bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Tracing the Anti‐Inflammatory Mechanism/Triggers of d‐Allulose: A Profile Study of Microbiome Composition and mRNA Expression in Diet‐Induced Obese Mice
Authors: Han Youngji , Yoon Joon , Choi Myung‐Sook
Published: December 2019

Scope

The results of recent studies on d‐allulose intervention in high‐fat diet (HFD)‐fed mice suggest that d‐allulose has a substantial impact on obesity. In addition, several studies have uncovered bacterial candidates among the gut microbiota associated with obesity and inflammation in mice. To identify the d‐allulose‐attenuated genes related to the inflammation‐associated bacterial candidates, two types of statistical analyses are performed.

Methods and results

Using liver and epididymal fat tissues, genes with expression levels that recovered from HFD‐induced dysregulation are identified through differentially expressed gene (DEG) analysis. Finally, correlation‐based network analysis between the diet, microbes, and the candidates identified from DEG analysis reveal 20 genes that showed anti‐obesogenic patterns and associations with Lactobacillus and Coprococcus, which are representative bacterial candidates associated with inflammation and obesity.

Conclusion

The results of the present study suggest that d‐allulose closely interacts with the candidate genes and microbes to alleviate weight gain and inflammation, partly via down regulation of Gm12250 expression in multiple tissues and increases the Lactobacillus and Coprococcus in gut microbiota composition.
Development of a tunable terahertz absorber based on temperature control
Authors: Jianjun Liu , Lanlan Fan
Published: December 2019

Metamaterial structure‐based terahertz absorbers all are passive, once the preparation is complete, their absorption properties are also determined unable to adapt to the increasingly complex electromagnetic environment. In this paper, a kind of phase change film‐based tunable terahertz metamaterial absorber is proposed. And on the basis of current three‐layer type terahertz absorber on present metamaterial structure, a layer of vanadium dioxide (VO2) phase change film is added to change the conductivity of VO2 by controlling ambient temperature, so as to trigger the insulator metal transition characteristics of VO2 film, which can control the absorption rate of terahertz metamaterial absorber. Theoretically, design scheme in this paper has 80% modulation depth to the amplitude of absorption. That is, tunable terahertz electromagnetic absorber has potential application value in electromagnetic stealth in terahertz band, radiation detectors, and broadband communication fields.
Perioperative diabetes: the challenges and strategies for glycaemic control management
Authors: Millar Kate , Cummings Michael , Cranston Iain
Published: December 2019

Perioperative diabetes care is an important area of focus for several reasons. As in the general population, the prevalence of diabetes in the surgical population is growing and remains associated with increased risks, including excess morbidity, mortality and prolonged length of stay. Secondly, reviews of the quality of inpatient diabetes care through the National Diabetes Inpatient Audit and the 2018 National Confidential Enquiry into Patient Outcome and Death Perioperative Diabetes report have emphasised the need for improvements in care which have the potential to improve outcomes for this group of patients. This article discusses some of the challenges and proposed strategies to tackle this issue including clinical leadership, updating processes and multidisciplinary working as well as the applications of new technologies. Copyright © 2019 John Wiley & Sons. Practical Diabetes 2019; 36(6): 207–211
Direct Observations on Structure Evolutions in Polyamide 6 during Deformation at High Temperatures with WAXS and SAXS
Authors: Guo Huilong , Li Jingqing , Wang Jiayi , Meng Yanfeng , Wu Zhonghua , Jiang Shichun
Published: December 2019

The deformation induced structure evolutions of polyamide 6 (PA6) during uniaxial tension at high tensile temperatures (60 °C and 90°C) were investigated with in situ wide‐ and small‐angle X‐ray scattering (WAXS and SAXS) technologies. The obtained data on structure evolutions revealed that they were different from the results measured at low temperature (30 °C). The α‐phase got oriented once upon the beginning of deformation. After yielding the γ‐phase started to be oriented following the α‐phase. While, the breakdown of PA6 crystals along a and c axis overcame partial crystalline orientation at the high tensile temperatures (60 and 90 °C). The competition between stretch of amorphous phase and slippage of lamellae after yielding affected the deformation behavior of PA6. The collapse of lamellae was also confirmed from SAXS analysis and such disrupted lamellar structure resulted in the decrease of long spacing of PA6. The results showed that PA6 materials may show higher ductility at high temperatures. Therefore the crystals could be broken more easily and the formed lamellar fragments of PA6 could be preserved at larger strain at 90 °C. In addition, the yielding of PA6 and γ‐phase orientation depended on the lamellar slippage during the deformation. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 60:581–586, 2020. © 2019 Society of Plastics Engineers
Structural and biochemical analysis of the metallo‐β‐lactamase L1 from emerging pathogen Stenotrophomonas maltophilia revealed the subtle but distinct di‐metal scaffold for catalytic activity
Authors: Kim Youngchang , Maltseva Natalia , Wilamowski Mateusz , Tesar Christine , Endres Michael , Joachimiak Andrzej
Published: December 2019

