bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Survey on Subgraph Counting
Authors: Ribeiro Pedro , Paredes Pedro , Silva Miguel E. P. , Aparicio David , Silva Fernando
Published: March 2021

Computing subgraph frequencies is a fundamental task that lies at the core of several network analysis methodologies, such as network motifs and graphlet-based metrics, which have been widely used to categorize and compare networks from multiple domains. Counting subgraphs is, however, computationally very expensive, and there has been a large body of work on efficient algorithms and strategies to make subgraph counting feasible for larger subgraphs and networks.

This survey aims precisely to provide a comprehensive overview of the existing methods for subgraph counting. Our main contribution is a general and structured review of existing algorithms, classifying them on a set of key characteristics, highlighting their main similarities and differences. We identify and describe the main conceptual approaches, giving insight on their advantages and limitations, and we provide pointers to existing implementations. We initially focus on exact sequential algorithms, but we also do a thorough survey on approximate methodologies (with a trade-off between accuracy and execution time) and parallel strategies (that need to deal with an unbalanced search space).
A Survey on Trajectory Data Management, Analytics, and Learning
Authors: Wang Sheng , Bao Zhifeng , Culpepper J. Shane , Cong Gao
Published: March 2021

Recent advances in sensor and mobile devices have enabled an unprecedented increase in the availability and collection of urban trajectory data, thus increasing the demand for more efficient ways to manage and analyze the data being produced. In this survey, we comprehensively review recent research trends in trajectory data management, ranging from trajectory pre-processing, storage, common trajectory analytic tools, such as querying spatial-only and spatial-textual trajectory data, and trajectory clustering. We also explore four closely related analytical tasks commonly used with trajectory data in interactive or real-time processing. Deep trajectory learning is also reviewed for the first time. Finally, we outline the essential qualities that a trajectory data management system should possess to maximize flexibility.
Computed Tomography- (CT-) Based Virtual Surgery Planning for Spinal Intervertebral Foraminal Assisted Clinical Treatment
Authors: Li Hao , Wang Song , Tang Jinlong , Wu Jibin , Liu Yong
Published: March 2021

With the development of minimally invasive spine concepts and the introduction of new minimally invasive instruments, minimally invasive spine technology, represented by foraminoscopy, has flourished, and percutaneous foraminoscopy has become one of the most reliable minimally invasive procedures for the treatment of lumbar disc herniation. Percutaneous foraminoscopy is a safe and effective minimally invasive spinal endoscopic surgical technique. It fully protects the paravertebral muscles and soft tissues as well as the posterior column structure of the spine, provides precise treatment of the target nucleus pulposus tissue, with the advantages of less surgical trauma, fewer postoperative complications, and rapid postoperative recovery, and is widely promoted and used in clinical practice. In this paper, we can view the location, morphology, structure, alignment, and adjacency relationships by performing coronary, CT, and diagonal reconstruction along the attachment of the yellow ligaments and performing 3D reconstruction or processing techniques after performing CT scans. This allows clinicians to observe the laminoplasty and the stenosis of the vertebral canal in a more intuitive and overall manner. It has clinical significance for the display of the sublaminar spine as well as the physician’s judgment of the disease and the choice of surgery.
Existence and Uniqueness of Weak Solutions for Novel Anisotropic Nonlinear Diffusion Equations Related to Image Analysis
Authors: Tiarimti Alaoui Anas , Jourhmane Mostafa
Published: March 2021

This paper establishes the existence and uniqueness of weak solutions for the initial-boundary value problem of anisotropic nonlinear diffusion partial differential equations related to image processing and analysis. An implicit iterative method combined with a variational approach has been applied to construct approximate solutions for this problem. Then, under some a priori estimates and a monotonicity condition, the existence of unique weak solutions for this problem has been proven. This work has been complemented by a consistent and stable approximation scheme showing its great significance as an image restoration technique.
Side-Channel Leakage Detection with One-Way Analysis of Variance
Authors: Yang Wei , Jia Anni
Published: March 2021

Side-channel analysis (SCA) is usually used for security evaluation to test the side-channel vulnerability of a cryptographic device. However, in practice, an analyser may need to cope with enormous amounts of side-channel measurement data to extract valuable information for SCA. Under the circumstances, side-channel leakage detection can be used to identify leakage points which contain secret information and therefore improve the efficiency of security assessment. This investigation proposes a new black-box leakage detection approach on the basis of the one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). In accordance with the relevance between leakage points and inputs of a cryptographic algorithm, the proposed method divides side-channel samples into multiple classes and tests the difference among these classes by taking advantage of the one-way ANOVA. Afterwards, leakage points and nonleakage points can be distinguished by determining whether the null hypothesis is accepted. Further, we extend our proposed method to multichannel leakage detection. In particular, a new SCA attack with a

F

-statistic-based distinguisher is capable of developing if the input of the leakage detection approach is replaced by a sensitive intermediate variable. Practical experiments show the effectiveness of the proposed methods.
Molecular Epidemiology of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Clinical Isolates during 7.5 Years in One Regional Hospital in Israel
Authors: Cohen Regev , Paikin Svetlana , Finn Talya , Babushkin Frida , Anuka Einav , Baum Moti , Rokney Assaf
Published: March 2021

