bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Chemical Group Profiling, In Vitro and In Silico Evaluation of Aristolochia ringens on α-Amylase and α-Glucosidase Activity
Authors: Ahmad J. B. , Ajani E. O. , Sabiu S.
Published: June 2021

Diabetes mellitus (DM) has become a global scourge, and there is a continuous search for novel compounds as viable alternatives to synthetic drugs which are often accompanied by severe adverse effects. Aristolochia ringens is among the scientifically implicated botanicals effective in the management of several degenerative diseases including DM. The current study evaluated the inhibitory mechanism(s) of root extract of A. ringens on α-amylase and α-glucosidase in vitro and in silico, while its constituents were characterized using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometric technique. The extract had concentration-dependent inhibitory effect on the study enzymes, and the inhibition compared well with that of standard drug (acarbose) with respective IC50 values of 0.67 mg/mL (α-amylase) and 0.57 mg/mL (α-glucosidase) compared with that of the extract (0.63 and 0.54 mg/mL). The extract competitively and uncompetitively inhibited α-amylase and α-glucosidase, respectively. Of the identified compounds, dianoside G (−12.4, −12.5 kcal/mol) and trilobine (−10.0, −10.0 kcal/mol) had significant interactions with α-amylase and α-glucosidase, respectively, while magnoflorine and asiatic acid also interacted keenly with both enzymes, with quercetin 3-O-glucuronide and strictosidine showing better affinity towards α-glucosidase. These observations are suggestive of involvement of these compounds as probable ligands contributing to antidiabetic potential of the extract. While studies are underway to demystify the yet to be identified compounds in the extract, the data presented have lent scientific credence to the acclaimed in vivo antidiabetic potential of the extract and suggested it as a viable source of oral hypoglycaemic agent.
Plantago major L. Extracts Reduce Blood Glucose in Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Mice
Authors: Thi Viet Huong Do , Minh Giang Phan , Hoang Yen Nguyen , Nguyen Son Tien
Published: June 2021

Plantago major L. (P. major L.) is a perennial plant belonging to the family Plantaginaceae. It has been used as a folk remedy for diabetes in Europe and Asia. However, the biologically active constituents responsible for the antidiabetic effects have not been reported. The objectives of this study aimed at determining the chemical components of Plantago major L. and evaluating the antidiabetic activity of the extracts using streptozotocin- (STZ-) induced diabetic mice. In this study, the Swiss mice were fed a high-fat diet to gain weight before STZ injections to induce diabetic conditions. The STZ-induced diabetic mice were orally treated with P. major L. extracts. The blood glucose test results from the treated diabetic mice and nontreated diabetic mice were compared. We found that a 15-day treatment with EP6 extract from P. major L. at a dose of 400 mg/kg could reduce the blood glucose level to the same level as a 15-day treatment with glucophage at a dose of 70 mg/kg. The major chemical components and structural characterization of EP6 extract were also reported. AST (aspartate transferase) and ALT (alanine aminotransferase) indicators of liver damage were measured in the treated and nontreated diabetic mice to give an overall view of the antidiabetic effect of P. major L. extracts.
Medical Image Denoising Algorithm Based on Sparse Nonlocal Regularized Weighted Coding and Low Rank Constraint
Authors: Yuan Quan , Peng Zhenyun , Chen Zhencheng , Guo Yanke , Yang Bin , Zeng Xiangyan
Published: June 2021

Medical image information may be polluted by noise in the process of generation and transmission, which will seriously hinder the follow-up image processing and medical diagnosis. In medical images, there is a typical mixed noise composed of additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) and impulse noise. In the conventional denoising methods, impulse noise is first removed, followed by the elimination of white Gaussian noise (WGN). However, it is difficult to separate the two kinds of noises completely in practical application. The existing denoising algorithm of weight coding based on sparse nonlocal regularization, which can simultaneously remove AWGN and impulse noise, is plagued by the problems of incomplete noise removal and serious loss of details. The denoising algorithm based on sparse representation and low rank constraint can preserve image details better. Thus, a medical image denoising algorithm based on sparse nonlocal regularization weighted coding and low rank constraint is proposed. The denoising effect of the proposed method and the original algorithm on computed tomography (CT) image and magnetic resonance (MR) image are compared. It is revealed that, under different σ and ρ values, the PSNR and FSIM values of CT and MRI images are evidently superior to those of traditional algorithms, suggesting that the algorithm proposed in this work has better denoising effects on medical images than traditional denoising algorithms.
The Extension of the GVW Algorithm to Valuation Domains
Authors: Li Dongmei , Zheng Licui
Published: June 2021

The GVW algorithm is an effective algorithm to compute Gröbner bases for polynomial ideals over a field. Combined with properties of valuation domains and the idea of the GVW algorithm, we propose a new algorithm to compute Gröbner bases for polynomial ideals over valuation domains in this study. Furthermore, we use an example to demonstrate the improvement of our algorithm.
Applications of Small and Medium Enterprise Management System Using Edge Algorithm
Authors: Huang Limei
Published: June 2021

