Efficient Parallel Output-Sensitive Edit Distance

Given two strings $A[1..n]$ and $B[1..m]$, and a set of operations allowed to edit the strings, the edit distance between $A$ and $B$ is the minimum number of operations required to transform $A$ into $B$. Sequentially, a standard Dynamic Programming (DP) algorithm solves edit distance with $\Theta(nm)$ cost. In many real-world applications, the strings to be compared are similar and have small edit distances. To achieve highly practical implementations, we focus on output-sensitive parallel edit-distance algorithms, i.e., to achieve asymptotically better cost bounds than the standard $\Theta(nm)$ algorithm when the edit distance is small. We study four algorithms in the paper, including three algorithms based on Breadth-First Search (BFS) and one algorithm based on Divide-and-Conquer (DaC). Our BFS-based solution is based on the Landau-Vishkin algorithm. We implement three different data structures for the longest common prefix (LCP) queries needed in the algorithm: the classic solution using parallel suffix array, and two hash-based solutions proposed in this paper. Our DaC-based solution is inspired by the output-insensitive solution proposed by Apostolico et al., and we propose a non-trivial adaption to make it output-sensitive. All our algorithms have good theoretical guarantees, and they achieve different tradeoffs between work (total number of operations), span (longest dependence chain in the computation), and space. We test and compare our algorithms on both synthetic data and real-world data. Our BFS-based algorithms outperform the existing parallel edit-distance implementation in ParlayLib in all test cases. By comparing our algorithms, we also provide a better understanding of the choice of algorithms for different input patterns. We believe that our paper is the first systematic study in the theory and practice of parallel edit distance

CloseTalker: secure, short-range ad hoc wireless communication

Secure communication is difficult to arrange between devices that have not previously shared a secret. Previous solutions to the problem are susceptible to man-in-the-middle attacks, require additional hardware for out-of-band communication, or require an extensive public-key infrastructure. Furthermore, as the number of wireless devices explodes with the advent of the Internet of Things, it will be impractical to manually configure each device to communicate with its neighbors. Our system, CloseTalker, allows simple, secure, ad hoc communication between devices in close physical proximity, while jamming the signal so it is unintelligible to any receivers more than a few centimeters away. CloseTalker does not require any specialized hardware or sensors in the devices, does not require complex algorithms or cryptography libraries, occurs only when intended by the user, and can transmit a short burst of data or an address and key that can be used to establish long-term or long-range communications at full bandwidth. In this paper we present a theoretical and practical evaluation of CloseTalker, which exploits Wi-Fi MIMO antennas and the fundamental physics of radio to establish secure communication between devices that have never previously met. We demonstrate that CloseTalker is able to facilitate secure in-band communication between devices in close physical proximity (about 5 cm), even though they have never met nor shared a key

Remnant cholesterol is associated with cardiovascular mortality

Background: Genetic, observational, and clinical intervention studies indicate that circulating levels of remnant cholesterol (RC) are associated with cardiovascular diseases. However, the predictive value of RC for cardiovascular mortality in the general population remains unclear. Methods: Our study population comprised 19,650 adults in the United States from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) (1999–2014). RC was calculated from non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (non-HDL-C) minus low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) determined by the Sampson formula. Multivariate Cox regression, restricted cubic spline analysis, and subgroup analysis were applied to explore the relationship of RC with cardiovascular mortality. Results: The mean age of the study cohort was 46.4 ± 19.2 years, and 48.7% of participants were male. During a median follow-up of 93 months, 382 (1.9%) cardiovascular deaths occurred. In a fully adjusted Cox regression model, log RC was significantly associated with cardiovascular mortality [hazard ratio (HR) 2.82; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.17–6.81]. The restricted cubic spline curve indicated that log RC had a linear association with cardiovascular mortality (p for non-linearity = 0.899). People with higher LDL-C (≥130 mg/dL), higher RC [≥25.7/23.7 mg/dL in males/females corresponding to the LDL-C clinical cutoff point (130 mg/dL)] and abnormal HDL-C (<40/50 mg/dL in males/females) levels had a higher risk of cardiovascular mortality (HR 2.18; 95% CI 1.13–4.21 in males and HR 2.19; 95% CI 1.24–3.88 in females) than the reference group (lower LDL-C, lower RC and normal HDL-C levels). Conclusions: Elevated RC levels were associated with cardiovascular mortality independent of traditional risk factors

