bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Comparative study of whole exome sequencing-based copy number variation detection tools
Authors: Zhao Lanling , Liu Han , Yuan Xiguo , Gao Kun , Duan Junbo
Published: March 2020

Background

With the rapid development of whole exome sequencing (WES), an increasing number of tools are being proposed for copy number variation (CNV) detection based on this technique. However, no comprehensive guide is available for the use of these tools in clinical settings, which renders them inapplicable in practice. To resolve this problem, in this study, we evaluated the performances of four WES-based CNV tools, and established a guideline for the recommendation of a suitable tool according to the application requirements.

Results

In this study, first, we selected four WES-based CNV detection tools: CoNIFER, cn.MOPS, CNVkit and exomeCopy. Then, we evaluated their performances in terms of three aspects: sensitivity and specificity, overlapping consistency and computational costs. From this evaluation, we obtained four main results: (1) The sensitivity increases and subsequently stabilizes as the coverage or CNV size increases, while the specificity decreases. (2) CoNIFER performs better for CNV insertions than for CNV deletions, while the remaining tools exhibit the opposite trend. (3) CoNIFER, cn.MOPS and CNVkit realize satisfactory overlapping consistency, which indicates their results are trustworthy. (4) CoNIFER has the best space complexity and cn.MOPS has the best time complexity among these four tools. Finally, we established a guideline for tools’ usage according to these results.

Conclusion

No available tool performs excellently under all conditions; however, some tools perform excellently in some scenarios. Users can obtain a CNV tool recommendation from our paper according to the targeted CNV size, the CNV type or computational costs of their projects, as presented in Table 1, which is helpful even for users with limited knowledge of computer science.
Clinical significance of regional lymph node enlargement in patients with EGC within the expanded criteria for ESD
Authors: Lee Dong Seok , Park Jong Kyu , Lee Sang Jin , Cheon Gab Jin
Published: March 2020

Abstracts

Background

Lymph node (LN) metastasis is negligible in early gastric cancer (EGC) within expanded criteria for endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD). However, regional lymph nodes in abdominal CT scans are sometimes enlarged in patients with EGC within the expanded criteria for endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD). In this study, we investigated the clinical significance of regional lymph node enlargement on abdominal CT scan in patients with EGC within the expanded criteria for ESD.

Methods

From December 2010 to April 2015, among 301 patients with EGC within the ESD expanded criteria, 47 patients with regional lymph node enlargement shown by abdominal CT scan were prospectively enrolled. We performed surgical resection or periodic follow-up with abdominal CT scans and upper endoscopy every 6 months to evaluate whether the enlarged lymph nodes are due to metastasis or a reactive change.

Results

The mean age of the 47 patients (38 males, 9 female) was 64.8 years. The enlarged lymph nodes were usually single (26/47, 44.6%) and sized as follows: 11 nodes were ≤ 5 mm, 19 were 6–10 mm, and 17 were ≥ 10 mm. Four of the 47 patients initially underwent surgical resection, and 8 patients underwent surgical resection after ESD. However, there was no lymph node metastasis in surgical specimens. Thirty-five patients received ESD and periodically followed up at a median duration of 56 months (IQR: 44–59 month). The enlarged lymph node disappeared in 12 of 35 patients, decreased in 9 patients and remained the same size in 13 patients, and increased in 1 patient.

Conclusion

Regional lymph node enlargement on abdominal CT scan in patients within expanded criteria for ESD of ECG may be not due to metastasis but a reactive change.
Mediastinal paraganglioma successfully resected by robot-assisted thoracoscopic surgery with en bloc chest wall resection: a case report
Authors: Shidei Hiroaki , Maeda Hideyuki , Isaka Tamami , Matsumoto Takako , Yamamoto Tomoko , Nagashima Yoji , Kanzaki Masato
Published: March 2020

Background

Robot-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (RATS) is useful for surgery in the apical region of the chest cavity, as it narrows towards the head. Here, we describe a nonfunctional, rib-invasive paraganglioma arising in the posterior mediastinum that was successfully removed using RATS combined with chest wall resection.

Case presentation

A 31-year-old woman presented with a posterior mediastinal mass on chest computed tomography (CT) scan during a medical check-up 2 years prior. Positron emission tomography/computed tomography scan with F-18 fluorodeoxyglucose revealed a mass associated with standardized uptake maximum value of 2.69. With a preoperative diagnosis of neurogenic tumor by CT-guided percutaneous fine-needle aspiration biopsy, we performed robot-assisted tumor resection combined with chest wall resection. The wristed instruments of the robotic surgical system have increased range of motion and enabled the tumor resection without organ injury in the thoracic cavity. Histopathology examination revealed a non-functional paraganglioma with rib invasion.

