bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Students’ use of lexical bundles
Authors: Mbodj Ndeye Bineta , Crossley Scott A.
Published: February 2020

This chapter presents the results of an
investigation into the interaction between discipline and writing
experience on lexical bundle (LB) production. The study compared the
production of 4-word LBs by novice and expert writers in medical and
non-medical fields. The findings indicated that a combination of
both writing experience and field-specific knowledge led to an
increased use of medical LBs. Field-specific knowledge and
experience seemed to be a prerequisite for the production of medical
LBs with interactions demonstrating that the use of lexical bundles
increased with the combination of field-specific knowledge and
experience. The chapter interprets these findings based on previous
research of learners’ acquisition of LBs and discusses their
implications for both research and pedagogy.
Phase evolution in mechanical alloying and spark plasma sintering of AlxCoCrCuFeNi HEAs
Authors: Ziaei Hosein , Sadeghi Behzad , Marfavi Zeinab , Ebrahimzadeh Niloofar , Cavaliere Pasquale
Published: February 2020

Al xCoCrCuFeNi high-entropy alloys were synthesised through mechanical alloying and spark plasma sintering. Different alloys were produced by varying the aluminium content ( x = 0.5, 1.5, 2.5 and 4). The influences of the milling duration on the evolution of microstructure, constituent phases and morphology were studied. Increasing milling time resulted in grain refinement and higher solid solution homogenisation characterised by a high internal strain. As a consequence of aluminium addition, the microstructure of materials evolved from face centered cubic (FCC) and body centered cubic (BCC) phases to FCC, BCC and ordered BCC phases. Both mechanical alloying and SPS conditions as well as aluminium content led to grain refinement and variations of mechanical properties. In particular, hardness increased with increasing aluminium content. The aluminium percentage and the evolution of consequent phases are responsible for the microstructural stability at high temperatures. In addition, with Al content increase, the further synergy of strength and ductility along with a more pronounced strain hardening was obtained.
Retraction: Volumetric quantification in ovarian
pathology using abdomino-pelvic computed tomography (J. Phys.: Conf.
Ser.
1414 012020)
Authors: Valbuena O , Vera M I , Vera M , Gelvez-Almeida E , Huérfano Y , Borrero M , Salazar-Torres J , Salazar W
Published: February 2020

This paper was retracted by IOP Publishing on 6th February 2020, as it was a
duplicate of a paper in another conference volume.

Retraction published: 06 February 2020
Research on extraction method of axis angle rate of stable platform based on FPGA
Authors: Shi Peng-jie , Zhang Hong-gang , Gao Jun-ke
Published: February 2020

Aiming at the absolute photoelectric encoder used in the stable platform, a FPGA-based scheme which can read encoder data and measure velocity is proposed. The scheme uses the nonlinear tracking differentiator theory to design the speed measurement of the stable platform, which can avoid the error amplification caused by the conventional differential speed measurement. And this solution can implement in engineering easily because it does not require additional hardware circuitry. Numerical simulation analysis and experimental results show that the scheme can accurately read the encoder signal and estimate the encoder’s angular rate based on the position signal. The experiment proves that the method is accurate and effective.
Analysis of Wind Farm Synchronization Impacted by Short Circuit of Grid Fault
Authors: Nan Feng , Yuyao Feng , Yinghui Yu , Qiang Guo , Chuanxiu Liu
Published: February 2020

In order to improve operational stability of the island system after grid faults of local weak connection, a wind farm and grid power system model composed of doubly-fed induction generator is built. This paper studies the impact of faults on the wind farm output and the grid bus after the wind farm is connected to the grid, and sets three-phase short-circuit fault in wind farm synchronization. Moreover, we analysed voltage fluctuation of the wind farm connected to the grid and voltage fluctuation of grid bus, as well as changes in output frequency, active power and reactive power of the wind farm. The microgrid voltage and frequency changes are studied in island operation when the fault is removed. The research results lay the foundation for island operation when fault occurs after wind turbine is connected to the grid.
Study and Realization of Auto Testing Device for Protection Against Electric Shock
Authors: Li Peipei , Zhao Yi , Yang Yanfeng , Hu Jianyu , Liu Yong
Published: February 2020

In this paper, the microcontroller STM32F407 is used as the control core. The automatic detection device for protection against electric shock is designed and produced. The mechanism and characteristics of residual energy which is generated by the power cut-off at peak voltage are analyzed. This study has accomplished the design of peak voltage power cutoff and residual energy measurement system, software programming and hardware circuit construction, and displaying residual voltage and residual energy value through the touch screen. The device has stable performance and simple operation, and can accurately detect the residual voltage and energy value of electronic, electrical equipment and medical equipment. It has great significance for testing institutions and enterprises.
Study on high precision single-pole magnetic encoder based on error analysis and compensation method
Authors: Liu Yuyuan , Wang Mingjiang
Published: February 2020

