bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Improving Ablation Safety for Hepatocellular Carcinoma Proximal to the Hilar Bile Ducts by Ultrasound-MR Fusion Imaging: A Preliminary Comparative Study
Authors: You Yujia , Long Yinglin , Yan Ronghua , Luo Liping , Zhang Man , Li Lu , Zeng Qingjing , Li Kai , Zheng Rongqin , Xu Erjiao
Published: March 2021

Aim

To explore whether ablation safety could be improved by ultrasound (US)-magnetic resonance (MR) fusion imaging for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) proximal to the hilar bile ducts (HBDs) through a preliminary comparative study.

Methods

Between January 2014 and June 2019, 18 HCC nodules proximal to the HBDs were included in a US-MR fusion imaging-assisted radiofrequency ablation (RFA) group (study group), while 13 HCC nodules in a similar location were included as a control group. For the study group, the tumor and adjacent bile ducts were outlined on preprocedural MR images. Procedural ablation planning was conducted to assess the feasibility of ablating the tumors while avoiding biliary injury. Such tumors were then ablated under US-MR fusion imaging guidance. The control group nodules were ablated under conventional ultrasound guidance. Baseline characteristics and outcomes were compared between the groups.

Results

After preprocedural assessment, 14 of 18 patients with tumors that were feasible to ablate underwent US-MR fusion imaging-assisted RFA. No biliary complications were observed in these 14 patients; the complication rate was significantly lower in the study group than in the control group (30.8%, 4/13) (P = 0.041). There was no significant difference in the technique efficacy rates [92.9% (13/14) versus 100% (13/13), P = 1] or local progression rates [7.1% (1/14) versus 7.7% (1/13), P = 1] between the study and control groups.

Conclusions

US-MR fusion imaging may be a non-invasive means for assisting RFA of HCC nodules proximal to the HBDs and ensuring ablation safety.
They Saw It Coming: Rising Trends in Depression, Anxiety, and Suicidality in Creative Students and Potential Impact of the COVID-19 Crisis
Authors: Kerr Barbara A. , Birdnow Maxwell , Wright Jonathan Daniel , Fiene Sara
Published: March 2021

Previous research has established that creative adolescents are generally low in neuroticism and as well-adjusted as their peers. From 2006 to 2013, data from cohorts of creative adolescents attending a counseling laboratory supported these results. Clinical findings of increased anxiety, depression, and suicidality among creative students in 2014 led the researchers to create 3 studies to explore these clinical findings. Once artifactual causes of these changes were ruled out, a quantitative study was conducted. Study 1, an analysis of mean differences of pre-2014 and post-2014 cohorts showed that post-2014 cohorts scored significantly higher in Neuroticism, Openness to Experience, and Conscientiousness and lower in Extraversion on Big 5 inventories. Regression analyses suggested that while Neuroticism was associated with gender, Conscientiousness and Grade Point Average for the earlier group, Neuroticism in the post 2014 groups was related to complex interplay of all personality dynamics except Agreeableness. In the qualitative Study 2, focus groups of 6–10 students, for a total of 102 participants were queried about the reasons they perceived for increased anxiety and depression in creative students. Increased achievement pressures and awareness of environmental and social problems were major sources of external stressors; perfectionism and desire to fulfill expectations of others were the primary sources of internal stress. The authors suggest that creative students' openness to experience and advanced knowledge made it possible for these students to see the potential for environmental and social crises and respond to their inability to solve these problems with anxiety and depression. Study 3 was a qualitative study that followed up 19 participants from the post-2014 cohort to explore the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health and creativity. While the majority perceived a negative effect of the pandemic on their mental health, most also produced a surprising variety of creative works during that time. In conclusion, rapid changes in the lives of creative adolescents since 2014 suggest that scholars focus on current cohorts and the ways in which adolescent personality is shaped by internal expectation and external pressures and global events. Despite the pandemic, creative young people continued to create.
Sickness Absence and Disability Pension in the Very Long Term: A Finnish Register-Based Study With 20 Years Follow-Up
Authors: Klein Julia , Reini Kaarina , Saarela Jan
Published: March 2021

Sickness allowance is paid for short-term sickness absence and is thus an indicator of temporary ill health, but it is also associated with a heightened risk of receiving disability pension. Using event history analysis, we examined the long-term risk for disability pension receipt after first observed receipt of medically certified sickness allowance in each single year after sickness allowance was first recorded. Utilizing longitudinal data from the Finnish population register, covering the period 1989–2010, we observed 110,675 individuals aged 16–40 years at baseline. Using discrete-time hazard models, we estimated how the first observed receipt of sickness allowance was related to the risk of receiving disability pension, with an average follow-up time of 20.6 years. In this population, about 40 percent received sickness allowance and 10 percent received disability pension. In the first years after sickness allowance receipt, there was a substantial difference between long-term and short-term sickness allowance recipients in the hazard of becoming a disability pensioner. This difference levelled out over time, but even 20 years after the first observed sickness allowance receipt, the hazard of disability retirement was more than 15 times higher than that of non-recipients of sickness allowance. Patterns were similar for men and women. First observed receipt of sickness allowance is a powerful predictor for disability pension receipt, also in the very distant future. Thus, it can be used to monitor people with heightened risk of becoming more permanently ill and falling outside the labour market.
Cognitive Performance and Its Associations with Dental Caries: Results from the Dental, Oral, Medical Epidemiological (DOME) Records-Based Nationwide Study
Authors: Abramovitz Itzhak , Zini Avraham , Atzmoni Matan , Kedem Ron , Zur Dorit , Protter Noam E. , Almoznino Galit
Published: March 2021

