bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Theoretical basis for phase field modeling of polycrystalline grain growth using a spherical-Gaussian-based 5-D computational approach
Authors: Yeo Lenissongui C. , Costa Michael N. , Bair Jacob L.
Published: March 2022

Using a previously developed phase field modeling method, where interface energies are described by spherical gaussians that allow the modeling of complex anisotropies, a new phase field model was developed to model 5-D anisotropy in polycrystalline grain growth. We present the use of quaternions, assigned to individual grains as orientations and misorientations for grain boundaries, as a means of simulating the ongoing mesoscale changes during anisotropic polycrystalline grain growth. The full 5-D landscape is scanned in MATLAB, and the grain boundary (GB) energy of each grain boundary is calculated from the continuous function developed by Bulatov et al. MATLAB is then used to find all local minima in the GB energy which are stored for use in the phase field model. The methodology of including these minima in the phase field model involves using 2-D gaussian switches, which match the misorientation between grains with misorientations for the GB energy minima. Within a threshold range of the minima misorientation, the switch activates a spherical Gaussian to set the GB energy to the desired value creating in combination a full 5D GB energy space. This creates a GB energy that morphs in real time and space as the GB plane or grain orientations change. Implementation methods of the model are outlined for the Multiphysics Object Oriented Simulation Environment (MOOSE), where reduced order parameters still retain individual grain identification useful for individually assigned quaternions.
Successful medical treatment of west syndrome with a KCNA2 variant: a case report
Authors: Wang Han , Zhu Yanwei , Cao Dezhi , Chen Hong , Ding Xin , Zeng Qi , Zou Huafang , Liao Jianxiang
Published: March 2022

Background

West syndrome is a devastating disorder characterized by a triad of epileptic spasms, abnormal electroencephalography (EEG), and developmental arrest or psychomotor delay. In addition to early diagnosis, knowing the etiology of the condition is also important for its treatment. Among various etiologies, the genetic factors, especially mutations of ion channel genes, are very common and strongly linked to West syndrome.

Case presentation

A boy who had epileptic spasms from the age of 4 months was diagnosed with West syndrome based on the clinical manifestation and EEG results in Shenzhen Children’s Hospital in June 2019. Trios whole-exome sequencing (WES) test and protein structural model prediction were performed. We also reviewed the clinical and genetic features of this syndrome and the mechanisms of action of topiramate (TPM) by literature search in databases of Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man, Clinical Genome Resource, PubMed, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure and Wanfang database using keywords “KCNA2” “West syndrome” and “Topiramate” by December 2020. The relationship between the effect of TPM and the pathogenesis of the KCNA2 variant was also assessed. The WES test revealed c.244C > T/p. Arg82Cys varaint of KCNA2 (NM_004974.3) in this patient, and Sanger sequencing identified this was a de novo mutation. As far as we know, this is the first report of the c.244C > T/p. Arg82Cys variant in KCNA2, which was likely a pathogenic mutation. The seizures were successfully controlled for 10 months by TPM after failure of sodium valproate, large doses of vitamin B6, and adrenocorticotropic hormone. We speculate that the therapeutic effect of TPM in this patient is partially due to the inhibition of carbonic anhydrase.

Conclusions

Mutations in the KCNA2 gene should be considered for patients with West syndrome. The TPM treatment is probably effective for KCNA2-associated disorders.
Artificial intelligence in orthopedic surgery: evolution, current state and future directions
Authors: Kurmis Andrew P. , Ianunzio Jamie R.
Published: March 2022

Technological advances continue to evolve at a breath-taking pace. Computer-navigation, robot-assistance and three-dimensional digital planning have become commonplace in many parts of the world. With near exponential advances in computer processing capacity, and the advent, progressive understanding and refinement of software algorithms, medicine and orthopaedic surgery have begun to delve into artificial intelligence (AI) systems. While for some, such applications still seem in the realm of science fiction, these technologies are already in selective clinical use and are likely to soon see wider uptake. The purpose of this structured review was to provide an understandable summary to non-academic orthopaedic surgeons, exploring key definitions and basic development principles of AI technology as it currently stands. To ensure content validity and representativeness, a structured, systematic review was performed following the accepted PRISMA principles. The paper concludes with a forward-look into heralded and potential applications of AI technology in orthopedic surgery.

While not intended to be a detailed technical description of the complex processing that underpins AI applications, this work will take a small step forward in demystifying some of the commonly-held misconceptions regarding AI and its potential benefits to patients and surgeons. With evidence-supported broader awareness, we aim to foster an open-mindedness among clinicians toward such technologies in the future.
Endovascular treatment of femoral artery blow-out caused by skin malignancy
Authors: Hekimoglu Azad , Ergun Onur , Birgi Erdem , Balas Sener
Published: March 2022

Background

Vascular blow-out syndrome is a life-threatening bleeding condition that usually occurs in the carotid arteries as a result of invasion of head and neck malignant tumors. There are several case reports in the literature on peripheral vascular blow out. To our knowledge, there is no other case report in the literature on blow-out in the femoral artery secondary to skin malignancy.

Case presentation

A 66-year-old male patient, who was diagnosed with skin squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) as a result of tissue sampling due to redness and stiffness in the left inguinal region, underwent emergency surgery with severe bleeding. Since edema and deformations on the skin did not render the operation possible, the patient was taken to the interventional radiology unit by applying pressure compression onto the bleeding area for urgent endovascular treatment. The patient was treated with a stent-graft.

