bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Association of serum periostin levels with clinical features in children with asthma
Authors: Yavuz Süleyman Tolga , Bagci Soyhan , Bolat Ahmet , Akin Onur , Ganschow Rainer
Published: December 2020

Background

The aim of this study was to investigate the association of serum periostin levels with clinical features in children with asthma.

Methods

Children with physician‐diagnosed asthma who attended regularly to an outpatient pediatric allergy and asthma center were enrolled in the study along with control subjects. Asthma severity and control status of the patients were evaluated according to the recent GINA guidelines.

Results

A total of 158 children (125 with asthma and 33 age‐ and sex‐matched control subjects) with a median age of 10.2 years (range 5.9‐17.0) were enrolled. Asthma severity was mild in 41 (32.8%), moderate in 63 (50.4%), and severe in 21 (16.8%) children. Children with asthma had significantly higher periostin levels than controls (53.1 ± 13.1 vs 43.0 ± 11.2 ng/mL, P < .001). The mean serum periostin levels in children with severe asthma (63.8 ± 10.8) were significantly higher than in children with moderate asthma (53.3 ± 12.7) and mild asthma (47.4 ± 11.1) (P < .001). Results of multivariable logistic regression analysis demonstrated an association between serum periostin levels and asthma severity in children (OR, 1.10; 95% CI, 1.04‐1.15, P < .001). When analyzed for the best cut‐off value with the highest combined sensitivity and specificity, a cut‐off value of 52 ng/mL for serum periostin level was obtained with sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV of 100%, 50%, 29%, and 100%, respectively.

Conclusion

Although serum periostin levels are higher in children with asthma, its diagnostic role in identifying children with severe asthma is limited.
Photogrammetric Record Microsoft Word Template
Authors: Author Arthur , Author Maria J. , Author S.
Published: December 2020

This is an example of an original article in the layout expected by The Photogrammetric Record. The abstract is a concise summary of the essential elements of the paper and should not contain detailed results. It should be no longer than 150 words. This template indicates how a paper submitted to the journal should be structured and formatted, including figures, tables, mathematics and references.
Photobiomodulation for the management of hair loss
Authors: Torres Angeli Eloise , Lim Henry W.
Published: December 2020

Photobiomodulation, otherwise known as low‐level laser (or light) therapy, is an emerging modality for the management of hair loss. Several randomized trials have demonstrated that it is safe and potentially effective on its own or in combination with standard therapies. These devices come in many forms including wearable caps or helmets that afford hands‐free and discreet use. Models with light‐emitting diodes (LEDs) are less expensive compared to laser‐based devices and do not require laser safety considerations, thus facilitating ease of home use. Limitations include cost of the unit, risk of information bias, and lack of standardized protocols. Finally, as with any hair loss treatment, patients' expectations with regards to therapeutic outcomes must be managed.
The relationships between vehicle characteristics and automobile accidents
Authors: Wu Wei‐Jin , Li Chu‐Shiu , Peng Sheng‐Chang
Published: December 2020

In this study, the relationships between vehicle characteristics and automobile accidents are examined based on physical damage insurance claims data from a major property insurance company in Taiwan. For the whole sample, we find that the car characteristics index (an estimate for the replacement cost associated with claims) is negatively correlated with the claim probability and positively correlated with claim severity. New cars and sport utility vehicles (SUVs) (compared with Sedans) are associated with higher claim probability. However, SUVs (compared with Sedans) are associated with lower claim severity. Small (compared with large) vehicles are associated with lower claim probability and lower claim severity. Compared with the imported cars from Germany, policyholders with the imported cars from Japan or the US are more likely to file a claim but to have lower claim severity. On subgroup analyses, the relationship between car characteristics index and claim probability is positive for domestic cars and negative for imported cars, implying that imported car policies subsidize domestic car policies. We also find the impacts of vehicle characteristics on claim probability and claim severity differ for domestic cars and imported cars in subsamples. Our empirical evidence provides important implications for premium pricing in the automobile physical damage insurance industry.
What Determines the Demand for Redistribution and What Can We Expect from the Nearby Future: Empirical Evidence for Spain
Authors: Martín‐Legendre Juan Ignacio , Castellanos‐García Pablo , Sánchez‐Santos José Manuel
Published: December 2020

Objective

In this article, we seek to determine the main explanatory factors of individual preferences for redistribution in Spain.

Methods

We use data from the World Values Survey capturing economic factors, political preferences, personal beliefs, and sociodemographic characteristics.

Results

The results, obtained using both OLS and ordered logit regressions, reveal that factors regarding relative household income, personal beliefs, sociodemographic characteristics, and regional differences are the main determinants of the demand for redistribution.

Conclusion

These results, coupled with long‐standing trends that the Spanish society has been experiencing for decades, suggest that there may be an increase in the demand for redistribution in the coming years.
Canine sudden acquired retinal degeneration syndrome: Owner perceptions on the time to vision loss, treatment outcomes, and prognosis for life
Authors: Washington Demitrius R. , Li Zhanhai , Fox Lani C. , Mowat Freya M.
Published: December 2020

Background

Canine sudden acquired retinal degeneration syndrome (SARDS) causes blindness for which there are no proven effective treatments. We aimed to clarify the time to vision loss, treatment response/side effects, and prognosis for life in dogs with SARDS.

