bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Video‐based neonatal state assessment method for timing of procedures
Authors: Kodama Yu , Okamoto Jun , Imai Ken , Asano Hidetsugu , Uchiyama Atsushi , Masamune Ken , Wada Masaki , Muragaki Yoshihiro
Published: October 2020

Background

Procedures should be performed when an infant is most receptive to disruptions in order to reduce the stress on the infant. However, frequent direct observations place a heavy burden on medical staff. There is therefore a need for a method for quantitatively and automatically evaluating the neonatal state.

Methods

Ten infants in our hospital were enrolled in this study. The states of the infants were assessed by medical staff using the Brazelton Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale and were recorded on video at the same time. The recorded states were reclassified as activity levels, a new state classification method that includes middle activity, which is the appropriate time for a procedure. Using image analysis, motions of the infant were quantified as two indices: activity and pause time. Activity and pause time were compared for each activity level. The cutoff values of the indices were calculated, and the sensitivity and specificity of the middle activity were calculated.

Results

There was a significant difference between all groups of activity level (P < 0.01). The maximum sensitivity and specificity of middle activity were 71.7% and 51.2%, respectively.

Conclusions

The neonatal state of infants can be quantitatively and automatically evaluated using video cameras, and the activity level can be used to determine an appropriate time for procedures in infants. This will reduce the burden on medical staff and lead to less stressful procedures for infants.
Reconsidering State Variation in Incarceration Rates
Authors: Kenter Robert C. , Morris John C. , Mayer Martin K. , Newton Jacob M.
Published: October 2020

State incarceration rates have been a topic of much policy discussion. One notable issue missing from much of the literature concerns the various determinants that account for state differences in incarceration rates. Why are some states more or less likely to incarcerate their citizenry than other states? The article examines the 50 states in a cross‐sectional state comparative model. Using a dependent variable of state incarceration rates, we offer and test several explanatory models, including socioeconomic factors, political explanations, social control mechanisms, and structural factors. We find that socioeconomic explanations to be the most robust, but we find varying degrees of support for each of our four models.

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A research agenda for the restoration of tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas
Authors: Buisson Elise , Fidelis Alessandra , Overbeck Gerhard E. , Schmidt Isabel B. , Durigan Giselda , Young Truman P. , Alvarado Swanni T. , Arruda André J. , Boisson Sylvain , Bond William , Coutinho André , Kirkman Kevin , Oliveira Rafael S. , Schmitt Melissa H. , Siebert Frances , Siebert Stefan J. , Thompson Dave I. , Silveira Fernando A. O.
Published: October 2020

Despite growing recognition of the conservation value of grassy biomes, our understanding of how to restore biodiverse tropical and subtropical grassy biomes (grasslands and savannas; TGB) remains limited. Several tools have recently been identified for TGB restoration, including prescribed fires, appropriate management of livestock and wild herbivores, tree cutting and shrub removal, invasive species control, and the reintroduction of native grasses and forbs via seeding or transplants. However, additional research for improved TGB restoration is needed. This article aims to identify ecological research priorities for TGB restoration. The following points are crucial to scale up TGB restoration and meet the challenges of the UN Restoration Decade. Research should focus on: disentangling the reasons why TGB are often undervalued and misunderstood; mapping TGB restoration opportunities; identifying regions where TGB and other biomes naturally exist as alternative stable states; recognizing areas with natural regeneration potential to avoid unnecessary intervention; restoring soil conditions; disentangling factors driving low seed quality, determining germination requirements and developing vegetative propagation techniques for TGB species; disentangling the limiting factors and key ecological processes underlying seedling establishment and community assembly; improving and validating long‐term management to mimic natural disturbance regimes; setting the minimum attributes of desirable TGB in terms of structure, composition, functioning, and resilience; and improving monitoring of restoration outcomes. Such research has the potential to advance theory, policy, and practice in TGB restoration, ultimately resulting in long‐term benefits for people and nature in some of the more neglected ecosystems of our planet.
Exploiting fruits of a threatened palm to trigger restoration of Brazil's Atlantic Forest
Authors: de Freitas Chagas Germano , Salk Carl F. , Vidal Edson J. , de Souza Saulo E. X. F. , Brancalion Pedro H. S.
Published: October 2020

