bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Global research trends in complex oral sensitivity disorder: A systematic bibliometric analysis of the structures of knowledge
Authors: Fortuna Giulio , Aria Massimo , Piscitelli Alfonso , Mignogna Michele D. , Klasser Gary D.
Published: June 2020

Objectives

A systematic bibliometric analysis of the structure of knowledge was performed to investigate the co‐word analysis, the co‐citation analysis, and the social network analysis regarding complex oral sensitivity disorder (COSD).

Methods

Web of Science database from 1985 to 2018 was systematically searched to identify all relevant articles using the MeSH terms “complex oral sensitivity disorder” and all synonyms used in the literature. We included original articles, review articles, letters to the editor, and book chapters in the English language and in 27 different ISI categories of medical sciences. Several bibliometric indicators were used.

Results

The co‐word analysis identified 741 KeyWords Plus (KWP) grouped into 4 different clusters. The terms “pain,” “management,” “prevalence,” and “efficacy” reached the highest centrality, whereas the top 10 KWP had a frequency of 7%‐29% in 443 articles. Over a period of 32 years, a complex thematic evolution occurred, going from 2 to 6 different themes, and the KWP migration rate from one cluster to another ranged from 11% to 100%. The co‐citation network analysis based on the complete reference list (5932 references) of 443 articles identified only 2 clusters for journals, authors, and articles. The most prominent co‐cited journal was “Oral Surgery Oral Medicine Oral Pathology” (centrality: 171.75), the most co‐cited author was “Grushka M” (centrality: 330.95), and the most co‐cited article was “Grushka M. Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol (1987) 63:30‐36” (centrality: 269.79). On the other hand, the direct citation network revealed that “Scala A et al, 2003” reached both the highest global citation score (GCS = 231) and local citation score (LCS = 161). Lastly, the social network analysis revealed an isolated collaboration among groups of authors, or countries or institutions. The worldwide collaboration analysis indicated that United States‐Israel and United Kingdom‐Italy were the most collaborative countries.

Conclusions

The structure of knowledge of publications on COSD revealed that research in this field has been dominated by few core topics and a limited collaboration among authors and institutions from different countries. More multicenter studies on COSD are warranted in the near future when launching new projects.
Country‐level correlates of the Dark Triad traits in 49 countries
Authors: Jonason Peter K. , Żemojtel‐Piotrowska Magdalena , Piotrowski Jarosław , Sedikides Constantine , Campbell W. Keith , Gebauer Jochen E. , Maltby John , Adamovic Mladen , Adams Byron G. , Kadiyono Anissa Lestari , Atitsogbe Kokou A. , Bundhoo Harshalini Y. , Bălțătescu Sergiu , Bilić Snežana , Brulin Joel Gruneau , Chobthamkit Phatthanakit , Del Carmen Dominguez Alejandra , Dragova‐Koleva Sonya , El‐Astal Sofián , Esteves Carla Sofia , Labib M. Eldesoki Walaa , Gouveia Valdiney V. , Gundolf Katherine , Ilisko Dzintra , Jauk Emanuel , Kamble Shanmukh V. , Khachatryan Narine , Klicperova‐Baker Martina , Knezovic Emil , Kovacs Monika , Lei Xuejun , Liik Kadi , Mamuti Agim , Moreta‐Herrera Carlos Rodrigo , Milfont Taciano L. , Wei Ong Chin , Osin Evgeny , Park Joonha , Petrovic Boban , Ramos‐Diaz Jano , Ridic Goran , Qadir Abdul , Samekin Adil , Sawicki Artur , Tiliouine Habib , Tomsik Robert , Umeh Charles S. , van den Bos Kees , Van Hiel Alain , Uslu Osman , Wlodarczyk Anna , Yahiiaev Illia
Published: June 2020

Objectives

The Dark Triad traits (i.e., narcissism, psychopathy, Machiavellianism) capture individual differences in aversive personality to complement work on other taxonomies, such as the Big Five traits. However, the literature on the Dark Triad traits relies mostly on samples from English‐speaking (i.e., Westernized) countries. We broadened the scope of this literature by sampling from a wider array of countries.

Method

We drew on data from 49 countries (N = 11,723; 65.8% female; AgeMean = 21.53) to examine how an extensive net of country‐level variables in economic status (e.g., Human Development Index), social relations (e.g., gender equality), political orientations (e.g., democracy), and cultural values (e.g., embeddedness) relate to country‐level rates of the Dark Triad traits, as well as variance in the magnitude of sex differences in them.

Results

Narcissism was especially sensitive to country‐level variables. Countries with more embedded and hierarchical cultural systems were more narcissistic. Also, sex differences in narcissism were larger in more developed societies: Women were less likely to be narcissistic in developed (vs. less developed) countries.

