bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Generating solutions of Ricci-Based Gravity theories from General Relativity
Authors: Orazi Emanuele
Published: July 2020

We generalize the algorithm that establishes the correspondence between metric-affine Eddington-inspired Born-Infeld (EiBI) gravity and General Relativity (GR) to any bosonic matter sector. Along the way, a polished version of the proof of existence of a metric compatible frame associated to any metric-affine Ricci-Based Gravity (RBG) is presented. Particular attention is given to the problem of generating solutions of a RBG from the GR counterpart, providing a general recipe for the EiBI case. This extends previous results obtained for specific matter that included anisotropic fluids, scalar fields and electromagnetic fields.
Progressive Disclosure
Authors: Springer Aaron , Whittaker Steve
Published: July 2020

It is essential that users understand how algorithmic decisions are made, as we increasingly delegate important decisions to intelligent systems. Prior work has often taken a techno-centric approach, focusing on new computational techniques to support transparency. In contrast, this article employs empirical methods to better understand user reactions to transparent systems to motivate user-centric designs for transparent systems. We assess user reactions to transparency feedback in four studies of an emotional analytics system. In Study 1, users anticipated that a transparent system would perform better but unexpectedly retracted this evaluation after experience with the system. Study 2 offers an explanation for this paradox by showing that the benefits of transparency are context dependent. On the one hand, transparency can help users form a model of the underlying algorithm's operation. On the other hand, positive accuracy perceptions may be undermined when transparency reveals algorithmic errors. Study 3 explored real-time reactions to transparency. Results confirmed Study 2, in showing that users are both more likely to consult transparency information and to experience greater system insights when formulating a model of system operation. Study 4 used qualitative methods to explore real-time user reactions to motivate transparency design principles. Results again suggest that users may benefit from initially simplified feedback that hides potential system errors and assists users in building working heuristics about system operation. We use these findings to motivate new progressive disclosure principles for transparency in intelligent systems and discuss theoretical implications.
“Let Them Talk!”
Authors: Katifori Akrivi , Perry Sara , Vayanou Maria , Antoniou Angeliki , Ioannidis Ioannis-Panagiotis , McKinney Sierra , Chrysanthi Angeliki , Ioannidis Yannis
Published: July 2020

Visits to cultural heritage sites are generally social in nature, yet resources to support these sociable experiences are often individualized, catering to the solitary visitor. Digital technologies offer means to disrupt this predicament, encouraging social engagements in cultural contexts. Here we present the results of a user study that systematically investigates the effects of face-to-face group conversation and physical interactions within a digital cultural storytelling experience at the Neolithic site of Çatalhöyük, with the objective of promoting engagement, learning, and perspective taking. Seeking to articulate the benefits and weaknesses of promoting social interactions in digital storytelling settings, we start with a story-based experience that was designed for individual use, we extend it with novel system-driven interaction prompts, and then we evaluate the two versions with 102 participants. Our findings provide statistically significant evidence that conversation is related to longer and more absorbed participation in the experience and greater learning regardless of personality traits. Where social interaction is purposefully integrated into the story, more conversation is generated, and these interactive prompts do not disrupt the story flow even though participants report awareness of them. Finally, certain tendencies among users affect their talkativeness and enjoyment, providing future designers of digital stories with guidance to better address audience needs.
Automatic Shape Feature Recognition for Ceramic Finds
Authors: Angelo Luca Di , Stefano Paolo Di , Guardiani Emanuele , Pane Caterina
Published: July 2020

Ceramic sherds are the most common finds in archaeology. They are complex to analyze and onerous to process. A large number of indistinct sherds coming from excavations must be preliminarily grouped in some categories. This clusterization helps the next phase, in which archaeologists classify the ceramics. Due to the difficulty of these preliminary, repetitive, and routine phases, a great deal of archaeological material remains unstudied in museum repositories or archaeological sites. An effective method to automate these routine phases is presented in this article. The proposed method performs a shape feature segmentation of the sherds, which is fundamental to undertake any further analysis, such as potsherds classification, reconstruction, or cataloging. A set of specific shape features, useful to understand the find properties, is defined and methods for recognizing them are proposed. The method's performance is tested in the analysis of some real, critical cases.
Improving Vaccine Safety Using Blockchain
Authors: Cui Laizhong , Xiao Zhe , Wang Jiahao , Chen Fei , Pan Yi , Dai Hua , Qin Jing
Published: July 2020

