bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Photophobia: shared pathophysiology underlying dry eye disease, migraine and traumatic brain injury leading to central neuroplasticity of the trigeminothalamic pathway
Authors: Diel Ryan J , Mehra Divy , Kardon Randy , Buse Dawn C , Moulton Eric , Galor Anat
Published: July 2020

Background

Photophobia is a potentially debilitating symptom often found in dry eye disease (DE), migraine and traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Methods

We conducted a review of the literature via a PubMed search of English language articles with a focus on how photophobia may relate to a shared pathophysiology across DE, migraine and TBI.

Results

DE, migraine and TBI are common conditions in the general population, are often comorbid, and share photophobia as a symptom. Across the three conditions, neural dysregulation of peripheral and central nervous system components is implicated in photophobia in various animal models and in humans. Enhanced activity of the neuropeptide calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) is closely linked to photophobia. Current therapies for photophobia include glasses which shield the eyes from specific wavelengths, botulinum toxin, and inhibition of CGRP and its receptor. Many individuals have persistent photophobia despite the use of these therapies, and thus, development of new therapies is needed.

Conclusions

The presence of photophobia in DE, migraine and TBI suggests shared trigeminothalamic pathophysiologic mechanisms, as explained by central neuroplasticity and hypersensitivity mediated by neuropeptide CGRP. Treatment strategies which target neural pathways (ie, oral neuromodulators, transcutaneous nerve stimulation) should be considered in patients with persistent photophobia, specifically in individuals with DE whose symptoms are not controlled with traditional therapies.
Secular trends in postpartum weight retention from 2003 to 2012: a nationwide, population-based, retrospective, longitudinal study in South Korea
Authors: Joo Yoonjung Yoonie , Park Jong Heon , Choi Sangbum , Cho Geum Joon
Published: July 2020

Objective

To assess the secular trends in postpartum weight retention (PWR) over a decade with the population-based risk factors.

Design

Retrospective cohort study.

Setting

A national health screening examination data provided by the National Health Insurance Service in South Korea.

Participants

130 551 women who delivered babies between 1 January 2003 and 31 December 2012 and who underwent a national health screening examination 1 to 2 years prior to delivery and within 1 year after delivery.

Methods

Their PWR were determined during the study period of 2003–2012. We fitted logistic regression and linear mixed models to assess the independent contribution of PWR to obesity after adjusting for potential confounders.

Primary and secondary outcome measures

Prepregnancy and postpartum weight and body mass index (BMI).

Results

The adjusted PWR increased from mean value of 2.02 kg in 2003 (95% CI 1.88 to 2.15) to 2.79 kg in 2012 (95% CI 2.73 to 2.84) (p value for trend <0.01), after adjusting potential confounders including age, prepregnancy time, postpartum time, prepregnancy BMI, income and smoking status. The risk for a PWR of more than 5 kg also increased over the study period.

Conclusions

Secular increases in PWR have been significantly observed between 2003 and 2012 for childbearing women. It is necessary to identify risk factors contributing to the observed increase and develop effective strategies to address the heightened risk for PWR.
Interventions to Improve Medication Adherence in Adolescents with Hiv: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Alcon Sasha , Ahmed Billal , Sloane David , Lim Youn Seon , Cervia Joseph Steven
Published: July 2020

As of 2017, 1.8 million people living with HIV (PLWH) were adolescents between ages 10 and 19, accounting for 5% of all PLWH and 590,000 people between the ages 15 and 24 were newly infected with HIV. Between 2004 and 2011, AIDS-related deaths increased 50% among adolescents, and optimal adolescent adherence to antiretroviral treatment (ART) is estimated at only 62% of adolescents worldwide. While there have been great strides toward achieving the UNAIDS 90-90-90 goals, adolescents remain a group lacking appropriate resources and research to achieve these. This review analyzes current interventions aimed toward increasing adolescent ART adherence. Systematic searches of EMBASE, PubMed and PsycINFO were performed using the keywords ‘adolescent HIV medication adherence interventions’. The Gain Score effect size was calculated for studies reporting the Cohen's d and variance to include both prestudy and poststudy values. A random-effects model analyzed intervention significance. Authors were contacted to obtain additional data values and study clarification. Twelve studies met inclusion criteria for meta-analysis. There were no significant differences seen between control and intervention groups in medication adherence (z=−1.4714, p<0.1412), viral load (z=−0.1946, p<0.8547) or CD4+ lymphocyte count (z=0.2650, p<0.7910). There was no significant difference between studies in increasing medication adherence. Results indicate that interventions did not improve medication adherence in adolescents with HIV. However, the paucity of quantitative research available speaks to a need for more quantitative intervention studies and standardization of measures of intervention efficacy.
Utilization of regional anesthesia for open reduction and internal fixation of clavicular fractures is associated with increased same-day discharge and not readmissions
Authors: Beletsky Alexander , Burton Brittany Nicole , Swisher Matthew W , Finneran IV John J , Gabriel Rodney Allanigue
Published: July 2020

Background

Regional anesthesia is becoming increasingly used for analgesia in clavicular surgery. The purpose of the study is to examine same-day discharge and readmissions in patients with clavicular fractures receiving open reduction and internal fixation, comparing those who received regional anesthesia to those that did not.

