bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Immunophenotypic challenges in diagnosis of CD79a negativity in a patient with B acute lymphoblastic leukemia harboring intrachromosomal amplification of chromosome 21: a case report
Authors: Berhili A. , Bensalah M. , ElMalki J. , Elyagoubi A. , Seddik R.
Published: October 2021

Background

Being expressed in all stages of B-cell development and having a significant value on the European Group for the Immunological Characterization of Acute Leukemias scoring system, CD79a is considered as an excellent pan-marker for lineage assignment of B cells by flow cytometry. Therefore, any lack or decrease in CD79a expression makes the diagnosis of B acute lymphoblastic leukemia cases very challenging, especially in developing country laboratories where flow cytometry analyses are not always available and, when they are, they are limited in the number of markers used for lineage assignment. Since this case is potentially interesting, we report a B acute lymphoblastic leukemia case with a lack of expression CD79a associated with intrachromosomal amplification of chromosome 21 genetic abnormality. We further discuss the practical challenges in the diagnosis of this case.

Case presentation

We present the case of an 8-year-old Caucasian boy from eastern Morocco who was initially hospitalized for a hemorrhagic syndrome. Peripheral blood smear examination showed a significant number of blasts suggesting acute leukemia. Bone marrow was studied for morphology, cytochemistry, immunophenotyping, and cytogenetics. Flow cytometry analyses showed expression of CD19, CD22, CD10, CD34, and HLA-DR markers by leukemic blasts. The expression of CD79a, which was checked with two different monoclonal antibodies, confirms that this marker was severely decreased in this case. Cytogenetic study performed by fluorescence in situ hybridization revealed the presence of intrachromosomal amplification of chromosome 21, a cytogenetic abnormality that is specific for B acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Conclusion

CD79a is one of the critical markers in the assignment of B acute lymphoblastic leukemia. In our case, we were lucky enough to be assisted by a few other markers of the B lineage that were positive in this case. Also, we mention the importance of proceeding to cytogenetic study, which in our case helped us to confirm the diagnosis made by flow cytometry by highlighting a cytogenetic abnormality that is specific to B acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
Factors associated with access to condoms and sources of condoms during the COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa
Authors: Bolarinwa Obasanjo Afolabi
Published: October 2021

Background

Evidence has shown that the prescribed lockdown and physical distancing due to the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have made accessing essential health care services much more difficult in low-and middle-income countries. Access to contraception is an essential service and should not be denied, even in a global crisis, because of its associated health benefits. Therefore, it is important to maintain timely access to contraception without unnecessary barriers. Hence, this study examines the factors contributing to limited access to condoms and sources of condoms during the COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa.

Methods

This study used the National Income Dynamics Study-Coronavirus Rapid Mobile Survey (NIDS-CRAM) wave 1 survey dataset. The NIDS-CRAM is a nationally representative survey of the National Income Dynamics Survey (NIDS) conducted via telephone interview during COVID-19 in the year 2020. This is the first secondary dataset on COVID-19 conducted by NIDS during pandemic. A total of 5304 respondents were included in the study. Data were analysed using frequencies distribution percentages, chi-square test and multivariable logistic regression analysis.

Results

Almost one-quarter (22.40%) of South Africans could not access condoms, and every 7 in 10 South Africans preferred public source of condoms during the COVID-19 pandemic. Those who were from other population groups [AOR = 0.37; 95% CI = 0.19–0.74] and those who were in the third wealth quintile [AOR = 0.60; 95% CI = 0.38–0.93] had lower odds of having access to condoms while those respondents who were aged 25–34 [AOR = 0.48; 95% CI = 0.27–0.83] and those with a secondary level of education and above [AOR = 0.24; 95% CI = 0.08–0.71] were less likely to prefer public source of condom.

Conclusions

This study concludes that there was limited access to condoms during the COVID-19 pandemic and that the preferred source of condoms was very skewed to public sources in South Africa. Strategic interventions such as community distribution of free condoms to avert obstruction of condom access during the COVID-19 pandemic or any future pandemics should be adopted.
Gut microbiota response to antibiotics is personalized and depends on baseline microbiota
Authors: Rashidi Armin , Ebadi Maryam , Rehman Tauseef Ur , Elhusseini Heba , Nalluri Harika , Kaiser Thomas , Holtan Shernan G. , Khoruts Alexander , Weisdorf Daniel J. , Staley Christopher
Published: October 2021

Background

The magnitude of microbiota perturbations after exposure to antibiotics varies among individuals. It has been suggested that the composition of pre-treatment microbiota underpins personalized responses to antibiotics. However, this hypothesis has not been directly tested in humans. In this high-throughput amplicon study, we analyzed 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequences of 260 stool samples collected twice weekly from 39 patients with acute leukemia during their ~ 4 weeks of hospitalization for chemotherapy while they received multiple antibiotics.

Results

Despite heavy and sustained antibiotic pressure, microbial communities in samples from the same patient remained more similar to one another than to those from other patients. Principal component mixed effect regression using microbiota and granular antibiotic exposure data showed that microbiota departures from baseline depend on the composition of the pre-treatment microbiota. Penalized generalized estimating equations identified 6 taxa within pre-treatment microbiota that predicted the extent of antibiotic-induced perturbations.

