bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Evaluating indicators of marsh vulnerability to sea level rise along a historical marsh loss gradient
Authors: Schepers Lennert , Kirwan Matthew L. , Guntenspergen Glenn R. , Temmerman Stijn
Published: April 2020

Sea level rise (SLR) is threatening coastal marshes, leading to large‐scale marsh loss in several micro‐tidal systems. Early recognition of marsh vulnerability to SLR is critical in these systems to aid managers to take appropriate restoration or mitigation measures. However, it is not clear if current marsh vulnerability indicators correctly assess long‐term stability of the marsh system. In this study, two indicators of marsh stress were studied: (i) the skewness of the marsh elevation distribution, and (ii) the abundance of codominant species in mixtures. We combined high‐precision elevation measurements (GPS), LiDAR imagery, vegetation surveys and water level measurements to study these indicators in an organogenic micro‐tidal system (Blackwater River, Maryland, USA), where large‐scale historical conversion from marshes to shallow ponds resulted in a gradient of increasing marsh loss. The two indicators reveal increasingly stressed marshes along the marsh loss gradient, but suggest that the field site with the most marsh loss seems to experience less stress. For the latter site, previous research indicates that wind waves generated on interior marsh ponds contribute to lateral erosion of surrounding marsh edges and hence marsh loss. The eroded marsh sediment might temporarily provide the remaining marshes with the necessary sediment to keep up with relative SLR. However, this is only a short‐term alleviation, as lateral marsh edge erosion and sediment export lead to severe marsh loss in the long term. Our findings indicate that marsh elevation skewness and the abundance of codominant species in mixtures can be used to supplement existing marsh stress indicators, but that additional indices such as fetch length and the sediment budget should be included to account for lateral marsh erosion and sediment export and to correctly assess long‐term stability of micro‐tidal marshes. © 2020 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Anticollision algorithm for radio frequency identification system with low memory requirements
Authors: Radić Joško , Šolić Petar , Škiljo Maja
Published: April 2020

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is recognized as an essential technology for the development of the Internet of Things (IoT) concept. This is due to the possibility of object identification using passive tags which do not require batteries for their operation. Instead, tags are powered by the electromagnetic waves emitted from the reader and then the same electromagnetic wave is used as a carrier to reflect the modulated information about their unique serial number back to the reader. According to the EPCglobal Class‐1 Generation‐2 RFID standard, Dynamic frame slotted ALOHA procedure is used to solve the anticollision problem. Basically, a reader adjusts the frame length for the next reading round based on the estimated number of unread tags. To achieve high reading efficiency, an algorithm with accurate estimation of the remaining number of tags is required. The article shows that for the adjustment of the next frame length, only the number of collisions is relevant. A simple estimator for the frames with 64 slots is designed, and generalized for the frames of any length provided within the EPCglobal Class‐1 Generation‐2 standard. Contrary to existing solutions, which use more tables for storage of the estimated values depending on the frame length, proposed approach requires just one table. Also, the problem of estimation is reduced to dependence on the number of collisions only, while conventional approaches use the number of collisions and successful slots.
A pipeline‐friendly software tool for genome diagnostics to prioritize genes by matching patient symptoms to literature
Authors: van der Velde K. Joeri , van den Hoek Sander , van Dijk Freerk , Hendriksen Dennis , van Diemen Cleo C. , Johansson Lennart F. , Abbott Kristin M. , Deelen Patrick , Sikkema‐Raddatz Birgit , Swertz Morris A.
Published: April 2020

Despite an explosive growth of next‐generation sequencing data, genome diagnostics only provides a molecular diagnosis to a minority of patients. Software tools that prioritize genes based on patient symptoms using known gene‐disease associations may complement variant filtering and interpretation to increase chances of success. However, many of these tools cannot be used in practice because they are embedded within variant prioritization algorithms, or exist as remote services that cannot be relied upon or are unacceptable because of legal/ethical barriers. In addition, many tools are not designed for command‐line usage, closed‐source, abandoned, or unavailable. We present Variant Interpretation using Biomedical literature Evidence (VIBE), a tool to prioritize disease genes based on Human Phenotype Ontology codes. VIBE is a locally installed executable that ensures operational availability and is built upon DisGeNET‐RDF, a comprehensive knowledge platform containing gene‐disease associations mostly from literature and variant‐disease associations mostly from curated source databases. VIBE's command‐line interface and output are designed for easy incorporation into bioinformatic pipelines that annotate and prioritize variants for further clinical interpretation. We evaluate VIBE in a benchmark based on 305 patient cases alongside seven other tools. Our results demonstrate that VIBE offers consistent performance with few cases missed, but we also find high complementarity among all tested tools. VIBE is a powerful, free, open source and locally installable solution for prioritizing genes based on patient symptoms. Project source code, documentation, benchmark and executables are available at https://github.com/molgenis/vibe.
How can aging be reversed? Exploring rejuvenation from a damage‐based perspective
Authors: Zhang Bohan , Gladyshev Vadim N.
Published: April 2020

