bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Improving intravenous-to-oral antibiotic switch in children: a team-based audit and implementation approach
Authors: McMullan Brendan Joseph , Mahony Michelle , Java Lolita , Mostaghim Mona , Plaister Michael , Wu Camille , White Sophie , Al Yazidi Laila , Martin Erica , Bryant Penelope , Thursky Karin A , Buono Evette
Published: March 2021

Children in hospital are frequently prescribed intravenous antibiotics for longer than needed. Programmes to optimise timely intravenous-to-oral antibiotic switch may limit excessive in-hospital antibiotic use, minimise complications of intravenous therapy and allow children to go home faster. Here, we describe a quality improvement approach to implement a guideline, with team-based education, audit and feedback, for timely, safe switch from intravenous-to-oral antibiotics in hospitalised children. Eligibility for switch was based on evidence-based guidelines and supported by education and feedback. The project was conducted over 12 months in a tertiary paediatric hospital. Primary outcomes assessed were the proportion of eligible children admitted under paediatric and surgical teams switched within 24 hours, and switch timing prior to and after guideline launch. Secondary outcomes were hospital length of stay, recommencement of intravenous therapy or readmission. The percentage of children switched within 24 hours of eligibility significantly increased from 32/50 (64%) at baseline to 203/249 (82%) post-implementation (p=0.006). The median time to switch fell from 15 hours 42 min to 4 hours 20 min (p=0.0006). In addition, there was a 14-hour median reduction in hospital length of stay (p=0.008). Readmission to hospital and recommencement of intravenous therapy did not significantly change postimplementation. This education, audit and feedback approach improved timely intravenous-to-oral switch in children and also allowed for more timely discharge from hospital. The study demonstrates proof of concept for this implementation with a methodology that can be readily adapted to other paediatric inpatient settings.
Incorporating patient safety into early undergraduate medical education: teaching medical students to perform surgical time outs during anatomy
Authors: Suleiman Abdul-Rahman M , Amarasinghe Daniel , Kathuria Priya , Vandel Jacob , Holloway Jordan , Elkin Kenneth , Walker Paul , Levine Diane
Published: March 2021

Objectives

To introduce surgical safety checklists and time outs to future physicians through early incorporation of time outs in the first year gross anatomy course.

Setting

The Wayne State University School of Medicine Anatomy Lab.

Participants

Approximately 300 first year medical students per year participated in the intervention.

Interventions

An educational presentation on medical errors focusing on surgical errors was developed. Students in 2017–2018 viewed the presentation and completed two time outs, one with the first anatomy dissection and a second with the last dissection. Preintervention and postintervention surveys were completed and results compared. Students completed a second postintervention survey after the second time out. Students in 2018–2019 were asked to complete the time outs before every dissection. Time out procedure sheets were collected to determine completion rates. The intervention was further modified for academic year 2019–2020 and time out sheets were again collected.

Outcome measures

Four domains of learning were surveyed: (1) major components and goals/limitations of universal protocol, (2) medical error lexicon, (3) components of a time out, and (4) confidence in completing time out checklists.

Results

Postintervention surveys demonstrated significant improvement in each domain. Students found time outs easy to complete and developed confidence in performing time outs. Following a successful pilot, time outs were incorporated into every dissection. Students continued to perform this procedure despite absence of adverse consequences for not doing so.

Conclusion

Students found the time outs easy to complete and developed the confidence and ability to perform a surgical time out early in their medical education. The new skills, knowledge and attitudes that these medical students have developed will hopefully improve the care they provide to patients, thereby advancing the practice of quality improvement and patient safety in the clinical setting.
Prevalence of autoimmune diseases and other associated conditions in children and young adults with juvenile idiopathic arthritis
Authors: Lovell Daniel J , Huang Bin , Chen Chen , Angeles-Han Sheila T , Simon Teresa A , Brunner Hermine I
Published: March 2021

Objective

Many autoimmune diseases share common pathogenic mechanisms; however, there are limited studies quantifying the coexistence of autoimmune diseases and associated conditions in patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). This large US-based study estimated and compared the prevalence of multiple coexisting autoimmune diseases in patients with JIA with a general paediatric (GP) patient population.

Methods

This retrospective cohort study was conducted using registry data from the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center (January 2010–October 2018). The prevalence of multiple autoimmune diseases was estimated in patients (age <21 years) with JIA and a control group from the GP patient population. Crude prevalences of 26 prespecified autoimmune diseases and associated conditions were compared using Bayesian Poisson regression modelling for each year up to the end of the study period.

Results

Overall, 2026 patients were included in the JIA cohort and 41 572 in the GP cohort. Of 26 autoimmune diseases and associated conditions evaluated, 14 (53.8%) had a significantly higher prevalence in the JIA cohort compared with the GP cohort. In total, seven (26.9%) autoimmune diseases or associated conditions had a >20-fold increased prevalence in the JIA cohort compared with the GP cohort.