Conclusions

Our results indicate that specific species in pre-treatment microbiota determine personalized microbiota responses to antibiotics in humans. Thus, precision interventions targeting pre-treatment microbiota may prevent antibiotic-induced dysbiosis and its adverse clinical consequences.
Mental health risk factors during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Prata Ribeiro Henrique , Ponte André , Raimundo Miguel , Reis Marques Tiago
Published: October 2021

Background

During the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, distancing measures were enforced to reduce virus spread, which likely had an impact on the overall mental health of the population.

Aims

To investigate the prevalence of mental health outcomes (depression, anxiety and insomnia), and associated risk factors, during a physical distancing period imposed in the first wave of COVID-19.

Method

During the first month of Portugal's state of emergency, an online survey was created and disseminated through social media channels. Sociodemographic and clinical variables were assessed via self-reported questionnaires. Univariate linear regressions were used to identify associations between the collected variables and mental health outcomes. Multivariate regression analyses were performed to identify independent risk factors for clinical outcomes, with adjustment for potential confounders.

Results

We analysed data from 1626 participants: a significant proportion showed depression (30.2%), anxiety (53.1%) and insomnia (36.3%) symptoms. Multivariate regression models showed that being male and working from home were protective for all mental health outcomes analysed, whereas the perception of infection, being under psychiatric care and taking medication were risk factors (P < 0.05). Days in isolation and being unemployed were risk factors for depression and insomnia (P < 0.05). Younger age and being a student were risk factors for depression, whereas being a healthcare professional was protective (P < 0.05). Indirect contact with COVID-19 was a risk factor for anxiety (P < 0.05).

Conclusions

COVID-19-related distancing measures were associated with high levels of adverse mental health symptoms. Several risk factors were associated with these symptoms, which highlight the importance of identifying vulnerable groups during physical distancing periods.
Naïve Learning with Uninformed Agents
Authors: Banerjee Abhijit , Breza Emily , Chandrasekhar Arun G. , Mobius Markus
Published: October 2021

The DeGroot model has emerged as a credible alternative to the standard Bayesian model for studying learning on networks, offering a natural way to model naïve learning in a complex setting. One unattractive aspect of this model is the assumption that the process starts with every node in the network having a signal. We study a natural extension of the DeGroot model that can deal with sparse initial signals. We show that an agent’s social influence in this generalized DeGroot model is essentially proportional to the degree-weighted share of uninformed nodes who will hear about an event for the first time via this agent. This characterization result then allows us to relate network geometry to information aggregation. We show information aggregation preserves “wisdom” in the sense that initial signals are weighed approximately equally in a model of network formation that captures the sparsity, clustering, and small-world properties of real-world networks. We also identify an example of a network structure where essentially only the signal of a single agent is aggregated, which helps us pinpoint a condition on the network structure necessary for almost full aggregation. Simulating the modeled learning process on a set of real-world networks, we find that there is on average 22.4 percent information loss in these networks. We also explore how correlation in the location of seeds can exacerbate aggregation failure. Simulations with real-world network data show that with clustered seeding, information loss climbs to 34.4 percent. (JEL D83, D85, Z13)
Venting Out: Exports during a Domestic Slump
Authors: Almunia Miguel , Antràs Pol , Lopez-Rodriguez David , Morales Eduardo
Published: October 2021

We study the relationship between domestic-demand shocks and exports using data for Spanish manufacturing firms in 2002–2013. Exploiting plausibly exogenous geographical variation caused by the Great Recession, we find that firms whose domestic sales declined by more experienced a larger increase in export flows, controlling for firms’ supply determinants. This result illustrates the capacity of export markets to counteract the negative impact of local demand shocks. By structurally estimating a heterogeneous-firm model of exporting with nonconstant marginal costs of production, we conclude that these firm-level responses accounted for half of the spectacular increase in Spanish goods exports over the period 2009–2013. (JEL D22, E32, F14, L60)
Constrained Pseudo-Market Equilibrium
Authors: Echenique Federico , Miralles Antonio , Zhang Jun
Published: October 2021

We propose a pseudo-market solution to resource allocation problems subject to constraints. Our treatment of constraints is general: including bihierarchical constraints due to considerations of diversity in school choice, or scheduling in course allocation; and other forms of constraints needed to model, for example, the market for roommates, combinatorial assignment problems, and knapsack constraints. Constraints give rise to pecuniary externalities, which are internalized via prices. Agents pay to the extent that their purchases affect the value the of relevant constraints at equilibrium prices. The result is a constrained-efficient market-equilibrium outcome. The outcome is fair to the extent that constraints treat agents symmetrically. (JEL D47, D61, D63, I11, I21)
Radiation oncology teaching provision and practice prior to and during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in medical schools in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland: a cross-sectional survey
Authors: Walls Gerard M , Houlihan Orla A , Mooney Ciaran , Prince Rebecca , Spencer Katie , Lyons Ciara , Cole Aidan J , McAleer James J , Jones Christopher Mark
Published: October 2021

Objectives:

Radiotherapy is a key cancer treatment modality but is poorly understood by doctors. We sought to evaluate radiation oncology (RO) teaching in medical schools within the United Kingdom (UK) and Republic of Ireland (RoI), as well as any impacts on RO teaching delivery from the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

Methods:

A bespoke online survey instrument was developed, piloted and distributed to oncology teaching leads at all UK and RoI medical schools. Questions were designed to capture information on the structure, format, content and faculty for RO teaching, as well as both the actual and the predicted short- and long-term impacts of COVID-19.