Conclusion

The femoral blow-out is an emergency condition that needs to be managed aggressively, and if left untreated, it can cause serious bleeding, limb ischemia, limb loss, or death. Endovascular stent-graft placement is the first method that should be considered, and this method provides fast and effective treatment.
Potentials of N-(2, 4-dinitro-1-naphthyl)-p-toluenesulphonamide and 2, 4-dinitro-1-naphthol as novel charge transfer acceptors in pharmaceutical analysis of some quinolones and cephalosporins
Authors: Umoh O. E. , Adegoke O. A. , Effiong D. E.
Published: March 2022

Background

Quinolones and cephalosporins are antibiotic agents with activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. They contain chromophores and amine groups which are electron-rich centres capable of donating electrons to electron-deficient compounds. A survey of the literature revealed that 2, 4-dinitro-1-naphthol, a nitroaromatic useful in chemical synthesis, can accept electrons in charge transfer reactions. This work investigatesN-(2, 4-dinitro-1-naphthyl)-p-toluenesulphonamide and 2, 4-dinitro-1-naphthol in the formation of charge transfer complexes by accepting electrons from selected quinolones and cephalosporins. Five other nitroaromatics (i.e. 4-nitro-1-naphthylamine, 2-nitro-1-naphthol, 2,4-dinitro-1-naphthylamine, 1-nitronaphthalene and 1,4-dinitronaphthalene) were screened in addition to the aforementioned and compared for charge transfer complexes formation. Spot test was used to establish charge transfer complex formation at room and elevated temperatures with determination done by visual inspection and thin layer chromatographic analysis of the reaction mixture. Ultraviolet visible absorption spectroscopy was used to estimate the extent of complexes.

Results

Only solutions of adducts ofN-(2, 4-dinitro-1-naphthyl)-p-toluenesulphonamide and 2, 4-dinitro-1-naphthol gave instant and distinct colour with each drug used at room and elevated temperature. While the former gave deep golden yellow, the latter gave golden yellow against their blank reagent solutions which were, lemon and greenish yellow respectively. Visual inspections of 2-nitro-1-naphthol adduct solutions showed no colour change from the yellow colour of the blank reagent solution, even though the Ultraviolet visible absorption spectra revealed the formation of charge transfer complexes. The adducts solutions of 4-nitro-1-naphthylamine, 2,4-dinitro-1-naphthylamine, 1-nitronaphthalene and 1,4-dinitronaphthalene showed no colour change from their blank reagent solutions and their Ultraviolet visible absorption spectra revealed no formation of charge transfer complexes.

Conclusion

Ultraviolet visible absorption spectral analysis shows superiority ofN-(2, 4-dinitro-1-naphthyl)-p-toluenesulphonamide and 2, 4-dinitro-1-naphthol in charge-transfer complex formation over other nitroaromatics screened.N-(2, 4-dinitro-1-naphthyl)-p-toluenesulphonamide and 2, 4-dinitro-1-naphthol are good acceptors of electrons from these drugs, hence could be useful as charge transfer reagents in ultraviolet visible spectrophotometric analysis of these drugs.
Iterative deblending using MultiResUNet with multilevel blending noise for training and transfer learning
Authors: Wang Benfeng , Li Jiakuo , Han Dong
Published: March 2022

Blended seismic acquisition has improved the efficiency of land and marine data acquisition significantly. Nevertheless, the consequent blending noise poses challenges for subsequent seismic imaging and inversion. Therefore, deblending algorithms are being widely investigated. To improve the deblending performance and efficiency of traditional deblending algorithms, a new method is proposed that we call multiresolution ResUNet (MultiResUNet) trained on data sets with multilevel blending noise. The trained MultiResUNet is optimal for iterative deblending. MultiResUNet combines the advantages of a residual learning network (ResNet) and U-net. We apply a scalar factor to the synthetic blending noise to construct a training data set with multilevel blending noise contamination, which is designed to train and fine-tune MultiResUNet to detect weak blending noise and effectively retrieve signals in an iterative manner. The proposed method attenuates the blending noise iteratively, leading to an improved performance compared with the conventional curvelet transform-based thresholding algorithm or MultiResUNet trained on data sets with single-level blending noise. Because the training and fine tuning of MultiResUNet happens only once up front, the application of the trained MultiResUNet is efficient. To demonstrate the performance of the proposed method, the improved deblending accuracy is verified through comparison on numerical examples. For field data applications, a transfer learning approach is adopted to generalize the MultiResUNet trained on synthetic blended data for accurate deblending.
Generating surface-offset common-image gathers with backward wavefield synthesis
Authors: Yao Jiashun , Warner Michael , Wang Yanghua
Published: March 2022

Surface-offset common-image gathers (CIGs) are an important data format for seismic velocity analysis. However, the reverse time migration (RTM) method, which is wavefield propagation based, does not directly produce surface-offset CIGs because it propagates waves from all the offsets together. Here, we implement the generation of surface-offset CIGs by synthesizing the backward wavefields using the forward wavefields at locations where source and receiver locations overlap. This method produces surface-offset CIGs with high accuracy and low cost when compared with those generated by backpropagating each trace separately. We adopt nonnegative least-squares filters for sparse linear deconvolution. The computational effectiveness of the proposed method increases for higher dimensions, higher-order stencils, and more complicated wave equations. The proposed method works stably on a realistic towed-streamer acquisition system with moderate geometric positioning errors between the locations of airguns and hydrophones.
Stability over time of scores on psychiatric rating scales, questionnaires and cognitive tests in healthy controls
Authors: Stahl Katharina , Adorjan Kristina , Anderson-Schmidt Heike , Budde Monika , Comes Ashley L. , Gade Katrin , Heilbronner Maria , Kalman Janos L. , Klöhn-Saghatolislam Farahnaz , Oraki Kohshour Mojtaba , Papiol Sergi , Reich-Erkelenz Daniela , Schaupp Sabrina K. , Schulte Eva C. , Senner Fanny , Vogl Thomas , Wiltfang Jens , Reininghaus Eva , Falkai Peter , Schulze Thomas G. , Bickeböller Heike , Heilbronner Urs
Published: March 2022