Hyperspectral Target Detection via Adaptive Information—Theoretic Metric Learning with Local Constraints

By using the high spectral resolution, hyperspectral images (HSIs) provide significant information for target detection, which is of great interest in HSI processing. However, most classical target detection methods may only perform well based on certain assumptions. Simultaneously, using limited numbers of target samples and preserving the discriminative information is also a challenging problem in hyperspectral target detection. To overcome these shortcomings, this paper proposes a novel adaptive information-theoretic metric learning with local constraints (ITML-ALC) for hyperspectral target detection. The proposed method firstly uses the information-theoretic metric learning (ITML) method as the objective function for learning a Mahalanobis distance to separate similar and dissimilar point-pairs without certain assumptions, needing fewer adjusted parameters. Then, adaptively local constraints are applied to shrink the distances between samples of similar pairs and expand the distances between samples of dissimilar pairs. Finally, target detection decision can be made by considering both the threshold and the changes between the distances before and after metric learning. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method can obviously separate target samples from background ones and outperform both the state-of-the-art target detection algorithms and the other classical metric learning methods

Antiasthmatic Effects of Sanglong Pingchuan Decoction through Inducing a Balanced Th1/Th2 Immune Response

Objective. To investigate the antiasthmatic effects of Sanglong pingchuan decoction (SLPCD) and to explore its mechanisms of action. Methods. The serum, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), and lung tissues from OVA-induced allergic asthma mice were collected 24 h after the last administration. Lung pathological changes were observed by H&E staining. The inflammatory cells in BALF were counted by flow cytometry. The levels of total IgE in serum and cytokines in BALF were determined by ELISA. The expression levels of cytokine mRNA in lung were assayed by qRT-PCR. Results. SLPCD significantly inhibited airway inflammation, reduced inflammatory cells in BALF, reduced the levels of total IgE in serum and Th2 cytokines (IL-10 and IL-13) in BALF, and downregulated the mRNA expression levels of Th2 cytokines (IL-4, IL-5, IL-10, and IL-13) in lung of asthmatic mice. However, SLPCD remarkably elevated the level of Th1 cytokine IFN-γ in BALF and upregulated the mRNA expression levels of Th1 cytokines (IL-2 and IFN-γ) in lung of asthmatic mice. Conclusion. SLPCD could attenuate airway inflammation and alleviate the pathogenesis in asthma mice through inducing a balanced Th1/Th2 response and could act as an effective drug for treatment of asthma

A Facile and Rapid Strategy for Quantifying PCBs in Cereals Based on Dispersive Solid-Phase Extraction and Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry: A Reference for Safety Concerns in Sustainable Textiles

Cereals and their derivative products such as starch and cyclodextrin are significant natural materials for sustainable textile processing (e.g., sizing, dispersing, etc.). However, the contamination of cereals with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) is often neglected, which has led to increasing concerns due to the adverse effects on end users. Therefore, monitoring PCBs in cereals is of great importance in preventing health risks. However, high starch, protein, and fat contents make cereals a complicated matrix and can challenge the analysis of PCBs in cereals. This work describes a facile and rapid strategy for quantifying 18 PCBs in cereals that included corn, wheat, and rice through dispersive solid-phase extraction and gas chromatography with mass spectrometry. Importantly, this was the first time that carboxyl-modified, multi-walled carbon nanotubes were incorporated in the detection of PCBs in cereals. The influences of several parameters on the extraction and clean-up efficiency were investigated; these included the type and volume of extraction solvent, sonication time, and the type and dosage of the adsorbent. The matrix effects on quantification were also evaluated. This approach exhibited a better clean-up performance. All the analytes showed weak matrix effects, and thus a solvent standard plot could be prepared for their quantification. Spiking experiments in the selected matrices at three concentration levels from 0.5 to 10 μg/kg resulted in satisfactory recoveries that ranged from 79.2% to 110.5% with relative standard deviations (RSDs; n = 6) less than 10.3%. The limits of detection (LODs) and quantification (LOQs) ranged from 0.04 to 0.1 μg/kg and 0.1 to 0.4 μg/kg, respectively. The practical application of this method was investigated by analyzing actual cereal samples, which demonstrated that the proposed approach was a facile and efficient strategy for PCB determination and provided a reference for the safety evaluation of sustainable textiles. The method also could be generalized to other troublesome samples for testing of multiple PCBs

