bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Ambulanter Lungensport und körperliches Training bei Patienten mit Atemwegs- und Lungenkrankheiten
Authors: Worth H. , Bock R. , Frisch M. , Göhl O. , Grünig E. , Glöckl R. , Limbach M. , Schultz K. , Spielmanns M. , Taube K. , Teschler S. , Watz H.
Published: November 2020

Um der zu selten genutzten Behandlungsoption „Bewegungstherapie“ bei Patienten mit chronischen Lungenkrankheiten eine bessere Nutzung und eine größere Verbreitung zu ermöglichen, wurden von einer Expertengruppe aus Sportwissenschaftlern, Sporttherapeuten und Pneumologen Empfehlungen zur Durchführung von ambulantem, wohnortnahem Lungensport in Gruppen verfasst. Die positiven Effekte von Sport und körperlichem Training bei Asthma, COPD, interstitiellen Lungenkrankheiten, Mukoviszidose, Lungenkarzinom und pulmonaler Hypertonie werden dargestellt. Unter Berücksichtigung der gesetzlichen Grundlagen werden die notwendigen Voraussetzungen der Patienten für die Teilnahme am ambulanten Lungensport, den Aufbau von Übungseinheiten sowie die Überwachung der Teilnehmer durch speziell ausgebildete Übungsleiter in Abhängigkeit von Schwere und Art der Lungenkrankheit dargestellt. Hinweise für den Aufbau, die Organisation und die Kostenerstattung von Lungensportgruppen sollen die Verbreitung des ambulanten Lungensports fördern. Schließlich wird auch auf Sicherheitsaspekte der teilnehmenden Patienten unter Einschluss des Infektionsrisikos mit dem Corona-2-Virus eingegangen.
Fernbehandlung durch Heilpraktiker?
Authors: Oberhauser Anette
Published: November 2020

Während der Corona-Pandemie kommen Fragen zu Online-Beratungen und -behandlungen verstärkt auf. In beiden Fällen müssen verschiedene rechtliche Aspekte beachtet werden.
Large Intramural Aortic Hematoma with Intimal Tear
Authors: Jacques Frédéric , Gingras Michel , Lafrenière-Bessi Valérie , Perron Jean , Dagenais François
Published: November 2020

A 72-year-old man presented with excruciating epigastric pain. A chest computed tomography angiography revealed an aortic intramural hematoma. A filling defect within the distal ascending aorta was noted. Images of an intramular hematoma and surgical details of an ascending aortic replacement under deep hypothermic circulatory arrest are provided.
Predictors of Manual Dexterity in Simulation-Based Cataract Surgery
Authors: Palazzolo Laura , Kozlova Anna , Laudi John J. , Rizzuti Allison E.
Published: November 2020

Introduction The aim of this study is to determine if prior experience with fine motor hobbies influences a surgeon-in-training's performance on a cataract surgical simulator.

Materials and Methods Medical students (n = 70) performed navigation, forceps, and capsulorhexis simulations using the Eyesi Ophthalmosurgical Simulator. Participants were surveyed regarding fine motor hobby experiences, including musical instruments, video games, sewing, knitting, origami, painting, crafting, jewelry making, drawing, and extracurricular dissection.

Results Medical students with extracurricular dissection experience, including work in research laboratories involving microscopic animal dissection, did significantly better on the forceps simulator task (p = 0.009). Medical students with drawing experience performed better on capsulorhexis (p = 0.031). No other fine motor hobbies were significant for improving simulator scores.

Conclusion Drawing and extracurricular dissection lend to improved technical ability on the cataract surgical simulator. This research continues the conversation regarding fine motor hobbies that correlate with microsurgical ability and adds to the growing area of research regarding the selection and training of ophthalmology residents.
Epigastric Hernias in Children: A Personal Series and Systematic Review of the Literature
Authors: Tinawi Georges K. , Stringer Mark D.
Published: November 2020

Epigastric hernias are relatively uncommon in children, and there is a paucity of literature on their incidence, presenting features, natural history, and surgical outcomes. A systematic review was conducted according to PRISMA guidelines. Articles describing the incidence, outcome, and interventions for pediatric epigastric hernias, both open and laparoscopic, were analyzed. Eight relevant articles published between 1975 and 2019 were included in the analysis. Of 81 children, 58% were females, 35% were symptomatic and 8% were multiple. All hernias contained preperitoneal fat only and were repaired using standard open surgery or laparoscopic techniques. No recurrences were recorded. In a personal series of 37 hernias in 36 children of median age 4 years, there were no recurrences; however, this series included two children with a recurrent or persistent epigastric hernia after surgery by others. Epigastric hernias in children are relatively uncommon. They typically contain only preperitoneal fat but more than a third are symptomatic. Standard open repair can be undertaken with minimal morbidity. Laparoscopic repair takes longer and provides a marginal cosmetic benefit.
Posterolateral Fractures of the Tibial Plateau Revisited: A Simplified Treatment Algorithm
Authors: Giordano Vincenzo , Pires Robinson Esteves , Pimenta Frederico Silva , Campos Túlio Vinícius de Oliveira , Andrade Marco Antônio Percope de , Giannoudis Peter V.
Published: November 2020

