bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Association of Having a Late Dinner or Bedtime Snack and Skipping Breakfast with Overweight in Japanese Women
Authors: Okada Chika , Imano Hironori , Muraki Isao , Yamada Keiko , Iso Hiroyasu
Published: March 2019

Background. We aimed to assess the association of habitually eating in the late evening and skipping breakfast with the prevalence of overweight/obesity. Methods. A total of 19,687 Japanese women, aged 40–74 years, were asked about their height, weight, and habitual eating behaviors such as having a late dinner and a bedtime snack and skipping breakfast, using a self-administered questionnaire. We defined overweight/obesity as body mass index greater than or equal to 25 kg/m2. Results. Among the participants, 11% regularly had a late dinner, 22% had bedtime snacks, and 8% skipped breakfast. After adjusting for age, exercise, smoking, sleep duration, and employment, the multivariable-adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of skipping breakfast were 2.47 (2.18–2.81) for having a late dinner and 1.71 (1.53–1.91) for having a bedtime snack. These eating behaviors were associated with an increased risk of overweight/obesity: the multivariable-adjusted ORs (95% CIs) of obesity/overweight were 1.43 (1.27–1.62) for having a late dinner, 1.47 (1.34–1.62) for having a bedtime snack, and 1.23 (1.06–1.42) for skipping breakfast. Conclusions. Japanese women who consumed late dinners or bedtime snacks were more likely to skip breakfast. Having a late dinner or bedtime snack was associated with a higher probability of overweight/obesity.
Association of Platelet Binding to Lymphocytes with B Cell Abnormalities and Clinical Manifestations in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
Authors: Zamora Carlos , Toniolo Elide , Diaz-Torné Cesar , Cantó Elisabet , Magallares Berta , Ortiz Ma Angels , Perea Lidia , Corominas Hector , Vidal Silvia
Published: March 2019

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease associated with the polyclonal activation of B lymphocytes and the production of autoantibodies that cause immune complex-related inflammation. Immunological factors derived from platelets modulate B cell function in SLE disease. However, platelets do not only modify the immune system by soluble factors. The binding of platelets to lymphocytes can modulate immune response. Thus, we speculate that the binding of platelets to lymphocytes in SLE patients may play a role in abnormal B lymphocyte response and the pathogenesis of SLE. We observed that levels of lymphocytes with bound platelets were higher in SLE patients than in healthy donors (HD). In SLE patients, the percentage of B lymphocytes with bound platelets positively correlated with plasmatic levels of IgG, IgA, IL-10, and soluble CD40L and negatively correlated with IgM levels, though not in HD. Preswitched memory B lymphocytes were the subpopulation with more bound platelets. Lymphocytes with bound platelets from both HD and SLE patients had major levels of CD86 and BAFFR and a greater production of IL-10 than lymphocytes without bound platelets. However, only B lymphocytes with bound platelets from SLE patients had increased levels of IgG and IgA on their surface. SLE patients with a suggestive renal manifestation had the highest levels of B and T lymphocytes with bound platelets. These results suggest that the binding of platelets to lymphocytes plays a role in SLE disease and that controlling this binding may be a promising therapeutic approach.
Alzheimer’s Disease Diagnosis Based on Cortical and Subcortical Features
Authors: Gupta Yubraj , Lee Kun Ho , Choi Kyu Yeong , Lee Jang Jae , Kim Byeong Chae , Kwon Goo-Rak
Published: March 2019

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a common neurodegenerative disease with an often seen prodromal mild cognitive impairment (MCI) phase, where memory loss is the main complaint progressively worsening with behavior issues and poor self-care. However, not all patients clinically diagnosed with MCI progress to the AD. Currently, several high-dimensional classification techniques have been developed to automatically distinguish among AD, MCI, and healthy control (HC) patients based on T1-weighted MRI. However, these method features are based on wavelets, contourlets, gray-level co-occurrence matrix, etc., rather than using clinical features which helps doctors to understand the pathological mechanism of the AD. In this study, a new approach is proposed using cortical thickness and subcortical volume for distinguishing binary and tertiary classification of the National Research Center for Dementia dataset (NRCD), which consists of 326 subjects. Five classification experiments are performed: binary classification, i.e., AD vs HC, HC vs mAD (MCI due to the AD), and mAD vs aAD (asymptomatic AD), and tertiary classification, i.e., AD vs HC vs mAD and AD vs HC vs aAD using cortical and subcortical features. Datasets were divided in a 70/30 ratio, and later, 70% were used for training and the remaining 30% were used to get an unbiased estimation performance of the suggested methods. For dimensionality reduction purpose, principal component analysis (PCA) was used. After that, the output of PCA was passed to various types of classifiers, namely, softmax, support vector machine (SVM), k-nearest neighbors, and naïve Bayes (NB) to check the performance of the model. Experiments on the NRCD dataset demonstrated that the softmax classifier is best suited for the AD vs HC classification with an F1 score of 99.06, whereas for other groups, the SVM classifier is best suited for the HC vs mAD, mAD vs aAD, and AD vs HC vs mAD classifications with the F1 scores being 99.51, 97.5, and 99.99, respectively. In addition, for the AD vs HC vs aAD classification, NB performed well with an F1 score of 95.88. In addition, to check our proposed model efficiency, we have also used the OASIS dataset for comparing with 9 state-of-the-art methods.
Boron Characterization, Distribution in Particle-Size Fractions, and Its Adsorption-Desorption Process in a Semiarid Tunisian Soil
Authors: Tlili Ahlem , Dridi Imene , Attaya Rafla , Gueddari Moncef
Published: March 2019

