bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Variation of Frost Roughness on a Flat Plate Under Forced Convection
Authors: Zhang Tongxin , O’Neal Dennis L. , McClain Stephen T.
Published: June 2020

Experiments were conducted on a cold flat aluminum plate to characterize the variation of frost roughness over both time and location on the surfaces. The testing conditions included air temperatures from 8 to 16 °C, wall temperatures from −20 to −10 °C, relative humidities from 60 to 80%, and air velocities from 0.5 to 2.5 m/s. Each test lasted 2 h. A 3D photogrammetric method was employed to measure the variation in frost root-mean-square height and skewness by location and time. These data were used to develop the equivalent sand-grain roughness for the frost at different locations and time. The experimental results showed that frost roughness varied by location and changed with time. For the environmental conditions in this study, relative humidity and air temperature were the most important factors determining changes in the peak frost roughness. For example, at an air temperature of 12 °C and a surface temperature of −15 °C, the frost roughness peaked at about 40 min for a relative humidity of 80% and 90 min for a relative humidity of 60%. Empirical correlations were provided to describe the relationships between the environmental conditions and the appearance of the peak frost roughness.
Numerical and Experimental Study of the Effect of Injected CO2 Flow on the Stability of Flameless Combustion
Authors: Mejía Cristian C. , García Alex M. , Obando Julián E. , Amell Andrés A.
Published: June 2020

The effect of the injection of externally sourced carbon dioxide (CO2) on the stability of the flameless combustion regime was evaluated numerically and experimentally, taking temperature uniformity and pollution emissions (NO and CO) as criteria. The flameless combustion regime was studied in a lab-scale furnace fueled with natural gas (NG) at a thermal power of 20 kW based on the low heating value (LHV). The CO2 was injected into the lower part of the furnace to directly affect the reaction zone. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations were performed using the ansys-fluent software. The models used to describe the turbulence, the radiation heat transfer, and the turbulence–chemistry interaction were the standard k–ɛ model, discrete ordinate model (DOM), and eddy dissipation concept (EDC) model, respectively. The NG oxidation was described with a seven-step global reaction mechanism with the EDC model. Three excess air conditions were analyzed, 20%, 25%, and 30%, combined with various CO2 injection flows. At 30% excess air, the flame exhibited destabilization without any CO2 injection. Adding CO2 attenuates the destabilization because of the dilution effect. Increasing either the CO2 or excess air flow resulted in a considerable decrease in the global temperature of the process, consequently producing an increase in CO emissions and a decrease in NO emissions. Finally, for the conditions studied, increasing the mass flow of externally sourced CO2 did not destabilize the flameless combustion regimen. This result shows the potential of the implementation of flameless combustion in industrial processes where CO2 is releasing as a result of a reaction external to the combustion process, such as cement, ammonia, or lime production among others.
Intelligibility of chimeric locally time-reversed speech
Authors: Matsuo Ikuo , Ueda Kazuo , Nakajima Yoshitaka
Published: June 2020

The intelligibility of chimeric locally time-reversed speech was investigated. Both (1) the boundary frequency between the temporally degraded band and the non-degraded band and (2) the segment duration were varied. Japanese mora accuracy decreased if the width of the degraded band or the segment duration increased. Nevertheless, the chimeric stimuli were more intelligible than the locally time-reversed controls. The results imply that the auditory system can use both temporally degraded speech information and undamaged speech information over different frequency regions in the processing of the speech signal, if the amplitude envelope in the frequency range of 840–1600 Hz was preserved.
Dance Programs for School-Age Individuals With Disabilities: A Systematic Review
Authors: Prieto Laura A. , Haegele Justin A. , Columna Luis
Published: June 2020

The purpose of this systematic review was to examine published research literature pertaining to dance programs for school-age individuals with disabilities by describing study characteristics and major findings. Electronic database searches were conducted to identify relevant articles published between January 2008 and August 2018. Sixteen articles met all inclusion criteria, and extracted data from the articles included major findings, study design characteristics (e.g., sample size), and dance program characteristics (e.g., location of program). The methodological quality of each study was assessed using the Crowe Critical Appraisal Tool. Major findings expand on previous reviews on dance by including school-age individuals with disabilities. The critical appraisal of the articles demonstrates a gap in study design rigor between studies. Future research should aim to specify sampling strategies, use theories to frame the impact of dance programs, and provide a thorough description of ethical processes and dance classes.
Ice Dancing to Arirang in the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games: The Intersection of Music, Identity, and Sport
Authors: Park Doo Jae , Shin Na Ri , Sydnor Synthia , Clarke Caitlin
Published: June 2020

This cultural-interpretive essay offers critical commentary on Koreanness, racial ideology, hegemonic racial power, and racialized cultural taste with the aim of interpreting the sport–music nexus by examining a case of the interface between music and sport: The authors focus on the case of the Olympic ice dance that the South Korean team performed for the Korean traditional folk songArirangat the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games. The authors argue that music and sport can be understood as a semiological system that shapes non-Whites’ ideological belief system. In addition, this essay engages with a discussion of cultural classification that often racializes skaters of color as the aforementioned are informed by Orientalism.
One Step Forward, Two Tweets Back: Exploring Cultural Backlash and Hockey Masculinity on Twitter
Authors: Sailofsky Daniel , Orr Madeleine
Published: June 2020