Relatively few studies have analyzed the association between cognitive performance and dental status. This study aimed to analyze the association between cognitive performance and dental caries. Included were data from the dental, oral, medical epidemiological (DOME) study; cross-sectional records-based research, which integrated large socio-demographic, medical, and dental databases of a nationally representative sample of young to middle-aged military personnel (N = 131,927, mean age: 21.8 ± 5.9 years, age range: 18–50). The cognitive function of draftees is routinely measured at age 17 years using a battery of psychometric tests termed general intelligence score (GIS). The mean number of decayed teeth exhibited a gradient trend from the lowest (3.14 ± 3.58) to the highest GIS category (1.45 ± 2.19) (odds ratio (OR) lowest versus highest = 5.36 (5.06–5.68), p < 0.001). A similar trend was noted for the other dental parameters. The associations between GIS and decayed teeth persisted even after adjusting for socio-demographic parameters and health-related habits. The adjustments attenuated the OR but did not eliminate it (OR lowest versus highest = 3.75 (3.38–4.16)). The study demonstrates an association between cognitive performance and caries, independent of the socio-demographic and health-related habits that were analyzed. Better allocation of resources is recommended, focusing on populations with impaired cognitive performance in need of dental care.
The Impact of Sampling Season and Catching Site (Wild and Aquaculture) on Gut Microbiota Composition and Diversity of Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus)
Authors: Bereded Negash Kabtimer , Abebe Getachew Beneberu , Fanta Solomon Workneh , Curto Manuel , Waidbacher Herwig , Meimberg Harald , Domig Konrad J.
Published: March 2021

The gut microbiota of fishes is known to play an essential role in diverse aspects of host biology. The gut microbiota of fish is affected by various environmental parameters, including temperature changes, salinity and diet. Studies of effect of environment on gut microbiota enables to have a further understanding of what comprises a healthy microbiota under different environmental conditions. However, there is insufficient understanding regarding the effects of sampling season and catching site (wild and aquaculture) on the gut microbiota of Nile tilapia. This study characterised gut microbial composition and diversity from samples collected from Lake Tana and the Bahir Dar aquaculture facility centre using 16S rDNA Illumina MiSeq platform sequencing. Firmicutes and Fusobacteria were the most dominant phyla in the Lake Tana samples, while Proteobacteria was the most dominant in the aquaculture samples. The results of differential abundance testing clearly indicated significant differences for Firmicutes, Fusobacteria, Bacteroidetes and Cyanobacteria across sampling months. However, Proteobacteria, Chloroflexi, Fusobacteria and Cyanobacteria were significantly enriched in the comparison of samples from the Lake Tana and aquaculture centre. Significant differences were observed in microbial diversity across sampling months and between wild and captive Nile tilapia. The alpha diversity clearly showed that samples from the aquaculture centre (captive) had a higher diversity than the wild Nile tilapia samples from Lake Tana. The core gut microbiota of all samples of Nile tilapia used in our study comprised Firmicutes, Proteobacteria and Fusobacteria. This study clearly showed the impact of sampling season and catching site (wild and aquaculture) on the diversity and composition of bacterial communities associated with the gut of Nile tilapia. Overall, this is the first study on the effects of sampling season and catching site on the gut microbiota of Nile tilapia in Ethiopia. Future work is recommended to precisely explain the causes of these changes using large representative samples of Nile tilapia from different lakes and aquaculture farms.
Majeed Syndrome: A Review of the Clinical, Genetic and Immunologic Features
Authors: Ferguson Polly J. , El-Shanti Hatem
Published: March 2021

Majeed syndrome is a multi-system inflammatory disorder affecting humans that presents with chronic multifocal osteomyelitis, congenital dyserythropoietic anemia, with or without a neutrophilic dermatosis. The disease is an autosomal recessive disorder caused by mutations in LPIN2, the gene encoding the phosphatidic acid phosphatase LIPIN2. It is exceedingly rare. There are only 24 individuals from 10 families with genetically confirmed Majeed syndrome reported in the literature. The early descriptions of Majeed syndrome reported severely affected children with recurrent fevers, severe multifocal osteomyelitis, failure to thrive, and marked elevations of blood inflammatory markers. As more affected families have been identified, it has become clear that there is significant phenotypic variability. Data supports that disruption of the phosphatidic acid phosphatase activity in LIPIN2 results in immune dysregulation due to aberrant activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome and overproduction of proinflammatory cytokines including IL-1β, however, these findings did not explain the bone phenotype. Recent studies demonstrate that LPIN2 deficiency drives pro-inflammatory M2-macrophages and enhances osteoclastogenesis which suggest a critical role of lipin-2 in controlling homeostasis at the growth plate in an inflammasome-independent manner. While there are no approved medications for Majeed syndrome, pharmacologic blockade of the interleukin-1 pathway has been associated with rapid clinical improvement.
Promote Selective Attention in 4th-Grade Students: Lessons Learned from a School-Based Intervention on Self-Regulation
Authors: Pereira Armanda , Miranda Sara , Teixeira Sara , Mesquita Sandra , Zanatta Cleia , Rosário Pedro
Published: March 2021

