An Empirical Study of Untangling Patterns of Two-Class Dependency Cycles

Dependency cycles pose a significant challenge to software quality and maintainability. However, there is limited understanding of how practitioners resolve dependency cycles in real-world scenarios. This paper presents an empirical study investigating the recurring patterns employed by software developers to resolve dependency cycles between two classes in practice. We analyzed the data from 38 open-source projects across different domains and manually inspected hundreds of cycle untangling cases. Our findings reveal that developers tend to employ five recurring patterns to address dependency cycles. The chosen patterns are not only determined by dependency relations between cyclic classes, but also highly related to their design context, i.e., how cyclic classes depend on or are depended by their neighbor classes. Through this empirical study, we also discovered three common counterintuitive solutions developers usually adopted during cycles' handling. These recurring patterns and common counterintuitive solutions observed in dependency cycles' practice can serve as a taxonomy to improve developers' awareness and also be used as learning materials for students in software engineering and inexperienced developers. Our results also suggest that, in addition to considering the internal structure of dependency cycles, automatic tools need to consider the design context of cycles to provide better support for refactoring dependency cycles.Comment: Preprint accepted for publication in Empirical Software Engineering, 202

Thermodynamic Calculation of CO 2 Sequestration by Waste Slag from Steelmaking Plant

Abstract: Mineral carbonation is an effective way to store CO 2 . CO 2 fixation by steel slag carbonation is of great significance on CO 2 emissions and solid waste disposal in metallurgical plants. In this paper, the thermodynamics of CO 2 storage with ten major calcium and magnesium containing phases in steelmaking slag, such as C 2 S and C 3 S, by the dry and wet process were calculated. The results show that the direct dry carbonation reactions with steelmaking slag are exothermic in the temperature ranges of 273 K-1073 K. At atmospheric temperature and pressure, all the carbonate reactions by calcium and magnesium containing phases in the steelmaking slag, can be spontaneous. In addition, the direct hydro-carbonation reaction with the leaching agent of water is endothermic in the temperature ranges of 273 K-573 K. The carbonation reactions also occur spontaneously at atmospheric pressure. The indirect hydro-carbonation reaction with steelmaking slag using acetic acid as leaching agent are spontaneous, and the reaction is very complete when the reaction temperature is below 350 K. Keywords: steelmaking slag; carbonation; CO 2 ; thermodynamics E-mail address: [email protected]

Privacy risk adaptive access control model via evolutionary game

Aiming at the problem that in the private sensitive date centralized and opening information systems,a fine-grained and self-adaptive access control model for privacy preserving is desperately needed,thus the balance between privacy preserving and data access utility should be achieved,a rational multi-player risk-adaptive based access control model for privacy preserving was proposed.Firstly,the privacy risk values of access request and requester were formulized by the private information quantity of the requested dataset,and by using Shannon information.Secondly,a risk-adaptive based access control evolutionary game model was constructed by using evolutionary game under the supposing of bounded rational players.Furthermore,dynamic strategies of participants were analyzed by using replicator dynamics equation,and the method of choosing evolutionary stable strategy was proposed.Simulation and comparison results show that,the proposed model is effective to dynamically and adaptively preserve privacy and more risk adaptive,and dynamic evolutionary access strategies of the bounded rational participants are more suitable for practical scenarios

Brucellosis-associated hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis: a case report and literature review

IntroductionHemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH), a rare and deadly disease, is typically classified as either primary (familial) or secondary (acquired), depending on the etiology and underlying cause. Secondary HLH often develops in the presence of infectious, malignant, rheumatologic, or metabolic conditions, with infections, especially Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) infection, being among the leading causes. Brucella infection-induced HLH is relatively rare, with only eight cases reported in the past decade, all of which had a favorable prognosis following timely diagnosis and treatment.Case descriptionA 53-year-old man with brucellosis who developed secondary HLH and multiple organ dysfunction presented to our hospital with a 2-month history of fever and abnormal liver enzymes. Initial blood culture following admission confirmed Brucella spp. in the aerobic bottle after ⁓87.85 h of incubation. However, after the initial discharge, the patient did not adhere to the prescribed antibiotic therapy and subsequently developed symptoms of fever and abdominal discomfort, and was readmitted to our hospital. Laboratory examination also revealed pancytopenia. An additional blood culture further revealed the growth of Brucella spp. in the aerobic bottle after ⁓113.67 h of incubation. Other findings included decreased fibrinogen, increased ferritin, increased soluble IL-2 receptor α chain (sCD25), decreased Natural Killer (NK) cell activity, presence of hemophagocytic cells in the bone marrow smear, splenomegaly, and abnormal liver and kidney functions. The HScore score was 230 points. A thorough assessment was made, which led to the exclusion of other possible diseases, culminating in the identification of Brucella infection as the most probable cause of HLH. Consequently, the patient was given anti-infection (doxycycline, levofloxacin, etimicin, and rifampin), glucocorticoids (GCs), human immunoglobulin (HIG), and other symptomatic supportive treatments, which ultimately improved his condition.ConclusionDespite the generally poor prognosis of HLH patients, those with Brucella-induced HLH may have a favorable outcome with prompt intervention. Conversely, a delayed treatment could increase the risk of HLH onset and progression, leading to death in severe cases

Systematic Comparison of Power Corridor Classification Methods from ALS Point Clouds

Study examines factors that affect power corridor classification using LiDAR (light detection and ranging) point clouds, including the class distribution, feature selection, classifier type and neighborhood radius for classification feature extraction

Frontier and hot topics in home enteral nutrition based on CiteSpace bibliometric analysis

BackgroundThe benefits of home enteral nutrition (HEN) are increasingly recognized, with more scholars focusing on this field. This study aimed to comprehensively identify collaborative networks, analyze, and track research trends, focus on current hotspots, and accurately predict the forefront and focus of home enteral nutrition.MethodsA computer search of the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) was conducted for studies related to home enteral nutrition published from January 1, 2004, to December 31, 2023, and select them in compliance with the PRISMA guidelines. The CiteSpace software was used for bibliometric visualization and comparative analysis of countries, institutions, journals, references, and keywords.ResultsA total of 1,113 documents were included, showing a steady annual increase in publication volume. The United States and the Mayo Clinic were the top publishing country and institution, with 302 and 41 papers, respectively. “CLIN NUTR” had the highest number of publications, totaling 221, while “ESPEN guideline on home enteral nutrition” was the most cited reference, with 43 citations. The most prolific author was Manpreet S with 29 papers.ConclusionThe management of HEN is a current research hotspot. The safety of HEN and how to improve patient compliance are critical areas for researchers to consider. Future research could focus on these aspects. The blurring of boundaries between hospital and home care and how to utilize telemedicine technologies to serve more patients deserve in-depth exploration. Researchers worldwide should combine their unique characteristics and advantages to strengthen international cooperation

Coal pillar burst mechanism and prevention based on local mine stiffness (LMS) criterion

