bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
MicroRNAs with Altered Expression Profiles in Granulosa of Women of Advanced Age with Diminished Ovarian Reserve
Authors: Liu Danqi , Lian Fang , Xiang Shan , Guo Ying , Wu Haicui , Qiu Yue
Published: July 2020

Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate the micro-RNA differences between women of advanced age with a diminished ovarian reserve (DOR) and young women with a normal ovarian reserve (NOR), and the causes leading to the decline of ovarian reserve function and
oocyte function in women, which may be related to aging. Methods: The prospective cohort investigation method was used in this study. We used microRNA sequencing to detect the microRNA expression profiles for women of advanced age with DOR function and young women with NOR function.
Then, the differentially expressed microRNAs were compared and the agerelated mechanism was predicted by the target genes. Results: The microRNA sequencing results revealed that 70 microRNA expressions were different, including 45 downregulated expressions and 25 upregulated expressions.
Specifically, miR-221-3p, miR-146b-5p, miR-378a-3p, miR-143-5p, miR-222-5p, and miR-221-5p were significantly downregulated; miR-6881-3p, miR-4787-3p, miR-4745-5p, miR-6513-3p, and miR-3179 were upregulated. The primary pathways are PI3K-Akt, MAPK, Phospholipase D, and Chemokine. Conclusions:
Differences were observed between the expression profiles of microRNAs in the granulosa cells of the ovaries of patients with DOR and NOR. These differences may be age-related.
Comparative Analysis of Spontaneous Swallowing Sounds Between the Young and the Elderly: An Indicator of Aging Dysphagia
Authors: Wu Yacen , Lin Feng , He Danjun , Li Huahua , Jiang Zhongli
Published: July 2020

The study aims at comparatively analyzing the characteristics of the swallowing sound of the young and the elderly. A total of 100 eligible human subjects were divided into two groups: A young group (n = 50, age 19–30 years, sex ratio 1:1) and an elderly group (n =
50, 60–85 years, sex ratio 1:1). The neck circumference (at the thyroid cartilage level) and the body mass index (BMI) of the subjects were measured. The spontaneous swallowing sound within 20 min was recorded and analyzed using Raven Pro 1.5.0. The parameters included were swallows
per minute (SPM), swallowing sound duration (SSD), energy delivered by one swallowing sound (E), time of consuming half E(E0.5t), and percentage of time spent on half-energy consumption for a single swallowing sound (E0.5Δt).
Statistical analysis performed using R-3.4.0. NC showed no difference between the two groups (34.31 ± 3.45 cm versus 33.95 ± 3.00 cm, P= 0.5789). Compared to the young group, the elderly group showed a higher BMI, lesser SPM, longer SSD, more Es in each
swallow, longer E0.5t, and identical E0.5Δt . The elderly showed reduced SPM and prolonged SSD.
Applying Deep Learning Technique for Depression Classification in Social Media Text
Authors: Ahmad Hussain , Asghar Muhammad Zubair , Alotaibi Fahad M. , Hameed Ibrahim A.
Published: July 2020

In social media, depression identification could be regarded as a complex task because of the complicated nature associated with mental disorders. In recent times, there has been an evolution in this research area with growing popularity of social media platforms as these have become
a fundamental part of people's day-to-day life. Social media platforms and their users share a close relationship due to which the users' personal life is reflected in these platforms on several levels. Apart from the associated complexity in recognising mental illnesses via social media platforms,
implementing supervised machine learning approaches like deep neural networks is yet to be adopted in a large scale because of the inherent difficulties associated with procuring sufficient quantities of annotated training data. Because of such reasons, we have made effort to identify deep
learning model that is most effective from amongst selected architectures with previous successful record in supervised learning methods. The selected model is employed to recognise online users that display depression; since there is limited unstructured text data that could be extracted
from Twitter.
Segmentation Analysis Techniques and Identifying Stress Ratio of Human Lumbar Spine Using ANSYS
Authors: Punarselvam E. , Devi T. Kalavathi , Britto A. Sagai Francis , Prakash N. B. , Suresh P.
Published: July 2020

The Finite Element Method [FEM] used to replicate the products and systems. In this method, the abnormality estimation of the spine has developed and presented in this paper. Spine injury found on vertebrae L1–L5 and its corresponding inter-vertebral disk. Different types of filters
used to eliminate obtained noise, starting the MRI image at different levels. The noiseless image was segmented using differing Edge Detection Algorithm (EDA) such as Canny Edge Detection Algorithm (CEDA), Prewitt, Sobel, and Robert from the applied segmentation algorithm the best EDA identified
and the 3D model for lumbar spine was created. After the segmentation algorithm, the FEA method utilized for examining images of the 3D human lumbar spine on different loads. The experiment conducted with the stress–strain relationship and Modal Analysis on Natural Frequency (NF) calculated.
The entire analysis accomplished by real-time simulation software called ANSYS.
Hybrid Deep Transfer Network and Rotational Sample Subspace Ensemble Learning for Early Cancer Detection
Authors: Wang Pin , Lv Shanshan , Li Yongming , Song Qi , Li Linyu , Wang Jiaxin , Zhang Hehua
Published: July 2020

