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Assembly of proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell stacks with metallic bipolar plates (BPPs) is a process of high precision stacking for hundreds of individual sheet components. The accuracy of stacking process and the uniformity of contact status for layers effect the working efficiency of the stack. The manufacturing of metallic BPPs consists of several processes including pressing, welding and coating, in which each process will have an impact on the final shape of BPPs. Especially for large-scale metallic BPPs, which are critical parts for manufacturing high power fuel cell stack, the shape deviation will be magnified. In this research, a batch of normal size metallic BPPs are investigated as preliminary study for large-scale BPPs. They are measured by a 3D laser scanner and their geometric deviation are analyzed. An approach of in-line measuring integrated automatic assembly line for BPPs and a method of feature similarity-based group and pairing assembly are proposed with which the uncertainty of stacking result with random placing order of fuel cell components is expected to be reduced without changing previous manufacturing processes. The scanned features are compared to the nominal model of BPP and then fitted into surfaces to visualize the individual deviations. K-medoids algorithm is used to cluster these BPPs into groups. The result shows feasibility of applying this method to large-scale BPPs in future work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Establishing conditioned reinforcers is often critical to treatment for individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder or intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDDs). Although researchers have evaluated several procedures, methods and results vary across studies, making it difficult to draw conclusions about these procedures' general and relative effectiveness. The purpose of this systematic review was to assess the overall and relative effectiveness of stimulus‐stimulus (S‐S) pairing, response‐stimulus (R‐S) pairing, and operant discrimination training (ODT) for establishing conditioned reinforcers for children on the autism spectrum or who have an IDD. Thirty‐one studies, including 12 theses and dissertations, met inclusion criteria. Eight studies evaluated S‐S pairing, 20 evaluated R‐S pairing, and nine evaluated ODT. Combined, S‐S pairing, R‐S pairing, and ODT were effective at establishing conditioned reinforcers in only half of all attempts. However, analysis indicated that R‐S pairing is the most effective procedure, followed by S‐S pairing and ODT, in that order. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pairing is a commonly recommended practice used to build rapport and create positive therapeutic environments. However, there are limited evaluations of training procedures to teach pairing skills to direct‐care staff. The purpose of the present study was to formalize and improve the efficiency of the training process for the initial stages of pairing using video modeling with embedded voice‐over instructions plus performance feedback. Participants included three dyads of behavior technicians and children with autism. The results indicated that the training package increased the consistency of pairing implementation. These outcomes were maintained in a novel setting and for up to 4 weeks following training. We also measured relevant child behaviors such as joint attention, engagement, indices of happiness, and calm. Specific areas for future research are described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the shipbuilding industry, nesting is arranging the cutting patterns of ship parts to increase the utilization rate of steel sheets and reduce the scrap rate. The nesting complexity is high because of the large number of ship parts with complex shapes and various sizes. Arrangement algorithms for minimizing steel-sheet wastage cannot be readily applied to nesting without pairing the two parts to reduce the nesting complexity because of the considerable computation time involved. This study proposes a pairing method to reduce nesting complexity. Ship parts were classified, and pairwise clustering was applied for pairing. A method in which a deep neural network architecture learns polygons without rasterization for classifying ship parts and a method for pairing ship parts of different shapes for pairwise clustering were proposed. Using 265 actual ship parts, the proposed method was compared with pairing methods involving shape-based matching algorithms currently employed by shipbuilding companies. Subsequently, 82 more parts were paired, and the average pairing time, arrangement time, and scrap rate decreased by 44.1%, 47.5%, and 11.0%, respectively. Pairing based on deep learning classifiers and pairwise clustering can rapidly and accurately pair ship parts, thereby improving nesting efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We only consider finite structures. With every totally ordered set V and a subset P of V 2 , we associate the underlying tournament Inv (V ̲ , P) obtained from the transitive tournament V ̲ : = (V , { (x , y) ∈ V × V : x < y }) by reversing P, i.e., by reversing the arcs (x, y) such that { x , y } ∈ P . The subset P is a pairing (of ∪ P ) if | ∪ P | = 2 | P | , a quasi-pairing (of ∪ P ) if | ∪ P | = 2 | P | - 1 ; it is irreducible if no nontrivial interval of ∪ P is a union of connected components of the graph (∪ P , P) . In this paper, we consider pairings and quasi-pairings in relation to tournaments. We establish close relationships between irreducibility of pairings (or quasi-pairings) and indecomposability of their underlying tournaments under modular decomposition. For example, given a pairing P of a totally ordered set V of size