bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Translations of the Humeral Head Elicit Reflexes in Rotator Cuff Muscles That Are Larger Than Those in the Primary Shoulder Movers
Authors: Nicolozakes Constantine P. , Coats-Thomas Margaret S. , Ludvig Daniel , Seitz Amee L. , Perreault Eric J.
Published: February 2022

Muscle activation helps stabilize the glenohumeral joint and prevent dislocations, which are more common at the shoulder than at any other human joint. Feedforward control of shoulder muscles is important for protecting the glenohumeral joint from harm caused by anticipated external perturbations. However, dislocations are frequently caused by unexpected perturbations for which feedback control is essential. Stretch-evoked reflexes elicited by translations of the glenohumeral joint may therefore be an important mechanism for maintaining joint integrity, yet little is known about them. Specifically, reflexes elicited by glenohumeral translations have only been studied under passive conditions, and there have been no investigations of how responses are coordinated across the functional groupings of muscles found at the shoulder. Our objective was to characterize stretch-evoked reflexes elicited by translations of the glenohumeral joint while shoulder muscles are active. We aimed to determine how these responses differ between the rotator cuff muscles, which are essential for maintaining glenohumeral stability, and the primary shoulder movers, which are essential for the large mobility of this joint. We evoked reflexes using anterior and posterior translations of the humeral head while participants produced voluntary isometric torque in six directions spanning the three rotational degrees-of-freedom about the shoulder. Electromyograms were used to measure the stretch-evoked reflexes elicited in nine shoulder muscles. We found that reflex amplitudes were larger in the rotator cuff muscles than in the primary shoulder movers, in part due to increased background activation during torque generation but more so due to an increased scaling of reflex responses with background activation. The reflexes we observed likely arose from the diversity of proprioceptors within the muscles and in the passive structures surrounding the shoulder. The large reflexes observed in the rotator cuff muscles suggest that feedback control of the rotator cuff augments the feedforward control that serves to compress the humeral head into the glenoid. This coordination may serve to stabilize the shoulder rapidly when preparing for and responding to unexpected disturbances.
Nutritional Status and Dietary Intake of School-Age Children and Early Adolescents: Systematic Review in a Developing Country and Lessons for the Global Perspective
Authors: Khan Durray Shahwar A. , Das Jai K. , Zareen Shagufta , Lassi Zohra S. , Salman Afsah , Raashid Muhammad , Dero Aftab A. , Khanzada Aijaz , Bhutta Zulfiqar A.
Published: February 2022

Background

The prevalence of double burden of malnutrition (DBM) is high in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Data on malnutrition trends is present for children <5 years of age, however the data for school-going children and adolescents aged 5–15 years is scarce.

Objective

This systematic review presents the pooled prevalence of nutritional status and dietary intake among school-going children and adolescents (5–15 years of age) in an LMIC of Pakistan and the perspective for broader global nutrition in this age group.

Methods

An electronic search of databases was run on Pubmed and Medline (via Ovid) along with gray literature and archives of local scientific journals till 2nd January 2021. Studies meeting the eligibility criteria were included and relevant data were extracted, and a pooled proportional analysis was performed.

Results

A total of 51 studies including 62,148 children of 5–15 years met the inclusion criteria, of which 30 studies reported on anthropometric indices alone, eight on dietary intake patterns while 13 reported both. All of the included studies had a cross-sectional study design. There were 20 studies from the province of Punjab, 15 from Sindh, eight from Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa, two from Balochistan, and three from multiple cities across Pakistan. The pooled proportional analysis showed that the proportion of underweight children and adolescents was 25.1% (95% CI 17.3–33.7%); stunting 23% (95% CI 11.8–36.7%); wasting 24% (95% CI 15.2–34%); thinness 12.5% (95% CI 9.4–16.1%); overweight 11.4% (95% CI 7.2–16.3%); and obesity 6.9% (95% CI 3–12%). A relatively high intake of carbohydrates, soft drinks, and sweets/chocolates; and a low intake of protein-rich foods, fruits, and vegetables, compared to the recommended daily allowance (RDA), was reported.

Conclusion

The limited data suggests the presence of DBM amongst children aged 5–15 years and also identified that dietary intake patterns are not meeting the recommended allowance. This review highlights the gaps and the need for larger, well-designed studies for this age group with the representation of different contexts and the need for similar studies in various LMICs, so that appropriate actions be deliberated and appropriate programs should be designed focusing on this vital population.
Association of Grain Iron and Zinc Content With Other Nutrients in Pearl Millet Germplasm, Breeding Lines, and Hybrids
Authors: Govindaraj Mahalingam , Kanatti Anand , Rai Kedar Nath , Pfeiffer Wolfgang H. , Shivade Harshad
Published: February 2022

