintenance of elevated sympathetic activity: a novel therapeutic target?
Authors: Milanez Maycon I. O. , Nishi Erika E. , Bergamaschi Cássia T. , Campos Ruy R.
Published: June 2020

The control of sympathetic vasomotor activity involves a complex network within the brain and spinal circuits. An extensive range of studies has indicated that sympathoexcitation is a common feature in several cardiovascular diseases and that strategies to reduce sympathetic vasomotor overactivity in such conditions can be beneficial. In the present mini-review, we present evidence supporting the spinal cord as a potential therapeutic target to mitigate sympathetic vasomotor overactivity in cardiovascular diseases, focusing mainly on the actions of spinal angiotensin II on the control of sympathetic preganglionic neuronal activity.
Caffeine prevents prostaglandin E1-induced disturbances in respiratory control in neonatal rats: implications for infants with critical congenital heart disease
Authors: Mitchell L. J. , Mayer C. A. , Mayer A. , Di Fiore J. M. , Shein S. L. , Raffay T. M. , MacFarlane P. M.
Published: June 2020

Continuous infusion of prostaglandin E1 (PGE1) is used to maintain ductus arteriosus patency in infants with critical congenital heart disease, but it can also cause central apnea suggesting an effect on respiratory neural control. In this study, we investigated whether 1) PGE1inhibits the various phases of the acute hypoxic ventilatory response (HVR; an index of respiratory control dysfunction) and increases apnea incidence in neonatal rats; and 2) whether these changes would be reversible with caffeine pretreatment. Whole body plethysmography was used to assess the HVR and apnea incidence in neonatal rats 2 h following a single bolus intraperitoneal injection of PGE1with and without prior caffeine treatment. Untreated rats exhibited a biphasic HVR characterized by an initial increase in minute ventilation followed by a ventilatory decline of the late phase (~5th minute) of the HVR. PGE1had a dose-dependent effect on the HVR. Contrary to our hypothesis, the lowest dose (1 µg/kg) of PGE1prevented the ventilatory decline of the late phase of the HVR. However, PGE1tended to increase postsigh apnea incidence and the coefficient of variability (CV) of breathing frequency, suggesting increased respiratory instability. PGE1also decreased brainstem microglia mRNA and increased neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) and platelet-derived growth factor-β (PDGF-β) gene expression. Caffeine pretreatment prevented these effects of PGE1, and the adenosine A2Areceptor inhibitor MSX-3 had similar preventative effects. Prostaglandin appears to have deleterious effects on brainstem respiratory control regions, possibly involving a microglial-dependent mechanism. The compensatory effects of caffeine or MSX-3 treatment raises the question of whether prostaglandin may also operate on an adenosine-dependent pathway.
Delta oscillations are a robust biomarker of dopamine depletion severity and motor dysfunction in awake mice
Authors: Whalen Timothy C. , Willard Amanda M. , Rubin Jonathan E. , Gittis Aryn H.
Published: June 2020

This work introduces a novel method to detect spike oscillations amidst neural noise. Using this method, we demonstrate that delta oscillations in the basal ganglia are a defining feature of awake, dopamine-depleted mice and are strongly correlated with dopamine loss and parkinsonian motor symptoms. These oscillations arise from a loss of D2-receptor activation and do not require motor cortex. Similar oscillations in human patients may be an underappreciated marker and target for Parkinson’s disease (PD) treatment.
Case studies in neuroscience: deep brain stimulation changes upper limb cortical motor maps in dystonia
Authors: Strzalkowski Nicholas D. J. , Sondergaard Rachel E. , Gan Liu Shi , Kiss Zelma H. T.
Published: June 2020

Neuronavigated robotic transcranial magnetic stimulation was used to investigate changes in upper limb muscle representation in a cervical dystonia patient before and at four time points up to 314 days after globus pallidus pars interna deep brain stimulation (GPi-DBS). GPi-DBS altered excitability and motor cortical representation of upper limb muscles; however, these changes were not associated with clinical improvement.
Atypical Presentation of Acquired Hypoganglionosis in a Patient Taking Clozapine
Authors: Gisi Catherine , Munteanu Anamaria , Ku Lawrence , French Samuel , Fleischman Michael , Eysselein Viktor
Published: June 2020