High-energy fractures of the proximal tibia with extensive fragmentation of the posterolateral (PL) quadrant of the tibial plateau are challenging to manage. Herein, we present a review of the literature on the patterns and options of approach and fixation of the PL fragment of the tibial plateau to optimize the treatment of this specific injury pattern. We searched PubMed (1980–May 2020) to identify and summarize the most relevant articles evaluating both the morphology and treatment recommendations, including the choice of approach and fixation strategy, for the PL tibial plateau fracture. We found PL fragment can present in several patterns as a pure split, split depression, contained pure depression, and noncontained depression (rim crush), which are mostly determined by the position of the knee and the force magnitude applied during the course of the accident. Based on previous concepts described by Schatzker and Kfuri, we suggest a simplified treatment algorithm highlighting the two concepts (buttressing and containment) used for plating the PL tibial plateau fragments. Based on the available current evidence, we propose an algorithm for these two morphological types of PL tibial plateau fracture. Shear-type fractures need buttressing (the “rule of thumb”), whereas noncontained peripheral rim-type fractures need peripheral repair and containment. Contained pure depression fractures are not frequent and need percutaneous-assisted elevation and subchondral rafting, either controlled by fluoroscopy or arthroscopically. It is believed that such an approach would simplify their assessment and preoperative planning and would assist the clinicians to appreciate and manage more consistently these complex injuries.
Effect of antiferromagnetic order on topological electronic structure in Eu-substituted Bi2Se3 single crystals
Authors: Kim Soo-Whan , Kim Hoil , Kim Jeong-Kyu , Noh Woo-Suk , Kim Jinsu , Kim Kyoung-Min , Kim Ki-Seok , Kim Jun Sung , Park Jae-Hoon , Jung Myung-Hwa
Published: November 2020

Topological antiferromagnetic spintronics is an emerging field due to advantages such as no stray field effect and high-speed dynamics. In bismuth chalcogenide topological insulators, the coexistence of long-range antiferromagnetic order and topologically protected states has scarcely been observed. Here, an antiferromagnetic order, which sets in the direction of magnetic moments perpendicular to the c axis, is introduced by Eu substitution in Bi2Se3, and therefore it influences the topological electronic properties of Bi2Se3. Despite Eu substitution, Shubnikov–de Haas (SdH) oscillations are observed. The angle dependence of SdH oscillations shows a signature of anisotropic 3D Fermi surfaces with a nontrivial Berry phase by Eu substitution, and the temperature dependence of SdH oscillations reveals that the effective mass is comparable to the pristine Bi2Se3. These results suggest that the nontrivial topological state can survive in the antiferromagnetic order of Eu-substituted Bi2Se3. Our work expands the base of topological materials available for antiferromagnetic spintronics applications.
PeatFire: an agent-based model to simulate fire ignition and spreading in a tropical peatland ecosystem
Authors: Widyastuti Kirana , Imron Muhammad Ali , Pradopo Subyantoro Tri , Suryatmojo Hatma , Sopha Bertha Maya , Spessa Allan , Berger Uta
Published: November 2020

The increased frequency and spread of tropical peat fires over the last two decades have attracted global attention because they cause significant environmental and health impacts at local to global scales. To understand the relative importance of key factors controlling tropical peatland burning events, we developed PeatFire, an agent-based model simulating the interaction between human-induced ignitions, fire and peat characteristics. The model describes (1) above- and belowground fires, which spread independently but interact with each other; (2) above- and belowground biomass; and (3) the watertable determining peat dryness and susceptibility to fire. We applied PeatFire to a region in South Sumatra that has experienced profound natural rainforest loss due to peat fires. Sensitivity analysis of the model suggests that fire sizes depend mostly on watertable depth, peat-dry-index and number of dry days before ignition. Using pattern-oriented modelling, these factors were parameterised so that the model output matches spatiotemporal fire patterns observed in the study region in 2015. Our results emphasise the risk of a sudden shift from moderate fire occurrence to complete burning and highlight the importance of local context to peatland regulation, which should consider both biophysical and socioeconomic factors and strategies for peatland fire management.
A majority of
Rhodobacter sphaeroides
promoters lack a crucial RNA polymerase recognition feature, enabling coordinated transcription activation
Authors: Henry Kemardo K. , Ross Wilma , Myers Kevin S. , Lemmer Kimberly C. , Vera Jessica M. , Landick Robert , Donohue Timothy J. , Gourse Richard L.
Published: November 2020