Micronutrient deficiency is most prevalent in developing regions of the world, including Africa and Southeast Asia where pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum L.) is a major crop. Increasing essential minerals in pearl millet through biofortification could reduce malnutrition caused by deficiency. This study evaluated the extent of variability of micronutrients (Fe, Zn, Mn, and Na) and macronutrients (P, K, Ca, and Mg) and their relationship with Fe and Zn content in 14 trials involving pearl millet hybrids, inbreds, and germplasm. Significant genetic variability of macronutrients and micronutrients was found within and across the trials (Ca: 4.2–40.0 mg 100 g−1, Fe: 24–145 mg kg−1, Zn: 22–96 mg kg−1, and Na: 3.0–63 mg kg−1). Parental lines showed significantly larger variation for nutrients than hybrids, indicating their potential for use in hybrid parent improvement through recurrent selection. Fe and Zn contents were positively correlated and highly significant (r = 0.58–0.81; p < 0.01). Fe and Zn were positively and significantly correlated with Ca (r = 0.26–0.61; p < 0.05) and Mn (r = 0.24–0.50; p < 0.05). The findings indicate that joint selection for Fe, Zn, and Ca will be effective. Substantial genetic variation and high heritability (>0.60) for multiple grain minerals provide good selection accuracy prospects for genetic enhancement. A highly positive significant correlation between Fe and Zn and the nonsignificant correlation of grain macronutrients and micronutrients with Fe and Zn suggest that there is scope to achieve higher levels of Fe/Zn simultaneously in current pearl millet biofortification efforts without affecting other grain nutrients. Results suggest major prospects for improving multiple nutrients in pearl millet.
Prognostic Nomogram for Rectal Cancer Patients With Tumor Deposits
Authors: Zhong Xiaohong , Wang Lei , Shao Lingdong , Zhang Xueqing , Hong Liang , Chen Gang , Wu Junxin
Published: February 2022

Aim

Tumor deposits (TDs) are an aggressive hallmark of rectal cancer, but their prognostic value has not been addressed in current staging systems. This study aimed to construct and validate a prognostic nomogram for rectal cancer patients with TDs.

Methods

A total of 1,388 stage III–IV rectal cancer patients who underwent radical surgical resection from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database were retrospectively analyzed to identify the clinical value of TDs. TD-positive rectal cancer patients in the SEER database were used as the training set to construct a prognostic model, which was validated by Fujian Cancer Hospital. Three models were constructed to predict the prognosis of rectal cancer patients with TDs, including the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression (LASSO, model 1), backward stepwise regression (BSR, model 2), and LASSO followed by BSR (model 3). A nomogram was established among the three models.

Results

In the entire cohort, TD was also identified as an independent risk factor for overall survival (OS), even after adjusting for baseline factors, stage, other risk factors, treatments, and all the included variables in this study (all P < 0.05). Among patients with TDs, model 3 exhibited a higher C-index and area under the curves (AUCs) at 3, 4, and 5 years compared with the American Joint Committee on Cancer staging system both in the training and validation sets (all P < 0.05). The nomogram obtained from model 3 showed good consistency based on the calibration curves and excellent clinical applicability by the decision curve analysis curves. In addition, patients were divided into two subgroups with apparently different OS according to the current nomogram (both P < 0.05), and only patients in the high-risk subgroup were found to benefit from postoperative radiotherapy (P < 0.05).

Conclusion

We identified a novel nomogram that could not only predict the prognosis of rectal cancer patients with TDs but also provide reliable evidence for clinical decision-making.
Clinical and Biological Interpretation of Survival Curves of Cancer Patients, Exemplified With Stage IV Non-Small Cell Lung Cancers With Long Follow-up
Authors: Baak Jan P. A. , Li Hegen , Guo Huiru
Published: February 2022

Worldwide, 18.1 million new invasive cancers and 9.9 million cancer deaths occurred in 2020. Lung cancer is the second most frequent (11.4%) and, with 1.8 million deaths, remains the leading cause of cancer mortality. About 1.7 million of lung cancers are of the non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) subtype, and of these, 60%–70% are in advanced stage IV at the time of diagnosis. Thus, the annual worldwide number of new NSCLC stage IV patients is about 1 million, and they have a very poor prognosis. Indeed, 25%–30% die within 3 months of diagnosis. However, the survival duration of the remaining 700,000 new patients per year surviving >3 months varies enormously. Surprisingly, little research has been done to explain these survival differences, but recently it was found that classical patient, tumour and treatment features cannot accurately distinguish short- and very long-term survivors. What then are the causes of these bewildering survival variations amongst “the same cancers”? Clonality, proliferation differences, neovascularization, intra-tumour heterogeneity, genetic inhomogeneity and other cancer hallmarks play important roles. Considering each of these, single or combined, can greatly improve our understanding. Another technique is analysis of the survival curve of a seemingly homogeneous group of cancer patients. This can give valuable information about the existence of subgroups and their biological characteristics. Different basic survival curves and what their shapes tell about the biological properties of these invasive cancers are discussed. Application of this analysis technique to the survival curve of 690 stage IV NSCLC patients with a 3.2–120.0-month survival suggests that this seemingly homogeneously group of patients probably consists of 4–8 subgroups with a very different survival. A subsequent detailed mathematical analysis shows that a model of 8 subgroups gives a very good match with the original survival curve of the whole group. In conclusion, the survival curve of a seemingly homogeneous group of cancer patients can give valuable information about the existence of subgroups and their biological characteristics. Application of this technique to 690 NSCLC Stage IV patients makes it probable that 8 different subgroups with very different survival rates exist in this group of cancers.
PCRRT Expert Committee ICONIC Position Paper on Prescribing Kidney Replacement Therapy in Critically Sick Children With Acute Liver Failure
Authors: Raina Rupesh , Sethi Sidharth K. , Filler Guido , Menon Shina , Mittal Aliza , Khooblall Amrit , Khooblall Prajit , Chakraborty Ronith , Adnani Harsha , Vijayvargiya Nina , Teo Sharon , Bhatt Girish , Koh Lee Jin , Mourani Chebl , de Sousa Tavares Marcelo , Alhasan Khalid , Forbes Michael , Dhaliwal Maninder , Raghunathan Veena , Broering Dieter , Sultana Azmeri , Montini Giovanni , Brophy Patrick , McCulloch Mignon , Bunchman Timothy , Yap Hui Kim , Topalglu Rezan , Díaz-González de Ferris Maria
Published: February 2022