Methods

The National Surgical Quality Improvement Program registry was used to build a retrospective cohort with the primary and secondary outcomes of same-day discharge and readmission rates, respectively. The independent variable was type of anesthesia (ie, regional vs general). Unadjusted univariable followed by multivariable logistic regression analysis for the association of each covariate with the primary and secondary outcome was performed. A p<0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results

A total of 2300 patients were included, in which 346 (15.0%) of received a nerve block. The only factor associated with same-day discharge on crude analysis was the use of a nerve block (OR 1.70, 95% CI 1.21 to 2.40, p<0.01). Factors not associated with same-day discharge included geriatric age (OR 0.39, 95% CI 0.26 to 0.57, p<0.01), diabetes mellitus (OR 0.54, 95% CI 0.33 to 0.89, p=0.01), dependent functional status (OR 0.27, 95% CI 0.11 to 0.69, p<0.01), hypertension (OR 0.39, 95% CI 0.29 to 0.52, p<0.01), bleeding disorder (OR 0.24, 95% CI 0.10 to 0.59, p<0.01) and an American Society of Anesthesiologists Physical Status score ≥3 (OR 0.33, 95% CI 0.25 to 0.45, p<0.01). On adjusted analysis, regional anesthesia was associated with increased odds of same-day discharge (OR 1.67, 95% CI 1.18 to 2.37, p<0.01), but not 30-day readmission (OR 0.57, 95% CI 0.13 to 2.52, p=0.46).

Conclusion

Regional anesthesia use in patients with clavicular fractures is associated with higher odds for same-day discharge. There is no significant difference in the rates of hospital readmission within a 30-day period.

Level of Evidence

IV, retrospective case series.
High-flow nasal cannula oxygen therapy to treat patients with hypoxemic acute respiratory failure consequent to SARS-CoV-2 infection
Authors: Vianello Andrea , Arcaro Giovanna , Molena Beatrice , Turato Cristian , Sukthi Andi , Guarnieri Gabriella , Lugato Francesca , Senna Gianenrico , Navalesi Paolo
Published: July 2020

This observational study aims to assess the outcome and safety of O2-therapy by high-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) in 28 consecutive patients with severe hypoxemic acute respiratory failure (hARF) consequent to SARS-CoV-2 infection, unresponsive to conventional O2-therapy. Nineteen patients had a positive response. Nine patients required escalation of treatment to non-invasive ventilation (five subsequently intubated). None of the staff had a positive swab testing during the study period and the following 14 days. Severity of hypoxemia and C reactive protein level were correlated with HFNC failure. These data suggest HFNC to be a safe treatment for less severe patients with SARS-CoV-2 hARF and efficacy will need to be assessed as part of a clinical trial.
Balloon dilation of a perforated cor triatriatum dexter in a Springer Spaniel: anaesthetic management
Authors: Parra Martínez Cristina , Ronaldson Hayley L , Blake Rachel
Published: July 2020

A four‐month‐old male Springer Spaniel presented for investigation of ascites of three weeks’ duration. On transthoracic echocardiogram, cor triatriatum dexter was diagnosed with associated right‐sided congestive heart failure. Medical therapy consisting of furosemide, spironolactone and benazepril was initiated. On the day of surgery, the dog was premedicated with methadone 0.2 mg/kg intravenously, and general anaesthesia was induced with midazolam 0.2 mg/kg intravenously and propofol 25 mg. Anaesthesia was maintained with isoflurane in oxygen. Concurrently, constant rate infusions of fentanyl 0.2–0.3 µg/kg/minute and lidocaine 50 µg/kg/minute were administered. Ventricular premature complexes and ventricular tachycardia developed during the placement of the catheter and during the first balloon dilation. Antiarrhythmic therapy with lidocaine 2 mg/kg was required. At the end of the procedure, acepromazine 5 µg/kg intravenous and buprenorphine 20 µg/kg intravenous were administered. Recovery from general anaesthesia was uneventful.
Henry Peter Hope
Authors: Scott Margo
Published: July 2020

A lifelong practitioner and a master of communication, he ran a small animal practice that held high clinical and ethical standards, supported by a loyal team of staff. He also had a great sense of humour and fun.
Responses of evapotranspiration to droughts across global forests: a systematic assessment
Authors: Diao Haoyu , Wang Anzhi , Yang Hong , Yuan Fenghui , Guan Dexin , Wu Jiabing
Published: July 2020