The traditional small and medium enterprise management system has a low efficiency of operation and management. A small and medium enterprise management system based on an edge algorithm is designed in this paper to address this problem. In the proposed algorithm, the management system is used for efficient information transmission and sharing. The system consists of a collaborative function layer, data service layer, basic environment layer, and application layer. The application layer realizes the storage and integration of enterprise information data through the regulation of the collaborative management center and realizes the privacy encryption protection of information based on the protection mechanism of edge computing. The information is transmitted to the data layer for classified storage through the network communication of the basic environment layer. The collaborative function layer takes the process management control engine combined with each service interface to complete the information retrieval of the data layer. It uses the algorithm based on the number of fusion common scoring users and information interest relationship to query and push information. The test results show that the system has good information query performance, pushing query information in one minute. The running function can meet the user needs and effectively achieve information privacy protection.
Maternal Immune System and State of Inflammation Dictate the Fate and Severity of Disease in Preeclampsia
Authors: Zhao Xin , Chen Shuying , Zhao Cui , Xia Fei
Published: June 2021

Preeclampsia, a multisystem disorder in pregnant women, is diagnosed by onset of new hypertension, proteinuria, or organ damage. Antiangiogenic factors, such as soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1 (sFlt1) and soluble endoglin (sEng), are long known to be involved in preeclampsia. However, the role of maternal immune system and inflammation in promotion of preeclampsia has lately been a subject of immense interest. Link between maternal inflammation and preeclampsia is not well established. Furthermore, whether cigarette smoke promotes inflammation and also promotes severity of preeclampsia remains an open question. We herein investigated correlation of established inflammation signatures in the plasma and placental tissue from cohorts of preterm preeclampsia (PPE) and preterm pregnancies (control) with or without smoking history. Besides confirming increased levels of Flt1 and Eng in preeclampsia, we also observed an increase in various mediators of maternal inflammation in women with PPE compared to preterm cohort. Increased IL-6, IL-35, and TNF-α and reduced IL-10 in serum and higher MMP-12, TLR4, HMGB-1, and iNOS and lower Foxp3, CD56 transcripts in placental tissues of PPE compared to preterm pregnancies indicate an association of preterm preeclampsia with stark imbalance in maternal immune system and signatures of inflammation. Smoker PPE cohorts showed highest inflammatory signatures including statistically significant increase for many signatures compared to other cohorts. Together, these results provide evidence for association of inflammation with PPE and strong correlation of smoking with inflammatory signatures in PPE.
Myocardial Infarction‐Associated Extracellular Vesicle‐Delivered miR‐208b Affects the Growth of Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells via Regulating CDKN1A
Authors: Jiang Wenyan , Song Qiaofeng , Lu Zhihui , Wang Shuo , Liu Tao , Wang Xizhu , Wang Mei
Published: June 2021

This study was aimed at investigating the effects of myocardial infarction‐ (MI‐) associated extracellular vesicle‐ (EV‐) delivered miR‐208b on human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). EVs were isolated and subsequently stained with PHK67. A dual‐luciferase reporter gene assay was used to determine the target of miR‐208b. Afterwards, HUVECs were transfected with either MI‐associated EVs or miR‐208b mimics, and cell viability, migration, and apoptosis were subsequently measured. Real‐time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT‐qPCR) was applied to determine the expressions of the tested genes. NanoSight, transmission electron microscopy, and western blotting showed that EVs were successfully isolated. Among the potential microRNA biomarkers for MI, miR‐208b was chosen for subsequent experiments. We found that MI‐associated EVs could be taken up by HUVECs and confirmed that CDKN1A was a direct target of miR‐208b. Additionally, miR‐208b mimics and MI‐associated EVs significantly inhibited the viability and migration of HUVECs (P < 0.05) and promoted cell apoptosis, as well as reduced S phase and increased G2/M phase cell distribution. RT‐qPCR revealed that both miR‐208b mimics and MI‐associated EVs upregulated the expressions of CDKN1A, FAK, Raf-1, MAPK1, and Bax but downregulated the expression of Bcl2 and reduced the Bcl2/Bax ratio. Our study concludes that MI‐associated EVs delivered miR‐208b to HUVECs, and EV‐delivered miR‐208b could affect the growth of HUVECs by regulating the miR‐208b/CDKN1A pathway; thus, miR‐208b can be therefore served as important therapeutic targets for MI treatment.
Boosting Adversarial Attacks on Neural Networks with Better Optimizer
Authors: Yin Heng , Zhang Hengwei , Wang Jindong , Dou Ruiyu
Published: June 2021

Convolutional neural networks have outperformed humans in image recognition tasks, but they remain vulnerable to attacks from adversarial examples. Since these data are crafted by adding imperceptible noise to normal images, their existence poses potential security threats to deep learning systems. Sophisticated adversarial examples with strong attack performance can also be used as a tool to evaluate the robustness of a model. However, the success rate of adversarial attacks can be further improved in black-box environments. Therefore, this study combines a modified Adam gradient descent algorithm with the iterative gradient-based attack method. The proposed Adam iterative fast gradient method is then used to improve the transferability of adversarial examples. Extensive experiments on ImageNet showed that the proposed method offers a higher attack success rate than existing iterative methods. By extending our method, we achieved a state-of-the-art attack success rate of 95.0% on defense models.
Research on Basketball Goal Recognition Based on Image Processing and Improved Algorithm
Authors: Jiang Hangsheng
Published: June 2021

