bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Colorectal cancer survivors’ quality of life: a qualitative study of unmet need
Authors: Drury Amanda , Payne Sheila , Brady Anne-Marie
Published: June 2020

Objective

Cancer survivors’ perceptions of healthcare have been identified as a predictor of quality of life (QoL) outcomes. This study aims to explore colorectal cancer (CRC) survivors’ perceptions of how cancer-related healthcare affects their QoL.

Methods

Semistructured interviews were conducted with 22 CRC survivors receiving follow-up care between 1 and 5 years post diagnosis. Interviews were recorded, transcribed and analysed thematically.

Results

Five themes described the impact of healthcare experiences on CRC survivors’ QoL. While cancer survivors spoke positively of theirrelationships with healthcare professionals, many experienced a range ofunmet information and supportive care needs. Participants described a range of positive and negative experiences, aspower dynamicsandnavigation of healthcare systemshad implications for their QoL. Where negative healthcare events aligned, survivors’ autonomy, dignity and confidence were undermined, and survivorship issues could be inadequately addressed. To address persistent unmet needs, survivors developed asafety net(work) of supports to bridge the gap of unmet needs in healthcarewith varying outcomes.

Conclusions

Cancer survivors’ experience of follow-up and healthcare can positively or negatively affect their QoL. Preparation for cancer survivorship must be incorporated into the acute phase of diagnosis and treatment and interlinked with clear pathways of survivorship care and accessible supportive care, which support survivors to be equal partners in their healthcare. Understanding cancer survivors’ knowledge, expertise and mastery of their condition is essential to ensure delivery of person-centred supportive care that adequately addresses the survivor’s unmet needs.
Boreal tree regeneration after fire and fuelwood harvesting in coastal Nunatsiavut
Authors: Brehaut Lucas , Brown Carissa D.
Published: June 2020

Consecutive landscape-scale disturbances are known to influence boreal forest regeneration, yet few published data exist on the compounding effects of natural and anthropogenic disturbance on regeneration in subarctic forests. We conducted a dendroecological study of eastern coastal boreal forest regeneration two decades after fire at three subarctic forest stands that are important sources of fuelwood for the people of Nunatsiavut (Labrador, Canada). We quantified spruce (Picea spp.) and balsam fir (Abies balsamea (L.) Mill.) seedling regeneration, standing dead tree density, trees harvested within burned forests, and aged proximal unburned stands. Age of unburned forest varied with site; however, each exhibited continuous regeneration over several decades. Despite low seedling regeneration at each site (stems·m−2; less than 35% of pre-fire stem density), model results indicated harvesting post-fire did not impact seedling regeneration. Findings suggest a negative pressure on seedling abundance from increased presence of tall multi-stemmed shrubs, yet we argue that because stands exhibit a range in tree age, shrubs may be a set of early successional species rather than indicating a change in successional trajectory. Examination of a larger chronosequence within coastal forest stands of Nunatsiavut is warranted to further understand forest regeneration in the eastern subarctic under changing disturbance regimes.
On the breaking of Casimir scaling in jet quenching
Authors: Apolinário Liliana , Barata João , Milhano Guilherme
Published: June 2020

We study the breaking of Casimir scaling, $$C_F/C_A$$CF/CA, due to the evolution of jets in a hot and extended medium. By using JEWEL, a medium modified Monte Carlo event generator validated for a wide set of observables, we are able to study separately the development of quark and gluon-initiated jets produced back-to-back with a $$Z-$$Z- boson. Focusing on the $$p_T$$pT distribution, we conclude first that the colour charge ratio is constant but larger than Casimir scaling for high $$p_T$$pT jets. In addition, our results seem to indicate that the medium induced cascade is more similar between quarks and gluons, thus driving the overall medium shower scaling away from the vacuum expectation. Finally, we compare our results to another Monte Carlo generator and observe the same scaling violation.
Erratum to: A way of decoupling gravitational sources in pure Lovelock gravity
Authors: Estrada Milko
Published: June 2020

The original version of this article unfortunately contains a mistake.
A new class of f(R)-gravity model with wormhole solutions and cosmological properties
Authors: Restuccia Alvaro , Tello-Ortiz Francisco
Published: June 2020

A spherically symmetric wormhole family of solutions, with null red-shift, in the context of f(R)-gravity is presented. The model depends on two parameters: m and $$\beta $$β and meets all requirements to be an asymptotically and traversable wormhole. To solve the field equations, an EoS is imposed: $$p_{\perp }=-\rho $$p⊥=-ρ. It is found that for $$m=1$$m=1 the solution satisfies the null energy condition, although $$F(R)<0$$F(R)<0 everywhere. For $$m=0$$m=0, the model satisfies the null energy condition away from the throat, where the function F(R) is everywhere positive and together with dF(R)/dR vanish at the throat of the wormhole. This fact is beyond the scope of the non-existence theorem. Furthermore, the cosmological viability of the model, to address the late – time accelerated epoch, is analyzed on the background of a flat FLRW space-time. The model satisfies consistency of local gravity tests, stability under cosmological perturbations, ghosts free and stability of the de Sitter point.
Partially regular and cscK metrics
Authors: Loi Andrea , Zuddas Fabio
Published: June 2020

