bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Efficacy of sofosbuvir as treatment for yellow fever: protocol for a randomised controlled trial in Brazil (SOFFA study)
Authors: Figueiredo-Mello Claudia , Casadio Luciana Vilas Boas , Avelino-Silva Vivian Iida , Yeh-Li Ho , Sztajnbok Jaques , Joelsons Daniel , Antonio Marilia Bordignon , Pinho João Renato Rebello , Malta Fernanda de Mello , Gomes-Gouvêa Michele Soares , Salles Ana Paula Moreira , Corá Aline Pivetta , Moreira Carlos Henrique Valente , Ribeiro Ana Freitas , Nastri Ana Catharina de Seixas Santos , Malaque Ceila Maria Sant'Ana , Teixeira Ralcyon Francis Azevedo , Borges Luciana Marques Sansão , Gonzalez Mario Peribañez , Junior Luiz Carlos Pereira , Souza Tâmara Newman Lobato , Song Alice Tung Wan , D'Albuquerque Luiz Augusto Carneiro , Abdala Edson , Andraus Wellington , Martino Rodrigo Bronze de , Ducatti Liliana , Andrade Guilherme Marques , Malbouisson Luiz Marcelo Sá , Souza Izabel Marcilio de , Carrilho Flair José , Sabino Ester Cerdeira , Levin Anna S
Published: November 2019

Introduction

An ongoing outbreak of yellow fever (YF) has been reported in Brazil with 1261 confirmed cases and 409 deaths since July 2017. To date, there is no specific treatment available for YF. Recently published papers describing in vitro and animal models suggest a potential effect of antiviral drugs (approved for the treatment of hepatitis virus) against flaviviruses, including YF. The primary aim of this study is to analyse the effect of sofosbuvir on viral kinetics and clinical outcomes among patients presenting with YF. This is a multicentre open-label randomised controlled trial with 1:1 individual allocation, stratified by severity and by recruiting centre.

Methods and analysis

Adults with suspected or confirmed YF infection and symptoms lasting up to 15 days are screened. Eligible and consenting patients are randomised to receive oral sofosbuvir 400 mg daily for 10 days or to receive standard clinical care. Viral kinetics are measured daily and the reduction in YF plasma viral load from the sample at inclusion to 72 hours after randomisation will be compared between active and control groups. Clinical outcomes include severity meeting criteria for intensive care support, liver transplantation, in-hospital mortality and mortality within 60 days.

Ethics and dissemination

Ethics approval was obtained at the participating sites and at the national research ethics committee (CAAE 82673018.6.1001.0068). The trial has been submitted for ethical approval at additional potential recruiting centres. Results of the study will be published in journals and presented at scientific meetings.

Trial registration

Brazilian Clinical Trials Registry (RBR-93dp9n).
Study protocol for a randomised trial for atosiban versus placebo in threatened preterm birth: the APOSTEL 8 study
Authors: Klumper Job , Breebaart Wouter , Roos Carolien , Naaktgeboren Christiana A , van der Post Joris , Bosmans Judith , van Kaam Anton , Schuit Ewoud , Mol Ben W , Baalman Jelle , McAuliffe Fionnuala , Thornton Jim , Kok Marjolein , Oudijk Martijn A
Published: November 2019

Introduction

Preterm birth complicates >15 million pregnancies annually worldwide. In many countries, women who present with signs of preterm labour are treated with tocolytics for 48 hours. Although this delays birth, it has never been shown to improve neonatal outcome. In 2015, the WHO stated that the use of tocolytics should be reconsidered and that large placebo-controlled studies to evaluate the effectiveness of tocolytics are urgently needed.

Methods and analysis

We designed an international, multicentre, randomised, double-blinded, placebo-controlled clinical trial. Women with threatened preterm birth (gestational age 30–34 weeks), defined as uterine contractions with (1) a cervical length of < 15 mm or (2) a cervical length of 15–30 mm and a positive fibronectin test or (3) in centres where cervical length measurement is not part of the local protocol: a positive fibronectin test or insulin-like growth factor binding protein-1 (Actim-Partus test) or (4) ruptured membranes, will be randomly allocated to treatment with atosiban or placebo for 48 hours. The primary outcome is a composite of perinatal mortality and severe neonatal morbidity. Analysis will be by intention to treat. A sample size of 760 participants (380 per group) will detect a reduction in adverse neonatal outcome from 11.95% to 6% (alpha error 0.05, beta error 0.2). A cost-effectiveness analysis will be performed from a societal perspective.

Ethics and dissemination

This study has been approved by the Research Ethics Committee (REC) of the Amsterdam University Medical Centres, location AMC, as well as the REC’s in Dublin and the UK. The results will be presented at conferences and published in a peer-reviewed journal. Participants will be informed about the results.

Trial registration number

Nederlands Trial Register (Trial NL6469).
Introducing new point-of-care tests for common infections in publicly funded clinics in South Africa: a qualitative study with primary care clinicians
Authors: van Hecke Oliver , Butler Chris , Mendelson Marc , Tonkin-Crine Sarah
Published: November 2019

Broad-spectrum antibiotics are routinely prescribed empirically in the resource-poor settings for suspected acute common infections, which drive antimicrobial resistance. Point-of-care testing (POCT) might increase the appropriateness of decisions about whether and which antibiotic to prescribe, but implementation will be most effective if clinician’s perspectives are taken into account.

