bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Municipal solid waste transfer station planning through vehicle routing problem-based scenario analysis
Authors: Höke Milas Ceren , Yalcinkaya Sedat
Published: October 2020

Collection, transfer and transport of municipal solid waste (MSW) is one of the most challenging tasks of local municipalities and occupies a significant portion of the municipal expenses. Appropriately planned transfer stations (TSs) can increase system performance and reduce costs. Therefore, this study aims to develop a spatial modelling approach for investigating the optimum siting and economic impacts of MSW TSs. A geographic information system-based land suitability analysis was conducted to identify potential TS sites followed by a scenario analysis to determine optimum TS sites and waste collection routes for various collection vehicle capacities through vehicle routing problem modelling. The approach was implemented in the southeastern region of İzmir where a new landfill is to be built to serve three district municipalities. The addition of a TS in the study area reduced the collection time and number of shifts by 9%. Similarly, collection with large vehicles decreased the collection time and number of shifts by 25% and 17%, respectively. However, the unit cost of the system increased from 17.52 to 18.60 US$ metric tonnes−1 waste with the TS addition because of the additional costs of the TS. The results indicated that TS addition is not economically feasible in the study area because of the small collection vehicle fleet (eight collection vehicles), proximity of landfill to areas with high waste density and district level collection. On the other hand, TS addition resulted in lower fuel consumption which may help reduce fuel-induced air pollution.
Intimate Partner Violence During Pregnancy: Effects of Maternal Depression Symptoms and Parenting on Teen Depression Symptoms
Authors: Chen Yafan , Cheung Shannon , Huang Chien-Chung
Published: October 2020

Past studies have indicated that mothers who are victims of intimate partner violence (IPV) have a greater risk of developing depression symptoms. Furthermore, existing literature provides evidence that children’s mental health can be affected by their mother’s mental health well past infancy and early childhood. Given this, children of IPV victims are particularly at risk of developing depression symptoms. Guided by trauma theory, the ecobiodevelopmental (EBD) framework, and social learning theory, this study investigates the long-term relationship between maternal IPV victimization during pregnancy and teen depression symptoms. This study utilizes longitudinal data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study to examine the relationship between IPV during pregnancy and maternal depression symptoms at early childhood, as well as the mechanism by which maternal depression symptoms affect child depression symptoms in the adolescent stage of development. The findings indicate that mothers who were victims of IPV during pregnancy were more likely to have depression symptoms when children turned 3 and that maternal depression symptoms could directly predict children’s depression symptoms at age 15. Meanwhile, maternal depression symptoms could indirectly increase adolescent depression symptoms via physical punishment at age 5 and bullying victimization at age 9. While extensive evidence has shown that IPV during pregnancy has detrimental effects on mothers and children, our study adds to the literature that such detriments can last as long as a decade. Given that depression symptoms can be detrimental to later development, the findings call for universal and comprehensive IPV screening tools and swift service referrals for pregnant women who are experiencing IPV. At the same time, trauma-informed parenting education for women, along with school- and community-based interventions for children, may also mitigate these harmful associations.
The study of a unified driver model controller based on fractional-order PIλDμ and internal model control
Authors: Ti Yan , Wang Rong , Song Tinglun , Zhao Wanzhong
Published: October 2020

Autonomous driving has been one of the key factors behind the various technology innovation initiatives in the automotive industry in recent years. A unified driver model controller, which is essential to the design and development of autonomous driving technology, based on fractional-order PIλDμ and internal model control is proposed and studied in this paper. The unified driver model control algorithm utilizes and integrates fractional-order PIλDμ control and internal model control to ensure path tracking capability and driving stability of the vehicle. Matlab/Simulink simulation of the proposed controller indicates that it can effectively improve path tracking capabilities and driving stability.
Automobile active tilt based on active suspension with H∞ robust control
Authors: Yao Jialing , Wang Meng , Bai Yanan
Published: October 2020

Automobile roll control aims to reduce or achieve a zero roll angle. However, the ability of this roll control to improve the handling stability of vehicles when turning is limited. This study proposes a direct tilt control methodology for automobiles based on active suspension. This tilt control leans the vehicle’s body toward the turning direction and therefore allows the roll moment generated by gravity to reduce or even offset the roll moment generated by the centrifugal force. This phenomenon will greatly improve the roll stability of the vehicle, as well as the ride comfort. A six-degrees-of-freedom vehicle dynamics model is established, and the desired tilt angle is determined through dynamic analysis. In addition, an H∞ robust controller that coordinates different performance demands to achieve the control objectives is designed. The occupant’s perceived lateral acceleration and the lateral load transfer ratio are used to evaluate and explain the main advantages of the proposed active tilt control. To account the difference between the proposed and traditional roll controls, a simulation analysis is performed to compare the proposed tilt H∞ robust control, a traditional H∞ robust control for zero roll angle, and a passive suspension system. The analysis of the time and frequency domains shows that the proposed controller greatly improves the handling stability and anti-rollover ability of vehicles during steering and maintains acceptable ride comfort.
Simultaneous localization and mapping navigation of unmanned ground vehicle based on second-order smooth variable structure filter with improved technique to combat fading for advanced wireless communications
Authors: Mosbah Abdelkader , Demim Fethi , Mansoul Ali , Benssalah Mustapha , Nemra Abdelkrim
Published: October 2020

