bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Evaluating communication with parents in paediatric patient encounters: a systematic review protocol
Authors: Cusson Olivier , Mercier Justine , Catelin Céline , Zomahoun Hervé Tchala Vignon
Published: August 2021

Introduction

Breaking bad news and dealing with difficult patient encounters is a skill that medical residents must learn during their curriculum. Many different tools are available to measure communication quality, but their development and validation processes are often missing. In this paper, we present the protocol of a systematic review aiming to identify the validated tools for measuring communication skills or communication effectiveness with parents in a paediatrics setting in general, including for difficult patient encounters.

Methods and analysis

We will conduct our systematic review in accordance with the methodology suggested by COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments (COSMIN) and will report this paper following the guidelines of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses. We will include the studies in which authors developed and/or validated tools for assessing the quality of communication with families by residents and/or physicians during patient encounters in paediatric settings. Studies assessing communication in telemedicine and studies that use the tool to measure a different outcome than its validation will be excluded. Our search strategy will be developed by a scientific librarian and validated using the Peer Review of Electronic Search Strategy (PRESS) tool. Two reviewers will independently screen the studies for selection, extract data of the ones included and assess their level of risk of bias using the COSMIN Risk of Bias checklist. We will perform a narrative synthesis on the study selection process, the characteristics of studies and study population, the characteristics of tools identified, their process of development and/or validation and their psychometric properties. If sufficient data are available, we will do quantitative analyses for each psychometric property.

Ethics and dissemination

Approval from an ethics committee is not required, as there is no primary data collection. Our findings will be disseminated through a peer-reviewed publication and at local, national and international conferences.

PROSPERO registration number

CRD42020151642.
Public involvement and engagement in big data research: protocol for a scoping review and a systematic review of delivery and effectiveness of strategies for involvement and engagement
Authors: Teodorowski Piotr , Jones Elisa , Tahir Naheed , Ahmed Saiqa , Frith Lucy
Published: August 2021

Introduction

Big data research has grown considerably over the last two decades. This presents new ethical challenges around consent, data storage and anonymisation. Big data research projects require public support to succeed and it has been argued that one way to achieve this is through public involvement and engagement. To better understand the role public involvement and engagement can play in big data research, we will review the current literature. This protocol describes the planned review methods.

Methods and analysis

Our review will be conducted in two stages. In the first stage, we will conduct a scoping review using Arksey and O’Malley methodology to comprehensively map current evidence on public involvement and engagement in big data research. Databases (CINAHL, Health Research Premium Collection, PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science) and grey literature will be searched for eligible papers. We provide a narrative description of the results based on a thematic analysis. In the second stage, out of papers found in the scoping review which discuss involvement and engagement strategies, we will conduct a systematic review following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines, exploring the delivery and effectiveness of these strategies. We will conduct a qualitative synthesis. Relevant results from the quantitative studies will be extracted and placed under qualitative themes. Individual studies will be appraised through Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT), we will then assess the overall confidence in each finding through Confidence in the Evidence from Reviews of Qualitative research (GRADE-CERQual). Results will be reported in a thematic and narrative way.

Ethics and dissemination

This protocol sets out how the review will be conducted to ensure rigour and transparency. Public advisors were involved in its development. Ethics approval is not required. Review findings will be presented at conferences and published in peer-reviewed journals.
Outcomes valued by people living with dementia and their care partners: protocol for a qualitative systematic review and synthesis
Authors: Booi Laura , Wheatley Alison , Brunskill Greta , Banerjee Sube , Manthorpe Jill , Robinson Louise , Bamford Claire
Published: August 2021

Introduction

Growing numbers of interventions are being developed to support people and families living with dementia, but the extent to which they address the areas of most importance to the intended recipients is unclear. This qualitative review will synthesise outcomes identified as important from the perspectives of people living with dementia and their care partners, both for themselves and each other.

Methods and analysis

The review will employ thematic synthesis methodology. Studies from 1990 or later will be eligible if they include qualitative data on the views of people living with dementia or their care partners on valued outcomes or the lived experience of dementia. Databases to be searched include MEDLINE, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), PsycInfo and Social Sciences Premium Collection, in addition to systematically gathered grey literature. Rayyan QCRI software will be used to manage the screening processes, and NVivo software will be used to manage data extraction and analysis. The review will also critically evaluate the extent to which international recommendations address the areas of importance to people living with dementia and their families. The findings will be of relevance to researchers, policy makers and providers and commissioners of dementia services. The protocol is written in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Protocols guidelines.

Ethics and dissemination

As the methodology of this study consists of collecting data from publicly available articles, it does not require ethical approval. We will share the results through conference presentations and an open-access publication in a peer-reviewed journal. Our mixed stakeholder involvement group will advise on dissemination to non-academic audiences.

PROSPERO registration number

CRD42020219274.
Mental health condition of college students compared to non-students during COVID-19 lockdown: the CONFINS study
Authors: Arsandaux Julie , Montagni Ilaria , Macalli Mélissa , Texier Nathalie , Pouriel Mathilde , Germain Raphaël , Mebarki Adel , Kinouani Shérazade , Tournier Marie , Schuck Stéphane , Tzourio Christophe
Published: August 2021

Objectives

To estimate the effect of student status on mental health condition during COVID-19 general lockdown in France.

