bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Urinary incontinence and sedentary behaviour in nursing home residents in Osona, Catalonia: protocol for the OsoNaH project, a multicentre observational study
Authors: Farrés-Godayol Pau , Jerez-Roig Javier , Minobes-Molina Eduard , Yildirim Meltem , Goutan-Roura Ester , Coll-Planas Laura , Escribà-Salvans Anna , Molas-Tuneu Miriam , Moreno-Martin Pau , Rierola-Fochs Sandra , Rierola-Colomer Sergi , Romero-Mas Montse , Torres-Moreno Miriam , Naudó-Molist Jordi , Bezerra de Souza Dyego Leandro , Booth Joanne , Skelton Dawn A , Giné-Garriga Maria
Published: April 2021

Introduction

Several studies have shown that physical activity (PA) levels and sedentary behaviour (SB) are independent risk factors for many health-related issues. However, there is scarce evidence supporting the relationship between SB and urinary incontinence (UI) in community-dwelling older adults, and no information on any possible association in institutionalised older adults. Stage I of this project has the main objective of determining the prevalence of UI and its associated factors in nursing home (NH) residents, as well as analysing the association between UI (and its types) and SB. Stage II aims to investigate the incidence and predictive factors of functional and continence decline, falls, hospitalisations, mortality and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic among NH residents.

Methods and analysis

Stage I is an observational, multicentre, cross-sectional study with mixed methodology that aims to explore the current status of several health-related outcomes in NH residents of Osona (Barcelona, Spain). The prevalence ratio will be used as an association measure and multivariate analysis will be undertaken using Poisson regression with robust variance. Stage II is a 2-year longitudinal study that aims to analyse functional and continence decline, incidence of falls, hospitalisations, mortality and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on these outcomes. A survival analysis using the actuarial method for functional decline and continence, evaluated every 6 months, and the Kaplan-Meier method for falls, hospitalisations and deaths, and Cox regression for multivariate analysis will be undertaken.

Ethics and dissemination

The study received the following approvals: University of Vic - Central University of Catalonia Ethics and Research Committee (92/2019 and 109/2020), Clinical Research Ethics Committee of the Osona Foundation for Health Research and Education (FORES) (code 2020118/PR249). Study results will be disseminated at conferences, meetings and through peer-reviewed journals.

Trial registration number

NCT04297904.
Clinical practice competencies and associated factors among graduating nursing students attending at universities in Northern Ethiopia: institution-based cross-sectional study
Authors: Getie Addisu , Tsige Yosief , Birhanie Emebet , Tlaye Kenean Getaneh , Demis Asmamaw
Published: April 2021

Objective

To assess clinical practice competencies and associated factors among graduating nursing students attending public universities found in the Amhara Region, Ethiopia

Design

Institution-based cross-sectional study design

Setting

The study was conducted in six universities found in the Amhara Region from February to April 2018.

Participants

307 graduating nursing students participated. Of these, 173 were male and 134 were females from different ethnic groups; Amhara 145, Oromo 84, Tigris 44 and Gurage 17. Graduating nursing students attending regular degree programmes were included.

Outcome measurements

Clinical instructor (good vs not good), clinical environment (conducive vs not conducive), assessment method (measurable vs not measurable), clinical staff-student interaction (good vs not good), clinical practice competency (competent vs incompetent).

Result

The study revealed that 33.6% (95% CI 26.3% to 39.41%) of students were clinically competent. Orientation about the objective of clinical practice (adjusted OR, AOR 2.387; 95% CI 1.011 to 5.635), enough time for mentoring during clinical practice (AOR 2.247; 95% CI 1.100 to 4.593). Students followed by instructors during conducting a procedure (AOR 2.655; 95% CI 1.294 to 5.449), assessment checklist during clinical practice (AOR 2.663; 95% CI 1.324 to 5.358), students who were allowed by clinical staffs to perform tasks (AOR 5.858; 95% CI 2.657 to 12.916), clinical instructor factors (AOR 3.051; 95% CI 1.717 to 5.421) and student–staff interaction factors (AOR 2.348; 95% CI (1.337 to 4.124) were statistically significant variables with the level of competency.

Conclusion

Around one-third of the students were clinically competent. Clinical instructor and staff–student interaction were significantly associated with clinical practice competencies among graduating nursing students. Therefore, designing an appropriate clinical practice protocol that includes improving the supervision of a clinical instructor is important to enhance the clinical practice competency of students.
Codesign and development of a primary school based pathway for child anxiety screening and intervention delivery: a protocol, mixed-methods feasibility study
Authors: Williamson Victoria , Larkin Michael , Reardon Tessa , Pearcey Samantha , Hill Claire , Stallard Paul , Spence Susan H , Breen Maria , Macdonald Ian , Ukoumunne Obioha , Ford Tamsin , Violato Mara , Sniehotta Falko , Stainer Jason , Gray Alastair , Brown Paul , Sancho Michelle , Creswell Cathy
Published: April 2021

Introduction

Anxiety difficulties are among the most common mental health problems in childhood. Despite this, few children access evidence-based interventions, and school may be an ideal setting to improve children’s access to treatment. This article describes the design, methods and expected data collection of the Identifying Child Anxiety Through Schools – Identification to Intervention (iCATS i2i) study, which aims to develop acceptable school-based procedures to identify and support child anxiety difficulties.

