bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Real-world questions and concerns about disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs): a retrospective analysis of questions to a medicine call center
Authors: EL Masri Hiba , Hollingworth Samantha A. , van Driel Mieke , Benham Helen , McGuire Treasure M.
Published: June 2020

Background

Disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) have transformed the treatment of numerous autoimmune and inflammatory diseases but their perceived risk of harm may be a barrier to use.

Methods

In a retrospective mixed-methods study, we analysed conventional (c) and biologic (b) DMARDs-related calls and compared them with rest of calls (ROC) from consumers to an Australian national medicine call center operated by clinical pharmacists from September 2002 to June 2010. This includes the period where bDMARDs became available on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, the government-subsidized prescription medicines formulary. We compared caller and patient demographics, enquiry types and motivation to information-seek for both cDMARDs and bDMARDs with ROC, using a t-test for continuous data and a chi-square test for categorical data. We explored call narratives to identify common themes.

Results

There were 1547 calls involving at least one DMARD. The top three cDMARD enquiry types were side effects (27.2%), interactions (21.9%), and risk versus benefit (11.7%). For bDMARDs, the most common queries involved availability and subsidized access (18%), mechanism and profile (15.8%), and side effects (15.1%). The main consumer motivations to information-seek were largely independent of medicines type and included: inadequate information (44%), wanting a second opinion (23.6%), concern about a worrying symptom (18.8%), conflicting information (6.9%), or information overload (2.3%). Question themes common to conventional and biological DMARDs were caller overemphasis on medication risk and the need for reassurance. Callers seeking information about bDMARDs generally overestimated effectiveness and focused their attention on availability, cost, storage, and medicine handling.

Conclusion

Consumers have considerable uncertainty regarding DMARDs and may overemphasise risk. Patients cautiously assess the benefits and risks of their DMARDs but when new treatments emerge, they tend to overestimate their effectiveness.
Novel C stain-based chemical method for differentiating real and forged fingerprints
Authors: Saharan Sameer , Yadav A. K. , Yadav Bhuvnesh
Published: June 2020

Background

Fingerprints are useful evidence for establishing identities. Development and detection of fingerprints are of immense help in criminal investigation. However, forged fingerprints identical to the real ones are emerging as a worldwide problem. Existing methods for development of fingerprints (powder method/iodine fuming method/ninhydrin test/AgNO3) fail to distinguish between real and forged fingerprints when forged fingerprints are fortified with salts and amino acids. The present study was conducted with the objective to test applicability of C stain for real and forged fingerprint differentiation.

Methodology

C stain was applied on real and forged fingerprints in combination with conventional methods and was evaluated on the basis of development and differentiation of real and forged fingerprints.

Results

The proposed technique is successful in differentiating between real and forged fingerprints. Colour difference between real and forged fingerprints was observed by taking a combination of C stain with ninhydrin, black powder and iodine fuming, one at a time.

Conclusion

C stain method is an effective technique for distinguishing forged fingerprints from the real ones. It works as a distinction tool even when used in combination with existing development methods.
Assessment of semen characteristics and in vivo conception rate of preserved buffalo bull semen extended in tris enhanced with Diospyros kaki
Authors: El-Sheshtawy Reda Ibrahim , El-Nattat Walid Said
Published: June 2020

Background

The freeze-thaw process results in structural and functional damages caused by over accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Addition of exogenous antioxidants to semen extender is of a great importance to overcome the oxidative damage during the freezing process. The present study aimed to clarify the impact ofDiospyros kakion preserved buffalo semen quality. Tris extender enhanced with kaki juice (KEE) at concentrations 0% (control) and 1-10% (v/v). A twenty percent of freshly prepared egg yolk was added to the KEE extender (KEEY), then all tubes were centrifuged to eliminate any debris. Semen was added to the supernatants in other tubes. Semen was evaluated and the conception rate was implemented.

Results

Sperm forward motility was significantly (P <0.0001) kept high after 5 days of chilling for the concentrations 3, 4, and 5% with respect to the control and kept high (P <0.01) at the other concentrations till the 4th day of chilling. Addition of KEE had significantly (P <0.03) ameliorated post freezing sperm motility with all the concentrations of the extender except the concentration (10%). The highest spermatozoal motility was obtained with the concentration of 1% with respect to the control. Alive sperm%, abnormalities%, and % of intact spermatozoa membranes (HOST%) were similar to the control with all concentrations of kaki used. The conception rate was higher when 1-6% KEE were used.

Conclusions

Some concentrations of Diospyros kaki improved buffalo bull semen quality post-chilling, post-freezing, the conception rate, and the concentration 1% gave the best results.
Physiological and biochemical role of proline, trehalose, and compost on enhancing salinity tolerance of quinoa plant
Authors: Abdallah Maha Mohamed-Shater , El Sebai Talaat N. , Ramadan Amany Abd El-Mohsen , El-Bassiouny Hala Mohamed Safwat
Published: June 2020

Background and objective

Researches on compost introduced the evidence of its benefits to plant productivity and soil fertility. These advantages are noticed in forms of improving soil water holding capacity and nutrient availability for plants. These changes can also improve plants’ capability to overcome salinity stress conditions. The application of osmo-protectant materials (proline and trehalose) and/or compost addition enhances plant antioxidative defense system against stress conditions. This experiment conducted to study the effect of spraying quinoa plants with proline and trehalose with and without soil compost addition under salinity stress on some morphological and physiological aspects.

