bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Responses of Cirrhinus mrigala to second‐generation fluoroquinolone (ciprofloxacin) toxicity: Assessment of antioxidants, tissue morphology, and inorganic ions
Authors: Ramesh Mathan , Sujitha Madhavan , Anila Pottanthara Ashokan , Ren Zongming , Poopal Rama Krishnan
Published: December 2020

Ciprofloxacin drugs are a second‐generation fluoroquinolone highly prescribed medication against various bacterial infections in human and aquaculture practices. These drugs are chemically designed to persist in the body long enough to achieve target objectives. Extensive usage has resulted in ciprofloxacin becoming a ubiquitous contaminant in the environment. Unfortunately, the ecotoxicological profiles for ciprofloxacin are scanty. This study was aimed to assess the ecotoxicity of ciprofloxacin at environmentally relevant concentrations (1 μg/L, and 1.5 μg/L) to a cultivable fish Cirrhinus mrigala. Responses of antioxidant enzymes, histological anomalies, and inorganic ion levels were studied. SOD activity in gill, liver, and kidney tissues was elevated in ciprofloxacin‐exposed groups when compared with the control group. CAT activity was predominantly decreased in ciprofloxacin treated groups relative to the control group. GST activity in the ciprofloxacin treated groups was increased (except kidney tissues [Treatment I (1 μg/L)], and gill tissues fifteenth day) significantly (p < .05). The LPO level was elevated in the ciprofloxacin treatment groups throughout the study period (except Treatment II (1.5 μg/L) tenth day in kidney tissues). A series of histological anomalies were noticed in the gill, liver, and kidney tissues of the ciprofloxacin treated groups. Ciprofloxacin exposure caused a significant decrease of sodium, potassium, and chloride levels in the plasma of C. mrigala. A parallel among an imbalanced oxidative defense system, tissue structural changes, and alterations of plasma inorganic ions could be considered as a reliable biomarker for antibiotic toxicity study. This study could be a primary platform for further toxicity studies to understand the potential molecular impacts and adverse effects of ciprofloxacin on aquatic organisms.
Idiopathic ulcerative dermatitis in a cat with feline infectious peritonitis
Authors: Bae Hyeona , Kim Jihu , Chun Daseul , Jung Dong‐In , Park Jinho , Young Kim Dae , Yu DoHyeon
Published: December 2020

A 1‐year‐old, castrated, male, domestic short‐haired cat with pruritic, multifocal, crusted ulceration of the skin over the dorsal aspect of the neck and scapulae was presented. The cat also had a history of depression and anorexia. A causative agent for the lesion was not identified on a general dermatological examination. Histopathology revealed diffuse epidermal ulceration and loss with replacement by neutrophilic inflammation and necrotic debris. Idiopathic ulcerative dermatitis (IUD) was diagnosed based on history, physical examination and histopathology. To prevent self‐trauma and secondary bacterial infection, light bandages and glucocorticoid ointment were applied. After a month of management, the lesions markedly improved. Approximately 3 months after the initial presentation, the cat died; necropsy confirmed an IUD and non‐effusive (dry form) feline infectious peritonitis (FIP). This report describes a rare case of IUD in a cat with concurrent FIP. However, no association between IUD and FIP was found.
From image data towards microstructure information – Accuracy analysis at the digital core of materials
Authors: Eidel Bernhard , Fischer Andreas , Gote Ajinkya
Published: December 2020

A cornerstone of computational solid mechanics in the context of digital transformation are databases for microstructures obtained from advanced tomography techniques. Uniform discretizations of pixelized images in 2D are the raw‐data point of departure for simulation analyses. This paper proposes the concept of a unified error analysis for image‐based microstructure representations in uniform resolution along with adaptively coarsened discretizations. The analysis distinguishes between a resolution error due to finite, possibly coarsened image resolution and a discretization error, and investigates their quantitative relation, spatial distributions and their impacts on the simulation results both on the microscale and the macroscale in the context of computational homogenization. The assessment of accuracy and efficiency is carried out for an exemplary two‐phase material. Beyond the example considered here the concept is a rational tool in the transformation of raw image data into microstructure information adapted to particular simulation needs and endows the digital twin of real microstructures with validated characteristics for reliable, predictive simulations.
The Kafkaesque Pursuit of ‘World Class’: Audit Culture and the Reputational Arms Race in Academia
Authors: Shore Cris , Wright Susan
Published: December 2020

Since the 1980s universities have been subjected to a seemingly continuous process of policy reforms designed to make them more economical, efficient and effective, according to yardsticks defined by governments and university managers. The pursuit of ‘excellence’, ‘international standing’ and ‘world class’ status have become key drivers of what Hazelkorn (High Educ Pol 21(2):193–215, 2008) has termed the ‘rankings arms race’ that now dominates the world of academia. These policies are changing the mission and meaning of the public university and, more profoundly, the culture of academia itself. While some authors have sought to capture and analyse these trends in terms of ‘academic capitalism’ and the ‘enterprise university model’, we suggest they might also be usefully understood theoretically as illustrations of the rise of audit culture in higher education and its effects. Drawing on ethnographic examples from the UK, Denmark and New Zealand, we ask: how are higher education institutions being reconfigured by these new disciplinary regimes of audit? How are ranking and performance indicators changing institutional behaviour and transforming academic subjectivities? What possibilities are there for alternative university futures? And what insights can anthropology offer to address these questions?
Precision calculations of the double radiative bottom-meson decays in soft-collinear effective theory
Authors: Shen Yue-Long , Wang Yu-Ming , Wei Yan-Bing
Published: December 2020

