bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Plasma, platelet and red blood cell transfusion ratios for life‐threatening non‐traumatic haemorrhage in medical and post‐surgical patients: An observational study
Authors: Matzek Luke J. , Kurian Emil B. , Frank Ryan D. , Weister Timothy J. , Gajic Ognjen , Kor Daryl J. , Warner Matthew A.
Published: August 2021

Background and Objectives

Despite the broad utilization of component‐based transfusion strategies that aim to reconstitute whole blood during acute traumatic haemorrhage, data for haemorrhage occurring outside of trauma and surgery are limited.

Methods

This is an observational cohort study of adults experiencing critical non‐traumatic, non‐intraoperative haemorrhage during hospitalization at an academic medical centre from 2011 to 2015. The primary goal was to evaluate differences in plasma and platelet to red blood cell (RBC) transfusion ratios across patient demographic, clinical and laboratory characteristics. Secondarily, associations between transfusion ratios and clinical outcomes were assessed.

Results

Seven hundred nine patients were included: 498 (70.2%) medical and 211 (29.8%) post surgical. The gastrointestinal tract (36.7%) was the most common site of bleeding. Most patients received RBCs without plasma (35.5%) or platelets (54.2%). Among those receiving plasma, 82.3% received a plasma to RBC ratio < 1:1 at 24 h. For platelets, the most common ratio was 1–2:1 (52.9%). Transfusion ratios were generally consistent across comorbid disease severity, admission type and anatomic sites of bleeding. Higher plasma utilization was observed in the emergency department, while greater platelet utilization occurred in intensive care units. Higher transfusion ratios were observed in those with greater laboratory haemostatic abnormalities prior to the haemorrhagic event. Clinical outcome differences were limited, though greater platelet utilization in the first 24 h was associated with higher mortality and fewer hospital‐free days.

Conclusions

Transfusion ratios for critical non‐traumatic haemorrhage were primarily related to laboratory abnormalities preceding the haemorrhagic event and practice environments. Clinical outcome differences across ratios were limited.
Confirming the systematic position of two enigmatic shrimps, Amphionides and Procarididae (Crustacea: Decapoda)
Authors: Wang Yaqin , Ma Ka Yan , Tsang Ling Ming , Wakabayashi Kaori , Chan Tin‐Yam , De Grave Sammy , Chu Ka Hou
Published: August 2021

Since their discovery, the systematic placement of two shrimp taxa, Amphionides and Procarididae, has been controversial. Both exhibit primitive features yet also possessing caridean traits. Amphionides was initially classified as a monotypic genus in the order Amphionidacea, while Procarididae was the only family in the superfamily Procaridoidea. Recent molecular studies have presented evidence that Amphionides is a larval form of pandalid shrimp, while Procaridoidea is elevated to an infraorder of Decapoda. To confirm the systematic status of the two shrimps, we report here the complete mitogenome sequences of Amphionides reynaudii and Procaris hawaiana. The phylogenetic tree of mitochondrial protein‐coding genes from all decapod infraorders provides strong support for the systematic position of procaridid shrimp as the sister of Caridea, and the evolutionary divergence of the sequences substantiates the infraordinal status of Procarididae. The tree also verifies Amphionides as a caridean genus in Pandalidae, and further analysis using eight gene markers from the family indicates the sister relationship between Amphionides and Dorodotes. We also review the morphological characters of these two taxa and identify morphological features in support of their respective systematic status.
Premovement inhibition can protect motor actions from interference by response‐irrelevant sensory stimulation
Authors: McInnes Aaron N. , Lipp Ottmar V. , Tresilian James R. , Vallence Ann‐Maree , Marinovic Welber
Published: August 2021

Key points

Suppression of corticospinal excitability is reliably observed during preparation for a range of motor actions, leading to the belief that this preparatory inhibition is a physiologically obligatory component of motor preparation. The neurophysiological function of this suppression is uncertain.

We restricted the time available for participants to engage in preparation and found no evidence for preparatory inhibition.

The function of preparatory inhibition can be inferred from our findings that sensory stimulation can disrupt motor output in the absence of preparatory inhibition, but enhance motor output when inhibition is present.

These findings suggest preparatory inhibition may be a strategic process which acts to protect prepared actions from external interference.

Our findings have significant theoretical implications for preparatory processes. Findings may also have a pragmatic benefit in that acoustic stimulation could be used therapeutically to facilitate movement, but only if the action can be prepared well in advance.

Shortly before movement initiation, the corticospinal system undergoes a transient suppression. This phenomenon has been observed across a range of motor tasks, suggesting that it may be an obligatory component of movement preparation. We probed whether this was also the case when the urgency to perform a motor action was high, in a situation where little time was available to engage in preparatory processes. We controlled the urgency of an impending motor action by increasing or decreasing the foreperiod duration in an anticipatory timing task. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS; experiment 1) or a loud acoustic stimulus (LAS; experiment 2) were used to examine how corticospinal and subcortical excitability were modulated during motor preparation. Preparatory inhibition of the corticospinal tract was absent when movement urgency was high, though motor actions were initiated on time. In contrast, subcortical circuits were progressively inhibited as the time to prepare increased. Interestingly, movement force and vigour were reduced by both TMS and the LAS when movement urgency was high, and enhanced when movement urgency was low. These findings indicate that preparatory inhibition may not be an obligatory component of motor preparation. The behavioural effects we observed in the absence of preparatory inhibition were induced by both TMS and the LAS, suggesting that accessory sensory stimulation may disrupt motor output when such stimulation is presented in the absence of preparatory inhibition. We conclude that preparatory inhibition may be an adaptive strategy which can serve to protect the prepared motor action from external interference.
A landmark article on nonlinear time-domain modeling in musical acoustics
Authors: Scavone Gary , Smith Julius O.
Published: August 2021

