bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Grade 12 national examination assessment practices for learners with visual impairments in selected schools in Mwense and Lusaka districts, Zambia
Authors: Ndume Sarah Muyoma
Published: March 2021

The study aimed at examining the practices at Grade 12 level with respect to learners with visual impairments. The sample was drawn from Mwense and Lusaka districts of Zambia. The study was guided by the following objective: to establish the current practices of the Grade 12 national examination assessment for learners with visual impairments in selected schools of Mwense and Lusaka districts, Zambia. The study was qualitative, and a case study design was used. The study comprised 22 respondents consisting of four pupils, six school leavers, and six school specialist teachers, two school headmasters, two Education Standard Office (ESO) in charge of special education, and two officials from the Examination Council of Zambia (ECZ). Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data. Thematic analysis was used to analyse data based on the themes that emerged in the study. The study findings revealed that learners who were totally blind wrote their examinations using braille format, and enlarged print was used for those learners who were partially sighted. The findings of study also showed that the examination questions were modified into a descriptive form, and by doing so, learners were able to access the examinations. The study further revealed that learners were given extra time during the examinations, although this was not adequate. It was equally revealed that there were no special provisions that were considered when marking examination scripts for the learners with visual impairments, meaning their scripts were marked just like other scripts for learners without sight challenges. Based on the findings, it was recommended that the Examination Council of Zambia should come up with a marking centre where the scripts for the learners with visual impairments could be marked to solve the problem of missing results, among others.
Preclinical and clinical evidence of IGF-1 as a prognostic marker and acute intervention with ischemic stroke
Authors: Hayes Cellas A , Valcarcel-Ares M Noa , Ashpole Nicole M
Published: March 2021

Ischemic strokes are highly prevalent in the elderly population and are a leading cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide. The risk of ischemic stroke increases in advanced age, corresponding with a noted decrease in circulating insulin growth factor-1 (IGF-1). IGF-1 is a known neuroprotectant involved in embryonic development, neurogenesis, neurotransmission, cognition, and lifespan. Clinically, several studies have shown that reduced levels of IGF-1 correlate with increased mortality rate, poorer functional outcomes, and increased morbidities following an ischemic stroke. In animal models of ischemia, administering exogenous IGF-1 using various routes of administration (intranasal, intravenous, subcutaneous, or topical) at various time points prior to and following insult attenuates neurological damage and accompanying behavioral changes caused by ischemia. However, there are some contrasting findings in select clinical and preclinical studies. This review discusses the role of IGF-1 as a determinant factor of ischemic stroke outcomes, both within the clinical settings and preclinical animal models. Furthermore, the review provides insight on the role of IGF-1 in mechanisms and cellular processes that contribute to stroke damage.
Review of Histological Grading Systems in Veterinary Medicine
Authors: Avallone Giancarlo , Rasotto Roberta , Chambers James K. , Miller Andrew D. , Behling-Kelly Erica , Monti Paola , Berlato Davide , Valenti Paola , Roccabianca Paola
Published: March 2021

Tumor grading is a method to quantify the putative clinical aggressiveness of a neoplasm based on specific histological features. A good grading system should be simple, easy to use, reproducible, and accurately segregate tumors into those with low versus high risk. The aim of this review is to summarize the histological and, when available, cytological grading systems applied in veterinary pathology, providing information regarding their prognostic impact, reproducibility, usefulness, and shortcomings. Most of the grading schemes used in veterinary medicine are developed for common tumor entities. Grading systems exist for soft tissue sarcoma, osteosarcoma, multilobular tumor of bone, mast cell tumor, lymphoma, mammary carcinoma, pulmonary carcinoma, urothelial carcinoma, renal cell carcinoma, prostatic carcinoma, and central nervous system tumors. The prognostic relevance of many grading schemes has been demonstrated, but for some tumor types the usefulness of grading remains controversial. Furthermore, validation studies are available only for a minority of the grading systems. Contrasting data on the prognostic power of some grading systems, lack of detailed instructions in the materials and methods in some studies, and lack of data on reproducibility and validation studies are discussed for the relevant grading systems. Awareness of the limitations of grading is necessary for pathologists and oncologists to use these systems appropriately and to drive initiatives for their improvement.
Effect of single-fiber properties and fiber volume fraction on the mechanical properties of Ioncell fiber composites
Authors: Karakoc Alp , Bulota Mindaugas , Hummel Michael , Sriubaitė Simona , Hughes Mark , Sixta Herbert , Paltakari Jouni
Published: March 2021

