bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Prevalence, Indications, and Community Perceptions of Caesarean Section Delivery in Ngora District, Eastern Uganda: Mixed Method Study
Authors: Waniala Isaac , Nakiseka Sandra , Nambi Winnie , Naminya Isaac , Osuban Ajeni Margret , Iramiot Jacob , Nekaka Rebecca , Nteziyaremye Julius
Published: July 2020

Background. Uganda has a high maternal mortality ratio (MMR) of 336/100,000 live births. Caesarean section is fundamental in achieving equity and equality in emergency obstetric care services. Despite it being a lifesaving intervention, it is associated with risks. There has been a surge in caesarean section rates in some areas, yet others remain underserved. Studies have shown that rates exceeding 15% do not improve maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality. Our study aimed at determining the prevalence, indications, and community perceptions of caesarean section delivery in Eastern Uganda.Methods and Materials. It was both health facility and commuity based cross-sectional descriptive study in Ngora district, Eastern Uganda. Mixed methods of data collection were employed in which quantitative data were collected by retrospectively reviewing all charts of all the mothers that had delivered at the two comprehensive emergency obstetric care service facilities between April 2018 and March 2019. Qualitative data were collected by focus group discussions till point of saturation. Data were entered into EpiData (version 3.1) and analyzed using SPSS software (version 24). Qualitative data analysis was done by transcribing and translating into English verbatim and then analyzed into themes and subthemes with the help of NVIVO 12.Results. Of the total 2573 deliveries, 14% (357/2573) were by CS. The major single indications were obstructed labour 17.9%, fetal distress 15.3%, big baby 11.6%, and cephalopelvic disproportion (CPD) 11%. Although appreciated as lifesaving for young mothers, those with diseases and recurrent intrauterine fetal demise, others considered CS a curse, marriage-breaker, misfortune, money-maker and a sign of incompetent health workers, and being for the lazy women and the rich civil servants. The rise was also attributed to intramuscular injections and contraceptive use. Overall, vaginal delivery was the preferred route.Conclusion. Several misconceptions that could hinder access to CS were found which calls for more counseling and male involvement. Although facility based, the rate is higher than the desired 5–15%. It is higher than the projected increase of 36% by 2021. It highlights the need for male involvement during counseling and consent for CS and concerted efforts to demystify community misconceptions about women that undergo CS. These misconceptions may be a hindrance to access to CS.
Compression and Shear Fracture Analysis of Boundary Cracks Containing Water in Rock
Authors: Yang Zhensheng , Li Fulin , Ma Tianran
Published: July 2020

In order to conserve the water resource during underground mining, the fracture and mechanical properties of rock are important for the stability of water‐resisting layers, especially for the fracture behavior of boundary cracks containing water in rock. Considering the swelling of rock under water environment and the influence of water on rock, the stress intensity factors of modes I and II are derived for boundary cracks in rock under compressive and shear stresses. The cracks are divided into the closed and open states. The effects of the crack inclination angle, friction coefficient between crack surfaces, and initial crack length on stress intensity factors are also taken into account. The stress intensity factors for closed and open boundary cracks are verified by numerical and physical experiments, respectively, and the deviation of the results is within 5%. It is shown that pore pressure has different effects on the relationship between stress intensity factor and friction coefficient under different lateral pressures. The effect of water on crack propagation is mainly due to the deterioration of the fracture toughness of the rock. It is found that the critical coefficient λc is a key parameter to determine whether the boundary crack propagates in rock under compression‐shear stress. Further studies should be performed to apply the present fracture theory to rock mass or water‐resisting layers.
Comparative Study of Some Fixed-Point Methods in the Generation of Julia and Mandelbrot Sets
Authors: Zhou Hao , Tanveer Muhammad , Li Jingjng
Published: July 2020

Fractal is a geometrical shape with property that each point of the shape represents the whole. Having this property, fractals procured the attention in computer graphics, engineering, biology, mathematics, physics, art, and design. The fractals generated on highest priorities are the Julia and Mandelbrot sets. So, in this paper, we develop some necessary conditions for the convergence of sequences established for the orbits of M, M∗, and K-iterative methods to generate these fractals. We adjust algorithms according to the develop conditions and draw some attractive Julia and Mandelbrot sets with sequences of iterates from proposed fixed-point iterative methods. Moreover, we discuss the self-similarities with input parameters in each graph and present the comparison of images with proposed methods.
A Cross-Reference Line Method Based Multiobjective Evolutionary Algorithm to Enhance Population Diversity
Authors: Feng Ya-Nan , Wang Zhao-Hui , Fan Jia-Rong , Fu Ting , Chen Zhi-Yuan
Published: July 2020

