bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Interventions to improve district-level routine health data in low-income and middle-income countries: a systematic review
Authors: Lee Jieun , Lynch Caroline A , Hashiguchi Lauren Oliveira , Snow Robert W , Herz Naomi D , Webster Jayne , Parkhurst Justin , Erondu Ngozi A
Published: June 2021

Background

Routine health information system(s) (RHIS) facilitate the collection of health data at all levels of the health system allowing estimates of disease prevalence, treatment and preventive intervention coverage, and risk factors to guide disease control strategies. This core health system pillar remains underdeveloped in many low-income and middle-income countries. Efforts to improve RHIS data coverage, quality and timeliness were launched over 10 years ago.

Methods

A systematic review was performed across 12 databases and literature search engines for both peer-reviewed articles and grey literature reports on RHIS interventions. Studies were analysed in three stages: (1) categorisation of RHIS intervention components and processes; (2) comparison of intervention component effectiveness and (3) whether the post-intervention outcome improved above the WHO integrated disease surveillance response framework data quality standard of 80% or above.

Results

5294 references were screened, resulting in 56 studies. Three key performance determinants—technical, organisational and behavioural—were proposed as critical to RHIS strengthening. Seventy-seven per cent [77%] of studies identified addressed all three determinants. The most frequently implemented intervention components were ‘providing training’ and ‘using an electronic health management information systems’. Ninety-three per cent [93%] of pre–post or controlled trial studies showed improvements in one or more data quality outputs, but after applying a standard threshold of >80% post-intervention, this number reduced to 68%. There was an observed benefit of multi-component interventions that either conducted data quality training or that addressed improvement across multiple processes and determinants of RHIS.

Conclusion

Holistic data quality interventions that address multiple determinants should be continuously practised for strengthening RHIS. Studies with clearly defined and pragmatic outcomes are required for future RHIS improvement interventions. These should be accompanied by qualitative studies and cost analyses to understand which investments are needed to sustain high-quality RHIS in low-income and middle-income countries.
Identifying data for the empirical assessment of law (IDEAL): a realist approach to research gaps on the health effects of abortion law
Authors: Burris Scott , Ghorashi Adrienne R , Cloud Lindsay Foster , Rebouché Rachel , Skuster Patty , Lavelanet Antonella
Published: June 2021

Reproductive rights have been the focus of United Nations consensus documents, a priority for agencies like the WHO, and the subject of judgments issued by national and international courts. Human rights approaches have galvanised abortion law reform across numerous countries, but human rights analysis is not designed to empirically assess how legal provisions regulating abortion shape the actual delivery of abortion services and outcomes. Reliable empirical measurement of the health and social effects of abortion regulation is vital input for policymakers and public health guidance for abortion policy and practice, but research focused explicitly on assessing the health effects of abortion law and policy is limited at the global level. This paper describes a method for Identifying Data for the Empirical Assessment of Law (IDEAL), to assess potential health effects of abortion regulations. The approach was applied to six critical legal interventions: mandatory waiting periods, third-party authorisation, gestational limits, criminalisation, provider restrictions and conscientious objection. The IDEAL process allowed researchers to link legal interventions and processes that have not been investigated fully in empirical research to processes and outcomes that have been more thoroughly studied. To the extent these links are both transparent and plausible, using IDEAL to make them explicit allows both researchers and policy stakeholders to make better informed assessments and guidance related to abortion law. The IDEAL method also identifies gaps in scientific research. Given the importance of law to public health generally, the utility of IDEAL is not limited to abortion law.
Experiences and perceptions of trial participants and healthcare professionals in the UK Frozen Shoulder Trial (UK FROST): a nested qualitative study
Authors: Srikesavan Cynthia , Toye Francine , Brealey Stephen , Goodchild Lorna , Northgraves Matthew , Charalambous Charalambos P , Rangan Amar , Lamb Sarah
Published: June 2021

Objectives

To explore the experiences and perceptions of trial participants and healthcare professionals in the UK Frozen Shoulder Trial (UK FROST), a multicentre randomised controlled trial that compared manipulation under anaesthesia (MUA), arthroscopic capsular release (ACR) with a 12-week early structured physiotherapy programme (ESP) in people with unilateral frozen shoulder referred to secondary care.

Design

Nested qualitative study with semistructured interviews. We used constant comparison method to develop our themes.

Setting

This qualitative study was nested within the UK FROST.

Participants

44 trial participants (ESP: 14; MUA: 15; ACR: 15), and 8 surgeons and 8 physiotherapists who delivered the treatments in the trial.

Results

Trial participants found UK FROST treatments acceptable and satisfactory in terms of content, delivery and treatment benefits. Participants in all arms experienced improvements in pain, shoulder movements, and function. Participants said they would choose the same treatment that they received in the trial.

Surgeons and physiotherapists felt that the content and delivery of UK FROST treatments was not significantly different to their routine practice except for the additional number of physiotherapy sessions offered in the trial. They had mixed feelings about the effectiveness of UK FROST treatments. Both stressed the value of including hydrodilatation as a comparator of other treatment options. Physiotherapists raised concerns about the capacity to deliver the number of UK FROST physiotherapy sessions in routine clinical settings.

Shared perceptions of trial participants, surgeons and physiotherapists were: (1) Pain relief and return of shoulder movements and function are important outcomes and (2) Adherence to exercises leads to better outcomes.

