bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Patients with healed diabetic foot ulcer represent a cohort at highest risk for future fatal events
Authors: Mader Julia K. , Haas Waltraud , Aberer Felix , Boulgaropoulos Beate , Baumann Petra , Pandis Marlene , Horvath Karl , Aziz Faisal , Köhler Gerd , Pieber Thomas R. , Plank Johannes , Sourij Harald
Published: July 2019

Patients with previous diabetic foot ulcer are prone to re-ulceration and (re)amputation, to various comorbidities, have significantly impaired quality of life and increased mortality. We aimed to evaluate the risk of foot related complications and mortality in a high-risk population of patients with healed diabetic foot syndrome over a decade. 91 patients with recently healed diabetic foot ulcer were invited for follow-up at 1, 6 and 11 years after inclusion. Patient characteristics at inclusion were: 40 women, 65 ± 11 years, diabetes type 1 (n = 6) or 2 (n = 85), BMI 28.5 ± 4.4 kg/m2, and HbA1c 68 ± 17 mmol/mol. Comorbidities included neuropathy (n = 91), peripheral artery disease (PAD), history of minor (n = 25) or major (n = 5, 5.5%) amputation, nephropathy (n = 40) and retinopathy (n = 53). Ulceration recurred in 71 (65%) patients, time to first recurrence was 1.8 ± 2.4 years (mean ± SD). 21 patients had to undergo (re)amputation (minor n = 19, major n = 2), time to amputation was 3.6 ± 1.9 years. Over time, 3 further major amputations were required in patients with an initial minor amputation. Thirty-three (36%) of the initially included patients completed the follow-up period of 11.0 ± 0.6 years. 58 patients (64%) died during the observational period, time to death was 5 ± 3 years in this group. We found overall high mortality of 64% throughout the follow-up period of 11 years in high-risk patients with healed diabetic foot syndrome. Presence of PAD, prior amputation and nephropathy as well as poor glycemic control were significantly predictive for death.
Cryo-EM and directed evolution reveal how Arabidopsis nitrilase specificity is influenced by its quaternary structure
Authors: Mulelu Andani E. , Kirykowicz Angela M. , Woodward Jeremy D.
Published: July 2019

Nitrilases are helical enzymes that convert nitriles to acids and/or amides. All plants have a nitrilase 4 homolog specific for ß-cyanoalanine, while in some plants neofunctionalization has produced nitrilases with altered specificity. Plant nitrilase substrate size and specificity correlate with helical twist, but molecular details of this relationship are lacking. Here we determine, to our knowledge, the first close-to-atomic resolution (3.4 Å) cryo-EM structure of an active helical nitrilase, the nitrilase 4 fromArabidopsis thaliana. We apply site-saturation mutagenesis directed evolution to three residues (R95, S224, and L169) and generate a mutant with an altered helical twist that accepts substrates not catalyzed by known plant nitrilases. We reveal that a loop between α2 and α3 limits the length of the binding pocket and propose that it shifts position as a function of helical twist. These insights will allow us to start designing nitrilases for chemoenzymatic synthesis.
DNA-templated copper nanoclusters obtained via TdT isothermal nucleic acid amplification for mercury(ii) assay
Authors: He Jing-Lin , Wang Xing-Xing , Mei Ting-Ting , Wu Ling , Zeng Ju-Lan , Wang Jian-Hui , Wang Jianxiu , Yu Donghong , Cao Zhong
Published: July 2019

The Hg2+ fluorescence sensor based on TdT isothermal amplification DNA templated CuNCs was successfully constructed.
Charge control of fluorescent probes to selectively target the cell membrane or mitochondria: theoretical prediction and experimental validation
Authors: Zheng Xiaoyan , Wang Dong , Xu Wenhan , Cao Siqin , Peng Qian , Tang Ben Zhong
Published: July 2019

Using a multiscale molecular modeling protocol, we proposed a design strategy of fluorescent probes to selectively target the cell membrane or mitochondria.
Processing milk causes the formation of protein oxidation products which impair spatial learning and memory in rats
Authors: Li Bowen , Mo Ling , Yang Yuhui , Zhang Shuai , Xu Jingbing , Ge Yueting , Xu Yuncong , Shi Yonghui , Le Guowei
Published: July 2019

Eating a high protein oxidation diet leads to oxidative stress, leading to spatial learning and memory impairment. Dairy products processing conditions should be regulated to control the oxidation level of proteins, improve eating habits, and avoid damage to human health.
Double-layer metal mesh etched by femtosecond laser for high-performance electromagnetic interference shielding window
Authors: Zhang Yaqiang , Dong Hongxing , Li Qisong , Mou Nanli , Chen Lulu , Zhang Long
Published: July 2019

An excellent transparent EMI shielding window is proposed and demonstrated theoretically and experimentally. The results show that the SE reaches over 37.61 dB at 150 MHz to 5 GHz, while the average visible transmittance remains at ∼76.35%.
Vanadium doped few-layer ultrathin MoS2 nanosheets on reduced graphene oxide for high-performance hydrogen evolution reaction
Authors: Singh Ashwani Kumar , Prasad Jagdees , Azad Uday Pratap , Singh Ashish Kumar , Prakash Rajiv , Singh Kedar , Srivastava Amit , Alaferdov Andrei A. , Moshkalev Stanislav A.
Published: July 2019

In this paper, we demonstrate a facile solvothermal synthesis of a vanadium(v) doped MoS2-rGO nanocomposites for highly efficient electrochemical hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) at room temperature.
Improving the anticancer activity of platinum(iv) prodrugs using a dual-targeting strategy with a dichloroacetate axial ligand
Authors: Liu Fengfan , Dong Xiaomei , Shi Qiwen , Chen Jianli , Su Weike
Published: July 2019