Conclusion

In this study, patients with JIA had a greater prevalence of a large number of coexisting autoimmune diseases and associated conditions compared with the GP population. Physicians should consider coexisting autoimmune diseases in the treatment and management of patients with JIA.
Timan–Pechora Composite Tectono-Sedimentary Element, Northwestern Russia
Authors: Prishchepa Oleg M. , Bogatskii Vladimir I. , Drachev Sergey S.
Published: March 2021

The Timan–Pechora Composite Tectono-Sedimentary Element (CTSE) represents a significant part of the Timan–Pechora petroleum province, which is the second largest in the Circum-Arctic. It contains as much as up to 10 km of Paleozoic and Mesozoic strata hosting the excellent hydrocarbon source rock, the Domanik Formation, and a variety of hydrocarbon plays prolific for both oil and natural gas. The complex tectonic structure of the CTSE formed as result of several tectonic phases: two extensional events, post-rift thermal sag in a passive-margin setting, and a series of late Paleozoic and early Mesozoic compressional events. The latter modified the extensional fabric, and led to the formation of a number of inverted swells and smaller anticlinal structures providing the major trapping capacities. The deposition of source and reservoir facies occurred during the extensional tectonic phases, while the main reservoir-prone sedimentary units were deposited during late Paleozoic and early Mesozoic orogenic phases.
Electrochemical Determination of Amprolium Hydrochloride in Chicken Meats and Eggs: Food Safety Control and Theoretical Study
Authors: Elsonbaty Ahmed , Abdel-Raoof Ahmed M. , Abdulwahab Sara , Hassan Wafaa S. , Eissa Maya S.
Published: March 2021

Food safety has come to pass as an essential part of the appropriate production operation to fulfill the definitely negative reactions of consumers and consumer organizations to current crises in the food-animal industry. The goal of this work is to establish simple and accurate potentiometric polyvinyl chloride (PVC) membrane sensors based on cyclodextrin, for rapid in situ detection and quantification of Amprolium HCl (AMP) in different matrices (pharmaceutical preparation, chicken meats, and eggs) with lower detection limits. Molecular modeling was utilized to predict the structure of the inclusion complex formed between AMP and cyclodextrin. α-cyclodextrin based sensor exhibited better performance and displayed a linear dynamic range of 1 × 10−6 to 1 × 10−2 M while β- and γ-cyclodextrin revealed a linear range of 1 × 10−5 to 1 × 10−2 M with Nernstian slopes of 29.7, 27.3, and 26.2 mV decade−1 and detection limits of 5.01 × 10−7, 1.58 × 10−6, and 2.51 × 10−6 M for α-, β-, and γ-cyclodextrin based sensors respectively.
Phosphorylation of ERK and dystrophin S3059 protects against inflammation-associated C2C12 myotube atrophy
Authors: Swiderski Kristy , Brock Christopher J. , Trieu Jennifer , Chee Annabel , Thakur Savant S. , Baum Dale M. , Gregorevic Paul , Murphy Kate T. , Lynch Gordon S.
Published: March 2021

The dystrophin-glycoprotein complex (DGC) is a multiprotein structure required to maintain muscle fiber membrane integrity, transmit force by linking the actin cytoskeleton with the extracellular matrix, and maintain muscle homeostasis. Membrane localization of dystrophin is perturbed in muscles wasting as a consequence of cancer cachexia, tenotomy, and advanced aging, which are all associated with low level, chronic inflammation. Strategies to preserve dystrophin expression at the sarcolemma might therefore combat muscle wasting. Phosphorylation of dystrophin serine 3059 (S3059) enhances the interaction between dystrophin and β-dystroglycan. To test the contribution of amino acid phosphorylation to muscle fiber size changes, dystrophin constructs with phospho-null and phosphomimetic mutations were transfected into C2C12 muscle cells or AAV-293 cells in the presence or absence of kinase inhibitors/activators to assess effects on myotube diameter and protein function. Overexpression of a dystrophin construct with a phospho-null mutation at S3059 in vitro reduced myotube size in healthy C2C12 cells. Conversely overexpression of a phosphomimetic mutation at S3059 attenuated inflammation-induced myotube atrophy. Increased ERK activation by addition of phorbol myristate acetate (PMA) also reduced inflammation-associated myotube atrophy and increased the interaction between dystrophin and β-dystroglycan. These findings demonstrate a link between increased ERK activation, dystrophin S3059 phosphorylation, stabilization of the DGC, and the regulation of muscle fiber size. Interventions that increase dystrophin S3059 phosphorylation to promote stronger binding of dystrophin to β-dystroglycan may have therapeutic potential for attenuation of inflammation-associated muscle wasting.
Visceral myopathy: clinical syndromes, genetics, pathophysiology, and fall of the cytoskeleton
Authors: Hashmi Sohaib Khalid , Ceron Rachel Helen , Heuckeroth Robert O.
Published: March 2021

