bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Venipuncture activates the cerebral cortex in children with intellectual disability
Authors: Bembich Stefano , Morabito Giuliana , Simeon Valentina , Strajn Tamara , Rutigliano Rosaria , Di Rocco Paola , Cont Gabriele , Risso Francesco Maria , Peri Francesca , Barbi Egidio
Published: August 2020

Objective

To evaluate the pattern of cortical activation during a painful procedure, such as a venipuncture, in children with intellectual disability and compare it with that of cognitively healthy children.

Study design and setting

A cohort study was conducted and cortical activation was assessed by multichannel cerebral near-infrared spectroscopy to monitor variations in oxyhaemoglobin and deoxyhaemoglobin (Hbb) in children with and without intellectual disability during a venipuncture for blood sampling with topical anaesthesia. Pain and distress were assessed as well using different validated pain scales (visual analogue scale and Non-Communicating Children’s Pain Checklist-Postoperative Version for children with intellectual disability), and compared between groups.

Participants

16 children with severe to profound intellectual disability and 20 cognitively healthy peers (age range: 4–17 years).

Results

When Hbb was analysed, children with intellectual disability exhibited a bilateral activation of the somatosensory (p<0.006) and right motor cortex (p=0.0045), whereas cognitively healthy peers never showed a cortical activation. Children with intellectual disability also showed more pain than controls (p=0.001).

Conclusions

When subjected to a painful procedure, only children with intellectual disability show an activation of the cerebral cortex, even if topical anaesthesia is applied, and express more pain than cognitively healthy peers. The role of other issues in painful procedures, such as anxiety, fear or physical restraint, deserves further investigation.
Factors associated with blindness three months following treatment for acute
primary angle glaucoma
Authors: Li Shuning , Tang Guangxian , Fan Su Jie , Zhai Gang , Lv Jianhua , Zhang Hengli , Lu Wensheng , Jiang Jing , Lv Aiguo , Wang Ningli , Cao Kai , Zhao Jing , Vu Vivian , Mu Dapeng , Pan Xiaohua , Feng Hui , Hsia Yen C , Han Ying
Published: August 2020

Aims

To study the risk factors associated with blindness after treatment of
acute primary angle closure (APAC), and to identify the critical time window to
decrease rate of blindness.

Methods

In this multicentre retrospective case series, 1030 consecutive subjects
(1164 eyes) with APAC in China were recruited. The rates of blindness were
analysed up to 3 months after treatment of APAC. A logistic regression was used
to identify the risk factors associated with blindness, including age, gender,
distance to hospital, rural or urban settings, treatment method, education
level, time from symptom to treatment (TST, hours) and presenting intraocular
pressure (IOP). The critical time window associated with a blindness rate of
≤1% was calculated based on a cubic function by fitting TST to the rate of
blindness at each time point.

Results

The rate of blindness after APAC was 12.54% after treatment. In
multivariate regression, education level, TST and presenting IOP were risk
factors for blindness (p=0.022, 0.004 and 0.001, respectively). The critical
time window associated with a blindness rate of ≤1% was 4.6 hours.

Conclusions and relevance

Education level, TST and presenting IOP were risk factors for blindness
after APAC. Timely medical treatment is key in reducing blindness after
APAC.
Prevalence and incidence of HIV among female sex workers and their clients: modelling the potential effects of intervention in Rwanda
Authors: Nsanzimana Sabin , Mills Edward J , Harari Ofir , Mugwaneza Placidie , Karita Etienne , Uwizihiwe Jean Paul , Park Jay JH , Dron Louis , Condo Jeanine , Bucher Heiner , Thorlund Kristian
Published: August 2020

Background

Rwanda has identified several targeted HIV prevention strategies, such as promotion of condom use and provision of antiretroviral therapy (ART) and pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for female sex workers (FSWs). Given this country’s limited resources, understanding how the HIV epidemic will be affected by these strategies is crucial.

Methods

We developed a Markov model to estimate the effects of targeted strategies to FSWs on the HIV prevalence/incidence in Rwanda from 2017 to 2027. Our model consists of the six states: HIV-; HIV+ undiagnosed/diagnosed pre-ART; HIV+ diagnosed with/without ART; and death. We considered three populations: FSWs, sex clients and the general population. For the period 2017–2027, the HIV epidemic among each of these population was estimated using Rwanda’s demographic, sexual risk behaviour and HIV-associated morbidity and mortality data.

Results

Between 2017 and 2027, with no changes in the current condom and ART use, the overall number of people living with HIV is expected to increase from 344,971 to 402,451. HIV incidence will also decrease from 1.36 to 1.20 100 person-years. By 2027, a 30% improvement in consistent condom use among FSWs will result in absolute reduction of HIV prevalence among FSWs, sex clients and the general population by 7.86%, 5.97% and 0.17%, respectively. While recurring HIV testing and improving the ART coverage mildly reduced the prevalence/incidence among FSWs and sex clients, worsening the two (shown by our worst-case scenario) will result in an increase in the HIV prevalence/incidence among FSWs and sex clients. Introduction of PrEP to FSWs in 2019 will reduce the HIV incidence among FSWs by 1.28%.

