Numerical analysis of a dual-phase-lag model involving two temperatures

In this paper, we numerically analyse a phase-lag model with two temperatures which arises in the heat conduction theory. The model is written as a linear partial differential equation of third order in time. The variational formulation, written in terms of the thermal acceleration, leads to a linear variational equation, for which we recall an existence and uniqueness result and an energy decay property. Then, using the finite element method to approximate the spatial variable and the implicit Euler scheme to discretize the time derivatives, fully discrete approximations are introduced. A discrete stability property is proved, and a priori error estimates are obtained, from which the linear convergence of the approximation is derived. Finally, some one-dimensional numerical simulations are described to demonstrate the accuracy of the approximation and the behaviour of the solution.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

The reporting standards of randomised controlled trials in leading medical journals between 2019 and 2020: a systematic review

Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) are the gold standard study design used to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of healthcare interventions. The reporting quality of RCTs is of fundamental importance for readers to appropriately analyse and understand the design and results of studies which are often labelled as practice changing papers. The aim of this article is to assess the reporting standards of a representative sample of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) published between 2019 and 2020 in four of the highest impact factor general medical journals. A systematic review of the electronic database Medline was conducted. Eligible RCTs included those published in the New England Journal of Medicine, Lancet, Journal of the American Medical Association, and British Medical Journal between January 1, 2019, and June 9, 2020. The study protocol was registered on medRxiv (https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.07.06.20147074). Of a total eligible sample of 498 studies, 50 full-text RCTs were reviewed against the CONSORT 2010 statement and relevant extensions where necessary. The mean adherence to the CONSORT checklist was 90% (SD 9%). There were specific items on the CONSORT checklist which had recurring suboptimal adherence, including in title (item 1a, 70% adherence), randomisation (items 9 and 10, 56% and 30% adherence) and outcomes and estimation (item 17b, 62% adherence). Amongst a sample of RCTs published in four of the highest impact factor general medical journals, there was good overall adherence to the CONSORT 2010 statement. However there remains significant room for improvement in areas such as description of allocation concealment and implementation of randomisation

Recent advances in understanding the structural and functional evolution of FtsH proteases

The FtsH family of proteases are membrane-anchored, ATP-dependent, zinc metalloproteases. They are universally present in prokaryotes and the mitochondria and chloroplasts of eukaryotic cells. Most bacteria bear a single ftsH gene that produces hexameric homocomplexes with diverse house-keeping roles. However, in mitochondria, chloroplasts and cyanobacteria, multiple FtsH homologues form homo and heterocomplexes with specialised functions in maintaining photosynthesis and respiration. The diversification of FtsH homologues combined with selective pairing of FtsH isomers is a versatile strategy to enable functional adaptation. In this article we summarise recent progress in understanding the evolution, structure and function of FtsH proteases with a focus on the role of FtsH in photosynthesis and respiration

Angular dependence of low-frequency noise in Al2O3 -based magnetic tunnel junction sensors with conetic alloy

This journal issue contains selected papers from the 2012 International Magnetics (INTERMAG) ConferenceWe demonstrated the noise performances of Al 2O 3-based magnetic tunnel junction sensors (MTJs) in the low-frequency regimes. Conetic alloy Ni 77Fe 14 Cu 5Mo 4 was deposited as both the MTJ pinned layer and free layer because of its superb magnetically soft properties. A rotating magnetic field was employed to investigate the angular dependence of the MTJ low-frequency noise. Hooge parameter was applied for parameterizing the low-frequency noise. The measurement results demonstrate that the Hooge parameters are angular-dependent and they exhibit a linear relation with respect to the angular magnetoresistive susceptibility. It can be also observed that the Hooge parameters possess a higher value when the Conetic MTJs are in the region of antiparallel state. These results indicate that the magnetic fluctuations in the ferromagnetic layers contribute to the low-frequency noise level in Conetic MTJ sensors. © 2012 IEEE.published_or_final_versionThe IEEE International Magnetics Conference (INTERMAG 2012), Vancouver, BC., 7-11 May 2012. In IEEE Transactions on Magnetics, 2012, v. 48 n. 11, p. 3712-371