Between 2000 and 2018, the number of fights in professional hockey decreased by more than half, reflecting rule changes intended to preserve player health. A 2019 playoff fight ignited debate on social media over the place of fighting in hockey. This research involved a content analysis of an incendiary tweet and the 920 replies it solicited. Content analysis confirmed that cultural backlash exists in sport and provided insight into manifestations of backlash. Comments exhibiting backlash varied by subject (i.e., what or who is being discussed in the tweet) and attitude (i.e., positive approval for fighting and negative attitude toward change), with many defending hockey masculinity. Connections are drawn to manifestations of backlash in the political realm, the extant hockey masculinity literature, and implications for sociological theory and the sport of hockey are discussed.
The value of what’s to come: Neural mechanisms coupling prediction error and the utility of anticipation
Authors: Iigaya Kiyohito , Hauser Tobias U. , Kurth-Nelson Zeb , O’Doherty John P. , Dayan Peter , Dolan Raymond J.
Published: June 2020

Hippocampal-midbrain circuit boosts the utility of anticipation in the prefrontal cortex and drives information-seeking behavior.
How To Optimally Combine Genotypic and Phenotypic Drug Susceptibility Testing Methods for Pyrazinamide
Authors: Köser Claudio U. , Cirillo Daniela M. , Miotto Paolo
Published: June 2020

False-susceptible phenotypic drug-susceptibility testing (DST) results for pyrazinamide due to mutations with MICs close to the critical concentration (CC) confound the classification of
pncA
resistance mutations, leading to an underestimate of the specificity of genotypic DST. This could be minimized by basing treatment decisions on well-understood mutations and by adopting an area of technical uncertainty for phenotypic DST rather than only testing the CC, as is current practice for the
Mycobacterium tuberculosis
complex.
Semiquantitative Detection of Hydrogen-Associated or Hydrogen-Free Electron Transfer within Methanogenic Biofilm of Microbial Electrosynthesis
Authors: Cai Weiwei , Liu Wenzong , Wang Bo , Yao Hong , Guadie Awoke , Wang Aijie
Published: June 2020

Electron transfer from an electrode to biofilm is of great interest to the fields of microbial electrochemical technology, bioremediation, and methanogenesis. It has a promising potential application to boost more value-added products or pollutant degradation. Importantly, the ability of microbes to obtain electrons from electrodes and utilize them brings new insight into direct interspecies electron transfer during methanogenesis. Previous studies verified the direct pathway of electron transfer from the electrode to a pure-culture bacterium, but it was rarely reported how the methanogenic biofilm of mixed cultures shares electrons by a hydrogen-associated or hydrogen-free pathway. In the current study, a combination method of microsensor and cyclic voltammetry successfully semiquantified the role of hydrogen in electron transfer from an electrode to methanogenic biofilm.
A Small Membrane Stabilizing Protein Critical to the Pathogenicity of Staphylococcus aureus
Authors: Duggan Seána , Laabei Maisem , Alnahari Alaa Abdulaziz , O’Brien Eóin C. , Lacey Keenan A. , Bacon Leann , Heesom Kate , Fu Chih-Lung , Otto Michael , Skaar Eric , McLoughlin Rachel M. , Massey Ruth C.
Published: June 2020

Staphylococcus aureus
is a major human pathogen, and the emergence of antibiotic-resistant strains is making all types of
S. aureus
infections more challenging to treat. With a pressing need to develop alternative control strategies to use alongside or in place of conventional antibiotics, one approach is the targeting of established virulence factors. However, attempts at this have had little success to date, suggesting that we need to better understand how this pathogen causes disease if effective targets are to be identified.
A Conserved Amino Acid in the C Terminus of Human Papillomavirus E7 Mediates Binding to PTPN14 and Repression of Epithelial Differentiation
Authors: Hatterschide Joshua , Brantly Alexis C. , Grace Miranda , Munger Karl , White Elizabeth A.
Published: June 2020

The E7 oncoprotein is a primary driver of HPV-mediated carcinogenesis. HPV E7 binds the putative tumor suppressor PTPN14 and targets it for degradation using the ubiquitin ligase UBR4. PTPN14 binds to a C-terminal arginine highly conserved in diverse HPV E7. Our previous efforts to understand how PTPN14 degradation contributes to the carcinogenic activity of high-risk HPV E7 used variants of E7 unable to bind to UBR4. Now, by directly manipulating E7 binding to PTPN14 and using a PTPN14 knockout rescue experiment, we demonstrate that the degradation of PTPN14 is required for high-risk HPV18 E7 to extend keratinocyte life span. Our data show that PTPN14 binding by HPV16 E7 and HPV18 E7 represses keratinocyte differentiation. HPV-positive cancers are frequently poorly differentiated, and the HPV life cycle depends upon keratinocyte differentiation. The finding that PTPN14 binding by HPV E7 impairs differentiation has significant implications for HPV-mediated carcinogenesis and the HPV life cycle.
Epstein-Barr Virus Genomes Reveal Population Structure and Type 1 Association with Endemic Burkitt Lymphoma
Authors: Kaymaz Yasin , Oduor Cliff I. , Aydemir Ozkan , Luftig Micah A. , Otieno Juliana A. , Ong’echa John Michael , Bailey Jeffrey A. , Moormann Ann M.
Published: June 2020