Academic success is a complex concept comprising not only good academic performance, but also the development of competencies and the accomplishment made by the ends of learning. Among the motivational and attentional variables likely to influence academic success, extant literature reports the relevance of developing self-regulation and attentional control to foster school success. Still, little is known about how to foster attentional control competencies through training on self-regulated learning strategies. The present study aims are twofold: (i) to assess the efficacy of a program targetted to promote self-regulation strategies on attentional control, specifically in selective attention, and (ii) to explore the role of selective attention on arithmetic performance. Participants were 136 fourth grade students, aged from 8 to 11 years old. Of those, 68 were enrolled in a school-based intervention aimed to promote self-regulation. At the end of the intervention, the experimental group showed higher levels of self-regulation and selective attention that were significantly different when compared to the control group. The SR training has influenced positively participants SA with impact on their arithmetic competencies. The findings of this study can provide relevant insight to better understand these variables and to design better in-class practices.
Digital—A New Open Access Journal to Report on Recent IT Advancements and Their Implementations for Interdisciplinary Research
Authors: Manolopoulos Yannis
Published: March 2021

Many decades back, Computer Science emerged as a new scientific discipline at the crossroads of mathematics, physics and engineering [...]
The Severity of Environmental Pollution in the Developing Countries and Its Remedial Measures
Authors: Nahar Najmun , Mahiuddin Sanjia , Hossain Zakaria
Published: March 2021

Environmental pollution has a great impact on human health, ecosystems, and financial development. This paper depicts the recent studies on the severity of environmental pollution in developing countries. Its remedial measures were based on a questionnaire survey in the polluted sites, which collected data and information on the types, causes, effects, sources, and duration of environmental pollution, obtained from available publications and newspaper information reported in recent years. A total of 400 respondents from 10 zones of Dhaka City Corporation, Bangladesh, were interviewed as a case study via a semi-structured questionnaire survey. The results revealed that only 39.0% of respondents had explicit knowledge about environmental pollution. Air pollution was identified by 73.8%, noise pollution by 63.0%, water pollution by 55.2%, and soil pollution by only 6.5% of respondents in their surroundings. Automobiles, domestic activities, municipal garbage, and vehicle horns are significant sources of environmental pollutions. Around 49.0% of the respondents did not understand the effectiveness of currently conducted environmental programs. A discussion regarding the urgency of forming a local level environmental committee, the mass media’s active role, and monitoring the development activities was presented.
Corruption and Tax Burden: What Is the Joint Effect on Total Factor Productivity?
Authors: Kéïta Kouramoudou , Laurila Hannu
Published: March 2021

A common conclusion in the literature is that both corruption and taxation hamper economic growth. It is also plausible that both affect total factor productivity, which, by the famous Solow residual, is a vital driver of economic progress. Moreover, corruption and tax burden are supposed to be intertwined. This paper focuses on the supposedly linked effects of corruption and tax burden on total factor productivity. The empirical study uses panel data from 90 countries for the time span of 1996–2014. The results show that both corruption and tax burden deteriorate total factor productivity, but that an increase in tax burden mitigates the negative effect of corruption.
The Impact of Foreign Direct Investment on Income Inequality in Vietnam
Authors: Le Quoc Hoi , Do Quynh Anh , Pham Hong Chuong , Nguyen Thanh Duong
Published: March 2021

Foreign direct investments (FDI) is an important determinant of economic growth. FDI does not only contribute to the growth and economic development but also affects income through contributing to economic development and the impact on employment and salary structure of developing countries. The aim of this paper is to analyze the impact of FDI on income inequality in Vietnam. This study is the first attempt to examine the impact of FDI on income inequality under the constraints of the institution and education levels. To address the potential endogeneity problem, this study adopts Genernalized Method of Moment (GMM) model to conduct the estimation. A two-step GMM model with robust standard errors is used in the study. Empirical results show that FDI tends to increase income inequality in Vietnam and the existence of a non-linearity relationship between FDI and income inequality is also validated. Moreover, the study finds that the effects of FDI on income inequality are different depending on the level of education and institutions of the host provinces in Vietnam. The results of this study imply that, in order to ensure sustainable development, Vietnam’s policies should focus on improving the quality of economic governance and the administrative reform efforts of the government of the provinces and cities. Besides, policies should focus on increasing investment in public education and improving human capital, which not only can reduce income inequality but also can attract more FDI inflows.
Field Trials of SC-FDMA, FBMC and LP-FBMC in Indoor Sub-3.5 GHz Bands
Authors: Na Dongjun , Jang Sangmin , Seo Won-Gi , Choi Kwonhue
Published: March 2021