Simultaneous localization and mapping is very essential for autonomous navigation when the mobile robot is navigating in unknown environment without a global positioning system. Various techniques to solve the simultaneous localization and mapping problem have been extensively studied using the combination of low-cost sensors. Most of the work in mobile robotics still consists of finding solutions to problems in data exchange between mobile robot and communication control station, which is a challenging task. In fact, communication systems impose severe constraints in terms of channel capacity and transmission quality, because the transmission channel in communication systems is undergoing at the different physical phenomena like scattering, diffusion and diffraction, which occur interference and multiple path effects in wireless communications, while keeping these effects levels low. This article describes a simultaneous localization and mapping problem based on second-order smooth variable structure filter embedded in mobile robot equipped with a sensor for data wireless collection. The inclusion of the control in environments outside the mobile robot field of view can make the wireless communication simultaneous localization and mapping process much more difficult to find a solution under realistic conditions. In order to solve the simultaneous localization and mapping issue and to mitigate the fading phenomena, which affect the quality of service in advanced wireless communication systems, we use a new approach to combat the fading effect without requiring any statistical knowledge of the propagation channel parameters. Several experiments have been done in real-world applications, and good performances were obtained using a second-order smooth variable structure filter–simultaneous localization and mapping algorithm–based wireless communication.
Lay beliefs about scientists’ relations with their employers
Authors: Johnson Branden B. , Dieckmann Nathan F.
Published: October 2020

Lay beliefs about scientist-employer relations may affect public attitudes toward science. A representative sample of US residents characterized scientists’ relations with one of four employers: federal government agency, large business corporation, advocacy group (nonprofit seeking to influence policy), or university. Overall, they held moderate views of how much scientists and employers shared motivations, interests, and values, and of whether employers tried to change—and succeeded in changing—how scientist employees did their scientific work. Judgments differed little across employers. Best predictors of these views were belief in scientific positivism, subjective knowledge of science, and age. These findings suggest scientific authority in the United States is not immediately threatened by public beliefs that employers skew their scientific employees’ work, although that might differ for specific topics or demographic sub-groups.
The spread of fake science: Lexical concreteness, proximity, misinformation sharing, and the moderating role of subjective knowledge
Authors: Williams Kirkpatrick Alex
Published: October 2020

The spread of science misinformation harms efforts to mitigate threats like climate change or coronavirus. Construal-level theory suggests that mediated messages can prime psychological proximity to threats, having consequences for behavior. Via two MTurk experiments, I tested a serial mediation process model predicting misinformation sharing from lexical concreteness, through psychological proximity and perceived threat. In Study 1, concrete misinformation primed psychological proximity which, in turn, increased perceived threat. Perceived threat then increased the likelihood that misinformation would be shared. Source credibility was also shown to positively influence misinformation sharing. Study 2 advanced this by showing this process was moderated by subjective knowledge. Specifically, the effect of perceived threat on misinformation sharing was stronger for those with higher subjective knowledge. Furthermore, the indirect effect of lexical concreteness on misinformation sharing was stronger for those with higher subjective knowledge. Results and limitations are discussed within the lens of construal-level theory and science communication.
Are you passing along something true or false? Dissemination of social media messages about genetically modified organisms
Authors: Xu Qian , Song Yunya , Yu Nan , Chen Shi
Published: October 2020

Using network analysis, this study investigates how information veracity and account verification influence the dissemination of information in the context of discourse about genetically modified organisms on social media. We discovered that misinformation and true information about genetically modified organisms demonstrated different dissemination patterns on social media. In general, the dissemination networks of misinformation about genetically modified organisms were found to have higher structural stability than those of true information about genetically modified organisms, as shown by the denser network structure with fewer distinct subgroups residing within the dissemination networks. More importantly, unverified account status significantly boosted the dissemination of misinformation by increasing network density. In addition, we found that the posts about genetically modified organisms from unverified accounts received more reposts and had more layers of information relay than those from the verified accounts. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings on combating misinformation are discussed in the article.
Immunoreactivity of ICAM-1, MMP-2, and Nesfatin-1 in lens epithelial cells of patients with diabetes mellitus with or without diabetic retinopathy
Authors: Turan Meydan , Turan Gulay
Published: October 2020

Purpose:

The aim of this study was to evaluate the immunoreactivity of matrix metalloproteinases-2 (MMP-2), intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), and nesfatin-1 in cataract lens epithelial cells (LECs) of patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) and to investigate the relationship of these markers with DM cataract and diabetic retinopathy (DR).