Improved viral enrichment methods conclusively demonstrate EBV type 1 to be more prevalent in eBL patients than in geographically matched healthy controls, which previously underrepresented the prevalence of EBV type 2. Genome-wide association analysis between cases and controls identifies six eBL-associated nonsynonymous variants in EBNA1, EBNA2, BcLF1, and BARF1 genes. Analysis of population structure reveals that EBV type 2 exists as two genomic subgroups and was more commonly found in female than in male eBL patients.
Can nanolites enhance eruption explosivity?
Authors: Cáceres Francisco , Wadsworth Fabian B. , Scheu Bettina , Colombier Mathieu , Madonna Claudio , Cimarelli Corrado , Hess Kai-Uwe , Kaliwoda Melanie , Ruthensteiner Bernhard , Dingwell Donald B.
Published: June 2020

Degassing dynamics play a crucial role in controlling the explosivity of magma at erupting volcanoes. Degassing of magmatic water typically involves bubble nucleation and growth, which drive magma ascent. Crystals suspended in magma may influence both nucleation and growth of bubbles. Micron- to centimeter-sized crystals can cause heterogeneous bubble nucleation and facilitate bubble coalescence. Nanometer-scale crystalline phases, so-called “nanolites”, are an underreported phenomenon in erupting magma and could exert a primary control on the eruptive style of silicic volcanoes. Yet the influence of nanolites on degassing processes remains wholly uninvestigated. In order to test the influence of nanolites on bubble nucleation and growth dynamics, we use an experimental approach to document how nanolites can increase the bubble number density and affect growth kinetics in a degassing nanolite-bearing silicic magma. We then examine a compilation of these values from natural volcanic rocks from explosive eruptions leading to the inference that some very high naturally occurring bubble number densities could be associated with the presence of magmatic nanolites. Finally, using a numerical magma ascent model, we show that for reasonable starting conditions for silicic eruptions, an increase in the resulting bubble number density associated with nanolites could push an eruption that would otherwise be effusive into the conditions required for explosive behavior.
U-Pb dating of overpressure veins in late Archean shales reveals six episodes of Paleoproterozoic deformation and fluid flow in the Pilbara craton
Authors: Rasmussen Birger , Zi Jian-Wei , Muhling Janet R. , Dunkley Daniel J. , Fischer Woodward W.
Published: June 2020

Fluid flow in the upper crust not only impacts the redistribution of heat and elements, driving the formation of economic ore deposits, but it also exerts control on metamorphism, metasomatism, and deformation. However, reconstructing the history of fluid flow in ancient basins is exceedingly difficult, particularly in Archean sedimentary rocks because of extensive overprinting and recrystallization. Here, we report U-Pb ages for monazite and xenotime that grew in bedding-parallel veins in 2.63–2.5-b.y.-old shales along the southern Pilbara craton, Australia. The U-Pb ages define six discrete populations, at 2.41 Ga, 2.30 Ga, 2.20 Ga, 2.10 Ga, 2.05 Ga, and 1.66 Ga, which formed ≥200 m.y. after deposition. The abundance of bedding-parallel crack-seal and fibrous veins in banded iron formations (BIFs) and underlying shales suggests a history of episodic buildup of fluid pressure followed by microfracturing, fluid expulsion, and mineral growth. Thermometry of vein minerals indicates temperatures between 230 °C and 320 °C, implicating the migration of hydrothermal fluids. The development of bedding-parallel veins at 2.41 Ga, 2.20 Ga, and 1.66 Ga was coeval with regional orogenic events known to have affected the craton, whereas vein growth at 2.30 Ga, 2.10 Ga, and 2.05 Ga reveals new episodes of deformation and fluid flow. Our results show that well-preserved Archean shales devoid of structural fabrics and >150 km inboard of the craton margin preserve a cryptic history of fluid overpressure, crack-seal vein development, and hydrothermal fluid flow between 2.41 and 1.66 b.y. ago.
No valley deepening of the Tatra Mountains (Western Carpathians) during the past 300 ka
Authors: Szczygieł Jacek , Hercman Helena , Hoke Gregory , Gąsiorowski Michał , Błaszczyk Marcin , Sobczyk Artur
Published: June 2020

Wet-based mountain glaciers are efficient agents of erosion, which leads to the assumption that each glacial episode results in successive valley deepening. The tendency of subsequent glaciations to obscure evidence of previous events makes it difficult to study the work done by past glacial episodes. Epiphreatic and paleophreatic caves that developed at or under the water table and dried out in response to valley deepening can serve as recorders of the valley incision history. U-series data from speleothems in the cave networks at the base of the present-day valleys in the Tatra Mountains (Western Carpathians) consistently yield the oldest ages of ca. 325 ka. While speleothem ages are typically phreatic-vadose transition minimum ages, they nonetheless unequivocally demonstrate that neither glacial valley deepening nor fluvial incision occurred over the past 300 ka, unlike the successive valley deepening over the same period in the adjacent Alps.
Archean lithospheric differentiation: Insights from Fe and Zn isotopes
Authors: Doucet Luc S. , Laurent Oscar , Ionov Dmitri A. , Mattielli Nadine , Debaille Vinciane , Debouge Wendy
Published: June 2020

