bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Moderately prolonged permissive hypotension results in reversible metabolic perturbation evaluated by intracerebral microdialysis - an experimental animal study
Authors: Jakobsen Rasmus Peter , Nielsen Troels Halfeld , Mølstrøm Simon , Nordström Carl-Henrik , Granfeldt Asger , Toft Palle
Published: December 2019

Background

Damage control resuscitation (DCR) and damage control surgery (DCS) is the main strategy in patients with uncontrollable hemorrhagic shock. One aspect of DCR is permissive hypotension. However, the duration of hypotension that can be tolerated without affecting the brain is unknown. In the present study we investigate the effect of 60 min severe hypotension on the brain’s energy metabolism and seek to verify earlier findings that venous cerebral blood can be used as a marker of global cerebral energy state.

Material and methods

Ten pigs were anaesthetized, and vital parameters recorded. Microdialysis catheters were placed in the left parietal lobe, femoral artery, and superior sagittal sinus for analysis of lactate, pyruvate, glucose, glycerol, and glutamate. Hemorrhagic shock was induced by bleeding the animal until mean arterial pressure (MAP) of 40 mmHg was achieved. After 60 min the pigs were resuscitated with autologous blood and observed for 3 h.

Results

At baseline the lactate to pyruvate ratios (LP ratio) in the hemisphere, artery, and sagittal sinus were (median (interquartile range)) 13 (8–16), 21 (18–24), and 9 (6–22), respectively. After induction of hemorrhagic shock, the LP ratio from the left hemisphere in 9 pigs increased to levels indicating a reversible perturbation of cerebral energy metabolism 19 (12–30). The same pattern was seen in LP measurements from the femoral artery 28 (20–35) and sagittal sinus 22 (19–26). At the end of the experiment hemisphere, artery and sinus LP ratios were 16 (10–23), 17 (15–25), and 17 (10–27), respectively. Although hemisphere and sinus LP ratios decreased, they did not reach baseline levels (p < 0.05). In one pig hemisphere LP ratio increased to a level indicating irreversible metabolic perturbation (LP ratio > 200).

Conclusion

During 60 min of severe hypotension intracerebral microdialysis shows signs of perturbations of cerebral energy metabolism, and these changes trend towards baseline values after resuscitation. Sagittal sinus microdialysis values followed hemisphere values but were not distinguishable from systemic arterial values. Venous (jugular bulb) microdialysis might have a place in monitoring conditions where global cerebral ischemia is a risk.
Utilizing the combined antifungal potential of Trichoderma spp. and organic amendments against dry root rot of mungbean
Authors: Choudhary Anam , Ashraf Shabbir
Published: December 2019

The present study was carried out to evaluate the effect of bioagents and organic amendments in suppressing the dry root rot of mungbean incited by Rhizoctonia bataticola. The locally isolated pathogen and fungal biocontrol agents were identified based on morphological and molecular characterization. These identified bioagents were tested in vitro, and the highest mycelial inhibition was recorded in dual culture assay by Trichoderma harzianum (74.44%), and among organic amendments, maximum mycelial inhibition was found in neem cake (61.11%). In a greenhouse study, T. harzianum + neem cake effectively enhanced the percent germination (93.33%) and decreased the percent disease mortality (11.67%) than the other treatments. The morphological parameter like plant height (57.50 cm), dry weight (22.83 g) root nodules (51), pods/plant (58), and 100-seed weight (5.78 g) were found to be at the maximum in this combined application. Physiological pigments viz. chlorophyll (2.41 mg/g) and carotenoids (0.19 mg/g), protein content (5.85 mg/g), and leghemoglobin (11.75 mg/g) were also found to be maximum in T. harzianum + neem cake and minimum phenol content (1.41 mg/g). The study concludes that T. harzianum + neem cake can be recommended as an effective approach for the management of dry root rot of mungbean.
Isolated unilateral palatal and vocal cord palsy as an initial presentation of chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy
Authors: Karri Madhavi , Ramasamy Balakrishnan
Published: December 2019

Introduction

Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (CIDP) is an acquired autoimmune disease of the peripheral nervous system. Its clinical presentation and excellent response to steroids is a hallmark to the disease entity. It is usually a straight forward diagnosis in typical cases. Atypical CIDP often is of diagnostic concern and has been a challenge for practising neurologists.

Case description

Here, we present a 56-year old female presented with isolated left palatal palsy preceded by a short febrile illness. Clinically consistent with post-infectious bulbar palsy, she was treated with intravenous pulse steroids and antibiotics. She had progressive disease and later developed quadriparesis with neck flexor weakness with progressive bulbar weakness and hypercapnic respiratory failure.

Discussion and evaluation

MRI whole spine with contrast showed nerve root enhancement. Nerve conduction studies of all four limbs and LP and CSF analysis were consistent with CIDP. She was treated with intravenous immunoglobulin (0.4 g/kg for five consecutive days). She showed mild improvement of symptoms initially and later had deterioration of symptoms within a week interval. She received two doses of Rituximab of 1 gram each within 3 weeks apart, after which she has gradual improvement. She was able to tolerate orally and able to walk without support following 1 month after treatment, and there were no further relapses except for the persistence of minor sensory symptoms after 6 months of follow-up.