Background. The clonal repertoire of community-associated Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) strains appear to differ between hospitals and geographic locations. We aimed to study the molecular epidemiology of MRSA infections in our regional hospital in Israel. Methods. A retrospective analysis of MRSA isolates from hospitalized patients, which underwent spa typing between 2012 and 2019. Mainly, MRSA-bloodstream isolates were typed. Isolates were grouped into healthcare-associated (HcA) or community-associated (CA). HcA were further divided into hospital-related or long-term care facility- (LTCF-) related. Several representatives underwent SCCmec typing. Results. We analyzed 166 clinical MRSA isolates: 115 (70%) bloodstream, 42 (25%) wounds/abscesses, and 9 (5%) screening isolates. 145 (87%) were HcA, and 21 (13%) were CA. Common (72%) spa types were t002, t032, t008, t001, and t065. Eighty (55%) isolates were attributed to LTCFs and 65 isolates to our hospital, both showing similar spa types distribution. The most prevalent spa type among patients with HcA infection was t002 (50 isolates, 32%), followed by t032, t065, t578, t008, and t001. Most (88/115, 77%) bloodstream infections (BSIs) were HcA, typically occurring in the same facility in which the infection was acquired. In 27 cases (23%), the BSI developed in the community setting, and in half of these cases, a previous healthcare system exposure was evident. Conclusions. The MRSA clonal population in this longitudinal study was stable and consisted mainly of molecular lineages widespread in Europe. SCCmec-IV strains play a major role in causing MRSA infections in the healthcare settings, especially in LTCFs. Community-acquired MRSA BSIs without any previous healthcare exposure are still relatively rare.
Preoperative Noninvasive Mapping Allowed Targeted Concomitant Surgical Ablation and Revealed COVID-19 Infection
Authors: Mork Constantin , Koechlin Luca , Streif Matthias , Hollinger Alexa , Siegemund Martin , Eckstein Friedrich , Santer David
Published: March 2021

In March 2020, a 64-year-old female with mitral valve insufficiency and persistent atrial fibrillation underwent preoperative noninvasive mapping for developing an ablation strategy. In the computed tomography (CT) scan, typical signs of COVID-19 were described. Since the consecutive polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test was negative, the severely symptomatic patient was planned for urgent surgery. Noninvasive mapping showed that atrial fibrillation was maintained by left atrial structures and pulmonary veins only. On admission day, the preoperative routine COVID-19 PCR test was positive, and after recovery, uneventful mitral valve repair with cryoablation of the left atrium and pulmonary veins was performed. Our case describes the potential benefit of preoperative noninvasive mapping for the development of a surgical ablation strategy, as well as the challenges in managing urgent surgical patients during the COVID-19 pandemic and the corresponding diagnostic relevance of CT.
Extract of Aloe vera (Aloe barbadensis Miller) Enhances the Growth, Protein Contents, and Gastrosomatic Index (GaSI) of Common Carp Cyprinus carpio
Authors: Khanal Munu , Lamichhane Sirjana , Bhattarai Ajaya , Kayastha Babita Labh , Labh Shyam Narayan
Published: March 2021

Aquaculture is a growing agribusiness, and large-scale microbial infection frequently leads to considerable economic losses, as there are very few approved drugs available to counteract such a problem. Aloe vera is a natural therapeutic plant with biological activities, for example, antimicrobial, anticancer, mitigating, and immunomodulatory properties. Thus, an experiment was conducted to understand the effects of dietary Aloe vera on survival, growth performance, protein utilization, gastrosomatic index, and gut histomorphological studies in common carp in laboratory conditions. Aloe vera leaves were collected, washed, shade-dried, and homogenized to get a filtrate, which was extracted in ethanol (70%) using the Soxhlet apparatus. The carp with an average weight of 1.73 ± 0.14 g was divided randomly into 5 treatments (control and other 4 treated groups) with the extract of 0.0%, 0.2%, 0.4%, 0.8%, and 1.6% in the diet with 3 replicates and the stocking density was 25 fish per each replicate. Sampling was done on the 30th, 60th, and 90th days, and the results show that percent weight gain, specific growth rate, protein efficiency ratio, and feed conversion efficiency were significantly high in the treated diet compared to the control (0.0%). Gastrosomatic index, condition factors, and gut histology found better performance in common carp group fed 0.4% and 0.8% of Aloe vera after 90 days. In conclusion, it was found that Aloe vera extract between the amount of 0.4% and 0.8% is better for fish growth for common carp.
Effect of Acupuncture Stimulation of Hegu (LI4) and Taichong (LR3) on the Resting-State Networks in Alzheimer’s Disease: Beyond the Default Mode Network
Authors: Ji Shaozhen , Zhang Hao , Qin Wen , Liu Ming , Zheng Weimin , Han Ying , Song Haiqing , Li Kuncheng , Lu Jie , Wang Zhiqun
Published: March 2021

