bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Development of a Novel Finger‐Trigger Interface for Trigger Pull Measurement
Authors: Fairbanks Emily E. , Turner Jennifer , Ma Junkun , Yu Jorn
Published: August 2020

Trigger pull is the force that needs to be exerted on the trigger to discharge a firearm. The measurement of trigger pull can assist in the evaluation of the safety, function, and manufacturing characteristics associated with a firearm during the forensic firearm examination process. Nonetheless, the accuracy and uncertainty of trigger pull measurements may be affected by the measuring device, test procedure, and environmental conditions. In this work, an innovative finger‐trigger interface device was developed to facilitate accurate trigger pull measurements. The idea was to reduce the variation related to the position of the measurement device on the trigger in existing measuring methods and devices. Three force sensors based on different technologies were initially evaluated. While two of the three sensors failed to produce data, the miniature capacitive plate sensor exhibited high precision and a linear response over the range of typical trigger pulls. To examine the effects of the finger‐trigger interface on trigger pull measurement, different sensor housing prototypes were designed in silico and 3D printed for the construction of three finger‐trigger interface devices. The performance of each finger‐trigger interface device was evaluated by measuring the trigger pulls of several selected firearms and comparing the data to a previously published study. Our preliminary results demonstrated the novel finger‐trigger interface device offered a new way to measure trigger pull in situ with acceptable accuracy and precision.
Early lessons from COVID‐19 that may reduce future emergency department crowding
Authors: Mazurik Laurie , Javidan Arshia P , Higginson Ian , Judkins Simon , Petrie David , Graham Colin A , Bonning John , Hansen Kim , Lang Eddy
Published: August 2020

The COVID‐19 pandemic has produced significant changes in emergency medicine patient volumes, clinical practice, and has accelerated a number of systems‐level developments. Many of these changes produced efficiencies in emergency care systems and contributed to a reduction in crowding and access block. In this paper, we explore these changes, analyse their risks and benefits and examine their sustainability for the future to the extent that they may combat crowding. We also examine the necessity of a system‐wide approach in addressing ED crowding and access block.
Comparison of peritoneal function within the first 1 year of peritoneal dialysis between diabetic and non‐diabetic patients
Authors: Asari Kana , Maruyama Yukio , Kishida Kyoko , Nakao Masatsugu , Matsuo Nanae , Tanno Yudo , Ohkido Ichiro , Ikeda Masato , Yokoyama Keitaro , Yokoo Takashi
Published: August 2020

The aim of this study was to compare the changes in peritoneal function and residual renal function in the first year between diabetic and non‐diabetic patients receiving peritoneal dialysis (PD). We extracted 73 incident PD patients (male, 73%; age, 59 ± 15 years) from a previous cohort, and investigated the changes in PD‐related parameters, including the dialysate to plasma ratio of creatinine (D/P Cr) and Kt/V. D/P Cr increased in non‐diabetics, whereas it did not change significantly in diabetic patients. These differences were more pronounced among icodextrin users. On multivariate analysis, the presence of diabetes was independently associated with the changes in D/P Cr. On the contrary, there was no significant difference in the changes of renal Kt/V between the two groups. A higher peritoneal solute transport rate at the start of PD in diabetics was attenuated within 1 year. Icodextrin is thought to have an important role through improving body fluid status.
Phytochemical profiles, antioxidant, and antiproliferative activities of red‐fleshed apple as affected by in vitro digestion
Authors: Li Cui Xia , Zhao Xian Hua , Zuo Wei Fang , Zhang Tian Liang , Zhang Zong Ying , Chen Xue Sen
Published: August 2020

The aim of this study was to characterize the phenolic profiles in the extracts and digesta (after in vitro digestion) of different red‐fleshed apple fruit parts and to assess the effects of digestion on the in vitro antioxidant capacity and antiproliferative activity. The main polyphenols were identified by UPLC‐MS/MS and HPLC. Our results indicate that the digesta had less total phenolics, flavonoids, and anthocyanins, but more free phenolic acids, than the extracts. An analysis of the in vitro antioxidant capacity (including ABTS radical scavenging activity, DPPH radical‐scavenging capacity, ferric reducing antioxidant power [FRAP], and cellular antioxidant activity [CAA]) revealed that the digestion decreased the ABTS, DPPH, and FRAP values, but increased the CAA values, relative to the corresponding values for extracts. These results suggest that the digestion improved the effectiveness of the phenolic substances. Moreover, our findings imply that the digestion promoted the antiproliferative activity of red‐fleshed apple peels and flesh relative to the extracts. Future in vivo investigations are warranted based on the results of the current study.

Practical Application

The effects of an in vitro digestion on the phenolic compounds as well as the antioxidative and antiproliferative activities of red‐fleshed apple were evaluated. The resulting data may clarify the bioavailability of the polyphenols in red‐fleshed apple and enable scientists and consumers to exploit natural polyphenols.
Unsupervised detection of ancestry tracks with the GHap r package
Authors: Utsunomiya Yuri Tani , Milanesi Marco , Barbato Mario , Utsunomiya Adam Taiti Harth , Sölkner Johann , Ajmone‐Marsan Paolo , Garcia José Fernando
Published: August 2020

The identification of ancestry tracks is a powerful tool to assist the inference of evolutionary events in the genomes of animals and plants. However, algorithms for ancestry track detection typically require labelled reference population data. This dependency prevents the analysis of genomic data lacking prior information on genetic structure, and may produce classification bias when samples in the reference data are inadvertently admixed.

