bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Anticoagulation and Transfusion Management During Neonatal and Pediatric Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation: A Survey of Medical Directors in the United States*
Authors: Ozment Caroline P. , Scott Briana L. , Bembea Melania M. , Spinella Philip C. ,   For the Pediatric ECMO (PediECMO) subgroup of the Pediatric Acute Lung Injury and Sepsis Investigators (PALISI) Network and the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization (ELSO)
Published: March 2021

OBJECTIVES:

To compare current practices within the United States of anticoagulation management and blood transfusion in neonatal and pediatric extracorporeal membrane oxygenation patients with a 2013 international report.

DESIGN:

Cross-sectional survey distributed between August and December 2019.

SETTING:

Extracorporeal Life Support Organization–registered neonatal and pediatric extracorporeal membrane oxygenation centers in the United States.

PARTICIPANTS:

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation medical directors.

INTERVENTIONS:

None.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS:

Eighty-three medical directors at 108 centers responded. After removing four duplicate responses, 79 surveys were analyzed. Seventy-nine percent (n = 62) report a written extracorporeal membrane oxygenation protocol for both anticoagulation and blood product management. Ninety-four percent (n = 74) report unfractionated heparin as their primary anticoagulant; the remaining use the direct thrombin inhibitor, bivalirudin. Ninety percent (n = 71) report measuring antifactor Xa levels. Most centers report using a combination of assays to monitor heparin therapy, either antifactor Xa and activated partial thromboplastin time (54%) or more commonly antifactor Xa and activated clotting time (68%). Forty-one percent use viscoelastic tests to aid management. Goal monitoring levels and interventions generated by out of range values are variable. Fifty-one percent will replace antithrombin. Platelet transfusion thresholds vary by age and center with ranges from 50,000 to 100,000 cells/µL. Eighty-two percent of respondents are willing to participate in a randomized controlled trial comparing anticoagulation strategies for patients receiving extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.

CONCLUSIONS:

Compared with the 2013 pediatric population, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation center anticoagulation and blood transfusion approaches continue to vary widely. Most report continued use of heparin as their primary anticoagulant and follow a combination of monitoring assays with the majority using the antifactor Xa assay in their practices, a significant shift from prior results. Antithrombin activity levels and viscoelastic tests are followed by a growing number of centers. Platelet transfusion thresholds continue to vary widely. Future research is needed to establish optimal anticoagulation and blood transfusion management.
Sensory bedside testing: a simple stratification approach for sensory phenotyping
Authors: Reimer Maren , Forstenpointner Julia , Hartmann Alina , Otto Jan Carl , Vollert Jan , Gierthmühlen Janne , Klein Thomas , Hüllemann Philipp , Baron Ralf
Published: March 2021

Introduction:

Stratification of patients according to the individual sensory phenotype has been suggested a promising method to identify responders for pain treatment. However, many state-of-the-art sensory testing procedures are expensive or time-consuming.

Objectives:

Therefore, this study aimed to present a selection of easy-to-use bedside devices.

Methods:

In total, 73 patients (39 m/34 f) and 20 controls (11 m/9 f) received a standardized laboratory quantitative sensory testing (QST) and a bedside-QST. In addition, 50 patients were tested by a group of nonexperienced investigators to address the impact of training. The sensitivity, specificity, and receiver-operating characteristics were analyzed for each bedside-QST parameter as compared to laboratory QST. Furthermore, the patients' individual sensory phenotype (ie, cluster) was determined using laboratory QST, to select bedside-QST parameters most indicative for a correct cluster allocation.

Results:

The bedside-QST parameters “loss of cold perception to 22°C metal,” “hypersensitivity towards 45°C metal,” “loss of tactile perception to Q-tip and 0.7 mm CMS hair,” as well as “the allodynia sum score” indicated good sensitivity and specificity (ie, ≳70%). Results of interrater variability indicated that training is necessary for individual parameters (ie, CMS 0.7). For the cluster assessment, the respective bedside quantitative sensory testing (QST) parameter combination indicated the following agreements as compared to laboratory QST stratification: excellent for “sensory loss” (area under the curve [AUC] = 0.91), good for “thermal hyperalgesia” (AUC = 0.83), and fair for “mechanical hyperalgesia” (AUC = 0.75).

Conclusion:

This study presents a selection of bedside parameters to identify the individual sensory phenotype as cost and time efficient as possible.
Facial Transplantation
Authors: Santanelli di Pompeo Fabio , Longo Benedetto , Giovanoli Pietro , Plock Jan Alexander , Campanale Antonella , Laporta Rosaria , Sorotos Michail , Paolini Guido , Renzi Luca , Nuccitelli Gloria , Stoppacciaro Antonella , Lagana Bruno , Pribaz Julian J.
Published: March 2021

Background

The aim of this study was to report the first case of acute facial allograft transplantation (facial allograft transplantation) failure with allograft removal and autologous free-flap reconstruction.