Visceral smooth muscle is a crucial component of the walls of hollow organs like the gut, bladder, and uterus. This specialized smooth muscle has unique properties that distinguish it from other muscle types and facilitate robust dilation and contraction. Visceral myopathies are diseases where severe visceral smooth muscle dysfunction prevents efficient movement of air and nutrients through the bowel, impairs bladder emptying, and affects normal uterine contraction and relaxation, particularly during pregnancy. Disease severity exists along a spectrum. The most debilitating defects cause highly dysfunctional bowel, reduced intrauterine colon growth (microcolon), and bladder-emptying defects requiring catheterization, a condition called megacystis-microcolon-intestinal hypoperistalsis syndrome (MMIHS). People with MMIHS often die early in childhood. When the bowel is the main organ affected and microcolon is absent, the condition is known as myopathic chronic intestinal pseudo-obstruction (CIPO). Visceral myopathies like MMIHS and myopathic CIPO are most commonly caused by mutations in contractile apparatus cytoskeletal proteins. Here, we review visceral myopathy-causing mutations and normal functions of these disease-associated proteins. We propose molecular, cellular, and tissue-level models that may explain clinical and histopathological features of visceral myopathy and hope these observations prompt new mechanistic studies.
Geranylgeranyl diphosphate synthase deficiency hyperactivates macrophages and aggravates lipopolysaccharide-induced acute lung injury
Authors: Jin Jiajia , Qian Hong , Wan Bing , Zhou Li , Chen Cen , Lv Yanling , Chen Meizi , Zhu Suhua , Ye Liang , Wang Xiaoxia , Xu Wujian , Lv Tangfeng , Song Yong
Published: March 2021

Macrophage activation is a key contributing factor for excessive inflammatory responses of acute lung injury (ALI)/acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Geranylgeranyl diphosphate synthase (GGPPS) plays a key role in the development of inflammatory diseases. Our group previously showed that GGPPS in alveolar epithelium have deleterious effects on acute lung injury induced by LPS or mechanical ventilation. Herein, we examined the role of GGPPS in modulating macrophage activation in ALI/ARDS. We found significant increased GGPPS expression in alveolar macrophages in patients with ARDS compared with healthy volunteers and in ALI mice induced by LPS. GGPPS-floxed control ( GGPPSfl/fl) and myeloid-selective knockout ( GGPPSfl/fl LysMcre) mice were then generated. Interestingly, using an LPS-induced ALI mouse model, we showed that myeloid-specific GGPPS knockout significantly increased mortality, aggravated lung injury, and increased the accumulation of inflammatory cells, total protein, and inflammatory cytokines in BALF. In vitro, GGPPS deficiency upregulated the production of LPS-induced IL-6, IL-1β, and TNF-α in alveolar macrophages, bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs), and THP-1 cells. Mechanistically, GGPPS knockout increased phosphorylation and nuclear translocation of NF-κB p65 induced by LPS. In addition, GGPPS deficiency increased the level of GTP-Rac1, which was responsible for NF-κB activation. In conclusion, decreased expression of GGPPS in macrophages aggravates lung injury and inflammation in ARDS, at least partly by regulating Rac1-dependent NF-κB signaling. GGPPS in macrophages may represent a novel therapeutic target in ARDS.
Mind the food: rapid changes in antioxidant content of diet affect oxidative status of chimpanzees
Authors: Costantini David , Masi Shelly , Rachid Lyna , Beltrame Marielle , Rohmer Mélanie , Krief Sabrina
Published: March 2021

The link between dietary antioxidants and oxidative status has been studied extensively in humans. Surprisingly, comparative data are not available from closely related species, such as chimpanzees, which evolved in environments characterized by strong fluctuations in the availability and quality of vegetable food sources. We tested the hypothesis that an abrupt decrease in dietary antioxidants would increase oxidative damages in captive chimpanzees ( Pan troglodytes), while a rapid increase in antioxidant intake would decrease oxidative damages accrued while on the low-antioxidant diet. An abrupt decline of dietary antioxidants increased urinary levels of lipid peroxides and of oxidative DNA damage but not of 8-isoprostanes. In contrast, an increased intake of dietary antioxidants did not affect the oxidative status. Chimpanzees that were both older and with a higher dominance rank had lower urinary levels of lipid peroxides and of DNA damage as compared with younger chimpanzees. Neither individual sex nor proportion of time being groomed explained any variation in all three markers of oxidative status. Finally, we found significant within-individual repeatability of all markers of oxidative status over the course of the experiment, suggesting a significant contribution of individual history to molding oxidative status. Our results show that antioxidant intake plays a nonnegligible role in the regulation of oxidative status homeostasis in our closest relatives, the chimpanzees. Our work also suggests that rapid short-term increases in antioxidant intake might not have the desired immediate impact on oxidative status, such as in the case of clinical interventions or training programs.
Electrically induced quadriceps fatigue in the contralateral leg impairs ipsilateral knee extensors performance
Authors: Laginestra Fabio Giuseppe , Amann Markus , Kirmizi Emine , Giuriato Gaia , Barbi Chiara , Ruzzante Federico , Pedrinolla Anna , Martignon Camilla , Tarperi Cantor , Schena Federico , Venturelli Massimo
Published: March 2021