We combined heuristics with K‐means clustering to deploy a method that can detect ancestry tracks without the provision of lineage labels for reference population data. The resulting algorithm uses phased genotypes to infer individual ancestry proportions and local ancestry. By piling up ancestry tracks across individuals, our method also allows for mapping loci with excess or deficit ancestry from specific lineages.

Using both simulated and real genomic data, we found that the proposed method was accurate in inferring genetic structure, assigning chromosomal segments to lineages and estimating individual ancestry, especially in cases where ancestry tracks resulted from recent admixture of highly divergent lineages.

The method is implemented as part of the v2 release of the GHap r package (available at https://cran.r‐project.org/package=GHap and https://bitbucket.org/marcomilanesi/ghap/src/master/).
An acetylcholine‐dopamine interaction in the nucleus accumbens and its involvement in ethanol's dopamine‐releasing effect
Authors: Loftén Anna , Adermark Louise , Ericson Mia , Söderpalm Bo
Published: August 2020

Alcohol use disorder is a chronic, relapsing brain disorder causing substantial morbidity and mortality. Cholinergic interneurons (CIN) within the nucleus accumbens (nAc) have been suggested to exert a regulatory impact on dopamine (DA) neurotransmission locally, and defects in CIN have been implied in several psychiatric disorders. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of CIN in regulation of basal extracellular levels of DA and in modulation of nAc DA release following ethanol administration locally within the nAc of male Wistar rats. Using reversed in vivo microdialysis, the acetylcholinesterase inhibitor physostigmine was administered locally in the nAc followed by addition of either the muscarinic acetylcholine (ACh) receptor antagonist scopolamine or the nicotinic ACh receptor antagonist mecamylamine. Further, ethanol was locally perfused in the nAc following pretreatment with scopolamine and/or mecamylamine. Lastly, ethanol was administered locally into the nAc of animals with accumbal CIN‐ablation induced by anticholine acetyl transferase‐saporin. Physostigmine increased accumbal DA levels via activation of muscarinic ACh receptors. Neither scopolamine and/or mecamylamine nor CIN‐ablation altered basal DA levels, suggesting that extracellular DA levels are not tonically controlled by ACh in the nAc. In contrast, ethanol‐induced DA elevation was prevented following coadministration of scopolamine and mecamylamine and blunted in CIN‐ablated animals, suggesting involvement of CIN‐ACh in ethanol‐mediated DA signaling. The data presented in this study suggest that basal extracellular levels of DA within the nAc are not sustained by ACh, whereas accumbal CIN‐ACh is involved in mediating ethanol‐induced DA release.
Effects of neighbourhood social cohesion and need for restoration on restorative experiences
Authors: Feng Ningning , Zhang Airong , Cui Lijuan , Zeng Huaming , Mankad Aditi
Published: August 2020

Restorative experience refers to an experience of psychophysical restoration from stress and mental fatigue during people‒environment interactions. Previous research has documented the influence of neighbourhood physical environment on restorative experiences; however, it is still unclear whether neighbourhood social environment can affect restorative experiences. Applying a socioecological perspective, the current study aims to explore the effect of neighbourhood social cohesion on restorative experience and to examine whether people’s need for restoration would moderate this effect. After manipulating the need for restoration in terms of antecedent attentional state, participants (N = 244) with and without the need for restoration read one of three experimental scenarios describing a neighbourhood with high, neutral, or low social cohesion. Participants reported their restorative experience pre‐ and post‐exposure to neighbourhood social cohesion scenarios. Results showed that participants in the high social cohesion neighbourhood condition perceived more post‐exposure restorative experience than did those in the neutral or low cohesion conditions. Restorative experience increased from pre‐ to post‐exposure in the high social cohesion condition; the increase was greater for participants with the need for restoration. On the other hand, restorative experience decreased from pre‐ to post‐exposure in the low social cohesion condition for participants without the need for restoration. These findings suggested that a socially cohesive neighbourhood could enhance individuals’ restorative experiences and that the strength of this restorative benefit might depend on the need for restoration.
Mining scientific advice reports on cell‐based products: Insight into the nonclinical development program
Authors: van den Hoorn Tineke , Nakchedi Tahira , de Wolf A. Charlotte M.T. , Pasmooij Anna M.G. , van der Laan Jan Willem , Herberts Carla A.
Published: August 2020

Aims

The field of cell‐based therapies for human diseases is currently evolving from promising treatment options to established therapeutic concepts. The design of the nonclinical development program for cell‐based products, intended to provide a rationale for treatment and to gain insight into the safety profile, is challenging because of limitations caused by species‐specificity. The elements of the nonclinical package for cell‐based products were evaluated using advice reports from the European Medicines Agency database from 2013 to 2018 to identify the approach followed for nonclinical development of these products.