Materials and methods

Quinoa plant was grown with or without compost in the soil and foliar sprayed with proline or trehalose under salt irrigation. Plant samples were taken after 60 days from sowing and at the end of the experiment for growth, yield, and biochemical measurements.

Results

Growth and yield measurements were decreased with salinity stress. High levels of both proline and trehalose recorded the highest values of total soluble sugars, proline, and free amino acids in both unstressed or salinity stressed plants with or without compost addition. The use of compost in soil for cultivating quinoa plants with either proline or trehalose treatments increased growth parameters, photosynthetic pigments, and yield attributes. In addition, these treatments improved the accumulation of some organic solutes in leaves and promoted antioxidant enzyme activities.

Conclusion

Compost addition to soil with spraying proline or trehalose improved quinoa growth and yield and produced seed nutritional value.
The diversity of traditional Malay kuih in Malaysia and its potentials
Authors: Kamaruzaman Mohd Yusof Bin , Ab Karim Shahrim , Ishak Farah Adibah Binti Che , Arshad Mohd Mursyid Bin
Published: June 2020

Malaysia is synonymously known as a multicultural country flourished with gastronomic nuances in abundance. Within the multitude of well-known savory foods available through the history of Malaysia, kuih has always bestowed a special part in the Malaysian diet. Kuih houses varying types of delicacies ranging from sweets to savory treats or snacks. As with its counterparts in the Malay cuisine, kuih has also been influenced by many historical events led by the migration of Chinese, Indians, and other explorers or visitors to Malaysia in the olden days. This casually developed the Malay kuih which now coined as the traditional Malay kuih; traditional as in the way that the classical values and authenticity were respected and established then. As time progresses and changes the lifestyle of Malays, newly innovated products are at the rise and emerged another type of kuih with somewhat similar characteristics to that of traditional Malay kuih, namely Nyonya Kuih. Nyonya kuih noted to be a reformulation of traditional Malay kuih with native Chinese expertise through some tweaks inculcating their palates and culinary library. Further along, the modernization also impacted the traditional Malay kuih in such a way that the overall representations being put at stake of unclear identity through innovations and industrializations. This paper draws out the history, authenticity, identity, and potentials of the traditional Malay kuih. Besides, this article is hoped to contribute to further refining the traditional Malay food knowledge specifically in its kuih sub-genre against the heritage-destructive modernization led by globalization.
Energy efficiency in Indonesia’s manufacturing industry: a perspective from Log Mean Divisia Index decomposition analysis
Authors: Setyawan Dhani
Published: June 2020

This research discusses energy intensity in Indonesia’s manufacturing sector from 1980 to 2015. The manufacturing sector is the second-largest energy-consumer in Indonesia (after the transportation sector) and one of the largest contributors to Indonesia’s output. Thus, it is important to know the energy usage performance of this sector. This study discusses the factors affecting changes in energy consumption in various subsectors of Indonesia’s industry and investigates the energy intensity across manufacturing subsectors. This paper analyses the specific characteristics of energy intensity in the manufacturing sector in Indonesia from 1980 to 2015. This has not been investigated a great deal in the past, particularly when employing the Log Mean Divisia Index II method.

The overall energy intensity of Indonesia’s manufacturing sectors has seen a strong and continuous decline, with a reduction of 65% over the 35 yr, reinforced by some limited changes in industry structure towards lower intensity. Over the entire period, this reduction was dominated by increases in energy efficiency within industries, as indicated by a 62% fall in the within-industry intensive index. By contrast, the effect of moving to a less intensive industry structure was much less important (a 9% fall in the structural index). The greatest rise in energy efficiency within the industry happened before the financial crisis (from 1980 to 97). the shock of the financial crisis saw an unexpected reaction when value-added fell by 13% but energy use remained largely unchanged, implying a rise in energy intensity. From 2000 to 2015 the earlier trends resumed, but at a more subdued pace, where over this period aggregate intensity fell by 23%.
An inexact augmented Lagrangian method for nonlinear dispersion-curve inversion using Dix-type global linear approximation
Authors: Dokht Dolatabadi Esfahani Reza , Gholami Ali , Ohrnberger Matthias
Published: June 2020

