bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Infrared Observations of the Jovian System from Voyager 1
Authors: Hanel R. , Conrath B. , Flasar M. , Kunde V. , Lowman P. , Maguire W. , Pearl J. , Pirraglia J. , Samuelson R. , Gautier D. , Gierasch P. , Kumar S. , Ponnamperuma C.
Published: October 2021

The infrared spectroscopy and radiometry investigation has obtained spectra of Jupiter and its satellites between approximately 180 and 2500 cm
–1
with a spectral resolution of 4.3 cm
–1
. The Jupiter spectra show clear evidence of H
2
, CH
4
, C
2
H
2
, C
2
H
6
, CH
3
D, NH
3
, PH
3
, H
2
O, and GeH
4
. A helium concentration of 0.11 ± 0.03 by volume is obtained. Meridional temperature cross sections show considerable structure. At high latitudes, the stratosphere is warmer in the north than in the south. The upper troposphere and lower stratosphere are locally cold over the Great Red Spot. Amalthea is warmer than expected. Considerable thermal structure is observed on Io, including a relatively hot region in the vicinity of a volcanic feature.
Thymic epithelium tolerizes for histocompatibility antigens
Authors: Salaun J , Bandeira A , Khazaal I , Calman F , Coltey M , Coutinho A , Le Douarin NM
Published: October 2021

The role of thymic epithelium in the establishment of tissue tolerance was analyzed with a murine chimeric system. All T cells differentiated from birth onward in a thymus comprising allogeneic epithelium and syngeneic hematopoietic cells. Embryonic thymic rudiments that contained no hematopoietic cells from C3H (H-2k) donors were grafted to newborn athymic (nude) BALB/c (H-2d) mice. Chimeras that had normal T cell numbers and function rejected third-party skin grafts, but permanently accepted grafts syngeneic to the thymic epithelium. In vitro functional assays did not always correlate with the state of tolerance in vivo. Thus, pure thymic epithelium induces tolerance to histocompatibility antigens.
Less Money, But Much Needed Reform
Authors: Kahn Patricia
Published: October 2021

Heidelberg—Jürgen Rüttgers, Germany's minister for science and education, had good and bad news for the country's scientists last week. After weeks of speculation, while the federal government hammered out massive budget cuts for 1997, his ministry emerged with $10 billion—2.5% less than last year, the second straight year of cuts. The most conspicuous victim appears to be the German Space Agency, DARA, which will be disbanded and some of its functions taken over by the Aerospace Research Establishment. But Rüttgers added a positive spin with a set of proposals to bring much-needed reform to many of Germany's nonuniversity research centers: more autonomy, less red tape, and more competition in funding.
. . . But Foundation Funds Hit a Snag
Authors: Stone Richard
Published: October 2021

The stage was set in Moscow earlier this week for a private U.S. foundation—the Civilian Research and Development Foundation for the Independent States of the FSU (CRDF)—to unveil its initial grant winners throughout the former Soviet Union (FSU). But Russian scientists will have to keep the champagne on ice. At the last moment, Russia's Ministry of Science asked to evaluate the results of CRDF's peer-review panels to ensure that they conform with the Ministry's own ranking of proposals and spending priorities. CRDF is now planning to announce the Russian grant winners in September. CRDF is, however, moving ahead with projects in other FSU countries with grants that will average $50,000 over 2 years, and it has also set aside $400,000 for travel grants for non-Russian FSU scientists and $800,000 for a few large grants for equipment that could be used throughout an entire region.
Putting the Brakes on Bone Growth
Authors: Roush Wade
Published: October 2021

Bone growth is a tightly controlled process, in which cartilage cells slowly differentiate into a scaffold for bone cells. If the differentiation happens too fast, growth is cut short and stubby limbs result. New results on pages
613
and
663
of this issue, from three independent teams of researchers, help unravel the cycle of protein interactions that control this bone growth. The signaling molecule Indian hedgehog interacts with another protein in a negative feedback loop that slows the differentiation process and allows bones to reach their full length.
Fortov Named to New Post; Saltykov Out
Authors: Allakhverdov Andrey , Pokrosky Vladimir
Published: October 2021

Moscow—A postelection Cabinet reshuffle has eliminated the ministry of science and technology and created a new, lower level structure for overseeing Russia's R&D efforts: the State Committee for Science and Technologies. Boris Saltykov, who had held the post of science minister since 1991, was ousted in the move, and Vladimir Fortov, a high-temperature physicist, was named to head the new committee and also given the title of deputy chair for science and technology. The changes are expected to end the bitter battle between the Russian Academy of Sciences and the science ministry for control of state policy and funding mechanisms. The 50-year-old Fortov has a foot in each camp: He's run an independent competitive grants program created by the ministry in 1992, but he's also an academician and former head of the academy's Institute of High Temperatures.
New 'Basic Research' Chief at NIH
Authors: Vogel Gretchen
Published: October 2021

National Institutes of Health director Harold Varmus last week appointed Marvin Cassman, acting director of the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS), to permanently head the institute. Cassman has been deputy director of NIGMS since 1989. The institute, which supports basic medical and biological research not aimed at a specific disease, will funds 3300 research grants this year in cell biology, biophysics, genetics, developmental biology, pharmacology, physiology, and biological chemistry
New Minister Picks Up the Baton
Authors: Spencer Jones Jonathan
Published: October 2021

