bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Association of Different Estimates of Renal Function With Cardiovascular Mortality and Bleeding in Atrial Fibrillation
Authors: Hijazi Ziad , Granger Christopher B. , Hohnloser Stefan H. , Westerbergh Johan , Lindbäck Johan , Alexander John H. , Keltai Matyas , Parkhomenko Alexander , López-Sendón José L. , Lopes Renato D. , Siegbahn Agneta , Wallentin Lars
Published: August 2020

Background

We compared different methods of estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and their association with cardiovascular death and major bleeding in 14 980 patients with atrial fibrillation in the ARISTOTLE (Apixaban for Reduction in Stroke and Other Thromboembolic Events in Atrial Fibrillation) trial.

Methods and Results

eGFR was calculated using equations based on creatinine (Cockcroft‐Gault, Modification of Diet in Renal Disease, and Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration [CKD‐EPI]) and/or cystatin C (CKD‐EPI
CysC
and CKD‐EPI
CysC+Creatinine
). These 5 eGFR equations, as well as the individual variables that are used in these equations, were assessed for correlation and discriminatory ability for cardiovascular death and major bleeding. The median age was 70.0 years, and 35.6% were women. The median eGFR was highest with Cockcroft‐Gault (74.1 mL/min) and CKD‐EPI
CysC
(74.2 mL/min), and lowest with Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (66.5 mL/min). Correlation between methods ranged from 0.49 (Cockroft‐Gault and CKD‐EPI
CysC
) to 0.99 (Modification of Diet in Renal Disease and CKD‐EPI). Among the eGFR equations, those based on cystatin C yielded the highest C indices for cardiovascular death and major bleeding: 0.628 (CKD‐EPI
CysC
) and 0.612 (CKD‐EPI
CysC+Creatinine
), respectively. A model based on the variables within the different eGFR equations (age, sex, weight, creatinine, and cystatin C) yielded the highest discriminatory value for both outcomes, with a C index of 0.673 and 0.656, respectively.

Conclusions

In patients with atrial fibrillation on anticoagulation, correlation between eGFR calculated using different methods varied substantially. Cystatin C–based eGFRs seem to provide the most robust information for predicting death and bleeding. A model based on the individual variables within the eGFR equations, however, provided the highest discriminatory value. Our findings may help refine risk stratification in patients with atrial fibrillation and define how renal function should be determined in future atrial fibrillation studies.

Registration

URL:
https://www.clini​caltr​ials.gov
; Unique identifier: NCT00412984.
Histone Acetyltransferase p300 Inhibitor Improves Coronary Flow Reserve in SIRT3 (Sirtuin 3) Knockout Mice
Authors: Su Han , Zeng Heng , He Xiaochen , Zhu Shai-Hong , Chen Jian-Xiong
Published: August 2020

Background

Coronary microvascular dysfunction is common in patients of myocardial infarction with non‐obstructive coronary artery disease. Coronary flow reserve (CFR) reflects coronary microvascular function and is a powerful independent index of coronary microvascular dysfunction and heart failure. Our previous studies showed that knockout of SIRT3 (Sirtuin 3) decreased CFR and caused a diastolic dysfunction. Few studies focus on the treatment of impaired CFR and heart failure. In the present study, we explored the role of C646, a histone acetyltransferase p300 inhibitor, in regulating CFR and cardiac remodeling in SIRT3 knockout (SIRT3KO) mice.

Methods and Results

After treating with C646 for 14 days, CFR, pulse‐wave velocity, and cardiac function were measured in SIRT3KO mice. SIRT3KO mice treated with C646 showed a significant improvement of CFR, pulse‐wave velocity, ejection fraction, and fractional shortening. Treatment with C646 reversed pre‐existing cardiac fibrosis, hypertrophy, and capillary rarefaction in SIRT3KO mice. Mechanistically, knockout of Sirtuin 3 resulted in significant increases in p300 expression and H3K56 acetylation. Treatment with C646 significantly reduced levels of p300 and H3K56 acetylation in SIRT3KO mice. Furthermore, treatment with C646 increased endothelial nitric oxide synthase expression and reduced arginase II expression and activity. The expression of NF‐κB (nuclear factor kappa‐light‐chain‐enhancer of activated B cells) and VCAM‐1 (vascular cell adhesion molecule 1) was also significantly suppressed by C646 treatment in SIRT3KO mice.

Conclusions

C646 treatment attenuated p300 and H3K56 acetylation and improved arterial stiffness and CFR via improvement of endothelial cell (EC) dysfunction and suppression of NF‐κB.
Readability of Online Patient Educational Materials for Coronary Artery Calcium Scans and Implications for Health Disparities
Authors: Rodriguez Fatima , Ngo Summer , Baird Grayson , Balla Sujana , Miles Randy , Garg Megha
Published: August 2020

Background

Coronary artery calcium (CAC) scans can help reclassify risk and guide patient‐clinician shared treatment decisions for cardiovascular disease prevention. Patients increasingly access online patient educational materials (OPEMs) to guide medical decision‐making. The American Medical Association (AMA) recommends that OPEMs should be written below a 6th‐grade reading level. This study estimated the readability of commonly accessed OPEMs on CAC scans.

