bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Longitudinal designs to study neighbourhood effects on the development of obesity: a scoping review protocol
Authors: Letarte Laurence , Lebel Alexandre , Waygood E.O.D , Tchernof André , Biertho Laurent
Published: January 2018

Introduction

The prevalence of obesity has increased significantly in the last three decades and became an important public health concern. Evidence of weight status variability at the neighbourhood level has led researchers to look more precisely at the characteristics of local geographic areas that might influence energy balance related behaviours, giving rise to the field of the ‘neighbourhood effect’ in public health research. Among an abundant literature about neighbourhood effects and obesity, we propose a protocol for a scoping review that will aim at determining how temporal measurements of residential neighbourhood exposure, individual covariates and weight outcome are integrated in longitudinal designs.

Methods and analysis

A list of relevant citations will be obtained through a comprehensive systematic database search in Pubmed, Web of Science and Embase. The search strategy will be designed using a broad definition of neighbourhood to take into account the heterogeneity of this concept in research. Two investigators will screen titles, abstracts and entire publications using predetermined eligibility criteria yielding a list of selected publications. Data from the publications included in the scoping review will be charted according to bibliographic information, study population, exposure, outcomes and results.

Discussion and conclusion

To our knowledge, our protocol will yield the first scoping review regarding longitudinal designs of neighbourhood effect on obesity. Describing how longitudinal designs include temporal measurements of exposure, covariates and outcome is a necessary step in the quest to determine if or which contextual characteristics are likely to be involved in the development of obesity. Such information would bring new knowledge to complement current aetiological investigations and would contribute to enhancing resource allocation strategies for stakeholders in developing relevant interventions to prevent obesity and its negative impacts.
Diagnostic markers of acute infections in infants aged 1 week to 3 months: a retrospective cohort study
Authors: Hamiel Uri , Bahat Hilla , Kozer Eran , Hamiel Yotam , Ziv-Baran Tomer , Goldman Michael
Published: January 2018

Objective

History and physical examination do not reliably exclude serious bacterial infections (SBIs) in infants. We examined potential markers of SBI in young febrile infants.

Design

We reviewed white cell count (WBC), absolute neutrophil count (ANC), neutrophil to lymphocyte count ratio (NLR) and C reactive protein (CRP) in infants aged 1 week to 90 days, admitted for fever to one medical centre during 2012–2014.

Results

SBI was detected in 111 (10.6%) of 1039 infants. Median values of all investigated diagnostic markers were significantly higher in infants with than without SBI: WBC (14.4 vs 11.4 K/µL, P<0.001), ANC (5.8 vs 3.7 K/µL, P<0.001), CRP (19 vs 5 mg/L, P <0.001) and NLR (1.2 vs 0.7, P<0.001). Areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) for discriminating SBI were: 0.65 (95% CI 0.59 to 0.71), 0.69 (95% CI 0.63 to 0.74), 0.71 (95% CI 0.65 to 0.76) and 0.66 (95% CI 0.60 to 0.71) for WBC, ANC, CRP and NLR, respectively. Logistic regression showed the best discriminative ability for the combination of CRP and ANC, with AUC: 0.73 (95% CI 0.67 to 0.78). For invasive bacterial infection, AUCs were 0.70 (95% CI 0.56 to 0.85), 0.80 (95% CI 0.67 to 0.92), 0.78 (95% CI 0.68 to 0.89) and 0.78 (95% CI 0.66 to 0.90), respectively. CRP combined with NLR or ANC were the best discriminators of infection, AUCs: 0.82 (95% CI 0.70 to 0.95) and 0.82 (95% CI 0.68 to 0.95), respectively.

Conclusions

Among young febrile infants, CRP was the best single discriminatory marker of SBI, and ANC was the best for invasive bacterial infection. ANC and NLR can contribute to evaluating this population.
Comparison of two methods to assess physical activity prevalence in children: an observational study using a nationally representative sample of Scottish children aged 10–11 years
Authors: McCrorie Paul , Mitchell Rich , Ellaway Anne
Published: January 2018

Objectives

To describe the objectively measured levels of physical activity (PA) and sedentary time in a nationally representative sample of 10–11-year-old children, and compare adherence estimates to the UK PA guidelines using two approaches to assessing prevalence.

Design

Nationally representative longitudinal cohort study.

Setting

Scotland wide in partnership with the Growing up in Scotland (GUS) study. Data collection took place between May 2015 and May 2016.

Participants

The parents of 2402 GUS children were approached and 2162 consented to contact. Consenting children (n=1096) wore accelerometers for 8 consecutive days and 774 participants (427 girls, 357 boys) met inclusion criteria.

Primary and secondary outcome measures

Total PA (counts per minute, cpm); time spent sedentary and in moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA); proportion of children with ≥60 min MVPA on each day of wear (daily approach); proportion of children with ≥60 min of MVPA on average across days of wear (average approach)—presented across boys and girls, index of multiple deprivation and season.

