bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Fluctuating quasi-stable quantum-charged rotating black holes
Authors: Sinha Aloke Kumar
Published: April 2020

We are engaged in studying thermodynamics of black holes from quantum mechanical perspective and already have published a series of papers. We first showed, based on certain assumptions for quantum mechanical nature of black holes, that they can be thought to be immersed in a thermal bath, i.e. rest of the universe. Of course, this consideration is required to study the thermodynamics of the black holes. We were able to find out the conditions of thermal stability for a black hole with arbitrary number of hairs in arbitrary dimensional spacetime. They came in form of a series of inequalities, connecting second-order derivatives of black hole mass with respect to its area and all the hairs. We then introduced the concept of “Quasi stability”, based on partial fulfillment of stability criteria, for thermally decaying black holes. We had also calculated the fluctuations for different hairs of a stable black hole. In this paper, we extend this calculation for charged rotating quasi-stable black holes. These fluctuations are interestingly found to be similar to that of stable black holes in certain aspects.
An investigation of ship airwake over the frigate afterbody
Authors: Li Tong , Wang Yi-Bin , Zhao Ning , Qin Ning
Published: April 2020

When air passes through the hangar of a frigate, the unstable airwake appears in the rear of the hangar, which may significantly increase the workload of the ship-borne helicopter pilot. Therefore, there must be a profound understanding of the characteristics of the airwake. In this paper, the airwake was numerically studied by using the Improved Delayed Detached-Eddy Simulation (IDDES) turbulence model on structured grids. The flow fields of the different simplified frigate afterbody models, consisting of hangar and flight deck, were compared regarding the size of the recirculation zone. A parametric study was conducted by varying the hangar length to find the optimal afterbody model with minimal recirculation zone behind the hangar. The results show that the size as well as the location of the recirculation zone are significantly affected by the hangar length, and the optimal afterbody model has been obtained.
A diffuse interface IBM for compressible flows with Neumann boundary condition
Authors: Chen You , Shu Chang , Sun Yu , Yang Li Ming , Wang Yan
Published: April 2020

The recently proposed boundary condition-enforced immersed boundary-gas kinetic flux solver (IB-GKFS) is a new approach for simulation of compressible flows with curved and moving boundaries. In the previous application of IB-GKFS, only the Dirichlet boundary condition is considered, which cannot be applied directly to the Neumann boundary condition. In this paper, an auxiliary layer of Lagrangian points is introduced to tackle Neumann boundary condition. Two test cases, including flow around a circular cylinder and flow around a NACA0012 airfoil, are carried out for validation. The results obtained by the present scheme are compared with the reference data available in the literature. Good agreements are achieved, which indicate that the developed method can effectively simulate the compressible flow with Neumann boundary condition.
Entanglement dynamics of two atoms coupling to a quantum cavity
Authors: Ma Xiao San , Cheng Mu-Tian
Published: April 2020

Recently, strong coupling dominating dissipative and decoherence effects between the atom and a quantum cavity has been investigated experimentally. In this paper, we study the entanglement dynamics of two two-level atoms coupling to a quantum cavity where each mirror is formed by a chain of atoms trapped near a one-dimensional waveguide. We consider the effects of both Markovian dynamics and non-Markovian dynamics on the entanglement evolution of the two central atoms. Our results show that the steady entanglement can be generated between the two central atoms whether the system is under the Markov regime or non-Markov regime when the number of atoms of the atomic mirrors is finite. When the number of the atomic mirrors is large enough, the entanglement of two central atoms takes oscillating behavior without a stable value. The effect of detuning and dissipation on entanglement dynamics is also discussed and the results imply that the detuning plays an important role in improving the entanglement amplitude.
Computational analysis of time-dependent viscous fluid flow and heat transfer
Authors: Ahmad Salman , Ullah Habib , Hayat T. , Alsaedi A.
Published: April 2020

The flow of viscous fluid between two parallel plates is investigated. The applications of the magnetic field effect have been considered in the vertical direction to the plates. Velocity has been presented in the presence of suction and injection. The temperature equation is assisted with the Joule heating effect. One of the numerical techniques, that is, finite difference approach has been used to tackle the given partial differential system. This method results in a system of simple algebraic equations. The unknown function is analyzed inside the domain. In this technique of solution, a system is subdivided into many smaller parts called finite elements. The obtained simpler algebraic equations are then assembled to form a system of equation which governs the original problem. The variational method is used to get an approximate solution by reducing the error function. The effects of pertinent variables on temperature and velocity are shown graphically in the discussion section. The obtained results show that the velocity decreases with magnetic and porosity parameters. Temperature increases for larger values of Hartmann and Eckert numbers.
The gauge transformations generated by the wave functions in the constrained modified KP hierarchy
Authors: Yang Yi , Cheng Jipeng
Published: April 2020

There are two ways to choose the generating functions of the gauge transformations [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text], when dicussing the gauge transformations for the constrained modified KP hierarchy. The first is to select the (adjoint) eigenfunctions, while the second is the (adjoint) wave functions. In this paper, we will mainly discuss the gauge transformations obtained by the second method. The corresponding successive applications are considered. Also, we investigate the results of the gauge transformation derived through the union of these two methods.
A Data Analysis Investigation of Smart Phone and Social Media Use by Syrian Refugees
Authors: Ahmad Marwa
Published: April 2020