at least 6, the pairing P is irreducible if and only if the tournament Inv (V ̲ , P) is indecomposable. This is a consequence of a more general result characterizing indecomposable tournaments obtained from transitive tournaments by reversing pairings. We obtain analogous results in the case of quasi-pairings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, Thumbur et al. (IEEE Commun Lett 24(8): 1641–1645, 2020) proposed a pairing-free certificateless signature (PF-CLS) scheme for secure communication in resource-constrained devices. Zhan et al. (IEEE Internet of Things Journal, pp 1-1, 2020) proposed a pairing-free certificateless aggregate signature (PF-CLAS) in healthcare wireless medical sensor networks. The authors proved the security of their schemes under the hardness of mathematical problems in the random oracle model respectively. Unfortunately, we find that the above two recent schemes are insecure. By providing concrete attacks, in this work, we show that an attacker with replacing public key ability can easily impersonate other legitimate users to upload some false messages by forging the target users' valid signatures on these messages. As a result, the above two signature schemes PF-CLS and PF-CLAS cannot solve the IoT data authenticity and integrity issues pointed out by them. Moreover, we discuss the reasons for our attacks and provide relevant improvements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Meiosis is the specialized cellular program that underlies gamete formation for sexual reproduction. It is therefore not only interesting but also a fundamentally important subject for investigation. An especially attractive feature of this program is that many of the processes of special interest involve organized chromosomes, thus providing the possibility to see chromosomes "in action". Analysis of meiosis has also proven to be useful in discovering and understanding processes that are universal to all chromosomal programs. Here we provide an overview of the different historical moments when the gap between observation and understanding of mechanisms and/or roles for the new discovered molecules was bridged. This review reflects also the synergy of thinking and discussion among our three laboratories during the past several decades. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This editorial titled "Molecular architecture and dynamics of meiotic chromosomes" explores the unique processes involved in meiosis, a type of cell division essential for sexual reproduction in animals, plants, and fungi. It discusses the conservation of meiosis throughout evolution and presents selected research articles on the composition, architecture, function, and regulation of meiotic chromosomes in different species. The document covers topics such as the role of the chromosome axis, pairing and chromosome dynamics, regulation of meiotic progression, and the importance of checkpoints and protein phosphorylation. It also discusses the significance of regulators, such as the polo-like kinase PLK1, in ensuring the accurate transmission of genetic information during meiosis. The document highlights the functions of the nuclear envelope and nuclear pore complexes in meiosis, including their roles in chromosome movement and control of meiotic progression. The authors emphasize the need for further research to fully understand the complex processes of meiosis and its potential applications in agriculture and healthcare. [Extracted from the article]

Summary: Combining two or more related homoeologous genomes in a single nucleus, newly formed allopolyploids must rapidly adapt meiosis to restore balanced chromosome segregation, production of euploid gametes and fertility. The poor fertility of such neo‐allopolyploids thus strongly selects for the limitation or avoidance of genetic crossover formation between homoeologous chromosomes.In this study, we have reproduced the interspecific hybridization between Arabidopsis thaliana and Arabidopsis arenosa leading to the allotetraploid Arabidopsis suecica and have characterized the first allopolyploid meioses.First‐generation neo‐allopolyploid siblings vary considerably in fertility, meiotic behavior and levels of homoeologous recombination. We show that centromere dynamics at early meiosis is altered in synthetic neo‐allopolyploids compared with evolved A. suecica, with a significant increase in homoeologous centromere interactions at zygotene. At metaphase I, the presence of multivalents involving homoeologous chromosomes confirms that homoeologous recombination occurs in the first‐generation synthetic allopolyploid plants and this is associated with a significant reduction in homologous recombination, compared to evolved A. suecica.Together, these data strongly suggest that the fidelity of recombination partner choice, likely during the DNA invasion step, is strongly impaired during the first meiosis of neo‐allopolyploids and requires subsequent adaptation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Acta Comportamentalia is the property of Instituto de Psicologia y Educacion de la Universidad Veracruzana and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Rapport, or the therapeutic relationship between a therapist and client, is essential for successful intervention. In behavior analytic interventions for autistic children, practitioners commonly use pairing to establish rapport. A limited body of research has evaluated how to train interventionists to pair with their child clients. Furthermore, fewer studies have examined the effects of pairing on client behavior. Therefore, we implemented behavioral skills training to teach interventionists pairing skills and assessed the effects of presession pairing on child interfering behavior using a concurrent multiple probe design (with replication). We implemented