bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Galvanic corrosion behavior of titanium‐clad steel plate in the marine environment
Authors: Hu Jiezhen , Huang Huan , Deng Peichang , Wang Gui , Wu Mingfa , Liu Wenjuan
Published: January 2022

In this study, the galvanic corrosion behavior of the side surface of titanium‐clad steel plate (TCSP) and below the defects, which penetrate through the titanium layer of TCSP, have been focused on. Electrochemical corrosion tests and infinite focus three‐dimensional measurement results revealed that galvanic corrosion on the side of TCSP will lead to widespread pitting of the steel, and the distribution positions of pits in splash, tidal, and submerged zones are different. Severe corrosion occurs below the defects in the titanium layer of TCSP, and the larger the defect, the deeper the corrosion depth, but TCSP with smaller defects have larger corrosion width on the Ti‐Stl line (the joint between the titanium and steel). This shows that the size of the defect will influence the density of corrosion products and the effect of TCSP defect internal corrosion on titanium layer peeling is extremely limited.
Amid state workforce issues, California Alliance tackles student MH needs
Authors: Canady Valerie A.
Published: January 2022

The nation continues to grapple with a growing youth mental health crisis, exacerbated by not just the pandemic, but also the resulting shortage of school mental health counselors and providers and other needed resources. Students are grappling with stress, anxiety, social distancing, remote learning and behavioral challenges with returns to in‐person learning.
Study finds COVID‐19 first responders prone to MH problems
Authors: Canady Valerie A.
Published: January 2022

More than half of doctors, nurses and emergency responders involved in COVID‐19 care could be at risk for one or more mental health problems, including acute traumatic stress, depression, anxiety, problematic alcohol use and insomnia, according to a new study published in the Journal of Psychiatric Research. The researchers found that the risk of these mental health conditions was comparable to rates observed during natural disasters, such as 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina, Science Daily reported Jan. 12.
On the reducibility of the ellipsoidal system
Authors: Fragoyiannis George , Vafeas Panayiotis , Dassios George
Published: January 2022

Lamé introduced a triaxial ellipsoidal system, and via some ingenious arguments, he managed to spectrally decompose the Laplace operator and define ellipsoidal harmonic functions. Since then, many authors modified the Lamé system and proposed some related ellipsoidal coordinate variables. Perhaps the most important of them is the system introduced by Jacobi, in connection with the geodesic curves on an ellipsoid. All other attempts to introduce ellipsoidal coordinates are basically modifications of the Jacobi or the Lamé system. However, an important question in the theory of ellipsoidal harmonics is the way in which this theory reduces to the spheroidal and spherical systems. This is by no means a straightforward procedure, since the relative limiting cases lead to generic underdetermined forms. The basic difficulty is due to the different dimensionality of the singularity regions corresponding to each system. Note that this region has zero dimensions in the case of the sphere, one dimension in the case of the prolate spheroid, and two dimensions in the case of the oblate spheroid and the ellipsoid. The present work provides a systematic way to obtain these reductions and to establish a correspondence between ellipsoidal, spheroidal, and spherical harmonics. We have also demonstrated how our approach applies to the proposed modified Jacobi ellipsoidal system when we connect the Lamé with the Jacobi system through certain non‐degenerable relations. The importance of these geometrical degeneracies lies in the fact that the solution of any boundary value problem in ellipsoidal geometry provides immediately the solutions in all special geometries of prolate and oblate spheroids, discs, needles, or spheres.
Finite‐time stability of fractional delay differential equations involving the generalized Caputo fractional derivative with non‐instantaneous impulses
Authors: Vinh An Truong , Vu Ho , Van Hoa Ngo
Published: January 2022

For the first time, the result on finite‐time stability (FTS) for fractional delay differential equations with non‐instantaneous impulses (NI‐FDDEs) involving the generalized Caputo fractional derivative is presented. Based on an extensive estimation of the fractional integral inequality provided in this paper, a sufficient condition is proposed to the FTS of NI‐FDDEs. Some examples are provided to illustrate our theoretical results.
Structure attention co‐training neural network for neovascularization segmentation in intravascular optical coherence tomography
Authors: Wu Xiangjun , Zhang Yingqian , Zhang Peng , Hui Hui , Jing Jing , Tian Feng , Jiang Jingying , Yang Xin , Chen Yundai , Tian Jie
Published: January 2022

Purpose

To development and validate a neovascularization (NV) segmentation model in intravascular optical coherence tomography (IVOCT) through deep learning methods.

Methods and materials

A total of 1950 2D slices of 70 IVOCT pullbacks were used in our study. We randomly selected 1273 2D slices from 44 patients as the training set, 379 2D slices from 11 patients as the validation set, and 298 2D slices from the last 15 patients as the testing set. Automatic NV segmentation is quite challenging, as it must address issues of speckle noise, shadow artifacts, high distribution variation, etc. To meet these challenges, a new deep learning‐based segmentation method is developed based on a co‐training architecture with an integrated structural attention mechanism. Co‐training is developed to exploit the features of three consecutive slices. The structural attention mechanism comprises spatial and channel attention modules and is integrated into the co‐training architecture at each up‐sampling step. A cascaded fixed network is further incorporated to achieve segmentation at the image level in a coarse‐to‐fine manner.

