bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Prolonged neuromuscular block after rocuronium administration in laparoscopic pyloromyotomy patients: A retrospective bayesian regression analysis
Authors: Gilbertson Laura E. , Fiedorek Michael C. , Fiedorek Christopher S. , Trinh Tuan A. , Lam Humphrey , Austin Thomas M.
Published: December 2020

Background

Infants undergoing pyloromyotomy are at a high risk of aspiration, making rapid sequence induction the preferred method of induction. Since succinylcholine use in infants can be associated with complications, rocuronium is frequently substituted despite its prolonged duration of action.

Aims

To examine the likelihood of non‐reversibility to neostigmine at the end of surgery in laparoscopic pyloromyotomies and its correlation to both rocuronium dose and out of operating room time.

Methods

Patients who underwent laparoscopic pyloromyotomy for infantile hypertrophic pyloric stenosis, received rocuronium, and were reversed with neostigmine were included. Bayesian multivariable logistic regression was utilized to determine the probability of non‐reversibility, and Bayesian multivariable median regression was performed to ascertain the correlation between out of operating room time and non‐reversibility.

Results

306 patients were analyzed with a median surgical duration of 19 min (interquartile range 16 to 23). 74% received succinylcholine for intubation followed by rocuronium, and the remaining received rocuronium alone. The median rocuronium dose was 0.41 mg/kg (interquartile range 0.27 – 0.56 mg/kg). Prolonged block occurred in 68 (22.2%) patients. There was a non‐trivial probability of prolonged block with low rocuronium doses, and each 0.1 mg/kg increase in total rocuronium dose was associated with an odds ratio of 1.36 (95% credible interval: 1.17–1.58) of neostigmine non‐reversibility at the end of surgery. Non‐reversibility was correlated with a substantial increase in median out of operating room time (13.4 min, 95% credible interval: 5.5–20.8 min), which was compounded by high rocuronium dosing (2.2 min increase per 0.1 mg/kg for doses greater than 0.5 mg/kg, 95% credible interval: 0.7–3.6 min).

Conclusion

Prolonged blockade can occur from rocuronium administration in infants undergoing pyloromyotomy even at low doses. Therefore, consideration of appropriate rocuronium dosing or the use of sugammadex should be considered.
Clinical practice recommendations for recurrence of focal and segmental glomerulosclerosis/steroid‐resistant nephrotic syndrome
Authors: Weber Lutz T. , Tönshoff Burkhard , Grenda Ryszard , Bouts Antonia , Topaloglu Rezan , Gülhan Bora , Printza Nikoleta , Awan Atif , Battelino Nina , Ehren Rasmus , Hoyer Peter F. , Novljan Gregor , Marks Stephen D. , Oh Jun , Prytula Agnieszka , Seeman Tomas , Sweeney Clodagh , Dello Strologo Luca , Pape Lars
Published: December 2020

Recurrence of primary disease is one of the major risks for allograft loss after pediatric RTx. The risk of recurrence of FSGS/SRNS after pediatric RTx in particular can be up to 86% in idiopathic cases. There is a need for consensus recommendations on its prevention and treatment. The CERTAIN study group has therefore performed a thorough literature search based on the PICO model of clinical questions to formulate educated statements to guide the clinician in the process of decision‐making. A set of educated statements on prevention and treatment of FSGS/SRNS after pediatric RTx has been generated after careful evaluation of available evidence and thorough panel discussion. We do not recommend routine nephrectomy prior to transplantation; neither do we recommend abstaining from living donation. Special attendance needs to be given to those patients who had already experienced graft loss due to FSGS/SRNS recurrence. Early PE or IA with or without high‐dose CsA and/or rituximab seems to be most promising to induce remission. The educated statements presented here acknowledge that FSGS/SRNS recurrence after pediatric RTx remains a major concern and is associated with shorter graft survival or even graft loss. The value of any recommendation needs to take into account that evidence is based on cohorts that differ in ethnicity, pre‐transplant history, immunosuppressive regimen, definition of recurrence (eg, clinical and/or histological diagnosis) and treatment modalities of recurrence.
Post‐transplant hepatic fibrosis in pediatric liver‐small bowel transplant recipients: A single‐center, retrospective, observational study
Authors: Vo Hanh D. , Radio Stanley J. , Reyes‐Santiago Emille M. , Mauch Teri J.
Published: December 2020

Background

Little is known about the prevalence of hepatic graft fibrosis in combined LSBT children. We aimed to determine the prevalence of and identify potential predictors for hepatic graft fibrosis in LSBT children and to compare them with those in LT children.

Methods

We retrospectively included children younger than 19 years who had received a primary LT/LSBT between 2000 and 2018 and had a liver biopsy performed at least 6 months post‐transplant. A Cox proportional hazards regression model was used to determine predictors associated with significant hepatic graft fibrosis (≥F2) in LSBT vs LT children.

Results

Ninety‐six children (47 LSBT, 54 females) were included. The median post‐transplant follow‐up (years) was 12.8 in LT vs 10.5 in LSBT patients (P = .06). Hepatic graft fibrosis was found in 81.6% of LT vs 70.2% of LSBT children (P = .19), after a median time of 2.5 years and 2.6 years, respectively. On multivariate analyses, having post‐transplant biliary complications was found to be associated with significant graft fibrosis in LT children, whereas AST/ALT ratio was found to predict significant hepatic graft fibrosis in LSBT children. The use of parenteral nutrition after transplant was not associated with significant hepatic graft fibrosis.