Cape Town—For the past year, South Africa's first postapartheid government has been developing a comprehensive science policy. Now, just as the exercise is entering the home stretch, the man who has been instrumental in putting the new policy together has stepped down. Ben Ngubane, who headed the Ministry of Arts, Culture, Science, and Technology since the multiracial elections in 1994, resigned last month to join the KwaZulu/Natal provincial government. He is being replaced by Lionel Mtshali, a former history teacher and minister of education and culture in the former KwaZulu homeland government. Mtshali has pledged to carry forward Ngubane's work on a white paper for science and technology which aims to make the research system more relevant to the needs of the new South Africa.
13 Universities Seek Common Ground
Authors: Normile Dennis
Published: October 2021

Tokyo—Last week the presidents and senior officials of 13 elite universities in East Asia met in Japan to take the first steps down what representatives hope will be a long road of joint research activities, faculty exchanges, and a shared pool of students and postdocs. “Most Asian universities have been oriented toward cooperation with Western institutions,” says Jungho Sonu, president of Seoul National University. “We need to know EastAsian universities better.” The new organization, called the Association of East Asian Research Universities, includes schools in China, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan.
Wayward Grizzlies Spark Debate
Authors: Wuethrich Bernice
Published: October 2021

Jackson, Wyoming—In the past few months a surprising number of grizzly bears in the Greater Yellowstone area have wandered onto grazing land outside their normal haunts. This high incidence of stray bears is fueling a stormy debate over whether the number of grizzlies in the contiguous 48 states has increased to the point that they should no longer be listed as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act.
Mars Loss Could Sink Planetary Probes
Authors: Lawler Andrew
Published: October 2021

The loss of Russia's Mars '96 probe, just hours after launch last weekend, may also have doomed the country's once proud planetary space program. Astrophysics projects are expected to get the upper hand as future missions compete for scarce funds.
European Report Champions ITER
Authors: Hellemans Alexander
Published: October 2021

Paris—While the scientific underpinnings of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) program are under attack in the United States (see
lead story
), the $10 billion project continues to gather momentum in Europe. A panel of scientists and industrialists appointed by the European Commission has given the European arm of the effort, meant to demonstrate the feasibility of fusion power, a resounding pat on the back.
Ex-President Settles for $687,500
Authors: Lawler Andrew
Published: October 2021

The fight between the National Academy of Engineering and Harold Liebowitz, its ousted president, appears to be over. And the cost of the peace is nearly $1 million.
European Labs Fight Back Against Cuts
Authors: Koenig Robert
Published: October 2021

Berlin—The German Bundestag last week approved an austere 1997 budget for the Federal Ministry of Education, Science, Research, and Technology that will result in cutbacks in some domestic research programs and in Germany's contributions to several international labs. Even before the bill was approved, however, some international labs moved to force Germany to make concessions.
Corrections
Authors: Gordon Neil E. , Cajori F.
Published: October 2021

The article entitled "Gels and Theory of Adsorption" given in the December fourteenth issue of SCIENCE reads on page 496 as follows: pH < 1.217 pH > 1.217 but should read: pH > 1.217 pH < 1.217

In SCIENCE, 1924, p. 10, first column, line 2 up, for "eighteen" read "thirty-one."
IL-12 regulates type 3 immunity through interfollicular keratinocytes in psoriasiform inflammation
Authors: Zwicky Pascale , Ingelfinger Florian , Silva de Melo Bruno Marcel , Ruchti Fiorella , Schärli Stefanie , Puertas Nicole , Lutz Mirjam , Phan Truong San , Kündig Thomas M. , Levesque Mitchell P. , Maul Julia-Tatjana , Schlapbach Christoph , LeibundGut-Landmann Salomé , Mundt Sarah , Becher Burkhard
Published: October 2021

IL-12 protects from psoriasiform inflammation via interfollicular keratinocytes by promoting skin homeostasis.
A Mutual Security Authentication Method for RFID-PUF Circuit Based on Deep Learning
Authors: Liang Wei , Xie Songyou , Zhang Dafang , Li Xiong , Li Kuan-ching
Published: October 2021

The
Industrial Internet of Things
(
IIoT
) is designed to refine and optimize the process controls, thereby leveraging improvements in economic benefits, such as efficiency and productivity. However, the
Radio Frequency Identification
(
RFID
) technology in an IIoT environment has problems such as low security and high cost. To overcome such issues, a mutual authentication scheme that is suitable for RFID systems, wherein techniques in
Deep Learning
(
DL
) are incorporated onto the
Arbiter Physical Unclonable Function
(
APUF
) for the secured access authentication of the IC circuits on the IoT, is proposed. The design applies the APUF-MPUF mutual authentication structure obtained by DL to generate essential real-time authentication information, thereby taking advantage of the feature that the tag in the PUF circuit structure does not need to store any essential information and resolving the problem of key storage. The proposed scheme also uses a bitwise comparison method, which hides the PUF response information and effectively reduces the resource overhead of the system during the verification process, to verify the correctness of the two strings. Security analysis demonstrates that the proposed scheme has high robustness and security against different conventional attack methods, and the storage and communication costs are 95.7% and 42.0% lower than the existing schemes, respectively.
A Taxonomy of Multimedia-based Graphical User Authentication for Green Internet of Things
Authors: Awan Kamran Ahmad , Ud Din Ikram , Almogren Abeer , Kumar Neeraj , Almogren Ahmad
Published: October 2021

