bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Correlation of clinical signs and symptoms of Behçet’s disease with mean platelet volume (MPV) and red cell distribution width (RDW)
Authors: Masoumi Maryam , Shadmanfar Soraya , Davatchi Fereydoun , Shahram Farhad , Akhlagi Massoomeh , Faezi Tahereh , Kavosi Hoda , Moradi Soroush , Balasi Javad
Published: October 2020

Background

A strong correlation was previously found between mean platelet volume (MPV), red blood cell distribution width (RDW), and the severity of signs and symptoms in patients suffering from inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. The current study evaluated these correlations in patients with Behçet’s disease (BD) as well the relationship between MPV and RDW and disease activity score on the Iranian Behçet’s Disease Dynamic Activity Measurement (IBDDAM).

Methods

This cross-sectional study included 319 patients with BD for whom demographic and epidemiological data, IBDDAM scores, and duration of illness was recorded. Blood samples were then obtained and the relationships between their disease status and manifestations and their laboratory parameters were evaluated with statistical models to find possible correlations.

Results

Our analysis showed a significantly higher RDW in patients with BD who had ocular manifestations (p < 0.001) and oral aphthae (p = 0.004). Patients with active BD had higher RDW (p < 0.001) and MPV (p < 0.001) in comparison to those with currently inactive BD. Similarly, patients who had any type of ocular manifestation had higher RDW (p < 0.001) and MPV (p < 0.001). Regression analyses identified a statistically significant model for the effect of RDW and MPV in predicting active BD status (p < 0.001), as well as its significant relationship with active ocular manifestations (p < 0.001).

Conclusion

BD was found to be associated with an increase in MPV and RDW, particularly during active phases. RDW and MPV were also found to have predictive value for screening to detect BD activity and its ocular complications.
Efficacy of an online cognitive behavioral therapy program developed for healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic: the REduction of STress (REST) study protocol for a randomized controlled trial
Authors: Weiner Luisa , Berna Fabrice , Nourry Nathalie , Severac François , Vidailhet Pierre , Mengin Amaury C.
Published: October 2020

Background

The acknowledgment of the mental health toll of the COVID-19 epidemic in healthcare workers has increased considerably as the disease evolved into a pandemic status. Indeed, high prevalence rates of depression, sleep disorders, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have been reported in Chinese healthcare workers during the epidemic peak. Symptoms of psychological distress are expected to be long-lasting and have a systemic impact on healthcare systems, warranting the need for evidence-based psychological treatments aiming at relieving immediate stress and preventing the onset of psychological disorders in this population. In the current COVID-19 context, internet-based interventions have the potential to circumvent the pitfalls of face-to-face formats and provide the flexibility required to facilitate accessibility to healthcare workers. Online cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) in particular has proved to be effective in treating and preventing a number of stress-related disorders in populations other than healthcare workers. The aim of our randomized controlled trial study protocol is to evaluate the efficacy of the ‘My Health too’ CBT program—a program we have developed for healthcare workers facing the pandemic—on immediate perceived stress and on the emergence of psychiatric disorders at 3- and 6-month follow-up compared to an active control group (i.e., bibliotherapy).

Methods

Powered for superiority testing, this six-site open trial involves the random assignment of 120 healthcare workers with stress levels > 16 on the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) to either the 7-session online CBT program or bibliotherapy. The primary outcome is the decrease of PSS-10 scores at 8 weeks. Secondary outcomes include depression, insomnia, and PTSD symptoms; self-reported resilience and rumination; and credibility and satisfaction. Assessments are scheduled at pretreatment, mid-treatment (at 4 weeks), end of active treatment (at 8 weeks), and at 3-month and 6-month follow-up.

Discussion

This is the first study assessing the efficacy and the acceptability of a brief online CBT program specifically developed for healthcare workers. Given the potential short- and long-term consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on healthcare workers’ mental health, but also on healthcare systems, our findings can significantly impact clinical practice and management of the ongoing, and probably long-lasting, health crisis.

Trial registration

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04362358, registered on April 24, 2020.
Decidualization of an ovarian endometrioma complicated by a sigmoid fistula during pregnancy: a case report
Authors: Soule Hadiza Moutari , Jayi Sofia , Madi Tigani Guirema , Conte Alpha Boubacar , Alaoui Fatima Zohra Fdili , Chaara Hikmat , Melhouf Moulay Abdelilah
Published: October 2020

Background

During pregnancy, the discovery of adnexal masses remains frequent. Such masses are mostly benign. Ovarian endometrioma is a rare etiology. The diagnosis may be difficult in some situations, such as decidualization. It may be asymptomatic or result in complications for which magnetic resonance imaging is needed.

Case presentation

We describe an unusual case of decidualization of an ovarian endometrioma complicated by a sigmoid fistula during a 7-week, 1-day pregnancy in a Arabic patient aged 38 years who developed acute pelvic pain with fever. She had a medical history of unexplored secondary dysmenorrhea. The diagnosis was suspected on the basis of magnetic resonance imaging findings. The management was based on surgery, during which exploration revealed a mass at the expense of the left ovary being very adherent and fistulized to the sigmoid. We performed adnexectomy followed by digestive ostomy. The result of pathological study with immunohistochemistry led to a diagnosis of decidualization of an ovarian endometrioma altered by infection.