The Archean continental lithosphere consists of a dominantly felsic continental crust, made of tonalite-trondhjemite-granodiorite (TTG) and subordinate granitoids, and a cratonic lithospheric mantle, made of highly refractory peridotites. Whether they stemmed from the same process of differentiation from the primitive mantle, or were two distinct components that were physically juxtaposed, remains debated. Metal stable isotope ratios are sensitive to magmatic and metamorphic processes and do not evolve with time. Therefore, stable isotope ratios are complementary to radiogenic isotope ratios, and they allow direct comparisons to be made between different terrestrial components without age corrections. Isotopes of iron and zinc, metals ubiquitous in Earth’s lithosphere, can be tracers of lithospheric formation and evolution because they are affected by partial melting (Fe, Zn), redox state (Fe), and the presence of sulfides (Fe, Zn). Here, using stable Fe and Zn isotopic data from Archean samples of the lithospheric mantle and the continental crust, we show that Fe and Zn isotopes define a linear array, best explained by their coupled fractionation behavior during magmatic processes. Our data show that high degrees of partial melting (>30%) during the formation of the cratonic mantle and mafic protocrust, and reworking of the early crust significantly fractionate Fe and Zn isotopes. Conversely, Fe and Zn isotope ratios in the TTG are similar to those in Archean mafic rocks, suggesting an origin by fractional crystallization of basalt, and implying limited Fe and Zn isotopic fractionation, instead of partial melting of mafic crust. Moreover, the absence of Fe and Zn isotope decoupling due to redox effects, melt (fluid)–rock or sediment-rock interaction, and decarbonation indicates that subduction, at least as we understand it now, is not required to explain the Fe and Zn isotope composition of the Archean lithosphere.
Fifteen-minute consultation: a structured approach to the child with primary amenorrhea
Authors: Varughese Rachel , Ryan Fiona , Makaya Tafadzwa
Published: June 2020

Puberty is a life-changing time in the life of a young person, with physical, psychological and social considerations. Amenorrhea is derived from Latin: a—‘not’, men—‘month’ and rhein—‘flow’, meaning absence of monthly flow. In medical terms, it is a symptom describing absence of menstruation. It can be classified as either primary or secondary. This article will focus solely on primary amenorrhea. Primary amenorrhea can induce great anxiety in both the patient and the family and often presents to the general paediatrician. A thorough history and examination and judicious use of investigations is crucial to ensure timely diagnosis and management.
Incidence and outcomes of hospitalization for community-acquired, ventilator-associated and non-ventilator hospital-acquired pneumonias in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus in Spain
Authors: Lopez-de-Andres Ana , Albaladejo-Vicente Romana , de Miguel-Diez Javier , Hernandez-Barrera Valentin , Ji Zichen , Zamorano-Leon Jose J , Lopez-Herranz Marta , Jimenez-Garcia Rodrigo
Published: June 2020

Introduction

To describe the incidence and compare in-hospital outcomes of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) and non-ventilator hospital-acquired pneumonia (NV-HAP) among patients with or without type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) using propensity score matching.

Research design and methods

This was a retrospective observational epidemiological study using the 2016–2017 Spanish Hospital Discharge Records.

Results

Of 245 221 admissions, CAP was identified in 227 524 (27.67% with T2DM), VAP was identified in 2752 (18.31% with T2DM) and NV-HAP was identified in 14 945 (25.75% with T2DM). The incidence of pneumonia was higher among patients with T2DM (CAP: incidence rate ratio (IRR) 1.44, 95% CI 1.42 to 1.45; VAP: IRR 1.24, 95% CI 1.12 to 1.37 and NV-HAP: IRR 1.38, 95% CI 1.33 to 1.44). In-hospital mortality (IHM) for CAP was 12.74% in patients with T2DM and 14.16% in matched controls (p<0.001); in patients with VAP and NV-HAP, IHM was not significantly different between those with and without T2DM (43.65% vs 41.87%, p=0.567, and 29.02% vs 29.75%, p=0.484, respectively). Among patients with T2DM, older age and dialysis were factors associated with IHM for all types of pneumonia. In patients with VAP, the risk of IHM was higher in females (OR 1.95, 95% CI 1.28 to 2.96).

Conclusion

The incidence rates of all types of pneumonia were higher in patients with T2DM. Higher mortality rates in patients with T2DM with any type of pneumonia were associated with older age, comorbidities and dialysis.
Lessons from the field on COVID-19: a public health point of view
Authors: Wani Rabbanie Tariq
Published: June 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic in world affected all strata of population. It started on 31 December 2019 in Wuhan province of China and since then it has been spreading all over the globe rapidly. Today there are nearly 7.8 million cases of COVID-19 all over the globe. India with its second largest population in the world, with approximately 1.2 billion, has 22% of its population below poverty line and illiteracy at large. Kashmir, a Union Territory of India with a population of 7 million, has been equally hit by the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-Corona Virus-(SARS-CoV) pandemic. In such a limited-resource setting, working under constraints leads to generation of innovations which are the support system of community medicine/public health management.
Dietary micronutrients in the wake of COVID-19: an appraisal of evidence with a focus on high-risk groups and preventative healthcare
Authors: McAuliffe Shane , Ray Sumantra , Fallon Emily , Bradfield James , Eden Timothy , Kohlmeier Martin
Published: June 2020

