bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Observational appearance of rapidly rotating neutron stars
Authors: Suleimanov Valery F. , Poutanen Juri , Werner Klaus
Published: May 2020

Neutron stars (NSs) in low-mass X-ray binaries rotate at frequencies high enough to significantly deviate from sphericity (ν*∼ 200–600 Hz). First, we investigate the effects of rapid rotation on the observational appearance of a NS. We propose analytical formulae relating gravitational mass and equatorial radius of the rapidly rotating NS to the massMand radiusRof a non-rotating NS of the same baryonic mass using accurate fully relativistic computations. We assume that the NS surface emission is described by the Planck function with two different emission patterns: the isotropic intensity and that corresponding to the electron-scattering dominated atmosphere. For these two cases we compute spectra from an oblate rotating NS observed at different inclination angles using the modified oblate Schwarzschild approximation, where light bending is computed in Schwarzschild metric, but frame dragging and quadrupole moment of a NS are approximately accounted for in the photon redshift calculations. In particular, we determine the solid angle at which a rotating NS is seen by a distant observer, the observed colour temperature and the blackbody normalization. Then, we investigate how rapid rotation affects the results of NS radius determination using the cooling tail method applied to the X-ray burst spectral evolution. We approximate the local spectra from the NS surface by a diluted blackbody with the luminosity-dependent dilution factor using previously computed NS atmosphere models. We then generalize the cooling tail method to the case of a rapidly rotating NS to obtain the most probable values ofMandRof the corresponding non-rotating NS with the same baryonic mass. We show that the NS radius could be overestimated by 3–3.5 km for face-on stars ofR ≈ 11 km rotating atν*= 700 Hz if the version of the cooling tail method for a non-rotating NS is used. We apply the method to an X-ray burst observed from the NS rotating atν* ≈ 532 Hz in SAX J1810.8−2609. The resulting radius of the non-rotating NS (assumingM = 1.5M⊙) becomes 11.8 ± 0.5 km if it is viewed at inclinationi = 60° andR = 11.2 ± 0.5 km for a face-on view, which are smaller by 0.6 and 1.2 km than the radius obtained using standard cooling tail method ignoring rotation. The corresponding equatorial radii of these rapidly rotating NSs are 12.3 ± 0.6 km (fori = 60°) and 11.6 ± 0.6 km (fori = 0°).
Dust clearing by radial drift in evolving protoplanetary discs
Authors: Appelgren Johan , Lambrechts Michiel , Johansen Anders
Published: May 2020

Recent surveys have revealed that protoplanetary discs typically have dust masses that appear to be insufficient to account for the high occurrence rate of exoplanet systems. We demonstrate that this observed dust depletion is consistent with the radial drift of pebbles. Using a Monte Carlo method we simulate the evolution of a cluster of protoplanetary discs using a 1D numerical method to viscously evolve each gas disc together with the radial drift of dust particles that have grown to 100 μm in size. For a 2 Myr-old cluster of stars, we find a slightly sublinear scaling between the gas disc mass and the gas accretion rate (Mg ∝ Ṁ0.9). However, for the dust mass we find that evolved dust discs have a much weaker scaling with the gas accretion rate, with the precise scaling depending on the age at which the cluster is sampled and the intrinsic age spread of the discs in the cluster. Ultimately, we find that the dust mass present in protoplanetary discs is on the order of 10–100 M⊕ in 1–3 Myr-old star-forming regions, a factor of 10–100 depleted from the original dust budget. As the dust drains from the outer disc, pebbles pile up in the inner disc and locally increase the dust-to-gas ratio by up to a factor of four above the initial value. In these regions of high dust-to-gas ratio we find conditions that are favourable for planetesimal formation via the streaming instability and subsequent growth by pebble accretion. We also find the following scaling relations with stellar mass within a 1–2 Myr-old cluster: a slightly super-linear scaling between the gas accretion rate and stellar mass (Ṁ ∝ M⋆1.4), a slightly super-linear scaling between the gas disc mass and the stellar mass (Mg ∝ M⋆1.4), and a super-linear relation between the dust disc mass and stellar mass (Md ∝ M⋆1.4−4.1).
The IACOB project
Authors: Holgado G. , Simón-Díaz S. , Haemmerlé L. , Lennon D. J. , Barbá R. H. , Cerviño M. , Castro N. , Herrero A. , Meynet G. , Arias J. I.
Published: May 2020

Context. The apparent lack of massive O-type stars near the zero-age main sequence, or ZAMS (at ages <2 Myr), is a topic that has been widely discussed in the past 40 yr. Different explanations for the elusive detection of these young massive stars have been proposed from the observational and theoretical side, but no firm conclusions have been reached yet.

Aims. We reassess this empirical result here, benefiting from the high-quality spectroscopic observations of (more than 400) Galactic O-type stars gathered by the IACOB and OWN surveys.