a pairing protocol before early intensive behavioral intervention sessions with four children (3–5 years old) on the autism spectrum. Interventionists mastered pairing skills during training sessions, which were generally maintained when working with child clients. When interventionists implemented presession pairing, child participants demonstrated fewer interfering behaviors. We discuss implications of our preliminary findings and future directions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Babylon Center for Humanities Studies is the property of Republic of Iraq Ministry of Higher Education & Scientific Research (MOHESR) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The role of pairing in neutron-deficient Yb isotopes has been studied using the Hartree–Fock–Bogoliubov (HFB) approach by employing the energy functional SLy6. A reasonably good description of the observed ground-state properties was obtained. Cranking solutions were obtained for the rotational bands. Neutron pair breaking was found to play a major role above spin J = 14 . Projected shell model with variable pair gap was employed to study the ground-state rotational band. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: This study compared outcomes of the iStent inject trabecular micro-bypass system versus the Hydrus Microstent in patients with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG). Methods: Forty subjects (80 eyes) with POAG were included in this single-center, retrospective, contralateral-eye analysis. All patients underwent phacoemulsification with either iStent inject or Hydrus implantation in one eye and the other device in the contralateral eye, with ≥ 3-month follow-up. In 58 eyes (27 iStent inject, 31 Hydrus) the surgery also included ab interno canaloplasty (ABiC). Twelve-month outcomes included intraocular pressure (IOP), medications, and adverse events. Subgroup analyses were completed for iStent inject versus Hydrus, and with versus without ABiC. Results: At 12 months versus baseline, mean IOP reduced from 16.8 ± 3.7 to 13.6 ± 2.9 (p = 0.003) in iStent inject eyes, and from 18.1 ± 4.5 to 14.9 ± 3.2 mmHg (p = 0.003) in Hydrus eyes (between-group IOP reduction p = 0.582). Mean number of glaucoma medications reduced from 1.23 ± 0.97 to 0.30 ± 0.76 (p < 0.001) in iStent inject eyes and from 1.20 ± 1.02 to 0.39 ± 0.72 (p = 0.001) in Hydrus eyes (between-group medication reduction p = 0.943). At 12 months, 82.6% of iStent inject eyes and 73.9% of Hydrus eyes were medication-free versus 20.0% preoperatively in both groups (p < 0.0001 both groups). There were no statistically significant IOP or medication differences between iStent inject and Hydrus pre- or postoperatively, both in the overall cohort and in the with/without ABiC subgroups. Outcomes also were similar between eyes with/without ABiC in the overall cohort and in the iStent inject/Hydrus subgroups. There were no adverse events in the iStent inject group; two eyes in the Hydrus group had device-related complications requiring five additional surgeries (one Hydrus repositioning, one Hydrus exchange, one Hydrus removal, two goniotomies). Conclusion: In this contralateral-eye comparison of iStent inject versus Hydrus, the groups had similar IOP and medication outcomes, regardless of stratification by ABiC completion. Eyes receiving Hydrus had more complications and subsequent surgeries. Plain Language Summary: The present study contributes some of the first real-world data comparing iStent inject versus Hydrus Microstent implantation in combination with cataract surgery in opposite eyes (right or left) of the same patient (i.e., contralateral-eye study). The report also includes subgroup analyses of eyes with versus without ab interno canaloplasty (ABiC). There were no significant between-group differences in mean intraocular pressure or medication burden preoperatively or postoperatively for iStent inject versus Hydrus. The intraocular pressure and medication reductions versus the groups' respective baselines were statistically similar as well. Finally, results remained similar for iStent inject versus Hydrus regardless of whether ABiC was completed, and were also similar when comparing eyes with ABiC versus without ABiC. In eyes receiving Hydrus, there was a greater incidence of complications and need for further surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cheese wine pairing is a beloved combination subject to a certain subjectivity due to sensorial, psychological, chemical, and cultural factors. This work represents a first attempt to explore the in vitro interactions between cheese, wine, and saliva to objectively measure the pairing. Two experimental red wines obtained from the same grape cultivar and four different cheeses were studied for their composition. Binding reactions between wine and cheese were carried out in three simulated tasting trials and, after precipitation, the wine phenolic content, Saliva Precipitation Index (SPI), and total proteins were evaluated. The optimal pairing (OP) was calculated considering the decrease in salivary and cheese proteins by wine, defined as the cleansing effect; the decrease in astringency due to the cheese, measured by the SPI, and the coating fat which would remain in mouth after eating a piece of cheese. Based on obtained results, the semi-hard cheese was identified as the best pairing option for the two experimental red wines. The differences in the phenolic content between the two wines were instead not enough to show a significant influence on the OP. The in vitro cheese wine pairing can contribute to understanding of wine tasting but it is only a part of the puzzle. However, this first contribution paves the way for additional studies on the molecular and chemical interactions involved in aroma and textural perception in simulated trials.

