bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Perception of a modular 3D print model in undergraduate endodontic education
Authors: Hanafi A. , Donnermeyer D. , Schäfer E. , Bürklein S.
Published: March 2020

Aim

To evaluate a modular 3D print training dental model with embedded human teeth and electronic working length determination for undergraduate endodontic education.

Methodology

Cone‐beam volume tomography data of a human skull were transferred into stereolithographic (STL) data, and a customizable modular 3D print model with individually removable sextants and teeth was generated for the use in commercially available phantom heads. Each of sixty‐eight students performed a complete root canal treatment on an extracted human tooth. Working lengths were determined with electronic apex locators (EAL) and verified radiographically. Subsequently, an evaluation was carried out with regard to the difficulty of the working steps access cavity preparation, working length determination, root canal preparation/irrigation and canal filling, and these steps were compared to commonly used benchtop models. Additionally, the agreement of electronic and radiographic working length determination was assessed and analysed statistically with the chi‐square test.

Results

A total of 68 teeth (20 incisors, 26 premolars and 22 molars) with 127 root canals were treated. In total, 87% of the students considered the modular 3D print model considerably more demanding than the conventional benchtop model. Overall, 96% felt better prepared for the clinical situation, 92% felt markedly reduced stress levels during endodontic practice in the subsequent clinical courses, and 93% of the students suggested the model should be used in future preclinical endodontic training. The preradiographic use of EAL resulted in 85% of the cases having radiographically acceptable working length determination within 0–2 mm from the radiographic apex. Readings more than 2 mm from the apex or beyond were significantly more common in molars than in premolars and incisors (P < 0.05).

Conclusions

The vast majority of students rated the modular 3D print training model positively despite it being more demanding. They also recommended its use in preclinical teaching and training. The model allowed a more realistic simulation of the clinical situation with a simultaneous use of EALs and led to reduced stress levels in endodontic treatment in the subsequent clinical courses.
Nonlinear transmission of U.S. monetary policy shocks to international financial markets
Authors: Ha Jongrim
Published: March 2020

Using local projection and event studies, this paper investigates the nonlinear effects of U.S. monetary policy shocks on financial‐asset prices in 10 advanced economies from 1990 to 2014. The international asset prices show evidence of the asymmetric or state‐dependent propagation of U.S. monetary shocks. Moreover, the results indicate that the nature of the nonlinearity in the propagation of the shocks differs across two asset classes, bond yields, and equity prices. Contractionary U.S. monetary policy shocks are quite influential in sovereign bond markets, while their impacts are largely insignificant in stock markets; the opposite is true for expansionary monetary policy shocks. These results are typical across open economies and suggest that U.S. monetary announcements and the subsequent reactions of international risk premiums may play a critical role in international shock propagation.
Dilatometric fragility and prediction of the viscosity curve of glass‐forming liquids
Authors: Ding Linfeng , Qu Conghang , Yang Yongjian , Wilkinson Collin J. , Lee Kuo‐Hao , DeCeanne Anthony V. , Doss Karan , Mauro John C.
Published: March 2020

Viscosity and coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) are both crucial properties in the design of new glasses for various applications. In this work, we extend the application of dilatometry to measure two important parameters governing the viscosity of glass‐forming systems, viz., glass transition temperature and fragility index. We also describe a method to determine the dilatometric fictive temperature (Tf,DIL) and present data for five unique glass compositions covering a range of fragilities spanning 38‐96, which are subjected to cooling and reheating rates in the range 1‐30 K/min. The results show that the glass transition temperature obtained from the dilatometric method at 10 K/min (Tg,DIL) is consistent with both viscosity‐based (Tg,vis) and DSC‐based measurements (Tg,DSC). It is shown that the fragility of a liquid (mvis) can be determined by calibrating the dilatometric fragility (mDIL) with the same empirical model as in the calorimetric approach. Put together, we have developed a reliable method to measure the fragility and predict the viscosity curves of glass‐forming liquids over a wide range (eg, 101‐1016 Pa·s) without direct viscosity measurements, while simultaneously obtaining the CTE of the glass. However, this method is not suitable for glasses with a strong tendency toward phase separation or crystallization.
Pearl powder reduces sleep disturbance stress response through regulating proteomics in a rat model of sleep deprivation
Authors: Xia Meng , Huang Delun , Tong Yuangming , Lin Jiang
Published: March 2020

Aims

This study aimed to explore whether pearl could help prevent cognitional morbidity and improve the metabolic processes of hippocampus.

Methods

Rats were divided into group of control (CTL), sleep deprivation (SD) and pearl powder (PP). The sleeplessness was introduced to all rats except control. Before and after administration with vehicle or pearl powder, cognition was evaluated by Morris water maze (MWM). The protein expression in hippocampus among all groups was examined using iTRAQ‐based global proteomic analysis.

