bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Suppression of SARS‐CoV‐2 infection in ex‐vivo human lung tissues by targeting class III phosphoinositide 3‐kinase
Authors: Yuen Chun‐Kit , Wong Wan‐Man , Mak Long‐Fung , Wang Xiaohui , Chu Hin , Yuen Kwok‐Yung , Kok Kin‐Hang
Published: October 2020

The novel betacoronavirus severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) emerged at the end of 2019 and caused the coronavirus disease 19 (COVID‐19) pandemic due to its high transmissibility and early immunosuppression. Previous studies on other betacoronaviruses suggested that betacoronavirus infection is associated with the host autophagy pathway. However, it is unclear whether any components of autophagy or virophagy can be therapeutic targets for COVID‐19 treatment. In this report, we examined the antiviral effect of four well‐characterized small molecule inhibitors that target the key cellular factors involved in key steps of the autophagy pathway. They include small molecules targeting the ULK1/Atg1 complex involved in the induction stage of autophagy (ULK1 inhibitor SBI0206965), the ATG14/Beclin1/VPS34 complex involved in the nucleation step of autophagy (class III PI3‐kinase inhibitor VPS34‐IN1), and a widely‐used autophagy inhibitor that persistently inhibits class I and temporary inhibits class III PI3‐kinase (3‐MA) and a clinically approved autophagy inhibitor that suppresses autophagy by inhibiting lysosomal acidification and prevents the formation of autophagolysosome (HCQ). Surprisingly, not all the tested autophagy inhibitors suppressed SARS‐CoV‐2 infection. We showed that inhibition of class III PI3‐kinase involved in the initiation step of both canonical and noncanonical autophagy potently suppressed SARS‐CoV‐2 at a nano‐molar level. In addition, this specific kinase inhibitor VPS34‐IN1, and its bioavailable analogue VVPS34‐IN1, potently inhibited SARS‐CoV‐2 infection in ex vivo human lung tissues. Taken together, class III PI3‐kinase may be a possible target for COVID‐19 therapeutic development.
New Simple Ultrasound‐Guided Transforaminal Injection in Patients With Radiculopathy in the Lower Cervical Spine
Authors: Wang Yuexiang , Zhu Yaqiong , Wang Wei , Shi Yizheng , Yang Jing
Published: October 2020

Objectives

To evaluate the feasibility of a new simple ultrasound‐guided transforaminal injection in patients with cervical radiculopathy.

Methods

Ultrasound scans of the neck in a plastic model and in 5 unaffected participants were first performed to identify the intervertebral foramen. Then ultrasound‐guided transforaminal injections were performed in 20 patients with radiculopathy in the lower cervical spine, and computed tomography was used to verify the accuracy. Complications, the visual analog score, and the neck disability index were assessed at 1 and 3 months after the injection.

Results

Computed tomography confirmed that the needle tip was correctly placed in the intervertebral foramen in 88.5% (23 of 26) of injections. No immediate or short‐term complications were observed in all patients. The visual analog score and neck disability index at 1 and 3 months were significantly lower than those before the injection (both P < .0001).

Conclusions

Ultrasound may be a feasible and accurate method to guide cervical transforaminal injection.
Safety and Efficacy of Tattoo Removal Using a Dual‐Wavelength 1064/532‐nm Picosecond Laser in Patients With Fitzpatrick Skin Type III and IV
Authors: Nguyen Hao T. , Doan Em V.L. , Tran Tu N.A. , Vu Thao T.P. , Phan Huy N. , Sobanko Joseph F.
Published: October 2020

Background and Objectives

To investigate the safety and efficacy of a dual‐wavelength 1064/532‐nm picosecond‐domain laser for tattoo removal in Vietnamese patients.

Study Design/Materials and Methods

This prospective clinical study enrolled 30 subjects with 52 decorative tattoos treated with up to six treatments of laser removal at intervals of 6–8 weeks. Safety and efficacy were assessed at each treatment session and at 4 weeks after the final session. A “good” response was defined as at least 75% clearance of tattoo pigments.

Results

A significant reduction of tattoo appearance was achieved in all subjects. 88.5% of tattoos exhibited a “good” response to treatment by the end of the six sessions and more than 36% of tattoos exhibited better than “good” responses. Adverse events were common in the early period after treatment but did not persist in most patients. Only one case of prolonged hypopigmentation was reported.

Conclusions

Treatment using a 1064/532‐nm picosecond laser is an effective approach for removal of decorative tattoos, which poses a minimal risk of long‐term adverse events in patients with Fitzpatrick skin type III or IV. Lasers Surg. Med. © 2020 Wiley Periodicals LLC
The Predictive Role of Model for End‐Stage Liver Disease–Lactate and Lactate Clearance for In‐Hospital Mortality Among a National Cirrhosis Cohort
Authors: Mahmud Nadim , Asrani Sumeet K. , Kaplan David E. , Ogola Gerald O. , Taddei Tamar H. , Kamath Patrick S. , Serper Marina
Published: October 2020