Methods

An online questionnaire was administered to owners of dogs with a historical diagnosis of SARDS. Mortality data were compared with a published purebred reference population. Select parameters were analyzed statistically using general linear model with least square means, two‐sample t tests, and chi‐squared or Fisher's exact tests.

Results

Responses from owners that stated that their dog visited an ophthalmologist and had electroretinography performed (n = 434) were analyzed. The majority of owners (65.4%) reported the time from vision disturbance to complete vision loss as <2 weeks; 19.4% reported >4 weeks. Onset of systemic clinical signs to complete vision loss was >4 weeks in 44.5% of responses. A higher proportion of owners reported some vision recovery with combination treatment (14.4%) compared with monotherapy (3.2%, P = .0004). Side effects of treatment were commonly reported. Dogs with SARDS did not have a shorter lifespan than the reference population but had higher incidence of kidney disease (P = .0001) and respiratory disease (P = .0004) at death.

Conclusions

Dogs with SARDS have a rapid onset of vision loss. In the owner's opinion, treatment is unlikely to restore vision and is associated with systemic side effects. The potential for systemic pathologies that arise after SARDS diagnosis warrants further study.
An efficient rectilinear Gaussian beam tracing method for sound propagation modelling in a non-turbulent medium
Authors: Bian Haoyu , Fattah Ryu , Zhong Siyang , Zhang Xin
Published: December 2020

Large-distance sound propagation with high-frequency noise sources, multiple obstacles/geometry with varying acoustic impedance is common in real-life applications. To resolve the acoustic governing equations directly is often computationally costly, especially in three-dimensional space. Methods based on geometric acoustics can be more rapid. However, efforts are still being made to improve the efficiency, robustness, and the capability for complex configurations of such methods. In this paper, an efficient implementation of the rectilinear Gaussian beam tracing method is conducted, which combines rectilinear ray tracing with a proposed efficiency-matched dynamic ray tracing algorithm. A continuous medium stratification method is employed to improve the robustness. Also, a ray compression algorithm is proposed to save computation time. Numerical tests show that computation acceleration up to tenfold is achieved, benefiting rapid estimation of large-distance sound propagation. A standard octree data structure is employed in the code, which accelerates ray tracing in the testing cases with complex geometries. The efficiency and capability of the solver are demonstrated by studying several benchmark problems with varying complexity.
An Online Intervention to Support Student-Athlete Mental Health: Implementation, Evaluation, and Critical Reflection
Authors: Laslett Ben , Uphill Mark
Published: December 2020

This study examined the influence of two interventions (therapeutic letter to self; values targeting) on student-athletes’ mental health using two variants of a single-subject design: a multiple-baseline single-subject design and a probe design. Four high-ability student-athletes (two males and two females) who competed in various sports (e.g., soccer and cycling) completed two preintervention measures (Mental Health Continuum Short Form; Clinical Outcomes Routine Evaluation 10) at baseline. These measures were then readministered after Intervention 1, Intervention 2, and at a 2-week follow-up using a probe design. Mental well-being (Short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale) was assessed every 2 days from start to finish using a multiple-baseline across-participants design. Data were analyzed via visual inspection methods, specifically, immediacy of effect, mean change, effect sizes, and percentage of overlapping data. Results indicated that two participants who completed the study (Nina and Tim) showed an increase in total mental health and a decrease in psychological distress from baseline to follow-up. Findings are discussed with respect to prior research and study limitations.
Associations between gastro-oesophageal reflux disease and a range of diseases: an umbrella review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses
Authors: Tan JinJing , Li Liqun , Huang Xiaoyan , Yang Chengning , Liang Xue , Zhao Yina , Xie Jieru , Chen Ran , Wang Daogang , Xie Sheng
Published: December 2020

Objective

Numerous meta-analyses have revealed the association between gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD) and a range of diseases; however, the certainty of the evidence remains unclear. This study aimed to summarise and assess the certainty of evidence derived from meta-analyses.

Methods

Embase, PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Databases of Systematic Reviews, CNKI and Wangfang databases from their inception to 22 February 2020 were queried for systematic reviews and meta-analyses on the association between GORD and various diseases. The methodological quality of the included studies was assessed using A Measurement Tool to Assess Systematic Reviews 2 (AMSTAR 2), and evidence certainty was evaluated using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) system. Statistical analysis was conducted using Stata V.15.

Results

Ten publications with associations between GORD and different types of diseases were included. There was high heterogeneity (I2 >75%) among seven independent meta-analyses. Evidence for publication bias in two independent meta-analyses was also observed. According to the AMSTAR 2 approach, the methodological quality was high for 20% of meta-analyses, moderate for 10%, low for 40% and critically low for 30%. Based on GRADE approach, the certainty of evidence was high for the association between GORD and higher risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbation (OR 5.37; 95% CI 2.71 to 10.64) and higher prevalence of oesophageal adenocarcinoma (OR 4.57; 95% CI 3.89 to 5.36), and it was moderate for the association between GORD and higher chronic rhinosinusitis prevalence (OR 2.16; 95% CI 1.37 to 3.48).

