bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
How do tobacco control policies work in low-income and middle-income countries? A realist synthesis
Authors: Hebbar Pragati Bhaskar , Dsouza Vivek , Bhojani Upendra , Prashanth Nuggehalli Srinivas , van Schayck Onno CP , Babu Giridhara R , Nagelhout Gera E
Published: November 2022

Background

The burden of tobacco use is disproportionately high in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). There is scarce theorisation on what works with respect to implementation of tobacco control policies in these settings. Given the complex nature of tobacco control policy implementation, diversity in outcomes of widely implemented policies and the defining role of the context, we conducted a realist synthesis to examine tobacco control policy implementation in LMICs.

Methods

We conducted a systematic realist literature review to test an initial programme theory developed by the research team. We searched EBSCOHost and Web of Science, containing 19 databases. We included studies on implementation of government tobacco control policies in LMICs.

Results

We included 47 studies that described several contextual factors, mechanisms and outcomes related to implementing tobacco control policies to varying depth. Our initial programme theory identified three overarching strategies: awareness, enforcement, and review systems involved in implementation. The refined programme theory identifies the plausible mechanisms through which these strategies could work. We found 30 mechanisms that could lead to varying implementation outcomes including normalisation of smoking in public places, stigmatisation of the smoker, citizen participation in the programme, fear of public opposition, feeling of kinship among violators and the rest of the community, empowerment of authorised officials, friction among different agencies, group identity among staff, shared learning, manipulation, intimidation and feeling left out in the policy-making process.

Conclusions

The synthesis provides an overview of the interplay of several contextual factors and mechanisms leading to varied implementation outcomes in LMICs. Decision-makers and other actors may benefit from examining the role of one or more of these mechanisms in their particular contexts to improve programme implementation. Further research into specific tobacco control policies and testing particular mechanisms will help deepen our understanding of tobacco control implementation in LMICs.

PROSPERO registration number

CRD42020191541.
Intake of sucrose-sweetened beverages and risk of developing pharmacologically treated hypertension in women: cohort study
Authors: Børresen Kristin Øksendal , Rosendahl-Riise Hanne , Brantsæter Anne Lise , Egeland Grace M
Published: November 2022

Objective

To investigate the association between intake of sucrose-sweetened beverages (SSBs) and risk of developing pharmacologically treated hypertension in a population of Norwegian mothers followed up to 10 years after delivery.

Design

Women without hypertension at baseline in the Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort Study (n=60 027) who delivered between 2004 and 2009 were linked to the Norwegian Prescription Database to ascertain antihypertensive medication use after the first 90 days following delivery. Diet was assessed by a validated semiquantitative Food Frequency Questionnaire in mid pregnancy. Cox proportional hazard analyses evaluated HRs for the development of hypertension associated with SSB consumption as percent energy by quintiles in multivariable models. Supplemental analyses were stratified by gestational hypertension and by a low versus high sodium-to-potassium intake ratio (<0.78 compared with ≥0.78).

Results

A total of 1480 women developed hypertension within 10 years of follow-up. The highest relative to the lowest quintile of SSB intake was associated with an elevated risk for hypertension after adjusting for numerous covariates in adjusted models (HR: 1.20 (95% CI: 1.02 to 1.42)). Consistency in results was observed in sensitivity analyses. In stratified analyses, the high SSB intake quintile associated with elevated hypertension risk among women who were normotensive during pregnancy (HR: 1.25 (95% CI: 1.03 to 1.52)), who had normal body mass index (HR: 1.49 (95% CI: 1.13 to 1.93)) and among women with low sodium to potassium ratio (HR: 1.33 (95% CI: 1.04 to 1.70)).

Conclusions

This study provides strong evidence that SSB intake is associated with an increased risk of hypertension in women.
Are COVID-19 age-mortality curves for 2020 flatter in developing countries? Evidence from a cross-sectional observational study of population-level official death counts and excess deaths estimates
Authors: Demombynes Gabriel , de Walque Damien , Gubbins Paul , Urdinola Piedad , Veillard Jeremy
Published: November 2022

Objectives

Previous studies have found a pattern of flatter COVID-19 age-mortality curves among low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) using only official COVID-19 death counts. This study examines this question by comparing the age gradient of COVID-19 mortality in a broad set of countries using both official COVID-19 death counts and excess mortality estimates for 2020.

Design

This observational study uses official COVID-19 death counts for 76 countries and excess death estimates for 42 countries. A standardised population analysis was conducted to assess the extent to which variation across countries in the age distribution of COVID-19 deaths was driven by variation in the population age distribution.

Setting and primary outcomes

Officially reported COVID-19 deaths and excess deaths for 2020 for all countries where such data were available in the COVerAGE database and the short-term mortality fluctuations harmonised data series, respectively.

Results

A higher share of pandemic-related deaths in 2020 occurred at younger ages in middle-income countries compared with high-income countries. People under age 65 years constituted on average (1) 10% of official deaths and 11 % of excess deaths in high-income countries, (2) 34% of official deaths and 33% of excess deaths in upper-middle-income countries, and (3) 54% of official deaths in LMICs. These contrasting profiles are due only in part to differences in population age structure.

