bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Adolescents’ own and parental expectations for cross‐group friendship in the context of societal inequalities
Authors: Grütter Jeanine , Dhakal Sandesh , Killen Melanie
Published: December 2021

This study investigated adolescents’ expectations about friendships between peers from different socioeconomic status (SES) in Nepal. Overall, Nepalese adolescents (N = 389, Mage = 14.08; grades: 7–10) attributed more negative intentions to high‐SES than to low‐SES peers and expected that parents of high‐SES targets would disapprove of cross‐group friendships, referencing social hierarchies and reputation. Expectation about parents of low‐SES targets were that they would support cross‐SES friendships, citing moral concerns and social mobility. Thus, adolescents were aware of systemic reasons that underlie SES biases. Given that low‐SES adolescents often suffer when excluded from peer experiences, these findings indicate that ethnic‐racial socialization (ERS) parental strategies could include protecting children from experiences related to SES inequalities and a lack of social mobility as well as experiences of discrimination.
Clinical, computed tomographic, surgical findings and outcome in dogs with sublumbar abscessation: 16 cases (2013‐2019)
Authors: Jacques D. , Meige F. , Thierry F.
Published: December 2021

Objectives

To describe the clinical presentation, CT imaging findings, surgical treatment and long‐term outcome in dogs with sublumbar abscessation.

Materials and Methods

Medical records of dogs treated for sublumbar abscessation between 2013 and 2019 were retrieved. Criteria for inclusion were a diagnosis of sublumbar abscessation, complete patient history, pre‐operative CT imaging, blood work, bacteriology results, record of the surgical treatment, post‐operative care and outcome.

Results

Sixteen dogs were included in this study with a median follow‐up period of 36 months (15/16). Clinicals signs included flank or lumbar soft tissue swelling (12/16), lumbar pain (11/16), hyperthermia (8/16), a cutaneous discharging sinus (5/16) and lethargy (5/16). CT findings were: abscesses of varying size localised in the psoas muscles (16/16), spondylitis (12/16), vertebral osteomyelitis (6/16), discospondylitis (2/16) and epidural inflammation (8/16). Thoracic lesions were present in eight of 12 dogs. Exploratory surgery was performed in 16 dogs via a midline celiotomy in 15 of 16 and a lateral approach in one of 16 cases. The surgical approach was selected based on the location of the draining tracts detected on CT imaging. Vertebral body curettage was performed in five of 16 cases with lesions identified on CT. Vegetal foreign material was found in seven of 16 dogs. Of the 15 animals with long‐term follow‐up, 13 had no signs of recurrence.

Clinical Significance

Surgical treatment of sublumbar abscessation resulted in a good long‐term outcome when CT was used to guide the surgical approach and to plan the procedure. Our study highlights common vertebral and epidural lesions associated with sublumbar abscesses with a prevalence of 87.5%.
Fibrin clot quality in acutely ill cirrhosis patients: Relation with outcome and improvement with coagulation factor concentrates
Authors: Blasi Annabel , Patel Vishal C. , Spanke Eva N. H. E. , Adelmeijer Jelle , Stamouli Marilena , Zamalloa Ane , Corcoran Eleanor , Calvo Andrea , Fernandez Javier , Bernal William , Lisman Ton
Published: December 2021

Background & Aims

Patients with liver disease may acquire substantial changes in their hemostatic system, which are most pronounced in patients who are critically ill. Changes in the quality of the fibrin clot in critically ill patients have not been studied in detail. Here we assessed markers of fibrin clot quality and effects of coagulation factor concentrates in patients with acutely decompensated (AD) cirrhosis and acute on chronic liver failure (ACLF).

Methods

We measured plasma levels of fibrinogen, factor XIII, prothrombin and performed thrombin generation assays in 52 AD patients, 58 ACLF patients and 40 controls. In addition, we examined the effects of coagulation factor concentrates on functional assays of fibrin quality.

Results

We found increased thrombin generating capacity in both AD and ACLF in comparison with healthy controls. Plasma levels of prothrombin, fibrinogen, and factor XIII were lower in patients compared to controls, appeared lower in ACLF compared to AD patients, and were related to clinical outcomes. Fibrinogen concentrate, but not factor XIII or prothrombin complex concentrate, improved clot quality in vitro. Prothrombin complex concentrate increased the resistance of the clot to break down.

Conclusions

We have demonstrated elevated thrombin generation but decreased plasma levels of prothrombin, fibrinogen and FXIII in acutely ill patients with cirrhosis. In addition, we showed that fibrinogen concentrate and PCCs, but not factor XIII concentrate, improve clot properties in patient plasma. Whether there is true clinical benefit from coagulation factor concentrates in prevention or treatment of bleeding requires further study.

Lay summary

Patients with liver diseases are at risk of bleeding, but mechanisms involved in this bleeding risk are incompletely understood. We studied components that determine the stability of the blood clot and found that concentrations of certain proteins involved in clot stability are present in low levels in acutely ill patients with liver disease. We furthermore demonstrated that some clinically available drugs improve the stability of blood clots from these patients in a test tube.
Associations of liver volume and other markers of hepatic steatosis with all‐cause mortality in the general population
Authors: Naeem Muhammad , Markus Marcello R. P. , Mousa Mohammed , Schipf Sabine , Dörr Marcus , Steveling Antje , Aghdassi Ali , Kühn Jens‐Peter , Kromrey Marie‐Luise , Nauck Matthias , Targher Giovanni , Völzke Henry , Ittermann Till
Published: December 2021

Aims

We examined the associations between liver volume and other quantitative and qualitative markers of hepatic steatosis with all‐cause mortality in the general population.