Existing micronutrient deficiencies, even if only a single micronutrient, can impair immune function and increase susceptibility to infectious disease. Certain population groups are more likely to have micronutrient deficiencies, while certain disease pathologies and treatment practices also exacerbate risk, meaning these groups tend to suffer increased morbidity and mortality from infectious diseases. Optimisation of overall nutritional status, including micronutrients, can be effective in reducing incidence of infectious disease. Micronutrient deficiencies are rarely recognised but are prevalent in the UK, as well as much more widely, particularly in high-risk groups susceptible to COVID-19. Practitioners should be aware of this fact and should make it a consideration for the screening process in COVID-19, or when screening may be difficult or impractical, to ensure blanket treatment as per the best practice guidelines. Correction of established micronutrient deficiencies, or in some cases assumed suboptimal status, has the potential to help support immune function and mitigate risk of infection. The effects of and immune response to COVID-19 share common characteristics with more well-characterised severe acute respiratory infections. Correction of micronutrient deficiencies has proven effective in several infectious diseases and has been shown to promote favourable clinical outcomes. Micronutrients appear to play key roles in mediating the inflammatory response and such effects may be enhanced through correction of deficiencies. Many of those at highest risk during the COVID-19 pandemic are also populations at highest risk of micronutrient deficiencies and poorer overall nutrition. Correction of micronutrient deficiencies in established COVID-19 infection may contribute to supporting immune response to infection in those at highest risk. There is a need for further research to establish optimal public health practice and clinical intervention regimens.
Facilitators and barriers to general practitioner and general practice nurse participation in end-of-life care: systematic review
Authors: Rhee Joel J , Grant Matthew , Senior Hugh , Monterosso Leanne , McVey Peta , Johnson Claire , Aubin Michèle , Nwachukwu Harriet , Bailey Claire , Fallon-Ferguson Julia , Yates Patsy , Williams Briony , Mitchell Geoffrey
Published: June 2020

Background

General practitioners (GPs) and general practice nurses (GPNs) face increasing demands to provide palliative care (PC) or end-of-life care (EoLC) as the population ages. To enhance primary EoLC, the facilitators and barriers to their provision need to be understood.

Objective

To provide a comprehensive description of the facilitators and barriers to GP and GPN provision of PC or EoLC.

Method

Systematic literature review. Data included papers (2000 to 2017) sought from Medline, PsycInfo, Embase, Joanna Briggs Institute and Cochrane databases.

Results

From 6209 journal articles, 62 reviewed papers reported the GP’s and GPN’s role in EoLC or PC practice. Six themes emerged: patient factors; personal GP factors; general practice factors; relational factors; co-ordination of care; availability of services. Four specific settings were identified: aged care facilities, out-of-hours care and resource-constrained settings (rural, and low-income and middle-income countries). Most GPs provide EoLC to some extent, with greater professional experience leading to increased comfort in performing this form of care. The organisation of primary care at practice, local and national level impose numerous structural barriers that impede more significant involvement. There are potential gaps in service provision where GPNs may provide significant input, but there is a paucity of studies describing GPN routine involvement in EoLC.

Conclusions

While primary care practitioners have a natural role to play in EoLC, significant barriers exist to improved GP and GPN involvement in PC. More work is required on the role of GPNs.
Opportunities and challenges of implementing computed tomography fractional flow reserve into clinical practice
Authors: Nazir Muhummad Sohaib , Mittal Tarun K , Weir-McCall Jonathan , Nieman Koen , Channon Keith , Nicol Edward D
Published: June 2020

CT-derived fractional flow reserve (CT-FFR) uses computational fluid dynamics to derive non-invasive FFR to determine the haemodynamic significance of coronary artery lesions. Studies have demonstrated good diagnostic accuracy of CT-FFR and reassuring short-term clinical outcome data.

As a prerequisite, high-quality CT coronary angiography (CTCA) images are required with good heart rate control and pre-treatment with glyceryl trinitrate, which would otherwise render CTCA as unsuitable for CT-FFR. CT-FFR can determine the functional significance of CAD lesions, and there are supportive data for its use in clinical decision-making. However, the downstream impact on myocardial ischaemic burden or viability cannot be obtained.

Several challenges remain with implementation of CT-FFR, including interpretation, training, availability, resource utilisation and funding. Further research is required to determine which cases should be considered for clinical CT-FFR analysis, with additional practical guidance on how to implement this emerging technique in clinical practice. Furthermore, long-term prognostic data are required before widespread clinical implementation of CT-FFR can be recommended.

While there are several potential opportunities for CT-FFR, at present there remain important systemic and technical limitations and challenges that need to be overcome prior to routine integration of CT-FFR into clinical practice.
Fetal exposure to oncoantigen elicited antigen-specific adaptive immunity against tumorigenesis
Authors: Chen Jeng-Chang , Ou Liang-Shiou , Kuo Ming-Ling , Tseng Li-Yun , Chang Hsueh-Ling
Published: June 2020

Background

Envisioned as a similar process to tumorigenesis in terms of biological behaviors and molecular basis, embryogenesis necessitates an immune surveillance system to eliminate erratically transformed cells. Our previous study demonstrated that fetal macrophage-like phagocytes triggered Th2-skewed immunity following endocytosing prenatally administered ovalbumin to facilitate postnatal allergic airway responses, highlighting the critical role fetal phagocytes played in dealing with antigens present in developing fetuses and shaping subsequent immune responses. It prompted us to examine whether fetuses could mount Th1 tumoricidal immunity against tumorigenesis following in utero exposure to tumor antigens.