This paper studies the basketball goal recognition method based on image processing and improved algorithm to improve the accuracy of automatic recognition of basketball goal. The infrared spectrum image acquisition system is used to collect the basketball goal image. After the image is denoised by using the adaptive filtering algorithm, the wavelet analysis method is used to extract the features of basketball goal signal, which are input into the optimized deformable convolution neural network. Through the weighted sum of the values of each sampling point and the corresponding position authority of the block convolution core, the results are output as convolution operation. Combined with the depth feature of the same dimension, the full connection feature of the candidate target area is obtained to realize the basketball goal recognition. The experimental results show the following: the method can effectively identify basketball goals and the recognition error rate is low; the average accuracy of the automatic recognition results of basketball goals is as high as 98.4%; under the influence of different degrees of noise, the method is less affected by noise and has strong anti-interference ability.
Valosin-Containing Protein Stabilizes Mutant p53 to Promote Pancreatic Cancer Growth
Authors: Wang Jieqiong , Chen Yajie , Huang Canhua , Hao Qian , Zeng Shelya X. , Omari Sara , Zhang Yu , Zhou Xiang , Lu Hua
Published: June 2021

Approximately 80% of human pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas (PDAC) harbor TP53 mutations, among which, R273H is the most frequent. Although p53-R273H is known to possess gain-of-function properties, how it is regulated in PDAC has not been extensively explored. Here we identify valosin-containing protein (VCP) as a regulator of p53-R273H by conducting immunoprecipitation-tandem mass spectrometry analysis. VCP bound p53-R273H at its DNA binding domain. Ectopic or endogenous VCP stabilized p53-R273H by binding to MDM2 and disrupting its association with mutant p53. Inhibition of VCP either by genetic depletion or the pharmacologic inhibitor CB-5083 increased ubiquitination and degradation of p53-R273H, leading to cell death. Consistently, ablation of VCP markedly retarded growth of cultured PDAC cells and xenograft PDAC tumors. Together, these results unveil VCP as a novel partner of p53-R273H in promoting PDAC growth and as a potential target for developing anti-PDAC therapy.

Significance:

These findings identify valosin-containing protein (VCP) as a novel regulator of p53-R273H stability and suggest VCP as a potential target for development of pancreatic cancer therapy.
Plasma Mucin-1 (CA15-3) Levels in Autosomal Dominant Tubulointerstitial Kidney Disease due to MUC1 Mutations
Authors: Vylet’al Petr , Kidd Kendrah , Ainsworth Hannah C. , Springer Drahomíra , Vrbacká Alena , Přistoupilová Anna , Hughey Rebecca P. , Alper Seth L. , Lennon Niall , Harrison Steven , Harden Maegan , Robins Victoria , Taylor Abbigail , Martin Lauren , Howard Katrice , Bitar Ibrahim , Langefeld Carl D. , Barešová Veronika , Hartmannová Hana , Hodaňová Kateřina , Zima Tomáš , Živná Martina , Kmoch Stanislav , Bleyer Anthony J.
Published: June 2021

Introduction: Patients with ADTKD-MUC1 have one allele producing normal mucin-1 (MUC1) and one allele producing mutant MUC1, which remains intracellular. We hypothesized that ADTKD-MUC1 patients, who have only 1 secretory-competent wild-type MUC1 allele, should exhibit decreased plasma mucin-1 (MUC1) levels. To test this hypothesis, we repurposed the serum CA15-3 assay used to measure MUC1 in breast cancer to measure plasma MUC1 levels in ADTKD-MUC1. Methods: This cross-sectional study analyzed CA15-3 levels in a reference population of 6,850 individuals, in 85 individuals with ADTKD-MUC1, and in a control population including 135 individuals with ADTKD-UMOD and 114 healthy individuals. Results: Plasma CA15-3 levels (mean ± standard deviation) were 8.6 ± 4.3 U/mL in individuals with ADTKD-MUC1 and 14.6 ± 5.6 U/mL in controls (p < 0.001). While there was a significant difference in mean CA15-3 levels, there was substantial overlap between the 2 groups. Plasma CA15-3 levels were <5 U/mL in 22% of ADTKD-MUC1 patients, in 0/249 controls, and in 1% of the reference population. Plasma CA15-3 levels were >20 U/mL in 1/85 ADTKD-MUC1 patients, in 18% of control individuals, and in 25% of the reference population. Segregation of plasma CA15-3 levels by the rs4072037 genotype did not significantly improve differentiation between affected and unaffected individuals. CA15-3 levels were minimally affected by gender and estimated glomerular filtration rate. Discussion/Conclusions: Plasma CA15-3 levels in ADTKD-MUC1 patients are approximately 40% lower than levels in healthy individuals, though there is significant overlap between groups. Further investigations need to be performed to see if plasma CA15-3 levels would be useful in diagnosis, prognosis, or assessing response to new therapies in this disorder.
Applying Probe Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry to Cytological Diagnosis: A Preliminary Study by Using Cultured Lung Cancer Cells
Authors: Morimoto Yuki , Oya Takeshi , Ichimura-Shimizu Mayuko , Matsumoto Minoru , Ogawa Hirohisa , Kobayashi Tomoko , Sumida Satoshi , Kakimoto Takumi , Yamashita Michiko , Cheng Chunmei , Tsuneyama Koichi
Published: June 2021