Conclusions

The prevalence of hepatic graft fibrosis in LSBT children did not significantly differ from that in LT children, but the predictors may differ. Future studies should investigate the role of post‐transplant autoimmune antibodies and donor‐specific antibodies in the development and progression of hepatic graft fibrosis in LSBT children.
Politics and Corporate‐Sector Environmentally Significant Actions: The Effects of Political Partisanship on U.S. Utilities Energy Efficiency Policies
Authors: Adua Lazarus , Clark Brett
Published: December 2020

This study assesses the direct, indirect, and total impacts of political partisanship on state‐level utilities' investment in energy efficiency. This subject is of utmost importance because energy efficiency improvement has become a linchpin in worldwide efforts to combat climate change and other environmental challenges. Analysis of data on 51 electric utilities nested within 31 U.S. states indicates that political partisanship influences utilities' energy efficiency policies. There is strong evidence that electric utilities in states dominated by the Republican Party are less likely to invest in energy efficiency than those in states governed by the Democratic Party. This finding suggests that political partisanship may be shaping the policy and regulatory frameworks put in place by state governments to incentivize or compel the participation of private‐sector entities' in environmental management and/or resource conservation.
An evaluation of the geriatric dental curricula within Advanced Education in General Dentistry and General Practice Residency programs in the United States
Authors: Mueldener Emma J. , McQuistan Michelle R. , Qian Fang , Hartshorn Jennifer E. , Oishi Matthew M.
Published: December 2020

Aim

To compare the geriatric dentistry curricula between Advanced Education in General Dentistry (AEGD) and General Practice Residency (GPR) programs.

Methods

A 108‐item survey was developed to assess residents’ didactic and clinical experiences pertaining to geriatric patients. Surveys were mailed in 2018 to all AEGD (N = 89) and GPR (N = 180) program directors. Statistical analysis consisted of descriptive and bivariate analyses with the chi‐square test, Fisher's exact test, and the Wilcoxon rank sum test (alpha = .05).

Results

Twenty‐four AEGD and fifty‐eight GPR directors completed surveys (response rate = 30%). Seventy‐one percent of responding programs reported mandatory didactic training pertaining to frail and functionally dependent geriatric adults. Ninety‐nine percent of respondents reported that residents provided treatment to geriatric patients; however, they were less likely to perform procedures on frail and functionally dependent patients. Only 15% of respondents provided nursing home care. Considering all patient encounters, responding GPR programs were more likely than AEGD programs to treat patients using IV bisphosphonates (63% vs 25%; P < .01), undergoing chemotherapy (48% vs 16%; P = .02), and undergoing head and neck radiation therapy (55% vs 25%; P = .02).

Conclusion

A majority of responding AEGD and GPR programs reported providing educational experiences pertaining to geriatric patients; however, GPR programs reported treating more medically complex patients than AEGD programs.
Metabolic rejuvenation upgrades circulatory functions of red blood cells stored under blood bank conditions
Authors: Marin Mickaël , Roussel Camille , Dussiot Michael , Ndour Papa A. , Hermine Olivier , Colin Yves , Gray Alan , Landrigan Matt , Le Van Kim Caroline , Buffet Pierre A. , Amireault Pascal
Published: December 2020

Background

Red blood cells (RBC) change upon hypothermic conservation, and storage for 6 weeks is associated with the short‐term clearance of 15% to 20% of transfused RBCs. Metabolic rejuvenation applied to RBCs before transfusion replenishes energetic sources and reverses most storage‐related alterations, but how it impacts RBC circulatory functions has not been fully elucidated.

Study Design and Methods

Six RBC units stored under blood bank conditions were analyzed weekly for 6 weeks and rejuvenated on Day 42 with an adenine‐inosine–rich solution. Impact of storage and rejuvenation on adenosine triphosphate (ATP) levels, morphology, accumulation of storage‐induced microerythrocytes (SMEs), elongation under an osmotic gradient (by LORRCA), hemolysis, and phosphatidylserine (PS) exposure was evaluated. The impact of rejuvenation on filterability and adhesive properties of stored RBCs was also assessed.

Results

Rejuvenation of RBCs restored intracellular ATP to almost normal levels and decreased the PS exposure from 2.78% to 0.41%. Upon rejuvenation, the proportion of SME dropped from 28.2% to 9.5%, while the proportion of normal‐shaped RBCs (discocytes and echinocytes 1) increased from 47.7% to 67.1%. In LORCCA experiments, rejuvenation did not modify the capacity of RBCs to elongate and induced a reduction in cell volume. In functional tests, rejuvenation increased RBC filterability in a biomimetic splenic filter (+16%) and prevented their adhesion to endothelial cells (−87%).