Methods and analysis

iCATS i2i will use a mixed-methods approach to codesign and deliver a set of procedures—or ‘pathway’—to improve access to evidence-based intervention for child anxiety difficulties through primary schools in England. The study will consist of four stages, initially involving in-depth interviews with parents, children, school staff and stakeholders (stage 1) to inform the development of the pathway. The pathway will then be administered in two primary schools, including screening, feedback to parents and the offer of treatment where indicated (stage 2), with participating children, parents and school staff invited to provide feedback on their experience (stages 3 and 4). Data will be analysed using Template Analysis.

Ethics and dissemination

The iCATS i2i study was approved by the University of Oxford’s Research Ethics Committee (REF R64620/RE001). It is expected that this codesign study will lead on to a future feasibility study and, if indicated, a randomised controlled trial. The findings will be disseminated in several ways, including via lay summary report, publication in academic journals and presentation at conferences. By providing information on child, parent, school staff and other stakeholder’s experiences, we anticipate that the findings will inform the development of an acceptable evidence-based pathway for identification and intervention for children with anxiety difficulties in primary schools and may also inform broader approaches to screening for and treating youth mental health problems outside of clinics.
Promoting physical health among people with enduring mental illness: a qualitative study of healthcare providers’ perspectives
Authors: Collins Claire , Finegan Pearse , O'Shea Marie , Larkin James , Pericin Ivana , Osborne Brian
Published: April 2021

Background

People with enduring mental illness (EMI) have higher morbidity and mortality from chronic diseases than the general population, and this results in a signiﬁcantly reduced relative life expectancy—accounted for primarily by physical illness. This gap may be partly influenced by the reduced likelihood of access to and uptake of regular physical health screening.

Aim

To establish Irish service providers’ perspectives regarding the care of the physical health of people with EMI in an effort to inform future service developments aimed at improving the physical health of people with EMI.

Design and setting

Qualitative study of healthcare providers—general practitioners (GPs) and members of the community mental health teams—in Ireland.

Participants

GPs and mental health service providers.

Methods

Qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with 34 service providers. Thematic analysis was undertaken.

Results

Participants considered that the physical health of people with EMI is not currently regularly addressed by the patient’s GP or the mental health team. Factors associated with this include patient compliance with attendance, time constraints in consultations to adequately support patient self-management, communication difficulties with the patient and between primary and secondary care, and lack of clarity as to whose responsibility it is to ensure physical health is monitored. In participants’ view, a barrier to improvement is the present funding approach.

Conclusion

The evidence from this study has the potential to form the basis for innovation and change in service delivery for people with an EMI in Ireland and internationally, specifically in countries where it is not clear who has the overall responsibility to monitor the physical health of patients with EMI. This role requires time and regular contact, and both the organisation and the funding of the health system need to support it.
Perceptions of partial gland ablation for prostate cancer among men on active surveillance: a qualitative study
Authors: Hur Sonia , Tzeng Michael , Cricco-Lizza Eliza , Basourakos Spyridon , Yu Miko , Ancker Jessica , Abramson Erika , Saigal Christopher , Ross Ashley , Hu Jim
Published: April 2021

Objectives

Partial gland ablation (PGA) therapy is an emerging treatment modality that targets specific areas of biopsy-proven prostate cancer (PCa) to minimize treatment-related morbidity by sparing benign prostate. This qualitative study aims to explore and characterize perceptions and attitudes toward PGA in men with very-low-risk, low-risk, and favorable intermediate-risk PCa on active surveillance (AS).

Design

92 men diagnosed with very-low-risk, low-risk, and favorable intermediate-risk PCa on AS were invited to participate in semistructured telephone interviews on PGA.

Setting

Single tertiary care center located in New York City.

Participants

20 men with very-low-risk, low-risk, and favorable intermediate-risk PCa on AS participated in the interviews.

Main outcome measures

Emerging themes on perceptions and attitudes toward PGA were developed from transcripts inductively coded and analyzed under standardized methodology.

Results

Four themes were derived from 20 interviews that represent the primary considerations in treatment decision-making: (1) the feeling of psychological safety associated with low-risk disease; (2) preference for minimally invasive treatments; (3) the central role of the physician; (4) and the pursuit of treatment options that align with disease severity. Eleven men (55%) expressed interest in pursuing PGA only if their cancer were to progress, while nine men (45%) expressed interest at the current moment.

