bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Super‐Toughened Heat‐Resistant Poly(lactic acid) Alloys By Tailoring the Phase Morphology and the Crystallization Behaviors
Authors: Wu Baogou , Xu Pengwu , Yang Weijun , Hoch Martin , Dong Weifu , Chen Mingqing , Bai Huiyu , Ma Piming
Published: January 2020

The interfacial grafting copolymerization and the compatibility between poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and ethylene‐vinyl acetate‐glycidyl methacrylate elastomer (EVM‐GMA) are adjusted by varying the blending temperatures. High temperature is favored to the grafting reaction between epoxy groups of the EVM‐GMA and terminal groups of the PLA, resulting in better compatibility between the two components. Taking PLA/EVM‐GMA (80/20) blend as an example, an increase in blending temperature from 175 to 230 °C led to a 42.8% reduction in EVM‐GMA particle size, and consequently 137.8% and 52.6% increases in elongation at break (Eb) and notched impact strength (NIS), respectively. In comparison, the Eb and NIS of PLA/EVM blends without any interfacial reaction deteriorated dramatically due to thermal degradation of the PLA at high(er) temperatures. Furthermore, the PLA/EVM‐GMA blend prepared at 230 °C possesses both excellent toughness (Eb > 60%, NIS > 60 kJ m−2) and high heat deflection temperature (>90 °C) after annealing at 100 °C. This work provides a new approach in designing high‐performance biobased materials which may broaden the application range of PLA in engineering areas. © 2020 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci. 2020, 58, 500–509
Validation of a computerized scoring system for foreign body aspiration: An observational study
Authors: Stafler Patrick , Nachalon Yuval , Stern Yoram , Leshno Moshe , Mei Zahav Meir , Prais Dario , Kadmon Gili
Published: January 2020

Objective

The diagnosis of foreign body aspiration (FBA) is challenging. In a previous study, we developed a computerized scoring system (CSS) to support decision‐making. In the present study, we aimed to validate it on a further cohort.

Study Design

In this observational study, 100 children referred to the emergency department of a tertiary pediatric hospital for suspected FBA and treated according to standard protocol, were assigned a probability score using the CSS, between 0 and 1 (0, very low probability; 1, very high). The diagnosis of FBA was based on bronchoscopy, and if discharged without bronchoscopy, determined via telephone questionnaire, 4 to 6 months after discharge, supplemented by clinical re‐evaluation and bronchoscopy, if respiratory symptoms persisted.

Results

Thirty‐five out of 100 children (35%) underwent bronchoscopy with 12 of 35 (34%) positive for FBA. Sixty‐five patients were discharged without bronchoscopy and completed a telephone questionnaire. Seven patients required clinical re‐evaluation for persistent respiratory symptoms, in two out of them, additional bronchoscopies were performed and were negative. The CSS median probability score was 0.94 in patients with FBA, as compared to 0.73 in patients without FBA (P = .007). The CSS area under the receiver operating curve was 0.74. At a probability score threshold of 0.6, the sensitivity and specificity were 100% and 41%, respectively.

Conclusion

The present validation study suggests a high sensitivity of the CSS for the identification of FBA in children. We suggest that it might aid decision‐making with regard to the need for bronchoscopy in children presenting to the emergency room.
Degradation Mechanisms of GaN‐Based Vertical Devices: A Review
Authors: Meneghini Matteo , Fabris Elena , Ruzzarin Maria , De Santi Carlo , Nomoto Kazuki , Hu Zhenqi , Li Wenshen , Gao Xingya , Jena Debdeep , Xing Huili Grace , Sun Min , Palacios Tomas , Meneghesso Gaudenzio , Zanoni Enrico
Published: January 2020

This article reviews most recent results on the reliability of vertical GaN‐based devices, by presenting a few case studies focused on the stability and degradation of high‐voltage GaN‐on‐GaN diodes and of GaN‐based field‐effect transistors (FETs). With regard to diodes, two relevant stress conditions are investigated. The first is operation at high forward current that can induce a degradation of the electrical properties of the devices, mostly consisting in an increase in the operating voltage, well correlated to a decrease in the electroluminescence signal emitted by the diodes. This degradation process is ascribed to the diffusion of hydrogen from the highly p‐type doped regions toward the junction, with consequent compensation of the acceptor (Mg) dopant. The second stress regime investigated on diodes is avalanche: specifically, it is shown that polarization‐doped GaN devices may show avalanche capability, and the stability of diodes in avalanche regime is investigated in detail. With regard to transistors, the analysis is focused on GaN‐on‐GaN vertical Fin‐FETs. First, the stability of the threshold voltage under positive gate stress is analyzed, and the role of interface/oxide traps is discussed by experimental characterization. Then, the degradation under positive gate or high‐drain stress is investigated, to provide information on the dominant degradation processes.
Growth of Highly Crystalline GaN at High Growth Rate by Trihalide Vapor‐Phase Epitaxy
Authors: Yamaguchi Akira , Oozeki Daisuke , Kawamoto Naoya , Takekawa Nao , Bulsara Mayank , Murakami Hisashi , Kumagai Yoshinao , Matsumoto Koh , Koukitu Akinori
Published: January 2020