Muscle fatigue induced by voluntary exercise, which requires central motor drive, causes central fatigue that impairs endurance performance of a different, nonfatigued muscle. This study investigated the impact of quadriceps fatigue induced by electrically induced (no central motor drive) contractions on single-leg knee-extension (KE) performance of the subsequently exercising ipsilateral quadriceps. On two separate occasions, eight males completed constant-load (85% of maximal power-output) KE exercise to exhaustion. In a counterbalanced manner, subjects performed the KE exercise with no pre-existing quadriceps fatigue in the contralateral leg on one day (No-PreF), whereas on the other day, the same KE exercise was repeated following electrically induced quadriceps fatigue in the contralateral leg (PreF). Quadriceps fatigue was assessed by evaluating pre- to postexercise changes in potentiated twitch force (ΔQtw,pot; peripheral fatigue), and voluntary muscle activation (ΔVA; central fatigue). As reflected by the 57 ± 11% reduction in electrically evoked pulse force, the electrically induced fatigue protocol caused significant knee-extensors fatigue. KE endurance time to exhaustion was shorter during PreF compared with No-PreF (4.6 ± 1.2 vs 7.7 ± 2.4 min; P < 0.01). Although ΔQtw,pot was significantly larger in No-PreF compared with PreF (−60% vs −52%, P < 0.05), ΔVA was greater in PreF (−14% vs −10%, P < 0.05). Taken together, electrically induced quadriceps fatigue in the contralateral leg limits KE endurance performance and the development of peripheral fatigue in the ipsilateral leg. These findings support the hypothesis that the crossover effect of central fatigue is mainly mediated by group III/IV muscle afferent feedback and suggest that impairments associated with central motor drive may only play a minor role in this phenomenon.
Gaseous transmitter regulation of hypoxia-evoked catecholamine secretion from murine adrenal chromaffin cells
Authors: Gridina Anna , Su Xiaoyu , Khan Shakil A. , Peng Ying-Jie , Wang Benjamin , Nanduri Jayasri , Fox Aaron P. , Prabhakar Nanduri R.
Published: March 2021

Catecholamine secretion from adrenal chromaffin cells is an important physiological mechanism for maintaining homeostasis during hypoxia. Here, we delineate carbon monoxide (CO)-sensitive hydrogen sulfide (H2S) signaling as an important mediator of hypoxia-induced catecholamine secretion from murine adrenal chromaffin cells. Heme oxygenase-2 derived CO is a physiological inhibitor of catcholamince secretion by hypoxia and the effects of CO involve inhibition of cystathionine γ-lyase-derived H2S production through soluble guanylyl cyclase-protein kinase G signaling cascade.
On the Interpretation of Nonresonant Phenomena at Colliders
Authors: Folgado Miguel G. , Sanz Veronica
Published: March 2021

With null results in resonance searches at the LHC, the physics potential focus is now shifting towards the interpretation of nonresonant phenomena. An example of such shift is the increased popularity of the EFT programme. We can embark on such programme owing to the good integrated luminosity and an excellent understanding of the detectors, which will allow these searches to become more intense as the LHC continues. In this paper, we provide a framework to perform this interpretation in terms of a diverse set of scenarios, including (1) generic heavy new physics described at low energies in terms of a derivative expansion, such as in the EFT approach; (2) very light particles with derivative couplings, such as axions or other light pseudo-Goldstone bosons; and (3) the effect of a quasicontinuum of resonances, which can come from a number of strongly coupled theories, extradimensional models, clockwork set-ups, and their deconstructed cousins. These scenarios are not equivalent despite all nonresonance, although the matching among some of them is possible, and we provide it in this paper.
Role of Platelet Indices as a Potential Marker for Malaria Severity
Authors: Bayleyegn Biruk , Asrie Fikir , Yalew Aregawi , Woldu Berhanu
Published: March 2021

Purpose. Platelet parameter alteration such as platelet count and platelet indices are more common than in other blood cell lines due to diverse causative pathophysiological mechanisms in severe malaria infection. In malaria patients, no more studies evaluated platelet indices in relation to disease severity and prognosis. Therefore, this review assessed the current scientific knowledge on the potential role of platelet indices for the diagnostic marker of severe malaria infection. Results. Hence, after reviewing recent literatures, elevation of mean platelet volume and platelet distribution width in addition to decreased plateletcrit and platelet counts is the known potential risk factor associated with warning signs of severe malaria. Thus,

thrombocytopenia
<
150
×

10

9

/
L

,

MPV
≥
9.05
 
fL

, and

PDW
≥
14.550
%

as well as significantly higher P-LCR and decrease in PCT are shown significant sensitivity and specificity as they are used as diagnostic and prognostic values in severe malaria infection. Conclusion. Platelet indices are useful predictors of malaria severity. Immature platelet fraction (IPF%) is raised in the case of severe malaria, and it was significantly more useful than MPV. Advanced research will further investigate the platelet index abnormality associated with specific age and gender among specific malaria species.
Characterization of Mice Ubiquitously Overexpressing Human 15-Lipoxygenase-1: Effect of Diabetes on Peripheral Neuropathy and Treatment with Menhaden Oil
Authors: Coppey Lawrence , Obrosov Alexander , Shevalye Hanna , Davidson Eric , Paradee William , Yorek Mark A.
Published: March 2021