Design

Cross-sectional analysis comparing students and non-students recruited in the same study.

Setting

Participants of the web-based CONFINS study implemented during the general lockdown in France in spring 2020.

Participants

2260 participants (78% women) including 1335 students (59%).

Primary and secondary outcome measures

Through an online questionnaire, participants declared if they have experienced suicidal thoughts, coded their perceived stress on a 10-points scale and completed validated mental health scales (Patient Health Questionnaire-9 for depressive symptoms, Generalised Anxiety Disorder-7 for anxiety symptoms) during the last 7 days. The effect of college student status on each mental health condition was estimated using multivariate logistic regression analyses. Stratified models for students and non-students were performed to identify population-specific factors.

Results

Student status was associated with a higher frequency of depressive symptoms (adjusted OR (aOR)=1.58; 95% CI 1.17 to 2.14), anxiety symptoms (aOR=1.51; 95% CI 1.10 to 2.07), perceived stress (n=1919, aOR=1.70, 95% CI 1.26 to 2.29) and suicidal thoughts (n=1919, aOR=1.57, 95% CI 0.97 to 2.53). Lockdown conditions that could be potentially aggravating on mental health like isolation had a higher impact on students than on non-students.

Conclusions

College students were at higher risk of mental health disturbances during lockdown than non-students, even after taking into account several potential confounding factors. A close follow-up and monitoring of students’ mental health status is warranted during lockdown periods in this vulnerable population.
Association between occupational exposure to irritant agents and a distinct asthma endotype in adults
Authors: Andrianjafimasy Miora Valérie , Febrissy Mickaël , Zerimech Farid , Dananché Brigitte , Kromhout Hans , Matran Régis , Nadif Mohamed , Oberson-Geneste Dominique , Quinot Catherine , Schlünssen Vivi , Siroux Valérie , Zock Jan-Paul , Le Moual Nicole , Nadif Rachel , Dumas Orianne
Published: August 2021

Aim

The biological mechanisms of work-related asthma induced by irritants remain unclear. We investigated the associations between occupational exposure to irritants and respiratory endotypes previously identified among never asthmatics (NA) and current asthmatics (CA) integrating clinical characteristics and biomarkers related to oxidative stress and inflammation.

Methods

We used cross-sectional data from 999 adults (mean 45 years old, 46% men) from the case-control and familial Epidemiological study on the Genetics and Environments of Asthma (EGEA) study. Five respiratory endotypes have been identified using a cluster-based approach: NA1 (n=463) asymptomatic, NA2 (n=169) with respiratory symptoms, CA1 (n=50) with active treated adult-onset asthma, poor lung function, high blood neutrophil counts and high fluorescent oxidation products level, CA2 (n=203) with mild middle-age asthma, rhinitis and low immunoglobulin E level, and CA3 (n=114) with inactive/mild untreated allergic childhood-onset asthma. Occupational exposure to irritants during the current or last held job was assessed by the updated occupational asthma-specific job-exposure matrix (levels of exposure: no/medium/high). Associations between irritants and each respiratory endotype (NA1 asymptomatic as reference) were studied using logistic regressions adjusted for age, sex and smoking status.

Results

Prevalence of high occupational exposure to irritants was 7% in NA1, 6% in NA2, 16% in CA1, 7% in CA2 and 10% in CA3. High exposure to irritants was associated with CA1 (adjusted OR aOR, (95% CI) 2.7 (1.0 to 7.3)). Exposure to irritants was not significantly associated with other endotypes (aOR range: 0.8 to 1.5).

Conclusion

Occupational exposure to irritants was associated with a distinct respiratory endotype suggesting oxidative stress and neutrophilic inflammation as potential associated biological mechanisms.
Grit: what is it and why does it matter in medicine?
Authors: Lee Donald H , Reasoner Kaitlyn , Lee Diane
Published: August 2021

Grit refers to the combination of passion and perseverance for long-term goals. Grit has emerged as a recent topic of interest within the medical community. With ever-increasing rates of burnout and psychological distress, increasing attention has been directed towards modulatory or protective factors for these deleterious outcomes. Grit has been studied in regard to a variety of outcomes and variables in medicine. This article reviews the current literature on grit in medicine and summarises the current research on grit and performance metrics, personality characteristics, longitudinal progression, psychological well-being, diversity, equity and inclusion, burnout and residency attrition. While there is inconclusive evidence on the influence of grit on performance metrics in medicine, research consistently demonstrates a positive correlation between grit and psychological well-being and a negative correlation between grit and burnout. After discussing some of the inherent limitations of this type of research, this article suggests some possible implications and future areas for research and their potential role in cultivating psychologically healthy physicians and promoting successful careers in medicine.
Identification of new isomers in $$^{228}$$Ac: impact on dark matter searches
Authors: Kim K. W. , Adhikari G. , de Souza E. Barbosa , Carlin N. , Choi J. J. , Choi S. , Djamal M. , Ezeribe A. C. , França L. E. , Ha C. , Hahn I. S. , Jeon E. J. , Jo J. H. , Kang W. G. , Kauer M. , Kim H. , Kim H. J. , Kim S. H. , Kim S. K. , Kim W. K. , Kim Y. D. , Kim Y. H. , Ko Y. J. , Lee E. K. , Lee H. , Lee H. S. , Lee H. Y. , Lee I. S. , Lee J. , Lee J. Y. , Lee M. H. , Lee S. H. , Lee S. M. , Leonard D. S. , Manzato B. B. , Maruyama R. H. , Neal R. J. , Olsen S. L. , Park B. J. , Park H. K. , Park H. S. , Park K. S. , Pitta R. L. C. , Prihtiadi H. , Ra S. J. , Rott C. , Shin K. A. , Scarff A. , Spooner N. J. C. , Thompson W. G. , Yang L. , Yu G. H. ,   COSINE-100 Collaboration
Published: August 2021

