bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Type of Turnout and Injury Rates in Elite Dancers: A Critically Appraised Topic
Authors: Parr Victoria A. , Pettitt Marie L. , Krzyzanowicz Ryan , Krzyzanowicz Sarah , Pryor Riana R.
Published: February 2022

Clinical Scenario: Dancers commonly stand in hip external rotation due to the esthetics that ballet requires. Increased external rotation is desired which leads dancers to find ways to compensate to increase their external rotation, an action known as compensated turnout. Dancers commonly rotate at the tibiofemoral joint and/or the talocrural joint to increase external rotation of the entire lower body, placing increased stress on these joints. This critically appraised topic focuses on the relationship between types of turn out and lower-extremity injury in dancers. Clinical Question: In elite dancers, does compensated, anatomical, or functional turnout influence lower-extremity injuries? Summary of Key Findings: Three studies met the inclusion criteria and were included in the analysis. One study demonstrated a relationship between compensated turnout and traumatic injuries, low back pain, and number of injuries in modern dancers. Greater compensated turnout in dancers was associated with a greater number of injuries. Two studies showed no relationship between anatomical or functional turnout and injuries in dancers. Clinical Bottom Line: Based on 3 level 2b studies, there is level C evidence to suggest that increased compensated turnout is associated with increased traumatic lower-extremity injuries, low back pain, and number of injuries in university modern dancers compared with dancers with a reduced angle of compensated turnout. This relationship was not found between anatomical or functional turnout and lower-extremity injuries in elite dancers. Strength of Recommendation: There is weak evidence to suggest that compensated turnout, but not anatomical or functional turnout, is related to lower-extremity musculoskeletal injury. More research is needed to study compensatory mechanisms in a broader range of dancers and the relationship to lower-extremity injury.
Sequential consumer choice as multi-cued retrieval
Authors: Hornsby Adam N. , Love Bradley C.
Published: February 2022

Whether adding songs to a playlist or groceries during an online shop, how do we decide what to choose next? We develop a model that predicts such open-ended, sequential choices using a process of cued retrieval from long-term memory. Using the past choice to cue subsequent retrievals, this model predicts the sequential purchases and response times of nearly 5 million grocery purchases made by more than 100,000 online shoppers. Products can be associated in different ways, such as by their episodic association or semantic overlap, and we find that consumers query multiple forms of associative knowledge when retrieving options. Attending to certain knowledge sources, as estimated by our model, predicts important retrieval errors, such as the propensity to forget or add unwanted products. Our results demonstrate how basic memory retrieval mechanisms shape choices in real-world, goal-directed tasks.
Identification of kidney injury–released circulating osteopontin as causal agent of respiratory failure
Authors: Khamissi Fatima Zohra , Ning Liang , Kefaloyianni Eirini , Dun Hao , Arthanarisami Akshayakeerthi , Keller Amy , Atkinson Jeffrey J. , Li Wenjun , Wong Brian , Dietmann Sabine , Lavine Kory , Kreisel Daniel , Herrlich Andreas
Published: February 2022

Tissue injury can drive secondary organ injury; however, mechanisms and mediators are not well understood. To identify interorgan cross-talk mediators, we used acute kidney injury (AKI)–induced acute lung injury (ALI) as a clinically important example. Using kidney and lung single-cell RNA sequencing after AKI in mice followed by ligand-receptor pairing analysis across organs, kidney ligands to lung receptors, we identify kidney-released circulating osteopontin (OPN) as a novel AKI-ALI mediator. OPN release from kidney tubule cells triggered lung endothelial leakage, inflammation, and respiratory failure. Pharmacological or genetic OPN inhibition prevented AKI-ALI. Transplantation of ischemic
wt
kidneys caused AKI-ALI, but not of ischemic OPN–global knockout kidneys, identifying kidney-released OPN as necessary interorgan signal to cause AKI-ALI. We show that OPN serum levels are elevated in patients with AKI and correlate with kidney injury. Our results demonstrate feasibility of using ligand-receptor analysis across organs to identify interorgan cross-talk mediators and may have important therapeutic implications in human AKI-ALI and multiorgan failure.
Structure and electron transfer pathways of an electron-bifurcating NiFe-hydrogenase
Authors: Feng Xiang , Schut Gerrit J. , Haja Dominik K. , Adams Michael W. W. , Li Huilin
Published: February 2022

Electron bifurcation enables thermodynamically unfavorable biochemical reactions. Four groups of bifurcating flavoenzyme are known and three use FAD to bifurcate. FeFe-HydABC hydrogenase represents the fourth group, but its bifurcation site is unknown. We report cryo-EM structures of the related NiFe-HydABCSL hydrogenase that reversibly oxidizes H
2
and couples endergonic reduction of ferredoxin with exergonic reduction of NAD. FMN surrounded by a unique arrangement of iron sulfur clusters forms the bifurcating center. NAD binds to FMN in HydB, and electrons from H
2
via HydA to a HydB [4Fe-4S] cluster enable the FMN to reduce NAD. Low-potential electron transfer from FMN to the HydC [2Fe-2S] cluster and subsequent reduction of a uniquely penta-coordinated HydB [2Fe-2S] cluster require conformational changes, leading to ferredoxin binding and reduction by a [4Fe-4S] cluster in HydB. This work clarifies the electron transfer pathways for a large group of hydrogenases underlying many essential functions in anaerobic microorganisms.
The continent-to-ocean transition in the Iberia Abyssal Plain
Authors: Grevemeyer Ingo , Ranero Cesar R. , Papenberg Cord , Sallares Valenti , Bartolomé Rafael , Prada Manel , Batista Luis , Neres Marta
Published: February 2022

