bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Pre-Transfusion Testing for the Chronically Transfused, Sensitized Patient A Simple, Time-Saving Approach
Authors: Walker Phyllis S.
Published: June 2021

A 65-year-old woman was found to have severe autoimmune hemolytic anemia. The patient was group A1 Rh0(D) positive. The direct antiglobulin test was strongly positive with anti-C3 and negative with anti- IgG. The serum contained two distinct IgM antibodies, auto-anti-I and auto-anti-AI. Both were reactive at 22 °C. However, the anti-AI also was reactive in saline and in albumin at 37°C. An eluate revealed anti-AI and a weak anti-L Sequential 5’Chromium survival studies were done with group OI and Al red cells. The group OI red cells survived normally (97% at 24 hours) while the group A J red cells were removed in a “two- component” pattern characteristic of IgM complementfixing antibodies (62% survival at one hour, 49% at 24 hours). Based on these observations, the patient was subsequently transfused without incidence with six group O units of washed red cells prior to splenectomy. Although auto-anti-AI has been previously reported, this is the first case to demonstrate the use of 5ICr survival studies to determine its clinical significance.
Infectious Complications in Multiple Myeloma under Current Epidemiological Conditions:
Authors: Davydkin I.L. , Mordvinova Elizaveta Vladimirovna , Kuzmina T.P.
Published: June 2021

The review outlines current views on immune system in multiple myeloma (MM) and the basic pathogens inducing infectious complications in such patients. Although in recent years there has been considerable progress in studying molecular mechanisms of the MM development (pathogenesis), methods of its diagnosis, treatment, and prediction of outcomes, one of the main causes of death within this group of patients is infectious complications. In this context, it would be relevant to further study immune disorders and the spectrum of infectious pathogens common in the MM patient cohort. The study and correction of immunological status can contribute to improving the MM outcomes, which in turn will lead to increased life expectancy.
Estimation of longitudinal excitation of propeller using a novel hybrid method
Authors: Wu Haiping , Chai Kai
Published: June 2021

Due to the limitation of working environment and structure conditions, it is difficult to directly measure the propeller excitation of ship propulsion shafting system. A method based on waveguide function and modal method combining with shafting vibration response measurement was proposed to estimate the propeller longitudinal excitation indirectly. Firstly, a waveguide transfer model for the general structure of the propulsion shafting is proposed that is suitable for estimating propeller excitation from shafting vibration response. Secondly, the longitudinal excitation of the propeller is calculated by measuring the waveguide coefficients of any shaft sections via the proposed hybrid method. Finally, the scheme is verified by a concrete example. The simulation results prove its feasibility and effectiveness for estimating propeller excitation by measuring the shafting vibration response, which provides a novel scheme for accurately grasping the propeller excitation and effectively controlling the vibration and noise of hull structure.
Sucker rod pump downhole dynamometer card determination based on a novel finite element method
Authors: Eisner Patrick , Langbauer Clemens , Fruhwirth Rudolf
Published: June 2021

An advanced dynamic finite element model is presented that diagnoses the downhole pump performance of sucker rod pumping systems, applicable for any pumping conditions and equipment used. The results are compared to downhole measurements and other evaluation techniques. Buckling is an undesirable phenomenon occurring in sucker rod pumping. It essentially depends on the plunger load, which is a function of time and typically not measured but evaluated by diagnostic tools. Existing diagnostic tools exhibit specific limitations that reduce their applicability and output quality. This paper introduces a diagnostic tool, which can predict the rod string's stress field and its movement not only at the pump plunger but all along the rod string. Moreover, this tool can account for the interaction between rod guides and tubing as well as rod string and tubing. To this end, innovative tube-to-tube contact modeling is applied. The high precision results are accomplished by running a dynamic finite element simulation. The basic principle is to evaluate the plunger load incrementally by consecutively applying restarts of each time step, fully automated and computation time optimized. This publication shows that both the plunger load and the rod string’s dynamic behavior can be determined for any given wellbore as long as the borehole trajectory and surface dynamometer measurements are known. The dynamic finite element model is evaluated for a deviated system and a vertical system equipped with two different downhole pump types. Comparing the simulation results with the available downhole measurements and the analytical solution shows an excellent match, whereas the proposed solution provides a considerable amount of details about the overall system’s behavior. The evaluation has shown that the performance of standard and novel downhole pump types can be successfully diagnosed in detail, which is just possible under limitations with commercial software solutions. This tool can correctly predict whether or not the sucker rod string is subjected to buckling during the downstroke, which has a considerable effect on increasing the mean time between failures of a sucker rod pumping system. From the economic point of view, this means that the economic limit of a wellbore can be postponed. The novelty of the shown technique is the consideration of the full 3D trajectory and the implementation of only physical properties, result in an excellent accuracy of the output.
Lyapunov approach and global stability of Ebola virus infection model of an individual cells population
Authors: Lasisi Nurudeen Oluwasola
Published: June 2021