Conclusions

RATS is a useful technique, enabling safer and easier resection of a mediastinal tumor adjacent to surrounding organs.
Introducing our series: research synthesis and meta-research in biology
Authors: Nakagawa Shinichi , Koricheva Julia , Macleod Malcolm , Viechtbauer Wolfgang
Published: March 2020

Research synthesis is the process of bringing together findings and attributes from different publications, for example, to give a more complete description of phenomena than is usually possible in a single work. We bring the Research Synthesis Series to BMC Biology to promote meta-analyses, other research syntheses including meta-research studies, and research synthesis methodologies in biology, facilitating their dissemination to broader communities.
Assessment of the psychometric properties and refinement of the Health and Self-Management in Diabetes Questionnaire (HASMID)
Authors: Carlton Jill , Rowen Donna , Elliott Jackie
Published: March 2020

Background

The Health And Self-Management In Diabetes (HASMIDv1) questionnaire consists of 8 attributes, 4 about quality of life, and 4 about self-management. The overall aim of this study was to rigorously examine the psychometric properties of the HASMIDv1 questionnaire.

Methods

The study comprised two phases. Phase 1 identified items of the HASMIDv1 questionnaire that potentially required rewording through consultation with a patient involvement panel and two focus groups of people with diabetes. Phase 2 involved a cross-sectional longitudinal survey where HASMID, EQ-5D-5L, health, treatment and sociodemographic questions were administered using both paper and online versions to people with diabetes. Participants were asked to complete the survey again approximately 3 months later. Psychometric analyses were undertaken to examine floor and ceiling effects, item distributions, known group differences and internal consistency. Rasch analysis was undertaken to assess differential item functioning and disordered thresholds.

Results

Phase 1 derived five alternative wordings to items: Irritable, Affects Mealtimes, Daily Routine, Social Activities and Problem. Phase 2 achieved 2835 responses at time point 1 (n = 1944 online, n = 891 paper version) and 1243 at time point 2 (n = 533 online, n = 710 paper version). Overall the HASMID items performed well, though two alternative worded items (Irritable and Social Activities) provided additional information not fully captured by the original HASMID items.

Conclusion

Psychometric evaluation and Rasch analysis were used in conjunction with expert opinion to determine the final questionnaire. The application of psychometric analyses or Rasch analysis alone to inform item selection would have resulted in different items being selected for the final instrument. The benefit of a combined approach has produced an instrument which has a broader evaluation of self-management. The final validated HASMID-10 is a short self-report PRO that can be used to evaluate the impact of self-management for people living with diabetes. HASMID-10 can be scored using total summative scores, with utility and monetary values also available for use in cost-utility and cost-benefit analyses.
Factors influencing sexual and reproductive health of Muslim women: a systematic review
Authors: Alomair Noura , Alageel Samah , Davies Nathan , Bailey Julia V.
Published: March 2020

Background

In Islamic societies, issues related to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) are rarely discussed and considered sensitive subjects. This review aimed to identify any personal, religious, cultural, or structural barriers to SRH service and education among Muslim women worldwide.

Methods

A search for qualitative and quantitative studies was conducted on seven electronic databases. A narrative synthesis using thematic analysis was conducted.

Results

Fifty-nine studies were included from 22 countries: 19 qualitative, 38 quantitative and two mixed methods. Many Muslim women have poor SRH knowledge, and negative attitudes which influence their access to, and use of SRH services. Barriers to contraception use among Muslim women included a lack of basic reproductive knowledge, insufficient knowledge about contraception, misconceptions, and negative attitudes. Women had negative attitudes towards family planning for limiting the number of children but not for child spacing, which reflected religious views towards family planning. Religious and cultural beliefs were barriers to contraception use and access to SRH services and information. Family and the community have a significant impact on women’s contraceptive use and access to SRH services. Husband and family opposition played a significant role in contraception access and use. Fear of stigmatization and being labelled as having pre-marital sexual relations among unmarried women acted as the main barrier to accessing contraception and seeking SRH information and services.

Conclusion

The findings reveal that there are multiple levels of factors that influence Muslim women’s SRH. Poor SRH knowledge and practices among Muslim women is complex matter that is affected by personal, community, cultural, religious factors and existing policies and regulations. All these factors overlap and are affected by each other. There is an urgent need for interventions addressing modifiable barriers to SRH education and services to improve knowledge, informed choice and access to services to facilitate better sexual and reproductive wellbeing for Muslim women. It is important to note that while this review aimed to report findings on Muslim women, we acknowledge that significant variations exist within every culture and religion.
This was the year that was: brain barriers and brain fluid research in 2019
Authors: Keep Richard F. , Jones Hazel C. , Drewes Lester R.
Published: March 2020

This editorial highlights advances in brain barrier and brain fluid research published in 2019, as well as addressing current controversies and pressing needs. Topics include recent advances related to: the cerebral endothelium and the neurovascular unit; the choroid plexus, arachnoid membrane; cerebrospinal fluid and the glymphatic hypothesis; the impact of disease states on brain barriers and brain fluids; drug delivery to the brain; and translation of preclinical data to the clinic. This editorial also mourns the loss of two important figures in the field, Malcolm B. Segal and Edward G. Stopa.
Conserved contributions of NMDA receptor subtypes to synaptic responses in lamina II spinal neurons across early postnatal development
Authors: Mahmoud Hadir , Martin Newton , Hildebrand Michael E.
Published: March 2020

