bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The effect of the type of foam pad used in the modified Clinical Test of Sensory Interaction and Balance (mCTSIB) on the accuracy in identifying older adults with fall history
Authors: Boonsinsukh Rumpa , Khumnonchai Bodin , Saengsirisuwan Vitoon , Chaikeeree Nithinun
Published: July 2020

Background: The type of foam pad used in the modified Clinical Test of Sensory Interaction and Balance (mCTSIB) influences the accuracy with which elderly fallers are identified. Two types of foam are commonly used in practice: Airex and Neurocom foam.

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the accuracy with which elderly fallers can be identified when the Airex foam and Neurocom foam are used in the mCTSIB.

Methods: One hundred eighty-four elderly participants with a mean age of 69 years were classified into faller and nonfaller groups based on their 12-month fall history. Balance stability was measured under four conditions of the mCTSIB for 120 s each: standing on a floor or a foam pad with their eyes open or eyes closed. The time needed to maintain stability was measured by a stopwatch, and postural sway characteristics were measured using an acceleration-based system. Comparisons between groups were performed by two-way mixed ANOVA. The accuracy of differentiating elderly fallers from nonfallers with different foam types was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis. The time to maintain stability under four conditions of the mCTSIB (composite score) and under two conditions on the foam (foam score) were used for the ROC analysis.

Results: The results showed that the nonfallers required more time to maintain stability and had a smaller sway area than the fallers ([Formula: see text]). The foam led to a larger difference between groups, suggesting the use of foam in examining the risk of falls. The Airex and the Neurocom foam pads led to a large area under the curve (0.93 to 0.95) in identifying elderly fallers and nonfallers when the composite and foam scores were used. A cutoff score of 447/480 s for the composite score and 223/240 s for the foam score yielded a posttest accuracy of 88% to 89%, with a sensitivity of 0.80–0.92 and specificity of 0.88–0.95.

Conclusion: In conclusion, Airex and Neurocom foam can be used interchangeably with guidance in the mCTSIB, as they led to the accurate identification of elderly fallers among older persons who could walk and live independently in the community.
Learning Generalizable and Identity-Discriminative Representations for Face Anti-Spoofing
Authors: Tu Xiaoguang , Ma Zheng , Zhao Jian , Du Guodong , Xie Mei , Feng Jiashi
Published: July 2020

Face anti-spoofing aims to detect presentation attack to face recognition--based authentication systems. It has drawn growing attention due to the high security demand. The widely adopted CNN-based methods usually well recognize the spoofing faces when training and testing spoofing samples display similar patterns, but their performance would drop drastically on testing spoofing faces of novel patterns or unseen scenes, leading to poor generalization performance. Furthermore, almost all current methods treat face anti-spoofing as a prior step to face recognition, which prolongs the response time and makes face authentication inefficient. In this article, we try to boost the generalizability and applicability of face anti-spoofing methods by designing a new generalizable face authentication CNN (GFA-CNN) model with three novelties. First, GFA-CNN introduces a simple yet effective total pairwise confusion loss for CNN training that properly balances contributions of all spoofing patterns for recognizing the spoofing faces. Second, it incorporate a fast domain adaptation component to alleviate negative effects brought by domain variation. Third, it deploys filter diversification learning to make the learned representations more adaptable to new scenes. In addition, the proposed GFA-CNN works in a multi-task manner—it performs face anti-spoofing and face recognition simultaneously. Experimental results on five popular face anti-spoofing and face recognition benchmarks show that GFA-CNN outperforms previous face anti-spoofing methods on cross-test protocols significantly and also well preserves the identity information of input face images.
Artificial Intelligence Meets Chemistry
Authors: Kishimoto Akihiro , B Arpit
Published: July 2020

We argue that chemistry should be the next grand challenge for Artificial Intelligence. The AI research community and humanity would benefit tremendously from focusing AI re- search on chemistry on a regular basis, as a benchmark as well as a real-world application domain. To support our position, we review the importance of chemical compound discovery and synthesis planning and discuss the properties of search spaces in a chemistry problem. Knowledge acquired in domains such as two-player board games or single player puzzles places the AI community in a good position to solve critical problems in the chemistry domain. Yet, we show that searching in chemistry problems poses significant additional challenges that will have to be addressed. Finally, we envision how several AI areas like Natural Language Processing, Machine Learning, planning and search, are relevant for chemistry.
Developing Statewide Optimal RWIS Density Guidelines Using Space-Time Semivariogram Models
Authors: Biswas Simita , Kwon Tae J.
Published: July 2020

Preventing weather-related crashes is a significant part of maintaining the safety and mobility of the travelling public during winter months. To help mitigate detrimental effects of winter road conditions, transportation authorities rely on real-time and near-future road weather and surface condition information disseminated by road weather information systems (RWIS) to make more timely and accurate winter road maintenance-related decisions. However, the significant costs of these systems motivate governments to develop a framework for determining a region-specific optimal RWIS density. Building on our previous study to facilitate regional network optimization, this study is aimed at considering the nature of spatiotemporally varying RWIS measurements and integrating larger case studies comprising eight different US states. Space-time semivariogram models were developed to quantify the representativeness of RWIS measurements and examine their effects on regional topography and weather severity for improved generalization. The optimal RWIS density for different topographic and weather severity regions was then determined via one of the most successful combinatorial optimization techniques—particle swarm optimization. The findings of this study revealed a strong dependency of optimal RWIS density on varying environmental characteristics of the region under investigation. It is anticipated that the RWIS density guidelines developed in this study will provide decision makers with a tool they need to help design a long-term RWIS implementation plan.
A Curious Case of Dengue Fever: A Case Report of Unorthodox Manifestations
Authors: Mushtaque Raja Shakeel , Ahmad Syed Masroor , Mushtaque Rabia , Baloch Shahbano
Published: July 2020