Complex 1b could release complex B and DCA, playing a dual-targeting anti-tumor effect against cancer cells, targeting nuclear DNA and mitochondria, respectively.
Application of pea-like yolk–shell structured Fe3O4@TiO2 nanosheets for photocatalytic and photo-Fenton oxidation of bisphenol-A
Authors: Li Xingxing , Cui Mingcan , Lee Yonghyeon , Choi Jongbok , Khim Jeehyeong
Published: July 2019

Uniform pea-like yolk–shell (PLYS) structured magnetic TiO2(PLYS-Fe3O4@TiO2) nanosheets have been prepared via a combined kinetics-controlled mechanical force-driven and hydrothermal etching assisted crystallization method and characterized.
Heterointerface engineering of lightweight, worm-like SiC/B4C hybrid nanowires as excellent microwave absorbers
Authors: Liu Yuan , Wu Wen-Wen , Liu Li-Na , Xing Zi-Jun , Chen Xiao-Ming , Liu Peng
Published: July 2019

A novel, lightweight and excellent microwave absorber of heterointerface engineered SiC/B4C hybrid nanowires.
Cyanophenylcarbazole isomers exhibiting different UV and visible light excitable room temperature phosphorescence
Authors: Wang Yanhui , Zhang Zhenzhen , Liu Linxi , Yuan Shou , Ma Jie , Liu Danfeng , Xue Shanfeng , Sun Qikun , Yang Wenjun
Published: July 2019

Five cyanophenylcarbazole isomers have RTP activity under 365 nm UV and 400–460 nm visible light excitation but exhibit different RTP intensities and lifetimes.
LncRNA BE503655 inhibits osteosarcoma cell proliferation, invasion/migration via Wnt/β-catenin pathway
Authors: Huang Qiang , Shi Shu-yan , Ji Hai-bo , Xing Shu-xing
Published: July 2019

Aim: In previous studies, numerous dysregulated long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) were identified by RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq). However, the relationship between lncRNA and osteosarcoma remains unclear. In the present study, the function and mechanism of lncRNA BE503655 were investigated. Methods: Transwell, cell cycle and proliferation were used to evaluate the function of lncRNA BE503655. Real-time PCR and Western blotting were used to detect the expression of lncRNA BE503655 and β-catenin. Results: LncRNA BE503655 is overexpressed in human osteosarcoma and osteosarcoma cell lines. Knockdown lncRNA BE503655 suppresses cell proliferation, invasion and migration. High expression of BE503655 was significantly related to Enneking stage, distant metastasis and histological grade. Moreover, we also provided evidences that lncRNA BE503655 played its functions dependent on regulation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling in osteosarcoma. Conclusion: Taken together, we verified the role of lncRNA BE503655 and provided possible mechanism in osteosarcoma. Our study provided new insights into clinical treatment of osteosarcoma and further intervention target.
Three‐ to five‐signal LP‐mode amplification characteristics of ring‐core erbium‐doped fibre
Authors: Miyagawa S. , Yoshimura M. , Ikeda K. , Koyama O. , Ono H. , Yamada M.
Published: July 2019

We simulated the differential modal gain (DMG) property of WDM amplification characteristics for a ring‐core erbium‐doped fibre (RC‐EDF) to clarify the possibility of an RC‐EDF being used as a three‐ to five‐signal LP‐mode amplification medium. The authors defined two parameters, DMGYY–XX and WDGXX. The former and the latter are the difference between the gains of the LPXX mode and the LPYY mode at the shortest wavelength, and the gains of the LPXX mode at the shortest and longest wavelengths of WDM signal channel, respectively. XX and YY indicate the signal LP mode number. The authors present contour diagrams of the maximum DMGYY−XX and maximum WDGXX on the allowable three‐ to five‐signal LP‐mode areas of the RC‐EDF. They confirm that it is possible to realise the amplification with a maximum DMGYY−XX of ≤2 dB, ≤1 dB, and about 2 dB for the 3, 4, and 5‐LP modes and a maximum WDGXX of ≤ 1 dB for the three‐ to five‐LP mode. The authors found that it is possible to realise an amplifier for 3–5 LP modes that operate with a relatively low DMG by using RC‐EDF.
Conception of an electric propulsion system for a 9 kW electric tractor suitable for family farming
Authors: Melo Rodnei R. , Antunes Fernando L.M. , Daher Sérgio , Vogt Hans H. , Albiero Daniel , Tofoli Fernando L.
Published: July 2019

This study presents an updated review of the application of electric tractors. A customised drive system for the conception of a novel low‐power electric tractor suitable for family farms is also introduced and discussed. The introduced system comprises several aspects regarding energy generation, transmission, conversion, storage, utilisation, conservation, and management, as well as sustainability issues. A 9 kW prototype composed of two three‐phase induction motors, two independent inverters, and a lead–acid battery bank is presented. Flexible and safe operation is ensured by using an electronic control unit specifically designed for this project, as a dedicated control algorithm is also developed to provide greater versatility under common rural activities. Also, a supervisory system is proposed for data storage and performance analysis. To verify the proper performance of the electric tractor, the methodology used for conducting drawbar tests has been based on document CODE 2 by Organisation for Economic Co‐operation and Development (OECD). Experimental results are presented and discussed; thus, demonstrating that the proposed electric tractor is technically feasible in terms of performance when compared with a similar internal combustion engine one.
Autofocus technique for radar coincidence imaging with model error via iterative maximum a posteriori
Authors: Zhang Feng , Liu Xunling , Zhou Xiaoli , Wang Xu , Liu Weijian
Published: July 2019