This paper introduces the basic principle of single-pole magnetic encoder and its application in industrial field, and analyses three main sources of errors of single-pole magnetic encoder, including unequal amplitude of signal, non-orthogonal phase of input signal, and high order harmonic in input signal. According to the principle of the decoding algorithm of the magnetic encoder, the paper pushed out mathematical expression of each kind of error, and developed the corresponding compensation measures according to these expressions. Finally, we using the STM3232F103 microprocessor as the carrying platform of the algorithm and the 16-bit precision servo motor system as a reference, verified the validity of the error compensation algorithm.
FPGA Implementation of SPI Bus Communication Based on State Machine Method
Authors: Qiang Jiayi , Gu Yong , Chen Guochu
Published: February 2020

The SPI bus is a synchronous serial interface data bus with full duplex, few signal lines, simple protocol, and fast transmission speed. Based on these characteristics, parallel high-speed computing with FPGA is used to meet device expansion and experiment in high-rate environments. This paper introduces the structure and working principle of SPI communication bus, analyzes its timing structure and four working modes, and uses this state machine method to realize its SPI bus communication function on FPGA. The module circuit of SPI is written by Verilog hardware description language, and the waveform is simulated in vivado simulator. After the simulation waveform analysis, the feasibility of the state machine method is verified.
A spatial load forecasting method based on DBSCAN clustering and NAR neural network
Authors: Han Zhentao , Cheng Mengzeng , Chen Fangxi , Wang Yanze , Deng Zhuofu
Published: February 2020

In order to improve the accuracy of spatial load forecasting in power grid planning stage, a spatial load forecasting method based on density-based spatial clustering of applications with noise (DBSCAN) clustering algorithm and nonlinear auto regressive (NAR) neural network is proposed. This method consists of three stages: cell division, clustering, and forecasting. At first, zones are divided into cellules that are taken as the basic unit of spatial load forecasting. Historical yearly load profiles, along with geographic information and land use types, are extracted from cells as features. Furthermore, similar cells are classified into several clusters according to these features. Finally, a NAR neural network is established to forecasting load one year ahead for each cluster, where the historical load profiles are taken as input. Experiments reveal that our proposed model decreases MAE by 45.95%, 42.04% and 47.49% respectively compared with linear regression, grey theory and exponential smoothing, showing great improvements in accuracy.
Load forecasting considering multiple influencing factors
Authors: Ning Xin , Jin Liang
Published: February 2020

With the improvement of power conservation awareness and the development of the power market, load forecasting is playing an important role gradually. Effective load forecasting can help power system operators to develop appropriate scheduling strategies and help users plan their power consumption rationally. Considering the important position of load forecasting in the future power system field, this paper focus on this field. Based on the measured data from Australia, this paper considers the environmental and social factors affecting the power consumption in the region. The LSSVM algorithm is used for short-term load forecasting. Firstly, the invalid data is eliminated by data preprocessing, the missing data is completed, and the data of the content is included. The normalization process is carried out, and then the processed data is used for prediction. Finally, the effectiveness of the Least squares support vector machine algorithm load prediction after considering various factors is verified by comparison with the traditional neural network algorithm.
Quantitative Analysis Method of Immunochromatographic Strip Based on Reinforcement Learning
Authors: Liu Songming , Zeng Shaojun
Published: February 2020

Gold immunochromatographic assay (GICA) is a widely used immunological detection technology with high sensitivity and high efficiency as well as simple operation. Traditional GICA is mainly based on instrument for qualitative detection. In response to the above questions, this paper aims to develop an automated detection framework for immunochromatographic strips that can adaptively improve the detection performance of the gold immunochromatographic strip (GICS) system. As a research hotspot of machine learning (ML), reinforcement learning (RL) has made many progresses in the field of image segmentation. In this paper, the RL method is applied to the GICS system for the first time. The RL agent provides an adaptive segmentation model for the newly obtained GICS images by learning the state features of the preprocessed images. It is worth noting that our method does not require a large training data set and simultaneously can effectively reduce the grayscale-based image feature space. The experimental results show that the proposed method has a good segmentation effect, and provides a reliable solution for the quantitative analysis of the GICS system.
FPGA oriented design method of Adjustable Arbiter Physical Unclonable circuit
Authors: Zhou Jinren
Published: February 2020

In this paper, the design principle of the Arbiter Physical Unclonable Function (APUF) based on the arbiter is studied, the existing problems are analyzed, and the problem of its delay asymmetry is studied. An adjustable APUF structure for FPGA platform is proposed, which includes three modules. To adjust the delay deviation of the two paths of traditional Apuf flexibly, it is implemented and verified on the actual FPGA, which proves its feasibility and superiority.
Intermittent subharmonic and chaos in parallel Buck converters with coupled interference signal
Authors: Wang Lili , Chen Junning
Published: February 2020