The burden of cirrhosis hospitalizations is increasing. The admission Model for End‐Stage Liver Disease–lactate (MELD‐lactate) was recently demonstrated to be a superior predictor of in‐hospital mortality compared with MELD in limited cohorts. We identified specific classes of hospitalizations where MELD‐lactate may be especially useful and evaluated the predictive role of lactate clearance. This was a retrospective cohort study of 1036 cirrhosis hospitalizations for gastrointestinal bleeding, infection, or other portal hypertension–related indications in the Veterans Health Administration where MELD‐lactate was measured on admission. Performance characteristics for in‐hospital mortality were compared between MELD‐lactate and MELD/MELD‐sodium (MELD‐Na), with stratified analyses of MELD categories (≤15, >15 to <25, ≥25) and reason for admission. We also incorporated day 3 lactate levels into modeling and tested for an interaction between day 1 MELD‐lactate and day 3 lactate clearance. MELD‐lactate had superior discrimination for in‐hospital mortality compared with MELD or MELD‐Na (area under the curve [AUC] 0.789 versus 0.776 versus 0.760, respectively; P < 0.001) and superior calibration. MELD‐lactate had higher discrimination among hospitalizations with MELD ≤15 (AUC 0.763 versus 0.608 for MELD, global P = 0.01) and hospitalizations for infection (AUC 0.791 versus 0.674 for MELD, global P < 0.001). We found a significant interaction between day 1 MELD‐lactate and day 3 lactate clearance; heat maps were created as clinical tools to risk‐stratify patients based on these clinical data. MELD‐lactate had significantly superior performance in predicting in‐hospital mortality among patients hospitalized for infection and/or with MELD ≤15 when compared with MELD or MELD‐Na. Incorporating day 3 lactate clearance may further improve prognostication.
Unveiling the reaction process of the amine in direct amidation of aromatic ketones in H2O
Authors: He Fangjun , Qu Rumeng , Su Jie , Du Muyao , Liu Junqiang , Chen Yiping , Wang Bo
Published: October 2020

In the classical amidation between aromatic ketones and amines, 2.0 equivalents of amines are necessarily required to gain satisfying yields. The specific role of the amine in the direct amidation already puzzled us for a long time. In this work, we disclosed that the amine acts as both reactant and catalyst. Specifically, the determination of reaction intermediates revealed the full mechanism, based on which, the introduction of one equivalent base in the amidation is showcased here that a high yield (∼95 %) can be afforded using only 1.1 equiv. of amine.
Excellent Passivation of n‐Type Silicon Surfaces Enabled by Pulsed‐Flow Plasma‐Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition of Phosphorus Oxide Capped by Aluminum Oxide
Authors: Melskens Jimmy , Theeuwes Roel J. , Black Lachlan E. , Berghuis Willem-Jan H. , Macco Bart , Bronsveld Paula C. P. , Kessels W. M. M.
Published: October 2020

Phosphorus oxide (POx) capped by aluminum oxide (Al2O3), prepared by atomic layer deposition (ALD), has recently been introduced as a surface passivation scheme for planar n‐type FZ silicon. In this work, a fast pulsed‐flow plasma‐enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) process for the POx layer is introduced, making it possible to increase the POx deposition rate significantly while maintaining the POx/Al2O3 passivation quality. An excellent surface passivation is realized on n‐type planar FZ and Cz substrates (J0 = 3.0 fA cm−2). Furthermore, it is demonstrated that the POx/Al2O3 stack can passivate textured surfaces and that the application of an additional PECVD SiNx capping layer renders the stack stable to a firing treatment that is typically used in fire‐through contact formation (J0 = 12 fA cm−2). The excellent surface passivation is enabled by a high positive fixed charge density (Qf ≈ 4 × 1012 cm−2) and an ultralow interface defect density (Dit ≈ 5 × 1010 eV−1 cm−2). Finally, outstanding passivation is demonstrated on textured silicon with a heavy n+ surface doping, as is used in solar cells, on par with alnealed SiO2. These findings indicate that POx/Al2O3 is a highly suited passivation scheme for n‐type silicon surfaces in typical industrial solar cells.
COVID‐19 rehabilitation delivered via a telehealth pulmonary rehabilitation model: a case series
Authors: Wootton Sally L. , King Meredith , Alison Jennifer A. , Mahadev Sri , Chan Andrew S. L.
Published: October 2020

International statements have suggested the pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) model as an appropriate rehabilitation option for people recovering from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19). In this case series, we present our COVID‐19 telehealth rehabilitation programme, delivered within a PR setting, and discuss the management of our first three cases. All patients were male, with a median age of 73 years. Following hospital discharge, the patients presented with persistent limitations and/or symptoms (e.g. breathlessness, fatigue, and reduced exercise capacity) which warranted community‐based rehabilitation. Patients were assessed and provided with an initial six‐week rehabilitation programme supported via telehealth using a treatable traits approach. Patients demonstrated improvements in exercise capacity and breathlessness; however, fatigue levels worsened in two cases and this was attributed to the difficulties of managing returning to work and/or carer responsibilities whilst trying to recover from a severe illness. We found that PR clinicians were well prepared and able to provide an individualized rehabilitation programme for people recovering from COVID‐19.
Investigating the Immunostimulatory and Immunomodulatory Effects of cis and trans Isomers of Ruthenium Polypyridyl Complexes on the Mammalian Macrophage‐Like Cells
Authors: Ayaz Furkan , Colak Suleyman Gokhan , Ocakoglu Kasim
Published: October 2020