Accurate histopathology cell image classification plays an important role in early cancer detection and diagnosis. Currently, Convolutional Neural Network is used to assist pathologists for histopathology image classification. In the paper, a Min mice model was applied to evaluate the
capability of Convolutional Neural Network features for detecting early-stage carcinogenesis. However, due to the limited histopathology images of the mice model, it may cause overfitting for the classification. Hence, hybrid deep transfer network and rotational sample subspace ensemble learning
is proposed for the histopathology image classification. First, deep features are obtained by deep transfer network based on regularized loss functions. Then, the rotational sample subspace sampling is applied to increase the diversity between training sets. Subsequently, subspace projection
learning is introduced to achieve dimensionality reduction. Finally, the ensemble learning is used for histopathology image classification. The proposed method was tested on 126 histopathology images of the mouse model. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method has achieved
a remarkable classification accuracy (99.39%, 99.74%, 100%). It has demonstrated that the proposed approach is promising for early cancer diagnosis.
UCDiff: Difference Detection in Use Case Models of Healthcare System
Authors: Mehmood Waqar , Jari Hassan , Tahir Ali , Aslam Waqar , Kamran Muhammad
Published: July 2020

Development of large-scale healthcare software projects essentially need the efficient management of the created software artifacts during software development process. In such projects different versions of an artifact are created at different times. Traditional software configuration
management systems, such as Git, Subversion (SVN), etc., are designed for later phases of software development, which mainly handle the source code document. These systems are unable to perform difference detection and version management tasks on models such as unified modeling language diagrams.
UML use case model is used for capturing functional requirements at analyses phase. Different versions of the use case model are created during analyses phase. This paper addresses the detection of differences between two versions of a use case model. In order to perform difference detection,
we need to perform three main tasks, i. e., extract the contents of the model, comparison of models and difference representation. Most of the existing approaches in literature of model comparison deal with UML class diagrams. To the best of our knowledge, so far no appropriate approach addresses
difference computation of use case model. Existing approaches are not applicable on use case model due to different semantics of use case model. In this research, the concept of model-based software configuration management (SCM) for use case difference detection is proposed. The use case
models are created in an open source tool, starUML. The proposed difference algorithm is applied on intermediate tree structure representation of models. As a case study, different versions of a patient appointment healthcare system is used to evaluate different evaluation parameters, such
as accuracy, domain independence, high conceptual level and tool independence.
A Novel Method of Image Denoising: New Variant of Block Matching and 3D
Authors: Mahmood Sadaf Zahid , Afzal Humaira , Mufti Muhammad Rafiq , Akhtar Nadeem , Habib Asad , Hussain Shahid
Published: July 2020

The demand of accurate and visually fair images is increasing with the passage of time and bang of the number of digital images especially in the domain of medical and healthcare systems. The visual image quality of modern cameras affected due to edges, textures and sharp structures
noise. Though research community has introduced several techniques such as BM3D (Block Matching and 3D) for image denoising. However, edges and texture preservation capabilities remain issues due to hard thresholds values and captured image diversity. In order to address these issues, we propose
a new variant of BM3D namely BM3DMA (Block Matching and 3D with Mahalanobis and Adaptive filter) which is employed through the use of Mahalanobis distance measure (for diversity coverage) and adaptive filter (for soft thresholds). We used two widely known datasets consist of set of standard
and medical images. We observe 5% to 10% enhancement in the performance of BM3DMA as compared to BM3D in terms of improving the PSNR (Peak Signal to Noise Ratio) value. The promising experimental result indicates the effectiveness of BM3DMA in terms preserving the edge and texture image noise.
Determining Large Scale Healthcare Projects by Resource Attribution
Authors: Bakhsh Sheikh Tahir , Shahzad Basit , Tahir Sabeen , Alghamdi Rayed A.
Published: July 2020

Software development activity deals with the development of the healthcare software by using given resources. The allocation of the resources needs to be consistent with the scale of the project for which the resources are being allocated. The allocation of resources depends on the
scale of healthcare projects. As far as resource planning for healthcare projects is concerned, healthcare projects are similar to software development in other areas. In this research, the effort is made to quantify the scale of healthcare projects. The scale can be small, medium, or large.
Each scale has a different set of attributes associated with it. The quantification of attributes can further be translated to the actual number of resources to be allocated in terms of healthcare projects.
Scheduling with Deadline Constraint of Healthcare Applications on Cloud-Based Workflow
Authors: Che Haiying , Wang Xiaolong , Wang Hong , Bai Zixing , Li Honglei
Published: July 2020

