bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Alnus glutinosa and Orientus ishidae (Matsumura, 1902) share phytoplasma genotypes linked to the ‘Flavescence dorée’ epidemics
Authors: Rizzoli Attilio , Belgeri Elena , Jermini Mauro , Conedera Marco , Filippin Luisa , Angelini Elisa
Published: September 2021

Flavescence dorée (FD) is a grapevine disease caused by associated phytoplasmas (FDp) which are epidemically spread by their main vector Scaphoideus titanus. The possible roles of alternative and secondary FDp plant hosts and vectors have gained interest in terms of better understanding of the FDp ecology and epidemiology. The findings of a survey conducted in the surroundings of three vineyards in the southern Swiss Alps aimed at studying the possible epidemiological role of the FDp secondary vector Orientus ishidae and the FDp host plant Alnus glutinosa are reported. This work demonstrates that O. ishidae is able to complete its biological cycle on A. glutinosa and to acquire FDp and 16SrV phytoplasmas very efficiently with an infection rate of 69% for the nymphal instars and 85% for the imagoes. A high prevalence of the map genotype M50 (map type FD1), which is included in the S. titanus—grapevine epidemiological cycle, was found in O. ishidae and A. glutinosa. Additionally, M12 (map type FD3), M44 and M47 were also sporadically detected. Surprisingly, the grapevines tested during this work were all infected by M54 (map type FD2) only, while the few S. titanus caught in the vineyard canopy were all FDp free. In conclusion, the occurrence of infected common alder stands and O. ishidae nearby vineyards do not seem to play a prominent role in FD epidemics in southern Switzerland. Nevertheless, wild vegetation acts as a reservoir of the FDp inoculum, which may locally trigger a FD emergence if S. titanus populations are established inside vineyards.
The effectiveness of person‐centred quality improvement strategies on the management and control of hypertension in primary care: A systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Manalili Kimberly , Lorenzetti Diane L. , Egunsola Oluwaseun , O'Beirne Maeve , Hemmelgarn Brenda , Scott Catherine M. , Santana Maria J.
Published: September 2021

Objective

To evaluate the effectiveness of person‐centred quality improvement strategies on the management and control of adults with hypertension in primary care.

Methods

A systematic review and meta‐analysis was conducted using the Medline, Cochrane Central Register for Controlled Trials, Embase, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, and APA PsycINFO databases (January 1980 to March 2020). Randomized controlled trials that evaluated person‐centred quality improvement strategies for the management and control of essential hypertension among adults (18 years) in primary care were included. Random effects models were used to estimate weighted mean differences (WMD) for the change in systolic and diastolic blood pressures (SBP, DBP) from baseline; risk ratios (RR) were calculated for the proportion of participants achieving target blood pressures, for each quality improvement strategy assessed. A qualitative review of the implementation details of the interventions was conducted to identify common components of interventions that were effective in improving blood pressure outcomes.

Results

Eight studies were included (total of 5654 patients). Findings favour use of person‐centred quality improvement interventions over usual care (RR = 1.23 [95% CI: 1.01; 1.48]) for improving blood pressure outcomes. Self‐management (RR = 1.43 [95% CI: 1.23; 1.65]) had the greatest effects on blood pressure targets. Clinician education resulted in the greatest SBP reduction (WMD:6.09 mmHg [95% CI: 2.32; 9.85]), while patient education and patient reminder systems (both WMD:4.86 mmHg [95% CI: 0.88; 8.83]) saw the most improvements in DBP. While interventions varied in their strategy implementation, common features of effective interventions included tailored communication with patients, use of health information technology, and multidisciplinary collaboration.

Conclusion

Person‐centred quality improvement strategies were effective in improving blood pressure outcomes. Further research is needed regarding the context of implementing interventions to provide greater insight into the components of a person‐centred quality improvement intervention most effective in improving hypertension outcomes.
Risk factors for opioid‐related adverse drug events among older adults after hospital discharge
Authors: Herzig Shoshana J. , Anderson Timothy S. , Jung Yoojin , Ngo Long H. , McCarthy Ellen P.
Published: September 2021

Background

Although opioids are initiated on hospital discharge in millions of older adults each year, there are no studies examining patient‐ and prescribing‐related risk factors for opioid‐related adverse drug events (ADEs) after hospital discharge among medical patients.

Methods

A retrospective cohort study of a national sample of Medicare beneficiaries aged 65 years and older, hospitalized for a medical reason, with at least one claim for an opioid within 2 days of hospital discharge. We excluded patients receiving hospice care and patients admitted from or discharged to a facility. We used administrative billing codes and medication claims to define potential opioid‐related ADEs within 30 days of hospital discharge, and competing risks regression to identify risk factors for these events.

