bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Why women die after reaching the hospital: a qualitative critical incident analysis of the ‘third delay’ in postconflict northern Uganda
Authors: Alobo Gasthony , Ochola Emmanuel , Bayo Pontius , Muhereza Alex , Nahurira Violah , Byamugisha Josaphat
Published: March 2021

Objectives

To critically explore and describe the pathways that women who require emergency obstetrics and newborn care (EmONC) go through and to understand the delays in accessing EmONC after reaching a health facility in a conflict-affected setting.

Design

This was a qualitative study with two units of analysis: (1) critical incident technique (CIT) and (2) key informant interviews with health workers, patients and attendants.

Setting

Thirteen primary healthcare centres, one general private-not-for-profit hospital, one regional referral hospital and one teaching hospital in northern Uganda.

Participants

Forty-nine purposively selected health workers, patients and attendants participated in key informant interviews. CIT mapped the pathways for maternal deaths and near-misses selected based on critical case purposive sampling.

Results

After reaching the health facility, a pregnant woman goes through a complex pathway that leads to delays in receiving EmONC. Five reasons were identified for these delays: shortage of medicines and supplies, lack of blood and functionality of operating theatres, gaps in staff coverage, gaps in staff skills, and delays in the interfacility referral system. Shortage of medicines and supplies was central in most of the pathways, characterised by three patterns: delay to treat, back-and-forth movements to buy medicines or supplies, and multiple referrals across facilities. Some women also bypassed facilities they deemed to be non-functional.

Conclusion

Our findings show that the pathway to EmONC is precarious and takes too long even after making early contact with the health facility. Improvement of skills, better management of the meagre human resource and availing essential medical supplies in health facilities may help to reduce the gaps in a facility’s emergency readiness and thus improve maternal and neonatal outcomes.
Anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody responses are attenuated in patients with IBD treated with infliximab
Authors: Kennedy Nicholas A , Goodhand James R , Bewshea Claire , Nice Rachel , Chee Desmond , Lin Simeng , Chanchlani Neil , Butterworth Jeffrey , Cooney Rachel , Croft Nicholas M , Hart Ailsa L , Irving Peter M , Kok Klaartje B , Lamb Christopher A , Limdi Jimmy K , Macdonald Jonathan , McGovern Dermot PB , Mehta Shameer J , Murray Charles D , Patel Kamal V , Pollok Richard CG , Raine Timothy , Russell Richard K , Selinger Christian P , Smith Philip J , Bowden Jack , McDonald Timothy J , Lees Charlie W , Sebastian Shaji , Powell Nicholas , Ahmad Tariq
Published: March 2021

Objective

Antitumour necrosis factor (anti-TNF) drugs impair protective immunity following pneumococcal, influenza and viral hepatitis vaccination and increase the risk of serious respiratory infections. We sought to determine whether infliximab-treated patients with IBD have attenuated serological responses to SARS-CoV-2 infections.

Design

Antibody responses in participants treated with infliximab were compared with a reference cohort treated with vedolizumab, a gut-selective anti-integrin α4β7 monoclonal antibody that is not associated with impaired vaccine responses or increased susceptibility to systemic infections. 6935 patients were recruited from 92 UK hospitals between 22 September and 23 December 2020.

Results

Rates of symptomatic and proven SARS-CoV-2 infection were similar between groups. Seroprevalence was lower in infliximab-treated than vedolizumab-treated patients (3.4% (161/4685) vs 6.0% (134/2250), p<0.0001). Multivariable logistic regression analyses confirmed that infliximab (vs vedolizumab; OR 0.66 (95% CI 0.51 to 0.87), p=0.0027) and immunomodulator use (OR 0.70 (95% CI 0.53 to 0.92), p=0.012) were independently associated with lower seropositivity. In patients with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection, seroconversion was observed in fewer infliximab-treated than vedolizumab-treated patients (48% (39/81) vs 83% (30/36), p=0.00044) and the magnitude of anti-SARS-CoV-2 reactivity was lower (median 0.8 cut-off index (0.2–5.6) vs 37.0 (15.2–76.1), p<0.0001).

Conclusions

Infliximab is associated with attenuated serological responses to SARS-CoV-2 that were further blunted by immunomodulators used as concomitant therapy. Impaired serological responses to SARS-CoV-2 infection might have important implications for global public health policy and individual anti-TNF-treated patients. Serological testing and virus surveillance should be considered to detect suboptimal vaccine responses, persistent infection and viral evolution to inform public health policy.

Trial registration number

ISRCTN45176516.
IHC versus FISH versus NGS to detect ALK gene rearrangement in NSCLC: all questions answered?
Authors: Batra Ullas , Nathany Shrinidhi , Sharma Mansi , Pasricha Sunil , Bansal Abhishek , Jain Parveen , Mehta Anurag
Published: March 2021

Aims

Anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) rearranged non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) is a distinct molecular subtype and rapid approval ofALKtyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) has necessitated rapid and sensitive diagnostic modalities for the detection of this alteration. Gene rearrangements can be identified using many techniques including fluorescence in situ hybridisation (FISH), reverse transcriptase-PCR, next-generation sequencing (NGS) and immunohistochemistry (IHC) for fusion oncoprotein expression. We aimed to determine the concordance between IHC, FISH and NGS forALKbiomarker detection, and determine differences in sensitivity, and survival outcomes.

Methods

We analysed the concordance between IHC using D5F3 monoclonal antibody, FISH (break-apart) and NGS using a custom panel containing 71 differentALKvariants.

