bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Profiles of Immune Infiltration and Prognostic Immunoscore in Lung Adenocarcinoma
Authors: Li Yanyan , Tao Liping , Cai Weiyang
Published: June 2020

Lung tissue is abundant with immune cells that form a powerful first defense against exotic particles and microbes. The malignant phenotype of lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) is defined not only by intrinsic tumor cells but also by tumor‐infiltrating immune cells (TIICs) recruited to the immune microenvironment. Understanding more about the immune microenvironment of LUAD could function in sorting out patients more likely with high risk and benefit from immunotherapy. Twenty‐two types of TIICs were estimated based on large public LUAD cohorts from the TCGA and GEO datasets using the CIBERSORT algorithm. Then principal component analysis (PCA), meta‐analysis, and single‐sample gene set enrichment analysis (ssGSEA) were used to measure and evaluate the specific immune responses and relative mechanisms. Moreover, an immunoscore model based on the percent of immune cells was constructed via the univariate and multivariate Cox regression models, which provided an in‐depth overview of the LUAD immune microenvironment and shed light on the immune regulatory mechanism. The differential expression genes (DEGs) were acquired based on the immunoscore model, and prognostic immune‐related genes were further identified. GSEA and the protein–protein interaction network (PPI) further revealed that these genes were mostly enriched in many immune‐related biological processes. It is hoped that this immune landscape could provide a more accurate understanding for LUAD development and tumor immune therapy.
Diagnostic Images of the Ocular Fundus Using a Low-Cost Portable Endoscope in Premature Patients at Risk of Developing Retinopathy of Prematurity
Authors: Zepeda-Romero Luz Consuelo , Gutierrez Padilla Jose Alfonso , Ibarra Daniel Perez-Rulfo , Orozco-Perez Jaime , Delgadillo Rodrigo Alonso , Rodríguez Lilia Paulina , Yanowsky-Reyes Guillermo
Published: June 2020

The purpose of this article is to describe how fundus images are obtained using a low-cost device: the “Visual Ear Wax Cleaner Tool” portable endoscope (Soonhua Inc., China) connected to a smartphone, after installation of free applications (“Inskam” and “CameraFI”) using the smartphone screen as a monitor and after medication mydriasis, local anesthesia, and blepharostat placement. With this endoscope, video recording and fundus imaging are easily performed, for the case of patients at the risk of developing retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), facilitating timely screening in order to start treatment in patients who require it. This fundus imaging technique shares certain similarities with the RetCam® (Clarity, Pleasaton California) system, which performs real-time fundus imaging providing the ability to record and document findings and capture images from the video footage, with high quality and definition, although with a smaller angle of vision. The capture of images using a smartphone allows storing and sharing the images. These are devices which are generally accessible and portable and which use simplified energy sources, requiring very simple training. The low-cost, easy-to-learn technique and quick sharing of images through communication networks make this a tool to be considered for the practice of telemedicine.
DLI: A Deep Learning-Based Granger Causality Inference
Authors: Peng Wei
Published: June 2020

Integrating autoencoder (AE), long short-term memory (LSTM), and convolutional neural network (CNN), we propose an interpretable deep learning architecture for Granger causality inference, named deep learning-based Granger causality inference (DLI). Two contributions of the proposed DLI are to reveal the Granger causality between the bitcoin price and S&P index and to forecast the bitcoin price and S&P index with a higher accuracy. Experimental results demonstrate that there is a bidirectional but asymmetric Granger causality between the bitcoin price and S&P index. And the DLI performs a superior prediction accuracy by integrating variables that have causalities with the target variable into the prediction process.
Practice and Sociodemographic Factors Influencing Self-Monitoring of Blood Pressure in Ghanaians with Hypertension
Authors: Konlan Kennedy Dodam , Afam-Adjei Charles Junior , Afam-Adjei Christian , Oware Jennifer , Appiah Theresa Akua , Konlan Kennedy Diema , Bella-Fiamawle Jeremiah
Published: June 2020

Background. In sub-Saharan Africa, the prevalence of hypertension has assumed epidemic levels and currently accounts for numerous complications such as stroke, heart failure, and kidney damage. Management of hypertension involves both drug and nonpharmacological approaches. Self-monitoring of blood pressure is an important nonpharmacological approach that facilitates early detection of deteriorating blood pressures and complications. Aims. We determined the practice and sociodemographic factors influencing self-monitoring of blood pressure among Ghanaians with hypertension. Methods. In a cross-sectional design, we recruited four hundred and forty-seven (447) Ghanaians with hypertension receiving care at the hypertensive Outpatient Department (OPD) Clinics of the Medical Department at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH). The respondents were sampled using a simple random sampling technique of balloting without replacement. A structured questionnaire was used to gather data on the practice of self-monitoring of blood pressure and sociodemographic factors influencing self-monitoring in the respondents. We also measured some anthropometric and haemodynamic indices of the respondents. The data was entered in Microsoft Excel 2010 and exported into SPSS 21.0 to aid with the data analysis. A chi-square test and Student’s t-test analysis were done to determine the relationship between the practice of self-monitioring and other sociodemographic variables. Data analayses were conducted at a significant level (alpha 0.05) and power of 95% confidence. Thus, p<0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results. The practice of self-monitoring of blood pressure was 25.3% with more female respondents claiming to practice self-monitoring as compared to their male counterparts (28.6% vs. 20.7%). Awareness of self-monitoring of blood pressure was associated with increased practice of self-monitoring of blood pressure. Health workers (46.8%), colleague patients (39.8%), relatives/spouses (6.7%), and the media (6.7%) were identified as the sources of information about self-monitoring of blood pressure. Awareness of self-monitoring, level of education, valid health insurance, occupation, income levels, and marital status had a significant relationship with self-monitoring of blood pressure among the respondents. Thus, respondents with higher education, awareness of self-monitoring, valid health insurance, formal employment, and higher income were likely to monitor their blood pressure. Conclusion. Several sociodemographic factors influence the practice of self-monitoring of blood pressure in Ghanaians with hypertension. Thus, targeted hypertension education and social-cognitive interventions should focus on these sociodemographic factors so as to improve self-monitoring of blood pressure in order to reduce the complications of hypertension.
Theoretical and Experimental Study on the Transmission Loss of a Side Outlet Muffler
Authors: Zhang Liang , Shi He-Mu , Zeng Xiao-Hui , Zhuang Zhuo
Published: June 2020