Free‐standing gallium nitride (GaN) wafers are being increasingly used for high‐power and high‐frequency electronic devices. However, these have to be produced at low costs while maintaining high quality. With the aim of reducing the cost of manufacturing GaN substrates, trihalide vapor‐phase epitaxy (THVPE) is investigated to explore the effect of growth temperatures up to 1400 °C. High growth rate and high crystal quality are achieved simultaneously using THVPE. High‐quality GaN crystals are obtained at the growth rate of more than 300 μm h−1. Crystal characteristics are confirmed via the full width at half maximum (FWHM) of the (002) plane, obtained by the X‐ray two‐crystal (XRC) method. Dark spot density (DSD) measured via cathode luminescence decreases to the level of seed substrate at growth temperatures above 1300 °C. The yellow emission band is not visible in the photoluminescence spectra of the 2 in.‐diameter sample, which is consistent with very small concentrations of carbon impurities in the crystal. In addition to the attainment of high‐purity materials, parasitic polycrystal growth around the wafer and the reactor wall is eliminated, which can improve the productivity of the THVPE, due to very little down time of the reactor.
Ab‐Initio Real‐Time Magnon Dynamics in Ferromagnetic and Ferrimagnetic Systems
Authors: Singh Nisha , Elliott Peter , Dewhurst J. Kay , Gross E. K. U. , Sharma Sangeeta
Published: January 2020

Magnonics—an emerging field of physics—is based on the collective excitations of ordered spins called spin waves. These low‐energy excitations carry pure spin currents, paving the way for future technological devices working at low energies and on ultrafast timescales. The traditional ab‐initio approach to predict these spin‐wave energies is based on linear‐response time‐dependent density functional theory (LR‐TDDFT) in the momentum and frequency regime. Herein, the simulation of magnon dynamics using real‐time time‐dependent density functional theory is demonstrated, thus extending the domain of ab‐initio magnonic studies. Unlike LR‐TDDFT, this enables us to observe atom‐resolved dynamics of individual magnon modes and, using a supercell approach, the dynamics of several magnon modes can be observed simultaneously. The energies of these magnon modes are concurrent with those found using LR‐TDDFT. Next, the complex dynamics of the superposition of magnon modes is studied, before finally studying the element‐resolved modes in multisublattice magnetic systems.
Antiinflammatory and anti‐cancer activities of pomegranate and its constituent, ellagic acid: Evidence from cellular, animal, and clinical studies
Authors: Baradaran Rahimi Vafa , Ghadiri Mobarakeh , Ramezani Mobina , Askari Vahid Reza
Published: January 2020

Inflammation is commonly characterized as a defensive and protective reaction of the body to various exogenous or endogenous stimuli, which aims to maintain the body health. Punica granatum (pomegranate) and its constituent ellagic acid (EA) are recently more taken into accounts since their promising pharmacological effects. Therefore, we aimed to obtain a comprehensive review regarding antiinflammatory, anticancer, and antioxidant activities of both pomegranate and EA and their possible involved mechanisms. In the procedure, scientific databases, including Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar, were searched in the English language, until the end of January 2019. Pomegranate belonging to the Punicaceae has been used for medical purposes from ancient and in different cultures. Several studies have also supported that EA is the major active compound of pomegranate and possesses antimutagenic, antiinflammatory, antifibrosis, anticancer, and antiaging properties. It has been suggested that pomegranate and EA possess promising immunomodulatory effects in preclinical models as well as human studies through regulation of the T‐cell function and suppressing humoral immunity. Hopefully, we wish that this review and information could be helpful for designing further experiments to investigate the potential protective effects of pomegranate and EA.
Assessment of insulating package performance by mathematical modelling
Authors: Kucharek Mariusz , Yang Liu , Wang Kaibao
Published: January 2020

A mathematical model has been developed in the present work to describe the temperature change in a typical insulated shipping container as a function of time. The model was created by combining steady state and transient models in a 2D geometry of a typical shipping container and was subsequently validated by an ice melt test and comparison of temperature change obtained from the model and experimental measurement. An excellent agreement was obtained between the computational model developed in this work and experimental results. In addition, a parametric study was also carried out to investigate various factors in controlling the insulation performance of the packaging. It was found that the model has capability of evaluating the effect of a wide range of packaging design parameters such as thermal conductivity, surface emissivity, packaging geometry, and sounding temperature.
Structural Analysis of Nuclear Spin Clusters via 2D Nanoscale Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy
Authors: Yang Zhiping , Kong Xi , Li Zhijie , Yang Kai , Yu Pei , Wang Pengfei , Wang Ya , Qin Xi , Rong Xing , Duan Chang‐Kui , Shi Fazhan , Du Jiangfeng
Published: January 2020

2D nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) is essential in molecular structure determination. The nitrogen vacancy (NV) center in diamond is proposed and developed as an outstanding quantum sensor to realize NMR in nanoscale. In this work, a scheme for 2D nanoscale NMR spectroscopy is developed based on quantum controls on an NV center. A proof‐of‐principle experiment on a target of two coupled nuclear spins in diamond is carried out. A correlation spectroscopy (COSY) like sequence is used to acquire the data on time domain, which is then converted to frequency domain with the fast Fourier transform. With the 2D NMR spectrum, the structure and location of the set of nuclear spin are resolved. This work marks a fundamental step toward resolving the structure of a single molecule.
Autonomous aerial cinematography in unstructured environments with learned artistic decision‐making
Authors: Bonatti Rogerio , Wang Wenshan , Ho Cherie , Ahuja Aayush , Gschwindt Mirko , Camci Efe , Kayacan Erdal , Choudhury Sanjiban , Scherer Sebastian
Published: January 2020