LP-FBMC (low peak-to-average power ratio filter bank multicarrier) was recently proposed to ameliorate the high peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) issue of filter bank multicarrier (FBMC). The previous simulation study showed that LP-FBMC achieves a similar PAPR as that of single carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) while being very robust to inter-user timing/frequency offsets. However, the simulation results that were obtained assuming the stereotyped channel model and the simple nonlinearity model of analog circuits substantially differ from the performance results in a real channel with a real transceiver. To address this, the main purpose of this work is to compare the performances of three waveforms, i.e., SC-FDMA, FBMC, and LP-FBMC, in a real uplink indoor channel. We investigate how the bit error rate (BER) performance gaps of three waveforms in the indoor channels change by the system parameters, such as the carrier frequency within sub-3.5 GHz band and the number of sub-carriers or the sub-carrier spacing, which was not found in the previous simulation study. Our investigation confirms that LP-FBMC is a suitable waveform for real indoor applications.
Reconfiguration Strategy for Fault Tolerance in a Cascaded Multilevel Inverter Using a Z-Source Converter
Authors: Aguayo-Alquicira Jesus , Vásquez-Libreros Iván , De Léon-Aldaco Susana Estefany , Ponce-Silva Mario , Lozoya-Ponce Ricardo Eliu , Flores-Rodríguez Eligio , García-Morales Jarniel , Reyes-Severiano Yesenia , Carrillo-Santos Luis Mauricio , Marín-Reyes Manuel , Amores-Campos Eider Miguel
Published: March 2021

The cascade multilevel inverters are widely used in industrial manufacturing processes for DC-AC conversion. Therefore, the reliability and efficiency improvement, optimized control, and fault-tolerant strategies are areas of interest for researchers. The fault tolerance strategies applied to cascade multilevel inverters are classified as material redundancy and analytical redundancy. This paper presents the use of the Z-source converter as a fault reconfiguration method applied to a cascade multilevel inverter. On the one hand, the proposed approach has the characteristic of combining the use of material redundancy (modifying the output voltage by changing the Z-source operation), and on the other hand, it has the use of analytical redundancy (modifying the switching sequence of the multilevel inverter, changing from symmetrical to asymmetrical operation mode). This approach has been validated by experimental results of the system under fault-free conditions and employing the Z-source converter as the main fault reconfiguration element. The proposed fault reconfiguration strategy allows the cascaded multilevel inverter to continue to operate even in the presence of a fault by having continuous operation.
Mechanical Performance of Fiber Reinforced Cement Composites Including Fully-Recycled Plastic Fibers
Authors: Signorini Cesare , Volpini Valentina
Published: March 2021

The use of virgin and recycled plastic macro fibers as reinforcing elements in construction materials has recently gained increasing attention from researchers. Specifically, recycled fibers have become more attractive owing to their large-scale availability, negligible cost, and low environmental footprint. In this work, we investigate the benefits related to the use of fully-recycled synthetic fibers as dispersed reinforcement in Fiber Reinforced Cement Composites (FRCCs). In light of the reference performance of FRCCs including virgin polypropylene (PP) fibers only, the mechanical response of composites reinforced with polyolefin filaments treated with a sol-gel silica coating and polyethylene terephthalate (PET)/polyethylene (PE) cylindrical draw-wire fibers is here assessed through three-point bending tests. Remarkably, recycled polyolefins lead to a notable enhancement in terms of peak strength and post-crack energy dissipation capability. This improvement is ascribed to both the flattened shape of fibers and the surface coating, which turns out to be very effective at strengthening the fiber-to-matrix bond. On the other hand, PET/PE fibrous reinforcement generally leads to a lower toughness, if compared to the virgin fibers. However, no reduction in terms of peak stress is evidenced. Balancing the significance of mechanical performance and environmental sustainability in the framework of a circular economy approach, both fully-recycled fibers at hand can be regarded as promising candidates for innovative structural applications.
Effect of Different Fermentation Condition on Estimated Glycemic Index, In Vitro Starch Digestibility, and Textural and Sensory Properties of Sourdough Bread
Authors: Demirkesen-Bicak Hilal , Arici Muhammet , Yaman Mustafa , Karasu Salih , Sagdic Osman
Published: March 2021

