bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Do More Options Always Benefit the Users of Public Services? An Experimental Study of School Choice, Performance, and Satisfaction
Authors: Lee Ivan P. , Jilke Sebastian , James Oliver
Published: June 2020

Recent years have seen an increase in choice of provider in many public services, including education. Proponents of provider choice suggest that it increases users' satisfaction. However, insights from the psychology of choice overload suggest that too much choice can be detrimental. The authors use a survey experiment to investigate the effect of provider choice on parents' satisfaction with schools (under performance declines and increases). The findings show that choice increases satisfaction and perceptions of fairness of the process compared with no choice. However, consistent with choice overload, increasing the number of options does not boost satisfaction. The findings have important implications for satisfaction as a measure of performance, because user satisfaction seems not to be independent of choice processes. This suggests lessons for designing delivery systems: although facilitating minimal user choice is preferable to having no choice, further increasing delivery options may not increase users' satisfaction.
Lipopolysaccharide‐responsive beige‐like anchor acts as a cAMP‐dependent protein kinase anchoring protein in B cells
Authors: Moreno‐Corona Nidia Carolina , Lopez‐Ortega Orestes , Flores Hermenegildo Jose Mizael , Berron‐Ruiz Laura , Rodriguez‐Alba Juan Carlos , Santos‐Argumedo Leopoldo , Lopez‐Herrera Gabriela
Published: June 2020

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)‐responsive beige‐like anchor (LRBA) protein was initially described as a monogenetic cause for common variable immune deficiency, a syndrome characterized by low levels of B cells, defects in memory B cell differentiation and hypogammaglobulinaemia. LRBA was identified as an LPS up‐regulated gene in B cells, macrophages and T cells. LRBA weighs 320 kDa and has 2863 amino acids. Its sequence contains multiple domains, suggesting that LRBA can act as a scaffolding protein. It contains two putative binding sites for cAMP‐dependent kinase (PKA) regulatory subunits, suggesting this protein can act as A‐kinase anchor protein (AKAP); however, physical interactions involving LRBA and PKA have not been demonstrated to date, and functional roles for such interactions are unexplored. In this work, we investigated physical interactions involving LRBA with regulatory subunits of PKA in human B cell lines and primary human B cells. PKA is a holoenzyme composed of two regulatory subunits, which can be RIα, RIβ, RIIα or RIIβ, and two catalytic subunits, Cα or Cβ. We co‐immunoprecipitated LRBA using Ramos B cell lymphoma cells and observed that LRBA interacts with RIIβ. Interestingly, St‐Ht31, an inhibitory peptide that disrupts AKAP interactions with regulatory subunits, reduced the amount of interacting protein. Furthermore, in primary human B cells, LRBA was induced after CD40L and IL‐4 stimulation, and under such activation, we found that LRBA interacts with RIIα and RIIβ, suggesting that LRBA acts as an AKAP and binds RII subunits. Interestingly, we also identified that LRBA interacts with activation‐induced cytidine deaminase in primary B cells, suggesting that it is involved in B cell function.
Cyberbullying status and mental health in Norwegian adolescents
Authors: Kaiser Sabine , Kyrrestad Henriette , Fossum Sturla
Published: June 2020

The aim of the present study was to examine how the cyberbullying status (not involved, cyber‐victim only, cyberbully only, cyber‐victim and bully) is related to the mental health of the adolescents when controlled for traditional bullying experience. We also examined the potential moderator sex on the relationship between cyberbullying status and mental health. Univariate analyses of variance were conducted to predict mental health problems using the Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire total difficulties score and its five scales. The model consisted of five predictors in addition to an interaction term between cyberbully status and sex. Of the 2,117 adolescents, 50% were girls. The vast majority did not have any cyberbullying experience (87%), 9% of the adolescents were cyber‐victims only, 1% were cyberbullies only and 3% were both cyber‐victims and bullies. Overall, girl's mental health seems to be more compromised when exposed to or involved in cyberbullying than boys mental health. In general, adolescents who are not only cyberbullies and cyber‐victims, but also cyber‐victims only had a worse mental health compared to adolescents without cyberbullying experience. Being exposed to cyberbullying is a unique contributor to mental health problems. Preventing cyberbullying is therefore important. Especially girl's mental health seems to be negatively affected when exposed to cyberbullying.
Perioperative intensive glycemic control for liver transplant recipients to prevent surgical site infection: A systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Oliveira Ramon Antônio , Poveda Vanessa de Brito , Tanner Judith
Published: June 2020