Objectives: Cytology and histology are 2 indispensable diagnostic tools for cancer diagnosis, which are rapidly increasing in importance with aging populations. We applied mass spectrometry (MS) as a rapid approach for swiftly acquiring nonmorphological information of interested cells. Conventional MS, which primarily rely on promoting ionization by pre-applying a matrix to cells, has the drawback of time-consuming both on data acquisition and analysis. As an emerging method, probe electrospray ionization-MS (PESI-MS) with a dedicated probe is capable to pierce sample and measure specimen in small amounts, either liquid or solid, without the requirement for sample pretreatment. Furthermore, PESI-MS is timesaving compared to the conventional MS. Herein, we investigated the capability of PESI-MS to characterize the cell types derived from the respiratory tract of human tissues. Study Design: PESI-MS analyses with DPiMS-2020 were performed on various type of cultured cells including 5 lung squamous cell carcinomas, 5 lung adenocarcinomas, 5 small-cell carcinomas, 4 malignant mesotheliomas, and 2 normal controls. Results: Several characteristic peaks were detected at around m/z 200 and 800 that were common in all samples. As expected, partial least squares-discriminant analysis of PESI-MS data distinguished the cancer cell types from normal control cells. Moreover, distinct clusters divided squamous cell carcinoma from adenocarcinoma. Conclusion: PESI-MS presented a promising potential as a novel diagnostic modality for swiftly acquiring specific cytological information.
Five-Year Clinical and Quality of Life Outcomes From the CoreValve US Pivotal Extreme Risk Trial
Authors: Arnold Suzanne V. , Petrossian George , Reardon Michael J. , Kleiman Neal S. , Yakubov Steven J. , Wang Kaijun , Hermiller James , Harrison J. Kevin , Deeb G. Michael , Huang Jian , Cohen David J. ,   on behalf of the US CoreValve Investigators
Published: June 2021

Background:

Older adults with comorbidities who are at extreme risk for surgical aortic valve replacement may be appropriate candidates for transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). We present the 5-year clinical, echocardiographic, and health status outcomes of such patients treated with CoreValve self-expanding supra-annular TAVR.

Methods:

The CoreValve US Extreme Risk Pivotal Trial was a prospective, nonrandomized, single-arm clinical trial of TAVR at 41 sites in the United States. The primary outcome was all-cause mortality or major stroke. Secondary outcomes included echocardiographic parameters and patient-reported health status, assessed with the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire.

Results:

Between February 2011 and August 2012, 639 patients with severe aortic stenosis at extreme surgical risk underwent attempted TAVR (mean age 82.8±8.4 years, 53% women, mean Society of Thoracic Surgeons Predicted Risk of Mortality 10.4±5.6%, 77% iliofemoral access). The 5-year Kaplan-Meier rate of death or major stroke was 72.6% ([95% CI, 68.4%–76.7%]; death 71.6%, major stroke 11.5%), with no significant differences according to access site. Among patients who survived 5 years, mean transvalvular gradient was 7.5±5.9 mm Hg, and 3.1% had moderate or severe aortic regurgitation. Health status measures improved significantly by 1 month after TAVR through 1 year (mean change in Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire–Overall Summary score 24.8 points [95% CI, 22.4–27.2]). Beyond 1 year, the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire–Overall Summary score decreased gradually but remained significantly improved from pre-TAVR through 5 years of follow-up among surviving patients (mean change from baseline, 14.3 points [95% CI, 10.7–17.9]).

Conclusions:

Patients with severe aortic stenosis at extreme surgical risk who are treated with self-expanding supra-annular TAVR have high 5-year mortality. However, the short-term benefits of TAVR in terms of valve hemodynamics and quality of life are mostly preserved among surviving patients at 5 years, thereby supporting the continued use of TAVR in these challenging patients.

Registration:

URL:
https://www.clinicaltrials.gov
; Unique identifier: NCT01240902.
Serum Urate Trajectory in Young Adulthood and Incident Cardiovascular Disease Events by Middle Age: CARDIA Study
Authors: Morikawa Nagisa , Bancks Michael P. , Yano Yuichiro , Kuwabara Masanari , Gaffo Angelo L. , Duprez Daniel A. , Gross Myron D. , Jacobs David R.
Published: June 2021

Serum urate levels have been shown to be correlated with risk for incident cardiovascular disease (CVD) events among middle-aged or older adults. However, serum urate trajectory during young adulthood and its association with CVD events has been understudied. Using serum urate measurements collected at baseline and 10, 15, 20 years after baseline from 3563 CARDIA (Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults) participants (mean age 25.1±3.6 [18–30] years at baseline [year 0, 1985–1986]; 46.3% Black; 56.1% female), we determined sex-specific serum urate trajectories using SAS PROC TRAJ. We estimated hazard ratios for incident CVD events (coronary heart disease, heart failure, and stroke) occurring after the year 20 exam through 2017. We identified 3 serum urate trajectories by sex, including low-stable (n=1251), moderate-stable (n=1761), and high-increasing (n=551). Over a median 10.6 years of follow-up, 157 incident CVD events occurred. Participants among the high-increasing trajectory group had 2.89 (95% CI, 1.88–4.43) times greater risk for CVD compared with the low-stable trajectory group. The association was attenuated after adjustment for blood pressure levels during young adulthood. In conclusion, high-increasing serum urate trajectory during young adulthood was associated with incident CVD by middle age, and the association may be explained by blood pressure levels during the exposure period.
Correlations Between Physician and Hospital Stroke Thrombectomy Volumes and Outcomes: A Nationwide Analysis
Authors: Stein Laura K. , Mocco J , Fifi Johanna , Jette Nathalie , Tuhrim Stanley , Dhamoon Mandip S.
Published: June 2021

Background and Purpose:

Despite the Joint Commission’s certification requirement of ≥15 stroke thrombectomy (ST) cases per center and proceduralist annually, the relationship between ST case volumes and outcomes is uncertain. We sought to determine whether a proceduralist or hospital volume threshold exists that is associated with better outcomes among Medicare beneficiaries.