Conclusion

In general, our findings indicated that trial participants, and surgeons and physiotherapists who delivered the treatments had positive experiences and perceptions in the UK FROST. Early qualitative investigations to explore the feasibility of delivering treatments in real-world settings are suggested in future trials in the frozen shoulder.

Trial registration number

International Standard Randomised Controlled Trial Register, ID: ISRCTN48804508. Registered on 25 July 2014; Results
The Math of Tasks: A Domain Specific Language for Constraint-Based Task Specification
Authors: Hoffman Enrico Mingo , Tsagarakis Nikos G.
Published: June 2021

This paper proposes a Domain Specific Language to describe in a synthetic and comprehensive way, complex control problems for robotic systems. The proposed language, named Math of Tasks, abstracts from the mathematical description of the problem, which heavily depends on the particular algorithm chosen to solve it, relying on a set of operators and entities which instead, composed together, describes the behavior of the control problem. The Math of Tasks can describe any type of instantaneous controller regardless of the particular controlled variable (e.g., joint velocity, joint acceleration, contact forces). This paper shows the convenience of the proposed formalism using examples from classical control problems for different types of robotic platforms such as manipulators, humanoid bipeds, and quadrupeds.
Study on Photocatalytic Properties of La–Nd/ZnO in UV-vis Region and Possibility of Large-Scale Effluent Treatment Containing Reactive Dyes
Authors: Cao Liuqi , Wang Liming , Xie Mingrui , Shen Yong , Xu Lihui , Hao Huimin
Published: June 2021

Flower-shaped nanometer zinc oxide and its complex incorporating La–Nd have been prepared using hydrothermal method with zinc chloride and urea as raw materials, ethylene glycol as morphology controller. The powdered samples were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffractometry, photocatalytic test with solutions of reactive dyes as indicators. In conclusion, the optimum doping ratios of La/Nd are considered to be 3%/3%. When 3%La–3%Nd/ZnO was served as photocatalyst, considerable degradations of dyes were caused under the ultraviolet and visible light without exception, owing to the expanded excitation wavelength and reduced band gap of ZnO after incorporating. While using the compound material in effluent treatment containing reactive dyes, the decomposition rate of dyes, respectively, reached 99.99% and 80% or more under UV-light and visible irradiation for 60 min, appreciable removal effects of organic pollutants were obtained, testifying 3%La–3%Nd/ZnO to be a splendid UV-Vis catalyst.
Investigation of Inhibition Effect of Nicotine and Dopamine on Alpha-synuclein
Authors: Alıcı Hakan
Published: June 2021

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a progressive nervous system disorder and its pathological hallmark is the presence of fibrillar aggregates called Lewy bodies (LB) in substantia nigra. As it is also well established, [Formula: see text]-synuclein is the major constituent of the LB. Although numerous experimental studies have been conducted on inhibition of [Formula: see text]-synuclein aggregation, the detailed inhibitory mechanism is not still fully elucidated. In this paper, we first focused on identifying the binding modes of nicotine and dopamine to [Formula: see text]-synuclein using molecular docking. Then, we performed comparative molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to enlighten the inhibition mechanism of [Formula: see text]-synuclein for both dopamine and nicotine. MD simulations demonstrate that both nicotine and dopamine stabilize dominant helical structure of [Formula: see text]-synuclein and so they inhibit their conformational transitions. Moreover, the favorable and unfavorable contribution residues, which play a key role in the inhibition of [Formula: see text]-synuclein, were determined using MM-PBSA analysis. The findings in this study will shed light on understanding the inhibition mechanism of [Formula: see text]-synuclein and guide potential drug development studies of degenerative diseases.
Molecular Docking Analysis of the Phytochemicals from Tinospora Cordifolia as Potential Inhibitor Against Multi Targeted SARS-CoV-2 & Cytokine Storm
Authors: Panigrahi Debadash
Published: June 2021

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV)-2, a novel coronavirus, is a member of the Coronoviridae family that has spread worldwide. Developing efficacious therapeutics for the treatment of SARS-CoV-2 is of high priority. Therefore, in this study, the chemical constituents obtained from Tinospora cordifolia are investigated for their in-silico interaction with protein targets crucial for SARSCoV-2 infection and cytokine storm. The five important targets chosen for SARSCoV-2 were the main protease (Mpro), Spike receptor binding domain (Spike-RBD), RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp or Nsp12), nonstructural protein 15 (Nsp15) of SARS-CoV-2 and the host angiotensin converting enzyme-2 (ACE-2) spike-RBD binding domain and cytokine receptors TNF-[Formula: see text] (Tumor Necrosis Factor-[Formula: see text]) and IL-6 (Interleukine-6). This was accomplished using Maestro 12.4 (Schrodinger Suite) to obtain docking scores. Also, the absorption, distribution, metabolism, elimination, and toxicity parameters (ADMET) were determined using Maestro QikProp modules. The results of computational study revealed that four constituents Cordifolioside-A, Palmatoside-E, Tinocordioside and Tinosporaside significantly antagonize the five targets of SARS-CoV-2 by binding in the binding pocket with docking score ranging from −9.664 to −6.488 kcal/mol and shows drug-like property and also effectively inhibit cytokine storm by antagonizing the TNF-[Formula: see text] and IL-6 receptors. Promising drug-like properties, excellent docking scores, and binding pose against each target makes the screened compounds as possible lead candidate which can be further evaluated in future studies to assess their in vitro and in vivo efficacy against SARS-CoV-2. The structure of these compounds can be used further for optimization and design of drugs against COVID-19.
Three-phased Middle Permian–Mesozoic magmatism in the Great Xing'an Range: implications for episodic southern subduction of the Mongol–Okhotsk Ocean
Authors: Yang Fei , Li Yinglei , Wu Guang , Liu Huichuan , Chen Gongzheng , Kang Xiaolong , Bai Yuling
Published: June 2021