Results

Among 22,879 medical hospitalizations (median age 74, 36.9% female) with an opioid claim within 2 days of hospital discharge, a potential opioid‐related ADE occurred in 1604 (7.0%). Independent risk factors included age of 80 years and older (HR 1.18, 95% CI 1.05–1.33); clinical conditions, including kidney disease (HR 1.22, 95% CI 1.08–1.37), dementia/delirium (HR 1.38, 95% CI 1.22–1.56), anxiety disorder (HR 1.20, 95% CI 1.06–1.36), opioid use disorder (HR 1.20, 95% CI 1.03–1.39), intestinal disorders (HR 1.31, 95% CI 1.15–1.49), pancreaticobiliary disorders (HR 1.32, 95% CI 1.09–1.61), and musculoskeletal and nervous system injuries (HR 1.35, 95% CI 1.17–1.54); red flags for opioid misuse (HR 1.37, 95% CI 1.04–1.80); opioid use in the 30 days before hospitalization (HR 1.20, 95% CI 1.08–1.34); and prescription of long‐acting opioids (HR 1.34, 95% CI 1.06–1.70).

Conclusions

Potential opioid‐related ADEs occurred within 30 days of hospital discharge in 7.0% of older adults discharged from a medical hospitalization with an opioid prescription. Identified risk factors can be used to inform physician decision‐making, conversations with older adults about risk, and development and targeting of harm reduction strategies.
Re: Negative treatments… changing our words to drive deprescribing
Authors: Radomski Thomas R.
Published: September 2021

This letter comments on the letter by Richard Stefanacci
Steroid stress hormone changes throughout the menstrual cycle: A rise in evening aldosterone concentration in early luteal phase precedes the symptoms of premenstrual syndrome
Authors: Izakova Lubomira , Hlavacova Natasa , Jezova Daniela
Published: September 2021

There is still a lack of consistent evidence on dysregulation of steroid stress hormones cortisol and aldosterone in premenstrual syndrome (PMS). We aimed to test the hypothesis that, in healthy women, salivary aldosterone concentrations are higher in those with PMS compared to controls, particularly during the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle. In total, 99 female subjects (49 women with and 50 women without PMS) participated in a prospective non‐interventional case–control study. Saliva sampling was performed in the follicular (day 8), early luteal (day 20) and late luteal phase (2 days before expected onset of bleeding) of the menstrual cycle in the morning and the evening. The results confirmed the hypothesis that salivary aldosterone concentrations are higher in women with PMS during the early luteal phase compared to controls (p < .01) in the evening. Early luteal phase aldosterone concentrations positively correlated with the frequency of premenstrual symptoms. Women with PMS exhibited a flatter morning to evening aldosterone slope compared to controls (p < .05). Morning and evening salivary cortisol concentrations were unchanged throughout the menstrual cycle in both groups of women. In conclusion, evening salivary aldosterone, but not cortisol concentrations, are increased in women with PMS during the early luteal phase compared to controls. Cortisol does not appear to be involved in the mechanisms contributing to the course of PMS. High evening salivary aldosterone in the early luteal phase may represent an important risk factor and could be of predictive value for the occurrence of premenstrual symptoms.
Effect of yoga on posttraumatic growth and quality of life in first‐time mothers: A randomized controlled trial
Authors: Unver Hacer , Timur Tashan Sermin
Published: September 2021

Aim

This study aims to examine the effect of yoga on posttraumatic growth and quality of life in postpartum mothers.

Methods

The study was conducted as randomized controlled. There were 160 participant mothers, including 80 for the yoga group and 80 for the control group. Mothers in the yoga group participated in individual yoga practices at their homes every weekday for 10 weeks. The personal information form, posttraumatic growth inventory (PTGI), and short form‐36 (SF‐36) Quality of Life Scale were used to collect data.

Results

The results showed that total and subscale mean scores of the PTGI were higher in the yoga group than the control group after the intervention. In comparison to the control group, the mean scores of the yoga group were higher in subscales as physical functioning, role‐physical, bodily pain, general health, vitality, social functioning, mental health of the SF‐36, after the intervention.

Conclusion

The yoga increased psychological growth and quality of life in the postpartum period. Health professionals could use yoga to increase the quality of life of mothers and to ensure their psychological growth in health care.
The Rise and Fall of Structural Contingency Theory: A Theory’s ‘autopsy’
Authors: Shenkar Oded , Ellis Shmuel
Published: September 2021

Half a century after emerging as a leading theory in the then nascent field of organization theory, structural contingency theory seems to have disappeared from the scholarly stage. Have theoretical and methodological deficiencies predestined the theory to oblivion? Was it the lack of empirical support or practical application? Was the theory doomed by its failure to adapt to new conditions or was it rendered obsolete by the emergence of new theories with superior explanatory power? Or was the decline the result of the dispersion of its research community and the rise of strategy at the expense of organization theory? These questions and more are addressed in this paper as part of a ‘theoretical autopsy’ seeking explanations for the theory’s decline or demise. Repercussions for current and emerging organization and management theories are delineated.
Detection of muscle fatigue caused by repeated posterior tongue lift movement from neck surface EMG: a pilot study
Authors: Furutera Hiroshi , Kawakami Shigehisa , Kodama Naoki , Manda Yosuke , Kitagawa Keisuke , Nakahara Ryuichi , Minagi Shogo
Published: September 2021

Background

Fatigue is an important factor for muscle strengthening in rehabilitation medicine. Frequency analysis has been regarded as the gold standard for muscle fatigue assessment in surface electromyography (EMG). However, there are no experiments quantifying fatigue with grouped discharge (GD), which is one of the historical phenomena observed in patients having fatigue, by using high sampling rate recording of EMG.

