bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
National trends in surgical subspecialisation in ophthalmology in the USA
Authors: Cai Cindy X , Wang Jiangxia , Ahmad Sumayya , Klawe Janek , Woreta Fasika , Srikumaran Divya , Mahoney Nicholas R , Ramulu Pradeep
Published: January 2022

Background/aims

To assess surgical patterns in ophthalmology by subspecialty in the USA.

Methods

Ophthalmic surgeons were categorised as comprehensive/subspecialist based on billed procedures in the 2017–2018 Medicare Provider Utilization and Payment Data. Poisson regression models assessed factors associated with physicians performing surgeries in the core domain (eg, cataract extractions) and subspecialty domain. Models were adjusted for provider gender, time since graduation, geographical region, practice setting and hospital affiliation.

Results

There were 10 346 ophthalmic surgeons, 74.7% comprehensive and 25.3% subspecialists. Cataract extractions were performed by 6.0%, 9.9%, 21.0%, 88.1% and 95.3% of specialists in surgical retina, neuro-ophthalmology/paediatrics, oculoplastics, glaucoma and cornea, respectively. Retina specialists were more likely to perform cataract surgery if they were 20–30 or>30 years in practice (relative risk: 2.20 (95% CI: 1.17 to 4.12) and 3.74 (95% CI: 1.80 to 7.76), respectively) or in a non-metropolitan setting (3.78 (95% CI: 1.71 to 8.38)). Among oculoplastics specialists, male surgeons (2.71 (95% CI: 1.36 to 5.42)), those in practice 10–20 years or 20–30 years (1.93 (95% CI: 1.15 to 3.26) and 1.91 (95% CI: 1.11 to 3.27), respectively) and in non-metropolitan settings (3.07 (95% CI: 1.88 to 5.02)) were more likely to perform cataract surgery. Only 26 of the 2620 subspecialists performed surgeries in two or more subspecialty domains.

Conclusions

There is a trend towards surgical subspecialisation in ophthalmology in the USA whereby some surgeons focus their surgical practice on subspecialty procedures and rarely perform surgeries in the core domain.
Feasibility and sustainability of working in different types of jobs after total hip arthroplasty: analysis of longitudinal data from two cohorts
Authors: Zaballa Elena , Ntani Georgia , Harris E Clare , Lübbeke Anne , Arden Nigel K , Hannouche Didier , Cooper Cyrus , Walker-Bone Karen
Published: January 2022

Objectives

To investigate the rates of return to work and workability among working-age people following total hip arthroplasty (THA).

Methods

Participants from the Geneva Arthroplasty Registry and the Clinical Outcomes for Arthroplasty Study aged 18–64 years when they had primary THA and with at least 5 years’ follow-up were mailed a questionnaire 2017–2019. Information was collected about preoperative and post-THA employment along with exposure to physically demanding activities at work or in leisure. Patterns of change of job were explored. Survival analyses using Cox proportional hazard models were created to explore risk factors for having to stop work because of difficulties with the replaced hip.

Results

In total, 825 returned a questionnaire (response 58%), 392 (48%) men, mean age 58 years, median follow-up 7.5 years post-THA. The majority (93%) of those who worked preoperatively returned to work, mostly in the same sector but higher rates of non-return (36%–41%) were seen among process, plant and machine operatives and workers in elementary occupations. 7% reported subsequently leaving work because of their replaced hip and the risk of this was strongly associated with: standing >4 hours/day (HR 3.81, 95% CI 1.62 to 8.96); kneeling/squatting (HR 3.32, 95% CI 1.46 to 7.55) and/or carrying/lifting ≥10 kg (HR 5.43, 95% CI 2.29 to 12.88).

Conclusions

It may be more difficult to return to some (particularly physically demanding) jobs post-THA than others. Rehabilitation may need to be targeted to these types of workers or it may be that redeployment or job change counselling are required.
ED90 of spinal 2-chloroprocaine 1% in ambulatory knee arthroscopy up to 45 min: a randomized biased-coin- up-and-down sequential allocation trial
Authors: Wesselink Elsbeth J , Koopman Seppe J , Vegt Rien van der , Ven Peter M van de , Aa Jan P van der , Stapper Carlijne , Wesdorp Friso , Kok Laura de , Zhang Yiyi , Franssen Eric J , Swart Eleonora L , Boer Christa , Leeuw Marcel A de
Published: January 2022

Background

A short acting spinal anesthetic facilitates smooth flow since quick recovery of motor function will facilitate unassisted ambulation. The aim of this study was to estimate the effective dose (ED90) of intrathecal 2-chloroprocaine 1% in outpatient knee arthroscopy.

Methods

Two cohorts were included in two different hospitals. In cohort I, a randomized biased-coin up-and-down design with 40 patients was used to find the ED90. Four dose-levels of plain 2-chloroprocaine 1% were used: 25, 30, 35 and 40 mg. The identified primary outcome, the ED90, was validated in 50 patients in cohort II with an open label design. Secondary outcomes included time to complete recovery from motor and sensory block with spinal injection as time zero, peak sensory block level, urine retention and time until hospital discharge.