This paper studies intermittent instabilities in parallel power system. Taking parallel buck converters with coupled interference signals as an example, model and actual system are established. By numerical simulation, the nonlinear behaviours are captured under some conditions. Characteristics and mechanism of intermittency are depicted by nonlinear theory. In this paper, mappings time to parameter are established and discrete iterative mappings for nonlinear systems are derived. All the simulation results are consistent with the theoretical analysis results. The research method adopted in the paper is applicable for the other parallel powersystems. The conclusion can provide a reference for the parallel converters to maintain stable operation and serves as a theoretical basis for further optimization design and system control.
Research on abundance adaptive frequency control strategy of household temperature-control load
Authors: Song Shuang , Li Zhongwei , Liu Yong , Bai Ziyang
Published: February 2020

Based on the method of space state, state division of household temperature-control load group is proposed. State sequence method is used to analyze the influence of load group abundance on aggregated power. Based on the minimum cost and maximum flow algorithm, the temperature-control load group’s abundance recovery strategy is proposed, which could achieves the goal of fast and smooth recovery load group abundance. The simulation of household temperature-control load respond to the power system primary frequency adjustment is carried out under the circumstances of good abundance, excess abundance and lack of abundance. The simulation results show that the effect of temperature control load on the power grid primary frequency adjustment is fine. and the effectiveness of the proposed frequency adjustment control strategy is verified.
Equal Losses control strategy for all switches of intermediate frequency heating power supply
Authors: Deng Rui , Qin Qingliang
Published: February 2020

The energy loss of the switches of the lead legs and lag legs during the operation of the intermediate frequency heating power supply using the traditional full bridge control method has a certain difference, and the greater the power of the device, the more obvious the difference. This phenomenon seriously affects the reliability of high-power intermediate frequency heating power supplies. In this paper, the original full-bridge inverter drive is adjusted, and the conditions for implementing ZVS are analyzed. Finally, the equal losses control strategy for all switches is achieved by using the waveform generated by the FPGA controller.
Research on dead-reckoning based localization for cleaning robot
Authors: Wang Y , Zhang Z
Published: February 2020

The cleaning robot can perform cleaning tasks autonomously and intelligently, thus saving people from boring and heavy physical labour. Autonomous positioning is one of the indicators for intelligent level of cleaning robots. In this paper, dead-reckoning method based on encoder is adopted. The kinematics model of the robot is established to optimize the existing cleaning robot positioning method by using arc model. The positioning effect of the cleaning robot is tested by experiment. Through experiments, it is found that there are two main problems in the estimation of the track. One is that during the turning process, the calculation of the angle is affected by the slip, which causes a large deviation. Another is that the displacement deviation of linear motion gradually increases with the increase of the driving distance due to system error. Based on the above analysis, a positioning scheme is proposed. Gyro sensor and RFID tag are introduced to correct the angular deviation and assist positioning and improve the positioning accuracy of the cleaning robot.
Research on the Control Strategy of Maximum Energy Utilization and Disordered Disturbance Suppression in Distributed Generation System
Authors: Zhou Feng , Sun Shibo , Xu Mingyu , Hao Wenbo , Wang Bing , Wang Luxin , Jiang Peng
Published: February 2020

The ultimate goal of distributed renewable energy control is to minimize disorder disturbance to the power grid while ensuring maximum energy utilization. Taking wind power as an example, a coupling system using flywheel energy storage system to balance the output variables of wind power system was proposed while using hill climb searching (HCS) to maximize the utilization of wind energy. These methods can obtain stable DC output voltage. In the case of wind speed variation, as a limited capacity energy pool structure, flywheel energy storage system can ensure the maximum utilization of wind energy. Based on fully utilization of wind energy resources, the rapid and comprehensive compensation of wind power output can effectively smooth the output voltage of grid-connected wind power system, thus achieving the purpose of improving the power quality of grid-connected wind power system.
Practical Inverse Kinematic Solution Based on Calibrated Parameters Using in Engineering
Authors: Shi Guosong , Zhao Shuying , Lin Tianyu
Published: February 2020

Inverse kinematic (IK) problem is an essential problem in industrial robot control. In some high accuracy projects, the solution needs the robot act based on online sampled data rather than the pre-teached actions. It is necessary to reduce the absolute positioning error to complete these challenging projects. The IK solution is on the way there. This article simply introduces the standard IK solution based on robot KUKA R2700, points out the shortage of standard IK solution in enhancing the absolute positioning accuracy and develops an practical IK solution, PIKFCP, which is necessary in some measures.
High-throughput, multi-parametric, and correlative fluorescence lifetime imaging
Authors: Poudel Chetan , Mela Ioanna , Kaminski Clemens F
Published: February 2020