It was reported that acupuncture could treat Alzheimer’s disease (AD) with the potential mechanisms remaining unclear. The aim of the study is to explore the effect of the combination stimulus of Hegu (LI4) and Taichong (LR3) on the resting-state brain networks in AD, beyond the default network (DMN). Twenty-eight subjects including 14 AD patients and 14 healthy controls (HCs) matched by age, gender, and educational level were recruited in this study. After the baseline resting-state MRI scans, the manual acupuncture stimulation was performed for 3 minutes, and then, another 10 minutes of resting-state fMRI scans was acquired. In addition to the DMN, five other resting-state networks were identified by independent component analysis (ICA), including left frontal parietal network (lFPN), right frontal parietal network (rFPN), visual network (VN), sensorimotor network (SMN), and auditory network (AN). And the impaired connectivity in the lFPN, rFPN, SMN, and VN was found in AD patients compared with those in HCs. After acupuncture, significantly decreased connectivity in the right middle frontal gyrus (MFG) of rFPN (

P
=
0.007

) was identified in AD patients. However, reduced connectivity in the right inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) (

P
=
0.047

) and left superior frontal gyrus (SFG) (

P
=
0.041

) of lFPN and some regions of the SMN (the left inferior parietal lobula (

P
=
0.004

), left postcentral gyrus (PoCG) (

P
=
0.001

), right PoCG (

P
=
0.032

), and right MFG (

P
=
0.010

)) and the right MOG of VN (

P
=
0.003

) was indicated in HCs. In addition, after controlling for the effect of acupuncture on HCs, the functional connectivity of the right cerebellum crus I, left IFG, and left angular gyrus (AG) of lFPN showed to be decreased, while the left MFG of IFPN and the right lingual gyrus of VN increased in AD patients. These findings might have some reference values for the interpretation of the combination stimulus of Hegu (LI4) and Taichong (LR3) in AD patients, which could deepen our understanding of the potential mechanisms of acupuncture on AD.
Improving radiographic image contrast using multi layers of histogram equalization technique
Authors: F. Alkhalid Farah , Hasan Ahmed Mudher , Alhamady Ahmed A.
Published: March 2021

Usually, X-ray image has distortion in many parts because it is focusing on bones rather than other, However, when dentist needs to make decision analysis, he does that by using X-ray and many opinions can be judged by looking closely on it like (inflammation, infection, tooth nerve, root of the tooth…). This paper proposes on new suggested technique by applying multilayers of histogram equalization (HE) and contrast limited adaptive histogram equalization (CLAHE) in order to make high contrast of X-ray, this technique provides very satisfied results and smooth intensity which leads to high clear X-ray image, by using Python3 and OpenCV.
An improved fuzzy ant colony system for route selection based on real time traffic condition
Authors: Alfons Lisangan Erick , Coonery Sumarta Sean
Published: March 2021

With city conditions that often have congestion, a driver need to find a route of the many possible routes that may occur from origin to destination by considering several factors. The weaknesses of the ant algorithm is the dependency of required parameter values and must be set manually. This paper will make improvements to the fuzzy ant colony system (FACS) with minimize parameter dependency by using fuzzy logic to determine the probability of the next node visited by ants. There are four criteria or input variables for fuzzy inference system, that is “Pheromone Intensity”, “Distance”, “Vehicle Intensity”, and “Average Speed”. The routes generated by improved FACS (I-FACS) are more varied than the FACS algorithm. The best condition obtained by I-FACS was at point O/D= 112/34 where at 05:00, I-FACS was able to obtain the route with the best length compared to ACS and FACS. The result of the comparison of the route distance obtained shows that I-FACS is able to produce a better route by 4.16% than FACS by looking at the average distance difference on ACS. This method is expected to be a reference for the development of smart transportation in support of smart mobility, which is one of the components in the smart city concept.
Geometrical optic learning difficulties for Moroccan students during secondary/university transition
Authors: Nasser Naoual , El Khouzai El Mostapha , Zahidi Abdallah
Published: March 2021

To remedy the difficulties encountered by Moroccan students in geometrical optics during the transition from secondary to higher education and for an efficient education system, we propose this study to investigate the causes of these difficulties as well as their impact on the quality of the secondary/university transition, and come up with a remediation device to overcome them. For this survey, we adopted a mixed method to collect both qualitative and quantitative data. The research tools used are semi-directive interviews with thirty high school and university teachers; questionnaires and exercises were administered to 120 of first year university students. The results of this study revealed the persistence of difficulties in geometrical optics and particularly in geometric construction whose origins are attributed to the misrepresentations and low prerequisites among students as well as a break in the curriculum and teaching methods during the transition from secondary to higher education.
Identifying of emotional quotient junior high school students in mathematics
Authors: Syaiful Syaiful , Kamid Kamid , Huda Nizlel
Published: March 2021