Conclusion

The association between GORD and a range of diseases was extensively studied, and our findings revealed a high certainty of evidence of the association between GORD and an increased risk of COPD exacerbation as well as increased prevalence of oesophageal adenocarcinoma. Further investigations using systematic reviews and meta-analyses of high methodological quality that include prospective large cohort studies and adjusted confounders are warranted.

PROSPERO registration number

CRD42019122264.
Patterns and predictors of high-cost users of the health system: a data linkage protocol to combine a cohort study and randomised controlled trial of adults with a history of homelessness
Authors: Wiens Kathryn , Rosella Laura C , Kurdyak Paul , Hwang Stephen W
Published: December 2020

Introduction

Homelessness is a global issue with a detrimental impact on health. Individuals who experience homelessness are often labelled as frequent healthcare users; yet it is a small group of individuals who disproportionately use the majority of services. This protocol outlines the approach to combine survey data from a prospective cohort study and randomised controlled trial with administrative healthcare data to characterise patterns and predictors of healthcare utilisation among a group of adults with a history of homelessness.

Methods and analysis

This cohort study will apply survey data from the Health and Housing in Transition study and the At Home/Chez Soi study linked with administrative healthcare databases in Ontario, Canada. We will use count models to quantify the associations between baseline predisposing, enabling, and need factors and hospitalisations, emergency department visits and physician visits in the following year. Subsequently, we will identify individuals who are high-cost users of the health system (top 5%) and characterise their patterns of healthcare utilisation. Logistic regression will be applied to develop a set of models to predict who will be high-cost users over the next 5 years based on predisposing, enabling and need factors. Calibration and discrimination will be estimated with bootstrapped optimism (bootstrap performance—test performance) to ensure the model performance is not overestimated.

Ethics and dissemination

This study is approved by the St Michael’s Hospital Research Ethics Board and the University of Toronto Research Ethics Board. Findings will be disseminated through publication in peer-reviewed journals, presentations at research conferences and brief reports made available to healthcare professionals and the general public.

Trial Registration Number

This is a secondary data analysis of a cohort study and randomized trial. The At Home/Chez Soi study has been registered with the International Standard Randomised Control Trial Number Register and assignedISRCTN42520374.
Creating more than a directory: improving handover of information by renovating the induction app for University Hospital Wishaw
Authors: Clare Kathleen , Cathcart Jennifer , Patel Manish
Published: December 2020

Starting in a new hospital can be an overwhelming experience for any grade of doctor. There is a vast amount of information that needs to be learnt immediately to function in the new environment. There is an annual changeover of doctors between hospitals in August nationwide and most junior doctors rotate specialties every 4–6 months. Evidence shows that doctors feel this transition has a negative impact on patient care and indicates that inpatient mortality rises during the August changeover. In our hospital, we noted problems with access to guidelines, referral information and investigations by junior doctors, especially at changeover. In an initial questionnaire, 100% of doctors had experienced difficulties with referring to a specialty and 96% felt time was wasted doing so. Furthermore, 87.5% of doctors had difficulties with ordering laboratory investigations and 100% of survey participates expressed difficulty accessing guidelines.

To tackle this issue, we created guidelines on how to refer to different specialties, order investigations and general running of the hospital. We then used a free app platform called induction and uploaded the guidelines as well as formal hospital guidelines to the app. After use of the app, we assessed these problems via further questionnaires. Doctors reporting problems with finding how to refer to specialties reduced from 100% to 0% in the final survey. Problems finding how to request investigations fell from 100% to 14.3% after 1 month to 7.7% after 3 months. Finally, problems finding guidelines fell from 100% to 15.4%. Further, 100% of doctors felt the app saved time.

Use of the induction app to access guidelines saves time and reduces problems accessing information needed to carry out tasks. This an easily replicated project with low running costs which proved to help with the universal problems around induction to a new hospital environment.
Update on the epidemiology of work-related traumatic brain injury: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Toccalino Danielle , Colantonio Angela , Chan Vincy
Published: December 2020

Background

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a public health concern that can occur in a range of contexts. Work-related TBI (wrTBI) is particularly concerning. Despite overall work-related injury claims decreasing, the proportion of claims that are wrTBI have increased, suggesting prevention and support of wrTBI requires ongoing attention.

Objectives

This review aimed to provide updated information on the burden and risk factors of wrTBI among the working adult population.

Methods

Medline, Embase, PsycINFO, and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) were searched using a combination of TBI, work, and epidemiology text words and medical subject headings. Two reviewers independently assessed articles for inclusion. Meta-analyses were conducted to estimate prevalence and mortality of wrTBI and a narrative synthesis was conducted to provide additional context.

Results

Pooled proportions meta-analyses estimate that 17.9% of TBIs were work-related and 6.3% of work-related injuries resulted in TBI, with 3.6% of wrTBI resulting in death. Populations of wrTBI were predominantly male (76.2%) and were 40.4 years of age, on average. The most commonly reported industries for wrTBI were education and training, healthcare and social assistance, construction, manufacturing, and transportation. Falls, being struck by an object or person, motor vehicle collisions, and assaults were the most commonly reported mechanisms of wrTBI.