Association of serum PSP/REG Iα with renal function in pregnant women

Pancreatic stone protein/regenerating protein Iα (PSP/REG Iα) is a secretory protein produced in the pancreas, but its expression has also been observed in the kidney. It may be associated with kidney dysfunction. This study investigates the possible association between PSP/REG Iα and kidney function in pregnant women. Serum PSP/REG Iα levels were measured by a specific ELISA enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Maternal information and clinical and biochemical parameters were collected. Estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was calculated for all individuals to evaluate their renal function. Spearman’s correlation and multiple linear regression analyses were performed to assess the associations between PSP/REG Iα and eGFR, serum creatinine (Cr), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), and uric acid (UA). A total of 595 pregnant women were enrolled in the study. Participants with mildly reduced eGFR had higher PSP/REG Iα levels [50.49 (35.02, 58.64)] than in the general population [26.84 (21.02, 33.07)] (p &lt; 0.001). Included participants were stratified into PSP/REG Iα quartiles; significant differences were observed in the levels of eGFR, serum Cr, BUN, and UA. PSP/REG Iα was negatively correlated with eGFR (r = −0.402, p &lt; 0.001) and positively associated with serum Cr (r = 0.468, p &lt; 0.001), BUN (r = 0.166, p &lt; 0.001), and UA (r = 0.207, p &lt; 0.001). The linear regression analysis indicated that PSP/REG Iα was associated with UA, BUN, and eGFR. High PSP/REG Iα concentrations were closely associated with renal dysfunction in pregnant women. Our study provides clinical evidence that serum PSP/REG Iα levels could be a novel biomarker for assessment of renal function in pregnant women

Mediation Impact of Physical Literacy and Activity Between Psychological Distress and Life Satisfaction Among College Students During COVID-19 Pandemic

The study aims to examine the mediation effects of physical literacy and physical activity behavior in a relationship between psychological distress and life satisfaction among Chinese college students during the real-life Coronavirus disease pandemic (COVID-19) circumstance. This study implemented a cross-sectional design, and 1,516 participants from 12 universities participated in this study. Structural equation modeling was used to examine a hypothesized model. The findings indicated an acceptable model fit ( X 2 [61] = 508.2, Comparative Fit Index [CFI] = 0.958, Tucker Lewis Index [TLI] = 0.946, Root Mean Square Error of Approximation [RMSEA] = 0.076, 90% CI [0.070, 0.082], Standardized Root Mean Square Residual [SRMR] = 0.047). The results indicated that college students with low participation in physical activity could experience less than healthy living conditions. The findings offered empirical support to the theory that physical literacy could advance individuals’ healthy living by promoting physical activity participation. The study suggested that educational institutions and physical activity programs should cultivate individuals’ physical literacy in order to promote lifelong healthy living

Ionic switch controls the DNA state in phage λ.

We have recently found that DNA packaged in phage λ undergoes a disordering transition triggered by temperature, which results in increased genome mobility. This solid-to-fluid like DNA transition markedly increases the number of infectious λ particles facilitating infection. However, the structural transition strongly depends on temperature and ionic conditions in the surrounding medium. Using titration microcalorimetry combined with solution X-ray scattering, we mapped both energetic and structural changes associated with transition of the encapsidated λ-DNA. Packaged DNA needs to reach a critical stress level in order for transition to occur. We varied the stress on DNA in the capsid by changing the temperature, packaged DNA length and ionic conditions. We found striking evidence that the intracapsid DNA transition is 'switched on' at the ionic conditions mimicking those in vivo and also at the physiologic temperature of infection at 37°C. This ion regulated on-off switch of packaged DNA mobility in turn affects viral replication. These results suggest a remarkable adaptation of phage λ to the environment of its host bacteria in the human gut. The metastable DNA state in the capsid provides a new paradigm for the physical evolution of viruses