bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Diagnostic Accuracy of Combined PET/CT with MRI, 18F-FDG PET/MRI, and 18F-FDG PET/CT in Patients with Oropharyngeal and Hypopharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Kave Mania , Sadegi Kambiz , Parooie Fateme , Salarzaei Morteza
Published: April 2021

Introduction. The aim of this paper is to compare the diagnostic accuracy of PET/CT, PET/MRI, and the combination of PET/CT and MRI for detecting synchronous cancer and distant metastasis in patients with oropharyngeal and hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinomas (OHSCC). Method. A large and growing body of literature has been conducted using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews (PRISMA). The researchers collected all accessible literature existing through Cochrane Library (John Wiley & Sons) electronic databases, Embase (Elsevier), PubMed (U.S. National Library of Medicine), Scopus, and Google Scholar up to June 2020. Analyses were conducted using Stata version 12.0 (StataCorp LP). Results. A total of nine studies consisting of 1166 patients were included. The pooled sensitivity of combined PET/CT with MRI, 18F-FDG PET/MRI, and 18F-FDG PET/CT was 0.92, 0.80, and 0.79, respectively, and the corresponding specificities were 0.93, 0.91, and 0.88. The overall prevalence of distant metastases and synchronous cancer in patients with oropharyngeal and hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinomas was 9.2% and 11.8%, respectively, with the esophagus (4.6%) being the most common site of synchronous cancer. The most common sites of distant metastases were lung (3%), bone (1.2%), and distant lymph nodes (1.2%), respectively. Conclusion. Our study showed an approximately similar diagnostic performance for PET/CT, PET/MRI, and the combination of PET/CT and MRI for metastasis assessment in advanced oropharyngeal and hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinomas.
Verifiable Location-Encrypted Spatial Aggregation Computing for Mobile Crowd Sensing
Authors: Niu Kun , Peng Changgen , Tan Weijie , Zhou Zhou , Xu Yi
Published: April 2021

Benefiting from the development of smart urban computing, the mobile crowd sensing (MCS) network has emerged as momentous communication technology to sense and collect data. The users upload data for specific sensing tasks, and the server completes the aggregation analysis and submits to the sensing platform. However, users’ privacy may be disclosed, and aggregate results may be unreliable. Those are challenges in the trust computation and privacy protection, especially for sensitive data aggregation with spatial information. To address these problems, a verifiable location-encrypted spatial aggregation computing (LeSAC) scheme is proposed for MCS privacy protection. In order to solve the spatial domain distributed user ciphertext computing, firstly, we propose an enhanced-distance-based interpolation calculation scheme, which participates in delegate evaluator based on Paillier homomorphic encryption. Then, we use aggregation signature of the sensing data to ensure the integrity and security of the data. In addition, security analysis indicates that the LeSAC can achieve the IND-CPA indistinguishability semantic security. The efficiency analysis and simulation results demonstrate the communication and computation overhead of the LeSAC. Meanwhile, we use the real environment sensing data sets to verify availability of proposed scheme, and the loss of accuracy (global RMSE) is only less than 5%, which can meet the application requirements.
Applications of Metaheuristic Algorithms in Solar Air Heater Optimization: A Review of Recent Trends and Future Prospects
Authors: Niyonteze Jean De Dieu , Zou Fumin , Asemota Godwin Norense Osarumwense , Nsengiyumva Walter , Hagumimana Noel , Huang Longyun , Nduwamungu Aphrodis , Bimenyimana Samuel
Published: April 2021

A transition to solar energy systems is considered one of the most important alternatives to conventional fossil fuels. Until recently, solar air heaters (SAHs) were among the other solar energy systems that have been widely used in various households and industrial applications. However, the recent literature reveals that efficiencies of SAHs are still low. Some metaheuristic algorithms have been used to enhance the efficiencies of these SAH systems. In the paper, we do not only discuss the techniques used to enhance the performance of SAHs, but we also reviewed a majority of published papers on the applications of SAH optimization. The metaheuristic algorithms include simulated annealing (SA), particle swarm optimization (PSO), genetic algorithm (GA), artificial bee colony (ABC), teaching-learning-based optimization (TLBO), and elitist teaching-learning-based optimization (ETLBO). For this research, it should be noted that this study is mostly based on the literature published in the last ten years in good energy top journals. Therefore, this paper clearly shows that the use of all six proposed metaheuristic algorithms results in significant efficiency improvements through the selection of the optimal design set and operating parameters for SAHs. Based on the past literature and on the outcomes of this paper, ETLBO is unquestionably more competitive than ABC, GA, PSO, SA, and TLBO for the optimization of SAHs for the same considered problem. Finally, based on the covered six state-of-the-art metaheuristic techniques, some perspectives and recommendations for the future outlook of SAH optimization are proposed. This paper is the first-ever attempt to present the current developments to a large audience on the applications of metaheuristic methods in SAH optimization. Thus, researchers can use this paper for further research and for the advancement of the proposed and other recommended algorithms to generate the best performance for the various SAHs.
Effect of Emission Penalty and Annual Interest Rate on Cogeneration of Electricity, Heat, and Hydrogen in Karachi: 3E Assessment and Sensitivity Analysis
Authors: Jahangiri Mehdi , Mostafaeipour Ali , Rahman Habib Habib Ur , Saghaei Hamed , Waqar Asad
Published: April 2021