Recent global commitments to forest and landscape restoration in the tropics call for new management approaches that benefit both biodiversity and livelihoods of forest‐dependent people. The sustainable use of wild forest products is a promising pathway, but requires clarity about harvested species' demography and harvesters' rights. Here, we explored how the exploitation of fruits of the threatened palm Euterpe edulis, a key fruit source for wildlife in Brazil's globally important Atlantic Forest biodiversity hotspot, could trigger local community involvement in restoration. This palm has both non‐destructive (fruit) and destructive (palm heart) culinary uses, each with unique biological and resource‐use conditions. We quantified all demographic stages of this species in multiple agroforests, secondary forests, and protected areas to parameterize demographic projections of palm populations, harvest profitability, and fruit provisioning to wildlife under different management scenarios. Field observations showed a clear depression of adult palm populations in protected areas, likely due to palm heart poaching, and of intermediate size classes in agroforests, probably from weeding by farmers. Field data and demographic models reveal that in this region, agroforests and secondary forests can successfully conserve this species while providing lasting profits for farmers under most scenarios. These findings demonstrate a clear case where local stakeholders both contribute to and benefit from restoration through harvest of wild products and also highlight a potential source of income from regenerating tropical forests.
Site preparation impacts on soil biotic and abiotic properties, weed control, and native grass establishment
Authors: Smith Monique E. , Cavagnaro Timothy R. , Christmas Matthew J. , Pound Leanne M. , Facelli José M.
Published: October 2020

In severely degraded systems active restoration is required to overcome legacies of past land use and to create conditions that promote the establishment of target plant communities. While our understanding of the importance of soil microbial communities in ecological restoration is growing, few studies have looked at the impacts different site preparation techniques have on these communities. We trialed four methods of site preparation: fire, top‐soil removal (TSR; removal of top 50 mm of soil), slashing (vegetation cut to 30 mm, biomass removed), and carbon (C; as sugar and saw‐dust) addition, and quantified resulting soil bacterial communities using DNA metabarcoding. We compared the effectiveness of these techniques to reduce weed biomass, improve native grass establishment, and induce changes in soil nutrient availability. TSR was the most effective technique, leading to a reduction in both available nutrients and competition from weeds. In comparison, the remaining methods had little or no effect on weed biomass, native grass establishment, or soil nutrient availability. Both TSR and C addition resulted in changes in the soil bacterial community. These changes have the potential to alter plant community assembly in many ways, such as via nutrient acquisition, pathogenic effects, nutrient cycling, and decomposition. We recommend TSR for ecological restoration of old‐fields and suggest it is a much more effective technique than burning, slashing, or C addition. Restoration practitioners should consider how their management techniques may influence the soil biota and, in turn, affect restoration outcomes.
Restoration treatments reduce threats to oak ecosystems and provide immediate subtle benefits for oak‐associated birds
Authors: Stephens Jaime L. , Gillespie Caitlyn R. , Alexander John D.
Published: October 2020

Oak ecosystems support a high amount of biodiversity and are critical for avian conservation in the Pacific Northwest, yet most of the remaining habitat is in a degraded state. A landscape‐scale restoration project in the Klamath Siskiyou Bioregion of southern Oregon and northern California reduced factors that stress oak trees while improving the function of oak‐associated plant communities on 450 ha of private lands from 2011 to 2013. We implemented a before‐after‐control‐impact study to measure changes in vegetation structure and composition, avian community composition, and individual avian species density within 23 restored and 23 control stands. Restoration resulted in reduced Douglas fir and western juniper tree cover and overall shrub cover, but generally did not cause notable shifts between vegetation types (e.g. oak‐conifer forest did not become oak woodland). Oak‐associated birds were positive indicator species following treatment at the restored sites; yet, the avian community composition shift toward an oak‐associated community observed in the NMS ordination was not statistically significant. Furthermore, we observed only negligible change in individual species density of both conifer‐ and oak‐associated birds following restoration. While restoration objectives at all sites sought to improve oak tree vigor and associated ecosystem health, the pre‐restoration stand conditions and thus the specific prescriptions varied widely. More study is needed to disentangle how overstory and understory restoration actions interact to affect bird community response.
Breaking the adherence barriers: Strategies to improve treatment adherence in dialysis patients
Authors: Murali Karumathil M. , Lonergan Maureen
Published: October 2020

Nonadherence to therapy (dietary/fluid restrictions, medications, and dialysis treatment), is common in patients with end‐stage kidney disease (ESKD) undergoing dialysis. It is associated with a higher risk of mortality and adverse outcomes. Clinical trials evaluating adherence improvement interventions have largely addressed patient‐related factors by employing educational/cognitive, counselling/behavioral, psychological strategies, or combinations thereof. A major barrier to progress in addressing ESKD‐related adherence is the difficulty in comparing these trials due to the highly diverse nature of interventions and adherence outcomes. Surrogate outcomes like changes in inter‐dialysis weight gain or phosphate levels are frequently used without adjusting for confounders, with the potential for biased efficacy estimates. A majority of trials reported improvement in some adherence measures, but some of the same studies showed no improvement in other adherence markers, questioning the validity of outcome measurement. Among the interventions, cognitive/behavioral strategies, combination strategies, and individually delivered interventions may have some advantages. Relapse of nonadherence, which is common on follow‐up, should be managed to sustain long‐term adherence. Technology‐based interventions hold great future potential for addressing ESKD nonadherence. Streamlining intervention strategies and standardizing outcome measures in future clinical trials will provide reliable guidance to manage nonadherence effectively, which may improve clinical outcomes in dialysis patients.
Point‐of‐view technology to teach surgery
Authors: Baatjes Karin J. , Keiller Alex V. , Louw Alwyn J. , Van Rooyen Marietjie
Published: October 2020

Background

Varied and limited opportunities to assist during operations, hamper surgical procedural training. Furthermore, the trainee’s view of the procedure differs from that of the operating surgeon. New solutions could emerge when instruction under direct supervision can be combined with technological advances in surgical practice. This study assesses the feasibility of using the GoPro HERO™ to record operations for educational purposes, from the perspective of the surgical and technical team.