Radar coincidence imaging (RCI) is a recently developed staring imaging technique based on the wavefront random modulation and temporal–spatial stochastic radiation field. Before coincidence imaging processing, the RCI needs to compute the reference matrix accurately. Unfortunately, model error usually exists, which degrades the imaging performance considerably. In this article, by exploiting the sparse prior of target, the authors propose a sparsity‐driven autofocus imaging via iterative maximum a posteriori (SA‐MAP) algorithm for the RCI when model error exists. The algorithm performs well via simultaneous sparse imaging, self‐calibration and parameters update. Simulation results demonstrate the validity of the proposed algorithm and performance improvement over the existing algorithms.
Reinforcement design of radar pulse compression algorithm in space‐borne environment
Authors: Wang Shanshan , Zhang Jinning , Han Wenjun
Published: July 2019

Realising radar high‐speed real‐time signal processing under the space‐borne environment is a worldwide research difficult point. Commercial Quartus devices required for high‐speed processing are hardened and consolidated in high radiation environments. This study realises high‐speed real‐time radar signal processing in space‐borne environment for doing the reinforced design of commercial Quartus chip for pulse compression algorithm. The article first analysed the failure modes of high‐performance FPGAs in a space‐borne environment in China: a highly efficient parallel pipeline architecture with 8‐8 K points is designed; control registers, state machine registers, on‐chip RAM, and other easy‐to‐flip positions have been fully reinforced for the pulse compression algorithm. The system realises 200 M real‐time processing capability after integration. Single‐event fault injection tests were performed on key signals such as system control, and the test results verified the effectiveness of the reinforcement. The fault tolerance of the system has been significantly improved to ensure the normal operation of the FPGA.
Motion compensation method of an imaging radar based on unmanned automobile
Authors: Huang Pingping , Shan Wenqiu , Xu Wei , Tan Weixian , Dong Yifan , Zhang Zhenhua
Published: July 2019

Unmanned automobile will become the trend of intelligent automobile development in the future, and the application of millimetre‐wave radar imaging technology is a new idea for the development of unmanned driving. Although automobile millimetre‐wave radar can obtain a two‐dimensional high‐resolution image of the front‐viewed scene, the imaging system will, however, cause the scene object to be blurred under the motion condition of the vehicle platform, which will bring difficulties to highly precise imaging. This study proposes the motion error estimation method of total least squares based on radar echo data. This method can accurately estimate the motion error and achieve motion error compensation. Finally, the validity of the method is verified through simulation experiment.
Portrait de pratiques pro-littératie pour un partenariat de soins
Authors: Bouffard Maud , Solar Claudie , Lebel Paule
Published: July 2019

Contexte :  Appelés à être partenaires de soins, bon nombre d’adultes ne sont pas en mesure de traiter et d’utiliser l’information sur la santé de façon optimale en raison d’un faible niveau de littératie en santé. Les professionnels, quant à eux, cherchent à développer leur compréhension du phénomène et leurs compétences afin de favoriser l’autonomie de ces patients. Or, peu de données empiriques existent quant au développement de ces compétences en milieu du travail.Objectif :Comprendre comment des intervenantes et intervenants développent des compétences permettant de soutenir la participation d’une clientèle de faible niveau de littératie en santé.Méthode :Trente entrevues semi-structurées ont été réalisées auprès d’intervenantes et d’intervenants inscrits dans une pratique orientée vers la participation d’une clientèle à risque sur le plan de la littératie : 9 en médecine et pharmacie, 9 en soins infirmiers, 9 dans des champs connexes et 3 agissant comme pairs aidants. Un traitement des donnéesviades cartes conceptuelles a mené à une validation des résultats auprès de 5 participants.Résultats :L’analyse des entretiens a permis de décrire des pratiques pro-littératie qui visent à mettre en œuvre un partenariat de soins dans une perspective patient en lien avec la maladie ; à porter attention à des indicateurs de la littératie autres que la scolarité ; à personnaliser la communication ; et à faciliter l’accès et l’utilisation de l’information par des mémos et un soutien pour Internet.Conclusion :Les données permettent de dégager des pistes pour favoriser l’actualisation et le développement d’une pratique pro-littératie des patients en contexte clinique.
Resilienz bei langzeitüberlebenden Patienten mit einer
Krebserkrankung – Zusammenhänge mit psychischer Belastung und
soziodemografischen Merkmalen
Authors: Plitzko Lydia , Mehnert-Theuerkauf Anja , Götze Heide
Published: July 2019

Einleitung Resilienz gilt als persönliche Ressource bei der
Verarbeitung belastender und traumatischer Erfahrungen und findet in der
psychoonkologischen Forschung zunehmend Beachtung. Ziel dieser Studie ist
es, die Resilienz bei langzeitüberlebenden Krebspatienten in
Abhängigkeit von Depressivität, Angst sowie
soziodemografischen und krankheitsbezogenen Faktoren zu untersuchen und mit
der Allgemeinbevölkerung zu vergleichen.

Material und Methoden Es wurden 972 Krebspatienten (53%
männlich, im Mittel 67 Jahre, 25% Prostatakrebs, 22%
Brustkrebs) befragt, deren Diagnose 5 bzw. 10 Jahre zurücklag.
Erhoben wurden Resilienz (RS-11), Depressivität (PHQ-9) und Angst
(GAD-7). Die Rekrutierung erfolgte über das Regionale Klinische
Krebsregister Leipzig (RKKL).