Forest evapotranspiration (ET) is one of the most important factors influencing the terrestrial hydrological cycle and is prone to being influenced by increasing drought events. This highlights the need to understand the interaction between global forest ET and drought. Consequently, we drew 710 sets of ecosystem-scale ET observations from 69 forest sites around the world and then systematically assessed the ET anomalies during droughts across the dominant forest and climate types. Overall, the response of forest ET to drought is non-monotonic. Under severe and extreme droughts with long durations, ET was reduced in most of forests in the world. We attributed the decreased forest ET to both restricted water supply and restricted water consumption by forests; however, lower magnitude and short-term droughts generally increased forest ET, and in some cases, ET even exceeded precipitation during droughts. We attributed this to the increased surface evaporation and the utilization of deep water by deep root systems. Specifically, we find that the positive anomaly of ET under droughts implied the drought paradox, which acts to accelerate the terrestrial hydrological cycle and further amplify the drought. This study as a global synthetic analysis of case studies on the site scale may have great potential for understanding the importance of the drought-modulated forest water cycle and the possibility of increasing drought stress with the effects of the drought paradox.
Discovery of granulocyte-lineage cells in the skin of the amphibianXenopus laevis
Authors: Hauser Kelsey , Popovic Milan , Yaparla Amulya , Koubourli Daphne V. , Reeves Phillip , Batheja Aashish , Webb Rose , Forzán María J. , Grayfer Leon
Published: July 2020

The ranavirus Frog Virus 3 (FV3) and the chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis ( Bd) are significant contributors to the global amphibian declines and both pathogens target the amphibian skin. We previously showed that tadpoles and adults of the anuran amphibian Xenopus laevis express notable levels of granulocyte chemokine genes ( cxcl8a and cxcl8b) within their skin and likely possess skin-resident granulocytes. Presently, we show that tadpole and adult X. laevis indeed possess granulocyte-lineage cells within their epidermises that are distinct from their skin mast cells, which are found predominantly in lower dermal layers. These esterase-positive cells responded to (r)CXCL8a and rCXCL8b in a concentration- and CXCR1/CXCR2-dependent manner, possessed polymorphonuclear granulocyte morphology, granulocyte marker surface staining, and exhibited distinct immune gene expression from conventional granulocytes. Our past work indicates that CXCL8b recruits immunosuppressive granulocytes, and here we demonstrated that enriching esterase-positive skin granulocytes with rCXCL8b (but not rCXCL8a) may increase tadpole susceptibility to FV3 and adult frog susceptibility to Bd. Furthermore, pharmacological depletion of skin-resident granulocytes increased tadpole susceptibility to FV3. This manuscript provides new insights into the composition and roles of immune cells within the amphibian skin, which is a critical barrier against pathogenic contributors to the amphibian declines.
How did the introduction of mifepristone impact the availability of abortion care in Ottawa? A qualitative study with abortion patients
Authors: LaRoche Kathryn J. , Labeca-Gordon Isabelle N. , Foster Angel M.
Published: July 2020

In 2017, mifepristone and misoprostol became available for early pregnancy termination as the combination pack Mifegymiso® in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. We conducted 40 semi-structured telephone interviews with Ottawa residents who had abortions before mifepristone’s introduction ( n = 20) and after mifepristone–misoprostol became available ( n = 20) to explore their experiences obtaining care. We audio-recorded and transcribed all interviews and analyzed these data for content and themes using deductive and inductive techniques. Prior to the introduction of mifepristone, our participants reported obtaining abortion care at two facilities and many faced long wait times. Those who had an abortion after mifepristone became available reported obtaining care from a wider array of providers and few waited more than two weeks. However, several mifepristone–misoprostol users reported having to go through a process that involved as many as 10 health service encounters. Both groups reflected positively on their abortion experiences, but some patients who obtained mifepristone–misoprostol outside of an abortion clinic did not feel as well informed as they would have liked. The introduction of mifepristone appears to have expanded the number of service delivery points and reduced wait times for those seeking abortion care in Ottawa. Identifying ways to expand access to medication abortion information and streamline services appears warranted.
Archaeological documentation of wood caribou fences using unmanned aerial vehicle and very high-resolution satellite imagery in the Mackenzie Mountains, Northwest Territories
Authors: van der Sluijs Jurjen , MacKay Glen , Andrew Leon , Smethurst Naomi , Andrews Thomas D.
Published: July 2020

Indigenous peoples of Canada’s North have long made use of boreal forest products, with wooden drift fences to direct caribou movement towards kill sites as unique examples. Caribou fences are of archaeological and ecological significance, yet sparsely distributed and increasingly at risk to wildfire. Costly remote field logistics requires efficient prior fence verification and rapid on-site documentation of structure and landscape context. Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and very high-resolution (VHR) satellite imagery were used for detailed site recording and detection of coarse woody debris (CWD) objects under challenging Subarctic alpine woodlands conditions. UAVs enabled discovery of previously unknown wooden structures and revealed extensive use of CWD (n = 1745, total length = 2682 m, total volume = 16.7 m3). The methodology detected CWD objects much smaller than previously reported in remote sensing literature (mean 1.5 m long, 0.09 m wide), substantiating a high spatial resolution requirement for detection. Structurally, the fences were not uniformly left on the landscape. Permafrost patterned ground combined with small CWD contributions at the pixel level complicated identification through VHR data sets. UAV outputs significantly enriched field techniques and supported a deeper understanding of caribou fences as a hunting technology, and they will aid ongoing archaeological interpretation and time-series comparisons of change agents.
High temperature behavior of non-local observables in boosted strongly coupled plasma: a holographic study
Authors: Bhatta Atanu , Chakrabortty Shankhadeep , Dengiz Suat , Kilicarslan Ercan
Published: July 2020