Management of acute liver failure (ALF) and acute on chronic liver failure (ACLF) in the pediatric population can be challenging. Kidney manifestations of liver failure, such as hepatorenal syndrome (HRS) and acute kidney injury (AKI), are increasingly prevalent and may portend a poor prognosis. The overall incidence of AKI in children with ALF has not been well-established, partially due to the difficulty of precisely estimating kidney function in these patients. The true incidence of AKI in pediatric patients may still be underestimated due to decreased creatinine production in patients with advanced liver dysfunction and those with critical conditions including shock and cardiovascular compromise with poor kidney perfusion. Current treatment for kidney dysfunction secondary to liver failure include conservative management, intravenous fluids, and kidney replacement therapy (KRT). Despite the paucity of evidence-based recommendations concerning the application of KRT in children with kidney dysfunction in the setting of ALF, expert clinical opinions have been evaluated regarding the optimal modalities and timing of KRT, dialysis/replacement solutions, blood and dialysate flow rates and dialysis dose, and anticoagulation methods.
Chinese Version of the mHealth App Usability Questionnaire: Cross-Cultural Adaptation and Validation
Authors: Zhao Shuqing , Cao Yingjuan , Cao Heng , Liu Kao , Lv Xiaoyan , Zhang Jinxin , Li Yuxin , Davidson Patricia M.
Published: February 2022

Background

Mobile health (mHealth) apps have shown the advantages of improving medication compliance, saving time required for diagnosis and treatment, reducing medical expenses, etc. The World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended that mHealth apps should be evaluated prior to their implementation to ensure their accuracy in data analysis.

Objective

This study aimed to translate the patient version of the interactive mHealth app usability questionnaire (MAUQ) into Chinese, and to conduct cross-cultural adaptation and reliability and validity tests.

Methods

The Brislin’s translation model was used in this study. The cross-cultural adaptation was performed according to experts’ comments and the results of prediction test. The convenience sampling method was utilized to investigate 346 patients who used the “Good Doctor” (“Good Doctor” is the most popular mHealth app in China), and the reliability and validity of the questionnaire were evaluated as well.

Results

After translation and cross-cultural adaptation, there were a total of 21 items and 3 dimensions: usability and satisfaction (8 items), system information arrangement (6 items), and efficiency (7 items). The content validity index was determined to be 0.952, indicating that the 21 items used to evaluate the usability of the Chinese version of the MAUQ were well correlated. The Cronbach’s α coefficient of the total questionnaire was 0.912, which revealed that the questionnaire had a high internal consistency. The values of test-retest reliability and split-half reliability of the Chinese version of the MAUQ were 0.869 and 0.701, respectively, representing that the questionnaire had a good stability.

Conclusion

The translated questionnaire has good reliability and validity in the context of Chinese culture, and it could be used as a usability testing tool for the patient version of interactive mHealth apps.
Case Series: Managing Severe Mental Illness in Disaster Situation: the Croatian Experience After 2020 Earthquake
Authors: Medved Sara , Imširagić Azijada Srkalović , Salopek Igor , Puljić Dragan , Handl Hrvoje , Kovač Marina , Peleš Alma Mihaljević , Štimac Grbic Danijela , Romančuk Luka , MuŽić Roberto , Zeeman Laura Shields , Kuzman Martina Rojnić
Published: February 2022

On the 29th of December 2020, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, Petrinja in the Croatian Sisak-Moslavina County experienced a strong earthquake, resulting in a severe disruption in mental health service delivery. Specialized care community mental health teams were introduced days within the event with the aim to bridge the gap in psychiatric care that was severely disturbed in the region affected by the earthquake. Through a case series of patients with SMI, we describe how care was quickly deployed and delivered after a natural disaster and during a pandemic resulting in their functional recovery. Community mental health teams have the potential to provide feasible, comprehensive, and accessible mental health services, and their continued implementation in the post-disaster period in Croatia could be beneficial for care management of people with severe mental illness.
Feet/Footwear-Related Fall Risk Screening Tool for Older Adults: Development and Content Validation
Authors: Wingood Mariana , Peterson Elizabeth , Neville Christopher , Vincenzo Jennifer L.
Published: February 2022

Background and Purpose

Screening for feet- and footwear-related influences on fall risk is an important component of multifactorial fall risk screenings, yet few evidence-based tools are available for this purpose. We developed the Screening Tool for Feet/Footwear-Related Influences on Fall Risk to support interprofessional health care providers in their efforts to screen for feet/footwear-related influences on fall risk among community-dwelling older adults identified at risk for falling.

