bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Multi Echelon Distribution Model for Electric Market Deregulation Collaboration Strategy in East Kalimantan
Authors: Gani Irwan , Wahyuda  , Santosa Budi , Muliati
Published: June 2019

Electric market deregulation aims to provide flexibility for customers to have many suppliers and low prices. However, market deregulation also provides opportunity for certain parties to manipulate supply, so there is a scarcity of products that result in price increases. Therefore, this research proposes a collaborative strategy for electricity market deregulation using the Multi Echelon distribution model applied in East Kalimantan with dummy data. Collaboration strategy made based on optimization of mathematical models in two stages and three scenarios. The simulation was carried out using Excel Solver covering three regions, dynamic time and estimated price fluctuations over three periods. As a result, Gencos gets the biggest profit when serving basic load. Whereas wheeling occurs, the D4 region is a strategic area that generates the largest profit compared to the D1 and D6 regions.
Supply Chain Risk Management on Wooden Toys Industries by using House of Risk (HOR) and Analytical Network Process (ANP) Method
Authors: Tanjung W N , Khodijah R S , Hidayat S , Ripmiatin E , Atikah S A , Asti S S
Published: June 2019

Good risk management will reduce the impact and risk of an event. In this study discussed the risks that may arise in the wooden toy industry supply chain and how to manage these risks. The calculation divided into three phases; there are risk mapping, risk assessment, and risk management. House of Risk (HOR) is used in calculating potential risks and Analytical Network Process (ANP) is used to choose the best strategy for supply chain risk management. Followed by HOR calculation, risk that has the greatest value and selected as potential risk is the risk of price/cost fluctuations with an ARP value of 432. The strategy of this risk is grouped based on 2 causes, namely raw material price fluctuations and poor management. With ANP calculations, the strategy for raw material price fluctuations are understanding and determining the quantity of material used (28.14%) and combining woods with various commodities (23.23%). Then the alternative for poor management are doing strategic financial accounting (54.48%) and doing financial planning (33.07%).
The relation of Indonesia’s strategic industry principles and Supply Chain Operations Reference (SCOR) Performance Attribute
Authors: JokoSulistio  , Alfatih Afrizal Bayu
Published: June 2019

Article 33 of the1945 Constitution clearly states that all vital factors of production, called strategic industries, are controlled by the state and to be use for the prosperity of Indonesian people. This article implies that the strategic industries supply chain should be managed accordingly. The fourth amendment of the 1945 Constitution offers a macro framework as principles to conduct the supply chain. They are Togetherness, Efficiency of justice, Continuity, Environmental perspective and Self-Sufficiency. Furthermore, the framework can be used to build performance measurement indicators for the supply chain. Currently the method that is widely used to measure supply chain performance is the Supply Chain Operation Reference (SCOR). This study studied the relations of the strategic industries principle and performance indicators within the SCOR. Twelve professionals and researchers are interviewed as respondents to investigate those relations. More than 90% respondents agreed that; (1) the principle of togetherness is strongly related to Reliability, Responsiveness and Agility; (2) Efficiency of justice is strongly related to Responsiveness; (3) Continuity is strongly related to Agility; (4) Environmental Perspective is strongly related to Green Supply Chain, and; (5) Self-Sufficiency is strongly related to Responsiveness. Therefore, SCOR performance measurement attribute is related with the strategic industries principles.
Effect of Water and Acid Pre-treatment on the Physicochemical Properties of Rice Husk for Silica Extraction
Authors: Librea J T , Dacanay F D , Martin Z Z , Diaz L L
Published: June 2019

Rice husks are residue materials from rice milling. These materials are mostly discarded after obtaining the rice, however, numerous studies have found out that rice husks are an excellent renewable source of silica. Rice husks are generally turned into rice husk ash in order to extract the silica in the material. Prior to the combustion process, pre-treatment methods are usually done in order to minimize the impurities in the husks. Failure to remove these impurities lead to undesired properties of the extracted silica. As such, we investigate some common pre-treatment methods, namely water and acid (HCl) treatment, and their effects on the surface morphology and elemental composition of the husks after treatment. It was found that H2O was more effective in removing the bromide ions Br−, while HCl becomes less effective at increasing concentration. Also, acid treatment was more effective in removing the sodium and potassium components compared to water treatment. However, efficiency decreases as the acid concentration increases due to interference of silica polymerization. Thus, for the removal of impurities in rice husk, lower concentration of acid pre-treatment is recommended.
Transmissibility, Isolation Region and Damping Characteristics of Gray Cast Iron and Aluminium Composite
Authors: Nindhia T.G.T.
Published: June 2019

All The metal composite was prepared in this research by utilizing waste of aluminum and gray cast iron chips in supporting the global program of sustainable recycling-oriented society. The process was carried out via hot extrusion at 400°C. Three compositions were provided in this research, namely the composition of aluminum chips with addition 0 vol.%, 20 vol.%, and 40 vol.% of gray cast iron chips. Increasing the gray cast iron was found affect on reducing the natural frequency of the product. Addition about 20 vol.% of gray cast iron decreases the value of damping capacity. Conversely, addition about 40 vol.% gray cast iron increases the value of damping capacity significantly. It was also found that the addition of gray cast iron could extend the isolation region and decreased the transmissibility at the isolation region.
Experimental Characterisation and Numerical Modelling of the Effect of Cold Rolling on the Nanoindentation Response of Pure Zinc Grains
Authors: Nguyen P T N , Abbès F , Abbès B , Lecomte J-S , Schuman C
Published: June 2019