Methods

A 49-year-old female patient affected by neurofibromatosis type 1 with a massive neurofibroma infiltrating the whole left hemiface was planned for FAT for the left hemiface including the auricle, all skin and soft tissues from the temporal region, periorbital and nasal region, and up to the perioral area. The maxillary process of the zygomatic bone, left hemimaxilla, and hemimandible from contralateral parasyphysis to the incisura mandibulae were also included.

Results

Total surgical time was 26 hours. There were 2 intraoperative arterial thromboses that were solved with new anastomoses and sufficient flap perfusion. On postoperative day 2, the allograft became pale with suspected arterial occlusion and the patient returned to the operative room for exploration no flow into the FAT was found. The allograft was removed and the recipient site reconstructed with a skin-grafted composite left latissimus dorsi-serratus anterior flap.

Conclusions

Hyperacute loss of FAT is a very dramatic event, and the activation of a backup surgical plan is crucial to save patient's life, give a reasonable temporary reconstruction, and return on the waiting-list for a second face transplantation.
Fracture dynamics of solid materials: from particles to the globe
Authors: Uenishi Koji
Published: March 2021

Solid materials have been used extensively for various kinds of structural components in our surroundings. Stability of such solid structures, including not only machinery, architectural and civil structures but also our solid earth, is largely governed by fracture development in the solids. Especially, dynamic fracture, once occurring—quite often unexpectedly—evolves very rapidly and can lead to catastrophic structural failures and disasters like earthquakes. However, contrary to slowly enlarging fractures that can be recognized spatio-temporally in detail, it is extremely difficult to trace dynamically growing fractures even in controlled laboratory experimental conditions, and its physics still remains unexplored. This theme issue introduces and summarizes recent advancements in our understanding of the widespread topics of dynamic fracture of solids from well-assorted perspectives, involving laboratory experiments, simulations and analytical methods as well as field observations, with the common background of mechanics of fracture. Multi-scale subjects range from fracture of metals at atom or particle levels to disastrous rock bursts in deep gold mines and detection of unique signals before devastating fracture such as large, global-scale earthquakes.

This article is part of the theme issue ‘Fracture dynamics of solid materials: from particles to the globe'.
Fracture mechanics of rate-and-state faults and fluid injection induced slip
Authors: Garagash Dmitry I.
Published: March 2021

Propagation of a slip transient on a fault with rate- and state-dependent friction resembles a fracture whose near tip region is characterized by large departure of the slip velocity and fault strength from the steady-state sliding. We develop a near tip solution to describe this unsteady dynamics, and obtain the fracture energy
G

c

, dissipated in overcoming strength-excursion away from steady state, as a function of the rupture velocity
v

r

. This opens a possibility to model slip transients on rate-and-state faults as singular cracks characterized by approximately steady-state frictional resistance in the fracture bulk, and by a stress singularity with the intensity defined in terms of
G

c

(
v

r

) at the crack tip. In pursuing this route, we develop and use an analytical equation of motion to study 1-D slip driven by a combination of uniform background stress and a localized perturbation of the fault strength with the net Coulomb force Δ
T
. In the context of fluid injection, Δ
T
is a proxy for the injection volume
V
inj
. We then show that, for ongoing fluid injection, the propagation speed of a transient induced on a frictionally stable fault is bounded by a large-time limiting value proportional to the injection rate
dV
inj
/d
t
, while, for stopped injection, the maximum slip run-out distance is proportional to

V

inj
,
total

2

.

This article is part of the theme issue ‘Fracture dynamics of solid materials: from particles to the globe’.
Cascadia megathrust earthquake rupture model constrained by geodetic fault locking
Authors: Li Duo , Liu Yajing
Published: March 2021

Paleo-earthquakes along the Cascadia subduction zone inferred from offshore sediments and Japan coastal tsunami deposits approximated to M9+ and ruptured the entire margin. However, due to the lack of modern megathrust earthquake records and general quiescence of subduction fault seismicity, the potential megathrust rupture scenario and influence of downdip limit of the seismogenic zone are still obscure. In this study, we present a numerical simulation of Cascadia subduction zone earthquake sequences in the laboratory-derived rate-and-state friction framework to investigate the potential influence of the geodetic fault locking on the megathrust sequences. We consider the rate-state friction stability parameter constrained by geodetic fault locking models derived from decadal GPS records, tidal gauge and levelling-derived uplift rate data along the Cascadia margin. We incorporate historical coseismic subsidence inferred from coastal marine sediments to validate our coseismic rupture scenarios. Earthquake rupture pattern is strongly controlled by the downdip width of the seismogenic, velocity-weakening zone and by the earthquake nucleation zone size. In our model, along-strike heterogeneous characteristic slip distance is required to generate margin-wide ruptures that result in reasonable agreement between the synthetic and observed coastal subsidence for the AD 1700 Cascadia Mw∼9.0 megathrust rupture. Our results suggest the geodetically inferred fault locking model can provide a useful constraint on earthquake rupture scenarios in subduction zones.