Objective

To investigate the effect of fatigue, which is induced by repeated posterior tongue lift movement (TLM), on the occurrence of GD peaks, thus, to provide possible basis as a parameter for future fatigue evaluation.

Methods

Nineteen healthy adults (9 men and 10 women) participated in this study. The muscle fatigue protocol consisted of repetitive posterior TLM and maximum voluntary contractions (MVC). Bilateral N‐EMG (Neck surface EMG for measuring the muscle activity of the posterior tongue) was recorded.

Results

Subjective tongue fatigue at the end of the protocol was significantly higher than at beginning throughout the muscle fatigue protocol (p < .01). The frequency of occurrence of GD peaks was 0.9 ± 1.2 (per second) at the baseline in 33 of 38 subject sides, and significantly increased depending on fatigue progression (p < .01).

Conclusion

It was shown that fatigue due to repetitive posterior tongue lifting resulted in significant increase in the frequency of occurrence of GD peaks. Especially, the nature of GD, showing very few occurrences at non‐fatigue condition, might work as an advantageous property for its use in future absolute evaluation of fatigue phenomena.
Ethics and governance for a multi‐site study in Australia: Navigating the snakes and ladders
Authors: Samir Nora , Amarasena Lahiru , Sealy Louise , Hodgins Michael , Gelaw Yalemzewod , Lingam Raghu , Zwi Karen
Published: September 2021

Multi‐site research studies are essential if we are to conduct national research across all Australian jurisdictions. There is widespread agreement among clinicians and researchers that obtaining essential approvals to conduct multi‐site research studies in Australia can be complex, bureaucratic and time consuming. Although there is inherent value in the review process, resources and months of valuable research time are often expended long before the study has begun. Using our recent experience for a multi‐site, longitudinal paediatric cohort study of children and adolescents who were detained in offshore immigration detention on Nauru, we describe the process of navigating the ethics and governance approval systems. We identify tips for researchers and clinicians conducting multi‐site studies, including early consultation with ethics and governance committees, using their recommended templates, anticipating time delays, and commencing time consuming processes as early as permissible. Our recommendations at the systemic level include streamlined and integrated ethics and governance review processes for all Australian jurisdictions, with co‐ordinated requests for further information, a standardised approach across all Research Governance Offices, a rapid system for addressing amendments and individualised study support and consultations. Above all, a nationally agreed framework whereby ethics and governance committees across jurisdictions communicate with each other, use the same electronic platform and present a unified process whilst protecting the welfare, rights, dignity and safety of research participants is required. The complexity of the current ethics and governance processes may inadvertently and unintentionally be a barrier to conducting ethical research.
Serum creatinine is a poor marker of a predicted change in muscle mass in lactating sows
Authors: Muller Tracy L. , Pluske John R. , Plush Kate J. , D'Souza Darryl N. , Miller David W. , van Barneveld Robert J.
Published: September 2021

Serum creatinine (SCr) in humans has proven to be a reliable biomarker of body protein breakdown and/or muscle mass change. This study set out to investigate the potential of SCr to indicate a loss in sow muscle mass over lactation, validated against 3 methyl histidine (3MH) and blood urea nitrogen (BUN), markers of dietary and/or body protein breakdown. A total of 40 sows were allocated to four treatment groups aimed to induce body weight changes by restrictively feeding sows using a stepwise percentage reduction model. Data were pooled and reallocated into three groups representing the 25th, 50th and 75th percentiles based on body weight change over lactation in the range −22.3 to −4.1% (treatment 25), −4.0 to 6.2% (Treatment 50), and 6.3–15.2% (Treatment 75). Indirect measures for the prediction of protein (3MH, BUN) or fat change (caliper, P2) were taken on entry into the farrowing house, day 5 of lactation, and at weaning. Serum was collected on these days, and SCr, 3MH and BUN were analysed. Piglet weaning weight and average daily feed intake did not differ between treatments (p > .05). There were no changes (p > .05) in indirect measures of body composition (sow caliper score, P2) and analytes (SCr, 3MH, BUN) over lactation. By day 20, those sows in treatment 25 had higher (p < .05) 3MH concentrations whilst changes from day 5 to 20 were not different (p > .05) and did not correlate with SCr change (p > .05) but were highly correlated to BUN change (R2 = 0.691, p < .001). The data suggested that concentrations of SCr and BUN may have been the result of dietary and/or body protein breakdown and/or changes in muscle mass. In the current testing conditions, SCr was not a reliable marker of changes in muscle mass.
BRAIN UK: Accessing NHS tissue archives for neuroscience research
Authors: Nicoll James A. R. , Bloom Tabitha , Clarke Amelia , Boche Delphine , Hilton David
Published: September 2021