A descriptive statistics approach is applied to analyse a newly collected dataset from Young Syrian Refugees in Lebanon. The aim of the paper is to empirically document the uses and gratifications of YSRs smartphone and social media use. Results indicated that the majority of YSRs use Facebook and WhatsApp for communications and entertainment purposes. Frequency analysis was used to determine the rate at which YSRs own and utilise smartphones and Social Networking Sites. Findings indicate that males head of households purchased smartphones for wives, younger sisters and mothers. Cross tabulation analysis of the role of gender on uses and gratifications of smartphones yielded an exclusion effect due to cultural consideration. This paper opens up new horizons in the use of information technology for improving the living conditions of refugee populations.
The Samapleu mafic–ultramafic intrusion (western Ivory Coast): cumulate of a high-Mg basaltic magma with (coeval) ultrahigh-temperature–medium-pressure metamorphism
Authors: Gouedji Franck , Picard Christian , Audet Marc-Antoine , Goncalvès Philippe , Coulibaly Yacouba , Bakayoko Bouaké
Published: April 2020

Mineralogical, geochemical and metamorphic characterization of the Samapleu intrusion shows that it is composed of cumulates of mafic and ultramafic rocks. The ultramafic unit resulted from a single and progressively evolved primitive magma. The mafic unit could have evolved from the same magma or could have formed following a second, more evolved magma injection. The data and signature of major, trace elements and rare earth elements of the mafic intrusion indicate that it is of basaltic composition with a low Ti and high content of MgO. In addition, it is formed by fractional crystallization under the impingement of a mantle plume at the base of the continental crust, inducing textural and mineralogical characteristics of high metamorphic grade with a low level of contamination. Contact metamorphism is represented by hybrid lithofacies composed of mixtures of mafic igneous and aluminous semipelitic rocks with ultrahigh temperature (
T
= 850 ± 100°C and
P
= 7.5 ± 1 kbar), which confirm the establishment of this intrusion at the base of the continental crust (
c.
22 km). Therefore, the Paleoproterozoic age (2.09 Ga, age U–Pb on rutile) of the Samapleu intrusion would imply that the intrusion could be coeval with the plume-related ocean flood basalts of the Birimian sequence.
Spatial Metabolomics and Imaging Mass Spectrometry in the Age of Artificial Intelligence
Authors: Alexandrov Theodore
Published: April 2020

Spatial metabolomics is an emerging field of omics research that has enabled localizing metabolites, lipids, and drugs in tissue sections, a feat considered impossible just two decades ago. Spatial metabolomics and its enabling technology—imaging mass spectrometry—generate big hyperspectral imaging data that have motivated the development of tailored computational methods at the intersection of computational metabolomics and image analysis. Experimental and computational developments have recently opened doors to applications of spatial metabolomics in life sciences and biomedicine. At the same time, these advances have coincided with a rapid evolution in machine learning, deep learning, and artificial intelligence, which are transforming our everyday life and promise to revolutionize biology and healthcare. Here, we introduce spatial metabolomics through the eyes of a computational scientist, review the outstanding challenges, provide a look into the future, and discuss opportunities granted by the ongoing convergence of human and artificial intelligence.
Mechanism of Action of TiO2: Recommendations to Reduce Uncertainties Related to Carcinogenic Potential
Authors: Braakhuis Hedwig M. , Gosens Ilse , Heringa Minne B. , Oomen Agnes G. , Vandebriel Rob J. , Groenewold Monique , Cassee Flemming R.
Published: April 2020

The Risk Assessment Committee of the European Chemicals Agency issued an opinion on classifying titanium dioxide (TiO2) as a suspected human carcinogen upon inhalation. Recent animal studies indicate that TiO2 may be carcinogenic through the oral route. There is considerable uncertainty on the carcinogenicity of TiO2, which may be decreased if its mechanism of action becomes clearer. Here we consider adverse outcome pathways and present the available information on each of the key events (KEs). Inhalation exposure to TiO2 can induce lung tumors in rats via a mechanism that is also applicable to other poorly soluble, low-toxicity particles. To reduce uncertainties regarding human relevance, we recommend gathering information on earlier KEs such as oxidative stress in humans. For oral exposure, insufficient information is available to conclude whether TiO2 can induce intestinal tumors. An oral carcinogenicity study with well-characterized (food-grade) TiO2 is needed, including an assessment of toxicokinetics and early KEs.
Sleep Disturbance and Its Clinical Implication in Patients with Adult Spinal Deformity: Comparison with Lumbar Spinal Stenosis
Authors: Kim Ho-Joong , Hong Seok-Jun , Park Joon-Hee , Ki Hojoon
Published: April 2020