Conclusion

Decidualization of an ovarian endometrioma can lead sometimes to unexpected complications. The decision to provide surgery must be made with caution without delaying treatment in the event of a deep suspicion of malignancy and/or complication. The particular and exceptional complication discovered in our patient is the fistulization to the sigmoid.
Production and composition of Pleurotus ostreatus cultivated on Lithovit®-Amino25 supplemented spent substrate
Authors: Naim Layla , Alsanad Mohammed A. , Shaban Nidal , El Sebaaly Zeina , Abou Fayssal Sami , Sassine Youssef N.
Published: October 2020

Supplementation of the spent oyster substrate enhances its nutritional properties to produce a new mushroom cropping cycle. The study investigated the potential of a nano-fertilizer (Lithovit®-Amino25) with an admixture of 25%l-amino acids onPleurotus ostreatusproduction, proteins, and amino acid contents. The product applied at spawning (t1), after the first harvest (t2), and at both timings (t3), in two doses: 3 g/kg (C1) or 5 g/kg (C2). Compared with control (C0t0), the first harvest was earlier by 2.3–3.3 days in C1t1 and C2t1. The biological yield of the second harvest was improved by 28.0% in C2t2. Superior results were in C1t3 where the number of crops increased to four, biological efficiency was optimized (117.3%) at the third harvest, and biological and economic yields increased by 36.7% and 36.4%, respectively. Lignin was the most degraded in C1t3, while residual cellulose, hemicellulose, neutral detergent fiber, and acid detergent fiber were higher in all treated substrates than in control. In C2t1, mushrooms were the richest in proteins, while in C1t1, they were the richest in the essential amino acids threonine, valine, isoleucine, leucine, and histidine. Lithovit®-Amino25 has a high potential for use inP. ostreatusproduction.
Generalizations of Hermite–Hadamard like inequalities involving $\chi _{{\kappa }}$-Hilfer fractional integrals
Authors: Chu Yu-Ming , Awan Muhammad Uzair , Talib Sadia , Noor Muhammad Aslam , Noor Khalida Inayat
Published: October 2020

The main objective of this paper is to obtain a new κ-fractional analogue of Hermite–Hadamard’s inequality using the class of s-convex functions and $\chi _{{\kappa }}$

χ
κ

-Hilfer fractional integrals. In order to obtain other main results of the paper we derive two new fractional integral identities using the definitions of $\chi _{{\kappa }}$

χ
κ

-Hilfer fractional integrals. For the validity of these identities we also take some particular examples. Using these identities we then obtain some more new variants of Hermite–Hadamard’s inequality using s-convex functions.
Metabolic plasticity of IDH1-mutant glioma cell lines is responsible for low sensitivity to glutaminase inhibition
Authors: Ruiz-Rodado Victor , Lita Adrian , Dowdy Tyrone , Celiku Orieta , Saldana Alejandra Cavazos , Wang Herui , Yang Chun Zhang , Chari Raj , Li Aiguo , Zhang Wei , Song Hua , Zhang Meili , Ahn Susie , Davis Dionne , Chen Xiang , Zhuang Zhengping , Herold-Mende Christel , Walters Kylie J. , Gilbert Mark R. , Larion Mioara
Published: October 2020

Background

Targeting glutamine metabolism in cancer has become an increasingly vibrant area of research. Mutant IDH1 (IDH1mut) gliomas are considered good candidates for targeting this pathway because of the contribution of glutamine to their newly acquired function: synthesis of 2-hydroxyglutarate (2HG).

Methods

We have employed a combination of 13C tracers including glutamine and glucose for investigating the metabolism of patient-derived IDH1mut glioma cell lines through NMR and LC/MS. Additionally, genetic loss-of-function (in vitro and in vivo) approaches were performed to unravel the adaptability of these cell lines to the inhibition of glutaminase activity.

Results

We report the adaptability of IDH1mut cells’ metabolism to the inhibition of glutamine/glutamate pathway. The glutaminase inhibitor CB839 generated a decrease in the production of the downstream metabolites of glutamate, including those involved in the TCA cycle and 2HG. However, this effect on metabolism was not extended to viability; rather, our patient-derived IDH1mut cell lines display a metabolic plasticity that allows them to overcome glutaminase inhibition.

Conclusions

Major metabolic adaptations involved pathways that can generate glutamate by using alternative substrates from glutamine, such as alanine or aspartate. Indeed, asparagine synthetase was upregulated both in vivo and in vitro revealing a new potential therapeutic target for a combinatory approach with CB839 against IDH1mut gliomas.
Uncovering trend-based research insights on teaching and learning in big data
Authors: Park Young-Eun
Published: October 2020

Along with the big data era, digital transformation has had a transformative effect on modern education tremendously in higher education. It transforms an institutional core value of education to better meet students’ needs by leveraging big data and digital technology. Based on this background, this study attempts to catch the principal trends, or new directions, paradigms as predictors with an association of each topic by discovering the up-to-date research trends on teaching and learning in higher education via text mining techniques. For this, 285 research articles in the area of teaching and learning in higher education were collected from several big databases (distinguishable publishers’ web platforms) through search engines for 2 years in 2018–2019. Then it was analyzed using a semantic network analysis that processes natural human language. Consequently, research results show a relatively high connection with ‘student’ or ‘student-centered/led’ rather than ‘teacher-led.’ Moreover, it exhibits that the practice and assessment in learning can be attained via diverse learning activities, containing community or outreach activities. Besides, research in academic contexts, experience-based classes, the effect of group activities, how students’ feelings or perceptions, and relationships affect learning outcomes were addressed as the main topics through topic modeling of LDA, a machine learning algorithm. This study proposes that educators, researchers, and even academic leaders can exert extraordinary power to reshape educational quality programs for future education and in a timely manner with recognizable trends or agendas in teaching and learning of higher education.
Prevalence of Puccinia abrupta var. partheniicola and its impact on Parthenium hysterophorus in Kathmandu Valley, Nepal
Authors: Maharjan Seerjana , Devkota Anjana , Shrestha Bharat Babu , Baniya Chitra Bahadur , Rangaswamy Muniappan , Jha Pramod Kumar
Published: October 2020

