bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Classification of 6-SPS Parallel Manipulators According to Their Components
Authors: Kong Xianwen , Gosselin Clément M.
Published: December 2020

The complexity of the forward displacement analysis (FDA) of 6-SPS parallel manipulators1 varies to a great extent with the change of their geometric parameters. This paper presents a classification of the 6-SPS parallel manipulators according to their components. At first, we give the components for the 6-SPS parallel manipulator. A component refers to a part of the 6-SPS kinematic chain in which the number of actuators is equivalent to the degree of freedom. In addition to the commonly used rigid bodies, points and (straight) lines are also taken as elements of the components. Type synthesis of the 6-SPS parallel manipulators is then performed. The influence of the types of components on the maximal numbers of configurations and the degrees of the characteristic polynomials of the 6-SPS parallel manipulators is then revealed. The number of redundant sensors needed to reduce the FDA of 6-SPS parallel manipulators to the solution of several univariate quadratic equations in sequence based on the component method is also presented.
Spherically-Actuated Platform Manipulator
Authors: Williams Robert L. , Poling Dana B.
Published: December 2020

This paper presents the inverse and forward pose kinematics solutions for a novel 6-dof platform manipulator, actuated by two base-mounted spherical actuators. The moving platform is connected to the fixed base by two identical SPU (alternatively, SRU) serial chain legs. The S-joint is active, and remaining two joints in each chain are passive. The numerical Newton-Raphson technique is employed to solve the pose problems. Unfortunately, the passive joint variables cannot be ignored in the pose kinematics solutions as they can for the Gough/Stewart platform. Examples are presented and hardware has been built, using two Rosheim Omni-Wrists on loan from NASA.
Least Squares Tracking on the Euclidean Group
Authors: Han Youngmo , Park F. C.
Published: December 2020

A large class of problems in robotics, e.g., tracking with obstacle avoidance, compliant motion control, and complex assembly, can be formulated as a least-squares tracking problem on the Euclidean group subject to constraints on the state and/or control. In this paper we develop a general, mathematically rigorous optimal control framework for this class of problems, and derive a simple closed-form analytic solution. Our formalism can be viewed as generalization to the Euclidean group of the linear quadratic regulator (LQR) subject to state equality constraints. Examples from force-guided complex assembly and tracking with obstacle avoidance are given.
Contact Analysis of Helical Face Gears
Authors: Jacquin Colin-Yann , Guingand Michèle , de Vaujany Jean-Pierre , Play Daniel
Published: December 2020

This paper presents an analytical method developed to design and study the tooth geometry and contact characteristics of helical face gears.

The tooth geometry is first defined while simulating the meshing of the face gear with the shaper used to cut it. A second meshing simulation is then performed between the face gear and the meshing pinion to determine some characteristics of kinematics, i.e. exact location of contact points, theoretical contact ratio, kinematics transmission error.

The computation method is very general and allows to study several types of face gears : crossed axes or offset, varying shaft angle, spur or helical pinion. Cutting and assembling errors are also included in the simulations.

The study has shown the influence of the different errors on the kinematics characteristics. Relative sensibility of helical face gears under various misalignments has been also established.
Experimental Analysis and Life Prediction of Pitting Failures for Carburized Gear Material
Authors: Suzuki Tomohiro , Ogawa Kazuyoshi , Hotta Shoji
Published: December 2020

In order to elucidate the mechanism and factors of tooth face pitting, roller tests were carried out. In the tests, the oxidized-nonmartensitic layer, surface roughness, case hardness and residual compressive stress were noted as the material factors, and sliding, oil temperature and viscosity were considered the running condition factors. As a result, the pitting could be classified into two forms according to the crack origin; subsurface origin pitting and surface origin pitting. In the former case, the pitting life coincided with the value estimated from the shear stress and shear strength related to the Vickers hardness. In the latter case, the influence of shot peening could be regarded as the sum of influences due to surface roughness, hardness and residual compressive stress. These factors of shot peening, the existence of the oxidized-nonmartensitic layer and specific sliding determined the life of the surface origin pitting. The life of tooth face pitting could be calculated using these roller test results.
Predesign Investigations of Non-Orthogonal Spiroid Gears
Authors: Goldfarb V. I. , Trubachov Ye. S.
Published: December 2020

Gear non-orthogonality is well known to be an efficient aid in obtaining new gear properties and achieving better design and operating specifications. However, this holds for certain combinations of geometric gear parameter values, one of the variables being axis angle Σ. Predesign research aims at finding such combinations of gear parameter values that provide better gear properties. The paper discusses some predesign research results of non-orthogonal (Σ ≠ 90°) spiroid gears.
Development of High-Loaded, Low-Speed Spiroid Gearboxes
Authors: Goldfarb V. I. , Spiridonov V. M. , Golubkov N. S.
Published: December 2020

Actuator rotation sometimes is required to transmit considerable torques at low speeds in a limited angular range. Such operating conditions are typical, for example, for the rotational drives of gas pipeline stop valves. These conditions are made worse by increased torques requried at the initial instant of motion when the torque is 1.3 to 1.5 times greater than the nominal torque, and by the range of operating temperatures of −60°C to +50°C.