Results

Extensive experiments were performed involving a comparison with several state‐of‐the‐art deep learning‐based segmentation methods. Moreover, the consistency of the results with those of manual segmentation was also investigated. Our proposed NV automatic segmentation method achieved the highest correlation with the manual delineation by interventional cardiologists (the Pearson correlation coefficient is 0.825).

Conclusion

In this work, we proposed a co‐training architecture with an integrated structural attention mechanism to segment NV in IVOCT images. The good agreement between our segmentation results and manual segmentation indicates that the proposed method has great potential for application in the clinical investigation of NV‐related plaque diagnosis and treatment.
Morphology of multiple constant height hydraulic fractures versus propagation regime
Authors: Dontsov Egor V.
Published: January 2022

The purpose of this study is to investigate morphology of simultaneously propagating hydraulic fractures from a horizontal well. There are certain situations, in which stress interaction between the fractures is not influential and this results in a very similar geometry of each fracture. At the same time, for some other parameters, the stress interaction is very strong, so that the fractures interact with each other and develop complex shapes. By focusing on the constant height hydraulic fractures, it is shown that there is a dimensionless parameter that controls such a behavior. A series of numerical examples is presented to illustrate the findings.
Compositing prevulcanized natural rubber with multiwalled carbon nanotubes to make antistatic films
Authors: Wiroonpochit Panithi , Keawmaungkom Sutthinee , Chisti Yusuf , Hansupalak Nanthiya
Published: January 2022

Natural rubber was prevulcanized using ultraviolet (UV) light and the resulting prevulcanized natural rubber (PVNR) was composited with multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) as a conductive filler, to make films suitable for antistatic gloves. These films were characterized in terms of mechanical properties and electrical resistivity. Effects of type of UV radiation and other specifics of the production process, on mechanical properties of neat PVNR were first investigated. This was followed by an investigation of the effects of surfactant type on the dispersion of MWCNT in water and the PVNR matrix. Four surfactants with different headgroups were used in preparing MWCNT dispersions that were then mixed with the PVNR latex to form the different films. As a consequence of its milk‐like turbidity, the natural rubber latex was found to require deeply penetrating UVA light for satisfactory prevulcanization. Sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) was the best surfactant for dispersing MWCNT both in water and in PVNR matrix. SDS resulted in MWCNT–PVNR composite films with the least electrical resistivity and good mechanical properties for making antistatic gloves. SDS did not interfere with stress transfer at NR–MWCNT interface. SDS was superior to the other surfactants because its head group had a charge opposite to that on the NR surface and lacked a benzene ring that would have interacted strongly with the hydrophobic surface of MWCNT.
Curing kinetics and mechanical properties of cyanate ester/hyperbranched benzoxazine copolymers
Authors: Wang Zhicheng , Li Runjie , Qin Qirui , Al Hassan Mohamadou , Dayo Abdul Qadeer , Liu Wenbin , Wang Jun
Published: January 2022

In the current study, three different curing kinetics models were used to analyze the curing kinetics of hyperbranched benzoxazine (HB‐PED230) and monofunctional benzoxazine (P‐a) modified cyanate ester (CE) resin by non‐isothermal differential scanning calorimeter. Moreover, the effects of two benzoxazines on the copolymerization behavior, thermal stability, and mechanical properties of CE resin were studied. Compared with the P‐a modified CE resin, HB‐PED230 greatly reduces the curing temperature of the copolymer, while improving the bending strength and impact strength. The curing temperature of HB‐PED230 modified CE resin was 79°C lower than neat CE resin, while the CE/P‐a blended resin only reduce 48°C. As the amount of HB‐PED230 increased, the flexural strength and flexural modulus of the copolymers were improved. Surprisingly, when 7 wt% of HB‐PED230 was added, the impact strength of the copolymer was increased by 177.6%, implying that the toughness of CE resin had been greatly improved. Moreover, the fracture morphology of the copolymers was observed by scanning electron microscope. In summary, a small amount of HB‐PED230 blending can effectively improve the overall performance of CE resin.
Extra‐cardiac diagnoses and postnatal outcomes of fetal tetralogy of fallot
Authors: Sharma Rishav , Niederhoffer Karen Y. , Caluseriu Oana , Cooke Christy‐Lynn , Hornberger Lisa K. , He Rose , Eckersley Luke , Lin Lily , Rushfeldt Michelle , McBrien Angela
Published: January 2022

Objective

Past studies of fetal tetralogy of fallot (ToF) have reported extra‐cardiac anomalies (ECAs) in 17%–45%, genetic syndromes in as low as 20% and poor postnatal outcomes. This study sought to examine these factors in a contemporary cohort.

Methods

A retrospective review examining 83 fetuses with ToF diagnosed 2012–2019. Referral indication, ToF subtype, additional cardiac, extra‐cardiac and genetic diagnoses, pregnancy outcomes and survival were documented.

Results

The mean gestational age at diagnosis was 23 ± 4 weeks. Of 94% (78/83) with genetic testing (GT), 30% (23/78, 95%CI 21%–40%) had genetic anomalies (GA), including Trisomy 21 (39%, 9/23), 22q11 deletion (35%, 8/23), Trisomy 13 or 18 (17%, 4/23) and 9% (2/23) others. A further 4% (3/78) had VACTERL association. Forty–one percent (34/83, 95%CI 31%–52%) had ≥1 major ECA of whom 41% (14/34) also had a genetic anomaly. Outcomes: 22% (18/83) pregnancy termination, 5% (4/83) intrauterine death and 72% (60/83) live birth. Of live births, 3% (2/60) experienced neonatal death, 7% late death (4/60) and 90% (54/60) were alive at last follow‐up (mean age 3.5 ± 2.4 years).