Method

A “point‐of‐view” wearable GoPro camera was used to record standard operations at Tygerberg Academic Hospital, affiliated with Stellenbosch University, in Cape Town. Semi‐structured interviews evaluated the practical acceptability of the GoPro in theatre by clinical personnel. The technical team reflected on picture quality, video editing and formatting. Techsmith Camtasia Studio 9® programme was employed for post‐ recording editing.

Results

Eight operations were performed by three surgeons. No interference with operative sterility, procedural length, nor functioning in the operating room was encountered by clinical personnel. Technically, the quality and picture field were adequate. All surgeons found the camera head band tight and the camera heavy. The limited battery life during recording was problematic throughout the study.

Conclusion

Wearable cameras allow recordings of surgical procedures from the surgeon’s view, for adjunctive educational purposes. This study confirms the feasibility and utility of GoPro to record real time operations without compromising patient care. The videos have cross‐discipline potential for teaching within medicine. Creation of a video library as a resource to evaluate the educational value for trainees is envisioned.
Financial development, reallocation and growth: Firm heterogeneity matters
Authors: Bas Maria , Berthou Antoine
Published: October 2020

This paper investigates the heterogeneous effect of financial development on firm‐level growth. Our analysis relies on the experience of the rapid expansion of credit in Indian states, following the process of banking reforms in the early 1990s. Based on a survey of Indian manufacturing firms (1997–2006), we examine how changes in the access to finance by firms across Indian states affected the growth of firms located in the same location. Estimation results show that initially larger, more productive or more profitable firms benefit the most from the rapid expansion of credit across Indian states. These results are robust to various specifications that allow to control for other reforms taking place simultaneously, or for potential reverse causality. The aggregate impact of this heterogeneous effect is important: the main channel that explains sector‐level total factor productivity growth due to financial development is the reallocation of market shares across firms.
Identification of groundwater recharge sites in Latur district of Maharashtra in India based on remote sensing, GIS and multi‐criteria decision tools
Authors: Navane Vishal Sagar , Sahoo Sanat Nalini
Published: October 2020

In this study, groundwater potential zones and artificial recharge zones were delineated and favourable sites for placing recharge structures were identified. Different thematic layers were generated using ArcGIS and were scrutinized by a multivariate technique called principal component analysis (PCA). Selected thematic layers and their features were assigned suitable weights on Saaty’s 9‐point scale and their normalized weights were obtained by Saaty’s analytical hierarchy process (AHP). Selected thematic layers were integrated by weighted linear combination method to calculate groundwater potential index (GWPI) and groundwater recharge index (GWRI). Based on calculated GWPI, the study area was delineated into five groundwater potential zones, namely “poor”, “moderate”, “good”, “very good” and “excellent”, which cover 1.61%, 71.99%, 22.77%, 3.54% and 0.09% of the study area, respectively. Also observed that, the study area has an area of 5957.89 km2 of moderate recharge zone. Further 34 artificial groundwater recharge sites are identified for effective groundwater management.
Plastics waste identification in river ecosystems by multispectral proximal sensing: a preliminary methodology study
Authors: De Giglio Michaela , Dubbini Marco , Cortesi Irene , Maraviglia Michela , Parisi Erica Isabella , Tucci Grazia
Published: October 2020

A considerable amount of the plastics produced around the world is now dispersed throughout the environment, and in particular in aquatic ecosystems. This can have damaging consequences for plants, animals and human beings. This study investigates some approaches for detection and monitoring of plastics waste in river habitats through multispectral image classification. The data are acquired using a proximity sensor in the electromagnetic spectrum range that includes the ultraviolet, visible and near infrared bands, as for the WorldView‐2 satellite. The in‐depth analysis of the spectral signatures obtained shows typical plastics trends and reflectance values in the near infrared bands. Different classification methods were compared to test their effectiveness for the isolation of plastics samples dispersed in a river habitat. This project represents the first step within a wider research programme, with the aim to define a new approach for future river pollution monitoring.
Speed of sound from fundamental physical constants
Authors: Trachenko K. , Monserrat B. , Pickard C. J. , Brazhkin V. V.
Published: October 2020

Fundamental physical constants provide the upper bound for the speed of sound in condensed matter phases.
Supplemental Material: Pulsed volcanic combustion events coincident with the end-Permian terrestrial disturbance and the following global crisis
Authors: Kaiho Kunio , al. et
Published: October 2020

Methods, geochemical data, and supplemental figures.
Does load management using the acute:chronic workload ratio prevent health problems? A cluster randomised trial of 482 elite youth footballers of both sexes
Authors: Dalen-Lorentsen Torstein , Bjørneboe John , Clarsen Benjamin , Vagle Markus , Fagerland Morten Wang , Andersen Thor Einar
Published: October 2020

Background

The acute:chronic workload ratio (ACWR) is commonly used to manage training load in sports, particularly to reduce injury risk. However, despite its extensive application as a prevention intervention, the effectiveness of load management using ACWR has never been evaluated in an experimental study.