This study aimed to evaluate the influence of sourdough fermentation on the estimated glycemic index (eGI), in vitro starch digestibility, and textural and sensory properties of eight experimentally prepared sourdough breads. Wheat and whole wheat flour bread samples were produced under different fermentation conditions (25 °C and 30 °C) and fermentation methods (type-1 and type-2). In type-1 fermentation, sourdough was obtained via spontaneous fermentation. Indigenous strains (Lactobacillus brevis ELB99, Lactiplantibacillus plantarum ELB75, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae TGM55) were used for type-2 fermentation. Fermentation type and temperature significantly affected eGI, the hydrolysis index (HI), the starch fraction, and the textural properties of the samples (p < 0.05). The resistant starch (RS) content increased after fermentation, while rapidly digestible starch (RDS), HI, and eGI decreased. RS values were significantly higher in type-2 than in type-1 at the same temperature for both flour types (p < 0.05). At 25 °C, RS values were higher in both fermentation types. In the white flour samples, eGI values were in the range of 60.8–78.94 and 62.10–78.94 for type-1 and type-2, respectively. The effect of fermentation type on eGI was insignificant (p < 0.05). In the whole flour samples, fermentation type and temperature significantly affected eGI (p < 0.05). The greatest eGI decreases were in whole wheat sourdough bread at 30 °C using type-2 (29.74%). The 30 °C and type-2 samples showed lower hardness and higher specific volume. This study suggests that fermentation type and temperature could affect the eGI and the textural and sensory properties of sourdough bread, and these factors should be considered during bread production. The findings also support the consumption of wheat and whole wheat breads produced by type-2 fermentation due to higher RS and slowly digestible starch (SDS) and lower RDS and eGI values.
A Case-Control Study on the Association between Salmonella Bacteriuria and Cystoscopy
Authors: Yeung Eugene Y. H.
Published: March 2021

To date, there is only one published report of an outbreak of urinary tract infections by Salmonella species after cystoscopy. Disinfection procedures for cystoscope have come into question. The current study aimed to determine the odds of developing Salmonella bacteriuria after cystoscopy. A retrospective case-control study was conducted on all patients with Salmonella species in urine (case) and blood (control) from 2017 to 2019 in 16 hospitals in Eastern Ontario, Canada. Eight of the 11 patients had cystoscopy prior to Salmonella bacteriuria; three of the 74 patients had urological procedures prior to Salmonella bacteremia, but none of their procedures were cystoscopy. The odds ratio of urological procedures with Salmonella bacteriuria was 63.1 (95% CI 10.9 to 366.6; p < 0.0001). In the bacteriuria group, the most frequently identified isolates were Salmonella enteritidis (n = 8), followed by Salmonella oranienburg, and Salmonella heidelberg. Seven of the S. enteritidis isolates had identical susceptibilities (ampicillin-sensitive; sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim-sensitive; ciprofloxacin intermediate). In the bacteremia group, the most frequently identified isolates were S. enteritidis (n = 22), followed by Salmonella typhi, S. heidelberg, S. oranienburg, and Salmonella typhimurium. The result suggested cystoscopy is a risk factor for Salmonella bacteriuria. Identification of Salmonella bacteriuria should prompt public health investigations of linkage between cystoscopy and Salmonella bacteriuria.
The Association of Bisphenol A and Phthalates with Risk of Breast Cancer: A Meta-Analysis
Authors: Liu Ge , Cai Wei , Liu Huan , Jiang Haihong , Bi Yongyi , Wang Hong
Published: March 2021

Background: Breast cancer is the most common cancer and the second leading cause of cancer-related death amongst American women. Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), especially bisphenol A (BPA) and phthalates, have adverse effects on human health. However, the association of BPA and phthalates with breast cancer remains conflicting. This study aims to investigate the association of BPA and phthalates with breast cancer. Methods: Correlative studies were identified by systematically searching three electronic databases, namely, PubMed, Web of Sciences, and Embase, up to November 2020. All data were analyzed using Stata 15.0. Results: A total of nine studies, consisting of 7820 breast cancer cases and controls, were included. The urinary phthalate metabolite mono-benzyl phthalate (MBzP) and mono-2-isobutyl phthalate (MiBP) were negatively associated with breast cancer (OR = 0.73, 95% CI: 0.60–0.90; OR = 0.75, 95% CI: 0.58–0.98, respectively). However, the overall ORs for BPA, mono-ethyl phthalate (MEP), mono-(2-ethyl-5-hydroxyhexyl) phthalate (MEHHP), mono-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (MEHP), mono-(2-ethyl-5-oxohexyl) phthalate (MEOHP), mono-(3-carboxypropyl) phthalate (MCPP), and mono-butyl phthalate (MBP) were 0.85 (95% CI: 0.69–1.05), 0.96 (95% CI: 0.62–1.48), 1.12 (95% CI: 0.88–1.42), 1.13 (95% CI: 0.74–1.73), 1.01 (95% CI: 0.74–1.40), 0.74 (95% CI: 0.48–1.14), and 0.80 (95% CI: 0.55–1.15), respectively, suggesting no significant association. The sensitivity analysis indicated that the results were relatively stable. Conclusion: Phthalate metabolites MBzP and MiBP were passively associated with breast cancer, whereas no associations were found between BPA, MEP, MEHHP, MEHP, MEOHP, MCPP, and MBP and breast cancer. More high-quality case-control studies or persuasive cohort studies are urgently needed to draw the best conclusions.
Relative Importance of Heart Failure Events Compared to Stroke and Bleeding in AF Patients
Authors: Ninni Sandro , Lemesle Gilles , Meurice Thibaud , Tricot Olivier , Lamblin Nicolas , Bauters Christophe
Published: March 2021