Results

Forty patients were included in the final analysis in cohort I. The ED90 was estimated at 27.8 mg, successful spinal anesthesia was obtained in 38 patients (95%). Fifty patients were included in the final analysis in cohort II, 49 patients had successful anesthesia with a fixed round dose of 28 mg. In this Cohort, peak sensory block was T10/T11 (range: (L4–T4)). The median time to full recovery of the motor block was 60 min (45–60) and 90 min (75–105) for the sensory block. The mean time to hospital discharge was 2.9 hours (0.7).

Conclusion

The ED90 of 2-chloroprocaine 1% in knee arthroscopy was estimated to be 27.8 mg. In an external population, the ED90 resulted in successful anesthesia in 98% of the patients (95% CI 89% to 100%).

Trial registration number

Netherlands Trial Registry (NL6769).
Inhaled corticosteroids reduce senescence in endothelial progenitor cells from patients with COPD
Authors: Paschalaki Koralia , Rossios Christos , Pericleous Charis , MacLeod Mairi , Rothery Stephen , Donaldson Gavin C , Wedzicha Jadwiga A , Gorgoulis Vassilis , Randi Anna M , Barnes Peter J
Published: January 2022

Cellular senescence contributes to the pathophysiology of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and cardiovascular disease. Using endothelial colony-forming-cells (ECFC), we have demonstrated accelerated senescence in smokers and patients with COPD compared with non-smokers. Subgroup analysis suggests that ECFC from patients with COPD on inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) (n=14; eight on ICS) exhibited significantly reduced senescence (Senescence-associated-beta galactosidase activity, p21CIP1), markers of DNA damage response (DDR) and IFN-γ-inducible-protein-10 compared with patients with COPD not on ICS. In vitro studies using human-umbilical-vein-endothelial-cells showed a protective effect of ICS on the DDR, senescence and apoptosis caused by oxidative stress, suggesting a protective molecular mechanism of action of corticosteroids on endothelium.
Multicentre evaluation of two multiplex PCR platforms for the rapid microbiological investigation of nosocomial pneumonia in UK ICUs: the INHALE WP1 study
Authors: Enne Virve I , Aydin Alp , Baldan Rossella , Owen Dewi R , Richardson Hollian , Ricciardi Federico , Russell Charlotte , Nomamiukor-Ikeji Brenda O , Swart Ann-Marie , High Juliet , Colles Antony , Barber Julie , Gant Vanya , Livermore David M , O’Grady Justin
Published: January 2022

Background

Culture-based microbiological investigation of hospital-acquired or ventilator-associated pneumonia (HAP or VAP) is insensitive, with aetiological agents often unidentified. This can lead to excess antimicrobial treatment of patients with susceptible pathogens, while those with resistant bacteria are treated inadequately for prolonged periods. Using PCR to seek pathogens and their resistance genes directly from clinical samples may improve therapy and stewardship.

Methods

Surplus routine lower respiratory tract samples were collected from intensive care unit patients about to receive new or changed antibiotics for hospital-onset lower respiratory tract infections at 15 UK hospitals. Testing was performed using the BioFire FilmArray Pneumonia Panel (bioMérieux) and Unyvero Pneumonia Panel (Curetis). Concordance analysis compared machine and routine microbiology results, while Bayesian latent class (BLC) analysis estimated the sensitivity and specificity of each test, incorporating information from both PCR panels and routine microbiology.

Findings

In 652 eligible samples; PCR identified pathogens in considerably more samples compared with routine microbiology: 60.4% and 74.2% for Unyvero and FilmArray respectively vs 44.2% by routine microbiology. PCR tests also detected more pathogens per sample than routine microbiology. For common HAP/VAP pathogens, FilmArray had sensitivity of 91.7%–100.0% and specificity of 87.5%–99.5%; Unyvero had sensitivity of 50.0%–100.0%%, and specificity of 89.4%–99.0%. BLC analysis indicated that, compared with PCR, routine microbiology had low sensitivity, ranging from 27.0% to 69.4%.

Interpretation

Conventional and BLC analysis demonstrated that both platforms performed similarly and were considerably more sensitive than routine microbiology, detecting potential pathogens in patient samples reported as culture negative. The increased sensitivity of detection realised by PCR offers potential for improved antimicrobial prescribing.
Azimuthal correlations of high transverse momentum jets at next-to-leading order in the parton branching method
Authors: Abdulhamid M. I. , Al-Mashad M. A. , Martinez A. Bermudez , Bonomelli G. , Bubanja I. , Crnković N. , Colombina F. , D’Anzi B. , Cerci S. , Davydov M. , Banos L. I. Estevez , Forzano N. , Hautmann F. , Jung H. , Kim S. , Quirós A. León , Martins D. E. , Mendizabal M. , Figueroa K. Moral , Prestel S. , Monfared S. Taheri , Süslü C. , Cerci D. Sunar , van Kampen A. M. , Van Mechelen P. , Verbytskyi A. , Wang Q. , Yang H. , Zhou Y.
Published: January 2022

The azimuthal correlation, $$\Delta \phi _{12}$$

Δ

ϕ
12

, of high transverse momentum jets in pp collisions at $$\sqrt{s}=13$$

s

=
13

 TeV is studied by applying PB-TMD distributions to NLO calculations via MCatNLO together with the PB-TMD parton shower. A very good description of the cross section as a function of $$\Delta \phi _{12}$$

