bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Influence of Various Pulse Waveforms during Fabrication of Micro Rectangular Pattern by Masked Tool using Electrochemical Micromachining
Authors: Kunar S. , Bhattacharyya B.
Published: November 2020

Maskless electrochemical micromachining (EMM) is an alternative method to fabricate microsurface textures on conductive substances, but it is still very challenging issue to create microsurface textures by this method. This paper proposes a new issue that maskless EMM process generates micro rectangular patterns using various pulse waveforms i.e. triangular, sine and square of pulsed DC power supply at constant voltage mode on stainless steel (SS-304) workpiece. A novel concept of maskless EMM setup consisting of EMM cell, electrode holding devices, electrical connections and vertical cross flow electrolyte system is introduced for the generation of high-quality micro rectangular patterns using various pulse waveforms. Another important finding is that SU-8 2150 negative photoresist can fabricate more than 28 micro rectangular patterned samples with higher dimensional accuracy and surface quality. The influence of machining voltage, inter electrode gap, pulse frequency, duty ratio and flow rate is investigated on machining performance such as length overcut, width overcut, machining depth and surface roughness ([Formula: see text] of micro rectangular pattern using three pulse waveforms. One mathematical model is developed to show the effectiveness of three pulse waveforms by the estimation of current efficiencies. From the experimental investigation, it is observed that higher frequency with square waveform at constant duty ratio is suitable to generate high-quality micro rectangular patterns under pulsed DC power supply.
Inertial gradient method for fluorescence molecular tomography
Authors: Wang Lei , Huang Hui
Published: November 2020

Image reconstruction in fluorescence molecular tomography involves seeking stable and meaningful solutions via the inversion of a highly under-determined and severely ill-posed linear mapping. An attractive scheme consists of minimizing a convex objective function that includes a quadratic error term added to a convex and nonsmooth sparsity-promoting regularizer. Choosing [Formula: see text]-norm as a particular case of a vast class of nonsmooth convex regularizers, our paper proposes a low per-iteration complexity gradient-based first-order optimization algorithm for the [Formula: see text]-regularized least squares inverse problem of image reconstruction. Our algorithm relies on a combination of two ideas applied to the nonsmooth convex objective function: Moreau–Yosida regularization and inertial dynamics-based acceleration. We also incorporate into our algorithm a gradient-based adaptive restart strategy to further enhance the practical performance. Extensive numerical experiments illustrate that in several representative test cases (covering different depths of small fluorescent inclusions, different noise levels and different separation distances between small fluorescent inclusions), our algorithm can significantly outperform three state-of-the-art algorithms in terms of CPU time taken by reconstruction, despite almost the same reconstructed images produced by each of the four algorithms.
Benefits and Risks of Testosterone Treatment in Men with Age-Related Decline in Testosterone
Authors: Rodrigues dos Santos Marcelo , Bhasin Shalender
Published: November 2020

The substantial increase in life expectancy of men has focused growing attention on quality-of-life issues associated with reproductive aging. Serum total and free testosterone levels in men, after reaching a peak in the second and third decade of life, decline gradually with advancing age. The trajectory of age-related decline is affected by comorbid conditions, adiposity, medications, and genetic factors. Testosterone treatment of older men with low testosterone levels improves overall sexual activity, sexual desire, and erectile function; improves areal and volumetric bone density, as well as estimated bone strength in the spine and the hip; corrects unexplained anemia of aging; increases skeletal muscle mass, strength and power, self-reported mobility, and some measures of physical function; and modestly improves depressive symptoms. The long-term effects of testosterone on major cardiovascular events and prostate cancer risk remain unclear. The Endocrine Society recommends against testosterone therapy of all older men with low testosterone levels but suggests consideration of treatment on an individualized basis in men who have consistently low testosterone levels and symptoms or conditions suggestive of testosterone deficiency.
New Approaches for the Prevention and Treatment of Cardiovascular Disease: Focus on Lipoproteins and Inflammation
Authors: Hussain Aliza , Ballantyne Christie M.
Published: November 2020

Although numerous trials have convincingly shown benefits of statin therapy in both primary and secondary prevention of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD), most showed relative risk reductions of 25–40%, and thus many individuals continue to have ASCVD events despite statin therapy. Substantial progress has been made in developing therapies that address the residual risk for ASCVD despite statin therapy. In this review, we summarize progress of currently available therapies along with therapies under development that further reduce low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and apolipoprotein B–containing lipoproteins, reduce lipoprotein(a), reduce ASCVD events in patients with high triglycerides, and directly target inflammation to reduce ASCVD risk.
Detection of Hazardous Gas Mixtures in the Smart Kitchen Using an Electronic Nose with Support Vector Machine
Authors: Zhang Junyu , Xue Yingying , Zhang Tao , Chen Yuantao , Wei Xinwei , Wan Hao , Wang Ping
Published: November 2020

