bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Electron Transfer through a Natural Oxide Layer on Real Metal Surfaces Occurring during Sliding with Polytetrafluoroethylene: Dependence on Heat of Formation of Metal Oxides
Authors: Momose Yoshihiro
Published: January 2021

Electron emission (EE) from real metal surfaces occurring during sliding contact with a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) rider has been investigated using the thermodynamic data of metal oxides and the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) intensity ratio of oxygen/metal on the surfaces. EE was termed triboelectron emission (TriboEE). Rolled metal sheets of 18 types were used. The metal‒oxygen bond energy calculated from the heat of the formation of metal oxide, (D(M–O)), was shown to be a key factor in dividing the EE into two routes, the so-called Schottky effect and the tunnel effect, due to the surface oxide layer. The metals in periodic groups 4 (Ti and Zr), 5 (V, Nb, and Ta), and 6 (Mo and W) maintained higher values of D(M–O), while, moving down the groups, the TriboEE intensity increased, being ascribed to the former route. In groups 10 (Ni, Pd, and Pt) and 11 (Cu, Ag, and Au), the D(M–O) values decreased moving down the groups, but the TriboEE intensity increased significantly, which can be attributed to the latter route. Furthermore, with the increase in the electrical conductivity of metals, the TriboEE intensity became remarkably high, while the D(M–O) value fell rapidly and became almost constant. The XPS results showed that the dependence of the D(M–O) and XPS metal core intensity on the O1s intensity and the XPS intensity ratio of the O1s/metal core was different between groups 10 and 11 and groups 4, 5, and 6. It was concluded that, under the electric field caused on the real metal surface by the friction with PTFE, the electron from metals with small D(M–O) values predominantly tunnels the surface oxide layer as a surface barrier, while with large D(M–O) values, the electron passes over the top of the barrier.
Acknowledgment to Reviewers of Computation in 2020
Authors:   Computation Editorial Office
Published: January 2021

Peer review is the driving force of journal development, and reviewers are gatekeepers who ensure that Computation maintains its standards for the high quality of its published papers [...]
Anomalies Detection Using Isolation in Concept-Drifting Data Streams
Authors: Togbe Maurras Ulbricht , Chabchoub Yousra , Boly Aliou , Barry Mariam , Chiky Raja , Bahri Maroua
Published: January 2021

Detecting anomalies in streaming data is an important issue for many application domains, such as cybersecurity, natural disasters, or bank frauds. Different approaches have been designed in order to detect anomalies: statistics-based, isolation-based, clustering-based, etc. In this paper, we present a structured survey of the existing anomaly detection methods for data streams with a deep view on Isolation Forest (iForest). We first provide an implementation of Isolation Forest Anomalies detection in Stream Data (IForestASD), a variant of iForest for data streams. This implementation is built on top of scikit-multiflow (River), which is an open source machine learning framework for data streams containing a single anomaly detection algorithm in data streams, called Streaming half-space trees. We performed experiments on different real and well known data sets in order to compare the performance of our implementation of IForestASD and half-space trees. Moreover, we extended the IForestASD algorithm to handle drifting data by proposing three algorithms that involve two main well known drift detection methods: ADWIN and KSWIN. ADWIN is an adaptive sliding window algorithm for detecting change in a data stream. KSWIN is a more recent method and it refers to the Kolmogorov–Smirnov Windowing method for concept drift detection. More precisely, we extended KSWIN to be able to deal with n-dimensional data streams. We validated and compared all of the proposed methods on both real and synthetic data sets. In particular, we evaluated the F1-score, the execution time, and the memory consumption. The experiments show that our extensions have lower resource consumption than the original version of IForestASD with a similar or better detection efficiency.
Association of Cigarette Use and Substance Use Disorders among US Adults with and without a Recent Diagnosis of Cancer
Authors: Streck Joanna M. , Parker Maria A. , Weinberger Andrea H. , Rigotti Nancy A. , Park Elyse R.
Published: January 2021

Background: Few studies have examined substance use disorders (SUDs) in cancer patients and it is unclear whether SUDs differentially impact cigarette smoking in patients with vs. without cancer. This study used epidemiological data to estimate current cigarette smoking prevalence and quit ratios among US adults with and without SUDs by cancer status. Methods: Data were drawn from the 2015–2018 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (n = 170,111). Weighted current smoking prevalence and quit ratios were estimated across survey years by SUDs (with vs. without) and by cancer status (with vs. without). Results: Among those with cancer, current smoking prevalence was higher for those with vs. without SUDs (47% vs. 13%, p < 0.001) and quit ratios lower for those with vs. without SUDs (45% vs. 71%, p = 0.002). A similar pattern was observed in adults without cancer, with higher smoking prevalence (56% vs. 21%, p < 0.001) and lower quit ratios (23% vs. 51%, p < 0.001) observed for those with vs. without SUDs, respectively. In adjusted logistic regressions, the SUD × cancer status interaction was not significant for smoking prevalence or quit ratios (AOR = 1.2; 95% CI: 0.7, 2.1, p = 0.56; AOR = 1.0; 95% CI: 0.5, 2.0, p = 0.91, respectively), though smoking prevalence was lower and quit ratios higher for adults with vs. without cancer (ps < 0.05). Conclusions: Among US adults with and without cancer, individuals with SUDs evidenced higher cigarette smoking and lower quit ratios than those without SUDs. Addressing SUDs and their impact on smoking cessation is critical in cancer patients with implications for improving health and treatment outcomes.
Near Miss or Standard of Care? DPYD Screening for Cancer Patients Receiving Fluorouracil
Authors: Winquist Lauren E. , Sanatani Michael , Kim Richard B. , Winquist Eric
Published: January 2021

