bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Development of a Chemiluminescence Immunoassay for Quantification of 25-Hydroxyvitamin D in Human Serum
Authors: Han Shuang , Qiu Wuxian , Zhang Junlan , Bai Zhonghu , Tong Xiao
Published: August 2020

In this study, a chemiluminescence immunoassay (CLIA) for human serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) was established by a competition model. In serum, more than 99% of total circulating 25(OH)D binds to protein and less than 1% of 25(OH)D is in free form (Jassil et al., 2017). Before measuring concentration of 25(OH)D in serum, a releasing procedure should be conducted. A new reagent is used to release binding 25(OH)D to free form. Streptavidin (SA) was labeled to magnetic beads by a 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide/N-hydroxysuccinimide (EDC/NHS) method. Biotinylated VD was used as a competitor of 25(OH)D in samples. Anti-VD antibody (aby) was labeled to horseradish peroxidase (HRP) by EDC to react with 25(OH)D and biotinylated-VD molecules. The pretreated samples or standards were added into the reaction tube with biotin-VD and anti-VD aby-HRP, free 25(OH)D in the sample competes with biotinylated VD for binding to anti-VD aby-HRP, an SA-labeled magnetic particle is added to isolate the signal-generating complex, and the signal is inversely proportional to the 25(OH)D concentration in the sample. The method established shows good thermostability and performance. The limitation of detection (LoD) is 1.43 ng/mL. The intra-assay coefficient of variation (CV) is 3.66%–6.56%, the interassay CV is 4.19%–7.01%, and the recovery rate is 93.22%–107.99%. Cross-reactivity (CR) was remarkably low with vitamin D2, vitamin D3, 1, 25-dihydroxyvitamin D3, and 1, 25-dihydroxyvitamin D2. At the same time, the cross-reaction values with 25-hydroxyvitamin D2 and 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 were 97% and 100%, respectively. The developed method shows good correlation with the total VD product from Roche and DiaSorin. 1096 clinical patient samples were measured with developed reagent kit in this study. 7 types of disease were involved, and the concentration of 25(OH)D is less than 30 ng/mL in 94.98% of patients.
Improved DV-Hop Location Algorithm Based on Mobile Anchor Node and Modified Hop Count for Wireless Sensor Network
Authors: Yanfei Jia , Kexin Zhang , Liquan Zhao
Published: August 2020

To improve the performance of location accuracy for wireless sensor network, a new location algorithm based on mobile anchor node and modified hop count is proposed. Firstly, we set different communication powers for all nodes to make them have different communication ranges. This makes the relationship between the hop count and real distance more accurate. Secondly, the unknown node computes the mean distance per hop between it and the three anchor nodes that are the nearest to the unknown node and uses the mean value as the mean distance per hop. Finally, we suppose that some anchor nodes can move. Once the position of some anchor nodes changes, we recalculate the positions of unknown nodes and use the mean value of recorded positions as position of unknown nodes. Simulation results show that the proposed method has lower location error than other methods.
Deployment Optimization of Connected and Automated Vehicle Lanes with the Safety Benefits on Roadway Networks
Authors: Gao Zhibo , Wu Zhizhou , Hao Wei , Long Kejun
Published: August 2020

Reasonable deployment of connected and automated vehicle (CAV) lanes which separating the heterogeneous traffic flow consisting of both CAVs and human-driven vehicles (HVs) can not only improve traffic safety but also greatly improve the overall roadway efficiency. This paper simplified CAV lane deployment plan into the problem of traffic network design and proposed a comprehensive decision-making method for CAV lane deployment plan. Based on the traffic equilibrium theory, this method aims to reduce the travel cost of the traffic network and the management cost of CAV lanes using a bilevel primary-secondary programming model. In addition, the upper level is the decision-making scheme of the lane deployment, while the lower level is the traffic assignment model including CAV and HV modes based on the decision-making scheme of the upper level. After that, a genetic algorithm was designed to solve the model. Finally, a medium-scaled traffic network was selected to verify the effectiveness of the proposed model and algorithm. The case study shows that the proposed method obtained a feasible scheme for lane deployment considering from both the system travel cost and management cost of CAV lanes. In addition, a sensitivity analysis of the market penetration rate of CAVs, traffic demand, and the capacity of CAVLs further proves the applicability of this model, which can achieve better allocation of system resources and also improve the traffic efficiency.
Comprehensive Analysis of a circRNA-miRNA-mRNA Network to Reveal Potential Inflammation-Related Targets for Gastric Adenocarcinoma
Authors: Liu YunXia , Xu YeFeng , Xiao Feng , Zhang JianFeng , Wang YiQing , Yao YongWei , Yang JieWen
Published: August 2020