This article is part of the theme issue ‘Fracture dynamics of solid materials: from particles to the globe’.
Pre-P gravity signals from dynamic earthquake rupture: modelling and observations
Authors: Kame Nobuki
Published: March 2021

Dynamic earthquake rupture is one of the most extensive and devastating fracture phenomena on the Earth. It causes a sudden crustal deformation around a fault and generates seismic waves that induce bulk density variations propagating with them. Both processes constitute rock-mass redistribution, which is expected to induce simultaneous transient gravity perturbations at all distances before the arrival of P-waves. Interest in such pre-P gravity signals has increased both in terms of modelling and observations because of their potential for earthquake early warning. A simple forward model has pioneered the search for the so-called prompt elasto-gravity signals, which led to the first report of a signal from the 2011 Mw9.0 Tohoku-Oki earthquake using a single superconducting gravimeter record. The second report followed using hundreds of broadband seismometers with critical modification of the previous model to consider the pre-P ground acceleration in the measurement of gravity. Post-event analyses have identified prompt elasto-gravity signals from several large earthquakes, and state-of-the-art instruments are now being developed for real-time signal detection. This paper reviews recent progress in the cutting-edge subject of prompt elasto-gravity signals owing to large-scale earthquake rupture.

This article is part of the theme issue ‘Fracture dynamics of solid materials: from particles to the globe’.
The knowledge maps using data analytics on the raw material plants,
the phytochemical ingredients, and the pharmaceutical efficacy in the tea
drinks
Authors: Lee Yu-Ree , Kim Dong-Sup , Byun Mi-Soon , Kim Eun-A
Published: March 2021

This study deals with constructing knowledge maps using social network analysis,
which is one of the data analytics techniques. A total of 892 scientific
journals related to tea beverage drinking were used as the raw data to build two
knowledge maps. One map showed the association between the plant raw material
and phytochemical ingredients, while the other presented the association between
the phytochemical ingredients and the pharmaceutical efficacy. The two knowledge
maps used hierarchy to identify the relationship between the plant raw material
and its pharmaceutical efficacy and applied the concept of centrality and
cohesion. Data analysis indicated that the tea (Camellia
sinensis), citrus, dandelion plants showed a high centrality and
predominance. Furthermore, the phytochemical ingredients with a high centrality
were phenols, flavonoids, and vitamin C. Pertaining to the pharmaceutical
efficacy, the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial functions showed
a high centrality. Therefore, this study confirmed the usefulness of tea
ingredients through the knowledge maps linking the plant raw material,
phytochemical ingredients, and pharmaceutical efficacy. Our findings provided
insights into future directions for tea product development in the food
industry.
Higher production of γ-aminobutyric acid in
Toxicodendron vernicifluum extract by co-fermentation
using yeast and lactic acid bacteria
Authors: Kang Hye-Mi , Lim Jong-Soon , Lee Sam-Pin
Published: March 2021

Toxicodendron vernicifluum extract (TVE) was co-fermented by
Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Lactobacillus
plantarum EJ2014 to produce higher content of gamma-aminobutyric
acid (GABA). The TVE was cultured at 30°C for 2 days under static
conditions with sucrose 5%, yeast extract 1%, and
Saccharomyces cerevisiae starter 1%. The second
lactic acid fermentation after the primary first yeast fermentation was
performed at 30°C for 7 days after adding monosodium L-glutamate (MSG)
2.5%, lactose 2.5% and lactic acid bacteria (LAB) starter
1%. The first fermented TVE showed pH 4.6, 0.1% acidity and viable
cell counts of S. cerevisiae 7.63 log CFU/mL.
After the second fermentation, co-fermented TVE showed pH 4.64, 0.68%
acidity, and viable cell count of L. plantarum EJ2014 7.68 log
CFU/mL. During the co-fermentation with S. cerevisiae and
L. plantarum EJ2014, the MSG was completely converted,
yielding 2.5% GABA. Conclusively, co-fermentation of TVE was successfully
performed with S. cerevisiae and L. plantarum
EJ2014, resulting in a higher production of GABA and probiotics. The final
fermented TVE could be utilized as a multi-functional ingredient in food and
bio-industries.
Dissolved oxygen minimally affects magnetic susceptibility in biologically relevant conditions
Authors: Fortier Véronique , Levesque Ives R.
Published: March 2021

Purpose

To investigate the potential of quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) with MRI as a biomarker for tissue oxygenation in fat-water mixture. Oxygen molecules (O2) are paramagnetic. This suggests that dissolved O2in tissue should affect the measured magnetic susceptibility. However, direct measurements of dissolved O2in tissues is challenging with QSM as the induced change in susceptibility is below the sensitivity of existing algorithms. QSM in regions that contain fat could be sensitive enough to be used as a marker of tissue oxygenation as oxygen has a larger solubility in fat than in water.

Methods

The relationship between dissolved O2concentration and magnetic susceptibility was investigated based on MRI measurements using phantoms made of fat-water emulsions. Dairy cream was used to approximate fat-containing biological tissues. Phantoms based on dairy cream with 35 % fat were designed with controlled concentrations of dissolved O2. O2was bubbled into the dairy cream to reach O2concentrations above the concentration at atmospheric pressure, while nitrogen was bubbled in cream to obtain O2concentrations below atmospheric pressure. Magnetic susceptibility was expected to increase, becoming more paramagnetic, as O2concentration was increased.