Background

Case-only longitudinal studies are common in psychiatry. Further, it is assumed that psychiatric ratings and questionnaire results of healthy controls stay stable over foreseeable time ranges. For cognitive tests, improvements over time are expected, but data for more than two administrations are scarce.

Aims

We comprehensively investigated the longitudinal course for trends over time in cognitive and symptom measurements for severe mental disorders. Assessments included the Trail Making Tests, verbal Digit Span tests, Global Assessment of Functioning, Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology, the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale, and the Young Mania Rating Scale, among others.

Method

Using the data of control individuals (n = 326) from the PsyCourse study who had up to four assessments over 18 months, we modelled the course using linear mixed models or logistic regression. The slopes or odds ratios were estimated and adjusted for age and gender. We also assessed the robustness of these results using a longitudinal non-parametric test in a sensitivity analysis.

Results

Small effects were detected for most cognitive tests, indicating a performance improvement over time (P < 0.05). However, for most of the symptom rating scales and questionnaires, no effects were detected, in line with our initial hypothesis.

Conclusions

The slightly but consistently improved performance in the cognitive tests speaks of a test-unspecific positive trend, while psychiatric ratings and questionnaire results remain stable over the observed period. These detectable improvements need to be considered when interpreting longitudinal courses. We therefore recommend recruiting control participants if cognitive tests are administered.
PLIN1 Haploinsufficiency Causes a Favorable Metabolic Profile
Authors: Patel Kashyap A , Burman Shivang , Laver Thomas W , Hattersley Andrew T , Frayling Timothy M , Weedon Michael N
Published: March 2022

Context

PLIN1 encodes perilipin-1, which coats lipid droplets in adipocytes and is involved in droplet formation, triglyceride storage, and lipolysis. Rare PLIN1 frameshift variants that extend the translated protein have been described to cause lipodystrophy.

Objective

This work aimed to test whether PLIN1 protein-truncating variants (PTVs) cause lipodystrophy in a large population-based cohort.

Methods

We identified individuals with PLIN1 PTVs in individuals with exome data in the UK Biobank. We performed gene-burden testing for individuals with PLIN1 PTVs. We replicated the associations using data from the T2D Knowledge portal. We performed a phenome-wide association study using publicly available association statistics. A total of 362 791 individuals in the UK Biobank, a population-based cohort, and 43 125 individuals in the T2D Knowledge portal, a type 2 diabetes (T2D) case-control study, were included in the analyses. Main outcome measures included 22 diseases and traits relevant to lipodystrophy.

Results

The 735 individuals with PLIN1 PTVs had a favorable metabolic profile. These individuals had increased high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (0.12 mmol/L; 95% CI, 0.09 to 0.14, P = 2 × 10–18), reduced triglycerides (–0.22 mmol/L; 95% CI, –0.29 to –0.14, P = 3 × 10–11), reduced waist-to-hip ratio (–0.02; 95% CI, –0.02 to –0.01, P = 9 × 10–12), and reduced systolic blood pressure (–1.67 mm Hg; 95% CI, –3.25 to –0.09, P = .05). These associations were consistent in the smaller T2D Knowledge portal cohort. In the UK Biobank, PLIN1 PTVs were associated with reduced risk of myocardial infarction (odds ratio [OR] = 0.59; 95% CI, 0.35 to 0.93, P = .02) and hypertension (OR = 0.85; 95% CI, 0.73 to 0.98, P = .03), but not T2D (OR = 0.99; 95% CI, 0.63-1.51, P = .99).

Conclusion

Our study suggests that PLIN1 haploinsufficiency causes a favorable metabolic profile and may protect against cardiovascular disease.
Progesterone Receptor Status of Epithelial Cells as a Predictive Marker for Postoperative Recurrence of Endometriosis
Authors: Tarumi Yosuke , Mori Taisuke , Shimura Koki , Izumi Yuko , Okimura Hiroyuki , Kataoka Hisashi , Kokabu Tetsuya , Ito Fumitake , Koshiba Akemi , Khan Khaleque N , Kusuki Izumi , Kitawaki Jo
Published: March 2022

Context

Progesterone resistance including progesterone receptor (PR) deficiency contributes to the pathophysiology of endometriosis; however, whether the PR expression levels in ovarian endometrioma (OE) correlate with the postoperative recurrence of endometriosis remains unclear.

Objective

This study aimed to investigate the association between PR expression levels in OE and the recurrence of endometriosis.

Methods

OE specimens were obtained from 132 patients who underwent conservative surgery for endometriosis. The PR expression levels were evaluated using the H score after immunohistochemical staining.

