bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Reduced Maternal Circulating Cell‐Free Mitochondrial DNA Is Associated With the Development of Preeclampsia
Authors: Cushen Spencer C. , Ricci Contessa A. , Bradshaw Jessica L. , Silzer Talisa , Blessing Alexandra , Sun Jie , Zhou Zhengyang , Scroggins Sabrina M. , Santillan Mark K. , Santillan Donna A. , Phillips Nicole R. , Goulopoulou Styliani
Published: January 2022

Background

Circulating cell‐free mitochondrial DNA (ccf‐mtDNA) is a damage‐associated molecular pattern that reflects cell stress responses and tissue damage, but little is known about ccf‐mtDNA in preeclampsia. The main objectives of this study were to determine (1) absolute concentrations of ccf‐mtDNA in plasma and mitochondrial DNA content in peripheral blood mononuclear cells and (2) forms of ccf‐mtDNA transport in blood from women with preeclampsia and healthy controls. In addition, we sought to establish the association between aberrance in circulating DNA‐related metrics, including ccf‐mtDNA and DNA clearance mechanisms, and the clinical diagnosis of preeclampsia using bootstrapped penalized logistic regression.

Methods and Results

Absolute concentrations of ccf‐mtDNA were reduced in plasma from women with preeclampsia compared with healthy controls (
P
≤0.02), while mtDNA copy number in peripheral blood mononuclear cells did not differ between groups (
P
>0.05). While the pattern of reduced ccf‐mtDNA in patients with preeclampsia remained, DNA isolation from plasma using membrane lysis buffer resulted in 1000‐fold higher ccf‐mtDNA concentrations in the preeclampsia group (
P
=0.0014) and 430‐fold higher ccf‐mtDNA concentrations in the control group (
P
<0.0001). Plasma from women with preeclampsia did not induce greater Toll‐like receptor‐9–induced nuclear factor kappa‐light‐chain enhancer of activated B cells‐dependent responses in human embryonic kidney 293 cells overexpressing the human
TLR‐9
gene (
P
>0.05). Penalized regression analysis showed that women with preeclampsia were more likely to have lower concentrations of ccf‐mtDNA as well as higher concentrations of nuclear DNA and DNase I compared with their matched controls.

Conclusions

Women with preeclampsia have aberrant circulating DNA dynamics, including reduced ccf‐mtDNA concentrations and DNA clearance mechanisms, compared with gestational age–matched healthy pregnant women.
Ten‐Year Cardiovascular Disease Risk Trajectories by Obstetric History: A Longitudinal Study in the Norwegian HUNT Study
Authors: Fraser Abigail , Markovitz Amanda R. , Haug Eirin B. , Horn Julie , Romundstad Pål Richard , Dalen Håvard , Rich‐Edwards Janet , Åsvold Bjørn Olav
Published: January 2022

Background

Women with a history of obstetric complications are at increased risk of cardiovascular disease, but whether they should be specifically targeted for cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk screening is unknown.

Methods and Results

We used linked data from the Norwegian HUNT (Trøndelag Health) Study and the Medical Birth Registry of Norway to create a population‐based, prospective cohort of parous women. Using an established CVD risk prediction model (A Norwegian risk model for cardiovascular disease), we predicted 10‐year risk of CVD (nonfatal myocardial infarction, fatal coronary heart disease, and nonfatal or fatal stroke) based on established risk factors (age, systolic blood pressure, total and high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol, smoking, antihypertensive use, and family history of myocardial infarction). Predicted 10‐year CVD risk scores in women aged between 40 and 60 years were consistently higher in those with a history of obstetric complications. For example, when aged 40 years, women with a history of preeclampsia had a 0.06 percentage point higher mean risk score than women with all normotensive deliveries, and when aged 60 years this difference was 0.86. However, the differences in the proportion of women crossing established clinical thresholds for counseling and treatment in women with and without a complication were modest.

Conclusions

Findings do not support targeting parous women with a history of pregnancy complications for CVD screening. However, pregnancy complications identify women who would benefit from primordial and primary prevention efforts such as encouraging and supporting behavioral changes to reduce CVD risk in later life.
Increased Cardiac Arrhythmia After Pregnancy‐Induced Hypertension: A South Korean Nationwide Database Study
Authors: Park Yoonjee , Cho Geum Joon , Roh Seung‐Young , Na Jin Oh , Oh Min‐Jeong
Published: January 2022

Background

Although pregnancy‐induced hypertension (PIH) is associated with an elevated cardiovascular risk, long‐term studies or prepregnancy baseline data are scarce. Therefore, using a large nationwide cohort with prepregnancy periodic health screening data, we investigated whether clinically significant arrhythmia incidence increases after PIH.

Methods and Results

Data were extracted from the Korea National Health Insurance database and combined with the National Health Screening Examination database; women who gave birth between 2007 and 2015 and underwent the national health screening test within a year before pregnancy were followed up until 2016. We excluded women who had a diagnosis of arrhythmia within 1 year before pregnancy. The primary outcome was significant arrhythmia during the year after delivery. Secondary analysis included only specific diagnostic codes of arrhythmia with clinical significance. Additionally, the risk of arrhythmia was stratified by the use of magnesium sulfate. Of 2 035 684 women (PIH; n=37 297 versus normotensive pregnancy; n=1 998 387), the PIH group had a higher prepregnancy risk profile and showed a higher incidence of arrhythmia than women with normotensive pregnancies within 1 year. Women with PIH had a significantly higher risk of atrial flutter/fibrillation and atrioventricular block, but not lethal arrhythmias. Other predictors of arrhythmia development included advanced maternal age and cesarean section. Stratified analysis showed a higher risk of arrhythmia with magnesium sulfate use.