Emergence of Enterobacteriaceae harboring metallo‐β‐lactamases (MBL) has raised global threats due to their broad antibiotic resistance profiles and the lack of effective inhibitors against them. We have been studied one of the emerging environmental MBL, the L1 from Stenotrophomonas maltophilia K279a. We determined several crystal structures of L1 complexes with three different classes of β‐lactam antibiotics (penicillin G, moxalactam, meropenem, and imipenem), with the inhibitor captopril and different metal ions (Zn+2, Cd+2, and Cu+2). All hydrolyzed antibiotics and the inhibitor were found binding to two Zn+2 ions mainly through the opened lactam ring and some hydrophobic interactions with the binding pocket atoms. Without a metal ion, the active site is very similarly maintained as that of the native form with two Zn+2 ions, however, the protein does not bind the substrate moxalactam. When two Zn+2 ions were replaced with other metal ions, the same di‐metal scaffold was maintained and the added moxalactam was found hydrolyzed in the active site. Differential scanning fluorimetry and isothermal titration calorimetry were used to study thermodynamic properties of L1 MBL compared with New Deli Metallo‐β‐lactamase‐1 (NDM‐1). Both enzymes are significantly stabilized by Zn+2 and other divalent metals but showed different dependency. These studies also suggest that moxalactam and its hydrolyzed form may bind and dissociate with different kinetic modes with or without Zn+2 for each of L1 and NDM‐1. Our analysis implicates metal ions, in forming a distinct di‐metal scaffold, which is central to the enzyme stability, promiscuous substrate binding and versatile catalytic activity.

Statement

The L1 metallo‐β‐lactamase from an environmental multidrug‐resistant opportunistic pathogen Stenotrophomonas maltophilia K279a has been studied by determining 3D structures of L1 enzyme in the complexes with several β‐lactam antibiotics and different divalent metals and characterizing its biochemical and ligand binding properties. We found that the two‐metal center in the active site is critical in the enzymatic process including antibiotics recognition and binding, which explains the enzyme's activity toward diverse antibiotic substrates. This study provides the critical information for understanding the ligand recognition and for advanced drug development.
Celogentin mimetics as inhibitors of tubulin polymerization
Authors: Thombare Varsha J. , Holden James A. , Reynolds Eric C. , O'Brien‐Simpson Neil M. , Hutton Craig A.
Published: December 2019

Bicyclic analogues of celogentin C have been synthesized in which the side chain–side chain cross‐links are replaced by thioether bonds. Several of the simplified bicyclic peptides displayed potent inhibition of tubulin polymerization.
Characterization of 3‐aminospirostane alkaloids from roots of Solanum paniculatum L. with hepatoprotective activity
Authors: Gazolla Matheus Coutinho , Marques Lucas Maciel Mauriz , e Silva Mariana Gama , Araújo Maria Taís Moura Fontes , Mendes Rosemairy Luciane , da Silva Almeida Jackson Roberto Guedes , Vessecchi Ricardo , Lopes Norberto Peporine
Published: December 2019

Rationale

Solanum paniculatum L., popularly known as jurubeba, has traditionally been used in Brazilian folk medicine for liver diseases. However, there is a lack of knowledge about the chemical characterization of 3‐aminospirostane alkaloids, an important class related to pharmacological activities. This work aimed to characterize the alkaloids using liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) supported by molecular networking and theoretical calculations as well as to evaluate the contribution to hepatoprotective activity.

Methods

S. paniculatum roots were collected and macerated with MeOH/H2O (8:2) obtaining the crude extract (SP‐CE). From this, partition using EtOAc with pH variation yielded the alkaloidic fraction (SP‐AF). Both were evaluated in an acute liver injury model (100 and 200 mg/kg), after intraperitoneal administration of carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) in mice. AST (aspartate transaminase) and ALT (alanine transaminase) serum levels were investigated, as well as the histopathological characteristics. The SP‐CE and SP‐AF were analyzed by LC/MS/MS, using quadrupole/time‐of‐flight and ion‐trap systems. The alkaloids annotated by the GNPS molecular network had their structures defined using gas‐phase ionization and fragmentation reaction supported by theoretical calculations.

Results

The SP‐CE and SP‐AF decreased the ALT serum levels compared with the negative control. The group treated with the SP‐CE (at the highest dose) demonstrated a significant decrease of ALT. Hepatic cell degeneration decrease was observed mainly at the highest dose of the treatment. Detailed electrospray ionization MS/MS data allowed us to identify alkaloids not previously reported, to propose their gas‐phase reactions and to redefine the initial open ring fragmentation mechanism of the steroidal alkaloids with the jurubidine moiety.

Conclusions

The results allowed us to identify seven steroidal alkaloids from jurubeba and redefine the initial mechanism of fragmentation. A significant hepatoprotective effect was also demonstrated, corroborating its traditional use.
Source separation in ecoacoustics: a roadmap towards versatile soundscape information retrieval
Authors: Lin Tzu‐Hao , Tsao Yu
Published: December 2019

