bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Europe extreme heat 22–26 July 2019: was it caused by subsidence or advection?
Authors: de Villiers M. P.
Published: April 2020

An extreme heat event occurred over Europe from the 22nd to 26th July 2019, peaking on the 25th. Numerous new record maximum temperatures were established in several countries. The following maximum temperatures were recorded on the 25th: While the media has used the term heat wave, there is no single definition for a heat wave. Whether a severe heat event, or heat wave, this study investigates the origin of air over Europe during the heat event from the 22nd to the 6th and whether high surface temperatures were caused primarily by adiabatic subsidence, rather than the horizontal advection of warm/hot transported northward from North Africa using re‐analysis data, atmospheric soundings from two locations and five day trajectories.
Synthetic NiO catalyst‐assisted peroxymonosulfate for degradation of benzoic acid from aqueous solution
Authors: Huo Xiaowei , Zhou Peng , Zhang Jing , Wei Chenmo , Liu Yunxin , Zhang Gucheng , Li Wenshu , Zhang Yongli
Published: April 2020

A heterogeneous NiO catalyst was prepared by a precipitation process using nickel nitrate with oxalic acid and tested for heterogeneous oxidation of benzoic acid (BA) in the presence of peroxymonosulfate (PMS). It was found that the synthetic NiO is highly effective in heterogeneous activation of PMS to produce sulfate radicals (

) and hydroxyl radicals (·OH), and also presents stable performance in the heterogeneous activation of PMS for BA degradation. Physicochemical properties of the NiO catalyst were characterized by several techniques, such as thermogravimetric analysis, Brunauer‐Emmett‐Teller, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X‐ray diffraction, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. It was found that NiO and NiOOH were formed on the synthetic NiO catalyst and were stably distributed on the catalyst surface. Nearly 95% decomposition could be achieved in 30 min at the conditions of 500 ml 20 μM BA solution, 0.25 g catalyst, and [PMS]:[BA] = 30:1. The heterogeneous reactions, the effects of PMS concentration, and catalyst dosage on the BA degradation were investigated. The heterogeneous BA degradation reactions followed first‐order kinetics. Additionally, quenching experiments proved that the dominant radical in the solution was ·OH. The experiments results also showed that this approach is effective for the degradation of many other pollutants (such as tetracycline hydrochloride, 2, 4‐dichlorophenol, Acid orange 7, rhodamine B, and methyl red).

Practitioner points

A novel NiO material was fabricated for degradation of benzoic acid.

The synthetic NiO catalyst comprised active NiO and NiOOH.

The main radical for benzoic acid removal rate was ·OH.

A plausible mechanism for catalyzed degradation of the benzoic acid was proposed.
Characterization of wood-adhesive bonds in wet conditions by means
of nanoindentation and tensile shear strength
Authors: Bockel Stefan , Harling S. , Grönquist P. , Niemz P. , Pichelin F. , Weiland G. , Konnerth Johannes
Published: April 2020

The performance of adhesive-hardwood bonds can often be sensitive to
humidity and temperature variation. Therefore, it is frequently challenging to achieve
standard requirements for structural applications. To gain a better understanding of the
wood-adhesive bond, the properties of the individual constituents as well as the local
interface of European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) wood
cell walls in contact with structural adhesives were analyzed by means of
nanoindentation. These results are compared to classical lap-shear strength. As
adhesives two different one-component polyurethane adhesives (1C PUR) and a phenol
resorcinol formaldehyde adhesive (PRF) were used. In one case, the beech wood was
additionally pre-treated with an adhesion-promoting agent (primer) prior to bonding with
1C PUR. Beech wood joints were analyzed subsequent to several treatments, namely
standard climate, after wet storage and in re-dried conditions. In addition, the
influence of the primer on the hydroxyl accessibility of beech wood was investigated
with dynamic vapor sorption (DVS). The lap-shear strength revealed good performance in
dry and re-dried conditions for all adhesives on beech. Both polyurethane adhesives
obtained deficits when tested in wet conditions. The use of a primer significantly
improved the PUR performance in wet condition. DVS experiment demonstrated a decrease in
hydroxyl group accessibility when using a high primer concentration. As novelty,
nanoindentation was used for the first time to characterize the local
wood–adhesive-interface properties in wet conditions. Nanoindentation showed that all
tested 1C PUR perform quite similar in room climate, while PRF achieves considerable
higher values for reduced E-modulus and hardness. Wet storage led to a considerable
reduction in mechanical properties for all adhesives, while the highest relative change
was observed for PRF. After re-drying, the adhesives re-gained a large part of their
original mechanical properties in room climate. No distinct effect of the primer on the
local micromechanical properties could be detected with nanoindentation in terms of
specific work of indentation.
Interaction between behavioral inhibition and neural alcohol cue-reactivity in ADHD and alcohol use disorder
Authors: Vollstädt-Klein S , Gerhardt S , Lee A , Strosche A , Sharafi G , Nuriyeva R , Seidt J , Hennig O , Alm B , Hermann D , Sommer WH , Kiefer F , Luderer M , Sobanski E
Published: April 2020

Rationale

Compared to the general population, adult Attention-Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is more prevalent in patients with Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD). Impaired behavioral inhibition is a common characteristic in both ADHD and AUD. Relapse risk is increased in patients with AUD and comorbid, untreated ADHD and in AUD patients with increased neural cue-reactivity.