Abstract

Employing the systematic framework of soft-collinear effective theory (SCET) we perform an improved calculation of the leading-power contributions to the double radiativeBd,s-meson decay amplitudes in the heavy quark expansion by including the perturbative resummation of enhanced logarithms ofmb/ΛQCDat the next-to-leading-logarithmic accuracy. We then construct the QCD factorization formulae for the subleading power contributions arising from the energetic photon radiation off the constituent light-flavour quark of the bottom meson at tree level. Furthermore, we explore the factorization properties of the subleading power correction from the effective SCET current "Image missing"at$$ \mathcal{O}\left({\alpha}_s^0\right) $$Oαs0by virtue of the operator identities due to the classical equations of motion. The higher-twist contributions to theBd,s→ γγhelicity form factors from the two-particle and three-particle bottom-meson distribution amplitudes are evaluated with the perturbative factorization technique, up to the twist-six accuracy. In addition, the subleading power weak-annihilation contributions from both the current-current and QCD penguin operators are taken into account at the one-loop accuracy. We proceed to apply the operator-production-expansion-controlled dispersion relation for estimating the power-suppressed soft contributions to the double radiativeBd,s-meson decay form factors, which cannot be factorized into the light-cone distribution amplitudes of the heavy-meson and the resolved photon as well as the hard-scattering kernel calculable in perturbation theory canonically. Phenomenological explorations of the radiativeBd,s→ γγdecay observables in the presence of the neutral-meson mixing, including the CP-averaged branching fractions, the polarization fractions and the time-dependent CP asymmetries, are carried out subsequently with an emphasis on the numerical impacts of the newly computed ingredients together with the theory uncertainties from the shape parameters of the HQET bottom-meson distribution amplitudes.
Fate of false vacua in holographic first-order phase transitions
Authors: Bigazzi Francesco , Caddeo Alessio , Cotrone Aldo L. , Paredes Angel
Published: December 2020

Abstract

Using the holographic correspondence as a tool, we study the dynamics of first-order phase transitions in strongly coupled gauge theories at finite temperature. Considering an evolution from the large to the small temperature phase, we compute the nucleation rate of bubbles of true vacuum in the metastable phase. For this purpose, we find the relevant configurations (bounces) interpolating between the vacua and we compute the related effective actions. We start by revisiting the compact Randall-Sundrum model at high temperature. Using holographic renormalization, we compute the derivative term in the effective bounce action, that was missing in the literature. Then, we address the full problem within the top-down Witten-Sakai-Sugimoto model. It displays both a confinement/deconfinement and a chiral symmetry breaking/restoration phase transition which, depending on the model parameters, can happen at different critical temperatures. For the confinement/deconfinement case we perform the numerical analysis of an effective description of the transition and also provide analytic expressions using thick and thin wall approximations. For the chiral symmetry transition, we implement a variational approach that allows us to address the challenging non-linear problem stemming from the Dirac-Born-Infeld action.
Governance models for nature-based solutions: Seventeen cases from Germany
Authors: Zingraff-Hamed Aude , Hüesker Frank , Albert Christian , Brillinger Mario , Huang Joshua , Lupp Gerd , Scheuer Sebastian , Schlätel Mareen , Schröter Barbara
Published: December 2020

Nature-based solutions (NBS) for mitigating climate change are gaining popularity. The number of NBS is increasing, but research gaps still exist at the governance level. The objectives of this paper are (i) to give an overview of the implemented NBS for flood risk management and mitigation in Germany, (ii) to identify governance models that are applied, and (iii) to explore the differences between these models. The results of a hierarchical clustering procedure and a qualitative analysis show that while no one-size-fits-all governance model exists, polycentricism is an important commonality between the projects. The study concludes by highlighting the need for further research on traditional governance model reconversion and paradigm changes. We expect the findings to identify what has worked in the past, as well as what is important for the implementation of NBS for flood risk management in future projects.
Public perception of air pollution sources across Europe
Authors: Maione Michela , Mocca Elisabetta , Eisfeld Kristina , Kazepov Yuri , Fuzzi Sandro
Published: December 2020

Air pollution is one of the primary concerns of our society for its effect on human health and the environment. Among the policy measures that can be put in place to limit air pollutant emissions, end-of-pipe technologies and/or regulatory instruments may be implemented through legislative acts. Also, equally important are behavioural measures, requiring citizens’ active involvement. The success of any measure to limit pollutant emissions requires the acceptance by the citizens that, in turn, implies a correct perception of the main pollutant emission drivers. We present here the comparison between the public perception of air pollution sources and the real-world situation through a survey carried out in seven European countries and involving 16 101 respondents. Our study shows a dramatic underestimation of the contribution of the agri-food sector to air pollution. This result is common to all respondents in the seven countries examined and only to a small extent depends on gender, age and socio-economic status of the respondents.
State of the art in esophagectomy: robotic assistance in the abdominal phase
Authors: de Groot Eline M. , Goense Lucas , Ruurda Jelle P. , van Hillegersberg Richard
Published: December 2020