The present study concentrates on a series of experiments and numerical analyses for understanding the effects of fiber volume fraction ( VF) and draw ratio ( DR) on the effective elastic properties of unidirectional composites made from an epoxy resin matrix with a continuous fiber reinforcement. Lyocell-type regenerated cellulose filaments (Ioncell) spun with DRs of 3, 6, and 9 were used. In accordance with the specimens in situ, the fibers were modeled as slender solid elements, for which the ratio between the diameter and length was taken to be much less than unity and deposited inside the matrix with the random sequential adsorption algorithm. The embedded element method was thereafter used in the numerical framework due to its computational advantages and reasonable predictions for continuous fiber reinforced composites. Experiments and numerical investigations were carried out, the results of which were compared, and positive trends for both fiber VFs and DRs on the effective properties were observed. The presented experimental and numerical results and models herein are believed to advance the state of the art in the mechanical characterization of composites with continuous fiber reinforcement.
Going Beyond the Blue: The Utility of Emergency Medical Services Data in Understanding Violent Crime
Authors: Hibdon Julie , Telep Cody W. , Huff Jessica
Published: March 2021

National victimization data suggest less than 50% of violent crime incidents are reported to the police. Official reports of crime to police, however, are often the only type of data used for the analysis of violence problems, the identification of geographic concentrations of violent crime, and the selection of targets for police and prevention resources. Yet, the question remains, are estimates of violent crime prevalence and location distorted from a unilateral reliance on police data? Here, we examine whether emergency medical service (EMS) data collected by the fire department are spatially concentrated in the same way as police data and whether these data can help identify instances of violence unreported to police in the city of Seattle between 2009 and 2011. We find high levels of concentration in both police and EMS data and evidence that new information is learned about the location of violence problems from utilizing multiple data sources. Overall, these findings contribute to a small but growing body of work that demonstrates the utility of nonconventional data in the identification of crime and harm concentrations of interest.
Patient Statement: A Canary's Tale
Authors: Berkson Jacob
Published: March 2021

I am Jacob B. Berkson, a 68-year-old resident of Hagerstown, Maryland. I was a trial lawyer for some 40 years. I am now retired and writing a book on Environmental Pollution and Environmental Illness, titled A Canary's Tale. I was invited to speak to you as a patient one who was poisoned by an organophosphate pesticide and who subsequently developed Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS, or sometimes referred to as Environmental Illness, EI).
Low-Level Chemical Sensitivity: A Perspective from Behavioral Toxicology
Authors: Weiss Bernard
Published: March 2021

Low-level chemical sensitivity is hardly a new issue in environmental toxicology. It is, in fact, the focus of risk assessment. The risk assessment process is designed explicitly to estimate the health threats posed by low exposure levels, typically by extrapolating from high experimental or environmental levels. The conventional risk assessment structure, however, was designed primarily around cancer. It is only awkwardly applicable to neurobehavioral toxicants because of the multiplicity of endpoints that have to be considered in evaluating neurotoxicity. At the same time, neurotoxic risk assessment maintains certain advantages over cancer risk assessment because of diminished uncertainties over dose extrapolation. It does not have to depart as far from the range of observable data.

The main problem with extending the risk assessment model to issues such as Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS) and Sick Building Syndrome (SBS) is the absence of a specific chemical whose concentration can be measured and then manipulated. A prototypical agent, however, such as a volatile organic solvent, might be selected and studied. Beyond the choice of agent, however, is the question of which behavioral criteria are likely to yield the most useful information. Although neuropsychological test batteries provide one source of data, they typically are administered in a setting other than the one allegedly provoking the syndrome. A different approach invokes what might be called a miniature work situation. Here, a test subject is evaluated in a setting that emphasizes sustained performance testing in the presence of target chemicals.
Which City? Grounding Contemporary Urban Theory
Authors: Phelps Nicholas A.
Published: March 2021

It remains common for the city to be treated as an undifferentiated unit in urban theory. This review of literature reveals that extant urban theory has been or can be inflected with a greater sense of intra- and interurban difference registering in implications for planning policy and practice pertaining to different substantive concerns and at different geographical scales. The article argues that we need to continue to pay attention to the spatially differentiated character of the urban if we are to advance urban planning thought and practice under contemporary conditions of extended urbanization.
Looking to the Past to Survive the Future: The Hungarian Minority in Slovakia
Authors: Divald Susan
Published: March 2021

This article belongs to the special cluster, “Here to Stay: The Politics of History in Eastern Europe”, guest-edited by Félix Krawatzek & George Soroka.

With reference to the Hungarian minority’s overarching concern over its declining population in Slovakia, this article reveals how different elements of the past are activated, remembered, and renegotiated to ensure the minority’s cultural survival. Using elite interviews, party documents, and a detailed analysis of two local newspaper archives in Hungarian, I unpack how memory and politics interact in the post-EU accession period. First, I uncover how political and civil society actors use acts of commemoration as a conduit to circulate certain narratives of the Hungarian minority identity. Through remembering historic Hungarian leaders and events, elites affirm and construct the minority identity, thus enabling its cultural reproduction. The Habsburg and Austro-Hungarian Monarchy period is referred to most frequently with the celebration of national heroes. Events spanning the twentieth century are generally mourned as painful and detrimental for the Hungarian minority. While the acts of commemoration are “soft” measures to ensure cultural survival, Hungarian political actors also desire “hard” guarantees through institutional measures, best encapsulated by their desire for autonomy arrangements. However, the Slovak nation’s own past of claiming autonomy and their eventual secession from Czechoslovakia in 1939 conditions the cultural rules around language and the appropriate vocabulary that Hungarian elites can use. Consequently, Hungarian minority elites appropriate the past strategically in two ways. They readjust their tactics through using different vocabulary to claim autonomy and second, they pursue policy reforms across areas such as education and regional development, thus making the de facto possibility of autonomy more palatable to their Slovak counterparts.
Performing Memory in Conflicting Settings: Russian Immigrants and the Remembrance of World War II in Finland
Authors: Davydova-Minguet Olga
Published: March 2021