Results:

Responses were received from 29/41 (71%) UK and 5/6 (83%) RoI medical schools. Pre-clinical and clinical oncology teaching was delivered over a median of 2 weeks (IQR 1–6), although only 9 (27%) of 34 responding medical schools had a standalone RO module. RO teaching was most commonly delivered in clinics or wards (n = 26 and 25 respectively). Few medical schools provided teaching on the biological basis for radiotherapy (n = 11) or the RO career pathway (n = 8), and few provide teaching delivered by non-medical RO multidisciplinary team members. There was evidence of short- and long-term disruption to RO teaching from COVID-19.

Conclusions:

RO teaching in the UK and RoI is limited with minimal coverage of relevant theoretical principles and little exposure to radiotherapy departments and their non-medical team members. The COVID-19 pandemic risks exacerbating trainee doctors’ already constrained exposure to radiotherapy.

Advances in knowledge:

This study provides the first analysis of radiotherapy-related teaching in the UK and RoI, and the first to explore the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on radiationoncology teaching.
Improving the data access control using blockchain for healthcare domain
Authors: Tahir Yinka Olaosebikan , Haw Su-Cheng , Yap Timothy Tzen Vun , Subramaniam Samini
Published: October 2021

Introduction: Unauthorized access to data is one of the most significant privacy issues that hinder most industries from adopting big data technologies. Even though specific processes and structures have been put in place to deal with access authorization and identity management for large databases nonetheless, the scalability criteria are far beyond the capabilities of traditional databases. Hence, most researchers are looking into other solutions, such as big data management.

Methods: In this paper, we firstly study the strengths and weaknesses of implementing cryptography and blockchain for identity management and authorization control in big data, focusing on the healthcare domain. Subsequently, we propose a decentralized data access and sharing system that preserves privacy to ensure adequate data access management under the blockchain. In addition, we designed a blockchain framework to resolve the decentralized data access and sharing system privacy issues, by implementing a public key infrastructure model, which utilizes a signature cryptography algorithm (elliptic curve and signcryption). Lastly, we compared the proposed blockchain model to previous techniques to see how well it performed.

Results: We evaluated the blockchain on four performance metrics which include throughput, latency, scalability, and security. The proposed blockchain model was tested using a sample of 5000 patients and 500,000 observations. The performance evaluation results further showed that the proposed model achieves higher throughput and lower latency compared to existing approaches when the workload varies up to 10,000 transactions.

Discussion: This research reviews the importance of blockchains as they provide infinite possibilities to individuals, companies, and governments.
High body-mass index and mortality from cardiometabolic diseases in Peru: a comparative risk assessment analysis
Authors: Guzman-Vilca Wilmer Cristobal , Vascones-Roman Fritz Fidel , Quispe-Villegas Gustavo A. , Carrillo-Larco Rodrigo M.
Published: October 2021

Background: High body-mass index (BMI) is a major contributor to the global burden of cardiometabolic diseases (CMD) like type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and cardiovascular diseases (CVD). We aimed to quantify the mortality burden associated with high BMI in Peru to inform policies and set priorities.

Methods: We computed population attributable fractions (PAF) combining BMI prevalence estimates from the Peruvian Demographic and Health Survey and relative risks between high BMI and CMD mortality from the GBD 2019 Study. PAFs were multiplied by the CMD deaths recorded in the national death registry to obtain the absolute number of CMD deaths attributable to high BMI in each region, sex and five-year age group.

Results: In 2018, the absolute number of T2DM deaths attributable to high BMI in Peru was 1,376 (50.3%) in men and 1,663 (56.0%) in women; the absolute number of CVD deaths related to high BMI was 1,665 in men (23.6%) and 1,551 (24.7%) in women. Most CMD deaths related to high BMI were attributable to obesity class 1 and overweight. Regions with the highest proportions of CMD deaths related to high BMI were in the Amazon (Madre de Dios, Ucayali) and the Coast (Tacna, Moquegua); conversely, regions with the lowest proportions were in the Highlands (Huancavelica, Apurimac).

Conclusions: High BMI is a major contributor to the CMD mortality burden in Peru, with high variability across regions. Health policies need to be strengthened to reduce BMI at the population level, which may have a subsequent reduction in the associated CMD mortality.
КЛАССИФИКАЦИЯ ВНЕКОРНЕВЫХ ЗАБОЛЕВАНИЙ ЯБЛОНЕВЫХ КУЛЬТУР МЕТОДАМИ КОМПЬЮТЕРНОГО ЗРЕНИЯ
Authors: Tereshchenko Sergei N. , Perov Artem A. , Osipov Alexander L.
Published: October 2021