Purpose. The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of sleep disturbance and its clinical implication in patients with ASD. Methods. A total of 44 patients with ASD and 137 patients with lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) were enrolled in the study. Forty four patients were selected from the LSS group after propensity score matching. Global Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) score, demographic data, visual analog scale (VAS) score for back and leg pain, Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), and EuroQol 5-dimension questionnaire (EQ-5D) were compared between both groups. Multiple regression analysis was performed with VAS for back pain as the dependent variable and age, sex, PSQI, and VAS for leg pain as the independent variables in the ASD group. Results. 33 (75.0%) and 32 (72.7%) patients were classified as poor sleepers in the ASD group and the LSS group, respectively. In the ASD group, the VAS score for back pain was 7.7 ± 1.7 in the poor sleeper group and 5.6 ± 2.2 in the nonpoor sleeper group. In the LSS group, poor sleep quality was associated with the ODI score, ODI score without a sleep component, and EQ-5D. The regression model for predicting VAS for back pain in the ASD group suggested that poor sleep quality and increased leg pain were associated with increased back pain. Conclusions. Because sleep quality is a critical factor in augmenting back pain in patients with ASD, this study underlines the need to investigate sleep quality during the routine examination of patients with ASD.
[Retracted] The Role of Cavin3 in the Progression of Lung Cancer and Its Mechanism
Authors: Sun Gaozhong , Ni Kewei
Published: April 2020

Objective. The purpose of this study was to describe the role of Cavin3 in the progression of lung cancer and its underlying mechanism. Methods. Totally, 200 cases of lung cancer tissues and corresponding paracancer tissues were collected. Cavin3 expression in samples was determined by qRT‐PCR, and the correlation with lung cancer stages as well as prognosis was statistically analyzed combined with matched clinical information. To investigate the mechanism of Cavin3 in lung cancer progression, firstly, Cavin3 was detected in lung cancer cell lines A549, PC9, and H520. Then, cells with stable Cavin3 overexpression and Cavin3 knockout were established to determine the effect of Cavin3 overexpression on the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway. Subsequently, cells were harvested for cell proliferation, migration, and invasion assays in vitro, as well as nude mouse transplantation tumor experiment in vivo. Results. Cavin3 was seen to be highly expressed in cancer tissues. Statistical analysis with matched clinical data showed that Cavin3 as a prognostic indicator of lung cancer had important clinical value. In addition, it could be found that high expression of Cavin3 was able to promote cell proliferation, migration, and invasion and also potentiate tumor formation in vivo. Conclusion. Cavin3 was highly expressed in lung cancer, and it was capable to promote cell proliferation, invasion, and migration.
Assessment of Knowledge, Attitude, and Disposal Practice of Unused and Expired Pharmaceuticals in Community of Adigrat City, Northern Ethiopia
Authors: Kahsay Halefom , Ahmedin Mubarek , Kebede Binyam , Gebrezihar Kiflay , Araya Haylay , Tesfay Desta
Published: April 2020

Background. Medicines have become part of our day-to-day life. Due to different reasons, patients may not use all the medications dispensed to them. The storage of drugs at home promotes self-medication, which results in variety of adverse consequences. Global growth in health-seeking awareness and behavior among people has resulted in increment of medicine consumption over years. However, Ethiopians have little awareness about proper disposal of unused and expired pharmaceuticals. Besides, large quantities remain unused or expired since not all medications given to the consumers are consumed. Hence, this study could serve as an indicator for the country policy makers concerning pharmaceutical waste management. Objective. To assess knowledge, attitude, and disposal practice of unused and expired pharmaceuticals in the community of Adigrat city, Tigray, Ethiopia, 2019. Methodology. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 359 respondents from the residents of Adigrat city. Semistructured questionnaires, which focused on knowledge, attitudes, and disposal practices for unused and expired medications, were used to collect data from respondents. Epi-data 3.0 suite and the statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) version 20 were used in data entry and analysis. Results. All of the 359 returned questionnaires were valid for data entry and analysis. Of the 359 respondents, 57.7% were men and the majority (93%) were Orthodox Christians. Almost half of the respondents (50.14%) have good knowledge concerning the disposal of unused and expired pharmaceuticals. Most (82.2%) of the respondents have a positive attitude towards the disposal of unused and expired pharmaceuticals. Around fifty-two (52.4) of the respondents had unused medicines stored at home, with analgesics being the most common (41.5%). Around three-quarters (75.2%) and 63% of the respondents discarded unused and expired medicines in the garbage bins, respectively. Conclusion. Although the majority of the respondents had a positive attitude towards the disposal of unused and expired medications, almost half of the sample population were unaware of proper disposal practices. Furthermore, less were inclined to practice proper disposal of unused and expired medications in the city. Therefore, we recommend further studies that focus on how the disposal attitude of the population can influence their knowledge and practice of the disposal of unused and expired medications.
Willingness to Pay for Social Health Insurance and Associated Factors among Health Care Providers in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Authors: Mekonne Abel , Seifu Benyam , Hailu Chernet , Atomsa Alemayehu
Published: April 2020