Gastric cancer (GC) is the most common malignancy of the stomach. This study was aimed at elucidating the regulatory network of circRNA-miRNA-mRNA and identifying the precise inflammation-related targets in GC. The expression profiles of GSE83521, GSE78091, and GSE33651 were obtained from the GEO database. Interactions between miRNAs and circRNAs were investigated by the Circular RNA Interactome, and targets of miRNAs were predicted with miRTarBase. Then, a circRNA/miRNA/mRNA regulatory network was constructed. Also, functional enrichment analysis of selected differentially expressed genes (DEGs) was performed. The inflammation-/GC-related targets were collected in the GeneCards and GenLiP3 database, respectively. And a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network of DE mRNAs was constructed with STRING and Cytoscape to identify hub genes. The genetic alterations, neighboring gene networks, expression levels, and the poor prognosis of hub genes were investigated in cBioPortal, Oncomine, and Human Protein Atlas databases and Kaplan-Meier plotter, respectively. A total of 10 DE miRNAs and 33 DEGs were identified. The regulatory network contained 26 circRNAs, 10 miRNAs, and 1459 mRNAs. Functional enrichment analysis revealed that the selected 33 DEGs were involved in negative regulation of fat cell differentiation, response to wounding, extracellular matrix- (ECM-) receptor interaction, and regulation of cell growth pathways. THBS1, FN1, CALM1, COL4A1, CTGF, and IGFBP5 were selected as inflammation-related hub genes of GC in the PPI network. The genetic alterations in these hub genes were related to amplification and missense mutations. Furthermore, the genes RYR2, ERBB2, PI3KCA, and HELZ2 were connected to hub genes in this study. The hub gene levels in clinical specimens were markedly upregulated in GC tissues and correlated with poor overall survival (OS). Our results suggest that THBS1, FN1, CALM1, COL4A1, CTGF, and IGFBP5 were associated with the pathogenesis of gastric carcinogenesis and may serve as biomarkers and inflammation-related targets for GC.
Multiomic Analysis of Subtype Evolution and Heterogeneity in High-Grade Serous Ovarian Carcinoma
Authors: Geistlinger Ludwig , Oh Sehyun , Ramos Marcel , Schiffer Lucas , LaRue Rebecca S. , Henzler Christine M. , Munro Sarah A. , Daughters Claire , Nelson Andrew C. , Winterhoff Boris J. , Chang Zenas , Talukdar Shobhana , Shetty Mihir , Mullany Sally A. , Morgan Martin , Parmigiani Giovanni , Birrer Michael J. , Qin Li-Xuan , Riester Markus , Starr Timothy K. , Waldron Levi
Published: August 2020

Multiple studies have identified transcriptome subtypes of high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma (HGSOC), but their interpretation and translation are complicated by tumor evolution and polyclonality accompanied by extensive accumulation of somatic aberrations, varying cell type admixtures, and different tissues of origin. In this study, we examined the chronology of HGSOC subtype evolution in the context of these factors using a novel integrative analysis of absolute copy-number analysis and gene expression in The Cancer Genome Atlas complemented by single-cell analysis of six independent tumors. Tumor purity, ploidy, and subclonality were reliably inferred from different genomic platforms, and these characteristics displayed marked differences between subtypes. Genomic lesions associated with HGSOC subtypes tended to be subclonal, implying subtype divergence at later stages of tumor evolution. Subclonality of recurrent HGSOC alterations was evident for proliferative tumors, characterized by extreme genomic instability, absence of immune infiltration, and greater patient age. In contrast, differentiated tumors were characterized by largely intact genome integrity, high immune infiltration, and younger patient age. Single-cell sequencing of 42,000 tumor cells revealed widespread heterogeneity in tumor cell type composition that drove bulk subtypes but demonstrated a lack of intrinsic subtypes among tumor epithelial cells. Our findings prompt the dismissal of discrete transcriptome subtypes for HGSOC and replacement by a more realistic model of continuous tumor development that includes mixtures of subclones, accumulation of somatic aberrations, infiltration of immune and stromal cells in proportions correlated with tumor stage and tissue of origin, and evolution between properties previously associated with discrete subtypes.

Significance:

This study infers whether transcriptome-based groupings of tumors differentiate early in carcinogenesis and are, therefore, appropriate targets for therapy and demonstrates that this is not the case for HGSOC.
Hypomorphic mTOR Downregulates CDK6 and Delays Thymic Pre-T LBL Tumorigenesis
Authors: Gary Joy M. , Simmons John K. , Xu Jinfei , Zhang Shuling , Peat Tyler J. , Watson Nicholas , Gamache Benjamin J. , Zhang Ke , Kovalchuk Alexander L. , Michalowski Aleksandra M. , Chen Jin-Qiu , Thaiwong Tuddow , Kiupel Matti , Gaikwad Snehal , Etienne Maudeline , Simpson R. Mark , Dubois Wendy , Testa Joseph R. , Mock Beverly A.
Published: August 2020

PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway hyperactivation is frequent in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia/lymphoma (T-ALL/LBL). To model inhibition of mTOR, pre–T-cell lymphoblastic leukemia/lymphoma (pre-T LBL) tumor development was monitored in mice with T lymphocyte–specific, constitutively active AKT (Lck-MyrAkt2) that were either crossed to mTOR knockdown (KD) mice or treated with the mTOR inhibitor everolimus. Lck-MyrAkt2;mTOR KD mice lived significantly longer than Lck-MyrAkt2;mTOR wild-type (WT) mice, although both groups ultimately developed thymic pre-T LBL. An increase in survival was also observed when Lck-MyrAkt2;mTOR WT mice were treated for 8 weeks with everolimus. The transcriptional profiles of WT and KD thymic lymphomas were compared, and Ingenuity Pathway Upstream Regulator Analysis of differentially expressed genes in tumors from mTOR WT versus KD mice identified let-7 and miR-21 as potential regulatory genes. mTOR KD mice had higher levels of let-7a and miR-21 than mTOR WT mice, and rapamycin induced their expression in mTOR WT cells. CDK6 was one of the most downregulated targets of both let-7 and miR21 in mTOR KD tumors. CDK6 overexpression and decreased expression of let-7 in mTOR KD cells rescued a G1 arrest phenotype. Combined mTOR (rapamycin) and CDK4/6 (palbociclib) inhibition decreased tumor size and proliferation in tumor flank transplants, increased survival in an intravenous transplant model of disseminated leukemia compared with single agent treatment, and cooperatively decreased cell viability in human T-ALL/LBL cell lines. Thus, mTOR KD mice provide a model to explore drug combinations synergizing with mTOR inhibitors and can be used to identify downstream targets of inhibition.
Os precedentes da tormenta
Authors: Firmiano Frederico Daia
Published: August 2020