Conclusions

These findings are driven by some combination of variation in age patterns of infection rates and infection fatality rates. They indicate that COVID-19 is not just a danger to older people in developing countries, where a large share of victims are people of working age, who are caregivers and breadwinners for their families.
Subcapsular renal haematoma after ureteroscopic lithotripsy: a single-centre, retrospective study in China
Authors: Yu Jiang , Li Bin , Ren Bin Xiang , Zhang Nan Yi , Jin Bo Xun , Zhang Jun Jian
Published: November 2022

Objectives

To investigate the incidence, predisposing factors, diagnosis and management of subcapsular renal haematoma (SRH) after ureteroscopic lithotripsy (URSL).

Design

Retrospective observational study.

Setting

Shandong Provincial Hospital, a 4500-bed tertiary hospital in China.

Participants

The data from 1535 consecutive patients treated with URSL (including rigid URSL and flexible URSL) between January 2015 and October 2020 were retrospectively analysed.

Main outcome measures

SRH after URSL confirmed via CT. The characteristics, operative data and outcomes of these patients were documented and compared.

Results

Six patients were confirmed to have an SRH after URSL on CT. The total incidence of SRH after URSL was 0.39%. The incidences of SRH after rigid URSL and flexible URSL were 0.38% and 0.41%, respectively. Unendurable ipsilateral flank pain and a significant decrease in haemoglobin after surgery were the typical clinical manifestations of SRH after URSL. There were no significant differences in age, sex, history of diabetes mellitus, preoperative hypertension, body mass index, stone laterality or perfusion pressure (p>0.05). However, SRH was significantly associated with the stone size, stone location, degree of hydronephrosis and operative duration (p<0.01). One patient was managed conservatively without further intervention, percutaneous drainage was performed in four patients and one patient underwent emergency angiography. No patients died of SRH.

Conclusions

SRH is a rare but potentially serious complication of URSL. Severe hydronephrosis and a thin renal cortex preoperatively and prolonged operative duration are strong predisposing factors for SRH. Laparoscopic ureterolithotomy should be considered as an alternative surgery for patients with severe ureteral tortuosity. SRH is treated based on patients’ clinical manifestations. Most patients can be managed with conservative treatment or percutaneous drainage alone.
Evaluation of emotion-centric psychological interventions for chronic pain: protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Norman-Nott Nell , Hesam-Shariati Negin , Cashin Aidan G , Wewege Michael A , Rizzo Rodrigo RN , Wilks Chelsey R , Quidé Yann , McAuley James , Gustin Sylvia Maria
Published: November 2022

Introduction

Chronic pain, defined as pain persisting longer than 3 months, is more than an unpleasant sensory experience. Persistent negative emotions and emotional comorbidities, such as depression and anxiety, plague people with chronic pain leading to worsening pain intensity and increasing disability. While cognitive–behavioural therapy (CBT) is the gold standard psychological treatment, recent evidence highlights that CBT lacks efficacy for the physical and emotional aspects of chronic pain. Increasingly, researchers are investigating emotion-centric psychological therapies. While treatment modalities vary, these interventions frequently target understanding emotions, and train individuals for an emotionally adaptive response. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to quantify the efficacy of emotion-centric interventions for the physical and emotional characteristics of chronic pain.

Methods/analysis

Electronic databases (EMBASE, PubMed, PsychINFO, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, CINAHL and Web of Science) will be systematically searched from inception to 28 April 2022 for randomised controlled trials. Studies that compare an emotion-centric intervention with another form of treatment or placebo/control for adults (≥18 years old) with chronic pain will be included. All treatment modes (eg, online or in-person), any duration and group-based or individual treatments will be included. Studies that do not investigate at least one emotion-centric treatment will be excluded. The primary outcome is pain intensity. Secondary outcomes include emotion dysregulation, depression, anxiety, affect, safety and intervention compliance. A quantitative synthesis using a random effects meta-analysis will be adopted. Risk of bias will be evaluated using Cochrane Risk of Bias V.2.0 with the certainty of evidence assessed according to Recommendation, Assessment, Development and Evaluation. Data permitting, subgroup analysis will be conducted for intervention type and pain condition.

Ethics and dissemination

Ethical approval is not required for this systematic review. Results may inform an efficacy study examining a new emotion-centric intervention for chronic pain. Dissemination will be through peer-reviewed publications and in conference presentations.

PROSPERO registration number

CRD42021266815.
Efficacy and safety of remifentanil dose titration to correct the spontaneous hyperventilation in aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage: protocol and statistical analysis for a prospective physiological study
Authors: Su Rui , Zhou Jianfang , Zhu Ning , Chen Xiaolin , Zhou Jian-Xin , Li Hong-Liang
Published: November 2022

Introduction

Spontaneous hyperventilation (SHV) is common in aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage (aSAH). The reduction in arterial partial pressure of carbon dioxide (PaCO2) may change the brain physiology, such as haemodynamics, oxygenation, metabolism and may lead to secondary brain injury. However, how to correct SHV safely and effectively in patients with aSAH has not been well investigated. The aim of this study is to investigate the efficacy and safety of remifentanil dose titration to correct hyperventilation in aSAH, as well as the effect of changes in PaCO2on cerebral blood flow (CBF).