Background

Surgical Site Infections (SSIs) are common among liver transplant recipients and result in adverse patient outcomes. Standard glycemic control is effective in reducing SSIs. Some studies suggest intensive glycemic control reduces the risk of SSI further.

Methods

For this systematic review, were searched for studies comparing perioperative intensive and standard glycemic control in liver transplant recipients. Clinical trials registries and reference lists of included studies were also searched. No date or language restrictions were applied. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were assessed using Cochrane risk of bias tool and GRADE method. Cohort studies were assessed using the Newcastle‐Ottawa Scale.

Results

Two RCTs and three cohort studies met the inclusion criteria. Low‐quality evidence from the two RCTs in a meta‐analysis with 264 recipients found it was uncertain whether the risk of SSI was reduced by having intensive glycemic control (Risk Ratio [RR] 1.52, 95% CI 0.66‐3.51). However, there was an increased risk of hypoglycemia among recipients having intensive glycemic control (RR 2.34, 95% CI 1.40‐3.92) n = 264. Meta‐analyses found it uncertain whether secondary outcomes, allograft rejection and death, were reduced among recipients having intensive glycemic control; (RR 0.85, 95% CI 0.48‐1.50) and (RR 0.92, 95% CI 0.44‐1.95), respectively. The two cohort studies were poor quality and presented conflicting outcomes on the effects of intensive blood glucose control on SSI.

Conclusion

There is insufficient evidence to recommend the use of intensive glycemic control among liver transplant recipients to reduce SSIs.
Plant breeding involving genetic engineering does not result in unacceptable unintended effects in rice relative to conventional cross‐breeding
Authors: Liu Qingsong , Yang Xiaowei , Tzin Vered , Peng Yufa , Romeis Jörg , Li Yunhe
Published: June 2020

Advancements in ‐omics techniques provide powerful tools to assess the potential effects in composition of a plant at the RNA, protein and metabolite levels. These technologies can thus be deployed to assess whether genetic engineering (GE) causes changes in plants that go beyond the changes introduced by conventional plant breeding. Here, we compare the extent of transcriptome and metabolome modification occurring in leaves of four GE rice lines expressing Bacillus thuringiensis genes developed by GE and seven rice lines developed by conventional cross‐breeding. The results showed that both types of crop breeding methods can bring changes at transcriptomic and metabolic levels, but the differences were comparable between the two methods, and were less than those between conventional non‐GE lines were. Metabolome profiling analysis found several new metabolites in GE rice lines when compared with the closest non‐GE parental lines, but these compounds were also found in several of the conventionally bred rice lines. Functional analyses suggest that the differentially expressed genes and metabolites caused by both GE and conventional cross‐breeding do not involve detrimental metabolic pathways. The study successfully employed RNA‐sequencing and high‐performance liquid chromatography mass spectrometry technology to assess the unintended changes in new rice varieties, and the results suggest that GE does not cause unintended effects that go beyond conventional cross‐breeding in rice.
Do immigrants’ funds affect the exchange rate?
Authors: Aziz Nusrate , Cooray Arusha , Teo Wing Leong
Published: June 2020