In recent years, vaccine incidents occurred around the world, which endangers people’s lives. In the technical respect, these incidents are partially due to the fact that existing vaccine management systems are distributively managed by different entities in the vaccine supply chain. This architecture makes it relatively easy to modify or even delete the vaccine circulation data maliciously, which makes tracing problematic vaccine hard and identifying the responsibility for a vaccine accident hard. To solve these issues, this article presents a blockchain-based solution to protect the whole process of vaccine circulation. We first propose a model to supervise the vaccine circulation process by incorporating existing regulatory practices. Then, we propose a blockchain-based tracing system to implement this model. The proposed system takes the blockchain as a global, unique, and verifiable database to store all the circulation data. Through data insertions and queries on the global and unique database, the proposed system achieves the protection of vaccine circulation. We also implement a proof-of-concept prototype of the proposed system. Experimental results confirm that the proposed system is beneficial.
Concurrent Practical Byzantine Fault Tolerance for Integration of Blockchain and Supply Chain
Authors: Xu Xiaolong , Zhu Dawei , Yang Xiaoxian , Wang Shuo , Qi Lianyong , Dou Wanchun
Published: July 2020

Currently, the integration of the supply chain and blockchain is promising, as blockchain successfully eliminates the bullwhip effect in the supply chain. Generally, concurrent Practical Byzantine Fault Tolerance (PBFT) consensus method, named C-PBFT, is powerful to deal with the consensus inefficiencies, caused by the fast node expansion in the supply chain. However, due to the tremendous complicated transactions in the supply chain, it remains challenging to select the credible primary peers in the concurrent clusters. To address this challenge, the peers in the supply chain are classified into several clusters by analyzing the historic transactions in the ledger. Then, the primary peer for each cluster is identified by reputation assessment. Finally, the performance of C-PBFT is evaluated by conducting experiments in Fabric.
On Shooting Stars
Authors: Elor Aviv , Powell Michael , Mahmoodi Evanjelin , Hawthorne Nico , Teodorescu Mircea , Kurniawan Sri
Published: July 2020

Inactivity and a lack of engagement with exercise is a pressing health problem in the United States and beyond. Immersive Virtual Reality (iVR) is a promising medium to motivate users through engaging virtual environments. Currently, modern iVR lacks a comparative analysis between research and consumer-grade systems for exercise and health. This article examines two such iVR mediums: the Cave Automated Virtual Environment (CAVE) and the head-mounted display (HMD). Specifically, we compare the room-scale Mechdyne CAVE and HTC Vive Pro HMD with a custom in-house exercise game that was designed such that user experiences were as consistent as possible between both systems. To ensure that our findings are generalizable for users of varying abilities, we recruited 40 participants with and without cognitive disabilities with regard to the fact that iVR environments and games can differ in their cognitive challenge between users. Our results show that across all abilities, the HMD excelled in in-game performance, biofeedback response, and player engagement. We conclude with considerations in utilizing iVR systems for exergaming with users across cognitive abilities.
mSIMPAD
Authors: Li Chun-Tung , Cao Jiannong , Liu Xue , Stojmenovic Milos
Published: July 2020

A successive similar pattern (SSP) is a series of similar sequences that occur consecutively at non-regular intervals in time series. Mining SSPs could provide valuable information without
a priori
knowledge, which is crucial in many applications ranging from health monitoring to activity recognition. However, most existing work is computationally expensive, focuses only on periodic patterns occurring in regular time intervals, and is unable to recognize patterns containing multiple periods. Here we investigate a more general problem of finding similar patterns occurring successively, in which the similarity between patterns is measured by the
z
-normalized Euclidean distance. We propose a linear time, robust method, called
Multiple-length Successive sIMilar PAtterns Detector
(mSIMPAD), that mines SSPs of multiple lengths, making no assumptions regarding periodicity. We apply our method on the detection of repetitive movement using a wearable inertial measurement unit. The experiments were conducted on three public datasets, two of which contain simple walking and idle data, whereas the third is more complex and contains multiple activities. mSIMPAD achieved F-score improvements of 3.2% and 6.5%, respectively, over the simple and complex datasets compared to the state-of-the-art walking detector. In addition, mSIMPAD is scalable and applicable to real-time applications since it operates in linear time complexity.
Maintaining Triangle Queries under Updates
Authors: Kara Ahmet , Ngo Hung Q. , Nikolic Milos , Olteanu Dan , Zhang Haozhe
Published: July 2020

We consider the problem of incrementally maintaining the triangle queries with arbitrary free variables under single-tuple updates to the input relations.

We introduce an approach called IVMϵ that exhibits a trade-off between the update time, the space, and the delay for the enumeration of the query result, such that the update time ranges from the square root to linear in the database size while the delay ranges from constant to linear time.

IVMϵ achieves Pareto worst-case optimality in the update-delay space conditioned on the Online Matrix-Vector Multiplication conjecture. It is strongly Pareto optimal for the triangle queries with no or three free variables and weakly Pareto optimal for the remaining triangle queries with one or two free variables.