Conclusions

A better understanding of the epidemiology of wrTBI can inform prevention and management strategies. This review highlights existing gaps, including a notable lack of sex or gender stratified data, to direct future investigation.

PROSPERO registration number

CRD42020169642.
Geo-social gradients in predicted COVID-19 prevalence in Great Britain: results from 1 960 242 users of the COVID-19 Symptoms Study app
Authors: Bowyer Ruth C E , Varsavsky Thomas , Thompson Ellen J , Sudre Carole H , Murray Benjamin A K , Freidin Maxim B , Yarand Darioush , Ganesh Sajaysurya , Capdevila Joan , Bakker Elco , Cardoso M Jorge , Davies Richard , Wolf Jonathan , Spector Tim D , Ourselin Sebastien , Steves Claire J , Menni Cristina
Published: December 2020

Understanding the geographical distribution of COVID-19 through the general population is key to the provision of adequate healthcare services. Using self-reported data from 1 960 242 unique users in Great Britain (GB) of the
COVID-19 Symptom Study app,
we estimated that, concurrent to the GB government sanctioning lockdown, COVID-19 was distributed across GB, with evidence of ‘urban hotspots’. We found a geo-social gradient associated with predicted disease prevalence suggesting urban areas and areas of higher deprivation are most affected. Our results demonstrate use of self-reported symptoms data to provide focus on geographical areas with identified risk factors.
2S and 3S State Masses and decay constants of heavy-flavour mesons in a non-relativistic QCD potential model with three-loop effects in V-scheme
Authors: Hoque Rashidul , Hazarika B. J. , Choudhury D. K.
Published: December 2020

We make an analysis of three -loop effects of the strong coupling constant in the study of masses and decay constants of the heavy-flavour pseudo-scalar mesons (PSM) D, $$D_s$$

D
s

, B, $$B_s,$$

B
s

,

$$B_c$$

B
c

, $$\eta _c$$

η
c

and $$\eta _b$$

η
b

in a non-relativistic QCD potential model using Dalgarno’s perturbation theory (DPT). The first order mesonic wavefunction is obtained using Dalgarno’s perturbation theory. The three-loop effects of strong coupling constant are included in the wave function in co-ordinate space and then used to examine the static and dynamic properties of the heavy-flavour mesons for 2S and 3S higher states. The results are compared with the other models available and are found to be compatible with available experimental values. In V-scheme, the three-loop effects on masses and decay constants of heavy-flavour mesons show a significant result.
The Ranges of Accepting State Complexities of Languages Resulting from Some Operations
Authors: Hospodár Michal , Holzer Markus
Published: December 2020

We examine the accepting state complexity, i.e., the minimal number of accepting states of deterministic finite automata for languages resulting from unary and binary operations on languages with accepting state complexity given as a parameter. This is a continuation of the work of [J. Dassow: On the number of accepting states of finite automata, J. Autom., Lang. Comb., 21, 2016]. We solve most of the open problems mentioned thereof. In particular, we consider the operations of intersection, symmetric difference, right and left quotients, reversal, and permutation (on finite languages), where we obtain precise ranges of accepting state complexities. We also consider symmetric difference on unary finite languages where we obtain a non-contiguous range of accepting state complexities.
Stochastic Bifurcations, Chaos and Phantom Attractors in the Langford System with Tori
Authors: Bashkirtseva Irina , Ryashko Lev
Published: December 2020

The variability of stochastic dynamics for a three-dimensional dynamic model in a parametric zone with 2-tori is investigated. It is shown how weak Gaussian noise transforms deterministic quasiperiodic oscillations into noisy bursting. The phenomenon of stochastic generation of a phantom attractor and its shift with noise amplification is revealed. This phenomenon, accompanied by order-chaos transitions, is studied in terms of stochastic [Formula: see text]- and [Formula: see text]-bifurcations.
Dynamics and Optimal Control of a Monod–Haldane Predator–Prey System with Mixed Harvesting
Authors: Liu Xinxin , Huang Qingdao
Published: December 2020

This paper investigates the dynamics and optimal control of the Monod–Haldane predator–prey system with mixed harvesting that combines both continuous and impulsive harvestings. The periodic solution of the prey-free is studied and the local stability condition is obtained. The boundedness of solutions, the permanence of the system, and the existence of nontrivial periodic solution are studied. With the change of parameters, the system appears with a stable nontrivial periodic solution when the prey-free periodic solution loses stability. Numerical simulations show that the system has complex dynamical behaviors via bifurcation diagrams. Further, the maximum yield problem of the harvested system is studied, which is transformed into a nonlinear programming problem and solved by the method of combined multiple shooting and collocation.
Shortcomings of Transfer Entropy and Partial Transfer Entropy: Extending Them to Escape the Curse of Dimensionality
Authors: Papana Angeliki , Papana-Dagiasis Ariadni , Siggiridou Elsa
Published: December 2020