Ebola virus is among the most dangerous and devastating threats to human health, causing a large number of fatalities. In this paper, a mathematical modelling for the dynamics of Ebola virus infectious of an individual is presented as a system of nonlinear differential equations. The model has two equilibrium states namely, virus free equilibrium (VFE) and virus persistence equilibrium (VPE) states. The Effective reproduction number was obtained. The conditions under which the virus-free-equilibrium is globally asymptotically stable with the approach of linear Lyapunov function are shown when the effective reproduction numbers is less than unity. The nonlinear Lyapunov approach is employed to show the global stability of the endemic equilibrium only when the effective reproduction number is greater than unity. It was found that VFE is globally asymptotically stable if effective reproduction numbers is less than unity and VPE is globally asymptotically stable if MN.
Nanotechnology application in water resource management
Authors: Boroomandnia Arezoo , Bozorg-Haddad Omid , Yu Jimmy , Darestani Mariam
Published: June 2021

Fast-growing water demand, population growth, global climate change, and water quality deterioration all drive scientists to apply novel approaches to water resource management. Nanotechnology is one of the state-of-the-art tools in scientists’ hands which they can use to meet human water needs via reuse of water and utilizing unconventional water resources. Additionally, monitoring water supply systems using new nanomaterials provides more efficient water distribution networks. In this chapter, we consider the generic concepts of nanotechnology and its effects on water resources management strategies. A wide range of nanomaterials and nanotechnologies, including nano-adsorbents, nano-photocatalysts, and nano-membranes, are introduced to explain the role of nanotechnology in providing new water resources to meet growing demand. Also, nanomaterial application as a water alternative in industry, reducing water demand in the industrial sector, is presented. Another revolution made by nanomaterials, also discussed in this chapter, is their use in water supply systems for monitoring probable leakage and leakage reduction. Finally, we present case studies that clarify the influence of nanotechnology on water resources and their management strategies. These case studies prove the importance and inevitable application of nanotechnology to satisfy the rising water demand in the modern world, and show the necessity of nanotechnology awareness for today's water experts.
Comprehensive integrated water management
Authors: Rezaee Alireza , Bozorg-Haddad Omid , Brendtsson Ronny , Singh Vijay P.
Published: June 2021

Improper utilization of water resources has the potential to result in reduced availability of high-quality water and adverse effects on societal development. In fact, what appears to be a serious gap in comprehensive water resources studies is the lack of a coherent approach that can link different social, economic and environmental parts within the framework of the integrated water management paradigm to extract strategies and operational plans. Comprehensive water resources management (CWRM) is a process that intends to develop and manage water, land and other resources in a way that maximizes the social and economic well-being of human societies, without compromising the integrity and sustainability of vital ecosystems and future benefits. This chapter discusses the definitions of integrated and comprehensive water resources management describing the steps of using integrated management in practical examples.
Virtual water
Authors: Delpasand Mohammad , Bozorg-Haddad Omid , Goharian Erfan
Published: June 2021

In many regions of the world, water scarcity has created numerous problems for the supply of domestic water use, agricultural production, and for the human life cycle in general. Perhaps in the near future water will be synonymous with gold. Over the past two decades, the virtual water concept has become known as a mitigating water scarcity crisis solution which can balance the unequal distribution of world water resources. Virtual water is the amount of water that a product consumes in a production process from start to end. Developers of the virtual water idea believe that by exporting and importing commodities, large volumes of water can be traded which is referred to as virtual water trading. In the theory of virtual water trade, in order to reduce the pressure on water resources, it is recommended that water-scarce countries import products instead of producing them from internal water sources and allocate these water resources for other lucrative business activities. Therefore, in this chapter, the virtual water concept and its specifications and evaluations are fully explained.
Water footprint
Authors: Delpasand Mohammad , Bozorg-Haddad Omid , Goharian Erfan
Published: June 2021

Uneven water distribution in the world is the main reason today that some countries face problems due to water scarcity. Human activities consume and pollute large amounts of water. Globally, agriculture is the largest water user by volume. However, the water used by industrial and household sectors is still significant. Water consumption and pollution are caused by specific activities such as irrigation, bathing, washing, cleaning, cooling and by various other processes. Little attention has been paid to how much water use and pollution ultimately result from such activities, and how much water is consumed by communities, compared to the attention paid to the structure of the public economy that supplies consumer goods and services. Overall, to mitigate water scarcity problems, there are several approaches that can be made, such as inter-basin water transfer, increasing efficiency of water consumption and also using new concepts such as virtual water and the water footprint. The footprint of a product is the amount of fresh water used to produce it, measured across the complete supply chain. Water footprint is a multidimensional indicator that shows the amount of water consumed by the source as well as the amount and types of contamination.
Water security
Authors: Baghban Sahar , Bozorg-Haddad Omid , Berndtsson Ronny
Published: June 2021