Acquired hypoganglionosis (HG) is a rare enteric gastrointestinal neuromuscular disorder previously associated with chronic inflammation that can lead to constipation, ileus, and even death. There is little known about the pathophysiology of acquired hypoganglionosis, and it is unclear if medications are related to the development of the disease. Clozapine is an atypical antipsychotic used to treat refractory schizophrenia that is well known for its side effects including agranulocytosis and gastrointestinal dysmotility. This is an unusual case of acquired hypoganglionosis in a patient with anticholinergic toxicity on clozapine therapy.
A Novel Compound Nonlinear State Error Feedback Super-Twisting Fractional-Order Sliding Mode Control of PMSM Speed Regulation System Based on Extended State Observer
Authors: Gao Peng , Zhang Guangming , Lv Xiaodong
Published: June 2020

In this article, a novel compound nonlinear state error feedback super-twisting fractional-order sliding mode control (NLSEF-STFOSMC) is proposed for the control of the permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) speed regulation system. Firstly, a novel fractional-order proportion integration differentiation (FOPID) switching manifold is designed. A modified sliding mode control (SMC) is constructed by a super-twisting reaching law and the novel FOPID sliding surface. Secondly, the nonlinear state error feedback control law (NLSEF) has been widely used because of high control accuracy, fast convergence, and flexible operation. Therefore, combining the modified SMC with the NLSEF, the compound NLSEF-STFOSMC is proposed, which has an excellent performance. At the same time, the external disturbance of the system is observed by a novel extended state observer. Finally, the performance of the corresponding control law to the speed operation of the PMSM is fully investigated compared with other related algorithms to demonstrate the effectiveness. The comparison results show that the proposed compound control strategy has excellent dynamic and static performance and strong robustness.
Solovay–Kitaev Approximations of Special Orthogonal Matrices
Authors: Mahasinghe Anuradha , Bandaranayake Sachiththa , De Silva Kaushika
Published: June 2020

The circuit-gate framework of quantum computing relies on the fact that an arbitrary quantum gate in the form of a unitary matrix of unit determinant can be approximated to a desired accuracy by a fairly short sequence of basic gates, of which the exact bounds are provided by the Solovay–Kitaev theorem. In this work, we show that a version of this theorem is applicable to orthogonal matrices with unit determinant as well, indicating the possibility of using orthogonal matrices for efficient computation. We further develop a version of the Solovay–Kitaev algorithm and discuss the computational experience.
Ameliorative Effect of Vernonia amygdalina Plant Extract on Heavy Metal-Induced Liver and Kidney Dysfunction in Rats
Authors: Barnes Precious , Yeboah Joshua Kwame , Gbedema Wilson , Saahene Roland Osei , Amoani Benjamin
Published: June 2020

Heavy metal toxicity contributes to liver and kidney dysfunction and damage through oxidative stress mechanisms; however, from previous studies, extracts from the Vernonia amygdalina plant have shown to possess potent antioxidant properties. This study was aimed at uncovering the potential ameliorative effects of ethanolic extract from Vernonia amygdalina plant in heavy metal toxicity-induced liver and kidney dysfunction. For this study, 44 Sprague Dawley rats were divided into three groups. The control group received a basal diet and water only while the treatment groups received varied dosages of the heavy metals. The copper (Cu) and lead (Pb) groups had five subgroups. The Cu only and Cu recovery subgroups were administered with 16 mg/kg Cu intraperitoneally daily for 14 days, whereas the Pb only and Pb recovery subgroups were administered with 13 mg/kg Pb intraperitoneally daily for 14 days. Subsequently, the Pb only and Cu only subgroups were sacrificed. The three Pb and Cu treatment subgroups received oral graded doses (100 mg/kg, 200 mg/kg, and 300 mg/kg) of the extract for 21 days. The Cu recovery and Pb recovery subgroups were left to recover for 21 days. After histological examinations, the Pb and Cu pretreatment groups showed evidence of focal necrosis accompanied by inflammatory cell infiltrations. The serum levels of liver biomarkers AST, ALT, and GGT, as well as urea and creatinine, were significantly elevated (P=0.01) following copper and lead exposure. Upon posttreatment of the rats with the extract, the physiological levels of the biomarkers were restored and tissue architecture of the organs improved. Thus, the ethanolic extract of Vernonia amygdalina is capable of ameliorating the effects of heavy metal toxicity through potent antioxidative mechanisms.
Assessing the Relationship between Gestational Glycemic Control and Risk of Preterm Birth in Women with Type 1 Diabetes: A Joint Modeling Approach
Authors: Gupta Resmi , Khoury Jane C. , Altaye Mekibib , Jandarov Roman , Szczesniak Rhonda D.
Published: June 2020