Results

Of the 132 patients, 36 (27.3%) experienced recurrence and 96 (72.7%) did not. No differences were observed in the patient characteristics between the recurrence and nonrecurrence groups except for follow-up period. PR immunoreactivity in the epithelial cells (ECs) was statistically significantly lower in the recurrent group than in the nonrecurrent group (P < .01); however, this change was not observed in the stromal cells. Moreover, multivariable logistic regression analysis revealed that the H score of PR in ECs was an independent factor and was statistically significantly associated with the recurrence of endometriosis (P = .01). Furthermore, we divided the patients into PR-negative or PR-positive groups. The cumulative recurrence rate in the negative PR group was statistically significantly higher than that in the positive PR group (P = .046).

Conclusion

Low PR expression levels in OE-ECs may predict the recurrence of endometriosis. The PR status in OE-ECs is associated with the pathophysiology of the recurrence of endometriosis, and optimized postoperative management for endometriosis may be provided by referring to the PR status.
Structure of Aqueous Scandium(III) Nitrate Solution by Large-Angle X-ray Scattering Combined with Empirical Potential Refinement Modeling, X-ray Absorption Fine Structure, and Discrete Variational Xα Calculations
Authors: Yamaguchi Toshio , Higa Sota , Yoshida Koji , Sumitani Kazushi , Kurisaki Tsutomu
Published: March 2022

Large-Angle X-ray scattering (LAXS) and Sc K X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) measurements are made at room temperature on a 1 M (= mol dm−3) Sc(NO3)3 aqueous solution. The X-ray interference function is subjected to an empirical potential structure refinement (EPSR) modeling to extract the site-site pair correlation functions, the coordination number distribution, and the spatial density functions (three-dimensional structure). The LAXS analysis combined with EPSR reveals that Sc3+ is surrounded by six or seven water molecules and one oxygen atom of NO3− with an Sc3+-Ow (H2O) and Sc3+-ON (NO3−) distance of 2.14 Å. NO3− has a weak solvation shell with a broad distribution of coordination numbers with the highest population of nine at an N-Ow distance of 3.66 Å. Solvent water forms the tetrahedral network structure. The XANES spectrum is compared with simulated spectra on various coordination geometries of an ScO7 moiety with a discrete variational Xα (DV-Xα) molecular orbital (MO) method. A distorted monocapped trigonal prism structure of Sc3+ best reproduced the experimental pre-peak due to the Sc 1s → 3d transition in the XANES spectrum.
Five new Diplommatinidae of the genera Arinia H. et A. Adams, 1856, Notharinia Vermeulen, Phung et Truong, 2007, and Opisthostoma W. T. Blanford et H. Blandford, 1860 (Gastropoda: Caenogastropoda) from Borneo
Authors: Vermeulen Jaap J. , Khalik Mohd Zacaery
Published: March 2022

Five new species are described: Arinia bathyodon sp. nov., A. congener sp. nov., A. semiconica sp. nov., Notharinia xenos sp. nov. and Opisthostoma hemituba sp. nov., all belonging to the family Diplommatinidae. They occur on limestone hills in Borneo: Sarawak (Malaysia) and East Kalimantan (Indonesia).
The Impact of Green Practices in Value Chain on Firm Performance in the Context of a Developing Country
Authors: Ong Jeen Wei , Goh Gerald Guan Gan , Yong Sally Hui Siang
Published: March 2022

Background: Companies need to go green to remain relevant. Previous studies have confirmed that going green leads to superior performance for companies. However, research of green practices in a value chain requires further attention, especially in identifying the green value chain activities that lead to superior performance. A value chain analysis focuses on identifying competitive advantages of firms through five primary and four support activities.

Methods: This study extends from Ong et al. (2019), who developed and validated the instrument for the nine green value chain activities, to also examine their effect on firm performance. The 207 valid responses in this study are collected through a questionnaire survey of the sampling frame consisting of companies in Bursa Malaysia and the Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers Directory.

Results: The findings reveal that the companies’ green practices in primary value chain activities are higher than in the supporting value chain activities. Technological development is the activity with the lowest green attention among the nine value chain activities. Our multiple regression analysis shows that 25% of the variation in firm performance can be significantly explained by the nine green value chain activities. In terms of the individual green value chain activities, green technology development is the only activity that can positively and significantly explain firm performance.

Conclusions: The findings of the study suggest that companies intending to build their green core competence need to engage in green technology development. Companies that go green for the purpose of complying to regulations and fulfilling minimum customers’ demands can still embed green practices into their green value chain without compromising their performance.
Effect of technological innovation capabilities on the performance of selected manufacturing small and medium enterprises in Lagos State
Authors: Okpalaoka Chijindu , Ogunnaike Olaleke , Kalu Abigail , Yaya Temitope , Usendiah Edu , Emmanuel Ephraim
Published: March 2022

Background: The issue of technological adoption and innovation in businesses as always been a big problem to organizations, especially manufacturing small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Lagos state, Nigeria. The emphasis has therefore always been on how to adopt new technologies and innovations in improving and scaling profit or the profitability heights in businesses or SMEs.

Methods: The main purpose of this research work is to have an understanding of the effect of technological innovation capabilities on the performance of selected manufacturing SMEs in Lagos State. This research work made use of a descriptive and causal research design as well as survey methods to examine whether technological learning capability affects the profitability of selected manufacturing SMEs in Lagos State and to determine whether resource allocation capability promotes sales growth amongst these manufacturing SMEs.