NMDA receptors are heteromeric complexes that contribute to excitatory synaptic transmission and plasticity. The presence of specific variants of GluN2 subunits in these complexes enables diversity in NMDA receptor function and regulation. At brain synapses, there is a switch from slow GluN2B-mediated NMDA receptors to faster GluN2A-dominated NMDA receptors as well as an increase in the ratio of AMPA to NMDA receptors during early postnatal development. This glutamate receptor switch is observed across brain regions and is critical for synaptic maturation, circuit development, and associative learning. However, whether a similar receptor subunit switch occurs within pain processing neurons in the developing spinal cord remains untested. To investigate this, we performed whole-cell patch clamp recordings of excitatory synaptic responses from lamina II dorsal horn neurons of one to three week-old rats. We found that GluN2B and GluN2A both prominently contribute to NMDA receptor responses at neonatal lamina II synapses, with a small contribution from GluN2D as well. Surprisingly, we found that this molecular identity of NMDA receptor responses as well as the relative contribution of AMPA receptors versus NMDA receptors did not change at lamina II synapses across early postnatal development (P7 to P21). The lack of a developmental switch and persistence of slow-decaying GluN2B- and GluN2D-mediated synaptic responses throughout neuronal maturation in the dorsal horn has implications for understanding both the regulation of synaptic glutamatergic receptors as well as spinal mechanisms of pain processing.
Comparative analysis of abdominal fluid cytokine levels in ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS)
Authors: Farkas Balint , Boldizsar Ferenc , Bohonyi Noemi , Farkas Nelli , Marczi Saska , Kovacs Gabor L. , Bodis Jozsef , Koppan Miklos
Published: March 2020

Background

Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) is a rare, yet severe, iatrogenic complication of ovulation induction therapy during assisted reproductive procedures. Our group previously detected atypical cells in the ascitic fluid of OHSS patients, although no malignancy developed during follow up. Here, the aim was to perform a comparative analysis of the cytokines present in the abdominal fluid of patients affected by OHSS versus patients with advanced ovarian cancer, a benign adnexal mass, or ovarian endometriosis.

Methods

This prospective, non-randomized study was conducted at the Clinical Center of the University of Pecs Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology/Reproductive Center between October 2016 and March 2018. Abdominal fluid samples were obtained from 76 patients and subjected to Luminex analysis. The samples were collected from patients with OHSS (OHSS; n = 16), advanced ovarian cancer (OC; n = 22), a benign adnexal mass (BAM; n = 21), or ovarian endometriosis (EM; n = 17). Data were subjected to the non-parametric Kruskal-Wallis test and Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient to identify statistical differences between the four study groups.

Results

Leukocytosis and hemoconcentration were detected in the peripheral blood of OHSS patients. Abdominal fluid analysis further revealed significantly higher levels of interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8, IL-10, and transforming growth factor (TGF)-β in both the OHSS and OC groups compared to the BAM and EM groups. The highest concentration of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) was detected in the OC group, while a significantly lower level was detected in the OHSS group. Moreover, VEGF levels in OC and OHSS groups were significantly elevated compared to the levels in the BAM and EM groups.

Conclusions

Vasoactive and hematogenic cytokines were present at higher levels in both the OHSS and OC abdominal fluid samples compared to the fluid samples obtained from the peritoneal cavity of the BAM patients. It is possible that these cytokines play an important role in the formation of ascites.
Correction to: Real-time shear wave ultrasound elastography: a new tool for the evaluation of diaphragm and limb muscle stiffness in critically ill patients
Authors: Flatres Aurelien , Aarab Yassir , Nougaret Stephanie , Garnier Fanny , Larcher Romaric , Amalric Mathieu , Klouche Kada , Etienne Pascal , Subra Gilles , Jaber Samir , Molinari Nicolas , Matecki Stefan , Jung Boris
Published: March 2020

In the publication of this article [1], there was an error in the Family Name of one of the authors. This has now been updated in the original article.
Trypanosome infection rate in Glossina tachinoides: infested rivers of Limmu Kosa District Jimma Zone, Western Ethiopia
Authors: Meharenet Behablom , Alemu Dereje
Published: March 2020

Objective

Trypanosomosis is a disease of domestic animals and humans resulting from infection with parasitaemic protozoa of the genus Trypanosoma transmitted primarily by tsetse flies. A cross-sectional study was conducted from January-March 2018, to estimate the infection rate of trypanosome in Glossina tachinoides, their distribution, magnitude and involved trypanosome species in Limmu Kosa District of Jimma zone.

Results

Study methodology involved entomological survey using monoconical traps to study the magnitude of Fly density Flay/Trap/Day (FTD) and tsetse fly dissection to estimate infection rate of trypanosome in vector flies. The study result indicated that there was only one species of Tsetse fly Glossina tachinoides detected with FTD = 4.45. From the total of (n = 284) dissected Glossina tachinoides flies only (n = 5) positive for Trypanosome resulting in 1.76% Infection Rate. Peak trypanosome infections were observed in female tsetse 2.04%, n = 4 and 1.14%, n = 1 in males. Furthermore, 1.06% of Glossina tachinoides were infected by Trypanosome vivax and the remaining 0.70% was Trypanosome congolense. Finally, the study concluded with the recommendation of control and suppression of the vector and parasite was mandatory due to Pathogenic Animal Trypanosomosis.
ADMET evaluation in drug discovery. 20. Prediction of breast cancer resistance protein inhibition through machine learning
Authors: Jiang Dejun , Lei Tailong , Wang Zhe , Shen Chao , Cao Dongsheng , Hou Tingjun
Published: March 2020

Breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP/ABCG2), an ATP-binding cassette (ABC) efflux transporter, plays a critical role in multi-drug resistance (MDR) to anti-cancer drugs and drug–drug interactions. The prediction of BCRP inhibition can facilitate evaluating potential drug resistance and drug–drug interactions in early stage of drug discovery. Here we reported a structurally diverse dataset consisting of 1098 BCRP inhibitors and 1701 non-inhibitors. Analysis of various physicochemical properties illustrates that BCRP inhibitors are more hydrophobic and aromatic than non-inhibitors. We then developed a series of quantitative structure–activity relationship (QSAR) models to discriminate between BCRP inhibitors and non-inhibitors. The optimal feature subset was determined by a wrapper feature selection method named rfSA (simulated annealing algorithm coupled with random forest), and the classification models were established by using seven machine learning approaches based on the optimal feature subset, including a deep learning method, two ensemble learning methods, and four classical machine learning methods. The statistical results demonstrated that three methods, including support vector machine (SVM), deep neural networks (DNN) and extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost), outperformed the others, and the SVM classifier yielded the best predictions (MCC = 0.812 and AUC = 0.958 for the test set). Then, a perturbation-based model-agnostic method was used to interpret our models and analyze the representative features for different models. The application domain analysis demonstrated the prediction reliability of our models. Moreover, the important structural fragments related to BCRP inhibition were identified by the information gain (IG) method along with the frequency analysis. In conclusion, we believe that the classification models developed in this study can be regarded as simple and accurate tools to distinguish BCRP inhibitors from non-inhibitors in drug design and discovery pipelines.
Multiclass audio segmentation based on recurrent neural networks for broadcast domain data
Authors: Gimeno Pablo , Viñals Ignacio , Ortega Alfonso , Miguel Antonio , Lleida Eduardo
Published: March 2020

This paper presents a new approach based on recurrent neural networks (RNN) to the multiclass audio segmentation task whose goal is to classify an audio signal as speech, music, noise or a combination of these. The proposed system is based on the use of bidirectional long short-term Memory (BLSTM) networks to model temporal dependencies in the signal. The RNN is complemented by a resegmentation module, gaining long term stability by means of the tied state concept in hidden Markov models. We explore different neural architectures introducing temporal pooling layers to reduce the neural network output sampling rate. Our findings show that removing redundant temporal information is beneficial for the segmentation system showing a relative improvement close to 5%. Furthermore, this solution does not increase the number of parameters of the model and reduces the number of operations per second, allowing our system to achieve a real-time factor below 0.04 if running on CPU and below 0.03 if running on GPU. This new architecture combined with a data-agnostic data augmentation technique called mixup allows our system to achieve competitive results in both the Albayzín 2010 and 2012 evaluation datasets, presenting a relative improvement of 19.72% and 5.35% compared to the best results found in the literature for these databases.
Thoracic fluid content: a novel parameter for predicting failed weaning from mechanical ventilation
Authors: Fathy Shymaa , Hasanin Ahmed M. , Raafat Mohamed , Mostafa Maha M. A. , Fetouh Ahmed M. , Elsayed Mohamed , Badr Esraa M. , Kamal Hanan M. , Fouad Ahmed Z.
Published: March 2020

Background

Weaning of patients from the mechanical ventilation remains one of the critical decisions in intensive care unit. This study aimed to evaluate the accuracy of thoracic fluid content (TFC) as a predictor of weaning outcome.

Methods

An observational cohort study included 64 critically ill surgical patients who were eligible for extubation. Before initiating the spontaneous breathing trial, the TFC was measured using the electrical cardiometry technology. Patients were followed up after extubation and divided into successful weaning group and failed weaning group. Both groups were compared according to respiratory and cardiovascular parameters. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were constructed to evaluate the ability of TFC to predict weaning outcome.

Results

The number of successfully weaned patients was 41/64 (64%). Twenty (31%) patients had impaired cardiac contractility, and of them, 13/20 (64%) patients were successfully extubated. Both groups, successful weaning group and failed weaning group, were comparable in most of baseline characteristics; however, the TFC was significantly higher in the failed weaning group compared to the successful weaning group. The area under the ROC curves (AUCs) showed moderate predictive ability for the TFC in predicting weaning failure (AUC [95% confidence interval] 0.69 [0.57–0.8], cutoff value > 50 kΩ−1), while the predictive ability of TFC was excellent in the subgroup of patients with ejection fraction < 40% (AUC [95% confidence interval 0.93 [0.72–1], cutoff value > 50 kΩ−1).

