bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Generating evidence for planning eye care service delivery in an urban underprivileged population setting in Pune, Western India
Authors: Kulkarni Sucheta , Kondalkar Shridevi , Mactaggart Islay , Shamanna B R , Lodhi Azher , Mendke Rohit , Kharat Jitesh , Kapse Rajesh , Dole Kuldeep , Deshpande Madan
Published: July 2019

Purpose

To estimate prevalence of blindness, diabetic retinopathy and causes of blindness through rapid assessment of avoidable blindness (RAAB) survey in Pune, India to develop an evidence base for planning urban eye care services.

Methods

‘Rapid assessment of avoidable blindness and diabetic retinopathy’ methodology was used. Compact segment sampling was used in each of the 60 selected electoral wards identified through cluster selection module of the RAAB software using probability proportionate to size method. Persons >50 years of age were enumerated from selected segments to achieve cumulative target of 60/day by two teams. Participants underwent presenting and pinhole visual acuity (VA) testing in each eye. A torch light examination and direct ophthalmoscopy established cause of visual impairment/blindness if present. Data were entered into and analysed using RAAB software.

Results

The response rate was 89.5% (3221/3600), and 55.3% were women. Results of only RAAB module are presented in this paper. Age-standardised and sex-standardised prevalence of blindness was 1.3% (95% CI 0.9 to 1.8). Cataract was the most common cause of blindness (45.7%) followed by overall posterior segment disorders (39.1%). Cataract surgical outcome was good (VA>6/18) or very good (VA>6/12) in 805/1190 (67.6%) cases. Cataract surgical coverage was 96.7%. ‘Need not felt’ (36.6%) and ‘cost’ (31.7%) were the most common barriers for cataract surgery.

Conclusion

Prevalence of blindness is showing declining trend in urban India. Cataract remains a major cause of blindness followed by posterior segment disorders. Social marketing, and referral linkages between community and service providers were planned after this survey.
Influence of doctor-patient conversations on behaviours of patients presenting to primary care with new or persistent symptoms: a video observation study
Authors: Amelung Dorothee , Whitaker Katriina L , Lennard Debby , Ogden Margaret , Sheringham Jessica , Zhou Yin , Walter Fiona M , Singh Hardeep , Vincent Charles , Black Georgia
Published: July 2019

Background

Most cancers are diagnosed following contact with primary care. Patients diagnosed with cancer often see their doctor multiple times with potentially relevant symptoms before being referred to see a specialist, suggesting missed opportunities during doctor-patient conversations.

Objective

To understand doctor-patient communication around the significance of persistent or new presenting problems and its potential impact on timely cancer diagnosis.

Research design

Qualitative thematic analysis based on video recordings of doctor-patient consultations in primary care and follow-up interviews with patients and doctors. 80 video observations, 20 patient interviews and 7 doctor interviews across 7 general practices in England.

Results

We found that timeliness of diagnosis may be adversely affected if doctors and patients do not come to an agreement about the presenting problem’s significance. ‘Disagreements’ may involve misaligned cognitive factors such as differences in medical knowledge between doctor and patient or misaligned emotional factors such as patients’ unexpressed fear of diagnostic procedures. Interviews suggested that conversations where the difference in views is either not recognised or stays unresolved may lead to unhelpful patient behaviour after the consultation (eg, non-attendance at specialist appointments), creating potential for diagnostic delay and patient harm.

Conclusions

Our findings highlight how doctor-patient consultations can impact timely diagnosis when patients present with persistent or new problems. Misalignments were common and could go unnoticed, leaving gaps for potential to cause patient harm. These findings have implications for timely diagnosis of cancer and other serious disease because they highlight the complexity and fluidity of the consultation and the subsequent impact on the diagnostic process.
‘The (second) year of first aid’: a 15-month follow-up after a 3-day first aid programme
Authors: Bánfai Bálint , Pandur Attila , Schiszler Bence , Pek Emese , Radnai Balazs , Csonka Henrietta , Betlehem József
Published: July 2019

Aim

First aid education in early childhood can be an effective method to increase the number of trained bystanders. Our aim was to evaluate the long-term effects of a 3-day first aid programme for all primary school-age groups (7–14 years old).

Methods

This study was a 15-month follow-up of our previous investigation. Five-hundred and twenty-four primary school children were involved in this study. Measurements were made on the following topics: adult basic life support, using an automated external defibrillator (AED), handling an unconscious patient, managing bleeding and calling the ambulance. Data collection was made with a self-made questionnaire and skill test.

Results

Knowledge and skills were significantly higher after 15 months than before training (p<0.01). However, these results were significantly worse than immediately and 4 months after training (p<0.01). Based on the questionnaire, more than three-quarters knew the emergency phone number 15 months after training. Approximately two-thirds of the children could use the correct hand position in cardiopulmonary resuscitation, the correct compression-ventilation ratio and an AED, and half of them could perform correct recovery position at 15 months. Correct assessment of breathing was similar in a situation game than before training. Self-efficacy improved significantly after training (p<0.01) and remained improved after 4 and 15 months when compared with before training (p<0.01).