Introduction: Incident heart failure (HF), ischemic stroke and systemic embolism (IS/SE), and major bleeding related to anticoagulation therapy are still the most frequent events occurring in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). The aim of this study was to assess the 3-year incidence, predictors, and related mortality of IS/SE, major bleeding, and HF in a large cohort of AF outpatients. Methods and results: We studied 4973 outpatients with prevalent AF included in the CARDIONOR registry. The mean age was 72.9 ± 11.2 years, 24.1% had diabetes mellitus and 78.9% had anticoagulant therapy at baseline. The mean CHA2DS2Vasc score was 3.4 ± 1.7. After a median follow-up of 3.2 years (IQR: 2.8 to 3.5), incident HF, IS/SE and major bleeding occurred in 10.5%, 3.3% and 2.1% of patients, respectively. When analyzed as time-dependent variables, IS/SE, major bleeding and hospitalization for decompensated HF were all strongly associated with mortality. The independent predictors of incident HF were age, women, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, coronary artery disease and a previous history of HF. A sensitivity analysis in patients without history of HF at inclusion revealed that incident HF remained the most frequent adverse event, occurring in 5.3% of patients, compared to IS/SE (1.7%) and major bleeding (2.5%). Conclusion: HF is a common residual cardiovascular adverse event occurring in AF outpatients and is associated with a very high mortality. Since modifiable risk factors are associated with incident HF, upstream intensive management of these risk factors would be of interest.
Cross-Sectional Association between Hypercholesterolemia and Knee Pain in the Elderly with Radiographic Knee Osteoarthritis: Data from the Korean National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey
Authors: Cho Byung Woo , Kim Du Seong , Kwon Hyuck Min , Yang Ick Hwan , Lee Woo-Suk , Park Kwan Kyu
Published: March 2021

Few studies have reported the relationship between knee pain and hypercholesterolemia in the elderly population with osteoarthritis (OA), independent of other variables. The aim of this study was to reveal the association between knee pain and metabolic diseases including hypercholesterolemia using a large-scale cohort. A cross-sectional study was conducted using data from the Korea National Health and the Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES-V, VI-1; 2010–2013). Among the subjects aged ≥60 years, 7438 subjects (weighted number estimate = 35,524,307) who replied knee pain item and performed the simple radiographs of knee were enrolled. Using multivariable ordinal logistic regression analysis, variables affecting knee pain were identified, and the odds ratio (OR) was calculated. Of the 35,524,307 subjects, 10,630,836 (29.9%) subjects experienced knee pain. Overall, 20,290,421 subjects (56.3%) had radiographic OA, and 8,119,372 (40.0%) of them complained of knee pain. Multivariable ordinal logistic regression analysis showed that among the metabolic diseases, only hypercholesterolemia was positively correlated with knee pain in the OA group (OR 1.24; 95% Confidence Interval 1.02–1.52, p = 0.033). There were no metabolic diseases correlated with knee pain in the non-OA group. This large-scale study revealed that in the elderly, hypercholesterolemia was positively associated with knee pain independent of body mass index and other metabolic diseases in the OA group, but not in the non-OA group. These results will help in understanding the nature of arthritic pain, and may support the need for exploring the longitudinal associations.
Disposition Decision Support by Laboratory Based Outcome Prediction
Authors: Mueller Oliver S. , Rentsch Katharina M. , Nickel Christian H. , Bingisser Roland
Published: March 2021

Disposition is one of the main tasks in the emergency department. However, there is a lack of objective and reliable disposition criteria, and diagnosis-based risk prediction is not feasible at early time points. The aim was to derive a risk score (TRIAL) based on routinely collected baseline (TRIage level and Age) and Laboratory data—supporting disposition decisions by risk stratification based on mortality. We prospectively included consecutive patients presenting to the emergency department over 18 weeks. Data sets of routinely collected baseline (triage level and age) and laboratory data were used for multivariable logistic regression to develop the TRIAL risk score predicting mortality. Routine laboratory variables and disposition cut-offs were chosen beforehand by expert consensus. Risk stratification was based on low risk (<1%), intermediate risk (1–10%), and high risk (>10%) of in-hospital mortality. In total, 8687 data sets were analyzed. Variables identified to develop the TRIAL risk score were triage level (Emergency Severity Index), age, lactate dehydrogenase, creatinine, albumin, bilirubin, and leukocyte count. The area under the ROC curve for in-hospital mortality was 0.93. Stratification according to the TRIAL score showed that 67.5% of all patients were in the low-risk category. Mortality was 0.1% in low-risk, 3.5% in intermediate-risk, and 26.2% in high-risk patients. The TRIAL risk score based on routinely available baseline and laboratory data provides prognostic information for disposition decisions. TRIAL could be used to minimize admission in low-risk and to maximize observation in high-risk patients.
The Challenge to Observe Antarctic Toothfish (Dissostichus mawsoni) under Fast Ice
Authors: Di Blasi Davide , Canese Simonepietro , Carlig Erica , Parker Steven J. , Pisano Eva , Vacchi Marino , Ghigliotti Laura
Published: March 2021