A Kähler metric [Formula: see text] with integral Kähler form is said to be partially regular if the partial Bergman kernel associated to [Formula: see text] is a positive constant for all integer [Formula: see text] sufficiently large. The aim of this paper is to prove that for all [Formula: see text] there exists an [Formula: see text]-dimensional complex manifold equipped with strictly partially regular and cscK metric [Formula: see text]. Further, for [Formula: see text], the (constant) scalar curvature of [Formula: see text] can be chosen to be zero, positive or negative.
Diffusion of innovations in Axelrod’s model on small-world networks
Authors: Reia Sandro M.
Published: June 2020

The interest in learning how innovations spread in our society has led to the development of a variety of theoretical-computational models to describe the mechanisms that govern the diffusion of new ideas among people. In this paper, the diffusion of innovations is addressed with the use of the Axelrod’s cultural model where an agent is represented by a cultural vector of [Formula: see text] features, in which each feature can take on [Formula: see text] integer states. The innovation or new idea is introduced in the population by setting a single feature of a single agent to a new state ([Formula: see text]) in the initial configuration. Particularly, we focus on the effect of the small-world topology on the dynamics of the innovation adoption. Our results indicate that the innovation spreads sublinearly ([Formula: see text]) in a regular one-dimensional lattice of connectivity [Formula: see text], whereas the innovation spreads linearly ([Formula: see text]) when a nonvanishing fraction of the short-ranged links are replaced by long-range ones. In addition, we find that the small-world topology prevents the emergence of complete order in the thermodynamic limit. For systems of finite size, however, the introduction of long range links causes the dynamics to reach a final ordered state much more rapidly than for the regular lattice.
Simulation of pedestrian counter flow with conflicting preference using a lattice-based simulation model
Authors: Zhu Kongjin , Wang Jun , Guo Ning , Ding Zhongjun , Mei Peng
Published: June 2020

Pedestrian counter flows widely exist in public pedestrian facilities such as corridors, sidewalks, signalized crossings and so on. There is one specific flow in real life, namely counter flow with conflicting walking preference which often occurs in the case of presence of one-sidedly asymmetry due to shadows, light, snow and so on. It is often overlooked in practice and the related studies are still limited. In this study, to better understand the flow dynamics of pedestrian flow with various walking preference, a simple lattice-based model was proposed in which position exchange and walking preference were simultaneously considered. Specifically, simulations including pedestrian counter flow with preference (Case A), with conflicting preference (Case B), and without preference (Basic case) were performed. Results show that the presented model can capture some essential features of pedestrian counter flow with various walking preference. It is not always necessary to intervene the behavior of pedestrians ’ conflicting preference, since appropriate degree of preference is sometimes beneficial to movement of pedestrians. In addition, with the significant influence of position exchange, the flow in Case A with more orderly motion is more efficient in the context of low density, while the flow in Case B with more frequent interactions is more efficient in the case of high density. The findings in this study will be helpful in crowd management as well as the design and operation of pedestrian facilities.
Recent observation and measurements of diboson processes from the ATLAS experiment
Authors: Yap Yee Chinn
Published: June 2020

This review covers results at a centre-of-mass energy of [Formula: see text] TeV from the ATLAS experiment that have been published, or submitted for publication, up to April 2020. It summarizes results on the inclusive production cross-section measurements of boson pairs and of the electroweak production of diboson in association with two jets. The measurements either use the full integrated luminosity of 139 fb[Formula: see text] collected by the ATLAS detector at the LHC from 2015 to 2018, or a partial dataset of 36 fb[Formula: see text]. The inclusive production rates of diboson are studied to high precision. These measurements provide stringent tests of the electroweak sector of the Standard Model and allow search for new physics via anomalous triple and quartic gauge boson couplings.
Deterministic quantum cyclic controlled teleportation of arbitrary multi-qubit states using multi-qubit partially entangled channel
Authors: Sun Shiya , Zhang Huisheng
Published: June 2020

In this paper, we present a deterministic four-party quantum cyclic controlled teleportation (QCYCT) scheme, by using a multi-qubit partially entangled state as the quantum channel. In this scheme, Alice can teleport an arbitrary [Formula: see text]-qubit state to Bob, Bob can teleport an arbitrary [Formula: see text]-qubit state to Charlie and Charlie can teleport an arbitrary [Formula: see text]-qubit state to Alice under the control of the supervisor David. We utilize rotation gate, Hadamard gates and controlled-NOT (CNOT) gates to construct the multi-qubit partially entangled channel. Only Bell-state measurements, single-qubit von-Neumann measurement and proper unitary operations are required in this scheme, which can be realized in practice easily based on the present quantum experiment technologies. The direction of cyclic controlled teleportation of arbitrary multi-qubit states can also be changed by altering the quantum channel. Analysis demonstrates that the success probability of the proposed scheme can still reach 100% although the quantum channel is non-maximally entangled. Furthermore, the proposed four-party scheme can be generalized into the case involving [Formula: see text] correspondents, which is more suitable for quantum communication networks. We also calculate the intrinsic efficiency and discuss the security of the proposed scheme. Compared with the existing QCYCT schemes which realized cyclic controlled teleportation of arbitrary single-qubit states, specific two-qubit and three-qubit states, the proposed scheme is of general significance.
Stability of asymmetric thin shell wormhole with a variable equation of state
Authors: Eid A.
Published: June 2020