Authentication receives enormous consideration from the research community and is proven to be an interesting field in today’s era. User authentication is the major concern because people have their private data on devices. To strengthen user authentication, passwords have been introduced. In the past, the text-based password was the traditional way of authentication, but this method has particular shortcomings. The graphical password has been introduced as an alternative, which uses a picture or a set of pictures to generate a password. In the future, it is a requirement of such approaches to maintain robustness and consume fewer energy resources to become suitable for the Green Internet of Things (IoT). Similarly, diverse graphical password authentication mechanisms have been used to provide users with better security and usability. In this article, we conduct an extensive survey on the existing approaches of graphical password authentication to highlight the challenges required to be addressed for Green IoT. In comparison to other existing surveys, the objective is to consolidate the graphical password technique and to identify the problem associated with it. Besides, this survey will also identify the vulnerabilities of the graphical password against several potential attacks. We have also examined the strengths and weaknesses of each technique along with the future research directions. This study also evaluates the usability of each approach by considering learnability, memorability, and so forth and also presents a comparative analysis with security.
DANCE: Distributed Generative Adversarial Networks with Communication Compression
Authors: Zhang Xiongtao , Zhu Xiaomin , Wang Ji , Bao Weidong , Yang Laurence T.
Published: October 2021

Generative adversarial networks (GANs) have shown great success in deep representations learning, data generation, and security enhancement. With the development of the Internet of Things, 5th generation wireless systems (5G), and other technologies, the large volume of data collected at the edge of networks provides a new way to improve the capabilities of GANs. Due to privacy, bandwidth, and legal constraints, it is not appropriate to upload all the data to the cloud or servers for processing. Therefore, this article focuses on deploying and training GANs at the edge rather than converging edge data to the central node. To address this problem, we designed a novel distributed learning architecture for GANs, called DANCE. DANCE can adaptively perform communication compression based on the available bandwidth, while supporting both data and model parallelism training of GANs. In addition, inspired by the gossip mechanism and Stackelberg game, a compatible algorithm, AC-GAN is proposed. The theoretical analysis guarantees the convergence of the model and the existence of approximate equilibrium in AC-GAN. Both simulation and prototype system experiments show that AC-GAN can achieve better training effectiveness with less communication overhead than the SOTA algorithms, i.e., FL-GAN and MD-GAN.
An Attentive Survey of Attention Models
Authors: Chaudhari Sneha , Mithal Varun , Polatkan Gungor , Ramanath Rohan
Published: October 2021

Attention Model has now become an important concept in neural networks that has been researched within diverse application domains. This survey provides a structured and comprehensive overview of the developments in modeling attention. In particular, we propose a taxonomy that groups existing techniques into coherent categories. We review salient neural architectures in which attention has been incorporated and discuss applications in which modeling attention has shown a significant impact. We also describe how attention has been used to improve the interpretability of neural networks. Finally, we discuss some future research directions in attention. We hope this survey will provide a succinct introduction to attention models and guide practitioners while developing approaches for their applications.
Efficacy and Safety of Qiwei Tongbi Oral Liquid in Patients with Stable Long‐Standing Rheumatoid Arthritis
Authors: Lu Wenjun , Fang Liping , Zhang Jijie
Published: October 2021

Objective. Our study is aimed at investigating the efficacy and safety of Qiwei Tongbi oral liquid in patients with stable long‐standing rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Method. 140 patients with stable long‐standing RA were recruited into the Qiwei Tongbi oral liquid group or the control group. At study recruitment and after 12 weeks of treatment, their C‐reactive protein (CRP) levels, interleukin‐6 (IL‐6) levels, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ), visual analogue scale (VAS), and Disease Activity Score (DAS) 28 were compared in two groups. Results. Patients in the Qiwei Tongbi oral liquid group had a lower level of CRP, IL‐6, VAS scale, and HAQ score compared to patients in the control group (CRP: 3.51 ± 1.57 vs.5.47 ± 1.72 mg/L, P < 0.001; IL‐6: 1.62 ± 0.8 vs. 2.19 ± 0.88 pg/mL, P < 0.001; VAS scale: 1.59 ± 0.69 vs. 2.66 ± 1.02, P < 0.001; and HAQ score: 1.19 ± 0.46 vs. 1.41 ± 0.50, P = 0.005). The ESR and DAS28 did not reach statistical difference. No damage to liver and kidney functions was observed in both groups. Conclusion. Qiwei Tongbi oral liquid has the tendency to decrease the inflammation levels and pain score and improve patients’ outcomes in patients with stable long‐standing RA.
Influence of Coupling Effects of Time and Water‐to‐Cement Ratio on Rheological Properties of Bingham Cement Grouts
Authors: Yang Zhiquan , Chen Mao , Ding Yi , Yang Yi , Zhu Yingyan , Guo Yanhui , Wang Renchao , Zhang Bihua , Fang Yingchao , Yu Dongliang , Mi Yapeng , Su Jiankung , Hao Liu , Zhang Jie , Guo Yongfa , Li Zhihou , Chen Junzhi , Xu Wanzhong
Published: October 2021