In this study, the orientation-dependent response of as-received annealed cold-rolled pure zinc and material with thickness reduction rate of 50% grains using instrumented indentation tests is investigated. The experiments were characterized by orientation microscopy and atomic force microscopy scans to quantify the orientation-dependent mechanical response during nanoindentation. The single crystal hardening parameters are then identified for each family of slip system by using crystal plasticity finite element (CPFE) simulations. Comparison between experimental and numerical results in terms of “load-penetration depth” curves show a good agreement. The increased percentage of cold reduction increases the identified critical resolved shear stress (CRSS). Finally, the accuracy of the model is evaluated by comparing experimental and numerical data issued from nanoindentation response grains of distinct crystalline orientations involving different slip systems activity rates.
Springback Analysis in Flexible-bending Process of Tubes
Authors: Shi Chaofan , Fu Wenzhi , Li Mingzhe , Yi Zhuo
Published: June 2019

Flexible-bending, as a new bending technology, is widely used in the processing of profiles and tubes, especially in the production of small batches and multi-curvature. In flexible-bending process of tubes, the stress is complex and the springback problem exists which affects the forming accuracy and quality of bent tubes. In this paper, the springback is studied and solved by springback compensation by means of finite element numerical simulation and experimental verification. The results show that the wall thickness of tubes and the bending radii have important influence on springback. Springback compensation can effectively solve the problem of forming error caused by springback because that the forming radii after compensation can approach the target radius gradually. The experiments were carried out with flexible-bending equipment. The simulation results were in agreement with the experiments, which proved the reliability of the simulation.
Characterisation of fac-tris [2-phenylpyridinato-C2, N]iridium(III) by inelastic neutron scattering spectroscopy and periodic density functional theory
Authors: Parker Stewart F
Published: June 2019

fac-Tris[2-phenylpyridinato-C
2, N]iridium(III) (tris-(2-phenylpyridine) iridium, [Ir(ppy)3]), is a metal complex with applications that range from its use in organic light emitting diodes, to its acting as an efficient photocatalyst for a variety of organic reactions. In this paper the INS spectrum of this material is recorded for the first time and it is analysed by periodic density functional theory calculations of both its trigonal and tetragonal polymorphs. The differences between the calculated INS spectra of the trigonal and tetragonal forms and the isolated molecule demonstrate that the intermolecular interactions play a significant role. This is surprising for what is, nominally, a van der Waals solid.
Transmission of entangled photons studied by quantum tomography: do we need plasmonic resonances?
Authors: Remy Mathilde , Bokic Bojana , Cormann Mirko , Kubo Wakana , Caudano Yves , Kolaric Branko
Published: June 2019

We performed quantum tomography to reveal the robustness of quantum correlations of photons entangled in polarisation after their interaction with plasmonic and nonplasmonic environments at normal incidence. The experimental findings clearly show that the visibility of quantum correlations survives the interaction, and that the presence of plasmonic resonances has not any significant influence on the survival of polarisation correlations for transmitted photon pairs. The results indicate that quantum states can be encoded into the multiple motions of a many-body electronic system without demolishing their quantum nature. The plasmonic structures and their resonances only enhance the overall transmission. Thus, they could benefit the pair detection rate, that is the number of coincidences per unit of time, but they do not affect the visibility of quantum correlations. We also performed quantum tomography of the entangled pairs after interaction with the continuous planar gold film as a function of the incidence angle. The latter illustrates the loss of polarization correlations that arises from the partially polarizing properties of the isotropic sample out of normal incidence. Our work shows that plasmonic structures are not needed to exploit quantum entanglement if the rate of coincidence counting is sufficient.
A robust algorithm for k-point grid generation and symmetry reduction
Authors: Hart Gus L W , Jorgensen Jeremy J , Morgan Wiley S , Forcade Rodney W
Published: June 2019

We develop an algorithm for i) computing generalized regular

k

-point grids, ii) reducing the grids to their symmetrically distinct points, and iii) mapping the reduced grid points into the Brillouin zone. The algorithm exploits the connection between integer matrices and finite groups to achieve a computational complexity that is linear with the number of

k

-points. The favorable scaling means that, at a given

k

-point density, all possible commensurate grids can be generated (as suggested by Moreno and Soler) and quickly reduced to identify the grid with the fewest symmetrically unique

k

-points. These optimal grids provide significant speed-up compared to Monkhorst–Pack

k

-point grids; they have better symmetry reduction resulting in fewer irreducible

k

-points at a given grid density. The integer nature of this new reduction algorithm also simplifies issues with finite precision in current implementations. The algorithm is available as open source software.
Maximum curvature for curves in manifolds of sectional curvature at most zero or one
Authors: Andrews Ben , Xiong Changwei
Published: June 2019