Background

Partheniumhysterophorus is a noxious invasive weed in tropical and subtropical regions of the world, including Nepal. Among 11 species of biological control agents released to control P. hysterophorus in Ausrtalia, winter rust Puccina abrupta var. partheniicola arrived fortuitously and has established in Kathmandu Valley, Nepal, nearly a decade back. However, the prevalence and effectiveness of this rust as a biological control agent in Kathmandu remain unknown. To address this knowledge gap, a roadside survey was done at an interval of 2 ± 0.25 km in Kathmandu Valley to assess the P. abrupta var. partheniicola incidence and its impacts on P. hysterophorus. Infested individuals of P. hysterophorus were further divided into four severity classes (very low, low, medium, and high), and rust incidence was calculated. The impact of the winter rust on the growth of P. hysterophorus was assessed by comparing biomass and seed output of infested and non-infested individuals.

Results

Among 81 locations where P. hysterophorus was present in the Kathmandu Valley, winter rust infestation was observed at 98% locations. At some locations within Kathmandu Valley such as Tinkune, Kirtipur, Chabahil, Buddha Chowk, and Dhobighat, the impacts of the rust on P. hysterophorus were medium to high. Aboveground biomass and seed output of P. hysterophorus were reduced by 47% and 73%, respectively, due to winter rust infestation. The study indicates that winter rust incidence is widespread in Kathmandu Valley with very low to high levels of damages to P. hysterophorus depending on the localities.

Conclusion

The rust has, therefore, a potential to reduce the growth performance of P. hysterophorus, and it can be used as a component of integrated management of P. hysterophorus by introducing to other suitable areas in Nepal.
Smartphone usage duration is not associated with increased pain or proprioception deficit in young adults with chronic mechanical low back pain: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Wahba Mina Magdy , Galal Dina Othman Shokri Morsi , Rehan Youssef Aliaa
Published: October 2020

Background

Smartphone use has been associated with pain in the upper quadrant; however, the relationship between usage duration and low back pain is still unclear. This study investigated the association between continuous smartphone use up to 30-min and back pain severity and proprioception acuity in patients with chronic low back pain. Fifty-eight patients with chronic mechanical LBP played a game for 10- and 30-min. In each session, pain and back repositioning errors were measured at baseline and immediately after task completion.

Results

Pain significantly but slightly increased following smartphone use, regardless to the duration (after 10 min: mean increase = 0.75 ± 1.17,Pvalue < 0.001, 95% CI 0.44–1.06; after 30 min: mean increase = 0.96 ± 1.93,Pvalue < 0.001, 95% CI 0.44–1.46). However, changes in perceived pain scores were not significantly different between the two tested durations (Pvalue = 0.42). Proprioception repositioning error was not significantly different within the same testing session (mean change = 0.08 ± 1.83, 0.13 ± 1.77,Pvalue = 0.73, 0.58, 95% CI − 0.40–0.56, − 0.60–0.33, for the 10 and 30 min, respectively). The changes in proprioception were not significant between the two-tested durations (Pvalue = 0.56). Further, smartphone addiction did not significantly affect changes in pain and proprioception after game playing, regardless of the duration (P> 0.05).

Conclusions

These findings show that smartphone use slightly increases back pain immediately after continuous use; with no effect on back proprioception within the duration tested in this study. Changes in pain and proprioception were not influenced by smartphone addiction.
Biphasic CT imaging of deep neck infections (DNIs): how does dual injection mode helps in differentiation between types of collections?
Authors: Eissa Lamya , Mehanna Ahmed Mohamed
Published: October 2020

Background

Deep neck infections are showing resurgence in the current era and still pose threatening diagnosis. CT is the gold standard imaging modality; still, the reported low sensitivity and specificity was suggested in view of monophasic injection technique.

The purpose of the study was to discuss the diagnostic accuracy of CT with biphasic mode of injection using and a single scanning phase. The first 50–60 cc of IV contrast are injected at a slow rate of 1 cc/s to (tissue impregnation phase). The other 50–60 cc was injected at a high rate of 2 cc/sec, approximately 1 min after the first injection. The single phase of scanning is made followed by multi-planar image analysis of collection. Discrimination of abscess versus phlegmon is made according to described criteria.

Results

Radiological diagnosis was made of 64/66 cases of abscess and two cases only had phlegmon. The 64 cases of abscess underwent drainage by ENT surgeon showing correctly diagnosed drainable abscess in 59 out of 64 cases and 5 falsely diagnosed as abscess proved to be non-drainable phlegmon. The two patients with radiological diagnosis of non-drainable phlegmons were correctly diagnosed.