Time and water‐to‐cement ratio have significant influences on rheology of cement grouts. In order to study effects of time and water‐to‐cement ratio on rheology of Bingham cement grouts, taking Bingham cement grouts widely used in practical engineering (cement grouts with water‐to‐cement ratio of 0.75–1.25) as research object, some rheological experiments of five cement grouts with water‐to‐cement ratio of 0.8, 0.9, 1.0, 1.1, and 1.25 were carried out at six moments of 0, 5, 10, 20, 30, and 60 minutes, respectively. Combining theoretical discussion with numerical analysis, influence of coupling effects of time and water‐to‐cement ratio on rheological properties of Bingham cement grouts was discussed. Results show that at the level of α = 0.05, time has a significant influence on plastic viscosity but has no significant influence on the yield stress of Bingham cement grouts. Water‐to‐cement ratio has a significant influence on both plastic viscosity and yield stress. Exponential models obtained by comprehensive analysis from statistical theory, practical applicability, and accuracy are the optimal models to describe quantitative change in the relationship of coupling effects of time and water‐to‐cement ratio on plastic viscosity and yield stress of Bingham cement grouts. The rheological equation considering coupling effects of time and water‐to‐cement ratio of Bingham cement grouts is constructed. Research achievements not only have certain theoretical significance to the development and improvement of fluid mechanics and theoretical system of penetration grouting but also provide theoretical support and technical reference for practical grouting engineering and also have certain practical significance for solving or improving the practical engineering problems.
Topologies Generated by Two Ideals and the Corresponding
j
-Approximations Spaces with Applications
Authors: Hosny Mona
Published: October 2021

Ideal is a fundamental concept in topological spaces and plays an important role in the study of topological problems. This motivated us to use two ideals to generate different topologies to take the advantage of the two ideals at the same time. Two ideals represent two opinions instead of one opinion which is very useful for using the insights of two groups of experts to study the problem and elicit decisions based on their common vision. Topology is a rich source for constructs that is helpful to enrich the original model of approximations spaces. Rough set theory has inbuilt topological concepts. Hence, the main purpose of this paper is to point out that the concept of rough sets has a purely topological aspects nature. To do so, new approximations spaces are introduced and defined based on the topologies generated by two ideals. The results in this paper show that the topological concepts can be a powerful method to study rough set models. The basic properties of these approximations are studied and compared to the previous ones and shown to be more general. The importance of the current paper is not only introducing a new kind of rough set based on bi-ideals, increasing the accuracy measure, and reducing the boundary region of the sets which is the main aim of rough set but also introducing a chemical application to explain the concepts.
Assessing the Performance of CareStart™ Malaria Rapid Diagnostic Tests in Northwest Ethiopia: A Cross-Sectional Study
Authors: Dejazmach Zelalem , Alemu Getaneh , Yimer Mulat , Tegegne Banchamlak , Getaneh Abel
Published: October 2021

Background. While rapid diagnostic tests are an alternative diagnostic tests for microscopy in the diagnosis of malaria in rural settings, their performance has been inconsistent. Performance of rapid diagnostic tests might be affected by manufacturing process, transportation and storage, parasitemia level, and skill of personnel who perform the tests. Therefore, periodic evaluation of the local field performance of rapid diagnostic tests is mandatory in order to make early corrections in case of decreased performance. Methods. A facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted from January to May 2020 among 257 malaria-suspected patients attending selected health centers in Bahir Dar Zuria district. Capillary blood was collected from each participant and tested for Plasmodium infection by CareStart™ rapid diagnostic test kit and thin and thick blood film microscopy. Data were analyzed using statistical software for social sciences version 20 and MedCalc software version 19.3. Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, and kappa value were calculated to evaluate the performance of rapid diagnostic tests against microscopy. Results. Among 257 study participants, 47 (18.3%) were tested positive for Plasmodium infection by at least one of the diagnostic methods. Rapid diagnostic tests revealed 3 false positive and 3 false negative results. The sensitivity and specificity of CareStart Malaria Pf/Pv Combo test were 93.2% and 98.6%, respectively (

kappa
=
0.918

). Conclusion. CareStart™ rapid diagnostic test has comparable performance with microscopy for malaria diagnosis. We recommend continued use of CareStart Malaria Pf/Pv Combo test at health posts in Ethiopia where microscopy is not available.
Dynamic Capacitated Arc Routing Problem in E-Bike Sharing System: A Monte Carlo Tree Search Approach
Authors: Tan Shiqi , Li Zhiheng , Xie Na
Published: October 2021