Methods and Results

The terms “coronary artery calcium scan,” “heart scan,” and “CAC score” were queried using an online search engine to identify the top 50 commonly accessed websites based on order of search results on December 17, 2019. Grade‐level readability was calculated using generalized estimating equations, with observations nested within readability metrics from each website. Results were compared with AMA‐recommended readability parameters. Overall grade‐level readability among all search terms was 10.9 (95% CI, 9.3–12.5). Average grade‐level readability of OPEMs for the search terms “coronary artery calcium scan,” “heart scan,” and “CAC score,” was 10.7 (95% CI, 9.0–12.5), 10.5 (95% CI, 8.9–12.1), and 11.9 (95% CI, 10.3–13.5), respectively. Professional society and news/media/blog websites had the highest average reading grade level of 12.6, while health system websites had the lowest average reading grade level of 10.0. Less than half of the unique websites (45.3%) included explanatory images or videos.

Conclusions

Current OPEMs on CAC scans are written at a higher reading level than recommended for the general public. This may lead to patient misunderstanding, which could exacerbate disparities in cardiovascular health among groups with lower health literacy.
Reassessment of the cicada fossil Oncotympana lapidescens Zhang, 1989 with the description of a new genus (Hemiptera, Cicadoidea, Cicadidae)

Authors: MOULDS M.S.
Published: August 2020

Zhang (1989) described the cicada species Oncotympana lapidescens from a fossilized head, thorax, hind legs and well preserved right forewing from the Shanwang fossil beds in China. Moulds (2018) accepted Zhang’s association of this species with O. melanoptera Distant, 1904 (now Hyalessa melanoptera (Distant, 1904)) and in so doing transferred O. lapidescens to the genus Hyalessa China, 1925.
The first fossil horntail wasp (Hymenoptera: Siricidae) from Lower Cretaceous Crato Formation in Brazil

Authors: JOUAULT CORENTIN , POUILLON JEAN-MARC , NEL ANDRÉ
Published: August 2020

A new wood wasp, Cratosirex sennlaubi gen. et sp. nov., is described and figured from one specimen collected from the Lower Cretaceous Crato Formation in northeastern Brazil. This new genus is placed in the new siricid subfamily Cratosiricinae subfam. nov., based on a combination of plesiomorphic and autapomorphic characters. The presence of small and sub-equal forewing cells 1R1 and 2R1 is a synapomorphy with the extant subfamily Siricinae, absent in the other extinct subfamilies †Auliscinae and †Gigasiricinae, supporting a sister group relationships with the Siricinae. Our new discovery expands the distribution range of Siricidae fossil records, highlights the antiquity of the family, and emphasizes the need for more studies of this particular insect lineage in the Mesozoic deposits. Currently, all the representatives of the crown group of the extant Siricidae are Cenozoic.
First thaneroclerid beetle from Cretaceous Charentese amber (Coleoptera: Cleroidea: Thanerocleridae)

Authors: TIHELKA ERIK , CHENG GAO-MING , HUANG DIYING , PERRICHOT VINCENT , CAI CHEN-YANG
Published: August 2020

Thanerocleridae is a small family of predaceous cleroid beetles with a cosmopolitan distribution. Here we describe a new genus and species, Mesozenodosus insularis gen. et sp. nov., from early Cenomanian Charentese amber from the Fouras deposit, Charente-Maritime department in south-western France. The new genus belongs to the relictual subfamily Zenodosinae represented in the Recent fauna by a single Nearctic species, Zenodosus sanguineus (Say). Mesozenodosus gen. nov. can be differentiated from Zenodosus and the two fossil zenodosine genera from the approximately contemporaneous Burmese amber by its smaller body size, more elongate body, non-carinate pronotal margins, and apical antennomere with an oval depression. The new fossil confirms a wider diversity and distribution range of Zenodosinae in the mid-Cretaceous than in the present day and provides further evidence of the relictual status of the subfamily.
New early Barremian amber outcrops from Central Lebanon

Authors: MAKSOUD SIBELLE , ZIADÉ KAMIL , GÈZE RAYMOND , AZAR DANY
Published: August 2020

Three new early Barremian amber outcrops are reported from Mazraat Kfardibiane (Caza Kesserouane, Central Lebanon), among which one (Red Rock area) yielded two biological inclusions and increasing as such the Lower Cretaceous Lebanese amber outcrops with fossil biological inclusions to 24. The amber from these newly discovered outcrops is described, characterized, and chemically analysed using Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy.
A new genus and species of spoon-winged lacewing from the Cretaceous Crato Formation in Brazil (Neuroptera: Nemopteridae)

Authors: NEL ANDRÉ , PELLA CRISTIAN
Published: August 2020

The lacewing family Nemopteridae Burmeister, 1839 is very poorly represented in the fossil record with three Early Cretaceous genera of uncertain affinities from the Brazilian Crato Formation, one ‘mid’-Cretaceous representative of the stem group of the Crocinae Navás, 1910 in the Burmese amber, and two Cenozoic nemopterine genera Marquettia Navás, 1913 (late Eocene-early Oligocene) and Paleonemia Claisse et al., 2019 (middle Oligocene). Also two undetermined Nemopterinae are recorded from the late Eocene and the Oligocene (Lu et al., 2019a: Table 1; Claisse et al., 2019).
Helorus arturi sp. nov. (Hymenoptera, Proctotrupoidea, Heloridae) from Baltic amber