Results

Mean PA level was 648 cpm (95% CI, 627 to 670). Children spent 7.5 hours (7.4–7.6) sedentary/day and 72.6 min (70.0–75.3) in MVPA/day. 11% (daily) and 68% (average) of children achieved the recommended levels of PA (P<0.05 for difference); a greater proportion of boys met the guidelines (12.5% vs 9.8%, NS; 75.9% vs 59.5%, P<0.001); guideline prevalence exhibited seasonal variation. No significant socioeconomic patterning existed across any outcome measure.

Conclusions

PA estimates are significantly influenced by the analytical method used to assess prevalence. This could have a substantial impact on the evaluation of interventions, policy objectives and public health investment. Existing guidelines, which focus on daily PA only may not further our understandings about the underlying construct itself. Gender differences exist within this age-group, suggesting greater investment, with particular consideration of seasonality, is needed for targeted intervention work in younger children.
Effect of a health literacy intervention trial on knowledge about cardiovascular disease medications among Indigenous peoples in Australia, Canada and New Zealand
Authors: Crengle Sue , Luke Joanne N , Lambert Michelle , Smylie Janet K , Reid Susan , Harré-Hindmarsh Jennie , Kelaher Margaret
Published: January 2018

Objectives

To assess the effect of a customised, structured cardiovascular disease (CVD) medication health literacy programme on medication knowledge among Indigenous people with, or at high risk of, CVD.

Design

Intervention trial with premeasures and postmeasures at multiple time points.

Setting

Indigenous primary care services in Australia, Canada and New Zealand.

Participants

171 Indigenous people aged ≥20 years of age who had at least one clinical diagnosis of a CVD event, or in Canada and Australia had a 5-year CVD risk ≥15%, and were prescribed at least two of the following CVD medication classes: statin, aspirin, ACE inhibitors and beta blockers.

Intervention

An education session delivered on three occasions over 1 month by registered nurses or health educators who had received training in health literacy and principles of adult education. An interactive tablet application was used during each session and an information booklet and pill card provided to participants.

Primary outcome measures

Knowledge about the CVD medications assessed before and after each session.

Results

Knowledge at baseline (presession 1) was low, with the mean per cent correct answers highest for statins (34.0% correct answers), 29.4% for aspirin, 26.0% for beta blockers and 22.7% for ACE inhibitors. Adjusted analyses showed highly significant (P<0.001) increases in knowledge scores between preassessments and postassessments at all three time points for all medication classes. For the four medications, the absolute increases in adjusted per cent correct items from presession 1 to postsession 3 assessments were 60.1% for statins, 76.8% for aspirin, 71.4% for ACE inhibitor and 69.5% for beta blocker.

Conclusions

The intervention was highly effective in contextually diverse Indigenous primary healthcare services in Australia, Canada and New Zealand. The findings from this study have important implications for health services working with populations with low health literacy more generally.

Trial registration number

ACTRN12612001309875.
Are risk factors for preterm and early-term live singleton birth the same? A population-based study in France
Authors: Delnord Marie , Blondel Béatrice , Prunet Caroline , Zeitlin Jennifer
Published: January 2018

Objectives

To investigate whether risk factors for preterm (<37 weeks gestation) and early-term birth (37 and 38 weeks gestation) are similar.

Design

Nationally representative cross-sectional study of births.

Setting

France in 2010.

Participants

Live singleton births (n=14 326).

Primary and secondary outcome measures

Preterm and early-term birth rates overall and by mode of delivery (spontaneous and indicated). Risk factors were maternal sociodemographic characteristics, previous preterm birth, height, prepregnancy body mass index (BMI) and smoking, assessed using multinomial regression models with full-term births 39 weeks and over as the reference group.

Results

There were 5.5% preterm and 22.5% early-term births. Common risk factors were: a previous preterm delivery (adjusted relative risk ratio (aRRR) 8.2 (95% CI 6.2 to 10.7) and aRRR 2.4 (95% CI 2.0 to 3.0), respectively), short stature, underweight (overall and in spontaneous deliveries), obesity (in indicated deliveries only), a low educational level and Sub-Saharan African origin. In contrast, primiparity was a risk factor only for preterm birth, aRRR 1.8 (95% CI 1.5 to 2.2), while higher parity was associated with greater risk of early-term birth.

Conclusions

Most population-level risk factors were common to both preterm and early-term birth with the exception of primiparity, and BMI which differed by mode of onset of delivery. Our results suggest that preterm and early-term birth share similar aetiologies and thus potentially common strategies for prevention.
Association between low bone mineral density and hearing impairment in postmenopausal women: the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey
Authors: Lee Seong-Su , Han Kyung-do , Joo Young-Hoon
Published: January 2018

Objective

To investigate the relationship between bone mineral density (BMD) and hearing impairment using a nationally demonstrative sample of Korean female adults.

Study design

Cross-sectional study of a national health survey.

Methods

Data from the 2009–2010 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (KNHANES) with 19 491 participants were analysed, and 8773 of these participants were enrolled in this study. BMD was measured using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Auditory functioning was evaluated by pure-tone audiometric testing according to established KNHANES protocols. We deliberated auditory impairment as pure-tone averages at frequencies of 0.5, 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0 kHz at a threshold of ≥40 decibels hearing level in the auricle with better hearing status.