Over the years, robot-assisted esophagectomy gained popularity. The current literature focused mainly on robotic assistance in the thoracic phase, whereas the implementation of robotic assistance in the abdominal phase is lagging behind. Advantages of adding a robotic system to the abdominal phase include robotic stapling and the increased surgeon’s independency. In terms of short-term outcomes and lymphadenectomy, robotic assistance is at least equal to laparoscopy. Yet high quality evidence to conclude on this topic remains scarce. This review focuses on the evidence of robotic assistance in the abdominal phase of esophagectomy.
Effect of sodium bicarbonate supplementation on the renin-angiotensin system in patients with chronic kidney disease and acidosis: a randomized clinical trial
Authors: Bovée Dominique M. , Roksnoer Lodi C. W. , van Kooten Cornelis , Rotmans Joris I. , Vogt Liffert , de Borst Martin H. , Zietse Robert , Danser A. H. Jan , Hoorn Ewout J.
Published: December 2020

Background

Acidosis-induced kidney injury is mediated by the intrarenal renin-angiotensin system, for which urinary renin is a potential marker. Therefore, we hypothesized that sodium bicarbonate supplementation reduces urinary renin excretion in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and metabolic acidosis.

Methods

Patients with CKD stage G4 and plasma bicarbonate 15–24 mmol/l were randomized to receive sodium bicarbonate (3 × 1000 mg/day, ~ 0.5 mEq/kg), sodium chloride (2 × 1,00 mg/day), or no treatment for 4 weeks (n = 15/arm). The effects on urinary renin excretion (primary outcome), other plasma and urine parameters of the renin-angiotensin system, endothelin-1, and proteinuria were analyzed.

Results

Forty-five patients were included (62 ± 15 years, eGFR 21 ± 5 ml/min/1.73m2, plasma bicarbonate 21.7 ± 3.3 mmol/l). Sodium bicarbonate supplementation increased plasma bicarbonate (20.8 to 23.8 mmol/l) and reduced urinary ammonium excretion (15 to 8 mmol/day, both P < 0.05). Furthermore, a trend towards lower plasma aldosterone (291 to 204 ng/L, P = 0.07) and potassium (5.1 to 4.8 mmol/l, P = 0.06) was observed in patients receiving sodium bicarbonate. Sodium bicarbonate did not significantly change the urinary excretion of renin, angiotensinogen, aldosterone, endothelin-1, albumin, or α1-microglobulin. Sodium chloride supplementation reduced plasma renin (166 to 122 ng/L), and increased the urinary excretions of angiotensinogen, albumin, and α1-microglobulin (all P < 0.05).

Conclusions

Despite correction of acidosis and reduction in urinary ammonium excretion, sodium bicarbonate supplementation did not improve urinary markers of the renin-angiotensin system, endothelin-1, or proteinuria. Possible explanations include bicarbonate dose, short treatment time, or the inability of urinary renin to reflect intrarenal renin-angiotensin system activity.

Graphic abstract
Medical Innovation and Disease Burden
Authors: George Sobin
Published: December 2020

Striking the right balance between public health priorities and health innovation is a critical policy challenge for India given their mutually conflicting nature and interests. India has a huge burden of diseases implicated by a gamut of health problems including the uneven distribution of demographic and epidemiological transition, threat of new infectious disease pandemic like COVID 19, increasing privatisation of healthcare, low affordability to life saving medicines and most importantly the escalating healthcare expenditure coupled with poor financial risk protection. The central question that the book addresses is whether health innovation in India is sensitive to the public health needs and priorities. It unearths the overriding issues related to responsiveness and equity in India's health innovation. The book highlights the need for a responsible innovation framework for India that balances the priorities of public health and the industry goals.
Understanding, Choosing, and Unifying Multilevel and Fixed Effect Approaches
Authors: Hazlett Chad , Wainstein Leonard
Published: December 2020

When working with grouped data, investigators may choose between “fixed effects” models (FE) with specialized (e.g., cluster-robust) standard errors, or “multilevel models” (MLMs) employing “random effects.” We review the claims given in published works regarding this choice, then clarify how these approaches work and compare by showing that: (i) random effects employed in MLMs are simply “regularized” fixed effects; (ii) unmodified MLMs are consequently susceptible to bias—but there is a longstanding remedy; and (iii) the “default” MLM standard errors rely on narrow assumptions that can lead to undercoverage in many settings. Our review of over 100 papers using MLM in political science, education, and sociology show that these “known” concerns have been widely ignored in practice. We describe how to debias MLM’s coefficient estimates, and provide an option to more flexibly estimate their standard errors. Most illuminating, once MLMs are adjusted in these two ways the point estimate and standard error for the target coefficient are exactly equal to those of the analogous FE model with cluster-robust standard errors. For investigators working with observational data and who are interested only in inference on the target coefficient, either approach is equally appropriate and preferable to uncorrected MLM.
Urban street tree biodiversity and antidepressant prescriptions
Authors: Marselle Melissa R. , Bowler Diana E. , Watzema Jan , Eichenberg David , Kirsten Toralf , Bonn Aletta
Published: December 2020