Authors: MUONA JYRKI
Published: August 2020

Heraty et al. (2011) and Sharkey et al. (2012) defined their Proctotrupoidea s. str. as a monophyletic group, a clade, using analytical methods and including all relevant extant taxa. These analyses strongly supported the monophyly of their new concept of the superfamily Proctotrupoidea. It included seven families: Austroniidae, Heloridae, Pelecinidae, Peradeniidae, Proctotrupidae, Roproniidae and Vanhorniidae. Diapriidae and Monomachidae, formerly considered to be proctotrupoids, were placed (with other taxa) in the sister-group to Proctotrupoidea sensu stricto.
Systematic revision and morphological phylogenetic analysis of Anchylorhynchus Schoenherr, 1836 (Coleoptera, Curculionidae: Derelomini)
Authors: DE MEDEIROS BRUNO A. S. , VANIN SERGIO A.
Published: August 2020

Anchylorhynchus Schoenherr is a genus of palm-associated weevils currently including 22 described species in the Neotropics. These weevils engage in brood pollination interactions with species in at least four genera of palms (Arecaceae), representing an emerging system for the study of mutualisms. Here we revise the taxonomy of Anchylorhynchus and propose the first phylogenetic hypothesis for the group, based on morphology. Anchylorhynchus chrysomeloides sp. nov., Anchylorhynchus goiano sp. nov., Anchylorhynchus imitator sp. nov., Anchylorhynchus latipes sp. nov., Anchylorhynchus multisquamis sp. nov. and Anchylorhynchus rectus sp. nov. are described, Anchylorhynchus gottsbergerorum Vanin is a new junior subjective synonym of Anchylorhynchus bicarinatus O’Brien, and Anchylorhynchus eriospathae Bondar and Anchylorhynchus pictipennis Hustache are new junior subjective synonyms of Anchylorhynchus tremolerasi Hustache, resulting in 25 valid species for the genus. We provide genus and species descriptions with a new dichotomous key to the species and updated information on geography and host associations based on museum records and extensive new collections. We also produce a new morphological matrix with 113 characters, 11 of them based on measurements while accounting for allometry, correlation and power to delimit groups. The software pipeline to produce these characters was encoded in a graphical user interface named DiscretzR, made available here. Analysis of this matrix under parsimony and Bayesian inference resulted in strong support for the monophyly of Anchylorhynchus, but weaker support for most clades within the genus. Reconstruction of the host plant associations indicates that the common ancestor of Anchylorhynchus visited flowers of Syagrus Mart., with later transitions to other genera restricted to one of the major clades of Anchylorhynchus. This taxonomic revision with the first phylogeny for the group provides a foundation for future evolutionary studies in the genus.
Biology, immature stages, and systematics of snail-killing flies of the genus Colobaea (Diptera: Sciomyzidae), with overviews of aspects of the tribe Sciomyzini
Authors: BRATT ALBERTUS D. , KNUTSON LLOYD V. , MURPHY WILLIAM L. , DANIELS ANTHONY A.
Published: August 2020

All reared larvae of flies of the genus Colobaea Zetterstedt, 1837 (Diptera: Sciomyzidae), which comprises 15 valid species, kill and consume freshwater nonoperculate pulmonate snails. New data are presented on the geographic distribution, biology, morphology of immature stages, and classification of Colobaea. Life cycle information is provided from field data and laboratory rearings for four of the 11 Palearctic species—C. bifasciella (Fallén), C. deemingi Knutson & Bratt n.sp., C. pectoralis (Zetterstedt), and C. punctata (Lundbeck)—and for one of the three Nearctic species, C. americana Steyskal. Colobaea bifasciella is shown to be one of the most highly specialized parasitoid Sciomyzini, laying eggs on shells of Galba truncatula (O.F. Müller) and Stagnicola palustris (O.F. Müller) in temporary, intermittent, or vernal semiterrestrial situations. Each larva feeds in only one host snail, which is not killed until shortly before the larva completes development. Puparia are strongly modified to fit tightly within the shell of the host. The other reared species are shown to be less specialized than C. bifasciella, with eggs being laid upon vegetation, the larvae behaving as parasitoids-predators-saprophages of exposed aquatic snails, and the puparia of all four species being adapted to a lesser degree than C. bifasciella to fitting within the shell of the host snail. In nature, C. americana attacks Gyraulus parvus (Say) and Physa Draparnaud sp.; C. pectoralis attacks Anisus vortex (L.) and Bathyomphalus contortus (L.); and C. punctata attacks Gyraulus albus O.F. Müller, Lymnaea “peregra,” Planorbarius corneus (L.), and Planorbis planorbis (L.). In the laboratory, these species also attacked and consumed other freshwater nonoperculate snails; C. deemingi was reared on Gyraulus intermixtus (Mousson) and Radix gedrosiana (Say), and an adult fly of the Palearctic C. distincta (Meigen) emerged from a puparium found in the shell of Anisus spirorbis (L.) collected in nature. Described and figured are eggs, larvae of all three instars, and puparia of the five laboratory-reared species. To provide perspective on features of Colobaea, diagnostic features are summarized of the immature stages of the Sciomyzini and the suprageneric categories of Sciomyzidae. The biogeography of the tribe Sciomyzini is presented, along with details of known geographical distribution. The classification and phylogenetic position of Colobaea are discussed. Included are a checklist of all known taxa of Colobaea, maps of geographic distribution, and a key to adults of the 15 valid species.
Evaluation, Tuning, and Interpretation of Neural Networks for Working with Images in Meteorological Applications
Authors: Ebert-Uphoff Imme , Hilburn Kyle
Published: August 2020

