bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
First fossil record of a nymph (Ephemeroptera, Teloganellidae) from the Indian subcontinent
Authors: AGNIHOTRI PRIYA , CHANDRA KAJAL , SHUKLA ANUMEHA , SINGH HUKAM , MEHROTRA RAKESH C.
Published: August 2020

A fossil of a mayfly nymph that shows similarities with the modern genus Teloganella Ulmer, 1939 of the family Teloganellidae is recorded for the first time from the Indian subcontinent. It is systematically described from the Gurha lignite mine of Bikaner, Rajasthan which belongs to the Palana Formation (late Paleocene-early Eocene). As assignment of the fossil to a modern species of Teloganella is difficult due to indistinguishable location of gills in the impression, a new species, Teloganella gurhaensis Agnihotri et al., sp. nov. is instituted to include this fossil naiad resembling the extant Teloganella.
Scene Five
Authors: Dinesh Nandita
Published: August 2020

This scene focuses on an image-based exploration that asks the question, “Who is really pulling the strings?”
Scene Eighteen
Authors: Dinesh Nandita
Published: August 2020

A scene about difference. How do insiders and outsiders engage across the categories that separate them?
Long-Term Analysis of Functional Outcomes in Traumatic Brain Injury Patients
Authors: Schroeppel Thomas J. , Sharpe John P. , Melendez Claudia I. , Jepson Brian , Dunn Rebekah , Paige Clement L. , Khan Abid D. , Croce Martin A. , Fabian Timothy C.
Published: August 2020

Introduction

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) remains a significant cause of morbidity and mortality. The purpose of this study is to examine outcomes after discharge and identify factors from the index admission that may contribute to long-term mortality.

Methods

The study population is composed of patients who survived to discharge from a previously published study examining TBI. Demographics, injury severity, and length of stay were abstracted from the index study. Phone surveys of surviving patients were performed to evaluate each patient’s Glasgow Outcome Scale-Extended (GOSE). Patients who were deceased at the time of the survey were compared with those who were alive.

Results

1615 patients were alive at the end of the first study period and 211 (13%) comprised the study population. Overall, the median age was 54 years, and the majority were male (74%). The median time to follow-up was 80 months. The population was severely injured, with a median injury severity score (ISS) of 25 and a median head abbreviated injury score (AIS) of 4. Overall mortality was 57%. The group that survived at the time of the survey was younger, more injured, less likely to have received beta-blockers (BB) during the index admission, and had a longer time to follow-up. After adjusting for ISS, age, base deficit, and BB, age was the only variable predictive of mortality (HR 1.03; HL 1.02-1.04).

Conclusion

Despite being more severely injured, younger patients were more likely to survive to follow-up. Further investigation is needed to determine if aggressive care in older TBI patients in the acute phase leads to good long-term outcomes.
The “Antitrust Revolution” and The Antitrust Revolution: A Perspective from the Inside
Authors: Kwoka John , White Lawrence J.
Published: August 2020

There clearly has been a revolution in the way that modern microeconomics has come to occupy a central role in the development of antitrust policy and in the structuring of antitrust cases over the past forty years or so. And during the past thirty plus years, there have been seven editions of The Antitrust Revolution that we have edited. In this essay, we offer our perspective on the “antitrust revolution,” as well as provide an insiders’ view of those seven editions and how they came to be.
Measuring the Antitrust Revolution
Authors: Sokol D. Daniel , Bensley Sara , Crook Maia
Published: August 2020

Although antitrust always evolved with the economics of its time, economic analysis was not central to the antitrust enterprise until Continental T.V. Inc. v. GTE Sylvania. In doing so, the Court abandoned the multiple goals of the prior era to embrace a singular economic goal. With a singular goal, antitrust had become revolutionary. How to measure the antitrust revolution has been difficult. In this article, we focus on published case law, which provides a broad set of observations that includes government enforcement actions and private antitrust suits. We use the Caselaw Access Project database and its associated “Historical Trends” tool to track the usage of certain words and phrases in judicial opinions. This article is the first to measure antitrust terms in court cases that combine big data with data visualization techniques to better understand, based on the usage of common antitrust terms, the impact economics has had on decided cases.
Trajectory planning and tracking control for autonomous parallel parking of a non-holonomic vehicle
Authors: Zhang Jiaxu , Shi Zhengtang , Yang Xiong , Zhao Jian
Published: August 2020

This paper proposes autonomous parallel parking for a front-wheel steering vehicle, with highlights on a trajectory planning method and on a trajectory tracking control method. The trajectory planning problem is decoupled into the path planning problem and the longitudinal velocity planning problem to reduce the difficulty of the trajectory planning problem. First, a collision-free path by combining circle arcs with straight line is created to park the vehicle in one or more maneuvers on the premise of meeting the kinematic constraint of vehicle, and then the path is transformed into a continuous-curvature path using B-spline curve. Second, the longitudinal velocity is created using B-spline curve on the premise of meeting the performance constraints of driving and braking system. To execute the generated trajectory, a non-time reference path tracking sliding mode control strategy is deduced by Lyapunov stability theory, and a longitudinal velocity tracking proportional–integral control strategy is proposed based on smooth handoff method. Finally, the parking performance is verified based on model-in-the-loop simulation system.
Christian Personalism versus Utilitarianism: An Analysis of Their Approaches to Love and Suffering*
Authors: Colosi Peter J.
Published: August 2020