Growing urbanisation is a threat to both mental health and biodiversity. Street trees are an important biodiversity component of urban greenspace, but little is known about their effects on mental health. Here, we analysed the association of street tree density and species richness with antidepressant prescribing for 9751 inhabitants of Leipzig, Germany. We examined spatial scale effects of street trees at different distances around participant’s homes, using Euclidean buffers of 100, 300, 500, and 1000 m. Employing generalised additive models, we found a lower rate of antidepressant prescriptions for people living within 100 m of higher density of street trees—although this relationship was marginally significant (p = 0.057) when confounding factors were considered. Density of street trees at further spatial distances, and species richness of street trees at any distance, were not associated with antidepressant prescriptions. However, for individuals with low socio-economic status, high density of street trees at 100 m around the home significantly reduced the probability of being prescribed antidepressants. The study suggests that unintentional daily contact to nature through street trees close to the home may reduce the risk of depression, especially for individuals in deprived groups. This has important implications for urban planning and nature-based health interventions in cities.
Elevated levels of cortisol in hair precede acute myocardial infarction
Authors: Faresjö Tomas , Strömberg Susanna , Jones Mike , Stomby Andreas , Karlsson Jan-Erik , Östgren Carl Johan , Faresjö Åshild , Theodorsson Elvar
Published: December 2020

Long term stress exposure is typical for modern societies and might trigger different diseases. This case–control study reveals that persons who had suffered an acute myocardial infarction (AMI) had elevated cortisol concentrations in the month before the acute event. Middle-aged patients admitted to cardiology clinics with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) (n = 174) were compared to 3156 controls from a population-based cohort in southeast Sweden. The median Hair Cortisol Concentrations (HCC) for those who had suffered an AMI was 53.2 pg/mg compared to 22.2 pg/mg for the control group (p < 0.001). In bivariate analysis, higher levels of HCC were strongly (OR = 5.69) and statistically significantly associated with current AMI status. The discrimination of cases with AMI from controls remained statistically significant (OR = 5.04) even after controlling for established cardiovascular risk factors in a multivariate analysis. Middle-aged persons with acute myocardial infarction had significantly elevated cortisol levels during the month before the cardiac event. This was evident for both men and women. The biomarker cortisol concentration was independently and statistically significantly related to AMI. Chronic stress seems to be a new promising risk factor for AMI.
Introducing cobalt as a potential plasmonic candidate combining optical and magnetic functionalities within the same nanostructure
Authors: Braik Macilia , Sow Idrissa , Nelayah Jaysen , Belkhir Abderrahmane , Faustini Marco , Mercone Silvana , Nowak Sophie , Decorse Philippe , Piquemal Jean-Yves , Félidj Nordin
Published: December 2020

The control of magnetic properties at the nanoscale is a current topic of intense research.
Hybrid cobalt–manganese oxides prepared by ordered steps with a ternary nanosheet structure and its high performance as a binder-free electrode for energy storage
Authors: Lu Qingjie , Zhou Shiqiang , Chen Mingpeng , Li Bo , Wei Haitang , Zi Baoye , Zhang Yumin , Zhang Jin , Liu Qingju
Published: December 2020

A metal oxide and graphene oxide composite was prepared successfully and displayed a well-developed ternary nanosheet structure. As an electrode for supercapacitors, the composite exhibits an excellent performance.
To tailor the conical beam by using planar superstrate
Authors: Yu Yin‐Hua , Zong Zhi‐Yuan , Wu Wen , Fang Da‐Gang
Published: December 2020

Here, the planar superstrate is used to tailor the conical beam. In the applications of conical beam antenna, making a good balance between the wider coverage and the higher gain is always a challenge, while the planar superstrate provides the freedom of design. Through adjusting the parameters of the planar superstrate, it is possible to change the coverage range and to make the beam more flat. To verify the proposed method, some simulated results are presented and two prototypes with homogeneous dielectric slab superstrate and with patterned dielectric slab superstrate are fabricated and measured. The simulated results and the measured ones are in good agreement.
Compact fully‐canonical dual‐band bandpass filter with independently controllable bandwidths
Authors: Zhang Fan , Gao Yang , Wang Yi , Zhang Yi , Dong Yuliang , Xu Jun
Published: December 2020

A compact four‐order fully‐canonical dual‐band bandpass filter (DBBPF) with independently controllable bandwidths is reported in this letter. The filter comprises of a pair of identical electrically end‐coupled dual‐mode open stub‐loaded resonators (OSLRs) and two different pairs of magnetically coupled λ/4 short‐circuit resonators (SCRs) that are embedded within the OSLRs for compactness. Specifically, the fundamental odd‐ and even‐mode of the OSLRs are coupled with the upper and lower pairs of λ/4 SCRs to generate the first and second passbands, respectively. In addition, the input and output ports feed the two OSLRs and provide a magnetic source‐load coupling for the filter. Owing to the special layout arrangement, the proposed filter can achieve compact size and fully‐canonical frequency response with independently controllable bandwidths, simultaneously. A four‐pole DBBPF protype centred at 2 and 3.5 GHz is designed and implemented. The measurements and the simulated ones are in good consistency.
Comprehensive analysis of a three‐phase DC–DC resonant converter with an open delta‐wye transformer using variable frequency
Authors: Santos Kristian Pessoa dos , Praça Paulo Peixoto , Oliveira Filho Hermínio Miguel , Oliveira Demercil de Souza , Barreto Luís Henrique Silva Colado , Henn Gustavo Alves de Lima
Published: December 2020