Conclusions

Although an emerging treatment modality, patients were broadly accepting of PGA for PCa, with men primarily debating the risks versus benefits of proactively treating low-risk disease. Additional research on men’s preferences and attitudes toward PGA will further guide counseling and shared decision-making for PGA.
Cancer survivors 75 years and older: physical, emotional and practical needs
Authors: Fitch Margaret I , Nicoll Irene , Lockwood Gina , Strohschein Fay J , Newton Lorelei
Published: April 2021

Objectives

To describe physical, emotional and practical concerns and access to help of Canadian cancer survivors aged 75+ years following treatment.

Methods

A survey was designed to identify concerns and access to help across three supportive care domains for cancer survivors 1–3 years post-treatment. Random samples were drawn from 10 provincial cancer registries. Survey packages were mailed to 40 790 survivors with option to reply by mail or online in French or English. Descriptive analysis was conducted.

Results

In total, 3274 (25%) survivors aged 75+ years responded to the survey. Fifty-five per cent were men, 72% had not experienced metastatic spread and 75% reported comorbid conditions. Eighty-one per cent reported experiencing at least one physical concern, 63% experienced at least one emotional concern and 30% experienced at least one practical concern. The most commonly reported concerns were for two physical changes (fatigue 62% and bladder/urinary problems 39%) and one emotional change (anxiety/fear of recurrence 53%). More than 50% did not receive assistance for 15 concerns across the three domains. The most frequently cited reason for not seeking help for a concern was that they were told it was normal and they did not think anything could be done. Unmet needs existed for all physical, emotional and practical changes ranging from 41% to 88% of respondents.

Conclusions

Many older adults are at risk for experiencing physical, emotional and practical concerns following cancer treatment yet are not obtaining help. Action is needed for early identification of these individuals to mitigate the impact of unmet needs for older cancer survivors.
Sex differences in investigations and outcomes among patients with type 2 myocardial infarction
Authors: Kimenai Dorien M , Lindahl Bertil , Chapman Andrew R , Baron Tomasz , Gard Anton , Wereski Ryan , Meex Steven J R , Jernberg Tomas , Mills Nicholas L , Eggers Kai M
Published: April 2021

Objectives

Type 2 myocardial infarction (MI) is a heterogenous condition and whether there are differences between women and men is unknown. We evaluated sex differences in clinical characteristics, investigations and outcomes in patients with type 2 MI.

Methods

In the Swedish Web based system for Enhancement and Development of Evidence based care in Heart disease Evaluated According to Recommended Therapies (SWEDEHEART) registry, we compared patients admitted to coronary care units with a diagnosis of type 1 or type 2 MI. Sex-stratified Cox regression models evaluated the association with all-cause death in men and women separately.

Results

We included 57 264 (median age 73 years, 65% men) and 6485 (median age 78 years, 50% men) patients with type 1 and type 2 MI, respectively. No differences were observed in the proportion of men and women with type 2 MI who underwent echocardiography and coronary angiography, but women were less likely than men to have left ventricular (LV) impairment and obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD). Compared with type 1 MI, patients with type 2 MI had higher risk of death regardless of sex (men: adjusted HR 1.55 (95% CI 1.44 to 1.67); women: adjusted HR 1.34 (95% CI 1.24 to 1.45)). In those with type 2 MI, the risk of death was lower for women than men (adjusted HR 0.85 (95% CI 0.76 to 0.92) (men, reference)).

Conclusions

Type 2 MI occurred in men and women equally and we found no evidence of sex bias in the selection of patients for cardiac investigations. Patients with type 2 MI had worse outcomes, but women were less likely to have obstructive CAD or severe LV impairment and were more likely to survive than men.
The Moore–Penrose inverse: a hundred years on a frontline of physics research
Authors: Baksalary Oskar Maria , Trenkler Götz
Published: April 2021

The Moore–Penrose inverse celebrated its 100th birthday in 2020, as the notion standing behind the term was first defined by Eliakim Hastings Moore in 1920 (Bull Am Math Soc 26:394–395, 1920). Its rediscovery by Sir Roger Penrose in 1955 (Proc Camb Philos Soc 51:406–413, 1955) can be considered as a caesura, after which the inverse attracted the attention it deserves and has henceforth been exploited in various research branches of applied origin. The paper contemplates the role, which the Moore–Penrose inverse plays in research within physics and related areas at present. An overview of the up-to-date literature leads to the conclusion that the inverse “grows” along with the development of physics and permanently (maybe even more demonstrably now than ever before) serves as a powerful and versatile tool to cope with the current research problems.
High-order harmonic generation in hexagonal nanoribbons
Authors: Jürß Hannah , Bauer Dieter
Published: April 2021

The generation of high-order harmonics in finite, hexagonal nanoribbons is simulated. Ribbons with armchair and zig-zag edges are investigated by using a tight-binding approach with only nearest-neighbor hopping. By turning an alternating on-site potential off or on, the system describes for example graphene or hexagonal boron nitride, respectively. The incoming laser pulse is linearly polarized along with the ribbons. The emitted light has a polarization component parallel to the polarization of the incoming field. The presence or absence of a polarization component perpendicular to the polarization of the incoming field can be explained by the symmetry of the ribbons. Characteristic features in the harmonic spectra for the finite ribbons are analyzed with the help of the band structure for the corresponding periodic systems.
Values of multiple zeta functions with polynomial denominators at non-positive integers
Authors: Essouabri Driss , Matsumoto Kohji
Published: April 2021