Methods and analysis

This study is a prospective, single-centre, physiological study in patients with aSAH. The patients who were mechanically ventilated and who meet with SHV (tachypnoea combined with PaCO2<35 mm Hg and pH >7.45) will be enrolled. The remifentanil will be titrated to correct the SHV. The predetermined initial dose of remifentanil is 0.02 μg/kg/min and will be maintained for 30 min, and PaCO2and CBF will be measured. After that, the dose of remifentanil will be sequentially increased to 0.04, 0.06, and 0.08 μg/kg/min, and the measurements for PaCO2and CBF will be repeated 30 min after each dose adjustment and will be compared with their baseline values.

Ethics and dissemination

This study has been approved by the Institutional Review Board of Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University (KY 2021-006-02) and has been registered at ClinicalTrials.gov. The results of this study will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations.

Trial registration number

NCT04940273.
Women’s preference to apply shared decision-making in breast cancer screening: a discrete choice experiment
Authors: Hernández-Leal María José , Pérez-Lacasta María José , Cardona-Cardona Angels , Codern-Bové Núria , Vidal-Lancis Carmen , Rue Montserrat , Forné Carles , Carles-Lavila Misericòrdia
Published: November 2022

Objective

To analyse women’s stated preferences for establishing the relative importance of each attribute of shared decision-making (SDM) and their willingness to pay (WTP) for more participatory care in breast cancer screening programmes (BCSP).

Design

A discrete choice experiment was designed with 12 questions (choice tasks). It included three attributes: ‘How the information is obtained’, regarding benefits and harms; whether there is a ‘Dialogue for scheduled mammography’ between the healthcare professional and the woman; and, ‘Who makes the decision’, regarding participation in BCSP. Data were obtained using a survey that included 12 choice tasks, 1 question on WTP and 7 socioeconomic-related questions. The analysis was performed using conditional mixed-effect logit regression and stratification according to WTP.

Setting

Data collection related to BCSP was conducted between June and November 2021 in Catalonia, Spain.

Participants

Sixty-five women aged between 50 and 60.

Main outcome measures

Women’s perceived utility of each attribute, trade-off on these attributes and WTP for SDM in BCSP.

Result

The only significant attribute was ‘Who makes the decision’. The decision made alone (coefficient=2.879; 95% CI=2.297 to 3.461) and the decision made together with a healthcare professional (2.375; 95% CI=1.573 to 3.177) were the options preferred by women. The former contributes 21% more utility than the latter. Moreover, 52.3% of the women stated a WTP of €10 or more for SDM. Women’s preferences regarding attributes did not influence their WTP.

Conclusions

The participant women refused a current paternalistic model and preferred either SDM or informed decision-making in BCSP.
Completion of the maternal continuum of care and its association with antenatal care attendance during previous pregnancy among women in rural areas of the Gurage Zone, Southwest Ethiopia: a community-based cross-sectional study
Authors: Tenaw Shegaw Geze , Tsega Daniel , Zewudie Bitew Tefera , Chekole Bogale , Eniyew Muche Argaw , Mesfin Yibeltal
Published: November 2022

Objective

The maternal continuum of care is a cost-effective intervention to prevent pregnancy and childbirth-related maternal and neonatal mortality and morbidity. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of completion of the maternal continuum of care and its association with antenatal care (ANC) attendance during previous pregnancy among women in rural kebeles of Gurage Zone, Southwest Ethiopia.

Design

A community-based cross-sectional study.

Setting

The study took place in 12 rural kebeles of the Gurage Zone from 1 April 2022 to 12 May 2022.

Participants

Randomly selected 497 women who gave birth in the previous 12 months in rural kebeles of the Gurage Zone.

Outcome

The outcome of this study was the prevalence of completion of the maternal continuum of care.

Results

Overall, the prevalence of completion of the maternal continuum of care was 15.5% (95% CI: 12.55% to 18.9%). After adjusting for potential confounders, having ANC attendance during a previous pregnancy (adjusted OR (AOR): 2.01; 95% CI: 1.07 to 3.76) was positively associated with the completion of the maternal continuum of care. In addition, having access to ambulance service as a means of transportation (AOR: 6.01; 95% CI: 3.16 to 11.39)andexposure to mass media (AOR: 2.43; 95% CI: 1.27 to 4.68) were positively associated with completion of the maternal continuum of care.

Conclusion

The prevalence of completion of the maternity continuum of care was unacceptably low in this study. This result indicates that the women did not receive the maximum possible health benefit from existing maternal healthcare services. The completion of the maternal continuum of care was affected by ANC attendance in a previous pregnancy. Therefore, interventions that can strengthen ANC are crucial in the maternal continuum of the care pathway.
Mixed-methods implementation study of a virtual culturally tailored diabetes self-management programme for African and Caribbean communities (HEAL-D) in south London and its scaling up across NHS regions in England: study protocol
Authors: Lowry Sophie , Goff Louise , Irwin Sally , Brady Oliver , Curran Natasha , Lelliott Zoe , Sevdalis Nick , Walker Andrew
Published: November 2022

Introduction

The National Health Service Insight Prioritisation Programme was established to accelerate the implementation and evaluation of innovation that supports post-pandemic working. Supporting this, the Academic Health Science Network and National Institute for Health and Care Research Applied Research Collaboration in South London are testing and evaluating the implementation and scale-up of a type 2 diabetes (T2D) intervention.

T2D is estimated to be three times more prevalent in UK African and Caribbean communities than in white Europeans. To tackle ethnic inequities in T2D healthcare access, an evidence-based, culturally tailored self-management and education programme for African and Caribbean adults (Healthy Eating & Active Lifestyles for Diabetes, HEAL-D) has been codeveloped with people with lived experience. Initially a face-to-face programme, HEAL-D pivoted to virtual delivery in response to COVID-19.