Cloud-based workflow technology has played an important role in the development of large scale healthcare applications with high flexibility to meet variety of healthcare process requirements. Among all the factors affecting the healthcare applications on cloud-based workflow, the tasks
scheduling is the crucial one. This paper aims at the cloud-based workflow tasks scheduling with deadline constraints and its implementation in two approaches: heuristic scheduling algorithm (HSA) and meta heuristic scheduling algorithm (HSA-ACO). HSA decomposes the workflow according to its
structure and divide the deadline into the level deadlines. Tasks in each level get scheduling priority according to the earliest start time under the constraint of level deadline. In another method, HSA-ACO integrates HSA with ant colony algorithm to achieve better performance. In the last
part, we launch the experiment to compare HSA and HSA-ACO with algorithms like Prolis, LACO and ICPCP in three types of workflow with different scales. The experiment results show that HSA-ACO is better than the other algorithms.
Getting Ahead of Time—Performing Temporal Boundaries to Coordinate Routines under Temporal Uncertainty
Authors: Geiger Daniel , Danner-Schröder Anja , Kremser Waldemar
Published: July 2020

In this ethnographic study of firefighters we explore how routines are coordinated under high levels of temporal uncertainty—when the timing of critical events cannot be known in advance and temporal misalignment creates substantial risks. Such conditions render time-consuming incremental and situated forms of temporal structuring—the focus of previous research on temporal coordination—unfeasible. Our findings show that firefighters focused their efforts on enacting temporal autonomy or, as they called it, “getting ahead of time.” They gained temporal autonomy—the capacity to temporally uncouple from the unfolding situation to preserve the ability to adapt to autonomously selected events—by relying on rhythms they developed during training in performing individual routines and by opening up to the evolving situation only when transitioning between routines. Our study contributes to literature on temporal structuring by introducing temporal autonomy as a novel strategy for dealing with temporal contingencies. We also contribute to research on routine dynamics by introducing the performance of temporal boundaries as a previously unrecognized form of coordination within and among routines. Finally, we contribute to process research a method that allows analyzing complex temporal patterns and thus provides a novel way of visualizing processes.
Comparison of 4-Mercaptobenzoic Acid Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy-Based Methods for pH Determination in Cells
Authors: Scarpitti Brian T. , Morrison Amy M. , Buyanova Marina , Schultz Zachary D.
Published: July 2020

Measurements of cellular pH are used to infer information such as stage of cell cycle, presence of cancer and other diseases, as well as delivery or effect of a therapeutic drug. Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) of nanoparticle-based pH probes have been used to interrogate intracellular pH, with the significant advantage of avoiding photobleaching compared to fluorescent indicators. 4-Mercaptobenzoic acid (MBA) is a commonly used pH-sensitive reporter molecule. Intracellular pH sensing by SERS requires analysis of the observed MBA spectrum and spectral interference can affect the pH determination. Background from common cell containers, imaging too few particles, signal-to-noise ratios, and degradation of reporter molecules are among the factors that may alter appropriate SERS-based pH determination in cells. Here, we have compared common methods of spectral analysis to see how different factors alter the calculated pH in Raman maps of MBA functionalized Au nanostars in SW620 cancer cells. The methods included in our comparison use the relative intensity of the ν(COO–) stretch, chemometric analysis of the ν8a mode, and analyzing the frequency shift of the ν8a mode. These methods show different sensitivity to some of these sources of error in live cell experiments. pH determination based on Raman frequency shift appears to give a more reliable pH determination, though in high signal-to-noise environments, intensity ratios may provide better sensitivity to small changes in pH for cellular imaging.
Effects of a nutrition education intervention on fruit and vegetable consumption-related dietary behavioural factors among elementary school children
Authors: Saha Sanjoy , Dawson John , Murimi Mary , Dodd Sara , Oldewage-Theron Wilna
Published: July 2020

Objective:

To increase nutrition knowledge, fruit and vegetable preference, eating and cooking self-efficacy among 3rd- to 5th-grade students after a 6-week school-based nutrition education intervention.

Design:

Quasi-experimental pre–post design.

Setting:

Title I elementary schools, South Plains, West Texas.

Method:

A nutrition education curriculum informed by social cognitive theory was developed and implemented in four Title I elementary schools. A total of 115 children from 3rd to 5th grade (age range: 8–11 years) participated and completed both baseline and post-intervention surveys. The intervention included class-based nutrition education for 25 minutes, and a cooking and tasting session for 20 minutes each week. Nutrition handouts on fruit and vegetable were sent to parents. Face-to-face survey questionnaires were administered on nutrition knowledge, fruit and vegetable preference, fruit and vegetable eating and cooking self-efficacy during pre- and post-surveys. Changes in mean score of nutrition knowledge, fruit and vegetable preference, fruit and vegetable eating and cooking self-efficacy were analysed using paired t-tests.

Results:

Participants showed significant improvements in nutrition knowledge, fruit and vegetable preference, eating and cooking self-efficacy after the intervention.