Results

Morris water maze tests revealed improvements of insomnia‐induced cognitive deficit in both PP‐ and ES‐treated rats, as compared to SD rats. However, proteomic analysis indicates that the pharmacological impact on gene expression of these two medicines is quite different: pearl is more capable of correcting aberrant gene expression caused by SD than estazolam. Therefore, pearl is more suitable for treatment of insomnia. These data, together with protein‐protein interaction analysis, indicate that several pathways, affected by sleep deprivation, may be rescued by pearl powder: retrograde endocannabinoid signalling pathway, and the protein interaction or network enrich in oxidative phosphorylation Parkinson's disease and Huntington disease, etc

Conclusions

Sleep deprivation can mimic cognition decline caused by insomnia with altered protein expression in the hippocampus; such behavioural and pathological changes can be significantly ameliorated by pearl powder.
MicroRNA‐155‐3p promotes glioma progression and temozolomide resistance by targeting Six1
Authors: Chen Guangyong , Chen Zhuo , Zhao Hang
Published: March 2020

The prognosis of glioma is generally poor and is the cause of primary malignancy in the brain. The role of microRNAs has been implicated in tumour inhibition or activation. In several cancers, the Six1 signalling pathway has been found to be aberrant and also relates to the formation of tumours. We analysed the database for expression profiles and clinical specimens of various grades of glioma to assess microRNA‐155‐3p (miR‐155‐3p) expression. The role of miR‐155‐3p in glioblastoma, cell cycle, proliferation, apoptosis and resistance to temozolomide was assessed in vitro through flow cytometry and cell proliferation assays. Bioinformatics analyses, and assays using luciferase reporter, and immunoblotting revealed that miR‐155‐3p targets Six1 and that the relationship between glioma and healthy brain tissues was significantly inverse. In rescue experiments, overexpressed Six1 revoked the changes in cell cycle distribution, proliferation and resistance to temozolomide estimated by apoptosis induced by overexpressed miR‐155‐3p. MiR‐155‐3p inhibition reduced glioma cell growth and proliferation in the brain of a mouse model and increased the survival of mice with gliomas. Thus, miR‐155‐3p modulates Six1 expression and facilitates the progression of glioblastoma and resistance to temozolomide and may act as a novel diagnostic biomarker and a target for glioma treatment.
A polygenic score for age‐at‐first‐birth predicts disinhibition
Authors: Richmond‐Rakerd Leah S. , Moffitt Terrie E. , Arseneault Louise , Belsky Daniel W. , Connor Jennie , Corcoran David L. , Harrington HonaLee , Houts Renate M. , Poulton Richie , Prinz Joey A. , Ramrakha Sandhya , Sugden Karen , Wertz Jasmin , Williams Benjamin S. , Caspi Avshalom
Published: March 2020

Background

A recent genome‐wide association study identified molecular‐genetic associations with age‐at‐first‐birth. However, the meaning of these genetic discoveries is unclear. Drawing on evidence linking early pregnancy with disinhibitory behavior, we tested the hypothesis that genetic discoveries for age‐at‐first‐birth predict disinhibition.

Methods

We included participants with genotype data from the two‐decade‐long Environmental Risk (E‐Risk) Study (N = 1,999) and the four‐decade‐long Dunedin Study (N = 918). We calculated a genome‐wide polygenic score for age‐at‐first‐birth and tested whether it was associated with a range of disinhibitory outcomes across the life course, including low childhood self‐control; risk for externalizing psychopathology; officially recorded criminal offending; substance dependence; informant reports of disinhibitory problems; and number of lifetime sexual partners. We further tested whether associations were attributable to accelerated pubertal maturation.

Results

In both cohorts, the age‐at‐first‐birth polygenic score predicted low childhood self‐control, externalizing psychopathology, officially recorded criminal offending, substance dependence, and number of sexual partners. Associations were modest, but robust across replication. Childhood disinhibition partly mediated associations between the polygenic score and reproductive behaviors. In contrast, associations were not attributable to accelerated pubertal timing.

Conclusions

Genomic discoveries for age‐at‐first‐birth are about more than reproductive biology: They provide insight into the disinhibitory traits and behaviors that accompany early parenthood. Age‐at‐first‐birth is a useful proxy phenotype for researchers interested in disinhibition. Further, interventions that improve self‐regulation abilities may benefit young parents and their children.
PNPLA3 gene polymorphism and overall and cardiovascular mortality in the United States
Authors: Wijarnpreecha Karn , Scribani Melissa , Raymond Pascale , Harnois Denise M , Keaveny Andrew P , Ahmed Aijaz , Kim Donghee
Published: March 2020

Background and Aim

The association between palatin‐like phospholipase domain‐containing 3 (PNPLA3) I148M (rs738409) polymorphism and mortality is not well understood. We investigated the impact of PNPLA3 I148M (rs738409) polymorphism on overall and cardiovascular mortality based on the presence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

Methods

The third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 1991 to 1994 and National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III‐linked mortality data through 31 December 2015 were utilized in this study.

Results

Of 4814 participants, 50.7% were homozygous for the C‐allele and 12.6% were homozygous for the G‐allele. During a follow up of 20 years, there were a total of 1255 deaths, 422 attributed to cardiovascular disease. There was a significant association with overall mortality among those with the PNPLA3 I148M (rs738409) GG genotype (hazard ratio [HR] 1.34, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.02–1.77) or G‐allele (HR 1.22, 95% CI 1.09–1.36) in the general population. NAFLD with homozygous PNPLA3 I148M (rs738409) GG genotype had higher overall mortality after adjusting for multiple metabolic risk factors (HR 1.45, 95% CI 1.01–2.08). The PNPLA3 I148M (rs738409) G‐allele had a tendency of increased cardiovascular mortality in the total population. This association was not noted in those with NAFLD.