Today, the concept of security manifests itself in a number of forms in most scientific, social, environmental, and political issues. One of the most essential and prominent types of security issue faced today is water security, which has introduced a complex and new concept to the literature of today's world. Not only has the current water crisis in most parts of the world increased the risk of military conflicts between countries, but the value of safe water will become even more apparent in the coming decades, which is why water security will have a special importance in the modern world. Water security is a concept that has attracted particular attention in recent decades from various dimensions. Estimates show that by 2100, the planet's population will increase from the current 7.7 billion (7.7 × 109) to 11.2 billion, and that providing adequate safe water for such a population is one of the significant challenges facing humans – because the world's freshwater resources are not just for individual consumption and for the environment, but they are also vital for the agricultural, energy, industrial, and transportation sectors. Therefore, it should be noted that the existing world water resources, both in terms of quantity and quality, are at a critical stage. However, the severity of this problem varies from region to region, with regions such as the Middle East and South Africa at greater risk of water scarcity. Water security is therefore a vital issue for all of us. This chapter first outlines the concept of water security from different perspectives, emphasizing that water security is a multifaceted issue, before finally examining solutions and policies to address to the challenges.
Forensic engineering
Authors: Zarei Manizhe , Bozorg-Haddad Omid , Singh Vijay P.
Published: June 2021

Throughout history, natural events such as floods, droughts, fires, lightning, and storms have caused significant losses of life and property. To mitigate the hazardous consequences of such events, or ‘failures’ (as they are referred to), a number of questions can be asked, such as: ‘What are the causes of these events?’; ‘What natural factors cause these events?’; ‘What is the human role in the occurrence of these events?’; ‘Who is to blame for such events?’; and ‘What actions should be taken to prevent such events from happening?’ The forensic engineering approach allows us to answer these questions. Forensic engineering, a term developed in recent years, allows us to identify the causes of events by looking back and analyzing the relationship between an event's causes and their consequences; it is a useful tool for determining the natural or human causes of events that lead to disasters. Forensic hydrology is a branch of forensic engineering and applies directly to floods and droughts but is not limited to these events. Forensic hydrology is also used for the historical assessment and analysis of events such as water pollution, drying of lakes and rivers, the drying up (or significant reduction in the water table) of wells, and the infiltration of saline water into freshwater. Forensic hydrology analyzes event evidence and data from a variety of perspectives. Examining the origins and mechanisms of such events to find their causes can lead to better water management, allocation and improved use, and can also help to prevent or minimize severe damage. This chapter provides an introduction to forensic engineering and describes the processes which should be followed to evaluate hazardous events.
Construction and Optimization of Herpes Simplex Virus Vectors for Central
Nervous System Gene Delivery based on CRISPR/Cas9-mediated Genome
Editing
Authors: Cao Xia , Huang Xinwei , Li Xiuqing , Yang Lijuan , Wang Pengfei , Yan Jingyuan , Nie Zuqing , Gao Yingzheng , Li Zhiwei , Wen Jie
Published: June 2021

Aims:

We aim to define parameters that affect the safety and long-term transgene expression
of attenuated HSV-1 vectors and optimize the expression cassettes to achieve robust and sustained
expression in CNS.

Background:

Engineered, attenuated Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV) vectors are promising vehicles for
gene delivery to the peripheral and central nervous systems. The virus latent promoter (LAP) is commonly
used to drive exogenous gene expression; however, parameters affecting the safety and longterm
transgene expression of attenuated HSV-1 vectors have not been fully understood.

Objective:

The study aimed at using CRISPR-Cas9 system to construct attenuated HSV-1 vectors and
examine the influence of transgene cassette construction and insertion site on transgene expression
and vector safety.

Method:

In this study, we used a CRISPR-Cas9 system to accurately and efficiently edit attenuated
HSV-1 strain 1716, and construct two series of recombinant virus LMR and LMRx with different sets
of gene cassettes insertion in Exon1(LAP2) and 2.0 kb intron downstream of LAP, respectively. The
transgene expression and viral gene transcriptional kinetics were compared in in vitro cell lines. The
reporter gene expression and safety profiles of each vector were further evaluated in mouse hippocampus
gene transduction model.

Result:

The in vitro cell line analysis indicated that the insertion of a gene expression cassette would
disrupt virus gene transcription. Mouse hippocampus transducing analysis suggested that complete
expression cassette insertion at 2.0 kb intron could achieve robust and longtime gene expression than
the other constructs. Recombinants with gene expression cassettes lacking Poly (A) induced significant
neuronal inflammation due to persistent viral antigen expression and microglia activation.