Conclusion:

Study results suggest that a brief 6-week multi-component and school-based nutrition education intervention had the potential to engage students and create health-promoting behaviours.
Spinners or sitters? Regimes of social reproduction and urban Chinese workers’ employment choices
Authors: Dong Yige
Published: July 2020

Despite China being the world’s factory, its labor market is now primarily service-based with a high level of informality. When formal manufacturing and informal service sectors co-exist, how do workers make their choices? While existing literature focuses on rural migrant workers’ experience in the Chinese labor system, this study extends the analytical scope to low-skill urban workers. Drawing on archival, interview, and ethnographic data in a large industrial city in central China, I compare urban women’s different trajectories in textile manufacturing and informal domestic service. Building on labor regime studies and Social Reproduction Theory, I develop a framework called “regimes of social reproduction” to explain workers’ job choices. I argue that China’s post-socialist industrial restructuring has given rise to a public–private hybrid regime of social reproduction, which keeps workers’ pension and healthcare schemes in the public domain and pushes childcare, elderly care, and domestic work to the private sphere and then marketizes them. For urban workers, when choosing between formal manufacturing and informal service, it is their position within the regime of social reproduction that plays a decisive role. Their position is assessed along the following two dimensions: (1) the degree of a worker’s dependency on the employment-based welfare provisions and (2) the degree of demand for reproductive labor in a worker’s family. Challenging the conventional view that formal manufacturing jobs are more desirable than informal service jobs, I conclude that under the current regime of social reproduction, the booming informal service market may provide some best earning opportunities for low-skilled urban workers. However, the same regime has also set significant limits on such opportunities as these urbanites’ availability to work is highly contingent on (lack of) demand for reproductive labor from their own family.
Impact of Asian cultural values upon leadership roles and styles
Authors: Arun Korhan , Kahraman Gedik Nesli
Published: July 2020

In light of an increasingly integrated society, in-depth research is needed to explore how particular perceived values may guide leadership behaviour by measuring the everyday actions of employees. As Asian individual values become collective, there is an increased likelihood that they will be perceived as cultural values that translate into expectations of leadership roles. This article considers the impact of changes in leadership roles from a role theory perspective, based on Asian values leading to changes in leadership styles. The sample is taken from an organised industrial zone which consists of a high immigrant workforce that continues to grow. The research was conducted in western Turkey but has appeared in leading survey results on Asian cultural values. This study found significant symbolic interactionism between values and leadership roles. There were also correlations between roles and leadership styles, since leaders also influence the interpersonal roles of their employees. Among managers involved in decision-making and information processing, an autocratic participative leadership style has emerged.

Points for practitioners

In every organisation, leaders should be aware of values in their organisations by measuring the everyday actions of employees. To become proficient leaders, they should learn to act in a manner suitable to the roles expected by their subordinates. Furthermore, to be efficient, leaders should adopt what is considered a ‘proper' style through comparison to the indicated roles. In a nutshell, leadership, values and leadership styles are interference acts that affect all processes, from recruitment to strategic management.
A dental filling composite resin restorative with improved antibacterial function and hardness
Authors: Caneli Gulsah , Chen Yong , Sungsoo Na , Anderson Gregory G , Xie Dong
Published: July 2020

A novel antimicrobial dental composite resin has been developed and evaluated. Alumina filler particles were covalently coated with an antibacterial resin and blended into a composite resin formulation. Surface hardness and bacterial viability were used to evaluate the modified composite resin. Results showed that almost all the modified composite resins exhibited higher antibacterial activity along with improved surface hardness, as compared to unmodified one. Effects of antibacterial moiety content on the modified fillers, modified alumina particle size and loading, and total filler content were investigated. It was found that increasing antibacterial moiety content, particle size and loading of the modified filler, and total filler content generally increased surface hardness. Increasing antibacterial moiety, filler loading and total filler content increased antibacterial activity. On the other hand, increasing particle size showed a negative impact on antibacterial activity. The leaching tests indicate that the modified experimental composite resin showed no leachable antibacterial component to bacteria and 3T3 mouse fibroblasts.
Barriers Faced by Teachers as an Estimator of the Effectiveness of Reform-Based Initiatives
Authors: Soysal Y. , Radmard S.
Published: July 2020

The purpose of this study was to present the barriers experienced by Turkish teachers when required to engage in more learner-centered teaching and to determine the extent of their awareness of attempts to reform the curriculum. A natural inquiry was conducted. Six themes related to the teachers’ barrier definitions were abstracted. The teachers had low levels of awareness of the reform-based initiatives. The teachers had a pedagogical orientation by which they were not able to conceptualize the true barriers that might be faced during authentic learner-centered teaching. Recommendations for professional development and further research are offered.
Research at the Intersection of Entrepreneurship, Supply Chain Management, and Strategic Management: Opportunities Highlighted by COVID-19
Authors: Ketchen David J. , Craighead Christopher W.
Published: July 2020

Since the early 2000s, research at the intersection of entrepreneurship and strategic management has flourished, as has work at the intersection of strategic management and supply chain management. In contrast, little inquiry has occurred at the intersection of entrepreneurship and supply chain management. This presents a tremendous opportunity, as does the relative lack of work bringing together all three fields. We seek to set the stage for exploiting these opportunities by first describing how incorporating a series of key supply chain concepts—omni-channel, last-mile delivery, supply chain agility, supply chain resiliency, and service recovery—could enrich entrepreneurship research. We then explain how the boundaries of key entrepreneurship concepts—opportunity, entrepreneurial orientation, optimal distinctiveness, bricolage, and fear of failure—could be extended to the supply chain context. Both of these moves bring strategic management concepts into play, as well. In accomplishing our tasks, we draw on examples from how firms attempted to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic via moves spanning entrepreneurship, supply chain management, and strategic management.
The dyadic influences of mindfulness on relationship functioning
Authors: McGill Julianne M. , Burke Leah K. , Adler-Baeder Francesca
Published: July 2020