Conclusion

Rejuvenation reduces the proportion of morphologically altered and adhesive RBCs that accumulate during storage. Along with the improvement in their filterability, these data show that rejuvenation improves RBC properties related to their capacity to persist in circulation after transfusion.
History of indigenous Trypanosomacruzi infection in humans, animals and triatomines in California, USA
Authors: Dye‐Braumuller Kyndall C. , Lynn Mary K. , Nolan Melissa S.
Published: December 2020

This historical review highlights previously undescribed potential foci for sylvatic and domestic locally acquired Chagas disease in California. The review starts in the 1910s, when Trypanosoma cruzi was first discovered through scientific triatomine investigations. Next, the natural transition around the mid‐1900s into clinical investigations of the domestic and peridomestic environments and their epidemiologic profiles is detailed. The review closes with the shift to applied genetic, diagnostic and scientific applications surrounding Chagas disease infected individuals in the state. Throughout the course of the review, transmission foci and their unique clinical and epidemiologic characteristics are described. This in‐depth review has merit for clinicians, veterinarians and public health officials working with vector‐borne diseases in the southwestern USA.
Effect of preoperative nutritional supplementation on postoperative outcomes for patients undergoing pancreaticoduodenectomy for cancer: a systematic review protocol
Authors: Dangen Jordyn , Porritt Kylie , Abbas Saleh
Published: December 2020

Objective:

This review aims to present the best available evidence related to the effect of preoperative nutritional supplementation on postoperative outcomes for patients undergoing pancreaticoduodenectomy for cancer.

Introduction:

Pancreaticoduodenectomy surgery is the only curative option for early head of pancreas and periampullary cancers. This complex, high-risk procedure is associated with significant morbidity, making opportunities to improve outcomes paramount. Nutritional supplementation in the preoperative period may enhance the body's ability to withstand the stress of major surgery and reduce postoperative complications.

Inclusion criteria:

This review will consider studies of patients undergoing pancreaticoduodenectomy for cancer who are provided preoperative nutritional supplementation in any form for a minimum of 48 hours. Randomized and quasi-randomized trials that compare any form of preoperative nutritional supplementation to standard care in these patients will be included. Outcome data will include hospital length of stay, mortality, infections, delayed gastric emptying, pancreatic fistula, anastomotic leak, hemorrhage, weight loss, body mass index, serum albumin, lymphocyte levels, and nutrition risk index score.

Methods:

Electronic databases (PubMed, Scopus, CINAHL, and Cochrane Library) and trial registers will be searched for published and unpublished articles. All articles from database inception to present, published in any language will be included. One reviewer will perform the literature search, screen texts for inclusion, and extract data. Two authors will assess methodological quality of the literature using the JBI critical appraisal tool. Authors will be contacted where additional data or clarification is required. Statistical meta-analysis through synthesis and pooling of data for each intervention will be completed where meaningful.

Systematic review registration number:

PROSPERO CRD42020215307
The Nature of the Body in Sport and Physical Culture: From Bodies and Environments to Ecological Embodiment
Authors: King Samantha , Weedon Gavin
Published: December 2020

This article raises the ecological substance and relational co-constitution of bodies as a generative question for sociologists of sport and physical culture. It proceeds from our observation that recent research on the materiality of athletic bodies, and on the environmental issues in which sport is implicated, tends to run on parallel tracks. By exploring how biological, environmental, and social natures cohere in the making and unmaking of healthy bodies, our aim is to connect and extend these vibrant areas of research. We do so by developing the concept of “ecological embodiment,” a descriptor for a fluid state of becoming and a sensibility for thinking about hierarchical socioecological entanglements. To illustrate this concept, we draw on a study of whey protein powder, a key ingredient in contemporary fitness cultures.
A health economist confronts Kenya's pandemic
Authors: Nordling Linda
Published: December 2020

Edwine Barasa helps guide the government's response with data—and quiet persistence
Fast-spreading U.K. virus variant raises alarms
Authors: Kupferschmidt Kai
Published: December 2020

Scientists are scrambling to better understand effects of a series of worrisome mutations
Why polyamide reverse-osmosis membranes work so well
Authors: Geise Geoffrey M.
Published: December 2020

Inhomogeneities in membrane thickness and density promote water transport
Detecting oxygen changes in the lungs
Authors: Zacharias William
Published: December 2020

Lung airway basal stem cells directly sense changes in oxygenation, driving lung regeneration
Thermodynamics and the matter of life
Every Life Is on Fire: How Thermodynamics Explains the Origins of Living Things
Jeremy England
Basic Books, 2020. 272 pp.
Authors: Mukamel Eran A. , Glaser Amelia M.
Published: December 2020

A scientist considers life's genesis through the physics of Exodus
Hafnia alveipneumonia: a rare cause of infection in the multimorbid or immunocompromised
Authors: Begbey Austin , Guppy Joseph Henry , Mohan Chithra , Webster Simon
Published: December 2020

Hafnia alveiis a rare, poorly understood commensal bacterium which has, on occasion, been shown to infect humans. We present two cases. The first patient presented with a 1-week history of dyspnoea, pleurisy and a productive cough, and the second with a prodrome of fatigue and night sweats. The former had a history of severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and the latter had a history of Crohn’s disease. Both patients had underlying comorbidities and immunosuppression, but differed in presentation, radiological findings and recovery. This case series aims to remind readers of the broad differential of pathogens that can lead to disease in the immunocompromised and that one should not dismiss atypical cultured bacteria as commensal too hastily.
SAFE, a new therapeutic intervention for families of children with autism: a randomised controlled feasibility trial
Authors: McKenzie Rebecca , Dallos Rudi , Stedmon Jacqui , Hancocks Helen , Vickery Patricia Jane , Barton Andy , Vassallo Tara , Myhill Craig , Chynoweth Jade , Ewings Paul
Published: December 2020

Objectives

To establish the feasibility of a definitive randomised controlled trial of Systemic Autism-related Family Enabling (SAFE), an intervention for families of children with autism.