Although Christian ethics and contemporary utilitarian ethics both employ terms such as “love” and “compassion” in their efforts to deal with human suffering, they are in fact polar opposite ethical views. This fact is not at all easy to discern. One key to perceiving the radical opposition between them lies in clarifying their respective concepts of love and suffering and the relation between the two. In Christian personalism, suffering is always understood as the suffering of individual persons, while in utilitarianism, suffering is primarily understood as a quantifiable entity detached from the individuals who experience it. This detachment of suffering from individuals leads to the depersonalizing and commodifying recommendations of utilitarianism. The dignity of persons as understood in Christian anthropology serves as the foundation of Christian ethics and is the only basis on which ethics can avoid commodifying people. The article begins with an explanation of the utilitarian approach to suffering and its concept of love. It then proceeds to express the view of love and suffering that flows from the Christian perspective. The article concludes by exposing the inherently self-defeating structure of utilitarian ethics and offers the hope-filled, if challenging, approach of Christian personalism. Although Christian anthropology and ethics developed within the historical context of Christianity, and in fact could only have developed there, the arguments here are primarily philosophical elucidations of the differences between the two opposing schools of thought discussed, while here and there including occasional theological points.

The article examines the difference between Christian ethics and utilitarian ethics, bringing out their stark opposition on the topics of love, suffering and the human person.
Pear Deck
Authors: Anggoro Kiki Juli
Published: August 2020

The advancement of technology has brought several options that instructors can utilize in English instruction including Pear Deck, which is an interactive classroom response system (Mache et al., 2017). This platform possesses several strengths including its accessibility, real-time response system, and session review feature. Despite the strengths, the current version of Pear Deck possesses weaknesses particularly for free users and Microsoft account users since a few useful features are currently unavailable for them. Notwithstanding the flaws, this platform has great potential to improve students’ engagement and achievement in both face-to-face and online English instruction.
Robust control for Markov jump linear systems with unknown transition probabilities – an online temporal differences approach
Authors: Chen Yaogang , Wen Jiwei , Luan Xiaoli , Liu Fei
Published: August 2020

In this paper, an online temporal differences (TD) learning approach is proposed to solve the robust control problem for discrete-time Markov jump linear systems (MJLS) subject to completely unknown transition probabilities (TP). The TD learning algorithm consists of two parts: policy evaluation and policy improvement. In the first part, by observing the mode jumping trajectories instead of solving a set of coupled algebraic Riccati equations, value functions are updated and approximate the TP related matrices. In the second part, new robust controllers can be obtained until value functions converge in the previous part. Moreover, the convergence of the value functions is proved by initializing a feasible control policy. Finally, two examples are presented to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach by comparing with existing results.
Students’ adjustment at school: The role of teachers’ need satisfaction, teacher–student relationships and student well-being
Authors: Poulou Maria S.
Published: August 2020

This study investigated how teachers’ perceptions of their psychological need stisfaction, teacher-student relationships and students’ perceptions of well-being relate to students’ emotional and behavioral difficulties. One-hundred eighty-three elementary teachers with an average of 23 years of teaching experience, completed the Basic Need Satisfaction at Work Scale, the Student-Teacher Relationships Scale, and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Seventy-five students aged 11 years old, completed the Subjective Well-Being measure and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. SEM analyses revealed that teachers’ perceptions of need satisfaction and students’ perceptions of well-being were not associated with students’ emotional and behavioral difficulties. Rather, teacher-student relationships were robust predictors of these difficulties. Findings and implications for research and practice are discussed.
What is the point of innovation in patient dose monitoring?
Authors: Hislop-Jambrich J.
Published: August 2020

The Medical Futurist says that radiology is one of the fastest growing and developing areas of medicine, and therefore this might be the speciality in which we can expect to see the largest steps in development. So why do they think that, and does it apply to dose monitoring? The move from retrospective dose evaluation to a proactive dose management approach represents a serious area of research. Indeed, artificial intelligence and machine learning are consistently being integrated into best-in-class dose management software solutions. The development of clinical analytics and dashboards are already supporting operators in their decision-making, and these optimisations – if taken beyond a single machine, a single department, or a single health network – have the potential to drive real and lasting change. The question is for whom exactly are these innovations being developed? How can the patient know that their scan has been performed to the absolute best that the technology can deliver? Do they know or even care how much their lifetime risk for developing cancer has changed post examination? Do they want a personalised size-specific dose estimate or perhaps an individual organ dose assessment to share on Instagram? Let’s get real about the clinical utility and regulatory application of dose monitoring, and shine a light on the shared responsibility in applying the technology and the associated innovations.
Fundamental Valuation in Seven Asian Countries: Role of Earnings, Book Value, and Dividends
Authors: Boonlert-U-Thai Kriengkrai , Saudagaran Shahrokh M. , Sen Pradyot K.
Published: August 2020