Aim

To evaluate the effectiveness of a load management intervention designed to reduce the prevalence of health problems among elite youth football players of both sexes.

Methods

We cluster-randomised 34 elite youth football teams (16 females, 18 males) to an intervention group (18 teams) and a control group (16 teams). Intervention group coaches planned all training based on published ACWR load management principles using a commercially available athlete management system for a complete 10-month season. Control group coaches continued to plan training as normal. The prevalence of health problems was measured monthly in both groups using the Oslo Sports Trauma Research Centre Questionnaire on Health Problems.

Results

The between-group difference in health problem prevalence (primary outcome) was 1.8%-points (−4.1 to 7.7 %-points; p=0.55) with no reduction in the likelihood of reporting a health problem in the intervention group (relative risk 1.01 (95% CI 0.91 to 1.12); p=0.84) compared with the control group.

Conclusions

We observed no between-group difference, suggesting that this specific load management intervention was not successful in preventing health problems in elite youth footballers.

Trial registration number

ISRCTN18177140.
Differential yield of universal versus selective drug susceptibility testing of patients with tuberculosis in high-burden countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Svadzian Anita , Sulis Giorgia , Gore Genevieve , Pai Madhukar , Denkinger Claudia M
Published: October 2020

Introduction

Although universal drug susceptibility testing (DST) is a component of the End-TB Strategy, over 70% of drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) cases globally remain undetected. This detection gap reflects difficulties in DST scale-up and substantial heterogeneity in policies and implemented practices. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess whether implementation of universal DST yields increased DR-TB detection compared with only selectively testing high-risk groups.

Methods

PubMed, Embase, Global Health, Cochrane Library and Web of Science Core Collection were searched for publications reporting on the differential yield of universal versus selective DST implementation on the proportion of DR-TB, from January 2007 to June 2019. Random-effects meta-analyses were used to calculate respective pooled proportions of DR-TB cases detected; Higgins test and prediction intervals were used to assess between-study heterogeneity. We adapted an existing risk-of-bias assessment tool for prevalence studies.

Results

Of 18 736 unique citations, 101 studies were included in the qualitative synthesis. All studies used WHO-endorsed DST methods, and most (87.1%) involved both high-risk groups and the general population. We found only cross-sectional, observational, non-randomised studies that compared universal with selective DST strategies. Only four studies directly compared the testing approaches in the same study population, with the proportion of DR-TB cases detected ranging from 2.2% (95% CI: 1.4% to 3.2%) to 12.8% (95% CI: 11.4% to 14.3%) with selective testing, versus 4.4% (95% CI: 3.3% to 5.8%) to 9.8% (95% CI: 8.9% to 10.7%) with universal testing. Broad population studies were very heterogeneous. The vast majority (88/101; 87.1%) reported on the results of universal testing. However, while 37 (36.6%)/101 included all presumptive TB cases, an equal number of studies applied sputum-smear as a preselection criterion. A meaningful meta-analysis was not possible.

Conclusion

Given the absence of randomised studies and the paucity of studies comparing strategies head to head, and selection bias in many studies that applied universal testing, our findings have limited generalisability. The lack of evidence reinforces the need for better data to inform policies.
AI enabled suicide prediction tools: a qualitative narrative review
Authors: D’Hotman Daniel , Loh Erwin
Published: October 2020

Background:Suicide poses a significant health burden worldwide. In many cases, people at risk of suicide do not engage with their doctor or community due to concerns about stigmatisation and forced medical treatment; worse still, people with mental illness (who form a majority of people who die from suicide) may have poor insight into their mental state, and not self-identify as being at risk. These issues are exacerbated by the fact that doctors have difficulty in identifying those at risk of suicide when they do present to medical services. Advances in artificial intelligence (AI) present opportunities for the development of novel tools for predicting suicide.

Method:We searched Google Scholar and PubMed for articles relating to suicide prediction using artificial intelligence from 2017 onwards.