Design

A randomised, controlled, multicentred feasibility study.

Setting

Participants were identified from three National Health Service (NHS) diagnosing centres in Plymouth and Cornwall and a community pathway.

Participants

34 families of a child with a diagnosis of autism severity level 1 or 2 between 3 and 16 years. Four families were lost to follow-up.

Interventions

SAFE is a manualised five-session family therapy-based intervention delivered over 16 weeks and designed for families of children with autism. SAFE involves families attending five 3-hour sessions led by systemic practitioners.

Primary and secondary outcome measures

The proposed primary outcome measure was the Systemic CORE 15 (SCORE-15). Proposed secondary outcome measures: Patient Health Questionnaire-Somatic Anxiety Depressive Symptoms, the Coding of Attachment-Related Parenting for use with children with Autism, the Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL), the Reflective Functioning Questionnaire (RFQ) and the Caregiving Helplessness Questionnaire. Outcome measures were collected at baseline and 24 weeks post randomisation.

Results

All primary caregivers retained in the study completed the SCORE-15 at both time points. 34 of the target of 36 families were recruited and 88% of families were retained. Training for therapists was effective. Feedback revealed willingness to undergo randomisation. There was 100% attendance at appropriate sessions for core family members. The SCORE-15 showed reduction in scores for families receiving SAFE compared with controls suggesting positive change. Qualitative data also revealed that families found the study acceptable and families receiving SAFE experienced positive change. Feedback indicated that the SCORE-15 should be retained as a primary measure in a future trial, but secondary measures should be reduced.

Conclusions

This study indicates that a larger trial of SAFE is feasible. Findings suggest that SAFE can address current gaps in recommended care, can be confidently delivered by NHS staff and has potential as a beneficial treatment.

Trial registration numbers

ISCTRN83964946 and IRAS213527.
Why some women who attend focused antenatal care fail to deliver in health facilities: a qualitative study of women’s perspectives from slums of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Authors: Sendo Endalew G , Chauke M E , Ganga-Limando M
Published: December 2020

Objective

The purpose of this study was to explore why some women who attend focused antenatal care (FANC) fail to deliver in health facilities from slums of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Setting

Public health facilities (three health centres and one district hospital).

Study design

A qualitative exploratory and descriptive research design was used.

Study participants

Study participants comprised women of reproductive age (18–49 years) living in slum areas of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. We used 20 in-depth audio-recorded interviews. Data were analysed concurrently with data collection. Thematic analysis was done for the study. A multilevel life-course framework of facility-based delivery in low-income and middle-income countries developed by Bohren et al was used to frame the current study and link the findings of the study to the body of knowledge.

Results

From the analysis of in-depth interview data, four themes emerged, namely, perceived benefits of home delivery, knowledge deficit about health facility-based delivery, poor access to healthcare facilities and inadequate (demand side) resources. These themes were identified as rich and detailed accounts of the perspectives of facility-based and home delivery among attendees of FANC in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Conclusion

The findings of this qualitative study revealed that perceived benefits of home delivery, knowledge deficit about health facility-based delivery, poor access to healthcare facilities and inadequate (demand side) resources were related to low uptake of facility-based delivery services. Use of ANC visits to advise women about birth preparedness and complication readiness, the use of facility deliveries to reduce risks of home delivery to the mother and the newborn should be stressed.
Risk of colectomy after conservative treatment of diverticulitis of the left hemicolon complicated by abdominal or pelvic abscess: protocol of a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Sohn Maximilian , Agha Ayman , Iesalnieks Igors , Tiefes Anna , Hochrein Alfred , Friess Helmut , Wilhelm Dirk , Schorn Stephan
Published: December 2020

Introduction

Acute diverticulitis of the sigmoid colon is increasingly treated by a non-operative approach. The need for colectomy after recovery from a flare of acute diverticulitis of the left colon, complicated diverticular abscess is still controversial. The primary aim of this study is to assess the risk of interval emergency surgery by systematic review and meta-analysis.

Methods and analysis

The systematic review and meta-analysis will be conducted in accordance to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocols statement. PubMed/MEDLINE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and EMBASE will be screened for the predefined searching term: (Diverticulitis OR Diverticulum) AND (Abscess OR pelvic abscess OR pericolic abscess OR intraabdominal abscess) AND (surgery OR operation OR sigmoidectomy OR drainage OR percutaneous drainage OR conservative therapy OR watchful waiting). All studies published in an English or German-speaking peer-reviewed journal will be suitable for this analysis. Case reports, case series of less than five patients, studies without follow-up information, systematic and non-systematic reviews and meta-analyses will be excluded. Primary endpoint is the rate of interval emergency surgery. Using the Review Manager Software (Review Manager/RevMan, V.5.3, Copenhagen, The Nordic Cochrane Centre, The Cochrane Collaboration, 2012) meta-analysis will be pooled using the Mantel-Haenszel method for random effects. The Risk of Bias in Non-randomized Studies of Interventions tool will be used to assess methodological quality of non-randomised studies. Risk of bias in randomised studies will be assessed using the Cochrane developed RoB 2-tool.