Materials and methods:

Ninety patients were included in the study. The patients were divided into three groups ( n = 30): Group 1 (control; patients without DM or DR); Group 2 (patients with DM only), and Group 3 (patients with both DM and DR). Lens capsule samples were collected during intraoperative cataract surgery. Samples were immunohistochemically stained for MMP-2, ICAM-1, and nesfatin-1 and their immunoreactivity was evaluated. The number of immunoreactive cells was determined with a microscope at ×400 magnification.

Results:

Increased MMP-2 and ICAM-1 immunoreactivity was detected in the LECs of patients with DM, and especially in patients with DR ( p < 0.001, p < 0.001, respectively). Nesfatin-1 immunoreactivity was significantly lower in LECs of diabetic patients ( p < 0.001). The mean of MMP-2 immunoreactive cells were 7.47 ± 8.18, 22.80 ± 15.70, and 34.80 ± 20.85 in Groups 1, 2, and 3, respectively. The mean of ICAM-1 immunoreactive cells were 17.10 ± 9.83, 38.50 ± 23.55, and 56.93 ± 20.94 in Groups 1, 2, and 3, respectively.

Conclusion:

Nesfatin-1, MMP-2, and ICAM-1 and could potentially play important roles in the pathogenesis of cataracts in patients with DM.
COVID-19 and Indigenous peoples in Chile: vulnerability to contagion and mortality
Authors: Millalen Pablo , Nahuelpan Hector , Hofflinger Alvaro , Martinez Edgars
Published: October 2020

This research investigates whether Indigenous Populations are disproportionately vulnerable to COVID-19 infection and deaths in Chile. To answer this question, we use a regression model to analyze data from the Chilean government. Our analysis indicates that municipalities with a higher proportion of Indigenous people evinced higher rates of infection and deaths to COVID-19. Indigenous groups were not only highly affected at the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak; their rate of infection and mortality has increased as the virus has spread to the general population. We argue that the COVID-19 pandemic can have devastating effects on Indigenous communities, mainly because it increases the historically accumulated inequalities and structural racism linked to colonization, neoliberalism, and neo-extractivism in Chile.
A ritual approach to deterrence: I am, therefore I deter
Authors: Mälksoo Maria
Published: October 2020

How can ritual help to understand the practice of deterrence? Traditional deterrence scholarship tends to overlook the active role of deterring actors in creating and redefining the circumstances to which they are allegedly only reacting. In order to address the weight of deterrence as a symbol, collective representation and strategic repertoire, this article proposes to rethink deterrence as a performative strategic practice with ritual features and critical binding, releasing and restraining functions. I posit a ritual account of deterrence to better grasp the performance, credibility and the presumed effect of this central international security practice. An understanding of deterrence as a ritual-like social practice probes the scope of rational deterrence theory, replacing its ‘I think, therefore I deter’ presumption with a socially and politically productive ‘I am, therefore I deter’ logic. Drawing on the example of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s enhanced Forward Presence, the proposed conceptualization of extended deterrence as an interaction ritual chain in allied defence, solidarity and community-building offers novel insights about the deterrence and collective identity nexus. Extended deterrence has much more than deterrence at stake: how an alliance practices deterrence tells us more about the alliance itself than about the nature of threats it responds to. The tripwire posture of the enhanced Forward Presence highlights the instrumentality of ritualization for mediating ambiguity in extended deterrence.
Do Prostitution and Social Vulnerability Go Hand in Hand? Examining the Association Between Social Background and Prostitution Using Register Data
Authors: Henriksen Theresa Dyrvig
Published: October 2020

This article provides new knowledge on the social background of women involved in indoor prostitution by integrating a novel data source in terms of administrative register data. Questions concerning dynamics of entry and whether sex-sellers have a more socially marginalised position than others have long been debated in research. Based on register data on 1128 female sex-sellers, the article takes an important step towards answering such questions by analysing and comparing the social background of sex-sellers and of a matched sample of Danish women (n = 73,320). The study includes descriptive insights into a number of indicators, including demographics, out-of-home placement, mental health problems, drug problems, incarceration, educational attainment and labour market attachment. Multivariate regression models are used to examine potential predictors of involvement in prostitution. The findings show that indoor sex-sellers often come from a socially marginalised background and experience multiple social vulnerabilities in both childhood and adulthood. Furthermore, the study shows strong associations between indicators of social vulnerability and selling sex. Especially indicators of an unstable childhood environment (e.g. out-of-home placements and mothers’ incarceration) and indicators of social marginalisation in adulthood (e.g. incarceration and mental health problems) have proven to have a strong association with involvement in prostitution as an adult.
Beyond the threshold: Exploring English language proficiency, linguistic challenges, and academic language skills of Japanese students in an English medium instruction programme
Authors: Aizawa Ikuya , Rose Heath , Thompson Gene , Curle Samantha
Published: October 2020

