bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Association between Inflammatory Factors in the Aqueous Humor and Hyperreflective Foci in Patients with Intractable Macular Edema Treated with Antivascular Endothelial Growth Factor
Authors: Li Min , Li Jing , Chen Kaichuan , Wang Jia , Sheng Minjie , Li Bing
Published: June 2021

Background. To evaluate the correlations between the inflammatory factors in the aqueous humor and hyperreflective foci (HRF) in patients with intractable macular edema treated with antivascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF). Methods. This study included 17 patients with intractable macular edema (ME) treated with anti-VEGF agents. Inflammatory factors in the aqueous humor were measured by the Cytometric Beads Array before injection, and the numbers of HRF pre- and post-anti-VEGF treatment were counted from four different directions (90 degrees, 45 degrees, 180 degrees, and 135 degrees) in the SD-OCT images, respectively, before treatment and one month after treatment. The correlations between inflammatory factors and the numbers of HRF were assessed. Results. The numbers of HRF were reduced significantly after anti-VEGF treatment. The change in the HRFs at the 90-degree location was significantly positively correlated with IL-8 and VCAM-1. The change of all HRFs was significantly positively correlated with IL-8. The HRFs before the treatment also had a positive correlation with IL-8 and VCAM-1. Conclusion. After anti-VEGF treatment, the numbers of HRF in intractable ME declined greatly. The higher the levels of IL-8 and VCAM-1 before treatment, the more significant the reduction of HRF after anti-VEGF treatment, which indicated that HRF could be an effective noninvasive imaging indicator for evaluating the effect of anti-VEGF on intractable macular edema. The OCT images at the 90-degree location could better show the inflammatory reaction of patients and also had better clinical significance for the prognosis evaluation of ME associated with inflammation.
Cross-Platform Strong Privacy Protection Mechanism for Review Publication
Authors: Li Mingzhen , Wang Yunfeng , Xin Yang , Zhu Hongliang , Tang Qifeng , Chen Yuling , Yang Yixian , Yang Guangcan
Published: June 2021

As a review system, the Crowd-Sourced Local Businesses Service System (CSLBSS) allows users to publicly publish reviews for businesses that include display name, avatar, and review content. While these reviews can maintain the business reputation and provide valuable references for others, the adversary also can legitimately obtain the user’s display name and a large number of historical reviews. For this problem, we show that the adversary can launch connecting user identities attack (CUIA) and statistical inference attack (SIA) to obtain user privacy by exploiting the acquired display names and historical reviews. However, the existing methods based on anonymity and suppressing reviews cannot resist these two attacks. Also, suppressing reviews may result in some reiews with the higher usefulness not being published. To solve these problems, we propose a cross-platform strong privacy protection mechanism (CSPPM) based on the partial publication and the complete anonymity mechanism. In CSPPM, based on the consistency between the user score and the business score, we propose a partial publication mechanism to publish reviews with the higher usefulness of review and filter false or untrue reviews. It ensures that our mechanism does not suppress reviews with the higher usefulness of reviews and improves system utility. We also propose a complete anonymity mechanism to anonymize the display name and avatars of reviews that are publicly published. It ensures that the adversary cannot obtain user privacy through CUIA and SIA. Finally, we evaluate CSPPM from both theoretical and experimental aspects. The results show that it can resist CUIA and SIA and improve system utility.
Determinants of Resting Oxidative Stress in Middle‐Aged and Elderly Men and Women: WASEDA’S Health Study
Authors: Kawamura Takuji , Tanisawa Kumpei , Kawakami Ryoko , Usui Chiyoko , Ito Tomoko , Tabata Hiroki , Nakamura Nobuhiro , Kurosawa Sayaka , Choi Wonjun , Ma Sihui , Radak Zsolt , Sawada Susumu S. , Suzuki Katsuhiko , Ishii Kaori , Sakamoto Shizuo , Oka Koichiro , Higuchi Mitsuru , Muraoka Isao
Published: June 2021

Previous studies have not investigated the determinants of resting oxidative stress, including physical fitness, as it relates to redox regulation. The present study therefore was aimed at identifying lifestyle and biological factors that determine resting oxidative stress, including objectively measured physical fitness. In 873 middle‐aged and elderly men and women, age and anthropometric parameters, lifestyle‐related parameters, medication and supplementation status, physical fitness, biochemical parameters, and nutritional intake status, as well as three plasma oxidative stress markers: protein carbonyl (PC), F2‐isoprostane (F2‐IsoP), and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), were surveyed and measured. The determinants of PC, F2‐IsoP, and TBARS in all participants were investigated using stepwise multiple regression analysis. In PC, age (β = −0.11, P = 0.002), leg extension power (β = −0.12, P = 0.008), BMI (β = 0.12, P = 0.004), and HDL‐C (β = 0.08, P = 0.040) were included in the regression model (adjusted R2 = 0.018). In the F2‐IsoP, smoking status (β = 0.07, P = 0.060), BMI (β = 0.07, P = 0.054), and HbA1c (β = −0.06, P = 0.089) were included in the regression model (adjusted R2 = 0.006). In TBARS, glucose (β = 0.18, P < 0.001), CRF (β = 0.16, P < 0.001), age (β = 0.15, P < 0.001), TG (β = 0.11, P = 0.001), antioxidant supplementation (β = 0.10, P = 0.002), and HbA1c (β = −0.13, P = 0.004) were included in the regression model (adjusted R2 = 0.071). In conclusion, the present study showed that age, anthropometric index, lifestyle‐related parameters, medication and supplementation status, objectively measured physical fitness, biochemical parameters, and nutritional intake status explain less than 10% of oxidative stress at rest.
Privacy Enhancement on Unilateral Bluetooth Authentication Protocol for Mobile Crowdsensing
Authors: Sun Da-Zhi , Zhong Ji-Dong
Published: June 2021