We study rather general multiple zeta functions whose denominators are given by polynomials. The main aim is to prove explicit formulas for the values of those multiple zeta functions at non-positive integer points. We first treat the case when the polynomials are power sums, and observe that some “trivial zeros” exist. We also prove that special values are sometimes transcendental. Then we proceed to the general case, and show an explicit expression of special values at non-positive integer points which involves certain period integrals. We give examples of transcendental values of those special values or period integrals. We also mention certain relations among Bernoulli numbers which can be deduced from our explicit formulas. Our proof of explicit formulas are based on the Euler–Maclaurin summation formula, Mahler’s theorem, and a Raabe-type lemma due to Friedman and Pereira.
A normalized score-based weighted PageRank algorithm on ranking prediction of basketball games
Authors: Chen Yang , Qiu Yepeng , Ren Wei
Published: April 2021

Ranking of sports teams has always been significant to sponsors, coaches, as well as audiences. Prevailing prediction methods investigate probabilities by taking into account of different kinds of attributes (e.g. field goals, fields goal attempts) in order to establish a detail-based mechanism for analyzing the capability among competing teams. The different types of activation and inhibition actions between athletes provide a considerable challenge in the framework of network analysis. Moreover, these attributes interactions might add up the substantial redundancy to network frame as well. This paper proposes a weighted PageRank algorithm based on the normalized basketball match scores from a macroscopic point of view. Taking Chinese Basketball Association and Chinese University Basketball Association as examples, the developed approach takes into account the win/lose nature of interactions between each pair of competing teams in the framework of PageRank network. We also evolve a weighted network model for the network matrix which highlights the capability difference of teams whose PageRank probabilities are most sensitive with respect to the scores of the two competing teams. The chance of championship of teams can be better demonstrated by the PageRank probabilities. The results show that our method achieves more precise predicting result than that of original PageRank algorithm and Hypertext-Induced Topic Search algorithm.
Anisotropic stellar compact spheres in f(R) gravity via Karmarkar approach
Authors: Abbas G. , Nazar H. , Qaisar S. , Güdekli Ertan
Published: April 2021

This paper investigates the new interior solution of stellar compact spheres in the framework of metric [Formula: see text] gravity. In this connection, we derived the Einstein field equations for static anisotropic spherically symmetric spacetime in the mechanism of Karmakar condition. The obtained results of the field equations have been studied with well-known Starobinskian model [Formula: see text] by using three different compact stars like RXJ1856-37, [Formula: see text]-[Formula: see text], [Formula: see text]-[Formula: see text]. Moreover, the constants involved in the solution of metric potentials have been determined through smooth matching conditions between the interior geometry and exterior spacetime. Thereafter, the physical significance of the obtained results is examined in the form of fluid variables, equation of state (EoS) parameters, energy conditions, anisotropic stress and stability analysis by using the graphical plot. The approximated values of the constants and the mass-radius relation have been calculated through different stellar star objects ([Formula: see text]-[Formula: see text] ([Formula: see text]), [Formula: see text]-[Formula: see text] ([Formula: see text]) and [Formula: see text]-[Formula: see text] ([Formula: see text])) shown in Table 1. Finally, we have concluded that our considered compact stellar objects with particular choice of [Formula: see text] model in the mechanism of Karmakar condition satisfies all the necessary bounds for potentially stable formation of the stars.
Predicting Influential Users in Online Social Network Groups
Authors: De Salve Andrea , Mori Paolo , Guidi Barbara , Ricci Laura , Pietro Roberto Di
Published: April 2021

The widespread adoption of Online Social Networks (OSNs), the ever-increasing amount of information produced by their users, and the corresponding capacity to influence markets, politics, and society, have led both industrial and academic researchers to focus on how such systems could be
influenced
. While previous work has mainly focused on measuring current influential users, contents, or pages on the overall OSNs, the problem of predicting influencers in OSNs has remained relatively unexplored from a research perspective. Indeed, one of the main characteristics of OSNs is the ability of users to create different groups types, as well as to join groups defined by other users, in order to share information and opinions.

