Bispectral Analysis of Heart Rate Variability to Characterize and Help Diagnose Pediatric Sleep Apnea

Pediatric obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a breathing disorder that alters heart rate variability (HRV) dynamics during sleep. HRV in children is commonly assessed through conventional spectral analysis. However, bispectral analysis provides both linearity and stationarity information and has not been applied to the assessment of HRV in pediatric OSA. Here, this work aimed to assess HRV using bispectral analysis in children with OSA for signal characterization and diagnostic purposes in two large pediatric databases (0–13 years). The first database (training set) was composed of 981 overnight ECG recordings obtained during polysomnography. The second database (test set) was a subset of the Childhood Adenotonsillectomy Trial database (757 children). We characterized three bispectral regions based on the classic HRV frequency ranges (very low frequency: 0–0.04 Hz; low frequency: 0.04–0.15 Hz; and high frequency: 0.15–0.40 Hz), as well as three OSA-specific frequency ranges obtained in recent studies (BW1: 0.001–0.005 Hz; BW2: 0.028–0.074 Hz; BWRes: a subject-adaptive respiratory region). In each region, up to 14 bispectral features were computed. The fast correlation-based filter was applied to the features obtained from the classic and OSA-specific regions, showing complementary information regarding OSA alterations in HRV. This information was then used to train multi-layer perceptron (MLP) neural networks aimed at automatically detecting pediatric OSA using three clinically defined severity classifiers. Both classic and OSA-specific MLP models showed high and similar accuracy (Acc) and areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUCs) for moderate (classic regions: Acc = 81.0%, AUC = 0.774; OSA-specific regions: Acc = 81.0%, AUC = 0.791) and severe (classic regions: Acc = 91.7%, AUC = 0.847; OSA-specific regions: Acc = 89.3%, AUC = 0.841) OSA levels. Thus, the current findings highlight the usefulness of bispectral analysis on HRV to characterize and diagnose pediatric OSA.     

Morphological characterization of the antennal sensilla of the Asian citrus psyllid, Diaphorina citri Kuwayama (Hemiptera: Psyllidae), with reference to their probable functions

The Asian citrus psyllid, Diaphorina citri Kuwayama (Hemiptera: Psyllidae), is one of the most significant economic pests of citrus worldwide. This insect vectors three phloem-restricted bacteria in the genus Candidatus Liberibacter that cause huanglongbing (citrus greening), the most severe disease limiting citrus production worldwide. We examined the external morphology of the antennal sensilla of male and female D. citri using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and determined the putative functions of the identified sensilla using transmission electron microscopic (TEM) techniques. The filiform antennae of D. citri were of the conventional type comprised of a basal scape, pedicel and a long, thread-like flagellum, which is composed of eight flagellomeres. Eleven morphologically unique sensillar types were found and described on the antennae of male and female D. citri. Of those identified, the two apical setae, multiporous types I and II sensilla trichoidea, and the antennal rhinaria were porous and may be involved in perception of host- and mate-related volatile chemicals. However, the aporous types I, II and III sensilla trichoidea may have mechanosensory functions and the chaetica sensilla, cavity sensilla and unidentified uniporous sensilla may be involved in proprioception, thermo-hygroreception and cold detection, respectively. The shape, external morphology and array of sensilla on the antennae of male and female D. citri were similar. The only major difference observed was in the morphology of the short apical setae, whose tips were recessed inward in females but not so in males. The results are discussed in relation to plausible roles of the identified sensilla in mate and host location by this species.     