The detection of hazardous gases are essential to protect human health and safety. Nowadays, there is a great demand for the detection of multiple hazardous gases. In this study, a miniaturized electronic nose with SVM recognition models was used for the detection of carbon monoxide, methane, formaldehyde as well as their mixtures. The sensor array consisted of 6 commercial MOS sensors which were cross-sensitive to three kinds of hazardous gases. The SVM models were trained based on the features extracted by two methods in order to recognize the concentration levels of three hazardous gases. The 5-fold cross-validation was used to evaluate and compare the accuracies of different models for all target gases. The results indicated that the wavelet time scattering can extract features more effectively compared with the classic feature extraction method. The models based on the features gained by wavelet time scattering showed the accuracies of 98.73% for CO, 100% for CH4 and 97.46% for CH2O. This study provides a practical recognition method and detection platform for multi-gas sensing applications.
Electrochemical Sulfur Oxidation in Solid Oxide Fuel Cells Studied by Near Infrared Thermal Imaging and Chronocoulometry
Authors: Pomeroy Elias D. , Maza William A. , Steinhurst Daniel A. , Owrutsky Jeffrey C. , Walker Robert A.
Published: November 2020

A newly adapted electrochemical technique, chronocoulometry, was used to characterize sulfur’s effect on the performance of porous Ni-YSZ anodes in electrolyte supported, solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) operating with dry H2 at 600 °C, 650 °C, 700 °C and 800 °C. Chronocoulometry data together with near-infrared thermal imaging show that H2S poisoning is more complex than sulfur simply blocking electrochemically active sites. Thermal imaging supports findings that SOFC susceptibility to sulfur poisoning depends strongly on temperature with higher performance and greater sulfur tolerance at higher temperatures. Chronocoulometry data are consistent with this description. Chronocoulometry results, however, are also more nuanced and show that sulfur adsorbed to the triple phase boundary (TPB) can be electrochemically oxidized, thereby limiting performance loss that would result simply from blocked or inaccessible electrochemically active sites. Furthermore, chronocoulometry results imply an increased TPB length at higher operating temperatures and suggest that the spatial extent of a SOFC electrode’s electrochemically active region plays a significant role in electrode surface chemistry. A simple model is developed to interpret the chronocoulometry results and determine the relative amount of sulfur adsorbed to the anode’s active triple phase boundary.
Electrodeposition of Nickel/Graphene Oxide Particle Composite Coatings: Effect of Surfactants on Graphene Oxide Dispersion and Coating Performance
Authors: Zhang Honggang , Zhang Nan , Fang Fengzhou
Published: November 2020

The dispersibility of graphene oxide particles (GOs) in nickel electrolytes is critical for its uniform incorporation in the nickel matrix during the electrodeposition process. In this study, we study the fundamental interaction of surfactants and nickel ionic strength for uniform and stable incorporation of GOs in nickel electrolytes and their effect on coating performance. The results indicate that the non-ionic surfactant Polyethylene glycol (PEG) has the optimal dispersibility of GOs in nickel electrolyte, followed by the cationic surfactant Cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) and the anionic surfactant Sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). It is also noted that the increasing nickel ionic strength would deteriorate the stability of GOs, attributing to the generation of cross-linking of high strength divalent nickel ions with dispersed graphene oxide. The electrodeposited coatings show that more incorporation of graphene oxide in the coating is achieved when the PEG surfactant is used, which leads to an increased hardness by 146% and a decreased friction coefficient by 72.7% under low nickel sulfamate concentration (200 g l−1), compared to pure nickel coating. Eventually, the study shows that higher nickel ionic strength would deteriorate the performance of the coatings, while the selection of proper surfactant can compensate for it.
Enhancement of Electrochemical Reaction Rate on Galvanic Arrays in Contact with Condensed Water Molecules
Authors: Shrestha Rekha Goswami , Satoh Norifusa , Kawakita Jin
Published: November 2020

Galvanic current flows when water bridges over the adjacent arrays of Au and Al intercalated with each other with micro/nano gap in a microgalvanic cell. This cell is capable of sensing small water droplet and condensed water molecules and enables it to apply in the detection of dew condensation at an early stage. Enhancing galvanic current, i.e. electrochemical reaction rate of this system, improves its sensitivity as a sensor. This study clarified that cathodic reaction in the galvanic action between the Au and Al arrays in contact with condensed water molecules under the atmospheric condition should be reduction of oxygen gas on the Au array. Galvanic current could be enhanced by coating Pt on Au electrode, by enhancing the oxygen reduction reaction, increasing the sensitivity of microgalvanic cell as a sensor.
Preparation of Molecularly Imprinted Electrochemical L-Phenylalanine Sensor with p-Toluene Sulfonic Acid Modified Pt Electrode
Authors: Alışık Funda , Burç Muammer , Köytepe Süleyman , Titretir Duran Serap
Published: November 2020

L-Phenylalanine (L-Phe) sensors were prepared with two steps by modifying the Pt electrode using the molecular imprinting technique. In first step, polymeric films based on p-toluene sulfonic acid (PTSA) were electropolymerized on the Pt electrode in the presence of L-Phe as template molecule. In the second step, L-Phe, the template molecule, was desorbed from the film structure coated on the electrode surface using acid. The surface properties and morphologies of the prepared modified electrodes were checked by SEM analysis technique. These modified electrodes were used for determination of L-Phe by differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). Electrodes obtained by molecular imprinting method showed R2= 0.9997 in the concentration range of 2–2000μM L-Phe. The limit of detection (LOD) of L-Phe selective electrodes was found as 0.59μM and the limit of quantification (LOQ) was 1.77μM. The first three repetition result with the same modified electrode was observed as96.83%and the RSD value was14.96%for ten replicates. For twenty modified electrodes, reproducibility was obtained as97.67%stable between first electrode and twentieth electrode, and the RSD value was observed to be2.33%. According to these results, prepared molecular imprinted electrodes have high repeatability, stability and selectivity for the determination of L-Phe.
A Birandom Chance-Constrained Linear Programming Model for CCHP System Operation Management: A Case Study of Hotel in Shanghai, China
Authors: Bao Zhe , Xu Ye , Li Wei , Wang Xu , Li Meng R. , Li Ji H. , Yang Han S.
Published: November 2020