Methods

We included 2769 German middle‐aged individuals with a median follow‐up of 8.9 years (23,898 person‐years). Quantitative markers used were serum liver enzymes and FIB‐4 score, while qualitative markers of hepatic steatosis included magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) measurements of liver fat content and total liver volume. Cox proportional hazards models, adjusted for confounding factors, were undertaken to investigate the associations of liver volume and other markers of hepatic steatosis with all‐cause mortality.

Results

A larger MRI‐assessed liver volume was associated with a nearly three‐fold increased risk of all‐cause mortality (Hazard Ratio = 3.16; 95% confidence interval 1.88; 5.30), independent of age, sex, body mass index, food frequency score, alcohol consumption and education level. This association was consistent in all subgroups considered (men vs. women; presence or absence of overweight/obesity, metabolic syndrome or diabetes). Higher serum liver enzyme levels and FIB‐4 score were also significantly associated with higher all‐cause mortality in the total population and in all subgroups. No independent associations were found between other quantitative and qualitative markers of hepatic steatosis and the risk of all‐cause mortality.

Conclusions

We showed for the first time that larger liver volume was associated with a three‐fold increase in long‐term risk of all‐cause mortality. This association remained significant after adjustment for age, sex, alcohol consumption, obesity and other coexisting metabolic disorders.
Quantification of intrinsic optical signals in the outer human retina using optical coherence tomography
Authors: Messner Alina , Aranha dos Santos Valentin , Stegmann Hannes , Puchner Stefan , Schmidl Doreen , Leitgeb Rainer , Schmetterer Leopold , Werkmeister René M.
Published: December 2021

Intrinsic optical signals constitute a noninvasive biomarker promising the objective assessment of retinal photoreceptor function. We employed a commercial optical coherence tomography (OCT) system and an OCT signal model for evaluation of optical path length (OPL) changes in the temporal outer retina of five healthy subjects during light adaptation. Data were acquired at 30 time points, in ambient light and during long duration stimulation with white light, and analyzed, employing a signal model based on the sum of seven Gaussian curves corresponding to all relevant anatomical structures of the outer retina. During light stimulation, mean OPL between rod outer segment tips (ROST) and the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) decreased by 21.4 ± 3.5%. Further, OPL between the external‐limiting membrane (ELM) and the RPE decreased by 5.2 ± 0.9% versus baseline, while OPL between ELM and ROST showed an initial decrease by 2.1 ± 1.6% versus baseline and, thereafter, increased by 2.8 ± 2.1% versus baseline. Thus, the presented approach allowed for assess to dynamic changes in the outer retina in response to light. The change in the subretinal space occurring in the context of light adaptation could be measured using a standard OCT platform and a dedicated signal model.
Assessing the visual image quality provided by refractive corrections during keratoconus progression
Authors: Rozema Jos J , Hastings Gareth D , Jiménez‐García Marta , Koppen Carina , Applegate Raymond A
Published: December 2021

Purpose

To expand the SyntEyes keratoconus (KTC) model to assess the Visual Image Quality (VIQ) of sphero‐cylindrical spectacle and rigid contact lens corrections as keratoconus progresses.

Methods

The previously published SyntEyes KTC eye model to determine best sphero‐cylindrical spectacle and rigid contact lens correction in keratoconic eyes was expanded to include the natural progression of keratoconus, thus allowing the assessment of corrected VIQ with disease progression.

Results

As keratoconus progresses, the pattern of visual Strehl ratio (VSX) in correction space for spectacles alters from a typical hourglass into a shell pattern. The former would guide the subjective refraction towards the optimal correction while the latter is relatively insensitive to large dioptric steps. In 15 out of the 20 SyntEyes, the shell pattern eventually produces two foci on different sides of the correction space separated by a clinically significant dioptric difference with a similar, albeit lower VIQ. Wearing the best possible spectacle corrections provided an average gain of up to 3.5 lines of logMAR visual acuity compared to the uncorrected cases, which increased to 5.5 lines for the best rigid contact lens correction. Continuing to wear a spectacle correction as the disease progresses often leads to a VIQ that is almost as bad as the uncorrected case. Continuing to wear a rigid contact lens correction as the disease progresses maintains a relatively high level of VIQ, albeit in the low range for typically well‐corrected normal eyes.