The method of neural networks (aka deep learning) has opened up many new opportunities to utilize remotely sensed images in meteorology. Common applications include image classification, e.g., to determine whether an image contains a tropical cyclone, and image-to-image translation, e.g., to emulate radar imagery for satellites that only have passive channels. However, there are yet many open questions regarding the use of neural networks for working with meteorological images, such as best practices for evaluation, tuning, and interpretation. This article highlights several strategies and practical considerations for neural network development that have not yet received much attention in the meteorological community, such as the concept of receptive fields, underutilized meteorological performance measures, and methods for neural network interpretation, such as synthetic experiments and layer-wise relevance propagation. We also consider the process of neural network interpretation as a whole, recognizing it as an iterative meteorologist-driven discovery process that builds on experimental design and hypothesis generation and testing. Finally, while most work on neural network interpretation in meteorology has so far focused on networks for image classification tasks, we expand the focus to also include networks for image-to-image translation.
Aviation Turbulence Forecasting at Upper Levels with Machine Learning Techniques Based on Regression Trees
Authors: Muñoz-Esparza Domingo , Sharman Robert D. , Deierling Wiebke
Published: August 2020

We explore the use of machine learning (ML) techniques, namely, regression trees (RT), for the purpose of aviation turbulence forecasting at upper levels [20–45 kft (~6–14 km) in altitude]. In particular, we develop a series of RT-based algorithms that include random forests (RF) and gradient-boosted regression trees (GBRT) methods. Numerical weather prediction model prognostic variables and derived turbulence diagnostics based on 6-h forecasts from the 3-km High-Resolution Rapid Refresh model are used as features to train these data-driven models. Training and evaluation are based on turbulence estimates of eddy dissipation rate (EDR) obtained from automated in situ aircraft reports. Our baseline RF model, consisting of 100 trees with 30 layers of maximum depth, significantly reduces forecast errors for EDR < 0.1 m2/3 s−1 (which corresponds roughly to null and light turbulence) when compared with a simple regression model, increasing the probability of detection and in turn reducing the number of false alarms. Model complexity reduction via GBRT and feature-relevance analyses is performed, indicating that considerable execution speedups can be achieved while maintaining the model’s predictive skill. Overall, the ML models exhibit enhanced performance in discriminating the EDR forecast among the light, moderate, and severe turbulence categories. In addition, these artificial intelligence techniques significantly simplify the generation of new NWP and grid-spacing specific turbulence forecast products.
Improvements to Lake-Effect Snow Forecasts Using a One-Way Air–Lake Model Coupling Approach
Authors: Fujisaki-Manome Ayumi , Mann Greg E. , Anderson Eric J. , Chu Philip Y. , Fitzpatrick Lindsay E. , Benjamin Stanley G. , James Eric P. , Smirnova Tatiana G. , Alexander Curtis R. , Wright David M.
Published: August 2020

Lake-effect convective snowstorms frequently produce high-impact, hazardous winter weather conditions downwind of the North American Great Lakes. During lake-effect snow events, the lake surfaces can cool rapidly, and in some cases, notable development of ice cover occurs. Such rapid changes in the lake-surface conditions are not accounted for in existing operational weather forecast models, such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) High-Resolution Rapid Refresh (HRRR) model, resulting in reduced performance of lake-effect snow forecasts. As a milestone to future implementations in the Great Lakes Operational Forecast System (GLOFS) and HRRR, this study examines the one-way linkage between the hydrodynamic-ice model [the Finite-Volume Community Ocean Model coupled with the unstructured grid version of the Los Alamos Sea Ice Model (FVCOM-CICE), the physical core model of GLOFS] and the atmospheric model [the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) Model, the physical core model of HRRR]. The realistic representation of lake-surface cooling and ice development or its fractional coverage during three lake-effect snow events was achieved by feeding the FVCOM-CICE simulated lake-surface conditions to WRF (using a regional configuration of HRRR), resulting in the improved simulation of the turbulent heat fluxes over the lakes and resulting snow water equivalent in the downwind areas. This study shows that the one-way coupling is a practical approach that is well suited to the operational environment, as it requires little to no increase in computational resources yet can result in improved forecasts of regional weather and lake conditions.
The Nonlinear Impacts of Global Warming on Regional Economic Production: An Empirical Analysis from China
Authors: Chang Jun-Jie , Wei Yi-Ming , Yuan Xiao-Chen , Liao Hua , Yu Bi-Ying
Published: August 2020