Conclusions

Continued efforts toward improving condom and ART use will be critical for Rwanda to continue their HIV epidemic control. Implementing a targeted intervention strategy in PrEP for FSWs will reduce the HIV epidemic in this high-risk population.
Latent safety threat identification during in situ simulation debriefing: a qualitative analysis
Authors: Shah Sparsh , McGowan Melissa , Petrosoniak Andrew
Published: August 2020

Background

Latent safety threats (LSTs) in healthcare are hazards or conditions that risk patient safety but are not readily apparent without system stress. In situ simulation (ISS), followed by post-scenario debriefing is a common method to identify LSTs within the clinical environment. The function of post-ISS debriefing for LST identification is not well understood.

Objectives

This study aims to qualitatively characterise the types of LSTs identified during ISS debriefing.

Methods

We conducted 12 ISS trauma scenarios followed by debriefing at a Canadian, Level 1 trauma centre. We designed the scenarios and debriefing for 15 and 20 min, respectively. Debriefings focused on LST identification, and each session was audio recorded and transcribed. We used an inductive approach with qualitative content analysis to code text data into an initial coding tree. We generated refined topics from the coded text data.

Results

We identified five major topics: (1) communication and teamwork challenges, (2) system-level issues, (3) resource constraints, (4) positive team performance and (5) potential improvements to the current systems and processes.

Conclusions

During simulation debriefing sessions for LST identification, participants discussed threats related to communication and interpersonal issues. Safety issues relating to equipment, processes and the physical space received less emphasis. These findings may guide health system leaders and simulation experts better understanding of the strengths and limitations of simulation debriefing for LST identification. Further studies are required to compare ISS-based LST identification techniques.
Risk factors for fatal drowning in a Greek region: a retrospective case–control study
Authors: Kevrekidis Dimitrios Phaedon , Brousa Evdokia , Mastrogianni Orthodoxia , Orfanidis Amvrosios , Gika Helen G , Raikos Nikolaos
Published: August 2020

Background

Fatal drowning is one of the leading causes of unintentional injury mortality worldwide and a persistent public health concern in Greece. While several pathologic and sociodemographic contributing factors have been previously identified, these have not been extensively investigated in conjunction with the effects of psychoactive substances.

Methods

A retrospective case–control study of drowning deaths was conducted in the Greek regions of Northern Greece and Thessaly during a 10-year period. A regression model was constructed examining differences in detected substances, autopsy findings and sociodemographic characteristics between 240 victims of unintentional fatal submersion and 480 victims of other causes of sudden or violent death.

Results

The majority of victims were males (69.4%) and foreign nationality was associated with increased odds of drowning. Cardiomegaly and coronary bypass grafts were significantly more likely to have been recorded among drowning victims, while the frequency of other circulatory system disorders was also elevated. Several of these findings were potential arrhythmogenic substrates which could adversely interact with the diving reflex. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) were the most commonly detected pharmacological group (9.0%), and along with tramadol, there was an increased likelihood of exposure to them. These drugs have been previously associated with QT prolongation and other adverse effects which may contribute to fatal outcomes in a seawater environment. In contrast, there was a decreased risk of exposure to dependence-inducing drugs and paracetamol.

Conclusions

Male sex, older age, foreign nationality and cardiovascular disease predisposed individuals to an elevated risk of fatal submersion. SSRI antidepressants and tramadol may contribute to this outcome.
COVID-19 salivary signature: diagnostic and research opportunities
Authors: Sapkota Dipak , Søland Tine Merete , Galtung Hilde Kanli , Sand Lars Peter , Giannecchini Simone , To Kelvin K W , Mendes-Correa Maria Cassia , Giglio Daniel , Hasséus Bengt , Braz-Silva Paulo Henrique
Published: August 2020

The COVID-19 (caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)) epidemic started in Wuhan (Hubei Province, China) in mid-December 2019 and quickly spread across the world as a pandemic. As a key to tracing the disease and to implement strategies aimed at breaking the chain of disease transmission, extensive testing for SARS-CoV-2 was suggested. Although nasopharyngeal/oropharyngeal swabs are the most commonly used biological samples for SARS-CoV-2 diagnosis, they have a number of limitations related to sample collection and healthcare personnel safety. In this context, saliva is emerging as a promising alternative to nasopharyngeal/oropharyngeal swabs for COVID-19 diagnosis and monitoring. Saliva collection, being a non-invasive approach with possibility for self-collection, circumvents to a great extent the limitations associated with the use of nasopharyngeal/oropharyngeal swabs. In addition, various salivary biomarkers including the salivary metabolomics offer a high promise to be useful for better understanding of COVID-19 and possibly in the identification of patients with various degrees of severity, including asymptomatic carriers. This review summarises the clinical and scientific basis for the potential use of saliva for COVID-19 diagnosis and disease monitoring. Additionally, we discuss saliva-based biomarkers and their potential clinical and research applications related to COVID-19.
Airborne occupational exposures and inflammatory biomarkers in the Lifelines cohort study
Authors: Faruque Md. Omar , Vonk Judith M. , Bültmann Ute , Boezen H. Marike
Published: August 2020

Introduction

Inflammatory biomarkers are associated with negative health outcomes. In this study, we investigated the associations between airborne occupational exposures and levels and changes in inflammatory biomarkers.

