bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The associations of accommodation and aberrations in myopia control with orthokeratology
Authors: Ding Chenglu , Chen Yunyun , Li Xue , Huang Yingying , Chen Hao , Bao Jinhua
Published: December 2021

Purpose

This study aimed to investigate the effect of orthokeratology (OK) on accommodative function and aberrations, to explore the correlations between them and determine what role they play in myopia control.

Methods

In this prospective case‐controlled study, 61 children were divided into an OK (n = 30) and a single‐vision spectacles (SVS) (n = 31) group. Accommodation and ocular wavefront aberrations in the OK group were measured at baseline and after 1, 3, 6, 9 and 12 months of OK wear, and again at 1 month after stopping OK (13th month). The same procedure was performed in the SVS group at baseline and at 3, 6 and 12 months. Axial length (AL), accommodative lag area and aberrations including spherical aberration (SA), coma and total higher‐order aberrations (HOAs) were analysed.

Results

During OK wear, the accommodative lag area at each visit was lower than the baseline level (all p < 0.01); all aberrations at each visit were higher than pre‐treatment (all p < 0.001). After 1 month of OK treatment, changes in accommodative lag area and SA did not show significant correlation (p = 0.16), but after OK cessation these changes were correlated (p = 0.01). In the OK group, multivariate regression analysis showed changes in accommodative lag area were associated with AL progression in the first 6 months but not in the 1‐year analysis. For the SVS group, there were no significant changes in the accommodative lag area or any aberrations during the study period.

Conclusions

Increased HOAs and improved accommodative accuracy were observed during OK treatment, but began to regress after the cessation of OK. A significant positive correlation between improved accommodative accuracy and slowed axial elongation was only observed during the first 6 months of treatment.
Effect of Duration of Symptoms on the Clinical and Functional Outcomes of Lumbar Microdiscectomy: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Hamawandi Sherwan A , Sulaiman Injam I , Abdulhameed Ali M
Published: December 2021

Objectives

The objective is to determine whether the preoperative duration of symptoms can affect the clinical and functional outcomes after microdiscectomy.

Method

This study is a single blind randomized controlled trial with level 1 evidence. From 3 January 2016 to 15 February 2017, 122 adult patients with symptomatic lumbar disc herniation were divided randomly by computer system into three groups were treated by microdiscectomy at 6 weeks, 3 months and 6 months from onset of symptoms respectively. Ninety‐seven patients, age (19–47) years, 42 males and 55 females, were analyzed at the end of this study with 3 years of follow up. Primary outcome measures are Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), Roland‐Morris Questionnaire (RMQ) and Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) for back pain and leg pain. Secondary outcome measures are post‐operative complications, length of hospital stay and time of return to daily activities.

Results

There was significant difference in VAS for back pain among study groups (P = 0.002) at 2 weeks). There were significant differences in VAS for leg pain among study groups (P < 0.001) at 2 weeks and at 3 months (P = 0.003). There was significant difference in ODI among study groups at 2 weeks, 3, 6 months, 1, 2 and 3 years (P = 0.037 at 2 weeks and P < 0.001 at other periods of assessments) and we found that the mean of ODI in group 6 weeks was better than group 3 months and this was better than group 6 months in all periods of assessment. Group 6 weeks was better than group 3 months and this was better than group 6 months in postoperative improvements regarding RMQ with significant difference at 2 weeks postoperatively (P < 0.001) and at 3 months postoperatively (P < 0.001).

Conclusion

Duration of preoperative symptoms, in patients with lumbar disc herniation, can affect the clinical and functional outcomes after lumbar microdiscectomy as the shorter duration of symptoms resulted in better postoperative clinical and functional outcomes.
Factors affecting disclosure time of sexual abuse in children and adolescents
Authors: Yurteri Nihal , Erdoğan Ayten , Büken Bora , Yektaş Çiğdem , Çelik Mehmet Saki
Published: December 2021

Background

The aim of this study is to determine the factors affecting early and delayed disclosure time of child sexual abuse (CSA). Early disclosure of CSA is considered to be crucial for child protection.

Methods

A total of 125 sexually abused children and adolescents, who had been evaluated by child adolescent psychiatry and forensic medicine specialists, were enrolled in this study. Files of medical and criminal data were analyzed retrospectively and synchronously by child adolescent psychiatrist and forensic medicine specialist authors who had evaluated victims using the standard procedures of Düzce University Faculty of Medicine Child Abuse Assessment Council. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted to evaluate predictors.

Results

Delayed disclosers were found to be younger than early disclosers. Among the delayed disclosers, there were also more victims of intrafamilial CSA, fewer victims of penetration, and fewer voluntary disclosures. Multivariate logistic regression revealed that “younger age” and “intrafamilial CSA” were independent predictors of delayed disclosure of CSA.