Results

Among women aged 19 years and older, prevalences of bilateral hearing impairment in premenopausal and postmenopausal women were 0.1%±0.1% and 11.5%±1.1% (mean±SE), respectively. Hearing impairment was meaningfully associated with low BMD in postmenopausal women. Logistic regression models indicated that lower BMDs of the total femur (OR=0.779; 95% CI 0.641 to 0.946, P=0.0118) and femur neck (OR=0.746; 95% CI 0.576 to 0.966, P=0.0265) were significantly associated with hearing impairment among postmenopausal women.

Conclusions

Postmenopausal Korean women with low BMD of the total femur and femoral neck showed an increased risk for developing hearing impairment. Further epidemiological and investigational studies are needed to elucidate this association.
Manual therapy for unsettled, distressed and excessively crying infants: a systematic review and meta-analyses
Authors: Carnes Dawn , Plunkett Austin , Ellwood Julie , Miles Clare
Published: January 2018

Objective

To conduct a systematic review and meta-analyses to assess the effect of manual therapy interventions for healthy but unsettled, distressed and excessively crying infants and to provide information to help clinicians and parents inform decisions about care.

Methods

We reviewed published peer-reviewed primary research articles in the last 26 years from nine databases (Medline Ovid, Embase, Web of Science, Physiotherapy Evidence Database, Osteopathic Medicine Digital Repository , Cochrane (all databases), Index of Chiropractic Literature, Open Access Theses and Dissertations and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature). Our inclusion criteria were: manual therapy (by regulated or registered professionals) of unsettled, distressed and excessively crying infants who were otherwise healthy and treated in a primary care setting. Outcomes of interest were: crying, feeding, sleep, parent–child relations, parent experience/satisfaction and parent-reported global change.

Results

Nineteen studies were selected for full review: seven randomised controlled trials, seven case series, three cohort studies, one service evaluation study and one qualitative study.

We found moderate strength evidence for the effectiveness of manual therapy on: reduction in crying time (favourable: −1.27 hours per day (95% CI −2.19 to –0.36)), sleep (inconclusive), parent–child relations (inconclusive) and global improvement (no effect). The risk of reported adverse events was low: seven non-serious events per 1000 infants exposed to manual therapy (n=1308) and 110 per 1000 in those not exposed.

Conclusions

Some small benefits were found, but whether these are meaningful to parents remains unclear as does the mechanisms of action. Manual therapy appears relatively safe.

PROSPERO registration number

CRD42016037353.
Use of primary care and other healthcare services between age 85 and 90 years: longitudinal analysis of a single-year birth cohort, the Newcastle 85+ study
Authors: Yadegarfar Mohammad Esmaeil , Jagger Carol , Duncan Rachel , Fouweather Tony , Hanratty Barbara , Parker Stuart , Robinson Louise
Published: January 2018

Objective

To describe, using data from the Newcastle 85+ cohort study, the use of primary care and other healthcare services by 85-year-olds as they age.

Design

Longitudinal population-based cohort study.

Setting

Newcastle on Tyne and North Tyneside, UK.

Participants

Community dwelling and institutionalised men and women recruited through general practices (n=845, 319 men and 526 women).

Results

Contact was established with 97% (n=1409/1459) of eligible 85-year-olds, consent obtained from 74% (n=1042/1409) and 851 agreed to undergo the multidimensional health assessment and a general practice medical records review. A total of 845 participants had complete data at baseline for this study (319 male, 526 female), with 344 (118 male, 226 female) reinterviewed at 60 months. After adjusting for confounders, all consultations significantly increased over the 5 years (incidence rate ratio, IRR=1.03, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.05, P=0.001) as did general practitioner (GP) consultations (IRR=1.03, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.05, P=0.006). Significant increases were also observed in inpatient and day hospital use over time, though these disappeared after adjustment for confounders.

Conclusions

Our study of primary, secondary and community care use by the very old reveals that, between the ages of 85 and 90 years, older people are much more likely to consult their GP than any other primary healthcare team members. With a rapidly ageing society, it is essential that both current and future GPs are appropriately skilled, and adequately supported by specialist colleagues, as the main healthcare provider for a population with complex and challenging needs.
Controlled pre–post, mixed-methods study to determine the effectiveness of a national delirium clinical care standard to improve the diagnosis and care of patients with delirium in Australian hospitals: a protocol
Authors: Mumford Virginia , Kulh Mary Ann , Hughes Clifford , Braithwaite Jeffrey , Westbrook Johanna
Published: January 2018

Introduction

Delirium, an acute confusional state, affects up to 29% of acute inpatients aged 65 years and over. The Australian Delirium Clinical Care Standard (the Standard) contains evidence-based, multicomponent interventions, to identify and reduce delirium. This study aims to: (1) conduct a controlled, before-and-after study to assess the clinical effectiveness of the Standard to improve diagnosis and treatment of delirium; (2) conduct a cost-effectiveness study of implementing the Standard and (3) evaluate the implementation process.