Materials and Methods

The study consisted of two phases. During Phase 1, results of a systematic review of lower-limb factors associated with balance and falls informed tool development. The tool's initial draft was evaluated by an external group of nine interprofessional content experts. After incorporating changes recommended by Phase 1 participants, Phase 2 was initiated. During Phase 2, eight new interprofessional experts (19.3 average years of experience) completed the three rounds of a modified Delphi study.

Results

Phase 1 experts recommended modifying eight items and rated the tool's clarity, appeal and clinical feasibility as 81.2/100, 79.1/100, and 76.1/100, respectively. Phase 2 participants suggested combining items with similar recommended actions, adding a question about orthoses, and increasing the specificity of nine items. The refinements resulted in a 20-item screening tool. Each item was approved by the Phase 2 participants with > 80% agreement after two rounds of consensus voting, reflecting the tool's high face and content validity.

Conclusion

The new screening tool has high face and content validity and supports identification of feet- and footwear-related influences on fall risk among community-dwelling older adults. The tool can be used by interprofessional healthcare providers completing a multifactorial fall risk screening on community-dwelling adults identified as being at risk for falling.
Reduced Bordetella pertussis-specific CD4+ T-Cell Responses at Older Age
Authors: Lambert Eleonora E. , van Twillert Inonge , Beckers Lisa , Poelen Martien C. M. , Han Wanda G. H. , Pieren Daan K. J. , van Els Cécile A. C. M.
Published: February 2022

Pertussis, a human-specific respiratory infectious disease caused by the Gram-negative bacterium Bordetella pertussis (Bp), remains endemic with epidemic years despite high vaccination coverage. Whereas pertussis vaccines and natural infection with Bp confer immune protection, the duration of protection varies and is not lifelong. Recent evidence indicates a considerable underestimation of the pertussis burden among older adults. Whereas the impact of increasing age on Bp-specific humoral immunity has been demonstrated, little is known on immunosenescence of CD4+ T-cell responses in the context of Bp. Here, we aimed to address whether increasing age impacts responsiveness of the Bp-specific CD4+ T-cells in the memory pool following a clinically symptomatic pertussis infection in whole cell vaccine-primed pediatric and adult cases. Cytokine and proliferative responses and phenotypical profiles of CD4+ T cells specific for Bp antigens at an early and late convalescent timepoint were compared. Responses of various Th cytokines, including IFNγ, were significantly lower in older adults at early and late timepoints post diagnosis. In addition, we found lower frequencies of Bp-specific proliferated CD4+ T cells in older adults, in the absence of differences in replication profile. Phenotyping of Bp-specific CD4+ T cells suggested reduced expression of activation markers rather than increased expression of co-inhibitory markers. Altogether, our findings show that the magnitude and functionality of the Bp-specific memory CD4+ T-cell pool decrease at older age. Declined CD4+ T-cell responsiveness to Bp is suggested to contribute to the burden of pertussis in older adults.
Language Models Explain Word Reading Times Better Than Empirical Predictability
Authors: Hofmann Markus J. , Remus Steffen , Biemann Chris , Radach Ralph , Kuchinke Lars
Published: February 2022

Though there is a strong consensus that word length and frequency are the most important single-word features determining visual-orthographic access to the mental lexicon, there is less agreement as how to best capture syntactic and semantic factors. The traditional approach in cognitive reading research assumes that word predictability from sentence context is best captured by cloze completion probability (CCP) derived from human performance data. We review recent research suggesting that probabilistic language models provide deeper explanations for syntactic and semantic effects than CCP. Then we compare CCP with three probabilistic language models for predicting word viewing times in an English and a German eye tracking sample: (1) Symbolic n-gram models consolidate syntactic and semantic short-range relations by computing the probability of a word to occur, given two preceding words. (2) Topic models rely on subsymbolic representations to capture long-range semantic similarity by word co-occurrence counts in documents. (3) In recurrent neural networks (RNNs), the subsymbolic units are trained to predict the next word, given all preceding words in the sentences. To examine lexical retrieval, these models were used to predict single fixation durations and gaze durations to capture rapidly successful and standard lexical access, and total viewing time to capture late semantic integration. The linear item-level analyses showed greater correlations of all language models with all eye-movement measures than CCP. Then we examined non-linear relations between the different types of predictability and the reading times using generalized additive models. N-gram and RNN probabilities of the present word more consistently predicted reading performance compared with topic models or CCP. For the effects of last-word probability on current-word viewing times, we obtained the best results with n-gram models. Such count-based models seem to best capture short-range access that is still underway when the eyes move on to the subsequent word. The prediction-trained RNN models, in contrast, better predicted early preprocessing of the next word. In sum, our results demonstrate that the different language models account for differential cognitive processes during reading. We discuss these algorithmically concrete blueprints of lexical consolidation as theoretically deep explanations for human reading.
Evaluation of Goal Recognition Systems on Unreliable Data and Uninspectable Agents
Authors: Rabkina Irina , Kantharaju Pavan , Wilson Jason R. , Roberts Mark , Hiatt Laura M.
Published: February 2022

