bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Bond Strength, Hardness, and Microstructure Analysis of Stellite Coating Applied on 410 Steel Surface Using Flame Spray, Plasma Spray, and High-Velocity Oxyfuel Spray Process
Authors: Widya Satya Nail , Mudiantoro Sunoto , Winarto Winarto
Published: October 2020

Three thermal spray methods often used in industry are flame spray, plasma spray, and high-velocity oxyfuel (HVOF) spray. This research is intended to compare the properties of those methods in depositing Stellite coating on 410 martensitic stainless steel. The results showed that both plasma spray and HVOF coating show an even deposition, which could not be achieved by a flame spray method. Those three coatings meet manufacture minimum bond strength requirements. The highest bond strength and hardness were provided by the HVOF process with a value of 33.1 MPa and 719 HV, respectively. According to bond strength and standard hardness deviation, the HVOF process gives the most homogeneous coating. Substrate hardness just below the coating interface after flame spray, plasma spray, and HVOF process are raised by 236%, 56%, and 65% each from the specification. HVOF coating has the best cross section compared to others. Smallest porosity percentage, porosity size, and average interface unbonding is got by the HVOF process, with a value of 0.2%, 7.2 um, and 31%, respectively. Coating microstructure after etching shows phases related to heat input during application. The dendritic structure is observed on flame spray and plasma spray coating after etching but not on HVOF coating. Oxides and carbides of both cobalt and chrome are formed in the coating.
Study on the Effect of Volume Fraction (Vf%) SiC Addition to The Characteristics of Mg-Al-Sr / SiC Composites Using Stir Casting Method
Authors: Ramadhan Ronan , Zulfia Anne
Published: October 2020

In this study a magnesium metal matrix composite fabrication process was carried out combined with Al-15Sr alloy which will create intermetallic phases of Mg17Al12 and Mg58Al38Sr4. Reinforce material that is used for this study is SiC with an amount of 2, 4, 6, 8 vf%. Stir casting is used as the fabrication method as it doesn’t require much maintenance and relatively cheap. Argon is used as a shielding gas so oxidation does not occur to magnesium and prevent combustion. The composite is then casted into a SKD 61 metal mold and then cooled so it can be characterized by the various tests it will go through. SiC is added as the reinforcement material in hopes to increase the mechanical properties of the composite. This can be seen when the composite go through a number of tests, including microstructure analysis, SEM, XRD testing, and various mechanical tests. Through this procedure is it then concluded that composite with 6 vf% SiC is the optimum amount of reinforce material which results in UTS of 51,09 MPa, hardness of 73 HRH, impact strength of 0.0367 J/mm2 and abrasion rate of 5.68 x 10−3 mm3/m.
Process Mining with Applications to Automotive Industry
Authors: Siek Michael , Malik Gunadharma Mukti Ryan
Published: October 2020

Process mining as a modeling and analysis tool can be used to improve the business performance by looking at the actual business processes. This paper presents the applications of process mining in automotive industry. Using event log data with timestamps, process mining algorithms, like inductive miner and fuzzy miner were able to automatically generate car manufacturing processes, automatically checking the conformance between the actual processes and the predefined standard ones, and identify and solve any bottlenecks and issues in the car manufacturing processes. A number of car manufacturing issues were considered in this research, such as process delays, stagnant workflow, mismanagement, faulty production and labor insufficiency. The modeling and statistical results show promising leverage of process mining in automotive industry that can lead to the autonomous car manufacturing with abilities for real-time process auditing and reengineering.
Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy Study of LiFePO4/Li during Discharging Process
Authors: Sudaryanto  , Purwamargapratala Yustinus , Yulianti Evi , Honggowiranto Wagiyo , Kartini Evvy
Published: October 2020

Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) study has been applied to investigate the electrochemical properties of LiFePO4/Li half-cell at initial state (before and after charge/discharge process), and a certain dept of discharge (DoD). The impedance spectra were collected over the frequency range from 42 Hz to 5 MHz. The EIS spectra of LiFePO4/Li half-cell show the appearance of semicircles in which the diameter increased with DoD. An equivalent circuit was constructed to each spectrum in order to elucidate to electrochemical properties changes of LiFePO4/Li half-cell battery as function of DoD. The information of bulk and interfacial resistances are obtained by modeling with the equivalent circuits according with the Nyquist plots of each spectrum. The experiment results show the increase in the resistance of LiFePO4/Li half-cell with the DoD.
A Single Stage 1 Switched Capacitor 7S-7L using Different PWM Topologies for Harmonics Reduction
Authors: Nagulmeeravali Shaik , Balaji K
Published: October 2020