This article discusses public and mediatized memory politics concerning Word War II in Finland, particularly its transnational dimensions brought about by post-Soviet immigration from the former Soviet Union. Despite the ongoing multiculturalization of Finnish society, where Russian speakers have become the largest immigrant group, Finnish national identity is still constructed around the idea of national independence and its heroic defence. Finnish collective and public memory with its monuments and celebrations concentrates on the sacrifice the nation made for Finnish independence in the wars against the Soviet Union during 1939–1944. In turn, these (re)produce performative membership in the Finnish nation. Likewise, recent Russian memory politics that celebrate Russia’s “great victory” in World War II have become visible in the Finnish public and media space owing to the Immortal Regiment marches held in Helsinki since 2017. This event is embedded within a series of complex connections between Russian speakers, Russian mediascapes, and pro-Russian activists in Finland, and represents an instance of the mediatization of transnational memory politics.
A new modification of the homotopy perturbation method
Authors: Yunbunga Adamu Magaji , Ogenyi Peter
Published: March 2021

This study proposes a new modification of the homotopy perturbation method. A new parameter alpha is introduced into the homotopy equation in order to improve the results and accuracy. An optimal analysis identifies the parameter alpha, aimed at improving the solutions. A comparative analysis of the proposed method reveals that the new method presents results with higher degree of accuracy and precision than the classic homotopy perturbation method. Absolute error analysis shows the convenience of the proposed method, providing much smaller errors. Two examples are presented: Duffing and Van der pol’s nonlinear oscillators to demonstrate the efficiency, accuracy, and applicability of the new method.
Judicial review of Common Foreign and Security Policy by the ECtHR and the (re)negotiation on the accession of the EU to the ECHR
Authors: Rangel de Mesquita Maria José
Published: March 2021

The article addresses the issue of judicial control of the implementation of Common Foreign and Security Policy at international regional level within the framework of the relaunching of the negotiation in view of the accession of the EU to the ECHR. Considering the extent of jurisdiction of the CJEU in respect of Common Foreign and Security Policy field in the light of its case law (sections 1 and 2), it analyses the question of judicial review of Common Foreign and Security Policy within international regional justice by the ECtHR in the light of the ongoing negotiations (section 3), in the perspective of the relationship between non-national courts (section 3.A), having as background the (2013) Draft Agreement of accession (section 3.B.1). After addressing the relaunching of the negotiation procedure (section 3.B.2) and the issue of CFSP control by the ECtHR according to the recent (re)negotiation meetings (section 3.B.3), some concrete proposals, including for the redrafting of the accession agreement, will be put forward (section 3.B.4), as well as a conclusion (section 4).
Lifeguard turnover in aquatic and recreation centres: Perspectives from managers
Authors: Butson Michael , Tower John , Schwarz Eric C
Published: March 2021

Employee turnover is the loss of talent in the workforce. High employee turnover is expensive and disruptive. Young employees are more likely to leave one job for a better one and are often less attached to an organisation while they are completing their education. The aquatics industry has been described as being in a crisis, experiencing unprecedented levels of turnover amongst lifeguards. A first important step is to understand the reasons for turnover amongst lifeguards. This study utilised semi-structured interviews with aquatic and recreation centre managers (N = 16; 69% female) to explore their insights about lifeguard turnover. A deductive content analysis determined that lifeguards leave their current position for four main reasons: lifeguarding being a temporary position, a negative working environment, pursuing employment in a higher paying lifeguard position and location. Consequently, centre managers need to consider short and long-term strategies to retain lifeguards.
Schematic analysis of job application letters by Malaysian graduates
Authors: De Mello Geraldine , Krishnan Isai Amutan , Arumugam Nalini , Ibrahim Mohammad Nor Afandi bin , Husin @ Ma’mor Misyana Susanti , Ramalingam Selvajothi
Published: March 2021