Dispersion-curve inversion of Rayleigh waves to infer subsurface shear-wave velocity is a long-standing problem in seismology. Due to nonlinearity and ill-posedness, sophisticated regularization techniques are required to solve the problem for a stable velocity model. We have formulated the problem as a minimization problem with nonlinear operator constraint and then solve it by using an inexact augmented Lagrangian method, taking advantage of the Haney-Tsai Dix-type relation (a global linear approximation of the nonlinear forward operator). This replaces the original regularized nonlinear problem with iterative minimization of a more tractable regularized linear problem followed by a nonlinear update of the phase velocity (data) in which the update can be performed accurately with any forward modeling engine, for example, the finite-element method. The algorithm allows discretizing the medium with thin layers (for the finite-element method) and thus omitting the layer thicknesses from the unknowns and also allows incorporating arbitrary regularizations to shape the desired velocity model. In this research, we use total variation regularization to retrieve the shear-wave velocity model. We use two synthetic and two real data examples to illustrate the performance of the inversion algorithm with total variation regularization. We find that the method is fast and stable, and it converges to the solution of the original nonlinear problem.
Traveltime and relative geometric spreading approximation in elastic orthorhombic medium
Authors: Xu Shibo , Stovas Alexey , Mikada Hitoshi
Published: June 2020

Wavefield properties such as traveltime and relative geometric spreading (traveltime derivatives) are highly essential in seismic data processing and can be used in stacking, time-domain migration, and amplitude variation with offset analysis. Due to the complexity of an elastic orthorhombic (ORT) medium, analysis of these properties becomes reasonably difficult, where accurate explicit-form approximations are highly recommended. We have defined the shifted hyperbola form, Taylor series (TS), and the rational form (RF) approximations for P-wave traveltime and relative geometric spreading in an elastic ORT model. Because the parametric form expression for the P-wave vertical slowness in the derivation is too complicated, TS (expansion in offset) is applied to facilitate the derivation of approximate coefficients. The same approximation forms computed in the acoustic ORT model also are derived for comparison. In the numerical tests, three ORT models with parameters obtained from real data are used to test the accuracy of each approximation. The numerical examples yield results in which, apart from the error along the y-axis in ORT model 2 for the relative geometric spreading, the RF approximations all are very accurate for all of the tested models in practical applications.
Seismic image-guided 3D inversion of marine controlled-source electromagnetic and magnetotelluric data
Authors: Mackie Randall L. , Meju Max A. , Miorelli Federico , Miller Roger V. , Scholl Carsten , Shahir Saleh Ahmad
Published: June 2020

Geologic interpretation of resistivity models from marine controlled-source electromagnetic (CSEM) and magnetotelluric (MT) data for hydrocarbon exploration and reservoir monitoring can be problematic due to structural complexity and low-resistivity contrasts in sedimentary units typically found in new frontier areas. It is desirable to reconstruct 3D resistivity structures that are consistent with seismic images and geologic expectations of the subsurface to reduce uncertainty in the evaluation of petroleum ventures. Structural similarity is achieved by promoting a cross-gradient constraint between external seismically derived gradient fields and the inversion resistivity model. The gradient fields come from coherency weighted structure tensors computed directly from the seismic volume. Consequently, structural similarity is obtained without the requirement for any horizon interpretation or picking, thus significantly reducing the complexity and effort. We have determined the effectiveness of this approach using CSEM, MT, and seismic data from a structurally complex fold-thrust belt in offshore northwest Borneo.
Aberrant Splicing of SDHC in Families With Unexplained Succinate Dehydrogenase-Deficient Paragangliomas
Authors: De Sousa Sunita M C , Toubia John , Hardy Tristan S E , Feng Jinghua , Wang Paul , Schreiber Andreas W , Geoghegan Joel , Hall Rachel , Rawlings Lesley , Buckland Michael , Luxford Catherine , Novos Talia , Clifton-Bligh Roderick J , Poplawski Nicola K , Scott Hamish S , Torpy David J
Published: June 2020

Context

Germline mutations in the succinate dehydrogenase genes (SDHA/B/C/D, SDHAF2—collectively, “SDHx”) have been implicated in paraganglioma (PGL), renal cell carcinoma (RCC), gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST), and pituitary adenoma (PA). Negative SDHB tumor staining is indicative of SDH-deficient tumors, usually reflecting an underlying germline SDHx mutation. However, approximately 20% of individuals with SDH-deficient tumors lack an identifiable germline SDHx mutation.

Methods

We performed whole-exome sequencing (WES) of germline and tumor DNA followed by Sanger sequencing validation, transcriptome analysis, metabolomic studies, and haplotype analysis in 2 Italian-Australian families with SDH-deficient PGLs and various neoplasms, including RCC, GIST, and PA.

Results

Germline WES revealed a novel SDHC intronic variant, which had been missed during previous routine testing, in 4 affected siblings of the index family. Transcriptome analysis demonstrated aberrant SDHC splicing, with the retained intronic segment introducing a premature stop codon. WES of available tumors in this family showed chromosome 1 deletion with loss of wild-type SDHC in a PGL and a somatic gain-of-function KIT mutation in a GIST. The SDHC intronic variant identified was subsequently detected in the second family, with haplotype analysis indicating a founder effect.