Conclusions

The homozygous PNPLA3 I148M (rs738409) GG genotype showed an increase in overall mortality in the general population and NAFLD independent of multiple metabolic risk factors.
Early antiviral treatment contributes to alleviate the severity and improve the prognosis of patients with novel coronavirus disease (COVID‐19)
Authors: Wu J. , Li W. , Shi X. , Chen Z. , Jiang B. , Liu J. , Wang D. , Liu C. , Meng Y. , Cui L. , Yu J. , Cao H. , Li L.
Published: March 2020

Background

At present, the severity of patients infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) has been a focal point.

Methods

To assess the factors associated with severity and prognosis of patients infected with SARS‐CoV‐2, we retrospectively investigated the clinical, imaging and laboratory characteristics of confirmed 280 cases of novel coronavirus disease (COVID‐19) from 20 January to 20 February 2020.

Results

The median age of patients in the mild group was 37.55 years, whilst that in the severe group was 63.04 years. The proportion of patients aged over 65 years in the severe group was significantly higher than that of the mild group (59.04% vs. 10.15%, P < 0.05). 85.54% of severe patients had diabetes or cardiovascular diseases, which was significantly higher than that of the mild group (51.81% vs. 7.11%, P = 0.025; 33.73% vs. 3.05%, P = 0.042). Patients in the mild group experienced earlier initiation of antiviral treatment (1.19 ± 0.45 vs. 2.65 ± 1.06 days in the severe group, P < 0.001). Our study showed that comorbidity, time from illness onset to antiviral treatment and age >=65 were three major risk factors for COVID‐19 progression, whilst comorbidity and time from illness onset to antiviral treatment were two major risk factors for COVID‐19 recovery.

Conclusions

The elderly and patients with underlying diseases are more likely to experience a severe progression of COVID‐19. It is recommended that timely antiviral treatment should be initiated to slow the disease progression and improve the prognosis.
Can adipokine visfatin be a novel marker of pregnancy‐related disorders in women with obesity?
Authors: Wnuk Anna , Stangret Aleksandra , Wątroba Mateusz , Płatek Anna E. , Skoda Marta , Cendrowski Krzysztof , Sawicki Włodzimierz , Szukiewicz Dariusz
Published: March 2020

Overweight and obesity have become a dangerous disease requiring multiple interventions, treatment and preventions. In women of reproductive age, obesity is one of the most common medical conditions. Among others, obese state is characterized by low‐grade systemic inflammation and enhanced oxidative stress. Increased maternal body mass index might amplify inflammation and reactive oxygen species production, which is associated with unfavourable clinical outcomes that affect both mother and child. Intrauterine growth retardation, preeclampsia, or gestational diabetes mellitus are examples of the hampered maternal and foetoplacental unit interactions. Visfatin is the obesity‐related adipokine produced mainly by the visceral adipose tissue. Visfatin affects glucose homeostasis, as well as the regulation of genes related to oxidative stress and inflammatory response. Here, we review visfatin interactions in pregnancy‐related disorders linked to obesity. We highlight the possible predictive and prognostic value of visfatin in diagnostic strategies on gravidas with obesity.
Singlet Oxygen Luminescence Image in Blood Vessels During Vascular‐Targeted Photodynamic Therapy
Authors: Lin Lisheng , Lin Huiyun , Shen Yi , Chen Defu , Gu Ying , Wilson Brian C. , Li Buhong
Published: March 2020

Singlet oxygen (1O2) is widely regarded as the main cytotoxic substance that induces the biological damage for photodynamic therapy (PDT). In this study, the previously developed near‐infrared (NIR) optical imaging system was optimized for fast imaging of 1O2 luminescence. The optical imaging system enables direct imaging of 1O2 luminescence in blood vessels within 2 s during vascular‐targeted PDT (V‐PDT), which makes this system extremely practical for in vivo studies. The dependence of RB concentration on 1O2 luminescence image was investigated for V‐PDT, and the data imply that 1270 nm signal is attributed to 1O2 luminescence. The imaging system operates with a field of view of 9.60 × 7.68 mm2 and a spatial resolution of 30 μm, which holds the potential to elucidate the correlation between cumulative 1O2 luminescence and vasoconstriction for V‐PDT.
Equal Employment Opportunity: Women Bureaucrats in Male‐Dominated Professions
Authors: Bishu Sebawit G. , Headley Andrea M.
Published: March 2020

The public sector prides itself on being a place where women and other marginalized groups can find shelter from workplace discrimination. Still, gender inequities are evident in the public sector workforce. In this article, interview data from city managers and police officers highlight the gendered internal organizational processes, arrangements, and interactions that impact women's experiences in male‐dominated roles. Despite seemingly equal opportunities to access and engagement in these bureaucratic roles, the findings suggest that women constantly face gendered barriers and boundaries that directly impact their experiences on the job and their work‐related outcomes. Legislative and administrative remedies are not sufficient to eliminate gendered experiences of women in male‐dominated roles. Rather, a cultural change from within the workplace is vital to realize the efforts of civil rights laws established more than 50 years ago.
Understanding the Ecological Validity of Relying Practice as a Basis for Risk Identification
Authors: Anderson T. , Busby J. S. , Rouncefield M.
Published: March 2020

