bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Changing mortality trends in countries and cities of the UK: a population-based trend analysis
Authors: Walsh David , McCartney Gerry , Minton Jon , Parkinson Jane , Shipton Deborah , Whyte Bruce
Published: November 2020

Objectives

Previously improving life expectancy and all-cause mortality in the UK has stalled since the early 2010s. National analyses have demonstrated changes in mortality rates for most age groups and causes of death, and with deprived populations most affected. The aims here were to establish whether similar changes have occurred across different parts of the UK (countries, cities), and to examine cause-specific trends in more detail.

Design

Population-based trend analysis.

Participants/setting

Whole populations of countries and selected cities of the UK.

Primary and secondary outcome measures

European age-standardised mortality rates (calculated by cause of death, country, city, year (1981–2017), age group, sex and—for all countries and Scottish cities—deprivation quintiles); changes in rates between 5-year periods; summary measures of both relative (relative index of inequality) and absolute (slope index of inequality) inequalities.

Results

Changes in mortality from around 2011/2013 were observed throughout the UK for all adult age groups. For example, all-age female rates decreased by approximately 4%–6% during the 1980s and 1990s, approximately 7%–9% during the 2000s, but by <1% between 2011/2013 and 2015/2017. Equivalent figures for men were 4%–7%, 8%–12% and 1%–3%, respectively. This later period saw increased mortality among the most deprived populations, something observed in all countries and cities analysed, and for most causes of death: absolute and relative inequalities therefore increased. Although similar trends were seen across all parts of the UK, particular issues apply in Scotland, for example, higher and increasing drug-related mortality (with the highest rates observed in Dundee and Glasgow).

Conclusions

The study presents further evidence of changing mortality in the UK. The timing, geography and socioeconomic gradients associated with the changes appear to support suggestions that they may result, at least in part, from UK Government ‘austerity’ measures which have disproportionately affected the poorest.
Respiratory function and respiratory complications in spinal cord injury: protocol for a prospective, multicentre cohort study in high-income countries
Authors: Raab Anja M , Brinkhof Martin W G , Berlowitz David J , Postma Karin , Gobets David , Hirschfeld Sven , Hopman Maria T E , Huber Burkhart , Hund-Georgiadis Margret , Jordan Xavier , Schubert Martin , Wildburger Renate , Mueller Gabi
Published: November 2020

Introduction

Pneumonia is one of the leading complications and causes of death after a spinal cord injury (SCI). After a cervical or thoracic lesion, impairment of the respiratory muscles decreases respiratory function, which increases the risk of respiratory complications. Pneumonia substantially reduces patient’s quality of life, may prolong inpatient rehabilitation time, increase healthcare costs or at worse, lead to early death. Respiratory function and coughing can be improved through various interventions after SCI, but the available evidence as to which aspect of respiratory care should be optimised is inconclusive. Furthermore, ability of respiratory function parameters to predict pneumonia risk is insufficiently established. This paper details the protocol for a large-scale, multicentre research project that aims to evaluate the ability of parameters of respiratory function to predict and understand variation in inpatient risk of pneumonia in SCI.

Methods and analysis

RESCOM, a prospective cohort study, began recruitment in October 2016 across 10 SCI rehabilitation centres from Australia, Austria, Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland. Inpatients with acute SCI, with complete or incomplete cervical or thoracic lesions, 18 years or older and not/no more dependent on 24-hour mechanical ventilation within the first 3 months after injury are eligible for inclusion. The target sample size is 500 participants. The primary outcome is an occurrence of pneumonia; secondary outcomes include pneumonia-related mortality and quality of life. We will use the longitudinal data for prognostic models on inpatient pneumonia risk factors.

Ethics and dissemination

The study has been reviewed and approved by all local ethics committees of all participating centres. Study results will be disseminated to the scientific community through peer-reviewed journals and conference presentations, to the SCI community, other stakeholders and via social media, newsletters and engagement activities.

Trial registration details

ClinicalTrials.govNCT02891096.
Patterns of change in cardiovascular risks of Korean male workers: a 10-year cohort analysis using the National Health Insurance Service–National Sample Cohort (NHIS-NSC) 2.0 database
Authors: Ryu Hosihn , Jung Jiyeon , Moon Jihyun
Published: November 2020

Objective

Health behaviour is one of the major determinants of cardiovascular diseases in working population. This study was tried to investigate the trend of cardiovascular health level, the relationship between continuous health behaviours, and changes in the risk of cardiovascular diseases of male workers by using a nationwide database.

Design

This study is a retrospective cohort study.

Setting and participants

The study analysed data of 57 837 male workers whose personal health examination data were continuously traced using Korea’s National Health Insurance Service–National Sample Cohort 2.0 database.

Primary outcome measures

A 10-year trend for all cardiovascular risks and change for the risks according to the consistent performance of healthy behaviours.