Advanced age is associated with accumulation of damage and other deleterious changes and a consequential systemic decline of function. This decline affects all organs and systems in an organism, leading to their inadaptability to the environment, and therefore is thought to be inevitable for humans and most animal species. However, in vitro and in vivo application of reprogramming strategies, which convert somatic cells to induced pluripotent stem cells, has demonstrated that the aged cells can be rejuvenated. Moreover, the data and theoretical considerations suggest that reversing the biological age of somatic cells (from old to young) and de‐differentiating somatic cells into stem cells represent two distinct processes that take place during rejuvenation, and thus they may be differently targeted. We advance a stemness‐function model to explain these data and discuss a possibility of rejuvenation from the perspective of damage accumulation. In turn, this suggests approaches to achieve rejuvenation of cells in vitro and in vivo.
Performance enhancement of photovoltaic panels using two types of nanofluids
Authors: Ebaid Munzer S. Y. , Al‐busoul Mamdoh , Ghrair Ayoup M.
Published: April 2020

One of the main problems that limit the extensive use of photovoltaic (PV) systems is the increase in the temperature of PV panels. Overheating of a PV module decreases the performance of the output power by 0.4% to 0.5% per 1°C over its rated temperature that in most cases is 25°C. An effective way of improving electrical performance (power output and efficiency) and reducing the rate of thermal degradation of a PV module is to reduce the operating temperature of the PV surface by a cooling medium. To achieve this, nanofluids can be considered as a potentially effective solution for cooling. In this study, two types of nanofluids, namely Al2O3 and TiO2 water‐based mixture of different volume flow rates and concentrations (0.01%, 0.05%, and 0.1%) by weight, were used. Also, three PV panels were cooled simultaneously using nanofluids, water, and natural air, respectively. Results showed that nanofluids for cooling enhanced heat transfer rate much better than water and natural air. Best results were achieved for TiO2 nanofluids at the considered concentration (0.1 wt%). Nanofluid cooling of turbulent flows for such an application has not been investigated before. These results represent the first application of nanofluid cooling in the turbulent flow regimes and in outdoor conditions including real solar irradiation.
Investigating the effect of nanofluids of aluminum oxide and titanium dioxide on the heat transfer of the engine cooling coil by considering the boiling phenomenon
Authors: Karimi Senejani Ali , Mehdipour Ramin
Published: April 2020

Automotive industries are constantly seeking to produce more powerful and efficient engines. One of the factors affecting engine efficiency is the engine's temperature. Several research studies have been done to control and reduce engine temperature. The generated heat due to combustion of fuel in the engine should be cooled down to avoid engine heat up. In the present study, the cooling circuit of a real‐scale internal combustion engine is simulated using GT‐suite software along with a proposed model. Also, in this study, a model for simulating boiling and the effect of employing nanofluids as a coolant is presented. Initially, the performance of the proposed model is examined in a channel. The results show that the proposed model increases accuracy by about 20% compared with the default GT‐suit model, which ignores boiling. The simulation results show that the presence of Al2O3 and TiO2 nanofluids up to 2 vol% reduces the engine wall temperature by 7% and 6.7%, respectively.
Fruit consumption and the risk of bladder cancer: A pooled analysis by the Bladder Cancer Epidemiology and Nutritional Determinants Study
Authors: Jochems Sylvia H. J. , Reulen Raoul C. , van Osch Frits H. M. , Witlox Willem J. A. , Goossens Maria E. , Brinkman Maree , Giles Graham G. , Milne Roger L. , van den Brandt Piet A. , White Emily , Weiderpass Elisabete , Huybrechts Inge , Hémon Bertrand , Agudo Antonio , Bueno‐de‐Mesquita Bas , Cheng Kar K. , van Schooten Frederik J. , Bryan Richard T. , Wesselius Anke , Zeegers Maurice P.
Published: April 2020

While the association between fruit consumption and bladder cancer risk has been extensively reported, studies have had inadequate statistical power to investigate associations between types of fruit and bladder cancer risk satisfactorily. Fruit consumption in relation to bladder cancer risk was investigated by pooling individual data from 13 cohort studies. Cox regression models with attained age as time scale were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) for intakes of total fruit and citrus fruits, soft fruits, stone fruits, tropical fruits, pome fruits and fruit products. Analyses were stratified by sex, smoking status and bladder cancer subtype. During on average 11.2 years of follow‐up, 2836 individuals developed incident bladder cancer. Increasing fruit consumption (by 100 g/day) was inversely associated with the risk of bladder cancer in women (HR = 0.92; 95% CI 0.85‐0.99). Although in women the association with fruit consumption was most evident for higher‐risk nonmuscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC; HR = 0.72; 95% CI 0.56‐0.92), the test for heterogeneity by bladder cancer subtype was nonsignificant (P‐heterogeneity = .14). Increasing fruit consumption (by 100 g/day) was not associated with bladder cancer risk in men (HR = 0.99; 95% CI 0.94‐1.03), never smokers (HR = 0.96; 95% CI 0.88‐1.05), former smokers (HR = 0.98; 95% CI 0.92‐1.05) or current smokers (HR = 0.95; 95% CI 0.89‐1.01). The consumption of any type of fruit was not found to be associated with bladder cancer risk (P values > .05). Our study supports no evidence that the consumption of specific types of fruit reduces the risk of bladder cancer. However, increasing total fruit consumption may reduce bladder cancer risk in women.
Acceptability and feasibility of a brief substance use intervention for adolescents in Cape Town, South Africa: A pilot study
Authors: Carney Tara , Johnson Kim , Carrico Adam , Myers Bronwyn
Published: April 2020

