bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Emergency remote English language teaching and learning: Voices of primary school students and teachers in Kazakhstan
Authors: Hajar Anas , Manan Syed Abdul
Published: June 2022

This qualitative study documents the experiences of 38 Grade 5 students and their six female teachers from four state‐maintained schools in Kazakhstan teaching/learning English during emergency remote teaching and learning (ERT&L). It was guided by Kearney et al.’s (2012) framework that provides three dimensions that influence individuals’ teaching and learning experience when using technological devices: personalisation, collaboration and authenticity. The data collected through online individual interviews and students’ drawings suggest that the participants asserted their agentive reflexivity and critical awareness of the advantages and drawbacks of their ERT&L experiences. Several teachers indicated that although ERT&L helped them make financial and professional gains, they had difficulty assessing their students’ progress online, and work overload had negative impacts on their well‐being and quality of life. Many students criticised some English teaching practices during COVID‐19, including the allocation of more homework, and lack of co‐operative activities and individual attention. The study has pedagogical implications and provides further evidence of the need for stakeholders to take the well‐being of teachers into account, promote collaboration between different social actors and provide teachers with proper training in the use of online platforms. It also stresses the importance of using participatory research methods involving children to capture their thoughts and interpretation of their emergency remote learning experiences.
Establishment of mouse line showing inducible priapism‐like phenotypes
Authors: Hashimoto Daiki , Fujimoto Kota , Morioka Shin , Ayabe Shinya , Kataoka Tomoya , Fukumura Ryutaro , Ueda Yuko , Kajimoto Mizuki , Hyuga Taiju , Suzuki Kentaro , Hara Isao , Asamura Shinichi , Wakana Shigeharu , Yoshiki Atsushi , Gondo Yoichi , Tamura Masaru , Sasaki Takehiko , Yamada Gen
Published: June 2022

Purpose

Penile research is expected to reveal new targets for treatment and prevention of the complex mechanisms of its disorder including erectile dysfunction (ED). Thus, analyses of the molecular processes of penile ED and continuous erection as priapism are essential issues of reproductive medicine.

Methods

By performing mouse N‐ethyl‐N‐nitrosourea mutagenesis and exome sequencing, we established a novel mouse line displaying protruded genitalia phenotype (PGP; priapism‐like phenotype) and identified a novel Pitpna gene mutation for PGP. Extensive histological analyses on the Pitpna mutant and intracavernous pressure measurement (ICP) and liquid chromatography–electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (LC–ESI/MS)/MS analyses were performed.

Results

We evaluated the role of phospholipids during erection for the first time and showed the mutants of inducible phenotypes of priapism. Moreover, quantitative analysis using LC–ESI/MS/MS revealed that the level of phosphatidylinositol (PI) was significantly lower in the mutant penile samples. These results imply that PI may contribute to penile erection by PITPα.

Conclusions

Our findings suggest that the current mutant is a mouse model for priapism and abnormalities in PI signaling pathways through PITPα may lead to priapism providing an attractive novel therapeutic target in its treatment.
Fault estimate and fault‐tolerant control for hybrid systems based on the extended state method
Authors: Zhu Xiaodan , Xia Yuanqing , Li Wuquan , Hu Xin
Published: June 2022

This article solves the fault estimation and fault‐tolerant control problem for discrete‐time hybrid systems containing actuator and sensor faults. A novel extended state observer is shown to estimate states and faults of systems, simultaneously. Based on the utilized estimations, a fault‐tolerant controller is proposed so that stochastic stability of closed‐loop models with level is analyzed and sufficient conditions are obtained. A simulation example is given to prove this proposed strategy's effectiveness.
Absolute stability of switched Lurie systems via dwell time switching
Authors: Zhao Wenxiu , Sun Yuangong
Published: June 2022

This article deals with the absolute stability problem of switched Lurie systems. By constructing two types of switched time‐varying Lyapunov–Lurie functions, sufficient conditions in terms of linear‐matrix inequalities are proposed to ensure that the switched Lurie system is absolutely stable under mode‐dependent dwell time switching signals. Furthermore, the conservatism of the proposed method for absolute stability analysis is studied. The given results are illustrated by numerical examples.
Visualizing the Surface Photocurrent Distribution in Perovskite Photovoltaics
Authors: Chen Jing , Zhu Guang‐Peng , Li Xiang , Lou Yan‐Hui , Dong Chong , Wang Kai‐Li , Yuan Shuai , Chen Chun‐Hao , Shi Yi‐Ran , Wang Tao , Wang Zhao‐Kui
Published: June 2022

Defect states play an important role in the photovoltaic performance of metal halide perovskites. Particularly, the passivation of surface defects has made great contributions to high‐performance perovskite photovoltaics. This highlights the importance of understanding the surface defects from a fundamental level by developing more accurate and operando characterization techniques. Herein, a strategy to enable the surface carriers and photocurrent distributions on perovskite films to be visualized in the horizontal direction is put forward. The visual image of photocurrent distribution is realized by combining the static local distribution of carriers provided by scanning near‐field optical microscopy with the dynamic transporting of carriers achieved via a scanning photocurrent measurement system. Taking a surface passivated molecule as an example, a comprehensive defect scene including static and dynamic as well as local and entire conditions is obtained using this strategy. The comprehensive analysis of the trap states in perovskite films is pioneered vertically and horizontally, which will powerfully promote the deep understanding of defect mechanisms and carrier behavior for the goal of fabricating high‐performance perovskite optoelectronic devices.
Fostering the diversity of exploratory testing in web applications
Authors: Leveau Julien , Blanc Xavier , Réveillère Laurent , Falleri Jean‐Rémy , Rouvoy Romain
Published: June 2022