Understanding the reliability of hazardous organizations and their protective systems is central to understanding the risk they produce. Work on “high reliability organization” has done much to illuminate the conditions in which social organization becomes reliable in highly demanding conditions. But risk depends just as much on how relying entities do their relying as it does on the reliability of the entities they rely on. Patterns of relying are often opaque in sociotechnical systems, and processes of relying and being relied on are mutually influencing in complex ways, so the relationship between relying and risk may not be at all obvious. This study was an attempt to study relying as a social practice, in particular analyzing how it had ecological validity in a social organization—how practice was responsive to the conditions in which it took place. This involved observational fieldwork and inductive, qualitative analysis on an offshore oil and gas production platform that was nearing the end of its design life and undergoing refurbishment. The analysis produced four main categories of ecological validity: responsiveness to formal organization, responsiveness to situational contingency, responsiveness to information asymmetry, and responsiveness to sociomateriality. This ecological validity of relying practice should be a primary focus of risk identification, assessing how relying can become mismatched to reliability in certain ways, both when relying practice is responsive to circumstances and when it is not.
The relationship between mental health conditions and hearing loss in low‐ and middle‐income countries
Authors: Jiang Fan , Kubwimana Chris , Eaton Julian , Kuper Hannah , Bright Tess
Published: March 2020

Objective

Hearing loss can have far‐reaching effects on social, emotional and cognitive development, but few studies have addressed the link with mental health conditions. We conducted a systematic review of the association between hearing loss and mental health conditions in low‐ and middle‐income countries (LMICs).

Methods

We searched six electronic databases using predetermined criteria to retrieve original research reporting mental health in people with hearing loss. We considered quantitative studies measuring any type of mental health conditions according to the ICD10 classifications of ‘Mental and behavioural disorders’ in relation to any measure of hearing loss. We assessed risk of bias using a set of criteria according to the SIGN50 guidelines.

Results

We included 12 studies evaluating 35 604 people with hearing loss in 10 countries. Poorer mental health (measured as stress and anxiety, depression, and/or behavioural and emotional disorders) was more common among people with hearing loss compared to those without in 10 studies. One study found no difference in mental health outcomes between people with hearing, visual and no impairment. Another study reported that after hearing aids, those with severe hearing loss had significant improvement in psychosocial function, compared to no change among those without hearing loss. Overall, one study was judged to be high quality, seven medium quality and four low quality.

Conclusions

Included studies showed a trend towards poorer mental health outcomes for people with hearing loss than for those without. However, our findings indicate that very few high‐quality studies have been conducted in LMICs.
Multiscale Evaporation Rate Measurement Using Microlaser-Induced Fluorescence
Authors: Suh Youngjoon , Lin Cheng-Hui , Gowda Hamsa , Won Yoonjin
Published: March 2020

As the heat generation at device footprint continuously increases in modern high-tech electronics, there is an urgent need to develop new cooling devices that balance the increasing power demands. To meet this need, cutting-edge cooling devices often utilize microscale structures that facilitate two-phase heat transfer. However, it has been difficult to understand how microstructures enhance evaporation performances through traditional experimental methods due to low spatial resolution. The previous methods can only provide coarse interpretations on how physical properties such as permeability, thermal conduction, and effective surface areas interact at the microscale to effectively dissipate heat. This motivates researchers to develop new methods to observe and analyze local evaporation phenomena at the microscale. Herein, we present techniques to characterize submicron to macroscale evaporative phenomena of microscale structures by using microlaser-induced fluorescence (μLIF). We corroborate the use of unsealed temperature-sensitive dyes by systematically investigating the effects of temperature, concentration, and liquid thickness on the fluorescence intensity. Considering these factors, we analyze the evaporative performances of microstructures using two approaches. The first approach characterizes the overall and local evaporation rates by measuring the solution drying time. The second approach employs an intensity-to-temperature calibration curve to convert temperature-sensitive fluorescence signals to surface temperatures, which calculates the submicron-level evaporation rates. Using these methods, we reveal that the local evaporation rate between microstructures is high but is balanced with a large capillary-feeding. This study will enable engineers to decompose the key thermofluidic parameters contributing to the evaporative performance of microscale structures.
Multiscale Modeling of Power Plant Performance Enhancement Utilizing Asynchronous Cooling With Thermal Energy Storage
Authors: Gagnon Lauren , Helmns Dre , Carey Van P.
Published: March 2020

This study links a model of thermal energy storage (TES) performance to a subsystem model with heat exchangers that cool down the storage at night; this cool storage is used to precool the air flow for a power plant air-cooled condenser during peak day temperatures. The subsystem model is also computationally linked to a model of Rankine cycle power plant performance to predict additional power the plant could generate due to the additional cooling. The model was used to explore the effects of varying phase change material (PCM) melt temperature and the energy input and rejection control settings with the goal of maximizing efficiency for a 50 MW power plant operating in the desert regions of Nevada for an average summer day. The results suggest that the kWh output of the modeled plant can be increased by up to 3.25% during the heat input/cold extraction period, and a cost analysis estimates that the TES system has the potential to provide additional revenue of up to $686,000 per year, depending on electricity cost and parameter choices.
Modeling and Simulation of Perching With a Quadrotor Aerial Robot With Passive Bio-inspired Legs and Feet
Authors: Dunlop David J. , Minor Mark A.
Published: March 2020