Substance use is prevalent among South African adolescents, but few interventions exist to reduce risk of harm. This study assesses the feasibility, acceptability and preliminary effects of a brief intervention for reducing adolescent substance use and other risk behaviours. This single‐arm feasibility test recruited 30 substance‐using adolescents and their primary caregiver. Participants received separate interventions (2 sessions for adolescents, 1 session for caregivers), with a subsample randomly selected for post‐intervention interviews. Feasibility was measured by the proportion of eligible adolescents who were enrolled and retained in the study. Interviews explored acceptability, and changes in outcomes from baseline to 1‐month follow‐up assessed preliminary effects of the intervention. Thirty of 43 (69.8%) eligible adolescents and their caregivers were enrolled, with 29 adolescents (96.7%) and 28 caregivers (93.3%) completing the intervention. Twenty‐eight adolescents (93.3%) and 29 caregivers (96.7%) were retained at follow‐up. Frequency of alcohol, cannabis use and delinquent‐type behaviours decreased significantly from baseline to follow‐up. Participants appreciated the intervention content and delivery and felt that it facilitated behaviour change. Suggestions for improving the intervention were provided. This study found that the intervention is feasible, acceptable and had promising effects on adolescent behaviour. Efficacy must be established with a randomised controlled trial.
Hymenialdisine: A Marine Natural Product That Acts on Both Osteoblasts and Osteoclasts and Prevents Estrogen-Dependent Bone Loss in Mice
Authors: Wang Qingqing , Chen Delong , Jin Haiming , Ye Zhen , Wang Chao , Chen Kai , Kuek Vincent , Xu Ke , Qiu Heng , Chen Peng , Song Dezhi , Zhao Jinmin , Liu Qian , Davis Rohan A. , Song Fangming , Xu Jiake
Published: April 2020

Excessive osteoclast (OC) activity together with relatively weak osteoblast (OB) function are strongly connected to osteolytic diseases, including osteoporosis, tumor-induced osteolysis, and inflammatory bone erosion. Very few natural products or compounds have been shown to exert therapeutic effects on both OCs and OBs, limiting the potential development of natural compounds for clinical application. Hymenialdisine (HMD) is a marine sponge–derived natural inhibitor of protein kinases with previously reported anti-osteoarthritis and anti-cancer properties. However, the roles of HMD in OCs, OBs, and osteoporosis have not yet been well established. Here, we found that HMD not only suppressed osteoclastogenesis but also promoted OB differentiation. HMD exerted dose-dependent inhibitory effects on RANKL-induced OC formation, bone resorption, and OC-specific gene expression. These strong inhibitory effects were achieved by blocking the NF-κB and MAPK signaling pathways, and NFATc1 expression. In addition, HMD potentially stimulated OB differentiation by activating alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and enhancing OB matrix mineralization. We found that HMD can activate the glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK-3β)/β-catenin/T-cell factor (TCF)/lymphoid enhancer factor (LEF) signaling pathway to upregulate Runx-2 expression, the main transcription factor in this pathway. Increased expression of Runx-2 was also correlated with expression of the OB-specific genes Col1a1 and osteocalcin (Ocn). Furthermore, we also evaluated the therapeutic potential of HMD in a female C57BL/6j mouse model of ovariectomy (OVX)-induced systematic bone loss. HMD showed a remarkable ability to prevent decreases in bone volume (BV/TV) and trabecular thickness (Tb.Th). In summary, HMD exerts notable effects in inhibiting OC-related osteolysis and enhancing OB-induced ossification, suggesting the potential application of HMD in osteoporosis treatment. © 2020 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.
The Women's Health Initiative: A Landmark Resource for Skeletal Research Since 1992
Authors: Cauley Jane A , Crandall Carolyn
Published: April 2020

The Women's Health Initiative (WHI) is a large longitudinal study designed to investigate strategies for the prevention and control of common chronic diseases in postmenopausal women, including cardiovascular disease, cancer, and osteoporotic fractures. The WHI consisted of three overlapping clinical trials of hormone therapy, diet modification to reduce total dietary fat, and calcium/vitamin D supplementation. Women who were ineligible for the hormone therapy or diet modification trials or not interested were invited to participate in the observational study. Women were recruited into WHI from 1993 to 1998 at 40 US clinical centers. WHI enrolled 26,046 underrepresented minority women and 135,762 white women. Women could participate in each trial if eligible. The final enrollment included 27,347 women in the hormone trial; 48,835 women in the diet modification trial; 36,282 women in the calcium/vitamin D trial, and 93,676 in the observational study. After the main study ended in 2005, women were invited to continue follow-up for exposures and outcomes through two extensions to 2020. Proposals were recently submitted to continue follow-up through 2027. Information was collected on an extensive number of risk factors for fractures at baseline and over the follow-up, including fall and fracture history, weight patterns, comorbidities, diet, reproductive history, medications, anthropometry, and biomarkers. Bone mineral density was measured at three WHI clinical centers (n = 11,020) chosen to maximize race/ethnic diversity. WHI encourages outside investigators to make use of the publicly available WHI data and to access the biobank of specimens (www.whi.org). © 2020 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.
Chromatic roots at 2 and the Beraha number B10
Authors: Harvey Daniel J. , Royle Gordon F.
Published: April 2020