Dynamical equations of asymmetric thin shell wormholes connecting two different spacetimes by applying the cut and paste technique are constructed. The linear stability with variable modified generalized Chaplygin gas (VMGCG) equation of state, where the pressure will be a function of both radius and density, is investigated. This formalism is applied to two specific cases of asymmetric wormhole of a Schwarzschild connected to Reissner–Nordström spacetime and Reissner–Nordström connected to Schwarzschild–De Sitter (SDS) spacetime.
Small Target Detection for Infrared Image Based on Optimal Infrared Patch-Image Model by Solving Modified Adaptive RPCA Problem
Authors: Xiong Bin , Huang Xinhan , Wang Min , Peng Gang
Published: June 2020

Small target detection in infrared (IR) images has been widely applied for both military and civilian purposes. In this study, because IR images contain sparse and low-rank features in most scenarios, we propose an optimal IR patch-image (OIPI) model-based detection method to detect small targets in heavily cluttered IR images. First, the OIPI model was generated based on a conventional IR image model using a novel optimal patch size and sliding step adaptive selection algorithm. Secondly, the sparse and low-rank features of IR images were extracted and fused to generate an adaptive weighted parameter. Thirdly, the adaptive inexact augmented Lagrange multiplier (AIALM) algorithm was applied in the OIPI model to solve the robust principal component analysis (RPCA) optimization problem. Finally, an adaptive threshold method is proposed to segment and calibrate targets. Experimental results indicate that the proposed algorithm is capable of detecting small targets more stably and accurately, compared with state-of-the-art methods.
Coarse-graining via EDP-convergence for linear fast-slow reaction systems
Authors: Mielke Alexander , Stephan Artur
Published: June 2020

We consider linear reaction systems with slow and fast reactions, which can be interpreted as master equations or Kolmogorov forward equations for Markov processes on a finite state space. We investigate their limit behavior if the fast reaction rates tend to infinity, which leads to a coarse-grained model where the fast reactions create microscopically equilibrated clusters, while the exchange mass between the clusters occurs on the slow time scale. Assuming detailed balance the reaction system can be written as a gradient flow with respect to the relative entropy. Focusing on the physically relevant cosh-type gradient structure we show how an effective limit gradient structure can be rigorously derived and that the coarse-grained equation again has a cosh-type gradient structure. We obtain the strongest version of convergence in the sense of the Energy-Dissipation Principle (EDP), namely EDP-convergence with tilting.
Information System Services Generation of Business Services Specification and Based on a System-of-Services Logical Architecture Pattern
Authors: Simonin Jacques , Pillain Pierre-Yves , Guériot Didier , Vincent Johanne
Published: June 2020

The generation and design of the service architecture of an information system is complex. It depends more on the vision of the service than on the vision of the service inside an information system. An information system is indeed a system of services that can contain thousands of services. The lack of consideration of constraints imposed by the information system makes it difficult to reuse these services. Another strong constraint is that an information system service must support a business service. The proposed approach allows information system services to be generated in accordance with the business services specification and their logical architecture to be automatically designed by respecting a logical architecture pattern of the system-of-services. An information system services generation algorithm allows being consistent with the logical architecture pattern during this generation. The definition of coherence and coupling properties makes it possible to evaluate the relevancy of the system-of-services. A use case shows the value of these properties in making the logical architecture of the service system more relevant to business services.
Fermion clouds around z = 0 Lifshitz black holes
Authors: Tokgöz Gülni̇hal , Sakallı İzzet
Published: June 2020

In this work, the Dirac equation is studied in the [Formula: see text] Lifshitz black hole ([Formula: see text]LBH) spacetime. The set of equations representing the Dirac equation in the Newman–Penrose (NP) formalism is decoupled into a radial set and an angular set. The separation constant is obtained with the aid of the spin weighted spheroidal harmonics. The radial set of equations, which are independent of mass, is reduced to Zerilli equations (ZEs) with their associated potentials. In the near horizon (NH) region, these equations are solved in terms of the Bessel functions of the first and second kinds arising from the fermionic perturbation on the background geometry. For computing the boxed quasinormal modes (BQNMs) instead of the ordinary quasinormal modes (QNMs), we first impose the purely ingoing wave condition at the event horizon. Then, Dirichlet boundary condition (DBC) and Newmann boundary condition (NBC) are applied in order to get the resonance conditions. For solving the resonance conditions, we follow the Hod’s iteration method. Finally, Maggiore’s method (MM) is employed to derive the entropy/area spectra of the [Formula: see text]LBH which are shown to be equidistant.
On mutually m-permutable product of GS-groups
Authors: Abd-Ellatif M. H. , Elkholy A. M.
Published: June 2020