As an open standard for the short-range radio frequency communications, Bluetooth is suitable for Mobile Crowdsensing Systems (MCS). However, the massive deployment of personal Bluetooth-enabled devices also raises privacy concerns on their wielders. Hence, we investigate the privacy of the unilateral authentication protocol according to the recent Bluetooth standard v5.2. The contributions of the paper are twofold. (1) We demonstrate that the unilateral authentication protocol suffers from privacy weakness. That is, the attacker is able to identify the target Bluetooth-enabled device once he observed the device’s previous transmitted messages during the protocol run. More importantly, we analyze the privacy threat of the Bluetooth MCS, when the attacker exploits the proposed privacy weakness under the typical Internet of Things (IoT) scenarios. (2) An improved unilateral authentication protocol is therefore devised to repair the weakness. Under our formal privacy model, the improved protocol provably solves the traceability problem of the original protocol in the Bluetooth standard. Additionally, the improved protocol can be easily adapted to the Bluetooth standards because it merely employs the basic cryptographic components available in the standard specifications. In addition, we also suggest and evaluate two countermeasures, which do not need to modify the original protocol.
Self-Reported Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders and Associated Factors among Restaurant Workers in Gondar City, Northwest Ethiopia, 2020
Authors: Tegenu Habtamu , Gebrehiwot Mulat , Azanaw Jember , Akalu Temesgen Yihunie
Published: June 2021

Introduction. Globally, work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) have resulted in occupational disability and injury. Of these, restaurant workers are among the high-risk professionals usually affected by WMSDs. In Ethiopia, evidence on the burden of musculoskeletal disorder and contributing factors among restaurant workers were very limited. Therefore, this study was aimed at assessing the prevalence of self-reported WMSDs and contributing factors among restaurant workers in Gondar city, northwest Ethiopia, 2020. Methods. An institutional-based cross-sectional study was conducted from February 2020 to March 2020 among restaurant workers in Gondar city. A two-stage sampling technique was used to choose 633 study subjects. A structured Nordic questioner was used to collect the data. Data was entered into EpiData version 3.1 and exported to Stata version 14.0 for analysis. Both bivariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were computed. An adjusted odds ratio with a 95% confidence interval was used to measure the association between WMSDs and independent variables. In the multivariable analysis, a

P

value of <0.05 was used to declare a statistically significant association. To check the goodness of fit, the Hosmer and Lemeshow test was used. Results. The prevalence of WMSDs among restaurant workers in the past 12 months was 81.5% [95% CI (78.18–84.44)]. Attending primary education [AOR: 2.14, 95% CI (1.17–3.90)], attending secondary education [AOR: 1.71 (1.02–2.86)], and job satisfaction [AOR: 1.90, 95%CI (1.13–3.19)] were significantly associated with WMSDs. Conclusion. In this study, the prevalence of WMSDs among restaurant workers was high. The upper back, lower back, elbow, and wrist were the most affected body parts. Age above 30 years, educational status being primary and secondary, and being dissatisfied by their job were positively associated with a high prevalence of WMSDs.
An Efficient Dynamic Modeling Technique for a Central Tie Rod Rotor
Authors: Liu Jingze , Fei Qingguo , Wu Shaoqing , Tang Zhenhuan , Liao Sanfeng , Zhang Dahai
Published: June 2021

Compared with the three-dimensional rotor model for a central tie rod rotor, an equivalent one-dimensional model can greatly improve the computational efficiency in rotor dynamics analysis with a certain accuracy. However, little research work can be found on improving the modeling accuracy of one-dimensional models using experimental data. In this paper, a one-dimensional discrete mass model considering pretightening force is proposed for central tie rod rotors to achieve the purpose of both efficient and accurate modeling. Experimental testing and three-dimensional model analysis are used as reference and verification approaches. A sensitivity-based method is adopted to update the proposed one-dimensional model via minimizing the error in the critical speed comparing with the corresponding three-dimensional finite element model which has been verified by a modal test. Prediction of damped unbalanced response is conducted to show the practicality of the updated one-dimensional model. Results show that the method presented in this research work can be used to simulate a complex preloaded rotor system with high efficiency and accuracy.
Application of Clustering and Stepwise Discriminant Analysis Based on Hydrochemical Characteristics in Determining the Source of Mine Water Inrush
Authors: Liu Weitao , Yu Jie , Shen Jianjun , Zheng Qiushuang , Han Mengke , Hu Yingying , Meng Xiangxi
Published: June 2021