Conclusions

The results of our study contribute to an understanding of the factors related to delayed disclosure and underline the need for age‐appropriate education and prevention programs targeted to increase the awareness of sexual abuse, particularly intrafamilial abuse, and to promote voluntary disclosure in children and adolescents, especially for younger age groups. The education of potential recipients of CSA and further education of professionals is extremely important in order to support children and adolescents’ voluntary disclosure of CSA.
Mitigating behavioral supply risk under dual sourcing: Evidence from an order allocation game
Authors: Xue Chao , Wu Yan (Diana) , Zhu Wanshan , Zhao Xiaobo , Chen Jinghuo
Published: December 2021

We consider an order allocation game in which a manufacturer sources from two suppliers due to supply capacity limitations and allocates uneven orders to take advantage of incremental quantity discount. Laboratory experiments are conducted to examine empirical decisions by all three members in this dual sourcing channel. We observe that the supplier who receives large orders mostly agrees to supply; however, the supplier who receives small orders frequently refuses to supply. Consequently, the manufacturer experiences severe supply shortage, which hurts its profit and the supply chain efficiency. We develop behavioral models to explain the empirical decisions, and find that fairness concerns of the small‐order supplier cause supply rejections and shortages. To mitigate this behavioral supply risk, we apply the modeling results to design a subsidy mechanism and conduct a validation experiment. The experiment shows that the proposed subsidy mechanism successfully reduces supply rejections, and that the channel efficiency is significantly enhanced at no additional cost to the manufacturer. The study demonstrates the viability of the behavioral mechanism design approach in addressing issues in empirical decision‐making, and offers insights for manufacturers to manage asymmetric sourcing with two suppliers.
Shrimp immune response: A transcriptomic perspective
Authors: Fajardo Carlos , Martinez‐Rodriguez Gonzalo , Costas Benjamin , Mancera Juan Miguel , Fernandez‐Boo Sergio , Rodulfo Hectorina , De Donato Marcos
Published: December 2021

During the last 15 years, a significant amount of data related to the crustacean immune system has been generated, mainly led by the advances made in the field of transcriptomic analysis through massive mRNA sequencing technology. In order to shed new light on the genes and metabolic pathways associated with the immune system in shrimp species, we have carried out a meta‐analysis using the current literature and the Sequence Read Archive (SRA) database of the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), which has 1195 published transcriptomic data sets until 31 December 2020, from different tissues and 14 Penaeus species. The transcriptomic analyses published so far have explored the effects of the challenge from viral and bacterial pathogens, as well as abiotic stressors, such as ammonia, temperature, salinity, oxygen deprivation and pH. They have also explored the effect of dietary factors and beneficial microbes (pre‐ and probiotics) in the immune response. In order to harness the vast amount of information available, multidisciplinary efforts have to generate better genomic tools to overcome the complexity of the genome and to implement the knowledge gained into commercial applications for the improvement of the culture conditions, adaptation of more sustainable feeds and producing strains showing more resilience/tolerance to diseases.
Pearson equations for discrete orthogonal polynomials: I. Generalized hypergeometric functions and Toda equations
Authors: Mañas Manuel , Fernández‐Irisarri Itsaso , González‐Hernández Omar F.
Published: December 2021

The Cholesky factorization of the moment matrix is applied to discrete orthogonal polynomials on the homogeneous lattice. In particular, semiclassical discrete orthogonal polynomials, which are built in terms of a discrete Pearson equation, are studied. The Laguerre–Freud structure semiinfinite matrix that models the shifts by ±1 in the independent variable of the set of orthogonal polynomials is introduced. In the semiclassical case it is proven that this Laguerre–Freud matrix is banded. From the well‐known fact that moments of the semiclassical weights are logarithmic derivatives of generalized hypergeometric functions, it is shown how the contiguous relations for these hypergeometric functions translate as symmetries for the corresponding moment matrix. It is found that the 3D Nijhoff–Capel discrete Toda lattice describes the corresponding contiguous shifts for the squared norms of the orthogonal polynomials. The continuous 1D Toda equation for these semiclassical discrete orthogonal polynomials is discussed and the compatibility equations are derived. It is also shown that the Kadomtesev–Petviashvilii equation is connected to an adequate deformed semiclassical discrete weight, but in this case, the deformation does not satisfy a Pearson equation.
Method comparison for serum protein electrophoretic M‐protein quantification: Agarose gel electrophoresis and capillary zone electrophoresis in canine and feline sera
Authors: Jeffries Christina M. , Harris R Adam , Ashton Laura , Moore A Russell
Published: December 2021

Background

Densitometric quantification of myeloma paraproteins (M‐proteins) is used to monitor secretory myeloma related disorders in humans and dogs. The previous work in dogs used agarose gel electrophoresis (AGE) but did not establish if other methods of serum protein electrophoresis, such as capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE), were comparable.

Objectives

We aimed to determine if the densitometric quantification of M‐proteins using CZE would yield results comparable to AGE methods.

Methods

Fifty‐one serum samples from 22 dogs and 18 cats with confirmed monoclonal gammopathies and previously performed AGE were evaluated using CZE on a Sebia Minicap system. Samples were run in duplicate, and their M‐proteins were densitometrically measured using the corrected perpendicular drop method previously described. Human‐based quality control samples were used to determine the inter‐run coefficient of variation (CV). Patient samples were used to calculate the intra‐run CV. Method comparison was performed using simple linear regression, Passing‐Bablok regression, and Bland‐Altman analyses, and Medx evaluations.