Objectives

To explore the perceptions of South African primary care clinicians working in publicly funded clinics about: making antibiotic prescribing decisions for two common infection syndromes (acute cough, urinary tract infection); their experiences of existing POCTs; their perceptions of the barriers and opportunities for introducing (hypothetical) new POCTs.

Design, method, participants, setting

Qualitative semistructured interviews with 23 primary care clinicians (nurses and doctors) at publicly funded clinics in the Western Cape Metro district, South Africa. Data were analysed using thematic analysis.

Results

Clinicians reported that their antibiotic prescribing decisions were influenced by their clinical assessment, patient comorbidities, social factors (eg, access to care) and perceived patient expectations. Their experiences with currently available POCTs were largely positive, and they were optimistic about the potential for new POCTs to: support evidence-based prescribing decisions that might reduce unnecessary antibiotic prescriptions; reduce the need for further investigations; support effective communication with patients, especially when antibiotics were unlikely to be of benefit. Resources and workflow disruption were seen as the main barriers to uptake into routine care.

Conclusions

Clinicians working in publicly funded clinics in the Western Cape Metro of South Africa saw POCTs as potentially useful for positively addressing both clinical and social drivers of the overprescribing of broad-spectrum antibiotics, but were concerned about the resource implications and disruption of existing patient workflows.
Proposed minimum information guideline for kidney disease—research and clinical data reporting: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Kumuthini Judit , van Woerden Christiaan , Mallett Andrew , Zass Lyndon , Chaouch Melek , Thompson Michael , Johnston Katherine , Mbiyavanga Mamana , Baichoo Shakuntala , Mungloo-Dilmohamud Zahra , Patel Chirag , Mulder Nicola
Published: November 2019

Objective

This project aimed to develop and propose a standardised reporting guideline for kidney disease research and clinical data reporting, in order to improve kidney disease data quality and integrity, and combat challenges associated with the management and challenges of ‘Big Data’.

Methods

A list of recommendations was proposed for the reporting guideline based on the systematic review and consolidation of previously published data collection and reporting standards, including PhenX measures and Minimal Information about a Proteomics Experiment (MIAPE). Thereafter, these recommendations were reviewed by domain-specialists using an online survey, developed in Research Electronic Data Capture (REDCap). Following interpretation and consolidation of the survey results, the recommendations were mapped to existing ontologies using Zooma, Ontology Lookup Service and the Bioportal search engine. Additionally, an associated eXtensible Markup Language schema was created for the REDCap implementation to increase user friendliness and adoption.

Results

The online survey was completed by 53 respondents; the majority of respondents were dual clinician-researchers (57%), based in Australia (35%), Africa (33%) and North America (22%). Data elements within the reporting standard were identified as participant-level, study-level and experiment-level information, further subdivided into essential or optional information.

Conclusion

The reporting guideline is readily employable for kidney disease research projects, and also adaptable for clinical utility. The adoption of the reporting guideline in kidney disease research can increase data quality and the value for long-term preservation, ensuring researchers gain the maximum benefit from their collected and generated data.
Burnout, well-being and defensive medical practice among obstetricians and gynaecologists in the UK: cross-sectional survey study
Authors: Bourne Tom , Shah Harsha , Falconieri Nora , Timmerman Dirk , Lees Christoph , Wright Alison , Lumsden Mary Ann , Regan Lesley , Van Calster Ben
Published: November 2019

Objectives

To determine the prevalence of burnout in doctors practising obstetrics and gynaecology, and assess the association with defensive medical practice and self-reported well-being.

Design

Nationwide online cross-sectional survey study; December 2017–March 2018.

Setting

Hospitals in the UK.

Participants

5661 practising obstetrics and gynaecology consultants, specialty and associate specialist doctors and trainees registered with the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.

Primary and secondary outcome measures

Prevalence of burnout using the Maslach Burnout Inventory and defensive medical practice (avoiding cases or procedures, overprescribing, over-referral) using a 12-item questionnaire. The odds ratios (OR) of burnout with defensive medical practice and self-reported well-being.

Results

3102/5661 doctors (55%) completed the survey. 3073/3102 (99%) met the inclusion criteria (1462 consultants, 1357 trainees and 254 specialty and associate specialist doctors). 1116/3073 (36%) doctors met the burnout criteria, with levels highest amongst trainees (580/1357 (43%)). 258/1116 (23%) doctors with burnout reported increased defensive practice compared with 142/1957 (7%) without (adjusted OR 4.35, 95% CI 3.46 to 5.49). ORs of burnout with well-being items varied between 1.38 and 6.37, and were highest for anxiety (3.59, 95% CI 3.07 to 4.21), depression (4.05, 95% CI 3.26 to 5.04) and suicidal thoughts (6.37, 95% CI 95% CI 3.95 to 10.7). In multivariable logistic regression, being of younger age, white or ‘other’ ethnicity, and graduating with a medical degree from the UK or Ireland had the strongest associations with burnout.