Boron is essential for crop growth but needed in very small amounts. The range between boron deficiency and toxicity for plants is quite narrow. These stress conditions gravely reduce yield and quality of many crop species. Therefore, understanding the factors and the reactions affecting boron availability in soil is necessary. Against this framework, our research aims to determine the available boron status in a semiarid soil of Dour Ismail irrigated perimeter (North Tunisia). The objectives are also to investigate boron distribution in different particle-size fractions throughout the soil profile and to understand boron adsorption-desorption mechanisms according to some soil properties. For this purpose, one soil profile was dug in the field plot that had not received any previous boron fertilization. Soil samples were gathered from the different horizons of the profile and analyzed for the main physicochemical properties. Our results showed that the studied soil is Stagnic Fluvisol (clayic). The highest boron amounts were recorded in deep horizons and were greatly affected by soil salinity, organic matter, and clay contents. However, the increase in the pH level and the high percentage of total lime significantly diminished the available boron amounts in surface layers. The investigation of depth boron distribution in the different particle-size fractions indicated a considerable contribution of the silt (2–50 µm) fraction (52% of the soil total available boron), while the coarse (>50 µm) and clay (<2 µm) fractions seem to play a less important role. The adsorption data were fitted to Freundlich adsorption isotherm. It revealed that adsorption of boron increased with the increase of boron concentrations in soil solution. Desorption isotherm denotes that the accumulated boron in soil was not easily released. Adsorption and desorption of boron in soil were greatly affected by soil properties, such as pH, salinity, sand content, clay content, total organic carbon, total nitrogen, and cation exchange capacity.
An Assessment of Local People’s Support to Private Wildlife Conservation: A Case of Save Valley Conservancy and Fringe Communities, Zimbabwe
Authors: Matseketsa Given , Mukamuri Billy B. , Muboko Never , Gandiwa Edson
Published: March 2019

The long-term survival of a protected area (PA) may depend to a greater extent on the goodwill and support of the people residing around it. This study assessed local people’s support for private sector driven wildlife conservation in Zimbabwe, using the Save Valley Conservancy (SVC) as a case. Specifically, the objectives of the assessment were threefold: (i) to establish perceptions on the current nature of the relationship between SVC and people living on its edge, (ii) to ascertain the proximate and underlying causes of local resistance to SVC, and (iii) to identify strategies local people employ to resist SVC conservation efforts. Data were collected through a household questionnaire survey during the month of April, 2018. In addition, photographs showing the nature of vandalism and sabotage imposed on the SVC ecosystem by fringe communities were also collected, as part of evidential data. A multistage sampling method was adopted, and this combined purposive sampling to select study wards: random sampling to select villages and systematic sampling to select households (n=71). Our results show that local people rate the current relationship between them and SVC owners as bad, i.e., undesirable interaction. The nature of this perceived bad relationship is attributed to a host of factors, key among them being, lack of wildlife-related benefits and escalation of wildlife-induced costs, which are crucial in determining local community’s support for conservation. We conclude that the studied local community’s support for private nature conservation is marginal; hence, there is a need for increased efforts by SVC owners to devise realistic incentives including an active engagement of local communities so that they cooperate with conservation efforts.
Metabonomics Study of Ginseng Glycoproteins on Improving Sleep Quality in Mice
Authors: Wang Ying , Zhu Difu , Chen Yinghong , Jiang Ruizhi , Xu Hong , Qiu Zhidong , Liu Da , Luo Haoming
Published: March 2019

The changes of brain metabolism in mice after injection of ginseng glycoproteins (GPr) were analyzed by gas chromatography mass spectrometry- (GC/MS-) based metabolomics platform. The relationship between sedative and hypnotic effects of ginseng glycoproteins and brain metabolism was discussed. Referring to pentobarbital sodium subthreshold test, we randomly divided 20 mice into two groups: control and ginseng glycoproteins group. The mice from the control group were treated with normal saline by i.p and GPr group were treated with 60 mg/kg of GPr by i.p. The results indicated that GPr could significantly improve the sleep quality of mice. Through multivariate statistical analysis, we found that there were 23 differential metabolites in whole brain tissues between the control group and the GPr group. The pathway analysis exhibited that GPr may be involved in the regulation of the pathway including purine metabolism, nicotinate and nicotinamide metabolism, glycine, serine and threonine metabolism, arginine and proline metabolism, alanine, aspartate and glutamate metabolism, and steroid hormone biosynthesis. This work is helpful to understand the biochemical mechanism of GPr on promoting sleep and lay a foundation for further development of drugs for insomnia.
Public Willingness to Undergo Presymptomatic Genetic Testing for Alzheimer’s Disease
Authors: Alanazy Mohammed H. , Alghsoon Khalid A. , Alkhodairi Abdulaziz F. , Binkhonain Faisal K. , Alsehli Turkey N. , Altukhaim Feras F. , Alkhodair Ibrahim M. , Muayqil Taim
Published: March 2019