The purpose of this study is to explore the (1) feasibility and acceptability of a virtual delivery model for HEAL-D in south London and (2) factors affecting its scale-up across other areas in England.

Methods and analysis

The study will have two strands: (1) mixed-methods prospective evaluation of HEAL-D virtual delivery in south London using routinely collected service-level data, service delivery staff and service user interviews and observations; and (2) prospective qualitative study of the scale-up of this virtual delivery comprising interviews and focus groups with members of the public, and diabetes services commissioners and providers across England. Qualitative data will be analysed using thematic analysis. Quantitative analysis will use descriptive statistics and reporting summary tables and figures. The study will be grounded in well-established implementation frameworks and service user involvement.

Ethics and dissemination

‘Minimal Risk Registration’ ethical clearance was granted by King’s College London’s Research Ethics Office (ref: MRA-21/22-28498). Results will be published in a peer-reviewed journal and summaries provided to the study funders and participants.
Reirradiation Options for Previously Irradiated Prostate cancer (RO-PIP): Feasibility study investigating toxicity outcomes following reirradiation with stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) versus high-dose-rate brachytherapy (HDR-BT)
Authors: Zhong Jim , Brown Sarah , Serra Maria , Shuttleworth Pam , Bownes Peter , Thompson Christopher , Reed Rachel , Reeves Kimberley , Dubec Michael , McHugh Damien , Eccles Cynthia , Chuter Robert , Tsang Yat Man , Taylor N Jane , West Catharine , Buckley David , Scarsbrook Andrew , Choudhury Ananya , Hoskin Peter , Henry Ann
Published: November 2022

Introduction

Radiotherapy is the most common curative treatment for non-metastatic prostate cancer; however, up to 13% of patients will develop local recurrence within 10 years. Patients can undergo further and potentially curative treatment including salvage surgery, brachytherapy (BT), external beam radiotherapy, high-intensity focused ultrasound and cryotherapy. Systematic review shows that high-dose-rate (HDR) BT and stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) have the best outcomes in terms of biochemical control and lowest side effects. The reirradiation options for previously irradiated prostate cancer (RO-PIP) trial aims to determine the feasibility of recruitment to a trial randomising patients to salvage HDR-BT or SBRT and provide prospective data on patient recorded toxicity outcomes that will inform a future phase III trial.

Methods and analysis

The primary endpoint of the RO-PIP feasibility study is to evaluate the patient recruitment potential over 2 years to a trial randomising to either SBRT or HDR-BT for patients who develop local recurrence of prostate cancer following previous radiation therapy. The aim is to recruit 60 patients across 3 sites over 2 years and randomise 1:1 to SBRT or HDR-BT. Secondary objectives include recording clinician and patient-reported outcome measures to evaluate treatment-related toxicity. In addition, the study aims to identify potential imaging, genomic and proteomic biomarkers that are predictive of toxicity and outcome based on hypoxia status, a prognostic marker of prostate cancer.

Ethics and dissemination

This study has been approved by the Yorkshire and The Humber—Bradford Leeds Research Ethics Committee (Reference: 21/YH/0305, IRAS: 297060, January 2022). The results will be presented in national and international conferences, published in peer-reviewed journals and will be communicated to relevant stakeholders. A plain English report will be shared with the study participants, patients’ organisations and media.

Trial registration number

ISRCTN 12238218 (Amy Ackroyd NIHR CPMS Team).
Impact of sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors on heart failure and mortality in patients with cancer
Authors: Chiang Cho-Han , Chiang Cho-Hung , Chiang Cho-Hsien , Ma Kevin Sheng-Kai , Peng Chun-Yu , Hsia Yuan Ping , Horng Chuan-Sheng , Chen Cheng-Ying , Chang Yu-Cheng , See Xin Ya , Chen Yuan-Jen , Wang Shih-Syuan , Suero-Abreu Giselle A , Peterson LR , Thavendiranathan Paaladinesh , Armand Philippe , Peng Cheng-Ming , Shiah Her-Shyong , Neilan Tomas G
Published: November 2022

Objectives

Sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) reduce heart failure (HF) in at-risk patients and may possess antitumour effects. We examined the effect of SGLT2i on HF and mortality among patients with cancer and diabetes.

Methods

This was a retrospective propensity score-matched cohort study involving adult patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus diagnosed with cancer between January 2010 and December 2021. The primary outcomes were hospitalisation for incident HF and all-cause mortality. The secondary outcomes were serious adverse events associated with SGLT2i.

Results

From a total of 8640 patients, 878 SGLT2i recipients were matched to non-recipients. During a median follow-up of 18.8 months, SGLT2i recipients had a threefold lower rate of hospitalisation for incident HF compared with non-SGLT2i recipients (2.92 vs 8.95 per 1000 patient-years, p=0.018). In Cox regression and competing regression models, SGLT2i were associated with a 72% reduction in the risk of hospitalisation for HF (HR 0.28 (95% CI: 0.11 to 0.77), p=0.013; subdistribution HR 0.32 (95% CI: 0.12 to 0.84), p=0.021). The use of SGLT2i was also associated with a higher overall survival (85.3% vs 63.0% at 2 years, p<0.001). The risk of serious adverse events such as hypoglycaemia and sepsis was similar between the two groups.