IVMϵ recovers prior work such as the suboptimal classical view maintenance approach that uses delta query processing and the worst-case optimal approach that computes all triangles in a static database.
A Hybrid Feature Selection Algorithm Based on a Discrete Artificial Bee Colony for Parkinson's Diagnosis
Authors: Li Haolun , Pun Chi-Man , Xu Feng , Pan Longsheng , Zong Rui , Gao Hao , Lu Huimin
Published: July 2020

Parkinson's disease is a neurodegenerative disease that affects millions of people around the world and cannot be cured fundamentally. Automatic identification of early Parkinson's disease on feature data sets is one of the most challenging medical tasks today. Many features in these datasets are useless or suffering from problems like noise, which affect the learning process and increase the computational burden. To ensure the optimal classification performance, this article proposes a hybrid feature selection algorithm based on an improved discrete artificial bee colony algorithm to improve the efficiency of feature selection. The algorithm combines the advantages of filters and wrappers to eliminate most of the uncorrelated or noisy features and determine the optimal subset of features. In the filter, three different variable ranking methods are employed to pre-rank the candidate features, then the population of artificial bee colony is initialized based on the significance degree of the re-rank features. In the wrapper part, the artificial bee colony algorithm evaluates individuals (feature subsets) based on the classification accuracy of the classifier to achieve the optimal feature subset. In addition, for the first time, we introduce a strategy that can automatically select the best classifier in the search framework more quickly. By comparing with several publicly available datasets, the proposed method achieves better performance than other state-of-the-art algorithms and can extract fewer effective features.
Blockchain-based Data Sharing System for Sensing-as-a-Service in Smart Cities
Authors: Lin Chao , He Debiao , Zeadally Sherali , Huang Xinyi , Liu Zhe
Published: July 2020

The sensing-as-a-service (SaaS) model has been explored to address the challenge of intractability of managing a large number of sensors faced by future smart cities. However, how to effectively share sensor data without compromising confidentiality, privacy protection, and fair trading without third parties is one of critical issues that must be solved in the SaaS in smart cities. While blockchain shows promise in solving these issues, the existing blockchain-based data sharing (BBDS) systems are difficult to apply to SaaS in smart cities because of many unresolved issues such as requiring a customized blockchain, huge storage, communication and computation costs, and dependence on a third party to achieve fair trading. We propose a BBDS system model with its security requirements before we present a concrete construction by combining

-protocol, Paillier encryption scheme, and any secure symmetrical encryption and signature schemes. To demonstrate the utility of our proposed BBDS system, we present a security analysis and compare our system with other solutions. We implement the prototype in Remix to analyze the gas cost, and we conduct experiments to evaluate the communication and computation costs of the BBDS system using symmetric encryption (advanced encryption standard (AES)) and a signature scheme (elliptic curve digital signature algorithm (ECDSA)).
Incremental and Approximate Computations for Accelerating Deep CNN Inference
Authors: Nakandala Supun , Nagrecha Kabir , Kumar Arun , Papakonstantinou Yannis
Published: July 2020

Deep learning now offers state-of-the-art accuracy for many prediction tasks. A form of deep learning called deep convolutional neural networks (CNNs) are especially popular on image, video, and time series data. Due to its high computational cost, CNN inference is often a bottleneck in analytics tasks on such data. Thus, a lot of work in the computer architecture, systems, and compilers communities study how to make CNN inference faster. In this work, we show that by elevating the abstraction level and re-imagining CNN inference as
queries
, we can bring to bear database-style query optimization techniques to improve CNN inference efficiency. We focus on tasks that perform CNN inference
repeatedly
on inputs that are only
slightly different
. We identify two popular CNN tasks with this behavior:
occlusion-based explanations
(OBE) and
object recognition in videos
(ORV). OBE is a popular method for “explaining” CNN predictions. It outputs a heatmap over the input to show which regions (e.g., image pixels) mattered most for a given prediction. It leads to many re-inference requests on locally modified inputs. ORV uses CNNs to identify and track objects across video frames. It also leads to many re-inference requests. We cast such tasks in a unified manner as a novel instance of the
incremental view maintenance
problem and create a comprehensive algebraic framework for incremental CNN inference that reduces computational costs. We produce
materialized views
of features produced inside a CNN and connect them with a novel
multi-query optimization
scheme for CNN re-inference. Finally, we also devise novel OBE-specific and ORV-specific approximate inference optimizations exploiting their semantics. We prototype our ideas in Python to create a tool called
Krypton
that supports both CPUs and GPUs. Experiments with real data and CNNs show that
Krypton
reduces runtimes by up to 5× (respectively, 35×) to produce exact (respectively, high-quality approximate) results without raising resource requirements.
Multi-Fidelity Surrogate-Based Optimization for Electromagnetic Simulation Acceleration
Authors: Wang Yi , Franzon Paul D. , Smart David , Swahn Brian
Published: July 2020