Methods

Gestational day 14 murine fetuses underwent in utero injection of Th1-promoting human papilloma virus (HPV) E7 peptides. Postnatally, recipients were examined for immunological consequences and the resistance to TC-1 tumorigenesis.

Results

Fetal exposure to HPV E7 did not cause tolerance but rather immunization in the recipients, characterized by proinflammatory Th1 polarization of their lymphocytes. Fetal macrophage-like phagocytes were responsible for taking up HPV E7 and triggering HPV E7-specific T-cell cytotoxicity and humoral immunity that rendered recipients resistant to TC-1 tumorigenesis in postnatal life. Adoptive transfer of HPV E7-loaded fetal phagocytes also elicited Th1 immunity with rapid expansion of HPV E7-specific cytotoxic CD8+T-cell clones in response to TC-1 cell challenge so as to protect the recipients from TC-1 tumorigenesis, but failed to completely eliminate pre-existing TC-1 cells despite perceptible attenuation of local TC-1 tumor growth.

Conclusions

Our study revealed that Th2-biasing fetus was not immune-privileged to foreign peptides, but competent to mount Th1 cytotoxic immunity and generate immunoglobulins against tumorigenesis following in utero exposure to Th1-promoting oncoantigen. It shed light on the role of fetal macrophage-like phagocytes in bridging toward tumor antigen-specific cellular and humoral immunity potentially as an immune surveillance system to eliminate transformed cells that might be egressing during embryogenesis and leftover until postnatal life.
Tislelizumab in Chinese patients with advanced solid tumors: an open-label, non-comparative, phase 1/2 study
Authors: Shen Lin , Guo Jun , Zhang Qingyuan , Pan Hongming , Yuan Ying , Bai Yuxian , Liu Tianshu , Zhou Qing , Zhao Jun , Shu Yongqian , Huang Xiaoming , Wang Siyang , Wang Jie , Zhou Aiping , Ye Dingwei , Sun Ting , Gao Yujuan , Yang Silu , Wang Zoubai , Li Jian , Wu Yi-Long
Published: June 2020

Background

Tislelizumab is an investigational, humanized, IgG4 monoclonal antibody with high affinity and binding specificity for programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) that was engineered to minimize binding to FcγR on macrophages in order to abrogate antibody-dependent phagocytosis, a mechanism of T-cell clearance and potential resistance to anti-PD-1 therapy.

Methods

The purpose of this phase 1/2, open-label, non-comparative study was to examine the safety, tolerability, and antitumor activity of tislelizumab in adult (≥18 years) Chinese patients with histologically or cytologically confirmed advanced solid tumors with measurable disease. The phase 1 portion of the study consisted of a dose-verification study and a pharmacokinetic (PK) substudy; phase 2 was an indication-expansion study including 11 solid tumor cohorts. Patients previously treated with therapies targeting PD-1 or its ligand, programmed cell death ligand-1 were excluded. During dose-verification, dose-limiting toxicities (DLTs) were monitored; safety and tolerability were examined and the previously determined recommended phase 2 dose (RP2D) was verified. The primary endpoint of phase 2 was investigator-assessed objective response rate per Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors V.1.1.

Results

As of December 1, 2018, 300 patients were treated with tislelizumab 200 mg intravenously once every 3 weeks (Q3W). Median duration of follow-up was 8.1 months (range 0.2–21.9). No DLTs were reported during the phase 1 dose-verification study and the RP2D was confirmed to be 200 mg intravenously Q3W. Most treatment-related adverse events (62%) were grade 1 or 2, with the most common being anemia (n=70; 23%) and increased aspartate aminotransferase (n=67; 22%). Of the 251 efficacy evaluable patients, 45 (18%) achieved a confirmed clinical response, including one patient from the PK substudy who achieved a complete response. Median duration of response was not reached for all except the nasopharyngeal carcinoma cohort (8.3 months). Antitumor responses were observed in multiple tumor types.

Conclusions

Tislelizumab was generally well tolerated among Chinese patients. Antitumor activity was observed in patients with multiple solid tumors.

Trial registration number

CTR20160872.
Dying individuals and suffering populations: applying a population-level bioethics lens to palliative care in humanitarian contexts: before, during and after the COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Wynne Keona Jeane , Petrova Mila , Coghlan Rachel
Published: June 2020

Background

Humanitarian crises and emergencies, events often marked by high mortality, have until recently excluded palliative care—a specialty focusing on supporting people with serious or terminal illness or those nearing death. In the COVID-19 pandemic, palliative care has received unprecedented levels of societal attention. Unfortunately, this has not been enough to prevent patients dying alone, relatives not being able to say goodbye and palliative care being used instead of intensive care due to resource limitations. Yet global guidance was available. In 2018, the WHO released a guide on‘Integrating palliative care and symptom relief into the response to humanitarian emergencies and crises’—the first guidance on the topic by an international body.

Aims

This paper argues that while a landmark document, the WHO guide took a narrowly clinical bioethics perspective and missed crucial moral dilemmas. We argue for adding a population-level bioethics lens, which draws forth complex moral dilemmas arising from the fact that groups having differential innate and acquired resources in the context of social and historical determinants of health. We discuss dilemmas concerning: limitations of material and human resources; patient prioritisation; euthanasia; and legacy inequalities, discrimination and power imbalances.