Vibration and noise reduction methods are important research directions in many industries. Mufflers are widely used in pipelines to reduce noise and vibration transmission. A theoretical analysis is conducted to determine the noise reduction mechanism of a muffler with a side outlet, and the results are verified with experiments. The quadrupole parameters of the muffler are obtained using transfer matrix analysis, and sensitivity analysis of the quadrupole parameters is conducted. The influence of the side outlet location on the transmission loss of the muffler is investigated experimentally using an impedance tube. The key factors affecting the transmission loss are analyzed. The theoretical calculation results of the transmission loss of the side outlet muffler are in good agreement with the experimental results.
Stigma Resistance and Its Associated Factors among Patients with Mood Disorder at St. Paul’s Hospital and Millennium Medical College, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 2019
Authors: Tesfaye Elias , Kassaw Chalachew , Agenagnew Liyew
Published: June 2020

Background. Stigma resistance is described as the capacity to counteract or remain unaffected by the stigma of mental illness. Patients who have high stigma resistance have shown good treatment outcome, so working on this issue is crucial since little is known about the stigma resistance level among patients with mood disorders. Objectives. To determine the magnitude and determinant factors of stigma resistance among patients with mood disorder attending at St. Paul’s Hospital. Methods. A cross-sectional study design was conducted on 238 study samples, and systematic random sampling was used to get the study participants. Internalized Stigma of Mental Illness Scale was used to measure stigma resistance. Data was entered using EpiData 3.1 and exported to the Statistical Package for Social Science 22.0 for analysis. Linear regression analysis (P<0.05) was used to identify a significant association between the outcome and predictor variable. Results. Out of 238 study samples, 235 patients took part with a 99% response rate. The overall percentage of stigma resistance was 49.5%. Low educational status (B=−1.465, 95% CI (-2.796, -0.134), P≤0.031), disability (B=−0.064, 95% CI (-0.102, -0.026), P≤0.001), nonadherence due to stigma (B=−1.365, 95% CI (-2.151, -0.580), P≤0.001), duration of treatment (B=0.091, 95% CI (0.042, 0.141), P≤0.001), internalized stigma (B=−2.948, 95% CI (-3.642, -2.254), P≤0.001), and self-esteem (B=1.859, 95% CI (0.812, 2.906), P≤0.001) were significantly associated with stigma resistance. Conclusion. This study found that only half of the patients had stigma resistance. Low educational status, high self-stigma, low self-esteem, disability, and short duration of treatment were negatively associated with stigma resistance, so working on those modifiable identified factors with focal stakeholders will be crucial to promote the stigma resistance level of patients with mood disorder.
Predefined-Time Antisynchronization of Two Different Chaotic Neural Networks
Authors: Lin Lixiong
Published: June 2020

This paper is concerned with antisynchronization in predefined time for two different chaotic neural networks. Firstly, a predefined-time stability theorem based on Lyapunov function is proposed. With the help of the definition of predefined time, it is convenient to establish a direct relationship between the tuning gain of the system and the fixed stabilization time. Then, the antisynchronization is achieved between two different chaotic neural networks via active control Lyapunov function design. The designed controller presents the practical advantage that the least upper bound for the settling time can be explicitly defined during the control design. With the help of the designed controller, the antisynchronization errors converge within a predefined-time period. Numerical simulations are presented in order to show the reliability of the proposed method.
Diffusion Tensor Imaging Studies on Recovery of Injured Optic Radiation: A Minireview
Authors: Choi Eun Bi , Jang Sung Ho
Published: June 2020