Methods. We used effective temperatures and surface gravities resulting from a homogeneous semi-automatized IACOB-GBAT/FASTWIND spectroscopic analysis to locate our sample of stars in the Kiel and spectroscopic Hertzsprung-Russell (sHR) diagrams. We evaluated the completeness of our magnitude-limited sample of stars as well as potential observational biases affecting the compiled sample using information from the Galactic O star catalog. We discuss limitations and possible systematics of our analysis method, and compare our results with other recent studies using smaller samples of Galactic O-type stars. We mainly base our discussion on the distribution of stars in the sHR diagram in order to avoid the use of still uncertain distances to most of the stars in our sample. However, we also performed a more detailed study of the young cluster Trumpler-14 as an illustrative example of how Gaia cluster distances can help to construct the associated classical HR diagram.

Results. We find that the apparent lack of massive O-type stars near the ZAMS with initial evolutionary masses in the range between ≈30 and 70 M⊙ still persist even when spectroscopic results from a large non-biased sample of stars are used. We do not find any correlation between the dearth of stars close to the ZAMS and obvious observational biases, limitations of our analysis method, and/or the use of one example spectroscopic HR diagram instead of the classical HR diagram. Finally, by investigating the effect of the efficiency of mass accretion during the formation process of massive stars, we conclude that an adjustment of the mass accretion rate towards lower values than canonically assumed might reconcile the hotter boundary of the empirical distribution of optically detected O-type stars in the spectroscopic HR diagram and the theoretical birthline for stars with masses above ≈30 M⊙. Last, we also discuss how the presence of a small sample of O2-O3.5 stars found much closer to the ZAMS than the main distribution of Galactic O-type star might be explained in the context of this scenario when the effect of nonstandard star evolution (e.g. binary interaction, mergers, and/or homogeneous evolution) is taken into account.
Evidence for a rapid decrease of Pluto’s atmospheric pressure revealed by a stellar occultation in 2019
Authors: Arimatsu K. , Hashimoto G. L. , Kagitani M. , Sakanoi T. , Kasaba Y. , Ohsawa R. , Urakawa S.
Published: May 2020

We report observations of a stellar occultation by Pluto on 2019 July 17. A single-chord high-speed (time resolution = 2 s) photometry dataset was obtained with a CMOS camera mounted on the Tohoku University 60 cm telescope (Haleakala, Hawaii). The occultation light curve is satisfactorily fitted to an existing atmospheric model of Pluto. We find the lowest pressure value at a reference radius of r = 1215 km among those reported after 2012. These reports indicate a possible rapid (approximately 21−5+4% of the previous value) pressure drop between 2016, which is the latest reported estimate, and 2019. However, this drop is detected at a 2.4σ level only and still requires confirmation from future observations. If real, this trend is opposite from the monotonic increase of Pluto’s atmospheric pressure reported by previous studies. The observed decrease trend is possibly caused by ongoing N2 condensation processes in the Sputnik Planitia glacier associated with an orbitally driven decline of solar insolation, as predicted by previous theoretical models. However, the observed amplitude of the pressure decrease is larger than the model predictions.
Processes and deformation rates generating seismicity in metropolitan France and conterminous Western Europe
Authors: Mazzotti Stéphane , Jomard Hervé , Masson Frédéric
Published: May 2020

Most of metropolitan France and conterminous Western Europe is currently located within the Eurasia intraplate domain, far from major plate boundaries (the Atlantic ridge and Nubia – Eurasia convergence zone). As in other intraplate regions, present-day deformation and seismicity rates are very slow, resulting in limited data and strong uncertainties on the ongoing seismotectonics and seismic hazards. In the last two decades, new geological, seismological and geodetic data and research have brought to light unexpected deformation patterns in metropolitan France, such as orogen-normal extensionca.0.5 mm yr−1in the Pyrenees and Western Alps that cannot be associated with their mountain-building history. Elsewhere, present-day deformation and seismicity data provide a partial picture that points to mostly extensive to strike-slip deformation regimes (except in the Western Alps foreland). A review of the numerous studies and observations shows that plate tectonics (plate motion, mantle convection) are not the sole, nor likely the primary driver of present-day deformation and seismicity and that additional processes must be considered, such as topography potential energy, erosion or glacial isostatic adjustment since the last glaciation. The exact role of each process probably varies from one region to another and remains to be characterized. In addition, structural inheritance (crust or mantle weakening from past tectonic events) can play a strong role in deformation localization and amplification up to factors of 5–20, which could explain some of the spatial variability in seismicity. On the basis of this review, we identify three research directions that should be developed to better characterize the seismicity, deformation rates and related processes in metropolitan France: macroseismic and historical seismicity, especially regarding moment magnitude estimations; geodetic deformation, including in regions of low seismicity where the ratio of seismic to aseismic deformation remains a key unknown; an integrated and consistent seismotectonic framework comprising numerical models, geological, seismological and geodetic data. The latter has the potential for significant improvements in the characterization of seismicity and seismic hazard in metropolitan France but also Western Europe.
Using computerized assessment in simulated colonoscopy: a validation study
Authors: Vilmann Andreas Slot , Lachenmeier Christian , Svendsen Morten Bo Søndergaard , Søndergaard Bo , Park Yoon Soo , Svendsen Lars Bo , Konge Lars
Published: May 2020

Background and study aims Patient safety during a colonoscopy highly depends on endoscopist competence. Endoscopic societies have been calling for an objective and regular assessment of the endoscopists, but existing assessment tools are time-consuming and prone to bias. We aimed to develop and gather evidence of validity for a computerized assessment tool delivering automatic and unbiased assessment of colonoscopy based on 3 dimensional coordinates from the colonoscope.