Numerical Study of Entropy Generation in Fully Developed Turbulent Circular Tube Flow Using an Elliptic Blending Turbulence Model

As computational fluid dynamics (CFD) advances, entropy generation minimization based on CFD becomes attractive for optimizing complex heat-transfer systems. This optimization depends on the accuracy of CFD results, such that accurate turbulence models, such as elliptic relaxation or elliptic blending turbulence models, become important. The performance of a previously developed elliptic blending turbulence model (the SST k–ω–φ–α model) to predict the rate of entropy generation in the fully developed turbulent circular tube flow with constant heat flux was studied to provide some guidelines for using this class of turbulence model to calculate entropy generation in complex systems. The flow and temperature fields were simulated by using a CFD package, and then the rate of entropy generation was calculated in post-processing. The analytical correlations and results of two popular turbulence models (the realizable k–ε and the shear stress transport (SST) k–ω models) were used as references to demonstrate the accuracy of the SST k–ω–φ–α model. The findings indicate that the turbulent Prandtl number (Pr_t) influences the entropy generation rate due to heat-transfer irreversibility. Pr_t = 0.85 produces the best results for the SST k–ω–φ–α model. For the realizable k–ε and SST k–ω models, Pr_t = 0.85 and Pr_t = 0.92 produce the best results, respectively. For the realizable k–ε and the SST k–ω models, the two methods used to predict the rate of entropy generation due to friction irreversibility produce the same results. However, for the SST k–ω–φ–α model, the rates of entropy generation due to friction irreversibility predicted by the two methods are different. The difference at a Reynolds number of 100,000 is about 14%. The method that incorporates the effective turbulent viscosity should be used to predict the rate of entropy generation due to friction irreversibility for the SST k–ω–φ–α model. Furthermore, when the temperature in the flow field changes dramatically, the temperature-dependent fluid properties must be considered.     

Effects of Match Location,Quality of Opposition and Match Outcome on Match Running Performance in a Portuguese Professional Football Team

The aim of this study was to analyze the effects of match location, quality of opposition and match outcome on match running performance according to playing position in a Portuguese professional football team. Twenty-three male professional football players were monitored from eighteen Portuguese Football League matches during the 2019–2020 season. Global positioning system technology (GPS) was used to collect time-motion data. The match running performance was obtained from five playing positions: central defenders (CD), fullbacks (FB), central midfielders (CM), wide midfielders (WM) and forwards (FW). Match running performance was analyzed within specific position and contextual factors using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) for repeated measures, standardized (Cohen) differences and smallest worthwhile change. CM and WM players covered significantly greater total distance (F = 15.45, p = 0.000, η² = 0.334) and average speed (F = 12.79, p < 0.001, η² = 0.294). WM and FB players covered higher distances at high-speed running (F = 16.93, p = 0.000, η² = 0.355) and sprinting (F = 13.49; p < 0.001, η² = 0.305). WM players covered the highest number of accelerations (F = 4.69, p < 0.001, η² = 0.132) and decelerations (F = 12.21, p < 0.001, η² = 0.284). The match running performance was influenced by match location (d = 0.06–2.04; CI: −0.42–2.31; SWC = 0.01–1.10), quality of opposition (d = 0.13–2.14; CI: –0.02–2.60; SWC = 0.01–1.55) and match outcome (d = 0.01–2.49; CI: −0.01–2.31; SWC = 0.01–0.35). Contextual factors influenced the match running performance with differential effects between playing positions. This study provides the first report about the contextual influence on match running performance in a Portuguese professional football team. Future research should also integrate tactical and technical key indicators when analyzing the match-related contextual influence on match running performance.     

Advanced muon radiography with compact accelerator system

By using a well-defined mono-energetic, pencil-like, high-energy and intense muon beam, one can realize, via simultaneous measurements of energy-loss and multiple-scattering, a quick and element-selective radiography to detect e.g. a few kg of U which is shielded in a thick Fe container or hidden within 2–3 m of low-Z material. A source of such an ideal beam of muons can be realized in transportable form via truck trailers, by combining a compact 400 MeV electron accelerator for photo π/μ production, a superconducting solenoid for full-solid-angle π/μ capture and transport, a stopping in hot tungsten metal for cooling of energetic μ⁺ to sub-eV μ⁺, and finally a compact linear accelerator for rapid acceleration to 600 MeV. Principle and some details are described.     