Do último pleito eleitoral ao mais alto posto de comando do Estado brasileiro saiu vitorioso o candidato ultraconservador Jair Bolsonaro, rompendo o relativamente largo período de disputa entre os mais importantes partidos políticos do pós-ditadura de 1964, num quadro de ampla ascensão das forças sociais mais conservantistas da sociedade brasileira. O objetivo deste trabalho é examinar a história brasileira recente em busca de algumas pistas que nos permitam identificar a escalada das forças mais conservantistas da sociedade ao comando do Estado. Para tanto, procuramos combinar a análise de conjuntura, como um retrato dinâmico de uma realidade que visa ir além de dados empíricos que se apresentam na urgência da quadra atual, à análise histórica de mais amplo espectro da estrutura da sociedade brasileira, a partir de alguns de seus importantes intérpretes.
Patrimônio imaterial e paisagem cultural cafeeira na Colômbia
Authors: Hoyos Alejandro Escobar
Published: August 2020

O seguinte artigo mostra algumas contradições do patrimônio imaterial e paisagem cultural cafeeira na Colômbia e como elas refletem nos camponeses e agricultores que vivem do plantio de café. Esta discussão também faz parte de um projeto de mestrado no Programa de Antropologia Social (PPGAS), na Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN).
Aplicações de elementos da teoria das catástrofes ao estudo da (re) produção do espaço urbano: parte 1 - como Henri Lefebvre trouxe René Thom para o debate
Authors: Araújo James Amorim
Published: August 2020

Este artigo trata a aplicação de conceitos e noções oriundos da Teoria das Catástrofes à abordagem da produção do espaço urbano na Geografia. Neste sentido, objetiva reinterpretar a (re)produção do espaço como um fenômeno de caráter morfológico passível de ser representado pelas noções de morfogênese e morfologia hierárquica estratificada. Além disso, propõe funções baseadas no valor como medidas da escala de (re)produção morfológica. A base teórica deste artigo contempla o teorema da morfogênese de René Thom, assim como a contribuição fundamental de Henri Lefebvre sobre o papel do Estado na “normalização” das crises do capitalismo no século XX. Portanto, entende-se que a discussão aqui apresentada é uma contribuição ao arsenal teórico da Geografia, em particular, de sua abordagem da produção do espaço urbano.
Management of Hypertension in the Digital Era
Authors: Kario Kazuomi
Published: August 2020

Out-of-office blood pressure measurement is an essential part of diagnosing and managing hypertension. In the era of advanced digital health information technology, the approach to achieving this is shifting from traditional methods (ambulatory and home blood pressure monitoring) to wearable devices and technology. Wearable blood pressure monitors allow frequent blood pressure measurements (ideally continuous beat-by-beat monitoring of blood pressure) with minimal stress on the patient. It is expected that wearable devices will dramatically change the quality of detection and management of hypertension by increasing the number of measurements in different situations, allowing accurate detection of phenotypes that have a negative impact on cardiovascular prognosis, such as masked hypertension and abnormal blood pressure variability. Frequent blood pressure measurements and the addition of new features such as monitoring of environmental conditions allows interpretation of blood pressure data in the context of daily stressors and different situations. This new digital approach to hypertension contributes to anticipation medicine, which refers to strategies designed to identify increasing risk and predict the onset of cardiovascular events based on a series of data collected over time, allowing proactive interventions to reduce risk. To achieve this, further research and validation is required to develop wearable blood pressure monitoring devices that provide the same accuracy as current approaches and can effectively contribute to personalized medicine.
Preconception Blood Pressure and Its Change Into Early Pregnancy
Authors: Nobles Carrie J. , Mendola Pauline , Mumford Sunni L. , Silver Robert M. , Kim Keewan , Andriessen Victoria C. , Connell Matthew , Sjaarda Lindsey , Perkins Neil J. , Schisterman Enrique F.
Published: August 2020