Background. Cost sharing between beneficiaries and government is critical to attain universal health coverage. The government of Ethiopia introduced social health insurance to improve access to quality health services. Hence, HCP are the ultimate frontline service provider; their WTP for health insurance could influence the implementation of the scheme directly or indirectly. However, there is limited evidence on willingness to pay (WTP) for social health insurance (SHI) among health professionals. Methods. A cross‐sectional study was conducted in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from May 1st to August 15th, 2019. A total sample of 480 health care providers was selected using a multistage sampling method. The collected data were entered into Epi Info version 7.1 and analyzed with SPSS version 23. Binary and multiple logistic regression analysis was carried out to identify the associated factor outcome variable. The association was presented in odds ratio with 95% confidence interval and significance determined at a P value less than 0.05. Result. A total of 460 health care providers responded to the questionnaire, making a 95.8% response rate. Of the respondents, only 132 (28.7%) were WTP for SHI. Higher educational status [AOR = 2.9, 95% CI (1.2‐7.3)], higher monthly income [AOR = 2.2, 95% CI (1.2‐4.3)], recent family illness [AOR = 2.4, 95% CI (1.4‐4.4)], and a good awareness about SHI [AOR = 4.4, 95% CI (2.4‐7.8)] showed significant association with WTP for SHI. The main reasons for not WTP were thinking the government should cover the cost, preferring out‐pocket payment and the provided SHI scheme does not cover all the health care costs health care providers lost interest in pay for SHI. Conclusion and Recommendation. The majority of health care providers were not willing to pay for the introduced SHI scheme. The provided SHI scheme should be clear and provide special consideration for health care providers as the majority of them receives free health care service from their employer health care institution. Also, the government, health professional associations, and other concerned stakeholders should provide awareness creation programs by targeting low and middle‐level health professionals in order to increase WTP for SHI among health care providers.
Optimization of Bioactive Compound Extraction from Rose Myrtle Fruit (Rhodomyrtus tomentosa, (W.Ait), Myrtaceae) as the Antioxidant Source
Authors: Ismandari Titik , Kumalaningsih Sri , Wijana Susinggih , Mustaniroh Siti Asma’ul
Published: April 2020

Rose myrtle fruit (Rhodomyrtus tomentosa, (W.Ait), Myrtaceae) is one of fruits widely found in Kalimantan. This fruit contains a bioactive compound that has a potential to be used as medicine. The aim of this study was to obtain optimal temperature and time of extraction in maintaining and protecting the bioactive compound in rose myrtle fruit extract by using water as solvent. This research applied the response surface method with central composite design for two factors, namely, X1 (temperature/°C) consisting of three levels: 70, 80, and 90°C and X2 (time/minute) which consisted of three levels of 60, 90, and 120 minutes. Research parameters included total phenol and antioxidant activity. Moreover, GC-MS was used for the characterization of the chemical compound component contained in rose myrtle fruit extract. Optimization of extraction condition resulted in an optimum temperature for extraction of 80.43°C and optimum time for extraction of 85 minutes with an optimum yield of total phenol of 73.77 mg/100 g fresh fruit and antioxidant activity of 1.0385 µg/ml with desirability of 0.892 or 89.2%.
Treatment of Uremic Tumoral Calcinosis in Maintenance Hemodialysis Patients
Authors: Ke Guibao , Li Sijia , Cui Yanhai , Chen Xueqin  , Che Huimin  , Dou Caoshuai  , Lian Zhiwen  , Zhang Li , Li Zhuo , Ma Jianchao  , Feng Zhonglin , Yang Jia , Hu Yao , Wang Yifan , Zhang Hong , Huang Huichuan , Su Huayan , Guo Junli , He Chaosheng , Liang Xinling  , Shi Wei  , Ge Pingjiang , Liu Shuangxin
Published: April 2020

Background/Aims: Uremic tumoral calcinosis (UTC) is a rare disease with metastatic tissue calcification in maintenance hemodialysis (HD) patients. However, limited data are available on the treatment of UTC in HD patients. This article mainly discusses the diagnostic findings and efficacy of treatment on HD patients with UTC. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted based on the data of 13 cases of UTC, including their clinical features, biochemical indicators, imaging findings, diagnosis, therapeutic methods, and follow-up results. Parathyroidectomy (PTX) or drug treatment was determined based on intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH) levels and clinical symptoms. Results: All 13 patients were diagnosed as UTC definitely by imaging examination. The predominant areas involved were the buttocks (4 cases, 30.77%), shoulders (4 cases, 30.77%), and elbows (3 cases, 23.08%). Based on the levels of iPTH, cases were categorized into 2 different groups: PTX treatment group was associated with high levels of iPTH, while drug treatment group (lanthanum carbonate or sevelamer with sodium thiosulfate) was associated with lower iPTH levels. After PTX treatment, there was a significant decrease in serum iPTH, calcium (Ca), phosphate (P), and alkaline phosphatase levels (p < 0.05). In drug treatment group, the serum p levels were decreased significantly, along with a finding that hemoglobin levels were increased (p < 0.05). All the UTC had lessened or even disappeared after 4–6 months treatment. Conclusions: Although most UTC patients have an increased iPTH, a small number had lower iPTH levels. Based on iPTH levels and clinical symptoms, the patients were treated with PTX or drug therapy. With proper treatment, UTC disappeared without the need for surgery to remove calcinosis tissue.
Application of 17 Contrast-Induced Acute Kidney Injury Risk Prediction Models
Authors: Serif Levent , Chalikias George , Didagelos Matthaios , Stakos Dimitrios , Kikas Petros , Thomaidis Adina , Lantzouraki Asimina , Ziakas Antonios , Tziakas Dimitrios
Published: April 2020