Conclusion:

Our results indicated that the integrity of LAT transcripts was not necessary for establishment
of long-term latent expression. Exogenous strong promoters (like cBh promoter) could remain
active during latency when placed in Exon1 or 2.0 Kb Intron of LAT locus, although their transcriptional
activity declined with time. Consistent with previous research, the foreign gene expression
would last much longer when the gene cassette was located downstream of Exon1, which suggested a
role of LAP2 in maintaining promoter activity during latency. Besides, over-transcription of the
downstream part of LAT may induce continuous activation of the attenuated vectors, which suggests
an important role of LAT in maintaining viral reactivation potential.
Brain MRI in Monogenic Cerebral Small Vessel Diseases:
A Practical Handbook
Authors: Ulivi Leonardo , Cosottini Mirco , Migaleddu Gianmichele , Orlandi Giovanni , Giannini Nicola , Siciliano Gabriele , Mancuso Michelangelo
Published: June 2021

:

Monogenic cerebral small vessel diseases are a topic of growing interest, as
several genes responsible have been recently described, and new sequencing
techniques such as Next-generation sequencing are available. Brain imaging is
significant for the detection of these diseases. Since it is often performed at an initial
stage, an MRI is a key to selecting patients for genetic testing and for interpreting nextgeneration
sequencing reports. In addition, neuroimaging can be helpful in describing
the underlying pathological mechanisms involved in cerebral small vessel disease. In
this review, we aim to provide neurologists and stroke physicians with an up-to-date
overview of the current neuroimaging knowledge on monogenic small vessel diseases.
The Digital Divide and Seeking Health Information on Smartphones in Asia: Survey Study of Ten Countries
Authors: Wang Xiaohui , Shi Jingyuan , Lee Kwan Min
Published: June 2021

Background

Although recent developments in mobile health have elevated the importance of how smartphones empower individuals to seek health information, research investigating this phenomenon in Asian countries has been rare.

Objective

The goal of our study was to provide a comprehensive profile of mobile health information seekers and to examine the individual- and country-level digital divide in Asia.

Methods

With survey data from 10 Asian countries (N=9086), we ran multilevel regression models to assess the effect of sociodemographic factors, technological factors, and country-level disparities on using smartphones to seek health information.

Results

Respondents who were women (β=.13, P<.001), parents (β=.16, P<.001), employed (β=.08, P=.002), of higher social status (β=.08, P<.001), and/or from countries with low health expenditures (β=.19, P=.02) were more likely to use smartphones to seek health information. In terms of technological factors, technology innovativeness (β=.10, P<.001) and frequency of smartphone use (β=.42, P<.001) were important factors of health information seeking, whereas the effect of online information quality was marginal (β=–.04, P<.001).

Conclusions

Among smartphone users in Asia, health information seeking varies according to individuals’ socioeconomic status, their innovativeness toward technology, and their frequency of smartphone use. Although smartphones widen the digital divide among individuals with different socioeconomic status, they also bridge the divide between countries with varying health expenditures. Smartphones appear to be a particularly useful complement to manage health in developing countries.
Exploratory Outlier Detection for Acceleromyographic Neuromuscular Monitoring: Machine Learning Approach
Authors: Verdonck Michaël , Carvalho Hugo , Berghmans Johan , Forget Patrice , Poelaert Jan
Published: June 2021

Background

Perioperative quantitative monitoring of neuromuscular function in patients receiving neuromuscular blockers has
become internationally recognized as an absolute and core necessity in modern anesthesia care. Because of their kinetic nature, artifactual recordings of acceleromyography-based neuromuscular monitoring devices are not unusual. These generate a great deal of cynicism among anesthesiologists, constituting an obstacle toward their widespread adoption. Through outlier analysis techniques, monitoring devices can learn to detect and flag signal abnormalities. Outlier analysis (or anomaly detection) refers to the problem of finding patterns in data that do not conform to expected behavior.

Objective

This study was motivated by the development of a smartphone app intended for neuromuscular monitoring based on combined accelerometric and angular hand movement data. During the paired comparison stage of this app against existing acceleromyography monitoring devices, it was noted that the results from both devices did not always concur. This study aims to engineer a set of features that enable the detection of outliers in the form of erroneous train-of-four (TOF) measurements from an acceleromyographic-based device. These features are tested for their potential in the detection of erroneous TOF measurements by developing an outlier detection algorithm.

Methods

A data set encompassing 533 high-sensitivity TOF measurements from 35 patients was created based on a multicentric open label trial of a purpose-built accelero- and gyroscopic-based neuromuscular monitoring app. A basic set of features was extracted based on raw data while a second set of features was purpose engineered based on TOF pattern characteristics. Two cost-sensitive logistic regression (CSLR) models were deployed to evaluate the performance of these features. The final output of the developed models was a binary classification, indicating if a TOF measurement was an outlier or not.