Aerial cinematography is revolutionizing industries that require live and dynamic camera viewpoints such as entertainment, sports, and security. However, safely piloting a drone while filming a moving target in the presence of obstacles is immensely taxing, often requiring multiple expert human operators. Hence, there is a demand for an autonomous cinematographer that can reason about both geometry and scene context in real‐time. Existing approaches do not address all aspects of this problem; they either require high‐precision motion‐capture systems or global positioning system tags to localize targets, rely on prior maps of the environment, plan for short time horizons, or only follow fixed artistic guidelines specified before the flight. In this study, we address the problem in its entirety and propose a complete system for real‐time aerial cinematography that for the first time combines: (a) vision‐based target estimation; (b) 3D signed‐distance mapping for occlusion estimation; (c) efficient trajectory optimization for long time‐horizon camera motion; and (d) learning‐based artistic shot selection. We extensively evaluate our system both in simulation and in field experiments by filming dynamic targets moving through unstructured environments. Our results indicate that our system can operate reliably in the real world without restrictive assumptions. We also provide in‐depth analysis and discussions for each module, with the hope that our design tradeoffs can generalize to other related applications. Videos of the complete system can be found at https://youtu.be/ookhHnqmlaU.
Measuring the impact of renewable energy, public health expenditure, logistics, and environmental performance on sustainable economic growth
Authors: Khan Syed Abdul Rehman , Zhang Yu , Kumar Anil , Zavadskas Edmundas , Streimikiene Dalia
Published: January 2020

The study aims to examine the potential relationship between public health expenditures, logistics performance indices, renewable energy, and ecological sustainability in Association of Southeast Asian Nations member countries. The study used secondary data, which downloaded from the World Bank website and tested for hypotheses using the structural equation modeling. The results show that the use of renewable energy in logistics operations will improve environmental and economic performance to reduce emissions, whereas environmental performance is negatively correlated with public health expenditures, indicating that greater environmental sustainability can improve human health and economic growth. The results also show that increased public health spending and poor environmental performance undermine economic growth in low efficiency and low labor productivity, thus reducing the speed of economic activity. On the other hand, the use of renewable energy in logistics cannot only improve the sustainability of the environment but also create a better national image and provide better export opportunities in environmentally friendly countries to promote sustainable economic growth. The outcomes of this study will help the policy/decision makers to make the proper planning to their investments for achieving sustainable economic growth.
Recent Progress in Nanomaterials for Adsorptive Removal of Organic Contaminants from Wastewater
Authors: Saxena Reena , Saxena Megha , Lochab Amit
Published: January 2020

Water being most vital component of life is getting contaminated due to inhuman disposal of toxicants in water bodies. Organic compounds such as dyes, pharmaceuticals/drugs, pesticides etc. are used for various purposes and become life threatening when dumped in water bodies without pre‐treatment. Removal of these toxicants from environment is complicated but highly essential for sustainable development. Various methods have been used for this purpose among which adsorption is the most simple, fast, effective and inexpensive method for the removal of such contaminants. Nanomaterial proved to be one of the best adsorbent due to its unique structural properties which provides large surface area and high adsorption capacity. The factors affecting adsorption along with adsorption mechanism is discussed in detail. Detection of the pollutants is also quite tedious work as pollutants are present in trace quantity. UV‐Visible spectrophotometry is widely used detection technique which is easy to operate, produce accurate results and cheap. The review emphasizes the use of nanomaterial as adsorbents for the removal of various organic pollutants from wastewater using UV‐Visible spectrophotometry.
A Computational Study of Solvent and Electric Field Effects on Propylene Oxide Ring‐Opening Reaction
Authors: Jin Cheng‐Yu , Chen Lei , Yang Hui‐Qing , Chen Zhao‐Xu
Published: January 2020

Ethylene glycol (EG) is an important chemical and is widely used in the chemical industry. Hydration of ethylene oxide is a common way to produce EG. We performed density function calculations of propylene oxide (PO) ring‐opening reaction under basic, neutral and acidic conditions. We examined the influence of the solvent and electric field (EF) on the geometry, kinetics and thermodynamics of the ring‐opening. The solvent effect increases/decreases the ring‐opening barriers in the basic/neutral systems and EF exhibits significant influence on barriers and reaction heats in basic condition. All the energetic variation due to solvent and EF can be rationalized with the dipole moments of reactants, transition states, and products.
Preparation, Characterization and First Application of Graphene Oxide‐Metformin‐Nickel for the Suzuki Cross‐Coupling Reaction
Authors: Raoufi Farveh , Monajjemi Majid , Aghaei Hossein , Zare Karim , Ghaedi Mehrorang
Published: January 2020