In this article, we formulate the Influencers Prediction problem in the context of groups created in OSNs, and we define a general framework and an effective methodology to predict which users will be able to influence the behavior of the other ones in a future time period, based on historical interactions that occurred within the group. Our contribution, while rooted in solid rationale and established analytical tools, is also supported by an extensive experimental campaign. We investigate the accuracy of the predictions collecting data concerning the interactions among about 800,000 users from 18 Facebook groups belonging to different categories (i.e., News, Education, Sport, Entertainment, and Work). The achieved results show the quality and viability of our approach. For instance, we are able to predict, on average, for each group, around a third of what an ex-post analysis will show being the 10 most influential members of that group. While our contribution is interesting on its own and—to the best of our knowledge—unique, it is worth noticing that it also paves the way for further research in this field.
CoCoS: Fast and Accurate Distributed Triangle Counting in Graph Streams
Authors: Shin Kijung , Lee Euiwoong , Oh Jinoh , Hammoud Mohammad , Faloutsos Christos
Published: April 2021

Given a graph stream, how can we estimate the number of triangles in it using multiple machines with limited storage? Specifically, how should edges be processed and sampled across the machines for rapid and accurate estimation?

The count of triangles (i.e., cliques of size three) has proven useful in numerous applications, including anomaly detection, community detection, and link recommendation. For triangle counting in large and dynamic graphs, recent work has focused largely on streaming algorithms and distributed algorithms but little on their combinations for “the best of both worlds.”

In this work, we propose
CoCoS
, a fast and accurate distributed streaming algorithm for estimating the counts of global triangles (i.e., all triangles) and local triangles incident to each node. Making one pass over the input stream,
CoCoS
carefully processes and stores the edges across multiple machines so that the redundant use of computational and storage resources is minimized. Compared to baselines,
CoCoS
is:
(a) accurate:
giving up to

smaller estimation error;
(b) fast
: up to

faster, scaling linearly with the size of the input stream; and
(c) theoretically sound
: yielding unbiased estimates.
Exploring Deep Reinforcement Learning for Task Dispatching in Autonomous On-Demand Services
Authors: Yang Lei , Yu Xi , Cao Jiannong , Liu Xuxun , Zhou Pan
Published: April 2021

Autonomous on-demand services, such as GOGOX (formerly GoGoVan) in Hong Kong, provide a platform for users to request services and for suppliers to meet such demands. In such a platform, the suppliers have autonomy to accept or reject the demands to be dispatched to him/her, so it is challenging to make an online matching between demands and suppliers. Existing methods use round-based approaches to dispatch demands. In these works, the dispatching decision is based on the predicted response patterns of suppliers to demands in the current round, but they all fail to consider the impact of future demands and suppliers on the current dispatching decision. This could lead to taking a suboptimal dispatching decision from the future perspective. To solve this problem, we propose a novel demand dispatching model using deep reinforcement learning. In this model, we make each demand as an agent. The action of each agent, i.e., the dispatching decision of each demand, is determined by a centralized algorithm in a coordinated way. The model works in the following two steps. (1) It learns the demand’s expected value in each spatiotemporal state using historical transition data. (2) Based on the learned values, it conducts a Many-To-Many dispatching using a combinatorial optimization algorithm by considering both immediate rewards and expected values of demands in the next round. In order to get a higher total reward, the demands with a high expected value (short response time) in the future may be delayed to the next round. On the contrary, the demands with a low expected value (long response time) in the future would be dispatched immediately. Through extensive experiments using real-world datasets, we show that the proposed model outperforms the existing models in terms of Cancellation Rate and Average Response Time.
A Scalable Redefined Stochastic Blockmodel
Authors: Liu Xueyan , Yang Bo , Chen Hechang , Musial Katarzyna , Chen Hongxu , Li Yang , Zuo Wanli
Published: April 2021

Stochastic blockmodel (SBM) is a widely used statistical network representation model, with good interpretability, expressiveness, generalization, and flexibility, which has become prevalent and important in the field of network science over the last years. However, learning an optimal SBM for a given network is an NP-hard problem. This results in significant limitations when it comes to applications of SBMs in large-scale networks, because of the significant computational overhead of existing SBM models, as well as their learning methods. Reducing the cost of SBM learning and making it scalable for handling large-scale networks, while maintaining the good theoretical properties of SBM, remains an unresolved problem. In this work, we address this challenging task from a novel perspective of model redefinition. We propose a novel redefined SBM with Poisson distribution and its block-wise learning algorithm that can efficiently analyse large-scale networks. Extensive validation conducted on both artificial and real-world data shows that our proposed method significantly outperforms the state-of-the-art methods in terms of a reasonable trade-off between accuracy and scalability.
1
A Re-examination of Dichoptic Tone Mapping
Authors: Wang Minqi , Cooper Emily A.
Published: April 2021