Conclusions

The use of SGLT2i was associated with a lower rate of incident HF and prolonged overall survival in patients with cancer with diabetes mellitus.
Comparison of short interval and low dose (SILD) with high dose of cyclophosphamide in the susceptibility to infection in SLE: a multicentrereal-world study
Authors: Shao Miao , Miao Miao , Zhang Xia , Zhang Xiaoying , An Yuan , Guo Huifang , Lei Lingyan , Zhao Qing , Ding Yanjie , Lin Jin , Wu Rui , Yu Feng , Li Yucui , Miao Huali , Zhang Liyun , Du Yan , Jiao Ruiying , Pang Lixia , Long Li , Yao Xueming , Shi Xiaofei , Wang Fei , Cui Luping , Zhang Lei , Liu Shengyun , Lu Fuai , Luo Kangkai , Zhao Simeng , Wang Yongfu , Wu Xiao , Wang Qingwen , Liu Hongjiang , Song Shulin , Zhou Xiaoyuan , Zhang Xiaoping , Shi Shumei , Zhu Hong , Chen Yao , Yu Honglian , Wu Jie , Yu Ruiyun , Fan Wenqiang , Liu Shuang , Xu Jian , Chen Zhibin , Shi Lianjie , He Jing , Zhang Xuewu , Li Zhanguo , Li Ru
Published: November 2022

Objective

Infection is a major cause of death in patients with SLE. This study aimed to explore the infection rate in patients with SLE receiving a low dose of intravenous cyclophosphamide (IV-CYC).

Methods

Clinical parameters of 1022 patients with SLE from 24 hospitals in China were collected. Patients were divided into the short-interval and lower-dose (SILD, 400 mg every 2 weeks) IV-CYC group and the high-dose (HD, 500 mg/m2of body surface area every month) IV-CYC group. The clinical data and infection rate between the two groups were compared.

Results

Compared with HD IV-CYC, the infection rate of the SILD IV-CYC group was significantly lower (13.04% vs 22.27%, p=0.001). Respiratory tract infection (10.28% vs 15.23%, p=0.046) and skin/soft tissue infection (1.78% vs 4.3%, p=0.040) were significantly decreased in the SILD IV-CYC group. Moreover, infections occurred most likely in patients with SLE with leucopenia (OR 2.266, 95% CI 1.322 to 3.887, p=0.003), pulmonary arterial hypertension (OR 2.756, 95% CI 1.249 to 6.080, p=0.012) and >15 mg/day of glucocorticoid (OR 2.220, 95% CI 1.097 to 4.489, p=0.027).

Conclusions

SILD IV-CYC showed a lower frequency of infection events than high-dose IV-CYC in patients with SLE.
Cubic interactions of d4 irreducible massless higher spin fields within BRST approach
Authors: Buchbinder I. L. , Krykhtin V. A. , Snegirev T. V.
Published: November 2022

We develop an approach to constructing the manifestly Lorentz covariant cubic interaction vertices for the four-dimensional massless higher spin bosonic fields with two-component dotted and undotted spinor indices. Such fields automatically satisfy the traceless conditions what simplify form of the equations determining the irreducible massless representation of the Poincaré group with given helicity. The cubic vertex is formulated in the framework of the BRST approach to higher spin field theory. Use of the above spin-tensor fields allows to simplify a form of the BRST-charge and hence to find the cubic vertices just in terms of irreducible higher spin fields. We derive an equation for the cubic vertex and find solutions for arbitrary spins $$s_1,s_2,s_3$$

s
1

,

s
2

,

s
3

with the number of derivatives $$s_1+s_2+s_3$$

s
1

+

s
2

+

s
3

in the vertex. As an example, we explicitly construct a vertex corresponding to the interaction of a higher spin field with scalars.
On the strong coupling problem in cosmologies with “strong gravity in the past”
Authors: Ageeva Yulia , Petrov Pavel
Published: November 2022

In this paper, we examine the potential strong coupling problem at early times in a bouncing cosmological model with “strong gravity in the past” (Jordan frame), which is conformally related to inflation (Einstein frame). From naive-dimensional analysis in the Jordan frame, one would conclude that the quantum strong coupling energy scale can be lower than the classical energy scale. However, from the Einstein frame prospective, this should not be the case. We illustrate this point by calculation in the Jordan frame which shows cancellations of the dangerous contributions in the tree level amplitude.
Accretions of (m, n)-type Pilgrim dark energies with logarithmic and power-law entropy corrections onto (D + 2)-dimensional black hole and wormhole
Authors: Bhadra Jhumpa , Debnath Ujjal , Pradhan Anirudh
Published: November 2022

This work aims to study the accretions of dark energy coupled with dark matter onto a static Schwarzschild black hole of [Formula: see text] dimensions. Besides the accretion of fluids, the effect due to evaporation of black hole of [Formula: see text] dimensions is under consideration. Mass is one of the interesting dynamical properties of a black hole. The changes in masses have been projected in the framework of the Friedmann–Robertson–Walker model of the universe of [Formula: see text] dimensions. The [Formula: see text]-type Pilgrim dark energies with their logarithmic and power-law entropy corrections are considered as the form of dark energy in our study. Further, the scale factor that is considered as [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text] follows the power-law form. The changes in the dynamical mass of the black hole have been calculated with the variation corresponding to redshift [Formula: see text] while dark matter and specified type of dark energy accrete onto [Formula: see text]-dimensional Schwarzschild black hole. It is found that the dynamical mass of the black hole increases in the late-time epoch as a consequence of the prescribed form of dark energy accretion and evaporation of the black hole. Finally, we discuss the accretion phenomena of the above-specified types of dark energies onto [Formula: see text]-dimensional Morris–Thorne wormhole. It has been investigated that the masses of the black hole and the wormhole sensitively vary with the values of the dimensions.
Exponential ergodicity for a stochastic two-layer quasi-geostrophic model
Authors: Carigi Giulia , Bröcker Jochen , Kuna Tobias
Published: November 2022