The Erguna Massif is located in the southwestern portion of the Great Xing'an Range and is adjacent to the Mongol–Okhotsk suture zone. It has not been determined whether the tectonic evolutionary processes of the Erguna Massif belonged to the Mongol–Okhotsk tectonic regime during the Middle Permian–Mesozoic. In this study, a suite of rocks comprising Mesozoic S-type monzogranite (U–Pb zircon age of 248 ± 1.2 Ma), highly fractionated I-type rhyolite (204 ± 1.1 Ma), gabbro (196 ± 1.9 Ma), A2-type volcanic rocks (190 ± 0.9 Ma), A1-type trachydacite (167 ± 0.8 Ma) and Early Cretaceous A1-type alkaline rhyolite are newly identified and geochemically studied. The rhyolite, gabbro, trachydacite and alkaline rhyolite whole-rock Sr–Nd isotope analyses obtained initial values
87
Sr/
86
Sr ratios ranging from 0.7044 to 0.7058 and

ε

Nd
(
t
) values of −0.68 to +2.73. These samples show

ε

Hf
(
t
) values ranging from +5.3 to +11.2 and T
DM2
ranging from 0.48 to 0.90 Ga. The 248 Ma monzogranites were produced by the partial melting of greywackes. The 204 Ma rhyolites were derived from the partial melting of lower mafic crust. The 196 Ma gabbros originated from the partial melting of an enriched mantle metasomatized by subduction-slab-released fluids. The 190 Ma volcanic rocks, 167 Ma trachydacite and Early Cretaceous alkaline rhyolite were mainly formed by the partial melting of the basaltic rocks. They all show enrichment in the large-ion lithophile elements (e.g. Rb, Ba, and K) and depletion in the high-field-strength elements (e.g. Nb, Ta, and Ti), suggesting they formed in an active continental margin setting. The features of these igneous rocks indicate the southward subduction of the Mongol–Okhotsk oceanic plate. Based on compiled age data, three phases of middle Mesozoic magmatism were identified in the Erguna Massif at
c.
275–225, 215–165, and 150–110 Ma. In addition, three similar magmatic phases were found in the Xing'an Massif. However, a hysteresis of
c.
15–20 Ma exists between the two massifs. These magmatic rocks may record the three stages of the southward subduction of the Mongol–Okhotsk oceanic plate, and two periods of slab rollback occurred during the Middle Permian to Early Cretaceous.

Supplementary material:
Analytical details, radiometric ages and Tables S1–S5 are available at:
https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.5459285
Evaluation and Prediction of COVID‐19 Prevention and Control Strategy Based on the SEIR‐AQ Infectious Disease Model
Authors: Yu Yue , Zhou Yuxing , Meng Xiangzhong , Li Wenfei , Xu Yang , Hu Manfeng , Zhang Jingxiang
Published: June 2021

Based on the SEIR model, which takes into account prevention and control measures, prevention and control awareness, and economic level and medical level indicators, this paper proposes an infectious disease model of “susceptible‐exposed‐infected‐removed‐asymptomatic‐isolated” (short for SEIR‐AQ) to assess and predict the development of the COVID‐19 pandemic with different prevention and control strategies. The kinetic parameters of the SEIR‐AQ model were obtained by fitting, and the parameters of the SEIR‐AQ model were solved through the Euler method. Furthermore, the effects of different countries’ prevention and control strategies on the number of infections, the proportion of isolation, the number of deaths, and the number of recoveries were also simulated. The theoretical analysis showed that measures such as isolation for prevention and control and medical tracking isolation had a significant inhibitory effect on the development of the COVID‐19 pandemic, among which stratified treatment and enhanced awareness played a key role in the rapid regression of the peak of COVID‐19‐infected patients. Conclusion of the Simulation. The SEIR‐AQ model can be used to evaluate the development status of the COVID‐19 epidemic and has some theoretical value for the prediction of COVID‐19.
Detecting Invalid Associations between Fare Machines and Metro Stations Using Smart Card Data
Authors: Zhang Pengfei , Ma Zhenliang , Weng Xiaoxiong
Published: June 2021

Data quality is essential for its authentic usage in analysis and applications. The large volume of automated collection data inevidently suffers from data quality issues including data missing and invalidity. This paper deals with an invalid data problem in the automated fare collection (AFC) database caused by the erroneous association between the fare machines and metro stations, e.g., a fare machine located at Station A is wrongly associated with Station B in the AFC database. It could lead to inappropriate fare charges in a distance-based fare system and cause analysis bias for planning/operation practice. We propose a tensor decomposition and isolation forest-based approach to detect and correct the invalid associated fare machines in the system. The tensor decomposition extracts features of passenger flows and travel times passing through fare machines. The isolation forest coupled with a neural network (NN) takes these features as inputs to detect the wrongly associated fare machines and infer the correct association stations. Case studies using data from a metro system show that the proposed detection approach achieves over 90% accuracy in detecting the invalid associations for up to 35% invalid associations. The inferred association has a 90% accuracy even when the invalid association ratio reaches 40%. The proposed data-driven invalid data detection method is useful for large-scale data management in terms of data quality check and fix.
Comparative Analysis of Longitudinal and Transverse Vibration Characteristics of Ocean Mining Pipe
Authors: Liu Qiang , Xiao Lin-jing
Published: June 2021