In order to explore the law of groundwater evolution, the water source connection between faults and aquifers and the main sources of mine water inrush in the deep mining area of Yangcheng Coal Mine in Jining City, 40 groups of hydrochemical samples were collected and analyzed by Piper Diagram and Durov Diagram. The results showed that the fluidity of groundwater developing to the deep became weaker, the value of total dissolved solids (TDS) became larger. So, the roof and floor of coal seam were more similar in water quality types due to the conduction of faults. Using principal component analysis (PCA) to the raw data, two principal components were extracted, and the principal component scores were used as clustering variables for hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA), 5 groups of abnormal water samples were eliminated and 3 clustering groups M1, M2 and M3 were obtained from the other water samples on the tree diagram. The results showed that the combination of HCA and hydrochemical analysis was more effective in screening water samples, and the 3 clustering groups could be qualified samples to represent 3 major aquifers (Taiyuan Formation limestone aquifer, Shanxi Formation sandstone aquifer and Ordovician limestone aquifer). Finally, taking M1, M2 and M3 as grouping variables, the discriminant functions

f

1

,

f

2

and

f

3

of the 3 aquifers were obtained, the results of stepwise discrimination analysis (SDA) showed that the discrimination model established by using 25 groups of standard water samples could discriminate the known water samples with the correct rate of 96%, 10 groups of unknown water samples collected at the fault are identified as Taiyuan Formation limestone water samples, which was consistent with the classification results of HCA, proving that the water inrush of fault DF53 was from Taiyuan Formation limestone aquifer, while the fault had little influence on Ordovician limestone aquifer.
A High-Capacity Image Steganography Method Using Chaotic Particle Swarm Optimization
Authors: Jaradat Aya , Taqieddin Eyad , Mowafi Moad
Published: June 2021

Image steganography has been widely adopted to protect confidential data. Researchers have been seeking to improve the steganographic techniques in order to increase the embedding capacity while preserving the stego-image quality. In this paper, we propose a steganography method using particle swarm optimization and chaos theory aiming at finding the best pixel locations in the cover image to hide the secret data while maintaining the quality of the resultant stego-image. To enhance the embedding capacity, the host and secret images are divided into blocks and each block stores an appropriate amount of secret bits. Experimental results show that the proposed scheme outperforms existing methods in terms of the PSNR and SSIM image quality metrics.
Toxicity and Oviposition Deterrent Activities of Thyme Essential Oils against Anopheles arabiensis
Authors: Damtie Destaw , Mekonnen Yalemtsehay
Published: June 2021

Background. Malaria is one of the deadliest mosquito-borne diseases in sub-Saharan Africa and Ethiopia. Owing to their costs and environmental issues, synthetic insecticides are poor choices to control mosquitoes. Plant-based products can be considered as safe and biodegradable alternatives. The present study aimed to test the toxicity and oviposition deterrent activities of Thymus serrulatus and Thymus schimperi essential oils (EOs) against Anopheles arabiensis. Methods. Thyme EOs were extracted by hydrodistillation using the Clevenger-type apparatus. They were named Tar, Ala, and Yil after the areas of thyme collection Tarmaber, Alamata, and Yilmana Densa, respectively. Laboratory-based tests were used to determine the larvicidal, adulticidal, oviposition deterrent, and half lethal dose (LD50) of each EO. Results. The concentrations of 100 μl/L and 50 μl/L resulted in complete mortalities of larvae and adults, respectively, for all the three Eos considered. The EOs exhibited high repellency with oviposition activity index of −1 (OAI = −1) at concentrations of 50 μl/L (Tar), 100 μl/L (Ala), and 200 μl/L (Yil). Conclusions. The EOs of T. serrulatus and T. schimperi were effective against larvae and adult mosquitoes at small doses and resulted in oviposition deterrence at doses from 50 to 200 μl/L. Thus, these EOs are promising mosquitocides and oviposition deterrents. But, further tests both in the presence of already known and effective deterrents and field trials are required.
Spatial Differentiation and Elements Influencing Urban Resilience in the Middle Reaches of the Yangtze River under the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Hou Xin , Ma Qianli , Wang Xuan
Published: June 2021

Since the outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, in December 2019, the middle reaches of the Yangtze River became the key areas of the spread of the pandemic and association, and also as the urban economic recovery process after the pandemic eased, it provided an excellent opportunity to research urban resilience. From the viewpoint of urban social-ecological system resilience in public health emergencies, this study comprehensively applies the spatial econometrics, geodetector model, and other methods to investigate the urban resilience level, spatial differentiation, and dominant elements in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River under the impact of the pandemic. This study would aid in providing a scientific basis for sustainable spatial planning and governance. The results demonstrated that the urban resilience in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River had notable spatial agglomeration features, eight elements including tertiary industry proportion possessed a robust explanatory power to the spatial differentiation of urban resilience, and the explanatory power was markedly enhanced after the interaction between influential elements of economic and ecological subsystems. Thus, to upgrade the system cycle mechanism and augment the endogenous power for urban development, we need to focus more on the flow of innovative elements in central cities, the optimization of ecological and safe spatial patterns in Hunan and Hubei Provinces, and the innovation of sustainable supply chain in the entire region.
Thermal Performance Study on a Sensible Cool Thermal Energy Storage System for Building Air-Conditioning Applications
Authors: Muthaiyan Kesavan , Lakshmanan Chidambaram , Raj Kaiwalya , Sharma Mangat Ram , Narayanasamy Rajamani , Vellaichamy Pandiyarajan , Ramalingam Velraj
Published: June 2021