Methods Twenty-four participants were recruited and divided into two groups based on experience: 12 experienced and 12 novices. Participants performed twice on a physical phantom model with a standardized alpha loop in the sigmoid colon. Data was gathered directly from the Olympus ScopeGuide system providing XYZ-coordinates along the length of the colonoscope. Five different motor skill measures were developed based on the data, named: Travel Length, Tip Progression, Chase Efficiency, Shaft movement without tip progression, and Looping.

Results The experinced had a lower travel length (P < 0.001), tip progression (P < 0.001), chase efficiency (P = 0.001) and looping (P = 0.006), and a higher shaft movement without tip progression (P < 0.001) reaching the cecum compared with the novices. A composite score was developed based on the five measurements to create a combined score of progression, the 3D-Colonoscopy-Progression-Score (3D-CoPS). The 3D-CoPS revealed a significant difference between groups (experienced: 0.495 (SD 0.303) and novices –0.454 (SD 0.707), P < 0.001).

Conclusion This study presents a novel, real-time computerized assessment tool for colonoscopy, and strong evidence of validity was gathered in a simulation-based setting. The system shows promising opportunities for automatic, unbiased and continuous assessment of colonoscopy performance.
Use of ERCP in the United States over the past decade
Authors: Kröner Paul T. , Bilal Mohammad , Samuel Ronald , Umar Shifa , Abougergi Marwan S. , Lukens Frank J. , Raimondo Massimo , Carr-Locke David L.
Published: May 2020

Background and study aims With newer imaging modalities, indications for use of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) have changed in the last decade. Despite advances in ERCP, paucity in recent literature regarding utilization and outcomes of ERCP exists. Thus, the aim of this study was to assess the inpatient use of ERCP, outcomes, and most common indications.

Patients and methods Retrospective-cohort study using the Nationwide Inpatient Sample 2007–2016. All patients with ICD9–10CM procedural codes for ERCP were included. The primary outcome was the use of ERCP. Secondary outcomes included determining procedural specifics (stenting, sphincterotomy and dilation), complications (post-ERCP pancreatitis [PEP], bile duct perforation), hospital length of stay, total hospital costs and charges. Multivariate regression analysis was used to adjust for confounders.

Results A total of 1,606,850 patients underwent inpatient ERCP. The mean age was 59 years (60 % female). The total number of ERCPs increased over the last decade. Patients undergoing ERCP in 2016 had greater odds of undergoing bile duct stent placement, pancreatic duct (PD) stenting, biliary dilation, pancreatic sphincterotomy, PEP and biliary perforation. Inpatient mortality decreased. Hospital charges increased, while length of stay (LOS) decreased.

Conclusions The number of ERCPs increased in the past decade. Odds of therapeutic interventions and complications increased. The most common principal diagnoses were choledocholithiasis and gallstone-related AP. Hence, physicians must be aware to promptly diagnose and treat complications. These findings may reflect the increased case complexity and fact that ERCP continues to evolve into an increasingly interventional tool, contrasting from its former role as a predominantly diagnostic and gallstone extraction tool.
Pathophysiology of the Venous Thromboembolism Risk in Preeclampsia
Authors: Kelliher Sarah , Maguire Patricia B. , Szklanna Paulina B. , Weiss Luisa , Ewins Karl , O'Doherty Roseann , Angelov Daniel , Ní Áinle Fionnuala , Kevane Barry
Published: May 2020

Preeclampsia complicates up to 8% of pregnancies and is a leading cause of fetomaternal morbidity andmortality. Treatment options are limited, with supportive care and delivery of the placenta representing the cornerstone of current management strategies. Derangements in blood coagulation are wellrecognised in this disorder and appear to favour an increased risk of venous thromboembolism among affected women. This risk appears to be most significant in the postpartum period. The mechanisms underlying this increased thrombosis risk remain to be fully elucidated although increased expression of procoagulant factors, endothelial dysfunction, attenuation of endogenous anticoagulant activity and increased platelet activity have been implicated in the prothrombotic tendency. Preeclampsia is also occasionally complicated by life-threatening haemorrhagic events and current evidence suggests that in some severe manifestations of this disease a coagulopathy with a clinical bleeding tendency may be the predominant haemostatic abnormality. Identifying affected women at significant risk of thrombosis and managing the competing thrombotic and haemorrhagic risks continue to be a significant clinical challenge. Derangements in blood coagulation are also implicated in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia; however, the role of antiplatelet or anticoagulant drugs in the prevention and treatment of this disorder remains a source of considerable debate. In addition, the potential role of specific haemostatic markers as diagnostic or screening tools for preeclampsia has also yet to be determined. Further characterisation of the underlying molecular mechanisms would likely be of major translational relevance and could provide insights into the pathogenesis of this disease as well as the associated haemostatic dysfunction.
Intralesional steroids and endoscopic dilation for anastomotic strictures after esophagectomy: systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Dasari Chandra S. , Jegadeesan Ramprasad , Patel Harsh K. , Desai Madhav , Aziz Muhammad , Thoguluvachandrasekar Viveksandeep , Duvvuri Abhiram , Kohli Divyanshoo R. , Repici Alessandro , Siersema Peter D. , Sharma Prateek
Published: May 2020

Background Post-esophagectomy anastomotic strictures are difficult to treat. The impact of adding local steroid injection to endoscopic dilation for the treatment of post-esophagectomy anastomotic strictures is unclear. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the efficacy of performing steroid injection in addition to dilation.