Conclusions

The results reflect the clinical experience that subjective refraction is difficult in highly‐aberrated keratoconic eyes, the benefit of spectacle correction is short lived and that rigid contact lenses provide better and more stable VIQ with disease progression. Other aspects, such as the presence and behaviour of the second focus in some cases, remain to be confirmed clinically.
Quid pro quo in online medical consultation? Investigating the effects of small monetary gifts from patients
Authors: Zhao Wei , Liu Qianqian Ben , Guo Xitong , Wu Tianshi , Kumar Subodha
Published: December 2021

Recent years have seen robust growth in online medical consultation platforms. These platforms allow patients to access various healthcare services provided by doctors (e.g., health assessment, diagnosis, consultation, and supervision). In China, many such platforms allow patients to give small monetary gifts to doctors as an expression of gratitude. The implicit assumption is that expensive gifts influence doctors' medical service and generate conflicts of interest but small gifts do not. However, there is little empirical evidence to support this assumption. In order to fill this gap in the literature, our study investigates whether small gifts from patients impact the quality of service provided to the gift‐givers (i.e., direct effect) and the nongivers (i.e., spillover effect). We examine three aspects of online medical service quality: (i) patient wait time, (ii) the amount of information in doctors' responses, and (iii) the degree of emotional support in doctors' responses. We find that despite the gifts' negligible monetary value, doctors who receive gifts do reciprocate to the gift‐givers by providing them with more timely responses and greater emotional support. Furthermore, after receiving the small gifts, doctors may be slower in responding to nongivers and offer them less emotional support. We also investigate whether these effects (both direct and spillover effects) vary with doctors' backgrounds, including their professional experience and geographic location. Our findings have both theoretical and practical implications for patients, online medical consultation platforms, and healthcare policy makers.
Consequences of Economic Inequality for the Social and Political Vitality of Society: A Social Identity Analysis
Authors: Jetten Jolanda , Peters Kim , Álvarez Belén , Casara Bruno Gabriel Salvador , Dare Michael , Kirkland Kelly , Sánchez‐Rodríguez Ángel , Selvanathan Hema Preya , Sprong Stefanie , Tanjitpiyanond Porntida , Wang Zhechen , Mols Frank
Published: December 2021

Economic inequality has been found to have pernicious effects, reducing mental and physical health, decreasing societal cohesion, and fueling support for nativist parties and illiberal autocratic leaders. We start this review with an outline of what social identity theorizing offers to the study of inequality. We then articulate four hypotheses that can be derived from the social identity approach: the fit hypothesis, the wealth‐categorization hypothesis, the wealth‐stereotype hypothesis, and the sociostructural hypothesis. We review the empirical literature that tests these hypotheses by exploring the effect of economic inequality, measured objectively by metrics such as the Gini coefficient as well as subjectively in terms of perceptions of economic inequality, on wealth categorization (of others and the self), the desire for more wealth and status, intergroup hostility, attitudes towards immigrants, prosocial behavior, stereotyping, the wish for a strong leader, the endorsement of conspiracy theories, and collective action intentions. As we will show, this research suggests that economic inequality may have even more far‐reaching consequences than commonly believed. Indeed, investigating the effects of economic inequality on citizens' sociopolitical behaviors may be increasingly important in today's turbulent political and social landscape.
Detection and elimination of viruses infecting sweet potatoes in Hungary
Authors: Kiemo Francis W. , Salamon Pál , Jewehan Ahmad , Tóth Zoltán , Szabó Zoltán
Published: December 2021

Sweet potato has been grown in Hungary for the last three decades, and its popularity is increasing among farmers and consumers. Its production is hampered by pests and diseases due to poor agricultural practices, such as the use of virus‐infected propagation materials. We tested the presence of 15 viruses by PCR and quantitative PCR in 110 sweet potato plants collected from seven regions in Hungary. Seven viruses in single or multiple infections associated with a wide range of foliar symptoms were detected: sweet potato chlorotic stunt virus (SPCSV), sweet potato virus G (SPVG), sweet potato virus C (SPVC), sweet potato feathery mottle virus (SPFMV), sweet potato virus 2 (SPV2), sweet potato leaf curl virus (SPLCV), and sweet potato pakakuy virus (SPPV). This is the first report on the occurrence of the begomovirus SPLCV in sweet potatoes in Hungary. The infectivity and identity of these viruses were confirmed through bioassays (grafting to Ipomoea setosa) and sequencing of the PCR‐amplified sections of their genomes, respectively. Due to the necessity for virus‐free sweet potato propagation material in Hungary, virus elimination was carried out successfully in five out of six genotypes important for Hungarian farmers using heat treatment and meristem tip culture. All five viruses detected in the plants before heat treatment were removed except SPPV, which persists after heat treatment. Production and strict regulation of virus‐free sweet potato propagation materials are recommended to avoid exacerbating the virus situation and protect Hungarian farmers from further losses.
Is psychosocial rehabilitation useful in older people living in nursing homes? A pilot study on long‐term cognitive and behavioural outcomes
Authors: De Luca Rosaria , Maggio Maria Grazia , Leonardi Simona , Marra Angela , Casella Carmela , Calabrò Rocco Salvatore
Published: December 2021

Background

Age‐related changes in cognitive and behavioural functions, although common, may vary considerably across individuals and cognitive domains. There is limited evidence focusing on the benefits of training based on cognitive/social learning principles in the elderly. The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of Assertive Social Skill Training (ASST) in improving cognitive and mood outcomes in a sample of older patients living in a Sicilian nursing home.