Exploratory testing (ET) is a software testing approach that complements automated testing by leveraging business expertise. It has gained momentum over the last decades as it appeals testers to exploit their business knowledge to stress the system under test (SUT). Exploratory tests, unlike automated tests, are defined and executed on‐the‐fly by testers. However, testers who perform exploratory tests may be biased by their experience and, incidentally, miss anomalies or unusual interactions proposed by the SUT. This is even more complex in the context of web applications, which typically expose a huge number of interaction paths to their users. As testers of these applications cannot remember all the sequences of interactions they performed, they may fail to deeply explore the application scope. This article, therefore, introduces a new approach to assist testers in widely exploring any web application. In particular, our approach monitors the online interactions performed by the testers to suggest in real‐time the probabilities of performing next interactions. Looking at these probabilities, we claim that the testers who favour interactions that have a low probability (because they were rarely performed), will increase the diversity of their explorations. Our approach defines a prediction model, based on ‐grams, that encodes the history of past interactions and that supports the estimation of the probabilities. Integrated within a web browser extension, it automatically and transparently injects feedback within the application itself. We conduct a controlled experiment and a qualitative study to assess our approach. Results show that it prevents testers to be trapped in already tested loops, and succeeds to assist them in performing deeper explorations of the SUT.
A Self‐contained Trimmable Low Quiescent Current Overvoltage Detector
Authors: Yuan Yidong , Ren Ping , Li Jiping , Hu Weibo , Zhao Yiqiang , Xiao Zhiming
Published: June 2022

This paper presents a low‐power self‐contained overvoltage detector. Compared with conventional detectors that consist of stacked Zener diodes, the proposed structure can trim the threshold with binary codes to accommodate system‐level changes. The proposed structure enables trimming by adding a decoder, a biasing circuit, and switches in parallel with Zener diodes. The newly configured structure forms a standalone detector that can operate independently and be powered from the supply under detection with negligible current addition. The proposed structure is applicable to any high‐voltage process that contains N‐type isolation layer and needs no high‐voltage device. The proposed circuit with three bits adjustment circuit was fabricated in a 0.18 μm Bipolar‐CMOS‐DMOS (BCD) process, the overvoltage threshold can be adjusted from 8 to 38 V with post trim variation of ±2.5 V. The measured quiescent current was around 0 μA at 10 V and 28 μA at 38 V, which was comparable to the current consumption in a conventional structure with 38 V overvoltage threshold. © 2022 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.
An Efficiency Optimization Method of Static Wireless Power Transfer Coreless Coils for Electric Vehicles in the 85 kHz Band Using Numerical Analysis
Authors: Yamada Yuto , Imura Takehiro
Published: June 2022

Wireless power transfer (WPT) has been attracting a lot of attention in recent years for its ability to greatly improve the convenience of our lives. Moreover, WPT for Electric Vehicles (EVs) has become an important key to the spread of EVs. The efficiency of WPT using magnetic field resonant coupling can be evaluated by the kQ product, but the optimal coil design method to maximize the kQ product at a specific frequency has not yet been established. In this paper, taking the Test station GA‐WPT1 and the Test station VA‐WPT1/Z3 of SAE J2954, which is officially defined as the standard for WPT while the electric vehicle is stationary in October 2020, as examples, the coil parameters that maximize the kQ product in the case of the coreless are determined according to the proposed method. An efficiency of 99.13% was obtained with a transmission distance of 200 mm and the number of turns of N1 = 34 and N2 = 30. Also, since all analyses can be derived immediately except for the analysis of the Litz wire to be used, the optimization time could be reduced significantly compared with the electromagnetic field analysis. © 2022 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.
Operation Principle and Influence of the Sub‐Harmonic Component Utilized in the Brushless Hybrid Excited Machine with PM in Rotor
Authors: Liu Liwen , Li Hongmei , Wang Jiabing , Wang Jinyu
Published: June 2022

Hybrid excited machine (HEM) is a novel type of machine which has attracted much attention as it is able to adjust the flux linkage flexibly and ensure the wide speed range operation. In this paper, a novel brushless HEM with permanent magnet (PM) located in rotor is further researched. By supplying specific armature currents, the sub‐harmonic component magnetomotive force (MMF) in stator MMF would be generated and utilized to realize the brushless hybrid excited operation. Firstly, the generation principle of the sub‐harmonic component is derived analytically. Secondly, during the brushless hybrid excited operation, the influence of the stator current amplitude ratio is quantitatively studied. Thirdly, based on 2D finite element analysis (FEA), the electromagnetic performance of the brushless HEM is analyzed under different operation statuses over a wide speed range. At last, the experiment is performed based on a 6 kW brushless HEM prototype machine, and the correctness of the theoretical analysis and FEA results are validated by the test. © 2022 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.
Idiopathic polyhydramnios and pregnancy outcome: systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Pagan M. , Magann E. F. , Rabie N. , Steelman S. C. , Hu Z. , Ounpraseuth S.
Published: June 2022

Objective

To analyze outcomes of singleton pregnancies with idiopathic polyhydramnios through a systematic review and meta‐analysis.