Ergebnisse Die Resilienz unterschied sich nicht signifikant in den
beiden Kohorten (5 Jahre nach Diagnose: M=58,5 / 10 Jahre
nach Diagnose: M=59,0; p=0,631). Im Regressionsmodell
zeigten sich signifikante Zusammenhänge zwischen hoher Resilienz und
geringer Depressivität (Beta=0,307; p<0,001) sowie
den Variablen Familienstand (verheiratet, Beta=0,080;
p=0,016), höherer Bildung (Beta=0,101;
p=0,002) und Erwerbstätigkeit (Beta=0,087; 0,008).
20% der Varianz der Resilienz konnten durch die unabhängigen
Variablen erklärt werden.

Diskussion Die Befunde unterstützen die Theorie, dass es sich
bei der Resilienz um ein stabiles Personenmerkmal handelt, welches
Zusammenhänge zu bestimmten soziodemografischen Merkmalen oder
Merkmalskonstellationen aufweist. Eine niedrige Resilienz zeigte sich
insbesondere bei alleinstehenden Patienten, Patienten ohne Arbeit sowie
Patienten mit einem niedrigen sozioökonomischen Status. Patienten
mit Krebserkrankung und einer geringen psychischen
Widerstandsfähigkeit und dem damit verbundenen erhöhten
Risiko für psychische Belastungen können somit zu einem
frühen Zeitpunkt der Erkrankung ermittelt werden.

Schlussfolgerung Vor allem Patienten mit einer geringen Resilienz
benötigen langfristige Unterstützung bei der Verarbeitung
der Krebserkrankung und eine Einbindung in psychosoziale Nachsorge-Programme
(Cancer-Survivorship-Care-Pläne).
Phlebologische Funktionsdiagnostik: Praktische
Anwendung
Authors: Kahl S. , Bruning G. , Woitalla-Bruning J.
Published: July 2019

Trotz der Dominanz der farbkodierten Duplexsonographie in der Diagnostik der
Phlebologie gibt es weiterhin Fragestellungen, bei denen klassische Verfahren
der phlebologischen Funktionsdiagnostik eine wichtige Rolle bei der
Therapieentscheidung spielen.

Während die farbkodierte Duplexsonographie detallierten Aufschluss über die
Kaliber und die Refluxsituation des Venensysthems liefern kann, ist sie jedoch
nicht in der Lage, eine abschließende Aussage zur Hämodynamik zu treffen. Hierzu
dient die venöse Funktionsdiagnostik und als Referenzverfahren insbesondere die
invasive Phlebodynamometrie (PDM).

Das Ziel dieses dreiteiligen Artikels besteht darin, die praktische Anwendung der
klassischen Verfahren zur phlebologischen Funktionsdiagnostik im klinischen
Rahmen zu demonstrieren und die Aussagekraft der entsprechend erhobenen Daten zu
erläutern. In diesem dritten Teil wird entsprechend die
Venenverschlussplethysmographie (VVP) beschrieben. Sie spielt aufgrund der
Möglichkeit der Bestimmung von venöser Kapazität, venösem Ausstrom und
arteriellem Einstrom eine Rolle in der Diagnostik der Varikosis, der tiefen
Beinvenenthrombose und der peripheren arteriellen Verschlusskrankheit. Direkte
Aussagen zur Hämodynamik können mit Hilfe dieser Methode jedoch nicht getroffen
werden.

In vorherigen Ausgaben der „Phlebologie“ wurden bereits die digitale
Photoplethysmographie (D-PPG) und die PDM vorgestellt.

Die praktische Anwendung der D-PPG, der PDM und der VVP ist prinzipiell nicht
schwer. Für die Durchführung wird jedoch geschultes Personal benötigt, um
Anwendungs- und Messfehler zu vermeiden.
Effects of Nitroglycerine on Renal Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury in Adult Male Rats
Authors: Ahmadi Fatemeh , Hajihashemi Saeed , Rahbari Ali , Ghanbari Fatemeh
Published: July 2019

Background Ischemia-reperfusion (I-R) leads to acute kidney injury (AKI). The present study investigated the effects of nitroglycerine (NG) on improving renal dysfunctions caused by I-R in rats.

Methodology Twenty-four rats were equally divided into four groups: (1) the control group, (2) the sham group, (3) the I-R group, and (4) NG-treated groups.NG (50 μg/kg) was injected intraperitoneally after induction of IR. I-R was induced through clamping of the bilateral renal artery and vein of both kidneys for 20 min followed by 24 h of reperfusion.

Results NG significantly increased the creatinine clearance levels and renal blood flow rate (which was reduced by I-R). NG also significantly improved serum electrolytes (sodium and potassium) that were disordered by I-R. In addition, NG significantly offset impaired antioxidant defense mechanism and inhibited lipid peroxidation.