The purpose of BRAIN UK (the UK BRain Archive Information Network) is to make the very extensive and comprehensive National Health Service (NHS) Neuropathology archives available to the national and international neuroscience research community. The archives comprise samples of tumours and a wide range of other neurological disorders, not only from the brain but also spinal cord, peripheral nerve, muscle, eye and other organs when relevant. BRAIN UK was founded after the recognition of the importance of this large tissue resource, which was not previously readily accessible for research use. BRAIN UK has successfully engaged the majority of the regional clinical neuroscience centres in the United Kingdom to produce a centralised database of the extensive autopsy and biopsy archive. Together with a simple application process and its broad ethical approval, BRAIN UK offers researchers easy access to most of the national archives of neurological tissues and tumours (http://www.brain-uk.org). The range of tissues available reflects the spectrum of disease in society, including many conditions not covered by disease‐specific brain banks, and also allows relatively large numbers of cases of uncommon conditions to be studied. BRAIN UK has supported 141 studies (2010–2020) that have generated 70 publications employing methodology as diverse as morphometrics, genetics, proteomics and methylomics. Tissue samples that would otherwise have been unused have supported valuable neuroscience research. The importance of this unique resource will only increase as molecular techniques applicable to human tissues continue to develop and technical advances permit large‐scale high‐throughput studies.
Inositol polyphosphates and target of rapamycin kinase signalling govern photosystem II protein phosphorylation and photosynthetic function under light stress in Chlamydomonas
Authors: Couso Inmaculada , Smythers Amanda L. , Ford Megan M. , Umen James G. , Crespo José L. , Hicks Leslie M.
Published: September 2021

Stress and nutrient availability influence cell proliferation through complex intracellular signalling networks. In a previous study it was found that pyro‐inositol polyphosphates (InsP7 and InsP8) produced by VIP1 kinase, and target of rapamycin (TOR) kinase signalling interacted synergistically to control cell growth and lipid metabolism in the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. However, the relationship between InsPs and TOR was not completely elucidated.

We used an in vivo assay for TOR activity together with global proteomic and phosphoproteomic analyses to assess differences between wild‐type and vip1‐1 in the presence and absence of rapamycin.

We found that TOR signalling is more severely affected by the inhibitor rapamycin in a vip1‐1 mutant compared with wild‐type, indicating that InsP7 and InsP8 produced by VIP1 act independently but also coordinately with TOR. Additionally, among hundreds of differentially phosphorylated peptides detected, an enrichment for photosynthesis‐related proteins was observed, particularly photosystem II proteins. The significance of these results was underscored by the finding that vip1‐1 strains show multiple defects in photosynthetic physiology that were exacerbated under high light conditions.

These results suggest a novel role for inositol pyrophosphates and TOR signalling in coordinating photosystem phosphorylation patterns in Chlamydomonas cells in response to light stress and possibly other stresses.
Disentangling the trend in the warming of urban areas into global and local factors
Authors: Estrada Francisco , Perron Pierre
Published: September 2021

Large cities account for a significant share of national population and wealth, and exert high pressure on local and regional resources, exacerbating socioenvironmental risks. The replacement of natural landscapes with higher heat capacity materials because of urbanization and anthropogenic waste heat are some of the factors contributing to local climate change caused by the urban heat island (UHI) effect. Because of synergistic effects, local climate change can exacerbate the impacts of global warming in cities. Disentangling the contributions to warming in cities from global and local drivers can help to understand their relative importance and guide local adaptation policies. The canopy UHI intensity is commonly approximated by the difference between temperatures within cities and the surrounding areas. We present a complementary approach that applies the concept of common trends to extract the global contributions to observed warming in cities and to obtain a residual warming trend caused by local and regional factors. Once the effects of global drivers are removed, common features appear in cities’ temperatures in the eastern part of the United States. Most cities experienced higher warming than that attributable to global climate change, and some shared a period of rapid warming during urban sprawl in the mid‐20th century in the United States.
Clinical comparison of unilateral biportal endoscopic discectomy with percutaneous endoscopic lumbar discectomy for single l4/5‐level lumbar disk herniation
Authors: Hao Jie , Cheng Jiaqi , Xue Huawei , Zhang Feng
Published: September 2021

Objective

The purpose of this research was to investigate the outcomes between unilateral biportal endoscopic discectomy (UBE) and percutaneous endoscopic lumbar discectomy (PELD) for the single L4/5‐level lumbar disk herniation (sLDH).

Methods

From January 2018 to January 2021, a total of 40 patients with sLDH were retrospectively analyzed in this study. All the patients had received spinal surgeries in Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University and Affiliated Nantong Hospital 3 of Nantong University. Among them, 20 patients were treated with PELD (PELD group), and 20 patients were treated with UBE discectomy (UBE group). Postoperative length of hospital stay, estimated blood loss, operation time, and clinical complications of the patients were compared between the two groups. The visual analog scale (VAS) and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) were measured before surgeries and 3 days, 1, and 6 months after surgeries.

Results

Compared with the UBE group, the PELD group had obviously less intraoperative blood loss, shorter operative time, and shorter hospital stay. The differences in the rate of complications were not statistically significant between the two groups. The VAS score and the ODI score of the two groups had a great reduction after operation. In addition, both the groups had satisfactory clinical outcome; the VAS score and ODI of the PELD group decreased more obviously.