Conclusions

We discuss the results based on evolutionary and social role models of personality and sex differences. That higher country‐level narcissism was more common in less developed countries, whereas sex differences in narcissism were larger in more developed countries, is more consistent with evolutionary than social role models.
Anti‐inflammatory and macrophage polarization effects of Cranberry Proanthocyanidins (PACs) for periodontal and peri‐implant disease therapy
Authors: Galarraga‐Vinueza Maria Elisa , Dohle Eva , Ramanauskaite Ausra , Al‐Maawi Sara , Obreja Karina , Magini Ricardo , Sader Robert , Ghanaati Shahram , Schwarz Frank
Published: June 2020

Background and Objective

Macrophages’ cytokine expression and polarization play a substantial role in the host's “destructive” inflammatory response to periodontal and peri‐implant pathogens. This study aimed to evaluate cell viability, anti‐inflammatory activity, and macrophage polarization properties of different cranberry concentrates.

Methods

THP‐1 cells (monocytic line) were treated with phorbol myristic acid to induce macrophage differentiation. Human gingival fibroblasts (HFIB‐G cell line), osteosarcoma‐derived osteoblasts (SAOS‐2 cell line), and induced macrophages were treated with cranberry concentrates at 25, 50, and 100 µg/mL for 120 seconds, 1 hour and 24 hours. Untreated cells at the same time points served as controls. For anti‐inflammatory analysis, induced macrophages exposed to cranberry concentrates (A‐type PACs) were stimulated with lipopolysaccharides (LPS) derived from E coli for 24 hours. Cell viability, interleukin (IL)‐8, IL‐1 ß, IL‐6, and IL‐10 expression of LPS‐stimulated macrophages, and macrophage polarization markers were evaluated through determination of live‐cell protease activity, enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay, and immunofluorescence staining semi‐quantification.

Results

Cranberry concentrates (A‐type PACs) did not reduce HGF, SAOS‐2, and macrophage viability after 24 hours of exposure. Pro‐inflammatory cytokine expression (ie IL‐8 and IL‐6) was downregulated in LPS‐stimulated macrophages by cranberry concentrates at 50 and 100 µg/mL. Anti‐inflammatory IL‐10 expression was significantly upregulated in LPS‐stimulated macrophages by cranberry concentrates at 100 µg/mL after 24 hours of exposure. M1 polarization significantly decreased when LPS‐stimulated macrophages were exposed to cranberry concentrates. High levels of positive M1 macrophages were present in all untreated control groups. M2 polarization significantly increased at all LPS‐stimulated macrophages exposed to cranberry concentrates for 1 and 24 hours.

Conclusion

Cranberry‐derived proanthocyanidins may have the potential to act as an anti‐inflammatory component in the therapy of periodontal and peri‐implant diseases.
Senescent cholangiocytes release extracellular vesicles that alter target cell phenotype via the epidermal growth factor receptor
Authors: Al Suraih Mohammed S. , Trussoni Christy E. , Splinter Patrick L. , LaRusso Nicholas F. , O’Hara Steven P.
Published: June 2020

Background & Aims

Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is a chronic liver disease characterized by peribiliary inflammation and fibrosis. Cholangiocyte senescence is a prominent feature of PSC. Here, we hypothesize that extracellular vesicles (EVs) from senescent cholangiocytes influence the phenotype of target cells.

Methods

EVs were isolated from normal human cholangiocytes (NHCs), cholangiocytes from PSC patients and NHCs experimentally induced to senescence. NHCs, malignant human cholangiocytes (MHCs) and monocytes were exposed to 108 EVs from each donor cell population and assessed for proliferation, MAPK activation and migration. Additionally, we isolated EVs from plasma of wild‐type and Mdr2−/− mice (a murine model of PSC), and assessed mouse monocyte activation.

Results

EVs exhibited the size and protein markers of exosomes. The number of EVs released from senescent human cholangiocytes was increased; similarly, the EVs in plasma from Mdr2−/− mice were increased. Additionally, EVs from senescent cholangiocytes were enriched in multiple growth factors, including EGF. NHCs exposed to EVs from senescent cholangiocytes showed increased NRAS and ERK1/2 activation. Moreover, EVs from senescent cholangiocytes promoted proliferation of NHCs and MHCs, findings that were blocked by erlotinib, an EGF receptor inhibitor. Furthermore, EVs from senescent cholangiocytes induced EGF‐dependent Interleukin 1‐beta and Tumour necrosis factor expression and migration of human monocytes; similarly, Mdr2−/− mouse plasma EVs induced activation of mouse monocytes.

Conclusions

The data continue to support the importance of cholangiocyte senescence in PSC pathogenesis, directly implicate EVs in cholangiocyte proliferation, malignant progression and immune cell activation and migration, and identify novel therapeutic approaches for PSC.
A New Method for Evaluating Knowledge, Beliefs, and Neuromyths About the Mind and Brain Among Italian Teachers
Authors: Tovazzi Alice , Giovannini Serena , Basso Demis
Published: June 2020

Teachers often face situations that require them to apply knowledge about the mind and brain to education. Past studies have indicated that even if teachers show interest in cognitive neuroscience, they show high rates of adhesion to neuromyths. In the most commonly used questionnaire, however, respondents do not compare neuromyths and correct information based on neuroscience. The present study proposes a multiple‐choice questionnaire that presents scenarios occurring in school. The most commonly used and the new questionnaire were administered to 174 Italian teachers. In the most commonly used questionnaire, teachers generally had the same likelihood of accepting neuromyths as the literature reports. In the new questionnaire, the levels of both general knowledge and beliefs about neuromyths were significantly lower. Moreover, it suggests that teachers' adhesion to neuromyths in realistic situations does not match their explicit beliefs. Thus, the present research proposes that the use of questions based on feasible scenarios is a useful method to assess neuromyths.
Arabic Diacritics and Their Role in Facilitating Reading Speed, Accuracy, and Comprehension by English L2 Learners of Arabic
Authors: MIDHWAH ALI AL , ALHAWARY MOHAMMAD T.
Published: June 2020