Methods and analysis

The study will use a controlled, preimplementation and postimplementation mixed-methods study design, including: medical record reviews, activity-based costing analysis and interviews with staff, patients and their family members. The study population will comprise patients 65 years and over, admitted to surgical, medical and intensive care wards in four intervention hospitals and one control hospital. The primary clinical outcome will be the incidence of delirium. Secondary outcomes include: length of stay, severity and duration of delirium, inhospital mortality rates, readmission rates and use of psychotropic drugs. Cost-effectiveness will be evaluated through activity-based costing analysis and outcome data, and the implementation process appraised through the qualitative results.

Ethics and dissemination

Ethics approval has been received for two hospitals. Additional hospitals have been identified and ethics applications will be submitted once the tools in the pilot study have been tested.

The results will be submitted for publication in peer-reviewed journals and presented to national and international conferences. Results seminars will provide a quality feedback mechanism for staff and health policy bodies.
Best practices for community-engaged participatory research with Pacific Islander communities in the USA and USAPI: protocol for a scoping review
Authors: McElfish Pearl Anna , Ayers Britni L , Purvis Rachel S , Long Christopher R , Sinclair Ka’imi , Esquivel Monica , Steelman Susan C
Published: January 2018

Introduction

Community-based participatory research is a partnership approach to research that seeks to equally involve community members, organisational representatives and academic partners throughout the research process in a coequal and mutually beneficial partnership. To date, no published article has synthesised the best practices for community-based participatory research practices with Pacific Islanders.

Methods and analysis

The reviewers will examine studies’ titles, abstracts and full text, comparing eligibility to address discrepancies. For each eligible study, data extraction will be executed by two reviewers and one confirmation coder, comparing extracted data to address any discrepancies. Eligible data will be synthesised and reported in a narrative review assessing coverage and gaps in existing literature related to community-based participatory research with Pacific Islanders.

Discussion and dissemination

The purpose of this review is to identify best practices used when conducting community-based participatory research with Pacific Islanders; it will also extrapolate where the gaps are in the existing literature. This will be the first scoping review on community-based participatory research with Pacific Islanders. To facilitate dissemination, the results of this scoping review will be submitted for publication to a peer-reviewed journal, presented at conferences and shared with community-based participatory research stakeholders.
Comparison of standing postural control and gait parameters in people with and without chronic low back pain: a cross-sectional case–control study
Authors: MacRae Catharine Siân , Critchley Duncan , Lewis Jeremy S , Shortland Adam
Published: January 2018

Objective

Differences in postural control and gait have been identified between people with and without chronic low back pain (CLBP); however, many previous studies present data from small samples, or have used methodologies with questionable reliability. This study, employing robust methodology, hypothesised that there would be a difference in postural control, and spatiotemporal parameters of gait in people with CLBP compared with asymptomatic individuals.

Methods

This cross-sectional case–control study age-matched and gender-matched 16 CLBP and 16 asymptomatic participants. Participants were assessed barefoot (1) standing, over three 40 s trials, under four posture challenging conditions (2) during gait. Primary outcome was postural stability (assessed by root mean squared error of centre of pressure (CoP) displacement (CoPRMSEAP) and mean CoP velocity (CoPVELAP), both in the anteroposterior direction); gait outcomes were hip range of movement and peak moments, walking speed, cadence and stride length, assessed using force plates and a motion analysis system.

Results

There were no differences between groups in CoPRMSEAP(P=0.26), or CoPVELAP(P=0.60) for any standing condition. During gait, no differences were observed between groups for spatiotemporal parameters, maximum, minimum and total ranges of hip movement, or peak hip flexor or extensor moments in the sagittal plane.

Conclusions

In contrast to previous research, this study suggests that people with mild to moderate CLBP present with similar standing postural control, and parameters of gait to asymptomatic individuals. Treatments directed at influencing postural stability (eg, standing on a wobble board) or specific parameters of gait may be an unnecessary addition to a treatment programme.
Blended learning on family planning policy requirements: key findings and implications for health professionals
Authors: Limaye Rupali J , Ahmed Naheed , Ohkubo Saori , Ballard Anne
Published: January 2018

Background

To address unmet needs for family planning and advance women’s rights, US federal foreign aid recipients must ensure compliance with the family planning legislative and policy requirements. Because many health providers work in rural and remote settings, blended learning, which combines in-person and online experiences, is a promising approach for strengthening their compliance knowledge.

Methods

This cross-sectional study examined the effect of blended learning that included three components (online course, in-person training and conference call) on retention of family planning compliance knowledge. A total of 660 learners from 44 countries completed the online survey (8% response rate). Study participants were asked about their knowledge of family planning compliance and suggestions to improve their learning experiences.

Findings

Knowledge retention was higher in the group that utilised all three learning approaches compared with the online course plus conference call group (P<0.05). Participants who took the online course multiple times tended to retain knowledge better than respondents who took it only once, although this result was not statistically significant.

Limitations

The study relied on a convenience sample, which may contribute to bias. The response rate, while low at 8%, was representative of the user base, and included 660 respondents.