Conclusion

The UBE for sLDH yielded similar clinical outcomes to PELD as minimally invasive surgeries; however, PELD is superior to UBE in terms of intraoperative blood loss, operative time, postoperative hospitalization, and short‐term postoperative pain relief. The advantages and disadvantages of the two surgeries should be circumspectly balanced when evaluating a patient for a minimally invasive surgery for sLDH, selecting the most appropriate surgical method for patients.
Systemic inequities and depressive symptomology in Hispanic mothers: A path analysis model
Authors: Crawford Allison D. , Cleveland Lisa , McGrath Jacqueline M. , Berndt Andrea
Published: September 2021

Background

Hispanic mothers are one of the largest groups to give birth. They also experience high rates of morbidity and mortality; however, there is limited data related to their health inequities.

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to evaluate systemic inequities associated with discrimination using the Reproductive Justice Framework to observe factors that influenced depressive symptomology in Hispanic women.

Methods

A path analysis was conducted to evaluate systemic inequities that influenced postpartum depression using the public database, Listening to Mothers III (LMIII). The sub‐sample consisted of n = 406 Hispanic mothers. Data was initially collected between the years 2011 and 2013.

Results

Hispanic mothers were more likely to experience occurrences of perceived discrimination while seeking perinatal healthcare. These occurrences of discrimination led to lower trust in their healthcare providers, lower satisfaction with care, more instances of unwanted medical procedures, the need to feel to hold back comments about their health which ultimately resulted in higher rates of self‐reported postpartum depression. The model fit indices supported the model's plausibility (χ2/df ratio = 3.16, Comparative Fit Index = 0.91, Root Mean Square Error of Approximation = 0.06).

Conclusions

This data supported our hypothesis that the pathway of discriminatory barriers Hispanic mothers experience during pregnancy influence postpartum depression.
Expression of astrocyte‐elevated gene‐1 indicates prognostic value of fluoropyrimidine‐based adjuvant chemotherapy in resectable stage III colorectal cancer
Authors: Lin Long‐Wei , Lai Peng‐Sheng , Chen Ying‐Yin , Chen Chung‐Yu
Published: September 2021

It is unclear which prognostic factor such as pathological features and gene mutation are majorly relevant for stage III disease and whether they aid in determining patients who will be benefit from postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy. The expression of astrocyte‐elevated gene‐1 (AEG‐1), thymidylate synthase (TS), excision repair cross‐complementation group 1 (ERCC1), epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) was examined to investigate their role in adjuvant chemotherapy for patients with resectable stage III colorectal cancer (CRC). A significant positive correlation was observed between AEG‐1, TS, ERCC1, EGFR, and VEGF gene expression levels in CRC cell lines, and low AEG‐1 and TS expression were highly sensitive to 5‐fluorouracil treatment. Our results showed that AEG‐1 expression was high in T4 and caused CRC recurrence or metastasis. Patients with T4, high AEG‐1, TS and VEGF expression had a significantly short disease‐free survival and overall survival. In multivariate Cox regression analysis, high AEG‐1 expression could be an independent prognostic factor indicating poor survival in patients with resectable stage III CRC treated with adjuvant chemotherapy. In conclusion, AEG‐1 expression and tumor grade are potential prognostic factors for recurrence and survival in patients with stage III CRC receiving adjuvant fluoropyrimidine‐based chemotherapy.
The effect of individual reminiscence therapy on adaptation difficulties of the elderly: a randomized clinical trial
Authors: Kaplan Tuğçe , Keser İlkay
Published: September 2021

Background

Reminiscence therapy is one of various interventions that can be made to protect and improve the mental health of the elderly. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of individual reminiscence therapy given during home visits on adaptation difficulties.

Method

This was a randomized controlled, single‐blind study designed with a pretest–post‐test and follow‐up pattern. We divided the participants, 65 elderly people living in Isparta, Turkey, by simple randomization into intervention (31) and control (34) groups. Individual reminiscence therapy was applied to the intervention group participants for eight weeks during house visits once a week. The weekly topics of the reminiscence therapy included childhood, business life, married life, old items, holidays, traditional dishes, and songs and movies, and were all culture‐specific. No intervention was applied to the control group. Study data were collected by using a Sociodemographic Data Form created by the researchers, the Assessment Scale of Adaptation Difficulty for the Elderly (ASADE), and the Nurses' Observation Scale for Geriatric Patients (NOSGER). Pretest, post‐test, and follow‐up data were collected at the individuals' homes in face‐to‐face interviews.

Results

After the eight‐week course of reminiscence therapy, there was a significant decrease in the ASADE mean score for the intervention group (P = 0.003) and a significant increase for the control group (P < 0.001). Significant increases were also found in the mean NOSGER scores for the intervention (P = 0.039) and control (P < 0.001) groups; however, the score increase was higher for the control than for the intervention group. Also, there was a significant difference in the ASADE (P < 0,001) and NOSGER (P = 0.01) mean scores of the intervention and control groups.