Multiobjective evolutionary algorithms (MOEAs) with higher population diversity have been extensively presented in literature studies and shown great potential in the approximate Pareto front (PF). Especially, in the recent development of MOEAs, the reference line method is increasingly favored due to its diversity enhancement nature and auxiliary selection mechanism based on the uniformly distributed reference line. However, the existing reference line method ignores the nadir point and consequently causes the Pareto incompatibility problem, which makes the algorithm convergence worse. To address this issue, a multiobjective evolutionary algorithm based on the adaptive cross-reference line method, called MOEA-CRL, is proposed under the framework of the indicator-based MOEAs. Based on the dominant penalty distance (DPD) indicator, the cross-reference line method can not only solve the Pareto incompatibility problem but also enhance the population diversity on the convex PF and improve the performances of MOEA-CRL for irregular PF. In addition, the MOEA-CRL adjusts the distribution of the cross-reference lines directly defined by the DPD indicator according to the contributing solutions. Therefore, the adaptation of cross-reference lines will not be affected by the population size and the uniform distribution of cross-reference lines can be maintained. The MOEA-CRL is examined and compared with other MOEAs on several benchmark problems. The experimental results show that the MOEA-CRL is superior to several advanced MOEAs, especially on the convex PF. The MOEA-CRL exhibits the flexibility in population size setting and the great versatility in various multiobjective optimization problems (MOPs) and many-objective optimization problems (MaOPs).
Transient Antiseepage Analysis of the Relief Well in Beijiang Dike
Authors: Xu Wenbing , Xu Chuan , Yao Qinghe , Kwan Trevor Hocksun , Wang Sheng
Published: July 2020

In this paper, the seepage finite element method (FEM) is used to simulate the transient seepage of Beijiang Dike, and antiseepage solutions are designed and discussed. By comparing the measured data of a piezometer with the steady-state calculation model, the calculated results are compatible very well with the measured data. Aiming to improve the ability to respond in extreme weather conditions, we calculate the transient seepage field after the water level suddenly rises in a short time and then select the relief well as the antiseepage measure and optimize it. The results show that when the water level is 15.78 m, the slope reaches 0.5, and the embankment is damaged. With the increase of penetration depth, the effect of drainage and decompression in the depth of 3/5 and 4/5 is relatively small due to geological strips. Due to different geological conditions, the same relief wells are placed in different positions with a wide gap in effect, the antiseepage effect is the best when the horizontal distance is 95 m, and the effect is the best when the depth is 16.5 m. The research results can be used to guide the seepage prevention and control design of Beijiang Dike.
Distributed State Estimation for Dynamic Positioning Systems with Uncertain Disturbances and Transmission Time Delays
Authors: Liu Li , Yao Tao , Hu Xin , Zhou Chunjie , Hou Dianli , Feng Shulin , Yang Hongyong
Published: July 2020

The dynamic positioning system of unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) is a complex and large-scale system mainly due to the nonlinear dynamics, uncertainty in model parameters, and external disturbances. With the aid of the bio-inspired computing (BIC) method, the designed three-dimensional (3D) spatial positioning system is used for enlarging communication constraints and increasing signal coordination processing. With the growing of measurement scales, the issue of the networked high-precision positioning has been developed rapidly. Then, an information fusion estimation approach is presented for the distributed networked systems with data random transmission time delays and lost and disordered packets. To reduce the communication burden, an adaptive signal selection scheme is employed to reorganize the measurement sequence, and the parameter uncertainties as well as cross-correlated noise are used to describe the uncertain disturbances. Moreover, a reoptimal weighted fusion state estimation is designed to alleviate the information redundancy and maintain higher measurement accuracy. An illustrative example obtained from the 3D spatial positioning system is given to validate the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Surveying the Effect of Opioid Abuse on the Extent of Coronary Artery Diseases in Diabetic Patients
Authors: Moezi Bady Seyyed Ali , Soltani Maryam , Kazemi Toba , Khosravi Bizhaem Saeede , Hanafi Bojd Nazanin , Partovi Neda , Mashreghimoghadam Hamid Reza , Hamidi Fatemeh , Azdaki Nahid
Published: July 2020

Background. Diabetes mellitus is recognized as one of the most common, serious, and costly chronic diseases. Opium addiction is also a common health problem in Iran. Given the high prevalence of opium use in South Khorasan Province and the increasing prevalence of opioid abuse in the community, this study was performed to investigate the effect of opioid abuse on the extent of disease in diabetic patients undergoing coronary angiography in the cardiology department of Vali-e-Asr Hospital in Birjand city, South Khorasan Province, Iran. Methods. This study recruited a total of 1051 diabetic patients who underwent coronary angiography in the cardiology department of Vali-e-Asr Hospital of Birjand city from 2011 to 2015. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS version 22.0 with the chi-square test and univariate regression analysis. P value <0.05 was considered as statistically significant. Results. Among opiate-addicted diabetics, the risk of coronary artery disease was 0.44 times higher than among nonaddicted diabetics (range 0.24–0.77, P=0.004). The extent of coronary vessel involvement, when present, was not different between the two groups. Conclusion. Opiate-addicted diabetics appear to be more susceptible to CAD than their nonaddicted counterparts. The determinants and correlates of this interaction must be the subject of further study.
Application Study of Sigmoid Regularization Method in Coke Quality Prediction
Authors: Yan Shaohong , Zhao Hailong , Liu Liangxu , Sang Qiaozhi , Chen Peng , Li Jie
Published: July 2020