Ethics and dissemination

As no new data are being collected, ethical approval is exempt for this study. This systematic review is to provide a new insight on the need for surgical treatment after a first attack of acute diverticulitis, complicated by intra-abdominal or pelvic abscesses. The results of this study will be presented at national and international meetings and published in a peer-reviewed journal.

PROSPERO registration number

CRD42020164813.
In-situ synthesis of KCu7S4 nanowires array on nickel foam for high performance supercapacitor
Authors: Xue Yonggang , Zhang Yu , Yang Rui , Zhang Kaiyou , Qin Aimiao , Chen Shuoping , Wu Liting
Published: December 2020

An amazing KCu7S4 nanowire array structure in-situ grown on Ni foam skeleton was fabricated. The morphology and size of KCu7S4 nanowire array can be adjusted by temperature and additive (ethylene glycol). The unique structure and suitable size of KCu7S4 nanowire array greatly facilitate the charge transport of the electrode material and electrolyte, providing more active sites for redox reaction, which perfectly demonstrates the excellent electrochemical performance of the KCu7S4 electrode material. The KCu7S4 nanowire array with adding ethylene glycol in the synthesis process exhibits high specific capacitance of 2.57 F cm[Formula: see text] (807 F g[Formula: see text] at a current density of 3 mA cm[Formula: see text], good cycling stability with 80% retention at 10 mA cm[Formula: see text] for 1000 cycles and high energy density of 40.55 Wh kg[Formula: see text] at a power density of 185 W kg[Formula: see text]. Moreover, the investigation demonstrates the great potential application of KCu7S4 nanowire array in supercapacitors.
Spline approximation method for singularly perturbed differential-difference equation on nonuniform grids
Authors: Mushahary P. , Sahu S. R. , Mohapatra J.
Published: December 2020

In this paper, a second-order singularly perturbed differential-difference equation involving mixed shifts is considered. At first, through Taylor series approximation, the original model is reduced to an equivalent singularly perturbed differential equation. Then, the model is treated by using the hybrid finite difference scheme on different types of layer adapted meshes like Shishkin mesh, Bakhvalov–Shishkin mesh and Vulanović mesh. Here, the hybrid scheme consists of a cubic spline approximation in the fine mesh region and a midpoint upwind scheme in the coarse mesh region. The error analysis is carried out and it is shown that the proposed scheme is of second-order convergence irrespective of the perturbation parameter. To display the efficacy and accuracy of the proposed scheme, some numerical experiments are presented which support the theoretical results.
Deterministic APSP, Orthogonal Vectors, and More
Authors: Chan Timothy M. , Williams R. Ryan
Published: December 2020

We show how to solve all-pairs shortest paths on
n
nodes in
deterministic
n
3>
/2>
Ω
( √ log
n
) time, and how to count the pairs of orthogonal vectors among
n
0−1 vectors in
d
=
c
log
n
dimensions in
deterministic
n

2−1/
O
(log
c
)

time. These running times essentially match the best known randomized algorithms of Williams [46] and Abboud, Williams, and Yu [8], respectively, and the ability to count was open even for randomized algorithms. By reductions, these two results yield faster deterministic algorithms for many other problems. Our techniques can also be used to deterministically count
k
-satisfiability (
k
-SAT) assignments on
n
variable formulas in 2

n
-
n
/
O
(
k
)

time, roughly matching the best known running times for detecting satisfiability and resolving an open problem of Santhanam [24].

A key to our constructions is an efficient way to deterministically simulate certain probabilistic polynomials critical to the algorithms of prior work, carefully applying small-biased sets and modulus-amplifying polynomials.
Creating and Evaluating Chatbots as Eligibility Assistants for Clinical Trials
Authors: Chuan Ching-Hua , Morgan Susan
Published: December 2020

Clinical trials are important tools to improve knowledge about the effectiveness of new treatments for all diseases, including cancers. However, studies show that fewer than 5% of cancer patients are enrolled in any type of research study or clinical trial. Although there is a wide variety of reasons for the low participation rate, we address this issue by designing a chatbot to help users determine their eligibility via interactive, two-way communication. The chatbot is supported by a user-centered classifier that uses an active deep learning approach to separate complex eligibility criteria into questions that can be easily answered by users and information that requires verification by their doctors. We collected all the available clinical trial eligibility criteria from the National Cancer Institute's website to evaluate the chatbot and the classifier. Experimental results show that the active deep learning classifier outperforms the baseline k-nearest neighbor method. In addition, an in-person experiment was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the chatbot. The results indicate that the participants who used the chatbot achieved better understanding about eligibility than those who used only the website. Furthermore, interfaces with chatbots were rated significantly better in terms of perceived usability, interactivity, and dialogue.
Social-sensed Image Aesthetics Assessment
Authors: Cui Chaoran , Lin Peiguang , Nie Xiushan , Jian Muwei , Yin Yilong
Published: December 2020

