bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
High prevalence of human T‐cell leukemia virus type‐1b genotype among blood donors in Gabon, Central Africa
Authors: Ramassamy Jill‐Léa , Cassar Olivier , Toumbiri Manoushka , Diané Abdoulaye , Idam Mamimandjiami Antony , Bengone Calixte , Ntsame‐Ndong Jophrette Mireille , Mouinga‐Ondémé Augustin , Gessain Antoine
Published: May 2020

BACKGROUND

The African continent is considered to be the largest endemic area of HTLV‐1 infection, with at least several million infected individuals. Systematic screening of blood donors can prevent the transmission of HTLV‐1 in blood. Gabon is one of the countries with the highest prevalence of HTLV‐1 worldwide, and yet the routine testing of blood donors has still not been introduced.

METHODS

All blood donations collected between April and July 2017 at the Centre National de Transfusion Sanguine of Gabon were studied. Plasma samples were screened by ELISA for the presence of HTLV‐1/2 antibodies. Western blot (WB) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests were used for confirmation.

RESULTS

In total, 3123 blood donors were tested, including 1740 repeat and 1378 first‐time blood donors (FTBDs). Of them, 132 samples tested positive for HTLV‐1/2 by ELISA (4.2%). WB and PCR confirmed HTLV‐1 infection for 23 individuals. The overall prevalence of HTLV‐1 was 0.74% [95% CI 0.47%‐1.10%], 1% in FTBD, and 0.5% in repeat donors. Age and sex‐adjusted prevalence was five‐fold lower in FTBD than in the general adult population of rural areas of Gabon. All detected HTLV‐1 strains belonged to the central African HTLV‐1b genotype but were highly diverse.

CONCLUSION

We report an overall prevalence of HTLV‐1 of 0.74%, one of the highest values reported for blood donors in Africa. Given the high risk of HTLV‐1 transmission in blood, it is necessary to conduct cost‐effectiveness studies to determine the need and feasibility of implementing screening of HTLV‐1 in blood donors in Gabon.
Effect of 7.5% hypertonic saline solution on whole blood coagulation in healthy dogs using thromboelastography
Authors: Kim Hye young , Nam Aryung , Song Kun ho , Youn Hwa young , Seo Kyoung won
Published: May 2020

Objective

To evaluate the effects of 7.5% hypertonic saline solution (HSS) on whole blood coagulation in healthy dogs and to compare electrolyte and osmolality measurements between in vivo and in vitro dilution with HSS.

Design

Experimental study.

Setting

University teaching hospital.

Animals

Twelve adult purpose‐bred Beagles.

Interventions

All 12 dogs received 5 mL/kg 7.5% HSS at 1 mL/kg/min. After a 14‐day washout period, 5 of these dogs were randomly selected and received the same volume of 0.9% NaCl. Blood samples were collected before infusion, immediately after infusion, and at 30, 60, and 90 minutes after infusion for the measurement of coagulation using thromboelastography. For comparison of electrolyte concentrations and osmolality between in vitro dilution and in vivo dilution of HSS, 6‐mL blood samples were diluted with 7.5% HSS (1:18 ratio) at baseline.

Measurements and Main Results

None of the thromboelastography variables differed significantly between the 7.5% HSS group and the 0.9% NaCl group. The sodium and chloride levels, and the osmolality, were significantly increased at all postinfusion time points compared to baseline, while those levels were significantly higher with in vitro dilution than all postinfusion time points. However, almost all the values gradually decreased and became similar to baseline values in case of in vivo dilution.

Conclusions

The clinically relevant dose of 7.5% HSS (5 mL/kg) did not affect whole blood coagulation significantly in healthy Beagles. Further studies are necessary to assess the effect of HSS on blood coagulation in canine patients with shock.
Physiologic effects of long‐term immobilization of the equine distal limb
Authors: Stewart Holly L. , Werpy Natasha M. , McIlwraith C. Wayne , Kawcak Christopher E.
Published: May 2020

Objective

To describe the effects of distal limb immobilization and remobilization in the equine metacarpophalangeal joint.

Study design

Randomized, prospective experimental study.

Animals

Eight healthy, skeletally mature horses.

Methods

One forelimb of each horse was immobilized in a fiberglass cast for 8 weeks; this was followed by 12 weeks of a treadmill‐based training program after the cast had been removed. Clinical examinations, radiography, computed tomography (CT), nuclear scintigraphy, MRI, and histomorphometry were used to examine the third metacarpal (MC3), proximal phalanx, proximal sesamoid bones, and associated soft tissues in each horse. Serum and synovial fluid were collected for biomarker analyses.

Results

Distal limb immobilization resulted in persistent lameness (P < .001), effusion (P= .002), and a decreased range of motion (P= .012) as well as radiographically visible fragments (P= .036) in the cast forelimb. Bone density was decreased (P < .001) in MC3 according to CT, and trabecular bone fluid was increased (P < .001) according to MRI in the cast forelimb. The cast forelimbs had a change (P= .009) in the appearance of the deep digital flexor tendon according to MRI immediately after removal of the cast. Numerous clinical, radiographic, CT, and MR abnormalities were visible at the end of the study period.