Conclusion

In a cohort of fetuses with ToF and high rates of GT, compared to previous reports, GA were more common and there were similar rates of ECAs.
Epoxidized natural rubber/acid functionalized carbon nanotubes composites for enhanced thermo‐mechanical and oxygen barrier performance
Authors: Karanath Balendran Bhavitha , Yaragalla Srinivasarao
Published: January 2022

Herein, acid functionalized carbon nanotubes (FCNTs) reinforced epoxidized natural rubber (ENR 25) composites with 25% epoxidation are studied with particular reference to the effect of FCNTs on microstructural development along with their effect on thermo‐mechanical and gas barrier properties. Excellent improvement in tensile strength, that is, 128% and 118%, was observed with the addition 1 and 2 wt% of FCNTs, respectively, without compromising the elongation at break. A 76% improvement in oxygen impermeability was found for 2 wt% of FCNTs. Chemical interactions among FCNTs and ENR 25 altered the composite morphology and led to good dispersion, both of which contribute to the excellent thermo‐mechanical and gas barrier properties of the composites. The distribution of the filler inside ENR 25 has been characterized with scanning electron microscopy, which unveiled segregated FCNTs. The obtained experimental gas permeability values were correlated with the well‐known Bharadwaj model. The fabricated functional composites could find applications in automobiles, packaging, and other demanding engineering sectors.
Fabrication and characterization of interpenetrating network hydrogels based on sequential amine‐anhydride reaction and photopolymerization in water
Authors: Liu Zijun , Wei Hongliang , Liu Yuhua , Li Weikun , Li Songmao , Wang Gang , Guo Tao
Published: January 2022

Herein, interpenetrating network (IPN) hydrogels were successfully prepared for the first time through integrating two cross‐linking reactions in water in one pot, including amine‐anhydride reaction and subsequent photopolymerization. First, the polymer containing anhydride groups was prepared via free radical copolymerization of maleic anhydride and acrylamide. Second, the as‐prepared polymer was dissolved in water with polyacrylamine hydrochloride,N‐isopropylacrylamide, polyethylene glycol dimethacrylate, 2‐acrylamido‐2‐methylpropanesulfonic acid, and photoinitiator to obtain a homogeneous transparent solution. Third, the mixed solution was put in water bath of 50°C for 1 h to obtain the first network via the amine‐anhydride click reaction. Afterward, the second network was formed by photopolymerization. Finally, the swelling and drug release behavior of the hydrogels were studied with isoniazid as a model drug. The results show the IPN hydrogel possesses pH and temperature sensitivity and their controlled‐release behavior can be tuned via adjusting pH and temperature. In view of the advantages of amine‐anhydride reaction and photopolymerization, the strategy described here is of significance for the preparation of IPN hydrogel.
Ultrathin GaAs solar cells with a high surface roughness GaP layer for light‐trapping application
Authors: van der Woude Daan , van der Krabben Luc , Bauhuis Gerard , van Eerden Maarten , Kim Jae Jin , Mulder Peter , Smits Joost , Vlieg Elias , Schermer John
Published: January 2022

By reducing the thickness of the absorber layers, ultrathin GaAs solar cells can be fabricated in a more cost‐effective manner using less source material and shorter deposition times. In this work, ultrathin GaAs solar cells are presented with a diffuse scattering layer based on wide bandgap GaP grown directly on the device layers of the cells with MOCVD. The roughness and surface morphology are quantified using atomic force microscopy and the resulting diffuse scattering capability is assessed using wavelength‐dependent reflectance measurements. Ohmic rear contacts are made using contact points etched through the GaP layer, for which an etching procedure using I2:KI was developed and optimized. The performance of the GaP textured ultrathin GaAs cells are compared with equivalent planar cells using current density‐voltage measurements and external quantum efficiency measurements, where the GaP textured cells demonstrate an increase of 6.7% in the short‐circuit current density (JSC), which was found to be as high as 21.9 mA·cm−2 as a result of increased photon absorption by light‐trapping.
Structure‐conditioned amino‐acid couplings: How contact geometry affects pairwise sequence preferences
Authors: Holland Jack , Grigoryan Gevorg
Published: January 2022

Relating a protein's sequence to its conformation is a central challenge for both structure prediction and sequence design. Statistical contact potentials, as well as their more descriptive versions that account for side‐chain orientation and other geometric descriptors, have served as simplistic but useful means of representing second‐order contributions in sequence–structure relationships. Here we ask what happens when a pairwise potential is conditioned on the fully defined geometry of interacting backbones fragments. We show that the resulting structure‐conditioned coupling energies more accurately reflect pair preferences as a function of structural contexts. These structure‐conditioned energies more reliably encode native sequence information and more highly correlate with experimentally determined coupling energies. Clustering a database of interaction motifs by structure results in ensembles of similar energies and clustering them by energy results in ensembles of similar structures. By comparing many pairs of interaction motifs and showing that structural similarity and energetic similarity go hand‐in‐hand, we provide a tangible link between modular sequence and structure elements. This link is applicable to structural modeling, and we show that scoring CASP models with structured‐conditioned energies results in substantially higher correlation with structural quality than scoring the same models with a contact potential. We conclude that structure‐conditioned coupling energies are a good way to model the impact of interaction geometry on second‐order sequence preferences.
A Bursaphelenchus xylophilus pathogenic protein Bx‐FAR‐1, as potential control target, mediates the jasmonic acid pathway in pines
Authors: Wen Tong‐Yue , Wu Xiao‐Qin , Ye Jian‐Ren , Qiu Yi‐Jun , Rui Lin , Zhang Yan
Published: January 2022