Methods

Electronic databases, including MEDLINE, OVID, EBSCO, Cochrane collection and Science Citation Index, were searched from 1946 to 2019. Gray literature and tables of contents of relevant journals were also screened. Prospective and retrospective studies with a control group were included. Two authors independently reviewed the abstracts retrieved from the literature search. Inclusion criteria were: studies documented in English, singleton pregnancy and idiopathic polyhydramnios determined by amniotic fluid volume assessment on ultrasound. Exclusion criteria were: maternal diabetes, fetal structural or chromosomal anomaly, alloimmunization and intrauterine fetal infection.

Results

Twelve studies met the inclusion criteria, giving a total of 2392 patients with idiopathic polyhydramnios and 160 135 patients with normal amniotic fluid volume. Pregnancies complicated by idiopathic polyhydramnios were at a higher risk of neonatal death (odds ratio (OR), 8.68 (95% CI, 2.91–25.87)), intrauterine fetal demise (OR, 7.64 (95% CI, 2.50–23.38)), neonatal intensive care unit admission (OR, 1.94 (95% CI, 1.45–2.59)), 5‐min Apgar score < 7 (OR, 2.21 (95% CI, 1.34–3.62)), macrosomia (OR, 2.93 (95% CI, 2.39–3.59)), malpresentation (OR, 2.73 (95% CI, 2.06–3.61)) and Cesarean delivery (OR, 2.31 (95% CI, 1.79–2.99)).

Conclusions

This study suggests that pregnancies complicated by idiopathic polyhydramnios are at increased risk of adverse outcome. Future investigations should aim to determine an amniotic fluid volume threshold above which antenatal fetal surveillance is appropriate in the management of these pregnancies. © 2022 International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology.
Modeling and analysis approaches for small‐signal stability assessment of power‐electronic‐dominated systems
Authors: Cheah‐Mane Marc , Egea‐Alvarez Agusti , Prieto‐Araujo Eduardo , Mehrjerdi Hasan , Gomis‐Bellmunt Oriol , Xu Lie
Published: June 2022

The stability, operation, and control of power networks have been challenged due to the increased penetration of power electronic converters. New instability phenomena have appeared due to the interaction of the power converter controllers with other power network elements, including other power converters. Small‐signal tools have been proved effective to identify and mitigate stability issues but their development is still ongoing. This article presents the state of the art on small‐signal modeling and stability assessment of converter‐dominated networks. The modeling of converters and other power system components is reviewed, as well as the most common small‐signal analysis techniques employed in conventional and modern power systems with power electronics. Two case studies are introduced to exemplify the modeling and stability analysis, employing some of the techniques presented in the article.

This article is categorized under:

Energy and Power Systems > Distributed Generation
Exploring the Role of Organic Functional Groups in the Ionothermal Synthesis of Uranyl Phosphate Materials
Authors: Kohlgruber Tsuyoshi A. , Felton Daniel E. , Traustason Hrafn , Burns Peter C.
Published: June 2022

Four new hybrid organic‐inorganic uranyl phosphate compounds were structurally characterized after single crystals were grown via ionothermal synthesis using the ionic liquids 1‐ethyl‐3‐methylimidazolium dimethyl phosphate and 1‐ethyl‐3‐methylimidazolium dibutyl phosphate. Three of the new crystal structures presented here incorporate dimethyl or monomethyl phosphate ligands into the structural unit to form one chain‐based compound and two sheet‐based compounds. One of the structures utilizes dibutyl phosphate to form a previously reported uranyl compound, a structural polymorph that crystallized in space groupP21/cin contrast to the previously reportedP‐1 structure. The structural and topological relationships are compared to those of uranyl phosphate minerals as well as previously reported organophosphate compounds. The roles of the organics on the phosphate anions in impacting uranyl coordination and stabilizing the crystal structures are discussed.
Breeding history and husbandry of the Raggiana Bird‐of‐paradise (Paradisaea raggiana)
Authors: Theule Jessica , Rimlinger David
Published: June 2022

The Raggiana Bird‐of‐paradise (Paradisaea raggiana) has been held by the San Diego Zoo for more than 50 years, but the population remained in low numbers until the mid‐1990s. A previous article published in 1997 documented the beginning of the rise in the population; however, no new information has been published since that time. Over the past 25 years, behavioral observations by animal staff have led to improvements in husbandry techniques, which includes artificial incubation of eggs and hand‐rearing of chicks. The ability to simulate a lek with various housing arrangements, in which the males can display with each other, be given access to a female for copulation, and then be separated again has proven paramount for breeding success. Additionally, females are allowed mate choice, further mimicking natural behaviors observed by this species. The refinement of these methods has led to a greater number of fertile eggs as well as higher hatchability and survivability, which in turn has resulted in a significant increase in the captive population.
Obstacles and Optimisation of Oncology Services in India
Authors: Katdare Ninad
Published: June 2022

India is a land of huge geographical, demographic and economic variations. As such, it has a very heterogeneous population and huge variations in the socio-economic status, access to health care and literacy. These provide unique challenges in the development of health-care policies. With other pressing health issues like malnutrition, maternal and child’s health and infectious diseases, there are no nationwide policies for cancer care. In addition to this, the health-care budget allocation compared to developed countries is abysmal. This has led to inequities in the distribution and availability of cancer care in India. With a majority of the patients ending up in the private sector for treatment, and because of misuse of technology in cancer care for profit because of dysregulated health care, there is inequity in distribution of cancer care. Lack of affordable care and inaccessible areas lead to many patients presenting very late and or dropping out of treatment, thus adversely affecting the prognosis. This is reflected in a disproportionately high mortality to incidence ratio. In this chapter, we will see the obstacles faced and the optimisation efforts to improve cancer care in India.
Challenges in Developing Pediatric Cancer Care in Armenia
Authors: Tamamyan Gevorg
Published: June 2022

In developed countries, four out of five children with cancer get cured, but in developing countries, the situation is the opposite. Armenia, being among the low- and middle-income countries, currently has survival rates of pediatric cancer close to the high-income countries.