The optic radiation (OR) is a visual neural fiber pathway for the transfer of visual information from the lateral geniculate body of the thalamus to the primary visual cortex. To demonstrate the recovery of an OR injury, quantification and visualization of changes to the injured OR are necessary. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) allows determination of the state of an OR by assessing the obtained DTI parameters. In particular, diffusion tensor tractography (DTT), which is derived from DTI data, allows three-dimensional visualization of the OR. Thus, recovery of an injured OR can be demonstrated by examining changes in DTI parameters and/or configuration on follow-up DTI scans or via DTT of the injured OR. Herein, we review nine DTI-based studies that demonstrated recovery of OR injuries. The results reported in these studies suggest that an OR injury has a potential for recovery. Moreover, the results of these studies can form a basis for elucidating the recovery mechanisms of injured OR. These studies have suggested two recovery mechanisms for OR injury: recovery via the original OR pathway or via the transcallosal fibers of the corpus callosum. However, only nine studies on this topic have been conducted to date and six of those nine studies were case reports. Therefore, further studies involving larger numbers of subjects and reporting precise evaluations of changes in OR injury during recovery are warranted.
Regulating the Enteric Nervous System against Obesity in Mice by Electroacupuncture
Authors: Dou Ding , Chen Qiao Qiao , Zhong Zhan-qiong , Xia Xiu-wen , Ding Wei-Jun
Published: June 2020

Background and Objectives: The enteric nervous system (ENS) dominates the onset of obesity and has been shown to regulate nutrient absorption and energy metabolism. Methods and Study Design: This study was performed to investigate the role of electroacupuncture in regulating ENS function in obese mice. Obese mice were obtained by high-fat diet. 16S rRNA pyrosequencing, Western blotting, quantitative PCR, and neurotransmitter analysis were used for this purpose. Results: Body weight, Lee index, serum lipid, leptin, and adiponectin levels, and other basic indices were significantly ameliorated after electroacupuncture intervention. The pathological ENS scores, serum neurotransmitter levels, and intestinal transit rate were markedly changed in obese mice. Moreover, electroacupuncture promoted the diversity of gut microbiota. No significant differences were observed 21 and 28 days after electroacupuncture. Conclusions: These results suggested ENS may be a new treatment approach to obesity.
Eye Tracking Analysis of Visual Cues during Wayfinding in Early Stage Alzheimer’s Disease
Authors: Davis Rebecca , Sikorskii Alla
Published: June 2020

Introduction: Persons with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) have profound impairment in wayfinding, potentially related to a deficit in visual attention and selection of relevant environmental information. This study sought to determine differences in visual attention to salient visual cues and nonsalient cues (building features) in older adults with and without AD during active wayfinding in a large-scale, virtual reality spatial task. Methods: Fifteen subjects (7 with AD and 8 controls without AD) were asked to find their way repeatedly during 10 trials in a virtual simulation of a senior retirement community. Subjects wore eye tracking glasses to capture visual fixations while wayfinding. The least square means (LSMs) and their standard errors (SEs) for percentage of fixations and duration of fixations on salient and nonsalient cues were estimated from the linear mixed effects models and compared by group (AD or control) and cue type. Results: The group by cue type interaction was significant for both percentage of fixations (F(1, 13) = 6.79, p = 0.02) and duration of fixations (F(1, 13) = 4.87, p = 0.04). The AD group had significantly lower percentages of fixations on salient cues, LSM = 57.91 (SE = 2.44), compared to controls, LSM = 66.40 (SE = 2.19); p = 0.03. Persons with AD had a higher percentage of fixations on building features, LSM = 31.65 (SE = 2.18), than controls, LSM = 24.54 (SE = 1.95); p = 0.02. Shorter durations of fixations on salient cues were experienced by the AD group, LSM = 38.89 (SE = 1.69), than the control group, LSM = 44.69 (SE = 1.55); p = 0.02. Discussion/Conclusion: Individuals with AD may have difficulty selecting relevant information for wayfinding as compared to normally aging individuals and attend more frequently than controls to irrelevant information. This may help explain the wayfinding difficulties seen in AD.
Twenty-Five-Year Outcomes of Treatment of Irreversible Facial Paralysis with Gillies and McLaughlin Techniques
Authors: Schlosshauer Torsten , Kueenzlen Lara , Kuehn Shafreena , Sader Robert , Rieger Ulrich M.
Published: June 2020

Introduction: Data on treatment outcomes of surgical correction of irreversible facial paralysis is rare and long-term outcomes are scarce in the literature, making treatment choices difficult for operating surgeons. Objective: This study evaluated 25-year outcomes of treatment of irreversible facial paralysis with Gillies and McLaughlin techniques with a focus on general functional and age-related functional outcomes. Methods: Data of all patients who underwent surgical correction of facial paralysis using either Gillies or McLaughlin procedure between 1994 and 2018 were included in the analysis of this retrospective, single-centre study (n = 154). Results: Gillies surgery was performed on 12 and McLaughlin technique on 33 patients. Gillies and McLaughlin surgeries were associated with high patient satisfaction (75–86%), low complication rates (8–24%), and achievement of full or partial eyelid closure in 75% as well as smile reanimation in 97% of patients operated. Achievement of resting facial symmetry was low for both techniques and ranged from 27 to 46%. Age-related functional outcomes were generally superior in middle-aged patients (21–59 years) with fewer complications and reoperations compared to younger and older patients. Conclusions: Surgical correction with Gillies or McLaughlin dynamic muscle support techniques yielded good clinical results with high patient satisfaction and should, therefore, be included as a treatment option for facial reanimation of irreversible facial paralysis. Patient age may play a role in treatment outcomes and reoperation and complication rates and should be taken into careful consideration during treatment planning.
Antenatal Magnesium Sulfate and Preeclampsia Differentially Affect Neonatal Cerebral Oxygenation
Authors: Richter Anne E. , Scherjon Sicco A. , Dikkers Riksta , Bos Arend F. , Kooi Elisabeth M.W.
Published: June 2020