BACKGROUND

The pine wilt disease (PWD) caused by Bursaphelenchus xylophilus is a devastating forest disease and its pathogenesis remains unclear. Secreted enzymes and proteins are important pathogenicity determinants and Bx‐FAR‐1 is an important pathogenic protein involved in the interaction between pine and B. xylophilus. However, the function of the Bx‐FAR‐1 protein in monitoring and prevention PWD remains unknown.

RESULTS

We found a small peptide of B. xylophilus effector Bx‐FAR‐1 is sufficient for immunosuppression function in Nicotiana benthamiana. Transient expression of Bx‐FAR‐1 in N. benthamiana revealed that nuclear localization is required for its function. The results of the ligand binding test showed that Bx‐FAR‐1 protein had the ability to bind fatty acid and retinol. We demonstrated that Bx‐FAR‐1 targeted to the nuclei of Pinus thunbergii using the polyclonal antibody by immunologic approach. The content of jasmonic acid (JA) was significantly increased in P. thunbergii infected with B. xylophilus when Bx‐FAR‐1 was silenced. We identified an F‐box protein as the host target of Bx‐FAR‐1 by yeast two‐hybrid and co‐immunoprecipitation. Moreover, we found that Pt‐F‐box‐1 was up‐regulated during B. xylophilus infection and the expression of Pt‐F‐box‐1 was increased in Bx‐FAR‐1 double‐stranded RNA (dsRNA)‐treated host pines.

CONCLUSION

This study illustrated that Bx‐FAR‐1 might mediate the JA pathway to destroy the immune system of P. thunbergii, indicating that PWN likely secretes effectors to facilitate parasitism and promote infection, which could better reveal the pathogenesis mechanisms of B. xylophilus and would be beneficial for developing disease control strategies.
18F‐FDG uptake in accessory respiratory muscles shows the respiratory effort of patients with pleuroparenchymal fibroelastosis
Authors: Okabayashi Hiroko , Machida Hiroko , Masunaga Aiko , Ichiyasu Hidenori , Sakagami Takuro
Published: January 2022

Patients with pleuroparenchymal fibroelastosis (PPFE) have severe breathlessness even with mild hypoxaemia. In patients with PPFE, accessory respiratory muscles, such as the sternocleidomastoid muscles, are used to maintain ventilation. An intense 18F‐fluorodeoxyglucose uptake in accessory respiratory muscles using positron emission tomography/computed tomography reflects the strong respiratory effort of patients with PPFE.
Robustness guarantees for structured model reduction of dynamical systems with applications to biomolecular models
Authors: Pandey Ayush , Murray Richard M.
Published: January 2022

Model reduction methods usually focus on the error performance analysis; however, in presence of uncertainties, it is important to analyze the robustness properties of the error in model reduction as well. This problem is particularly relevant for engineered biological systems that need to function in a largely unknown and uncertain environment. We give robustness guarantees for structured model reduction of linear and nonlinear dynamical systems under parametric uncertainties. We consider a model reduction problem where the states in the reduced model are a strict subset of the states of the full model, and the dynamics for all of the other states are collapsed to zero (similar to quasi‐steady‐state approximation). We show two approaches to compute a robustness guarantee metric for any such model reduction—a direct linear analysis method for linear dynamics and a sensitivity analysis based approach that also works for nonlinear dynamics. Using the robustness guarantees with an error metric and an input‐output mapping metric, we propose an automated model reduction method to determine the best possible reduced model for a given detailed system model. We apply our method for the (1) design space exploration of a gene expression system that leads to a new mathematical model that accounts for the limited resources in the system and (2) model reduction of a population control circuit in bacterial cells.
Detecting gold mining impacts on insect biodiversity in a tropical mining frontier with SmallSat imagery
Authors: Stoll Eric , Roopsind Anand , Maharaj Gyanpriya , Velazco Sandra , Caughlin T. Trevor
Published: January 2022

Gold mining is a major driver of Amazonian forest loss and degradation. As mining activity encroaches on primary forest in remote and inaccessible areas, satellite imagery provides crucial data for monitoring mining‐related deforestation. High‐resolution imagery, in particular, has shown promise for detecting artisanal gold mining at the forest frontier. An important next step will be to establish relationships between satellite‐derived land cover change and biodiversity impacts of gold mining. In this study, we set out to detect artisanal gold mining using high‐resolution imagery and relate mining land cover to insects, a taxonomic group that accounts for the majority of faunal biodiversity in tropical forests. We applied an object‐based image analysis (OBIA) to classify mined areas in an Indigenous territory in Guyana, using PlanetScope imagery with ~3.7 m resolution. We complemented our OBIA with field surveys of insect family presence or absence in field plots (n = 105) that captured a wide range of mining disturbances. Our OBIA was able to identify mined objects with high accuracy (>90% balanced accuracy). Field plots with a higher proportion of OBIA‐derived mine cover had significantly lower insect family richness. The effects of mine cover on individual insect taxa were highly variable. Insect groups that respond strongly to mining disturbance could potentially serve as bioindicators for monitoring ecosystem health during and after gold mining. With the advent of global partnerships that provide universal access to PlanetScope imagery for tropical forest monitoring, our approach represents a low‐cost and rapid way to assess the biodiversity impacts of gold mining in remote landscapes.
Improving coordination paved way for enrollment boom
Authors: Enos Gary
Published: January 2022