Methods

The number and purpose of proposed and performed in vivo studies was recorded, as well as the type and design of in vitro and in vivo studies addressing biodistribution and tumorigenicity. Subsequently, the nonclinical development program was analysed for consistency across products.

Results

In vivo studies for cell‐based therapies were primarily aimed at proof‐of‐concept (75/86), followed by addressing safety (64/86), biodistribution (49/86) and tumourigenicity (46/86). No animal studies were performed or proposed by sponsors or regulators for 6/86 products which contained cell types that have been studied in humans for a relatively long time. For one‐third of the products in vivo biodistribution and/or tumourigenicity studies were not considered necessary. in vivo tumourigenicity studies were regarded as having limited value.

Conclusions

Compared to more conventional medicinal products, the nonclinical development program for cell‐based products was more tailored and focused on proof‐of‐concept. For tumourigenicity an in vitro approach may suffice. Total omission of in vivo studies appears to be possible for products with sufficient clinical experience.
The effect of symptom‐tracking apps on symptom reporting
Authors: MacKrill Kate , Groom Katie M. , Petrie Keith J.
Published: August 2020

Objective

The use of health apps is increasing worldwide, with a common feature being daily symptom tracking. However, symptom tracking has been shown to increase symptom reporting. This study investigated whether using a menstrual‐monitoring app with a symptom‐tracking feature increases symptom reporting compared to an app without this feature or no app at all.

Design

Experimental study.

Methods

Ninety‐one participants were randomly allocated to use either a menstrual‐monitoring app with a symptom tracker or a simple calendar app, or to a no app control group. The number of period‐related symptoms as well as general symptom reporting was assessed at baseline prior to group allocation and then 1 and 4 months later. The change in the proportion of people classified as high symptom reporters was also examined.

Results

We found that the symptom‐tracking app group reported significantly more period‐related symptoms at 4 months than the calendar app group (mean difference = 1.16 symptoms, p = .010). At the 4‐month time point, significantly more participants in the symptom‐tracking group were now classified as high period symptom reporters (baseline 50%, 4 months 70%, p = .031), while the other two groups did not change from baseline. There were no differences in general symptom reporting across the three groups.

Conclusion

A period‐monitoring app with a symptom tracker may increase the reporting of period symptoms. This effect does not appear to generalize to broader symptom reporting. Further research is needed to support these findings and to examine the impact of symptom‐tracking apps on daily functioning and health anxiety.

Statement of contribution

What is already known on this subject?

The experience of transient symptoms is common in day‐to‐day life. These symptoms often do not have an underlying cause or are a sign of illness.

Actively tracking symptoms has been shown to result in greater symptom reporting, symptom severity, and slower recovery from injury.

The use of health apps is increasing, with a common feature being symptom tracking. Menstrual‐monitoring apps, in particular, frequently require users to track symptoms.

What does this study add?

Using a menstrual‐monitoring app with a symptom tracker for 4 months increases the number of period‐specific symptoms reported compared a basic calendar app.

A greater proportion of people were now classified as high period symptom reporters after using the symptom‐tracking app.

These effects do not seem to generalize to broader non‐specific symptom reporting.
DSGE modelling for the UK economy 1974–2017
Authors: Litsios Ioannis , Pilbeam Keith , Asteriou Dimitrios
Published: August 2020

We build four different dynamic stochastic general equilibrium (DSGE) models for a small open economy reflecting both neoclassical and Keynesian specifications. A DSGE model with full price and wage flexibility is initially constructed and then modified through nominal wage and price rigidities. The ability of the models to replicate important features of the business cycle activity in the UK is explored through statistical and econometric analysis. Evidence suggests that a monetary shock under the Taylor model with price stickiness can replicate a significant portion of the business cycle activity in the UK economy.
Medial Axis Isoperimetric Profiles
Authors: Zhang P. , DeFord D. , Solomon J.
Published: August 2020

Recently proposed as a stable means of evaluating geometric compactness, the isoperimetric profile of a planar domain measures the minimum perimeter needed to inscribe a shape with prescribed area varying from 0 to the area of the domain. While this profile has proven valuable for evaluating properties of geographic partitions, existing algorithms for its computation rely on aggressive approximations and are still computationally expensive. In this paper, we propose a practical means of approximating the isoperimetric profile and show that for domains satisfying a “thick neck” condition, our approximation is exact. For more general domains, we show that our bound is still exact within a conservative regime and is otherwise an upper bound. Our method is based on a traversal of the medial axis which produces efficient and robust results. We compare our technique with the state‐of‐the‐art approximation to the isoperimetric profile on a variety of domains and show significantly tighter bounds than were previously achievable.
A Laplacian for Nonmanifold Triangle Meshes
Authors: Sharp Nicholas , Crane Keenan
Published: August 2020