Pakistan is the world’s sixth-most populous country with a semi-industrialized economy. It has been always an energy importer and dependent on fossil fuels. Great pressure is imposed on Pakistan’s national grid from the rise in fossil fuel costs, variations in the annual interest rate, and increased costs of greenhouse emissions. To meet the ever-increasing energy demand, the Government of Pakistan has decided to further harness wind and solar energies currently having a negligible share in Pakistan’s energy portfolio. Despite the importance of this issue, no study has been conducted so far on the cogeneration of power, heat, and hydrogen in Pakistan. Accordingly, this study is aimed at technical–economic–environmental sensitivity analysis of supplying electric and thermal loads of a residential building in Karachi by an off-grid wind-solar-fuel cell system. To this end, 4500000 possible cases were analyzed, simulated, and optimized with the HOMER software using 20-year average meteorological data from the NASA website. A sensitivity analysis was performed on this system for the first time in Pakistan. The other novelties are the use of dump loads for converting the surplus electricity into heat and also heat recovering in the fuel cells. The results showed the great potential of the station understudy for supplying the required power and heat by renewable energies. Hydrogen production was also affordable at every emission penalty price with an interest rate of less than 9%. Moreover, dump loads play a key role in supplying the thermal demand. Comparison of the wind turbine–solar cell–fuel cell–battery system with the wind turbine–solar cell–battery and solar cell–battery systems indicated that the internal rate of return and the payback period were, respectively, 9.39% and 11.4 years and 11.7% and 11 years. According to these results, it is recommend that Pakistani authorities promote the use of renewable energies through incentives and investment subsidies.
Dynamics of a Predator‐Prey Model with Fear Effect and Time Delay
Authors: Liu Junli , Lv Pan , Liu Bairu , Zhang Tailei
Published: April 2021

In this paper, we propose a time‐delayed predator‐prey model with Holling‐type II functional response, which incorporates the gestation period and the cost of fear into prey reproduction. The dynamical behavior of this system is both analytically and numerically investigated from the viewpoint of stability, permanence, and bifurcation. We found that there are stability switches, and Hopf bifurcations occur when the delay τ passes through a sequence of critical values. The explicit formulae which determine the direction, stability, and other properties of the bifurcating periodic solutions are given by using the normal form theory and center manifold theorem. We perform extensive numerical simulations to explore the impact of some important parameters on the dynamics of the system. Numerical simulations show that high levels of fear have a stabilizing effect while relatively low levels of fear have a destabilizing effect on the predator‐prey interactions which lead to limit‐cycle oscillations. We also found that the model with or without a delay‐dependent factor can have a significantly different dynamics. Thus, ignoring the delay or not including the delay‐dependent factor might result in inaccurate modelling predictions.
Orthodontic Treatment as a Protective Factor for Dental Caries Experience and Severity: A Population-Based Study
Authors: Alsulaiman Ahmed A.
Published: April 2021

Objective. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of orthodontic treatment on the experience, prevalence, and severity of dental caries later in life in a representative sample of U.S. adults. Methods. Using a population-based study design, data from 9,486 participants in the third National Health and Nutrition Survey (NHANES), including self-reported information on the history of orthodontic treatment and its timing, were obtained. Caries experience and prevalence was assessed using the decayed (DT) and filled (FT) teeth indices (i.e., DT > 0, FT > 0, and their aggregate DFT > 0). Severe dental caries experience and prevalence was defined as DT > 2, FT > 11, and DFT > 12. Unadjusted and adjusted logistic regression models that accounted for the complex sampling design were used to assess the association between orthodontic treatment and dental caries experience, prevalence, and severity. Statistical significance was set at a

P

value of less than 0.05. Results. The history of orthodontic treatment was reported in 19.62% of the adults. Around 94% of participants had at least one decayed or filled tooth (DFT > 0), and 21.09% met the aggregate DFT criterion for severe caries (DFT > 12). After controlling for confounding variables, a reported history of orthodontic treatment was found to significantly decrease the odds of DT > 0, DT > 2, FT > 11, and DFT > 12 (odds ratios (OR) = 0.41, 0.36, 0.74, and 0.60, respectively). Conclusion. A history of orthodontic treatment was a protective factor for untreated dental caries, in assessments of the severity and prevalence of dental caries experience.
Pus in Spinal Needle: Diagnosis and Management of a Long-Segment Spinal Epidural Abscess
Authors: Munasinghe B. M. , Pathirage N. , Hameed M. S. , Hapuarachchi C. T.
Published: April 2021

Spinal-epidural abscess (SEA) is believed to be primarily of haematogenous origin and very rarely as a consequence of central neuraxial blockade. Early diagnosis and pertinent management invariably improve neurological outcomes. We report a case of long-segment SEA, which was suspected during subarachnoid anaesthesia, subsequently diagnosed and managed appropriately, averting irreversible neurological deficits.
Effect of Doxycycline on Survival in Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms in a Mouse Model
Authors: Adams Lisa C. , Brangsch Julia , Kaufmann Jan O. , Mangarova Dilyana B. , Moeckel Jana , Kader Avan , Buchholz Rebecca , Karst Uwe , Botnar Rene M. , Hamm Bernd , Makowski Marcus R. , Keller Sarah
Published: April 2021