Results

Magnetic susceptibility from MRI-based QSM measurements did not reveal a dependence on O2concentration in fat-water mixture phantoms. The relationship between susceptibility and O2was weak and inconsistent among the various phantom experiments.

Conclusion

QSM in fat-water mixture appears to be minimally sensitive to dissolved O2based on phantom experiments. This suggests that QSM is not likely to be sensitive enough to be proposed as a marker for tissue oxygenation, as the change in magnetic susceptibility induced by the change in dissolved O2concentration is below the current detection limit, even in the presence of fat.
A Serpin27A-dependent Toll Signaling Underlies Host Genetics of Cancer Resistance inDrosophila
Authors: Singh Reeta , Harsh Sneh , Bajpai Anjali , Pal Subhabrata , Pandey Ravi Kant , Sinha Pradip
Published: March 2021

Cancer resistance varies amongst individuals, although its host genetic underpinnings remain largely elusive. Remissions of sarcomas were first reported following repeated injections of patients with mixtures of killed bacteria—Coley’s toxins—a phenomenon, which was subsequently causally traced to induction of innate immunity. Here we reveal remission ofDrosophilaepithelial neoplasms by genetically triggered host innate immunity via Toll signaling. These neoplasms display capacities to receive and, in rare instances, induce Toll signaling. A tumor-induced and progressive Toll signaling, however, did not culminate in tumor suppression. By contrast,Drosophilahosts heterozygous forspn27A1mutation, which constitutively produce activated Toll ligand, SpzAct, displayed comprehensive tumor remission via Toll-induced, NF-κB-mediated, tumor cell death. Our results reveal a novel node of host genetic cancer resistance via serpin-dependent Toll signaling.
Selective Corticofugal Modulation on Sound Processing in Auditory Thalamus of Awake Marmosets
Authors: Zhang Yuanqing , Wang Xiaohui , Zhu Lin , Bai Siyi , Li Rui , Sun Hao , Qi Runze , Cai Ruolan , Li Min , Jia Guoqiang , Schriver Kenneth E , Li Xinjian , Gao Lixia
Published: March 2021

Cortical feedback has long been considered crucial for modulation of sensory processing. In the mammalian auditory system, studies have suggested that corticofugal feedback can have excitatory, inhibitory, or both effects on the response of subcortical neurons, leading to controversies regarding the role of corticothalamic influence. This has been further complicated by studies conducted under different brain states. In the current study, we used cryo-inactivation in the primary auditory cortex (A1) to examine the role of corticothalamic feedback on medial geniculate body (MGB) neurons in awake marmosets. The primary effects of A1 inactivation were a frequency-specific decrease in the auditory response of MGB neurons coupled with an increased spontaneous firing rate, which together resulted in a decrease in the signal-to-noise ratio. In addition, we report for the first-time that A1 robustly modulated the long-lasting sustained response of MGB neurons which changed the frequency tuning after A1 inactivation, e.g., neurons with sharp tuning increased tuning bandwidth whereas those with broad tuning decreased tuning bandwidth. Taken together, our results demonstrate that corticothalamic modulation in awake marmosets serves to enhance sensory processing in a way similar to center-surround models proposed in visual and somatosensory systems, a finding which supports common principles of corticothalamic processing across sensory systems.
Output tracking and feedback stabilization for 6-DoF UAV using an enhanced active disturbance rejection control
Authors: Najm Aws Abdulsalam , Kasim Ibraheem Ibraheem , Humaidi Amjad J. , Azar Ahmad Taher
Published: March 2021

Purpose

The hybrid control system of the nonlinear PID (NLPID) controller and improved active disturbance rejection control (IADRC) are proposed for stabilization purposes for a 6-degree freedom (DoF) quadrotor system with the existence of exogenous disturbances and system uncertainties.

Design/methodology/approach

IADRC units are designed for the altitude and attitude systems, while NLPID controllers are designed for the x−y position system on the quadrotor nonlinear model. The proposed controlling scheme is implemented using MATLAB/Simulink environment and is compared with the traditional PID controller and NLPID controller.

Findings

Different tests have been done, such as step reference tracking, hovering mode, trajectory tracking, exogenous disturbances and system uncertainties. The simulation results showed the demonstrated performance and stability gained by using the proposed scheme as compared with the other two controllers, even when the system was exposed to different disturbances and uncertainties.

Originality/value

The study proposes an NLPID-IADRC scheme to stabilize the motion of the quadrotor system while tracking a specified trajectory in the presence of exogenous disturbances and parameter uncertainties. The proposed multi-objective Output Performance Index (OPI) was used to obtain the optimum integrated time of the absolute error for each subsystem, UAV quadrotor system energy consumption and for minimizing the chattering phenomenon by adding the integrated time absolute of the control signals.
Impact of supply chain integration on halal food supply chain integrity and food quality performance
Authors: Ali Mohd Helmi , Iranmanesh Mohammad , Tan Kim Hua , Zailani Suhaiza , Omar Nor Asiah
Published: March 2021

Purpose

The current complex halal food supply chain (SC) has caused food scandals, which have illustrated the weakness of multiple food quality standards and certification and audits in ensuring food safety. Drawn on the resource-based view (RBV) theory, the purpose of this study is to explore the impacts of SC integration (SCI) on halal food SC integrity and, consequently, food quality.