Design and analysis of single-stage 1 Switched Capacitor (SC) boost 7Switch 7-Level (7S-7L) inverter for attaining higher voltage levels with reduced switches count using various PWM techniques is presented. PD, POD, APOD, VF, and CO is different PWM techniques which used to control the switches in the SC circuit. The main objective of this analysis is to reduce the existing drawbacks as increased switches count, high % of Total Harmonic Distortion (THD), and typical PWM control method. Single-stage SC-based boost converter topology in Multi-Level Inverter (MLI) that resolves the existing problem. Single source, two capacitors, and the voltage gain ratio of 4 are attained from the presented topology without the transformer. Furthermore, comparisons are made between the existing parameters such as THD value, voltage levels, and proposed THD, voltage levels with different PWM techniques. SC-based 7L inverter is implemented, in order to compare the performance of proposed better than the existing 5-level MLI and 5-level SC-MLI inverter, and THD is compared with various PWM techniques and 0.9 modulation index. The performance of the proposed method is validated through the simulation results using MATLAB/Simulink.
Cascaded Multi-Level Inverter with APOD Based PV System for Induction Motor using DTFC Control
Authors: Murugesan R , SendhilKumar N C
Published: October 2020

In this paper cascaded multi-level inverter based APOD control is designed to achieve harmonic reduction based on induction motor (IM) application which is fed by switched inductor quasi-Z source inverter (SL-qZSI) is proposed. The control method of proposed induction motor is controlled by direct torque and flux control (DTFC). The proposed converter qZSI is achieving the DC link voltage with improvement and to maintain the constant power supply. The proposed control technique for induction motor directs to reliability improvement and the capability of soft starting. The multi-level inverter with cascaded system is using with APOD control to reduce the total harmonic distortion in the supply voltage. The DTFC achieves the reduced settling time and stator inrush current reductions are achieved. The results and proposed system is analyzed and verified using MATLAB/Simulink environment.
Human Action recognition using STIP Evaluation techniques
Authors: Latha BM , Manjula BK , Venkata Sumana CH , Hemalatha KL
Published: October 2020

Human action recognition plays a big role in human-to-human interaction and interpersonal relations. As a result, it provides information regarding the identity of someone, their temperament, and condition, it’s tough to extract. Recognition of actions within the video isn’t a matter for human sensory system. The identification of the actions of the person by the system wants someone special mechanisms. The identification of the actions by the systems are going to be useful in computer vision method. This method is divided into low level action recognition process and high level recognition process. Recognizing the actions victimization the one feature values extracted goes under low level action recognition method. These method is simple to implement and that they don’t seem to be reliable all the time. The high level action recognition method needs some special hardware’s to discover the actions within the video. The experimental results proved that the proposed methodology achieved better performance in terms of accuracy, sensitivity and specificity.
Colour Image Encryption using Expand-Shrink Operation in Chaos Encryption Algorithm
Authors: Rashmi P , Supriya M C , Kiran
Published: October 2020

In recent decades, chaos based encryption algorithm is widely used in image encryption. Most of the chaos based encryption algorithm operate at bit level, which is ineffective in high resolution digital images. In this research paper, a new colour image encryption algorithm is proposed by using expand-shrink operation for confusion and diffusion operation in chaos algorithm. The proposed algorithm consists of confusion-diffusion strategy operated at pixel level. Original colour image is expanded based on intrinsic features of bit planes. Expanded image undergo confusion diffusion operation using Hilbert scan method. In addition, for diffusion operation uses circle map that generates random image. In the experimental section, the proposed algorithm achieved better performance in image encryption on various digital images.
An Approach for Pose Invariant Face Recognition System Using Log-Gabor Feature
Authors: Shettar Madhura S , Byahatti Poornima
Published: October 2020

Biometrics is the process based on humans’ characters like behavioural and physical. Among the biometrics traits, face recognition has attained much importance for the authentication of individuals. Face recognition with pose variation is one of the major challenges among the illumination and expression. The system is widely used as surveillance which can withstand in places like ATMs, Airports, and Streets to track the criminals. The face recognizing mainly depends on the feature extraction from the face. Project aim is to extract those features which are invariant even though the pose changes. In the proposed work face recognition by using Log Gabor features is addressed. Firstly, colour images with variation in poses are captured followed by the extraction of facial features components like eyes, nose, mouth, and chin through Log Gabor features. The identification of the person is done using KNN classifier where the matching is carried out by calculating the Euclidean distance between the training and test pairs. Finally, experimental results show the performance of the system for different number of the users.
Classification of Diabetic Retinopathy using Residual Neural Network
Authors: Priyadharsini C , Jeyapriya J , Jagadeesh Kannan R , Bharadwaja Kumar G , Prasad Sakriki Tulasi
Published: October 2020

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) in patients affects retina function owing to chronic elevated excessive blood glucose rates. The DR is a severe medical disorder. Patients with diabetes are easily prone to this medical complication which when not detected and treated at earlier stages, leads to vision loss. Globally, diabetes mellitus is the fifth leading cause of vision loss. So, active research is being conducted in this area to find novel ways in identifying the stages of DR. Specific image recognition methods and computer simulation algorithms were initially used to classify DR, but their usefulness was inadequate in real-time clinical practice. The evolution of deep learning models like convolution neural network performed better in identifying DR and non-referable DR compared to conventional machine learning models. Different variations of CNN architecture are being developed over the period, but more analysis and experimentation needs to be carried out to choose the appropriate architecture for detecting Diabetic Retinopathy. The aim of this research is to apply and understand how the performance of pre-trained Deep learning model – ResNet, a deep layered neural network performs to identify non-referable DR and different types of referable DR.
Application of Different Techniques for Underwater Image Processing- A Systematic Review
Authors: Prasath R , Kumanan T
Published: October 2020