This study aimed to determine the emotional intelligence of junior high school students, especially in managing emotions, recognizing emotions, and motivating themselves. This was quantitative study with survey design. There were 102 respondents participated in this research that were obtained based on purposive technique. The instruments used in this study were questionnaires and semi-structured interviews and data analysis using descriptive statistics, including mean, min, max, categorization, and percentage. From the results of the investigation that has been done, it is found that there is emotional intelligence of students in mathematics which is shown by the aspect of recognizing emotions which has a suitable category of 61.8% (63 of 102) students, the issue of managing emotions has an appropriate category of 53.9% (56 out of 102) students. The self-motivation aspect has a suitable category of 60.8% (62 out of 102) students. Students need to be allowed to develop direct experiences and thoughts on learning activities.
Validating the teaching, learning, and assessment quality of Malaysian ECCE instrument
Authors: Ahmad Hishamuddin , Mamat Nordin , Che Mustafa Mazlina , Iryani Mohd Yusoff Syahida
Published: March 2021

Several instruments that measure the teaching, learning, and assessment quality have been developed and published. However, a psychometrically sound instrument to measure teaching, learning, and assessment quality in early childhood care and education that suitable for the Malaysian context needs to be validated. Therefore, this study aimed to validate on teaching, learning, and assessment quality in early childhood care and education instrument, which contains 68 items. The sample comprised 3,498, selected by stratified random sampling from a population of all Malaysian kindergarten teachers. Data were analyzed based on the Polytomous Item Response Theory (IRT) using the Xcalibre software. Samejima's Graded Rating Model (SRGM) was found to be the fit model with the data. Unidimensionality assumption and local independence were tested using the exploratory factor analysis and were fulfilled. The instrument’s reliability was overall very good (α=0.966) and the construct validity was also fairly fulfilled with the value of 58.17% total variance explained. Therefore, this instrument is suggested to be used as fairly to measure the quality of Malaysian early childhood care and education among teachers so that appropriate follow-up actions can be implemented towards the betterment of early childhood education quality.
Recurrence relation and DNA sequence: A state-of-art technique for secret sharing
Authors: Bhowmik Anirban , Karforma Sunil , Dey Joydeep
Published: March 2021

During the transmission over the Internet, protection of data and information is an important issue. Efficient cryptographic techniques are used for protection but everything depends on the encryption key and robustness of encryption algorithm. Threshold cryptography provides the development of reliable and strong encryption and key management machine which can reconstruct the message even in the case of destruction of some particular numbers of shares and at the opposite the data cannot be reconstructed unless an allowable set of shares are been gathered. The earlier techniques available in literature result in high computational complexity in the course of both sharing and reconstructing of message. Our method employs a brand new easy protecting technique based totally on unit matrix. The simple AND operation is used for percentage generation and reconstruction can be finished by way of easy ORing the stocks with threshold cost. We are proposing a sharing approach in conjunction with conventional cryptography technique for key control to make the key greater sturdy and for encryption we have used a session key the use of the idea of recurrence relation and DNA series Different types of experimental results confirm authenticity, confidentiality, integrity and acceptance of our technique.
Accuracy of the Informant Questionnaire on Cognitive Decline in the Elderly for Detecting Preexisting Dementia in Transient Ischemic Attack and Stroke
Authors: van Nieuwkerk Astrid C. , Pendlebury Sarah T. , Rothwell Peter M. ,   for the Oxford Vascular Study
Published: March 2021

Background and Purpose:

Prestroke dementia prevalence is high and impacts outcome. Although the IQCODE (Informant Questionnaire on Cognitive Decline in the Elderly) is being used to assess prestroke cognition, data on its validity for prestroke dementia are lacking. We studied the accuracy of the short-form (16-item) IQCODE for pre-event dementia in a population-based study of all transient ischemic attack (TIA)/stroke.

Methods:

All patients with TIA/stroke in a defined population of ≈92 720 (Oxford Vascular Study, 2002–2017) with IQCODE were included. IQCODE questionnaires were given to participants at baseline interview with instructions to pass to an informant for completion and return by post. Diagnosis of pre-event dementia was defined as prior diagnosis of dementia, or dementia by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-IV criteria on study interview and hand-searching of the entire medical record blinded to IQCODE. Reliability of the IQCODE for dementia was determined by the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, sensitivity and specificity, stratified by age, event severity, and first-ever stroke.

Results:

Among 2059 interviewed survivors, IQCODE were returned in 1068 (mean age/SD=72.9/12.3, 47% TIA, 52.3% male, 68 [6.4%] pre-event dementia). Area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for IQCODE for pre-event dementia was 0.94 (95% CI, 0.90–0.97,
P
<0.001) with similar results by age: 0.92, 0.88 to 0.96, <65 years; 0.94, 0.83 to 1.00, 65 to 74 years; 0.95, 0.92 to 0.99, 75 to 84 years; 0.89, 0.82 to 0.96, ≥85 years. The optimal cutoff score overall was >3.48 (sensitivity=89.7%; specificity=84.2%) but was nonsignificantly higher for major stroke (National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score ≥3) than minor stroke/TIA (>3.85 versus >3.47). Performance was similar in patients with first-ever stroke (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, 0.92 [0.88–0.97]; sensitivity=85.7%; specificity=84.8% for cutoff >3.48). All 16-IQCODE questions discriminated between dementia and no dementia (all
P
<0.001) with the greatest differences seen for finances, using gadgets, arithmetic, and learning new things.