We examine the role of earnings, book value, and dividends in examining the valuation of firms in select Asian countries. Besides the usual variables of earnings and book value, inclusion of dividends is motivated by prior use of the variable in the literature, as well as an adaptation of the Ohlson 2001 empirical specification of the valuation model. In our specification, absent credible analysts’ forecasts, as is typical in these markets, dividends together with earnings play the role of “other information” in explaining stock prices. In a large sample of Asian firms from seven Asian countries that lack an active analyst community, we document two key results. First, the model with earnings, book value, and dividends outperforms the earnings capitalization, book value, and a model with earnings and book value together, the traditional benchmarks used in the literature. This is in contrast to Ashbaugh and Olsson, 2002 who find that earnings capitalization is the best model for the international firms. Second, the ability of the model to explain stock valuations does not vary materially over time, thus indicating reasonable consistency across different accounting regimes in these countries that may include International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) adaptation at different paces. Our finding highlights the information role of earnings and dividends when other channels of information are blocked.
The Connection Between Teacher Candidate Attitude and Video-Based Self-Evaluation Accuracy
Authors: Nagro Sarah A. , Raines Alexandra R. , Hooks Sara D. , Fraser Dawn W. , Nagy Steven
Published: August 2020

A deductive, sequential mixed design was used to better understand the internal aspects of performance-based self-evaluation activities as related to teacher preparation. A modified theory of change informed the investigation of a subset ( N = 15) of teacher candidates from a larger study, who all showed significant improvements in their teaching abilities after engaging in video analysis. Teacher candidates’ video analysis activities were further analyzed to better understand their self-evaluation accuracy and enthusiasm for engaging in such teacher preparation activities. Results indicated candidates rated their perceived ability significantly higher than their observed instructional ability at all four timepoints. Candidates who were most enthusiastic about engaging in video analysis with self-evaluation were the least accurate at rating their own instructional abilities. Additional findings about the association between internal factors (i.e., attitude and accuracy) and the implications for self-evaluation as a reliable form of performance-based assessment within teacher preparation are discussed.
A National Comparison of Postoperative Outcomes in Completion Thyroidectomy and Total Thyroidectomy
Authors: Brauer Philip R. , Reddy Chandana A. , Burkey Brian B. , Lamarre Eric D.
Published: August 2020

Objective

To characterize and assess the non–thyroid‐specific postoperative complications of completion thyroidectomy as compared with total thyroidectomy.

Study Design

Retrospective analysis: 2005 to 2017.

Setting

National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database.

Subjects and Methods

Patients aged >18 years receiving a completion or total thyroidectomy were eligible for inclusion. Patients not treated by otolaryngologists or general surgeons and with unknown demographic variables were excluded.

Results

A total of 70,638 patients were analyzed, representing 64,763 total thyroidectomies and 5875 completion thyroidectomies. The 30‐day mortality rate was 0.1% for both procedures (P >. 05). Overall, 1.7% and 1.4% of patients undergoing total and completion thyroidectomies experienced at least 1 complication (P >. 05), while 1.2% and 0.9% had a postoperative medical complication (P =. 0186), respectively. On multivariable analysis, patients undergoing total thyroidectomies were significantly more likely to return to the operating room (odds ratio [OR], 1.36; 95% CI, 1.04‐1.80; P =. 027) and to be readmitted (OR, 1.45; 95% CI, 1.16‐1.81; P =. 001). Adjusted analysis also demonstrated that patients undergoing total thyroidectomies were more likely to be inpatients (OR, 1.17; 95% CI, 1.11‐1.24; P <. 001), be treated by nonotolaryngologists (OR, 1.36; 95% CI, 1.29‐1.45; P <. 001), and smoke (OR, 1.22; 95% CI, 1.13‐1.33; P <. 001).

Conclusion

National data suggest that total and completion thyroidectomies are relatively safe procedures but that completion thyroidectomies are associated with lower rates of postoperative complications. These findings may play a role in determining treatment plans for patients and optimizing risk reduction.
Introducing INVITTOX: The ERGATT/FRAME In Vitro Toxicology Data Bank
Authors: Warren Maxine , Atkinson Karen , Steer Sarah
Published: August 2020

ERGATT and FRAME have established INVITTOX, a unique data bank on the use of in vitro techniques in toxicology and toxicity testing. The principal aim of INVITTOX is to provide state-of-the-art, in-depth technical information on the performance and application of in vitro methods, gained directly from scientists working in this field. Information will also be recorded on the history of the development of each method and on its current status with regard to interlaboratory validation, independent evaluation, and recognised acceptability for use in toxicology and toxicity testing. Enquiries should be directed to INVITTOX, 34 Stoney Street, Nottingham NG1 1NB, UK (Tel: 0602 584740; Fax: 0602 503570).
A Comparative Study of the Effects of Carbon Tetrachloride on Neurons, Astrocytes and Hepatocytes
Authors: Clemedson Cecilia , Odland Lena , Varnbo Inger , Walum Erik
Published: August 2020

The effects of carbon tetrachloride (CC14) on lipid peroxidation and respiratory activity in central nervous system (CNS) cells (neurons and astrocytes) have been studied and compared with effects on hepatocytes.

