bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Rubber aging life prediction based on interpolation and improved time-temperature superposition principle
Authors: Kunheng Li , Zhiyong Chen , Wenku Shi 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
With focus on quickly and accurately predicting and evaluating the aging performance degradation of rubber at room temperature, the pseudo-failure life at each different acceleration temperature is proposed to be calculated by interpolation method based on indoor high temperature accelerated aging data, and on the basis of the obtained pseudo-failure life. By introducing the time-temperature equivalence principle, a shift factor obeying to an Arrhenius law is derived, and master curves are built as well for the compression set as for the ultimate mechanical properties. The concept of the sum of squares of dispersion coefficient errors is proposed to evaluate the prediction accuracy. Meanwhile a quantitative calculation method that considers the effect of temperature on the performance degradation curve and the shift factor is innovatively proposes. The results show that the proposed optimization method based on the traditional time-temperature superposition principle can quickly process the aging life at room temperature, and the prediction results are distributed within the 3-fold dispersion line, which can well meet the engineering requirements. The reduction of the DSC value from 1.4164 to 1.0828 further demonstrates the effectiveness of the proposed method above. This method can provide some reference for other related polymer materials accelerated aging data processing and life prediction.
Quantitative analysis and time-resolved characterization of simulated tokamak exhaust gas by laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy
Authors: HE Yaxiong , XU Tao , ZHANG Yong , KE Chuan , ZHAO Yong , LIU Shu 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
Tokamak exhaust is an important part of the deuterium-tritium fuel cycle system in fusion reactions. In this work, we present a laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS)-based method to monitor the gas compositions from the exhaust system in the tokamak device. Helium (He), a main impurity in the exhaust gas, was mixed with hydrogen (H2) in different ratios through a self-designed gas distribution system, and sealed into a measurement chamber as a standard specimen. A 532 nm wavelength laser pulse with an output power of 100 mJ was used for plasma excitation. The time-resolved LIBS is used to study the time evolution characteristics of the signal strength, signal-to-background ratio (SBR), signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and relative standard deviation (RSD) of the helium and hydrogen characteristic lines. The Boltzmann two-line method was employed to estimate the plasma temperature of laser-induced plasma (LIP). The Stark-broadened profile of He I 587.56 nm was exploited to measure the electron density. From these studies, an appropriate time was determined in which the low RSD% was consistent with the high signal-to-noise ratio. The He I 587.56 nm and Hα emission lines with good signal-to-noise ratio were extracted from the spectrum and used in the external standard method and internal standard method for quantitative analysis. The test results for mixed gas showed that the average relative error of prediction was less than 11.15%, demonstrating the great potential of LIBS in detecting impurities in plasma exhaust gas.
Numerical study of atmospheric-pressure argon plasma jet propagating into ambient nitrogen
Authors: JIANG Yuanyuan , WANG Yanhui , HU Yamin , ZHANG Jiao , WANG Dezhen 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
A 2D axial symmetry fluid model is applied to study the features of an atmospheric-pressure argon (Ar) plasma jet propagating into ambient nitrogen (N2) driven by a pulsed voltage, emphasizing the influence of gas velocity on the dynamic characteristics of the jet. The results show that the Ar jet exhibits a cylindrical-shaped channel and the jet channel gradually shrinks with the increase in propagation length. The jet propagation velocity varies with time. Inside the dielectric tube, the plasma jet accelerates propagation and reaches its maximum value near the nozzle. Exiting the tube, its velocity quickly decreases and when approaching the metal plane, the decrease in jet velocity slows down. The increase in gas speed results in the variation of jet spatial distribution. The electron density presents a solid structure at lower gas flow speeds, whereas an annular structure can be observed under the higher gas flow velocity in the ionization head. The jet length increases with the flow velocity. However, when the flow velocity exceeds a critical value, the increase in the rate of the plasma jet length slows down. In addition, the gas velocity effect on the generation and transport of the reactive particles is also studied and discussed.
Evolutionary vs imitation learning for neuromorphic control at the edge*
Authors: Schuman Catherine , Patton Robert , Kulkarni Shruti , Parsa Maryam , Stahl Christopher , Haas N Quentin , Mitchell J Parker , Snyder Shay , Nagle Amelie , Shanafield Alexandra , Potok Thomas 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
Neuromorphic computing offers the opportunity to implement extremely low power artificial intelligence at the edge. Control applications, such as autonomous vehicles and robotics, are also of great interest for neuromorphic systems at the edge. It is not clear, however, what the best neuromorphic training approaches are for control applications at the edge. In this work, we implement and compare the performance of evolutionary optimization and imitation learning approaches on an autonomous race car control task using an edge neuromorphic implementation. We show that the evolutionary approaches tend to achieve better performing smaller network sizes that are well-suited to edge deployment, but they also take significantly longer to train. We also describe a workflow to allow for future algorithmic comparisons for neuromorphic hardware on control applications at the edge.
External Validation of Clinical Prediction Models in Unilateral Primary Aldosteronism
Authors: Sam Davis , Kline Gregory A , So Benny , Hundemer Gregory L , Pasieka Janice L , Harvey Adrian , Chin Alex , Przybojewski Stefan J , Caughlin Cori E , Leung Alexander A 
Published: December 2021