We report the identification of metastable isomeric states of$$^{228}$$228Ac at 6.28 keV, 6.67 keV and 20.19 keV, with lifetimes of an order of 100 ns. These states are produced by the$$\beta $$β-decay of$$^{228}$$228Ra, a component of the$$^{232}$$232Th decay chain, with$$\beta $$βQ-values of 39.52 keV, 39.13 keV and 25.61 keV, respectively. Due to the low Q-value of$$^{228}$$228Ra as well as the relative abundance of$$^{232}$$232Th and their progeny in low background experiments, these observations potentially impact the low-energy background modeling of dark matter search experiments.
Finding epic moments in live content through deep learning on collective decisions
Authors: Song Hyeonho , Park Kunwoo , Cha Meeyoung
Published: August 2021

Live streaming services enable the audience to interact with one another and the streamer over live content. The surging popularity of live streaming platforms has created a competitive environment. To retain existing viewers and attract newcomers, streamers and fans often create a well-condensed summary of the streamed content. However, this process is manual and costly due to the length of online live streaming events. The current study identifies enjoyable moments in user-generated live video content by examining the audiences’ collective evaluation of its epicness. We characterize what features “epic” moments and present a deep learning model to extract them based on analyzing two million user-recommended clips and the associated chat conversations. The evaluation shows that our data-driven approach can identify epic moments from user-generated streamed content that cover various contexts (e.g., victory, funny, awkward, embarrassing). Our user study further demonstrates that the proposed automatic model performs comparably to expert suggestions. We discuss implications of the collective decision-driven extraction in identifying diverse epic moments in a scalable way.
A priori bounds and existence of positive solutions to a p-Kirchhoff equations
Authors: Li Pengfei , Xie Junhui
Published: August 2021

In this paper, we consider a [Formula: see text]-Kirchhoff problem with Dirichlet boundary problem in a bounded domain. Under suitable conditions, we get a priori estimates for positive solutions to an auxiliary problem by the well-known blow-up argument. As an application, a existence result for positive solutions is proved by the topological degree theory.
Neutron-alpha reactions in nano α-Si3N4 particles by neutrons
Authors: Naghiyev T. G.
Published: August 2021

Computer modeling was applied to the study of [Formula: see text] transmutations in [Formula: see text] nanoparticles under the influence of neutrons at different energies. The modeling was separately performed for each Si and N atoms in the [Formula: see text] nanoparticles and the effect of neutrons on transmutations was investigated. The simulations were conducted individually for each stable isotope due to different effective cross-section of the probability of transmutation in the different types of isotopes of silicon and nitrogen atoms. Effective cross-section spectra of [Formula: see text] transmutation in Si and N atoms were comparatively studied.
Lewis acid-catalyzed formation of triply S-confused hexaphyrin (1.0.1.0.1.0) and its structure-property correlations
Authors: Ajay Jayaprakash , Sandra George Mariya , Ishida Masatoshi , Sulfikarali Thondikkal , Gokulnath Sabapathi
Published: August 2021

A simple rigid precursor termed as a “diheterole” bearing thiophene linked to [Formula: see text]-pyrrole at 4-position was prepared using a three-step synthetic strategy. This functionalized diheterole was allowed to undergo acid-catalyzed condensation in the presence of Lewis acid (BF3 [Formula: see text] Et2O) to produce the [2+2+2] cyclotrimer 1 as a major product with trace formation of 2and higher homologues.Various 1D and 2D NMR analyses along with theoretical investigations indicate that the molecule 1 exhibits nonaromaticity due to its non-conjugated annulenic structure. The optical properties and electronic structures were analyzed using UV-vis absorption spectroscopy and time-dependent density functional theory calculations. Detailed structural analyses revealed that the conformationally rigid triply S-confused hexaphyrin 1 adopts nearly planar geometry with three thiophene rings inverted. Upon protonation, the individual rings are tilted largely due to the steric congestion by both [Formula: see text]-CH’s and pyrrolic NH’s inside the core. The calculated NICS(0) values of +1.73 ppm for the protonated species, 1 [Formula: see text] 3H[Formula: see text] indicates the distinct non-aromatic feature as observed in 1 (NICS value of +2.34 ppm).
Evidence of the Early Holocene eruptive activity of Volcán de Colima and the 8.2 kyr global climatic event in lacustrine sediments from a debris avalanche-dammed lake
Authors: Capra Lucia , Roverato Matteo , Bernal Juan Pablo , Cortés Abel
Published: August 2021