Background.Characterizing maternal glucose sampling over the course of the entire pregnancy is an important step toward improvement in prediction of adverse birth outcome, such as preterm birth, for women with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM).Objectives.To characterize the relationship between the gestational glycemic profile and risk of preterm birth using a joint modeling approach.Methods.A joint model was developed to simultaneously characterize the relationship between a longitudinal outcome (daily blood glucose sampling) and an event process (preterm birth). A linear mixed effects model using natural cubic splines was fitted to predict the longitudinal submodel. Covariates included mother’s age at last menstrual period, age at diabetes onset, body mass index, hypertension, retinopathy, and nephropathy. Various association structures (value, value plus slope, and area under the curve) were examined before selecting the final joint model. We compared the joint modeling approach to the time-dependent Cox model (TDCM).Results.A total of 16,480 glucose readings over gestation (range: 50-260 days) with 32 women (28%) having preterm birth was included in the study. Mother’s age at last menstrual period and age at diabetes onset were statistically significant (beta = 1.29, 95% CI 1.10, 1.72; beta = 0.84, 95% CI 0.62, 0.98) for the longitudinal submodel, reflecting that older women tended to have higher mean blood glucose and those with later diabetes onset tended to have a lower mean blood glucose level. The presence of nephropathy was statistically significant in the event submodel (beta = 2.29, 95% CI 1.05, 4.48). Cumulative association parameterization provided the best joint model fit. The joint model provided better fit compared to the time-dependent Cox model (DIC JM=19,895;DIC TDCM=19,932).Conclusion.The joint model approach was able to simultaneously characterize the glycemic profile and assess the risk of preterm birth and provided additional insights and a better model fit compared to the time-dependent Cox model.
Potential Functional Variants in DNA Repair Genes Are Associated with Efficacy and Toxicity of Radiotherapy in Patients with Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer
Authors: Yang Zhiguang , Liu Zhaoyu
Published: June 2020

Background. Lung cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths. Radiotherapy, either alone or with chemotherapy, is still the primary treatment for patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). There are variations in how patients with NSCLC respond to radiotherapy and how toxic the therapy is. DNA repair gene polymorphisms are related to cancer development; however, their association with radiotherapy outcomes remains unknown. We hypothesized that gDNA repair gene variation could affect the efficacy and toxicity of radiotherapy in patients with NSCLC. Methods. A total of 486 histologically confirmed patients with NSCLC were recruited from the Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University from July 2015 to September 2019. Eleven potentially functional single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in four DNA repair genes (XRCC1, XRCC2, XPD, and MSH2) were genotyped in these patients. A multiple factor logistic regression analysis was used to assess the association between these SNPs and the efficacy and toxicity of radiotherapy. Results. Three SNPs, rs25487 (XRCC1), rs3218556 (XRCC2), and rs13181 (XPD), were all significantly associated with the efficacy of radiotherapy. The allele frequencies of the rs25487 CC genotype (OR = 0.457, 95% CI = 0.259–0.804, p=0.006) and the rs3218556 AG or AA genotypes (AG genotype: OR = 0.664, 95% CI = 0.442–0.999, p=0.049; AA genotype: OR = 0.380, 95% CI = 0.181–0.795, p=0.008) were both significantly higher in the response group than in the nonresponse group. For rs13181, the radiotherapy efficacy was associated with the heterozygous genotype GT (OR = 1.663, 95% CI = 1.057–2.614,p=0.027). Statistically significant associations between radiation-induced toxic reactions and rs25487 (XRCC1), rs3218556 (XRCC2), and rs13181 (XPD) were also observed. The rs13181GT genotype was associated with lower toxic reactions than the TT genotype (OR = 1.680, 95% CI = 1.035–2.728,p=0.035). Conclusions. The variants rs25487 (XRCC1), rs3218556 (XRCC2), and rs13181 (XPD) all contribute to the efficacy and toxicity of radiotherapy in patients with NSCLC. Our findings may clarify the predictive value of DNA repair genes for prognosis in patients with NSCLC after radiotherapy. Further investigation of more genes and samples should be performed to confirm our findings.
A Person Reidentification Algorithm Based on Improved Siamese Network and Hard Sample
Authors: Wang Guangcai , Wang Shiqi , Chi Wanda , Liu Shicai , Fan Di
Published: June 2020