Immunomodulatory and immunostimulatory compounds are drug candidates for the regulation of the function of immune system cells to fight against disease conditions including cancer to autoimmunity as well as inflammatory disorders. Due to the electron transfer capacity of photosensitizers in solar cell structures, we hypothesized that they can also be used to regulate the immune system cells’ functions possibly through interfering with their electron transfer related activities. We examined the cis and trans isomers (cis‐Ru and trans‐Ru) of ruthenium polypyridyl complex on the activated macrophage‐like cells in vitro. Our results suggest immunostimulatory and positive immunomodulatory roles for the ruthenium complex.These compounds increased the production of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) pro‐inflammatory cytokine by macrophage‐like cells. Therefore, both cis and trans isomers can be used as a new generation of adjuvant candidates in the vaccine formulations to further boost the activity of immune cells against the disease agent or antigen.
Curcuminoids versus Pyrazole‐Modified Analogues: Synthesis and Cytotoxicity against HepG2 Cancer Cell Line
Authors: Pham Van Thi Bich , Nguyen Tien Vinh , Nguyen Hien Van , Nguyen Triet Thanh , Hoang Hao Minh
Published: October 2020

Twenty compounds including curcuminoids and their pyrazole‐modified analogues were synthesized in a two‐step reaction: (i) condensation between benzaldehyde derivatives and pentane‐2,4‐dione and (ii) pyrazole cyclization of the 1,3‐diketone group in the resulting curcuminoids with hydrazine hydrate. The synthesized compounds were assayed for in vitro anticancer activity against HepG2 cancer cell line by determining their half‐maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50). Pyrazole curcuminoid (1 a, IC50=1.53±0.11 μM) was found to be the most potent molecule against the cancer cells. The pyrazole curcuminoids (1 a–3 a,5 a) significantly exhibited between 2‐ to 23‐fold higher anticancer activities when compared with their parent structures (1–3,5). However, the class of fluorinated analogues (7–10;7 a–10 a) displayed inactivities or activities close to those of respecting compounds (1–6;1 a–6 a). Structure‐activity relationship analysis indicated that the phenolic motif is responsible for inhibition of cell growth whereas the fluoro/methoxy substituents on the aromatic rings have insignificant contributions to inhibitory activities against HepG2.
CuI/I2‐Catalyzed Concise Synthesis of Substituted 6‐Aminoisoquinolinoquinazoline Carboxylates from Anthranilamide
Authors: Gal Reddy Potuganti , Reddy Indukuri Divakar , Alla Manjula
Published: October 2020

A one pot sequential addition protocol for synthesis of polycyclic quinazolines with β‐amino acid motifs has been achieved starting from anthranilamide. Initial in situ formation of 2‐(2‐bromophenyl)quinazolin‐4(3H)‐one followed by addition of alkyl cyanoacetates catalyzed by copper (I) salts gives the target compound in good to excellent yields. The expedient and facile cascade protocol involves nucleophilic α‐arylation, intramolecular cycloamidation of nitriles followed by 1,3‐hydrogen shift allowing direct access to 6‐amino‐8‐oxo‐8H‐isoquinolino[1,2‐b]quinazoline‐5‐carboxylates.
Photovoltage Management Based on Enhanced Excitation Levels in Surface Arrays of Subwavelength Silicon Formations
Authors: Prajapati Ashish , Shalev Gil
Published: October 2020

Surface arrangements of subwavelength formations are extensively discussed in the context of photocurrent enhancement for photovoltaic (PV) applications. Recently, the potential contribution of such arrangements toward photovoltage augmentation is suggested. This study numerically demonstrates the potential for photovoltage management based on arrays composed of inverted silicon cones, referred to as light funnel (LF) arrays. The transition from an optimized nanopillar (NP) array into an LF array is examined. It is shown that a decrease in NP bottom diameter (Db) is accompanied by an increase in open‐circuit voltage (Voc). The highest photovoltage enhancement is recorded for the smallest considered Db = 50 nm with a Voc increase of 75 mV and reflects a 22% Voc enhancement compared with the NP Voc. It is shown that this Voc increase is due to 250% increase in the excitation level, and that the spatially resolved excitation level of the array‐nested LFs is more than two orders of magnitude higher than the highest spatially resolved excitation level in the array‐nested NPs. Finally, it is shown that the suggested photovoltage management entails almost a factor of 2 increase in the nominal power conversion efficiency upon the transition from an NP PV cell into LF PV cell.
Two types of somatic spines provide sites for intercellular signaling during calyx of Held growth and maturation
Authors: Jackson Dakota , Holcomb Paul , Ellisman Mark , Spirou George
Published: October 2020

Dendritic spines have been described in developing and mature systems, but similar extensions from cell bodies are less studied. We utilized electron microscopy image volumes, uniquely collected across a range of early postnatal and month‐old mice, to characterize and describe two types of somatic processes that extended into and under the developing calyx of Held (CH), which we named type 1 and type 2 spines. Type 1 spines occurred singly, were mostly vermiform in shape, and formed regularly spaced indentations into the CH. Type 1 spines appeared in concert with the earliest expansion of the CH by P3, peaked at P6 and returned to low density at P30. Type 2 spines were intertwined into a secondary structure called a spine mat, which has not previously been described in the CNS, and were more complex geometrically. Type 2 spines formed after the CH crossed a size threshold, reached maximum density at P9, and were absent from most CHs at P30. Both spine types, but a higher density of type 1 spines, were sites for synapse formation. Spine mats brought pre‐ and postsynaptic neurons and glial cells into contact, and were captured in stages of partial detachment and engulfment by the presynaptic terminal, suggesting trans‐endocytosis as a mode of removal ahead of maturity. In conglomerate, these observations reveal somatic spines to be sites for chemical neurotransmission and chemical sampling among synaptic partners and glia as tissue structure transforms into mature neural circuits.
Writing Pedagogy Education: Preparing and Professionalizing Graduate Students as Writing Instructors
Authors: Schwaller Emily Jo , Miller‐Cochran Susan
Published: October 2020