Methods

Forty‐seven older subjects were enrolled in this case–control study. Each participant was evaluated by a neuropsychologist, through the administration of a short psychometric battery using the Mini‐Mental State Examination (MMSE), Frontal Assessment Battery (FAB), and Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), at three time points: before (T0), immediately following (T1), and 6 months after the end of the training (T2). Both groups received cognitive behavioural therapy and psychological support, but the experimental group received the ASST protocol (60 sessions, five times a week, for 12 weeks, each session lasting about 60 min), whilst the control group participated in group meetings with recreational activities.

Results

Post‐hoc analysis showed that only patients receiving ASST presented a statistically significant improvement in global cognitive functions (MMSE: P < 0.001), frontal abilities (FAB: P < 0.001), and mood (GDS: P < 0.001); these positive outcomes were maintained at T2.

Conclusions

Promising treatments, like the ASST, aimed at potentiating cognitive, behavioural, and social skills, are needed to improve older people's quality of life, especially when they live in nursing homes.
O, wind, if winter comes … will symptoms be far behind?
Authors: Patriquin Christopher J. , Pavenski Katerina
Published: December 2021

See article on page 51–59, in this issue
A global review of the invasive aquatic weed Cabomba caroliniana [A. Gray] (Carolina fanwort): Current and future management challenges, and research gaps
Authors: Roberts Jason , Florentine Singarayer
Published: December 2021

Cabomba caroliniana [A. Gray] (Cabombaceae), also known as Carolina fanwort, is a native of South America which has now become a serious invasive threat to aquatic systems across the world. Its capacity to inundate a water column with active fragments and seeds makes the containment and management of C. caroliniana a challenging task and an ecological and economic necessity. Previous and current management efforts have been largely focussed on biological control, drawdown methods, herbicide application, manual removal, shading and the use of a concentrated urea solution. Although these methods have shown some success in reducing large infestations, they are generally considered to be unreliable when used alone since they are unable to contain or reduce the species in the long term with a single‐use treatment protocol. It is feared that, without effective, improved and integrated management strategies, C. caroliniana will continue to invade aquatic ecosystems beyond its already wide current distribution, thus causing increased global economic and environmental damage. This review will therefore explore the biology and distribution of C. caroliniana and examine the current and previous attempts for its global management. It will also evaluate the most successful current treatments and clarify where research efforts are urgently needed for the improved long‐term extirpation of this aquatic invader.
Statins and venous leg ulcer healing: Secondary analysis of data from a cohort of three randomised controlled trials
Authors: Jull Andrew , Lu Han , Jiang Yannan
Published: December 2021

Adjuvants to compression are sought for treating venous ulceration. There is animal, observational and trial evidence that suggests statins increase venous ulcer healing. The objective of this study was to conduct secondary analyses investigating the association of statin use with healing in three randomised trials that recruited people with venous ulceration. The difference in healing rates was modest but higher in the statins group. Crude analyses found no significant difference between the groups, but when adjusted for the trial effect and potential confounders (age, diabetes, first ever ulcer, ulcer area and ulcer duration), significantly more participants healed among those taking statins. The analyses were robust to method of analysis (fixed effects or random effects models). A definitive trial is required to evaluate the effect of statins versus placebo on venous ulcer healing, but until then patients needing to take statins seem unlikely to be disadvantaged by this treatment.
Prediction of Gas Turbine Trip: A Novel Methodology Based on Random Forest Models
Authors: Losi Enzo , Venturini Mauro , Manservigi Lucrezia , Ceschini Giuseppe Fabio , Bechini Giovanni , Cota Giuseppe , Riguzzi Fabrizio
Published: December 2021

A gas turbine trip is an unplanned shutdown, of which the most relevant consequences are business interruption and a reduction of equipment remaining useful life. Thus, understanding the underlying causes of gas turbine trip would allow predicting its occurrence in order to maximize gas turbine profitability and improve its availability. In the ever competitive Oil & Gas sector, data mining and machine learning are increasingly being employed to support a deeper insight and improved operation of gas turbines. Among the various machine learning tools, random forests are an ensemble learning method consisting of an aggregation of decision tree classifiers. This paper presents a novel methodology aimed at exploiting information embedded in the data and develops random forest models, aimed at predicting gas turbine trip based on information gathered during a timeframe of historical data acquired from multiple sensors. The novel approach exploits time series segmentation to increase the amount of training data, thus reducing overfitting. First, data are transformed according to a feature engineering methodology developed in a separate work by the same authors. Then, Random Forest models are trained and tested on unseen observations to demonstrate the benefits of the novel approach. The superiority of the novel approach is proved by considering two real-word case studies, involving field data taken during three years of operation of two fleets of gas turbines located in different regions. The novel methodology allows values of precision, recall and accuracy in the range 75–85%, thus demonstrating the industrial feasibility of the predictive methodology.
A Modular Three-Dimensional Bioprinter for Printing Porous Scaffolds for Tissue Engineering
Authors: Warburton Linnea , Lou Leo , Rubinsky Boris
Published: December 2021