Results: Findings showed that research and development capability have a significant impact on the value creation of selected manufacturing SMEs in Lagos. The research concluded that technological innovation capabilities have a positive impact on the performance of selected manufacturing SMEs in Lagos. In addition, the study recommended that manufacturing SMEs in Lagos, Nigeria, Africa and the globe should implement technological learning and the use of technology in their production process. Lastly, this research recommended that future research should focus on SMEs in other geopolitical zones or states.
Patient Routing to Skilled Nursing Facilities: The Consequences of the Medicare Reimbursement Rule
Authors: Jin Ginger Zhe , Lee Ajin , Lu Susan Feng
Published: March 2022

Medicare does not pay for a skilled nursing facility (SNF) unless a fee-for-service patient has stayed in the hospital for at least three days. This Medicare reimbursement rule, or the “three-day rule,” provides full coverage for the first 20 days and partial coverage for days 21–100 for skilled nursing care provided at any Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services-approved SNF. In this paper, we study how this Medicare reimbursement rule affects patient routing to SNFs and whether an SNF discharge reduces patients’ 30-day hospital readmission rates. Data analysis shows that Medicare patients are more likely to be discharged to an SNF rather than home after the three-day cutoff, and SNF discharges increase hospital readmission rates for Medicare day 3 patients. This perverse effect is driven by infection-related readmissions and is more likely to occur when local SNFs have lower occupancy rates and higher deficiency citations than the median SNF of the same state-year. Back-of-the-envelope calculation suggests that the three-day rule may have generated an extra Medicare cost of $71 million to $345 million per year due to the overuse of SNFs and the subsequent rise in hospital readmissions. Replacing the three-day rule with a machine-learning algorithm mimicking private insurers would help.

This paper was accepted by Stefan Scholtes, healthcare management.

Supplemental Material: The online appendix and data are available at https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2022.4316 .
Heavy-Traffic Analysis of Queueing Systems with No Complete Resource Pooling
Authors: Hurtado Lange Daniela Andrea , Maguluri Siva Theja
Published: March 2022

We study the heavy-traffic limit of the generalized switch operating under MaxWeight, without assuming that the complete resource pooling condition is satisfied and allowing for correlated arrivals. The main contribution of this paper is the steady-state mean of linear combinations of queue lengths in heavy traffic. We showcase the generality of our result by presenting various stochastic networks as corollaries, each of which is a contribution by itself. In particular, we study the input-queued switch with correlated arrivals, and we show that, if the state space collapses to a full-dimensional subspace, the correlation among the arrival processes does not matter in heavy traffic. We exemplify this last case with a parallel-server system, an [Formula: see text]-system, and an ad hoc wireless network. Whereas these results are obtained using the drift method, we additionally present a negative result showing a limitation of the drift method. We show that it is not possible to obtain the individual queue lengths using the drift method with polynomial test functions. We do this by presenting an alternate view of the drift method in terms of a system of linear equations, and we use this system of equations to obtain bounds on arbitrary linear combinations of the queue lengths.
A Trilogy of Submassive Pulmonary Embolism, Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer with Brain Metastasis, Kartagener’s Syndrome and its Management with Aspiration Thrombectomy
Authors: Singh Vinit , Gor Dhairya , Padappayil Rana Prathap , Jaffery Ali , Lee Patrick
Published: March 2022

Venous thromboembolism is a common cause of morbidity and mortality in cancer patients. Given the bleeding risks, determining treatment for malignancy-related thrombosis is challenging, especially in the case of submassive pulmonary embolism (PE) because the risk-benefit ratio in terms of bleeding risk is uncertain. Here we discuss the case of a 53-year-old man with Kartagener syndrome with situs inversus totalis and stage IV non-small cell lung cancer with a recent brain mass resection, presenting with dyspnoea and palpitations. The patient was diagnosed with a submassive PE and only underwent suction thrombectomy through the left internal jugular vein with excellent response. In conclusion, when treating submassive PE, aspiration thrombectomy without thrombolysis is preferable to thrombolysis, which may be contraindicated due to the higher risk of bleeding.
La mentoría en los programas de formación de directores escolares: revisión de la literatura
Authors: Tintoré Mireia , Carrillo Carmen
Published: March 2022

INTRODUCCIÓN. La mentoría es uno de los sistemas más eficaces para desarrollar el liderazgo de los directores escolares. Hasta la fecha, las publicaciones se focalizan en aspectos concretos de la mentoría. El presente estudio pretende realizar una revisión de la literatura sobre la mentoría con directores escolares ofreciendo una visión sistémica que incluye datos de revisiones anterio­res, contribuciones de las últimas investigaciones y un marco para incorporar la mentoría en los programas de formación directiva. Dos objetivos guían el desarrollo de esta investigación: 1) rea­lizar un análisis descriptivo de la bibliografía (evolución, localización, tipo de estudios) y 2) ana­lizar los factores que inciden en su eficacia (condiciones para una buena mentoría, dificultades y beneficios). MÉTODO. Se efectúa una revisión de la literatura siguiendo los procedimientos de­finidos a tal efecto. La búsqueda se realiza en las bases de datos Web of Science y SCOPUS, utili­zando como ecuación de búsqueda los términos “educational mentoring”, y como criterios de in­clusión publicaciones académicas referidas a mentoría educativa, publicadas entre 2000 y 2020. RESULTADOS Y DISCUSIÓN. Se obtienen 290 referencias relacionadas con la mentoría educati­va, de las cuales 114 documentos (39%) se refieren a la mentoría con directores. La muestra final después del cribaje consiste en 48 artículos sobre mentoría directiva. Las referencias se analizan en profundidad, mostrando un incremento de estudios sobre mentoría directiva a partir de 2010, especialmente en países anglosajones y por medio de investigaciones cualitativas. El análisis in­dica que los mecanismos de acompañamiento a los directores escolares han recibido un fuerte impulso en muchos lugares del mundo, han aumentado su importancia porcentual respecto a otros tipos de mentoría y son elemento clave en los programas de formación directiva. Se incor­pora un análisis de los efectos de la mentoría sobre los participantes y recomendaciones para incluirla en los programas de formación directiva.
March 2022 Medical Image of the Month: Pulmonary Nodules in the Setting of Diffuse Idiopathic Pulmonary Neuroendocrine Cell Hyperplasia (DIPNECH)
Authors:   Mayo Clinic Arizona, Scottsdale, AZ USA, Jokerst Clinton , Tazelaar Henry , Rojas Carlos , Panse Prasad , Cummings Kris , Jensen Eric , Gotway Michael
Published: March 2022