To rigorously explore the role of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) in the treatment of diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN), we have created a transgenic mouse utilizing a Cre-lox promoter to control overexpression of human 15-lipoxygenase-1 (15-LOX-1). In this study, we sought to determine the effect of treating type 2 diabetic wild-type mice and transgenic mice ubiquitously overexpressing 15-LOX-1 with menhaden oil on endpoints related to DPN. Wild-type and transgenic mice on a C57Bl/6J background were divided into three groups. Two of each of these groups were used to create a high-fat diet/streptozotocin model for type 2 diabetes. The remaining mice were control groups. Four weeks later, one set of diabetic mice from each group was treated with menhaden oil for twelve weeks and then evaluated using DPN-related endpoints. Studies were also performed using dorsal root ganglion neurons isolated from wild-type and transgenic mice. Wild-type and transgenic diabetic mice developed DPN as determined by slowing of nerve conduction velocity, decreased sensory nerve fibers in the skin and cornea, and impairment of thermal and mechanical sensitivity of the hindpaw compared to their respective control mice. Although not significant, there was a trend for the severity of these DPN-related deficits to be less in the diabetic transgenic mice compared to the diabetic wild-type mice. Treating diabetic wild-type and transgenic mice with menhaden oil improved the DPN-related endpoints with a trend for greater improvement or protection by menhaden oil observed in the diabetic transgenic mice. Treating dorsal root ganglion neurons with docosahexanoic acid but not eicosapentaenoic acid significantly increased neurite outgrowth with greater efficacy observed with neurons isolated from transgenic mice. Targeting pathways that will increase the production of the anti-inflammatory metabolites of omega-3 PUFA may be an efficacious approach to developing an effective treatment for DPN.
Grouting Fractured Coal Permeability Evolution Based on Industrial CT Scanning
Authors: Tao Li , Banghua Yao , Yong Liu , Dengke Wang
Published: March 2021

Gas extraction from coal seams in China faces various middle-term and long-term problems, such as the poor sealing quality and low extraction rate. The mean gas extraction concentration is only 30%. Studying the flowing laws of the grout and fracture plugging mechanism is of important significance to improve the sealing quality and increase the gas extraction efficiency. For this reason, a new coal-based grouting material was prepared in this study, and its parameters such as viscosity were tested. Moreover, a grouting theoretical model with considerations of the flowing of the grout and coal fracture plugging by migration and deposition of slurry particles was constructed. The crack distribution before and after the grouting of fractured coal samples was scanned with an industrial CT, and the fracture distribution of coal samples was reconstructed using an independently compiled MATLAB program. Meanwhile, the variations of the coal permeability before and after the grouting were tested. On this basis, this study built a numerical calculation model of the grouting in fractured coal samples to simulate the leakage stoppage and permeability reduction mechanism of the coal-based sealing material grouting. Results demonstrate that (1) according to the experimental test results, the new coal-based grouting materials achieve a good fracture plugging effect, and the fractures in coal samples after the grouting are filled densely by the grouting particles. (2) According to the simulation results, the permeability of grouting coal samples declines quickly and then tends to be stable. The overall permeability of coal samples and the fracture permeability are decreased by 93.5% and more than 99.9% in average, respectively. (3) Influences of the grouting pressure on the permeability variation of coal samples were investigated through a numerical simulation. It was found that a reasonable grouting pressure for coal samples is about 0.3 MPa. (4) The numerical simulation reproduces the whole process of the grout flowing and the fracture filling. The variation laws of the diffusion and the permeability of the grout which are calculated through a numerical simulation agree well with the experimental results, which verifies the reasonability of the model. Research conclusions can provide important significance in theory and practice to disclose the leakage stoppage and the permeability reduction mechanism of the borehole grouting during the gas extraction and strengthen the sealing effects of extraction boreholes.
A Comprehensive Study of the Relationship between the Production of β-Lactamase Enzymes and Iron/Siderophore Uptake Regulatory Genes in Clinical Isolates of Acinetobacter baumannii
Authors: Porbaran Mahyar , Tahmasebi Hamed , Arabestani MohammadReza
Published: March 2021

Background.The iron/siderophore uptake system (IUS) involved in the Acinetobacter baumannii pathogenicity. However, IUS’s role in antibiotic resistance and the production of β-lactamase enzymes of A. baumannii are unclear. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between the production of β-lactamase enzymes and IUS regulatory genes in clinical isolates of A. baumannii. Methods. A. baumannii isolates were collected from clinical isolates using biochemical tests. The antibiotic resistance patterns and β-lactamase-producing strains were identified using the disk diffusion method (DDM). Also, IUS genes were detected by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method. Results. Seventy-two (72) A. baumannii isolates were collected from a different clinical specimen. Gentamicin-resistant strains (43%) had the highest frequency, and aztreonam-resistant strains (12.5%) had the lowest frequency. Also, the distribution of AmpC and MBL producing isolates were 27.7% and 35%, respectively. Moreover, the frequencies of basD, bauA, pld, paaE, entA, feoB, hemO, and tonB genes were as follows: 12.5%, 15.2%, 11.1%, 15.2%, 19.4%, 16.6%, 23.6%, and 6.9%. Further, a strong correlation was observed between the abundance of β-lactamase-producing strains and IUS genes. Conclusions. Based on our knowledge from this study, the association between β-lactamase production and IUS genes in A. baumannii plays an essential role in the emergence of drug-resistant strains.
Corporate Social Responsibility Based on Radial Basis Function Neural Network Evaluation Model of Low‐Carbon Circular Economy Coupled Development
Authors: Gong Zenghua , Guo Kaiyi , He Xiaoguang
Published: March 2021