By the construction of suitable graphs and the determination of their chromatic polynomials, we resolve two open questions concerning real chromatic roots. First we exhibit graphs for which the Beraha number is a chromatic root. As it was previously known that no other noninteger Beraha number is a chromatic root, this completes the determination of precisely which Beraha numbers can be chromatic roots. Next we construct an infinite family of 3‐connected graphs such that for any , there is a member of the family with as a chromatic root of multiplicity at least . The former resolves a question of Salas and Sokal and the latter a question of Dong and Koh.
New fused pyrazolopyrimidine derivatives; heterocyclic styling, synthesis, molecular docking and anticancer evaluation
Authors: Hassan A.Y. , Saleh N.M. , Kadh Mona. S. , Abou‐Amra E.S.
Published: April 2020

Novel pyrazolopyrimidines and their fused derivatives derived from aminopyrazole moiety as pyrazoloquinazoline, chromenopyrazolopyrimidine, pyrazolopyrimidopyrimidine, pyrazolopyrimidotriazepine and benzoimidazopyrazolopyrimidine were designed, synthesized and evaluated for their anticancer activities. Twenty of the synthesized compounds were tested by the National Cancer Institute (NCI, Bethesda, USA) at a single high dose (10‐5 M). It was found that 5‐amino‐1H‐pyrazole‐4‐carbonitrile derivative, pyrazolo[5,1‐b]quinazoline‐11‐carbonitrile derivative and 1‐amino‐2,4‐dihydro‐5H‐benzo[4,5]imidazo[1,2‐c]pyrazolo[4,3‐e]pyrimidin‐5‐one were own widely selective powerful anticancer activity towards certain cancer cell lines and this also proved through docking studies with cyclooxygenase‐2 (COX‐2) enzyme.
A Perspective on MR Fingerprinting
Authors: Assländer Jakob
Published: April 2020

This article reviews the basic concept of MR fingerprinting (MRF) with the goal of highlighting MRF's key contributions, putting them in the context of other quantitative MRI literature, and refining MRF's terminology. The article discusses the robustness and flexibility of MRF's signature dictionary‐matching reconstruction along with more advanced MRF reconstructions. A key feature of MRF is the lack of assumptions about the signal evolution, which gives scientists the flexibility to tailor sequences for their needs. The article argues that the concept of unique fingerprints does not capture the requirements for successful parameter mapping and that an analysis of the signal's derivatives with respect to biophysical parameters, such as relaxation times, is more informative, as it allows one to evaluate the efficiency of a pulse sequence. The article points at the source of MRF's efficiency, namely, flip angle variations at the time scale of the relaxation times, and reveals that MRF's advantages are strongest at long scan times, as required for 3D imaging. Further, it outlines how MRF's flexibility can be used to design mutually tailored pulse sequences and biophysical models with the goal of improving the reproducibility of parameter mapping biological tissue.

Level of Evidence

5

Technical Efficacy Stage

1
Paper spray tandem mass spectrometry: A rapid approach for the assay of parabens in cosmetics and drugs
Authors: Bartella Lucia , Di Donna Leonardo , Napoli Anna , Sindona Giovanni , Mazzotti Fabio
Published: April 2020

A fast methodology for the assay of parabens in drug and cosmetic preparations has been presented. The procedure developed is based on paper spray tandem mass spectrometry and isotope dilution approach. For each investigated paraben, the corresponding labeled standard has been used in order to improve the accuracy and reproducibility of the analyses. The MS experiments have been performed under MRM conditions, monitoring the transitions [M‐H]− → m/z 92 and [M‐H]− → m/z 98, respectively, for each analyte and the corresponding labeled internal standard. The quantitative assay has been performed using a calibration curve built from 2 to 15 mg/L. The method accuracy, in all case near 100%, was evaluated using fortified samples at two concentration levels, which are representative of the lower and the higher portion of calibration curve. The good values of LOQ, LOD, and reproducibility confirm the consistency of the developed approach.
Accuracy of quantitative HIV‐1 RNA test methods at 1000 copies/mL and the potential impact of differences in assay calibration on therapy monitoring of patients
Authors: Lelie Nico , van Drimmelen Harry
Published: April 2020

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends the clinical use of a human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV‐1) viral load (VL) threshold level of 1000 copies (cp)/mL in patients on antiretroviral therapy (ART) to distinguish between viral control (VL < 1000 cp/mL) and viral failure or poor adherence (VL > 1000 cp/mL). The accuracy of five quantitative HIV‐1 RNA assays at this level was compared by replicate testing (n = 24) of 1000 cp/mL samples prepared from the Viral Quality Control (VQC) HIV‐1 subtype B standard, which is in use for validation of nucleic acid testing methods since 1995. Until 2004 the VL assays reported geometric mean (95% confidence interval [CI]) values ranging between 449 (188‐1067) and 3162 (3057‐2367) cp/mL when using the Siemens bDNA 3.0 assay as reference method for an assigned value of 1000 (962‐1038) cp/mL. In 2018, the following values (95% CI) were found by 24 replicate tests in each of the VL assays on the 1000 cp/mL samples: Abbott RealTime 1084 (784‐1572), BioMerieux EasyQ 1110 (533‐2230), Roche CAP/CTM 1277 (892‐1828), Hologic Aptima 1616 (1324‐1973), and Cepheid GeneXpert 2502 (1713‐3655) cp/mL. Calibration studies involving three consecutive WHO replacement standards showed a significant drift in the amount of RNA copies per International Unit overtime. Heat inactivation of HIV‐1 standards was found to cause a destandardizing effect. Our study underlines the limitations in HIV‐1 RNA assay calibration based on frequently replaced WHO international standards. It is therefore proposed that clinicians interpret the recommended 1000 cp/mL alert level in therapy monitoring with an inaccuracy range of 500 to 2000 cp/mL.
Investigating the role of culture conditions on hypertrophic differentiation in human cartilage endplate cells
Authors: Lakstins Katherine , Yeater Taylor , Arnold Lauren , Khan Safdar , Hoyland Judith A. , Purmessur Devina
Published: April 2020