Methods:

Retrospective cohort study using validated
International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision
, Clinical Modification codes to identify admissions with acute ischemic stroke and treatment with ST. We used de-identified, national 100% inpatient Medicare data sets from January 1, 2016, to December 31, 2017 for US individuals aged ≥65 years. We calculated total procedures by proceduralist and hospital. We performed adjusted logistic regression of total cases as a predictor of inpatient mortality, good outcome (defined by dichotomized discharge disposition of inpatient rehabilitation or better), and 30-day readmission. We adjusted for sex, age, Charlson Comorbidity Index, availability of neurocritical care, teaching hospital status, socioeconomic status, 2-year stroke volume, and urban versus rural hospital location. We dichotomized case numbers incrementally to determine a volume threshold for better outcomes.

Results:

Thirteen thousand three hundred thirty-five patients were treated with ST by 2754 proceduralists at 641 hospitals. For every 10 more proceduralist cases, patients had 4% lower adjusted odds of inpatient mortality (adjusted odds ratio, 0.96 [95% CI, 0.95–0.98],
P
<0.0001) and 3% greater adjusted odds of good outcome (adjusted odds ratio, 1.03 [95% CI, 1.02–1.04],
P
<0.0001). For every 10 more hospital cases, patients had 2% lower odds of inpatient mortality (adjusted odds ratio, 0.98 [95% CI, 0.98–0.99],
P
=0.0003) and 2% greater odds of good outcome (adjusted odds ratio, 1.02 [95% CI, 1.01–1.02],
P
<0.0001). With increasing volumes, there were higher odds of better outcomes.

Conclusions:

Nationally, higher proceduralist and hospital ST case volumes were associated with reduced inpatient mortality and better outcome. These data support volume requirements in guidelines for ST training and certification.
Artificial Neural Variability for Deep Learning: On Overfitting, Noise Memorization, and Catastrophic Forgetting
Authors: Xie Zeke , He Fengxiang , Fu Shaopeng , Sato Issei , Tao Dacheng , Sugiyama Masashi
Published: June 2021

Deep learning is often criticized by two serious issues that rarely exist in natural nervous systems: overfitting and catastrophic forgetting. It can even memorize randomly labeled data, which has little knowledge behind the instance-label pairs. When a deep network continually learns over time by accommodating new tasks, it usually quickly overwrites the knowledge learned from previous tasks. Referred to as the neural variability, it is well known in neuroscience that human brain reactions exhibit substantial variability even in response to the same stimulus. This mechanism balances accuracy and plasticity/flexibility in the motor learning of natural nervous systems. Thus, it motivates us to design a similar mechanism, named artificial neural variability (ANV), that helps artificial neural networks learn some advantages from “natural” neural networks. We rigorously prove that ANV plays as an implicit regularizer of the mutual information between the training data and the learned model. This result theoretically guarantees ANV a strictly improved generalizability, robustness to label noise, and robustness to catastrophic forgetting. We then devise a neural variable risk minimization (NVRM) framework and neural variable optimizers to achieve ANV for conventional network architectures in practice. The empirical studies demonstrate that NVRM can effectively relieve overfitting, label noise memorization, and catastrophic forgetting at negligible costs.
Storage Capacity of Quaternion-Valued Hopfield Neural Networks With Dual Connections
Authors: Kobayashi Masaki
Published: June 2021

A complex-valued Hopfield neural network (CHNN) is a multistate Hopfield model. A quaternion-valued Hopfield neural network (QHNN) with a twin-multistate activation function was proposed to reduce the number of weight parameters of CHNN. Dual connections (DCs) are introduced to the QHNNs to improve the noise tolerance. The DCs take advantage of the noncommutativity of quaternions and consist of two weights between neurons. A QHNN with DCs provides much better noise tolerance than a CHNN. Although a CHNN and a QHNN with DCs have the samenumber of weight parameters, the storage capacity of projection rule for QHNNs with DCs is half of that for CHNNs and equals that of conventional QHNNs. The small storage capacity of QHNNs with DCs is caused by projection rule, not the architecture. In this work, the ebbian rule is introduced and proved by stochastic analysis that the storage capacity of a QHNN with DCs is 0.8 times as many as that of a CHNN.
Teaching Women to Write: Weaponizing Ḥadīth Against Colonialism
Authors: Wright Brian
Published: June 2021

This article traces the use of a ḥadīth prohibiting women’s literacy during the colonial period. Although rejected by most ḥadīth scholars and ignored by jurists, it gained prominence in the second half of the nineteenth century through the works of scholars who weaponized it as a response to colonial education projects. As debates on the religious permissibility of modern education spread, the ḥadīth accompanied them, empowering scholars who attempted to push back against modernizing national education projects. Through an analysis of the debate around this ḥadīth in British India and Egypt, I highlight the importance of the ḥadīth as a pragmatic – and not simply normative – source within Islamic legal discussions as they articulated responses to colonialism.
Does workplace spirituality enhance motivation of hospitals social workers? The scrutiny in Iran
Authors: Pouragha Behrooz , Sheikhbardsiri Hojjat , Asgharnezhad Masoomeh , Abdolahi Mahdieh , Sahebi Ali , Amiri Hadis
Published: June 2021

Background:

In today’s world as the globe of organizations, employees tend to show endeavor and more involvement in organizational goals and mission by creating workplace spirituality.