This paper studies a dynamic capacitated arc routing problem for battery replacement in an e-bike sharing system, where workers replace batteries for underpowered e-bikes along street segments dynamically. The objective is to replace as many batteries as possible and minimize pickup failures. The temporal dependency of the routing decisions, the conflict of the workers’ operations, and the stochastic and dynamic nature of user demands all make this a difficult problem. To cope with these difficulties, a “Partition-First, Route-Second” bi-level solution framework is adopted to describe the problem in two different time scales. On the large time scale, a spatiotemporal partitioning method, which divides the road network into nonoverlapping subzones, is proposed to decompose the problem. On the small time scale, this paper models the routing decision process of individual worker as a Markov Decision Process. We adopt a lookahead policy that simulates future information and decisions over some horizons to evaluate the long-term influence of current feasible decisions. A Monte Carlo Tree Search algorithm is also used to improve the simulation efficiency. By performing numerical computation experiments on a test case study and comparing with some benchmarking policies, we demonstrate the effectiveness and efficiency of the suggested method.
SOX12 Promotes Stem Cell-Like Phenotypes and Osteosarcoma Tumor Growth by Upregulating JAGGED1
Authors: Zhang Weifei , Yu Fei , Weng Jian , Zheng Yien , Lin Jianjing , Qi Tiantian , Wei Yihao , Wang Deli , Zeng Hui
Published: October 2021

SOX12 plays a role in promoting the growth of some tumors; however, its role in osteosarcoma remains unclear. From gene expression omnibus (GEO) and tumor alterations relevant for genomics-driven therapy (TARGET) databases, Kaplan–Meier analyses were conducted to establish relationships between SOX12 expression and osteosarcoma survival and recurrence in osteosarcoma patients. We also performed in vitro and in vivo assays to determine SOX12 function in osteosarcoma etiology. SOX12 expression was increased in osteosarcoma; high SOX12 expression levels were related to a poor prognosis and a high disease recurrence in patients. Moreover, SOX12 expression in osteosarcoma cell lines was increased, similar to osteosarcoma cancer stem cells. We also observed that SOX12 knockdown inhibited the spheroidization and expression of stemness markers in osteosarcoma cells and tumor formation in nude mice. In addition, SOX12 knockdown inhibited JAGGED1 and HES1 expression. Similarly, JAGGED1 knockdown also inhibited the formation of osteosarcoma cancer stem cells into pellets and reduced the expression of stemness markers and tumor formation capabilities in nude mice. Finally, during SOX12 knockdown, JAGGED1 overexpression rescued osteosarcoma cells from spheroidizing. SOX12 promotes stem cell-like phenotypes and osteosarcoma tumor growth by upregulating JAGGED1.
Factors Associated with Adherence to Clinical Practice Guidelines for Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: Results of a Spanish Delphi Consensus
Authors: Gimeno José Antonio , Cánovas Gloria , Durán Alejandra
Published: October 2021

Objective. To assess factors associated with adherence to clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Methods. A cross-sectional multicenter study based on a two-round Delphi survey was designed. A total of 98 endocrinologists (mean age 45 years) involved in the care of T2DM patients completed a 43-item questionnaire assessing different aspects of adherence related to CPGs. Results. Most participants worked in tertiary care public hospitals. All participants used CPGs, with ADA/EASD as the most common (99%). The lack of time, establishment of an individualized management of patients, insufficient human resources, and therapeutic inertia were scored as the main reasons for not following CPGs recommendations. Participants agreed that insufficient material resources and limitations established by the healthcare system prevent adherence to CPGs. The risk of hypoglycemia was considered to be limiting factor for the patients’ integral control. Also, there was consensus on the need to have the support of nursing personnel with specific training in diabetes as well as dietitians and podiatrists. There was disagreement regarding the influence on adherence to CPGs of patient’s characteristics not matching those of CPGs, patient’s preferences, tolerability of the action recommended, concomitant comorbidities, or pluripathological conditions. Differences according to the participant’s age (≤40 years vs. >40 years) were not found. Therapeutic inertia and lack of time did not show a significant correlation. Conclusions. Nonadherence to CPGs on T2DM is a multifactorial problem but the existence multiple CPGs, the lack of time, the therapeutic inertia, and insufficient human resources have been identified as factors limiting adherence. Hypoglycemia continues to be a barrier for achievement of targets recommended by CPGs.
Occupational Therapy in the Emergency Department: Patient Frailty and Unscheduled Return Visits
Authors: Trenholm Jessie R. , Warner Dr. Grace , Eagles Dr. Debra
Published: October 2021

Background. Occupational therapy facilitates care for complex frail emergency department (ED) patients who may have unscheduled return visits (URVs). Purpose. To determine the prevalence of frailty amongst ED patients referred to occupational therapy and if frailty affected the rates and reasons for URVs. Methods. A mixed-methods health records review was conducted of older adults referred to an ED-based occupational therapy program. Findings. Most patients were frail (60.6%). 31.0% of patients discharged home had a URV within 30 days, with no difference in URV rates between frail and non-frail populations. Providing occupational therapy education reduced the frequency of URVs. Frail patients had complex reasons for their URVs, including functional, social/environmental, safety concerns, and/or “failure to thrive”. Occupational therapy ED patients were typically vulnerable to moderately frail, dependent in some activities of daily living, and complex. Implications. ED-based occupational therapists must be aware of their patient's frailty and risk of URVs.
International students’ university decision quality: The effect of online environment quality, information-task fit, perceived usefulness and social influence
Authors: Alajmi Mohammad A. , Said Ali Maha
Published: October 2021