Conclusions

High levels of burnout were observed in obstetricians and gynaecologists and particularly among trainees. Burnout was associated with both increased defensive medical practice and worse doctor well-being. These findings have implications for the well-being and retention of doctors as well as the quality of patient care, and may help to inform the content of future interventions aimed at preventing burnout and improving patient safety.
Effectiveness of the Labour Inspection Authority’s regulatory tools for work environment and employee health: study protocol for a cluster-randomised controlled trial among Norwegian home-care workers
Authors: Indregard Anne-Marthe R , Knardahl Stein , Emberland Jan Shahid , Skare Øivind , Johannessen Håkon A
Published: November 2019

Introduction

There is a need to evaluate whether, and to what degree, labour inspections or other regulatory tools have the desired effects on psychosocial, organisational and mechanical work environment, and employee health. The Norwegian Labour Inspection Authority (NLIA) uses different tools and strategies to enforce compliance with occupational safety and health (OSH) legislation. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the effects of labour inspections and other regulatory tools employed by the NLIA. The home-care service is one of the fastest growing occupations and a prioritised area for the NLIA, hence the present study will investigate regulatory tools in this sector.

Methods and analysis

The research project has been designed as a longitudinal, cluster-randomised, controlled trial and will be conducted among Norwegian home-care workers. The objective of the research project is to evaluate the effects of the NLIA’s regulatory tools (inspection and guidance) on: (1) compliance with OSH legislation and regulation; (2) psychosocial, organisational and mechanical work environment; (3) employee health in terms of musculoskeletal and mental health complaints; and (4) sickness absence. Public home-care services have been randomised to three intervention groups and one control group. Home-care services in the intervention groups will receive one of three intervention activities from the NLIA: (1) inspection from the Labour Inspection Authority; (2) guidance through an online interactive risk-assessment tool; and (3) guidance on psychosocial, organisational and mechanical work environment through workshops. The interventions will be performed at the organisational level (home-care service), and the effects of the interventions on the working environment and health complaints will be measured at the individual level (home-care employees).

Ethics and dissemination

This project has been approved by the Regional Committees for Medical and Health Research Ethics (REC) in Norway (REC South East) (2018/2003/REK sør-øst C), the Norwegian Center for Research Data (566128), and will be conducted in accordance with the World Medical Association Declaration of Helsinki. The results will be reported in international peer-reviewed journals.

Trial registration number

NCT03855163.
Finnish Trial on Practices of Anterior Cervical Decompression and Fusion (FACADE): a protocol for a prospective randomised non-inferiority trial comparing outpatient versus inpatient care
Authors: Lönnrot Kimmo , Taimela Simo , Toivonen Pirjo , Aronen Pasi , Koski-Palken Anniina , Frantzen Janek , Leinonen Ville , Silvasti-Lundell Marja , Förster Johannes , Jarvinen Teppo
Published: November 2019

Introduction

Although a great majority of patients with cervical radiculopathy syndrome can successfully be treated non-operatively, a considerable proportion experience persistent symptoms, severe enough to require neurosurgical intervention. During the past decade, cervical spine procedures have increasingly been performed on an outpatient basis and retrospective database analyses have shown this to be feasible and safe. However, there are no randomised controlled studies comparing outpatient care with inpatient care, particularly with emphasis on the patients’ perception of symptom relief and their ability to return to normal daily activities and work.

Methods and analysis

This is a prospective, randomised, controlled, parallel group non-inferiority trial comparing the traditional hospital surveillance (inpatient, patients staying in the hospital for 1–3 nights after surgery) with outpatient care (discharge on the day of the surgery, usually within 6–8 hours after procedure) in patients who have undergone anterior cervical decompression and fusion procedure. To determine whether early discharge (outpatient care) is non-inferior to inpatient care, we will randomise 104 patients to these two groups and follow them for 6 months using the Neck Disability Index (NDI) as the primary outcome. We expect that early discharge is not significantly worse than the current care in terms of change in NDI. Non-inferiority will be declared if the mean improvement for outpatient care is no worse than the mean improvement for inpatient care, by a margin of 17.3%. We hypothesise that a shorter hospital stay results in more rapid return to normal daily activities, shorter duration of sick leave and decreased secondary costs to healthcare system. Secondary outcomes in our study are arm pain and neck pain using the Numeric Rating Scale, operative success (Odom’s criteria), patient’s satisfaction to treatment, general quality of life (EQ-5D-5L), Work Ability Score, sickness absence days, return to previous leisure activities and complications.

Ethics and dissemination

The study was approved by the institutional review board of the Helsinki and Uusimaa Hospital District on 6 June 2019 (1540/2019) and duly registered at ClinicalTrials.gov. We will disseminate the findings of this study through peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations.

Trial registration number

NCT03979443.
Proximal deep vein thrombosis among hospitalised medical and obstetric patients in Rwandan university teaching hospitals: prevalence and associated risk factors: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Mugeni Regine , Nkusi Eugene , Rutaganda Eric , Musafiri Sanctus , Masaisa Florence , Lewis Kayan Lea , Simpao Marc , Tugirimana Pierrot Lundimu , Walker Timothy David
Published: November 2019

Objectives

To determine the prevalence of proximal deep vein thrombosis (DVT) by ultrasound scanning, as well as associated clinical features and known risk factors, among medical and obstetrics–gynaecology inpatients in two Rwandan tertiary hospitals.

Design

Cross-sectional study.

Settings

Rwanda teaching hospitals: Kigali and Butare University Teaching Hospitals.