Perching in unmanned aerial vehicles is appealing for reconnaissance, monitoring, communications, and charging. This paper focuses on modeling, simulation, and control of bioinspired perching in unmanned aerial vehicles on cylindrical objects, which will be used for future planning and control research. A modular approach is taken where the quadrotor, legs, feet, and toes are modeled separately and then integrated to form a complete simulation system. New models of these components consider kinematics and dynamics of each element and their coupling through tendons that provide actuation. The integrated model is assembled to simulate a physical prototype and then validated based upon physical experiments to provide calibration. Simulation results evaluate the validated model performing perching with different gripper-perch alignments. The simulation environment developed in this research provides a foundation to research control approaches for use with the discussed passive perching mechanism. The simulation was validated to capture the dynamics of the real perching mechanism. This platform will be used in future work to develop a control approach that will be implemented in a quadrotor system to land and take-off from a perch in a reliable manner.
Thermal property and shear wave speed indicators of phase transitions in a micellar fluid
Authors: Dayavansha E. G. Sunethra K. , Labuda Cecille
Published: March 2020

High concentration (>100 mM) wormlike micellar (WM) fluids are non-Newtonian with micelle lengths in the tens of nanometers. The viscoelastic properties of the fluid are affected by the structure and entanglement of the micelles and thus structural phase transitions can be indirectly studied using mechanical shear waves. Although these structural phase transitions have been extensively studied as a function of concentration, comparably less work is available on the temperature dependence. In this study, shear wave speeds (SWS) were studied as a function of temperature in a cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) and sodium salicylate (NaSal)-based wormlike micellar fluid as an indicator of micellar structural changes. The heat capacity and thermal conductivity were also measured as these can be expected to change with structural phase transitions. Discontinuities in SWS were observed between 12 °C and 14 °C indicating the existence of a possible structural phase transition at this temperature. Gradual variation of the thermal properties was observed during controlled heating and cooling, while during autonomous heating from crystallization to fluid, a dramatic increase in both thermal properties peaking near 13.5 °C was observed.
A high-quality digital radio-frequency capacitor microphone with improved dynamic range
Authors: Urbansky Lars , Zölzer Udo
Published: March 2020

Capacitor microphones are widely used to transduce sound waves into electrical voltages. The converting capacitor can either be operated in baseband (audio-frequency) or passband (radio-frequency, RF). A baseband operation can use a straightforward circuit implementation while a passband operation becomes more complex. The advantage of operating the capacitor in passband is a drastically lowered sensor impedance leading to superior performance, especially at high humidity levels. In this work, a digitized RF microphone is presented. Measurements prove the microphone to exceed commercial state-of-the-art small-diaphragm capacitor microphones in signal-to-noise ratio. Additionally, as the signal is digitized before demodulation, the electrical low-frequency 1/f-noise is circumvented. Furthermore, an all-digital gain ranging approach is presented, which is especially suited for the proposed system. The approach increases the system's dynamic range by digitally adjusting and correcting the microphone's sensitivity.
The Effectiveness of Daily and Alternate Day Oral Iron Supplementation in Athletes With Suboptimal Iron Status (Part 2)
Authors: McCormick Rachel , Dreyer Alex , Dawson Brian , Sim Marc , Lester Leanne , Goodman Carmel , Peeling Peter
Published: March 2020

The authors compared the effectiveness of daily (DAY) versus alternate day (ALT) oral iron supplementation in athletes with suboptimal iron. Endurance-trained runners (nine males and 22 females), with serum ferritin (sFer) concentrations <50 μg/L, supplemented with oral iron either DAY or ALT for 8 weeks. Serum ferritin was measured at baseline and at fortnightly intervals. Hemoglobin mass (Hbmass) was measured pre- and postintervention in a participant subset (n = 10). Linear mixed-effects models were used to assess the effectiveness of the two strategies on sFer and Hbmass. There were no sFer treatment (p = .928) or interaction (p = .877) effects; however, sFer did increase (19.7 μg/L; p < .001) over the 8-week intervention in both groups. In addition, sFer was 21.2 μg/L higher (p < .001) in males than females. No Hbmass treatment (p = .146) or interaction (p = .249) effects existed; however, a significant effect for sex indicated that Hbmass was 140.85 g higher (p = .004) in males compared with females. Training load (p = .001) and dietary iron intake (p = .015) also affected Hbmass. Finally, there were six complaints of severe gastrointestinal side effects in DAY, but only one in ALT. In summary, both supplement strategies increased sFer in athletes with suboptimal iron status; however, the ALT approach was associated with lower incidence of gastrointestinal upset.
Cooperative deformation in high-entropy alloys at ultralow temperatures
Authors: Naeem Muhammad , He Haiyan , Zhang Fan , Huang Hailong , Harjo Stefanus , Kawasaki Takuro , Wang Bing , Lan Si , Wu Zhenduo , Wang Feng , Wu Yuan , Lu Zhaoping , Zhang Zhongwu , Liu Chain T. , Wang Xun-Li
Published: March 2020