The area of underwater image processing has gained huge attention among the researchers because of its wide application. Image processing is the approach of developing the input image quality so that it would be understood easily by users in future. Image processing develops the data content of image and changes the images visual impact on the observer. Image processing intensifies the image features and accentuates the features of image like corners, contrast to enhance the photographs display which is much helpful for study and examination. Several methods and techniques have been used by researchers worldwide in order to resolve the underwater image processing issues. This paper reviews different techniques of underwater image processing and also compares the techniques among each other. This paper discusses about the filtering method, histogram-based equalization method and particle swarm optimization techniques and compares them with their advantages.
Doctor Finder: Find doctors on the Go
Authors: Jagadeesh Kannan R , Tamakuwala Harsh , Kale Siddharth , Rohan Bhowmick Harsh
Published: October 2020

Currently most people don’t have access to world-class health care. People tend to go to their local doctors and get their treatment delayed in case of serious diseases. These cases require a specialist to tend to the needs of the patients. A system is created that helps a person find a doctor based on the symptoms the user is facing. The system helps the user to get redirected to the nearest specialist that is appropriate to the special case of each user. This article discusses how the system was designed and implemented and what exactly was the need to implement such a system.
Plant design, optimization, and ethanol production from Zea maize L.
Authors: Keerthi S , Gurumurthy D M , Sneha N M , Bhavana S , Shwetha A S , Abhishek N G , Kaushik S P
Published: October 2020

Ethanol production from corn grain is taken a point of convergence as an alternative fuel development recently. Herein, we studied the production of ethanol from Zea maize L with designing the production plant and optimization process, respectively. As an additional source, the maize grains are processed to a fine flour and then exposed to liquefaction, where the temperature was maintained at 85 ° C for 4 hours. Furthermore, it was exposed to saccharification for 4 hours at 50°C with subsequent refining. The ethanol yield acquired from the process was observed to be 10.6, with the purity of 95%. The distinctive ethanol properties are likewise evaluated with the specific gravity, relative thickness and the refractive index were 0.79, 0.85, and 1.4, respectively.
Computer Simulation of Electrochemical Studies of Al6061-Al2O3 Metal Matrix Composite: Effect of Heat Treatment
Authors: Mahendra H M , Prakash G S , Keerthi Prasad K S , Rajanna S , Johns Jobhish
Published: October 2020

The aim of this work is to investigate the corrosion Studies of Aluminum Oxide (Al2O3) reinforced Aluminum 6061 metal matrix composites in Different Concentrations of HCl & NaCl solutions using weight loss method, Potentio-dynamic & EIS Technique. The composites have been prepared by Die- casting method. Aluminum 6061 / Al2O3 MMCs containing different sizes such as 40, 60, and 100 microns and 0, 4, and 8 weight percentages of Al2O3 particulates are casted. The corrosion characteristics of Aluminum 6061 / Al2O3 composite and the unreinforced alloy were experimentally assessed. The results indicated that corrosion rate of metal matrix composites is lower than that of matrix material Al 6061 under the corrosive atmosphere irrespective of exposure time and concentration of corrodent. Aluminum 6061 / Al2O3 composite become more corrosion resistant as the Al2O3 content is increased. This is because of the formation of stable oxide layer over the specimens. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) shows the degree of attack of HCl & NaCl solution on the surface of the investigated material.
Study on High Frequency Vibrations using Statistical Energy Analysis for Different Composite Materials
Authors: Shastry Sridhar N , Subrahmanya Swamy S
Published: October 2020

Statistical Energy Analysis developed in early 1960s is used to determine the vibration response and energy levels in the structures subjected to high frequency vibrations by using statistical approach. In this work, Statistical Energy Analysis parameters like coupling loss factor and velocity response for composite plate like structures are analytically determined. Velocity response and coupling loss factor for L-shaped composite plate like structure subjected to point load have been computed for three different composite materials. Velocity response and coupling loss factors were determined and compared for the materials considered. The results show that composite materials having high specific modulus had low velocities and high coupling loss factor.
A Facile Route in Controlling the Optical Absorbance of Polyvinylpyrrolidone-Capped Silver Nanoparticles Via Chemical Reduction Technique
Authors: Laurence Budlayan Marco , Phyrre Lagare-Oracion Jeanne , Dela Rosa Lyka , Joy Rodriguez Mikee , Capangpangan Rey Y. , Manigo Jonathan , Alguno Arnold , Austria Eleanor , Arco Susan , Patricio Jonathan
Published: October 2020

This work presents the synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) capped with polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) via a simple chemical reduction approach. A route in controlling the optical absorbance of the AgNPs by varying the concentration of silver precursors, as reflected by the shifts and broadening of the UV-vis spectra of the AgNPs is also highlighted. Dynamic Light Scattering results revealed the narrow and small hydrodynamic size for AgNPs synthesized at low precursor concentration, while multiple hydrodynamic size peaks were observed for AgNPs produced at high precursor concentration. Likewise, Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy confirmed the successful capping of PVP on the AgNPs through the O and N atoms as potential binding sites. Transmission electron micrographs revealed the formation of spherical PVP-capped AgNPs, having no apparent aggregation observed. A closer inspection of the micrograph showed the subsequent formation of rod-like growth template of the AgNPs, that might lead to the formation of non-spherical silver nanostructures.
A Study of Response Parameters during ECDM on Quartz Material
Authors: Dileepkumar S G , Bharath K N , Naveen B C , kumar Anil
Published: October 2020