Conclusion

Isolated cranial nerve involvement presenting as CIDP is a rare entity. Intravenous immunoglobulin and newer immunosuppressants like CD-20 monoclonal antibodies like rituximab have a significant role in the treatment.
Estimating topsoil texture fractions by digital soil mapping - a response to the long outdated soil map in the Philippines
Authors: Mondejar Jeremy P. , Tongco Alejandro F.
Published: December 2019

Digital soil mapping for soil texture is mostly an understanding of how soil texture fractions vary in space as influenced by environmental variables mainly derived from the digital elevation model (DEM). In this study, topsoil texture models were generated and evaluated by multiple linear regression (MLR), ordinary kriging (OK), simple kriging (SK) and universal kriging (UK) using free and open-source R, System for Automated Geoscientific Analyses, and QGIS software. Comparing these models is the main objective of the study. The study site covers an area of 124 km2 of the Municipality of Barili, Cebu. A total of 177 soil samples were gathered and analyzed from irregular sample points. DEM derivatives and remote sensing data (Landsat 8) were used as environmental variables. Exploratory analyses revealed no outlier in the data. Skewness and kurtosis values of the untransformed data vary greatly between –3.85 to 7.20 and 1.8 to 70.7, respectively; an indication that variables are highly skewed with heavy tails. Thus, Tukey’s ladder of powers transformation was applied that resulted to normal or nearly normal distribution having skewness values close to zero and kurtosis values have lighter tails. All data analysis from MLR modeling, variography, kriging, and cross-validations of models were implemented using the transformed data. Forward selection, backward elimination, and stepwise selection methods were adapted for predictors selection in MLR. The MLR, OK, SK, and UK were applied and cross validated for topsoil texture prediction. Likewise, exponential, Gaussian, and spherical models were fitted for the experimental variograms. Backward elimination method for clay, sand, and silt have the lowest MAE and highest R2 in MLR. The UK fitted with exponential variogram model has the highest R2 of 0.878, 0.821, and 0.893 for clay, sand, and silt, respectively. These models can be adapted as a decision support for agricultural land use planning and crop suitability development in the area.
The Thin White Line: Veterans and the White Racial Politics of Creative Writing
Authors: Darda Joseph
Published: December 2019

This essay considers how the creative writing workshop transformed the white Vietnam vet into a minority writer. The MFA system, which organized the group-based politics of post–civil rights American literature, originated as a space geared toward white combat veterans. Some of the first graduate programs in creative writing were founded in the years after World War II, and their classes were dominated by white vets attending college on the GI Bill. The vets received the now-clichéd advice to write what they know, to turn their war experiences into war stories. The next wave of program building followed the passage of the Higher Education Act of 1965 and the Vietnam Veterans’ Readjustment Benefits Act of 1966, which brought Vietnam vets into a changing workshop, where students still learned to write what they know but also, as pre–civil rights racial liberalism turned to post–civil rights liberal multiculturalism, write who they are. The trauma of combat allowed white men to situate themselves within late twentieth-century literary culture by writing not as white men but as “veteran-Americans.” Veteran-American literature set white men within the pluralist institution but without forfeiting the cultural center, or the front seat in the classroom.
The Right to Strike and Legal War in Walter Benjamin's “Toward the Critique of Violence”
Authors: Crépon Marc , Bez Micol
Published: December 2019

The object of this article is to show how, at the beginning of his essay “Toward the Critique of Violence,” Walter Benjamin uses the questions of the right to strike and law of war to exemplify the way in which the state monopoly has no other goal than to preserve the law itself. In so doing, the question of the boundary between violence and nonviolence is put into conversation with the distinction made by Georges Sorel between the political strike and the general revolutionary strike.
The Identification Zoo: Meanings of Identification in Econometrics
Authors: Lewbel Arthur
Published: December 2019

Over two dozen different terms for identification appear in the econometrics literature, including set identification, causal identification, local identification, generic identification, weak identification, identification at infinity, and many more. This survey: (i) gives a new framework unifying existing definitions of point identification; (ii) summarizes and compares the zooful of different terms associated with identification that appear in the literature; and (iii) discusses concepts closely related to identification, such as normalizations and the differences in identification between structural models and causal, reduced form models. ( JEL C01, C20, C50)
Transitioning from measurement-based to combined patient-specific quality assurance for intensity-modulated proton therapy
Authors: Chen Mei , Yepes Pablo , Hojo Yoshifumi , Poenisch Falk , Li Yupeng , Chen Jiayi , Xu Cheng , He Xiaodong , Gunn G.Brandon , Frank Steven J. , Sahoo Narayan , Li Heng , Zhu Xiaorong Ronald , Zhang Xiaodong
Published: December 2019

Objective:

This study is part of ongoing efforts aiming to transit from measurement-based to combined patient-specific quality assurance (PSQA) in intensity-modulated proton therapy (IMPT). A Monte Carlo (MC) dose-calculation algorithm is used to improve the independent dose calculation and to reveal the beam modeling deficiency of the analytical pencil beam (PB) algorithm.

Methods:

A set of representative clinical IMPT plans with suboptimal PSQA results were reviewed. Verification plans were recalculated using an MC algorithm developed in-house. Agreements of PB and MC calculations with measurements that quantified by the γ passing rate were compared.