Conclusion

Participation in a blended learning training resulted in the highest gains in knowledge retention compared with online-only learning. These findings suggest that blended learning and repeat online trainings are critical to ensuring health professionals are aware of family planning compliance regulations.
Interventional treatments and risk factors in patients born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome in England and Wales from 2000 to 2015
Authors: Rogers Libby , Pagel Christina , Sullivan Ian D , Mustafa Muhammed , Tsang Victor , Utley Martin , Bull Catherine , Franklin Rodney C , Brown Kate L
Published: January 2018

Objective

To describe the long-term outcomes, treatment pathways and risk factors for patients diagnosed with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) in England and Wales.

Methods

The UK’s national audit database captures every procedure undertaken for congenital heart disease and updated life status for resident patients in England and Wales. Patients with HLHS born between 2000 and 2015 were identified using codes from the International Paediatric and Congenital Cardiac Code.

Results

There were 976 patients with HLHS. Of these, 9.6% had a prepathway intervention, 89.5% underwent a traditional pathway of staged palliation and 6.4% of infants underwent a hybrid pathway. Patients undergoing prepathway procedures or the hybrid pathway were more complex, exhibiting higher rates of prematurity and acquired comorbidity. Prepathway intervention was associated with the highest in-hospital mortality (34.0%).

44.6% of patients had an off-pathway procedure after their primary procedure, most frequently stenting or dilation of residual or recoarctation and most commonly occurring between stage 1 and stage 2.

The survival rate at 1 year and 5 years was 60.7% (95% CI 57.5 to 63.7) and 56.3% (95% CI 53.0 to 59.5), respectively. Patients with an antenatal diagnosis (multivariable HR (MHR) 1.63 (95% CI 1.12 to 2.38)), low weight (<2.5 kg) (MHR 1.49 (95% CI 1.05 to 2.11)) or the presence of an acquired comorbidity (MHR 2.04 (95% CI 1.30 to 3.19)) were less likely to survive.

Conclusion

Treatment pathways among patients with HLHS are complex and variable. It is essential that the long-term outcomes of conditions like HLHS that require serial interventions are studied to provide a fuller picture and to inform quality assurance and improvement.
Role of combined prenatal and postnatal paracetamol exposure on asthma development: the Czech ELSPAC study
Authors: Piler Pavel , Švancara Jan , Kukla Lubomír , Pikhart Hynek
Published: January 2018

Background

Prenatal and postnatal paracetamol exposure has been previously associated with asthma development in childhood in Western populations. We explore the association between prenatal and postnatal paracetamol exposure and asthma development in a Central European sample of Czech children, suggesting possible additive effect of the both exposures. Furthermore, since aspirin had been used more widely during study data collection in Central Europe, we also compared asthma development for those exposed to paracetamol and aspirin.

Methods

We used data from 3329 children born in the 1990s as members of the prospective Czech European Longitudinal Study of Pregnancy and Childhood. Data about prenatal and postnatal paracetamol and aspirin exposure, and potential covariates were obtained from questionnaires completed by mothers. Data about incident asthma were obtained from paediatrician health records.

Results

60.9% of children received paracetamol only postnatally, 1.5% only prenatally and 4.9% of children were exposed both during pregnancy and infancy. Prevalence of asthma in following population was 5% at 11 years. Being exposed to paracetamol both in prenatal and postnatal period was associated with asthma development (unadjusted OR 1.98, 95% CI 1.02 to 3.87). Being exposed only in the postnatal period was also significantly associated with increased risk of asthma. No association between prenatal exposure only and outcome was found. A higher but non-significant risk of asthma was observed for those whose mothers used paracetamol during pregnancy compared with those who used aspirin.

Conclusions

The main findings of this prospective birth cohort study add to previous observations linking prenatal and early postnatal paracetamol exposure to asthma development. However, the magnitude of effect is relatively modest, and therefore, we recommend paracetamol to remain the analgesic and antipyretic of choice throughout pregnancy and early childhood.
Hydration and Obesity among Outpatient-Based Population: H2Ob Study
Authors: Carretero-Gómez Juana , Arévalo Lorido Jose Carlos , Gómez Huelgas Ricardo , De Escalante Yangüela Begoña , Gracia Tello Borja , Pérez Belmonte Luis , Ena Muñoz Javier
Published: January 2018

Recent evidence suggests that obese people are hypohydrated and that water consumption may be a useful indicator for the prevention and treatment of obesity. Nevertheless, there is no agreement regarding the best hydration status indicators and there are few data about the relationship between hydration and body weight. In the present study, we aim to analyze the correlation among hydration status with obesity measured by three different methods (plasma osmolarity, urinary specific gravity (USG) and urinary osmolarity) in a hospital-based outpatient population. We have carried out a cross-sectional study to evaluate the association between obesity and hydration status in 260 patients, average 56.5±15.7 years. Hydration status was estimated by means of plasma osmolarity, urine osmolarity and USG. We did show significant trend of higher urine osmolarity (P=0.03), USG (P=0.000) and plasma osmolarity (P=0.000) with an increase of weight status categories, more accurate in the case of plasma osmolarity. In a multivariate analysis, after controlled by confounders, we found that obesity was associated with plasma osmolarity (OR 1.09; 95% CI 1.02 to 1.17, P=0.009), urine osmolarity (OR 1.00; 95% CI 1.00 to 1.01, P=0.05) and USG (OR 1.02; 95% CI 1.00 to 1.04, P=0.05). Our results have shown a more accurate relationship between plasma osmolarity with all body mass index categories. This finding may have clinical implications that must be confirmed in further studies.
Epileptic Seizure Detection Based on Time-Frequency Images of EEG Signals Using Gaussian Mixture Model and Gray Level Co-Occurrence Matrix Features
Authors: Li Yang , Cui Weigang , Luo Meilin , Li Ke , Wang Lina
Published: January 2018