We prove a sharp lower bound for the maximum curvature of a closed curve in a complete, simply connected Riemannian manifold of sectional curvature at most zero or one. When the bound is attained, we get the rigidity result. The proof utilizes the maximum principle for a suitable two-point function. In the same spirit, we also obtain a lower bound for the maximum curvature of a curve in the same ambient manifolds which has the same endpoints with a fixed geodesic segment and has a prescribed contact angle. As a corollary, the latter result applies to a curve with free boundary in geodesic balls of Euclidean space and hemisphere.
Got Milk? Using Nudges to Reduce Consumption of Added Sugar
Authors: Lai Chien‐Yu , List John A , Samek Anya
Published: June 2019

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) is a federal food assistance program that serves over 30 million children in the United States annually. Yet the impact of NSLP on nutritional intake may be limited because children frequently do not choose the healthier offerings or waste large portions of their meal. In this article, we study whether we can improve the impact of the NSLP on child food choice through low‐cost nudges. We conduct a field experiment in a school lunchroom with 2,500 children, evaluating the impact of informational prompts on milk choice and consumption over two weeks. We find that prompts alone increase the proportion of children choosing and consuming the healthier white milk relative to sugar‐sweetened chocolate milk from 20% in the control group to 30% in the treatment groups. Adding health or taste messaging to the prompt does not seem to make a difference. We survey students and find that most prompts affect perceived healthfulness of the milk, but not perceived taste. Finally, we find that the prompts are nearly as effective as a small nonmonetary incentive.
MRLR: unraveling high-resolution meiotic recombination by linked reads
Authors: Xu Peng , Kennell Timothy , Gao Min ,   Human Genome Structural Variation Consortium, Kimberly Robert P , Chong Zechen
Published: June 2019

Motivation

Meiotic recombination facilitates the transmission of exchanged genetic material between homologous chromosomes and plays a crucial role in increasing the genetic variations in eukaryotic organisms. In humans, thousands of crossover events have been identified by genotyping related family members. However, most of these crossover regions span tens to hundreds of kb, which is not sufficient resolution to accurately identify the crossover breakpoints in a typical trio family.

Results

We have developed MRLR, a software using 10X linked reads to identify crossover events at a high resolution. By reconstructing the gamete genome, MRLR only requires a trio family dataset and can efficiently discover the crossover events. Using MRLR, we revealed a fine-scale pattern of crossover regions in six human families. From the two closest heterozygous alleles around the crossovers, we determined that MRLR achieved a median resolution 4.5 kb. This method can delineate a genome-wide landscape of crossover events at a precise scale, which is important for both functional and genomic features analysis of meiotic recombination.

Availability and implementation

MRLR is freely available at https://github.com/ChongLab/MRLR, implemented in Perl.

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Systemic Molecular Mediators of Inflammation Differentiate Between Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis, Implicating Threshold Levels of IL-10 and Relative Ratios of Pro-inflammatory Cytokines in Therapy
Authors: Kiernan Miranda G , Coffey J Calvin , Sahebally Shaheel M , Tibbitts Paul , Lyons Emma M , O’leary Eimear , Owolabi Funke , Dunne Colum P
Published: June 2019

Background and Aims

Faecal diversion is associated with improvements in Crohn’s disease but not ulcerative colitis, indicating that differing mechanisms mediate the diseases. This study aimed to investigate levels of systemic mediators of inflammation, including fibrocytes and cytokines, [1] in patients with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis preoperatively compared with healthy controls and [2] in patients with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis prior to and following faecal diversion.

Methods

Blood samples were obtained from healthy individuals and patients with Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis. Levels of circulating fibrocytes were quantified using flow cytometric analysis and their potential relationship to risk factors of inflammatory bowel disease were determined. Levels of circulating cytokines involved in inflammation and fibrocyte recruitment and differentiation were investigated.

Results

Circulating fibrocytes were elevated in Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis patients when compared with healthy controls. Smoking, or a history of smoking, was associated with increases in circulating fibrocytes in Crohn’s disease, but not ulcerative colitis. Cytokines involved in fibrocyte recruitment were increased in Crohn’s disease patients, whereas patients with ulcerative colitis displayed increased levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Faecal diversion in Crohn’s disease patients resulted in decreased circulating fibrocytes, pro-inflammatory cytokines, and TGF-β1, and increased IL-10, whereas the inverse was observed in ulcerative colitis patients.

Conclusions

The clinical effect of faecal diversion in Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis may be explained by differing circulating fibrocyte and cytokine responses. Such differences aid in understanding the disease mechanisms and suggest a new therapeutic strategy for inflammatory bowel disease.
The Health of Commercial Bombus impatiens (Hymenoptera: Apidae) Colonies After Foraging in Florida Watermelon and Blueberry
Authors: Campbell Joshua W , Bammer Mary , Bustamante Tomas A , Ellis James D
Published: June 2019