Cell cultures of neurons, astrocytes and hepatocytes were prepared from 8-, 14- and 15-day-old chick embryos, respectively. After appropriate intervals, each type of culture was exposed to 0, 2, 3 and 4mM CC14 in a closed-chamber system for 30 or 60 minutes.

The neurons, in contrast to both the astrocytes and the hepatocytes, showed a concentration-dependent increase in lipid peroxidation. Pretreatment of astrocyte and hepatocyte cultures with phenobarbital did not increase the degree of lipid peroxidation in these cells. Also, according to protein content, the neuron cultures appeared to be the most sensitive. Respiratory activity was drastically inhibited (70%) in the hepatocyte cultures and slightly inhibited (30–35%) in the CNS cell cultures, after exposure for 60 minutes to 2mM CC14.
Effects of Membrane Directed Neurotoxicants on the Contractile Activity of Cultured Skeletal Muscle Cells
Authors: Gulden Michael , Burghoff Cordula
Published: August 2020

The effects of the sodium channel toxins saxitoxin, veratridine, deltamethrin and Anemonia sulcata toxin II on the spontaneous contractile activity of cultured rat skeletal muscle cells, were investigated. In addition, the influence of the external concentrations of K+ and Ca2+ ions was studied. The results indicate that the spontaneous contractility of cultured muscle cells is a suitable endpoint for assessing subtle alterations in the electrical properties of excitable membranes, and for quantifying in vitro the potency of neurotoxicants acting on the excitable membranes of nerve and muscle cells.
Receptor and Carrier Regulated Transport of Na+-Valproate in Primary Astroglial Cultures
Authors: Nilsson Michael , Hansson Elisabeth , Rönnbäck Lars
Published: August 2020

Astrocytes play a crucial role in the processing and regulation of neuronal communicating mechanisms (1–3). Their processes surround capillaries and synapses, form the subpial and subependymal layers, and seemingly cover every neuronal surface not covered by other neuronal or oligodendroglial membranes (4). Thus, astrocytes are important for normal brain physiology. Astrocytes have also been shown to be involved in many pathological conditions in the brain. Research efforts in this area had previously concentrated only on the neurons, but in recent years data have been presented which show that astrocytes also have important roles. Different biochemical mechanisms of the astrocytes can be affected, depending on the pathological situation. Some important examples are epilepsy (defects in potassium buffering and changes in neurotransmitter metabolism; 5), Huntington's disease (production of toxic agents from enzymatic degradation; 6), and brain oedema (increased activity of ion transport systems; 7). Thus, since there is astrocytic involvement in brain disorders, the next and very important question is: is it possible to reach these cells with pharmacological treatment? To get somewhat closer to the answer to this question, the use of an adequate model system and model substance are necessary. The use of primary astroglial cultures from newborn rats provides obvious advantages.
Toxicity, Clastogenicity and Genotoxicity of Theophylline and Pentoxifylline in Mammalian Cells Cultured In Vitro
Authors: Slameňová Darina , Chalupa Ivan , Gábelová Alena , Bozsakyová Eva , Horváthová Eva , Blaško Milan
Published: August 2020

— As part of a developmental study on theophylline and pentoxifylline, these drugs were tested for possible cytotoxic, mutagenic and clastogenic effects on V79 hamster cells and human lymphocytes cultured in vitro. After the short-term treatment of V79 cells with theophylline and pentoxifylline, the cells were relatively resistant to the toxic effects of these methylxanthines. Generally, only high concentrations of theophylline or pentoxifylline had toxic effects on exposed V79 cells. Short-term treatment of V79 cells with theophylline or pentoxifylline did not induce 6-thioguanine resistant mutations in either the presence or absence of S9 fractions. However, in the absence of an S9 fraction, elevated levels of single-strand breaks in DNA were induced. Both methylxanthines caused clastogenic effects in human lymphocytes and hamster V79 cells after long-term exposure. We suggest that theophylline and pentoxifylline are clastogenic but not genotoxic, and that the molecular mechanism for the induction of single-strand breaks in DNA and the induction of chromosomal aberrations in cells treated with theophylline and pentoxifylline is not the induction of lesions in the DNA but the inhibition of DNA chain elongation.
Inflammatory cytokine expression in the skin of patients with postherpetic neuralgia
Authors: Cao Song , Zhang Dexin , Yuan Jie , Deng Wenwen , Wen Song , Qin Bangyong , Li Ying
Published: August 2020

Objective

To assess the expression of inflammatory cytokines in the affected and normal skin of postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) patients.