Conclusion

Eights weeks of cast immobilization induced changes in bone, cartilage, and periarticular soft tissues that were not reversed after 12 weeks of remobilization.

Clinical significance

Cast application should be used judiciously in horses with musculoskeletal injuries, balancing appropriate stabilization with potential morbidity secondary to cast placement.
Temporal responses of 4‐chlorophenol on the performance and functional genes expression of activated sludge in sequencing batch bioreactor
Authors: Zhao Jianguo , Li Yahe , Li Yu , Yang Dejian , Zhu Changai , Zhang Shanqing
Published: May 2020

In this study, a lab‐scale sequencing batch bioreactor (SBR) with hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 8 h was established to treat 50 mg/L 4‐chlorophenol (4‐CP), and the temporal responses of 4‐CP on the performance and the expression level of related functional genes in sludge were explored. Results showed that after the SBR was acclimated with the cometabolic carbon sources of 4‐CP and methanol, the pollutants were effectively degraded. The pollutants removal was influenced by the polysaccharides and proteins in sludge. The real‐time PCR showed that except for the gene p450, the prompt removal of pollutants before 2 h caused the significant upregulation of the other functional genes from the genus Pseudomonas in sludge, while the downregulation occurred from 2 to 8 h with the progressive removal of pollutants in SBR cycle, indicating that the removal of pollutants was closely related to the functional genes expression.
Neoliberal recontextualizations and legitimations in a post‐Confucian state
Authors: Ng Carl Jon Way
Published: May 2020

While neoliberal ethos has seen a consistent spread and reterritorialization beyond its Anglo‐American roots, the specific inflections of neoliberalism and its discourse have had to be recontextualized to fit with context‐specific values and structures of government/governance. Adopting a critical discourse‐analytic approach, this paper looks at the case of Singapore to probe the discursive moves and tropes deployed to communicate and legitimate a neoliberal‐oriented, authoritarian governance in a wealthy society marked by a high level of inequality. It shows how Singapore's ‘Asian’ sociopolitical context and its post‐Confucian heritage are amenable to a strategic discursive melding of a more conventional self‐interested, neoliberal individualism with a more locally‐situated traditionalist collective/communitarian ethos, with the latter functioning as a discursive‐moralizing trope to encourage acquiescence to a market‐fundamentalist agenda for ‘the greater/common good’.
An Experimental Study of R134a Condensation Heat Transfer in Horizontal Smooth and Enhanced Tubes
Authors: Li Wei , Guo Yu , Gu Zong-Bao , Ma Xiang , Ayub Zahid , He Yan , Kukulka David J.
Published: May 2020

In this paper, the condensation heat transfer characteristics of R134a inside enhanced tubes using two types of surface structures with different materials were investigated, which were then compared with plain tubes under the same test conditions. The enhanced tubes were: 1EHTa tube with dimpled and petal arrays structure and 1EHTb tube with protrusion and similar petal arrays structure. The experiment was conducted for a mass flux ranging from 100 to 200 kg m−2 s−1 with saturation temperature of 318.15 K. The inlet and outlet vapor qualities were fixed at 0.8 and 0.2, respectively. The test tubes had the same outer diameter of 12.7 mm. Results showed that the dimpled and protruded surface tubes enhanced the convection condensation heat transfer and the heat transfer coefficient was 1.4–1.6 times higher than that of the smooth tube. Heat transfer enhancement of the 1EHTa and 1EHTb tube was mainly due to the complex roughness surface structures that created swirling and increased the interface turbulence. The condensation heat transfer coefficient increased slightly with increasing mass flux. The pressure drop penalty was found to increase as mass flux increased. Compared with the smooth tube, the pressure drop of Cu-1EHTa tube, SS-1EHTa tube, and Cu-1EHTb tube were 1.15, 1.21, and 1.14 of smooth tube, respectively. Enhanced tubes exhibited higher performance factors (PFs) compared to the smooth tube. The average PF was 1.3–1.5. A new correlation of heat transfer coefficient has been developed within ±15% error band.
An Electromechanical Model for Electrowetting With Finite Droplet Size
Authors: Huang Deng , Qian Fang , Zhang Wenyao , Li Wenbo , Chuan Rui , Wang Qiuwang , Zhao Cunlu
Published: May 2020

We present an electromechanical model for the analysis of electrowetting by considering the balance between an electric force and a surface tension force acting on the contact line of three phases, namely the droplet (D) phase, the substrate (S) phase, and the ambiance (A) phase. We show that the Maxwell stresses at the ambiance–substrate (A–S) interface, the droplet–substrate (D–S) interface, and the droplet–ambiance (D–A) interface induce an electric force on the three-phase contact line which is responsible for the modification of the apparent contact angle in electrowetting. For a classical electrowetting configuration with a flat substrate, we show that the electric force on the contact line (or the electrowetting number) is mainly due to the Maxwell stresses at the D–A interface. The model is validated by its excellent agreement with the classical Young-Lippmann (Y-L) model for sufficiently large droplets and comparable electric permittivities between A and S phases. Interestingly, our new model reveals that the finite size of droplet produces profound effects on the electrowetting that the electrowetting number becomes dependent on the permittivity of A phase and the equilibrium contact angle, which is in stark contrast to the Y-L model. The reasons for these remarkable effects are elaborated and clarified. The findings in the current study are complementary to the classical Y-L model and provide new insights into the electrowetting phenomenon.
Damage Localization in Pressure Vessel by Guided Waves Based on Convolution Neural Network Approach
Authors: Hu Chaojie , Yang Bin , Yan Jianjun , Xiang Yanxun , Zhou Shaoping , Xuan Fu-Zhen
Published: May 2020

