bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effect of mandibular advancement device treatment on HIF-1α, EPO and VEGF in the myocardium of obstructive sleep apnea–hypopnea syndrome rabbits
Authors: Zhu Dechao , Kang Wenjing , Zhang Shilong , Qiao Xing , Liu Jie , Liu Chunyan , Lu Haiyan
Published: August 2020

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of mandibular advancement device (MAD) therapy for obstructive sleep apnea–hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) on hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α), erythropoietin (EPO) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in myocardial tissue. New Zealand rabbits were used to develop OSAHS and MAD models. Cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) of the upper airway and polysomnography (PSG) recordings were performed with the animals in the supine position. All of the animals were induced to sleep in a supine position for 4–6 h each day and were observed continuously for 8 weeks. The myocardial tissue of the three groups was dissected to measure the expression of HIF-1α, EPO and VEGF. The results showed that there was higher expression of HIF-1α, EPO and VEGF in the OSAHS group than those in the MAD and control groups. MAD treatment significantly downregulated the expression of HIF-1α, EPO and VEGF in the OSAHS animals. We concluded that MAD treatment could significantly downregulate the increased expression of HIF-1α, EPO and VEGF in OSAHS rabbits, improving their myocardial function.
A study on the response of FRET based DNA aptasensors in intracellular environment
Authors: Ghosh Shreya , Chen Yinghua , Sebastian Jesvin , George Anne , Dutta Mitra , Stroscio Michael A.
Published: August 2020

This paper presents a study of the response of FRET based DNA aptasensors in the intracellular environment. Herein, we extend previous studies of aptasensors functioning in the extracellular environment to detection of antigens in the intracellular environment. An essential step in this research is the use of a novel means of achieving the endocytosis of aptasensors. Specifically, it is demonstrated that functioning aptasensors are successfully endocytosed by functionalizing the aptasensors with endocytosis—inducing DSS peptides.
PRMT1-dependent methylation of BRCA1 contributes to the epigenetic defense of breast cancer cells against ionizing radiation
Authors: Montenegro María F. , González-Guerrero Rebeca , Sánchez-del-Campo Luis , Piñero-Madrona Antonio , Cabezas-Herrera Juan , Rodríguez-López José Neptuno
Published: August 2020

The therapeutic effect of irradiation is thought to come from DNA damage that affects rapidly proliferating cancer cells; however, resistant cells rapidly initiate mechanisms to repair such damage. While DNA repair mechanisms responsible for cancer cell survival following DNA damage are understood, less is known about the epigenetic mechanisms resulting in resistance to radiotherapy. Although changes in DNA methylation are related to mechanisms of long-term resistance, it is more likely that the methylation state of a series of proteins could be responsible for the first-line of defense of cancer cells against irradiation. In this study, we observed that irradiation of breast cancer cells was accompanied by an overproduction in S-adenosylmethionine, which increases the activity of cellular methylases. We found that by activating PRMT1, irradiation triggers a BRCA1-dependent program that results in efficient DNA repair and inhibition of apoptosis. Depletion of PRMT1 in irradiated cells resulted in a switch of BRCA1 functions from repair and survival in the nucleus to activation of cell death signals in the cytoplasm. We conclude that by modulating the cellular localization of BRCA1, PRMT1 is an important regulator of the oncogenic functions of BRCA1, contributing to the epigenetic defense of breast cancer cells against ionizing radiation.
A novel formulation technology for baculoviruses protects biopesticide from degradation by ultraviolet radiation
Authors: Wilson Kenneth , Grzywacz David , Curcic Igor , Scoates Freya , Harper Karen , Rice Annabel , Paul Nigel , Dillon Aoife
Published: August 2020

Biopesticides are biological pest control agents that are viewed as safer alternatives to the synthetic chemicals that dominate the global insecticide market. A major constraint on the wider adoption of biopesticides is their susceptibility to the ultraviolet (UV: 290–400 nm) radiation in sunlight, which limits their persistence and efficacy. Here, we describe a novel formulation technology for biopesticides in which the active ingredient (baculovirus) is micro-encapsulated in an ENTOSTAT wax combined with a UV absorbant (titanium dioxide, TiO2). Importantly, this capsule protects the sensitive viral DNA from degrading in sunlight, but dissolves in the alkaline insect gut to release the virus, which then infects and kills the pest. We show, using simulated sunlight, in both laboratory bioassays and trials on cabbage and tomato plants, that this can extend the efficacy of the biopesticide well beyond the few hours of existing virus formulations, potentially increasing the spray interval and/or reducing the need for high application rates. The new formulation has a shelf-life at 30 °C of at least 6 months, which is comparable to standard commercial biopesticides and has no phytotoxic effect on the host plants. Taken together, these findings suggest that the new formulation technology could reduce the costs and increase the efficacy of baculovirus biopesticides, with the potential to make them commercially competitive alternatives to synthetic chemicals.
Mechanochemical redox: a calcination-free process to support CoMnOx catalysts
Authors: Bao Jiafeng , Cheng Jinbin , Wang Xueming , Yang Shize , Zhang Pengfei
Published: August 2020