In this chapter, I summarized the achievements and challenges of generations of pediatric hematologists/oncologists and nurses in Armenia, who made this development happen.
Continuing Education for the Young Oncology Workforce in Portugal
Authors: de Paulo Judy Vicente
Published: June 2022

In this chapter, I will be describing the challenges that young oncologists meet during their residency and how the Portuguese Society of Oncology met these challenges by implementing a series of trainings and adapting them during the COVID-19 pandemic to a virtual/blended format.

The series of courses covers aspects of professional training that are not or insufficiently part of medical school training: a welcome course, a master class covering all cancer types, training skills in communication, statistics, oncological emergencies, formation in cancer research, support and palliative care, and more recently medical writing. Even though their educational aspect is central to the activities, a welcome side effect is a professional interchange among peers of the same generation leading to robust networking and resilience, a desired trait in this line of work.
Asking Existing Data the Right Questions: Data Mining as a Research Option in Low- and Middle-Income Countries
Authors: Shivarov Velizar
Published: June 2022

This chapter was inspired by my participation in the tenth anniversary alumni meeting of the Master Online Advanced Oncology Study Program that was held online in the times of unprecedented COVID-19 pandemics in October 2020. To a large extent, the text is a personal retrospective of my research endeavors in cancer biology during the last decade. Most of the ideas that I addressed as well as the approaches used were inspired by my participation in the program. I do hope that these personal revelations will help young professional with genuine interest in cancer research having limited resources in designing and performing their own research projects.
Connecting Hazard and Impact: A Partnership between Physical and Human Science
Authors: Robbins Joanne , Ruin Isabelle , Golding Brian , Dankers Rutger , Nairn John , Millington Sarah
Published: June 2022

The bridge from a hazard to its impact is at the heart of current efforts to improve the effectiveness of warnings by incorporating impact information into the warning process. At the same time, it presents some of the most difficult and demanding challenges in contrasting methodology and language. Here we explore the needs of the impact scientist first, remembering that the relevant impacts are those needed to be communicated to the decision maker. We identify the challenge of obtaining historical information on relevant impacts, especially where data are confidential, and then of matching suitable hazard data to them. We then consider the constraints on the hazard forecaster, who may have access to large volumes of model predictions, but cannot easily relate these to the times and locations of those being impacted, and has limited knowledge of model accuracy in hazardous situations. Bridging these two requires an open and pragmatic approach from both sides. Relationships need to be built up over time and through joint working, so that the different ways of thinking can be absorbed. This chapter includes examples of partnership working in the Australian tsunami warning system, on health impact tools for dispersion of toxic materials in the UK and on the health impacts of heatwaves in Australia. We conclude with a summary of the characteristics that contribute to effective impact models as components of warning systems, together with some pitfalls to avoid.
SHANK3 deficiency leads to myelin defects in the central and peripheral nervous system
Authors: Malara Mariagiovanna , Lutz Anne-Kathrin , Incearap Berra , Bauer Helen Friedericke , Cursano Silvia , Volbracht Katrin , Lerner Joanna Janina , Pandey Rakshita , Delling Jan Philipp , Ioannidis Valentin , Arévalo Andrea Pérez , von Bernhardi Jaime Eugenin , Schön Michael , Bockmann Jürgen , Dimou Leda , Boeckers Tobias M.
Published: June 2022

Mutations or deletions of the SHANK3 gene are causative for Phelan–McDermid syndrome (PMDS), a syndromic form of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). We analyzed Shank3Δ11(−/−) mice and organoids from PMDS individuals to study effects on myelin. SHANK3 was found to be expressed in oligodendrocytes and Schwann cells, and MRI analysis of Shank3Δ11(−/−) mice revealed a reduced volume of the corpus callosum as seen in PMDS patients. Myelin proteins including myelin basic protein showed significant temporal and regional differences with lower levels in the CNS but increased amounts in the PNS of Shank3Δ11(−/−) animals. Node, as well as paranode, lengths were increased and ultrastructural analysis revealed region-specific alterations of the myelin sheaths. In PMDS hiPSC-derived cerebral organoids we observed an altered number and delayed maturation of myelinating cells. These findings provide evidence that, in addition to a synaptic deregulation, impairment of myelin might profoundly contribute to the clinical manifestation of SHANK3 deficiency.
Matrix Valued Concomitants of $\text {SL}_{2}(\mathbb {C})$
Authors: Domokos Mátyás
Published: June 2022