Conclusions:

IQCODE has excellent accuracy for detecting preexisting dementia in TIA and stroke with the pattern of deficits suggesting prominent executive dysfunction.
Religious Foundation of Morality and Religiousness of Moral Practice: Kant and Confucianism
Authors: Cheng Chung-Ying
Published: March 2021

Kant has attempted to develop a foundation of his metaphysics of morals and this foundation ultimately turns out to be a religious one. Consequently, the question for Kant is whether morality also provides a practical foundation for independent religious faith. In contrast, we see Confucianism as providing a system of morality which has its own religiousness or sense of ultimateness in terms of a robust form of moral life and its practice of li 禮 (proprieties/ritual) and reflective thinking on humanity. In this article, I wish to present these two forms of moral thinking which can be respectively titled moral theology and onto-ethics. A relative evaluation shows how a world morality could be consistent or justified within one’s own religious tradition and yet can be and should be open to a common people humanity we experience as couched in an open cosmos we observe.
Daoist Ci 慈, Feminist Ethics of Care, and the Dilemma of Nature
Authors: Pang-White Ann A.
Published: March 2021

In recent discussion on comparative ethics, extensive scholarship has been devoted to a comparative study of Confucian ren 仁(often translated as humaneness or benevolence) and feminist ethics of care, while such cross-cultural study on the Daoist concept of ci 慈 (customarily translated as compassion) and its intersection with care ethics has been lacking. This paper explores the reasons and concludes that Daoists do care. However, their conception of care goes beyond the Confucian ren and pure care ethics or even counter-opposes them so as to bring forward the true meaning of care. Daoist care is a powerful tool in our approach to ecology.
Musical Metaphors in Chinese Aesthetics
Authors: Park So-Jeong
Published: March 2021

According to the conceptual metaphor theory, a metaphor is not just a rhetorical device but rather a fundamental conceptual framework operating at the level of thinking. When one describes a painting as “musically moving” or “melodious,” one transfers a conceptual framework of music from its typical domain into a new domain where neither musical movement nor melody takes place. In this light, the extensive use of musical metaphors based on qì-dynamics such as “rhythmic vitality” or “literary vitality” for art criticism in early China can be deemed as conceptual mappings between music and other arts. Also, musical metaphors in Chinese aesthetics evidently work as guiding principles in individual art theories.
Human Smuggling from Wollo, Ethiopia to Saudi Arabia: Askoblay Criminals or Enablers of Dreams?
Authors: Adugna Fekadu , Deshingkar Priya , Atnafu Adamnesh
Published: March 2021

Sensationalist accounts of human smuggling from Ethiopia towards Saudi Arabia allege that operations are controlled by criminal networks who converge in a variety of illegal markets posing a threat to national security. Such convergence narratives construct Ethiopian human smuggling as an organized criminal business that extracts profits from and inflicts violence on vulnerable people seeking a clandestine passage to work in the Gulf States. Our ethnographic research in Wollo, Ethiopia, challenges these narratives by showing that smuggling networks are developed through personalised relationships, based on co-ethnic bonds rather than extended and complex criminal networks. Smuggling has emerged in a particular context of surveillance and enforcement and the motives of smugglers are complex, making simple characterizations difficult. Smuggling is enabled by ethnic links on either side of the border where earnings from facilitation boost incomes in an otherwise impoverished context.
Coordinated Mobility: Disrupting Narratives of Convergence in the Irregular Migration of Youth from the Gaza Strip
Authors: Procter Caitlin
Published: March 2021

This article confronts the assumption that when irregular migration takes place in a context deemed to be terrorist, the two converge. The analysis is drawn from ethnographic fieldwork with young people engaged in the process of irregular migration from the Gaza Strip in occupied Palestine – a place often described as the largest open-air prison in the world. By analysing the process through which young people “coordinate” their movement out of Gaza, and their primary motivations for doing so, the article disrupts the idea of an incumbent criminal convergence of terrorism, irregular migration and human smuggling. It contributes to the growing literature which argues that, rather than operating with or through organized terrorist or criminal networks, the facilitation of irregular migration draws on improvised praxis. In the case of Gaza, it is also undertaken by youth in protest of the status quo of over twelve years of Israeli-Egyptian blockade of the Gaza strip, and the rule of the Hamas authority throughout this period. By attending to the experiences of youth in Gaza, the article explains the layers of economic and political agency that enable mobility in what is typically considered to be a highly immobile context.
An evaluation of size-resolved cloud microphysics scheme numerics for use with radar observations Part II: Condensation and evaporation
Authors: Lee Hyunho , Fridlind Ann M. , Ackerman Andrew S.
Published: March 2021