Introduction: Magnesium sulfate (MgSO4) is frequently administered for maternal and fetal neuroprotection in preeclampsia (PE) and imminent preterm birth, respectively. Objective: To assess whether MgSO4 affects neonatal cerebral oxygenation, blood flow, and cerebral autoregulation (CAR) during the first postnatal days independently from PE. Methods: 148 neonates <32 weeks gestational age were included. Cerebral fractional tissue oxygen extraction (cFTOE) was extracted from a daily 2-h period, during which peak systolic blood flow velocity (PSV) and resistance index (RI) of the pericallosal artery were obtained. The percent time of impaired CAR (correlation coefficient between mean arterial blood pressure and cerebral oxygen saturation >0.5) was determined. Linear mixed models were applied. Results: MgSO4 exposure was recorded in 77 neonates. Twenty-nine neonates were born following PE. MgSO4 independently lowered cFTOE (B: –0.026, 95% CI: –0.050 to 0.002, p < 0.05) but did not affect PSV and RI. PE was associated with a lower cFTOE (B: –0.041, 95% CI: –0.067 to –0.015, p < 0.05) and a tendency towards both lower PSV (B: –4.285, 95% CI: –9.067 to 0.497, p < 0.1) and more impaired CAR (B: 4.042, 95% CI: –0.028 to 8.112, p < 0.1), which seemed to be strongly mediated by fetal brain sparing. MgSO4 did not alter CAR. Conclusions: In contrast to fetal brain sparing in PE, MgSO4 seems to lower cFTOE by lowering cerebral oxygen demands in preterm neonates without affecting the cerebrovasculature.
Comparison between Conventional Cytology and Liquid-Based Cytology in the Tertiary Brazilian Navy Hospital in Rio de Janeiro
Authors: de Oliveira Antônio Carlos Almeida , Domingues Miguel Fontes , Neufeld Paulo Murilo , Fleury Marcos , Nogueira Neto José Firmino
Published: June 2020

Introduction: Cervical cancer screening is an important tool in public health. Liquid-based cytology (LBC) has been performed at the studied hospital for 7 years. The present study compares the performance of 2 LBC techniques with conventional cytology. Objective: Our objective is to verify the sensitivity for the detection of neoplastic and preneoplastic epithelial atypia, as well as the positive predictive value of the 3 methodologies. Methods: We analyzed retrospectively 24,529 cases and evaluated the conventional cytology, ThinPrep®, and BD SurePath® performance categorizing the results according to the Bethesda system. We also compared the level of unsatisfactory samples, the presence of elements from the squamocolumnar junction, and the detection of pathogenic microorganisms. Results: ThinPrep® (1.43%) showed superior sensitivity over BD SurePath® (0.91%) and conventional cytology (0.71%) in terms of the detection of high-grade lesions; however, in terms of squamous atypia as a whole (ASC-US+), BD SurePath® (6.44%) proved to be more sensitive than conventional cytology (5.28%) and ThinPrep® (3.73%). Conclusions: The results show the advantage of implementing LBC in routine screening for cervical lesions. In this study, BD SurePath® achieved the overall best performance considering the studied variables.
Endoscopic and Clinicopathological Features of Superficial Non-Ampullary Duodenal Tumor Based on the Mucin Phenotypes
Authors: Akazawa Yoichi , Ueyama Hiroya , Tsuyama Sho , Ikeda Atsushi , Yatagai Noboru , Komori Hiroyuki , Takeda Tsutomu , Matsumoto Kohei , Matsumoto Kenshi , Hashimoto Takashi , Tomita Natsumi , Kajiyama Yoshiaki , Kato Motohiko , Yao Takashi , Nagahara Akihito
Published: June 2020

Aims: We aimed to clarify the endoscopic/clinicopathological features of superficial non-ampullary duodenal epithelial tumors (SNADETs) based on their mucin phenotypes. Methods: We analyzed 62 SNADET lesions and classified them based on mucin phenotypic expression. Endoscopic and clinicopathological findings were compared according to mucin phenotypes. Results: Eleven lesions had the gastric phenotype (GP) and 43 lesions had the intestinal phenotype (IP). All GP lesions were located in the first portion of the duodenum, while most IP lesions (72.1%) were located in the second portion (p < 0.01). Tumor size was significantly larger in the GP than in the IP group (14.4 mm vs. 10.2 mm, p < 0.05). Reddish color (72.7% in GP vs. 37.2% in IP, p < 0.05), type 0-I (72.7% vs. 11.6%, p < 0.01), lobular/granular pattern (81.8% vs. 4.7%, p < 0.01), and category 4/5 in Vienna classification (81.8% vs. 30.2%, p < 0.01) were observed significantly more often in the GP than in the IP group. Regarding findings of magnifying endoscopy with narrow-band imaging (M-NBI), white opaque substance (22.2% in GP vs. 89.7% in IP, p < 0.01) and light blue crest (0% vs. 43.6%, p < 0.05) were significantly less frequently observed in the GP group. Oval-shaped marginal epithelium (66.7% vs. 17.9%, p < 0.01), dense pattern (55.6% vs. 2.6%, p < 0.01), and dilatation of the intervening part (100% vs. 12.8%, p < 0.01) were more frequently observed in the GP group. Conclusions: SNADETs showed distinct endoscopic/clinicopathological features according to the mucin phenotype. Tumor location, coloration, macroscopic type, and endoscopic findings including M-NBI are useful to distinguish the mucin phenotypes of SNADETs.
Glyphidops (Glyphidops) filosus (Diptera: Neriidae) revisited, with special attention to the morphology of the male and female terminalia
Authors: Motta Isabela De Oliveira , Pujol-Luz José Roberto
Published: June 2020