A calcination-free process (mechanochemical redox loading method) to load CoMnOx onto various supports for efficient and stable CO oxidation.
Dynamic response study of Ti3C2-MXene films to shockwave and impact forces
Authors: Srivatsa Shreyas , Belthangadi Pavithra , Ekambaram Shivakarthik , Pai Manu , Sen Prosenjit , Uhl Tadeusz , Kumar Saurabh , Grabowski Krzysztof , Nayak M. M.
Published: August 2020

Ti3C2-MXenes films are subjected to dynamic phenomena of low and high-velocity impact resulting in fast response times with piezoresistivity behavior.
Options other than a PhD
Authors: Mocatta James
Published: August 2020

For a lot of graduates, particularly in biochemistry, the most obvious route following their degree is to continue in academia and pursue a PhD – a noble, sensible and safe choice. For other people, finding alternatives and looking for work can be exceedingly daunting. Finding a job can be compared to a hero on a quest: the destination is unclear, there are constant setbacks and enemies lie at every turn. This article does not offer any solutions to these problems, and instead simply records some experiences of looking for jobs and tries to offer kindred advice.
Comparative evaluation of six wireless sensor devices in a high ionizing radiation environment
Authors: Huang Qiang , Jiang Jin , Deng Yongqiang
Published: August 2020

This paper reports the results of experimental studies of six different wireless sensor nodes and networks under a radiation environment with a dose rate of 20 K Rad (Si)/h. The wireless nodes evaluated are ZigBee, WirelessHART, ISA 100.11a, LoRa, and 433/915 MHz point‐to‐point devices made from commercial off‐the‐shelf (COTS) components. The experiments were carried out using a 60Co gamma source, while the devices are at on‐power operating states, and their operating statuses have been continuously monitored to determine the first instance of failure and the rate of gradual degradation in terms of communication channel performance and quality of the wireless signals. Observations indicate that the different devices and networks exhibit varying levels of radiation tolerance. For example, some can only survive for less than one hour, but others are operating satisfactorily for several hours. Furthermore, before a device suffers a fatal hardware failure, the performance degradation progresses slowly. It is believed that this is the first time that such results are reported in the open literature. Their significance is that the results can provide some practical guidance to select the most suitable wireless devices for the design and construction of remote monitoring systems for high‐level radiation environments.
An Unsteady Momentum Source Method and Its Application in Simulation of Hovering Rotor
Authors: Guo Jiahao , Zhou Zhou , Li Xu
Published: August 2020

The efficiency and accuracy of numerical simulation on power unit is the key to study the relevant aerodynamic layout with multiple rotating power units. However, the numerical simulation of the power unit using real geometry all faces the problem of low solution efficiency. Taking the rotor hovering state as an example, the real blade was firstly simplified and replaced by a thin mesh disk to establish the effective momentum source method. Then, using fan-shaped mesh region that changes with time to replace real blade and simulate the rotation, the unsteady momentum source method which could get the revolution of tip vortex was proposed. The results show that the momentum source method with the input of accurate blade force distribution can simulate rotor wake better, and the influence that blade geometry acts on wake mainly reflects in the blade force distribution. In addition, the unsteady momentum source method can simulate the revolution of tip vortex, and its consumptions of computing resources and calculation time are only about 1/8 of the unsteady numerical simulation based on the real geometry.
Heat transfer enhancement by a focused ultrasound field
Authors: Wang Xiaowu , Wan Zhenping , Chen Boqian , Zhao Yongling
Published: August 2020

A focused ultrasound field is set up in a heat transfer cavity with an elliptical cross section. A sound source and a heat source are designed at the two focus points where the sound intensity is reinforced based on the interference and standing wave criteria. The sound intensities and heat transfer coefficients of the cavity with a focused ultrasonic field and an ordinary cavity with a rectangular cross section are measured under the natural convection heat transfer regime. The distribution of the heat transfer coefficient matches the distribution of the sound intensity. The heat transfer performance is then enhanced in the cavity with a focused ultrasonic field. The cavitations and acoustic streaming characteristics in the cavity with a focused ultrasonic field and the ordinary cavity are also studied. The velocity of acoustic streaming is larger in the cavity with a focused ultrasonic field than in the ordinary cavity, and no cavitation is observed in the ordinary cavity. Although the cavitation cloud around the heat source is unfavorable for the heat transfer in the cavity with a focused ultrasonic field, the cavitations collapse and the resulting high temperature, higher pressure, and microjet effects still contribute substantially to heat transfer.
Phase mediated dynamics of self-propagating Co/Al nanolaminate reactions
Authors: Abere Michael J. , Egan Garth C. , Kittell David E. , Campbell Geoffrey H. , Adams David P.
Published: August 2020