Conclusion

The study achieved a high accuracy of 92%. This is likely attributed to dual-phase technique that allows enhancement of the core of a phlegmon by slow interstitial phase, while combined dual injections allow enhancing the “rim enhancement sign” of abscess.
Digital psychiatry and COVID-19: the Big Bang effect for the NHS?
Authors: Dave Subodh , Abraham Seri , Ramkisson Roshelle , Matheiken Shevonne , Pillai Anilkumar S. , Reza Hashim , Bamrah J. S. , Tracy Derek K.
Published: October 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought untold tragedies. However, one outcome has been the dramatically rapid replacement of face-to-face consultations and other meetings, including clinical multidisciplinary team meetings, with telephone calls or videoconferencing. By and large this form of remote consultation has received a warm welcome from both patients and clinicians. To date, human, technological and institutional barriers may have held back the integration of such approaches in routine clinical practice, particularly in the UK. As we move into the post-pandemic phase, it is vital that academic, educational and clinical leadership builds on this positive legacy of the COVID crisis. Telepsychiatry may be but one component of ‘digital psychiatry’ but its seismic evolution in the pandemic offers a possible opportunity to embrace and develop ‘digital psychiatry’ as a whole.
Circulating sDPP-4 is Increased in Obesity and Insulin Resistance but Is Not Related to Systemic Metabolic Inflammation
Authors: Rohmann Nathalie , Schlicht Kristina , Geisler Corinna , Hollstein Tim , Knappe Carina , Krause Laura , Hagen Stefanie , Beckmann Alexia , Seoudy Anna Katharina , Wietzke-Braun Perdita , Hartmann Katharina , Schulte Dominik , Türk Kathrin , Beckmann Jan , von Schönfels Witigo , Hägele Franziska Anna , Bosy-Westphal Anja , Franke Andre , Schreiber Stefan , Laudes Matthias
Published: October 2020

Context

Dipeptidylpeptidase (DPP)-4 is a key regulator of the incretin system. It exists in a membrane-bound form and a soluble form (sDPP-4). Initial human studies suggested sDPP-4 to be an adipokine involved in metabolic inflammation. However, recent mechanistic data in genetically modified mice has questioned these findings.

Objectives

We examined circulating sDPP-4 in a cohort of n = 451 humans with different metabolic phenotypes and during 3 different weight loss interventions (n = 101) to further clarify its role in human physiology and metabolic diseases.

Design

sDPP-4 serum concentrations were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and related to several phenotyping data including gut microbiome analysis.

Results

sDPP-4 increased with age and body weight and was positively associated with insulin resistance and hypertriglyceridemia but was reduced in manifest type 2 diabetes. In addition, we found reduced serum concentrations of sDPP-4 in subjects with arterial hypertension. In contrast to earlier reports, we did not identify an association with systemic markers of inflammation. Impaired kidney and liver functions significantly altered sDPP-4 concentrations while no relation to biomarkers for heart failure was observed. Having found increased levels of sDPP-4 in obesity, we studied surgical (gastric bypass and sleeve gastrectomy) and nonsurgical interventions, revealing a significant association of sDPP-4 with improvement of liver function tests but not with changes in body weight.

Conclusions

Our data suggest that sDPP-4 is related to hepatic abnormalities in obesity rather than primarily functioning as an adipokine and that sDPP-4 is implicated both in glucose and in lipid metabolism, but not fundamentally in systemic inflammation.
Quality of Life in Patients with Neuroendocrine Neoplasms: The Role of Severity, Clinical Heterogeneity, and Resilience
Authors: Scandurra Cristiano , Modica Roberta , Maldonato Nelson Mauro , Dolce Pasquale , Dipietrangelo Greta G , Centello Roberta , Di Vito Valentina , Bottiglieri Filomena , de Cicco Federica , Giannetta Elisa , Isidori Andrea M , Lenzi Andrea , Muzii Benedetta , Faggiano Antongiulio , Colao Annamaria
Published: October 2020

Context

Although health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is a fundamental outcome in oncological clinical trials, its evaluation in the neuroendocrine neoplasm (NEN) research field is still limited.

Objectives

This study assessed the role of clinical severity (ie, presence or absence of metastasis and lines of therapies) and heterogeneity (ie, primary site, types of therapy, biology, and surgery) of NEN in relation to HRQoL, as well as resilience as a moderator between clinical severity and HRQoL.

Design

Cross-sectional multicentric study.

Setting

Italian university hospitals.

Patients

A total of 99 Italian patients (53 men and 46 women) with NEN and ranged in age from 22–79 years old.

Main Outcome Measure

Severity and heterogeneity of NENs, HRQoL, and resilience.

Results

The presence of metastasis and a greater number of therapies affected the global health and some physical symptoms. Resilience was associated with global health, functional status, and some physical symptoms, and it moderated the impact of metastases on constipation and of the multiple therapies on diarrhea and financial problems. Patients with NEN in districts other than the gastroenteropancreatic system and those in follow-up perceived fewer physical symptoms than their counterparts. Patients with a sporadic NEN perceived their functional status, global health, and disease-related worries as better than those with a hereditary NEN. Patients who underwent surgery were lower in constipation than their counterparts.