Analyzing Transverse Momentum Spectra of Pions,Kaons and Protons in p–p,p–A and A–A Collisions via the Blast-Wave Model with Fluctuations

The transverse momentum spectra of different types of particles, π±, K±, p and p¯, produced at mid-(pseudo)rapidity in different centrality lead–lead (Pb–Pb) collisions at 2.76 TeV; proton–lead (p–Pb) collisions at 5.02 TeV; xenon–xenon (Xe–Xe) collisions at 5.44 TeV; and proton–proton (p–p) collisions at 0.9, 2.76, 5.02, 7 and 13 TeV, were analyzed by the blast-wave model with fluctuations. With the experimental data measured by the ALICE and CMS Collaborations at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the kinetic freeze-out temperature, transverse flow velocity and proper time were extracted from fitting the transverse momentum spectra. In nucleus–nucleus (A–A) and proton–nucleus (p–A) collisions, the three parameters decrease with the decrease of event centrality from central to peripheral, indicating higher degrees of excitation, quicker expansion velocities and longer evolution times for central collisions. In p–p collisions, the kinetic freeze-out temperature is nearly invariant with the increase of energy, though the transverse flow velocity and proper time increase slightly, in the considered energy range.     

Assessing Earthquake Forecast Performance Based on b Value in Yunnan Province,China

Many studies have shown that b values tend to decrease prior to large earthquakes. To evaluate the forecast information in b value variations, we conduct a systematic assessment in Yunnan Province, China, where the seismicity is intense and moderate–large earthquakes occur frequently. The catalog in the past two decades is divided into four time periods (January 2000–December 2004, January 2005–December 2009, January 2010–December 2014, and January 2015–December 2019). The spatial b values are calculated for each 5-year span and then are used to forecast moderate-large earthquakes (M ≥ 5.0) in the subsequent period. As the fault systems in Yunnan Province are complex, to avoid possible biases in b value computation caused by different faulting regimes when using the grid search, the hierarchical space–time point-process models (HIST-PPM) proposed by Ogata are utilized to estimate spatial b values in this study. The forecast performance is tested by Molchan error diagram (MED) and the efficiency is quantified by probability gain (PG) and probability difference (PD). It is found that moderate–large earthquakes are more likely to occur in low b regions. The MED analysis shows that there is considerable precursory information in spatial b values and the forecast efficiency increases with magnitude in the Yunnan Province. These results suggest that the b value might be useful in middle- and long-term earthquake forecasts in the study area.     

高光谱成像的多种类柑橘病虫药害叶片检测方法研究

影响柑橘生长的病虫药害种类繁多,目前的检测方法大多针对单一病症,开发基于高光谱成像和机器学习的多种类柑橘病虫药害叶片快速精准检测方法,对果园精准施药和柑橘产业健康发展具有重要意义。以果园自然发病的柑橘叶片为研究对象,包括柑橘正常叶(50片)、溃疡病叶(50片)、煤烟病叶(103片)、缺素病叶(60片)、红蜘蛛叶(56片)和除草剂危害叶(85片),采集350～1 050 nm波段内的高光谱数据。分别利用一阶求导(1^stDer)、多元散射校正(MSC)和中值滤波(MF)方法对原始(Origin)高光谱数据进行预处理,对预处理后的高光谱数据采用主成分分析(PCA)和竞争性自适应重加权(CARS)算法提取特征波长,CARS降维得到的特征波长分别为10个、 5个、 12个和10个,4组PCA提取的特征波长均为7个,两种方法所得特征波长范围都集中在700～760 nm波段内。对全波段(FS)使用极限梯度提升树(XGBoost)算法,特征波长使用支持向量机(SVM)建立柑橘病叶多分类模型。采用XGBoost建立的检测识别模型有Origin-FS-XGBoost, 1^s...     