In this review, we discuss methods and advancements in fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy that permit measurements to be performed at faster speed and higher resolution than previously possible. We review fast single-photon timing technologies and the use of parallelized detection schemes to enable high-throughput and high content imaging applications. We appraise different technological implementations of fluorescence lifetime imaging, primarily in the time-domain. We also review combinations of fluorescence lifetime with other imaging modalities to capture multi-dimensional and correlative information from a single sample. Throughout the review, we focus on applications in biomedical research. We conclude with a critical outlook on current challenges and future opportunities in this rapidly developing field.
Sr addition and its effect on the melt cleanliness of A356
Authors: Atakav Baturalp , Gürsoy Özen , Erzi Eray , Tur Kazim , Dispinar Derya
Published: February 2020

Strontium modification of Al–Si alloys has known to have several beneficial effects such as increased feedability, the formation of fibrous Si and increased mechanical properties. However, in the presence of Sr, during melting and holding durations, the oxide structure of the dross may change which leads to several problems during casting operations. In this work, the amount of Sr was changed and the melt was held for 1 h. Reduced Pressure Test (RPT) was used to asses melt quality change and it was found that cleanliness was increased due to the fading of Sr.
Performance comparison of solar radiation forecasting between WRF and LSTM in Gifu, Japan
Authors: de Araujo Jose Manuel Soares
Published: February 2020

Three months comparison of hourly solar radiation forecasting from 1st January to 31st March 2017 between Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) mesoscale model and Long short-term memory (LSTM) algorithm is presented in this study. One-way grid nesting technique of the WRF model is applied for the simulation with a six-hourly input dataset downloaded from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration - National Operational Model Archive and Distribution System (NOMADS) website. Three years’data of solar radiation from 1st January 2014 to 31st December 2016 are used as input data for Long Short Term Memory (LSTM) algorithm to simulate solar radiation. The results show the root mean square error of the LSTM algorithm is 310 W m−2 higher compared to 210 W m−2 from the WRF model. The MBE and the nMBE of the WRF model are obtained positive value 96 W m−2 and 9% compared to −101 W m−2 and −9% of LSTM for 2160 h prediction. Meanwhile, the performance error percentage of WRF is 19% lower compared to 28% of LSTM for the nRMSE error metric. Although this study found that the WRF model performed better and lower error compared to the LSTM algorithm, however, it also recommends the LSTM algorithm configuration can be used for long-term prediction.
Moderate physical activity associated with a higher naïve/memory T-cell ratio in healthy old individuals: potential role of IL15
Authors: Bartlett David B , Duggal Niharika A
Published: February 2020

Introduction

ageing is accompanied by impairments in immune responses due to remodelling of the immune system (immunesenescence). Additionally, a decline in habitual physical activity has been reported in older adults. We have recently published that specific features of immunesenescence, such as thymic involution and naïve/memory T-cell ratio, are prevented by maintenance of a high level of physical activity. This study compares immune ageing between sedentary and physically active older adults.

Methods

a cross-sectional study recruited 211 healthy older adults (60–79 years) and assessed their physical activity levels using an actigraph. We compared T- and B-cell immune parameters between relatively sedentary (n = 25) taking 2,000–4,500 steps/day and more physically active older adults (n = 25) taking 10,500–15,000 steps/day.

Results

we found a higher frequency of naïve CD4 (P = 0.01) and CD8 (P = 0.02) and a lower frequency of memory CD4 cells (P = 0.01) and CD8 (P = 0.04) T cells in the physically active group compared with the sedentary group. Elevated serum IL7 (P = 0.03) and IL15 (P = 0.003), cytokines that play an essential role in T-cell survival, were seen in the physically active group. Interestingly, a positive association was observed between IL15 levels and peripheral CD4 naïve T-cell frequency (P = 0.023).

Discussion

we conclude that a moderate level of physical activity may be required to give a very broad suppression of immune ageing, though 10,500–15,000 steps/day has a beneficial effect on the naïve T-cell pool.
A decade of geriatric traumatic brain injuries in Finland: population-based trends
Authors: Posti Jussi P , Sipilä Jussi O T , Luoto Teemu M , Rautava Päivi , Kytö Ville
Published: February 2020

Background

we investigated trends of traumatic brain injury (TBI)-related hospitalisations, deaths, acute neurosurgical operations (ANO), and lengths of hospital stay (LOS) in patients aged ≥70 years in Finland using a population-based cohort.

Methods

nationwide databases were searched for all admissions with a TBI diagnosis as well as later deaths for persons ≥70 years of age during 2004–2014.