Results

Among 71 cases included in this study, FISH was evaluable in 58 cases. The concordance of ALK IHC with FISH was 75.9% and that with NGS was 84.5%. The sensitivities of FISH and NGS were 75.6% and 87.5%, respectively. The median progression-free survival of ALK IHC-positive and FISH-negative group was 5.5 months and that of both positive was 9.97 months.

Conclusion

Although NGS offers a better throughput and visualisation, IHC still remains the quintessential screening tool in upfront diagnosis of ALK rearranged NSCLC.
Emerging roles of rare and low-frequency genetic variants in type 1 diabetes mellitus
Authors: Pang Haipeng , Xia Ying , Luo Shuoming , Huang Gan , Li Xia , Xie Zhiguo , Zhou Zhiguang
Published: March 2021

Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) is defined as an autoimmune disorder and has enormous complexity and heterogeneity. Although its precise pathogenic mechanisms are obscure, this disease is widely acknowledged to be precipitated by environmental factors in individuals with genetic susceptibility. To date, the known susceptibility loci, which have mostly been identified by genome-wide association studies, can explain 80%–85% of the heritability of T1DM. Researchers believe that at least a part of its missing genetic component is caused by undetected rare and low-frequency variants. Most common variants have only small to modest effect sizes, which increases the difficulty of dissecting their functions and restricts their potential clinical application. Intriguingly, many studies have indicated that rare and low-frequency variants have larger effect sizes and play more significant roles in susceptibility to common diseases, including T1DM, than common variants do. Therefore, better recognition of rare and low-frequency variants is beneficial for revealing the genetic architecture of T1DM and for providing new and potent therapeutic targets for this disease. Here, we will discuss existing challenges as well as the great significance of this field and review current knowledge of the contributions of rare and low-frequency variants to T1DM.
Allocating scarce life-saving resources: the proper role of age
Authors: Persad Govind , Joffe Steven
Published: March 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced clinicians, policy-makers and the public to wrestle with stark choices about who should receive potentially life-saving interventions such as ventilators, ICU beds and dialysis machines if demand overwhelms capacity. Many allocation schemes face the question of whether to consider age. We offer two underdiscussed arguments for prioritising younger patients in allocation policies, which are grounded in prudence and fairness rather than purely in maximising benefits: prioritising one’s younger self for lifesaving treatments is prudent from an individual perspective, and prioritising younger patients works to narrow health disparities by giving priority to patients at risk of dying earlier in life, who are more likely to be subject to systemic disadvantage. We then identify some confusions in recent arguments against considering age.
Ka mura ka muri: understandings of organ donation and transplantation in Aotearoa New Zealand
Authors: Shaw Rhonda , Webb Robert
Published: March 2021

In this article, we refer to the separation of solid organs from the body as bio-objects. We suggest that the transfer of these bio-objects is connected to emotions and affects that carry a range of different social and cultural meanings specific to the context of Aotearoa New Zealand. The discussion draws on research findings from a series of qualitative indepth interview studies conducted from 2008 to 2013 with Māori (the Indigenous people of Aotearoa New Zealand) and Pākehā (European settler New Zealanders) concerning their views on organ donation and transplantation. Our findings show both differences and similarities between Māori and Pākehā understandings of transplantation. Nevertheless, while many Māori draw on traditional principles, values and beliefs to reflect on their experiences in relation to embodiment, gift-giving, identity and well-being, Pākehā tend to subscribe to more Western understandings of identity in terms of health and well-being, in line with international literature on the topic. Rather than reflecting individualistic notions of the body and transplantation as the endpoint of healthcare as do Pākehā, Māori views are linked to wider conceptions of family, ancestry and belonging, demonstrating how different rationalities and ontologies affect practices and understandings surrounding organ transfer technology. In the article, we focus predominantly on Māori perspectives of organ transfer, contextualising the accounts and experiences of our research participants against the backdrop of a long history of settler colonialism and health inequalities in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Characteristics and changes over time of nicotine vaping products used by vapers in the 2016 and 2018 ITC Four Country Smoking and Vaping Surveys
Authors: Felicione Nicholas J , Fix Brian Vincent , McNeill Ann , Cummings K. Michael , Goniewicz Maciej Lukasz , Hammond David , Borland Ron , Heckman Bryan W , Bansal-Travers Maansi , Gravely Shannon , Hitchman Sara C , Levy David T , Fong Geoffrey T , O'Connor Richard
Published: March 2021

Objectives

Regulation of nicotine vaping products (NVPs) varies between countries, impacting the availability and use of these products. This study updated the analyses of O’Connor et al on types of NVPs used and examined changes in NVP features used over 18 months in four countries with differing regulatory environments.

Design

Data are from 4734 adult current vapers in Australia, Canada, England and the USA from Waves 1 (2016) and 2 (2018) of the International Tobacco Control Four Country Smoking and Vaping Survey. NVP characteristics included device description, adjustable voltage, nicotine content and tank size. Longitudinal analyses (n=1058) assessed movement towards or away from more complex/modifiable NVPs. A logistic regression was used to examine factors associated with changes in device description from 2016 to 2018.

Results

Like 2016, box-tanks were the most popular NVP (37.3%) in all four countries in 2018. Over 80% of vapers continued using the same NVP and nicotine content between waves, though movement tended towards more complex/modifiable devices (14.4% of vapers). Box-tank users, exclusive daily vapers and older vapers were most likely to continue using the same device description. Certain NVPs and features differed by country, such as higher nicotine contents in the USA (11.5% use 21+ mg/mL) and greater device stability over time in Australia (90.8% stability).