Conclusions

PIH was significantly associated with the development of arrhythmia within 1 year after delivery. Nevertheless, the incidence of lethal arrhythmias was not increased by PIH. Arrhythmia, especially atrial fibrillation, may largely contribute to increasing the future cardiovascular risk in women with a PIH history.
Our Efforts for Ideal Stroke Prevention and Treatment in Japan
Authors: Yamaguchi Takenori
Published: January 2022

In the present short review for the Sherman Award, Dr Yamaguchi introduces studies at the National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center, Osaka, which included development of intravenous thrombolysis using low-dose alteplase that was officially approved in Japan, long-term dual antiplatelet therapy using cilostazol together with aspirin or clopidogrel, and others. He also discusses efforts to ensure the passage of the “Stroke and Cardiovascular Disease Control Act,” the aims of which are better primary prevention, better acute treatment, rehabilitation, and secondary prevention of stroke for people living in Japan.
No Evidence of Attentional Modulation of the Neural Response to the Temporal Fine Structure of Continuous Musical Pieces
Authors: Etard Octave , Messaoud Rémy Ben , Gaugain Gabriel , Reichenbach Tobias
Published: January 2022

Speech and music are spectrotemporally complex acoustic signals that are highly relevant for humans. Both contain a temporal fine structure that is encoded in the neural responses of subcortical and cortical processing centers. The subcortical response to the temporal fine structure of speech has recently been shown to be modulated by selective attention to one of two competing voices. Music similarly often consists of several simultaneous melodic lines, and a listener can selectively attend to a particular one at a time. However, the neural mechanisms that enable such selective attention remain largely enigmatic, not least since most investigations to date have focused on short and simplified musical stimuli. Here, we studied the neural encoding of classical musical pieces in human volunteers, using scalp EEG recordings. We presented volunteers with continuous musical pieces composed of one or two instruments. In the latter case, the participants were asked to selectively attend to one of the two competing instruments and to perform a vibrato identification task. We used linear encoding and decoding models to relate the recorded EEG activity to the stimulus waveform. We show that we can measure neural responses to the temporal fine structure of melodic lines played by one single instrument, at the population level as well as for most individual participants. The neural response peaks at a latency of 7.6 msec and is not measurable past 15 msec. When analyzing the neural responses to the temporal fine structure elicited by competing instruments, we found no evidence of attentional modulation. We observed, however, that low-frequency neural activity exhibited a modulation consistent with the behavioral task at latencies from 100 to 160 msec, in a similar manner to the attentional modulation observed in continuous speech (N100). Our results show that, much like speech, the temporal fine structure of music is tracked by neural activity. In contrast to speech, however, this response appears unaffected by selective attention in the context of our experiment.
Research on Imbalanced Data Classification Based on Classroom-Like Generative Adversarial Networks
Authors: Lv Yancheng , Lin Lin , Liu Jie , Guo Hao , Tong Changsheng
Published: January 2022

Most of the research on machine learning classification methods is based on balanced data; the research on imbalanced data classification needs improvement. Generative adversarial networks (GANs) are able to learn high-dimensional complex data distribution without relying on a prior hypothesis, which has become a hot technology in artificial intelligence. In this letter, we propose a new structure, classroom-like generative adversarial networks (CLGANs), to construct a model with multiple generators. Taking inspiration from the fact that teachers arrange teaching activities according to students' learning situation, we propose a weight allocation function to adaptively adjust the influence weight of generator loss function on discriminator loss function. All the generators work together to improve the degree of discriminator and training sample space, so that a discriminator with excellent performance is trained and applied to the tasks of imbalanced data classification. Experimental results on the Case Western Reserve University data set and 2.4 GHz Indoor Channel Measurements data set show that the data classification ability of the discriminator trained by CLGANs with multiple generators is superior to that of other imbalanced data classification models, and the optimal discriminator can be obtained by selecting the right matching scheme of the generator models.
Euconnus (Tetramelus) melkei sp. n., a bizarre South African ant-like stone beetle (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Scydmaeninae)
Authors: JAŁOSZYŃSKI PAWEŁ
Published: January 2022

Euconnus (Tetramelus) melkei sp. n. is described, based on a male specimen collected in the Eastern Cape province of the Republic of South Africa. This species is characterized by the most elaborate and extensive male sexual dimorphic features known in Euconnus, comprising glandular projections and impressions that cover most of the head dorsum, strongly modified scapes, long projections on protrochanters, and thickened profemora with glandular porous and setal patches. The most similar species, Euconnus nasicornis Franz and E. paranasicornis Franz, previously treated as incertae sedis within Euconnus, are placed in Tetramelus. The E. nasicornis species group of Tetramelus that includes the abovementioned species is defined by an extremely elongate adult body, multiple dimorphic features in males, and a pair of lateral longitudinal sulci on the pronotum. The current state of knowledge of South African Euconnus is discussed, and a checklist of the currently known 159 nominal species that inhabit RSA is given.
An Orientation and Mobility Program for Multiply Impaired Blind Children
Authors: Harley Randall K. , Wood Thomas A. , Merbler John B.
Published: January 2022