Results:

The percentage of dose planes that met the clinical criteria for PSQA (>90% γ passing rate using 3%/3 mm criteria) increased from 71.40% in the original PB calculation to 95.14% in the MC recalculation. For fields without beam modifiers, nearly 100% of the dose planes exceeded the 95% γ passing rate threshold using the MC algorithm. The model deficiencies of the PB algorithm were found in the proximal and distal regions of the SOBP, where MC recalculation improved the γ passing rate by 11.27% (p < 0.001) and 16.80% (p < 0.001), respectively.

Conclusions:

The MC algorithm substantially improved the γ passing rate for IMPT PSQA. Improved modeling of beam modifiers would enable the use of the MC algorithm for independent dose calculation, completely replacing additional depth measurements in IMPT PSQA program. For current users of the PB algorithm, further improving the long-tail modeling or using MC simulation to generate the dose correction factor is necessary.

Advances in knowledge:

We justified a change in clinical practice to achieve efficient combined PSQA in IMPT by using the MC algorithm that was experimentally validated in almost all the clinical scenarios in our center. Deficiencies in beam modeling of the current PB algorithm were identified and solutions to improve its dose-calculation accuracy were provided.
An ancient type of MnmA protein is an iron–sulfur cluster-dependent sulfurtransferase for tRNA anticodons
Authors: Shigi Naoki , Horitani Masaki , Miyauchi Kenjyo , Suzuki Tsutomu , Kuroki Misao
Published: December 2019

Transfer RNA (tRNA) is an adaptor molecule indispensable for assigning amino acids to codons on mRNA during protein synthesis. 2-thiouridine (s2U) derivatives in the anticodons (position 34) of tRNAs for glutamate, glutamine, and lysine are post-transcriptional modifications essential for precise and efficient codon recognition in all organisms. s2U34 is introduced either by (i) bacterial MnmA/eukaryote mitochondrial Mtu1 or (ii) eukaryote cytosolic Ncs6/archaeal NcsA, and the latter enzymes possess iron-sulfur (Fe–S) cluster. Here, we report the identification of novel-type MnmA homologs containing three conserved Cys residues, which could support Fe–S cluster binding and catalysis, in a broad range of bacteria, including thermophiles, Cyanobacteria, Mycobacteria, Actinomyces, Clostridium, and Helicobacter. Using EPR spectroscopy, we revealed that Thermus thermophilus MnmA (TtMnmA) contains an oxygen-sensitive [4Fe–4S]-type cluster. Efficient in vitro formation of s2U34 in tRNALys and tRNAGln by holo-TtMnmA occurred only under anaerobic conditions. Mutational analysis of TtMnmA suggested that the Fe–S cluster is coordinated by the three conserved Cys residues (Cys105, Cys108, and Cys200), and is essential for its activity. Evolutionary scenarios for the sulfurtransferases, including the Fe–S cluster containing Ncs6/NcsA s2U thiouridylases and several distantly related sulfurtransferases, are proposed.
Root mass may affect soil water infiltration more strongly than the incorporated residue
Authors: Oda Masato , Rasyid Burhanuddin , Omae Hide
Published: December 2019

This Brief Report includes a single-finding that is reported with descriptions of an unexpected observation. Crop residue incorporation increases stable soil pores and soil water infiltration, consequently, reduces surface water runoff and soil erosion. However, to our knowledge, quantitative studies for the relation between incorporated residue and infiltration rate has not been conducted. We examined the relationship between the quantity of crop residue of the prior crop and the water infiltration rate. We continuously grew corn (cleaning crop), rhodes grass, and okra under greenhouses. The water infiltration rate was measured on the ridge at similar soil moisture conditions, on the day incorporating the prior crop residue. A strong correlation was found between the quantity of inputted residue and the soil water infiltration rate ( r = 0.953); however, that of corn, had no prior crop, is the outlier. The outliner is nonnegligible because the infiltration rate per input residue is two fifth of other crops. By contrast, aboveground biomass of the prior crop showed a stronger correlation with water infiltration rate ( r = 0.965), without outliers. Previous studies have revealed the logarithmic relation between plant root mass and soil erosion resistance. Our data also show a positive relationship between resistance to erosion and root mass when assuming that the aboveground biomass is proportional to the underground biomass. The result also showed that the effect of the prior crop root mass disappears within the next crop period. This suggests that maintaining a large root mass is crucial for reducing soil erosion.
HDCytoData: Collection of high-dimensional cytometry benchmark datasets in Bioconductor object formats
Authors: Weber Lukas M. , Soneson Charlotte
Published: December 2019

Benchmarking is a crucial step during computational analysis and method development. Recently, a number of new methods have been developed for analyzing high-dimensional cytometry data. However, it can be difficult for analysts and developers to find and access well-characterized benchmark datasets. Here, we present HDCytoData, a Bioconductor package providing streamlined access to several publicly available high-dimensional cytometry benchmark datasets. The package is designed to be extensible, allowing new datasets to be contributed by ourselves or other researchers in the future. Currently, the package includes a set of experimental and semi-simulated datasets, which have been used in our previous work to evaluate methods for clustering and differential analyses. Datasets are formatted into standard SummarizedExperiment and flowSet Bioconductor object formats, which include complete metadata within the objects. Access is provided through Bioconductor's ExperimentHub interface. The package is freely available from http://bioconductor.org/packages/HDCytoData.
Measurement properties of the translations of instruments evaluating the subjective effects of tobacco- and nicotine-containing products: a systematic review of the literature
Authors: Acquadro Catherine , Desvignes-Gleizes Céline , Mainy Nelly , Hankins Matthew , Weitkunat Rolf , Chrea Christelle
Published: December 2019