To a finite dimensional representation of a complex Lie group G, an associative algebra of adjoint covariant polynomial maps from the direct sum of m copies of the Lie algebra $\mathfrak {g}$
g
of G into an algebra of complex matrices is associated. When the tangent representation of the given representation is irreducible, the center of this algebra of concomitants can be identified with the algebra of adjoint invariant polynomial functions on m-tuples of elements of $\mathfrak {g}$
g
. For irreducible finite dimensional representations of $\text {SL}_{2}(\mathbb {C})$

SL

2

(
ℂ
)
minimal generating systems of the corresponding algebras of concomitants are determined, both as an algebra and as a module over its center.
Zytopathologie und molekulare Diagnostik von nichtkleinzelligen Lungenkarzinomen (NSCLC)
Authors: Fassunke Jana , Engels Marianne , Meemboor Sonja , Buettner Reinhard
Published: June 2022

Zytologische Proben aus endobronchialen Aspiraten und Pleuraergüssen sind häufige Materialien in der Diagnostik von nichtkleinzelligen Lungenkarzinomen (NSCLC). Ebenso wie histologische Proben aus endo- und transbronchialen Biopsaten oder CT(Computertomographie)-gesteuerte Nadelbiopsien eignen sich zytologische Proben hervorragend für die molekulare und immunhistologische Biomarkerdiagnostik des NSCLC, vorausgesetzt optimale Techniken und klare diagnostische Algorithmen werden eingesetzt. Wir stellen hier typische Verarbeitungstechniken und ein Schema der Biomarkeranalytik vor und diskutieren einen optimalen Ansatz einer umfassenden NSCLC-Diagnostik. Wenn zytologische Proben in dieser Art aufgearbeitet und genutzt werden, gelingt eine Analytik gleichwertig zu histologischen Präparaten. Für eine detaillierte, weiterführende Darstellung der zytologischen und molekularen Techniken an zytologischen Präparaten verweisen wir auf unsere eigenen Übersichtsarbeiten.
Juvenile Larynxpapillomatose
Authors: Huebner M. J. , Schützenberger A. , Traxdorf M. , Dittrich S. , Iro H. , Mueller S. K.
Published: June 2022

Hintergrund

Trotz multipler Therapieoptionen ist heutzutage eine Heilung der juvenilen rezidivierenden respiratorischen Larynxpapillomatose (JORRP, „juvenile onset recurrent respiratory laryngeal papillomatosis“) nicht möglich. Außerdem weisen viele Medikamente nicht zu unterschätzende Nebenwirkungen auf.

Fragestellung

Darstellung aktueller und früherer Therapieoptionen der JORRP mit Diskussion von Wirkstoff, Darreichungsart und Dosierungen.

Materialien und Methoden

Literaturrecherche und -zusammenfassung. Analyse der Therapieoptionen anhand von Wirkstoff, Darreichungsart, Dosierungen und Nebenwirkungen.

Ergebnisse

Die chirurgische Therapie bleibt weiterhin Grundlage der Therapie. Multiple Therapieoptionen werden beschrieben, jedoch keine mit der Aussicht auf eine vollständige Remission. Der Funktionserhalt der Stimme sowie die Verlängerung des Zeitintervalls zwischen den Eingriffen bzw. die Verminderung der Papillommasse im Rezidivfall bleiben oberstes Gebot. Neue immunmodulatorische Therapieoptionen werden aktuell näher untersucht.

Schlussfolgerungen

Einige der mannigfaltigen Therapieoptionen scheinen zwar vielversprechend zu sein und ein sicheres Nebenwirkungsprofil aufzuweisen, jedoch reicht die aktuelle Datenlage, die überwiegend auf Fallserien basiert, nicht für eine generelle Therapieempfehlung aus. Weitere prospektive Studien mit einer größeren Patientenzahl sind nötig.
Kardiovaskuläre Folgen des Rauchens
Authors: Pamminger Mathias , Mayr Agnes
Published: June 2022

Klinisches Problem

Rauchen beeinflusst das kardiovaskuläre System des Körpers. Primär führt es entweder zu atheromatösen Plaques mit potenzieller Gefäßstenosierung oder zu aneurysmatischen Gefäßveränderungen mit potenzieller Rupturgefahr.

Radiologische Standardverfahren

Je nach Lokalisation ermöglicht die Sonographie eine initiale Einschätzung der Veränderungen. Eine Angiographie in Kombination mit Computertomographie (CT) oder Magnetresonanztomographie (MRT) ermöglicht die weiterführende Beurteilung und ggf. Therapieplanung. Ohne klinische Symptomatik wird bei Rauchern ohne sonstige Risikofaktoren oder Komorbiditäten keine bildgebende Diagnostik lediglich aufgrund des Rauchens empfohlen.

Methodische Innovationen

Aktuelle Leitlinien der entsprechenden Pathologien erkennen das Rauchen einstimmig als modifizierbaren Risikofaktor für kardiovaskuläre Erkrankungen an, weshalb stets eine Raucherentwöhnung als erster Schritt zur Prävention sekundärer Akutereignisse empfohlen wird. Bei Verdacht auf ein chronisches Koronarsyndrom erhöht das Rauchen die klinische Wahrscheinlichkeit, wodurch eher eine bildgebende Diagnostik indiziert werden sollte.

Leistungsfähigkeit

Obwohl das Rauchen weitreichende Folgen am gesamten kardiovaskulären System zeigt, bleibt zu klären, ob Raucher durch eine Modifikation aktueller Leitlinien zur Vorsorge und Diagnose hinsichtlich harter klinischer Endpunkte profitieren würden.