Цель. Разработка модели сверточной нейронной сети для определения внекорневых заболеваний яблонь по фотографиям листьев с мобильного телефона.
Методы и материалы исследования. Материалом для исследований послужили размеченные изображения с различными видами внекорневых заболеваний яблони, опубликованные в открытом доступе платформы Kaggle. Методы исследования: теория проектирования и разработки информационных систем, программирования, методы аугментации и расширения датасетов для задач компьютерного зрения, методы настройки гиперпараметров обучения моделей нейронной сети.
Результаты. Яблоня (Malus) – многолетняя древесная культура рода Malus. Яблоки – основная плодовая культура России. Яблоня как плодовая культура распространена почти во всех странах умеренного климата, а в России она выращивается повсеместно – от северных регионов до юга [3]. Заболевания яблонь является одной из главных причин снижения урожайности садов по всему миру. Для профилактики и раннего предупреждения распространения заболеваний яблонь необходим инструмент в виде модели нейронной сети, позволяющей определить наличия заболевания по фотографии со смартфона листьев яблони. В работе использовались методы глубинного обучения сверточных нейронных сетей, а также концепция «transfer learning». На базе сети EfficientNet была обучена нейронная сеть, позволяющая с точностью 0,9842 по метрике F1-score определять наличие некорневых заболеваний яблони по изображению листьев.
Заключение. Был подготовлен набор данных изображений листьев яблонь, включающий четыре класса, для эффективной классификации нейронной сетью. Два класса с признаками определенного заболевания яблони, один класс для наличия более одного заболевания и один класс для здоровых яблонь. Построена и обучена модель для решения задачи классификации по обнаружению болезни яблонь по изображениям листьев со смартфона.
ОСОБЕННОСТИ ПОКАЗАТЕЛЕЙ СУТОЧНОГО МОНИТОРИРОВАНИЯ АРТЕРИАЛЬНОГО ДАВЛЕНИЯ У ЛИЦ ПОЖИЛОГО ВОЗРАСТА С АРТЕРИАЛЬНОЙ ГИПЕРТОНИЕЙ РАНЕЕ ПРОЖИВАВШИХ В УСЛОВИЯХ ЗАПОЛЯРЬЯ
Authors: Yaskevich Roman A. , Moskalenko Olga L.
Published: October 2021

Цель. Изучение особенностей показателей суточного мониторирования АД у лиц пожилого возраста с АГ, ранее проживавших в условиях Заполярья.

Материалы и методы. В исследовании приняло участие 267 пациентов пришлого населения (европеоидов) обоего пола с АГ, прибывших из Заполярья на постоянное место жительства в Центральную Сибирь. Доля обследуемых лиц пожилого возраста составила 50,9%. Суточное мониторирование АГ проводили с использованием аппарата BPLab МнСДП-2 («Петр Телегин», Россия).

Результаты. В ходе анализа полученных данных СМАД установлено, что для лиц, ранее проживавших в условиях Заполярья старших возрастных групп характерны более высокие среднесуточные, дневные и ночные уровни АД, повышение значений параметров индекса времени, наибольшее превышение нормативных величин скоростных показателей утренней динамики АД, а также наибольшие изменения суточного профиля АД за счет недостаточного снижения АД в ночные часы – «non-dipper».

Заключение. Среди бывших жителей Заполярья пожилого возраста, больных АГ, отмечаются более высокие значения большинства показателей суточного мониторирования АД и высокая частота суточного профиля «non-dipper», в сравнении с аналогичной группой больных проживающих в г. Красноярске.
КСАНТИНОКСИДОРЕДУКТАЗА: АКТИВНОСТЬ В КРОВИ ПРИ РЕВМАТОИДНОМ АРТРИТЕ
Authors: Mozgovaya Elena E. , Bedina Svetlana A. , Mamus Maria A. , Trofimenko Andrew S. , Spitsina Svetlana S.
Published: October 2021

В патогенезе ревматоидного артрита (РА) наряду с иммунными нарушениями важное значение имеют изменения на метаболическом уровне.

Цель. Получение представлений об изменениях активности КОР в плазме крови и лизатах эритроцитов при РА.

Материалы и методы. В исследование включены 77 больных РА и 35 практически здоровых лиц.

Исследование проводилось с соблюдением этических принципов согласно Хельсинской Декларации Всемирной Медицинской Ассоциации.

Диагноз РА верифицирован в соответствии с критериями ACR/EULAR (2010 г.). Эритроциты выделяли из периферической крови в градиенте плотности. Их лизаты получали при трехкратном замораживании-оттаивании и центрифугировании. Активность оксидазной (КО) и дегидрогеназной (КДГ) форм ксантиноксидоредуктазы (КОР) определяли спектрофотометрически.

Статистическую обработку данных осуществляли с помощью программы STATISTICA 6.

Результаты. В плазме крови и лизатах эритроцитов больных РА выявлены изменения активности обеих форм КОР, зависящие от клинических проявлений. Для увеличения активности патологического процесса характерно прогрессирование снижения активности КДГ на фоне повышения активности КО в обеих средах. У больных с системными проявлениями заболевания в плазме крови выше активность обеих форм энзима, в лизатах эритроцитов – ниже активность КДГ и выше активность КО. Наиболее высокие значения активности оксидазной формы КОР соответствовали II и III рентгенологическим стадиям. Более высокий функциональный класс характеризовался более высокой активностью КО в плазме и эритроцитах и более низкой активностью КДГ в эритроцитах.