Presymptomatic genetic testing (PGT) for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is available for at-risk individuals. This study aimed to investigate the public perception of PGT in Saudi Arabia and determine variables that might influence the decision to undergo PGT. A questionnaire link was posted on Twitter by the Saudi Alzheimer’s Disease Association and was made publicly available on social media networks. A total of 2935 people participated, of which 59.9% were willing to undergo PGT. Of these, 26.8% reported having a family history of AD, and 0.24% had two family members with early onset AD. The reasons cited for willingness to undergo PGT included the following: to adopt a healthier lifestyle, to ensure appropriate family and financial planning, to seek early treatment, and to relieve anxiety. In multiple logistic regression analysis, willingness to undergo PGT was negatively associated with having a self-reported family history of dementia (OR 0.81, 95% CI 0.68-0.96) and was positively associated with marital status (OR 1.39, 95% CI 1.13-1.70). In conclusion, PGT for AD seems to be well accepted in this large Saudi cohort. The reasons cited are similar to those reported elsewhere in the literature.
Effect of Injectate Viscosity on Epidural Distribution in Lumbar Transforaminal Epidural Steroid Injection
Authors: Choi Jongwoo , Kim Nackhwan , Smuck Matthew , Lee Sang-Heon
Published: March 2019

Introduction. There is no report on the effect of injectate viscosity on epidural distribution for lumbar transforaminal epidural steroid injections (L-TFESIs). The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of injectate viscosity on the volume needed to reach specific landmarks in L-TFESIs. Methods. A prospective, randomized, comparative human study involving 118 patients undergoing L-TFESIs was conducted. The study subjects were divided into two groups by a random selection method: raw viscosity group (RV, n=58) and low viscosity group (LV, n=60). Contrast volumes were recorded as the contrast flow reached specific anatomical landmarks under fluoroscopic guidance. Results and Discussion. The possibility of delivering the injectate to each landmark showed a positive correlation with the amount and a negative correlation with the viscosity of the injectate. However, for landmarks at the medial aspect of the superior pedicle of the corresponding level of injection and for those beyond the spinous process over the contralateral spinal segment, the influence of viscosity was not statistically significant. Conclusion. The epidural distribution of the contrast agent through the transforaminal approach was most affected by the injectate volume and was also partly affected by the viscosity.
Roles of Methylated DNA Biomarkers in Patients with Colorectal Cancer
Authors: Ma Zhiyao , Williams Marissa , Cheng Yuen Yee , Leung Wai K.
Published: March 2019

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a leading cancer globally; therefore, early diagnosis and surveillance of this cancer are of paramount importance. Current methods of CRC diagnosis rely heavily on endoscopy or radiological imaging. Noninvasive tests including serum detection of the carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and faecal occult blood testing (FOBT) are associated with low sensitivity and specificity, especially at early stages. DNA methylation biomarkers have recently been found to have higher accuracy in CRC detection and enhanced prediction of prognosis and chemotherapy response. The most widely studied biomarker in CRC is methylated septin 9 (SEPT9), which is the only FDA-approved methylation-based biomarker for CRC. Apart from SEPT9, other methylated biomarkers including tachykinin-1 (TAC1), somatostatin (SST), and runt-related transcription factor 3 (RUNX3) have been shown to effectively detect CRC in a multitude of sample types. This review will discuss the performances of various methylated biomarkers used for CRC diagnosis and monitoring, when used alone or in combination.
IMOVE: A Motion Tracking and Projection Framework for Social Interaction Applications
Authors: Kegeleers Marie , Bruens Raoul , Liefaard Maxim , Salamon Nestor Z. , Bidarra Rafael
Published: March 2019

In public places such as malls, train stations, and airports, there is a constant flow of people either waiting or commuting. Even though people at these locations are surrounded by many other individuals, mostly there is little social interaction, which generally creates a gloomy atmosphere. Any applications promoting social interactions are a welcome addition. We present IMOVE, an interactive framework aimed at facilitating the development of such applications. It offers a combination of motion tracking and projection methods which makes it easier to create interactive experiences and games, tailored to motivate people to move around, explore, and, most importantly, interact with each other in a fun way. People moving around trigger events and effects, interacting with the applications using their body movements or even collaboratively working towards an outcome. IMOVE was validated by means of a variety of applications in a real scenario, the entrance hall of a busy public building: the classic Pong game, a collaborative and accessible casual game (Save the Turtles!), and a procedural visual art generator based on game mechanics (Light Trails). All applications have been successfully running for the past year. The IMOVE framework is freely available online and it has been shown to be particularly suited and accessible to novice game and interactive application developers for large public spaces.
Breast Microcalcification Diagnosis Using Deep Convolutional Neural Network from Digital Mammograms
Authors: Cai Hongmin , Huang Qinjian , Rong Wentao , Song Yan , Li Jiao , Wang Jinhua , Chen Jiazhou , Li Li
Published: March 2019