Results

Inter‐run and intra‐run CVs for CZE were 3.71%‐7.65% and 2.89%‐4.74%, respectively. Simple linear regression demonstrated an excellent correlation (r > 0.98). Passing‐Bablok regression was compatible with the presence of proportional bias in the entire population, and Bland‐Altman plots revealed a proportional bias in the feline cases. The Medx evaluation suggested that the two methods did not perform similarly in clinical samples with poor performance at a decision limit of 0.5 gm/dL.

Conclusions

Capillary zone electrophoresis is an acceptable method for M‐protein densitometric quantification in canine and feline sera but cannot be used interchangeably with AGE‐based evaluations.
Uncertainty Quantification of Time-Dependent Quantities in a System With Adjustable Level of Smoothness
Authors: Legkovskis Marks , Thomas Peter J. , Auinger Michael
Published: December 2021

We summarize the results of a computational study involved with uncertainty quantification (UQ) in a benchmark turbulent burner flame simulation. UQ analysis of this simulation enables one to analyze the convergence performance of one of the most widely used uncertainty propagation techniques, polynomial chaos expansion (PCE) at varying levels of system smoothness. This is possible because in the burner flame simulations, the smoothness of the time-dependent temperature, which is the study's quantity of interest (QoI), is found to evolve with the flame development state. This analysis is deemed important as it is known that PCE cannot construct an accurate data-fitted surrogate model for nonsmooth QoIs, and thus, estimate statistically convergent QoIs of a model subject to uncertainties. While this restriction is known and gets accounted for, there is no understanding whether there is a quantifiable scaling relationship between the PCE's convergence metrics and the level of QoI's smoothness. It is found that the level of QoI's smoothness can be quantified by its standard deviation allowing to observe its effect on the PCE's convergence performance. It is found that for our flow scenario, there exists a power–law relationship between a comparative parameter, defined to measure the PCE's convergence performance relative to Monte Carlo sampling, and the QoI's standard deviation, which allows us to make a more weighted decision on the choice of the uncertainty propagation technique.
The Analysis of Mechanical Properties and Lightweight Design of Nonmetallic Armored Umbilical Cable
Authors: Deng Yu , Liang Xu , Cao Zeng , Kong Lingpeng , Wang Chizhong , Ruan Yongdu , Zheng Xinlong
Published: December 2021

Due to the development of gas and oil exploration into the deep sea, the effective tensile capacity provided by armored steel wire will decrease rapidly with the increase of the weight of umbilical cables. In this paper, two designs of lightweight umbilical cables were studied in full consideration of the geometric characteristics, and the mechanical properties were investigated under tension, bending, and torsion. The contact and friction between the components of the umbilical cables were also included in the model. Three cases are presented for validation from theoretical and finite element methods. The discussion on variables was carried out from the views of friction coefficient and helically wound angle. Compared with the steel tube umbilical model, the nonmetallic armored umbilical cable shows higher tensile strength and more flexibility. With the increase of friction coefficient, the stiffness of umbilical cable models don't change much. The helically wound angle has a great influence on the tensile stiffness and bending stiffness but little effect on the torsional rigidity. The proposed lightweight model can be applicable to 6000m water depth. This research can benefit the design of umbilical cables to achieve the goal of high tensile capacity in deepwater applications.
Stagnation Zone Near A Corner In Viscoplastic Fluid Flow
Authors: Letelier Mario F. , Siginer Dennis A. , Stockle Juan S.
Published: December 2021

The shape, size and location of the stagnation zone between flat non-parallel walls that make up the corner of a tube with non-circular cross section through which a phase change material of the Bingham plastic type flows is investigated. We show that the stagnant area is bounded by a convex meniscus whose size depends on the degree of plasticity and the vertex angle. The maximum and minimum energy dissipation occurs at the wall and at the bisectrix, respectively. The stagnant zone can be altogether avoided by modifying the shape of the wall in the corner area. A new design of the cross section of the tube that allows reducing or eliminating this area to optimize the mass transport is developed. Two optimal solutions, a vertex with a straight cut and a concavely curved vertex, are proposed.
Effects of Thin Film Heat Spreader on Hot Spots Mitigation in Heat Sinks
Authors: Reddy Sohail , Dulikravich George S. , Blanchard Ann-Kayana
Published: December 2021

The effects of graphene platelets and diamond-based thin film heat spreaders on maximum temperature of integrated electronic circuits were investigated. A fully three-dimensional conjugate heat transfer analysis was performed to investigate the effects of thin film material and thickness on the temperature of a hot spot and temperature uniformity on the heated surface of the integrated circuit when subjected to forced convective cooling. Two different materials, diamond and graphene, were simulated as materials for thin films. The thin film heat spreaders were applied to the top wall of an array of micro pin fins having circular cross sections. The integrated circuit with a 4 × 3 mm footprint featured a 0.5 × 0.5 mm hot spot located on the top wall, which was also exposed to a uniform background heat flux of 500 W cm−2. A hot spot uniform heat flux of magnitude 2000 W cm−2 was centrally situated on the top surface over a small area of 0.5 × 0.5 mm. Both isotropic and anisotropic properties of the thin film heat spreaders made of graphene platelets and diamond were computationally analyzed. The conjugate heat transfer analysis also incorporated thermal contact resistance between the thin film and the silicon substrate. It was found that isotropic thin film heat spreaders significantly reduce the hot spot temperature and increase temperature uniformity, allowing for increased thermal loads. Furthermore, it was found that thickness of the thin film heat spreader does not have to be greater than a few tens of microns.
Experimental Investigation of the Effects of Intermediate Gravity Waves on the Water Evaporation Rate
Authors: Aldarabseh Safa M. , Merati Parviz
Published: December 2021