Using annual data over 1966–2014 from the Citizenship and Immigration statistics archives of Canada and constructing a time series for the funds brought into Canada by immigrants, we investigate whether these funds affect the exchange rate of Canada. We employ the ARDL bound testing (Pesaran and Shin, Econometrics and economic theory in the 20th century: The Ragnar Frisch centennial symposium. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge UP, 1999), dynamic OLS (Stock and Watson, Econometrica, 1993, 61, 783) approaches to cointegration. 2SLS and GMM methods are also applied to estimate the portfolio balance models of the exchange rate. Estimated results indicate a long‐run relation between immigrants’ funds and the exchange rate with immigrants' funds leading to a significant appreciation of the exchange rate in Canada. These results are robust to different estimation methods and an alternative proxy measure for the funds brought into Canada by immigrants.
Perception of small animal cardiopulmonary resuscitation of owners presenting to a small animal teaching clinic including a large first opinion service
Authors: Oberholtzer Jennifer A. , Hofmeister Erik H.
Published: June 2020

Objective

To gather information from veterinary clients to better understand and gauge the knowledge level and perception of small animal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in an academic veterinary hospital.

Design

Prospective cross‐sectional survey.

Setting

A veterinary teaching hospital including a large first opinion service.

Interventions

None.

Measurements and main results

An anonymous survey was developed to gauge the knowledge of veterinary clients on a variety of CPR related topics at a university veterinary hospital. Surveys were randomly distributed to a convenience sample of clients in the waiting room through the client services staff between October 2017 and March 2018. Of the 451 surveys distributed, 296 were used for the statistical analysis. The majority of respondents (92%) knew the appropriate definition of CPR but only 11% knew how to perform CPR on a dog or cat. Most respondents (82%) wanted to discuss their pet's CPR status at a veterinary visit. The mean ± SD estimate of rate of discharge from hospital after cardiac arrest was 39.4 ± 25.6% and the majority of respondents (202 [68%]) got their estimate from an educated guess. The respondents who elected CPR that day provided an estimated cost of 257 ± 365 USD while the respondents who elected not to have CPR provided an estimated cost of 491 ± 875 USD; P = 0.019. The respondents that watched television medical dramas estimated a higher rate of survival to discharge at 42 ± 25%, while people who did not watch television medical dramas provided an estimated survival rate of 35 ± 26%; P = 0.034.

Conclusions

Inaccurate perceptions regarding CPR and survival rates exist among the general public; however, respondents are interested in becoming better informed.
Evidence for age‐related differences in heat acclimatisation responsiveness
Authors: Notley Sean R. , Meade Robert D. , Akerman Ashley P. , Poirier Martin P. , Boulay Pierre , Sigal Ronald J. , Flouris Andreas D. , Kenny Glen P.
Published: June 2020

New Findings

What is the central question of this study?

Repeated heat exposure during the summer months can enhance heat loss in humans (seasonal heat acclimatisation), but does the magnitude of that enhancement differ between young and older adults when assessed during passive heat exposure?

What is the main finding and its importance?

While seasonal heat acclimatisation enhanced evaporative heat loss (i.e. sweating) in both young and older adults, those improvements led to a greater reduction in body heat storage in older adults. These outcomes indicate that heat acclimatisation may confer greater thermoregulatory benefits with increasing age.

Repeated heat exposure throughout summer can enhance heat loss in humans (seasonal heat acclimatisation), although the effect of ageing on those improvements remains unclear. We therefore sought to assess thermoregulatory function in young and older adults during environmental heat exposure prior to and following seasonal heat acclimatisation, hypothesizing that the magnitude of adaptation would be greater in older relative to young adults. To achieve this, 14 young (19–27 years) and 10 older adults (55–72 years), who resided in a temperate humid‐continental climate, completed a 3 h resting heat exposure (44°C, ∼30% relative humidity) in the winter–spring months as part of a larger investigation (pre‐acclimatisation), before being re‐evaluated using the same heat stress test following the summer months (post‐acclimatisation). Whole‐body dry and evaporative heat exchange, and metabolic rate were measured throughout using direct and indirect calorimetry (respectively), and used to quantify body heat storage (metabolic rate + dry heat gain – evaporative heat loss). Evaporative heat loss increased in both groups following acclimatisation, but those improvements led to a decrease in body heat storage in older (mean difference (95% CI); 213 (295, 131) kJ; P < 0.001), but not young adults (−25 (−94, 44) kJ; P = 0.458). Thus, body heat storage was greater in older compared to young adults before (222 (123, 314) kJ; P < 0.001), but not following acclimatisation (34 (−55, 123) kJ; P = 0.433). Although there is a need for larger and more controlled confirmatory studies, our findings indicate that seasonal heat acclimatisation may induce greater thermoregulatory adaptation in older compared to young adults.
Simultaneous Extraction of Multiple Parameters From a Transmit–Receive Eddy Current Probe Above a Layered Planar Conductive Structure
Authors: Luloff Mark S. , Contant Stephane , Morelli Jordan , Krause Thomas W.
Published: June 2020