Results

The results showed that the risk of being overweight (adjusted OR (aOR) 1.63, 95% CI 1.59 to 1.68) and obese (aOR 1.51, 95% CI 1.47 to 1.56) increased. The index of cardiovascular risk also increased for high fasting glucose (aOR 1.77, 95% CI 1.62 to 1.95) and high total cholesterol (aOR 1.68, 95% CI 1.60 to 1.76), respectively. The risks of high fasting glucose (aOR 2.09, 95% CI 1.40 to 3.13), high triglycerides (aOR 1.27, 95% CI 1.14 to 1.42) and high low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (aOR 1.38, 95% CI 1.14 to 1.66) were increased among high-risk smokers. Similarly, the risk of high total cholesterol (aOR 2.20, 95% CI 1.35 to 3.58) and high triglycerides (aOR 1.42, 95% CI 1.09 to 1.85) were increased among high-risk drinkers. In addition, the increase in the risk of being overweight (aOR 2.20, 95% CI 1.83 to 2.65) and obese (aOR 1.90, 95% CI 1.59 to 2.27) were analysed among who had not consistently exercised.

Conclusions

Since the pattern of change in the level of cardiovascular risk related to the continuous health behaviours of male workers was identified, the findings of the present study can be used as basic data to develop health promotion policies for the population.
Ultrasound imaging in patients with hip pain and suspected hip osteoarthritis: an inter-rater and intra-rater reliability study
Authors: Clausen Stine , Kjær Søren , Fredberg Ulrich , Terslev Lene , Hartvigsen Jan , Arnbak Bodil
Published: November 2020

Objectives

The objectives of this study were to asses (1) inter-rater and intrarater reliability of ultrasound imaging in patients with hip osteoarthritis, and (2) agreement between ultrasound and X-ray findings of hip osteoarthritis using validated Outcome Measures in Rheumatology ultrasound definitions for pathology.

Design

An inter-rater and intrarater reliability study.

Setting

A single-centre study conducted at a regional hospital.

Participants

50 patients >39 years of age referred for radiography due to hip pain and suspected hip osteoarthritis were included. Exclusion criteria were previous hip surgery in the painful hip, suspected fracture or malignant changes in the hip.

Intervention

Bilateral ultrasound examinations (n=92) were performed continuously by two experienced operators blinded to clinical information and other imaging findings. After 4–6 weeks, one operator reassessed the images. X-rays were assessed by a third imaging specialist.

Primary and secondary outcome measures

Inter-rater and intrarater reliability and agreement between ultrasound imaging and X-ray were assessed using Cohen’s ordinal kappa statistics for binary categorical variables and weighted kappa for ordered categorical variables.

Results

Kappa values (κ) for inter-rater reliability were 0.9 and 0.8 for hip effusion/synovitis and osteoarthritis grading, respectively. For acetabular and femoral osteophytes, femoral cartilage changes and labrum changes κ ranged from 0.4 to 0.7. Intrarater reliability had κ equal or higher compared with inter-rater reliability. Agreement between ultrasound and X-ray findings ranged from κ=0.2 to κ=0.5.

Conclusion

This study demonstrated substantial to almost perfect reliability on the most common ultrasound findings related to hip osteoarthritis and osteoarthritis grading. Agreement on the grade of osteoarthritis between ultrasound and X-ray was moderate. Overall, these results support ultrasound imaging as a reliable tool in the assessment of hip osteoarthritis.
Evaluating the intended and unintended consequences of opioid-prescribing interventions on primary care in British Columbia, Canada: protocol for a retrospective population-based cohort study
Authors: Panagiotoglou Dimitra , McCracken Rita , Lavergne M Ruth , Strumpf Erin C , Gomes Tara , Fischer Benedikt , Brackett Austyn , Johnson Cheyenne , Kendall Perry
Published: November 2020

Introduction

Between 2015 and 2018, there were over 40 000 opioid-related overdose events and 4551 deaths among residents in British Columbia (BC). During this time the province mobilised a variety of policy levers to encourage physicians to expand access to opioid agonist treatment and the College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia (CPSBC) released a practice standard establishing legally enforceable minimum thresholds of professional behaviour in the hopes of curtailing overdose events. Our goal is to conduct a comprehensive investigation of the intended and unintended consequences of these policy changes. Specifically, we aim to understand the effects of these measures on physician prescribing behaviours, identify physician characteristics associated with uptake of the new measures, and measure the effects of the policy changes on patients’ access to quality primary care.

Methods and analysis

This is a population-level, retrospective cohort study of all BC primary care physicians who prescribed any opioid medication for opioid-use disorder or chronic non-cancer pain during the study period, and their patients. The study period is 1 January 2013–31 December 2018, with a 1-year wash-in period (1 January 2012–31 December 2012) to exclude patients who initiated long-term opioid treatment prior to our study period or whose pain type (ie, ‘chronic non-cancer’, ‘acute’, ‘cancer or palliative’, or ‘other’) cannot be confirmed. The project combines five administrative health datasets under the authority of the BC Ministry of Health, with the CPSBC’s Physician Registry, BC Cancer Agency’s Cancer Registry and Vital Statistics’ Mortality data. We will create measures of prescribing concordance, access, continuity, and comprehensiveness to assess primary care delivery and quality at both the physician and patient level. We will use generalised estimating equations, interrupted time series, mixed effects models, and funnel plots to identify factors related to changes in prescribing and evaluate the impact of the changes to prescribing policies. Results will be reported using appropriate Enhancing the QUAlity and Transparency Of health Research guidelines (eg, STrengthening the Reporting of OBservational studies in Epidemiology).