Conclusions

Thoracic fluid content showed moderate ability for predicting weaning outcome in surgical critically ill patients. However, in the subgroup of patients with ejection fraction less than 40%, TFC above 50 kΩ−1 has an excellent ability to predict weaning failure.
Alfvén wave evolution into magnetic filaments in 3-D space plasma
Authors: Comişel Horia , Narita Yasuhito , Motschmann Uwe
Published: March 2020

Nonlinearities in space and astrophysical plasmas generate a set of magnetic filaments or bundles that have an incompressible sense of fluctuations and propagate highly obliquely to the mean magnetic field. Those filaments are caused by wave–wave interactions in which a large-amplitude Alfvén wave (or pump Alfvén wave) is disturbed by thermal, density fluctuations and collapses into obliquely propagating Alfvén waves at shorter wavelengths than the pump. Hybrid simulations confirm the filament excitations in the three-dimensional low-beta plasma. Alfvén waves develop into magnetic filaments on a time scale of about 300 ion gyrations. The filaments grow in a multi-channel way at various azimuthal angles around the mean magnetic field.
Bilateral spontaneous thrombosis of the pampiniform plexus mimicking incarcerated inguinal hernia: case report of a rare condition and literature review
Authors: Bakshi Sabyasachi
Published: March 2020

Background

Pampiniform plexus thrombosis is a very rare disease (only less than 25 published cases are available till date), and it is a diagnostic dilemma. The present case is an unusual condition of an elderly gentleman who was finally diagnosed as a case of spontaneous thrombosis of bilateral pampiniform plexus and was managed conservatively. Literature was reviewed to explore potential etiologies and therapeutic strategies.

Case presentation

A 65-year-old afebrile gentleman, laborer (in brick industry), and non-smoker with no previous major health problems was admitted with swelling in the bilateral inguinal region. The swelling had started one and half months ago. He had developed severe pain over the swelling for last 1 day with tenderness and indurations. Neither he had history of previous surgeries, chronic cough, dysuria, prostatism, and trauma nor he presented any thrombogenic factors. There was no history of vomiting, abdominal pain, and obstipation. Physical examination revealed normotensive person with BMI of 22.5, was significant only for one tender, movable, and firm to hard 10 cm × 3 cm mass extending from the left deep inguinal ring up to the upper pole of the testis in the scrotum. Another 5 cm × 3 cm mass of similar characteristics was found extending from deep inguinal ring up to the root of the scrotum on right side. The testes and prostate were normal on palpation.

On the contrary to preoperative USG, which clinched suspicion of incarcerated inguinal hernia, a thrombosed pampiniform plexus without any evidence of hernia sac was found on the left side during inguino-scrotal exploration. Wound was closed without doing any further procedure. Contralateral inguino-scrotal exploration was spared considering same nature of disease. Postoperative Doppler ultrasonography confirmed the diagnosis of bilateral thrombosed pampiniform plexus. MDCT of whole abdomen revealed no abnormality other than bilateral spermatic cord thrombosis. Blood thrombophilia screening came normal. The subject had an uneventful postoperative hospital course. With 2 years of follow-up, the gentleman is doing well, remaining asymptomatic and had returned to his usual life.

Conclusions

Due to extreme rarity, spontaneous thrombosis of the pampiniform plexus may be a diagnostic dilemma and requires a high index of suspicion. Doppler ultrasound is the initial investigation of choice. In the absence of other concomitant disease, beginning the treatment conservatively instead of excising the thrombosed segment is more suitable.
Solvability of initial-boundary value problem of a multiple characteristic fifth-order operator-differential equation
Authors: Faried Nashat , Rashed Labib , Ahmed Abdel Baset I. , Labeeb Mohamed A.
Published: March 2020

In this study, we establish existence-uniqueness of a vector function in appropriate Sobolev-type space for a boundary value problem of a fifth-order operator differential equation. Proper conditions are obtained for the given problem to be well-posed. Much effort is devoted to develop the association between these conditions and the operator coefficients of the investigated equation. In this paper, accurate estimates of the norms of the intermediate derivatives operators are presented and used to determine the solvability conditions.
Two-phase mixed convection nanofluid flow of a dusty tangent hyperbolic past a nonlinearly stretching sheet
Authors: Mahdy A. , Hoshoudy G. A.
Published: March 2020

A theoretical analysis for magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) mixed convection of non-Newtonian tangent hyperbolic nanofluid flow with suspension dust particles along a vertical stretching sheet is carried out. The current model comprises of non-linear partial differential equations expressing conservation of total mass, momentum, and thermal energy for two-phase tangent hyperbolic nanofluid phase and dust particle phase. Primitive similarity formulation is given to mutate the dimensional boundary layer flow field equations into a proper nonlinear ordinary differential system then Runge-Kutta-Fehlberg method (RKF45 method) is applied. Distinct pertinent parameter impact on the fluid or particle velocity, temperature, concentration, and skin friction coefficient is illustrated. Analysis of the obtained computations shows that the flow field is affected appreciably by the existence of suspension dust particles. It is concluded that an increment in the mass concentration of dust particles leads to depreciate the velocity distributions of the nanofluid and dust phases. The numerical computations has been validated with earlier published contributions for a special cases.
Approximation of common solutions for a fixed point problem of asymptotically nonexpansive mapping and a generalized equilibrium problem in Hilbert space
Authors: Osward Richard , Kumar Santosh , Sangago Mengistu Goa
Published: March 2020

In this paper, we introduce an iterative algorithm to approximate a common solution of a generalized equilibrium problem and a fixed point problem for an asymptotically nonexpansive mapping in a real Hilbert space. We prove that the sequences generated by the iterative algorithm converge strongly to a common solution of the generalized equilibrium problem and the fixed point problem for an asymptotically nonexpansive mapping. The results presented in this paper extend and generalize many previously known results in this research area. Some applications of main results are also provided.
Dynamics and chaos control in a discrete-time ratio-dependent Holling-Tanner model
Authors: Sohel Rana Sarker Md.
Published: March 2020