A comprehensive assessment of ecosystem dynamics requires the monitoring of biological, physical and social changes. Changes that cannot be observed visually may be trackable acoustically through soundscape analysis. Soundscapes vary greatly depending on geophysical events, biodiversity and human activities. However, retrieving source‐specific information from geophony, biophony and anthropophony remains a challenging task, due to interference by simultaneous sound sources. Audio source separation is a technique that aims to recover individual sound sources when only mixtures are accessible. Here, we review techniques of monoaural audio source separation with the fundamental theories and assumptions behind them. Depending on the availability of prior information about the source signals, the task can be approached as a blind source separation or a model‐based source separation. Most blind source separation techniques depend on assumptions about the behaviour of the source signals, and their performance may deteriorate when the assumptions fail. Model‐based techniques generally do not require specific assumptions, and the models are directly learned from labelled data. With the recent advances of deep learning, the model‐based techniques can yield state‐of‐the‐art separation performance, accordingly facilitate content‐based audio information retrieval. Source separation techniques have been adopted in several ecoacoustic applications to evaluate the contributions from biodiversity and anthropogenic disturbance to soundscape dynamics. They can also be employed as nonlinear filters to improve the recognition of bioacoustic signals. To effectively retrieve ecological information from soundscapes, source separation is a crucial tool. We believe that the future integrations of ecological hypotheses and deep learning can realize a high‐performance source separation for ecoacoustics, and accordingly improve soundscape‐based ecosystem monitoring. Therefore, we outline a roadmap for applying source separation to assist in soundscape information retrieval and hope to promote cross‐disciplinary collaboration.
A new Chinese national reference material (GBW04481) for calcite oxygen and carbon isotopic microanalysis
Authors: Tang Guo‐Qiang , Li Xian‐Hua , Li Qiu‐Li , Liu Yu , Ling Xiao‐Xiao
Published: December 2019

Carbonate oxygen (O) and carbon (C) isotopes are widely used as proxies for tracing the processes and physicochemical conditions of many geological events and environmental changes in Earth Science. In particular, O and C isotopic variations at micrometer scales revealed by modern microbeam analytical techniques such as SIMS and NanoSIMS are robust archives for reconstructing palaeoenvironment and paleoclimate changes at annual and seasonal resolution or even higher temporal resolution. Widespread application of carbonate O and C isotopic microanalysis in Earth Sciences, however, has been restricted due to limitation of high‐quality carbonate reference materials for O and C isotopic microanalysis. We introduce in this paper a new calcite reference material for calcite O and C isotopic microanalysis. This calcite is collected from a drill‐core of the Oka carbonatite complex (Quebec, Canada). We demonstrated that the Oka calcite is fairly homogeneous in O and C isotopic compositions at micrometer scales based on homogeneity test by hundreds of SIMS O and C isotopic analyses. Precise determinations by using conventional gas‐source IRMS yield the recommended value of δ18OVPDB = −23.12 ± 0.15‰ (1SD) and δ13CVPDB = −5.23 ± 0.06‰ (1SD) for the Oka calcite, which has been certified as the first class of Chinese national certified reference material (GBW04481) for O and C isotopic microanalysis.
Randomization tests for multiarmed randomized clinical trials
Authors: Wang Yanying , Rosenberger William F. , Uschner Diane
Published: December 2019

We examine the use of randomization‐based inference for analyzing multiarmed randomized clinical trials, including the application of conditional randomization tests to multiple comparisons. The view is taken that the linkage of the statistical test to the experimental design (randomization procedure) should be recognized. A selected collection of randomization procedures generalized to multiarmed treatment allocation is summarized, and generalizations for two randomization procedures that heretofore were designed for only two treatments are developed. We explain the process of computing the randomization test and conditional randomization test via Monte Carlo simulation, developing an efficient algorithm that makes multiple comparisons possible that would not be possible using a standard algorithm, demonstrate the preservation of type I error rate, and explore the relationship of statistical power to the randomization procedure in the presence of a time trend and outliers. We distinguish between the interpretation of thep‐value in the randomization test and in the population test and verify that the randomization test can be approximated by the population test on some occasions. Data from two multiarmed clinical trials from the literature are reanalyzed to illustrate the methodology.
Work, family, work–family conflict and psychological distress: A revisited look at the gendered vulnerability pathways
Authors: Bilodeau Jaunathan , Marchand Alain , Demers Andrée
Published: December 2019

Abstact

This paper revisited the vulnerability hypothesis to explain the greater level of psychological distress among working women compared to working men. A comprehensive vulnerability model was tested in which work and family stressors and psychosocial resources are directly related to psychological distress and indirectly through work‐to‐family (WFC) and family‐to‐work (FWC) conflicts. Data came from a random sample of 989 women and 1,037 men working in 63 Canadian establishments. Multilevel path analyses were performed separately for men and for women. The results show that many work/family stressors and resources are linked to men's or women's psychological distress directly and indirectly through WFC and FWC. However, the z‐test used to assess whether the relationships differed significantly between women and men indicated that only two relationships differ significantly between the two groups: experimenting problems with children and a low self‐esteem are associated positively to psychological distress through FWC only for women. In addition to showing the specific involvement of work–family conflict in the psychological distress inequality, this study contributes to revealing that testing the differences in the magnitude of the relation offer a more suitable appraisal of the vulnerability mechanism involved in the psychological distress inequality between men and women.
New Advances in In Vivo Applications of Gated Mesoporous Silica as Drug Delivery Nanocarriers
Authors: García‐Fernández Alba , Aznar Elena , Martínez‐Máñez Ramón , Sancenón Félix
Published: December 2019

One appealing concept in the field of hybrid materials is related to the design of gated materials. These materials are prepared in such a way that the release of chemical or biochemical species from voids of porous supports to a solution is triggered upon the application of external stimuli. Such gated materials are mainly composed of two subunits: i) a porous inorganic scaffold in which a cargo is stored, and ii) certain molecular or supramolecular entities, grafted onto the external surface, that can control mass transport from the interior of the pores. On the basis of this concept, a large number of examples are developed in the past ten years. A comprehensive overview of gated materials used in drug delivery applications in in vivo models from 2016 to date is thus given here.
Agile ways of working: A team maturity perspective
Authors: Gren Lucas , Goldman Alfredo , Jacobsson Christian
Published: December 2019