A validated analytical model of a transmit–receive coil pair situated above two parallel plates, separated by an air gap, was used as the basis for an inversion algorithm (IA) to extract probe liftoff, second layer plate resistivity, and plate-to-plate gap from multi-frequency eddy current data. The IA was tested over a large range of first layer wall thickness (3.80–4.64 mm), second layer plate resistivity (1.7–174 µΩ cm), second layer wall thickness (1.20–4.85 mm), probe liftoff (2.8–7.9 mm), and plate-to-plate gap (0–13.3 mm). At nominal liftoff (2.8 mm), the IA achieved a gap measurement accuracy of ±0.7 mm and was able to return good estimates of the second layer resistivity within ±1 μΩ cm for low resistivity samples, but with decreasing accuracy for higher resistivities. When the gap was fixed, the IA was able to measure changes in probe liftoff (relative to nominal) to an accuracy of ±0.2 mm. The reported accuracy and a demonstration for the ability to accurately estimate parameters outside of the calibration range provide confidence in the potential utility of the algorithm.
A Note on the Effects of Local Blockage and Dynamic Tuning on Tidal Turbine Performance
Authors: Chen Lei , Bonar Paul A.J. , Vogel Christopher R. , Adcock Thomas A.A.
Published: June 2020

Numerical simulations are used to explore the potential for local blockage effects and dynamic tuning strategies to enhance the performance of turbines in tidal channels. Full- and partial-width arrays of turbines, modeled using the volume-flux-constrained actuator disc and blade element momentum theories, are embedded within a two-dimensional channel with a naturally low ratio of drag to inertial forces. For steady flow, the local blockage effect observed by varying the cross-stream spacing between the turbines is found to agree very well with the predictions of the two-scale actuator disc theory of Nishino and Willden (2012, “The Efficiency of an Array of Tidal Turbines Partially Blocking a Wide Channel,” J. Fluid Mech., 708, pp. 596–606). For oscillatory flow, however, results show that, consistent with the findings of Bonar et al. (2019, “On the Arrangement of Tidal Turbines in Rough and Oscillatory Channel Flow,” J. Fluid Mech., 865, pp. 790–810), the shorter and more highly blocked arrays produce considerably more power than predicted by two-scale theory. Results also show that, consistent with the findings of Vennell (2016, “An Optimal Tuning Strategy for Tidal Turbines,” Proc. R. Soc. A, 472(2195), p. 20160047), the “dynamic” tuning strategy, in which the tuning of the turbines is varied over the tidal cycle, can only produce significantly more power than a temporally fixed turbine tuning if the array has a large number of turbine rows or a large local blockage ratio. For all cases considered, trends are consistent between the two turbine representations but the effects of local blockage and dynamic tuning are found to be much less significant for the more realistic tidal rotor than for the idealized actuator disc.
Glycolipid-peptide vaccination induces liver-resident memory CD8
+
T cells that protect against rodent malaria
Authors: Holz Lauren E. , Chua Yu Cheng , de Menezes Maria N. , Anderson Regan J. , Draper Sarah L. , Compton Benjamin J. , Chan Susanna T. S. , Mathew Juby , Li Jasmine , Kedzierski Lukasz , Wang Zhongfang , Beattie Lynette , Enders Matthias H. , Ghilas Sonia , May Rose , Steiner Thiago M. , Lange Joshua , Fernandez-Ruiz Daniel , Valencia-Hernandez Ana Maria , Osmond Taryn L. , Farrand Kathryn J. , Seneviratna Rebecca , Almeida Catarina F. , Tullett Kirsteen M. , Bertolino Patrick , Bowen David G. , Cozijnsen Anton , Mollard Vanessa , McFadden Geoffrey I. , Caminschi Irina , Lahoud Mireille H. , Kedzierska Katherine , Turner Stephen J. , Godfrey Dale I. , Hermans Ian F. , Painter Gavin F. , Heath William R.
Published: June 2020