In this paper, the 5000 m mining pipe is taken as the research object, and the transverse and longitudinal vibration laws of the pipe under different working conditions are analyzed. Based on the finite element method (FEM), the pipe is discretized and calculated by the Wilson‐θ Wilson − θ integral method; finally, the corresponding vibration laws of the mining pipe are obtained. The research shows that the mining pipe vibration responses are irregular motion, with the obvious oscillation phenomenon, and the overall vibration trend decreases first and then increases from the top to the bottom; the maximum vibration response occurs at the pipe top. Under the same working conditions, increasing the towing velocity will decrease the overall longitudinal vibration amplitude and increase the overall transverse vibration amplitude. While the ore bin weight will increase the longitudinal vibration amplitude and decrease the transverse vibration amplitude, increasing the mining pipe large diameter stepped section length and damping will decrease the longitudinal and transverse vibration simultaneously. When the towing velocity is between 0–2.8 m/s, the longitudinal vibration intensity is large, which is the main vibration mode. When the towing velocity is 2.8 m/s, the critical point is reached, and the longitudinal and transverse vibrations have the same intensity. When the towing velocity is greater than 2.8 m/s, the transverse vibration intensity is gradually greater than the longitudinal vibration intensity; at this time, the control of the transverse vibration should be appropriately increased.
Survey of CPU Cache-Based Side-Channel Attacks: Systematic Analysis, Security Models, and Countermeasures
Authors: Su Chao , Zeng Qingkai
Published: June 2021

Privacy protection is an essential part of information security. The use of shared resources demands more privacy and security protection, especially in cloud computing environments. Side-channel attacks based on CPU cache utilize shared CPU caches within the same physical device to compromise the system’s privacy (encryption keys, program status, etc.). Information is leaked through channels that are not intended to transmit information, jeopardizing system security. These attacks have the characteristics of both high concealment and high risk. Despite the improvement in architecture, which makes it more difficult to launch system intrusion and privacy leakage through traditional methods, side-channel attacks ignore those defenses because of the shared hardware. Difficult to be detected, they are much more dangerous in modern computer systems. Although some researchers focus on the survey of side-channel attacks, their study is limited to cryptographic modules such as Elliptic Curve Cryptosystems. All the discussions are based on real-world applications (e.g., Curve25519), and there is no systematic analysis for the related attack and security model. Firstly, this paper compares different types of cache-based side-channel attacks. Based on the comparison, a security model is proposed. The model describes the attacks from four key aspects, namely, vulnerability, cache type, pattern, and range. Through reviewing the corresponding defense methods, it reveals from which perspective defense strategies are effective for side-channel attacks. Finally, the challenges and research trends of CPU cache-based side-channel attacks in both attacking and defending are explored. The systematic analysis of CPU cache-based side-channel attacks highlights the fact that these attacks are more dangerous than expected. We believe our survey would draw developers’ attention to side-channel attacks and help to reduce the attack surface in the future.
Knowledge, Applicability, and Barriers of Telemedicine in Egypt: A National Survey
Authors: Alboraie Mohamed , Allam Mahmoud Abdelrashed , Youssef Naglaa , Abdalgaber Mohammad , El-Raey Fathiya , Abdeen Nermeen , Mahdy Reem Ezzat , Elshaarawy Omar , Elgebaly Ahmed , Haydara Tamer , Abd-Elsalam Sherief , Nassar Yusuf Abdullah , Shabana Hosam , Zaky Samy
Published: June 2021

Objectives. The study is aimed at evaluating knowledge, attitude, and barriers to telemedicine among the general population in Egypt. Methods. A questionnaire-based cross-sectional design was carried out among the general Egyptian population. A convenience sampling method was used to approach the eligible participants from University Teaching Hospitals of eight governorates from May to July 2020. Results. A total of 686 participants filled the questionnaire (49.4% were males, mean age

36.7
±
11.2

years old). Half of the participants stated that they previously used a telemedicine tool, mainly to follow up laboratory results (67.3%). Video or phone calls (39.3%) and mobile applications (23.7%) were the most commonly recognized telemedicine tools by the participants. The included participants exhibited a high level of knowledge and attitude towards telemedicine. On the other hand, 21.9% stated that telemedicine services could jeopardize patient privacy. 32.8% reported that telemedicine service could lead to disclosing medical information to people who are not authorized to do so. Almost half of the participants agreed to strongly agreed that telemedicine service could increase medical errors. 60.80% of the participants said that they are more likely to prefer telemedicine than traditional ways. However, 13.70% stated that telemedicine is more likely to be challenging to use. Conclusion. The Egyptian population has high knowledge about the applications of telemedicine. In addition, the vast majority of Egyptians appear to perceive the benefits of telemedicine positively and are willing to use it. However, some barriers that have been found must be taken into consideration to adopt telemedicine successfully, especially for people who are old, are low educated, and live in remote areas. Future studies should address the utility of telemedicine in improving the quality of healthcare and patient’s health outcome and quality of life.
Prediction of Remnant Liver Regeneration after Right Hepatectomy in Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma Using Preoperative CT Texture Analysis and Clinical Features
Authors: Zhang Tong , Wei Yi , He Xiaopeng , Yuan Yuan , Yuan Fang , Ye Zheng , Li Xin , Tang Hehan , Song Bin
Published: June 2021