Conclusions:This paper presents a qualitative narrative review of research focusing on two categories of suicide prediction tools: medical suicide prediction and social suicide prediction. Initial evidence is promising: AI-driven suicide prediction could improve our capacity to identify those at risk of suicide, and, potentially, save lives. Medical suicide prediction may be relatively uncontroversial when it pays respect to ethical and legal principles; however, further research is required to determine the validity of these tools in different contexts. Social suicide prediction offers an exciting opportunity to help identify suicide risk among those who do not engage with traditional health services. Yet, efforts by private companies such as Facebook to use online data for suicide prediction should be the subject of independent review and oversight to confirm safety, effectiveness and ethical permissibility.
Deconvolution of monocyte responses in inflammatory bowel disease reveals an IL-1 cytokine network that regulates IL-23 in genetic and acquired IL-10 resistance
Authors: Aschenbrenner Dominik , Quaranta Maria , Banerjee Soumya , Ilott Nicholas , Jansen Joanneke , Steere Boyd , Chen Yin-Huai , Ho Stephen , Cox Karen , Arancibia-Cárcamo Carolina V , Coles Mark , Gaffney Eamonn , Travis Simon PL , Denson Lee , Kugathasan Subra , Schmitz Jochen , Powrie Fiona , Sansom Stephen N , Uhlig Holm H
Published: October 2020

Objective

Dysregulated immune responses are the cause of IBDs. Studies in mice and humans suggest a central role of interleukin (IL)-23-producing mononuclear phagocytes in disease pathogenesis. Mechanistic insights into the regulation of IL-23 are prerequisite for selective IL-23 targeting therapies as part of personalised medicine.

Design

We performed transcriptomic analysis to investigate IL-23 expression in human mononuclear phagocytes and peripheral blood mononuclear cells. We investigated the regulation of IL-23 expression and used single-cell RNA sequencing to derive a transcriptomic signature of hyperinflammatory monocytes. Using gene network correlation analysis, we deconvolved this signature into components associated with homeostasis and inflammation in patient biopsy samples.

Results

We characterised monocyte subsets of healthy individuals and patients with IBD that express IL-23. We identified autosensing and paracrine sensing of IL-1α/IL-1β and IL-10 as key cytokines that control IL-23-producing monocytes. Whereas Mendelian genetic defects in IL-10 receptor signalling induced IL-23 secretion after lipopolysaccharide stimulation, whole bacteria exposure induced IL-23 production in controls via acquired IL-10 signalling resistance. We found a transcriptional signature of IL-23-producing inflammatory monocytes that predicted both disease and resistance to antitumour necrosis factor (TNF) therapy and differentiated that from an IL-23-associated lymphocyte differentiation signature that was present in homeostasis and in disease.

Conclusion

Our work identifies IL-10 and IL-1 as critical regulators of monocyte IL-23 production. We differentiate homeostatic IL-23 production from hyperinflammation-associated IL-23 production in patients with severe ulcerating active Crohn’s disease and anti-TNF treatment non-responsiveness. Altogether, we identify subgroups of patients with IBD that might benefit from IL-23p19 and/or IL-1α/IL-1β-targeting therapies upstream of IL-23.
Construction of an area-deprivation index for 2869 counties in China: a census-based approach
Authors: Wang Zhicheng , Chan Kit Yee , Poon Adrienne N , Homma Kirsten , Guo Yan
Published: October 2020

Background

A paucity of data has made it challenging to construct a deprivation index at the lowest administrative, or county, level in China. An index is required to guide health equity monitoring and resource allocation to regions of greatest need. This study used China’s 2010 census data to construct a county-level area-deprivation index (CADI).

Methods

Data for 2869 counties from China’s 2010 census were used to generate a CADI. Eleven indicators across four domains of deprivation were selected for principal component analysis with standardisation of the first principal component. Sensitivity analysis was used to test whether the population size and weighting method affected the index’s robustness. Deprived counties identified by the CADI were then compared with China’s official list of poverty-stricken counties.

Results

The first principal component explained 60.38% of the total variation in the deprivation indicators. The CADI ranged from the least deprived value of −2.71 to the most deprived value of 2.92, with SD of 1. The CADI was found to be robust against county-level population size and different weighting methods. When compared with the official list of poverty-stricken counties in China, the deprived counties identified by the CADI were found to be even more deprived.

Conclusion

Constructing a robust area-deprivation index for China at the county level based on population census data is feasible. The CADI is a potential policy tool to identify China’s most deprived areas. In the future, it may support health equity monitoring and comparison at the national and subnational levels.
Neuraxial and regional anesthesia in surgical patients with osteogenesis imperfecta: a narrative review of literature
Authors: Beethe Amy R , Bohannon Nicholas A , Ogun Oluwaseye Ayoola , Wallace Maegen J , Esposito Paul W , Lockhart Thomas J , Hamlin Ryan J , Williams Jasper R , Goeller Jessica K
Published: October 2020

Background and objectives

Regional and neuraxial anesthesia techniques have become instrumental in the perioperative period yet have not been well described in patients with osteogenesis imperfecta (OI), a congenital connective tissue disorder characterized by skeletal dysplasia and fragility. Patients with skeletal dysplasia present unique perioperative challenges that warrant consideration of these techniques despite their relative contraindication in this population due to reports of increased bleeding with surgery, skeletal fragility concerns with positioning, and risk of spinal cord injury with continuous neuraxial catheters. The aim of this narrative review was to evaluate literature describing the use of regional and neuraxial techniques in patients with OI and any associated clinical outcomes.