In this paper, we investigate the structure of a finite group [Formula: see text] which is totally, mutually or mutually [Formula: see text]-permutable product of proper subgroups [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] under theassumption that all maximal subgroups of [Formula: see text] are [Formula: see text]-groups.
Restrained geodetic domination in graphs
Authors: Mulloor John Joy , Sangeetha V.
Published: June 2020

Let [Formula: see text] be a graph with edge set [Formula: see text] and vertex set [Formula: see text]. For a connected graph [Formula: see text], a vertex set [Formula: see text] of [Formula: see text] is said to be a geodetic set if every vertex in [Formula: see text] lies in a shortest path between any pair of vertices in [Formula: see text]. If the geodetic set [Formula: see text] is dominating, then [Formula: see text] is geodetic dominating set. A vertex set [Formula: see text] of [Formula: see text] is said to be a restrained geodetic dominating set if [Formula: see text] is geodetic, dominating and the subgraph induced by [Formula: see text] has no isolated vertex. The minimum cardinality of such set is called restrained geodetic domination (rgd) number. In this paper, rgd number of certain classes of graphs and 2-self-centered graphs was discussed. The restrained geodetic domination is discussed in graph operations such as Cartesian product and join of graphs. Restrained geodetic domination in corona product between a general connected graph and some classes of graphs is also discussed in this paper.
Algorithms and Data Structures for Matrix-Free Finite Element Operators with MPI-Parallel Sparse Multi-Vectors
Authors: Davydov Denis , Kronbichler Martin
Published: June 2020

Traditional solution approaches for problems in quantum mechanics scale asO(M3), whereMis the number of electrons. Various methods have been proposed to address this issue and obtain a linear scalingO(M). One promising formulation is the direct minimization of energy. Such methods take advantage of physical localization of the solution, allowing users to seek it in terms of non-orthogonal orbitals with local support.

This work proposes a numerically efficient implementation of sparse parallel vectors within the open-source finite element library deal.II. The main algorithmic ingredient is the matrix-free evaluation of the Hamiltonian operator by cell-wise quadrature. Based on ana-priorichosen support for each vector, we develop algorithms and data structures to perform (i) matrix-free sparse matrix multivector products (SpMM), (ii) the projection of an operator onto a sparse sub-space (inner products), and (iii) post-multiplication of a sparse multivector with a square matrix. The node-level performance is analyzed using a roofline model. Our matrix-free implementation of finite element operators with sparse multivectors achieves a performance of 157 GFlop/s on an Intel Cascade Lake processor with 20 cores. Strong and weak scaling results are reported for a representative benchmark problem using quadratic and quartic finite element bases.
Mitochondrial oxidative injury: a key player in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease
Authors: Dornas Waleska , Schuppan Detlef
Published: June 2020

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has become the most prevalent liver disease worldwide. NAFLD is tightly linked to the metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance, and oxidative stress. Globally, its inflammatory form, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), has become the main cause of liver-related morbidity and mortality, mainly due to liver cirrhosis and primary liver cancer. One hallmark of NASH is the presence of changes in mitochondrial morphology and function that are accompanied by a blocked flow of electrons in the respiratory chain, which increases formation of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species in a self-perpetuating vicious cycle. Consequences are oxidation of DNA bases and mitochondrial DNA depletion that are coupled with genetic and acquired mitochondrial DNA mutations, all impairing the resynthesis of respiratory chain polypeptides. In general, several maladaptations of pathways that usually maintain energy homeostasis occur with the early and late excess metabolic stress in NAFLD and NASH. We discuss the interplay between hepatocyte mitochondrial stress and inflammatory responses, focusing primarily on events initiated and maintained by mitochondrial free radical-induced damage in NAFLD. Importantly, mitochondrial oxidative stress and dysfunction are modulated by key pharmacological targets that are related to excess production of reactive oxygen species, mitochondrial turnover and the mitochondrial unfolded protein response, mitophagy, and mitochondrial biogenesis. However, the efficacy of such interventions depends on NAFLD/NASH disease stage.
Early normalization of reduced urea synthesis capacity after direct-acting antiviral therapy in hepatitis C cirrhosis
Authors: Laursen Tea Lund , Sandahl Thomas Damgaard , Kazankov Konstantin , Eriksen Peter Lykke , Kristensen Lena Hagelskjær , Holmboe Charlotte Henneberg , Laursen Alex Lund , Vilstrup Hendrik , Grønbæk Henning
Published: June 2020

Antiviral treatment of chronic hepatitis C restores the liver’s reduced capacity to produce urea along with an improvement in liver inflammation without immediate effects on structural liver changes. The effect is suggested to be an important early onset part of the expected clinical treatment benefit.
Hypertensive female Sprague-Dawley rats require an intact nitric oxide synthase system for compensatory increases in renal regulatory T cells
Authors: Ramirez Lindsey A. , Gillis Ellen E. , Musall Jacqueline B. , Mohamed Riyaz , Snyder Elizabeth , El-Marakby Ahmed , Sullivan Jennifer C.
Published: June 2020