Objectives

In this study, we examined the interaction between neural correlates of behavioral inhibition and alcohol cue-reactivity with a hybrid imaging task.

Methods

Out of 69 adult study participants, we included n = 49 in our final analyses: Individuals had a diagnosis of either AUD (n = 13), ADHD (n = 14) or both (n = 5), or were healthy controls (HC; n = 17). The functional magnetic resonance imaging paradigm aimed to examine the combined effects of both an interference-inhibition task (“Simon-task”) and an alcohol cue-reactivity task. Instead of segregating by diagnostic group, we pursued a dimensional approach in which we compared measures of AUD and ADHD severity, as well as the interaction of both, using multiple regression analyses.

Results

The four groups did not differ on the behavioral level on either the inhibition task or the alcohol cue-reactivity task. However, brain activation in frontal control and reward-related regions during completion of the combined tasks were related to ADHD and AUD severity (symptom load). During presentation of both alcohol cues and the inhibition task, participants with higher AUD and ADHD symptom load exhibited greater BOLD (blood oxygen level dependent) responses in subcortical reward-related regions.

Conclusions

Our findings support the hypothesis that ADHD additionally diminishes inhibition ability in individuals with AUD. This may increase relapse risk when confronted with alcohol cues. Further, it is crucial for patients with comorbid AUD and ADHD to take into account not only reduced cognitive control over behavioral inhibition but also simultaneously heightened alcohol cue-reactivity.
Valuable furan fatty acids in soybeans and soy products
Authors: Müller Franziska , Hogg Melanie , Vetter Walter
Published: April 2020

Furan fatty acids (FuFAs) are valuable minor compounds in our food with excellent antioxidant properties. Naturally occurring FuFAs are characterised by a central furan moiety with one or two methyl groups in β-/β’-position of the heterocycle (monomethyl- or M-FuFAs and dimethyl- or D-FuFAs). Comparably high concentrations of D-/M-FuFAs were reported in soybeans, but soy is often consumed as a processed product, such as full-fat soy flour and flakes, soy drink, tofu and texturised soy protein (TSP). Due to the chemical lability of D-/M-FuFAs, e.g. in the presence of light or oxygen, a degradation during the processing is possible. For this purpose, freshly harvested soybeans (n = 4) and differently processed soybean products (n = 22) were analysed on FuFAs. Three FuFAs, i.e. 11-(3,4-dimethyl-5-pentylfuran-2-yl)-undecanoic acid (11D5), 9-(3,4-dimethyl-5-pentylfuran-2-yl)-nonanoic acid (9D5), and 9-(3-methyl-5-pentylfuran-2-yl)-nonanoic acid (9M5), were identified and quantified in all fresh soybeans and most of the processed soy products (n = 20). A trend towards lower D-/M-FuFA contents in higher processed products was observable. Lower FuFA concentrations were usually accompanied with a decrease of the share of the less stable D-FuFAs (9D5, 11D5) in favour of the M-FuFA 9M5. Furthermore, one or two 3,4-nonmethylated furan fatty acids (N-FuFAs), i.e. 8-(5-hexylfuran-2-yl)-octanoic acid (8F6) and partly 7-(5-heptylfuran-2-yl)-heptanoic acid (7F7), were detected in all processed products, but not in the freshly harvested soybeans. Our results indicate that D-/M-/N-FuFAs may serve as suitable markers for both, careful manufacturing processes and adequate storage conditions of soy products.
Aqueous humour concentrations after topical apPlication of combinEd levofloxacin-dexamethasone eye dRops and of its single components: a randoMised, assEssor-blinded, parallel-group study in patients undergoing cataract surgery: the iPERME study
Authors: Figus Michele , Posarelli Chiara , Romano Dario , Nardi Marco , Rossetti Luca
Published: April 2020

Purpose

To evaluate the penetration of levofloxacin and dexamethasone sodium phosphate into the aqueous humour (AH) after administration in combination and as single molecules. Evaluation of the penetration of those agents in the site of action and their pharmacodynamic potential activity in view of the intended clinical use after cataract surgery.

Methods

Randomised, assessor-blinded, parallel-group. Patients scheduled for cataract surgery were assigned in a 1:1:1 ratio to: levofloxacin + dexamethasone sodium phosphate (L-DSP), Levofloxacin (L) or Dexamethasone sodium phosphate (DSP) eye drops. Either test or reference drugs were instilled in the cul-de-sac twice, 90 and 60 min before paracentesis.

Results

A total of 125 patients completed the study. Fraction of dose absorbed in the anterior chamber was 3.8–4.2 · 10−4 for levofloxacin and 0.3–0.4 · 10−4 for dexamethasone, respectively. No notable differences in concentration of levofloxacin were found between L-DSP arm (1.970 nmol/ml) and L arm (2.151 nmol/ml). The concentrations of levofloxacin were well above the MICs for the most frequent Gram-positive and Gram-negative eye pathogens. Dexamethasone concentrations were slightly lower in L-DSP arm (0.030 nmol/ml) than in DSP arm (0.042 nmol/ml), but still in the pharmacodynamically active range in the site of action. The difference was not clinically relevant. DSP was not detected in any HA sample, suggesting its full hydrolysis to free dexamethasone.