This paper investigates the damage localization in a pressure vessel using guided wave-based structural health monitoring (SHM) technology. An online SHM system was developed to automatically select the guided wave propagating path and collect the generated signals during the monitoring process. Deep learning approach was employed to train the convolutional neural network (CNN) model by the guided wave datasets. Two piezo-electric ceramic transducers (PZT) arrays were designed to verify the anti-interference ability and robustness of the CNN model. Results indicate that the CNN model with seven convolution layers, three pooling layers, one fully connected layer, and one Softmax layer could locate the damage with 100% accuracy rate without overfitting. This method has good anti-interference ability in vibration or PZTs failure condition, and the anti-interference ability increases with increasing of PZT numbers. The trained CNN model can locate damage with high accuracy, and it has great potential to be applied in damage localization of pressure vessels.
Dissolved oxygen from microalgae-gel patch promotes chronic wound healing in diabetes
Authors: Chen Huanhuan , Cheng Yuhao , Tian Jingrun , Yang Peizheng , Zhang Xuerao , Chen Yunhao , Hu Yiqiao , Wu Jinhui
Published: May 2020

An oxygen-producing patch made from microalgae shows great potential to heal chronic wounds in diabetes.
Extended gravitational decoupling (GD) solution for charged compact star model
Authors: Maurya S. K.
Published: May 2020

In the present article, we have obtained a new solution for the charged compact star model through the gravitational decoupling (GD) by using a complete geometric deformation (CGD) approach (Ovalle, Phys Lett B 788:213, 2019). In this approach, the initial decoupled system is separated into two subsystems namely Einstein–Maxwell’s system and quasi-Einstein system. We solve Einstein–Maxwell’s system by taking well known Tolman–Kuchowicz spacetime geometry in the context of the perfect fluid matter distribution. On the other hand, the second system introduce the anisotropy inside the matter distribution which is solved by taking an EOS in $$\theta $$θ components. The boundary conditions have been derived to determine the constants parameter. To support the mathematical and physical analysis of the present GD solution, we have plotted all the graphs for the compact objects PSR J1614-2230, 4U1608-52 and Cen X-3 corresponding to the constant $$\alpha =0.001$$α=0.001, 0.0012 and 0.0014, respectively. Moreover, we also studied the equilibrium and stability of the solution. The present study shows that the GD technique is a very significant tool to generalize the solution in a more complex form or one matter distribution to another matter distribution.
Wormhole structures in logarithmic-corrected $$R^2$$ gravity
Authors: Fayyaz I. , Shamir M. Farasat
Published: May 2020

This paper is devoted to find the feasible shape functions for the construction of static wormhole geometry in the frame work of logarithmic-corrected $$R^2$$R2 gravity model. We discuss the asymptotically flat wormhole solutions sustained by the matter sources with anisotropic pressure, isotropic pressure and barotropic pressure. For anisotropic case, we consider three shape functions and evaluate the null energy conditions and weak energy conditions graphically along with their regions. Moreover, for barotropic and isotropic pressures, we find shape function analytically and discuss its properties. For the formation of traversable wormhole geometries, we cautiously choose the values of parameters involved in f(R) gravity model. We show explicitly that our wormhole solutions violate the non-existence theorem even with logarithmic corrections. We discuss all physical properties via graphical analysis and it is concluded that the wormhole solutions with relativistic formalism can be well justified with logarithmic corrections.
Association between Timing of Surgical Intervention and Mortality in 15,813 Acute Pancreatitis
Authors: Lan Lan , Luo Jiawei , Yang Xiaoyan , Yang Dujiang , Li Mengjiao , Chen Fangwei , Zeng Nianyin , Zhou Xiaobo
Published: May 2020

Objective. In order to find the quantitative relationship between timing of surgical intervention and risk of death in necrotizing pancreatitis. Methods. The generalized additive model was applied to quantitate the relationship between surgical time (from the onset of acute pancreatitis to first surgical intervention) and risk of death adjusted for demographic characteristics, infection, organ failure, and important lab indicators extracted from the Electronic Medical Record of West China Hospital of Sichuan University. Results. We analyzed 1,176 inpatients who had pancreatic drainage, pancreatic debridement, or pancreatectomy experience of 15,813 acute pancreatitis retrospectively. It showed that when surgical time was either modelled alone or adjusted for infection or organ failure, an L-shaped relationship between surgical time and risk of death was presented. When surgical time was within 32.60 days, the risk of death was greater than 50%. Conclusion. There is an L-shaped relationship between timing of surgical intervention and risk of death in necrotizing pancreatitis.
A Posteriori Error Estimates for Hughes Stabilized SUPG Technique and Adaptive Refinement for a Convection-Diffusion Problem
Authors: Kaur Brehmit , Sangwan Vivek
Published: May 2020