The ignition of sputter deposited nanolaminate foils comprising alternating Co and Al layers results in rapid, self-propagating formation reactions. The propagating waves present after ignition of 150 nm-thick foils are characterized in movie mode dynamic transmission electron microscopy where these are found to have reaction speeds and wave morphology that vary with bilayer thickness. High speed videography reveals different bilayer thickness-wave character relationships in 750 nm-thick and 7500 nm-thick Co/Al foils. The reaction speed dependencies on bilayer thickness are calculated for each total thickness by treating the effect of radiation loss as a perturbation from an analytical model described by the difference in the heat of reaction measured in calorimetry and the adiabatic heat of product formation. From this model, an effective activation energy, diffusion constant, and flame temperatures are obtained, which allows for an interpretation of the reaction phase variations with laminate design and their effects on the propagating wave morphology.
El Coco Does Not Frighten Anymore: ICC Scrutiny and State Cooperation in Colombia
Authors: Bocchese Marco
Published: August 2020

The preliminary examination of Colombia is widely regarded as a successful instance of positive complementarity. Under the watchful eye of the Office of the Prosecutor (OTP), Colombian authorities have implemented comprehensive reforms and negotiated peace with the country’s main rebellion. That said, how much credit can the International Criminal Court (ICC) claim for these outcomes? And how did ICC–state relations develop over time? Drawing on in-person interviews carried out during a research trip to Bogotá, this article conducts a within-case analysis of the situation of Colombia over fourteen years (2004–18), seeking to explore the motives underlying state compliance with ICC treaty obligations and trace the evolution of ICC–state relations throughout two consecutive administrations of opposite political color. Unsurprisingly, state elites and transitional justice experts push back against the idea that the OTP has held state authorities accountable to domestic and international legal obligations through its lasting monitoring and involvement in internal affairs. Besides, while participants in this study agree on the timeliness of ICC intervention, they are split on their assessments of the Court’s performance. Finally, interviewees tend to agree that, upon giving ‘green light’ to the finalized peace accords in early September 2016, the ICC has at best a marginal role in Colombia’s politics..
The National Museum of Mexico in the Porfirian Era, 1876–1911
Authors: Valiant Seonaid
Published: August 2020

In Mexico at the turn of the twentieth century, administrators in the government of Porfirio Díaz dramatically overhauled the national museum by vastly increasing funding for staff and scholarship. This reformation was done with the explicit purpose of pulling together the indigenous, colonial, and modern aspects of Mexican history to construct a coherent national narrative that could reinforce the Porfirian vision of Mexico as an emerging nation-state. A crucial component of that process was the movement of Mexican artifacts, both indigenous and colonial, into the physical space of the museum, which provided a material instantiation of the Porfirian ideological project. Archaeologists contested the organization of these materials and engaged in debates that questioned how these artifacts should be understood. Despite such resistance, the bureaucrats and curators at the national museum made use of the institution to express a patriotic, nationalist, and distinctly Porfirian narrative of Mexican history.
Political Careers of Ministers and Prime Ministers
Authors: Müller-Rommel Ferdinand , Kroeber Corinna , Vercesi Michelangelo
Published: August 2020

The concept of career, while ubiquitous in elite research, has hardly received any comprehensive analytical treatment in the study of political executives. This chapter will summarize and develop the basic theoretical and methodological approaches as well as empirical findings of studies investigating political careers of cabinet members in democratic parliamentary and semi-presidential systems at the national level. It is divided into three sections. The first provides a sketch of the basic research questions that have been raised (and discussed) in the field of executive careers studies over the past decades. The second part offers a systematic survey of the current state of the literature concerned with ministers’ and prime ministers’ political careers. The third section presents some avenues for future research, including the potential for further theoretical and methodological improvement, followed by some concluding remarks.
Observation Method in Empirical Aesthetics
Authors: Tinio Pablo P. L. , Specker Eva
Published: August 2020

This chapter focuses on the features of the observation method of research. It provides a general description of the method as well as its various uses, such as to describe aesthetics phenomena, test theory and specific hypotheses, and augment other research methods. The chapter also provides examples of empirical aesthetics research that have used observations as the primary means for collecting data with emphasis on observations conducted in natural contexts such as museums. Finally, these examples serve as a basis for offering guidelines on how to conduct observations that are appropriate, reliable, and valid.
Interest Groups and the Market for Representation
Authors: Richardson Jeremy
Published: August 2020

For long periods, interest groups rather than parties were the main channel for effective representation on a vast range of policy issues (often not discussed in elections or in party programmes), leading to a consensual policy style. Citizens, via interest group membership, gained access to policy-makers (particularly, but not exclusively, civil servants) and were able to influence public policy. This long-established system of policymaking has been subject to now decades of challenges, with governments often marginalizing interest groups and resorting to an impositional, top-down (and often frenetic policy style leaving no time for effectuve consulation of those affected). Thus, effective representation via both traditional mass parties and interest groups has declined, assisting the rise of populism, or ‘Farumpism’
Print, Electronic, and Social Media and the Transformation of Democratic Representation
Authors: Peffley Mark , Denison Alexander , Taylor Travis N.
Published: August 2020