Ethics and dissemination

This study has been approved by McGill University’s Institutional Review Board (#A11-M55-19A), and the University of British Columbia’s Research Ethics Board (#H19-03537). We will disseminate results via a combination of open access peer-reviewed journal publications, conferences, lay summaries and OpEds.
Comparison of the pathways of care and life courses between first-time ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and STEMI with prior MI: findings from the OSCAR registry
Authors: Fraticelli Laurie , Kleitz Olivier , Claustre Clément , Eydoux Nicolas , Peiretti Alexandra , Tazarourte Karim , Bonnefoy-Cudraz Eric , Dussart Claude , El Khoury Carlos
Published: November 2020

Objectives

We hypothesised that patients having experienced one coronary event in their life were susceptible to present differences in their pathways of care and within 1 year of their life courses. We aimed to compare pathways between first-time ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and STEMI with prior myocardial infarction (MI).

Design

A retrospective observational study based on the Observatoire des Syndromes Coronariens Aigus du réseau RESCUe (OSCAR) registry collecting all suspected STEMI from 10 percutaneous coronary intervention centres in France.

Setting

All patients with STEMI from 2013 to 2017 were included (N=6306 with 5423 first-time STEMI and 883 STEMI with prior MI). We provided a matching analysis by propensity score based on cardiovascular risk factors.

Participants

We defined first-time STEMI as STEMI occurring at the inclusion date, and STEMI with prior MI as STEMI with a history of MI prior to the inclusion date.

Results

Patients with first-time STEMI and patients with STEMI with prior MI were equally treated during hospitalisation and at discharge. At 12 months, patients with first-time STEMI had a lower adherence to BASIC treatment (ie, beta-blocker, antiplatelet therapy, statin and converting enzyme inhibitor) (48.11% vs 58.58%, p=0.0167), more frequently completed the cardiac rehabilitation programme (44.33% vs 31.72%, p=0.0029), more frequently changed their lifestyle behaviours; more frequently practiced daily physical activity (48.11% vs 35.82%, p=0.0043) and more frequently stopped smoking at admission (69.39% vs 55.00%, p=0.0524). The estimated mortality was higher for patients with STEMI with prior MI at 1 month (p=0.0100), 6 months (p=0.0500) and 1 year (p=0.0600).

Conclusions

We provided an exhaustive overview of the real-life clinical practice conditions of STEMI management. The patients with STEMI with prior MI presented an optimised use of prehospital resources, which was probably due to their previous experience, and showed a better adherence to drug therapy compared with patients with first-time STEMI.

Trial registration number

Commission Nationale de l’Informatique et des Libertés (number 2 013 090 v0).
Protocol for development and validation of a clinical prediction model for adverse pregnancy outcomes in women with gestational diabetes
Authors: Cooray Shamil D. , Boyle Jacqueline A. , Soldatos Georgia , Zamora Javier , Fernández Félix Borja M. , Allotey John , Thangaratinam Shakila , Teede Helena J.
Published: November 2020

Introduction

Gestational diabetes (GDM) is a common yet highly heterogeneous condition. The ability to calculate the absolute risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes for an individual woman with GDM would allow preventative and therapeutic interventions to be delivered to women at high-risk, sparing women at low-risk from unnecessary care. The Prediction for Risk-Stratified care for women with GDM (PeRSonal GDM) study will develop, validate and evaluate the clinical utility of a prediction model for adverse pregnancy outcomes in women with GDM.

Methods and analysis

We undertook formative research to conceptualise and design the prediction model. Informed by these findings, we will conduct a model development and validation study using a retrospective cohort design with participant data collected as part of routine clinical care across three hospitals. The study will include all pregnancies resulting in births from 1 July 2017 to 31 December 2018 coded for a diagnosis of GDM (estimated sample size 2430 pregnancies). We will use a temporal split-sample development and validation strategy. A multivariable logistic regression model will be fitted. The performance of this model will be assessed, and the validated model will also be evaluated using decision curve analysis. Finally, we will explore modes of model presentation suited to clinical use, including electronic risk calculators.

Ethics and dissemination

This study was approved by the Human Research Ethics Committee of Monash Health (RES-19–0000713 L). We will disseminate results via presentations at scientific meetings and publication in peer-reviewed journals.

Trial registration details

Systematic review proceeding this work was registered on PROSPERO (CRD42019115223) and the study was registered on the Australian and New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ACTRN12620000915954); Pre-results.
Self-reported health without clinically measurable benefits among adult users of multivitamin and multimineral supplements: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Paranjpe Manish D , Chin Alfred C , Paranjpe Ishan , Reid Nicholas J , Duy Phan Q , Wang Jason K , O'Hagan Ross , Arzani Artine , Haghdel Arsalan , Lim Clarence C , Orhurhu Vwaire , Urits Ivan , Ngo Anh L , Glicksberg Benjamin S , Hall Kathryn T , Mehta Darshan , Cooper Richard S , Nadkarni Girish N
Published: November 2020

Objective

Multiple clinical trials fail to identify clinically measurable health benefits of daily multivitamin and multimineral (MVM) consumption in the general adult population. Understanding the determinants of widespread use of MVMs may guide efforts to better educate the public about effective nutritional practices. The objective of this study was to compare self-reported and clinically measurable health outcomes among MVM users and non-users in a large, nationally representative adult civilian non-institutionalised population in the USA surveyed on the use of complementary health practices.

Design

Cross-sectional analysis of the effect of MVM consumption on self-reported overall health and clinically measurable health outcomes.

Participants

Adult MVM users and non-users from the 2012 National Health Interview Survey (n=21 603).