We have previously shown that hypertensive female rats have more regulatory T cells (Tregs), which contribute more to blood pressure (BP) control in female versus male rats. Based on known protective properties of Tregs, the goal of the present study was to investigate the mechanisms by which female rats maintain Tregs. The present study was designed to 1) compare the impact of three hypertension models on the percentage of renal Tregs and 2) test the hypothesis that nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibition prevents increases in renal Tregs and exacerbates renal damage in female Sprague-Dawley rats. Rats (11–14 wk old) were randomized to one of the following four groups: control, norepinephrine (NE) infusion, angiotensin II infusion, or the NOS inhibitor Nω-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester (l-NAME) in drinking water. BP was measured via tail cuff. After 2 wk of treatment, kidneys were isolated and processed to measure Tregs via flow cytometric analysis and renal injury via urinary albumin excretion, plasma creatinine, and histological analyses. Hypertensive treatments increased BP in all experimental animals. Increases in BP in norepinephrine-and angiotensin II-treated rats were associated with increases in renal Tregs versus control. In contrast, l-NAME treatment decreased Tregs compared with all groups. l-NAME treatment modestly increased albumin excretion. However, plasma creatinine was comparable among the groups, and there was no histological evidence of glomerular or tubular injury. This study provides insights into the mechanisms regulating renal Tregs and supports that an intact NOS system is crucial for female rats to have BP-related increases in renal Tregs.
Effectiveness of Electroacupuncture for Simple Obesity: A Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials
Authors: Gao Yanling , Wang Yi , Zhou Jing , Hu Zhihai , Shi Yin
Published: June 2020

Objective. To evaluate the effectiveness of electroacupuncture in the treatment of simple obesity. Methods. Randomized clinical trials concerning electroacupuncture as a treatment of simple obesity published prior to October 31, 2019, were searched in the following Chinese and English databases: Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), WanFang Database, China Science and Technology Journal Database (VIP), Chinese Biomedical Literature Database (CBM), PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and Scopus. After data collection and quality evaluation, meta‐analysis was performed using RevMan 5.3 software and Stata 15.0 software. Results. A total of 13 studies involving 937 patients with simple obesity were included in the meta‐analysis. Results revealed that the total effective rate (RR = 1.29, 95% CI [1.13, 1.48]; P = 0.0002), BMI (MD = −1.82, 95% CI [−2.21, −1.43]; P < 0.000), waist circumference (MD = −2.39, 95% CI [−3.95, −0.84]; P = 0.003), hip circumference (MD = 0.31, 95% CI [−2.37, 2.99]; P = 0.82), waist‐hip ratio (MD = −0.05, 95% CI [−0.07, −0.03]; P < 0.00), and body fat rate (MD = −1.56, 95% CI [−2.35, −0.78]; P = 0.0001) in the electroacupuncture group were superior to those in the control group. Analysis of acupoint clustering and correlation using SPSS 24.0 and Clementine 12.0 revealed the highest statistical support for acupoint groups CV12‐CV4 and CV12‐ST25‐CV4, while ST36‐CV12‐ST25, SP6, and ST40‐ST24‐SP15‐ST37‐CV4 were found to be validly clustered acupoints. Conclusion. For treating simple obesity, electroacupuncture is superior to other interventions such as acupuncture, acupoint catgut embedding therapy, and simple lifestyle modification for improvement in body fat rate, waist circumference, and waist‐hip ratio, although not hip circumference. Acupoint analysis revealed that ST25, CV12, CV4, SP6, and ST36 can form the basis for electroacupuncture therapy for the treatment of simple obesity.
Multistability and Formation of Spiral Waves in a Fractional-Order Memristor-Based Hyperchaotic Lü System with No Equilibrium Points
Authors: Yan Bo , He Shaobo , Wang Shaojie
Published: June 2020

Multistablity analysis and formation of spiral wave in the fractional-order nonlinear systems is a recent hot topic. In this paper, dynamics, coexisting attractors, complexity, and synchronization of the fractional-order memristor-based hyperchaotic Lü system are investigated numerically by means of bifurcation diagram, Lyapunov exponents (LEs), chaos diagram, and sample entropy (SampEn) algorithm. The results show that the system has rich dynamics and high complexity. Meanwhile, coexisting attractors in the system are observed and hidden dynamics are illustrated by changing the initial conditions. Finally, the network based on the system is built, and the emergence of spiral waves is investigated and chimera states are observed.
Stability Analysis of Fraction-Order Hopfield Neuron Network and Noise-Induced Coherence Resonance
Authors: Shi Xuerong , Wang Zuolei
Published: June 2020

In this paper, dynamical behaviors of fraction-order Hopfield neuron network are investigated. Firstly, Mittag-Leffler stability analysis is carried out and some sufficient conditions are obtained. On the basis of theoretical analysis, two criteria for determining the stability of fraction-order Hopfield neuron network are presented and comparison between them is given by theoretical analysis along with numerical simulation. According to the proposed criteria, by selecting suitable system parameters, it can be obtained that fraction-order Hopfield neuron network can stabilize to the equilibrium point or an attractor, which can be a periodic orbit or two points. Secondly, considering the inevitable noise in the complex environment of neuron network, the effect of noise on the dynamics of fraction-order Hopfield neuron network is discussed via calculating coefficient of variation and numerical simulations. Results suggest that random noise can cause coherence resonance in fraction-order Hopfield neuron network for certain noise intensity.
Impact of a Social Constructivist Instructional Strategy on Performance in Algebra with a Focus on Secondary School Students
Authors: Ginga Umar A. , Zakariya Yusuf F.
Published: June 2020