Due to its capability to reduce fuel consumption and increase energy efficiency, the combined cooling, heating, and power (CCHP) system has obtained great concern during the last decade. A large number of deterministic and stochastic optimization models were proposed for supporting the operation management of the CCHP system, but few studies noticed that users’ demands in the real world may be subjected to twofold randomness with incomplete or uncertain information. In this study, a birandom chance-constrained linear programming (BCCLP) model is developed for identifying optimal operation strategies under random uncertainties. Compared with traditional stochastic programming models, the BCCLP model made the improvement through describing the energy demands as the birandom variables firstly, instead of traditional random variables. This way effectively avoided potential imbalance between energy supply and demand caused by oversimplified expression of uncertain parameters. A gas-fired CCHP system of a hotel in Shanghai, China, was used as a study case for demonstration. A variety of operation strategies are obtained under specific constraints-satisfaction conditions. It is concluded that the BCCLP model was capable of generating the cost-effective operation strategies and evaluating the tradeoffs between system economy and reliability. The influence imposed by some critical parameters on the system performance was examined through the sensitivity analysis, which provided the important guidance to the design and operational management of other similar CCHP systems in the future.
Optimal Portfolio Selection of Mean-Variance Utility with Stochastic Interest Rate
Authors: Li Shuang , Liu Shican , Zhou Yanli , Wu Yonghong , Ge Xiangyu
Published: November 2020

In order to tackle the problem of how investors in financial markets allocate wealth to stochastic interest rate governed by a nested stochastic differential equations (SDEs), this paper employs the Nash equilibrium theory of the subgame perfect equilibrium strategy and propose an extended Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman (HJB) equation to analyses the optimal control over the financial system involving stochastic interest rate and state-dependent risk aversion (SDRA) mean-variance utility. By solving the corresponding nonlinear partial differential equations (PDEs) deduced from the extended HJB equation, the analytical solutions of the optimal investment strategies under time inconsistency are derived. Finally, the numerical examples provided are used to analyze how stochastic (short-term) interest rates and risk aversion affect the optimal control strategies to illustrate the validity of our results.
Transcriptome Investigation and In Vitro Verification of Curcumin-Induced HO-1 as a Feature of Ferroptosis in Breast Cancer Cells
Authors: Li Ruihua , Zhang Jing , Zhou Yongfeng , Gao Qi , Wang Rui , Fu Yurong , Zheng Lianwen , Yu Hao
Published: November 2020

Ferroptosis is a form of oxidative cell death and has become a chemotherapeutic target for cancer treatment. Curcumin (CUR), a well-known cancer inhibitor, significantly inhibits the viability of breast cancer cells. Through transcriptomic analysis and flow cytometry experiments, it was found that after 48 hours of treatment of breast cancer cells at its half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50), curcumin suppressed the viability of cancer cells via induction of ferroptotic death. Use of the ferroptosis inhibitor ferrostatin-1 and the iron chelator deferoxamine rescued cell death induced by curcumin. Furthermore, in subsequent cell validation experiments, the results showed that curcumin caused marked accumulation of intracellular iron, reactive oxygen species, lipid peroxides, and malondialdehyde, while glutathione levels were significantly downregulated. These changes are all manifestations of ferroptosis. Curcumin upregulates a variety of ferroptosis target genes related to redox regulation, especially heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1). Using the specific inhibitor zinc protoporphyrin 9 (ZnPP) to confirm the above experimental results showed that compared to the curcumin treatment group, treatment with ZnPP not only significantly improved cell viability but also reduced the accumulation of intracellular iron ions and other ferroptosis-related phenomena. Therefore, these data demonstrate that curcumin triggers the molecular and cytological characteristics of ferroptosis in breast cancer cells, and HO-1 promotes curcumin-induced ferroptosis.
Pathotyping and Antibiotic Resistance Profiling of Escherichia coli Isolates from Children with Acute Diarrhea in Amatole District Municipality of Eastern Cape, South Africa
Authors: Omolajaiye S. A. , Afolabi K. O. , Iweriebor B. C.
Published: November 2020