A perfectly still water surface is an ideal hypothesis that is rarely encountered in real-world applications. It is impossible to find an open surface of water without any disturbance or waves, as well as an occupied closed water surface, such as a swimming pool. This experiment was done to predict the evaporation rate from the wavy water surface under the different convection regimes (free, forced, and mixed) at turbulent airflow conditions over a wide range of the ratio (Gr/Re2). The evaporation rate from the wavy water surface is strongly affected by combinations between wave steepness and main airflow velocity above the wavy water surface. Experimental results show that no pattern can be followed for which combinations of evaporation rate will increase. Thus, only two facts can be noticed: the evaporation rate is larger than that measured under the same airflow velocity conditions with no waves existing on evaporated water surface because the airflow is smooth and attached along the still water surface and when increasing the wave steepness (H/L,H/T), airflow will separate at the lee side of the wave crest near the bottom of the wave trough. Thus, the vortex will be generated in the airflow separation region. These vortexes are unstable and cause an increase in turbulence, reducing the water surface's resistance to vertical transport water vapor and increasing the evaporation rate. Also, experimental results show that the evaporation rates are somewhat less than that measured under the same airflow velocity with smaller wave steepness due to the air trapped region observed at the leeside of the wave crest near the bottom of the wave trough. Also, the result shows the evaporation rate increases with increased airflow velocity under the same convection regime. The current study implemented the particle image velocimetry (PIV) technique to analyze the airflow structure above the evaporated wavy water surface.
Infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy and temperature-programmed desorption studies of CO adsorption on Ni/CeO2(111) thin films: The role of the ceria support
Authors: Peterson Erik W. , Wang Huanru , Liu Zongyuan , Ara Tasnim , Senanayake Sanjaya D. , Rodriguez Jose A. , Zhou Jing
Published: December 2021

Ceria-supported Ni has shown unique catalytic activity due to unique properties of small Ni particles and strong metal-support interaction. Identification of adsorption sites and understanding the chemical interaction over Ni-ceria at the fundamental level provide crucial insights into the reaction pathways of complex catalytic processes. In this study, to probe the surface sites, the adsorption of CO was carried out with model Ni/ceria systems consisting of Ni nanoparticles vapor-deposited on well-ordered CeOx(111) (1.5 < x < 2) thin films using infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy (IRRAS) and temperature-programmed desorption (TPD) under ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) conditions. Fully oxidized CeO2(111) (Ce4+) and partially reduced CeO1.75(111) (Ce4+/Ce3+) thin films were grown on Ru(0001) to examine the role of the ceria support. Ni with low coverages (e.g., 0.2 ML) grows forming small two-dimensional particles on ceria at 300 K, which develop into three-dimensional clusters after heating to 700 K. In the absence of Ni, CO adsorption at 1 mTorr at 100 K shows distinct IR bands at 2158 cm−1 on CeO2 and 2165 cm−1 on CeO1.75. Bridging and atop IR bands associated with CO adsorption over metallic Ni were observed on the Ni-CeO1.75 surface at 300 K under UHV conditions. CO adsorption over Ni0 was also observed over as-deposited Ni on CeO2. However, a new IR band at 2146 cm−1 due to CO adsorption over Ni2+ species was detected at 100 K over the annealed Ni particles on CeO2. CO IRRAS data suggest the oxidation of Ni to Ni2+ on CeO2 and the formation of predominant Ni2+ species with heating, which is further confirmed with CO TPD data and previous x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy results.
Regulation of Forward Angular Impulse in Tasks With Backward Translation
Authors: Mathiyakom Witaya , Wilcox Rand , McNitt-Gray Jill L.
Published: December 2021

Studying how elite athletes satisfy multiple mechanical objectives when initiating well-practiced, goal-directed tasks provides insights into the control and dynamics of whole-body movements. This study investigated the coordination of multiple body segments and the reaction force (RF) generated during foot contact when regulating forward angular impulse in backward translating tasks. Six highly skilled divers performed inward somersaults (upward and backward jump with forward rotation) and inward timers (upward and backward jump without rotation) from a stationary platform. Sagittal plane kinematics and RFs were recorded simultaneously during the takeoff phase. Regulation of the forward angular impulse was achieved by redirecting the RF about the total body center of mass. Significantly more backward-directed RF was observed during the first and second peak horizontal RF of the inward somersaults than the inward timers. Modulation of the horizontal RF altered the RF direction about the center of mass and the lower-extremity segments. Backward leg and forward trunk orientation and a set of relatively large knee extensor and small hip flexor net joint moments were required for forward angular impulse generation. Understanding how the forward angular impulse is regulated in trained individuals provides insights for clinicians to consider when exploring interventions related to fall prevention.
Ponatinib, Lestaurtinib, and mTOR/PI3K Inhibitors Are Promising Repurposing Candidates against Entamoeba histolytica
Authors: Kangussu-Marcolino Monica M. , Singh Upinder
Published: December 2021