Abstract

BACKGROUND
Targeted treatment of primary aldosteronism (PA) is informed by adrenal vein sampling (AVS), which remains limited to specialized centers. Clinical prediction models have been developed to help select patients who would most likely benefit from AVS. Our aim was to assess the performance of these models for PA subtyping.

METHODS
This external validation study evaluated consecutive patients referred for PA who underwent AVS at a tertiary care referral center in Alberta, Canada during 2006–2018. In alignment with the original study designs and intended uses of the clinical prediction models, the primary outcome was the presence of lateralization on AVS. Model discrimination was evaluated using the C-statistic. Model calibration was assessed by comparing the observed vs. predicted probability of lateralization in the external validation cohort.

RESULTS
The validation cohort included 342 PA patients who underwent AVS (mean age, 52.1 years [SD, 11.5]; 201 [58.8%] male; 186 [54.4%] with lateralization). Six published models were assessed. All models demonstrated low-to-moderate discrimination in the validation set (C-statistics; range, 0.60–0.72), representing a marked decrease compared with the derivation sets (range, 0.80–0.87). Comparison of observed and predicted probabilities of unilateral PA revealed significant miscalibration. Calibration-in-the-large for every model was &gt;0 (range, 0.35–1.67), signifying systematic underprediction of lateralizing disease. Calibration slopes were consistently &lt;1 (range, 0.35–0.87), indicating poor performance at the extremes of risk.

CONCLUSIONS
Overall, clinical prediction models did not accurately predict AVS lateralization in this large cohort. These models cannot be reliably used to inform the decision to pursue AVS for most patients.
Screening of flavor compounds usingUcp1-luciferase reporter beige adipocytes identified 5-methylquinoxaline as a novel UCP1-inducing compound
Authors: Kawarasaki Satoko , Matsuo Kazuki , Kuwata Hidetoshi , Zhou Lanxi , Kwon Jungin , Ni Zheng , Takahashi Haruya , Nomura Wataru , Kenmotsu Hisanori , Inoue Kazuo , Kawada Teruo , Goto Tsuyoshi 
Published: December 2021

ABSTRACTUncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) in brown or beige adipocytes is a mitochondrial protein that is expected to enhance whole-body energy expenditure. For the high-throughput screening of UCP1 transcriptional activity regulator, we established a murine inguinal white adipose tissue-derived Ucp1-luciferase reporter preadipocyte line. Using this reporter preadipocyte line, 654 flavor compounds were screened, and a novel Ucp1 expression-inducing compound, 5-methylquinoxaline, was identified. Adipocytes treated with 5-methylquinoxaline showed increased Ucp1 mRNA expression levels and enhanced oxygen consumption. 5-Methylquinoxaline induced Ucp1 expression through peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ coactivator 1α (PGC1α), and 5-methylquinoxaline-induced PGC1α activation seemed to be partially regulated by its phosphorylation or deacetylation. Thus, our Ucp1-luciferase reporter preadipocyte line is a useful tool for screening of Ucp1 inductive compounds.
Generation and characterization of human Fetal membrane and Decidual cell lines for reproductive biology experiments
Authors: Radnaa Enkhtuya , Urrabaz-Garza Rheanna , Elrod Nathan D , de Castro Silva Mariana , Pyles Richard , Han Arum , Menon Ramkumar 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
Human fetal membrane and maternal decidua parietalis form one of the major feto-maternal interfaces during pregnancy. Studies on this feto-maternal interface is limited as several investigators have limited access to the placenta, and experience difficulties to isolate and maintain primary cells. Many cell lines that are currently available do not have the characteristics or properties of their primary cells of origin. Therefore, we created, characterized the immortalized cells from primary isolates from fetal membrane-derived amnion epithelial cells, amnion and chorion mesenchymal cells, chorion trophoblast cells and maternal decidua parietalis cells. Primary cells were isolated from a healthy full-term, not in labor placenta. Primary cells were immortalized using either a HPV16E6E7 retroviral or a SV40T lentiviral system. The immortalized cells were characterized for the morphology, cell type-specific markers, and cell signalling pathway activation. Genomic stability of these cells was tested using RNA seq, karyotyping, and short tandem repeats DNA analysis. Immortalized cells show their characteristic morphology, and express respective epithelial, mesenchymal and decidual markers similar to that of primary cells. Gene expression of immortalized and primary cells were highly correlated (R = 0.798 to R = 0.974). Short tandem repeats DNA analysis showed in the late passage number (&gt;P30) of cell lines matched 84-100% to the early passage number (&lt;P10) of the cell lines revealing there were no genetic drift over the passages. Karyotyping also revealed no chromosomal anomalies. Creation of these cell lines can standardize experimental approaches, eliminate subject to subject variabilities, and benefit the reproductive biological studies on pregnancies by using these cells.
Objective improvement with coronary anastomosis simulation training: meta-analysis
Authors: O’Dwyer Marliza , Fleming Cristina A. , Ahern Shane , Barrett Sean , Raftery Nicola B. , Ní Dhonnchú Tara , Doddakula Kishore 
Published: December 2021

Abstract

Background
Coronary artery anastomosis training and assessment are vital for patient safety and for conferring a prognostic benefit. A systematic review and meta-analysis were performed to analyse the impact of simulation on coronary anastomosis proficiency in terms of time taken and skill score.

Methods
This review was conducted in accordance with PRISMA guidelines, searching PubMed, Embase and Cochrane databases on 10 October 2020, using the terms ‘Coronary anastomosis simulation’ or ‘vascular anastomosis simulation’ and ‘anastomosis simulation’. Studies included had objective measurement of scores of before and after simulation. Meta-analysis was performed using RevMan, version 5.4 (Cochrane Library).

Results
From a pool of 1687 articles, 12 articles evaluating the use of simulation in teaching coronary anastomosis were identified, with objective scores at baseline and after simulation. The 12 papers included 274 subjects. Data on 223 subjects could be extracted for analysis in performing coronary anastomosis in a simulated environment. Eight trials evaluated improvement in time and 12 trials evaluated performance using an objective evaluation score. In comparison with no formal simulation training, simulation was associated with improved skill in a five-point scale (standardized mean difference 1.68 (95 per cent c.i. 1.23 to 2.13; P &lt; 0.001)) and time (mean difference 205.9 s (95 per cent c.i. 133.62 to 278.18; P &lt; 0.001)) in trials included in the meta-analysis. Furthermore, novice cardiothoracic surgeons benefited more from simulation as regards time improvement compared with senior cardiothoracic surgeons (293 versus 120 s improvement; P = 0.003). Fidelity of simulator did not have a significant effect on rates of improvement.