In this work, we perform a holographic analysis to study non local observables associated to a uniformly boosted strongly coupled large N thermal plasma in d-dimensions. In order to accomplish the holographic analysis, the appropriate dual bulk theory turns out to be $$d+1$$d+1 dimensional boosted AdS-Schwarzschild blackhole background. In particular, we compute entanglement entropy of the boosted plasma at high temperature living inside a strip geometry with entangling width l in the boundary at a particular instant of time. We also study the two-point correlators in the boundary by following geodesic approximation method. For analyzing the effect of boosting on the thermal plasma and correspondingly on both non local observables, we keep the alignment of the width of region of interest both parallel and perpendicular to the direction of the boost. We find our results significantly modified compared to those in un-boosted plasma up to the quadratic order of the boost velocity v. More interestingly, the relative orientation of the boost and the entangling width play a crucial role to quantify the holographic entanglement entropy in the boundary theory. The breaking of rotational symmetry in the boundary theory due to the boosting of the plasma along a specific flat direction causes this interesting feature.
The DNNLikelihood: enhancing likelihood distribution with Deep Learning
Authors: Coccaro Andrea , Pierini Maurizio , Silvestrini Luca , Torre Riccardo
Published: July 2020

We introduce the DNNLikelihood, a novel framework to easily encode, through deep neural networks (DNN), the full experimental information contained in complicated likelihood functions (LFs). We show how to efficiently parametrise the LF, treated as a multivariate function of parameters of interest and nuisance parameters with high dimensionality, as an interpolating function in the form of a DNN predictor. We do not use any Gaussian approximation or dimensionality reduction, such as marginalisation or profiling over nuisance parameters, so that the full experimental information is retained. The procedure applies to both binned and unbinned LFs, and allows for an efficient distribution to multiple software platforms, e.g. through the framework-independent ONNX model format. The distributed DNNLikelihood can be used for different use cases, such as re-sampling through Markov Chain Monte Carlo techniques, possibly with custom priors, combination with other LFs, when the correlations among parameters are known, and re-interpretation within different statistical approaches, i.e. Bayesian vs frequentist. We discuss the accuracy of our proposal and its relations with other approximation techniques and likelihood distribution frameworks. As an example, we apply our procedure to a pseudo-experiment corresponding to a realistic LHC search for new physics already considered in the literature.
Mandatory Dividend Policy, Growth, Liquidity and Corporate Governance: Evidence from Chile
Authors: Mahenthiran Sakthi , Cademartori David , Gjerde Tom
Published: July 2020

Chilean publicly listed companies are required by law to pay out a minimum 30% of distributable earnings after taxes as dividends on common stock. The study extends Lintner’s [Lintner, J (1956). Distribution of incomes of corporations among dividend retained earnings and taxes. American Economic Review, 46, 97–113.] model of dividend smoothing and Banerjee [Banerjee, S, VA Gatchev and PA Spindt (2007). Stock market liquidity and firm dividend policy. Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, 42(2), 369–398.] logistic model of the likelihood of a firm paying a dividend to investigate the signaling, liquidity, corporate governance, and information risk-based theories of dividends. The results show that Chilean firms’ excess dividends are smoothed in relation to the prior period level of excess dividends, and lagged earnings do not drive excess dividends even though the mandatory minimum dividend is defined in terms of lagged earnings. This insight establishes that dividend decisions regarding the size of the excess dividend and the likelihood of paying an excess dividend are distinct from the mandatory dividend payment. Additionally, the size of excess dividends and their likelihood are higher at firms with higher growth opportunities, a result consistent with the use of excess dividends as a signaling device. Results also demonstrate that greater transparency is associated with a greater likelihood of paying an excess dividend, but transparency does not drive policy regarding the size of the excess dividend. Moreover, the corporate governance mechanism creditor monitoring influences the size of excess dividends but not the likelihood of paying excess dividends. These results have implications for securities regulators evaluating the pros and cons of a mandatory dividend policy to protect minority shareholders in emerging markets.
Non-Negative Time Series Reconstruction via Singular Spectrum Analysis: A Case Study of Precipitation Dynamics in Nigeria
Authors: Awe Olushina Olawale , Mahmoudvand Rahim , Rodrigues Paulo Canas
Published: July 2020

A proper understanding and analysis of the processes involved in seasonal precipitation variability and dynamics is essential to provide reliable information about climate change and how it can affect matters of critical importance such as water availability and agricultural productivity in urban cities. Precipitation data, as many other time series data present only non-negative observations, are is not constrained by standard time series methods. In this paper, we propose a modified singular spectrum analysis (SSA) algorithm for decomposition and reconstruction of time series with non-negative values. Our approach uses a non-negative matrix factorization (NMF) instead of the singular value decomposition in the SSA algorithm. The new algorithm is compared with the classic SSA algorithm by considering a simulation study and observed data of monthly precipitation of four major cities in Nigeria (Lagos, Kano, Ibadan and Kaduna). Although in terms of mean stared errors both methods give similar results, the percentage of negative fitted values for reconstructions with the classical SSA algorithm reached more than [Formula: see text] in our real data application, which is inappropriate for non-negative time series. The proposed adaptation of the SSA algorithm for non-negative time series data provides an important development with applications in many fields where time series data has non-negative constraints.
Toward an Integrated Framework of Corporate Knowledge Portals Vulnerabilities: Resolving KM Security Challenges
Authors: Sherkat Mohammadhosssein , Jami Pour Mona , Manian Amir
Published: July 2020