New developments of polysaccharide synthesis via enzymatic polymerization

This review focuses on the in vitro synthesis of polysaccharides, the method of which is “enzymatic polymerization” mainly developed by our group. Polysaccharides are formed by repeated glycosylation reactions between a glycosyl donor and a glycosyl acceptor. A hydrolysis enzyme was found very efficient as catalyst, where the monomer is designed based on the new concept of a “transition-state analogue substrate” (TSAS); sugar fluoride monomers for polycondensation and sugar oxazoline monomers for ring-opening polyaddition. Enzymatic polymerization enabled the first in vitro synthesis of natural polysaccharides such as cellulose, xylan, chitin, hyaluronan and chondroitin, and also of unnatural polysaccharides such as a cellulose–chitin hybrid, a hyaluronan–chondroitin hybrid, and others. Supercatalysis of hyaluronidase was disclosed as unusual enzymatic multi-catalyst functions. Mutant enzymes were very useful for synthetic and mechanistic studies. In situ observations of enzymatic polymerization by SEM, TEM, and combined SAS methods revealed mechanisms of the polymerization and of the self-assembling of high-order molecular structure formed by elongating polysaccharide molecules.     

When,why, and how does like like like?: Electrostatic attraction between similarly charged species

In the Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek (DLVO) framework of the past 60 years, colloidal interaction between similarly charged particles has been claimed to be simply repulsive, and an attraction such as the van der Waals interaction is attached to the Coulombic repulsion. Statistical-thermodynamic considerations show that the electrostatic Helmholtz free energy ΔF^el is generally not equal to the electrostatic Gibbs free energy ΔG^el for simple ionic solutions, and the difference ΔG^el–ΔF^el (corresponding to the electrostatic osmotic pressure p^el) becomes larger with increasing charge number. Thus, it is expected that ΔG^el–ΔF^el be large for highly charged macroions. In the DLVO framework, however, ΔG^el = ΔF^el was postulated. Sogami showed that a mean field approach reproduced repulsion at the level of ΔF^el but resulted in (repulsion and) attraction at the level of ΔG^el. Overbeek’s critique of Sogami theory is shown to be in error. If this criticism were correct, then not only the Sogami theory but also the Debye-Hückel theory would be wrong. The attraction is thus confirmed to exist not only for multi-valent but also mono-valent counterions.     

Rhythm Analysis during Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Using Convolutional Neural Networks

Chest compressions during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) induce artifacts in the ECG that may provoque inaccurate rhythm classification by the algorithm of the defibrillator. The objective of this study was to design an algorithm to produce reliable shock/no-shock decisions during CPR using convolutional neural networks (CNN). A total of 3319 ECG segments of 9 s extracted during chest compressions were used, whereof 586 were shockable and 2733 nonshockable. Chest compression artifacts were removed using a Recursive Least Squares (RLS) filter, and the filtered ECG was fed to a CNN classifier with three convolutional blocks and two fully connected layers for the shock/no-shock classification. A 5-fold cross validation architecture was adopted to train/test the algorithm, and the proccess was repeated 100 times to statistically characterize the performance. The proposed architecture was compared to the most accurate algorithms that include handcrafted ECG features and a random forest classifier (baseline model). The median (90% confidence interval) sensitivity, specificity, accuracy and balanced accuracy of the method were 95.8% (94.6–96.8), 96.1% (95.8–96.5), 96.1% (95.7–96.4) and 96.0% (95.5–96.5), respectively. The proposed algorithm outperformed the baseline model by 0.6-points in accuracy. This new approach shows the potential of deep learning methods to provide reliable diagnosis of the cardiac rhythm without interrupting chest compression therapy.     

Catalytic enantioselective synthesis of chiral organic compounds of ultra-high purity of >99% ee

Shortly after the discovery of Zr-catalyzed carboalumination of alkynes in 1978, we sought expansion of the scope of this reaction so as to develop its alkene version for catalytic asymmetric C–C bond formation, namely the ZACA (Zr-catalyzed asymmetric carboalumination of alkenes). However, this seemingly easy task proved to be quite challenging. The ZACA reaction was finally discovered in 1995 by suppressing three competitive side reactions, i.e., (i) cyclic carbometalation, (ii) β-H transfer hydrometalation, and (iii) alkene polymerization. The ZACA reaction has been used to significantly modernize and improve syntheses of various natural products including deoxypolypropionates and isoprenoids. This review focuses on our recent progress on the development of ZACA–lipase-catalyzed acetylation–transition metal-catalyzed cross-coupling processes for highly efficient and enantioselective syntheses of a wide range of chiral organic compounds with ultra-high enantiomeric purities.     