Ergodic properties of a stochastic medium complexity model for atmosphere and ocean dynamics are analyzed. More specifically, a two-layer quasi-geostrophic model for geophysical flows is studied, with the upper layer being perturbed by additive noise. This model is popular in the geosciences, for instance to study the effects of a stochastic wind forcing on the ocean. A rigorous mathematical analysis however meets with the challenge that in the model under study, the noise configuration is spatially degenerate as the stochastic forcing acts only on the top layer. Exponential convergence of solutions laws to the invariant measure is established, implying a spectral gap of the associated Markov semigroup on a space of Hölder continuous functions. The approach provides a general framework for generalized coupling techniques suitable for applications to dissipative SPDEs. In case of the two-layer quasi-geostrophic model, the results require the second layer to obey a certain passivity condition.
On the basic representation of the double affine Hecke algebra at critical level
Authors: van Diejen J. F. , Emsiz E. , Zurrián I. N.
Published: November 2022

We construct the basic representation of the double affine Hecke algebra at critical level [Formula: see text] associated to an irreducible reduced affine root system [Formula: see text] with a reduced gradient root system. For [Formula: see text] of untwisted type such a representation was studied by Oblomkov [A. Oblomkov, Double affine Hecke algebras and Calogero–Moser spaces, Represent. Theory 8(2004) 243–266] and further detailed by Gehles [K. E. Gehles, Properties of Cherednik algebras and graded Hecke algebras, PhD thesis, University of Glasgow (2006)] in the presence of minuscule weights.
A study of critical point equation and *-critical point equation on Sasakian manifolds
Authors: Sarkar Sumanjit
Published: November 2022

In this paper, we initiate the study of critical point equation and *-critical point equation within the substructure of Sasakian manifolds. We prove that if a compact Sasakian manifold admits CPE, then either the manifold is Einstein or the potential function is harmonic in an open subset. Later, we demonstrate that if the manifold satisfies *-CPE, it is [Formula: see text]-Einstein and obtain an expression for the *-Ricci tensor. Finally, we construct an example to illustrate the existence of CPE and *-CPE on the Sasakian manifold.
Ternary algebras associated with irreducible tensor representations of SO(3) and the quark model
Authors: Abramov Viktor
Published: November 2022

We show that each irreducible tensor representation of weight 2 of the rotation group in the space of rank 3 tensors over three-dimensional space gives rise to an associative algebra with unity. We find the algebraic conditions to be satisfied by the generators of these algebras. Part of these relations is of binary, and another part is of ternary type. The structure of the latter one is based on the use of the cyclic group [Formula: see text] generated by the primitive cubic root of unity given by [Formula: see text]. The subspace of each algebra spanned by triple products of generators is five-dimensional (5D) and is identical with the space of irreducible tensor representation of weight 2 of the rotation group [Formula: see text]. We define a Hermitian scalar product in this 5D subspace and construct its orthonormal basis in terms of triple products of generators. Then we find an explicit formula for the Lie algebra homomorphism [Formula: see text]. We suggest that the algebras constructed in this way, with binary and ternary constitutive relations, may find applications in the quark model and the Grand Unified Theories.
ForETaxi: Data-Driven Fleet-Oriented Charging Resource Allocation in Large-Scale Electric Taxi Networks
Authors: Wang Guang , Chen Yuefei , Wang Shuai , Zhang Fan , Zhang Desheng
Published: November 2022

Charging processes are the key to promoting electric taxis and improving their operational efficiency due to frequent charging activities and long charging time. Nevertheless, optimizing charging resource allocation in real time is extremely challenging because of uneven charging demand/supply distributions, heuristic-based charging behaviors of drivers, and city-scale of the fleets. The existing solutions have utilized real-time contextual information for charging recommendation, but they do not consider the much-richer fleet information, leading to the suboptimal individual-based charging recommendation. In this paper, we design a data-driven fleet-oriented charging recommendation system for charging resource allocation called
ForETaxi
for electric taxis
, which aims to minimize the overall charging overhead for the entire fleet, instead of individual vehicles. ForETaxi considers not only current charging requests but also possible charging requests of other nearby electric taxis in the near future by inferring their status in real time. More importantly, we implement ForETaxi with multiple types of sensor data from the Chinese Shenzhen city including GPS data, and taxi transaction data from more than 13,000 electric taxis, combined with road network data and charging station data. The data-driven evaluation results show that compared to the state-of-the-art individual-based recommendation methods, our fleet-oriented ForETaxi outperforms them by 16% in the total charging time reduction and 82% in the queuing time reduction.
Antidepressant Active Components of Bupleurum chinense DC‐Paeonia lactiflora Pall Herb Pair: Pharmacological Mechanisms
Authors: Lv Shimeng , Zhao Yifan , Wang Le , Yu Yihong , Li Jiaxin , Huang Yufei , Xu Wenhua , Sun Geqin , Dai Weibo , Zhao Tingting , Bi Dezhong , Ma Yuexiang , Sun Peng
Published: November 2022