The motive of the present work is to propose an adaptive numerical technique for singularly perturbed convection-diffusion problem in two dimensions. It has been observed that for small singular perturbation parameter, the problem under consideration displays sharp interior or boundary layers in the solution which cannot be captured by standard numerical techniques. In the present work, Hughes stabilization strategy along with the streamline upwind/Petrov-Galerkin (SUPG) method has been proposed to capture these boundary layers. Reliable a posteriori error estimates in energy norm on anisotropic meshes have been developed for the proposed scheme. But these estimates prove to be dependent on the singular perturbation parameter. Therefore, to overcome the difficulty of oscillations in the solution, an efficient adaptive mesh refinement algorithm has been proposed. Numerical experiments have been performed to test the efficiency of the proposed algorithm.
Lightweight Noninteractive Membership Authentication and Group Key Establishment for WSNs
Authors: Cheng Qi , Hsu Chingfang , Harn Lein
Published: May 2020

Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) exhibit their potential capacity in the next generation of mobile communication networks and wireless systems (5G). Collected data in WSNs are different from most data transmitted in digital communication applications. Most collected data in WSNs contain only few bits of information. Conventional protocols are not suitable for WSNs since this environment needs more flexible and lightweight protocols for secure group communications. Hence, how to realize the mutual secure and lightweight communication is a big challenge for WSNs. User authentication and key establishment are two fundamental security services in secure communications for WSNs. In this paper, we propose a novel design which embeds the function of membership authentication and group key establishment in WSNs. By using an asymmetric bivariate polynomial, membership authentication and pairwise shared keys distribution are realized. Then, each member mixes his/her input with pairwise shared keys with other members and releases the encrypted value in a broadcast channel. After collecting all released values, each member can compute the group key efficiently. Our proposal is noninteractive and lightweight. As it enjoys low computation and communication costs compared with the state-of-the-art cryptographic solutions, this design is more suitable for efficient membership authentication and group key establishment in WSNs.
Self‐Reported Rapid Eye Movement Sleep Behavior Disturbance and Its Associated Factors among Medicine and Health Science Students at the University of Gondar
Authors: Dagnew Baye , Dagne Henok , Andualem Zewudu
Published: May 2020

Introduction. Rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder (RBD) is characterized by dream‐enacting behavior (shouting, punching, and falling out of bed) related to unpleasant dreams and loss of normal rapid eye movement (REM) sleep muscle atonia. Rapid eye movement sleep enhances learning and memory by regulating neuronal synapses, and if it is undesirable, it can lead to cognitive impairment and poor academic performance and may end up with death. To the best of our searching databases, there is no such study conducted in Ethiopia. Therefore, this study is aimed at determining self‐reported symptoms of RBD and its associated factors among the University of Gondar medicine and health science students (2019). Methods. We conducted a cross‐sectional study from June 1 to July 2019, among medicine and health science students at the University of Gondar using a simple random sampling technique. A self‐reported RBD screening questionnaire was used to collect the data. We used Epi Info™ 7.0.8.3 and Stata 14 for data entry and statistical analyses, respectively. Descriptive statistics (frequency with percent and mean with standard deviation) and adjusted odds ratio (AOR) with 95% uncertainty interval (UI) were computed. In a multivariable binary logistic regression, variables with a p < 0.05 were declared as significant. Results. Three hundred and eighty‐seven students took part in the study. The mean age of participants was 20.81 (±1.83) years. The prevalence of self‐reported RBD was 46.25% [95% UI (41.26%‐51.24)]. Physical exercise immediately before sleep (AOR = 2.50, 95% UI (1.24‐5.02)), using Facebook immediately before sleep (AOR = 1.93, 95% UI (1.18‐3.15)), having daytime sleepiness (AOR = 1.92, 95% UI (1.16‐3.19)), and self‐reported depressive symptoms (AOR = 2.40, 95% UI (1.45‐3.99)) were significantly associated with self‐reported RBD. Conclusion. The current study revealed a high prevalence of self‐reported RBD. This remarkable problem suggested a need to design strategies to prevent RBD symptoms among university students through targeting screening of depression, daytime sleepiness, and adjusting bedtime routines such as physical exercise and internet use immediately before going to bed.
An Integral Equation for Riemann’s Zeta Function and Its Approximate Solution
Authors: Milgram Michael
Published: May 2020

Two identities extracted from the literature are coupled to obtain an integral equation for Riemann’s ξs function and thus ζs indirectly. The equation has a number of simple properties from which useful derivations flow, the most notable of which relates ζs anywhere in the critical strip to its values on a line anywhere else in the complex plane. From this, both an analytic expression for ζσ+it, everywhere inside the asymptotic t⟶∞ critical strip, as well as an approximate solution can be obtained, within the confines of which the Riemann Hypothesis is shown to be true. The approximate solution predicts a simple, but strong correlation between the real and imaginary components of ζσ+it for different values of σ and equal values of t; this is illustrated in a number of figures.
An Improved Hilbert Spectral Representation Method for Synthesizing Spatially Correlated Earthquake Ground Motions and Its Error Assessment
Authors: Zhu Luhua , Yao Erlei
Published: May 2020