In this project, in the first step, the graphene oxide‐metformin‐nickel catalyst has been prepared and then the Ni(II) was reduced to Ni(0) by hydrazine hydrate and Ni(0) nanoparticle coordinated to metformin‐GO was achieved. After full characterization of catalyst structure by different analyses like fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy (FT‐IR), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X‐Ray analysis (EDX), X‐Ray diffraction analysis (XRD), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), and coupled plasma/atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP), as well as confirm the successful synthesis of catalyst, the activity of catalyst has been examined in the Suzuki–Miyaura cross‐coupling reaction.
Electricity consumption prediction based on LSTM with attention mechanism
Authors: Lin Zhifeng , Cheng Lianglun , Huang Guoheng
Published: January 2020

Power data analysis in power system, such as electricity consumption prediction, has always been the basis for the power department to adjust electricity price, substation regulation, total load prediction and peak avoidance management. In this paper, a short‐term time‐phased electricity consumption prediction model based on Long Short‐Term Memory (LSTM) with an attention mechanism is proposed. First, the attention mechanism is used to assign weight coefficients to the input sequence data. Then, the output value of every cell of LSTM is calculated according to the forward propagation method, and the error between the real value and the predicted value is calculated using the back‐propagation method. The gradient of each weight is calculated according to the corresponding error term, and the weight of the model is updated by the gradient descent direction to make the error smaller. Using modeling and predicting experiments on different types of electricity consumption, the results show that the prediction accuracy of the model proposed increased by 6.5% compared to the state‐of‐the‐art model. The model has a good effect on electricity consumption prediction. Not only can it be close to actual results numerically, but it can also better predict the development trend of data. © 2020 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Chinese Ethnic Minority Students’ Investment in English Learning Empowered by Digital Multimodal Composing
Authors: Jiang Lianjiang , Yang Miaoyan , Yu Shulin
Published: January 2020

Although it has been well noted in TESOL that ethnic minority students often experience difficulties in mainstream English classrooms, whether and how such students can be empowered in their English learning remains underexplored. This article reports on a longitudinal case study of a Chinese ethnic minority student’s participation in a digital multimodal composing (DMC) project and its pertinent impact on the student’s investment in EFL learning. Data were gathered through semistructured interviews, classroom observations, informal conversations, written reflections, and student‐authored multimodal videos. The study found that using DMC in mainstream English classrooms constitutes a promising empowering and culturally sustaining strategy for facilitating ethnic minority students’ investment in English learning. Through DMC, the ethnic minority student not only gained access to peer support and a collaborative learning community that was underemphasized in traditional classes, but also learned to capitalize on her ethnic knowledge as essential cultural capital for in‐class participation. Noting the empowering role of DMC in positive ethnic identity constructions of the minority student and the investment in English learning, this study calls for attention to the importance of multimodality and the relevant literacy practices in empowering ethnic minority students to cross the linguistic and digital divides in mainstream classrooms.
First‐trimester prediction of small‐for‐gestational age in pregnancies at false‐positive high or intermediate risk for fetal aneuploidy
Authors: Yarygina T. A. , Bataeva R. S. , Benitez L. , Figueras F.
Published: January 2020

Objectives

To explore the risk of small‐for‐gestational age (SGA) and fetal growth restriction (FGR) and to test the performance of first‐trimester screening for SGA and FGR in women with a false‐positive high or intermediate risk for aneuploidy.

Methods

This was a prospective cohort study of women with a singleton pregnancy attending for a routine first‐trimester scan. The risks of aneuploidy and preterm SGA (defined as birth weight < 10th percentile with delivery before 37 weeks) were determined according to Fetal Medicine Foundation algorithms. In non‐malformed euploid pregnancies, the predictive performance of both the aneuploidy and preterm SGA risks was evaluated for SGA, FGR (defined as birth weight < 3rd centile), preterm SGA and early SGA (delivery before 34 weeks), using receiver‐operating‐characteristics (ROC) curve analysis, in those with a high or intermediate risk of aneuploidy and in the overall population.

Results

A total of 2053 pregnancies were included in the analysis, of which 191 (9.3%) were at high or intermediate risk for aneuploidy (≥ 1/1000) and 304 (14.8%) were at high risk for preterm SGA (≥ 1/100). In total, there were 140 (6.8%) cases of SGA, 61 (3.0%) of FGR, 44 (2.1%) of preterm SGA and 33 (1.6%) of early SGA. Among women with a false‐positive high or intermediate risk for aneuploidy, the rates of SGA, FGR, preterm SGA and early SGA were 13.6% (26/191), 7.9 % (15/191), 6.8% (13/191) and 5.8% (11/191), respectively. Compared with women with a first‐trimester low risk for preterm SGA, regardless of aneuploidy risk, those with a high risk for preterm SGA and a high or intermediate risk for aneuploidy had relative risks for SGA, FGR, preterm SGA and early SGA of 6 (95% CI, 3.9–9), 9.2 (95% CI, 5.1–16.5), 13.4 (95% CI, 6.9–26.1) and 17.6 (95% CI, 8.1–38.2), respectively. The predictive performance for SGA of the preterm SGA algorithm was higher in women at high or intermediate risk for aneuploidy than in the overall population (area under the ROC curve (AUC), 0.8 vs 0.7; P < 0.001). Among women at high or intermediate risk for aneuploidy, the predictive performance of the preterm SGA algorithm was better than that of the aneuploidy algorithm for SGA (AUC, 0.80 vs 0.58; P = 0.003), preterm SGA (AUC, 0.85 vs 0.65; P = 0.013) and early SGA (AUC, 0.86 vs 0.60; P = 0.002).