Objectives. To predict the regenerative rate of liver in patients with HCCs after right hepatectomy using texture analysis on preoperative CT combined with clinical features. Materials and Methods. 88 patients with 90 HCCs who underwent right hepatectomy were retrospectively included. The future remnant liver was semiautomatically segmented, and the volume of future remnant liver on preoperative CT (LVpre) and the volume of remnant liver on following-up CT (LVfu) were measured. We calculated the regeneration index (RI) by the following equation: (LVfu – LVpre)/LVpre) × 100 (%). The support vector machine recursive method was used for the feature selection. The Naive Bayes classifier was used to predict liver RI, and 5-fold cross-validation was performed to adjust the parameters. Sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy were calculated to evaluate the diagnostic efficiency of the model. Results. The mean RI was 142.99 ± 92.17%. Of all clinical parameters and texture features, the AST, ALB, PT-INR, Perc.10%, and S(5, −5)Correlat were found to be statistically significant with RI. The diagnostic sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of the model in the training group were 0.902, 0.634, and 0.768, and the AUC value of the obtained model was 0.841. In the test group, the sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of the model were 1.0, 0.429, and 0.778, respectively, and the AUC value was 0.844. Conclusion. The use of texture analysis on preoperative CT combined with clinical features can be helpful in predicting the liver regeneration rate in patients with HCCs after right hepatectomy.
IgG4 as a Biomarker in Graves’ Orbitopathy
Authors: Olejarz Michał , Szczepanek-Parulska Ewelina , Dadej Daniela , Sawicka-Gutaj Nadia , Domin Remigiusz , Ruchała Marek
Published: June 2021

Immunoglobulin G4-related disease (IgG4-RD) is a chronic inflammatory disorder associated with fibrosis and abundant tissue lymphoplasmacytic infiltrations. It typically affects the pancreas, the salivary glands, and the retroperitoneal space. However, it might also involve multiple other organs, including the orbit and the thyroid. Recent studies have suggested that IgG4 plays a role in the pathophysiology of autoimmune thyroid diseases. This ultimately led to the establishment of new clinical entities called IgG4-related thyroid disease and thyroid disease with an elevation of IgG4. The aim of this paper is to describe the pathophysiological, histopathological, and clinical features of Graves’ Disease (GD) and Graves’ Orbitopathy (GO) with elevated IgG4 levels. Multiple studies have demonstrated higher IgG4 serum concentrations in GD patients than in healthy euthyroid controls. Depending on the studied population, elevated serum IgG4 levels occur in 6.4-23% (average: 10.3%) of all patients with GD, 8.3-37.5% (average: 17.6%) of patients with GO, and 0-9.8% (average: 5.4%) of patients with GD without GO, while GO patients comprise 37.5-100% (average: 65.8%) of all GD patients with elevated IgG4 levels. Characteristic features of GD with elevated IgG4 levels include lower echogenicity of the thyroid gland on ultrasound examination, peripheral blood eosinophilia, higher prevalence of orbitopathy, and better response to antithyroid drugs with a tendency to develop hypothyroidism when compared to patients with GD and normal levels of IgG4. Typical signs of GO accompanied by increased concentration of IgG4 include younger age at diagnosis, and more severe course of the disease with a higher Clinical Activity Score (CAS).. We strongly recommend considering the diagnosis of GO with elevated IgG4 in patients with an established diagnosis of GD, elevated serum IgG4 levels, and clinical features of ophthalmic disease overlapping with those of IgG4-related orbital disease.
Caspase‐1‐Inhibitor AC‐YVAD‐CMK Inhibits Pyroptosis and Ameliorates Acute Kidney Injury in a Model of Sepsis
Authors: Yang Mei , Fang Jin-tao , Zhang Ni-shang , Qin Long-jiang , Zhuang Yang-yang , Wang Wei-wei , Zhu Hai-ping , Zhang Yan-jie , Xia Peng , Zhang Yan
Published: June 2021

Objective. To observe the protective effect of AC‐YVAD‐CMK on sepsis‐induced acute kidney injury in mice and to explore its possible mechanisms primarily. Methods. Eighteen male C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into sham‐operated group (Control), cecal ligation and puncture group (CLP), and CLP model treated with AC‐YVAD‐CMK group (AC‐YVAD‐CMK) (n = 6 in each group). Mice were sacrificed at 24 h after operation, and blood and kidney tissue samples were collected for analyses. Histologic changes were determined microscopically following HE staining. The expression of Ly‐6B and CD68 was investigated using immunohistochemistry. Serum concentrations of creatinine (sCR) and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) were measured. Serum levels of interleukin‐1β (IL‐1β), interleukin‐18 (IL‐18), TNF‐α, and interleukin‐6 (IL‐6) were determined by ELISA. The expressions of Caspas‐1, NLRP‐1, IL‐1β, and IL‐18 in renal tissues were investigated using Western blot. Immunofluorescence staining was used to detect the expression of GSDMD protein in renal tissues. Results. AC‐YVAD‐CMK treatment significantly alleviates sepsis‐induced acute kidney injury, with decreased histological injury in renal tissues, suppresses the accumulation of neutrophils and macrophages in renal tissues, and decreased sCR and BUN level (P < 0.05). Attenuation of sepsis‐induced acute kidney injury was due to the prohibited production of inflammatory cytokines and decrease expression of Caspas‐1, NLRP‐1, IL‐1β, and IL‐18 in renal tissues. In addition, AC‐YVAD‐CMK treatment significantly reduced the expression of GSDMD in renal tissues compared to those observed in controls (P < 0.05). Conclusions. We demonstrated a marked renoprotective effect of caspase‐1‐inhibitor AC‐YVAD‐CMK in a rat model of sepsis by inhibition of pyroptosis.
Influence of Wheel Profile Wear Coupled with Wheel Diameter Difference on the Dynamic Performance of Subway Vehicles
Authors: Li H. X. , Zhu A. H. , Ma C. C. , Sun P. W. , Yang J. W. , Zhang K. Q.
Published: June 2021