Image aesthetics assessment aims to endow computers with the ability to judge the aesthetic values of images, and its potential has been recognized in a variety of applications. Most previous studies perform aesthetics assessment purely based on image content. However, given the fact that aesthetic perceiving is a human cognitive activity, it is necessary to consider users’ perception of an image when judging its aesthetic quality. In this article, we regard users’ social behavior as the reflection of their perception of images and harness these additional clues to improve image aesthetics assessment. Specifically, we first merge the raw social interactions between users and images into clusters as the social labels of images, so the collective social behavioral information associated with an image can be well represented over a structured and compact space. Then, we develop a novel deep multi-task network to jointly learn social labels in different modalities from social images and apply it to common web images. In this manner, our approach is readily generalized to web images without social behavioral information. Finally, we introduce a high-level fusion sub-network to the aesthetics model, in which the social and visual representations of images are well balanced for aesthetics assessment. Experimental results on two benchmark datasets well verify the effectiveness of our approach and highlight the benefits of different types of social behavioral information for image aesthetics assessment.
Fine-grained Complexity Analysis of Two Classic TSP Variants
Authors: Berg Mark de , Buchin Kevin , Jansen Bart M. P. , Woeginger Gerhard
Published: December 2020

We analyze two classic variants of the T
RAVELING
S
ALESMAN
P
ROBLEM
(
TSP
) using the toolkit of fine-grained complexity.

Our first set of results is motivated by the B
ITONIC TSP
problem: given a set of 
n
points in the plane, compute a shortest tour consisting of two monotone chains. It is a classic dynamic-programming exercise to solve this problem in 
O
(
n
2
) time. While the near-quadratic dependency of similar dynamic programs for L
ONGEST
C
OMMON
S
UBSEQUENCE
and D
ISCRETE
F
réchet
D
istance
has recently been proven to be essentially optimal under the Strong Exponential Time Hypothesis, we show that bitonic tours can be found in subquadratic time. More precisely, we present an algorithm that solves bitonic TSP in
O
(
n
log
2
n
) time and its bottleneck version in
O
(
n
log
3
n
) time. In the more general pyramidal TSP problem, the points to be visited are labeled 1,… ,
n
and the sequence of labels in the solution is required to have at most one local maximum. Our algorithms for the bitonic (bottleneck) TSP problem also work for the pyramidal TSP problem in the plane.

Our second set of results concerns the popular
k
-
OPT
heuristic for TSP in the graph setting. More precisely, we study the
k
-
OPT
decision problem, which asks whether a given tour can be improved by a
k
-
OPT
move that replaces
k
edges in the tour by
k
new edges. A simple algorithm solves
k
-
OPT
in 
O
(
n

k

) time for fixed 
k
. For 2-
OPT
, this is easily seen to be optimal. For 
k
=3, we prove that an algorithm with a runtime of the form Õ(
n
3−ɛ
) exists if and only if A
LL
-P
AIRS
S
HORTEST
P
ATHS
in weighted digraphs has such an algorithm. For general
k
-
OPT
, it is known that a runtime of
f
(
k
) ·
n

o
(
k
/ log
k
)

would contradict the Exponential Time Hypothesis. The results for
k
=2,3 may suggest that the actual time complexity of
k
-
OPT
is Θ (
n

k

). We show that this is not the case, by presenting an algorithm that finds the best
k
-move in 
O
(
n

⌊ 2
k
/3 ⌋+1

) time for fixed 
k
≥ 3. This implies that 4-
OPT
can be solved in 
O
(
n
3
) time, matching the best-known algorithm for 3-
OPT
. Finally, we show how to beat the quadratic barrier for
k
=2 in two important settings, namely, for points in the plane and when we want to solve 2-
OPT
repeatedly.
A Framework Design for Information Management in Heritage Science Laboratories
Authors: Bordalo Rui , Bottaini Carlo , Candeias António
Published: December 2020

The dataflow in any scientific research laboratory is continuous and considerable even in analytical niches such as heritage science laboratories. This article discusses advantages of using a Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) for organising and systematising research in an interdisciplinary analytical laboratory. LIMS solutions are proven to be effective in managing laboratories, organising their daily management tasks, improving work conditions and increasing productivity, managing equipment and resources, and managing and safeguarding scientific data. LIMS software is commercially available since the 1990s with over a hundred software packages intended either for general or specific purposes. However, the ones currently available do not fulfil all the requirements for heritage science or are over-the-top, complex, one-fits-all standard solutions. The system here proposed was developed for a heritage science laboratory, considering its unique requirements, having as a case study the HERCULES Lab, from the University of Évora (Portugal). This article documents our approach based on the analysis of the unique requirements for the lab resulting in a proposal of a custom user-centred web-based system. For this, we discuss in detail the workflow, and the required system architecture. We conclude that although it is a small niche market for major manufacturers to dwell on, a custom LIMS is of the utmost importance for the current management of heritage science laboratories across the globe.
Differentially Private Tensor Train Deep Computation for Internet of Multimedia Things
Authors: Gati Nicholaus J. , Yang Laurence T. , Feng Jun , Mo Yijun , Alazab Mamoun
Published: December 2020