Participants

901 adult patients admitted to the Departments of Internal Medicine and Obstetrics–Gynecology (O&G) who were at least 21 years of age and willing to provide a consent.

Outcomes

Prevalence of proximal DVT, clinical features and known risk factors associated with DVT.

Methods

Between August 2015 and August 2016, participants were screened for DVT by compressive ultrasound of femoral and popliteal veins, conducted as a monthly cross-sectional survey of all consenting eligible inpatients. Patients completed a self-report survey on DVT risk factors. Prevalence of proximal DVT by compression ultrasonography was the primary endpoint, with univariate and multivariate regression analyses performed to assess associated clinical features and risk factors.

Results

Proximal DVT was found in 5.5% of the study population, with similar rates in medical and O&G inpatients. The mean age was 41±16 SD (range, 21–91), 70% were female and 7% were pregnant. Univariate analysis showed active malignancy, immobilisation, prolonged recent travel and history of DVT to be significant risk factors for proximal DVT (all p values <0.05); while only active malignancy was an independent risk factor on multivariate regression (OR 5.2; 95% CI 2.0 to 13). Leg pain or tenderness, increased calf circumference, unilateral limb swelling or pitting oedema were predictive clinical features of DVT on both univariate analysis and multivariate regression (all p values <0.05).

Conclusion

Proximal DVT prevalence is high among hospitalised medical and O&G patients in two tertiary hospitals in Rwanda. For reducing morbidity and mortality, research to develop Africa-specific clinical prediction tools for DVT and interventions to increase thromboprophylaxis use in the region are urgently needed.
Benefits of adding a physician-staffed ambulance to bystander-witnessed out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: a community-based, observational study in Niigata, Japan
Authors: Sato Nobuhiro , Matsuyama Tasuku , Akazawa Kohei , Nakazawa Kyoko , Hirose Yasuo
Published: November 2019

Objective

This study aimed to assess the benefits of adding a physician-staffed ambulance to bystander-witnessed out-of-hospital cardiac arrest using a community-based registry.

Design

Population-based, retrospective cohort study.

Setting

An urban city with approximately 800 000 residents.

Participants

Patients aged ≥18 years with bystander-witnessed out-of-hospital cardiac arrests of medical aetiology in Niigata City, Japan, between January 2012 and December 2016, according to the Utstein style.

Primary and secondary outcome measures

The primary outcome was 1-month survival with a favourable neurological outcome, defined as a cerebral performance category score of 1 or 2. We used logistic regression analysis to assess the association between favourable neurological outcome and prehospital physician involvement.

Results

During the study period, a total of 4172 cardiac arrests were registered; of these, 892 patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest were eligible for this analysis, among whom 135 (15.1%) had prehospital physician involvement and 757 (84.9%) did not have prehospital physician involvement. The percentage of favourable neurological outcomes was 20.7% (28 of 135) in those with physician involvement and 10.4% (79 of 757) in those without physician involvement (p=0.001). Using multivariable logistic regression, prehospital physician involvement had an OR for a favourable neurological outcome of 3.44 (95% CI 1.64 to 7.23).

Conclusions

Among adults with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, adding a physician-staffed ambulance was associated with significantly greater favourable neurological outcomes than standard emergency medical services.
Sickle cell disease and thalassaemia antenatal screening programme in England over 10 years: a review from 2007/2008 to 2016/2017
Authors: Weil Leonora G , Charlton Matthew RM , Coppinger Cathy , Daniel Yvonne , Streetly Allison
Published: November 2019

Objectives

To evaluate the antenatal sickle cell and thalassaemia screening programme in England over 10 years from 1 April 2007 to 31 March 2017.

Methods

Four routine data sources were used: antenatal screening laboratory data; key performance indicator data from maternity trusts; prenatal diagnosis (PND) laboratory data and data from screening incidents.

Results

For the 10 years examined a total of 6608 575 booking samples were reported as screened, and 154 196 pregnant women required further testing. There were 3941 reported PND tests of which there were 964 affected fetal results. Antenatal test coverage and Family Origin Questionnaire completion rates are high and increasing; the proportion of tests declined has decreased. However, there is wide variation in the timing of antenatal tests and completeness of follow-up and testing. Since 2014/2015 a lower proportion of PND tests are performed by the programme standard of 12+6 weeks. Results suggest that PND timing affects reproductive choices as those with an affected fetus identified by PND testing earlier are more likely to terminate the pregnancy.

Conclusions

The screening programme appears to be widely accepted as part of routine antenatal care in England. However, the timeliness of screening and subsequent PND testing has consistently not met programme standards. Improving timeliness would enable individuals to consider their options to make informed choices for their pregnancies at the appropriate time. This paper reports carrier rates for an almost complete cohort of women which provides important epidemiological information on the genetic profile of women in England.
Eligibility for late endovascular treatment using DAWN, DEFUSE-3, and more liberal selection criteria in a stroke center
Authors: Nannoni Stefania , Strambo Davide , Sirimarco Gaia , Amiguet Michael , Vanacker Peter , Eskandari Ashraf , Saliou Guillaume , Wintermark Max , Dunet Vincent , Michel Patrik
Published: November 2019

Background and purpose

The real-life application of DAWN and DEFUSE-3 trials has been poorly investigated. We aimed to identify the proportion of patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) eligible for late endovascular treatment (EVT) in our stroke center based on trial and more liberal selection criteria.