Dysentery caused by
Entamoeba histolytica
affects millions of people annually. Current treatment regimens are based on metronidazole to treat invasive parasites combined with paromomycin for luminal parasites.
Pharmacodynamics and Bactericidal Activity of Bedaquiline in Pulmonary Tuberculosis
Authors: Lyons Michael A.
Published: December 2021

Bedaquiline is a diarylquinoline antimycobacterial drug and a key component of several regimens in clinical development for the treatment of tuberculosis (TB) but with ongoing phase 3 trials that include assessment of simplified dosing. A pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic model of bedaquiline
Mycobacterium tuberculosis
-killing kinetics in adults with pulmonary TB was developed to inform dose selection of bedaquiline-containing regimens.
Mitochondrial Calcium Uniporter Affects Neutrophil Bactericidal Activity during Staphylococcus aureus Infection
Authors: Monteith Andrew J. , Miller Jeanette M. , Beavers William N. , Maloney K. Nichole , Seifert Erin L. , Hajnoczky Gyorgy , Skaar Eric P.
Published: December 2021

Neutrophils simultaneously restrict
Staphylococcus aureus
dissemination and facilitate bactericidal activity during infection through the formation of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs). Neutrophils that produce higher levels of mitochondrial superoxide undergo enhanced terminal NET formation (suicidal NETosis) in response to
S. aureus
; however, mechanisms regulating mitochondrial homeostasis upstream of neutrophil antibacterial processes are not fully resolved.
Acinetobacter baumannii Regulates Its Stress Responses via the BfmRS Two-Component Regulatory System
Authors: Palethorpe Samantha , Farrow John M. , Wells Greg , Milton Morgan E. , Actis Luis A. , Cavanagh John , Pesci Everett C.
Published: December 2021

Acinetobacter baumannii
is a nosocomial pathogen that has extremely high rates of multidrug resistance. This organism’s ability to endure stressful conditions is a key part of its ability to spread in the hospital environment and cause infections.
Supplemental Material: Olivine in komatiite records origin and travel from the deep upper mantle
Authors: Wilson Allan , Bolhar Robert
Published: December 2021

Background, methodology, and modeling.
Adducts of Lower Fullerenes and Amino Acids: Synthesis, Identification, and Quantum-Mechanical Modeling of Their Physicochemical Properties
Authors: Charykov N. A. , Keskinov V. A. , Petrov A. V.
Published: December 2021

Different ways of synthesizing bis-, tris-, and octakis-adducts of C60and C70lower fullerenes are considered, and their yield and purity are described. The adducts are identified by physicochemical means: elemental analysis, IR, electron spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, HPLC, mass spectrometry, and complex thermal analysis. Their physicochemical properties are modeled using computers, density functional theory, and molecular dynamics at the atomic-molecular level.
Evaluation of medication changes following severe COVID-19 infection: a multicentre evaluation
Authors: MacTavish Pamela , McPeake Joanne , Breslin Antoin , Forrest Ruth , Kishore Rakesh , MacGregor Fiona , Oprey Alison , Quasim Tara , Shaw Martin
Published: December 2021

Background

Critically ill patients often experience several transitions of care following critical illness. Research has explored the challenges which patients have with medication management across these transitions. It is unclear whether patients admitted to critical care due to COVID-19 will have similar challenges. The aim of this study was to explore medication management in critical care survivors following severe COVID-19.

Methods

Between 3 and 7 months post hospital discharge, patients who had been admitted to critical care due to severe COVID-19 were invited to an established recovery service. During the clinic consultation a medication review was performed by a pharmacist. This included medicines reconciliation, assessing the appropriateness of each of the prescribed medications and identification of medication changes. We also assessed changes to pain management in the discharge period.

Results

In total, 78 patients had a full medication review available. Over 70% of patients were taking an increased dose of medicine or a new medicine at clinic. There was a significant overall increase in new medication during the clinic consultation, across different British National Formulary classifications (OR: 1.73 (95% CI: 1.28 to 2.34), p<0.001). Compared with pre critical care admission, there was a significant increase in the number of patients taking regular analgesia following severe COVID-19 infection (23 (29.5%) vs 39 (50%), p<0.001).

Conclusion

Following severe COVID-19, patients may require new or increasing doses of medicines. Ongoing review of these patients is crucial to ensure optimal outcomes.
COVID-19 disruption to family medicine residency curriculum: results from a 2020 US programme directors survey
Authors: Fashner Julia , Espinoza Anthony , Mainous Arch G
Published: December 2021

Objective

This research project examined the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the required curriculum in graduate medical education for family medicine residencies.

Design

Our questions were part of a larger omnibus survey conducted by the Council of Academic Family Medicine Educational Research Alliance. Data were collected from 23 September to 16 October 2020.

Setting

This study was set in the USA.

Participants

Emails were sent to 664 family medicine programme directors in the USA. Of the 312 surveys returned, 35 did not answer our questions and were excluded, a total of 277 responses (44%) were analysed.

Results

The level of disruption varied by discipline and region. Geriatrics had the highest reported disruption (median=4 on a 5-point scale) and intensive care unit had the lowest (median=1 on a 5-point scale). There were no significant differences for disruption by type of programme or community size.