This chapter provides an overview of Writing Pedagogy Education and showcases how the University of Arizona puts these opportunities into practice to prepare and professionalize graduate students as writing instructors.
Connect Program: Providing International Teaching Assistants a Firsthand Look at Undergraduate Life
Authors: Hatcher Molly , Amayreh Wafa , Struve Laura
Published: October 2020

This chapter describes a program aimed to help international graduate students navigate linguistic, pedagogical, and cultural challenges they face as new college instructors by connecting them with undergraduates who share personal insights and campus resources.
Rethinking Adoption and Diffusion as a Collective Social Process: Towards an Interactional Perspective
Authors: Leeuwis Cees , Aarts Noelle
Published: October 2020

Agricultural development is looked at as a process in which the adoption of innovations plays an important role. In this context, there has been considerable interest in understanding how adoption processes work. This chapter starts from the observation that adoption has been conceptualised in most research and development efforts as a process at the level of individuals and/or individual households, resulting in the dominance of social-psychological modes of thinking. Drawing on case experiences and recent theories of innovation, this paper points towards the critical role that several types of interdependencies play in adoption processes, which leads to the conclusion that in many instances, adoption must be regarded as a collective rather than an individual process. It is therefore important to complement and re-orient our thinking about adoption and resort to more sociological and interactional concepts and explanations. After a discussion of relevant concepts, the chapter concludes with some reflection on how this perspective may inspire a different way of approaching two topical issues in the realm of agricultural innovation: scaling and ICT4Ag.
Digital Technologies, Big Data, and Agricultural Innovation
Authors: Sonka Steven T.
Published: October 2020

Innovation in agricultural practices and food system performance is urgently needed to effectively respond to societal challenges of today and tomorrow. Expanding population, a changing climate, environmental distress, and the need for more nutritious and safe food supplies are only a few of those challenges. In response, new tools employing digital technology and big data are being developed and applied within agricultural production systems. This chapter explores the potential for the effective implementation of such tools and their prospective impact. While these tools provide the means to measure agricultural production activities as they happen, it is important to stress that adoption hinges on both technological and economic factors. The tools of digital technologies and big data are intriguing because their implementation is a key form of innovation and because the use of these technologies can foster additional innovation by making existing innovation systems even more effective.
Microstate geometries from gauged supergravity in three dimensions
Authors: Mayerson Daniel R. , Walker Robert A. , Warner Nicholas P.
Published: October 2020

Abstract

The most detailed constructions of microstate geometries, and particularly of superstrata, are done using $$ \mathcal{N} $$
N
= (1, 0) supergravity coupled to two anti-self-dual tensor multiplets in six dimensions. We show that an important sub-sector of this theory has a consistent truncation to a particular gauged supergravity in three dimensions. Our consistent truncation is closely related to those recently laid out by Samtleben and Sarıoğlu [1], which enables us to develop complete uplift formulae from the three-dimensional theory to six dimensions. We also find a new family of multi-mode superstrata, indexed by two arbitrary holomorphic functions of one complex variable, that live within our consistent truncation and use this family to provide extensive tests of our consistent truncation. We discuss some of the future applications of having an intrinsically three-dimensional formulation of a significant class of microstate geometries.
Relaxation-Enhanced Angiography Without Contrast and Triggering (REACT) for Fast Imaging of Extracranial Arteries in Acute Ischemic Stroke at 3 T
Authors: Pennig Lenhard , Kabbasch Christoph , Hoyer Ulrike Cornelia Isabel , Lennartz Simon , Zopfs David , Goertz Lukas , Laukamp Kai Roman , Wagner Anton , Grunz Jan-Peter , Doerner Jonas , Persigehl Thorsten , Weiss Kilian , Borggrefe Jan
Published: October 2020

Purpose

To evaluate a novel flow-independent 3D isotropic REACT sequence compared with CE-MRA for the imaging of extracranial arteries in acute ischemic stroke (AIS).

Methods

This was a retrospective study of 35 patients who underwent a stroke protocol at 3 T including REACT (fixed scan time: 2:46 min) and CE-MRA of the extracranial arteries. Three radiologists evaluated scans regarding vessel delineation, signal, and contrast and assessed overall image noise and artifacts using 5-point scales (5: excellent delineation/no artifacts). Apparent signal- and contrast-to-noise ratios (aSNR/aCNR) were measured for the common carotid artery (CCA), internal carotid artery (ICA, C1 segment), and vertebral artery (V2 segment). Two radiologists graded the degree of proximal ICA stenosis.