Mammography is successfully used as an effective screening tool for cancer diagnosis. A calcification cluster on mammography is a primary sign of cancer. Early researches have proved the diagnostic value of the calcification, yet their performance is highly dependent on handcrafted image descriptors. Characterizing the calcification mammography in an automatic and robust way remains a challenge. In this paper, the calcification was characterized by descriptors obtained from deep learning and handcrafted descriptors. We compared the performances of different image feature sets on digital mammograms. The feature sets included the deep features alone, the handcrafted features, their combination, and the filtered deep features. Experimental results have demonstrated that the deep features outperform handcrafted features, but the handcrafted features can provide complementary information for deep features. We achieved a classification precision of 89.32% and sensitivity of 86.89% using the filtered deep features, which is the best performance among all the feature sets.
The Predictive Value of Infant-Specific Preoperative Pulmonary Function Tests in Postoperative Pulmonary Complications in Infants with Congenital Heart Diseases
Authors: Liu Xin , Qi Feng , Chen Jichang , Yi Songrong , Liao Yanling , Liang Zhuoxin , Zhou Jing , Feng Yan
Published: March 2019

Background and Objective. To investigate the relationship between infant-specific preoperative pulmonary function tests (PFTs) and postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs) in infants with congenital heart diseases (CHDs). Methods. Patients of 1-3 years of age who received surgical treatment for CHDs from January 1st, 2009, to December 31st, 2017, were retrieved. Records of preoperative PFTs, methods of operation, anesthesia procedures, intraoperative vital signs, respiratory support modalities, and PPCs was retrieved and analyzed. Results. 122 infants met the preset inclusion criteria, including 72 males and 50 females. There were 76 cases of thoracotomy and 46 cases of cardiac catheterization. The overall incidence of PPCs was 15.6%, including 19.7% after thoracotomy and 8.7% after cardiac catheterization, respectively (p>0.05). The incidence of PPCs was 35.4% or 2.7% in infants with a rapid or a normal respiratory rate, respectively; 42.1% or 3.6% in infants with an abnormal or a normal time to reach peak tidal expiratory flow versus the total expiratory time (TPTEF/TE), respectively; 39.0% or 3.7% in infants with an abnormal or a normal volume to peak expiratory flow versus the total expiratory volume (VPEF/VE), respectively; and 46.9% or 4.4% in infants with a decreased or a normal lung compliance, respectively (p<0.01 in all comparisons). Conclusions. The preoperative abnormal changes in respiratory rate, TPTEF/TE, VPEF/VE, and lung compliance are indicative of the risk of PPCs.
Pharmacokinetic and Pharmacodynamics of Sodium Diclofenac (Topical and IM) Associated with Laser Photobiomodulation on Skeletal Muscle Strain in Rats
Authors: de Paiva Carvalho Rodrigo Leal , Leonardo P. S. L. M. , Mendes Gustavo Duarte , Lima Fernanda Púpio Silva , Lima Mário Oliveira , Marcos Rodrigo Labat , Lopes-Martins Rodrigo Alvaro Brandão
Published: March 2019

Purpose. The practice of physical activities is considered a primary factor for the maintenance of good health status. However, exhaustive or unusual physical activities can lead to muscle injuries. Several treatments are used to recover muscle injuries; however, systemic NSAIDs often result in serious adverse events. In this study, we aimed to investigate the association of laser therapy (LLLT) and topical diclofenac, evaluating the kinetics of the drug and its pharmacodynamic effect in stretching-induced muscle injury in rats. Methods. Male Wistar rats weighing 200 g were randomized and divided into groups of 6 animals. Plasma concentrations of diclofenac were quantified by mass spectrometry at different times (15 min to 24 hours) in all animals. The laser energy used was 3 Joules (830 nm; 100 mW, 30s). Treated groups received diclofenac at the dose of 1 mg/kg IM or topically applied with or without laser therapy. The electric stimulation was used to study the functional status of the muscles. Results. After topical administration of diclofenac, the peak plasma concentration (t max) occurred for 30 minutes in the irradiated group and 4 hours in the nonirradiated group. The AUC (0-24 hs) was 442 (ng/h/mL-1) in the nonirradiated group and 712 (ng/h/mL-1) in the irradiated group. Conclusion. LLLT was effective to provide a significant improvement in functional patterns. Taken together, our results demonstrate the synergistic effect between LLLT and topical diclofenac in muscle injury induced by stretching in rats.
Robotic Ultrasonic Measurement of Residual Stress in Complex Curved Surface Components
Authors: Pan Qinxue , Shao Chang , Xiao Dingguo , Pan Ruipeng , Liu Xiaohao , Song Wei
Published: March 2019