Background. Diarrhea has been reported as the leading cause of childhood mortality and morbidity globally but with disproportionate impacts in developing nations. Among bacterial etiologic agents of diarrhea, diarrheagenic Escherichia coli is the main cause of the disease among children under the age of 5 years. This study is aimed at determining the prevalence and antibiogram pattern of diarrheagenic Escherichia coli (DEC) pathotypes associated with diarrhea cases in the study area. Methods. A total of 120 presumptive isolates of E. coli were obtained from diarrheal stool samples from male and female patients below 12 years of age using chromogenic agar. Confirmation of the isolates and screening for virulence genes were determined by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) while antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed using the disk diffusion method. The presence of antibiotic resistance genes to chloramphenicol and tetracycline among the confirmed isolates was also profiled by PCR based on the observed phenotypic resistance pattern. Results. Of the 120 presumptive isolates, 88.3% (106/120) were confirmed as E. coli through PCR. The molecular pathotyping of the confirmed isolates showed their distribution as 41% (43/106) of diffusely adhering E. coli (DAEC), 17% (18/106) of enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC), 17% (18/106) of enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC), and 10% (11/106) of enteroinvasive E. coli (EIEC), while enteroaggregative E. coli (EAEC) and enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC) were not detected, and the remaining 15% did not belong to any pathotype. Notably, high resistance of the isolates to commonly used antimicrobials was observed as follows: ampicillin (98%), chloramphenicol (94%), trimethoprim‐sulfamethoxazole (96%), and tetracycline (90.6%), while a relatively low number of the confirmed isolates were resistant to ciprofloxacin (45%) and imipenem (36%). In addition, 94% of the isolates that exhibited phenotypic resistance against chloramphenicol harbored the catA1 resistance gene while 89% that showed resistance to tetracycline had tetA genes. Conclusions. These findings showed that DEC could be considered as the leading etiologic bacterial agent responsible for diarrhea in the study community, and the observable high degree of resistance of the isolates to antimicrobial agents is of huge significance, calling for stakeholders to adopt and consolidate the existing antimicrobial stewardship scheme of the government, in order to ensure an uncompromised public health.
On the Well-Posedness of a Fractional Model of HIV Infection
Authors: Jleli Mohamed , Samet Bessem
Published: November 2020

In this paper, we are concerned with the well-posedness of a fractional model of human immunodeficiency virus infection. Namely, using Grönwall’s lemma and Perov’s fixed point theorem, we obtain sufficient conditions for which the considered model admits a unique solution.
Stability Analysis of a Two‐Layered Slope with Cracks by Finite Element Limit Analysis
Authors: Zhou Ai-zhao , Liu Gang , Huang Xian-wen , Jiang Peng-ming , Chen Yu
Published: November 2020

In this study, to support slope stability estimating engineering, the stability of a slope with cracks lying on two‐layered slopes was investigated by a self‐developed adaptive element limit analysis (AFELA) code. Upper bound (UB) and lower bound (LB) results of soil additional gravity factor SF within 4% relative error were obtained to quantify the effects of several factors, including the Moore‒Cullen strength ratio, angle of the slope, thickness of the top layer, length of the crack, angle of the crack, and crack’s distance from the edge. Typical failure patterns were also discussed for deeper insight into the two‐layered slope stability with cracks. In addition, the results of the AFELA code were compared with the actual situation of the slope and existing commercial calculation software to verify the reliability of this investigation.
Development of a Model for Evaluating the Coverage Area of Transit Center Using Smart Card Data
Authors: Hwang Hyunjun , Cho Shin-Hyung , Kim Dong-Kyu , Kho Seung-Young
Published: November 2020

Since metropolitan cities are broadening as a result of urban sprawl, multimodal transportation systems have been adopted to fulfill the connection between the suburban and urban areas. The transportation system is being revamped around the transit center in the urban area to facilitate access to the downtown area from the suburbs. Studies are being conducted to improve the accessibility of public transportation by using the concept of hub-and-spoke. In this study, we develop a coverage area index (CAI) to assess the impact of a transit center on access to urban areas from the suburbs quantitatively. The concept of network centrality and the kernel density function is used to evaluate the extent of the influence of a transit center. The smart card data in the Seoul metropolitan area are used to analyze the CAI. Six transit centers in the Seoul metropolitan area are investigated to compare the coverage area to the transit center. The bandwidth of the kernel density function is set as 2 km considering the size and influence of each region. We evaluate six transit centers using the CAIs in Seoul compared to the index characteristics with transit accessibility (TA) index from previous studies. The CAI is possible to identify the incompetent centers, alternative routes to solve the problems of overcrowding on the centers, and areas with insufficient supplies of regional transit.
Simulation Investigation on the Flow and Mixing in Ducts of the Rotary Energy Recovery Device
Authors: Liu Kai , Zheng Lixing
Published: November 2020

The rotary energy recovery device (RERD) is widely equipped in desalination to reduce the system energy consumption. In this study, the fluid dynamics and mixing performance of a typical structure RERD and a visualization apparatus of a RERD (V-RERD) had been compared by simulation. The effects of rotating components on fluid dynamics and mixing had been researched. Simulation results indicated that a swirling flow can be observed from flow fields in the device duct. In the RERD case, the swirling flow changed its rotating direction in the center of the duct, while in the V-RERD case, its rotating direction was unchanged. Then, a swirling number Sn was applied to characterize the degree of swirl intensity, and its formation mechanism in RERD had been discussed. In addition, the

Q

criterion was adopted to visualize the three-dimensional flow structures and identify vortex structures in the duct. The evolution of vortices in the working process had been investigated. It was found that vortices significantly affected the mixing performance, and the detached vortex could lead to high turbulence and mixing in the duct. Suppressing the vortex shedding may reduce the flow turbulence and gain a lower volumetric mixing rate.
The Effectiveness of Varying Combination Ratios of A. cordifolia and M. indica against Field and Laboratory Strains of P. falciparum In Vitro
Authors: Jibira Yakubu , Cudjoe Elizabeth , Tei-Maya Frederick M. , Ayensu Benjamin , Amoah Linda E.
Published: November 2020