Preeclampsia and gestational hypertension are common complications of pregnancy associated with significant maternal and infant morbidity. Despite extensive research evaluating risk factors during pregnancy, most women who develop a hypertensive disorder of pregnancy are not considered high-risk and strategies for prevention remain elusive. We evaluated preconception blood pressure and its change into early pregnancy as novel risk markers for development of a hypertensive disorder of pregnancy. The EAGeR (Effects of Aspirin in Gestation and Reproduction) trial (2007–2011) randomized 1228 healthy women with a history of pregnancy loss to preconception-initiated low-dose aspirin versus placebo and followed participants for up to 6 menstrual cycles attempting pregnancy and throughout pregnancy if they became pregnant. Blood pressure was measured during preconception and throughout early gestation. The primary outcomes, preterm preeclampsia, term preeclampsia, and gestational hypertension, were abstracted from medical records. Among 586 women with a pregnancy >20 weeks’ gestation, preconception blood pressure levels were higher for preterm preeclampsia (87.3±6.7 mm Hg mean arterial pressure), term preeclampsia (88.3±9.8 mm Hg), and gestational hypertension (87.9±9.1 mm Hg) as compared with no hypertensive disorder of pregnancy (83.9±8.6 mm Hg). Change in blood pressure from preconception into very early pregnancy was associated with development of preeclampsia (relative risk, 1.13 [95% CI, 1.02–1.25] per 2 mm Hg increase in mean arterial pressure at 4 weeks’ gestation), particularly preterm preeclampsia (relative risk, 1.21 [95% CI, 1.01–1.45]). Randomization to aspirin did not alter blood pressure trajectory or risk of hypertension in pregnancy. Preconception blood pressure and longitudinal changes during early pregnancy are underexplored but crucial windows in the detection and prevention of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy.

Registration—

URL:
http://www.clinicaltrials.gov
. Unique identifier: NCT00467363.
Effects of Fatty Acid Therapy in Addition to Strong Statin on Coronary Plaques in Acute Coronary Syndrome: An Optical Coherence Tomography Study
Authors: Kita Yoko , Watanabe Makoto , Kamon Daisuke , Ueda Tomoya , Soeda Tsunenari , Okayama Satoshi , Ishigami Kenichi , Kawata Hiroyuki , Horii Manabu , Inoue Fumitaka , Doi Naofumi , Okura Hiroyuki , Uemura Shiro , Saito Yoshihiko
Published: August 2020

BACKGROUND

Vascular healing response associated with adjunctive n‐3 polyunsaturated fatty acid therapy therapy in patients receiving strong statin therapy remains unclear. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of polyunsaturated fatty acid therapy with eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) or docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in addition to strong statin therapy on coronary atherosclerotic plaques using optical coherence tomography.

METHODS AND RESULTS

This prospective multicenter randomized controlled trial included 130 patients with acute coronary syndrome treated with strong statins. They were assigned to either statin only (control group, n=42), statin+high‐dose EPA (1800 mg/day) (EPA group, n=40), statin+EPA (930 mg/day)+DHA (750 mg/day) (EPA+DHA group, n=48). Optical coherence tomography was performed at baseline and at the 8‐month follow‐up. The target for optical coherence tomography analysis was a nonculprit lesion with a lipid plaque. Between baseline and the 8‐month follow‐up, fibrous cap thickness (FCT) significantly increased in all 3 groups. There were no significant differences in the percent change for minimum FCT between the EPA or EPA+DHA group and the control group. In patients with FCT <120 µm (median value), the percent change for minimum FCT was significantly higher in the EPA or EPA+DHA group compared with the control group.

CONCLUSIONS

EPA or EPA+DHA therapy in addition to strong statin therapy did not significantly increase FCT in nonculprit plaques compared with strong statin therapy alone, but significantly increased FCT in patients with thinner FCT.

Registration

URL:
https://www.umin.ac.jp/ctr/
; Unique identifier: UMIN 000012825.
Orwell and Nineteen Eighty-Four Today: Genius and Tunnel Vision
Authors: Suvin Darko
Published: August 2020

Orwell, as he himself remarked, came from a lower, professional-service fraction of the English and imperial ruling class that was ‘simultaneously dominator and dominated’ (Raymond Williams), so that a combination of state and monopoly power became his abiding nightmare. His horizon was, as of the Spanish Civil War in 1936, a revolutionary socialism committed to freedom and equality, opposed both to Labourite social democracy and to Stalinist pseudo-communism. In this article, I concentrate on Nineteen Eighty-Four, drawing on narratology (its agential system, spacetime descriptions, and composition – ‘the Winston story’, the ‘Goldstein excerpts’, and the Appendix on Newspeak) and history. I conclude that Nineteen Eighty-Four has an interesting, but limited, ‘Tory anarchist’ stance and horizon: in revolt against the rulers, but not believing that the revolt can succeed (in direct polemic with the Communist Manifesto). In Orwell’s view there are ‘three kinds of people in the world, the High, the Middle and the Low’, but the mindless and passive Low reduce this to the Middle against the High, or intellect and impotence versus cynical power. ‘No economics’ entails here ‘no class struggle’, and a fair amount of misogyny. Orwell’s textural skill was penetrating, but his thematics very limited. Still, he was one of the first to notice the long-duration slide of politics toward fascism, even if he drew a mistaken consequence from it, as evident in his early conflation of Stalinism and Nazism into an untenable ‘totalitarianism’. Nineteen Eighty-Four remains a concerned, appealing, and in some ways useful text, albeit one that ultimately lacks wisdom.
Is There a Difference Between “Religion” and “Politics”?
Authors: Smith Leslie Dorrough
Published: August 2020

Scholars commonly compare and distinguish “religion” and “politics” in their analyses of certain social groups; they often do so in a way that presumes that such terms denote complicated yet still discrete realms that exist in varying degrees of interrelationship. Using the Christian Right as a case study, this essay proposes that we can draw from Bruce Lincoln and Oliver Freiberger’s insights regarding the methodological uses of comparison to reconsider how the terms “religion” and “politics” are deployed in our analyses. Rather than view these concepts as mirrors of some objective reality, scholars can create more robust critical perspectives if they treat these terms as insider products—that is, as flexible rhetorical categories modified by group insiders to achieve certain social effects.
The Desire for New Humanisms
Authors: Goodley Dan , Lawthom Rebecca , Liddiard Kirsty , Runswick-Cole Katherine
Published: August 2020