Dengue is the major cause of arthropod-borne viral disease in the world. It presents with high fever, headache, rash, myalgia, and arthralgia and it is a self-limiting illness. Severe dengue can occur in some cases resulting in dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) and dengue shock syndrome (DSS). We present a case of a 32-year-old male patient of high-grade fever, bilateral subconjunctival hemorrhages, swelling on hands and lips, and nasal bleeding. After investigations, he was diagnosed with dengue fever and it was observed that he developed systemic fungal infection secondary toCandida tropicalisinfection. The patient’s bone marrow biopsy showed hemophagocytic activity. He also developed hepatitis E infection while hepatitis A, B, or C serology profile showed no active infection. The bilateral iliopsoas hematoma was also observed on CT scan manifested by decreased power in bilateral lower limbs and pain in the right leg. The patient was treated in the hospital with antibiotics (ceftriaxone 2 g once daily for 14 days) and antifungal (fluconazole 200 mg per oral initially for one day then 100 mg daily for 13 days) medicines, and his condition improved on discharge. There is evidence of variable presentations of dengue fever after the disease burden is increased, and thus, diagnosing with such manifestations can be very challenging.
A Follow-Up Report of an Infant Born to a Mother Receiving Tamoxifen
Authors: Okada Yuki , Hitaka Daisuke , Kido Takahiro , Kanai Yu , Konishi Kumi , Doki Kosuke , Katayama Nobuko , Homma Masato , Miyazono Yayoi , Takada Hidetoshi
Published: July 2020

Tamoxifen, an estrogen receptor antagonist, is contraindicated in pregnant women due to its teratogenic activity. In the present study, we report the case of an infant whose mother received tamoxifen for breast cancer while unaware of the pregnancy. The infant, born at 29 weeks and 6 days of gestational age with a birth weight of 1664 g, had no congenital anomalies. This case presents detailed information on the development of an infant with placental transfer of tamoxifen. The infant has grown and developed normally throughout a 5-year follow-up period, but long-term vigilance continues.
Interface Detector Based on Vaccination Strategy for Anomaly Detection
Authors: Liu Yinghui , Li Dong , Wei Yuan , Zhang Hongli
Published: July 2020

Interface detector is an enhanced negative selection algorithm with online adaptive learning under small training samples for anomaly detection. It has better detection performance when it has an appropriate self-radius. Otherwise, overfitting or underfitting would occur. In the present paper, an improved interface detector, which is based on vaccination strategy, is proposed. During the testing stage, negative vaccine can overcome overfitting to improve the detection rate and positive vaccine can overcome underfitting to reduce the false alarm rate. The experimental results show that under the same dataset, self-radius, and training samples condition, the detection rate of the interface detector with negative vaccine is much higher than that of interface detector, SVM, and BP neural network. Moreover, the false alarm rate of the interface detector with positive vaccine is much lower than that of the interface detector and PSA.
Fully Distributed Event-Triggered Containment Control of Uncertain Multiagent Systems
Authors: Liu Zhaodong , Liu Zhi , Qian Xuewu , Zhang Ancai , Li Zhenxing
Published: July 2020

This paper investigates the event-triggered containment control problem of a class of uncertain nonlinear multiagent systems (MASs). By employing the local relative information, we design an adaptive event-triggered containment algorithm. The proposed containment algorithm can cope with the unavailability of global topology information and uncertain dynamics of follower agents. Therefore, the presented containment algorithm is free of global topology information, i.e., the designed algorithm is fully distributed. In addition, it is proved that Zeno behavior will not occur. At last, a numerical example is given to verify our event-triggered containment algorithm.
Correlation of Myopia with Physical Exercise and Sleep Habits among Suburban Adolescents
Authors: Qu Yuan , Yu Jianfeng , Xia Wei , Cai Huijuan
Published: July 2020