China, the second largest economy in the world, covers a large area spanning multiple climate zones, with varying economic conditions across regions. Given this variety in climate and economic conditions, global warming is expected to have heterogeneous economic impacts across the country. This study uses annual average temperature to conduct an empirical research from a top-down perspective to evaluate the nonlinear impacts of temperature change on aggregate economic output in China. We find that there is an inverted U-shaped relationship between temperature and economic growth at the provincial level, with a turning point at 12.2°C. The regional and national economic impacts are projected under the shared socioeconomic pathways (SSPs) and representative concentration pathways (RCPs). As future temperature rises, the economic impacts are positive in the northeast, north, and northwest regions but negative in the south, east, central, and southwest regions. Based on SSP5, the decrement in the GDP per capita of China would reach 16.0% under RCP2.6 and 27.0% under RCP8.5.
Nasolacrimal Duct Obstruction: An Unusual Presentation of Sarcoidosis
Authors: Nassif Samih J. , Ruiz Devin , Callahan Alison , Rebeiz Elie E.
Published: August 2020

Lacrimal drainage system disorders leading to epiphora are a common ophthalmologic complaint. When such a patient is identified, the ophthalmologist frequently collaborates with the otolaryngologist to perform a dacryocystorhinostomy (DCR). In rare cases, sinonasal sarcoidosis may lead to nasolacrimal duct obstruction (NLD) and dacryocystitis. A 48-year-old Caucasian female was referred to the Otolaryngology clinic for evaluation of a 6-month history of persistent right-sided nasal obstruction and epiphora. After physical examination and computerized tomography (CT) scan, she was diagnosed with right NLD with dacryocystitis. The patient underwent right endoscopic DCR. Pathology from the lacrimal bone and nasal tissue demonstrated noncaseating granulomas suggestive of sarcoidosis. Postoperative evaluation including lung CT scan confirmed systemic sarcoidosis. Nasolacrimal duct obstruction very rarely is the presenting symptom in patients with sarcoidosis. Imaging is necessary to rule out other causes of NLD, and histopathology is essential for diagnosis. Noncaseating granulomas are found along the nasal tissue and lacrimal sac, specifically in the subepithelial layer. Treatment consists of DCR, either endoscopic or external. Both approaches achieve long-lasting resolution of symptoms but may require revision from inflammation and scarring. There is no consensus on the use of intraoperative or postoperative steroids.
“A Not-so-silent Form of Activism”: Intentional Community as Collective Action Reservoir
Authors: Rubin Zach
Published: August 2020

Recent scholarship on social movement groups has increasingly focused on the relationships between lifestyle and politics. As walls of classical social movement theories holding up the false dichotomy of personal and political spheres continue to crumble, I seek in this article to fill some of the space connecting personal and political work by expanding on the concept of collective action reservoirs. Based on an ethnographic case study of an intentional community named Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage, I demonstrate how participation in a shared lifestyle can be the basis for a politicized account of everyday life. The members of this village have developed a unique lifestyle that they consider to be a form of political engagement, in which I show that they have different orientations to the definition of activism and to being in a “reserve guard” for direct action. They have developed and adopted an approach where lifestyle is the primary means of seeking change while direct action is held in reserve. I conclude by theorizing that the collective action reservoir represents a long-term stable base for social movement mobilizations.
Sea Change: The World Ocean Circulation Experiment and the Productive Limits of Ocean Variability
Authors: Lehman Jessica
Published: August 2020

The ability to quantify the relationship between the ocean and the atmosphere is an enduring challenge for global-scale science. This paper analyzes the World Ocean Circulation Experiment (WOCE, 1990–2002), an international oceanographic program that aimed to provide data for decadal-scale climate modeling and for the first time produce a “snapshot” of ocean circulation against which future change could be measured. WOCE was an ambitious project that drew on extensive international collaboration and emerging technologies that continue to play a significant role in how the global environment is known and governed. However, a main outcome of WOCE was an encounter with ocean variability: the notion that the ocean is governed not by the circular currents shown in the popular “conveyor-belt” diagram but by eddies, filaments, jets, and other nonlinear forces. This paper suggests the concept of “productive limits” as an analytic for understanding how ocean variability both prompted new forms of knowledge and the development of a global knowledge infrastructure that is contingent, uneven, and fully entwined with geopolitical dynamics.
Double-patch and glue repair of a postinfarction left ventricular pseudoaneurysm
Authors: Miyagawa Atsushi , Okamura Homare , Kitada Yuichiro , Arakawa Mamoru , Adachi Hideo
Published: August 2020

An 85-year-old man with appetite loss, lightheadedness, and leg edema was referred to our institution. Computed tomography and transthoracic echocardiography revealed a left ventricular pseudoaneurysm with a maximal diameter of 80 mm and severe mitral regurgitation. Coronary angiography showed 90% stenosis and total occlusion of the left circumflex artery at segments 11 and 12, respectively. He was diagnosed with postinfarction left ventricular pseudoaneurysm and underwent patch repair using two bovine pericardium patches and biological glue, mitral valve replacement, and coronary artery bypass grafting. His postoperative course was uneventful.
Type D Personality and Myocardial Infarction: A Case-Control Study
Authors: Manoj MT , Joseph KA , Vijayaraghavan Govindan
Published: August 2020

Background:

Coronary heart disease (CHD) is an impending global pandemic in developed countries as well as developing countries and economies in transition, such as India. A significant increase in the incidence of myocardial infarction (MI), one of the most common types of CHD, is being reported in India, and the incidence and severity of the disease are more among the youth in Kerala. Studies assessing the association between psychological factors and MI are few in India.