Implications

In parts of the world where opportunity for preparation still exists, and as countries emerge from COVID-19, planners must consider care for the dying. Immediate steps to support better resolutions to ethical dilemmas of the provision of palliative care in humanitarian and emergency contexts will require honest debate; concerted research effort; and international, national and local ethical guidance.
Factors associated with academic rank among chronic pain medicine faculty in the USA
Authors: Orhurhu Mariam Salisu , Orhurhu Vwaire , Salisu Bisola , Abimbola Adeniyi , Cohen Steven P
Published: June 2020

Background

Numerous factors are considered in the academic promotion of pain medicine physicians. In this study, we investigated the importance of research productivity, career duration, leadership, and gender on attaining professorship in chronic pain medicine fellowship programs in the USA.

Methods

We identified 98 pain fellowship programs in the American Medical Association Fellowship and Residency Electronic Interactive Database. Faculty demographics and institutional characteristics were obtained from institutional websites, and h-index (number of publications (h) cited at least h times) and m-index (h-index divided by research career duration) were calculated from Scopus. A nested mixed effect hierarchical modeling was used to determine factors that were associated with attaining professorship.

Results

A total of 696 chronic pain medicine faculty members from 98 academic pain fellowship programs were identified, of whom 74.7% were males. For the 15.5% who were full professors, the median h-index was 16.5 (6.0 to 30.0), the median career duration was 20.5 (16.0 to 27.0) years, and the median m-index was 0.7 (0.3 to 1.3). In an adjusted analysis, the top quartile (compared with bottom) h-index (OR 6.27; 95% CI: 2.11 to 18.59), publication citations (OR 1.13; 95% CI: 1.10 to 1.21), division chief position (OR 3.72; 95% CI: 1.62 to 8.50), institutions located in the western region (OR 3.81; 95% CI: 1.52 to 9.57), and graduating from a foreign medical school (OR 1.98; 95% CI: 1.10 to 3.92) were independently associated with attaining professorship (p<0.05), but gender was not (p=0.71).

Conclusions

Our study shows that, higher h-index, publication citations, division chief position, affiliation at a lower tier medical school, and location in the Western region were independently associated with full professorship, whereas gender was not. The identified variables for professorship may be considered as factors in faculty promotions.
Current versus revised anatomical targets for genicular nerve blockade and radiofrequency ablation: evidence from a cadaveric model
Authors: Fonkoue Loïc , Behets Catherine Wydemans , Steyaert Arnaud , Kouassi Jean-Eric Kouame , Detrembleur Christine , De Waroux Bernard LePolain , Cornu Olivier
Published: June 2020

Introduction

Recent studies have proposed revised anatomical targets to improve accuracy of genicular nerve (GN) radiofrequency ablation (RFA). This study aims to compare the accuracy of classical and revised techniques for fluoroscopic-guided GN-RFA in cadaveric models.

Materials and methods

Fourteen knees from seven fresh frozen human cadavers were included in this study. For each cadaver, RF cannulas were placed to capture the GN according to the current targets in one knee, and the revised targets in the other knee, randomly. The stylet was removed from the cannula, plunged into non-diffusible black paint, and reintroduced entirely in the cannula, to create a limited black spot on the tissues at the top of the active tip. Anatomical dissection was performed, and the accuracy of both techniques was compared.

Results

The mean distance from the top of the active tip to the nerve was significantly lower with revised than current targets for the superior-medial GN (0.7 mm vs 17.8 mm, p=0.01) and the descending branch of the superior-lateral GN (3.7 mm vs 24.4 mm, p=0.02). In both superior-medial GN and superior-lateral GN, the accuracy rate was higher with revised than current targets: 100% vs 0% and 64% vs 35%, respectively. In addition, the accuracy of revised targets for the recurrent fibular nerve and the infrapatellar branch of saphenous nerve was 100%.

Conclusion

This study demonstrates that the revised targets are more accurate than the current targets for GN-RFA.
Evaluation of freeway travel speed estimation using anonymous cellphones as probes: a field study in China
Authors: Han Haihang , Peng Liqun , Teng Ai , Wang Chenhao , Qiu Tony Z.
Published: June 2020

The high penetration rate of mobile phones among drivers and passengers indicates an opportunity for obtaining detailed information on vehicle spatial movement and estimating traffic state at a lower cost than traditional traffic monitoring techniques. In this study, we examine and assess the use of cellphones as probes to measure vehicle speeds. Network-based wireless location technology is adopted and calibrated, and the cellphone signalling data are used for traffic state estimation. Then, we introduce the relationship between the cellular network and road network, and explain how it can be used to estimate link-based average travel speed. Cellular probe-based measurements are compared with those obtained by microwave detectors for each five-minute time interval on busy road links along a freeway in Zhejiang, China, on weekdays, weekends, and holidays respectively. The analysis results show that the proposed cellphone-based system can effectively estimate travel speed on freeways with high cellphone penetration rates.
Spontaneously broken 3d Hietarinta/Maxwell Chern–Simons theory and minimal massive gravity
Authors: Chernyavsky Dmitry , Deger Nihat Sadik , Sorokin Dmitri
Published: June 2020