Methods

We included 79 604 adults at baseline from the Lifelines cohort of which 48 403 (60.8%) subjects were followed for a median of 4.5 years. Airborne occupational exposures at the current or last-held job at baseline were estimated with the occupational asthma-specific job-exposure matrix. Both in cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses, we used linear regression models (adjusted for age, sex, education, monthly income, body mass index, smoking, pack-years, asthma and anti-inflammatory medication) to investigate the associations between airborne occupational exposures (allergens, reactive chemicals, pesticides and micro-organisms) and inflammatory biomarkers (C reactive protein (CRP), eosinophils and neutrophils).

Results

In the cross-sectional analyses, exposure to allergens, reactive chemicals and micro-organisms was associated with a lower (Log) CRP level (B(95% CI)=−0.05 (−0.08 to −0.02),–0.05(−0.08 to −0.02) and −0.09(−0.16 to −0.02), respectively). Likewise, exposure to allergens, reactive chemicals, pesticides and micro-organisms was associated with a lower (log) neutrophils count (−0.01 (−0.02 to −0.01), −0.01 (−0.02 to −0.01),–0.02 (−0.04 to −0.01) and −0.02(−0.03 to −0.01), respectively). No association between airborne occupational exposures and eosinophils count was found. In the longitudinal analyses, no association between airborne occupational exposures and changes in inflammatory biomarkers was found.

Conclusions

At baseline, airborne occupational exposures are inversely associated with inflammation; no effect of occupational exposures on inflammation was found at follow-up. In the future studies, details of occupational exposures, such as duration of exposures and cumulative exposures, need to be included to investigate the airborne occupational exposures and inflammatory biomarkers.
Echocardiographic diagnosis of right-to-left shunt using transoesophageal and transthoracic echocardiography
Authors: Lee Mirae , Oh Ju Hyeon
Published: August 2020

Background

The diagnosis and quantification of right-to-left shunt (RLS) using transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) as well as transoesophageal echocardiography (TOE) have not been well established. We aimed to diagnose RLS by TOE using direct visualisation of the shunt and to compare the diagnosis with TTE diagnosis using conventional methods.

Methods and results

We evaluated 141 patients with ischaemic stroke for RLS by both non-sedation TOE and TTE using saline contrast and Valsalva manoeuvre. The amount (graded as 0 to IV) and timing of RLS were demonstrated. All patients were classified into four groups by TOE based on direct visualisation of shunt through a patent foramen ovale (PFO) or either pulmonary vein: no shunt (group 1: n=11), PFO (group 2: n=47), pulmonary RLS (group 3: n=25) and indeterminate RLS (group 4: n=58). All cases in group 3 showed delayed shunt, and all cases in group 4 had small shunt. On TTE findings, all cases with early appearing large shunt (cardiac cycles ≤3 and shunt grade ≥III) were group 2. Six of the eight patients with delayed appearing large shunt on TTE were group 3. TTE diagnosis of PFO using criteria of cardiac beats ≤3 and grade ≥II had a sensitivity of 85% and a specificity of 98% compared with TOE diagnosis using shunt visualisation.

Conclusions

Compared with TOE using shunt visualisation, TTE accurately diagnosed large PFO using criteria of cardiac cycles ≤3 and shunt grade ≥III. TTE possibly diagnosed pulmonary shunt using criteria of cardiac cycles >3 and shunt grade ≥III. Both modalities showed limitations in diagnosing small amount of RLS.
Left ventricular mass and myocardial scarring in women with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy
Authors: Quesada Odayme , Park Ki , Wei Janet , Handberg Eileen , Shufelt Chrisandra , Minissian Margo , Cook-Wiens Galen , Zarrini Parham , Pacheco Christine , Tamarappoo Balaji , Thomson Louise E J , Berman Daniel S , Pepine Carl J , Bairey Merz Noel
Published: August 2020

Aims

Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) predict future cardiovascular events. We aim to investigate relations between HDP history and subsequent hypertension (HTN), myocardial structure and function, and late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) scar.

Methods and results

We evaluated a prospective cohort of women with suspected ischaemia with no obstructive coronary artery disease (INOCA) who underwent stress/rest cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (cMRI) with LGE in the Women’s Ischemia Syndrome Evaluation-Coronary Vascular Dysfunction study. Self-reported history of pregnancy and HDP (gestational HTN, pre-eclampsia, toxaemia and eclampsia) were collected at enrollment. In our cohort of 346, 20% of women report a history of HDP. HDP history was associated with 3.2-fold increased odds of HTN. Women with a history ofbothHDP and HTN had higher cMRI measured left ventricular (LV) mass compared with women with HDP only (99.4±2.6 g vs 87.7±3.2 g, p=0.02). While we found a similar frequency of LGE scar, we observed a trend towards increased LGE scar size (5.1±3.4 g vs 8.0±3.4 g, p=0.09) among the women with HDP history compared to women without.