This article examines the relationship between Japanese undergraduate students’ English language proficiency and English language-related challenges faced when studying an international business course through English. It also examines English language proficiency thresholds students need to reach in each academic skill (i.e. reading, listening, speaking and writing) to experience a lower level of linguistic challenges. A total of 264 students were surveyed in Tokyo, Japan, and 13 follow-up interviews were conducted. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses confirmed the underlying factors in the EMI (English medium of instruction) Challenges Scale loaded onto a priori assumptions of dimensions falling along skill-based constructs. Analysis of questionnaire data revealed that English language proficiency (i.e. TOEIC score) was a statistically significant predictor of challenges in the EMI programme. While no clear discernible threshold was observed, the differences in perceived ease of study at different levels of English proficiency influenced the challenges students reported for each academic skill. Interview data uncovered the multi-faceted nature of how the thresholds are determined not only by language proficiency but also by other factors, such as prior content knowledge, motivation, and the classroom learning environment. Practical implications for pedagogy are also discussed.
Narcan as biomedical panic: The war on overdose and the harms of harm reduction
Authors: Kavanaugh Philip R
Published: October 2020

As the opioid overdose crisis in the US persists, governments have coordinated with drug companies to propagate the overdose reversal drug naloxone (Narcan) as a ‘kinder/gentler’ state response, deriving from a supposedly progressive harm reduction ethos. Drawing on Derrida’s deconstruction of pharmakon, I show how Narcan is rendered paradoxical and terminal, diverting attention from the structural antecedents of opioid addiction and resources for drug treatment while reproducing corporeal suffering in those revived. I further highlight how Narcan is positioned in a wider array of regressive governing practices that legitimate the state’s punitive drug war and demonization of drug users. Narcan thus provides a useful opening between the state and contemporary biomedicine to theorize how harm reduction and public health unfurl in insidious and corrosive ways.
Interviewing elite women professors: Methodological reflections with feminist research ethics
Authors: Ruan Nian
Published: October 2020

Interviewing senior professors in universities is a common qualitative method of conducting leadership research on higher education. Like other types of elite interviews, researching established scholars can create multiple challenges for emerging researchers because of power differences. Feminist research ethics offer principles to tackle these issues by focusing on power, boundaries and relationships in the research process. This study is based on the methodological reflections of my doctoral project: investigating intellectual leadership of 22 women full professors in Hong Kong. I argue that feminist research ethics benefit new researchers by addressing some dilemmas of elite interviews, including how to define elite participants, how to gain access, how to prepare for interviews and how to interact effectively. This empirical study sheds light on feasible practices of interviewing elite women scholars from the perspective of feminist approaches.
Semantic segmentation model for crack images from concrete bridges for mobile devices
Authors: Lopez Droguett Enrique , Tapia Juan , Yanez Claudio , Boroschek Ruben
Published: October 2020

Computer vision algorithms are powerful techniques that can be used for remotely monitoring and inspecting civil structures. Detecting and segmenting cracks in images of concrete bridges can provide useful information related to the health of the structure. There are several states of the art methods based on Deep Learning that have been used for segmentation tasks. However, most of them require a large number of parameters that limits their use in mobile device applications. Here, we propose a DenseNet architecture with only 13 layers with one feature extractor stage and two datapaths. Implementations of state of the art semantic segmentation models are also tested. The proposed model achieves better results than standard algorithms with only a fraction of the parameters making it suitable for developing mobile device applications for bridge structure monitoring. As an additional contribution, two new databases for semantic segmentation of cracks are presented. These databases are used to test all the algorithms in this work and will be available upon request. Additional experiments using a public database are also performed for the sake of comparison. The best results are obtained using the proposed DenseNet-13 architecture with only 350,000 parameters achieving an Intersection Over Union of 94.51% for crack semantic segmentation.
Covid-19 and the management of patients with inflammatory bowel disease: a practical decalogue for the post-pandemic phase
Authors: Papa Alfredo , Papa Valerio , Lopetuso Loris Riccardo , Gasbarrini Antonio , Tursi Antonio
Published: October 2020

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has raised several concerns for patients with chronic immune-mediated diseases, including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). As the outbreak appears to be in the descending phase, at least in some part of the world, as in most European countries, guidance is urgently needed to provide optimal care for our IBD patients in order to gradually and safely reduce the gap in care that has been accumulated in the months of lockdown and to face all the backlogs. Therefore, we have provided a decalogue of practical recommendations for gastroenterologists to manage patients with IBD in the post-peak phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. They include all the aspects of IBD care, not only pharmacological ones but also endoscopy, surgery, psychological treatment, telemedicine, diagnostics and educational tasks provided by doctors and patient associations.
One-year efficacy and safety of ravulizumab in adults with paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria naïve to complement inhibitor therapy: open-label extension of a randomized study
Authors: Schrezenmeier Hubert , Kulasekararaj Austin , Mitchell Lindsay , Sicre de Fontbrune Flore , Devos Timothy , Okamoto Shinichiro , Wells Richard , Rottinghaus Scott T. , Liu Peng , Ortiz Stephan , Lee Jong Wook , Socié Gérard
Published: October 2020

Background:

Ravulizumab, the only long-acting complement C5 inhibitor for adults with paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH), demonstrated non-inferiority to eculizumab after 26 weeks of treatment in complement inhibitor-naïve patients during a phase III randomized controlled trial. We present open-label extension results with up to 52 weeks of treatment.