There have been perennial concerns on the low academic performance of students among researchers and other education stakeholders. Innovative teaching strategies have, therefore, gained prominence in the field of mathematics education. The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of a social constructivist instructional strategy on students’ performance in algebra. The present study is quasi-experimental, and its type is a posttest control group involving 154 secondary school students that are randomly selected across four intact classes. The random selection of students to treatment and control controls is assumed to improve the validity of the results. Two research questions are raised, and two null hypotheses are formulated and tested atp≤0.05level of significance. One research instrument, algebra performance test (APT), was developed, pilot-tested (test-retest reliability coefficient of 0.897), and used to measure students’ performance in both treatment and control groups. The data are analyzed using independent samplet-tests. The findings indicate that there are significant differences in the mean performance scores between experimental (mean = 16.05, SD = 2.74) and control (mean = 11.46, SD = 2.49) groups,t(152) = 10.83,p<0.05. These findings may be interpreted to be evidence of the effectiveness of the social constructivist instructional strategy in improving performance in algebra better than the conventional teaching method. Also, a significant difference exists between the mean performance scores of males (mean = 17.83, SD = 2.82) and females (mean = 14.72, SD = 1.77) in the experimental group (t(80) = 6.11,p<0.05). Thus, the effect of the social constructivist instructional strategy on students’ performance in algebra is gender-sensitive. Based on these findings, some recommendations are made to students, teachers, parents, administrators, and other stakeholders.
Acoustic Emission Simulation on Coal Specimen Subjected to Cyclic Loading
Authors: Duan Huiqiang , Ma Depeng
Published: June 2020

The damage and failure state of the loaded coal and rock masses is indirectly reflected by its acoustic emission (AE) characteristics. Therefore, it is of great significance to study the AE evolution of loaded coal and rock masses for the evaluation of damage degree and prediction of collapse. The paper mainly represents a numerical simulation investigation of the AE characteristics of coal specimen subjected to cyclic loading under three confining pressures, loading‐unloading rates, and valley stresses. From the numerical simulation tests, the following conclusions can be drawn: (1) The final cycle number of coal specimen subjected to cyclic loading is significantly influenced by the confining pressure, followed the valley stress. With the increase in confining pressure or valley stress, the cycle number tends to increase. However, the loading‐unloading rate has a little influence on it. (2) The AE counts of coal specimen subjected to cyclic loading are greatly influenced by the confining pressure and the valley stress. With the increase in the confining pressure, the cumulative AE counts at the 1st cycle tend to increase but decrease at a cycle before failure; with the decrease in the valley stress, the cumulative AE counts per cycle increase in the relatively quiet phase. However, the loading‐unloading rate has a little influence on it. (3) The failure mode of coal specimen subjected to cyclic loading is significantly influenced by the confining pressure. Under the uniaxial stress state, there is an inclined main fractured plane in the coal specimen, under the confining pressures of 5 and 10 MPa, the coal specimen represents dispersion failure. The loading‐unloading rate and valley stress have little influence on it. (4) The AE ratio is proposed, and its evolution can better reflect the different stages of coal specimen failure under cyclic loading. (5) The influence of confining pressure on the broken degree of coal specimen subjected to cyclic loading is analyzed, and the higher the confining pressure, the more broken the failed coal specimen.
Irregularity Effects of Masonry Infills on Nonlinear Seismic Behaviour of RC Buildings
Authors: Ferraioli Massimiliano , Lavino Angelo
Published: June 2020

Despite extensive research studies, the seismic response of infilled reinforced concrete buildings remains an open problem due to both the complexity of the interaction between the infill and the frame and the large number of parameters involved. Thus, guidelines for both modelling and analysis are still lacking and the infill walls are normally treated as nonstructural components in seismic codes. However, it may be not conservative to neglect the influence of infills. In fact, the infill masonry walls may significantly affect the stiffness, strength, and energy dissipation capacity of RC buildings, even when they are regularly distributed. Recognizing this influence and its importance on the vulnerability of infilled frames, Eurocode 8 requires amplifying seismic action effects due to infills. In this paper, the effectiveness of the Eurocode 8 design provisions for infill irregularity in plan and/or elevation was investigated. To this aim, different in-plan layouts of infill walls were selected as marginal cases for which Eurocode 8 does not require amplification of the action effects due to the presence of infills, or the additional measures to counteract these effects are not mandatory. The seismic vulnerability of the infilled RC buildings was evaluated using nonlinear static and nonlinear dynamic analyses. Both cracking and crushing of masonry and stiffness and strength degradation were considered in the analysis. The effect of the layout of the masonry infills on the seismic response in terms of resistance and displacement was evaluated. Results show that in one of the case studies here examined, it is not conservative to neglect the influence of infill panels. In fact, structural failure due to torsion and soft-storey effects may occur even in cases where Eurocode 8 does not require the amplification of the action effects. Finally, the total shear demand on columns may be underestimated, even in cases where the code provisions for infills irregularity are not mandatory, and the additional shear demand in the columns induced by the masonry infill is very low.
Enriched‐Baicalein Attenuates Allergy in Cells and Mice
Authors: Yun Mi-Young , Jung Ju-Im , Park Sung-Min , Choi Hwa-Jung
Published: June 2020