As circuits’ speed and frequency increase, fast and accurate capture of the details of the parasitics in metal structures, such as inductors and clock trees, becomes more critical. However, conducting high-fidelity 3D electromagnetic (EM) simulations within the design loop is very time consuming and computationally expensive. To address this issue, we propose a surrogate-based optimization methodology flow, namely multi-fidelity surrogate-based optimization with candidate search (MFSBO-CS), which integrates the concept of multi-fidelity to reduce the full-wave EM simulation cost in analog/RF simulation-based optimization problems. To do so, a statistical co-kriging model is adapted as the surrogate to model the response surface, and a parallelizable perturbation-based adaptive sampling method is used to find the optima. Within the proposed method, low-fidelity fast RC parasitic extraction tools and high-fidelity full-wave EM solvers are used together to model the target design and then guide the proposed adaptive sample method to achieve the final optimal design parameters. The sampling method in this work not only delivers additional coverage of design space but also helps increase the accuracy of the surrogate model efficiently by updating multiple samples within one iteration. Moreover, a novel modeling technique is developed to further improve the multi-fidelity surrogate model at an acceptable additional computation cost. The effectiveness of the proposed technique is validated by mathematical proofs and numerical test function demonstration. In this article, MFSBO-CS has been applied to two design cases, and the result shows that the proposed methodology offers a cost-efficient solution for analog/RF design problems involving EM simulation. For the two design cases, MFSBO-CS either reaches comparably or outperforms the optimization result from various Bayesian optimization methods with only approximately one- to two-thirds of the computation cost.
A Survey of Unsupervised Deep Domain Adaptation
Authors: Wilson Garrett , Cook Diane J.
Published: July 2020

Deep learning has produced state-of-the-art results for a variety of tasks. While such approaches for supervised learning have performed well, they assume that training and testing data are drawn from the same distribution, which may not always be the case. As a complement to this challenge, single-source unsupervised domain adaptation can handle situations where a network is trained on labeled data from a source domain and unlabeled data from a related but different target domain with the goal of performing well at test-time on the target domain. Many single-source and typically homogeneous unsupervised deep domain adaptation approaches have thus been developed, combining the powerful, hierarchical representations from deep learning with domain adaptation to reduce reliance on potentially costly target data labels. This survey will compare these approaches by examining alternative methods, the unique and common elements, results, and theoretical insights. We follow this with a look at application areas and open research directions.
New Modified Conformable Fractional Integral Inequalities of Hermite–Hadamard Type with Applications
Authors: Abdeljawad Thabet , Mohammed Pshtiwan Othman , Kashuri Artion
Published: July 2020

In this study, a few inequalities of Hermite–Hadamard type are constructed via the conformable fractional operators so that the normal version is recovered in its limit for the conformable fractional parameter. Finally, we present some examples to demonstrate the usefulness of conformable fractional inequalities in the context of special means of the positive numbers.
A Review on the Present Advances on Studies of Toxoplasmosis in Eastern Africa
Authors: Mose John Mokua , Kagira John Maina , Kamau David Muchina , Maina Naomi Wangari , Ngotho Maina , Karanja Simon Muturi
Published: July 2020

Toxoplasmosis is a zoonotic infection caused by the protozoan parasite, Toxoplasma gondii. It was discovered over 100 years ago and is credited as the most successful parasitic organism worldwide, able to infect and multiply in all warm blooded animals including an estimated 2.3 billion people. Toxoplasmosis is asymptomatic in immunocompetent individuals. Infection in the developing fetus and immunocompromised individuals can cause severe clinical disease. Toxoplasmosis is also a major cause of reproductive failure in livestock. The economic impact of toxoplasmosis is believed to be substantial. Factors associated with toxoplasmosis infection have been defined. Eastern Africa region is a high‐risk area mainly due to the close association of humans and livestock as well as sociocultural practices, poor environmental hygiene, and poverty. The present paper provides a narrative review of published data on toxoplasmosis in Eastern Africa.
Advances in Exosomes Derived from Different Cell Sources and Cardiovascular Diseases
Authors: Liang Bo , He Xin , Zhao Yu-Xiu , Zhang Xiao-Xiao , Gu Ning
Published: July 2020

Exosomes can reach distant tissues through blood circulation to communicate directly with target cells and rapidly regulate intracellular signals. Exosomes play an important role in cardiovascular pathophysiology. Different exosomes derived from different sources, and their cargos have different mechanisms of action. In addition to being biomarkers, exosomes also have a certain significance in the diagnosis, treatment, and even prevention of cardiovascular diseases. Here, we provide a review of the up‐to‐date applications of exosomes, derived from various sources, in the prognosis and diagnosis of cardiovascular diseases.
Users’ Experience of Digital Wayfinding Screens: A Uses and Gratification Perspective from South Africa
Authors: Roux Thérèse
Published: July 2020

Marketing and business communication researchers have neglected the wayfinding capabilities of digital out-of-home communication in the retailing landscape. The current study focuses on digital wayfinding screens in the South African shopping mall environment. The aim is understanding users’ experience of digital wayfinding screens, guided by the uses and gratification theory. Shoppers were interviewed about their views and actions while engaging in the wayfinding process in large upmarket shopping malls. The in-depth semistructured interviews were recorded and then the content was analysed. The findings provide a rich and comprehensive understanding of shoppers’ content gratifications and process gratifications when utilising this contemporary medium. The current study identifies four uses and gratifications for digital wayfinding screens: convenient process gratifications, interactive process gratifications, informational content gratification, and entertaining content gratifications. Understanding the gratification dimensions of digital wayfinding screens contributes to contemporary media research and forms the basis of valuable guidelines for practitioners in retail media and design.
Antiplasmodial and Cytotoxic Activities of Extracts of Selected Medicinal Plants Used to Treat Malaria in Embu County, Kenya
Authors: Waiganjo Bibianne , Moriasi Gervason , Onyancha Jared , Elias Nelson , Muregi Francis
Published: July 2020