Background. Currently, there is no reliable nonsurgical treatment for abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA). This study, therefore, investigates if doxycycline reduces AAA growth and the number of rupture-related deaths in a murine ApoE−/− model of AAA and whether gadofosveset trisodium-based MRI differs between animals with and without doxycycline treatment. Methods. Nine ApoE−/− mice were implanted with osmotic minipumps continuously releasing angiotensin II and treated with doxycycline (30 mg/kg/d) in parallel. After four weeks, MRI was performed at 3T with a clinical dose of the albumin-binding probe gadofosveset (0.03 mmol/kg). Results were compared with previously published wild-type control animals and with previously studied ApoE−/− animals without doxycycline treatment. Differences in mortality were also investigated between these groups. Results. In a previous study, we found that approximately 25% of angiotensin II-infused ApoE−/− mice died, whereas in the present study, only one out of 9 angiotensin II-infused and doxycycline-treated ApoE−/− mice (11.1%) died within 4 weeks. Furthermore, doxycycline-treated ApoE−/− mice showed significantly lower contrast-to-noise (CNR) values (

p
=
0.017

) in MRI compared to ApoE−/− mice without doxycycline treatment. In vivo measurements of relative signal enhancement (CNR) correlated significantly with ex vivo measurements of albumin staining (R2 = 0.58). In addition, a strong visual colocalization of albumin-positive areas in the fluorescence albumin staining with gadolinium distribution in LA-ICP-MS was shown. However, no significant difference in aneurysm size was observed after doxycycline treatment. Conclusion. The present experimental in vivo study suggests that doxycycline treatment may reduce rupture-related deaths in AAA by slowing endothelial damage without reversing aneurysm growth.
EGFR Activates a TAZ-Driven Oncogenic Program in Glioblastoma
Authors: Gao Minling , Fu Yi , Zhou Weiqiang , Gui Gege , Lal Bachuchu , Li Yunqing , Xia Shuli , Ji Hongkai , Eberhart Charles G. , Laterra John , Ying Mingyao
Published: April 2021

Hyperactivated EGFR signaling is a driver of various human cancers, including glioblastoma (GBM). Effective EGFR-targeted therapies rely on knowledge of key signaling hubs that transfer and amplify EGFR signaling. Here we focus on the transcription factor TAZ, a potential signaling hub in the EGFR signaling network. TAZ expression was positively associated with EGFR expression in clinical GBM specimens. In patient-derived GBM neurospheres, EGF induced TAZ through EGFR–ERK and EGFR–STAT3 signaling, and the constitutively active EGFRvIII mutation caused EGF-independent hyperactivation of TAZ. Genome-wide analysis showed that the EGFR–TAZ axis activates multiple oncogenic signaling mechanisms, including an EGFR–TAZ–RTK positive feedback loop, as well as upregulating HIF1α and other oncogenic genes. TAZ hyperactivation in GBM stem-like cells induced exogenous mitogen-independent growth and promoted GBM invasion, radioresistance, and tumorigenicity. Screening a panel of brain-penetrating EGFR inhibitors identified osimertinib as the most potent inhibitor of the EGFR–TAZ signaling axis. Systemic osimertinib treatment inhibited the EGFR–TAZ axis and in vivo growth of GBM stem-like cell xenografts. Overall these results show that the therapeutic efficacy of osimertinib relies on effective TAZ inhibition, thus identifying TAZ as a potential biomarker of osimertinib sensitivity.

Significance:

This study establishes a genome-wide map of EGFR–TAZ signaling in glioblastoma and finds osimertinib effectively inhibits this signaling, justifying its future clinical evaluation to treat glioblastoma and other cancers with EGFR/TAZ hyperactivation.
Circulating Small Extracellular Vesicles Activate TYRO3 to Drive Cancer Metastasis and Chemoresistance
Authors: Park Miso , Kim Ji Won , Kim Kyu Min , Kang Seungmin , Kim Wankyu , Kim Jin-Ki , Cho Youngnam , Lee Hyungjae , Baek Moon Chang , Bae Ju-Hyun , Lee Seung Hyun , Jeong Sung Baek , Lim Sung Chul , Jun Dae Won , Cho Sung Yun , Kim Yeonji , Choi Yong June , Kang Keon Wook
Published: April 2021

Extracellular vesicles (EV) in the tumor microenvironment have emerged as crucial mediators that promote proliferation, metastasis, and chemoresistance. However, the role of circulating small EVs (csEV) in cancer progression remains poorly understood. In this study, we report that csEV facilitate cancer progression and determine its molecular mechanism. csEVs strongly promoted the migration of cancer cells via interaction with phosphatidylserine of csEVs. Among the three TAM receptors, TYRO3, AXL, and MerTK, TYRO3 mainly interacted with csEVs. csEV-mediated TYRO3 activation promoted migration and metastasis via the epithelial–mesenchymal transition and stimulation of RhoA in invasive cancer cells. Additionally, csEV–TYRO3 interaction induced YAP activation, which led to increased cell proliferation and chemoresistance. Combination treatment with gefitinib and KRCT-6j, a selective TYRO3 inhibitor, significantly reduced tumor volume in xenografts implanted with gefitinib-resistant non–small cell lung cancer cells. The results of this study show that TYRO3 activation by csEVs facilitates cancer cell migration and chemoresistance by activation of RhoA or YAP, indicating that the csEV/TYRO3 interaction may serve as a potential therapeutic target for aggressive cancers in the clinic.