Primary and secondary outcome measures

Five psychological, physical, and functional health outcomes: (1) self-rated health status, (2) needing help with routine needs, (3) history of 10 chronic diseases, (4) presence of 19 health conditions in the past 12 months, and (5) Kessler 6-Item (K6) Psychological Distress Scale to measure non-specific psychological distress in the past month.

Results

Among 4933 adult MVM users and 16 670 adult non-users, MVM users self-reported 30% better overall health than non-users (adjusted OR 1.31; 95% CI 1.17 to 1.46; false discovery rate adjusted p<0.001). There were no differences between MVM users and non-users in history of 10 chronic diseases, number of present health conditions, severity of current psychological distress on the K6 Scale and rates of needing help with daily activities. No effect modification was observed after stratification by sex, education, and race.

Conclusions

MVM users self-reported better overall health despite no apparent differences in clinically measurable health outcomes. These results suggest that widespread use of multivitamins in adults may be a result of individuals’ positive expectation that multivitamin use leads to better health outcomes or a self-selection bias in which MVM users intrinsically harbour more positive views regarding their health.
Chemotherapy-based split stereotactic body radiation therapy for borderline resectable and locally advanced pancreatic cancer: study protocol of a prospective, single-arm phase II trial
Authors: Zheng Rong , Wang Congfei , Huang Xiaoxue , Lin Qingliang , Huang Daxin , Li Xiao-Bo , Huang Heguang , Xu Benhua
Published: November 2020

Introduction

The question of how to administer adequate chemotherapy to synchronise stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) treatment strategy to maximise the benefits of neoadjuvant therapy for the improved prognosis of patients with borderline resectable (BRPC) and locally advanced (LAPC) pancreatic cancer is a challenging and debatable issue. No studies have yet evaluated the efficacy of split-course SBRT as the neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy regimen. We aimed to study whether neoadjuvant chemotherapy plus split-course SBRT results in better outcomes in BRPC and LAPC patients.

Methods and analysis

Treatment-naïve patients with radiographically confirmed BRPC or LAPC, supporting biopsy results and no severe comorbidities will be enrolled. They will be treated with nab-paclitaxel plus gemcitabine (nab-P+Gem) chemotherapy plus split-course SBRT, followed by an investigator’s choice of continuation of treatment with nab-P+Gem or surgery. nab-P+Gem chemotherapy will commence on day 1 for each of six cycles: nab-paclitaxel 125 mg/m2intravenous infusion over approximately 30–45 min, followed by gemcitabine 1000 mg/m2intravenous infusion over about 30 min on days 1 and 15 of each 28-day cycle. During the first and second cycles of chemotherapy, SBRT will be given as a single irradiation of 10 Gy four times (days 2 and 16 of each 28-day cycle). The primary endpoint is progression-free survival; while the secondary outcomes are the time to treatment failure, disease control rate, overall response rate, overall survival, R0 resection rate and incidence of adverse effects.

Ethics and dissemination

The study protocol was approved by the Ethics Committee of Xiehe Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University (No. 2019YF015-01). Results from our study will be disseminated in international peer-reviewed journals. All study procedures were developed in order to assure data protection and confidentiality.

Trial registration number

NCT04289792.
Quality evaluation of case series describing four-factor prothrombin complex concentrate in oral factor Xa inhibitor-associated bleeding: a systematic review
Authors: Costa Olivia S , Baker William L , Roman-Morillo Yuani , McNeil-Posey Kelly , Lovelace Belinda , White C Michael , Coleman Craig I
Published: November 2020

Introduction

As oral factor Xa (oFXa) inhibitor use has increased, so has publication of case series describing related bleeding managed with four-factor prothrombin complex concentrate (4F-PCC).

Objective

This review aimed to identify case series describing 4F-PCC management of oFXa inhibitor-related bleeding and appraise their methodological and reporting quality.

Design

We searched Medline and EMBASE (1 January 2011 to 31 May 2020) to identify series of ≥10 patients with oFXa inhibitor-related major bleeding given off-label 4F-PCC. Case series were evaluated using a validated tool adapted for this topic. The tool addressed patient selection, bleed/outcome ascertainment, causal/temporal association and reporting.

Results

We identified 14 case series. None had ≥100 patients (range=13–84), three were prospective, two detailed appropriate inclusion criteria and four noted consecutive inclusion. While 12 series provided clear/appropriate methods for diagnosis of intracranial haemorrhage (ICH); none did so for extracranial bleeds and it was not clear whether bleeding was adjudicated in any. Haemostatic effectiveness, thrombosis and mortality were together evaluated in 12 series, but only seven used validated methods to evaluate/diagnosis haemostasis in ICH, six in gastrointestinal bleeds, five in other bleeds and three in thrombosis. Independent adjudication of haemostasis (n=1) and thrombosis (n=2) was infrequent. Thirty-day follow-up for mortality and thrombosis was noted in five and seven series. Anticoagulation measurement/levels in at least some patients were conveyed in three series. Few series provided data on anticoagulant agent/dose (n=4), time from anticoagulant (n=4), time-to-reversal (n=7), baseline (n=7) or change (n=0) in neurologic function.