Goal or intent recognition, where one agent recognizes the goals or intentions of another, can be a powerful tool for effective teamwork and improving interaction between agents. Such reasoning can be challenging to perform, however, because observations of an agent can be unreliable and, often, an agent does not have access to the reasoning processes and mental models of the other agent. Despite this difficulty, recent work has made great strides in addressing these challenges. In particular, two Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based approaches to goal recognition have recently been shown to perform well: goal recognition as planning, which reduces a goal recognition problem to the problem of plan generation; and Combinatory Categorical Grammars (CCGs), which treat goal recognition as a parsing problem. Additionally, new advances in cognitive science with respect to Theory of Mind reasoning have yielded an approach to goal recognition that leverages analogy in its decision making. However, there is still much unknown about the potential and limitations of these approaches, especially with respect to one another. Here, we present an extension of the analogical approach to a novel algorithm, Refinement via Analogy for Goal Reasoning (RAGeR). We compare RAGeR to two state-of-the-art approaches which use planning and CCGs for goal recognition, respectively, along two different axes:reliabilityof observations andinspectabilityof the other agent's mental model. Overall, we show that no approach dominates across all cases and discuss the relative strengths and weaknesses of these approaches. Scientists interested in goal recognition problems can use this knowledge as a guide to select the correct starting point for their specific domains and tasks.
Urine Analysis has a Very Broad Prospect in the Future
Authors: Zhang Zijuan , Liu Jingnan , Cheng Yaxing , Chen Jian , Zhao Huihui , Ren Xiaoqiao
Published: February 2022

Medical tests are playing an increasingly important role in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases. Urine tests, blood tests and stool tests together constitute the three major routine examination items of modern medicine and are an important part of medical tests. Urine is a body fluid normally metabolized by the human body. Compared with using blood as a test sample, using urine as a medical test sample has many advantages, such as non-invasiveness and convenient collection. This article discusses the advantages of urine test compared with blood test, the understanding and application of urine in traditional medicine, the application of urine test in social life, the current dilemma and the future urine test may play a greater role The value and advantages are discussed, aiming to increase people’s attention to urine testing by explaining the advantages of urine testing, and to discover more functions of urine testing, thereby optimizing medical testing methods and reducing the pain and fear of patients. Improve inspection efficiency, reduce national and personal medical inspection expenditures, and save medical resources.
Visual Haptic Feedback for Training of Robotic Suturing
Authors: Jourdes François , Valentin Brice , Allard Jérémie , Duriez Christian , Seeliger Barbara
Published: February 2022

Current surgical robotic systems are teleoperated and do not have force feedback. Considerable practice is required to learn how to use visual input such as tissue deformation upon contact as a substitute for tactile sense. Thus, unnecessarily high forces are observed in novices, prior to specific robotic training, and visual force feedback studies demonstrated reduction of applied forces. Simulation exercises with realistic suturing tasks can provide training outside the operating room. This paper presents contributions to realistic interactive suture simulation for training of suturing and knot-tying tasks commonly used in robotically-assisted surgery. To improve the realism of the simulation, we developed a global coordinate wire model with a new constraint development for the elongation. We demonstrated that a continuous modeling of the contacts avoids instabilities during knot tightening. Visual cues are additionally provided, based on the computation of mechanical forces or constraints, to support learning how to dose the forces. The results are integrated into a powerful system-agnostic simulator, and the comparison with equivalent tasks performed with the da Vinci Xi system confirms its realism.
Factors Associated With E. coli Levels in and Salmonella Contamination of Agricultural Water Differed Between North and South Florida Waterways
Authors: Murphy Claire M. , Strawn Laura K. , Chapin Travis K. , McEgan Rachel , Gopidi Sweeya , Friedrich Loretta , Goodridge Lawrence D. , Weller Daniel L. , Schneider Keith R. , Danyluk Michelle D.
Published: February 2022

The microbial quality of agricultural water is often assessed using fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) and physicochemical parameters. The presence, direction, and strength of associations between microbial and physicochemical parameters, and the presence of human pathogens in surface water vary across space (e.g., region) and time. This study was undertaken to understand these associations in two produce-growing regions in Florida, USA, and to examine the pathogen ecology in waterways used for produce production. The relationship between Salmonella presence, and microbial and physicochemical water quality; as well as weather and land use factors were evaluated. Water samples were collected from six sites in North Florida (N = 72 samples) and eight sites in South Florida (N = 96 samples) over 12 sampling months. Land use around each sampling site was characterized, and weather and water quality data were collected at each sampling. Salmonella, generic Escherichia coli, total coliform, and aerobic plate count bacteria populations were enumerated in each sample. Univariable and multivariable regression models were then developed to characterize associations between microbial water quality (i.e., E. coli levels and Salmonella presence), and water quality, weather, and land use factors separately for North and South Florida. The E. coli and total coliforms mean concentrations (log10 MPN/100 mL) were 1.8 ± 0.6 and >3.0 ± 0.4 in North and 1.3 ± 0.6 and >3.3 ± 0.2 in South Florida waterways, respectively. While Salmonella was detected in 23.6% (17/72) of North Florida and 28.1% (27/96) of South Florida samples, the concentration ranged between <0.48 and 1.4 log10 MPN/100 mL in North Florida, and <0.48 and 3.0 log10 MPN/100 mL in South Florida. Regression analyses showed no evidence of a correlation between either log10 total coliforms or E. coli levels, and if a sample was Salmonella-positive. The factors associated with Salmonella presence and log10E. coli levels in North Florida differed from those in South Florida; no factors retrained in multivariable regression models were the same for the North and South Florida models. The differences in associations between regions highlight the complexity of understanding pathogen ecology in freshwater environments and suggest substantial differences between intra-state regions in risk factors for Salmonella contamination of agricultural water.
Do Neighbors Affect People's Demand for the Biodiversity Conservation Project in the U Minh Ha Peat Swamp Forest of the Mekong Delta, Vietnam?
Authors: Khai Huynh Viet , Utsunomiya Yuzuru , Khong Tien Dung , Khoi Le Nguyen Doan
Published: February 2022