Depression is a serious psychological disorder with a rapidly increasing incidence in recent years. Clinically, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors are the main therapy. These drugs, have serious adverse reactions, however. Traditional Chinese medicine has the characteristics of multiple components, targets, and pathways, which has huge potential advantages for the treatment of depression. The antidepressant potential of the herbal combination of Bupleurum chinense DC (Chaihu) and Paeonia lactiflora Pall (Baishao) has been extensively studied previously. In this review, we summarized the antidepressant active components and mechanism of Chaihu‐Baishao herb pair. We found that it works mainly through relieving oxidative stress, regulating HPA axis, and protecting neurons. Nevertheless, current research of this combined preparation still faces many challenges. On one hand, most of the current studies only stay at the level of animal models, lacking of sufficient clinical double‐blind controlled trials for further verification. In addition, studies on the synergistic effect between different targets and signaling pathways are scarce. On the other hand, this preparation has numerous defects such as poor stability, low solubility, and difficulty in crossing the blood‐brain barrier.
An Internet of Things (IoT) Based Image Process Screening to Prevent COVID-19 in Public Gatherings
Authors: Serbaya Suhail H.
Published: November 2022

The global community is now coping with such a significant issue as the Covid-19 virus, public gatherings are experiencing certain restrictions in order to stop the virus from spreading further. The issue takes on a bigger significance during religious pilgrimages such as the Hajj and the Umrah, when tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of people gather in holy cities to participate in religious rituals. During such a time period, it is quite difficult to single out an infected person from among the big crowd that is there. The current screening approach only includes a single element of identity, which means that there is a possibility that the screening process may fail because there will not be enough identification. The use of thermal imaging provides a higher level of accuracy when compared to more conventional ways of testing for viral infections in the detection of these symptoms in crowded locations. The primary method that is utilised to determine whether or not a person is infected with the virus is an image processing algorithm that is built in MATLAB. The first step in the process of acquiring an image is to divide the video that is being captured into individual frames. Following this step, the frames that have been focussed are processed in a number of ways. The temperature of a person’s body may be estimated by taking a thermal image and then using the RGB separation feature on it. In order to categorise and sort the data, the k-means approach was used as part of the segmentation operation. In addition to eliminating the skin frequency, it also gets rid of the background noise, which often has a higher frequency than the skin frequency. The Viola–Jones technique, which may be used to identify the person’s breathing rate, can be used to locate the end of a person’s nose, specifically the tip of the nose. The Cascaded Adaboost Classifier is an option that may be used to finish the classification process after the operation has been completed. The suggested method has an accuracy rate of 89.23 percent and a simulation period of around 60 seconds, which guarantees the safety of huge groups of people’s public health.
A Novel Defect Detection Method for Ferrite Shield Surface Defects by Improved Faster R-CNN
Authors: Ye Xuhui , Ye Jun , He Zhuang , Zhang Daode , Hu Xinyu , Chen Qi
Published: November 2022

Traditional manual inspection of small objects such as ferrite shield surface defects through naked eyes is labour-intensive and inefficient, especially existed false and missed inspection. To improve the defect detection rate and efficiency, a novel inspection method based on an improved Faster R-CNN is proposed aiming at weak feature information, small object, and diverse shapes of the defective target. This paper takes cracks, pits, impurities, and dirty defects existing on the surface of the ferrite shield as examples to verify this method. Firstly, the bidirectional feature fusion network with ResNet-50 is added to the original Faster R-CNN to obtain feature maps, which contain strong semantic information and rich location information of the defects. Then, k-means clustering with genetic algorithm is adopted for generating adaptive anchor boxes to match defects of various shapes in the region proposal network (RPN) stage. Then, the region of interest (ROI) Align instead of the ROI Pooling is introduced to eliminate the candidate frame position bias and improve the defect localization accuracy. Finally, Soft nonmaximum suppression (NMS) is used to reduce the probability of defective targets. The mean average precision (mAP) of the applied method for detecting surface defects of ferrite shields is 81.0% which is higher than the commonly used detectors such as SSD, YOLO, Retina-Net, and Cascade RCNN. The study can provide a new detection mean to obtain the detection capability and accuracy of ferrite shields and lay a solid foundation for automated detection of small objects.
Chronic Antihyperglycemic Effect Exerted by Traditional Extracts of Three Mexican Medicinal Plants
Authors: Espinoza-Hernández Fernanda A. , Andrade-Cetto Adolfo
Published: November 2022