Conceptual models of magma-poor rifting are strongly based on studies of the nature of the basement in the continent-to-ocean transition of the Iberia Abyssal Plain, and suggest that exhumed mantle abuts extended continental crust. Yet, basement has only been sampled at a few sites, and its regional nature and the transition to seafloor spreading inferred from relatively low-resolution geophysical data are inadequately constrained. This uncertainty has led to a debate about the subcontinental or seafloor-spreading origin of exhumed mantle and the rift-related or oceanic nature of magmatic crust causing the magnetic J anomaly. Different interpretations change the locus of break-up by >100 km and lead to debate of the causative processes. We present the tomographic velocity structure along a 360-km-long seismic profile centered at the J anomaly in the Iberia Abyssal Plain. Rather than delineating an excessive outpouring of magma, the J anomaly occurs over subdued basement. Furthermore, its thin crust shows the characteristic layering of oceanic crust and is juxtaposed to exhumed mantle, marking the onset of magma-starved seafloor spreading, which yields the westward limit of an ~160-km-wide continent–ocean transition zone where continental mantle has been unroofed. This zone is profoundly asymmetric with respect to its conjugate margin, suggesting that the majority of mantle exhumation occurs off Iberia. Because the J anomaly is related to the final break-up and emplacement of oceanic crust, it neither represents synrift magmatism nor defines an isochron, and hence it poorly constrains plate tectonic reconstructions.
Cardiac safety and clinical efficacy of high-dose domperidone for long-term treatment of gastroparesis symptoms
Authors: Woods Kevin , Gajendran Mahesh , Gonzalez Zorisadday , Bustamante-Bernal Marco , Sarosiek Irene , Espino Karina , Waterhouse Nathan , Siddiqui Tariq , McCallum Richard
Published: February 2022

Domperidone is an effective antiemetic used worldwide, but there have been reports of possible cardiotoxicity. Our goal was to explore the cardiac safety and clinical efficacy of long-term domperidone, titrated as high as 120 mg/day, in patients not responding or unable to tolerate other therapies for gastroparesis (GP).This retrospective cohort study was conducted at a single tertiary care academic center. We objectively assessed the safety and efficacy of domperidone through questionnaires, clinical follow-up and frequent ECGs as mandated by the Food and Drug Administration. We excluded patients with a history of dangerous arrhythmias, prolonged QTc, clinically significant electrolyte disturbances, gastrointestinal hemorrhage or obstruction, presence of a prolactinoma, pregnant or breastfeeding females, or allergy to domperidone. A total of 21 patients met the inclusion criteria for eligibility in this study (52.4% white, 42.9% Hispanic; mean age 50.1 years; 90.5% female). The mean duration of domperidone therapy was 52.3 (range 16–97) months with a mean highest dose of 80 mg/day (range 40–120 mg). Two patients (9.5%) taking 120 mg/day experienced asymptomatic meaningful QTc prolongation (>450 ms in males, >470 ms in females). One-third of patients had asymptomatic non-meaningful QTc prolongation. Palpitations or chest pain was reported in 19% of patients without ECG abnormalities or adverse cardiac events. The mean severity of vomiting and nausea was improved by 82% and 55%, respectively.Long-term treatment with high doses of domperidone (40–120 mg/day) improved GP symptoms in patients previously refractory to other medical therapies and with a satisfactory cardiovascular risk profile.
Commitment devices: beyond the medical ethics of nudges
Authors: Hodson Nathan
Published: February 2022

Commitment devices (CDs) can help people overcome self-control problems to act on their plans and preferences. In these arrangements, people willingly make one of their options worse in order to change their own future behaviour, often by setting aside a sum of money that they will forfeit it if they fail to complete the planned action. Such applications of behavioural science have been used to help people stick to healthier lifestyle choices, overcome addictions and adhere to medication; they are acceptable to many patients and even relatively small sums can be effective. Some authors have objected to the use of nudges in healthcare. Engelen has listed nine potential objections to nudges in relation to means (why nudge rather than persuade?), ends (what action is being promoted?) and agents (who is nudging whom?). These objections are shown to lack force in the context of CDs. Instead, an analysis specific to the ethical issues in CDs is employed. CDs exclude certain groups including so-called ‘naifs’ and risk increasing health inequality. CDs may promote the wrong behaviour and people might legitimately change their minds. Intermediaries might encounter perverse incentives. Approaches to overcoming these problems are described and eight key ethical considerations for those considering implementing CDs in the future are described. Altogether this paper illustrates the advantages of appraising the ethics of behavioural science in medicine on a case-by-case basis.
Phenomenological physiotherapy: extending the concept of bodily intentionality
Authors: Halák Jan , Kříž Petr
Published: February 2022