Methods:

Patients assigned to ravulizumab every 8 weeks (q8w) or eculizumab every 2 weeks during the randomized primary evaluation period received ravulizumab q8w during the 26-week extension. Efficacy endpoints were lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) normalization, transfusion avoidance, breakthrough hemolysis (BTH), LDH levels, Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy (FACIT)-Fatigue scale, and stabilized hemoglobin. Serum free C5 levels and safety were assessed. Outcomes as of the data cut-off (4 September 2018) were summarized using descriptive statistics.

Results:

Overall, 124 patients continued ravulizumab, and 119 switched from eculizumab to ravulizumab. During the extension, 43.5% and 40.3% of patients in the ravulizumab–ravulizumab and eculizumab–ravulizumab arms, respectively, achieved LDH normalization; 76.6% and 67.2% avoided transfusion. BTH decreased in the eculizumab–ravulizumab arm; no events were associated with free C5 ⩾0.5 μg/mL while receiving ravulizumab. Overall, 73.4% and 65.5% of patients in the ravulizumab–ravulizumab and eculizumab–ravulizumab arms, respectively, achieved stabilized hemoglobin. Similar proportions of patients achieved ⩾3-point improvement in FACIT-Fatigue at week 52 (ravulizumab–ravulizumab, 64.5%; eculizumab–ravulizumab, 57.1%). All patients maintained free C5 <0.5 μg/mL during the ravulizumab extension, including those who experienced C5 excursions ⩾0.5 μg/mL while receiving eculizumab during the primary evaluation period. Adverse events were comparable between groups and decreased over time.

Conclusion:

In adult, complement inhibitor–naïve patients with PNH, ravulizumab q8w for up to 52 weeks demonstrated durable efficacy and was well tolerated, with complete and sustained free C5 inhibition and a decreased incidence of BTH with no events associated with loss of free C5 control.

Trial registration:

ClinicalTrials.gov identifier, NCT02946463
Magnesium hydroxide-incorporated PLGA composite attenuates inflammation and promotes BMP2-induced bone formation in spinal fusion
Authors: Bedair Tarek M. , Lee Chang Kyu , Kim Da-Seul , Baek Seung-Woon , Bedair Hanan M. , Joshi Hari Prasad , Choi Un Yong , Park Keun-Hong , Park Wooram , Han InBo , Han Dong Keun
Published: October 2020

Spinal fusion has become a common surgical technique to join two or more vertebrae to stabilize a damaged spine; however, the rate of pseudarthrosis (failure of fusion) is still high. To minimize pseudarthrosis, bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP2) has been approved for use in humans. In this study, we developed a poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) composite incorporated with magnesium hydroxide (MH) nanoparticles for the delivery of BMP2. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of released BMP2 from BMP2-immobilized PLGA/MH composite scaffold in an in vitro test and an in vivo mice spinal fusion model. The PLGA/MH composite films were fabricated via solvent casting technique. The surface of the PLGA/MH composite scaffold was modified with polydopamine (PDA) to effectively immobilize BMP2 on the PLGA/MH composite scaffold. Analyzes of the scaffold revealed that using PLGA/MH-PDA improved hydrophilicity, degradation performance, neutralization effects, and increased BMP2 loading efficiency. In addition, releasing BMP2 from the PLGA/MH scaffold significantly promoted the proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of MC3T3-E1 cells. Furthermore, the pH neutralization effect significantly increased in MC3T3-E1 cells cultured on the BMP2-immobilized PLGA/MH scaffold. In our animal study, the PLGA/MH scaffold as a BMP2 carrier attenuates inflammatory responses and promotes BMP2-induced bone formation in posterolateral spinal fusion model. These results collectively demonstrate that the BMP2-immobilized PLGA/MH scaffold offers great potential in effectively inducing bone formation in spinal fusion surgery.
Patients with high-grade alectinib-induced skin rash: How do we desensitize these patients? A case report and review of literature
Authors: Seegobin Karan , Majeed Umair , Lou Yanyan , Zhao Yujie , Manochakian Rami
Published: October 2020