Person reidentification is aimed at solving the problem of matching and identifying people under the scene of cross cameras. However, due to the complicated changes of different surveillance scenes, the error rate of person reidentification exists greatly. In order to solve this problem and improve the accuracy of person reidentification, a new method is proposed, which is integrated by attention mechanism, hard sample acceleration, and similarity optimization. First, the bilinear channel fusion attention mechanism is introduced to improve the bottleneck of ResNet50 and fine-grained information in the way of multireceptive field feature channel fusion is fully learnt, which enhances the robustness of pedestrian features. Meanwhile, a hard sample selection mechanism is designed on the basis of the P2G optimization model, which can simplify and accelerate picking out hard samples. The hard samples are used as the objects of similarity optimization to realize the compression of the model and the enhancement of the generalization ability. Finally, a local and global feature similarity fusion module is designed, in which the weights of each part are learned through the training process, and the importance of key parts is automatically perceived. Experimental results on Market-1501 and CUHK03 datasets show that, compared with existing methods, the algorithm in this paper can effectively improve the accuracy of person reidentification.
Parallel and Regular Algorithm of Elliptic Curve Scalar Multiplication over Binary Fields
Authors: Li Xingran , Yu Wei , Li Bao
Published: June 2020

Accelerating scalar multiplication has always been a significant topic when people talk about the elliptic curve cryptosystem. Many approaches have been come up with to achieve this aim. An interesting perspective is that computers nowadays usually have multicore processors which could be used to do cryptographic computations in parallel style. Inspired by this idea, we present a new parallel and efficient algorithm to speed up scalar multiplication. First, we introduce a new regular halve-and-add method which is very efficient by utilizing λ projective coordinate. Then, we compare many different algorithms calculating double-and-add and halve-and-add. Finally, we combine the best double-and-add and halve-and-add methods to get a new faster parallel algorithm which costs around 12.0% less than the previous best. Furthermore, our algorithm is regular without any dummy operations, so it naturally provides protection against simple side-channel attacks.
Renin-Angiotensin System Inhibitor Usage and Age-Related Macular Degeneration among Hypertensive Patients: Results from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2005–2008
Authors: Ren Chi , Liu Weiming , Yin Xue , Zhang Bingyu , Lu Peirong
Published: June 2020

Purpose. To assess whether renin-angiotensin system inhibitor (RASI) utilization is associated with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) prevalence among hypertensive patients. Methods. A US population-based, cross-sectional study was conducted. 3,023 hypertensive participants aged 40 years and older with gradable retinal images and ascertained RASI usage in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), 2005–2008, were finally enrolled into the study. RASI usage was obtained by interview, and AMD was determined through retinal image assessment. We performed multivariable analyses to assess the relationship between utilization of RASIs and AMD prevalence. We also took drug treatment duration into account, in order to better understand the effects of RASIs. Results. Multivariable logistic regression analyses revealed that AMD prevalence had no significant association with RASI usage but was inversely correlated with RASI treatment duration (odds ratio (OR) = 0.87, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.78–0.98, p=0.02). Long-term usage (>5 years) of RASIs was significantly associated with not only reduced overall risk of AMD (OR = 0.23, 95% CI = 0.14–0.38, p<0.001) but also lower propensity to have early (OR = 0.23, 95% CI = 0.14–0.37, p<0.001) and late (OR = 0.25, 95% CI = 0.07–0.87, p=0.03) AMD. Furthermore, long-term RASI users were less prone to develop soft drusen (OR = 0.67, 95% CI = 0.45–0.99, p=0.04) and geographic atrophy (GA) (OR = 0.39, 95% CI = 0.22–0.71, p=0.003). Conclusions. Evidence supporting that RASI utilization could directly protect against AMD in hypertensive patients was still insufficient, but long-term RASI treatment seemed to be beneficial for both early and late AMD, implicating a promising therapeutic approach that RASIs might offer for AMD prevention and management.