Conclusion

These findings highlight the need to assess the relationships between the clinical severity and heterogeneity of NEN with HRQoL and the role of resilience in improving patients’ HRQoL.
Termites of Solidarity in the House of Austerity: Undermining Fiscal Governance in the European Union
Authors: Greer Scott L. , Brooks Eleanor
Published: October 2020

European Union (EU) fiscal governance, especially the European Semester, is an ambitious new governance architecture involving surveillance and discipline, across both Eurozone and non-Eurozone member state policies, in pursuit of fiscal rigor. It is the most recent of several attempts to expand EU powers over member state policy with the goal of austere budgeting, and one that has led to remarkable claims of authority by the EU over member state health policies as detailed as medical school admissions and the role of primary care. It is expected that it would be resisted not just by those who object to an EU role in the organization and delivery of health care but also by those who object to a particular austere approach to health policy. How well is it working? Using two waves of interviews and documentary analysis, and health as a policy case study, the authors document three key techniques that opponents use to undermine the semester's governance architecture: broadening goals, expanding the scope of conflict, and disputing and nuancing indicators. The result is that opponents of a narrow fiscal governance agenda are again successfully undermining the narrow focus of the semester.
Thermal performance curves reveal shifts in optima, limits, and breadth in early life
Authors: Rebolledo Adriana P. , Sgrò Carla M. , Monro Keyne
Published: October 2020

Understanding thermal performance at life stages that limit persistence is necessary to predict responses to climate change, especially for ectotherms whose fitness (survival and reproduction) depends on environmental temperature. Ectotherms often undergo stage-specific changes in size, complexity, and duration that are predicted to modify thermal performance. Yet performance is mostly explored for adults, while performance at earlier stages that typically limit persistence remains poorly understood. Here, we experimentally isolate thermal performance curves at fertilization, embryo development, and larval development in an aquatic ectotherm whose early planktonic stages (gametes, embryos, and larvae) govern adult abundances and dynamics. Unlike previous studies based on short-term exposures, responses with unclear links to fitness, or proxies in lieu of explicit curve descriptors (thermal optima, limits, and breadth), we measure performance as successful completion of each stage after exposure throughout, and at temperatures that explicitly capture curve descriptors at all stages. Formal comparisons of descriptors using a combination of generalized linear mixed modelling and parametric bootstrapping reveal important differences among life stages. Thermal performance differs significantly from fertilization to embryo development (with thermal optimum declining by ∼2 °C, thermal limits shifting inwards by ∼8–10 °C, and thermal breadth narrowing by ∼10 °C), while performance declines independently of temperature thereafter. Our comparisons show that thermal performance at one life stage can misrepresent performance at others, and point to gains in complexity during embryogenesis, rather than subsequent gains in size or duration of exposure, as a key driver of thermal sensitivity in early life.
Synthesis and Characterization of a Well-Defined Carbon Nanohorn-Supported Molybdenum Dioxo Catalyst by SMART-EM Imaging. Surface Structure at the Atomic Level
Authors: Kratish Yosi , Nakamuro Takayuki , Liu Yiqi , Li Jiaqi , Tomotsuka Issei , Harano Koji , Nakamura Eiichi , Marks Tobin J
Published: October 2020

The molybdenum dioxo catalyst CNH/MoO2 is prepared via direct grafting of (dme)MoO2Cl2 (dme = 1,2-dimethoxyethane) onto the graphitic surfaces of carbon nanohorn (CNH) substrates. The structure of this heterogeneous catalyst was characterized by SMART-EM, XPS, and ICP, and is found to have single isolated MoO2 species on the surface as well as a few multi-Mo species. The CNH/MoO2 complex exhibits excellent catalytic activity for polyethylene terephthalate (PET) hydrogenolysis, N-oxide reductions, and reductive carbonyl coupling, representing an informative model catalyst for structural and mechanistic investigations.
Accuracy of a Mobile 2D Imaging System for Body Volume and Subsequent Composition Estimates in a Three-Compartment Model
Authors: FEDEWA MICHAEL V. , SULLIVAN KATHERINE , HORNIKEL BJOERN , HOLMES CLIFTON J. , METOYER CASEY J. , ESCO MICHAEL R.
Published: October 2020

Purpose

The purpose of the study was to compare a single two-dimensional image processing system (IMAGE) to underwater weighing (UWW) for measuring body volume (BV) and subsequently estimating body fat percentage (%Fat), fat mass (FM), and fat-free mass (FFM) via a 3-compartment (3C) model.

Methods

A sample of participants age 18–39 yr was recruited for this study (n = 67, 47.8% female). BV was measured with UWW and predicted via the IMAGE software. The BV estimates from UWW (3CUWW) and IMAGE (3CIMAGE) were separately combined with constant total body water and body mass values for 3C model calculation of %Fat, FM, and FFM.

Results

BV obtained from the IMAGE was 67.76 ± 12.19 and 67.72 ± 12.04 L from UWW, which was not significantly different (P = 0.578) and very largely correlated (r = 0.99, P < 0.001). When converted to %Fat (3CUWW = 21.01% ± 7.30%, 3CIMAGE = 21.08% ± 7.04%, P = 0.775), FM (3CUWW = 14.68 ± 5.15 kg, 3CIMAGE = 14.78 ± 5.08 kg, P = 0.578), and FFM (3CUWW = 57.00 ± 13.20 kg, 3CIMAGE = 56.90 ± 12.84 kg, P = 0.578) with the 3C model, no significant mean differences and very large correlations (r values ranged from 0.96 to 0.99) were observed. In addition, the standard error of estimate, total error, and 95% limits of agreement for all three metrics were small and considered acceptable.