With the advent of targeted therapy for non-small-cell lung cancer, there are many new available treatment options for patients whose cancer harbors an actionable mutation or alteration. These new medications come with numerous side effects, for some of which, the management is not well defined. Alectinib is a second-generation tyrosine kinase inhibitor approved for stage-IV lung adenocarcinoma with anaplastic lymphoma kinase gene rearrangement. Severe (⩾Grade 3) skin rash is a rare side effect of alectinib. Reintroducing alectinib in patients with severe skin rash is not well defined in the medical literature. While other case reports have outlined their approach and desensitization protocol, the maximum dose that patients were titrated up to in a desensitization protocol was 300 mg twice daily. Here, we report a case of Grade 3 skin rash secondary to alectinib, and our experience in managing the rash and reintroducing alectinib with a unique desensitization protocol to a max of 600 mg twice daily (full dose). This case could provide further guidance to oncologists managing patients with this adverse event and may aid in reducing concerns to both patients and physicians about recurrence of skin rash at the maximum dose.
Laminar analysis of the cerebellar cortex shows widespread damage in early MS patients: A pilot study at 7T MRI
Authors: Galbusera Riccardo , Parmar Katrin , Boillat Yohan , Fartaria Mario Joao , Todea Alexandra-Ramona , Brien Kieran O’ , Smolinski Anna , Kappos Ludwig , Zwaag Wietske van der , Granziera Cristina
Published: October 2020

Background

To date, little is known about the presence and extent of cerebellar cortical pathology in early stages of MS.

Objective

The aims of this study were to (i) investigate microstructural changes in the normal-appearing cerebellar cortex of early MS patients by using 7 T MRI and (ii) evaluate the influence of those changes on clinical performance.

Methods

Eighteen RRMS patients and nine healthy controls underwent quantitative T1 and T2* measurement at 7 T MRI using high-resolution MP2RAGE and multi-echo gradient-echo imaging. After subtracting lesion masks, average T1 and T2* maps were computed for three layers in the cerebellar cortex and compared between groups using mixed effects models.

Results

The volume of the cerebellar cortex and its layers did not differ between patients and controls. In MS patients, significantly longer T1 values were observed in all vermis cortical layers and in the middle and external cortical layer of the cerebellar hemispheres. No between-group differences in T2* values were found. T1 values correlated with EDSS, SDMT and PASAT.

Conclusions

We found MRI evidence of damage in the normal-appearing cerebellar cortex at early MS stages and before volumetric changes. This microstructural alteration appears to be related to EDSS and cognitive performance.
“Do I Look Like My Selfie?”: Filters and the Digital-Forensic Gaze
Authors: Lavrence Christine , Cambre Carolina
Published: October 2020

Filtered faces are some of the most heavily engaged photos on social media. The vast majority of literature on selfies have focused on self-reported practices of creating and posting selfies and how subjects view themselves, but research on using filters and the kinds of looking filter provoke is underexplored. Part of a larger project, this analysis draws from a study using photo-elicitation techniques to discuss selfie filters with 12 focus groups, exploring the dominant discourses of cis-gendered looking within digital sociality. We explore how participants edit their selfies, imagine potential audiences, interact with, and perceive the filtering behaviors of others, asking what the “work” of filters is, visually and socially. We probe the kinds of discourses filters participate in, and their gendered and affective dimensions. Our focus groups indicate that when looking at the selfies of others there is often an a priori assumption that filtering has been applied, whether conspicuously or not, to the extent that visual tune-ups have become central to the genre itself. As such, we explore the ambivalence and anxiety about authenticity that filters produce, as well as the intense looking practices aimed at decoding the legitimacy of images. We posit that filters are part of a digital ecosystem that demands an intensification of looking practices, which produce and enhance specific forms of objectification directed toward selves and others within digital environments.
Evaluation of Changes in Temperature of Zirconia Frameworks During Grinding Under Different Chair-Side Conditions: An In Vitro Study
Authors: S¸ivet Özgecan , Malkondu Özlem , Küçükkurt Sercan , Kazazoglu Ender
Published: October 2020

Aim:

To evaluate the changes in the temperature of zirconia during grinding under different clinical conditions.

Materials and Methods:

A total of 60 zirconia framework specimens were fabricated and divided into groups of 10 specimens each. Two different handpieces, namely, a high-speed handpiece (HSH) and a low-speed handpiece (LSH), were used for grinding with and without water cooling. Fine- and coarse-grit diamond burrs were used with the HSH, separately. The following six groups were created: (a) HSH fine-grit with water cooling, (b) HSH coarse grit with water cooling, (c) HSH fine grit without water cooling, (d) HSH coarse grit without water cooling, (e) LSH with water cooling, and (f) LSH without water cooling. Each zirconia framework was ground until 1 mm3 of the material was removed. Temperature values corresponding to the grinding techniques were compared and statistically analyzed. One-way analysis of variance was used to compare the group parameters, while the Tukey honest significant difference test was used to detect significant differences between the groups. The significance level was set at P <.05.