Conclusions

Although many case series describe off-label use of 4F-PCC for oFXa inhibitor-related bleeding, methodological flaws and/or poor reporting necessitates caution in interpretation.
To improve the communication between a community mental health team and its service users, their families and carers
Authors: Chowdhury Priyalakshmi , Tari Amir , Hill Ola , Shah Amar
Published: November 2020

This article describes the application of quality improvement (QI) to solve a long-standing, ongoing problem where service users or their carers felt they were not given enough information regarding diagnosis and medication during clinic assessments in a community mental health setting. Service users and carers had shared feedback that some of the information documented on clinic letters was not accurate and the service users were not given the opportunity to discuss these letters with the clinician. The aim of this QI project was to improve the communication between the community mental health team (CMHT) and service users and their carers. Wardown CMHT volunteered to take on this project. The stakeholders involved were the team manager and deputy manager, the team consultant, the team specialist registrar, team administrative manager, two carers and one service user. The project had access to QI learning and support through East London NHS Foundation Trust’s QI programme. The team organised weekly meetings to brainstorm ideas, plan tests of change to review progress and to agree on the next course of action. The outcome was an increase in service user satisfaction from 59.9% to 78% over a period of 6 months, and a reduction in complaints to zero.
Identification of factors associated with aggressive end-of-life antitumour treatment: retrospective study of 1282 patients with cancer
Authors: Debourdeau Philippe , Belkacémi Mohamed , Economos Guillaume , Assénat Eric , Hilgers Werner , Coussirou Julie , Kouidri Uzan Sfaya , Vasquez Léa , Debourdeau Antoine , Daures Jean Pierre , Salas Sebastien
Published: November 2020

Objective

Antitumour treatment in the last 2 weeks of death (ATT-W2) and a new regimen of ATT within 30 days of death (NATT-M1) are considered as aggressive end-of-life (EOL) care. We aimed to assess factors associated with inappropriate use of antitumour treatment (ATT) at EOL.

Methods

Data of patients with cancer who died in 2013, 2015, 2017 and 2019 in a single for-profit cancer centre were retrospectively analysed. ATT was divided into chemotherapy (CT), oral targeted therapy (OTT), hormonotherapy and immunotherapy (IMT).

Results

A total of 1282 patients were included. NATT-M1 was given to 197 (15.37%) patients, and 167 (13.03%) had an ATT-W2. Patients with a performance status of <2 and treated with CT had more both ATT- W2 (OR=2.45, 95% CI 1.65 to 3.65, and OR=10.29, 95% CI 4.70 to 22.6, respectively) and NATT-M1 (OR=2.01, 95% CI 1.40 to 2.90, and OR=8.41, 95% CI 4.46 to 15.86). Predictive factors of a higher rate of ATT-W2 were treatment with OTT (OR=19.08, 95% CI 7.12 to 51.07), follow-up by a medical oncologist (OR=1.49, 95% CI 1.03 to 2.17), miscellaneous cancer (OR=3.50, 95% CI 1.13 to 10.85) and length of hospital stay before death of <13 days (OR=1.92, 95% CI 1.32 to 2.79). Urinary tract and male genital cancers received less ATT-W2 (OR=0.38, 95% CI 0.16 to 0.89, and OR=0.40, 95% CI 0.16 to 0.99) and patients treated by IMT or with age <69 years more NATT-M1 (OR=19.21, 95% CI 7.55 to 48.8, and OR=1.69, 95% CI 1.20 to 2.37). Patients followed up by the palliative care team (PCT) had fewer ATT-W2 and NATT-M1 (OR=0.49, 95% CI 0.35 to 0.71, and OR=0.42, 95% CI 0.30 to 0.58).

Conclusions

Most recent ATT and access to a PCT follow-up are the two most important potentially modifiable factors associated with aggressive EOL in patients with cancer. Early integrated palliative oncology care could help to decrease futile ATT at EOL.
Experimental investigation on the installation and loading performance of model-scale deep helical piles in very dense sand
Authors: da Silva Diego Moreira , Tsuha Cristina de Hollanda Cavalcanti
Published: November 2020

The use of helical piles has grown over the years owing to different advantages, such as large uplift capacity due to the anchor effect of the helix and installation torque-capacity correlation. Although the use of helical foundations is expanding worldwide, some key aspects fundamental to the design are not well understood to date. Practical experience indicates that the installation forces and loading performance of helical piles in sand are dependent on the helices characteristics and confining stresses. Therefore, for a better understanding of these dependencies, the effects of the helix-to-shaft diameter ratio (wing ratio) and vertical confining stress on the installation torque and forces, and on the uplift and compression capacities of helical piles, were evaluated from nine calibration chamber tests, conducted on instrumented single-helix piles in very dense sand. Among other findings, this study indicated that for a certain shaft diameter (i) the wing ratio influences the installation torque, but does not affect the installation vertical force; (ii) the ultimate uplift pressure mobilized on the helix decreases with the increase of the wing ratio; (iii) the growth rate of the helix bearing resistance with the confining pressure, for vertical stresses higher than 100 kPa, becomes reduced for piles with a larger wing ratio.
A reinterpretation of the Snow Lake gold camp, Trans-Hudson Orogen, Canada: the use of cleavages as markers to correlate structures across deformed terranes
Authors: Rubingh K.E. , Lafrance B. , Gibson H.L.
Published: November 2020