5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and its pro-drug capecitabine are widely used anticancer agents. Most 5-FU catabolism is dependent on dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD) encoded by the DPYD gene, and DPYD variants that reduce DPD function increase 5-FU toxicity. Most DPD deficient patients are heterozygous and can be treated with reduced 5-FU dosing. We describe a patient with a genotype associated with near complete absence of DPD function, and severe and likely fatal toxicity with 5-FU treatment. The patient was treated effectively with alternative systemic therapy. Routine pretreatment DPYD genotyping is recommended by the European Medicines Agency, and guidelines for use of 5-FU in DPD deficient patients are available. However, outside the province of Quebec, routine pretreatment screening for DPD deficiency remains unavailable in Canada. It is likely our patient would have died from 5-FU toxicity under the current standard of care, but instead provides an example of the potential benefit of DPYD screening on patient outcomes.
Efficacy of 177Lu-Dotatate Induction and Maintenance Therapy of Various Types of Neuroendocrine Tumors: A Phase II Registry Study
Authors: Sistani Golmehr , Sutherland Duncan E. K. , Mujoomdar Amol , Wiseman Daniele P. , Khatami Alireza , Tsvetkova Elena , Reid Robert H. , Laidley David T.
Published: January 2021

Peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT) has been recently established as a treatment option for progressive gastro-entero-pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) including four 200 mCi induction cycles. The purpose of this phase 2 trial is to expand use of PRRT to different types of NETs with the application of dose adjustment and evaluate value of maintenance therapy in patients who had disease control on induction therapy. Forty-seven PRRT naïve NET patients with different primary origin received 177Lu-DOTATATE induction therapy, ranging from 75 to 150 mCi per cycle, based on patients’ clinical status such as liver and renal function, extent of metastases, and previous therapies. Thirty-four patients underwent additional maintenance therapy (50–100 mCi per cycle) following induction course until they developed disease progression. The estimated median progression-free survival (PFS) was 36.1 months. The median PFS in our MNET subgroup was 47.7 months, which is markedly longer than NETTER-1 trial with median PFS of 28.4 months. The median PFS was significantly longer in patients who received PRRT as first-line treatment after disease progression on somatostatin analogs compared to patients who received other therapies first (p-value = 0.04). The total disease response rate (DRR) and disease control rate (DCR) was 32% and 85% based on RECIST 1.1 and 45% and 83% based on Choi criteria. This trial demonstrates longer PFS with the addition of low dose maintenance therapy to induction therapy compared to NETTER-1 trial that only included induction therapy. Also, we observed considerable efficacy of PRRT in various types of advanced NETs.
Gastric Cancer Treatments and Survival Trends in the United States
Authors: Stahl Kelly A. , Olecki Elizabeth J. , Dixon Matthew E. , Peng June S. , Torres Madeline B. , Gusani Niraj J. , Shen Chan
Published: January 2021

Gastric cancer is the third most common cause of cancer deaths worldwide. Despite evidence-based recommendation for treatment, the current treatment patterns for all stages of gastric cancer remain largely unexplored. This study investigates trends in the treatments and survival of gastric cancer. The National Cancer Database was used to identify gastric adenocarcinoma patients from 2004–2016. Chi-square tests were used to examine subgroup differences between disease stages: Stage I, II/III and IV. Multivariate analyses identified factors associated with the receipt of guideline concordant care. The Kaplan–Meier method was used to assess three-year overall survival. The final cohort included 108,150 patients: 23,584 Stage I, 40,216 Stage II/III, and 44,350 Stage IV. Stage specific guideline concordant care was received in only 73% of patients with Stage I disease and 51% of patients with Stage II/III disease. Patients who received guideline consistent care had significantly improved survival compared to those who did not. Overall, we found only moderate improvement in guideline adherence and three-year overall survival during the 13-year study time period. This study showed underutilization of stage specific guideline concordant care for stage I and II/III disease.
Catching the Wave: Quantifying the Impact of COVID on Radiotherapy Delivery
Authors: Roberge David , Delouya Guila , Bohigas Alexandra , Michalowski Stefan
Published: January 2021