This paper is an extension of the random amplitude-based improved Hilbert spectral representation method (IHSRM) that the authors developed previously for the simulation of spatially correlated earthquake ground motions (SCEGMs) possessing the nonstationary characteristics of the natural earthquake record. In fact, depending on the fundamental types (random phase method and random amplitude method) and matrix decomposition methods (Cholesky decomposition, root decomposition, and eigendecomposition), the IHSRM possesses various types. To evaluate the influence of different types of this method on the statistic errors, i.e., bias errors and stochastic errors, an error assessment for this method was conducted. First, the random phase-based IHSRM was derived, and its reliability was proven by theoretical deduction. Unified formulas were given for random phase- and random amplitude-based IHSRMs, respectively. Then, the closed-form solutions of statistic errors of simulated seismic motions were derived. The validness of the proposed closed-form solutions was proven by comparing the closed-form solutions with estimated values. At last, the stochastic errors of covariance (i.e., variance and cross-covariance) for different types of IHSRMs were compared, and the results showed that (1) the proposed IHSRM is not ergodic; (2) the random amplitude-based IHSRMs possessed higher stochastic errors of covariance than the random phase-based IHSRMs; and (3) the value of the stochastic error of covariance for the random phase-based IHSRM is dependent on the matrix decomposition method, while that for the random amplitude-based one is not.
Bibliometric Analysis of 100 Top‐Cited Articles in Gastric Disease
Authors: Yuan Fangfang , Cai Jizhen , Liu Bin , Tang Xiaowei
Published: May 2020

Objectives. The bibliometric analysis uses the citation count of an article to measure its impact in the scientific community, yet there is still no comprehensive summary of gastric disease researches via bibliometric analysis. We aimed to evaluate the situations and trends of the most cited articles in gastric disease via bibliometric analysis and to provide physicians a practical guide in assessing the most influential articles written on this subject. Methods. The 100 top‐cited articles in gastric disease were compiled using Web of Science. The articles selected were evaluated for their number of citations, year of publication, country of origin, type of study, and others. Results. The database had 484,281 articles published between 1965 and 2019. The most cited article received 4,017 citations and the least received 604, with a mean of 1,149 citations. We classified the articles into seven categories: gastric cancer (n = 53), Helicobacter pylori (n = 17), ulcer (n = 7), gastrointestinal stromal tumors (n = 6), gastritis (n = 5), gastric bypass surgery (n = 2), and others (n = 10). Altogether, 69 of the articles were from the USA (n = 41), the UK (n = 17), and Japan (n = 11). Among all the institutions, Royal Perth Hospital led the list with 5 articles. One‐quarter of authors owned three or more of these top‐cited articles. The 100 papers were published in 33 journals, and most of them were clinical researches (n = 47). Conclusions. Our study provides a historical perspective for the scientific progress of gastric disease, and the articles of significant findings that contributed great impact on the prevention and treatment of gastric disease had been identified.
EEG Signal and Feature Interaction Modeling-Based Eye Behavior Prediction Research
Authors: Ma Pengcheng , Gao Qian
Published: May 2020

In recent years, with the development of brain science and biomedical engineering, as well as the rapid development of electroencephalogram (EEG) signal analysis methods, using EEG signals to monitor human health has become a very popular research field. The innovation of this paper is to analyze the EEG signal for the first time by building a depth factorization machine model, so that on the basis of analyzing the characteristics of user interaction, we can use EEG data to predict the binomial state of eyes (open eyes and closed eyes). The significance of the research is that we can diagnose the fatigue and the health of the human body by detecting the state of eyes for a long time. On the basis of this inference, the proposed method can make a further useful auxiliary support for improving the accuracy of the recommendation system recommendation results. In this paper, we first extract the features of EEG data by wavelet transform technology and then build a depth factorization machine model (FM+LSTM) which combines factorization machine (FM) and Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) in parallel. Through the test of real data set, the proposed model gets more efficient prediction results than other classifier models. In addition, the model proposed in this paper is suitable not only for the determination of eye features but also for the acquisition of interactive features (user fatigue) in the recommendation system. The conclusion obtained in this paper will be an important factor in the determination of user preferences in the recommendation system, which will be used in the analysis of interactive features by the graph neural network in the future work.
Direct Medical Expenditures Associated with Eye Complications among Adults with Diabetes in the United States
Authors: Meraya Abdulkarim M. , Alwhaibi Monira , Khobrani Moteb A. , Makeen Hafiz A. , Alqahtani Saad S. , Banji David
Published: May 2020