Methods A search was conducted in MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, and Web of Science from inception to January 2019. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing the efficacy of endoscopic dilation plus either local steroid injection (steroid group) or saline injection (placebo group) were included in the analysis.

Results Three RCTs were eligible for the final analysis: 72 patients (mean age 61.3 years, 74 % male) in the steroid group and 72 patients (mean age 59.6 years, 71 % male) in the placebo group. The mean number of dilations required to resolve the stricture was significantly lower in the steroid group compared with the placebo group, with a mean weighted difference of –1.62 (95 % confidence interval [CI] –2.73 to –0.50; P = 0.004). After 6 months of follow-up, there was a trend toward more patients in the steroid group remaining dysphagia free compared with the placebo group, with a pooled odds ratio of 2.36 (95 %CI 0.94 to 5.91; P = 0.07, I2
 = 24 %).

Conclusion This meta-analysis showed that the addition of local steroid injection at the time of dilation for benign anastomotic strictures led to a significant decrease in the number of procedures required to resolve the stricture and may well reduce dysphagia symptoms during follow-up.
Local Ablative Therapies in Oligometastatic NSCLC: New Data and New Directions
Authors: Lang Pencilla , Gomez Daniel R. , Palma David A.
Published: May 2020

The oligometastatic and oligoprogressive disease states have been recently recognized as common clinical scenarios in the management of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). As a result, there has been increasing interest in treating these patients with locally ablative therapies including surgery, conventionally fractionated radiotherapy, stereotactic ablative radiotherapy, and radiofrequency ablation. This article provides an overview of oligometastatic and oligoprogressive disease in the setting of NSCLC and reviews the evidence supporting ablative treatment. Phase II randomized controlled trials and retrospective series suggest that ablative treatment of oligometastases may substantially improve progression-free survival and overall survival, and additional large randomized studies testing this hypothesis in a definitive context are ongoing. However, several challenges remain, including quantifying the possible benefits of ablative therapies for oligoprogressive disease and developing prognostic and predictive models to assist in clinical decision making.
VATS and Minimally Invasive Resection in Early-Stage NSCLC
Authors: Salfity Hai , Tong Betty C.
Published: May 2020

Lung carcinoma widely affects men and women in the sixth and seventh decades of life. Thorough workup with radiographic imaging, pathologic diagnosis, and cardiopulmonary functional assessment is key to successful treatment. Accurate staging is essential for both assessing prognosis and directing therapy. Early-stage lung cancer is most often treated with anatomic lobectomy; locally advanced cancers may require induction or adjuvant therapies. Any nonnodal metastases will require definitive systemic therapy. Traditionally, surgery was performed with a posterolateral thoracotomy incision, division of the hilar vessels, removal of affected lung parenchyma, and a complete mediastinal and hilar lymph node dissection for accurate pathologic staging. In recent years, however, video-assisted thoracoscopic (VATS) or other minimally invasive approaches have emerged as the standard of care for early-stage disease. Compared with standard thoracotomy, VATS lobectomy offers improved postoperative outcomes as well as potential survival benefit. Thoracoscopic lobectomy is also cost-effective. This article focuses on the technique, outcomes, adaptation, and evolution of thoracoscopic lobectomy and other minimally invasive techniques in the treatment of lung cancer.
All-Polyethylene Tibial Component Does Not Affect Survivorship of Medial Unicompartmental Knee Arthroplasty at Mid-Term Follow-Up
Authors: Gagliardi Michele , Zambianchi Francesco , Franz Alois , Digennaro Vitantonio , Catani Fabio
Published: May 2020

The present study's primary aim was to determine the survivorship of a large cohort of patients implanted with a single design all-polyethylene tibial component medial unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA). Its secondary purpose was to investigate the reasons underlying implant failure, with specific attention to component positioning and limb alignment. Between 2007 and 2013, 166 patients underwent medial UKA with a single design all-polyethylene tibial component at two centers. Preoperatively and postoperatively, patients were administered clinical outcome scores and radiographic information were collected. Postoperative complications and causes of revision were recorded. A total of 140 patients (80 in Center A and 60 in Center B) who underwent all-polyethylene tibial component medial UKA (82 cases in Center A and 60 in Center B) were taken into account. Kaplan–Meier cumulative survivorship of implants was 96.5% (confidence interval [CI]: 91.7–98.6%) at an average follow-up of 61.1 months. Tibial aseptic loosening was accounted for failure in one case, while no correlation was found between implant positioning and failure. Two revisions were performed in Center A and three in Center B. Slight correction of the preoperative varus deformity was performed at both centers. All-polyethylene tibial component UKA provided satisfactory clinical and functional outcome, with excellent survival rate in the early and mid-term follow-up. Continued patient follow-up is needed to determine long-term survivorship of the examined UKA model.
Polyurethane Meniscal Scaffold: Does Preoperative Remnant Meniscal Extrusion Have an Influence on Postoperative Extrusion and Knee Function?
Authors: Gelber Pablo E. , Torres-Claramunt Raúl , Poggioli Francesco , Pérez-Prieto Daniel , Monllau Joan C.
Published: May 2020