Molecular and genomic characterization of pathogenic traits of group A Streptococcus pyogenes

Group A streptococcus (GAS) or Streptococcus pyogenes causes various diseases ranging from self-limiting sore throat to deadly invasive diseases. The genome size of GAS is 1.85–1.9 Mb, and genomic rearrangement has been demonstrated. GAS possesses various surface-associated substances such as hyaluronic capsule, M proteins, and fibronectin/laminin/immunoglobulin-binding proteins. These are related to the virulence and play multifaceted and mutually reflected roles in the pathogenesis of GAS infections. Invasion of GAS into epithelial cells and deeper tissues provokes immune and non-immune defense or inflammatory responses including the recruitment of neutrophils, macrophages, and dendritic cells in hosts. GAS frequently evades host defense mechanisms by using its virulence factors. Extracellular products of GAS may perturb cellular and subcellular functions and degrade tissues enzymatically, which leads to the aggravation of local and/or systemic disorders in the host. In this review, we summarize some important cellular and extracellular substances that may affect pathogenic processes during GAS infections, and the host responses to these.     

Clifford Wavelet Entropy for Fetal ECG Extraction

Analysis of the fetal heart rate during pregnancy is essential for monitoring the proper development of the fetus. Current fetal heart monitoring techniques lack the accuracy in fetal heart rate monitoring and features acquisition, resulting in diagnostic medical issues. The challenge lies in the extraction of the fetal ECG from the mother ECG during pregnancy. This approach has the advantage of being a reliable and non-invasive technique. In the present paper, a wavelet/multiwavelet method is proposed to perfectly extract the fetal ECG parameters from the abdominal mother ECG. In a first step, due to the wavelet/mutiwavelet processing, a denoising procedure is applied to separate the noised parts from the denoised ones. The denoised signal is assumed to be a mixture of both the MECG and the FECG. One of the well-known measures of accuracy in information processing is the concept of entropy. In the present work, a wavelet/multiwavelet Shannon-type entropy is constructed and applied to evaluate the order/disorder of the extracted FECG signal. The experimental results apply to a recent class of Clifford wavelets constructed in Arfaoui, et al. J. Math. Imaging Vis. 2020, 62, 73–97, and Arfaoui, et al. Acta Appl. Math. 2020, 170, 1–35. Additionally, classical Haar–Faber–Schauder wavelets are applied for the purpose of comparison. Two main well-known databases have been applied, the DAISY database and the CinC Challenge 2013 database. The achieved accuracy over the test databases resulted in Se = 100%, PPV = 100% for FECG extraction and peak detection.     

Asymmetric hydrogenation of ketones: Tactics to achieve high reactivity,enantioselectivity, and wide scope

Ru complexes with chiral diphosphines and amine-based ligands achieve high catalytic activity and enantioselectivity for the hydrogenation of ketones under neutral to slightly basic conditions. The chiral environment is controllable by changing the combination of these two ligands. A concerted six-membered transition state is proposed to be the origin of the high reactivity. The η⁶-arene/TsDPEN–Ru and MsDPEN–Cp*Ir catalysts effect the asymmetric reaction under slightly acidic conditions. A variety of chiral secondary alcohols are obtained in high enantiomeric excess.     

Working Memory Decline in Alzheimer’s Disease Is Detected by Complexity Analysis of Multimodal EEG-fNIRS

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is characterized by working memory (WM) failures that can be assessed at early stages through administering clinical tests. Ecological neuroimaging, such as Electroencephalography (EEG) and functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS), may be employed during these tests to support AD early diagnosis within clinical settings. Multimodal EEG-fNIRS could measure brain activity along with neurovascular coupling (NC) and detect their modifications associated with AD. Data analysis procedures based on signal complexity are suitable to estimate electrical and hemodynamic brain activity or their mutual information (NC) during non-structured experimental paradigms. In this study, sample entropy of whole-head EEG and frontal/prefrontal cortex fNIRS was evaluated to assess brain activity in early AD and healthy controls (HC) during WM tasks (i.e., Rey–Osterrieth complex figure and Raven’s progressive matrices). Moreover, conditional entropy between EEG and fNIRS was evaluated as indicative of NC. The findings demonstrated the capability of complexity analysis of multimodal EEG-fNIRS to detect WM decline in AD. Furthermore, a multivariate data-driven analysis, performed on these entropy metrics and based on the General Linear Model, allowed classifying AD and HC with an AUC up to 0.88. EEG-fNIRS may represent a powerful tool for the clinical evaluation of WM decline in early AD.     