Methods

All consecutive patients in our stroke registry (2003–2017) admitted within 5–23 hours of last proof of good health were selected if they had complete clinical and radiological datasets. We calculated the proportion of patients eligible for late EVT according to trial (DAWN and/or DEFUSE-3) and more liberal clinical/imaging mismatch criteria (including lower admission National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score and Alberta Stroke Program Early CT Score for core estimation).

Results

Of 1705 patients with AIS admitted to our comprehensive stroke center in the late time window, we identified 925 patients with complete clinical and radiological data. Among them, the proportions of late EVT eligibility were 2.5% (n=23) with DAWN, 5.1% (n=47) with DEFUSE-3, and 11.1% (n=103) with more liberal criteria. Considering late-arriving patients with large vessel occlusion (n=221), the percentages of eligible patients were 10.4%, 21.3%, and 46.6%, respectively. A favorable outcome was observed at comparable rates in treated patients selected by trial or liberal criteria (67% vs 58%, p=0.49).

Conclusions

In a long-term stroke registry, the proportion of late EVT eligibility varied greatly according to selection criteria and referral pattern. Among late-arriving patients referred to our comprehensive stroke center, we found 5.6% eligible according to trial (DAWN/DEFUSE-3) and 11.1% according to liberal criteria. These data indicate that late EVT could be offered to a larger population of patients if more liberal criteria are applied.
Impact of newborn screening on outcomes and social inequalities in cystic fibrosis: a UK CF registry-based study
Authors: Schlüter Daniela K , Southern Kevin W , Dryden Carol , Diggle Peter , Taylor-Robinson David
Published: November 2019

Background

Newborn bloodspot screening (NBS) for cystic fibrosis (CF) was introduced across the UK in 2007 but the impact on clinical outcomes and health inequalities for children with CF is unclear.

Methods

We undertook longitudinal analyses of UK CF registry data on over 3000 children with CF born between 2000 and 2015. Clinical outcomes were the trajectories of percent predicted forced expiratory volume in one second (%FEV1) from age 5, weight for age and body mass index (BMI) SD-scores from age one, and time to chronic Pseudomonas aeruginosa (cPA) infection. Using mixed effects and time-to-event models we assessed the association of NBS with outcomes and potential interactions with childhood socioeconomic conditions, while adjusting for confounders.

Results

NBS was associated with higher average lung function trajectory (+1.56 FEV1 percentage points 95% CI 0.1 to 3.02, n=2216), delayed onset of cPA, and higher average weight trajectory intercept at age one (+0.16 SD; 95% CI 0.07 to 0.26, n=3267) but negative rate of weight change thereafter (−0.02 SD per year; 95% CI −0.03 to −0.00). We found no significant association of NBS with BMI or rate of change of lung function. There was no clear evidence of an impact of NBS on health inequalities early in life.

Conclusions

Children diagnosed with CF by NBS in the UK have better lung function and increased early weight but NBS does not appear to have narrowed early health inequalities.
IM-12 activates the Wnt–β-catenin signaling pathway and attenuates rtPA-induced hemorrhagic transformation in rats after acute ischemic stroke
Authors: Wang Ting , Duan Yu-Mei , Fu Qiao , Liu Tao , Yu Jin-Cheng , Sui Zhi-Yan , Huang Li , Wen Guo-Qiang
Published: November 2019

Hemorrhagic transformation (HT) is a devastating complication for patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) who are treated with tissue plasminogen activator (tPA). HT is associated with high morbidity and mortality, but no effective treatments are currently available to reduce the risk of HT. Therefore, methods to prevent HT are urgently needed. In this study, we used IM-12, an inhibitor of glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK-3β), to evaluate the role of the Wnt–β-catenin signaling pathway in recombinant tPA (rtPA)-induced HT. Sprague–Dawley rats were subjected to a middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) model of ischemic stroke, and then were either administered rtPA, rtPA combined with IM-12, or the vehicle at 4 h after stroke was induced. Our results indicate that rats subjected to HT had more severe neurological deficits, brain edema, and blood–brain barrier (BBB) breakdown, and had a greater infarction volume than the control group. Rats treated with IM-12 had improved outcomes compared with those of rats treated with rtPA alone. Moreover, IM-12 increased the protein expression of β-catenin and downstream proteins while suppressing the expression of GSK-3β. These results suggest that IM-12 reduces rtPA-induced HT and attenuates BBB disruption, possibly through activation of the Wnt–β-catenin signaling pathway, and provides a potential therapeutic strategy for preventing tPA-induced HT after AIS.
Effects of light, temperature, salinity, and maternal habitat on seed germination of Aeluropus lagopoides (Poaceae): an economically important halophyte of arid Arabian deserts
Authors: Bhatt Arvind , Gairola Sanjay , Carón María Mercedes , Santo Andrea , Murru Valentina , El-Keblawy Ali , Mahmoud Tamer
Published: November 2019