With the agile approach to managing software development projects comes an increased dependability on well‐functioning teams, since many of the practices are built on teamwork. The objective of this study was to investigate if, and how, team development from a group psychological perspective is related to some work practices of agile teams. Data were collected from 34 agile teams (200 individuals) from six software development organizations and one university in both Brazil and Sweden using the Group Development Questionnaire (Scale IV) and the Perceptive Agile Measurement (PAM). The result indicates a strong correlation between levels of group maturity and the two agile practices iterative development and retrospectives. We, therefore, conclude that agile teams at different group development stages adopt parts of team agility differently, thus confirming previous studies but with more data and by investigating concrete and applied agile practices. We thereby add evidence to the hypothesis that an agile implementation and management of agile projects need to be adapted to the group maturity levels of the agile teams.
S-folds and (non-)supersymmetric Janus solutions
Authors: Guarino Adolfo , Sterckx Colin
Published: December 2019

Abstract

The S-fold description of Janus-type solutions of type IIB supergravity is investigated. This is done by first studying a U(1) × U (1) invariant sector of the four­ dimensional dyonically-gauged [SO(1) × SO(6)] × ℝ12 maximal supergravity that arises upon reduction of type IIB supergravity on ℝ × S5. Two AdS4 solutions preserving SU(3) and SO (6) gauge symmetry together with

$$ \mathcal{N} $$

N

= 1 and

$$ \mathcal{N} $$

N

= 0 supersymmetry are found within this sector. Fetching techniques from the E 7(7) exceptional field theory, these solutions are uplifted to ten-dimensional S-folds of type IIB Janus-type solutions of the form AdS4 × ℝ × M5. The solutions presented here are natural candidates for the holographic duals of three-dimensional

$$ \mathcal{N} $$

N

= 1 and

$$ \mathcal{N} $$

N

= 0 interface super-Yang-Mills theories with SU(3) and SU(4) internal symmetry.
The metamorphosis of analytical chemistry
Authors: Adams Freddy , Adriaens Mieke
Published: December 2019

Defining analytical chemistry as the measurement of isolated compositional features in a selected study object ignores the unique perspective that analytical chemists bring to twenty-first century science and society. In this feature article, we will discuss some of the existing preconceptions and misinterpretations of analytical chemistry that occur at present and will tackle them from the more up-to-date perspective of science in the Big Data Era. This will place their influence in context while simultaneously enlarging the scope of the discipline analytical chemistry to its well-deserved prevalent position in present-day science and technology.
Comparison of Common Surgical Procedures in Non‐complicated Pilonidal Sinus Disease, a 7‐Year Follow‐Up Trial
Authors: Caliskan Mujgan , Kosmaz Koray , Subasi Ismail Ege , Acar Aylin , Evren Ismail , Bas Gurhan , Atayoglu Ali Timucin
Published: December 2019

Background

Pilonidal disease is a common problem in primary health care which may require immediate surgical referral. Although various management options have been proposed, so far there is no gold standard treatment. The aim of the present study was to determine which of the following techniques was superior as regards postoperative complications and recurrence, midline unshifted adipofascial turn‐over flap, midline shifted adipofascial turn‐over flap or Karydakis flap.

Methods

A randomized clinical trial was conducted in the Department of General Surgery. Patients with non‐complicated pilonidal sinus were enrolled in the study from April 2009 to January 2012. All patients were randomized the day of surgery at the coordinating center by means of a computer program. Patients were randomized to receive midline unshifted adipofascial turn‐over flap, midline shifted adipofascial turn‐over flap or Karydakis flap. All procedures were performed under local anesthesia and patients were discharged 6 h after surgery. Demographic characteristics, skin color, body hair type, family history, preoperative complaints and duration of symptoms, cyst size, intraoperative iatrogenic cyst rupture, the presence of a tuft of hairs in the cyst, surgical techniques, duration of drainage, length of hospital stay, postoperative complications and recurrence were evaluated.

Results

One hundred and ninety‐two patients with non‐complicated pilonidal sinus were enrolled. Seventy‐two patients were randomized to midline unshifted adipofascial turn‐over flap, 67 patients to midline shifted adipofascial turn‐over flap and 53 patients to Karydakis flap. The mean age was 25.66 ± 7.67 years. At 76‐month follow‐up, the overall complications and recurrence rates were not significantly different between groups (p > 0.05).