The frequent occurrence of coal burst seriously threatens the safe and efficient recovery of coal resources. The research on the mechanism of coal burst is the basis of prediction and disaster prevention. Aiming at the coal burst event under the condition that the stress environment is stable and not affected by dynamic load, the concept of local mine stiffness (LMS) is introduced. Taking the mining area with complex mining layout of the mine as the engineering background, the mechanical response of coal pillar in the process of large-scale mining is analyzed by comprehensively using numerical analysis and field measurement, The evolution of LMS in this process is investigated. It is pointed out that the mining leads to the reduction of LMS, the rapid accumulation of energy in the coal seam and its roof and floor system, and the rapid release of energy when the coal pillar is unstable, resulting in impact damage. The engineering verification is carried out by comparing the evolution of LMS with the mining and the field measured ground sound and microseismic data. The research shows that:①the deformation, load and elastic energy accumulation of coal pillar increase with the overall mining operation, but the LMS decreases. The mining space size and the distance between the mining space and the research area are the main influencing factors. The response degree of the two to the mining of the working face is significantly greater than that of the roadway excavation. The significant influence range of the mining of the working face on the LMS reduction is 3.67 times that of the roadway excavation, and the LMS reduction under the unit advancing distance is 6.41 times that of the roadway excavation.②The good correspondence between the evolution of local mine stiffness with the advancement of the working face and the on-site ground sound and microseismic data indicates that the reduction of local mine stiffness caused by coal mining directly affects the failure mode of coal pillars. The energy in the coal seams and their roof and floor systems accumulates rapidly with the reduction of local mine stiffness and is released rapidly when the bearing capacity of coal pillars decreases, resulting in impact damage. ③After using large-diameter drilling to weaken the coal body, the microseismic energy and frequency are significantly reduced, indicating that large-diameter drilling destroys the coal body in this area, reduces its post peak stiffness, and effectively realizes the impact prevention effect

Caffeine regulates both osteoclast and osteoblast differentiation via the AKT, NF-κB, and MAPK pathways

Background: Although caffeine generally offers benefits to human health, its impact on bone metabolism remains unclear.Aim and Methods: This study aimed to systematically evaluate the long-term effects of caffeine administration on osteoclasts, osteoblasts, and ovariectomy-induced postmenopausal osteoporosis (OP).Results: Our in vitro findings revealed that 3.125 and 12.5 μg/mL caffeine inhibited RANKL-mediated osteoclastogenesis in RAW 264.7 cells through the MAPK and NF-κB pathways, accompanied by the inactivation of nuclear translocation of nuclear factor NFATc1. Similarly, 3.125 and 12.5 μg/mL of caffeine modulated MC3T3-E1 osteogenesis via the AKT, MAPK, and NF-κB pathways. However, 50 μg/mL of caffeine promoted the phosphorylation of IκBα, P65, JNK, P38, and AKT, followed by the activation of NFATc1 and the inactivation of Runx2 and Osterix, ultimately disrupting the balance between osteoblastogenesis and osteoclastogenesis. In vivo studies showed that gavage with 55.44 mg/kg caffeine inhibited osteoclastogenesis, promoted osteogenesis, and ameliorated bone loss in ovariectomized mice.Conclusion: Conversely, long-term intake of high-dose caffeine (110.88 mg/kg) disrupted osteogenesis activity and promoted osteoclastogenesis, thereby disturbing bone homeostasis. Collectively, these findings suggest that a moderate caffeine intake (approximately 400 mg in humans) can regulate bone homeostasis by influencing both osteoclasts and osteoblasts. However, long-term high-dose caffeine consumption (approximately 800 mg in humans) could have detrimental effects on the skeletal system

Synthesis and Biological Activities of a 3′-Azido Analogue of Doxorubicin Against Drug-Resistant Cancer Cells

Doxorubicin (DOX), an anthracycline antibiotic, is one of the most active anticancer chemotherapeutic agents. The clinical use of DOX, however, is limited by the dose-dependant P-glycoprotein (P-gp)-mediated resistance. Herein, a 3′-azido analogue of DOX (ADOX) was prepared from daunorubicin (DNR). ADOX exhibited potent antitumor activities in drug-sensitive (MCF-7 and K562) and drug-resistant cell lines (MCF-7/DNR, K562/DOX), respectively. The drug resistance index (DRI) values of ADOX were much lower than that of DOX. The cytotoxicity experiments of ADOX or DOX against K562/DOX, with or without P-gp inhibitor, indicated that ADOX circumvents resistance by abolishing the P-gp recognition. This conclusion was further supported by drug influx/efflux flow cytometry experiments, as well as by molecular docking of ADOX to P-gp. In vivo animal tests, ADOX exhibited higher activity and less toxicity than DOX. The current data warranted ADOX for additional pre-clinical evaluations for new drug development