Three-dimensional (3D) bioprinting is a fabrication method with many biomedical applications, particularly within tissue engineering. The use of freezing during 3D bioprinting, aka “3D cryoprinting,” can be utilized to create micopores within tissue-engineered scaffolds to enhance cell proliferation. When used with alginate bio-inks, this type of 3D cryoprinting requires three steps: 3D printing, crosslinking, and freezing. This study investigated the influence of crosslinking order and cooling rate on the microstructure and mechanical properties of sodium alginate scaffolds. We designed and built a novel modular 3D printer in order to study the effects of these steps separately and to address many of the manufacturing issues associated with 3D cryoprinting. With the modular 3D printer, 3D printing, crosslinking, and freezing were conducted on separate modules yet remain part of a continuous manufacturing process. Crosslinking before the freezing step produced highly interconnected and directional pores, which are ideal for promoting cell growth. By controlling the cooling rate, it was possible to produce pores with diameters from a range of 5 μm to 40 μm. Tensile and firmness testing found that the use of freezing does not decrease the tensile strength of the printed objects, though there was a significant loss in firmness for strands with larger pores.
A Comparative Modeling Study of Thermal Mitigation Strategies in Irreversible Electroporation Treatments
Authors: Aycock Kenneth N. , Campelo Sabrina N. , Davalos Rafael V.
Published: December 2021

Irreversible electroporation (IRE), also referred to as nonthermal pulsed field ablation (PFA), is an attractive focal ablation modality for solid tumors and cardiac tissue due to its ability to destroy aberrant cells with limited disruption of the underlying tissue architecture. Despite its nonthermal cell death mechanism, application of electrical energy results in Joule heating that, if ignored, can cause undesired thermal injury. Engineered thermal mitigation (TM) technologies including phase change materials (PCMs) and active cooling (AC) have been reported and tested as a potential means to limit thermal damage. However, several variables affect TM performance including the pulsing paradigm, electrode geometry, PCM composition, and chosen active cooling parameters, meaning direct comparisons between approaches are lacking. In this study, we developed a computational model of conventional bipolar and monopolar probes with solid, PCM-filled, or actively cooled cores to simulate clinical IRE treatments in pancreatic tissue. This approach reveals that probes with integrated PCM cores can be tuned to drastically limit thermal damage compared to existing solid probes. Furthermore, actively cooled probes provide additional control over thermal effects within the probe vicinity and can altogether abrogate thermal damage. In practice, such differences in performance must be weighed against the increased time, expense, and effort required for modified probes compared to existing solid probes.
Design and Initial Validation of a Multiple Degree-of-Freedom Joint for an Ankle-Foot Orthosis
Authors: Elery Toby , Reznick Emma , Shearin Staci , McCain Karen , Gregg Robert D.
Published: December 2021

This paper presents the novel design of a multi-degree-of-freedom joint (M-DOF) for an ankle-foot orthosis (AFO) that aims to improve upon the commercially available double action joint (DAJ). The M-DOF is designed to maintain the functionality of the DAJ, while increasing dorsiflexion stiffness and introducing inversion/eversion. This increase in range of motion is designed to produce greater engagement from lower limb muscles during gait. The M-DOF was experimentally validated with one able-bodied and one stroke subject. Across walking speeds, the M-DOF AFO minimally affected the able-bodied subject's joint kinematics. The stroke subject's ankle dorsiflexion/plantarflexion and knee flexion were not heavily altered when wearing the M-DOF AFO, compared to the DAJ AFO. The new DOF allowed by the M-DOF AFO increased the inversion/eversion of the ankle by ∼3 deg, without introducing any new compensations compared to their gait with the DAJ AFO.
Direct Pore-Scale Simulations of Fully Periodic Unit Cells of Different Regular Lattices
Authors: Kaur Inderjot , Singh Prashant
Published: December 2021

Open-cell metal foams are known for their superior heat dissipation capabilities. The morphological, pressure drop, and heat transfer characteristics of stochastic metal foams manufactured through traditional “foaming” processes are well established in the literature. However, employment of stochastic metal foams in next-generation heat exchangers is challenged by the irregularity in the pore- and fiber-geometries, limited control on the pore-volume, and an inherent necessity of a bonding agent between foam and the heat source. On the other hand, additive manufacturing (AM) is capable of printing complex user-defined unit cell topologies with customized fiber shapes directly on the substrates subjected to heat load. Moreover, the user-defined regular lattices are capable of exhibiting better thermal and mechanical properties than stochastic metal foams. In this paper, we present a numerical investigation on fully periodic unit-cells of three different topologies, that is, tetrakaidecahedron (TKD), rhombic-dodecahedron (DDC), and Octet with air as the working fluid. Pressure gradient, interfacial heat transfer coefficient, friction factor, and Nusselt number are reported for each topology. Rhombic-dodecahedron yielded the highest averaged interfacial heat transfer coefficient whereas Octet incurred the highest flow losses. Pore diameter, defined as the maximum diameter of a sphere passing through the polygonal openings of the structures, when used as the characteristic length scale for the presentation of Nusselt number and Reynolds number, resulted in a single trendline for all the three topologies.
Fitness Changes in Adolescent Girls Following In-School Combined Aerobic and Resistance Exercise: Interaction With Birthweight
Authors: Cohen Daniel Dylan , Carreño Javier , Camacho Paul Anthony , Otero Johanna , Martinez Daniel , Lopez-Lopez Jose , Sandercock Gavin R. , Lopez-Jaramillo Patricio
Published: December 2021