Introduction: Contrast-induced acute kidney injury (CI-AKI) is a frequent complication of percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI). Various groups have developed and validated risk scores for CI-AKI. Although the majority of these risk scores achieve an adequate accuracy, their usability in clinical practice is limited and greatly debated. Objective: With the present study, we aimed to prospectively assess the diagnostic performance of recently published CI-AKI risk scores (up to 2018) in a cohort of patients undergoing PCI. Methods: We enrolled 1,247 consecutive patients (80% men, mean age 62 ± 10 years) treated with elective or urgent PCI. For each patient, we calculated the individual CI-AKI risk score based on 17 different risk models. CI-AKI was defined as an increase of ≥25% (liberal) or ≥0.5 mg/dL (strict) in pre-PCI serum creatinine 48 h after PCI. Results: CI-AKI definition and, therefore, CI-AKI incidence have a significant impact on risk model performance (median negative predictive value increased from 85 to 99%; median c-statistic increased from 0.516 to 0.603 using more strict definition criteria). All of the 17 published models were characterized by a weak-to-moderate discriminating ability mainly based on the identification of “true-negative” cases (median positive predictive value 19% with liberal criterion and 3% with strict criterion). In none of the models, c-statistic was >0.800 with either CI-AKI definition. Novel, different combinations of the >35 independent variables used in the published models either by down- or by up-scaling did not result in significant improvement in predictive performance. Conclusions: The predictive ability of all models was similar and only modest, derived mainly by identifying true-negative cases. A new approach is probably needed by adding novel markers or periprocedural characteristics.
Evaluation of the Efficacy of Computed Tomographic Coronary Angiography in Assessing Coronary Artery Morphology and Physiology: Rationale and Study Design
Authors: Ramasamy Anantharaman , Safi Hannah , Moon  James C. , Andiapen Mervyn , Rathod Krishnaraj S. , Maurovich-Horvat Pal , Bajaj Retesh , Serruys Patrick W. , Mathur Anthony , Baumbach Andreas , Pugliese Francesca , Torii Ryo , Bourantas Christos V.
Published: April 2020

Computed tomographic coronary angiography (CTCA) is a non-invasive imaging modality, which allows plaque burden and composition assessment and detection of plaque characteristics associated with increased vulnerability. In addition, CTCA-based coronary artery reconstruction enables local haemodynamic forces assessment, which regulate plaque formation and vascular inflammation and prediction of lesions that are prone to progress and cause events. However, the use of CTCA for vulnerable plaque detection in the clinical arena remains limited. To unlock the full potential of CTCA and enable its broad use, further work is needed to develop user-friendly processing tools that will allow fast and accurate analysis of CTCA, computational fluid dynamic modelling, and evaluation of the local haemodynamic forces. The present study aims to develop a seamless platform that will overcome the limitations of CTCA and enable fast and accurate evaluation of plaque morphology and physiology. We will analyse imaging data from 70 patients with coronary artery disease who will undergo state-of-the-art CTCA and near-infrared spectroscopy-intravascular ultrasound imaging and develop and train algorithms that will take advantage of the intravascular imaging data to optimise vessel segmentation and plaque characterisation. Furthermore, we will design an advanced module that will enable reconstruction of coronary artery anatomy from CTCA, blood flow simulation, shear stress estimation, and comprehensive visualisation of vessel pathophysiology. These advances are expected to facilitate the broad use of CTCA, not only for risk stratification but also for the evaluation of the effect of emerging therapies on plaque evolution.
Clinical Features and Risk Factors of Parkinson’s Disease in a Population of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan: A Case-Control Study
Authors: Tufail Muhammad
Published: April 2020

Background: Parkinson’s disease (PD) is one of the most common neurological disorders that mostly affect aged individuals. The common symptoms of PD are rest tremor, bradykinesia, and rigidity. Objectives: The present study was devised to find out the clinical features and risk factors associated with PD in a population of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Methods:A total of 600 PD patients and 1,200 control individuals took part in this study. The participants filled out a standard questionnaire. Results: This study found a significant association between PD and exposure to pesticides (p < 0.0001) and doing work on farms (p < 0.0001). The use of aldrin was significantly associated with PD (p < 0.0001). Furthermore, we also found that PD status was associated with individuals who have a history of depression, hypertension, head injury, and Alzheimer’s disease. This study also showed that the PD rate was lower in those who were using tobacco products. Conclusion: In this case-control study, we revealed some environmental and medical conditions that are linked with PD. To control the disease, we must minimize exposure to pesticides, and the government and scientific community should play their role.
Catheter Ablation in Patients With Cardiogenic Shock and Refractory Ventricular Tachycardia
Authors: Ballout Jad A. , Wazni Oussama M. , Tarakji Khaldoun G. , Saliba Walid I. , Kanj Mohamed , Diab Mohamed , Bhargava Mandeep , Baranowski Bryan , Dresing Thomas J. , Callahan Thomas D. , Cantillon Daniel J. , Rickard John , Martin David O. , Varma Niraj , Niebauer Mark J. , Chung Mina K. , Tchou Patrick J. , Lindsay Bruce D. , Hussein Ayman A.
Published: April 2020

Background:

There is paucity of data regarding radiofrequency ablation for ventricular tachycardia (VT) in patients with cardiogenic shock and concomitant VT refractory to antiarrhythmic drugs on mechanical support.