Conclusions

This is the deepest intronic variant to be reported among the SDHx genes. Intronic variants beyond the limits of standard gene sequencing analysis should be considered in patients with SDH-deficient tumors but negative genetic test results.
VLDLR is not essential for reelin-induced neuronal aggregation but suppresses neuronal invasion into the marginal zone
Authors: Hirota Yuki , Nakajima Kazunori
Published: June 2020

In the developing neocortex, radially migrating neurons stop migration and form layers beneath the marginal zone (MZ). Reelin plays essential roles in these processes via its receptors, apolipoprotein E receptor 2 (ApoER2) and very low density lipoprotein receptor (VLDLR). Although we recently reported that reelin causes neuronal aggregation via ApoER2, which is thought to be important for the subsequent layer formation, it remains unknown what effect reelin exerts via the VLDLR. Here, we found that ectopic reelin overexpression in the Vldlr-mutant mouse cortex causes neuronal aggregation, but without an MZ-like cell-sparse central region that is formed when reelin is overexpressed in the normal cortex. We also found that both the early-born and late-born Vldlr-deficient neurons invade the MZ and exhibit impaired dendrite outgrowth from before birth. Rescue experiments indicate that VLDLR suppresses neuronal invasion into the MZ via a cell-autonomous mechanism, possibly mediated by Rap1, integrin and Akt. These results suggest that VLDLR is not a prerequisite for reelin-induced neuronal aggregation and that the major role of VLDLR is to suppress neuronal invasion into the MZ during neocortical development.
Evaluation of the Rational Analgesic use in elderly adults: A cross-sectional study
Authors: Mercan Baspınar Melike , Basat Okcan
Published: June 2020

Objectives: To assess inappropriate analgesic use (IAU) by comparison of STOPP/START Version-2 and Beers 2019 criteria.
Methods: This is a cross-sectional study of 331 elderly patients admitted to family medicine clinics at a tertiary hospital between February and July 2018. Data were collected from face-to-face surveys, including informed patient consent and electronic drug monitoring databases.
Results: The presence of IAU by STOPP version2 was higher than the Beers criteria (19.6%, 14.5%, respectively; P<0.04; Z= –2.5) with a moderate agreement (Kappa= 0.458). The number of drugs and pain score were predictors of IAU. The most commonly caused IAU was diclofenac, although naproxen was the most used analgesic. Almost 39% of diclofenac use, 18.5% of naproxen use, and 33% of etodolac use were IAU. Most commonly, IAU reasons were; (i) NSAID use in hearth failure (Beers) (ii) NSAID use with an antiplatelet agent(s) without PPI (STOPP).
Conclusions: The difference between criteria in terms of IAU was significant in favor of STOPP V2.
doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.36.5.2331
How to cite this:Baspınar MM, Basat O. Evaluation of the Rational Analgesic use in elderly adults: A cross-sectional study. Pak J Med Sci. 2020;36(5):1063-1068. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.36.5.2331
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Evaluation of gender equality attitudes of Turkish and Foreign Nursing Students at a Private University
Authors: Tekbaş Serap , Pola Ganna
Published: June 2020

Objective: To determine the gender equality attitudes of nursing students studying at a private university, the sociodemographic factors affecting gender equality, and the difference in gender attitudes between Turkish and foreign students.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out in the Faculty of Nursing at Near East University in March and April 2019. Three hundred six students studying in Turkish and English nursing programs in the thirdyear of study were included in the research. A sociodemographic questionnaire and the GEM scale were used as the data collection tools.

Results: The mean age of the participants was 21.11±3.88. 76.1% of the students were female and 33.3 students were foreign. The Gender Equality Men scores of the Turkish and foreign students were significantly different (p=0.001). Gender, the educational level of the father, a history of violence in the family, and talking about family and sexual issues affected the gender attitudes of all students.

Conclusion: The results of the present study indicate that culture, gender, family education, and a history of violence in the family affected the gender equality scores of the nursing students.

doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.36.5.2365

How to cite this:Tekbas S, Pola G. Evaluation of gender equality attitudes of Turkish and Foreign Nursing Students at a Private University. Pak J Med Sci. 2020;36(5):884-889. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.36.5.2365

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Seeking motivation for selecting Medical Profession as a Career Choice
Authors: Hassan Madeeha , Shahzad Fatima , Waqar SH
Published: June 2020

Objective: To determine the motivational factors of medical students for selecting medical career as a profession.

Methods: This was a survey based cross-sectional study. Medical students of first and second year from private and public medical colleges of Rawalpindi and Islamabad were recruited via convenient sampling and a self-based questionnaire was distributed to them. Besides demographics, questions were based on factors influencing medical students to pursue medical career. Data was collected and descriptive analysis was done using SPSS 21.

Results: A total of 300 medical students participated in the study; 129 (43%) of them were males and 171 (57%) were females with mean age of 19.35 years. Among Humanitarian based questions; Serving Humanity gained highest percentage, followed by sympathies for mankind and health for everyone sequentially. In Societal factors, Prestigious Profession and in Scientific factors based questions Challenging Field ranked first. Amongst all the questions Prestigious Profession takes the lead.