In view of the coexistence of wheel profile wear (WPW) and wheel diameter difference (WDD) on an actual subway line, a dynamic analysis method based on coupling between WPW and equivalent in‐phase WDD was proposed. Based on the measurements from a subway vehicle in operation on this line, dynamics modeling and calculations were performed for a single carriage of this vehicle. Later, the interaction between the effects of WPW and equivalent in‐phase WDD on the vehicle dynamic performance was analyzed, and the dynamic response in the presence of coupled damage was compared between the outer and inner wheels. Furthermore, the difference in the dynamic response caused by different positions of the larger‐diameter wheels (i.e., on the inner track or outer track) was analyzed for the case where equivalent in‐phase WDD occurred between the front and rear bogies. The results show that when the vehicle ran on a straight line, the coupling between WPW and WDD reduced the vehicle’s stability but improved its ride comfort. When the vehicle traveled on a curved line, it showed reductions in the lateral wheel/rail contact force, derailment coefficient, axle lateral force, and wear index if the outer wheels had a larger diameter. As a result, the deterioration of the vehicle’s dynamic performance due to the increasing degree of WPW slowed down, and its curve negotiation performance improved. Meanwhile, the outer wheels had significantly greater lateral wheel/rail contact force, derailment coefficient, and wear index compared to the inner wheels. When a −1 mm WDD was coupled with the worn wheel profile for 14 × 104 kilometers traveled, the dynamic performance indexes of the vehicle were close to or even exceeded the corresponding safety limits. The findings can provide technical support for subway vehicle maintenance.
Teaching Method for Software Measurement Process Based on Gamification or Serious Games: A Systematic Review of the Literature
Authors: Furtado Lennon Sales , de Souza Rafael Ferreira , Lima João Luís dos Reis , Oliveira Sandro Ronaldo Bezerra
Published: June 2021

Software process improvement programs are partly founded on software measurement. However, despite their importance, it has been pointed out in the literature that many students are leaving the academic world without the necessary skills to conduct this kind of process. This can be understood by people’s attitudes to this process which is regarded as time-consuming and difficult to understand—factors that explain the lack of interest in it during a student’s academic life. In light of this, the application of serious games or gamification can show useful alternative ways of meeting this need, because the strategies they involve are well accepted by students and have a motivational and engaging effect on them. The objective of this work is to discover different approaches to the teaching of software measurement and software process improvement through gamification projects and serious games. This involves carrying out a systematic review of the literature, which is aimed at characterizing the state-of-the-art on the use of methods related to gamification and serious games in the abovementioned subjects. We conducted a systematic review of the literature to identify primary studies that address the use, planning, or evaluation of gamification, serious games, their features, and game mechanics in software engineering. We located 137 primary studies, published between 2000 and 2019. Although the use of serious games and gamification in software engineering is not recent, there still remains a large area to be explored, especially in software process improvement and software measurement. The study expands and advances the research on how serious games and gamification proposals can be used for teaching software measurement in the context of software process improvement programs by conducting a systematic review of the literature.
Chemical Composition and Biological Activities of the Essential Oils of Chrysophyllum albidum G. Don (African Star Apple)
Authors: Nartey Daniel , Gyesi Joseph Nana , Borquaye Lawrence Sheringham
Published: June 2021

The volatile compounds of the fruit and leaf essential oils of the African star fruit, Chrysophyllum albidum G. Don, were characterized by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry in this study. The antimicrobial, antibiofilm, and antioxidant activities of the essential oils were also investigated. Thirty-five and thirty-four compounds, representing 97.84% and 97.87%, were identified in the leaf and fruit essential oils, respectively. The antimicrobial activity of the oils was evaluated in vitro against eight pathogens using the broth microdilution method. The fruit essential oil exhibited broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity in the antimicrobial susceptibility test, with minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) ranging from 0.195 to 6.250 mg/mL, while the leaf essential oils showed antimicrobial activity with MICs in the range of 6.875–13.750 mg/mL. The antibiofilm activity was assessed via the crystal violet staining assay, with Pseudomonas aeruginosa as the model organism. The concentrations of the leaf and fruit essential oil required for half-maximal inhibition of biofilm formation (BIC50) were 6.97 ± 0.56 and 4.78 ± 0.21 mg/mL, respectively. In evaluating antioxidant activity, the total antioxidant capacity obtained from the phosphomolybdenum assay was 104.8 ± 2.4 and 101.6 ± 0.8 μg/g AAE for leaf and fruit essential oils, respectively. The IC50 values obtained from the hydrogen peroxide scavenging, 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging, and inhibition of lipid peroxidation assays were 301.8 ± 0.7 and 669.2 ± 2.1 μg/mL, 1048.0 ± 0.3 and 1454.0 ± 0.3 μg/mL, and 460.1 ± 2.7 and 457.4 ± 0.3 μg/mL for both leaf and fruit essential oils, respectively. The results obtained in this study suggest that the leaf and fruit essential oil of Chrysophyllum albidum G. Don could find potential use in the food, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical industries as preservative and pharmaceutical agents.
Coincidence Point Results on Relation Theoretic