The novel coronavirus of 2019 has had a broad impact of the delivery of healthcare, including cancer care. We chose to quantify the impact in the radiation oncology department of the largest academic center in the hardest hit city in Canada. With the approval of our ethics review board, data on each patient treated from March 13, 2020 to August 10, 2020 were compared to patients treated during the same period in 2019. We compared the case mix, delay from treatment decision to treatment start, and number of fractions per patient. We reviewed prospectively collected information regarding deviations from our usual practice. During the pandemic the caseload was reduced by 12%; this was more pronounced in prostate and CNS tumors. The average number of fractions per patient was reduced from 12.3 to 10.9. This reduction was most marked in prostate, breast, gastro-intestinal, and palliative cases. When physicians were questioned, they reported that 17% of treatment plans deviated from their usual practice because of the pandemic. The most common deviations were related to changes in department policies (77%) vs. patient-specific deviations (20%) or changes requested by the patient (3%). Rare deviations were due to patients contracting COVID-19 (2 patients). At its worse, the wait list contained 27% of patients who had a delay to radiotherapy of more than 28 days. However, the average wait time increased little (19.6 days vs. 18.2 days) as more pressing cases were prioritized. In an unprecedented health crisis, our radiation oncology department was able to reduce resource utilization, notably by decreasing the number of fractions per patient. It will be important to follow these patients’ health outcomes for insight into these practices. More quantitative tools to simulate and plan future practice changes in response to resource constraints will be implemented.
Resolution of Metastatic Subungal Eccrine Porocarcinoma Treated with Intralesional Interleukin-2
Authors: Drohan Ashley , Melvin Jennifer , Murphy Joanne , Giacomantonio Carman , Helyer Lucy
Published: January 2021

Eccrine porocarcinoma is a rare aggressive cutaneous malignancy. Complete surgical excision is the standard of care, although there are high rates of local and distant recurrence. We present a unique case of locally recurrent and metastatic subungal porocarcinoma successfully treated with intralesional interleukin-2.
Genomic and Clinical Correlates of Adrenocortical Carcinoma in an Adult Patient with Li-Fraumeni Syndrome: A Case Report
Authors: Bondy Suraya , Tajzler Camilla , Hotte Sebastien J. , Kapoor Anil , Zbuk Kevin , Lalani Aly-Khan A.
Published: January 2021

Li-Fraumeni Syndrome (LFS) is defined by germline mutations of the p53 tumour suppressor gene. Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is a rare aggressive malignancy that is commonly associated with LFS. Most LFS-linked ACC cases occur in children, and limited research has been dedicated to the clinical outcomes and genomics of adult cases with LFS-linked ACC. We report on a 34-year-old female who was diagnosed with three separate malignancies: stage III invasive ductal carcinoma of the right breast, metastatic ACC from the right adrenal gland, and grade 2 pleomorphic sarcoma of the left hand. Her invasive breast ductal carcinoma was treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy, and she received a bilateral mastectomy after her LFS was confirmed with genetic blood testing. Adrenal ACC was initially treated with a right nephrectomy and adrenalectomy, followed by adjuvant mitotane and two lines of chemotherapy after disease recurrence. Her hand sarcoma was treated by second ray amputation. Further, we conducted deep next-generation sequencing of each of her unique tumour tissue samples using FoundationONE CDx. A whole-genome shot capture followed by in vitro sequencing performed by the Illumina® HiSeq platform revealed a germline P191fs*18 TP53 mutation across all three tissue samples. This case provides insight into the genomics and clinical characteristics of LFS-linked adult-onset ACC and demonstrated that p53 mutations were preserved throughout each malignancy, without apparent treatment pressures on genomic profiling. This case reinforces the critical importance of adopting best practices for LFS, which include the implementation of highly vigilant screening and management of care in a multidisciplinary setting.
SARS-CoV-2 Testing for Asymptomatic Patients with Cancer Prior and during Treatment: A Single Centre Experience
Authors: Meti Nicholas , Tahmasebi Houman , Leahey Angela , Boudreau Angela , Thawer Alia , Stewart Janice , Reason Paige , Albright Kirsty , Leis Jerome A. , Katz Kevin , Cheung Matthew C. , Singh Simron
Published: January 2021

Patients with cancer are more vulnerable to severe COVID-19. As a result, routine SARS-CoV-2 testing of asymptomatic patients with cancer is recommended prior to treatment. However, there is limited evidence of its clinical usefulness. The objective of this study is to evaluate the value of routine testing of asymptomatic patients with cancer. Asymptomatic patients with cancer attending Odette Cancer Centre (Toronto, ON, Canada) were tested for SARS-CoV-2 prior to and during treatment cycles. Results were compared to positivity rates of SARS-CoV-2 locally and provincially. All 890 asymptomatic patients tested negative. Positivity rates in the province were 1.5%, in hospital were 1.0%, and among OCC’s symptomatic cancer patients were 0% over the study period. Given our findings and the low SARS-CoV-2 community positivity rates, we recommend a dynamic testing model of asymptomatic patients that triggers testing during increasing community positivity rates of SARS-CoV-2.
Lung Cancer Pre-Diagnostic Pathways from First Presentation to Specialist Referral
Authors: Khare Satya Rashi , Madathil Sreenath Arekunnath , Batist Gerald ,   Peter Brojde Lung Cancer Group, Vedel Isabelle
Published: January 2021