Conclusion
Simulation-based training in coronary anastomosis is associated with improved time efficiency and overall performance in comparison with no intervention. Further studies are necessary to determine the optimum timing of trainees progressing from simulation training to live operating.
Social work practice for COVID-19 in the acute hospital setting: Recommendations for psychosocial assessment
Authors: Ready James , Lewis Greg , Barr-Lynch Sandra , Casey Amanda , King Ashley , Wojciechowski Lisa 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
The global coronavirus SARS-CoV2 (COVID-19) pandemic outbreak caused immediate, far-reaching social schisms and created unprecedented challenges for hospital social work services worldwide. Existing hospital disaster plans were inadequately equipped for pandemics and organisational plans needed to quickly adapt to respond to the increased clinical demands and unique logistical considerations triggered by the virus. Literature reviews provided little in the way of precise guidance for practitioners. Hospital social workers responded not only to a new cohort of patients, but also to all patients affected by the societal repercussions of the pandemic and by governments’ attempts to mitigate the impacts of the virus. Psychosocial assessments, the bedrock of social work intervention, needed to adapt and evolve to encompass and address the exacerbation of existing social risks in new ways. This article originated from the authors’ interest in identifying practice implications for hospital social work during the COVID-19 pandemic. The authors briefly outline the distinct impact of COVID-19 on psychosocial issues such as domestic and family violence, elder abuse, child protection, financial stress and social isolation. They create a forum of international hospital social work centres to develop a consensus approach for addressing these issues in the context of a social work psychosocial assessment.
What ‘Omics can tell us about antifungal adaptation
Authors: Ribeiro Gabriela Fior , Denes Eszter , Heaney Helen , Childers Delma S 
Published: December 2021

ABSTRACT
Invasive candidiasis, the most frequent healthcare-associated invasive fungal infection, is commonly caused by Candida albicans. However, in recent years other antifungal-resistant Candida species—namely Candida glabrata and Candidaauris—have emerged as a serious matter of concern. Much of our understanding of the mechanisms regulating antifungal resistance and tolerance relies on studies utilizing C. albicans, C. glabrataand the model yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. ‘Omics studies have been used to describe alterations in metabolic, genomic and transcriptomic expression profiles upon antifungal treatment of fungal cells. The physiological changes identified by these approaches could significantly affect fungal fitness in the host and survival during antifungal challenge, as well as provide further understanding of clinical resistance. Thus, this review aims to comparatively address ‘omics data for C. albicans, C. glabrata andS. cerevisiae published from 2000 to 2021 to identify what these technologies can tell us regarding cellular responses to antifungal therapy. We will also highlight possible effects on pathogen survival and identify future avenues for antifungal research.
Geometry-dependent rupture process of the 2015 Gorkha, Nepal, earthquake determined using a dip-varying inversion approach with teleseismic, high-rate GPS, static GPS and InSAR data
Authors: Xu Yueyi , Zhang Yong , Xu Lisheng 
Published: December 2021

SUMMARYFault geometry is widely recognized as one of the most important factors that affect the rupture process and damages of earthquakes. However, there have been few earthquake cases in which the close relation between the fault geometry and rupture process is resolved from inversions of seismic and geodetic observations. In this study, we develop an approach to simultaneously estimate the rupture process and dip-angle variation on the fault. The effectiveness of our new approach was validated through inverse numerical tests. We apply the new approach to the 2015 Mw7.8 Gorkha earthquake and obtain a dip-varying rupture model by jointly inverting the teleseismic, near-fault high-rate GPS, static co-seismic GPS and InSAR data. Our results show a ramp–flat décollement-ramp fault geometry of the earthquake. The shallow ramp may have prevented the rupture from breaking through to the surface. The variation of dip angle changing with depth leads to significantly different rupture velocities and rupture lengths at shallow and deep fault portions. Particularly, the northeastern downdip ramp behaves as a geometric barrier and rapidly slows down the rupture propagation in 35–45 s after the rupture initiation. In contrast, the rupture duration and fault length in the updip portion are relatively long since there is no significant lateral dip change. Furthermore, the approach can improve our understanding of the relationship between rupture behaviour and fault geometry for other thrust low-dip-angle (dip &lt; 45°) earthquakes.
Lithospheric transdimensional ambient-noise tomography of W-Europe: implications for crustal-scale geometry of the W-Alps
Authors: Nouibat A , Stehly L , Paul A , Schwartz S , Bodin T , Dumont T , Rolland Y , Brossier R ,   Cifalps Team and AlpArray Working Group
Published: December 2021