Δ

ϕ
12

is observed. In the back-to-back region of $${\Delta \phi _{12}}\rightarrow \pi $$

Δ

ϕ
12

→
π

, a very good agreement is observed with the PB-TMD Set 2 distributions while significant deviations are obtained with the PB-TMD Set 1 distributions. Set 1 uses the evolution scale while Set 2 uses transverse momentum as an argument in $$\alpha _\mathrm {s}$$

α
s

, and the above observation therefore confirms the importance of an appropriate soft-gluon coupling in angular ordered parton evolution. The total uncertainties of the predictions are dominated by the scale uncertainties of the matrix element, while the uncertainties coming from the PB-TMDs and the corresponding PB-TMD shower are very small. The $$\Delta \phi _{12}$$

Δ

ϕ
12

measurements are also compared with predictions using MCatNLO together Pythia8, illustrating the importance of details of the parton shower evolution.
FCC-ee: physics motivations
Authors: Grojean Christophe
Published: January 2022

Learning from the first twelve years of LHC running, this essay offers a brief journey through the FCC-ee physics programme from refined precision measurements to probes of new physics, highlighting some of the commentaries between the different runs of FCC-ee at various energies as well as the synergies between the two FCC-ee and FCC-hh collider stages.
Remarks on CCR and CAR flows over closed convex cones
Authors: Arjunan Anbu
Published: January 2022

For a closed convex cone [Formula: see text] in [Formula: see text] which is spanning and pointed, i.e. [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] we consider a family of [Formula: see text]-semigroups over [Formula: see text] consisting of a certain family of CCR flows and CAR flows over [Formula: see text] and classify them up to the cocycle conjugacy.
The effects of common reservoirs on the performance of an autonomous three-level quantum refrigerator
Authors: Huang Yv-Ting , Man Zhong-Xiao , Xia Yun-Jie
Published: January 2022

We study the effects of common reservoirs on the performance of an autonomous three-level quantum refrigerator. We show that the common reservoirs can result not only in additional transitions but also different types of interferences between them. For the case that the sole object to be cooled is a cold reservoir, it turns out that the cooling power can be greatly enhanced by the common reservoirs as well as by the induced interference. For the configuration that the refrigerator acts on both the cold reservoir and a qubit, we find that though the common reservoirs can improve the cooling power, which instead is detrimental to the cooling of the qubit. The interference also manifests different effects on the cooling of the cold reservoir and the qubit. Our results provide an evidence of possibility on applying the common reservoirs to enhance the performance of the refrigerator.
Hamiltonian formalism for nonlocal gravity models
Authors: Joshi Pawan , Kumar Utkarsh , Panda Sukanta
Published: January 2022

Nonlocal gravity models are constructed to explain the current acceleration of the universe. These models are inspired by the infrared correction appearing in Einstein–Hilbert action. Here, we develop the Hamiltonian formalism of a nonlocal model by considering only terms to quadratic order in Riemann tensor, Ricci tensor and Ricci scalar. We show how to count degrees of freedom using Hamiltonian formalism including Ricci tensor and Ricci scalar terms. In this model, we have also worked out with a choice of a nonlocal action which has only two degrees of freedom equivalent to GR. Finally, we find the existence of additional constraints in Hamiltonian required to remove the ghosts in our full action. We also compare our results with that of obtained using Lagrangian formalism.
Interfacial Confinement in Semi-Crystalline Shape Memory Polymer Towards Sequentially Dynamic Relaxations
Authors: Liu Jingyun , Xing Ziyu , Lu Haibao , Fu Yong-Qing
Published: January 2022

Sequential glass and melting transitions in semi-crystalline shape memory polymers (SMPs) provide great opportunities to design and generate multiple shape-memory effects (SMEs) for practical applications. However, the complexly dynamic confinements of coexisting amorphous and crystalline phases within the semi-crystalline SMPs are yet fully understood. In this study, an interfacial confinement model is formulated to describe dynamic relaxation and shape memory behavior in the semi-crystalline SMPs undergoing sequential phase/state transitions. A confinement entropy model is first established to describe the glass transition behavior of amorphous phase within the SMPs based on the free volume theory, where the free volume is critically confined by the crystalline phase. An extended Avrami model is then formulated using the frozen volume theory to characterize the melting and crystallization transitions of the crystalline phase in the SMPs, whose interfacial confinement with the amorphous phase has been identified as the driving force for the supercooled regime. Furthermore, an extended Maxwell model is formulated to describe the effect of dynamic confinement of two phases on the multiple SMEs and shape recovery behaviors in the semi-crystalline SMPs. Finally, the effectiveness of the newly proposed model is verified using the experimental data reported in the literature. This study aims to provide a new methodology for the dynamic confinements and cooperative principles in the semi-crystalline SMP towards multiple SMEs.
Minimum constraint removal problem for line segments is NP-hard
Authors: Bigham Bahram Sadeghi
Published: January 2022