Conclusion

In a high-risk cohort of women with suspected INOCA, 20% had a history of HDP. Women with HDP history were more likely to develop HTN. Our study demonstrates higher LV mass in women with HDP and concomitant HTN. Although the presence of LGE scar was not different in women with and without HDP history, we observed a trend towards larger scar size in women with HDP. Future studies are needed to better assess the relationship of HDP and cardiac morphology and LGE scarring in a larger cohort of women.
Why Tasmanian retailers stop selling tobacco and implications for tobacco control
Authors: Melody Shannon M , Martin-Gall Veronica A , Veitch Mark G
Published: August 2020

Introduction

The retail availability of tobacco is at odds with the health harms associated with tobacco smoking and undermines tobacco control efforts. Evidence suggests ease of access to tobacco through retail outlets contributes to smoking prevalence.

Objective

This study aimed to understand why retailers stop selling tobacco and explore possible implications for tobacco control.

Methods

The Tobacco Licensing Database maintained by the Department of Health Tasmania was used to identify and recruit past retailers who no longer held licences. Semistructured interviews were conducted to explore business demographics and the reasons they stopped selling tobacco. Interview findings were analysed using a thematic framework.

Results

Twenty former tobacco retailers participated, representing all business types except specialist tobacconists and large supermarkets. Retailers gave multiple reasons for ending tobacco sales, related to business considerations, security, tobacco regulations, ethics and health. Most often, the decision was business-related; health or ethical considerations were rarely a factor. Most retailers felt they played no role in mitigating tobacco-related harm.

Conclusions

This study provides insights into factors that make tobacco sales unattractive or unfeasible for low-volume outlets and may inform supply-focused tobacco control policy. A campaign that emphasises the possible business benefits of ending tobacco sales in favour of other higher-margin products may support retailers to transition away from tobacco sales. The regulatory obligations of selling tobacco are disincentives and create a less favourable retail environment.
Development of a hybrid soil pressure sensor and its application to soil compaction
Authors: Talesnick M. , Ringel M. , Rollins K.
Published: August 2020

A new soil pressure sensor based on a combination of the deflecting membrane and fluid-filled approaches has been developed. The advantages of this combined approach are that issues of sensor compliance are eliminated without reducing the effectiveness of the sensor to be used for dynamic measurements. Calibration and verification testing performed under controlled laboratory conditions illustrate these benefits. The new system was implemented in a full-scale field trial that involved the construction of a compacted engineered fill 1.8 m in height. As each layer of fill was placed and compacted, vertical in-soil pressure and vertical in-soil strain were continuously measured. During the vibratory compaction process both vertical soil pressure and vertical soil strain histories were captured in each layer. The data collected allowed for the determination of fill stiffness for both static and dynamic conditions. The results illustrate the effect of both confining pressure and strain level on fill stiffness. The relationship between compaction pressure and depth is clearly defined.
Monotonic invariants under blowups
Authors: Wang Zhenjian
Published: August 2020

We prove that the numerical invariant [Formula: see text] of a reduced irreducible plane curve singularity germ is non-negative, non-decreasing under blowups and strictly increasing unless the curve is non-singular. This provides a new perspective to understand the question posed by Dimca and Greuel. Moreover, our work can be put in the general framework of discovering monotonic invariants under blowups.
High-Performance Anode Materials with Superior Structure of Fe3O4/FeS/rGO Composite for Lithium Ion Batteries
Authors: Gao Ruirui , Wang Suqin , Xu Zhaoxiu , Li Hongbo , Chen Shuiliang , Hou Haoqing
Published: August 2020

In this work, we developed a simple one-step hydrothermal method to successfully prepare Fe3O4/FeS-reduced graphene oxide (Fe3O4/FeS/rGO) composite directly, which is a novel Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) anode material. The characterization of Fe3O4/FeS/rGO composite demonstrates that octahedral Fe3O4/FeS particles are uniformly deposited on the rGO, leading to a strong synergy between them. The excellent structural design can make Fe3O4/FeS/rGO composite to have higher reversible capacity (744.7[Formula: see text]mAh/g at 0.1[Formula: see text]C after 50 cycles), excellent cycling performance and superior rate capability. This outstanding electrochemical behavior can be attributed to the conductivity network of rGO, which improves the composite electrode conductivity, facilitates the diffusion and transfer of ions and prevents the aggregation and pulverization of Fe3O4/FeS particles during the charging and discharging processes. Moreover, the Fe3O4/FeS/rGO electrode surface is covered with a thin solid-electrolyte interface (SEI) film and the octahedral structure of Fe3O4/FeS particles is still clearly visible, which indicates that composite electrode has excellent interface stability. We believe that the design of this composite structure will provide a new perspective for the further study of other transition metal oxides for LIBs.
Impulsive state feedback control during the sulphitation reaction in process of manufacture of sugar
Authors: Pang Guoping , Sun Xianbo , Liang Zhiqing , He Silian , Zeng Xiaping
Published: August 2020