Significance

Bacterial promoters are often predicted by similarity to the
Escherichia coli
−10 and −35 consensus elements. Although these elements are highly conserved in diverse bacterial phyla, only 30 to 43% of promoters we analyzed from
Rhodobacter sphaeroides
and two other α-proteobacteria contained −7T, a base in the −10 element present in 90 to 99% of promoters from non–α-proteobacteria. Expression from 15 of 16
R. sphaeroides
promoters tested in vitro that lacked −7T was very weak, but we identified an essential transcription factor, CarD, that activated all 15 of these promoters. We suggest that promoters lacking a critical base in a consensus element can shape the transcriptome by coordinating expression of large numbers of genes by a single transcription factor.
Reversing the direction of drug transport mediated by the human multidrug transporter P-glycoprotein
Authors: Sajid Andaleeb , Lusvarghi Sabrina , Murakami Megumi , Chufan Eduardo E. , Abel Biebele , Gottesman Michael M. , Durell Stewart R. , Ambudkar Suresh V.
Published: November 2020

Significance

The multidrug transporter P-glycoprotein protects tissues from xenobiotics and other toxic compounds by pumping them out of cells. This transporter has been implicated in altering the bioavailability of chemotherapeutic drugs and in the development of multidrug resistance in tumor cells. Despite decades of research, the modulation of P-glycoprotein to overcome drug resistance in the clinic has not been successful. Here, by substituting a group of 14 conserved residues in homologous transmembrane helices 6 and 12 with alanine, we generated a mutant that exhibits a change in the direction of transport from export to import for certain drug substrates including the taxol derivative flutax-1. The ability to convert P-glycoprotein into a drug importer provides a strategy to combat cancer drug resistance.
Decisive effects of atomic vacancies and structural ordering on stable phases and band structures in copper–gallium–chalcogenide compounds
Authors: Chen Xi , Liu Wenjie , Duan Yifeng
Published: November 2020

Atomic vacancies usually exist in the Cu–Ga–S ternary system, except for chalcopyrite CuGaS2 as a promising light-harvesting material for solar cells, and are expected to have decisive effects on the structure stability and electronic structure. We demonstrate that ordered arrangements of the straight lines locally formed by atomic vacancies prefer a stable structure through lowering the formation energy. Accidentally, we confirm that a metastable van der Waals P21/c-Cu2S phase shares better optical properties than newly-found ground-state P42-Cu2S, and possesses the photovoltaic-potentially direct band gap of 1.09 eV. We find anomalous changes in band gap induced by varying chemical composition and applying pressure, according to the variation in p–d coupling between S and Cu atoms. Our Monte Carlo simulations together with the special quasirandom structures further suggest that the band gap of CuGaS2 can be tuned continuously from 2.51 eV for the chalcopyrite phase to 0.13 eV for the fully disordered configuration by controlling the degree of ordering, which determined by the synthesis temperature and annealing time experimentally.
Simulation of positive streamers in CO2 and in air: the role of photoionization or other electron sources
Authors: Bagheri Behnaz , Teunissen Jannis , Ebert Ute
Published: November 2020

Positive streamer discharges have been studied and modelled extensively in air. Here we study positive streamers in CO2 with and without oxygen admixtures; they are relevant for current high voltage technology as well as for discharges in the atmosphere of Venus. We discuss that no efficient photoionization mechanism is known for gases with a large CO2 fraction, as photons in the relevant energy range are rapidly absorbed. Hence positive streamers can propagate only due to some other source of free electrons ahead of the ionization front. Therefore we study positive streamer propagation in CO2 with different levels of background ionization to provide these free electrons. The effect of replacing photoionization by background ionization is studied with simulations in air. Simulating streamers in background fields of 16 to 20 kV cm−1 at standard temperature and pressure within a gap of 6.4 cm, we find that streamer propagation is rather insensitive to the level of photoionization or background ionization. We also discuss that the results depend not only on the value of breakdown field and applied electric field, and on preionization or photoionization, but also on the electron mobility μ(E) and the effective ionization coefficient α
eff(E), that are gas-dependent functions of the electron energy or the electric field.
Simulation Module of Crank Rocker Mechanism Based on GTENG Engine
Authors: Chu Weijun , He Xiaohui , Liu Qing
Published: November 2020

GTENG engine technology is a complete set of real-time 3D engine that is mainly applied to the simulation field of engineering equipment. Crank rocker mechanism is common in engineering equipment. This paper analysed the evolution of crank slider mechanism, and two motion types and parameter compute of crank rocker mechanism. The design of CCrankRocker, associated mesh scene node and using coordinate system all were discussed. Further, compute way of motion simulation of the four components required for CCrankRocker was emphasized. The paper indicated that is needs set firm parent-child relationship between bar and slider when modeling in 3DS MAX, and enumerated some legends of the origin of each node and the directing of axis in coordinate system of crank rocker mechanism. Finally, the use of crank rocker mechanism module was illustrated by analysing the main function of Load function correlating model nodes with classes, and the motion simulation example of bucket rocker mechanism was given with partial program. The application shows that the simulation of crank rocker mechanism based on GTENG engine is smooth, practical and wide.
Muti-Dimensional Reservoir Simulation Platform
Authors: Huang Rui , Wang Ruihe , Yu Changhai , Jin Xiaohan , Zhao Changjie
Published: November 2020