Results:

The highest mean temperature was measured in the case of grinding with the LSH without water cooling (54.7 °C ± 11.6 °C), while the lowest mean temperature was observed in the case of grinding with the HSH using the coarse-grit diamond rotary instrument under water cooling (22.6 °C ± 0.6 °C).

Conclusions:

The grinding of zirconia must be performed with an HSH under water cooling. Further, when water cooling is used, neither the type of handpiece nor the grain type of the rotary instrument used as it has a significant effect on the temperature.
Calculating the most likely intron splicing orders in S. pombe, fruit fly, Arabidopsis thaliana, and humans
Authors: Li Meng
Published: October 2020

Background

Introns have been shown to be spliced in a defined order, and this order influences both alternative splicing regulation and splicing fidelity, but previous studies have only considered neighbouring introns. The detailed intron splicing order remains unknown.

Results

In this work, a method was developed that can calculate the intron splicing orders of all introns in each transcript. A simulation study showed that this method can accurately calculate intron splicing orders. I further applied this method to real S. pombe, fruit fly, Arabidopsis thaliana, and human sequencing datasets and found that intron splicing orders change from gene to gene and that humans contain more not in-order spliced transcripts than S. pombe, fruit fly and Arabidopsis thaliana. In addition, I reconfirmed that the first introns in humans are spliced slower than those in S. pombe, fruit fly, and Arabidopsis thaliana genome-widely. Both the calculated most likely orders and the method developed here are available on the web.

Conclusions

A novel computational method was developed to calculate the intron splicing orders and applied the method to real sequencing datasets. I obtained intron splicing orders for hundreds or thousands of genes in four organisms. I found humans contain more number of not in-order spliced transcripts.
Non-invasive continuous blood pressure monitoring (ClearSight™ system) during shoulder surgery in the beach chair position: a prospective self-controlled study
Authors: Chachula Konrad , Lieb Florian , Hess Florian , Welter Joellen , Graf Nicole , Dullenkopf Alexander
Published: October 2020

Background

The beach chair position that is commonly used in shoulder surgery is associated with relative hypovolemia, which leads to a reduction in arterial blood pressure. The effects of patient positioning on the accuracy of non-invasive continuous blood pressure monitoring with the ClearSight™ system (CS-BP; Edwards Lifesciences, Irvine CA, USA) have not been studied extensively. Our research aim was to assess agreement levels between CS-BP measurements with traditional blood pressure monitoring techniques.

Methods

For this prospective self-controlled study, we included 20 consecutively treated adult patients undergoing elective shoulder surgery in the beach chair position. We performed Bland-Altman analyses to determine agreement levels between blood pressure values from CS-BP and standard non-invasive (NIBP) methods. Perioperative measurements were done in both the supine (as reference) and beach chair surgical positions. Additionally, we compared invasive blood pressure (IBP) measurements with both the non-invasive methods (CS-BP and NIBP) in a sub-group of patients (n = 10) who required arterial blood pressure monitoring.

Results

We analyzed 229 data points (116 supine, 113 beach chair) from the entire cohort; per patient measurements were based on surgical length (range 3–9 supine, 2–10 beach chair). The mean difference (±SD; 95% limits of agreement) in the mean arterial pressure (MAP) between CS-BP and NIBP was − 0.9 (±11.0; − 24.0–22.2) in the beach chair position and − 4.9 mmHg (±11.8; − 28.0–18.2) when supine. In the sub-group, the difference between CS-BP and IBP in the beach chair position was − 1.6 mmHg (±16.0; − 32.9–29.7) and − 2.8 mmHg (±15.3; − 32.8–27.1) in the supine position. Between NIBP and IBP, we detected a difference of 3.0 mmHg (±9.1; − 20.8–14.7) in the beach chair position, and 4.6 mmHg (±13.3; − 21.4–30.6) in the supine position.

Conclusions

We found clinically acceptable mean differences in MAP measurements between the ClearSight™ and non-invasive oscillometric blood pressure systems when patients were in either the supine or beach chair position. For all comparisons of the monitoring systems and surgical positions, the standard deviations and limits of agreement were wide.

Trial registration

This study was prospectively registered at the German Clinical Trial Register (www.DRKS.de; DRKS00013773). Registered 26/01/2018.
Self-rated health over the first five years after stroke
Authors: Bjälkefur Kerstin , Nasic Salmir , Bertholds Eric , Jood Katarina , Rejnö Åsa
Published: October 2020

Background

Self-rated health (SRH) focuses on the patient’s own perception, and represents an important patient-reported outcome. The aim was to investigate SRH one to 5 years after stroke, follow the development over time and search for factors associated with SRH.

Methods

Consecutive stroke patients admitted to Stroke Units at the Skaraborg Hospital, Sweden were included 2007–2009 (n = 2190). Patient-reported outcomes were collected annually over 5 years using a postal questionnaire. SRH was assessed by the question about general health from SF-36. Factors associated with SRH were investigated by multiple logistic regression analysis.