Coke is an indispensable and vital flue for blast furnace smelting, during which it plays a key role as a reducing agent, heat source, and support skeleton. Models of prediction of coke quality based on ANN are established to map the functional relationship between quality parameters Mt, Ad, Vdaf, St,d, and caking property (X, Y, and G) of mixed coal and quality parameters Ad, St,d, coke reactivity index (CRI), and coke strength after reaction (CSR) of coke. A regularized network training method based on Sigmoid function is designed considering that redundancy of network structure may lead to the learning of undesired noise, in which weights having little impact on performance and leading to overfitting are removed in terms of computational complexity and training errors. The cascade forward neural network with validation is found to be the most suitable one for coke quality prediction, with errors around 5%, followed by feedforward neural network structure and radial basis neural networks. The cascade forward neural network may play a guiding role during the coke production.
Performance Assessment on Fiberglass‐Polyester Paving Mat Being Applied in Asphalt Mixture Complex
Authors: Gang Wei , Xinbo Mao
Published: July 2020

This paper mainly studies performances of the asphalt mixture complex paved with fiberglass‐polyester paving mat. We have examined the performances of the complex paved with fiberglass‐polyester paving mat by measuring assessment indexes of the asphalt mixture complex such as low‐temperature crack resistance, reinforcement strength, soaking shear performance, and fatigue performance and found that a layer of fiberglass‐polyester paving mat between the base cement concrete and the topping asphalt mixture can effectively enhance performances of the asphalt mixture complex. First, the bending test and the cleavage test show that complex test pieces paved with fiberglass‐polyester paving mat have better flexibility and carrying capacity, thus delaying emergence and extension of reflection cracks in the topping asphalt mixture. Second, the stress control fatigue test and the strain control fatigue test show that complex test pieces paved with fiberglass‐polyester paving mat can remarkably prolong fatigue life of the complex, thus prolonging service life of the asphalt pavement. Finally, the soaking shear test and the shear fatigue test show that compared with waterproof roll and glassfiber grid, fiberglass‐polyester paving mat can improve shear resistance of the complex test piece more effectively and enhance its durability.
Xiao’er Xiaoji Zhike Oral Liquid Combined with Azithromycin for Mycoplasma pneumoniae Pneumonia in Children: A Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis
Authors: Zhang Gui-Min , Huang Zhi-Yan , Sun Rong , Ye Shi-Li , Feng Qun
Published: July 2020

Background. This study was aimed at systematically evaluating the clinical effect and safety of Xiao’er Xiaoji Zhike oral liquid in the treatment of Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia (MPP) in children and providing evidence‐based references for clinical application. Methods. The databases like Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, China Network Knowledge Infrastructure, Wan Fang Database, Chinese Scientific Journal Database, PubMed, EmBase, and the Cochrane Library were systematically investigated via searching clinical trials about Xiao’er Xiaoji Zhike oral liquid in treating MPP from the establishment of these databases to Jun 8, 2020, the valid data from which were entered meta‐analysis. The quality of evidence was assessed by GRADE criteria. Results. Totally, 15 trials and 1500 patients were involved in this review. It showed that clinical efficacy of trial group was more superior than control group at the outcome measures of cough disappearance time, lung rale disappearance time, fever subsidence time, total effective rate, lung X‐ray infiltrates disappearing time, reduction of hospital stay, immunological indexes, and some other measures. And the differences between groups were statistically significant. There was no statistical difference in the adverse effects between two groups. Lung X‐ray infiltrates disappearing time and cough disappearance time were separately high‐ and moderate‐quality evidences while lung rale disappearance time and fever subsidence time were all low in accordance with GRADE criteria. Conclusions. In accordance with trials with low methodological quality, Xiao’er Xiaoji Zhike oral liquid combined with azithromycin seems to be safe and superior to azithromycin alone for the treatment of MPP in children. However, further trials with rigorous methodology need to be implemented for these potential benefits.
BRG1 Loss Predisposes Lung Cancers to Replicative Stress and ATR Dependency
Authors: Gupta Manav , Concepcion Carla P. , Fahey Caroline G. , Keshishian Hasmik , Bhutkar Arjun , Brainson Christine F. , Sanchez-Rivera Francisco J. , Pessina Patrizia , Kim Jonathan Y. , Simoneau Antoine , Paschini Margherita , Beytagh Mary C. , Stanclift Caroline R. , Schenone Monica , Mani D.R. , Li Chendi , Oh Audris , Li Fei , Hu Hai , Karatza Angeliki , Bronson Roderick T. , Shaw Alice T. , Hata Aaron N. , Wong Kwok-Kin , Zou Lee , Carr Steven A. , Jacks Tyler , Kim Carla F.
Published: July 2020

Inactivation of SMARCA4/BRG1, the core ATPase subunit of mammalian SWI/SNF complexes, occurs at very high frequencies in non–small cell lung cancers (NSCLC). There are no targeted therapies for this subset of lung cancers, nor is it known how mutations in BRG1 contribute to lung cancer progression. Using a combination of gain- and loss-of-function approaches, we demonstrate that deletion of BRG1 in lung cancer leads to activation of replication stress responses. Single-molecule assessment of replication fork dynamics in BRG1-deficient cells revealed increased origin firing mediated by the prelicensing protein, CDC6. Quantitative mass spectrometry and coimmunoprecipitation assays showed that BRG1-containing SWI/SNF complexes interact with RPA complexes. Finally, BRG1-deficient lung cancers were sensitive to pharmacologic inhibition of ATR. These findings provide novel mechanistic insight into BRG1-mutant lung cancers and suggest that their dependency on ATR can be leveraged therapeutically and potentially expanded to BRG1-mutant cancers in other tissues.