The Snow Lake gold camp is located within amphibolite facies volcanic rocks of the ca. 1.88–1.87 Ga Flin Flon – Glennie Complex (FFGC) in the Trans-Hudson Orogen, Manitoba. During thrusting and collision with the Archean Sask craton, volcanic rocks were interleaved with turbidites of the ca. 1.855–1.84 Ga Burntwood Group and sandstone and conglomerate of the ca. 1.845–1.835 Ga Missi Group. The main cleavage in the turbidites was previously attributed to thrusting and used as a marker for correlating structures across the camp. A re-examination of this cleavage suggests that it overprints the thrust faults and formed during later collision between the FFGC and the Archean Superior craton. This has important implications as it further suggests that (1) previously unrecognized, early brittle thrust faults repeat volcanic stratigraphy and may have created the boundary conditions that enabled the formation of ductile thrust faults, fold nappes, and mega sheath folds; (2) shear sense indicators along ductile thrust faults formed during their reactivation as sinistral shear zones rather than during thrusting; and (3) peak metamorphic conditions were caused by thrusting and stacking during collision with the Sask craton but were attained later during collision with the Superior craton due to the time lag between orogenesis and the re-equilibration of regional isotherms. Results from this study may be applicable to other complexly deformed terranes where the dominant regional cleavage differs in expression in mixed volcanic and sedimentary successions and has been used as a marker for correlating structures.
Managing plantation density through initial spacing and commercial thinning: yield results from a 60-year-old red pine spacing trial experiment
Authors: Thiffault Nelson , Hoepting Michael K. , Fera Jeff , Lussier Jean-Martin , Larocque Guy R.
Published: November 2020

We report on a 60-year-old red pine (Pinus resinosa Aiton) spacing trial experiment located in Ontario, Canada, that included the combinations between six initial spacings (from 1.2 to 3.0 m) and the presence or absence of a commercial thinning (CT) regime, as well as their impacts on quadratic mean diameter (QMD) and stand volume yield. The CT regime, initiated at age 30, targeted a residual basal area (BA) of 38 m2·ha−1after each of four entries. Without thinning, as initial spacing increased, QMD increased; gross and net volume production peaked in the 2.1–2.4 m spacings. With thinning, similar trends with spacing were evident for QMD, although piece sizes were larger and differences between spacings were lower. The immediate increase of mean tree size caused by tree selection explained most of the differences in QMD between thinned and unthinned plots. Thinning to a common target BA resulted in similar standing volume across spacings. Cumulative gross yield was similar between spacings of <2.1 m for both thinned and unthinned stands and decreased for thinned plots for wider spacings. Greater net volume production in thinned stands with the narrower spacings confirmed that mortality was captured. Lower gross and net production for wider spacings suggested that thinning resulted in underutilized growing space.
Rare disease data stewardship in Canada
Authors: Bernier Alexander
Published: November 2020

The Canadian Genomics Partnership for Rare Diseases, spearheaded by Genome Canada, will integrate genome-wide sequencing to rare disease clinical care in Canada. Centralized and tiered models of data stewardship are proposed to ensure that the data generated can be shared for secondary clinical, research, and quality assurance purposes in compliance with ethics and law. The principal ethico-legal obligations of clinicians, researchers, and institutions are synthesized. Governance infrastructures such as registered access platforms, data access compliance offices, and Beacon systems are proposed as potential organizational and technical foundations of responsible rare disease data sharing. The appropriate delegation of responsibilities, the transparent communication of rights and duties, and the integration of data privacy safeguards into infrastructure design are proposed as the cornerstones of rare disease data stewardship.
Fucoidan: Biological Activity in Liver Diseases
Authors: Li Jingjing , Guo Chuanyong , Wu Jianye
Published: November 2020

Fucoidan is a type of polysaccharide rich in sulfuric acid groups and is mainly found in brown algae. Due to its extensive biological activities, such as anticoagulant, antitumor, antithrombotic, antiviral, anti-oxidant and enhancing immune function, fucoidan has gradually become a research hotspot. Under the scientific guidance of modern medical theory, fucoidan and its mechanism in oxidative stress, carbohydrate and lipid metabolism, inflammatory response, tumor proliferation, and metastasis have become a new research direction and an important basis as an effective liver protection drug. In this paper, we discuss the important role of fucoidan in viral hepatitis, liver fibrosis, liver cancer, nonalcoholic fatty liver and liver injury induced by drugs and ischemia and briefly discuss its underlying mechanism. We supplement the theoretical basis for its clinical application and provide effective targets for the development of follow-up dominant drugs.
Bufalin: A Systematic Review of Research Hotspots and Antitumor Mechanisms by Text Mining and Bioinformatics
Authors: Zhang Xian , Zhao Xiaoxuan , Liu Kaili , Che Yuxuan , Qiu Xun , Qu Yanjun , Sun Xiuhua , Song Jincheng
Published: November 2020