Conclusions

Most vapers continued using the same vaping device and features over 18 months. Differences in NVP types and features were observed between countries, suggesting that differing NVP regulations affect consumer choices regarding the type of vaping device to use.
Pattern Formation in Intra-Specific Competition Food Chain System with Bifurcation and Chaos Control
Authors: Hasan Md. Nazmul , Rahaman Khan Rubayet
Published: March 2021

The study is an attempt to explore the competitive effects on the top predators in the tri-trophic food chain model. Holling types II and IV functional responses are used to investigate the complex behavior of the tri-trophic prey–predator system. Reaction–diffusion systems have been used to represent temporal evolution and spatial interaction among the species. Consequently, local and global stabilities, and Hopf-bifurcation have been analyzed. The numerical simulation leads to spontaneous and interesting pattern formation in two dimensions, signifying diffusion interaction between mid- and top-level predators. The effect of diffusion on the chaotic dynamics of the model systems is also investigated. It is found that the chaos mechanism wave-like behavior of the chaotic attractor exists for a long time. The diffusion of this long-term behavior is controlled by using Hybrid Control Strategy.
Gaussian–Rényi-2 correlations hierarchy in optomechanics
Authors: Maroufi B. , El Qars J. , Daoud M.
Published: March 2021

In a two-mode Gaussian state [Formula: see text], we report on stationary evolution of three measures of correlations defined via the Rényi-2 entropy, i.e. quantum mutual information (QMI) [Formula: see text], the Gaussian–Rényi-2 entanglement (GR2E) [Formula: see text] and Gaussian quantum steering (GQS) [Formula: see text]. We evaluate analytical expression of the covariance matrix fully describing the state [Formula: see text]. Further, we study, under influences of parameters characterizing the state at hand and its environment, the behavior of the three considered measures. We find that quantum steering [Formula: see text] is always upper bounded by (GR2E) [Formula: see text], which in turn is found always upper bounded by half of the QMI [Formula: see text]. This therefore satisfies the hierarchical relation [Formula: see text] established in [L. Lami, C. Hirche, G. Adesso and A. Winter, Phys. Rev. Lett. 117 (2016) 220502]. Importantly, we find that both GR2E [Formula: see text] and GQS [Formula: see text] are strongly affected by the thermal effects. Remarkably, when the GR2E [Formula: see text] thoroughly vanishes, the GMI [Formula: see text] exhibits a freezing behavior, and seems to be captured within a wide range of temperature.
Some new classes of analytic functions related to shell-like curve associated with ruscheweyh q-differential operator
Authors: Lakshmi S. , Varadharajan S.
Published: March 2021

In this paper, we study some new results such as coefficients bounds and Fekete–Szegö inequalities of the certain classes starlike and convex functions associated with shell-like defined using the concept of Ruscheweyh [Formula: see text]-differential operator. Comparisons of new results with those that were obtained in earlier investigation are given as corollaries.
The worsening state of ransomware
Authors: Greengard Samuel
Published: March 2021

Sophisticated, dangerous ransomware is the new normal … and there is no simple fix.
CB2 cannabinoid receptor agonist selectively inhibits the mechanosensitivity of mucosal afferents in the guinea pig bladder
Authors: Christie Stewart , Zagorodnyuk Vladimir
Published: March 2021

This article describes, for the first time, to our knowledge, the direct inhibitory effect of cannabinoid 2 receptor agonists on guinea pig mucosal bladder afferents. The cannabinoid 2 receptor is involved in pain and inflammation, suggesting that this may be a viable target for treatment of bladder disorders such as cystitis.
Application of Calcium Chloride-Sodium Alginate to Improve the Texture of Quick-Frozen Heracleum moellendorffii
Authors: Li Xiao-mei , Ren Li-kun , Yang Yang , Bian Xin , Fu Yu , Zhao Lian-cheng , Xing Zhu-jing , Shi Yan-guo , Piekoszewski Wojciech , Zhang Na
Published: March 2021

Heat-soak and quick freezing could deteriorate the texture of vegetables. In this work, it was found that calcium chloride-sodium alginate (SA) could improve the appearance, brittleness, and chewiness of processed Heracleum moellendorffii (HM), a kind of popular nutritious wild vegetable in China. The effect resulted from the increase of calcium content in the vegetable, which was closely related to the ratio of calcium chloride to SA, the concentration of texture retaining agent, and soaking time significantly (

P
<
0.01

). The best way to maintain the texture was to soak HM in 4 g/L of calcium chloride-SA (mass ratio 1 : 2) at 50°C for 30 minutes. The calcium content was increased to 71.56 mg/100g, and the brittleness and chewiness were 4630 gf and 2583.33 gf, respectively. The microstructure found that calcium could adhere to an inherent position on the cell membrane and protected the sample from cell damage and chloroplast spilling from the cell during thawing and quick freezing. The results showed that calcium chloride-SA treatment may be a promising method to improve the texture of vegetables during quick-frozen storage.
Adaptive Integral Second‐Order Sliding Mode Control Design for Load Frequency Control of Large‐Scale Power System with Communication Delays
Authors: Tran Anh-Tuan , Le Ngoc Minh Bui , Tran Phong Thanh , Huynh Van Van , Phan Van-Duc , Pham Viet-Thanh , Nguyen Tam Minh
Published: March 2021