Dichoptic tone mapping methods aim to leverage stereoscopic displays to increase visual detail and contrast in images and videos. These methods, which have been called both
binocular tone mapping
and
dichoptic contrast enhancement
, selectively emphasize contrast differently in the two eyes’ views. The visual system integrates these contrast differences into a unified percept, which is theorized to contain more contrast overall than each eye’s view on its own. As stereoscopic displays become increasingly common for augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR), dichoptic tone mapping is an appealing technique for imaging pipelines. We sought to examine whether a standard photographic technique, exposure bracketing, could be modified to enhance contrast similarly to dichoptic tone mapping. While assessing the efficacy of this technique with user studies, we also re-evaluated existing dichoptic tone mapping methods. Across several user studies; however, we did not find evidence that either dichoptic tone mapping or dichoptic exposures consistently increased subjective image preferences. We also did not observe improvements in subjective or objective measures of detail visibility. We did find evidence that dichoptic methods enhanced subjective 3D impressions. Here, we present these results and evaluate the potential contributions and current limitations of dichoptic methods for applications in stereoscopic displays.
Multiconfiguration Pair-Density Functional Theory
Authors: Sharma Prachi , Bao Jie J. , Truhlar Donald G. , Gagliardi Laura
Published: April 2021

Kohn-Sham density functional theory with the available exchange–correlation functionals is less accurate for strongly correlated systems, which require a multiconfigurational description as a zero-order function, than for weakly correlated systems, and available functionals of the spin densities do not accurately predict energies for many strongly correlated systems when one uses multiconfigurational wave functions with spin symmetry. Furthermore, adding a correlation functional to a multiconfigurational reference energy can lead to double counting of electron correlation. Multiconfiguration pair-density functional theory (MC-PDFT) overcomes both obstacles, the second by calculating the quantum mechanical part of the electronic energy entirely by a functional, and the first by using a functional of the total density and the on-top pair density rather than the spin densities. This allows one to calculate the energy of strongly correlated systems efficiently with a pair-density functional and a suitable multiconfigurational reference function. This article reviews MC-PDFT and related background information.
Synthesis of Co-Free Ni-Rich Single Crystal Positive Electrode Materials for Lithium Ion Batteries: Part II. One-Step Lithiation Method of Mg-Doped LiNiO2
Authors: Liu Aaron , Zhang Ning , Stark Jamie E. , Arab Phillip , Li Hongyang , Dahn J. R.
Published: April 2021

This second study in a two part series investigates the synthesis of Co-free single crystalline Mg-doped LNO via the one-step lithiation method. The synthesized materials were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and particle size analysis to understand the impact of synthesis conditions. Higher heating temperatures promoted grain growth but also increased the Ni content in the Li layer. Increasing the Li/TM ratio does not seem to have an effect on grain growth at lower temperatures but influences the formation of Li2O impurity. The separation of particle aggregates is required to improve the cycling performance of the material. The utilization of a lower temperature step after the calcination step can reduce the Ni content in the Li layer below what would be expected at the calcination temperature, and this can be used to grow larger grains while keeping an acceptable amount of Ni in the Li layer. However, all single crystalline materials are still not yet electrochemically competitive with polycrystalline materials and have lower capacities, higher irreversible capacities and similar cycling fade. The lower capacities of single crystalline materials stem from increased kinetic hindrances to Li diffusion. Cycling single crystalline materials at 55 °C can recover ∼20 mAh g−1 of discharge capacity and yield similar irreversible capacity compared with polycrystalline cells cycled at 30 °C.
Distinct types of plexiform lesions identified by synchrotron-based phase-contrast micro-CT
Authors: Westöö Christian , Norvik Christian , Peruzzi Niccolò , van der Have Oscar , Lovric Goran , Jeremiasen Ida , Tran Phan-Kiet , Mokso Rajmund , de Jesus Perez Vinicio , Brunnström Hans , Bech Martin , Galambos Csaba , Tran-Lundmark Karin
Published: April 2021

In pulmonary arterial hypertension, plexiform lesions are associated with severe arterial obstruction and right ventricular failure. Exploring their structure and position is crucial for understanding the interplay between hemodynamics and vascular remodeling. The aim of this research was to use synchrotron-based phase-contrast micro-CT to study the three-dimensional structure of plexiform lesions. Archived paraffin-embedded tissue samples from 14 patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (13 idiopathic, 1 with known BMPR2-mutation) were imaged. Clinical data showed high-median PVR (12.5 WU) and mPAP (68 mmHg). Vascular lesions with more than 1 lumen were defined as plexiform. Prior radiopaque dye injection in some samples facilitated 3-D rendering. Four distinct types of plexiform lesions were identified: 1) localized within or derived from monopodial branches (supernumerary arteries), often with a connection to the vasa vasorum; 2) localized between pulmonary arteries and larger airways as a tortuous transformation of intrapulmonary bronchopulmonary anastomoses; 3) as spherical structures at unexpected abrupt ends of distal pulmonary arteries; and 4) as occluded pulmonary arteries with recanalization. By appearance and localization, types 1–2 potentially relieve pressure via the bronchial circulation, as pulmonary arteries in these patients were almost invariably occluded distally. In addition, types 1–3 were often surrounded by dilated thin-walled vessels, often connected to pulmonary veins, peribronchial vessels, or the vasa vasorum. Collaterals, bypassing completely occluded pulmonary arteries, were also observed to originate within plexiform lesions. In conclusion, synchrotron-based imaging revealed significant plexiform lesion heterogeneity, resulting in a novel classification. The four types likely have different effects on hemodynamics and disease progression.
Neural substrate and underlying mechanisms of working memory: insights from brain stimulation studies
Authors: Haque Zakia Z. , Samandra Ranshikha , Mansouri Farshad Alizadeh
Published: April 2021