Conclusion

Programme directors reported moderate disruption in family medicine resident education in geriatrics, gynaecology, surgery, musculoskeletal medicine, paediatrics and family medicine site during the pandemic. We are limited in generalisations about how region, type of programme, community size or number of residents influenced the level of disruption, as less than 50% of programme directors completed the survey.
Opium May Affect Coronary Artery Disease by Inducing Inflammation but not through the Expression of CD9, CD36, and CD68
Authors: Momeni-Moghaddam Mohammad Amin , Asadikaram Gholamreza , Masoumi Mohammad , Sadeghi Erfan , Akbari Hamed , Abolhassani Moslem , Farsinejad Alireza , Khaleghi Morteza , Nematollahi Mohammad Hadi , Dabiri Shahriar , Arababadi Mohammad Kazemi
Published: December 2021

The molecular mechanisms of opium with regard to coronary artery disease (CAD) have not yet been determined. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of opium on the expression of scavenger receptors including CD36, CD68, and CD9 tetraspanin in monocytes and the plasma levels of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), interferon gamma (IFN-γ), malondialdehyde (MDA), and nitric oxide metabolites (NOx) in patients with CAD with and without opium addiction. This case-control study was conducted in three groups: (1) opium-addicted patients with CAD (CAD+OA, n=30); (2) patients with CAD with no opium addiction (CAD, n=30); and (3) individuals without CAD and opium addiction as the control group (Ctrl, n=17). Protein and messenger RNA (mRNA) levels of CD9, CD36, and CD68 were evaluated by flow cytometry and reverse transcription-quantitative PCR methods, respectively. Consumption of atorvastatin, aspirin, and glyceryl trinitrate was found to be higher in the CAD groups compared with the control group. The plasma level of TNF-α was significantly higher in the CAD+OA group than in the CAD and Ctrl groups (p=0.001 and p=0.005, respectively). MDA levels significantly increased in the CAD and CAD+OA groups in comparison with the Ctrl group (p=0.010 and p=0.002, respectively). No significant differences were found in CD9, CD36, CD68, IFN-γ, and NOx between the three groups. The findings demonstrated that opium did not have a significant effect on the expression of CD36, CD68, and CD9 at the gene and protein levels, but it might be involved in the development of CAD by inducing inflammation through other mechanisms.
Quantitative evaluation of hemodynamics after partial embolization of brain arteriovenous malformations
Authors: Li Zhipeng , Chen Yu , Chen Pingting , Li Ruinan , Ma Li , Yan Debin , Zhang Haibin , Han Heze , Zhao Yang , Zhang Yukun , Meng Xiangyu , Jin Hengwei , Li Youxiang , Chen Xiaolin , Zhao Yuanli
Published: December 2021

Background

To explore the hemodynamic changes after embolization of arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) using quantitative digital subtraction angiography (QDSA).

Methods

We reviewed 74 supratentorial AVMs that underwent endovascular embolization and performed a quantitative hemodynamic analysis comparing parameters in pre- and post-operative DSA in correlation with rupture. The AVMs were further divided into two subgroups based on the embolization degree: Group I: 0%–50%, Group II: 51%–100%. In the intergroup analysis, we examined the correlations between embolization degree and hemodynamic parameter changes.

Results

A longer time to peak (TTP) of the main feeding artery (OR 11.836; 95% CI 1.388 to 100.948; P=0.024) and shorter mean transit time (MTT) of the nidus (OR 0.174; 95% CI 0.039 to 0.766; P=0.021) were associated with AVM rupture. After embolization, all MTTs were significantly prolonged (P<0.05). The full width at half maximum (FWHM) duration of the main feeding artery was significantly shortened (P<0.001), and several hemodynamic parameters of the main draining vein changed significantly (TTP: prolonged, P=0.005; FWHM: prolonged, P=0.014; inflow gradient: decreased, P=0.004; outflow gradient: decreased, P=0.042). In the subgroup analysis, several MTT parameters were significantly prolonged in both groups (P<0.05), and the MTT increase rate in Group II was greater than in Group I (P<0.05).

Conclusions

Embolization can significantly change the hemodynamics of AVMs, especially when an embolization degree >50% is obtained. Partial embolization may reduce the AVM rupture risk in hemodynamics perspective.
Fishing triggers trophic cascade in terms of variation, not abundance, in an allometric trophic network model
Authors: Uusi-Heikkilä Silva , Perälä Tommi , Kuparinen Anna
Published: December 2021

Trophic cascade studies often rely on linear food chains instead of complex food webs and are typically measured as biomass averages, not as biomass variation. We study trophic cascades propagating across a complex food web including a measure of biomass variation in addition to biomass average. We examined whether different fishing strategies induce trophic cascades and whether the cascades differ from each other. We utilized an allometric trophic network (ATN) model to mechanistically study fishing-induced changes in food web dynamics. Different fishing strategies did not trigger traditional, reciprocal trophic cascades, as measured in biomass averages. Instead, fishing triggered a variation cascade that propagated across the food web, including fish, zooplankton and phytoplankton species. In fisheries that removed a large amount of top-predatory and cannibalistic fish, the biomass oscillations started to decrease after fishing was started. In fisheries that mainly targeted large planktivorous fish, the biomass oscillations did not dampen but slightly increased over time. Removing species with specific ecological functions might alter the food web dynamics and potentially affect the ecological resilience of aquatic ecosystems.
Generalized 2HDM with wrong-sign lepton-Yukawa coupling, in light of $$g_{\mu }-2$$ and lepton flavor violation at the future LHC
Authors: Ghosh Nivedita , Lahiri Jayita
Published: December 2021