Bufalin is an anticancer drug extract from traditional Chinese medicine. Several articles about bufalin have been published. However, the literature on bufalin has not yet been systematically studied. This study aimed to identify the study status and knowledge structures of bufalin and to summarize the antitumor mechanism. Data were retrieved and downloaded from the PubMed database. The softwares of BICOMB, gCLUTO, Ucinet 6.0, and NetDraw2.084 were used to analyze these publications. The bufalin related genes were recognized and tagged by ABNER software. Then these BF-related genes were performed by Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analysis, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways analysis, and protein-protein interaction (PPI) network analysis. A total of 474 papers met the search criteria from 2000 to 2019. By biclustering clustering analysis, the 50 high-frequency main MeSH terms/subheadings were classified into 5 clusters. The clusters of drug therapy and the mechanism of bufalin were hotspot topics. A total of 50 genes were identified as BF-related genes. PPI network analysis showed that inducing apoptosis was the main effect of bufalin, and apoptosis-related gene Caspase 3 was the most reported by people. Bufalin could inhibit the proliferation, invasion, and metastasis of cancer cells through multiple signaling pathways, such as PI3K/AKT, Hedgehog, MAPK/JNK, Wnt/[Formula: see text]-catenin, TGF-[Formula: see text]/Smad, Integrin signaling pathway, and NF-KB signaling pathway via KEGG analysis. Through the quantitative analysis of bufalin literature, we revealed the research status and hot spots in this field and provided some guidance for further research.
Pterostilbene, a Bioactive Component of Blueberries, Alleviates Renal Interstitial Fibrosis by Inhibiting Macrophage-Myofibroblast Transition
Authors: Feng Yanhuan , Guo Fan , Mai Hongxia , Liu Jing , Xia Zijing , Zhu Guonian , Zhang Jinhang , Ma Liang , Fu Ping
Published: November 2020

Pterostilbene (PTB) is a derivative of resveratrol present in grapes and blueberries. PTB is structurally similar to resveratrol, possessing properties such as being analgesic, anti-aging, antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory, anti-obesity, anti-oxidation, cholesterol-reductive, and neuroprotective. However, there have not been reports on the effect of PTB on macrophage-myofibroblast transition (MMT) induced fibrosis in kidney. In this study, we investigated the antifibrotic effects of PTB on the in vivo mouse unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO) model and in vitro MMT cells. Kidneys subjected to UUO with PTB treatment were collected for the investigation of PTB mediating MMT derived renal interstitial fibrosis. We conducted kidney RNA-seq transcriptomes and TGF-[Formula: see text]1-induced bone marrow-derived macrophages assays to determine the mechanisms of PTB. We found that PTB treatment suppressed the interstitial fibrosis in UUO mice. PTB also attenuated the number of MMT cells in vivo and in vitro. The transcriptomic analysis showed that CXCL10 may play a central role in the process of PTB-treated renal fibrosis. The siRNA-mediated CXCL10 knockdown decreased the number of MMT cells in TGF-[Formula: see text]1-induced bone marrow-derived macrophages. Our results suggested that PTB attenuated renal interstitial fibrosis by mediating MMT by regulating transcriptional activity of CXCL10.
Study on Fano resonance sensing characteristics of double-baffle MDM waveguide coupled disk cavity with absorption material
Authors: Chen Ying , Cao Jinggang , Xu Yangmei , Gao Xinbei , Xie Jinchao
Published: November 2020

A metal-dielectric-metal (MDM) waveguide coupled disk cavity structure with bimetallic baffle is proposed, which bases on the transmission characteristics of surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) in subwavelength structure, and the absorption material InGaAsP is filled in the Fabry–Perot (F-P) cavity and disk cavity. The Fano resonance is an asymmetric spectral line formed by the destructive interference between the wide continuous state generated by the F-P resonator and the narrow discrete state interference generated by the disk cavity. Based on the coupled mode theory, the formation mechanism of the Fano resonance of the structure is qualitatively analyzed. The structure was simulated by finite element method to quantitatively analyze the influence of structural parameters and absorption material InGaAsP on the refractive index sensing characteristics. The proposed sensor yields sensitivity higher than 1360 nm/refractive index unit (RIU) and a figure of merit of [Formula: see text] by optimizing the geometry parameters and filling the absorption material InGaAsP. This structure has potential applications for high integration of nanosensors, slow-light devices, and nano-optical switches.
Reliability analysis of Tianjin urban rail transit network based on complex network evolution characteristics
Authors: Zeng Junwei , Qian Yongsheng , Liu Xiaodi , Zhang Chaoyang , Xu Dejie , Wei Xuting
Published: November 2020

The rapid development of new urbanization boosts the pace of urban rail transit (URT) network construction. The new-built lines not only facilitate people’s daily travel, but also change the reliability of the original network. In this paper, based on the complex network theory, the static characteristics of Tianjin URT represented by the current and forward networks are analyzed. The global efficiency is selected as the evaluation index to analyze the evolution characteristics of the network. The results show that Zhigu station and Xiawafang station are more vulnerable in the current network, while Zhangxingzhuang station and Jinzhonghe street station are the key stations in the forward network, and need to be paid more attention. Meanwhile, the lines M9 and Z2 as the key lines in the long-term network and their reliability must be ensured.
Rogue waves on the periodic background in the higher-order modified Korteweg-de Vries equation
Authors: Chen Fa , Zhang Hai-Qiang
Published: November 2020

In this paper, we investigate the higher-order modified Korteweg–de Vries (mKdV) equation by using an algebraic method. On the background of the Jacobi elliptic function, we obtain the admissible eigenvalues and the corresponding non-periodic eigenfunctions of the spectral problem in this higher-order model. Then, with the aid of the Darboux transformation (DT), we derive the rogue dn- and cn-periodic wave solutions. Finally, we analyze the non-linear dynamics of two kinds of rogue periodic waves.
Effect of B, Al, Ga doping on the electronic structure and optical property of 4H-SiC system by the first principles calculation
Authors: Lu Xuefeng , Dong Changyu , Guo Xin , Ren Junqiang , Xue Hongtao , Tao Fuling
Published: November 2020