Purpose: To assess the efficacy of a supervised in-school combined resistance and aerobic training program in adolescent girls and investigate whether responses differ according to birthweight. Methods: Participants (girls aged 13–17 y) were randomized either to an intervention replacing physical education (PE) classes with 2 × 60-minute training sessions per week (n = 58) or to a control group that continued to attend 2 × 60 minutes per week of curriculum PE (n = 41). We measured muscular fitness (handgrip, standing long jump, and sit-ups), cardiorespiratory fitness (20-m shuttle run), skinfolds, and lean body mass preintervention and postintervention and determined effect size (Hedge’s g) differences between changes in these measures. We also compared changes within lower (<3000 g) and normal birthweight intervention and PE control subgroups. Results: The intervention group showed greater improvements in all the fitness measures and lean body mass (g = 0.22–0.48) and lower skinfold increases (g = 0.41) than PE controls. Within the intervention group, improvements in all fitness measures were larger in lower birthweight (g = 0.53–0.94) than in normal birthweight girls (g = 0.02–0.39). Conclusion: Replacing curriculum PE with supervised training improved muscular and cardiorespiratory fitness and body composition outcomes in adolescent females. Our findings suggest an enhanced adaptive response to training in participants with lower birthweight which warrants further investigation.
Electron Microscopy Studies of Manuscripts from Russian National Library
Authors: Tereschenko E. Yu. , Vasiliev A. L. , Lyakhovitsky E. A. , Balachenkova A. P. , Tsypkin D. O. , Yatsishina E. B.
Published: December 2021

Inks of historical documents from the collection of the Russian National Library and model samples on paper and polymer were studied by transmission electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray microanalysis. The results of substantially nondestructive analysis of inks make transmission electron micro-scopy an efficient tool for studying large arrays of manuscripts.
Methods of Coherent X-Ray Diffraction Imaging
Authors: Prosekov P. A. , Nosik V. L. , Blagov A. E.
Published: December 2021

Methods of coherent X-ray diffraction imaging of the spatial structure of noncrystalline objects and nanocrystals (nanostructures) are considered. Particular attention is paid to the methods of scanning-based coherent diffraction imaging (ptychography), visualization based on coherent surface scattering with application of correlation spectroscopy approaches, and specific features of visualization using X-ray free-electron laser radiation. The corresponding data in the literature are analyzed to demonstrate the state of the art of the methods of coherent diffraction imaging and fields of their application.
Optimal Offloading for Streaming Applications in Mobile Edge Computing
Authors: Sun Pengfei , Zhu Xue-Yang , Gao Ya
Published: December 2021

With the rapid development of smart mobile devices, mobile applications are becoming more and more popular. Since mobile devices usually have constrained computing capacity, computation offloading to mobile edge computing (MEC) to achieve a lower latency is a promising paradigm. In this paper, we focus on the optimal offloading problem for streaming applications in MEC. We present solutions to find offloading policies of streaming applications to achieve an optimal latency. Streaming applications are modeled with synchronous data flow graphs. Two architecture assumptions are considered — with sufficient processors on both the local device and the MEC server, and with a limited number of processors on both sides. The problem is generally NP-complete. We present an exact algorithm and a heuristic algorithm for the former architecture assumption and a heuristic method for the latter. We carry out our experiments on a practical application and thousands of synthetic graphs to comprehensively evaluate our methods. The experimental results show that our methods are effective and computationally efficient.
Retinal Blood Vessel Extraction Using a New Enhancement Technique of Modified Convolution Filters and Sauvola Thresholding
Authors: Erwin  , Putra Hadrians Kesuma , Suprihatin Bambang , Fathoni
Published: December 2021

The retinal blood vessels in humans are major components with different shapes and sizes. The extraction of the blood vessels from the retina is an important step to identify the type or nature of the pattern of the diseases in the retina. Furthermore, the retinal blood vessel was also used for diagnosis, detection, and classification. The most recent solution in this topic is to enable retinal image improvement or enhancement by a convolution filter and Sauvola threshold. In image enhancement, gamma correction is applied before filtering the retinal fundus. After that, the image should be transformed to a gray channel to enhance pictorial clarity using contrast-limited histogram equalization. For filter, this paper combines two convolution filters, namely sharpen and smooth filters. The Sauvola threshold, the morphology, and the medium filter are applied to extract blood vessels from the retinal image. This paper uses DRIVE and STARE datasets. The accuracies of the proposed method are 95.37% for DRIVE with a runtime of 1.77[Formula: see text]s and 95.17% for STARE with 2.05[Formula: see text]s runtime. Based on the result, it concludes that the proposed method is good enough to achieve average calculation parameters of a low time quality, quick, and significant.
From “Asia Pacific” to “Indo Pacific”: The Adjustment of American Asia Pacific Strategy from the Perspective of Critical Geopolitics
Authors: Zeng Xianghong , Zhang Shaowen
Published: December 2021