Conclusion

Participants could remember some aspects of first aid long term. However, knowledge and skills had declined after 15 months, so refresher training would be recommended. Self-efficacy towards first aid improved after training and remained high after 15 months.
Socioeconomic inequality in recent adverse all-cause mortality trends in Scotland
Authors: Fenton Lynda , Wyper Grant MA , McCartney Gerry , Minton Jon
Published: July 2019

Background

Gains in life expectancies have stalled in Scotland, as in several other countries, since around 2012. The relationship between stalling mortality improvements and socioeconomic inequalities in health is unclear.

Methods

We calculate the difference, as percentage change, in all-cause, all-age, age-standardised mortality rates (ASMR) between 2006 and 2011 (period 1) and between 2012 and 2017 (period 2), for Scotland overall, by sex, and by Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) quintile. Linear regression is used to summarise the relationship between SIMD quintile and mortality rate change in each period.

Results

Between 2006 and 2011, the overall ASMR fell by 10.6% (138/100 000), by 10.1% in women, and 11.8% in men, but between 2012 and 2017 the overall ASMR fell by only 2.6% (30/100 000), by 3.5% in women, and by 2.0% in men. Within the most deprived quintile, the overall ASMR fell by 8.6% (143/100 000) from 2006 to 2011 (7.2% in women; 9.8% in men), but rose by 1.5% (21/100 000) from 2012 to 2017 (0.7% in women; 2.1% in men).The socioeconomic gradient in ASMR improvement more than quadrupled, from 0.4% per quintile in period 1, to 1.7% per quintile in period 2.

Conclusion

From 2012 to 2017, socioeconomic gradients in mortality improvement in Scotland were markedly steeper than over the preceding 6 years. As a result, there has not only been a slowdown in overall reductions in mortality, but a widening of socioeconomic mortality inequalities.
Relative position of the supra-acetabular bone to the crestal plane: a radiological analysis
Authors: Dehn George , Hammer N , Wyatt M C , Soltani S J , Kieser D C
Published: July 2019

Introduction

Displaced unstable pelvic injuries are life threatening and require rapid reduction and stabilisation, typically achieved with an external fixator. Recently, the benefits of supra-acetabular pins have been proven; however, these are usually inserted under fluoroscopic guidance. In austere environments andin extremis, this facility is limited and fixation using anatomical landmarks is required. Thus, the aim of this study is to determine the relative position of the supra-acetabular bone to the crestal plane and examine its consistency in military-aged European personnel.

Methods

A radiological review of 50 randomised pelvic CT scans in European patients aged 18–30 years from a Level 1 trauma centre was performed. The CT scans were analysed using 3D rendering software. The relative position of the supra-acetabular bone to the crestal plane was determined.

Results

The supra-acetabular bone relative to the crestal plane was approximately 28° caudal and 24° medial to the crestal plane. The mean minimum distance from the pin’s entry point to the sciatic notch was approximately 73 mm. There were no differences noted between genders or hemipelvic side.

Conclusions

The supra-acetabular bone maintains a consistent relative position to the crestal plane. Thus, with the surgeon’s thumb on the anterior superior iliac spine (ASIS) and index finger on the iliac tubercle, defining the crestal plane, a supra-acetabular pin can be inserted into the anterior inferior iliac spine, which lies 3 cm inferior and 2 cm medial to the ASIS, and advanced along the supra-acetabular bone by angling the pin 30° caudal and 25° medial to the crestal plane.
The ‘serious’ factor in germline modification
Authors: Kleiderman Erika , Ravitsky Vardit , Knoppers Bartha Maria
Published: July 2019

Current advances in assisted reproductive technologies aim to promote the health and well-being of future children. They offer the possibility to select embryos with the greatest potential of being born healthy (eg, preimplantation genetic testing) and may someday correct faulty genes responsible for heritable diseases in the embryo (eg, human germline genome modification (HGGM)). Most laws and policy statements surrounding HGGM refer to the notion of ‘serious’ as a core criterion in determining what genetic diseases should be targeted by these technologies. Yet, this notion remains vague and poorly defined, rendering its application challenging and decision making subjective and arbitrary. By way of background, we begin by briefly presenting two conceptual approaches to ‘health’ and ‘disease’: objectivism (ie, based on biological facts) and constructivism (ie, based on human values). The basic challenge under both is sorting out whether and to what extent social and environmental factors have a role in helping to define what qualifies as a ‘serious’ disease beyond the medical criteria. We then focus on how a human rights framework (eg, right to science and right to the highest attainable health) could integrate the concepts of objectivism and constructivism so as to provide guidance for a more actionable consideration of ‘serious’. Ultimately, it could be argued that a human rights framework, by way of its legally binding nature and its globally accepted norms and values, provides a more universal foundation for discussions of the ethical, legal and social implications of emerging or disruptive technologies.
Impact of a telephone-first consultation system in general practice
Authors: Miller Diane , Loftus Angela M , O'Boyle Peter J , McCloskey Martin , O'Kelly John , Mace Donna , McKeon Neil , Ewan Sian-Lee , Moore Laura , Abbott Aine , Cunning Shane , McCarron Mark O , Paget Anthony M
Published: July 2019

Purpose of the study

Increasing pressure on general practice prompts innovative change in service organisation. This study sought to evaluate the impact of introducing a telephone-first consultation system in a socioeconomically deprived population.