The Reflections series takes a look back on historical articles from The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America that have had a significant impact on the science and practice of acoustics.
Effects of temporal fine structure preservation on spatial hearing in bilateral cochlear implant users
Authors: Fischer T. , Schmid C. , Kompis M. , Mantokoudis G. , Caversaccio M. , Wimmer W.
Published: August 2021

Typically, the coding strategies of cochlear implant audio processors discard acoustic temporal fine structure information (TFS), which may be related to the poor perception of interaural time differences (ITDs) and the resulting reduced spatial hearing capabilities compared to normal-hearing individuals. This study aimed to investigate to what extent bilateral cochlear implant (BiCI) recipients can exploit ITD cues provided by a TFS preserving coding strategy (FS4) in a series of sound field spatial hearing tests. As a baseline, we assessed the sensitivity to ITDs and binaural beats of 12 BiCI subjects with a coding strategy disregarding fine structure (HDCIS) and the FS4 strategy. For 250 Hz pure-tone stimuli but not for broadband noise, the BiCI users had significantly improved ITD discrimination using the FS4 strategy. In the binaural beat detection task and the broadband sound localization, spatial discrimination, and tracking tasks, no significant differences between the two tested coding strategies were observed. These results suggest that ITD sensitivity did not generalize to broadband stimuli or sound field spatial hearing tests, suggesting that it would not be useful for real-world listening.
Translating jet noise measurements to near-field level maps with nearest neighbor bilinear smoothing interpolation
Authors: Mobley Frank S. , Wall Alan T. , Campbell Stephen C.
Published: August 2021

U.S. Department of Defense hearing conservation and noise limits standards require the definition of safe areas around all objects that emit noise and suggest various methods for characterizing these levels. The protection documents do not describe methods for reducing discrete measurement points into level fields to map safe and hazardous noise areas. For maintainers of high-powered jet aircraft, the suggested 85 dBA level contours that delineate the border between safe and hazardous regions occur at distances that far exceed normal operation positions. Conversion of discrete measurements to modeled levels defined over the entire ground personnel operational area in the aircraft vicinity is required to ensure sufficient protection. Present research offers a method to build a coarse map of grid points with nearest neighbor approximations, and then refines this using bi-linear smoothing. This nearest neighbor bi-linear smoothing approach provides predictions that are sufficiently accurate in cross-validation comparisons to the near-field locations and is the preferred method for the creation of hearing conservation contour level maps.
Demographic and Behavioral Risk Factors Associated with Reduced Susceptibility of Neisseria gonorrhoeae to First-Line Antimicrobials in South African Men with Gonococcal Urethral Discharge
Authors: Kularatne Ranmini S. , Kufa Tendesayi , Gumede Lindy , Maseko Dumisile V. , Lewis David A.
Published: August 2021

Neisseria gonorrhoeae
is the predominant cause of male urethral discharge in South Africa, and escalating prevalence of gonococcal antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a major health concern both in-country and globally. We analyzed the demographic, behavioral, and clinical characteristics of 685 men presenting with gonococcal urethral discharge to sentinel surveillance clinics over a 3-year period (2017 to 2019) to determine the burden of factors that are known to be associated with
N. gonorrhoeae
AMR to first-line therapy (defined as group 1 isolates exhibiting resistance or reduced susceptibility to extended-spectrum cephalosporins or azithromycin).
Single- and Multiple-Ascending-Dose Study of the Safety, Tolerability, and Pharmacokinetics of the Polymyxin Derivative SPR206
Authors: Bruss Jon , Lister Troy , Gupta Vipul K. , Stone Emily , Morelli Lisa , Lei Yang , Melnick David
Published: August 2021

Carbapenem-resistant
Acinetobacter baumannii
and
Enterobacterales
are identified as urgent threats, and multidrug-resistant (MDR)
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
and extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing pathogens are identified as serious threats by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). SPR206 is a novel polymyxin derivative with potent
in vitro
and
in vivo
activity against
A. baumannii
,
P. aeruginosa
, and multiple clinically important species of
Enterobacterales
, including multidrug- and extensively drug-resistant strains.
Single-Nucleotide Polymorphisms within the
cps
Loci: Another Potential Source of Clinically Important Genetic Variation for Streptococcus pneumoniae?
Authors: Brown Jeremy S.
Published: August 2021

The
Streptococcus pneumoniae
capsule is essential for disease pathogenesis, suggesting that even minor genetic changes within the
cps
locus could potentially have important consequences. Arends et al. (D.
“But why paint a dinosaur blue?”: Envisioning the Cretaceous—A vitalizing, multidisciplinary project in a university museum
Authors: Rowan Todd M. , Funderburk Thomas Brent , Clary Renee M.
Published: August 2021