Conclusion

This study found that individual reminiscence therapy decreased adaptation difficulties in the elderly.
Cognition‐Enhanced Machine Learning for Better Predictions with Limited Data
Authors: Sense Florian , Wood Ryan , Collins Michael G. , Fiechter Joshua , Wood Aihua , Krusmark Michael , Jastrzembski Tiffany , Myers Christopher W.
Published: September 2021

The fields of machine learning (ML) and cognitive science have developed complementary approaches to computationally modeling human behavior. ML's primary concern is maximizing prediction accuracy; cognitive science's primary concern is explaining the underlying mechanisms. Cross‐talk between these disciplines is limited, likely because the tasks and goals usually differ. The domain of e‐learning and knowledge acquisition constitutes a fruitful intersection for the two fields’ methodologies to be integrated because accurately tracking learning and forgetting over time and predicting future performance based on learning histories are central to developing effective, personalized learning tools. Here, we show how a state‐of‐the‐art ML model can be enhanced by incorporating insights from a cognitive model of human memory. This was done by exploiting the predictive performance equation's (PPE) narrow but highly specialized domain knowledge with regard to the temporal dynamics of learning and forgetting. Specifically, the PPE was used to engineer timing‐related input features for a gradient‐boosted decision trees (GBDT) model. The resulting PPE‐enhanced GBDT outperformed the default GBDT, especially under conditions in which limited data were available for training. Results suggest that integrating cognitive and ML models could be particularly productive if the available data are too high‐dimensional to be explained by a cognitive model but not sufficiently large to effectively train a modern ML algorithm. Here, the cognitive model's insights pertaining to only one aspect of the data were enough to jump‐start the ML model's ability to make predictions—a finding that holds promise for future explorations.
A basic model for cell cholesterol homeostasis
Authors: Steck Theodore L. , Tabei S. M. Ali , Lange Yvonne
Published: September 2021

Cells manage their cholesterol by negative feedback using a battery of sterol‐responsive proteins. How these activities are coordinated so as to specify the abundance and distribution of the sterol is unclear. We present a simple mathematical model that addresses this question. It assumes that almost all of the cholesterol is associated with phospholipids in stoichiometric complexes. A small fraction of the sterol is uncomplexed and thermodynamically active. It equilibrates among the organelles, setting their sterol level according to the affinity of their phospholipids. The activity of the homeostatic proteins in the cytoplasmic membranes is then set by their fractional saturation with uncomplexed cholesterol in competition with the phospholipids. The high‐affinity phospholipids in the plasma membrane (PM) are filled to near stoichiometric equivalence, giving it most of the cell sterol. Notably, the affinity of the phospholipids in the endomembranes (EMs) is lower by orders of magnitude than that of the phospholipids in the PM. Thus, the small amount of sterol in the EMs rests far below stoichiometric capacity. Simulations match a variety of experimental data. The model captures the essence of cell cholesterol homeostasis, makes coherent a diverse set of experimental findings, provides a surprising prediction and suggests new experiments.
Radiographic and anatomical morphometric assessments of heart size in presumed healthy pet guinea pigs
Authors: De Silva Margherita , Bo Pierfrancesco , Dora Genocchi Elisabetta , Tagliavia Claudio , Roccaro Mariana , Grandis Annamaria , Baron Toaldo Marco
Published: September 2021

Cardiac disease in guinea pigs has been reported in the literature; however, reference intervals for normal radiographic heart size obtained using objective measurement methods have not been provided for this species. The aim of this prospective, reference interval study was to describe cardiac dimensions in presumed healthy guinea pigs using the vertebral heart scale (VHS) from thoracic radiographs, as described for dogs and cats. Furthermore, an anatomical study was carried out to compare the radiographic and anatomical findings. Thoracic radiographs were acquired in right lateral recumbency for 30, client‐owned, conscious, presumed healthy guinea pigs and radiographs were acquired in left lateral recumbency for 10 presumed healthy guinea pigs as comparisons. The influence of sex, age, body weight (BW), and recumbency on the VHS and absolute cardiac measurements was investigated. The median (interquartile range; IQR) VHS was 7.4 (7.1‐7.6). No differences emerged between the VHS measured in right versus left lateral recumbency (P = .41) or between sexes (P = .16). The VHS values were not influenced by age (P = .53) or BW (P = .26). The anatomical study was carried out on 10 guinea pig cadavers, and in situ and ex situ cardiac measurements were taken using a caliper. A median (IQR) 7.5 (7.2‐8.0) VHS was assessed by this anatomical study. The reference intervals provided should be useful tools in the future for the radiographic interpretation of cardiac size in guinea pigs in clinical practice.
Coupling Moving Morphable Voids and Components Based Topology Optimization of Hydrogel Structures Involving Large Deformation
Authors: Qiu Yisong , Zhang Shuaiqi , Zhang Weisheng , Ye Hongfei , Zhang Hongwu , Zheng Yonggang
Published: September 2021