In the minimum constraint removal ([Formula: see text]), there is no feasible path to move from a starting point towards the goal, and the minimum constraints should be removed in order to find a collision-free path. It has been proved that [Formula: see text] problem is NP-hard when constraints have arbitrary shapes or even they are in shape of convex polygons. However, it has a simple linear solution when constraints are lines and the problem is open for other cases yet. In this paper, using a reduction from Subset Sum problem, in three steps, we show that the problem is NP-hard for both weighted and unweighted line segments.
OpenCarrier: Breaking the User Limit for Uplink MU-MIMO Transmissions With Coordinated APs
Authors: Yan Yubo , Yang Panlong , Xiong Jie , Li Xiang-Yang
Published: January 2022

The global IoT market is experiencing a fast growth with a massive number of IoT/wearable devices deployed around us and even on our bodies. This trend incorporates more users to upload data frequently and timely to the APs. Previous work mainly focus on improving the up-link throughput. However, incorporating more users to transmit concurrently is actually more important than improving the throughout for each individual user, as the IoT devices may not require very high transmission rates but the number of devices is usually large. In the current state-of-the-arts (up-link MU-MIMO), the number of transmissions is either confined to no more than the number of antennas (node-degree-of-freedom, node-DoF) at an AP or clock synchronized with cables between APs to support more concurrent transmissions. However, synchronized APs still incur a very high collaboration overhead, prohibiting its real-life adoption. We thus propose novel schemes to remove the cable-synchronization constraint while still being able to support more concurrent users than the node-DoF limit, and at the same time minimize the collaboration overhead.

In this paper, we design, implement, and experimentally evaluate OpenCarrier, the first distributed system to break the user limitation for up-link MU-MIMO networks with coordinated APs. Our experiments demonstrate that OpenCarrier is able to support up to five up-link high-throughput transmissions for MU-MIMO network with 2-antenna APs.
Rational Design of ICT-Based Fluorescent Probe with AIE and NIR Properties for Hypochlorite Determination
Authors: Xu Chenggong , Wu Tian , Duan Lizheng , Zhou Yunhao , Zhou Yanmei
Published: January 2022

In recent years, the easily synthesized fluorescent probes with good photophysical and sensing properties have attracted widespread attention. Herein, by utilizing the fluorescence regulation effect of electron push-pull effect and the oxidation property of hypochlorite (ClO−) to C=N double bonds, we rationally proposed two intramolecular charge transfer (ICT)-based fluorescent probes with typical aggregation-induced emission (AIE) properties for ClO− detection. The synthesis process of the two probes is very convenient, and both of them can exhibit significant colorimetric and fluorescence changes within 3 min in the presence of ClO−. Moreover, compared with Probe A, the Probe B with near-infrared (NIR) fluorescence centered at 677 nm was successfully applied to ClO− determination in tap water and food samples as well as live cell imaging.
Determination of Simvastatin by Voltammetry Method at Screen-Printed Electrode Modified by Graphene Oxide Nanosheets and Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate
Authors: Darroudi Abolfazl , Nazari Saeid , Marashi Seyed Ali , Nazar Abad Mahdi Karimi
Published: January 2022

An accurate, rapid, simple, and novel technique was developed to determine simvastatin (SMV). In this research, a screen-printed electrode (SPE) was deposited with graphene oxide (GO) and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), respectively. For the first time, the handmade modified SPE measured the SMV by differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) with high sensitivity and selectivity. The results of cyclic voltammetry indicated the oxidation irreversible process of SMV. Various parameters (pH, concentration, scan rate, support electrolyte) were performed to optimize the conditions for the determination of SMV. Under the optimum experiment condition of 0.1 M KNO3 as support electrolyte and pH 7.0, the linear range was achieved for SMV concentration from 1.8 to 36.6 μM with a limit of detection (LOD), and a limit of quantitation (LOQ) of 0.06 and 1.8 μM, respectively. The proposed method was successfully utilized to determine SMV in tablets and urine samples with a satisfactory recovery in the range of 96.2 to 103.3%.
Improving Humidity Sensing of Black Phosphorus Nanosheets by Co-Doping Benzyl Viologen and Au Nanoparticles
Authors: Li Jing , Zhou Yong , Wang Yanjie , Sen Zhou  , Zhang Ruijie , Wang Yuhang , Zang Zhigang
Published: January 2022

Black phosphorus (BP) is a two-dimensional and layered elemental semiconductor that is very sensitive to the subtle fluctuation of relative humidity (RH). However, the practical application of BP material was undesirably plagued by the irreversible degradation under moisture/oxygen atmospheres. To circumvent this limitation, here we prepared BP co-doped with benzyl viologen (BV) and Au nanoparticles as the sensing layer and explored the humidity-sensing performance at room temperature (20 °C). Unlike BP (BP-BV) counterparts, BP-Au (BP-BV-Au) sensors demonstrated unvaried response polarity with increasing RH. And BV introduction improved the recovery characteristics. Additionally, the ternary BP-BV-Au sensors delivered decent selectivity and negligible hysteresis. On the one hand, the in situ reduction of Au nanoparticles consumed lone electron pairs within BP, suppressed the interaction with ambient moisture/oxygen, and improved the operation stability and recovery. On the other hand, hydrophobic BV as the protection layer further hindered water attachment. This co-doping behavior reduced the hole density and ensured the predominant interaction between low-energy sorption sites within BP and water molecules, thus leading to a larger resistance modulation (i.e., stronger response) and quicker reaction kinetics. This work offered a feasible method to propel the practical application and enriched the sensing mechanisms of BP-based humidity sensors.
The presidential election of the human body: applying contextual learning to promote connections between the student and the curricular content
Authors: Ernesto Julia Vaz , Machado Daiane Silva , Lellis-Santos Camilo
Published: January 2022