Purpose. To analyse the correlation of myopia with physical exercise and sleep habits to explore the possible risk or protective factors of juvenile myopia. Methods. This study was a retrospective cross-sectional study. A total of 1831 students aged 11–18 years from five schools in Qingpu completed questionnaires from 2018 to 2019; the students were divided into the nonmyopia group and the myopia group, with students in the myopia group having myopia in at least one eye. Based on the chi-square test, the variables with statistical significance were selected for the logistic regression analysis. Adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were determined. Results. Myopia was positively associated with older age (OR = 2.216, 95% CI: 1.720–2.855), having a parent with myopia (father: OR = 2.463, 95% CI: 1.900–3.193; mother: OR = 2.853, 95% CI: 2.232–3.646), and a late bedtime during holidays (before 10 pm: p = 0.002; 10 pm-11 pm: OR = 1.516, 95% CI: 1.095–2.100; 11 pm-12 am: OR = 1.966, 95% CI: 1.383–2.795), but negatively correlated with male gender (OR = 0.693, 95% CI: 0.549–0.876), a late daily wake time (OR = 0.782, 95% CI: 0.621–0.985), and having more days per week of outdoor activities during the semester (OR = 0.764, 95% CI: 0.597–0.978). After adjustment for demographic characteristics, myopia was positively associated with a late bedtime during holidays (before 10 pm: p = 0.003; 10 pm-11 pm: OR = 1.570, 95% CI: 1.076–2.289; 11 pm-12 am: OR = 2.173, 95% CI: 1.451–3.253; after 12 am: OR = 1.786, 95% CI: 1.093–2.919), but negatively correlated with a late daily wake time during the semester (OR = 0.761, 95% CI: 0.581–0.997). Conclusion. The association of outdoor exercise with myopia among Chinese suburban adolescents does not seem to be as strong as that of sleep habits. Future research could seek to provide consistent evidence for a potential association between myopia and sleep habits.
Multiphysics Modeling and Validation of Spent Fuel Isotopics Using Coupled Neutronics/Thermal-Hydraulics Simulations
Authors: Price Dean , Radaideh Majdi I. , Mui Travis , Katare Mihir , Kozlowski Tomasz
Published: July 2020

Multiphysics coupling of neutronics/thermal-hydraulics models is essential for accurate modeling of nuclear reactor systems with physics feedback. In this work, SCALE/TRACE coupling is used for neutronic analysis and spent fuel validation of BWR assemblies, which have strong coolant feedback. 3D axial power profiles with coolant feedback are captured in these advanced simulations. The methodology is applied to two BWR assemblies (2F2DN23/SF98 and 2F2D1/F6), discharged from the Fukushima Daini-2 unit. Coupling is performed externally, where the SCALE/T5-DEPL module transfers axial power data in all axial nodes to TRACE, which in turn calculates the coolant density and temperature for each of these nodes. Within a burnup step, the data exchange process is repeated until convergence of all coupling parameters (axial power, coolant density, and coolant temperature) is observed. Analysis of axial power, criticality, and coolant properties at the assembly level is used to verify the coupling process. The 2F2D1/F6 benchmark seems to have insignificant void feedback compared to 2F2DN23/SF98 case, which experiences large power changes during operation. Spent fuel isotopic data are used to validate the coupling methodology, which demonstrated good results for uranium isotopes and satisfactory results for other actinides. This work has a major challenge of lack of documented data to build the coupled models (boundary conditions, control rod history, spatial location in the core, etc.), which encourages more advanced methods to approximate such missing data to achieve better modeling and simulation results.
Characteristics of Hypoglycemic Diabetic Patients Visiting the Emergency Room
Authors: Kim Tong Min , Kim Hyunah , Lee Seung-Hwan , Cho Jae-Hyoung , Lee Hyunyong , Yim Hyeon Woo , Yoon Kun-Ho , Kim Hun-Sung
Published: July 2020

Introduction. Severe hypoglycemia can be life-threatening; therefore, it is important to identify the characteristics of the hypoglycemic patients. The aim of this study is to analyze the type and characteristics of diabetic patients with hypoglycemia who visited an emergency room. Methods. We included diabetic patients with hypoglycemia who visited the emergency room of St. Mary’s Hospital in Seoul from January 2009 to August 2018 in the study. Hypo_S group patients visited the emergency room once whereas Hypo_M group patients visited twice or more. We also compared the incidence of cardiovascular disease between the groups within 5 years after hypoglycemia. Results. A total of 843 patients were included in this study, with a mean age of 71±14 years and average glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) level of 6.7±1.4%. For patients with hypoglycemia, lower body mass index, lower HbA1c, shorter diabetes duration, and lower glomerular filtration rate have a statistically significant relationship with patient characteristics in the emergency room group (all p<0.001). Hypoglycemia symptoms were most frequently observed between 6:00 and 12:00 am (p<0.001). Cardiovascular diseases within 5 years after discharge were more frequent in the Hypo_S group than in the Hypo_M group; however, there was no statistical significance. The frequency of aneurysms was significantly higher in patients with hypoglycemia than in other patients in the emergency room (p<0.05). Conclusion. Relatively thin older patients with a diabetes duration shorter than 10 years and good blood sugar control showed higher frequency of visits to the emergency room due to hypoglycemia. For these patients, medical staff should always be mindful of their susceptibility to hypoglycemia when prescribing insulin or OHA and educate them on the prevention of hypoglycemia.
The Influence of Adalimumab and Cyclosporine A on the Expression Profile of the Genes Related to TGFβ Signaling Pathways in Keratinocyte Cells Treated with Lipopolysaccharide A
Authors: Adwent Iwona , Grabarek Beniamin Oskar , Kojs-Mrożkiewicz Marta , Brus Ryszard , Staszkiewicz Rafał , Plewka Andrzej , Stasiowski Michał , Lyssek-Boroń Anita
Published: July 2020