The muti-dimensional reservoir simulation platform is a digital twin reservoir system that integrates seismic, geology, numerical simulation and production. Based on years of accumulation, we make full use of late-comer advantages and adapt to the tide of networking and cloudification to fully integrate with informatization. In the oil and gas industry applications, we regard integration and sharing as our goal. The muti-dimensional reservoir simulation platform will realize application integration on the basis of digital integration realized by informatization and maximize knowledge sharing on the basis of data sharing realized by informatization.
Study on the Convective Heat Transfer Characteristic of a Horizontal Piezoelectric Fan
Authors: Ding Peng , Liu Zhe
Published: November 2020

In this study, the horizontal cooling performance of piezoelectric fans was evaluated numerically. The flow field, average heat transfer coefficient and average temperature were estimated, and the best performance was found to be at (h/Lb=1/20).The experimental results showed that height reduction of the piezoelectric fan to a certain extent could improve the heat transfer performance. However, when the distance between the fan and the heating wall was too small (h/Lb<1/20), the heat transfer performance was negatively affected. The increase of vibration frequency and amplitude has a similar positive effect on the overall heat transfer capacity, and the increase of vibration frequency increases the heat dissipation capacity of the point heat source more significant. The increase of vibration amplitude has a greater effect on the heat dissipation range of the downstream area of the fan than the vibration frequency.
Performance Prediction Method of Prognostics and Health Management of Marine Diesel Engine
Authors: Lan Feng , Jiang Yong , Wang Haiyang
Published: November 2020

The development of intelligent ship puts forward more requirements for the maintenance and management of marine diesel engine. Prognostics and health management technology can realize the condition-based maintenance of the main engine through intelligent analysis, evaluation and prediction of the running parameters. This paper reviews the development and basic functions of health management technology, and analyzes the application and development of performance prediction technology in marine diesel engine. Through the analysis, it can be found that the prediction method based on deep learning neural network model has become the trend in prediction technology area. Deep learning neural network has the characteristics of deeper network hierarchy, stronger understanding ability, and good at dealing with the variability and uncertainty of data relationship. Therefore, it will become a powerful tool to solve the performance prediction problem of diesel engine as a whole under varying working conditions.
Control of Cricket System Using LQR Controller Optimized by Particle Swarm Optimization
Authors: Zhang Yongli , Li Yunfei , Liu Yu , Yi Guorong
Published: November 2020

The cricket system, as a strongly coupled, nonlinear and multivariable two dimensional cue system, is a typical representative of unstable and underactuated system. In this paper, the system is analyzed by modeling based on the cricket experimental platform, and while designing the LQR controller, the particle swarm algorithm is introduced to optimize the controller parameters to determine the optimal weight matrix Q in order to solve the difficult problem of controller parameter rectification. The simulation results show that the PSO-LQR can restore the balance of the system in a shorter period of time with enhanced stability compared to a single LQR controller, which exhibits good control performance.
Modelling and Optimizing for Distributed Systems with limited Resource Migration Capacity
Authors: Zhang Haipeng , Lu Ningning , Song Ruiliang , Li Jie
Published: November 2020

This paper discusses the resource scheduling of some distributed systems, such as logistics system and the mobile system. By analysing the characteristic of the resource allocation, we found the resource or load of the distributed systems has limited migration capacity, but the load can be transmitted between neighbour nodes. By diverting resource or load between neighbour nodes, the system can reach a more balanced state. Then a model, shown as a constrained optimization problem, is presented to describe the load balancing problem of the distributed systems. The constrained terms are processed by the penalty function, and then an algorithm based on penalty function is presented to obtain an optimal solution of the constrained optimization problem. Finally, we design some experiments to verify the load model and the optimization algorithm proposed in this paper.
Combined Forecasting Method of Ammunition Consumption Based on Wavelet Network
Authors: Li Kang , Shi Xianming , Li Yuan , Zhao Mei
Published: November 2020

In order to solve the problem that the result of a single algorithm for ammunition consumption prediction is not accurate enough, a combination forecasting method of ammunition consumption based on a wavelet network is proposed. This paper combines three classical methods, namely, task volume estimation method, battle case estimation method and ammunition consumption standard estimation method, which are most commonly used in ammunition consumption prediction, and takes the prediction result of a single method as the input of neural network. By replacing the transfer function of traditional neural network with wavelet basis function, a combined forecasting model of ammunition consumption based on wavelet network is established. The calculation of the example shows that the fitting speed of this method is fast and the accuracy of the result is higher.
Research on Construction and Application of Internationalization System of Scientific and Technological Innovation in Shandong Province
Authors: Li Sisi , Zhu Shiwei , Yu Junfeng , Wang Chao , Zhang Mingjun , Xu Beibei , An Xiu
Published: November 2020

At present, the wave of globalization has swept the world and penetrated into all aspects of social life, bringing opportunities and challenges. In the context of economic and technological globalization, the concept of internationalization of scientific and technological innovation has emerged as the times require. It has become an important strategic means for countries to adapt to globalization trends, respond to globalization challenges, and seize globalization opportunities. In recent years, the internationalization of scientific and technological innovation has increasingly become an important issue of concern to the provincial government. In order to further integrate deeply into the global innovation network, maximize the use of international scientific and technological resources, and strive to achieve new breakthroughs in becoming the forefront of innovative provinces and building an open innovation highland, this paper constructs the internationalization system of scientific and technological innovation in Shandong Province, and puts forward countermeasures and guarantee measures to promote the internationalization of scientific and technological innovation in Shandong Province.
Role of Additives for High Performance Polymer Electrolytes
Authors: Paul Sharma Jitender , Bharti Vikas
Published: November 2020