In situ neutron diffraction revealed a unique deformation pathway in high-entropy alloys with unusually large ductility at 15 K.
Chiral superconductivity in the alternate stacking compound 4Hb-TaS
2
Authors: Ribak A. , Skiff R. Majlin , Mograbi M. , Rout P. K. , Fischer M. H. , Ruhman J. , Chashka K. , Dagan Y. , Kanigel A.
Published: March 2020

Chiral superconductivity in 4Hb-TaS2 was discovered using muon spin rotation.
Chemical boundary engineering: A new route toward lean, ultrastrong yet ductile steels
Authors: Ding Ran , Yao Yingjie , Sun Binhan , Liu Geng , He Jianguo , Li Tong , Wan Xinhao , Dai Zongbiao , Ponge Dirk , Raabe Dierk , Zhang Chi , Godfrey Andy , Miyamoto Goro , Furuhara Tadashi , Yang Zhigang , van der Zwaag Sybrand , Chen Hao
Published: March 2020

Chemical boundary engineering expands the dimensionality of alloy design.
Light-triggered topological programmability in a dynamic covalent polymer network
Authors: Zou Weike , Jin Binjie , Wu Yi , Song Huijie , Luo Yingwu , Huang Feihe , Qian Jin , Zhao Qian , Xie Tao
Published: March 2020

Topological isomerization provides an infinite assembly of arrays with distinct properties isomerized from a matrix polymer.
Four-wave mixing of topological edge plasmons in graphene metasurfaces
Authors: You Jian Wei , Lan Zhihao , Panoiu Nicolae C.
Published: March 2020

It is demonstrated that net optical gain can be achieved via topologically protected four-wave mixing in a graphene metasurface.
Cooling and uplift history of the Chiapas Massif and its influence on sedimentation and deformation in the adjacent Sierra de Chiapas Basin
Authors: Villagómez* Diego , Pindell James
Published: March 2020

We generated low-temperature thermochronological data on crystalline rocks from the Chiapas Massif in southern Mexico to constrain the complex relationship among tectonics, exhumation, and sedimentation in the region. Our data show that the first recorded cooling event occurred at ca. 40–25 Ma due to denudation of the sedimentary cover of the Chiapas Massif at slow rates of ~0.1 km/m.y. This was followed by a period of tectonic quiescence from ca. 25 to 14 Ma. Between ca. 14 and 7 Ma, cooling implying exhumation of the massif at rates of up to ~0.7 km/m.y. was renewed, and this was associated with, and possibly responsible for, the Miocene “Chiapanecan” deformational event observed in the Chiapas fold-and-thrust belt to the northeast of the massif. This younger uplift was also accompanied by the onset of arc-related magmatism beneath the massif, between ca. 13 and 9 Ma, along the Tonalá shear zone at the Pacific coast. Since ca. 7 Ma, additional but slower cooling and exhumation are indicated along the length of the Chiapas Massif, and arc magmatism has jumped north by ~125 km from the Tonalá shear zone into the Chiapas fold-and-thrust belt. Concurrently, subsidence and sedimentation have persisted along the offshore Tehuantepec Shelf to the south, suggesting that the Tonalá shear zone has been recently active (despite no magnitude 4 or larger earthquakes), with up-to-the-north vertical displacement. We interpret the exhumation at ca. 40–25 Ma to pertain to displacement of the Chortis block along the paleo–Motagua fault zone, either as a northward propagation of a basement thrust beneath the massif within a regional transpressional setting, or as a deep, ductile crustal thickening and attendant isostatic uplift of the southern flank of the massif during the transpressional passage of the Chortis block. The ensuing quiescence (25–14 Ma) coincided, we believe, with the passage of the “western tail” of Chortis, which is internally deformed and perhaps transferred compressive stress less effectively than had the central, continental core of the Chortis block earlier. Renewed uplift and exhumation of the region began by ca. 14–10 Ma. An onset at ca. 10 Ma is probably the best estimate for the beginning of exhumation of the northwestern and central portions of the Chiapas Massif, whereas the present-day southeastern tip of the massif (potentially an allochthonous sliver belonging to the Chortis block) started to exhume earlier, at ca. 14 Ma. By ca. 13 Ma, arc magmatism had moved into the western Tehuantepec area, marking the onset of subduction of the Cocos plate beneath the Chiapas Massif. Hence, we interpret the main period of uplift of the Chiapas Massif and primary shortening of the Chiapas fold-and-thrust belt (ca. 14–7 Ma) as being driven by the establishment of Cocos subduction beneath the area.
Channel narrowing by inset floodplain formation of the lower Green River in the Canyonlands region, Utah
Authors: Walker Alexander E. , Moore Johnnie N. , Grams Paul E. , Dean David J. , Schmidt John C.
Published: March 2020