Conclusion

Our results confirm that no interaction is evident on the corneal penetration of levofloxacin and dexamethasone which reach pharmacologically active concentrations when instilled as fixed combination eye drops to patients undergoing cataract surgery.

Trial registration

ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03740659
Evaluating severity of white matter lesions from computed tomography images with convolutional neural network
Authors: Pitkänen Johanna , Koikkalainen Juha , Nieminen Tuomas , Marinkovic Ivan , Curtze Sami , Sibolt Gerli , Jokinen Hanna , Rueckert Daniel , Barkhof Frederik , Schmidt Reinhold , Pantoni Leonardo , Scheltens Philip , Wahlund Lars-Olof , Korvenoja Antti , Lötjönen Jyrki , Erkinjuntti Timo , Melkas Susanna
Published: April 2020

Purpose

Severity of white matter lesion (WML) is typically evaluated on magnetic resonance images (MRI), yet the more accessible, faster, and less expensive method is computed tomography (CT). Our objective was to study whether WML can be automatically segmented from CT images using a convolutional neural network (CNN). The second aim was to compare CT segmentation with MRI segmentation.

Methods

The brain images from the Helsinki University Hospital clinical image archive were systematically screened to make CT-MRI image pairs. Selection criteria for the study were that both CT and MRI images were acquired within 6 weeks. In total, 147 image pairs were included. We used CNN to segment WML from CT images. Training and testing of CNN for CT was performed using 10-fold cross-validation, and the segmentation results were compared with the corresponding segmentations from MRI.

Results

A Pearson correlation of 0.94 was obtained between the automatic WML volumes of MRI and CT segmentations. The average Dice similarity index validating the overlap between CT and FLAIR segmentations was 0.68 for the Fazekas 3 group.

Conclusion

CNN-based segmentation of CT images may provide a means to evaluate the severity of WML and establish a link between CT WML patterns and the current standard MRI-based visual rating scale.
A branch-and-bound procedure for the resource-constrained project scheduling problem with partially renewable resources and general temporal constraints
Authors: Watermeyer Kai , Zimmermann Jürgen
Published: April 2020

In this paper, we consider the resource-constrained project scheduling problem with partially renewable resources and general temporal constraints. For the first time, the concept of partially renewable resources is embedded in the context of projects with general temporal constraints. While partially renewable resources have already broadened the area of applications for project scheduling, the extension by general temporal constraints allows to consider even more relevant aspects of real projects. We present a branch-and-bound procedure for the problem with the objective to minimize the project duration. To improve the performance of the solution procedure, new consistency tests, lower bounds, and dominance rules are developed. Furthermore, new temporal planning procedures, based on forbidden start times of activities, are presented which can be used for any project scheduling problem with general temporal constraints independent on the considered resource type. In a performance analysis, we compare our branch-and-bound procedure with the mixed-integer linear programming solver IBM CPLEX 12.8.0 on adaptations of benchmark instances from the literature. In addition, we compare our solution procedure with the only available branch-and-bound procedure for partially renewable resources. The results of the computational experiments prove the efficiency of our branch-and-bound procedure.
Radial nerve palsy associated with closed humeral shaft fractures: a systematic review of 1758 patients
Authors: Hendrickx Laurent A. M. , Hilgersom Nick F. J. , Alkaduhimi Hassanin , Doornberg Job N. , van den Bekerom Michel P. J.
Published: April 2020

Background and purpose

Humeral shaft fractures are often associated with radial nerve palsy (RNP) (8–16%). The primary aim of this systematic review was to assess the incidence of primary and secondary RNP in closed humeral shaft fractures. The secondary aim was to compare the recovery rate of primary RNP and the incidence of secondary RNP between operative and non-operative treatment.

Methods

A systematic literature search was performed in ‘Trip Database’, ‘Embase’ and ‘PubMed’ to identify original studies reporting on RNP in closed humeral shaft fractures. The Coleman Methodology Score was used to grade the quality of the studies. The incidence and recovery of RNP, fracture characteristics and treatment characteristics were extracted. Chi-square and Fisher exact tests were used to compare operative versus non-operative treatment.

Results

Forty studies reporting on 1758 patients with closed humeral shaft fractures were included. The incidence of primary RNP was 10%. There was no difference in the recovery rate of primary RNP when comparing operative treatment with radial nerve exploration (98%) versus non-operative treatment (91%) (p = 0.29). The incidence of secondary RNP after operative and non-operative treatment was 4% and 0.4%, respectively (p < 0.01).

Interpretation

One-in-ten patients with a closed humeral shaft fracture has an associated primary RNP, of which > 90% recovers without the need of (re-)intervention. No beneficial effect of early exploration on the recovery of primary RNP could be demonstrated when comparing patients managed non-operatively with those explored early. Patients managed operatively for closed humeral shaft fractures have a higher risk of developing secondary RNP.

Level of evidence

Level IV; Systematic Review.
Surgery for extraforaminal lumbar disc herniation: a single center comparative observational study
Authors: Polak Samuel B. , Madsbu Mattis A. , Vangen-Lønne Vetle , Salvesen Øyvind , Nygaard Øystein , Solberg Tore K. , Vleggeert-Lankamp Carmen L. A. M. , Gulati Sasha
Published: April 2020

Background

Surgery on extraforaminal lumbar disc herniation (ELDH) is a commonly performed procedure. Operating on this type of herniation is known to come with more difficulties than on the frequently seen paramedian lumbar disc herniation (PLDH). However, no comparative data are available on the effectiveness and safety of this operation. We sought out to compare clinical outcomes at 1 year following surgery for ELDH and PLDH.