The purpose of this study was to develop programed instruction in orientation and mobility for multiply impaired blind children. Scales were developed for each of four major areas: motor development, sensory training, concept development, and mobility skills. Programed instruction was written for each of these scales. The programed instruction was validated with 40 multiply impaired blind children in nine facilities in a 16 week field test. The experimental group using the programed instructional materials demonstrated significant overall performance gains over a control group.
Scoping Review of Oral Health-Related Birth Cohort Studies: Toward a Global Consortium
Authors: Peres K.G. , Nascimento G.G. , Gupta A. , Singh A. , Cassiano L. Schertel , Rugg-Gunn A.J.
Published: January 2022

The multidisciplinary nature and long duration of birth cohort studies allow investigation of the relationship between general and oral health and indicate the most appropriate stages in life to intervene. To date, the worldwide distribution of oral health-related birth cohort studies (OHRBCSs) has not been mapped, and a synthesis of information on methodological characteristics and outcomes is not available. We mapped published literature on OHRBCSs, describing their oral health-related data and methodological aspects. A 3-step search strategy was adopted to identify published studies using PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and OVID databases. Studies with baseline data collection during pregnancy or within the first year of life or linked future oral health data to exposures during either of these 2 life stages were included. Studies examining only mothers' oral health and specific populations were excluded. In total, 1,721 articles were suitable for initial screening of titles and abstracts, and 528 articles were included in the review, identifying 120 unique OHRBCSs from 34 countries in all continents. The review comprised literature from the mid-1940s to the 21st century. Fifty-four percent of the OHRBCSs started from 2000 onward, and 75% of the cohorts were from high-income and only 2 from low-income countries. The participation rate between the baseline and the last oral health follow-up varied between 7% and 93%. Ten cohorts that included interventions were mostly from 2000 and with fewer than 1,000 participants. Seven data-linkage cohorts focused mostly on upstream characteristics and biological aspects. The most frequent clinical assessment was dental caries, widely presented as decayed, missing, and filled teeth (DMFT/dmft). Periodontal conditions were primarily applied as isolated outcomes or as part of a classification system. Socioeconomic classification, ethnicity, and country- or language-specific assessment tools varied across countries. Harmonizing definitions will allow combining data from different studies, adding considerable strength to data analyses; this will be facilitated by forming a global consortium.
Students’ Behavior of Asking Questions Through Narrative and Informative Texts
Authors: Aslan Altan Bilge
Published: January 2022

By asking questions, students can practice many cognitive processes, and these processes may reflect clues about their thinking skills. In order to understand students’ cognitive levels in thinking, questions can be used as agents. Doing so, this study focuses on examining students’ questions in terms of cognitive levels of Bloom’s revised taxonomy, namely, remember, understand, apply, analyze, evaluate, and create. For this purpose, the study followed a qualitative research design with 106 high school students and eight language and literature teachers. To capture the relevant data, students were given two types of texts (narrative and informative), then asked to generate text-based questions as well as their answers. Along with students, teachers were interviewed to find out how they direct students to ask comprehension questions according to instructional strategies they used in asking questions. The data were analyzed through descriptive and content analysis. The results showed that participant students mainly asked questions addressing at the analyze level for the narrative text, and at the understand level for the informative text. These levels are assumed as lower-order thinking skills according to the taxonomy, and possible reasons were discussed with further recommendations.
Dualized Labor Market and Polarized Health: A Longitudinal Perspective on the Association between Precarious Employment and Mental and Physical Health in Germany
Authors: Pförtner Timo-Kolja , Pfaff Holger , Elgar Frank J.
Published: January 2022

This study analyzes the longitudinal association between precarious employment and physical and mental health in a dualized labor market by disaggregating between-employee and within-employee effects and considering mobility in precariousness of employment. Analyses were based on the German Socio-Economic Panel from 2002 to 2018 considering all employees ages 18 to 67 years (n = 38,551). Precariousness of employment was measured as an additive index considering working poverty, nonstandard working time arrangements, perceived job insecurity, and low social rights. Health outcomes were mental and physical health. Random effects models were used and controlled for sociodemographic and socioeconomic variables. Results indicated that the association between precariousness of employment and mental and physical health is mainly based on between-employee differences and that prolonged precariousness of employment or upward or downward mobility are associated with poor health. We found evidence of polarization in health by precariousness of employment within a dualized labor market.
HIV-Related Internalized Stigma and Patient Health Engagement Model in an Italian Cohort of People Living With HIV
Authors: Massaroni Valentina , Delle Donne Valentina , Ciccarelli Nicoletta , Lombardi Francesca , Lamonica Silvia , Borghetti Alberto , Ciccullo Arturo , Di Giambenedetto Simona
Published: January 2022

The care engagement of people living with HIV (PLWH) measured with the patient health engagement (PHE) model and its association with HIV-related internalized stigma are not well established. Indeed, currently there are no data yet about the engagement of PLWH measured with the PHE model. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of HIV-related internalized stigma on care engagement and mental health and to fill the lack of data on PHE model applied to PLWH. We found that the internalized stigma score was significantly higher for PLWH ( n=82) in worse care engagement phase and both higher internalized stigma scores and worse engagement were associated to major depression symptoms.