The automatic measurement, especially for products with complex shapes, has always been one of the most important application areas of robots. Aiming at the challenge of measuring residual stress under curved surface, in this paper, the residual stress ultrasonic measuring robot system with two manipulators is constructed, which is based on combining industrial robot technology with residual stress ultrasonic nondestructive measuring technology. The system is mainly composed of a motion control system, an ultrasonic detection system, and a data processing system. The robotic arm controls the movement of the two ultrasonic transducers along the set scanning path which is based on the geometric model of components and adjusts the transducer’s posture in time according to the shape of the workpiece being measured. The configuration information based on workpiece coordinate system is transformed into a position data that takes into consideration the first critical angle and can be recognized by the robot. Considering the effect of curvature, the principle model of residual stress measuring by the critical refraction longitudinal wave is established. The measured signal including the stress state of the measured region, as well as the actual position and posture information of the transducers, is processed by the computer in real time, which realizes automatic nondestructive measurement of residual stress under curved surface.
Jian-Pi-Yi-Shen Decoction Relieves Renal Anemia in 5/6 Nephrectomized Rats: Production of Erythropoietin via Hypoxia Inducible Factor Signaling
Authors: Chen Jianping , Wang Fochang , Huang Shiying , Liu Xiaoyan , Li Zhonggui , Qi Airong , Liu Xinhui , Yi Tiegang , Li Shunmin
Published: March 2019

Jian-Pi-Yi-Shen (JPYS) is one of the herbal medicines for treatment of anemic patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). However, less of scientific evidence to support JPYS involved in treating anemia has been revealed. Here, an animal study was performed to investigate its hematopoietic activities and the underlying mechanism. The 5/6 nephrectomized inductions of CKD anemic rats were randomly divided into two groups: CKD group and JPYS group. Sham-operated rats served as sham group. JPYS (1.36 g/kg/d) was administered orally to CKD rats daily for six consecutive weeks. Results showed that JPYS treatment notably improved renal function and pathological injury in CKD rats. JPYS also restored the hematological parameters, including red blood cells, hemoglobin, and hematocrit. In parallel, the reduction level of EPO was reversed by JPYS. Furthermore, JPYS induced the accumulation of hypoxia inducible factor (HIF)-αprotein expression. Collectively, these results provide convincing evidence for JPYS decoction in ameliorating CKD-associated anemia, and its mechanism might be related to regulate EPO production via HIF signaling pathway.
CD4+CD25highCD127low/-FoxP3+ Regulatory T-Cell Population in Acute Leukemias: A Review of the Literature
Authors: Niedźwiecki M. , Budziło O. , Adamkiewicz-Drożyńska E. , Pawlik-Gwozdecka D. , Zieliński M. , Maciejka-Kembłowska L. , Szczepański T. , Trzonkowski P.
Published: March 2019

Regulatory T-cells (Tregs) are a very important subtype of lymphocytes when it comes to self-control in the human immunological system. Tregs are decisive not only in the protection against destruction of own tissues by autoimmune immunocompetent cells but also in the immunological answer to developing cancers. On the other hand, Tregs could be responsible for the progression of acute and chronic leukemias. In our study, we review publications available in the PUMED database concerning acute leukemia, with a particular emphasis on child’s leukemias. The percentage of regulatory T-lymphocytes in peripheral blood and bone marrow was elevated compared to those in healthy individuals and correlated with progressive disease. Regulatory T-cells taken from children diagnosed with leukemia showed a higher suppressive capability, which was confirmed by detecting elevated levels of secreted IL-10 and TGF-beta. The possibility of pharmacological intervention in the self-control of the immunological system is now under extensive investigation in many human cancers. Presumably, Treg cells could be a vital part of targeted therapies. Routine Treg determination could be used to assess the severity of disease and prognosis in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. This proposition results from the fact that in some studies, higher percentage of Treg cells in peripheral blood was demonstrated. However, observations confirming these facts are scarce; thus, extrapolating them to the population of children with hematological malignancies needs to be verified in additional studies.
Clinical Outcomes and Adverse Events of Endoscopic Submucosal Dissection for Gastric Tube Cancer after Esophagectomy
Authors: Watanabe Ko , Hikichi Takuto , Nakamura Jun , Hashimoto Minami , Takagi Tadayuki , Suzuki Rei , Sugimoto Mitsuru , Kikuchi Hitomi , Konno Naoki , Takasumi Mika , Sato Yuki , Irie Hiroki , Obara Katsutoshi , Ohira Hiromasa
Published: March 2019

Background and Aim. The clinical outcomes of endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) for gastric tube cancer (GTC) after esophagectomy remain unclear. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical outcomes and safety of ESD for GTC. Patients and Methods. Twenty GTC lesions in 18 consecutive patients who underwent ESD between February 2008 and June 2018 were included in this retrospective study. The endpoints were the treatment outcomes of ESD (i.e., en bloc resection rate, complete en bloc resection rate, and curative resection rate), the adverse events following ESD, and the long-term outcomes. Results. The en bloc resection rate was 100%, while the complete en bloc resection rate and curative resection rate were 80% each. Adverse events were observed in 16.7% (3/18) of patients: one postoperative bleeding, 1 intraoperative perforation that required emergency surgery, and 1 pyothorax that required chest drainage. The 1-, 3-, and 5-year overall survival rates were 100%, 70.9%, and 70.9%, respectively. Although local recurrence was detected in 1 case of noncurative resection, no GTC- or ESD-related deaths were observed. Conclusion. ESD for GTC was feasible and acceptable to enable en bloc resection and to prevent cancer death. However, ESD for GTC should be performed more carefully than common gastric ESD because serious adverse events specific to the gastric tube may occur.
Evaluation of the American Approach for Detecting Plan Irregularity
Authors: Alecci V. , De Stefano M. , Galassi S. , Lapi M. , Orlando M.
Published: March 2019