SUMMARYA full understanding of the dynamics of mountain ranges such as the Alps requires the integration of available geological and geophysical knowledge into a lithospheric-scale 3-D geological model. As a first stage in the construction of this geo-model, we derive a new 3-D shear wave velocity model of the Alpine region, with a spatial resolution of a few tens of kilometres, making it possible to compare with geological maps. We use four years of continuous vertical-component seismic noise records to compute noise correlations between more than 950 permanent broad-band stations complemented by ∼600 temporary stations from the AlpArray sea-land seismic network and the Cifalps and EASI linear arrays. A specific pre-processing is applied to records of ocean–bottom seismometers in the Liguro-Provençal basin to clean them from instrumental and oceanic noises. We first perform a 2-D transdimensional inversion of the traveltimes of Rayleigh waves to compute group-velocity maps from 4 to $150\, \mathrm{ s}$. The data noise level treated as an unknown parameter is determined with a Hierarchical Bayes method. A Fast Marching Eikonal solver is used to update ray path geometries during the inversion. We use next the group-velocity maps and their uncertainties to derive a 3-D probabilistic Vs model. The probability distributions of Vs at depth and the probability of presence of an interface are estimated at each location by exploring a set of 130 million synthetic four-layer 1-D Vs models. The obtained probabilistic model is refined using a linearized inversion. Throughout the inversion for Vs, we include the water column where necessary. Our Vs model highlights strong along-strike changes of the lithospheric structure, particularly in the subduction complex between the European and Adriatic plates. In the South-Western Alps, our model confirms the existence of a low-velocity structure at $50-80\, \mathrm{ km}$ depth in the continuation of the European continental crust beneath the subduction wedge. This deep low-velocity anomaly progressively disappears towards the North-Western and Central Alps. The European crust includes lower crustal low-velocity zones and a Moho jump of $\sim \, 8-12$ km beneath the western boundary of the External Crystalline Massifs of the North-Western Alps. The striking fit between our Vs model and the receiver function migrated depth section along the Cifalps profile documents the reliability of the Vs model. In light of this reliability and with the aim to building a 3-D geological model, we re-examine the geological structures highlighted along the Cifalps profile.
Genome-wide association study for four measures of epigenetic age acceleration and two epigenetic surrogate markers using DNA methylation data from Taiwan Biobank
Authors: Lin Wan-Yu 
Published: December 2021

AbstractTo highlight the genetic architecture for epigenetic aging, McCartney et al. recently identified 137 significant single-nucleotide polymorphisms based on genome-wide association study (GWAS) meta-analyses of four epigenetic clocks and two epigenetic surrogate markers. However, none Asian ancestry studies have been included in this or previous meta-analyses. I performed a GWAS on blood DNA methylation (DNAm) levels of 2309 Taiwan Biobank (TWB) participants. Owing to the fact that the sample size of an individual GWAS of DNAm data is still not large, I adopted the ‘prioritized subset analysis’ (PSA) method to boost the power of a GWAS. The four epigenetic clocks and the two epigenetic surrogate markers were investigated, respectively. I replicated 21 out of the 137 aging-associated genetic loci by applying the PSA method to the TWB DNAm data. Moreover, I identified five novel loci, including rs117530284 that was associated with the ‘epigenetic age acceleration’ (EAA) according to Lu et al.’s GrimAge (called ‘GrimEAA’). Considering 16 covariates (sex, BMI, smoking status, drinking status, regular exercise, educational attainment and the first 10 ancestry principal components), each ‘A’ allele of rs117530284 in the IBA57 gene was found to be associated with a 1.5943-year GrimEAA (95% confidence interval = [1.0748, 2.1138]). IBA57 is a protein coding gene and is associated with multiple mitochondrial dysfunctions syndromes. A decline in mitochondrial activity and quality is associated with aging and many age-related diseases. This is one of the first DNAm GWAS for individuals of Asian ancestry.