Using real-world situations to engage students in learning specific content is advocated by educational research as an effective strategy. However, motivating students to establish personal and emotional connections with the curricular content is challenging. We presented a didactic strategy named “the presidential election of the human body,” created to use the presidential election context to engage students in studying cell function and structure using role-playing and appropriation of scientific concepts. Four groups of students ( n = 124) of the science and mathematics teacher training program chose a cell of the human body to impersonate, they studied the biology of their cell, and they ran in a presidential election campaign. They created slogans, videos, and materials for their campaign, and on the day of the election the group of students voted for the best slogan. The didactic strategy was capable of stimulating the appropriation of the characteristics of the cells they represented. The majority (75%) of the elected candidates represented cells that are linked to the nervous system. Musicality and humor were the most frequent styles that appeared in the slogans. Students strongly agreed that they enjoyed the activity and considered it valuable for contextualizing the learning of anatomy and physiology. Thus, the activity is a didactic resource to stimulate the students to embrace the content they are learning in the contextualized momentum of a presidential election.
Acid-base balance at high altitude in lowlanders and indigenous highlanders
Authors: Tymko Michael M. , Willie Christopher K. , Howe Connor A. , Hoiland Ryan L. , Stone Rachel M. , Tymko Kaitlyn , Tymko Courtney , MacLeod David , Anholm James D. , Gasho Christopher , Villafuerte Francisco , Vizcardo-Galindo Gustavo , Figueroa-Mujica Romulo , Day Trevor A. , Bird Jordan D. , Foster Glen E. , Steinback Craig D. , Brugniaux Julien V. , Champigneulle Benoit , Stauffer Emeric , Doutreleau Stephane , Verges Samuel , Swenson Erik R. , Ainslie Philip N.
Published: January 2022

Lowlander, Andean, and Sherpa arterial blood data were combined across five independent high-altitude expeditions in the United States, Nepal, and Peru to assess acid-base status at ∼3,800, ∼4,300, and ∼5,000 m. The main finding was that Andean and Sherpa highlander populations have more acidic arterial blood, due to elevated arterial carbon dioxide and similar arterial bicarbonate compared with acclimatizing lowlanders at altitudes ≥4,300 m.
Application of Data Mining Technology in Financial Intervention Based on Data Fusion Information Entropy
Authors: Gu Cong
Published: January 2022

Finance, as the core of the modern economy, supports sustained economic growth through financing and distribution. With the continuous development of the market economy, finance plays an increasingly important role in economic development. A new economic and financial phenomenon, known as financial intervention, has emerged in recent years, which has created a series of new problems, promoting the rapid increase both in credit and investment and causing many problems on normal operation of financial bodies. In the long run, it will inevitably affect the stability and soundness of the entire economic and financial system. In order to maximize the effect of financial intervention, in response to the above problems, this article uses a series of US practices in financial intervention as the survey content, combined with the loan data provided by the US government financial intervention department, and mines the data of the general C4.5 algorithm of the decision tree algorithm. Generate a decision tree and convert it into classification rules. Next, we will discover the laws hidden behind the loan data, further discover information that may violate relevant financial policies, provide a reliable basis for financial intervention, and improve the efficiency of financial intervention. Experiments show that the method used in this article can effectively solve the above problems and has certain practicability in fiscal intervention. With stratified sampling, the risky accuracy rate increased by 10%, probably because stratified sampling increased the number of high-risk samples.
Backward Trajectory and Multifractal Analysis of Air Pollution in Zhengzhou Region of China
Authors: Wang Qizhen , Zhao Tong , Wang Rong , Zhang Ling
Published: January 2022

With the continuous promotion of industrialization and urbanization, China's environmental pollution is becoming increasingly serious, which has caused considerable damage to the natural balance. Air pollution seriously harms people's physical and mental health, the ecological environment, and the social sustainable development of society. In this study, the backward trajectory model and multifractal methods were adopted to analyze air pollution in Zhengzhou. The backward trajectory analysis showed that most clusters of air pollution were from southern Hebei, eastern Shandong, and mid-western Henan, which were then transported to Zhengzhou. For the PSCF and CWT analyses, we selected four representative cities to explore how close the air pollution of Zhengzhou is to other areas on the basis of air polluted concentration. The results of several multifractal methods indicated that multifractality existed in the AQI time series of Zhengzhou and cross-correlations between Zhengzhou and each of the four cities. The widths of multifractal spectra showed that the air pollution in Zhengzhou was closest to that in Jinan, followed by Shijiazhuang, Zibo, and Luoyang. The CDFA analysis showed that carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and inhalable particulate matter (PM10) had important influences on air pollution in Zhengzhou. These findings offer a useful reference for air pollution sources and their potential contributions in Zhengzhou, which can support policy makers in environmental governance and in achieving sustainable urban development.
Gender Identification and Classification of Drosophila melanogaster Flies Using Machine Learning Techniques
Authors: Chola Channabasava , Benifa J. V. Bibal , Guru D. S. , Muaad Abdullah Y. , Hanumanthappa J. , Al-antari Mugahed A. , AlSalman Hussain , Gumaei Abdu H.
Published: January 2022