Methods

All available literature from inception to July 2020 was retrieved, according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines, from MEDLINE, Embase, Google Scholar and The Cochrane Library. Three authors reviewed all references for eligibility, abstracted data, and appraised quality.

Results

Of 412 articles initially identified, 42 met our inclusion criteria, yielding 161 cases with regional and/or neuraxial techniques described. In 117 (72.6%) of the 161 cases, neuraxial technique was performed, including 76 (64.9%) epidural, 7 (5.9%) caudal, 5 (4.2%) combined spinal epidural, and 29 (24.7%) spinal procedures. In 44 (27.4%) of the 161 cases, the use of regional anesthesia was described. Our review was confounded by incomplete data reporting and small sample sizes, as most were case reports. There were no randomized controlled trials, and the two single-center retrospective data reviews lacked sufficient data to perform meta-analysis. While complications or negative outcomes related to these techniques were not reported in any of the cases, less than half specifically discuss outcomes beyond placement and immediate postoperative course.

Conclusions

There is insufficient evidence to validate or refute the potential risks associated with the use of regional and neuraxial techniques in patients with OI. This review did not uncover any reports of negative sequelae related to the use of these modalities to support relative contraindication in this population; however, further research is needed to adequately assess clinically relevant outcomes such as complications and opioid-sparing effect.
Discrete element modelling of rock creep behaviour using rate process theory
Authors: Gutiérrez-Ch J.G. , Senent S. , Estebanez E. , Jimenez R.
Published: October 2020

Rock creep behaviour is crucial in many rock engineering projects. Different approaches have been proposed to model rock creep behaviour; however, many cannot reproduce tertiary creep (i.e., accelerating strain rates leading to rock failure). In this work, the distinct element method (DEM) is employed, in conjunction with the rate process theory (RPT) of M.R. Kuhn and J.K. Mitchell (published in 1992) to simulate rock creep. The DEM numerical sample is built using a mixture of contact models between particles that combines the Flat Joint Contact Model and the Linear Model. Laboratory uniaxial compression creep tests conducted on intact slate samples are used as a benchmark to validate the methodology. Results demonstrate that, when properly calibrated, DEM models combined with the RPT can reproduce all creep stages observed in slate rock samples in the laboratory, including tertiary creep, without using constitutive models that incorporate an explicit dependence of strain rate on time. The DEM results also suggest that creep is associated with damage in the samples during the laboratory tests, due to new microcracks that appear when the load is applied and maintained constant at each loading stage.
Evaluation of the responsiveness of the crustacean zooplankton community size spectrum to environmental change and an exotic invader in a sample of Canadian Shield lakes
Authors: Barth Lauren Emily , Shuter Brian John , Sprules William Gary , Minns Charles Kenneth , Rusak James Anthony
Published: October 2020

We evaluated the crustacean zooplankton size spectrum as an indicator of lake characteristics and ecosystem change. First, we used time series from seven Canadian Shield lakes to identify the factors associated with among-lake and among-year variability in the spectrum slope (relative abundance of small and large zooplankton) and centered height (total abundance). Second, we used time series from an invaded and three control lakes to assess change in mean and variability in slope and height due to a Bythotrephes invasion. We found that the slope and height reflected among-lake predictors related to morphometry. The slope was responsive to long-term declining lake phosphorus levels, whereas the height reflected both increases in dissolved organic carbon and decreases in ice duration. We detected a significant increase (i.e., flattening) in mean slope and substantial (up to 120%) increases in the CV of height after Bythotrephes invaded Harp Lake. Thus, the zooplankton size spectrum was responsive to long-term environmental change, and a strong top-down perturbation can be detected through regular and frequent monitoring programs.
Improving fermion mass hierarchy in grand gauge–Higgs unification with localized gauge kinetic terms
Authors: Maru Nobuhito , Yatagai Yoshiki
Published: October 2020

Grand gauge–Higgs unification of five dimensional SU(6) gauge theory on an orbifold $$S^1/Z_2$$

S
1

/

Z
2

with localized gauge kinetic terms is discussed. The Standard model (SM) fermions on one of the boundaries and some massive bulk fermions coupling to the SM fermions on the boundary are introduced, so that they respect an SU(5) symmetry structure. The SM fermion masses including top quark are reproduced by mild tuning the bulk masses and parameters of the localized gauge kinetic terms. Gauge coupling universality is not guaranteed by the presence of the localized gauge kinetic terms and it severely constrains the Higgs vacuum expectation value. Higgs potential analysis shows that the electroweak symmetry breaking occurs by introducing additional bulk fermions in simplified representations. The localized gauge kinetic terms enhance the magnitude of the compactification scale, which helps Higgs boson mass large. Indeed the observed Higgs boson mass 125 GeV is obtained.
Constraining the spacetime spin using time delay in stationary axisymmetric spacetimes
Authors: Liu Haotian , Jia Junji
Published: October 2020