Conclusions

An IMAGE system provides valid estimates of BV that accurately estimates body composition in a 3C model.
Implementing an intensive care registry in India: preliminary results of the case-mix program and an opportunity for quality improvement and research
Authors: Adhikari Neill K. J. , Arali Rajeshwari , Attanayake Udara , Balasundaram Sampath , Beane Abi , Chakravarthy Vijay , Channanath Ashraf Niyaz , Darshana Sri , Devaprasad Dedeepiya , Dondorp Arjen M. , Fowler Robert , Haniffa Rashan , Ishani Pramodya , James Augustian , Jawad Issrah , Jayakumar Devachandran , Kodipilly Chamira , Laxmappa Rakesh , Mangal Kishore , Mani Ashwin , Mathew Meghena , Patodia Sristi , Pattnaik Rajyabardhan , Priyadarshini Dilanthi , Pulicken Mathew , Rabindrarajan Ebenezer , Ramachandran Pratheema , Ramesh Kavita , Rani Usha , Ranjit Suchitra , Ramaiyan Ananth , Ramakrishnan Nagarajan , Ranganathan Lakshmi , Rashan Thalha , Dominic Savio Raymond , Selva Jaganathan , Tirupakuzhi Vijayaraghavan Bharath Kumar , Tripathy Swagata , Tolppa Timo , Udayanga Ishara , Venkataraman Ramesh , Vijayan Deepak
Published: October 2020

Background: The epidemiology of critical illness in India is distinct from high-income countries. However, limited data exist on resource availability, staffing patterns, case-mix and outcomes from critical illness. Critical care registries, by enabling a continual evaluation of service provision, epidemiology, resource availability and quality, can bridge these gaps in information. In January 2019, we established the Indian Registry of IntenSive care to map capacity and describe case-mix and outcomes. In this report, we describe the implementation process, preliminary results, opportunities for improvement, challenges and future directions.

Methods: All adult and paediatric ICUs in India were eligible to join if they committed to entering data for ICU admissions. Data are collected by a designated representative through the electronic data collection platform of the registry. IRIS hosts data on a secure cloud-based server and access to the data is restricted to designated personnel and is protected with standard firewall and a valid secure socket layer (SSL) certificate. Each participating ICU owns and has access to its own data. All participating units have access to de-identified network-wide aggregate data which enables benchmarking and comparison.

Results: The registry currently includes 14 adult and 1 paediatric ICU in the network (232 adult ICU beds and 9 paediatric ICU beds). There have been 8721 patient encounters with a mean age of 56.9 (SD 18.9); 61.4% of patients were male and admissions to participating ICUs were predominantly unplanned (87.5%). At admission, most patients (61.5%) received antibiotics, 17.3% needed vasopressors, and 23.7% were mechanically ventilated. Mortality for the entire cohort was 9%.  Data availability for demographics, clinical parameters, and indicators of admission severity was greater than 95%.

Conclusions: IRIS represents a successful model for the continual evaluation of critical illness epidemiology in India and provides a framework for the deployment of multi-centre quality improvement and context-relevant clinical research.
Proactive library in the information and educational environment of the University
Authors: Baryshev Ruslan
Published: October 2020

In the monograph, the University library is presented as a complex system that includes elements of various properties and varying complexity. As in any system, structural change inevitably affects the performance of all its components. In this regard, the library is an element of the information and educational environment of the University, which is designed to support and improve the effectiveness of educational and scientific activities. The article reveals the concept of active University library" as a system for providing information services to the reader in any form and on any medium based on classical and network forms of service based on query advance services. The article analyzes the opportunities provided by the active University library for its users. The mechanism of activation of an electronic library through selective provision of information is considered, and the principle of the influence of an active electronic library on its proactivity is approved. For all those interested in librarianship and Informatization of education."
Formation and Usage Trends of Grain Resources: Experience of Foreign Countries and Russia
Authors: Yakovenko N. , Ivanenko I.
Published: October 2020

The article provides the dynamics and structure comparative analysis of the wheat resources formation and their usage in Russia, USA, EU countries. The study was based on an assessment of the grain resources balance, which reflect the movement of products from the moment of production to the moment of its final use.

The main trends in the development of the grain sector in the Russian Federation, the USA and the EU countries are revealed. The change in the structure of the grain resources formation from 2000 to 2020, as well as their use is shown. The EU countries and the USA are characterized by a balanced grain food chain. In the structure of US wheat resources usage, domestic consumption, including consumption for livestock and poultry feed, processing for flour, cereals, compound feed and other purposes, occupies about 40%, in EU countries - up to 80% of resources. In the Russian Federation since 2000, a decrease in domestic consumption of wheat has been revealed for all structural components. During the study period, there has been a significant increase in Russian wheat exports. Its share in the resources of the Russian Federation increased from 1.8% in 2000/01 marketing year to 39.3% in 2020/21 marketing year. As a result of the study, the necessity of forming a balanced grain product chain in Russia, the development of domestic demand and consumption has been substantiated.
Comparing Two Proximal Measures of Unrecognized Clinical Deterioration in Children
Authors: Sosa Tina , Ferris Sarah , Frese Carol , Hacker Deborah , Dewan Maya , Brady Patrick W
Published: October 2020