Background: Lung cancer is often diagnosed at a late stage with high associated mortality. Timely diagnosis depends on timely referral to a respiratory specialist; however, in Canada, little is known about how patients move through primary care to get to a respiratory specialist. Accordingly, we aimed to identify and describe lung cancer pre-diagnostic pathways in primary care from first presentation to referral. Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, patients with primary lung cancer were recruited using consecutive sampling (n = 50) from a lung cancer center in Montréal, Québec. Data on healthcare service utilization in primary care were collected from chart reviews and structured patient interviews and analyzed using latent class analysis to identify groups of patients with similar pre-diagnostic pathways. Each group was described based on patient- and tumor-related characteristics and the sequence of utilization activities. Results: 68% of the patients followed a pathway where family physician (FP) visits were dominant (“FP-centric”) and 32% followed a pathway where walk-in clinic and emergency department (ED) visits were dominant (“ED-centric”). Time to referral in the FP group was double that of the ED group (45 days (IQR: 12–111) vs. 22 (IQR: 5–69)) with more advanced disease (65% vs. 50%). In the FP group, 29% of the patients saw their FP three times or more before being referred and 41% had an ED visit. Conclusions: Our findings may reflect the challenge of diagnosing lung cancer in primary care, missed opportunities for earlier diagnosis, and a lack of integration between primary and specialist care.
National Thoracic Surgery Standards Implementation: Barriers, Enablers, and Opportunities
Authors: Arnaout Angel , Prashad Anubha , Dunk Nadine , Rogers Jess , Edwards Annemarie , Argent-Katwala Mary , Finley Christian
Published: January 2021

Background: Diagnosis and surgical treatment decision making for thoracic cancers is complex. Moreover, there is demonstrated variability in how each province in Canada delivers cancer care, resulting in disparities in patient outcomes. Recently, the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer (CPAC) published pan-Canadian evidence-based standards for the care of thoracic surgery cancer patients. This study was undertaken to assess the degree to which these standards were currently met in practice and to further understand the determinants to their implementation nationally. Methods: This study was undertaken in two parts: (1) a national survey of thoracic surgeons to assess the perceived extent of implementation of these standards in their institution and province; and (2) formation of a focus group with a representative sample of thoracic surgeons across Canada in a qualitative study to understand the determinants of successful standards implementation. Results: 37 surgeons (33% response rate) participated in the survey; 78% were from academic hospitals. The top categories of standards that were under-implemented included (a) quality assurance processes, data collection and clinician audit and feedback, and (b) ongoing regional planning and workload assessments for thoracic surgeons, and (c) pathology turnaround time target of two weeks and the use of a standardized synoptic pathology report format. Enablers, barriers, and opportunities for standards implementation contextualized the discussion within the focus group. Conclusion: Study results demonstrated variation in the implementation of surgery standards across Canada and identified the determinants to the delivery of high quality surgical care. Future work will need to include the promotion and development of quality improvement strategies and effective resource allocation that is aligned with the implementation of thoracic cancer surgery standards in order to improve patient outcomes.
A Contemporary Report of Clinical Outcomes in Patients with Melanoma Brain Metastases
Authors: Phillips William J. , Baghai Tabassom , Ong Michael , Lo Bryan , Ibrahim Andrea M. , Smith Tyler K.T. , Song Xinni
Published: January 2021

Background: Brain metastases are observed in more than 40% of all patients with stage 4 melanoma. In recent years, more extensive use of stereotactic radiation (STRT) and the advent of immune checkpoint inhibitors have positively impacted outcomes in patients with metastatic melanoma.brain metastases. Here, we examined real world clinical outcomes of patients presenting with melanoma brain metastases (MBMs). Methods: This retrospective review evaluated MBMs patients treated at The Ottawa Hospital from April 2000 to July 2017. Clinical, radiologic, pathologic and treatment information were gathered from the electronic medical records. The primary outcome was overall survival. The proportional Cox regression model was employed for survival data, while the Fisher’s exact and Mann–Whitney U tests analyzed the relationship between categorical and continuous data, respectively. Results: This retrospective study included 276 patients. Brain metastases were detected symptomatically in 191 patients (69.2%); the rates of detection by routine screening were 4.6% in the pre-2012 era and 11.7% in the contemporary era (p = 0.029). Median survival was three months. Predictors of overall survival were age, higher lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) values, multiple brain lesions, more extensive extracranial disease, neurological symptoms, infratentorial lesions and treatment type. Multivariable analysis demonstrated that stereotactic radiotherapy (STRT) was associated with a hazard ratio of 0.401 (p < 0.001) for survival; likewise, immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy was associated with a hazard ratio of 0.375 (p < 0.001). Conclusion: The findings from this study as “real world” data are consistent with results of pivotal clinical trials in MBMs patients and support contemporary locoregional and immunotherapy practices.
Urate Nephropathy from Tumor Lysis Syndrome in an Undiagnosed Case of Prostate Cancer
Authors: Javed Sidra
Published: January 2021