Although a recent revision of the genus Glyphidops Enderlein covered most its known, some of the Brazilian forms were not surveyed. Here we take advantage of the excellent morphological work available in the literature and redescribe Glyphidops (Glyphidops) filosus, based on 91 specimens (43 males and 48 females) from the States of Amazonas and Goiás, including Brasília, Brazil. We also provide a study of male genitalia using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and female genitalia and spermathecae, using light microscopy (LM). We present descriptions of the following structures in male genitalia: epandrium, hypandrium, surstyli, cerci and sections of aedeagus, and in female genitalia: oviscape, bursa copulatrix, ‘S’ bend and spermatheca. An update list of Brazilian species of Glyphidops Enderlein is also presented.
Euplocania Enderlein: description of the female of E. quinquedivisa Silva-Neto, García Aldrete & Rafael (Psocodea, ‘Psocoptera’, Ptiloneuridae), with a checklist of Euplocania species in Brazil
Authors: Barroso Karen De Araújo , Silva-Neto Alberto Moreira da , García Aldrete Alfonso Neri , Rafael José Albertino
Published: June 2020

The unknown female of Euplocania quinquedivisa Silva-Neto, García Aldrete & Rafael, is described and illustrated. Information on sexes known and distribution in Brazilian states is included for the known species of Brazilian Euplocania.
From 1900 to 2000: History of Earthworm taxonomy in the North and Northeast of Brazil and its current distribution in Brazilian Biomes
Authors: Sousa Sandriel Costa , Hernández-García Luis Manuel , Christoffersen Martin Lindsey
Published: June 2020

One of the initial milestones for earthworm taxonomy was the work of Michaelsen (1900), “Das Tierreich Oligochaeta”. During this period only two exotic species of the genus Amynthas were recorded for the North and Northeast of Brazil. A century has passed and little is known about the taxonomy of earthworms in these two regions and the distribution of these organisms in Brazilian Biomes. The Brazilian territory is divided into six large biomes, Amazonian, Caatinga, Cerrado, Atlantic Forest, Pampa, and Wetlands. Little is known about the distribution of earthworms in these environments. This article provides a review of the literature on the progress of taxonomy in northern and northeastern Brazil over a century and provides the current distribution of earthworms in Brazilian biomes. In the first four decades the taxonomy has advanced at a slow pace, with only 19 new species recorded. With the beginning of Gilberto Righi’s work, earthworm taxonomy has advanced significantly. After Righi’s death in 1999, taxonomy in the North and Northeast has only begun breathing again within the past two years, in which the description of nine new species and two new genera have appeared. There are currently 174 species distributed in thirteen of the sixteen states that make up the North and Northeast regions of Brazil. Regarding distribution, the Amazon, Mata Atlantica and Cerrado biomes stand out for being the most diverse in genera and species, while the Caatinga, Pampa and Pantanal biomes are less diversified. In addition, the Caatinga and Pampa are the only biomes having more exotic species than native species.
Prohibition of Stay of Proceedings in Criminal Litigations under ACJA/EFCC Acts and Speedy Dispensation of Justice: Olisah Metuh V FRN (2017) 5–7 MJSC 83
Authors: Imam Ibrahim , Abdulhamid Yusuf O.
Published: June 2020

Considering the reality that criminal proceedings suffer unwarranted delay due to spatial of antics habitually utilized by litigants to delay proceedings, this paper explores the judgment of the Supreme Court in Methu v FRN to determine whether, or not, exclusion of stay of proceedings is constitutional. The authors employed mainly doctrinal method, thus library based. It is established that antics and technicalities often employ by litigants/counsel in corruption cases constitute impediment to speedy trial of indicted individual in courts. The judgment under review validates the constitutionality of proscription of stay of proceedings and remedied the unwholesome attitude of litigants/counsel to deliberately delay/frustrate criminal proceedings. Similarly, the risk of denying the state of its synergy to fight corruption vide delay in securing expeditious hearing and trial of cases is extinguished and constitutional right of the accused, the victim of crime and the state to fair hearing within reasonable time reaffirmed. It is concluded that the innovative insertion of prohibition on stay of proceedings in the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) and Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) Act mechanisms put in place to check delay in prosecuting crime of corruption, and therefore, does not infringe on the fundamental right of an accused person to fair hearing.
Review of Calomutilla Mickel, 1952, a new species, and comparison with Pertyella Mickel, 1952 (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae)
Authors: CAMBRA ROBERTO A. , BROTHERS DENIS J. , QUINTERO A. DIOMEDES
Published: June 2020