Conclusion: Major motivation behind selecting medical field was prestigious profession followed by altruism. By understanding medical students’ motivational factors for pursuing medical field we would be able to analyze the future trend of professionals.

doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.36.5.2799

How to cite this:Hassan M, Shahzad F, Waqar SH. Seeking motivation for selecting Medical Profession as a Career Choice. Pak J Med Sci. 2020;36(5):941-945. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.36.5.2799

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Happy 2 Smell (H2S)
Authors: Santos S. , Pereira A. , Duarte D. , Fortunato J.
Published: June 2020

A problem was initially identified: the emission of polluting gases into the atmosphere, namely hydrogen sulphide, H2S, by the tanneries close to our school district. After carrying out theoretical investigations in Biology and Chemistry, the students developed an idea for a project, which consisted of creating a biological filter, with a porous matrix that could be easily traversed by the H2S gas, using, for this purpose, the dry fruit of the plant Luffa aegyptiaca. This material possesses a high porosity and good physical and chemical resistance, serving as a support matrix for sulphur bacteria and, initially, also their culture medium. In collaboration with Alcanena's Wastwater Treatment Plant, sludge from different treatment stages containing sulphurous bacteria were collected. These bacteria manage to transform H2S into sulphur and water. Finally, in collaboration with CTIC (Technological Center for the Leather Industry), iodometric titrations were carried out, proving the effectiveness of the produced filter.
Quantity-Contingent Auctions and Allocation of Airport Slots
Authors: Ball Michael O. , Estes Alexander S. , Hansen Mark , Liu Yulin
Published: June 2020

In this paper, we define and investigate quantity-contingent auctions. Such auctions can be used when there exist multiple units of a single product and the value of a set of units depends on the total quantity sold. For example, a road network or airport will become congested as the number of users increase so that a permit for use becomes more valuable as the total number allocated decreases. A quantity-contingent auction determines both the number of items sold and an allocation of items to bidders. Because such auctions could be used by bidders to gain excessive market power, we impose constraints limiting market power. We focus on auctions that allocate airport arrival and departure slots. We propose a continuous model and an integer programming model for the associated winner determination problem. Using these models, we perform computational experiments that lend insights into the properties of the quantity-contingent auction.
Cost effectiveness of intraoperative laparoscopic ultrasound for suspected choledocholithiasis; outcomes from a specialist benign upper gastrointestinal unit
Authors: Donoghue S , Jones RM , Bush A , Srinivas G , Bowling K , Andrews S
Published: June 2020

Introduction

Common bile duct stones are present in 10% of patients with symptomatic gallstones. One-third of UK patients undergoing cholecystectomy will have preoperative ductal imaging, commonly with magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography. Intraoperative laparoscopic ultrasound is a valid alternative but is not widely used. The primary aim of this study was to assess cost effectiveness of laparoscopic ultrasound compared with magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography.

Materials and methods

A prospective database of all patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy between 2015 and 2018 at a district general hospital was assessed. Inclusion criteria were all patients, emergency and elective, with symptomatic gallstones and suspicion of common bile duct stones (derangement of liver function tests with or without dilated common bile duct on preoperative ultrasound, or history of pancreatitis). Patients with known common bile duct stones (magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography or failed endoscopic retrograde cholangiogram) were excluded. Ninety-day morbidity data were also collected.

Results

A total of 420 (334 elective and 86 emergency) patients were suspected to have common bile duct stones and were included in the study. The cost of a laparoscopic ultrasound was £183 per use. The cost of using the magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography unit was £365 per use. Ten postoperative magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatographies were performed for inconclusive intraoperative imaging. The estimated cost saving was £74,650. Some 128 patients had common bile duct stones detected intraoperatively and treated. There was a false positive rate of 4.7%, and the false negative rate at 90 days was 0.7%. laparoscopic ultrasound use saved 129 bed days for emergency patients and 240 magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography hours of magnetic resonance imaging.

Conclusion

The use of laparoscopic ultrasound during laparoscopic cholecystectomy for the detection of common bile duct stone is safe, accurate and cost effective. Equipment and maintenance costs are quickly offset and hospital bed days can be saved with its use.
Endoscopic Botulinum toxin as a treatment for delayed gastric emptying following oesophagogastrectomy
Authors: Nevins EJ , Rao R , Nicholson J , Murphy KD , Moore A , Smart HL , Stephens N , Grocock C , Kaul A , Gunasekera RT , Hartley MN , Howes NR
Published: June 2020

Introduction

The incidence of delayed gastric emptying (DGE) following oesophagogastrectomy with gastric conduit reconstruction is reported to be between 1.7% and 50%. This variation is due to differing practices of intraoperative pylorus drainage procedures, which increase the risk of postoperative biliary reflux and dumping syndrome, resulting in significant morbidity. The aim of our study was to establish rates of DGE in people undergoing oesophagogastrectomy without routine intraoperative drainage procedures, and to evaluate outcomes of postoperative endoscopically administered Botulinum toxin into the pylorus (EBP) for people with DGE resistant to systemic pharmacological treatment.

Methods

All patients undergoing oesophagogastrectomy between 1 January 2016 and 31 March 2018 at our unit were included. No intraoperative pyloric drainage procedures were performed, and DGE resistant to systemic pharmacotherapy was managed with EBP.