The raison d'être of meiosis is shuffling of genetic information via Mendelian segregation and, within individual chromosomes, by DNA crossing-over. These outcomes are enabled by a complex cellular program in which interactions between homologous chromosomes play a central role. We first provide a background regarding the basic principles of this program. We then summarize the current understanding of the DNA events of recombination and of three processes that involve whole chromosomes: homolog pairing, crossover interference, and chiasma maturation. All of these processes are implemented by direct physical interaction of recombination complexes with underlying chromosome structures. Finally, we present convergent lines of evidence that the meiotic program may have evolved by coupling of this interaction to late-stage mitotic chromosome morphogenesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous transcriptome profiling studies showed significantly upregulated genes and altered biological pathways in acute COVID-19. However, changes in the transcriptional signatures during a defined time frame are not yet examined and described. The aims of this study included viral metagenomics and evaluation of the total expression in time-matched and tissue-matched paired COVID-19 samples with the analysis of the host splicing profile to reveal potential therapeutic targets. Prospective analysis of paired nasopharyngeal swabs (NPS) and blood (BL) samples from 18 COVID-19 patients with acute and resolved infection performed using Kallisto, Suppa2, Centrifuge, EdgeR, PantherDB, and L1000CDS2 tools. In NPS, we discovered 6 genes with changed splicing and 40 differentially expressed genes (DEG) that yielded 88 altered pathways. Blood samples yielded 15 alternatively spliced genes. Although the unpaired DEG analysis failed, pairing identified 78 genes and 242 altered pathways with meaningful clinical interpretation and new candidate drug combinations with up to 65% overlap. Metagenomics analyses showed SARS-CoV-2 dominance during and after the acute infection, with a significant reduction in NPS (0.008 vs. 0.002, p = 0.019). Even though both NPS and BL give meaningful insights into expression changes, this is the first demonstration of how the power of blood analysis is vastly maximized by pairing. The obtained results essentially showed that pairing is a determinant between a failed and a comprehensive study. Finally, the bioinformatics results prove to be a comprehensive tool for full-action insights, drug development, and infectious disease research when designed properly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: This study evaluated efficacy and safety of implanting two second-generation trabecular micro-bypass stents (iStent inject/iStent inject W) with phacoemulsification, either with or without iAccess Precision Blade goniotomy, in patients with mild-to-moderate open-angle glaucoma (OAG). Methods: This retrospective, non-randomized, unmasked, dual-arm, single-site, multi-surgeon, consecutive case series evaluated all OAG eyes that underwent phacoemulsification and iStent inject implantation either as a dual procedure (group A) or paired with iAccess goniotomy (group B) from July 2020 to May 2022. Effectiveness outcomes analyzed from 1 month onward included intraocular pressure (IOP), proportions of eyes with IOP ≤ 12/≤ 15/≤ 18, proportion medication-free, and medication number. Safety outcomes at all timepoints included adverse events and secondary surgeries. Results: In group A, mean IOP reduced from 14.9 ± 3.2 mmHg on 1.22 ± 1.31 mean medications preoperatively (n = 63) to 13.5 ± 2.5 mmHg on 0.24 ± 0.61 medications at month 3 (n = 34; p = 0.048 IOP, p < 0.001 medications). In group B, mean IOP reduced from 16.0 ± 4.2 mmHg on 1.12 ± 1.07 medications preoperatively (n = 93) to 12.2 ± 2.3 mmHg on 0.57 ± 1.27 medications at month 3 (n = 23; p < 0.001 IOP, p = 0.003 medications). From preoperative to 3 months, the percent of eyes with IOP ≤ 12 mmHg remained at 32.4% in group A (p = 1.0) and rose from 21.7% to 60.9% in group B (p = 0.0177); eyes with IOP ≤ 15 mmHg rose from 52.9% to 76.5% in group A (p = 0.0963) and from 43.5% to 91.3% in group B (p = 0.0034). Adjusting for baseline between-group differences, group B had significantly greater postoperative IOP reduction than group A (p = 0.043); medication reductions were similar. Safety was favorable in both groups. Conclusions: Phacoemulsification and iStent inject with or without iAccess Precision Blade goniotomy produced clinically meaningful and safe IOP and medication reductions. The paired iStent inject + iAccess + phacoemulsification procedure enabled greater IOP reduction and lower IOP thresholds than iStent inject + phacoemulsification. The study provides some of the first data on this paired approach and on the novel iAccess Precision Blade. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Homologous (or repetitive) chromosomal regions can specifically associate and may also undergo concerted epigenetic changes in the apparent absence of DNA breakage and recombination. The direct pairing of homologous double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) molecules provides an attractive underlying mechanism. Direct dsDNA–dsDNA pairing during premeiotic and meiotic silencing in filamentous fungi may involve C-DNA. The B-to-C DNA transition may provide a low-energy pathway for the dsDNA–dsDNA pairing, potentially underlying a number of homology-directed genetic and epigenetic phenomena. Recombination-independent homologous pairing represents a prominent yet largely enigmatic feature of chromosome biology. As suggested by studies in the fungus Neurospora crassa , this process may be based on the direct pairing of homologous DNA molecules. Theoretical search for the DNA structures consistent with those genetic results has led to an all-atom model in which the B-DNA conformation of the paired double helices is strongly shifted toward C-DNA. Coincidentally, C-DNA also features a very shallow major groove that could permit initial homologous contacts without atom–atom clashes. The hereby conjectured role of C-DNA in homologous pairing should encourage the efforts to discover its biological functions and may also clarify the mechanism of recombination-independent recognition of DNA homology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the rapid growth of wearable devices, more applications require direct communication between wearable devices. To secure the communication between wearable devices, various pairing protocols have been proposed to generate common keys for encrypting the communication. Since the wearable devices are attached to the same body, the devices can generate common keys based on the same context by utilizing onboard sensors to capture a common biometric signal such as body motion, gait, heartbeat, respiration, and EMG signals. The context-based pairing does not need prior information to generate common keys. As context-based pairing does not need any human involvement in the pairing process, the pairing also increase the usability of wearable devices. A wide range of context-based pairing approaches has been proposed with different sensors and different biometric signals. Given the increasing popularity of wearable devices and applications of wearable devices, we believe that it is necessary to have a comprehensive review and comparison on the context-based pairing approaches for future research on the pairing. In this paper, we compare context-based pairing approaches and review common techniques used in pairing based on various biometric signals.