The European seismic code 8 (Eurocode 8) classifies buildings as planwise regular according to four criteria which are mostly qualitative and a fifth one, which is based on parameters such as stiffness, eccentricity, and torsional radius, that can be only approximately defined for multistory buildings. Therefore, such plan‐regularity criteria are in need of improvement. ASCE seismic code, according to a different criterion, considers plan (or “torsional”) irregularity in a building when the maximum story drift, at one end of the structure, exceeds more than 1.2 times the average of the story drifts at the two ends of the structure under equivalent static analysis. Nevertheless, both the ASCE approach and the threshold value of 1.2 need to be supported by adequate background studies, based also on nonlinear seismic analysis. In this paper, a numerical analysis is carried out, by studying the seismic response of an existing R/C school building taken as the reference structure. Linear static analysis is developed by progressively shifting the centre of mass, until the ratio between the maximum lateral displacement of the floor at the level is considered and the average of the horizontal displacements at extreme positions of the floor at the same level matches and even exceeds the value of 1.2. Then, nonlinear dynamic analyses are carried out to check the corresponding level of response irregularity in terms of uneven plan distribution of deformation and displacement demands and performance parameters. The above comparison leads to check the suitability of the ASCE approach and, in particular, of the threshold value of 1.2 for identifying buildings plan irregularity.
Treating Transcendental Functions in Partial Differential Equations Using the Variational Iteration Method with Bernstein Polynomials
Authors: Qasim Ahmed Farooq , Hamed Almutasim Abdulmuhsin
Published: March 2019

We aim through this paper to present an improved variational iteration method (VIM) based on Bernstein polynomials (BP) approximations to be used with transcendental functions. The key benefits gained from this modification are to reach stable and fairly accurate results and, at the same time, to expand the unknown function’s domain in partial differential equations (PDEs). The proposed approach introduces the Bernstein polynomials in the transcendental functions of nonlinear PDEs. A number of examples were included in order to expound the method’s capacity and reliability. From the results, we conclude that the VIM with BP is a powerful mathematical tool that can be applied to solve nonlinear PDEs.
Three-Dimensional Measurement of TRISO Coated Particle Using Micro Computed Tomography
Authors: Zhu Libing , Xiang Xincheng , Peng Yahui , Wang Xiangang
Published: March 2019

The fuel safety and performance of high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR) are dependent on the integrity and geometric parameter of Tri-structural Isotropic (TRISO) coated particle. Micro X-ray computed tomography (CT) was used for nondestructive testing and three-dimensional measurement of the particle components which are composed of kernel, buffer layer, inner pyrolytic carbon layer (IPyC), silicon carbide (SiC) layer, and outer pyrolytic carbon (OPyC) layer. The thickness distribution and volume of kernel and coating layers are obtained by constructing 3D volume rendering of TRISO particle. Mean thickness of each layer is calculated for comparison with design value. A comparison between two-dimensional and three-dimensional measurement results is also made. It is found that the thickness distribution of all layers approximately obeys Gaussian distribution. Deviation of the thickness of kernel and coating layers between 3D measurement result and design value is 7.88%, -25.63%, -45.50%, 13.87%, and 14.73%, respectively. The deviation will affect the failure probability of TRISO particle. Obvious difference of the OPyC mean thickness between 3D measurement and 2D measurement is found, which proves that the proposed 3D measurement provides comprehensive information of the particle. However, 2D and 3D measured thickness of the kernel and IPyC layer tend to be similar.
Doxycycline Usage for Prevention of Leptospirosis among Farmers and Reasons for Failure to Use Chemoprophylaxis: A Descriptive Study from Southern Sri Lanka
Authors: Fonseka C. L. , Vidanapathirana B. N. , Silva C. M. de , Athukorala A. A. B. B. , Goonawardena P. R. , Karunathilake A. P. , Rajapakse I. H. , Dissanayake A. S.
Published: March 2019