Using family stress and coping theory, the current study assessed dyadic influences of specific facets of mindfulness ( nonreactivity, acting with awareness, and nonjudgment), accounting for stress levels, on relationship quality and sexual satisfaction in an ethnically and economically diverse sample of 847 married and unmarried heterosexual couples. Results from actor–partner interdependence models indicated a positive association between one’s own report and partners’ report of nonreactivity and one’s own reports of relationship quality for both men and women. Men’s and women’s acting with awareness was associated with women’s sexual satisfaction. Nonjudgment was not uniquely associated with one’s own or one’s partner’s relationship quality or sexual satisfaction. Since the majority of research on mindfulness and relationship quality uses broad global measures of mindfulness, this study provides novel information on the comparative strength of dimensions of mindfulness on distinct areas of couple functioning using a dyadic approach. Suggestions for future work and implications for research and practice are discussed.
The evolving role of the modern perfusionist: insights from transesophageal echocardiography
Authors: Bouchez Stefaan , De Somer Filip
Published: July 2020

Transesophageal echocardiography is a relatively non-invasive, mobile, safe imaging technique that is ideal for providing real-time information on cardiac anatomy and function during heart surgery. The technology has evolved from two-dimensional to real-time three-dimensional imaging during cardiac procedures, which has significantly benefited preoperative planning, intraoperative guidance, evaluation, and postoperative follow-up. Transesophageal echocardiography may serve the clinical perfusionist by providing imaging guidance for identifying potential problems before cardiopulmonary bypass, guiding the proper placement of cannulas, monitoring cardiac performance on cardiopulmonary bypass, and providing useful feedback during weaning from cardiopulmonary bypass. Although the perfusionist should be able to understand all echocardiographic images and measurements in depth, perfusion-related echocardiographic information can or should be used to optimize the clinical practice of the modern perfusionist. Vice versa, whenever the perfusionist suspects a problem, the surgical team including the sonographer should verify this “clinical treat” by echocardiography whenever possible.
The effect of Qigong-based therapy on patients with Parkinson’s disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Chen Shihui , Zhang Yanjie , Wang Yong Tai , Liu Xiaolei , Song Wook , Du Xiru
Published: July 2020

Objective:

This study was to evaluate the effects of Qigong on clinical motor symptoms, walking ability, and balance of patients with Parkinson’s disease.

Data sources:

Seven electronic databases (MEDLINE, Web of Science, CINAHL, SportDiscus, Scopus, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and Wanfang Database) were searched from inception to June 28, 2020.

Methods:

Two reviewers independently selected and extracted the data from studies with randomized controlled trial, and effect sizes were calculated by employing random-effect models with 95% confidential interval (CI). We used Physiotherapy Evidence Database scale to evaluate the quality of included studies.

Results:

A total of seven studies with 325 participants (180 males and 145 females) were included in this meta-analysis. Results of this meta-analysis showed that Qigong had significantly positive effects on motor symptoms ( SMD = 0.59, 95% CI [0.24, 0.93]), walking ability ( SMD = 0.78, 95% CI [0.10, 1.47]), and balance ( SMD = 0.72, 95% CI [0.23, 1.20]) in patients with Parkinson’s disease. Subgroup analysis showed Qigong exercise had significant difference on improving motor symptoms and walking ability compared to passive control ( P < 0.01), and no significant difference compared to active control. Subgroup analysis of Qigong exercise revealed a significant difference on balance compared to both active and passive control ( P < 0.05). In addition, meta-regression result indicated that the effect of Qigong exercise on motor symptoms was influenced by age.

Conclusion:

The findings from current meta-analysis supported Qigong exercise as a beneficial alternative therapy may contribute to increasing motor function, walking ability, and balance for patients with Parkinson’s disease.
Involvement of natural killer cells in the pathogenesis of endometriosis in patients with pelvic pain
Authors: He Jue , Xu Yan , Yi Minhui , Gu Cancan , Zhu Yi , Hu Guohua
Published: July 2020

Objectives

To detect the involvement of immune cells in the pathogenesis of endometriosis in patients with stable status or pelvic pain.

Methods

Blood was collected from patients with endometriosis with and without pelvic pain. Natural killer (NK) and Th17 cells were analyzed by flow cytometry, and secretion of inflammatory cytokines (tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, IL-7) was verified by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. We isolated immune cells from blood by density-gradient centrifugation to investigate the expression of functional molecules including sterile alpha motif domain-containing protein 9 (SAMD9), Ral guanine nucleotide dissociation stimulator-like 2 (RGL2), early growth response protein 1, and Akirin2. We also searched the BIOGPS database for protein expression profiles.