A three‐phase soft‐switched DC–DC resonant converter with variable frequency to perform the output voltage control is proposed. The open delta‐wye connection provides a double output voltage reducing the primary current stress, turns ratio, weight and volume of high‐frequency transformer. To achieve high efficiency, an LLC resonant tank is designed so that all switches can perform zero‐voltage switching for the entire power range. In order to verify the operating principle of the converter, a design example is described, with the following converter specifications: input voltage 96 V, output voltage 380 V and a switching frequency up to 120 kHz. The feasibility and practicality of the proposed converter are confirmed by experimental results with a 1.5 kW prototype.
On the steady‐state performance of bias‐compensated LMS algorithm
Authors: Pimenta Rodrigo , Resende Leonardo , Petraglia Mariane R. , Haddad Diego B.
Published: December 2020

Adaptive filtering algorithms are widespread today owing to their flexibility and simplicity. Due to environments in which they are normally immersed, their robustness against noise has been a topic of interest. Traditionally, in the literature it is assumed that noise is mainly active in the reference signal. Since this hypothesis is often violated in practice, recently some papers have advanced strategies to compensate the bias introduced by noisy excitation data. The contributions of this paper are twofold. The first one establishes that, in some conditions, the bias‐compensated least mean square algorithm implements an optimum estimator, in the sense that it presents the smallest variance of the set of unbiased estimators. Since the asymptotic mean‐square performance of this algorithm has not yet been investigated in detail, the second contribution adopts an energy conservation relationship to derive its theoretical steady‐state mean squared distortion. The final result is presented in a closed form, is consistent with simulations and is able to provide important guidelines to the designer.
Investigation of a hybrid converter with 16:1 wide voltage operation
Authors: Lin Bor‐Ren , Ko Mao‐Cheng
Published: December 2020

This study investigates a hybrid zero‐voltage switching converter for dc–dc converters on railway vehicle applications or solar PV power conversion applications. The dc–dc converters used in railway applications demand to have at least 30% to 40% input voltage variation in order to meet the international standard EN50155. However, the main nominal dc input voltages of power converters on railway applications are from 24 to 110 V. To overcome the wide voltage operation problem, a hybrid power converter with the combination of boost and resonant circuits is proposed and investigated to accomplish a wide input voltage operation (10–160 V) on railway vehicle applications. Under low‐voltage input case (Vin = 10–40 V), both boost and resonant circuits are activated to have high voltage gain. For medium‐voltage input case (Vin = 40–80 V), only full‐bridge resonant circuit is operated to achieve soft switching operation on active devices. Under high‐voltage input case (Vin = 80–160 V), the half‐bridge type resonant circuit is activated to achieve less voltage gain. The circuit performance and effectiveness are provided and evaluated by experiments.
Noise performance of textile‐based dry ECG recording electrodes
Authors: Maji Soumyajyoti , Burke Martin J.
Published: December 2020

This study reports attempts to characterise the noise properties of un‐gelled, textile‐based electrodes intended for use in ECG recording in wearable garments. Measurements were made using very low noise operational amplifiers and with mains power supply interference eliminated from the recorded signals so that they reflected only genuine noise. Measurements were carried out on four conductive fabric electrodes, one conductive rubber electrode and a standard self‐adhesive, gelled electrode on three male and three female subjects. Curves of the form y = K/f + C were fitted to the recorded noise spectral density functions. Coefficients obtained for the white noise spectral density ranged from 1.1 to 5.6 nV/√Hz and for the flicker (1/f) noise spectral density ranged from 8 to 80 nV√Hz.
Enhancement of sensing characteristics of Polydimethylsiloxane‐based capacitive force sensor by introducing conductive polymer to dielectric layer
Authors: Siangkhio Yasumin , Rangkasikorn Adirek , Tammarugwattana Narin , Kayunkid Navaphun , Jessadaluk Sukittaya , Rahong Sakon , Wirunchit Supamas , Nukeaw Jiti
Published: December 2020