Malaria is a deadly disease caused by a protozoan parasite whose mode of transmission is through a female Anopheles mosquito. It affects persons of all ages; however, pregnant mothers, young children, and the elderly suffer the most due to their dwindled immune state. The currently prescribed antimalarial drugs have been associated with adverse side effects ranging from intolerance to toxicity. Furthermore, the costs associated with conventional approach of managing malaria are arguably high especially for persons living in low-income countries, hence the need for alternative and complementary approaches. Medicinal plants offer a viable alternative because of their few associated side effects, are arguably cheaper, and are easily accessible. Based on the fact that studies involving antimalarial medicinal plants as potential sources of efficacious and cost-effective pharmacotherapies are far between, this research was designed to investigate antiplasmodial and cytotoxic activities of organic and aqueous extracts of selected plants used by Embu traditional medicine practitioners to treat malaria. The studied plants included Erythrina abyssinica (stem bark), Schkuhria pinnata (whole plant), Sterculia africana (stem bark), Terminalia brownii (leaves), Zanthoxylum chalybeum (leaves), Leonotis mollissima (leaves), Carissa edulis (leaves), Tithonia diversifolia (leaves and flowers), and Senna didymobotrya (leaves and pods). In vitro antiplasmodial activity studies of organic and water extracts were carried out against chloroquine-sensitive (D6) and chloroquine-resistance (W2) strains of Plasmodium falciparum. In vivo antiplasmodial studies were done by Peter’s four-day suppression test to test for their in vivo antimalarial activity against P. berghei. Finally, cytotoxic effects and safety of the studied plant extracts were evaluated using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) rapid calorimetric assay technique. The water and methanolic extracts of T. brownii and S. africana and dichloromethane extracts of E. abyssinica, S. pinnata, and T. diversifolia leaves revealed high in vitro antiplasmodial activities (IC50≤10 μg/ml). Further, moderate in vivo antimalarial activities were observed for water and methanolic extracts of L. mollissima and S. africana and for dichloromethane extracts of E. abyssinica and T. diversifolia leaves. In this study, aqueous extracts of T. brownii and S. africana demonstrated high antiplasmodial activity and high selectivity indices values (SI≥10) and were found to be safe. It was concluded that T. brownii and S. africana aqueous extracts were potent antiplasmodial agents. Further focused studies geared towards isolation of active constituents and determination of in vivo toxicities to ascertain their safety are warranted.
Control of Hyperglycemia Using Differentiated and Undifferentiated Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Rats with Type 1 Diabetes
Authors: Aali Ehsan , Madjd Zahra , Tekiyehmaroof Neda , Sharifi Ali Mohammad
Published: July 2020

Due to their ability in self-renewing and differentiation into a wide variety of tissues, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) exhibit outstanding potential for regenerative medicine. This study was aimed at investigating different aspects of MSC therapy in controlling hyperglycemia in streptozotocin-induced diabetes rats. Using an islet cell differentiation protocol, bone marrow (BM) MSCs were differentiated into insulin-producing cells (IPCs). The differentiation process was evaluated by immunocytochemistry, reverse transcriptase PCR, and dithizone staining. Diabetic animals in 4 diabetic individual groups received normal saline, BM-MSCs, coadministration of BM-MSCs with supernatant, and IPCs. Blood glucose and insulin levels were monitored during the experiment. Immunohistochemical analysis of the pancreas was performed at the end of the experiment. Administration of BM-MSCs could not reverse glucose and insulin levels in experimental animals as efficiently as cotransplantation of BM-MSCs with supernatant. The effect of coadministration of BM-MSCs with supernatant and transplantation of IPCs on controlling hyperglycemia is comparable. Immunohistochemical analysis showed that number and size of islets per section were significantly increased in groups receiving IPCs and BM-MSC-supernatant compared to the MSC group of animals. In conclusion, coadministration of BM-MSCs with supernatant could be used as efficiently as IPC transplantation in controlling hyperglycemia in diabetic rats.
Delta-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol and Cannabidiol Drug-Drug Interactions
Authors: Kocis Paul T. , Vrana Kent E.
Published: July 2020