Methods

Affected skin and normal skin samples were collected from PHN patients. Inflammatory cell infiltration in the dermis were evaluated by hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining. A human inflammatory protein array containing 40 cytokines was used to assess expression differences between PHN and control skin. Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits were used to confirm cytokine expression in 10 PHN patients.

Results

HE staining showed that the epidermis of PHN skin was thicker than that of contralateral normal skin. Compared with normal skin, there was more infiltration of inflammatory cells into the dermis of PHN skin. The cytokine array detected the presence of 21/40 cytokines; however, only interleukin (IL)-1α showed differential expression between PHN skin and normal skin. ELISA results for IL-1α, IL-16, intercellular adhesion molecule-1, and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 were consistent with those of cytokine arrays.

Conclusions

Expression of inflammatory cytokines in PHN skin was not significantly altered compared with normal skin. Chronic refractory pain in PHN is not necessarily associated with increased inflammation in the affected skin.
Rehabilitation of patients post-COVID-19 infection: a literature review
Authors: Demeco A. , Marotta N. , Barletta M. , Pino I. , Marinaro C. , Petraroli A. , Moggio L. , Ammendolia Antonio
Published: August 2020

Rehabilitation is important for patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection. Given the lack of guidelines in English on the rehabilitation of these patients, we conducted a review of the most recent reports. We performed this literature review using the principal research databases and included randomized trials, recommendations, quasi-randomized or prospective controlled clinical trials, reports, guidelines, field updates, and letters to the editor. We identified 107 studies in the database search, among which 85 were excluded after screening the full text or abstract. In total, 22 studies were finally included. The complexity of the clinical setting and the speed of spread of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, which leads to rapid occupation of beds in the intensive care unit, make it necessary to discharge patients with COVID-19 who have mild symptoms as soon as possible. For these reasons, it is necessary to formulate rehabilitation programs for these patients, to help them restore physical and respiratory function and to reduce anxiety and depression, particularly patients with comorbidities and those who live alone or in rural settings, to restore a good quality of life.
Clinical implications of different specimen types for nucleic acid testing in two cases of COVID-19
Authors: Fan Hengwei , Yu Xiaqing , Fu Xiaohui , Zhu Hengmei , Lv Zhongwei , Yi Wanwan , Zhang Qian
Published: August 2020

The novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) nucleic acid test is currently the gold standard for diagnosing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). This disease requires high-quality viral nucleic acid tests, and selecting the type of specimen from patients, who are at different disease stages, to use in the nucleic acid test is challenging. This article reports in detail the diagnosis and treatment process for two patients with confirmed COVID-19 and analyzes the results of the SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid tests that were used for different types of specimens (sputum from deep cough, nasopharyngeal swab, and feces). The nucleic acid testing results of sputum from deep cough showed the best performance for positive detection. Our findings provide a reference for selecting the most suitable specimen for the clinical diagnosis of COVID-19 and improving the positive detection rate.
Creativity, music, and quality of later life: A systematic review
Authors: Creech Andrea , Larouche Keven , Generale Mariane , Fortier David
Published: August 2020

The aim of this systematic review was to interrogate the existing literature that articulates indirect or direct links between quality of life (QoL) and creativity in later life musical learning and participation. Search terms were related to the concept (creativity), the context (music), the population (aging), and the outcome (QoL). Twenty-three articles were retained. The link between creativity and QoL focused primarily on the role of creativity in life enrichment and subjective well-being. Creativity in participatory music-making was found to be underpinned by social engagement, collaboration, and inclusivity. Opportunities for creative expression through participatory music-making offered a range of benefits relating to QoL that included positive emotions, engagement, relationships, a sense of meaning, and accomplishment. Our systematic review highlights limitations with regard to theoretical explanations for the characteristics of a creative musical process or product within later life contexts, the specific contributions of these creative processes and products in relation to quality of later life, and the specific ways in which creative musical expression can be facilitated within diverse and multicultural later life contexts so as to maximize the potential QoL benefits for our aging population.
Migraine treatment and the risk of postoperative, pain-related hospital readmissions in migraine patients
Authors: Platzbecker Katharina , Timm Fanny P , Ashina Sait , Houle Timothy T , Eikermann Matthias
Published: August 2020

Background

Migraine treatment may mitigate migraine and associated pain in the perioperative period.

Objective

The aim of the study was to estimate the effect of perioperative acute and prophylactic migraine treatment on the risk of postoperative 30-day hospital readmission with an admitting diagnosis specifying any pain complaints among migraine patients.

Design

Electronic health records were analysed for 21,932 adult migraine patients undergoing surgery between 2005 and 2017 at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

Methods

Perioperative abortive migraine treatment was defined as guideline-recommended medication (triptan, ergotamine, acetaminophen, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug) prescription after surgery, within 30 days after discharge and prior readmission. Perioperatively continued prophylactic migraine treatment was defined as prescription both prior to surgery and perioperatively for recommended medications (beta-blockers, antidepressants, antiepileptics, onabotulinumtoxin A).