Copyright of Al-Adab / Al-ādāb is the property of Republic of Iraq Ministry of Higher Education & Scientific Research (MOHESR) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

A two-party authenticated key exchange (AKE) protocol allows each of the two parties to share a common secret key over insecure channels, even in the presence of active adversaries who can actively control and modify the exchanged messages. To capture the malicious behaviors of the adversaries, there have been many efforts to define security models. Amongst them, the extended Canetti–Krawczyk (eCK) security model is considered one of the strongest security models and has been widely adopted. In this paper, we present a simple construction of a pairing-based eCK -secure AKE protocol in the standard model. Our protocol can be instantiated with a suitable signature scheme (i.e., an existentially unforgeable signature scheme against adaptive chosen message attacks). The underlying assumptions of our construction are the decisional bilinear Diffie–Hellman assumption and the existence of a pseudorandom function. Note that the previous eCK -secure protocol constructions either relied on random oracles for their security or used somewhat strong assumptions, such as the existence of strong-pseudorandom functions, target collision-resistant functions, etc., while our protocol construction uses fewer and more-standard assumptions in the standard model. Furthermore, preserving the same security argument, our protocol can be instantiated with any appropriate signature scheme that comes in the future with better efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The algebraic group theory approach to pairing in nuclei is an old subject and yet it continues to be important in nuclear structure, giving new results. It is well known that for identical nucleons in the shell model approach with j − j coupling, pairing algebra is SU(2) with a complementary number-conserving Sp(N) algebra and for nucleons with good isospin, it is SO(5) with a complementary number-conserving Sp(2Ω) algebra. Similarly, with L − S coupling and isospin, the pairing algebra is SO(8). On the other hand, in the interacting boson models of nuclei, with identical bosons (IBM-1) the pairing algebra is SU(1, 1) with a complementary number-conserving S O (N) algebra and for the proton–neutron interacting boson model (IBM-2) with good F-spin, it is SO(3, 2) with a complementary number-conserving SO(ΩB) algebra. Furthermore, in IBM-3 and IBM-4 models several pairing algebras are possible. With more than one j or ℓ orbit in shell model, i.e., in the multi-orbit situation, the pairing algebras are not unique and we have the new paradigm of multiple pairing [SU(2), SO(5) and SO(8)] algebras in shell models and similarly there are multiple pairing algebras [SU(1, 1), SO(3, 2) etc.] in interacting boson models. A review of the results for multiple multi-orbit pairing algebras in shell models and interacting boson models is presented in this article with details given for multiple SU(2), SO(5), SU(1, 1) and SO(3, 2) pairing algebras. Some applications of these multiple pairing algebras are discussed. Finally, multiple SO(8) pairing algebras in shell model and pairing algebras in IBM-3 model are briefly discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fully pairing all elements of a set while attempting to maximize the total benefit is a combinatorically difficult problem. Such pairing problems naturally appear in various situations in science, technology, economics, and other fields. In our previous study, we proposed an efficient method to infer the underlying compatibilities among the entities, under the constraint that only the total compatibility is observable. Furthermore, by transforming the pairing problem into a traveling salesman problem with a multi-layer architecture, a pairing optimization algorithm was successfully demonstrated to derive a high-total-compatibility pairing. However, there is substantial room for further performance enhancement by further exploiting the underlying mathematical properties. In this study, we prove the existence of algebraic structures in the pairing problem. We transform the initially estimated compatibility information into an equivalent form where the variance of the individual compatibilities is minimized. We then demonstrate that the total compatibility obtained when using the heuristic pairing algorithm on the transformed problem is significantly higher compared to the previous method. With this improved perspective on the pairing problem using fundamental mathematical properties, we can contribute to practical applications such as wireless communications beyond 5G, where efficient pairing is of critical importance. As the pairing problem is a special case of the maximum weighted matching problem, our findings may also have implications for other algorithms on fully connected graphs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drinking water is important for human life. Goal 6 of the SDGs indicates ensuring the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation and good water quality for all. The lack of water resources, low water quality and inadequate sanitation affect food security and people's health. In this sense, diarrhea is one of the diseases caused by the lack of drinking water. According to the WHO (2017), diarrhea is the second leading cause of death in children under five years of age. Peru ranks eighth worldwide among the countries with the largest water reserves, however, only 1% of the total available is consumed. At the end of 2019, 9.2% of the population did not have access to the drinking water network and 25.1% without sewerage. This situation is exacerbated in urban and rural areas of the country, the latter being the one with the greatest gap in access to water and sewerage. The prevalence of diarrhea in children under five years of age in rural areas was 12.5% ​​in 2019, according to the INEI. The study evaluates the impact of water and sewerage services in the Sierra del Perú on acute diarrheal diseases in children for 2019, using the Propensity Score Matching (PSM) technique. It is obtained that accessing one of these services reduces the probability of presenting diarrhea by 3.7 pp.