A discrete-time Holling-Tanner model with ratio-dependent functional response is examined. We show that the system experiences a flip bifurcation and Neimark-Sacker bifurcation or both together at positive fixed point in the interior of $\mathbb {R}^{2}_{+}$ℝ+2 when one of the model parameter crosses its threshold value. We concentrate our attention to determine the existence conditions and direction of bifurcations via center manifold theory. To validate analytical results, numerical simulations are employed which include bifurcations, phase portraits, stable orbits, invariant closed circle, and attracting chaotic sets. In addition, the existence of chaos in the system is justified numerically by the sign of maximum Lyapunov exponents and fractal dimension. Finally, we control chaotic trajectories exists in the system by feedback control strategy.
Approximations of some near open sets in ideal topological spaces
Authors: Nawar A. S.
Published: March 2020

In this paper, we introduce the concepts of j-ideal lower and j-ideal upper approximations as a generalization of approximation by Pawlak by using j-ideal open sets where j ∈ {α, S, P, γ, β, ⋀β}. Some of their basic properties with the aid of examples are proven. Furthermore, we study the relationships between these approximations to get the best of them.
Sexual satisfaction and self-esteem in women with primary infertility
Authors: Zayed Abdelhady Abdelhady , El-Hadidy Mohamed Adel
Published: March 2020

Background

Infertility may adversely affect sexual satisfaction and self-esteem of the infertile couples.

Main body

This study aims to assess self-esteem (sexual and general), anxiety, and depression in women with primary infertility. It is a comparative cross-sectional study and data collection covers a 1-year period. The study population consisted of 284 women, of whom 150, who attended the gynecology outpatient clinic of the hospital for contraception in the control group, and 134, who attended the gynecology department asking for treatment from primary infertility in the study group. All participants were examined using Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI), Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised (WAIS-R), Hamilton Anxiety Scale ( HAM-A), Hamilton Depression scales, socioeconomic standard using The Egyptian Classification of Socioeconomic Standard by El Gilany 2002, self-esteem using the Arabic translation of Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale, and Self-esteem and Relationship questionnaire (SEAR).

In the present study, women with primary infertility showed a higher prevalence of depression and anxiety with a statistically significant difference from fertile women. In addition, women with primary infertility showed lower general self-esteem, sexual satisfaction, sexual relationship, and sexual self-esteem than women with children and the difference was statistically significant.

Conclusion

Infertility has a negative effect on women's self-esteem, sexual activity, and psychological function.
The key role of daytime sleepiness in cognitive functioning of adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
Authors: Helfer Bartosz , Bozhilova Natali , Cooper Ruth E. , Douzenis Joanna I. , Maltezos Stefanos , Asherson Philip
Published: March 2020

Background.

Adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) frequently suffer from sleep problems and report high levels of daytime sleepiness compared to neurotypical controls, which has detrimental effect on quality of life.

Methods.

We evaluated daytime sleepiness in adults with ADHD compared to neurotypical controls using an observer-rated sleepiness protocol during the Sustained Attention Response Task as well as electroencephalogram (EEG) slowing, a quantitative electroencephalographic measure collected during a short period of wakeful rest.

Results.

We found that adults with ADHD were significantly sleepier than neurotypical controls during the cognitive task and that this on-task sleepiness contributed to cognitive performance deficits usually attributed to symptoms of ADHD. EEG slowing predicted severity of ADHD symptoms and diagnostic status, and was also related to daytime sleepiness. Frontal EEG slowing as well as increased frontal delta were especially prominent in adults with ADHD. We have validated and adapted an objective observer-rated measure for assessing on-task sleepiness that will contribute to future sleep research in psychology and psychiatry.

Conclusions.

These findings indicate that the cognitive performance deficits routinely attributed to ADHD and often conceptualized as cognitive endophenotypes of ADHD are largely due to on-task sleepiness and not exclusively due to ADHD symptom severity. Daytime sleepiness plays a major role in cognitive functioning of adults with ADHD.
Prognostic Value of Teratoma in Primary Tumor and Postchemotherapy Retroperitoneal Lymph Node Dissection Specimens in Patients With Metastatic Germ Cell Tumor
Authors: Taza Fadi , Chovanec Michal , Snavely Anna , Hanna Nasser H. , Cary Clint , Masterson Timothy A. , Foster Richard S. , Einhorn Lawrence H. , Albany Costantine , Adra Nabil
Published: March 2020

PURPOSE

Presence of teratoma in patients with metastatic testicular germ cell tumor (GCT) is of unknown prognostic significance. We report survival outcomes of patients with or without teratoma in primary tumor and postchemotherapy retroperitoneal lymph node dissection (PC-RPLND) specimen and assess impact on prognosis.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Patients with metastatic nonseminomatous GCT (NSGCT) who were evaluated at Indiana University between 1990 and 2016 and had primary testicular tumor specimen from orchiectomy (ORCH) were included. All patients were treated with cisplatin-based combination chemotherapy. The cohort was divided into 2 groups according to presence or absence of teratoma in ORCH specimen. Survival data were correlated with histopathologic findings. Differences in progression-free (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were evaluated using log-rank tests and Cox proportional hazards models to adjust for known adverse prognostic factors.