F

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-Contractions and Applications
Authors: Aslam Muhammad , Aydi Hassen , Batul Samina , Naz Amna
Published: June 2021

Motivated by the ideas of

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-weak contractions and

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,
R

g

-contractions, the notion of

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w

,
R

g

-contractions is introduced and studied in the present paper. The idea is to establish some interesting results for the existence and uniqueness of a coincidence point for these contractions. Further, using an additional condition of weakly compatible mappings, a common fixed-point theorem and a fixed-point result are proved for

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w

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-contractions in metric spaces equipped with a transitive binary relation. The results are elaborated by illustrative examples. Some consequences of these results are also deduced in ordered metric spaces and metric spaces endowed with graph. Finally, as an application, the existence of the solution of certain Voltera type integral equations is investigated.
Poverty Reduction Effect of New-Type Agricultural Cooperatives: An Empirical Analysis Using Propensity Score Matching and Endogenous Switching Regression Models
Authors: Hu Zhineng , Feng Qiong , Ma Jing , Zheng Shuangyi
Published: June 2021

Agricultural cooperatives have been found to effectively alleviate poverty in developing countries because of their specific socioeconomic functions that allow poor households to overcome marketing and production constraints. However, cooperative evaluations are inevitably influenced by other poverty alleviation measures and rarely consider the characteristics of specific ethnic groups. Using cross-sectional surveys in Southwest China and employing propensity score matching (PSM) and endogenous switching regression (ESR) models, this paper analyzed the participation of poor households in New-type Agricultural Cooperatives (NACs) in ethnic areas and assessed the income impacts of NAC membership by eliminating unobserved biases and group heterogeneity. This study detected heterogeneous policy perceptions and behavioral differences between the member and nonmember groups, and the PSM and ESR model results indicated that, overall, participation in the NACs had a positive effect on household income. The ESR model was found to be more plausible as it was able to reveal the significant income gaps under a counterfactual inference framework. Local policymakers need to focus on the policy perception and behavioral and earning capability differences between groups and increase the balanced policy implementation.
Association of Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors with Late Cardiotoxicity and Survival in HER2-positive Breast Cancer Survivors
Authors: He Xuexin , Ji Jiali , Dai Xiaolan , Qdaisat Aiham Z. , Esteva Francisco J. , Hortobagyi Gabriel N. , Yeung Sai-Ching J.
Published: June 2021

Purpose:

Breast cancer and cardiovascular (CV) diseases often share the same risk factors. It is increasingly important to identify risk factors for CV events in patients with high-risk breast cancer and explore optimal treatment regimens.

Experimental Design:

Early HER2-positive breast cancer patients at our institution between January 1998 and October 2009 were reviewed. Primary outcome was late-severe-CV-event-free survival, and late severe CV events were defined as cardiovascular death, cardiomyopathy, symptomatic heart failure, and myocardial infarction developing 2+ years after breast cancer diagnosis. Kaplan–Meier plots, Cox proportional hazard regressions, and restricted mean survival time were used to evaluate outcomes.

Results:

We identified 2,448 consecutive eligible patients with a median follow-up time of 111.0 months (interquartile range, 52.0–151.8 months). One hundred and thirty-six patients had late severe CV events and 752 died of any cause [533 (70.9%) died of primary breast cancer; 12 (1.6%) died of cardiovascular disease]. Hypertension [HR, 1.546; 95% confidence interval (95% CI), 1.030–2.320; P = 0.036] and history of coronary artery disease (CAD; HR, 3.333; 95% CI, 1.669–6.656; P < 0.001) were associated with worse late-severe-CV-event-free survival. Anthracycline-containing regimens (HR, 1.536; 95% CI, 0.979–2.411; P = 0.062) was not a significant risk factor for CV events in multivariate analysis. Regimens containing both anthracycline and anti-HER2 therapy were prognostic for better OS (HR, 0.515; 95% CI, 0.412–0.643; P < 0.001).

Conclusions:

Hypertension and CAD history were independent prognostic factors for late severe CV events. Adding anti-HER2 agents to anthracycline-containing regimens did not substantially increase the risk for late severe cardiotoxicity and conferred better overall survival.
Single-Cell Analysis of the Pan-Cancer Immune Microenvironment and scTIME Portal
Authors: Hong Fang , Meng Qianqian , Zhang Weiyu , Zheng Ruiqin , Li Xiaoyun , Cheng Tao , Hu Deqing , Gao Xin
Published: June 2021