The present study investigated the role of Arabic diacritics in word recognition and their impact on Arabic L2 learners’ reading speed, accuracy, and comprehension at different stages of Arabic L2 acquisition. Fifty‐four English L2 learners of Arabic from 3 proficiency levels (beginner, intermediate, and advanced) participated in the study. They belonged to 2 sets of groups: half with exposure to instructional materials containing diacritics, vowelized textbook (VT), and the other half with exposure to instructional materials not containing diacritics, un‐vowelized textbook (UVT). Participants performed word‐list reading, text reading, and target‐word comprehension tasks under vowelized (V) and un‐vowelized (UV) conditions. The results revealed participants in all VT groups did consistently better than their UVT counterparts. This positive role of diacritics in terms of Arabic word recognition and reading performance implies that inclusion of diacritics in words and texts within instructional materials does not only benefit Arabic L2 learners by removing ambiguity from words, but it also positively impacts their reading and pronunciation performance in general. The study findings and pedagogical implications are also relevant to other languages, such as Farsi and Hebrew, which exhibit similar orthographic features.
Use of hydraulic traits for modeling genotype‐specific acclimation in cotton under drought
Authors: Wang Diane R. , Venturas Martin D. , Mackay D. Scott , Hunsaker Douglas J. , Thorp Kelly R. , Gore Michael A. , Pauli Duke
Published: June 2020

Understanding the genetic and physiological basis of abiotic stress tolerance under field conditions is key to varietal crop improvement in the face of climate variability. Here, we investigate dynamic physiological responses to water stress in silico and their relationships to genotypic variation in hydraulic traits of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum), an economically important species for renewable textile fiber production.

In conjunction with an ecophysiological process‐based model, heterogeneous data (plant hydraulic traits, spatially‐distributed soil texture, soil water content and canopy temperature) were used to examine hydraulic characteristics of cotton, evaluate their consequences on whole plant performance under drought, and explore potential genotype × environment effects.

Cotton was found to have R‐shaped hydraulic vulnerability curves (VCs), which were consistent under drought stress initiated at flowering. Stem VCs, expressed as percent loss of conductivity, differed across genotypes, whereas root VCs did not. Simulation results demonstrated how plant physiological stress can depend on the interaction between soil properties and irrigation management, which in turn affect genotypic rankings of transpiration in a time‐dependent manner.

Our study shows how a process‐based modeling framework can be used to link genotypic variation in hydraulic traits to differential acclimating behaviors under drought.
Lycopene reduces the impacts of aquatic environmental pollutants and physical stressors in fish
Authors: Dawood Mahmoud A.O. , Abdel‐Tawwab Mohsen , Abdel‐Latif Hany M.R.
Published: June 2020

Aquatic organisms are susceptible throughout their lives to chemical and physical stressors, which negatively affect their health. Various aquatic pollutants derived from industrial effluents, overuse of some agricultural pesticides, herbicides and insecticides may cause devastating toxicological aspects of aquatic organisms and deteriorate their health and growth. They also led to oxidative stress to fish due to the stimulation of the production of reactive oxygen species. Therefore, the need for using natural antioxidants to be used as feed additives is of great importance to counteract the hazardous oxidative stress responses. The use of phytochemicals, which characterized by substantial antioxidative effects, has been raised. Lycopene is the principal carotenoid pigment found in tomatoes and their products, vegetables and red fruits. Numerous studies have recommended the use of lycopene as a powerful antioxidant to attenuate the oxidative stress responses in several fish species exposed to various toxicants or any other stress conditions. Lycopene maintains the health condition of fish by enhancing the immune and antioxidative responses. This review article aimed to elucidate the current information about the potential use of dietary lycopene for several fish species and its capability to attenuate the oxidative stress and haemato‐immunological alterations resulted from aquatic environmental pollutants and other physical stressors. Additionally, the review discusses some aspects regarding the lycopene mode of action to assess the profits that would be of importance in the aquaculture industry.
High‐frequency (20 MHz) high‐intensity focused ultrasound: New Treatment of actinic keratosis, basal cell carcinoma, and Kaposi sarcoma. An open‐label exploratory study
Authors: Serup Jørgen , Bove Torsten , Zawada Tomasz , Jessen Alexander , Poli Mattia
Published: June 2020

Background

Skin cancer is common, growing, challenging, and in need of progress in early‐stage treatment. 20 MHz high‐intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) is new and applied to actinic keratosis (AK) and skin cancers for the first time. HIFU of lower frequency is already used in the treatment of internal cancers.