Conclusions The results show NG has a protective effect on renal tissue against AKI caused by I-R. These protective effects mediated through antioxidant activity and decrease of lipid peroxidation.
Room-Temperature Ionic Liquids (RTILs) as Green Media for Metal- and Base-Free ipso-Hydroxylation of Arylboronic Acids
Authors: Shin Eun-Jae , Kwon Gyu-Tae , Kim Seung-Hoi
Published: July 2019

The oxidative hydroxylation of arylboronic acids to the corresponding phenolic compounds under metal- and base-free aerobic conditions is successfully demonstrated on a greener media. Hydrogen peroxide, as an eco-friendly oxidant, is compatible with green mediates room-temperature ionic liquids (RTIL)s, providing hydroxylation products of arylboronic acids in an efficient manner. The RTIL support is particularly interesting for its reusability.
Atypical Presentation of Takayasu's Arteritis—A Case Report
Authors: Rao V. Satish Kumar , Godhasiri Ponugoti
Published: July 2019

Takayasu's arteritis, known as “pulseless disease,” is a chronic idiopathic inflammatory disease, which has a greater predilection for large vasculature in the body. Initially described in the1800s, this rare condition is more commonly seen in Asian women in 40 years age group. Herein, the authors report the case of a 36-year-old woman whose exertional claudication was the initial manifestation of active Takayasu's arteritis along with involvement of multiple peripheral arteries not involving ostial area of the vessels, instead affecting the proximal area and also presenting with thrombosis of right CIA (common iliac artery), which is an unusual presentation in case of Takayasu's arteritis without aneurysmal involvement.
Assessment of Airway in Patients with Acromegaly Undergoing Surgery: Predicting Successful Tracheal Intubation
Authors: Kapoor Indu , Mahajan Charu , Prabhakar Hemanshu
Published: July 2019

Background In the field of anesthesia, acromegaly is considered a cause of difficult tracheal intubation and airway management. There is a high probability of unanticipated difficult intubation in acromegalic patients despite a lower percentage of patients being identified preoperatively as having a difficult airway. In this study, we carried out various airway assessment tests preoperatively and during induction of anesthesia to find out the predictors of easy tracheal intubation in patients with acromegaly.

Methods All patients of either sex, diagnosed as a case of acromegaly and scheduled to undergo pituitary surgery were enrolled over a period of 3 years. Various airway assessment tests were performed prior to surgery, which included modified Mallampati (MP) classification (sitting and supine), mouth opening (MO), upper lip bite test (ULBT), neck movement (NM), thyromental (TM) distance, thyrohyoid (TH) distance, sternomental (SM) distance, hyomental (HM) distance, length of upper incisors (IL), receding mandible (RM), any history of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), mask ventilation (MV), Cormack-Lehane (CL) III and IV, and external laryngeal manipulation (ELM). Results were reported as odds ratios (95% confidence interval [CI]). The p-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results A total of 42 patients were enrolled over a period of 3 years. The male-to-female ratio was 19:23 with a mean age of 37.95 years and mean weight of 72.7 kg. Out of 15 airway assessment parameters, only ULBT and CL grade showed significant results.

Conclusion We conclude that ULBT and CL grading are reliable predictors of easy intubation in patients with acromegaly undergoing surgery.
Vascular Targets for the Treatment of Portal Hypertension
Authors: Brusilovskaya Ksenia , Königshofer Philipp , Schwabl Philipp , Reiberger Thomas
Published: July 2019

Portal hypertension is the main driver for severe complications in patients with liver cirrhosis. With improved understanding of molecular pathways that promote hepatic vascular remodeling, vasoconstriction, and sinusoidal capillarization potential vascular targets for the treatment of portal hypertension have been identified. Inhibition of vascular endothelial and platelet-derived growth factors–driven angiogenesis has been shown to reduce portal pressure and decrease hepatic inflammation. Angiopoietin/Tie signaling represents additional promising vascular targets in liver disease. The eNOS-NO-sGC-cGMP pathway modulates sinusoidal vasoconstriction and capillarization. Nuclear farnesoid X receptor (FXR) agonists decrease intrahepatic vascular resistance by inhibition of fibrogenesis and sinusoidal remodeling. Statins ameliorate endothelial dysfunction, decrease portal pressure, and reduce fibrogenesis. Anticoagulation with low-molecular heparin or anti-Xa inhibitors improved portal hypertension by deactivation of hepatic stellate cells and potentially via reduction of sinusoidal microthrombosis. This review summarizes important vascular targets for treatment of portal hypertension that have shown promising results in experimental studies.
Development and Evaluation of a Clinical Decision Support System to Improve Medication Safety
Authors: Ibáñez-Garcia Sara , Rodriguez-Gonzalez Carmen , Escudero-Vilaplana Vicente , Martin-Barbero Maria Luisa , Marzal-Alfaro Belén , De la Rosa-Triviño Jose Luis , Iglesias-Peinado Irene , Herranz-Alonso Ana , Sanjurjo Saez Maria
Published: July 2019

Background Clinical decision support systems (CDSSs) are a good strategy for preventing medication errors and reducing the incidence and severity of adverse drug events (ADEs). However, these systems are not very effective and are subject to multiple limitations that prevent their implementation in clinical practice.

Objectives The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of an advanced CDSS, HIGEA, which generates alerts based on predefined clinical rules to identify patients at risk of an ADE.

Methods A multidisciplinary team defined the system and the clinical rules focusing on medication errors commonly encountered in clinical practice. Four intervention programs were defined: (1) dose adjustment in renal impairment; (2) adjustment of anticoagulation/antiplatelet therapy; (3) detection of biochemical/hematologic toxicities; and (4) therapeutic drug monitoring. We performed a 6-month observational prospective study to analyze the effectiveness of these clinical rules by calculating the positive predictive value (PPV).

Results The team defined 211 clinical rules. During the study period, HIGEA generated 1,086 alerts (8.9 alerts per working day), which were reviewed by pharmacists. Fifty-one percent (554/1,086) of alerts generated an intervention to prevent a possible ADE; of these, 66% (368/554) required a documented modification to therapy owing to a real prescription error intercepted. The intervention program that induced the highest number of modifications to therapy was the dose adjustment in renal impairment program (PPV = 0.51), followed by the adjustment of anticoagulation/antiplatelet therapy program (PPV = 0.24). The percentage of accepted interventions was similar in surgical units (68%), medical units (67%), and critical care units (63%).