Results

Response-rate was > 90% at all time points. Overall, 40.2, 41.9, 40.7, 45.0 and 46.3% of the patients reported good SRH, 1 to 5 years after stroke. Performance in activities of daily living (ADL) was strongly associated with good SRH; 49.8 and 14.7% after 1 year in independent and dependent survivors respectively, p < 0.001. In independent survivors 1 year after stroke, good SRH was positively associated with female sex (OR = 2.0; p = < 0,001), physical activity (OR = 2.14; p = < 0,001), car driving (OR = 2.25; p = < 0,001), and negatively associated with age (OR = 0.99; p = < 0,001), pain (OR = 0.49; p = < 0,001), depression (OR = 0.30; p = < 0,001), and self-perceived unmet care needs (OR = 0.39; p = < 0,001). In dependent survivors, depression (OR = 0.23; p = < 0,001) and age (OR = 0.96; p = < 0,05), were negatively associated with good SRH 1 year after stroke. Similar patterns were observed throughout the follow-up.

Conclusion

The proportion stroke survivors reporting their health as good is slightly increasing over time. After stroke, SRH is associated with pain, depression, ability to perform activities and self-perceived unmet care needs, indicating that efforts to support stroke survivors in the chronic phase after stroke should concentrate on targeting these factors.
Ex vivo radiosensitivity is increased in non-cancer patients taking valproate
Authors: Stritzelberger Jenny , Lainer Jennifer , Gollwitzer Stefanie , Graf Wolfgang , Jost Tina , Lang Johannes D. , Mueller Tamara M. , Schwab Stefan , Fietkau Rainer , Hamer Hajo M. , Distel Luitpold
Published: October 2020

Background

Valproate (VPA) is a commonly prescribed antiepileptic drug for patients experiencing epileptic seizures due to brain tumors. VPA increases radiation sensitivity in various tumor cells in vitro due to complex mechanisms. This could make tumors more vulnerable to ionizing radiation or overcome radioresistance. Yet, clinical data on possible improvement of tumor control by adding VPA to tumor therapy is controversial. Potentially radiosensitizing effects of VPA on healthy tissue remain unclear. To determine individual radiosensitivity, we analyzed blood samples of individuals taking VPA.

Methods

Ex vivo irradiated blood samples of 31 adult individuals with epilepsy were studied using 3-color fluorescence in situ hybridization. Aberrations in chromosomes 1, 2 and 4 were analyzed. Radiosensitivity was determined by the mean breaks per metaphase (B/M) and compared to age-matched (2:1) healthy donors.

Results

The patient cohort (n = 31; female: 38.7%) showed an increase of their average B/M value compared to healthy individuals (n = 61; female: 56.9%; B/M: 0.480 ± 0.09 vs. 0.415 ± 0.07; p = .001). The portion of radiosensitive (B/M >  0.500) and distinctly radiosensitive individuals (B/M >  0.600) was increased in the VPA group (54.9% vs. 11.3 and 9.7% vs. 0.0%; p < .001). In 3/31 patients, radiosensitivity was determined prior to and after VPA treatment and radiosensitivity was increased by VPA-treatment.

Conclusions

In our study, we confirmed that patients treated with VPA had an increased radiosensitivity compared to the control group. This could be considered in patients taking VPA prior to the beginning of radiotherapy to avoid toxic side effects of VPA-treatment.
Cross-cultural adaptation of the Participation and Environment Measure for Children and Youth (PEM-CY) into German: a qualitative study in three countries
Authors: Krieger Beate , Schulze Christina , Boyd Jillian , Amann Ruth , Piškur Barbara , Beurskens Anna , Teplicky Rachel , Moser Albine
Published: October 2020

Background

Concepts such as participation and environment may differ across cultures. Consequently, to use a measure like the Participation and Environment Measure for Children and Youth (PEM-CY) in other than the original English-speaking contexts, cultural adaptation needs to be assured. The aim of this study was to cross-culturally translate and adapt the PEM-CY into German as it is used in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

Methods

Fifteen parents of children and adolescents with disabilities from three German speaking countries participated in three rounds of think-aloud interviews. We followed the procedure of cultural equivalence guidelines including two additional steps. Data was analyzed by content analysis using semantic, idiomatic, experiential and conceptual equivalence.

Results

Results show adaptations mainly focused on experiential and conceptual equivalence, with conceptual equivalence being the most challenging to reach. Examples of experiential equivalence included adapting the examples of activities in the PEM-CY to reflect those typical in German speaking countries. Conceptual equivalence mainly addressed aspects of “involvement” and “environment” of children and adolescents and was reached through adaptations such as enhanced instructions and structures, and additional definitions.

Conclusions

This study presents a cross-cultural translation and adaptation process to develop a German version of the PEM-CY that is suitable for Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Using a modified cultural adaptation process, a culturally adapted version of PEM-CY (German) is now available for research, practice and further validation.