Calomutilla panamensis Cambra, Brothers & Quintero sp. nov., female and male from Panama and Venezuela, and the hitherto unknown male of Calomutilla crucigera (Burmeister, 1854), are described and illustrated. Calomutilla panamensis represents the northernmost distribution record of this Neotropical genus and the first record from Venezuela. A key to species, photographs of the types of most species, and a brief description about the mating behavior of C. panamensis are presented. The differentiation of Calomutilla and Pertyella Mickel, 1952 is discussed and illustrated for both sexes.
Key to South American genera of Acanthocinini (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae, Lamiinae) with erect setae on elytral surface
Authors: MONNÉ MIGUEL A. , SANTOS-SILVA ANTONIO , MONNÉ MARCELA L.
Published: June 2020

A key for identification of the 45 genera of Acanthocinini with erect setae on the elytra and which occur in South America is provided. A new synonymy is proposed for Trichonyssodrys Gilmour, 1957 (junior synonym of Pentheochaetes Melzer, 1932), resulting in new combinations for the following species: Pentheochaetes aureopilosa (Monné, 1990), P. cincta (Delfino, 1981), P. maculata (Gilmour, 1957), P. melasma (Delfino, 1981), and P. nessimiani (Monné & Monné, 2012). The gender of the species-group names in Pentheochaetes is corrected. Diagnosis for each genus is provided, as well as type-locality and geographical distribution of the type-species.
The politics of policing a pandemic panic
Authors: Sheptycki James
Published: June 2020

This essay was completed in early April 2020 and begun during the first week of the official pandemic panic in Canada. The world-wide plague caused by the COVID-19 virus precipitated the first global police event presenting an occasion for researchers and scholars to apply existing theory and empirical understanding to extra-ordinary circumstances. Consideration of the politics of the police during the plague reveals a tectonic shift in the world system. The transnational and comparative study of police and policing reveals the contours of the emerging system of world power all the more clearly in a moment of crisis. The pandemic panic presents an historical moment during which, figuratively speaking, policing power crystalizes and can be seen clearly. On the global stage, in response to the pandemic panic authoritarian and totalitarian policing practices are demonstrated alongside those in putative democracies. Emerging and observable practices of rule by law are antithetical to democratic policing in the general social interest, and rule of law rhetoric justifying militarized law enforcement action in many places continues to bring police into further disrepute. The coming era will continue to be a time where, in most places “the strong do what they will, and the weak suffer what they must”—as the ancient historian Thucydides observed in the aftermath of the fratricidal Peloponnesian War more than two millennia ago. The pandemic panic shows in the starkest statistical numbers that, where social justice is achieved, the outcome of the politics of the police is not the command of the sovereign.
What would cardiology do? Lessons from other medical specialties should help guide suicide prevention research
Authors: Sinyor Mark , Schaffer Ayal
Published: June 2020

Suicide is among the most important causes of mortality in medicine as it is the most common cause of death due to illness from the teenage years into middle age. Yet our approach to mental health research aimed at suicide prevention has often diverged from accepted practices in other areas of medicine. This includes the exclusion of those at highest risk of suicide from clinical trials and the recent emphasis on prediction. In this Viewpoint, we propose that comparing our approach to that of other medical specialties would help us to avoid strategic errors and discuss the implications for the field of suicide prevention.
Dictators and Their Subjects: Authoritarian Attitudinal Effects and Legacies
Authors: Neundorf Anja , Pop-Eleches Grigore
Published: June 2020

This introductory essay outlines the key themes of the special issue on the long-term impact of autocracies on the political attitudes and behavior of their subjects. Here, we highlight several important areas of theoretical and empirical refinements, which can provide a more nuanced picture of the process through which authoritarian attitudinal legacies emerge and persist. First, we define the nature of attitudinal legacies and their driving mechanisms, developing a framework of competing socialization. Second, we use the competing socialization framework to explain two potential sources of heterogeneity in attitudinal and behavioral legacies: varieties of institutional features of authoritarian regimes, which affect the nature of regime socialization efforts; and variations across different subgroups of (post-)authoritarian citizens, which reflect the nature and strength of alternative socialization efforts. This new framework can help us to better understand contradictory findings in this emerging literature as well as set a new agenda for future research.
Deep Petri nets of unsupervised and supervised learning
Authors: Lin Yi-Nan , Hsieh Tsang-Yen , Yang Cheng-Ying , Shen Victor RL , Juang Tony Tong-Ying , Chen Wen-Hao
Published: June 2020

Artificial intelligence is one of the hottest research topics in computer science. In general, when it comes to the needs to perform deep learning, the most intuitive and unique implementation method is to use neural network. But there are two shortcomings in neural network. First, it is not easy to be understood. When encountering the needs for implementation, it often requires a lot of relevant research efforts to implement the neural network. Second, the structure is complex. When constructing a perfect learning structure, in order to achieve the fully defined connection between nodes, the overall structure becomes complicated. It is hard for developers to track the parameter changes inside. Therefore, the goal of this article is to provide a more streamlined method so as to perform deep learning. A modified high-level fuzzy Petri net, called deep Petri net, is used to perform deep learning, in an attempt to propose a simple and easy structure and to track parameter changes, with faster speed than the deep neural network. The experimental results have shown that the deep Petri net performs better than the deep neural network.
Selection of portable hard disk drive based upon weighted aggregated sum product assessment method: A case of Indian market
Authors: Kumar Raman , Bhattacherjee Abhishek , Singh Angad Deep , Singh Sunpreet , Pruncu Catalin I
Published: June 2020