Results

Overall, 10,921 (49.8%) patients received a prescription for abortive migraine drugs. Of these, 1.2% and 1.5% of patients with and without such prescription were readmitted for pain, respectively. Patients with abortive treatment had lower odds of pain-related readmission (adjusted odds ratio 0.63 [95% confidence interval 0.49–0.81]). Prophylactic migraine treatment showed no effect on pain-related readmission independently of acute treatment (adjusted odds ratio 0.97 [95% confidence interval 0.72–1.32]).

Conclusions

Migraine patients undergoing surgery with a perioperative prescription for abortive migraine drugs were at decreased risk of pain-related hospital readmission.
Hydroxytyrosol ameliorates oxidative challenge and inflammatory response associated with lipopolysaccharide-mediated sepsis in mice
Authors: Alblihed Mohamed A
Published: August 2020

Hydroxytyrosol (HT) is among the main bioactive ingredients isolated from olive tree with a variety of biological and pharmacological activities. In the current study, the antioxidative and anti-inflammatory activities of HT were distinguished in the splenic tissue following lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-mediated septic response. Thirty-five Swiss mice were divided into five groups (n = 7): control, HT (40 mg/kg), LPS (10 mg/kg), HT 20 mg+LPS and HT 40 mg+LPS. HT was administered for 10 days, while a single LPS dose was applied. The obtained findings demonstrate that HT administration enhanced the survival rate and decreased lactate dehydrogenase level in LPS-challenged mice. Treatment with HT inhibited the incidence of oxidative damage in splenic tissue through decreasing lipoperoxidation and increasing antioxidant molecules, namely glutathione, superoxide dismutase and catalase. HT also decreased total leukocytes count, C-reactive protein, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, and myeloperoxidase levels. Additionally, HT suppressed the production levels of tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-1β, and interleukin-6. Moreover, mRNA expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase and nitric oxide production were increased after HT administration. Furthermore, HT supplementation resulted in a downregulation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase, inhibited the activation of the nuclear factor kappa-B from the nucleus to the cytoplasm, and attenuated infiltration of activated immune cells and tissue injury following LPS injection. Collectively, these findings demonstrate the antioxidative and anti-inflammatory properties of HT against LPS-mediated inflammation and sepsis. Therefore, HT could be applied as an alternative anti-inflammatory agent to minimize or prevent the development of systemic inflammatory response associated with septic shock.
Interleukin 23 is elevated in the serum of patients with SLE
Authors: Vukelic Milena , Laloo Anita , Kyttaris Vasileios C
Published: August 2020

Aim: Interleukin-23 (IL-23) is a cytokine that promotes the differentiation of T cells into pro-inflammatory Th17. We have previously shown that IL-23 is upregulated in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients and lupus prone mice. As SLE is highly heterogeneous, we asked whether IL-23 production correlates with different manifestations of the disease.

Methods: We recruited 56 subjects who fulfilled the ACR criteria for SLE. Interleukin-23 was measured in the serum by ELISA.

Results: IL-23 levels were positively correlated with the overall SLE disease activity as measured with the SLEDAI. Moreover, IL-23 correlated with the skin, renal domains of SLEDAI and arthritis but not with cytopenias or serositis. IL-23 did also correlate with anti-dsDNA antibody positivity and inversely correlated with C3 levels. We found no relationship between patients’ demographics, prior disease manifestations, medications, or autoantibody profile and IL-23 levels. No immunomodulatory medication seemed to be affecting IL-23 levels suggesting that current medications used in SLE are not as effective in shutting down the IL-23/IL-17 axis.

Conclusions: IL-23 levels track SLE disease activity mostly in the renal, skin and musculoskeletal domains. Our data suggest that IL-23 inhibitors may be helpful in combination with current standard of care in alleviating arthritis, renal and cutaneous manifestations of the disease.
The Disillusioned Comfort with COVID-19 and the Potential of Convalescent Plasma and Cell Therapy
Authors: Borlongan Mia C. , Borlongan Maximillian C. , Sanberg Paul R.
Published: August 2020

Coronavirus disease 2019 or COVID-19 is highly infectious, which can lead to acute and chronic debilitating symptoms, as well as mortality. The advent of safe and effective vaccines or antiviral drugs remains distant in the future. Practical public health measures, such as social distancing, hand washing, and wearing a face mask, are the current recommended guidelines by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for limiting the spread of the virus. Weakened immune system and aberrant inflammation represent a major pathological symptom of COVID-19 patients. Based on the unique immunomodulatory properties of both convalescent plasma and stem cells, we discuss here their potential use for treating COVID-19.
Vodafone and Idea Merger: A Shareholder’s Dilemma
Authors: Raju Roshan , Madhuri Gita
Published: August 2020

In the month of May 2019, Ms Priya Vaidehi who works as a chartered accountant in a small firm in the city of Pune was pondering about her personal investment. While surfing on social media on the sunny hot afternoon of 2 May 2019, she came across the news of the biggest merger deal in the Indian telecom sector. The news was about how Britain’s Vodafone Group merged its Indian subsidiary with Idea Cellular, to create the country’s largest telecom firm. They mentioned how the combined entity will accelerate the pan-India expansion of wireless broadband services and also expand financial inclusion through mobile money services. Since the merger, the network has an outreach of 92 per cent of population of India.