Breaking down organizational walls has been critical to achieving ambitious goals for enrollment growth at Texas Tech University. Jamie Hansard, Vice President for Enrollment Management, credits consistency of messaging among the university's student‐serving departments for the major expansion of what people on campus call the “Red Raider family.”
Polydopamine‐Induced Multilevel Engineering of Regenerated Silk Fibroin Fiber for Photothermal Conversion
Authors: Chen Wei , Miao Hao , Meng Guoqing , Huang Kailun , Kong Lingqing , Lin Zaifu , Wang Xudong , Li Xiaobao , Li Jinghan , Liu Xiang‐Yang , Lin Naibo
Published: January 2022

Solid photothermal materials with favorable biocompatibility and modifiable mechanical properties demonstrate obvious superiority and growing demand. In this work, polydopamine (PDA) induced functionalization of regenerated silk fibroin (RSF) fibers has satisfactory photothermal conversion ability and flexibility. Based on multilevel engineering, RSF solution containing PDA nanoparticles is wet spun to PDA‐incorporating RSF (PDA@RSF) fibers, and then the fibers are coated with PDA via oxidative self‐polymerization of dopamine to form PDA@RSF‐PDA (PRP) fibers. During the wet spinning process, PDA is to adjust the mechanical properties of RSF by affecting its hierarchical structure. Meanwhile, coated PDA gives the PRP fibers extensive absorption of near‐infrared light and sunlight, which is further fabricated into PRP fibrous membranes. The temperature of PRP fibrous membranes can be adjusted and increases to about 50 °C within 360 s under 808 nm laser irradiation with a power density of 0.6 W cm−2, and PRP fibrous membranes exhibit effective photothermal cytotoxicity both in vitro and in vivo. Under the simulated sunlight, the temperature of PRP fiber increases to more than 200 °C from room temperature and the material can generate 4.5 V voltage when assembled with a differential thermal battery, which means that the material also has the potential for flexible wearable electronic devices.
Caecal microbiota in horses with trigeminal‐mediated headshaking
Authors: Aleman Monica , Sheldon Shara. A. , Jospin Guillaume , Coil David , Stratton‐Phelps Meri , Eisen Jonathan
Published: January 2022

Background

Trigeminal‐mediated headshaking (TMHS) in horses is a form of neuropathic pain of undetermined cause that often results in euthanasia. The role of microbiota in TMHS has not been investigated in diseased horses.

Objective

To investigate if gastrointestinal microbiota in the cecum is different in horses with TMHS compared to a control population, during a summer season with clinical manifestations of disease.

Animals

Ten castrated horses: five with TMHS and five neurologically normal controls.

Methods

All horses were sourced from our institution and kept under the same husbandry and dietary conditions. All horses were fed orchard grass hay for 30 days and then were euthanized due to chronic untreatable conditions including TMHS and orthopedic disease (control group). Caecal samples for microbiota analysis were collected within 20 min after euthanasia. Sequencing was performed using an Illumina MiSeq platform and the microbiome was analyzed.

Results

The caecal microbiota of horses with TMHS was similar to control horses in terms of diversity but differed significantly with Methanocorpusculum spp. having higher abundance in horses with TMHS. 

Conclusions and clinical importance

Methanocorpusculum spp. was more abundant in the cecum of horses with TMHS. However, its role in disease is unknown. Furthermore, it could also represent an incidental finding due to our small population size.
Toceranib phosphate in the management of canine insulinoma: A retrospective multicentre study of 30 cases (2009–2019)
Authors: Sheppard‐Olivares Sabina , Bello Nora M. , Johannes Chad M. , Hocker Samuel E. , Biller Barbara , Husbands Brian , Snyder Elizabeth , McMillan Mattison , McKee Talon , Wouda Raelene M.
Published: January 2022

Background

Insulinomas are the most common tumour of the endocrine pancreas in dogs. These malignant tumours have a high metastatic rate and limited chemotherapeutic options. The multi‐receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor sunitinib malate has benefit in the treatment of metastatic insulinoma in people. Toceranib phosphate, an analogous veterinary agent, may provide benefit for dogs.

Methods

A retrospective study describing the extent and duration of clinical outcomes and adverse events (AEs) in dogs diagnosed with insulinoma and receiving toceranib.

Results

Records for 30 dogs diagnosed with insulinoma and having received toceranib were identified from a medical record search of five university and eight referral hospitals. The median progression‐free interval and overall survival time were 561 days (95% confidence interval (CI): [246, 727 days]) and 656 days (95% CI: [310, 1045 days]), respectively. Of the dogs for which the canine Response evaluation criteria for solid tumours tool could be applied, the majority (66.7%) showed either a complete response, partial response or stable disease. Time to clinical progression was associated with prior intervention and type of veterinary practice. Larger dogs were at increased risk for disease progression and death. No novel AEs were reported.