Nowadays, the power systems are getting more and more complicated because of the delays introduced by the communication networks. The existence of the delays usually leads to the degradation and/or instability of power system performance. On account of this point, the traditional load frequency control (LFC) approach for power system sketches a destabilizing impact and an unacceptable system performance. Therefore, this paper proposes a new LFC based on adaptive integral second‐order sliding mode control (AISOSMC) approach for the large‐scale power system with communication delays (LSPSwCD). First, a new linear matrix inequality is derived to ensure the stability of whole power systems using Lyapunov stability theory. Second, an AISOSMC law is designed to ensure the finite time reachability of the system states. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time the AISOSMC is designed for LFC of the LSPSwCD. In addition, the report of testing results presents that the suggested LFC based on AISOSMC can not only decrease effectively the frequency variation but also make successfully less in mount of power oscillation/fluctuation in tie‐line exchange.
NAAM‐MOEA/D‐Based Multitarget Firepower Resource Allocation Optimization in Edge Computing
Authors: Deng Liyuan , Yang Ping , Liu Weidong , Wang Lina , Wang Sifeng , Zhang Xiumei
Published: March 2021

In the edge environment, the multiobjective evolutionary algorithm based on decomposition (MOEA/D) has been widely used in the research of multitarget firepower resource allocation. However, as the MOEA/D algorithm uses a fixed neighborhood update mechanism, it is impossible to rationally allocate computing resources based on the difficulty of each subproblem optimization, which results in some problems such as reduced population evolution efficiency and poor evolution quality during the calculation process. In order to solve these problems, a decision mechanism for subproblems and population evolution stages is designed, and on this basis, a MOEA/D algorithm based on the neighborhood adaptive adjustment mechanism is proposed to adapt to the edge environment. The optimization model of multiobjective firepower resource allocation based on the maximization of damage effect and the minimization of strike cost is constructed and solved. Using the ZDT series of test functions for comparative experiments, the simulation results show that the proposed algorithm can balance the distribution and convergence of population evolution and obtain satisfactory optimization results.
Evaluation of Combined Financial Incentives and Deposit Contract Intervention for Smoking Cessation: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Anderson Daren R. , Horn Samantha , Karlan Dean , Kowalski Amanda E. , Sindelar Jody L. , Zinman Jonathan , Ward Kenneth
Published: March 2021

Introduction. We evaluate whether a combination of financial incentives and deposit contracts improves cessation rates among low- to moderate-income smokers. Methods. We randomly assigned 311 smokers covered by Medicaid at 12 health clinics in Connecticut to usual care or one of the three treatment arms. Each treatment arm received financial incentives for two months and either (i) nothing further (“incentives only”), (ii) the option to start a deposit contract with incentive earnings after the incentives ended (“commitment”), or (iii) the option to precommit any earned incentives into a deposit contract starting after the incentives ended (“precommitment”). Smoking cessation was confirmed biochemically at two, six, and twelve months. Results. At two, six, and twelve months after baseline, our estimated treatment effects on cessation are positive but imprecise, with confidence intervals containing effect sizes estimated by prior studies of financial incentives alone and deposit contracts alone. At two months, the odds ratio for quitting was 1.4 in the incentive-only condition (95% CI: 0.5 to 3.5), 2.0 for incentives followed by commitment (95% CI: 0.6 to 6.1), and 1.9 for incentives and precommitment (95% CI: 0.7 to 5.3). Conclusions. A combined incentive and deposit contract program for Medicaid enrollees, with incentives offering up to $300 for smoking cessation and use of support services, produced a positive but imprecisely estimated effect on biochemically verified cessation relative to usual care and with no detectable difference in cessation rates between the different treatment arms.
Microenvironment Influence of a Novel Bioengineered Wound Product, APIS®: A Preliminary In Vitro Analysis of Inflammatory Marker and Growth Factor Secretion
Authors: Rodriguez Isaac , Conti Tricia , Bionda Nina
Published: March 2021

Objective. Preliminary biological activity assessment of a novel bioengineered wound product (APIS®, SweetBio, Inc., Memphis, TN, USA), a synthesis of gelatin, Manuka honey, and hydroxyapatite, with in vitro indications to protect, instill balance to, and progress the wound microenvironment. Approach. The biological activity the bioengineered wound product (BWP) elicits on human cells in vitro was assessed by evaluating matrix metalloproteinase- (MMP-) related proteins expressed by macrophages and secretion of growth factors in fibroblasts. Cells were cultured with no treatment, stimulated with lipopolysaccharides (LPS), or seeded directly on the BWP for 24 hours. An additional 72-hour time point for the BWP was assessed to determine if the BWP maintained its activity compared to itself at 24 hours. Cell culture supernatants were assayed to quantify secreted protein levels. Results. MMP-9 secretion from macrophages seeded on the BWP were nondetectable (

P
<
0.01

), while a tissue inhibitor of MMP (TIMP-1) was detected. This decreased the overall MMP-9/TIMP-1 ratio secreted from macrophages seeded on the BWP compared to the controls. Additionally, the secretion of prohealing growth factors such as basic fibroblast growth factor (FGFb) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) was observed. Conclusion. Results from this preliminary in vitro evaluation suggest that the BWP has the potential to instill balance to the wound microenvironment by reducing the MMP-9/TIMP-1 ratio secretion from macrophages and progress previously stalled chronic wounds towards healing by triggering the release of growth factors from fibroblasts.
Diagnostic Accuracy of EndoFaster® and Narrow-Band Imaging Endoscopy in Patients with Impaired Gastric Acid Secretion: A Real-Time Prospective Study
Authors: Cazzato M. , Esposito G. , Galli G. , Pilozzi E. , Lahner E. , Corleto V. D. , Zullo A. , Di Giulio E. , Annibale B.
Published: March 2021