Significance:

These findings indicate that inhibition of ATR is a promising therapy for the 10% of non-small cell lung cancer patients harboring mutations in SMARCA4/BRG1.
Remote Ischemic Preconditioning Reduces the Risk of Contrast-Induced Nephropathy in Patients with Moderate Renal Impairment Undergoing Percutaneous Coronary Angiography: A Meta-Analysis
Authors: Deng Jin , Lu Yi , Ou Jihong , Shao Xiaofei , Wang Xin , Xie Hongping
Published: July 2020

Background/Aims: This meta-analysis evaluated the effects of remote ischemic preconditioning (RIPC) on the risk of contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention/coronary angiography (PCI/CA). Methods: PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials databases were searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that assessed the effect of RIPC on CIN in patients undergoing PCI/CA. The main outcomes of interest were the incidence of CIN 48–72 h after CA, the levels of serum creatinine, cystatin C, neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin, and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), mortality, and requirement of hemodialysis and rehospitalization. The analysis was conducted using the random-effect model due to the expected heterogeneity among different studies. Results: In total, 16 trials covering 2,048 patients were identified. By assessing the methodological quality of the included studies through the Coch­rane risk of bias, we found that of the 16 RCTs, 3 had a low risk of bias, 6 a high, and 7 an unclear risk. The application of RIPC decreased the incidence of CIN (relative risk, RR, 0.50, 95% confidence interval, CI, 0.39–0.65; p < 0.001). Subgroup analyses showed that RIPC decreased the incidence of CIN in patients with eGFR <60 mL/min/1.73 m2 (RR 0.53, 95% CI 0.38–0.75; p < 0.001) but not in patients with eGRF ≥60 mL/min/1.73 m2 (RR 0.82, 95% CI 0.35–1.94; p = 0.66) at baseline. Furthermore, the increase in serum creatinine was significantly lower in patients with RIPC compared to control patients (standardized mean difference –1.41, 95% CI –2.46 to –0.35; p = 0.009). Conclusions: Based on 16 RCTs, this meta-analysis shows that RIPC can reduce the risk of CIN in patients with moderate renal impairment undergoing PCI/CA. However, this needs to be confirmed by further high-quality evidence.
Development of a Prognostic Factor Prediction Model in Patients with Musculoskeletal Pain Treated with Homeopathy: An Individual Patient Data Meta-Analysis of Three Randomized Clinical Trials
Authors: van Haselen Robbert
Published: July 2020

Background: Prognostic factor research methodology has not yet been applied to randomized clinical trial data of homeopathic medicines. Objectives: To investigate the principle of individualization in homeopathy by developing a prognostic factor prediction model. Method: A pooled, in­dividual patient data meta-analysis of 3 randomized trials ­investigating the efficacy of a homeopathic gel (Spiroflor SRL®) containing Rhus toxicodendron as a key ingredient in osteoarthritis of the knee and acute low back pain. The prognostic value of a predefined set of 5 typical R. toxicodendron symptoms was investigated by assessing treatment-by-symptom interactions on pain as an outcome measure in a regression model. Results: The pooled dataset consisted of 284 patients in the Spiroflor SRL group and 275 patients in the control group. Adjusted for pain at baseline, a statistically significant effect modification for the symptoms “numbness or tingling of the affected part” (+2.0 mm VAS; p = 0.02), “amelioration by movement” (–5.6 mm VAS; p = 0.01), and “amelioration of pain by local heat” (+7.0 mm VAS; p = 0.02) was found. Conclusions: Investigating aspects of treatment individualization in homeopathy using randomized trial data and standard meta-analytical techniques is possible. The symptom amelioration by local heat is of possible value as a homeopathic symptom (prognostic factor) predicting an increased likelihood of pain relief following treatment with the homeopathic product.
Prescribing Habits for Androgenic Alopecia among Dermatologists in Spain in 2019–2020: A Cross-Sectional Study
Authors: Pindado-Ortega Cristina , Saceda-Corralo David , Fernández-Nieto Diego , Jiménez-Cauhé Juan , Ortega-Quijano Daniel , Moreno-Arrones Óscar M. , Vañó-Galván Sergio
Published: July 2020