A capacitive force sensor is one of the electronics components used in several electronic devices and applications. An improvement of sensing characteristics of the sensor, for example sensitivity and response time, becomes an interesting research topic. The alternative approach to enhance the sensitivity and response time of polydimethylsiloxane‐based capacitive force sensors is proposed by introducing poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene) polystyrene sulphonate, a conductive polymer, into polydimethylsiloxane active layer. Two sensors using different active layers, (i) polydimethylsiloxane (conventional sensor) and (ii) poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene) polystyrene sulphonate mixed polydimethylsiloxane (modified sensor), were fabricated and characterised to reveal the sensing enhancement. Interestingly, the modified sensor shows the significant increase in the sensitivity from 0.7 to 1.14 kPa–1 (+62.86%) and the shortening response time from 1.55 to 0.43 s (−72.26%) with respect to the conventional sensor. In addition, the deterioration in elastic behaviour and the faster charge–discharge behaviour observed from the poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene) polystyrene sulphonate mixed polydimethylsiloxane film indicate the better deformation and charge transport than that from polydimethylsiloxane film. Therefore, it can be concluded that the conductive poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene) polystyrene sulfonate additive plays the role of mechanical and electrical modification of the polydimethylsiloxane active layer leading to the enhancement in sensitivity and response time of the polydimethylsiloxane‐based capacitive force sensor.
A simplified zero‐voltage switching detection circuit and switching loss dynamic optimisation method for synchronous buck converter
Authors: Lu Sizhao , Deng Xiaoting , Li Siqi
Published: December 2020

This letter proposes a simplified zero‐voltage switching (ZVS) detection circuit and switching loss dynamic optimisation method. The proposed circuit and tuning method can automatically adjust the switching frequency of a synchronous buck converter to work in critical current mode to realise ZVS under a wide load range. The advantages of the proposed circuit and method are that ZVS detection and switching loss dynamic optimisation can be realised by only one ZVS detection circuit, which simplifies the detection circuit, further improves the power density and reduces the number of analogue‐to‐digital conversion channels of the digital signal processor. A prototype of the synchronous buck converter with a rated input voltage of 100 V is established to verify the effectiveness of the proposed ZVS detection circuit and switching loss dynamic optimisation method. By using the proposed detection circuit and optimisation method, the switching loss of the MOSFETs has been greatly reduced and an efficiency improvement of nearly 1% at peak output power has also been achieved.
Ground truth free retinal vessel segmentation by learning from simple pixels
Authors: Zou Beiji , Fu Hongpu , Chen Zailiang , Liu Qing
Published: December 2020

Retinal vessel segmentation is fundamental for the automatic retinal image analysis and ocular disease screening. This paper aims to learn a ground truth free feature aggregation strategy for the vessel segmentation. Five vesselness maps modelling the vessels'profile, appearance, and shape are first generated. Together, the histogram of the local binary pattern and the green colour are extracted. In each vesselness map, the pixels with large vesselness values are regarded as simple positive samples. The pixels with small vesselness values are regarded as simple negative samples, and the pixels with mediocre values are treated as difficult pixels. The simple positive samples and simple negative samples near the difficult pixels consist of the training dataset while the rest vesselness maps together with the local binary pattern histogram, and green colour channel are used as the features to learn a strong classifier. Then, without leveraging any ground truth, multiple kernel boosting is used to combine four support vector machine kernels to learn a strong vessel model for each image. Applying this learnt model to the pixels with mediocre values in the single vesselness map, their label will be determined. Totally, five strong vessel models are learnt. Finally, pixels with the majority supports from the strong vessel models are labelled as vessel pixels. The proposed method achieves accuracy of 94.83%, sensitivity of 72.59%, and specificity of 98.11% on DRIVE dataset, and accuracy of 95.51%, sensitivity of 78.09%, and specificity of 97.56% on STARE. It outperforms the state‐of‐the‐art unsupervised methods and achieves comparable performances to the supervised methods.
Trajectory planning and tracking control of unmanned ground vehicle leading by motion virtual leader on expressway
Authors: Cao Fugui , Jiang Haobin
Published: December 2020

Formation driving can effectively solve the problem of driving efficiency and safety of unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) on expressways. This study introduces a trajectory planning and tracking control method from initial position to its motion virtual leader in formation driving. In order to reduce the disturbance to the surrounding UGVs, trajectory planning is divided into two stages: steady speed tracking stage and parameter value matching stage. A tracking controller combined with a trajectory planner is designed to track the reference trajectory accurately. To ensure calculation speed and accuracy, a nonlinear model‐predictive control model is used in the trajectory planner, and the tracking controller is based on the linear time‐varying model‐predictive control (LTV MPC) model. Simulations are carried out with Carsim and MATLAB/Simulink, and the simulation results and comparative analysis show that the planned trajectory is feasible and can effectively avoid static and moving obstacles. Compared with the Stanley controller, the LTV MPC controller has the advantages of faster convergence speed, better stability and accurately tracking.
The pattern recognition of multisource partial discharge in transformers based on parallel feature domain
Authors: Xu Yanchun , Xia Haiting , Xie Shasha , Lu Mi
Published: December 2020

The traditional diagnosis methods for the multisource partial discharge in transformer have several problems, such as the poor effect of signal separation, the inaccuracy of the extracted signal features and the over fitting of the neural network algorithm used for pattern recognition. In order to solve the above problems, the improved algorithm of stacked auto‐encoder is adopted to extract the adaptive features of partial discharge one dimensional defect signals in time domain and two dimensional defect signal in time frequency domain, and a parallel feature space combining the features in time domain with that the time frequency domain is constructed. For the first time, the transformed L1 norm is utilized as the regular term of the loss function which is solved by the proximally guided stochastic subgradient in the improved auto‐encoder. The trained neural network model can be utilized for pattern recognition of the different multisource partial discharge signals. The results show that the proposed method has a higher recognition rate for the different multisource partial discharge defects than that in the traditional method, and alleviates the problem of over fitting to a certain extent.
Revisiting the OH + H2 → H2O + H reaction at the molecular level: the plausible catalytic role of ice in its own reconstruction
Authors: Redondo P. , Pauzat F. , Markovits A. , Ellinger Y.
Published: December 2020

Context. In spite of the permanent damage suffered from the radiation field (cosmic rays, X-rays, and intense UV-visible radiations), interstellar grains are still covered by ices mantles whose role in interstellar chemistry is well beyond any doubt. This clearly means that the destruction of the ice cover has to be counterbalanced by efficient reconstruction mechanisms.