This study clarifies the need for a renewed account of the body in physiotherapy to fill sizable gaps between physiotherapeutical theory and practice. Physiotherapists are trained to approach bodily functioning from an objectivist perspective; however, their therapeutic interactions with patients are not limited to the provision of natural-scientific explanations. Physiotherapists’ practice corresponds well to theorisation of the body as the bearer of original bodily intentionality, as outlined by Merleau-Ponty and elaborated upon by enactivists. We clarify how physiotherapeutical practice corroborates Merleau-Ponty’s critical arguments against objectivist interpretations of the body; particularly, his analyses demonstrate that norms of optimal corporeal functioning are highly individual and variable in time and thus do not directly depend on generic physiological structures. In practice, objectively measurable physical deviations rarely correspond to specific subjective difficulties and, similarly, patients’ reflective insights into their own motor deficiencies do not necessarily produce meaningful motor improvements. Physiotherapeutical procedures can be understood neither as mechanical manipulations of patients’ machine-like bodies by experts nor as a process of such manipulation by way of instructing patients’ explicit conscious awareness. Rather, physiotherapeutical practice and theory can benefit from the philosophical interpretation of motor disorders as modifications of bodily intentionality. Consequently, motor performances addressed in physiotherapy are interpreted as relational features of a living organism coupled with its environment, and motor disorders are approached as failures to optimally manage the motor requirements of a given situation owing to a relative loss of the capacity to structure one’s relation with their environment through motor action. Building on this, we argue that the process of physiotherapy is most effective when understood as a bodily interaction to guide patients towards discovering better ways of grasping a situation as meaningful through bodily postures and movements.
Properties and stratigraphy of polar ice patches in the Canadian High Arctic reveal their current resilience to warm summers
Authors: Davesne Gautier , Fortier Daniel , Domine Florent
Published: February 2022

Ice patches are ubiquitous in polar regions and are a key element for landscape evolution. We present new insights into polar desert ice patch formation based on snow and ice properties at Ward Hunt Island (Canadian High Arctic, 83°N). Our results demonstrate that ice patches are composed of two distinct units. The upper unit is characterized by very fine granular and bubbly ice with a clear oblique layering. By contrast, the lower unit is strikingly different with coarse crystals, lower porosity, and a high frequency of fractures. For both units, superimposed ice formation at the base of the deep snowpack stands out as the primary ice aggradation process. The distinct properties of the lower unit likely result from a long period of kinetic ice crystal growth indicating a minimum age of several hundred years. A radiocarbon date of 3 487 ± 20 cal BP suggests that ice patches could potentially date back to the late Holocene. This old ice was recently truncated during warmer summers between 2008 and 2012, but the ice patch quickly recovered its volume during cooler summers. The old age of the ice patches and their rapid regeneration after melt events suggest their resilience to current warmer summers.
Altitude impacts body size but not age in the Asia Minor Thin-toed Gecko (Mediodactylus heterocercus)
Authors: Altunışık Abdullah , Yıldız Mehmet Zülfü , Üçeş Fatma , Bozkurt Mehmet Akif , Sömer Mehtap
Published: February 2022

Age and size-related life-history traits of animals are influenced by a variety of factors. In connection with climate, the effect of altitude on demographic parameters may differ among different populations of the same species. In the present study, we analyzed how body size and longevity of the Asia Minor Thin-toed Gecko (Mediodactylus heterocercus (Blanford, 1874)) vary along an elevational gradient in Turkey. For this purpose, a total of 138 specimens of the species (52 males, 75 females, and 11 juveniles) from 11 different populations were analyzed. Populations at intermediate altitude had shorter lifespans compared with those at low and high altitudes (marginal environments). Furthermore, adult life expectancy (ESP), which indicates the expected lifespan of individuals having reached sexual maturity, was higher in high-altitude populations (ESP: 6.59 years) than in intermediate-altitude populations (ESP: 5.40 years) and low-altitude populations (ESP: 6.01 years). The results of the study suggest that the body size, but not age, of Asia Minor Thin-toed Geckos increases with altitude.
Acceptability conditions and relativistic anisotropic generalized polytropes
Authors: Suárez-Urango Daniel , Ospino Justo , Hernández Héctor , Núñez Luis A.
Published: February 2022

This paper explored the physical acceptability conditions for anisotropic matter configurations in General Relativity. The study considered a generalized polytropic equation of state $$P=\kappa {\rho }^{\gamma }+\alpha \rho -\beta $$

P
=
κ

ρ

γ

+
α
ρ
-
β

for a heuristic anisotropy. We integrated the corresponding Lane–Emden equation for several hundred models and found the parameter-space portion ensuring the physical acceptability of the configurations. Polytropes based on the total energy density are more viable than those with baryonic density, and small positive local anisotropies produce acceptable models. We also found that polytropic configurations where tangential pressures are greater than radial ones are also more acceptable. Finally, convective disturbances do not generate cracking instabilities. Several models emerging from our simulations could represent candidates of astrophysical compact objects.
Human Silhouette and Skeleton Video Synthesis Through Wi-Fi Signals
Authors: Avola Danilo , Cascio Marco , Cinque Luigi , Fagioli Alessio , Foresti Gian Luca
Published: February 2022