The multicriteria decision-making methodology is utilized to assess different portable hard disk drive alternatives, according to the purchaser/retailer/wholesaler liking with respect to various attributes. The hard disk drive comes under various types and has a number of attributes connected with it such as storage capacity, size, data transfer speed and physical dimensions. The modern market caters to a wide variety of customer needs. Therefore, it becomes the need of the hour to present a simple technique to select the best alternative for purchaser/retailer/wholesaler to satisfy their combined needs. Among the multicriteria decision-making methods, the more simple and widely used technique weighted aggregated sum product assessment is utilized in this work. The data of different hard disk drives were collected that were available in the Indian market and 24 different models of five brands were considered in decision-making. The equal weights method and objective weights method, that is standard deviation method, are utilized to allocate weights of significance to the criteria. The ranks obtained with simple additive weighting, weighted product method and weighted aggregated sum product assessment are presented, and final ranks are considered with weighted aggregated sum product assessment method because it is an amalgamation of the simple additive weighting and weighted product method. The result reveals that Western Digital comes out to be the first choice as a brand because the top three models belong to them with both equal and objective weights. While utilizing these techniques, a consumer can purchase the best hard disk drive and it is also very advantageous for merchants and sellers to aid users in procuring their gadgets while manufacture of hard disk drive can produce their product with unique technological features aimed at particular users. Furthermore, the subjective weights can be considered to select the best alternative.
Redressing gendered undervaluation in New Zealand aged care: Institutions, activism and coalitions
Authors: Charlesworth Sara , Heap Lisa
Published: June 2020

This article explores the apparent conundrum of how, with minimal employment standards and limited equal pay laws, New Zealand managed to significantly redress the gendered undervaluation of low-paid aged care work. To draw out the pathways to these reforms, we focus on the long-term strategic coalitions that underpinned them. We examine, in particular, the activism of a diverse range of policy actors – unions, employers, industrial and human rights bodies and civil society groups, which together have worked to ‘undo’ the limitations of equal pay and employment regulation. Our findings point to the benefits of strategic collaboration between policy actors in New Zealand and an approach which recognises the intersection of unequal pay with other gendered dimensions of disadvantage in aged care work. Different strategies used over time by diverse actors helped them overcome inadequate industrial and equal pay infrastructure to realise meaningful increases in hourly rates of pay, buttressed by improved working time arrangements and provision for career progression. We conclude by highlighting some lessons for institutional and policy actors in other national settings drawn from the New Zealand collaborative approach to equal pay in care work.
Addressing COVID-19 Among People Experiencing Homelessness: Description, Adaptation, and Early Findings of a Multiagency Response in Boston
Authors: Baggett Travis P. , Racine Melanie W. , Lewis Elizabeth , De Las Nueces Denise , O’Connell James J. , Bock Barry , Gaeta Jessie M.
Published: June 2020

People experiencing homelessness are at high risk for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). In March 2020, Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program, in partnership with city and state public health agencies, municipal leaders, and homeless service providers, developed and implemented a citywide COVID-19 care model for this vulnerable population. Components included symptom screening at shelter front doors, expedited testing at pop-up sites, isolation and management venues for symptomatic people under investigation and for people with confirmed disease, quarantine venues for asymptomatic exposed people, and contact investigation and tracing. Real-time disease surveillance efforts in a large shelter outbreak of COVID-19 during the third week of operations illustrated the need for several adaptations to the care model to better respond to the local epidemiology of illness among people experiencing homelessness. Symptom screening was de-emphasized given the high number of asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic infections discovered during mass testing; contact tracing and quarantining were phased out under the assumption of universal exposure among the sheltered population; and isolation and management venues were rapidly expanded to accommodate a surge in people with newly diagnosed COVID-19. During the first 6 weeks of operation, 429 of 1297 (33.1%) tested people were positive for COVID-19; of these, 395 people were experiencing homelessness at the time of testing, representing about 10% of the homeless adult population in Boston. Universal testing, as resources permit, is a focal point of ongoing efforts to mitigate the effect of COVID-19 on this vulnerable group of people.
Urban sustainability and counter-sustainability: Spatial contradictions and conflicts in policy and governance in the Freiburg and Calgary metropolitan regions
Authors: Miller Byron , Mössner Samuel
Published: June 2020