This study applied a “moves analysis” approach to examine job application letters written by 25 Malaysian graduates obtained from an outsourcing organisation in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The letters were analysed as to whether they adhered to the seven aspects of the “moves structure” used to analyse job applications (i.e. establishing credentials, introducing candidate, detailing advantages, enclosing relevant documents, ending appropriately, offering incentives, and using pressure tactics). Additionally, interviews were held with five human resource managers from five different organisations. From the interviews, the managers emphasised that it was important that job application letters should contain at least five of the seven moves from the framework. The findings obtained revealed that Malaysian graduates employed five out of the seven strategies from the moves structure and had covered the basic format of the job application letter. Most applicants omitted Move 5 (using pressure tactics), but the findings suggest that this variation did not hinder the communicative purpose of the letters.
Cardiophrenic Lymph Node Metastasis of Ovarian High-grade Serous Carcinoma Showing Wild-type p53 Immunostaining Pattern and Aberrant CD56 Expression
Authors: Kwon Hee Jung , Oh Mijung , Han Joungho , Song Sang Yong , Kim Hyun-Soo
Published: March 2021

Patterns of p53 immunostaining are used as a surrogate marker for tumor protein 53 ( TP53) mutations in the diagnosis of ovarian high-grade serous carcinoma (HGSC). We present a rare case of ovarian HGSC that metastasized to the diaphragm and cardiophrenic lymph nodes and showed the immunostaining pattern of wild-type p53 and aberrant neural cell adhesion molecule (CD56) expression. A 63-year-old woman developed multifocal metastases in the diaphragmatic pleura and cardiophrenic lymph nodes. Because she had a history of ovarian HGSC and pulmonary adenocarcinoma, we considered the possibility that the metastatic carcinoma was of either ovarian or pulmonary origin. Immunostaining revealed that the tumor cells were negative for thyroid transcription factor 1 but positive for Wilms tumor 1. The tumor additionally exhibited strong membranous CD56 expression and patchy p53 expression, both of which were inconsistent with the characteristics of ovarian HGSC. However, targeted sequencing analysis revealed that the tumor harbored a pathogenic mutation at the splice acceptor site of TP53 intron 9 (c.994-1G>C).
Gene polymorphisms associated with an increased risk of exudative age-related macular degeneration in a Spanish population
Authors: Gili Pablo , Lloreda Martín Leyre , Martín-Rodrigo José-Carlos , Kim-Yeon Naon , Modamio-Gardeta Laura , Fernández-García Javier L , Rebolledo-Poves Ana Belén , Gómez-Blazquez Elena , Pazos-Rodriguez Ruth , Pérez-Fernández Elia , Velasco María
Published: March 2021

Purpose:

To identify the association between single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in CFH, ARMS2, HTRA1, CFB, C2, and C3 genes and exudative age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in a Spanish population.

Methods:

In 187 exudative AMD patients and 196 healthy controls (61% women, mean age 75 years), 12 SNPs as risk factors for AMD in CFH (rs1410996, rs1061170, r380390), ARMS2 (rs10490924, rs10490923), HTRA1 (rs11200638), CFB (rs641153), C2 (rs547154, rs9332739), and C3 (rs147859257, rs2230199, rs1047286) genes were analyzed.

Results:

The G allele was the most frequent in CFH gene (rs1410996) with a 7-fold increased risk of AMD (OR 7.69, 95% CI 3.17–18.69), whereas carriers of C allele in CFH (rs1061170) showed a 3-fold increased risk for AMD (OR 3.22, 95% CI 1.93–5.40). In CFH (rs380390), the presence of G allele increased the risk for AMD by 2-fold (OR 2.52, 95% CI 1.47–4.30). In ARMS2 (rs10490924), the T-allele was associated with an almost 5-fold increased risk (OR 5.49, 95% CI 3.23–9.31). The A allele in HTRA1 (rs11200638) was more prevalent in AMD versus controls (OR 6.44, 95% CI 3.62–11.47). In C2 gene (rs9332739) the presence of C increased risk for AMD by 3-fold (OR 3.10, 95% CI 1.06–9.06).

Conclusion:

SNPs in CFH, ARMS2, HTRA1, and C2 genes were associated in our study with an increased risk for exudative AMD in Spanish patients.
A comprehensive experimental study on tribological performance of piston ring–cylinder liner pair
Authors: Liu Zhan , Liang Fuxiang , Zhai Liming , Meng Xianghui
Published: March 2021

The tribological performance of the piston ring–cylinder liner pair is affected by multiple factors. In this study, the orthogonal test method is used to comprehensively explore the influence of oil dilution, cylinder liner surface coating, and working conditions on the friction and wear of the piston ring–cylinder liner pair. The orthogonal test results show that a certain degree of oil dilution is beneficial to the performance, so the influence of oil dilution is further investigated by using the control variable method. The results show that the liner wear depth decreases first and then increases with the increase of oil dilution. Combined with the scanning electron microscope and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy results, it is found that the formation of tribofilm is promoted with a small amount of oil dilution under different working conditions. Meanwhile, a diamond-like carbon (DLC) coating ring and an Fe-based coating cylinder liner can significantly improve the scuffing resistance performance of the piston ring–cylinder liner pair.
Disability improvement as a clinically relevant outcome in clinical trials of relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis
Authors: Cree Bruce AC , Cohen Jeffrey A , Reder Anthony T , Tomic Davorka , Silva Diego , Piani Meier Daniela , Laflamme Annik K , Ritter Shannon , Leppert David , Kappos Ludwig
Published: March 2021

Background:

Disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) can reduce the risk of disability worsening in patients with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (RMS). High-efficacy DMTs can lead to confirmed or sustained disability improvement (CDI and SDI).