In 2017–2018, two fine arts undergraduate students, Todd Rowan and Moesha Wright, conceived and created a mural for the Dunn-Seiler Museum at Mississippi State University, Mississippi, USA, under the supervision of art professor emeritus Brent Funderburk. Students researched, conceptualized, and painted Mississippi Cretaceous Panorama, which interpreted the Late Cretaceous landscape that once surrounded the university and the momentous extinction event that brought the Mesozoic Era to its close. The project necessitated creativity to address several challenges, including funding, space constraints, and a local population with Young Earth views. The completed mural engages museum visitors with a mosasaur, ceratopsian dinosaur, and a meteorite impact—illustrating the local, terminal Mesozoic geologic history in a nonthreatening venue that can improve community geoliteracy.
Fossilarium: Paintings inspired by micropaleontological thin sections
Authors: Ford* Giles
Published: August 2021

Inspired by his late father’s thin section micropaleontology, artist Giles Ford created the Fossilarium, a series of large-scale paintings that investigates the nature of time and space through investigation of the miniature. Ford reflects on the influences of his work and how he developed a visual language inspired by repeating patterns of his father’s microfossil thin sections. The Fossilarium presents abstract landscapes of interwoven time explored through layered images that intertwine the geological, industrial, societal, and personal spectrums. The Fossilarium thereby seeks to create timeless patterns that probe different subject areas from pure aesthetics through the Anthropocene and climate change provocations to more intimate multigenerational explorations of the thread of family history, loss, and the future. Through his paintings, Ford seeks to bring the micropaleontological view to a wider audience by posing questions about the role of industry, fossil fuels, the artist, and climate change.
Pneumomediastinum following endobronchial ultrasound and transbronchial needle aspirate (EBUS-TBNA) sampling of mediastinal lymph nodes
Authors: Stanton Alice , Conroy Kevin , Miller Graham
Published: August 2021

A 72-year-old female patient underwent endobronchial ultrasound and transbronchial needle aspirate sampling of mediastinal lymph nodes to investigate a middle lobe abnormality following an urgent referral. CT imaging completed the following day demonstrated a pneumomediastinum. At clinical review, the patient remained clinically stable and no intervention was required.
Hypothyroxinaemia in refractory shock: a clue to diagnose hypopituitarism
Authors: Tangirala Susmitha , Amboiram Prakash , Balakrishnan Umamaheswari , Rajendran Usha Devi
Published: August 2021

The rarity of congenital hypopituitarism (CHP) makes it essential for clinicians to be aware of its varying clinical manifestations. We report a neonate with one such unique presentation. A preterm girl baby was managed for respiratory distress. Diffuse cutis marmorata was present since birth; septic screens were positive with placental histopathology showing chorioamnionitis. Newborn screening showed low free thyroxine and normal TSH. Transient hypothyroxinaemia of prematurity was considered. Her respiratory status worsened on day 9, followed by refractory shock. She was treated for sepsis. Further evaluation for absent heart rate variability in response to vasopressor resistant shock led to the detection of hypocortisolism. Low cortisol along with hypothyroxinaemia made hypopituitarism the working diagnosis. Owing to the variable clinical spectrum of CHP, diagnosis is challenging. We highlight a few clinical and laboratory features, which would help in earlier diagnosis of CHP.
Anticoagulation therapy promotes the tumor immune-microenvironment and potentiates the efficacy of immunotherapy by alleviating hypoxia
Authors: Choi Jeong Uk , Lee Na Kyeong , Seo Hyungseok , Chung Seung Woo , Al-Hilal Taslim A , Park Seong Jin , Kweon Seho , Min Nuri , Kim Sang Kyoon , Ahn Seohyun , Kim Uk-Il , Park Jin Woo , Kang Chang-Yuil , Kim In-San , Kim Sang Yoon , Kim Kyungjin , Byun Youngro
Published: August 2021

Purpose

Here, this study verifies that cancer-associated thrombosis (CAT) accelerates hypoxia, which is detrimental to the tumor immune microenvironment by limiting tumor perfusion. Therefore, we designed an oral anticoagulant therapy to improve the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment and potentiate the efficacy of immunotherapy by alleviating tumor hypoxia.

Experimental design

A novel oral anticoagulant (STP3725) was developed to consistently prevent CAT formation. Tumor perfusion and hypoxia were analyzed with or without treating STP3725 in wild-type and P selectin knockout mice. Immunosuppressive cytokines and cells were analyzed to evaluate the alteration of the tumor microenvironment. Effector lymphocyte infiltration in tumor tissue was assessed by congenic CD45.1 mouse lymphocyte transfer model with or without anticoagulant therapy. Finally, various tumor models includingK-Rasmutant spontaneous cancer model were employed to validate the role of the anticoagulation therapy in enhancing the efficacy of immunotherapy.

Results

CAT was demonstrated to be one of the perfusion barriers, which fosters immunosuppressive microenvironment by accelerating tumor hypoxia. Consistent treatment of oral anticoagulation therapy was proved to promote tumor immunity by alleviating hypoxia. Furthermore, this resulted in decrease of both hypoxia-related immunosuppressive cytokines and myeloid-derived suppressor cells while improving the spatial distribution of effector lymphocytes and their activity. The anticancer efficacy of αPD-1 antibody was potentiated by co-treatment with STP3725, also confirmed in various tumor models including theK-Rasmutant mouse model, which is highly thrombotic.