Study design

An interrupted time series of preplanned outcomes for 2 years before and 1 year postintroduction of a telephone-first system was used to measure the volume and type of general practitioner (GP) consultations and the number of patients consulted per year. Emergency department (ED) and GP out-of-hours attendances, the number of outpatient referrals, and the number of requests for laboratory tests were measured as secondary outcomes.

Results

The telephone-first system was associated with a 20% increase in total GP consultations (telephone and face-to-face, effect estimate at 12 months, p=0.001). Face-to-face consultations decreased by 39% (p<0.001), while telephone consultations increased by 131% (p<0.001). The volume of individual patient requests for a GP consultation and the number of treatment room nurse consultations did not change. Secondary outcome measures showed no change in hospital outpatient referrals, number of requests for laboratory tests, and ED or GP out-of-hours attendances.

Conclusions

A telephone-first system in a deprived urban general practice can decrease delays to GP–patient contacts. The number of patients seeking a medical intervention did not differ irrespective of the consultation system used. The telephone-first system did not affect GP out-of-hours, laboratory investigations or secondary care contacts.
Dizziness demystified
Authors: Welgampola Miriam S , Young Allison S , Pogson Jacob M , Bradshaw Andrew P , Halmagyi G Michael
Published: July 2019

Four vestibular presentations caused by six different disorders constitute most of the neuro-otology cases seen in clinical practice. ‘Acute vestibular syndrome’ refers to a first-ever attack of acute, spontaneous, isolated vertigo and there are two common causes: vestibular neuritis / labyrinthitis and cerebellar infarction. Recurrent positional vertigo is most often caused by benign paroxysmal positional vertigo and less commonly is central in origin. Recurrent spontaneous vertigo has two common causes: Ménière's disease and vestibular migraine. Lastly, chronic vestibular insufficiency (imbalance) results from bilateral, or severe unilateral, peripheral vestibular impairment. These six disorders can often be diagnosed on the basis of history, examination, audiometry, and in some cases, basic vestibular function testing. Here we show that most common neuro-otological problems can be readily managed by general neurologists.
Development of a prognostic tool exploring female adolescent risk for HIV prevention and PrEP in rural South Africa, a generalised epidemic setting
Authors: Ayton Sarah Gabrielle , Pavlicova Martina , Tamir Hod , Abdool Karim Quarraisha
Published: July 2019

Objectives

Adolescent females in sub-Saharan Africa bear a disproportionate burden of new HIV infections but have been excluded from prognostic research, such as developed risk calculators. This study examines whether validated risk calculators, which calculate HIV risk among sub-Saharan African women, can be modified to assess HIV risk among adolescent girls. The performance of selected risk variables from validated calculators and the literature was evaluated among adolescent females using modern advanced statistical tools.

Methods

Risk variables for the updated tool were selected from the CAPRISA 007 (CAP007) trial (2010–2012) questionnaires. An initially HIV-seronegative cohort of rural South African female high school students (n=1049) aged 14–25 years was selected. The number and characteristics of latent factors, or dimensions, underlying selected variables were assessed using exploratory factor analysis (EFA). The updated tool’s effectiveness identifying trends in adolescent risk were assessed with latent class analysis (LCA).

Results

EFA identified two key latent factors: sexual behaviour and socioeconomic risk factors. Latent sexual behaviour risk influenced contraception use (0.883), perceived HIV risk (0.691) and pregnancy (−0.384). Latent socioeconomic risk influenced low HIV knowledge (0.371), financial dependence (0.532), prior HIV testing (−0.379) and alcohol use (−0.332). Using LCA, three underlying categories of adolescent females were identified: those with no, low and high risk of HIV (1.10%, 2.26% and 2.91% 1-year seroconversion rates, respectively). Herpes simplex virus serotype-2, condom contraception, alcohol use, pregnancy and age were significantly associated with higher risk class membership, while non-condom contraception was associated with lower risk class membership.

Conclusions

Adolescent females are at unequal risk of acquiring HIV. Findings suggest the updated tool captures two main facets of adolescent characteristics and may identify differential risk. This work supports further investigation to inform development of targeted differentiated interventions and efficient prognostic tools for adolescents in high-risk settings.
Effect of flavour manipulation on low and high-frequency waterpipe users’ puff topography, toxicant exposures and subjective experiences
Authors: Maziak Wasim , Ben Taleb Ziyad , Ebrahimi Kalan Mohammad , Ward-Peterson Melissa , Bursac Zoran , Osibogun Olatokunbo , Eissenberg Thomas
Published: July 2019

Background

Flavoured tobacco is one of the major factors behind the popularity of waterpipe (WP) smoking in the USA and internationally. The current study examined the impact of flavour manipulation on satisfaction, puff topography and toxicant exposure among high-frequency and low-frequency WP users.