Objective and Methods:

Post hoc analyses of data from the TRANSFORMS, FREEDOMS, and FREEDOMS II trials and their extensions assessed the effects of fingolimod (0.5–1.25 mg/day) on stabilizing or improving disability over ⩽8 years in participants with RMS. CDI and SDI rates were compared between participants initially randomized to fingolimod, interferon (IFNβ-1a), or placebo.

Results:

At 8 years’ follow-up in TRANSFORMS, 35.1% (95% confidence interval [CI], 28.2%–43.1%) of assessed participants in the IFNβ-1a–fingolimod switch group and 41.9% (36.6%–47.6%) on continuous fingolimod experienced CDI; disability did not worsen in approximately 70%. Similar results were seen in the combined FREEDOMS population. Proportionally fewer TRANSFORMS participants achieved SDI in the IFNβ-1a–fingolimod switch group than on continuous fingolimod (5.4% [3.0%–9.5%] vs 14.2% [10.8%–18.4%], p = 0.01).

Conclusion:

CDI and SDI are outcomes of interest for clinical trials and for long-term follow-up of participants with RMS. Monitoring CDI and SDI in addition to disability worsening may facilitate understanding of the therapeutic benefit of RMS treatments.
A comparison study between metropolitan and rural hospital-based telehealth activity to inform adoption and expansion
Authors: Banbury Annie , Smith Anthony C , Mehrotra Ateev , Page Matthew , Caffery Liam J
Published: March 2021

Introduction

In Queensland, Australia, the public hospital system has used telehealth for almost three decades. Although telehealth activity has been growing consistently, there are substantial variations across geographic regions. We explored factors which contribute to this variation in telehealth adoption.

Methods

This was a multi-method comparative study of two matched metropolitan health services and two matched rural health services. The health services were matched according to the number of providers and hospitals but had different rates of telehealth use. Comparative rates of telehealth visits were analysed using descriptive statistics. Qualitative data was obtained from 63 semi-structured interviews with telehealth administrators, clinicians and senior managers involved in telehealth policies and procedures. Data were analysed using a framework analysis.

Results

The metropolitan health service that had more telehealth use had greater investment in telehealth, higher population referral areas, highly developed communication strategies and understanding of the value proposition for telehealth, and reported fewer information technology and administration systems difficulties. In rural health services, telehealth activity was influenced by onboarding processes, clinician willingness to practice, strategic challenges and primary care activity.

Discussion

Telehealth adoption can be influenced by funding, cross-organisational strategic policies and a multi-faceted approach to address clinician reluctance to use telehealth.
Lighting for pedestrians: Does multi-tasking affect the performance of typical pedestrian tasks?
Authors: Mao Y , Fotios S
Published: March 2021

Obstacle detection and facial emotion recognition are two critical visual tasks for pedestrians. In previous studies, the effect of changes in lighting was tested for these as individual tasks, where the task to be performed next in a sequence was known. In natural situations, a pedestrian is required to attend to multiple tasks, perhaps simultaneously, or at least does not know which of several possible tasks would next require their attention. This multi-tasking might impair performance on any one task and affect evaluation of optimal lighting conditions. In two experiments, obstacle detection and facial emotion recognition tasks were performed in parallel under different illuminances. Comparison of these results with previous studies, where these same tasks were performed individually, suggests that multi-tasking impaired performance on the peripheral detection task but not the on-axis facial emotion recognition task.
Qualification of translational safety biomarkers
Authors: Sauer John-Michael , Porter Amy C
Published: March 2021

Safety biomarkers are important drug development tools, both preclinically and clinically. It is a straightforward process to correlate the performance of nonclinical safety biomarkers with histopathology, and ideally, the biomarker is useful in all species commonly used in safety assessment. In clinical validation studies, where histopathology is not feasible, safety biomarkers are compared to the response of standard biomarkers and/or to clinical adjudication. Worldwide, regulatory agencies have put in place processes to qualify biomarkers to provide confidence in the manner of use and interpretation of biomarker data in drug development studies. This paper describes currently qualified safety biomarkers which can be utilized to monitor for nephrotoxicity and cardiotoxicity and ongoing projects to qualify safety biomarkers for liver, skeletal muscle, and vascular injury. In many cases, the development and use of these critical drug development tools is dependent upon partnerships and the precompetitive sharing of data to support qualification efforts.
Biological evidence to define a vitamin A deficiency cutoff using total liver vitamin A reserves
Authors: Tanumihardjo Sherry A
Published: March 2021

Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin involved in essential functions including growth, immunity, reproduction, and vision. The vitamin A Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs) for North Americans suggested that a minimally acceptable total liver vitamin A reserve (TLR) is 0.07 µmol/g, which is not explicitly expressed as a vitamin A deficiency cutoff. The Biomarkers of Nutrition for Development panel set the TLR cutoff for vitamin A deficiency at 0.1 µmol/g based on changes in biological response of several physiological parameters at or above this cutoff. The criteria used to formulate the DRIs include clinical ophthalmic signs of vitamin A deficiency, circulating plasma retinol concentrations, excretion of vitamin A metabolites in the bile, and long-term storage of vitamin A as protection against vitamin A deficiency during times of low dietary intake. This review examines the biological responses that occur as TLRs are depleted. In consideration of all of the DRI criteria, the review concludes that induced biliary excretion and long-term vitamin A storage do not occur until TLRs are >0.10 µmol/g. If long-term storage is to continue to be part of the DRI criteria, vitamin A deficiency should be set at a minimum cutoff of 0.10 µmol/g and should be set higher during times of enhanced requirements where TLRs can be rapidly depleted, such as during lactation or in areas with high infection burden. In population-based surveys, cutoffs are important when using biomarkers of micronutrient status to define the prevalence of deficiency and sufficiency to inform public health interventions. Considering the increasing use of quantitative biomarkers of vitamin A status that indirectly assess TLRs, i.e. the modified-relative-dose response and retinol-isotope dilution tests, setting a TLR as a vitamin A deficiency cutoff is important for users of these techniques to estimate vitamin A deficiency prevalence. Future researchers and policymakers may suggest that DRIs should be set with regard to optimal health and not merely to prevent a micronutrient deficiency.
Nonlinear time series prediction algorithm based on AD-SSNET for artificial intelligence–powered Internet of Things
Authors: Liu Banteng , Chen Wei , Han Meng , Wang Zhangquan , Sun Ping , Lv Xiaowen , Xu Jiaming , Yin Zegao
Published: March 2021

Time series have broad usage in the wireless Internet of Things. This article proposes a nonlinear time series prediction algorithm based on the Small-World Scale-Free Network after the AIC-Optimized Subtractive Clustering Algorithm (AIC-DSCA-SSNET, AD-SSNET) to predict the nonlinear and unstable time series, which improves the prediction accuracy. The AD-SSNET is introduced as a reservoir based on the echo state network to improve the predictive capability of nonlinear time series, and combined with artificial intelligence method to construct the prediction model training samples. First, the optimal clustering scheme of randomly distributed neurons in the network is adaptively obtained by the AIC-DSCA, then the AD-SSNET is constructed according to the intra-cluster priority connection algorithm. Finally, the reservoir synaptic matrix is calculated according to the synaptic information. Experimental results show that the proposed nonlinear time series prediction algorithm extends the feasible range of spectral radii of the reservoir, improves the prediction accuracy of nonlinear time series, and has great significance to time series analysis in the era of wireless Internet of Things.
Slip flow of Jeffrey nanofluid with activation energy and entropy generation applications
Authors: Ge-JiLe Hu , Qayyum Sumaira , Shah Faisal , Khan M Ijaz , Khan Sami Ullah
Published: March 2021

The growing development in the thermal engineering and nano-technology, much attention has been paid on the thermal properties of nanoparticles which convey many applications in industrial, technological and medical era of sciences. The noteworthy applications of nano-materials included heat transfer enhancement, thermal energy, solar systems, cooling of electronics, controlling the heat mechanisms etc. Beside this, entropy generation is an optimized scheme which reflects significances in thermodynamics systems to control the higher energy efficiency. On this end, present work presents the slip flow of Jeffrey nanofluid over a stretching sheet with applications of activation energy and viscous dissipation. The entropy generation features along with Bejan number significance is also addressed in present analysis. Buongiorno model of nanofluid is used to discuss the heat and mass transfer. The formulated flow equations are attained into non-dimensional form. An appropriate ND MATHEMATICA built-in scheme is used to find the solution. The solution confirmation is verified by performing the error analysis. For developed flow model and impacted parameters, a comprehensive graphical analysis is performed. It is observed that slip phenomenon is used to decays the velocity profile. Temperature and concentration are in direct relation with Brownian motion parameter and activation energy respectively. Entropy and Bejan number have same results for greater diffusion parameter.
Bayesian maintenance decision optimisation based on computing the information value from condition inspections
Authors: Zou Guang , Banisoleiman Kian , González Arturo
Published: March 2021