In this study, salt tolerance during germination of Aeluropus lagopoides (L.) Trin. was tested using fresh seeds collected from three different maternal habitats under three thermoperiods and two light regimes. Additionally, we tested the ability of non-germinated seeds that had been exposed to different concentrations of NaCl to recover their germination in distilled water. The results showed a significant effect of seed source, temperature, and salinity, and some of their two- and three-way interactions on final germination and recovery percentage. The seeds from non-saline provenances had the highest percentages for germination (ca. 79%) under the 35/25 °C temperature regime, whereas the lowest percentages for germination (ca. 21%) was recorded for seeds from saline conditions under the 25/15 °C treatment. Additionally, percent germination was significantly lower for the seeds incubated in the saline solutions (100, 200, 400, and 600 mmol/L NaCl) and germinated under colder conditions (15/25 °C), compared with the seeds incubated in non-saline solutions (control group, 0 mmol/L NaCl) and germinated under warmer conditions (35/25 °C). The highest recovery percentage was recorded for seeds of the hyper-saline habitat incubated at 35/25 °C. Thus, seeds maintained their viability despite experiencing a range of saline conditions and were able to germinate upon the arrival of suitable conditions, which can be an adaptation to its saline arid desert habitat.
Research on rotating speed control of the vertical axis hydraulic wind turbine
Authors: Ai Chao , Zhang Yabin , Jia Cunde , Zhang Liang , Kong Xiangdong
Published: November 2019

In this paper, the vertical axis wind turbine was selected as the research object, with emphasis on the characteristics of the accurate grid-connected motor speed control. First, the mathematic model of the vertical axis wind turbine and hydraulic main drive system was established, the aerodynamic characteristics of the vertical axis wind turbine were analyzed, and the regularity of the periodic fluctuation of the output speed of the vertical axis wind turbine was obtained. According to the wind speed prediction curve and the aerodynamic model of the vertical axis wind turbine, the characteristic curve of the wind turbine speed was obtained. Then according to the grid connection actual demand of the wind turbine, the high-precision grid-connected control strategy of the variable motor swivel and proportional throttle valve based on wind speed prediction was proposed, and the variable motor speed was found to be stable at 1500 ± 2 r/min, realizing the rapid and accurate grid-connected requirements. Finally, the control method was simulated and validated by Matlab/Simulink software, and the control method was validated experimentally on a semi-physical simulation test bench of a 30 kVA hydraulic wind turbine, which achieved a satisfactory control effect.
Effects of vacancy on the electronic and optical properties of β-Si3N4 by first-principles
Authors: Lu Xuefeng , Luo Jianhua , Yang Panfeng , Ren Junqiang , Guo Xin , La Peiqing
Published: November 2019

We use a first-principles calculation to explore the effects of vacancies on structural, electronic and optical properties of [Formula: see text]-[Formula: see text] based on density functional theory (DFT). The results show that after optimization, the Si vacancy system of [Formula: see text]-[Formula: see text] is more difficult to produce than N vacancy system under the same thermodynamic conditions. The band gaps including N vacancy and Si vacancy systems are smaller than that of the perfect crystal. The charge density difference and population analysis show that the bonding near Si vacancy has stronger covalent property, whereas those near nitrogen vacancy have stronger ionic property. For Si vacancy system, the materials have much higher values of the imaginary part of the dielectric constant than those of N vacancies and perfect [Formula: see text]-[Formula: see text]. The maximum value of the Si vacancy system in absorption and reflection spectra is lower than those in different nitrogen vacancy systems.
Long-term Measurement and Analysis of the Free Proxy Ecosystem
Authors: Perino Diego , Varvello Matteo , Soriente Claudio
Published: November 2019

Free web proxies promise anonymity and censorship circumvention at no cost. Several websites publish lists of free proxies organized by country, anonymity level, and performance. These lists index hundreds of thousands of hosts discovered via automated tools and crowd-sourcing. A complex free proxy
ecosystem
has been forming over the years, of which very little is known. In this article, we shed light on this ecosystem via a distributed measurement platform that leverages both
active
and
passive
measurements. Active measurements are carried out by an infrastructure we name ProxyTorrent, which discovers free proxies, assesses their performance, and detects potential malicious activities. Passive measurements focus on proxy performance and usage in the wild, and are accomplished by means of a Chrome extension named Ciao. ProxyTorrent has been running since January 2017, monitoring up to 230K free proxies. Ciao was launched in March 2017 and has thus far served roughly 9.7K users and generated 14TB of traffic. Our analysis shows that less than 2% of the proxies announced on the Web indeed proxy traffic on behalf of users; further, only half of these proxies have decent performance and can be used reliably. Every day, around 5%--10% of the active proxies exhibit malicious behaviors, e.g., advertisement injection, TLS interception, and cryptojacking, and these proxies are also the ones providing the best performance. Through the analysis of more than 14TB of proxied traffic, we show that web browsing is the primary user activity. Geo-blocking avoidance—allegedly a popular use case for free web proxies—accounts for 30% or less of the traffic, and it mostly involves countries hosting popular geo-blocked content.
Energy-aware Scheduling of Task Graphs with Imprecise Computations and End-to-end Deadlines
Authors: Esmaili Amirhossein , Nazemi Mahdi , Pedram Massoud
Published: November 2019