Today, the progress of polymer electrolytes with high ambient ionic conductivity, better mechanical and thermal properties, has become the main objective in the field of polymer science because of their requirements in super capacitors, rechargeable batteries, fuel cells and other electrochemical devices. Many kinds of polymer electrolytes have been developed, however main drawback is the low ionic conductivity, which is inadequate for most of the device applications. Efforts have also been made to enhance the ionic conductivity of polymer electrolytes to meet the demand for different devices. Although polymer electrolytes with high value of ionic conductivity (∼10−3-10−4S/cm) have been developed but these also suffer from poor mechanical properties. Incorporation of plasticizers as well as nano fillers in polymer electrolytes, is of great importance for enhancing their performance in devices. In the recent years, researchers came up with an idea to make the use of ionic liquids in polymer electrolytes to address the problem of low ionic conductivity of polymer electrolytes at room temperatures as well as to keep good electrochemical and mechanical properties. The optimized ionic conductivity value of the order of ∼10−3S/cm has been observed by different workers at different concentrations of ionic liquids. Also, polymer gel electrolytes have been reported to possess high ionic conductivity (of the order of ∼ 10−2S/cm) at ambient temperature. However, despite possessing high value of ionic conductivity these gel electrolytes have poor mechanical and thermal properties. Hence, the modified polymer /gel electrolytes having optimized properties, are described in this review paper. An attempt has also been made to highlight the work of different researchers in the form of synthesis, characterization and analysis of different modified polymer electrolytes for their use in different ionic devices.
Formation of metal vacancy arrays in coalesced WS2 monolayer films
Authors: Reifsnyder Hickey Danielle , Yilmaz Dundar E , Chubarov Mikhail , Bachu Saiphaneendra , H Choudhury Tanushree , Miao Leixin , Qian Chenhao , Redwing Joan M , van Duin Adri C T , Alem Nasim
Published: November 2020

Defects have a profound impact on the electronic and physical properties of crystals. For two-dimensional (2D) materials, many intrinsic point defects have been reported, but much remains to be understood about their origin. Using scanning transmission electron microscopy imaging, this study discovers various linear arrays of W-vacancy defects that are explained in the context of the crystal growth of coalesced, monolayer WS2. Atomistic-scale simulations show that vacancy arrays can result from steric hindrance of bulky gas-phase precursors at narrowly separated growth edges, and that increasing the edge separation leads to various intact and defective growth modes, which are driven by competition between the catalytic effects of the sapphire substrate and neighboring growth edge. Therefore, we hypothesize that the arrays result from combined growth modes, which directly result from film coalescence. The connections drawn here will guide future synthetic and processing strategies to harness the engineering potential of defects in 2D monolayers.
PyXtal_FF: a python library for automated force field generation
Authors: Yanxon Howard , Zagaceta David , Tang Binh , Matteson David S , Zhu Qiang
Published: November 2020

We present PyXtal_FF—a package based on Python programming language—for developing machine learning potentials (MLPs). The aim of PyXtal_FF is to promote the application of atomistic simulations through providing several choices of atom-centered descriptors and machine learning regressions in one platform. Based on the given choice of descriptors (including the atom-centered symmetry functions, embedded atom density, SO4 bispectrum, and smooth SO3 power spectrum), PyXtal_FF can train MLPs with either generalized linear regression or neural network models, by simultaneously minimizing the errors of energy/forces/stress tensors in comparison with the data from ab-initio simulations. The trained MLP model from PyXtal_FF is interfaced with the Atomic Simulation Environment (ASE) package, which allows different types of light-weight simulations such as geometry optimization, molecular dynamics simulation, and physical properties prediction. Finally, we will illustrate the performance of PyXtal_FF by applying it to investigate several material systems, including the bulk SiO2, high entropy alloy NbMoTaW, and elemental Pt for general purposes. Full documentation of PyXtal_FF is available at https://pyxtal-ff.readthedocs.io.
Satisfaction Survey of Women After Cosmetic Genital Procedures: A Cross-Sectional Study From Saudi Arabia
Authors: Al-Jumah Modhi M , Al-Wailiy Shorug K , Al-Badr Ahmed
Published: November 2020

Background

Female cosmetic genital surgery (FCGS) aims for better aesthetic genital appearance and improved functional aspects to enhance women’s self-esteem and satisfaction.

Objectives

This study aims to assess the satisfaction of women who have undergone FCGS and its impact on their sexual, psychological, and aesthetic aspects.

Methods

An observational cross-sectional study was conducted in private clinics in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, between March and June 2019, in women who underwent FCGS. Phone interviews were conducted in the Arabic language. The survey comprised 4 sections: demographics, motives for FCGS, quality-of-life questionnaires about genital appearance satisfaction, and sexual function.