Methods:

We adopted a case-control study design. A total of 150 cases (with MI) and 150 controls (without MI and matched for age and gender) from a tertiary care hospital in Trivandrum, Kerala, India, were selected using convenient sampling method, between September 2016 and August 2017.

Results:

As compared to 33.3% of the controls, 50.7% of patients with MI had type D personality characteristics. Multivariate logistic regression analysis after adjusting for the confounders indicated a positive and statistically significant association between type D personality and MI: OR = 4.14, 95% CI = 2.19–8.85, P = 0.003.

Conclusion:

Type D personality is associated with MI.
Learning stabilizable nonlinear dynamics with contraction-based regularization
Authors: Singh Sumeet , Richards Spencer M , Sindhwani Vikas , Slotine Jean-Jacques E , Pavone Marco
Published: August 2020

We propose a novel framework for learning stabilizable nonlinear dynamical systems for continuous control tasks in robotics. The key contribution is a control-theoretic regularizer for dynamics fitting rooted in the notion of stabilizability, a constraint which guarantees the existence of robust tracking controllers for arbitrary open-loop trajectories generated with the learned system. Leveraging tools from contraction theory and statistical learning in reproducing kernel Hilbert spaces, we formulate stabilizable dynamics learning as a functional optimization with a convex objective and bi-convex functional constraints. Under a mild structural assumption and relaxation of the functional constraints to sampling-based constraints, we derive the optimal solution with a modified representer theorem. Finally, we utilize random matrix feature approximations to reduce the dimensionality of the search parameters and formulate an iterative convex optimization algorithm that jointly fits the dynamics functions and searches for a certificate of stabilizability. We validate the proposed algorithm in simulation for a planar quadrotor, and on a quadrotor hardware testbed emulating planar dynamics. We verify, both in simulation and on hardware, significantly improved trajectory generation and tracking performance with the control-theoretic regularized model over models learned using traditional regression techniques, especially when learning from small supervised datasets. The results support the conjecture that the use of stabilizability constraints as a form of regularization can help prune the hypothesis space in a manner that is tailored to the downstream task of trajectory generation and feedback control. This produces models that are not only dramatically better conditioned, but also data efficient.
Meropenem-induced vanishing bile duct syndrome: A case report
Authors: Zubarev Alexandr , Haji Kavi , Li Matthew , Tiruvoipati Ravindranath , Botha John
Published: August 2020

Vanishing bile duct syndrome (VBDS) refers to a group of acquired disorders associated with progressive destruction and disappearance of the intrahepatic bile ducts. We report a case of meropenem-induced VBDS in a patient who had undergone surgical repair of a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm. Meropenem was used to treat Serratia marcescens isolated from blood, urine, sputum, and wound swab cultures. The patient developed severe mixed liver injury with no obstruction noted in radiological imaging. Because of the patient’s increasing serum bilirubin level, VBDS was suspected and the meropenem was therefore changed to ciprofloxacin on postoperative day 18. Although the bilirubin level decreased, meropenem was restarted 3 days later because of clinical concerns regarding worsening fever and sepsis. Restarting meropenem was associated with an immediate increase in the serum bilirubin level. This further increase in bilirubin after reintroduction of meropenem strongly suggested meropenem-induced VBDS. The antibiotic therapy was changed from meropenem to ciprofloxacin and metronidazole, leading to a dramatic decrease in the bilirubin level to normal within a few weeks. In patients receiving meropenem, VBDS as a cause of deranged liver function and cholestasis should be considered after ruling out mechanical and other probable causes of liver injury.
Impact of gender, albumin, and CYP2C19 polymorphisms on valproic acid in Chinese patients: a population pharmacokinetic model
Authors: Guo Jinlin , Huo Yayu , Li Fang , Li Yuanping , Guo Zhaojun , Han Huaqing , Zhou Yuhong
Published: August 2020

Objective

This prospective study aimed to establish the valproic acid (VPA) population pharmacokinetic model in Chinese patients and realise personalised medication on the basis of population pharmacokinetics.

Methods

The patients’ clinical information and VPA plasma concentrations were collected from The General Hospital of Taiyuan Iron & Steel (Group) Corporation (TISCO). Nonlinear mixed-effect modelling was used to build the population pharmacokinetic model. To characterise the pharmacokinetic data, a one-compartment pharmacokinetic model with first-order absorption and elimination was used. The first-order conditional estimation with η-ε interaction was applied throughout the model-developing procedure. The absorption rate constant (Ka) was fixed at 2.38 hour−1, and the impact of covariates on clearance and apparent volume of distribution were also explored. Medical records of 60 inpatients were reviewed prospectively and the objective function value (OFV) of the base model and final model were 851.813 and 817.622, respectively.

Results

Gender was identified as the covariate that had a significant impact on the volume of distribution, and albumin and CYP2C19 genotypes influenced clearance.