Results

the study period included 20,259 TBI-related hospitalisations (mean age = 80.7 years, men = 48.9%). The incidence of TBI-related hospitalisations was 283/100,000 person-years with an estimated overall annual increase of 2.9% (95% CI: 0.4–5.9%). There was an annual decrease of 2.2% in in-hospital mortality (IHM) in men (95% CI: 0.1–4.3%), with no change in women or overall. There was an annual decrease of 1.1% in odds for ANOs among hospitalised overall (95% CI: 0.1–2.1%) and of 1.4% in men (95% CI: 0.0–2.7%), while no change was observed in women. LOS decreased annually by 2.5% (95% CI: 2.1–2.9%). The incidence of TBI-related deaths was 70/100,000 person-years with an estimated annual increase of 1.6% in women (95% CI: 0.2–2.9%), but no change in men or overall. Mean ages of TBI-related admissions and deaths increased (P < 0.001).

Interpretation

the incidence rate of geriatric TBI-related hospitalisations increased, especially in women, but LOS and the rate of ANOs among hospitalised decreased. The overall TBI-related mortality remained stable, and IHM decreased in men, while in women, the overall mortality increased and IHM remained stable. However, the overall incidence rates of TBI-related hospitalisations and deaths and the number of cases of IHM were still higher in men.
Statin-induced autoimmune necrotizing myopathy with pharyngeal muscles involvement
Authors: Mirlesse Nicolas , Egervari Kristof , Bornand Aurélie , Lecluse Julien , Lobrinus Johannes A , Scheffler Max , Serratrice Christine , Prendki Virginie , Cuvelier Clémence
Published: February 2020

Statins are widely prescribed in the treatment of hypercholesterolemia. While their efficacy in the secondary prevention of vascular events is proven, their safety profile in older patients with multiple co-morbidities and polypharmacy remains questionable. Although rare, antihydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase (anti-HMGCR) myopathy is a severe adverse effect of statins, manifesting as myalgias, proximal muscle weakness, muscle cell necrosis and rhabdomyolysis. We report an uncommon case of an autopsy-proven anti-HMGCR necrotising myopathy predominately affecting pharyngeal muscles in an older patient, leading to dysphagia, pneumonia and death within 3 weeks from onset. Clinicians should screen for dysphagia in any patient with suspected anti-HMGCR myopathy, order an anti-HMGCR antibody titre and consider prompt immunosupressive therapy.
25 A Pilot Implementation of Providing Enhanced Support to Care Homes within A Primary Care Network
Authors: Didehvar R , Ehtheshamirad G , Batty G , Sage S , Mullins S , Thomas C
Published: February 2020

Introduction

People living with severe frailty in care homes are vulnerable to frequent non-elective hospital attendances. However provision of enhanced healthcare support to care home residents can reduce this risk and increase quality of life for residents.1 The framework for enhanced health in care homes (EHCH) summarises best practice in this area and provides guidance for implementing services.2

Methods

This study was a pilot implementation of the EHCH framework based on a Primary Care and Specialist Frailty Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) and delivered on a Primary Care Network (PCN) footprint. The MDT targeted five care homes in a PCN area with historically high levels of non-elective attendances. The model of care was based on the principle of anticipatory care planning, training and support for care home staff to understand and implement plans.

Results

Over the pilot period of 9 months, non-elective attendances from the 5 homes reduced by 27% compared to the previous year, which was a significant reduction (p<0.042). There was variation between the homes in the reduction in non-elective attendances with the greatest impact seen in the homes that had the highest level of attendance at training and engagement in the care planning process. Feedback received from the care home staff indicated that they felt more confident to refer to the care plans and had alternative options to calling 999. A quality audit of the care plans completed as part of the pilot revealed a number of additional training needs for clinicians completing the plans to ensure consistency of recoding. This training was delivered following the pilot period.

Conclusions

The pilot demonstrated that the EHCH framework could be successfully implemented on a PCN footprint. Analysis shows this implementation coincided with a reduction in non-elective attendances from the targeted homes. Further analysis is required to compare the impact in different homes and to understand contributing factors. The pilot implementation provides helpful information to inform PCN development.

References

1. Lloyd T, Wolters A and Steveton A (2014) The impact of providing enhanced support for care home residents in Rushcliffe: Health Foundation consideration of findings from the Improvement Analytics Unit. The Health Foundation.

2. NHS England (2016) The framework for enhanced health in care homes.
28 Can Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment be Achieved in the Emergency Department?
Authors: Cheng J , Ho C , Honney K , Wells M , Wise W , Ferguson N , Bailey S , May H , Burridge R
Published: February 2020

Background

Our National Health Service is facing unprecedented challenges to accommodate our frailer healthcare users. The gold standard tool for the identification and management of frailty is the Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA) and has been shown to lead to better outcomes in terms of morbidity and mortality.

Introduction

With a largely elderly demographic profile in the East of England, the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital opened the first Older People’s Emergency Department (OPED) in the UK in 2017. This work reviews the effectiveness of a geriatrician-led CGA in a dedicated OPED, which operates during daylight hours, compared to usual care in Accident & Emergency (A&E).

Methods

99 patients assessed in OPED and 99 patients assessed overnight in A&E during February 2019 were included in this retrospective study. Electronic case notes for each patient were reviewed by the authors and results were expressed as percentages.