Results

SAMD9 and RGL2 expression levels were significantly upregulated in patients with pelvic pain. Furthermore, lysophosphatidic acid receptor 1 expression was higher in endometrial tissues from patients with pelvic pain, and was mainly localized in stromal and glandular epithelial cells in ectopic lesions.

Conclusion

NK cells play an important role in the pathogenesis of endometriosis in patients with pelvic pain. Suppressing the cytotoxic activity of NK cells may thus help to reduce the progression of pelvic pain in patients with endometriosis.
The use of genomic tests in patients with breast cancer in Lombardy: a successful healthcare model
Authors: Pruneri Giancarlo , Tondini Carlo Alberto
Published: July 2020

Background:

The accurate identification of patients with early breast cancer (eBC) suitable for adjuvant chemotherapy is essential in order to avoid overtreatment or undertreatment. For eBC patients with luminal (HR+/HER2−) intermediate risk disease, multigene assays (MGAs) have been convincingly reported to be useful in guiding treatment decisions. The most recently published data and recommendations from main International Guidelines and Heath Technology Assessment reports confirmed the benefit of MGAs in guiding treatment decisions for clinically intermediate risk patients, and led several countries to test reimbursement.

Purpose:

This article describes the process followed by the Lombardy region in Italy regarding the reimbursement of MGAs for patients with eBC, based on the results of a prospective clinical trial.

Results:

The study shows that the use of Oncotype DX allowed avoiding the use of unnecessary adjuvant chemotherapy in 50% of patients for whom chemotherapy was initially recommended according to traditional clinical practice. On the basis of these data, a group of oncologists in collaboration with a pathologist regional board formally requested authorization for MGA reimbursement in Lombardy. Acknowledging the strategic importance of the proposal, the Lombardy region approved the reimbursement of MGAs for resident patients with luminal eBC at intermediate clinical risk. It can be assumed that about 1500 patients will be tested in Lombardy per year and this should allow the Regional Health Service to save more than 750 chemotherapies/year.

Conclusion:

The introduction of MGAs in the clinical evaluation of patients with luminal eBC with intermediate risk is economically sustainable and contributes towards preserving quality of life of eligible women.
Capacity Modeling of Permitted Left-Turn Signalized Intersections with Probabilistic Priority
Authors: Wang Daobin , Yang Guangchuan , Tian Zong , Liu Wei , Wei Dali
Published: July 2020

Probabilistic yielding behavior is commonly observed at permitted left-turn signalized intersections in China. Nevertheless, its impact on traffic capacity has not been explored in existing research. The uniqueness of this traffic operation is that neither left-turn traffic nor through traffic holds an absolute priority. Based on queuing theory, this research developed an analytical capacity model that took into account the probabilistic priority phenomenon at permitted left-turn signals. To validate the developed capacity model, stochastic simulations with different combinations of left-turn traffic yielding rates and through-traffic flow rates were performed. It was found that modeling results from the analytical model precisely matched the stochastic simulation results. In comparison with traditional capacity estimation models that assumed through traffic holds an absolute priority, this research revealed that when through-traffic flow rate is around 1000 vehicles per hour (vph), the capacity of left-turn traffic increased from 233 vph to 536 vph when left-turn traffic yielding rates decrease from 1 to 0.2; whereas when left-turn traffic yielding rates decreased from 0.2 to 0, left-turn capacity increased sharply to 1200 vehicles per hour (vph). In this regard, it is critical to take into account the probabilistic left-turn yield behavior when developing permitted left-turn signal warrants.
Impact of Stochasticity on Traffic Flow Dynamics in Macroscopic Continuum Models
Authors: Zheng Shi-Teng , Jiang Rui , Jia Bin , Tian Junfang , Gao Ziyou
Published: July 2020

Stochasticity is an indispensable factor for describing real traffic situations. Recent experimental study has shown that a model spanning a two-dimensional speed–spacing (or speed–density) relationship has the potential to reproduce the characteristics of traffic flow in both experiments and empirical observations. This paper studies the impact of stochasticity on traffic flow in macroscopic models utilizing the stochastic flow–density relationship. Numerical analysis is conducted under the periodic boundary to study the impact of stochasticity on stability. Traffic flow upstream of a bottleneck is also investigated to study the impact of stochasticity on the oscillation growth feature. It is shown that there is only a quantitative difference for model stability after introducing stochasticity. In contrast, a qualitative change of the traffic oscillation growth feature can be clearly observed. With the introduction of stochasticity, traffic oscillations begin to grow in a concave way along the road. Sensitivity analysis is also performed. It is found that, under the stochastic flow–density relationship: (i) with the decrease of relaxation time, the second-order model becomes stable; (ii) the smaller the propagation speed of small disturbance, the much stronger the traffic oscillation; (iii) the larger the fluctuation range, the sooner the traffic oscillation fully develops; and (iv) the changing probability has trivial impact on the simulation results. Finally, model calibration and validation are conducted. It is shown that the experimental spatiotemporal patterns can be captured by macroscopic models under the stochastic flow–density relationship, especially the second-order model.
Human Rotator Cuff Tears Have an Endogenous, Inducible Stem Cell Source Capable of Improving Muscle Quality and Function After Rotator Cuff Repair
Authors: Feeley Brian T. , Liu Mengyao , Ma C. Benjamin , Agha Obiajulu , Aung Mya , Lee Carlin , Liu Xuhui
Published: July 2020

Background:

The muscle quality of the rotator cuff (RC), measured by atrophy and fatty infiltration (FI), is a key determinant of outcomes in RC injury and repair. The ability to regenerate muscle after repair has been shown to be limited.