In the world of online marketing, higher education (HE) sectors still question the appropriateness of their online marketing strategies for disseminating suitable information to influence academic matriculation decisions. Different information sources have the potential to positively enhance students’ decision quality through different levels of utilization. This research investigated the influence of online environment quality on international students’ decision quality, and whether information quality (IQ) of the online environment predicts information-task fit (ITF), perceived usefulness and decision quality. The data used for this study was gathered from first- and second-year international students ( N = 308) at different universities across six countries. A structural equation modelling approach revealed the significant influence of online environment quality on the decision quality of international students’ university choice through the mediating perceptions of two levels of utilization, ITF and perceived usefulness. Furthermore, the moderating roles of website type and source type showed the significantly different influences of IQ on students’ decision quality. Implications for HE researchers and marketers in improving the online environment quality and marketing are provided.
Short-term effects of levosimendan use for venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Yang Boyu , Zhao Tong , Guo Bingyan , Li Yongjun
Published: October 2021

Objective:

Levosimendan has been demonstrated to reduce the incidence of cardiogenic shock and facilitate weaning from cardiopulmonary bypass. However, the beneficial effects of levosimendan treatment on hospital outcomes in patients receiving venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) are uncertain. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the short-term effects of levosimendan use for patients undergoing VA-ECMO.

Methods:

We searched PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library for English articles published from inception to July 15, 2021. Observational studies comparing levosimendan versus non- levosimendan for VA-ECMO were considered eligible for the current study.

Results:

Nine observational studies with 1058 patients were included. In-hospital mortality was 46.3% in the levosimendan group as compared with 50.7% in the control group. Levosimendan significantly reduced in-hospital mortality in patients undergoing VA-ECMO compared with the control group (RR, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.67–0.95; p = 0.013). The incidence of weaning from VA-ECMO was 79.3% in the levosimendan group as compared with 63.4% in the control group. Levosimendan significantly increase the incidence of weaning from VA-ECMO in patients as compared with the control group (RR, 1.20; 95% CI, 1.07–1.34; p = 0.002). In the one-way sensitivity analysis for estimating the effect of each study on mortality or weaning from VA-ECMO, omission of each study did not make a significant difference.

Conclusions:

Our study indicates that levosimendan use significantly reduced in-hospital mortality and increase the incidence of weaning in patients undergoing VA-ECMO.
Acute cardiac damage and acute kidney injury associated with hypercalcemia crisis in hyperparathyroidism: a case report
Authors: Li Chunlian , Zhang Jiaxin , Zhu Yuxiang
Published: October 2021

Hyperparathyroidism-induced hypercalcemic crisis is a rare presentation of primary hyperparathyroidism. Primary hyperparathyroidism is caused by uncontrolled and immoderate secretion of parathyroid hormone. The most common presentation in primary hyperparathyroidism is renal stones, soft tissue calcification, cystic bone disease, and even hypercalcemic crisis. We report a patient who presented with multiple organ dysfunction syndrome due to extreme hypercalcemia (serum calcium concentration, 4.79 mmol/L [2.15–2.25 mmol/L]) resulting from primary hyperparathyroidism (serum parathyroid hormone concentration, 2215 pg/mL). The complications in this patient were complete cardiac damage and acute kidney injury. On the basis of the hypercalcemic crisis, the patient subsequently underwent surgical resection of parathyroid adenoma. Two days after surgery, her serum calcium and parathyroid hormone concentrations were normal. The patient had a good recovery after a series of other relevant therapies. In conclusion, surgery should be taken into consideration for hyperparathyroidism.
Modified Cooperative Adaptive Cruise Control Strategy for Optimizing Cooperative Driving in Freeway Weaving Segments
Authors: Liu Yi , Wang Wei , Zhao De
Published: October 2021

This paper comprehensively investigates the feasibility of a modified cooperative adaptive cruise control (CACC) strategy to support car platooning in freeway weaving segments. Firstly, to improve the system response to cut-out and cut-in disturbance, the control structure of the typical original CACC system was modified and a synthesis control structure was designed that integrates the feedforward control module to the conventional feedback CACC system. Based on the modified control structure, a variable acceleration limited (VAL) control algorithm is proposed, which is specifically applied in the feedforward control model to suppress the propagation of the cut-in and cut-out disturbances in the CACC platoon. To investigate the performance of the VAL-CACC strategy, a series of comparative simulation experiments were carried out under simulated freeway weaving areas. In these tested scenarios, the occurance of frequent lane changing is considered, and the cut-out and cut-in disturbance of the CACC platoon are investigated, respectively. The obtained experimental results revealed that, compared with the original CACC system, the proposed VAL-CACC strategy can ameliorate the acceleration fluctuation amplitude, reducing it by 12.5% in the tested cut-out scenario. On the other hand, in the cut-in comparative experiments, it is found out that the VAL-CACC strategy can more significantly reduce by about 48.33% the jitter amplitude caused by the merging-in behavior of the non-platooned vehicle. These results demonstrate that the proposed synthesis VAL-CACC strategy can dramatically improve the CACC platoon’s ability to resist cut-in and cut-out disturbances.
Optimization Approach to Data-Driven Air Traffic Flow Management
Authors: Diao Xudong , Lu Shan
Published: October 2021