Aim:

The present study aimed to investigate the role of workplace spirituality in improving hospital social worker’s motivation.

Methods:

The study employed a cross-sectional design and was conducted in 19 private and governmental hospitals in Karaj city, Alborz province, north Iran in 2019. The statistical population included all 302 hospital social workers who were selected as the sample population according to Cochran’s formula. Using two standard questionnaires of workplace spirituality and employee motivation, we assessed the role of workplace spirituality in improving the hospital’ social workers’ motivation.

Results:

According to research findings, there were significant relationships between workplace spirituality, meaningful working, sense of community, forgiveness, and honesty with hospital social workers motivation p ⩽ .05. There was a significant difference between age group, gender, level of education and workplace spirituality, and motivation of hospital social workers p ⩽ .05.

Conclusion:

Findings suggest that health planners and authorities may need to examine factors that contribute to the promotion of workplace spirituality to increase the motivation of hospital social workers for improved performance of health organizations.
“Finding the Other Half of Me”: Culture-Based Approaches to Music Education in Hawaiʻi
Authors: Fitzpatrick Kate R.
Published: June 2021

The purpose of this study was to examine how Hawaiian music teachers describe their uses of Hawaiian culture–based educational approaches in the music classroom. The theoretical lens of culture-based education framed the study in that it emphasizes increased attention to questions of cultural restoration within Indigenous communities. A collective descriptive case-study design was used to illuminate the complexities and particularities of the phenomenon of Hawaiian culture–based education utilized by four participant music teachers in their own particular contexts. Data collection included three interviews with each teacher participant, a student focus group interview at each school site, and field notes taken from in-person observations of each music classroom. Analysis revealed four themes central to the participants’ experiences, including teachers’ diverse approaches to culture-based education, their sources of cultural understanding, how they addressed or navigated challenges, and the multiple layers of meaning that they and their students derived from these culture-based approaches. Particularly compelling were findings related to each teacher’s identity and relationship to Hawaiian culture, complicated issues of authenticity related to performing and teaching Hawaiian music, and the centrality of positive relationships to culture-based approaches.
Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Intensive Care Admissions in a Pregnant and Postpartum Population, Hawai‘i, 2012-2017
Authors: Estrada Pamela , Ahn Hyeong Jun , Harvey Scott A.
Published: June 2021

Objective

Maternal morbidity and mortality is a global concern despite advances in medical care and technology and improved economic resources of nations worldwide. The primary objective of our study was to describe racial/ethnic disparities in severe maternal morbidity by using admission to an intensive care unit (ICU) as a marker. The secondary objective was to evaluate associations between patient characteristics, including obstetric outcomes, and severe maternal morbidity.

Methods

This retrospective cohort study used a large inpatient database to identify pregnancy and postpartum hospitalizations in Hawai‘i from January 2012 through September 2017. We evaluated associations between sociodemographic and clinical characteristics and race/ethnicity by using χ2 tests. We used multivariable logistic regression to assess associations between race/ethnicity and ICU admission. We used a post hoc analysis to assess associations between ICU admission and obstetric outcomes by race/ethnicity.

Results

After adjustment, we found a significantly higher ICU admission rate among Asian (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 1.30; 95% CI, 1.04-1.62; P = .02), Filipino (aOR = 1.45; 95% CI, 1.17-1.79; P < .001), and Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander (aOR = 1.39; 95% CI, 1.15-1.68; P < .001) women compared with non-Hispanic White women. Multiple clinical characteristics and outcomes were associated with ICU admission, such as preexisting chronic conditions and pregnancy-induced hypertensive disorders.

Conclusion

We found that severe maternal morbidity represented by ICU admission is higher among Asian, Filipino, and Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander women than among non-Hispanic White women in Hawai’i. Our findings reemphasize the need for health care providers to be vigilant in caring for members of racial/ethnic minority groups and managing their comorbidities.
Chondrosarcoma of the Thyroid Cartilage Successfully Treated With Partial Resection of the Thyroid Cartilage
Authors: Fedorová Katarína , Zeleník Karol , Formánek Martin , Židlík Vladimír , Komínek Pavel
Published: June 2021

Chondrosarcoma of the thyroid cartilage is a sporadic disease with nonspecific clinical presentation. Smooth swelling of the supraglottic area should arouse suspicion of possible pathology. In addition to laryngoceles, which usually do not have a significant impact, otolaryngologists should consider chondrosarcoma of the thyroid cartilage and indicate computed tomography (CT). Late diagnosis leads to worse prognosis, particularly worse voice after more extensive surgery, need for tracheostomy, and worse survival from higher degree chondrosarcomas.
Ultrasound-guided local corticosteroid injection for carpal tunnel syndrome: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
Authors: Wang Hongchen , Zhu Yuting , Wei Hongyu , Dong Chunke
Published: June 2021

Objective:

This meta-analysis aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of ultrasound-guided (US-guided) versus landmark-guided (LM-guided) local corticosteroid injection for carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS).