We describe a discrete Laplacian suitable for any triangle mesh, including those that are nonmanifold or nonorientable (with or without boundary). Our Laplacian is a robust drop‐in replacement for the usual cotan matrix, and is guaranteed to have nonnegative edge weights on both interior and boundary edges, even for extremely poor‐quality meshes. The key idea is to build what we call a “tufted cover” over the input domain, which has nonmanifold vertices but manifold edges. Since all edges are manifold, we can flip to an intrinsic Delaunay triangulation; our Laplacian is then the cotan Laplacian of this new triangulation. This construction also provides a high‐quality point cloud Laplacian, via a nonmanifold triangulation of the point set. We validate our Laplacian on a variety of challenging examples (including all models from Thingi10k), and a variety of standard tasks including geodesic distance computation, surface deformation, parameterization, and computing minimal surfaces.
A parametric analysis of discrete Hamiltonian functional maps
Authors: Postolache E. , Fumero M. , Cosmo L. , Rodolà E.
Published: August 2020

In this paper we develop an in‐depth theoretical investigation of the discrete Hamiltonian eigenbasis, which remains quite unexplored in the geometry processing community. This choice is supported by the fact that Dirichlet eigenfunctions can be equivalently computed by defining a Hamiltonian operator, whose potential energy and localization region can be controlled with ease. We vary with continuity the potential energy and study the relationship between the Dirichlet Laplacian and the Hamiltonian eigenbases with the functional map formalism. We develop a global analysis to capture the asymptotic behavior of the eigenpairs. We then focus on their local interactions, namely the veering patterns that arise between proximal eigenvalues. Armed with this knowledge, we are able to track the eigenfunctions in all possible configurations, shedding light on the nature of the functional maps. We exploit the Hamiltonian‐Dirichlet connection in a partial shape matching problem, obtaining state of the art results, and provide directions where our theoretical findings could be applied in future research.
Development of intuitionistic fuzzy special embedded convolutional neural network for mammography enhancement
Authors: Kr Ghosh Swarup , Biswas Biswajit , Ghosh Anupam
Published: August 2020

This article proposes a novel mammogram enhancement approach using adaptive intuitionistic fuzzy special set (IFSS) with deep convolutional neural network (called MECNNIFS) for visual interpretation of mammography lesions, lumps, and abnormal cells in low‐dose X‐ray images. The proposed MECNNIFS scheme utilizes the membership grade modification by IFSS on low‐dose X‐ray images (mammography). The suggested model attempts to increase the underexposed and abnormal structural regions such as breast lesions, lumps, and nodules on the mammogram. The proposed algorithm initially separates mammograms using convolutional neural networks (CNNs) into foreground and background areas and then fuzzifies the image by intuitionistic fuzzy set theory. Low‐level features of a mammogram of the adjacent part are integrated with CNN in pixel classification during the separation task stage to improve the performance. Hyperbolic regularization and hesitant score have been applied on fuzzy plane to quantify the uncertainty and fuzziness in spatial domain for the proposed contrast enhancement. Finally, an enhanced mammogram is acquired through the process of defuzzification. The results show better quality and performance for improvement of contrast and visual quality in mammograms compared with other state‐of‐the‐art methods.
Human bocavirus and metapneumovirus in acute wheezing in children—Is there a link with atopy?
Authors: Sobkowiak Paulina , Mikoś Marcin , Bręborowicz Anna , Szczepankiewicz Aleksandra
Published: August 2020

Introduction

Viral respiratory tract infections are the leading cause of acute wheezing in children with a significant risk of hospital admission, risk of recurrence and subsequent asthma. Human respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and human rhinovirus (RV) in childhood wheezing are widely studied; however, accessible PCR assays enabled diagnosis of other pathogens, including bocavirus (hBOV) and metapneumovirus (hMPV).

Objectives

The aim of the study was to evaluate the prevalence of respiratory viruses in children hospitalized for acute wheezing along with demographic and clinical data.

Methods

We enrolled 101 children, n = 50 (49.5%) with wheezy bronchitis, n = 34 (33.7%) with acute bronchiolitis and n = 17 (16.8%) with exacerbation of asthma; (median age 1.41 ± 2.84 years). Multiplex real‐time PCR assay was used for virus detection.

Results

One or more viruses were detected in 83.2% subjects: RSV in 44.6%, followed by RV (23.8%), hBOV and hMPV (both 11.9%); other viruses were less frequent (<8%). Viral coinfection was found in 38 (37.6%) of children. ANCOVA analysis revealed significantly higher total IgE concentrations in the hMPV‐positive subgroup compared to RSV (34 kU/L vs 12.7 kU/L; P = .009) and RV (13.3 kU/L, P = .022). For both hMPV and hBOV an association with atopic dermatitis (AD) was observed: aOR for hMPV and AD was 5.6 (95%CI: 1.4‐22.7; P = .016) and 4.7 for hBOV and AD (95%CI: 1.3‐18; P = .024).