This paper articulates our desire for new humanisms in a contemporary cultural, economic and global context that has been described as posthuman. As researchers committed to modes of radical, critical, politicised and inclusive education, we are mindful of the significance of social theory and its relationship with articulations of social justice. Whilst sympathetic to the potentiality of posthuman thought we grapple with the imperative to embrace new humanisms that historicise and recognise global inequalities that concurrently exist in relation to a myriad of human categories including class, age, geopolitical location, gender, sexuality, race and disability. We focus in on the latter two categories and draw on ideas from postcolonial and critical disability studies. Our argument considers the problem of humanism (as a product of colonial Western imaginaries), the critical responses offered by posthuman thinking and then seeks to rearticulate forms of new humanism that are responsive to the posthuman condition and, crucially, the political interventions of Postcolonial and Critical Disability Scholars. We then outline six new humanist projects that could productively feed into the work of the Journal of Disability Studies in Education.
Morphological and molecular description of a new genus and species of black coral (Cnidaria: Anthozoa: Hexacorallia: Antipatharia: Antipathidae: Blastopathes) from Papua New Guinea
Authors: HOROWITZ JEREMY , BRUGLER MERCER R. , BRIDGE TOM C.L. , COWMAN PETER F.
Published: August 2020

Blastopathes medusa gen. nov., sp. nov., is described from Kimbe Bay, Papua New Guinea, based on morphological and molecular data. Blastopathes, assigned to the Antipathidae, is a large, mythology-inspiring black coral characterized by clusters of elongate stem-like branches that extend out at their base and then curve upward. Colonies are not pinnulate and contain single branches, which could represent new branch cluster formations. Morphological and molecular (mitochondrial DNA and targeted capture of nuclear loci) evidence supporting the establishment of a new genus is discussed. This is the first study to utilize the target capture of ultraconserved elements (UCEs) and exonic loci to elucidate phylogenetic relationships among black corals and to identify and place a new genus and species.
Sexual variation in two species of Helorus Latreille (Hymenoptera, Heloridae) from NW China, with description of female of Helorus caii He & Xu
Authors: ZHANG RUO-NAN , ACHTERBERG CORNELIS VAN , TIAN XIAO-XIA , HE CHENG-YI , TAN JIANG-LI
Published: August 2020

The intra-specific variation of two species of Helorus Latreille (Hymenoptera, Heloridae) from NW China is studied and for the first time the sexual variation in Chinese Helorus species is described. Both sexes of Helorus antefurcalis He & Xu, 2015 (new for Shaanxi) and H. caii He & Xu, 2015 (up to now only known from one male), are described and illustrated. Helorus xinjiangensis He & Xu, [June] 2015, is a new junior synonym of H. alborzicus Izadizadeh, van Achterberg & Talebi, [April] 2015 and H. elgoni Risbec, 1950, is re-instated as valid species. A revised key to the Old World species of Helorus Latreille (except Australian region) is included.
Evaluation of AIRS Cloud Phase Classification over the Arctic Ocean against Combined CloudSat–CALIPSO Observations
Authors: Peterson Colten A. , Yue Qing , Kahn Brian H. , Fetzer Eric , Huang Xianglei
Published: August 2020

Cloud phase retrievals from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) are evaluated against combinedCloudSat–CALIPSO(CCL) observations using four years of data (2007–10) over the Arctic Ocean. AIRS cloud phase is evaluated over sea ice and open ocean separately using collocated CCL and AIRS fields of view (FOVs). In addition, AIRS and CCL cloud phase occurrences are evaluated seasonally, zonally, and with respect to total column water vapor (TCWV) and the temperature difference between 1000 and 300 hPa (ΔT1000−300). Last, collocated MODIS cloud information is implemented in a 1-month case study to assess the relationship between AIRS and CCL phase decisions, cloud cover, and cloud phase throughout the AIRS FOV. Depending on the surface type, AIRS classification skill for single-layer ice and liquid-phase clouds is over the ranges of 85%–95% and 22%–32%, respectively. Most unknown and liquid AIRS phase classifications correspond to mixed-phase clouds. AIRS ice-phase relative occurrence is biased low relative to CCL. However, the liquid-phase relative occurrence is similar between the two instruments. When compared with the CCL climatology, AIRS accurately represents the seasonal cycle of liquid and ice cloud phase across the Arctic as well as the relationship between cloud phase and TCWV and ΔT1000−300regime in some cases. The more heterogeneous the MODIS cloud macrophysical properties within an AIRS FOV are, the more likely it is that the AIRS FOV is classified as unknown phase.
Asymptotic Normality of Sequential Stopping Times with Applications: Confidence Intervals for an Exponential Mean
Authors: Mukhopadhyay Nitis
Published: August 2020