Total travel timetand time delay$$\Delta t$$Δtbetween images of gravitational lensing (GL) in the equatorial plane of stationary axisymmetric (SAS) spacetimes for null and timelike signals with arbitrary velocity are studied. Using a perturbative method in the weak field limit,tin general SAS spacetimes is expressed as a quasi-series of the impact parameterbwith coefficients involving the source-lens distance$$r_s$$rsand lens-detector distances$$r_d$$rd, signal velocityv, and asymptotic expansion coefficients of the metric functions. The time delay$$\Delta t$$Δtto the leading order(s) were shown to be determined by the spacetime massM, spin angular momentumaand post-Newtonian parameter$$\gamma $$γ, and kinematic variables$$r_s,~r_d,~v$$rs,rd,vand source angular position$$\beta $$β. When$$\beta \ll \sqrt{aM}/r_{s,d}$$β≪aM/rs,d,$$\Delta t$$Δtis dominated by the contribution linear to spina. Modeling the Sgr A* supermassive black hole as a Kerr–Newman black hole, we show that as long as$$\beta \lesssim 1.5\times 10^{-5}$$β≲1.5×10-5[$$^{\prime \prime }$$″], then$$\Delta t$$Δtwill be able to reach the$$\mathcal {O}(1)$$O(1)second level, which is well within the time resolution of current GRB, gravitational wave and neutrino observatories. Therefore measuring$$\Delta t$$Δtin GL of these signals will allow us to constrain the spin of the Sgr A*.
Modeling charged-particle multiplicity distributions at LHC
Authors: Radi Amr
Published: October 2020

With many applications in high-energy physics, Deep Learning or Deep Neural Network (DNN) has become noticeable and practical in recent years. In this article, a new technique is presented for modeling the charged particles multiplicity distribution [Formula: see text] of Proton-Proton [Formula: see text] collisions using an efficient DNN model. The charged particles multiplicity n, the total center of mass energy [Formula: see text], and the pseudorapidity [Formula: see text] used as input in DNN model and the desired output is [Formula: see text]. DNN was trained to build a function, which studies the relationship between [Formula: see text]. The DNN model showed a high degree of consistency in matching the data distributions. The DNN model is used to predict with [Formula: see text] not included in the training set. The expected [Formula: see text] had effectively merged the experimental data and the values expected indicate a strong agreement with Large Hadron Collider (LHC) for ATLAS measurement at [Formula: see text], 7 and 8 TeV.
Chirality production with mass effects — Schwinger pair production and the axial Ward identity
Authors: Copinger Patrick , Pu Shi
Published: October 2020

The anomalous generation of chirality with mass effects via the axial Ward identity and its dependence on the Schwinger mechanism is reviewed, utilizing parity violating homogeneous electromagnetic background fields. The role vacuum asymptotic states play on the interpretation of expectation values is examined. It is discussed that observables calculated with an in–out scattering matrix element predict a scenario under Euclidean equilibrium. A notable ramification of which is a vanishing of the chiral anomaly. In contrast, it is discussed observables calculated under an in–in, or real-time, formalism predict a scenario out-of equilibrium, and capture effects of mean produced particle–antiparticle pairs due to the Schwinger mechanism. The out-of equilibrium chiral anomaly is supplemented with exponential quadratic mass suppression as anticipated for the Schwinger mechanism. Similar behavior in and out-of equilibrium is reviewed for applications including the chiral magnetic effect and chiral condensate.
The influence of imprecise quantum measurement on remote state preparation protocol
Authors: Wu Tianxiong , Li Yunxia , Luo Bingbing , Wei Jiahua
Published: October 2020

In this paper, the influence of imprecise quantum measurement on remote state preparation scheme is investigated. By analyzing the measurement parameters and corresponding errors, we obtain the evolution of output state in the process of remote state preparation. In terms of the fidelity of initial state and output state, the influence of imprecise quantum measurement is discussed. The results of this paper have the reference value for the selection of measurement basis when the quantum measurement on remote state preparation is imprecise.
Short-term traffic flow prediction based on 1DCNN-LSTM neural network structure
Authors: Qiao Yihuan , Wang Ya , Ma Changxi , Yang Ju
Published: October 2020