Volcán de Colima, one of the most active volcanoes in Mexico, experienced at least nine flank failures during the last 30 000 years, with catastrophic effects on the environment that implies the formation of temporary dams where lacustrine sediments accumulated for hundreds of years. These lacustrine sequences preserve an exceptional record from which to reconstruct the effect of subsequent volcanic eruptions and, eventually, contemporary environmental and climatic conditions. Here we analyse an Early Holocene lacustrine sequence, named ‘Gypsum King’, which accumulated in a short-lived temporary lake, likely formed by emplacement of the 10 755–11 230 cal years BP Mesa-Yerbabuena debris avalanche. Through detailed analysis of the 1.8 m thick lacustrine sequence (
14
C ages, sulfur content, grain size), it was possible to identify the 8.2 kyr global climate event and better constrain the Early Holocene main sub-plinian to plinian eruptions of Volcán de Colima. The results presented here highlight the potential to explore sulfur content and abrupt change in grain size in lacustrine sediments as additional proxies to better constrain eruptive phases in volcanic environments. Finally, the Gypsum King sequence provides the first evidence of the 8.2 kyr global climate event along the Eastern tropical Pacific Coast.
Emergent Tangled Program Graphs in Partially Observable Recursive Forecasting and ViZDoom Navigation Tasks
Authors: Kelly Stephen , Smith Robert J. , Heywood Malcolm I. , Banzhaf Wolfgang
Published: August 2021

Modularity represents a recurring theme in the attempt to scale evolution to the design of complex systems. However, modularity rarely forms the
central
theme of an artificial approach to evolution. In this work, we report on progress with the recently proposed Tangled Program Graph (TPG) framework in which programs are modules. The combination of the TPG representation and its variation operators enable both teams of programs and graphs of teams of programs to appear in an emergent process. The original development of TPG was limited to tasks with, for the most part, complete information. This work details two recent approaches for scaling TPG to tasks that are dominated by partially observable sources of information using different formulations of indexed memory. One formulation emphasizes the incremental construction of memory, again as an emergent process, resulting in a distributed view of state. The second formulation assumes a single global instance of memory and develops it as a communication medium, thus a single global view of state. The resulting empirical evaluation demonstrates that TPG equipped with memory is able to solve multi-task recursive time-series forecasting problems and visual navigation tasks expressed in two levels of a commercial first-person shooter environment.
How to evaluate blame for gradual types
Authors: Lazarek Lukas , Greenman Ben , Felleisen Matthias , Dimoulas Christos
Published: August 2021

Programming language theoreticians develop blame assignment systems and prove blame theorems for gradually typed programming languages. Practical implementations of gradual typing almost completely ignore the idea of blame assignment. This contrast raises the question whether blame provides any value to the working programmer and poses the challenge of how to evaluate the effectiveness of blame assignment strategies. This paper contributes (1) the first evaluation method for blame assignment strategies and (2) the results from applying it to three different semantics for gradual typing. These results cast doubt on the theoretical effectiveness of blame in gradual typing. In most scenarios, strategies with imprecise blame assignment are as helpful to a rationally acting programmer as strategies with provably correct blame.
Automatic amortized resource analysis with the Quantum physicist’s method
Authors: Kahn David M. , Hoffmann Jan
Published: August 2021

We present a novel method for working with the physicist's method of amortized resource analysis, which we call the quantum physicist's method. These principles allow for more precise analyses of resources that are not monotonically consumed, like stack. This method takes its name from its two major features, worldviews and resource tunneling, which behave analogously to quantum superposition and quantum tunneling. We use the quantum physicist's method to extend the Automatic Amortized Resource Analysis (AARA) type system, enabling the derivation of resource bounds based on tree depth. In doing so, we also introduce remainder contexts, which aid bookkeeping in linear type systems. We then evaluate this new type system's performance by bounding stack use of functions in the Set module of OCaml's standard library. Compared to state-of-the-art implementations of AARA, our new system derives tighter bounds with only moderate overhead.
On continuation-passing transformations and expected cost analysis
Authors: Avanzini Martin , Barthe Gilles , Dal Lago Ugo
Published: August 2021

We define a continuation-passing style (CPS) translation for a typed λ-calculus with probabilistic choice, unbounded recursion, and a tick operator — for modeling cost. The target language is a (non-probabilistic) λ-calculus, enriched with a type of extended positive reals and a fixpoint operator. We then show that applying the CPS transform of an expression
M
to the continuation λ
v
. 0 yields the expected cost of
M
. We also introduce a formal system for higher-order logic, called EHOL, prove it sound, and show it can derive tight upper bounds on the expected cost of classic examples, including Coupon Collector and Random Walk. Moreover, we relate our translation to Kaminski et al.’s ert-calculus, showing that the latter can be recovered by applying our CPS translation to (a generalization of) the classic embedding of imperative programs into λ-calculus. Finally, we prove that the CPS transform of an expression can also be used to compute pre-expectations and to reason about almost sure termination.
Distributing intersection and union types with splits and duality (functional pearl)
Authors: Huang Xuejing , Oliveira Bruno C. d. S.
Published: August 2021

Subtyping with intersection and union types is nowadays common in many programming languages. From the perspective of logic, the subtyping problem is essentially the problem of determining
logical entailment
: does a logical statement follow from another one? Unfortunately, algorithms for deciding subtyping and logical entailment with intersections, unions and various distributivity laws can be highly non-trivial.