Accurate numerical modeling of clouds and precipitation is essential for weather forecasting and climate change research. While size-resolved (bin) cloud microphysics models predict particle size distributions without imposing shapes, results are subject to artificial size distribution broadening owing to numerical diffusion associated with various processes. Whereas Part 1 addressed collision-coalescence, here we investigate numerical diffusion that occurs in solving condensation and evaporation. In a parcel model framework, all of the numerical schemes examined converge to one solution of condensation and evaporation as the mass grid is refined, and the advection-based schemes are recommended over the reassigning schemes. Including Eulerian vertical advection in a column limits the convergence to some extent, but that limitation occurs at a sufficiently fine mass grid, and the number of iterations in solving vertical advection should be minimized to reduce numerical diffusion. Insubstantial numerical diffusion in solving condensation can be amplified if collision-coalescence is also active, which in turn can be substantially diminished if turbulence effects on collision are incorporated. Large-eddy simulations of a drizzling stratocumulus field reveal that changes in moments of Doppler spectra obtained using different mass grids are consistent with those obtained from the simplified framework, and that spectral moments obtained using a mass grid designed to effectively reduce numerical diffusion are generally closer to observations. Notable differences between the simulations and observations still exist, and our results suggest a need to consider whether factors other than numerical diffusion in the fundamental process schemes employed can cause such differences.
Remdesivir
Authors: Levien Terri L. , Baker Danial E.
Published: March 2021

Each month, subscribers to The Formulary Monograph Service receive 5 to 6 well-documented monographs on drugs that are newly released or are in late phase 3 trials. The monographs are targeted to Pharmacy & Therapeutics Committees. Subscribers also receive monthly 1-page summary monographs on agents that are useful for agendas and pharmacy/nursing in-services. A comprehensive target drug utilization evaluation/medication use evaluation (DUE/MUE) is also provided each month. With a subscription, the monographs are available online to subscribers. Monographs can be customized to meet the needs of a facility. Through the cooperation of The Formulary, Hospital Pharmacy publishes selected reviews in this column. For more information about The Formulary Monograph Service, contact Wolters Kluwer customer service at 866-397-3433.
Columbia University Master of Public Health Core Curriculum: Implementation, Student Experience, and Learning Outcomes, 2013-2018
Authors: Garbers Samantha , March Dana , Kornfeld Julie , Baumgartner Sabrina R. , Wiggin Maggie , Westley Lauren A. , Ballesteros-Gonzalez Diana , Delva Marlyn , Fried Linda P.
Published: March 2021

Objectives:

Public health education must respond to 21st-century public health challenges in an ever-evolving landscape. We describe implementation and educational outcomes of the Columbia University Master of Public Health (MPH) Core (hereinafter, Core) curriculum since its inception.

Methods

This retrospective evaluation combined 6 years (2013-2018) of student survey data collected from students (N = 1902) on the structure and delivery of the Core curriculum to quantify implementation, student experience, and learning outcomes, both during study (Core Evaluation Survey [CES]) and after graduation (Graduate Exit Survey [GES]). We used χ2 tests and analysis of variance to compare outcomes across years, and we used McNemar tests to compare differences in outcomes from the same students at different time points.

Results

Of 1902 respondents to the CES, 1795 (94.4%) completed the Core curriculum. During the study period, 81.7% of students were able to integrate concepts across Core curriculum modules with ease; postgraduation, a similar proportion of respondents were able to apply Core curriculum content to departmental and certificate coursework and applied field experiences. On-time graduation rates were high (range, 85%-93%).

Conclusions:

The high percentage of students who reported their ability to integrate concepts and who completed the Core during the study period likely reflected changes to teaching team structures, training, attention to inclusion and equity, and collaboration to implement active learning strategies. The Core curriculum meets its intended goals by providing critical learning abilities to support ongoing interdisciplinary work.
Evolving convolutional neural network parameters through the genetic algorithm for the breast cancer classification problem
Authors: Davoudi Khatereh , Thulasiraman Parimala
Published: March 2021

Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer and the leading cause of cancer mortality in women around the world. However, it can be controlled effectively by early diagnosis, followed by effective treatment. Clinical specialists take the advantages of computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) systems to make their diagnosis as accurate as possible. Deep learning techniques, such as the convolutional neural network (CNN), due to their classification capabilities on learned feature methods and ability of working with complex images, have been widely adopted in CAD systems. The parameters of the network, including the weights of the convolution filters and the weights of the fully connected layers, play a crucial role in the classification accuracy of any CNN model. The back-propagation technique is the most frequently used approach for training the CNN. However, this technique has some disadvantages, such as getting stuck in local minima. In this study, we propose to optimize the weights of the CNN using the genetic algorithm (GA). The work consists of designing a CNN model to facilitate the classification process, training the model using three different optimizers (mini-batch gradient descent, Adam, and GA), and evaluating the model through various experiments on the BreakHis dataset. We show that the CNN model trained through the GA performs as well as the Adam optimizer with a classification accuracy of 85%.
‘Under attack’: Responsibility, crisis and survival anxiety amongst manager-academics in UK universities
Authors: Loveday Vik
Published: March 2021