Methods

Data were collected through the Norwegian Registry for Spine Surgery (NORspine). The primary outcome measure was change at 1 year in the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI). Secondary outcome measures were quality of life measured with EuroQol 5 dimensions (EQ-5D); and numeric rating scales (NRSs).

Results

Data of a total of 1750 patients were evaluated in this study, including 72 ELDH patients (4.1%). One year after surgery, there were no differences in any of the patient reported outcome measurements (PROMs) between the two groups. PLDH and ELDH patients experienced similar changes in ODI (− 30.92 vs. − 34.00, P = 0.325); EQ-5D (0.50 vs. 0.51, P = 0.859); NRS back (− 3.69 vs. − 3.83, P = 0.745); and NRS leg (− 4.69 vs. − 4.46, P = 0.607) after 1 year. The proportion of patients achieving a clinical success (defined as an ODI score of less than 20 points) at 1 year was similar in both groups (61.5% vs. 52.7%, P = 0.204).

Conclusions

Patients operated for ELDH reported similar improvement after 1 year compared with patients operated for PLDH.
Alterations in transcranial sonography among Huntington’s disease patients with psychiatric symptoms
Authors: Witkowski Grzegorz , Jachinska Katarzyna , Stepniak Iwona , Ziora-Jakutowicz Karolina , Sienkiewicz-Jarosz Halina
Published: April 2020

Transcranial sonography (TCS) is a diagnostic tool in mood and movement disorders. Alterations within the raphe mesencephalic nucleus in the brain have been reported not only in patients with major depression but in patients with depressive symptoms accompanying several neurodegenerative disorders. The aim of the study was to assess the echogenicity of the nucleus raphe and other basal ganglia in patients with Huntington’s disease (HD). TCS was performed in 127 HD patients participating in observational studies (Registry/Enroll-HD) in the Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology (Warsaw, Poland). Raphe hypoechogenicity was found in 78% of HD patients with current symptoms of depression (according to DSM-IV criteria), 57% of patients with a previous history of depression, and 56.8% patients who lacked signs or history of depression. Patients with hypoechogenic raphe reported significantly higher depression as measured on the BDI (15.6 ± 1.7) as compared to patients with normal echogenicity (9.5 ± 1.2), (p = 0.023). The diameter of the third ventricle was negatively correlated with Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) (rho − 0.37) and total functional capacity (TFC) scores (rho − 0.26). Hyperechogenic substantia nigra was visualized in 66,4% patients with HD and the degree of hyperechogenicity was correlated with the total motor score (TMS) (rho − 0.38). Changes in echogenicity of the basal ganglia are related to both depressive and motor symptoms among patients with HD.
Quantification and Analysis of Trace Levels of Phenicols in Feed by Liquid Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry
Authors: Patyra Ewelina , Kwiatek Krzysztof
Published: April 2020

A sensitive and reliable method using liquid chromatography–negative electrospray ionization mass spectrometry was developed for the simultaneous determination of chloramphenicol, florfenicol, and thiamphenicol at trace levels in animal feed. The analytes were extracted from grinded feed with ethyl acetate. Further the ethyl acetate was evaporated, residue resuspended in Milli-Q water, defatted with n-hexane, and solid phase extracted using BondELUT C18 cartridges. Separation was carried out on a C6 phenyl column with a mobile phase consisting of 0.1% formic acid in Milli-Q water and acetonitrile. The detector response was linear over the tested concentration range from 100 to 1000 µg kg−1. The recovery values for all analytes in feed were higher than 79% with RSD for repeatability and reproducibility in the ranges of 4.5–10.9% and 8.4–13.5%, respectively. CCα and CCβ varied between 76.8 and 86.1 µg kg−1, and between 111.3 and 159.9 µg kg−1, respectively. The results showed that this method is effective for the quantification of phenicols in non-target feed.
Narrative Skills in Primary School Children with Autism in Relation to Language and Nonverbal Temporal Sequencing
Authors: Carlsson Emilia , Åsberg Johnels Jakob , Gillberg Christopher , Miniscalco Carmela
Published: April 2020

Recent research has suggested that temporal sequencing of narrative events might be a domain-general ability that underlies oral narrative capacities. The current study investigated this issue in a group of children with known pragmatic and narrative difficulties, namely Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). We hypothesized (1) that children with ASD (n = 45) would retell narratives of poorer quality than both chronological age-matched (CAM) children and younger children matched on sentence-level language skills (LM), and (2) that nonverbal temporal sequencing skills would uniquely predict individual differences in oral narrative performance in children with ASD. The results show that children with ASD performed poorer on all measures of oral narrative quality compared with the CAM group, and on eight of ten measures compared with the LM group. Thus, our first hypothesis was confirmed, suggesting that narrative difficulties in ASD cannot be fully explained by impaired language. The second hypothesis was only partly confirmed: nonverbal temporal sequencing explained significant or marginally significant variance in some, but not all, aspects of oral narrative performance of children with ASD. These results are discussed from theoretical and clinical/educational perspectives, in relation to the heterogeneity of language skills in ASD and to domain-general features of narrative processing.
Understanding the Microfoundations of Government–Civil Society Relations
Authors: Waardenburg Maikel
Published: April 2020