Methods:

Database including Pubmed, Embase, and Cochrane Library were searched to identify relevant randomized controlled trials (RCTs). The outcomes mainly included Boston Carpal Tunnel Questionnaire (BCTQ): Symptom Severity Scale (BCTQs), Functional Status Scale (BCTQf); and electrophysiological indexes: distal motor latency (DML), sensory distal latency (SDL), compound muscle action potential (CAMP), sensory nerve action potential amplitude (SNAP), and sensory nerve conduction velocity (SNCV). Adverse events were also recorded.

Results:

Overall, nine RCTs were finally screened out with 469 patients (596 injected hands). Pooled analysis showed that US-guided injection was more effective in BCTQs (SMD, −0.69; 95% CI, −1.08 to −0.31; P = 0.0005), BCTQf (SMD, −0.23; 95% CI, −0.39 to −0.07; P = 0.005), CAMP (MD, 0.64; 95% CI, 0.35−0.94; P < 0.0001) improvement, and a lower rate of adverse events (RR, 0.34; 95% CI, 0.22−0.52; P < 0.00001). Subgroup analysis revealed that the US-guided injection had significantly better CMAP than the LM-guided for the in-plane approach (MD, 0.69; 95% CI, 0.36−1.01; P < 0.0001) but not for the out-plane approach (MD, 0.39; 95% CI, −0.39 to 1.17; P = 0.33).

Conclusions:

US-guided injection was superior to LM-guided injection in symptom severity, functional status, electrodiagnostic, and adverse events improvement for CTS. To some extent, the in-plane approach yields better results compared with the out-plane process under US guidance.
Clinical and pathologic findings in an outbreak in rabbits of natural infection by rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus 2 in the northwestern United States
Authors: Williams Laura B. A. , Edmonds Steven E. , Kerr Susan R. , Broughton-Neiswanger Liam E. , Snekvik Kevin R.
Published: June 2021

Rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus 2 (RHDV2) causes an often-fatal disease of rabbits that has resulted in outbreaks in rabbitries in Europe, Africa, Australia, and Asia. RHD has historically been characterized as a foreign animal disease in the United States. In July 2019, RHDV2 was detected in rabbits on Orcas Island along the northwestern coast of Washington (WA) State following reports of deaths in multiple feral and domestic rabbits. We document and highlight here the unique clinical presentation and gross and histologic lesions observed in this recent WA outbreak. Affected rabbits died without premonitory signs or displayed hyporexia and/or lethargy for ≤1 d prior to death. The most consistent pathologic finding was random, multifocal hepatocellular necrosis, often with concurrent multifocal-to-diffuse splenic necrosis. The lack of significant clinical signs in conjunction with the random distribution of hepatic necrosis in the WA outbreak contrasts with previous reports of RHDV2 disease progression.
Hidden Tales of Ebola: Airing the Forgotten Voices of Ugandan “Ebola Nurses”
Authors: Okello Wonyima Isaac , Fowler-Kerry Susan , Nambozi Grace , Barry Charlotte , Wills Jeanie , Palmer-Clarke Yolanda , Locsin Rozzano C.
Published: June 2021

Introduction

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Ebola has affected the lives of thousands, including health care workers. With few studies describing the experience of nurses who survived Ebola, the study aimed to describe Ugandan nurses’ experiences.

Method

Using a phenomenological design, in-depth interviews were conducted among five Ugandan nurses who contracted Ebola and survived.

Result

Thematic analysis revealed themes of expectations of dying, hopelessness, loneliness, and betrayal by family, community, and the health system.

Discussion

Results support the need for policies targeting holistic practice protocols to protect all health care professionals during future outbreaks. Last, nursing survivors should have access to government-guaranteed support programs, including free health care and financial stipends. These results and recommendations transcend to the current reality of living with COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019). Efficient practice protocols could protect all rights and privileges and contribute to access to treatment and stigma removal.
Olfactory Stimulation of Preterm Infants with Breast Milk
Authors: Lee Woon Ae , Ra Jin Suk
Published: June 2021

Maintaining stable physiological responses may be important for the growth and development of preterm infants. The purpose of our study was to evaluate the effects of olfactory stimulation with maternal breast milk on the occurrence of abnormal physiological responses in preterm infants. With a non-equivalent control group pretest-posttest design, 13 preterm infants in the experimental group and 18 preterm infants in the control group completed the intervention. The intervention was implemented three times a day for 5 days in a row with 2 hours of administration per intervention. The frequency of abnormal physiological responses was assessed over 6 days (one day before intervention administration and 5 days during intervention administration). With repeated-measures analysis of variance, the experimental group showed a significantly lower frequency of apnea than the control group ( p = .021). Olfactory stimulation with maternal breast milk may be an effective nursing intervention for reducing apnea episodes in preterm infants.
Effects of March of Dimes Supportive Pregnancy Care on Social Support and Postpartum Depression
Authors: Kettrey Heather Hensman , Steinka-Fry Katarzyna T.
Published: June 2021

Purpose

Group prenatal care, which integrates medical care with patient education and empowerment in a group setting, has the potential to build social support among pregnant women and reduce the risk of postpartum depression (PPD). Past research on group care’s effects on social support or PPD has produced inconsistent findings. Studies have tended to (1) examine direct effects on social support or PPD and (2) treat group care participation as a dichotomous variable. This study tests the hypothesis that group care has an indirect effect on PPD through its effect on social support. It uses both a dichotomous measure of group care participation and an ordinal measure of social contact with group members.