Conclusions

Collectively, these findings establish a rationale for a new and translational combination strategy of oral anticoagulation therapy with immunotherapy, especially for treating highly thrombotic cancers. The combination therapy of anticoagulants with immunotherapies can lead to substantial improvements of current approaches in the clinic.
Vessel fractional flow reserve in assessment of non-culprit lesions in ST elevation myocardial infarction
Authors: Chang Chun Chin , Chuang Ming Ju , Lee Yin Hao , Tsai Yi Lin , Lu Ya Wen , Chou Ruey Hsing , Wu Cheng Hsueh , Lu Tse Min , Huang Po Hsun , Lin Shing Jong
Published: August 2021

Objectives

We sought to evaluate the physiology of non-culprit lesions by using vessel fractional flow reserve (vFFR) among patients with ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and multivessel disease (MVD).

Methods

From January 2017 to December 2019, 354 patients with STEMI in the Taipei Veterans General Hospital Acute Myocardial Infarction Registry were screened. Patients who underwent successful primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for culprit lesions, with at least one non-culprit lesion with stenosis of ≥50%, were eligible. vFFR was computed retrospectively.

Results

A total of 156 patients with 217 non-culprit lesions were eligible for this study. Aortic root pressure and two good angiograms were available for 139 non-culprit lesions for vFFR analysis. Based on the vFFR analysis, 59 non-culprit lesions (43.2%) had a vFFR value >0.80, and PCI was deferred in 45 lesions (76.3%). Meanwhile, 80 non-culprit lesions (56.8%) had a vFFR value ≤0.80; however, PCI was only performed in 31 lesions (38.7%) (p=0.142). The incidence of vessel-oriented composite endpoint was numerically higher in non-culprit lesions with vFFR ≤0.80 than those with vFFR >0.80 (6.3% vs 1.7%, HR: 3.59, 95% CI: 0.42 to 30.8, p=0.243).

Conclusion

Functional incomplete revascularisation is common among patients with STEMI and MVD. The adoption of vFFR to assess non-culprit lesions may reclassify the coronary revascularisation strategy that is usually guided by angiography only in this acute setting.
Rotating vector solving method applied for nonlinear oscillator
Authors: Cveticanin L. , Suchy P. , Biro I. , Zukovic M.
Published: August 2021

Significant number of procedures for solving of the finite degree-of-freedom forced nonlinear oscillator are developed. For all of them it is common that they are based on the exact solution of the corresponding linear oscillator. For technical reasons, the aim of this paper is to develop a simpler solving procedure. The rotating vector method, developed for the linear oscillator, is adopted for solving of the nonlinear finite degree-of-freedom oscillator. The solution is assumed in the form of trigonometric functions. Assuming that the nonlinearity is small all terms of the series expansion of the function higher than the first are omitted. The rotating vectors for each mass are presented in the complex plane. In the paper, the suggested rotating vector procedure is applied for solving of a three-degree-of-freedom periodically excited oscillator. The influence of the nonlinear stiffness of the flexible elastic beam, excited with a periodical force, on the resonant properties of the system in whole is investigated. It is obtained that the influence of nonlinearity on the amplitude and phase of vibration is more significant for smaller values of the excitation frequency than for higher ones.
Jan van Eyck's Perspectival System Elucidated Through Computer Vision
Authors: Simon Gilles
Published: August 2021

It is generally accepted that Jan van Eyck was unaware of perspective. However, an a-contrario analysis of the vanishing points in five of his paintings, realized between 1432 and 1439, unveils a recurring fishbone-like pattern that could only emerge from the use of a polyscopic perspective machine with two degrees of freedom. A 3D reconstruction of Arnolfini Portrait compliant with this pattern suggests that van Eyck's device answered a both aesthetic and scientific questioning on how to represent space as closely as possible to human vision. This discovery makes van Eyck the father of today's immersive and nomadic creative media such as augmented reality and synthetic holography.
The Centrality of Child Maltreatment to Criminology
Authors: Font Sarah A. , Kennedy Reeve
Published: August 2021

Despite sufficient evidence to conclude that maltreatment exposure affects the risk of crime and delinquency, the magnitude and specificity of effects of child maltreatment on crime and delinquency and the mechanisms through which those effects operate remain poorly identified. Key challenges include insufficient attention to the overlap of child maltreatment with various forms of family dysfunction and adversity and a lack of comprehensive measurement of the multiple, often comorbid, forms of child maltreatment. We then consider the potential impacts of the child welfare system on the maltreatment–crime link. Because the child welfare system typically provides voluntary, short-term services of unknown quality, it likely neither increases nor reduces risks of delinquency and crime for most children who are referred or investigated. For the comparatively small (although nominally large and important) subset of children experiencing foster care, impacts on delinquency and crime likely vary by the quality of environments within and after their time in care—issues that, to date, have received too little attention.
The Economics of Insurance: A Derivatives-Based Approach
Authors: Jarrow Robert A.
Published: August 2021