Design/methodology/approach

Empirical data were collected from 275 halal-certified food companies in Malaysia and analysed using structural equation modelling – SmartPLS3.0.

Findings

The results confirmed that SCI, including internal, supplier and customer integrations, has significant effects on the dimensions of the halal food SC integrity which, in turn, lead to halal food safety and quality.

Practical implications

The importance of SCI in halal food SC is highlighted in this study. The impact of SCI is contexted in halal food SC integrity and food quality. Therefore, it provides a clear understanding to managers of SC applicability in the halal food industry.

Originality/value

Based on the RBV theory, this study contributes to the limited body of research of the relationships among SCI from the context of the halal industry with a specific focus on food supply chain integrity and food quality.
Cultivating product innovation performance through creativity: the impact of organizational agility and flexibility under technological turbulence
Authors: Puriwat Wilert , Hoonsopon Danupol
Published: March 2021

Purpose

This study is to compare the impact of organizational agility and flexibility on performance of each type of product innovation (radical vs incremental innovation). Additionally, the moderating effect of technological turbulence on the relationship between the two types of organization is examined.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on gaps in the existing literature, the survey data are collected from managers who are in charge of developing new products in three industries: food and beverage, chemical and machinery (N = 431). Confirmatory factory analysis is used to verify measurement items and regression analysis is used to test hypotheses.

Findings

The results show that organizational agility increases performance in radical innovation both in a certain situation and an environment with technological turbulence. In contrast, the impact of organizational flexibility is limited to increasing performance in both radical and incremental innovation performance in a certain situation.

Originality/value

Our study extends the knowledge of organizational agility and flexibility in the domain of product innovation. Adaptation of organization to respond the technological turbulence will stimulate creativity of new product development teams to produce new useful ideas and transform these ideas to product innovation. The different types of organizing a new product development team to handle technological turbulence will provide different results in product innovation performance. In addition, the findings provide a recommendation on how the organization of a new product development team can improve performance in each type of product innovation under technological turbulence.
Pre‐migration diffraction separation using generative adversarial networks
Authors: Lowney Brydon , Lokmer Ivan , O'Brien Gareth S. , Bean Christopher J.
Published: March 2021

Diffraction imaging is the process of separating diffraction events from the seismic wavefield and imaging them independently, highlighting subsurface discontinuities. While there are many analytic‐based methods for diffraction imaging which use kinematic, dynamic or both, properties of the diffracted wavefield, they can be slow and require parameterization. Here, we propose an image‐to‐image generative adversarial network to automatically separate diffraction events on pre‐migrated seismic data in a fraction of the time of conventional methods. To train the generative adversarial network, plane‐wave destruction was applied to a range of synthetic and real images from field data to create training data. These training data were screened and any areas where the plane‐wave destruction did not perform well, such as synclines and areas of complex dip, were removed to prevent bias in the neural network. A total of 14,132 screened images were used to train the final generative adversarial network. The trained network has been applied across several geologically distinct field datasets, including a 3D example. Here, generative adversarial network separation is shown to be comparable to a benchmark separation created with plane‐wave destruction, and up to 12 times faster. This demonstrates the clear potential in generative adversarial networks for fast and accurate diffraction separation.
First‐break automatic picking technology based on semantic segmentation
Authors: Xu Yinpo , Yin Cheng , Pan Yingjie , Ni Yudong , Zou Xuefeng , Yang Tianfu
Published: March 2021

With the wide application of the high‐density and high‐productivity acquisition technology in the complex areas of oil fields, the first‐break picking of massive low signal‐to‐noise data is a great challenging job. Conventional first‐break automatic picking methods (Akaike information criterion method, energy ratio method, correlation method and boundary detection method) require a lot of manual adjustments due to their poor anti‐noise performance. A lot of adjustments affect the accuracy and efficiency of picking. First‐break picking takes up about one‐third of the whole processing cycle, which restricts petroleum exploration and development progress severely. In order to overcome the above‐mentioned shortcoming, this paper proposes the first‐break automatic picking technology based on semantic segmentation. Firstly, design the time window for primary wave and pick a certain quantity of first breaks from newly acquired data in different zones of the exploration area using the commonly used Akaike information criterion method and interactive adjustments; and then perform pre‐processing on the data within the time window to extract multiple first‐break attribute features and perform feature enhancement, to obtain multi‐dimensional features data blocks, at the same time, label the first breaks. Secondly, u‐shaped architecture network‐like encoding and decoding network is used to implement end‐to‐end feature learning from primary wave attribute data to first‐break labels. The encoding and decoding process of the encoding and decoding network is used to fuse the extraction and feature positioning of primary wave attribute features. At the same time, normalize each layer and use the rectified linear unit function as a non‐linear factor to improve the generalization and sensitivity of network model to low signal‐to‐noise primary waves. Finally, an optimized deep network model is used to predict the first breaks of the data to improve the accuracy and efficiency of the first‐break picking. This method innovatively fuses the multiple conventional automatic picking methods (Akaike information criterion method, energy ratio method, correlation method and boundary detection method) to extract multiple attribute features of primary wave, and improves the accuracy of the training network model to the first‐break detection using the improved UNet‐like encoding and decoding network. The feasibility of the new method is proved by model data. A comparative test is conducted between the new method and the Akaike information criterion method with the actual data, which verifies that the method in this paper has a higher picking accuracy and stable first‐break processing capability for the data with low signal to noise, our method shows a significant advantage when applied to low signal‐to‐noise seismic records from high‐productivity acquisition and can meet the demands of the accuracy and efficiency for near‐surface model building and static calculation of massive data.
Contrasting trends in biodiversity of birds and trees during succession following cacao agroforest abandonment
Authors: Arnold Haley , Deacon Amy E. , Hulme Mark F. , Sansom Alex , Jaggernauth Dan , Magurran Anne E.
Published: March 2021