The lower Green River episodically narrowed between the mid-1930s and present day through deposition of new floodplains within a wider channel that had been established and/or maintained during the early twentieth century pluvial period. Comparison of air photos spanning a 74-yr period (1940–2014) and covering a 61 km study area shows that the channel narrowed by 12% from 138 ± 3.4 m to 122 ± 2.1 m. Stratigraphic and sedimentologic analysis and tree ring dating of a floodplain trench corroborates the air photo analysis and suggests that the initial phase of floodplain formation began by the mid-1930s, approximately the same time that the flow regime decreased in total annual and peak annual flow. Tamarisk, a nonnative shrub, began to establish in the 1930s as well. Narrowing from the 1940s to the mid-1980s was insignificant, because floodplain formation was approximately matched by bank erosion. Air photo analysis demonstrates that the most significant episode of narrowing was underway by the late 1980s, and analysis of the trench shows that floodplain formation had begun in the mid-1980s during a multi-year period of low peak annual flow. Air photo analysis shows that mean channel width decreased by ∼7% between 1993 and 2009. A new phase of narrowing may have begun in 2003, based on evidence in the trench. Comparison of field surveys made in 1998 and 2015 in an 8.5 km reach near Fort Bottom suggests that narrowing continues and demonstrates that new floodplain formation has been a very small proportion of the total annual fine sediment flux of the Green River. Vertical accretion of new floodplains near Fort Bottom averaged 2.4 m between 1998 and 2015 but only accounted for ∼1.5% of the estimated fine sediment flux during that period. Flood control by Flaming Gorge Dam after 1962 significantly influenced flow regime, reducing the magnitude of the annual snowmelt flood and increasing the magnitude of base flows. Though narrowing was initiated by changes in flow regime, native and nonnative riparian vegetation promoted floodplain formation and channel narrowing especially through establishment on channel bars and incipient floodplains during years of small annual floods.
Origin of non-cotectic cumulates: A novel approach
Authors: Latypov R.M. , Chistyakova S.Yu.
Published: March 2020

Plutonic mafic complexes are composed of cumulates in which minerals mostly occur in cotectic proportions. This is consistent with a concept that basaltic magma chambers predominantly crystallize in situ from margins inward. However, cumulates with two (or more) minerals in proportions that are at odds with those expected from liquidus phase equilibria also locally occur in these complexes. Such non-cotectic cumulates are commonly attributed to either mechanical separation of minerals crystallizing from the same parental magma or mechanical mixing of minerals originating from different parental magmas. Here we introduce a novel concept that does not require any of these processes to produce non-cotectic cumulates. The model involves melts that start crystallizing upon their cooling, while ascending along feeder conduits from deep staging reservoirs toward the Earth’s surface. Depending on the degree of cooling, the melts become successively saturated in one, two, and more liquidus phases. Given that most crystals are kept in suspension, the resulting magmas would contain a cargo of equilibrium phenocrysts in notably non-cotectic proportions. The replenishment of basaltic chambers developing through in situ crystallization by such magmas is likely responsible for the occasional formation of non-cotectic cumulates in plutonic mafic complexes.
Herbivory and its effect on Phanerozoic oxygen concentrations
Authors: Laakso T.A. , Strauss J.V. , Peterson K.J.
Published: March 2020

The appearance of terrestrial land plants is thought to have accompanied an increase in atmospheric oxygen levels, producing the highest O2 concentrations estimated from the geological record, and marking the transition to a permanently oxygenated deep ocean. This Paleozoic oxygenation event, which likely peaked in the Carboniferous Period, was at least partially mediated by the development of recalcitrant, carbon-rich organic compounds in terrestrial plants. A number of studies have argued that shifts in coal formation and paleogeography led to declining preservation of these compounds on land, depressing oxygen levels in the terminal Paleozoic and early Mesozoic. In contrast, we propose that the evolution and diversification of terrestrial herbivores may have limited transport and long-term burial of terrestrial organic compounds in marine sediments, resulting in less organic carbon burial and attendant declines in atmospheric oxygen. This mechanism suggests that interactions among a triad of biological processes—marine photosynthesis, land plant colonization, and the advent of herbivory—may have dictated the long-term redox state of Earth’s surface environments over the Phanerozoic Eon.
Improving the transparency of meta-analyses with interactive web applications
Authors: Ahern Thomas P , MacLehose Richard F , Haines Laura , Cronin-Fenton Deirdre P , Damkier Per , Collin Lindsay J , Lash Timothy L
Published: March 2020

Increased transparency in study design and analysis is one proposed solution to the perceived reproducibility crisis facing science. Systematic review and meta-analysis—through which individual studies on a specific association are ascertained, assessed for quality and quantitatively combined—is a critical process for building consensus in medical research. However, the conventional publication model creates static evidence summaries that force the quality assessment criteria and analytical choices of a small number of authors onto all stakeholders, some of whom will have different views on the quality assessment and key features of the analysis. This leads to discordant inferences from meta-analysis results and delayed arrival at consensus. We propose a shift to interactive meta-analysis, through which stakeholders can take control of the evidence synthesis using their own quality criteria and preferred analytic approach—including the option to incorporate prior information on the association in question—to reveal how their summary estimate differs from that reported by the original analysts. We demonstrate this concept using a web-based meta-analysis of the association between genetic variation in a key tamoxifen-metabolising enzyme and breast cancer recurrence in tamoxifen-treated women. We argue that interactive meta-analyses would speed consensus-building to the degree that they reveal invariance of inferences to different study selection and analysis criteria. On the other hand, when inferences are found to differ substantially as a function of these choices, the disparities highlight where future research resources should be invested to resolve lingering sources of disagreement.
Effectiveness of phosphatidylcholine as adjunctive therapy in improving liver function tests in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and metabolic comorbidities: real-life observational study from Russia
Authors: Maev Igor V , Samsonov Aleksey A , Palgova Liudmila K , Pavlov Chavdar S , Shirokova Elena N , Vovk Elena I , Starostin Kirill M
Published: March 2020

Objective

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common cause of abnormal results of liver function tests. Earlier research showed that polyenylphosphatidylcholine (PPC) has hepatoprotective effects and thus can be used for the treatment of NAFLD and the prevention of its progression. Accordingly, the aim of this observational study was to evaluate if PPC administered as adjunctive therapy in routine clinical practice can effectively improve liver function tests of NAFLD in Russian patients with associated metabolic comorbidities.