In this paper, the microscopic electronic structure and related optical properties of the 4H-SiC (111) surface doped with B, Al, Ga elements are explored by first principles calculation methods. Compared with Al- and Ga-doped systems, the formation energy of B-doped system is found to be very small, showing excellent stability. The bandgaps of doped system decrease obviously, and an indirect bandgap is observed in all the systems. Charge density difference maps show that the covalency is increased after B doping and the iconicity is increased after Al and Ga doping. Moreover, due to the sharp increase in static dielectric constant and dielectric loss, the B-doped system can be used as the candidate for absorbing materials. In addition, the increase in the peak value of the absorption and reflectivity makes the doped systems more promising in the development of solar cells.
Camouflaged Object Detection and Tracking: A Survey
Authors: Mondal Ajoy
Published: November 2020

Moving object detection and tracking have various applications, including surveillance, anomaly detection, vehicle navigation, etc. The literature on object detection and tracking is rich enough, and there exist several essential survey papers. However, the research on camouflage object detection and tracking is limited due to the complexity of the problem. Existing work on this problem has been done based on either biological characteristics of the camouflaged objects or computer vision techniques. In this paper, we review the existing camouflaged object detection and tracking techniques using computer vision algorithms from the theoretical point of view. This paper also addresses several issues of interest as well as future research direction in this area. We hope this paper will help the reader to learn the recent advances in camouflaged object detection and tracking.
Effect of Various Visual Speech Units on Language Identification Using Visual Speech Recognition
Authors: Brahme Aparna , Bhadade Umesh
Published: November 2020

In this paper, we describe our work in Spoken language Identification using Visual Speech Recognition (VSR) and analyze the effect of various visual speech units used to transcribe the visual speech on language recognition. We have proposed a new approach of word recognition followed by the word N-gram language model (WRWLM), which uses high-level syntactic features and the word bigram language model for language discrimination. Also, as opposed to the traditional visemic approach, we propose a holistic approach of using the signature of a whole word, referred to as a “Visual Word” as visual speech unit for transcribing visual speech. The result shows Word Recognition Rate (WRR) of 88% and Language Recognition Rate (LRR) of 94% in speaker dependent cases and 58% WRR and 77% LRR in speaker independent cases for English and Marathi digit classification task. The proposed approach is also evaluated for continuous speech input. The result shows that the Spoken Language Identification rate of 50% is possible even though the WRR using Visual Speech Recognition is below 10%, using only 1[Formula: see text]s of speech. Also, there is an improvement of about 5% in language discrimination as compared to traditional visemic approaches.
Diffusion phenomenon for indirectly damped hyperbolic systems coupled by velocities in exterior domains
Authors: Aloui Lassaad , Arama Amal
Published: November 2020

We consider a system of two coupled wave equations in an exterior domain, where only one equation is directly damped. We prove that the solutions are [Formula: see text]-approximated by special functions, classified into three patterns depending on the values of the damping and the coupling terms, as well as on the speeds of the waves. In particular, when the damping term is sufficiently large, the waves are asymptotically equal to solutions of parabolic-type equations as [Formula: see text]. This result generalizes the standard diffusion phenomenon for directly damped hyperbolic systems.
Generating Pairs for the Fischer Group Fi23
Authors: Ali Faryad , Al-Kadhi Mohammed
Published: November 2020

A group G is said to be (l, m, n)-generated if it is a quotient of the triangle group [Formula: see text]. Moori posed in 1993 the question of finding all the triples (l, m, n) such that non-abelian finite simple groups are (l, m, n)-generated. We partially answer this question for the Fischer sporadic simple group Fi23. In particular, we investigate all (2, q, r)-generations for the Fischer sporadic simple group Fi23, where q and r are distinct prime divisors of |Fi23|.
Investigating and Modeling the Web Elements’ Visual Feature Influence on Free-viewing Attention
Authors: Vidyapu Sandeep , Vedula Vijaya Saradhi , Bhattacharya Samit
Published: November 2020

User attentional analyses on web elements help in synthesis and rendering of webpages. However, majority of the existing analyses are limited in incorporating the intrinsic visual features of text and images. This study aimed to analyze the influence of elements’ visual features (font-size, font-family, color, etc., for text; and brightness, color, intensity, etc., for images) besides their position on users’ free-viewing visual attention. The investigation includes: (i) user’s position-based attention allocation on text and image web elements, (ii) identification of informative visual features with respect to the attention, (iii) performance of informative visual features in predicting the
ordinal visual attention
(fixation-indices). Towards the study, an eye-tracking experiment was conducted with 42 participants on 36 real-world webpages. The analyses revealed: (i) Though users predominantly allocate the initial attention to MiddleCenter}, MiddleLeft, TopCenter, TopLeft regions, the elements in Right and Bottom regions are not completely ignored; (ii)
Space
-related (column-gap, line-height, padding) and font
Size
-related (font-size, font-weight) intrinsic text features, and
Mid-level Color Histogram
intrinsic image features are informative, while position and size are informative for both the types; (iii) the informative visual features predict the ordinal visual attention on an element with 90% average accuracy and 70% micro-F1 score. Our approach finds applications in element-granular web-designing and user attention prediction.