Generating paired sequences with maximal compatibility from a given set is one of the most important challenges in various applications, including information and communication technologies. However, the number of possible pairings explodes in a double factorial order as a function of the number of entities, manifesting the difficulties of finding the optimal pairing that maximizes the overall reward. In the meantime, in real-world systems, such as user pairing in non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA), pairing often needs to be conducted at high speed in dynamically changing environments; hence, efficient recognition of the environment and finding high reward pairings are highly demanded. In this paper, we demonstrate an efficient pairing algorithm to recognize compatibilities among elements as well as to find a pairing that yields a high total compatibility. The proposed pairing strategy consists of two phases. The first is the observation phase, where compatibility information among elements is obtained by only observing the sum of rewards. We show an efficient strategy that allows obtaining all compatibility information with minimal observations. The minimum number of observations under these conditions is also discussed, along with its mathematical proof. The second is the combination phase, by which a pairing with a large total reward is determined heuristically. We transform the pairing problem into a traveling salesman problem (TSP) in a three-layer graph structure, which we call Pairing-TSP. We demonstrate heuristic algorithms in solving the Pairing-TSP efficiently. This research is expected to be utilized in real-world applications such as NOMA, social networks, among others.

The pairing of foods and beverages (especially alcoholic beverages) is an effective marketing approach to promote the value of Japanese gastronomy to overseas consumers because it requires little additional cost. In this study, the research target was French consumers, and the evaluation targets were grilled fall-season wild chum salmon from Japan (mainly from Hokkaido) and Japanese rice wine (sake). The difference in the consumers' willingness to pay (WTP) was evaluated using the contingent valuation method. In addition, we analyzed the determinants by applying Tobit regression. Our results revealed that there was a higher WTP when Japan's (Hokkaido's) grilled fall salmon and sake were presented as a set than when they were presented individually. The geographical identity of the origin of food and beverages can engender a positive premium to consumers through the synergistic effect of the origin of the brand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Superconducting nickelates in thin film perovskite structures, designed to be isostructural with the Cu(II) cuprates, have been discovered recently by Zhou et al. (Appl. Mater. Interfaces 10, 1463-1467, 1) and Li et al. (Nature 572, 624-627, 2) The strategies of both groups, to make nickelates as similar to the cuprates as possible by using planar NiO2 superlattice structures, proved successful. Ni(I) and Ni(III) are superconducting in superlattices, although TC is lower than in most Cu(II) cuprates. Here we find that a "3-oxidation states rule" applies to nickelate superlattices based on Ni(I) and Ni(III). It is predicted that the oxides of Ni(II), Cu(I), and Cu(III) cannot superconduct, because of violation of the 3-rule. This rule is derived here, along with other rules where the number of interacting oxidation states is decisive for the conduction properties of the metal ion. The Mott model is replaced by a free energy model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a vehicular pairing scheme is proposed to balance the resource distribution in non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) based vehicular networks. The proposed BVP: balanced vehicular pairing scheme chooses pairs based on fair inter-vehicle distances through the base station (BS) for mobile NOMA users with high mobility. BVP reduces the biased pairing and the disparity of resource utilization by each pair, resulting in fewer signal decoding errors than the existing state-of-the-art solutions. The exhaustive evaluation in Matlab-based network simulator, using real vehicular traffic traces from OpenStreetMap (OSM) and simulation of urban mobility (SUMO) traffic simulator shows that the proposed BVP outperforms existing schemes. The proposed solution reduces throughput and pair sum rate standard deviation by 2 ~ 3 b/s/Hz for every device and every resource, while also significantly reducing the decoding bit error rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous transcriptome profiling studies showed significantly upregulated genes and altered biological pathways in acute COVID-19. However, changes in the transcriptional signatures during a defined time frame are not yet examined and described. The aims of this study included viral metagenomics and evaluation of the total expression in time-matched and tissue-matched paired COVID-19 samples with the analysis of the host splicing profile to reveal potential therapeutic targets. Prospective analysis of paired nasopharyngeal swabs (NPS) and blood (BL) samples from 18 COVID-19 patients with acute and resolved infection performed using Kallisto, Suppa2, Centrifuge, EdgeR, PantherDB, and L1000CDS2 tools. In NPS, we discovered 6 genes with changed splicing and 40 differentially expressed genes (DEG) that yielded 88 altered pathways. Blood samples yielded 15 alternatively spliced genes. Although the unpaired DEG analysis failed, pairing identified 78 genes and 242 altered pathways with meaningful clinical interpretation and new candidate drug combinations with up to 65% overlap. Metagenomics analyses showed SARS-CoV-2 dominance during and after the acute infection, with a significant reduction in NPS (0.008 vs. 0.002, p = 0.019). Even though both NPS and BL give meaningful insights into expression changes, this is the first demonstration of how the power of blood analysis is vastly maximized by pairing. The obtained results essentially showed that pairing is a determinant between a failed and a comprehensive study. Finally, the bioinformatics results prove to be a comprehensive tool for full-action insights, drug development, and infectious disease research when designed properly.