Under the background that the development of low‐carbon circular economy is the objective requirement for the in‐depth implementation of scientific development and the inevitable choice for promoting the sustainable development of economy and society, it is not only the requirement of corporate social responsibility but also the path to realize corporate social responsibility. Enterprises should become the representative and model of social responsibility practice in the development of low‐carbon circular economy, in order to promote the fulfilment and development of corporate social responsibility in the whole society. Therefore, it is of great theoretical and practical significance to study the realization of corporate social responsibility in the context of low‐carbon circular economy. This paper introduces the connotation of low‐carbon circular economy and corporate social responsibility, analyses the reality and theoretical basis of realizing corporate social responsibility in low‐carbon circular economy, analyses the interactive relationship between the development of low‐carbon circular economy and the realization of corporate social responsibility, and puts forward the construction of enterprise low‐carbon operation mechanism. This paper uses the research of corporate social responsibility based on radial basis function neural network to build a low‐carbon circular economy. The evaluation model of environment economy coupling development is verified by an example, which provides useful guidance for the evaluation and development of corporate social responsibility.
A Polar Complex Exponential Transform-Based Zero-Watermarking for Multiple Medical Images with High Discrimination
Authors: Wang Wenbing , Li Yan , Liu Shengli
Published: March 2021

Zero-watermarking is one of the solutions for image copyright protection without tampering with images, and thus it is suitable for medical images, which commonly do not allow any distortion. Moment-based zero-watermarking is robust against both image processing and geometric attacks, but the discrimination of watermarks is often ignored by researchers, resulting in the high possibility that host images and fake host images cannot be distinguished by verifier. To this end, this paper proposes a PCET- (polar complex exponential transform-) based zero-watermarking scheme based on the stability of the relationships between moment magnitudes of the same order and stability of the relationships between moment magnitudes of the same repetition, which can handle multiple medical images simultaneously. The scheme first calculates the PCET moment magnitudes for each image in an image group. Then, the magnitudes of the same order and the magnitudes of the same repetition are compared to obtain the content-related features. All the image features are added together to obtain the features for the image group. Finally, the scheme extracts a robust feature vector with the chaos system and takes the bitwise XOR of the robust feature and a scrambled watermark to generate a zero-watermark. The scheme produces robust features with both resistance to various attacks and low similarity among different images. In addition, the one-to-many mapping between magnitudes and robust feature bits reduces the number of moments involved, which not only reduces the computation time but also further improves the robustness. The experimental results show that the proposed scheme meets the performance requirements of zero-watermarking on the robustness, discrimination, and capacity, and it outperforms the state-of-the-art methods in terms of robustness, discrimination, and computational time under the same payloads.
Privacy‐Guarding Optimal Route Finding with Support for Semantic Search on Encrypted Graph in Cloud Computing Scenario
Authors: Wu Bin , Chen Xianyi , Wu Zongda , Zhao Zhiqiang , Mei Zhuolin , Zhang Caicai
Published: March 2021

The arrival of cloud computing age makes data outsourcing an important and convenient application. More and more individuals and organizations outsource large amounts of graph data to the cloud computing platform (CCP) for the sake of saving cost. As the server on CCP is not completely honest and trustworthy, the outsourcing graph data are usually encrypted before they are sent to CCP. The optimal route finding on graph data is a popular operation which is frequently used in many fields. The optimal route finding with support for semantic search has stronger query capabilities, and a consumer can use similar words of graph vertices as query terms to implement optimal route finding. Due to encrypting the outsourcing graph data before they are sent to CCP, it is not easy for data customers to manipulate and further use the encrypted graph data. In this paper, we present a solution to execute privacy‐guarding optimal route finding with support for semantic search on the encrypted graph in the cloud computing scenario (PORF). We designed a scheme by building secure query index to implement optimal route finding with support for semantic search based on searchable encryption idea and stemmer mechanism. We give formal security analysis for our scheme. We also analyze the efficiency of our scheme through the experimental evaluation.
Experimental Study on CFRP‐Confined Circularized Concrete‐Filled Square Steel Tube Short Columns
Authors: Wen Yuchuan , Hu Zhongjun , Li Anningjing , Li Quanheng , Li Xuepeng , Xu Yan
Published: March 2021

This study investigates the suitability of the circularization technique for strengthening square concrete‐filled square steel tube (CFSST) short columns. A total of 16 specimens were tested under axial compression. The main parameters under investigation were concrete strength, the thickness of arc cement mortar layer components (CAM), and the layers of carbon fiber‐reinforced polymer (CFRP) sheets. Test results indicated that the failure mode of CFRP‐confined circularized CFSST (C‐C‐CFSST) columns was similar to that of CFRP‐confined concrete columns. The CFRP‐confined circularized strengthening method can increase confinement efficacy and reduce the stress concentration at the corners of CFSST columns. Three existing CFRP‐confined concrete stress‐strain models were evaluated using the test results. The predictions of the Lam and Teng stress‐strain model agree well with the test data.
Mesenchymal Stem Cells: An Overview of Their Potential in Cell-Based Therapy for Diabetic Nephropathy
Authors: Wu Yan , Zhang Chunlei , Guo Ran , Wu Dan , Shi Jiayi , Li Luxin , Chu Yanhui , Yuan Xiaohuan , Gao Jie
Published: March 2021