In conclusion, our findings describe for the first time the engagement in care of PLWH measured with PHE and highlight the importance of PLWH support to find strategies to cope stigma-related stress and optimize their care engagement.
Essential elements, conceptual foundations and workflow design in crowd-powered projects
Authors: Santos Celso A S , Baldi Alessandro M , de Assis Neto Fábio R , Barcellos Monalessa P
Published: January 2022

Crowdsourcing arose as a problem-solving strategy that uses a large number of workers to achieve tasks and solve specific problems. Although there are many studies that explore crowdsourcing platforms and systems, little attention has been paid to define what a crowd-powered project is. To address this issue, this article introduces a general-purpose conceptual model that represents the essential elements involved in this kind of project and how they relate to each other. We consider that the workflow in crowdsourcing projects is context-oriented and should represent the planning and coordination by the crowdsourcer in the project, instead of only facilitating decomposing a complex task into subtask sets. Since structural models are limited to cannot properly represent the execution flow, we also introduce the use of behavioural conceptual models, specifically Unified Modeling Language (UML) activity diagrams, to represent the user, tasks, assets, control activities and products involved in a specific project.
Identifying the strongest self-report predictors of sexual satisfaction using machine learning
Authors: Vowels Laura M. , Vowels Matthew J. , Mark Kristen P.
Published: January 2022

Sexual satisfaction has been robustly associated with relationship and individual well-being. Previous studies have found several individual (e.g., gender, self-esteem, and attachment) and relational (e.g., relationship satisfaction, relationship length, and sexual desire) factors that predict sexual satisfaction. The aim of the present study was to identify which variables are the strongest, and the least strong, predictors of sexual satisfaction using modern machine learning. Previous research has relied primarily on traditional statistical models which are limited in their ability to estimate a large number of predictors, non-linear associations, and complex interactions. Through a machine learning algorithm, random forest (a potentially more flexible extension of decision trees), we predicted sexual satisfaction across two samples (total N = 1846; includes 754 individuals forming 377 couples). We also used a game theoretic interpretation technique, Shapley values, which allowed us to estimate the size and direction of the effect of each predictor variable on the model outcome. Findings showed that sexual satisfaction is highly predictable (48–62% of variance explained) with relationship variables (relationship satisfaction, importance of sex in relationship, romantic love, and dyadic desire) explaining the most variance in sexual satisfaction. The study highlighted important factors to focus on in future research and interventions.
Interstitial Mr Lymphography Using Gd-Carrying Liposomes
Authors: Misselwitz B. , Sachse A.
Published: January 2022

The detection of metastasis in lymph nodes is greatly enhanced by the use of contrast media. Interstitial injection of lymphography contrast agents requires only injection of a low dose of the agent, and leads to high accumulation in regional lymph nodes with only minor side effects.

We were able to show the suitability of liposome-encapsulated gadobutrol as an interstitially injectable lymphography contrast agent in an experimental animal model. For screening of possible lymphotrophic compounds a guinea pig model was used. Accumulation of the contrast agent in 3 successive lymph node groups was determined 4 h after subcutaneous injection of the contrast agent (about 0.1 ml of a 30 mmol Gd/1 solution resulting in a total dose of 10 μmol/kg) into the interdigital skin fold of a hind limb. The Gd concentration in the first lymph node group (popliteal) was 540 μmol/1 (16% dose/g tissue), in the second group (inguinal): 260 μmol/1 (8% dose/g tissue), and in the third group (iliacal): 910 μmol/1 (27% dose/g tissue).

Moreover, this compound was completely eliminated and well tolerated.
Evaluation of the necessity of laparoscopic repair of a uterine scar defect for cesarean scar pregnancy
Authors: Xiang Jiangdong , Cao Yannan , Zhou Lina , Yang Haiying , Wu Sufang , Li Linxia
Published: January 2022

Objective

This study aimed to determine the risk factors associated with the necessity of laparoscopic scar defect repair for cesarean scar pregnancy (CSP).

Methods

We retrospectively analyzed 237 patients with CSP who were treated by ultrasound-guided suction curettage and/or laparoscopy in our hospital from April 2012 to November 2019. A total of 199 of these patients underwent ultrasound-guided suction curettage without uterine scar defect repair, while 38 of these patients underwent laparoscopic resection and uterine scar defect repair. We analyzed various clinical variables and compared the efficacy of treatment between the two groups.

Results

Gestational age, the maximum transverse diameter (MTD) of the gestational sac, myometrial thickness, the operation time, intraoperative blood loss, and the duration of the hospital stay were significantly different between the two groups. Gestational age, the MTD of the gestational sac, and myometrial thickness were independent risk factors for laparoscopic repair.