Enriched‐baicalein (baicalein) from baicalin was prepared by fermentation of an SB extract with mycelium of Laetiporus sulphureus. To investigate the pharmacologic effects of baicalein, its antiallergic effect was measured in vitro and in vivo. Allergy was induced by intraperitoneal injection of ovalbumin (OVA) into Balb/c mice. As a result, baicalein showed antiallergic effects by inhibiting the release of β‐hexosaminidase from immunoglobulin E‐ (IgE‐) stimulated rat basophilic leukemia (RBL‐2H3) mast cells without cytotoxicity after the methodology. After four weeks, the decrease of OVA‐specific IgE level, decrease of histamine and tryptase level in serum, and then the decrease of the levels of T helper type 2 (Th2) cell‐derived cytokines interleukin‐ (IL‐) 4 and IL‐13 in the splenocyte were observed. In a histological analysis for lung, baicalein excellently reduced eosinophil infiltration with the inhibition of characteristic lesions and inflammation including OVA‐induced necrosis, numbers of inflammatory cells, and pulmonary edema. Therefore, these results showed that baicalein had excellent efficacy in the antiallergic activity.
Fulminant Hepatic Failure in the Course of an Outpatient Anesthetic Procedure: Sevoflurane among Other High-Risk Factors
Authors: Cheron Céline , Hoet Perrine , Renard Nathalie , Vanderweerden Geoffroy , Miscu Cristina , Komuta Mina , Laterre Pierre-François , Hantson Philippe
Published: June 2020

A 20-year-old man underwent an outpatient general anesthetic procedure with sevoflurane for the correction of a bilateral gynecomastia. The patient had been first exposed to sevoflurane two years before, without any complication. He presented an overweight with a body mass index (BMI) of 31.4 kg/m2 and had an episode of “binge” drinking a few days before anesthesia. He became icteric from postoperative day 9, and after the worsening of liver function tests, the liver biopsy revealed centrilobular necrosis. The patient became encephalopathic and required urgent liver transplantation on postoperative day 30. The possibility of a sevoflurane-related fulminant hepatic failure is discussed.
The Usefulness of the Pressure Algometer in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Orofacial Pain Patients: A Systematic Review
Authors: Kamińska Agata , Dalewski Bartosz , Sobolewska Ewa
Published: June 2020

Study Design. Data were obtained from PubMed, Dentistry and Oral Sciences Source, ProQuest, Scopus, Medline (EBSCO), and ScienceDirect databases. Literature search was performed from 1 December 2017 through 12 January 2018. The titles and abstracts from electronic search results were screened for keywords and evaluated by two observers, with the following inclusion criteria: published since 1997, written in English, and encompassing human research. Exclusion criteria were as follows: articles published earlier than 1997, not written in English, animal studies, studies with the use of medicaments, and articles examining receptor interactions. Objectives. The pressure pain threshold (PPT) may be an efficient approach to screen and evaluate orofacial pain. However, the results of previous PPT studies have varied greatly. The aim of this paper was to determine whether the PPT is an efficient approach for screening and evaluating orofacial pain. Methods. The search yielded 123 articles. After removal of duplicates and screening of abstracts, 32 articles were selected for further evaluation. The Cochrane Collaboration tool for assessing the risk of bias was used for the evaluation of the studies. Results. The studies covered a total of 4403 adult patients, aged 16-62, and 30 children. The studies investigated the reliability and validity of the PPT (measured by a pressure algometer) in TMD patients. The PPT was investigated in relation to headache, menstrual cycle, oral contraception, occlusal interference, and occlusal appliances. Generally, the risk of bias was low to unclear. Some structural limitations were inherent in the studies, such as small samples and short duration of the testing involved. Also, the analyzed studies lacked consistency in study design and patient management. Pressure increase values differed from 20 kPa/s to 50 kPa/s and from 0.5 kg/cm2/s to 2 kg/cm2/s. Descriptions of the PPT examination points also varied, from very precise and repeatable to a simple listing of anatomical points. The number of measurements varied from 1 to 5 at each visit. The intervals ranged from 5 seconds to 15 minutes. However, some studies confirmed that the pressure algometer is an effective tool for determining the source of orofacial pain. Conclusions. Based on the analyzed articles, the authors argue that the PPT is not an efficient approach for screening and evaluating orofacial pain. What is more, it should not be used as the only diagnostics tool for patients with orofacial pain. Importantly, however, additional factors should be considered in the future for the evaluation of the PPT, including body symmetry and posture, hormone levels and the menstrual phase in women, and the use of medications and its influence on the PPT. Further clinical trials should also be performed on the PPT, examining head and neck pain patients, with more precise study design and larger samples.
KPCA and AE Based Local-Global Feature Extraction Method for Vibration Signals of Rotating Machinery
Authors: Hu Xiao , Xiao Zhihuai , Liu Dong , Tang Yongjun , Malik O. P. , Xia Xiangchen
Published: June 2020