An integer programming model for data-driven air traffic flow management that extends the state-of-the-art approach of Bertsimas and Patterson was developed. The major contribution of our model is that the structure of the route set is modified to improve the flexibility of rerouting operations. To improve the computational performance, we employed reformulation-linearization techniques to turn the model into a linear integer programming model, and we propose two sets of valid inequalities to speed up the computation process. The computational results indicated that the optimal strategies for flights can be efficiently obtained for large-scale instances.
Influences of Physical Environmental Cues on People With Dementia: A Scoping Review
Authors: Wang Wenjin , Lu Zhipeng
Published: October 2021

Physical environmental cues can provide important support to people with dementia (PwD). Compared to interventions involving construction, some cues can be achieved more easily, with less expense, and with fewer disruptions to PwD’s daily lives. This review aims to examine existing empirical evidence about the impacts of cues on PwD’s behaviors. We adopted the PRISMA scoping review approach and identified 32 articles. The results show visual cues have been frequently studied. The signage facilitates PwD’s wayfinding. Concealed doors (e.g., concealing doorknobs) effectively prevent exit attempts. PwD also eat better with tableware of higher-contrasting colors or good lighting conditions. Clearer toilet signage results in better continence. Applying cues properly contributes to improving PwD’s well-being and decreasing the burden for caregivers. However, knowledge gaps still exist in the impacts of other sensory cues (e.g., tactile, olfactory, and auditory), which require further research.
Repatriation of Bhutanese During COVID-19 Pandemic: The Unspoken Economic Burden of COVID-19 on the Bhutanese Government
Authors: Gyeltshen Dawa , Lucero-Prisno Don Eliseo
Published: October 2021

Protecting the citizens who are living abroad has been a challenge for many countries during the current COVID-19 pandemic. In Bhutan, since the start of the pandemic, it has repatriated its citizens living and working abroad and putting them into a 21-day state-sponsored quarantine. They were also tested for COVID-19 on reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) that was funded by the government. While this measure is a blessing for its people, for the government it is a huge economic challenge.
Life-threatening sustained hypocalcemia following Denosumab use in metastatic prostate cancer
Authors: Patell Kanchi , Ajay Kumar , Al Armashi Abdul Rahman , Bawwab Ameed , Ravakhah Keyvan
Published: October 2021

Introduction

Prostate cancer is the second most frequently diagnosed cancer among men worldwide in 2020. Skeletal-related events (SRE) like pathologic fracture or spinal cord compression are commonly seen in metastatic prostate cancer. Denosumab, a monoclonal antibody, acts by inhibiting osteoclast-mediated bone resorption in bone metastasis from solid tumors and reduces bone turnover and destruction. However, there is an increased risk of life-threatening denosumab-induced hypocalcemia with an incidence of 0.1 to 12.8%.

Case report

Our patient is a 69-year-old man with widespread skeletal metastatic disease from primary prostate cancer who presented to the hospital complaining of generalized fatigue and joint pain. Due to severe debilitating low back pain secondary to osteochondral lesions, the patient was started on Denosumab 120 mg. On presentation, serum calcium was found to be severely low at 5.9 mg/dl (serum calcium level prior to Denosumab was 9.1 mg/dl).

Management and outcome

Denosumab was discontinued immediately, and the patient was started on IV calcium gluconate. Repeat serum calcium level continued to be low at 6.7 likely due to the long elimination half-life of Denosumab (25–30 days). He was transferred to a long-term acute care facility for long-term IV calcium replacement, where he succumbed to illness six weeks later.

Discussion

Denosumab, an anti-resorptive treatment for skeletal metastasis from solid tumors, is shown to cause severe life-threatening hypocalcemia. The maximum serum drug level of Denosumab reaches 7–21 days after administration. Sustained hypocalcemia is rare and life-threatening. Clinicians should use this medication with caution due to its unpredictable side effect profile.
A Latina Community’s Evaluation of the Culturally Adapted Conexiones Program
Authors: Garcia Isela , Palacios Rebecca L. , Reyes Clara
Published: October 2021

Background

Enhancing Connections (EC) is an evidence-based intervention that promotes communication between cancer-diagnosed mothers and their school-age children. EC was validated with college-educated non-Latina White mothers of privileged socioeconomic status. Latina researchers culturally adapted EC for Latina mothers diagnosed with cancer and renamed it Conexiones. Following cultural adaptation guidelines, the next recommended step was to engage the new consumer group (Latina mothers) in evaluating the newly adapted educational materials.

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the cognitive and cultural fit of the newly adapted Conexiones educational materials for use with Latina mothers diagnosed with cancer.

Method

Eighteen Latina mothers participated in focus groups evaluating the Conexiones educational materials. An inductive approach was used to identify problem areas and recommendations for corrections to the Conexiones program content.