Electrochemical discharge machining (ECDM) is a hybrid machining process that combines the possible characteristics of Electro Discharge Machining (EDM) and Electrochemical Machining (ECM) machining. In the present work, Quartz is used as work piece material and potassium hydroxide (KOH) as an electrolytic medium. Experiments were carried out by considering the three factors at three different levels. The input variables are Voltage, Electrolyte Concentration (EC) and Inter-Electrode Gap (IEG). The experimental response variable is Material Removal Rate (MRR). The process variables were analyzed and optimized using ANOVA from the Minitab 14 statistical tool. The response parameters are predicted by using Artificial Neural Network (ANN) and linear regression equation was generated to predict the experimental values. The results reveal that, voltage and electrolyte concentration have approximately equal percentage of contribution in achieving maximum MRR.
Facile Green Synthesis and Characterization of Moringa Oliefera Extract-Capped Silver Nanoparticles (MO-Agnps) And Its Biological Applications
Authors: Kiran M S , Latha M S , Gokavi Nagappa B , Pujar G H , Rajith Kumar C R , Shwetha U R , Betageri Virupaxappa S
Published: October 2020

In the current study, we developed a simple, eco-friendly, quick and economical process to synthesize stable silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) using medicinal herb Moringa oliefera leaves extract. Obtained AgNPs are characterized by spectrophotometrical and microscopic techniques such as UV-Visible spectroscopy, x-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM). The study on the in vitro antidiabetic activities displayed that the particles have greater α-amylase inhibition potentials. In addition, exceptional antioxidant activity on 1, 1-Diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) is observed. Cytotoxic study against Michigan Cancer Foundation-7 (MCF-7) cell lines displayed significant anticancer activity of AgNPs and hence they can be employed as a promising, cost-reliable and non-toxic strategy for treating these diseases in future.
Hybrid Renewable Energy Based CFSI for and Motor Application using ANFIS Based MPPT and IFOC Controller
Authors: Ramesh G P , Mohammed Irshad Shaik
Published: October 2020

In many industrial applications, the varying speed of the motor drives has become essential for the fast dynamic load conditions. Therefore, the detailed analysis of Field Oriented Control (FOC) with the sensor-less technique of BLDC is proposed where the reference speed is obtained from the MPPT based ANFIS controllers for control the speed. The FOC not only control the magnitude but also provides the phasor control. With Back-EMF estimation process, the motor is applied to obtain the torque ripple minimization and correct speed control using simpler IFOC. It is used to estimate speed in a sensorless and to map the continuous velocity variation. This approximate velocity is used to activate and to predict hall switching output less BLDC motor signals with low tension MATLAB / Simulink tool is using for results verification.
Design of MUX based Flash ADC for Reduction in Number of Comparators
Authors: Kutre Tejaswini J , Patil Sujata N , Kiran Kore Sheela
Published: October 2020

This paper presents the design of multiplexer-based Flash ADC with a reduced number of comparators to achieve less area and less power consumption with increased resolution. As the number of bits increases, flash ADC needs a huge number of comparators which increases the area of the chip, and also the power consumption will increase. The conventional N-Bit Flash ADC requires a 2N number of resistors and 2N-1 number of preamplifiers and comparators. Here the number of comparators is reduced by using multiplexers by providing reference voltage through multiplexers. And also, the encoder is designed using multiplexers. The 6-bit Flash ADC is designed utilizing multiplexers and a reduced number of comparators. The Simulation is done by using the proteus 8.9 design suite with 1v supply voltage.
Minirmd: accurate and fast duplicate removal tool for short reads via multiple minimizers
Authors: Liu Yuansheng , Zhang Xiaocai , Zou Quan , Zeng Xiangxiang
Published: October 2020

Removing duplicate and near-duplicate reads, generated by high-throughput sequencing technologies, is able to reduce computational resources in downstream applications. Here we develop minirmd, a de novo tool to remove duplicate reads via multiple rounds of clustering using different length of minimizer. Experiments demonstrate that minirmd removes more near-duplicate reads than existing clustering approaches and is faster than existing multi-core tools. To the best of our knowledge, minirmd is the first tool to remove near-duplicates on reverse-complementary strand.

Availability and implementation

https://github.com/yuansliu/minirmd.

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Cellular therapies for the treatment of immune-mediated GI and liver disease
Authors: Khan Sheeba , Khan Reenam S , Newsome Philip N
Published: October 2020

Introduction

Immune-mediated liver and gastrointestinal diseases are chronic conditions that lack curative treatments. Despite advances in the understanding and treatment of these conditions, they frequently remain refractory to treatment and represent a significant unmet need. Cellular therapies are an emerging option and hold the potential to have a major impact.