Results

A total of 7 basic features were extracted based on raw data, while another 8 features were engineered based on TOF pattern characteristics. The model training and testing were based on separate data sets: one with 319 measurements (18 outliers) and a second with 214 measurements (12 outliers). The F1 score (95% CI) was 0.86 (0.48-0.97) for the CSLR model with engineered features, significantly larger than the CSLR model with the basic features (0.29 [0.17-0.53]; P<.001).

Conclusions

The set of engineered features and their corresponding incorporation in an outlier detection algorithm have the potential to increase overall neuromuscular monitoring data consistency. Integrating outlier flagging algorithms within neuromuscular monitors could potentially reduce overall acceleromyography-based reliability issues.

Trial Registration

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03605225; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03605225
Social Media Insights During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Infodemiology Study Using Big Data
Authors: Tran Huyen Thi Thanh , Lu Shih-Hao , Tran Ha Thi Thu , Nguyen Bien Van
Published: June 2021

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic is still undergoing complicated developments in Vietnam and around the world. There is a lot of information about the COVID-19 pandemic, especially on the internet where people can create and share information quickly. This can lead to an infodemic, which is a challenge every government might face in the fight against pandemics.

Objective

This study aims to understand public attention toward the pandemic (from December 2019 to November 2020) through 7 types of sources: Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, blogs, news sites, forums, and e-commerce sites.

Methods

We collected and analyzed nearly 38 million pieces of text data from the aforementioned sources via SocialHeat, a social listening (infoveillance) platform developed by YouNet Group. We described not only public attention volume trends, discussion sentiments, top sources, top posts that gained the most public attention, and hot keyword frequency but also hot keywords’ co-occurrence as visualized by the VOSviewer software tool.

Results

In this study, we reached four main conclusions. First, based on changing discussion trends regarding the COVID-19 subject, 7 periods were identified based on events that can be aggregated into two pandemic waves in Vietnam. Second, community pages on Facebook were the source of the most engagement from the public. However, the sources with the highest average interaction efficiency per article were government sources. Third, people’s attitudes when discussing the pandemic have changed from negative to positive emotions. Fourth, the type of content that attracts the most interactions from people varies from time to time. Besides that, the issue-attention cycle theory occurred not only once but four times during the COVID-19 pandemic in Vietnam.

Conclusions

Our study shows that online resources can help the government quickly identify public attention to public health messages during times of crisis. We also determined the hot spots that most interested the public and public attention communication patterns, which can help the government get practical information to make more effective policy reactions to help prevent the spread of the pandemic.
Challenges With Developing Secure Mobile Health Applications: Systematic Review (Preprint)
Authors: Aljedaani Bakheet , Babar M Ali
Published: June 2021

BACKGROUND

Mobile health (mHealth) apps have gained significant popularity over the last few years due to their tremendous benefits, such as lowering health care costs and increasing patient awareness. However, the sensitivity of health care data makes the security of mHealth apps a serious concern. Poor security practices and lack of security knowledge on the developers’ side can cause several vulnerabilities in mHealth apps.

OBJECTIVE

In this review paper, we aimed to identify and analyze the reported challenges concerning security that developers of mHealth apps face. Additionally, our study aimed to develop a conceptual framework with the challenges for developing secure apps faced by mHealth app development organizations. The knowledge of such challenges can help to reduce the risk of developing insecure mHealth apps.

METHODS

We followed the systematic literature review method for this review. We selected studies that were published between January 2008 and October 2020 since the major app stores launched in 2008. We selected 32 primary studies using predefined criteria and used a thematic analysis method for analyzing the extracted data.

RESULTS

Of the 1867 articles obtained, 32 were included in this review based on the predefined criteria. We identified 9 challenges that can affect the development of secure mHealth apps. These challenges include lack of security guidelines and regulations for developing secure mHealth apps (20/32, 63%), developers’ lack of knowledge and expertise for secure mHealth app development (18/32, 56%), lack of stakeholders’ involvement during mHealth app development (6/32, 19%), no/little developer attention towards the security of mHealth apps (5/32, 16%), lack of resources for developing a secure mHealth app (4/32, 13%), project constraints during the mHealth app development process (4/32, 13%), lack of security testing during mHealth app development (4/32, 13%), developers’ lack of motivation and ethical considerations (3/32, 9%), and lack of security experts’ engagement during mHealth app development (2/32, 6%). Based on our analysis, we have presented a conceptual framework that highlights the correlation between the identified challenges.