Conclusion

In women with a first‐trimester false‐positive high or intermediate risk of aneuploidy, further screening for SGA allows stratification of the risk for fetal growth disorders. Copyright © 2020 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Early cardiac remodeling in aortic coarctation: insights from fetal and neonatal functional and structural assessment
Authors: Soveral I. , Crispi F. , Walter C. , Guirado L. , García‐Cañadilla P. , Cook A. , Bonnin A. , Dejea H. , Rovira‐Zurriaga C. , Sánchez de Toledo J. , Gratacós E. , Martínez J. M. , Bijnens B. , Gómez O.
Published: January 2020

Objectives

Coarctation of the aorta (CoA) is associated with left ventricular (LV) dysfunction in neonates and adults. Cardiac structure and function in fetal CoA and cardiac adaptation to early neonatal life have not been described. We aimed to investigate the presence of cardiovascular structural remodeling and dysfunction in fetuses with CoA and their early postnatal cardiac adaptation.

Methods

This was a prospective observational case–control study, conducted between 2011 and 2018 in a single tertiary referral center, of fetuses with CoA and gestational age‐matched normal controls. All fetuses/neonates underwent comprehensive echocardiographic evaluation in the third trimester of pregnancy and after birth. Additionally, myocardial microstructure was assessed in one fetal and one neonatal CoA‐affected heart specimen, using synchrotron radiation‐based X‐ray phase‐contrast microcomputed tomography and histology, respectively.

Results

We included 30 fetuses with CoA and 60 gestational age‐matched controls. Of these, 20 CoA neonates and 44 controls were also evaluated postnatally. Fetuses with CoA showed significant left‐to‐right volume redistribution, with right ventricular (RV) size and output dominance and significant geometry alterations with an abnormally elongated LV, compared with controls (LV midventricular sphericity index (median (interquartile range; IQR), 2.4 (2.0–2.7) vs 1.8 (1.7–2.0); P < 0.001). Biventricular function was preserved and no ventricular hypertrophy was observed. Synchrotron tomography and histological assessment revealed normal myocyte organization in the fetal and neonatal specimens, respectively. Postnatally, the LV in CoA cases showed prompt remodeling, becoming more globular (LV midventricular sphericity index (mean ± SD), 1.5 ± 0.3 in CoA vs 1.8 ± 0.2 in controls; P < 0.001) with preserved systolic and normalized output, but altered diastolic, parameters compared with controls (LV inflow peak velocity in early diastole (mean ± SD), 97.8 ± 14.5 vs 56.5 ± 12.9 cm/s; LV inflow peak velocity in atrial contraction (median (IQR), 70.5 (60.1–84.9) vs 47.0 (43.0–55.0) cm/s; LV peak myocardial velocity in atrial contraction (mean ± SD), 5.1 ± 2.6 vs 6.3 ± 2.2 cm/s; P < 0.05). The neonatal RV showed increased longitudinal function in the presence of a patent arterial duct.

Conclusions

Our results suggest unique fetal cardiac remodeling in CoA, in which the LV stays smaller from the decreased growth stimulus of reduced volume load. Postnatally, the LV is acutely volume‐loaded, resulting in an overall geometry change with higher filling velocities and preserved systolic function. These findings improve our understanding of the evolution of CoA from fetal to neonatal life. Copyright © 2020 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Risk Factors for Prolonged Postoperative Ileus in Colorectal Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta‐analysis
Authors: Quiroga‐Centeno Andrea Carolina , Jerez‐Torra Kihara Alejandra , Martin‐Mojica Pedro Antonio , Castañeda‐Alfonso Sergio Andrés , Castillo‐Sánchez María Emma , Calvo‐Corredor Oscar Fernando , Gómez‐Ochoa Sergio Alejandro
Published: January 2020

Background

Prolonged postoperative ileus (PPOI) represents a frequent complication following colorectal surgery, affecting approximately 10–15% of these patients. The objective of this study was to evaluate the perioperative risk factors for PPOI development in colorectal surgery.

Methods

The present systematic review and meta‐analysis was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA Statement. PubMed, EMBASE, SciELO, and LILACS databases were searched, without language or time restrictions, from inception until December 2018. The keywords used were: Ileus, colon, colorectal, sigmoid, rectal, postoperative, postoperatory, surgery, risk, factors. The Newcastle–Ottawa scale and the Jadad scale were used for bias assessment, while the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) approach was used for quality assessment of evidence on outcome levels.

Results

Of the 64 studies included, 42 were evaluated in the meta‐analysis, comprising 29,736 patients (51.84% males; mean age 62 years), of whom 2844 (9.56%) developed PPOI. Significant risk factors for PPOI development were: male sex (OR 1.43; 95% CI 1.25–1.63), age (MD 3.17; 95% CI 1.63–4.71), cardiac comorbidities (OR 1.54; 95% CI 1.19–2.00), previous abdominal surgery (OR 1.44; 95% CI 1.19, 1.75), laparotomy (OR 2.47; 95% CI 1.77–3.44), and ostomy creation (OR 1.44; 95% CI 1.04–1.98). Included studies evidenced a moderate heterogeneity. The quality of evidence was regarded as very low‐moderate according to the GRADE approach.