Background. In the treatment of moderate to severe psoriasis, cyclosporine A (CsA) conventional therapy is used and biological, anti-cytokine treatment using, for example, anti-TNF drug—adalimumab. Aim. This study aimed at investigating the effect of CsA and adalimumab on the profile of mRNAs and protein expression associated with transforming growth factor β (TGFβ) pathways in human keratinocyte (HaCaT) culture previously exposed to lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Materials and Methods. HaCaT culture was exposed to 1 ng/ml LPS for 8 hours+8 μg/ml adalimumab for 2, 8, and 24 hours or 1 ng/ml LPS for 8 hours+100 ng/ml CsA for 2, 8, and 24 hours and compared to the control culture. Sulphorodamine B cytotoxicity assay was performed. The expression profile of mRNA related to TGFβ paths was indicated by microarray and RTqPCR analyses. The ELISA test was used to analyze changes on the proteome level. Statistical analysis consisted of ANOVA analysis and the post hoc Tukey test (p<0.05). Results. The cytotoxicity test showed that LPS, adalimumab, and cyclosporine in the concentration used in this experiment did not have any cytotoxicity effect on HaCaT cells. The largest fold changes (FC) in expression in (∣FC∣>4.00) was determined for TGFβ1-3, TGFβRI-III, SKIL, SMURF2, SMAD3, BMP2, BMP6, JAK2, UBE2D1, SKP2, EDN1, and PRKAR2B (p<0.05). In addition, on the protein level, the direct changes observed at mRNA were the same. Conclusion. Analysis of the microarray expression profile of genes associated with TGFβ signaling pathways has demonstrated the potential of cyclosporin A and adalimumab to induce changes in their transcriptional activity. The anti-TNF drug seems to affect TGFβ cascades to a greater extent than cyclosporin A. The obtained results suggest that the regularity of taking the drug is important for the efficacy of psoriasis therapy.
Different Forms of Ursolic Acid and Their Effect on Liver Regeneration
Authors: Žaloudková Lenka , Tichá Alena , Nekvindová Jana , Pavlíková Ladislava , Zadák Zdeněk , Živný Pavel
Published: July 2020

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of natural and encapsulated sources of ursolic acid on liver regeneration. Four ursolate sources were tested. Two forms of ursolic acid encapsulates were combined with cyclodextrins, i.e., gamma‐CD (gCD) and beta‐CD, and two natural sources were adjusted by homogenization (HAP) and micronization of apple peel using Jonagold apples. All ursolate forms were applied intragastrically in daily doses of 20 mg for 7 days. Laboratory rats were fed with standard laboratory diet. Further, gCD and MAP were also tested with a high‐fat diet (6 weeks). Partial hepatectomy (PH) was performed 24 hours before the end of the experiment. The concentration of plasma hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) was determined with an immunoassay; simultaneously, the expression of HGF and CYP7A1 in the liver was quantified through qPCR. HGF expression and plasma levels were significantly increased 24 hours after PH in both the HAP (p = 0.038) and HFgCD groups (p = 0.036), respectively. The correlation between HGF expression and plasma values was significant (p = 0.04). The positive effects on liver regeneration were found in both the gCD and HAP forms of ursolic acid, whose effects were confirmed through the upregulation of HGF.
Percutaneous Intervention or Bypass Graft for Left Main Coronary Artery Disease? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Ullah Waqas , Sattar Yasar , Ullah Irfan , Susheela Ammu , Mukhtar Maryam , Alraies M. Chadi , Mamas Mamas A. , Fischman David L.
Published: July 2020

Background. The safety and efficacy of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) versus coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) for stable left main coronary artery disease (LMCAD) remains controversial. Methods. Digital databases were searched to compare the major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (MACCE) and its components. A random effect model was used to compute an unadjusted odds ratio (OR). Results. A total of 43 studies (37 observational and 6 RCTs) consisting of 29,187 patients (PCI 13,709 and CABG 15,478) were identified. The 30-day rate of MACCE (OR, 0.56; 95% CI, 0.42–0.76; p = 0.0002) and all-cause mortality (OR, 0.52; 95% CI, 0.30–0.91; p = 0.02) was significantly lower in the PCI group. There was no significant difference in the rate of myocardial infarction (MI) (p = 0.17) and revascularization (p = 0.12). At 5 years, CABG was favored due to a significantly lower rate of MACCE (OR, 1.67; 95% CI, 1.18–2.36; p = <0.04), MI (OR, 1.67; 95% CI, 1.35–2.06; p = <0.00001), and revascularization (OR, 2.80; 95% CI, 2.18–3.60; p = <0.00001), respectively. PCI was associated with a lower overall rate of a stroke, while the risk of all-cause mortality was not significantly different between the two groups at 1- (p = 0.75), 5- (p = 0.72), and 10-years (p = 0.20). The Kaplan–Meier curve reconstruction revealed substantial variations over time; the 5-year incidence of MACCE was 38% with CABG, significantly lower than 45% with PCI (p = <0.00001). Conclusion. PCI might offer early safety advantages, while CABG provides greater durability in terms of lower long-term risk of ischemic events. There appears to be an equivalent risk for all-cause mortality.
A Case of Recurrent Hemorrhagic Corpus Luteum with Elevated Follicle-Stimulating Hormone, Controlled by Estrogen/Gestagen Therapy
Authors: Inayama Yoshihide , Yamanoi Koji , Nakakita Baku , Shitanaka Shimpei , Ogura Jumpei , Ohara Tsutomu , Sakai Mie , Suzuki Haruka , Yasumoto Koji , Kishimoto Ichiro , Sagae Yusuke , Kitawaki Yoshimi , Suginami Koh
Published: July 2020