Methods:

Patients undergoing VT ablation at our center were enrolled in a prospectively maintained registry and screened for the current study (2010–2017).

Results:

All 21 consecutive patients with cardiogenic shock and concomitant refractory ventricular arrhythmia undergoing bailout ablation due to inability to wean off mechanical support were included. Median age was 61 years, 86% were men, median left ventricular ejection fraction was 20%, 81% had ischemic cardiomyopathy, and PAINESD score was 18±5. The type of mechanical support in place before the procedure was intra-aortic balloon pump in 14 patients (67%), Impella CP in 2, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in 2, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation and intra-aortic balloon pump in 2, and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation and Impella CP in 1. Endocardial voltage maps showed myocardial scar in 19 patients (90%). The clinical VTs were inducible in 13 patients (62%), whereas 6 patients had premature ventricular contraction–induced ventricular fibrillation/VT (29%), and VT could not be induced in 2 patients (9%). Activation mapping was possible in all 13 with inducible clinical VTs. Substrate modification was performed in 15 patients with scar (79%). After ablation and scar modification, the arrhythmia was noninducible in 19 patients (91%). Seventeen (81%) were eventually weaned off mechanical support successfully, but 6 (29%) died during the index admission from persistent cardiogenic shock. Patients who had ventricular arrhythmia and cardiogenic shock on presentation had a trend toward lower in-hospital mortality compared with those who presented with cardiogenic shock and later developed ventricular arrhythmia.

Conclusions:

Bailout ablation for refractory ventricular arrhythmia in cardiogenic shock allowed successful weaning from mechanical support in a large proportion of patients. Mortality remains high, but the majority of patients were discharged home and survived beyond 1 year.
Impact of Cardiac Implantable Electronic Device Infection
Authors: Wilkoff Bruce L. , Boriani Giuseppe , Mittal Suneet , Poole Jeanne E. , Kennergren Charles , Corey G. Ralph , Love John C. , Augostini Ralph , Faerestrand Svein , Wiggins Sherman S. , Healey Jeff S. , Holbrook Reece , Lande Jeffrey D. , Lexcen Daniel R. , Willey Sarah , Tarakji Khaldoun G. ,   for the WRAP-IT Investigators
Published: April 2020

Background:

Current understanding of the impact of cardiac implantable electronic device (CIED) infection is based on retrospective analyses from medical records or administrative claims data. The WRAP-IT (Worldwide Randomized Antibiotic Envelope Infection Prevention Trial) offers an opportunity to evaluate the clinical and economic impacts of CIED infection from the hospital, payer, and patient perspectives in the US healthcare system.

Methods:

This was a prespecified, as-treated analysis evaluating outcomes related to major CIED infections: mortality, quality of life, disruption of CIED therapy, healthcare utilization, and costs. Payer costs were assigned using medicare fee for service national payments, while medicare advantage, hospital, and patient costs were derived from similar hospital admissions in administrative datasets.

Results:

Major CIED infection was associated with increased all-cause mortality (12-month risk-adjusted hazard ratio, 3.41 [95% CI, 1.81–6.41];
P
<0.001), an effect that sustained beyond 12 months (hazard ratio through all follow-up, 2.30 [95% CI, 1.29–4.07];
P
=0.004). Quality of life was reduced (
P
=0.004) and did not normalize for 6 months. Disruptions in CIED therapy were experienced in 36% of infections for a median duration of 184 days. Mean costs were $55 547±$45 802 for the hospital, $26 867±$14 893, for medicare fee for service and $57 978±$29 431 for Medicare Advantage (mean hospital margin of −$30 828±$39 757 for medicare fee for service and −$6055±$45 033 for medicare advantage). Mean out-of-pocket costs for patients were $2156±$1999 for medicare fee for service, and $1658±$1250 for medicare advantage.

Conclusions:

This large, prospective analysis corroborates and extends understanding of the impact of CIED infections as seen in real-world datasets. CIED infections severely impact mortality, quality of life, healthcare utilization, and cost in the US healthcare system.

Registration:

URL:
https://www.clinicaltrials.gov
Unique Identifier: NCT02277990
Description of Pseudosteineria longisetis sp. n. from northeastern Brazil with a review of the genus Pseudosteineria Wieser, 1956 (Nematoda: Xyalidae)
Authors: CIDREIRA GABRIEL , VENEKEY VIRÁG , DE SOUZA ALVES ORANE F. , KELMO FRANCISCO
Published: April 2020

A new free-living marine nematode of the family Xyalidae is described from Armação Beach, northeastern Brazil, and the genus Pseudosteineria is reviewed. Pseudosteineria longisetis sp. n. is characterized by having six groups of long subcephalic setae, amphids situated slightly anterior to the groups of subcephalic setae or at the level of the first subcephalic setae, long somatic setae located posteriorly to subcephalic setae and distributed along the body, one papiliform precloacal supplement, and gubernaculum with dorso-caudal apophysis. An emended diagnosis of the genus, an updated list of species and dichotomous identification key, and a pictorial key are given. A comparative table including the main characters of all Pseudosteineria species is also provided.
Human Factors Contributions to the Development of Standards for Displays of Unmanned Aircraft Systems in Support of Detect-and-Avoid
Authors: Vu Kim-Phuong L. , Rorie Robert Conrad , Fern Lisa , Shively Robert Jay
Published: April 2020

Objective

The aim is to provide a high-level synthesis of human factors research that contributed to the development of detect-and-avoid display requirements for unmanned aircraft systems (UAS).