Results

Compared to REACT, CE-MRA showed better delineation for the CCA and ICA (C1 and C2 segments) (median 5, range 2–5 vs. 4, range 3–5; P < 0.05). For the ICA (C1 and C2 segments), REACT provided a higher signal (5, range 3–5; P < 0.05/4.5, range 3–5; P > 0.05 vs. 4, range 2–5) and contrast (5, range 3–5 vs. 4, range 2–5; P > 0.05) than CE-MRA. The remaining segments of the blood-supplying vessels showed equal medians. There was no significant difference regarding artifacts, whereas REACT provided significantly lower image noise (4, range 3–5 vs. 4 range 2–5; P < 0.05) with a higher aSNR (P < 0.05) and aCNR (P < 0.05) for all vessels combined. For clinically relevant (≥50%) ICA stenosis, REACT achieved a detection sensitivity of 93.75% and a specificity of 100%.

Conclusion

Given its fast acquisition, comparable image quality to CE-MRA and high sensitivity and specificity for the detection of ICA stenosis, REACT was proven to be a clinically applicable method to assess extracranial arteries in AIS.
The southern Central Asian mountains as an ancient agricultural mixing zone: new archaeobotanical data from Barikot in the Swat valley of Pakistan
Authors: Spengler Robert N. , Tang Li , Nayak Ayushi , Boivin Nicole , Olivieri Luca Maria
Published: October 2020

The mountain foothills of inner Asia have served as a corridor of communication and exchange for at least five millennia, using historically documented trade routes such as the Silk Road and the Tea-Horse Road. Recent research has illustrated the important role that this mountain corridor played in the dispersal of crops and farming technology between northeast and southwest Asia 5,000 to 1,000 years ago. However, the role of the mountain valleys along the southern rim of the Pamirs and Himalaya in facilitating crop dispersals has not yet been fully explored. Notably, ongoing debates over secondary dispersals ofHordeum(barley) andTriticum(wheat) into China and the routes of dispersal for the East Asian cropsOryza sativa(rice),Prunus persica(peach) andP. armeniaca(apricot) into northern India are continuing topics of inquiry. In this article, we add to these discussions by focusing on archaeobotanical remains from the Barikot site (ca. 1200bce–50ce) in the Swat valley of northern Pakistan. The Swat valley is an ancient settlement zone in the Hindu Kush-Karakoram foothills, whose cultural features have always had a strong link with inner Asia. The archaeobotanical assemblage illustrates that a diverse array of crops, with origins across Asia, were cultivated around the same settlement. Additionally, these farmers likely implemented seasonal cropping cycles and irrigation that required various labour inputs and water management regimes.
Transformative Lehre für eine kritisch-geographische (Berufs‑)Praxis
Authors: Thiele Katja , Becker Sören
Published: October 2020

Der Beitrag entwickelt die Perspektive einer kritischen Lehre zum Thema Nachhaltigkeit und zeigt deren Relevanz für die spätere Berufspraxis von Geograph*innen auf. Es wird diskutiert, inwiefern ein komplexes und kritisches Verständnis von Nachhaltigkeit zielführend zu einer transformativen Lehrpraxis weiterentwickelt werden kann. Kritische Lehre entsteht aus unserer Sicht aus der Verbindung von drei zentralen Merkmalen: Seminarinhalte, die gesellschaftliche Machtverhältnisse hinterfragen; Lernformen, die eine Selbstreflexion der Studierenden ermöglichen; und die Zusammenarbeit mit transformativen Initiativen aus der Praxis. Der Beitrag beleuchtet auf der Grundlage der Erfahrungen eines Projektseminars sowohl die Potenziale als auch die Spannungsfelder und Widersprüche dieses Ansatzes.
Economic evaluation of culprit lesion only PCI vs. immediate multivessel PCI in acute myocardial infarction complicated by cardiogenic shock: the CULPRIT-SHOCK trial
Authors: Robles-Zurita Jose Antonio , Briggs Andrew , Rana Dikshyanta , Quayyum Zahidul , Oldroyd Keith G. , Zeymer Uwe , Desch Steffen , de Waha-Thiele Suzanne , Thiele Holger
Published: October 2020

Background

The CULPRIT-SHOCK trial compared two treatment strategies for patients with acute myocardial infarction and multivessel coronary artery disease complicated by cardiogenic shock: (a) culprit vessel only percutaneous coronary intervention (CO-PCI), with additional staged revascularisation if indicated, and (b) immediate multivessel PCI (MV-PCI).

Methods

A German societal and national health service perspective was considered for three different analyses. The cost utility analysis (CUA) estimated costs and quality adjusted life years (QALYs) based on a pre-trial decision analytic model taking a lifelong time horizon. In addition, a within trial CUA estimated QALYs and costs for 1 year. Finally, the cost effectiveness analysis (CEA) used the composite primary outcome, mortality and renal failure at 30-day follow-up, and the within trial costs. Econometric and survival analysis on the trial data was used for the estimation of the model parameters. Subgroup analysis was performed following an economic protocol.

Results

The lifelong CUA showed an incremental cost effectiveness ratio (ICER), CO-PCI vs. MV-PCI, of €7010 per QALY and a probability of CO-PCI being the most cost-effective strategy > 64% at a €30,000 threshold. The ICER for the within trial CUA was €14,600 and the incremental cost per case of death/renal failure avoided at 30-day follow-up was €9010. Cost-effectiveness improved with patient age and for those without diabetes.