Purpose:

To determine if there is a source of resident endogenous stem cells, fibroadipogenic progenitor cells (FAPs), within RC injury patients, and if these cells are capable of adipogenic, fibrogenic, and pro-myogenic differentiation.

Study Design:

Controlled laboratory study.

Methods:

A total of 20 patients between the ages of 40 and 75 years with partial- or full-thickness RC tears of the supraspinatus and evidence of atrophy and FI Goutallier grade 1, 2, or 3 were selected from 2 surgeons at an orthopaedic center. During the surgical repair procedure, supraspinatus muscle biopsy specimens were obtained for analysis as were deltoid muscle biopsy specimens to serve as the control. FAPs and satellite cells were quantified using fluorescence-activated cell sorting. Muscle FI and fibrosis was quantified using Oil Red O and Masson trichrome staining. FAP differentiation and gene expression profiles were compared across tear sizes after culture in adipogenic, fibrogenic, and beta-3 agonist (amibegron) conditions. Analysis of variance was used for statistical comparisons between groups, with P < .05 as statistically significant.

Results:

Histologic analysis confirmed the presence of fat in biopsy specimens from patients with full-thickness tears. There were more FAPs in the full-thickness tear group compared with the partial-thickness tear group (9.43% ± 4.25% vs 3.84% ± 2.54%; P < .01). Full-thickness tears were divided by tear size, with patients with larger tears having significantly more FAPs than those with smaller tears. FAPs from muscles with full-thickness tendon tears had more adipogenic and fibrogenic potential than those with partial tears. Induction of a beige adipose tissue (BAT) phenotype in FAPs was possible, as demonstrated by increased expression of BAT markers and pro-myogenic genes including insulin-like growth factor 1 and follistatin.

Conclusion:

Endogenous FAPs are present within the RC and likely are the source of FI. These FAPs were increased in muscles with in larger tears but are capable of adopting a pro-myogenic BAT phenotype that could be utilized to improve muscle quality and patient function after RC repair.
Early Surgical Repair of Medial Meniscus Posterior Root Tear Minimizes the Progression of Meniscal Extrusion: 2-Year Follow-up of Clinical and Radiographic Parameters After Arthroscopic Transtibial Pull-out Repair
Authors: Moon Hyun-Soo , Choi Chong-Hyuk , Jung Min , Lee Dae-Young , Hong Seung-Pyo , Kim Sung-Hwan
Published: July 2020

Background:

Conflicting results have been reported concerning the progression of medial meniscal extrusion (MME) after arthroscopic transtibial pull-out repair of medial meniscus posterior root tear (MMRT), and no study has evaluated the relevant factors affecting the progression of MME.

Purpose:

To (1) evaluate the subjective and objective surgical outcomes of arthroscopic transtibial pull-out repair of MMRT and (2) identify relevant factors affecting the progression of MME after surgery.

Study Design:

Case-control study; Level of evidence, 3.

Methods:

A total of 63 patients who underwent isolated arthroscopic transtibial pull-out repair of MMRT between January 2010 and June 2017 were evaluated retrospectively. Clinical scores and various radiographic parameters were evaluated to assess the surgical outcomes. The patients were classified into 2 groups according to the change in medial meniscal extrusion ratio (MMER) at 1 year after surgery compared with before surgery (group 1 consisted of 21 patients with reduced or maintained MMER; group 2 consisted of 42 patients with increased MMER). Variables including baseline demographics, radiographic parameters, and arthroscopic findings were compared to identify relevant factors affecting the progression of MME after surgery.

Results:

In the overall cohort, clinical outcomes at postoperative 2 years improved significantly ( P < .001 for visual analog scale score, International Knee Documentation Committee subjective score, and Lysholm score), whereas radiographic parameters showed an overall deterioration compared with the preoperative level. In subgroup comparisons, a significant difference was seen in the time from the onset of symptoms until surgery ( P < .001), defined as preoperative symptom duration, which a subsequent logistic regression analysis revealed to be a relevant factor associated with the progression of MMER ( P = .015). Both groups showed progression of radiographic osteoarthritis, but the progression was significantly higher in group 2 compared with group 1 at postoperative 2 years ( P = .032). On receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, the cutoff point for preoperative symptom duration associated with the progression of MMER was 13 weeks (sensitivity, 52.4%; specificity, 76.2%; accuracy, 72.4%).