In this paper, the system with impulsive state feedback control corresponding to the sulphitation reaction in process of manufacture of sugar is considered. By means of square approximation and a series of switched systems, the periodic solution is approximated by a series of continuous hybrid limit cycles. Similar to the analysis of limit cycles of continuous systems, the existence and stability criteria of the order-1 periodic solution are obtained. Further, numerical analysis and discussion are given.
Diabetes and COVID-19 risk: an miRNA perspective
Authors: Mishra Paras K. , Tandon Ritesh , Byrareddy Siddappa N.
Published: August 2020

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and diabetes outcomes (CORONADO) trial revealed that 10.6% of patients with diabetes mellitus hospitalized for COVID-19 (COVID-19) die within 7 days. Several studies from New York, Italy, and China confirm that patients with diabetes are at a much higher risk for mortality due to COVID-19. Besides respiratory illness, COVID-19 increases cardiac injury and diabetic ketoacidosis. In the absence of specific guidelines for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19 for patients with diabetes, they remain at higher risk and are more susceptible to COVID-19. Furthermore, there is a scarcity of basic knowledge on how diabetes affects pathogenesis of severe acute respiratory coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) infection. In patients with diabetes, impaired glucose use alters metabolic and consequently biological processes instigating pathological remodeling, which has detrimental effects on cardiovascular systems. A majority of biological processes are regulated by noncoding microRNAs (miRNAs), which have emerged as a promising therapeutic candidate for several diseases. In consideration of the higher risk of mortality in patients with diabetes and COVID-19, novel diagnostic test and treatment strategy are urgently warranted in post-COVID-19 era. Here, we describe potential roles of miRNA as a biomarker and therapeutic candidate, especially for heart failure, in patients with diabetes and COVID-19.
Space-Efficient Key-Policy Attribute-Based Encryption from Lattices and Two-Dimensional Attributes
Authors: Liu Yuan , Wang Licheng , Shen Xiaoying , Li Lixiang , An Dezhi
Published: August 2020

Linear secret-sharing scheme (LSSS) is a useful tool for supporting flexible access policy in building attribute-based encryption (ABE) schemes. But in lattice-based ABE constructions, there is a subtle security problem in the sense that careless usage of LSSS-based secret sharing over vectors would lead to the leakage of the master secret key. In this paper, we propose a new method that employs LSSS to build lattice-based key-policy attribute-based encryption (KP-ABE) that resolves this security issue. More specifically, no adversary can reconstruct the master secret key since we introduce a new trapdoor generation algorithm to generate a strong trapdoor (instead of a lattice basis), that is, the master secret key, and remove the dependency of the master secret key on the total number of system attributes. Meanwhile, with the purpose of reducing the storage cost and support dynamic updating on attributes, we extended the traditional 1-dimensional attribute structure to 2-dimensional one. This makes our construction remarkably efficient in space cost, with acceptable time cost. Finally, our scheme is proved to be secure in the standard model.
PPARD May Play a Protective Role against the Development of Schizophrenia
Authors: Li Xinrong , Liu Sha , Kapoor Karan , Xu Yong
Published: August 2020

PPARD has been suggested to contribute to the etiology of schizophrenia (SCZ) with the underlying mechanisms largely unknown. Here, we first collected and analyzed the PPARD expression profile from three groups: (1) 18 healthy control (HC) subjects, (2) 14 clinical high-risk (CHR) patients, and (3) 19 early onset of SCZ (EOS) patients. After that, we conducted a systematical pathway analysis to explore the potential mechanisms involved in PPARD exerting influence on the pathological development of SCZ. Compared to the HC group, the expression of PPARD was slightly decreased in the EOS group (LFC=−0.34;p=0.23) and increased in the CHR group (LFC=0.65;p=0.20). However, there was a significant difference between the EOS group and the CHR group (LFC=−0.99;p=0.015), reflecting the amount of variation in PPARD expression before and after the onset of SCZ. Pathway analysis suggested that overexpression of PPARD may regulate ten proteins or molecules to inhibit the pathological development of SCZ, including the deactivation of eight SCZ promoters and stimulation of two SCZ inhibitors. Our results support the association between PPARD and SCZ. The pathways identified may help in the understanding of the potential mechanisms by which PPARD contributes to the etiology of SCZ.
The Effect of Shear Sliding of Vertical Contraction Joints on Seismic Response of High Arch Dams with Fine Finite Element Model
Authors: Guo Shengshan , Liao Jianxin , Huang Hailong , Liang Hui , Li Deyu , Chen Houqun , Zhang Aijing , Tian Yifu
Published: August 2020

The contraction joints of arch dams with and without shear keys are simplified to be with no‐slip condition and with relative sliding condition, respectively. Based on the Lagrange multiplier method, a contact model considering the manner of independent cantilever dead load type with no‐slip condition and relative sliding condition is proposed to model the nonlinearities of vertical contraction joins, which is special to the nonlinear analysis of arch dams considering the manner of dead load type. Different from the conventional Gauss iterative method, the strategy of the alternating iterative solution of normal force and tangential force is employed. The parallelization based on overlapping domain decomposition method (ODDM) and explicit message passing using distributed memory parallel computers is employed to improve the computational efficiency. An existing high arch dam with fine finite element model is analyzed to investigate the effect of shear sliding of vertical joints on seismic response of the arch dam. The result shows that the values of maximum principal tensile stress under relative sliding condition are significantly greater than those under no‐slip condition.
Design of Festival Sentiment Classifier Based on Social Network
Authors: Yuan Huilin , Song Yufan , Hu Jianlu , Ma Yatao
Published: August 2020