This article adds a much needed microlevel perspective to the literature on interactions between civil society organizations and governments. I argue that a microlevel perspective assists in making connections between two dominant streams in the literature on government–CSO relations: an empirical–analytical stream and a critical stream. It aims to better understand the interactions and relations, by analysing the institutional work done by CSOs’ members. Adopting this approach puts CSO members in a more agentic position. Interactional processes are brought to the centre of analysis. The Dutch Community Sport Coach programme was used as a case to illustrate the usefulness of the approach. Through a one-year organizational ethnography, the article scrutinizes the way in which members of one CSO enact the organization’s service delivery relationship with a municipality. Through a multidimensional perspective on agency, the analysis shows how individual CSO members act as embedded agents that assimilate a public logic into the dominant community logic. It further shows the CSO’s members efforts and struggle to maintain their community logic. The article argues that an analysis of the microfoundations of government–civil society organization relations foregrounds the multivocality of the relationship as foundational.
Automatic detection algorithm for establishing standard to identify “surge blood pressure”
Authors: Kokubo Ayako , Kuwabara Mitsuo , Nakajima Hiroshi , Tomitani Naoko , Yamashita Shingo , Shiga Toshikazu , Kario Kazuomi
Published: April 2020

Blood pressure (BP) variability is one of the important risk factors of cardiovascular disease (CVD). “Surge BP,” which represents short-term BP variability, is defined as pathological exaggerated BP increase capable of triggering cardiovascular events. Surge BP is effectively evaluated by our new BP monitoring device. To the best of our knowledge, we are the first to develop an algorithm for the automatic detection of surge BP from continuous “beat-by-beat” (BbB) BP measurements. It enables clinicians to save significant time identifying surge BP in big data from their patients’ continuous BbB BP measurements. A total of 94 subjects (74 males and 20 females) participated in our study to develop the surge BP detection algorithm, resulting in a total of 3272 surges collected from the study subjects. The surge BP detection algorithm is a simple classification model based on supervised learning which formulates shape of surge BP as detection rules. Surge BP identified with our algorithm was evaluated against surge BP manually labeled by experts with 5-fold cross validation. The recall and precision of the algorithm were 0.90 and 0.64, respectively. Processing time on each subject was 11.0 ± 4.7 s. Our algorithm is adequate for use in clinical practice and will be helpful in efforts to better understand this unique aspect of the onset of CVD.
Deficient Chaperone-Mediated Autophagy Promotes Lipid Accumulation in Macrophage
Authors: Qiao Lei , Wang He-feng , Xiang Lei , Ma Jing , Zhu Qiang , Xu Dan , Zheng Hui , Peng Jie-qiong , Zhang Sen , Lu Hui-xia , Chen Wen-qiang , Zhang Yun
Published: April 2020

Chaperone-mediated autophagy (CMA) serves as a critical upstream regulator of lipophagy and lipid metabolism in hepatocyte. However, the role of CMA in lipid metabolism of macrophage, the typical component of atherosclerotic plaque, remains unclear. In our study, LAMP-2A (L2A, a CMA marker) was reduced in macrophages exposed to high dose of oleate, and lipophagy was impaired in advanced atherosclerosis in ApoE (−/−) mice. Primary peritoneal macrophages isolated from macrophage-specific L2A-deficient mice exhibited pronounced intracellular lipid accumulation. Lipid regulatory enzymes, including long-chain-fatty-acid-CoA ligase 1 (ACSL1) and lysosomal acid lipase (LAL), were increased and reduced in L2A-KO macrophage, respectively. Other lipid-related proteins, such as SR-A, SR-B (CD36), ABCA1, or PLIN2, were not associated with increased lipid content in L2A-KO macrophage. In conclusion, deficient CMA promotes lipid accumulation in macrophage probably by regulating enzymes involved in lipid metabolism. CMA may represent a novel therapeutic target to alleviate atherosclerosis by promoting lipid metabolism.
Water quality and impacting factors on heavy metals levels in Shatt Al-Arab River, Basra, Iraq
Authors: Al-Asadi Safaa A. R. , Al-Qurnawi Wasan Sabeh , Al Hawash Adnan B. , Ghalib Hussein Badr , Alkhlifa NoorAl-Huda A.
Published: April 2020

The aim of this study was to evaluate the water quality of Shatt Al-Arab River (SAR) and investigate the influences on the variations of heavy metals levels. The surface water and bed sediments samples at four stations have been collected (4 months) during 2017–2018, and seven heavy metals (Ni2+, Cr3+, Pb2+, As3+, Hg2+, U4+and Cd2+), as well as 11 parameters including total dissolved solids, the concentration of hydrogen ions, dissolved oxygen, nitrate, chlorides, turbidity, total hardness, electrical conductivity and alkalinity were investigated. The results indicated that the water quality in the SAR depend on the combined effects of natural and anthropogenic factors. The variation of water quality of SAR influenced by the chemical ions inflow from the Tigris River and the marine salt from Arabian Gulf. The highest value of TDS was in S4 it reached to 42,844 mg/l. The results showed that most of the ions increase their concentration by more than 200%, especially in summer season at Fao area due to the effect of the seawater intrusions. In comparison to the sediments, low concentrations and a uniform distribution of most metals were observed in the river water. The river sediments were polluted with heavy metals, while pollution levels in the water were still within permissible limits for drinking, irrigation and aquatic life. These findings indicated that the major sources of river contamination with heavy metals were the atmospheric deposit of gaseous emissions from oil production and electric generators and the surface runoff from agricultural areas after rainfall. Additionally, the tide greatly controls the distribution heavy metals in the river.
Just-In-Time Constraint-Based Inference for Qualitative Spatial and Temporal Reasoning
Authors: Sioutis Michael
Published: April 2020