The increasing availability of wireless access points (APs) is leading toward human sensing applications based on Wi-Fi signals as support or alternative tools to the widespread visual sensors, where the signals enable to address well-known vision-related problems such as illumination changes or occlusions. Indeed, using image synthesis techniques to translate radio frequencies to the visible spectrum can become essential to obtain otherwise unavailable visual data. This domain-to-domain translation is feasible because both objects and people affect electromagnetic waves, causing radio and optical frequencies variations. In the literature, models capable of inferring radio-to-visual features mappings have gained momentum in the last few years since frequency changes can be observed in the radio domain through the channel state information (CSI) of Wi-Fi APs, enabling signal-based feature extraction, e.g. amplitude. On this account, this paper presents a novel two-branch generative neural network that effectively maps radio data into visual features, following a teacher–student design that exploits a cross-modality supervision strategy. The latter conditions signal-based features in the visual domain to completely replace visual data. Once trained, the proposed method synthesizes human silhouette and skeleton videos using exclusively Wi-Fi signals. The approach is evaluated on publicly available data, where it obtains remarkable results for both silhouette and skeleton videos generation, demonstrating the effectiveness of the proposed cross-modality supervision strategy.
Cusp in the symmetry energy, speed of sound in neutron stars and emergent pseudo-conformal symmetry
Authors: Lee Hyun Kyu , Ma Yong-Liang , Paeng Won-Gi , Rho Mannque
Published: February 2022

In this paper, we review how the “cusp” predicted in the nuclear symmetry energy generated by a topology change at density [Formula: see text] can have a surprising consequence, so far unrecognized in nuclear physics and astrophysics communities, on the structure of dense compact-star matter. The topology change translated into nuclear EFT with “effective” QCD degrees of freedom encoded in hidden local and scale symmetries predicts an EoS that is soft below and stiff above [Formula: see text], and yields the properties of neutron stars with no tension with all the astrophysical observations available up to date. Furthermore it describes the interior core of the massive stars populated by fractionally charged quasi-fermions that are neither baryonic nor quarkonic. It is argued that the cusp “buried” in the symmetry energy resulting from strong correlations with hidden heavy degrees of freedom leads, at [Formula: see text], to a “pseudo-conformal” sound speed, [Formula: see text], converged from below at [Formula: see text]. It is not conformal since the trace of energy–momentum tensor is not zero even in the chiral limit. It reflects an emergent scale symmetry. This observation with the topology change implies that the quantities accurately measured at [Formula: see text] cannot give a qualitatively stringent constraint for what takes place at the core density of compact stars [Formula: see text]. This is because there intervenes a change of degrees of freedom in the effective field theory. We discuss the implication of this on the recent PREX-II “dilemma” in the measured skin thickness of [Formula: see text].
Quadratical quasigroups and Mendelsohn designs
Authors: Drápal Aleš , Griggs Terry S. , Kozlik Andrew R.
Published: February 2022

Let the product of points A and B be the vertex C of the right isosceles triangle for which AB is the base, and ABC is oriented anticlockwise. This yields a quasigroup that satisfies laws [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text]. Such quasigroups are called quadratical. Quasigroups that satisfy only the latter two laws are equivalent to perfect Mendelsohn designs of length four (PMD(v,4)). This paper examines various algebraic identities induced by PMD(v,4), classifies finite quadratical quasigroups, and shows how the square structure of quadratical quasigroups is associated with toroidal grids.
Singquandles, psyquandles, and singular knots: A survey
Authors: Ceniceros Jose , Churchill Indu R. , Elhamdadi Mohamed , Hajij Mustafa
Published: February 2022

In this short survey, we review recent results dealing with algebraic structures (quandles, psyquandles, and singquandles) related to singular knot theory. We first explore the singquandles counting invariant and then consider several recent enhancements to this invariant. These enhancements include a singquandle cocycle invariant and several polynomial invariants of singular knots obtained from the singquandle structure. We then explore psyquandles which can be thought of as generalizations of oriented singquandles, and review recent developments regarding invariants of singular knots obtained from psyquandles.
A unified approach to scalar, vector, and tensor Slepian functions on the sphere and their construction by a commuting operator
Authors: Michel V. , Plattner A. , Seibert K.
Published: February 2022

We present a unified approach for constructing Slepian functions — also known as prolate spheroidal wave functions — on the sphere for arbitrary tensor ranks including scalar, vectorial, and rank 2 tensorial Slepian functions, using spin-weighted spherical harmonics. For the special case of spherical cap regions, we derived commuting operators, allowing for a numerically stable and computationally efficient construction of the spin-weighted spherical-harmonic-based Slepian functions. Linear relationships between the spin-weighted and the classical scalar, vectorial, tensorial, and higher-rank spherical harmonics allow the construction of classical spherical-harmonic-based Slepian functions from their spin-weighted counterparts, effectively rendering the construction of spherical-cap Slepian functions for any tensorial rank a computationally fast and numerically stable task.
Electromagnetic effects on cylindrical gravastar-like strings in f(R, T, RσηTση) gravity
Authors: Yousaf Z. , Bhatti M. Z. , Asad H.
Published: February 2022