Conclusion

Bootstrap and VPC indicated that a reliable model had been developed that was based on the simulation results, and a simple-to-use dosage regimen table was created to guide clinicians for VPA drug dosing.
Atmospheres of science: Experiencing scientific mobility
Authors: Davies Sarah R
Published: August 2020

This article uses notions of the atmospheric to engage with empirical material concerned with international mobility in science. It draws on recent conceptual work on atmospheres that frames them as allowing access to the affective qualities of everyday life and as ‘productively nebulous’: atmospheres exist between the local and the globally diffuse, the emergent and the staged, the intangible and the brutally present. Using atmospheric thinking, I devise ‘apparatuses of attunement’ to capture elusive aspects of life in science, as discussed in interviews with natural scientists about their experiences of international mobility. In particular I use ideas of the situation, atmospheric threads, and the staging of atmospheres to argue that scientists represent themselves as existing in between the particular and the general: they are never wholly at the mercy of the structures and expectations of globalized science, but are also never not in the grip of them. In closing I reflect on what this analysis reveals about the affective qualities of contemporary science, the forms of life being nurtured by the norms and expectations of research (policy), and the kinds of agency available to (these) scientists. The aim of the article is thus twofold: to demonstrate how concepts of atmospheres can be put to work in STS, and to contribute to research on international mobility in science and contemporary scientific careers.
Perceptions of Violent National-Political Protest among Arabs Living in Israel: A Pilot Study
Authors: Cohen-Louck Keren , Bensimon Moshe , Malinovsky Mariana Halellya
Published: August 2020

This pilot study examines the perceptions of Arabs living in Israel (ALI) regarding violent national-political protests (VNPP). ALI, exposed to VNPP by organizations of their own ethnic minority, are trapped in a political and cultural conflict between their state and their nation. Qualitative analysis of semi-structured interviews with 15 Muslim ALI identified four possible groups presenting four types of VNPP perceptions: (a) justifiers, who regard VNPP as a legitimate means of protecting the Palestinians and who profess Palestinian identity; (b) opponents, who strongly condemn VNPP and who profess Israeli identity; (c) those understanding but disagreeing with VNPP, professing a dual Palestinian-Israeli identity; and (d) the ambivalents, representing people with internal conflicts and mixed feelings regarding the Palestinian VNPP and their own identity. The study contributes to the understanding of how a group of ALI perceives the Palestinian VNPP, and implies that this population consists of different groups, each with its own unique identity.
Spectral approach to study the entropy generation of radiative mixed convective couple stress fluid flow over a permeable stretching cylinder
Authors: Acharya Nilankush , Mondal Hiranmoy , Kundu Prabir Kumar
Published: August 2020

The present literature illustrates the radiative couple stress fluid runs over a permeable stretched cylinder. The problem has been modelled mathematically introducing the mixed convective condition and magnetic effect. Additionally, the analysis of entropy generation provides the fine points of the flow. The leading PDE equations of the system have been framed non-dimensionally using proper transformation. The resulting ODEs are tackled using by Spectral quasi-linearization method (SQLM). A convergence schematic was obtained graphically. Consequence of various parameters on the flow features has been delivered via graphs and tables. Result signifies that Bejan number declines due to magnetic source. The entropy generation escalates for magnetic parameter, Reynolds number, but couple stress factor discloses the dual effect. The couple stress parameter allows Nusselt number to reduce at the rate 19.05%, whereas heat transport enhances for radiation at the rate 1.67%. Skin friction enhances for couple stress factor at the rate 8.45%.
Evaluation of desirability function approach and grey relation analysis for modeling circularity, perpendicularity and cylindricity in drilling magnesium AZ31
Authors: Varatharajulu M , Shahithya R , Jayaprakash G , Baskar N , Davim J Paulo
Published: August 2020

Development in the field of materials brings numerous newer grades, but the machinability studies over those materials have to be done. Drilling is the major manufacturing process which covers around 25% of machining processes. Magnesium AZ31 is considered for the present investigation to perform the drilling operation. Control over the responses like circularity, perpendicularity and cylindricity will improve the life of fastening element due the reduction of compressive and shear stress. The deviation of above responses will increase compressive and shear stress leads to fatigue and also increases the assembling time. This work concentrates on the reduction of such distinctive properties. Empirical model was developed to find the responses for the usage of process planning engineer, later optimization carried out through Desirability Function Approach (DFA). The multi objective optimization suggesting the spindle speed of 1100.02 rpm, the feed rate of 0.038 mm/rev. and the drill diameter of 6 mm for minimizing all the responses considered. Similarly Grey Relational Analysis (GRA) applied to reduce the responses. Evaluation made between DFA and GRA which highlights the superiority of GRA for circularity and cylindricity. The DFA be the superior technique for minimizing the perpendicularity.
Time of day and mammographic reader performance in a population-based breast cancer screening programme
Authors: Backmann Heinrich A , Larsen Marthe , Danielsen Anders S , Hofvind Solveig
Published: August 2020

Objectives

To analyse how reader performance varied by time during the day in a population-based breast cancer screening programme.

Methods

A total of 2,937,312 readings from 148 radiologists and 1,468,656 women were included in this study from Norway. Number and percentages of mammographic readings, positive scores, true and false positive readings, true and false negative readings, sensitivity and specificity were presented for categories of time of day and for each day of the week. Multilevel mixed effect logistic regression models with restricted cubic splines were fitted to the data, and used to predict the odds ratio of the different performance measures.