The chapter examines the current state of print, electronic, and social media in Europe and the US, and how its evolution has influenced mass behaviour, political representation, and democratic governance. We begin by surveying the dramatic changes that have taken place in the media environment—the shift in media technology from print to broadcast to the Internet, and how these changes influence the information environment and thus, the behaviour of citizens and elites. We then assess how various facets of the electronic media—that is, broadcast news, cable, partisan news, the Internet, and social media—influence political behaviour and representation. Despite a few exceptions, transformations in print, electronic, and social media in liberal democracies have tended to degrade the quality of representation in the last two decades, particularly in the US, where market forces are stronger and government regulations designed to buffer the market are weaker.
Immigration and Immigrant Integration Policy
Authors: Bakkær Simonsen Kristina
Published: August 2020

Danish immigration and immigrant integration policy has changed dramatically over the past forty to 50 years, from occupying one of the most liberal positions in Western Europe in the 1980s to becoming one of the most restrictive in 2019. This policy shift has not least attracted international attention and led commentators to suggest that the Danes must be exceptionally anti-immigrant. This chapter investigates the drivers of policy change. It demonstrates that Danish public opinion may have been a necessary but not a sufficient condition for pushing immigration and immigrant integration policy in a more restrictive direction. Instead, party political dynamics and associated politicization pressures were decisive factors in the development of the policy field. In closing, the chapter considers the potential effects of these policy changes on both majority-minority relations and immigrant integration outcomes in Denmark.
Epicurus and the Epicurean School
Authors: Dorandi Tiziano
Published: August 2020

The school founded by Epicurus in Athens in 307/6 or 305/4 survived as an institution until the first century bce. After a period obscure to us, in the second century ce, we again have information about certain Epicurean philosophers and about the continuity of the teaching of Epicureanism in Athens and Asia Minor. In this chapter a brief biography is drawn of each of the protagonists of the history of the school and their literary and philosophical works. Particular attention is paid to Philodemus and the role that he played in the spread of Epicureanism in Italy in the first century bce. The life of the school during its long existence was not always peaceful. Inside the school there were severe incidents of division early on. While Epicurus was still living, Timocrates, the brother of Metrodorus, left the Garden and also began a smear campaign against Epicurus. Philodemus informs us also of a whole series of Epicureans, “dissidents” (sophistai), who lived between the second and the first century bce and were apparently active in Cos and Rhodes. In their works we read the names of some of these Epicureans and find suggestions of their doctrines. A few words on the organization and common life of the Garden of Athens conclude this chapter.
Politics and Society
Authors: Roskam Geert
Published: August 2020

From antiquity to the present, Epicurus’s view of politics has often been regarded as entirely negative. And indeed, from his philosophical perspective, where pleasure is regarded as the final end, politics is usually depreciated as a source of troubles and pains. While the politician eagerly pursues the fulfillment of his empty unnecessary desires, he constantly postpones the easily attainable pleasures. A careful analysis of the reality of political life and of the unhappy fate of many politicians thus shows that we better prefer a sequestered, “unnoticed” life, in order to enjoy the full pleasures of Epicurean tranquility and self-sufficiency among like-minded friends. Yet this is only one part of the story—though an important one of course. Several sources show that Epicurus was particularly well-informed about the political situation in his own day and that he ascribed to politics its own autonomy. Moreover, he was open-minded enough to allow for possible exceptions: when a sober-minded calculus reveals that it is better to occasionally engage in politics, the Epicurean should indeed do so. Such a decision, however, does not rest on a concern for the public interest, but only aims at benefiting the Epicurean himself or his community.
Gynecologic Care in Women With Down Syndrome
Authors: Smith Anna J. B. , Applebaum Jeremy , Tanner Edward J. , Capone George T.
Published: August 2020

OBJECTIVE:

To estimate receipt of recommended gynecologic care, including cancer screening and menstrual care, among women with Down syndrome in the United States.

METHODS:

We conducted a retrospective cohort study of women participating in DS-Connect, the National Institute of Health's registry of women with Down syndrome. Using 2013–2019 survey data, we estimated the proportion of women receiving recommended age-appropriate well-woman care (Pap tests, mammogram, breast examination, pelvic examination) and compared receipt of gynecologic care to receipt of other preventive health care. We also estimated proportion receiving care for menstrual regulation.