Background: In 2017, we carried out a cross-sectional study with the aim of describing androgenic alopecia (AGA) prescription habits among dermatologists who practice in Spain. Three years later, we repeated this study with the aim of describing the current situation and comparing it with previous data. Material and Methods: Descriptive cross-sectional study using online questionnaires autocompleted by dermatologists working in Spain. Results: The responses of 243 dermatologists were analyzed. The most common treatments prescribed for MAGA were topical minoxidil (100%), oral finasteride (92.6%), oral dutasteride (75.7%), and oral minoxidil (50.6%). For premenopausal female AGA (FAGA), the most common treatments were topical minoxidil (99%), oral contraceptives (75%), nutricosmetics (71%), and oral minoxidil (67.9%). Lastly, the most common treatments prescribed in patients with postmenopausal FAGA were topical minoxidil (99.2%), oral finasteride (79%), oral durasteride (71.6%), and oral minoxidil (63%). Conclusions: In conclusion, AGA is the most frequent alopecia in the trichology clinic. The most common treatments prescribed in male AGA (MAGA) and postmenopausal FAGA were topical minoxidil and oral finasteride, while in premenopausal FAGA, topical minoxidil, oral contraceptives, and nutricosmetics were most commonly prescribed. In the past three years, oral dutasteride and oral minoxidil have increased drastically among the most prescribed therapies for MAGA, premenopausal FAGA, and postmenopausal FAGA.
Andean bear (Tremarctos ornatus) population density and relative abundance at the buffer zone of the Chingaza National Natural Park, cordillera oriental of the colombian andes
Authors: Rodríguez Daniel , Reyes Adriana , Quiñones-Guerrero Andres , Poveda-Gómez Fidel Ernesto , Castillo-Navarro Yeimy , Duque Robinson , Reyes-Amaya Nicolás Rafael
Published: July 2020

The Andean bear (Tremarctos ornatus) population density and relative abundance within the Chingaza Massif were assessed between September 2015 and May 2016. One hundred seventeen (117) camera traps were installed at 9 grids: 13 cameras per grid, each camera separated 750 m from the other; the sampling effort was 17,057 days-trap. Two thousand seven hundred eighty-four (2,784) native fauna records were obtained, 1,456 corresponding to mammals, 183 records for Andean bear specimens, 158 of them independent bear records (at least one hour between records), and 106 effective-independent bear records (also permitting individual recognition). Fifty-seven (57) Andean bear individuals were identified according to key external morphological features. Sixteen (16) adults were recaptured (12 males and 4 females), with a maximum mean distance of 27.22 km. Bears population density was 2.9 bears per 100 km². Based on this density and the buffer area of the sampling grids, we estimated an overall number of 122 bears in 4,215.15 km². The estimated density is the first for the species in Colombia and the lowest regarding previous reports from other countries. Thus, it is necessary to better understand how integral habitat quality and the anthropic impacts on habitat quality, availability, and connectivity may affect the Andean bear population densities in Colombia, as a useful tool for assessing populations` state and focus future conservation actions.
Surveys of the bee (Hymenoptera: Apiformes) community in a Neotropical savanna using pan traps
Authors: Viana Thaís Andrade , Lourenço Anete Pedro
Published: July 2020

Bee populations are declining because of various synergistic threats, and therefore bee survey and monitoring programs are needed. Several techniques have been developed to survey bees, but the most cost-effective and suitable methods to sample bees in several sites at the same time are passive approaches, such as methods involving colored pan traps (also known as Moericke or bowl traps). Several bee surveys using pan traps have been conducted in North America, Europe, and Australia, but only a few such surveys have been done in tropical regions. We used colored pan traps (blue, yellow, and white) to assess the bee community in the Brazilian savanna ecosystem in Rio Preto State Park. Sampling was conducted in October 2013 and March 2014 along permanent trails. We also characterized the local habitat of each trail, and then we compared bee abundance with habitat complexity. In total, 187 individual bees (n = 15 species) were collected, mainly using blue and white traps. Although we were not able to sample most species that were previously recorded in this park, the pan trap method can be used to survey and monitor bee assemblages in combination with another sampling method. Habitat complexity also affected the numbers of bees sampled using the pan traps, and more bees were collected at open sites.
Pisidia longimana (Risso, 1816), a junior synonym of P. bluteli (Risso, 1816) (Crustacea: Decapoda: Anomura: Porcellanidae) and a species distinct from P. longicornis (Linnaeus, 1767)
Authors: Ferreira Luciane Augusto de Azevedo , Tavares Marcos
Published: July 2020

Pisidia longimana (Risso, 1816) and P. bluteli (Risso, 1816), both described from Nice, France, have been considered each other’s synonyms or have been validated depending on successive taxonomic opinions. The validity of both in respect to P. longicornis (Linnaeus, 1767) has also been contradicted a number of times. The current lack of clarity in the use of the names P. longicornis, P. longimana and P. bluteli has resulted in nomenclatural instability, but also in unreliability and miscommunication as regards the available ecological and distributional information. The validity of P. bluteli and P. longimana is revisited herein based on a large number of specimens (241 males, 190 females and 33 juveniles) from many different localities. The latter species is confirmed as a junior synonym of the former, whereas P. bluteli and P. longicornis are herein considered separate species. Diagnostic characters and morphological variations are discussed and illustrated.
Incidence, persistence and risk factors of fear of falling in older adults: cohort study (2008–2013) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Authors: Drummond Flávia Moura Malini , Lourenço Roberto Alves , Lopes Claudia De Souza
Published: July 2020