To explain the observed muon anomaly and simultaneously evade bounds from lepton flavor violation in the same model parameter space is a long-cherished dream. In view of a generalized Two Higgs Doublet Model, with a Yukawa structure as a perturbation of Type-X, we are able to get substantial parameter space satisfying these criteria. In this work, we focus on a region with “wrong-sign” lepton-Yukawa coupling which gives rise to interesting phenomenological consequences. Performing a simple cut-based analysis, we show that at 14 TeV run of the LHC with$$300 \mathrm{{fb}}^{-1}$$300fb-1integrated luminosity, part of the model parameter space can be probed with significance "Equation missing"which further improves with Artificial Neural Network analysis.
The Supervised Learning Model for Analyzing the Sportsperson Training Efficiency
Authors: Ren Wengang , Chen Xuemei , Zhang Fengyan , Alfred Daniel J , Praveen Kumar D
Published: December 2021

The driving concept of students’ sports training involves a unique activity that is often tightly correlated to students’ efficiency and varies with the momentum of sports training. Supervised learning is one of the smart methods with positive results in the fields of classification techniques. Due to the excessive currency unit associated with sports, sports forecasting is a growing area that must be well predicted. Therefore, in this paper, sports training based on the supervised learning (STSLM) model has been proposed to evaluate and predict student sports efficiency. STSLM models are based on various variables, such as traditional student ratings, performance, and efficiency. The emphasis is on the efficiency of students predicting sports outcomes. STSLM defines evaluation methods, information sources, effective models for testing students’ sports training, and unique challenges to forecast sports outcomes. The experimental results have been performed. The suggested STSLM model enhances the efficiency ratio of 96.3%, injury prevention level of 98.2%, fitness level of 95.5%, evaluation ratio of 98.8%, and training optimization ratio of 97.2% compared to other existing approaches.
A note on the applications of one primary function in deep neural networks
Authors: Chen Hengjie , Li Zhong
Published: December 2021

By applying fundamental mathematical knowledge, this paper proves that the function [Formula: see text] is an integer no less than [Formula: see text] has the property that the difference between the function value of middle point of arbitrarily two adjacent equidistant distribution nodes on [Formula: see text] and the mean of function values of these two nodes is a constant depending only on the number of nodes if and only if [Formula: see text] By them, we establish an important result about deep neural networks that the function [Formula: see text] can be interpolated by a deep Rectified Linear Unit (ReLU) network with depth [Formula: see text] on the equidistant distribution nodes in interval [Formula: see text] and the error of approximation is [Formula: see text] Then based on the main result that has just been proven and the Chebyshev orthogonal polynomials, we construct a deep network and give the error estimate of approximation to polynomials and continuous functions, respectively. In addition, this paper constructs one deep network with local sparse connections, shared weights and activation function [Formula: see text] and discusses its density and complexity.
Lie symmetry analysis, exact solutions, conservation laws of variable-coefficients Calogero–Bogoyavlenskii–Schiff equation
Authors: Zhang Feng , Hu Yuru , Xin Xiangpeng , Liu Hanze
Published: December 2021

In this paper, a [Formula: see text]-dimensional variable-coefficients Calogero–Bogoyavlenskii–Schiff (vcCBS) equation is studied. The infinitesimal generators and symmetry groups are obtained by using the Lie symmetry analysis on vcCBS. The optimal system of one-dimensional subalgebras of vcCBS is computed for determining the group-invariant solutions. On this basis, the vcCBS is reduced to two-dimensional partial differential equations (PDEs) by similarity reductions. Furthermore, the reduced PDEs are solved to obtain the two-soliton interaction solution, the soliton-kink interaction solution and some other exact solutions by the [Formula: see text]-expansion method. Moreover, it is shown that vcCBS is nonlinearly self-adjoint and then its conservation laws are calculated.
A Lossless Data-Hiding based IoT Data Authenticity Model in Edge-AI for Connected Living
Authors: Rahman Mohammad Saidur , Khalil Ibrahim , Yi Xun , Atiquzzaman Mohammed , Bertino Elisa
Published: December 2021