The electroencephalogram (EEG) signal analysis is a valuable tool in the evaluation of neurological disorders, which is commonly used for the diagnosis of epileptic seizures. This paper presents a novel automatic EEG signal classification method for epileptic seizure detection. The proposed method first employs a continuous wavelet transform (CWT) method for obtaining the time-frequency images (TFI) of EEG signals. The processed EEG signals are then decomposed into five sub-band frequency components of clinical interest since these sub-band frequency components indicate much better discriminative characteristics. Both Gaussian Mixture Model (GMM) features and Gray Level Co-occurrence Matrix (GLCM) descriptors are then extracted from these sub-band TFI. Additionally, in order to improve classification accuracy, a compact feature selection method by combining the ReliefF and the support vector machine-based recursive feature elimination (RFE-SVM) algorithm is adopted to select the most discriminative feature subset, which is an input to the SVM with the radial basis function (RBF) for classifying epileptic seizure EEG signals. The experimental results from a publicly available benchmark database demonstrate that the proposed approach provides better classification accuracy than the recently proposed methods in the literature, indicating the effectiveness of the proposed method in the detection of epileptic seizures.
The automorphisms of endomorphism semigroups of relatively free groups
Authors: Atabekyan V. S. , Aslanyan H. T.
Published: January 2018

The question of describing the automorphisms of [Formula: see text] for a free algebra [Formula: see text] in a certain variety was considered by different authors since 2002. In this paper, we consider this question for the class of all relatively free groups having only cyclic centralizers of non-trivial elements. We prove that each automorphism of the endomorphism semigroup [Formula: see text] of groups [Formula: see text] from this class is uniquely determined by its action on the subgroup of inner automorphisms [Formula: see text]. The obtained general result includes the following cases: absolutely free groups, free Burnside groups of odd period [Formula: see text], free groups of infinitely based varieties of Adian (the cardinality of the set of such varieties is continuum), and so on.
Integral representation of solutions to higher-order fractional Dirichlet problems on balls
Authors: Abatangelo Nicola , Jarohs Sven , Saldaña Alberto
Published: January 2018

We provide closed formulas for (unique) solutions of nonhomogeneous Dirichlet problems on balls involving any positive power [Formula: see text] of the Laplacian. We are able to prescribe values outside the domain and boundary data of different orders using explicit Poisson-type kernels and a new notion of higher-order boundary operator, which recovers normal derivatives if [Formula: see text]. Our results unify and generalize previous approaches in the study of polyharmonic operators and fractional Laplacians. As applications, we show a novel characterization of [Formula: see text]-harmonic functions in terms of Martin kernels, a higher-order fractional Hopf Lemma, and examples of positive and sign-changing Green functions.
A critical fractional Choquard–Kirchhoff problem with magnetic field
Authors: Mingqi Xiang , Rădulescu Vicenţiu D. , Zhang Binlin
Published: January 2018

In this paper, we are interested in a fractional Choquard–Kirchhoff-type problem involving an external magnetic potential and a critical nonlinearity [Formula: see text] [Formula: see text] where [Formula: see text] with [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text] is the Kirchhoff function, [Formula: see text] is the magnetic potential, [Formula: see text] is the fractional magnetic operator, [Formula: see text] is a continuous function, [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text] is a parameter, [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] is the critical exponent of fractional Sobolev space. We first establish a fractional version of the concentration-compactness principle with magnetic field. Then, together with the mountain pass theorem, we obtain the existence of nontrivial radial solutions for the above problem in non-degenerate and degenerate cases.
Development of SFEM-Pre: A Novel Preprocessor for Model Creation for the Smoothed Finite Element Method
Authors: Zhang J. F. , Niu R. P. , Zhang Y. F. , Wang C. Q. , Li M. , Liu G. R.
Published: January 2018