We discuss a research roadmap for going beyond the state of the art in qualitative spatial and temporal reasoning (QSTR). Simply put, QSTR is a major field of study in Artificial Intelligence that abstracts from numerical quantities of space and time by using qualitative descriptions instead (e.g., precedes, contains, is left of); thus, it provides a concise framework that allows for rather inexpensive reasoning about entities located in space or time. Applications of QSTR can be found in a plethora of areas and domains such as smart environments, intelligent vehicles, and unmanned aircraft systems. Our discussion involves researching novel local consistencies in the aforementioned discipline, defining dynamic algorithms pertaining to these consistencies that can allow for efficient reasoning over changing spatio-temporal information, and leveraging the structures of the locally consistent related problems with regard to novel decomposability and theoretical tractability properties. Ultimately, we argue for pushing the envelope in QSTR via defining tools for tackling dynamic variants of the fundamental reasoning problems in this discipline, i.e., problems stated in terms of changing input data. Indeed, time is a continuous flow and spatial objects can change (e.g., in shape, size, or structure) as time passes; therefore, it is pertinent to be able to efficiently reason about dynamic spatio-temporal data. Finally, these tools are to be integrated into the larger context of highly active areas such as neuro-symbolic learning and reasoning, planning, data mining, and robotic applications. Our final goal is to inspire further discussion in the community about constraint-based QSTR in general, and the possible lines of future research that we outline here in particular.
Artificial Nanoscale Erythrocytes from Clinically Relevant Compounds for Enhancing Cancer Immunotherapy
Authors: Ou Wenquan , Nam Kang Sik , Park Dae Hoon , Hwang Jungho , Ku Sae Kwang , Yong Chul Soon , Kim Jong Oh , Byeon Jeong Hoon
Published: April 2020

Because of enhanced efficacy and lower side effects, cancer immunotherapies have recently been extensively investigated in clinical trials to overcome the limitations of conventional cancer monotherapies. Although engineering attempts have been made to build nanosystems even including stimulus nanomaterials for the efficient delivery of antigens, adjuvants, or anticancer drugs to improve immunogenic cancer cell death, this requires huge R&D efforts and investment for clinically relevant findings to be approved for translation of the nanosystems. To this end, in this study, an air–liquid two-phase electrospray was developed for stable bubble pressing under a balance between mechanical and electrical parameters of the spray to continuously produce biomimetic nanosystems consisting of only clinically relevant compounds [paclitaxel-loaded fake blood cell Eudragit particle (Eu-FBCP/PTX)] to provide a conceptual leap for the timely development of translatable chemo-immunotherapeutic nanosystems. This was pursued as the efficacy of systems for delivering anticancer agents that has been mainly influenced by nanosystem shape because of its relevance to transporting behavior to organs, blood circulation, and cell–membrane interactions. The resulting Eu-FBCP/PTX nanosystems exhibiting phagocytic and micropinocytic uptake behaviors can confer better efficacy in chemo-immunotherapeutics in the absence and presence of anti-PD-L1 antibodies than similar sized PTX-loaded spherical Eu particles (Eu-s/PTX).
Single center experience on the production of fluorine-18 radiopharmaceuticals using a 7.5 MeV cyclotron: capabilities and challenges
Authors: Fesas Andreas , Pourkhessalian Mohammad Reza , Vrachimis Alexis
Published: April 2020

A plethora of cyclotron options have been developed to fulfil the demands of nuclear medicine industries in PET and SPECT radioisotopes. As a remote site, the difficulties of transporting fluorine 18 radiopharmaceuticals for PET examinations were overcome by the installation of a 7.5 MeV cyclotron for in-house production. The addition of a third-party synthesis module enabled the synthesis of 7 additional radiotracers according to a ‘’dose on demand’’ principle. Radiochemical yield is considered the primary factor in producing sufficient activity for a single patient dose, since low energy cyclotrons can only offer low initial activities. We hereby report the average radiochemical yields, synthesis times and doses per production for [18F]FDG, [18F]PSMA-1007, [18F]DOPA, [18F]FET, [18F]FLT, [18F]FMISO, [18F]Choline and [18F]FES using a BG75 cyclotron and a Neptis Mosaic-RS. Additionally, the presence of radionuclidic impurities in the final product was examined.
Effectiveness of prophylactic intravenous ondasetron to reduce fentanyl induced pruritus among elective cesarean section patients in Worabe Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, Southern Ethiopia, 2020, randomized clinical trial
Authors: Hulchafo Abdi , Abiy Sileshi , Shifa Shukralla , Yemam Dessalegn
Published: April 2020

ABSTRACT

Background:

Prurius is the most common reason that obstetrics receive a treatment after intrathecal opioids. Which is characterized by an unpleasant, localized and/or generalized sensation on the skin and mucous membranes. It deserves the same degree of clinical attention as pain. Its incidence is 30–100% and having special increment in case of obstetric patients 60–100%.