In situ observation of Antarctic toothfish (Dissostichus mawsoni) is challenging as they typically live at depths greater than 500 m, in dark and ice-covered Antarctic waters. Searching for adequate methodologies to survey Antarctic toothfish in their habitat, we tested a miniaturized Baited Remote Underwater Video camera (BRUV), deployed through holes drilled in the sea ice in the Ross Sea region, over three field seasons. In 2015 three BRUVs were deployed at McMurdo Sound, and paired with a vertical longline sampling. In 2017, three opportunistic deployments were performed at Terra Nova Bay. In 2018 seven deployments at Terra Nova Bay provided preliminary data on the habitat preferences of the species. The design and configuration of the mini-BRUV allowed to collect high-quality video imagery of 60 Antarctic toothfish in 13 deployments from the fast sea ice. The behaviour of fish at the bait, intra-species interactions, and potential biases in individual counting were investigated, setting baselines for future studies on the abundance and distribution of Antarctic toothfish in sea-ice covered areas. This work represents the first step towards the development of protocols for non-extractive monitoring of the Antarctic toothfish in the high-Antarctica coastal shelf areas, of great value in the Ross Sea region where the largest MPA of the world has recently been established.
Fault Detection Based on Fully Convolutional Networks (FCN)
Authors: Wu Jizhong , Liu Bo , Zhang Hao , He Shumei , Yang Qianqian
Published: March 2021

It is of great significance to detect faults correctly in continental sandstone reservoirs in the east of China to understand the distribution of remaining structural reservoirs for more efficient development operation. However, the majority of the faults is characterized by small displacements and unclear components, which makes it hard to recognize them in seismic data via traditional methods. We consider fault detection as an end-to-end binary image-segmentation problem of labeling a 3D seismic image with ones as faults and zeros elsewhere. Thus, we developed a fully convolutional network (FCN) based method to fault segmentation and used the synthetic seismic data to generate an accurate and sufficient training data set. The architecture of FCN is a modified version of the VGGNet (A convolutional neural network was named by Visual Geometry Group). Transforming fully connected layers into convolution layers enables a classification net to create a heatmap. Adding the deconvolution layers produces an efficient network for end-to-end dense learning. Herein, we took advantage of the fact that a fault binary image is highly biased with mostly zeros but only very limited ones on the faults. A balanced crossentropy loss function was defined to adjust the imbalance for optimizing the parameters of our FCN model. Ultimately, the FCN model was applied on real field data to propose that our FCN model can outperform conventional methods in fault predictions from seismic images in a more accurate and efficient manner.
Wave Farms Impact on the Coastal Processes—A Case Study Area in the Portuguese Nearshore
Authors: Onea Florin , Rusu Liliana , Carp Gabriel Bogdan , Rusu Eugen
Published: March 2021

The aim of the present work is to identify the expected nearshore and offshore impact of a marine energy farm that would be implemented in the coastal environment of Portugal. Several layouts of Wave Dragon devices were considered, the distance between each system being gradually adjusted. By processing 27–years of combined wave data coming from the European Space Agency and ERA5, the most relevant conditions have been identified. The centre of each farm layout was set to approximately 3.5 km from the coast, where a more significant attenuation of wave heights in the middle of the target area was noticed, which can go up to 16% in the case of extreme events. From the analysis of the longshore currents, it was noticed that even an arrow farm layout defined by five systems may have a significant impact, by changing the peak or by smoothing the currents profile. Wave energy is an emerging renewable sector that can also contribute tocoastal protection and, therefore, the Portuguese coast represents a suitable candidate for this type of project.
The Compounding Effect of Investors’ Cognition and Risk Absorption Potential on Enhancing the Level of Interest towards Investment in the Domestic Capital Market
Authors: Behera Yadav Devi Prasad , Nanda Sudhansu Sekhar , Sahoo Saroj Kumar , Sahoo Tushar Ranjan
Published: March 2021

It is eminent to understand, be aware of and encourage domestic retail investors towards investment in the capital market in a developing economy such as India for tackling the situation of capital insufficiency and financial instability. Therefore, the study was purposed to find out the different dimensions of cognition that affect investment attitude and the different characteristics of risk absorption affecting the investment decision making. The study also intended to find the direct and the mediating impact of investors’ cognition directly and through risk-absorption scenarios on the level of interest on investment. The study used the causative research design and by using stratified random sampling, received 392 responses from investors with risk-absorption characteristics from four strata of Odisha (a state of India) through a self-constructed questionnaire. Factor analysis was used to find out the factor of cognition and risk absorption. Multiple linear regression was used to find out the effect of both factors of cognition and risk absorption on the intensity of purchase financial product or level of interest in investment. Mediation analysis was used to find the mediating impact showing the direct and indirect impact of cognition on interest in investment and through the factors risk absorption. The study found that the dimensions of cognition (hot, cold, social and meta) have a significant impact on the level of interest towards investment, so financial product sellers must use these dimensions and sources of cognition to bring up interest from the domestic investor to invest in the domestic capital market. It has also been found that the risk-absorption characteristics play a mediating and vital role in the relation between investors’ cognition and level of interest in investment. Therefore, it is imperative to uplift the risk-absorption capacity through different dimensions of cognition and sources of information, which can reflect in a better understanding of the market and investment scenarios.
Maximum Entropy Evaluation of Asymptotic Hedging Error under a Generalised Jump-Diffusion Model
Authors: Fard Farzad Alavi , Tchatoka Firmin Doko , Sriananthakumar Sivagowry
Published: March 2021