In most developed and developing nations, nearly 40% of the energy generated is utilized in the building sector, in which nearly 50% of the energy is consumed by building cooling/heating systems. However, the energy requirement for building cooling/heating varies continuously with respect to time. Hence, in hot countries, if the cooling system is integrated with a storage system, the cooling system need not be designed for the peak load requirement. Further, this kind of storage system is very useful and economically beneficial in the scenario of dynamic electricity tariff, being introduced in many countries in the emerging renewable energy scenario to solve the grid stability issues. Further, it is very useful to promote microgrid with distributed renewable power generation. Considering the above, the major objective of the present research is to demonstrate the integration of the air-conditioning system with a sensible heat storage unit for residential applications. An experimental setup is constructed, and experiments were conducted to evaluate the heat exchange behavior during the charging and discharging process by varying the inlet temperature and the mass flow rate of the heat exchange fluid through the circuit. It is observed that the set temperature of the cool storage tank is to be maintained above +5°C to achieve better efficiency during the charging process. During the discharging process, the room could be maintained at the required comfort condition for a duration of 285 min with 29 cycles of operations between the set point temperature limits of 25°C to 28°C. When the inlet brine temperature of the cooling unit reached 20°C, in the next cycle, bringing down the room temperature again to 25°C could not be achieved. The results shown in this work are beneficial for efficiently operating the cooling system and useful in promoting renewable energy in the near future in the building sector. Also, the low-temperature sensible heat storage system is capable of maintaining the storage temperature at approximately +4°C, instead of -4°C normally employed in the case of latent heat-based storage system that allows higher performance in the sensible heat storage system.
Spectral Feature Extraction Using Partial and General Method
Authors: Jiang Bin , Fang Xi , Liu Yang , Wang Xingzhu , Liu Jie
Published: June 2021

With the rapid growth in astronomical spectra produced by large sky survey telescopes, traditional manual classification processes can no longer fulfill the requirements of precision and efficiency of spectral classification. There is an urgent need to employ machine learning approaches to conduct automated spectral classification tasks. Feature extraction is a critical step which has a great impact on any classification result. In this paper, a novel gradient-based method together with principal component analysis is proposed for the extraction of partial features of stellar spectra, that is, a feature vector indicating obvious local changes in data, which corresponds to the element line positions in the spectra. Furthermore, a general feature vector is utilized as an additional characteristic centering on the overall tendency of spectra, which can indicate stellar effective temperature. The two feature vectors and raw data are input into three neural networks, respectively, for training and each network votes for a predicted category of spectra. By selecting the class having the maximum votes, different types of spectra can be classified with high accuracy. The experimental results prove that a better performance can be achieved using the partial and general methods in this paper. The method could also be applied to other similar one-dimensional spectra, and the concepts proposed could ultimately expand the scope of machine learning application in astronomical spectral processing.
Average-ILC-Based Consensus Tracking of Multiagent Systems over Wireless Networks in Presence of Channel Noise and Data Dropout
Authors: Li Chenlong , Fang Yong , Sheng Zhichao
Published: June 2021

In a multiagent system (MAS), communication signals are affected by harsh wireless networks when they are transmitted from an agent to its neighboring agents, leading to the inconsistency of the MAS. In this paper, an average-iterative learning control (average-ILC) method is studied to address the consensus problem of MAS over wireless networks in the presence of channel noise and data dropout. The combined effects of channel noise and data dropout on iterative learning controllers are carefully analyzed. Based on graph theory and mathematical expectation, the corresponding average-iterative learning scheme is proposed. Especially, a sufficient condition is derived for the average-iterative learning scheme. Rigorous theoretical analysis demonstrates that the convergence of the covariance matrix of tracking error can be guaranteed with the help of an average-iterative learning scheme. Finally, simulation results are given to show the effectiveness of the proposed method.
An Implicit Relation Approach in Metric Spaces under
w
-Distance and Application to Fractional Differential Equation
Authors: Jain Reena , Nashine Hemant Kumar , Kumar Santosh
Published: June 2021

The purpose of this work is to introduce a new class of implicit relation and implicit type contractive condition in metric spaces under

w

-distance functional. Further, we derive fixed point results under a new class of contractive condition followed by three suitable examples. Next, we discuss results about weak well-posed property, weak limit shadowing property, and generalized

w

-Ulam-Hyers stability of the mappings of a given type. Finally, we obtain sufficient conditions for the existence of solutions for fractional differential equations as an application of the main result.
Investigation of Shock Initiation in Covered Charges under Shock Wave and Fragment Impacts
Authors: Chen Xingwang , Wang Jinxiang , Tang Kui , Wang Hongfei , Li Yuanbo
Published: June 2021