Macaque species, specifically rhesus (Macaca mulatta), are the most common nonhuman primates (NHPs) used in biomedical research due to their suitability as a model of high priority diseases (e.g., HIV, obesity, cognitive aging), cost effective breeding and housing compared to most other NHPs, and close evolutionary relationship to humans. With this close evolutionary relationship, however, is a shared adaptation for a socially stimulating environment, without which both their welfare and suitability as a research model are compromised. While outdoor social group housing provides the best approximation of a social environment that matches the macaque behavioral biology in the wild, this is not always possible at all facilities, where animals may be housed indoors in small groups, in pairs, or alone. Further, animals may experience many housing changes in their lifetime depending on project needs, changes in social status, management needs, or health concerns. Here, we review the evidence for the physiological and health effects of social housing changes and the potential impacts on research outcomes for studies using macaques, particularly rhesus. We situate our review in the context of increasing regulatory pressure for research facilities to both house NHPs socially and mitigate trauma from social aggression. To meet these regulatory requirements and further refine the macaque model for research, significant advances must be made in our understanding and management of rhesus macaque social housing, particularly pair-housing since it is the most common social housing configuration for macaques while on research projects. Because most NHPs are adapted for sociality, a social context is likely important for improving repeatability, reproducibility, and external validity of primate biomedical research. Am. J. Primatol. 79:e22528, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The growing recognition that social needs of primates in captivity must be addressed can present challenges to staff at primate facilities charged with implementing pair-housing solutions for animals. Unfortunately, there are few published papers that identify individual characteristics that might facilitate the social pairing process, and those that have looked at pre-pairing measures of behavior have produced mixed results. Using a database of n = 340 isosexual pairing attempts, we report that measures associated with responses to a standardized infant assessment protocol (the BioBehavioral Assessment program) predict success in pairing attempts that occurred years later. Behavioral responses to a brief separation and relocation, to a human intruder challenge, as well as ratings of temperament, were obtained from rhesus monkeys at 3-4 months of age. Logistic regression was used to identify potential predictors of success when animals were paired up to 10 years after the behavioral assessments. Among females, success was higher when members of a pair were more similar (i.e., a smaller difference scores) in patterns of emotional responding (Emotionality, Nervous temperament) during the infant assessments. In contrast, among males, success was higher when the pair had lower mean values for Gentle and Nervous temperament scores; when the members were younger; when pairs had a greater weight difference; and when they came from the same rearing background. Together, our results suggest that broad measures reflecting patterns of emotionality in response to challenge, which can be assessed in infancy (but which remain relatively stable throughout life) can be usefully employed to increase the likelihood of success in pairing attempts. Am. J. Primatol. 79:e22464, 2017. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Pairing cryptosystems are extremely powerful mathematical tools for developing cryptographic protocols that can provide end-to-end security for applications like Internet-of-Things (IoT), cloud services and cyber-physical systems (CPS). However, these applications require the implementations to be light-weight but still real-time, with the additional feature of being flexible. The flexibility can come from different choices of underlying algorithms along with suitable parameter choices. A software implementation offers better flexibility but lacks in timing performance, whereas custom hardware delivers better performance but has poor flexibility. Furthermore, the designs over small characteristic curves are now insecure against recent attacks. Existing designs do not address the drawback of less flexibility and huge resource consumption collectively. In this article, we present a micro-program controlled hardware design which has the least resource consumption among the similar existing designs on FPGA that offer such programmability and flexibility. This redundant number arithmetic-based architecture consumes only 2506 slices on Xilinx Virtex-7 FPGA. It can be migrated to other device families or updated for different algorithms without data-path or control-path modification. To enhance the flexibility, we developed a custom assembly-like finite state machine (FSM) description, called Prism, and necessary tool to generate the micro-program states. To illustrate the functionality of Prism, we present designs for Tate and Optimal-Ate pairing with the micro-program states generated using this tool. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]