Glycolipid-peptide conjugate vaccines protect against rodent malaria by generating large numbers of liver CD8
+
T
RM
cells.
Deep learning model to predict visual field in central 10° from optical
coherence tomography measurement in glaucoma
Authors: Hashimoto Yohei , Asaoka Ryo , Kiwaki Taichi , Sugiura Hiroki , Asano Shotaro , Murata Hiroshi , Fujino Yuri , Matsuura Masato , Miki Atsuya , Mori Kazuhiko , Ikeda Yoko , Kanamoto Takashi , Yamagami Junkichi , Inoue Kenji , Tanito Masaki , Yamanishi Kenji
Published: June 2020

Background/Aim

To train and validate the prediction performance of the deep learning (DL)
model to predict visual field (VF) in central 10° from spectral domain optical
coherence tomography (SD-OCT).

Methods

This multicentre, cross-sectional study included paired Humphrey field
analyser (HFA) 10-2 VF and SD-OCT measurements from 591 eyes of 347 patients
with open-angle glaucoma (OAG) or normal subjects for the training data set. We
trained a convolutional neural network (CNN) for predicting VF threshold (TH)
sensitivity values from the thickness of the three macular layers: retinal
nerve fibre layer, ganglion cell layer+inner plexiform layer and outer
segment+retinal pigment epithelium. We implemented pattern-based regularisation
on top of CNN to avoid overfitting. Using an external testing data set of 160
eyes of 131 patients with OAG, the prediction performance (absolute error (AE)
and R2 between predicted and actual TH values) was
calculated for (1) mean TH in whole VF and (2) each TH of 68 points. For
comparison, we trained support vector machine (SVM) and multiple linear
regression (MLR).

Results

AE of whole VF with CNN was 2.84±2.98 (mean±SD) dB, significantly smaller
than those with SVM (5.65±5.12 dB) and MLR (6.96±5.38 dB) (all, p<0.001).
Mean of point-wise mean AE with CNN was 5.47±3.05 dB, significantly smaller
than those with SVM (7.96±4.63 dB) and MLR (11.71±4.15 dB) (all, p<0.001).
R2 with CNN was 0.74 for the mean TH of whole VF, and
0.44±0.24 for the overall 68 points.

Conclusion

DL model showed considerably accurate prediction of HFA 10-2 VF from
SD-OCT.
A $$\phi ^6$$ soliton with a long-range tail
Authors: Amado André , Mohammadi Azadeh
Published: June 2020

We propose an analytically solvable sextic potential model with non-trivial soliton solutions connecting the trivial vacua. The model does not respect parity symmetry, and like $$\phi ^4$$ϕ4 theory has two minima. The soliton solutions and the consequent results are obtained in terms of the Lambert W function, i.e., the inverse function of $$f(W) = We^W$$f(W)=WeW. They have power-law asymptotics at one spatial infinity and exponential asymptotics at the other. We compare the solution with the kink of $$\phi ^4$$ϕ4 theory, which preserves the parity symmetry and has exponential asymptotics at both spatial infinities. Moreover, we study the full spectrum (bound and continuum states) of boson and fermion fields in the presence of the proposed soliton. We consider two types of coupling for the boson–soliton interaction and Yukawa coupling for the fermion–soliton interaction. Most results are derived analytically. This property renders the model a fertile ground for further study, including parity breaking related phenomena and long-range soliton–soliton interactions.
Melatonin against Myocardial Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury: A Meta-analysis and Mechanism Insight from Animal Studies
Authors: Mao Zhi-Jie , Lin Hui , Xiao Fang-Yi , Huang Zhou-Qing , Chen Yi-He
Published: June 2020