In the current work, a series of step‐by‐step research methods have been applied to address the damaging effects of near‐field strong shock waves and high‐speed fragments on covered charge. In the first step, the defects of covered plates due to high‐speed fragments were simplified to penetrated notches, and then, these notches were used to evaluate the impact of shock wave loads on charges covered with metal plates. In the next step, we developed a theoretical model to take into account the shock initiation of charges covered with defected metal plates. Explosive initiation standards coupled with shock wave evolution characteristics were applied to specify the crucial conditions of explosive detonation. Finite element program, for instance, was applied for the simulation of shock initiation processes in pressed charges (when TNT was covered with a steel plate containing a penetrated notch), and then, numerical simulations were validated by experimental findings. Finally, the results obtained from the numerical simulations and theoretical model were applied to evaluate the impacts of shock wave intensity, the thickness of covered metal plate, and the geometrical features of penetrated notch on pressed charge shock initiation. The least squares method was applied to determine critical initiation criteria (n and K). Theoretical calculation results were found to be highly consistent with those obtained from numerical simulations, indicating that covered metal plates significantly contributed to charge protection. The results also revealed that notches could undermine the protective function of covered plates and the size and shape of notch significantly affected charge critical detonation distance. Critical detonation distances of noncontact explosions were found to be 25 and 81 mm for a 3 mm thick pressed TNT in the presence and absence of 45# steel‐covered plate, respectively. According to the results, increase in the diameter of covered plates containing a cylindrical notch increased pressed TNT critical detonation distance. When dealing with a covered plate containing a normally reflected frustum notch, however, we figured out that any increase in normal reflection slope could decrease pressed TNT critical detonation distance.
Enhancer Hijacking Drives Oncogenic BCL11B Expression in Lineage-Ambiguous Stem Cell Leukemia
Authors: Montefiori Lindsey E. , Bendig Sonja , Gu Zhaohui , Chen Xiaolong , Pölönen Petri , Ma Xiaotu , Murison Alex , Zeng Andy , Garcia-Prat Laura , Dickerson Kirsten , Iacobucci Ilaria , Abdelhamed Sherif , Hiltenbrand Ryan , Mead Paul E. , Mehr Cyrus M. , Xu Beisi , Cheng Zhongshan , Chang Ti-Cheng , Westover Tamara , Ma Jing , Stengel Anna , Kimura Shunsuke , Qu Chunxu , Valentine Marcus B. , Rashkovan Marissa , Luger Selina , Litzow Mark R. , Rowe Jacob M. , den Boer Monique L. , Wang Victoria , Yin Jun , Kornblau Steven M. , Hunger Stephen P. , Loh Mignon L. , Pui Ching-Hon , Yang Wenjian , Crews Kristine R. , Roberts Kathryn G. , Yang Jun J. , Relling Mary V. , Evans William E. , Stock Wendy , Paietta Elisabeth M. , Ferrando Adolfo A. , Zhang Jinghui , Kern Wolfgang , Haferlach Torsten , Wu Gang , Dick John E. , Klco Jeffery M. , Haferlach Claudia , Mullighan Charles G.
Published: June 2021

Lineage-ambiguous leukemias are high-risk malignancies of poorly understood genetic basis. Here, we describe a distinct subgroup of acute leukemia with expression of myeloid, T lymphoid, and stem cell markers driven by aberrant allele-specific deregulation of BCL11B, a master transcription factor responsible for thymic T-lineage commitment and specification. Mechanistically, this deregulation was driven by chromosomal rearrangements that juxtapose BCL11B to superenhancers active in hematopoietic progenitors, or focal amplifications that generate a superenhancer from a noncoding element distal to BCL11B. Chromatin conformation analyses demonstrated long-range interactions of rearranged enhancers with the expressed BCL11B allele and association of BCL11B with activated hematopoietic progenitor cell cis-regulatory elements, suggesting BCL11B is aberrantly co-opted into a gene regulatory network that drives transformation by maintaining a progenitor state. These data support a role for ectopic BCL11B expression in primitive hematopoietic cells mediated by enhancer hijacking as an oncogenic driver of human lineage-ambiguous leukemia.

Significance:

Lineage-ambiguous leukemias pose significant diagnostic and therapeutic challenges due to a poorly understood molecular and cellular basis. We identify oncogenic deregulation of BCL11B driven by diverse structural alterations, including de novo superenhancer generation, as the driving feature of a subset of lineage-ambiguous leukemias that transcend current diagnostic boundaries.