Conclusion

In cases of non‐complicated pilonidal sinus, we recommend surgical management using local anesthesia, outpatient surgery and the surgical approach with which the surgeon is most familiar.
Kompetenzfelder der Elektronik – Systemlösungen des Instituts Electronic Engineering der FH JOANNEUM
Authors: Berger Hubert , Netzberger Christian , Stocksreiter Wolfgang , Estrada-Vázquez Raúl , Blasonig Nina , Preda Aida , Obermayr Werner , Salloker Michael , Vogel Christian
Published: December 2019

Die verschiedenen Gebiete der Elektronik sind vielschichtig und umfangreich, sodass es einer zielgerichteten Strategie bedarf, um systemische Lösungen in verschiedenen Kompetenzbereichen anbieten zu können. Das Institut für Electronic Engineering an der FH JOANNEUM kann auf 25 Jahre F&E-Aktivitäten zurückblicken, wobei es folgende Kompetenzbereiche systematisch bündelt: Im Bereich EMV fokussiert sich die Forschung auf die Prüfung elektromagnetischer Verträglichkeit und die Entwicklung von Funkapplikationen im Bereich Leistungselektronik, Kommunikation, Medizintechnik und Automatisierung. Das Forschungsgebiet ist stark mit dem Schwerpunkt Leistungselektronik verknüpft, bei dem zusätzlich noch intensiv an den Themen Simulation auf Schaltungs- und Systemebene, elektronischer Schaltungstechnik und Mechatronik mit Prototypenfertigung geforscht wird. Möglich wird das durch nachhaltige und strategische Investitionen in die dafür notwendige Laborinfrastruktur sowie durch einen mit der Industrie abgestimmten Kompetenzaufbau. Der Artikel geht auch auf unsere Kompetenzbereiche PCB-Design, FPGA-Design und Realtime Computing ein, die unsere übrigen Forschungsaktivitäten ergänzen und sowohl für zahlreiche Kundenprojekte als auch für den Wissenstransfer in die Lehre unabdingbar sind.
PARASOL: a hybrid approximation approach for scalable frequent itemset mining in streaming data
Authors: Yamamoto Yoshitaka , Tabei Yasuo , Iwanuma Koji
Published: December 2019

Here, we present a novel algorithm for frequent itemset mining in streaming data (FIM-SD). For the past decade, various FIM-SD methods in one-pass approximation settings that allow to approximate the support of each itemset have been proposed. They can be categorized into two approximation types: parameter-constrained (PC) mining and resource-constrained (RC) mining. PC methods control the maximum error that can be included in the approximate support based on a pre-defined parameter. In contrast, RC methods limit the maximum memory consumption based on resource constraints. However, the existing PC methods can exponentially increase the memory consumption, while the existing RC methods can rapidly increase the maximum error. In this study, we address this problem by introducing a hybrid approach of PC-RC approximations, called PARASOL. For any streaming data, PARASOL ensures to provide a condensed representation, called a Δ-covered set, which is regarded as an extension of the closedness compression; when Δ = 0, the solution corresponds to the ordinary closed itemsets. PARASOL searches for such approximate closed itemsets that can restore the frequent itemsets and their supports while the maximum error is bounded by an integer, Δ. Then, we empirically demonstrate that the proposed algorithm significantly outperforms the state-of-the-art PC and RC methods for FIM-SD.
Thermal Conductivity of Superfluid $$^3$$He-B in a Tubular Channel Down to 0.1$$T_\mathrm{c}$$ at the $$^{4}$$He Crystallization Pressure
Authors: Riekki T. S. , Tuoriniemi J. T. , Sebedash A. P.
Published: December 2019

We studied the thermal conductivity of superfluid $$^{3}$$

3

He in a 2.5-mm effective diameter and 0.15-m-long channel connecting the two volumes of our experimental assembly. The main volume contained pure solid $$^{4}$$

4

He, pure liquid $$^{3}$$

3

He and saturated liquid $$^{3}$$

3

He–$$^{4}$$

4

He mixture at varying proportions, while the separate heat-exchanger volume housed sinter and was filled by liquid $$^{3}$$

3

He. The system was cooled externally by a copper nuclear demagnetization stage, and, as an option, internally by the adiabatic melting of solid $$^{4}$$

4

He in the main volume. The counterflow effect of superfluid just below the transition temperature $$T_\mathrm{c}$$

T
c

resulted in the highest observed conductivity about five times larger than that of the normal fluid at the $$T_\mathrm{c}$$

T
c

. Once the hydrodynamic contribution had practically vanished below $$0.5T_\mathrm{c}$$

0.5

T
c

, we first observed almost constant conductivity nearly equal to the normal fluid value at the $$T_\mathrm{c}$$

T
c

. Finally, below about $$0.3T_\mathrm{c}$$

0.3

T
c

, the conductivity rapidly falls off toward lower temperatures.
Quality of Care for Maternal and Newborn Health in Health Facilities in Nepal
Authors: KC Ashish , Singh Dipendra Raman , Upadhyaya Madan Kumar , Budhathoki Shyam Sundar , Gurung Abhishek , Målqvist Mats
Published: December 2019

Introduction

Nepal has pledged to substantially reduce maternal and newborn death by 2030. Improving quality of intrapartum health services will be vital to reduce these deaths. This paper examines quality of delivery and newborn services in health facilities of Nepal.

Methods

Data were sourced from the Nepal Health Facility Survey 2015, which covered a national representative sample of health facilities. The datasets were analysed to assess service readiness, availability and quality of delivery and newborn care in a sample of 992 health facilities.

Results

Of the 992 facilities in the sample, 623 provided delivery and newborn care services. Of the 623 facilities offering delivery and newborn care services, 13.3% offered comprehensive emergency obstetric care (CEmONC), 19.6% provided basic emergency obstetric care (BEmONC) and 53.9% provided basic delivery and newborn service. The availability of essential equipment for delivery and newborn care was more than 80% in health facilities. Except for the coverage of vitamin K injection, the coverage of immediate newborn care was more than 85% in all health facilities. The coverage of use of chlorhexidine ointment to all newborns was more than 70% in government hospitals and primary health care centers (PHCCs) and only 32.3% in private hospitals.