Objectives. National estimates of healthcare expenditures by types of services for adults with comorbid diabetes and eye complications (ECs) are scarce. Therefore, the first objective of this study is to estimate total healthcare expenditures and expenditures by types of services (inpatient, outpatient, prescription, and emergency) for adults with ECs. The second objective is to estimate the out-of-pocket spending burden among adults with ECs. Study Design. A cross-sectional study design using data from multiple panels (2009-2015) of the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey was employed. The sample included adults aged 21 years or older with diabetes (n=8,420). Principal Findings. Of adults with diabetes, 18.9% had ECs. Adults ECs had significantly higher incremental total medical expenditures of $3,125. The highest incremental expenditures were associated with outpatient and prescription drugs. After controlling for sex, age, race, poverty level, insurance coverage, prescription coverage, perceived physical and mental health, the number of chronic physical and mental conditions, marital status, education, the region of residence, smoking status, exercise, and chronic kidney disease (CKD), there was no difference in the out-of-pocket spending burden between adults with and those without ECs. However, adults with comorbid diabetes and CKD were more likely to have the out-of-pocket spending burden than those without CKD. Conclusions. The study showed that ECs in individuals with diabetes are associated with high incremental direct medical and out-of-pocket expenditures. Therefore, it requires more health initiatives, interventions, strategies, and programs to address and minimize the risk involved in such affected individuals.
The Pressure Control of High-Pressure Tubing Based on Difference Equation
Authors: Zhang Yang , Li Rongjun , Zou Linhai
Published: May 2020

The situation where fuel enters and exits the high-pressure tubing is one of the important factors that affect the working efficiency of the engine. Based on the simplified high-pressure tubing model, this paper studies the control problems of high-pressure tubing injection and fuel supply under certain circumstances. According to the idea of the difference equation, the paper obtains the opening time of the one-way valve when the pressure value of the high-pressure tubing is kept constant or rises to a specific value by enumerating the opening time of the one-way valve. By establishing the physical model of the high-pressure tubing and the fuel injection nozzle, and then using the enumeration method, the angular velocity of the high-pressure oil pump cam when the pressure of the high-pressure fuel pipe is kept constant can be obtained. Under the more complicated injector model, the control method of the injector is solved by the double enumeration method. The results show that the above model can quickly calculate the optimal working time of the high-pressure fuel pump and needle valve when the accuracy meets the requirements.
Type-2 Combined T-S Adaptive Fuzzy Control
Authors: Hao Yunli , Li Shuang , Xia Qing , Wang Maohua
Published: May 2020

For a class of nonlinear systems with a nonlinear relationship between input and output, a fuzzy control method combining interval type-2 and T-S fuzzy controller is proposed based on type-2 fuzzy system theory. In order to ensure its stability, anti-interference ability, and minimum approximation error, this design combines direct, indirect, supervised, and compensation control types to construct the controller. In this way, the structure of the controller not only has the characteristics of the type-2 fuzzy set, which can reduce the uncertainty of rules, but also has a T-S fuzzy model with linear combination of input variables, which can improve the modeling accuracy and reduce the number of rules of the system. By using the Lyapunov synthesis method, the global stability and the convergence of the closed-loop system under the condition that all variables are uniformly bounded are analyzed, and the adaptive laws of the system parameters are given as well. Finally, the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed method are verified by simulation.
Resonant Frequency Modeling of Microwave Antennas Using Gaussian Process Based on Semisupervised Learning
Authors: Gao Jing , Tian Yubo , Zheng Xie , Chen Xuezhi
Published: May 2020

For the optimal design of electromagnetic devices, it is the most time consuming to obtain the training samples from full wave electromagnetic simulation software, including HFSS, CST, and IE3D. Traditional machine learning methods usually use only labeled samples or unlabeled samples, but in practical problems, labeled samples and unlabeled samples coexist, and the acquisition cost of labeled samples is relatively high. This paper proposes a semisupervised learning Gaussian Process (GP), which combines unlabeled samples to improve the accuracy of the GP model and reduce the number of labeled training samples required. The proposed GP model consists two parts: initial training and self-training. In the process of initial training, a small number of labeled samples obtained by full wave electromagnetic simulation are used for training the initial GP model. Afterwards, the trained GP model is copied to another GP model in the process of self-training, and then the two GP models will update after crosstraining with different unlabeled samples. Using the same test samples for testing and updating, a model with a smaller error will replace another. Repeat the self-training process until a predefined stopping criterion is met. Four different benchmark functions and resonant frequency modeling problems of three different microstrip antennas are used to evaluate the effectiveness of the GP model. The results show that the proposed GP model has a good fitting effectiveness on benchmark functions. For microstrip antennas resonant frequency modeling problems, in the case of using the same labeled samples, its predictive ability is better than that of the traditional supervised GP model.
Behaviour Change Domains Likely to Influence Occupational Therapist Use of the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure
Authors: Colquhoun Heather L. , Islam Rafat , Sullivan Katrina J. , Sandercock Jane , Steinwender Sandy , Grimshaw Jeremy M.
Published: May 2020