This article is highlighted in the In This Issue feature, p. 2659
Development of Stage 4 Macular Hole after Spontaneous Closure in a Patient with Stage 2 Macular Hole and a Lamellar Macular Hole-Associated Epiretinal Proliferation
Authors: Watanabe Masahisa , Yokota Harumasa , Aso Hiroshi , Hanazaki Hirotsugu , Hanaguri Junya , Yamagami Satoru , Nagaoka Taiji
Published: June 2021

Herein, we report the longitudinal observation of a case with reopening of the macular hole associated with a lamellar macular hole-associated epiretinal proliferation (LHEP) followed by spontaneous closure in patients with stage 2 idiopathic macular hole. A 64-year-old woman was referred for the decreased visual acuity (VA) and acute anorthopia in the right eye. Funduscopy and optical coherence tomography (OCT) showed stage 2 full-thickness macular hole without posterior vitreous detachment (PVD) and operculum formation. Her best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was 20/32. One month later, the diameter of the macular hole was getting small and VA improved. Six months later, the macular hole was treated spontaneously with the attached hyaloid membrane to the macula by OCT and the BCVA improved to 20/20. Fourteen months after the first visit, the BCVA decreased to 20/50 and the patient was diagnosed with stage 4 macular hole with complete PVD. OCT showed full-thickness macular hole with a LHEP in the right eye. After 25G-gauge vitrectomy with the peeling of internal limiting membrane (ILM) and LHEP, the macular hole was closed and BCVA finally improved to 20/25. Spontaneous macular hole closure without PVD may rarely occur in patients with LHEP. The surgical removal of ILM and LHEP may contribute to the successful macular hole closure after vitrectomy.
Uveal Melanoma and Secondary Angle-Closure Crisis: A Case Report and Literature Review
Authors: Hoang Tung Thanh , Hoang Tuan Anh , McCluskey Peter , Grigg John
Published: June 2021

A 66-years-old Vietnamese healthy female patient presented with prolonged severe right ocular pain and complete vision loss in that eye. Anterior segment assessment including gonioscopy identified angle-closure configuration. A suspected ciliary body melanoma was seen through the pupil. Posterior segment examination revealed a large tumor mass and 360° retinal detachment (kissing configuration). An ultrasound examination was consistent with a uveal tumor. The painful, blind right eye with a tumor mass was enucleated. Histopathology confirmed a type A uveal spindle cell melanoma associated with total serous retinal detachment without evidence of tumor necrosis, epithelioid cells, scleral, or optic nerve infiltration. There was no evidence of metastasis after 1-year of follow-up. It is critically important to differentiate primary and secondary angle closure, especially in cases with life-threatening ocular malignancy as uveal melanoma.
Disparities in Obesity Prevalence in Iranian Adults: Cross-Sectional Study Using Data from the 2016 STEPS Survey
Authors: Amin Rozhin , Kolahi Ali-Asghar , Sohrabi Mohammad-Reza
Published: June 2021

Introduction: This paper outlines the prevalence, disparities, and social determinants of preobesity and obesity in Iranian adults. Methods: Data on 28,321 adults who participated in the 2016 National Survey of the Risk Factors of Noncommunicable Diseases (STEPS) survey were analyzed. The body mass index (BMI) was calculated from physically measured height and weight. To assess the association between sociodemographic factors and the prevalence of preobesity and obesity, a χ2 test and a logistic regression model were used. Socioeconomic inequality was quantified by a concentration index. Disparities in provincial mean BMI and concentration indices were shown on the map of Iran using geographic information system analysis. Results: Overall, 60.3% of the participants were affected by preobesity or obesity. The preobesity prevalence was 39% in men and 35.2% in women. The obesity prevalence was 15.6% in men and 30.4% in women. The mean BMI for the country was 26.5. Higher ranges were observed across the northwestern and central territories. Female individuals in the age group 48–57 years who were married and lived in urban settings had an increased risk of being preobese or obese. The concentration index revealed a prorich inequality, with a greater magnitude among women. Conclusion: The findings suggest that policies aimed at reducing preobesity and obesity should remain a public health priority in Iran. However, a greater emphasis should be placed on the northwestern and central territories and on higher socioeconomic groups.
Simultaneous Bilateral Traumatic Tibial Post Fracture in Total Knee Arthroplasties: A Case Report
Authors: Balendra Ganesh , Williams Andy
Published: June 2021

Fracture of tibial post after a posterior stabilized total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is an uncommon complication. We report a case of a patient who presented with simultaneous bilateral TKA tibial post fractures after a fall from height. To our knowledge, this is the first report of bilateral traumatic TKA tibial post fractures. We also demonstrate the utility of MRI scans in diagnosing this injury; an imaging modality which may not be considered by most surgeons due to metal artifact. There are also implications regarding the availability of prosthetic components after a TKA design is no longer marketed.
Contemporary Outcomes in Tetralogy of Fallot With Absent Pulmonary Valve After Fetal Diagnosis
Authors: Chelliah Anjali , Moon‐Grady Anita J. , Peyvandi Shabnam , Chiu Joanne S. , Bost James E. , Schidlow David , Carroll Sheila J. , Davey Brooke , Divanovic Allison , Hornberger Lisa , Howley Lisa W. , Kavanaugh‐McHugh Ann , Kovalchin John P. , Levasseur Stephanie M. , Lindblade Christopher L. , Morris Shaine A. , Ngwezi Deliwe , Pruetz Jay D. , Puchalski Michael D. , Rychik Jack , Samai Cyrus , Tacy Theresa A. , Tworetzky Wayne , Vernon Margaret M. , Yeh Jay , Donofrio Mary T.
Published: June 2021

Background

Tetralogy of Fallot with absent pulmonary valve is associated with high mortality, but it remains difficult to predict outcomes prenatally. We aimed to identify risk factors for mortality in a large multicenter cohort.