This functional pearl presents a novel algorithmic formulation for subtyping (and logical entailment) in the presence of various distributivity rules between intersections, unions and implications (i.e. function types). Unlike many existing algorithms which first normalize types and then apply a subtyping algorithm on the normalized types, our new subtyping algorithm works directly on source types. Our algorithm is based on two recent ideas: a generalization of subtyping based on the duality of language constructs called
duotyping
; and
splittable types
, which characterize types that decompose into two simpler types. We show that our algorithm is sound, complete and decidable with respect to a declarative formulation of subtyping based on the
minimal relevant logic
B
+
. Moreover, it leads to a simple and compact implementation in under 50 lines of functional code.
GhostCell: separating permissions from data in Rust
Authors: Yanovski Joshua , Dang Hoang-Hai , Jung Ralf , Dreyer Derek
Published: August 2021

The Rust language offers a promising approach to safe systems programming based on the principle of
aliasing XOR mutability
: a value may be
either
aliased
or
mutable, but not both at the same time. However, to implement pointer-based data structures with internal sharing, such as graphs or doubly-linked lists, we need to be able to mutate aliased state. To support such data structures, Rust provides a number of APIs that offer so-called
interior mutability
: the ability to mutate data via method calls on a shared reference. Unfortunately, the existing APIs sacrifice flexibility, concurrent access, and/or performance, in exchange for safety.

In this paper, we propose a new Rust API called GhostCell which avoids such sacrifices by
separating permissions from data
: it enables the user to safely synchronize access to a
collection
of data via a single permission. GhostCell repurposes an old trick from typed functional programming:
branded types
(as exemplified by Haskell’s ST monad), which combine phantom types and rank-2 polymorphism to simulate a lightweight form of state-dependent types. We have formally proven the soundness of GhostCell by adapting and extending RustBelt, a semantic soundness proof for a representative subset of Rust, mechanized in Coq.
Designing Positive/Positive and Negative/Negative Symmetric Cells with Electrodes Operating in the Same Potential Ranges as Electrodes in a Full Li-Ion Cell
Authors: Liu Yulong , Ma Lin , Dahn J. R.
Published: August 2021

This work shows how to design and build positive/positive (+/+) and negative/negative (−/−) symmetric cells with electrodes operating in the same potential ranges (vs Li/Li+) as those in a full Li-ion cell. When this is achieved, better understanding of full cell degradation can be obtained. This method uses only coin cells that are ubiquitous in lithium-ion cell research instead of novel electrochemical devices that are more or less unique to specific research groups and are difficult to access. Using this method, the capacity retention and impedance growth of single crystal LiNi0.5Mn0.3Co0.2O2 (SC532)/artificial graphite full coin cells were shown to lie between those of the +/+ and −/− symmetric cells, regardless of electrolyte additive and surface coating. Among all the cells, the +/+ cells have the worst capacity retention and highest impedance growth. Simultaneously cycled full coin cells and symmetric cells demonstrate the beneficial effect of “cross-talk” between the SC532 and the graphite electrodes to lower full cell impedance growth. Additionally, symmetric cell results show that 2% of vinylene carbonate (VC) increases the negative impedance more than 1% of lithium diflurophosphate (LFO), and that 1%LFO is also a better additive than VC to inhibit positive electrode impedance growth with coating.
Syncytialization alters the extracellular matrix and barrier function of placental trophoblasts
Authors: Moore Kyle H. , Murphy Haley A. , Chapman Heather , George Eric M.
Published: August 2021

The human placenta is of vital importance for proper nutrient and waste exchange, immune regulation, and overall fetal health and growth. Specifically, the extracellular matrix (ECM) of placental syncytiotrophoblasts, which extends outward from the placental chorionic villi into maternal blood, acts on a molecular level to regulate and maintain this barrier. Importantly, placental barrier dysfunction has been linked to diseases of pregnancy such as preeclampsia and intrauterine growth restriction. To help facilitate our understanding of the interface and develop therapeutics to repair or prevent dysfunction of the placental barrier, in vitro models of the placental ECM would be of great value. In this study, we aimed to characterize the ECM of an in vitro model of the placental barrier using syncytialized BeWo choriocarcinoma cells. Syncytialization caused a marked change in syndecans, integral proteoglycans of the ECM, which matched observations of in vivo placental ECM. Syndecan-1 expression increased greatly and predominated the other variants. Barrier function of the ECM, as measured by electric cell-substrate impedance sensing (ECIS), increased significantly during and after syncytialization, whereas the ability of THP-1 monocytes to adhere to syncytialized BeWos was greatly reduced compared with nonsyncytialized controls. Furthermore, ECIS measurements indicated that ECM degradation with matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), but not heparanase, decreased barrier function. This decrease in ECIS-measured barrier function was not associated with any changes in THP-1 adherence to syncytialized BeWos treated with heparanase or MMP-9. Thus, syncytialization of BeWos provides a physiologically accurate placental ECM with a barrier function matching that seen in vivo.
Spinal cord neural activity of patients with fibromyalgia and healthy controls during temporal summation of pain: an fMRI study
Authors: Staud Roland , Boissoneault Jeff , Lai Song , Mejia Marlin S. , Ramanlal Riddhi , Godfrey Melyssa M. , Stroman Patrick W.
Published: August 2021