CONCLUSIONS

While mHealth app development organizations might overlook security, we conclude that our findings can help them to identify the weaknesses and improve their security practices. Similarly, mHealth app developers can identify the challenges they face to develop mHealth apps that do not pose security risks for users. Our review is a step towards providing insights into the development of secure mHealth apps. Our proposed conceptual framework can act as a practice guideline for practitioners to enhance secure mHealth app development.
Understanding Pre-exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) Use Among Men Who Have Sex with Men for Technological Design in Taiwan: A Qualitative Interview Study (Preprint)
Authors: Yuan Chien-Wen Tina , Tseng Yuan-Chi , Hung Yi-Chen , Wu Huei-Jiuan , Yu Yi-Fang , Ku Stephane Wen-Wei , Li Chia-Wen , Strong Carol
Published: June 2021

BACKGROUND

Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) can protect men who have sex with men (MSM) against HIV. However, the awareness and adoption about PrEP were low in Taiwan. One way to support and sustain patients’ PrEP use is through technological mediation. However, despite the prevalence of relevant technologies, little work has been conducted from the perspective of human-centered design to understand MSM’s needs and practices around PrEP so as to design useful and usable technological platforms for them.

OBJECTIVE

Our work intends to examine the practices of MSM who are current PrEP takers. We draw on the theoretical framework of social ecological model and propose theory-driven discussions and user-centered design implications for future technologies.

METHODS

We conducted in-depth interviews with 22 participants recruited through purposive sampling. Each interview lasted around 60 minutes and was audio recorded, transcribed, and analyzed with thematic analysis.

RESULTS

We identified three levels of influences, including individual, interpersonal, and sociocultural that shape the enablers, inhibitors, risks and challenges, and support towards MSM’s PrEP use. In general, the enabling factors include perceived self-risks, partner’s conditions, and the socially constructed notion of being gay and a high perceived susceptibility to HIV. The inhibiting factors are the concerns over PrEP’s effectiveness, its price, impression management of using PrEP online and offline, as well as associated negative implications about PrEP taking from the community. The risks and challenges were associated with participants’ switching of PrEP-taking styles, unscheduled sex practices with partner(s), and the general PrEP access. Last, the support our participants need is assistance with recording and reminding of medicine use; information, emotional comfort, and executive assistance provided by the healthcare professionals; and a healthy community where PrEP is recognized and supported. We also propose correspondent technological designs to support what we found based on the understanding about our participants.

CONCLUSIONS

It takes the whole society from multiple levels to promote and sustain target populations’ PrEP adoption. Our study identifies important factors at the individual, interpersonal, and sociocultural level about participants’ PrEP practices. We also suggest several technological design implications for future technologies to consider.
Computerized Clinical Decision Support Systems for the Early Detection of Sepsis Among Adult Inpatients: Scoping Review (Preprint)
Authors: Ackermann Khalia , Baker Jannah , Green Malcolm , Fullick Mary , Varinli Hilal , Westbrook Johanna , Li Ling
Published: June 2021

BACKGROUND

Sepsis is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Early detection of sepsis followed promptly by treatment initiation improves patient outcomes and saves lives. Hospitals are increasingly using computerized clinical decision support (CCDS) systems for the rapid identification of adult patients with sepsis.

OBJECTIVE

This scoping review aims to systematically describe studies reporting on the use and evaluation of CCDS systems for the early detection of adult inpatients with sepsis.

METHODS

The protocol for this scoping review was previously published. A total of 10 electronic databases (MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, the Cochrane database, LILACS [Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences Literature], Scopus, Web of Science, OpenGrey, ClinicalTrials.gov, and PQDT [ProQuest Dissertations and Theses]) were comprehensively searched using terms for sepsis, CCDS, and detection to identify relevant studies. Title, abstract, and full-text screening were performed by 2 independent reviewers using predefined eligibility criteria. Data charting was performed by 1 reviewer with a second reviewer checking a random sample of studies. Any disagreements were discussed with input from a third reviewer. In this review, we present the results for adult inpatients, including studies that do not specify patient age.

RESULTS

A search of the electronic databases retrieved 12,139 studies following duplicate removal. We identified 124 studies for inclusion after title, abstract, full-text screening, and hand searching were complete. Nearly all studies (121/124, 97.6%) were published after 2009. Half of the studies were journal articles (65/124, 52.4%), and the remainder were conference abstracts (54/124, 43.5%) and theses (5/124, 4%). Most studies used a single cohort (54/124, 43.5%) or before-after (42/124, 33.9%) approach. Across all 124 included studies, patient outcomes were the most frequently reported outcomes (107/124, 86.3%), followed by sepsis treatment and management (75/124, 60.5%), CCDS usability (14/124, 11.3%), and cost outcomes (9/124, 7.3%). For sepsis identification, the systemic inflammatory response syndrome criteria were the most commonly used, alone (50/124, 40.3%), combined with organ dysfunction (28/124, 22.6%), or combined with other criteria (23/124, 18.5%). Over half of the CCDS systems (68/124, 54.8%) were implemented alongside other sepsis-related interventions.

CONCLUSIONS

The current body of literature investigating the implementation of CCDS systems for the early detection of adult inpatients with sepsis is extremely diverse. There is substantial variability in study design, CCDS criteria and characteristics, and outcomes measured across the identified literature. Future research on CCDS system usability, cost, and impact on sepsis morbidity is needed.

INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT

RR2-10.2196/24899
The Relationship Between Paternal Preconception Obesity and Health Behaviors and Childhood Obesity: Protocol for a Systematic Review (Preprint)
Authors: Laforest Marie-Eve , Ward Stephanie , Landry Liette-Andrée , Mobetty Fabrice
Published: June 2021

BACKGROUND

Childhood obesity is a global public health concern and is a priority for researchers and policy makers. To overcome the epidemic of obesity, influencing factors throughout the life span need to be addressed, including those in the preconception period. A better understanding of the association between paternal preconception factors and childhood obesity is important for public health interventions.

OBJECTIVE

This systematic review will examine the relationship between paternal preconception obesity and health behaviors and their offspring’s overweight or obesity.

METHODS

Peer-reviewed quantitative studies and grey literature that report associations between paternal preconception obesity and health behaviors—such as smoking, exercise, and eating habits—and childhood overweight and obesity will be identified through a computerized literature search in 7 databases. The quality of each study will be assessed using the Quality Assessment Tool for Quantitative Studies. Characteristics of the included studies will be reported, and relevant findings from each paternal preconception exposure will be narratively synthesized. This review will follow the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses) 2020 guidelines.

RESULTS

This systematic review is anticipated to begin in December 2021 and be completed by the end of August 2022.

CONCLUSIONS

This systematic review will contribute to a better understanding of the relationship between preconception paternal exposures and their offspring’s overweight or obesity. Findings will help support health professionals working with prospective parents to educate fathers on the benefits of improving their weight and health behaviors during the preconception period.

INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT

PRR1-10.2196/31254
Electronic Medical Record and Clinical Evaluation of Two Patient Cohorts at Risk of Hypophosphatasia: Family History is an Underutilized Tool to Diagnose Patients with Rare Disease (Preprint)
Authors: Peroutka Christina , Beck Natalie , Gough Ethan , Marzinke Mark , Hoover-Fong Julie
Published: June 2021

BACKGROUND

Family history (FH) is a powerful tool in screening and testing for chronic disease, oncologic conditions, and other genetic diagnoses, and is dependent upon observing patterns of features inherited across generations. Despite acceptance of FH as a fundamental part of a genetic medicine evaluation, there are limited data in other medical fields about its utility and benefit to patients. To date, there are no published data pertaining to the clinical utility of FH to diagnose individuals with hypophosphatasia (HPP), a rare genetic low bone density condition.

OBJECTIVE

To compare FH recorded in the electronic medical record (EMR) of patients at risk of HPP before a genetic medicine encounter to that learned during that clinical evaluation.

METHODS

We evaluated two patient populations at-risk of a rare metabolic condition-- hypophosphatasia (HPP)—for the quality and quantity of FH data in their medical records. Population 1 was derived from patients seeking evaluation for a low bone density diagnosis at the Johns Hopkins Greenberg Center for Skeletal Dysplasias (GCSD); population 2 was identified through a targeted electronic medical record (EMR) query of low serum alkaline phosphatase (AP) measurements obtained through the Johns Hopkins Clinical Laboratory.

RESULTS

In population 1 (n = 38), 27 (71%) were confirmed to have HPP. Of these, 14 (52%) presented with FH information in the EMR from 3 or more family members, and in 4 (15%) FH was suggestive of HPP. In population 2 (n=348), a similar proportion of subjects had 3 or more family members mentioned in the EMR (183 or 53%), but only 3 subjects (1%) included sufficient detail to determine that the family history was suggestive of HPP. Notably, once all patients in population 1 completed a medical genetics evaluation and HPP was confirmed, 20 (74%) had probable affected family members identified through obtaining and analyzing a pedigree. After cascade testing was offered to these family members, 17 patients (71%) from population 1 had at least one family member with HPP confirmed at a molecular level.

CONCLUSIONS

Based on these results, we propose that a full genetic medicine evaluation of those subjects from population 2 at highest risk of HPP would confirm HPP in many of them and identify similarly affected family members. We propose that taking a FH refines the diagnostic precision for patients with low bone density and identifies affected family members, and that HPP is likely more prevalent than previously thought.

CLINICALTRIAL

n/a
Designing Ruby: Protocol for a 2-Arm, Brief, Digital Randomized Controlled Trial for Internalized Weight Bias (Preprint)
Authors: Hopkins Christina M , Miller Hailey N , Brooks Taylor L , Mo-Hunter Lihua , Steinberg Dori M , Bennett Gary G
Published: June 2021

BACKGROUND

Weight bias internalization, also known as weight self-stigma, is a serious health concern for individuals with higher body weight. Weight bias internalization is associated with the greater avoidance of health care and health-promoting activities, disordered eating, social isolation, and weight gain. Elevated weight bias internalization has been associated with low self-compassion, yet few investigations have explored self-compassion as a potential mechanism for reducing internalized weight bias.