Despite incentives and measures taken to improve forest conservation, deforestation in Vietnam continues to increase. Seeking community participation in this activity is considered one of the most effective measures in developing countries. This research, therefore, applies the contingent valuation method (CVM) approach to estimate the residents' demand or willingness to pay for the U Minh Ha forest conservation project in Vietnam. The results indicated that respondents were willing to contribute about 4.3 kg of rice per month to the project. The results also indicated that respondents who knew neighbors' participation in the conservation project and thought that forest ecotourism had benefits for their families were more likely to contribute to the conservation project. We then conclude that forest sustainability in developing countries significantly depends on the community's preferences and is robust by neighbor participation.
Endoscopic vs. Microscopic Transsphenoidal Surgery for the Treatment of Pituitary Adenoma: A Meta-Analysis
Authors: Chen Jia , Liu Hongyan , Man Siliang , Liu Geng , Li Quan , Zuo Qingyao , Huo Lili , Li Wei , Deng Wei
Published: February 2022

Purpose

Currently, endoscopic transsphenoidal surgery (ETS) and microscopic transsphenoidal surgery (MTS) are commonly applied treatments for patients with pituitary adenomas. This meta-analysis was conducted to evaluate the efficacy and safety of ETS and MTS for these patients.

Methods

A computer search of Pubmed, Embase, Cochrane library, Web of Science, and Google Scholar databases was conducted for studies investigating ETS and MTS for patients with pituitary adenomas. The deadline is March 01, 2021. RevMan5.1 software was used to complete this meta-analysis after literature screening, data extraction, and literature quality evaluation.

Results

A total of 37 studies including 5,591 patients were included. There was no significant difference in gross tumor removal (GTR) and hormone-excess secretion remission (HES remission) between two groups [RR = 1.10, 95% CI (0.99–1.22), P = 0.07; RR = 1.09, 95% CI (1.00–1.20), P = 0.05]. ETS was associated with lower incidence of diabetes insipidus (DI) [RR = 0.71, 95% CI (0.58–0.87), P = 0.0008], hypothyroidism [RR = 0.64, 95% CI (0.47–0.89), P = 0.007], and septal perforation [RR = 0.32, 95% CI (0.13–0.79), P = 0.01] than those with MTS.

Conclusion

This meta-analysis indicated that ETS cannot significantly improve GTR and HES remission. However, ETS could reduce the incidence of DI, hypothyroidism, and septal perforation without increasing the rate of other complications.

Systematic Review Registration

https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/#myprospero, identifier: CRD42021241217.
Uterine Artery Embolization on Serum β-HCG Levels, Fertility Function and Clinical Efficacy in Patients With Cesarean Uterine Scar Pregnancy
Authors: Zhu Wenyang , Zhang Xiaofang , Liu Chang , Liu Yang , Xu Wei
Published: February 2022

Objective

To analyze the therapeutic effect of uterine artery embolisation (UAE) in patients with cesarean section pregnancy (CSP) delivered by cesarean section and the effect on serum human chorionic gonadotrophin (β-HCG) levels and reproductive function.

Methods

In total 142 patients with CSP, The control group (n = 71) received Methotrexate (MTX) with ultrasound monitoring after admission and the research group (n = 71) was treated with UAE on basic of the control group. The two groups were compared in terms of treatment outcome, intraoperative bleeding, bed activity, vaginal bleeding and length of hospital stay, and serum follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), oestradiol (E2), luteinising hormone (LH) and β-HCG levels at 1 month postoperatively. The clinical symptoms (normalization of β-HCG and return of menstruation) and clinical outcomes (normal pregnancy, recurrent scar pregnancy) were compared between the two groups, as well as the occurrence of post-operative complications in both groups.

Results

Compared with the control group, the research group had a higher overall near-term effective rate, a lower recurrence rate of CSP in pregnancy, and a lower complication rate (P < 0.05); meanwhile, the time to get out of bed, postoperative vaginal bleeding, length of hospital stay, normalization of serum β-HCG, and return to menstruation were shorter in the research group than in the control group (P < 0.05); In addition, serum FSH, E2, LH and β-HCG levels improved better in the research group compared with the control group 1 month after surgery (P < 0.05).