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is a devastating complication associated with diabetes mellitus, and it is the leading cause of end-stage renal diseases (ESRD). Over the last few decades, numerous studies have reported the beneficial effects of stem cell administration, specifically mesenchymal stem or stromal cells (MSCs), on tissue repair and regeneration. MSC therapy has been considered a promising strategy for ameliorating the progression of DN largely based on results obtained from several preclinical studies and recent Phase I/II clinical trials. This paper will review the recent literature on MSC treatment in DN. In addition, the roles and potential mechanisms involved in MSC treatment of DN will be summarized, which may present much needed new drug targets for this disease. Moreover, the potential benefits and related risks associated with the therapeutic action of MSCs are elucidated and may help in achieving a better understanding of MSCs.
Smoking Cessation Treatment for Parents Who Dual Use E-Cigarettes and Traditional Cigarettes
Authors: Nabi-Burza Emara , Drehmer Jeremy E. , Walters Bethany Hipple , Willemsen M. C. , Zeegers Maurice P. A. , Winickoff Jonathan P. , DiGiacomo Michelle
Published: March 2021

Introduction. An increasing number of parents use both e-cigarettes and cigarettes (dual users). Previous studies have shown that dual users may have higher rates of contemplating smoking cessation than parents who only smoke cigarettes. This study was aimed to assess the delivery of tobacco cessation treatment (prescription for nicotine replacement therapy and referral to the quitline) among parents who report being dual users vs. cigarette-only smokers. Methods. A secondary analysis of parent survey data collected between April and October 2017 at 10 pediatric primary care practices participating in a cluster-randomized controlled trial of the Clinical Effort Against Secondhand Smoke Exposure (CEASE) intervention was conducted. Parents were considered to be dual users of cigarettes and e-cigarettes if they reported smoking a cigarette, even a puff, in the past seven days and using an e-cigarette within the past 30 days. Parents were asked if they received a prescription for nicotine replacement therapy and referral to the quitline to help them quit from their child’s clinician. Multivariable logistic regression examined factors (dual use, insurance status, relationship to the child, race, and education status of the parent) associated with delivery of smoking cessation treatment (receiving prescriptions and/or enrollment in quitline) to smoking parents. Further, we compared the rates of tobacco cessation treatment delivery to dual users in the usual-care control practices vs. intervention practices. Results. Of 1007 smokers or recent quitters surveyed in the five intervention practices, 722 parents reported current use of cigarettes-only and 111 used e-cigarettes. Of these 111 parents, 82 (73.9%) reported smoking cigarettes. Parents were more likely to report receiving any treatment if they were dual users vs. cigarette-only smokers (OR 2.43, 95% CI 1.38, 4.29). Child’s insurance status, parents’ sex, education, and race were not associated with parental receipt of tobacco cessation treatment in the model. No dual users in the usual-care control practices reported receiving treatment. Discussion. Dual users who visited CEASE intervention practices were more likely to receive treatment than cigarette-only smokers when treatments were discussed. An increased uptake of tobacco cessation treatments among dual users reinforces the importance of discussing treatment options with this group, while also recognizing that cigarette-only smokers may require additional intervention to increase the acceptance rate of cessation assistance. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, Identifier: NCT01882348.
A Hybrid Method Integrating a Discrete Differential Evolution Algorithm with Tabu Search Algorithm for the Quadratic Assignment Problem: A New Approach for Locating Hospital Departments
Authors: Hameed Asaad Shakir , Mutar Modhi Lafta , Alrikabi Haiffa Muhsan B. , Ahmed Zakir Hussain , Abdul–Razaq Abeer A. , Nasser Huda Karem
Published: March 2021

The facility layout problem (FLP) is a very important class of NP-hard problems in operations research that deals with the optimal assignment of facilities to minimize transportation costs. The quadratic assignment problem (QAP) can model the FLP effectively. One of the FLPs is the hospital facility layout problem that aims to place comprehensive clinics, laboratories, and radiology units within predefined boundaries in a way that minimizes the cost of movement of patients and healthcare personnel. We are going to develop a hybrid method based on discrete differential evolution (DDE) algorithm for solving the QAP. In the existing DDE algorithms, certain issues such as premature convergence, stagnation, and exploitation mechanism have not been properly addressed. In this study, we first aim to discover the issues that make the current problem worse and to identify the best solution to the problem, and then we propose to develop a hybrid algorithm (HDDETS) by combining the DDE and tabu search (TS) algorithms to enhance the exploitation mechanism in the DDE algorithm. Then, the performance of the proposed HDDETS algorithm is evaluated by implementing on the benchmark instances from the QAPLIB website and by comparing with DDE and TS algorithms on the benchmark instances. It is found that the HDDETS algorithm has better performance than both the DDE and TS algorithms where the HDDETS has obtained 42 optimal and best-known solutions from 56 instances, while the DDE and TS algorithms have obtained 15 and 18 optimal and best-known solutions out of 56 instances, respectively. Finally, we propose to apply the proposed algorithm to find the optimal distributions of the advisory clinics inside the Azadi Hospital in Iraq that minimizes the total travel distance for patients when they move among these clinics. Our application shows that the proposed algorithm could find the best distribution of the hospital’s rooms, which are modeled as a QAP, with reduced total distance traveled by the patients.
A High‐Quality Authenticatable Visual Secret Sharing Scheme Using SGX
Authors: Zhang Denghui , Gu Zhaoquan
Published: March 2021