Background. Drug resistance in malaria is a global problem, with reports of Plasmodium parasites resistant to the current first-line antimalarial drug, artemisinin, expanding from Southeast Asia to Africa. There is therefore an urgent need to identify new drug candidates that will be effective against the existing malaria parasites. Drug combination therapy presents a myriad of advantages over monotherapy including delayed onset of resistance, potentiation, and synergism. This present study explored the effectiveness of combinations of aqueous extracts of Alchornea cordifolia (A. cordifolia) and Mangifera indica (M. indica) at clearing both laboratory and field isolates of P. falciparum. Methods. Synchronized ring stage cultures of field (FA08) and laboratory strains (NF54 and CamWT_C580Y) of P. falciparum were subjected to combinations of different concentrations and ratios of aqueous extracts of A. cordifolia and M. indica. The growth inhibition of the individual plant extracts and their combinatory effects were studied in vitro using SYBR Green I drug assay. Results. The A. cordifolia extract exhibited 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) of 2.71, 7.80, and 3.56 μg/mL against the NF54, CamWT_C580Y, and FA08 parasite strains, respectively. Mangifera indica exhibited IC50 of 18.11, 20.08, and 10.23 μg/mL against the NF54, CamWT_C580Y, and FA08 parasite strains, respectively. Additive, synergistic and antagonistic interactions were observed at different combinations of A. cordifolia and M. indica extracts. Conclusion. A combination product containing A. cordifolia and M. indica has the potential to serve as an effective antimalarial as majority of the tested combinations of aqueous extracts of A. cordifolia and M. indica extracts exhibited synergistic effects in vitro against the NF54, CamWT_C580Y, and FA08 P. falciparum strains.
Evolution Mechanism of Interconnected Vertical Fractures in the Overburden of Longwall Coal Mining
Authors: Changchun He , Weiyong Lu , Wenhua Zha
Published: November 2020

Whether a tensile failure fracture will penetrate a stratum is difficult to ascertain at present. In view of this, the method of similar simulation and field verification are used to carry out a systematic study. Similar simulations show that tensile failure fractures will penetrate the layered strata if the compressive stress is greater than the compressive strength. Theoretical analysis points out that whether the tensile failure fractures will penetrate the layered strata can be expressed by the value of criterion of interconnected vertical fractures and the compression-tension ratio. When the value of criterion of interconnected vertical fractures is greater than the compression-tension ratio, the layered strata will break. This criterion was qualitatively verified with a field test. The results of this paper are of great significance for the prevention of water inrush in coal mines, and it can also promote the understanding of the law of strata movement.
Model Updating for Systems with General Proportional Damping Using Complex FRFs
Authors: Wu Xinhai , He Huan , Liu Yang , Chen Guoping
Published: November 2020

In this paper, we propose a model updating method for systems with nonviscous proportional damping. In comparison to the traditional viscous damping model, the introduction of nonviscous damping will not only reduce the vibration of the system but also change the resonance frequencies. Therefore, most of the existing updating methods cannot be directly applied to systems with nonviscous damping. In many works, for simplicity, the Rayleigh damping model has been applied in the model updating procedure. However, the assumption of Rayleigh damping may result in large errors of damping for higher modes. To capture the variation of modal damping ratio with frequency in a more general way, the diagonal elements of the modal damping matrix and relaxation parameter are updated to characterize the damping energy dissipation of the structure by the proposed method. Spatial and modal incompleteness are both discussed for the updating procedure. Numerical simulations and experimental examples are adopted to validate the effectiveness of the proposed method. The results show that the systems with general proportional damping can be predicted more accurately by the proposed updating method.
The Alveolar Ridge Splitting Technique on Maxillae: A Biomechanical Human Cadaveric Investigation
Authors: Duttenhoefer Fabian , Varga Peter , Jenni Dominik , Grünwald Leonard , Thiemann Luisa , Gueorguiev Boyko , Stricker Andres
Published: November 2020

The alveolar ridge splitting technique (ARST) offers an alternative to classic ridge augmentation techniques for successful insertion of dental implants. However, the buccal lamella is at risk of fracturing during ARST distraction. To better understand the fracture mechanisms and displacement limits of the split lamella, this study conducted biomechanical tests on human cadaveric maxilla specimens having extremely atrophied alveolar ridges treated with ARST. A total of 12 standardized alveolar splits were prepared on the maxillae of 3 elderly female donors using an oscillating piezoelectric saw. Mimicking the surgical distraction process of the lamella, each split was tested to failure using a dental osteotome attached to the crosshead of an electromechanical testing system. All specimens were scanned by means of high‐resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography prior to and post testing to evaluate split geometries and failure modes. Split stiffness, failure force, and displacement were 27.4 ± 18.7 N/mm, 12.0 ± 8.4 N, and 0.97 ± 0.31 mm, with no significant differences between anatomical sides and split locations (p ≥ 0.17). Stiffness correlated significantly with failure force (R2 = 0.71, p < 0.01). None of the alveolar split widths correlated significantly with the outcomes from biomechanical testing (p ≥ 0.10). The results suggest that simple geometrical measures do not predict the allowed extent of lamella distraction prior to failure. More sophisticated methods are required for surgical planning to optimize the ARST outcomes. Still, the present study may advocate a clinical protocol for the maxilla where the implant site is prepared directly after osteotomy setting and immediately before full lamella dislocation, when the lamella is still stable, resistant to mechanical stress, and bone loss caused by the abrasion of the burr is minimized.
MTX Treatment Does Not Improve Outcome in Mice with AMI
Authors: Dannenberg Lisa , Trojovsky Kajetan , Ayhan Aysel , Helten Carolin , Zako Saif , M’Pembele René , Mourikis Philipp , Benkhoff Marcel , Ignatov Denis , Sarabhai Theresia , Petzold Tobias , Huhn-Wientgen Ragnar , Zeus Tobias , Kelm Malte , Levkau Bodo , Polzin Amin
Published: November 2020