This article revisits the economics of insurance using insights from derivatives pricing and hedging. Applying this perspective, I emphasize the following insights applicable to insurance. First, I provide a valid justification for the use of arbitrage-free insurance premiums. This justification applies in both complete and incomplete markets. Second, I demonstrate the importance of diversifiable idiosyncratic risk for the determination of insurance premiums. And third, analyzing the insurance industry using the functional approach, I show the importance of derivatives and the synthetic construction of derivatives for reducing an insurance company's insolvency risk.
Serious Complications of EUS-Guided Hepaticoesophagostomy due to Transmural Stent Migration
Authors: Jagielski Mateusz , Zieliński Michał , Piątkowski Jacek , Jackowski Marek
Published: August 2021

Thoracic complications, such as biliopleural fistula and bile leaking into the right pleural cavity, are serious adverse events of transmural endoscopic ultrasound- (EUS-) guided biliary drainage involving EUS-guided hepaticoesophagostomy (EUS-HES). In this article, the authors present endoscopic treatment of biliopleural fistula as a serious thoracic complication of EUS-HES. The authors highlight key components of EUS-guided transmural biliary drainage and their experience with particular emphasis on endoscopic treatment of thoracic complications.
A Spatiotemporal Prediction Model for Regional Scheduling of Shared Bicycles Based on the INLA Method
Authors: Yu Zhuoran , Duan Yimeng , Zhang Shen , Liu Xin , Li Kui
Published: August 2021

Dock-less bicycle-sharing programs have been widely accepted as an efficient mode to benefit health and reduce congestions. And modeling and prediction has always been a core proposition in the field of transportation. Most of the existing demand prediction models for shared bikes take regions as research objects; therefore, a POI-based method can be a beneficial complement to existing research, including zone-level, OD-level, and station-level techniques. Point of interest (POI) is the location description of spatial entities, which can reflect the cycling route characteristics for both commuting and noncommuting trips to a certain extent, and is also the main generating point and attraction point of shared-bike travel flow. In this study, we make an effort to model a POI-level cycling demand with a Bayesian hierarchical method. The proposed model combines the integrated nested Laplace approximation (INLA) and random partial differential equation (SPDE) to cope with the huge computation in the modeling process. In particular, we have adopted the dock-less bicycle-sharing rental records of Mobike as a case study to validate our method; the study area was one of the fastest growing urban districts in Shanghai in August 2016. The operation results show that the method can help better understand, measure, and characterize spatiotemporal patterns of bike-share ridership at the POI level and quantify the impact of the spatiotemporal effect on bicycle-sharing use.
Oculocerebrocutaneous Syndrome (Delleman Syndrome): A Case with a Novel Presentation of Orbital Involvement
Authors: Bahmani Mahbobeh , Naseri Razieh , Iraniparast Alireza , Mokhtari Raya , Jafari Seyed Hamed
Published: August 2021

Oculocerebrocutaneous syndrome (OCCS), also known as Delleman syndrome (DS), is a rare congenital anomaly featuring focal skin defects, orbital anomalies, and central nervous system malformations. Diagnosis of Delleman syndrome is based on the triad of eye, central nervous system (CNS), and cutaneous defects and confirmed by magnetic resonance imaging. A 23-day-old girl was referred to our department for brain imaging. The infant had multiple cutaneous appendages on the right side of her face. There also was a fleshy mass measuring about 12 mm over her right eye. Brain MRI demonstrated the evidence of colpocephaly, agenesis of the corpus callosum, nodular subependymal heterotopias adjacent to the right lateral ventricle, aplasia of the cerebellar vermis, hypoplasia of the right cerebellar hemisphere, and widening of CSF space in the posterior fossa. There was also an exophytic skin lesion on her right cheek, measuring about 13 × 12 mm in size. In the orbital MRI, there was a mixed cystic solid mass measuring about 25 × 20 mm in her right orbital cavity. The orbital content was abnormal and suggestive of rudimentary orbit. Considering the findings, diagnosis of oculocerebrocutaneous syndrome (Delleman syndrome) was established for the patient. Because of the variations in orbital and CNS manifestations, all patients with clinical suspicion of DS should be assessed by brain and orbital MRI and managed by a pediatric neurologist and ophthalmologist.
Neutrophil Extracellular Traps in Fatal COVID-19-Associated Lung Injury
Authors: Obermayer Astrid , Jakob Lisa-Maria , Haslbauer Jasmin D. , Matter Matthias S. , Tzankov Alexandar , Stoiber Walter
Published: August 2021

An excess formation of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs), previously shown to be strongly associated with cytokine storm and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) with prevalent endothelial dysfunction and thrombosis, has been postulated to be a central factor influencing the pathophysiology and clinical presentation of severe COVID-19. A growing number of serological and morphological evidence has added to this assumption, also in regard to potential treatment options. In this study, we used immunohistochemistry and histochemistry to trace NETs and their molecular markers in autopsy lung tissue from seven COVID-19 patients. Quantification of key immunomorphological features enabled comparison with non-COVID-19 diffuse alveolar damage. Our results strengthen and extend recent findings, confirming that NETs are abundantly present in seriously damaged COVID-19 lung tissue, especially in association with microthrombi of the alveolar capillaries. In addition, we provide evidence that low-density neutrophils (LDNs), which are especially prone to NETosis, contribute substantially to COVID-19-associated lung damage in general and vascular blockages in particular.
Attitudes and Barriers to Breastfeeding among Mothers in Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Authors: Yasser Abulreesh Razan , Abdullah Alqahtani Ibtihaj , Yahya Alshehri Zainah , Ali Alsubaie Maha , Nasser Alburayh Shatha , Mohammed Alzamil Norah , Saleh Alzahrani Hayat
Published: August 2021