“Windup” and its behavioral correlate “temporal-summation-of-second pain” (TSSP) represent spinal cord mechanisms of pain augmentation associated with central sensitization and chronic pain. Fibromyalgia (FM) is a chronic pain disorder, where abnormal TSSP has been demonstrated. We used fMRI to study spinal cord and brainstem activation during TSSP. We characterized the time course of spinal cord and brainstem BOLD activity during TSSP which showed abnormal brainstem activity in patients with FM, possibly due to deficient pain modulation.
Security Analysis of Intelligent System Based on Edge Computing
Authors: Han Yibo , Zhang Weiwei , Zhang Zheng
Published: August 2021

At present, artificial intelligence technology is widely used in society, and various intelligent systems emerge as the times require. Due to the uniqueness of biometrics, most intelligent systems use biometric-based recognition technology, among which face recognition is the most widely used. To improve the security of intelligent system, this paper proposes a face authentication system based on edge computing and innovatively extracts the features of face image by convolution neural network, verifies the face by cosine similarity, and introduces a user privacy protection scheme based on secure nearest neighbor algorithm and secret sharing homomorphism technology. The results show that when the threshold is 0.51, the correct rate of face verification reaches 92.46%, which is far higher than the recognition strength of human eyes. In face recognition time consumption and recognition accuracy, the encryption scheme is basically consistent with the recognition time consumption in plaintext state. It can be seen that the security of the intelligent system with this scheme can be significantly improved. This research provides a certain reference value for the research on the ways to improve the security of intelligent system.
Effect of Yiqi Buxue Decoction on Hemodynamic Changes of the Uterine Artery and Fetal Umbilical Artery and Pregnancy Outcomes in Pregnant Patients with Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension
Authors: Han Rendong , Gao Liya , Sun Hongbo , Li Mei , Deng Chunxia
Published: August 2021

Objective. To explore the effect of Yiqi Buxue decoction on hemodynamic changes of the uterine artery and fetal umbilical artery and pregnancy outcomes in pregnant patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Methods. 120 pregnant patients with PAH treated in our hospital (January 2019-January 2020) were chosen as the research objects, and randomly split into group A (n = 60) and group B (n = 60). Both groups received routine treatment, and group B was treated with sildenafil citrate, while group A was treated with Yiqi Buxue decoction combined with sildenafil citrate. Both groups received 6 weeks of treatment to analyze the hemodynamic changes of the uterine artery and fetal umbilical artery and compare the cardiopulmonary function indexes and pregnancy outcomes between the two groups. Results. The hemodynamic indexes of the uterine artery and fetal umbilical artery, cardiopulmonary function indexes, and pregnancy outcomes in group A after treatment were notably better compared with group B (

P
<
0.01

). Conclusion. Yiqi Buxue decoction can stabilize the hemodynamics of pregnant patients with PAH, improve their cardiopulmonary function, alleviate hypotension, and thus, reduce the possibility of adverse pregnancy outcomes, which should be popularized in practice.
Gradation of Continuity for Fuzzy Soft Mappings
Authors: Çetkin Vildan
Published: August 2021

This paper is devoted to describe the notion of a parameterized degree of continuity for mappings between

L

-fuzzy soft topological spaces, where

L

is a complete De Morgan algebra. The degrees of openness, closedness, and being a homeomorphism for the fuzzy soft mappings are also presented. The properties and characterizations of the proposed notions are pictured. Besides, the degree of continuity for a fuzzy soft mapping is unified with the degree of compactness and connectedness in a natural way.
Optimization of Tourism Real Estate Development Project Based on Option Premium Model
Authors: Ying Donglei
Published: August 2021