Conclusions

Gestational age, the MTD of the gestational sac, and myometrial thickness are important factors associated with the necessity for laparoscopic repair of a uterine scar defect.
Colonial legacies and racial hierarchies in the global economy: a review article
Authors: Kvangraven Ingrid Harvold
Published: January 2022

This article reviews two recent books on persistent inequalities in the global economy and the role of colonial legacies and racial hierarchies in explaining them. Adom Getachew’s Worldmaking after Empire (2019) and Franklin Obeng-Odoom’s Property, Institutions, and Social Stratification in Africa (2020) draw on the Black Radical Tradition and stratification economics respectively to challenge mainstream understandings of racial hierarchies. After first outlining the strengths and key insights of each book, the author discusses how they could be expanded in a more radical manner, along the lines of anti-colonial, decolonial and black Marxism. She argues that in order to understand how racial hierarchies are connected to the development of capitalism, further engagement with radical scholarship that sees race and class as co-constituted would be required.
The Twenty Years’ War
Authors: Newsinger John
Published: January 2022

The author, expert in British colonial history, explains the inevitability of the rout of the US/British-installed regime in Afghanistan in 2021 by the Taliban, in terms of the ways in which corruption, drug trafficking, pillage of international aid, war-lordism and non-payment of police and military personnel had been allowed to flourish over the past twenty years.
Immigrant–Native Wage Gaps at Work: How the Public and Private Sectors Shape Relational Inequality Processes
Authors: Peters Eileen , Melzer Silvia Maja
Published: January 2022

We investigate how the institutional context of the public and private sectors regulates the association of workplace diversity policies and relational status positions with first- and second-generation immigrants’ wages. Using unique linked employer–employee data combining administrative and survey information of 6,139 employees in 120 German workplaces, we estimate workplace fixed-effects regressions. Workplace processes are institutionally contingent: diversity policies such as mixed teams reduce inequalities in the public sector, and diversity policies such as language courses reinforce existing inequalities in the private sector. In public sector workplaces where natives hold higher relational positions, immigrants’ wages are lower. This group-related dynamic is not detectable in the private sector.
Pediatric Autoimmune Encephalitis Following COVID-19 Infection
Authors: Hilado Mark , Banh Michelle , Homans James , Partikian Arthur
Published: January 2022

Similar to the pathogenesis of autoimmune disease, SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) infection has been shown to be associated with dysregulated and persistent inflammatory reactions and production of some antibodies. We report 3 pediatric patients found to have serum SARS-CoV-2 antibodies who presented with neurologic findings suggestive of postinfectious autoimmune-mediated encephalitis. All 3 cases showed lymphocytic pleocytosis on cerebrospinal fluid studies and marked improvement in neurologic symptoms after high-dose intravenous corticosteroids. The manifestations of SARS-CoV-2 infection in the pediatric population are still an evolving area of study, and these cases suggest autoimmune-mediated encephalitis as yet another SARS-CoV-2 related complication.
Curative Intent Surgery of Oral Malignant Melanoma and Regional Lymph Node Biopsy Assessment in 25 Dogs: 2006–2017
Authors: Raleigh Matthew L. , Smith Mark M. , Taney Kendall
Published: January 2022

Medical records were searched for dogs that had received curative intent surgery for oral malignant melanoma and ipsilateral excisional regional lymph node biopsy. Twenty-seven dogs were operated on and 25 dogs of these dogs met the inclusion criteria of signalment, post-excision margin status, presence of metastasis for each biopsied lymphocentrum, survival time post-excision, presence of recurrence or metastasis at follow-up or at death/euthanasia, location of the primary tumor, and any postoperative adjuvant treatment. These 25 dogs had complete tumor excision with tumor-free margins and 19 (76%) had postoperative adjuvant therapy. Median survival time after excision for the dogs in this study was 335.5 days. Results of this study support previous work that documents prolonged survival time following complete excision of oral malignant melanoma with tumor-free surgical margins in dogs. Additionally, 4 dogs (16%) had histologically confirmed regional lymph node metastasis at the time of definitive surgery.
Study on the surface quality of 60vol% SiCp/Al2024 composites with large-grained
Authors: Jin Po , Gao Qi , Quanzhao Wang  , GuangYan Guo
Published: January 2022

In this paper, the finite element cutting simulation model with irregular distribution of multiple particles is established, the stress and strain distribution of SiC particles in the process of machining, as well as the material removal mechanism are analyzed. The effects of cutting velocity and feed per tooth on the surface quality of the material are also analyzed. The effect of feed per tooth on subsurface damage is revealed. The results show that in the micro-milling of SiCp/Al2024 composites, the particle removal form is mainly crushing and extraction. The surface defects of the workpiece mainly include pits, scratches, cracks, and extrusion damage. When the cutting velocity increases, the surface defects gradually change to crack, which can improve the surface quality of the workpiece. Increasing the feed per tooth will increase the surface defects of the workpiece and lead to poor surface quality. When the feed per tooth increased from 0.428 µm to 0.714 µm, the subsurface damage thickness increased from 35.2 µm to 47.3 µm.
Falciform fat:femur length ratio provides a novel method for objective postmortem estimation of total body fat in overweight and obese cats
Authors: Ley Cecilia , Leijon Alexandra T. , Nyberg Tora E. , Lindström Lisa M. , Ley Charles J.
Published: January 2022