Conclusions

Most dogs diagnosed with insulinoma and receiving toceranib appeared to have a clinical benefit. Randomised, prospective studies are needed to better elucidate and objectively quantify the potential effect and survival benefit of toceranib therapy for management of insulinoma in dogs.
Interrogating leadership education: Why? For what? For whom?
Authors: Guthrie Kathy L. , Navarro Christine D. , Weng John , Priest Kerry L.
Published: January 2022

This article is an exploration into the purpose of leadership education and leadership learning in higher education. It will simultaneously explore who leadership education is for and investigate privilege, identities, class, and the intersecting impact on access to these programs and content.
Leadership learning reconsidered: Adopting new considerations for practice
Authors: Pierre Darren E. , Weng John
Published: January 2022

This article examines how dialogue and a liberatory pedagogical approach can work in concert with one another to expand the opportunity for transformative leadership practice. Personal accounts are shared of how the events of the pandemic and beyond continue to shape our perspectives as leadership educators.
Leadership educators: Acknowledging our whole selves in the work
Authors: Chung Jessica , Pierre Darren E. , Navarro Christie D. , Steele Michelle Cummings , Weng John
Published: January 2022

This article dives into the complexity of managing our “self” and our “roles,” and how we can acknowledge the vast multitudes contained in each of our identities in our work as leadership educators. We wanted to incorporate a more conversational format to this article by highlighting the different ways ideas can be expressed and the gifts of the co‐inquiry discussion model for gleaning deeper insights into a topic.
A call for transdisciplinary approaches to address complex challenges
Authors: Gleason Michael C. , Steele Michelle Cummings , Chung Jessica , Guthrie Kathy L.
Published: January 2022

Leadership education as a field of study has largely been considered multi‐ or interdisciplinary, yet many leadership educators find their programs siloed within the constructs of higher education institutions inadequate in addressing complex issues of today's world. The authors challenge organizations to embrace a truly transdisciplinary approach to equipping students with the capacity and skills to address issues of the world today.
Solidarity and Care Economy in Times of ‘Crisis’: A View from Greece and Hungary Between 2015 and 2020
Authors: Travlou Penny , Bernát Anikó
Published: January 2022

This chapter describes the emergence of solidarity actions in two European countries—Greece and Hungary—in response to two recent crises: the arrival of large numbers of refugees in 2015 and the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Focusing on the experiences in two European countries with different socio-political, historical trajectories and civic traditions, we look at how solidarity economy emerged in crisis and how it was framed not only on monetised value but also on care and nurture. Our accounts of Greece and Hungary draw from ethnographic fieldwork and other qualitative social research (interviews and focus groups) with grassroots solidarity collectives.
A Critical Perspective on the Sharing Economy in Tourism Using Examples of the Accommodation Sector in Austria
Authors: Höfner Malte , Rosegger Rainer
Published: January 2022

In recent decades, services on digital platforms have become increasingly important in tourism. What started with concepts of exchange as a non- or less commodified practice of sharing accommodations (e.g., Couchsurfing) became exceedingly commodified in the platform economy on a global scale and turned into successful business models (e.g., Airbnb) with strong effects on traditional provider structures and local labour market. In Austria, the economic relevance of tourism traces back more than 100 years. Today, new forms of overnight stays, such as short-term rentals (STRs), have flooded the traditional tourism industry market with offerings in the accommodation sector and pose particular challenges in the housing market in Austrian cities. The COVID-19 crisis highlights the general volatility in tourism. Therefore, alternative business models seem to be more important than before. Discussing the relevance of hybrid sharing as a business model between market-based services and platform cooperatives in the global platform economy, domestic examples from Austria serve as an incentive for other countries to show new pathways in terms of alternative platform structures and work towards a less volatile economy. In doing so, national insights of regulations of global players and new guidelines of platform-based sharing are debated too.
The Efficacy of Corticosteroids, NSAIDs, and Colchicine in the Treatment of Pediatric Postoperative Pericardial Effusion
Authors: Somani Nirmiti , Breur Hans
Published: January 2022

The objective of this study is to investigate and compare the efficacy of corticosteroids, NSAIDs, and colchicine in treating postoperative pericardial effusion (PPE) following cardiac surgery in the pediatric setting, on the basis of available literature. To investigate and compare the efficacy of corticosteroids, NSAIDs, and colchicine in treating postoperative pericardial effusion (PPE) following cardiac surgery in the pediatric setting, on the basis of available literature. A systematic review was conducted by carrying out a database search in PubMed on April 20th, 2021. An English language filter was added, but no time restrictions were applied. Lack of pediatric literature prompted a broadening of the search to include adult literature. One pediatric and four adult studies were included, but the pediatric evidence was not found to be of satisfactory quality, and the findings of adult literature could not be readily generalized to the pediatric setting. No well-founded conclusions could be drawn regarding the efficacy of corticosteroids, NSAIDs, or colchicine in treating PPE, as a striking lack of evidence for their efficacy in the pediatric setting were revealed. A knowledge gap was found in the literature, indicating a need for good-quality randomized controlled trials to bridge this gap.
Understanding of the Effect of Climate Change on Tropical Cyclone Intensity: A Review
Authors: Wu Liguang , Zhao Haikun , Wang Chao , Cao Jian , Liang Jia
Published: January 2022