Conclusions

Multiple factors, including demographic characteristics, past medical history, and surgical approach, may increase the risk of developing PPOI in colorectal surgery patients. The awareness of these will allow a more accurate assessment of PPOI risk in order to take measures to decrease its impact on this population.
Comparison of different modalities for the diagnosis of parastomal hernia: a systematic review
Authors: de Smet Gijs H. J. , Lambrichts Daniël P. V. , van den Hoek Sjoerd , Kroese Leonard F. , Buettner Stefan , Menon Anand G. , Kleinrensink Gert-Jan , Lange Johan F.
Published: January 2020

Purpose

Parastomal hernia (PSH) is a common complication following stoma formation. The incidence of PSH varies widely due to several factors including differences in diagnostic modality, observer, definition, and classification used for diagnosing PSH. The aim of this systematic review was to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of the modalities used to identify PSH.

Methods

Embase, MEDLINE, Cochrane, Web of Science, and Google Scholar databases were searched. Studies reporting PSH incidence rates detected by two or more different diagnostic modalities or inter-observer variation on one diagnostic modality were included. Article selection and assessment of study quality were conducted independently by two researchers using Cochrane Collaboration’s tool for assessing risk of bias. PROSPERO registration: CRD42018112732.

Results

Twenty-nine studies (n = 2514 patients) were included. Nineteen studies compared CT to clinical examination with relative difference in incidence rates ranging from 0.64 to 3.0 (n = 1369). Overall, 79% of studies found an increase in incidence rate when using CT. Disagreement between CT and clinical examination ranged between 0 and 37.3% with pooled inter-modality agreement Kappa value of 0.64 (95% CI 0.52–0.77). Four studies investigated the diagnostic accuracy of ultrasonography (n = 103). Compared with peroperative diagnosis, CT and ultrasonography both seemed accurate imaging modalities with a sensitivity of 83%.

Conclusion

CT is an accurate diagnostic modality for PSH diagnosis and increases PSH detection rates, as compared with clinical examination. Studies that specially focus on the diagnostic accuracy are needed and should aim to take patient-reported outcomes into account. A detailed description of the diagnostic approach, modality, definition, and involved observers is prerequisite for future PSH research.
Comparison of the effects of radiotherapy doses of 50.4 Gy and 60 Gy on outcomes of chemoradiotherapy for thoracic esophageal cancer: subgroup analysis based on the Comprehensive Registry of Esophageal Cancer in Japan from 2009 to 2011 by the Japan Esophageal Society
Authors: Nemoto Kenji , Kawashiro Shohei , Toh Yasushi , Numasaki Hodaka , Tachimori Yuji , Uno Takashi , Jingu Keiichi , Matsubara Hisahiro
Published: January 2020

Background

In definitive chemoradiotherapy (CRTx) for esophageal cancer, a radiotherapy (RT) dose of 50.4 Gy in 28 fractions has been the standard in many countries, while 60 Gy in 30 fractions has been frequently used in Japan. To clarify the optimal RT dose in CRTx for esophageal cancer, we compared clinical outcomes with the two doses using data from the Comprehensive Registry of Esophageal Cancer in Japan by the Japan Esophageal Society (JES).

Methods

Of the patients enrolled in the registry for 2015–2017 surveys (patients treated between 2009 and 2011), 996 patients who received definitive CRTx with 50.4 Gy or 60 Gy for thoracic esophageal cancer were eligible for analysis.

Results

The complete response (CR) rates in the 50.4 Gy and 60 Gy groups were 49.1% and 46.4%, respectively (p = 0.5851). The 5-year overall survival (OS) rates in the 50.4 Gy group and 60 Gy group for stages I, II/III and IV were 64.2% and 57.2%, 35.0% and 27.0%, and 18.0% and 15.3%, respectively. Since no significant difference was found between the two groups, the 50.4 Gy group was not inferior to the 60 Gy group with regard to OS.

Conclusions

The analysis revealed that the 50.4 Gy group had a non-inferior outcome in comparison with the 60 Gy group for stages I, II/III and IV thoracic esophageal cancer. These results were obtained from a large database for the first time in Japan.
Academic Discipline Integration by Contract Cheating Services and Essay Mills
Authors: Lancaster Thomas
Published: January 2020