Method

This cross-over study was conducted among 144 current (past month) WP smokers reporting WP smoking less than once a week (low-frequency users; n=69) or at least once a week (high-frequency users; n=75) in the past 6 months. Participants attended two counterbalanced 45 min ad libitum smoking sessions that differed by flavour (preferred flavoured vs unflavoured tobacco), preceded by ≥12 hours of tobacco use abstinence. Outcome measures included puff topography, expired carbon monoxide (eCO), plasma nicotine and subjective measures.

Results

Both high-frequency and low-frequency WP users reported an enhanced smoking experience and greater interest in future use after smoking the flavoured compared with unflavoured tobacco (p<0.05 for all). High-frequency users, however, were more keen on smoking the flavoured tobacco in the future, had higher puffing parameters in general compared with low-frequency users (p<0.05 for all) and had no differences in eCO and plasma nicotine concentrations between the flavoured and unflavoured tobacco conditions (p>0.05 for all). On the other hand, low-frequency users had significantly greater eCO and plasma nicotine concentrations following smoking the unflavoured compared with flavoured tobacco condition (p<0.05 for all).

Conclusions

Our results indicate that removing flavours will likely negatively affect WP satisfaction and future use and that such an effect will be more pronounced among high-frequency compared with low-frequency WP smokers.
First report of dermatophilosis in wild European red squirrels (Sciurus vulgaris)
Authors: Holmes Paul , Everest David J , Spiro Simon , Wessels Mark , Shuttleworth Craig
Published: July 2019

The carcases of two wild red squirrels (Sciurus vulgaris) from Anglesey, North Wales, which had severe skin lesions, were presented to the Animal and Plant Health Agency. One was found dead in December 2017 and the second was found moribund in January 2018 but died 2 hours later. Both were examined at postmortem. The affected skin consisted of raised, firm, crusty lesions with pale subcutaneous necrotic tissue over the head particularly the face, eyelids and forehead. In addition, one had similar lesions on the scrotal and perineal area and along one hind leg extending to the foot. Postmortem examination, bacteriology and histopathology confirmed the presence of disease due to Dermatophilus congolensis with typical gross and pathological lesions. Squirrelpox virus was not detected. Here, we report the first description of dermatophilosis in European red squirrels, another important differential diagnosis of skin disease in a nationally declining population.
Do UK sheep farmers use orf vaccine correctly and could their vaccination strategy affect vaccine efficacy?
Authors: Small Stephanie , Cresswell Liz , Lovatt Fiona , Gummery Erica , Onyango Josh , McQuilkin Charles , Wapenaar Wendela
Published: July 2019

Orf, a parapoxvirus, is a zoonosis causing a contagious pustular dermatitis, and has a high morbidity in sheep worldwide. Despite a vaccine being available, orf prevalence in England is estimated to be 2 per cent in ewes and 20 per cent in lambs​​. There is concern that farmers are not complying with the vaccination guidelines and therefore the objective of this study was to investigate if orf vaccine is used correctly on sheep farms in the UK and to identify barriers and motivators of sheep farmers to use the vaccine. The survey was completed by 570 respondents. The results show several areas of concern; only 27 per cent of respondents used the correct site (axilla), 37 per cent of respondents would use orf vaccine up to a week after opening a vial (shelf life is eight hours), 33 per cent of respondents would vaccinate their ewes too close to lambing and 73 per cent of respondents did not separate vaccinated and non‐vaccinated animals (both leading to infection risk for non‐vaccinated animals). When vaccinating, only 53 per cent of respondents were wearing gloves and 31 per cent washed their hands just before and immediately after vaccination. Results demonstrate that orf vaccination is not carried out correctly on all UK sheep farms, which is likely to affect vaccine efficacy. A concern around vaccine efficacy, the ‘hassle’ of the scratch administration, the ‘risk of making it worse’ and the zoonotic risk when vaccinating were the most common barriers for using orf vaccine, highlighting the importance of veterinary advice when prescribing orf vaccine.
Learning with Precise Spike Times: A New Decoding Algorithm for Liquid State Machines
Authors: Florescu Dorian , Coca Daniel
Published: July 2019

There is extensive evidence that biological neural networks encode information in the precise timing of the spikes generated and transmitted by neurons, which offers several advantages over rate-based codes. Here we adopt a vector space formulation of spike train sequences and introduce a new liquid state machine (LSM) network architecture and a new forward orthogonal regression algorithm to learn an input-output signal mapping or to decode the brain activity. The proposed algorithm uses precise spike timing to select the presynaptic neurons relevant to each learning task. We show that using precise spike timing to train the LSM and selecting the readout presynaptic neurons leads to a significant increase in performance on binary classification tasks, in decoding neural activity from multielectrode array recordings, as well as in a speech recognition task, compared with what is achieved using the standard architecture and training methods.
Colloquium 1 Commentary on Horan
Authors: Gardner Darren
Published: July 2019