Background. EndoFaster® analyzes gastric juice in real time during gastroscopy allowing the detection of hypo-achlorhydric conditions, like corpus atrophic gastritis. Narrow-band imaging (NBI) endoscopy allows to accurately detect and perform target biopsies in areas of intestinal metaplasia, a histological change often associated to corpus atrophic gastritis. Aims. To compare the diagnostic accuracy of EndoFaster® with histological evaluation for corpus atrophic gastritis through high-resolution (HR) NBI targeted biopsies. Methods. Prospective study on consecutive adult patients undergoing gastroscopy between April and November 2018. Patients in therapy with proton pump inhibitors, previous gastric surgery, and/or known gastric neoplasia were excluded. At the beginning of gastroscopy, gastric juice was aspirated and analyzed by EndoFaster® in 15 seconds. Endoscopists were blinded to the report of EndoFaster®. Evaluation of gastric mucosa in HR-white light was firstly performed, then with HR-NBI allowing to perform targeted biopsies on areas suspected for intestinal metaplasia; otherwise, biopsies were performed according to the updated Sydney System protocol and sent for histopathological evaluation. Results. Overall, 124 patients were included [64% F; 56 (18-85) years]. Corpus atrophic gastritis was present in 41.9% of patients. EndoFaster® showed an accuracy for corpus atrophic gastritis diagnosis, compared to histopathological evaluation as gold standard, of 87.1% and a sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV of 78.8%, 93.1%, 89.1%, and 85.9%, respectively. pH showed a positive correlation with the severity score of atrophy (

r
=
0.67

, 95% CI: 0.73-0.81, and

p
<
0.0001

). EndoFaster® allowed to diagnose corpus atrophic gastritis in 3.7% of patients negative to NBI (corpus atrophic gastritis without intestinal metaplasia). Conclusion. EndoFaster® seems a promising tool to diagnose corpus atrophic gastritis. The evaluation of hypo-achlorhydria during gastroscopy can address bioptic sampling in corpus atrophic gastritis patients without intestinal metaplasia.
Factors Affecting Hypertensive Treatment Adherence: Development and Preliminary Validation of a New Scale
Authors: Dehghan Mahlagha , Dehghan Nayeri Nahid
Published: March 2021

Aims and Objectives. To develop and test reliability and validity of the “factors affecting hypertensive treatment adherence” scale. Design. A sequential exploratory mixed method study was used. Methods. After item generation using a qualitative study and literature review, the psychometric properties of the scale were evaluated. Face, content, and construct validity, Cronbach’s alpha, and test-retest reliability were used to validate the scales. Results. Data analysis showed that the scale had acceptable face and content validity. The scale had excellent stability (intraclass correlation = 0.89) and good acceptability of internal consistency (α = 0.71). The exploratory factor analysis showed that the scale consisted of five subscales which were meaningful. Conclusion. Psychometric properties of the scale achieved the standard level, and it was sufficient to recommend for general use in future measures of caring in nursing.
Water-Polymer Perturbation Characterization and Rules of Polymer Flooding in Offshore Heavy Oilfield
Authors: Liu Yuyang , Kang Xiaodong , Wei Zhijie , Wang Xudong , Zhang Zhen
Published: March 2021

Water injectors and polymer injectors coexist after well pattern infilling in some offshore oilfields, which exerts a deep impact on oil exploitation. In order to quantitatively characterize the injected water-polymer perturbation degree and analyze perturbation laws, water-polymer perturbation coefficient is proposed and established by comparing the displacement process of water-polymer coflooding and pure polymer flooding, which quantifies the dynamic change of displacement volume of injected water and polymer, and controlling strategy is discussed correspondingly to improve the development effect of water-polymer coflooding. Finally, a field case is used to demonstrate this new evaluation method. The results show that water-polymer perturbation coefficient has a good correlation with oil increasing, and water-polymer coflooding process can be divided into five stages according polymer perturbation coefficient. In addition, water-polymer coflooding has a better oil increasing effect than pure polymer flooding at the initial stage, but for a long period, development effect of pure polymer flooding is much better. The result has a great significance to quantitatively characterize water-polymer perturbation degree and make adjustment measurements.
Construction of Control Rights Allocation Index of Listed Companies Based on Neural Network and Machine Learning
Authors: Zhang Tao , Peng Yuxiang
Published: March 2021