Significance:

These findings demonstrate that circulating extracellular vesicles are a novel driver in migration and survival of aggressive cancer cells via TYRO3 activation.
Parameter Space Factorization for Zero-Shot Learning across Tasks and Languages
Authors: Ponti Edoardo M. , Vulić Ivan , Cotterell Ryan , Parovic Marinela , Reichart Roi , Korhonen Anna
Published: April 2021

Most combinations of NLP tasks and language varieties lack in-domain examples for supervised training because of the paucity of annotated data. How can neural models make sample-efficient generalizations from task–language combinations with available data to low-resource ones? In this work, we propose a Bayesian generative model for the space of neural parameters. We assume that this space can be factorized into latent variables for each language and each task. We infer the posteriors over such latent variables based on data from seen task–language combinations through variational inference. This enables zero-shot classification on unseen combinations at prediction time. For instance, given training data for named entity recognition (NER) in Vietnamese and for part-of-speech (POS) tagging in Wolof, our model can perform accurate predictions for NER in Wolof. In particular, we experiment with a typologically diverse sample of 33 languages from 4 continents and 11 families, and show that our model yields comparable or better results than state-of-the-art, zero-shot cross-lingual transfer methods. Our code is available at github.com/cambridgeltl/parameter-factorization.
Does a bacterial infection lead to a nutritional deficiency in foraging Allenby's gerbils?
Authors: Makin Douglas Ferguson , Kotler Burt P. , Sargunaraj Franklin
Published: April 2021

Bacterial infections can have both direct (physiological) and indirect (ecological) costs for their hosts. The direct costs of infection may include nutritional deficiencies, which reduce body condition over time, and result in the hosts modifying their foraging behaviour to compensate for any losses. Allenby’s gerbils are commonly infected with the Mycoplasma haemomuris-like bacteria, which may induce choline (essential vitamin) and arginine (amino acid) deficiencies. Gerbils should therefore alter their behaviour to make up for any shortfalls in nutrient production and retention. We tested two predictions. 1) infected gerbils would compensate for nutrient losses by spending more time foraging in patches, including, during riskier periods of owl presence, and in riskier open microhabitats. Furthermore, infected gerbils would preferentially forage from patches supplemented with choline and arginine enriched food over control food. 2) Alternatively, if infection did not create a nutrient deficiency, then infected individuals would display a similar pattern of patch use to uninfected individuals, and harvest similar amounts of food from supplemented and control patches. Our findings supported the second prediction. There was no observed difference in foraging behaviour between infected and uninfected individuals. Moreover, infected gerbils did not selectively forage more intensively from food patches enriched with either choline or arginine seed over the control patches. These results suggest that this bacteria-gerbil interaction does not result in a nutrient deficiency as observed for other Mycoplasma-rodent systems.
Review of the genera Pristocera Klug and Pristepyris Kieffer (Hymenoptera: Bethylidae, Pristocerinae) of Russia and adjacent territories
Authors: FADEEV KIRILL I.
Published: April 2021

The genera Pristocera Klug and Pristepyris Kieffer from Russia and neighboring countries are reviewed for the first time. Pristocera is represented in Russia by two species. Pristocera depressa (Fabricius) is first recorded from a number of regions in southwestern European Russia (Krasnodar and Stavropol Territories, Kabardino-Balkaria, Chechnya, Ingushetia, and North Ossetia Republics), as well as for Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Turkey. The illustrated redescriptions of both sexes of the type species of Pristocera depressa is provided, and the lectotype of Bethylus depressus from J.C. Fabricius collection is designated. A new species, Pristocera morawitzi sp. nov. is described and illustrated based on males and females from south of Russia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia. Pristepyris is represented in Russia by single species, Pristepyris masii (Giordani Soika). It is also indicated for the first time from Rostov and Volgograd Provinces and Stavropol Territory of Russia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia. A previously unknown female of P. masii is described and illustrated. The original key to both sexes of all studied genera and species is provided.
Energy Flux into Near-Inertial Internal Waves Below the Surface Boundary Layer in the Global Ocean
Authors: Sun Bingrong , Wang Shengpeng , Yuan Man , Wang Hong , Jing Zhao , Chen Zhaohui , Wu Lixin
Published: April 2021

Near-inertial internal waves (NIWs) are thought to play an important role in powering the turbulent diapycnal mixing in the ocean interior. Nevertheless, the energy flux into NIWs below the surface boundary layer (SBL) in the global ocean is still poorly understood. This key problem is addressed in this study based on a Community Earth System Model (CESM) simulation with a horizontal resolution of ~0.1° for its oceanic component and ~0.25° for its atmospheric component.