Critical deterioration events (CDEs) and emergency transfers (ETs) are two proximal measures to cardiopulmonary arrest, and both aim to evaluate how systems recognize and respond to clinical deterioration in children. This retrospective observational study sought to (1) characterize CDEs and ETs by timing, overlap, and intervention category, and (2) evaluate the performance of the watcher identification system and the pediatric early warning score (PEWS) to identify patients who experience these events. A total of 359 CDEs and 88 ETs occurred during the study period. Respiratory events were most common and accounted for 80.5% of CDEs and 47.7% of ETs. A narrow majority of patients were identified as watchers (55.4% of CDEs and 51.1% of ETs). In total, 85.5% of CDEs and 87.5% of ETs were identified as watchers, elevated PEWS, or both. Opportunities exist for improved escalation plans for high‐risk patients to prevent the need for emergent intervention.
Precautions and Recommendations for Dental Care During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Borja de Melo Téssia Richelly Nóbrega , Costa Poliana de Santana , De Sousa Medeiros Rafaela Araújo , Araújo-Filho Jorge Luiz Silva , De Oliveira Júnior Augusto Garcia
Published: October 2020

The COVID-19 disease pandemic, caused by the new Coronavirus (SARS-COV-2) that originated in Wuhan, China, is an international public health emergency. This disease represents a major challenge for all health professionals, including dentists and their staff. This moment has significantly changed the attendance and routine of dental offices, so there is a great need for information and the development of protocols for the guidance of professionals. This paper aims to systematize the recommendations for dentists' clinical practice on biosafety and the use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), seeking to optimize dental care during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Estudio del blended learning en el gobierno universitario español: Tecnocracia digital versus conocimiento científico
Authors: Espejo-Villar Belén , Lázaro Herrero Luján , Álvarez-López Gabriel
Published: October 2020

INTRODUCCIÓN. El presente artículo tiene por objeto analizar en perspectiva comparada la dirección institucional que se está haciendo del blended learning en el marco de las universidades. MÉTODO. A partir de una investigación sobre la percepción que tienen los docentes de los apoyos institucionales que reciben en la implementación de la metodología de aprendizaje combinado, se ha querido profundizar en las narrativas que configuran el desarrollo virtual de la enseñanza superior. Para ello, el método llevado a cabo ha sido mixto. Por una parte, se ha hecho un análisis estadístico descriptivo e inferencial con los datos obtenidos de un  cuestionario realizado por los docentes de 25 universidades españolas. Por otra parte, se ha utilizado el estudio de caso con el propósito de generar conocimiento en torno a la política institucional a partir del análisis hermenéutico interpretativo de un campus virtual que ha sido un referente en esta temática. RESULTADOS. Los resultados muestran que el gobierno de las universidades está sujeto a parámetros de tecnocracia digital más próximos a la formación que se produce en las organizaciones de mercado que a las políticas de conocimiento desde las que se gesta la modalidad de aprendizaje combinado. Asimismo, dibuja un escenario de virtualización universitaria en el que el profesorado no está siempre presente, y sobre el que, además, no reconoce ningún valor adicional a su uso. En la misma línea, los resultados indican que los docentes no perciben por parte de las instituciones ni de la comunidad universitaria una preocupación por implementar la metodología combinada en sus programas académicos. DISCUSIÓN. Este trabajo nos lleva a reflexionar acerca de la naturaleza que subyace en el incremento de las políticas de virtualización de la educación universitaria.
Action-Research in higher education: a path to individual and social (trans)formation
Authors: Saraiva Carolina Machado , Anjos Águeda Maria Gomes dos
Published: October 2020

This research purpose is to investigate the possibilities of transformation generated by university students who experienced action-research in the period of academic education, in projects of an extensionist nature. Allied to this purpose, we seek to understand how the process of action-research interferes in the business education. To carry out this research, a Federal Institution of Higher Education (IFES) was chosen based on the intense extension work carried out by its professors. Six students, undergraduates and graduates, who participated as volunteers or scholarship holders in extension projects were delimited as corpus. This study fits into the descriptive-conclusive research model by non-probabilistic convenience sampling. The data analysis method was inspired by Discourse Analysis. The research data shows that the students began to have a broader understanding of the profession of administrator, after participating in the extension projects that adopt the methodology of action-research. The proposal of action-research must overcome the boundaries of the methodology and be transmuted into a form of social relationship between university actors in local communities, enhancing the training of administrators and training them for a more dense, broad and critical professional performance.
Average bit error rate and channel capacity of terahertz wireless line-of-sight links with pointing errors under combined effects of turbulence and snow
Authors: Taherkhani Mehdi , Kashani Zahra Ghattan , Sadeghzadeh Ramezanali
Published: October 2020

The estimation of the performance of terahertz wireless communication
under the effect of various weather conditions is vital. In this work,
the combined effects of cold weather conditions such as snow, as well
as random effects of turbulence and pointing errors (PEs) between the
transmitter and receiver, on the performance of terahertz wireless
line-of-sight links have been evaluated. The exponentiated Weibull
distribution has been employed to derive exact analytical closed-form
expressions in the presence of combined channels. Our predictions
indicate that snow can have various influences on the average bit
error rate (BER) and the average channel capacity of terahertz
wireless links. Dry and wet snow, based on their liquid-water content,
show different effects in terms of link parameters such as distance
and frequency compared to that of rain. Random turbulence and PEs
further deteriorate the link performance. It is concluded that the
channel capacity is less affected than the BER under the effects of
turbulence and PEs, while snow can have a remarkable effect. All of
the predictions through the derived expressions are validated using
Monte Carlo simulations.
Injection-locked 256 QAM WDM coherent transmissions in the C- and L-bands
Authors: Kan Takashi , Kasai Keisuke , Yoshida Masato , Hirooka Toshihiko , Nakazawa Masataka
Published: October 2020