No abstract available. Article truncated after 150 words. A 62-year-old woman presented to an outside hospital with chronic cough, prompting a CXR. Findings further prompted unenhanced chest CT to evaluate possible pulmonary nodules. The CT demonstrated multiple scattered, solid and centrilobular pulmonary nodules, most of which were small but there were two >1 cm nodules, one in the right upper lobe (RUL) and a second in the lingula (Figure 1A,B). A subsequent FDG PET-CT was performed demonstrating increased metabolic activity in the RUL nodule with no activity in the lingular nodule (Figure 1C,D). Biopsy of the RUL nodule was consistent with a carcinoid. At this point the patient was referred to our center for further management. A repeat chest CT failed to demonstrate any significant change in the nodules. MIP and MinIP reconstructions from that examination demonstrate multiple small, solid pulmonary nodules (arrows) (Figure 2A), many of which were associated with air-trapping resulting in pulmonary mosaicism (circled) (Figure …
Variational image decomposition model TGV-Hilbert-BM3D for phase retrieval in FPP and its application for an on-site wall surface bulge
Authors: Hong Nian , Tang Chen , Xu Min , Li Jianming , Lei Zhenkun
Published: March 2022

Mass loss from wall surface bulge deformation can be used to estimate the strength loss of reinforcement, bond reduction, and ductility degradation, so it is very important to accurately measure the three-dimensional (3D) shape of on-site wall surface bulge. In this paper, we try to solve the problem by use of fringe projection profilometry. In the fringe projection patterns of wall surface bulge, the contrast of the fringes is very weak, and there are sometimes cracks in patterns. We first present a preprocessing method to inpaint fringes if there are damaged fringes caused by cracks. Then we propose a new, to the best of our knowledge, image decomposition model, total generalized variation (TGV)-Hilbert-block-matching (BM)3D, to effectively extract the fringe component. Finally, we use Fourier transform, phase unwrapping, and carrier-removal methods to obtain the unwrapped phase. We test the proposed method on a simulated fringe projection pattern and two real fringe projection patterns of wall surface bulge. We compare our method with the advanced total variation space-generalized functions space-BM3D, TV-Hilbert-

L
2

, and Beppo-Levi-space-Hilbert-BM3D methods. In addition, we perform ablation experiments to prove that our preprocessing method is necessary. The experimental results demonstrate that our method can effectively measure the 3D shape of wall surface bulge from a single fringe projection pattern for the first time, to our knowledge.
Synchronous measurement method of a multi-angle scattered light field
Authors: Zou Yangyang , Zhang Liu , Zhang Jian , Cui Jicheng
Published: March 2022

A synchronous multi-angle scattered light field measurement system is constructed in this study to overcome issues with current systems in the field of multi-angle remote sensing. A mathematical model of the scattered light field measurement was established. An off-axis catadioptric optical system was designed to satisfy hemispheric spatial scattered light field measurements in a zenith angle range of 68°. The off-axis calibration model was established, and the spatial relationship was calibrated. The measurement accuracy was calibrated via an integrating sphere light source, and the maximum measurement relative error was

−
3.71
%

. The scattered light field of the reference diffuse reflective target plate Labsphere Permaflect-50 and 304 stainless steel was simulated under an incident light irradiation range within the zenith angle of

−

23.5
∘

to

+

23.5
∘

, and synchronous measurement of the multi-angle scattered light field of the sample was realized. The measurement system could provide technical support for building the complex model of multi-angle reflection/radiation from the earth’s surface, multi-angle sensor radiation calibration, and improvement of the physical parameter inversion accuracy of observation targets.
Multilayer planar structure for optimized passive thermal homeostasis [Invited]
Authors: Shrewsbury Bo K. , Morsy Ahmed M. , Povinelli Michelle L.
Published: March 2022

We optimize planar, passive thermal-regulation devices that use the phase-change properties of VO2. We calculate the tunable total emittance, defined as the difference in normalized radiated power in the insulator and metallic states of VO2 at the phase transition temperature. A single-layer VO2/ZnSe/Au device achieves a tunable total emittance of 0.574 in simulation. An optimized multilayer device using the same materials achieves a value of 0.69 in simulation, which outperforms all planar devices found in the literature. We present an analysis showing that an increase in tunable total emittance reduces the temperature fluctuations experienced by the device within a fluctuating environment.
Integration moralischer Anforderungen in den agilen Entwicklungsprozess KI-basierter Anwendungen am Beispiel von Scrum
Authors: Haas Normen , Sessler Marie-Luise
Published: March 2022