Imprecise computations allow scheduling algorithms developed for energy-constrained computing devices to trade off output quality with utilization of system resources. The goal of such scheduling algorithms is to utilize imprecise computations to find a feasible schedule for a given task graph while maximizing the quality of service (QoS) and satisfying a hard deadline and an energy bound. This work presents a heuristic for scheduling tasks with potentially imprecise computations, represented with directed acyclic graphs, on multiprocessor platforms. Furthermore, it presents a mixed integer linear program formulation of the same problem, which provides the optimal reference scheduling solutions, enabling evaluation of the efficacy of the proposed heuristic. Both the heuristic and mathematical program take account of potentially imprecise inputs of tasks on their output quality. Furthermore, the presented heuristic is capable of finding feasible schedules even under tight energy budgets. Through extensive experiments, it is shown that in some cases, the proposed heuristic is capable of finding the same QoS as the ones found by MILP. Furthermore, for those task graphs that MILP outperforms the proposed heuristic, QoS values obtained with the proposed heuristic are, on average, within 1.24% of the optimal solutions while improving the runtime by a factor of 100 or so. This clearly demonstrates the advantage of the proposed heuristic over the exact solution, especially for large task graphs where solving the mathematical problem is hampered by its lengthy runtime.
From the chair
Authors: West John
Published: November 2019

This column marks my first as SIGHPC Chair. I want to thank Jeff Hollingsworth for his three years of service as Chair, Cherri Pancake for her service as Past Chair, and Rajeev Thakur for his service as Treasurer. I also want to welcome newly elected officers Ron Perrott (Vice Chair) and Christine Harvey (Treasurer), as well as returning members Torsten Hoefler (At Large) and Michela Taufer (At Large). The SIG is fortunate to have many of its program coordinators continuing, and we welcome Stephen Harrell who will be serving alongside Barbara Horner-Miller in Student Programs.
ILP-based scheduling for malleable fork-join tasks
Authors: Shimada Kana , Taniguchi Ittetsu , Tomiyama Hiroyuki
Published: November 2019

This paper studies scheduling of malleable fork-join tasks. In our scheduling problem, each task can be partitioned into multiple sub-tasks, and the sub-tasks are scheduled independently. The optimal number of sub-tasks is determined during scheduling simultaneously. This paper formulates the scheduling problem as an integer linear programming problem.
HyMAD
Authors: Slimani Camélia , Rubini Stéphane , Boukhobza Jalil
Published: November 2019

Non-volatile memories, such as Phase Change Memories (PCM), have interesting energy properties. In effect, their static energy consumption is negligible while the consumed dynamic energy depends on the performed operation (read/write). Several Dynamic Voltage and Frequency Scaling (DVFS) mechanisms have been proposed to optimize the energy consumption of memory-bound tasks in embedded systems. In a hybrid memory, using both DRAM and PCM, these DVFS strategies need to be adapted to take into account the different energy behaviors of both memories. In this paper, we propose a Hybrid Memory-Aware DVFS strategy (HyMAD) to reduce the energy consumption for memory bound tasks. This mechanism relies on both the rate of PCM write operations and the overall memory access rate to tune the CPU frequency. HyMAD takes also into account the priority of a task to tune the "performance loss" / "energy efficiency" trade-off. We compared HyMAD with a state-of-the-art technique by evaluating the Energy-Squared-Delay product (
ED2P
). HyMAD
ED2P
enhancement was evaluated between 2--45% as compared to a system without DVFS and up to 20% as compared to a state-of-the-art DVFS strategy.
Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: Pathogenesis at the Functional Limit of Redox Homeostasis
Authors: Pravda Jay
Published: November 2019

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a disease characterized by the production of autoreactive antibodies and cytokines, which are thought to have a major role in disease activity and progression. Immune system exposure to excessive amounts of autoantigens that are not efficiently removed is reported to play a significant role in the generation of autoantibodies and the pathogenesis of SLE. While several mechanisms of cell death-based autoantigenic exposure and compromised autoantigen removal have been described in relation to disease onset, a significant association with the development of SLE can be attributed to increased apoptosis and impaired phagocytosis of apoptotic cells. Both apoptosis and impaired phagocytosis can be caused by hydrogen peroxide whose cellular production is enhanced by exposure to endogenous hormones or environmental chemicals, which have been implicated in the pathogenesis of SLE. Hydrogen peroxide can cause lymphocyte apoptosis and glutathione depletion, both of which are associated with the severity of SLE. The cellular accumulation of hydrogen peroxide is facilitated by the myriad of stimuli causing increased cellular bioenergetic activity that enhances metabolic production of this toxic oxidizing agent such as emotional stress and infection, which are recognized SLE exacerbating factors. When combined with impaired cellular hydrogen peroxide removal caused by xenobiotics and genetically compromised hydrogen peroxide elimination due to enzymatic polymorphic variation, a mechanism for cellular accumulation of hydrogen peroxide emerges, leading to hydrogen peroxide-induced apoptosis and impaired phagocytosis, enhanced autoantigen exposure, formation of autoantibodies, and development of SLE.
Nickel Nanoparticle-Modified Electrode for the Electrochemical Sensory Detection of Penicillin G in Bovine Milk Samples
Authors: Salihu Suleiman , Yusof Nor Azah , Mohammad Faruq , Abdullah Jaafar , Al-Lohedan Hamad A.
Published: November 2019