In the past decade, the number of cars in China has significantly raised, but the traffic jam spree problem has brought great inconvenience to people’s travel. Accurate and efficient traffic flow prediction, as the core of Intelligent Traffic System (ITS), can effectively solve the problems of traffic travel and management. The existing short-term traffic flow prediction researches mainly use the shallow model method, so they cannot fully reflect the traffic flow characteristics. Therefore, this paper proposed a short-term traffic flow prediction method based on one-dimensional convolution neural network and long short-term memory (1DCNN-LSTM). The spatial information in traffic data is obtained by 1DCNN, and then the time information in traffic data is obtained by LSTM. After that, the space-time features of the traffic flow are used as regression predictions, which are input into the Fully-Connected Layer. In the end, the corresponding prediction results of the current input are calculated. In the past, most of the researches are based on survey data or virtual data, lacking authenticity. In this paper, real data will be used for research. The data are provided by OpenITS open data platform. Finally, the proposed method is compared with other road forecasting models. The results show that the structure of 1DCNN-LSTM can further improve the prediction accuracy.
Image Normalization and Weighted Classification Using an Efficient Approach for SVM Classifiers
Authors: Dhariwal Sumit , Palaniappan Sellappan
Published: October 2020

The content of massive image changing the brightest brightness is an impasse between most tests of sorted image realizations with low-resolution representation. I have done this research through image security, which will help curb crime in the coming days, and we propose a novel receipt for their strong and effective counterpart. Image classification using low levels of the image is a difficult method, so for this, I have adopted the method of automating the semantic image classification of this research and used it with different SVM classifiers, based on the normalized weighted feature support vector machine for semantic image classification. This is a novel approach given that weighted feature or normalized biased feature is applied and it is found that the normalized method is the best. It also uses normalized weighted features to compute kernel functions and train SVM. The trained SVM is then used to classify new images. During training and generalization, we displayed a decrease of identification error rate and there have been many benefits of using SVM with better performance in normalized image-cataloging systems. The importance of this technique and its role will be highlighted in the years to come.
Inference on Parameters of a Geometric Process with Scaled Muth Distribution
Authors: Biçer Cenker , Bakouch Hassan S. , Biçer Hayrinisa Demirci
Published: October 2020

The problem of statistical modeling of the geometric count data with a specific probability model of lifetimes is of interest and importance in reliability. In this paper, we construct a geometric process (GP), with parameter [Formula: see text], for modeling the geometric count data when the distribution of first occurrence time is a scaled Muth with parameters [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text]. We investigate the estimators of the process parameters [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] from a point of approximations of classical and modified approach by using the different estimation methodologies such as the maximum likelihood, moments, least-squares and maximum spacing. We perform a simulation study to compare the estimation performance of the estimators obtained. Finally, we provide an illustrative analysis conducted on a real-world dataset to show the efficiency of the GP model constructed in this paper against the alpha-series and renewal processes and exemplify the data modeling stages. Consequently, a forecasting to such data using the GP with the scaled Muth is investigated.
Mineral-resource prediction using advanced data analytics and machine learning of the QUEST-South stream-sediment geochemical data, southwestern British Columbia, Canada
Authors: Grunsky E. C. , Arne D.
Published: October 2020

In this study we apply multivariate statistical and predictive classification methods to interpret geochemical data from 8545 stream-sediment samples collected in southern British Columbia, Canada. Data for 35 elements were corrected for laboratory bias and adjusted for values reported below the lower limit of detection. Each sample site was attributed with the closest British Columbia MINFILE occurrence within 2.5 km. MINFILE occurrences were grouped into ‘GroupModels’ based on similarities between the British Columbia Geological Survey mineral deposit models and geochemical signatures. These data were used to create a training dataset of 474 observations, including 100 samples not attributed with a MINFILE occurrence. The training set was used to generate predictions for the mineral deposit models from which posterior probabilities were estimated for the remaining 8071 samples. The data underwent a centred log-ratio transformation and then characterization using either principal component analysis (PCA) or t-distributed stochastic neighbour embedding using 9 dimensions (t-SNE) prior to classification by random forests. The posterior probabilities generated from the t-SNE metric provide a slightly higher level of prediction accuracy compared to the posterior probabilities obtained using the PCA metric. The results are comparable to those obtained using a conventional catchment analysis approach and expert-driven model. The approach presented here provides a repeatable, consistent and defensible methodology for the identification of prospective mineralized terrains and mineral systems.
Sex Differences in the Inflammatory Response: Pharmacological Opportunities for Therapeutics for Coronary Artery Disease
Authors: Shabbir Asad , Rathod Krishnaraj Sinhji , Khambata Rayomand Syrus , Ahluwalia Amrita
Published: October 2020

Coordinated molecular responses are key to effective initiation and resolution of both acute and chronic inflammation. Vascular inflammation plays an important role in initiating and perpetuating atherosclerotic disease, specifically at the site of plaque and subsequent fibrous cap rupture. Both men and women succumb to this disease process, and although management strategies have focused on revascularization and pharmacological therapies in the acute situation to reverse vessel closure and prevent thrombogenesis, data now suggest that regulation of host inflammation may improve both morbidity and mortality, thus supporting the notion that prevention is better than cure. There is a clear sex difference in the incidence of vascular disease, and data confirm biological differences in inflammatory initiation and resolution between men and women. This article reviews contemporary opinions describing the sex difference in the initiation and resolution of inflammatory responses, with a view to explore potential targets for pharmacological intervention.