Compared with that of traditional housing real estate, the development of tourism real estate is time-consuming, complex, and irreversible. It is hard to guide investment decision-making on tourism real estate with the conventional discount cash flow (DCF) method. This paper aims to demonstrate that the real option method can improve and optimize the investment decision-making on tourism real estate. Through case analysis, the real option model, i.e., the classic American real option model, and binary tree value distribution model were adopted to analyze the factors affecting the real option of tourism real estate, optimize the development sequence of tourism real estate project, and demonstrate the phased development value of tourism real state, thereby enhancing the development value of tourism real estate projects. The case analysis proves that tourism real estate investment is fully consistent with real option in the uncertain spatiotemporal attributes: uncertainty, irreversibility, and timeliness. Therefore, tourism real estate project carries obvious features of real option. The decision-making by the real option model is much more scientific and superior than that by the conventional DCF method. Since the application of real option theory has been emphasizing housing real estate over tourism real estate, the research results enrich the theory on real option-based investment decision-making for real estate and expand the application scope of real option.
Green Synthesis and Characterizations of Zinc Oxide (ZnO) Nanoparticles Using Aqueous Leaf Extracts of Coffee (Coffea arabica) and Its Application in Environmental Toxicity Reduction
Authors: Abel Saka , Tesfaye Jule Leta , Shanmugam R. , Dwarampudi L. Priyanka , Lamessa Gudeta , Nagaprasad N. , Benti Mekonen , Krishnaraj Ramaswamy
Published: August 2021

A green deposition method of zinc oxide nanoparticles using coffee leaf extraction was successfully prepared. The use of these preparation techniques is accepted by many researchers because it is nonexpensive and simple and has no environmental impact during the operation. The determination and reduction of Zn ions to ZnO NPs were characterized by using a UV-visible spectroscope. The UV-visible spectroscopy result reveals that the large band gap energy is observed in the visible region at the wavelength of 300 nm. X-ray diffraction and SEM analysis confirm that the deposited nanoparticle is highly crystalline with (111), (222), and (100) planes and cubic shape structure. The coffee leaf extraction serves as a reducing agent for stability of the particle length, where its medicinal value outcome showed an important antibacteria of the pathogenic type which appeared on the wound. The present research deals with the green synthesis of ZnO NPs as well as its application in toxicity reduction.
Melatonin Inhibits Annulus Fibrosus Cell Senescence through Regulating the ROS/NF‐κB Pathway in an Inflammatory Environment
Authors: Li Jing , Li Jianghua , Cao Chengzhang , Sun Jianhua , Wang Sibo , Ruan Zhi , Chen Lei , Li Ke
Published: August 2021

Inflammation response is an important reason for disc cell senescence during disc degeneration. Recently, melatonin is suggested to protect against disc degeneration. However, the effects of melatonin on annulus fibrosus (AF) cell senescence are not fully studied. The main purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of melatonin on AF cell senescence in an inflammatory environment and the underlying mechanism. Rat disc AF cells were cultured in a medium with tumor necrosis factor‐α (TNF‐α). Melatonin was added along with the medium to observe its protective effects. Compared with the control AF cells, TNF‐α significantly declined cell proliferation potency and telomerase activity, elevated senescence‐associated β‐galactosidase (SA‐β‐Gal) activity, upregulated protein expression of senescence markers (p16 and p53), and increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) content and activity of the NF‐κB pathway. However, when the TNF‐α‐treated AF cells were incubated with melatonin, ROS content and activity of the NF‐κB pathway were decreased, and those parameters reflecting cell senescence indicated that AF cell senescence was also partly alleviated. Together, melatonin suppresses AF cell senescence through regulating the ROS/NF‐κB pathway in an inflammatory environment. This study sheds a new light that melatonin may be promising to retard inflammation‐caused disc degeneration.
Tubular Dysfunction and Ruptured Ureter in a Child with Menkes Syndrome
Authors: Hui Wun Fung , Hon Kam Lun , Leung Alexander K. C. , Pang Kristine Kit Yi , Leung Michael Wai Yip
Published: August 2021

Children with Menkes disease may develop various urological and renal problems that evolve as the disease progresses. A 4-year-old boy with Menkes disease had multiple bladder diverticula and a history of recurrent urinary tract infection caused by urea-splitting organisms. The child developed urosepsis and right pyelonephritis. Subsequent investigations revealed multiple right renal stones and a ruptured right ureter. The child also developed hypokalemia, hypophosphatemia, and normal anion gap metabolic acidosis that required electrolyte and potassium citrate supplement. Further assessment revealed renal tubular dysfunction. Our case suggests that regular imaging surveillance, monitoring of renal function and electrolyte profile, and tubular function assessment should be considered in children with Menkes disease.
A Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis of 3D Printing Technology for the Treatment of Acetabular Fractures
Authors: Cao Jin , Zhu Huanye , Gao Chao
Published: August 2021