Results

OPED outperformed A&E in all components of the CGA; strongest areas included assessing for pain, falls risk and activities of daily living. Both departments performed well in reviewing medications and assessing for safeguarding concerns. Areas for improvement include assessing for mood disorders, sensory impairment, discussing Do Not Attempt Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation status, and end of life care plans. The average length of stay of OPED patients was only 7.3 days compared to 8.7 days in A&E, and 89% of OPED patients were discharged back to their usual residences compared to 87% in A&E.

Conclusions

The improved CGA process in OPED has led to better outcomes, notably through a reduction in the average length of inpatient stay. Nevertheless, certain components of the CGA still require improvement. Further examination is needed to assess long-term mortality to support the use of CGA in the emergency setting.
69 What Health Outcomes Matter to Frail Older People?
Authors: Tipping K S
Published: February 2020

Introduction

The purpose of this project was to explore what health outcomes matter to frail older people. This would provide information that would be of use to both providers and payers of health care services to align their priorities in line with these. Frailty is an important and relevant topic in healthcare. In England 5% of people aged 60-69 have frailty. This rises to 65% in people aged over 90. There are 1.8 million people aged over 60 and 0.8 million people aged over 80 living with frailty. (English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (2016)). This number is due to increase.

The aims of this research were: To review the literature on health outcomes in older people including frail older people.To conduct a focus group interview with frail older people to ascertain their views on health outcomes.To disseminate and share the reviews and study findings via presentations and publications.

Ethics

Ethical approval was granted by the University of Liverpool’s Health and Life Sciences Research Ethics Committee (application number 4163).

Methods

A systematic review of the literature was undertaken. Thereafter a focus group interview was held with six frail older people. The participants were aged 65 years and over and had mild to moderate frailty using the Clinical Frailty Scale. The interview recording was transcribed, and common themes identified and analysed.

Results

Eight themes were identified from the focus group: - Trust in medical professionalsVulnerability of being an older person in hospitalPolypharmacy and wastage of medicationDischarge Planning & Co-Ordination of Care at HomeTaking responsibility for your own healthNomenclatureAutonomyFalls

Conclusion

This study has identified themes that can be utilised to raise awareness among health care professionals on what matters to frail older people. The study findings will hopefully provide an opportunity for meaningful discussions around what is needed to better meet these desired health outcomes.

References

1. Akpan A, Roberts C, Bandeen-Roche K, Batty B, Bausewein C, Bell D, et al. Standard set of health outcome measures for older persons. BMC Geriatr 2018;18(1):36.

2. Naik AD, Dindo LN, Van Liew JR, Hundt NE, Vo L, Hernandez-Bigos K, et al. Development of a Clinically Feasible Process for Identifying Individual Health Priorities. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society 2018;66(10):1872–9.
Histopathological Features of Tissue Alterations Induced by Cryolipolysis on Human Adipose Tissue
Authors: Pugliese Domenico , Melfa Fabrizio , Guarino Enrico , Cascardi Eliano , Maggi Michela , Ferrari Eleana , Maiorano Eugenio
Published: February 2020

Background

Adipose tissue cooling, under controlled conditions, induces physical effects on subcutaneous tissue called cryolipolysis (CLL), which has been proposed as a method to reduce noninvasively the amount of adipose tissue. Although CLL has been widely utilized in clinical practice and many favorable results have been reported in clinical studies, very few published studies have dealt with the effects of such therapies on human adipose tissue.

Objectives

The aim of this study was to evaluate, through histopathological examination, the in vivo effects of CLL on human adipose tissue.

Methods

Six patients to be submitted to abdominoplasty were enrolled in the study. Samples were taken from the surgical patch, respectively, 15 days (2 pts), 45 days (2 pts), and 60 days (2 pts) after a single standard session of CLL. Control samples were derived from the nontreated areas of the surgical patch.

Results

Disruption of the adipocytic membranes was evident in all treated areas, with a reduction of cell dissolution in the 60-day samples. Focal dissolution and homogenization of the collagen fibers was evident, resulting in the dissolution of the interlobular fibrous septa. A mild inflammatory response was observed in the 15- and 45-day samples. Neocapillarizzation was observed in the 45- and 60-day samples.

Conclusions

The lesions demonstrated in adipocytes confirm the theoretical premises of a usefulness of CLL in the treatment of localized adiposis. The alterations in the connective stroma could lead to a structural reorganization and consequently to the in vivo external appearance of the treated areas.

Level of Evidence: 5
Lower Pole Mastopexy-Augmentation: Indications and Applications
Authors: Pacifico Marc D
Published: February 2020

Background

Breast augmentation in primary or secondary patients with long lower pole lengths but appropriately sited nipples is at high risk of “bottoming out” following surgery. The lower pole mastopexy-augmentation (LPMA) was developed to correct long lower pole lengths or preempt bottoming out in breasts deemed at risk, avoiding the requirement for periareolar and vertical breast scar as well as minimizing the requirement for the utilization of synthetic mesh.