OBJECTIVE

Ruby is a 2-arm randomized controlled trial that was designed to test the efficacy of a 4-week digital self-compassion intervention to reduce internalized weight bias compared with a wait-list control.

METHODS

Adults with elevated internalized weight bias and a BMI of >30 kg/m2 (N=80) were recruited. Ruby is a standalone digital trial that will be delivered entirely via a smartphone and will involve web-based data collection and text messages. The intervention content will include psychoeducation and daily mindfulness practices with a focus on self-compassion and body concerns. We will use intent-to-treat analyses to examine changes in weight bias internalization throughout time by treatment arm. The analyses will be conducted by using one-way analysis of covariance models and linear mixed models.

RESULTS

The protocol was designed in May 2020 and approved in December 2020. Data collection is currently underway.

CONCLUSIONS

Ruby will be the first digital standalone, self-compassion–based intervention designed to reduce internalized weight bias. Owing to its standalone digital delivery, Ruby may be a highly scalable treatment for internalized weight bias that can be delivered on its own or combined with other treatments. We expect Ruby to be accessible to many, as participants can access the digital intervention at times of the day that are the most convenient in their schedule and are not burdened by in-person time commitments, which can be a barrier for participants with competing demands on their time and resources. If efficacious, Ruby will be poised to expand a burgeoning body of literature related to psychological intervention in this area.

CLINICALTRIAL

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04678973; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04678973

INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT

DERR1-10.2196/31307
Skin Disease Recognition using Texture Analysis
Authors: Panjwani Prof. M. G.
Published: June 2021

Skin is the primary part of our body, One of the major issues we are facing presently days that's skin illness due to high air pollution. In this research, we are trying to skin illness recognition by using Neural Network which is based on texture analysis. There are many skin infections like Eczema, Acne, Hives, rosacea, psoriasis, etc. In common, these diseases have similarities in the design of contamination and side effects such as redness and rash. Diagnosis and recognition of skin illness take a really long time to handle. The infection determination and recognition gets to be troublesome as the complexity and number of highlights of the infection increases. Thus, a computer helped diagnosis and recognition system is presented. Computer algorithm which contains few steps that are image processing, image feature extraction, segmentation, and classification .of information has been executed with the assistance of a Convolutional neural network (CNN). The CNN can learn designs of side effects of specific infections and makes it speedier.
Emotion Recognizing Virtual Assistant
Authors: Choudhari Prof. Y. D.
Published: June 2021

Virtual Assistants are the most effective product of AI which makes people’s life easier. They are used in many machines. With AI many other technologies are also born like emotion recognition. This paper presents the AI with the feature of emotion recognition. This AI will complete the task by considering the emotion of user. As so as it takes the command it will analyze the task but before it perform it will recognize the emotion of user and then according to it, it will proceed for task completion. We have used Python language with machine learning algorithm. It is very effective to detect the emotions and avoid any problems. It will provide closer interaction with user like friend.
Strength Characteristics of Concrete with Partial Replacement of Cement by Waste Glass Powder
Authors: Vaghela Harsh
Published: June 2021

: In this examination an endeavor is made to contemplate the impact of waste glass power in Concrete utilizing waste glass, which is non biodegradable and not reasonable to landfill. This examination is done to utilize such waste materials into development enterprises with the goal that our current circumstance is free to one of the significant contamination created by the assembling ventures. The primary point of this investigation is to use of waste glass power as a halfway substitution of fine total. In this examination the point is to decide the level of glass substitution, bringing about ideal compressive strength. Substantial ostensible blend of M20 with various rates of Glass power has been assessed according to IS 2386(part IV) and IS 383. Squander glass powder was supplant with fine total in different rates, for example, 5%,10%,15%. Reference substantial blend is likewise made for relative reasons.
A Literature Review on Flexural and Shear Behavior of Geopolymer Concrete Beam with Carbon Fiber
Authors: B. S. Pruthviraj
Published: June 2021

In 1979 Davidovits introduced the Geopolymer concrete to reduce the use of ordinary Portland Cement. The depletion of the ozone layer and global warming issue has increased more awareness of the construction industries to use eco-friendlier materials. The use of Geopolymer technology could reduce the CO2 emission in to the atmosphere, caused by cement industries by about 80%. The use of Geopolymer concrete has started to gain attention in the field of research and construction practices, due to its numerous advantages in using the by-product waste to replace cement and also to reduce the greenhouse gas emission at the time of its production. Fly ash and GGBS which is one of the source materials for Geopolymer binders and also available abundantly in India, but the utilization till date is limited. The recent research about Geopolymer concrete states, that it has the potential to replace the conventional cement based concrete by locally available resources. This paper focuses on presenting a brief historyand also a review of Geopolymer Concrete technology with the aim of introducing the technology and the vast categories of materials that may besynthesizedby alkali activation of alumino silicates.