A number of gearboxes with a spiroid gear mesh were developed to satisfy these conditions for different torques (i.e. for different standard stop valves), with the steel spiroid pair case-hardened to 60–62 hardness Rc. A set of numerical studies had been conducted in order to choose gear design parameters and other elements of the gearbox. Experimental research performed using special testing rigs for definite operating modes showed high reliability and wear resistance of the drives developed and their high durability compared to known ones which is of great importance for given application domain.
Development Process to Optimize and Quantify Effectiveness of Differential Crowning™ for Noise Reduction in Drivetrains
Authors: Kim H. A. , Allen M. A. , Ditto D. H. , Wickert J. A.
Published: December 2020

Noise and vibration are undesirable side effects associated with the use of spur gears in drivetrains. With market pressures for higher power densities, the development of high performance drivetrains with reduced noise and vibration thresholds forms a generic problem in the power transmission and gearing fields. In this paper, a process to reduce mesh stiffness variation in a spur gear set through the use of Differential Crowning™ technology, with concomitant reductions in acoustic noise and structure borne vibration, is presented. Through certain topological modifications to the profile of the gear teeth, mesh stiffness variation can be consistently minimized over a range of input loads. Analytical predictions for the mesh stiffness variation and transmission error in a conventional baseline drivetrain, and in one optimized through Differential Crowning™, are discussed. Design and operating parameters are used as inputs in a “design of experiments test protocol” so as to isolate those parameters which most influence performance. Controlled testing is performed in an acoustically-treated chamber, and sound pressure, sound intensity, vibration, and transmission error data are obtained for the baseline and optimized drivetrains. The test results are correlated with the predictions, and they demonstrate a mean reduction of 8 dB in total sound power for the optimized drivetrain over the six input speeds and loads that were considered.
Regular and Interference Tangents of Tooth Surfaces in Point Contact Gearing
Authors: Chen Ningxin
Published: December 2020

The presented paper studies regular and interference tangents of two tooth surfaces in point contact gearing. The relative surface of two tangent surfaces is introduced and algorithm of its principal curvatures and principal directions are given. By analysis of three types of the relative surfaces, their principal curvatures and surface normal directions, the conditions of the regular and the interference tangents are obtained. Two numerical examples, a spiral bevel and a hypoid gear sets, both face-hobbed, illustrate the above conditions and the TCA results.
Modeling and measuring the non-ideal characteristics of transmission lines
Authors: Bobowski J. S.
Published: December 2020

We describe a simple method to experimentally determine the frequency dependencies of the per-unit-length resistance and conductance of transmission lines. The experiment is intended as a supplement to the classic measurement of the transient response of a transmission line to a voltage step or pulse. In the transient experiment, an ideal (lossless) model of the transmission line is used to determine the characteristic impedance and signal propagation speed. In our experiment, the insertion losses of various coaxial cables are measured as a function of frequency from 1 to 2000 MHz. A full distributed circuit model of the transmission line that includes both conductor and dielectric losses is needed to fit the frequency dependence of the measured insertion losses. Our model assumes physically sensible frequency dependencies for the per-unit-length resistance and conductance that are determined by the geometry of the coaxial transmission lines used in the measurements.
Redox Protein OsaR (PA0056) Regulates
dsbM
and the Oxidative Stress Response in Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Authors: Liu Yujie , Ma Yibing , Ma Zhongqiang , Han Xiao , Qi Hang , Andersen Jens Bo , Xu Haijin , Tolker-Nielsen Tim , Qiao Mingqiang
Published: December 2020

Bacteria have evolved distinct molecular mechanisms as a defense against oxidative stress. The foremost regulator of the oxidative stress response has been found to be OxyR.
Supplemental Material: An extreme climate gradient-induced ecological regionalization in the Upper Cretaceous Western Interior Basin of North America
Authors: Burgener Landon , al. et
Published: December 2020

Additional methods descriptions, figures, tables, and paleotemperature and paleobotany databases.
Natural history of central sparing in geographic atrophy secondary to non-exudative age-related macular degeneration
Authors: Shen Liangbo L , Sun Mengyuan , Ahluwalia Aneesha , Park Michael M , Young Benjamin K , Lad Eleonora M , Toth Cynthia , Del Priore Lucian V
Published: December 2020

Background

The macular central 1 mm diameter zone is crucial to patients’ visual acuity, but the long-term natural history of central sparing in eyes with geographic atrophy (GA) is unknown.

Methods

We manually segmented GA in 210 eyes with GA involving central 1 mm diameter zone (mean follow-up=3.8 years) in the Age-Related Eye Disease Study. We measured the residual area in central 1 mm diameter zone and calculated central residual effective radius (CRER) as square root of (residual area/π). A linear mixed-effects model was used to model residual size over time. We added a horizontal translation factor to each data set to account for different durations of GA involving the central zone.