Data sources

A literature review was carried out using Pubmed. Keywords used for search were ‘ATMP’, ‘immune mediated’, ‘autoimmune liver disease’ and ‘immune mediated gastrointestinal conditions’, ‘cell therapy’, ‘MSC’, ‘HSCT’, ‘Regulatory T cells’, ‘GVHD’, ‘Coeliac disease’ ‘IBD’, ‘PSC’, ‘AIH’, ‘PBC’. No new data were generated or analysed in support of this review.

Areas of agreement

There is substantial evidence from clinical trials to support the use of cell therapies as a treatment for immune-mediated liver and gastrointestinal conditions. Cellular therapy products have the ability to ‘reset’ the dysregulated immune system and this in turn can offer a longer term remission. There are ongoing clinical trials with mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) and other cells to evidence their efficacy profile and fill the gaps in current knowledge. Insights gained will inform future trial designs and subsequent therapeutic applications.

Areas of controversy

There remains some uncertainty around the extrapolation of results from animal studies to clinical trials. Longevity of the therapeutic effects seen after the use of cell therapy needs to be scrutinized further. Heterogeneity in the selection of cells, source, methods of productions and cell administration pose challenges to the interpretation of the data.

Growing points

MSCs are emerging as a key therapeutic cells in immune-mediated liver and gastrointestinal conditions. Ongoing trials with these cells will provide new insights and a better understanding thus informing future larger scale studies.

Areas timely for developing research

Larger scale clinical trials to build on the evidence from small studies regarding safety and efficacy of cellular therapy are still needed before cellular therapies can become off the shelf treatments. Alignment of academia and industry to standardize the processes involved in cell selection, manipulation and expansion and subsequent use in clinical trials is an important avenue to explore further.
The Limit of Detection Matters: The Case for Benchmarking Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Testing
Authors: Arnaout Ramy , Lee Rose A , Lee Ghee Rye , Callahan Cody , Cheng Annie , Yen Christina F , Smith Kenneth P , Arora Rohit , Kirby James E
Published: October 2020

Background

Resolving the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic requires diagnostic testing to determine which individuals are infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The current gold standard is to perform reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (PCR) on nasopharyngeal samples. Best-in-class assays demonstrate a limit of detection (LoD) of approximately 100 copies of viral RNA per milliliter of transport media. However, LoDs of currently approved assays vary over 10,000-fold. Assays with higher LoDs will miss infected patients. However, the relative clinical sensitivity of these assays remains unknown.

Methods

Here we model the clinical sensitivities of assays based on their LoD. Cycle threshold (Ct) values were obtained from 4700 first-time positive patients using the Abbott RealTime SARS-CoV-2 Emergency Use Authorization test. We derived viral loads from Ct based on PCR principles and empiric analysis. A sliding scale relationship for predicting clinical sensitivity was developed from analysis of viral load distribution relative to assay LoD.

Results

Ct values were reliably repeatable over short time testing windows, providing support for use as a tool to estimate viral load. Viral load was found to be relatively evenly distributed across log10 bins of incremental viral load. Based on these data, each 10-fold increase in LoD is expected to lower assay sensitivity by approximately 13%.

Conclusions

The assay LoD meaningfully impacts clinical performance of SARS-CoV-2 tests. The highest LoDs on the market will miss a majority of infected patients. Assays should therefore be benchmarked against a universal standard to allow cross-comparison of SARS-CoV-2 detection methods.
Excess Risk of Tuberculosis Infection Among Extra-household Contacts of Tuberculosis Cases in an African City
Authors: Kakaire Robert , Kiwanuka Noah , Zalwango Sarah , Sekandi Juliet N , Quach Trang Ho Thu , Castellanos Maria Eugenia , Quinn Frederick , Whalen Christopher C
Published: October 2020

Background

Although households of tuberculosis (TB) cases represent a setting for intense transmission of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, household exposure accounts for <20% of transmission within a community. The aim of this study was to estimate excess risk of M. tuberculosis infection among household and extra-household contacts of index cases.

Methods

We performed a cross-sectional study in Kampala, Uganda, to delineate social networks of TB cases and matched controls without TB. We estimated the age-stratified prevalence difference of TB infection between case and control networks, partitioned as household and extra-household contacts.

Results

We enrolled 123 index cases, 124 index controls, and 2415 first-degree network contacts. The prevalence of infection was highest among household contacts of cases (61.5%), lowest among household contacts of controls (25.2%), and intermediary among extra-household TB contacts (44.9%) and extra-household control contacts (41.2%). The age-adjusted prevalence difference between extra-household contacts of cases and their controls was 5.4%. The prevalence of infection was similar among the majority of extra-household case contacts and corresponding controls (47%).

Conclusions

Most first-degree social network members of TB cases do not have adequate contact with the index case to experience additional risk for infection, but appear instead to acquire infection through unrecognized exposures with infectious cases in the community.
QTc Interval Prolongation and Life-Threatening Arrhythmias During Hospitalization in Patients With Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19): Results From a Multicenter Prospective Registry
Authors: Santoro Francesco , Monitillo Francesco , Raimondo Pasquale , Lopizzo Agostino , Brindicci Gaetano , Gilio Michele , Musaico Francesco , Mazzola Michele , Vestito Domenico , Benedetto Rossella Di , Abumayyaleh Mohammad , El-Battrawy Ibrahim , Santoro Carmen Rita , Di Martino Luigi Flavio Massimiliano , Akin Ibrahim , De Stefano Giulio , Fiorilli Rosario , Cannone Michele , Saracino Annalisa , Angarano Salvatore , Carbonara Sergio , Grasso Salvatore , Di Biase Luigi , Brunetti Natale Daniele
Published: October 2020

Background

Prolonged QTc intervals and life-threatening arrhythmias (LTA) are potential drug-induced complications previously reported with antimalarials, antivirals, and antibiotics. Our objective was to evaluate the prevalence and predictors of QTc interval prolongation and incidences of LTA during hospitalization for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) among patients with normal admission QTc.