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the incidence and persistence of fear of falling in older adults and the clinical/functional, psychosocial and lifestyle-related risk factors. METHODS: A longitudinal study with 393 community-dwelling older adults aged 65 years and over (110 men/ 283 women) resident in the North Zone of the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The fear of falling was assessed by the Falls Efficacy Scale-I-BR. The explanatory variables assessed were: number of comorbidities and medicines, history of falls, fracture from falling, use of walking aids, functional dependence in basic and instrumental activities of daily living, hearing and visual impairment, hand grip strength, walking speed, self-rated health, body mass index, depressive symptoms, cognitive impairment, living alone and activity level. Incidence, persistence and risk factors were estimated. Multivariate analysis was performed using Poisson Regression, obtaining relative risks (RR) and corresponding to 95% confidence intervals. RESULTS: Among the 393 participants, fear of falling occurred in 33.5% and was persistent in 71.3%. Incidence was found to associate with using seven or more medicines and reporting worse activity level than the prior year. Risk factors for persistent fear were: using seven or more medicines, a history of one or two falls, reduced walking speed, hearing impairment, cognitive impairment, depressive symptoms and poor or very poor self-rated health. CONCLUSION: Fear of falling is a frequent and persistent condition. Many factors related to persistent fear showed no association with the incidence of fear, emphasizing the need for focused strategies to reduce risk factors that may be associated with the chronification of fear of falling.
Cardiovascular Imaging in Infective Endocarditis
Authors: Horgan Stephen J. , Mediratta Anuj , Gillam Linda D.
Published: July 2020

Multimodality imaging plays a pivotal role in the evaluation and management of infective endocarditis (IE)—a condition with high morbidity and mortality. The diagnosis of IE is primarily based on the modified Duke criteria with echocardiography as the first-line imaging modality. Both transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiography delineate vegetation location and size, assess for paravalvular extension of infection, and have the added advantage of defining the hemodynamic effects of valvular or device infection. Native and prosthetic valve IE, infections relating to cardiac implantable electronic devices, and indwelling catheters are effectively evaluated with echocardiography. However, complementary imaging is occasionally required when there remains diagnostic uncertainty following transesophageal echocardiography. Multidetector computed tomography and nuclear imaging techniques such as positron emission tomography and white blood cell scintigraphy have been shown to reduce the rate of misdiagnosed IE particularly in the setting of prosthetic valve endocarditis, paravalvular extension of infection, and cardiac implantable electronic devices. In this review, we describe a modern approach to cardiac imaging in native and prosthetic valve endocarditis, as well as cardiac implantable electronic devices including pacing devices and left ventricular assist devices. Current guidelines addressing the role of multimodality imaging in IE are discussed. The utility of imaging in the assessment of local and distant endocarditis complications such as pericardial sequelae, myocarditis, and embolic events is also addressed.
Neural Control of Immunity in Hypertension: Council on Hypertension Mid Career Award for Research Excellence, 2019
Authors: Carnevale Daniela
Published: July 2020

The nervous system and the immune system share the common ability to exert gatekeeper roles at the interfaces between internal and external environment. Although interaction between these 2 evolutionarily highly conserved systems has been recognized for long time, the investigation into the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying their crosstalk has been tackled only in recent decades. Recent work of the past years elucidated how the autonomic nervous system controls the splenic immunity recruited by hypertensive challenges. This review will focus on the neural mechanisms regulating the immune response and the role of this neuroimmune crosstalk in hypertension. In this context, the review highlights the components of the brain-spleen axis with a focus on the neuroimmune interface established in the spleen, where neural signals shape the immune response recruited to target organs of high blood pressure.
Gestational Hypoxia Inhibits Pregnancy-Induced Upregulation of Ca
2+
Sparks and Spontaneous Transient Outward Currents in Uterine Arteries Via Heightened Endoplasmic Reticulum/Oxidative Stress
Authors: Hu Xiang-Qun , Song Rui , Romero Monica , Dasgupta Chiranjib , Min Joseph , Hatcher Daisy , Xiao Daliao , Blood Arlin , Wilson Sean M. , Zhang Lubo
Published: July 2020

Hypoxia during pregnancy profoundly affects uterine vascular adaptation and increases the risk of pregnancy complications, including preeclampsia and fetal intrauterine growth restriction. We recently demonstrated that increases in Ca
2+
sparks and spontaneous transient outward currents (STOCs) played an essential role in pregnancy-induced uterine vascular adaptation. In the present study, we hypothesize that gestational hypoxia suppresses Ca
2+
sparks/STOCs coupling leading to increased uterine vascular tone via enhanced endoplasmic reticulum (ER)/oxidative stress. Uterine arteries were obtained from nonpregnant and near-term pregnant sheep residing in low altitude or acclimatizing to high-altitude (3801 m) hypoxia for ≈110 days. High-altitude hypoxia suppressed pregnancy-induced upregulation of RyR1 and RyR2 (ryanodine receptor 1 and 2) protein abundance, Ca
2+
sparks, and STOCs in uterine arteries. Inhibition of Ca
2+
sparks/STOCs with the RyR inhibitor ryanodine significantly increased pressure-dependent myogenic tone in uterine arteries from low-altitude normoxic pregnant animals but not those from high-altitude hypoxic pregnant animals. Gestational hypoxia significantly increased ER/oxidative stress in uterine arteries. Of importance, the hypoxia-mediated suppression of Ca
2+
sparks/STOCs and increase in myogenic tone in uterine arteries of pregnant animals were reversed by inhibiting ER/oxidative stress. Of great interest, the impaired sex hormonal regulation of STOCs in high-altitude animals was annulled by scavenging reactive oxygen species but not by inhibiting ER stress. Together, the findings reveal the differential mechanisms of ER and oxidative stresses in suppressing Ca
2+
sparks/STOCs and increasing myogenic tone of uterine arteries in hypoxia during gestation, providing new insights into the understanding of pregnancy complications associated with hypoxia.
Sadat and the Road to Jerusalem: Bold Gestures and Risk Acceptance in the Search for Peace
Authors: Berenji Shahin
Published: July 2020