Chronic hyperglycemia, the product of uncontrolled diabetes, leads to the appearance of vascular complications that can result in the premature death of diabetic patients. Consequently, pharmacological intervention with hypoglycemic agents could delay these complications and improve the quality of life of patients in the long term. Traditional Mexican medicine provides a great wealth of medicinal plants that are used for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, the most prevalent form of diabetes, accounting for nearly 90–95% of total cases. However, there is still a lack of studies that support their hypoglycemic effects, clarify their mechanisms of action, and report their long-term efficacy. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the chronic effects of the traditional extracts of some Mexican medicinal plants used by diabetic patients (Ageratina petiolaris (Moc. & Sessé ex DC.) R.M. King & H. Rob. (Asteraceae), Calea urticifolia (Mill.) DC. (Asteraceae), and Eryngium cymosum F.Delaroche (Apiaceae)) on hyperglycemia and hypertriglyceridemia. To achieve this goal, the aqueous extracts of these plants at their traditional doses were administered daily to streptozotocin-nicotinamide (STZ-NA) hyperglycemic Wistar rats for 42 days to assess their effects on nonfasting blood glucose (NFBG), glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), and blood triglycerides (TG). The results showed that the A. petiolaris extract significantly reduced NFBG by 33% compared to its baseline (p = 0.0281). Besides, it prevented the increase in HbA1c by 2.63% (p = 0.0303) and diminished the AUC of TG (p = 0.0031) compared with the negative control. On the other hand, both C. urticifolia and E. cymosum prevented worsening of hyperglycemia by avoiding the significant increase in glucose levels seen in the negative control and the rise in HbA1c by 2.58% (p = 0.0156). These outcomes provide evidence for the first time of the antihyperglycemic effect of these Mexican medicinal plants, confirming their long-term efficacy in the control of chronic hyperglycemia.
Combined Periodontal and Endodontic Management of Palatal Radicular Groove with Platelet-Rich Fibrin and Biodentine®
Authors: Rijal Arjun Hari , Dhami Bhageshwar , Ghimire Pratistha
Published: November 2022

Palatal radicular groove (PRG) is developmental anomaly of root, which when present is associated with periodontal and endodontic problems. Different treatment modalities are available for its management, such as periodontal flap surgery, endodontic management, sealing of PRG with various cements, bone graft procedure for intrabony defect, extraction with intentional replantation after sealing or removal of a PRG, and endodontic treatment as well as the use of various growth factors. Success of the therapy depends on the type, depth, and extent of PRG, presence or absence of intrabony defect, vitality of involved tooth, and types of materials used to seal PRG. This study reports management of PRG with Biodentine® and platelet-rich fibrin in a 44-year-old systemically healthy female patient.
Current Approaches for Image Fusion of Histological Data with Computed Tomography and Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Authors: Nolte Philipp , Dullin Christian , Svetlove Angelika , Brettmacher Marcel , Rußmann Christoph , Schilling Arndt F. , Alves Frauke , Stock Bernd
Published: November 2022

Classical analysis of biological samples requires the destruction of the tissue’s integrity by cutting or grinding it down to thin slices for (Immuno)-histochemical staining and microscopic analysis. Despite high specificity, encoded in the stained 2D section of the whole tissue, the structural information, especially 3D information, is limited. Computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans performed prior to sectioning in combination with image registration algorithms provide an opportunity to regain access to morphological characteristics as well as to relate histological findings to the 3D structure of the local tissue environment. This review provides a summary of prevalent literature addressing the problem of multimodal coregistration of hard- and soft-tissue in microscopy and tomography. Grouped according to the complexity of the dimensions, including image-to-volume (2D ⟶ 3D), image-to-image (2D ⟶ 2D), and volume-to-volume (3D ⟶ 3D), selected currently applied approaches are investigated by comparing the method accuracy with respect to the limiting resolution of the tomography. Correlation of multimodal imaging could position itself as a useful tool allowing for precise histological diagnostic and allow the a priori planning of tissue extraction like biopsies.
Thyroiditis after mRNA Vaccination for COVID-19
Authors: Saha Arunava , Chittimoju Sanjita , Trivedi Nitin
Published: November 2022

Background. SARS-CoV-2 has been known to cause multisystemic involvement, gaining entry through ACE-2 and TMPRSS2 receptors. COVID-19 vaccine-associated thyroiditis cases are now being reported. Case Report. Case 1. A 36-year-old woman with a history of right hemithyroidectomy for a benign thyroid nodule, on a stable dose of levothyroxine with euthyroid labs, presented with progressively worsening left neck pain, episodic palpitations, and heat intolerance after the second dose of mRNA1273 (Moderna) vaccine. Examination revealed an enlarged and tender left lobe of the thyroid with suppressed TSH but normal free T4 and ESR, signifying subacute thyroiditis. She was managed conservatively without corticosteroids or beta-blockers, and her symptoms resolved. A follow-up revealed increasing TSH, and levothyroxine was restarted. Case 2. A 33-year-old man with a history of anxiety disorder on Sertraline, presented with a two-week history of palpitations, heat intolerance, and 10-pound weight loss after the second dose of BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech) vaccine. Examination revealed a normal thyroid gland with no tenderness with elevated thyroid peroxidase and thyroglobulin antibodies. Ultrasound showed a diffusely heterogeneous thyroid with increased vascularity, suggesting silent thyroiditis. Follow-up revealed a hypothyroid phase with high TSH for which levothyroxine supplementation was started. Discussion. COVID-19 vaccine-associated subacute and silent thyroiditis have occurred following all three kinds of available vaccines, characterized by an initial thyrotoxic phase, followed by a hypothyroid phase and a recovery phase. Hypotheses include an immune response triggering thyroid inflammation or cross-reactivity with viral proteins. Conclusions. COVID-19 vaccine-associated thyroiditis is rare, but long-term monitoring of these patients is essential to ensure appropriate diagnosis and management of the potential hypothyroid phase.