The CESM shows good skill in simulating NIWs globally, reproducing the observed magnitude and spatial pattern of surface NIW currents and wind power on NIWs (WI). The simulated downward flux of NIW energy (FSBL) at the SBL base is positive everywhere. Its quasi-global integral (excluding the region within 5°S-5°N) is 0.13 TW, about one-third the value of WI. The ratio of local FSBL to WI varies substantially over the space. It exhibits an increasing trend with the enstrophy of balanced motions (BMs) and a decreasing trend with WI.

The kinetic energy transfer from model-resolved BMs to NIWs is positive from the SBL base to 600 m but becomes negative further downwards. The quasi-global integral of energy transfer below the SBL base is two orders of magnitude smaller than that of FSBL, suggesting the resolved BMs in the CESM simulations making negligible contributions to power NIWs in the ocean interior.
Inflammatory Gene Expression in Neck Perivascular and Subcutaneous Adipose Tissue in Men With Carotid Stenosis
Authors: Pandzic Jaksic Vlatka , Grizelj Danijela , Livun Ana , Ajduk Marko , Boscic Drago , Vlasic Ana , Marusic Maruska , Gizdic Branimir , Kusec Rajko , Jaksic Ozren
Published: April 2021

The inflammatory phenotype of neck adipose tissue (NAT) might reflect its involvement in the pathogenesis of carotid atherosclerosis. We investigated inflammatory gene expression in the subcutaneous and the perivascular (pericarotid) adipose tissue from patients with carotid stenosis (CS) undergoing endarterectomy and a control group of patients without significant carotid atherosclerosis undergoing thyroid surgery. Only male patients were included (n = 13 in each study group). Clinical and biochemical data along with serum leptin, adiponectin, and monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP-1) were collected. Adipose tissue samples were obtained from both the subcutaneous and pericarotid compartments. Real-time polymerase chain reaction was used to measure gene expression of macrophage markers and adipokines. The CS group had higher subcutaneous and pericarotid visfatin gene expression and higher pericarotid expression of MCP-1 and CD68 genes. The ratio between pericarotid CD206 and CD68 gene expression was similar between study groups. Adiponectin gene expression in both NAT compartments did not differ between groups, but it was negatively associated with body weight. These observations suggest that NAT, and especially the pericarotid compartment, express enhanced inflammatory properties in patients with CS, but the proportion of anti-inflammatory macrophages in advanced atherosclerosis seems to be maintained.
Effects of Active Vitamin D or FGF23 Antibody on Hyp Mice Dentoalveolar Tissues
Authors: Lira dos Santos E.J. , Chavez M.B. , Tan M.H. , Mohamed F.F. , Kolli T.N. , Foster B.L. , Liu E.S.
Published: April 2021

Mutations in the PHEX gene lead to X-linked hypophosphatemia (XLH), a form of inherited rickets featuring elevated fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23), reduced 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D (1,25D), and hypophosphatemia. Hyp mutant mice replicate the XLH phenotype, including dentin, alveolar bone, and cementum defects. We aimed to compare effects of 1,25D versus FGF23-neutralizing antibody (FGF23Ab) monotherapies on Hyp mouse dentoalveolar mineralization. Male Hyp mice, either injected subcutaneously with daily 1,25D or thrice weekly with FGF23 blocking antibody from 2 to 35 d postnatal, were compared to wild-type (WT) controls and untreated Hyp mice. Mandibles were analyzed by high-resolution micro–computed tomography (micro-CT), histology, and immunohistochemistry. Both interventions maintained normocalcemia, increased serum phosphate levels, and improved dentoalveolar mineralization in treated versus untreated Hyp mice. 1,25D increased crown dentin volume and thickness and root dentin/cementum volume, whereas FGF23Ab effects were limited to crown dentin volume. 1,25D increased bone volume fraction, bone mineral density, and tissue mineral density in Hyp mice, whereas FGF23Ab failed to significantly affect these alveolar bone parameters. Neither treatment fully attenuated dentin and bone defects to WT levels, and pulp volumes remained elevated regardless of treatment. Both treatments reduced predentin thickness and improved periodontal ligament organization, while 1,25D promoted a more profound improvement in acellular cementum thickness. Altered cell densities and lacunocanalicular properties of alveolar and mandibular bone osteocytes and cementocytes in Hyp mice were partially corrected by either treatment. Neither treatment normalized the altered distributions of bone sialoprotein and osteopontin in Hyp mouse alveolar bone. Moderate improvements from both 1,25D and FGF23Ab treatment regimens support further studies and collection of oral health data from subjects receiving a newly approved anti-FGF23 therapy. The inability of either treatment to fully correct Hyp mouse dentin and bone prompts further experiments into underlying pathological mechanisms to identify new therapeutic approaches.
Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors Among Immigrant and US-Born Adults in New York City
Authors: Chernov Claudia , Wang Lisa , Thorpe Lorna E. , Islam Nadia , Freeman Amy , Trinh-Shevrin Chau , Kanchi Rania , Perlman Sharon E.
Published: April 2021

Objectives

Immigrant adults tend to have better health than native-born adults despite lower incomes, but the health advantage decreases with length of residence. To determine whether immigrant adults have a health advantage over US-born adults in New York City, we compared cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors among both groups.

Methods

Using data from the New York City Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2013-2014, we assessed health insurance coverage, health behaviors, and health conditions, comparing adults ages ≥20 born in the 50 states or the District of Columbia (US-born) with adults born in a US territory or outside the United States (immigrants, following the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey) and comparing US-born adults with (1) adults who immigrated recently (≤10 years) and (2) adults who immigrated earlier (>10 years).