Empfehlung für die Praxis

Raucher sollten aufgrund des deutlich erhöhten kardiovaskulären Risikos zu einer Raucherentwöhnung beraten werden. Hinsichtlich konkreter Krankheitsbilder bedingt das Rauchen keine prinzipielle Modifikation der bildgebenden Abklärung, bei intermediärem Risiko kann aber tendenziell früher zur Bildgebung geraten werden.
Myeloid-derived suppressor cells cross-talk with B10 cells by BAFF/BAFF-R pathway to promote immunosuppression in cervical cancer
Authors: Jianyi Ding , Haili Gan , Bo Yin , Meiqin Yang , Baoyou Huang , Haoran Hu , Fang Li , Qingliang Zheng , Lingfei Han
Published: June 2022

Immunosuppression induced by myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) is one of the main obstacles to the efficacy of immunotherapy for cervical cancer. Recent studies on the immunosuppressive ability of MDSCs have primarily focused on T cells, but the effect of MDSCs on B cells function is still unclear. In a study of clinical specimens, we found that the accumulation of MDSCs in patients with cervical cancer was accompanied by high expression of B cell activating factor (BAFF) on the surface and high expression of interleukin (IL)-10-producing B cells (B10) in vivo. We found that the absence of BAFF could significantly inhibit tumor growth in a cervical cancer model using BAFF KO mice. Further studies showed that abundant MDSCs in cervical cancer induced B cells to differentiate into B10 cells by regulating BAFF which acted on the BAFF receptor (BAFF-R) of them. In this process, we found that a large amount of IL-10 secreted by B10 cells can activate STAT3 signaling pathway in MDSCs, and then form a positive feedback loop to promote the differentiation of B10 cells. Therefore, this study reveals a new mechanism of BAFF-mediated mutual immune regulation between MDSCs and B cells in the occurrence and development of cervical cancer.
Comparison of hidden blood loss and clinical efficacy of percutaneous endoscopic transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion and minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion
Authors: Ge Meng , Zhang Yuan , Ying Hang , Feng Chenchen , Li Yanlei , Tian Jinlong , Zhao Tingxiao , Shao Haiyu , Huang Yazeng
Published: June 2022

Purpose

Hidden blood loss (HBL) is a growing area of interest for spinal surgeons. Simultaneously, spine surgeons’ pursuit of minimally invasive spine surgery has never ceased, as evidenced by the increasing number of articles comparing percutaneous endoscopic transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (Endo-TLIF) and minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (Mis-TLIF). However, there has been no comparison of HBL between Endo-TLIF and Mis-TLIF. This study aimed to compare HBL, visible blood loss (VBL), and total blood loss (TBL) following Endo-TLIF and Mis-TLIF and evaluate the clinical significance of these procedures.

Methods

Between October 2017 and October 2019, 370 patients underwent lumbar interbody fusion at our institution and were followed up for at least 24 months. Our study included 41 Endo-TLIF and 43 Mis-TLIF cases. We recorded each patient’s age, height, weight, and haematocrit and calculated the TBL, which was used to indirectly obtain the HBL. Additionally, we compared the clinical outcomes of these two groups, including visual analogue scores for the lumbar spine and leg (VAS-Back; VAS-Leg), Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) scores, disease type, operative segment, and intervertebral fusion and complication rates.

Results

Endo-TLIF had significantly lower HBL, VBL, and TBL values than Mis-TLIF (P < 0.05 for all). Although Endo-TLIF contained significantly less HBL than Mis-TLIF, the HBL to TBL ratio was statistically greater in Endo-TLIF (91%) than in Mis-TLIF (87%). Concerning clinical outcomes, VAS-Back, VAS-Leg, ODI, JOA, and Endo-TLIF demonstrated greater improvement rates than Mis-TLIF one week post-operatively. However, at the final follow-up, VAS-Back, VAS-Leg, ODI, and JOA scores all demonstrated a trend toward sustained improvement, with no statistically significant between-procedure difference. There were no statistically significant between-procedure differences in disease type, surgical segment, and complication or fusion rates.

Conclusion

Endo-TLIF significantly reduced HBL, VBL, and TBL compared to Mis-TLIF and improved short-term clinical outcomes; however, long-term clinical outcomes and fusion rates remained comparable between the two groups, as did the incidence of peri-operative complications.
Impact of statin therapy on late target lesion revascularization after everolimus-eluting stent implantation according to pre-interventional vessel remodeling and vessel size of treated lesion
Authors: Asada Kohei , Takeda Teruki , Higo Yosuke , Sawayama Yuichi , Yagi Noriaki , Fukuyama Megumi , Yamaji Masayuki , Sakai Hiroshi , Mabuchi Hiroshi , Yamamoto Takashi , Nakagawa Yoshihisa
Published: June 2022