Determination of the nutritional condition, including estimation of amounts of total body fat (tBF), at routine postmortem examination of cats is typically based on subjective visual assessment. Subjective assessment may result in uncertainties regarding degree of overweight, and objective methods that provide a numerical value reflecting the tBF could be valuable to accurately judge excess body fat. We investigated if the falciform fat pad weight (FFPW) was correlated to tBF and could be used to detect overweight and obesity in cats. The FFPW and the femur length (FL) were recorded at postmortem examination in 54 cats and the FFPW:FL ratio (FFR) calculated. Each cat was additionally assigned to a fat category (FC) according to subjective assessment. Computed tomography was used to determine tBF as the body fat percentage (%BF), the body fat volume (BFV), and BFV normalized to animal size (nBFV) in 39 cats. There was strong correlation between the FFPW and the BFV ( r = 0.888) and between the FFR and the nBFV ( r = 0.897). The correlation between the nBFV and %BF was very strong ( r = 0.974). Using a lower FFR cutoff value of 3.5 for obesity and 1.6 for overweight, there was a discrepancy in FC between using the FFR and subjective assessment in 6 of 54 cats (11%). We conclude that the FFPW increases proportionally with tBF and that the FFR provides a method for objective tBF estimation. We suggest introducing the FFR to feline postmortem examination protocols as an objective estimate of tBF.
Fatigue Response of a Host Structure with Interlaced Embedded Devices
Authors: Hansen John P. , Vizzini Anthony J.
Published: January 2022

A structural tailoring technique known as interlacing was applied to [0°]24T graphite/epoxy specimens. Glass slides, representing inert actuators or sensors, were embedded using three different interlacing configurations that are defined by the location of the continuous and discontinuous plies through the laminate thickness. Twenty specimens were loaded in tension-tension fatigue and inspected at regular intervals to monitor damage initiation and progression. The results of this research demonstrated that the onset of damage can be delayed and the progression of delamination can be impeded by distributing the material discontinuity of the inclusion through the thickness via interlacing.
Model-based robust control design and experimental validation of SCARA robot system with uncertainty
Authors: Zhen ShengChao , Ma MuCun , Liu XiaoLi , Chen Feng , Zhao Han , Chen Ye-Hwa
Published: January 2022

In this paper, we design a novel robust control method to reduce the trajectory tracking errors of the SCARA robot with uncertainties including parameters such as uncertainty of the mechanical system and external disturbance, which are time-varying and nonlinear. Then, we propose a deterministic form of the model-based robust control algorithm to deal with the uncertainties. The proposed control algorithm is composed of two parts according to the assumed upper limit of the system uncertainties: one is the traditional proportional-derivative control, and the other is the robust control based on the Lyapunov method, which has the characteristics of model-based and error-based. The stability of the proposed control algorithm is proved by the Lyapunov method theoretically, which shows the system can maintain uniformly bounded and uniformly ultimately bounded. The experimental platform includes the rapid controller prototyping cSPACE, which is designed to reduce programming time and to improve the efficiency of the practical operation. Moreover, we adopt different friction models to investigate the effect of friction on robot performance in robot joints. Finally, numerical simulation and experimental results indicate that the control algorithm proposed in this paper has desired control performance on the SCARA robot.
Cultural Factors and Social Changes Affecting Home Healthcare in Iran: A Qualitative Study
Authors: Kianian Toktam , Pakpour Vahid , Zamanzadeh Vahid , Lotfi Mojgan , Rezayan Ahad , Hazrati Maryam , Gholizadeh Masumeh
Published: January 2022

In Iran, home healthcare (HHC) is provided in a diverse socio-cultural context. Health professionals’ inadequate knowledge of the socio-cultural factors of the society can lead to poor quality HHC. Even so, the ways these factors influence HHC remain unclear. This study aimed to explore the effects of cultural factors and social changes on HHC in Iran. This qualitative study which follows a conventional content analysis approach was conducted in Tabriz, Iran. Eighteen individuals including nurses, home health directors, physicians, policy-makers, patients, and their families participated in the study. Participants were selected using purposive sampling. Data collection involved focus group discussion (FGD) and 16 semi-structured in-depth interviews. In order to analyze the data, Graneheim and Lundman’s techniques were used and data collection continued until saturation was reached. Five main themes emerged from the data analysis including cultural diversity issues, society’s understanding of HHC, shifting demographics affecting healthcare needs, transitioning from traditional to modern lifeways, and increasing unaffordability of healthcare. Health managers can improve the accessibility and acceptability of HHC services by identifying the socio-cultural needs of the society. Future research should develop and test patients and families’ cultural care models in the HHC setting.
Guidance to assess ventilation performance of a classroom based on CO2 monitoring
Authors: Zhang Dadi , Ding Er , Bluyssen Philomena M.
Published: January 2022

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the ventilation of school buildings has attracted considerable attention from the general public and researchers. However, guidance to assess the ventilation performance in classrooms, especially during a pandemic, is still lacking. Therefore, aiming to fill this gap, this study conducted a full-scale laboratory study to monitor the CO2 concentrations at 18 locations in a classroom setting under four different ventilation regimes. Additionally, a field study was carried out in two Dutch secondary schools to monitor the CO2 concentrations in the real classrooms with different ventilation regimes. Both the laboratory and field study findings showed that CO2 concentrations varied a lot between different locations in the same room, especially under natural ventilation conditions. The outcome demonstrates the need of monitoring the CO2 concentration at more than one location in a classroom. Moreover, the monitored CO2 concentration patterns for different ventilation regimes were used to determine the most representative location for CO2 monitoring in classrooms. For naturally ventilated classrooms, the location on the wall opposite to windows and the location on the front wall (nearby the teacher) were recommended. For mechanically ventilated classrooms, one measurement location seemed enough because CO2 was well-mixed under this ventilation regime.
Multiple fuel injection strategy for premixed charge compression ignition combustion engine using biodiesel blends
Authors: Pratap Singh Akhilendra , Jena Ashutosh , Agarwal Avinash Kumar
Published: January 2022