Methods:

Institution based double blinded randomized controlled clinical trial was conducted in 93 patients undergoing cesarean section under spinal anesthesia with 25 μg fentanyl and 12.5 mg bupivacaine were included. Data was entered by coding and analyzed by using SPSS version 20 software package and pruritus was analyzed using cross-tabulation (chi-square test) and presented in frequency and percentage. Severity of pruritus was compared by using Mann Whitney U test for statistical significant difference between groups. P-value < 0.05 was considered as statistically significant at power of 80%.

Results:

The comparison of data showed that the incidences of pruritus in treatment group (14%) were significantly reduced with compared to placebo group (36%) approximately by 2.6 times at p-value (0.01). The overall severity of pruritus was mild (85.7% vs 47.4%), moderate (14.3% vs 47.4%) and severe (0.0% vs. 5.3%) between ondansetron and placebo groups respectively but not statistically significant.

Conclusions:

Prophylactic use of IV ondansetron significantly reduced the incidence of intrathecal fentanyl induced pruritus compared to placebo groups in patients undergoing cesarean section under spinal anesthesia.

Highlights:
Affording Archaeology: How Field School Costs Promote Exclusivity
Authors: Heath-Stout Laura E. , Hannigan Elizabeth M.
Published: April 2020

Field schools are essential for undergraduate students pursuing careers in archaeology, but they are expensive and, consequently, inaccessible to many. Although there have been efforts to rectify this through the creation of scholarships, there have been no systematic studies of the full cost of archaeological field schools. Here, we present a study of 208 field schools from 2019, including their tuition, room and board, and airfare, as well as the wages that students may lose by participating in them rather than working. We also explore how archaeologists interviewed for Heath-Stout's dissertation study of diversity issues in the discipline have navigated finding field experiences. We argue that scholarships are an ineffective and insufficient means of promoting equity and accessibility in the field because the root of the problem lies in institutionalized inequality and exclusivity. We provide strategies that students and faculty can use to address these problems on both individual and systemic levels. By making field schools affordable and accessible to a more diverse set of undergraduate students, we can create a more just and inclusive discipline.
Novel second-order sliding mode guidance law with an impact angle constraint that considers autopilot lag for intercepting manoeuvering targets
Authors: Zhang W.J. , Xia Q.L. , Li W.
Published: April 2020

A novel second-order sliding-mode-based impact angle and autopilot lag guidance law for engaging manoeuvering targets with unknown acceleration is presented in this study. A backstepping technique is applied to the design of the sliding surface. The proposed guidance law is based on a new sliding surface. It exhibits the advantage of ensuring that the sliding surface and its derivative will converge to zero in finite time while guaranteeing that the sliding surface will not cross zero until the ultimate time. The method effectively eliminates the undesired chattering of the sliding surface. To compensate for the uncertainty caused by target manoeuvering, a new observer is developed to estimate target manoeuvering. The convergence of the system is proven through a Lyapunov function and finite time convergence theory. Lastly, mathematical simulations results show that the proposed guidance law can achieve precise interception with a wide range of impact angles, thereby verifying the effectiveness of the guidance law.
LESS-EXPENSIVE VALUATION AND RESERVING OF LONG-DATED VARIABLE ANNUITIES WHEN INTEREST RATES AND MORTALITY RATES ARE STOCHASTIC
Authors: Fergusson Kevin
Published: April 2020

Variable annuities are products offered by pension funds and life offices that provide periodic future payments to the investor and often have ancillary benefits that guarantee survival benefits or sums insured on death. This paper extends the benchmark approach to value and hedge long-dated variable annuities using a combination of cash, bonds and equities under a variety of market models, allowing for dependence between financial and insurance markets. Under a simplified case of independence, the results show that when the discounted index is modelled as a time-transformed squared Bessel process, less-expensive valuation and reserving is achieved regardless of the short rate model or the mortality model.
EU Internal Market Law and the Law of International Commercial Arbitration: Have the EU Chickens Come Home to Roost?
Authors: FERRETTI Federico
Published: April 2020

EU Internal Market law and international arbitration increasingly interact with each other but there are important areas of conflict between the two that represent an obstacle to market integration in a common area of justice. The article examines, from the perspective of EU public economic law, these areas of conflict to assess the extent to which the Internal Market needs harmonised rules on commercial arbitration to support dispute resolution and access to an efficient delivery of justice within its operation. The current state of affairs is unsatisfactory and it lacks legal certainty. If properly regulated, commercial arbitration can become an important instrument functional to EU market efficiency.
Acute care research competencies for clinical research professionals
Authors: Schuckman Stephanie , Babcock Lynn , Spinner Cristina , Adeoye Opeolu , Gomaa Dina , Pritts Timothy , Kissela Brett M. , Lindsell Christopher J. , Knapke Jacqueline M.
Published: April 2020

Introduction:

Acute care research (ACR) is uniquely challenged by the constraints of recruiting participants and conducting research procedures within minutes to hours of an unscheduled critical illness or injury. Existing competencies for clinical research professionals (CRPs) are gaining traction but may have gaps for the acute environment. We sought to expand existing CRP competencies to include the specialized skills needed for ACR settings.