RESULTS:

Of 70 participants with Down syndrome, 23% (95% CI 13–33) of women received all recommended gynecologic components of a well-woman examination. Forty-four percent (95% CI 32–56) of women aged 18 years and older reported ever having a gynecologic examination, and 26% (95% CI 15–37) reported ever having a Pap test. Of women aged 40 years or older, 50% (95% CI 22–78) had had a mammogram. Fifty-two percent (95% CI 41–65) had tried medication for menstrual regulation, and 89% (95% CI 81–96) received all recommended components of nongynecologic routine health care.

CONCLUSION:

Women with Down syndrome received gynecologic care, including cancer screening, at lower-than-recommended rates and at substantially lower rates than other forms of health care. Efforts to improve gynecologic care in this vulnerable population are needed.
Workers' resistance in special economic zones in Poland
Authors: Bancarzewski Maciej , Hardy Jane
Published: August 2020

Purpose

This article compares workers' resistance in foreign direct investments (FDIs) in the automotive and electronics sectors in two special economic zones (SEZs) in the north-east and south-west of Poland. It aims to investigate why, despite the shared characteristics of the SEZs, that there are different outcomes in terms of the balance of formal resistance through trade unions and informal resistance through sabotage.

Design/methodology/approach

A spatial framework of analysis is posited to examine how global capital, national employment frameworks and regional institutions play out in local labour markets and shape workers' sense of place and their capacity for workplace resistance. The research study is based on interviews with trade union officials and non-union employees in four foreign investment firms in Poland.

Findings

The findings point to the importance of the type of production in influencing the structural power of organised labour and the social agency workers influenced by their understanding of place.

Originality/value

Analysing workplace resistance and industrial relations from a spatial perspective.
Examining the relationship between bank stability and earnings quality in Islamic and conventional banks
Authors: Riahi Youssef
Published: August 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of earnings quality on banking stability in Gulf Cooperation Council countries. First, the author isolates the discretionary loan loss provision (DLLP) to investigate the impact of total LLP, DLLP, discretionary accruals and a small positive variation in net income on bank stability. Second, the author investigates differences that may exist between Islamic banks (IBs) and conventional banks (CBs) in terms of the impact of DLLP on bank stability.

Design/methodology/approach

This research is based on unbalanced panel data for 39 IBs and 64 CBs in the six Gulf Cooperation Council countries over the 2000–2014 period.

Findings

The findings indicate that the extent of stability is negatively associated with the level of DLLP. This study also found significant differences between the two banking sectors in the effect of DLLP on bank stability.

Practical implications

This study has various practical implications. First, it provides insights for governments and regulators about introducing instruments like borrower restrictions and dynamic provisions to reduce LLP, because it negatively affects banking stability. Second, bankers should carefully assess the effects of their LLP strategies to overcome any negative effects. Third, the findings are also relevant to shareholders, investors and bank customers. More specifically, the results will help to improving their understanding of how LLP is not a financial strength and it is subject to managers’ opportunism that can lead to a financial instability. Finally, this study’s results encourage researchers to investigate an unexplored question, namely, the procyclicality of LLP and its determinants and effects.

Originality/value

To the best of the author’s knowledge, this is the first study to investigate differences that may exist between Islamic and CBs in terms of the impact of DLLP on bank stability.
Neural correlates of the Dunning–Kruger effect
Authors: Muller Alana , Sirianni Lindsey A. , Addante Richard J.
Published: August 2020

The Dunning–Kruger effect (DKE) is a metacognitive phenomenon of illusory superiority in which individuals who perform poorly on a task believe they performed better than others, yet individuals who performed very well believe they under‐performed compared to others. This phenomenon has yet to be directly explored in episodic memory, nor explored for physiological correlates or reaction times. We designed a novel method to elicit the DKE via a test of item recognition while electroencephalography (EEG) was recorded. Throughout the task, participants were asked to estimate the percentile in which they performed compared to others. Results revealed participants in the bottom 25th percentile over‐estimated their percentile, while participants in the top 75th percentile under‐estimated their percentile, exhibiting the classic DKE. Reaction time measures revealed a condition‐by‐group interaction whereby over‐estimators responded faster than under‐estimators when estimating being in the top percentile and responded slower when estimating being in the bottom percentile. Between‐group EEG differences were evident between over‐estimators and under‐estimators during Dunning–Kruger responses, which revealed FN400‐like effects of familiarity supporting differences for over‐estimators, whereas “old‐new” memory event‐related potential effects revealed a late parietal component associated with recollection‐based processing for under‐estimators that was not evident for over‐estimators. Findings suggest over‐ and under‐estimators use differing cognitive processes when assessing their performance, such that under‐estimators may rely on recollection during memory while over‐estimators may draw upon excess familiarity when over‐estimating their performance. Episodic memory thus appears to play a contributory role in metacognitive judgements of illusory superiority.
Longitudinal changes of liver function and hepatitis B reactivation in COVID‐19 patients with pre‐existing chronic hepatitis B virus infection
Authors: Liu Jiaye , Wang Tingyan , Cai Qingxian , Sun Liqin , Huang Deliang , Zhou Guangde , He Qing , Wang Fu‐Sheng , Liu Lei , Chen Jun
Published: August 2020

Aim

With the current coronavirus disease (COVID‐19) pandemic and high endemic levels of chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection worldwide, it is urgent to investigate liver function changes of COVID‐19 patients with chronic HBV infection, and how severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) infection in turn affects the course of chronic HBV infection.