Contract cheating services are marketing to students at discipline level, using increasingly sophisticated techniques. The discipline level reach of these services has not been widely considered in the academic integrity literature. Much of the academic understanding of contract cheating is not discipline specific, but the necessary solutions to this problem may need to vary by discipline. This paper reviews current knowledge about contract cheating services at the discipline level, including summarising four studies that rank the relative volume of contract cheating within different academic disciplines. The reviewed studies show high volumes of contract cheating transactions in the disciplines of Business and Computing. Examples of discipline level contract cheating research and service advertising are provided. The main contribution of the paper is an analysis of the discipline level reach by contract cheating services as seen through an analysis of Google search results from the United Kingdom. This analysis of 19 discipline groups uses measures of organic search engine results, paid results and competition. Three discipline groups are shown as currently being heavily exploited by essay mills; these are: (1) Architecture, Building and Planning, (2) Computer Science and (3) Law. In addition, the discipline group of Creative Arts and Design is shown to be at risk of future exploitation. The paper recommends that academics are made aware about continual change in the contract cheating industry including the involved marketing taking place at discipline level. The paper concludes with a call to action for academia to develop discipline specific solutions to contract cheating.
Development and Validation of the Mukbang Addiction Scale
Authors: Kircaburun Kagan , Stavropoulos Vasileios , Harris Andrew , Calado Filipa , Emirtekin Emrah , Griffiths Mark D.
Published: January 2020

Recent literature has speculated that some individuals spend lots of time watching mukbang (i.e., combination of the South Korean words ‘eating’ [‘meokneun’] and ‘broadcast’ [‘bangsong’] that refers to eating broadcasts where a person eats a large portion of food on camera whilst interacting with viewers) and compensate different needs using this activity. However, compensating unattained offline needs using a specific online activity could lead to the addictive use of that activity. The present study investigated problematic mukbang watching by developing and validating the Mukbang Addiction Scale (MAS). An online survey was administered to 236 university students (Mage = 20.50 years; 62% female) who had watched mukbang at least once. Construct validity, criterion validity, and reliability analyses indicated that the MAS had good psychometric properties. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses confirmed the unidimensional structure of the scale. The Cronbach’s alpha (α = .95) and composite reliability (CR = .92) suggested that the MAS had excellent internal consistency. Latent class analyses (LCA) revealed two primary profiles, one with high endorsement and one with low endorsement of the items assessed. Item response theory (IRT) findings also indicated a good model fit. IRT findings provisionally supported a cut-off scale raw score of 22 (out of 30). Assessment and clinical-related implications of the findings are illustrated in accordance with other excessive behaviours.
Ultrasound Guided Laparoscopic Port Placement in a Patient with Congenital Anomaly of IVC Undergoing Sleeve Gastrectomy
Authors: Al-Saadi Hatem , Singh Sona , Marimuthu Kanagaraj , Sharples Alistair , Balaji Nagammapudur , Thomas Biju , Rao Vittal
Published: January 2020

We report a patient with obesity who underwent laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy after pre-operative ultrasound mark up to enable safe port insertion due to presence of venous collaterals in the abdominal wall as a result of congenial IVC anomaly. This patient was falsely presumed to have NASH cirrhosis. Detailed preoperative workup ruled this out and led to the discovery of congenital IVC anomaly as the cause of engorged blood vessels in the anterior abdominal wall. On table ultrasound mark up of safe sites for port insertion enabled a safe laparosocpic sleeve gastrectomy on this patient.
Observational learning and willingness to pay in equity crowdfunding
Authors: Walther Martin , Bade Marco
Published: January 2020

This study examines interdependencies between investments of equity crowdfunders. Based on hand-collected data from a well-established equity-crowdfunding platform, we find strong indication that investors observe previous investments to determine their willingness to pay for equity shares. Furthermore, the investment behavior of predecessors may lead investors to deviate from average investment behavior. In particular, investors are willing to pay more than the average investment, when the focal campaign is hot or there have been many large investments in the campaign. Remarkably, a high number of all previous investments over the entire period of the campaign as well as co-financing by presumably sophisticated investors negatively influence willingness to pay. This suggests that crowd investors are subject to partial crowding-out. These findings are different on the platform level, which suggests that investors’ behavior is rather information than sentiment-driven.
Feature selection based on weighted conditional mutual information
Authors: Zhou Hongfang , Wang Xiqian , Zhang Yao
Published: January 2020

Feature selection is an essential step in data mining. The core of it is to analyze and quantize the relevancy and redundancy between the features and the classes. In CFR feature selection method, they rarely consider which feature to choose if two or more features have the same value using evaluation criterion. In order to address this problem, the standard deviation is employed to adjust the importance between relevancy and redundancy. Based on this idea, a novel feature selection method named as Feature Selection Based on Weighted Conditional Mutual Information (WCFR) is introduced. Experimental results on ten datasets show that our proposed method has higher classification accuracy.
Mindfulness and Job Performance: Does Creativity Matter?
Authors: Ngo Liem Viet , Nguyen Nguyen Phong , Lee (“Jiyeon”) Jenny , Andonopoulos Vasiliki
Published: January 2020

Mindfulness is being fully awake with the here-and-now moment. This study examines the mechanisms through which mindfulness enhances job performance. Specifically, we hypothesise that the relationship between mindfulness and service employees’ job performance is mediated by creative process engagement and employee creativity. Using a sample of 180 full-time employees working at a professional service company, we find that job performance is significantly affected by employee creativity. The mediating effect of creative process engagement and employee creativity on the linkage between mindfulness and job performance is also found to be significant.
Gclust: A Parallel Clustering Tool for Microbial Genomic Data
Authors: Li Ruilin , He Xiaoyu , Dai Chuangchuang , Zhu Haidong , Lang Xianyu , Chen Wei , Li Xiaodong , Zhao Dan , Zhang Yu , Han Xinyin , Niu Tie , Zhao Yi , Cao Rongqiang , He Rong , Lu Zhonghua , Chi Xuebin , Li Weizhong , Niu Beifang
Published: January 2020