Background: Targeting inflammation in patients with coronary artery disease and/or acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is a matter of debate. Methotrexate (MTX) is one of the most widely used immunosuppressants. Cardiovascular Inflammation Reduction Trial (CIRT) recently failed to demonstrate reduced cardiovascular events in MTX-treated patients. However, it is not known if long-term MTX treatment improves cardiac outcome in AMI. Therefore, in this study, we investigated the postischemic phase in MTX-treated mice undergoing AMI. Methods: Wild-type mice received MTX medication intraperitoneally for 2 weeks. Afterward, AMI was induced by transient left anterior ascending artery ligation. Postischemic cardiac damage after 24 h was assessed. Results: MTX treatment did not affect infarct size as compared to control (IS/AAR: Con 76.20% ± 12.37%/AAR vs. MTX 73.51 ± 11.72%/AAR, p = 0.64). Moreover, systolic function and structural parameters did not differ between groups (24hejection fraction: Con 36.49 ± 3.23% vs. MTX 32.77 ± 2.29%, p = 0.41; 24hLVID; d: Con 3.57 ± 0.17 mm vs. MTX 3.19 ± 0.13 mm, p = 0.14). Platelets were increased by MTX (Con 1,442 ± 69.20 × 103/mm3 vs. MTX 1,920 ± 68.68 × 103/mm3, p < 0.0001). White blood cell and RBC as well as rate of monocytes, granulocytes, lymphocytes, and serum amyloid P levels were equal. Conclusion: MTX medication did not improve postischemic cardiac damage in a murine model of AMI. Future trials are needed to identify and investigate other anti-inflammatory targets to improve cardiovascular outcome.
Association between Platelet-Associated Immunoglobulin G Levels and Response to Corticosteroid Therapy in Patients with Newly Diagnosed Immune Thrombocytopenia
Authors: Saburi Masuho , Ogata Masao , Soga Yasuhiro , Satou Takako , Itani Kazuhito , Kohno Kazuhiro , Nakayama Toshiyuki
Published: November 2020

Objective: Platelet-associated immunoglobulin G (PA-IgG) refers to IgG attached to the surface of platelets, while the immature platelet fraction (IPF) reflects the state of platelet production in bone marrow. Since PA-IgG and IPF are increased in patients with immune thrombocytopenia (ITP), reflecting amounts of platelet antibodies and compensatory platelet production, respectively, we hypothesized that these laboratory findings may provide useful markers for predicting treatment response in patients with ITP. We therefore retrospectively investigated associations between levels of these markers at diagnosis and response to first-line therapy in patients with ITP. Methods: Forty-three patients diagnosed with ITP at Oita Kouseiren Tsurumi Hospital between May 2010 and November 2018 were included. Patients were divided into 2 groups based on response to corticosteroid as first-line therapy. Laboratory findings were compared between responders and nonresponders. Results: Median PA-IgG was 285 ng/107 cells (range, 45.5–18,200 ng/107 cells), and median IPF was 15.5% (range, 5.4–62.1%). Median levels were higher than the respective upper limits of normal range (PA-IgG, 0–46 ng/107 cells; IPF, 1.1–9.5%). First-line therapy was performed using standard-dose prednisolone (0.5–1.0 mg/kg/day) in 32 patients and high-dose dexamethasone (40 mg/day, 4 days) or methylprednisolone (125–1,000 mg/day, 3–4 days) in 11 patients. Twenty-four patients (55.8%) responded to first-line therapy. In univariate analysis, type of corticosteroid (p = 0.17) tended to differ between groups but did not differ significantly, and no difference in IPF level was apparent between responders (15.35%; range, 5.4–41.5%) and nonresponders (16.7%; range, 6.3–62.1%; p = 0.15). PA-IgG was significantly higher among nonresponders (430 ng/107 cells; range, 101–18,200 ng/107 cells) than among responders (254.5 ng/107 cells; range, 45.5–470 ng/107 cells; p = 0.004). Multivariate analysis revealed PA-IgG was independently associated with response to first-line therapy (odds ratio, 1.000; 95% confidence interval, 1.000–1.010; p = 0.029). Conclusion: Our data suggested that PA-IgG at diagnosis could offer a useful predictor of response to first-line corticosteroid therapy for ITP.
Hematological Manifestations among Patients with Rheumatic Diseases
Authors: Klein Alina , Molad Yair
Published: November 2020