Background

The integration of UAS into the U.S. National Airspace System is a priority under the Federal Aviation Administration’s Modernization and Reform Act. For UAS to have routine access to the National Airspace System, UAS must have detect-and-avoid capabilities. One human factors challenge is to determine how to display information effectively to remote pilots for performing detect-and-avoid tasks.

Method

A high-level review of research informing the display requirements for UAS detect-and-avoid is provided. In addition, description of the contributions of human factors researchers in the writing of the requirements is highlighted.

Results

Findings from human-in-the-loop simulations are used to illustrate how evidence-based guidelines and requirements were established for the display of information to assist pilots in performing detect-and-avoid. Implications for human factors are discussed.

Conclusion

Human factors researchers and engineers made many contributions to generate the data used to justify the detect-and-avoid display requirements. Human factors researchers must continue to be involved in the development of standards to ensure that requirements are evidence-based and take into account human operator performance and human factors principles and guidelines.

Application

The research presented in this paper is relevant to the design of UAS, the writing of standards and requirements, and the work in human–systems integration.
In Situ Tremor in Vitreoretinal Surgery
Authors: Li Yifan , Wolf Mitchell D. , Kulkarni Amol D. , Bell James , Chang Jonathan S. , Nimunkar Amit , Radwin Robert G.
Published: April 2020

Objective

Surgeon tremor was measured during vitreoretinal microscopic surgeries under different hand support conditions.

Background

While the ophthalmic surgeon’s forearm is supported using a standard symmetric wrist rest when operating on the patient’s same side as the dominant hand (SSD), the surgeon’s hand is placed directly on the patient’s forehead when operating on the contralateral side of the dominant hand (CSD). It was hypothesized that more tremor is associated with CSD surgeries than SSD surgeries and that, using an experimental asymmetric wrist rest where the contralateral wrist bar gradually rises and curves toward the patient’s operative eye, there is no difference in tremor associated with CSD and SSD surgeries.

Methods

Seventy-six microscope videos, recorded from three surgeons performing macular membrane peeling operations, were analyzed using marker-less motion tracking, and movement data (instrument path length and acceleration) were recorded. Tremor acceleration frequency and magnitude were measured using spectral analysis. Following 47 surgeries using a conventional symmetric wrist support, surgeons incorporated the experimental asymmetric wrist rest into their surgical routine.

Results

There was 0.11 mm/s2 (22%) greater ( p = .05) average tremor acceleration magnitude for CSD surgeries (0.62 mm/s2, SD = 0.08) than SSD surgeries (0.51 mm/s2, SD = 0.09) for the symmetric wrist rest, while no significant ( p > .05) differences were observed (0.57 mm, SD = 0.13 for SSD and 0.58 mm, SD = 0.11 for CSD surgeries) for the experimental asymmetric wrist rest.

Conclusion

The asymmetric wrist support reduced the difference in tremor acceleration between CSD and SSD surgeries.
Profiling of Oral Bacterial Communities
Authors: Wade W.G. , Prosdocimi E.M.
Published: April 2020

The profiling of bacterial communities by the sequencing of housekeeping genes such as that encoding the small subunit ribosomal RNA has revealed the extensive diversity of bacterial life on earth. Standard protocols have been developed and are widely used for this application, but individual habitats may require modification of methods. This review discusses the sequencing and analysis methods most appropriate for the study of the bacterial component of the human oral microbiota. If possible, DNA should be extracted from samples soon after collection. If samples have to be stored for practical reasons, precautions to avoid DNA degradation on freezing should be taken. A critical aspect of profiling oral bacterial communities is the choice of region of the 16S rRNA gene for sequencing. The V1-V2 region provides the best discrimination between species of the genus Streptococcus, the most common genus in the mouth and important in health and disease. The MiSeq platform is most commonly used for sequencing, but long-read technologies are now becoming available that should improve the resolution of analyses. There are a variety of well-established data analysis pipelines available, including mothur and QIIME, which identify sequence reads as phylotypes by comparing them to reference data sets or grouping them into operational taxonomic units. DADA2 has improved sequence error correction capabilities and resolves reads to unique variants. Two curated oral 16S rRNA databases are available: HOMD and CORE. Expert interpretation of community profiles is required, both to detect the presence of contaminating DNA, which is commonly present in the reagents used in analysis, and to differentiate oral and nonoral bacteria and determine the significance of findings. Despite advances in shotgun whole-genome metagenomic methods, oral bacterial community profiling via 16S rRNA sequence analysis remains a valuable technique for the characterization of oral bacterial populations.
Salivary Factors that Maintain the Normal Oral Commensal Microflora
Authors: Carpenter G.H.
Published: April 2020