Results

Within the cognitive-informational dimension, recommendations were made to improve the ease of comprehension in the Spanish version of the program. Recommendations within the affective-motivational dimension described the cultural adjustments needed to more effectively engage cancer-diagnosed Latina mothers in the Conexiones program. Implications for Practice. Engagement of the new consumer group in evaluating the initial adaptation of Conexiones served to identify additional cognitive-informational and affective-motivational corrections needed to further refine the cultural adaptation of the Conexiones program. This study reinforced the importance of community engagement in evaluating and refining newly adapted evidence-based interventions.
Review of current and future therapeutics in ABPA
Authors: Lewington-Gower Elisa , Chan Ley , Shah Anand
Published: October 2021

Allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis is an allergic pulmonary condition caused by hypersensitivity to antigens of Aspergillus sp. found most commonly in patients with underlying asthma or cystic fibrosis. Host factors which alter the innate and adaptive immune responses to this abundant airborne fungus contribute to the development of chronic airway inflammation, bronchiectasis, and fibrosis. Traditionally, treatment has focussed on reducing fungal burden and immune response to fungal antigens. However, a significant proportion of patients continue to suffer recurrent exacerbations with progressive lung damage, and the side effect burden of existing treatments is high. New treatments including novel antifungal agents, monoclonal antibodies against aspects of the adaptive immune response as well as targeted immunotherapies may be better tolerated and achieve improved outcomes but have not yet been studied in large-scale randomised control trials.
New Older Users’ Attitudes Toward Social Networking Sites and Loneliness: The Case of the Oldest-Old Residents in a Small Italian City
Authors: Casanova Georgia , Abbondanza Simona , Rolandi Elena , Vaccaro Roberta , Pettinato Laura , Colombo Mauro , Guaita Antonio
Published: October 2021

Older adults make little use of social networking sites (SNS). SNS has become essential for maintaining social contacts and countering loneliness in the current era marked by the Covid-19 pandemic. This study explores the attitudes of the oldest-old on SNS after attending a training course on SNS use. The study’s goals are to investigate their personal experiences, choices of use and to survey their views on the usefulness of SNS and its effects on mitigating loneliness for older people. The interviews were conducted in the context of the “Ageing in a Networked Society—Social Experiment Study.” The participants, who were randomly selected for the course on SNS use, agreed to be interviewed during the post-intervention evaluation ( N = 39). Results show SNS are mainly and productively used with relatives and friends. A positive view is reported for the potential impact of using SNS to counter loneliness, but mainly for socially isolated older individuals, while only a few find online contact futile. Intergenerational communication and a perspective of SNS as a leisure activity were identified as motivational factors for SNS use. Rare use or non-use are mainly related to privacy and security issues and technical difficulties. This is also the reason underlying the majority’s preference for WhatsApp over Facebook. These findings confirm the need for widespread SNS-focused online communication training interventions for seniors. On the speculative level, these results complement the existing literature by delving deeper into the perceptions of new older SNS users, a poorly studied segment of the population.
A Developmental View of Authorial Voice Construction in Master’s Thesis: A Case Study of Two Novice L2 Writers
Authors: Zhao Jun , Liu Yingliang
Published: October 2021

Effective authorial voice in academic writing helps researchers establish the value of their scholarly contributions. However, constructing an authorial voice is challenging for many novice L2 writers. Through tracking multiple drafts of master’s theses written by two Chinese EFL (English as a foreign language) graduate students, this case study investigated changes in their authorial voices and the roles of advisor feedback in this process. We drew on three types of data: analysis of multiple thesis drafts for linguistic and content features of voice; advisor feedback on multiple drafts; and a questionnaire for the student writers’ understanding of authorial voice. The results indicate that the linguistic features of voice in their theses have remained largely unchanged, portraying them as unconfident student writers, but the content features have shown significant improvement, conveying authorial voices of novice researchers in the later drafts. Most of the student revisions followed their advisors’ feedback. The student participants’ questionnaire responses indicate their relative lack of awareness of the importance of language in voice construction. The results suggest that the authorial voice construction of the novice student writers is dynamic, developmental, and interactive with their advisors’ feedback over the thesis writing process. Pedagogically, other than feedback on content features of voice, classroom practitioners could also consider providing explicit instruction of and feedback on linguistic features to help students construct authoritative authorial voice in the academic context.
Distance Teaching During the COVID-19 Crisis: Social Connectedness Matters Most for Teaching Quality and Students’ Learning
Authors: Jaekel Ann-Kathrin , Scheiter Katharina , Göllner Richard
Published: October 2021

In spring 2020, school closures were enacted to slow the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. Students and teachers faced the challenge of organizing digital teaching and learning without sufficient time to prepare. In this study, we investigated how teachers implemented teaching from a distance and how these different implementations were associated with students’ and parents’ perceptions of teaching quality and students’ social involvement, enjoyment of learning, academic effort, and perceived competence. To this end, we examined data from 277 teachers, 3,159 students in Grades 5 to 10, and 1,688 parents who rated classes in mathematics, German language arts, and English as a foreign language during the school closures. The results showed that teachers’ implementations of distance teaching varied greatly. Teaching methods enabling social connectedness (e.g., video meetings, learning videos created by the teacher) revealed the most consistent positive associations with students’ and parents’ teaching quality ratings and students’ learning experiences.