Cartilage endplate degeneration/calcification has been linked to the onset and progression of intervertebral disc degeneration and there is a critical need to understand mechanisms, such as hypertrophic differentiation, of cartilage endplate degeneration/calcification to inform treatment strategies for discogenic back pain. In vitro cell culture conditions capable of inducing hypertrophic differentiation are used to study pathophysiological mechanisms in articular chondrocytes, but culture conditions capable of inducing a hypertrophic cartilage endplate cell phenotype have yet to be explored. The goal of this study was to investigate the role of culture conditions capable of inducing hypertrophic differentiation in articular chondrocytes on hypertrophic differentiation in human cartilage endplate cells. Isolated human cartilage endplate cells were cultured as pellets for 21 days at either 5% O2 (physiologic for cartilage) or 20.7% O2 (hyperoxic) and treated with 10% fetal bovine serum or Wnt agonist, two stimuli used to induce hypertrophic differentiation in articular chondrocytes. Cartilage endplate cells did not exhibit a hypertrophic cell morphology in response to fetal bovine serum or Wnt agonist but did display other hallmarks of chondrocyte hypertrophy and degeneration such as hypertrophic gene and protein expression, and a decrease in healthy proteoglycans and an increase in fibrous collagen accumulation. These findings demonstrate that cartilage endplate cells take on a degenerative phenotype in response to hypertrophic stimuli in vitro, but do not undergo classical changes in morphology associated with hypertrophic differentiation regardless of oxygen levels, highlighting potential differences in the response of cartilage endplate cells versus articular chondrocytes to the same stimuli.
The effect of root hairs on rhizosphere phosphatase activity
Authors: Holz Maire , Zarebanadkouki Mohsen , Carminati Andrea , Becker Joscha N. , Spohn Marie
Published: April 2020

Background: Phosphatases in soil are of great importance for plant P acquisition. It is hypothesized that root hairs increase rhizosphere phosphatase activity as they release enzymes into soil and stimulate microbial activity.

Methods: To test the effect of root hairs on soil phosphatase activity, we grew barley (Hordeum vulgare ‘Pallas') wild type and its root‐hairless mutant in rhizoboxes and determined phosphatase activity using soil zymography. Measurements were done at three moisture levels (30, 15, and 5% VWC). Rhizosphere phosphatase activity was estimated for the two genotypes and two locations along the root [root tip region (0–4 cm behind tip) and mature roots (> 7 cm behind tip)].

Results: Rhizosphere phosphatase activity was similar in the two locations along the root (root tip region vs. mature root parts). In contrast, rhizosphere phosphatase extension was two times larger for the root tip region of the wild type than for the mutant at 30% and 15% VWC. However, as phosphatase activities at the root surface of tips and mature root parts were slightly higher for the mutant than for the wild type, average enzyme activities were unaffected by the genotype.

Conclusions: We conclude that the mutant seems to compensate for the lack of root hairs by increased phosphatase activity close to the root surface. However, the increased rhizosphere phosphatase extension for the wild type may be equally efficient as it allows P mobilization and uptake from large soil volumes.
Impact of proactive pharmacist‐assisted warfarin management using an electronic medication management system in Australian hospitalised patients
Authors: Tyedin Alison E. , Taylor Simone E. , Than Jenny , Al‐Alawi Rania , O’Halloran Emily , Chau Anh‐Hoang
Published: April 2020

Aim

To evaluate whether pharmacist‐assisted electronic warfarin charting and monitoring reduces warfarin‐related errors and improves post‐discharge continuum of care.

Method

Cardiology and medical patients admitted for at least 24 h and prescribed at least one warfarin dose were included in a pre/post‐intervention study. The intervention involved pharmacists proactively charting warfarin and ordering international normalised ratios (INRs) using electronic prescribing software, following discussion with medical doctors. Endpoints included: percentage of patients with one or more warfarin errors, INR > 5.0 during admission, readmission within 30 days for anticoagulant‐related issues and warfarin discharge plan (WDP) completeness (including documentation of next dose/s, and when and where the next INR was to be checked).

Results

Pre‐ and post‐intervention groups comprised 130 and 108 patients, respectively. Post‐intervention, more patients received warfarin following heart valve replacement and fewer for venous thromboembolism. Post‐intervention, pharmacists ordered 130 doses (72 patients) and 98 INRs (59 patients). Percentage of patients with one or more warfarin errors declined from 27.7 to 7.4% (p < 0.01), with INR> 5.0 decreased from 7.7 to 2.8% (p = 0.17) and readmission within 30 days for anticoagulation problems occurred in 4 and 0 cases pre‐ and post‐intervention, respectively. While there was a non‐significant decline in the proportion of patients with a WDP post‐intervention, when patients had a WDP it was more comprehensively completed (p < 0.01).