This commentary examines several key points in David Horan’s paper “The Argu­mentative Unity of Plato’s Parmenides.” First, I discuss the general view of the paper, which engages with the first two hypotheses and in particular, the thought experiment passage in hypothesis 2 that is seen as a key to resolving the dilemma of participation. I consider the proposed view that hypothesis 1 takes up from its premise a strictly unitary, or non-multiple “one,” and hypothesis 2 takes up from its premise a one that admits of multiplicity, not a non-multiple “one.” I argue for an alternative reading whereby the premise of hypothesis 1 is not “if one is one” and hypothesis 2 is “if one is not one,” but rather that both hypotheses fall under the premise “if one is.”
Colloquium 4 Epicureans on Pity, Slavery, and Autonomy
Authors: Arenson Kelly E.
Published: July 2019

Diogenes Laertius reports that the Epicurean sage will pity slaves rather than punish them. This paper considers why a hedonistic egoist (such as an Epicurean) would feel pity for her subordinates, given that pity can cause psychological pain. I argue that Epicureans feel bad for those who lack the natural good of security, and that Epicureans’ concern for others is entirely consistent with their hedonistic egoism: they will endure the pain of pity in order to achieve the greater pleasure of social cohesion and to avoid the greater pain of social conflict. According to Epicureans, our feelings for fellow humans prevent us from becoming savages, unable to enter into trustworthy compacts to promote our safety.
Colloquium 4 Commentary on Arenson
Authors: Stark Susan A.
Published: July 2019

This commentary raises questions about the moral value of feeling pity. Whereas Professor Arenson asks whether an Epicurean hedonist can rightly feel pity given that feeling pity may be unpleasant, I ask whether feeling pity may be morally problematic for other reasons. In particular, I argue that feeling pity involves an endorsement of a morally problematic hierarchy between pitier and pitied. Because of this, I believe that we should draw a little-made distinction between compassion and pity and that individuals should cultivate compassion rather than pity. I suggest one possible way to draw the distinction between compassion and pity.
Colloquium 5 Aristotle on What to Praise and What to Prize: An Interpretation of Nicomachean Ethics I.12
Authors: Szaif Jan
Published: July 2019

This essay offers an analysis and interpretation of the rarely commented-on chapter I.12 of the Nicomachean Ethics. Aristotle’s goal in this chapter is to prove that human happiness belongs to the class of prized goods, also characterized as divine goods, whereas virtue ranks lower, being a merely praiseworthy good. It is not easy to see why this chapter is placed at the end of Aristotle’s general discussion of the highest human good in Book I or why he included it at all. My goal is to show that it does make a contribution to the architecture of the Nicomachean Ethics as a whole by helping to prepare the ground for one of the main argumentative strategies in the treatise X.6–8 on scientific contemplation as the key component of supreme happiness. To this end, I analyze each step of the argumentation in I.12, drawing also on relevant material from other Aristotelian texts, and then demonstrate the connection with some of the arguments in X.6–8.
Colloquium 5 Commentary on Szaif
Authors: King Colin Guthrie
Published: July 2019

In this response I consider the implications of Jan Szaif’s suggestion that there is a tight “conceptual affinity” between Books I and X of the Nicomachean Ethics (EN). I argue against one view which could claim such a thesis as an ally: the view which maintains that the Nicomachean Ethics is based upon the kind of conceptual cohesion supplied by a supposed metaphysical foundation for claims about happiness.
Typification and nomenclatural clarifications of names related to the genus Nototriche (Malvaceae)
Authors: CIALDELLA ANA M. , O’LEARY NATALY
Published: July 2019

Twenty-six lectotypes (including one as a second step designation, and another as an holotype to be corrected to lectotype, according to Art. 9.10 of the ICN, Turland et al. 2018) and two neotypes are here proposed for twenty-eightnames related to the genusNototriche, as part of the ongoing study on the genus for the South American flora. Notes about typifications are provided.
Revision of the genus Tmesiphorus LeConte, 1849 (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Pselaphinae) from Japan
Authors: INOUE SHOTA , MARUYAMA MUNETOSHI , NOMURA SHÛHEI
Published: July 2019

The Japanese species of the genus Tmesiphorus are revised: three known species are redescribed and two new species are described. They are: Tmesiphorus costatus Weise, T. crassicornis Sharp, T. princeps Sharp, T. kinomurai sp. nov., and T. okinawensis sp. nov. A key to species is provided. Four species, T. crassicornis, T. princeps, T. kinomurai sp. nov. and T. okinawensis sp. nov., are recognized as obligate myrmecophiles.
Analytical modeling and experimental validation of the low-velocity impact response of hemp and hemp/glass thermoset composites
Authors: Boria Simonetta , Santulli Carlo , Raponi Elena , Sarasini Fabrizio , Tirillò Jacopo
Published: July 2019