Background. Leptospirosis causes substantial morbidity and mortality in Sri Lanka. Health authorities have implemented a chemoprophylaxis programme for prevention of disease for farmers who are at a high risk of leptospirosis. Only 39% of general population is aware of chemoprophylaxis. Awareness on chemoprophylaxis and its usage among the risk population and the reasons for non-usage was uncertain. Our aim was to assess the chemoprophylaxis usage for prevention of leptospirosis among farmers and reasons for failure to use such preventive strategy. Methods. Cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted on farmers in community setting in Galle District. Multi-stage cluster sampling method was used. Out of the seventeen “Ministry of Health” (MOH) divisions within the Galle district, nine divisions were randomly selected and, subsequently, two subdivisions (“Public Health Midwife” divisions) were randomly selected from each MOH division. From each PHM division (total of 18), a cluster who does farming as the main source of income was selected. From these farmers, details on demographics, knowledge on leptospirosis and knowledge and practice on chemoprophylaxis usage were obtained through an interviewer administered open-ended questionnaire. From those who have not properly taken chemoprophylaxis, the reasons for non-usage were explored by semistructured interviews. Results. We recruited 319 (77%-males) farmers to the study. Eighteen (5.6%) have already had leptospirosis. Majority (86.8%) of farmers were aware that doxycycline can be used to prevent the disease occurrence. Only 31% knew about correct recommendations of chemoprophylaxis usage adopted by the national guidelines. Only 28.5% (91) used doxycycline prophylaxis. Out of those, only 60 farmers (65.9%) continued the prophylaxis throughout the contact and followed national recommendations. Themes responsible for non-usage were elicited such as lack of awareness of chemoprophylaxis usage, false sense of security from the disease by perceived “immunity” due to prolong exposure or due to low prevalence of disease, lack of motivation, lack of availability of medication, and fear of side effects. Conclusions. Awareness of leptospirosis is better among farmers compared to the general population. Usage of chemoprophylaxis among farmers was highly inadequate. Individual and health system related hypotheses and myths exist for non-usage of chemoprophylaxis. Thus, an urgent concerted campaign aimed at increasing awareness within the target group through education and making medicines effectively distributed is essential for better prevention of the disease.
Double-Head Clustering for Resilient VANETs
Authors: Alsuhli Ghada H. , Khattab Ahmed , Fahmy Yasmine A.
Published: March 2019

Scalability and the highly dynamic topology of Vehicular Ad Hoc Networks (VANETs) are the biggest challenges that slow the roll-out of such a promising technology. Adopting an effective VANET clustering algorithm can tackle these issues in addition to benefiting routing, security and media access management. In this paper, we propose a general-purpose resilient double-head clustering (DHC) algorithm for VANET. Our proposed approach is a mobility-based clustering algorithm that exploits the most relevant mobility metrics such as vehicle speed, position, and direction, in addition to other metrics related to the communication link quality such as the link expiration time (LET) and the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). The proposed algorithm has enhanced performance and stability features, especially during the cluster maintenance phase, through a set of procedures developed to achieve these objectives. An extensive evaluation methodology is followed to validate DHC and compare its performance with another algorithm using different existing and newly proposed evaluation metrics. These metrics are analyzed under various mobility scenarios, vehicle densities, and radio channel models such as log-normal shadowing and two-ray ground loss with and without Nakagami-m fading model. The proposed algorithm DHC has proven its ability to be more stable and efficient under different simulation scenarios.
Ecotoxicological Properties of Tulipalin A-Based Superabsorbents versus Conventional Superabsorbent Hydrogels
Authors: Rychter Piotr , Rogacz Diana , Lewicka Kamila , Kollár Jozef , Kawalec Michał , Mosnáček Jaroslav
Published: March 2019

The Phytotoxicological Aspects of a Novel Superabsorbent/Hydrogels: poly(acrylamide-co-sodium 4-hydroxy-2-methylenebutanoate), prepared from renewable monomer Tulipalin A, on the growth and development of monocotyledonousAvena sativaand dicotyledonousRaphanus sativus, was investigated and compared with the effect of borate-crosslinked poly(vinyl alcohol), poly(acrylamide), and poly(acrylamide-co-sodium acrylate) conventional hydrogels. Tulipalin A-based superabsorbent hydrogels revealed superior properties in terms of the combination of the tested properties. The results confirmed excellent suitability of Tulipalin A-based hydrogels for application as reservoirs of water during plant stress condition. Values of fresh matter (yield) and shoot height of the examined plants growing in soil amended with these hydrogels were ca 10% higher than those of plants growing in soil without hydrogels. Reference borate-crosslinked PVA hydrogels (containing increasing amount of borax cross-linker) revealed harmful effect on plants. The negative effect was observed on most of the investigated properties, increasing with content of the hydrogel in soil and concentration of the borax in it.
FT-IR Spectroscopy Applied for Identification of a Mineral Drug Substance in Drug Products: Application to Bentonite
Authors: Ouhaddouch H. , Cheikh A. , Idrissi M. O. B. , Draoui M. , Bouatia M.
Published: March 2019

The aim of this study is to prove the effectiveness of IR spectroscopy as an identification test able to discriminate between mineral compounds in mixtures. This work is concerned with the physical characterisation of purified bentonite, bentonite in organic mixtures and organic excipients, and mineralized organic mixture containing bentonite using FT-IR spectroscopy. The different spectra were compared with each other in order to determine fingerprints of bentonite represented by bands located at 3632 cm−1 and 3437 cm−1. The analysis of the spectra of the nonmineralized mixture demonstrates the presence of two bands at 1454 and 2928 cm−1, superimposed on those of the excipients and which disappear after 2 hours of mineralization at 500°C. Finally, we notice a displacement of the stretching band of H2O to the right with increasing the proportion of the excipients.
Optimal Skipping Rates: Training Agents with Fine-Grained Control Using Deep Reinforcement Learning
Authors: Khan Adil , Feng Jiang , Liu Shaohui , Asghar Muhammad Zubair
Published: March 2019