In this paper we propose a maximum entropy estimator for the asymptotic distribution of the hedging error for options. Perfect replication of financial derivatives is not possible, due to market incompleteness and discrete-time hedging. We derive the asymptotic hedging error for options under a generalised jump-diffusion model with kernel bias, which nests a number of very important processes in finance. We then obtain an estimation for the distribution of hedging error by maximising Shannon’s entropy subject to a set of moment constraints, which in turn yields the value-at-risk and expected shortfall of the hedging error. The significance of this approach lies in the fact that the maximum entropy estimator allows us to obtain a consistent estimate of the asymptotic distribution of hedging error, despite the non-normality of the underlying distribution of returns.
Why Do Countries Request Assistance from International Monetary Fund? An Empirical Analysis
Authors: Siddique Ifrah , Hayat Muhammad Azmat , Naeem Muhammad Zahid , Ejaz Abdullah , Spulbar Cristi , Birau Ramona , Calugaru Toni
Published: March 2021

This paper investigates the determinants behind persistent and prolonged stays under the International Monetary Fund (IMF) program and its effectiveness, using panel data consisting of 70 countries that have requested IMF support multiple times, during the period 1980–2018. By employing panel survival analysis, we conclude that weak economic indicators, e.g., current account deficit, high debt service ratio, low GDP, are the main reasons that force a country to reach out to the IMF support program. We further extend our analysis to investigate the effectiveness of the IMF program by dividing our sample into two groups, based on income level. To overcome the issue of endogeneity, we implement the panel instrumental two-stage least squares (2SLS) fixed-effect model. In the light of our analysis, we find a contemporaneous positive impact of the IMF fund program on the economic growth of upper middle-income countries, while, for low-income countries, its contemporaneous impact is insignificant, but becomes visible over time.
Learning to Design with Stakeholders: Participatory, Collaborative, and Transdisciplinary Design in Postgraduate Landscape Architecture Education in Europe
Authors: Kempenaar Annet
Published: March 2021

Over the last few decades, interaction and collaboration with stakeholders and communities in the design and development of our environment have become integral parts of landscape architecture practice. This article explores the position of this kind of designing in postgraduate landscape architecture education in Europe. An analysis of the international master’s curricula in landscape architecture of 29 universities across Europe shows there is some attention paid to participatory, collaborative, and transdisciplinary design in several, but not all programs. However, participatory, collaborative, and transdisciplinary design is an important topic in the current discourse amongst landscape architecture scholars. This may indicate an increase in attention to the topic in European landscape architecture education curricula in the (near) future.
How Are Smallholder Farmers Involved in Digital Agriculture in Developing Countries: A Case Study from China
Authors: Xie Lin , Luo Biliang , Zhong Wenjing
Published: March 2021

Digital transformation in agricultural practices may lead to a "digital divide" between small and large farms, owing to the characteristics and availability of digital technology. This paper sought to use a case study in Chongzhou County, Sichuan Province in China, to analyze how smallholder farmers in developing countries access such digital agriculture and share the benefits of digital agricultural transformation. Small farmers may own a larger scale farm through forming cooperatives; they are also indirectly involved in digital agriculture through agriculture outsourcing. The outsourcing market is expected to grow, which will allow for the evolution of a digital agricultural service platform, the development of a digital agricultural business organization consortium, and the continued expansion of a healthy digital ecology. This paper revealed important policy implications, stemming from the fact that the implementation of inclusive digital agriculture relies on two key shifts: (1) transformation from land scale operations to service scale operations and (2) from inclusive technological progress to inclusive organization innovation.
Recent Progress and Opportunities for Nucleic Acid Aptamers
Authors: Byun Jonghoe
Published: March 2021

Coined three decades ago, the term aptamer and directed evolution have now reached their maturity. The concept that nucleic acid could modulate the activity of target protein as ligand emerged from basic science studies of viruses. Aptamers are short nucleic acid sequences capable of specific, high-affinity molecular binding, which allow for therapeutic and diagnostic applications. Compared to traditional antibodies, aptamers have several advantages, including small size, flexible structure, good biocompatibility, and low immunogenicity. In vitro selection method is used to isolate aptamers that are specific for a desired target from a randomized oligonucleotide library. The first aptamer drug, Macugen, was approved by FDA in 2004, which was accompanied by many studies and clinical investigations on various targets and diseases. Despite much promise, most aptamers have failed to meet the requisite safety and efficacy standards in human clinical trials. Amid these setbacks, the emergence of novel technologies and recent advances in aptamer and systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment (SELEX) design are fueling hope in this field. The unique properties of aptamer are gaining renewed interest in an era of COVID-19. The binding performance of an aptamer and reproducibility are still the key issues in tackling current hurdles in clinical translation. A thorough analysis of the aptamer binding under varying conditions and the conformational dynamics is warranted. Here, the challenges and opportunities of aptamers are reviewed with recent progress.