Results

Ninety-seven patients were included. Postoperatively, 29 patients (30%) were diagnosed with DGE resistant to pharmacotherapy. Of these, 16 (16.5%) were diagnosed within 30 days of surgery. The median pre-procedure nasogastric tube aspirate was 780ml; following EBP, this fell to 125ml (p<0.001). Median delay from surgery to EBP in this cohort was 13 days (IQR 7–16 days). Six patients required a second course of EBP, with 100% successful resolution of DGE before discharge. There were no procedural complications.

Conclusions

This is the largest series of patients without routine intraoperative drainage procedures. Only 30% of patients developed DGE resistant to pharmacotherapy, which was managed safely with EBP in the postoperative period, thus minimising the risk of biliary reflux in people who would otherwise be at risk following prophylactic pylorus drainage procedures.
Design optimization of orbital angular momentum fibers using the gray wolf optimizer
Authors: Mirjalili Seyed Mohammad , Taleb Hussein , Kabir M. Z. , Bianucci Pablo
Published: June 2020

Optical data communication based on the orbital angular momentum (OAM) of light is a recently proposed method to enhance the transmission capacity of optical fibers. This requires a new type of optical fiber, the main part of the optical communication system, to be designed. Typically, these fibers have a ring-shaped refractive index profile. We aim to find an optimized cross section refractive index profile for an OAM fiber in which the number of supported OAM modes (channels), mode purity, and the effective refractive index separation of OAM modes to other fibers modes are maximized. However, the complexity of the relationship between structural parameters and optical transmission properties of these fibers has resulted in the lack of a comprehensive analytical method to design them. In this paper, we investigate the process of designing OAM fibers and propose a framework to design such fibers by using artificial intelligence optimizers. It is worth mentioning here that this problem is intrinsically a multiobjective optimization problem, and the actual solution for such problems is not unique and leads to a set of optimum solutions. Therefore, at the end of the optimization process, a wide range of optimal designs will be obtained in which a trade-off is established in each of the solutions. We solve this problem with the multiobjective gray wolf optimizer (GWO) and compare the results with that of the single-objective GWO. The framework can easily find many optimal designs that support more than 20 OAM modes. The obtained results show that the proposed method is comprehensive and can optimize the structure of any OAM fibers. No human involvement, simplicity, and being straightforward are the main advantages of the proposed framework.
Simple techniques to generate binary periodical polarization fields
Authors: Cerda Teresa , Ruiz Ulises , Sánchez-de-la-Llave David , Arrizon Victor
Published: June 2020

We report two new, to the best of our knowledge, methods to generate polarization gratings, whose basic cells are formed by sections that are orthogonally polarized. One of the methods employs a spatial filtering setup that modulates the diffraction orders in the Fourier domain of a Ronchi grating, with two orthogonal polarizations. In the second method, a binary phase modulation, generated by a liquid crystal device, is converted into orthogonal polarizations in different zones of an incident beam. The analysis of the generated polarization states is made at 1/4 of the Talbot distance of the generated gratings. The experimental results are in good agreement with the theoretical description.
Facile synthesis of metal-phenolic-coated gold nanocuboids for surface-enhanced Raman scattering
Authors: Zhou Mengfei , Zhao Chunxue , Li Yang , Guo Yanxian , Liu Hao , Zhang Yanling , Liu Zhiming
Published: June 2020

Metal-phenolic networks (MPNs) have been exploited to be a versatile coating film to fabricate core-shell structure due to their general adherent properties. Herein, gold nanocuboid (GNCB) wrapped by MPNs (GNCB at MPNs) are prepared by a facile encapsulation method for surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) analysis. The MPN coating not only reshapes the electric field distribution around the nanostructures but also allows the substrate to adsorb more analytes, both of which contribute to the superior SERS activity of GNCB at MPNs. The SERS signals induced by plasmonic nanostructures increase four- to sixfold after MPN coating, reaching a maximum Raman enhancement factor calculated to be

9.47

×

1

0

8

. Moreover, the core-shell SERS substrate also demonstrates improved biocompatibility (∼fivefold increase) that facilitates the reliable SERS analysis of cancer cells and further diverse biomedical applications.
Integrated compensation-based laser sensor system for in-plane and out-of-plane target tracking
Authors: Csencsics Ernst
Published: June 2020

This paper presents the development of a compensation-based laser sensor system, capable of sensing in-plane as well as out-of-plane displacements of a target. The sensor design integrates principles of laser triangulation and objective laser speckle measurement into a single device and provides an in-plane and out-of-plane resolution of 3 µm and 1 µm, respectively. The compensation-based operation keeps the variation of distance and lateral position relative to the target close to zero by actively following the target motion using feedback control. This enables a large operation range of the resulting sensing and tracking system, limited only by the range of the actuation system. Accurate tracking of target motions is demonstrated in an area of

1

×

1

m

m
2

with a small remaining spatial rms tracking error between 8.75 µm and 13.25 µm.
Adaptive carrier fringe pattern enhancement for wavelet transform profilometry through modifying intrinsic time-scale decomposition
Authors: Wang Hanxiao , Miao Yinghao , Yang Hailu , Ye Zhoujing , Wang Linbing
Published: June 2020