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the non-singular solutions of gravitationally vacuumed condensate star in the realm of the f(R, T, Q) theory, where Q = RσηTση. The three-layered gravastar structure has been constructed in the cylindrical spacetime under the effects of electromagnetism in the modified theory. Furthermore, we have studied the effects of electromagnetism on the effective matter, which involves the perfect fluid and isotropic pressure in it. To gain this objective, we consider the cylindrical spacetime and evaluate the three regions mathematically. The metric coefficients are calculated independently for each region. To match the region I and II at a hypersurface, the junction conditions have been calculated. To figure out the dependency of the thickness of shell on different physical features of gravastar, we interpret it graphically as well as mathematically. Subsequently, the noticeable facts are accomplished.
'Zombies for their profit'
Authors: Fedtke Jana , Ibahrine Mohammed , Wang Yuting , Zaid Bouziane
Published: February 2022

This forum is dedicated to exploring the notion of meaningfulness in design processes, taking the perspectives of community groups, nongovernmental organizations, and those who are marginalized in society as starting points. Authors will reflect conceptually and methodologically on practical engagements.
--- Rosanna Bellini and Angelika Strohmayer, Editors
Reaction Mechanisms of La2NiO4+δ
Oxygen Electrodes Operated in Electrolysis and Fuel Cell Mode
Authors: Sdanghi G. , Yefsah L. , Mauvy F. , Djurado E. , David T. , Bassat J-M. , Laurencin J.
Published: February 2022

The reaction mechanisms governing the electrochemical behavior of La2NiO4+δ
(LNO) oxygen electrodes for Solid Oxide Cells have been investigated through a coupled experimental and modeling approach. In this frame, a set of experiments was performed on a symmetrical cell using a three-electrode setup. A micro-scale electrode model considering two reaction pathways, i.e. bulk and surface paths, has been developed to describe the experimental results. The microstructural parameters of the electrode were obtained by FIB-SEM tomography. The model was calibrated using the experimental polarization curves measured at different temperatures, and it was validated using electrochemical impedance diagrams recorded at open circuit potential (OCP) and under polarization for different oxygen partial pressures. It has been evidenced that the LNO reaction mechanism depends on both the temperature and the polarization. At OCP, the reaction mechanism is controlled by the bulk path at 650 °C and by the surface path at higher temperatures. A transition from the bulk path towards the surface path was observed under cathodic polarizations. These results have been interpreted by considering the evolution of the LNO over stoichiometry with the electrode polarization. The evolution of the electrode polarization resistance with the oxygen partial pressure has been also investigated.
Promoting Effect of Gd2O3 in Pt-Gd2O3/C Electrocatalyst for Methanol Oxidation Reaction
Authors: Sharma Shuchi , Shanmugam Ramasamy , Sahoo Malaya K. , Rao G. Ranga
Published: February 2022

Metal oxides have been used as supports and promoters to enhance the electrocatalytic activity of Pt/C for methanol oxidation reaction (MOR). In this work, Gd2O3 prepared by simple precipitation method (Gd2O3(PC)) and polymer-assisted method (Gd2O3(PL)) is examined as support for Pt/C. The Gd2O3 samples are characterized by FTIR, HR-SEM, and PXRD. The ease of surface oxygen exchange and formation of surface –OH groups are better in the case of Gd2O3(PC) for MOR activity. The microwave-assisted polyol reflux method is used to prepare Pt-Gd2O3(PC)/C and Pt-Gd2O3(PL)/C) electrocatalysts. Electrocatalysts are characterized by XPS, ICP, TEM, PXRD, and examined by cyclic voltammetry (CV), CO stripping experiments, chronopotentiometry (CP), and chronoamperometry (CA) in acidic media. The MOR activity of Pt-Gd2O3(PC)/C is found to be 2.8 times higher than commercial Pt/C with good anti-poisoning activity. This result is further corroborated by the first principle calculations which show that there is significant electron transfer from Pt/Gd2O3 to adsorbed CO. This electron transfer reduces the Gibbs free energy for CO adsorption and decreases the CO poisoning. The overall benefit of Gd2O3 is to increase the performance of Pt electrocatalyst for methanol oxidation.
Mechanisms of pulmonary vascular dysfunction in pulmonary hypertension and implications for novel therapies
Authors: Christou Helen , Khalil Raouf A.
Published: February 2022