Methods

We enrolled 110 consecutive patients in a multicenter international registry. A 12-lead electrocardiograph was performed at admission, after 7, and at 14 days; QTc values were analyzed.

Results

After 7 days, 15 (14%) patients developed a prolonged QTc (pQTc; mean QTc increase 66 ± 20 msec; +16%; P < .001); these patients were older and had higher basal heart rates, higher rates of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation, and lower platelet counts. The QTc increase was inversely proportional to the baseline QTc level and leukocyte count and directly proportional to the basal heart rate (P < .01).

We conducted a multivariate stepwise analysis including age, male gender, paroxysmal atrial fibrillation, basal QTc values, basal heart rate, and dual antiviral therapy; age (odds ratio [OR], 1.06; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.00–1.13; P < .05), basal heart rate (OR, 1.07; 95% CI, 1.02–1.13; P < .01), and dual antiviral therapy (OR, 12.46; 95% CI, 2.09–74.20; P < .1) were independent predictors of QT prolongation.

The incidence rate of LTA during hospitalization was 3.6%. There was 1 patient who experienced cardiac arrest and 3 with nonsustained ventricular tachycardia. LTAs were recorded after a median of 9 days from hospitalization and were associated with 50% of the mortality rate.

Conclusions

After 7 days of hospitalization, 14% of patients with COVID-19 developed pQTc; age, basal heart rate, and dual antiviral therapy were found to be independent predictors of pQTc. Life-threatening arrhythmias have an incidence rate of 3.6%, and were associated with a poor outcome.
The risk of cardiac events in patients receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors: a nationwide Danish study
Authors: D’Souza Maria , Nielsen Dorte , Svane Inge Marie , Iversen Kasper , Rasmussen Peter Vibe , Madelaire Christian , Fosbøl Emil , Køber Lars , Gustafsson Finn , Andersson Charlotte , Gislason Gunnar , Torp-Pedersen Christian , Schou Morten
Published: October 2020

Aims

The study aimed to estimate the risk of cardiac events in immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI)-treated patients with lung cancer or malignant melanoma.

Methods and results

The study included consecutive patients with lung cancer or malignant melanoma in 2011–17 nationwide in Denmark. The main composite outcome was cardiac events (arrhythmia, peri- or myocarditis, heart failure) or cardiovascular death. Absolute risks were estimated and the association of ICI and cardiac events was analysed in multivariable Cox models. We included 25 573 patients with lung cancer. Of these, 743 were treated with programmed cell death-1 inhibitor (PD1i) and their 1-year absolute risk of cardiac events was 9.7% [95% confidence interval (CI) 6.8–12.5]. Of the 13 568 patients with malignant melanoma, 145 had PD1i and 212 had cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein-4 inhibitor (CTLA-4i) treatment. Their 1-year risks were 6.6% (1.8–11.3) and 7.5% (3.7–11.3). The hazard rates of cardiac events were higher in patients with vs. without ICI treatment. Within 6 months from 1st ICI administration, the hazard ratios were 2.14 (95% CI 1.50–3.05) in patients with lung cancer and 4.30 (1.38–13.42) and 4.93 (2.45–9.94) in patients with malignant melanoma with PD1i and CTLA-4i, respectively. After 6 months, HRs were 2.26 (1.27–4.02) for patients with lung cancer and 3.48 (1.91–6.35) for patients with malignant melanoma and CTLA-4i.

Conclusions

Among patients with lung cancer and malignant melanoma, ICI treated had increased rates of cardiac events. The absolute risks were higher in these data compared with previous pharmacovigilance studies (e.g. 1.8% peri-/myocarditis 1-year risk).
Procedural myocardial injury, infarction and mortality in patients undergoing elective PCI: a pooled analysis of patient-level data
Authors: Silvain Johanne , Zeitouni Michel , Paradies Valeria , Zheng Huili L , Ndrepepa Gjin , Cavallini Claudio , Feldman Dimitri N , Sharma Samin K , Mehilli Julinda , Gili Sebastiano , Barbato Emanuele , Tarantini Giuseppe , Ooi Sze Y , von Birgelen Clemens , Jaffe Allan S , Thygesen Kristian , Montalescot Gilles , Bulluck Heerajnarain , Hausenloy Derek J
Published: October 2020

Aims

The prognostic importance of cardiac procedural myocardial injury and myocardial infarction (MI) in chronic coronary syndrome (CCS) patients undergoing elective percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is still debated.