Bumble bees are commonly used to provide pollination services within crop fields and greenhouses, with Bombus impatiens Cresson; Hymenoptera: Apidae, a bee native to the eastern United States, being the only managed bumble bee available commercially in the United States. Although many researchers have explored managed bumble bees’ ability to pollinate various crops and the potential spread of pathogens by managed bumble bees, scant research is available on how managed bumble bee colony health is affected after foraging within crop fields. We measured 10 B. impatiens colony health parameters: 1) colony weight; number of 2) honey/pollen pots, 3) workers, 4) queens, 5) drones, 6) immatures, 7) eggs; and weight of 8) workers, 9) drones, and 10) queens from colonies that foraged within blueberry or watermelon fields, and compared them to control colonies that were purchased and immediately frozen upon receipt. Bees that foraged within blueberry increased in colony weight and in the number of immatures and eggs during the bloom period compared to control colonies. In contrast, bee colonies placed within watermelon decreased in colony weight, number of workers and immature bees, and individual bee weight compared to control colonies. Blueberry appeared to provide bees with sufficient nectar and pollen, whereas watermelon may not have provided adequate resources for the bees. Bees foraging within watermelon were probably forced to search for other sources of pollen and nectar, resulting in colony health parameter declines. Our data suggest that some crops (e.g., blueberry) can support managed B. impatiens, potentially adding to localized bumble bee populations, while others (e.g., watermelon) cannot.
Simultaneous TE Analysis of 19 Heliconiine Butterflies Yields Novel Insights into Rapid TE-Based Genome Diversification and Multiple SINE Births and Deaths
Authors: Ray David A , Grimshaw Jenna R , Halsey Michaela K , Korstian Jennifer M , Osmanski Austin B , Sullivan Kevin A M , Wolf Kristen A , Reddy Harsith , Foley Nicole , Stevens Richard D , Knisbacher Binyamin A , Levy Orr , Counterman Brian , Edelman Nathaniel B , Mallet James
Published: June 2019

Transposable elements (TEs) play major roles in the evolution of genome structure and function. However, because of their repetitive nature, they are difficult to annotate and discovering the specific roles they may play in a lineage can be a daunting task. Heliconiine butterflies are models for the study of multiple evolutionary processes including phenotype evolution and hybridization. We attempted to determine how TEs may play a role in the diversification of genomes within this clade by performing a detailed examination of TE content and accumulation in 19 species whose genomes were recently sequenced. We found that TE content has diverged substantially and rapidly in the time since several subclades shared a common ancestor with each lineage harboring a unique TE repertoire. Several novel SINE lineages have been established that are restricted to a subset of species. Furthermore, the previously described SINE, Metulj, appears to have gone extinct in two subclades while expanding to significant numbers in others. This diversity in TE content and activity has the potential to impact how heliconiine butterflies continue to evolve and diverge.
Single-Dose Mucosal Immunotherapy With Chimpanzee Adenovirus-Based Vaccine Accelerates Tuberculosis Disease Control and Limits Its Rebound After Antibiotic Cessation
Authors: Afkhami Sam , Lai Rocky , D’agostino Michael R , Vaseghi-Shanjani Maryam , Zganiacz Anna , Yao Yushi , Jeyanathan Mangalakumari , Xing Zhou
Published: June 2019

Background

The development of strategies to accelerate disease resolution and shorten antibiotic therapy is imperative in curbing the global tuberculosis epidemic. Therapeutic application of novel vaccines adjunct to antibiotics represents such a strategy.

Methods

By using a murine model of pulmonary tuberculosis (TB), we have investigated whether a single respiratory mucosal therapeutic delivery of a novel chimpanzee adenovirus-vectored vaccine expressing Ag85A (AdCh68Ag85A) accelerates TB disease control in conjunction with antibiotics and restricts pulmonary disease rebound after premature (nonsterilizing) antibiotic cessation.

Results

We find that immunotherapy via the respiratory mucosal, but not parenteral, route significantly accelerates pulmonary mycobacterial clearance, limits lung pathology, and restricts disease rebound after premature antibiotic cessation. We further show that vaccine-activated antigen-specific T cells, particularly CD8 T cells, in the lung play an important role in immunotherapeutic effects.

Conclusions

Our results indicate that a single-dose respiratory mucosal immunotherapy with AdCh68Ag85A adjunct to antibiotic therapy has the potential to significantly accelerate disease control and shorten the duration of conventional treatment. Our study provides the proof of principle to support therapeutic applications of viral-vectored vaccines via the respiratory route.
Reflections on the decade of the neglected tropical diseases
Authors: Malecela Mwelecele Ntuli
Published: June 2019

Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are a group of diseases that disproportionately affect the poorest of the poor. While for years attention has focused on single diseases within this group, efforts during the past decade have resulted in their being grouped together to highlight that they are fundamentally diseases of neglected populations. The formation of a World Health Organization department to address these diseases consolidated the efforts of the many stakeholders involved. In the past decade, focus has shifted from the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), where NTDs are not mentioned, to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), where NTDs are not only mentioned, but clear indicators are provided to measure progress. It has also been a decade where many NTD programmes have scaled up rapidly thanks to work by affected countries through their master plans, the commitment of partners and the unprecedented donations of pharmaceutical manufacturers. This decade has also seen the scaling down of programmes and acknowledgement of the elimination of some diseases in several countries. Given the successes to date, the challenges identified over the past decade and the opportunities of the coming decade, the NTD Programme at the WHO is working with partners and stakeholders to prepare the new NTD roadmap for 2021 to 2030. The focus is on three major paradigm shifts: a change of orientation from process to impact, a change in technical focus from diseases to delivery platforms and a change from an external-based agenda and funding to a more country-led and funded implementation within health systems. This article reviews the past decade and offers a glimpse of what the future might hold for NTDs as a litmus test of SDG achievements.
Text message alerts to emergency physicians identifying potential study candidates increase clinical trial enrollment
Authors: Simon Laura E , Rauchwerger Adina S , Chettipally Uli K , Babakhanian Leon , Vinson David R , Warton E Margaret , Reed Mary E , Kharbanda Anupam B , Kharbanda Elyse O , Ballard Dustin W
Published: June 2019