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a serious disease characterized by various degrees of pulmonary vasoconstriction and progressive fibroproliferative remodeling and inflammation of the pulmonary arterioles that lead to increased pulmonary vascular resistance, right ventricular hypertrophy, and failure. Pulmonary vascular tone is regulated by a balance between vasoconstrictor and vasodilator mediators, and a shift in this balance to vasoconstriction is an important component of PH pathology, Therefore, the mainstay of current pharmacological therapies centers on pulmonary vasodilation methodologies that either enhance vasodilator mechanisms such as the NO-cGMP and prostacyclin-cAMP pathways and/or inhibit vasoconstrictor mechanisms such as the endothelin-1, cytosolic Ca2+, and Rho-kinase pathways. However, in addition to the increased vascular tone, many patients have a “fixed” component in their disease that involves altered biology of various cells in the pulmonary vascular wall, excessive pulmonary artery remodeling, and perivascular fibrosis and inflammation. Pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cell (PASMC) phenotypic switch from a contractile to a synthetic and proliferative phenotype is an important factor in pulmonary artery remodeling. Although current vasodilator therapies also have some antiproliferative effects on PASMCs, they are not universally successful in halting PH progression and increasing survival. Mild acidification and other novel approaches that aim to reverse the resident pulmonary vascular pathology and structural remodeling and restore a contractile PASMC phenotype could ameliorate vascular remodeling and enhance the responsiveness of PH to vasodilator therapies.
85-Year-Old Postsurgical Complex Patient Successfully Managed Remotely at the Novel Mayo Clinic’s Hospital at Home
Authors: Paulson Margaret R. , Torres-Guzman Ricardo A. , Avila Francisco R. , Maita Karla , Garcia John P. , Eldaly Abdullah , Palmieri-Serrano Luiza , Forte Antonio J. , Thompson Jonathan C. , Maniaci Michael J.
Published: February 2022

An 85-year-old male presented to the podiatry clinic following a 1st to 5th left toe amputation as a complication of severe peripheral arterial disease and nonhealing wound despite endovascular intervention with an angiogram. At the visit, cellulitis with gangrene of the surgical site was noted. The patient was admitted to the brick and mortar (BAM) hospital and taken to surgery for a transmetatarsal amputation of the left limb. In the immediate postoperative period, the incisional margins appeared dusky creating concern for flap viability. The medical team recommended a vascular bypass versus a below-knee amputation. However, given the age, comorbidities, and nutritional status, the family refused further surgical intervention. As such, Mayo Clinic’s home hospital program, Advanced Care at Home (ACH), was consulted for continued nonsurgical acute management at home. The patient was transferred to ACH and transported home three days after BAM admission to continue IV antibiotic therapy and wound care. Discharge from ACH occurred 11 days after admission to the BAM hospital. This case highlights the importance of developing health care alternatives to traditional hospitalization and demonstrates that ACH can manage highly complex, elder postoperative patients from the comfort of their homes.
Efficacy of Morphine Combined with Mechanical Ventilation in the Treatment of Heart Failure with Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging under Artificial Intelligence Algorithms
Authors: Geng Zhihai , Chen Bolun , Li Qiang , Han Xi , Zhu Xuelian
Published: February 2022

This study was aimed at exploring the efficacy of morphine combined with mechanical ventilation in the treatment of heart failure with artificial intelligence algorithms. The cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) under the watershed segmentation algorithm was proposed, and the local grayscale clustering watershed (LGCW) model was designed in this study. A total of 136 patients with acute left heart failure were taken as the research objects and randomly divided into the control group (conventional treatment) and the experimental group (morphine combined with mechanical ventilation), with 68 cases in each group. The left ventricular end‐diastolic diameter (LVEDD), left ventricular end‐systolic diameter (LVESD), left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), N‐terminal pro‐brain natriuretic peptide (NT‐proBNP), arterial partial pressure of oxygen (PaO2), and arterial partial pressure of carbon dioxide (PaCO2) were observed. The results showed that the mean absolute deviation (MAD) and maximum mean absolute deviation (max‐MAD) of the LGCW model were lower than those of the fuzzy k‐nearest neighbor (FKNN) algorithm and local gray‐scale clustering model (LGSCm). The Dice metric was also significantly higher than that of other algorithms with statistically significant differences (P < 0.05). After treatment, LVEDD, LVESD, and NT‐proBNP of patients in the experimental group were significantly lower than those in the control group, and LVEF in the experimental group was higher than that in the control group (P < 0.05). PaO2 of patients in the experimental group was also significantly higher than that in the control group (P < 0.05). It suggested that the LGCW model had a better segmentation effect, and morphine combined with mechanical ventilation gave a better clinical efficacy in the treatment of acute left heart failure, improving the patients’ cardiac function and arterial blood gas effectively.
Choroidal Vascularity Index Assessment: A Potential Noninvasive Technique for Diagnosing Diabetic Nephropathy
Authors: Han Xue , Du Nan-Nan , Li Shuang , Diao Zong-Li , Fu Li , Liu Wen-Hu
Published: February 2022

Aims. This study aimed to compare the accuracy of the choroidal vascularity index (CVI) and diabetic retinopathy (DR) in the diagnosis of diabetic nephropathy (DN). Methods. We performed a cross-sectional study of 117 patients with proteinuria and diabetes mellitus (DM) in which 45 patients were diagnosed with DN by renal pathology. Demographic information, clinical features, and laboratory data were collected. A total of 234 eyes underwent evaluation of DR and the CVI using enhanced depth imaging-optical coherence tomography scans. We analyzed the association between the CVI and DN and compared the CVI and DR for diagnosing DN using area under receiver operating characteristic curves (AUROCs). Results. The severe nonproliferative DR and proliferative DR groups showed a lower CVI than the no DR and mild/moderate nonproliferative DR groups (

P
<
0.01

or

P
<
0.001

). There was a significantly lower CVI in patients with DN stage III (63.01% ± 1.47%) compared with those in DN stages IIa (62.1% ± 1.41%,