Conclusion Our study offers evidence that HIGEA is highly effective in preventing potential ADEs at the prescription stage.
InSb-ZnO:Ge nanocomposite thin films: One-step synthesis, structural, optical, and electrical properties
Authors: Abe Seishi
Published: July 2019

One-step synthesis of the composite thin film with InSb nanocrystals embedded in ZnO doped with Ge was investigated. The films were deposited on water-cooled substrate by radio-frequency sputtering using a target of ceramic ZnO disc with InSb and Ge chips and subsequently heat-treated in vacuum. The composites exhibited a shift in optical absorption edge due to a presence of InSb nanocrystals. Elemental mapping using energy dispersive X-ray microscopy revealed that the added Ge was selectively located in ZnO. The solubility limit of Ge in ZnO was 2 at.% at an annealing temperature of 873 K. Electrical resistivity of the composite was reduced to 6.6 × 10-3 Ω cm at an annealing temperature of 773 K due to doping with Ge. Simultaneous addition of InSb and Ge to ZnO therefore provided the different functionalities of the optical absorption shifts and relatively low electrical resistivity.
Molecular beam epitaxy of three-dimensionally thick Dirac semimetal Cd3As2 films
Authors: Nakazawa Y. , Uchida M. , Nishihaya S. , Sato S. , Nakao A. , Matsuno J. , Kawasaki M.
Published: July 2019

Rapid progress of quantum transport study in topological Dirac semimetal, including observations of quantum Hall effect in two-dimensional (2D) Cd3As2 samples, has uncovered even more interesting quantum transport properties in high-quality and three-dimensional (3D) samples. However, such 3D Cd3As2 films with low carrier density and high electron mobility have been hardly obtained. Here, we report the growth and characterization of 3D thick Cd3As2 films adopting molecular beam epitaxy. The highest electron mobility (μ = 3 × 104 cm2/Vs) among the reported film samples has been achieved at a low carrier density (n = 5 × 1016 cm−3). In the magnetotransport measurement, Hall plateau-like structures are commonly observed despite the 3D thick films (t = 120 nm). On the other hand, the field angle dependence of the plateau-like structures and corresponding Shubunikov-de Haas oscillations rather shows a 3D feature, suggesting the appearance of an unconventional magnetic orbit, also distinct from the one described by the semiclassical Weyl-orbit equation.
Structure and Stereochemistry of Adducts of Tris(dipivaloylmethanato)europium(III), Eu(dpm)3, with Some Dipolar Aprotic Unidentate O-Donors
Authors: Chan Eric J. , Harrowfield Jack M. , Skelton Brian W. , Sobolev Alexandre N. , White Allan H.
Published: July 2019

Single crystal X-ray structural characterisations are reported for adducts of the form [(L-O)Eu(O,O′-dpm)3] obtained by the crystallisation of tris(dipivaloylmethanato)europium(iii) (dpm=[HC(C(tBu).CO)2]−) from an array of dipolar aprotic oxygen-donor solvents L (L=N-methylpyrrolidinone (nmp), trimethylphosphate, (MeO)3PO, (tmp), hexamethylphosphoramide (hmpa), dimethylacetamide (dma), dimethyl sulfoxide (dmso), and the bidentate octamethylpyrophosphoramide (ompa). In all adducts, the resulting arrays contain seven-coordinate metal atoms, which adopt two different isomeric forms of the mono-capped trigonal prismatic stereochemistry, the L=dma and dmso adducts corresponding to one type, nmp and tmp the other. The adduct formed with ompa behaves as a pair of discrete metal environments bridged by the O-ompa-O′ ligand, thus; [(dpm-O,O′)3Eu(O-ompa-O′)Eu(O,O′-dpm)3], and is found in two forms, one in which both Eu environments is of the tmp type, the other of the dmso/dma type. In the hmpa adduct, the asymmetric unit of the structure is a disordered composite of both types. In none of the adducts is there any further solvation beyond coordination of a single L.
Resilience and reliability for electricity networks
Authors: Cainey Jill M.
Published: July 2019

Electricity networks in Australia operate in a highly regulated framework. This framework monitors network investment to ensure positive benefits for customers and includes incentivised performance standards that cover reliability. In the current standards, major event days are excluded from the statistics for outages, because they are deemed to be outside the control of the network operators. Outages on major event days are typically the result of severe weather and tend to be prolonged and have a significant negative impact on customers, but current regulations do not cover such events.
The ability of any system to be ready for and recover from a major event is described as resilience, but resilience is not an incentivised activity for electricity networks and the impact of climate change means that major event days are increasing in number, leading to higher costs for customers.
Without a regulatory focus on resilience, a network may meet or exceed reliability standards, while still not being resilient in major events. Investing in reliability does not always deliver resilience, but investing in resilience is demonstrated to deliver significant improvements in both resilience and reliability, resulting in beneficial performance outcomes for customers using cost-effective and efficient network investment approaches.
A heatwave forecast service for Australia
Authors: Bettio Lynette , Nairn John R. , McGibbony Steven C. , Hope Pandora , Tupper Andrew , Fawcett Robert J.B.
Published: July 2019