Design

A total of 2843 adult patients with newly diagnosed NAFLD, who had a least one of four comorbidities, namely, overweight/obesity, hypertension, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and hypercholesterolaemia, and who were prescribed 1.8 g/day of PPC as an adjunctive treatment to standard care, were enrolled during 2015–2016. Laboratory data were collected at baseline and 12 and 24 weeks of the study, and included liver function tests (aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT)), fasting plasma glucose, and lipid profile.

Results

Overall, 2263 patients (79.6%) had at least two metabolic comorbidities associated with NAFLD, and overweight/obesity was the most common comorbidity reported in 2298 (80.8%) patients. At 24 weeks, there was a significant decrease in liver enzyme levels (all p<0.001 compared with baseline). Across the four comorbidity subgroups, there was a mean drop of ALT levels ranging from 19.7 to 22.0 U/L, AST from 16.9 to 18.4 U/L, and GGT from 17.2 to 18.7 U/L. Similar findings were reported in subgroups with either one, two, three, or four comorbidities, with a significant decrease in liver enzyme levels ranging from 18.4 to 22.4 U/L for ALT, 14.8 to 18.7 U/L for AST, and 15.5 to 19.5 U/L for GGT.

Conclusions

Adjuvant treatment with PPC resulted in consistent improvements in liver enzymes in patients with newly diagnosed NAFLD and associated metabolic comorbidities.

Trial registration number

NCT00063622.
Fellowship in Immediate Medical Care examination: applicability to the Defence Medical Services
Authors: O'Sullivan Oliver , Booker R J , Pynn H J
Published: March 2020

The Fellowship in Immediate Medical Care (FIMC) is the highest level of formal qualification available for pre-hospital practitioners, aiming to test the knowledge, technical and non-technical skills of those providing specialist Pre-Hospital Emergency Care (PHEC). The FIMC is a multiprofessional examination with the potential to support continuous quality improvement of the PHEC that the Defence Medical Services (DMS) can offer to our patients now and in the future. The aim of this article is to inform the readership about the evolution of the FIMC examination and its applicability to military clinicians (and their civilian counterparts). A secondary aim is to inform those who are preparing for the examination.
Safety and efficacy of regorafenib in patients with treatment-refractory metastatic colorectal cancer in Turkey: the single-arm, open-label REGARD study
Authors: Dane Faysal , Ozgurdal Kirhan , Yalçın Şuayib , Benekli Mustafa , Aykan Nuri Faruk , Yücel İdris , Özkan Metin , Evrensel Turkkan , Sevinç Alper , Coskun Hasan Şenol , Sanli Ulus Ali , Kara Ismail Oguz , Yumuk Perran Fulden
Published: March 2020

Objectives

Regorafenib improved overall survival in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) refractory to standard therapies in two randomised, phase III trials, but has not been evaluated in Turkey. REGARD evaluated the safety and efficacy of regorafenib in Turkish patients with treatment-refractory mCRC.

Design

Open-label, single-arm, phase IIIb study conducted between July 2013 and April 2015.

Setting

11 tertiary centres in Turkey.

Participants

Eligible patients were adults with mCRC who had disease progression within 3 months after receiving their last dose of approved standard therapies and who had an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status ≤1. Patients were excluded if they had previously received regorafenib. Of 139 patients screened, 100 were treated and completed the study, and all 100 were analysed. Fifty-eight per cent were male.

Interventions

Patients received oral regorafenib, 160 mg once daily, for the first 3 weeks of each 4-week cycle until disease progression, death or unacceptable toxicity.

Primary and secondary outcome measures

The primary endpoint was safety, assessed by incidence of treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs). Progression-free survival (PFS) per investigator was the primary efficacy endpoint. There were no secondary endpoints.

Results

The median treatment duration was 2.5 months (range 0.1 to 20.6). Ninety-six per cent of patients had at least one TEAE and 77% had a grade ≥3 TEAE. The most common grade ≥3 regorafenib-related TEAEs were hypophosphataemia (11%), fatigue (8%), hyperbilirubinaemia (6%), hand–foot skin reaction (5%), hypertension (5%), anorexia (5%) and increased alanine aminotransferase (5%). TEAEs led to dose reduction in 30% of patients. Regorafenib-related TEAEs led to treatment discontinuation in 17% of patients. Median PFS was 3.1 months (95% CI 2.9 to 3.8).

Conclusion

The regorafenib safety profile and PFS in REGARD were consistent with the results of previous trials of regorafenib in mCRC. Regorafenib is an option for patients in Turkey with treatment-refractory mCRC.

Trial registration number

NCT01853319, ClinicalTrials.gov.