Clinical evidence demonstrating the impact of statins for preventing late target lesion revascularization (TLR) after newer-generation drug-eluting stent implantation and differences in the effect of statins on late TLR according to pre-interventional vessel remodeling and vessel size is limited. We retrospectively evaluated 1193 de novo lesions in 720 patients who underwent everolimus-eluting stent implantation using intravascular ultrasound from January 2010 to December 2012. The primary endpoint was late TLR. Lesions were divided into the statin group (n = 825) and non-statin group (n = 368). The incidence of late TLR was significantly lower in the statin than non-statin group (1.7% vs. 5.2%, respectively; p = 0.001), and within the statin group, it was significantly lower in the follow-up low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) < 100 than ≥ 100 mg/dL level subgroup (1.0% vs. 3.6%, respectively; p = 0.006). Furthermore, in positive remodeling lesions and non-small vessel size lesions, the incidence of late TLR was significantly lower in the statin than non-statin group (1.6% vs. 8.5% and 1.3% vs. 5.3%, respectively; p = 0.001 and p = 0.004). Lowering the LDL-C level using statins was more effective for preventing late TLR after everolimus-eluting stent implantation. Evaluating pre-interventional vessel remodeling patterns and vessel size might be helpful to stratify lesions at high risk of late TLR.
Dynamical processes controlling the evolution of early-summer cut-off lows in Northeast Asia
Authors: Nie Yu , Zhang Yang , Zuo Jinqing , Wang Mengling , Wu Jie , Liu Ying
Published: June 2022

Cut-off lows are crucial extratropical circulation systems that can bring weather extremes over large areas, but the mechanism responsible for the life cycle of cut-off lows remains elusive. From a perspective of regional eddy-mean flow interaction, this study investigates the dynamical processes controlling the evolution of early-summer cut-off lows over Northeast Asia using the 6-hourly reanalysis data. Through the diagnostic of local wave activity (LWA) budget, we show that the cut-off low is initialized by a Rossby wave train originated from the subpolar North Atlantic, and then reinforced rapidly by zonal LWA flux convergence and local baroclinic eddy generation, and eventually decayed through energy dispersion by zonal wave activity advection. Furthermore, we show that the evolutions of the above dynamical processes are strongly modulated by the changes of background flow. In early summer, Northeast Asia is located at the eastern exit of the midlatitude jet to the north of the subtropical jet and exhibits a weak meridional gradient of potential vorticity, which favors frequent formation of cyclonic anomaly and energy accumulation. Prior to the onset of cut-off lows by several days, a Rossby wave train propagates along the Eurasian midlatitude jet, which initializes a cyclonic anomaly over Northeast Asia. With the aid of mean flow advection of anomalous zonal momentum, the zonal winds are then decelerated at the midlatitude jet exit and accelerated at the subtropical jet center. The former obstructs the wave packet proceeding downstream and the latter favors stronger baroclinic eddy generation below the subtropical jet. The two processes together maintain and strengthen the cyclonic anomaly in Northeast Asia rapidly.
Selection of object detections using overlap map predictions
Authors: Rana Md Sohel , Nibali Aiden , He Zhen
Published: June 2022

Advances in deep neural networks have led to significant improvement of object detection accuracy. However, object detection in crowded scenarios is a challenging task for neural networks since extremely overlapped objects provide fewer visible cues for a model to learn from. Further complicating the detection of overlapping objects is the fact that most object detectors produce multiple redundant detections for single objects, which are indistinguishable from detections of separate overlapped objects. Most existing works use some variant of non-maximum suppression to prune duplicate candidate bounding boxes based on their confidence scores and the amount of overlap between predicted bounding boxes. These methods are unaware of how much overlap there actually is between the objects in the image, and are therefore inclined to merge detections for highly overlapped objects. In this paper, we propose an overlap aware box selection solution that uses a predicted overlap map to help it decide which highly overlapping bounding boxes are associated with actual overlapping objects and should not be pruned. We show our solution outperforms the state-of-the-art set-NMS bounding box selection algorithm for both the crowdHuman dataset and a sports dataset.
Information transport in communication limited swarms
Authors: Wilson James , Hauert Sabine
Published: June 2022

Users and operators of swarms will, in the future, need to monitor the operations of swarms in a distributed way, without explicitly tracking every agent, and without the need for significant infrastructure or set up. Here we present a method for swarm self-monitoring that enables the aggregate display of information about swarm location by making use of physical transport of information and local communication. This method uses movement already exhibited by many swarms to collect self-reflective information in a fully distributed manner. We find that added swarm mobility can compensate for limited communication and that our self-monitoring swarm system scales well, with performance increasing with the size of the swarm in some cases. When developing systems such as this for real-world applications, individual agent memory will need to be taken into consideration, finding an effective means to spread swarm knowledge among robots while keeping information accessible to users.
Executive function training for kindergarteners after the Great East Japan Earthquake: intervention effects
Authors: Yamamoto Noriko , Imai-Matsumura Kyoko
Published: June 2022

Japan’s Social Thinking and Academic Readiness Training (START) program Academic Readiness (AR) lesson aims to improve self-regulation, executive function, and behavior problems in kindergarten children, but the effects of the START program AR lessons in unfavorable circumstances are unclear. Therefore, this study investigated the effects of the START program AR lesson in affected areas after the Great East Japan Earthquake. A cluster randomized trial was conducted with 111 5-year-old children in two kindergartens in Miyagi Prefecture to evaluate the effectiveness of the six-week AR lesson. One kindergarten was randomly chosen to implement the AR lesson, and the other maintained standard education. In the intervention group, trained classroom teachers provided the children with a 20-min AR lesson once a week. Executive function, behavioral self-regulation, and internalizing and externalizing problem behaviors were measured before and after the six-week intervention. The intervention group showed improved inhibitory control and enhanced behavioral self-regulation compared with the standard practice group. In addition, teachers’ evaluations showed that children’s internalizing and externalizing problem behaviors improved significantly. The results indicate that the START program AR lesson was effective in enabling teachers to help students improve executive function, self-regulation, and problematic behaviors. Therefore, educators and policy-makers should consider implementing the START program AR lesson in kindergartens after a disaster.
A Hopf lemma for the regional fractional Laplacian
Authors: Abatangelo Nicola , Fall Mouhamed Moustapha , Temgoua Remi Yvant
Published: June 2022