Background. Breastfeeding provides unsurpassed natural nutrition to the newborn and infant. It has a nearly perfect mix of food elements and vitamins that infants need to grow up. Nonetheless, the tendency for breastfeeding remains below the expected levels. Objectives. To explore the attitudes and barriers to breastfeeding among mothers in Princess Nourah Abdulrahman University (PNU), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted, from January to April 2019; 399 PNU students, employees, and faculty mothers aged 18 years and above with experience of childbirth and breastfeeding were included in the study using a predesigned validated questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of four scales: sociodemographic, attitude toward breastfeeding, barriers to breastfeeding, and induced lactation knowledge. Results. The participants’ mean age was 34.1 ± 10.4 years; most (87.8%) were Saudi; 92.8% were married; 62% had a bachelor’s degree; and 43% had “enough income.” While 40% of the mothers reported >6 months “exclusive breastfeeding” for the first baby, only 34.8% did so for the last baby, and 54.5% did so for most of all babies altogether. The mothers’ parity ranged between 1 birth and 4 births in 23.5% and 17.5% of the participants, respectively. An overall score of breastfeeding attitude averaged 59.6 ± 7.3. The tendency for scoring a negative attitude to breastfeeding was significantly reported (

p
<
0.5

) among 127 (31.8%) 31- to 40-year-old mothers; 153 (38.3%) bachelor’s degree holders; and 157 (39.3%) employees (χ2 (4) 14.6, p = 0.006; χ2 (4) 10.4, p = 0.034; and χ2 (4) 20.4, p < 0.001, respectively). “Mother’s illness” was the most commonly (63%) reported barrier to “not to breastfeed,” followed by “work” (45.5%) and “father not supporting breastfeeding” (14.8%). Conclusions. An overall negative attitude toward breastfeeding among PNU mothers was noted. Barriers included mother’s sickness and work. Efforts to minimize such negative attitudes and barriers among susceptible mothers are warranted.
Empirical Path Loss Channel Characterization Based on Air‐to‐Air Ground Reflection Channel Modeling for UAV‐Enabled Wireless Communications
Authors: Supramongkonset Jatuporn , Duangsuwan Sarun , Maw Myo Myint , Promwong Sathaporn
Published: August 2021

The purpose of this work was to investigate the air‐to‐air channel model (A2A‐CM) for unmanned aerial vehicle‐ (UAV‐) enabled wireless communications. Specifically, a low‐altitude small UAV needs to characterize the propagation mechanisms from ground reflection. In this paper, the empirical path loss channel characterizations of A2A ground reflection CM based on different scenarios were presented by comparing the wireless communication modules for UAVs. Two types of wireless communication modules both WiFi 2.4 GHz and LoRa 868 MHz frequency were deployed to study the path loss channel characterization between Tx‐UAV and Rx‐UAV. To investigate the path loss, three types of experimental channel models, such as CM1 grass floor, CM2 soil floor, and CM3 rubber floor, were considered under the ground reflection condition. The analytical A2A Two‐Ray (A2AT‐R) model and the modified Log‐Distance model were simulated to compare the correlation with the measurement data. The measurement results in the CM3 rubber floor scenario showed the impact from the ground reflection at 1 m to 3 m Rx‐UAV altitudes both 2.4 GHz and 868 MHz which was converged to the A2AT‐R model and related to the modified Log‐Distance model above 3 m. It clear that there is no ground reflection effect from the CM1 grass floor and CM2 soil floor. This work showed that the analytical A2AT‐R model and the modified Log‐Distance model can deploy to model the path loss of A2A‐CM by using WiFi and LoRa wireless modules.
Long Noncoding RNA MIR100HG Knockdown Attenuates Hepatocellular Carcinoma Progression by Regulating MicroRNA-146b-5p/Chromobox 6
Authors: Li Fushun , Sun Xianghua , Liu Qing , Liu Xilu , Zhang Jia
Published: August 2021