Results

The decline rate of central residual area was associated with baseline residual area (p=0.008), but a transformation from central residual area to CRER eliminated this relationship (p=0.51). After the introduction of horizontal translation factors to each data set, CRER declined linearly over approximately 13 years (r2=0.80). The growth rate of total GA effective radius was 0.14 mm/year (95% CI 0.12 to 0.15), 3.7-fold higher than the decline rate of CRER (0.038 mm/year, 95% CI 0.034 to 0.042). The decline rate of CRER was 53.3% higher in eyes with than without advanced age-related macular degeneration in the fellow eyes at any visit (p=0.007).

Conclusions

CRER in eyes with GA declined linearly over approximately 13 years and may serve as an anatomic endpoint in future clinical trials aiming to preserve the central zone.
Integrated genomic profiling and modelling for risk stratification in patients with advanced oesophagogastric adenocarcinoma
Authors: Hao Dapeng , He Siyuan , Harada Kazuto , Pizzi Melissa Pool , Lu Yang , Guan Pujun , Chen Lu , Wang Ruiping , Zhang Shaojun , Sewastjanow-Silva Matheus , Abdelhakeem Ahmed , Shanbhag Namita , Bhutani Manoop , Han Guangchun , Lee Jeffrey H , Zhao Shuangtao , Weston Brian , Blum Murphy Mariela , Waters Rebecca , Estrella Jeannelyn Santiano , Roy-Chowdhuri Sinchita , Gan Qiong , Lee Ju-Seog , Peng Guang , Hanash Samir M , Calin George Adrian , Song Xingzhi , Zhang Jianhua , Song Shumei , Wang Linghua , Ajani Jaffer A
Published: December 2020

Objective

Prognosis of patients with advanced oesophagogastric adenocarcinoma (mEGAC) is poor and molecular determinants of shorter or longer overall survivors are lacking. Our objective was to identify molecular features and develop a prognostic model by profiling the genomic features of patients with mEGAC with widely varying outcomes.

Design

We profiled 40 untreated mEGACs (20 shorter survivors <13 months and 20 longer survivors >36 months) with whole-exome sequencing (WES) and RNA sequencing and performed an integrated analysis of exome, transcriptome, immune profile and pathological phenotypes to identify the molecular determinants, developing an integrated model for prognosis and comparison with The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) cohorts.

Results

KMT2C alterations were exclusively observed in shorter survivors together with high level of intratumour heterogeneity and complex clonal architectures, whereas the APOBEC mutational signatures were significantly enriched in longer survivors. Notably, the loss of heterozygosity in chromosome 4 (Chr4) was associated with shorter survival and ‘cold’ immune phenotype characterised by decreased B, CD8, natural killer cells and interferon-gamma responses. Unsupervised transcriptomic clustering revealed a shorter survivor subtype with distinct expression features (eg, upregulated druggable targets JAK2, MAP3K13 and MECOM). An integrated model was then built based on clinical variables and the identified molecular determinants, which significantly segregated shorter and longer survivors. All the above features and the integrated model have been validated independently in multiple TCGA cohorts.

Conclusion

This study discovered novel molecular features prognosticating overall survival in patients with mEGAC and identified potential novel targets in shorter survivors.
Relationship between the use and type of eye protection and work-related corneal and conjunctival foreign body injuries
Authors: Sun Fei , Zhou Yongdong , Dong Liqun , Qin Haofang
Published: December 2020

Objective

This study was designed to reveal the relationship between the use and type of eye protection and the occurrence of work-related corneal and conjunctival foreign body injuries.

Methods

This is a retrospective cohort study of patients with work-related corneal and/or conjunctival foreign body injuries between 1 August 2017 and 31 July 2018. They were all diagnosed and treated at Jia Ding Hospital affiliated to the Shanghai University of Medicine and Health Sciences in Shanghai, China. All patients received a comprehensive eye examination and a face-to-face interview using a structured questionnaire by ophthalmologists.

Results

A total of 426 consecutive patients were included in the study. The majority of work-related eye injuries occurred in men (94.17%). Summer was the season that had the highest incidence of eye injuries, especially in July and August (38.03%). There were 290 patients (68.08%) that were injured more than once. The ratio of eye protection use to non-protection was 1:7 at the first time of eye injury. The ratio improved to 1:3 on subsequent injury. A majority of employers (79.11%) provided eye protection to employees. However, 19.95% of the workers were injured despite wearing a pair of protective spectacles. The causes of work-related eye injury were as follows: no eye protections provided (20.89%); unawareness of work safety (30.99%); defect of spectacles (47.18%).

Conclusions

Protection use at work effectively prevents work-related eye injuries. Both employers and employees require improved awareness of workplace hazards and personal protection. Eye protection should be selected appropriately according to the work environment.
New considerations about inflammatory brain diseases in cats and dogs
Authors: Gonçalves Rita
Published: December 2020

Background

Inflammatory brain diseases are relatively common causes of CNS disease in dogs and cats but its overall incidence in the veterinary species is currently unknown. They can be associated with infectious agents (such as bacteria, virus, protozoa and fungi) or autoimmune causes. Achieving a definitive diagnosis can be challenging in most cases, as this would require obtaining samples from the CNS for histological examination and that would pose high risks to the patient and is associated with significant financial cost. In practice, clinicians use a combination of clinical, imaging and laboratory test findings to achieve a presumptive diagnosis, so an in‐depth understanding of the most common conditions is essential in order to plan appropriate diagnostic investigations.