Conclusion

Pharmacists proactively charting and monitoring warfarin reduced warfarin‐related errors during hospitalisation and improved elements of post‐discharge communication. Closer multi‐disciplinary communication and 7‐day pharmacy services may result in further continuum of care improvements.
Patient satisfaction with a hospital adverse drug reaction reporting system
Authors: Scott Matthew W. , McDonough Michael , Wong Grace O. , Summers Richard , Spark Marion Joy
Published: April 2020

Aim

To evaluate patients' satisfaction with the adverse drug reactions (ADR) warning card model used within a metropolitan hospital network in Melbourne, Australia.

Methods and Results

A cross‐sectional survey, with interviewer‐administered questionnaire, of patients who experienced an ADR was conducted. Of the 241 eligible cases reviewed by the adverse drug reaction committee between January 2013 and April 2016, 45% (108) consented to a phone interview with 82% (89) recalling the ADR event. Of these, 55% (49) recalled receiving a temporary ADR warning card and 73% (65) remembered receiving a permanent ADR warning card post‐discharge. The ADR warning card was carried by 75% (67) of participants. It was found that 85% (76) had informed their doctor of the ADR while 40% (36) had informed their regular community pharmacist. Overall satisfaction was high with 89% (79) agreeing that this ADR service was valuable to them.

Conclusion

Overall, there was a high level of satisfaction, which supports the ADR warning card model as a model of care for patients who experience ADRs. In addition to informing the patient and their general practitioner about ADRs, consideration should be given to routinely informing their community pharmacists.
Disturbance Caused by Aerial Waterfowl Surveys During the Nonbreeding Season
Authors: Gilbert Andrew D. , Jacques Christopher N. , Lancaster Joseph D. , Yetter Aaron P. , Hagy Heath M.
Published: April 2020

Aerial surveys flown at low altitudes allow detection, identification, and enumeration of waterfowl and other waterbirds, but few studies have assessed disturbance to these guilds during the nonbreeding period. Excessive disturbance can potentially increase energy expenditure and exposure to hunting mortality contrary to objectives of many waterfowl sanctuaries where surveys are conducted. We used concurrent ground and aerial surveys to estimate the proportion of waterfowl and other waterbirds that exhibited a noticeable reaction (i.e., disturbance) or left the survey area entirely (i.e., abandonment) during low‐altitude (i.e., 60–90 m above ground level) aerial surveys during September through January 2014–2017 in Illinois, USA. Overall, disturbance and abandonment probabilities of waterfowl (x̄ = 14 ± 2% [SE] and x̄ = 3 ± 1%, respectively) during aerial surveys were low. However, disturbance and abandonment probabilities varied considerably among taxa (e.g., American coot [Fulica americana] x̄ = 2 ± 1% and x̄ = 0 ± 0%, respectively; killdeer [Charadrius vociferus] x̄ = 92 ± 8% and x̄ = 17 ± 17%, respectively). Additionally, disturbance and abandonment probabilities of light geese (i.e., snow goose [Chen caerulescens] and Ross's goose [C. rossii]) and greater white‐fronted geese (Anser albifrons) were relatively high, and nearly all light geese abandoned a survey location as a result of the aerial survey. Among waterfowl taxa, the odds of disturbance from the survey aircraft were 2.2–6.2 times greater at locations closed to waterfowl hunting than locations open to waterfowl hunting. Temperature, wind speed, and cloud cover were not important predictors of disturbance for most guilds, except for a negative influence of temperature on disturbance of geese. Low‐altitude aerial surveys were not a significant source of disturbance for many taxa and abandonment events were rare, except events involving light geese. Periodic low‐altitude aerial surveys appear to be compatible with objectives of providing sanctuary conditions for most waterfowl and other waterbirds. © 2020 The Wildlife Society.
Entanglement Locking in the Unique Elasticity of Polydimethylsiloxane Rubbers
Authors: Villani Vincenzo , Lavallata Vito
Published: April 2020

The viscoelasticity behavior of the polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) rubber blends of high molecular weight polymers modified by low molecular weight agents is studied in compression mode by stress–strain curves, the creep and step‐strain, and dynamic‐mechanical experiments. The strain spectra highlight the dynamics of active chains at high frequencies and of dangling ends in the low frequencies field. At low deformation, the blending agent enhances the elastic properties by increasing the density of the active chains in the rubber network, in agreement with the classical theories of elasticity. At high deformation, in analogy with the rheological studies on similar liquid blends, the Entanglement Locking model is proposed: the short chains of the blending agent are adsorbed on entanglement sites of long dangling chains, giving effective crosslinks via high entropy dynamics. In this way, the long‐term entanglement locking enhances the density of active chains and elastic behavior. At high deformation, the entanglement locking model enriches the rubber elasticity theories according to the tube network model and Mooney–Rivlin equation. The models herein and the possibility they offer for improving rubber viscoelasticity are valuable for the development of polymer physics and technology.
Stereoselective Polymerization of an Aromatic Vinyl Monomer to Access Highly Syndiotactic Poly(vinyl alcohol)
Authors: Huang Jianming , Jiang Yang , Zhang Zhen , Li Shihui , Cui Dongmei
Published: April 2020