Materials and Methods

Eight patients with 201 AK lesions, one patient with 7 basal cell carcinomas (reoccurrences after PDT), and one patient with 7 Kaposi sarcoma lesions (4 treated with radiotherapy in the past) were given 1‐3 HIFU treatments. Twenty megahertz HIFU was dosed as 150 ms at 0.6‐1.2 J/shot applied to target lesions. Probes with different target depths were available. The preferred shot energy and focal depth in AK were 0.9 J and 1.3 mm. A “Sandwich” strategy with HIFU applied in two depths were tried in cancers. The follow‐up period was 3‐6 months.

Results

All AK cleared except 5, giving a cure rate of 97%. Post‐treatment lesion healed in 1‐2 weeks with no scar. VAS pain was from 1 to 8, and in any case less than experienced with previous PDT. In both basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and sarcoma, healing was confirmed by histological verification.

Discussion/conclusion

20 MHz HIFU was an effective and safe treatment of AK. This new treatment, applicable to any anatomical site, has promising advantages relative to PDT and has the potential to replace or supplement PDT in future. Case‐observations indicated that HIFU can be useful in skin cancers as well.
Computer-based learning in an undergraduate physics course: Interfacing a mobile phone and matlab to study oscillatory motion
Authors: Momox Ernesto , Ortega De Maio Charby
Published: June 2020

Over the past couple of decades, mobile devices have become ubiquitous items in our daily lives. Companies continuously add innovative features that make them more affordable and easy to use. This success in mobile technology has prompted educators and instructors to utilize these gadgets to boost the teaching-learning process by changing the traditional classroom to one that is interactive and engaging. For instance, there is strong potential for using mobile technology in physics education due to the different kinds of sensors that these devices have that make them unique and well-suited for experimentation in places where learning occurs naturally; a simple pendulum is a good example as it can be set up easily and with minimum material. Despite the remarkable number of apps available, only a handful of them have been developed for undergraduate physics education, the majority are virtual labs, and others acquire data in real time but need to be exported to a computer for analysis. By this token, we set out to build an app with matlab for reading the acceleration sensor of a mobile phone in real time when it is used as a pendulum's bob, and to obtain paramount physical parameters such as position, velocity, acceleration, and damping constant. The app empowers instructors and learners with graphical visualizations and with an immersive experience on how the experimental data and the theoretical models of oscillatory motion interact, and keeps teachers and students away from the hassle of using rarely available laboratory equipment and virtual simulations.
Incest in ancient Ireland suggests an elite ruled early farmers
Authors: Curry Andrew
Published: June 2020

DNA from massive Newgrange tomb reveals a practice linked to royalty around the world.
The origins of flowering plants and pollinators
Authors: van der Kooi Casper J. , Ollerton Jeff
Published: June 2020

New research raises questions about when flowering plants and their pollinators evolved
Closing the radical gap in chemical synthesis
Authors: Liu Jian-Quan , Shatskiy Andrey , Kärkäs Markus D.
Published: June 2020

Unstable radical intermediates are harnessed in a microfluidic electrochemical cell
Modulation of Monocyte Activation and Function during Direct Antiviral Agent Treatment in Patients Coinfected with HIV and Hepatitis C Virus
Authors: De Pablo-Bernal Rebeca S. , Jimenez-Leon M. Reyes , Tarancon-Diez Laura , Gutierrez-Valencia Alicia , Serna-Gallego Ana , Trujillo-Rodriguez Maria , Alvarez-Rios Ana I. , Milanes-Guisado Yusnelkis , Espinosa Nuria , Roca-Oporto Cristina , Viciana Pompeyo , Lopez-Cortes Luis F. , Ruiz-Mateos Ezequiel
Published: June 2020

The activation phenotypes and functional changes in monocyte subsets during hepatitis C virus (HCV) elimination in HIV/HCV-coinfected patients were evaluated. Twenty-two HIV/HCV-coinfected patients on suppressive combination antiretroviral treatment (cART) achieving HCV elimination after direct-acting antiviral (DAA) therapy and 10 HIV-monoinfected patients were included. The activation phenotype (10 markers) and polyfunctionality (intracellular interleukin-1α [IL-1α], IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, tumor necrosis factor alpha [TNF-α], and IL-10 production) in three monocyte subsets (classical, intermediate, and nonclassical) were evaluated by flow cytometry before and at the end of treatment.
Regulation of Bacterial Cell Cycle Progression by Redundant Phosphatases
Authors: Coppine Jérôme , Kaczmarczyk Andreas , Petit Kenny , Brochier Thomas , Jenal Urs , Hallez Régis
Published: June 2020

Two-component signal transduction systems are widely used by bacteria to adequately respond to environmental changes by adjusting cellular parameters, including the cell cycle. In
Caulobacter crescentus
, PleC acts as a phosphatase that indirectly protects the response regulator CtrA from premature inactivation during the G
1
phase of the cell cycle. Here, we provide genetic and biochemical evidence that PleC is seconded by another phosphatase, CckN. The activity of PleC and CckN phosphatases is restricted to the G
1
phase since both proteins are degraded by ClpXP protease before the G
1
-S transition. Degradation is independent of any known proteolytic adaptors and relies, in the case of CckN, on an unsuspected N-terminal degron. Our work illustrates a typical example of redundant functions between two-component proteins.
Occipital artery to p3 segment of posterior inferior cerebellar artery bypass in treating a complex fusiform aneurysm
Authors: Nisson Peyton L , McNamara Michael A , Wang Xiaolong , Ding Xinmin
Published: June 2020