Conclusions

The estimates of cost-effectiveness for CO-PCI vs. MV-PCI have been shown to change depending on the time horizon and type of economic evaluation performed. The results favoured a long-term horizon analysis for avoiding underestimation of QALY gains from the CO-PCI arm.
Risk assessment of cyber-attacks on telemetry-enabled cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIED)
Authors: Ngamboé Mikaëla , Berthier Paul , Ammari Nader , Dyrda Katia , Fernandez José M.
Published: October 2020

Cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIED) are vulnerable to radio frequency (RF) cyber-attacks. Besides, CIED communicate with medical equipment whose telemetry capabilities and IP connectivity are creating new entry points that may be used by attackers. Therefore, it remains crucial to perform a cybersecurity risk assessment of CIED and the systems they rely on to determine the gravity of threats, address the riskiest ones on a priority basis, and develop effective risk management plans. In this study, we carry out such risk assessment according to the ISO/IEC 27005 standard and the NIST SP 800-30 guide. We employed a threat-oriented analytical approach and divided the analysis into three parts, an actor-based analysis to determine the impact of the attacks, a scenario-based analysis to measure the probability of occurrence of threats, and a combined analysis to identify the riskiest attack outcomes. The results show that vulnerabilities on the RF interface of CIED represent an acceptable risk, whereas the network and Internet connectivity of the systems they rely on represent an important potential risk. Further analysis reveals that the damages of these cyber-attacks could spread further to affect manufacturers through intellectual property theft or physicians by affecting their reputation.
Enhancing xylose and glucose utilization as well as solvent production using a simplified three-electrode potentiostat system during Clostridium fermentation
Authors: Popovic Jovan , Finneran Kevin T
Published: October 2020

A simple potentiostat was constructed as a strategy to enhance solvent production in a mediatorless and oxygen-exposed fermentation inoculated with the aerotolerant strain Clostridium sp. C10. Elevated n-butanol and acetone titers were recorded in all fermentations with either glucose or xylose in the presence of electrodes poised at + 500 mV (+ 814 mV vs SHE) relative to cells plus substrate only controls. Respective butanol titers and volumetric butanol productivities in studies performed with 30 g/L glucose or 30 g/L xylose were 1.67 and 2.27 times and 1.90 and 6.13 times greater in the presence of electrodes compared to controls. Glucose and xylose utilization in the presence of electrodes was 61 and 125% greater than no-electrode controls, respectively. Increasing substrate concentrations to 60 g/L decreased the butanol yields relative to the studies performed at 30 g/L. These data suggest that it may be more efficient to alter reactor reduction potential than increase substrate concentration for solvent output during industrial fermentations, which favors higher yield with few additional inputs.
The symmetry and loading-independency of multiple inclusions enclosing uniform stresses in an infinite elastic plane
Authors: Dai Ming , Schiavone P.
Published: October 2020

The identification of multiple interacting inclusions with uniform internal stresses in an infinite elastic matrix subjected to a uniform remote loading is of fundamental importance in the mechanics and design of particulate composite materials. In anti-plane shear and plane deformations, certain sufficient conditions have been established in the literature which guarantee uniform internal stresses inside multiple interacting inclusions displaying various symmetries when the matrix is subjected to specific uniform remote loading. Correspondingly, sufficient conditions which allow for the design of multiple interacting inclusions independent of any specific form of (uniform) remote loading have also been established. In this paper, we demonstrate rigorously that, in all cases, these sufficient conditions are also necessary conditions and indeed allow for the identification of all possible collections of such inclusions.
Pushed out of the education system: using a natural experiment to evaluate consequences for boys
Authors: Larsen Kira Solveig , Andersen Lars Højsgaard , Larsen Britt Østergaard
Published: October 2020

Objectives

To examine the short-term effects of admission requirements for upper secondary vocational education and training (VET) on enrollment and criminal offending among academically low-achieving boys.

Methods

We apply multi-group difference-in-differences models to full population data and analyze an educational policy reform in Denmark (N = 60,759).

Results

The reform caused a 16 percentage points lower enrollment in VET among academically low-achieving boys, and their risk of being charged with a crime increased by up to two percentage points 9 months after the end of compulsory school. However, after 12 months, the effect on criminal charges disappeared.

Conclusion

In the education-crime nexus, educational enrollment in upper secondary education is an understudied margin, which has important implications for both scholars and policy-makers. Limitations include the short follow-up period and that the analyses examine effects for boys only.
Enhanced registration of ultrasound volumes by segmentation of resection cavity in neurosurgical procedures
Authors: Canalini Luca , Klein Jan , Miller Dorothea , Kikinis Ron
Published: October 2020

Purpose

Neurosurgeons can have a better understanding of surgical procedures by comparing ultrasound images obtained at different phases of the tumor resection. However, establishing a direct mapping between subsequent acquisitions is challenging due to the anatomical changes happening during surgery. We propose here a method to improve the registration of ultrasound volumes, by excluding the resection cavity from the registration process.

Methods

The first step of our approach includes the automatic segmentation of the resection cavities in ultrasound volumes, acquired during and after resection. We used a convolution neural network inspired by the 3D U-Net. Then, subsequent ultrasound volumes are registered by excluding the contribution of resection cavity.

Results

Regarding the segmentation of the resection cavity, the proposed method achieved a mean DICE index of 0.84 on 27 volumes. Concerning the registration of the subsequent ultrasound acquisitions, we reduced the mTRE of the volumes acquired before and during resection from 3.49 to 1.22 mm. For the set of volumes acquired before and after removal, the mTRE improved from 3.55 to 1.21 mm.