Edge computing is an emerging technology for the acquisition of Internet-of-Things (IoT) data and provisioning different services in connected living. Artificial Intelligence (AI) powered edge devices (edge-AI) facilitate intelligent IoT data acquisition and services through data analytics. However, data in edge networks are prone to several security threats such as external and internal attacks and transmission errors. Attackers can inject false data during data acquisition or modify stored data in the edge data storage to hamper data analytics. Therefore, an edge-AI device must verify the authenticity of IoT data before using them in data analytics. This article presents an IoT data authenticity model in edge-AI for a connected living using data hiding techniques. Our proposed data authenticity model securely hides the data source’s identification number within IoT data before sending it to edge devices. Edge-AI devices extract hidden information for verifying data authenticity. Existing data hiding approaches for biosignal cannot reconstruct original IoT data after extracting the hidden message from it (i.e., lossy) and are not usable for IoT data authenticity. We propose the first lossless IoT data hiding technique in this article based on error-correcting codes (ECCs). We conduct several experiments to demonstrate the performance of our proposed method. Experimental results establish the lossless property of the proposed approach while maintaining other data hiding properties.
MEC-Based Jamming-Aided Anti-Eavesdropping with Deep Reinforcement Learning for WBANs
Authors: Chen Guihong , Liu Xi , Shorfuzzaman Mohammad , Karime Ali , Wang Yonghua , Qi Yuanhang
Published: December 2021

Wireless body area network (WBAN) suffers secure challenges, especially the eavesdropping attack, due to constraint resources. In this article, deep reinforcement learning (DRL) and mobile edge computing (MEC) technology are adopted to formulate a DRL-MEC-based jamming-aided anti-eavesdropping (DMEC-JAE) scheme to resist the eavesdropping attack without considering the channel state information. In this scheme, a MEC sensor is chosen to send artificial jamming signals to improve the secrecy rate of the system. Power control technique is utilized to optimize the transmission power of both the source sensor and the MEC sensor to save energy. The remaining energy of the MEC sensor is concerned to ensure routine data transmission and jamming signal transmission. Additionally, the DMEC-JAE scheme integrates with transfer learning for a higher learning rate. The performance bounds of the scheme concerning the secrecy rate, energy consumption, and the utility are evaluated. Simulation results show that the DMEC-JAE scheme can approach the performance bounds with high learning speed, which outperforms the benchmark schemes.
Lower Bounds for Maximal Matchings and Maximal Independent Sets
Authors: Balliu Alkida , Brandt Sebastian , Hirvonen Juho , Olivetti Dennis , Rabie Mikaël , Suomela Jukka
Published: December 2021

There are distributed graph algorithms for finding maximal matchings and maximal independent sets in
O
(
Δ
+ log
*
n
) communication rounds; here,
n
is the number of nodes and
Δ
is the maximum degree. The lower bound by Linial (1987, 1992) shows that the dependency on
n
is optimal: These problems cannot be solved in
o
(log
*
n
) rounds even if
Δ
= 2. However, the dependency on
Δ
is a long-standing open question, and there is currently an exponential gap between the upper and lower bounds.

We prove that the upper bounds are tight. We show that any algorithm that finds a maximal matching or maximal independent set with probability at least 1-1/
n
requires Ω (min {
Δ
, log log
n
/ log log log
n
}) rounds in the LOCAL model of distributed computing. As a corollary, it follows that any deterministic algorithm that finds a maximal matching or maximal independent set requires Ω (min {
Δ
, log
n
/ log log
n
}) rounds; this is an improvement over prior lower bounds also as a function of 
n
.
Hardware Acceleration of High-Performance Computational Flow Dynamics Using High-Bandwidth Memory-Enabled Field-Programmable Gate Arrays
Authors: Hogervorst Tom , Nane Răzvan , Marchiori Giacomo , Qiu Tong Dong , Blatt Markus , Rustad Alf Birger
Published: December 2021

Scientific computing is at the core of many High-Performance Computing applications, including computational flow dynamics. Because of the utmost importance to simulate increasingly larger computational models, hardware acceleration is receiving increased attention due to its potential to maximize the performance of scientific computing. Field-Programmable Gate Arrays could accelerate scientific computing because of the possibility to fully customize the memory hierarchy important in irregular applications such as iterative linear solvers. In this article, we study the potential of using Field-Programmable Gate Arrays in High-Performance Computing because of the rapid advances in reconfigurable hardware, such as the increase in on-chip memory size, increasing number of logic cells, and the integration of High-Bandwidth Memories on board. To perform this study, we propose a novel Sparse Matrix-Vector multiplication unit and an ILU0 preconditioner tightly integrated with a BiCGStab solver kernel. We integrate the developed preconditioned iterative solver in
Flow
from the Open Porous Media project, a state-of-the-art open source reservoir simulator. Finally, we perform a thorough evaluation of the FPGA solver kernel in both stand-alone mode and integrated in the reservoir simulator, using the NORNE field, a real-world case reservoir model using a grid with more than 10
5
cells and using three unknowns per cell.
Introduction to the Special Section on Justice-Centered Computing Education, Part 1
Authors: Lachney Michael , Ryoo Jean , Santo Rafi
Published: December 2021

The ideas we offer below for considering justice-centered computing education point to a broad array of problem-spaces, contexts, and communities that scholars, educators, technologists, and activists might engage with. In exploring and deepening the conversation around this project, the seven articles included in the first volume of this special issue employ diverse theoretical perspectives, methodologies, and frameworks, including but not limited to intersectionality, transformational justice, intercultural computing, ethnocomputing, translanguaging, socially responsible computing, and institutional theory. Across them, rather than consensus on a narrow set of issues, we see the possibilities of a pluralistic and wide-ranging conversation about how we might constitute the meanings of “justice-centered” within computing education, the tools that might be used to produce such meanings, and the actions that might address them.