The significant growth of the Internet of Things (IoT) takes a key and active role in healthcare, smart homes, smart manufacturing, and wearable gadgets. Due to complexness and difficulty in processing multimedia data, the IoT based scheme, namely Internet of Multimedia Things (IoMT) exists that is specialized for services and applications based on multimedia data. However, IoMT generated data are facing major processing and privacy issues. Therefore, tensor-based deep computation models proved a better platform to process IoMT generated data. A differentially private deep computation method working in the tensor space can attest to its efficacy for IoMT. Nevertheless, the deep computation model comprises a multitude of parameters; thus, it requires large units of memory and expensive computing units with higher performance levels, which hinders its performance for IoMT. Motivated by this, therefore, the paper proposes a deep private tensor train autoencoder (dPTTAE) technique to deal with IoMT generated data. Notably, the compression of weight tensors to manageable tensor train format is achieved through Tensor Train (TT) network. Moreover, TT format parameters are trained through higher-order back-propagation and gradient descent. We applied dPTTAE on three representative datasets. Comprehensive experimental evaluations and theoretical analysis show that dPTTAE enhances training time efficiency, and greatly improve memory utilization efficiency, attesting its potential for IoMT.
Designing Visual Markers for Continuous Artificial Intelligence Support
Authors: van Berkel Niels , Ahmad Omer F. , Stoyanov Danail , Lovat Laurence , Blandford Ann
Published: December 2020

Colonoscopy, the visual inspection of the large bowel using an endoscope, offers protection against colorectal cancer by allowing for the detection and removal of pre-cancerous polyps. The literature on polyp detection shows widely varying miss rates among clinicians, with averages ranging around 22%--27%. While recent work has considered the use of AI support systems for polyp detection, how to visualise and integrate these systems into clinical practice is an open question. In this work, we explore the design of visual markers as used in an AI support system for colonoscopy. Supported by the gastroenterologists in our team, we designed seven unique visual markers and rendered them on real-life patient video footage. Through an online survey targeting relevant clinical staff (
N
= 36), we evaluated these designs and obtained initial insights and understanding into the way in which clinical staff envision AI to integrate in their daily work-environment. Our results provide concrete recommendations for the future deployment of AI support systems in continuous, adaptive scenarios.
MV2Flow
Authors: Hu Hezhen , Zhou Wengang , Li Xingze , Yan Ning , Li Houqiang
Published: December 2020

In video action recognition, motion is a very crucial clue, which is usually represented by optical flow. However, optical flow is computationally expensive to obtain, which becomes the bottleneck for the efficiency of traditional action recognition algorithms. In this article, we propose a network called MV2Flow to learn motion representation efficiently from the signals in the compressed domain. To learn the network, three losses are defined. First, we select the classical TV-L1 flow as proxy ground truth to guide the learning. Besides, an unsupervised image reconstruction loss is proposed to further refine it. Moreover, toward the task of action recognition, the above two losses are combined with a motion content loss. To evaluate our approach, extensive experiments on two benchmark datasets UCF-101 and HMDB-51 are conducted. The motion representation generated with our MV2Flow has shown comparable classification performance on action recognition with TV-L1 flow, while operating at an over 200× faster speed. Based on our MV2Flow and 2D-CNN-based network, we have achieved state-of-the-art performance in the compressed domain. With 3D-CNN-based network, we also achieve comparable accuracy with higher inference speed than methods in the decoded domain setting.
Machine Learning for the Built Heritage Archaeological Study
Authors: Mesanza-Moraza Amaia , García-Gómez Ismael , Azkarate Agustín
Published: December 2020

The presence of artificial intelligence in our lives is increasing and being applied to fields such as medicine, engineering, telecommunications, remote sensing and 3D visualization. Nevertheless, it has never been used for the stratigraphic study of historical buildings. Thus far, archaeologists and architects, the experts in archaeology of architecture, have led this research. The method consisted of visually—and, consequently, subjectively—identifying certain evidence regarding the elevations of such buildings that could be a consequence of the passage of time. In this article, we would like to present the results from one of the research projects pursued by our group, in which we automated the stratigraphic study of some historic buildings using multivariate statistic techniques. To this end, we first measured the building using surveying techniques to create a 3D model, and then, we broke down every stone into qualitative and quantitative variables. To identify the stratigraphic features on the walls, we applied machine learning by conducting different predictive and descriptive analyses. The predictive analyses were used to rule out any blocks of stone with different characteristics, such as rough stones, joint ashlars, and voussoirs of arches; these are irregularities that probably show building processes and whose identification is crucial in ascertaining the structural evolution of the building. In supervised learning, we experimented with decision trees and random forest—and although the results were good in all cases, we ultimately opted to implement the predictive model obtained using the last one. While identifying the evidence on the walls, it was also very important to identify different continuity solutions or interfaces present on them, because although these are elements without materiality, they are of great value in terms of timescale, because they delimit different strata and allow us to deduce the relationship between them.
PSINES
Authors: Cumin Julien , Lefebvre Grégoire , Ramparany Fano , Crowley James L.
Published: December 2020