Stability of centrosome numbers in poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1- and poly(ADP-ribose) glycohydrolase-deficient mouse ES cells

Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (Parp-1) localizes mainly in the nucleus and functions in DNA repair, genome stability and cell death regulation. Meanwhile, it also localizes in centrosomes and is involved in the regulation of centrosome duplication. An abnormal increase in centrosome numbers is frequently observed in Parp-1-deficient (Parp-1^−/−) mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) (Kanai et al. (2003) Mol. Cell. Biol. 23, 2451–2462). However, there are no studies on whether the centrosome abnormality occurs also in other cell types under Parp-1 deficiency. In this study, we report that Parp-1^−/− mouse embryonic stem (ES) cell lines did not show an abnormally increased number of centrosomes compared to wild-type ES cells. Recently, poly(ADP-ribose) glycohydrolase (Parg) has also been shown to localize in centrosomes (Ohashi et al. (2003) Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 307, 915–921). The number of centrosomes of Parg-deficient (Parg^−/−) ES cells was also analyzed in this study and was found to be stable under Parg deficiency. We also examined centrosome numbers in wild-type, Parp-1^−/− and Parg^−/− ES cell lines after treatment with methylmethanesulfonate (MMS) or γ-irradiation. Although a slight increase in the number of centrosomes is observed in each genotype twenty-four hours after treatment with MMS at 50 μM or with γ-irradiation at 1.4 Gy, there was no difference among the genotypes. These results suggest that loss of Parp-1 and Parg is insufficient to induce abnormality in centrosome numbers in ES cells and that ES cells possibly possess a strict mechanism for the maintenance of a normal number of centrosomes.     

Condensation and Crystal Nucleation in a Lattice Gas with a Realistic Phase Diagram

We reconsider model II of Orban et al. (J. Chem. Phys. 1968, 49, 1778–1783), a two-dimensional lattice-gas system featuring a crystalline phase and two distinct fluid phases (liquid and vapor). In this system, a particle prevents other particles from occupying sites up to third neighbors on the square lattice, while attracting (with decreasing strength) particles sitting at fourth- or fifth-neighbor sites. To make the model more realistic, we assume a finite repulsion at third-neighbor distance, with the result that a second crystalline phase appears at higher pressures. However, the similarity with real-world substances is only partial: Upon closer inspection, the alleged liquid–vapor transition turns out to be a continuous (albeit sharp) crossover, even near the putative triple point. Closer to the standard picture is instead the freezing transition, as we show by computing the free-energy barrier relative to crystal nucleation from the “liquid”.     

Dendrogramic Representation of Data: CHSH Violation vs. Nonergodicity

This paper is devoted to the foundational problems of dendrogramic holographic theory (DH theory). We used the ontic–epistemic (implicate–explicate order) methodology. The epistemic counterpart is based on the representation of data by dendrograms constructed with hierarchic clustering algorithms. The ontic universe is described as a p-adic tree; it is zero-dimensional, totally disconnected, disordered, and bounded (in p-adic ultrametric spaces). Classical–quantum interrelations lose their sharpness; generally, simple dendrograms are “more quantum” than complex ones. We used the CHSH inequality as a measure of quantum-likeness. We demonstrate that it can be violated by classical experimental data represented by dendrograms. The seed of this violation is neither nonlocality nor a rejection of realism, but the nonergodicity of dendrogramic time series. Generally, the violation of ergodicity is one of the basic features of DH theory. The dendrogramic representation leads to the local realistic model that violates the CHSH inequality. We also considered DH theory for Minkowski geometry and monitored the dependence of CHSH violation and nonergodicity on geometry, as well as a Lorentz transformation of data.