Aim of the article

This article reviews the latest knowledge on inflammatory brain diseases in companion animals, including current thoughts on aetiology, treatment options and prognostic factors.
Dealing with chronic diarrhoea in adult horses
Authors: Chidlow Hayley
Published: December 2020

Background

Chronic diarrhoea is not uncommon in adult horses. Affected horses will often maintain a good appetite and bright demeanour, in contrast to those with acute diarrhoea. The condition is can be a frustrating diagnostic and management challenge for both clinicians and owners, with many cases remaining idiopathic despite diagnostic investigations.

Aim of the article

This article outlines the approach the first‐opinion practitioner can take to diagnosis and possible treatment options when dealing with cases of chronic diarrhoea in adult horses. It follows on from an article published in last month's In Practice that focused on acute diarrhoea in adult horses.
Durvalumab and tremelimumab with or without stereotactic body radiation therapy in relapsed small cell lung cancer: a randomized phase II study
Authors: Pakkala Suchita , Higgins Kristin , Chen Zhengjia , Sica Gabriel , Steuer Conor , Zhang Chao , Zhang Guojing , Wang Shuhua , Hossain Mohammad S , Nazha Bassel , Beardslee Tyler , Khuri Fadlo R , Curran Walter , Lonial Sagar , Waller Edmund K , Ramalingam Suresh , Owonikoko Taofeek K
Published: December 2020

Background

Immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) targeting programmed cell death protein 1 and cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated protein 4 has achieved modest clinical activity as salvage therapy in relapsed small cell lung cancer (SCLC). We conducted this signal-finding study to assess the efficacy of ICB with or without radiation in relapsed SCLC.

Methods

Patients with relapsed SCLC and ≤2 previous lines of therapy were randomized to (1) arm A: durvalumab (D) 1500 mg/tremelimumab (T) 75 mg (intravenously every 4 weeks without stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT)) or (2) arm B: immune-sensitizing SBRT to one selected tumor site (9 Gy × 3 fractions) followed by D/T. Treatment continued until progression or a maximum of 12 months. The co-primary endpoints of the study were overall response rate (ORR) and progression-free survival (PFS). We evaluated circulating lymphocyte repertoire in serial peripheral blood samples and tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) from on-treatment biopsies as pharmacodynamic markers.

Results

Eighteen patients were randomized to arms A and B (n=9 each): median age 70 years; 41.2% women. The median PFS and ORR were 2.1 months and 0% in arm A and 3.3 months and 28.6% in arm B. The median overall survival (OS) was 2.8 months in arm A and 5.7 months in arm B (p=0.3772). Pooled efficacy of D/T±SBRT in 15 Response evaluation criteria in solid tumors (RECIST) evaluable patients across both arms showed the best ORR in terms of partial response in 13.3%, stable disease in 26.6% and progressive disease in 60.0%; the overall median PFS and OS were 2.76 and 3.9 months. The most common adverse events were grade 1 fatigue (66%) and grade 1 elevated amylase (56%) in arm A, and grade 1 fatigue (56%) and pain (44%) in arm B. There was a significant increase in activated CD8(+)ICOS+ T cells (p=0.048) and a reduction in naïve T cells (p=0.0454) in peripheral blood following treatment, along with a significant amount of activated CD8+ICOS+ T cells in TILs from responders.

Conclusions

The D/T combination with and without SBRT was safe but did not show sufficient efficacy signal in relapsed SCLC. Changes in peripheral blood lymphocyte and TILs were consistent with an immunologic response.

Trial registration numberNCT02701400.
Efficacy of pembrolizumab in patients with pituitary carcinoma: report of four cases from a phase II study
Authors: Majd Nazanin , Waguespack Steven G , Janku Filip , Fu Siqing , Penas-Prado Marta , Xu Mingxuan , Alshawa Anas , Kamiya-Matsuoka Carlos , Raza Shaan M , McCutcheon Ian E , Naing Aung
Published: December 2020