Single-cell sequencing opens a new era for the investigation of tumor immune microenvironments (TIME). However, at single-cell resolution, a pan-cancer analysis that addresses the identity and diversity of TIMEs is lacking. Here, we first built a pan-cancer single-cell reference of TIMEs with refined subcell types and recognized new cell type–specific transcription factors. We then presented a pan-cancer view of the common features of the TIME and compared the variation of each immune cell type across patients and tumor types in the aspects of abundance, cell states, and cell communications. We found that the abundance and the cell states of dysfunctional T cells were most variable, whereas those of regulatory T cells were relatively stable. A subset of tumor-associated macrophages (TAM), PLTP+C1QC+ TAMs, may regulate the abundance of dysfunctional T cells through cytokine/chemokine signaling. The ligand–receptor communication network of TIMEs was tumor-type specific and dominated by the tumor-enriched immune cells. We additionally developed the single-cell TIME (scTIME) portal (http://scTIME.sklehabc.com) with the scTIME-specific analysis modules and a unified cell annotation. In addition to the immune cell compositions and correlation analysis using refined cell type classifications, the portal also provides cell–cell interaction and cell type–specific gene signature analysis. Our single-cell pan-cancer analysis and scTIME portal will provide more insights into the features of TIMEs, as well as the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying immunotherapies.
The Poised Cannula Technique Reduces the Stereotactic Error of the Fiducial-Less Frameless DBS Procedure
Authors: Moser Matthew , Koch Paul , Shah Harsh P. , Docef Alen , Holloway Kathryn L.
Published: June 2021

Background: In this study, we describe a technique of optimizing the accuracy of frameless deep brain stimulation (DBS) lead placement through the use of a cannula poised at the entry to predict the location of the fully inserted device. This allows real-time correction of error prior to violation of the deep gray matter. Methods: We prospectively gathered data on radial error during the operative placements of 40 leads in 28 patients using frameless fiducial-less DBS surgery. Once the Nexframe had been aligned to target, a cannula was inserted through the center channel of the BenGun until it traversed the pial surface and a low-dose O-arm spin was obtained. Using 2 points along the length of the imaged cannula, a trajectory line was projected to target depth. If lead location could be improved, the cannula was inserted through an alternate track in the BenGun down to target depth. After intraoperative microelectrode recording and clinical assessment, another O-arm spin was obtained to compare the location of the inserted lead with the location predicted by the poised cannula. Results: The poised cannula projection and the actual implant had a mean radial discrepancy of 0.75 ± 0.64 mm. The poised cannula projection identified potentially clinically significant errors (avg 2.07 ± 0.73 mm) in 33% of cases, which were reduced to a radial error of 1.33 ± 0.66 mm (p = 0.02) after correction using an alternative BenGun track. The final target to implant error for all 40 leads was 1.20 ± 0.52 mm with only 2.5% of errors being >2.5 mm. Conclusion: The poised cannula technique results in a reduction of large errors (>2.5 mm), resulting in a decline in these errors to 2.5% of implants as compared to 17% in our previous publication using the fiducial-less method and 4% using fiducial-based methods of DBS lead placement.
Heterozygous VPS13A and PARK2 Mutations in a Patient with Parkinsonism and Seizures
Authors: Mitchell Steven D. , Albin Roger L. , Dauer William T. , Goudreau John L. , Sidiropoulos Christos
Published: June 2021

Neuroacanthocytosis (NA) is a diverse group of disorders in which nervous system abnormalities co-occur with irregularly shaped red blood cells called acanthocytes. Chorea-acanthocytosis is the most common of these syndromes and is an autosomal recessive disease caused by mutations in the vacuolar protein sorting 13A (VPS13A) gene. We report a case of early onset parkinsonism and seizures in a 43-year-old male with a family history of NA. Neurologic examinations showed cognitive impairment and marked parkinsonian signs. MRI showed bilateral basal ganglia gliosis. He was found to have a novel heterozygous mutation in the VPS13A gene, in addition a heterozygous mutation in the PARK2 gene. His clinical picture was atypical for typical chorea-acanthocytosis (ChAc). The compound heterozygous mutations of VPS13A and PARK2 provide the most plausible explanation for this patient’s clinical symptoms. This case adds to the phenotypic diversity of ChAc. More research is needed to fully understand the roles of epistatic interactions on phenotypic expression of neurodegenerative diseases.
Challenge and Outcome for the Prostate Squamous Cell Carcinoma Which Developed 8 Years after Low-Dose-Rate Brachytherapy Approached by a Combined Multimodal Treatment with High-Dose-Rate Interstitial Brachytherapy, External Beam Radiation Therapy, and Chemotherapy
Authors: Matsugasumi Toru , Masui Koji , Yamada Kaori , Watanabe Sho , Okihara Koji , Kozawa Nana , Yamada Yasuhiro , Yamazaki Hideya , Yamada Kei , Ukimura Osamu
Published: June 2021

Prostate squamous cell carcinoma (pSCC) rarely develops as a secondary cancer after treatment with low-dose-rate brachytherapy (LDR-BT). There is no established effective treatment for the disease condition. Herein, we present a 78-year-old man who developed pSCC 8 years after LDR-BT. He was subsequently selected to receive a combined multimodal treatment with high-dose-rate interstitial brachytherapy (HDR-ISBT), external beam radiation therapy, and chemotherapy for his pSCC. Eleven months later, he displayed no biochemical failure nor clinical radiographic recurrence. However, MRI detected a newly developed prostatic-rectal fistula (grade 4), and a colostomy was performed to relieve pain and inflammation. To our knowledge, this is the first report to perform a combined multimodal treatment with HDR-ISBT for pSCC suspected as a secondary cancer due to LDR-BT.