We provide a case report of a 58-year-old man who presented with a ruptured fusiform dissecting aneurysm located at the junction of the vertebral artery and posterior inferior cerebellar artery (PICA). Due to the lesion’s complexity, a two-step approach was planned for revascularisation of PICA using the occipital artery (OA) prior to coiling embolisation. An end-to-side OA–PICA bypass was performed with implantation at the caudal loop of the p3 PICA segment. Fifteen days after the procedure, the aneurysm underwent stent-assisted coiling for successful obliteration of the aneurysm. The patient tolerated this procedure well and now at 1.5 years of follow-up remains free from any neurological deficits (modified Rankin Score 0). This case report illustrates one of the unique scenarios where both the vascular territory involved and morphological features of the aneurysm prohibited the use of more conventional means, necessitating the use of an arterial bypass graft for successful treatment of this lesion. As open vascular surgery is becoming less common in the age of endovascular coiling, our article uniquely reports on the combined use of both endovascular and microsurgical techniques to treat a complex aneurysm of the posterior circulation.
Article placement order in rheumatology journals: a content analysis
Authors: Stewart Sarah , Gamble Greg , Grey Andrew , Dalbeth Nicola
Published: June 2020

Objectives

To analyse variables associated with article placement order in serial rheumatology journals.

Design

Content analysis.

Setting

Original articles published in seven rheumatology journals from 2013 to 2018.

Primary and secondary outcome measures

The following data were extracted from 6787 articles: order number of article in issue, gender of first and last author, geographical region, industry funding, research design and disease category. Cumulative density function plots were used to determine whether article placement distribution was different from the expected distribution. ORs for articles published in the first three places of an issue compared with the last three places were calculated. Altmetric Score and downloads were meta-analysed.

Results

Article placement order did not associate with author gender or geographical region but was associated with funding source and research design. In addition, articles about rheumatoid arthritis were more likely to be ordered at the front of issues (p<0.001). Articles about crystal arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, vasculitis, pain syndromes and paediatric rheumatic diseases were more likely to be ordered at the end of issues (all p<0.001). Association of article placement order with disease category was observed only in journals with tables of contents grouped by disease. Articles ordered in the first three places had higher Altmetric and download rates, than articles in the last three places.

Conclusions

Author gender and geographical region do not influence article placement order in serial rheumatology journals. However, bias for certain disease categories is reflected in article placement order. Editorial decisions about article placement order can influence the prominence of diseases.
Patients’ use and experiences with e-consultation and other digital health services with their general practitioner in Norway: results from an online survey
Authors: Zanaboni Paolo , Fagerlund Asbjørn Johansen
Published: June 2020

Objectives

To explore patients’ use and experiences with four digital health services implemented in Norway to enable electronic communication between patients and their general practitioner (GP): (1) electronic booking of appointments; (2) electronic prescription renewal; (3) electronic contact with the GP’s office for non-clinical inquiries; and (4) e-consultation for clinical inquiries.

Design

An online survey consisting of quantitative data supplemented by qualitative information was conducted to explore: (1) characteristics of the users; (2) use; (3) experiences, perceived benefits and satisfaction; and (4) time spent using the digital health services.

Setting

Primary care.

Participants

2043 users of the digital health services answering the survey.

Results

There was a higher proportion of women, younger adults and digitally active citizens with high education. Electronic booking of appointments was the most used service (66.4%), followed by electronic prescription renewal (54.3%). Most users (80%) could more easily and efficiently book an appointment electronically than by phone. Over 90% of the respondents thought that it was easier to renew a prescription electronically, 76% obtained a better overview of their medications and 46% reported higher compliance. For non-clinical inquiries, most respondents (60%) thought that it was easier to write electronic messages than communicate by phone. For clinical enquiries, many patients agreed that e-consultation could lead to a better followup (72%) and improved quality of treatment (58%). Users were highly satisfied with the services and recommended their use to others. Time saving was the most evident benefit for patients. This was confirmed by the differences in time spent using the digital health services compared with conventional approaches, all found to be statistically significant.

Conclusion

Citizens using e-consultation and other digital health services with their GP in Norway are satisfied and consider them as useful and efficient alternatives to conventional approaches.
How, why, for whom and in what context, do sexual health clinics provide an environment for safe and supported disclosure of sexual violence: protocol for a realist review
Authors: Caswell Rachel J , Maidment Ian , Ross Jonathan D C , Bradbury-Jones C
Published: June 2020

Introduction

Supporting people subjected to sexual violence includes provision of sexual and reproductive healthcare. There is a need to ensure an environment for safe and supported disclosure of sexual violence in these clinical settings. The purpose of this research is to gain a deeper understanding of how, why, for whom and in what circumstances safe and supported disclosure occurs in sexual health services.

Methods and analysis

To understand how safe and supported disclosure of sexual violence works within sexual health services a realist review will be undertaken with the following steps: (1) Focussing of the review including a scoping literature search and guidance from an advisory group. (2) Developing the initial programme theories and a search strategy using context-mechanism-outcome (CMO) configurations. (3) Selection, data extraction and appraisal based on relevance and rigour. (4) Data analysis and synthesis to further develop and refine programme theory, CMO configurations with consideration of middle-range and substantive theories.