Background: Several instruments are widely used for assessing dependence, craving, withdrawal symptoms, and reinforcing effects in users of tobacco- and nicotine-containing products (TNP), including the Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND), Questionnaire of Smoking Urges, original (QSU) and brief (QSU-b) versions; Minnesota Nicotine Withdrawal Scale, original (MNWS) and revised (MNWS-R) versions; and Cigarette Evaluation Questionnaire, original (CEQ) and modified (mCEQ) versions. Although these instruments have been translated extensively, their translations and corresponding measurement properties have not been systematically assessed. This study aimed to (1) identify the translations of these instruments for which psychometric properties have been published, (2) describe the methods used for translation, and (3) describe the measurement properties and the context in which these translations were evaluated (e.g., target population and TNP used).

Methods: Embase and MEDLINE databases were systematically searched.

Results: While no information could be found for the CEQ/mCEQ, several translations were available for the remaining instruments: FTND, 25; QSU and QSU-b, 4 each; QSU (12-item version), 1; MNWS, 4; and MNWS-R, 1. Cigarette smokers represented the main target population in which the validation studies were conducted. Information about the translation process was reported for 25 translations. In most cases, the properties of the translations mirrored those of the originals. Differential item functioning was explored in only one case.

Conclusions: There are few publications describing the measurement properties of the translations of the FTND, QSU/QSU-b, and MNWS/MNWS-R. None of these translations have been validated for TNPs other than cigarettes, which suggests the need for greater development and validation of instruments in this area.
Palliative care for community patients diagnosed with dementia: a systematic review
Authors: Smith Cathryn , Newbury Gina
Published: December 2019

Despite many efforts made by health organisations to deliver effective end-of-life care to patients with dementia, research indicates that palliative care is predominantly aimed at patients with terminal cancer, and that patients with dementia face challenges in accessing end-of-life care. This article explores the views of health professionals on providing palliative care to those patients diagnosed with dementia within the community setting. A systematic review of seven qualitative studies was performed to identify the best available evidence. The findings show that effective palliative care for patients with dementia continues being affected by many barriers and challenges. Good practice seems to be inconsistent and fragmented throughout the UK and European countries, and many health professionals are faced with difficulties associated with services and financial implications, training and education, staff support, communication, family support and dementia care.
The importance of terminology when discussing risks in pregnancy
Authors: Magro Michael
Published: December 2019

Michael Margo writes in response to an article on midwives and risk management published in last month's issue of the British Journal of Midwifery
Influence of midwife communication on women's understanding of Down syndrome screening information
Authors: John Sophie , Kirk Maggie , Tonkin Emma , Stuart-Hamilton Ian
Published: December 2019

Aim

To analyse how midwives communicate Down syndrome screening information and explore whether women's understanding of this information is influenced by midwives' communicative style.

Methods

Midwives (n=16) and women (n=100) were recruited from a regional NHS unit in the UK. A mixed-methods design encompassed two components; audio-recorded antenatal consultations to assess midwives' communication and quantitative surveys to assess women's understanding.

Findings

Midwife communication was not significantly related to women's understanding of Down syndrome screening information. However, qualitative thematic analysis revealed midwife communication was often insufficient in fully describing Down syndrome and screening. Communication was not very interactive, midwives dominated conversations and did not sufficiently check women's knowledge/understanding.

Conclusions

Policymakers need to consider these findings. Deficits in midwife communication in relation to established screening practice needs to be addressed through additional training ahead of full implementation of non-invasive prenatal testing into midwifery practice.
Fairy tale midwifery ten years on: facilitating the transition to newly qualified midwife
Authors: Ashforth Kate , Kitson-Reynolds Ellen
Published: December 2019

The first article in this series, published in the British Journal of Midwifery, volume 27, number 10, identified that newly qualified midwives continue to experience reality shock on initiation of first post, despite preceptorship programmes that aim to ease transition from student to qualified practitioner. Mentors are important in facilitating student decision-making, criticality and reflective practice, and share such roles as teaching, support and role modelling with preceptors. Although transition begins at the inception of midwifery training, there is a paucity of research exploring the role of mentors in preparing students for autonomous practice. The recent shift to replace mentors with practice supervisors and assessors provides an opportunity to consider strategies to better prepare student midwives for autonomous practice and mitigate against fairy tale midwifery.
Obtaining and confirming consent
Authors: Symon Andrew
Published: December 2019

The question of how practitioners provide information and verify that a woman understands the issues and consents to a procedure was raised in the High Court. Andrew Symon reports on Mordel v Royal Berkshire NHS
Ebola virus disease: are you up to date?
Authors: Beese Daniel , Beckett Gail
Published: December 2019

While the risk of seeing cases of Ebola in general practice in the UK remains low, Daniel Beese and Gail Beckett explain the importance of keeping up to date with what to do in light of the recent disease outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo

In July 2019, an outbreak of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo was declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern by the World Health Organization. During the last major outbreak, only a few patients with Ebola were cared for by the NHS, but media interest was high and public anxiety widespread. The fear of infection saw much time and effort put into developing a plethora of guidance, policies and protocols to prevent and control any potential risk of spread. As it is now 4 years since the last outbreak, it is an opportune time to review response arrangements.
Far-infrared photodetectors based on graphene/black-AsP heterostructures
Authors: Ryzhii Victor , Ryzhii Maxim , Mitin Vladimir , Shur Michael S. , Otsuji Taiichi
Published: December 2019

We develop the device models for the far-infrared interband photodetectors (IPs) with the graphene-layer (GL) sensitive elements and the black Phosphorus (b-P) or black-Arsenic (b-As) barrier layers (BLs). These far-infrared GL/BL-based IPs (GBIPs) can operate at the photon energies

ℏ
Ω

smaller than the energy gap, Δ
G
, of the b-P or b-As or their compounds, namely, at

ℏ
Ω
≲
2

Δ
G

/

3

corresponding to the wavelength range

λ
≳
(
6
−
12
)
 
μ

m. The GBIP operation spectrum can be shifted to the terahertz range by increasing the bias voltage. The BLs made of the compounds b-As
x
B1−x with different x, enable the GBIPs with desirable spectral characteristics. The GL doping level substantially affects the GBIP characteristics and is important for their optimization. A remarkable feature of the GBIPs under consideration is a substantial (over an order of magnitude) lowering of the dark current due to a partial suppression of the dark-current gain accompanied by a fairly high photoconductive gain. Due to a large absorption coefficient and photoconductive gain, the GBIPs can exhibit large values of the internal responsivity and dark-current-limited detectivity exceeding those of the quantum-well and quantum-dot IPs using the intersubband transitions. The GBIPs with the b-P and b-As BLs can operate at longer radiation wavelengths than the infrared GL-based IPs comprising the BLs made of other van der Waals materials and can also compete with all kinds of the far-infrared photodetectors.
Circular polarization of Cherenkov radiation assisted by a metasurface on waveguides
Authors: Li Wenjia , Liu Jianlong , Gao Yang , Zhou Keya , Liu Shutian
Published: December 2019

We propose an orientation-dependent polarization manipulation by Cherenkov radiation (CR) in a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) waveguide with a metasurface. By putting an electron bunch passing near the SOI waveguide, CR excites the fundamental TE-like mode with ultra-high mode purity. The spin state of the decoupled light is determined by the direction of the electron motion, and the maximum magnitude of the normalized Stokes polarization parameter

S
3

approaches

±
1

, corresponding to the right and left circularly polarized light. This Letter provides a new, to the best of our knowledge, way to achieve CR with spin angular momentum in an SOI waveguide and offers a platform to study the interaction between an electron and light with nanostructures on-chip.
Real-time, in situ probing of gamma radiation damage with packaged integrated photonic chips
Authors: Du Qingyang , Michon Jérôme , Li Bingzhao , Kita Derek , Ma Danhao , Zuo Haijie , Yu Shaoliang , Gu Tian , Agarwal Anuradha , Li Mo , Hu Juejun
Published: December 2019

Integrated photonics is poised to become a mainstream solution for high-speed data communications and sensing in harsh radiation environments, such as outer space, high-energy physics facilities, nuclear power plants, and test fusion reactors. Understanding the impact of radiation damage in optical materials and devices is thus a prerequisite to building radiation-hard photonic systems for these applications. In this paper, we report real-time, in situ analysis of radiation damage in integrated photonic devices. The devices, integrated with an optical fiber array package and a baseline-correction temperature sensor, can be remotely interrogated while exposed to ionizing radiation over a long period without compromising their structural and optical integrity. We also introduce a method to deconvolve the radiation damage responses from different constituent materials in a device. The approach was implemented to quantify gamma radiation damage and post-radiation relaxation behavior of

SiO
2

-cladded SiC photonic devices. Our findings suggest that densification induced by Compton scattering displacement defects is the primary mechanism for the observed index change in SiC. Additionally, post-radiation relaxation in amorphous SiC does not restore the original pre-irradiated structural state of the material. Our results further point to the potential of realizing radiation-hard photonic device designs taking advantage of the opposite signs of radiation-induced index changes in SiC and

SiO
2

.
Distributed curvature sensing based on a bending loss-resistant ring-core fiber
Authors: Shen Li , Wu Hao , Zhao Can , Shen Lei , Zhang Rui , Tong Weijun , Fu Songnian , Tang Ming
Published: December 2019

A theoretical and experimental study on curvature sensing using a Brillouin optical time-domain analyzer based on the ring-core fiber (RCF) is reported. The Brillouin gain spectrum of the RCF is investigated, and the Brillouin frequency shift (BFS) dependence on temperature and strain is calibrated. We theoretically analyze the fiber bending-induced BFS and peak Brillouin gain variation for the RCF through a numerical simulation method, and the RCF is revealed to have a high curvature sensitivity. Distributed curvature sensing is successfully demonstrated, with the bending radius ranging from 0.5 to 1.5 cm, corresponding to a BFS variation from 32.90 to 7.81 MHz. The RCF takes advantage of great bending loss resistance, and the maximum macrobending loss at the extreme bending radius of 0.5 cm is less than 0.01 dB/turn. Besides, the peak Brillouin gain of the RCF is discovered to vary significantly in response to fiber bending, which is expected to be another parameter for distributed curvature determination. The results imply that the RCF is a promising candidate for highly sensitive distributed curvature measurement, especially in sharp bending circumstances.
High-energy all-fiber gain-switched thulium-doped fiber laser for volumetric photoacoustic imaging of lipids
Authors: Li Can , Shi Jiawei , Wang Xiatian , Wang Boquan , Gong Xiaojing , Song Liang , Wong Kenneth K. Y.
Published: December 2019