These days game AI is one of the focused and active research areas in artificial intelligence because computer games are the best test-beds for testing theoretical ideas in AI before practically applying them in real life world. Similarly, ViZDoom is a game artificial intelligence research platform based on Doom used for visual deep reinforcement learning in 3D game environments such as first-person shooters (FPS). While training, the speed of the learning agent greatly depends on the number of frames the agent is permitted to skip. In this paper, how the frame skipping rate influences the agent’s learning and final performance is proposed, particularly using deep Q-learning, experience replay memory, and the ViZDoom Game AI research platform. The agent is trained and tested on Doom’s basic scenario(s) where the results are compared and found to be 10% better compared to the existing state-of-the-art research work on Doom-based agents. The experiments show that the profitable and optimal frame skipping rate falls in the range of 3 to 11 that provides the best balance between the learning speed and the final performance of the agent which exhibits human-like behavior and outperforms an average human player and inbuilt game agents.
Effectiveness of Perioperative Auricular Therapy on Postoperative Pain after Total Hip Arthroplasty: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomised Controlled Trials
Authors: Ye Xin-Xin , Gao Yu-Zhen , Xu Zhong-Bo , Liu Qi-Xi , Zhan Chen-Ju
Published: March 2019

Auricular therapy (AT) is a conventional therapy in traditional Chinese medicine. However, the effectiveness of perioperative AT in pain treatment after total hip arthroplasty (THA) is still controversial. Nine randomised controlled trials (RCTs) involving 605 patients who have undergone THA with or without AT from inception to March 2018 were collected and included in this study by searching more than 12 databases (e.g., PubMed, Excerpta Medica Database, and Cochrane Library). A random-effects model that pooled seven articles showed that the visual analogue scale (VAS) in the AT group was lower than that of the control group at each postoperative time point in patients after THA, except at the time points of 6 and 36 h. The intraoperative body mass-adjusted fentanyl amount in the AT group was also lower than that of the control group in two trials. The other outcomes (time to first analgesic request and incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting, perioperative bradycardia, and transitory hypotension) showed insignificant difference. Then, subgroup analysis showed similar results to those of the total articles with the term “VAS”. Regression analysis found that the prolonged time after the operation decreased the difference in VAS between the two groups. Although all the outcomes were assessed as very low to low in the GRADE system, evidence on the effectiveness of perioperative AT in pain treatment after total hip replacement was positive.
Study on Effects of External Water Amount on Organic Intercalation of Montmorillonite and Its Mechanism
Authors: Wu Limei , Wang Yongbin , Yang Lu , Wang Qing , Xu Changwei
Published: March 2019

As an important clay mineral, montmorillonite (MMT) plays a pivotal role in various fields. Water has significant effects on the organification process of MMT, which is associated with the adsorption of organic matter onto MMT with different water contents. In this study, the influence of external water content on the organic intercalation of MMT and its mechanism are discussed from both experimental and simulation results. These results reveal that as the external water content increases, the interlayer spacing of organic MMT increases first and then decreases, while the degree of organification becomes increasingly stronger. Although the interlayer spacing of the organic MMT is the largest when the external water amount is relatively small (e.g., 10%), the molecular arrangement is disorderly and uneven, resulting in a low degree of organification. Increasing the external water content results in a more regular molecular arrangement, more compact intermolecular agglomerates, and a higher degree of order. Therefore, the addition of water plays a crucial role in the organification process of MMT, and the appropriate manufacturing technology should be selected according to the application field. The results of this study provide theoretical support for the preparation of organic MMT and also offer insight into the mechanism of organic intercalation.
Application of Optimal Control Theory to Newcastle Disease Dynamics in Village Chicken by Considering Wild Birds as Reservoir of Disease Virus
Authors: Chuma Furaha , Mwanga Gasper Godson , Masanja Verdiana Grace
Published: March 2019

In this study, an optimal control theory was applied to a nonautonomous model for Newcastle disease transmission in the village chicken population. A notable feature of this model is the inclusion of environment contamination and wild birds, which act as reservoirs of the disease virus. Vaccination, culling, and environmental hygiene and sanitation time dependent control strategies were adopted in the proposed model. This study proved the existence of an optimal control solution, and the necessary conditions for optimality were determined using Pontryagin’s Maximum Principle. The numerical simulations of the optimal control problem were performed using the forward–backward sweep method. The results showed that the use of only the environmental hygiene and sanitation control strategy has no significant effect on the transmission dynamics of the Newcastle disease. Additionally, the combination of vaccination and environmental hygiene and sanitation strategies reduces more number of infected chickens and the concentration of the Newcastle disease virus in the environment than any other combination of control strategies. Furthermore, a cost-effective analysis was performed using the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio method, and the results showed that the use of vaccination alone as the control measure is less costly compared to other control strategies. Hence, the most effective way to minimize the transmission rate of the Newcastle disease and the operational costs is concluded to be the timely vaccination of the entire population of the village chicken, improvement in the sanitation of facilities, and the maintenance of a hygienically clean environment.