After taking office, the Trump administration has shifted the U.S. strategy in the Asia Pacific region from “Asia Pacific” to “Indo-Pacific”. This paper attempts to start with critical geopolitics, compare the “Asia Pacific” strategy of the United States with the “Indo-Pacific” strategy, and investigate the changes and dynamics of the geopolitical imagination of the United States in the Asia-Pacific region. Through the investigation, it can be found that the strategic transformation from “Asia-Pacific” to “Indo-Pacific” reflects the transformation of the U.S. strategy towards China from “L-shaped defense” to “half-mouth encirclement”, as well as the Trump government’s attempt to rebuild the U.S. hegemony in various fields through all-round competition, reshape its identity and confidence as a great power by changing its self-identity and consolidating and expanding the alliance of Western style liberal democratic countries by looking for strategic fulcrum to reconstruct the strategic demands of the key geopolitical space. After Biden’s administration took office, it has inherited and strengthened the Trump administration’s “Indo-Pacific” strategy, which means that the strategic game between the United States and China in the “Indo-Pacific” region and even the global stage will continue for a long time. In order to safeguard China’s national interests and effectively respond to the “Indo-Pacific” strategy, China should enhance its influence and maintain the mentality as a great power, adopt social creation strategies to seek identity and recognition, and make plans based on the “Belt and Road Initiative”, “Polar Silk Road”, “Belt and Road Initiative” and other initiatives; if pushed forward smoothly, it will effectively crack down on the U.S.’s attempt to contain China through the “Indo-Pacific” strategy.
Transparent Aspect-Level Sentiment Analysis Based on Dependency Syntax Analysis and Its Application on COVID-19
Authors: Wang Bin , Guo Pengfei , Wang Xing , He Yongzhong , Wang Wei
Published: December 2021

Aspect-level sentiment analysis identifies fine-grained emotion for target words. There are three major issues in current models of aspect-level sentiment analysis. First, few models consider the natural language semantic characteristics of the texts. Second, many models consider the location characteristics of the target words, but ignore the relationships among the target words and among the overall sentences. Third, many models lack transparency in data collection, data processing, and results generating in sentiment analysis. In order to resolve these issues, we propose an aspect-level sentiment analysis model that combines a bidirectional Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) network and a Graph Convolutional Network (GCN) based on Dependency syntax analysis (Bi-LSTM-DGCN). Our model integrates the dependency syntax analysis of the texts, and explicitly considers the natural language semantic characteristics of the texts. It further fuses the target words and overall sentences. Extensive experiments are conducted on four benchmark datasets, i.e., Restaurant14, Laptop, Restaurant16, and Twitter. The experimental results demonstrate that our model outperforms other models like Target-Dependent LSTM (TD-LSTM), Attention-based LSTM with Aspect Embedding (ATAE-LSTM), LSTM+SynATT+TarRep and Convolution over a Dependency Tree (CDT). Our model is further applied to aspect-level sentiment analysis on “government” and “lockdown” of 1,658,250 tweets about “#COVID-19” that we collected from March 1, 2020 to July 1, 2020. The experimental results show that Twitter users’ positive and negative sentiments fluctuated over time. Through the transparency analysis in data collection, data processing, and results generating, we discuss the reasons for the evolution of users’ emotions over time based on the tweets and on our models.
An Intelligent Mechanism to Automatically Discover Emerging Technology Trends: Exploring Regulatory Technology
Authors: Huang Shi Ming , Yen David C. , Yan Ting Jyun , Yang Yi Ting
Published: December 2021

Technology trend analysis uses data relevant to historical performance and extrapolates it to estimate and assess the future potential of technology. Such analysis is used to analyze emerging technologies or predict the growing markets that influence the resulting social or economic development to assist in effective decision-making. Traditional trend analysis methods are time-consuming and require considerable labor. Moreover, the implemented processes may largely rely on the specific knowledge of the domain experts. With the advancement in the areas of science and technology, emerging cross-domain trends have received growing attention for its considerable influence on society and the economy. Consequently, emerging cross-domain predictions that combine or complement various technologies or integrate with diverse disciplines may be more critical than other tools and applications in the same domain. This study uses a design science research methodology, a text mining technique, and social network analysis (SNA) to analyze the development trends concerning the presentation of the product or service information on a company's website. This study applies regulatory technology (RegTech) as a case to analyze and justify the emerging cross-disciplinary trend. Furthermore, an experimental study is conducted using the Google search engine to verify and validate the proposed research mechanism at the end of this study. The study results reveal that, compared with Google Trends and Google Correlate, the research mechanism proposed in this study is more illustrative, feasible, and promising because it reduces noise and avoids the additional time and effort required to perform a further in-depth exploration to obtain the information.
Mathematical Models for the Performance Degradation of Lithium-Ion Batteries with Different Status of Charge (SOC) in Long-Term High Temperature Storage
Authors: Wang Zheng , Ma Zhen , Hu Xiongfeng , Zhao Ruirui , Nan Junmin
Published: December 2021