RESULTS

We identified 1,224 consecutive patients evaluated at Indiana University between 1990 and 2016 who met inclusion criteria. Median age was 27 years (range, 13-71 years); 689 patients had teratoma in ORCH specimen, and 535 did not. With median follow-up of 2.3 years, 5-year PFS was 61.9% (95% CI, 57.1% to 66.2%) for those with teratoma versus 63.1% (95% CI, 58.0% to 67.8%) for those without ( P = .66); 5-year OS was 82.2% (95% CI, 77.9% to 85.8%) versus 81.4% (95% CI, 76.5% to 85.3%; P = .91), respectively. A total of 473 patients underwent PC-RPLND; 5-year PFS for patients with pure teratoma in PC-RPLND specimen versus necrosis only was 65.9% versus 79.1% ( P = .06), and 5-year OS was 90.3% versus 93.4% ( P = .21), respectively.

CONCLUSION

Presence of teratoma in ORCH and PC-RPLND specimens was not a prognostic factor in this large retrospective study of patients with NSGCT.
Evaluating Web-Based Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Tests for Cancer Susceptibility
Authors: Kilbride Madison K. , Bradbury Angela R.
Published: March 2020

PURPOSE

Recent years have seen direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetic testing for cancer susceptibility change dramatically. For one, a new model now dominates the market where tests are advertised to consumers but ordered by physicians. For another, many of today’s tests are distinguished from earlier DTC offerings for cancer susceptibility by their scope and potential clinical significance. This review provides a comprehensive overview of available DTC genetic tests for cancer susceptibility and identifies aspects of the DTC testing process that could affect consumers’ ability to make informed decisions about testing and understand their results.

METHODS

First, we provide an overview of each DTC genetic test for cancer susceptibility that includes information about cost; who orders it; whether variants of uncertain significance are returned; availability of genetic counseling; intended users; management of variant reclassifications; whether it is characterized as diagnostic, actionable, and clinically valid; molecular technique used; and Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments/College of American Pathologists status. Second, we identify six aspects of the testing process that could affect consumers’ ability to make informed decisions about testing and interpret their results: How companies use certain terms (eg, medical grade or clinical grade); how companies use consumers’ health information during the ordering process; the extent of genetic counseling provided by companies; companies’ procedures for returning results; the role of company-provided ordering physicians; and companies’ procedures for communicating variant reclassifications.

RESULTS

On the basis of our review of companies’ Web sites, we believe that consumers would benefit from more information about these aspects of testing.

CONCLUSION

Providing this information would help consumers make informed decisions about whether to use a particular DTC genetic testing service and, should they choose to pursue testing, understand the implications and limitations of their results.
Comparison of CBCT with different voxel sizes and intraoral scanner for detection of periodontal defects: an in vitro study
Authors: Icen Murat , Orhan Kaan , Şeker Çiğdem , Geduk Gediz , Cakmak Özlü Fethiye , Cengiz Murat İnanç
Published: March 2020

Objectives:

This study aimed to compare the diagnostic accuracy of cone beam CT (CBCT) units with different voxel sizes with the digital intraoral scanning technique in terms of the detection of periodontal defects.

Methods and materials:

The study material comprised of 12 dry skulls with maxilla and mandible. Artificial defects were created on teeth separately using burs randomly on dry skulls. In total 46 dehiscences, 10 fenestrations, 17 furcations, 12 wall defects and 13 without periodontal defect were used in the study. Each tooth with and without defects was imaged at various vertical angles using each of the following modalities: a Veraviewepocs 3D R100 CBCT device and a 3D Shape TRIOSㄾ Color P13 Shade Intraoral Scanner.

Results:

The κ values for interobserver agreement between observers ranged between 0.29 and 0.86 for the CBCT 10 × 8 cm field of view (FOV) with 0,160 mm3 voxel size; 0.35 and 1 for the CBCT 8 × 8 cm FOV with 0,125 mm3 voxel size; and 0.30 and 1 of intraoral scans. The κ values for detecting defects on anterior teeth were the least, following premolar and molar teeth both CBCT and intraoral scanning.

Conclusions:

Smaller voxel sizes and smaller CBCT FOV has the highest sensitivity and diagnostic accuracy for detecting various periodontal defects among the scanner modalities examined.