Introduction. Occupational therapists have shown low adoption rates for many evidence-based practices. One such practice is the limited uptake of standardized outcome measures such as the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure. Use of this measure has not consistently translated into practice despite decades of encouragement. Theory-based approaches to understanding healthcare provider behaviour change are needed if we are to realize the goal of attaining practice that is in keeping with evidence. This study utilized the Theoretical Domains Framework, a theory-based approach for understanding barriers to evidence-based practice, in order to increase our understanding of the limited uptake of the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure in occupational therapy practice. Methods. Theoretical Domains Framework methods were followed. First, primary data was collected from occupational therapists through semistructured interviews that focused on key behaviour change domains as they related to the use of the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure. Two independent researchers coded interview data into domains, derived belief statements from the data, and used belief strength, conflict, and frequency to determine the more and less influential domains for using the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure. Results. Interviews with 15 practicing occupational therapists across a range of practice areas yielded six key behaviour change domains for increasing the use of the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure. The more relevant domains were Social influences, Social professional role and identity, Beliefs about consequences, Beliefs about capabilities, Skills, and Behavioural regulation). The other eight domains were found to be less relevant. Conclusion. We identified important domains and beliefs that influence the use of the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure by occupational therapists. Results inform our understanding of the use of this measure in practice and identify potential targets for behaviour change interventions.
Factors Associated with Anxiety and Depression among Diabetes, Hypertension, and Heart Failure Patients at Dessie Referral Hospital, Northeast Ethiopia
Authors: Edmealem Afework , Olis Caridad Sanchez
Published: May 2020

Background. Anxiety and depression are common in patients with diabetes, hypertension, and heart failure. However, they are usually unrecognized and untreated especially in developing countries. Identifying factors associated with anxiety and depression is helpful for early screening and management. Objective. This study is aimed at assessing factors associated with anxiety and depression among diabetes, hypertension, and heart failure patients at Dessie Referral Hospital, Northeast Ethiopia. Methods. An institutional-based cross-sectional study was conducted in Dessie Referral Hospital from February 22, 2019 to April 6, 2019. A total of 404 diabetic, hypertension, and heart failure patients were included through systematic sampling technique. The data were collected by face-to-face interview. After data collection, the data were cleaned and presented with text, graphs, and tables. Multivariable binary logistic regression was deployed to identify factors at a P value of < 0.05. Result. A total of 384 patients participated with a 94.8% response rate. Among these, 32% and 5.73% of them had anxiety and depression, respectively. Patients who did not read and write develop anxiety 7.89 times more likely compared with those whose educational status is diploma and above (AOR: 7.89; 95% CI: 3.08-20.26; P=0.001). Patients who took substances like chat, cigarette, shisha, hashish, and alcohol develop anxiety 2.56 times more likely compared with their counterparts (AOR: 2.56; 95% CI: 1.05–6.23; P=0.038). Patients whose level of physical activity is inactive develop depression 24 times more likely than patients who did a health-enhancing physical activity. Patients who are widowed develop depression 5 times more likely compared with married patients. Conclusion and Recommendations. Low educational level, being single and widowed, substance use, poor perception towards prognosis of illness, and monthly income were factors associated with anxiety. On the other hand, being single and unable to do physical activity were statistically associated with depression. Patients with low educational level and monthly income should be screened and supported for anxiety. Health care providers should provide advice to patients about the importance of physical activity to prevent depression.
Occupational Exposure to Blood and Body Fluids among Health Care Workers in Gondar Town, Northwest Ethiopia: A Result from Cross-Sectional Study
Authors: Abere Giziew , Yenealem Dawit Getachew , Wami Sintayehu Daba
Published: May 2020

Background. Health care workers are at the greatest risk of developing blood-borne diseases through occupational exposure to blood and other contaminated body fluids. Occupational exposure to blood and body fluids (BBFs) continues to be the major public health problems and serious concern for the health care force in Ethiopia. Therefore, this study was aimed to determine the prevalence of exposure to blood and other body fluids and its associated risk factors among health care workers.Methods. The institution-based cross-sectional study design was employed from January 20 to February 30, 2018. A stratified random sampling followed by a simple random sampling technique was used to select 286 study participants. Data were collected using a pretested and structured questionnaire. Bivariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to identify factors associated with occupational exposure to BBFs. The significance level was obtained at a 95% confidence interval (CI) andpvalue ≤ 0.05.Results. The prevalence of occupational exposure to blood and body fluids among health care workers in the last 12 months was 65.3% (95% CI: 59.4, 70.9). Lack of readily available personal protective equipment (adjusted odds ratio (AOR)) = 3.01, 95% CI: 1.56, 5.84), lack of training (AOR = 3.36, 95% CI: 1.1, 11.2), Khat chewing (AOR = 2.74, 95% CI: 1.3, 5.8), and being a medical doctor (AOR = 5.1, 95% CI: 1.68, 15.21) were significantly associated risk factors with occupational exposure to blood and other body fluids.Conclusions. In this study, occupational exposure to blood and other body fluids among health care workers remains a major health problem. Hence, ensuring the availability of personal protective equipment, developing strategies on banning, and strict monitoring of Khat chewing and training on infection prevention should be emphasized to minimize the problem.
GSPSO-LRF-ELM: Grid Search and Particle Swarm Optimization-Based Local Receptive Field-Enabled Extreme Learning Machine for Surface Defects Detection and Classification on the Magnetic Tiles
Authors: Xie Jun , Zhang Jin , Liang Fengmei , Yang Yunyun , Xu Xinying , Dong Junjie
Published: May 2020