Results

For immigrant adults, the mean time since arrival in the United States was 21.8 years. Immigrant adults were significantly more likely than US-born adults to lack health insurance (22% vs 12%), report fair or poor health (26% vs 17%), have hypertension (30% vs 23%), and have diabetes (20% vs 11%) but significantly less likely to smoke (18% vs 27%) (all P < .05). Comparable proportions of immigrant adults and US-born adults were overweight or obese (67% vs 63%) and reported CVD (both 7%). Immigrant adults who arrived recently were less likely than immigrant adults who arrived earlier to have diabetes or high cholesterol but did not differ overall from US-born adults.

Conclusions

Our findings may help guide prevention programs and policy efforts to ensure that immigrant adults remain healthy.
Accuracy of Medical Examiner’s Assessment for Near–Real-Time Surveillance of Fatal Drug Overdoses, King County, Washington, March 2017–February 2018
Authors: Vannice Kirsten , Hood Julia , Yarid Nicole , Kay Meagan , Harruff Richard , Duchin Jeff
Published: April 2021

Objectives

Up-to-date information on the occurrence of drug overdose is critical to guide public health response. The objective of our study was to evaluate a near–real-time fatal drug overdose surveillance system to improve timeliness of drug overdose monitoring.

Methods

We analyzed data on deaths in the King County (Washington) Medical Examiner’s Office (KCMEO) jurisdiction that occurred during March 1, 2017–February 28, 2018, and that had routine toxicology test results. Medical examiners (MEs) classified probable drug overdoses on the basis of information obtained through the death investigation and autopsy. We calculated sensitivity, positive predictive value, specificity, and negative predictive value of MEs’ classification by using the final death certificate as the gold standard.

Results

KCMEO investigated 2480 deaths; 1389 underwent routine toxicology testing, and 361 were toxicologically confirmed drug overdoses from opioid, stimulant, or euphoric drugs. Sensitivity of the probable overdose classification was 83%, positive predictive value was 89%, specificity was 96%, and negative predictive value was 94%. Probable overdoses were classified a median of 1 day after the event, whereas the final death certificate confirming an overdose was received by KCMEO an average of 63 days after the event.

Conclusions

King County MEs’ probable overdose classification provides a near–real-time indicator of fatal drug overdoses, which can guide rapid local public health responses to the drug overdose epidemic.
Imagining the smart city through smart grids? Urban energy futures between technological experimentation and the imagined low-carbon city
Authors: Quitzow Leslie , Rohde Friederike
Published: April 2021

Current imaginaries of urban smart grid technologies are painting attractive pictures of the kinds of energy futures that are desirable and attainable in cities. Making claims about the future city, the socio-technical imaginaries related to smart grid developments unfold the power to guide urban energy policymaking and implementation practices. This paper analyses how urban smart grid futures are being imagined and co-produced in the city of Berlin, Germany. It explores these imaginaries to show how the politics of Berlin’s urban energy transition are being driven by techno-optimistic visions of the city’s digital modernisation and its ambitions to become a ‘smart city’. The analysis is based on a discourse analysis of relevant urban policy and other documents, as well as interviews with key stakeholders from Berlin’s energy, ICT and urban development sectors, including key experts from three urban laboratories for smart grid development and implementation in the city. It identifies three dominant imaginaries that depict urban smart grid technologies as (a) environmental solution, (b) economic imperative and (c) exciting experimental challenge. The paper concludes that dominant imaginaries of smart grid technologies in the city are grounded in a techno-optimistic approach to urban development that are foreclosing more subtle alternatives or perhaps more radical change towards low-carbon energy systems.
Workplace violence towards resident doctors in Indian teaching hospitals: A quantitative survey
Authors: Jain Gaurav , Agarwal Pawan , Sharma Dhananjaya , Agrawal Vikesh , Yadav Sanjay K
Published: April 2021

Violence at work is becoming an alarming phenomenon worldwide affecting the millions of health care workers. This study was conducted to assess the violence towards Resident doctors in Indian teaching hospitals. Google forms questionnaire was developed and circulated electronically to resident doctors working in India. Data were collected and managed using the Google forms electronic tool. Vast majority (86%) of respondents reported having experienced violence with no difference among two genders. Prevalence of violence was maximum (35.5%) in general surgery. Verbal threat and abuse was the commonest (∼94%) form of violence. Mostly these acts of violence happened in Emergency/Trauma room. The most common reasons for violence in hospital were patient's death. Over 94% residents accepted that they had never received any training to deal with work place violence. Majority (80%) of the respondents favoured better communication, strict Laws and strengthening of security measures in hospital to prevent WPV. Workplace violence prevention should be addressed aggressively and comprehensively in health care. A workplace violence prevention program should be a required component of all health care organizations.
A “Terrible” Headache in a HIV Patient
Authors: Stavrakas Marios , Koskinas Ioannis , Constantinidis Jannis , Karkos Petros D
Published: April 2021

Mucormycosis is a type of fungal infection more prevalent among immunosuppressed patients, requires prompt identification and surgical treatment, as it can is associated with local and distant spread. This case is aiming to highlight the importance of early identification of subtle symptoms in immunocompromised patients. The clinician should be aware of fungal sinusitis, consider it in the differential diagnosis, and seek for an ear, nose, and throat opinion.
Why allied health professionals use evidence-based clinical guidelines in stroke rehabilitation: A systematic review and meta-synthesis of qualitative studies
Authors: Halls Dayna , Murray Carolyn , Sellar Ben
Published: April 2021

Objective:

To capture qualitative research about the perspectives and reasoning of allied health professionals about variability in the use of clinical guidelines in stroke rehabilitation.