The oral microbiome is one of the most stable ecosystems in the body and yet the reasons for this are still unclear. As well as being stable, it is also highly diverse which can be ascribed to the variety of niches available in the mouth. Previous studies have focused on the microflora in disease—either caries or periodontitis—and only recently have they considered factors that maintain the normal microflora. This has led to the perception that the microflora proliferate in nutrient-rich periods during oral processing of foods and drinks and starves in between times. In this review, evidence is presented which shows that the normal flora are maintained on a diet of salivary factors including urea, lactate, and salivary protein degradation. These factors are actively secreted by salivary glands which suggests these factors are important in maintaining normal commensals in the mouth. In addition, the immobilization of SIgA in the mucosal pellicle indicates a mechanism to retain certain bacteria that does not rely on the bacterial-centric mechanisms such as adhesins. By examining the salivary metabolome, it is clear that protein degradation is a key nutrient and the availability of free amino acids increases resistance to environmental stresses.
Procedures Matter: Strong Voice, Evaluations of Policy Performance, and Regime Support
Authors: Rhodes-Purdy Matthew
Published: April 2020

Many scholars assume that policy performance determines popular support for political systems. Yet in the wake of recent economic crises, patterns of performance and regime support have diverged in many countries, and popular perceptions of performance often fail to reflect the actual quality of governance. To resolve these paradoxes, I draw on recent scholarship on regime support and procedural fairness. I show that strong voice (the ability of citizens to influence political outcomes and a key element of procedural justice in democracies) influences regime support in a way not accounted for in this literature: by moderating the relationship between policy performance and perceptions of performance. These findings show that people will evaluate equivalent outcomes more favorably if they are produced using fair procedures. As performance has long been shown to positively influence support, procedural justice has an additional, indirect influence on people’s attitudes toward political systems.
Tympanostomy Tube Controversies and Issues: State-of-the-Art Review
Authors: Rosenfeld Richard M.
Published: April 2020

Objective:

To review current pragmatic issues and controversies related to tympanostomy tubes in children, in the context of current best research evidence plus expert opinion to provide nuance, address uncertainties, and fill evidence gaps.

Methods:

Each issue or controversy is followed by the relevant current best evidence, expert insight and opinion, and recommendations for action. The role of expert opinion and experience in forming conclusions is inversely related to the quality, consistency, and adequacy of published evidence. Conclusions are combined with opportunities for shared decision-making with caregivers to recommend pragmatic actions for clinicians in everyday settings.

Results:

The issues and controversies discussed include (1) appropriate tube indications, (2) rationale for not recommending tubes for recurrent acute otitis media without persistent middle ear effusion, (3) role of tubes in at-risk children with otitis media with effusion, (4) role of new, automated tube insertion devices, (5) appropriateness and feasibility of in-office tube insertion in awake children, (6) managing methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus acute tube otorrhea, and (7) managing recurrent or persistent tube otorrhea.

Conclusions:

Despite a substantial, and constantly growing, volume of high-level evidence on managing children with tympanostomy tubes, there will always be gaps, uncertainties, and controversies that benefit from clinician experience and expert opinion. In that regard, the issues discussed in this review article will hopefully aid clinicians in everyday, pragmatic management decisions.
An ensemble clustering approach for topic discovery using implicit text segmentation
Authors: Memon Muhammad Qasim , Lu Yu , Chen Penghe , Memon Aasma , Pathan Muhammad Salman , Zardari Zulfiqar Ali
Published: April 2020

Text segmentation (TS) is the process of dividing multi-topic text collections into cohesive segments using topic boundaries. Similarly, text clustering has been renowned as a major concern when it comes to multi-topic text collections, as they are distinguished by sub-topic structure and their contents are not associated with each other. Existing clustering approaches follow the TS method which relies on word frequencies and may not be suitable to cluster multi-topic text collections. In this work, we propose a new ensemble clustering approach (ECA) is a novel topic-modelling-based clustering approach, which induces the combination of TS and text clustering. We improvised a LDA-onto (LDA-ontology) is a TS-based model, which presents a deterioration of a document into segments (i.e. sub-documents), wherein each sub-document is associated with exactly one sub-topic. We deal with the problem of clustering when it comes to a document that is intrinsically related to various topics and its topical structure is missing. ECA is tested through well-known datasets in order to provide a comprehensive presentation and validation of clustering algorithms using LDA-onto. ECA exhibits the semantic relations of keywords in sub-documents and resultant clusters belong to original documents that they contain. Moreover, present research sheds the light on clustering performances and it indicates that there is no difference over performances (in terms of F-measure) when the number of topics changes. Our findings give above par results in order to analyse the problem of text clustering in a broader spectrum without applying dimension reduction techniques over high sparse data. Specifically, ECA provides an efficient and significant framework than the traditional and segment-based approach, such that achieved results are statistically significant with an average improvement of over 10.2%. For the most part, proposed framework can be evaluated in applications where meaningful data retrieval is useful, such as document summarization, text retrieval, novelty and topic detection.