Advances in knowledge:

Adequate evaluation of the condition of the alveolar bone and periodontal tissues is important for the diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of periodontal disease. Limited examination methods, such as palpation, inspection, and periodontal probe examination, may provide insufficient information for the diagnosis of periodontal diseases.
Optimal Solution of Vehicle Routing Problems with Fractional Objective Function
Authors: Baldacci Roberto , Lim Andrew , Traversi Emiliano , Wolfler Calvo Roberto
Published: March 2020

In this paper, we consider the vehicle routing problem (VRP) with fractional objective function. We investigate how the principal techniques used either in the context of fractional programming or in the context of vehicle routing problems interact. We present new dual and primal bounding procedures that have been incorporated in an exact method. The method proposed allows extending specific variants of the VRP to their counterpart with a fractional objective function. Extensive numerical experiments prove the validity of our approach.
The median voter theorem and the repeal of the prohibition on abortion in Ireland: an analysis of the passage of the Thirty-Sixth Amendment
Authors: Guffey Sara E.
Published: March 2020

In 2018, the Irish people voted in favour of the passage of the Thirty-Sixth Amendment. This vote abolished the Eighth Amendment, which had previously outlawed abortion by establishing the equal rights of the woman and the unborn child. To uncover potential driving forces behind the vote share in support of the Thirty-Sixth Amendment, this article uses regional data on religious identification, age and a measure of traditional identity. The results of this article show that variation by region in religious identification was significantly correlated with voting behaviour in the 2018 referendum. Furthermore, evidence for the validity of the median voter theorem is developed by analysing data on the reported support of Irish elected representatives for the legislation before the vote. The results of this analysis on the referendum vote suggest a societal shift has taken place in the preferences of Irish citizens, which is complimented by the views of their elected representatives.
La cultura catalana a Itàlia: el cas de Cesare Giardini.
Authors: Rigobon Patrizio
Published: March 2020

This paper looks at aspects of the life and work of the Italian Catalanophile Cesare Giardini (Bologna 1893–Milan 1970) up until the 1930s. Giardini’s initial activity as an actor afforded him the chance to travel to Barcelona in 1912 with the theatre company of the great Italian actress Lyda Borelli. During the month that Giardini spent in Barcelona, he was able to get in touch with a number of representatives of Catalan culture despite his considerable youth. In the 1920s, he began working with the Milan publishing firm Edizioni Alpi, which published Italian translations of Catalan works, such as The Catalan Nationality by Enric Prat de la Riba (1924). Giardini’s efforts to disseminate Catalan literature also involved his publication of a large number of articles in various newspapers and magazines throughout his long career. In 1926, he put out an anthology of Catalan poets through the publishing firm of Piero Gobetti (Edizioni del Baretti) and this anthology would be reprinted in 1950 with few changes.
Adaptive monostable stochastic resonance for processing UV absorption spectrum of nitric oxide
Authors: Fan Bo-Qiang , Zhang Yu-Jun , He Ying , You Kun , Li Meng-Qi , Yu Dong-Qi , Xie Hao , Lei Bo-En
Published: March 2020

When ultraviolet (UV) absorption spectroscopy technology is used for nitric oxide (NO) detection, the background noise will directly affect the accuracy of concentration inversion, especially in low concentrations. Traditional processing methods attempt to eliminate background noise, which damages the absorption spectrum characteristics. However, stochastic resonance (SR) can utilize the noise to extract a weak characteristic signal. This paper reports a monostable stochastic resonance (MSR) model for processing an UV NO absorption spectrum. By analyzing the characteristics of UV absorption spectrum of NO, the evaluation indexes were constructed, thereby an adaptive MSR method was designed for parameter optimization. The numerical simulation confirmed the absorbance peak can be amplified and spectral signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) can be in the stable range of the proposed method, when noise intensity increased. Finally, this experiment obtained a NO detection limit (3σ) of 1.456 ppm and the maximum relative deviation of concentration is 6.32% by this proposed method, which is satisfactory for processing of the UV NO absorption spectrum.
Real-time measurement of CO2 isotopologue ratios in exhaled breath by a hollow waveguide based mid-infrared gas sensor
Authors: Zhou Tao , Wu Tao , Wu Qiang , Ye Chenwen , Hu Rongjing , Chen Weidong , He Xingdao
Published: March 2020

A hollow waveguide (HWG) based mid-infrared gas sensor using a 2.73 µm distributed feedback (DFB) laser was developed for simultaneously measuring the concentration changes of the three isotopologues 13CO2, 12CO2, and 18OC16O in exhaled breath by direct absorption spectroscopy, and then determining the 13CO2/12CO2 isotope ratio (δ13C) and 18OC16O/12CO2 isotope ratio (δ18O). The HWG sensor showed a fast response time of 3 s. Continuous measurement of δ13C and δ18O in the standard CO2 sample with known isotopic ratios for ∼2 h was performed. Precisions of 2.20‰ and 1.98‰ for δ13C and δ18O respectively at optimal integration time of 734 s were estimated from Allan variance analysis. Accuracy of −0.49‰ and −1.20‰ for δ13C and δ18O, respectively, were obtained with comparison to the values of the reference standard. The Kalman filtering method was employed to improve the precision and accuracy of the HWG sensor while maintaining high time resolution. Precision of 5.45‰ and 4.88‰ and the accuracy of 0.21‰ and −1.13‰ for δ13C and δ18O, respectively, were obtained at the integration time of 0.54 s with the application of Kalman filtering. The concentrations of 12CO2, 13CO2 and 18OC16O in breath cycles were measured and processed by Kalman filtering in real time. The measured values of δ18O and δ13C in exhaled breath were estimated to be −21.35‰ and −33.64‰, respectively, with the integration time of 1 s. This study demonstrates the ability of the HWG sensor to obtain δ13C and δ18O values in breath samples and its potential for immediate respiratory monitoring and disease diagnosis.