Meniscal extrusion (ME) has been identified as a risk factor in the development of knee osteoarthritis. The relevance of this finding when a meniscal scaffold is used has not been extensively studied. The objective of this study was to determine whether preoperative meniscal remnant extrusion (MRE) was correlated with postoperative scaffold extrusion (SE) or with functional outcomes at the 2-year follow-up. Retrospective study included all polyurethane scaffolds implanted with a minimum 2-year follow-up. A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed preoperatively and postoperatively at 2 years. Extrusion was measured in millimeters in a coronal view. Patients were assigned to either group 1 or 2 depending on the preoperative MRE being either <3 mm (minor extrusion) or 3 mm (major extrusion). Functional outcomes were analyzed by means of the Western Ontario Meniscal Evaluation Tool (WOMET), International Knee Documentation Committee, Kujala and Tegner scores, as well as visual analog scale. Satisfaction was also documented. Sixty-two out of 98 patients were available to undergo an MRI at final follow-up. The mean age was 41.3 years (range, 17–58) and the mean follow-up was 45 months (range, 25–69). The mean preoperative MRE was 2.8 mm (standard deviation [SD] 1.2) and the mean postoperative SE was 3.8 mm (SD 1.8) (p < 0.01). All functional scores improved during the study period. When the correlation (Spearman's rho) between the difference in extrusion between the pre 26 and postoperative periods and their correlation with the different scores was assessed, correlation was only observed in the WOMET (rho 0.61, p = 0.02). The preoperative MRE in Group 1 was 1.85 mm (SD 0.83) and 3.7 mm (SD 2.2) in Group 2 (p < 0.01). At final follow-up, SE was 3.86 mm (SD 0.7) in Group 1, whereas it was 3.98 mm (SD 1) in Group 2 (p = 0.81). No differences were observed in the scores used for these two groups. The SE observed at the 2-year follow-up after the implantation of a polyurethane scaffold did not depend on preoperative MRE (major or minor extrusion). The WOMET score, which was the only meniscal-specific functional scored used, showed some inferior results in the most extruded meniscal scaffolds. This is a retrospective case series. Level of evidence is 4.
Genomics and Interventional Oncology in Metastatic Liver Cancer
Authors: Dendy Case Meaghan , Slovak Ryan , Kim Hyun S.
Published: May 2020

This review aims to investigate the current literature on genetic and genomic biomarkers of locoregional interventions on metastatic liver metastases. A brief overview on the most common cancers that metastasize to the liver and the role locoregional therapies, such as ablation, chemoembolization, and radioembolization, play in their treatment will be presented. Review of the literature on the genetic, metabolic, and other molecular biomarkers and how they relate to posttreatment survival and outcomes will be discussed. Evaluation of how the existing data can better inform decisions regarding locoregional treatments in those patients with metastatic lesions of the liver will be completed. Personalized treatment paradigms in different types of metastatic cancer present significant opportunities for improved overall clinical outcomes. Optimizing patient selection for localized treatments is vital to improving outcomes and determining which biomarkers correlate with improved efficacy presents many avenues for future research.
Carelign: A Novel Handoff System for Medical and Surgical Consultants
Authors: Shafer Brian Michael , Gorry Thomasine , Tapino Paul , Airan-Javia Subha
Published: May 2020

Background Patient handoffs are ubiquitous in hospital settings. Historically, formal handoffs of patient information have been conducted in the inpatient setting mainly by primary teams, as opposed to medical and surgical consultants. Carelign is a software developed by the University of Pennsylvania Health System to function as an interdisciplinary, patient-centered handoff. While mainly utilized by primary teams for work management and transitions, it has been enhanced to include specialty consultant handoff functionality.

Objective The aim of this study is to determine whether using Carelign for consultant handoffs improves clinical handoffs in comparison to the prior handoff system (a custom-built handoff report within the electronic health record) used by the Department of Ophthalmology at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center.

Methods A 7-item questionnaire assessing the effectiveness, efficiency, accessibility, reliability, communication, and security of the handoff using a 1 to 5 scale was distributed to residents prior to and 6 months subsequent to the implementation of Carelign.

Results Users reported a statistically significant increase in Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA)-compliance (44 vs. 100%, p < 0.0001) and ability to communicate with primary teams (38 vs. 70%, p = 0.019) after implementation of Carelign. There was a trend toward significance with ease of accessing information after switching to Carelign (67 vs. 85%, p = 0.185). There was no statistically significant difference in effectiveness, efficiency, accessibility from home, or reliability of information on handoff after converting to the new system.