A high secretion of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) in reproductive-aged women is unusual. We report a case of recurrent corpus luteum hemorrhage and subsequent ovarian torsion with markedly elevated FSH levels in a reproductive-aged woman in the absence of functional gonadotroph adenoma (FGA) or premature ovarian failure (POF). A 22-year-old nulligravid woman with a history of bilateral hemorrhagic corpus luteum and subsequent ovarian torsion presented with acute abdominal pain. An emergency salpingo-oophorectomy of the right side was performed, and the right ovarian torsion due to hemorrhagic corpus luteum was diagnosed. Laboratory tests revealed markedly elevated FSH levels (77.6 mIU/mL). FGA was suspected, but no evidence of tumor was identified. The left ovary enlarged again at one-month follow-up. Estrogen/gestagen therapy (EGT) was started, which reduced the enlarged ovary to normal size. Two years later, her pituitary hormonal status was evaluated in detail. Besides markedly elevated FSH level, slightly elevated LH (31.2 mIU/mL), normal total inhibin B (35.3 pg/ml), abnormally low anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) (<0.03 ng/mL), and poor FSH response to gonadotropin-releasing hormone stimulation test were found. In the absence of FGA, we conclude that certain disorders of inhibitory factors for FSH function, including inhibin and AMH may exist, which could attribute to the patient’s symptoms. EGT was very effective in suppressing the ovarian hyperactivity.
Study on Seismic Performance of Improved High‐Strength Concrete Pipe‐Pile Cap Connection
Authors: Yang Zhijian , Li Guochang , Nan Bo
Published: July 2020

Four prestressed high‐strength concrete pile‐ (PHC pile‐) pile cap connections under low‐cycle loading were tested to study the test phenomena, failure modes, hysteretic performance, ductility, and bearing capacity. The PHC piles were reinforced with steel fiber and deformed bars and CFRP. The tests results showed that the connections were damaged by bending. The concrete of the caps were squeezed to be crushed. The concrete of connection was crushed and formed a hinge joint that resulted in the connection rotating unrestricted, and the rotation capacity of connection increased. The PHC pile reinforced with steel fiber and deformed bars can improve the displacement ductility of the connections. The finite element software ABAQUS was used to simulate the nonlinear behavior of pile‐cap connections. The prediction agreed relatively well with the experimental results. The stress and strain of specimens were studied. The connections should be designed with enough rotating capacity and make sure the cap will not be damaged by squeezing or prying due to the rotation of pile end.
Allocating Cost to Freight Carriers in Horizontal Logistic Collaborative Transportation Planning on Leading Company Perspective
Authors: Liu Ning , Cheng Yaorong
Published: July 2020

Interest has been raised by the recent identification of cooperation cost through collaborative planning in horizontal logistics operations. Even though cooperation cost can be realized, one key question exists: how should cooperation cost be divided among a group of collaborating companies. In this article, the question is studied in a centralized framework context. We divide the participants into two groups, leading companies (LC) and nonleading companies (NLC), and propose five fair distribution rules from the perspective of leading companies. According to these distribution principles, we developed an allocation method called Leading-idealism Cost Allocation Model (LiCAM) and compared it with three existing classic allocation mechanisms which violate some of these criteria are discussed. Computational results show that our method has acceptable calculation time, stability, consistency, and monotony. Our model can fully reflect the value as a leading company which is consistent with the actual practice requirements. We also illustrate the value and operability of our model by discussing the number of leading companies and the size of the alliance.
Stability Analysis for Milling Process with Variable Pitch and Variable Helix Tools by High-Order Full-Discretization Methods
Authors: Zhang Yang , Liu Kenan , Zhao Wuyun , Zhang Wei , Dai Fei
Published: July 2020

Chatter is one of the significant limitations in the milling process, which may cause poor surface quality, reduced productivity, and accelerated tool wear. Variable pitch and variable helix tools can be used to suppress regenerative chatter. This study extends the high-order full-discretization methods (FDMs) to predict the stability of milling with variable pitch and variable helix tools. The time-periodic delay-differential equation (DDE) with multiple delays is used to model the milling process using variable pitch and variable helix tools. Then, the DDE with multiple delays is reexpressed by the state-space equation. Meanwhile, the spindle rotational period is divided into many small-time intervals, and the state space equation is integrated on the small-time interval. Then, the high-order interpolation polynomials are used to approximate the state term, and the weights related to the time delay are employed to approximate the time-delay term. The second-order, third-order, and fourth-order extended FDMs (2nd EFDM, 3rd EFDM, and 4th EFDM) are compared with the benchmark in terms of the rate of convergence. It is found that the 2nd EFDM, 3rd EFDM, and 4th EFDM converge faster than the benchmark method. The difference between the curves obtained by different EFDMs and the reference curve is very small. There is no need to extend hypersecond FDMs to analyze the stability of milling with variable pitch and variable helix tools.
Association between Variation of Troponin and Prognosis of Acute Myocardial Infarction before and after Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention
Authors: Zhao Xiaoxiao , Wang Ying , Liu Chen , Zhou Peng , Sheng Zhaoxue , Li Jiannan , Zhou Jinying , Chen Runzhen , Chen Yi , Zhao Hanjun , Yan Hongbing
Published: July 2020