Purpose. Three‐dimensional (3D) printing technology has been widely used in orthopedics surgery. However, its efficacy in acetabular fractures remains unclear. The aim of this systematic review and meta‐analysis was to examine the effect of using 3D printing technology in the surgery for acetabular fractures. Methods. The systematic review was performed following the PRISMA guidelines. Four major electronic databases were searched (inception to February 2021). Studies were screened using a priori criteria. Data from each study were extracted by two independent reviewers and organized using a standardized table. Data were pooled and presented in forest plots. Results. Thirteen studies were included in the final analysis. Four were prospective randomized trials, and nine used a retrospective comparative design. The patients aged between 32.1 (SD 14.6) years and 51.9 (SD 18.9) years. Based on the pooled analyses, overall, 3D printing‐assisted surgery decreased operation time by 38.8 minutes (95% CI: ‐54.9, ‐22.8), intraoperative blood loss by 259.7 ml (95% CI: ‐394.6, ‐124.9), instrumentation time by 34.1 minutes (95% CI: ‐49.0, ‐19.1). Traditional surgery was less likely to achieve good/excellent function of hip (RR, 0.53; 95% CI: 0.34, 0.82) and more likely to have complications than 3D printing‐assisted surgery (RR, 1.19; 95% CI: 1.07, 1.33). Conclusions. 3D printing technology demonstrated efficacy in the treatment of acetabular fractures. It may improve surgery‐related and clinical outcomes. More prospective studies using a rigorous design (e.g., randomized trial with blinding) are warranted to confirm the long‐term effects of 3D printing technology in orthopedics surgeries.
The Model of the Optimal Number of Public Transport Vehicles in Mixed Traffic Flow Conditions: A Case Study
Authors: Simeunović Milja M. , Bogdanović Vuk Z. , Simeunović Milan M. , Pitka Pavle M. , Papić Zoran M. , Drašković Dane M.
Published: August 2021

Bus passenger transport is very important for sustainable urban mobility, and due to the characteristics of the street network, it is usually realized in the conditions of mixed traffic flow. Disturbances and sudden changes of traffic flow parameters occurring in the street network in a mixed traffic flow affect the disruptions in schedule and travel time of all vehicles in the traffic flow, including public transport (PT) vehicles. In order to keep to the planned schedule in the peak hours of PT lines carried out in the conditions of mixed traffic flow, the operators introduce new vehicles or reduce the vehicles’ dwell time at terminuses, which is often impossible to do. The use of a larger number of public transport vehicles increases the fuel consumption, pollutants’ emission, and the operating costs. In this paper, a network optimization model was developed for defining the influence of the change of traffic flow parameters in a mixed traffic flow on travel time of PT vehicles. The model takes into consideration uncertain time unevenness of the change of traffic flow parameters, which enables determining the optimization of travel time and defining the necessary number of public transport vehicles for the purpose of keeping to the planned schedule. In order to develop the transport model, counting and analysis of the characteristics of traffic flow at 61 intersections on the city territory were carried out. The model was tested on bus line number 4 of PT in Novi Sad. The model showed that it is possible to achieve certain savings regarding the number of vehicles with the unchanged headway, that is, the unchanged level of service which is offered to the users. With the application of the model in real traffic conditions, significant savings, as well as operating and external costs’ reduction, can be achieved, which contributes to the sustainability of public bus transport in urban environments.
Reverse Logistics Network Design of Electric Vehicle Batteries considering Recall Risk
Authors: Hao Hao , Sun Yichen , Mei Xueyun , Zhou Yanjun
Published: August 2021

In 2018-2019, the recall scale of electric vehicles (EVs) in China reached 168,700 units; recalls account for approximately 6.9% of sales volume. There are imperative reasons for electric vehicle batteries (EVBs) recalls, such as mandatory laws or policies, safety and environmental pollution risks, and the high value of EVB echelon use, and thus, it has become increasingly important to reasonably design a reverse logistics (RL) network for an EVB recall. In this study, a multiobjective and multiperiod recall RL network model is developed to minimize safety and environmental risks, maximize the social responsibility and economic benefits, and consider the characteristics of EVBs, including the configuration of key recall facilities and the control of recall flows. The results of this study will help EVB practitioners, relevant departmental policymakers, and others to comprehensively understand the recall of EVBs, strengthen the safety and environmental protection issues in the EVB recall process, and promote the establishment of a safe, green, and sustainable EVB recall RL network.
Nonzero Solutions for Nonlinear Systems of Fourth-Order Boundary Value Problems
Authors: Agarwal Ravi P. , Jleli Mohamed , Samet Bessem
Published: August 2021

This study is devoted to the investigation of nonlinear systems of fourth-order boundary value problems. Namely, using some techniques from matrix analysis and ordinary differential equations, a Lyapunov-type inequality providing a necessary condition for the existence of nonzero solutions is obtained. Next, an estimate involving generalized eigenvalues is derived as an application of our main result.
Multimodal Continuous User Authentication on Mobile Devices via Interaction Patterns
Authors: Zhang Xiaomei , Zhang Pengming , Hu Haomin
Published: August 2021

Behavior‐based continuous authentication is an increasingly popular methodology that utilizes behavior modeling and sensing for authentication and account access authorization. As an appearing behavioral biometric, user interaction patterns with mobile devices focus on verifying their identity in terms of their features or operating styles while interacting with devices. However, unimodal continuous authentication schemes, which are on the basis of a single source of interaction information, can only deal with a particular action or scenario. Hence, multimodal systems should be taken to suit for various environmental conditions especially in circumstances of attacks. In this paper, we propose a multimodal continuous authentication method both based on static interaction patterns and dynamic interaction patterns with mobile devices. Behavioral biometric features, HMHP, which is combined hand motion (HM) and hold posture (HP), are essentially established upon the touch screen and accelerator and capture the variation model of microhand motions and hold patterns generated in both dynamic and static scenes. By combining the features of HM and HP, the fusion feature HMHP achieves 97% accuracy with a 3.49% equal error rate.