Conclusions

We proposed an innovative registration algorithm to compensate the brain shift affecting ultrasound volumes obtained at subsequent phases of neurosurgical procedures. To the best of our knowledge, our method is the first to exclude automatically segmented resection cavities in the registration of ultrasound volumes in neurosurgery.
Clinical characteristics and risk factors of liver injury in COVID-19: a retrospective cohort study from Wuhan, China
Authors: Wang Ming , Yan Weiming , Qi Weipeng , Wu Di , Zhu Lin , Li Weina , Wang Xiaojing , Ma Ke , Ni Ming , Xu Dong , Wang Hongwu , Chen Guang , Yu Haijing , Ding Hongfang , Xing Mingyou , Han Meifang , Luo Xiaoping , Chen Tao , Guo Wei , Xi Dong , Ning Qin
Published: October 2020

Background

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has rapidly become a major international public health concern. This study was designed to evaluate the clinical characteristics and risk factors of COVID-19-associated liver injury.

Methods

A fraction of 657 COVID-19 patients were retrospectively analyzed. Clinical and laboratory data were derived from electronic medical records and compared between patients with or without liver injury. Multivariate logistic regression method was used to analyze the risk factors for liver injury.

Results

Among 657 patients, 303 (46.1%) patients had liver injury with higher rate in severe/critically ill patients [148/257 (57.6%)] than those in moderate cases [155/400 (38.8%)]. The incidence of liver injury was much higher in male [192/303 (63.4%)] than female [111/303 (36.6%)], and in severe/critical patients [148/303 (48.8%)] with percutaneous oxygen saturation ≤ 93% [89/279 (31.9%)] or peak body temperature ≥ 38.5 °C [185/301 (61.5%)] on admission. Liver injury-related inflammations included increased white blood cells, neutrophils and decreased lymphocytes. More patients with liver injury than without had increased serum IL-2R, TNFα, ferritin, hsCRP, PCT, ESR, γ-GT, and LDH. Multivariate regression analysis revealed that increasing odds of liver injury were related to male, higher serum hsCRP (≥ 10 mg/L), and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) (≥ 5). Moreover, more deceased patients (14/82 (17%)) had significantly elevated serum TBIL than discharged patients [25/532 (4.7%)].

Conclusion

Liver injury is a common complication in COVID-19 patients. The potential risk factors of liver injury include male, hsCRP and NLR score. A close monitor of liver function should be warned in COVID-19 patients, especially in severe/critical individuals.
Getting a foot in the door. Spaces of cocaine trafficking in the Port of Rotterdam.
Authors: Roks Robby , Bisschop Lieselot , Staring Richard
Published: October 2020

As an important gateway to Europe, the Port of Rotterdam is known for its high-quality facilities and efficiency, but also attracts organised crime groups who use the transatlantic legal trade flows to traffic cocaine. Based on a qualitative study, consisting of 73 interviews with public and private actors, an analysis of 10 criminal investigations and field visits to public and private organisations in the port, this article examines how organised crime groups involved in cocaine trafficking take advantage of or adapt to the socio-spatial relations in the Port of Rotterdam. First, we pay attention to which physical spaces in the port of Rotterdam provide opportunities for cocaine trafficking. Second, we examine how the occupational and legal environment in which people, private companies and law enforcement agencies in the port work and interact provide opportunities for cocaine trafficking. Our findings demonstrate that increased security measures by both public and private actors directed at physical spaces result in a displacement to new spaces in and around the port of Rotterdam. Furthermore, the current socio-spatial relations in the port of Rotterdam also make the role of people on the inside – referring to a whole range of public and private employees – increasingly indispensable.
Speaking Pictures, Silent Voices: Female Athletes and the Negotiation of Selfhood
Authors: Intezar Hannah
Published: October 2020

Combining Mikhail Bakhtin’s (1990) theoretical position on Architectonics and Erving Goffman’s (1979) writings on visual content analysis, the aim of this paper is to explore how female athletes are caught in a complex matrix of power, post – feminist neoliberalism, and self – presentation. The visual images they choose to portray are, therefore, perfect for determining how this cohort of women negotiates social discourses around identity and femininity. Appropriating the Bakhtinian notion of architectonic unity, not only provides an alternative theoretical lens for enquiries concerning the body, identity, and selfhood, but also initiates some thought provoking questions around neoliberal feminism and ‘new femininity.’ This paper advances on previous research by exemplifying how Serena Williams (considered the greatest female tennis player of all time) combines both her femininity and strong physicality to self – shape a myth – like persona, setting her apart from traditional stereotypes of femininity and ‘femaleness.’
If school walls could talk: A mixed-method study of physical space marking in promoting multiculturalism
Authors: Jelić Margareta , Čorkalo Biruški Dinka , Rebernjak Blaž
Published: October 2020