Results

Out of the 196 women undergoing FCGS during the study period, 11.7% refused to participate, and 37.2% did not answer phone calls; 51% of the women participated in the study. The women’s age ranged between 23 and 55 years; 64% underwent vaginoplasty, and 73% underwent other cosmetic procedures. Ninety-two percent of the women did not have any complications after these procedures.

Conclusions

In this group of women, FCGS was safe and effective, and the majority of participants reported overall satisfaction and improvement of sexual function, genital appearance, and self-esteem.

Level of Evidence: 4
Automation in signal management in pharmacovigilance—an insight
Authors: Wadhwa Diksha , Kumar Keshav , Batra Sonali , Sharma Sumit
Published: November 2020

Drugs are the imperial part of modern society, but along with their therapeutic effects, drugs can also cause adverse effects, which can be mild to morbid. Pharmacovigilance is the process of collection, detection, assessment, monitoring and prevention of adverse drug events in both clinical trials as well as in the post-marketing phase. The recent trends in increasing unknown adverse events, known as signals, have raised the need to develop an ideal system for monitoring and detecting the potential signals timely. The process of signal management comprises of techniques to identify individual case safety reports systematically. Automated signal detection is highly based upon the data mining of the spontaneous reporting system such as reports from health care professional, observational studies, medical literature or from social media. If a signal is not managed properly, it can become an identical risk associated with the drug which can be hazardous for the patient safety and may have fatal outcomes which may impact health care system adversely. Once a signal is detected quantitatively, it can be further processed by the signal management team for the qualitative analysis and further evaluations. The main components of automated signal detection are data extraction, data acquisition, data selection, and data analysis and data evaluation. This system must be developed in the correct format and context, which eventually emphasizes the quality of data collected and leads to the optimal decision-making based upon the scientific evaluation.
Automated model versus treating physician for predicting survival time of patients with metastatic cancer
Authors: Gensheimer Michael F , Aggarwal Sonya , Benson Kathryn R.K , Carter Justin N , Henry A. Solomon , Wood Douglas J , Soltys Scott G , Hancock Steven , Pollom Erqi , Shah Nigam H , Chang Daniel T
Published: November 2020

Objective

Being able to predict a patient’s life expectancy can help doctors and patients prioritize treatments and supportive care. For predicting life expectancy, physicians have been shown to outperform traditional models that use only a few predictor variables. It is possible that a machine learning model that uses many predictor variables and diverse data sources from the electronic medical record can improve on physicians’ performance. For patients with metastatic cancer, we compared accuracy of life expectancy predictions by the treating physician, a machine learning model, and a traditional model.

Materials and Methods

A machine learning model was trained using 14 600 metastatic cancer patients’ data to predict each patient’s distribution of survival time. Data sources included note text, laboratory values, and vital signs. From 2015–2016, 899 patients receiving radiotherapy for metastatic cancer were enrolled in a study in which their radiation oncologist estimated life expectancy. Survival predictions were also made by the machine learning model and a traditional model using only performance status. Performance was assessed with area under the curve for 1-year survival and calibration plots.

Results

The radiotherapy study included 1190 treatment courses in 899 patients. A total of 879 treatment courses in 685 patients were included in this analysis. Median overall survival was 11.7 months. Physicians, machine learning model, and traditional model had area under the curve for 1-year survival of 0.72 (95% CI 0.63–0.81), 0.77 (0.73–0.81), and 0.68 (0.65–0.71), respectively.

Conclusions

The machine learning model’s predictions were more accurate than those of the treating physician or a traditional model.
A primer on Bayesian estimation of prevalence of COVID-19 patient outcomes
Authors: Gao Xiang , Dong Qunfeng
Published: November 2020

A common research task in COVID-19 studies often involves the prevalence estimation of certain medical outcomes. Although point estimates with confidence intervals are typically obtained, a better approach is to estimate the entire posterior probability distribution of the prevalence, which can be easily accomplished with a standard Bayesian approach using binomial likelihood and its conjugate beta prior distribution. Using two recently published COVID-19 data sets, we performed Bayesian analysis to estimate the prevalence of infection fatality in Iceland and asymptomatic children in the United States.
Potential distribution of Guiana dolphin (Sotalia guianensis): a coastal-estuarine and tropical habitat specialist
Authors: de Jesus Lobo Aline , Wedekin Leonardo Liberali , Sobral-Souza Thadeu , Le Pendu Yvonnick
Published: November 2020