Aims. Myocardial reperfusion damage after severe ischemia was an important issue during a clinical practice. However, the exacted pathogenesis involved remained unclear and also lacks effective interventions. Melatonin was identified to exert protective effects for alleviating the myocardial I/R injury. This meta-analysis was determined to evaluate the efficacy of melatonin treatment against reperfusion insult and further summarize potential molecular and cellular mechanisms. Methods and Results. 15 eligible studies with 211 animals (108 received melatonin and 103 received vehicle) were included after searching the databases of PubMed, MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane. Pretreatment with melatonin was associated with a significant lower infarct size in comparison with vehicle in myocardial I/R damage (WMD: -20.45, 95% CI: -25.43 to -15.47, p<0.001; I2=91.4%, p<0.001). Evidence from subgroup analyses and sensitivity analysis indicated the robust and consistent cardioprotective effect of melatonin, while the metaregression also did not unmask any significant interactions between the pooled estimates and covariates (i.e., sample size, state, species, study type, route of administration, and duration of reperfusion, along with timing regimen of pretreatment). Accordingly, melatonin evidently increased EF (WMD: 17.19, 95% CI: 11.08 to 23.29, p<0.001; I2=77.0%, p<0.001) and FS (WMD: 14.18, 95% CI: 11.22 to 17.15, p<0.001; I2=3.5%, p=0.387) in the setting of reperfusion damage. Conclusions. Melatonin preadministration conferred a profound cardioprotection against myocardial I/R injury in preclinical studies.
Synthesis of Phenols via Metal-Free Hydroxylation of Aryl Boronic Acids with Aqueous TBHP
Authors: Shaikh Tanveer MahmadAlli
Published: June 2020

An alternate procedure for oxidative hydroxylation of aryl boronic acids with aqueous TBHP to access phenols is described. The protocol tolerated various functional groups substituted with aromatic rings. The reaction was performed in water and free from transition metal oxidants.
Female Sex as a Thromboembolic Risk Factor in the Era of Nonvitamin K Antagonist Oral Anticoagulants
Authors: Gallù Mariacarla , Marrone Giulia , Legramante Jacopo Maria , De Lorenzo Antonino , Di Daniele Nicola , Noce Annalisa
Published: June 2020

Sex-specific differences have been definitively demonstrated in cardiovascular (CV) diseases. These differences can also impact on the effects of CV therapies. Female sex is recognized as an independent predictor of thromboembolic risk, particularly in older patients. Most of strokes are due to atrial fibrillation (AF). Women affected by AF have higher stroke risk compared to men. The introduction of novel oral anticoagulants (NOACs) for long-term anticoagulation completely changed the anticoagulant therapeutic approach and follow-up of patients affected by nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF). CHA2DS2-VASc stroke risk scoring in use in the current international guidelines attributes 1 point to “female sex”. Besides, no anticoagulation is indicated for AF female patients without other risk factors. Interestingly, NOACs seem to normalize the differences between males and females both in terms of safety and efficacy, whereas residual higher stroke risk and systemic embolism persist in AF women treated with vitamin K antagonist anticoagulants VKA with optimal time in therapeutic range. Based on the CHA2DS2-VASc score, NOACs represent the preferred choice in NVAF patients. Moreover, complete evaluation of apparently lower risk factor along with concomitant clinical conditions in AF patients appears mandatory, particularly for female patients, in order to achieve the most appropriate anticoagulant treatment, either in male or in female patients. The present review was performed to review sex differences in AF-related thromboembolic risk reported in the literature and possibly highlight current knowledge gaps in prevention and management that need further research.
A Dual Privacy Preserving Algorithm in Spatial Crowdsourcing
Authors: Wang Shengxiang , Jia Xiaofan , Sang Qianqian
Published: June 2020