Conclusion Carelign is perceived to be an effective tool that can be used by consulting providers to ensure HIPPA-compliance and the ability to communicate with primary teams without sacrificing effectiveness, efficiency, accessibility, or reliability.
When initial thematic role attribution lingers
Authors: Villata Sandra , Lorusso Paolo
Published: May 2020

In Italian, relative clauses are syntactically ambiguous between a subject and an object reading when the subject and the object have the same number. In the absence of disambiguating cues, the parser analyzes the sentence as a subject relative clause, as subject relative clauses are easier to process than object relative clauses. However, the object reading can be triggered by morpho-syntactic and syntactic cues, such as agreement and word order. In two self-paced reading experiments, we investigate the effectiveness of these cues in triggering an object reanalysis by comparing cues that appear at an early processing stage (inside the relative clause) and cues that appear at a late processing stage (after the relative clause). Results show that reanalysis is attained more effortlessly for early cues, while late cues appears to trigger little or no reanalysis, suggesting that the longer the processor has been committed to the incorrect analysis, the harder is to undo the initial commitment (digging-in effect; Tabor & Hutchins, 2004; see also Ferreira & Henderson, 1991). From these results, we argue that one critical factor that affects ease of parsing is the processing stage at which a cue is made available in the input. We conclude with a discussion on the self-organized sentence processing model (SOSP), which provides a framework to capture these effects.
Conversational narrative marker1
Authors: Zhu Dongyi
Published: May 2020

This study presents a corpus-based analysis of the pragmatic
identification and functional modification of Chinese conversational narrative
marker (henceforth CNM). Adopting a three-dimensional design from
pragmatic-semantic-cognitive views of CNM, the present study proposes that a CNM
is a linking device establishing the narrator’s subjective attitude to introduce
his/her narrative intent. The study has extracted “ranhou” from
the author’s self-constructed Chinese conversational narratives corpus, which
comprises 15 pieces of casual talks by 38 adult native speakers of Chinese. The
study has found that (1) semantically, CNM holds the cohesion-oriented function
for introducing referential default and semantic default; (2) pragmatically, CNM
plays an interactive role between the discourse sequentiality and contextual
inference demonstrating the economy of language and salience of semantic
representation; (3) cognitively, the intentional cognitive cooperation between the
narrator and the listener have been revealed by CNM.
Language resources of Yunnan in “the Belt and Road” project
Authors: Tsung Linda , Xia Zhang , Zhang Lubei
Published: May 2020

As a multi-ethnic and multilingual province, Yunnan has very
rich resources in the minority languages. Among the 25 ethnic minority groups, 22
groups speak 26 languages, belonging to the Tibetan-Burmese, Zhuang-Dong, Miao Yao
and Meng Khmer language branches of the two major language families of
Sino-Tibetan and Austro-Asiatic. The 16 cross-border ethnic groups are mainly
distributed outside in Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar and other countries bordering China.
The languages and characters of these cross-border ethnic groups have become
important language resources in Yunnan in the construction of “Belt and Road
Initiative”. How to fully develop and make full use of these languages to meet the
language needs of ethnic groups in these countries along the route and to achieve
cooperation and win-win results under the framework of equal language and cultural
identity is an urgent problem to be studied and solved by the Chinese government.
This paper will make an in-depth analysis of the current language policy in Yunnan
and its efforts in the protection of cross-border language resources, in the hope
to provide some ideas for the scientific protection and utilization of
cross-border language resources.
Physical activity, use of alcohol and smoking in middle‐aged and aging men. A longitudinal study among Finnish male former athletes and controls
Authors: Kontro Titta K. , Tolvanen Asko , Sarna Seppo , Kaprio Jaakko , Kujala Urho M.
Published: May 2020

It is not known whether decrease in physical activity (PA) is associated with binge drinking among former athletes. The purpose of this study was to investigate the reciprocal associations between PA and use of alcohol among former athletes and controls at four time points. Furthermore, we examined whether there were longitudinal latent profiles related to use of alcohol, smoking and PA during the follow‐up. Finnish male former elite athletes (n = 1633) and matched controls (n = 1099) questionnaire‐reported their PA, alcohol consumption and smoking at four time points in 1985, 1995, 2001 and 2008. Former athletes were more physically active and smoked less than controls, but in all profiles smoking decreased during the follow‐up. Former athletes consumed alcohol significantly more compared to controls in 1985, especially if their athletic career had ended suddenly by sports injury. At other time points, no differences were seen. Five latent profiles were found, and there were significant differences between former athletes and controls in the probabilities to belong to four of them. PA decreased in four of five profiles, while alcohol consumption decreased or increased in some profiles. But PA did not predict later alcohol consumption at any time point. Cross‐lagged path model indicated that the mutual associations of alcohol use and PA were weak at most. Although risk of excessive alcohol consumption may increase in individuals, whose athletic career has ended suddenly by sports injury, overall PA and alcohol affected each other's development only modestly among former athletes and controls during the 23‐year follow‐up.
Transformational parenting and coaching on mental toughness and physical performance in adolescent soccer players: The moderating effect of athlete age
Authors: Murray Ross M. , Dugdale James H. , Habeeb Christine M. , Arthur Calum A.
Published: May 2020