Conclusion

Viral detection ratio in wheezy respiratory tract infections in Polish children is high (83.2%), with both hBOV and hMPV at 11.9% The results also suggest possible relationship of hBOV wheezy infection with nonspecific markers of atopy in children.
940. BULBOPHYLLUM ANKYLOCHELE
Authors: Cribb Phillip , Schuiteman André
Published: August 2020

Bulbophyllum ankylochele, a native of New Guinea, is illustrated. Its ecology and pollination are explained, and it is compared with the superficially similar Masdevallia from South America. Suggestions for its successful cultivation are given.
942. CYMBIDIUM DAYANUM VAR. ANGUSTIFOLIUM
Authors: Cribb Phillip , Schuitemann André
Published: August 2020

The widespread and variable Cymbidium dayanum Rchb. f. is discussed. A variety from Mount Kinabalu, var. angustifolium is illustrated, and the new combination is made, based on C. angustifolium Ames & C. Schweinf.
945. RHODODENDRON BARBATUM
Authors: O'Brien Seamus
Published: August 2020

Rhododendron barbatum Wall. ex G. Don is a Himalayan member of Subsection Barbata (Tagg) Sleumer and the history of its discovery, subsequent introduction, habitat, ecology, cultivation and affinities are discussed.
946. VERONICA PEDUNCULARIS
Authors: Hind Nicholas , King Christabel
Published: August 2020

Veronica peduncularisM. Bieb. (Plantaginaceae: Veroniceae) is illustrated and described. A short discussion is provided as to the family affiliations ofVeronica, with the proposal that, at least in this article, it is considered to belong to the Plantaginaceae. The infrageneric placement of this taxon is also discussed, but with a commentary suggesting dubious results in an earlier molecular study; its placement inVeronicaL. subgenusPentasepalae(Benth.) M.M.Mart. Ort. & Albach & M.A. Fisch. is commented upon. The species belongs inVeronicasubsectionPetraeaBenth. A full synonymy is provided, together with citation of types, and relevant discussion and notes cover the issues with naming this plant and location of type material. Cultivation and propagation guidelines for the species are provided and current availability of cultivars is outlined.
Facebook Hospital Reviews: Automated Service Quality Detection and Relationships with Patient Satisfaction
Authors: Zaman Nohel , Goldberg David M. , Abrahams Alan S. , Essig Richard A.
Published: August 2020

As patient satisfaction is heavily linked to their choice of provider and medical outcomes, hospital administrations routinely consider a bevy of factors to improve patient satisfaction. These considerations are complex, so targeting the most important areas for improvement is challenging. However, consumers’ online reviews of their hospital experience provide a vital lens into the factors associated with their satisfaction. In this study, we use a large dataset of Facebook reviews to construct a taxonomy of potential service attributes that consumers discuss online. We find partial overlap between this taxonomy and prior works and more traditional survey measures; the specific mix of service attributes found in these reviews is unique. Next, we utilize regression modeling to determine which service attributes are most closely associated with star ratings, which we use to measure overall satisfaction. This study demonstrates that mentions of waiting times, treatment effectiveness, communication, diagnostic quality, environmental sanitation, and cost considerations tend to be most associated with patients’ overall ratings. Finally, we construct text analyses to rapidly detect consumers’ mentions of these service attributes in an automated manner. We derive a set of “smoke terms,” or terms especially prevalent in posts that mention specific service attributes. We find that these are generally non‐emotive terms, indicating limited utility of traditional sentiment analysis. Managerially, this information helps to prioritize the areas in greatest need of improvement. Additionally, generating smoke terms for each service attribute aids health care policy makers and providers in rapidly monitoring concerns and adjusting policies or resources to improve service.
The utility of bedside echocardiography in critically ill COVID‐19 patients: Early observational findings from three Northern New Jersey hospitals
Authors: Vasudev Rahul , Guragai Nirmal , Habib Habib , Hosein Kevin , Virk Hartaj , Goldfarb Irvin , Bikkina Mahesh , Shamoon Fayez , Pullatt Raja
Published: August 2020

Introduction

Cardiovascular complications related to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) have led to the need for echocardiographic services during the pandemic. The present study aimed to identify the echocardiographic findings in hospitalized COVID‐19 patients and their utility in disease management.

Methods

We included patients who were diagnosed with COVID‐19 using polymerase chain reaction and those who underwent echocardiographic examination during their hospitalization.

Results

Altogether, 45 patients were evaluated. The mean age was 61.4 ± 12.2 years. Hypertension (n = 29, 64%) and diabetes mellitus (n = 25, 55%) were the most common comorbidities followed by congestive heart failure (n = 11, 24%), coronary artery disease (n = 9, 20%), and valvular heart disease (n = 3, 7%). Eight patients (18%) showed evidence of myocardial injury, as suggested by elevated troponin levels. Brain natriuretic peptide was elevated in 14 patients (36%), and 14 patients had left ventricular dysfunction in the form of reduced ejection fraction (31%). Right ventricular (RV) dilatation was observed in six patients, and five patients had reduced RV ejection fraction. RV pressure and volume overload were observed in three patients. RV thrombus was observed in one patient. Pulmonary pressure was elevated in 10 patients (24%).

Conclusion

Two‐dimensional echocardiography can be an important bedside tool for the assessment of cardiovascular abnormalities and hemodynamic status of COVID‐19 patients.
Evaluation of technology‐based learning by dental students during the pandemic outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019
Authors: Al‐Taweel Firas B. , Abdulkareem Ali A. , Gul Sarhang S. , Alshami Muhanad L.
Published: August 2020

Introduction

Although technology‐based learning (TB learning) has been accepted as an efficient educational tool in the field of dentistry, the evaluation of TB learning in non‐prepared situations such as pandemics has not been fully investigated. This study aimed to evaluate different aspects of TB learning amongst undergraduate dental students during the pandemic outbreak of COVID‐19.