Der Beitrag widmet sich der Frage, wie sich moralische Anforderungen im agilen Vorgehensmodell Scrum berücksichtigen lassen. Dies wird durch die Anreicherung und Einbeziehung von Elementen und Methoden aus dem UX-Design und der Diskursethik ermöglicht, welche den Projektbeteiligten helfen, moralische Anforderungen aus Nutzersicht zu definieren und umzusetzen. Der vorgestellte Ansatz wird mit Anwendungsfällen aus einem realen Entwicklungsprojekt, der Implementierung eines KI-basierten Lerntagesbuchs für Jugendliche, veranschaulicht.
First characterisation of antimicrobial susceptibility and resistance of Neisseria gonorrhoeae isolates in Qatar, 2017–2020
Authors: Al-Maslamani Muna , Elmagboul Emad Bashier Ibrahim , Puthiyottil Aslam , Chemaitelly Hiam , Varghese Manoj Kizhakkepeedikayil , Al Romaihi Hamad Eid , Al-Thani Mohamed H. , Al Khal Abdullatif , Unemo Magnus , Abu-Raddad Laith J.
Published: March 2022

Limited data are available regarding antimicrobial resistance in Neisseria gonorrhoeae strains circulating in WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR). We investigated the antimicrobial susceptibility/resistance of N. gonorrhoeae isolates to five antimicrobials (ceftriaxone, azithromycin, ciprofloxacin, tetracycline, and benzylpenicillin) currently or previously used for gonorrhoea treatment in Qatar, 2017–2020. Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs; mg/L) of antimicrobials were determined using Etest on gonococcal isolates collected during January 1, 2017-August 30, 2020 at Hamad Medical Corporation, a national public healthcare provider. During 2017–2020, resistance in isolates from urogenital sites of 433 patients was 64.7% (95% CI: 59.5–69.6%; range: 43.9–78.7%) for ciprofloxacin, 50.7% (95% CI: 45.3–56.1%; range: 41.3–70.4%) for tetracycline, and 30.8% (95% CI: 26.3–35.6%; range: 26.7–35.8%) for benzylpenicillin. Percentage of isolates non-susceptible to azithromycin was 4.1% (95% CI: 2.0–7.4%; range: 2.7–4.8%) and all (100%) isolates were susceptible to ceftriaxone. Two (1.6%) isolates from 2019 and one (2.2%) isolate from 2020 had high-level resistance to azithromycin (MIC≥256 mg/L). Overall, 1.0% (4/418) of isolates had a ceftriaxone MIC of 0.25 mg/L, which is at the ceftriaxone susceptibility breakpoint (MIC≤0.25 mg/L). Treatment with ceftriaxone 250 mg plus azithromycin 1 g can continuously be recommended for gonorrhoea therapy in Qatar. Continued quality-assured gonococcal AMR surveillance is warranted in EMR.
Neurological symptoms and disorders following electrical injury: A register-based matched cohort study
Authors: Nielsen Kent J. , Carstensen Ole , Kærgaard Anette , Vestergaard Jesper Medom , Biering Karin
Published: March 2022

Introduction

Electric shocks may have neurological consequences for the victims. Although the literature on the neurological consequences of electric shocks is limited by retrospective designs, case studies and studies of selected patient groups, previous research provides some evidence of a link between electric shocks, and diseases and symptoms of the central nervous system (CNS)(e.g. epilepsy, migraine and vertigo) and the peripheral nervous system (PNS)(e.g. loss of sensation, neuropathy and muscle weakness). This study aims to employ a register-based, matched cohort study, to investigate whether individuals demonstrate a greater risk of neurological diseases and symptoms of the CNS or PNS in the years following an electrical injury.

Materials and methods

We identified 14,112 electrical injuries over a period of 19 years in two Danish registries, and matched these with three different groups of persons in a prospective matched cohort study: (1) patients with dislocation/sprain injuries, (2) patients with eye injuries and (3) persons employed in the same occupation. Year of injury, sex and age were used as matching variables. The outcomes we identified comprised neurological disorders and central or peripheral nervous system symptoms that covered a range of diagnoses in the Danish National Patient Register. The associations were analysed using conditional logistic regression for a range of time periods (six months to five years) and conditional Cox regression for analyses of the complete follow-up period (up to 20 years).

Results

For victims of electric shock, the CNS sequelae we identified included an increased risk of epilepsy, convulsions, abnormal involuntary movements, headache, migraine and vertigo. We also identified an uncertain, increased risk of spinal muscular atrophy and dystonia, whereas we identified no increased risk of Parkinson’s disease, essential tremor, multiple sclerosis or other degenerative diseases of the nervous system. For victims of electric shock, the PNS sequelae we identified included an increased risk of disturbances of skin sensation, mononeuropathy in the arm or leg and nerve root and plexus disorders. We also identified an uncertain, increased risk of facial nerve disorders, other mononeuropathy, and polyneuropathy.