Prostate cancer can masquerade as just normocytic anemia and thrombocytopenia, thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP), hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), or tumor lysis syndrome (TLS). We are reporting an intriguing case of metastatic prostate cancer which remained undiagnosed until the patient showed signs of tumor lysis syndrome (TLS), leading to urate nephropathy requiring urgent hemodialysis. Tumor lysis syndrome is an oncological emergency but an exceedingly rare complication in non-hematological malignancies, including prostate cancer. It is challenging to recognize features of TLS in a case such as this with an unknown diagnosis. In the case of an established diagnosis of malignancy, however, checking baseline renal function, uric acid, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), potassium, and phosphate to monitor for TLS as well as considering urate lowering therapy can help prevent adverse outcomes.
Challenges and Considerations on Risk-Reducing Surgery in BRCA1/2 Patients with Advanced Breast Cancer
Authors: Vasconcelos de Matos Leonor , Fernandes Leonor , Louro Pedro , Plácido Ana , Barros Manuel , Vaz Fátima
Published: January 2021

Cancer survivors harboring inherited pathogenic variants in the breast cancer (BC) susceptibility genes BRCA1 or BRCA2 are at increased risk of ovarian cancer (OC) and also of contralateral BC. For these women, risk-reducing surgery (RRS) may contribute to risk management. However, women with locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer (ABC) were excluded from clinical trials evaluating the benefit of these procedures in the BRCA1/2 carriers, and thus, current guidelines do not recommend RRS in this specific setting. Although ABC remains an incurable disease, recent advances in treatment have led to increased survival, which, together with improvement in RRS techniques, raise questions about the potential role of RRS in the management of BRCA1/2 ABC patients. When should RRS be discussed as an option for BRCA1/2 patients diagnosed with ABC? To address this issue, we report two clinical cases that reflect new challenges in routine oncology practice. Team experience and patient motivations may shape multidisciplinary decisions in the absence of evidence-based data. A wise rationale may be the analysis of the competing risks of death by a previous ABC against risk of death by a secondary BC or OC, tailored to patient preferences.
Preferences of Canadian Patients and Physicians for Treatment of HR+/HER2− Advanced Breast Cancer
Authors: Stellato Daniel , Thabane Marroon , Eichten Caitlin , Delea Thomas E.
Published: January 2021

(1) Background: Past research suggests that patients with advanced breast cancer prefer treatments with improved clinical outcomes and lower risk of side effects. Evidence on preferences of Canadian patients and physicians for treatments for advanced breast cancer is limited. (2) Methods: Patients’ and physicians’ preferences for treatments for HR+/HER2−, pre-/peri-menopausal advanced breast cancer were assessed by an online discrete choice experiment (DCE). Treatment alternatives were characterized by seven attributes regarding dosing, efficacy, and toxicities, with levels corresponding to those for ribociclib plus a non-steroidal aromatase inhibitor (NSAI), NSAI, and tamoxifen. For patients, impacts of advanced breast cancer on quality of life (QOL) and ability to work/perform activities of daily living also were assessed. Patients were recruited by a Canadian breast cancer patient advocacy group through email and social media. Physicians were recruited by email. (3) Results: Among 118 patients starting the survey, 23 completed ≥ 1 DCE question (19%). Among 271 physicians who were sent the e-mail invitation, 21 completed ≥ 1 DCE question (8%). For both patients and physicians, the increased probability of remaining alive and without cancer progression over 2 years was the most important attribute. A treatment with attributes consistent with ribociclib plus NSAI was chosen by patients and physicians in 70% and 88% of the time, respectively. A substantial proportion of patients reported worrying about future diagnostic tests and their cancer getting worse; (4) Conclusions: Canadian patients and physicians are generally concordant in preference for advanced breast cancer treatments, preferring ribociclib plus NSAI to other options.
Mismatch Repair Universal Screening of Endometrial Cancers (MUSE) in a Canadian Cohort
Authors: Lawrence Jessica , Richer Lara , Arseneau Jocelyne , Zeng Xing , Chong George , Weber Evan , Foulkes William , Palma Laura
Published: January 2021

Background: Approximately 2–6% of endometrial cancers (ECs) are due to Lynch Syndrome (LS), a cancer predisposition syndrome caused by germline pathogenic variants (PVs) affecting the DNA mismatch repair (MMR) pathway. Increasingly, universal tissue-based screening of ECs has been proposed as an efficient and cost-effective way to identify families with LS, though few studies have been published on Canadian cohorts. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility and overall performance of a universal immunohistochemistry (IHC) screening program for women with EC within a single Canadian university hospital centre. Methods and Results: From 1 October 2015 to 31 December 2017, all newly diagnosed ECs (n = 261) at our centre were screened for MMR protein deficiency by IHC. MMR deficiency was noted in 69 tumours (26.4%), among which 53 had somatic MLH1 promoter hypermethylation and were considered “screen-negative”. The remaining MMR-deficient cases (n = 16) were considered “screen-positive” and were referred for genetic counselling and testing. Germline PVs were identified in 12/16 (75%). One additional PV was identified in a screen-negative individual who was independently referred to the Genetics service. This corresponds to an overall LS frequency of 5.0% among unselected women with EC, and 6.4% among women diagnosed under age 70 years. Our algorithm detected MMR gene pathogenic variants in 4.6% and 6.2% of unselected individuals and individuals under age 70 years, respectively. Four germline PVs (30.8%) were identified in individuals who did not meet any traditional LS screening criteria. Conclusions: Universal IHC screening for women with EC is an effective and feasible method of identifying individuals with LS in a Canadian context.
Implementation of the Canadian National Standards in Breast Cancer Surgical Care: Gaps, Barriers, Enablers and Opportunities
Authors: Arnaout Angel , Prashad Anubha , Dunk Nadine , Rogers Jess , Finley Christian , Edwards Annemarie , Argent-Katwala Mary
Published: January 2021