In the last decade, advanced combustion techniques of the low-temperature combustion (LTC) family have attracted researchers because of their excellent emission characteristics; however, combustion control remains the main issue for the LTC modes. The objective of this study was to explore premixed charge compression ignition (PCCI) combustion mode using a double pilot injection (DPI; pilot-pilot-main) strategy to achieve superior combustion control and to tackle the soot-oxides of nitrogen (NOx) trade-off. Experiments were carried out in a single-cylinder research engine fueled with 20% v/v biodiesel blended with mineral diesel (B20) and 40% v/v biodiesel blended with mineral diesel (B40) vis-à-vis baseline mineral diesel. Engine speed and rate of fuel-mass injected were maintained constant at 1500 rpm and 0.6 kg/h mineral diesel equivalent, respectively. Pilot injection timings (at 45° and 35° before top dead center (bTDC)) and fuel quantities were fixed, while three fuel injection pressures (FIPs) and four different start of the main injection (SoMI) timings were investigated in this study. Results showed that multiple pilot injections resulted in a stable PCCI combustion mode, making it suitable for higher engine loads. For all test fuels, advancing SoMI timings led to relatively lesser knocking; however, engine performance characteristics degraded at advanced SoMI timings. B40 exhibited relatively superior engine performance among different test fuels at lower FIP; however, the difference in engine performance was insignificant at higher FIPs. Fuel injection parameters showed a significant effect on emissions, especially on the NOx and particulates. Advancing SoMI timing resulted in 20%–50% lower particulates emissions with a slight NOx increase; however, the differences in emissions at different SoMI timings reduced at higher FIPs. Somewhat higher particulates from biodiesel blends were a critical observation of this study, which was more dominant at advanced SoMI timings. Qualitative correlation between NOx-total particulate mass (TPM) was another critical analysis, which exhibited the relative importance of different fuel injection parameters for other alternative fuels. Overall, B20 at 700 bar FIP and 20° SoMI timing emerged as the most promising proposition with some penalty in CO emission.
Glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide inhibits cardiac hypertrophy and fibrosis in diabetic mice via suppression of TGF-β2
Authors: Hiromura Munenori , Mori Yusaku , Terasaki Michishige , Kushima Hideki , Saito Tomomi , Osaka Naoya , Yashima Hironori , Ohara Makoto , Fukui Tomoyasu , Matsui Takanori , Yamagishi Sho-ichi
Published: January 2022

Diabetic cardiomyopathy is associated with an increased risk for heart failure and death in patients with diabetes. We investigated here whether and how GIP attenuated cardiac hypertrophy and fibrosis in diabetic mice with obesity. Diabetic db/db mice at 7 weeks old were infused with vehicle or GIP (50 nmol/kg/day) for 6 weeks, and hearts were collected for histological and RT-PCR analyzes. Cardiomyocytes isolated from neonatal mice were incubated with or without 300 nM [D-Ala2]-GIP, 30 mM glucose, or 100 μg/mL advanced glycation end products (AGEs) for RT-PCR and lucigenin assays. Compared with non-diabetic mice, diabetic mice exhibited larger left ventricle wall thickness and cardiomyocyte sizes and more fibrotic areas in association with up-regulation of myosin heavy chain β (β-Mhc) and transforming growth factor-beta2 (Tgf-β2) mRNA levels, all of which were inhibited by GIP infusion. High glucose increased NADPH oxidase-driven superoxide generation and up-regulated β-Mhc, Tgf-β2, and receptor for AGEs mRNA levels in cardiomyocytes, and augmented the AGE-induced β-Mhc gene expression. [D-Ala2]-GIP attenuated all of the deleterious effects of high glucose and/or AGEs on cardiomyocytes. Our present findings suggest that GIP could inhibit cardiac hypertrophy and fibrosis in diabetic mice via suppression of TGF-β2.
Late Outcomes of Carotid Artery Stenting for Radiation Therapy-Induced Carotid Stenosis
Authors: Nasr Bahaa , Crespy Valentin , Penasse Edouard , Gaudry Marine , Rosset Eugenio , Feugier Patrick , Gouëffic Yann , Maurel Blandine , Hostalrich Aurélien , Alric Pierre , Sadaghianloo Nirvana , Settembre Nicla , Chevallier Jacques , Ben Ahmed Sabrina , Gouny Pierre , Steinmetz Eric , Reix Thierry , Piquet Philippe , Ripoche Edwin , Rouviere Olivier , Nonent Michel , Gentric Jean-Christophe , Ognard Julien , Chaufour Xavier , Hassen Khodja Reda , Bacard Serge , Malikov Serguei , Coscas Raphaël , Favre Jean-Pierre
Published: January 2022

Purpose:

Carotid artery stenting (CAS) appears as a promising alternative treatment to carotid endarterectomy for radiation therapy (RT)-induced carotid stenosis. However, this is based on a poor level of evidence studies (small sample size, primarily single institution reports, few long-term data). The purpose of this study was to report the long-term outcomes of a multicentric series of CAS for RT-induced stenosis.