Background. Circulating levels of cardiac troponin I (cTnI) after ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) were considered as prognostic factors for predicting the incidence of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE). △cTnI is the difference between peak cTnI after primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) and cTnI on initial admission. Purpose. This study aimed to assess the relationship between △cTnI, the ratio of △cTnI to cTnI on initial admission, and the incidence of MACE during the follow-up period. Methods. A total of 2596 patients with cTnI measured upon admission and one-time measurement of cTnI during hospitalization were enrolled. Results. In the adjusted models of the survival receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, △cTnI and the ratio of △cTnI to cTnI on initial admission have stronger discrimination power of MACE (area under curve (AUC) 0.730 and 0.717) compared with peak cTnI after PPCI and cTnI at admission (AUC 0.590, 0.546). Multivariate Cox regression analysis identified △cTnI (hazard ratio (HR) 1.018, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.001 to 1.035) as a relevant factor for MACE during follow-up. △cTnI was divided into quartiles, and maximum △ cTnI between 4.845 and 19.073 ng/ml comprised more patients with anterior wall myocardial infarction (p < 0.001), higher GRACE score (p = 0.038), CK-MB (p = 0.023), and Myoglobin (p < 0.001). On the K–M survival curves, the incidence of MACE, mortality, and angina pectoris were significantly higher in the group with maximum △cTnI (p = 0.035, 0.049, 0.026). Conclusion. The △cTnI level and the ratio of △cTnI have stronger discrimination power of predicting the incidence of MACE. The group with maximum △cTnI has higher incidence of MACE, mortality, and angina pectoris during the follow-up period.
Immune Cell Infiltration and Identifying Genes of Prognostic Value in the Papillary Renal Cell Carcinoma Microenvironment by Bioinformatics Analysis
Authors: Liu Ting , Zhang Man , Sun Deming
Published: July 2020

Papillary renal cell carcinoma (PRCC) is one of the most common histological subtypes of renal cell carcinoma. Type 1 and type 2 PRCC are reported to be clinically and biologically distinct. However, little is known about immune infiltration and the expression patterns of immune‐related genes in these two histologic subtypes, thereby limiting the development of immunotherapy for PRCC. Thus, we analyzed the expression of 22 immune cells in type 1 and type 2 PRCC tissues by combining The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database with the ESTIMATE and CIBERSORT algorithms. Subsequently, we extracted a list of differentially expressed genes associated with the immune microenvironment. Multichip mRNA microarray data sets for PRCC were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) to further validate our findings. We found that the immune scores and stromal scores were associated with overall survival in patients with type 2 PRCC rather than type 1 PRCC. Tumor‐infiltrating M1 and M2 macrophages could predict the clinical outcome by reflecting the host’s immune capacity against type 2 PRCC. Furthermore, CCL19/CCR7, CXCL12/CXCR4, and CCL20/CCR6 were shown to be potential new targets for tumor gene therapy in type 2 PRCC. Our findings provide valuable resources for improving immunotherapy for PRCC.
High Burden among Older Family Caregivers is Associated with High Prevalence of Symptoms: Data from the Swedish Study “Good Aging in Skåne (GÅS)”
Authors: Ekström Henrik , Auoja Nathalie Lundholm , Elmståhl Sölve , Sandin Wranker Lena
Published: July 2020

Background/Aim. Certain groups of informal caregivers have been shown to have worse health compared to noncaregivers. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to explore the health and gender aspects of caregiving in an older Swedish population. Methods. Our study included 5457 participants from the longitudinal, general population study “Good Aging in Skåne.” A total of 33 self-reported symptoms were obtained from questionnaires and were then divided into seven domains: depressive, musculoskeletal, gastrourinary, symptoms related to head, cardiopulmonary, symptoms related to tension, and metabolic symptoms. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to assess the risk of developing symptoms in each of the seven domains, regarding caregiving burden and caregiving in relation to gender. Results. We found that caregivers, compared to noncaregivers, had a higher prevalence for depressive and tension-related symptoms. High-burden caregivers exhibited significantly more individual symptoms and a higher prevalence of symptoms in the depressive, tension, and gastrourinary domains of symptoms compared to both low-burden caregivers and noncaregivers. More than 79% of high-burden caregivers reported general fatigue, and over half of the high-burden caregivers experience depressive mood. Female caregivers showed a significantly higher risk of reporting depressive symptoms (OR = 1.54, 95% CI 1.19–1.98) and tension-related symptoms compared to male caregivers. Conclusion. Depressive and tension-related symptoms were more common in caregivers, especially in high-burden caregivers. High-burden caregivers might be at a risk of adverse mental health, and this highlights the need to offer proper support to these groups.
Differences in Clinical Characteristics and Brain Activity between Patients with Low- and High-Frequency Tinnitus
Authors: Zhang Jiajia , Zhang Zhen , Huang Shujian , Zhou Huiqun , Feng Yanmei , Shi Haibo , Wang Dan , Nan Wenya , Wang Hui , Yin Shankai
Published: July 2020