Pituitary carcinoma is an aggressive tumor characterized by metastatic spread beyond the sellar region. Symptoms can be debilitating due to hormonal excess and survival is poor. Pituitary carcinomas recur despite conventional multimodality treatments. Given the recent advances in the use of immune checkpoint inhibitors (CPIs) to treat various solid cancers, there has been interest in exploring the role of immunotherapy for treating aggressive, refractory pituitary tumors. We treated 4 patients with pituitary carcinoma with pembrolizumab as part of a phase II clinical trial. Two patients (patients 1 and 2) with functioning corticotroph pituitary carcinomas (refractory to surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy) had partial radiographic (60% and 32% per Immune-Related Response Evaluation Criteria In Solid Tumors, respectively) and hormonal responses. Patient 1’s response continues 42 months after initiation of pembrolizumab and his tumor tissue obtained after treatment with temozolomide demonstrated a hypermutator phenotype with MSH2 and MSH6 gene mutations. Patient 2’s tumor after exposure to temozolomide was not sampled, but prior somatic mutational testing was negative. One patient with a non-functioning corticotroph tumor (patient 3) had a best response of stable disease for 4 months. One patient with a prolactin-secreting carcinoma (patient 4) had progressive disease. The latter 2 patients’ tumors did not demonstrate a hypermutator phenotype after treatment with temozolomide. Programmed death-ligand 1 staining was negative in all tumors. We report 2 cases of corticotroph pituitary carcinoma responsive to pembrolizumab after prior exposure to alkylating agents. The role of CPIs in treating patients with pituitary carcinoma, the relationship between tumor subtype and response to immunotherapy and mechanisms of hypermutation in this orphan disease require further study.Trial registration number: NCT02721732.
Blood-based kinase activity profiling: a potential predictor of response to immune checkpoint inhibition in metastatic cancer
Authors: Hurkmans Daan P , Verdegaal Els M E , Hogan Sabrina A , de Wijn Rik , Hovestad Lies , van den Heuvel Dianne M A , Ruijtenbeek Rob , Welters Marij J P , van Brakel Mandy , Basak Edwin A , Pinedo Herbert M , Lamers Cor H J , van de Werken Harmen J G , Groten John P , Debets Reno , Levesque Mitchell P , Dummer Reinhard , Kapiteijn Ellen , Mathijssen Ron H J , Aerts Joachim G J V , van der Burg Sjoerd H
Published: December 2020

Background

Many cancer patients do not obtain clinical benefit from immune checkpoint inhibition. Checkpoint blockade targets T cells, suggesting that tyrosine kinase activity profiling of baseline peripheral blood mononuclear cells may predict clinical outcome.

Methods

Here a total of 160 patients with advanced melanoma or non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), treated with anti-cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4 (anti-CTLA-4) or anti-programmed cell death 1 (anti-PD-1), were divided into five discovery and cross-validation cohorts. The kinase activity profile was generated by analyzing phosphorylation of peripheral blood mononuclear cell lysates in a microarray comprising of 144 peptides derived from sites that are substrates for protein tyrosine kinases. Binary grouping into patients with or without clinical benefit was based on Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors V.1.1. Predictive models were trained using partial least square discriminant analysis (PLS-DA), performance of the models was evaluated by estimating the correct classification rate (CCR) using cross-validation.

Results

The kinase phosphorylation signatures segregated responders from non-responders by differences in canonical pathways governing T-cell migration, infiltration and co-stimulation. PLS-DA resulted in a CCR of 100% and 93% in the anti-CTLA-4 and anti-PD1 melanoma discovery cohorts, respectively. Cross-validation cohorts to estimate the accuracy of the predictive models showed CCRs of 83% for anti-CTLA-4 and 78% or 68% for anti-PD-1 in melanoma or NSCLC, respectively.

Conclusion

Blood-based kinase activity profiling for response prediction to immune checkpoint inhibitors in melanoma and NSCLC revealed increased kinase activity in pathways associated with T-cell function and led to a classification model with a highly accurate classification rate in cross-validation groups. The predictive value of kinase activity profiling is prospectively verified in an ongoing trial.
Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase correlates with tumor immune activity and programmed death ligand-1 expression in Merkel cell carcinoma
Authors: Nakamura Motoki , Nagase Kotaro , Yoshimitsu Maki , Magara Tetsuya , Nojiri Yuka , Kato Hiroshi , Kobayashi Tadahiro , Teramoto Yukiko , Yasuda Masahito , Wada Hidefumi , Ozawa Toshiyuki , Umemori Yukie , Ogata Dai , Morita Akimichi
Published: December 2020

Background

Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a rare and highly malignant skin cancer. Some cases have a good prognosis and spontaneous regression can occur. Reported prognostic markers, such as Merkel cell polyoma virus infection or programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1) expression, remain insufficient for precisely estimating the vastly different patient outcomes. We performed RNA sequencing to evaluate the immune response and comprehensively estimate prognostic values of immunogenic factors in patients with MCC.

Methods

We collected 90 specimens from 71 patients and 53 blood serum samples from 21 patients with MCC at 10 facilities. The mRNA was extracted from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissues. Next-generation sequencing, immunohistochemical staining and blood serum tests were performed.

Results

Next-generation sequencing results classified MCC samples into two types: the ‘immune active type’ was associated with better clinical outcomes than the ‘cell division type’. Expression of the glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) gene was highly significantly upregulated in the ‘cell division type’. Among 395 genes, G6PD expression correlated with the presence of lymph node or distant metastases during the disease course and significantly negatively correlated with PD-L1 expression. Immunohistochemical staining of G6PD also correlated with disease-specific survival and exhibited less heterogeneity compared with PD-L1 expression. G6PD activity could be measured by a blood serum test. The detection values significantly increased as the cancer stage progressed and significantly decreased after treatment.