With the development of society, more and more attention has been paid to cultural festivals. In addition to the government’s emphasis, the increasing consumption in festivals also proves that cultural festivals are playing increasingly important role in public life. Therefore, it is very vital to grasp the public festival sentiment. Text sentiment analysis is an important research content in the field of machine learning in recent years. However, at present, there are few studies on festival sentiment, and sentiment classifiers are also limited by domain or language. The Chinese text classifier is much less than the English version. This paper takes Sina Weibo as the text information carrier and Chinese festival microblogs as the research object. CHN-EDA is used to do Chinese text data augmentation, and then the traditional classifiers CNN, DNN, and naïve Bayes are compared to obtain a higher accuracy. The matching optimizer is selected, and relevant parameters are determined through experiments. This paper solves the problem of unbalanced Chinese sentiment data and establishes a more targeted festival text classifier. This festival sentiment classifier can collect public festival emotion effectively, which is beneficial for cultural inheritance and business decisions adjustment.
Experimental Setup Employed in the Operating Room Based on Virtual and Mixed Reality: Analysis of Pros and Cons in Open Abdomen Surgery
Authors: Galati R. , Simone M. , Barile G. , De Luca R. , Cartanese C. , Grassi G.
Published: August 2020

Currently, surgeons in operating rooms are forced to focus their attention both on the patient’s body and on flat low-quality surgical monitors, in order to get all the information needed to successfully complete surgeries. The way the data are displayed leads to disturbances of the surgeon’s visuals, which may affect his performances, besides the fact that other members of the surgical team do not have proper visual tools able to aid him. The idea underlying this paper is to exploit mixed reality to support surgeons during surgical procedures. In particular, the proposed experimental setup, employed in the operating room, is based on an architecture that put together the Microsoft HoloLens, a Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) player and a mixed reality visualization tool (i.e., Spectator View) developed by using the Mixed Reality Toolkit in Unity with Windows 10 SDK. The suggested approach enables visual information on the patient’s body as well as information on the results of medical screenings to be visualized on the surgeon’s headsets. Additionally, the architecture enables any data and details to be shared by the team members or by external users during surgical operations. The paper analyses in detail advantages and drawbacks that the surgeons have found when they wore the Microsoft HoloLens headset during all the ten open abdomen surgeries conducted at the IRCCS Hospital “Giovanni Paolo II” in the city of Bari (Italy). A survey based on Likert scale demonstrates how the use of the suggested tools can increase the execution speed by allowing multitasking procedures, i.e., by checking medical images at high resolution without leaving the operating table and the patient. On the other hand, the survey also reveals an increase in the physical stress and reduced comfort due to the weight of the Microsoft HoloLens device, along with drawbacks due to the battery autonomy. Additionally, the survey seems to encourage the use of DICOM Viewer and Spectator View both for surgical education and for improving surgery outcomes. Note that the real use of the conceived platform in the operating room represents a remarkable feature of this paper, since most if not all the studies conducted so far in literature exploit mixed reality only in simulated environments and not in real operating rooms. In conclusion, the study clearly highlights that, despite the challenges required in the forthcoming years to improve the current technology, mixed reality represents a promising technique that will soon enter the operating rooms to support surgeons during surgical procedures in many hospitals across the world.
A Compressive Sensing Model for Speeding Up Text Classification
Authors: Shen Kelin , Hao Peinan , Li Ran
Published: August 2020

Text classification plays an important role in various applications of big data by automatically classifying massive text documents. However, high dimensionality and sparsity of text features have presented a challenge to efficient classification. In this paper, we propose a compressive sensing- (CS-) based model to speed up text classification. Using CS to reduce the size of feature space, our model has a low time and space complexity while training a text classifier, and the restricted isometry property (RIP) of CS ensures that pairwise distances between text features can be well preserved in the process of dimensionality reduction. In particular, by structural random matrices (SRMs), CS is free from computation and memory limitations in the construction of random projections. Experimental results demonstrate that CS effectively accelerates the text classification while hardly causing any accuracy loss.
Application of Residual Shear Strength Predicted by Artificial Neural Network Model for Evaluating Liquefaction‐Induced Lateral Spreading
Authors: Yang Yanxin , Yang Bai , Su Chunhui , Ma Jianlin
Published: August 2020