A challenge in marine and offshore engineering is structural integrity management (SIM) of assets such as ships, offshore structures, mooring systems, etc. Due to harsh marine environments, fatigue cracking and corrosion present persistent threats to structural integrity. SIM for such assets is complicated because of a very large number of rewelded plates and joints, for which condition inspections and maintenance are difficult and expensive tasks. Marine SIM needs to take into account uncertainty in material properties, loading characteristics, fatigue models, detection capacities of inspection methods, etc. Optimising inspection and maintenance strategies under uncertainty is therefore vital for effective SIM and cost reductions. This paper proposes a value of information (VoI) computation and Bayesian decision optimisation (BDO) approach to optimal maintenance planning of typical fatigue-prone structural systems under uncertainty. It is shown that the approach can yield optimal maintenance strategies reliably in various maintenance decision making problems or contexts, which are characterized by different cost ratios. It is also shown that there are decision making contexts where inspection information doesn’t add value, and condition based maintenance (CBM) is not cost-effective. The CBM strategy is optimal only in the decision making contexts where VoI > 0. The proposed approach overcomes the limitation of CBM strategy and highlights the importance of VoI computation (to confirm VoI > 0) before adopting inspections and CBM.
Infant feeding dilemmas in primary care
Authors: Pazhaniappan Nandhaa , Patel Neeta
Published: March 2021

Feeding difficulties in infants are a common initial and persistent presentation to primary care. They can pose a diagnostic dilemma, as there is an overlap between physiological and pathological presentations, vague symptoms, limited examination findings and investigations. Formulating acceptable management plans can be challenging, due to the trial-and-error nature of interventions and parental anxiety and expectations. This article will discuss red flag features, common differential diagnoses and their management.
Characteristics and outcomes of patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension in the era of modern therapeutic approaches: data from the Polish multicenter registry (BNP-PL)
Authors: Kopeć Grzegorz , Dzikowska-Diduch Olga , Mroczek Ewa , Mularek-Kubzdela Tatiana , Chrzanowski Łukasz , Skoczylas Ilona , Tomaszewski Michał , Peregud-Pogorzelska Małgorzata , Karasek Danuta , Lewicka Ewa , Jacheć Wojciech , Gąsior Zbigniew , Błaszczak Piotr , Ptaszyńska-Kopczyńska Katarzyna , Mizia-Stec Katarzyna , Biederman Andrzej , Zieliński Dariusz , Przybylski Roman , Kędzierski Piotr , Waligóra Marcin , Roik Marek , Grabka Marek , Orłowska Joanna , Araszkiewicz Aleksander , Banaszkiewicz Marta , Sławek-Szmyt Sylwia , Darocha Szymon , Magoń Wojciech , Dąbrowska-Kugacka Alicja , Stępniewski Jakub , Jonas Kamil , Kamiński Karol , Kasprzak Jarosław D. , Podolec Piotr , Pruszczyk Piotr , Torbicki Adam , Kurzyna Marcin
Published: March 2021

Background:

Significant achievements in the treatment of chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) have provided effective therapeutic options for most patients. However, the true impact of the changed landscape of CTEPH therapies on patients’ management and outcomes is poorly known. We aimed to characterize the incidence, clinical characteristics, and outcomes of CTEPH patients in the modern era of CTEPH therapies.

Methods:

We analyzed the data of CTEPH adults enrolled in the prospective multicenter registry.

Results:

We enrolled 516 patients aged 63.8 ± 15.4 years. The incidence rate of CTEPH was 3.96 per million adults per year. The group was burdened with several comorbidities. New oral anticoagulants ( n = 301; 58.3%) were preferred over vitamin K antagonists ( n = 159; 30.8%). Pulmonary endarterectomy (PEA) was performed in 120 (23.3%) patients and balloon pulmonary angioplasty (BPA) in 258 (50%) patients. PEA was pretreated with targeted pharmacotherapy in 19 (15.8%) patients, and BPA in 124 (48.1%) patients. Persistent CTEPH was present in 46% of PEA patients and in 65% of patients after completion of BPA. Persistent CTEPH after PEA was treated with targeted pharmacotherapy in 72% and with BPA in 27.7% of patients. At a mean time period of 14.3 ± 5.8 months, 26 patients had died. The use of PEA or BPA was associated with better survival than the use of solely medical treatment.

Conclusions:

The modern population of CTEPH patients comprises mostly elderly people significantly burdened with comorbid conditions. This calls for treatment decisions that are tailored individually for every patient. The combination of two or three methods is currently a frequent approach in the treatment of CTEPH.

Clinical Trial Registration:

clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03959748
Information Spillover in Indian Agricultural Commodities Market
Authors: Singh Sanjay Kumar , Jain Mukesh Kumar , Shoeba
Published: March 2021

Role of agricultural sector in Indian economy is prominent, as being an agrarian economy and having the second highest population in the world. Thus, the efficiency of this sector is the foremost factor for development and growth of the economy. This article attempts to examine the price discovery relationship of future and spot prices of five agricultural commodities, namely cardamom, crude palm oil, cotton, mentha oil and kapas, during the period 2011–2019. Johansen’s co-integration test, vector error correction model (VECM) and Granger causality block exogeneity test were employed for the study. We found that price discovery process is established for agricultural commodities under consideration. Future prices act as a leader in achieving long-run equilibrium for all commodities except cardamom. Causality was significantly reported for all commodities, as bidirectional causality runs between the prices. The study suggests that Forward Market Commission should be empowered more to control and regulate the market, which will ensure the efficient market situations in these commodities’ market. Attempt was made to evaluate price discovery process in agricultural commodities market during post sub-prime crisis period, which was ignored by majority of researchers.
Introducing Victim Impact Statement in India: Reconceptualizing Victim Status
Authors: Dubey Devansh , Jain Payas
Published: March 2021