On November 19, 1977, the world watched in disbelief as Egyptian President Anwar el-Sadat visited Jerusalem. In one dramatic stroke, Sadat met with Israel's leaders, promised “no more war,” and offered Israel de facto recognition. Recently declassified archival sources provide new insight into why Sadat suddenly made all these concessions and why he chose to initiate conciliation through such a bold move. The historical evidence supports a prospect-theoretic explanation of Sadat's risk acceptance. Sadat never accepted Egypt's loss of the Sinai Peninsula but, unable to recover it either militarily or diplomatically (through U.S. mediation), he became willing to accept greater risks to recoup Egypt's territorial losses. As Sadat grew frustrated with the efforts of Jimmy Carter's administration to reconvene the Geneva Middle East Peace Conference, he sought to accelerate the peace process by abandoning multilateral diplomacy in favor of direct negotiations with Israel. He understood, however, that bilateral talks would fail given Israel's deep suspicion and mistrust of its Arab neighbors. By empathetically responding to its fears and security concerns, Sadat reasoned that he could reassure Israel of Egypt's benign intentions and remove, as he often said, the “psychological barriers” of the Arab-Israeli conflict. Such an approach might help Israel feel secure enough so that its leaders would trade land for peace.
Hyperbolic-Valued Hopfield Neural Networks in Synchronous Mode
Authors: Kobayashi Masaki
Published: July 2020

For most multistate Hopfield neural networks, the stability conditions in asynchronous mode are known, whereas those in synchronous mode are not. If they were to converge in synchronous mode, recall would be accelerated by parallel processing. Complex-valued Hopfield neural networks (CHNNs) with a projection rule do not converge in synchronous mode. In this work, we provide stability conditions for hyperbolic Hopfield neural networks (HHNNs) in synchronous mode instead of CHNNs. HHNNs provide better noise tolerance than CHNNs. In addition, the stability conditions are applied to the projection rule, and HHNNs with a projection rule converge in synchronous mode. By computer simulations, we find that the projection rule for HHNNs in synchronous mode maintains a high noise tolerance.
Tensor Least Angle Regression for Sparse Representations of Multidimensional Signals
Authors: Wickramasingha Ishan , Elrewainy Ahmed , Sobhy Michael , Sherif Sherif S.
Published: July 2020

Sparse signal representations have gained much interest recently in both signal processing and statistical communities. Compared to orthogonal matching pursuit (OMP) and basis pursuit, which solve the [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] constrained sparse least-squares problems, respectively, least angle regression (LARS) is a computationally efficient method to solve both problems for all critical values of the regularization parameter [Formula: see text]. However, all of these methods are not suitable for solving large multidimensional sparse least-squares problems, as they would require extensive computational power and memory. An earlier generalization of OMP, known as Kronecker-OMP, was developed to solve the [Formula: see text] problem for large multidimensional sparse least-squares problems. However, its memory usage and computation time increase quickly with the number of problem dimensions and iterations. In this letter, we develop a generalization of LARS, tensor least angle regression (T-LARS) that could efficiently solve either large [Formula: see text] or large [Formula: see text] constrained multidimensional, sparse, least-squares problems (underdetermined or overdetermined) for all critical values of the regularization parameter [Formula: see text] and with lower computational complexity and memory usage than Kronecker-OMP. To demonstrate the validity and performance of our T-LARS algorithm, we used it to successfully obtain different sparse representations of two relatively large 3D brain images, using fixed and learned separable overcomplete dictionaries, by solving both [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] constrained sparse least-squares problems. Our numerical experiments demonstrate that our T-LARS algorithm is significantly faster (46 to 70 times) than Kronecker-OMP in obtaining [Formula: see text]-sparse solutions for multilinear leastsquares problems. However, the [Formula: see text]-sparse solutions obtained using Kronecker-OMP always have a slightly lower residual error (1.55% to 2.25%) than ones obtained by T-LARS. Therefore, T-LARS could be an important tool for numerous multidimensional biomedical signal processing applications.
Hierarchical Mapping for Crosslingual Word Embedding Alignment
Authors: Azpiazu Ion Madrazo , Pera Maria Soledad
Published: July 2020

The alignment of word embedding spaces in different languages into a common crosslingual space has recently been in vogue. Strategies that do so compute pairwise alignments and then map multiple languages to a single pivot language (most often English). These strategies, however, are biased towards the choice of the pivot language, given that language proximity and the linguistic characteristics of the target language can strongly impact the resultant crosslingual space in detriment of topologically distant languages. We present a strategy that eliminates the need for a pivot language by learning the mappings across languages in a hierarchical way. Experiments demonstrate that our strategy significantly improves vocabulary induction scores in all existing benchmarks, as well as in a new non-English–centered benchmark we built, which we make publicly available.
Reproducible and Efficient Benchmarks for Hyperparameter Optimization of Neural Machine Translation Systems
Authors: Zhang Xuan , Duh Kevin
Published: July 2020