Ms Vaidehi planning for her future investments narrowed down her investment search to do a deeper analysis of the merger of two telecom giants Vodafone and Idea. The Indian telecommunication market has a subscriber base of 1.20 billion and is rapidly growing. The country’s wireless subscriptions has witnessed compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 19.62 per cent to reach 1,183.41 million in the year 2018. Over the past few years, from the announcement of merger to the declaration of completion of merger, she has noticed that there has been volatility in the share price of Idea Cellular. Though the subscriber base of Vodafone, Idea’s is around 400 million, and sales had gone up 53.5 per cent in the third quarter of FY 2018–2019, but the share price had been plunging to an average fall of 14 per cent. She was in deep thought whether she should invest in buying the shares of Vodafone Idea? Will her instinct help her or the knowledge of financial markets aid in taking the right decision?
Executive power in emergencies: Where is the accountability?
Authors: Boughey Janina
Published: August 2020

Australia’s system of law and government contains a range of mechanisms through which the executive branch is held to account for its actions. However, in emergencies, these accountability mechanisms are often significantly eroded in a range of ways. This article examines how the forms and types of powers that Australian governments have relied on to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic have avoided many of the political, legal and administrative accountability mechanisms that ordinarily apply to government decision-making. It looks at whether these accountability limits are justified and asks whether we ought to be concerned.
Large deformation mechanical modeling with bilinear stiffness for Macro-Fiber Composite bimorph based on extending mixing rules
Authors: Hu Kai-ming , Li Hua
Published: August 2020

Macro-Fiber Composite bimorph is a kind of piezoelectric actuator that allow large bending deformation. However, macro-fiber composites exhibit strong stiffness nonlinearity in their operation range, so it is difficult to accurately estimate their large deformation behavior based on a linear constitutive model. In addition, the macro-fiber composites have active and inactive parts, that significantly differ in their material sizes and properties, so it is not reasonable to consider them as uniform material. Thus, it is necessary develop an accurate modeling and analysis method for the large deformation macro-fiber composite structures. First, the mixing rules are extended to derive the three-dimensional homogenized mechanical and electrical parameters of the macro-fiber composite active part; based on these parameters, the actuation results of linear finite element model is in good agreement with the official data. Then a finite element model of the axially compressed macro-fiber composite bimorph is established, the bilinear tensile stiffness of macro-fiber composite is realized by secondary development in ANSYS. Comparison with the experimental results reveals high accuracy of the established finite element model. Thus, the developed method can be effectively used for the performance evaluation and design of the macro-fiber composite devices with large deformation.
Politicization and Polarization in COVID-19 News Coverage
Authors: Hart P. Sol , Chinn Sedona , Soroka Stuart
Published: August 2020

This study examines the level of politicization and polarization in COVID-19 news in U.S. newspapers and televised network news from March to May 2020. Using multiple computer-assisted content analytic approaches, we find that newspaper coverage is highly politicized, network news coverage somewhat less so, and both newspaper and network news coverage are highly polarized. We find that politicians appear in newspaper coverage more frequently than scientists, whereas politicians and scientists are more equally featured in network news. We suggest that the high degree of politicization and polarization in initial COVID-19 coverage may have contributed to polarization in U.S. COVID-19 attitudes.
Magneto-mechanical vibration analysis of single-/three-layered micro-Timoshenko porous beam and graphene platelet as reinforcement based on modified strain gradient theory and differential quadrature method
Authors: Mohammadimehr Mehdi , Mehrabi Mojtaba , Mousavinejad Fatemeh S
Published: August 2020

This article discusses about vibration analysis of single-/three-layered microsandwich Timoshenko beams with porous core and graphene platelet–reinforced composite face sheets under magnetic field and elastic foundation based on the modified strain gradient theory. It is assumed that the material properties of matrix and reinforcement vary in thickness directions. Hamilton’s principle based on the energy approach is used to obtain the governing equations of motions. The equations of motions are solved using a numerical differential quadrature method for various boundary conditions. The obtained results of this study are compared with other previous research studies, and there is a good agreement between them. Moreover, the effects of different parameters such as length-to-thickness ratio, magnetic field, various distributions of graphene platelets and porous beams, and volume fractions of graphene platelets are studied on the dimensionless natural frequencies. In fact, the main idea of this work is combination of structure reinforcement with magnetic field and graphene platelets on the sandwich porous beams at microscale, and the effects of these parameters are developed on the dimensionless natural frequencies of the microbeam. The results of the present study demonstrate that applying magnetic field and increasing its intensity lead to enhance the natural frequency. Also, it is showed that graphene platelet reinforcement with one percent of weight fraction has an effective effect on the increasing dimensionless natural frequencies of the microporous beam. Thus, it can be predicted that graphene platelets can be used instead of nanotubes because they do not have the problem of nanotube accumulation and they are more economical than nanotubes.
Ramberg–Osgood material behavior expression and large deflections of Euler beams
Authors: Giardina Ronald J , Wei Dongming
Published: August 2020