Method

We undertook a retrospective study based on 347 COVID‐19 patients (21 vs. 326 with vs. without chronic HBV infection). With the propensity score matching (PSM) method, we yielded 20 and 51 matched patients for the HBV group and the non‐HBV group, respectively.

Results

At the end of follow‐up, all of these 71 patients achieved SARS‐CoV‐2 clearance (P = 0.1). During the follow‐up, 30% versus 31.4% in the HBV group versus non‐HBV group progressed to severe COVID‐19 (P = 0.97). After PSM, the longitudinal changes of median values for liver biochemistries were not significantly different between the two groups. In the HBV group versus non‐HBV group, 35% (7/20) versus 37.25% (19/51) (P = 0.86) had abnormal alanine aminotransferase at least once during hospitalization, 30% (6/20) versus 31.37% (16/51) had abnormal aspartate aminotransferase (P = 0.91), 40% (8/20) versus 37.25% (19/51) had abnormal γ‐glutamyltransferase (P = 0.83), and 45% (9/20) versus 39.22% (20/51) had abnormal total bilirubin levels (P = 0.91). Moreover, three patients in the HBV group had hepatitis B reactivation.

Conclusions

Liver dysfunction presented in COVID‐19 patients with/without chronic HBV. Moreover, those COVID‐19 patients co‐infected with chronic HBV could have a risk of hepatitis B reactivation. It is necessary to monitor liver function of COVID‐19 patients, as well as HBV‐DNA levels for those co‐infected with HBV during the whole disease course.
Two histologic compartments in nonpolypoid conventional colon adenomas
Authors: Rubio Carlos A.
Published: August 2020

Two intertwined compartments coexisting in nonpolypoid conventional (i.e. tubular or villous) adenomas are highlighted in this review: one built of dysplastic tissue on top and the other portraying crypts with irregular, corrupted shapes, albeit lined with normal epithelium, below. The latter compartment has remained unattended in the literature. Recently, however, the histologic characteristics of the nondysplastic compartment in nonpolypoid conventional adenomas were closely examined, and some of its biological attributes were unveiled. Studies with the proliferation marker ki67 showed that the crypts with irregular, corrupted shapes in the nondysplastic compartment displayed haphazardly distributed proliferating cell‐domains. Given that the proliferating cells are generated by stem cells, the relocation of proliferating cell‐domains in those crypts seems to be the result of a reorganization of the stem cells within the crypts. The abnormal distribution of proliferating cells, the finding of p53‐upregulated cells, and of crypts in asymmetric fission suggest that the crypts in that compartment are histo‐biologically altered, probably somatically mutated. This new information might contribute to unravel the riddle of crypto‐histogenesis of nonpolypoid conventional adenomas of the colon. More research along these lines is necessary, before the biology of the crypts in the nondysplastic compartment can be fully translated into molecular terms.
Safety and effectiveness of mirabegron in male patients with overactive bladder with or without benign prostatic hyperplasia: A Japanese post‐marketing study
Authors: Takahashi Satoru , Kato Daisuke , Tabuchi Hiromi , Uno Satoshi
Published: August 2020

Objectives

The aim of this post hoc analysis from the Japanese mirabegron surveillance program was to investigate the safety and effectiveness of mirabegron in male patients with overactive bladder (OAB) symptoms with/without concomitant benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).

Methods

This 12‐week study included patients who were starting mirabegron treatment for the OAB symptoms of urinary urgency, daytime frequency, and urgency urinary incontinence. Patients were stratified according to BPH diagnosis, and patients with BPH were stratified into those who did/did not receive BPH‐specific treatment. Assessments included adverse drug reactions (ADRs), residual urine volume evaluations, and total Overactive Bladder Symptom Score (OABSS) and International Prostate Symptom Score‐Quality of Life (IPSS‐QoL) measurements.

Results

Of 4540 male patients, 3176 (70.0%) had been diagnosed with BPH. Mean age was slightly higher in patients with BPH (74.7 ± 8.41 years) versus patients without BPH (71.0 ± 12.13 years). Overall, 66/1364 (4.84%), 170/2588 (6.57%), and 35/569 (6.15%) patients without BPH, with BPH + treatment, and with BPH + no treatment, respectively, experienced ≥1 ADR. No patients without BPH and 21/3176 (0.66%) patients with BPH experienced a urinary retention ADR. No significant changes from baseline to week 12 in residual volume were noted. Mirabegron was judged to be an effective treatment for 990/1296 (76.4%) patients without BPH, 1935/2491 (77.7%) patients with BPH + treatment, and 421/538 (78.3%) patients with BPH + no treatment. Significant decreases in total OABSS and IPSS‐QoL were observed for all groups.