The Australian Bureau of Meteorology monitors, researches, predicts and communicates Australia’s weather and climate. Australia’s mean temperature has risen by over 1°C since 1910, leading to an increase in the frequency of extreme heat events. Extreme heat can profoundly impact human health, infrastructure and the environment. Research conducted at the Bureau and elsewhere shows that climate change is impacting the intensity and frequency of extreme heat events. One way that the Bureau has responded to this challenge is by providing a forecast service specifically targeted at identifying heatwaves. The heatwave service identifies areas expected to be impacted by three or more consecutive days of unusually high maximum and minimum temperatures on a national map. The service has been developed with clear impact-based categories of heatwave severity. This heatwave service is now available operationally on the Bureau’s website during the heatwave season (nominally November to March) and is proving a valuable tool for engaging the community, including emergency services, with forecasts and warnings of extreme heat.
Linking pore network structure derived by microfocus X-ray CT to mass transport parameters in differently compacted loamy soils
Authors: Baniya Arjun , Kawamoto Ken , Hamamoto Shoichiro , Sakaki Toshihiro , Saito Takeshi , Müller Karin , Moldrup Per , Komatsu Toshiko
Published: July 2019

Mass transport in soil occurs through the soil pore network, which is highly influenced by pore structural parameters such as pore-size distribution, porosity, pore tortuosity, and coordination number. In this study, we visualised the networks of meso- and macro-pores (typical pore radius r ≥ 10 μm) using microfocus X-ray computed tomography (MFXCT) and evaluated pore structural parameters of two loamy soils from Japan and New Zealand packed at different degrees of compaction. The effect of compaction on pore structural parameters and relationships between pore structural parameters and measured mass transport parameters were examined. Results showed a clear influence of compaction on pore structural parameters, with the MFXCT-derived mean pore radii and pore tortuosities decreasing and the mean pore coordination number increasing with increasing dry bulk density. Especially, pores with r > 80 µm became finer or were not well formed due to compaction. The MFXCT-derived pore structural parameters were not well correlated with the equivalent pore radii from measured water retention curves. However, volumetric surface areas and pore-network connectivity-tortuosity factors derived from MFXCT allowed a fair prediction of several important mass transport parameters such as saturated hydraulic conductivities, soil-gas diffusion coefficients, and soil-air permeabilities. Further studies are needed to link micro-pores with radii smaller than the X-ray CT resolution to meso- and macro-pores visualised by X-ray CT to improve the prediction of mass transport parameters in soil.
The Relationship between Negative Trauma-Related Cognitions and Psychosocial Functioning in Veterans with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Alcohol use Disorder
Authors: Lyons Robert , Haller Moira , Curry Inga , Norman Sonya B.
Published: July 2019

Background

The comorbidity of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and alcohol use disorder (AUD) is highly prevalent and associated with especially poor psychosocial functioning. Negative trauma-related cognitions are theoretically proposed to be associated with poor psychosocial functioning in PTSD, but few studies have examined the association between negative trauma-related cognitions and psychosocial functioning in PTSD/AUD. Evaluating this association may provide evidence of a potential treatment target for improving psychosocial functioning in PTSD/AUD. We hypothesized that negative trauma-related cognitions, including cognitions about the self, world, and self-blame, would be independently associated with poor psychosocial functioning in the following domains: vitality, psychosocial well-being, role limitations due to emotional distress, and social functioning.

Methods

We examined the relationship between negative trauma-related cognitions and psychosocial functioning in 145 treatment-seeking veterans with PTSD/AUD using multiple linear regression analyses while controlling for PTSD and alcohol abuse and dependence severity.

Results

Our hypotheses were partially supported. We found that negative trauma-related cognitions were uniquely associated with greater psychosocial functional impairment, independent of PTSD and alcohol abuse and dependence severity. Specifically, negative trauma-related cognitions about the self were associated with greater psychosocial functional impairment across all domains, cognitions about the world were associated with worse social functioning and psychological well-being, and self-blame was associated with impaired psychological well-being.

Conclusions

Given that improvements in negative trauma-related cognitions are a mechanism of trauma-focused treatment, future studies should examine whether changes in negative trauma-related cognitions through trauma-focused treatment are associated with improved psychosocial functioning.
Article Commentary: Developing an Opioid Curriculum for Medical Students: A Consensus Report from a National Symposium
Authors: Wallace Paul M. , Warrier Sarita , Kahn Marc J. , Welsh Christopher , Fischer Melissa
Published: July 2019

In June 2018, the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University hosted a national, multidisciplinary, interprofessional symposium on opioid curricula in undergraduate medical education. This article presents the consensus of an interprofessional group who attended a session focused on elements of an opioid curriculum, including key areas of content, teaching modalities, and learner assessment. This report also includes further directions and next steps for undergraduate medical education collaboration on opioid curricula.
A Novel Approach to Improve the Collaborative Representation for Face Recognition
Authors: Jia YuJie , Deng JiaLu , Zhang Xu , Wang Qiong , Yan Shi
Published: July 2019

Collaborative representation based classification (CRC) codes a test sample as a linear combination of all the training samples. However, the recognition rate of CRC is not ideal when available training samples are insufficient, as the test sample cannot be accurately represented by limited training samples. In order to address this issue, we propose a novel idea of training samples fragmentation. First, all training samples are divided into two new training sample sets according to the similarity among them. Next, the test sample simultaneously uses the two new training sample sets to perform CRC, which ultimately uses 2M “nearest neighbors” from the two training sample sets to represent and classify the test sample. In addition, this method also takes advantages of a new fusion classification mechanism based on histogram similarity and Euclidean distance, which has been proven to perform better than Euclidean distance classification. The experimental results reveal that the proposed method performs better in face recognition compared with the most representation based classification methods.
Medical Data Sharing Model Based on Blockchain
Authors: Chen Wanghu , Mu Yuxiang , Liang Xiaoyan , Gao Yaqiong
Published: July 2019