Drawing on empirical research carried out in the metropolitan regions of Freiburg, Germany, and Calgary, Canada, we reposition the sustainability policies of municipalities within a wider regional and relational framework. This perspective reveals significant epistemological blind spots in the localist and non-relational ontologies that undergird much of the urban sustainability discourse. While the city of Freiburg has garnered world-wide attention for its multi-faceted initiatives and achievements in sustainable urban development, these initiatives have yet to be coherently addressed in the wider Freiburg metropolitan region, leading to a variety of policies and practices in the hinterland that run counter to Freiburg’s ‘green city’ objectives. In a parallel fashion, the city of Calgary incorporated significant sustainability principles in its 2009 Master Development Plan and Transportation Plan –‘Plan-It’– yet such principles have not been taken up on a regional scale. Despite substantial differences in size and developmental history, both cities exhibit a profound disconnection from their regional contexts with regard to sustainable development policies and politics. In both metropolitan regions, conventional growth politics are still paramount. A significant conflict emerges between ‘sustainable’ central cities seeking a ‘sustainability fix’ to their fiscal, environmental and quality of life problems, and more remote jurisdictions seeking to attract investment through low tax regimes and limited development regulation – what we label a ‘counter-sustainability fix’. These contrasting and dialectically related policies have substantial consequences for the social and environmental dimensions of sustainable development, calling into question policies that promote ‘sustainability in one place’.
The End of the Oppression of Indigenous Peoples under Capitalism? Bolivia under the Morales Government
Authors: de Carvalho Soraia
Published: June 2020

Examination of the indigenous issue under the Evo Morales government in the framework of class struggle points to the weakening of the labor movement with the implantation of neoliberal measures in the late 1980s and the rise of the indigenous movement. The constituent assembly restored the democratic illusions weakened by the upheavals of 2000 and 2003. Its predominantly indigenous and peasant composition brought the agrarian question and the recognition of indigenous nationalities to the center of the debate. This experience did not and could not change the class nature of the state. The maintenance and defense of large private capitalist property is incompatible with a practice of national sovereignty and self-determination of indigenous nationalities.

Um exame a questão indígena sob o governo Evo Morales nos marcos da luta de classes aponta o enfraquecimento do movimento operário com a implantação de medidas neoliberais nos fins dos anos 1980 e a ascensão o movimento indígena. A constituinte recompôs as ilusões democráticas enfraquecidas com os levantes de 2000 e 2003. A composição predominantemente indígena e camponesa da assembleia constituinte e a presença das suas organizações no processo traziam para o centro do debate a solução da questão agrária e do reconhecimento das nacionalidades indígenas. Esta experiência não modificou e nem poderia modificar a natureza de classe do Estado. A manutenção e defesa da grande propriedade privada capitalista são incompatíveis com uma prática de soberania nacional e autodeterminação das nacionalidades indígenas.
Techno-economic analysis of intermediate hydrocarbon injection on coupled CO2 storage and enhanced oil recovery
Authors: Cho Jinhyung , Jeong Moon S , Lee Young W , Lee Hye S , Lee Kun S
Published: June 2020

This study proposes economic evaluation of CO2 geological storage with enhanced oil recovery. The procedures consider capital expenditures and operating costs of infrastructures and revenues from oil recovery and carbon tax credits. Extensive CO2 geological storage with enhanced oil recovery simulations was conducted to determine the most promising scenario among cases, where miscibility was controlled by the addition of liquefied petroleum gas. The addition of liquefied petroleum gas into a CO2 injection stream can accelerate reduction of oil viscosity, interfacial tension, and oil density, which cause improved displacement efficiency. The larger was the amount of liquefied petroleum gas injected, the greater was the miscibility due to minimum miscibility pressure reduction, resulting in higher oil recovery and less CO2 sequestration. Although liquefied petroleum gas addition enhances the performance of CO2 enhanced oil recovery, economic analysis should be conducted for CO2 geological storage with enhanced oil recovery due to the higher price of liquefied petroleum gas than that of CO2. Net present value decreased from liquefied petroleum gas mole fraction of 0–2% and started to increase from mole fraction 2–13% due to the miscibility effect. Then, net present value started to decrease, because the purchasing and injecting prices of the required liquefied petroleum gas exceeded that of the oil produced. Economic evaluation showed that addition of 13% liquefied petroleum gas was the most promising scenario, with a net present value of 91 MM$. Thus, we confirmed an optimum liquefied petroleum gas concentration in the CO2 geological storage with enhanced oil recovery process.
Estimation of minimum miscibility pressure during CO2 flooding in hydrocarbon reservoirs using an optimized neural network
Authors: Tian Yapeng , Ju Binshan , Yang Yong , Wang Hongya , Dong Yintao , Liu Nannan , Ma Shuai , Yu Jinbiao
Published: June 2020

CO2 flooding recovery strongly depends on the minimum miscibility pressure (MMP). Conventional tests to determine gas–oil MMP such as rising bubble apparatus and slim tube displacement are either costly or time consuming. In order to propose a quick and accurate model to determine MMP, a back-propagation neural network is presented for MMP prediction during pure and impure CO2 injections. Five new variables were screened as input parameters to the network. Next, the network was optimized using five evolutionary algorithms, and this work highlights that three of these evolutionary algorithms (e.g. Mind Evolutionary, Artificial Bee Colony, and Dragonfly) are firstly used to predict MMP. Then, data from the literature were input to the optimized network to train it. Statistical evaluation and graphical analyses were used to evaluate the performance of the proposed models and for comparison with published MMP correlates to obtain the optimal model for predicting MMP. The back-propagation model optimized using the dragonfly algorithm exhibited the highest accuracy among all those considered and MMP correlates; its coefficient of determination, average absolute percent relative error, root mean square error, and standard deviation were 0.965, 5.79%, 206.1, and 0.08, respectively. In addition, reservoir temperature was determined as the strongest MMP predictor (Pearson correlation = 0.63) based on sensitivity analysis.