This study was aimed at delineating and comparing differences in clinical characteristics and brain activity between patients with low- and high-frequency tinnitus (LFT and HFT, respectively) using high-density electroencephalography (EEG). This study enrolled 3217 patients with subjective tinnitus who were divided into LFT (frequency<4000 Hz) and HFT (≥4000 Hz) groups. Data regarding medical history, Tinnitus Handicap Inventory, tinnitus matching, and hearing threshold were collected from all patients. Twenty tinnitus patients and 20 volunteers were subjected to 256-channel EEG, and neurophysiological differences were evaluated using standardized low-resolution brain electromagnetic tomography (sLORETA) source-localized EEG recordings. Significant differences in sex (p<0.001), age (p=0.022), laterality (p<0.001), intensity (p<0.001), tinnitus type (p<0.001), persistent tinnitus (p=0.04), average threshold (p<0.001), and hearing loss (p=0.028) were observed between LFT and HFT groups. The tinnitus pitch only appeared to be correlated with the threshold of the worst hearing loss in the HFT group. Compared with the controls, the LFT group exhibited increased gamma power (p<0.05), predominantly in the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC, BA31), whereas the HFT group had significantly decreased alpha1 power (p<0.05) in the angular gyrus (BA39) and auditory association cortex (BA22). Higher gamma linear connectivity between right BA39 and right BA41 was observed in the HFT group relative to controls (t=3.637, p=0.027). Significant changes associated with increased gamma in the LFT group and decreased alpha1 in the HFT group indicate that tinnitus pitch is crucial for matching between the tinnitus and control groups. Differences of band frequency energy in brain activity levels may contribute to the clinical characteristics and internal tinnitus “spectrum” differences.
Effect of the Duration of Intraretinal or Subretinal Fluid on the Response to Treatment in Undertreated Age-Related Macular Degeneration
Authors: Yoshida Izumi , Sakamoto Masashi , Sakai Asao , Maeno Takatoshi
Published: July 2020

We investigated the association between the duration of intraretinal fluid (IRF) or subretinal fluid (SRF) and the response to antivascular endothelial growth factor injection in patients with undertreated age-related macular degeneration (ARMD). The Ethics Committee of Toho University Sakura Medical Center approved this study (no. S18030). Eighty eyes of ARMD patients with VA ≤20/100 were retrospectively assessed. Each injection’s efficacy was classified, and the fluid accumulation prior to each injection was evaluated. The effect changes following to accumulated IRF, SRF, the longest persistent IRF period (≥10 months), and their determining factors were evaluated. Throughout observation, acquired refractoriness was rarely associated with increased accumulation of IRF or SRF. The injection span had a tendency to be short, and the polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy and occult choroidal neovasculopathy (CNV) proportions had a tendency to be higher among patients with diminished effects than among those with maintained effects. VA differed significantly with continuous IRF duration, but not with accumulated fluid. The diminishing effect of injections during long-standing IRF was rarely associated with undertreatment. The mechanism underlying acquired refractoriness remains unknown; the effect change demonstrated various patterns, including diminished and improved responses. The longest continuous IRF duration was associated with VA decline. Shortening the duration of continuous IRF may be necessary.
Exploration of Cadmium Dioxide Nanoparticles on Bioaccumulation, Oxidative Stress, and Carcinogenic Potential inOreochromis mossambicusL.
Authors: Al-Abdan Monera A. , Bin-Jumah May N. , Alarifi Saud
Published: July 2020

The field of nanotechnology is rapidly expanding with the advancement of novel nanopesticide and nanofertilizers that have the potential for revolutionizing applications in the agricultural industry. Here, we have done chronic toxicity of cadmium dioxide nanoparticles (CdONPs) on fishOreochromis mossambicus(O. mossambicus) using oxidative stress and genotoxic biomarkers. In this current study, the value of LC50-96 hr of CdONPs has observed 40 μg/ml forO. mossambicus.The three sublethal concentrations, e.g., 4, 10, and 20 μg/ml were selected based on the LC50value. The fishes were treated to the above concentration of CdONPs for 21 days and were harvested at 1, 7, 14, and 21 days for evaluation of clastogenicity, mutagenicity, and genotoxicity of NPs. Generally, significant effects (p<0.01) were observed as a dose and duration of exposure. It was observed that lipid peroxidation (LPO) was increased and glutathione was decreased in both tissues. Micronuclei (MNi) were produced significantly in peripheral blood on 21 days at maximum concentration. A similar trend was seen in the damage of DNA with the same manner in terms of the percentage of tail DNA in the lymphocyte, gills, and kidney cells. This study explored the application oxidative stress, comet assay, and micronucleus assay for in situ aquatic laboratory studies using fishO. mossambicusfor screening the ecomutagenic and genotoxic potential of environmental pollutants.
Enhanced Unsupervised Graph Embedding via Hierarchical Graph Convolution Network
Authors: Zhang H. , Zhou J. J. , Li R.
Published: July 2020