P
<
0.001

) and IIb (59.85% ± 1.98%,

P
<
0.01

). The sensitivity and specificity of the CVI for diagnosing DN were 84% (71%–94%) and 95% (88%–99%), respectively, which were preferable to those of DR. The AUROCs for the CVI and DR for diagnosing DN were 0.932 and 0.831, respectively. The CVI outperformed DR for diagnosing DN (

P
<
0.05

). The cutoff value of the CVI was 63.13%. Conclusion. The CVI might be a reliable noninvasive technique for predicting the pathological stage of DN and is superior to DR in diagnosing DN.
Research on Wheel-Rail Local Impact Identification Based on Axle Box Acceleration
Authors: Ji Yuanjin , Zeng Junwei , Sun Wenjing
Published: February 2022

Abnormal vibration signals of tramcar are mostly nonstationary and nonlinear signals. This study applied the Hilbert–Huang transform (HHT) to analyze abnormal vibration of the tramcar, aiming to overcome the limitations of some traditional time-frequency analysis methods, such as Fourier transform, in dealing with nonstationary and nonlinear signals. Additionally, to address mode aliasing produced during empirical mode decomposition (EMD) used in classical HHT, this study proposed to first use complete EMD with adaptive noise for the decomposition of original vibration data, then eliminate the trend-term components with the calculated correlation coefficients, and finally perform denoising on high-frequency noisy components using the wavelet threshold method. After weighted reconstruction using denoised high-frequency components and low-frequency information components, data processing was finally optimized via HHT. Taking a tramcar as an example, the Hilbert spectra of the vertical acceleration of axle box were plotted via HHT, and the time-instantaneous, frequency-instantaneous energy 3D relations were obtained for the location of impact points. Further, the vibration characteristics were analyzed and quality indexes were calculated in combination with the marginal spectra so as to judge the reasons for abnormal vibration and failure modes of the tramcar. The results revealed that the proposed method was feasible and effective in vibration feature extraction and vibration impact analysis for tramcars.
Antimycotic Activity of Some Medicinal Plants against Mucor circinelloides
Authors: Jangid Renu , Begum Tahira
Published: February 2022

The in vitro antimycotic activity of the leaf extract of Catharanthus roseus, Lantana camara, Nerium indicum, Sida cordifolia, and Ziziphus mauritiana was studied against M. circinelloides. This fungal species causes mucormycosis (black fungus). Presently, mucormycosis is affecting COVID patients due to prolonged use of steroids. So, it is needed to require development of more effective and less toxic antimycotic agents for the treatment of mucormycosis. Plants and their extraction preparations have been used as medicine against infectious disease. In this research, aqueous, ethanol, and DMSO (dimethyl sulfoxide) leaf extracts were used for antimycotic activity. All leaf extracts of selected medicinal plants recorded significant activity against M. circinelloides. Ethanol leaf extract of C. roseus showed the highest antimycotic activity followed by N. indicum and L. camara. Z. mauritiana which showed moderate activity against M. circinelloides.
Construction of a Physical and Medical Care Integrated Model for the Elderly in the Community Based on Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning
Authors: Yang Zongyou , Xia Siyong , Feng Sheng
Published: February 2022

With the increasingly serious population aging, economic system transformation, and social transformation, the elderly have an increasingly strong demand for the elderly care service industry, but the development of China’s elderly care service industry started late, and there are still many problems. For how to build a better elderly care service model, under the current situation of shortage of elderly care resources, community elderly care may become a solution. By analyzing the status quo, existing problems and development trends of home-based care services in Hangzhou’s community, and learning from foreign experience, it explores the establishment of a “integrated physical, medical, and nursing care” community health management model for the elderly and provides a perfect solution for the development of Hangzhou’s community elderly care services countermeasures and suggestions for mode operation. Based on the evaluation, problem analysis, and empirical research on the current situation of home care services in Hangzhou communities, this paper draws on relatively mature community care practices, proposes to build a community elderly health management model that combines medical care and care, and improves and innovates the overall design and medical care of the elderly service model measures for the health management of the elderly in the integrated community. The experimental results of this study show that, according to the demand for elderly care services, elderly people in need of care account for 86.6%, 79.5%, and 68.4% of the elderly population, especially in the areas of medical care, life care, and housekeeping services.
Evaluation Method of Wushu Teaching Quality Based on Fuzzy Clustering
Authors: Hu Zhechun , Wang Yunxing
Published: February 2022

The existing teaching quality evaluation methods cannot calculate the distance between the data points of teaching dataset and the center points of the large density grid, which leads to the poor classification of teaching data and the low accuracy of teaching quality evaluation. Therefore, a method of teaching quality evaluation of Wushu based on fuzzy clustering is proposed. In order to improve the comprehensiveness of teaching quality evaluation, the lost data of teaching resources were recovered. Based on this, the grid index of martial arts teaching data is established, and the relationship model between teaching quality and martial arts achievement is constructed. Based on the characteristics of Wushu teaching resources, the fuzzy clustering method is introduced to calculate the distance between each data point and the grid center with high data density. The experimental results show that the evaluation accuracy of the teaching quality is high, and the lost data can be accurately recovered. The evaluation efficiency, reliability, and stability of Wushu teaching quality are ideal.
Cinnamic Acid in Frankincense Sap as a Criterion for Determining the Best Mother Plant for Vegetative Propagation of Styrax benzoin (Sumatra Benzoin) in Sumatra, Indonesia
Authors: Nurwahyuni Isnaini , Nababan Benardo , Pangoloi Svencer , Situmorang Manihar
Published: February 2022