Recently, knowledge management (KM) has been considered as a strategic weapon in a competitive environment. Corporate knowledge portals are one of the popular KM mechanisms for managing organisational knowledge and implementing knowledge management systems (KMSs) which use the communication networks. Since these portals are one of the main sources of organisational knowledge, their security becomes more essential. Despite the importance of the knowledge portal security, there are few studies to identify and evaluate the vulnerabilities of knowledge portals. The main purpose of this study is to offer an integrated framework to recognise, categorise and prioritise the key knowledge portal vulnerabilities based on the ITU-TX-805 architecture in order to enhance the security of KMSs. To identify the knowledge portal vulnerabilities, related studies were reviewed and then using the survey method, the main categories and related items were weighted by KM experts. The results proposed a new framework for identifying and prioritising knowledge portal vulnerabilities by using ITU-TX-805 architecture. The framework contains three main categories of vulnerabilities such as network components, network activities, and network security dimensions. In KM initiatives implementation, knowledge sharing along with knowledge protection must be considered. The proposed framework identifies and prioritizes the main vulnerabilities of knowledge portals which must be considered to make secure knowledge sources. It can assist knowledge manager officers (CKOs) to identify vulnerabilities, strengthen the security of knowledge portals, and protect knowledge assets.
Using Semantic Web Technologies and Multi-agent System for Multi-dimensional Analysis of Open Health Data
Authors: El Hajjami Salma , Berrada Mohammed , Harti Mostafa , Diallo Gayo
Published: July 2020

Recent years have seen Social Web becoming a global phenomenon, which is being increasingly important in our daily lives. Millions of users are chatting on the Web and social networks and expressing their feelings and opinions about the latest outbreaks, symptoms, illnesses and new drugs. These opinions contain a large amount of data, which are destined to become a major source of information for business intelligence, as they are largely informative and therefore interesting to be dealt with in a decision-making process, in order to evaluate and improve the performance of health system. However, this source of information is currently underutilised. This work describes an approach to creating an analytical health framework that allows the integration and multi-dimensional analysis of available health data, with particular attention to socially generated data, using Semantic Web (SW) technologies and multi-agent systems.
Knowledge Management Promising Contribution to University Performance: Empirical Study Based on Teachers’ Opinions
Authors: Megnounif Abdellatif , Kherbouche Asma
Published: July 2020

This study concerns the application of knowledge management systems (KMS) in higher education institutions in Algeria. In the first part of this work, a theoretical model of KMS was proposed, whereas in the second part, the model was tested by surveys carried out by students in the Algerian university. This paper, as a third part, presents the data processing process of the questionnaire for the “teacher” actor. The proposed model has three main elements: inputs (different types of knowledge), processes (the four functions: acquire, capitalise, disseminate and use) and results (the three performance perspectives: customer satisfaction, operational excellence and direction of product). Based on a functional analysis, we propose hypotheses to study the cause-and-effect relationships between knowledge management (KM) and the performance of the university. After a complete analysis (descriptive, exploratory (EFA), confirmatory (CFA), correlation, regression and finally SEM) of the data obtained by completed questionnaires, the results provide empirical evidence for some of the proposed hypotheses and confirm that KM has a positive effect on performance. A high intensity of KM activities has a significant positive influence, directly or indirectly, on university performance. The results of this empirical study indicate that policies that encourage interactions between the teacher and administration or with foreign teachers would increase teacher satisfaction and ensure pedagogical excellence, management and openness that ultimately contribute to the performance of the university. In contrast, the results also show that the university should have a specific policy concerning academic and especially technical knowledge. Teaching materials and practices, the knowledge of the teaching act and the technological infrastructure are indicators according to the opinion of teachers, which may not have a significant effect in improving the performance of the university.
MANAGING INTER-FIRM PROCESS TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER: SUCCESS FACTORS AND ORGANISATIONAL PERSPECTIVES
Authors: LAGER THOMAS , HASSAN-BECK HAITEM
Published: July 2020

Introducing existing, improved or radically new process technology in the process industries is not finished until it is operating well at the firm’s premises; a fact of growing importance in the perspective of digital transformation. However, since it is uncommon for firms in the process industries to develop own process technology, they are dependent on suppliers for the acquisition of new equipment. Relying on the development of an organisational framework, the authors’ industrial experiences, and a literature review, success factors for inter-firm process technology transfer were initially developed. To facilitate the company use, and as an illustrative case, the success factors were afterwards included in a survey to informants in the petrochemical industries. The findings indicate that companies would benefit from the development of an internal guide for inter-firm process technology transfer. The success factors could not only be used as components in such a manual, but also serve as a “check-list” for internal improvement programs for process technology transfer.
Improvements in skeletal muscle fiber size with resistance training are age-dependent in older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Straight Chad R. , Fedewa Michael V. , Toth Michael J. , Miller Mark S.
Published: July 2020