Mathematical models to evaluate and predict the performance degradation of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) with different status of charge (SOC) in long-term high-temperature storage which are also applicable for setting rational storage conditions (temperature, SOC, and time) of LIBs were established. Parameters including voltage drop (Delta V), reversible capacity (RC) loss, and internal impedance (IMP) increase of LIBs under different temperature (60 °C, 45 °C, and 25°C) are used to allow the model to clarify its function. According to the results obtained from commercial 18650 cylindrical batteries with LiNi0.33Co0.33Mn0.33O2 cathode, the mathematical relationship between Delta V and storage days (x) is fitted into a simple formula: Delta V = m.In(x)-n, and similarly, RC loss = m′.exp (n′.x) and IMP increase = m″.xn″ can also be acquired. In these formulas, m, n, m′, n′, m′′ and n′′ are constants when temperature and SOC are fixed. If only the temperature is fixed, the value of these constants can be derived into a function with SOC (y), respectively, while further plugging the function into the calculation formula of Delta V, RC loss, and IMP increase, respectively, allows the mathematical models to be set up.
Preparation of MoB2 Nanoparticles by Electrolysis of MoS2/B Mixture in Molten NaCl-KCl at 700 °C
Authors: Liu Xianglin , Ma Yongsong , Li Peng , Yin Huayi , Wang Dihua
Published: December 2021

MoB2 is synthesized by the electrochemical reduction of solid MoS2/B mixture in molten NaCl-KCl at 700 °C. Unlike the traditional methods, the electrolysis method employs the low-cost MoS2 feedstock and the boronization reaction happens at a low temperature of 700 °C. The electrochemically induced boronization involves two steps: the electrochemical desulfurization to generate Mo and the reaction of Mo with B to form MoB2. The S2− released from the reduction of MoS2 transfers to the carbon anode and is oxidized to sulfur gas, realizing a green synthetic process. In addition, the influences of molar ratio of MoS2 and amorphous boron and electrolysis cell voltage on the phase composition and morphology of electrolytic products were studied. The obtained MoB2 particles possess a uniform nodular morphology. Overall, this paper provides a straightforward and green process to prepare MoB2 nanoparticles using economically affordable raw materials at low temperature, and this method can be extended to prepare other borides.
Deep Learning Based on Hierarchical Self‐Attention for Finance Distress Prediction Incorporating Text
Authors: Ruan Sumei , Sun Xusheng , Yao Ruanxingchen , Li Wei
Published: December 2021

To detect comprehensive clues and provide more accurate forecasting in the early stage of financial distress, in addition to financial indicators, digitalization of lengthy but indispensable textual disclosure, such as Management Discussion and Analysis (MD&A), has been emphasized by researchers. However, most studies divide the long text into words and count words to treat the text as word count vectors, bringing massive invalid information but ignoring meaningful contexts. Aiming to efficiently represent the text of large size, an end‐to‐end neural networks model based on hierarchical self‐attention is proposed in this study after the state‐of‐the‐art pretrained model is introduced for text embedding including contexts. The proposed model has two notable characteristics. First, the hierarchical self‐attention only affords the essential content with high weights in word‐level and sentence‐level and automatically neglects lots of information that has no business with risk prediction, which is suitable for extracting effective parts of the large‐scale text. Second, after fine‐tuning, the word embedding adapts the specific contexts of samples and conveys the original text expression more accurately without excessive manual operations. Experiments confirm that the addition of text improves the accuracy of financial distress forecasting and the proposed model outperforms benchmark models better at AUC and F2‐score. For visualization, the elements in the weight matrix of hierarchical self‐attention act as scalers to estimate the importance of each word and sentence. In this way, the “red‐flag” statement that implies financial risk is figured out and highlighted in the original text, providing effective references for decision‐makers.
Successful Antiviral Treatment with Direct-Acting Antivirals for Hepatitis C Virus Infection during Peritransplant Period in a Kidney Transplant Recipient
Authors: Varotti Giovanni , Dodi Ferdinando , Paoletti Ernesto , Bruno Andrea , Fontana Iris
Published: December 2021

Introduction. Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection continues to represent a poor prognostic factor in kidney transplant (KTx) patients. New direct-acting antiviral agents (DAA) have dramatically changed the therapy management for HCV, showing promising results in terms of sustained virologic response. Timing for DAA therapy in HCV positive kidney waitlist patients continues to be controversial, and caution is recommended due to the potential difficult immunosuppressant dose adjustments, particularly in the early posttransplant period. We report a case of a KTx performed during antiviral DAA therapy. Report of Case. Patient was a 44-year-old man suffering from chronic HCV hepatitis associated with end-stage kidney disease (ESRD), waitlisted for a second KTx as a sensitized patient (panel-reactive antibody peak 85%) in March 2019. Four months later, antiviral DAA therapy was started (glecaprevir/pibrentasvir 300 mg/120 mg daily, for 8 weeks). After 30 days, a left kidney was offered and, given the good compatibility, we decided to proceed with KTx without discontinuing the DAA therapy. A standard straightforward kidney transplant was performed. Immunosuppression included thymoglobulin and prednisone for induction and tacrolimus and mycophenolate for maintenance. After a transient delay graft function, creatinine levels progressively decreased. From postoperative day 3, tacrolimus reached target levels and remained stable. No episodes of acute rejection occurred. The 8-week DAA therapy was carried out without interruption. All HCV-RNA level controls resulted undetectable. On postoperative day 15, the patient was discharged and remains in healthy condition with normal renal function and HCV negative after 18 months of follow-up. Discussion. In this case, DAA therapy during the perioperative KTx period was well tolerated and effective. If confirmed, patients should not necessarily be suspended from the waiting list during DAA therapy for HCV eradication.