Understanding how transformed habitats act as reservoirs of biodiversity is a key challenge at a time when ecosystems are under unprecedented pressure. Here we compare tree and bird biodiversity in actively cultivated and abandoned cacao agroforests, and use a space for time approach to ask how this diversity has changed over 100 years of succession.

Tree and bird communities were surveyed in cacao agroforests, secondary forests at different stages of succession and primary forests in the Northern Range of Trinidad, West Indies, to test the prediction that there are consistent temporal trends in alpha and beta‐diversity across taxa.

Temporal alpha‐diversity was taxon dependent. We found that tree alpha‐diversity increased with forest age. In contrast, there was no temporal trend in bird alpha‐diversity. Tree and bird species richness were negatively correlated.

Tree and bird composition varied with forest age and environmental distance. A greater proportion of native trees, and of highly forest‐dependent and insectivorous birds were found in older forests.

Our analyses show that actively cultivated and young abandoned cacao agroforests can sustain high bird alpha‐diversity, despite lower levels of tree alpha‐diversity. Old secondary and primary forests have unique species compositions including more sensitive and specialist species. Compositional shifts with successional stage for both trees and birds produce a patchwork of habitats that contribute to regional gamma‐diversity.

Synthesis and applications. Our research highlights the value of actively cultivated cacao agroforests and secondary forest alongside primary forests as reservoirs of biodiversity. By supporting both biodiversity and livelihoods, traditionally grown shade‐cacao agroforests fall within a people and nature framework. Taken together, these results emphasise the contributions of secondary forests, which are often overlooked, to conservation.
Colchicine treatment can improve outcomes of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19): A systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Hariyanto Timotius Ivan , Halim Devina Adella , Jodhinata Claudia , Yanto Theo Audi , Kurniawan Andree
Published: March 2021

Currently, there is no widely acceptable and proven effective treatment for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19). Colchicine has been shown to offer a benefit in reducing the inflammation in several inflammatory diseases. This study aims to analyze the efficacy of colchicine administration and outcomes of COVID‐19. We systematically searched the PubMed and Europe PMC database using specific keywords related to our aims until January 29, 2021. All articles published on COVID‐19 and colchicine treatment were retrieved. The quality of the study was assessed using the Newcastle–Ottawa Scale (NOS) tool for observational studies and Revised Cochrane risk‐of‐bias tool for randomized trials (RoB 2) for clinical trial studies. Statistical analysis was done using Review Manager 5.4 software. A total of eight studies with 5778 COVID‐19 patients were included in this meta‐analysis. This meta‐analysis showed that the administration of colchicine was associated with improvement of outcomes of COVID‐19 [OR 0.43 (95% CI 0.34–0.55), p < 0.00001, I2 = 0%, fixed‐effect modelling] and its subgroup which comprised of reduction from severe COVID‐19 [OR 0.44 (95% CI 0.31–0.63), p < 0.00001, I2 = 0%, fixed‐effect modelling] and reduction of mortality rate from COVID‐19 [OR 0.43 (95% CI 0.32–0.58), p < 0.00001, I2 = 0%, fixed‐effect modelling]. Our study suggests the routine use of colchicine for treatment modalities of COVID‐19 patients. More randomized clinical trial studies are still needed to confirm the results from this study.
Macroeconomic stability under balanced‐budget rules and no‐income‐effect preferences
Authors: Guo Jang‐Ting , Zhang Yan
Published: March 2021

It has been shown that under an additively separable preference formulation between consumption and hours worked, indeterminacy and sunspots may arise in a standard one‐sector or two‐sector real business cycle model when the labor tax rate is endogenously determined by a balanced‐budget rule with a pre‐specified constant level of government expenditures. Our analysis finds that this indeterminacy result will completely disappear within either setting if the period utility function is postulated to exhibit no income effect on the householdʼs demand for leisure. In particular, the modelʼs low‐tax steady state displays saddle‐path stability and equilibrium uniqueness; whereas the high‐tax steady state is either a source or a saddle point.
Comparative study between laparoscopically harvested omental flap and glandular flap in immediate reconstruction after conservative surgery in breast cancer
Authors: El‐Sherpiny Waleed Y. , Abdelshafi Abdulhamid M. , Ghazaly Mohamed , Elnemr Ayman A. , Darwish Ahmed A. , Mlees Mohamed A.
Published: March 2021

Aim

Oncoplastic breast surgery involves reconstruction of the resection defect by either volume displacement or volume replacement. Glandular flap insertion is an easy, quick, and acceptable method to correct breast defects after breast conserving surgery (BCS). The value of the omentum in extraperitoneal reconstruction was not appreciated until the mid‐20th century. The aim of this study was to assess the aesthetic outcome after immediate breast reconstruction with either glandular flap or laparoscopic‐harvested omental flap in early breast cancer after BCS.