Transfer entropy (TE) captures the directed relationships between two variables. Partial transfer entropy (PTE) accounts for the presence of all confounding variables of a multivariate system and infers only about direct causality. However, the computation of partial transfer entropy involves high dimensional distributions and thus may not be robust in case of many variables. In this work, different variants of the partial transfer entropy are introduced, by building a reduced number of confounding variables based on different scenarios in terms of their interrelationships with the driving or response variable. Connectivity-based PTE variants utilizing the random forests (RF) methodology are evaluated on synthetic time series. The empirical findings indicate the superiority of the suggested variants over transfer entropy and partial transfer entropy, especially in the case of high dimensional systems. The above findings are further highlighted when applying the causality measures on financial time series.
Large color R-matrix for knot complements and strange identities
Authors: Park Sunghyuk
Published: December 2020

The Gukov–Manolescu series, denoted by [Formula: see text], is a conjectural invariant of knot complements that, in a sense, analytically continues the colored Jones polynomials. In this paper we use the large color [Formula: see text]-matrix to study [Formula: see text] for some simple links. Specifically, we give a definition of [Formula: see text] for positive braid knots, and compute [Formula: see text] for various knots and links. As a corollary, we present a class of “strange identities” for positive braid knots.
STAR Heavy-ion results
Authors: Tlusty David
Published: December 2020

The exploration of the Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD) phase diagram has been one of the main drivers of contemporary nuclear physics. Heavy-ion collisions provide a powerful tool to explore phase structures of strongly interacting hot and dense nuclear matter called Quark–Gluon Plasma (QGP). The Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) is uniquely suited to map the QCD phase diagram by varying the energy of collisions, as well as nuclei species. These proceedings discuss the most recent results from the STAR experiment at RHIC and future plans.
Equal sums of two cubes of quadratic forms
Authors: Reznick Bruce
Published: December 2020

We give a complete description of all solutions to the equation [Formula: see text] for quadratic forms [Formula: see text] and show how Ramanujan’s example can be extended to three equal sums of pairs of cubes. We also give a complete census in counting the number of ways a sextic [Formula: see text] can be written as a sum of two cubes. The extreme example is [Formula: see text], which has six such representations.
On a family of mild functions
Authors: Van Hille Siegfried
Published: December 2020

We prove that the function [Formula: see text] with [Formula: see text] is [Formula: see text]-mild. We apply this result to obtain a uniform [Formula: see text]-mild parametrization of the family of curves [Formula: see text] for [Formula: see text], which does not have a uniform [Formula: see text]-mild parametrization by work of Yomdin. More generally, we can parametrize families of power-subanalytic curves. This improves a result of Binyamini and Novikov that gives a [Formula: see text]-mild parametrization.
Adelic Voronoï summation and subconvexity for GL(2) L-functions in the depth aspect
Authors: Assing Edgar
Published: December 2020

In this paper, we establish a very flexible and explicit Voronoï summation formula. This is then used to prove an almost Weyl strength subconvexity result for automorphic [Formula: see text]-functions of degree two in the depth aspect. That is, looking at twists by characters of prime power conductor. This is the natural [Formula: see text]-adic analogue to the well-studied [Formula: see text]-aspect.
On odd ranks of odd Durfee symbols
Authors: Cui Su-Ping , Gu Nancy S. S.
Published: December 2020

An odd Durfee symbol of [Formula: see text] is an array of positive odd integers and a subscript [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text] such that [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], and [Formula: see text]. Andrews defined the odd rank of an odd Durfee symbol as [Formula: see text]. Let [Formula: see text] be the number of odd Durfee symbols of [Formula: see text] with odd rank congruent to [Formula: see text] modulo [Formula: see text]. We decompose the generating function of [Formula: see text] into modular and mock modular parts. Specifically, we derive some special cases of the generating functions of [Formula: see text] for [Formula: see text]. Some generating functions are related to classical mock theta functions.
A conjectural refinement of strong multiplicity one for GL(n)
Authors: Walji Nahid
Published: December 2020

Given a pair of distinct unitary cuspidal automorphic representations for GL([Formula: see text]) over a number field, let [Formula: see text] denote the set of finite places at which the automorphic representations are unramified and their associated Hecke eigenvalues differ. In this paper, we demonstrate how conjectures on the automorphy and possible cuspidality of adjoint lifts and Rankin–Selberg products imply lower bounds on the size of [Formula: see text]. We also obtain further results for [Formula: see text].
A search for c-Wieferich primes
Authors: Bamunoba Alex Samuel , Bergström Jonas
Published: December 2020

Let [Formula: see text] be a power of a prime number [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text] be a finite field with [Formula: see text] elements and [Formula: see text] be a subgroup of [Formula: see text] of order [Formula: see text]. We give an existence criterion and an algorithm for computing maximally [Formula: see text]-fixed c-Wieferich primes in [Formula: see text]. Using the criterion, we study how c-Wieferich primes behave in [Formula: see text] extensions.
Exploiting Parallelism Opportunities with Deep Learning Frameworks
Authors: Wang Yu Emma , Wu Carole-Jean , Wang Xiaodong , Hazelwood Kim , Brooks David
Published: December 2020