Both parent and coach leadership behaviours are instrumental to adolescent athlete development. Researchers, however, are yet to examine parent and coach leadership influences simultaneously, and at different stages of adolescents’ psychological and physical development. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to understand if the effects of transformational parenting, and transformational coaching on mental toughness and performance varied at different ages during adolescence. Early adolescent (ages 10–14) and late adolescent (ages 15–18) soccer players (n = 334) completed questionnaires assessing their perceptions of their mother's, father's, and coach's transformational leadership, as well as a questionnaire assessing mental toughness. Participants also completed a comprehensive battery of physical fitness tests relevant to soccer. Results indicated that transformational fathering was more strongly associated with levels of mental toughness for early adolescent athletes than it was for later adolescent athletes. Results also indicated that transformational coaching was more strongly associated with physical performance for later adolescent athletes than it was for early adolescents. Overall, these results can inform development models and provide support for future longitudinal studies to assess the impact of parent and coach transformational leadership across different stages of athlete development.
Small extracellular vesicles modulated by αVβ3 integrin induce neuroendocrine differentiation in recipient cancer cells
Authors: Quaglia Fabio , Krishn Shiv Ram , Daaboul George G. , Sarker Srawasti , Pippa Raffaella , Domingo‐Domenech Josep , Kumar Gaurav , Fortina Paolo , McCue Peter , Kelly William K. , Beltran Himisha , Liu Qin , Languino Lucia R.
Published: May 2020

The ability of small extracellular vesicles (sEVs) to reprogram cancer cells is well established. However, the specific sEV components able to mediate aberrant effects in cancer cells have not been characterized. Integrins are major players in mediating sEV functions. We have previously reported that the αVβ3 integrin is detected in sEVs of prostate cancer (PrCa) cells and transferred into recipient cells. Here, we investigate whether sEVs from αVβ3‐expressing cells affect tumour growth differently than sEVs from control cells that do not express αVβ3. We compared the ability of sEVs to stimulate tumour growth, using sEVs isolated from PrCa C4‐2B cells by iodixanol density gradient and characterized with immunoblotting, nanoparticle tracking analysis, immunocapturing and single vesicle analysis. We incubated PrCa cells with sEVs and injected them subcutaneously into nude mice to measure in vivo tumour growth or analysed in vitro their anchorage‐independent growth. Our results demonstrate that a single treatment with sEVs shed from C4‐2B cells that express αVβ3, but not from control cells, stimulates tumour growth and induces differentiation of PrCa cells towards a neuroendocrine phenotype, as quantified by increased levels of neuroendocrine markers. In conclusion, the expression of αVβ3 integrin generates sEVs capable of reprogramming cells towards an aggressive phenotype.
Effect of weak disorder in multi-Weyl semimetals*
Authors: Ning Zhen , Fu Bo , Shi Qinwei , Wang Xiaoping
Published: May 2020

We study the behaviors of three-dimensional double and triple Weyl fermions in the presence of weak random potential. By performing the Wilsonian renormalization group (RG) analysis, we reveal that the quasiparticle experiences strong renormalization which leads to the modification of the density of states and quasiparticle residue. We further utilize the RG analysis to calculate the classical conductivity and show that the diffusive transport is substantially corrected due to the novel behavior of the quasiparticle and can be directly measured by experiments.
Optical properties of core/shell spherical quantum dots*
Authors: Li Shuo , Shi Lei , Yan Zu-Wei
Published: May 2020

In this study, the effects of quantum dot size on the binding energy, radiative lifetime, and optical absorption coefficient of exciton state in both GaN/Al
x
Ga1−x
N core/shell and Al
x
Ga1−x
N/GaN inverted core/shell quantum dot structures are studied. For the GaN/Al
x
Ga1−x
N core/shell structure, the variation trend of binding energy is the same as that of radiation lifetime, both of which increase first and then decrease with the increase of core size. For Al
x
Ga1−x
N/GaN inverted core/shell structure, the binding energy decreases first and then increases with core size increasing, and the trends of radiation lifetime varying with core size under different shell sizes are different. For both structures, when the photon energy is approximately equal to the binding energy, the peak value of the absorption coefficient appears, and there will be different peak shifts under different conditions.
Picosecond terahertz pump–probe realized from Chinese terahertz free-electron laser*
Authors: Wang Chao , Xu Wen , Mei Hong-Ying , Qin Hua , Zhao Xin-Nian , Wen Hua , Zhang Chao , Ding Lan , Xu Yong , Li Peng , Wu Dai , Li Ming
Published: May 2020