Conclusions

G6PD expression was an immunohistochemically and serum-detectable prognostic marker that negatively correlated with immune activity and PD-L1 levels, and could be used to predict the immunotherapy response.
Implementation of the EU clinical trial regulation transforms the ethics committee systems and endangers ethical standards
Authors: Lukaseviciene Vilma , Hasford Joerg , Lanzerath Dirk , Gefenas Eugenijus
Published: December 2020

The upcoming Regulation (EU) No 536/2014 on clinical trials on medicinal products for human use (Regulation), which will replace the current Clinical Trial Directive at the end of 2021, has triggered a significant reform of research ethics committee systems in Europe. Changes related to ethics review of clinical trials in the EU were considered to be essential to create a more favourable environment to conduct clinical trials in the EU. The concern is, however, that the role of the research ethics committees will weaken in at least some of the Member States because the new Regulation allows narrowing down the scope of ethics review as compared with the currently valid Clinical Trial Directive. Although the new Regulation may lead to faster approval procedures for clinical trials, which is especially relevant in the context of pandemics, high-quality ethics reviews integrating methodological aspects of a clinical trial should nevertheless be ensured. To maintain high research ethics standards as well as to foster measures to mitigate potential negative consequences of the reform, it is therefore of vital importance to start debating and sharing the reflections about the potential consequences of these transformations and trends as soon as possible.
Ethical allocation of future COVID-19 vaccines
Authors: Gupta Rohit , Morain Stephanie R
Published: December 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic will likely recede only through development and distribution of an effective vaccine. Although there are many unknowns surrounding COVID-19 vaccine development, vaccine demand will likely outstrip early supply, making prospective planning for vaccine allocation critical for ensuring the ethical distribution of COVID-19 vaccines. Here, we propose three central goals for COVID-19 vaccination campaigns: to reduce morbidity and mortality, to minimise additional economic and societal burdens related to the pandemic and to narrow unjust health inequalities. We evaluate five prioritisation approaches, assess their likely impact on advancing the three goals of vaccine allocation and identify open scientific questions that may alter their outcomes. We argue that no single prioritisation approach will advance all three goals. Instead, we propose a multipronged approach that considers the risk of serious COVID-19 illness, instrumental value and the risk of transmission, and is guided by future research on COVID-19-specific clinical and vaccine characteristics. While we focus this assessment on the USA, our analysis can inform allocation in other contexts.
Manipulation of ACE2 expression in COVID-19
Authors: Chaudhry Farhan , Lavandero Sergio , Xie Xiang , Sabharwal Basera , Zheng Ying-Ying , Correa Ashish , Narula Jagat , Levy Phillip
Published: December 2020

SARS-CoV-2 is the virus responsible for the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak. The virus uses ACE2 receptor for viral entry. ACE2 is part of the counter-regulatory renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system and is also expressed in the lower respiratory tract along the alveolar epithelium. There is, however, significant controversy regarding the role of ACE2 expression in COVID-19 pathogenesis. Some have argued that decreasing ACE2 expression would result in decreased susceptibility to the virus by decreasing available binding sites for SARS-CoV-2 and restricting viral entry into the cells. Others have argued that, like the pathogenesis of other viral pneumonias, including those stemming from previous severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) viruses, once SARS-CoV-2 binds to ACE2, it downregulates ACE2 expression. Lack of the favourable effects of ACE2 might exaggerate lung injury by a variety of mechanisms. In order to help address this controversy, we conducted a literature search and review of relevant preclinical and clinical publications pertaining to SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19, ACE2, viral pneumonia, SARS, acute respiratory distress syndrome and lung injury. Our review suggests, although controversial, that patients at increased susceptibility to COVID-19 complications may have reduced baseline ACE2, and by modulating ACE2 expression one can possibly improve COVID-19 outcomes. Herein, we elucidate why and how this potential mechanism might work.
Surgical anesthesia for proximal arm surgery in the awake patient
Authors: Girón-Arango Laura , Perlas Anahi
Published: December 2020

This education article discusses a combination of brachial plexus and peripheral nerve blocks aimed at providing complete surgical anesthesia to the proximal arm, while consistently avoiding diaphragmatic paresis. This type of approach may be warranted in patients with respiratory compromise of any etiology. In these settings awake surgery is recommended to preserve respiratory function and at the same time minimize the risk of infection of the healthcare team by avoiding the aerosol-generating medical procedures associated with general anesthesia.
Longitudinal changes to quadriceps thickness demonstrate acute sarcopenia following admission to hospital for an exacerbation of chronic respiratory disease
Authors: McAuley Hamish J C , Harvey-Dunstan Theresa C , Craner Michelle , Richardson Matthew , Singh Sally J , Steiner Michael C , Greening Neil J
Published: December 2020

Acute admission to hospital for an exacerbation of chronic respiratory disease (CRD) may impair skeletal muscle mass and function. We measured quadriceps thickness (Q
thick
), as a surrogate marker of muscle mass, at hospital admission, discharge, 6 weeks and 3 months in 55 patients with CRD. Q
thick
fell by 8.3% during the period of hospitalisation, which was sustained at 6 weeks, and only partially recovered at 3 months. Sustained loss was most marked in patients readmitted during the follow-up period. Acute reduction in quadriceps muscle mass occurs during hospitalisation, with prolonged and variable recovery, which is prevented with subsequent hospital readmission.
Nicaraven inhibits TNFα-induced endothelial activation and inflammation through suppression of NF-κB signaling pathway
Authors: Lin Hongru , Wu Xuehan , Yang Yaqin , Wang Ziwei , Huang Weilu , Wang Ling-Fang , Liu Quan-Wen , Guan Xiao-Hui , Deng Ke-Yu , Li Tao-Sheng , Qian Yisong , Xin Hong-Bo
Published: December 2020