Natural fiber composites have the potential to be widely applied as an alternative to or in combination with glass fiber composites in sustainable energy-absorbing structures. This study investigates the behavior of hemp fiber-reinforced vinylester composites when subjected to low-velocity impact loading by using an instrumented falling weight impact equipment. Different stacking sequences are tested, including a hybrid pattern resulting from a combination of natural and traditional glass fibers. Both penetration and indentation tests are performed. In the light of an increase in safety of green composite components and systems subjected to low-velocity impacts, next to the numerical models, the development of theoretical models is also useful and low time-consuming. Therefore, analytical models, available in the literature for traditional fiber-reinforced plastics and aimed at predicting the critical load of delamination onset, the indentation as a function of absorbed energy, as well as the approximation of the load–displacement curve, are used and implemented in this work. Good agreement was found between the theoretical predictions and experimental results.
Fabrication and characterization of hollow glass beads-filled thermoplastic composite filament developed for material extrusion additive manufacturing
Authors: Kim Jung Sub , Lee Chang Su , Lee Sang Won , Kim Sung-Min , Choi Jae Hyuk , Chung Haseung , Lee Pil-Ho
Published: July 2019

This paper explores the characteristics of a new lightweight thermoplastic composite filament filled with hollow glass beads developed for material extrusion additive manufacturing. Compounding experiments, which mix hollow glass beads with neat acrylonitrile butadiene styrene matrix, were conducted using a twin-screw extruder to prepare composite filaments. Two different types of hollow glass beads were selected as the fillers of composite filament due to their varying densities. In order to characterize the final components produced using composite filament, various specimens were fabricated by a material extrusion additive manufacturing process. In order to characterize the physical properties of the specimens, measurements of density and flexural testing were performed. To identify the thermomechanical effects of hollow glass beads on the neat acrylonitrile butadiene styrene matrix, thermal diffusivity and specific heat were obtained. Consequently, the thermal conductivity of the specimen was derived from its density, thermal diffusivity, and specific heat capacity. The microstructures of the fractured interfaces of the specimens were also observed by scanning electron microscopy. The experimental results revealed that most of the hollow glass beads survived, thus bringing about lighter weight (lower density) and thermal insulation (lower thermal conductivity), which can be useful for numerous potential applications.
Projectile strength effects on the ballistic impact response of soft armor targets
Authors: Guo Zherui , Martinez-Morales Stephenie , Chen Weinong
Published: July 2019

Upon impact with a target panel, a portion of a projectile's striking kinetic energy is dissipated via heat loss or deformation. Typical ballistic performance determination standards require strict projectile hardness values of Rc 29 ± 2 for consistency and repeatability, but it is of interest to examine if these required hardness values give a lower bound where the ballistic performance determination is independent of the strength of the projectile. In this study, a large range of yield strengths of metallic right-circular cylinders were used to test the effects on the ballistic response of a multi-ply soft body armor. The results show that with an increase in projectile yield strength, the ballistic limit velocity decreases. This degradation in ballistic performance of the soft armor target levels off at higher yield strengths to about 75% of the expected ballistic performance for Rc 29, indicating that there may be a minimum projectile strength after which the influence of strength is no longer significant. The degree of deformation of projectiles during impact is related to the striking velocity and the off-axis failure of the soft armor target material.
Smith predictor based fractional-order integral controller for robust temperature control in a steel slab reheating furnace
Authors: Feliu-Batlle Vicente , Rivas-Perez Raul
Published: July 2019

In this paper, a new strategy for robust control of temperature in a steel slab reheating furnace with large time delay uncertainty based on fractional-order controllers combined with a Smith predictor is proposed. A time delay model of the preheating zone of this process is used, obtained from an identification procedure applied in a real industrial furnace. It is shown that this process experiences very large time delay changes. A fractional-order integral controller embedded in a Smith predictor structure (FI-SP) is designed, which is robust to changes in such time delay. Simulated results of a standard Proportinal Integral Derivative (PID) controller, a PID controller embedded in a Smith predictor and the proposed FI-SP controller are compared. Six performance indexes have been used in this comparison. The analysis of these indexes shows that the designed FI-SP controller exhibits the most robust behavior (lowest indexes averaged in all the range of time delay variation) for ranges that include large time delays. Then the robustness features of the FI-SP controller outperform the other integer order controllers in the time responses both to set-point changes and to step disturbances. Therefore, this controller guarantees the best accuracy of temperature control. The designed FI-SP guarantees system stability and robust performance for a high range of plant time delay uncertainties.
Comparative Global Humanities After Man: Alternatives to the Coloniality of Knowledge
Authors: Lowe Lisa , Manjapra Kris
Published: July 2019

The core concept of ‘the human’ that anchors so many humanities disciplines – history, literature, art history, philosophy, religion, anthropology, political theory, and others – issues from a very particular modern European definition of Man ‘over-represented’ as the human. The history of modernity and of modern disciplinary knowledge formations are, in this sense, a history of modern European forms monopolizing the definition of the human and placing other variations at a distance from the human. This article is an interdisciplinary research that decenters Man-as-human as the subject/object of inquiry, and proposes a relational analytic that reframes established orthodoxies of area, geography, history and temporality. It also involves new readings of traditional archives, finding alternative repositories and practices of knowledge and collection to radically redistribute our ways of understanding the meaning of the human.
Circulating blood cells influence the fibrinolytic capacity of clots generated in the presence of detergent sclerosants
Authors: Li Tom , Connor David , Parsi Kurosh
Published: July 2019

Objectives

To investigate the effects of sodium tetradecyl sulphate and polidocanol on fibrinolytic potential of sclerosant-incubated clots.