A coupling of moving morphable void and component approach for the topology optimization of hydrogel structures involving recoverable large deformation is proposed in this paper. In this approach, the geometric parameters of moving morphable voids and components are set as design variables to respectively describe the outline and material distribution of hydrogel structures for the first time. To facilitate the numerical simulation of large deformation behavior of hydrogel structures during the optimization process, the design variables are mapped to the density field of the design domain and the density field is then used to interpolate the strain energy density function of the element. Furthermore, the adjoint sensitivity of the optimization formulation is derived and combined with the gradient-based algorithm to solve the topology optimization problem effectively. Finally, two representative numerical examples of the optimization of isotropic hydrogel structures are used to prove the effectiveness of the proposed method, and the optimization design of an anisotropic bionic hydrogel structure is presented to illustrate the applicability of the method. Experimental results are also presented to demonstrate that the explicit topologies obtained from the method can be directly used in the manufacture of hydrogel-based soft devices.
Interpolation and Extrapolation of Optimally Fitted Kinematic Error Model for Five-Axis Machine Tools
Authors: Ma Le , Bristow Douglas A. , Landers Robert G.
Published: September 2021

Machine tool geometric errors are frequently corrected by populating compensation tables that contain position-dependent offsets to each commanded axis position. While each offset can be determined by directly measuring the individual geometric error at that location, it is often more efficient to compute the compensation using a volumetric error model derived from measurements across the entire axis space. However, interpolation and extrapolation of measurements, once explicit in direct measurement methods, become implicit and obfuscated in the curve-fitting process of volumetric error methods. The drive to maximize model accuracy while minimizing measurement sets can lead to significant model errors in workspace regions at or beyond the range of the metrology equipment. In this paper, a method of constructing machine tool volumetric error models is presented in which the characteristics of the interpolation and extrapolation errors are constrained. Using a typical five-axis machine tool compensation methodology, a constraint bounding the tool tip modeled error slope is added to the error model identification process. By including this constraint over the entire space, the geometric errors over the interpolation space are still well identified. Also, the model performance over the extrapolation space is consistent with the behavior of the geometric error model over the interpolation space. The methodology is applied to an industrial five-axis machine tool. In the experimental implementation, for measurements outside of the measured region, an unconstrained model increases the mean residual by 40% while the constrained model reduces the mean residual by 40%.
Application of Ultra-Low NOx Combustor to the MHPS Existing Gas Turbine
Authors: Nishiumi Takashi , Ohara Hirofumi , Miyauchi Kotaro , Nakamura Sosuke , Ai Toshishige , Kataoka Masahito
Published: September 2021

In recent years, MHPS achieved a NET M501J gas turbine combined cycle (GTCC) efficiency in excess of 62% operating at 1,600°C, while maintaining NOx under 25ppm. Taking advantage of our gas turbine combustion design, development and operational experience, retrofits of earlier generation gas turbines have been successfully applied and will be described in this paper.

One example of the latest J-Series technologies, a conventional pilot nozzle was changed to a premix type pilot nozzle for low emission. The technology was retrofitted to the existing F-Series gas turbines, which resulted in emission rates of lower than 9ppm NOx(15%O2) while maintaining the same Turbine Inlet Temperature (TIT: Average Gas Temperature at the exit of the transition piece). After performing retrofitting design, high pressure rig tests, the field test prior to commercial operation was conducted on January 2019.

This paper describes the Ultra-Low NOx combustor design features, retrofit design, high pressure rig test and verification test results of the upgraded M501F gas turbine. In addition, it describes another upgrade of turbine to improve efficiency and of combustion control system to achieve low emissions. Furthermore it describes the trouble-free upgrade of seven (7) units, which was completed by utilizing MHPS integration capabilities, including handling all the design, construction and service work of the main equipment, plant and control systems.
Hybrid Electric Drive Systems in the United States Navy
Authors: Buonamici Gianfranco
Published: September 2021

With an increasing instability and cost fluctuation in the world energy markets, it has become more important to increase the US Navy fleet’s overall fuel efficiency. The Navy’s Energy Program for Security and Independence sets forth goals to reduce its overall consumption of energy and decrease its reliance on petroleum. One way that helps accomplish these goals is through the use of hybrid electric drive systems to replace gas turbine engines to accomplish lower ship speeds. Although gas turbines are power dense and fairly efficient at full load, their fuel efficiency decreases drastically at the lower power levels used when slower speeds are required to accomplish the ship’s mission. It is in this lower speed range where operating gas turbine generators closer to their optimum efficiency levels and powering an electric motor saves a significant amount of fuel.

This paper will discuss two in-service systems developed for various US Navy ships: the Hybrid Electric Drive (HED) system for DDG 103 and the Auxiliary Propulsion System (APS) for LHD 8 and LHA 7. It will describe each of the two configurations and their histories, how they are implemented and increase the capability of the ship, and the resulting fuel efficiencies that have been realized with their use.
Study on Conjugate Thermal Performance of a Steam-Cooled Ribbed Channel with Thick Metallic Walls
Authors: Xi Lei , Xu Liang , Gao Jianmin , Zhao Zhen
Published: September 2021