Drosophila melanogaster is an important genetic model organism used extensively in medical and biological studies. About 61% of known human genes have a recognizable match with the genetic code of Drosophila flies, and 50% of fly protein sequences have mammalian analogues. Recently, several investigations have been conducted in Drosophila to study the functions of specific genes exist in the central nervous system, heart, liver, and kidney. The outcomes of the research in Drosophila are also used as a unique tool to study human-related diseases. This article presents a novel automated system to classify the gender of Drosophila flies obtained through microscopic images (ventral view). The proposed system takes an image as input and converts it into grayscale illustration to extract the texture features from the image. Then, machine learning (ML) classifiers such as support vector machines (SVM), Naive Bayes (NB), and

K

-nearest neighbour (KNN) are used to classify the Drosophila as male or female. The proposed model is evaluated using the real microscopic image dataset, and the results show that the accuracy of the KNN is 90%, which is higher than the accuracy of the SVM classifier.
Intelligent Algorithm-Based Multislice Spiral Computed Tomography to Diagnose Coronary Heart Disease
Authors: Tan Shaowen , Xu Zili
Published: January 2022

In this study, dictionary learning and expectation maximization reconstruction (DLEM) was combined to denoise 64-slice spiral CT images, and results of coronary angiography (CAG) were used as standard to evaluate its clinical value in diagnosing coronary artery diseases. 120 patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) confirmed by CAG examination were retrospectively selected as the research subjects. According to the random number table method, the patients were divided into two groups: the control group was diagnosed by conventional 64-slice spiral CT images, and the observation group was diagnosed by 64-slice spiral CT images based on the DLEM algorithm, with 60 cases in both groups. With CAG examination results as the standard, the diagnostic effects of the two CT examination methods were compared. The results showed that when the number of iterations of maximum likelihood expectation maximization (MLEM) algorithm reached 50, the root mean square error (RMSE) and peak signal to noise ratio (PSNR) values were similar to the results obtained by the DLEM algorithm under a number of iterations of 10 when the RMSE and PSNR values were 18.9121 dB and 74.9911 dB, respectively. In the observation group, 28.33% (17/60) images were of grade 4 or above before processing; after processing, it was 70% (42/60), significantly higher than the proportion of high image quality before processing. The overall diagnostic consistency, sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy (88.33%, 86.67%, 80%, and 85%) of the observation group were better than those in the control group (60.46%, 62.5%, 58.33%, and 61.66%). In conclusion, the DLEM algorithm has good denoising effect on 64-slice spiral CT images, which significantly improves the accuracy in the diagnosis of coronary artery stenosis and has good clinical diagnostic value and is worth promoting.
Predicting Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma Survival Using Kurtosis of Cytoplasm in the Hematoxylin Channel from Histology Slides
Authors: Wang Jun , Chen Jianhui , Jiang Liren , Wu Qi , Wang Dawei
Published: January 2022

Purpose. Grade-dependent decrease of lipid storage in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) leads to morphology changes in HE sections. This study investigated the role of cytoplasmic features in frozen sections of ccRCC on prognosis using the digital pathology approach. Methods. We established an automatic pipeline that performed tumor region selection, stain vector normalization, nuclei segmentation, and feature extraction based on the pathologic data from Shanghai General Hospital and The Cancer Genome Atlas database. Extracted features were subjected to survival analysis. Results. Kurtosis of the cytoplasm in the hematoxylin channel was correlated with progression-free survival (HR 0.10, 95% CI: 0.04–0.24,

p
=
6.52

∗

10

−
7

) and overall survival (HR 0.11, 95% CI: 0.05–0.31,

p
=
1.72

∗

10

−
5

) in ccRCC, which outperformed other texture features in this analysis. Multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed that low kurtosis of cytoplasm in the hematoxylin channel was an independent predictor for a shorter progression-free survival time (

p
=
0.044

) and overall survival time (p = 0.01). Kaplan–Meier survival analysis of progression-free survival and overall survival also showed a significantly worse prognosis in patients with low kurtosis of the cytoplasm in the hematoxylin channel (both

p
<
0.0001

). Lower kurtosis of cytoplasm in the hematoxylin channel was associated with higher pathologic grade, less cholesterol ester, and more mitochondrial DNA content. Conclusion. Kurtosis of the cytoplasm in the hematoxylin channel predicts survival in clear cell renal cell carcinoma.
Intelligent Analysis of Computer-Aided Garment Design CAD Based on Virtual Reality Model for Surplus Fabric Removal and Reuse without Segmentation of Cutting Pieces
Authors: Wang Tanqiu
Published: January 2022

For the purpose of improving the efficiency of garment design, the computer-aided garment design virtual reality (VR) model for surplus fabric removal and reuse without segmentation of cutting pieces is analyzed in this paper to provide the architecture of the computer-aided garment design CAD system. The form of dividing the garment into multiple types of nonsegmented pieces is adopted so that each nonsegmented piece stands for a complete design element unit. Based on this structure, the computer analysis of garment design based on CAD can be connected at a deeper level, which will not only improve the design efficiency of new garments but also reduce the design time at the client terminal and enhance the quality of the design. Through the experimental operation of prototypes, it is verified that the intelligent system proposed in this paper can implement the design of prototypes quickly and effectively.
Overview of Research on Germline Genetic Variation in Immune Genes and Cancer Outcomes
Authors: Chao Brittany N. , Carrick Danielle M. , Filipski Kelly K. , Nelson Stefanie A.
Published: January 2022