The uneven background illumination and random noise will degrade the quality of the optical fringe pattern, resulting in reduced accuracy or errors in phase extraction of wavelet transform profilometry (WTP). An adaptive fringe pattern enhancement method is proposed in this paper, which can effectively solve the above problems and improve the robustness of WTP. First, a modified intrinsic time-scale decomposition (MITD) algorithm is used to decompose each row of the fringe pattern adaptively, which can obtain a set of reasonable and pure proper rotation components (PRCs) with a frequency ranging from high to low and a monotonic trend. The MITD algorithm can overcome the mode mixing problem while ensuring the completeness of decomposition. Then, based on the obtained pure PRCs, an innovative background-carrier signal-noise automatic grouping strategy is proposed. Specifically, weighted-permutation entropy (WPE) is adopted to handle noise removal, and fuzzy gray correlation analysis (FGCA) is used to separate the background and carrier signal. Finally, the desired phase information can be easily and accurately extracted from the enhanced carrier signal component by a direct wavelet ridge detection method. Both the simulation and experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness and functionality of the proposed method.
Thin-film InAs/GaAs quantum dot solar cell with planar and pyramidal back reflectors
Authors: Aho Timo , Elsehrawy Farid , Tukiainen Antti , Ranta Sanna , Raappana Marianna , Isoaho Riku , Aho Arto , Hietalahti Arttu , Cappelluti Federica , Guina Mircea
Published: June 2020

Quantum dot solar cells are promising for next-generation photovoltaics owing to their potential for improved device efficiency related to bandgap tailoring and quantum confinement of charge carriers. Yet implementing effective photon management to increase the absorptivity of the quantum dots is instrumental. To this end, the performance of thin-film InAs/GaAs quantum dot solar cells with planar and structured back reflectors is reported. The experimental thin-film solar cells with planar reflectors exhibited a bandgap-voltage offset of 0.3 V with an open circuit voltage of 0.884 V, which is one of the highest values reported for quantum dot solar cells grown by molecular beam epitaxy to our knowledge. Using measured external quantum efficiency and current-voltage characteristics, we parametrize a simulation model that was used to design an advanced reflector with diffractive pyramidal gratings revealing a 12-fold increase of the photocurrent generation in the quantum dot layers.
Silicon photonics-based laser Doppler vibrometer array for carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (PWV) measurement
Authors: Li Yanlu , Marais Louise , Khettab Hakim , Quan Zhiheng , Aasmul Soren , Leinders Rob , Schüler Ralf , Morrissey Padraic E. , Greenwald Stephen , Segers Patrick , Vanslembrouck Michael , Bruno Rosa M. , Boutouyrie Pierre , O’Brien Peter , de Melis Mirko , Baets Roel
Published: June 2020

Pulse wave velocity (PWV) is a reference measure for aortic stiffness, itself an important biomarker of cardiovascular risk. To enable low-cost and easy-to-use PWV measurement devices that can be used in routine clinical practice, we have designed several handheld PWV sensors using miniaturized laser Doppler vibrometer (LDV) arrays in a silicon photonics platform. The LDV-based PWV sensor design and the signal processing protocol to obtain pulse transit time (PTT) and carotid-femoral PWV in a feasibility study in humans, are described in this paper. Compared with a commercial reference PWV measurement system, measuring arterial pressure waveforms by applanation tonometry, LDV-based displacement signals resulted in more complex signals. However, we have shown that it is possible to identify reliable fiducial points for PTT calculation using the maximum of the 2nd derivative algorithm in LDV-based signals, comparable to those obtained by the reference technique, applanation tonometry.
Topological charge of asymmetric optical vortices
Authors: Kotlyar Victor V. , Kovalev Alexey A.
Published: June 2020

We obtain theoretical relationships to define topological charge (TC) of vortex laser beams devoid of radial symmetry, namely asymmetric Laguerre-Gaussian (LG), asymmetric Bessel-Gaussian (BG), and asymmetric Kummer beams, as well as Hermite-Gaussian (HG) vortex beams. Although they are obtained as superposition of respective conventional LG, BG, and HG beams, these beams have the same TC equal to that of a single mode, n. At the same time, the normalized orbital angular momentum (OAM) that the beams carry is different, differently responding to the variation of the beam’s asymmetry degree. However, whatever the asymmetry degree, TC of the beams remains unchanged and equals n. Although separate HG beam does not have OAM and TC, superposition of only two HG modes with adjacent numbers (n, n + 1) and a π/2-phase shift produces a modal beam whose TC is -(2n + 1). Theoretical findings are validated via numerical simulation.
Lightweight multi-hop VLC using compression and data-dependent multiple pulse modulation
Authors: Sejan Mohammad Abrar Shakil , Chung Wan-Young
Published: June 2020