The monitoring of chemical and antibiotic residues like amoxicillin, penicillin, tetracycline, and vancomycin in the food originating from the animal and plant sources can prevent the humans from getting exposed to the antibiotic-induced allergic reactions and also decreased immunity towards the microbial population. By taking into consideration the necessity of developing effective and sensitive techniques for milk containing Penicillin G antibiotics in an easy and cost-effective mode, the present work deals with the electrochemical sensor made up of nickel nanoparticles (NiNPs). In order to enhance the chemical stability and biocompatibility, the NiNPs were crosslinked with (3-aminopropyl)triethoxysilane (APTES) and the formed composite was thoroughly characterized using the physical characterization techniques. In addition, the qualitative analysis results confirmed the nanocomposite’s synergetic effect towards the oxidation of Penicillin G. Further, the quantitative analysis towards the use of a nanocomposite electrode due to the changes in pH, scan rate, accumulation time and potential, nanoparticle (NP) amount, etc. was optimized. The limit of detection and limit of quantitation of Penicillin G with this composite were detected to be 0.00031 μM and 0.00100 μM, respectively. Overall, from the results, it can be indicated that the fabricated NiNP sensor can find its applications as a potential electrode material for the qualitative and quantitative analysis of Penicillin G in liquid samples.
43 kDa Glycoprotein (gp43) fromParacoccidioides brasiliensisInduced IL-17A and PGE2 Production by Human Polymorphonuclear Neutrophils: Involvement of TLR2 and TLR4
Authors: Gardizani Taiane Priscila , Della Coletta Amanda Manoel , Romagnoli Graziela Gorete , Puccia Rosana , Serezani Ana Paula Moreira , de Campos Soares Ângela Maria Victoriano , Dias-Melicio Luciane Alarcão
Published: November 2019

The glycoprotein gp43 is the major antigenic/diagnostic component ofParacoccidioides brasiliensis, one of the etiologic agents of paracoccidioidomycosis (PCM). Gp43 has protective roles in mice, but due to adhesive properties, this glycoprotein has also been associated with immune evasion mechanisms. The present study evaluated gp43 interaction in vitro with Toll-like receptors 2 and 4 (TLR2 and TLR4) present in polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs) from healthy human individuals and the consequent modulation of the immune response through the expression and release of cytokines and eicosanoids. PMNs were incubated in the absence or presence of monoclonal antibodies anti-TLR2 and anti-TLR4 (individually or in combination) before gp43 stimulation. Then, PMNs were analyzed for the expression of both surface receptors and the detection of intracytoplasmic IL-17A and IL-4 using flow cytometry, while the production of PGE2, LTB4, IL-6, IL-10, IL-12, IFN-γ, and TNF-αwas evaluated in the supernatants by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Our results showed that gp43 increased TLR2 and TLR4 expression by PMNs and induced PGE2 and IL-17A via TLR4 and TLR2, respectively. Thus, our data suggest that gp43 fromP. brasiliensismight modulate host susceptibility to the fungal infection by affecting PGE2 and IL-17A production.
A Novel Model with GA Evolving FWNN for Effluent Quality and Biogas Production Forecast in a Full‐Scale Anaerobic Wastewater Treatment Process
Authors: Huang Zehua , Wu Renren , Yi XiaoHui , Liu Hongbin , Cai Jiannan , Niu Guoqiang , Huang Mingzhi , Ying Guangguo
Published: November 2019

The anaerobic treatment process is a complicated multivariable system that is nonlinear and time varying. Moreover, biogas production rates are an important indicator for reflecting operational performance of the anaerobic treatment system. In this work, a novel model fuzzy wavelet neural network based on the genetic algorithm (GA‐FWNN) that combines the advantages of the genetic algorithm, fuzzy logic, neural network, and wavelet transform was established for prediction of effluent quality and biogas production rates in a full‐scale anaerobic wastewater treatment process. Moreover, the dataset was preprocessed via a self‐adapted fuzzy c‐means clustering before training the network and a hybrid algorithm for acquiring the optimal parameters of the multiscale GA‐FWNN for improving the network precision. The analysis results indicate that the FWNN with the optimal algorithm had a high speed of convergence and good quality of prediction, and the FWNN model was more advantageous than the traditional intelligent coupling models (NN, WNN, and FNN) in prediction accuracy and robustness. The determination coefficients R2 of the FWNN models for predicting both the effluent quality and biogas production rates were over 0.95. The proposed model can be used for analyzing both biogas (methane) production rates and effluent quality over the operational time period, which plays an important role in saving energy and eliminating pollutant discharge in the wastewater treatment system.
Fourier Series Approach for the Vibration of Euler–Bernoulli Beam under Moving Distributed Force: Application to Train Gust
Authors: Wang Shupeng , Zhao Weigang , Zhang Guangyuan , Li Feng , Du Yanliang
Published: November 2019

The dynamic response of an Euler–Bernoulli beam under moving distributed force is studied. By decomposing the distributed force into Fourier series and extending them to semi‐infinite sine waves, the complex procedure for solving this problem is simplified to three base models, which are calculated by the modal superposition method further. The method is proved to be highly accurate and computational efficient by comparing with the finite element method. For verifying the theory and exploring the relationship between dynamic pressure due to train gust and vibration of the structure, a site test was conducted on a platform canopy located on the Beijing‐Shanghai high‐speed railway in China. The results show the theory can be used to evaluate the dynamic response of the beam structure along the trackside due to the train gust. The dynamic behavior of a 4‐span continuous steel purlin is studied when the structure is subjected to the moving pressure due to different high‐speed train passing.