Ecological niche models (ENMs) predict where species can occur in accordance with environmental factors. Suitability maps are generated through models to identify habitats more or less adapted to the species. Published works on the distribution and habitat use of Guiana dolphin, Sotalia guianensis, are limited to fine spatial scales. Here, we aimed to predict the potential geographical distribution of Guiana dolphins through ENMs and generate a map of suitable habitats for the species. Data were collected between 1997 and 2015 in Brazil, French Guiana, and Colombia. The environmental data were obtained from MARSPEC database with a cell resolution of 10 × 10 km. For modeling, 99 of the 859 initial occurrence points of the species were considered after rarefaction. Seven environmental variables were selected through factorial analysis: bathymetry, distance to shore, bathymetric slope, sea surface salinity (minimum monthly and annual range), and sea surface temperature (mean annual and annual range). Results from five distinct algorithms were assembled to generate the distribution model. Our findings show potential areas in shallow platforms of the continental margin of South and Central America, including regions where the species has never been reported, such as the Pacific Ocean, the Gulf of California, the Gulf of Mexico, and the oceanic islands in the Caribbean Sea. The absence of Guiana dolphins in these regions may be due to geographical (linking of North and South America), physical (water temperature), and biological (competition, limited ability to dispersal) limiting factors. The models suggest that the presence of other species of coastal dolphin may be an important limiting factor for the Guiana dolphin at both extremes of its distribution. The Guiana dolphin is habitat specialist with a clinal potential geographic distribution concentrated in tropical and subtropical shallow and coastal waters of the continental shelf of the western Atlantic Ocean. This more restricted distribution than reported by IUCN and other studies suggests a cautionary approach to its conservation status due to limited dispersal abilities and high overlap with human activities.
Stimulants: From Coca to Caffeine
Authors: Winter Jerrold
Published: November 2020

Unlike the opiates, which are a rather homogeneous group, the drugs we call stimulants come in a variety of forms. In this chapter, we will devote most of our time to the classical stimulants, cocaine and the amphetamines, but will consider as well caffeine, nicotine, ephedrine, and modafinil. All are capable of enhancing mental and physical performance, and some produce distinctly pleasurable effects that sometimes lead to addiction. About the time that humans living in what is now South America started to draw on the walls of their caves, one among them discovered the unusual properties of the coca shrub. When the leaves were chewed, wondrous things happened to the chewer: Hunger and fatigue were replaced by feelings of strength and power; the world seemed not such a bad place to live. By the time Francisco Pizarro led his conquistadors into Peru early in the 16th century, coca leaf had found an exalted place in the Incan Empire. One legend has it that coca was brought from heaven to earth by Manco Capac, son of the Sun god and the Inca from whom the ruling class traced its lineage. (Interesting how often royalty has claimed divine origins.) The Spaniards developed no great respect for coca, regarding it as but another facet of a pagan people who had no claim on civilization. But the new rulers were nothing if not practical. Coca allowed native workers to be pushed beyond the normal bounds of physical endurance. More tin and silver could be brought from the mines with fewer workers fed less food. Coca leaf lost its status as a sacrament and a pleasure of the ruling class. It became a part of the internal economy of Spanish Peru, a means of enhancing productivity, and a contributor to the destruction of the Incan people and their civilization. It was inevitable that Europeans would become familiar with the effects of coca leaf both by their observation of native use and by personal experience. In 1859, an Italian physician named Paolo Mantegazza who had spent some time among the Peruvian natives put it this way.
Dissociative AnestheticsAngel: Dust to Special K to Ketamine Clinics
Authors: Winter Jerrold
Published: November 2020

We will consider just two drugs in this chapter. They are phencyclidine and ketamine. Both are widely used as anesthetic agents, ketamine in humans and phencyclidine in animals. The acronym for phencyclidine that we will use, PCP, comes from its chemical name 1-(1-PhenylCyclohexyl)-Piperidine. In addition to their medical use, both ketamine and PCP have gained roles as recreational drugs or, as others would put it, drugs of abuse. While sharing some of the properties of the depressant drugs we met in the preceding chapter, PCP and ketamine are pharmacologically and therapeutically unique. On March 26, 1956, V. Harold Maddox, a chemist working at the research laboratories of Parke, Davis & Company in Detroit, synthesized a novel compound later to be called phencyclidine. PCP was submitted in the autumn of that year for testing in animals. Pigeons, mice, rats, Guinea pigs, rabbits, dogs, cats, and monkeys all had their turn. Depending on the dose employed and the species in which it was tested, the effects ranged from excitement and stimulation to taming and quieting. Analgesia, that is, absence of pain without loss of consciousness, and anesthesia were common but, unlike the depressant drugs we met in the previous chapter, the anesthesia was not accompanied by depression of breathing. Studies in human subjects began in May 1957 at the Department of Anesthesiology of the Detroit Receiving Hospital. By this time, PCP had been given the trade name Sernyl. The drug initially was administered to seven volunteers. As had previously been noted in animals, there was no suppression of breathing or disturbance of cardiac rhythm, highly desirable qualities in an anesthetic agent. The investigators then moved on to 64 patients ranging in age from 18 to 78, 47 of whom were women, who were to undergo various surgical procedures, including breast biopsy, dilation and curettage, skin grafts, hysterectomy, and hernia repair. Immediately after the intravenous administration of PCP, there was what the anesthesiologists called “a profound state of analgesia” permitting surgical incision and, in many cases, completion of the operation without the use of other drugs.
Nationalism and the Process of Reception and Appropriation of the Periodic System in Europe and the Czech Lands
Authors: Štrbáňová Soňa
Published: November 2020