Particulate matter (PM) has a diameter of few micrometers, which causes different illnesses. We used visible light communication (VLC) to transfer PM data to a user monitoring terminal in real-time. To reduce the time and power required for communication, we compressed the PM data. Subsequently, these compressed data were transmitted using a modulation technique called data-dependent multiple pulse position modulation (DDMPPM). We evaluate the performance of DDMPPM for multi-hop communication in VLC through practical experiments. For the same data set, DDMPPM utilizes a lesser frame to transfer PM data. Using DDMPPM, we achieved a total communication distance of 48 m.
On-demand indistinguishable single photons from an efficient and pure source based on a Rydberg ensemble
Authors: Ornelas-Huerta D. P. , Craddock A. N. , Goldschmidt E. A. , Hachtel A. J. , Wang Y. , Bienias P. , Gorshkov A. V. , Rolston S. L. , Porto J. V.
Published: June 2020

Single photons coupled to atomic systems have shown to be a promising
platform for developing quantum technologies. Yet a bright on-demand,
highly pure, and highly indistinguishable single-photon source
compatible with atomic platforms is lacking. In this work, we
demonstrate such a source based on a strongly interacting Rydberg
system. The large optical nonlinearities in a blockaded Rydberg
ensemble convert coherent light into a single collective excitation
that can be coherently retrieved as a quantum field. We simultaneously
observe a fully single-mode (spectral, temporal, spatial, and
polarization) efficiency up to 0.098(2), a
detector-background-subtracted

g

(
2
)

=
5.0
(
1.6
)
×

10

−
4

, and indistinguishability of
0.980(7), at an average photon production rate of

1.18
(
2
)
×

10
4

s

−
1

. All of these make this system
promising for scalable quantum information applications. Furthermore,
we investigate the effects of contaminant Rydberg excitations on the
source efficiency and observed single-mode efficiencies up to 0.18(2)
for lower photon rates. Finally, recognizing that many quantum
information protocols require a single photon in a fully single mode,
we introduce metrics that take into account all degrees
of freedom to benchmark the performance of on-demand sources.
Serum biochemistry of Trachemys scripta elegans and Trachemys dorbignyi (Testudines: Emydidae) bred in captivity in the Northeastern semiarid region of Brazil
Authors: Gradela A. , Souza V. N. , Queiroz M. M. , Constantino A. C. , Faria M. D. , Pires I. C. , Correa F. M.
Published: June 2020

Aim: This study aimed to assess fundamental biochemical values of healthy animals and to provide useful data on comparative physiologies of Testudines, being assessed the serum biochemistry profiles, and body and tail biometry of Trachemys scripta elegans and Trachemys dorbignyi bred in interaction in the semiarid region of the São Francisco river valley. Materials and Methods: Serum biochemistry variables (urea, creatinine, glucose, total serum protein, albumin, globulin, and albumin/globulin ratio), and biometry values of the body (mass [body mass (BM)], maximum curvilinear length [carapace length (CL)], and width [carapace width (CW)] of the carapace, maximum curvilinear length [plastron length (PL)], and width [plastron width PW] of the plastron), and the tail (total length of the tail [TLT], pre-cloacal tail length [PrCL], post-cloacal tail length [PoCL]) were measured after 24 h fasting. Results: T. s. elegans displayed higher BM, CL, CW, PL, PW, AST, TP, albumin, and globulin values. T. dorbignyi displayed higher values of glucose, TLT, and PrCL. Variables aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and total protein (TP) in T. s. elegans and glucose in T. dorbignyi explained most of the variance between the species and could serve to distinguish them. Conclusion: We conclude that most of the differences between T. s. elegans and T. dorbignyi shall be explained by biometric variables, AST, TP, and glucose, which characterize interspecific differences. Our results point out terms of reference for these species bred in captivity in the semiarid region of Brazilian Northeastern region and serve as a model for the comparative intra- and inter-species physiology and as a base for the health assessment of these species.
Reorganização da Rede de Atenção à Saúde para o enfrentamento da COVID-19 no município de Canaã dos Carajás, Pará
Authors: Do Vale Eliana Pessoa , Rodrigues Gizele Moreira , Da Costa Douglas Pacheco , Queiroz Juliana Da Mota , Lima Débora Garcia , Mereiros Luanna Priscylla Faustino , Oliveira Daiane Celestrini , Baia Eric Gonçalves , Costa Ana Lúcia Araújo , Neto Miguel Bento Pereira
Published: June 2020

É urgente a necessidade de reorganizar a Rede de Atenção à Saúde integrando os diversos pontos e tipos de serviço para o enfrentamento da COVID-19. OBJETIVO: Descrever a reorganização da Rede de Atenção à Saúde (RAS) para o enfrentamento da COVID-19 no munícipio de Canaã dos Carajás, no Pará. MÉTODO: Trata-se de um estudo do tipo relato de experiência da reorganização da RAS do município de Canaã dos Carajás, os dados aqui relatados são baseados nos documentos oficiais produzidos no município e no relato da gestão. RESULTADOS: Reorganização do acesso com ampliação da carteira de serviços da Atenção Básica (AB), elaboração e readequação de novos serviços para o fortalecimento da RAS e reorganização da Assistência Hospitalar. CONCLUSÃO: Os processos de planejamento, monitoramento, avaliação e reorganização das RAS devem ser contínuos durante a pandemia, sempre levando em conta as evidências epidemiológicas locais para traçar novas estratégias para garantia de um sistema de saúde universal e equânime.