Methods:

Qualitative data collected from job shadowing, clinical observations, and interviews were analyzed to assess the educational needs of the acute care clinical research workforce. We identified competencies necessary to succeed as an ACR-CRP, and then applied Bloom’s Taxonomy to develop characteristics into learning outcomes that frame both knowledge to be acquired and job performance metrics.

Results:

There were 28 special interest competencies for ACR-CRPs identified within the eight domains set by the Joint Task Force (JTF) of Clinical Trial Competency. While the eight domains were not prioritized by the JTF, in ACR an emphasis on Communication and Teamwork, Clinical Trials Operations, and Data Management and Informatics was observed. Within each domain, distinct proficiencies and unique personal characteristics essential for success were identified. The competencies suggest that a combination of competency-based training, behavioral-based hiring practices, and continuing professional development will be essential to ACR success.

Conclusion:

The competencies developed for ACR can serve as a training guide for CRPs to be prepared for the challenges of conducting research within this vulnerable population. Hiring, training, and supporting the development of this workforce are foundational to clinical research in this challenging setting.
The potential for antibody-dependent enhancement of SARS-CoV-2 infection: Translational implications for vaccine development
Authors: Wang Jiong , Zand Martin S.
Published: April 2020

There is an urgent need for vaccines to the 2019 coronavirus (COVID19; SARS-CoV-2). Vaccine development may not be straightforward, due to antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE). Antibodies against viral surface proteins can, in some cases, increase infection severity by ADE. This phenomenon occurs in SARS-CoV-1, MERS, HIV, Zika, and dengue virus infection and vaccination. Lack of high-affinity anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG in children may explain the decreased severity of infection in these groups. Here, we discuss the evidence for ADE in the context of SARS-CoV-2 infection and how to address this potential translational barrier to vaccine development, convalescent plasma, and targeted monoclonal antibody therapies.
The impact of changing reflexive to clinician-ordered Clostridioides difficile polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing for indeterminate cases: Cost savings without associated adverse events
Authors: Sullivan Eva L. , Majumdar Rohit , Ortiz Courtney , Riggs Patricia K. , Crum-Cianflone Nancy F.
Published: April 2020

Objective:

To evaluate changing Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) testing among inpatients with indeterminate enzyme immunoassay (EIA) results (antigen+/toxin−) from reflexive polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing to clinician-ordered PCR testing.

Design:

Multicenter, before-and-after, quasi-experimental study.

Setting:

Four large urban tertiary-care hospitals.

Methods:

We evaluated two 6-month periods before and after an intervention. The primary study outcome was the change in the number of CDI diagnoses between periods. Secondary outcomes included the number of PCR tests performed, adverse events, and healthcare cost savings.

Results:

In total, 500 EIA-indeterminate C. difficile test results were evaluated: 281 before the intervention and 219 thereafter. CDI was diagnosed by PCR among EIA-indeterminate cases in 182 in the preintervention period versus 94 patients in the postintervention period (48% reduction; P < .01). PCR testing was performed in 99.6% of indeterminate cases (280 of 281; 1 not performed due to an inhibitor) in the preintervention period versus 66% (144 of 219) in the postintervention period (34% reduction; P < .01). We observed no differences between study periods in 30-day all-cause (P = .96), GI-related (P = .93), or C. difficile (P = .47) readmissions, nor in 30-day C. difficile infections (P > .99). No patient without a PCR test in the postintervention period and not treated was later diagnosed with CDI. Each reflexive PCR test not performed led to a cost savings of $4,498 per patient.

Conclusions:

Applying diagnostic stewardship to C. difficile PCR testing in the inpatient setting led to significant reductions in both testing and cases. Changing the C. difficile PCR testing algorithm for EIA-indeterminate cases from reflexive to clinician-required ordering resulted in valuable cost savings without associated adverse events.
Surface exposure dating of the Pierre Sublobe of the James Lobe, Laurentide Ice Sheet
Authors: Heath Stephanie L. , Lowell Thomas V. , Hall Brenda L.
Published: April 2020

The Laurentide Ice Sheet of the last glacial period terminated in several lobes along its southern margin. The timing of maximum extent may have varied among the terminal lobes owing to internal ice sheet dynamics and spatially variable external controls. Some terminal ice lobes, such as the westernmost James Lobe, remain poorly dated. To determine the timing of maximum ice extent in this key location, we have mapped glacial deposits left by the Pierre Sublobe in South Dakota and applied 10Be surface exposure age dating on boulders on moraine ridges associated with three distinct late Quaternary glacial drifts. The oldest and most extensive “Tazewell” drift produced variable 10Be surface exposure ages spanning 20–7 ka; the large range is likely attributable to moraine degradation and subsequent boulder exhumation. The oldest ages of about 20 ka are probably limiting minimum ages for the Tazewell moraine surfaces. By contrast, exposure ages of the youngest “Mankato” drift of the easternmost Pierre Sublobe tightly cluster at about 16 ka. This age for the Pierre Sublobe is consistent with the nearby Des Moines Lobe, suggesting both acted together.