Materials and Methods

Dental students in selected Iraqi universities (University of Baghdad, University of Sulaimani and Dijlah University College) were invited to join the study. A questionnaire was created using a Google platform and answered by students. Satisfaction and attitude towards TB learning plus total evaluation scores for lecturers were examined.

Results

A total of 832 out of 1800 dental students participated in the study. The majority of participants have basic (40.7%) and intermediate (47.5%) computer skills, and more than half of them lack any experience in TB learning. The overall satisfaction and positive attitude towards TB learning were less than 50%. Students at final grade, with advanced computer skills and TB learning experience, showed higher satisfaction (OR: 3.031, 2.876, 3.644, respectively) and a more positive attitude (OR: 3.172, 3.035, 3.477, respectively) towards TB learning than those at earlier grades. Total evaluation scores for lecturers were higher amongst females (11.5 ± 5.8) than males (9.9 ± 7.2) as well as amongst participants at final grade (14.0 ± 6.2), with advanced computer skills (13.8 ± 6.1) and TB learning experience (16.2 ± 6.0).

Conclusions

Dental students demonstrated low‐moderate satisfaction and positive attitude towards TB learning and the quality of material presented to them. Integrating TB learning into the dental education curriculum is an essential step in enhancing the acceptance of TB learning in the future.
Visual interpretation of regression error
Authors: Areosa Inês , Torgo Luís
Published: August 2020

Several sophisticated machine learning tools (e.g., ensembles or deep networks) have shown outstanding performance in different regression forecasting tasks. In many real world application domains the numeric predictions of the models drive important and costly decisions. Nevertheless, decision makers frequently require more than a black box model to be able to “trust” the predictions up to the point that they base their decisions on them. In this context, understanding these black boxes has become one of the hot topics in Machine Learning research. This paper proposes a series of visualization tools that explain the relationship between the expected predictive performance of black box regression models and the values of the input variables of any given test case. This type of information thus allows end‐users to correctly assess the risks associated with the use of a model, by showing how concrete values of the predictors may affect the performance of the model. Our illustrations with different real world data sets and learning algorithms provide insights on the type of usage and information these tools bring to both the data analyst and the end‐user. Furthermore, a thorough evaluation of the proposed tools is performed to showcase the reliability of this approach.
Boundary spanners and calculative practices
Authors: Guven‐Uslu Pinar , Blaber Zlatinka , Adhikari Pawan
Published: August 2020

This paper questions to what extent particular calculative practices used for inter‐organisational decision‐making help or hinder boundary spanners meet performativity ideals. It uses programmatic rationalities of government as a framework to study reciprocity between them and the conditions of performativity. Empirical data were collected from healthcare commissioning spaces of English National Health Service (NHS). Data triangulation was achieved through documentary analysis, data collected through interviews, and observation notes taken in local commissioning meetings and national conferences. Findings revealed an apparent lack of reciprocity between programmatic rationality and calculative practices surrounding the commissioning activities of boundary spanners. As a consequence, in local commissioning situations boundary spanners with formal roles used calculative practices differently than semi‐formal boundary spanners. Unlike their formal counterparts, who used mainly accounting information in their calculative practices, semi‐formal boundary spanners incorporated non‐accounting information and devised alternative calculative practices. In addition, while formal boundary spanners on NHS Committees used calculative practices in maintaining clear boundaries between commissioning and provider organisations, semi‐formal boundary spanners made use of the data of both parties in order to reach inter organisational decisions. The study has three main contributions. First, it differentiates boundary spanners and explains differences in their interaction with calculative practices. Second, it introduces the concept of reciprocity to inter‐organisational studies in accounting. Third, it shows how conditions of performativity reflected in micro‐settings influenced how semi‐formal boundary spanners used calculative practices (and other supplementary information) to achieve performance ideals of government programmes.
Strong but opposing effects of climatic niche breadth and dispersal ability shape bat geographical range sizes across phylogenetic scales
Authors: Varzinczak Luiz H. , Moura Mauricio O. , Passos Fernando C.
Published: August 2020

Aim

Climatic niche breadth and dispersal ability influence species distributions and are hypothesized as traits that determine variations in species range sizes. Here we test a hypothesis on the complementarity of their influences on species ranges in a phylogenetic framework and across phylogenetic scales.

Location

New World.

Time period

Cenozoic.

Major taxa

Leaf‐nosed bats, Phyllostomidae.

Methods

We estimated phyllostomid range sizes from maps of species distributions. We used information on climate found within each species’ range and a trait linked to flight performances to determine species climatic niche breadth and dispersal abilities, respectively. We used phylogenetic generalized least squares to test for the influence of climatic niche breadth and dispersal for the whole family, and phylogenetically weighted regressions to determine the influence of each variable at different phylogenetic scales, at the species level.