The right to fair trial is inherent in the concept of due process of law, which now forms part of Article 21 of Indian Constitution after the Maneka Gandhi judgement. Pertinently attached with the same comes the responsibility of the criminal system to treat victims with increased awareness and sensitivity. However, the established convention shows that in planning and developing administration of criminal justice, proper attention is not given to the victims of crime in achieving goals of criminal justice; the major cause of it being that a victim is heard only as a witness not as a victim. A credible response to the said issue has emerged in the form of victim impact statement (VIS) in the modern legal system across the world. With that being said, the researchers through this article try to deduce the need for incorporating a VIS in India through the various jurisprudential understandings of what it means to be a victim, including the gap between the subjective experience of the sufferer and the interpretation of the same by others, and what restorative justice would mean to heal a victim. Establishing upon the same premise of victim status, the researchers try to suggest that the introduction of VIS, with the primary purpose of it being a therapeutic tool and not an instrument of changing the course of justice, will serve to make us reconsider our contours of a ‘victim’.
Influence of age, sex and respiratory viruses on the rates of emergency department visits and hospitalisations with respiratory tract infections, asthma and COPD
Authors: Satia Imran , Adatia Adil , Cusack Ruth P. , Greene Justina M. , O'Byrne Paul M. , Killian Kieran J. , Johnston Neil
Published: March 2021

Background

The importance of age, sex and respiratory virus prevalence in emergency department (ED) visits and hospitalisations for respiratory tract infections (RTIs), asthma and COPD in a whole population over time is not well established.

Methods

This study retrospectively analysed data for daily ED visits and hospitalisations from 2003 to 2013 in Ontario, Canada and the daily number of virus positive tests. Daily numbers of ED visits and hospitalisations with RTIs, asthma and COPD listed as a primary diagnosis were collected from the Canadian Institute for Health Information. Virus data were obtained from the Respiratory Virus Detection Surveillance System. Multiple linear regression was used to assess the association of individual viruses with the daily rates.

Results

There were 4 365 578 ED visits and 321 719 (7.4%) admissions for RTIs, 817 141 ED visits and 260 665 (31.9%) admissions for COPD and 649 666 ED visits and 68 626 (10.6%) admissions for asthma. Respiratory syncytial virus and influenza A were associated with male ED visits, whereas human rhinovirus was associated with female ED visits for RTIs in preschool children. 19.2% of males, but only 7.2% of females were admitted. The correlation between the prevalence of each virus and ED visits and hospitalisations for asthma was weak, irrespective of age group and sex. Influenza A was most strongly associated with COPD ED visits and hospitalisations in males and females.

Conclusions

There are significant age and sex differences in the contribution of respiratory viruses to the number of ED visits and hospitalisations for RTIs, asthma and COPD.
Increased myofibroblasts in the small airways, and relationship to remodelling and functional changes in smokers and COPD patients: potential role of epithelial–mesenchymal transition
Authors: Eapen Mathew Suji , Lu Wenying , Hackett Tillie L. , Singhera Gurpreet Kaur , Mahmood Malik Q. , Hardikar Ashutosh , Ward Chris , Walters Eugene Haydn , Sohal Sukhwinder Singh
Published: March 2021

Introduction

Previous reports have shown epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) as an active process that contributes to small airway fibrotic pathology. Myofibroblasts are highly active pro-fibrotic cells that secrete excessive and altered extracellular matrix (ECM). Here we relate small airway myofibroblast presence with airway remodelling, physiology and EMT activity in smokers and COPD patients.

Methods

Lung resections from nonsmoker controls, normal lung function smokers and COPD current and ex-smokers were stained with anti-human α-smooth muscle actin (SMA), collagen 1 and fibronectin. αSMA+cells were computed in reticular basement membrane (Rbm), lamina propria and adventitia and presented per mm of Rbm and mm2of lamina propria. Collagen-1 and fibronectin are presented as a percentage change from normal. All analyses including airway thickness were measured using Image-pro-plus 7.0.

Results

We found an increase in subepithelial lamina propria (especially) and adventitia thickness in all pathological groups compared to nonsmoker controls. Increases in αSMA+myofibroblasts were observed in subepithelial Rbm, lamina propria and adventitia in both the smoker and COPD groups compared to nonsmoker controls. Furthermore, the increase in the myofibroblast population in the lamina propria was strongly associated with decrease in lung function, lamina propria thickening, increase in ECM protein deposition, and finally EMT activity in epithelial cells.

Conclusions

This is the first systematic characterisation of small airway myofibroblasts in COPD based on their localisation, with statistically significant correlations between them and other pan-airway structural, lung function and ECM protein changes. Finally, we suggest that EMT may be involved in such changes.