Visual cryptography scheme (VCS) is a secret‐sharing scheme which encrypts images as shares and can decrypt shares without digital devices. Although a participant can reveal the secret image by merely stacking a sufficient number of shares, the visual quality of recovered images is reduced, and malicious adversaries can cheat participants by giving faked shares. The paper presents a novel VCS called T‐VCS (trusted VCS) which consists of two main components: a high‐quality VCS and an enhanced verification scheme of shares based on the emerging Intel Software Guard eXtensions (SGX). While providing high‐quality recovery, T‐VCS keeps the size of the shares the same as the original secret image. We use SGX to act as a trusted third party (TTP) to verify the validity of the shares in an attested enclave without degrading the image quality. The experimental results show that T‐VCS can achieve a balance among contrast, share size, and verification efficiency.
Conformable Fractional Models of the Stellar Helium Burning via Artificial Neural Networks
Authors: Abdel-Salam Emad A.-B. , Nouh Mohamed I. , Azzam Yosry A. , Jazmati M. S.
Published: March 2021

The helium burning phase represents the second stage that the star used to consume nuclear fuel in its interior. In this stage, the three elements, carbon, oxygen, and neon, are synthesized. The present paper is twofold: firstly, it develops an analytical solution to the system of the conformable fractional differential equations of the helium burning network, where we used, for this purpose, the series expansion method and obtained recurrence relations for the product abundances, that is, helium, carbon, oxygen, and neon. Using four different initial abundances, we calculated 44 gas models covering the range of the fractional parameterα=0.5−1with stepΔα=0.05. We found that the effects of the fractional parameter on the product abundances are small which coincides with the results obtained by a previous study. Secondly, we introduced the mathematical model of the neural network (NN) and developed a neural network algorithm to simulate the helium burning network using a feed-forward process. A comparison between the NN and the analytical models revealed very good agreement for all gas models. We found that NN could be considered as a powerful tool to solve and model nuclear burning networks and could be applied to the other nuclear stellar burning networks.
Active Disturbance Rejection Control Design Using the Optimization Algorithm for a Hydraulic Quadruped Robot
Authors: Fan Yuqi , Shao Junpeng , Sun Guitao , Shao Xuan
Published: March 2021

To increase the robustness and control precision of a hydraulic quadruped robot and simultaneously enhance the dynamic and steady characteristic of the hydraulic system, an active disturbance rejection controller (ADRC) tuned using the Lévy‐flight beetle antennae search algorithm (LBAS) was proposed. Moreover, the designed controller was used in the hydraulic quadruped robot to enhance the control performance and restrain the disturbances. The use of the Lévy‐flight trajectory in the advanced algorithm can help increase the search speed and iteration accuracy. In the LBAS‐ADRC, the parameter tuning method is adopted to develop the active disturbance rejection controller enhanced using the beetle antennae search algorithm. When implemented in the hydraulic quadruped robot, the LBAS‐ADRC can ensure satisfactory dynamic characteristics and stability in the presence of external interference. In particular, in the proposed method, the ADRC parameter search problem is transformed to a sixteen‐dimensional search problem, the solution of which is identified using the Lévy‐flight beetle antennae search algorithm. Moreover, three different algorithms are implemented in the active disturbance rejection controller tuning problem to demonstrate the control performance of the proposed controller. The analysis results show that the proposed controller can achieve a small amplitude overshoot under complex and changeable environments.
Substance Use among Homeless Reproductive Age People in Southern Ethiopia
Authors: Wakgari Negash , Woyo Terefe , Kebede Emnet , Gemeda Hirut , Binu Wakgari , Moti Gonfa
Published: March 2021

Introduction. Substance use by homeless reproductive age people may result to anxiety, involvement of risky sexual behaviors, and increasing the likelihood of unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Therefore, this study assessed the magnitude of alcohol use, sexual intercourse after alcohol use, and its associated factors among homeless reproductive age people in southern Ethiopia. Methods. Community-based cross-sectional study design was conducted among homeless reproductive age people. The snowball sampling technique was used to recruit 842 participants. Pretested and structured interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to collect the data. Data were entered into Epidata version 3.1 and exported to SPSS version 23 for analysis. Binary logistic regression was used to determine the association of independent variables with the outcome variables. Odds ratio with their 95% confidence interval and

P

value was used to identify the significant variables. Results. More than half 423 (53.2%) of the respondents had taken a drink that contains alcohol in the last one year of the study period. Out of 324 khat chewers, 190 (58.64%) had sex after chewing khat. More than one-thirds, 323(38.4%) homeless people were smoking cigarette during the study period. Factors associated with alcohol use were age 19-25 years (AOR: 0.49; CI: 0.34, 0.72), ≥26 years (AOR: 0.40; CI: 0.25, 0.65), level of education (AOR: 0.61; CI: 0.39, 0.94), place of residence: major urban (AOR: 0.31; CI: 0.18, 0.51), small town (AOR: 0.38; CI: 0.23, 0.63), ever heard about STDs (AOR: 0.14; CI: 0.07, 027), and being a cigarette smoker (AOR: 2.67; CI: 1.94, 3.71). Conclusions. In this study, significant percentage of respondents had taken a drink that contains alcohol. Age, level of education, place of residence, ever heard about STDs, and smoking cigarette were variables significantly associated with alcohol use. Awareness creation on the effect and outcome of substance use is recommended.