Feature extraction plays a key role in fault diagnosis of rotating machinery. Many methods reported in the literature are based on masses of labeled data and need much prior knowledge to select the most discriminating features or establish a complex deep-learning model. To solve the dilemma, a novel feature extraction method based on kernel principal component analysis (KPCA) and an autoencoder (AE), namely, SFS-KPCA-AE, is presented in this paper to automatically extract the most discriminative features from the frequency spectrum of vibration signals. First, fast Fourier transform is calculated on the entire vibration signal to get the frequency spectrum. Next, the spectrum is divided into several segments. Then, local-global feature extraction is performed by applying KPCA to these segments. Finally, an AE is employed to obtain the low-dimensional representations of the high-dimensional global feature. The proposed feature extraction method combined with a classifier achieves fault diagnosis for rotating machinery. A rotor dataset and a bearing dataset are utilized to validate the performance of the proposed method. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method achieved satisfactory performance in feature extraction when training samples or motor load changed. By comparing with other methods, the superiority of the proposed SFS-KPCA-AE is verified.
Human Action Recognition Algorithm Based on Improved ResNet and Skeletal Keypoints in Single Image
Authors: Lin Yixue , Chi Wanda , Sun Wenxue , Liu Shicai , Fan Di
Published: June 2020

Human action recognition is an important part for computers to understand the behavior of people in pictures or videos. In a single image, there is no context information for recognition, so its accuracy still needs to be greatly improved. In this paper, a single-image human action recognition method based on improved ResNet and skeletal keypoints is proposed, and the accuracy is improved by several methods. We improved the backbone network ResNet-50 and CPN to a certain extent and constructed a multitask network to suit the human action recognition task, which not only improves the accuracy but also balances the total number of parameters and solves the problem of large network and slow operation. In this paper, the improvement methods of ResNet-50, CPN, and whole network are tested, respectively. The results show that the single-image human action recognition based on improved ResNet and skeletal keypoints can accurately identify human action in the case of different human movements, different background light, and occlusion. Compared with the original network and the main human action recognition algorithms, the accuracy of our method has its certain advantages.
Treatment Efficacy of Chuang Ling Ye, a Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine Compound, on Idiopathic Granulomatous Mastitis: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Xue Jing-xian , Ye Bei , Liu Shun , Cao Si-han , Bian Wei-he , Yao Chang
Published: June 2020

Objective. To explore whether Chuang Ling Ye (CLY), a traditional Chinese herbal medicine compound, could improve the treatment of idiopathic granulomatous mastitis (IGM) via decreasing inflammatory response. Methods. Herein, 40 patients with IGM who had wounds requiring dressing change were enrolled and randomly divided into two groups: the CLY group and the control group. The size of the neoplasm and pain score of patients were followed‐up for 4 weeks. Local tissues were taken during dressing change and examined by commercial enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits. The levels of inflammatory markers, including interleukin‐1β (IL‐1β), IL‐2, IL‐6, interferon gamma (IFN‐γ), and tumor necrosis factor‐α (TNF‐α) were measured. Results. After treatment, the size of the neoplasm in the CLY group was significantly smaller than that in the control group (14.28 cm ± 8.96 cm vs. 21.14 cm ± 0.12 cm, P = 0.038), and the pain scores were markedly reduced (P = 0.004). Besides, CLY downregulated the expression levels of IL‐1β, IFN‐γ, and TNF‐α. Conclusion. External use of CLY could reduce the neoplasm of IGM by inhibiting local inflammation. This trial is registered with ChiCTR1800017744.
RGBD Scene Flow Estimation with Global Nonrigid and Local Rigid Assumption
Authors: Li Xiuxiu , Liu Yanjuan , Jin Haiyan , Cai Lei , Zheng Jiangbin
Published: June 2020

RGBD scene flow has attracted increasing attention in the computer vision with the popularity of depth sensor. To estimate the 3D motion of object accurately, a RGBD scene flow estimation method with global nonrigid and local rigid motion assumption is proposed in this paper. Firstly, the preprocessing is implemented, which includes the colour-depth registration and depth image inpainting, to processing holes and noises in the depth image; secondly, the depth image is segmented to obtain different motion regions with different depth values; thirdly, scene flow is estimated based on the global nonrigid and local rigid assumption and spatial-temporal correlation of RGBD information. In the global nonrigid and local rigid assumption, each segmented region is divided into several blocks, and each block has a rigid motion. With this assumption, the interaction of motion from different parts in the same segmented region is avoided, especially the nonrigid object, e.g., a human body. Experiments are implemented on RGBD tracking dataset and deformable 3D reconstruction dataset. The visual comparison shows that the proposed method can distinguish the motion parts from the static parts in the same region better, and the quantitative comparisons proved more accurate scene flow can be obtained.