Spatial crowdsourcing assigns location-related tasks to a group of workers (people equipped with smart devices and willing to complete the tasks), who complete the tasks according to their scope of work. Since space crowdsourcing usually requires workers’ location information to be uploaded to the crowdsourcing server, it inevitably causes the privacy disclosure of workers. At the same time, it is difficult to allocate tasks effectively in space crowdsourcing. Therefore, in order to improve the task allocation efficiency of spatial crowdsourcing in the case of large task quantity and improve the degree of privacy protection for workers, a new algorithm is proposed in this paper, which can improve the efficiency of task allocation by disturbing the location of workers and task requesters through k-anonymity. Experiments show that the algorithm can improve the efficiency of task allocation effectively, reduce the task waiting time, improve the privacy of workers and task location, and improve the efficiency of space crowdsourcing service when facing a large quantity of tasks.
Recurrent Primary Intrasellar Paraganglioma
Authors: Schueth Elizabeth A. , Martinez Daniel C. , Kulwin Charles G. , Bonnin Jose M. , Payner Troy D. , Ting Jonathan Y.
Published: June 2020

We describe a case of an 81-year-old male presenting with bitemporal visual field defects and blurry vision in the right eye. The patient was found to have a recurrent primary paraganglioma in the sellar and suprasellar region requiring a repeat transsphenoidal endoscopic resection. Immunohistochemical examination confirmed paraganglioma with the classic zellballen appearance which stained positive for chromogranin, synaptophysin, and S-100 in the periphery. Paragangliomas (PGLs) in the sella turcica are a rare entity; only 19 cases have ever been reported in the literature. PGLs in the sellar region are often misdiagnosed or diagnosed in a delayed fashion. Earlier diagnosis of this locally aggressive tumor and meticulous debulking can prevent morbidity secondary to the tumor’s compressive effects. This report highlights the effectiveness of surgical interventions in treatment of paragangliomas. More research is still needed to determine the need for adjuvant therapies such as radiation.
Clinical Events Associated with Acupuncture Intervention for the Treatment of Chronic Inflammation Associated Disorders
Authors: Bai Hua , Xu Senlei , Wu Qiulan , Xu Shanshan , Sun Ke , Wu Jiahong , Xia Xuefeng , Liu Yuchen , Zhang Hongru , Lu Shengfeng
Published: June 2020

Acupuncture is a key component of Chinese medicine. It describes a series of procedures involving the stimulation of skin through penetration of fine, single-use, sterile needles that result in the release of neurotransmitters. Although its use is on the growing trend, considerable controversy surrounds its value as a therapy. Standard randomized controlled trials that adhere to the accepted criteria should be conducted in the future to ensure the effectiveness of acupuncture. This article summarizes the current evidence regarding the use of acupuncture. It includes a description of the history, mode of operation, treatment of a variety of chronic disorders related to inflammation, and future directions for acupuncture use. Published clinical trials support the view that acupuncture is a possible candidate for the treatment of several chronic inflammation-related disorders.
A Computational Method for Dynamic Analysis of Deployable Structures
Authors: Wang Ying , Sun Bin
Published: June 2020

A computational method is developed to study the dynamics of lightweight deployable structures during the motion process without regard to damping. Theory and implementation strategy of the developed method are given in this study. As a case study, the motion process of a bar-joint structure and a ring array scissor-type structure was simulated under external dynamic loading. In order to verify the effectiveness of the method, the simulation results are compared with the results predicted by the authenticated multibody system dynamics and simulation program. It shows that the method is effective to dynamic analysis of deployable structures no matter the structures are rigid or elastic. Displacement, velocity, and acceleration for the entire deployable structures during the motion process can be computed, as well as strain if the deployable structure is elastic.
Single Port 11 mm Laparoscopic Hysterectomy Performed on a 32-Year-Old Female with Adhesive Disease
Authors: Marchand Greg J. , Azadi Ali , Anderson Sienna , Ruther Stacy , Hopewell Sophia , Brazil Giovanna , Sainz Katelyn , Wolf Hannah , King Alexa , Vallejo Janelle , Ware Kelly , Cieminski Kaitlynne , Galitsky Anthony , Brar Akarshi Kaue
Published: June 2020