Control power is a core issue that every listed company pays great attention to. The company’s shareholding structure directly affects the allocation of control rights. Therefore, the shareholding structure of listed companies is analyzed, and various factors related to the allocation of company control rights are discussed. It is very important to build indicators of control allocation of listed companies and improve the governance model of listed companies. Based on this, this article proposes to use neural networks and machine learning techniques to build related models and solve related problems. This article takes the control allocation index of listed companies on the SSE and SZSE platforms under good securities’ market conditions as the research object and takes the stock holding allocation of listed companies as a reference for the control allocation index. Combine sliding removal technology and approximate entropy with sample entropy, select the sliding window and sliding step size as 21 data, keep the sliding window unchanged, and calculate the approximate entropy and sample entropy of the sequence after removing 21 data for each sliding value to analyze the correlation between the rate of return, complexity, and effectiveness. The results of the study show that the mean and median of the majority shareholder’s equity pledge behavior are 0.249 and 0, respectively, and the mean and median of the majority shareholder’s equity pledge ratio are 0.147 and 0, respectively, indicating that 24.9% of the companies in the sample have major shareholder equity. Pledge is limited by sample data, and the proportion of major shareholders’ equity pledge is moderate, which means that there is a certain gap in the quality of internal control between companies.
Analysis of Mechanical Characteristics of Bionic Artificial Skin Using Different Suturing Patterns
Authors: Xiaohua Tan , Xia Xiao , Qiu Li , Lijie Wang , Baizhou Li
Published: March 2021

Artificial bionic skin material is playing an increasingly important role in the field of medicine and bionic engineering and becoming a research hotspot in many disciplines in recent years. In this work, the digital moiré method was used to measure the mechanical field of the bionic skin material under different suturing conditions. Through the digital image process, the deformation characteristics and the stress distribution near the contact area between the bionic skin material and the suture were obtained and discussed. The different healing effects caused by suturing mode were further explored, which can provide mechanical guidance for wound suturing in clinical medicine.
Highly Effective Degradation of Nitrophenols by Biometal Nanoparticles Synthesized using Caulis Spatholobi Extract
Authors: Le Van Thuan , Nguyen Van-Cuong , Cao Xuan-Thang , Chau Tan Phat , Nguyen Thi Dung , Nguyen Thi Lan-Huong , Doan Van-Dat
Published: March 2021

The green biosynthesis of metal nanoparticles (MNPs) has been proved to have many advantages over other methods due to its simplicity, large-scale production, ecofriendly approach, and high catalytic efficiency. This work describes a single-step technique for green synthesis of colloidal silver (AgNPs) and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) using the extract from Caulis Spatholobi stems. Ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy measurements were used to optimize the main synthesis factors, including metal ion concentration, reaction time, and reaction temperature via surface plasmon resonance phenomenon. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy showed the possible functional groups responsible for reducing and stabilizing the synthesized MNPs. The powder X-ray diffraction and selected area electron diffraction analysis confirmed the crystalline nature of the biosynthesized MNPs. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy revealed the spherical shape of MNPs with an average size of 10-20 nm. The obtained MNPs also exhibited the enhanced catalytic activity in the reduction of 2-nitrophenol and 3-nitrophenol.
Effect of Thickness and Compaction Degree of Overburden Soil on Radon Reduction for Uranium Tailings Reservoir
Authors: Dai Xingwang , Chen Yifan , Chen Yan , Wang Hong , Li Xiangyang , Hong Changshou , Liu Yong
Published: March 2021

The thickness and compaction degree of the overburden soil on the beach of the uranium tailings reservoir has an important influence on the radon reduction rate. A theoretical model of radon exhalation is established and an experimental device is designed. The main results are as follows. (1) The radon reduction rate increases with the increase of thickness. When the soil compaction degree is 85.5%, 90.2%, and 94.8%, the radon reduction efficiency increases significantly when the thickness increases from 5 cm to 10 cm, and when the soil thickness is over 10 cm, the increase of radon reduction efficiency tends to be stable. When the compaction degree is 80.9%, the radon reduction rate always increases obviously with the increase of the thickness of the overburden soil, but the increase rate shows a downward trend. (2) The radon reduction rate increases gradually with the increase of compaction degree, and the increasing trend becomes less obvious when the compaction degree is more than 85.5%. Besides, the effect of the change of soil compaction on radon reduction rate decreases with the increase of soil thickness. The calculation formulas about the effect of thickness and compaction degree on radon reduction rate can guide the design and construction of radiation protection of uranium tailings reservoir.
Neoadjuvant Pembrolizumab and High-Dose IFNα-2b in Resectable Regionally Advanced Melanoma
Authors: Najjar Yana G. , McCurry Dustin , Lin Huang , Lin Yan , Zang Yan , Davar Diwakar , Karunamurthy Arivarasan , Drabick Joseph J. , Neves Rogerio I. , Butterfield Lisa H. , Ernstoff Marc S. , Puzanov Igor , Skitzki Joseph J. , Bordeaux Jennifer , Summit IlaSri B. , Bender Jehovana O. , Kim Ju Young , Chen Beiru , Sarikonda Ghanashyam , Pahuja Anil , Tsau Jennifer , Alfonso Zeni , Laing Christian , Pingpank James F. , Holtzman Matthew P. , Sander Cindy , Rose Amy , Zarour Hassane M. , Kirkwood John M. , Tarhini Ahmad A.
Published: March 2021

Purpose:

Neoadjuvant immunotherapy may improve the clinical outcome of regionally advanced operable melanoma and allows for rapid clinical and pathologic assessment of response. We examined neoadjuvant pembrolizumab and high-dose IFNα-2b (HDI) therapy in patients with resectable advanced melanoma.

Patients and Methods:

Patients with resectable stage III/IV melanoma were treated with concurrent pembrolizumab 200 mg i.v. every 3 weeks and HDI 20 MU/m2/day i.v., 5 days per week for 4 weeks, then 10 MU/m2/day subcutaneously 3 days per week for 2 weeks. Definitive surgery followed, as did adjuvant combination immunotherapy, completing a year of treatment. Primary endpoint was safety of the combination. Secondary endpoints included overall response rate (ORR), pathologic complete response (pCR), recurrence-free survival (RFS), and overall survival (OS). Blood samples for correlative studies were collected throughout. Tumor tissue was assessed by IHC and flow cytometry at baseline and at surgery.