Conclusion

The treatment of CSP patients with UAE can reduce the amount of intraoperative bleeding and the duration of vaginal bleeding, promote the improvement of patients' clinical symptoms, have less impact on the disruption of patients' sex hormone balance, reduce patients' surgical risks to a greater extent, preserve patients' normal fertility, and have better application.
Utility of Three-Dimensional Printed Model in Biventricular Repair of Complex Congenital Cardiac Defects: Case Report and Review of Literature
Authors: Betancourt Lauren Gabriel , Wong Si Hui , Singh Harinder R. , Nento Daniel , Agarwal Arpit
Published: February 2022

Heterotaxy is a rare syndrome associated with cardiac complexity, anatomic variability and high morbidity and mortality. It is often challenging to visualize and provide an accurate diagnosis of the cardiac anatomy prior to surgery with the use of conventional imaging techniques. We report a unique case demonstrating how the use of three-dimensional (3D) cardiac printed model allowed us to better understand the anatomical complexity and plan a tailored surgical approach for successful biventricular repair in a patient with heterotaxy syndrome.
Detailed Analysis of the Effects of Biodiesel Fraction Increase on the Combustion Stability and Characteristics of a Reactivity-Controlled Compression Ignition Diesel-Biodiesel/Natural Gas Engine
Authors: Zarrinkolah Mohammad Taghi , Hosseini Vahid
Published: February 2022

A single-cylinder marine diesel engine was modified to be operated in reactivity controlled compression ignition (RCCI) combustion mode. The engine fueling system was upgraded to a common rail fuel injection system. Natural gas (NG) was used as port fuel injection, and a diesel/sunflower methyl ester biodiesel mixture was used for direct fuel injection. The fraction of biodiesel in the direct fuel injection was changed from 0% (B0; 0% biodiesel and 100% diesel) to 5% (B5) and 20% (B20) while keeping the total energy input into the engine constant. The objective was to understand the impacts of the increased biodiesel fraction on the combustion characteristics and stability, emissions, and knocking/misfiring behavior, keeping all other influential parameters constant. The results showed that nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions of B5 and B20 without the need for any after-treatment devices were lower than the NOx emission limit of the Euro VI stationary engine regulation. B5 and B20 NOx emissions decreased by more than 70% compared to the baseline. Significantly more unburned hydrocarbons (UHCs) and carbon monoxide (CO) emissions were produced when biodiesel was used in the direct fuel injection (DFI). The results also showed that using B5 and B20 instead of B0 led to an increase of 18% and 13.5% in UHCs and an increase of 88.5% and 97% in CO emissions, respectively. Increasing the biodiesel fraction to B5 and B20 reduced the maximum in-cylinder pressure by 3% and 10.2%, respectively, compared to B0. Combustion instability is characterized by the coefficient of variation (COV) of the indicated mean effective pressure (IMEP), which was measured as 4.2% for B5 and 4.8% for B20 compared to 1.8% for B0. Therefore, using B20 and B5 resulted in up to 34.9% combustion instabilities, and 18.5% compared to the baseline case. The tendency for knocking decreased from 13.7% for B0 to 4.3% for B20. The baseline case (B0) had no misfiring cycle. The B5 case had some misfiring cycles, but no knocking cycle was observed. Moreover, the historical cyclic analysis showed more data dispersions when the biodiesel fraction increased in DFI. This study shows the potential of biodiesel replacement in NG/diesel RCCI combustion engines. This study shows that biodiesel can be used to effectively reduce NOx emissions and the knocking intensity of RCCI combustion. However, combustion instability needs to be monitored.
Evaluation of Drive Cycle-Based Traction Motor Design Strategies Using Gradient Optimisation
Authors: Pastellides Stavros , Gerber Stiaan , Wang Rong-Jie , Kamper Maarten
Published: February 2022

In this paper, two design optimisation methods are evaluated using gradient-based optimisation for electric vehicle traction applications. A driving cycle-based approach is used to evaluate specific operational points for the design optimisation procedure. To determine the operational points, an energy centre of gravity (ECG) approach is used. Both optimisation methods are described, namely the point based method and the flux mapping method, with a focus on the flux mapping procedure. Within the flux mapping approach, an inner optimisation loop is defined in order to maintain the stability of gradient calculation for the gradient-based optimisation. An emphasis is placed on the importance of how the optimisation problem is defined, in terms of the objective function and constraints, and how it affects a gradient based optimisation. Based on a design case study conducted in the paper, it is found that the point-based strategy realised motor designs with a slightly lower overall cost (5.66% lower than that of the flux mapping strategy with 8 ECG points), whereas the flux mapping strategy found motor designs with a lower input energy (1.48% lower than that of the point-based strategy with 8 ECG points). This may be attributed to the difference in the definition and interpretation of constraints between these two methods. It is also shown that including more operational points from the driving cycle in the design optimisation leads to designs with reduced total input energy and thus better drive-cycle energy efficiency. This paper further illustrates the significant computational advantages of a gradient-based optimisation over a global optimisation method as it can be completed within a fraction of the time while still finding a global optimum, as long as the problem definition is correctly determined.
The Unit Teissier Distribution and Its Applications
Authors: Krishna Anuresha , Maya Radhakumari , Chesneau Christophe , Irshad Muhammed Rasheed
Published: February 2022