In sequential methodologies, finally accrued data customarily look like [Formula: see text] where [Formula: see text] is the total number of observations collected through termination. Under mild regulatory conditions, a standardized version of [Formula: see text] follows an asymptotic normal distribution (Ghosh–Mukhopadhyay theorem) which we highlight with a number of illustrations from the recent literature for completeness. Then, we emphasize the role of such asymptotic normality results along with second-order approximations for stopping times in the construction of sequential fixed-width confidence intervals for the mean in an exponential distribution. Two kinds of confidence intervals are developed: (a) one centred at the randomly stopped sample mean [Formula: see text] and (b) the two other centred at appropriate constructs using the stopping variable [Formula: see text] alone. Ample comparisons among all three proposed methodologies are summarized via simulations. We emphasize our finding that the two fixed-width confidence intervals centred at appropriate constructs using the stopping variable [Formula: see text] alone perform as well or better than the customary one centred at the randomly stopped sample mean.
Research on performance seeking control based on Beetle Antennae Search algorithm
Authors: Zheng Qiangang , Xiang Dewei , Fang Juan , Wang Yong , Zhang Haibo , Hu Zhongzhi
Published: August 2020

A novel performance seeking control) method based on Beetle Antennae Search algorithm is proposed to improve the real-time performance of performance seeking control. The Beetle Antennae Search imitates the function of antennae of beetle. The Beetle Antennae Search has better real-time performance because of the objective function only calculated twice in Beetle Antennae Search at each iteration. Moreover, the Beetle Antennae Search has global search ability. The performance seeking control simulations based on Beetle Antennae Search, Genetic Algorithm and particle swarm optimization are carried out. The simulations show that the Beetle Antennae Search has much better real-time performance than the conventional probability-based algorithms Genetic Algorithm and particle swarm optimization. The simulations also show that these three probability-based algorithms can get better engine performance, such as more thrust, less specific fuel consumption and less turbine inlet temperature.
Economic Effects of Adolescent to Adult Patterns of Cannabis Use: Full-Time Employment and Employment Stability
Authors: Bears Augustyn Megan , Loughran Thomas , Larroulet Pilar , Henry Kimberly L.
Published: August 2020

Research has yet to examine stability in employment as a function of cannabis use once an individual transitions into full-time work. Using data from the Rochester Youth Development Study, trajectories of cannabis use spanning ages 14 to 30 were identified among a sample of predominantly minorities (>80%; 68% African American). After hard-classifying individuals by patterns of cannabis use, probabilities of full-time employment and conditional probabilities of full-time employment were calculated and compared across patterns of use. Abstention or rare cannabis use was associated with a higher likelihood of full-time employment compared with other cannabis use patterns. Full-time employment stability was high for each pattern of cannabis use (>89%) and differences decreased with age and prior periods of employment. The results indicate that patterns of cannabis use spanning adolescence to adulthood have limited impact on the ability to retain full-time employment once employed and are interpreted in light of growing legalization of cannabis use.
Scaling Laws for Phonotactic Complexity in Spoken English Language Data
Authors: Baumann Andreas , Kaźmierski Kamil , Matzinger Theresa
Published: August 2020

Two prominent statistical laws in language and other complex systems are Zipf’s law and Heaps’ law. We investigate the extent to which these two laws apply to the linguistic domain of phonotactics—that is, to sequences of sounds. We analyze phonotactic sequences with different lengths within words and across word boundaries taken from a corpus of spoken English (Buckeye). We demonstrate that the expected relationship between the two scaling laws can only be attested when boundary spanning phonotactic sequences are also taken into account. Furthermore, it is shown that Zipf’s law exhibits both high goodness-of-fit and a high scaling coefficient if sequences of more than two sounds are considered. Our results support the notion that phonotactic cognition employs information about boundary spanning phonotactic sequences.
Religiosity, Spirituality, and Death Anxiety Among Filipino Older Adults: A Correlational Study
Authors: Soriano Gil P. , Calong Kathyrine A. Calong
Published: August 2020

The concept of death anxiety is expected of older persons as they age and are nearing their end-of-life. This study examined the relationship between religiosity, spirituality, and death anxiety among Filipino older adults. A convenience sample of 125 Filipino older adults were recruited in the study. Data were collected using the Spirituality Scale, Revised Death Anxiety Scale, and Dimensions of Religiosity Scale. Results of the study revealed that spirituality (r=-0.168, p = 0.061) and religiosity (r=-0.044, p = 0.623) had an inverse relationship with death anxiety. However, even with the inverse relationship, spirituality and religiosity were not significantly correlated with death anxiety, although participants were well aware of the importance of these concepts on their lives. It is suggested that assessing spirituality and religiosity of this age group can inform nurses to engage in quality nursing practice, by affirming the vulnerability, and preserving the personhood of older persons as they near their end-of-life.
The Role of Relational Qualifiers in Attribute Conditioning: Does Disliking an Athletic Person Make You Unathletic?
Authors: Högden Fabia , Unkelbach Christian
Published: August 2020

In attribute conditioning (AC), neutral stimuli (CSs) acquire specific attributes through mere pairings with other stimuli possessing that attribute (USs). For example, if a neutral person “Neal” is paired with athletic “Wade,” participants judge Neal as more athletic compared with when Wade would be unathletic. Building on Evaluative Conditioning research, we introduced relational qualifiers between CS and US to probe the contribution of propositional processes to the AC effect. Concretely, CSs either liked or disliked USs. Four experiments (total n = 1,002) showed that these relations moderate AC effects for athleticism (“athletic” vs. “unathletic”; Experiments 1–3) and relationship status (“single” vs. “in a relationship”; Experiment 4); for example, when Neal disliked athletic Wade, he was judged as unathletic. We discuss how these findings constrain process theories of AC.
Myocardial protection in cardiac surgery: how limited are the options? A comprehensive literature review
Authors: Whittaker Abigail , Aboughdir Maryam , Mahbub Samiha , Ahmed Amna , Harky Amer
Published: August 2020