Graph embedding aims to learn the low-dimensional representation of nodes in the network, which has been paid more and more attention in many graph-based tasks recently. Graph Convolution Network (GCN) is a typical deep semisupervised graph embedding model, which can acquire node representation from the complex network. However, GCN usually needs to use a lot of labeled data and additional expressive features in the graph embedding learning process, so the model cannot be effectively applied to undirected graphs with only network structure information. In this paper, we propose a novel unsupervised graph embedding method via hierarchical graph convolution network (HGCN). Firstly, HGCN builds the initial node embedding and pseudo-labels for the undirected graphs, and then further uses GCNs to learn the node embedding and update labels, finally combines HGCN output representation with the initial embedding to get the graph embedding. Furthermore, we improve the model to match the different undirected networks according to the number of network node label types. Comprehensive experiments demonstrate that our proposed HGCN and HGCN∗ can significantly enhance the performance of the node classification task.
Genotypic Variability in Some Morpho-Physiological Traits in Different Environments and Their Relationship with Cassava (Manihot esculentaCrantz) Root Yield
Authors: Adjebeng-Danquah Joseph , Asante Isaac Kwadwo , Manu-Aduening Joseph , Agyare Richard Yaw , Gracen Vernon Edward , Offei Samuel Kwame
Published: July 2020

Cassava root yield under diverse environments is influenced by morpho-physiological traits that are in turn influenced by genotype, environment, and genotype × environment interaction (GEI). Most GEI analyses in cassava have been limited to root yield with less emphasis on stability of other yield-related traits. This study was carried out to assess the effect of GEI on some morpho-physiological traits in cassava and key traits that are useful for selection in different environments. The study utilized 20 cassava genotypes evaluated in six environments, namely, Fumesua 2013 and 2014, Nyankpala 2013 and 2014 (irrigation), and Nyankpala 2013 and 2014 (no irrigation). The genotypes were arranged in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications and assessed for a number of morpho-physiological traits, root yield and yield components. The data were subjected to analysis of variance using SAS statistical package. Subsequently, the GGE biplot was used to carry out genotype × environment, genotype × trait, and environment × trait interaction analyses to determine the specificity of genotypic performance and traits linked to particular environments. The results indicated significant (P<0.05) GEI effect on all traits except leaf temperature. The genotype × trait biplot analysis revealed closely related traits and those associated with root yield and genotypes that show weakness in these traits. Both environment × trait biplot and principal component analyses identified traits with higher discriminatory power among genotypes in various environments particularly in the dry environments. These can be used as secondary traits to select drought-tolerant genotypes. From this study, the GGE biplot was useful in identifying traits associated with specific genotypes in different environments to aid in selection. Moderate broad-sense heritability estimates werefound for storage root yield, harvest index, plant height, ratio of storage rootlength to girth, and cassava mosaic disease score indicating that progresscan be made through selection for these traits.
Retrospective Study on Ganglionic and Nerve Block Series as Therapeutic Option for Chronic Pain Patients with Refractory Neuropathic Pain
Authors: Gerken J. D. , Fritzsche T. , Denke C. , Schäfer M. , Tafelski S.
Published: July 2020

Objective. Current recommendations controversially discuss local infiltration techniques as specific treatment for refractory pain syndromes. Evidence of effectiveness remains inconclusive and local infiltration series are discussed as a therapeutic option in patients not responding to standard therapy. The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of infiltration series with techniques such as sphenopalatine ganglion (SPG) block and ganglionic local opioid analgesia (GLOA) for the treatment of neuropathic pain in the head and neck area in a selected patient group. Methods. In a retrospective clinical study, 4960 cases presenting to our university hospital outpatient pain clinic between 2009 and 2016 were screened. Altogether, 83 patients with neuropathic pain syndromes receiving local infiltration series were included. Numeric rating scale (NRS) scores before, during, and after infiltration series, comorbidity, and psychological assessment were evaluated. Results. Maximum NRS before infiltration series was median 9 (IQR 8–10). During infiltration series, maximum NRS was reduced by mean 3.2 points (SD 3.3, p<0.001) equaling a pain reduction of 41.0% (SD 40.4%). With infiltration series, mean pain reduction of at least 30% or 50% NRS was achieved in 54.2% or 44.6% of cases, respectively. In six percent of patients, increased pain intensity was noted. Initial improvement after the first infiltration was strongly associated with overall improvement throughout the series. Conclusion. This study suggests a beneficial effect of local infiltration series as a treatment option for refractory neuropathic pain syndromes in the context of a multimodal approach. This effect is both significant and clinically relevant and therefore highlights the need for further randomized controlled trials.
Load‐Bearing Characteristics of Large‐Diameter Rock‐Socketed Piles Based on Ultimate Load Tests
Authors: Liu Xueying , Bai Xiaoyu , Zhang Mingyi , Wang Yonghong , Sang Songkui , Yan Nan
Published: July 2020

As part of a large converter project in Shandong Province, vertical static load tests and internal force tests were conducted on three large‐diameter rock‐socketed piles, their load transfer mechanism was clarified, and the ultimate side resistance and ultimate resistance performance characteristics of the rock‐socketed sections were analyzed. The test results showed that the three test piles were damaged under maximum loading, the Q‐s curve exhibited a steep drop, the pile compression was around 1.2 times the pile diameter, and the bearing capacity of a single pile did not meet the design requirements. The side and end resistances of the three test piles all reached their ultimate values, but the ultimate side resistance was lower than the lower limit of the recommended value in the current technical code for building pile foundations. The end resistance under maximum loading accounted for 38.4–53.8% of the peak load, which was relatively high. By comparing it with other studies, there was no significant correlation between the coefficient of rock ultimate side resistance of the rock‐socketed segment and the pile diameter of the rock‐socketed segment. However, the coefficient of ultimate resistance increased gradually with the pile diameter. However, the latter correlation was not significant when the pile diameter was less than 1000 mm.