Background: Rheumatic diseases have many hematological manifestations. Blood dyscrasias and other hematological abnormalities are sometimes the first sign of rheumatic disease. In addition, novel antirheumatic biological agents may cause cytopenias. Summary: The aim of this review was to discuss cytopenias caused by systemic lupus erythematosus and antirheumatic drugs, Felty’s syndrome in rheumatoid arthritis, and autoimmune hemolytic anemia, thrombosis, and thrombotic microangiopathies related to rheumatological conditions such as catastrophic antiphospholipid syndrome and scleroderma renal crisis. Key Message: The differential diagnosis of various hematological disorders should include rheumatic autoimmune diseases among other causes of blood cell and hemostasis abnormalities. It is crucial that hematologists be aware of these presentations so that they are diagnosed and treated in a timely manner.
Kidney Transplant Graftectomy by Severe Mixed-Type Rejection with Acute and Chronic Active Vascular Lesions at Entire Levels of the Renal Vasculature
Authors: Matsumoto Naoto , Kobayashi Akimitsu , Yamamoto Izumi , Tanno Yudo , Koike Yusuke , Miki Jun , Kimura Takahiro , Yamaguchi Yutaka , Yamamoto Hiroyasu , Yokoo Takashi
Published: November 2020

Vascular lesions related to allograft rejection have a big impact on graft survival. As such, investigation of these lesions is important to understand the pathophysiology of rejection and its management. We report a case of kidney transplant graftectomy by severe mixed-type rejection with acute and chronic active vascular lesions caused by non-adherence to immunosuppressive treatment. The patient presented is a 29-year-old male who received a kidney transplantation in July 2011 (ABO compatible) from his father. He then did not come to the hospital for 3 months prior to his admission and also made his own decision to stop his medication regimen. On October 2013, the patient came to the hospital with dyspnea, nausea, and vomiting and had significant renal dysfunction (serum Cr 30.4 mg/dL, BUN 191 mg/dL). A kidney graft biopsy showed cortical necrosis with severe interstitial hemorrhage and thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA). Despite steroid pulse therapy, kidney graft function did not recover, and the patient underwent a subsequent graft resection. The resected kidney graft displayed various vascular lesions from the renal artery to the interlobular arteries and arterioles including endarteritis, TMA, fibrinoid necrosis, and transplant arteriopathy. This case shows the detailed pathological findings of the vascular lesions in the entire artery tree of kidney allograft, and the pathophysiology is discussed.
Individualized, Intraoperative Dosing of Fibrinogen Concentrate for the Prevention of Bleeding in Neonatal and Infant Cardiac Surgery Using Cardiopulmonary Bypass (FIBCON)
Authors: Siemens Kristina , Hunt Beverley J. , Harris Julia , Nyman Andrew G. , Parmar Kiran , Tibby Shane M.
Published: November 2020

Background:

Mediastinal bleeding is common following pediatric cardiopulmonary bypass surgery for congenital heart disease. Fibrinogen concentrate (FC) represents a potential therapy for preventing bleeding.

Methods:

We performed a single-center, phase 1b/2a, randomized controlled trial on infants 2.5 to 12 kg undergoing cardiopulmonary bypass surgery, aimed at (1) demonstrating the feasibility of an intraoperative point-of-care test, rotational thromboelastometry, to screen out patients at low risk of postoperative bleeding and then guide individualized FC dosing in high-risk patients and (2) determining the dose, safety, and efficacy of intraoperative FC supplementation. Screening occurred intraoperatively 1-hour before bypass separation using the rotational thromboelastometry variable fibrinogen thromboelastometry maximum clot firmness (FibTEM-MCF; fibrinogen contribution to clot firmness). If FibTEM-MCF ≥7 mm, patients entered the monitoring cohort. If FibTEM-MCF ≤6 mm, patients were randomized to receive FC/placebo (2:1 ratio). Individualized FC dose calculation included weight, bypass circuit volume, hematocrit, and intraoperative measured and desired FibTEM-MCF. The coprimary outcomes, measured 5 minutes post-FC administration were FibTEM-MCF (desired range, 8–13 mm) and fibrinogen levels (desired range, 1.5–2.5 g/L). Secondary outcomes were thrombosis and thrombosis-related major complications and postoperative 24-hour mediastinal blood loss.

Results:

We enrolled 111 patients (cohort, n=21; FC, n=60; placebo, n=30); mean (SD) age, 6.4 months (5.8); weight, 5.9 kg (2.0). Intraoperative rotational thromboelastometry screening effectively excluded low-risk patients, in that none in the cohort arm (FibTEM-MCF, ≥7 mm) demonstrated clinically significant early postoperative bleeding (>10 mL/kg per 4 hours). Among randomized patients, the median (range) FC administered dose was 114 mg/kg (51–218). Fibrinogen levels increased from a mean (SD) of 0.91 (0.22) to 1.7 g/L (0.41). The postdose fibrinogen range was 1.2 to 3.3 g/L (72% within the desired range). The corresponding FibTEM-MCF values were as follows: pre-dose, 5.3 mm (1.9); post-dose, 13 mm (3.2). Ten patients (8 FC and 2 placebo) exhibited 12 possible thromboses; none were clearly related to FC. There was an overall difference in mean (SD) 24-hour mediastinal drain loss: cohort, 12.6 mL/kg (6.4); FC, 11.6 mL/kg (5.2); placebo, 17.1 mL/kg (14.3; ANOVAP=0.02).

Conclusions:

Intraoperative, individualized dosing of FC appears feasible. The need for individualized dosing is supported by the finding that a 4-fold variation in FC dose is required to achieve therapeutic fibrinogen levels.