Although prescribing information (PI) is often the initial source of information when identifying potential drug-drug interactions, it may only provide a limited number of exemplars or only reference a class of medications without providing any specific medication examples. In the case of medical cannabis and medicinal cannabinoids, this is further complicated by the fact that the increased therapeutic use of marijuana extracts and cannabidiol oil will not have regulatory agency approved PI. The objective of this study was to provide a detailed and comprehensive drug-drug interaction list that is aligned with cannabinoid manufacturer PI. The cannabinoid drug-drug interaction information is listed in this article and online supplementary material as a PRECIPITANT (cannabinoid) medication that either INHIBITS/INDUCES the metabolism or competes for the same SUBSTRATE target (metabolic enzyme) of an OBJECT (OTHER) medication. In addition to a comprehensive list of drug-drug interactions, we also provide a list of 57 prescription medications displaying a narrow therapeutic index that are potentially impacted by concomitant cannabinoid use (whether through prescription use of cannabinoid medications or therapeutic/recreational use of cannabis and its extracts).
Submacular Cysticercosis Successfully Treated through Conservative Management: Case Report
Authors: García Franco Renata , Arias Gómez Alejandro , Guzman Cerda Juvenal , García Roa Marlon , Ramirez Neria Paulina
Published: July 2020

Appropriate medical management can be an alternative in those patients with submacular cysticercosis in whom achieving good visual outcome with vitreoretinal surgery is not possible. We report the case of a 25-year-old female who presented complaining of blurred vision in her left eye associated with photopsias and metamorphopsias of 3 months duration. Initial visual acuity in the right eye was 20/20 and 20/100 in the left eye. Upon indirect ophthalmoscopy in the left eye, a yellow-white, dome-shaped, elevated lesion with foveal involvement was observed. The rest of the ophthalmological examination proved normal. With clinical findings and images, submacular cysticercosis was diagnosed, and vitreoretinal surgery was suggested. Nevertheless, the patient did not accept the treatment; therefore, medical management was initiated. Central nervous system involvement was ruled out, and treatment with praziquantel and systemic prednisolone was initiated. Cysticercosis was resolved with significant improvement of her symptoms and visual acuity.
Adherence to Antihypertensive Drugs Assessed by Hyphenated High‐Resolution Mass Spectrometry Analysis of Oral Fluids
Authors: Lauder Lucas , Ewen Sebastian , Kunz Michael , Richter Lilian H. J. , Jacobs Cathy M. , Kindermann Ingrid , Böhm Michael , Meyer Markus R. , Mahfoud Felix
Published: July 2020

Background

It is currently unknown if antihypertensive drugs can be monitored in oral fluid (
OF
) using liquid chromatography coupled to high‐resolution mass spectrometry.

Methods and Results

We assessed adherence using liquid chromatography coupled to high‐resolution mass spectrometry in
OF
, plasma, and urine of 56 consecutive patients with hypertension referred to a tertiary hypertension unit. Of these patients, 59% were completely adherent (all drugs detectable in urine), whereas 29% and 13% were partially adherent (1 drug not detectable in urine) or nonadherent (>1 drug not detectable in urine), respectively. Adherent patients were on fewer antihypertensive drugs (
P
=0.001), had fewer daily drug doses (
P
=0.012), and had lower 24‐hour ambulatory systolic (
P
=0.012) and diastolic (
P
=0.009) blood pressures than nonadherent or partially adherent patients. Most drugs were detected in urine compared with plasma and
OF
(181 versus 119 versus 88;
P
=0.001). Compared with urine and plasma, detection rates of angiotensin‐converting enzyme inhibitors, angiotensin
II
receptor blockers, and diuretics were lower in
OF
. There was no difference in the frequency of detecting β blockers (
P
=1.0) and calcium channel blockers (
P
=0.063) when comparing
OF
with urine. There was no difference in the number of calcium channel blockers (
P
=0.727), β blockers (
P
=1.000), thiazide diuretics (
P
=0.125), and α‐2 agonists (
P
=0.125) identified between
OF
and plasma.

Conclusions

This study shows the feasibility of drug adherence testing for several antihypertensive drugs, especially those without acidic components, in
OF
, with a similar recovery compared with plasma. Therefore, drug adherence testing in
OF
should be further explored as a noninvasive approach, which can easily be performed in an “out‐of‐office” setting.
The Role of the Shariʿa Court in Divorce in Palestine
Authors: Polfus Turid Smith
Published: July 2020

The article analyzes four decrees from the shariʿa court in Ramallah (2010–13) that introduce procedural reforms regarding divorce, to inquire what role the court envisages for itself as Palestine prepares for statehood. The study finds that the legal maxim “Ṭalāq is in the hands of the husband,” ergo not the court, ensures that the court does not represent a real alternative to privatized justice, and thus fails to contribute to the state-building process. The court upholds its construction of men as sovereign, over whom the court has no jurisdiction in ṭalāq cases. It regards ṭalāq as a matter between the husband and God. Wives need intermediaries to obtain a unilateral divorce, but the court is reluctant to take on that role.
Analysis of Emotions of High School Students Participating in a School SSI Club Project Related to Climate Change
Authors: Kim Ji-Ho , Kim Chan-Jong
Published: July 2020