Method

This study used survey data from 199 women at two Tennessee health care sites who participated in traditional care (TC) or Supportive Pregnancy Care (SPC), a new group program developed by March of Dimes. Path analysis was employed, estimating standardized path coefficients with propensity score weighted multilevel modeling.

Results

The study found no evidence of an indirect relationship between SPC and PPD symptoms when modeling the dichotomous measure. Modeling the ordinal measure revealed more favorable PPD outcomes among women reporting high group member contact (compared with TC) and adverse outcomes among women reporting low group member contact.

Conclusion

SPC may be useful for preventing PPD symptoms among women socially engaged with other group care patients. Given the adverse effect among women who do not engage with other group members, group facilitators should encourage women to interact outside of scheduled sessions.
Impact of blast and mechanical loads on the shear deformable stiffened sandwich plate with an auxetic core layer in thermal environment
Authors: Thuy Anh Vu Thi , Quang Vu Dinh , Duc Nguyen Dinh , Thinh Pham Ngoc
Published: June 2021

By using the first order shear deformation theory (FSTD), this paper presents the results of the nonlinear dynamic behavior and natural frequencies of sandwich plate supported by elastic foundations in thermal environment and subjected to mechanical load and blast loading. This work takes advantage of the sandwich plate configuration with three layers: graphene platelet –reinforced composite (GPL) layer – auxetic layer – FGM layer, to analyze the dynamic and vibration problem, in which the auxetic core layer has a negative Poisson's ratios and the FGM layer is reinforced by stiffeners made of full metal or full ceramic depending on a situation of stiffeners at the metal-rich or ceramic-rich side of the plate respectively. Corresponding to the combination of material layers, the mechanical quantities of the problem are processed and calculated to suit the structure and reinforcement conditions. Numerical results are provided to explore the influences of geometrical parameters, elastic foundation parameters, GPL volume fraction, blast and mechanical loads on the nonlinear dynamic behavior and vibration of sandwich plate resting on elastic foundation and in thermal environment. In addition, the study is not only assumed that the material properties depend on environment temperature variation, but also considered the thermal stresses in the stiffeners, as well as considered the effect of imperfections in the original shape of the structure.
Outcomes of selective laser trabeculoplasty in corticosteroid-induced ocular hypertension and glaucoma
Authors: AlObaida Ibrahim , Al Owaifeer Adi Mohammed , Alotaibi Hajar , Alsafi Aisha , Ali Aljasim Leyla
Published: June 2021

Purpose:

To report the outcomes of selective laser trabeculoplasty (SLT) in lowering intraocular pressure (IOP) in patients with steroid-induced ocular hypertension and glaucoma.

Methods:

A retrospective chart review of patients who underwent SLT for steroid-induced ocular hypertension or glaucoma between January 2014 and October 2018. Success of SLT was defined as ⩾20% IOP reduction from baseline without further medical or surgical intervention and/or a reduction in the number of glaucoma medications by ⩾1 from baseline while maintaining the target IOP. Main outcome measures were change in IOP from baseline and reduction in the number of medications post-laser.

Results:

A total of 25 eyes of 17 patients were included in the study. The mean duration of follow-up was 18.8 ± 4.5 months. IOP decreased from 23.7 ± 6.7 mmHg pre-laser to 14.4 ± 3.2 mmHg post-laser, at the last follow-up visit ( p < 0.001). The mean number of medications was 1.8 ± 1.6 medications pre-laser and 1.4 ± 1.3 medications post-laser ( p = 0.262). The overall success rate at 12 months was 72%. No visually significant complications were encountered during the whole duration of follow-up.

Conclusion:

SLT is a safe and effective procedure that can result in well-controlled IOP in patients with steroid-induced ocular hypertension and glaucoma.
Inter-observer and intra-observer reliability of the myopic traction maculopathy staging system
Authors: Frisina Rino , Besozzi Gianluca , Finzi Alessandro , Pinackatt Sajish Joseph , Palmieri Michele , Parolini Barbara
Published: June 2021

Aim:

The aim of this study is to evaluate the inter-observer and intra-observer agreement of the myopic traction maculopathy (MTM) staging system (MSS).

Methods:

The agreement test for MSS was based on the evaluation of 104 optical coherence tomography (OCT) scans from 104 myopic eyes. According to the MSS, six observers were asked to identify, in each image, one among four retinal patterns and one among three foveal patterns of MTM, the presence of an outer lamellar macular hole (OLMH) and an epiretinal membrane (ERM). Each observer repeated the agreement test after a 60 days interval.

Results:

Inter-observer reliability: the agreement of the test for the retina pattern was substantial (0.724), for the fovea pattern was 0.821, for the OLMH was 0.656, and for the ERM was 0.463. When all the criteria are included in the validation test the agreement was 0.657. Regarding the weighted statistics (Gwet’s AC2, 95% CI), the validation test was statistically significant both when the variables were considered one by one, with an excellent agreement, respectively for the retina pattern (0.955) and the fovea pattern (0.963) and when all the variables were included in the tests (0.930). Intra-observer repeatability: all observers rerun the test after 2 months with a statistically significant percentage of confirmation of the previous test.

Conclusion:

The MSS offers in one Table information on diagnosis, natural history, function, prognosis, and management of MTM. The MSS is user-friendly and highly reproducible.