Conclusions

Mirabegron was a well‐tolerated and effective treatment for patients with OAB symptoms with or without BPH in this post‐marketing study.
Train of Four Monitoring Device
Authors: Karapanagou Anastasia , Bergstrom Nicholas R. , Beauregard Christopher , Dillon Kyler B. , Skorinko Jeanine L. M. , Sabuncu Ahmet Can , Rosero Eric B.
Published: August 2020

Assessment of neuromuscular blockade during anesthesia is achieved using the Train of Four (TOF) monitoring technique. However, current devices are limited to conditions in which the hand can move freely during operation. The goal of this project was to design, prototype, and test a device which extends the TOF technique to conditions where movement is restricted. Interviews were conducted with stakeholders to better understand the need for this device and to get feedback on preliminary designs. The resulting device consists of a thumb-mounted balloon, which converts the force due to thumb twitches into pressure, which then acts as the physical analog to muscle response. This pressure is transduced and analyzed to produce a TOF count and TOF ratio. A prototype was constructed and tested on human subjects with different hand geometries.
Solid Fiber Inside Capillary and Modified Fusion-Spliced Fiber Optic Microneedle Devices
Authors: Mehta Jason N. , Rylander Christopher G.
Published: August 2020

Clinical treatment of Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM) is generally ineffective in increasing patient survival. Convection-enhanced delivery (CED) is an alternative, investigative therapy in which a small caliber catheter is placed directly into the brain parenchyma. However, standard CED drug delivery techniques are unable to reach the entirety of the brain tumor, attributing to the failure of Phase III clinical trials. Fiber optic microneedle devices (FMDs), capable of simultaneous fluid and laser energy delivery, have shown potential to increase the drug dispersal volume when compared to fluid only devices. Previously described FMDs have had low laser transmission efficiency. In this work, we present two FMD manufacturing methods, a solid fiber inside capillary (SFIC) FMD and a modified fusion spliced (FS) FMD. Transmission efficiency of the two proposed FMDs were measured using a 1064 nm laser and an integrating sphere detector with air, deionized water, and black ink inside of the bore of the FMDs. The transmission efficiency of the FS FMD was between 45 and 127% larger than that of previously reported FS FMDs. Additionally, the transmission efficiency of the SFIC was significantly higher than the FS FMD (p ≤ 0.04 for all groups). However, the SFIC FMDs suffered catastrophic fracture failure at bend radii smaller than the manufacture specification, likely due to scribing of the capillary during the FMD fabrication process. Modifying FS FMDs appears to be the preferred fabrication method providing improved light transmission efficiency and mechanical strength on par with the capillary manufacturer’s specifications.
The Noninvasive Electrical Mapping of Reanimated Large Mammalian Hearts
Authors: Brigham Renee C. , Ramirez David A. , Iles Tinen L. , Iaizzo Paul A.
Published: August 2020

Electroanatomical mapping systems are being utilized clinically for locating arrhythmias within a given patient’s heart. Today, employed endocardial mapping systems are invasive and require extensive set-up time. Epicardial mapping systems, like CardioInsight™ from Medtronic, are non-invasive but require co-registration of electrodes to the heart, e.g. via a required Computed Tomography (CT) scan. This system has been used both clinically and in several laboratories in situ. The difficulties with in vitro uses are that the ex vivo perfused hearts lack an associated thoracic cavity, resulting in the possibility of inconsistent placement of electrodes, and poor conduction of epicardial signals. We are developing in our laboratory means to use the CardioInsight™ system on reanimated large mammalian hearts. Preliminary studies were conducted on swine hearts, but this system could be also be utilized with reanimated human hearts, making this research even more translatable. The use of this epicardial mapping system will allow for critical observations during pacing or ablation experiments and for collecting critical data for computational modeling.
An Evaluation of Sensing Technologies to Measure Intraoperative Leg Length for Total Hip Arthroplasty
Authors: Chaurasia Akash , Yan Jerry , Li Robert , McCarren Katie , State Claire , Takasuka Hannah , Bender Evan , Jithendra Aditi , Oni Julius K. , Manbachi Amir
Published: August 2020

Total hip arthroplasty (THA) procedures have been identified as high-volume procedures with growing prevalence. During the procedure, orthopedic surgeons largely rely solely on qualitative assessment to ensure an excessive limb length discrepancy (LLD) is not introduced from the implant selection. LLD can result in back pain and gait complications, with some cases of LLD requiring a revision procedure to mitigate. To address this issue, we evaluated several methods of sensing distance intraoperatively to determine the best approach to measure leg length during the THA procedure. A testing setup using a sawbones model of hip anatomy in the decubitus position was used as a simulation of the THA procedure to test the accuracy of each of the sensing modalities.
Identification of Low Torque Step Sizes for the Design of a Single-Channel Muscle-Powered Hybrid Orthosis for People With Spinal Cord Injury
Authors: Farhat Ullah Yusra , Durfee William K.
Published: August 2020