Objectives

The goal of this short report was to analyze outcomes in patients who underwent the LPMA to determine its application and limitations.

Methods

The author reviewed 12 consecutive cases of both primary and secondary situations over a 6-year period. Cases were objectively assessed according to the relationship of the nipple to the point of maximal breast projection on lateral view as well as the upper to lower pole breast proportions.

Results

All cases provided good outcomes, with improvements in both the position of the nipple in relation to the point of maximal breast projection and with respect to the upper to lower pole breast ratios.

Conclusion

LPMA is a useful addition to the armamentarium in dealing with complex situations in breast augmentation.

Level of Evidence: 4
scBatch: batch-effect correction of RNA-seq data through sample distance matrix adjustment
Authors: Fei Teng , Yu Tianwei
Published: February 2020

Motivation

Batch effect is a frequent challenge in deep sequencing data analysis that can lead to misleading conclusions. Existing methods do not correct batch effects satisfactorily, especially with single-cell RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) data.

Results

We present scBatch, a numerical algorithm for batch-effect correction on bulk and single-cell RNA-seq data with emphasis on improving both clustering and gene differential expression analysis. scBatch is not restricted by assumptions on the mechanism of batch-effect generation. As shown in simulations and real data analyses, scBatch outperforms benchmark batch-effect correction methods.

Availability and implementation

The R package is available at github.com/tengfei-emory/scBatch. The code to generate results and figures in this article is available at github.com/tengfei-emory/scBatch-paper-scripts.

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Indigeneity, Prisoner Visitation and Reincarceration in Australia: The Association Between Visits in Prison and Reincarceration for Indigenous and Non-Indigenous People
Authors: Ryan Nicole , Ackerman Jeff , Ready Justin , Kinner Stuart A
Published: February 2020

Prison visitation is believed to protect against reincarceration post-release. This research explored differences in prisoner visitation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people, the predictors of visitation and the effects of visitation on the risk of reincarceration. Descriptive analyses, logistic regression and Cox proportional hazards models were conducted using survey and linked administrative data for 1,238 Australian prisoners. We found that Indigenous people compared to non-Indigenous people were less likely to be visited, and travel distance decreased the likelihood of visitation for both groups. Moreover, visitation protected against reincarceration for non-Indigenous people only. Potential explanations for why visitation was not found to protect against reincarceration for Indigenous people are discussed as are potential implications for criminal justice systems that house Indigenous offenders.
Neuroanatomical spread of amyloid β and tau in Alzheimer’s disease: implications for primary prevention
Authors: Insel Philip S , Mormino Elizabeth C , Aisen Paul S , Thompson Wesley K , Donohue Michael C
Published: February 2020

With recent advances in our understanding of the continuous pathophysiological changes that begin many years prior to symptom onset, it is now apparent that Alzheimer’s disease cannot be adequately described by discrete clinical stages, but should also incorporate the continuum of biological changes that precede and underlie the clinical representation of the disease. By jointly considering longitudinal changes of all available biomarkers and clinical assessments, variation within individuals can be integrated into a single continuous measure of disease progression and used to identify the earliest pathophysiological changes. Disease time, a measure of disease severity, was estimated using a Bayesian latent time joint mixed-effects model applied to an array of imaging, biomarker and neuropsychological data. Trajectories of regional amyloid β and tau PET uptake were estimated as a function of disease time. Regions with early signs of elevated amyloid β uptake were used to form an early, focal composite and compared to a commonly used global composite, in a separate validation sample. Disease time was estimated in 279 participants (183 cognitively unimpaired individuals, 61 mild cognitive impairment and 35 Alzheimer’s disease dementia patients) with available amyloid β and tau PET data. Amyloid β PET uptake levels in the posterior cingulate and precuneus start high and immediately increase with small increases of disease time. Early elevation in tau PET uptake was found in the inferior temporal lobe, amygdala, banks of the superior temporal sulcus, entorhinal cortex, middle temporal lobe, inferior parietal lobe and the fusiform gyrus. In a separate validation sample of 188 cognitively unimpaired individuals, the early, focal amyloid β PET composite showed a 120% increase in the accumulation rate of amyloid β compared to the global composite (P < 0.001), resulting in a 60% increase in the power to detect a treatment effect in a primary prevention trial design. Ordering participants on a continuous disease time scale facilitates the inspection of the earliest signs of amyloid β and tau pathology. To detect early changes in amyloid β pathology, focusing on the earliest sites of amyloid β accumulation results in more powerful and efficient study designs in early Alzheimer’s disease. Targeted composites could be used to re-examine the thresholds for amyloid β-related study inclusion, especially as the field shifts to focus on primary and secondary prevention. Clinical trials of anti-amyloid β treatments may benefit from the use of focal composites when estimating drug effects on amyloid β and tau changes in populations with minimal amyloid β and tau pathology and limited expected short-term accumulation.
Selective Integration during Sequential Sampling in Posterior Neural Signals
Authors: Luyckx Fabrice , Spitzer Bernhard , Blangero Annabelle , Tsetsos Konstantinos , Summerfield Christopher
Published: February 2020