Based on a small-scale qualitative study, the article explores the perceptions of manager-academics on the state of the UK’s higher education sector. Universities have been undergoing a process of marketisation for some time now, but recent changes to the regulation and audit of their activities – as well as uncertainty engendered by broader events – arguably make this a turbulent period for the sector. Despite a growing body of critical work on academic labour in the ‘neoliberalising’ university, the management of these institutions remains an under-researched subject. The article considers perceptions of crisis and responsibility amongst a group of manager-academics who conceive the sector as being ‘under attack’, before exploring the relationship of ‘survival anxiety’ to audit, metrics and rankings. The article concludes by considering why the perceptions of senior academic managers matter for the future of universities.
The Association between Hospital-Physician Vertical Integration and Outpatient Physician Prices Paid by Commercial Insurers: New Evidence
Authors: Godwin James , Arnold Daniel R. , Fulton Brent D. , Scheffler Richard M.
Published: March 2021

This study assessed the relationship between hospital ownership of physician organizations (known as hospital-physician vertical integration) and facility fees billed to commercial insurers and physician service prices. Healthcare claims came from the IBM® MarketScan® Commercial Database (2012-2016, N = 30,716,800 office visit claims [CPT codes 99211-99215]), and hospital-physician vertical integration measures were from SK&A Office Based Physicians Database provided by IQVIA. Multi-variate, fixed-effect models were used to regress prices on market-level hospital-physician vertical integration; models included geographic market and year fixed effects, claim-level variables, and time-varying market-level variables. Analyses did not find that market-level hospital-physician vertical integration was associated with the billing of facility fees for office visits. However, vertical integration was associated with office visit physician prices for some specialties. A 10-percentage-point increase in vertical integration was associated with a 1.0% price increase for primary care, a 0.6% increase for orthopedics, and a 0.5% increase for cardiology; no such association was found for obstetrics/gynecology or oncology. When comparing metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) in the bottom quartile of changes in vertical integration from 2012 to 2016 to MSAs in the top quartile, we found the following relative price increases based on predicted values for claims in the top quartile: $1.64 (1.9% of mean 2012 predicted price) for primary care to $2.30 (3.1%) for orthopedics to $3.13 (3.4%) for cardiology. Differences in predicted price accounted for an estimated $45.8 million in additional expenditure on primary care office visits in the top quartile of MSAs in 2016. In summary, market-level hospital-physician vertical integration was positively associated with physician prices for select specialties, but was not associated with changes in the use of facility-fee billing. More evidence on the quality effects of hospital-physician vertical integration is needed, as price increases that are not accompanied by measurable quality improvements should be part of any regulatory review.
Multiple Logics: How Staff in Relapse Prevention Interpellate People With Substance Use Problems
Authors: Ekendahl Mats , Karlsson Patrik
Published: March 2021

This study analyzes how staff in Swedish alcohol and other drug (AoD) treatment interpellate service users as people who can benefit from relapse prevention. Relapse prevention is a widely used intervention. Research is scarce, however, on how relapse prevention is practiced locally and how treatment staff perceive the relationship between AoD use as a problem and relapse prevention as a solution. Drawing on Actor-Network Theory and critical studies of AoD issues within this tradition, we elucidate how staff through specific interpellative logics enact service users, their individual characteristics, and living conditions. The data derive from interviews with 18 professionals working with assessment, counseling, case-management, therapy, and healthcare at AoD treatment agencies in the Stockholm region. The results show that the participants drew on four interpellative logics, and thereby enacted service users as four different object types. Region and network logics pinpointed that individuals have stable observable characteristics that determine their problems and eligibility for treatment (e.g., living conditions, diagnoses). Fluid and fire logics emphasized that their characteristics also vary depending on context and can be present and absent at the same time (e.g., harms, agency). This flexible interpellation of service users echoes the tendency among treatment staff to embrace sometimes irreconcilable understandings of AoD problems and to enact multiple realities of addiction. This suits a professional field where many factors are thought to cause and help resolve problems, but where the treatment supply is often limited to specific interventions. We conclude that it is easier to create a reasonable match between the service delivered and the potential service user if the characteristics of the latter are considered diverse and flickering. This exemplifies Carol Bacchi’s tenet that problem representations are adjusted to fit the solution at hand.
Policy Learning and Criminal Justice Reform in the U.S. States
Authors: Percival Garrick L.
Published: March 2021

This article investigates criminal justice reform in the U.S. states through a policy learning framework. A comparative case study of reform in Texas and California reveals a policy learning process conditioned by each state’s political environment. Republicans in Texas embraced reform after conservative policy entrepreneurs framed the issue in a manner that matched lawmakers’ core ideological beliefs. Republicans received no such messages in California. With few electoral incentives to support reform, Republicans in California demonstrated little interest in learning from the policy experiences of co-partisans in earlier adopting states. Overall, the analysis shows how policy learning shapes Republicans’ relative support for criminal justice reform and the dynamic ways Republican leadership on the issue helps facilitate state policy adoption.
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Symptom Cluster Composition, Associated Factors, and Methodologies: A Systematic Review
Authors: Fei Fei , Koffman Jonathan , Zhang Xiaohan , Gao Wei
Published: March 2021