As studies examining the hypertrophic effects of resistance training (RT) at the cellular level have produced inconsistent results, we performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to investigate muscle fiber size before and after a structured RT intervention in older adults. A random-effects model was used to calculate mean effect size (ES) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). Thirty-five studies were included (age range: 59.0–88.5 yr), and 44 and 30 effects were used to estimate RT impact on myosin heavy chain (MHC) I and II fiber size. RT produced moderate-to-large increases in MHC I (ES = +0.51, 95%CI +0.31 to +0.71; P < 0.001) and II (ES = +0.81, 95%CI +0.56 to +1.05; P < 0.001) fiber size, with men and women having a similar response. Age was negatively associated with change in muscle fiber size for both fiber types (MHC I: R2 = 0.11, β = −0.33, P = 0.002; MHC II: R2 = 0.10, β = −0.32, P = 0.04), indicating a less robust hypertrophic response as age increases in older adults. Unexpectedly, a higher training intensity (defined as percentage of one-repetition maximum) was associated with a smaller increase in MHC II fiber size ( R2 = 15.09%, β = −0.39, P = 0.01). Notably, MHC II fiber subtypes (IIA, IIX, IIAX) were examined less frequently, but RT improved their size. Overall, our findings indicate that RT induces cellular hypertrophy in older adults, although the effect is attenuated with increasing age. In addition, hypertrophy of MHC II fibers was reduced with higher training intensity, which may suggest a failure of muscle fibers to hypertrophy in response to high loads in older adults.
Role of nitric oxide synthase in human sweat gland output
Authors: Mack Gary W.
Published: July 2020

The contribution of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) to the process of cholinergic-mediated human eccrine sweat production is unclear. Using a novel model for cholinergic-mediated sweating in humans, I demonstrate that blocking the NOS system led to a reduction in local sweat rate (LSR). This reduction in LSR was maintained in the presence of K+ channel blockade with tetraethylammonium.
Impact of supine exercise on muscle deoxygenation kinetics heterogeneity: mechanistic insights into slow pulmonary oxygen uptake dynamics
Authors: Goulding Richie P. , Okushima Dai , Marwood Simon , Poole David C. , Barstow Thomas J. , Lei Tze-Huan , Kondo Narihiko , Koga Shunsaku
Published: July 2020

We show that supine exercise causes a greater degree of muscle deoxygenation in both deep and superficial muscle and increases the spatial heterogeneity of muscle deoxygenation. Therefore, this study suggests that any O2 delivery gradient toward deep versus superficial muscle is insufficient to mitigate impairments in oxidative function in response to reduced whole muscle O2 delivery. More heterogeneous muscle deoxygenation is associated with slower V̇o2 kinetics.
The Level of Heavy Metal Contamination in Selected Vegetables and Animal Feed Grasses Grown in Wastewater Irrigated Area, around Asmara, Eritrea
Authors: Kfle Goitom , Asgedom Ghebray , Goje Tedros , Abbebe Felema , Habtom Lula , Hanes Hagos
Published: July 2020

Soils irrigated with wastewater are by and large contaminated with heavy metals, and consumption of vegetables and animal feed grasses grown in contaminated soils have been a major food chain route for human exposure and pose a health hazard. A study was conducted in three sites to assess the accumulation of heavy metals in farms irrigated with wastewater between two and five decades in and around Asmara, Eritrea. The concentrations of metals (Al, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Mo, Pb, V, and Zn) in soils and plants (Medicago sativa L., Avena sativa L., Cynodon dactylon L., Corchorus olitorius L., and Cynara scholymus L.) grown in the farms were analyzed using an inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrophotometer (ICP-OES). Multivariate analysis, such as principal component analysis (PCA) and cluster analysis (CA), was performed on the distribution of elements in plant species to identify the source of the heavy metals. The level of the metals in the soil samples was in the order of Mo < Cd < Co < Cu < Pb < V < Cr ≈ Zn < Mn < Fe < Al. The order of the metals in the plants of the different sites has been, in general, Cd < Co < V < Cr < Pb < Cu < Zn < Mn < Al < Fe. The study revealed that the soil samples of the studied sites were unsafe for agricultural purposes with respect to Fe, Mn, and Pb except for Pb in the case of the soil sample from the Kushet area. The levels of most of the studied heavy metals in the vegetation samples from all the sites were found within the FAO/WHO permissible limit. Al and Fe exceeded the FAO/WHO permissible limit with the exception of all plant samples from the Kushet area and M. sativa from Paradizo. The concentration of Al was also below the limit in C. dactylon from Adi-Segdo and Paradizo. Of the five vegetation considered in this study, C. olitorius was found to be a good accumulator and C. dactylon, the lowest accumulator of heavy metals. Based on the results of this study, the grass species C. olitorius should be further investigated for its phytoremediation capability of contaminated soils. The results of the multivariate analysis revealed that Fe, V, Al, Cr, Co, and Pb were controlled by mixed (natural and anthropogenic) sources and Zn, Mo, Cu, Mn, and Cd originated from the anthropogenic source. Very limited and inadequate studies were conducted on the accumulation of heavy metals in plants grown in wastewater irrigated farms around Asmara. Therefore, the results of this study are expected to shed light on the understanding of the community and enable the City Council to monitor the environmental quality and take appropriate actions.
Salient Object Detection Based on Weighted Hypergraph and Random Walk
Authors: Wei WeiYi , Chen Hui
Published: July 2020