Results

Although both variables influence species ranges with a positive climatic niche breadth effect, we found an opposite and counterintuitive pattern for the effect of dispersal, as species with increased dispersal showed smaller ranges. By testing these variables effects for each species separately, our results showed an overall positive influence of climatic niche breadth, while for most species we did not observe an influence of dispersal, indicating phylogenetic non‐stationarity considering the influence of dispersal ability on range size.

Main conclusions

We provide new insights on the determinants of species ranges, especially by challenging the traditional view that increased dispersal abilities translate into larger ranges. We highlight that idiosyncrasies during the evolution of major clades can play important roles in determining the influence of different processes in shaping species distributions, reflecting phylogenetic non‐stationarity in range size dynamics. Further studies addressing these issues across phylogenetic scales will be essential in clarifying processes that underlie species ranges. As range size is correlated to extinction risk, such advances may provide crucial information on factors related to species’ vulnerabilities.
Democracy promotion and electoral quality: A disaggregated analysis
Authors: Steele Carie A. , Pemstein Daniel , Meserve Stephen A.
Published: August 2020

The international community spends significant sums of money on democracy promotion, focusing especially on producing competitive and transparent electoral environments. In theory, aid empowers a variety of actors, increasing competition and government responsiveness. We argue that to fully understand the effect of aid on democratization one must consider how democracy aid affects specific country institutions. Building on theory from the democratization and democracy promotion literature, we specify more precise causal linkages between democracy assistance and elections. Specifically, we hypothesize about the effects of democracy aid on the implementation and quality of elections. Building on canonical work, we test these hypotheses, using V‐Dem's detailed elections measures to examine the impact of democracy aid. Intriguingly, we find that there is no consistent relationship between democracy and governance aid and the improvement of disaggregated indicators of election quality, but aggregate measures still capture a relationship. We suggest that current evidence is more consistent with election‐enhancing aid following democratization than with democratization following such aid.
PCR analysis and specific immunohistochemistry revealing a high prevalence of non‐Helicobacter pylori Helicobacters in Helicobacter pylori‐negative gastric disease patients in Japan: High susceptibility to an Hp eradication regimen
Authors: Nakamura Masahiko , Øverby Anders , Michimae Hirofumi , Matsui Hidenori , Takahashi Shinichi , Mabe Katsuhiro , Shimoyama Tadashi , Sasaki Makoto , Terao Shuici , Kamada Tomoari , Yanaka Akinori , Iwamoto Junichi , Tanabe Satoshi , Tari Akira , Nasu Shinji , Suzuki Hidekazu , Yamagata Murayama Somay
Published: August 2020

Background

The clinical significance of non‐Helicobacter pylori Helicobacter (NHPH) is still unknown. There are many reports of NHPH‐infected patients suffering from gastric diseases. Here, we investigated the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) positivity of NHPH infection in gastric disease patients who were negative for H. pylori (Hp) by the rapid urease test and by pathological observation.

Materials and methods

We collected the 296 endoscopically obtained gastric mucosal samples of Hp‐negative gastric disease patients diagnosed based on a rapid urease test and pathology from 17 hospitals in Japan from September 2013 to June 2019, and we analyzed the existence of Hp and NHPH by PCR. The samples were also treated by indirect immunohistochemistry using an anti‐Helicobacter suis VacA paralog antibody and were observed by confocal laser microscopy.

Results

Among the 236 non‐Hp‐eradicated cases, 49 cases (20.8%) were positive for NHPH. Among them, 20 cases were positive for Helicobacter suis, 7 cases were positive for Helicobacter heilmannii sensu stricto/ Helicobacter ailurogastricus (Hhss/Ha), and the other 22 cases could not be identified. The regional differences in the infection rates were significant. Forty percent of the nodular gastritis cases, 24% of the MALT lymphoma, 17% of the chronic gastritis cases, and 33% of the gastroduodenal ulcer cases were NHPH positive. Forty‐five patients had been treated with one of the four types of combinations of a proton pump inhibitor and two antibiotics, and in all of these cases, the NHPH diagnosed by PCR was successfully eradicated. Immunohistochemistry using the Helicobacter suis‐specific HsvA antibody coincided well with the PCR results. Among the 29 post‐Hp eradication cases, three were NHPH positive, including one Hhss/Ha‐positive case. Thus, approx. 20% of the Hp‐negative non‐Hp‐eradicated gastric disease patients treated at 17 hospitals in Japan were infected with NHPH.
Increasing bladder capacity and vesicoureteral reflux in pediatric kidney transplant patients
Authors: Morizawa Yosuke , Satoh Hiroyuki , Iwasa Shun , Sato Atsuko , Aoki Yujiro , Harada Ryoko , Hamada Riku , Hataya Hiroshi
Published: August 2020

Objectives

To investigate the frequency of vesicoureteral reflux, and the relationship of pretransplant decreased bladder capacity and post‐transplant vesicoureteral reflux in children undergoing kidney transplantation.