Aims. Our goal is to determine whether the ice, which is still present after irradiation, has a catalytic role in the OH + H2 → H2O + H reaction for its own reconstruction. We focus on the three plausible reaction paths depending on the way reactants OH or H2 are adsorbed at the ice surface.

Methods. Calculations were performed in both cluster and solid state approaches, using ab-initio post Hartree-Fock methods for small systems, standard density functional theory (DFT) for larger clusters, and periodic solid state DFT with specific formalisms accounting for weak interactions in systems of infinite dimensions.

Results. Although the end product is the same, that is namely the reconstruction of one H2O on the subjacent ice, three different reaction paths are found depending on whether H2 reacts with adsorbed OH(ads), wether OH reacts with adsorbed H2(ads) or wether both OH(ads) and H2(ads) are adsorbed on the ice before reacting. In the first case, there is an activation barrier of ~6 kcal mol−1, requiring the tunneling effect for the reaction to proceed, which is in agreement with preceding studies. In the second case, the reaction is a barrierless process leading to the direct reconstruction of the ice. In the third case, the double adsorption increases the activation barrier due to the lowering of the starting energy. This is found regardless of the dimension of the supporting ice aggregates.

Conclusions. Icy grain surfaces play a critical role for their own reconstruction in cold, dense interstellar clouds. The prevalence of tunneling over the direct mechanism should strongly depend on the temperature and local environment.
The pulsational properties of ultra-massive DB white dwarfs with carbon-oxygen cores coming from single-star evolution
Authors: Córsico Alejandro H. , Althaus Leandro G. , Gil Pons Pilar , Torres Santiago
Published: December 2020

Context. Ultra-massive white dwarfs are relevant for many reasons: their role as type Ia supernova progenitors, the occurrence of physical processes in the asymptotic giant branch phase, the existence of high-field magnetic white dwarfs, and the occurrence of double white dwarf mergers. Some hydrogen-rich ultra-massive white dwarfs are pulsating stars and, as such, they offer the possibility of studying their interiors through asteroseismology. On the other hand, pulsating helium-rich ultra-massive white dwarfs could be even more attractive objects for asteroseismology if they were found, as they should be hotter and less crystallized than pulsating hydrogen-rich white dwarfs, something that would pave the way for probing their deep interiors.

Aims. We explore the pulsational properties of ultra-massive helium-rich white dwarfs with carbon-oxygen and oxygen-neon cores resulting from single stellar evolution. Our goal is to provide a theoretical basis that could eventually help to discern the core composition of ultra-massive white dwarfs and the scenario of their formation through asteroseismology, anticipating the possible future detection of pulsations in helium-rich ultra-massive white dwarfs.

Methods. We focus on three scenarios for the formation of helium-rich ultra-massive white dwarfs. First, we consider stellar models coming from two recently proposed single-star evolution scenarios for the formation of ultra-massive white dwarfs with carbon-oxygen cores that involve the rotation of the degenerate core after core helium burning and reduced mass-loss rates in massive asymptotic giant branch stars. Finally, we contemplate ultra-massive oxygen-neon core white-dwarf models resulting from standard single-star evolution. We compute the adiabatic pulsation gravity-mode periods for models in a range of effective temperatures, embracing the instability strip of average-mass pulsating helium-rich white dwarfs, and we compare the characteristics of the mode-trapping properties for models of different formation scenarios through the analysis of the period spacing.

Results. Given that the white dwarf models coming from the three scenarios considered are characterized by distinct core chemical profiles, we find that their pulsation properties are also different, thus leading to distinctive signatures in the period-spacing and mode-trapping properties.

Conclusions. Our results indicate that in the case of an eventual detection of pulsating ultra-massive helium-rich white dwarfs, it would be possible to derive valuable information encrypted in the core of these stars in connection with the origin of such exotic objects. This is of the utmost importance regarding recent evidence for the existence of a population of ultra-massive white dwarfs with carbon-oxygen cores. There will soon be many opportunities to detect pulsations in these stars through observations collected with ongoing space missions.
Recent Therapeutic Interventions of Fenugreek Seed: A Mechanistic Approach
Authors: Idris Sahar , Mishra Anuradha , Khushtar Md
Published: December 2020