Results

The following distribution was found for the performance measures during the study period: true positive: 12,463 (0.4%); false positive: 128,419 (4.4%); true negative: 2,794,636 (95.1%); and false negative: 1794 (0.06%). The percentage of positive readings (true positive and false positive) was highest before lunch and in the early afternoon (4.9%): false positive was highest in both periods (4.5%) and true positive was highest in the early afternoon (0.5%). The percentage of true negative was highest in the evening (95.6%), and of false negative was highest at lunchtime (0.07%). This corresponds to a gradually decreasing predicted sensitivity throughout the day. The opposite was observed for specificity.

Conclusions

Screen-reading early versus late during the day resulted in higher sensitivity, although at the cost of specificity. Despite small differences in the performance measures during the day, the results may be important in the discussion of optimal management of screening programmes.
Bilingual language dominance and contrastive focus marking: Gradient effects of K’ichee’ syntax on Spanish prosody
Authors: Baird Brandon O.
Published: August 2020

Aims and objectives/purpose/research questions:

This study examines prosodic contrastive focus marking in the Spanish of 24 simultaneous K’ichee’-Spanish bilinguals via the following research questions: (1) How do K’ichee’-Spanish bilinguals prosodically mark contrastive focus in Spanish? (2) Is there evidence of K’ichee’ influence in Spanish prosody and is this possible K’ichee’ influence correlated with the language dominance of the bilinguals?

Design/methodology/approach:

Participants produced utterances in both broad and contrastive focus conditions via a question-answer task.

Data and analysis:

Tonic syllables of 1638 target words were analyzed according to L- and H-tone alignment and the rise of the pitch contour. Data were analyzed via linear mixed-effects models according to pragmatic condition (categorical effect) and language dominance (continuous effect).

Findings/conclusions:

Results indicate gradient effects of language dominance of possible K’ichee’ influence. Spanish-dominant bilinguals tend to prosodically mark contrastive focus to a greater degree than K’ichee’-dominant bilinguals. It is proposed that this may be due to the different focus marking strategies between K’ichee’ and Spanish. K’ichee’ primarily marks contrastive focus syntactically whereas it is much more common in Spanish to only mark contrastive focus prosodically.

Originality:

This study employs a modified version of the question-answer task, which uses video clips to elicit the data in order to include participants with low literacy rates and control the elicitations. It also provides one of the first analyses of intonation in Guatemalan Spanish and the task and data allow for direct comparisons with the K’ichee’ data produced by these same bilinguals.

Significance/implications:

These results parallel those of similar studies: among bilinguals, the syntactic contrastive focus marking strategy of one language may affect the prosodic contrastive focus marking strategy of their other language. Additionally, the use of language dominance as a continuous variable expands our understanding of inter-speaker variation in such studies.
Choice, control and person-centredness in day centres for older people
Authors: Orellana Katharine , Manthorpe Jill , Tinker Anthea
Published: August 2020

Background

Day centres are a substantial element of community-based support for older people in many countries. However, assumptions that they are an outdated or costly service model have resulted in many centre closures in England. The perspectives of 42 people attending, providing, making referrals to or purchasing places at four diverse day centres for older people were collected in interviews. Using these data, we explore day centres’ relevance to social workers’ efforts to promote person-centred support for older people enabling them to maintain or improve their well-being. These are explored from the perspectives of choice, control and person-centredness and local authority responsibilities for shaping the care market under the Care Act 2014.

Findings

Attenders highly valued centres’ congregate nature and the continuity they offered which contributed to the development of person-centred relationships. Attenders exercised choice in attending day centres. Social work staff were more positive about day centres’ relevance to personalisation than those responsible for making decisions about the shape of local care services.

Applications

With social isolation recognised as a serious risk of old age, the value of togetherness in group environments may need highlighting. Enactment of personalisation policies need not necessarily lead to individualisation; day centres may be community-based assets for some. Those shaping the care market may be encouraged to acknowledge wider outcomes, and frontline social workers may benefit from hearing positive experiences that may help in the development of effective care plans for older people who would like to benefit from day centre participation.
Successful Reoperation in 3 Cases of Failed Sorin Freedom Stentless Aortic Valve Using the LivaNova Perceval Sutureless Prosthesis
Authors: Stefanelli Guglielmo , Pirro Fabrizio , Smorto Vincenzo , Chiurlia Emilio , Weltert Luca
Published: August 2020

Reoperations for deteriorated stentless bioprostheses are quite challenging procedures. Calcification of the aortic annulus and of the subcoronary root makes often impossible the removal of the failed valve, living a complex Bentall operation or a high-risk transcatheter aortic valve implantation valve-in-valve procedure as the only options, particularly in cases of small-size prostheses. The Perceval sutureless prosthesis (LivaNova PLC, London, UK) can be a valid alternative for failed stentless valve replacement. We report our experience with 3 complex cases of degenerated Sorin Pericarbon Freedom prosthesis treated successfully by means of Perceval sutureless implantation and demonstrating the reproducibility and the safety of this surgical approach.