Prospective enrollment of research subjects in the fast-paced emergency department (ED) is challenging. We sought to develop a software application to increase real-time clinical trial enrollment during an ED visit. The Prospective Intelligence System for Clinical Emergency Services (PISCES) scans the electronic health record during ED encounters for preselected clinical characteristics of potentially eligible study participants and notifies the treating physician via mobile phone text alerts. PISCES alerts began 3 months into a cluster randomized trial of an electronic health record–based risk stratification tool for pediatric abdominal pain in 11 Northern California EDs. We compared aggregate enrollment before (2577 eligible patients, October 2016 to December 2016) and after (12 049 eligible patients, January 2017 to January 2018) PISCES implementation. Enrollment increased from 10.8% to 21.1% following PISCES implementations (P < .001). PISCES significantly increased study enrollment and can serve as a valuable tool to assist prospective research enrollment in the ED.
Determining Immediate Burn Bed Availability to Support Regional Disaster Response
Authors: Conlon Kathe M , Bell Robert , Lee Robin A , Marano Michael
Published: June 2019

Determining burn bed availability from the start of a disaster is critical to emergency response efforts, yet continues to be one of the most elusive aspects for planners to anticipate. Healthcare providers agree that, over time, burn centers (BCs) can and will move patients, activate staff, and bring in supplies to meet surge needs. The real challenge lies in identifying how many beds will be immediately available to handle any initial surge of patients. A consortium of 27 BCs in the northeast participates in a telephone bed census program. Although only accurate at the time of each call, clinical staff is asked to report the number of open ICU and/or step-down beds. Retrospective review of 86 Burn Bed Census (BBC) reports was conducted over an 8-year period. Data were statistically analyzed for total, absolute minimum, mean, SD and linear trend analysis. The mean for immediately available beds from January 2009 through December 2016 is 72; with monthly averages ranging from 62 (7%) average available beds in January to 78 (9%) average available beds in November. Monthly SDs range from 6 in July to 17 in November. One goal for disaster planners is to approximate a number of immediately available beds without overwhelming any one BC with too many patients. Utilizing this model enables planners and clinicians throughout the northeast to predict potential burn bed availability and make more reliable decisions about when and where to initially send patients.
Time-Independent Prediction of Burn Depth Using Deep Convolutional Neural Networks
Authors: Cirillo Marco Domenico , Mirdell Robin , Sjöberg Folke , Pham Tuan D
Published: June 2019

We present in this paper the application of deep convolutional neural networks (CNNs), which is a state-of-the-art artificial intelligence (AI) approach in machine learning, for automated time-independent prediction of burn depth. Color images of four types of burn depth injured in first few days, including normal skin and background, acquired by a TiVi camera were trained and tested with four pretrained deep CNNs: VGG-16, GoogleNet, ResNet-50, and ResNet-101. In the end, the best 10-fold cross-validation results obtained from ResNet-101 with an average, minimum, and maximum accuracy are 81.66, 72.06, and 88.06%, respectively; and the average accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity for the four different types of burn depth are 90.54, 74.35, and 94.25%, respectively. The accuracy was compared with the clinical diagnosis obtained after the wound had healed. Hence, application of AI is very promising for prediction of burn depth and, therefore, can be a useful tool to help in guiding clinical decision and initial treatment of burn wounds.
Circulating Tumor DNA Analysis: Clinical Implications for Colorectal Cancer Patients. A Systematic Review
Authors: Bach Sander , Sluiter Nina R , Beagan Jamie J , Mekke Joost M , Ket Johannes C F , van Grieken Nicole C T , Steenbergen Renske D M , Ylstra Bauke , Kazemier Geert , Tuynman Jurriaan B
Published: June 2019

Background

Liquid biopsies could improve diagnosis, prognostication, and monitoring of colorectal cancer (CRC). Mutation, chromosomal copy number alteration, and methylation analysis in circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) from plasma or serum has gained great interest. However, the literature is inconsistent on preferred candidate markers, hampering a clear direction for further studies and clinical translation. This review assessed the potential of ctDNA analysis for clinical utility.

Methods

A systematic review according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses guidelines was conducted up to December 3, 2018, followed by methodological quality assessment. Primary endpoints were accuracy for detection, prognostication, and monitoring.

Results

Eighty-four studies were included. For CRC detection, sensitivity was 75% using ctDNA mutation analysis and up to 96% using copy number analysis. Septin 9 (SEPT9) hypermethylation analysis showed sensitivities of 100% and specificities of 97%. Regarding prognostication, ctDNA KRAS mutations were associated with oncological outcome and could predict response to anti–epidermal growth factor receptor therapy. For monitoring, sequential ctDNA KRAS mutation analysis showed promise for detection of relapses or therapy resistance.