Methods and results

We analysed individual data of 9081 patients undergoing elective PCI with normal pre-PCI baseline cardiac troponin (cTn) levels. Multivariate models evaluated the association between post-PCI elevations in cTn and 1-year mortality, while an interval analysis evaluated the impact of the size of the myocardial injury on mortality. Our analysis was performed in the overall population and also according to the type of cTn used [52.0% had high-sensitivity cTn (hs-cTn)]. Procedural myocardial injury, as defined by the Fourth Universal Definition of MI (UDMI) [post-PCI cTn elevation ≥1 × 99th percentile upper reference limit (URL)], occurred in 52.8% of patients and was not associated with 1-year mortality [adj odds ratio (OR), 1.35, 95% confidence interval (CI) (0.84–1.77), P = 0.21]. The association between post-PCI cTn elevation and 1-year mortality was significant starting ≥3 × 99th percentile URL. Major myocardial injury defined by post-PCI ≥5 × 99th percentile URL occurred in 18.2% of patients and was associated with a two-fold increase in the adjusted odds of 1-year mortality [2.29, 95% CI (1.32–3.97), P = 0.004]. In the subset of patients for whom periprocedural evidence of ischaemia was collected (n = 2316), Type 4a MI defined by the Fourth UDMI occurred in 12.7% of patients and was strongly associated with 1-year mortality [adj OR 3.21, 95% CI (1.42–7.27), P = 0.005]. We also present our results according to the type of troponin used (hs-cTn or conventional troponin).

Conclusion

Our analysis has demonstrated that in CCS patients with normal baseline cTn levels, the post-PCI cTn elevation of ≥5 × 99th percentile URL used to define Type 4a MI is associated with 1-year mortality and could be used to detect ‘major’ procedural myocardial injury in the absence of procedural complications or evidence of new myocardial ischaemia.
The Effects of Graded Levels of Calorie Restriction: XVI. Metabolomic Changes in the Cerebellum Indicate Activation of Hypothalamocerebellar Connections Driven by Hunger Responses
Authors: Green Cara L , Mitchell Sharon E , Derous Davina , García-Flores Libia A , Wang Yingchun , Chen Luonan , Han Jing-Dong J , Promislow Daniel E L , Lusseau David , Douglas Alex , Speakman John R
Published: October 2020

Calorie restriction (CR) remains the most robust intervention to extend life span and improve healthspan. Though the cerebellum is more commonly associated with motor control, it has strong links with the hypothalamus and is thought to be associated with nutritional regulation and adiposity. Using a global mass spectrometry-based metabolomics approach, we identified 756 metabolites that were significantly differentially expressed in the cerebellar region of the brain of C57BL/6J mice, fed graded levels of CR (10, 20, 30, and 40 CR) compared to mice fed ad libitum for 12 hours a day. Pathway enrichment indicated changes in the pathways of adenosine and guanine (which are precursors of DNA production), aromatic amino acids (tyrosine, phenylalanine, and tryptophan) and the sulfur-containing amino acid methionine. We also saw increases in the tricarboxylic acid cycle (TCA) cycle, electron donor, and dopamine and histamine pathways. In particular, changes in l-histidine and homocarnosine correlated positively with the level of CR and food anticipatory activity and negatively with insulin and body temperature. Several metabolic and pathway changes acted against changes seen in age-associated neurodegenerative disorders, including increases in the TCA cycle and reduced l-proline. Carnitine metabolites contributed to discrimination between CR groups, which corroborates previous work in the liver and plasma. These results indicate the conservation of certain aspects of metabolism across tissues with CR. Moreover, this is the first study to indicate CR alters the cerebellar metabolome, and does so in a graded fashion, after only a short period of restriction.
Construction of fault geometry by finite-fault inversion of teleseismic data
Authors: Shimizu Kousuke , Yagi Yuji , Okuwaki Ryo , Fukahata Yukitoshi
Published: October 2020

Conventional seismic source inversion estimates the earthquake rupture process on an assumed fault plane that is determined a priori. It has been a difficult challenge to obtain the fault geometry together with the rupture process by seismic source inversion because of the nonlinearity of the inversion technique. In this study, we propose an inversion method to estimate the fault geometry and the rupture process of an earthquake from teleseismic P waveform data, through an elaboration of our previously published finite-fault inversion analysis (Shimizu et al. 2020). That method differs from conventional methods by representing slip on a fault plane with five basis double-couple components, expressed by potency density tensors, instead of two double-couple components compatible with the fault direction. Because the slip direction obtained from the potency density tensors should be compatible with the fault direction, we can obtain the fault geometry consistent with the rupture process. In practice we rely on an iterative process, first assuming a flat fault plane and then updating the fault geometry by using the information included in the obtained potency density tensors. In constructing a non-planar model-fault surface, we assume for simplicity that the fault direction changes only in either the strike or the dip direction. After checking the validity of the proposed method through synthetic tests, we applied it to the MW 7.7 2013 Balochistan, Pakistan, and MW 7.9 2015 Gorkha, Nepal, earthquakes, which occurred along geometrically complex fault systems. The modelled fault for the Balochistan earthquake is a curved strike-slip fault convex to the south-east, which is consistent with the observed surface ruptures. The modelled fault for the Gorkha earthquake is a reverse fault with a ramp-flat-ramp structure, which is also consistent with the fault geometry derived from geodetic and geological data. These results exhibit that the proposed method works well for constraining fault geometry of an earthquake.
The not-so-great transformation
Authors: Ard B J
Published: October 2020