We demonstrate a high-energy all-fiber short wavelength gain-switched thulium-doped fiber laser for volumetric photoacoustic (PA) imaging of lipids. The laser cavity is constructed by embedding a short piece of gain fiber between a pair of fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs). Through using three pairs of FBGs with operation wavelengths at 1700, 1725, and 1750 nm, three similar lasers are realized with a cavity length of around 25 cm. Under a maximum pump energy of 300 μJ at 1560 nm, laser pulse energies of 58.2, 66.8, and 75.3 μJ are, respectively, achieved with a minimum pulse width of

<
16.7
  
ns

at a repetition rate of 10 kHz. Volumetric imaging of lipids is validated through scanning a fat beef slice with a PA microscopy system incorporated with the newly developed source, and a lateral resolution of 18.8 μm and an axial resolution of 172.9 μm are achieved. Moreover, the higher shooting speed of the developed source can potentially allow for increasing at twice the frame rate of current intravascular PA imaging.
O mar e a viagem
Authors: Soares Maria Luísa De Castro
Published: December 2019

O presente estudo estrutura-se tendo em conta duas linhas temáticas: a onipresença do mar e o tema da viagem marítima na cultura portuguesa – o “mito de Henrique” (o navegador), na opinião de António Quadros. Para dar a conhecer o problema, segue-se um paradigma interpretativo e crítico e uma metodologia de investigação qualitativa, analisando-se a perspetiva dos estudiosos atuais da cultura portuguesa, que ligam o tema da viagem por mar à questão da identidade coletiva. Por meio de uma abordagem diacrónica do tema do mar e da viagem na literatura portuguesa – contributo inovador do estudo para o estado da arte da questão –, chega-se à conclusão da inegável vocação marítima deste país de finisterra, marcado do ponto de vista psicossocial pela Viagem dos Descobrimentos.
Continuing Medical Education Questions: December 2019
Authors: Park James S.
Published: December 2019

Article Title: Early Paracentesis in High-Risk Hospitalized Patients: Time for a New Quality Indicator
Using Adalimumab to Treat Autoimmune Enteropathy
Authors: Trivedi Hirsh D. , Shannahan Sarah E. , Morrow Matthew , Peppercorn Mark A.
Published: December 2019

Autoimmune enteropathy is a rare condition seen in adults with limited therapeutic options available. It manifests with profuse diarrhea and malnourishment. The diagnosis is made through a combination of clinical, serologic, and histologic parameters. The cornerstone of therapy revolves around nutritional optimization and immunosuppression, most commonly in the form of corticosteroids. Alternate therapies, such as antitumor necrosis factor agents, can be considered if there is an inadequate response to steroids. We report a case of autoimmune enteropathy that was successfully treated with adalimumab, a rare treatment for an infrequent disease.
Catastrophic Bleeding From Gastroduodenal Artery After Whipple Procedure Managed With Resuscitative Endovascular Balloon Occlusion of the Aorta
Authors: Samlowski Erika , Okwuosa Chris , Tashjian Nara , Wagner Michel
Published: December 2019

Resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta (REBOA) is designed to control traumatic intra-abdominal or pelvic hemorrhage. There are few case reports of REBOA use in nontraumatic gastrointestinal (GI) hemorrhage. A 53-year-old man with pancreatic cancer status post Whipple procedure presented with GI hemorrhage from the gastroduodenal artery. Endoscopy and angioembolization were unsuccessful at stopping the hemorrhage. REBOA was used to stabilize the patient until definitive surgical control. REBOA is a potentially lifesaving measure in cases of massive abdominal or pelvic hemorrhage. REBOA can be used as an adjunct in unstable patients with GI bleeding until definitive GI, interventional radiology, or surgical control.
Colonoscopy Leading to the Diagnosis of AL Amyloidosis in the Gastrointestinal Tract Mimicking an Acute Ulcerative Colitis Flare
Authors: Lee Brian S. , Chudasama Yuvrajsinh , Chen Adam I. , Lim Brian S. , Taira Mark T.
Published: December 2019

The 2 most common types of amyloidosis are light chain (AL) and reactive (AA). AL is associated with plasma cell dyscrasias; reactive (AA) is associated with chronic inflammatory conditions. A few cases have described AL amyloidosis mimicking colitis. However, endoscopic findings leading to the diagnosis of AL amyloidosis are rare. We report a 77-year-old woman with a medical history of ulcerative colitis who presented with recurrent nonbloody watery diarrhea. Colonoscopy revealed features suspicious for amyloidosis. Bone marrow biopsy showed multiple myeloma and AL amyloidosis. This case demonstrates the importance of generating a broad differential and the pivotal role of endoscopic findings in diagnosing uncommon diseases.
Head-to-Head Comparison of Family History of Colorectal Cancer and a Genetic Risk Score for Colorectal Cancer Risk Stratification
Authors: Weigl Korbinian , Hsu Li , Knebel Phillip , Hoffmeister Michael , Timofeeva Maria , Farrington Susan , Dunlop Malcolm , Brenner Hermann
Published: December 2019

OBJECTIVES:

Family history (FH) is associated with increased risk of colorectal cancer (CRC). We aimed to examine the potential for CRC risk stratification by known common genetic variants beyond FH in a large population-based case-control study from Germany.