We provide a Hopf boundary lemma for the regional fractional Laplacian $$(-\Delta )^s_{\Omega }$$

(
-
Δ
)

Ω
s

, with $$\Omega \subset \mathbb {R}^N$$

Ω
⊂

R

N

a bounded open set. More precisely, given u a pointwise or weak super-solution of the equation $$(-\Delta )^s_{\Omega }u=c(x)u$$

(
-
Δ
)

Ω
s

u
=
c

(
x
)

u

in $$\Omega$$
Ω
, we show that the ratio $$u(x)/(\text {dist}(x,\partial \Omega ))^{2s-1}$$

u

(
x
)

/

(
dist

(
x
,
∂
Ω
)

)

2
s
-
1

is strictly positive as x approaches the boundary $$\partial \Omega$$

∂
Ω

of $$\Omega$$
Ω
. We also prove a strong maximum principle for distributional super-solutions.
The impact of activating an empathic focus during COVID19 on healthcare workers motivation for hand hygiene compliance in moments serving the protection of others: a randomized controlled trial study
Authors: Sassenrath Claudia , Diefenbacher Svenne , Kolbe Viktoria , Niesalla Heide , Keller Johannes
Published: June 2022

Aim

The “Five moments of hand hygiene” (World Health Organization 2009) can be classified into moments of hand hygiene before and after patient care. Based on research indicating that hand hygiene compliance differs with regard to moments before and after patient care, this research evaluates the effectiveness of an empathy-based intervention in motivating hand hygiene compliance with regard to moments before patient care which protect vulnerable individuals from contamination and infection.

Subjects and method

An online experiment involving 68 healthcare professionals working at a German hospital during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic investigates whether instructing healthcare professionals to consider consequences for others (vs for themselves) if they contracted SARS-CoV-2 promotes hand hygiene compliance referring to moments before (vs after) patient care.

Results

In the condition in which healthcare professionals considered consequences for others if they contracted SARS-CoV-2 (other-focus condition), ratings of importance increased (M = 3.49, SD = 1.30) compared to the condition in which healthcare professionals considered consequences for themselves (M = 2.68, SD = 1.24), F(1,66) = 6.87, p = .011, partη2 = .09. Participants in the other-focus condition reported more intentions to comply with “before moments” in the future (M = 3.34, SD = 1.14) compared to participants in the self-focus condition (M = 2.77, SD = 0.80), F(1,66) = 6.15, p = .016, partη2 = .09.

Conclusion

Results indicate that activating an empathic focus in the context of the current pandemic promotes perceived importance and motivation of healthcare professionals to comply with moments aiming at protecting vulnerable others.
A generalized ground-motion model for consistent mainshock–aftershock intensity measures using successive recurrent neural networks
Authors: Fayaz Jawad , Galasso Carmine
Published: June 2022

Several recent studies have investigated the risk posed to structures by earthquake sequences, proposing state-dependent fragility/vulnerability models for assets in damaged conditions. However, a critical component for such efforts, i.e., ground-motion record selection, has received relatively minor consideration. Specifically, utilization of “consistent” mainshock (MS)–aftershock (AS) ground motions is desirable in practical applications. Such consistency in selecting MS–AS sequences requires proper consideration of the correlations between and within the intensity measures of MS and AS ground motions. Most of the studies in this domain utilize spectral accelerations as the considered ground-motion intensity measures and rely on empirical linear correlation models between the intensity measures of MS and AS ground motions for developing, for instance, record selection approaches. This study proposes a generalized ground-motion model (GGMM) to estimate consistent 30 × 1 vectors of intensity measures for mainshocks (denoted as IMMS) and aftershocks (denoted as IMAS) using a framework of successive long-short-term-memory (LSTM) recurrent neural network (RNN). The vectors of IMMS and IMAS consist of geometric means of significant duration ($$D_{5 - 95,geom}$$

D

5
-
95
,
g
e
o
m

), Arias intensity ($$I_{a,geom}$$

I

a
,
g
e
o
m

), cumulative absolute velocity ($$CAV_{geom}$$

C
A

V

geom

), peak ground velocity ($$PGV_{geom}$$

P
G

V

geom

), peak ground acceleration ($$PGA_{geom}$$

P
G

A

geom

) and RotD50 spectral acceleration ($$S_{a} \left( T \right)$$

S
a

T

) at 25 periods for both MS and AS ground motions. The proposed RNN-based GGMM is trained on a carefully selected set of ~ 700 crustal and subduction recorded MS–AS sequences. The inputs to the framework include a 5 × 1 vector of source and site parameters for MS and AS recordings. The residuals of the trained LSTM-based RNN are further used to develop empirical covariance structures for IMMS and IMAS. The proposed framework is finally illustrated to select MS–AS ground motions based on IMMS and IMAS using a multi-criteria objective function. The selected MS–AS ground motion sequences are then used to perform non-linear time-history analyses of a case-study two-spanned symmetric bridge structure. The obtained engineering demand parameters are evaluated and critically discussed.