Methods

Serial dilutions of sodium tetradecyl sulphate and polidocanol were incubated with platelet poor plasma and whole blood samples. Rotational thromboelastometry was used to determine the lysis of sclerosant-incubated clots in whole blood. Fibrin generation and fibrinolysis were quantified using an overall haemostatic potential assay on platelet poor plasma.

Results

Rotational thromboelastometry analysis of whole blood revealed increased maximum lysis in the presence of sodium tetradecyl sulphate but decreased maximum lysis at low concentrations of polidocanol. Clots generated using platelet poor plasma in the overall haemostatic potential assay demonstrated no significant change in fibrinolysis for both sclerosants at all concentrations measured.

Discussion

Sodium tetradecyl sulphate and polidocanol produce differing effects on the fibrinolytic potential depending on sample type and concentration. In whole blood, sodium tetradecyl sulphate produces clots more sensitive to lysis while polidocanol produced fibrinolytic-resistant clots.
Motivational and Behavioral Impact of Possible Selves: When Specificity Matters
Authors: de Place Anne-Laure , Brunot Sophie
Published: July 2019

Two experiments examined the effects of general and specific possible selves on undergraduates’ academic self-efficacy and engagement. Based on findings in the field of autobiographical memory, we assumed that an interaction pattern would appear between specificity and valence when imagining future self-relevant events. Indeed, visualizing a future general success or specific failure led to better performance on an attention task (Study 1) and higher academic motivation (Study 2) than imagining a future general failure or specific success. On a measure of self-efficacy, however, participants imagining a future general failure were the only ones reporting lower academic self-efficacy (Study 2), excluding the possibility that this variable could be sufficient to explain the effects of possible selves on academic engagement. These results support the assumption of a similar impact of autobiographical memories and possible selves on motivation and behavior and call for further research in this field.
Empathy, Emotion Regulation, and Creativity in Immersive and Maladaptive Daydreaming
Authors: West Melina Jay , Somer Eli
Published: July 2019

Daydreaming is important for creativity and the understanding of our minds and those of others. However, some adults daydream to such an extreme degree that the behavior becomes disruptive; a condition known as maladaptive daydreaming (MD). We propose that highly immersive daydreaming is not always maladaptive, and immersive characteristics of daydreaming may benefit emotional regulation, empathy, and creativity. This study consisted of 542 participants from 56 countries recruited online from MD and other communities. Our results revealed that the maladaptive components of MD predicted higher affective empathy, poorer emotional regulation abilities, and reduced creative output. The immersive components of daydreaming predicted higher empathy for fantasy characters and poorer emotional regulation. These results suggest that the immersive and maladaptive components of MD have distinct behavioral correlates, but that any form of immersive daydreaming is not an effective emotional regulation strategy. Implications for the planning of effective treatment for MD are discussed.
Validation of radiologists’ findings by computer-aided detection (CAD) software in breast cancer detection with automated 3D breast ultrasound: a concept study in implementation of artificial intelligence software
Authors: van Zelst Jan CM , Tan Tao , Mann Ritse M , Karssemeijer Nico
Published: July 2019

Background

Computer-aided detection software for automated breast ultrasound has been shown to have potential in improving the accuracy of radiologists. Alternative ways of implementing computer-aided detection, such as independent validation or preselecting suspicious cases, might also improve radiologists’ accuracy.

Purpose

To investigate the effect of using computer-aided detection software to improve the performance of radiologists by validating findings reported by radiologists during screening with automated breast ultrasound.

Material and Methods

Unilateral automated breast ultrasound exams were performed in 120 women with dense breasts that included 60 randomly selected normal exams, 30 exams with benign lesions, and 30 malignant cases (20 mammography-negative). Eight radiologists were instructed to detect breast cancer and rate lesions using BI-RADS and level-of-suspiciousness scores. Computer-aided detection software was used to check the validity of radiologists' findings. Findings found negative by computer-aided detection were not included in the readers’ performance analysis; however, the nature of these findings were further analyzed. The area under the curve and the partial area under the curve for an interval in the range of 80%–100% specificity before and after validation of computer-aided detection were compared. Sensitivity was computed for all readers at a simulation of 90% specificity.

Results

Partial AUC improved significantly from 0.126 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.098–0.153) to 0.142 (95% CI = 0.115–0.169) ( P = 0.037) after computer-aided detection rejected mostly benign lesions and normal tissue scored BI-RADS 3 or 4. The full areas under the curve (0.823 vs. 0.833, respectively) were not significantly different ( P = 0.743). Four cancers detected by readers were completely missed by computer-aided detection and four other cancers were detected by both readers and computer-aided detection but falsely rejected due to technical limitations of our implementation of computer-aided detection validation. In this study, validation of computer-aided detection discarded 42.6% of findings that were scored BI-RADS ≥3 by the radiologists, of which 85.5% were non-malignant findings.