Methods and Results

Fetal echocardiograms and clinical data from 19 centers over a 10‐year period were collected. Primary outcome measures included fetal demise and overall mortality. Of 100 fetuses, pregnancy termination/postnatal nonintervention was elected in 22. Of 78 with intention to treat, 7 (9%) died in utero and 21 (27%) died postnatally. With median follow‐up of 32.9 months, no deaths occurred after 13 months. Of 80 fetuses with genetic testing, 46% had chromosomal abnormalities, with 22q11.2 deletion in 35%. On last fetal echocardiogram, at a median of 34.6 weeks, left ventricular dysfunction independently predicted fetal demise (odds ratio [OR], 7.4; 95% CI 1.3, 43.0;
P
=0.026). Right ventricular dysfunction independently predicted overall mortality in multivariate analysis (OR, 7.9; 95% CI 2.1–30.0;
P
=0.002). Earlier gestational age at delivery, mediastinal shift, left ventricular/right ventricular dilation, left ventricular dysfunction, tricuspid regurgitation, and Doppler abnormalities were associated with fetal and postnatal mortality, although few tended to progress throughout gestation on serial evaluation. Pulmonary artery diameters did not correlate with outcomes.

Conclusions

Perinatal mortality in tetralogy of Fallot with absent pulmonary valve remains high, with overall survival of 64% in fetuses with intention to treat. Right ventricular dysfunction independently predicts overall mortality. Left ventricular dysfunction predicts fetal mortality and may influence prenatal management and delivery planning. Mediastinal shift may reflect secondary effects of airway obstruction and abnormal lung development and is associated with increased mortality.
The (In)applicability of the Right of Innocent Passage in the Gulf of Finland – Russia’s Return to a Mare Clausum?
Authors: Lott Alexander
Published: June 2021

The Gulf of Finland has one of the busiest shipping routes globally and is the main export channel for Russian oil and gas. The Russian Federation has not closed its territorial sea for the east-west passage of ships to and from its ports. However, it has blocked over the past dozen years the north-south passage of an Estonian-Finnish commercial ferry line that has not received the Russian Federation’s permission for crossing its territorial sea. The Russian Federation’s permit-based passage regime caused the closure of that ferry line in 2007 and reportedly still hinders its re-establishment. In this context, the Russian Federation’s practice on the right of innocent passage through its territorial sea in the Gulf of Finland resembles the Soviet Union’s practice prior to the 1989 Jackson Hole statement.
Thomas Hobbes, Diodorus Siculus, and Early Humanity
Authors: Holton John Russell
Published: June 2021

This article offers a study of Thomas Hobbes’s reading of Diodorus Siculus, a Greek historiographer of the 1st century bc whom Hobbes called “the greatest antiquary perhaps that ever was.” After offering a comparison of the works of Thucydides (often regarded as Hobbes’s greatest classical model) and Diodorus, the article traces the reception of Diodorus’ work in early modern England and examines Diodorus’ strong influence on two principal works, De Homine and Behemoth. Early human histories in the first books of Diodorus’ Bibliotheke Historike (‘Historical Library), including anthropological and cosmological narratives, are a recurrent feature of Hobbes’s focus, and a certain subversiveness animates Hobbes’s use of Diodorus and underpins his critique of contemporary theological and political structures. One result of this research is to suggest a greater place for Diodorus in Hobbes’s intellectual world than previously realised, alongside a strong appreciation for Diodorus across multiple learned discourses in the pre-modern period.
Information literacy of Polish state administration officials in the context of the concept of "good governance"
Authors: Osiński Zbigniew
Published: June 2021