Hyperparameter selection is a crucial part of building neural machine translation (NMT) systems across both academia and industry. Fine-grained adjustments to a model’s architecture or training recipe can mean the difference between a positive and negative research result or between a state-of-the-art and underperforming system. While recent literature has proposed methods for automatic hyperparameter optimization (HPO), there has been limited work on applying these methods to neural machine translation (NMT), due in part to the high costs associated with experiments that train large numbers of model variants. To facilitate research in this space, we introduce a lookup-based approach that uses a library of pre-trained models for fast, low cost HPO experimentation. Our contributions include (1) the release of a large collection of trained NMT models covering a wide range of hyperparameters, (2) the proposal of targeted metrics for evaluating HPO methods on NMT, and (3) a reproducible benchmark of several HPO methods against our model library, including novel graph-based and multiobjective methods.
How Can We Know What Language Models Know?
Authors: Jiang Zhengbao , Xu Frank F. , Araki Jun , Neubig Graham
Published: July 2020

Recent work has presented intriguing results examining the knowledge contained in language models (LMs) by having the LM fill in the blanks of prompts such as “ Obama is a __ by profession”. These prompts are usually manually created, and quite possibly sub-optimal; another prompt such as “ Obama worked as a __ ” may result in more accurately predicting the correct profession. Because of this, given an inappropriate prompt, we might fail to retrieve facts that the LM does know, and thus any given prompt only provides a lower bound estimate of the knowledge contained in an LM. In this paper, we attempt to more accurately estimate the knowledge contained in LMs by automatically discovering better prompts to use in this querying process. Specifically, we propose mining-based and paraphrasing-based methods to automatically generate high-quality and diverse prompts, as well as ensemble methods to combine answers from different prompts. Extensive experiments on the LAMA benchmark for extracting relational knowledge from LMs demonstrate that our methods can improve accuracy from 31.1% to 39.6%, providing a tighter lower bound on what LMs know. We have released the code and the resulting LM Prompt And Query Archive (LPAQA) at https://github.com/jzbjyb/LPAQA .
Taxonomic study of Lebinthus Stål, 1877 (Orthoptera: Gryllidae: Eneopterinae) with description of six new species in the Philippines
Authors: BAROGA-BARBECHO JESSICA B. , TAN MING KAI , YAP SHERYL A. , ROBILLARD TONY
Published: July 2020

The genus Lebinthus Stål, 1877 (Orthoptera: Gryllidae: Eneopterinae: Lebinthini) in the Philippines is studied. New locality records are provided for L. bitaeniatus Stål, L. sanchezi Bolívar, L. polillensis Baroga, Yap & Robillard, L. puyos Robillard, and L. luae Robillard & Tan. Six new species are described from Mt. Porras, Sibalom (L. dannybaletei sp. nov.), Mt. Balatukan, Misamis Oriental (L. parvus sp. nov.), Mt. Empagatao, Misamis Oriental (L. palaceus sp. nov.), Tarumpitao, Palawan (L. hamus sp. nov.), Mt. Malinao, Albay (L. magayon sp. nov.), and Boracay, Aklan (L. boracay sp. nov.). A distribution map, a taxonomic key, and an updated checklist of the genus in the Philippines are also provided.
A new species of freshwater mussel in the genus Popenaias Frierson, 1927, from the Gulf coastal rivers of central Mexico (Bivalvia: Unionida: Unionidae) with comments on the genus
Authors: INOUE KENTARO , CUMMINGS KEVIN S. , TIEMANN JEREMY S. , MILLER THOMAS D. , JOHNSON NATHAN A. , SMITH CHASE H. , RANDKLEV CHARLES R.
Published: July 2020

The Gulf coastal drainages of central Mexico are a faunal transition zone between North and South America and harbor a unique assemblage of freshwater mussels (Bivalvia: Unionida). However, little information is available regarding the taxonomy, distribution, and evolutionary history of the Mexican mussel fauna due to limited sampling over the last 100 years. To address these knowledge gaps, we evaluated species-level diversity in the genus Popenaias Frierson, 1927, in Mexican Gulf coastal drainages as part of a larger effort to inform conservation efforts for members of this genus both in Mexico and the United States of America. Based on our analyses, we describe Popenaias berezai n. sp. from the Río Valles of the Río Pánuco basin, San Luis Potosí, Mexico. We also provide presumptive distributional range, phylogenetic structure, and molecular and morphological diagnoses of the new species and provide comments on the other species currently in Popenaias. Our findings highlight the high levels of endemism among freshwater mussels in Mexican Gulf coastal drainages and will help guide impending conservation actions for P. popeii, which is listed as “endangered” in the United States.
Description of a new Eucoryphus species from the island of Corsica, France (Diptera: Dolichopodidae, Hydrophorinae)
Authors: PUSCH MARTINA H.E. , STARK ANDREAS , POLLET MARC
Published: July 2020

Eucoryphus Mik is a Palaearctic genus of Dolichopodidae, previously with two described species confined to the montane and alpine zones of the European Alps. This paper describes a third species, Eucoryphus piscariviverus sp. nov., discovered in the mountains of southern Corsica. The systematic position of the genus Eucoryphus and the ecology of its species are discussed in detail and a key to males of the three species is provided.