The residual shear strength of liquefied soil is critical to estimating the displacement of lateral spreading. In the paper, an Artificial Neural Network model was trained to predict the residual shear strength ratio based on the case histories of lateral spreading. High‐quality case histories were analyzed with Newmark sliding block method. The Artificial Neural Network model was used to predict the residual shear strength of liquefied soil, and the post‐liquefaction yield acceleration corresponding with the residual shear strength was obtained by conducting limit equilibrium analysis. Comparing the predicted residual shear strength ratios to the recorded values for different case histories, the correlation coefficient, R, was 0.92 and the mean squared error (MSE) was 0.001 for the predictions by the Artificial Neural Network model. Comparison between the predicted and reported lateral spreading for each high‐quality case history was made. The results showed that the probability of the lateral spreading calculated with the Newmark sliding block method using the residual shear strength was 98% if a lateral spreading ratio of 2.0 was expected and a truncated distribution was used. An exponential relationship was proposed to correlate the residual shear strength ratio to the equivalent clean sand corrected SPT blow count of the liquefied soil.
IRF9 Affects the TNF-Induced Phenotype of Rheumatoid-Arthritis Fibroblast-Like Synoviocytes via Regulation of the SIRT-1/NF-κB Signaling Pathway
Authors: Jiang Fan , Zhou Hong-Yi , Zhou Li-Fang , Zeng Wei , Zhao Li-Han
Published: August 2020

Objective: To discuss how IRF9 affects the fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLS) in TNF-induced rheumatoid arthritis (RA) via the SIRT-1/NF-κB signaling pathway. Methods: RA-FLS were isolated and divided into control, sh-IRF9, TNF, TNF + sh-Ctrl, TNF + sh-IRF9, TNF + sh-SIRT1, and TNF + sh-IRF9 + sh-SIRT1 groups. Biological features of FLS were evaluated by MTT, wound healing, and Transwell assays, respectively. Cell apoptosis and cycle were assessed flow cytometrically. Inflammatory cytokines were determined through enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), while IRF9 expression and SIRT1/NF-κB signaling pathway activity were measured by Western blotting. Results: TNF increased IRF9 expression as well as NF-κB signaling activity and down-regulated SIRT1 of RA-FLS. Silencing IRF9 resulted in up-regulation of SIRT1 and blocked NF-κB signaling, with significant decreases in TNF-induced cell viability, migration, and invasion, prominent enhancement in apoptosis and the proportion of cells in G0/G1 phase, but a decrease in the proportion of cells in S and G2/M phases, and reduced levels of inflammatory cytokines. However, these changes were totally abolished after silencing SIRT1, i.e., the IRF9 shRNA-induced inhibitory effect on the growth of RA-FLS was reversed. Conclusion: Silencing IRF9 curbs the activity of the NF-κB signaling pathway via up-regulating SIRT-1, to further suppress TNF-induced changes in the malignant features of RA-FLS, and the secretion of inflammatory cytokines, with the promoted apoptosis.
Decoding Nonconscious Thought Representations during Successful Thought Suppression
Authors: Koenig-Robert Roger , Pearson Joel
Published: August 2020

Controlling our thoughts is central to mental well-being, and its failure is at the crux of a number of mental disorders. Paradoxically, behavioral evidence shows that thought suppression often fails. Despite the broad importance of understanding the mechanisms of thought control, little is known about the fate of neural representations of suppressed thoughts. Using fMRI, we investigated the brain areas involved in controlling visual thoughts and tracked suppressed thought representations using multivoxel pattern analysis. Participants were asked to either visualize a vegetable/fruit or suppress any visual thoughts about those objects. Surprisingly, the content (object identity) of successfully suppressed thoughts was still decodable in visual areas with algorithms trained on imagery. This suggests that visual representations of suppressed thoughts are still present despite reports that they are not. Thought generation was associated with the left hemisphere, and thought suppression was associated with right hemisphere engagement. Furthermore, general linear model analyses showed that subjective success in thought suppression was correlated with engagement of executive areas, whereas thought-suppression failure was associated with engagement of visual and memory-related areas. These results suggest that the content of suppressed thoughts exists hidden from awareness, seemingly without an individual's knowledge, providing a compelling reason why thought suppression is so ineffective. These data inform models of unconscious thought production and could be used to develop new treatment approaches to disorders involving maladaptive thoughts.
Relational Integration in the Human Brain: A Review and Synthesis
Authors: Holyoak Keith J. , Monti Martin M.
Published: August 2020

Relational integration is required when multiple explicit representations of relations between entities must be jointly considered to make inferences. We provide an overview of the neural substrate of relational integration in humans and the processes that support it, focusing on work on analogical and deductive reasoning. In addition to neural evidence, we consider behavioral and computational work that has informed neural investigations of the representations of individual relations and of relational integration. In very general terms, evidence from neuroimaging, neuropsychological, and neuromodulatory studies points to a small set of regions (generally left lateralized) that appear to constitute key substrates for component processes of relational integration. These include posterior parietal cortex, implicated in the representation of first-order relations (e.g., A: B); rostrolateral pFC, apparently central in integrating first-order relations so as to generate and/or evaluate higher-order relations (e.g., A: B:: C: D); dorsolateral pFC, involved in maintaining relations in working memory; and ventrolateral pFC, implicated in interference control (e.g., inhibiting salient information that competes with relevant relations). Recent work has begun to link computational models of relational representation and reasoning with patterns of neural activity within these brain areas.
Artistic License in Heritage Visualization: VR Sydney Cove circa 1800: SIGGRAPH Asia 2019 Featured Paper
Authors: Devine Kit
Published: August 2020