Smoothed finite element method (S-FEM) is a new general numerical method which has been applied to solve various practical engineering problems. It combines standard finite element method (FEM) and meshfree techniques based on the weaken-weak (W2) formulation. This project, for the first time, develops a preprocessor software package SFEM-Pre for creating types of two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) S-FEM models following strictly the S-FEM theory. Because the software architecture of our 3D processor is the same as our 2D preprocessor, we will mainly introduce the 2D preprocessor in terms of software design for easier description, but the examples will include both 2D and 3D cases to fully demonstrate and validate the whole preprocessor of S-FEM. Our 2D preprocessor package is equipped with a graphical user interface (GUI) for easy use, and with a connectivity database for efficient computation. Schemes are developed for not only automatically meshes the problem domains using our GUI, but also accepts various geometry files made available from some existing commercial software packages, such as ABAQUS®and HyperMesh®. In order to improve the efficiency of our preprocessor, a parallel triangulation mesh generator has also been developed based on the advancing front technique (AFT) to create triangular meshes for complex geometry, and at the same time to create six types of connectivity needed for various S-FEM models. In addition, a database is implemented in our code to record all these connectivity to avoid duplicated calculation. Finally, intensive numerical experiments are conducted to validate the efficiency, accuracy and stability of our preprocessor codes. It is shown that with our preprocessor, an S-FEM can be created automatically without much human intervention for geometry of arbitrary complexity.
Detecting the Oxidation of Zircaloy Claddings by Infrared Interference
Authors: Mi Hongyi , Mikael Solomon , Swinnich Edward , Allen Todd , Sridharan Kumar , Butt Darryl P. , Gong Shaoqin , McDeavitt Sean M. , Blanchard James P. , Seo Jung-Hun , Ma Zhenqiang
Published: January 2018

As the expected life of dry cask storage installations increases, it becomes increasingly desirable to monitor the state and performance of the cask internals to ensure that they continue to safely contain the radioactive materials in the fuel. One aspect of this task is the monitoring of oxidation of the cladding. With this consideration in mind, Zircaloy-4 (Zr-4) cladding samples were exposed to air at 500[Formula: see text]C for various duration times to create thin corrosion oxide layers on the surface. The surfaces of the oxidized samples were then systematically scanned by Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy to achieve the infrared (IR) interference spectra and study the relationship between the optical interference and the various thicknesses of the oxide layers. The profiles of the oxide layers were verified througth cross-sectional examination by Scanning Electron Microscopy. The IR interference patterns varied with oxide layer thickness, enabling the determination of oxide layer thickness of values, including half micron thick. Further analysis demonstrated that the interference oscillation period and the oscillation amplitude decreased with increasing oxide layer thickness. Combined with a physical model that describes the optical interference, the interference spectra were directly correlated to the oxide layer thickness quantitatively. The study provides the basis for an accurate, nondestructive and sensitive method to monitor the degree of zirconium-based cladding corrosion due to oxidation.
An Anion-Exchange Strategy to Bi2S3/Bi2O2(OH)(NO3) Heterojunction with Efficient Visible Light Photoreactivity
Authors: Pang Jiawei , Su Shenghuan , Han Qiaofeng
Published: January 2018

As one of the basic bismuth nitrates, Bi2O2(OH)(NO3) (denoted as BION) has been reported to exhibit powerful photodegradation activity for various contaminants. However, pure BION could only be irradiated by UV light due to broad bandgap ([Formula: see text]3.14[Formula: see text]eV). Herein, Bi2S3/Bi2O2(OH)(NO3) (denoted as BS-BION) heterojunction was prepared by an in situ ion exchange reaction between BION and aqueous thiourea solution ([Formula: see text]). The resulting heterojunction possessed good visible light absorption and closely contacted interfaces, which benefited effective separation and transfer of photogenerated charges, thus leading to excellent photocatalytic activity for the degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) under visible light irradiation. Furthermore, the as-prepared heterojunction photocatalyst also presented high photochemical stability, which may be of great significance for practical application.
An image segmentation framework for extracting tumors from breast magnetic resonance images
Authors: Sun Le , He Jinyuan , Yin Xiaoxia , Zhang Yanchun , Chen Jeon-Hor , Kron Tomas , Su Min-Ying
Published: January 2018

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been a prevalence technique for breast cancer diagnosis. Computer-aided detection and segmentation of lesions from MRIs plays a vital role for the MRI-based disease analysis. There are two main issues of the existing breast lesion segmentation techniques: requiring manual delineation of Regions of Interests (ROIs) as a step of initialization; and requiring a large amount of labeled images for model construction or parameter learning, while in real clinical or experimental settings, it is highly challenging to get sufficient labeled MRIs. To resolve these issues, this work proposes a semi-supervised method for breast tumor segmentation based on super voxel strategies. After image segmentation with advanced cluster techniques, we take a supervised learning step to classify the tumor and nontumor patches in order to automatically locate the tumor regions in an MRI. To obtain the optimal performance of tumor extraction, we take extensive experiments to learn parameters for tumor segmentation and classification, and design 225 classifiers corresponding to different parameter settings. We call the proposed method as Semi-supervised Tumor Segmentation (SSTS), and apply it to both mass and nonmass lesions. Experimental results show better performance of SSTS compared with five state-of-the-art methods.
Nitrogen-doped three-dimensional graphene-supported platinum catalysts for polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells application
Authors: Chu Fuqiang , Li Xingxing , Yuan Wensen , Zhu Huanhuan , Qin Yong , Zhang Shuai , Yuan Ningyi , Lin Bencai , Ding Jianning
Published: January 2018