Conclusions

These findings show gaps in equipment and drugs, especially in PHCCs and private health facilities. Improving readiness and availability of equipment and drugs in PHCCs and private health facility will help improve the quality of care to further reduce maternal and newborn mortality in Nepal.
Resolving Zeckhauser’s paradox
Authors: Pawitan Yudi , Isheden Gabriel
Published: December 2019

Zeckhauser’s paradox has puzzled and entertained many rationality enthusiasts for almost half a century. You are forced to play a Russian Roulette with a 6-chamber revolver containing either (A) two bullets, or (B) four bullets. Would you pay more to remove the two bullets in (A) than you would to remove one in (B)? Most would say yes, but rational considerations based on the classical utility theory suggest you should not. We discuss a possible solution within the classical framework, by explicitly stating and accounting for more detailed preferences in terms of fewer bullets and smaller debt. To a large extent, the paradox arises due to a surreptitious trespassing of Savage’s Small-World utilities implied by a limited set of preferences to govern a larger world containing potentially conflicting preferences. To avoid logical issues associated with death in the roulette, we also describe a non-fatal game-show version, where you choose one box out of six that could be either empty or contain prize money. Here, the paradox arises when you pay from the prize money, but not when you pay from your own money. In summary, the paradox provides a useful lesson about the normative role of the utility function as a rational guide for our decisions and preferences.
Validation of an algorithm to predict decline in INR following warfarin cessation in patients undergoing invasive procedures
Authors: Kampouraki Emmanouela , Wynne Hilary , Avery Peter , Kamali Farhad
Published: December 2019

Patients on warfarin are required to withdraw from treatment for a fixed period (normally 5 days) prior to an invasive procedure. However, the anticoagulant effect of warfarin subsides at different rates among different patients, exposing some to increased risk of either thrombosis or bleeding. In a recent study in patients awaiting surgery, following warfarin cessation the INR declined slower over time in those with two CYP2C9 variant alleles, increasing age, weight and number of comorbidities and that INR decline was faster in those with higher maintenance INR value. Subsequently, we developed an algorithm which predicts INR decline in individual patients after 5 days of warfarin cessation. The current study validated the algorithm. An independent cohort of patients completing a short course of warfarin took part in the study. INR values for subsequent 9 days and CYP2C9 genotype were available. The predicted INR decline (INRday 1–INRday 5) was compared to the observed one (where an INR check on day 5 was unavailable, INR was estimated using a linear approximation model). There was a strong correlation between the decline in INR by day 5 and that predicted from the algorithm for the 117 patients (r = 0.949, p < 0.001). The algorithm was precise, with low degree of bias and variance of the prediction error. The algorithm can accurately predict the INR decline following warfarin cessation in individual adult patients. The use of this easily adoptable algorithm can reduce cancellation or delays of planned surgical procedures.
Real-Time Multi-person Motion Capture from Multi-view Video and IMUs
Authors: Malleson Charles , Collomosse John , Hilton Adrian
Published: December 2019

A real-time motion capture system is presented which uses input from multiple standard video cameras and inertial measurement units (IMUs). The system is able to track multiple people simultaneously and requires no optical markers, specialized infra-red cameras or foreground/background segmentation, making it applicable to general indoor and outdoor scenarios with dynamic backgrounds and lighting. To overcome limitations of prior video or IMU-only approaches, we propose to use flexible combinations of multiple-view, calibrated video and IMU input along with a pose prior in an online optimization-based framework, which allows the full 6-DoF motion to be recovered including axial rotation of limbs and drift-free global position. A method for sorting and assigning raw input 2D keypoint detections into corresponding subjects is presented which facilitates multi-person tracking and rejection of any bystanders in the scene. The approach is evaluated on data from several indoor and outdoor capture environments with one or more subjects and the trade-off between input sparsity and tracking performance is discussed. State-of-the-art pose estimation performance is obtained on the Total Capture (mutli-view video and IMU) and Human 3.6M (multi-view video) datasets. Finally, a live demonstrator for the approach is presented showing real-time capture, solving and character animation using a light-weight, commodity hardware setup.
GMS: Grid-Based Motion Statistics for Fast, Ultra-robust Feature Correspondence
Authors: Bian Jia-Wang , Lin Wen-Yan , Liu Yun , Zhang Le , Yeung Sai-Kit , Cheng Ming-Ming , Reid Ian
Published: December 2019

Feature matching aims at generating correspondences across images, which is widely used in many computer vision tasks. Although considerable progress has been made on feature descriptors and fast matching for initial correspondence hypotheses, selecting good ones from them is still challenging and critical to the overall performance. More importantly, existing methods often take a long computational time, limiting their use in real-time applications. This paper attempts to separate true correspondences from false ones at high speed. We term the proposed method (GMS) grid-based motion Statistics, which incorporates the smoothness constraint into a statistic framework for separation and uses a grid-based implementation for fast calculation. GMS is robust to various challenging image changes, involving in viewpoint, scale, and rotation. It is also fast, e.g., take only 1 or 2 ms in a single CPU thread, even when 50K correspondences are processed. This has important implications for real-time applications. What’s more, we show that incorporating GMS into the classic feature matching and epipolar geometry estimation pipeline can significantly boost the overall performance. Finally, we integrate GMS into the well-known ORB-SLAM system for monocular initialization, resulting in a significant improvement.
KIT Mutation Incidence and Pattern of Melanoma in Central Europe
Authors: Doma V. , Barbai T. , Beleaua M.-A. , Kovalszky I. , Rásó E. , Tímár József
Published: December 2019