Data analysis

A realist logic of analysis will be used to align data from each phase of the review, with CMO configurations being developed. Programme theories will be sought from the review that can be further tested in the field.

Ethics and dissemination

This study has been approved by the ethics committee at University of Birmingham, and has Health Research Authority approval. Findings will be disseminated through knowledge exchange with stakeholders, publications in peer-reviewed journals, conference presentations and formal and informal reports. In addition, as part of a doctoral study, the findings will be tested in multisite case studies.

PROSPERO registration details

CRD4201912998. Dates of the planned realist review, from protocol design to completion, January 2019 to July 2020.
Real-world effect of antidepressants for depressive disorder in primary care: protocol of a population-based cohort study
Authors: De Crescenzo Franco , Garriga Cesar , Tomlinson Anneka , Coupland Carol , Efthimiou Orestis , Fazel Seena , Hippisley-Cox Julia , Cipriani Andrea
Published: June 2020

Introduction

Clinical guidelines recommend antidepressants as the first line of treatment for adults with moderate-to-severe depression. Randomised trials provide the best evidence on the comparative effectiveness of antidepressants for depression, but are limited by a short follow-up and a highly selected population. We aim to conduct a cohort study on a large database to assess acceptability, efficacy, safety and tolerability of antidepressant monotherapy in people with depressive disorder in primary care.

Methods and analysis

This is a protocol for a cohort study using data from the QResearch primary care research database, which is the largest general practice research database in the UK. We will include patients registered for at least 1 year from 1 January 1998, diagnosed with a new episode of depression and on antidepressant and a comparison group not on antidepressant. The exposure of interest will be treatment with antidepressant medications. Our outcomes will be acceptability (treatment discontinuation due to any cause), efficacy (clinical response and remission); safety (adverse events (AEs) and all-cause mortality); and tolerability (dropouts due to any AE) measured at 2 months, 6 months and 1 year. For each outcome, we will estimate the absolute risks for all antidepressants, and relative effects between antidepressants using Cox’s proportion hazards models. We will calculate HRs and 99.9% CIs for each outcome of interest.

Discussion

The main limitation is the observational nature of our study, while the major strengths include the large representative population contained in QResearch and the possibly high generalisability.
Increasing importance of climate change and other threats to at-risk species in Canada
Authors: Woo-Durand Catherine , Matte Jean-Michel , Cuddihy Grace , McGourdji Chloe L. , Venter Oscar , Grant James W.A.
Published: June 2020

In a previous analysis, six major threats to at-risk species in Canada were quantified: habitat loss, introduced species, over-exploitation, pollution, native species interactions, and natural causes (O. Venter et al. 2006. Bioscience, 56(11): 903–910). Because of rapid environmental change in Canada and an enhanced understanding of the drivers of species endangerment, we updated the 2005 analysis and tested for changes in threats up until the end of 2018. We also expanded the scope to acknowledge climate change as a seventh major threat to species, given its increasing importance for reshaping biological communities. Using information on the COSEWIC (Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada) website, we scored the threats for each of 814 species. Habitat loss remained the most important anthropogenic threat to Canada’s at-risk species, affecting 82% of species, followed by over-exploitation (47%), introduced species (46%), and pollution (35%). Climate change was the least important threat, affecting only 13% of species. However, report writers used less certain language when talking about climate change compared with other threats, so when we included cases where climate change was listed as a probable or future cause, climate change was the fourth most important anthropogenic threat, affecting some 38% of species. The prevalence of threat categories was broadly similar to those for the United States and IUCN listed species. The taxa most affected by climate change included lichens (77%), birds (63%), marine mammals (60%), and Arctic species of all taxa (79%), whereas vascular plants (23%), marine fishes (24%), arthropods (27%), and non-Arctic species (35%) were least affected. A paired analysis of the 188 species with two or more reports indicated that any mention of climate change as a threat increased from 12% to 50% in 10 years. Other anthropogenic threats that have increased significantly over time in the paired analysis included introduced species, over-exploitation, and pollution. Our analysis suggests that threats are changing rapidly over time, emphasizing the need to monitor future trends of all threats, including climate change.
BLOCKCHAIN FORKS: A FORMAL CLASSIFICATION FRAMEWORK AND PERSISTENCY ANALYSIS
Authors: SCHÄR FABIAN
Published: June 2020

Blockchain forks can have severe economic implications, sow uncertainty and undermine trust. In this paper, we introduce a formal framework to study the emergence, persistency and economic consequences of blockchain forks. We argue that blockchain forks can be process- or protocol-based and emerge unintentionally or deliberately. We then proceed with a sub-classification of protocol-based forks and study the circumstances under which a chain split may become permanent. It can be shown that the persistency of a fork depends on the nature of the change to the consensus rules and on the relative allocation of the consensus-relevant resources. Lastly, we discuss business implications as well as potential consequences for policy makers and practitioners.
Service Rate and Admission Control in an M/G/1 Queue with State-Dependent Arrival Rates
Authors: Nakade Koichi , Nishimura Shunta
Published: June 2020