Electron energy relaxation time τ is one of the key physical parameters for electronic materials. In this study, we develop a new technique to measure τ in a semiconductor via monochrome picosecond (ps) terahertz (THz) pump and probe experiment. The special THz pulse structure of Chinese THz free-electron laser (CTFEL) is utilized to realize such a technique, which can be applied to the investigation into THz dynamics of electronic and optoelectronic materials and devices. We measure the THz dynamical electronic properties of high-mobility n-GaSb wafer at 1.2 THz, 1.6 THz, and 2.4 THz at room temperature and in free space. The obtained electron energy relaxation time for n-GaSb is in line with that measured via, e.g., four-wave mixing techniques. The major advantages of monochrome ps THz pump–probe in the study of electronic and optoelectronic materials are discussed in comparison with other ultrafast optoelectronic techniques. This work is relevant to the application of pulsed THz free-electron lasers and also to the development of advanced ultrafast measurement technique for the investigation of dynamical properties of electronic and optoelectronic materials.
Comprehensive Comparison Between Shaped Versus Round Implants for Breast Reconstruction: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Han So-Eun , Lee Kyeong-Tae , Bang Saik
Published: May 2020

Background

Prosthetic breast reconstruction has been gaining popularity and a variety of implant options are currently available. Therefore, it is important to evaluate the safety and efficacy of newly developed shaped implants compared with those of conventional round implants. To date, few studies have investigated the outcomes of breast reconstruction with shaped versus round implants.

Objectives

The present study aimed to comprehensively compare, via meta-analytic methodology, shaped and round breast implant reconstruction in terms of complication profiles and aesthetic satisfaction.

Methods

PubMed/MEDLINE, Ovid, and Cochrane databases were searched to identify relevant studies presenting the complication rates for shaped and round implant groups. The relative risks of the following complications between the groups were calculated: infection, seroma, capsular contracture, rupture, rippling, reconstruction failure, and implant exchange or removal. Outcomes of aesthetic satisfaction included aesthetic results and patient-reported outcomes.

Results

Meta-analysis of 8 retrospective cohort studies, representing 2490 cases of implant-based breast reconstruction, was performed. There were no significant differences in the risks of infection, seroma, capsular contracture, and reconstruction failure between the 2 groups. The risks of implant rupture and rippling were significantly reduced with shaped implants. In a subgroup analysis of shaped/textured and round/smooth implants, the risk of infection was significantly enhanced in the former, whereas incidences of other complications, including capsular contracture and reconstruction failure, were similar. Aesthetic satisfaction analysis of the 2 groups demonstrated similar outcome scores with favorable overall results.

Conclusions

Our results suggest that both shaped and round implants might provide favorable breast reconstruction outcomes with similarly low complication rates and aesthetic results.

Level of Evidence: 4
A comprehensive integrated drug similarity resource forin-silicodrug repositioning and beyond
Authors: Azad A K M , Dinarvand Mojdeh , Nematollahi Alireza , Swift Joshua , Lutze-Mann Louise , Vafaee Fatemeh
Published: May 2020

Drug similarity studies are driven by the hypothesis that similar drugs should display similar therapeutic actions and thus can potentially treat a similar constellation of diseases. Drug–drug similarity has been derived by variety of direct and indirect sources of evidence and frequently shown high predictive power in discovering validated repositioning candidates as well as other in-silico drug development applications. Yet, existing resources either have limited coverage or rely on an individual source of evidence, overlooking the wealth and diversity of drug-related data sources. Hence, there has been an unmet need for a comprehensive resource integrating diverse drug-related information to derive multi-evidenced drug–drug similarities. We addressed this resource gap by compiling heterogenous information for an exhaustive set of small-molecule drugs (total of 10 367 in the current version) and systematically integrated multiple sources of evidence to derive a multi-modal drug–drug similarity network. The resulting database, ‘DrugSimDB’ currently includes 238 635 drug pairs with significant aggregated similarity, complemented with an interactive user-friendly web interface (http://vafaeelab.com/drugSimDB.html), which not only enables database ease of access, search, filtration and export, but also provides a variety of complementary information on queried drugs and interactions. The integration approach can flexibly incorporate further drug information into the similarity network, providing an easily extendable platform. The database compilation and construction source-code has been well-documented and semi-automated for any-time upgrade to account for new drugs and up-to-date drug information.
scCancer: a package for automated processing of single-cell RNA-seq data in cancer
Authors: Guo Wenbo , Wang Dongfang , Wang Shicheng , Shan Yiran , Liu Changyi , Gu Jin
Published: May 2020

Molecular heterogeneities and complex microenvironments bring great challenges for cancer diagnosis and treatment. Recent advances in single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) technology make it possible to study cancer cell heterogeneities and microenvironments at single-cell transcriptomic level. Here, we develop an R package named scCancer, which focuses on processing and analyzing scRNA-seq data for cancer research. Except basic data processing steps, this package takes several special considerations for cancer-specific features. Firstly, the package introduced comprehensive quality control metrics. Secondly, it used a data-driven machine learning algorithm to accurately identify major cancer microenvironment cell populations. Thirdly, it estimated a malignancy score to classify malignant (cancerous) and non-malignant cells. Then, it analyzed intra-tumor heterogeneities by key cellular phenotypes (such as cell cycle and stemness), gene signatures and cell–cell interactions. Besides, it provided multi-sample data integration analysis with different batch-effect correction strategies. Finally, user-friendly graphic reports were generated for all the analyses. By testing on 56 samples with 433 405 cells in total, we demonstrated its good performance. The package is available at: http://lifeome.net/software/sccancer/.