Inflammation-induced activation and dysfunction of endothelial cells play an important role in the pathology of multiple vascular diseases. Nicaraven, a potent hydroxyl radical scavenger, has recently been found to have anti-inflammatory roles; however, the mechanism of its action is not fully understood. Here we investigated the effects of Nicaraven on tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα) – induced inflammatory response in human umbilical vein endothelial cells and we explore the underlying mechanisms related to the nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) signaling pathway. Our results showed that Nicaraven significantly reduced the reactive oxygen species production after TNFα stimulation. Nicaraven suppressed TNFα-induced mRNA expression of multiple adhesion molecules and pro-inflammatory cytokines, including vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (VCAM-1), intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1), E-selectin, MCP-1, TNFα, interleukin-1β (IL-1β), IL-6, and IL-8. In addition, Nicaraven inhibited monocyte adhesion and reduced the protein levels of VCAM-1 and ICAM-1. Mechanistically, Nicaraven prevented TNFα-induced activation of NF-κB signaling pathway by suppressing the phosphorylation of NF-κB p65, IκBα, and IκB kinase (IKK)α/β, stabilizing IκBα, and inhibiting the translocation of p65 from cytosol to nucleus. Finally, we showed that Nicaraven improved the functions of endothelial cells, seen as the upregulation of endothelial nitric oxide synthase and increased nitric oxide levels. Our findings indicated that Nicaraven effectively inhibits TNFα-induced endothelial activation and inflammatory response at least partly through inhibiting NF-κB signaling pathway.
Observation and measurements of vector-boson scattering with the ATLAS detector
Authors: Penc Ondřej
Published: December 2020

The scattering of electroweak bosons tests the gauge structure of the Standard Model and is sensitive to anomalous quartic gauge couplings. In this paper, we present recent results on vector-boson scattering from the ATLAS experiment using proton–proton collisions with a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV at the LHC. This includes the observation of [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], and same-sign [Formula: see text] production via vector-boson scattering along with a measurement of [Formula: see text] production ([Formula: see text] denotes [Formula: see text] or [Formula: see text] boson) in semileptonic final states. The results can be used to constrain new physics that manifests as anomalous electroweak-boson self-interactions. Finally, predicted cross-sections for the electroweak scattering of two same-sign [Formula: see text] bosons in association with two jets are compared for a number of generators.
The ATLAS electron and photon trigger performance in Run 2
Authors: Köck Daniela Maria
Published: December 2020

Electron and photon triggers are an important part of many physics analyses at the ATLAS experiment, where electron and photon final states are considered. Understanding the performance of electron and photon triggers at the High Level trigger as well as the Level-1 trigger was crucial to improve and adapt the trigger during changing run conditions of the Large Hadron Collider in Run 2 (2015–2018).
An overview of the ATLAS New Small Wheel Micromegas construction project at Aristotle University
Authors: Lampoudis C. , Sampsonidis D. , Karkanias I. , Kompogiannis S.
Published: December 2020

The upcoming luminosity upgrade of the LHC will impose new requirements for the detector installations. To perform under these conditions the Micromegas (MM) technology was selected to be adopted in the New Small Wheel (NSW) upgrade, dedicated to precision tracking. A large surface of the forward regions of the Muon Spectrometer will be equipped with 8 layers of MM modules forming a total active area of 1200 m2. The NSW is planned to be installed in the forward region of [Formula: see text] of ATLAS. This new system will have to operate in a high background radiation region, while reconstructing muon tracks as well as furnishing information for the Level-1 trigger. The project requires fully efficient MM chambers with spatial resolution down to 100 [Formula: see text]m, a rate capability up to about 15 kHz/cm2 and operation in a moderate (highly inhomogeneous) magnetic field up to [Formula: see text][Formula: see text]T. The required tracking is linked to the intrinsic spatial resolution in combination with the demanding mechanical accuracy. An overview of the design, construction and QA/QC procedures followed at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki for the Micromegas LM2 Drift panels production will be presented.
μNet: Towards the first array of educational air shower detectors in Greece
Authors: Petropoulos Michael , Leisos Antonios , Tsirigotis Apostolos
Published: December 2020

We report on the design and the pilot phase of the [Formula: see text]Net project that aims for the active involvement of Greek high school students in the experimental procedures of astroparticle physics and especially in cosmic ray physics. Through the anticipated educational program, the students from the geographical area of Peloponnese will construct and operate educational cosmic ray telescopes deployed at their school laboratory and/or perform distant educational activities utilizing the extensive air shower array and the relevant remotely operated experimental setups of the Hellenic Open University Physics Laboratory.
A Note on Stackelberg Mixed Triopoly Games with State-Owned, Labor-Managed and Capitalist Firms
Authors: Ohnishi Kazuhiro
Published: December 2020