A bounded form of the Teissier distribution, namely the unit Teissier distribution, is introduced. It is subjected to a thorough examination of its important properties, including shape analysis of the main functions, analytical expression for moments based on upper incomplete gamma function, incomplete moments, probability-weighted moments, and quantile function. The uncertainty measures Shannon entropy and extropy are also performed. The maximum likelihood estimation, least square estimation, weighted least square estimation, and Bayesian estimation methods are used to estimate the parameters of the model, and their respective performances are assessed via a simulation study. Finally, the competency of the proposed model is illustrated by using two data sets from diverse fields.
Veno-Arterial Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation in Patients with Fulminant Myocarditis: A Review of Contemporary Literature
Authors: Venkataraman Shreyas , Bhardwaj Abhishek , Belford Peter Matthew , Morris Benjamin N. , Zhao David X. , Vallabhajosyula Saraschandra
Published: February 2022

Fulminant myocarditis is characterized by life threatening heart failure presenting as cardiogenic shock requiring inotropic or mechanical circulatory support to maintain tissue perfusion. There are limited data on the role of veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) in the management of fulminant myocarditis. This review seeks to evaluate the management of fulminant myocarditis with a special emphasis on the role and outcomes with VA-ECMO use.
Towards Transient Electronics through Heat Triggered Shattering of Off-the-Shelf Electronic Chips
Authors: Pandey Shashank , Mastrangelo Carlos
Published: February 2022

With most of the critical data being stored in silicon (Si) based electronic devices, there is a need to develop such devices with a transient nature. Here, we have focused on developing a programmable and controllable heat triggered shattering transience mechanism for any off-the-shelf (OTS) Si microchip as a means to develop transient electronics which can then be safely and rapidly disabled on trigger when desired. This transience mechanism is based on irreversible and spontaneous propagation of cracks that are patterned on the back of the OTS chip in the form of grooves and then filled with thermally expandable (TE) material. Two types of TE materials were used in this study, commercially available microsphere particles and a developed elastomeric material. These materials expand >100 times their original volume on the application of heat which applies wedging stress of the groove boundaries and induces crack propagation resulting in the complete shattering of the OTS Si chip into tiny silicon pieces. Transience was controlled by temperature and can be triggered at ~160–190 °C. We also demonstrated the programmability of critical parameters such as transience time (0.35–12 s) and transience efficiency (5–60%) without the knowledge of material properties by modeling the swelling behavior using linear viscoelastic models.
Nutritional and Nutraceutical Properties of Mexican Traditional Mole Sauce
Authors: Campos-Montiel Rafael , Medina-Pérez Gabriela , Vázquez-Nuñez Edgar , Afanador-Barajas Laura , Hernández-Soto Iridiam , Ahmad Nayik Gulzar , González-Montiel Lucio , Alkafafy Mohamed
Published: February 2022

Mole sauce is one of the traditional Mexican foods; it is a complex mixture of ingredients of diverse origins that directly influence its nutritional value. The objective of this study was to investigate the antioxidant properties and nutritional components in five varieties of mole from Hidalgo in Mexico namely verde (V), ranchero (R), almendrado (A), casero (C), and pipian (P). Proximal chemical analysis and determination of the color index and the content of total starch, dietary fiber, mineral content (Ca, Na, K, and Mg), total phenolic content, and antioxidant activity by ABTS (2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid)) and DPPH (2,2-diphenylpicrylhydrazyl) were carried out. All the five varieties of mole reported less than 25% moisture content while fat content varied from 42.9% to 58.25%. The color index ranged from a deep orange to a deep red color. A fair percentage of dietary fiber was found in all mole varieties with a low amount of starch as well. The presence of mostly insoluble dietary fiber, high phenolic content (36.13–79.49 mg GAE/100 g), and high antioxidant activity could be considered important strengths to boost the consumption of these traditional preparations. This research will contribute to a better scientific knowledge of traditional Mexican sauces as functional foods or nutraceuticals that could be used to avoid health disorders.
Preparation of Synthetic and Natural Derivatives of Flavonoids Using Suzuki–Miyaura Cross-Coupling Reaction
Authors: Hurtová Martina , Biedermann David , Osifová Zuzana , Cvačka Josef , Valentová Kateřina , Křen Vladimír
Published: February 2022

Herein, we report the use of the Suzuki–Miyaura cross-coupling reaction for the preparation of a library of synthetic derivatives of flavonoids for biological activity assays. We have investigated the reactivity of halogenated flavonoids with aryl boronates and with boronyl flavonoids. This reaction was used to prepare new synthetic derivatives of flavonoids substituted at C-8 with aryl, heteroaryl, alkyl, and boronate substituents. The formation of flavonoid boronate enabled a cross-coupling reaction with halogenated flavones yielding biflavonoids connected at C-8. This method was used for the preparation of natural compounds including C-8 prenylated compounds, such as sinoflavonoid NB. Flavonoid boronates were used for the preparation of rare C-8 hydroxyflavonoids (natural flavonoids gossypetin and hypolaetin). A series of previously unknown derivatives of quercetin and luteolin were prepared and fully characterized.