In this work, a conjugate heat transfer model was established to numerically investigate the conjugate thermal performance of a steam-cooled ribbed channel with thick metallic walls. By employing the software of ANSYS CFX, the flow field in the channel and the temperature field in the solid channel were calculated. The flow behavior, heat transfer performance and temperature gradient distributions of ribbed channels with wall thickness (δ) of 1–5 mm, rib height-to-hydraulic diameter (e/D) of 0.047–0.188, rib pitch-to-height ratio (P/e) of 5–15 and rib angle-of-attack (α) of 30°–90° were compared and analyzed. The optimum structure parameters of thick-wall ribbed channel with higher heat transfer performance and lower maximum temperature gradient were obtained. The results show that the SST k-ω turbulence model is more suitable for the conjugate heat transfer problem of steam in the thick-wall ribbed channels. The friction factor reduces gradually with the increase of Re, increases greatly with the increase of e/D and α, and first increases then decreases with the increase of P/e. The average Nusselt number increases up to 8.81 times, while the maximum temperature gradient decreases about 45.35% when Reynolds number varies from 10,000 to 70,000. The rib angle of about 45°–60°, e/D of 0.188, and P/e of 10 are suitable to obtain the optimum thermal performance of steam flow in the ribbed channel. The influence of δ on the flow and heat transfer characteristics is non-significant.
New Modeling Combining Kinematic and Stiffness Nonlinearity in Under Platform Dampers
Authors: Umehara Ryuichi , Takei Sotaro , Akaki Tomohiro , Kitada Hiroki
Published: September 2021

Turbine blades are used under increasingly severe conditions in order to increase the thermal efficiency of the gas turbines in operation. Friction dampers are often used to reduce the vibration of the blade and improve the plant reliability. Under platform dampers designed to generate friction between platforms and dampers have been widely adopted in gas turbines as one of the friction dampers. It is important to predict the vibration characteristics of such damper blades analytically during the design phase, and many analysis methods have been proposed vigorously. However, the phenomenon of the friction damper is not fully understood because of its complicated behavior due to nonlinearity such as contact and sliding. One of them is the variability of frequency generated in the under platform dampers. Recently, it has been reported on the variability of frequency in the mock-up blade test greatly under small excitation force, due to variability of contact surfaces. As different approach, mechanism of the variability of frequency is explained even if each damper pin has the same dimensions and characteristics of stiffness each other under the range of small vibration without slipped phenomena. In this paper, the phenomenon of this frequency variation is shown based on two physical phenomena. First, it shows the geometric nonlinear characteristics in which the normal load changes by the friction coefficient of the pin and the pin angle. Second, it shows the stiffness nonlinear characteristics in which the contact stiffness changes with the normal load of the pin. Based on the new proposed modeling of combining the geometric nonlinear characteristics and nonlinear stiffness characteristics, the phenomenon is shown in which the relative displacement of the pin changes the load and contact stiffness, and the frequency changes. It also shows that the maximum normal load before sliding is different depending on the friction coefficient and the pin angle, and that when the friction coefficient is large and the damper angle is large, the change in contact stiffness due to the normal load is large and the variability of frequency is large.
Film Cooling Effectiveness Enhancement Using Multi-Longitudinal Vortex Generated by Alternating Elliptical Film Holes
Authors: Xiao Kun , He Juan , Feng Zhenping
Published: September 2021

This paper proposed an alternating elliptical film hole for gas turbine blade to restrain kidney vortex and enhance film cooling effectiveness, based on the multi-longitudinal vortexes generated in alternating elliptical tube. The detailed flow structures in film hole delivering tube and out of the film hole, adiabatic film cooling effectiveness distributions as well as the total pressure loss coefficient were investigated. The delivering tube of alternating elliptical film hole consists of two straight sections and a transition section. In the straight sections, the cross section of the film hole is elliptical, and in the transition section, along flow direction, the major axis gradually shortened into the minor axis, and the minor axis gradually expanded to the major axis. But, the cross-section area of the film hole kept constant.

Numerical simulations were performed by using 3D steady flow solver of Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations (RANS) with the SST k-ω turbulence model. To reveal the mechanism of kidney vortex suppression and film cooling effectiveness enhancement, the simulation results were compared with the cylindrical film hole set as the baseline at different mass flow ratios (MFR). Besides, the aerodynamic characteristics of these two kinds of film holes were also investigated. The results showed that obvious jet effect could be found in the cylindrical film hole, and the coolant mainly flowed along the upper wind wall, then interacted with the main flow, forming a strong kidney vortex after flowing out, which made the coolant to lift away from the wall surface and reduced the cooling effectiveness. The alternating elliptical film hole had a good inhibition impact on the jet effect in the hole due to the longitudinal vortices, which made the film adhere to the wall surface better after the coolant flowed out. The longitudinal vortices generated by alternating elliptical film hole have the opposite rotation direction to the vorticity of the kidney vortices, thus the kidney vortices were restrained to a certain extent. The height of kidney vortices is lower, and the size of kidney vortices is also smaller. As a result, the film cooling effectiveness of alternating elliptical film hole is distinctly higher than that of the cylindrical film hole, and the enhancement effect is more significant at higher mass flow ratio. In addition, the total pressure loss coefficient of alternating elliptical film hole is only slightly higher than the cylindrical film hole at the mass flow ratio of 1%, 2% and 3%, and is even lower at the mass flow ratio of 4%, thus inducing an excellent comprehensive performance.