For patients undergoing cardiopulmonary bypass, myocardial protection is a key for successful recovery and improved outcomes following cardiac surgery that requires cardiac arrest. Different solutions, components and modes of delivery have evolved over the last few decades to optimise myocardial protection. These include cold and warm and blood and crystalloid solution through antegrade, retrograde or combined cardioplegia delivery approach. However, each method has its own advantages and disadvantages, posing a challenge to establish a gold-standard cardioplegic solution with an optimised mode of delivery for enhanced myocardial protection during cardiac surgery. The aim of this review is to provide a brief history of the development of cardioplegia, explain the electrophysiological concepts behind myocardial protection in cardioplegia, analyse the current literature and summarise existing evidence that warrants the use of varying cardioplegic techniques. We provide a comprehensive and comparative overview of the effectiveness of each technique in achieving optimal cardioprotection and propose novel techniques for optimising myocardial protection in the future.
The need for early referral to palliative care especially for Black, Asian and minority ethnic groups in a COVID-19 pandemic: Findings from a service evaluation
Authors: Chidiac Claude , Feuer David , Flatley Mary , Rodgerson Anna , Grayson Kate , Preston Nancy
Published: August 2020

Background:

Palliative care services face challenges in adapting and responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. Understanding how palliative care needs and outcomes have changed during the pandemic compared to before the pandemic is crucial to inform service planning and research initiatives.

Aim:

To evaluate the impact of COVID-19 on symptoms, clinical characteristics, and outcomes for patients referred to a hospital-based palliative care service in a district general hospital in London, UK.

Design:

A retrospective service evaluation. Data were extracted from the electronic patient records.

Setting/participants:

The first 60 inpatients with confirmed COVID-19 infection, referred to the hospital palliative care service between 1 March 2020 and 23 April 2020, and another 60 inpatients, referred to the hospital palliative care service between 11 March 2019 and 23 April 2019, were included from a district general hospital in East London, UK.

Results:

Patients with COVID-19 have lower comorbidity scores, poorer performance status, and a shorter time from referral to death compared to patients without COVID-19. Breathlessness, drowsiness, agitation, and fever are the most prevalent symptoms during COVID-19 compared to pain and drowsiness pre-COVID-19. Time from admission to referral to palliative care is longer for Black, Asian and minority ethnic patients, especially during COVID-19.

Conclusion:

Early referral to palliative care is essential in COVID-19, especially for Black, Asian and minority ethnic groups. There is urgent need to research why Black, Asian and minority ethnic patients are referred late; how palliative care services have changed; and possible solutions to setting up responsive, flexible, and integrated services.
Learning a palliative care approach during the COVID-19 pandemic: A case study in an Infectious Diseases Unit
Authors: Tanzi S , Alquati S , Martucci G , De Panfilis L
Published: August 2020

Background:

Hospital palliative care is an essential part of the COVID-19 response, but relevant data are lacking. The recent literature underscores the need to implement protocols for symptom control and the training of non-specialists by palliative care teams.

Aim:

The aim of the study was to describe a palliative care unit’s consultation and assistance intervention at the request of an Infectious Diseases Unit during the COVID-19 pandemic, determining what changes needed to be made in delivering palliative care.

Design:

This is a single holistic case study design using data triangulation, for example, audio recordings of team meetings and field notes.

Setting/participants:

This study was conducted in the Palliative Care Unit of the AUSL-IRCCS hospital of Reggio Emilia, which has no designated beds, consulting with the Infectious Diseases Unit of the same hospital.

Results:

A total of 9 physicians and 22 nurses of the Infectious Diseases Unit and two physicians of the Palliative Care Unit participated in the study. Our Palliative Care Unit developed a feasible 18-day multicomponent consultation intervention. Three macro themes were identified: (1) new answers to new needs, (2) symptom relief and decision-making process, and (3) educational and training issues.

Conclusion:

From the perspective of palliative care, some changes in usual care needed to be made. These included breaking bad news, patients’ use of communication devices, the limited time available for the delivery of care, managing death necessarily only inside the hospital, and relationships with families.
Economic assessment of hydrogen production from sea water using wind energy: A case study
Authors: Rezaei Mostafa , Mostafaeipour Ali , Jahangiri Mehdi
Published: August 2020

This study seeks to scrutinize the economic aspects of establishing the proposed system for producing electricity and hydrogen in the nominated city. For this, levelized cost of wind-generated electricity, levelized cost of seawater desalinated using wind energy, levelized cost of wind-powered hydrogen, payback period of investing on electricity, and hydrogen production are predicted. The results indicated that levelized cost of wind-generated electricity would vary from 0.0208 to 0.053 US$/kWh under different cases and scenarios. This range regarding levelized cost of seawater desalinated using wind energy was between 0.0147 and 0.0404 US$/m3 and also the amount of levelized cost of wind-powered hydrogen was guessed to be from 7.0074 to 10.5667 US$/kg. All values of payback period calculated as to wind electricity were less than half of the project lifetime. In addition, payback period of generating hydrogen was arguable only for the turbine with a rated power of 900 kW.
Incidence and Predictors of Subsequent Surgery After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction: A 6-Year Follow-up Study
Authors:   MOON Knee Group, Sullivan Jaron P. , Huston Laura J. , Zajichek Alexander , Reinke Emily K. , Andrish Jack T. , Brophy Robert H. , Dunn Warren R. , Flanigan David C. , Kaeding Christopher C. , Marx Robert G. , Matava Matthew J. , McCarty Eric C. , Parker Richard D. , Vidal Armando F. , Wolf Brian R. , Wright Rick W. , Spindler Kurt P.
Published: August 2020

Background:

The cause of subsequent surgery after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction varies, but if risk factors for specific subsequent surgical procedures can be identified, we can better understand which patients are at greatest risk.