The effect of climate change on tropical cyclone intensity has been an important scientific issue for a few decades. Although theory and modeling suggest the intensification of tropical cyclones in a warming climate, there are uncertainties in the assessed and projected responses of tropical cyclone intensity to climate change. While a few comprehensive reviews have already provided an assessment of the effect of climate change on tropical cyclone activity including tropical cyclone intensity, this review focuses mainly on the understanding of the effect of climate change on basin-wide tropical cyclone intensity, including indices for basin-wide tropical cyclone intensity, historical datasets used for intensity trend detection, environmental control of tropical cyclone intensity, detection and simulation of tropical cyclone intensity change, and some issues on the assessment of the effect of climate change on tropical cyclone intensity. In addition to the uncertainty in the historical datasets, intertwined natural variabilities, the considerable model bias in the projected large-scale environment, and poorly simulated inner-core structures of tropical cyclones, it is suggested that factors controlling the basin-wide intensity can be different from individual tropical cyclones since the assessment of the effect of climate change treats tropical cyclones in a basin as a whole.
Strategien, Richtlinien und Empfehlungen zur Bewältigung der COVID-19-Pandemie in Einrichtungen der Palliativ- und Hospizversorgung. Ergebnisse eines Scoping-Reviews
Authors: Wahidie Diana , Altinok Kübra , Yılmaz-Aslan Yüce , Brzoska Patrick
Published: January 2022

Hintergrund

Palliativ- und Hospizeinrichtungen sind durch die COVID-19-Pandemie besonderen Herausforderungen ausgesetzt. Gründe dafür sind insbesondere das hohe Alter und bestehende Vorerkrankungen der Patienten sowie ein körperlich naher Kontakt zwischen Mitarbeitern und Patienten.

Ziel der Arbeit

Ziel der vorliegenden Studie ist es, bestehende Strategien, Richtlinien und Empfehlungen zum Umgang mit den Herausforderungen der COVID-19-Pandemie in der Palliativ- und Hospizversorgung zu ermitteln, die in Deutschland und anderen Ländern zum Einsatz kommen.

Material und Methoden

Im Rahmen eines Scoping Reviews wurden die Datenbanken PubMed, CINAHL, Web of Science und PsycInfo durchsucht. Zusätzlich wurde „graue Literatur“ über Google Search und Google Scholar recherchiert. Eingeschlossen wurden alle deutsch- und englischsprachigen Artikel im Zeitraum Januar 2020 bis August 2021, die sich auf die stationäre Palliativ- und Hospizversorgung beziehen.

Ergebnisse

Insgesamt wurden 51 Veröffentlichungen in die Analyse aufgenommen. Die identifizierten Maßnahmen lassen sich 10 verschiedenen Kategorien zuordnen: Maßnahmen zur Infektionskontrolle, strukturelle Maßnahmen, Besuchsregelungen, Kommunikationsstrukturen, Schulung und Aufklärung, psychosoziale Unterstützungsmaßnahmen, spezifische Überlegungen für Menschen mit Demenz, vorausschauende Pflegeplanung, Abschiednahme sowie Maßnahmen nach dem Tod.

Diskussion

Bei der Bewältigung der COVID-19-Pandemie dominieren insbesondere Maßnahmen zur Ermöglichung der Kommunikation zwischen Patienten, Mitarbeitern und Angehörigen, psychosoziale Unterstützungsmaßnahmen, strukturelle Maßnahmen und Empfehlungen zur Schulung und Aufklärung aller Beteiligten. Strategien zur Palliativversorgung von Menschen mit Demenz in Pandemiezeiten sowie zu Abschiednahme und Trauerbewältigung von Hinterbliebenen finden weniger Beachtung.
Surgical treatment of a symptomatic os acromiale by arthroscopy-assisted double-button fixation: a case report
Authors: Eckl Larissa , Scheibel Markus
Published: January 2022

Case

We present the case of a symptomatic os acromiale in a 51-year-old female patient. Arthroscopy-assisted treatment was performed using a double-button fixation system and additional suture cerclage. The patient presented with complete radiographic bone union, pain relief, improved range of motion and did not require hardware removal at the 12-month follow-up.

Conclusion

The achievement of persistent consolidation between the two fragmented bone surfaces, without further need for hardware removal and improved clinical outcome, suggests that our minimally invasive technique is appropriate for this specific indication. To our knowledge, this technique has not been described in the literature yet.
Biomechanical stability of short versus long proximal femoral nails in osteoporotic subtrochanteric A3 reverse-oblique femoral fractures: a cadaveric study
Authors: Linhart Christoph , Kistler Manuel , Kussmaul Adrian C. , Woiczinski Matthias , Böcker Wolfgang , Ehrnthaller Christian
Published: January 2022

Purpose

Due to the demographic change towards an older society, osteoporosis-related proximal femur fractures are steadily increasing. Intramedullary nail osteosyntheses are available in different lengths, where the field of application overlaps. The aim of this study was to investigate whether subtrochanteric fractures can also be treated stably using a short femoral intramedullary nail in cadaveric bones.

Methods

A short PFNA and a long PFNA were implanted in both seven artificial bones and osteoporotic human specimens. A standardized AO 31-A3 (reverse-oblique) fracture was placed in the specimens with a lateral fracture spur 2 cm proximal to the distal locking screw (short PFNA) and embedded. The simulated iliotibial tract was preloaded to 50 N. The force was applied at 10 mm/min up to a force of 200–800 N (artificial bones) and 200–400 N (human specimens). The dislocation of the fracture gap, the axial bone stiffness of bone construct and the force curve of the tractus iliotibialis were measured.