Purpose. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) accounts for approximately ninety percent of primary liver cancer. This study attempted to investigate the effects of the long noncoding RNA MIR100HG (MIR100HG) in HCC and the underlying molecular mechanism. Materials and Methods. qRT-PCR was implemented to analyze the expression of MIR100HG, microRNA-146b-5p (miR-146b-5p), and Chromobox 6 (CBX6). The correlation between MIR100HG and clinicopathological features of HCC patients was assessed. Additionally, the effects of MIR100HG knockdown on HCC cell viability, migration, and invasion were explored. The interactions among MIR100HG, miR-146b-5p, and CBX6 were confirmed. Furthermore, rescue experiments were conducted to investigate whether MIR100HG knockdown modulates HCC cell behaviors through modulating the miR-146b-5p/CBX6 axis. Results. The expression of MIR100HG and CBX6 was enhanced, while miR-146b-5p was inhibited in HCC cells. High MIR100HG expression was positively associated with the TNM tumor stage and Edmondson-Steiner grading in HCC patients. MIR100HG knockdown considerably reduced the HCC cell viability, migration, and invasion. In addition, MIR100HG directly targeted miR-146b-5p, and miR-146b-5p directly targeted CBX6 in HCC cells. Moreover, miR-146b-5p suppression or CBX6 elevation evidently rescued the suppressed viability, migration, and invasion of HCC cells caused by MIR100HG knockdown. Conclusions. Knockdown of MIR100HG inhibited the viability, migration, and invasion of HCC cells by targeting the miR-146b-5p/CBX6 axis, offering a potential therapeutic target for HCC therapy.
Catastrophe Mechanism of Stress-Fissure Coupling Field in Mining Close Distance Seams in Southwest China
Authors: Jie Suo , Zhen-hua Li , Cun-han Huang , Zheng-zheng Cao , You-lin Xu , Zu-guo Chen
Published: August 2021

For the sake of studying the catastrophe mechanism of stress-fissure coupling field in mining close distance seams in southwest China, a test working face in Guizhou province in southwest China is adopted and researched by the methods of numerical calculation and similar experiment. When the working face advances to 180 m in 4# coal seam in a similar experiment, the overlying rock breaks to the central base plate of Yulongshan limestone, and the conductive fractures run through the Changxing limestone karst cave and Yulongshan limestone karst cave. When the 1402 working face advances to 350 m, the top of vertical karst caves in the middle of the model produces extrusion damage, forming a penetrating water inrush passage. When the 1402 working face advances to 480 m, the top slab of the working face comes under periodic weighting with the short step. Besides, the mining of 9# coal seam starts after 4# coal seam in mining close distance seams. When the working face in 9# coal seam advances to 340 m in numerical simulation, the maximum opening of the overburden fractures is 51.16 mm. The fractures in the roof are mainly caused by the periodic breaking and falling of the basic roof, connected with the floor fractures of 4# coal seam. When the working face in 9# coal seam advances to 500 m, the maximum opening of the overburden fracture is 93.09 mm. Specifically, as the working face advances, the opening of fracture in the roof after collapse of the basic roof periodically is mainly greater than 5 mm, and the compaction closure is mainly 1 mm-5 mm. The fractures in the gob floor are mainly 0.1 mm-1 mm, and the fracture opening of the collapsed rock mass in the gob is mainly 1 mm-5 mm and greater than 5 mm. The karst caves in the overburden reduce the periodic weighting step of working face and play a guiding role in the direction of fracture development and water inflow passage formation. The karst caves are connected to surface waterfall holes and trap pits, and atmospheric precipitation recharges the water in the caves. The research results can be treated as an important basis for the prevention and treatment for water inrush disaster in mining close distance seams in the karst area of southwest China.
Some Reiteration Theorems for
R
,
L
,
R
R
,
R
L
,
L
R
, and
L
L
Limiting Interpolation Spaces
Authors: Doktorski Leo R. Ya.
Published: August 2021

We consider the

K

-interpolation methods involving slowly varying functions. We establish some reiteration formulae including so-called

L

or

R

limiting interpolation spaces as well as the

R
R

,

R
L

,

L
R

, and

L
L

extremal interpolation spaces. These spaces arise in the limiting situations. The proofs of most reiteration formulae are based on Holmstedt-type formulae. Applications to grand and small Lorentz spaces in critical cases are given.
Computerized Tomography Image Feature under Convolutional Neural Network Algorithm Evaluated for Therapeutic Effect of Clarithromycin Combined with Salmeterol/Fluticasone on Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
Authors: Luo Guoping , Lin Anqi , Yang Zhaoqiang , Chen Yujian , Mo Cuiying
Published: August 2021

This study was to explore the use of convolutional neural network (CNN) for the classification and recognition of computerized tomography (CT) images of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and the therapeutic effect of clarithromycin combined with salmeterol/fluticasone. First, the clinical data of COPD patients treated in hospital from September 2018 to December 2020 were collected, and CT and X-ray images were also collected. CT-CNN and X ray-CNN single modal models were constructed based on the LeNet-5 model. The randomized fusion algorithm was introduced to construct a fused CNN model for the diagnosis of COPD patients, and the recognition effect of the model was verified. Subsequently, the three-dimensional reconstruction of the patient’s bronchus was performed using the classified CT images, and the changes of CT quantitative parameters in COPD patients were compared and analyzed. Finally, COPD patients were treated with salmeterol/fluticasone (COPD-C) and combined with clarithromycin (COPD-T). In addition, the differences between patients’ lung function indexes, blood gas indexes, St. George respiratory questionnaire (SGRQ) scores, and the number of acute exacerbations (AECOPD) before and after treatment were evaluated. The results showed that the randomized fusion model under different iteration times and batch sizes always had the highest recognition rate, sensitivity, and specificity compared to the two single modal CNN models, but it also had longer training time. After CT images were used to quantitatively evaluate the changes of the patient’s bronchus, it was found that the area of the upper and lower lung lobes of the affected side of COPD patients and the ratio of the area of the tube wall to the bronchus were significantly changed. The lung function, blood gas index, and SGRQ score of COPD-T patients were significantly improved compared with the COPD-C group (