Purpose:

To report the incidence and types of subsequent surgery that occurred in a cohort of patients 6 years after their index ACL reconstruction and to identify which variables were associated with the incidence of patients undergoing subsequent surgery after their index ACL reconstruction.

Study Design:

Cohort study; Level of evidence, 2.

Methods:

Patients completed a questionnaire before their index ACL surgery and were followed up at 2 and 6 years. Patients were contacted to determine whether any underwent additional surgery since baseline. Operative reports were obtained, and all surgical procedures were categorized and recorded. Logistic regression models were constructed to predict which patient demographic and surgical variables were associated with the incidence of undergoing subsequent surgery after their index ACL reconstruction.

Results:

The cohort consisted of 3276 patients (56.3% male) with a median age of 23 years. A 6-year follow-up was obtained on 91.5% (2999/3276) with regard to information on the incidence and frequency of subsequent surgery. Overall, 20.4% (612/2999) of the cohort was documented to have undergone at least 1 subsequent surgery on the ipsilateral knee 6 years after their index ACL reconstruction. The most common subsequent surgical procedures were related to the meniscus (11.9%), revision ACL reconstruction (7.5%), loss of motion (7.8%), and articular cartilage (6.7%). Significant risk factors for incurring subsequent meniscus-related surgery were having a medial meniscal repair at the time of index surgery, reconstruction with a hamstring autograft or allograft, higher baseline Marx activity level, younger age, and cessation of smoking. Significant predictors of undergoing subsequent surgery involving articular cartilage were higher body mass index, higher Marx activity level, reconstruction with a hamstring autograft or allograft, meniscal repair at the time of index surgery, or a grade 3/4 articular cartilage abnormality classified at the time of index ACL reconstruction. Risk factors for incurring subsequent surgery for loss of motion were younger age, female sex, low baseline Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score symptom subscore, and reconstruction with a soft tissue allograft.

Conclusion:

These findings can be used to identify patients who are at the greatest risk of incurring subsequent surgery after ACL reconstruction.
Importance of Retaining Sufficient Acetabular Depth: Successful 2-Year Outcomes of Hip Arthroscopy for Patients With Pincer Morphology as Compared With Matched Controls
Authors: Brick Claudia R. , Bacon Catherine J. , Brick Matthew J.
Published: August 2020

Background:

Patients with pincer-type femoroacetabular impingement are commonly treated with arthroscopic reduction of acetabular depth as measured by the lateral center-edge angle (LCEA). The optimal amount of rim reduction has not been established, although large resections may increase contact pressures through the hip. A recent publication demonstrated inferior surgical outcomes in patients with acetabular overcoverage as compared with normal acetabular coverage. Casual observation of our database suggested equivalent improvements, prompting a similar analysis.

Purpose:

To analyze patient-reported outcomes after hip arthroscopy for femoroacetabular impingement in patients with acetabular overcoverage who were matched with controls with normal coverage, as well as to analyze associations with reduction in LCEA.

Study Design:

Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3.

Methods:

Data were collected prospectively from patients with a minimum 2-year follow-up after receiving hip arthroscopy for femoroacetabular impingement by a single surgeon. Cases were reviewed to identify those with pincer-type morphology (LCEA >40°) and matched according to sex, age, chondral damage, and surgery date in a 1:1 ratio with controls with an LCEA of 25° to 40°. The surgical goal was to reduce the LCEA to the upper end of the normal range with minimal rim resection, usually 35° to 37°. Radiographic measurements of coverage, intraoperative findings, procedures, and patient-reported outcomes were recorded, including the 12-Item International Hip Outcome Tool, Non-arthritic Hip Score, Hip Disability and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score, visual analog scale for pain, rates of revision or reoperation, and conversion to total hip arthroplasty.

Results:

A total of 114 hips (93 patients) for the pincer group were matched 1:1 from 616 hips (541 patients) for the control group. The pincer group (mean ± SD age, 34.5 ± 12.2 years) did not differ in age, body mass index, or follow-up from controls. LCEA was reduced in both groups pre- to postoperatively: the pincer group from 44.0° ± 2.8° to 34.2° ± 3.5° and the controls from 32.9° ± 3.9° to 31.0° ± 3.0°. No differences in improvement were observed: iHOT-12 improved by 35.7 points in both groups ( P = .9 for analysis of variance interaction) and Nonarthritic Hip Score by 22.3 points ( P = .6). From all eligible surgical procedures, 2-year follow up rates were 2.5% and 2.6% for the pincer and control cohorts, respectively, and 1.2% and 0.3% for conversion to total hip arthroplasty.

Conclusion:

Arthroscopic management of acetabular overcoverage can achieve excellent results, equivalent to arthroscopy for other causes of symptomatic femoroacetabular impingement. A key finding was smaller rim resections producing a mean postoperative LCEA of 34.2° with a small standard deviation.