Background: Diagnosis and surgical treatment decision making for breast cancers has become increasingly complex. Recently, Canadian Partnership Against Cancer (CPAC) published pan-Canadian evidence-based surgical standards for the care of breast cancer patients. This study was undertaken to assess the degree to which these standards were currently met in practice and to further understand the determinants of their implementation nationally. Methods: This study was undertaken in two parts—(1) National survey of breast cancer surgeons to assess the perceived extent of implementation of these standards in their institution and province; (2) Formation of a focus group with a representative sample of breast surgeons across Canada to further understand the barriers and facilitators towards future breast standards implementation. Results: 35 surgeons participated in the survey: 66% were from community hospitals. There were four categories of standards that were the most significantly lacking across the country—(a) processes related to quality assurance, (b) turnaround time for pathology results (c) psychosocial and health-related support for the breast cancer patient and (d) breast reconstruction for patients undergoing mastectomy. The focus group included participants from all ten Canadian provinces. For each standard, the 134 determinants fell into three main categories—individual physician (n = 27, 20%); organizational (n = 46, 34%), and system (n = 61, 46%). While specific determinants were present for each category, surgical standards were more likely to be implemented in practice if (1) they aligned with organizational priorities standards; (2) the individual physicians or physician groups were accountable to the organization and/or cancer jurisdiction regarding compliance with the standard; and (3) if infrastructure or resources existed within the organization or system for the reliable collection of relevant, meaningful, practice changing data combined with the capability of benchmarking, peer–peer comparisons and timely feedback to the surgeons. Conclusion: The results of this study demonstrated variation, barriers and opportunities for the national implementation of CPAC’s breast cancer surgery standards and identified determinants of high-quality breast surgical care delivery.
Automatic ECG Classification Using Continuous Wavelet Transform and Convolutional Neural Network
Authors: Wang Tao , Lu Changhua , Sun Yining , Yang Mei , Liu Chun , Ou Chunsheng
Published: January 2021

Early detection of arrhythmia and effective treatment can prevent deaths caused by cardiovascular disease (CVD). In clinical practice, the diagnosis is made by checking the electrocardiogram (ECG) beat-by-beat, but this is usually time-consuming and laborious. In the paper, we propose an automatic ECG classification method based on Continuous Wavelet Transform (CWT) and Convolutional Neural Network (CNN). CWT is used to decompose ECG signals to obtain different time-frequency components, and CNN is used to extract features from the 2D-scalogram composed of the above time-frequency components. Considering the surrounding R peak interval (also called RR interval) is also useful for the diagnosis of arrhythmia, four RR interval features are extracted and combined with the CNN features to input into a fully connected layer for ECG classification. By testing in the MIT-BIH arrhythmia database, our method achieves an overall performance of 70.75%, 67.47%, 68.76%, and 98.74% for positive predictive value, sensitivity, F1-score, and accuracy, respectively. Compared with existing methods, the overall F1-score of our method is increased by 4.75~16.85%. Because our method is simple and highly accurate, it can potentially be used as a clinical auxiliary diagnostic tool.
Kolmogorovian versus Non-Kolmogorovian Probabilities in Contextual Theories
Authors: Garola Claudio
Published: January 2021

Most scholars maintain that quantum mechanics (QM) is a contextual theory and that quantum probability does not allow for an epistemic (ignorance) interpretation. By inquiring possible connections between contextuality and non-classical probabilities we show that a class TμMP of theories can be selected in which probabilities are introduced as classical averages of Kolmogorovian probabilities over sets of (microscopic) contexts, which endows them with an epistemic interpretation. The conditions characterizing TμMP are compatible with classical mechanics (CM), statistical mechanics (SM), and QM, hence we assume that these theories belong to TμMP. In the case of CM and SM, this assumption is irrelevant, as all of the notions introduced in them as members of TμMP reduce to standard notions. In the case of QM, it leads to interpret quantum probability as a derived notion in a Kolmogorovian framework, explains why it is non-Kolmogorovian, and provides it with an epistemic interpretation. These results were anticipated in a previous paper, but they are obtained here in a general framework without referring to individual objects, which shows that they hold, even if only a minimal (statistical) interpretation of QM is adopted in order to avoid the problems following from the standard quantum theory of measurement.
Wave-Particle Duality Relation with a Quantum Which-Path Detector
Authors: Wang Dongyang , Wu Junjie , Ding Jiangfang , Liu Yingwen , Huang Anqi , Yang Xuejun
Published: January 2021