Conclusions

This comprehensive overview of ctDNA candidate markers demonstrates SEPT9 methylation analysis to be promising for CRC detection, and KRAS mutation analysis could assist in prognostication and monitoring. Prospective evaluation of marker panels in clinical decision making should bring ctDNA analysis into practice.
A comparative analysis and improvement of MaxSAT encodings for coalition structure generation under MC-nets
Authors: Liao Xiaojuan , Koshimura Miyuki
Published: June 2019

Coalition structure generation (CSG) is one of the main research issues in the use of coalitional games in multiagent systems and weighted partial MaxSAT (WPM) encodings, i.e. rule relation-based WPM (RWPM) and agent relation-based WPM (AWPM), which are efficient for solving the CSG problem. Existing studies show that AWPM surpasses RWPM since it achieves more compact encoding; it generates fewer variables and clauses than RWPM. However, in this paper, we focus on a special case in which the two encodings generate identical numbers of variables and clauses. Experiments show that RWPM surprisingly has a dominant advantage over AWPM, which aroused our interest. We exploit the deep-rooted reason and find that it is the redundancy when encoding transitive laws in RWPM that leads to this situation. Finally, we remove redundant clauses for transitive laws in RWPM and develop an improved RWPM with refined transitive laws to solve the CSG problem. Experiments demonstrate that refined encoding is more compact and efficient than previous WPM encodings.
Contingent Capital Trigger Effects: Evidence from Liability Management Exercises
Authors: Vallée Boris
Published: June 2019

This paper studies liability management exercises (LME) by banks, which have comparable regulatory capital effects than contingent capital triggers. LMEs are concentrated on low capitalization situations, both in the cross-section and in the time series and are frequently associated with equity issuances. These exercises prove effective at improving bank capitalization levels. The market reaction to LMEs is positive and mostly accrues to debt holders. These findings strengthen the case for innovative liabilities securities as a tool to improve bank resilience.

Received February 8, 2019; editorial decision May 16, 2019 by Editor Andrew Ellul. Authors have furnished an Internet Appendix, which is available on the Oxford University Press Web site next to the link to the final published paper online.
Identification and Characterization of Plasmodiophora brassicae Primary Infection Effector Candidates that Suppress or Induce Cell Death in Host and Nonhost Plants
Authors: Chen Wang , Li Yan , Yan Ruibin , Xu Li , Ren Li , Liu Fan , Zeng Lingyi , Yang Huan , Chi Peng , Wang Xiuzhen , Chen Kunrong , Ma Dongfang , Fang Xiaoping
Published: June 2019

Clubroot caused by Plasmodiophora brassicaeis one of the most important diseases in cruciferous crops. The recognition of P. brassicae by host plants is thought to occur at the primary infection stage, but the underlying mechanism remains unclear. Secretory proteins as effector candidates play critical roles in the recognition of pathogens and the interactions between pathogens and hosts. In this study, 33 P. brassicae secretory proteins expressed during primary infection were identified through transcriptome, secretory protein prediction, and yeast signal sequence trap analyses. Furthermore, the proteins that could suppress or induce cell death were screened through an Agrobacterium-mediated plant virus transient expression system and a protoplast transient expression system. Two secretory proteins, PBCN_002550 and PBCN_005499, were found to be capable of inducing cell death associated with H2O2 accumulation and electrolyte leakage in Nicotiana benthamiana. Moreover, PBCN_002550 could also induce cell death in Chinese cabbage. In addition, 24 of the remaining 31 tested secretory proteins could suppress mouse Bcl-2-associated X protein-induced cell death, and 28 proteins could suppress PBCN_002550-induced cell death.
Multivisceral Failure in a Context of Serotonin Syndrome Induced by MDMA: The Investigation of a Unique and Nationwide Network
Authors: Humeau Elise , Peyre Hugo , Pfau Gregory , Pitrat Benjamin , Maatoug Redwan
Published: June 2019

The occasional ingestion of 3,4-methylenedioxy-N-methylamphetamine (MDMA) presents serious risks of side effects including death through multivisceral failure in a context of serotonin syndrome. The significant increasing evolution of illicit MDMA street dosages over the past 2 decades and the difficulty for physicians to know what quantity the patients may have consumed, make MDMA a drug with unpredictable effects. Through this case report of a 16-year-old Caucasian, we made use of a unique and nationwide French health monitoring system called TREND (Recent Trends and New Drugs)—SINTES (National Identification System for Drugs and Substances), which, combined with the hair follicle test, can assist medical practitioners in rapidly establishing a precise diagnosis and consequently provide the most appropriate treatment for each individual case in a timely manner.
Oral or Vaginal Misoprostol for Labor Induction and Cesarean Delivery Risk
Authors: Handal-Orefice Roxane C. , Friedman Alexander M. , Chouinard Sujata M. , Eke Ahizechukwu C. , Feinberg Bruce , Politch Joseph , Iverson Ronald E. , Yarrington Christina D.
Published: June 2019

OBJECTIVE:

To evaluate whether cervical ripening with oral misoprostol increases cesarean delivery risk and prolongs time to vaginal delivery compared with vaginal misoprostol in a predominantly overweight population.