Decisions are typically made after integrating information about multiple attributes of alternatives in a choice set. Where observers are obliged to consider attributes in turn, a computational framework known as “selective integration” can capture salient biases in human choices. The model proposes that successive attributes compete for processing resources and integration is biased towards the alternative with the locally preferred attribute. Quantitative analysis shows that this model, although it discards choice-relevant information, is optimal when the observers’ decisions are corrupted by noise that occurs beyond the sensory stage. Here, we used electroencephalography (EEG) to test a neural prediction of the model: that locally preferred attributes should be encoded with higher gain in neural signals over the posterior cortex. Over two sessions, human observers judged which of the two simultaneous streams of bars had the higher (or lower) average height. The selective integration model fits the data better than a rival model without bias. Single-trial analysis showed that neural signals contralateral to the preferred attribute covaried more steeply with the decision information conferred by locally preferred attributes. These findings provide neural evidence in support of selective integration, complementing existing behavioral work.
Synaptic Recruitment Enhances Gap Termination Responses in Auditory Cortex
Authors: Awwad Bshara , Jankowski Maciej M , Nelken Israel
Published: February 2020

The ability to detect short gaps in noise is an important tool for assessing the temporal resolution in the auditory cortex. However, the mere existence of responses to temporal gaps bounded by two short broadband markers is surprising, because of the expected short-term suppression that is prevalent in auditory cortex. Here, we used in-vivo intracellular recordings in anesthetized rats to dissect the synaptic mechanisms that underlie gap-related responses. When a gap is bounded by two short markers, a gap termination response was evoked by the onset of the second marker with minimal contribution from the offset of the first marker. Importantly, we show that the gap termination response was driven by a different (potentially partially overlapping) synaptic population than that underlying the onset response to the first marker. This recruitment of additional synaptic resources is a novel mechanism contributing to the important perceptual task of gap detection.
Gray Matter Volume in Different Cortical Structures Dissociably Relates to Individual Differences in Capacity and Precision of Visual Working Memory
Authors: Machizawa Maro G , Driver Jon , Watanabe Takeo
Published: February 2020

Visual working memory (VWM) refers to our ability to selectively maintain visual information in a mental representation. While cognitive limits of VWM greatly influence a variety of mental operations, it remains controversial whether the quantity or quality of representations in mind constrains VWM. Here, we examined behavior-to-brain anatomical relations as well as brain activity to brain anatomy associations with a “neural” marker specific to the retention interval of VWM. Our results consistently indicated that individuals who maintained a larger number of items in VWM tended to have a larger gray matter (GM) volume in their left lateral occipital region. In contrast, individuals with a superior ability to retain with high precision tended to have a larger GM volume in their right parietal lobe. These results indicate that individual differences in quantity and quality of VWM may be associated with regional GM volumes in a dissociable manner, indicating willful integration of information in VWM may recruit separable cortical subsystems.
HPLC Method Validation for Jatropha dioica Extracts Analysis
Authors: Castro-Ríos Rocío , Melchor-Martínez Elda Madai , Solís-Cruz Guadalupe Yazmín , Rivas-Galindo Verónica Mayela , Silva-Mares David Arturo , Cavazos-Rocha Norma Cecilia
Published: February 2020

Jatropha dioica is a popular plant used in Mexican herbal medicine to treat several diseases. Cytotoxicity, antimicrobial and antiviral activities have been reported for root extracts, while riolozatrione, 6-epi-riolozatrione, citlalitrione and jatrophatrione, among others, have been identified as the principal components. In this work, an HPLC/DAD method for the analysis of riolozatrione and other major compounds in extracts of different polarities was validated. The analysis was carried out on an AccQ-Tag column with a water–acetonitrile mixture as mobile phase. Flow rate was 0.2 mL/min, and the separation was carried out in gradient mode with UV detection set at 254 nm. The resulting method showed good reproducibility in both retention times and peak areas of riolozatrione, 6-epi-riolozatrione, citlalitrione and jatrophatrione, with relative standard variations lower than 4.5 and 10.5% respectively. In addition, this method provides a good performance for riolozatrione quantitation, with recoveries between 102 and 108% and RSDs lower than 2.5%. The polarity of the extracting solvent did not affect the performance of the chromatographic method. The developed method was applied for the analysis and quantification of riolozatrione in extracts of Jatropha dioica collected in several seasonal stages and years (2014–2017).