Заключение. При РА активность КОР реализуется в увеличении продукции активных форм кислорода и азота. Усиление процессов свободнорадикального окисления поддерживает хроническое воспаление и деструкцию в суставах, других органах и системах.
USE OF THE ORGANOMINERAL FEED ADDITIVES FOR RAISING YOUNG CATTLE IN THE CONDITIONS OF YAKUTIA
Authors: Grigorev Mikhail F. , Grigoreva Alexandra I. , Sidorov Andrey A. , Popova Akulina V.
Published: October 2021

The article presents results of studies of the effectiveness of the organomineral feed additives from natural raw materials using in the raising young cattle in the conditions of Yakutia. The research was carried out on cattle, which were divided into three equal groups. The selection of animals was carried out taking into account the method of analogs, where such parameters as age, live weight, clinical indicators were taken into account. In accordance with the research program, cattle from two experimental groups consumed experimental feed additives, while animals from the control group were solely given the basic ration. The inclusion of organomineral feed additives into the ration of gobies made it possible to increase the live weight at the end of rearing by 3.3% and 5.47%. These changes are best expressed in growth rate over periods. In the experimental groups the growth rate indicators improved in the 9-12-month-old period by 2.42% and 3.23%, at the 12-15 months of age by 0.57% and 0.85%, and at 15-18 months of age by 16.01% and 24.47%. Thus, the use of organomineral feed additives from natural raw materials in feeding of young cattle in Yakutia it possible to improve the efficiency of their rearing.
New in Line with Improving Financial Legislation
Authors: Smirnov E.
Published: October 2021

In its legislative work, the Russian Parliament pays great attention, along with the adoption of new laws, to the improvement of existing ones. In particular, in line with this activity, Federal Laws No. 165-FZ and No. 223-FZ were adopted last summer, which introduced significant amendments to the legislation on counteracting fraudsters in the financial market and supporting its bona fide participants.
Accounting Reliability Concept: Audit Practices
Authors: Boginskaya Zoya , Gladkova Tatyana
Published: October 2021

Practical aspects of applicable concepts for the preparation of reliable financial statements are analyzed, in particular, an overview and analysis of typical errors encountered in the practice of auditing accounting statements. Theoretical aspects of qualification and interpretation of errors in relation to changes of relevant documents regulating audit are considered; a list of typical errors made during the preparation of financial statements for 2018-2020 is indicated; the actions of the auditor in relation to the identified errors are formulated; analysis of the impact of errors on the auditor’s opinion on the reliability of accounting statements in audit reports.
Hemodynamic Principles in Free Tissue Transfer: Vascular Changes at the Anastomosis Site
Authors: Doh GyeongHyeon , Kim BumSik , Lee DongYun , Yoon JungSoo , Lim SooA , Han Yea Sik , Eo SuRak
Published: October 2021

Purpose: Various factors such as blood velocity, turbulent flow,and intimal injury are the most basic elements in free tissue transfers. However, how blood flow is reestablished, maintained, and changed after vascular anastomosis has rarely been studied.Methods: A 54-year-old male sustained an unreplantable severe crushing injury to his right hand. The middle finger was transferred to the thumb as an ectopic replantation using an anastomosis between the radial and digital arteries. However, secondary reconstruction for the first web space defect was inevitable and an anteromedial thigh free flap procedure was performed 2 months later using the previously anastomosed vessels. During the procedures, we noted morphologic changes in the microvessels and tried to explain those phenomena by applying the principles of hemodynamics.Results: Due to the discrepancy in vascular size between the radial and digital arteries, the velocity of the blood flow in the post-anastomotic site, which was the digital artery, must have been increased by Poiseuille’s law. Supposing that the velocity through the post-anastomotic site of the digital artery was increased, the pressure exerted by that flow decreased, resulting in more shrinkage of the vessel lumen of the digital artery by Bernoulli’s principle. Pascal’s law could also be applied in confined spaces with a static flow; where there is a constant pressure, as the radius of the post-anastomotic digital artery diminishes, the tension within the digital artery’s wall also simultaneously decreases. By Laplace’s law, the post-anastomotic digital artery’s wall thickens as less tension is exerted on the wall.Conclusion: Understanding these simple flow mechanics will enable microsurgeons to better avoid the risk factors causing thrombosis, which is related to flap failure.
Curved hologram generation method for speckle noise suppression based on the stochastic gradient descent algorithm
Authors: Wang Di , Li Nan-Nan , Li Yi-Long , Zheng Yi-Wei , Wang Qiong-Hua
Published: October 2021

In this paper, a curved hologram generation method with suppressed speckle noise is proposed. In the process of generating the curved hologram, the angle spectrum method is used to calculate the 3D object in layers. By analyzing the loss function relationship between the diffraction image of the curved hologram and the target light field, the loss function is calculated. The phase of the hologram is updated based on the stochastic gradient descent algorithm, thereby obtaining the optimal phase distribution of the curved hologram. When the curved hologram is reproduced at different bending center angles, the reconstructed image of the corresponding angle can be seen. The proposed method has obvious advantages compared with the error diffusion method and Fresnel diffraction algorithm. The feasibility of the proposed method is verified by the experiments.
Quantifying patterns of alcohol consumption and its effects on health and wellbeing among BaYaka hunter-gatherers: A mixed-methods cross-sectional study
Authors: Knight Jessica K. , Salali Gul Deniz , Sikka Gaurav , Derkx Inez , Keestra Sarai M. , Chaudhary Nikhil
Published: October 2021