Methods:

All CAS for RT-induced stenosis performed in 11 French academic institutions from 2005 to 2017 were collected in this retrospective study. Patient demographics, clinical risk factors, elapsed time from RT, clinical presentation and imaging parameters of carotid stenosis were preoperatively gathered. Long-term outcomes were determined by clinical follow-up and duplex ultrasound. The primary endpoint was the occurrence of cerebrovascular events during follow-up. Secondary endpoints included perioperative morbidity and mortality rate, long-term mortality rate, primary patency, and target lesion revascularization.

Results:

One hundred and twenty-one CAS procedures were performed in 112 patients. The mean interval between irradiation and CAS was 15 ± 12 years. In 31.4% of cases, the lesion was symptomatic. Mean follow-up was 42.5 ± 32.6 months (range 1–141 months). The mortality rate at 5 years was 23%. The neurologic event-free survival and the in-stent restenosis rates at 5 years were 87.8% and 38.9%, respectively. Diabetes mellitus (p=0.02) and single postoperative antiplatelet therapy (p=0.001) were found to be significant predictors of in-stent restenosis. Freedom from target lesion revascularization was 91.9% at 5 years.

Conclusion:

This study showed that CAS is an effective option for RT-induced stenosis in patients not favorable to carotid endarterectomy. The CAS was associated with a low rate of neurological events and reinterventions at long-term follow-up.
Multi-Branched Thoracoabdominal Endovascular Aortic Repair With Branch Access Through a Left Thoracotomy and Descending Thoracic Aortic Conduit: A Novel and Effective Alternative Access
Authors: Ferreira Marcelo , Mannarino Matheus , Cunha Rodrigo , Ferreira Diego , Capotorto Luis Fernando
Published: January 2022

Purpose:

To demonstrate an alternative access to perform directional branch catheterization during complex endovascular aortic repair.

Technique:

Urgent endovascular aortic repair was indicated to treat a symptomatic post dissection thoracoabdominal aneurysm with large infrarenal dilatation with an off-the-shelf t-Branch endograft (Cook Medical, Bloomington, IN, USA). Traditional proximal arterial accesses were not suitable due to a previous aortic arch endograft. A novel approach was performed through a left postero-lateral thoracotomy, isolation of the descending thoracic aorta and anastomosed a polyester graft conduit to allow sheaths passage to the thoracoabdominal aorta with subsequently directional branch catheterization.

Conclusion:

The descending thoracic aortic conduit technique is an effective alternative for directional branch catheterization and should be considered whenever traditional proximal arterial accesses are not suitable and other endografts configurations not considered due to anatomic limitations.
Step, Error, and Event Frameworks in Endovascular Aortic Repair
Authors: Gordon Lauren , Soenens Gilles , Doyen Bart , Sunavsky Juliana , Wheatcroft Mark , de Mestral Charles , Palter Vanessa , Grantcharov Teodor , Van Herzeele Isabelle
Published: January 2022

Objective:

Competency-based surgical education requires detailed and actionable feedback to ensure adequate and efficient skill development. Comprehensive operative capture systems such as the Operating Room Black Box (ORBB; Surgical Safety Technologies, Inc), which continuously records and synchronizes multiple sources of intraoperative data, have recently been integrated into hybrid rooms to provide targeted feedback to endovascular teams. The objective of this study is to develop step, error, and event frameworks to evaluate technical performance in elective endovascular aortic repair (EVAR) comprehensively captured by the ORBB (Surgical Safety Technologies, Inc; Toronto, Canada).

Methods:

This study is based upon a modified Delphi consensus process to create evaluation frameworks for steps, errors, and events in EVAR. International experts from Vascular Surgery and Interventional Radiology were identified, based on their records of publications and invited presentations, or serving on relevant journal editorial boards. In an initial open-ended survey round, experts were asked to volunteer a comprehensive list of steps, errors, and events for a standard EVAR of an infrarenal aorto-iliac aneurysm (AAA). In subsequent survey rounds, the identified items were presented to the expert panel to rate on a 5-point Likert scale. Delphi survey rounds were repeated until the process reached consensus with a predefined agreement threshold (Cronbach α>0.7). The final frameworks were constructed with items achieving an agreement (responses of 4 or 5) from greater than 70% of experts.

Results:

Of 98 invited proceduralists, 38 formed the expert consensus panel (39%), consisting of 29 vascular surgeons and 9 interventional radiologists, with 34% from North America and 66% from Europe. Consensus criteria were met following the third round of the Delphi consensus process (Cronbach α=0.82–0.93). There were 15, 32, and 25 items in the error, step, and event frameworks, respectively (within-item agreement=74%–100%).

Conclusion:

A detailed evaluation tool for the procedural steps, errors, and events in infrarenal EVAR was developed. This tool will be validated on recorded procedures in future work: It may focus skill development on common errors and hazardous steps. This tool might be used to provide high-quality feedback on technical performance of trainees and experienced surgeons alike, thus promoting surgical mastery.