The concept of working memory refers to a collection of cognitive abilities and processes involved in the short-term storage of task-relevant information to guide the ongoing and upcoming behavior and therefore describes an important aspect of executive control of behavior for achieving goals. Deficits in working memory and related cognitive abilities have been observed in patients with brain damage or neuropsychological disorders and therefore it is important to better understand neural substrate and underlying mechanisms of working memory. Working memory relies on neural mechanisms that enable encoding, maintenance, and manipulation of stored information as well as integrating them with ongoing and future goals. Recently, a surge in brain stimulation studies have led to development of various noninvasive techniques for localized stimulation of prefrontal and other cortical regions in humans. These brain stimulation techniques can potentially be tailored to influence neural activities in particular brain regions and modulate cognitive functions and behavior. Combined use of brain stimulation with neuroimaging and electrophysiological recording have provided a great opportunity to monitor neural activity in various brain regions and noninvasively intervene and modulate cognitive functions in cognitive tasks. These studies have shed more light on the neural substrate and underlying mechanisms of working memory in humans. Here, we review findings and insight from these brain stimulation studies about the contribution of brain regions, and particularly prefrontal cortex, to working memory.
Electrophysiology using coaxial atom probe array: live imaging reveals hidden circuits of a hippocampal neural network
Authors: Singh Pushpendra , Saxena Komal , Sahoo Pathik , Ghosh Subrata , Bandyopadhyay Anirban
Published: April 2021

Using dielectric resonance scanner, we show electromagnetic field connections between physically separated neurons. Electromagnetic field creates field lines that pass through gap junctions, connect Axon initial segment with the dendrites through Soma, and connect axonal or dendritic branches even if there is no synaptic junction. Consequently, many distinct loops connecting various branches form coexisting circuits. Our discovery suggests that physically appearing neural circuit is a fractional view of many simultaneously operating circuits in different time domains in a neural network.
SPA‐Based Modified Local Reachability Density Ratio wSVDD for Nonlinear Multimode Process Monitoring
Authors: Wang Zhaojing , Yang Weidong , Zhang Hong , Zheng Ying
Published: April 2021

Many industrial processes are operated in multiple modes due to different manufacturing strategies. Multimodality of process data is often accompanied with nonlinear and non‐Gaussian characteristics, which makes data‐driven monitoring more complicated. In this paper, statistics pattern analysis (SPA) is introduced to extract low‐ and high‐order statistics from raw process data. Support vector data description (SVDD), which can deal with nonlinear and non‐Gaussian problems, is applied to monitor multimode process in this paper. To improve detection performance of SVDD for training multimode data with outliers, modified local reachability density ratio (mLRDR) is proposed as a weight factor to be embedded in the weighted‐SVDD (wSVDD) model, in which the local neighbors in terms of both space and time are considered. Finally, the effectiveness and superiority of our proposed method are demonstrated by the Tennessee‐Eastman (TE) process and wastewater treatment process (WWTP).
PPARD May Play a Protective Role for Major Depressive Disorder
Authors: Yang Tao , Li Juhua , Li Liyuan , Huang Xuehua , Xu Jiajun , Huang Xia , Huang Lijuan , Kural Kamil Can
Published: April 2021

Activation of PPARD has been shown to inhibit depressive behaviors and enhances neurogenesis. However, whether PPARD is involved in the pathological development of major depressive disorder (MDD) is largely unknown. To explore the potential connection between PPARD and MDD, we first conducted a literature-based data mining to construct a PPARD-driven MDD regulating network. Then, we tested the PPARD expression changes in MDD patients from 18 independent MDD RNA expression datasets, followed by coexpression analysis, multiple linear regression analysis, and a heterogeneity analysis to study the influential factors for PPARD expression levels. Our results showed that overexpression of PPARD could inhibit inflammatory cytokine signaling pathways and the ROS and glutamate pathways that have been shown to play important roles in the pathological development of MDD. However, PPARD could also activate nitric oxide formation and ceramide synthesis, which was implicated as promoters in the pathogenesis of MDD, indicating the complexity of the relationship between PPARD and MDD. PPARG presented significant within- and between-study variations in the 18 MDD datasets (

p

value = 0.97), which were significantly associated with the population region (country) and sample source (

p
<
2.67
e
−
5

). Our results suggested that PPARD could be a potential regulator rather than a biomarker in the pathological development of MDD. This study may add new insights into the understanding of the PPARD-MDD relationship.
An ECG Denoising Method Based on the Generative Adversarial Residual Network
Authors: Xu Bingxin , Liu Ruixia , Shu Minglei , Shang Xiaoyi , Wang Yinglong
Published: April 2021