This systematic review details symptom clusters, their compositions, and associated factors and appraises the methodologies of studies that reported symptom clusters in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Ten studies were eligible for inclusion in this study. Four common symptom clusters were identified. Two theoretical frameworks, four statistical methods, and various symptom assessment tools were used to identify symptom clusters. Factors associated with symptom clusters included demographic, clinical, and biological factors. No studies examined the subjective experiences of symptom clusters. Overall, inconsistencies were identified in the composition of symptom clusters across studies. This may be due to variations in study design, assessment tools, and statistical methods. Future studies should attempt to arrive at a common definition, especially that is theoretically derived, for symptom clusters, standardize the criteria for symptoms for inclusion in the clusters, and focus on patients’ subjective experience to inform which clusters are clinically relevant.
ECMO combined with prone positioning strategies in COVID-19 respiratory distress syndrome
Authors: Xu Yue , Chou Yueh-ting , Wei Xin-guang , Zhang Shan-feng , Jiang Feng , Liu Yan
Published: March 2021

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has already become a global pandemic as a public health emergency of international concern. Previous evidence from similar patient populations proved that carefully selected patients with severe ARDS who did not benefit from conventional treatment might be successfully supported with Veno-Venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (V-V ECMO). We now share the case reports of COVID-19 patients with ECMO combined prone position strategies.
Silencing of peroxiredoxin 1 expression ameliorates ulcerative colitis in a rat model
Authors: Wu Na , Du Xinchong , Peng Zhao , Zhang Zetian , Cui Lijun , Li Duo , Wang Rui , Ma Maoyuan
Published: March 2021

Background

Peroxiredoxin 1 (PRDX1), a protein with anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic properties, shows elevated expression in ulcerative colitis (UC). However, PRDX1's specific role in UC is poorly understood.

Methods

UC was induced in rats using dextran sulfate sodium (DSS). In vivo RNA interference was used to silence the PRDX1 expression. PRDX1 expression levels and the inflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, transforming growth factor (TGF)-β and interferon (IFN)-γ in tissues were assessed by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blotting. Colonic injury was assessed by hematoxylin–eosin staining. ELISA was used to assess levels of the inflammatory cytokines TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6 in colon tissues. Apoptosis of intestinal epithelial cells was assessed by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling, and expression of the apoptotic proteins bcl-2, Bax, cleaved caspase-3 and caspase-3 was assessed by western blotting.

Results

PRDX1 expression was significantly increased in rats with DSS-induced UC. Silencing of PRDX1 expression improved colon injury in rats with DSS-induced UC. In addition, silencing of PRDX1 expression inhibited inflammatory responses and apoptosis of intestinal epithelial cells in rats with DSS-induced UC.

Conclusions

Silencing of PRDX1 expression can ameliorate colon injury in rats with DSS-induced UC.
Comparing Echo-Detection and Echo-Localization in Sighted Individuals
Authors: Tirado Carlos , Gerdfeldter Billy , Kärnekull Stina C. , Nilsson Mats E.
Published: March 2021

Echolocation is the ability to gather information from sound reflections. Most previous studies have focused on the ability to detect sound reflections, others on the ability to localize sound reflections, but no previous study has compared the two abilities in the same individuals. Our study compared echo-detection (reflecting object present or not?) and echo-localization (reflecting object to the left or right?) in 10 inexperienced sighted participants across 10 distances (1–4.25 m) to the reflecting object, using an automated system for studying human echolocation. There were substantial individual differences, particularly in the performance on the echo-localization task. However, most participants performed better on the detection than the localization task, in particular at the closest distances (1 and 1.7 m), illustrating that it sometimes may be hard to perceive whether an audible reflection came from the left or right.
Sustainable alternatives for by-products derived from industrial mussel processing: A critical review
Authors: Medina Uzcátegui Luis U , Vergara Karina , Martínez Bordes Gabriela
Published: March 2021

The industrial mussel processing generates significant quantities of waste. Nearly 30% of one metric tonne of processed mussel is finally destined for human consumption. Regardless of the mussel commodities, an important quantity of waste is concentrated at several sub-processes, such as input reception, washing and declumping shells, and mussel meat extraction stages, or by means of the rejection of mussels only due to a size characteristic criterion established by the target market. Despite the main segregated waste comprising shells, byssus threads, residual meat and wastewater, a heterogeneous composition must be taken into account, since much of the solid waste is commonly gathered and compacted for landfill transportation purposes. This paper reviews the sustainable management strategies for mussel by-products, addressing their limitations for an industrial implementation to obtain value-added products. It is concluded that, although there is a well-known diversity of waste sustainable management alternatives, several proposed products (e.g., collagen, bio-adhesives, biopolymer, and adsorbent for pollutants) still remain in a potential framework, circumscribed into laboratory results, subject to an optimization process, to a validation by industrial pre-scale trials, or even limited by the associated production costs. Future researches should focus on reducing the uncertainties linked with their technical–economic feasibility for an industrial scale development.