METHODS:

Four thousand four hundred forty-seven cases and 3,480 controls recruited in 2003–2016 were included for whom comprehensive interview, medical, and genomic data were available. Associations with CRC risk were estimated from multiple logistic regression models for FH and a genetic risk score (GRS) based on 90 previously identified risk variants.

RESULTS:

CRC in a first-degree relative was associated with a 1.71-fold (95% confidence interval 1.47–2.00) increase in CRC risk. A higher risk increase (odds ratio 2.06, 95% confidence interval 1.78–2.39) was estimated for the GRS when it was dichotomized at a cutoff yielding the same positivity rate as FH among controls. Furthermore, the GRS provides substantial additional risk stratification in both people with and especially without FH. Equal or even slightly higher risks were observed for participants without FH with a GRS in the upper 20% compared with participants with FH with a GRS below median. The observed patterns were confirmed in a replication study.

DISCUSSION:

In contrast to common perception, known genetic variants do not primarily reflect some minor share of the familial excess risk of CRC, but rather reflect a substantial share of risk independent of FH.
Novel Fecobionics Defecatory Function Testing
Authors: Gregersen Hans , Chen Ssu-Chi , Leung Wing Wa , Wong Cherry , Mak Tony , Ng Simon , Futaba Kaori
Published: December 2019

INTRODUCTION:

Defecation is a complex process that can be easily disturbed. Defecatory disorders may be diagnosed using specialized investigation, including anorectal manometry (ARM) and the balloon expulsion test (BET). Recently, we developed a simulated stool named Fecobionics that integrates several tests and assesses pressures, orientation, and bending during evacuation. The aim was to evaluate the feasibility and performance of Fecobionics for assessing defecatory physiology in normal subjects.

METHODS:

Physiological expulsion parameters were assessed in an interventional study design. The 10-cm-long Fecobionics probe contained pressure sensors at the front and rear and inside a bag and 2 motion processor units. The bag was distended in the rectum of 20 presumed normal subjects (15 female/5 male) until urge to defecate. ARM-BET was also performed. Three subjects used +2 minutes to evacuate BET, and 1 subject had a high fecal incontinence score. Therefore, the normal group consisted of 16 subjects (13 female/3 male aged 25–78 years).

RESULTS:

All subjects reported that Fecobionics evacuation was similar to normal defecation. Fecobionics expulsion pressure signatures demonstrated 5 phases, reflecting rectal pressure, anal relaxation, and anal passage. Preload-afterload loop diagrams demonstrated clockwise contraction cycles. The expulsion duration for BET and Fecobionics was 16 ± 2 and 23 ± 5 seconds (P > 0.2), respectively. The duration of the Fecobionics and BET expulsions was associated (P < 0.001). The change in bending of Fecobionics during defecation was 40 ± 3°.

DISCUSSION:

Fecobionics obtained reliable data under physiological conditions. Agreement was found for comparable variables between ARM-BET and Fecobionics but not for other variables. The study suggests that Fecobionics is safe and effective in evaluation of key defecatory parameters.
Pentingnya Revitalisai Kelmaba Adat
Authors: Hendro Eko Punto
Published: December 2019

The country of Indonesia, which has multi-ethnic and multi-religious communities, indeed requires the care of their customs and culture. The main treatment is aimed at building wisdom, togetherness and preventing potential social conflicts. The village is the smallest government institution in Indonesia, through the revitalization of LKD and LAD, the customs and culture of the community can be preserved, despite the great challenges in this modernization era.
Kualitas Produk, Kesadaran Merek dan Harga serta Pengaruhnya Terhadap Kepuasan Pelanggan
Authors: Darmawan Didit
Published: December 2019

The growing of restaurant industry is causing high competition among business competitor, each business is required to create competitive advantage to satisfy customers and increase the level of sales. Business people in this industry strive to achieve maximum satisfaction for their customers and not only to achieve profits. This is because satisfied customers will determine the sustainability of the relationship with the restaurant. Every effort should be made to get satisfied customers with restaurant services. This study aims to analyze and discuss the influence of product quality, brand awareness and price on customer satisfaction in Dewi Kahyangan restaurant in Jombang City. The three independent variables involved in this study are product quality, brand awareness and price. One dependent variable is customer satisfaction. The research method used was qualitative. The sampling technique used wasnon-probability sampling. The population in this research all custumes who had eaten at the Dewi Kahyangan restaurant in Jombang City, with 100 respondents of sample size.The technique for taking samples is used non probability sampling techniques with accidental sampling method. The analytical tool used was multiple linearregression with SPSS 24.0 for windows. The results showed that product quality, brand awareness and price had a significant partial and simultaneous effect on customer satisfaction.
Altman Z-Score Vs Zmijewski X-Score Dalam Memprediksi Kebangkrutan Perusahaan (Studi Kasus PT Tiga Pilar Sejahtera (AISA) Tahun 2015-2017)
Authors: Dahni Fanita
Published: December 2019