The 1870s marked the onset of an exceptionally fruitful and dynamic period in the development of chemistry in the Czech Lands. University education and research in chemistry was taking place at several universities and technical universities, where the structure of the main chemical subjects developed gradually into organic, inorganic, analytical, physical, fermentation, and medical chemistry, just to mention the main specialties. At the same time, the process of the Czech National Revival led to the cultural, linguistic, social, and political emancipation of the modern Czech nation and stepwise almost entirely separated the linguistically Czech and German scientific communities in all their representations, including university education. In Prague, the divided German and Czech Polytechnics (and later Technical Universities) existed since 1869, whereas the Charles-Ferdinand University split into its Czech and German counterparts only in the years 1882 and 1883. The chemical community was organized in several professional associations that also reflected the ethnic division of the scientific scene. The Society of Czech Chemists, founded in 1866, had almost exclusively Czech membership, while a specialized German chemical association has never been created in the Czech Lands. This study deals with two closely intertwined themes: the reception of the periodic system in the Czech Lands and in Europe and the crucial role of the Czech chemist Bohuslav Brauner in this process. I am going to demonstrate a specific set of conditions that shaped the process of appropriation of this new scientific idea by not only scholarly argumentation, but also particular circumstances, in this case Slavic nationalism and Russophilia in the Czech society at the turn of the nine­teenth century. The course of dissemination and reception of the periodic system also showed linkage to the linguistic emancipation of the Czech nation as reflected in the controversy over the Czech chemical terminology, where the periodic system served as argument to one party of the dispute.
Reception and Early Use of the Periodic System: The Case of Denmark
Authors: Kragh Helge
Published: November 2020

In this essay I examine how the periodic system or table was introduced in Denmark in the late nineteenth century, how it was used in chemical textbooks, and the way it was developed by a few of the country’s scientists. Danish chemists had in the period an international orientation, which helped them in getting acquainted with Mendeleev’s system and appreciating its strength. The main reason they felt the system to be attractive was its predictive force, especially its prediction of new elements and ability to accommodate new chemical knowledge. I pay particular attention to the work of Hans Peter Jørgen Julius Thomsen (1826–1909), which is an important example of “neo-Proutean” attempts to understand the periodic system in terms of internally structured atoms. Moreover, I direct attention to Mendeleev’s connection to Danish science by way of his membership in the Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters. Thomsen’s speculations of composite atoms as the ultimate cause of the periodicity of the elements were vindicated by the new developments in atomic theory. A semi-quantitative explanation was offered by Niels Bohr (1885–1962) in 1913, and in subsequent refinements of his atomic model he came close to an explanation of the entire periodic system. The essay briefly considers Bohr’s work on the periodic system in its local context, including its relation to the earlier ideas of Thomsen. In order to appreciate how the periodic system of the elements was received in Denmark, it will be helpful to provide some basic information of the country’s chemical landscape. In the period here considered, approximately 1870–1920, Denmark was a small country, scientifically and culturally almost completely dominated by its capital, Copenhagen. As far as chemical research and education was concerned, the most important institutions were the University of Copenhagen, the Polytechnical College, the Royal Veterinary and Agricultural College, and the Pharmaceutical College, all located in Copenhagen. Although the number of chemists grew rapidly during this period, only a few of them were trained at the University and even fewer had an interest in the more theoretical aspects of the chemical sciences.
Echoes from the Reception of Periodic Classification in Portugal
Authors: Malaquias Isabel
Published: November 2020

This essay attempts to evidence the remaining echoes of the reception of Mendeleev’s periodic classification in Portugal during the last quarter of the nineteenth century. The research involved the identification of remaining traces at different higher-level teaching institutions as well as with books, textbooks, and programs from beginner’s level to advanced level that appeared in the period between 1876 and 1904. Following the institutionalization of chemistry as an independent scientific dis­cipline in Portugal, after the 1772 reform of Coimbra University, the 1844 reform of the university serves as a breath of fresh air in terms of the study of chemistry as being split into different chemistry specialties, an action much related to developments abroad. By 1851 the Coimbra professor J. A. Simões de Carvalho (1822–1902) was opposing chemistry being taught at the university with French textbooks. Instead, he wrote a modernized text, which included recent research for chemical philosophy lessons and advocated a much greater “attention to the day-to-day communications in scientific journals and newsletters than to more complete and extensive manuals.” In the two decades immediately before the period we are interested in, there was a resurgence of the country’s economy and some developments also affected the still unique university. In this context, reform of curricula took place and a positivist wind blew through the faculties, starting in the Law Faculty and then spreading to the other faculties with a symptomatic decline in the influence of the Canonical Faculty. The Law Faculty had the biggest number of students and several of its members took up higher administrative or governmental positions. The intellectual atmosphere of the Faculty of Natural Philosophy was deeply impregnated with positivism, whereby it was intended to regenerate the sciences body. The program of sending some of its members abroad was reactivated, to keep them up to date with the modern experimental sciences, particularly chemistry, while some foreign staff came to work in the university.