Results:

A total of 31 patients were enrolled, and 30 were evaluable. At data cutoff (October 2, 2019), median follow-up for OS was 37.87 months (range, 33.2–43.47). Median OS and RFS were not reached. Radiographic ORR was 73.3% [95% confidence interval (CI): 55.5–85.8], with a 43% (95% CI: 27.3–60.1) pCR rate. None of the patients with a pCR have had a recurrence. HDI and pembrolizumab were discontinued in 73% and 43% of patients, respectively. Correlative analyses suggested that intratumoral PD-1/PD-L1 interaction and HLA-DR expression are associated with pCR (P = 0.002 and P = 0.008, respectively).

Conclusions:

Neoadjuvant concurrent HDI and pembrolizumab demonstrated promising clinical activity despite high rates of treatment discontinuation. pCR is a prognostic indicator.

See related commentary by Menzies et al., p. 4133
Adjuvant Sirolimus Does Not Improve Outcome in Pet Dogs Receiving Standard-of-Care Therapy for Appendicular Osteosarcoma: A Prospective, Randomized Trial of 324 Dogs
Authors: LeBlanc Amy K. , Mazcko Christina N. , Cherukuri Aswini , Berger Erika P. , Kisseberth William C. , Brown Megan E. , Lana Susan E. , Weishaar Kristen , Flesner Brian K. , Bryan Jeffrey N. , Vail David M. , Burton Jenna H. , Willcox Jennifer L. , Mutsaers Anthony J. , Woods J. Paul , Northrup Nicole C. , Saba Corey , Curran Kaitlin M. , Leeper Haley , Wilson-Robles Heather , Wustefeld-Janssens Brandan G. , Lindley Stephanie , Smith Annette N. , Dervisis Nikolaos , Klahn Shawna , Higginbotham Mary Lynn , Wouda Raelene M. , Krick Erika , Mahoney Jennifer A. , London Cheryl A. , Barber Lisa G. , Balkman Cheryl E. , McCleary-Wheeler Angela L. , Suter Steven E. , Martin Olya , Borgatti Antonella , Burgess Kristine , Childress Michael O. , Fidel Janean L. , Allstadt Sara D. , Gustafson Daniel L. , Selmic Laura E. , Khanna Chand , Fan Timothy M.
Published: March 2021

Purpose:

The mTOR pathway has been identified as a key nutrient signaling hub that participates in metastatic progression of high-grade osteosarcoma. Inhibition of mTOR signaling is biologically achievable with sirolimus, and might slow the outgrowth of distant metastases. In this study, pet dogs with appendicular osteosarcoma were leveraged as high-value biologic models for pediatric osteosarcoma, to assess mTOR inhibition as a therapeutic strategy for attenuating metastatic disease progression.

Patients and Methods:

A total of 324 pet dogs diagnosed with treatment-naïve appendicular osteosarcoma were randomized into a two-arm, multicenter, parallel superiority trial whereby dogs received amputation of the affected limb, followed by adjuvant carboplatin chemotherapy ± oral sirolimus therapy. The primary outcome measure was disease-free interval (DFI), as assessed by serial physical and radiologic detection of emergent macroscopic metastases; secondary outcomes included overall 1- and 2-year survival rates, and sirolimus pharmacokinetic variables and their correlative relationship to adverse events and clinical outcomes.

Results:

There was no significant difference in the median DFI or overall survival between the two arms of this trial; the median DFI and survival for standard-of-care (SOC; defined as amputation and carboplatin therapy) dogs was 180 days [95% confidence interval (CI), 144–237] and 282 days (95% CI, 224–383) and for SOC + sirolimus dogs, it was 204 days (95% CI, 157–217) and 280 days (95% CI, 252–332), respectively.

Conclusions:

In a population of pet dogs nongenomically segmented for predicted mTOR inhibition response, sequentially administered adjuvant sirolimus, although well tolerated when added to a backbone of therapy, did not extend DFI or survival in dogs with appendicular osteosarcoma.
Gastronomic Algorithms: Artistic and Sensory Exploration of Alain Passard’s Michelin Plates in the Manner of Giuseppe Arcimboldo with GANs
Authors: Spratt Emily L.
Published: March 2021

Although recent advances in artificial intelligence to generate images with deep learning techniques, especially generative adversarial networks (GANs), have offered radically new opportunities for its creative applications, there has been little investigation into its use as a tool to explore the senses beyond vision alone. In an artistic collaboration that brought together Chef Alain Passard, art historian and data scientist Emily Spratt and computer programmer Thomas Fan, the collaborators used photographs of the three-star Michelin plates from the Parisian restaurant Arpège as a springboard to explore the art of culinary presentation in the manner of the Renaissance painter Giuseppe Arcimboldo.
De wisselaer: Quentin Matsys’s Man weighing gold coins and his wife, 1514
Authors: Woodall Joanna
Published: March 2021

Joanna Woodall: De wisselaer. Quentin Matsys’s Man weighing gold coins and his wife, 1514
The kitchen between representation and everyday experience: The case of sixteenth-century Antwerp
Authors: Baatsen Inneke , Blondé Bruno , De Groot Julie
Published: March 2021