State-of-the-art machine learning frameworks support a wide variety of design features to enable a flexible machine learning programming interface and to ease the programmability burden on machine learning developers. Identifying and using a performance-optimal setting in feature-rich frameworks, however, involves a non-trivial amount of performance profiling efforts and often relies on domain-specific knowledge. This article takes a deep dive into analyzing the performance impact of key design features in a machine learning framework and quantifies the role of parallelism. The observations and insights distill into a simple set of guidelines that one can use to achieve much higher training and inference speedup. Across a diverse set of real-world deep learning models, the evaluation results show that the proposed performance tuning guidelines outperform the Intel and TensorFlow recommended settings by 1.30× and 1.38×, respectively.
Attitude of Nigerian Students to Online Learning During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Asoro Ojevwe Blessing , Osunade Oluwaseyitanfunmi
Published: December 2020

The recent outbreak of the COVID-19 has led to the need for alternate sources of learning for students in tertiary institutions. The use of online learning has been adopted by some students. There has not been any evaluation of students' attitude to online learning during this period. Thus, this study seeks to determine the attitude of higher education students in Nigeria to online learning. Data was collected using an online survey tool. The results show that Nigerian students are engaged in online learning. It was recommended that the certificates be recognized and online learning be introduced to tertiary institutions.
Electroreductive Desorption of Alkanethiols on Gold and UPD Copper/Gold Surfaces Using In Situ Second Harmonic Generation
Authors: DeLeon Michelle , Baldelli Steve
Published: December 2020

The reductive desorption of three alkanethiols: 1-decanethiol (DT), 1-dodecanethiol (DDT), and 1-octadecanethiol (ODT) was studied. Real-time second harmonic generation (SHG) was used to monitor changes at the surface as the self-assembled monolayer was electrodesorbed from a gold and UPD Cu/Au electrode through cyclic voltammetry (CV). Before and after reductive desorption, samples are examined ex situ with sum frequency generation (SFG) spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and contact angle (CA). These techniques confirmed the electrodesorption of short-chain alkanethiols, while long-chain alkanethiols were proven to remain near the surface of the electrode. However, a difference was observed for a DDT monolayer on the UPD Cu/Au electrode. While DDT was easily desorbed from a gold substrate, DDT on the UPD Cu/Au electrode behaved similarly to a long-chain alkanethiol on gold. Significantly, SHG was able to determine the relative alkanethiol coverage even while the desorption-features in the CV were obscured by the hydrogen evolution current.
[Retracted] Perspectives of Molecular Therapy‐Targeted Mitochondrial Fission in Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Authors: Zhang Hanwen , Ye Yanshuo , Li Wei
Published: December 2020

Current advances of molecular‐targeting therapies for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) have improved the overall survival significantly, whereas the results still remain unsatisfied. Recently, much attention has been focused on organelles, such as the mitochondria, to reveal novel strategies to control the cancers. The mitochondria are vital organelles which supply energy and maintain metabolism in most of the eukaryotic cells. They not only execute critical bioenergetic and biosynthetic functions but also regulate ROS homeostasis and apoptosis. Existing in a dynamic equilibrium state, mitochondria constantly undergo the fission and fusion processes in normal situation. Increasing evidences have showed that mitochondrial fission is highly related to the diseases and cancers. Distinctive works have proved the significant effects of mitochondrial fission on HCC behaviors and the crosstalks with other molecular pathways. Here, we provide an overview of the mitochondrial fission and the link with HCC, emphasizing on the underlying molecular pathways and several novel materials that modulate HCC behaviors.
Differential Expression of Urinary Exosomal Small RNAs in Idiopathic Membranous Nephropathy
Authors: Zhang Jinshi , Zhu Yifan , Cai Ruyi , Jin Juan , He Qiang
Published: December 2020

Background. Idiopathic membranous nephropathy (IMN) is a major cause of adult nephrotic syndromes, and reliable noninvasive biomarkers for diagnosis and monitoring are urgently needed. In this study, we performed small RNA (sRNA) sequencing to explore sRNA profiles of urinary exosomes derived from IMN patients and healthy controls (CON) to provide clues for identifying novel noninvasive sRNA biomarkers for IMN. Methods. Urine samples were collected from five healthy controls and six patients with IMN. High‐throughput sequencing was used to screen sRNA expression profiles of urinary exosomes from patients with IMN in two independent cohorts. Results. Urinary exosomes were successfully isolated and used to obtain exosomal sRNAs. We screened 131 differentially expressed miRNAs, including 28 specifically expressed miRNAs, then explored the top 10 specifically expressed miRNAs in all IMN individuals. The specifically expressed miRNAs and differentially expressed miRNAs provide potential biomarkers for IMN. Additionally, we discovered numerous sRNAs derived from genomic repetitive sequences, which could represent an exciting new area of research. Conclusion. Herein, we revealed significant differences in expression profiles of urinary exosomal miRNAs and repetitive region‐derived sRNAs between patients with IMN and healthy controls. The findings could facilitate the development of potential molecular targets for membranous nephropathy.
Research on Creep Characteristics and Influencing Factors of Cement Asphalt Composite Binder
Authors: Li Yimin , Yombah Mulbah , Temitope Ahmed Abdulakeem , Zou Xiaolong , Yang Fayong , Li Wenbo , Jing Hongjun
Published: December 2020