Cinnamic acid, contained in frankincense sap produced by Styrax benzoin (Sumatra benzoin tree), is an important compound that is used for various purposes, such as preservatives, fragrances, cosmetics, and pharmaceutical products. The production of frankincense sap as a forest product can be increased through the inclusion of S. benzoin seeds, which are propagated from the best mother plants. This study aims to use the content of cinnamic acid contained in the sap of S. benzoin as a criterion for determining the best mother plant for propagation of seeds. The research was conducted using healthy plants, taking sap samples, identifying and confirmation of cinnamic acid levels, and determining the best mother tree based on the content of cinnamic acid. The results of this study have identified six individual S. benzoin trees of very good quality based on their phenotypic advantages and the quantity of sap production. Isolation and identification of cinnamic acid from frankincense samples showed that the composition of cinnamic acid was high (12 to 21%). Three good quality S. benzoin trees, with high cinnamic acid composition, were SBN-7 (21%), SBN-3 (18%), and SBN-10 (17%). The SBN-7 tree was then chosen as the best S. benzoin, producing 2.70 kg year−1 sap, containing cc. 21% cinnamic acid. A selected mother plant will be used as a source of plant material for vegetative propagation to produce good quality seeds similar to the properties of the parent plant forforest conservation and to increase the production of nontimber forest raw materials for medicine and other purposes. The finding of this study is the first to use the composition of cinnamic acid as a criterion for determining the best mother plant. The composition of cinnamic acid in the sap is an important parameter in determining the superiority of S. benzoin plants.
Changes in Physiological Levels of Cortisol and Adrenocorticotropic Hormone upon Hospitalization Can Predict SARS-CoV-2 Mortality: A Cohort Study
Authors: Ahmadi Iraj , Estabraghnia Babaki Hamideh , Maleki Maryam , Jarineshin Hashem , Kaffashian Mohammad Reza , Hassaniazad Mehdi , Kenarkoohi Azra , Ghanbarnejad Amin , Falahi Shahab , Kazemi Jahromi Mitra , Ghaneialvar Hori , Sohrabipour Shahla
Published: February 2022

There is some indication that coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) causes hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis insufficiency. However, being on glucocorticoids makes it difficult to fully investigate this axis, especially in patients with severe COVID-19. We aimed to discover if there was a connection between blood total cortisol and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) levels and mortality in patients with COVID-19. In Iran, 154 hospitalized patients with COVID-19 were studied in a prospective cohort study. ACTH and cortisol levels in the blood were measured on the first or second day of hospitalization. Most patients (52.6 vs. 47.4%) were men over 50 years old (55.8%), and 44.4% had an underlying illness. Serum cortisol and plasma ACTH medians were 15.6 (μg/dl) and 11.4 (pg/ml), respectively. 9.09% of the patients died. Cortisol levels were substantially lower in those who died (11.3 μg/dl) than in patients who were discharged (16.7 μg/dl,P<0.01), while ACTH levels were unaffected. The most important factors determining mortality, according to the logistic model, were blood cortisol levels, the existence of an underlying disease, and the use of a mechanical ventilator. Cortisol levels that rose by one-unit correlated with a 26% lower risk of mortality. Comorbidities and mechanical ventilation increased the risk of death by 260 and 92 times, respectively. It can be concluded that in patients with COVID-19, a low cortisol level is linked to a high risk of mortality. Patients may sometimes have relative primary adrenal insufficiency. To judge and decide on therapeutic interventions, more reliable and long-term follow-up studies are required.
Learning Methods of Business Intelligence and Group Related Diagnostics on Patient Management by Using Artificial Dynamic System
Authors: Hamad Abdulsattar Abdullah , Abdulridha Mustafa Mahdi , Kadhim Noor Mohammed , Pushparaj S. , Meenakshi R. , Ibrahim Abdelrahman Mohamed
Published: February 2022

Every recognized hospital’s patient management unit (PMU) has focused its efforts on improving clinical patient care, with a process approach, analyzing it from adult emergency overcrowding to prolonged stays in clinical services. It is generating many patients waiting for beds in the emergency service. The PMU does not have a business intelligence (BI) platform that provides information in real‐time, generating a blind browsing problem. The purpose is to demonstrate the need for a BI platform using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to analyze in real‐time the relevant information for decision making. The methodology consists of analyzing qualitative and quantitatively the statistics of the last three years, both from the emergency service and from the clinical services. This study shows that the saturation of the emergency service responds to the number of patients waiting for beds, which interferes with outpatient care. The projections for 2020 underestimated the demand, and the efforts to open hospital beds and home hospitalization quotas allowed to shovel said excess demand. The average stay numbers continue to increase, as does the number of hospitalized patients for emergencies, generating a progressive growth in demand. It is necessary to have a BI system adapted with AI to perform real‐time analysis of the GRD, to be able to act during hospitalization and not afterward.