Catalysts are a key component of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). In this work, nitrogen-doped three-dimensional graphene-supported platinum (Pt-3DNG) catalysts are successfully prepared and characterized. SEM and TEM images show the Pt nanoparticles are uniformly dispersed in the sheets of nitrogen-doped 3DNG. Compared with that of the commercial Pt/C catalysts, Pt-3DNG show much better oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activity and cycling stability, and the reduction in limit current density after 1000 cycles is only about 1.6% for the Pt-3DNG catalysts, whereas 7.2% for the commercial Pt/C catalysts. The single cell using Pt-3DNG catalysts in both the anode and the cathode show a higher peak power density (21.47[Formula: see text]mW cm[Formula: see text] than that using commercial Pt/C catalysts (20.17[Formula: see text]mW cm[Formula: see text] under the same conditions. These properties make this type of catalyst suitable for the application in PEMFCs.
Preparation of ultrasmall porous carbon nanospheres by reverse microemulsion-hydrothermal method
Authors: Wang Jiasheng , Zhao Yahong , Wang Wan-Hui , Bao Ming
Published: January 2018

Porous carbon nanospheres (CNSs) have wide applications. A big challenge in materials science is synthesis of discrete ultrasmall porous carbon nanospheres. Herein, we report a facile reverse microemulsion-hydrothermal method to prepare discrete porous CNSs. The obtained CNSs possess an average diameter of 20[Formula: see text]nm and pores of 0.7[Formula: see text]nm and 3.4[Formula: see text]nm. Our work has provided a convenient method for the controllable synthesis of ultrasmall porous CNSs with potential applications.
Large rainbow matchings in semi-strong edge-colorings of graphs
Authors: Jin Zemin , Ye Kun , Chen He , Sun Yuefang
Published: January 2018

The lower bounds for the size of maximum rainbow matching in properly edge-colored graphs have been studied deeply during the last decades. An edge-coloring of a graph [Formula: see text] is called a strong edge-coloring if each path of length at most three is rainbow. Clearly, the strong edge-coloring is a natural generalization of the proper one. Recently, Babu et al. considered the problem in the strongly edge-colored graphs. In this paper, we introduce a semi-strong edge-coloring of graphs and consider the existence of large rainbow matchings in it.
Condensation Heat Transfer and Pressure Drop of R-404A in 7.0 mm O.D. Smooth and Microfin Tube at Low Mass Fluxes
Authors: Kim Nae-Hyun , Gook Hyung-Ho , Lee Byung-Moo
Published: January 2018

R-404A condensation heat transfer and pressure drop data are provided for 7.0[Formula: see text]mm O.D. smooth and microfin tubes. Tests were conducted for a range of mass fluxes (from 80 to 200[Formula: see text]kg/m2s) and quality (from 0.2 to 0.8). The heat flux was 6[Formula: see text]kW/m2and saturation temperature was 45[Formula: see text]C. It was found that both the heat transfer enhancement factor and the pressure drop penalty factor increase as mass flux increases. The range of pressure drop penalty factor (0.99–1.27) was smaller than that of heat transfer enhancement factor (1.21–1.96). Smooth tube heat transfer coefficients and pressure drops are reasonably predicted by Shah [An improved and extended general correlation for heat transfer during condensation in plain tubes, Int. J. HVAC&R Res. 15 (2009) 889–913] and Jung and Radermacher [Prediction of pressure drop during horizontal annular flow boiling of pure and mixed refrigerants, Int. J. Heat Mass Transfer 32 (1989) 2435–2446] correlation, respectively. For the microfin tube, however, all the existing correlations do not adequately predict the present data. Poor predictions may be attributed to the lack of R-404A and low mass flux data in their database.
The Wiek Fault System east of Rügen Island: origin, tectonic phases and its relationship to the Trans-European Suture Zone
Authors: Seidel Elisabeth , Meschede Martin , Obst Karsten
Published: January 2018

The Tornquist Fan, reflecting the northern part of the Trans-European Suture Zone, comprises a series of fault zones and major single faults, striking mainly subparallel to the SW margin of the Fennoscandian Shield. The deep-seated faults of Wiek, Nord Jasmund and Schaabe, which cross the northern part of Rügen Island and areas of the adjacent Baltic Sea from NW to SE, originated in the late Paleozoic. They are accompanied by younger faults, especially in the Pomeranian Bay, that were formed by Mesozoic tectonic processes. Based on reprocessed offshore seismic lines east of Rügen, a polyphase evolution for the Wiek Fault System is proposed. It implies changes in the stress field since the Caledonian Orogeny. Crustal extension in the Middle Devonian led to the formation of basins along the SW margin of Laurussia. Subsequent compressional movements, induced by the distant Variscan Orogeny, resulted in segmentation and block faulting of the Rügen Basin prior to the late Carboniferous. These Paleozoic faults were reactivated by Mesozoic extensional stress regimes. In addition, new en echelon faults were generated, contemporaneously with the formation of the Western Pomeranian Fault System. Since the Late Cretaceous (Africa–Iberia–Europe convergence), selected major normal faults have been reactivated as reverse faults.