We show that minimal massive 3d gravity (MMG) of (Bergshoeff et al. in Class Quantum Grav 31:145008, 2014), as well as the topological massive gravity, are particular cases of a more general ‘minimal massive gravity’ theory (with a single massive propagating mode) arising upon spontaneous breaking of a local symmetry in a Chern–Simons gravity based on a Hietarinta or Maxwell algebra. Similar to the MMG case, the requirements that the propagating massive mode is neither tachyon nor ghost and that the central charges of an asymptotic algebra associated with a boundary CFT are positive, impose restrictions on the range of the parameters of the theory.
Curvature and thermal corrections in tree-level CPT-Violating Leptogenesis
Authors: Mavromatos Nick E. , Sarkar Sarben
Published: June 2020

In a model for leptogenesis based on spontaneous breaking of Lorentz and $$\mathcal {CPT}$$CPT symmetry [1–3], we examine the consistency of using the approximation of plane-wave solutions for a free spin-$$\frac{1}{2}$$12 Dirac (or Majorana) fermion field propagating in a Friedmann–Lema$$\hat{\mathrm{i}}$$i^tre–Robertson–Walker space time augmented with a cosmic time-dependent (or, equivalently, a temperature-dependent) Kalb–Ramond (KR) background. For the range of parameters relevant for leptogenesis, our analysis fully justifies the use of plane-wave solutions in our study of leptogenesis with Boltzmann equations; any corrections induced by space-time-curvature are negligible. We also elaborate further on how the lepton asymmetry is communicated to the Baryon sector. We demonstrate that the KR background (KRB) does not contribute to the anomaly equations that determine the baryon asymmetry (a) through an explicit evaluation of a triangle Feynman graph and (b) indirectly, on topological grounds, by identifying the KRB as torsion (in the effective string-inspired low energy gravitational field theory).
Efficient Reliability-Based Design Optimization of Degrading Systems Using a Meta-Model of the System Reliability
Authors: Savage Gordon J. , Son Young Kap
Published: June 2020

The application of reliability-based design optimization (RBDO) to degrading systems is challenging because of the continual interplay between calculating time-variant reliability (to ensure reliability policies are met) and moving the design point to optimize various objectives, such as cost, weight, size and so forth. The time needed for Monte Carlo Simulation (MCS) is lengthy when reliability calculations are required for each iteration of the design point. The common methods used to date to improve efficiency have some shortcomings: First, most approaches approximate probability via a method that invokes the most-likely failure point (MLFP), and second, tolerances are almost always excluded from the list of design parameters (hence only so-called parameter design is performed), and, without tolerances, true monetary costs cannot be determined, especially in manufactured systems. Herein, the efficiency of RBDO for degrading systems is greatly improved by essentially uncoupling the time-variant reliability problem from the optimization problem. First, a meta-model is built to relate time-variant reliability to the design space. Design of experiment techniques helps to select a few judicious training sets. Second, the meta-model is accessed to quickly evaluate objectives and reliability constraints in the optimization process. The set-theory approach (with MCS) is invoked to find the system reliability accurately and efficiently for multiple competing performance measures. For a case study, the seminal roller clutch with degradation due to wear is examined. The meta-model method, using both moving least-squares and kriging (using DACE in Matlab), is compared to the traditional approach whereby reliability is determined by MCS at each optimization iteration. The case study shows that both means and tolerances are found that correctly minimize a monetary cost objective and yet ensure that reliability policies are met. The meta-model approach is simple, accurate and very fast, suggesting an attractive means for RBDO of time-variant systems.
Capturing driving behavior Heterogeneity based on trajectory data
Authors: Xie Dong-Fan , Zhu Tai-Lang , Li Qian
Published: June 2020

Driving behavior is heterogeneous for various drivers due to the different influencing factors as reaction time, gender, driving years and so on. Some existing works tried to reproduce some of the complex characteristics of real traffic flow by taking into account the heterogeneous driving behavior, and the drivers are generally divided into two classes (including aggressive drivers and careful drivers) or three classes (including aggressive drivers, normal drivers and careful drivers). Nevertheless, the classification approaches have not been verified, and the rationality of the classifications has not been confirmed as well. In this study, the trajectory data of drivers is extracted from the NGSIM datasets. By combining the K-Means method and Silhouette measure index, the drivers are classified into four clusters (named as clusters A, B, C and D, respectively) in accordance with the acceleration and time headway. The two-dimensional approach is applied to analyze the characteristics of different clusters. Here, one dimension consists of “Cautious” and “Aggressive” behaviors in terms of velocity and acceleration, and the other dimension consists of “Sensitive” and “Insensitive” behaviors in terms of reaction time. Finally, the fuel consumption and emissions for different clusters are calculated by using the VT-Micro model. A surprising result indicates that overly “cautious” and “sensitive” behaviors may result in more fuel consumption and emissions. Therefore, it is necessary to find the balance between the driving characteristics.
Broken Hearts and Coffee Mugs
Authors: Neville-Neil George
Published: June 2020

Overall, there are two broad types of security review: white box and black box. A white-box review is one in which the attackers have nearly full access to information such as code, design documents, and other information that will make it easier for them to design and carry out a successful attack. A black-box review, or test, is one in which the attackers can see the system only in the same way that a normal user or consumer would.