Data on the KIT mutation rate in melanoma in the central European region is missing. Accordingly, in a cohort of 79 BRAF/NRAS double wild type cutaneous melanoma and 17 mucosal melanoma KIT mutation was assessed by Sanger sequencing of exons 9,11,13,17 and 18. In this cutaneous melanoma cohort KIT mutation frequency was found to be 34/79 (43.04%) with a significantly higher rate in acrolentiginous melanoma (ALM) as compared to UV-induced common variants (20/34, 58.8% versus 14/45, 31.1%,p = 0.014). In the double wild type mucosal melanoma cohort the KIT mutation frequency was found to be comparable (41.2%). The actual frequency of KIT mutation in the original 227 patient cutaneous melanoma cohort was 34/227, 14.9%. Exon 11 was the most frequent mutation site (44.7%) followed by exon 9 (21.1%) equally characterizing UV-induced common histotypes and ALM tumors. In mucosal melanoma exon 9 was the most frequently involved exon followed by exon 13 and 17. KIT mutation hotspots were identified in exon 9 (c482/491/492), in exon 11 (c559,c572, c570), in exon 13 (c642), in exon 17 (c822) and in exon 18 (c853). The relatively high KIT mutation rate in cutaneous melanoma in this central-European cohort justifies regular testing of this molecular target in this entity, not only in mucosal variants.
Developmental studies on the acquisition of perception conducting pathways via TRP channels in rat molar odontoblasts using immunohistochemistry and RT-qPCR
Authors: Tanaka Aoi , Shibukawa Yoshiyuki , Yamamoto Masahito , Abe Shinichi , Yamamoto Hitoshi , Shintani Seikou
Published: December 2019

Odontoblasts act as dentin formation and sensory receptors. Recently, it was reported that transient receptor potential ankyrin (TRPA) 1, TRP vanilloid (TRPV) 4 and pannexin 1 (PANX-1) play important roles in odontoblast sensory reception. However, it is not known when odontoblasts begin to possess a sense reception function. The aim of this study was to clarify the development of odontoblasts as sense receptors. Sections of mandibular first molars from postnatal day (PN) 0 to PN12 Wistar rats were prepared for hematoxylin–eosin staining. Immunohistochemically, we used anti-dentin sialoprotein (DSP), anti-TRPA1, anti-TRPV4, anti-PANX-1, and anti-neurofilament (NF) antibodies. In addition, we investigatedTRPA1andTRPV4expression by reverse transcriptional quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). At PN0, undifferentiated odontoblasts showed no immunoreaction to anti-DSP, anti-TRPA1, anti-TRPV4, or anti-PANX-1 antibodies. However, immunopositive reactions of these antibodies increased during odontoblast differentiation at PN3 and PN6. An immunopositive reaction of the anti-NF antibody appeared in the odontoblast neighborhood at PN12, when the odontoblasts began to form root dentin, and this appeared later than that of the other antibodies. By RT-qPCR, expression ofTRPA1at PN6 was significantly lower than that at PN0 (p < 0.05) and PN3 (p < 0.01). Expression ofTRPV4at PN6 was significantly lower than that at PN0 (p < 0.01) and PN3 (p < 0.01). The results of this study suggest that odontoblasts may acquire sensory receptor function after beginning to form root dentin, when TRPA1, TRPV4, PANX-1 channels, and nerve fibers are completely formed.
Photo-curing kinetics of hydroxyethyl acrylate (HEA): synergetic effect of dye/amine photoinitiator systems
Authors: Bouchikhi Nouria , Bouazza Manel , Hamri Salah , Maschke Ulrich , Lerari Djahida , Dergal Faycal , Bachari Khaldoun , Bedjaoui-Alachaher Lamia
Published: December 2019

The aim of this study is to examine and evaluate several dye/amine systems as photoinitiators for photopolymerization of 2-hydroxyethyl acrylate (HEA) monomer under visible light conditions. For this purpose, a series of dye/amine photoinitiators were formed using methylene blue (MB) or acridine orange (AO) as photosensitizers, and triethanolamine (TEOA), ethyl 4-(dimethylamino) benzoate (EDMAB), trioctylamine (TOA), and N,N-diméthylallylamine (DMAA) as co-initiators. The photopolymerization kinetic of the HEA monomer in the presence of proposed dye/amine systems was performed using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis and the synergetic effect of the dye/amine photoinitiators systems on the photopolymerization efficiency was examined. Interestingly, (MB/EDMAB) system shows the better reactivity with a total conversion of HEA monomer.
Stratifying risk for dementia onset using large‐scale electronic health record data: A retrospective cohort study
Authors: McCoy Thomas H. , Han Larry , Pellegrini Amelia M. , Tanzi Rudolph E. , Berretta Sabina , Perlis Roy H.
Published: December 2019

Introduction

Preventing dementia, or modifying disease course, requires identification of presymptomatic or minimally symptomatic high‐risk individuals.