Recently, salient object detection based on the graph model has attracted extensive research interest in computer vision because the graph model can represent the relationship between two regions better. However, it is difficult to capture the high-level relationship between multiple regions. In this algorithm, the input image is segmented into superpixels first. Then, a weighted hypergraph model is established using fuzzy C-means clustering algorithm and a new weighting strategy. Finally, the random walk algorithm is used to sort all superpixels on the weighted hypergraph model to obtain the salient object. The experimental results on three benchmark datasets demonstrate that the proposed method performs better than some other state-of-the-art methods.
Stabilisation of a Flexible Spacecraft Subject to External Disturbance and Uncertainties
Authors: Fu Yun , Liu Yu , Hu Lingyan , Peng Lingxi
Published: July 2020

This paper addresses the problems of vibration reduction and attitude tracking for a flexible spacecraft subject to external disturbances and uncertainties. Based on Hamilton’s principle, flexible spacecraft is modelled by a coupled nonlinear partial differential equation with ordinary differential equations. Adaptive boundary control scheme is adopted to stabilize the vibration displacement of flexible appendage into a small neighbourhood of original position and simultaneously maintain attitude angle within the desired angle region. Two disturbance adaptive laws are constructed to attenuate the effect of unknown external disturbances. The well posedness of the controlled system is proven by using the semigroup theory. The proposed adaptive boundary control scheme can guarantee the uniform boundedness of the closed-loop system. Numerical simulation results illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed control scheme.
Effect of Thunbergia laurifolia Herbal Tea on Glucose Homeostasis in Healthy Volunteers: A Single‐Arm Phase I Study
Authors: Preechasuk Lukana , Akarasereenont Pravit , Boonrak Ranida , Thamsermsang Onusa , Pratumvinit Busadee , Thongtang Nuntakorn
Published: July 2020

Background. Thunbergia laurifolia (TL) is a commonly used herbal medicine in Thailand and in other Asian countries. TL has been approved as a Thai traditional medicine for detoxifying poisons, and the list of possible adverse effects includes hypoglycemia. TL showed hypoglycemic effect in animals possibly due to antioxidant effect and beta‐cell preservation. However, the safety of TL herbal tea and its effects on glucose homeostasis have never been investigated in humans. Methods. Twenty healthy volunteers (10 men and 10 women) drank TL herbal tea 3 times/day for 2 weeks. Ten subjects took TL herbal tea 9 grams daily. After the safety of TL herbal tea was established, 10 more subjects took TL 12 grams daily. Clinical and biochemical tests were assessed at baseline and at 2 weeks. Results. Mean age was 34.9 ± 10.2 years, and mean body mass index was 27.5 ± 5.8 kg/m2. Baseline and posttreatment plasma concentrations were as follows: fasting plasma glucose (89 ± 6 vs. 89 ± 7 mg/dL), fructosamine (213 ± 32 vs. 212 ± 33 μmol/L), fasting insulin (8.8 [IQR: 5.9–18.4] vs. 10.4 [IQR: 7.4–15.2] μU/mL), HOMA‐B (101.6 [IQR: 82.3–189.8] vs. 120.4 [IQR: 93.2–153.2]), and HOMA‐IR (1.1 [IQR: 0.8–2.3] vs. 1.4 [IQR: 0.9–2.0]), all respectively. There were no significant changes in these parameters, including body weight, blood pressure, lipid profile, and C‐reactive protein. No serious adverse events were observed during the study period. Conclusions. TL herbal tea at doses of 9 and 12 grams daily had good tolerability without any significant adverse effects on fasting plasma glucose level or other glucose homeostasis parameters measured.
Modern Contraceptive Use and Influencing Factors in Amhara Regional State: Further Analysis of Ethiopian Demographic Health Survey Data 2016
Authors: Asresie Melash Belachew , Fekadu Gedefaw Abeje , Dagnew Gizachew Work , Gelaw Yared Mulu
Published: July 2020