According to the relevant theories on duality relation, the summation of the extractable information of a quanton’s wave and particle properties, which are characterized by interference visibility V and path distinguishability D, respectively, is limited. However, this relation is violated upon quantum superposition between the wave-state and particle-state of the quanton, which is caused by the quantum beamsplitter (QBS). Along another line, recent studies have considered quantum coherence C in the l1-norm measure as a candidate for the wave property. In this study, we propose an interferometer with a quantum which-path detector (QWPD) and examine the generalized duality relation based on C. We find that this relationship still holds under such a circumstance, but the interference between these two properties causes the full-particle property to be observed when the QWPD system is partially present. Using a pair of polarization-entangled photons, we experimentally verify our analysis in the two-path case. This study extends the duality relation between coherence and path information to the quantum case and reveals the effect of quantum superposition on the duality relation.
A Refined Composite Multivariate Multiscale Fluctuation Dispersion Entropy and Its Application to Multivariate Signal of Rotating Machinery
Authors: Xi Chenbo , Yang Guangyou , Liu Lang , Jiang Hongyuan , Chen Xuehai
Published: January 2021

In the fault monitoring of rotating machinery, the vibration signal of the bearing and gear in a complex operating environment has poor stationarity and high noise. How to accurately and efficiently identify various fault categories is a major challenge in rotary fault diagnosis. Most of the existing methods only analyze the single channel vibration signal and do not comprehensively consider the multi-channel vibration signal. Therefore, this paper presents Refined Composite Multivariate Multiscale Fluctuation Dispersion Entropy (RCMMFDE), a method which extracts the recognition information of multi-channel signals with different scale factors, and the refined composite analysis ensures the recognition stability. The simulation results show that this method has the characteristics of low sensitivity to signal length and strong anti-noise ability. At the same time, combined with Joint Mutual Information Maximisation (JMIM) and support vector machine (SVM), RCMMFDE-JMIM-SVM fault diagnosis method has been proposed. This method uses RCMMFDE to extract the state characteristics of the multiple vibration signals of the rotary machine, and then uses the JMIM method to extract the sensitive characteristics. Finally, different states of the rotary machine are classified by SVM. The validity of the method is verified by the composite gear fault data set and bearing fault data set. The diagnostic accuracy of the method is 99.25% and 100.00%. The experimental results show that RCMMFDE-JMIM-SVM can effectively recognize multiple signals.
Constant Envelope Multiplexing of Multi-Carrier DSSS Signals Considering Sub-Carrier Frequency Constraint
Authors: Chen Xiaofei , Lu Xiaochun , Wang Xue , Ke Jing , Guo Xia
Published: January 2021

With the development of global navigation satellite systems (GNSS), multiple signals modulated on different sub-carriers are needed to provide various services and to ensure compatibility with previous signals. As an effective method to provide diversified signals without introducing the nonlinear distortion of High Power Amplifier (HPA), the multi-carrier constant envelope multiplexing is widely used in satellite navigation systems. However, the previous method does not consider the influence of sub-carrier frequency constraint on the multiplexing signal, which may lead to signal power leakage. By determining the signal states probability according to the sub-carrier frequency constraint and solving the orthogonal bases according to the homogeneous equations, this article proposed multi-carrier constant envelope multiplexing methods based on probability and homogeneous equations. The analysis results show that the methods can multiplex multi-carrier signals without power leakage, thereby reducing the impact on signal ranging performance. Meanwhile, the methods could reduce the computation complexity. In the case of three different carriers multiplexing, the number of optimization equations is reduced by nearly 66%.
Sensor System: A Survey of Sensor Type, Ad Hoc Network Topology and Energy Harvesting Techniques
Authors: Nguyen Phuoc Duc , Kim Lok-won
Published: January 2021

People nowadays are entering an era of rapid evolution due to the generation of massive amounts of data. Such information is produced with an enormous contribution from the use of billions of sensing devices equipped with in situ signal processing and communication capabilities which form wireless sensor networks (WSNs). As the number of small devices connected to the Internet is higher than 50 billion, the Internet of Things (IoT) devices focus on sensing accuracy, communication efficiency, and low power consumption because IoT device deployment is mainly for correct information acquisition, remote node accessing, and longer-term operation with lower battery changing requirements. Thus, recently, there have been rich activities for original research in these domains. Various sensors used by processing devices can be heterogeneous or homogeneous. Since the devices are primarily expected to operate independently in an autonomous manner, the abilities of connection, communication, and ambient energy scavenging play significant roles, especially in a large-scale deployment. This paper classifies wireless sensor nodes into two major categories based the types of the sensor array (heterogeneous/homogeneous). It also emphasizes on the utilization of ad hoc networking and energy harvesting mechanisms as a fundamental cornerstone to building a self-governing, sustainable, and perpetually-operated sensor system. We review systems representative of each category and depict trends in system development.
Finite Element Analysis on Shear Behavior of High-Strength Bolted Connectors under Inverse Push-Off Loading
Authors: Wang Wei , Zhang Xie-dong , Ding Fa-xing , Zhou Xi-long
Published: January 2021