Machine vision-based surface defect detection and classification have always been the hot research topics in Artificial Intelligence. However, existing work focuses mainly on the detection rather than the classification. In this article, we propose GSPSO-LRF-ELM that is the grid search (GS) and the particle swarm optimization- (PSO-) based local receptive field-enabled extreme learning machine (ELM-LRF) for the detection and classification of the surface defects on the magnetic tiles. In the ELM-LRF classifier, the balance parameter C and the number of feature maps K via the GS algorithm and the initial weight Ainit via the PSO algorithm are optimized to improve the performance of the classifier. The images used in the experiments are from the dataset collected by Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences. The experiment results show that the proposed algorithm can achieve 96.36% accuracy of the classification, which has significantly outperformed several state-of-the-art approaches.
Evolution of the Efficiency of Nationwide Commercial Banks in China Based on an SBM-Undesirable Model and DEA Window Analysis
Authors: Guo Lei , Na Sanggyun , Tan Xianhua , Gui Pengfei , Liu Congchong
Published: May 2020

In recent years, Chinese economic development has slowed down and competition in the financial industry has become increasingly fierce. The purpose of this paper is to study the efficiency characteristics of China’s banking industry in the new environment and provide suggestions for banks to improve efficiency. This paper uses a data envelopment analysis (DEA) SBM-undesirable model and window analysis to measure the technical efficiency of 13 nationwide commercial banks in China during the period from 2008 to 2017. Furthermore, the convergence characteristics of bank technical efficiency are examined. The empirical results show that state-owned banks were more efficient than joint stock banks before 2012. After 2012, state-owned banks were less efficient than joint stock banks. Finally, this paper explores the influential factors of technical efficiency. Noninterest income ratio, net interest margin, growth rate of total investment in fixed assets, and consumer price index have a significant positive impact on bank efficiency. The cost-to-income ratio has a significant negative impact on bank efficiency. Further research using the threshold model shows that noninterest income ratio has a threshold effect on bank efficiency.
Impact of Pore-Scale Characteristics on Immiscible Fluid Displacement
Authors: Mahabadi Nariman , van Paassen Leon , Battiato Ilenia , Yun Tae Sup , Choo Hyunwook , Jang Jaewon
Published: May 2020

Immiscible fluid flows (drainage displacement) where nonwetting fluid invades porous media filled with wetting fluid are frequently observed. Numerous studies have confirmed the existence of three different displacement patterns which depend on the viscosity ratio and capillary number: stable displacement, viscous fingering, and capillary fingering. However, the phase boundary and displacement efficiency of each displacement pattern can vary significantly depending on the characteristics of the experimental and numerical tools employed. In this study, a three-dimensional (3D) tube network model was extracted from 3D X-ray computed tomography images of natural sand. The extracted network model was used to quantitatively outline the phase boundary of the displacement pattern and to examine the displacement efficiency for wide ranges of viscosity ratios and capillary numbers. Moreover, the effects of the tube size distribution and tube connectivity on the displacement characteristics were investigated. A transition regime between the viscous fingering and capillary fingering zones with regard to the displacement efficiency was observed for the first time. As the tube size distribution became uniform, the viscosity effect increased. As the tube connectivity decreased to ~4.6, the phase boundary became similar to that of a two-dimensional network. The characteristic changes of the phase boundary and displacement efficiency were highlighted through local gradient diagrams.
Severe Pulmonary Hypertension as Initial Presentation of SLE: A Case Report and Literature Review
Authors: Kiani Rabia , Siddiqui Muhammad Danial , Tantoush Hamza
Published: May 2020

Severe pulmonary artery hypertension (PAH) is a rare initial presentation of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). SLE associated with PAH carries worse prognosis that isolated SLE. However, there has been improvement in mortality of the patients in the recent years owing to newer treatment options available. Early recognition remains of prime importance. We present here a case of young female who presented with severe pulmonary hypertension with right heart failure leading to cardiogenic shock and was found to have SLE. She was started on appropriate treatment; however, given the severity of her illness, the patient did not survive. This case highlights the importance of early recognition and prompt treatment of SLE-associated PAH, which might improve the survival rate in the patients.
iTRAQ‐Based Comparative Proteomics Analysis of Urolithiasis Rats Induced by Ethylene Glycol
Authors: Cao Yanan , Duan Bin , Gao Xiaowei , Wang E. , Dong Zhitao
Published: May 2020

Nephrolithiasis is a frequent chronic urological condition with a high prevalence and recurrence rate. Proteomics studies on urolithiasis rat models are highly important in characterizing the pathophysiology of kidney stones and identifying potential approaches for preventing and treating kidney stones. The isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantification (iTRAQ) were performed to identify differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) in the kidney between urolithiasis rats and control rats. The results showed that 127 DEPs (85 upregulated and 42 downregulated) were identified in urolithiasis and control rats. The functions of DEPs were predicted by Gene Ontology (GO) analysis, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis, and protein–protein interaction (PPI) network analysis. The expression of four upregulated proteins (Tagln, Akr1c9, Spp1, and Fbn1) and four downregulated proteins (Hbb, Epb42, Hmgcs2, and Ca1) were validated by parallel reaction monitoring (PRM). Proteomics studies of ethylene glycol‐induced urolithiasis rat models using iTRAQ and PRM helped to elucidate the molecular mechanism governing nephrolithiasis and to identify candidate proteins for the treatment of kidney stones.