This study explored types and intensities of students’ emotions related to participation in school-based SSI club project related to climate change (CE). Ten high school students participated twice a week for 7 weeks in club activities to model causes/ impacts of CE, explore local problems related to CE, and plan and participate in social action. Researchers used the control-value theory to analyze how students’ emotions changed over time and found that while some initially reported negative emotions persisted after the club activities concluded (anxiety, fear, guilt, and despair), students also reported more positive emotions (sense of accomplishment, confidence) than before. Students’ emotions became more positive when planning and participating in social action and some emotions (guilt, anxiety, and expectation) helped to drive students to action. We discuss implications for club activities as a way to educate students about CE and we raise questions for future research.
The Development of Science Education During the Ability-Driven Phase in Singapore, 1997–2011
Authors: Vinodhen Vanessa
Published: July 2020

This paper presents historical analysis of the development of science education in Singapore from 1997 to 2011 with the aim of understanding the impact of education initiatives introduced during this period known as the ability-driven phase in Singapore. To provide context for the research, the author first describes the state of governance and education in Singapore during this period and then provides an introduction to the Thinking Schools, Learning Nation vision, and two main educational initiatives: the Teach Less, Learn More initiative and the Information Technology Masterplan. Next the impact of these initiatives on science education is explored and the impact on science culture and science education in Singapore is discussed. The author concludes with a discussion about value of historical analysis examining the impact of policy on educational practice and a discussion about the implications of this research for science and science education in Singapore in the future.
Unruly wives in the household: Toward feminist genealogies for peace research
Authors: Lyytikäinen Minna , Yadav Punam , Wibben Annick TR , Jauhola Marjaana , Cecilia Confortini Catia
Published: July 2020

Feminist scholars and activists have historically been written out of peace research, despite their strong presence in the early stages of the field. In this article, we develop the concept of “wifesization” to illustrate the process through which feminist and feminized interventions have been reduced to appendages of the field, their contributions appropriated for its development but unworthy of mention as independent producers of knowledge. Wifesization has trickle-down effects, not just for knowledge production, but also for peacebuilding practice. We propose new feminist genealogies for peace research that challenge and redefine the narrow boundaries of the field, in the form of a patchwork quilt including early theorists, utopian writing, oral history, and indigenous knowledge production. Reflections draw on the authors’ engagements with several archives rich in cultures and languages of peace, not reducible to a “single story.” Recovering wifesized feminist contributions to peace research, our article offers a new way of constructing peace research canons that gives weight to long-standing, powerful, and plural feminist voices, in order to make peace scholarship more inclusive and ultimately richer.
Social Bonding Experiences Facilitating Desistance in Adolescence
Authors: Abeling-Judge David
Published: July 2020

Desistance from crime involves nuanced consideration of external and internal theories of change and methodological challenges to accurately capture positive change. Although desistance is expected for adult offenders, the onset of change in adolescence has not received sufficient attention. The current study explores the potential impact of specific social bonding experiences, to school, parents, and peers, on desistance among juvenile offenders using the Pathways to Desistance study. Findings indicate that school socialization can facilitate positive change, as can maternal bonding and changes in peer networks. The study also creates opportunity to revisit how theoretical perspectives may be guided by age specific patterns of offending.
Experimental and analytical behaviour of sandwich composites with glass fiber-reinforced polymer facings and layered fiber mat cores
Authors: MacDonnell Lauren , Sadeghian Pedram
Published: July 2020

This paper presents the results of experimental and analytical studies on the behaviour of sandwich beams fabricated with layered cores and glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) composite facings. The GFRP facings were fabricated using a unidirectional fiberglass fabric and epoxy resin, and the cores were fabricated using a thin non-woven continuous-strand polyester fiber mat with a thickness of 4.1 mm. A total of 30 sandwich beams with the width of 50 mm were prepared tested with five varying core configurations including cores made with one, two, or three layers of the fiber mat core and with or without the inclusion of intermediate GFRP layers. The specimens were tested up to failure under four-point bending at two different spans to characterize flexural and shear properties of the specimens. Two types of failure were observed, namely crushing of the compression facesheet and core shear. The load-deflection, load-strain, and moment-curvature behaviour were analyzed and using the results the flexural stiffness, shear stiffness, and core shear modulus were calculated. An analytical model was also developed to predict load-deflection behaviour and failure loading of sandwich specimens with varying core layouts. After verification, the analytical model was used for a parametric study of cases not considered in the experimental study, including additional GFRP and fiber mat core layers. It was shown that additional fiber mat core layers and the inclusion of intermediate GFRP layers can increase the strength and overall stiffness of a sandwich beam, while additional GFRP layers can only increase the overall stiffness of the system. The analytical model can be used to optimize the configuration of layered sandwich composites for cost effective rehabilitation techniques of culverts, pipelines, and other curved-shape structures where a thin, flexible core is needed to accommodate the curvature of the existing structure.
Fostering Stress Resilience Among Business Students: The Role of Stress Mindset and Self-Connection
Authors: Klussman Kristine , Lindeman Meghan I. Huntoon , Nichols Austin Lee , Langer Julia
Published: July 2020