Ethnographers frequently allude to alcoholism and related harms in Indigenous hunter-gatherer communities, but very few studies have quantified patterns of alcohol consumption or its health and social impacts. We present a case study of the Mbendjele BaYaka, a Congolese population undergoing socioeconomic transition. 83 adults answered questions about their frequency and quantity of alcohol consumption, underwent biometric measurements and reported whether they were currently experiencing a cough or diarrhoea; 56 participated in structured interviews about their experiences with alcohol. Based on WHO standards, we found 44.3% of the full sample, and 51.5% of drinkers (excluding abstainers), had a hazardous volume of alcohol consumption; and 35.1% of the full sample, and 40.9% of drinkers, engaged in heavy episodic drinking; consumption habits varied with sex and age. Total weekly consumption was a positive predictor of blood pressure and the likelihood of experiencing diarrhoea; associations with other biometric variables were not statistically significant. Interview responses indicated numerous other economic, mental and physical health harms of alcohol use, the prevalence of which demonstrate some variability between forest camps and permanent village settlements. These include high rates of drinking during pregnancy and breastfeeding (~40%); frequent alcohol-induced violence; and considerable exchange of foraged foods and engagement in exploitative labour activities to acquire alcohol or repay associated debts. Our findings demonstrate the prevalence of hazardous alcohol consumption among transitioning hunter-gatherers is higher than other segments of the Congolese population and indicate negative impacts on health and wellbeing, highlighting an urgent need for targeted public health interventions.
Prevalence and correlates of disability in Latin America and the Caribbean: Evidence from 8 national censuses
Authors: Berlinski Samuel , Duryea Suzanne , Perez-Vincent Santiago M.
Published: October 2021

We estimate disability prevalence rates and gaps in social conditions in eight Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) countries and project current and future disability prevalence rates in the region. Using data from representative samples of the population in eight countries, we find that reported disability prevalence varies widely across countries, ranging between 4.5 percent in Trinidad and Tobago (2011) to 24.9 percent in Brazil (2010). Differences in surveying approaches and demographic structures likely explain a part of this variation. We find marked sociodemographic gradients for disability. We also report significant disability gaps: people living with disabilities have lower educational attendance and completion rates and lower employment rates. We use age and sex-specific disability rates from our sample of countries and information on the current and future demographic structures in LAC countries to project disability prevalence for the whole region. We project that the total number of people with disabilities in this region will increase by approximately 60 million between 2020 and 2050. Our projections suggest that countries need to systematically plan and implement inclusion policies to adequately address the growing population of people with disabilities in the years to come.
Inconsistent and incomplete retraction of published research: A cross-sectional study on Covid-19 retractions and recommendations to mitigate risks for research, policy and practice
Authors: Frampton Geoff , Woods Lois , Scott David Alexander
Published: October 2021

Background

Retraction of published research can reduce the dissemination of incorrect or misleading information, but concerns have been raised about the clarity and rigor of the retraction process. Failure to clearly and consistently retract research has several risks, for example discredited or erroneous research may inform health research studies (e.g. clinical trials), policies and practices, potentially rendering these unreliable.

Objective

To investigate consistency and clarity of research retraction, based on a case study of retracted Covid-19 research.

Study design

A cross-sectional study of retracted Covid-19 articles reporting empirical research findings, based on searches of Medline, Embase and Scopus on 10th July and 19th December 2020.

Key results

We included 46 retracted Covid-19 articles. The number eligible for inclusion nearly doubled, from 26 to 46, in five months. Most articles (67%) were retracted from scientific journals and the remainder from preprint servers. Key findings: (1) reasons for retraction were not reported in 33% (15/46) of cases; (2) time from publication to retraction could not be determined in 43% (20/46) of cases; (3) More than half (59%) of retracted Covid-19 articles (27/46) remained available as original unmarked electronic documents after retraction (33% as full text and 26% as an abstract only). Sources of articles post-retraction were preprint servers, ResearchGate and, less commonly, websites including PubMed Central and the World Health Organization. A retracted journal article which controversially claimed a link between 5G technology and Covid-19 remains available in its original full text from at least 60 different websites.

Conclusions

The retraction process is inconsistent and often ambiguous, with more than half of retracted Covid-19 research articles remaining available, unmarked, from a wide range of online sources. There is an urgent need to improve guidance on the retraction process and to extend this to cover preprint servers. We provide structured recommendations to address these concerns and to reduce the risks that arise when retracted research is inappropriately cited.
A treatment strategy for meeting life as it is. Patients’ and therapists’ experiences of brief therapy in a district psychiatric centre: A qualitative study
Authors: Markussen Hilde V. , Aasdahl Lene , Viksveen Petter , Hedberg Berith , Rise Marit B.
Published: October 2021

Background

Young adults increasingly seek help for mental health problems. In 2016, a district psychiatric centre in Norway started a brief treatment program to provide early and effective help for moderate depression and anxiety.

Aim

Exploring patients’ and therapists’ experiences of brief therapy, especially how the time limitation influences the treatment process.

Methods

Individual interviews with 12 patients and focus group interviews with eight therapists analyzed using systematic text condensation.

Results

The results constitute five themes: (1) Time-limit as a frame for targeted change, (2) Clarifying expectations and accountability, (3) Shared agreement on a defined treatment-project, (4) Providing tools instead of searching for causes, and (5) Learning to cope—not being cured.