Admission and service rate control problems in queueing systems have been studied in the literature. For an exponential service time distribution, the optimality of the threshold-type policy has been proved. However, in production systems, the production time follows a general distribution, not an exponential one. In this paper, control of the service speed according to the number of customers is considered. The analytical results of an M/G/1 queue with arrival and service rates that depend on the number of customers in the system, which is called an Mn/Gn/1 queue, are used to compute the performance measure of service rate control. In particular, for the case in which the arrival rates are the same among queue-length intervals, a computation method for deriving stationary distributions is developed. Constant, uniform, exponential, and Bernoulli distributions on the service time are considered via numerical experiments. The results show that the optimal threshold depends on the type of distribution, even if the mean value of the service time is the same. In addition, when the reward rate is small, a case in which a non-threshold-type service rate control policy outperforms all threshold-type policies is identified.
System Imperfections on the Overall Performance of MC-CDMA-Based Cognitive Radio Network (CRN) System
Authors: Khan M. R. H. , Hoque M. A. , Reza M. T. , Rahman M. Saifur
Published: June 2020

Cognitive radio network (CRN) is considered to be the future technology for the fifth generation of cellular wireless standards (5G). CRN is based on a complex spectrum allocation system, and licensed primary users (PUs) or unlicensed secondary users (SUs) are allowed to share the spectrum, provided that they do not cause significant interference. In cognitive radio, it is important to control the transmission power of SUs so that the interference should not be harmful to the quality of service of PUs. In this paper, the authors addressed the impact of system imperfections on the overall performance of multi-carrier code division multiple access (MC-CDMA)-based CRN system. A new expression of the signal-to-interference-noise ratio (SINR) for MC-CDMA-based CRN system over a Rayleigh fading channel without any power control condition among the PUs and SUs is derived and investigated. The performance of MC-CDMA-based CRN system over the frequency selective multi-path fading channel is examined by varying the number of users, the signal-to-noise-ratio (SNR) per bit, number of fading path and number of subcarriers, respectively. From the simulation results, we have seen that the SINR performance is affected by these parameters. The analysis presented in this paper shows the impact of lack of a controlling mechanism on transmitted signal power affecting the between PUs and SUs ultimately system performance. The result of the analysis will provide relevant information to design the physical layer protocol for high speed CRN system for 5G.
Minimum degree of an A-identity of E ⊗ E
Authors: Naves Fernando Augusto , Talpo Humberto Luiz
Published: June 2020

Let [Formula: see text] be a field of characteristic zero, algebraically closed and [Formula: see text] be the unitary infinite-dimensional Grassmann [Formula: see text]-algebra. Our aim is to determine the minimal degree of an [Formula: see text]-polynomial satisfied by [Formula: see text]. Also, we find an explicit [Formula: see text]-identity of [Formula: see text].
OPTIMAL CONTROL ANALYSIS OF THE EFFECT OF TREATMENT, ISOLATION AND VACCINATION ON HEPATITIS B VIRUS
Authors: KHAN MUHAMMAD ALTAF , SHAH SYED AZHAR ALI , ULLAH SAIF , OKOSUN KAZEEM OARE , FAROOQ MUHAMMAD
Published: June 2020

Hepatitis B infection is a serious health issue and a major cause of deaths worldwide. This infection can be overcome by adopting proper treatment and control strategies. In this paper, we develop and use a mathematical model to explore the effect of treatment on the dynamics of hepatitis B infection. First, we formulate and use a model without control variables to calculate the basic reproduction number and to investigate basic properties of the model such as the existence and stability of equilibria. In the absence of control measures, we prove that the disease free equilibrium is locally asymptotically stable when the basic reproduction number is less than unity. Also, using persistent theorem, it is shown that the infection is uniformly persistent, whenever the basic reproduction number is greater than unity. Using optimal control theory, we incorporate into the model three time-dependent control variables and investigate the conditions required to curtail the spread of the disease. Finally, to illustrate the effectiveness of each of the control strategies on disease control and eradication, we perform numerical simulations. Based on the numerical results, we found that the first two strategies (treatment and isolation strategy) and (vaccination and isolation strategy) are not very effective as a long term control or eradication strategy for HBV. Hence, we recommend that in order to effectively control the disease, all the control measures (isolation, vaccination and treatment) must be implemented at the same time.
Nonsolvable groups with four character codegrees
Authors: Liu Yang , Yang Yong
Published: June 2020

Let [Formula: see text] be a finite group and the codegree of an irreducible character [Formula: see text] is the number [Formula: see text]. In this paper, we consider nonsolvable groups with few character codegrees and prove that if a nonsolvable group [Formula: see text] has exactly four character codegrees, then [Formula: see text], where [Formula: see text].
A deep attention network for predicting amino acid signals in the formation of α-helices
Authors: Visibelli A. , Bongini P. , Rossi A. , Niccolai N. , Bianchini M.
Published: June 2020