Educators are becoming increasingly concerned about the high rates of burnout among their students. Although the solution may appear to be reducing the stress their students experience, simply reducing stress is a temporary solution and does not help students when they enter the workforce and encounter increased stressors. A better option may be to consider the ways in which students can increase stress resilience in ways that will help them long after they leave the classroom. With this idea in mind, we tested for relationships between two individual difference variables, stress mindset and self-connection, and burnout and life satisfaction among business students. The results showed there was a positive relationship between viewing stress as debilitating and prevalence of both personal and school-related burnout. Additionally, self-connection was negatively related to personal burnout and greater life satisfaction. Stress mindset and self-connection also interacted to predict both personal and school burnout. The results suggest that promoting adaptive views of stress and becoming more self-connected may lead to a better student experience.
Myocardial blush grade: a determinant of left ventricular ejection fraction and adverse outcomes in STEMI
Authors: Rehman Adeel-ur , Malik Jahanzeb , Javed Nismat , Iftikhar Imran , Sharif Hamid
Published: July 2020

Background and aims

Despite restoration of blood flow, subtle microvascular obstruction can occur. This obstruction can be graded using myocardial blush grade. We aimed to investigate the role of myocardial blush grade in ejection fraction and adverse outcomes, after percutaneous intervention.

Methods

A prospective, observational study was conducted at our institute with a calculated sample size. Variables such as age, gender, and ejection fraction were noted before the intervention. The patients were followed for 3 months to determine the outcomes. The data was analyzed using IBM SPSS software version 26.0. P-value of less than 0.05 was considered significant for the statistical tests.

Results

There were 74 male and 36 female participants in the study. The mean age was 52.20 ± 10.02 years. The most common adverse outcome was heart failure (18%). There was a significant Pearson’s correlation between myocardial blush grade and improvement in ejection fraction (p < 0.05). Improvement in myocardial blush grade was significantly related to a decrease in adverse outcomes (p < 0.05). Regression analysis proved myocardial blush grade and diabetes status as independent predictors of percentage increase in ejection fraction (p < 0.05).

Conclusion

High myocardial blush grade is one of the independent predictors of better outcomes in ST-elevation myocardial infarction.
Polycentric regions: Proposals for a new typology and terminology
Authors: Münter Angelika , Volgmann Kati
Published: July 2020

‘Polycentricity on a regional scale’, or in short the ‘polycentric region’ (PR), is a key concept in both urban and regional research and planning. But the term is used in many different ways, making it an overstretched concept unsuitable for drawing normative conclusions from. This article highlights the fact that, beyond the lowest common denominator – PRs consist of several centres (‘poly’ = many) and are situated on a regional scale (‘region’) – there is no single generally accepted definition of what a PR is. Instead, there are various historical trajectories for the formation of PRs, as well as different substantive perspectives. In this contribution, we will develop a conceptual typology and terminology describing the various dimensions of a PR for the North-Western European context on the basis of a critical literature review. The typology addresses two formation modes, four substantive perspectives and two time perspectives in an attempt to establish conceptual ‘building block(s)’ for use in empirical PR research and policy formulation. Our typology exposes knowledge gaps to be addressed in a recast PR research agenda.
Predictors of Free Flap Volume Loss in Nonosseous Reconstruction of Head and Neck Oncologic Defects
Authors: Razavi Christopher R. , Hostetter Jason , Shukla Aishwarya , Cheng Zhi , Aygun Nafi , Boahene Kofi , Byrne Patrick J. , Richmon Jeremy , Quon Harry , Desai Shaun C.
Published: July 2020

Objectives:

Free tissue reconstruction of the head and neck must be initially overcorrected due to expected postoperative free flap volume loss, which can be accelerated by adjuvant radiation therapy. In this study, we aim to identify patient and treatment-specific factors that may significantly contribute to this phenomenon and translate these characteristics into a predictive model for expected percent free flap volume loss in a given patient.

Methods:

Patients with a history of oral cavity and/or oropharyngeal cancer who underwent nonosseous free flap reconstruction were reviewed between January 2009 and November 2018 at a tertiary care center. Demographics/characteristics, total radiation dose, radiation fractionation (RF), and pre/postradiation free flap volume as evaluated by computed tomography imaging were collected. Free flap volume was measured by a fellowship-trained neuroradiologist in all cases. Only patients receiving adjuvant radiotherapy with available pre/postradiation imaging were included. Multivariable linear regression modeling for prediction of free flap volume loss was performed with optimization via stepwise elimination.

Results:

Thirty patients were included for analysis. Mean flap volume loss was 42.7% ± 17.4%. The model predicted flap volume loss in a significant fashion ( P = .004, R2 = 0.49) with a mean magnitude of error of 9.8% ± 7.5%. Age (β = 0.01, P = .003) and RF (β = −0.01, P = .009) were individual predictors of flap volume loss.

Conclusions:

Our model predicts percent free flap volume loss in a significant fashion. Age and RF are individual predictors of free flap volume loss, the latter being a novel finding that is also modifiable through hyperfractionation radiotherapy schedules.