In paraplegia due to complete or incomplete spinal cord injury, the connection from the brain to muscles in the lower limbs is severed but the muscles that act on signals from the brain to produce limb movement remain functional. Functional electrical stimulation (FES), which is the application of electric potential across a muscle group to artificially cause the muscle to contract, is a method that can be used alone or in conjunction with an orthosis to produce a gait cycle. Such FES based walking machines or devices have been studied and designed for several decades. However, their application in everyday exercise is limited by several factors, one of which is the rapid onset of muscle fatigue produced in the stimulated muscle. In this work, simulations were conducted in Simscape Multibody to lay the groundwork for the design of a next-generation FES based walking machine powered by the quadriceps femoris muscle group of each limb. The stimulation of the quadriceps femoris muscle causes the knee to extend while some energy is stored by the orthosis, which uses the stored energy to complete the gait cycle. In this study, we have analyzed the power requirements of each step in the hybrid FES-orthosis gait cycle for different stride lengths. These requirements can help identify small step sizes to reduce the power required from the stimulated muscle.
Characterization of Acetabular Cup Insertion Forces in Cancellous Bone Proxy for Validation of an Invasive Sensing Model and Development of Automatic Intelligent Prosthesis Installation Device
Authors: Behzadi Kambiz
Published: August 2020

Total hip replacement is a widespread medical procedure, with over 300,000 surgeries performed each year in the US alone. The vast majority of total hip replacements utilize press fit fixation, where the implant cup is physically impacted into the patient’s acetabular cavity. Successful seating of the implant requires a delicate balance between inserting the implant deep enough to obtain sufficient primary stability, while avoiding fracture of bone, which causes pain, complications during recovery, and revision surgery. To improve patient outcomes, this surgical field needs assistive technologies that can measure the forces applied during press fit fixation, and provide real-time feedback to guide how much force to apply, and when to stop applying additional forces. The development of such technology, however, requires a greater understanding of the forces experienced at the implant-acetabular cup interface, and the resulting cup insertion and implant stability. Here, we present a preliminary study of acetabular cup insertion into bone proxy samples. We find that as the magnitude of force on the acetabular cup increases, the cup displacement and axial extraction force increase linearly and then plateau. For repeated impacts of a given force, cup insertion and force experienced in bone increase correspondingly and reach a plateaued value over certain number of impacts, which represents rate of insertion. These finding suggest the plausibility of a feedback mechanism that utilizes measured force patterns in bone, implant/bone interface, and impaction tool in relation to rate of insertion to infer optimal primary implant stability in arthroplasty.
Access Point Placement Optimization for a CBTC System Wireless Data Communication Network
Authors: Aziminejad Arash , He Yan
Published: August 2020

Radio-based Communication-Based Train Control (CBTC) systems are widely utilized in major urban centers around the world to improve capacity, performance, and safety of public rail transportation systems. The system primary functionalities are performed based on the wireless mobile communication media, through which wayside-onboard communication data links are established.

The focus of the presented research is to improve the performance of the CBTC wireless network by providing an efficient framework for placement optimization of the wayside transceivers aiming to maximize the radio coverage. The QoS-oriented convex optimization cost function is based on a heuristic model of radio wave propagation in the tunnel environment. The optimization engine uses the robust, efficient, and well-behaved Nelder-Mead algorithm. Furthermore, to provide reliable means for verification, numerical results are compared with measured data produced through an empirical site survey process performed for an actual CBTC system deployment.
American Railroad Freight Cars: 100 Years of Progress, 1920-2020
Authors: Richmond Shaun
Published: August 2020

This paper was written to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the ASME Rail Transportation Division, which was founded in 1920 and held its first meeting in St. Louis. It attempts to paint a picture of the U. S. railroad freight car and the engineering processes involved in its design and construction in 1920 and compare this with today’s designs and practices.

Progress in freight car design has been evolutionary rather than revolutionary. The steel freight car had largely replaced its wooden predecessor by 1920 and the basic design of many cars was already in place. Exceptions being the Spine Car and the Well Car, which were entirely unknown in 1920. The Box Car has diminished greatly in importance and more specialized cars are now common. One important difference is that welding is now used extensively in freight car construction whereas in 1920 riveting was almost universal.

An important change is the availability of electronic instrumentation to measure, record and analyze the load environment of cars. This has allowed the development of performance-based specifications and these have largely replaced the prescriptive standards used in 1920. CAD and FE analysis have revolutionized the way in which cars are designed, allowing much more refined analysis which has led to far lighter car designs. In 1920 virtually all Engineers were white men — this too is changing.