Conclusion

Validation of radiologists’ findings using computer-aided detection software for automated breast ultrasound has the potential to improve the performance of radiologists. Validation of computer-aided detection might be an efficient tool for double-reading strategies by limiting the amount of discordant cases needed to be double-read.
Identification of genetic variations in Necator americanus through resequencing by whole genome amplification
Authors: Liu Yumei , Liu Hongxuan , Xie Yuefeng , Zhang Baohuan , Zou Xiaoqian , Ou Meiling , Ye Xiaohong , Han Yajing , Wu Jing , Chen Xiaojing , Dong Shirui , Zhu Kehui , Guo Congcong , Wang Penghua , Zhai Hening , Jing Chunxia , Yang Guang
Published: July 2019

Objective

To describe a new strategy for the whole genome resequencing of small parasite samples.

Methods

Whole genome resequencing was based on a multiple displacement amplification (MDA) method. Sequencing reads were aligned with the reference genome, and a Bayesian model was used to calculate genotype probabilities. De novo genome assembly was conducted, and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were detected. Gene ontology (GO) analysis was used to determine connections between SNPs and genes.

Results

In total, 64.12% of the parasite genome sequence was mapped to Necator americanus. fa, and 125,553 SNPs were detected. GO analysis revealed that most SNPs in coding regions were probably associated with common drug targets.

Conclusion

These results reveal the feasibility of a new strategy to detect genetic variations of small parasites. This study also provides a proof-of-principle for the molecular classification and epidemiological analysis of other parasites.
Exploratory Hand Movements Enhance the Liking Effect in Haptics
Authors: Mitsuda Takashi , Luo Jiawei , Wang Qiyan
Published: July 2019

When people choose between two items, they usually look at them alternately before deciding. The frequency and duration of contact are usually determined unconsciously. However, in a previous study, looking at one item for longer than the other increased participants’ preference for the former, but only when they had to move their eyes to look at each item. This result implies that eye movements not only gather information but are also closely related to decision-making. By analogy, this study examines the relation between hand movements and haptic preference. When participants touched two handkerchiefs in a pre-determined order before choosing the one they preferred, the likelihood of choosing the more frequently touched handkerchief was greater than chance. Bias in the choice was greater with increased difference in the frequency of touching between the two handkerchiefs. It was also greater when participants moved their arm to touch the handkerchiefs, compared with when a machine carried the handkerchiefs to their hand. These results indicate that both the reaching movement for touching and the frequency of touching affect the preference judgment using haptics.
Use of eggshell-derived nano-hydroxyapatite as novel bone graft substitute–A randomized controlled clinical study
Authors: Kattimani Vivekanand , Lingamaneni Krishna Prasad , Yalamanchili Samatha , Mupparapu Muralidhar
Published: July 2019

Background

Use of various bone graft substitutes are advised to prevent bone loss, periodontal problems, and enhance bone formation after surgical removal of the mandibular third molar. Choice of graft substitute depends on biological properties and the cost of the material. So, a preliminary study was planned to evaluate and compare the effectiveness of eggshell-derived nano-hydroxyapatite as an emerging graft substitute for the enhancement of bone regeneration.

Materials and methods

Twelve patients (out of 20 enrolled) were finally assessed for bone healing after surgical removal of bilateral mandibular third molars in a split-mouth randomized controlled clinical study. All of them were assessed and compared at baseline, first, third, and sixth month. Clinically wound healing and probing depth were assessed. Radiographically the changes in density, bone formation characteristics, and bone level were evaluated. The observers were blinded for the surgical procedure and follow-up duration. The study protocol was approved by Institutional Ethics Committee and registered with National clinical trial registry.

Results

Wound healing was uneventful in all 24 extraction sites of 12 patients. Trabecular bone pattern with increased bone density was observed indicating complete bone healing in the graft group at third month. Probing depth was gradually decreased over a follow-up period and remained within normal limits during the third-month follow-up. These changes in the graft group were significant compared to the control group. The grafting with eggshell-derived nano-hydroxyapatite showed better bone regeneration properties without any infection or undue reactions.

Conclusion

Eggshell-derived nano-hydroxyapatite showed enhancement of bone regeneration compared to the control group. Grafting maintained bone height and prevented periodontal problem emergence. Eggshell-derived nano-hydroxyapatite is a safe synthetic graft substitute because it is derived from eggshell without any diseases transfer risks, unlike allografts. The process of preparation is environment-friendly. The beneficial effects of eggshell-derived nano-hydroxyapatite may be extrapolated to develop an ideal economic graft substitute.
Numerical modeling of shear nonlinearity and failure analysis for composite laminates
Authors: Wang Gang , Jia Purong , Huang Tao
Published: July 2019

In this paper, the shear nonlinearity and failure behavior of composite laminates were investigated with experimental and numerical method. A nonlinear shear model that includes progressive stiffness reduction and permanent shear strain was developed to characterize the nonlinear shear behavior. Strain-based failure criteria were combined with a set of stiffness degradation method to predict in-ply damage initiation and evolution of composite laminates. Delamination damage was simulated with cohesive zone model. The progressive damage model was implemented in commercial finite element software ABAQUS by a VUMAT subroutine. The capability of the proposed model was validated by predicting the tensile behavior of open-hole tensile specimen.