Conclusion

Our results confirm that electrical injuries increase the risk of several neurological diseases and symptoms of the CNS or PNS in the years following the injury. Most often the diseases and symptoms are diagnosed within the first six months of the injury, but delayed onset of up to 5 years cannot be ruled out for some symptoms and diagnoses. Some of the conditions were rare in our population, which limited our ability to identify associations, and this warrants cautious interpretation. Therefore, further studies are needed to confirm our findings, as are studies that examine the mechanisms underlying these associations.
Az akadémiai szabadság és az egyetemi autonómia
Authors: Polónyi István
Published: March 2022

A tanulmány az egyetemi autonómia és az akadémiai szabadság történelmi fejlődését, alakulását tekinti át az ezzel kapcsolatos néhány alapvető irodalom felvillantásával, majd a hazai folyamatokat veszi górcső alá. Először a történelmi előzményeket, az akadémiai szabadság és az egyetemi autonómia mibenlétét és fejlődését mutatja be a középkori egyetemtől a 20. század elejéig. Ezt követően a 20. és 21. század új fejleményeire mutat rá, kiemelve a ’60-as, ’70-es évek felsőoktatási tömegesedése és a gazdasági válság folyományát: az átalakuló közpolitikai szemlélet, közfinanszírozás és a tudományszervezés hatását. Kitér az akadémiai szabadság értelmezéseire és az egyetemi autonómia mérési lehetőségeire. Az írás kiemeli az autonómia és az elszámoltathatóság viszonyát, hangsúlyozva, hogy az optimális politika az, ha az akadémiai autonómia értékeit egyesítik az elszámoltathatósággal és a teljesítmény-ellenőrzéssel. A tanulmány befejező része bemutatja az akadémiai szabadság és az egyetemi autonómia hazai fejlődésének a rendszerváltástól napjainkig tartó átalakulásait, fejlődését. Zárásként külön kitér az állami egyetemek nagyobbik részének „közfeladatot ellátó közérdekű alapítványi” formába történő átszervezésének elemzésére. Rámutat, hogy az átszervezés során nagy a veszélye, hogy az egyetemek minőségi működését megalapozó autonómia visszaszorul. A tanulmány azzal a gondolattal zárul, hogy a hazai felsőoktatás alapkérdése, hogy az alapítványi átszervezés milyen egyetemi autonómiát teremt az akadémiai szabadságnak, mennyire sikerül optimálisan összehangolni az oktatói, kutatói autonómiát az elszámoltathatósággal és a teljesítményellenőrzéssel.
Comparison of Sevoflurane and Propofol for Laryngeal Mask Airway Insertion
Authors: Debbarma Partha , Debnath Joydeep
Published: March 2022

BACKGROUND Propofol is an appropriate intravenous anaesthetic induction agent for rapid induction and suppression of airway reflexes and is widely used for laryngeal mask airway insertion. Sevoflurane is a halogenated, non-pungent and non-explosive liquid anaesthetic agent with low blood gas solubility administered by inhalation for use in induction and maintenance of general anaesthesia. We wanted to compare the characteristics of sevoflurane and propofol for the induction of anaesthesia and laryngeal mask airway (LMA) insertion. METHODS We conducted a randomized control study among 70 patients (n=35 in each group) undergoing elective surgery. Patients were anaesthetised with either vital capacity breaths of 8% sevoflurane with 50% N2O and O2 or IV propofol, with loss of eyelash reflex considered as the end point of induction. RESULTS Both the drugs produced almost similar rapid loss of consciousness (propofol-45.29 ± 11.98 sec, sevoflurane-51.03±14.68 sec). The LMA was inserted more rapidly in propofol group (20.43±9.460 sec) than in the sevoflurane group (34.37 ± 17.338 sec), p=0.018. The score for jaw opening was better in the propofol group (2.94 ± 0.236) than in the sevoflurane group (2.66 ± 0.482), p=0.000. The ease of LMA insertion score was better in the propofol group (2.91 ± 0.284) than in the sevoflurane group (2.66 ± 0.482), p=0.008. Both groups had stable haemodynamic parameters. CONCLUSIONS Propofol was more favourable than sevoflurane for laryngeal mask airway insertion due to better jaw relaxation and less insertion time. However, sevoflurane is an alternative to propofol as an induction agent for laryngeal mask airway insertion. KEY WORDS Propofol, Sevoflurane, Laryngeal Mask Airway.
Evaluation of Hormone Levels in Adult Patients of Acne Vulgaris
Authors: Choudhary Ranju , Nirankari Ravikant
Published: March 2022

BACKGROUND There are certain hormones which have direct effect on the sebaceous glands in both the sexes, as excess sebum production is a prerequisite for the development of the acne. Hence this research article about the hormonal profile in adult patients of acne vulgaris. Hormonal parameters which includes androgens, growth hormone, insulin & insulin like growth factors, glucocorticoids, and ACTH. METHODS Selection criteria were the patients attending OPD in the Department of Skin and V.D. in our medical college. Patients within the age group of 12 to 45 years in both the sexes with acne vulgaris of grade 1 to grade 4 were included in this study. A randomized control study for a period of one year among 75 newly diagnosed patients were taken as cases and there were 75 patients in the control group who were free from acne. RESULTS Total 6% of males and 26.6% female patients had increased levels of testosterone. 39.2% and 20% of male and female patients had increased levels of DHEA-S respectively. Normal levels of growth hormone were found in both the groups of cases and controls. 6.6% of female patients had increased levels of insulin. CONCLUSIONS This study concluded that patients with severe acne, acne distributed along the jaw lines, recalcitrant acne not responding to conventional therapy and having other features of hyperandrogenism should be evaluated for the above-mentioned hormones to rule out the underlying hormonal abnormality leading to acne vulgaris. KEY WORDS Acne, Androgens, Growth Hormone, Glucocorticoids, Insulin, Insulin Like Growth Factor.