Many have attributed the excesses of private power in the digital age to the internet’s “lawlessness.” Julie Cohen’s Between Truth and Power explains why this is a dangerous misconception. The law has not sat idle during the rise of informational capitalism; it has undergone extensive transformation and now facilitates corporate surveillance and manipulation on a global scale. Meanwhile, legal institutions have taken a turn towards managerialism and away from democratic accountability. Recognizing these transformations and the ideologies that motivate them is critical to grappling with the legal challenges of the digital era.
Fast wavelet decomposition of linear operators through product-convolution expansions
Authors: Escande Paul , Weiss Pierre
Published: October 2020

Wavelet decompositions of integral operators have proven their efficiency in reducing computing times for many problems, ranging from the simulation of waves or fluids to the resolution of inverse problems in imaging. Unfortunately, computing the decomposition is itself a hard problem which is oftentimes out of reach for large-scale problems. The objective of this work is to design fast decomposition algorithms based on another representation called product-convolution expansion. This decomposition can be evaluated efficiently, assuming that a few impulse responses of the operator are available, but it is usually less efficient than the wavelet decomposition when incorporated in iterative methods. The proposed decomposition algorithms, run in quasi-linear time and we provide some numerical experiments to assess its performance for an imaging problem involving space-varying blurs.
BRAF V600E as an accurate marker to complement fine needle aspiration (FNA) cytology in the guidance of thyroid surgery in the Chinese population: evidence from over 1000 consecutive FNAs with follow-up
Authors: Zhao Qunzi , Wang Yong , Ye Qin , Wang Ping , Rao Jianyu
Published: October 2020

Background

Currently, several commercial molecular tests have been developed for reclassifying thyroid nodules with indeterminate fine needle aspiration cytology. These tests are quite expensive and not available in China. Previous studies demonstrated a very high prevalence of the BRAF V600E mutation in Asian people. A high incidence may result in a robust sensitivity. We conducted this study to determine the prevalence of BRAF V600E mutation and its ability to reclassify cytologically indeterminate thyroid nodules in the Chinese population.

Methods

Between January 2016 and October 2018, consecutive patients who underwent a fine needle aspiration procedure and agreed to provide materials for molecular analysis in our hospital were recruited in this study. All were followed up until they had a thyroidectomy and a final pathological diagnosis or until January 2019 (those did not have surgery).

Results

A total of 1960 patients were included in this study. Until January 2019, 1240 patients underwent surgery. Using histopathological diagnosis as a gold standard, the overall sensitivity and specificity of the BRAF V600E mutational analysis for the discrimination of benign nodules from cancer in thyroid fine needle aspiration samples were 83.3% (81.0–85.3%) and 96.0% (77.7–99.8%), respectively, with an area under the ROC curve of 0.90 (95% CI 0.85–0.95, P < 0.001). Among cases with indeterminate cytology, BRAF-positive cases were showing malignancy in the final pathology, and BRAF-negative cases were showing safer to be followed up.

Conclusion

The BRAF V600E mutation is highly prevalent in the Chinese population and can accurately complement cytopathology in the guidance of thyroid surgery.

Mini-abstract: The BRAF V600E mutation has both high specificity and sensitivity to predict thyroid malignancy in the Chinese population. It can accurately complement cytopathology in the guidance of thyroid surgery.
Management of an inflammatory abdominal aortic aneurysm causing ureteric obstruction: a case report
Authors: Kim Yewon , Ghaly Paul , Iliopoulos Jim , Leslie Gregory J , Ahmad Mehtab
Published: October 2020

Inflammatory abdominal aortic aneurysms (IAAAs) are rare large-vessel pathology, with potentially life-threatening complications including obstructive uropathy secondary to retroperitoneal fibrosis. Comprising a small proportion of all AAA, their pathogenesis remains unknown, with the hypothesis of infective and immunological aetiologies circulating in current literature. Management principles of IAAAs aim at prevention of aortic rupture and include open-surgical or endovascular therapies. Due to their involvement of other structures, additional considerations are needed when approaching their management for optimal patient outcomes.

We present the case of a 53-year-old otherwise healthy male with a large IAAA complicated by adjacent ureteric obstruction, successfully treated with ureteric stenting and delayed endovascular aortic aneurysm repair.
Postoperative Brown-Séquard syndrome: case report and review of the literature
Authors: Belo Diogo , Teixeira Joaquim Cruz , Lavrador José Pedro
Published: October 2020

Brown-Séquard syndrome (BSS) is a rare neurological condition caused by a hemi-lesion of the spinal cord and was first described in the 1800s. BSS is characterized by an ipsilateral absence of motor control and discriminatory/proprioceptive/vibratory sensation at and below the spinal level involved, associated with loss of contralateral temperature and pain sensation a couple of vertebral segments below the lesion. BSS is commonly associated with trauma, but can also be iatrogenic. The authors report a case of a patient who presented with neoplastic dorsal spinal cord compression and developed a BSS after surgical decompression and review of the literature of postoperative BSS cases.