High-quality and high-fidelity removal of noise in the Electrocardiogram (ECG) signal is of great significance to the auxiliary diagnosis of ECG diseases. In view of the single function of traditional denoising methods and the insufficient performance of signal details after denoising, a new method of ECG denoising based on the combination of the Generative Adversarial Network (GAN) and Residual Network is proposed. The method adopted in this paper is based on the GAN structure, and it restructures the generator and discriminator. In the generator network, residual blocks and Skip-Connecting are used to deepen the network structure and better capture the in-depth information in the ECG signal. In the discriminator network, the ResNet framework is used. In order to optimize the noise reduction process and solve the lack of local relevance considering the global ECG problem, the differential function and overall function of the maximum local difference are added in the loss function in this paper. The experimental results prove that the method used in this article has better performance than the current excellent S-Transform (S-T) algorithm, Wavelet Transform (WT) algorithm, Stacked Denoising Autoencoder (S-DAE) algorithm, and Improved Denoising Autoencoder (I-DAE) algorithm. Experiments show that the Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) of this method in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Beth Israel Hospital (MIT-BIH) noise pressure database is 0.0102, and the Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) is 40.8526 dB, which is compared with that of the most advanced experimental methods. Our method improves the SNR by 88.57% on average. Besides the three noise intensities for comparison experiments, additional noise reduction experiments are also performed under four noise intensities in our paper. The experimental results verify the scientific nature of the model, which is that our method can effectively retain the important information conveyed by the original signal.
Sarcoidosis vs. Colon Cancer Metastasis: Diagnostic Dilemma and the Role of PET Scan in Monitoring Disease Activity
Authors: Mahmood Raai , Al Banaa Kadhim , Ibrahim Israa , Hashim Ahmed , Torregrosa Luis
Published: April 2021

Sarcoidosis is a systemic inflammatory disorder characterized by “noncaseating granulomas.” It primarily affects the lungs, but multiple other organs can be involved. Sarcoidosis has been increasingly reported in association with cancer. It can precede, follow or occur at the same time as the diagnosis of cancer. We report a case of sarcoidosis that was diagnosed concomitantly with colon cancer, highlighting the diagnostic dilemma of sarcoidosis vs. cancer metastasis, the relationship between the two, and the value of PET scan in follow-up and monitoring of disease activity.
Proximal Migration of Pancreatic Duct Stent in Pancreas Divisum: Challenges in Retrieval and Review of the Literature
Authors: Ghimire Subash , Ravi Shri Jaikishan , Yousef Mohammad , Khan Hafiz
Published: April 2021

Pancreas divisum is the most common congenital malformation of the pancreas. Sometimes it is considered an etiology when patients present with recurrent episodes of pancreatitis. Endoscopic retrograde pancreatography (ERP) with selective cannulation of the minor papilla with sphincterotomy and stent placement are performed in these patients. Proximal migration of pancreatic stents in pancreas divisum is rare and challenging to manage. We describe a case of proximal migration of a pancreatic stent in a patient with pancreas divisum and perform a review of literature.
Deep Field-Aware Interaction Machine for Click-Through Rate Prediction
Authors: Qi Gaofeng , Li Ping
Published: April 2021

Modeling feature interactions is of crucial importance to predict click-through rate (CTR) in industrial recommender systems. Because of great performance and efficiency, the factorization machine (FM) has been a popular approach to learn feature interaction. Recently, several variants of FM are proposed to improve its performance, and they have proven the field information to play an important role. However, feature-length in a field is usually small; we observe that when there are multiple nonzero features within a field, the interaction between fields is not enough to represent the feature interaction between different fields due to the problem of short feature-length. In this work, we propose a novel neural CTR model named DeepFIM by introducing Field-aware Interaction Machine (FIM), which provides a layered structure form to describe intrafield and interfield feature interaction, to solve the short-expression problem caused by the short feature-length in the field. Experiments show that our model achieves comparable and even materially better results than the state-of-the-art methods.
An Image Encryption Scheme Based on Lorenz Hyperchaotic System and RSA Algorithm
Authors: Lin Riguang , Li Sheng
Published: April 2021

This research proposes a new image encryption scheme based on Lorenz hyperchaotic system and Rivest–Shamir–Adleman (RSA) algorithm. Firstly, the initial values of the Lorenz hyperchaotic system are generated by RSA algorithm, and the key stream is produced iteratively. In order to change the position and gray value of the pixel, the image data are hidden by additive mode diffusion. Secondly, the diffusion image matrix is reshaped into a one-dimensional image matrix, which is confused without repetition to hide the image data again. Then, the finite field diffusion algorithm is executed to realize the third hiding of the image information. In order to diffuse the pixel information into the entire cipher image, the additive mode diffusion algorithm needs to be looped twice. Finally, the cipher image can be obtained. The experimental results prove that the image encryption scheme proposed in this research is effective and has strong antiattack and key sensitivity. Moreover, the security of this encryption scheme relies on the RSA algorithm, which has high security.