Combining two qualitative and a quantitative method, we explored whether school’s physical environment promotes multicultural values or reflects intergroup climate in two multiethnic communities in Croatia. Croatia offers unique context for this study because minority youth from two ethnic groups use their right on minority language education and hence attend separate minority schools. Results show that the representation of ethnic symbols in schools is a reflection of inter-ethnic relations in the specific intergroup context. Specifically, ethnic symbols are overrepresented in the post-conflict context compared to the more harmonious multi-ethnic community. In harmonious intergroup context, multiculturality is promoted by emphasizing common identity, and by giving space to symbols of both minority and majority group. However, in the conflicted intergroup setting we found overrepresentation of symbols emphasizing intergroup differences. Results of focus groups as well as of the quantitative survey confirm that schools physical environment reflects intergroup relations in each community.
Echo State Networks and Long Short-Term Memory for Continuous Gesture Recognition: a Comparative Study
Authors: Jirak Doreen , Tietz Stephan , Ali Hassan , Wermter Stefan
Published: October 2020

Recent developments of sensors that allow tracking of human movements and gestures enable rapid progress of applications in domains like medical rehabilitation or robotic control. Especially the inertial measurement unit (IMU) is an excellent device for real-time scenarios as it rapidly delivers data input. Therefore, a computational model must be able to learn gesture sequences in a fast yet robust way. We recently introduced an echo state network (ESN) framework for continuous gesture recognition (Tietz et al., 2019) including novel approaches for gesture spotting, i.e., the automatic detection of the start and end phase of a gesture. Although our results showed good classification performance, we identified significant factors which also negatively impact the performance like subgestures and gesture variability. To address these issues, we include experiments with Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) networks, which is a state-of-the-art model for sequence processing, to compare the obtained results with our framework and to evaluate their robustness regarding pitfalls in the recognition process. In this study, we analyze the two conceptually different approaches processing continuous, variable-length gesture sequences, which shows interesting results comparing the distinct gesture accomplishments. In addition, our results demonstrate that our ESN framework achieves comparably good performance as the LSTM network but has significantly lower training times. We conclude from the present work that ESNs are viable models for continuous gesture recognition delivering reasonable performance for applications requiring real-time performance as in robotic or rehabilitation tasks. From our discussion of this comparative study, we suggest prospective improvements on both the experimental and network architecture level.
Characteristics of micro- and nano-pores in shale oil reservoirs
Authors: Xia Debin , Yang Zhengming , Gao Tiening , Li Haibo , Lin Wei
Published: October 2020

Porosity is the most common form of reservoirs, and its size, shape, and connectivity directly affect the capacity of oil and gas storage and production. To study the micro–nano-pore structure characteristics of shale oil reservoirs and quantitatively characterize its heterogeneity, this work uses high-precision high-pressure mercury intrusion (HPMI) experimental techniques to study the micro–nano-pore structure characteristics of shale oil, and based on the experimental data, fractal theory is used to quantitatively characterize its heterogeneity. The results of the study show that the micro–nano-pores in the shale oil reservoir are concentrated and continuous, and the pore radius is mainly distributed among the range of 30–500 nm, nanoscale pores are an important part of the pores of the shale oil reservoir. The fractal dimension of the shale oil reservoir is larger than the fractal dimension of typical tight oil reservoirs, indicating that the heterogeneity of shale oil reservoir is stronger. The research results have some theoretical and practical significance for the production of inter-salt shale oil reservoirs.
Avoiding negativity bias: Towards a positive psychology of human–wildlife relationships
Authors: Buijs Arjen , Jacobs Maarten
Published: October 2020

Recently, new approaches to wildlife management are being developed, such as coexistence management and convivial conservation. These approaches aim to shift management practices from mitigating human–wildlife conflicts towards cohabitation and explore mutual benefits. To align empirical research to these new approaches, we argue for the relevance of positive psychology theory to inspire and structure research into the benefits of human–wildlife interactions. Positive psychology suggests three pathways through which human–wildlife interactions may lead to happiness and well-being: pleasure, engagement, and meaning. Applying these pathways to human–wildlife research may (i) structure existing research into the benefits of human–wildlife interactions, (ii) disclose unidentified benefits of human–wildlife interactions, and (iii) unravel mechanisms which make experiencing and protecting wildlife worthwhile and rewarding. Also, we suggest a potential feedback loop between wildlife experiences, happiness and well-being, and pro-environmental behaviours. More in-depth research into these mechanisms may improve our understanding of attitudes towards conservation of wildlife and its habitat and may suggest strategies to strengthen stewardship actions and public support for conservation strategies. Together, these strands of research could initiate research into what could be called a “Positive Ecology”.
Compliance and application tests of usability guidelines about giving information quickly and comprehensibly
Authors: Alonso-Virgós Lucía , Espada Jordán Pascual , Martínez Oscar Sanjuán , Crespo Rubén González
Published: October 2020

The objective of this publication is to analyze compliance with the web usability guidelines onGiving information quickly and comprehensibly. The behavior of 20 IT engineers without experience in web usability is analyzed to collect data on the application and compliance of each of the studied guidelines. The objectives are: (1) make a list of recommendations on the presentation of information and possible actions in a quickly understandable way. And highlight the most forgotten guidelines or the worst followed by web developers to think about the importance of offering specific training in this field. (2) Know the most important guidelines according to the participants themselves. To obtain the results, user tests are performed that evaluate the most ignored and applied guidelines. And its correct compliance is studied, since the participants do not have experience in web usability. Besides, interviews are conducted to find out which are the guidelines that they consider most important. It is expected to know if there are guidelines that apply intuitively and why. It is also intended to know if this innate application is helpful or compliance is wrong and needs specific training.