The article presents the results of research on information literacy (IL) of employees of selected state administration offices, those in which the concept of improving the quality of work, named "good governance", has been implemented. The first aim of the study was to determine the components of IL necessary for state administration employees and the deficiencies occurring in this respect. Another goal was to develop research methods and techniques which would be useful to achieve the first aim and to identify challenges of this study. The research was conducted in two stages. The first of them, carried out at the Lublin Provincial Office in Poland, was aimed at determining the information needs of individual official positions, identifying the IL essential for officials and the shortcomings in this regard. At this stage, the following research methods have been used: analysis of cards describing individual job positions in the office, the method of mapping knowledge in the office and the method of focused group interview. The second stage of the research was carried out in five provincial offices. This time, the main goal was to check whether the questionnaires developed by Polish researchers to study the information culture (the system of human attitudes towards information) of various social groups could be effectively used to study the IL of officials. It was assumed that the information culture of staff determined their ability to undertake information activities, including untypical ones, expected from them in line with the concept of "good governance". The conclusion reached was that IL of employees was underestimated in the current practice of state administration. A set of components of the information skills useful for working in various office job positions have been developed. It was reported that the information culture of the studied group was characterised by an optimistic perception of their own skills and their professional usefulness. Studies have shown that obtaining conclusive results indicating the level of specific information skills in the office environment is often not possible for reasons beyond the control of a researcher. Traditional IL testing methods are assumed to fail there. This is due to the Dunning-Kruger effect (Kruger & Dunning, 1999), as well as constraints imposed by the way offices function and decisions of the management of the office. It seems that achieving more precise results requires establishing close cooperation with the management of an examined group. Undertaking such research is necessary in the context of implementing the concept of "good governance" and a model of one of the methodologies has been presented in the article.
Workplace information literacy
Authors: Widén Gunilla , Ahmad Farhan , Nikou Shahrokh , Ryan Bruce , Cruickshank Peter
Published: June 2021

This paper focuses information literacy (IL) from a methodological perspective, addressing quantitative IL measures, suitable for evaluating the role of IL in supporting work activities. So far, IL in workplace contexts has mostly been studied using qualitative methods, designed for studying situational and context-dependent practices. Therefore it is important to explore how quantitative measures could be used to bring forward the relation between IL and organisational outcomes, that is the assessment of the impact of IL in workplace contexts. Quantitative research into IL is not unknown, but has been mainly developed in higher education, in order to measure students’ abilities to make use of information. This paper brings forward three separate studies, conducted by the authors, highlighting different workplace contexts: small and medium enterprises; universities; and community councils. The common approach is that survey instruments were used to measure IL and its impact in these organisational contexts. The methodological implementations and insights are presented and combined, and methodological strengths and challenges are discussed, with the aims of (1) building knowledge about IL measures in workplace settings that is currently lacking, (2) finding additional measures for the complex IL construct, and (3) considering the scope of the practices that can be measured. The paper highlights the complexity of studying the impacts of IL in workplace contexts, and the importance of using multiple methods. It constitutes an important step towards a more unified understanding of how to study workplace IL.
Web 2.0 tools and information literacy instruction in UK university libraries
Authors: Shire William , McKinney Pam
Published: June 2021

The literature reveals a clear debate around the use of Web 2.0 tools in information literacy (IL) instruction, with some commentators arguing that they effectively support pedagogy and others arguing that there is no sustained evidence for this. Instead, they argue that many librarians are reluctant to use the tools, hindering their overall adoption. This mixed-methods study incorporated a survey and interview to explore this debate. The aim of the study was to analyse the adoption and perception of Web 2.0 tools for IL teaching specifically within university libraries in the United Kingdom. The results revealed that there is initial evidence to suggest that a large proportion of librarians are actively using Web 2.0 tools to support IL pedagogy, but that there is also a smaller group that has a negative reaction to them and do not consider them beneficial. This study provides new knowledge for researchers around the use of technology in IL teaching and librarians’ perception of it, addressing a key gap in the literature around the UK university sector. Additionally, it is particularly useful for practitioners, as the issues it raises can improve the use of technology in IL teaching.
Enhancing students’ professional information literacy
Authors: Feekery Angela Joy , Chisholm Katherine , Jeffrey Carla , Diesch Fiona
Published: June 2021

Creating information literate students and future employees is an expected outcome of a tertiary education. This paper shares insights from a successful collaboration between an academic and three university librarians to create an online learning module designed to develop students’ professional information literacy capability: identifying business information types, searching online databases, and evaluating quality using a new indigenous-informed evaluation approach. Student learning was measured using reflective tasks and assessments. The paper challenges teachers and librarians to consider ways they can collaborate to explicitly embed information literacy (IL) skills development into large disciplinary courses, particularly during the transition into tertiary learning, to enhance lifelong learning capability and meet future workplace IL demands.
A Novel Ethanol-Based Non-Particulate Ink for Spin-Coating Cu2ZnSnS4Thin Film
Authors: Zhang Jingyuan , Liu Yusheng , Song Jianing , Zhang Mu , Li Xiaodong
Published: June 2021

The Cu2ZnSnS4(CZTS) thin films were fabricated by the direct solution coating method using a novel non-particulate ink. The ink was formulated using ethanol as the solvent and 1,2-diaminopropane as the complex-ing agent. The pure phase kesterite films with good crystallinity, large-sized crystals and excellent electrical properties were prepared by the spin-coating deposition technique using the homogeneous and air-stable ink. It was found that the subsequent pre-treatment temperature had an influence on the film crystallinity and electrical properties. The best film was obtained by pre-treating the spin-coated film at 250 °C, and then post-annealing at 560 °C. The film shows a narrow bandgap of 1.52 eV and excellent electrical properties, with a resistivity of 0.07 Ocm, carrier concentration of 3.0 x 1017cm-3, and mobility of 4.15 cm2V-1s-1. The novel non-particulate ink is promising for printing high quality CZTS thin films as absorber layers of thin film solar cells.