Heritage visualizations are works of the cultural imaginary and this paper examines the artwork Artistic License: VR Sydney Cove circa 1800, which foregrounds the interpretive nature of heritage visualization. It is a reimagining in VR of A View of Sydney Cove, New South Wales, 1804, a contemporaneous print of Sydney Cove. Existing in the liminal space between accuracy and authenticity it is both art object and heritage visualization. The dual nature of this work supports engagement with wider audiences, fostering and broadening debate at individual, institutional, academic and societal levels about the nature and role of heritage.
Leafhopper tribe Stegelytrini (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Deltocephalinae) of the Indian subcontinent, with a note on Aeternus hieroglyphicus Distant (Cicadellidae: Athysanini)
Authors: VIRAKTAMATH C. A. , YESHWANTH H. M. , WEBB M. D.
Published: August 2020

A checklist of leafhoppers of the tribe Stegelytrini from the Indian subcontinent and a key to genera are given.  Two new species, Pachymetopius anamikus sp. nov. (India: Meghalaya) and Yaontogonia unipuncta sp. nov. (India: Arunachal Pradesh) are described and illustrated. Genus Aeternus Distant with its type species A. hieroglyphicus Distant is redescribed based on the male genitalia and its tribal placement is discussed. Habitus images of types of species except Aculescutellaris hirtellus Zhang, Wei & Webb are given.
Cost Utilization and the Use of Pulmonary Function Tests in Preoperative Liver Transplant Patients
Authors: Buggs Jacentha , LaGoy Madeleine , Ermekbaeva Aizara , Rogers Ebonie , Nyce Samantha , Patiño Diego , Kumar Ambuj , Kemmer Nyingi
Published: August 2020

Background

Pulmonary function tests (PFTs) are currently recommended for liver transplant candidates. We hypothesized that PFTs may not provide added clinical value to the evaluation of liver transplant patients.

Methods

We conducted a retrospective cohort study of adult cadaveric liver transplants from 2012 to 2018. Abnormal PFTs were defined as restrictive disease of diffusing capacity of the lungs for carbon monoxide (DLCO) <80% or obstructive disease of ratio of forced expiratory volume in the first 1 second to the first vital capacity of the lungs (FEV1/FVC) <70%.

Results

We analyzed data on 415 liver transplant patients (358 abnormal PFT results and 57 normal results). The liver transplant patients with abnormal PFTs had no difference in number of intensive care unit (ICU) days ( P = .68), length of stay ( P = .24), or intubation days ( P = .33). There were no differences in pulmonary complications including pleural effusion ( P = .30), hemo/pneumothorax ( P = .74), pneumonia ( P = .66), acute respiratory distress syndrome ( P = .57), or pulmonary edema ( P = .73). The significant finding between groups was a higher rate of reintubation in liver transplant patients with normal PFTs ( P = .02). There was no difference in graft survival ( P = .53) or patient survival ( P = .42).

Discussion

Abnormal PFTs, found in 86% of liver transplant patients, did not correlate with complications, graft failure, or mortality. PFTs contribute to the high cost of liver transplants but do not help predict which patients are at risk of postoperative complications.
Pre-Liver Transplant Coronary Artery Disease Workup for Low-Risk Patients
Authors: Buggs Jacentha , Aslam Sadaf , Walker Chelsea , Hook Madison , M. Matyja Tiffany , Rogers Ebonie , Nyce Samantha , Patiño Diego , Kumar Ambuj , Kemmer Nyingi
Published: August 2020

Background

Coronary artery disease (CAD) is a leading cause of mortality following orthotopic liver transplant, yet there is no standardized protocol for pre-liver-transplant coronary artery disease assessment. The main objective of this study was to determine the agreement between 2 methods of cardiac risk assessment: dobutamine stress echocardiogram (DSE) and coronary calcium score (CCS) and to determine which test was best able to predict coronary calcification in low-risk patients.

Methods

A retrospective study was performed using the medical records of 436 patients who received cardiac clearance for a liver transplant. A total of 152 patients’ medical records were included based on the inclusion of patients who had received both DSE and CCS. A kappa coefficient was calculated to determine the agreement between the DSE and CCS results. In addition, the positive predictive values (PPVs) of both the CCS and DSE along with cardiac catheterization indicating abdominal occlusion were analyzed to compare the accuracy of the 2 tests.

Results

It was determined that there was a 12% agreement between DSE results and CCS. It was found that the DSE had a PPV of 56% and the CCS had a PPV of 80%.

Conclusion

From this data, it was concluded that there was no agreement between the results of the CCS and the DSE. While neither the CCS nor the DSE presents an optimal method of risk assessment, the CCS had a much higher PPV and was therefore determined to be the more accurate test.
The Reason that Motivated Jonah’s Escape
Authors: Sánchez-Moreno Joseph
Published: August 2020

The author of this research seeks to clarify what was the reason that motivated Jonah’s escape from his responsibility to give Nineveh the message of salvation. The methodology used response to the historical-grammatical method and belongs to the line of biblical-theological research, in which an exegesis of 4:1–3 is made. The results indicate that the reason why Jonah fled from his responsibility is that he considered that this mission was a waste of time and resources. He is sure that the warning he was going to provide would produce true but not lasting repentance in Nineveh, which would then return to his cruel and wild habits with the nations they will conquer.