Several assumptions are commonly made throughout the literature with regard to the mechanical expression of material behavior under a Ramberg–Osgood material model; specifically, the negligible effects of nonlinearity on the elastic behavior of the material. These assumptions do not reflect the complicated nonlinearity implied by the Ramberg–Osgood expression, which can lead to significant differences in the member model response from the true material behavior curve. With the proposed approach, new explicit results for Ramberg–Osgood materials are achieved without relying on these assumptions of material and model expression. The only assumptions present within the proposed model are the standard mechanical assumptions of an Euler beam. A general nonlinear moment–curvature relationship for monotone material behaviors is constructed. Large deflections of cantilever Euler beams with rectangular cross-sections under a combined loading are modeled. Numerical validation of this new method against results already given in the literature for the special cases of linear and power-law material behaviors are provided. An analysis is presented for three common material behavior relationships, with a focus on how these relationships are expressed through the deflection of members under the application of force within the model; this analysis clearly demonstrates that the sub-yield nonlinear behavior of the Ramberg–Osgood expression can be significant. The distinctions between material behavior expression demonstrated in this analysis have been long overlooked within the literature. This work addresses a gap between the modeling of Ramberg–Osgood material behaviors and the implementation of that model in mechanics.
Periodic tilings and auxetic deployments
Authors: Borcea Ciprian S , Streinu Ileana
Published: August 2020

We investigate geometric characteristics of a specific planar periodic framework with three degrees of freedom. While several avatars of this structural design have been considered in materials science under the name of chiral or missing rib models, all previous studies have addressed only local properties and limited deployment scenarios. We describe the global configuration space of the framework and emphasize the geometric underpinnings of auxetic deformations. Analogous structures may be considered in arbitrary dimension.
Disappearance of signs of heat and induction of ovulation in oestrous queens with gonadorelin: a clinical study
Authors: Ferré-Dolcet Luis , Frumento Paola , Abramo Francesca , Romagnoli Stefano
Published: August 2020

Objectives

The objective of this study was to assess the efficacy of a single intramuscular administration of gonadorelin to induce ovulation in queens in oestrus.

Methods

Twenty-seven queens presented in oestrus for elective ovariectomy were divided into a treatment (n = 19) and a placebo (n = 8) group. Treated queens received a 50 µg dose of gonadorelin, while placebo-treated queens were injected intramuscularly (IM) with an equal amount of saline solution. All treatments were performed between the second and fourth days of heat.

Results

Two days later, signs of behavioural heat had disappeared in all gonadorelin-treated queens, while 5/8 placebo-treated queens were still in heat. Following ovariectomy, performed 4 days after drug administration, the ovaries of each queen were evaluated histologically and the number of corpora lutea were counted. Sixteen of 19 (84%) gonadorelin-treated queens had ovulated and developed five (range 2–9) corpora lutea, while 3/8 (37%) placebo-treated queens had ovulated and developed five (range 3–6) corpora lutea.

Conclusions and relevance

This is the first study to document the efficacy of a 50 µg/cat gonadorelin dose to induce ovulation in oestrous queens when administered IM on days 2–4 following the onset of oestrus.
Ex-Press P50 device filtering failure due to non-visible intraluminal blockages
Authors: Azarfane Brahim , Castany Aregall Marta , Rigo Quera Jaume , Banderas García Sandra , Dou Saenz De Vizmanos Antonio , Garcia Arumi Josep
Published: August 2020

Purpose:

To describe Ex-Press P50 failures due to an internal blockage.

Methods:

A retrospective series of 248 eyes of 219 patients with Ex-Press P50 surgery was conducted. Of these cases, 18 (7.2%) required surgical revision due to filtration failure with no visible blockages in the gonioscopy and no filtering bleb in the slit lamp examination. In all of these cases, we found fibrosis on the edges of the scleral flap. After dissecting the scleral flap, filtration through the implant was restored spontaneously in 10 (4.0%) cases. In two cases fibrous tissue was observed on the tip of the implant and was necessary to remove it. In 6 (2.4%) cases, there was no filtration despite no visible obstruction and attempts to restore the flow were unsuccessful, requiring extraction of the implant and reconverting to trabeculectomy. Two of the removed devices were sanded until the lumen was visible to ascertain the nature of the obstruction.

Results:

In our series, the most common cause of failure was episcleral fibrosis. In 2.4% of the cases, the blockage was intraluminal and aqueous flow could not be restored.

Conclusion:

In the Ex-Press P50 implant an internal blockage, that is not visible through the proximal or distal orifices, may be the cause of failure. Unblocking by surgical maneuvers is not feasible due to the intraluminal design. These cases can be solved by extraction of the implant and conversion to trabeculectomy.