The secondary and tertiary structure of a protein has a primary role in determining its function. Even though many folding prediction algorithms have been developed in the past decades — mainly based on the assumption that folding instructions are encoded within the protein sequence — experimental techniques remain the most reliable to establish protein structures. In this paper, we searched for signals related to the formation of [Formula: see text]-helices. We carried out a statistical analysis on a large dataset of experimentally characterized secondary structure elements to find over- or under-occurrences of specific amino acids defining the boundaries of helical moieties. To validate our hypothesis, we trained various Machine Learning models, each equipped with an attention mechanism, to predict the occurrence of [Formula: see text]-helices. The attention mechanism allows to interpret the model’s decision, weighing the importance the predictor gives to each part of the input. The experimental results show that different models focus on the same subsequences, which can be seen as codes driving the secondary structure formation.
Inequalities for inert primes and their applications
Authors: He Zilong
Published: June 2020

For any given non-square integer [Formula: see text], we prove Euclid’s type inequalities for the sequence [Formula: see text] of all primes satisfying the Kronecker symbol [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text] and give a new criterion on a ternary quadratic form to be irregular as an application, which simplifies Dickson and Jones’s argument in the classification of regular ternary quadratic forms to some extent.
Gestatten: Estimation of User's Attention in Mobile MOOCs From Eye Gaze and Gaze Gesture Tracking
Authors: Kar Pragma , Chattopadhyay Samiran , Chakraborty Sandip
Published: June 2020

The rapid proliferation of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) has resulted in many-fold increase in sharing the global classrooms through customized online platforms, where a student can participate in the classes through her personal devices, such as personal computers, smartphones, tablets, etc. However, in the absence of direct interactions with the students during the delivery of the lectures, it becomes difficult to judge their involvements in the classroom. In academics, the degree of student's attention can indicate whether a course is efficacious in terms of clarity and information. An automated feedback can hence be generated to enhance the utility of the course. The precision of discernment in the context of human attention is a subject of surveillance. However, visual patterns indicating the magnitude of concentration can be deciphered by analyzing the visual emphasis and the way an individual visually gesticulates, while contemplating the object of interest. In this paper, we develop a methodology called Gestsatten which captures the learner's attentiveness from his visual gesture patterns. In this approach, the learner's visual gestures are tracked along with the region of focus. We consider two aspects in this approach -- first, we do not transfer learner's video outside her device, so we apply in-device computing to protect her privacy; second, considering the fact that a majority of the learners use handheld devices like smartphones to observe the MOOC videos, we develop a lightweight approach for in-device computation. A three level estimation of learner's attention is performed based on these information. We have implemented and tested Gestatten over 48 participants from different age groups, and we observe that the proposed technique can capture the attention level of a learner with high accuracy (average absolute error rate is 8.68%), which meets her ability to learn a topic as measured through a set of cognitive tests.
Flexible Automatic Support for Web Accessibility Validation
Authors: Broccia Giovanna , Manca Marco , Paternò Fabio , Pulina Francesca
Published: June 2020

Automatic support for web accessibility validation needs to evolve for several reasons. The increasingly recognised importance of accessibility implies that various stakeholders, with different expertise, look at it from different viewpoints and have different requirements regarding the types of outputs they expect. The technologies used to support Web application access are evolving along with the associated accessibility guidelines. We present a novel tool that aims to provide flexible and open support for addressing such issues. We describe the design of its main features, including support for recent guidelines and tailored results presentations, and report on first technical and empirical validations that have provided positive feedback.
SketchADoodle: Touch-surface Multi-stroke Gesture Handling by Bézier Curves
Authors: Grolaux Donatien , Vanderdonckt Jean , Nguyen Thanh-Diane , Khaddam Iyad
Published: June 2020

Touch-surface multi-stroke gestures, as well as freehand drawings, are typically acquired by devices and sensors as a suite of timestamped points on a plane. This Cartesian coordinate system, although useful for computation like complexity analysis, gesture classification and recognition, becomes complex and inefficient when gestures need to be visualized and directly manipulated for editing. To address these challenges, a new mathematical representation of these gestures via a Bézier curve is defined to initiate a model-based approach for gesture direct manipulation (e.g., cut, copy, paste, translate, scale, rotate, deform, crop, compose, decompose). SketchADoodle, an Android-based mobile application for drawing, gesturing, demonstrates how the pseudo-code of the Bézier-based operations are engineered for real-time direct manipulation. We release the programming code for further development of gesture-based user interfaces based on Bézier curves.
CESS-A System to Categorize Bangla Web Text Documents
Authors: Dhar Ankita , Mukherjee Himadri , Dash Niladri Sekhar , Roy Kaushik
Published: June 2020

Technology has evolved remarkably, which has led to an exponential increase in the availability of digital text documents of disparate domains over the Internet. This makes the retrieval of the information a very much time- and resource-consuming task. Thus, a system that can categorize such documents based on their domains can truly help the users in obtaining the required information with relative ease and also reduce the workload of the search engines. This article presents a text categorization system (CESS) that categorizes text document using newly proposed hybrid features that combines term frequency-inverse document frequency-inverse class frequency and modified chi-square methods. Experiments were performed on real-world Bangla documents from eight domains comprises of 24,29,857 tokens, and the highest accuracy of 99.91% has been obtained with multilayer perceptron-based classification. Also, the experiments were tested on Reuters-21578 and 20 Newsgroups datasets and obtained accuracies of 97.29% and 94.67%, respectively, to show the language-independent nature of the system.