Streoregular poly(vinyl alcohol) is hard to obtain because vinyl alcohol is unstable relative to its tautomer acetaldehyde, and the monomer precursor vinyl ester is poisonous to the coordination catalyst. Herein, the coordination polymerization of 2‐vinyl‐2,1‐borazanaphthalene (BN2VN) is reported by the linked or unlinked half‐sandwich ligands attached scandium precursors ((FluSiMe3)Sc(CH2SiMe3)2(THF) (THF = tetrahydrofuran, 1), (FluCH2CH2‐NHC‐R)Sc(CH2SiMe3)2(THF) (R = mesityl 2, iPr 3, Me 4), and (FluCH2Py)Sc(CH2SiMe3)2 (5) for the first time. Among these precursors, complex 5 converts 600 equivalents of BN2VN into polymer within 5 min to reach an activity as high as 8.99 × 105 g molSc−1 h−1. The resultant products show excellent syndiotacticity and melting temperatures above 300 °C, which can be transferred to syndiotactic poly(vinyl alcohol) with 90% rr triad content by postpolymerization oxidation.
White Matter Hyperintensities Related to Parkinson's Disease Executive Function
Authors: Linortner Patricia , McDaniel Colin , Shahid Marian , Levine Taylor F. , Tian Lu , Cholerton Brenna , Poston Kathleen L.
Published: April 2020

Background

People with Parkinson's disease (PD) can develop multidomain cognitive impairments; however, it is unclear whether different pathologies underlie domain‐specific cognitive dysfunction.

Objectives

We investigated the contribution of vascular copathology severity and location, as measured by MRI white matter hyperintensities (WMHs), to domain‐specific cognitive impairment in PD.

Methods

We studied 85 PD (66.6 ± 9.2 years) and 18 control (65.9 ± 6.6) participants. Using the Fazekas scale for rating the severity of WMH, we subdivided PD into 14 PD–WMH+ and 71 PD–WMH–. Participants underwent global, executive, visuospatial, episodic memory, and language testing. We performed nonparametric permutation testing to create WMH probability maps based on PD‐WMH group and cognitive test performance.

Results

The PD–WMH+ group showed worse global and executive cognitive performance than the PD–WMH– group. On individual tests, the PD–WMH+ group showed worse Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), Stroop, Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT), and Digit Span scores. WMH probability maps showed that in the PD–WMH+ group, worse Stroop was associated with lesions centered around the corticospinal tract (CST), forceps major, inferior‐fronto‐occipital fasciculus, and superior longitudinal fasciculus; worse SDMT with lesions around the CST, forceps major, and posterior corona radiata; worse Digit Span with lesions around the posterior corona radiata; and worse MoCA with lesions around the CST.

Conclusions

We found that WMH severity was associated with PD executive dysfunction, including worse attention, working memory, and processing speed. Disruption of key white matter tracts in proximity to vascular lesions could contribute to these specific cognitive impairments. Early treatment of vascular disease might mitigate some executive dysfunction in a subset of patients with PD.
Corticobasal Syndrome in a Patient with Anti‐IgLON5 Antibodies
Authors: Fuseya Kimiharu , Kimura Akio , Yoshikura Nobuaki , Yamada Megumi , Hayashi Yuichi , Shimohata Takayoshi
Published: April 2020

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Green supply chain decision modeling under financial policy, with or without uniform government emission reduction policy
Authors: Zhang Huan , Xu Xinxin , Liu Wei , Jia Zhiyou
Published: April 2020

This paper investigates green supply chain decision making under different government policies. The problem is explored under centralized and decentralized scenarios. We verified the advantages of simultaneous government implementation of financial and uniform manufacturing policies and found that, with increased public awareness of environmental protection, government subsidy also increases: when environmental protection awareness is sufficiently strong, the government does not have to set uniform policy. Finally, by parametric and numerical analyses, our research identified the conditions under which social welfare is maximized. The results facilitate scientific policy development and provide a reference for promoting green supply chain operations.
Resurrecting the phoenix: When an assay fails
Authors: Srinivasan Bharath , Kantae Vasudev , Robinson James
Published: April 2020

Understanding protein‐small‐molecule interactions is a critical component of rational drug‐design. Structure‐activity relationship (SAR)‐guided medicinal chemistry is informed by the biological outcome, as assessed by biochemical activity or cellular effect, of chemical modifications on small molecules. The effectiveness of SAR is reliant on the sturdiness and durability of assay design and the quality of information garnered from assays. Lack of quality data at this step can lead to obstruction of the drug discovery pipeline with profound implications for the timelines of introducing a drug into the market. Hence, it would not be an overstatement to consider biochemical/biological assays as the backbone of drug‐discovery. Enzyme assays can fail for many different reasons, with the enzyme and the substrate being the principal players. Lack of clarity can hamper progress and can lead to mounting costs and potentially losing competitive advantage. Although each assay is unique and requires a specific approach to troubleshoot the problem at hand, there are general guidelines that can be followed to maximize the chances of success. This review is a step‐by‐step attempt at reintroducing fundamental biochemical concepts within the context of an enzyme assay, delineating probable causes for failure and potential approaches to get an assay back up and running.
CSRR‐loaded UWB monopole antenna with electronically tunable triple band‐notch characteristics for cognitive radio applications
Authors: Shome Partha P. , Khan Taimoor , Laskar Rabul H.
Published: April 2020