Methods

We used longitudinal electronic health records from two large academic medical centers and applied a validated natural language processing tool to estimate cognitive symptomatology. We used survival analysis to examine the association of cognitive symptoms with incident dementia diagnosis during up to 8 years of follow‐up.

Results

Among 267,855 hospitalized patients with 1,251,858 patient years of follow‐up data, 6516 (2.4%) received a new diagnosis of dementia. In competing risk regression, an increasing cognitive symptom score was associated with earlier dementia diagnosis (HR 1.63; 1.54–1.72). Similar results were observed in the second hospital system and in subgroup analysis of younger and older patients.

Discussion

A cognitive symptom measure identified in discharge notes facilitated stratification of risk for dementia up to 8 years before diagnosis.
Changes to extended validation indicators put users at risk
Authors: Callan Tim , Bailey Chris
Published: December 2019

In 2019, both Google and Mozilla declared their intentions to remove distinctive extended validation (EV) certificate indicators from their browsers – indicators that tell consumers that a website has been vetted and validated through a thorough authentication process. At a time where the push towards increased consumer privacy exists on a global scale, with the US Congress proposing a handful of bills on the matter, and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) taking effect in the European Union, these changes to Chrome and Firefox browsers seem to be a step in the opposite direction. Consumer privacy suffers in the absence of strong website identity.

At a time where there's a push towards increased consumer privacy, Google and Mozilla removing extended validation (EV) certificate indicators from their browsers is a step in the wrong direction.

Consumer privacy suffers in the absence of strong website identity. Rather than removing the indicators, the industry should work together to improve them. Browser companies can also engage Certificate Authorities to create training schemes to help users protect themselves online, argue Tim Callan of Sectigo and Chris Bailey of Entrust Datacard.
Winning tactics with DNS tunnelling
Authors: Al-kasassbeh Mouhammd , Khairallah Tariq
Published: December 2019

The Domain Name System (DNS) protocol is the backbone of the Internet. It facilitates connection to websites and services using understandable names that are easy to remember. DNS converts these names to their corresponding IP addresses in order to establish the communication through the network. The security of the DNS protocol was not originally a major concern for organisations since the protocol was not intended to be used for regular data transmission. 1 However, in recent years, attackers have developed tools that have taken advantage of this situation and utilised DNS for malicious purposes, such as covert tunnelling and data exfiltration.
A NEURAL NETWORK BOOSTED DOUBLE OVERDISPERSED POISSON CLAIMS RESERVING MODEL
Authors: Gabrielli Andrea
Published: December 2019

We present an actuarial claims reserving technique that takes into account both claim counts and claim amounts. Separate (overdispersed) Poisson models for the claim counts and the claim amounts are combined by a joint embedding into a neural network architecture. As starting point of the neural network calibration, we use exactly these two separate (overdispersed) Poisson models. Such a nested model can be interpreted as a boosting machine. It allows us for joint modeling and mutual learning of claim counts and claim amounts beyond the two individual (overdispersed) Poisson models.
Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs: Past, Present, and Future
Authors: Tozzi Jim
Published: December 2019

This article has three sections, each of which deals with an Executive Order. The first section, “Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) Past,” emphasizes the critical role that Executive Orders played in the formation of OIRA. More specifically, OIRA owes its initial existence to the establishment of a centralized regulatory review system, the Quality of Life Review, which initiated Office of Management and Budget (OMB) review of environmental regulations through the issuance of a directive from OMB. Every subsequent President expanded OMBs powers through the issuance of Executive Orders which culminated in the Iconic Executive Order 12291. The section concludes with the recommendation that a select class of Executive Orders, and OMB Directives, be designated as “Iconic” by the National Archivist in consultation with the OIRA, and then given substantial deference by incoming Administrations. The second section, “OIRA Present,” describes an Executive Order issued during the Kennedy Administration which remains in effect but was promulgated prior to the establishment of OIRA and therefore recommends that a new Executive Order be issued which gives OIRA specific authority to participate in the conduct of interagency reviews of Executive Orders. The third section, “OIRA Future,” describes an Executive Order which implements a regulatory budget (RB) and institutionalizes a mechanism for controlling the size of the administrative state. This final section of the article recommends that the aforementioned Executive Order be reviewed and modified based upon the outcome of a request for public comments, and rules with demonstrated positive net benefits should no longer be accorded an automatic entitlement for issuance as a final rule absent their inclusion in an RB.
How Political Contestation Over Judicial Nominations Polarizes Americans’ Attitudes Toward the Supreme Court
Authors: Rogowski Jon C. , Stone Andrew R.
Published: December 2019

Contemporary US Supreme Court nominations are unavoidably and inevitably political. Although observers worry that political contestation over nominations undermines support for qualified nominees and threatens the Court's legitimacy, there is little empirical evidence to support these claims. The authors argue that political contestation over judicial nominations provides cues that shape the public's impressions about nominees and the Court and polarizes public opinion across partisan lines. Data from a conjoint experiment administered in the first days of the Trump presidency support this argument. Political rhetoric attributed to President Trump and Senate Democrats substantially polarized partisans’ views of nominees and evaluations of the Court's legitimacy, with Republicans (Democrats) expressing significantly more (less) favorable attitudes. Additional analyses suggest that contestation generates divergent partisan responses by affecting views about the nominee's impartiality. These findings challenge existing perspectives that depict attitudes toward the judiciary as resistant to partisan considerations and have important implications for the Court's legitimacy in a polarized era.