Methods

A voiding cystourethrography was carried out in 172 pediatric kidney transplantation recipients before, and 4 months after, transplantation to evaluate bladder capacity and vesicoureteral reflux. The correlation of post‐transplant vesicoureteral reflux with pretransplant bladder capacity, vesicoureteral reflux in the native kidney and the method of ureteral reimplantation (intravesical/extravesical) was analyzed. Atrophic bladder was defined as having ≤50% functional bladder capacity (age in years + 2) × 25 (mL) or ≤150 mL in patients aged >10 years.

Results

Bladder capacity increased remarkably after transplantation in both post‐transplant vesicoureteral reflux− group (from 180 to 253 mL) and vesicoureteral reflux+ group (from 82 to 171 mL). Voiding cystourethrography showed vesicoureteral reflux in 12 cases of kidney transplantation (7%; grade 1: 2, grade 2: 3, grade 3: 7). Pretransplant atrophic bladder was an independent risk factor of post‐transplant vesicoureteral reflux (P = 0.004, hazard ratio 9.5). There was no difference in renal function between the vesicoureteral reflux− group and vesicoureteral reflux+ group at 4 months to 5 years post‐transplantation.

Conclusions

Pretransplant atrophic bladder is a risk factor of post‐transplant vesicoureteral reflux in pediatric patients. However, bladder capacity can remarkably increase after transplantation, and kidney function in the post‐transplant vesicoureteral reflux+ group is stable.
Revisiting The New Politics of Immigration
Authors: Dauvergne Catherine
Published: August 2020

This article follows from the workshop that Professor Mireille Paquet organized in Montreal in June 2018, to discuss my book, The New Politics of Immigration and the End of Settler Societies (Cambridge, 2016; Dauvergne 2016). In relation to this event and the articles of this special issue, this paper embarks on revisiting The New Politics of Immigration, now more than three after it first appeared in print. In this paper, I reflect on whether my arguments stand up to the test presented by the events of the past three years. Recent events lead me to nuance some of my original arguments, but on the whole even the most recent surprises fit well into the New Politics framework that points to increasing salience, legalization and urgency in politicizing immigration.
Contact between patients with suicidal ideation and nurses in mental health wards: Development and psychometric evaluation of a questionnaire
Authors: Vandewalle Joeri , Duprez Veerle , Beeckman Dimitri , Van Hecke Ann , Verhaeghe Sofie
Published: August 2020

Suicide prevention and treatment opportunities often depend on interpersonal contact between patients and professionals. Presently, there is a lack of valid and reliable instruments to obtain the perspective of patients with suicidal ideation regarding their contact with professionals in mental health wards. This was a three‐stage study to develop and psychometrically evaluate a questionnaire: the Contact with Nurses from the perspective of Patients with Suicidal ideation (CoNuPaS). First, the construct was defined by a systematic review, qualitative study, and face validity among experts. Second, the content was validated through a Delphi procedure with professional experts (n = 14) and cognitive interviews with hospitalized patients (n = 12). Third, using a sample of adult patients with suicidal ideation in the past year (n = 405), the psychometric properties were assessed by an exploratory factor analysis, a test‐retest procedure, and the internal consistency. The CoNuPaS comprises 23 items and two subsections, to examine patients’ perceptions of contact experiences with nurses (CoNuPaS‐experience) and what they find important in that contact (CoNuPaS‐importance). The subsections comprise four components: encountering a space to express suicidal thoughts and explore needs, being recognized as a unique and self‐determining individual, encountering nurses’ availability/information‐sharing/transparency on expectations, and trusting nurses in communication about suicidality. Content validity scores were excellent (0.78–1.00); test‐retest intraclass correlation coefficient and internal consistency were >0.90. Thus, the CoNuPaS demonstrated good psychometric properties. The availability of a valid questionnaire to examine patient‐nurse contact in mental health wards is central to improving understanding of nurses’ contributions to suicide prevention and suicidal ideation treatment.
Integrated planning decisions in the broiler chicken supply chain
Authors: Solano‐Blanco Alfaima L. , González Jaime E. , Gómez‐Rueda Luis O. , Vargas‐Sánchez Jhon J. , Medaglia Andrés L.
Published: August 2020

In the poultry industry, the meat market requires a careful coordination of the broiler chicken supply chain comprising breeders, hatcheries, farms, slaughterhouses, wholesale, and retail vendors. Aside from the inherent challenges of coordinating a supply chain, animal husbandry systems face additional complex tasks. The lack of integrated decisions within the poultry chain could lead to a production plan that (a) does not comply with the biosecurity standards required in meat production for human consumption at the farms; (b) violates the production and inventory capacities at the slaughterhouses; and (c) does not meet the demand of customers. To streamline the supply chain, we propose a mixed‐integer linear programming model that supports production planning and scheduling decisions in broiler chicken production facilities. In addition, we embedded the mixed‐integer programming model in a rolling‐horizon scheme to improve scalability and to avoid the myopic effect of time‐indexed optimization models that put too much emphasis on a specific time period. We present the results of a case study in a poultry company in Santa Marta (Colombia), where we reach profit improvements that range from 7% to 57% with a reduction in inventory costs that range from 30% to 60%, while simultaneously meeting stringent technical, tactical, and biosecurity constraints.