Conclusion

Time-limitation in brief therapy appeared to play a positive role, helping the therapists to structure the therapeutic process and strengthening patients’ motivation. Shared understanding and activation during brief therapy may reinforce patients’ responsibility and expectations to achieve individual goals. Brief therapy can be viewed as the start of a personal process towards “mastering life as it is”. More research is needed to investigate the patients’ long-term outcomes after treatment and to shed light on the potential for, and limitations of, mastering everyday-life.
Evaluation of Nutrient Foramen in Adult Dry Human Femur
Authors: Mutluay Sukriye Deniz , Acıkgoz Ahmet Kursad , Bozkır Memduha Gulhal
Published: October 2021

BACKGROUND Nutrient foramen is a large opening that transfers the arteries that supply the bone to the bone cavity. During surgical procedures, it is very important to have precise and complete information about the location of the foramina to determine whether the fracture line passes close to the nutrient foramina. The purpose of this study was to determine the number and position of the femoral nutrient foramina together with morphometric measurements. METHODS A total of 93 dry adult femurs with unknown sexes were examined in this study. The direction, location and the total number of nutrient foramina of the femur were investigated by using an anthropometer (Lafayette instrument, Indiana). Also, foraminal index was calculated. RESULTS The analysis revealed that 28 (53.8 %) of the femurs with a single nutrient foramen were on the right side and 22 (53.7 %) were on the left side, respectively. Femurs with double nutrient foramina were 23 (44.2 %) and 18 (43.9 %) on right and left sides, respectively. Femurs with triple nutrient foramina were 1(1.9 %) and 1 (2.4 %) on right and left sides, respectively. The foraminal index of femurs was found as (41, 58 %) and (42, 23 %) on the right and left sides, respectively. The nutrient foramen was mostly 84 (90.3 %) located at the middle third of the femur. CONCLUSIONS The findings of this study provide information and details about nutrient foramen which have clinical importance, especially in surgical procedures like bone grafting and microsurgical vascularized bone transplantation. KEY WORDS Femur, Foraminal Index, Nutrient Artery, Nutrient Foramina
Private Practitioners Knowledge of Local Anaesthetic Systemic Toxicity (LAST)
Authors: Yadav Neha , Sanan Reshu Madan , Phogat Shefali , Yadav Nisha , Dabas Nupur , Ritwal Pankaj
Published: October 2021

BACKGROUND Local anaesthetics (LAs) by definition are drugs that reversibly block the transmission of a nerve impulse, causing reversible absence of pain sensations without affecting consciousness. As a complication of local anaesthetic administration, a condition called as local anaesthetic systemic toxicity (LAST) can occur which affects central nervous system (CNS) and cardiovascular system (CVS). Local anaesthetic systemic toxicity is a very serious condition that can cause death. In LAST, blood levels of anaesthetic agent exceed the maximum dose, usually as a result of multiple injections or an accidental injection into a vein. The main objective of this survey was to assess the knowledge of LAST among private practitioners and to spread awareness about this common but often neglected complication of local anaesthetic administration. METHODS A survey was conducted with a questionnaire comprising of 15 questions for 251 private practitioners (registered in Indian Dental Association, Gurugram). The survey was mailed to the participants and the response was collected through online mode only. Using Excel program, the results were organized in graphs and tables, and presented as descriptive statistics. RESULTS Of the 251 surveys sent online, 151 were completed, with a survey completion rate of 60 %. On an average, only 39.9 % of the participating dentists had adequate knowledge of local anaesthetic systemic toxicity. Based on the survey, only 3.3 % of participating dentists knew how to use lipid treatment and 55.6 % had no idea about lipid treatment. CONCLUSIONS If LAST occurs, the key is to recognize it immediately and institute appropriate management. Based on the survey, there is a need to create awareness about local anaesthetic systemic toxicity and its management among dentists. KEY WORDS Local Anaesthesia, Last, Complication, Toxicity, Overdose
Spontaneous Subarachnoid Haemorrhage in a Case with Covid-19 Infection - Effect or Association? A Case Report
Authors: Acharya Sourya , Shukla Samarth , Banode Pankaj , Sharma Shefali , Wadekar Abhijeet
Published: October 2021

Covid-19 is a disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus that usually causes mild flu-like illness in majority of the cases, but it can cause severe pneumonia and multiple organ dysfunction even death especially in elderly patients who also have comorbidities like hypertension, diabetes, chronic obstructive airway disease (COAD), asthma, and cardiac disease. The central and peripheral nervous systems are not spared, and neurological complications are frequently reported in severely ill patients who have comorbidities. The SARS-CoV-2 virus has the potential to invade the brain and it enters the brain via a haematogenous route or olfactory system through angiotensinconverting enzyme -2 receptors, present on endothelial cells of cerebral vessels. The most neurological manifestations, seen in Covid-19 infection are altered sensorium (agitation, delirium, and coma), ischemic or haemorrhagic stroke, acute disseminated encephalomyelitis or acute necrotizing encephalopathy, headaches, Guillain-Barré syndrome. Here is a case of a 70-year-old hypertensive female who presented to us with complaints of fever, headache and vomiting of 3 days duration and after investigations, a diagnosis of Covid -19 with hypertension and subarachnoid haemorrhage was made.
Rectal Indomethacin Does Not Mitigate the Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome in Acute Pancreatitis: A Randomized Trial
Authors: Machicado Jorge D. , Mounzer Rawad , Paragomi Pedram , Pothoulakis Ioannis , Hart Phil A. , Conwell Darwin L. , de-Madaria Enrique , Greer Phil , Yadav Dhiraj , Whitcomb David C. , Lee Peter J. , Hinton Alice , Papachristou Georgios I.
Published: October 2021

INTRODUCTION:

Experimental data suggest that nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs may prevent disease severity and mortality in acute pancreatitis (AP). The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy of rectal indomethacin vs placebo in reducing the systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) score in a high-risk AP population for clinical progression.