Conclusion:

The arthroscopic transtibial pull-out repair of MMRT showed clinical improvement but did not prevent the progression of knee osteoarthritis, MME, or MMER. Although the preservation of MMER was not capable of completely preventing the progression of knee degeneration, MMER still has a potential clinical value in delaying the rate of progression of knee degeneration. Early surgical repair of MMRT, within 13 weeks from the onset of symptoms, might be helpful to prevent the progression of MME.
Detecting Students’ Flow States and Their Construct Through Electroencephalogram: Reflective Flow Experiences, Balance of Challenge and Skill, and Sense of Control
Authors: Wu Shu-Fen , Lu Yu-Ling , Lien Chi-Jui
Published: July 2020

Previous studies measured flow states using students’ self-reported experiences, resulting in issues regarding nonobjective and nonreal-time data. Thus, this study used an electroencephalogram (EEG) to measure the EEG-detected real-time flow states (EEG-Fs) of 30 students from the 4th and 5th grades. Their EEG measurements, self-reported reflective flow experiences (SR-Fs), grade levels (GLs), balance of challenge and skill (BCS), and sense of control, represented by their overall test performance (OA-tp) and momentary test performance (MOM-tp), were analyzed to establish their EEG-F’s construct. Based on the results of a chi-square test, the EEG-F correlates significantly with SR-F, BCS, OA-tp, and MOM-tp. A J48 decision tree analysis and logistic regression further revealed that in-flow experiences (in-EEG-F) were detected when students had high SR-Fs, where the BCS contributed to flow states. In particular, students with a low-challenge/high-skill BCS demonstrated an in-EEG-F state upon having a high OA-tp. For high-challenge/high-skill, the in-EEG-F state was determined through their MOM-tp. Through the EEG and flow state construct, this study revealed a whole-part association between students’ momentary and overall reflective flow experiences and identified viable paths for inducing students’ EEG-Fs, which can contribute to future e-learning development when integrated with a brain-computer interface for e-learning or e-evaluation systems.
Biocidal activity of curcumin and cationic polymer possessing composites
Authors: Eren Tarık , Baysal Gülay , Doğan Faik
Published: July 2020

There is a growing interest in new type of biocidal compounds with antibacterial properties against bacteria. In this study, new antibacterial synthetic materials bearing curcumin and cationic polymers were synthesized. In the synthesis stage, the methacrylate functional cationic monomer was synthesized via the Michael addition route by using 3-acryloxy-2-hydroxypropyl methacrylate and 3-amino pyridine to obtain Monomer 1. Monomer 1 was further quaternized with hexyl bromide to obtain a cationic methacrylate functional monomer. Free-radical polymerization of Monomer 1 and methyl acrylate was conducted in the presence of azobisisobutyronitrile under dimethylformamide solvent. The composite formulation was conducted by using turmeric extract Curcuma longa (curcumin), hydroxyapatite, montmorillonite, and silver nitrate. The materials were analyzed by using the methods of X-ray diffraction, nuclear magnetic resonance, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. The biocidal activities against the bacteria Escherichia coli, Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella, and Staphylococcus aureus were analyzed using agar well diffusion method. From the Fourier transform infrared, X-ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy analysis results of the synthesized nanocomposites, it is seen that they form strong connections with the components added to the composites and form an exfoliated structure. According to the antibacterial analysis results, the nanocomposites obtained have showed a strong antibacterial resistance against E.coli, L.monocytogenes, Salmonella, and S. aureus bacteria, and the high inhibition zone areas were obtained.
Children, childhoods, and everyday militarisms
Authors: Beier J Marshall , Tabak Jana
Published: July 2020

Like childhood, thinking critically about militarism can entail a great deal of unlearning before coming to a more nuanced understanding of what lies beyond the signifier. Just as childhoods are multiple, overlapping, contingent, and bound up in many more aspects of our social worlds than is apparent if we look only for the child, so too militarism. The ways in which militarisms intersect childhoods and vice versa, therefore, call us to reflect not only on the conspicuous presence of militaries as institutions or on life in zones of conflict, but on the everyday lives of children everywhere in all their complexity and diversity.
Collaborative multidisciplinary learning: Quantity surveying students’ perspectives
Authors: Ekundayo Damilola , Shelbourn Mark , Babatunde Solomon Olusola
Published: July 2020

The construction industry is highly fragmented and is known for its adversarial culture, culminating in poor quality projects not completed on time or within budget. The aim of this study is thus to guide the design of quantity surveying (QS) programme curricula in order to help students develop the requisite knowledge and skills to work more collaboratively in their multidisciplinary future workplaces. A qualitative approach was considered appropriate as the authors were concerned with gathering an initial understanding of what students think of multidisciplinary learning. The data collection method used was a questionnaire developed by the Behaviours4Collaboration (B4C) team. Knowledge gaps were still found across all the key areas in which a future QS practitioner needs to be collaborative (either as a Project Contributor or as a Project Leader), despite the need for change instigated by the multidisciplinary revolution in building information modelling (BIM) education. The study concludes that universities will need to be selective in teaching, and innovative in reorienting, QS education so that a collaborative BIM education can be effected in stages, increasing in complexity as the students’ technical knowledge grows. This will help students to build the competencies needed to make them future leaders. It will also support programme currency and delivery.