Since the late 19th century, the immune system has been known to play a role in cancer risk, initiation, and progression. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified hundreds of genetic risk loci for autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, yet the connection between human genetic variation and immune-mediated response to cancer treatments remains less well-explored. Understanding inherited genetic variation, with respect to germline genetic polymorphisms that affect immune system pathways, could lead to greater insights about how these processes may best be harnessed to successfully treat cancer. Our goal in this manuscript was to understand progress and challenges in assessing the role of inherited genetic variation in response to cancer treatments. Overall, the 39 studies reviewed here suggest that germline genetic variation in immune system–related genes may potentially affect responses to cancer treatments. Although further research is needed, considering information on germline immune genetic variation may help, in some cases, to optimize cancer treatment.
Estimating Distributions of Breast Cancer Onset and Growth in a Swedish Mammography Screening Cohort
Authors: Strandberg Rickard , Czene Kamila , Eriksson Mikael , Hall Per , Humphreys Keith
Published: January 2022

Background:

In recent years, biologically motivated continuous tumor growth models have been introduced for breast cancer screening data. These provide a novel framework from which mammography screening effectiveness can be studied.

Methods:

We use a newly developed natural history model, which is unique in that it includes a carcinogenesis model for tumor onset, to analyze data from a large Swedish mammography cohort consisting of 65,536 participants, followed for periods of up to 6.5 years. Using patient data on age at diagnosis, tumor size, and mode of detection, as well as screening histories, we estimate distributions of patient's age at onset, (inverse) tumor growth rates, symptomatic detection rates, and screening sensitivities. We also allow the growth rate distribution to depend on the age at onset.

Results:

We estimate that by the age of 75, 13.4% of women have experienced onset. On the basis of a model that accounts for the role of mammographic density in screening sensitivity, we estimated median tumor doubling times of 167 days for tumors with onset occurring at age 40, and 207 days for tumors with onset occurring at age 60.

Conclusions:

With breast cancer natural history models and population screening data, we can estimate latent processes of tumor onset, tumor growth, and mammography screening sensitivity. We can also study the relationship between the age at onset and tumor growth rates.

Impact:

Quantifying the underlying processes of breast cancer progression is important in the era of individualized screening.
Genetically Predicted Circulating Levels of Antioxidants and Risk of Breast and Ovarian Cancer
Authors: Zhao Huanling , Zhu Jiahao , TSE Lap Ah , Kinra Sanjay , Li Yingjun
Published: January 2022

Evidence from observational studies for the effects of circulating antioxidants on the risk of breast and ovarian cancer was inconsistent. To elucidate the potential causal association of circulating antioxidants on the risk of breast and ovarian cancer, we carried out a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) study. The instrumental variables as proxies of genetic liability to circulating antioxidants were obtained from several published data. Summary-level data of breast and ovarian cancer were obtained from genome-wide association study (GWAS) conducted by the Breast (122,977 cases and 105,974 controls) and the Ovarian (25,509 cases and 40,941 controls) Cancer Association Consortiums. MR analyses were mainly performed using the inverse variance–weighted tests. Sensitivity analyses were further conducted to assess heterogeneity and horizontal pleiotropy. No evidence of causal association between genetically predicted circulating antioxidants and breast cancer and its histotypes was discovered as assessed by absolute levels [β-carotenoid: OR, 0.98; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.92–1.05; P = 0.627; lycopene: OR, 0.99; 95% CI, 0.95–1.03; P = 0.532; retinol: OR, 0.87; 95% CI, 0.49–1.55; P = 0.645; ascorbate: OR, 1.00; 95% CI, 0.99–1.00; P = 0.123] and metabolites (α-tocopherol: OR, 0.88; 95% CI, 0.65–1.19; P = 0.394; γ-tocopherol: OR, 1.00; 95% CI, 0.87–1.16; P = 0.978; retinol: OR, 1.02; 95% CI, 1.00–1.04; P = 0.070; ascorbate: OR, 0.99; 95% CI, 0.91–1.06; P = 0.703). Similarly, no beneficial effect of genetic determinants of circulating antioxidants on ovarian cancer and its histotypes was found. Our study might not indicate a protective role of circulating antioxidants on the breast or ovarian cancer risk.