Data sources:

Ovid Medline, Psychinfo, Cochrane, Ovid Emcare, Scopus and Web of Science.

Method:

The review protocol followed the Enhancing Transparency in Reporting the Synthesis of Qualitative Research (ENTREQ) statement. Qualitative or mixed methods research that provided qualitative data about use of clinical guidelines delivered by allied health professionals in stroke rehabilitation was included. Clinical guidelines included any evidence-based documents that guided allied health stroke rehabilitation practice. All studies were screened in duplicate at title and abstract and then at full text. Included studies were appraised using the McMaster Critical Appraisal Tool.

Results:

Data from 850 allied health professionals in 22 qualitative research studies from seven different countries were analysed and synthesised. Four themes were developed including: context necessitates strategy, all clients are different, systemic changes are needed and need a good reason to change something. The findings aligned with the four arms of evidence-base practice. Allied health professionals use clinical guidelines when they align with their reasoning and match the ‘sweet spot’ for client goals and circumstance. Clinical guideline use is attributed to sufficient resourcing, time and motivation and a strong research culture within health systems.

Conclusions:

Variabilities in clinical guideline use by allied health professionals are due to their clinical reasoning, contextual factors, client characteristics and enabling health systems.
Exclusion of Expert Contributors From Authorship Limits the Quality of Scientific Articles
Authors: Meyerholz David K. , Adissu Hibret A. , Carvalho Tania , Atkins Hannah M. , Rissi Daniel R. , Beck Amanda P. , Ward Jerrold M. , Piersigilli Alessandra
Published: April 2021

Veterinary pathologists are key contributors to multidisciplinary biomedical research. However, they are occasionally excluded from authorship in published articles despite their substantial intellectual and data contributions. To better understand the potential origins and implications of this practice, we identified and analyzed 29 scientific publications where the contributing pathologist was excluded as an author. The amount of pathologist-generated data contributions were similar to the calculated average contributions for authors, suggesting that the amount of data contributed by the pathologist was not a valid factor for their exclusion from authorship. We then studied publications with pathologist-generated contributions to compare the effects of inclusion or exclusion of the pathologist as an author. Exclusion of the pathologist from authorship was associated with significantly lower markers of rigor and reproducibility compared to articles in which the pathologist was included as author. Although this study did not find justification for the exclusion of pathologists from authorship, potential consequences of their exclusion on data quality were readily detectable.
Population density, activity centres, and pandemic: Visualizing clusters of COVID-19 cases in Hong Kong
Authors: Zhou Jiangping , Ho Sam KS , Lei Shuyu , Pang Valarie CK
Published: April 2021

The impacts of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on society and economy are wide-ranging, long-lasting, and global. The experience of multiple countries or regions in fighting the pandemic indicates that there could be multiple COVID-19 surges, where a growing number of cases can be observed in the more recent surge(s). Were COVID-19 cases and clusters of cases (across surges) randomly distributed in spaces? Did population density and activity centres influence clusters of cases and associated venues? Based on information on the associated venues of the four surges of COVID-19 cases between January 2020 and February 2021 as well as population density, visuals were made to distinguish the relationships between population density, activity centres, and clusters of cases in Hong Kong. Different spatial patterns were observed across the four surges: fewer cases were observed in the first surge with a more evenly distributed pattern of clusters; the second surge as compared to the first surge saw a wider distribution and an increase in the number/layer of clusters; compared to the second surge, the third surge suffered from many more cases but saw a decrease in the general number of clusters; and compared to the previous three surges, the fourth surge had the largest number of cases, yet even fewer clusters were observed, where several clusters are again concentrated in specific areas similar to the previous surge. Across the four surges, a few locales could see recurrent clusters of cases and a few communities were without cases.
Modeling CO2 Emissions from Trips using Urban Air Mobility and Emerging Automobile Technologies
Authors: Mudumba Sai V. , Chao Hsun , Maheshwari Apoorv , DeLaurentis Daniel A. , Crossley William A.
Published: April 2021

Urban air mobility (UAM) operations provide the potential for more, or more attractive, trips in a metropolitan area relative to wholly surface-based transportation. But the emissions produced by a UAM mode must be studied in relation to these benefits. In this paper, an emissions model for the UAM context using electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft is developed that incorporates CO2 gases emitted from the electricity production required to charge the vehicle batteries. The model quantifies trip emissions using UAM for part or all of the trip and compares these with automobile-based trips. The estimations consider using gasoline and electric automobiles, with the impact of autonomy and average ground speeds in traffic. Trip case studies in the Chicago and Dallas metropolitan areas showcase the regional differences when using UAM and different automobile technology scenarios. In particular, differences stemming from how electricity generation from power grids (i.e., grid emission index) contributes to CO2 emissions of eVTOL trips and electric automobile trips in the Chicago and Dallas metropolitan areas are computed. This paper introduces trip properties called the surface-to-air distance ratio and the detour ratio to understand how they influence the CO2 emissions of a trip. Results from the simulation on identified trip cases in Chicago and Dallas illustrate the significant impact of the grid emission index of a region’s power plant on the emissions of electric vehicles.
Examining Driver Injury Severity in Single-Vehicle Road Departure Crashes Involving Large Trucks
Authors: Hosseinpour Mehdi , Haleem Kirolos
Published: April 2021