Cement emulsified asphalt composite material (CA composite cement) has the excellent properties of cement and emulsified asphalt cement. As a composite cementing material, cement emulsified asphalt concrete can be one of the choices of road paving materials. However, under the effect of temperature and wheel load, the performance of it may get worse; especially, the creep behavior of CA composite cement has an important influence on the stability of pavement structure. This paper mainly focuses on the research on the creep and creep recovery performance of CA composite cement, determines the raw materials and proportions of CA composite cement, and formulates experimental research programs such as creep and creep recovery tests and stress scanning tests. The creep and creep recovery test research of CA composite cement was carried out, and the influence of creep and creep recovery characteristics, temperature, and A/C on the creep mechanical properties of CA composite cement was analyzed. The results show that the creep compliance of CA composite cement decreases with the increase of aging degree, the static mechanical properties tend to be elastic as a whole, and different factors such as temperature and A/C have different effects on the viscoelastic-plastic mechanical properties of the material.
Formal Verification on the Safety of Internet of Vehicles Based on TPN and Z
Authors: Liu Yang , Huang Liyuan , Chen Jingwei
Published: December 2020

Nowadays, the Internet of Vehicles has become the focus of global technological innovation and transformation in the automotive industry. Its flow modelling appears to play a very important role for designing and controlling the transportation systems, since it is not only necessary for improving safety and transportation efficiency but also can yield a series of society, economy, and ecosystem environment problems. Considering the characteristics of the frame structure includes states and actions and discrete and continuous aspects of traffic flow dynamics, both petri net and Z have proved to be useful tools for modelling the Internet of Vehicles. It can formally describe the vehicle behavior accurately with petri net and more details with Z frame structure. A new integration formal method of time petri net and Z is presented in this paper for modelling the vehicle behaviors and traffic rules through taking into account state dependencies on external rules. Moreover, a case study in the Internet of Vehicles is proposed to deal with the accurate localization of events. It shows that this formal verification methods significantly improves the safety and intelligence of the Internet of Vehicles.
Pediatric Nonaccidental Trauma: Experience at a Level 1 Trauma Center
Authors: Goldman Taylor , Burjonrappa Sathyaprasad
Published: December 2020

Introduction. Pediatric nonaccidental trauma (NAT) is difficult to diagnose. Several isolated injuries in NAT could happen in the setting of accidental trauma (AT), and having a high index of suspicion is important to correctly identify abuse. NAT has a significant mortality rate if the sentinel event is not adequately diagnosed, and the infant is not separated from the perpetrator. Level 1 pediatric trauma centers (PTC) see a significant number of NAT. We evaluated the injury patterns of NAT admissions at our level 1 PTC. Methods. Retrospective analysis of all cases of NAT for children under the age of two admitted at an ACS level 1 pediatric trauma center between the years of 2016 and 2018. Charts were queried for demographic data, injury patterns, mortality, and disposition. Correlation between disposition status and injury patterns was performed. The Fisher Exact test and student

t

-test were used to study the significance of differences in categorical and continuous data, respectively. Results. 32/91 (35%) trauma patients under the age of two years were diagnosed as NAT in the three-year study period. 21/32 (39%) male and 11/26 (42%) female admissions were confirmed NAT (

p
=
NS

). 20 were under 1 year of age, and 12 were aged between 1 and 2 years (

p
=
NS

). 13 (41%) were Caucasian, 6 (19%) were Hispanic/Latino, 11 (34%) were Black, and 2(6%) were of unknown ethnicity (

p
=
NS

). Facial, torso, lower extremity, retinal, and internal organ injury were significantly more common with NAT. Medicaid coverage was noted in 31/32 (97%) NAT patients. 20/32 (62.5%) patients were legally displaced as a result of the NAT. Conclusion. 1/3rd of all admissions at a pediatric level 1 trauma center were identified as NAT. A high index of suspicion is necessary to not miss NAT, as injury patterns are variable. Nearly 1/3rd of all victims go back to the same environment where they sustained NAT increasing their susceptibility to future NAT.
Dynamic Response Analysis of Retaining Dam under the Impact of Solid-Liquid Two-Phase Debris Flow Based on the Coupled SPH-DEM-FEM Method
Authors: Li Bailong , Wang Changming , Li Yanying , Liu Yiao , Jiang Nan , Liang Zhu , Khan Kaleem Ullah Jan
Published: December 2020

Based on the coupled SPH-DEM-FEM numerical method, this paper analyzes the dynamic interaction of solid debris flow particle-liquid debris flow slurry-retaining dam in order to explore the dynamic response of retaining dam under the impact of the solid-liquid two-phase debris flow and delves into the process of the debris flow impact on the dam, the impact force of debris flow, and the elastic-plastic time-history characteristics of the dam under different slopes of trapezoidal grooves. The calculation results show that the coupled SPH-DEM-FEM method can vividly simulate the impact behavior of the solid-liquid two-phase debris flow on the dam, reproduce the impact, climbing, and siltation in the process of the debris flow impact; the dynamic time-history curve of the retaining dam is consistent with the law of the literature, and the result of the debris flow impact force obtained is close to that of the empirical formula. Moreover, this paper studies the impact force distribution of the debris flow impact process. The results have a certain reference value for the study of the dynamic response of the retaining dam under the impact of the solid-liquid two-phase debris flow and the engineering design of the debris flow-retaining dam.
Establishment and Validation of a Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry Method for the Determination of Tigecycline in Critically Ill Patients
Authors: Yao Fen , Wang Yifan , Hou Yating , Wang Xipei , Lan Jinhua , Wu Zheng , Wang Yirong , Chen Chunbo
Published: December 2020