In the traditional medical system, individual medical data is managed by hospitals rather than individual patients. It is difficult to exchange effectively with fragmented storage, and large amounts of data are difficult to realize their potential value. With the rapid development of medical informatization, centralized storage of fragmented medical data has been unable to meet the relevant needs of the medical industry. To solve the difficulty of sharing and the complexity of confirming rights in the medical system, this paper proposes a medical data sharing model based on blockchain. The model provides reliable storage with IPFS file system, uses Proxy re-encryption to realize data sharing and ensure data proprietary rights, and uses Token economic system to measure the contribution in the sharing process, which stimulates the enthusiasm of sharing. At last, based on the existing sharing problem of medical data, the paper shows the potential solution.
sEMG-based Endpoint Stiffness Estimation of Human Arm using Gene Expression Programming
Authors: Zainan Jiang , Fan Yang , Chongyang Li , Daxiang Liu , Chenliang Wang , Tianhui Li , Hong Liu
Published: July 2019

The endpoint stiffness of the human arm has been long recognized as a key factor in the smooth contact between humans and environment. And the endpoint stiffness of the human arm is highly correlated with the surface electromyography (sEMG) produced by the contraction of the muscles. In this paper, the Gene Expression Programming (GEP) Algorithm is proposed to estimate the endpoint stiffness of human arm based on sEMG. This paper improves the traditional decoding method of GEP. Instead of generating an expression tree, it is directly decoded by looking for the effective length of the gene. And experimental results show that nonlinear models such as GEP models in this paper have higher correlation and lower RMSE (root mean square error) than regression stiffness using linear regression models. Selecting different feature of EMG signals, the correlation coefficient and the root mean square error of the model is very different. For the GEP model in this paper, WPTSVD (Wavelet Package Transform Singular Value Decomposion) and WTSVD (Wavelet Transform Singular Value Decomposion) are selected as the feature of sEMG signals have high performances and the correlation can reach 57%±12.1%
An Improved K-Means Algorithm Based on Kurtosis Test
Authors: Wang Tingxuan , Gao Junyao
Published: July 2019

Clustering is a process of classifying data into different classes and has become an important tool in data mining. Among many clustering algorithms, the K-means clustering algorithm is widely used because of its simplicity and high efficiency. However, the traditional K-means algorithm can only find spherical clusters, and is also susceptible to noise points and isolated points, which makes the clustering results affected. To solve these problems, this paper proposes an improved K-means algorithm based on kurtosis test. The improved algorithm can improve the adaptability of clustering algorithm to complex shape datasets while reducing the impact of outlier data on clustering results, so that the algorithm results can be more accurate. The method used in our study is known as kurtosis test and Monte Carlo method. We validate our theoretical results in experiments on a variety of datasets. The experimental results show that the proposed algorithm has larger external indicators of clustering performance metrics, which means that the accuracy of clustering results is significantly improved.
Analysis and Research on Influencing Factors of Haze Weather
Authors: Lan Hua , Pan Yun
Published: July 2019

In recent years, the causes, prevention and control methods and prediction system of continuous haze weather have become the focus of social research.Taking the meteorological observation data of Hebei province as an example, this paper studies the influencing factors of continuous haze weather.Firstly, the improved TOPSIS algorithm is used to preprocess the data. Then, it combines the data mining methods such as hierarchical analysis and grey correlation analysis to carry out modeling analysis, and it is concluded that the particulate matter in the pollution source has the greatest impact on the haze weather. Moreover, as the aerodynamics factor affects the diffusion and aggregation of the haze pollution source, it is found that it has a linear influence on the formation of haze weather.Finally, through the current meteorological observation data, BP neural network is used to predict haze weather changes.A large number of experimental results show that, on the premise of allowing a certain error rate, the prediction effect of the BP neural network model is relatively accurate, and it also indicates that the formation of haze weather is closely related to the air quality index factor and meteorological index factor.
A Method for Determining Access Node of Microwave Relay Network Based on Genetic Algorithm
Authors: Qi Ji , Chen Kebin
Published: July 2019

In order to improve the deployment efficiency of the microwave relay network, a method for determining access node of microwave relay network based on genetic algorithm is proposed in this paper. System analysis of network structure characteristics, node attributes and deployment process, the access node deployment issues is transformed into continuous area location issues. After discretization the area, the set of candidate access nodes is obtained considering boundary points and boundary chords. Comparing the coverage set of each access node, the candidate set is de-redundancy. Then taking coverage ratio maximum and the deployment cost minimum as the optimization goal, the optimal set of access nodes is obtained from candidate set by using genetic algorithm. A case with 50 user terminals is simulated by our method. Results show that after de-redundancy and genetic algorithm calculation, the number of access nodes is optimized from 240 to 17, and only 9 user terminals are repeated covered by different access node.
An Improved Method for Calibration Between a 2D Lidar and a Camera Based on Point-Line Correspondences
Authors: Chu Xuepeng , Zhou Jun , Chen Li , Xu Xiaobin
Published: July 2019

The paper depicts an improved method for calibration parameters, which is a 2D homography, using point-line correspondences. The correspondences are the edge lines of the board provided by camera and the intersection points obtained by lidar. Particularly, a data preprocessing method is put forward and exploited to dramatically reduce the lidar’s measurement error. Afterwards, we use a triangular board to establish constraints. At least 8 correspondences are employed to compute the initial value, and the final result is optimized by L-M algorithm. Massive experimental results show that proposed method has about 1 pixel improvement, compared with the previous methods.