Cascade refinement extraction network with active boundary loss for segmentation of concrete cracks from high-resolution images

Accurate extraction of cracks is important yet challenging in bridge inspection, particularly that of tiny cracks captured from high-resolution (HR) images. This paper presents a crack-boundary refinement framework (CBRF) for meticulous segmentation of HR crack images. First, a triple-scale feature extraction module is designed to enhance the representation of miniscule-crack pixels. Then, a cascade operation involving global and local steps is adopted to conduct the refinement. In addition, an active boundary loss is introduced into the training process to solve the semantic inconsistency of crack boundary areas. The first HR crack image dataset is established to thoroughly evaluate the CBRF. Finally, an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)-based case study is conducted on the Yinpenling Bridge, which further confirms the practicality of the CBRF in improving the safety and efficiency of UAV-based bridge detection while ensuring the accuracy

Clustering based active learning for evolving data streams

Data labeling is an expensive and time-consuming task. Choosing which labels to use is increasingly becoming important. In the active learning setting, a classifier is trained by asking for labels for only a small fraction of all instances. While many works exist that deal with this issue in non-streaming scenarios, few works exist in the data stream setting. In this paper we propose a new active learning approach for evolving data streams based on a pre-clustering step, for selecting the most informative instances for labeling. We consider a batch incremental setting: when a new batch arrives, first we cluster the examples, and then, we select the best instances to train the learner. The clustering approach allows to cover the whole data space avoiding to oversample examples from only few areas. We compare our method w.r.t. state of the art active learning strategies over real datasets. The results highlight the improvement in performance of our proposal. Experiments on parameter sensitivity are also reported

Effects of local hypothermia-rewarming on physiology, metabolism and inflammation of acutely injured human spinal cord.

In five patients with acute, severe thoracic traumatic spinal cord injuries (TSCIs), American spinal injuries association Impairment Scale (AIS) grades A-C, we induced cord hypothermia (33 °C) then rewarming (37 °C). A pressure probe and a microdialysis catheter were placed intradurally at the injury site to monitor intraspinal pressure (ISP), spinal cord perfusion pressure (SCPP), tissue metabolism and inflammation. Cord hypothermia-rewarming, applied to awake patients, did not cause discomfort or neurological deterioration. Cooling did not affect cord physiology (ISP, SCPP), but markedly altered cord metabolism (increased glucose, lactate, lactate/pyruvate ratio (LPR), glutamate; decreased glycerol) and markedly reduced cord inflammation (reduced IL1β, IL8, MCP, MIP1α, MIP1β). Compared with pre-cooling baseline, rewarming was associated with significantly worse cord physiology (increased ICP, decreased SCPP), cord metabolism (increased lactate, LPR; decreased glucose, glycerol) and cord inflammation (increased IL1β, IL8, IL4, IL10, MCP, MIP1α). The study was terminated because three patients developed delayed wound infections. At 18-months, two patients improved and three stayed the same. We conclude that, after TSCI, hypothermia is potentially beneficial by reducing cord inflammation, though after rewarming these benefits are lost due to increases in cord swelling, ischemia and inflammation. We thus urge caution when using hypothermia-rewarming therapeutically in TSCI

Greece’s Three-Act Tragedy:A Simple Model of Grexit vs. Staying Afloat inside the Single Currency Area

Against the backdrop of the Greek three-act tragedy, we present a theoretical framework for studying Greece’s recent debt and currency crisis. The model is built on two essential blocks: first, erratic macroeconomic policymaking in Greece is described using a stochastic regimeswitching model; second, the euro area governments’ responses to uncertain macroeconomic policies in Greece are considered. The model’s mechanism and assumptions allow either for a Grexit from the euro area or, conversely, the avoidance of Greece’s default against its creditors. The model also offers useful guidance to understand key drivers of the long-winded negotiations between the Syiza government and the euro area governments