Utilizing tigecycline-d9 as an internal standard (IS), we establish and validate a simple, effective, and rapid liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method for the quantitative measurement of tigecycline (TGC) in patient plasma. Acetonitrile was used as a precipitant to process plasma samples by a protein precipitation method. The analyte and IS were separated on an HSS T3 (2.1 × 100 mm, 3.5 μm) chromatographic column using isocratic program with a mobile phase comprising of 80% solvent A (water containing 0.1% formic acid (v/v) with 5 mM ammonium acetate) and 20% solvent B (acetonitrile) with a flow rate of 0.3 mL/min. The mass spectrometer, scanning in multireaction monitoring (MRM) mode and using an electrospray ion source (ESI), operated in the positive-ion mode. The ion pairs used for quantitative analysis were m/z 586.4 ⟶ 513.3 and m/z 595.5 ⟶ 514.3 for TGC and the IS, respectively. The range of the linear calibration curve obtained with this approach was 50–5000 ng/ml. Intra- and interbatch precision for TGC quantitation were less than 7.2%, and the accuracy ranged from 93.4 to 101.8%. The IS-normalized matrix effect was 87 to 104%. Due to its high precision and accuracy, this novel method allows for fast quantitation of TGC with a total analysis time of 2 min. This approach was effectively applied to study the pharmacokinetics of TGC in critically ill adult patients.
Demyelinating Changes Alike to Multiple Sclerosis: A Case Report of Rare Manifestations of COVID-19
Authors: Yavari Fatemeh , Raji Sara , Moradi Fatemeh , Saeidi Morteza
Published: December 2020

COVID-19, as a global concern and pivotal issue in the healthcare system, could have various presentations, leading to difficulty in diagnosis and management. Neuroinvasive potency, as claimed by preliminary studies, is a considerable pathogenesis. Serious neurological disorders like multiple sclerosis (MS) were out of the blue to be the first demonstration of COVID-19. This report highlights the representation of MS in a young woman, which resulted in a COVID-19 diagnosis.
An Electrochemical Sensor Based on Gold Nanodendrite/Surfactant Modified Electrode for Bisphenol A Detection
Authors: Lien Nguyen Thi , Quoc Hung Le , Hoang Nguyen Tien , Thu Vu Thi , Ngoc Nga Dau Thi , Hai Yen Pham Thi , Phong Pham Hong , Thu Ha Vu Thi
Published: December 2020

In the present work, we reported the simple way to fabricate an electrochemical sensing platform to detect Bisphenol A (BPA) using galvanostatic deposition of Au on a glassy carbon electrode covered by cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB). This material (CTAB) enhances the sensitivity of electrochemical sensors with respect to the detection of BPA. The electrochemical response of the modified GCE to BPA was investigated by cyclic voltammetry and differential pulse voltammetry. The results displayed a low detection limit (22 nm) and a linear range from 0.025 to 10 µm along side with high reproducibility (RSD = 4.9% for seven independent sensors). Importantly, the prepared sensors were selective enough against interferences with other pollutants in the same electrochemical window. Notably, the presented sensors have already proven their ability in detecting BPA in real plastic water drinking bottle samples with high accuracy (recovery range = 96.60%–102.82%) and it is in good agreement with fluorescence measurements.
Policy Literacy, Barriers, and Gender Impact on Accessibility to Healthcare Services under Compulsory Migrant Health Insurance among Myanmar Migrant Workers in Thailand
Authors: Naing Sa Hlyan Htet , Isaramalai Sang-Arun , Sukmag Phen
Published: December 2020

Accessibility to health service and experience of healthcare are important factors for public health policymaking. The current study aimed to describe the status of accessibility and barriers to getting care as well as policy literacy among Myanmar migrant workers and ultimately to identify the predictors of accessibility to healthcare services among this population through Thailand’s Compulsory Migrant Health Insurance (CMHI). A cross-sectional survey was used to collect data from 240 Myanmar migrant workers who were 18 years or older, resided in Songkhla Province, and had Compulsory Migrant Health Insurance. The instrument was a set of questionnaires consisting of a Personal Data Form, Policy Literacy Questionnaire, Barriers to Get Care Questionnaire, and Accessibility to Healthcare Services Questionnaire. Descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and multiple regression analysis were used to analyze data. The majority of participants had a high level of policy literacy (36.3%), barriers to get care (34.2%), and accessibility to health care services (35.8%). Policy literacy (β = 0.35,

p
<
0.001

), barriers to get care (β = −0.32,

p
<
0.001

), and gender (

p
<
0.001

) were significant predictors of accessibility to healthcare services and could explain 43.2% of the total variance. To increase the accessibility to healthcare services among migrant workers with Compulsory Migrant Health Insurance, public health policymakers are recommended to cooperate more with healthcare staff and the workers’ employers to enhance the distribution of information about the health insurance to decrease barriers to get care.