Background. Ethiopia is one of the Sub-Saharan African countries with a high unmet need for contraceptives. Contraception is a good indicator of the extent to which couples have access to reproductive health services. A study on contraceptives can provide overall direction by helping to identify the obstacles in society and weaknesses in services that need to be overcome. However, little is known in Amhara region context. Therefore, this analysis was aimed to assess modern contraceptive use and influencing factors in the Amhara regional state of Ethiopia. Methods. We used secondary data analysis of the regional representative sample of women aged 15–49 years from the 2016 Ethiopian Demography and Health Survey (EDHS). A total of 2207 married reproductive-age women (15–49 years) selected using a two-stage stratified cluster sampling technique were included in this analysis. Both descriptive and logistic regression analyses were performed using STATA V.14. A 95% confidence interval was used to declare statistical significance. Results. Modern contraceptive use among married reproductive-age women was 51.3% (95% CI: 47.0–55.6). Being from households with rich wealth index (AOR = 1.6; 95% CI: 1.1–2.5), a secondary or higher level of education (AOR = 3.0; 95% CI: 1.4–6.2), and desire to space (AOR = 2.6; 95% CI: 1.9–3.7) or want no more child (AOR = 2.4; 95% CI: 1.6–3.5) were found positively associated with modern contraceptive use. On the other hand, modern contraceptive use was negatively associated with women aged 35–49 years (AOR = 0.7; 95% CI: 0.5–0.9). Conclusion. Modern contraceptive use was relatively high in the Amhara region. The odds of modern contraceptive use were higher among women with secondary or more educational levels. Women from households with rich wealth index and those who want to delay or avoid pregnancy had also more odds of using modern contraceptives. Therefore, strengthening women’s and community education could improve modern contraceptive use. Moreover, more emphasis should be given for income generation activities.
Optimization of Order-Picking Problems by Intelligent Optimization Algorithm
Authors: Wu Zhong-huan , Chen Hong-jie , Yang Jia-jia
Published: July 2020

To improve the efficiency of warehouse operations, reasonable optimization of picking operations has become an important task of the modern supply chain. For the purpose of optimization of order picking in warehouses, a new fruit fly optimization algorithm, particle swarm optimization, random weight, and weight decrease model are used to solve the mathematical model. Further optimization is achieved through the analysis of the warehouse shelves and screening of the optimal solution of the picking time. In addition, simulation experiments are conducted in the MATLAB environment through programming. The shortest picking time is found out and chosen as an optimized method by taking advantage of the effectiveness of these six algorithms in the picking optimization and comparing the data obtained under the simulation. The result shows that the optimization capacity of RWFOA is better and the picking efficiency is the best.
Research on Coordination and Optimization of Order Allocation and Delivery Route Planning in Take-Out System
Authors: Sun Guofeng , Tian Zhiqiang , Liu Renhua , Jing Yun , Ma Yawen
Published: July 2020

This paper studies the take-out route delivery problem (TRDP) with order allocation and unilateral soft time window constraints. The TRDP considers the order allocation and delivery route optimization in the delivery service process. The TRDP is a challenging version of vehicle routing problem. In order to solve this problem, this paper aims to minimize the total cost of delivery, builds an optimization model of this problem by using cumulative time, and adds time dimension in order allocation and path optimization dimensions. It can not only track the real-time location of delivery personnel but also record the delivery personnel to perform a certain task. The main algorithm is the dynamic allocation algorithm designed from the perspective of dispatch efficiency, and the subalgorithm is the improved genetic algorithm. Finally, some experiments are designed to verify the effectiveness of the established model and the designed algorithm, the order allocation and route optimization are calculated with/without the consideration of traffic jam, and the results show that the algorithm can generate better solution in each scene.
Overexpression of CXCL14 Alleviates Ventilator-Induced Lung Injury through the Downregulation of PKM2-Mediated Cytokine Production
Authors: Zhu Rui , Lei Yan-Qing , Zhao Dong-Chi
Published: July 2020

Ventilator-induced lung injury (VILI) is one of the most common complications of mechanical ventilation (MV), which strongly impacts the outcome of ventilated patients. Current evidences indicated that inflammation is a major contributor to the pathogenesis of VILI. Our results showed that MV induced excessive proinflammatory cytokine productions together with decreased CXCL14 and increased PKM2 expressions in injured lungs. In addition, CXCL14 overexpression downregulated PKM2 expression and attenuated VILI with reduced inflammation. Moreover, the overexpression of PKM2 markedly diminished the protective effects of CXCL14 against VILI as reflected by worsened morphology and increased cytokine production, whereas PKM2 knockdown decreased cytokine production and attenuated VILI. Collectively, these results suggested that CXCL14 overexpression attenuates VILI through the downregulation of PKM2-mediated proinflammatory cytokine production.
An LSTM-Based Prediction Method for Lower Limb Intention Perception by Integrative Analysis of Kinect Visual Signal
Authors: He Jie , Guo Zhexiao , Shao Ziwei , Zhao Junhao , Dan Guo
Published: July 2020

Recently, computer vision and deep learning technology has been applied in various gait rehabilitation researches. Considering the long short-term memory (LSTM) network has been proved an excellent performance in learn sequence feature representations, we proposed a lower limb joint trajectory prediction method based on LSTM for conducting active rehabilitation on a rehabilitation robotic system. Our approach based on synergy theory exploits that the follow-up lower limb joint trajectory, i.e. limb intention, could be generated by joint angles of the previous swing process of upper limb which were acquired from Kinect platform, an advanced computer vision platform for motion tracking. A customize Kinect-Treadmill data acquisition platform was built for this study. With this platform, data acquisition on ten healthy subjects is processed in four different walking speeds to acquire the joint angles calculated by Kinect visual signals of upper and lower limb swing. Then, the angles of hip and knee in one side which were presented as lower limb intentions are predicted by the fore angles of the elbow and shoulder on the opposite side via a trained LSTM model. The results indicate that the trained LSTM model has a better estimation of predicting the lower limb intentions, and the feasibility of Kinect visual signals has been validated as well.