Inneke Baatsen, Bruno Blondé & Julie De Groot: The kitchen between representation and everyday experience. The case of sixteenth-century Antwerp
A graphic koiné for a new religious value: The visual translatability of the Evangelicae historiae imagines
Authors: Dekoninck Ralph
Published: March 2021

Ralph Dekoninck: A graphic Koiné for a new religious value. The visual translatability of the Evangelicae Historiae Imagines
The diamond of the Netherlands: Histories of Antwerp in the seventeenth century
Authors: Esser Raingard
Published: March 2021

Raingard Esser: The diamond of the Netherlands. Histories of Antwerp in the seventeenth century
A new treehopper species of Cladonota (Stål) (Hemiptera: Membracidae:
Membracinae: Hypsoprorini) from Mexico
Authors: FLYNN DAWN J. , GÁLVEZ JUAN ENRIQUE BENÍTEZ
Published: March 2021

A new species of treehopper from Puebla, Mexico is described, Cladonota (Lecythifera) crucifixa n. sp., with illustrations and biological notes and compared with C. hoffmanni (Peláez, 1940).
Fast floating temperature sensor measures SST, not wet bulb temperature
Authors: de Szoeke Simon P.
Published: March 2021

A small integrated oceanographic thermometer with a nominal response time of 1 s was affixed to a floating hose “sea snake” towed near the bow of a research vessel. The sensor measured the near-surface ocean temperature accurately and in agreement with other platforms. The effect of conduction and evaporation is modeled for a sensor impulsively alternated between water and air. Large thermal mass makes most sea snake thermometers insensitive to temperature impulses. The smaller 1-s thermometer cooled by evaporation, but the sensor never reached the wet bulb temperature. The cooling was less than 6% of the (~2.7 °C) difference between the ocean temperature and the wet bulb temperature in 99% of 2 s–1 samples. Filtering outliers, such as with a median, effectively removes the evaporative cooling effect from 1- or 10-minute average temperatures.
Delegating diplomacy: rhetoric across agents in the United Nations General Assembly
Authors: Gray Julia , Baturo Alex
Published: March 2021

When political principals send agents to international organizations, those agents are often assumed to speak in a single voice. Yet, various types of country representatives appear on the international stage, including permanent representatives as well as more overtly “political” government officials. We argue that permanent delegates at the United Nations face career incentives that align them with the bureaucracy, setting them apart from political delegates. To that end, they tend to speak more homogeneously than do other types of speakers, while also using relatively more technical, diplomatic rhetoric. In addition, career incentives will make them more reluctant to criticize the United Nations. In other words, permanent representatives speak more like bureaucratic agents than like political principals. We apply text analytics to study differences across agents’ rhetoric at the United Nations General Assembly. We demonstrate marked distinctions between the speech of different types of agents, contradictory to conventional assumptions, with implications for our understandings of the interplay between public administration and agency at international organizations.

Points for practitioners

Delegations to international organizations do not “speak with one voice.” This article illustrates that permanent representatives to the United Nations display more characteristics of bureaucratic culture than do other delegates from the same country. For practitioners, it is important to realize that the manner in which certain classes of international actors “conduct business” can differ markedly. These differences in tone—even among delegates from the same principal—can impact the process of negotiation and debate.
A Systematic Review of CBM Professional Development Materials: Are Teachers Receiving Sufficient Instruction in Data-Based Decision-Making?
Authors: Espin Christine A. , van den Bosch Roxette M. , van der Liende Marijke , Rippe Ralph C. A. , Beutick Melissa , Langa Athanasia , Mol Suzanne E.
Published: March 2021

The purpose of this study was to examine the amount of attention devoted to data-based decision-making in Curriculum-Based Measurement (CBM) professional development materials. Sixty-nine CBM instructional sources were reviewed, including 45 presentations, 22 manuals, and two books. The content of the presentations and manuals/books was coded into one of four categories: (a) general CBM information, (b) conducting CBM, (c) data-based decision-making, and (d) other. Results revealed that only a small proportion of information in the CBM instructional materials was devoted to data-based decision-making (12% for presentations and 14% for manuals/books), and that this proportion was significantly smaller than (a) that devoted to other instructional topics, (b) that expected were information to be equally distributed across major instructional topics, and (c) that recommended by experienced CBM trainers. Results suggest a need for increased attention to data-based decision-making in CBM professional development.
Protean Career Orientation, Career Decision Self-efficacy and Career Outcomes of Millennial IT Professionals
Authors: Kaushal Poonam , Vashisht Sakshi
Published: March 2021

The present study explored a relationship between protean career orientation (PCO) and career outcomes (i.e., subjective and objective career success) on millennial IT professionals. A model proposing that the effect of PCO on career outcomes is mediated by career decision self-efficacy was assessed. Data were collected from 1,000 respondents, out of which 685 questionnaires were considered for analysis purpose. Of all the respondents, 470 (68.6%) respondents were male and 215 (31.4%) were female. All the respondents were within the age group of 25–40 years (completed age as of 2019). From the total respondents, 40.4% (277) were BTech, 25.8% (177) were MCA, 17.7% (121) were MBAs and 16.1% (110) respondents were from other educational background. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted using AMOS for verification of the questionnaire. Hayes process model, type-4 in SPSS 21, was used for testing the mediation. The findings of the study revealed that protean individuals experienced higher levels of subjective and objective career success (on salary). Mediation effect was supported for subjective career success.