Patients and Methods

This study was conducted on 44 patients with early breast cancer in the Surgical Oncology Unit, General Surgery Department, Tanta University Hospital during the period from October 2018 to May 2019. All patients underwent breast conserving surgery followed by immediate breast reconstruction by either glandular flap (group I; 20 patients) or omentoplasty (group II; 24 patients). The operative time, postoperative complications, the length of hospital stay, and aesthetic outcome were compared between the two groups.

Results

The operative time in group I ranged from 90 to 120 minutes with a mean time of 113 minutes, whereas that in group II ranged from 110 to 160 minutes with a mean of 133 minutes. The hospital stay in group I ranged from 4 to 5 days with a mean of 4 days, whereas that in group II it ranged from 4 to 6 days with a mean of 5 days. In group I, two patients (10%) developed wound seroma and two patients (10%) developed fat necrosis, whereas in group II, eight patients (33.3%) developed fat necrosis and two patients (8.3%) developed epigastric incisional hernia with no wound seroma reported. Concerning the aesthetic outcome evaluated using patient's self‐evaluation, in group I, 70% of the patients were satisfied with the overall aesthetic results and 30% were dissatisfied, whereas in group II, 91.7% of the patients were satisfied and 8.3% were dissatisfied. With regard to the aesthetic outcome evaluated based on objective assessment with the Breast Cancer Conservation Treatment Cosmetic results software (BCCT.core), in group I, excellent results were obtained in 20% of cases, good results in 40% of cases, fair results in 20% of cases, and poor results in 20% of cases, whereas in group II, excellent results were obtained in 41.7% of cases, good results in 33.3% of cases, fair results in 16.7% of cases, and poor results in 8.3% of cases. No local recurrence or distant metastasis was reported.

Conclusion

The glandular flap has shorter operative time and requires less extensive surgery than the omental flap. The omental flap has the potential to recreate a soft, naturally ptotic breast shape that is ideal for matching with the contralateral breast.
Gastrointestinal stromal tumour of the ampulla of Vater: Use of endoscopic ultrasound for local evaluation and guidance of management plan
Authors: Chan Sze‐ling , Ho Kit‐man , Lam Shi , Chan Ka‐man , Cheng Kai‐chi
Published: March 2021

Gastrointestinal stromal tumours (GISTs) account for less than 1% of all gastrointestinal tumours. It mainly involves the stomach and small intestines and very rarely involves the ampulla of Vater. Endoscopic biopsy and endoscopic ultrasound allow for preoperative tissue diagnosis and local evaluation of the ampullary lesions. We herein report the case of a patient with GIST of the ampulla of Vater presenting with gastrointestinal bleeding and undergoing pancreaticoduodenectomy. The management of ampullary GIST is reviewed.
Biotechnological synthesis of Pd/Ag and Pd/Au nanoparticles for enhanced Suzuki–Miyaura cross‐coupling activity
Authors: Kimber Richard L. , Parmeggiani Fabio , Neill Thomas S. , Merroun Mohamed L. , Goodlet Gregory , Powell Nigel A. , Turner Nicholas J. , Lloyd Jonathan R.
Published: March 2021

Bimetallic nanoparticle catalysts have attracted considerable attention due to their unique chemical and physical properties. The ability of metal‐reducing bacteria to produce highly catalytically active monometallic nanoparticles is well known; however, the properties and catalytic activity of bimetallic nanoparticles synthesized with these organisms is not well understood. Here, we report the one‐pot biosynthesis of Pd/Ag (bio‐Pd/Ag) and Pd/Au (bio‐Pd/Au) nanoparticles using the metal‐reducing bacterium, Shewanella oneidensis, under mild conditions. Energy dispersive X‐ray analyses performed using scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) revealed the presence of both metals (Pd/Ag or Pd/Au) in the biosynthesized nanoparticles. X‐ray absorption near‐edge spectroscopy (XANES) suggested a significant contribution from Pd(0) and Pd(II) in both bio‐Pd/Ag and bio‐Pd/Au, with Ag and Au existing predominately as their metallic forms. Extended X‐ray absorption fine‐structure spectroscopy (EXAFS) supported the presence of multiple Pd species in bio‐Pd/Ag and bio‐Pd/Au, as inferred from Pd–Pd, Pd–O and Pd–S shells. Both bio‐Pd/Ag and bio‐Pd/Au demonstrated greatly enhanced catalytic activity towards Suzuki–Miyaura cross‐coupling compared to a monometallic Pd catalyst, with bio‐Pd/Ag significantly outperforming the others. The catalysts were very versatile, tolerating a wide range of substituents. This work demonstrates a green synthesis method for novel bimetallic nanoparticles that display significantly enhanced catalytic activity compared to their monometallic counterparts.
Faecal proteomics as a novel method to study mammalian behaviour and physiology
Authors: Tsutaya Takumi , Mackie Meaghan , Sawafuji Rikai , Miyabe‐Nishiwaki Takako , Olsen Jesper V. , Cappellini Enrico
Published: March 2021