METHODS:

This single center, retrospective cohort study was performed at a tertiary care academic medical center and compared labor induction outcomes with vaginal misoprostol to outcomes with oral misoprostol after a complete institutional shift to oral misoprostol. Labor induction using 25 micrograms vaginal misoprostol in 2013–2014 was compared with 50 micrograms oral misoprostol in 2014–2015. The primary outcome was cesarean delivery. Secondary outcomes included time to vaginal delivery, uterine tachysystole, maternal hemorrhage, and composite adverse neonatal outcomes. Demographics and outcomes were analyzed using standard statistical tests. Multivariable regression models accounting for potential confounders were created for the primary and secondary outcomes with adjusted odds ratios (aOR) as the measures of effect.

RESULTS:

There were 138 women in the oral and 138 women in the vaginal misoprostol groups. In the overall cohort, the median (interquartile range) body mass index was 31.7 (28.2–36.8) and most women (72%) were of either black or Hispanic race or ethnicity. The frequency of cesarean delivery was higher in the oral than the vaginal misoprostol group (32% vs 21%; P=.04). The adjusted odds of cesarean was higher with oral misoprostol (aOR 2.01; 95% CI 1.07–3.76). Among nulliparous women, the frequency of cesarean delivery was 41% in the oral and 28% in the vaginal misoprostol groups (aOR 2.79; 95% CI 1.26–6.19). Women had a longer time to vaginal delivery in the oral compared with vaginal misoprostol group (41 vs 31 hours respectively, P=.01). Tachysystole occurred more frequently with vaginal misoprostol (20% vs 11%; P=.04).

CONCLUSION:

Compared with vaginal misoprostol, oral misoprostol may be associated with increased risk of cesarean delivery and longer time to vaginal delivery.
Hyponatremia Among Parturients Transferred to the Hospital After Prolonged Labor During an Attempted Home Birth
Authors: Lassey Sarah C. , Napoe Gnankang Sarah , Carusi Daniela , Schantz-Dunn Julianna , Robinson Julian N.
Published: June 2019

BACKGROUND:

Hypovolemic hyponatremia has not been widely reported in the obstetric literature. Anecdotally, we noticed severe hyponatremia in several of our patients who presented as home birth transfers, leading to a review of home birth cases and hyponatremia. Given the morbidity associated with hyponatremia, it is important to be aware of its potential occurrence.

CASE:

We present the cases of two patients transferred to our hospital with hyponatremia after prolonged labor. These women presented with altered mental status, somnolence, and decreased urine output. Both were admitted to the intensive care unit but made a full recovery.

CONCLUSION:

Hyponatremia is a serious potential complication of prolonged labor. We propose mechanisms for this condition and recommendations for surveillance and prevention.
A Patient-Centered Approach to Refractory Overactive Bladder and Barriers to Third-Line Therapy
Authors: Davenport Abigail , Stark Sydney , Quian Anna , Sheyn David , Mangel Jeffrey
Published: June 2019

OBJECTIVE:

To explore the decision-making process in women who do not pursue treatment with onabotulinumtoxinA, sacral neuromodulation, or percutaneous nerve stimulation in patients with overactive bladder (OAB).

METHODS:

This was a qualitative research study. Participants were females aged 18–80 years with a diagnosis of OAB and were evaluated by a urologic or urogynecologic physician between January 2017 and March 2018. Patients who were counseled for third-line therapy, refractory to two or more medications, or lost to follow-up after initiating a second medication were considered study candidates. Data were gathered using a semi-structured phone interview. Interview topics included medical knowledge and beliefs, quality of life, and treatment experience. The interviews were transcribed and coded thematically using grounded theory.

RESULTS:

Of a total of 381 women, 56 women qualified for our study. The average interview length was 30 minutes, and theoretical saturation occurred at 30 interviews. General themes included treatment delay, education, treatment attitudes, and office factors. The most common modifiable barrier to third-line therapy was insufficient in-office education. Participants expressed a poor understanding of the etiology, natural history, and treatment options for OAB. Participants were heavily influenced by outside factors including the opinions of friends and the media. Negative experiences with less-advanced options and treatment fatigue negatively affected participants' perceptions of third-line therapies. Office factors such as wait times and male physicians also negatively affected participants' ability to discuss their bladder symptoms.

CONCLUSION:

In conclusion, office education is tremendously important to patients' understanding of OAB, expectations of therapy, and treatment compliance. Education about third-line therapy counseling should be incorporated into the initial office visit. This may mitigate expectations, improve patient compliance, and promote graduation to advanced therapy in women who later go on to develop refractory symptoms.
Persistent Abdominal Pain 2 Years After Cesarean Delivery
Authors: Sax Megan R. , Whiteside James L.
Published: June 2019

A 29-year-old multiparous patient is referred for chronic lower abdominal pain radiating into her groin since undergoing cesarean delivery 2-years previously. Laboratory and radiographic evaluation results are negative. She asks you, “Please tell me, why am I having this pain?”
A Qualitative Study of the Contraceptive Effect on Women's Sexual Experiences
Authors: Lu Connie F. , Vargas Sara E. , Guillen Melissa , Ramirez Jaime J. , Carbone Sofia L. , Getz Melissa L. , Frimpong Yaa , Smith Kelley Alison , Shaw Julia G. , Tong Iris , Hill Melanie , Berry Robert E. , Guthrie Kate M.
Published: June 2019

OBJECTIVE:

To elucidate the effects of the intravaginal ring, oral contraceptive pill (OCP), and spermicide plus condom on women's sexual experiences through an in-depth understanding of the physical characteristics of these contraceptive methods.