This paper investigates three sequential-move games with a capitalist firm, a labor-managed firm and a state-owned firm. The first game is as follows. In stage one, the capitalist firm chooses its output level. In stage two, the other firms choose their output levels simultaneously and independently. In stage three, the market opens and each firm sells its entire output. The structures of the second and third games are nearly identical and differ only in order in which the firms choose output levels in the first two stages. The paper discusses the equilibrium outcomes of the three sequential-move games.
Adoption of Digital Innovation — Formulating Adopter Categories and Levels of Adoption in a Digital Sphere in an Emerging Economy
Authors: Dutta Dorothy , Sarma Mrinmoy K.
Published: December 2020

Digital innovations are happening all over the globe with the advent of technology. The digital platforms are not only introducing the traditional services online but are also continuously engaged in making frequent modifications to them in the form of incremental innovations. In our quest of creating a time horizon for innovation adoption, and determining levels of adopters of incremental innovations 837 participants from India were asked about their level of adoption of digital innovations. While most of the respondents did not seem affected by the digital transition, amongst the ones adopting these innovations are mostly Early Adopters and Early Majority. The study arrived at an adoption score for the respondents based on the time from the introduction of the innovation and their adoption. The time horizon suggests the increase in adoption of innovation with each new digital innovation introduced. In the case of incremental innovations, ten levels of adoption, and three categories consisting of the ten levels of adoption are formulated based on the LoA model. The users in India fall majorly on the Beginner category in which maximum is aware of the incremental innovations but are skeptical about using them. The study further suggests certain measures for the digital platform providers for each category of users to make them accustomed to the process of incremental innovations.
Nonlinear iterative algorithms for solving variational inequality problems over the set of common fixed point of one-parameter nonexpansive semigroup and demicontractive mappings
Authors: Sow T. M. M.
Published: December 2020

In this paper, we propose a practical iterative method for solving variational inequality problem over the set of common fixed point of one-parameter nonexpansive semigroup and demicontractive mappings in a real Hilbert space. In a first step, we prove that this variational inequality problem admit one and a unique solution. Secondly, we deduced an iterative algorithm that converges strongly to the solution. Finally, we will apply these results to study some nonlinear problems.
A new hybrid algorithm based on binary gray wolf optimization and firefly algorithm for features selection
Authors: Qasim Omar Saber , Noori Noor Muhammed
Published: December 2020

In classifying diseases, many datasets have a number of redundant features that do not affect classification accuracy. There are several evolutionary algorithms that are used to determine the feature and reduce dimensional patterns such as the gray wolf optimization (GWO) and the firefly algorithm (FFA). In this paper, a hybrid optimization algorithm BGWO_FFA was proposed to find the optimal subset of datasets. BGWO_FFA benefits from the ability of both GWO and FFA to find the best subset of features in search space. The results show that BGWO_FFA significantly outperformed the results of the algorithm BGWO as it showed efficient and high accuracy through the mean squared error (MSE) and the number of features selection.
Numerical method for solving inverse source problem for Poisson equation
Authors: Benyoucef Abir , Alem Leïla , Chorfi Lahcène
Published: December 2020

We consider an inverse problem for the Poisson equation [Formula: see text] in the square [Formula: see text] which consists of determining the source [Formula: see text] from boundary measurements. Such problem is ill-posed. We restrict ourselves to a class of functions [Formula: see text]. To illustrate our method, we first assume that [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] are known functions with partial data at the boundary. For the reconstruction, we consider approximations by the Fourier series, therefore we obtain an ill-posed linear system which requires a regularization strategy. In the general case, we propose an iterative algorithm based on the full data at the boundary. Finally, some numerical results are presented to show the effectiveness of the proposed reconstruction algorithms.
Qadratic residue codes over 𝔽p + u𝔽p + v𝔽p∗
Authors: Pathak Sachin , Ghosh Gobinda , Yadav Bhanu P. , Upadhyay Ashish K.
Published: December 2020

In this paper, we study quadratic residue (QR) codes of prime length [Formula: see text] over the ring [Formula: see text] with [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text], where [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] are distinct odd prime numbers. We analyze some basic properties of cyclic codes of length [Formula: see text] over [Formula: see text], we define QR codes by their generating idempotents. Further, we discuss the extended QR codes. We present a considerable number of good [Formula: see text]-ary codes as Gray images of QR codes over [Formula: see text] by considering the case when [Formula: see text] is an odd prime.
New quantum codes from cyclic codes over finite chain ring of length 3
Authors: Boudine Brahim , Laaouine Jamal , Charkani Mohammed Elhassani
Published: December 2020

Let [Formula: see text] be a commutative finite chain ring with [Formula: see text] is its maximal ideal, [Formula: see text] is its residual field and [Formula: see text] the index of nilpotency of [Formula: see text]. In this paper, we compute the dual code of some types of cyclic codes over [Formula: see text] when [Formula: see text]. Afterward, we show how extract some new quantum codes from these cyclic codes.