Autonomy and adaptability are essential components of ambient intelligence. For example, in smart homes, proactive acting and occupants advising, adapted to current and future contexts of living, are essential to go beyond limitations of previous domotic services. To reach such autonomy and adaptability, ambient systems need to automatically grasp their users’ ambient context. In particular, users’ activities and availabilities for communication are valuable pieces of contextual information that can help such systems to adapt to user needs and behaviours. While significant research work exists on activity recognition in homes, less attention has been given to prediction of future activities, as well as to availability recognition and prediction in general. In this article, we investigate several Dynamic Bayesian Network (DBN) architectures for activity and availability prediction of occupants in homes, including our novel model, called Past SItuations to predict the NExt Situation (PSINES). This predictive architecture utilizes context information, sensor event aggregations, and latent user cognitive states to accurately predict future home situations based on previous situations. We experimentally evaluate PSINES, as well as intermediate DBN architectures, on multiple state-of-the-art datasets, with prediction accuracies of up to 89.52% for activity and 82.08% for availability on the Orange4Home dataset.
Retrieval Evaluation Measures that Agree with Users’ SERP Preferences
Authors: Sakai Tetsuya , Zeng Zhaohao
Published: December 2020

We examine the “goodness” of ranked retrieval evaluation measures in terms of how well they align with users’ Search Engine Result Page (SERP) preferences for web search. The SERP preferences cover 1,127 topic-SERP-SERP triplets extracted from the NTCIR-9 INTENT task, reflecting the views of 15 different assessors. Each assessor made two SERP preference judgements for each triplet: one in terms of relevance and the other in terms of diversity. For each evaluation measure, we compute the Agreement Rate (AR) of each triplet: the proportion of assessors that agree with the measure’s SERP preference. We then compare the mean ARs of the measures as well as those of best/median/worst assessors using Tukey HSD tests. Our first experiment compares traditional ranked retrieval measures based on the SERP relevance preferences: we find that normalised Discounted Cumulative Gain (nDCG) and intentwise Rank-biased Utility (iRBU) perform best in that they are the only measures that are statistically indistinguishable from our best assessor; nDCG also statistically significantly outperforms our median assessor. Our second experiment utilises 119,646 document preferences that we collected for a subset of the above topic-SERP-SERP triplets (containing 894 triplets) to compare preference-based evaluation measures as well as traditional ones. Again, we evaluate them based on the SERP relevance preferences. The results suggest that measures such as wpref5 are the most promising among the preference-based measures considered, although they underperform the best traditional measures such as nDCG on average. Our third experiment compares diversified search measures based on the SERP diversity preferences as well as the SERP relevance preferences, and it shows that D♯-measures are clearly the most reliable: in particular, D♯-nDCG and D♯-RBP statistically significantly outperform the median assessor and all intent-aware measures; they also outperform the recently proposed RBU on average. Also, in terms of agreement with SERP diversity preferences, D♯-nDCG statistically significantly outperforms RBU. Hence, if IR researchers want to use evaluation measures that align well with users’ SERP preferences, then we recommend nDCG and iRBU for traditional search, and D♯-measures such as D♯-nDCG for diversified search. As for document preference-based measures that we have examined, we do not have a strong reason to recommended them over traditional measures like nDCG, since they align slightly less well with users’ SERP preferences despite their quadratic assessment cost.
High School Calculus and Computer Science Course Taking as Predictors of Success in Introductory College Computer Science
Authors: Chen Chen , Kang Jane M. , Sonnert Gerhard , Sadler Philip M.
Published: December 2020

Success in an introductory college computer science (CS) course encourages students to major and pursue careers in computer science and many other STEM fields, whereas weak performance is often a powerful deterrent. This article examines the role of high school course taking (AP, regular, or none) in mathematics and in CS as predictors of later success in college introductory computer science courses, measured by students’ final grades. Using a sample of 9,418 students from a stratified random sample of 118 U.S. colleges and universities, we found that the observed advantage of taking AP calculus over taking AP CS, seen in an uncontrolled model, was largely confounded by students’ background characteristics. After applying multinomial propensity score weighting, we estimated that the effects of taking AP calculus and AP CS on college CS grades were similar. Interestingly, enrollment in both AP calculus and AP CS did not have any additional positive effect, suggesting that both AP calculus and AP CS strengthened similar skills that are important for long-term CS achievement. Taking regular CS did not have a significant effect; taking regular calculus had a positive effect, about half the size of taking AP calculus or AP CS. Thus, the study showed that simply exposing students to any kind of CS course before college does not appear to be sufficient for improving college CS performance; and that advanced CS and advanced calculus in high school may substitute for each other in the preparation of college CS.
Quantification of true lumen helical morphology and chirality in type B aortic dissections
Authors: Bondesson Johan , Suh Ga-Young , Lundh Torbjörn , Dake Michael D. , Lee Jason T. , Cheng Christopher P.
Published: December 2020

A novel definition of helical propagation of type B aortic dissections reveals a distinct bimodality, with the true lumen being either achiral (nonhelical) or exclusively right-handed. This right-handed chirality is consistent with anatomic and physiological phenomena such as right-handed twist during left ventricle contraction, helical blood flow, and tissue fiber direction. The helical character of aortic dissections may be useful for pathology research, diagnostics, treatment selection, therapeutic durability prediction, and aortic device design.