METHODS:

We conducted qualitative in-depth interviews with women (aged 18–45 years) who used up to three contraceptive methods (intravaginal ring, OCP, and spermicide plus condom). Women completed in-depth interviews after each 3-month use period. We used a summarized matrix framework and thematic content analysis to explore how each method affected participants' sexual experiences.

RESULTS:

Sixteen women completed interviews, yielding 33 transcripts. Women reported physical effects on their sexual experiences while using the intravaginal ring and spermicide plus condom. The OCP was often discussed as lacking these physical effects. Discussion themes included product administration (eg, navigating intravaginal ring removal) and physical product awareness (eg, spermicide as a lubricant). From these experiences, women often altered and individualized their use and subsequent opinions of the contraceptive method.

CONCLUSION:

The range of contraceptive effects on women's sexual experiences shape their use and opinions of the product, leading to either increased motivation and consistent use or poor adherence and discontinuation. Awareness of these individualized experiences can help providers better understand and guide their patients towards successful contraceptive use.
A Novel Porcine Stomach Tissue Model for Laparoscopic Colpotomy Simulation
Authors: Cho Maureen , Ulrich Amanda , Lam Clarissa , Lerner Veronica
Published: June 2019

BACKGROUND:

Hysterectomies are the most common benign gynecologic surgical procedures performed in the United States. Currently, there are no tissue models that exist to teach trainees the techniques for colpotomy during laparoscopic hysterectomy. To address this educational gap, we have created a laparoscopic colpotomy model using a porcine stomach attached to a uterine manipulator.

METHODS:

A segment of a porcine stomach is secured onto a uterine manipulator to simulate the cervicovaginal junction. A uterus model created with craft materials and reused in subsequent sessions is placed above the porcine stomach onto the uterine manipulator tip. Porcine stomach was obtained from a local butcher or meat market costing less than $1.00 per model. The tissue can be refrigerated or frozen for storage, then thawed before each use. This model can be used with any energy device and any laparoscopic platform to teach and perform the colpotomy. Usability survey showed that trainees responded positively to the model and attendings thought it was a useful teaching tool.

EXPERIENCE:

Trainees and faculty responded favorably to the model and stated that the use of actual tissue enhanced the realism of a colpotomy simulation.

CONCLUSION:

The porcine stomach laparoscopic colpotomy model is an innovative, low-cost teaching tool to add to a gynecologic surgical education simulation toolkit.
Incidence of Knee Pain Beyond 1 Year: Suprapatellar Versus Infrapatellar Approach for Intramedullary Nailing of the Tibia
Authors: Isaac Marckenley , O'Toole Robert V. , Udogwu Ugo , Connelly Daniel , Baker Mitchell , Lebrun Christopher T. , Manson Theodore T. , Zomar Mauri , O'Hara Nathan N. , Slobogean Gerard P.
Published: June 2019

Objective:

To compare the magnitude of knee pain between the suprapatellar (SP) and infrapatellar (IP) approach for tibial nailing in patients who are more than 1 year after injury.

Design:

Retrospective cohort study.

Setting:

Academic Level I trauma center.

Patients/Participants:

All tibia fracture patients 18-80 years of age treated with an intramedullary tibial nail during a 5-year period were retrospectively reviewed for inclusion. The surgical approach was determined by surgeon preference, with 3 of the 9 surgeons routinely using the SP approach. The primary outcome was knee pain during kneeling, with secondary assessments comparing knee pain during resting, walking, and the past 24 hours.

Intervention:

Intramedullary nailing of a tibia fracture with either the SP or IP approach.

Main Outcome Measurements:

Knee pain assessed with the Numeric Rating Scale between 0 and 10. A difference of >1.0 was considered to be clinically meaningful.

Results:

The study group consisted of 262 patients (SP, n = 91; IP, n = 171) with a mean age of 41.4 years (SD = 16.6). The median follow-up was 3.8 years (range: 1.5–7.0). No difference in knee pain during kneeling was detected between the surgical approaches (IP: 3.9, SP 3.8; P = 0.90; mean difference: −0.06, 95% confidence interval, −1 to 0.9). Similarly, no differences were detected in average knee pain scores at rest (IP: 2.0, SP: 2.0; P = 1.00), walking (IP: 2.7, SP 3.0; P = 0.51), or the last 24 hours (IP: 2.6, SP 2.9; P = 0.45).

Conclusions:

In contrast to a study conducted by Sun et al, in which there was a statistical difference in knee pain between the SP and IP surgical approaches, we did not detect any statistical or clinical differences in knee pain between the SP and IP surgical approaches among patients with greater than 12 months of follow-up.

Level of Evidence:

Therapeutic Level III. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.