Mammalian faeces can be collected noninvasively during field research and provide valuable information on the ecology and evolution of the source individuals. Undigested food remains, genome/metagenome, steroid hormones, and stable isotopes obtained from faecal samples provide evidence on diet, host/symbiont genetics, and physiological status of the individuals. However, proteins in mammalian faeces have hardly been studied, which hinders the molecular investigations into the behaviour and physiology of the source individuals. Here, we apply mass spectrometry‐based proteomics to faecal samples (n= 10), collected from infant, juvenile, and adult captive Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata), to describe the proteomes of the source individual, of the food it consumed, and its intestinal microbes. The results show that faecal proteomics is a useful method to: (i) investigate dietary changes along with breastfeeding and weaning, (ii) reveal the taxonomic and histological origin of the food items consumed, and (iii) estimate physiological status inside intestinal tracts. These types of insights are difficult or impossible to obtain through other molecular approaches. Most mammalian species are facing extinction risk and there is an urgent need to obtain knowledge on their ecology and evolution for better conservation strategy. The faecal proteomics framework we present here is easily applicable to wild settings and other mammalian species, and provides direct evidence of their behaviour and physiology.
Dilmun Boat shaped votive bowls for the Moon‐god Nanna?
Authors: Terp Laursen Steffen
Published: March 2021

The Early Dynastic sources make it clear that there existed a distinct Dilmun boat connected to foreign sea trade. The Babylonian Moon god (Nanna/Suen/Sîn) was symbolically associated with both a bowl and a boat that sailed across the night sky during stages in the monthly cycle before Nanna ultimately would “rise” from the bowl and boat at full moon. Sources from the Early Dynastic IIIa period mention actual votive bowls that are related to the “bowl” stage in the lunar cycle. Votive bowls shaped as boats are also mentioned in documentary sources associated with different deities. The boat shaped bowls for Nanna probably existed as a convergence of the cyclical concepts of the “Bowl” and the “Boat”. Importantly, from an Arabian Gulf perspective, these boat‐shaped bowls are occasionally explicitly stated to have been fashioned in the shape of Dilmun boats. In this article the ideological concepts are outlined and discussed and a series of boat‐shaped copper bowls from Babylonia are suggested as a possible match to the votive bowls shaped as Dilmun boats of the texts.
Preoperative and intraoperative assessment of myometrial invasion in endometrial cancer—A Swedish Gynecologic Cancer Group (SweGCG) study
Authors: Jónsdóttir Björg , Marcickiewicz Janusz , Borgfeldt Christer , Bjurberg Maria , Dahm‐Kähler Pernilla , Flöter‐Rådestad Angelique , Hellman Kristina , Holmberg Erik , Kjølhede Preben , Rosenberg Per , Tholander Bengt , Åvall‐Lundqvist Elisabeth , Stålberg Karin , Högberg Thomas
Published: March 2021

Introduction

Deep myometrial invasion (≥50%) is a prognostic factor for lymph node metastases and decreased survival in endometrial cancer. There is no consensus regarding which pre/intraoperative diagnostic method should be preferred. Our aim was to explore the pattern of diagnostic methods for myometrial invasion assessment in Sweden and to evaluate differences among magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), transvaginal sonography, frozen section, and gross examination in clinical practice.

Material and methods

This is a nationwide historical cohort study; women with endometrial cancer with data on assessment of myometrial invasion and FIGO stage I‐III registered in the Swedish Quality Registry for Gynecologic Cancer (SQRGC) between 2017 and 2019 were eligible. Data on age, histology, FIGO stage, method, and results of myometrial invasion assessment, pathology results, and hospital level were collected from the SQRGC. The final assessment by the pathologist was considered the reference standard.

Results

In the study population of 1401 women, 32% (n = 448) had myometrial invasion of 50% of more. The methods reported for myometrial invasion assessment were transvaginal sonography in 59%, MRI in 28%, gross examination in 8% and frozen section in 5% of cases. Only minor differences were found for age and FIGO stage when comparing methods applied for myometrial invasion assessment. The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy to find myometrial invasion of 50% or more with transvaginal sonography were 65.6%, 80.3%, and 75.8%, for MRI they were 76.9%, 71.9%, and 73.8%, for gross examination they were 71.9%, 93.6%, and 87.3%, and for frozen section they were 90.0%, 92.7%, and 92.0%, respectively.

Conclusions

In Sweden, the assessment of deep myometrial invasion is most often performed with transvaginal sonography, but the sensitivity is lower than for the other diagnostic methods. In clinical practice, the accuracy is moderate for transvaginal sonography and MRI.