We demonstrate WDM 256 QAM coherent transmissions with injection locking in the C- and L-bands and compare the transmission performance in the two bands. Although four-wave mixing (FWM) is more significant in an L-band EDFA than in a C-band EDFA, the FWM did not accumulate through the transmission and the FWM components were hidden by the ASE noise level. Since the FWM was weakened by the decorrelation of the WDM signals during the transmission, the transmission performance in the L-band was the same as that in the C-band. The injection locking circuit enabled precise carrier-phase synchronization between a data signal and a local oscillator regardless of the transmission band. By using this circuit, we successfully transmitted 58.2 and 57.6 Tbit/s 256 QAM WDM signals over 160 km with a spectral efficiency of 12 bit/s/Hz in the C- and L-bands, respectively.
Hard X-ray nano-holotomography with a Fresnel zone plate
Authors: Flenner Silja , Kubec Adam , David Christian , Storm Malte , Schaber Clemens F. , Vollrath Fritz , Müller Martin , Greving Imke , Hagemann Johannes
Published: October 2020

X-ray phase contrast nanotomography enables imaging of a wide range of samples with high spatial resolution in 3D. Near-field holography, as one of the major phase contrast techniques, is often implemented using X-ray optics such as Kirkpatrick-Baez mirrors, waveguides and compound refractive lenses. However, these optics are often tailor-made for a specific beamline and challenging to implement and align. Here, we present a near-field holography setup based on Fresnel zone plates which is fast and easy to align and provides a smooth illumination and flat field. The imaging quality of different types of Fresnel zone plates is compared in terms of the flat-field quality, the achievable resolution and exposure efficiency i.e. the photons arriving at the detector. Overall, this setup is capable of imaging different types of samples at high spatial resolution of below 100 nm in 3D with access to the quantitative phase information.
Precise measurements and their analysis of GAWBS-induced depolarization noise in various optical fibers for digital coherent transmission
Authors: Yoshida Masato , Takefushi Naoya , Kasai Keisuke , Hirooka Toshihiko , Nakazawa Masataka
Published: October 2020

We undertake precise measurements of guided acoustic wave Brillouin scattering (GAWBS) depolarization noise caused by the TR2,m mode (torsional and radial mode) in various fibers and analyze the results. And we describe the influence of the noise on digital coherent transmission. We first show that the TR2,m mode is distributed over a wider bandwidth when the effective core area Aeff of the fiber is smaller. We then describe the strong mode-number dependence of the depolarization power generated from the profile of the refractive index change induced by the TR2,m mode. We also use two methods to measure the polarization crosstalk (XT) induced by the depolarization, namely, a direct detection method with a photodiode and a conventional power detection method with an optical spectrum analyzer. The results of the two methods agree well, and the XT increase is inversely proportional to the fiber Aeff and proportional to fiber length. Finally, we evaluate the influence of the GAWBS-induced XT on the BER characteristics in a coherent QAM transmission, where we find that the influence of the TR2,m mode is much weaker than that of the R0,m mode (radial mode). That is, the error-free transmission distance in standard single-mode fiber is extended to 8600 km for 256 QAM signal assuming hard-decision FEC with a 7% overhead. This distance is seven times longer than that obtained with the R0,m mode.
Research on performance improvement technology of a BaGa4Se7 mid-infrared optical parametric oscillator
Authors: Yang Ke , Liu Gaoyou , Li Chunxiao , Yao Baoquan , Yao Jiyong , Chen Yi , Mi Shuyi , Duan Xiaoming , Dai Tongyu
Published: October 2020

In this Letter, we demonstrate an average output power of 5.12 W at 3–5 µm from a type-I phase-matching

B
a
G

a

4

S

e

7

(BGSe) optical parametric oscillator (OPO), which is pumped by a 2090 nm

Q

-switched Ho:YAG laser with pulse repetition frequency of 1 kHz. At maximum output level, the corresponding slope efficiency and optical-to-optical conversion efficiency are 30.0% and 18.3%, respectively. Moreover, under ring cavity conditions, the BGSe OPO produced a 3.04 W mid-infrared laser with high beam quality factors

M
2

of 1.47 in the horizontal direction and 1.51 in the vertical direction. Besides, the wavelength-tuning curve for type-I BGSe was also investigated, corresponding to an idler wavelength-tuning range of 4.5–5.3 µm, and the signal light wavelength was 4.5 to 4.1 µm.
High-energy normal-dispersion fiber optical parametric chirped-pulse oscillator
Authors: Becheker Rezki , Touil Mohamed , Idlahcen Saïd , Tang Mincheng , Haboucha Adil , Barviau Benoit , Grisch Frédéric , Camy Patrice , Godin Thomas , Hideur Ammar
Published: October 2020

We demonstrate a fiber optical parametric chirped-pulse oscillator (FOPCPO) pumped in the normal-dispersion regime by chirped pulses at 1.036 µm. Highly chirped idler pulses tunable from 1210 nm to 1270 nm with energies higher than 250 nJ are generated from our system, along with signal pulses tunable from 870 nm to 910 nm. Numerical simulations demonstrate that further energy scaling is possible and paves the way for the use of such FOPCPOs for applications requiring high-energy, compact, and low-noise sources, such as in biophotonics or spectroscopy.