High-strength bolted shear connectors (HSBSCs), which can be demounted easily and efficiently during deconstruction, are recommended to replace the conventional steel studs in steel–concrete composite beams (SCCBs) to meet the requirements of sustainable development. The existing investigations on the behavior of HSBSCs mainly focus on the positive moment area of composite beams, in which the concrete slab is in compress condition. In this paper, a three-dimensional finite element model (FEM) was developed to investigate the performance of HSBSCs subjected to inverse push-off loading. Material nonlinearities and the interactions among all components were included in the FEM. The accuracy and reliability of the proposed FEM were initially validated against the available push-off test results. Load-carrying capacity and load–slip response of the HSBSCs under inverse push-off loading were further studied by the verified FEM. A parametric study was carried out to determine the influence of the concrete strength, the diameter and tensile strength of bolt and the clearance between the concrete slab and the bolt as well as the bolt pretension on the shear performance of HSBSCs. Based on the extensive parametric analyses, design recommendations for estimating the shear load at the first slip and load-bearing resistance of HSBSCs were proposed and verified.
A Use-Store-Reuse (USR) Concept in Catalytic HCOOH Dehydrogenation: Case-Study of a Ru-Based Catalytic System for Long-Term USR under Ambient O2
Authors: Theodorakopoulos Marinos , Solakidou Maria , Deligiannakis Yiannis , Louloudi Maria
Published: January 2021

Commercial use of H2 production catalysts requires a repeated use/stop/store and reuse of the catalyst. Ideally, this cycle should be possible under ambient O2. Herein we exemplify the concept of Use-Store-Reuse (USR) of a (Ru-phosphine) catalyst in a biphasic catalytic system, for H2 production via dehydrogenation of HCOOH. The catalytic system can operate uninterrupted for at least four weeks, including storage and reuse cycles, with negligible loss of its catalytic efficiency. The catalytic system consisted of a RuP(CH2CH2PPh2)3 (i.e. RuPP3) in (tri-glyme/water) system, using KOH as a cocatalyst, to promote HCOOH deprotonation. In a USR cycle of 1 week, followed by storage for three weeks under ambient air and reuse, the system achieved in total TONs > 90,000 and TOFs > 4000 h−1. Thus, for the first time, a USR concept with a readily available stable ruthenium catalyst is presented, operating without any protection from O2 or light, and able to retain its catalytic performance.
Modeling on Effect of Particle Sediment on Fluid Flow and Heat Transfer of Solid–Fluid Suspension
Authors: Wu Yan , Wu Wei-Tao
Published: January 2021

A two-way coupling particle flux model is proposed for studying the multi-component solid–fluid suspension. The suspension mixture is treated as a non-linear single-phase fluid and the migration of the solid particles is modeled by a particle flux equation. The proposed particle flux model takes the effects of the particle migration on the transport of the suspension’s momentum and internal energy into account. Two benchmark problems are calculated to study the performance of the proposed particle flux model, i.e., flow in a sudden expansion straight channel and flow between two rotating cylinders. It is found that the particle flux model converges without numerical stability issue with the commonly used PISO-SIMPLE transient solver, and the effect of the particle migration is evident on both velocity profile and temperature distribution.
Design and Prototyping of Efficient LED Counter Beam Light with Free-Formed Surface for Meeting International Tunnel Lighting Standards
Authors: Liao Hsing-Yuan , Chen Sheng-Yen , Le Hien-Thanh , Gao Wei-Lun , Chang Fu-Chun , Wen Chan-Chuan , Fang Yi-Chin , Chen Chao-Hsien , Chang Shun-Hsyung , Lee Hsiao-Yi
Published: January 2021

An LED Counter Beam Light (CBL) with a free surface secondary lens is proposed to enhance the safety and efficiency of tunnels. The secondary lens was designed and produced to be mounted on a 50 W white-light LED array to generate the targeted counter beam pattern, in order to meet the standards for enhanced tunnel road lighting of the CIE (Commission Internationale de l’Eclairage)—CIE 88:2004—in a trial tunnel lighting scheme. Through the simulation of a road tunnel in Northern Taiwan using the LiteStar four-dimensional software, it was shown that the proposed LED light can serve as a qualifying CBL to generate an average road tunnel surface luminance (Lav) of 182.76 cd/m2, which is better than the 138 cd/m2 that commercial High-Pressure Sodium (HPS) tunnel lights can provide and the 181 cd/m2 minimum stipulated in the CIE 88:2004 regulations. The results also show that the proposed LED light accomplishes a contrast revealing coefficient qc of 1.03, which is above the minimum regulatory level of 0.6 for a qualified CBL, as well as a luminance uniformity Uo of 0.89 (regulatory minimum, 0.4), longitudinal luminance uniformity UL of 0.99 (regulatory minimum, 0.6), and glare factor TI (threshold increment) of 7.24% (regulatory minimum, 15%). In order to test the feasibility of the LED CBL for future commercialization, the proposed LED CBL was prototyped and measured; the results demonstrate that an average road surface luminance (Lav) of 184.5 cd/m2, intensity of the luminance uniformity Uo of 0.7, intensity of the longitudinal luminance uniformity UL of 0.94, glare factor of 7.04%, and contrast revealing coefficient qc of 1.38 can be achieved, which are all above the levels required by the CIE 88:2004 regulations.