Registration:

URL:https://eudract.ema.europa.eu/; Unique identifier: 2013-003532-68. URL:https://www.isrctn.com/; Unique identifier: 50553029.
Behavioral and Neural Correlates of Speech Motor Sequence Learning in Stuttering and Neurotypical Speakers: An fMRI Investigation
Authors: Masapollo Matthew , Segawa Jennifer A. , Beal Deryk S. , Tourville Jason A. , Nieto-Castañón Alfonso , Heyne Matthias , Frankford Saul A. , Guenther Frank H.
Published: November 2020

Stuttering is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impaired production of coordinated articulatory movements needed for fluent speech. It is currently unknown whether these abnormal production characteristics reflect disruptions to brain mechanisms underlying the acquisition and/or execution of speech motor sequences. To dissociate learning and control processes, we used a motor sequence learning paradigm to examine the behavioral and neural correlates of learning to produce novel phoneme sequences in adults who stutter (AWS) and neurotypical controls. Participants intensively practiced producing pseudowords containing non-native consonant clusters (e.g., “GVAZF”) over two days. The behavioral results indicated that although the two experimental groups showed comparable learning trajectories, AWS performed significantly worse on the task prior to and after speech motor practice. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), the authors compared brain activity during articulation of the practiced words and a set of novel pseudowords (matched in phonetic complexity). FMRI analyses revealed no differences between AWS and controls in cortical or subcortical regions; both groups showed comparable increases in activation in left-lateralized brain areas implicated in phonological working memory and speech motor planning during production of the novel sequences compared to the practiced sequences. Moreover, activation in left-lateralized basal ganglia sites was negatively correlated with in-scanner mean disfluency in AWS. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that AWS exhibit no deficit in constructing new speech motor sequences but do show impaired execution of these sequences before and after they have been acquired and consolidated.
Distinguishing Syntactic Operations in the Brain: Dependency and Phrase-Structure Parsing
Authors: Lopopolo Alessandro , van den Bosch Antal , Petersson Karl-Magnus , Willems Roel M.
Published: November 2020

Finding the structure of a sentence—the way its words hold together to convey meaning—is a fundamental step in language comprehension. Several brain regions, including the left inferior frontal gyrus, the left posterior superior temporal gyrus, and the left anterior temporal pole, are supposed to support this operation. The exact role of these areas is nonetheless still debated. In this paper we investigate the hypothesis that different brain regions could be sensitive to different kinds of syntactic computations. We compare the fit of phrase-structure and dependency structure descriptors to activity in brain areas using fMRI. Our results show a division between areas with regard to the type of structure computed, with the left anterior temporal pole and left inferior frontal gyrus favouring dependency structures and left posterior superior temporal gyrus favouring phrase structures.
Preservation or Correction?
Authors: Perng Hsin-Chih
Published: November 2020

The manuscript Heb. 110 of the National Library in Paris (=Ms Paris 110) has long been considered by many targumic scholars to be the best manuscript for the Aramaic targums to the Hagiographa, mainly due to its many prominent and consistent Palestinian linguistic features. This article discusses the peculiarities of Ms Paris 110 in comparison with many other earlier manuscripts, and shows that many of its Palestinian and other features do not reflect the original language of the targums, but rather a late tradition characterised by ‘Palestinianisation’ and linguistic editing. This has serious implications for current trends in targumic studies.
The Month ʾdr in Safaitic and the Status of Spirantisation in ‘Arabian’ Aramaic
Authors: Al-Jallad Ahmad
Published: November 2020

This article discusses the status of spirantisation in the Aramaic of Arabia based on transcriptions in Safaitic and other ancient Arabian languages. I suggest that ‘Arabian’ Aramaic pronunciation stems from an archaic variety of the language introduced by the Babylonians and Achaemenids in the mid-first millennium BCE. This variety lacked post-vocalic spirantisation and formed the basis for the local pronunciation of later Aramaic varieties, accounting for the archaic phonology of Aramaic loans into Arabian languages.
On the Emergence of Maragha Avicennism
Authors: Wisnovsky Robert
Published: November 2020

This article examines the earliest surviving commentary on Avicenna’s Kitāb al-Shifāʾ: ʿAllāmah al-Ḥillī’s (d. 726/1325) Kitāb Kashf al-khifāʾ min Kitāb al-Shifāʾ, composed when Ḥillī was working with the Īlkhānid vizier Rashīd al-Dīn al-Hamadānī (d. 718/1318). Only part of this work—covering the initial chapters from the Maqūlāt (Categories) of the Manṭiq (Logic) section of the Shifāʾ—is extant. After describing the manuscript (Chester Beatty Ar. 5151), the article situates the Kashf al-khifāʾ within the history of kalām appropriations of Avicenna’s metaphysics. Ḥillī’s commentary contains evidence of a tug-of-war between Sunni and Shiite mutakallimūn over proprietorship of the Avicennian legacy.
Socio-economic and Socio-political Origins of Technocratic Populism in the Czech Republic and Nativism in Hungary
Authors: Lavrinenko Olga
Published: November 2020

This article investigates the socio-economic and socio-political origins of populism in the Czech Republic and Hungary, discussing the reasons for the national specificity of the populism. Despite the similar triggers that had led to the strengthening of the populists, the nature of the populism in these countries is different. In the Czech Republic, populism has a technocratic nature, while in Hungary—a nativist. I presume that the rise of the unemployment rate as the result of the 2008 Great Recession contributed to the decline in the confidence towards the national and the EU parliament as well as to the rise of the negative attitudes towards migrants. In their turn, the lower level of institutional trust and the negative attitudes towards the migrants correlate with the voting for the populist parties on the national and the European elections.