Fenugreek seeds have widespread relations with Ayurveda, Unani, and Arabic medicine. The seeds were useful for the treatment and prevention of different ailments. Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum) or methi is from the Leguminosae family and are primarily known for its anti-diabetic and hypocholesterolemic activities. The germinated fenugreek seeds were used in the treatment of E.coli infection in Germany and France. The important phytoconstituents responsible for such medicinal applications are saponins, polyunsaturated fatty acids, galactomannans, trigonelline, and 4-hydroxy isoleucine. Flavonoids, apigenin 6,8-di-C-glucoside, apigenin-6-C-glucosyl-8-C-galactoside, 6-Cgalactosyl- 8-C-arabinoside are the chief ingredients of fenugreek seeds; responsible for reducing blood glucose while given to diabetic rats, whereas important flavones are epigenin, luteolin and vitexin. The other major bioactive components in fenugreek seeds are polyphenols like rhaponticin and isovitexin. Fenugreek seeds contain phosphorus and are categorized into different classes such as inorganic phosphorus, phospholipids, phytates, phosphor-proteins, and nucleic acid. Germinated seeds profusely filled with amino acids with amino acids, proteins, ascorbic acid, sugars. Further, this review shares information about the recent therapeutic intervention not covered earlier; on in vivo and in vitro and some clinical applications against certain interesting ailments other than older applications. This review includes certain nano delivery systems of Fenugreek seeds and their medicinal application.
Reducing Inappropriate Outpatient Medication Prescribing in Older Adults across Electronic Health Record Systems
Authors: Friebe Michael P. , LeGrand Joseph R. , Shepherd Bryan E. , Breeden Elizabeth A. , Nelson Scott D.
Published: December 2020

Background The American Geriatrics Society recommends against the use of certain potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) in older adults. Prescribing of these medications correlates with higher rates of hospital readmissions, morbidity, and mortality. Vanderbilt University Medical Center previously deployed clinical decision support (CDS) to decrease PIM prescribing rates, but recently transitioned to a new electronic health record (EHR).

Objective The goal of this study was to evaluate PIM prescribing rates for older adults before and after migration to the new EHR system.

Methods We reviewed prescribing rates of PIMs in adults 65 years and older, normalized per 100 total prescriptions from the legacy and new EHR systems between July 1, 2014 and December 31, 2019. The PIM prescribing rates before and after EHR migration during November 2017 were compared using a U-chart and Poisson regression model. Secondary analysis descriptively evaluated the frequency of prescriber acceptance rates in the new EHR.

Results Prescribing rates of PIMs decreased 5.2% (13.5 per 100 prescriptions to 12.8 per 100 prescriptions; p < 0.0001) corresponding to the implementation of alternatives CDS in the legacy EHR. After migration of the alternative CDS from the legacy to the new EHR system, PIM prescribing rates dropped an additional 18.8% (10.4 per 100 prescriptions; p < 0.0001). Acceptance rates of the alternative recommendations for PIMs was low overall at 11.1%.

Conclusion The prescribing rate of PIMs in adults aged 65 years and older was successfully decreased with the implementation of prescribing CDS. This decrease was not only maintained but strengthened by the transition to a new EHR system.
An Interesting Case of Autoimmune Liver Disease
Authors: Kathuria Paras , Arora Shilpa , Karna Rahul , Kumar Naresh , Kumar Suresh , Kar Premashis
Published: December 2020

Autoimmune liver diseases (AILD) are part of a broad spectrum of liver diseases with autoimmune etiology, usually present individually but at times have overlapping features. We present the case of a 60-year-old lady presenting with fatigue, itching and right upper quadrant abdominal pain. Further investigation showed cholestatic pattern of liver enzymes and evidence of portal hypertension without any evidence of extrahepatic obstruction. Autoimmune markers and liver biopsy showed overlapping features of both autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) and primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC), which is a separate diagnosis known as overlap syndrome, but by applying appropriate criterion, we were able to make a definite diagnosis of PBC. Differentiating PBC from overlap syndrome was important as therapy of both are different.
Primary Malignant Melanoma of the Vagina without Metastasis: A Rare Case and Review of Literature
Authors: Bizimana Wilson , Akimana Gloria , Insumbo Arthur Semedo , Jerguigue Hounayda , Latib Rachida , Omor Youssef
Published: December 2020

Malignant melanoma of vagina is a rare condition. Its histogenesis has been debated and the positive diagnosis is based on immunohistochemistry. Pelvic magnetic resonance imaging remains the gold standard for assessing locoregional extension status and post-treatment surveillance of melanoma of vagina. The observation concerned a 53-year-old woman with no specific history who presented a primary malignant melanoma of vagina without secondary locations. To date, the case is the second one reported in the literature. Early diagnosis of the malignant melanoma of vagina may improve patient survival because late diagnoses are punctuated by poor prognosis. We have presented epidemiological with etiopathogenic characteristics and described all imaging features to stage the tumor and to conduct the appropriate treatment.
An Award to Nurture the Leaders: APSI–Raja Sabapathy Leadership Award (Supported by Dr. Somes Guha)
Authors: Kadam Dinesh
Published: December 2020

Leadership for any professional society needs visionary leaders, who are adequately motivated to assume the role. The Association of Plastic Surgeons of India (APSI) has instituted APSI–Raja Sabapathy Leadership Award (supported by Dr. Somes Guha) in 2019 to identify and nurture members with the potential to take up the leadership for the association in the future. The author, a first recipient, reflects on this innovative step.