The accelerating growth of the public microbial genomic data imposes substantial burden on the research community that uses such resources. Building databases for non-redundant reference sequences from massive microbial genomic data based on clustering analysis is essential. However, existing clustering algorithms perform poorly on long genomic sequences. In this article, we present Gclust, a parallel program for clustering complete or draft genomic sequences, where clustering is accelerated with a novel parallelization strategy and a fast sequence comparison algorithm using sparse suffix arrays (SSAs). Moreover, genome identity measures between two sequences are calculated based on their maximal exact matches (MEMs). In this paper, we demonstrate the high speed and clustering quality of Gclust by examining four genome sequence datasets. Gclust is freely available for non-commercial use at https://github.com/niu-lab/gclust. We also introduce a web server for clustering user-uploaded genomes at http://niulab.scgrid.cn/gclust.
Distal Biologic Cap for Impending Distal Erosion
Authors: Karpman Edward , DiGiorgio Lorenzo , Carrion Rafael E.
Published: January 2020

Introduction

Management for distal impending erosion can be difficult and has been previously managed with counter incisions which can lead to unsightly scars and increased infection risk.

Aim

To demonstrate a novel technique in management of impending erosion.

Methods

We retrospectively reviewed patients who underwent placement of a distal biologic cap for impending erosion.

Main Outcome Measure

The main outcome was thesuccessful placement of inflatable penile prosthesis through a single incision.

Results

All patients who underwent this procedure are functional and have had no evidence of recurrence.

Clinical Implications

A simple approach to manage impending distal erosion.

Strength & Limitations

Limitations include small sample size and short duration of follow-up.

Conclusion

The distal biologic cap is a simple alternative technique to treat distal impending erosion of an inflatable penile prosthesis and can be performed safely without the need for additional incisions on the penis and with a minimal increase in operative times.
Reduced neural response to reward and pleasant pictures independently relate to depression
Authors: Klawohn Julia , Burani Kreshnik , Bruchnak Alec , Santopetro Nicholas , Hajcak Greg
Published: January 2020

Background

Multiple studies have found a reduced reward positivity (RewP) among individuals with major depressive disorder (MDD). Event-related potential studies have also reported blunted neural responses to pleasant pictures in MDD as reflected by the late positive potential (LPP). These deficits have been interpreted broadly in terms of anhedonia and decreased emotional engagement characteristic of depression.

Methods

In the current study, a community-based sample of 83 participants with current MDD and 45 healthy individuals performed both a guessing task and a picture viewing paradigm with neutral and pleasant pictures to assess the RewP and the LPP, respectively.

Results

We found that both RewP and LPP to pleasant pictures were reduced in the MDD group; moreover, RewP and LPP were both independent predictors of MDD status. Within the MDD group, a smaller RewP predicted impaired mood reactivity in younger but not older participants. Smaller LPP amplitudes were associated with increased anhedonia severity in the MDD group.

Conclusions

These data replicate and merge separate previous lines of research, and suggest that a blunted RewP and LPP reflect independent neural deficits in MDD – which could be used in conjunction to improve the classification of depression.
Familial coaggregation of major psychiatric disorders among first-degree relatives of patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder: a nationwide study
Authors: Huang Mao-Hsuan , Cheng Chih-Ming , Tsai Shih-Jen , Bai Ya-Mei , Li Cheng-Ta , Lin Wei-Chen , Su Tung-Ping , Chen Tzeng-Ji , Chen Mu-Hong
Published: January 2020

Background

Whether the first-degree relatives (FDRs) of patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) have an increased risk of the major psychiatric disorders, namely schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, OCD, major depressive disorder (MDD), autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), remains unclear.

Methods

Using the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database with the whole population sample size (n = 23 258 175), 89 500 FDRs, including parents, offspring, siblings, and twins, of patients with OCD were identified in our study. The relative risks (RRs) of major psychiatric disorders were assessed among FDRs of patients with OCD.

Results

FDRs of patients with OCD had higher RRs of major psychiatric disorders, namely OCD (RR 8.11, 95% confidence interval (CI) 7.68–8.57), bipolar disorder (RR 2.85, 95% CI 2.68–3.04), MDD (RR 2.67, 95% CI 2.58–2.76), ASD (RR 2.38, 95% CI 2.10–2.71), ADHD (RR 2.19, 95% CI 2.07–2.32), and schizophrenia (RR 1.97, 95% CI 1.86–2.09), compared with the total population. Different familial kinships of FDRs, such as parents, offspring, siblings, and twins consistently had increased risks for these disorders. In addition, a dose-dependent relationship was found between the numbers of OCD probands and the risk of each major psychiatric disorder.

Conclusions

The FDRs, including parents, offspring, siblings, and twins, of patients with OCD have a higher risk of OCD, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, MDD, ADHD, and ASD. The familial co-aggregation of OCD with OCD and other major psychiatric disorders was existent in a dose-dependent manner. Given the increased risks of psychiatric disorders, medical practitioners should closely monitor the mental health of the FDRs of patients with OCD.