Results

There is no difference in the use of a short versus long PFNA in terms of stiffness of the overall construct and only a slight increase in dislocation in the fracture gap results with short PFNA compared to a long intramedullary nail.

Conclusion

In summary of the available literature, the present study supports the thesis that there is no clinical difference between long versus short nails in A3 femur fractures. Furthermore, the present study defines a safe biomechanical range of fracture extension above the locking screw of the short intramedullary nail.

Level of Evidence

III
Artificial neural networks for resources optimization in energetic environment
Authors: D’Angelo Gianni , Palmieri Francesco , Robustelli Antonio
Published: January 2022

Resource Planning Optimization (RPO) is a common task that many companies need to face to get several benefits, like budget improvements and run-time analyses. However, even if it is often solved by using several software products and tools, the great success and validity of the Artificial Intelligence-based approaches, in many research fields, represent a huge opportunity to explore alternative solutions for solving optimization problems. To this purpose, the following paper aims to investigate the use of multiple Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) for solving a RPO problem related to the scheduling of different Combined Heat & Power (CHP) generators. The experimental results, carried out by using data extracted by considering a real Microgrid system, have confirmed the effectiveness of the proposed approach.
On the performance metrics for cyber-physical attack detection in smart grid
Authors: Diaba Sayawu Yakubu , Shafie-khah Miadreza , Elmusrati Mohammed
Published: January 2022

Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems play an important role in Smart Grid. Though the rapid evolution provides numerous advantages it is one of the most desired targets for malicious attackers. So far security measures deployed for SCADA systems detect cyber-attacks, however, the performance metrics are not up to the mark. In this paper, we have deployed an intrusion detection system to detect cyber-physical attacks in the SCADA system concatenating the Convolutional Neural Network and Gated Recurrent Unit as a collective approach. Extensive experiments are conducted using a benchmark dataset to validate the performance of the proposed intrusion detection model in a smart metering environment. Parameters such as accuracy, precision, and false-positive rate are compared with existing deep learning models. The proposed concatenated approach attains 98.84% detection accuracy which is much better than existing techniques.
A survey among physicians in surgery and anesthesiology departments after the first surge of SARS-CoV-2 infections in Germany
Authors: Grishina Anna , Link Fabian , Arend Arne , Kleemann Florentine , Tober-Lau Pinkus , Andree Dominik , Münn Friederike , Gruendl Magdalena , Quante Markus , Lederhuber Hans , Albertsmeier Markus , Struller Florian , Grützmann Robert , Königsrainer Alfred , Löffler Markus W.
Published: January 2022

Background

The SARS-CoV‑2 pandemic has extensively challenged healthcare systems all over the world. Many elective operations were postponed or cancelled, changing priorities and workflows in surgery departments.

Aims

The primary aim of this cross-sectional study was to assess the workload and psychosocial burden of surgeons and anesthesiologists, working in German hospitals during the first wave of SARS-CoV‑2 infections in 2020.

Methods

Quantitative online survey on the workplace situation including psychosocial and work-related stress factors among resident and board-certified surgeons and anesthesiologists. Physicians in German hospitals across all levels of healthcare were contacted via departments, professional associations and social media posts.

Results

Among 154 total study participants, 54% of respondents stated a lack of personal protective equipment in their own wards and 56% reported increased staff shortages since the onset of the pandemic. While routine practice was reported as fully resumed in 71% of surgery departments at the time of the survey, work-related dissatisfaction among responding surgeons and anesthesiologists increased from 24% before the pandemic to 36% after the first wave of infections. As a countermeasure, 94% of participants deemed the establishment of action plans to increase pandemic preparedness and strengthening German public health systems a useful measure to respond to current challenges.

Conclusion

The aftermath of the first wave of SARS-CoV‑2 infections in Germany has left the surgical staff strained, despite temporarily decreased workloads. Overall, a critical review of the altered conditions is indispensable to identify and promote effective solutions and prudent action plans required to address imminent challenges.
Modified use of the proximal humeral internal locking system (PHILOS) plate for distal femoral nonunions
Authors: Poelmann Josje , Kloen Peter
Published: January 2022

Purpose

Nonunion is a common complication after a distal femoral fracture (DFF). Standard treatment consists of revision plating and/or bone grafting. Single lateral plating for a distal femoral nonunion can be insufficient in case of a persistent medial gap and compromised bone stock. Alternatively, dual plating can be used to treat a distal femoral nonunion, but to date there is no Gold standard. The aim of our study was to report our results after use of a minimally invasively placed proximal humeral internal locking system (Philos) plate as a medial buttress in the treatment of a distal femoral nonunion.

Methods

Fifteen adult patients with a distal femoral nonunion were prospectively entered in a trauma database and retrospectively assessed. All patients underwent a similar operation, which included removal of failed hardware, nonunion debridement, fixation with a lateral plate, and a medial Philos plate combined with bone grafting. Data collected included union rate, time to union, complications and functional outcome.

Results

In twelve out of fifteen patients (80%), the fracture united after our index operation. Median time to union was 4.8 months (range 1.6–15). Three patients (20%) needed additional bone grafting surgery. One patient underwent a Judet quadricepsplasty.

Conclusion

This study suggests that the Philos plate is a safe and effective adjunct as a medial buttress plate for distal femoral nonunions.