This article introduces a compact configuration of printed monopole antenna with electronically tunable band‐notched function for ultra‐wideband (UWB) applications. A partially grounded rectangular shaped monopole is designed initially to achieve UWB behavior. The notch characteristics are then introduced by employing three complementary split‐ring resonators (CSRRs) on the radiating surface. The proposed antenna exhibits an ultra‐wide operating band ranging from 1.98 to 10.54 GHz with the notched frequencies at 2.37, 3.03, and 4.18 GHz, respectively. In order to accomplish versatility in the antenna operation, the notched frequencies are controlled electronically by implementing three varactor diodes in between the split‐ring slots. By applying an appropriate reverse bias voltage, the triple notched bands are tuned over the frequency bands: 1.58‐2.12 GHz, 2.24‐2.68 GHz, and 3.08‐3.78 GHz, respectively. A prototype with an overall dimension of 34.9 × 31.3 × 1.6 mm3 has been fabricated to experimentally determine the tuning capability of the antenna structure. The experimental result establishes close correspondence with the simulated antenna properties. The suggested antenna can be implemented practically to reject interferences from complete 1.5‐2.1 GHz LTE systems, and 2.5/3.5 GHz‐WiMAX bands, simultaneously. The capability of tuning three notched‐bands together is distinctive and has not been reported in the published literature to the best of authors' knowledge.
Brain tumor classification of virtual NMR voxels based on realistic blood vessel‐induced spin dephasing using support vector machines
Authors: Hahn Artur , Bode Julia , Schuhegger Sarah , Krüwel Thomas , Sturm Volker J.F. , Zhang Ke , Jende Johann M.E. , Tews Björn , Heiland Sabine , Bendszus Martin , Breckwoldt Michael O. , Ziener Christian H. , Kurz Felix T.
Published: April 2020

Remodeling of tissue microvasculature commonly promotes neoplastic growth; however, there is no imaging modality in oncology yet that noninvasively quantifies microvascular changes in clinical routine. Although blood capillaries cannot be resolved in typical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) measurements, their geometry and distribution influence the integral nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) signal from each macroscopic MRI voxel. We have numerically simulated the expected transverse relaxation in NMR voxels with different dimensions based on the realistic microvasculature in healthy and tumor‐bearing mouse brains (U87 and GL261 glioblastoma). The 3D capillary structure in entire, undissected brains was acquired using light sheet fluorescence microscopy to produce large datasets of the highly resolved cerebrovasculature. Using this data, we trained support vector machines to classify virtual NMR voxels with different dimensions based on the simulated spin dephasing accountable to field inhomogeneities caused by the underlying vasculature. In prediction tests with previously blinded virtual voxels from healthy brain tissue and GL261 tumors, stable classification accuracies above 95% were reached. Our results indicate that high classification accuracies can be stably attained with achievable training set sizes and that larger MRI voxels facilitated increasingly successful classifications, even with small training datasets. We were able to prove that, theoretically, the transverse relaxation process can be harnessed to learn endogenous contrasts for single voxel tissue type classifications on tailored MRI acquisitions. If translatable to experimental MRI, this may augment diagnostic imaging in oncology with automated voxel‐by‐voxel signal interpretation to detect vascular pathologies.
Pseudospectral method for assessing stability robustness for linear time‐periodic delayed dynamical systems
Authors: Borgioli Francesco , Hajdu David , Insperger Tamas , Stepan Gabor , Michiels Wim
Published: April 2020

The article presents a pseudospectral approach to assess the stability robustness of linear time‐periodic delay systems, where periodic functions potentially present discontinuities and the delays may also periodically vary in time. The considered systems are subject to linear real‐valued time‐periodic uncertainties affecting the coefficient matrices, and the presented method is able to fully exploit structure and potential interdependencies among the uncertainties. The assessment of robustness relies on the computation of the pseudospectral radius of the monodromy operator, namely, the largest Floquet multiplier that the system can attain within a given range of perturbations. Instrumental to the adopted novel approach, a solver for the computation of Floquet multipliers is introduced, which results into the solution of a generalized eigenvalue problem which is linear w.r.t. (samples of) the original system matrices. We provide numerical simulations for popular applications modeled by time‐periodic delay systems, such as the inverted pendulum subject to an act‐and‐wait controller, a single‐degree‐of‐freedom milling model and a turning operation with spindle speed variation.
Structural and tensile characteristics of reduced graphene oxide/poly (vinyl alcohol) composite films: Influence of ultraviolet irradiation
Authors: Bozdoğan Altan , Aksakal Baki , Yargi Onder , Şahintürk Utkan
Published: April 2020

The influence of ultraviolet (UV) radiation on the structural and uniaxial tensile characteristics of reduced graphene oxide (rGO)/poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) composite films produced by using various contents (0‐10 wt%) of rGO obtained by a microwave‐assisted reduction process was investigated. With increasing rGO content, significant reinforcing effects of the rGO sheets were seen on the tensile characteristics of the unirradiated rGO/PVA composite films, that is, increases in the stiffness and rigidity and decreases in the strain at break values. After UV exposure times from minutes up to 1 hour, for all the rGO contents, the rGO/PVA composite films had improved tensile strength and modulus values as well as considerable improvement in the stress‐strain behavior in spite of great decreases in the strain at break values. The structural changes responsible for the improvement in the tensile strength and Young's modulus of the rGO/PVA composite films were associated with the development of strong intermolecular interactions between the rGO sheets and the PVA polymer chains through the formation of hydrogen bonds. Deterioration of the mechanical characteristics, especially strain at break values, was mainly due to the photodegradation of the structural units induced by UV radiation leading to the formation of some free radicals caused by the chemical bond breakages in the polymer chains as well as the weakening of intermolecular interactions such as hydrogen bonds. Correlation between the changes in the tensile properties and the structure of the rGO/PVA composite films were sought by analyzing tensile testing, fourier transform infrared/attenuated total reflectance (FTIR/ATR), and UV‐visible spectral results.