Road departure (RD) crashes are among the most severe crashes that can result in fatal or serious injuries, especially when involving large trucks. Most previous studies neglected to incorporate both roadside and median hazards into large-truck RD crash severity analysis. The objective of this study was to identify the significant factors affecting driver injury severity in single-vehicle RD crashes involving large trucks. A random-parameters ordered probit (RPOP) model was developed using extensive crash data collected on roadways in the state of Kentucky between 2015 and 2019. The RPOP model results showed that the effect of local roadways, the natural logarithm of annual average daily traffic (AADT), the presence of median concrete barriers, cable barrier-involved collisions, and dry surfaces were found to be random across the crash observations. The results also showed that older drivers, ejected drivers, and drivers trapped in their truck were more likely to sustain severe single-vehicle RD crashes. Other variables increasing the probability of driver injury severity have included rural areas, dry road surfaces, higher speed limits, single-unit truck types, principal arterials, overturning-consequences, truck fire occurrence, segments with median concrete barriers, and roadside fixed object strikes. On the other hand, wearing seatbelt, local roads and minor collectors, higher AADT, and hitting median cable barriers were associated with lower injury severities. Potential safety countermeasures from the study findings include installing median cable barriers and flattening steep roadside embankments along those roadway stretches with high history of RD large-truck-related crashes.
Measuring Pedestrian Level of Stress in Urban Environments: Naturalistic Walking Pilot Study
Authors: LaJeunesse Seth , Ryus Paul , Kumfer Wesley , Kothuri Sirisha , Nordback Krista
Published: April 2021

Walking is the most basic and sustainable mode of transportation, and many jurisdictions would like to see increased walking rates as a way of reducing congestion and emission levels and improving public health. In the United States, walking trips account for 10.5% of all trips undertaken. To increase this rate, additional research on what makes people feel more comfortable while walking is needed. Research on pedestrian quality of service (QOS) has sought to quantify the performance of the pedestrian facilities from a pedestrian’s perspective. However, the impact of pedestrian safety countermeasures on pedestrian QOS for roadway crossings is largely unknown. The objective of this study is to discern pedestrian QOS based on physiological measurements of pedestrians performing normal walking activities in different traffic contexts. The naturalistic walking study described in this paper recruited 15 pedestrians and asked each to wear an instrumented wristband and GPS recorder on all walking trips for one week. Surprisingly, the findings from the study showed no correlation between participants’ stress levels and individual crossing locations. Instead, stress was associated with roadway conditions. Higher levels of stress were generally associated with walking in proximity to collector and arterial streets and in areas with industrial and mixed (e.g., offices, retail, residential) land uses. Stress levels were tempered in lower-density residential land uses, as well as in forest, park, and university campus environments. The outcomes from this study can inform how planners design urban environments that reduce pedestrian stress levels to promote walkability.
Numerical assessment for aircraft cargo compartment fire suppression system safety
Authors: Xiong Yifang , Diakostefanis Michail , Dinesh Akhil , Sampath Suresh , Nikolaidis Theoklis
Published: April 2021

Fire on board an aircraft cargo compartment can lead to catastrophic consequences. Therefore, fire safety is one of the most important considerations during aircraft design and certification. Conventionally, Halon-based agents were used for fire suppression in such cases. However, an international agreement under the Montreal Protocol of 1994 banned further production of Halon and several other halocarbons considered harmful to the environment. There is therefore a requirement for new suppression agents, along with suitable system design and certification. This article aims to describe the creation of a mechanism to validate a preliminary design for fire suppression systems using Computational Fluid Dynamics and provide further guidance for fire suppression experiments in aircraft cargo compartments. Investigations were performed for the surface burning fire, one of the fire testing scenarios specified in the Minimum Performance Standard, using the numerical code Fire Dynamics Simulator. This study investigated the use and performance of nitrogen, a potential replacement for Halon 1301, as an environmentally friendly agent for cargo fire suppression. Benchmark fires using the pyrolysis model and fire design model were built for the surface-burning fire scenario. Compared with experiment results, the two Computational Fluid Dynamics models captured the suppression process with high accuracy and displayed similar temperature and gas concentration profiles. Fire consequences in response to system uncertainties were studied using fire curves with various fire growth rates. The results suggested that using nitrogen as a fire suppression agent could achieve a lower post-suppression temperature compared to a Halon 1301-based system. It can therefore be considered as a potential candidate for aircraft cargo fire suppression. Such work will feed directly into system safety assessments during the early design stages, where analyses must precede testing. Future work proposed for the application of this model can be extended to other fire scenarios such as buildings, shipping, and surface transport vehicles.