Prevention Relevance:

Although this study does not find that circulating antioxidants are protective against breast and ovarian cancer, it is still possible that a high intake of antioxidant-rich foods containing other potentially beneficial components could be cancer preventative.
Performance of Ultrasound for Identifying Morphological Characteristics and Thickness of Cutaneous Basal Cell Carcinoma: A Systematic Review
Authors: Laverde-Saad Alexandra , Simard Alexe , Nassim David , Jfri Abdulhadi , Alajmi Ali , O’Brien Elizabeth , Wortsman Ximena
Published: January 2022

Advances in ultrasound technology and non-surgical treatments of basal cell carcinomas (BCCs) have raised the need to study the performance of high-frequency ultrasound (HFUS) in BCCs. We aimed to assess the performance of HFUS in the evaluation of BCCs to formulate recommendations for its uses and conducted a systematic review of the literature to do so. A search of Central, Medline, Embase, CINHAL, and Web of Science was performed using key/MESH terms “ultrasonography” and “basal cell carcinoma” (January 2005–December 2020). We included primary studies reporting biopsy-confirmed BCCs for which the target intervention was ultrasound assessment at 15 MHz or higher frequency. Thirty articles were included, studying a total of 1,203 biopsy-confirmed BCCs. HFUS provides accurate depth measurements, especially for BCCs >1 mm. The definition of lateral margins in vivo needs further studies; however, ex vivo margin assessment seems convincing. There is a diagnostic role for HFUS in identifying higher recurrence risk BCC subtypes, which can help in risk stratification. Performance of HFUS is significant in BCC management. Pre-surgical scans may support case selection for Mohs. HFUS can improve safety when used to plan brachytherapy treatments, help with case selection and adjunct treatment choice pre-photodynamic therapy. Finally, HFUS can help follow lesions after intervention, particularly non-surgical management, and support the decision to observe or re-intervene. HFUS can enhance clinical practice by providing useful information that cannot be deducted from the clinical examination. It would be recommended to evaluate the extent, mainly depth, and detect the aggressiveness of the BCCs.
Neuroimaging Prediction of Hemorrhagic Transformation for Acute Ischemic Stroke
Authors: Hong Lan , Hsu Tzu-Ming , Zhang Yiran , Cheng Xin
Published: January 2022

Background: Hemorrhagic transformation (HT) is a common complication of acute ischemic stroke, often resulting from reperfusion therapy. Early prediction of HT can enable stroke neurologists to undertake measures to avoid clinical deterioration and make optimal treatment strategies. Moreover, the trend of extending the time window for reperfusion therapy (both for intravenous thrombolysis and endovascular treatment) further requires more precise detection of HT tendency. Summary: In this review, we summarized and discussed the neuroimaging markers of HT prediction of acute ischemic stroke patients, mainly focusing on neuroimaging markers of ischemic degree and neuroimaging markers of blood-brain barrier permeability. This review is aimed to provide a concise introduction of HT prediction and to elicit possibilities of future research combining advanced technology to improve the accessibility and accuracy of HT prediction under emergent clinical settings. Key Messages: Substantial studies have utilized neuroimaging, blood biomarkers, and clinical variables to predict HT occurrence. Although huge progress has been made, more individualized and precise HT prediction using simple and robust imaging predictors combining stroke onset time should be the future goal of development.
Utilization of the Teacher-Made Strategic Intervention Material with Google Classroom in Improving the Performance of the Challenged Learn-ers
Authors: Cacay Abraham
Published: January 2022

This classroom-based action research aimed to improve the performance of the challenged learners in Physical Science. The combination of Strategic Intervention Material (SIM) with the aid of Google Classroom was employed as an innovation to help the respondents master the competency-based skills that they were not developed during regular classroom teaching. In a combination of qualitative and quantitative designs, this research employed observation and participation, survey, and content-based assessment as data-gathering instruments. There were 40 identified challenged learners selected purposively (10 students for each of the four sections) based on their achievement scores after the long quiz, who took part in the study. The quantitative data were processed through Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS), while the obtained qualitative data were interpreted using the phenomenological methodology. Results revealed an increase in the performance level of the challenged learners based on the increase of the mean percentage score of the posttest. Additionally, it showed that SIM promotes learning retention based on their scores in the delayed-posttest, and Google classroom motivates their learning intention towards the subject, Physical Science.
Level of Teaching Practices in Mathematics in Relation to Indigenous Students’ Academic Performance in Selected Schools in Zambales SY 2019-2020
Authors: Panes Annalou B. , Falle Teresita A.
Published: January 2022

The study revealed that the teacher-respondent is in her early adulthood, bachelors’ degree holder and attended few numbers of training relevant to teaching IP students. The teacher-respondents assessed “Always Practiced” on the dimensions of teaching Mathematics strategies among IP students. The students assessed “Always Practiced” on the dimensions of teaching Mathematics strategies among IP students. The IP students were rated “Satisfactory” in both Mathematics subjects Algebra and Geometry. There is significant difference on the perception towards dimensions on teaching Mathematics strategies for IP students between teachers and students. There is significant difference on the perception  of the teacher-respondents while no significant differences to the students towards dimensions of teaching Mathematics strategies among IP students as to  Creating Student’s Learning Environment Focused on Mathematics Goals, Providing Opportunities for Independent and Collaborative, Facilitating Mathematical Discussion, Using Appropriate Mathematics Language, connections, tools, and presentations, Developing and Using Teacher Knowledge to Initiate Learning and Assessing Student Academic Performance in Algebra and Geometry. The researcher offered the following recommendations based in the study that the school management is encouraged to organize an in-house teacher’s capability training in order to enhance motivational techniques and teaching strategies in Mathematics among IP students; the teachers are encouraged to be resourceful and creative in organizing the lesson in order to unlock the difficulty among the students in learning mathematics; the teachers are encouraged to conduct and in-depth study on the nature of the students and apply the learning activity and exercises based on their capability and competence.