METHODS:

We conducted a single-center, quadruple-blinded, randomized, placebo-controlled trial. Eligible criteria were subjects with AP and SIRS within 72 hours of presentation and those without organ failure. Subjects were allocated in a 1:1 ratio to indomethacin or placebo using simple randomization. Both interventions were administered rectally every 8 hours for 6 doses and compared using both intention-to-treat and per-protocol analyses.

RESULTS:

A total of 42 subjects (mean age 52 years, 55% men) were randomized to indomethacin (n = 18) or placebo (n = 24). There was no significant difference between the indomethacin and placebo groups in the change of SIRS score, proportion of subjects with SIRS, and distribution of SIRS scores at 24, 48, and 72 hours from randomization. There were no significant differences in the change of C-reactive protein levels at 48 hours or clinical outcomes between both treatment groups. Indomethacin was as safe as placebo, with 2 adverse events occurring in the placebo and none in the indomethacin arm.

DISCUSSION:

Rectal indomethacin can be safely administered over 48 hours; however, it is not superior to placebo in reducing the SIRS or clinical progression in a high-risk population with AP (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT02692391).
Achieving a healthy indoor environment by using an emissions barrier for stopping spread of chemicals from building into the indoor air
Authors: Mattsson Johan , Larsson Lennart
Published: October 2021

An emissions barrier was used in premises with indoor air complaints due to emissions from the buildings in question. The emissions comprised chlorophenols/chloroanisoles and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) from treated wood, and volatile organic compounds (VOC), mainly 2-ethylhexanol, from PVC flooring and the glue used to paste the flooring onto a concrete slab. Attaching the barrier at the surfaces from where the emissions were spread (floor, walls, ceiling) resulted in a fresh and odour-free indoor air. We conclude that using an emissions barrier in buildings made unhealthy by moisture is an efficient way of restoring a pleasant and healthy indoor air.
GraphMineSuite
Authors: Besta Maciej , Vonarburg-Shmaria Zur , Schaffner Yannick , Schwarz Leonardo , Kwasniewski Grzegorz , Gianinazzi Lukas , Beranek Jakub , Janda Kacper , Holenstein Tobias , Leisinger Sebastian , Tatkowski Peter , Ozdemir Esref , Balla Adrian , Copik Marcin , Lindenberger Philipp , Konieczny Marek , Mutlu Onur , Hoefler Torsten
Published: October 2021

We propose GraphMineSuite (GMS): the first benchmarking suite for graph mining that facilitates evaluating and constructing high-performance graph mining algorithms. First, GMS comes with a benchmark specification based on extensive literature review, prescribing representative problems, algorithms, and datasets. Second, GMS offers a carefully designed software platform for seamless testing of different fine-grained elements of graph mining algorithms, such as graph representations or algorithm subroutines. The platform includes parallel implementations of more than 40 considered baselines, and it facilitates developing complex and fast mining algorithms. High modularity is possible by harnessing set algebra operations such as set intersection and difference, which enables breaking complex graph mining algorithms into simple building blocks that can be separately experimented with. GMS is supported with a broad concurrency analysis for portability in performance insights, and a novel performance metric to assess the throughput of graph mining algorithms, enabling more insightful evaluation. As use cases, we harness GMS to rapidly redesign and accelerate state-of-the-art baselines of core graph mining problems: degeneracy reordering (by >2X), maximal clique listing (by >9×),k-clique listing (by up to 1.1×), and subgraph isomorphism (by 2.5×), also obtaining better theoretical performance bounds.
A queueing-theoretic framework for vehicle dispatching in dynamic car-hailing
Authors: Cheng Peng , Jin Jiabao , Chen Lei , Lin Xuemin , Zheng Libin
Published: October 2021

With the rapid development of smart mobile devices, the car-hailing platforms (e.g., Uber or Lyft) have attracted much attention from the academia and the industry. In this paper, we consider a dynamic car-hailing problem, namely
maximum revenue vehicle dispatching
(MRVD), in which rider requests dynamically arrive and drivers need to serve riders such that the entire revenue of the platform is maximized. We prove that the MRVD problem is NP-hard and intractable. To handle the MRVD problem, we propose a queueing-based vehicle dispatching framework, which first uses existing machine learning models to predict the future vehicle demand of each region, then estimates the idle time periods of drivers through a double-sided queueing model for each region. With the information of the predicted vehicle demands and estimated idle time periods of drivers, we propose two batch-based vehicle dispatching algorithms to efficiently assign suitable drivers to riders such that the expected overall revenue of the platform is maximized during each batch processing. Through extensive experiments, we demonstrate the efficiency and effectiveness of our proposed approaches over both real and synthetic datasets. In summary, our methods can achieve 3% ~ 10% increase on overall revenue without sacrificing on running speed compared with the state-of-the-art solutions.