Many kind of methods for predicting bankruptcy have their respective characteristics and each methods have different characteristics. The results of the calculation of each method can give the same or even different results. In this study intended to predict whether the PT Tiga Pilar Sejahtera Food, Tbk (AISA) the results of the Altman Z-Scores and Zmijewski calculations have the same results, both of which can predict the company bankrupt, not bankrupt, or both models produce different results. In conducting this research, the author uses descriptive study methods and case studies. The data used are secondary data obtained from the company's official website. The research proves that: (1) Altman Z-Score calculation predicts that AISA indicates bankruptcy in the 2015-2017 period; (2) Zmijewski X-Score calculation predicts that AISA is in safe condition; (3) There are differences in the calculation results between Altman Z-Score and Zmijewski X-Score; (4) Differences can be triggered by differences in the ratio components used in the calculation of each method. This research is only a description of the company's condition which is not 100% correct. The results of the calculation methods are used as an evaluation in the future so that the company can improve its performance. This research can also be used as an illustration to make investment decisions for investors.
Kant’s World Concept of Philosophy and Cosmopolitanism
Authors: Fugate Courtney
Published: December 2019

The goal of this paper is to better understand Kant’s conception of philosophy as a “world concept” (Weltbegriff), which is at the heart of the Architectonic of Pure Reason. This is pursued in two major parts. The first evaluates the textual foundation for reading Kant’s world concept of philosophy as cosmopolitanism and concludes that he most probably never himself equated philosophy as a world concept with any form of cosmopolitanism. The second major part of the paper clarifies this concept of philosophy through the specific role it plays in the argument of the Architectonic. Kant’s unique concept of science is examined and compared with several specific applications of it found elsewhere in Kant’s writings. From this it is concluded that Kant’s intention in the Architectonic was to derive his world concept of philosophy from its logical counterpart, namely the scholastic concept of philosophy, and that its function there is to provide the idea from which the entire structure (schema) of Kantian critical metaphysics can be derived. Philosophy as a world concept, it is further argued, is the complete system of critical or Kantian metaphysics in application and the philosopher in this sense is the ideal critical metaphysician who fully realizes its laws through her own understanding and will.
Value Pluralism: Crucial Complexities
Authors: Crowder George
Published: December 2019

Discussing the crucifix case, Beata Polanowska-Sygulska concludes that the decision on appeal fits with Berlinian value pluralism, while the initial judgement was ethically monist. Her assumption is that pluralism favours cultural diversity against uniform law. This assumption is too simple and needs to be qualified by several considerations. First, we should be clear that, under pluralism, a moral question may have ‘one right answer’ if this is contextual. Second, so far as pluralism connects with cultural diversity, this has multiple dimensions, applying not just among societies but within them as well. Third, pluralists ought to be concerned primarily with promoting a diversity of values rather than cultures. When these matters are properly taken into account, it can be seen that a uniform law may be more pluralist than a multiplicity of local laws, depending on the circumstances.
‘Inequality is not a Problem’: How (Some) Economists Responded to Thomas Piketty
Authors: King J. E.
Published: December 2019

Thomas Piketty’s Capital in the Twenty-First Century makes hardly any reference to the ethics of inequality. Surprisingly, this is an omission shared by most of his critics. In this paper I investigate the literature on which he and his reviewers might have drawn and speculate on the reasons why they did not. I outline the four ‘views of society’ and the related issues in moral philosophy that were presented by Michael Schneider in his book on the distribution of wealth. I then summarise the criticisms of Piketty made by those few reviewers who did show some interest in ethical questions and examine the slightly earlier and quite different case against reducing inequality made by one of these critics, N. Gregory Mankiw. I consider the economic, political and social costs of inequality identified in a book-length study of Piketty’s work by Steven Pressman, and conclude by reflecting on the reasons for the widespread neglect of moral philosophy by mainstream economists.
Social Norms, Expectations and Sanctions
Authors: Guala Francesco
Published: December 2019

Hindriks’ paper raises two issues: one is formal and concerns the notion of ‘cost’ in rational choice accounts of norms; the other is substantial and concerns the role of expectations in the modification of payoffs. In this commentary I express some doubts and worries especially about the latter: What’s so special with shared expectations? Why do they induce compliance with norms, if transgression is not associated with sanctions?
Explicit decomposition theorem for special Schubert varieties
Authors: Franco Davide
Published: December 2019

We provide an explicit canonical description of the perverse cohomology sheaves
and of the primitive perverse cohomology complexes for the non-small
resolution

π
:

𝒮
~

→
𝒮

{\pi:\tilde{\mathcal{S}}\to\mathcal{S}}

of a special Schubert variety

𝒮

{\mathcal{S}}

. For such a resolution, we also discuss a way to obtain an
explicit splitting of

R
⁢
π
⁢

ℚ

𝒮
~

*

{R\pi{{}_{*}}\mathbb{Q}_{\widetilde{{\mathcal{S}}}}}

, in the derived category, by means of Gysin morphisms and
cohomology extensions.