P
<
0.05

), but there was no considerable difference in AECOPD (

P
>
0.05

). In summary, the randomized fusion-based CNN model can improve the recognition rate of COPD, and salmeterol/fluticasone combined with clarithromycin therapy can significantly improve the clinical treatment effect of COPD patients.
Operating Environment Assessment of the Coalface in Underground Coal Mining Based on Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Matter-Element Theory (MET)
Authors: He Jianghui , Liu Shiliang , Li Wenping , Qiao Wei , Yang Zhi , Wang Qiqing
Published: August 2021

The environmental evaluation of the coalface in underground mining is of great significance to the safety of production and the health of miners. In order to achieve the objective and accurate evaluation of the operating environment of the coalface, the indexes of temperature, humidity, noise, illuminance, dust, harmful gas, and wind speed are selected to construct the environment evaluation index system, and the operating environment evaluation model of the coalface based on analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and matter-element theory (MET) is established. Firstly, the operation environment classification criterion is established; the environment objects, joint domain, and classical domain mater-element are built; and the correlation function is calculated. Secondly, the comprehensive correlation matrix is calculated and the environmental grade is judged. Finally, from the broad point of view, three measures are proposed to improve the operation environment of the coalface: development of the environmental evaluation index monitoring system, improvement on miners’ safety awareness, and formulation of regulations and policies for coal mine operation environment. The research results can provide guidelines for miners, coal mining enterprises, and occupational environmental safety departments.
Effect of Shielding Gas on Microstructures and Mechanical Properties of TC4 Titanium Alloy Ultranarrow Gap Welded Joint by Laser Welding with Filler Wire
Authors: Fang Naiwen , Guo Erjun , Xu Kai , Huang Ruisheng , Ma Yiming , Zeng Caiyou , Yang Yicheng , Xie Jilin , Cao Hao
Published: August 2021

A 20 mm thick TC4 titanium alloy plate was welded by ultranarrow gap laser welding with filler wire with Ar and He as shielding gas, respectively. A characterization analysis of the microstructures and mechanical properties of the welded joint was conducted with OM, SEM, XRD, and EBSD and through the microhardness test and tensile test. The results showed that HAZ of the welded joint formed with Ar as shielding gas was much wider than that with He, and weld microstructure composition with the two shielding gases was basically consistent; phase boundary of the weld metal obtained with Ar was clearer, with a larger misorientation between the laths; α′ martensite lath in weld metal prepared with He showed obvious preferred orientation distribution, and α′ martensite microstructure was much finer; the misorientation of α′ phase grain boundary of weld microstructure prepared with Ar was slightly less distributed in high angle grain boundary than that with He; tensile property of the welded joint prepared with He was better than that with Ar; the hardness of each zone of welded joint prepared with He was less fluctuated and the hardness value measured was slightly higher than that with Ar.
A Novel Approach to Increase the Goodness of Fits with an Application to Real and Simulated Data Sets
Authors: Farooq Muhammad , zaman Qamruz , Ijaz Muhammad , Shah Said Farooq , Kilai Mutua
Published: August 2021

In practice, the data sets with extreme values are possible in many fields such as engineering, lifetime analysis, business, and economics. A lot of probability distributions are derived and presented to increase the model flexibility in the presence of such values. The current study also focuses on investigations to derive a new probability model New Flexible Family (NFF) of distributions. The significance of NFF is carried out using the Weibull distribution called New Flexible Weibull distribution or in short NFW. Various mathematical properties of NFW have been discussed including the estimation of parameters and entropy measures. Two real data sets with extreme values and a simulation study have been conducted so as to delineate the importance of NFW. Furthermore, NFW is compared with other existing probability distributions; numerically, it has been observed that the new mechanism of producing the lifetime probability distributions plays a significant role in making predictions about the population than others using the data sets with extreme values.
Comparative Application of Time‐Frequency Methods on Strong Motion Signals
Authors: Ashtari Jafari Mohammad
Published: August 2021

Real‐world physical signals are commonly nonstationary, and their frequency details change with time and do not remain constant. Fourier transform that uses infinite sine/cosine waves as basis functions represents frequency constituents of signals but does not show the variations of the signal frequency contents over time. Multiresolution demonstration of the time‐frequency domain may be achieved by the techniques that can support adjustable resolution in time and frequency. Earthquake strong motion signals are nonstationary and indicate time‐varying frequency content due to the scattering from the source to the site. In this paper, we applied short‐time Fourier transform, S‐transform, continuous wavelet transform, fast discrete wavelet transform, synchrosqueezing transform, synchroextracting transform, continuous wavelet synchrosqueezing, filter bank synchrosqueezing, empirical mode decomposition, and Fourier decomposition methods on the near‐source strong motion signals from the 7 May 2020 Mosha‐Iran earthquake to study and compare the frequency content of this event estimated by these methods. According to the results that are examined by Renyi entropy and relative error, synchroextracting performed better in terms of energy concentration, and the Fourier decomposition method revealed the lowest difference between the original and reconstructed records.