In the field of minimally invasive surgery, there is constant drive to devise and execute the most minimally invasive surgeries possible. By the very nature of laparoscopy and robotic surgery, what one can accomplish with several ports of a given size will invariably be studied and attempted with fewer ports and with ports of smaller sizes. Although more complex pathology may require a more invasive approach, surgical cases without serious complicating factors may be amenable to extremely minimally invasive procedures. We report one such case where a 32-year-old female suffering from adenomyosis and endometriosis was able to receive a laparoscopic single-port hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy through a single 11 mm port created with a blunt trochar.
Assessment of Drug Prescription Pattern in Mekelle General Hospital, Mekelle, Ethiopia, Using World Health Organization Prescribing Indicators
Authors: Yilma Zewdu , Liben Mesfin
Published: June 2020

Introduction. Irrational prescribing is a major cause for irrational drug use. Bad prescribing habits lead to ineffective and unsafe treatment, exacerbation or prolongation of illness, distress and harm to the patient, and higher costs. Incidence of irrational prescribing practice cannot be reduced without a critical intervention by assessing the causes. Objectives. The objective of this study was to assess drug prescription pattern, using WHO prescribing indicators, in OPD at Mekelle General Hospital (MGH) Methodology. The study was conducted at Mekelle General Hospital (MGH), Mekelle, Northern Ethiopia, from December 2016 to April 2017. A descriptive cross‐sectional, retrospective hospital‐based study design was used to assess prescriptions at OPD in MGH from 01 January to 31 December 2016. A systematic random sampling technique was used to select prescriptions at the time of data collection. Result. 384 prescriptions were analyzed. 751 medications were prescribed from which 679 (90.4%) were with their generic name, 225 (58.6%) prescriptions contained antibiotics, 162 (42.2%) prescriptions were encountered with injection, and 648 (86.3%) encountered from the hospital list of medicine. Conclusion. In general, average number of drugs per encounter, generic prescribing, and the use of EDL/formulary of the hospital to prescribe drugs reviewed in this study were totally out of the recommended values and hence inappropriate. The study also revealed overprescribing of both antibiotics and injections.
Stochastic Exponential Stabilization for Markov Jump Neural Networks with Time-varying Delays via Adaptive Event-Triggered Impulsive Control
Authors: Liu Xiaoman , Zhang Haiyang , Wu Tao , Shu Jinlong
Published: June 2020

This paper focuses on the exponential stabilization problem for Markov jump neural networks with Time-varying Delays (TDs). Firstly, we provide a new Free-matrix-based Exponential-type Integral Inequality (FMEII) containing the information of attenuation exponent, which is helpful to reduce the conservativeness of stability criteria. To further save control cost, we introduce a sample-based Adaptive Event-triggered Impulsive Control (AEIC) scheme, in which the trigger threshold is adaptively varied with the sampled state. By fully considering the information about sampled state, TDs, and Markov jump parameters, a suitable Lyapunov–Krasovskii functional is constructed. With the virtue of FMEII and AEIC scheme, some novel stabilization criteria are presented in the form of linear matrix inequalities. At last, two numerical examples are given to show the validity of the obtained results.
Experimental and Theoretical Studies on Flexural Performance of Stainless Steel Reinforced Concrete Beams
Authors: Li Qingfu , Guo Wei , Liu Chenhui , Kuang Yihang , Geng Huitao
Published: June 2020

In this paper, the flexural characteristics of stainless steel (SS) reinforced concrete beams are studied and analyzed. We mainly focus on their crack mode, failure mode, load‐deflection curve, and bearing capacity. Six beams with test parameters, including the diameter of reinforcement, the type of the reinforcement, and the stirrup spacing, were tested in 4‐point bending. The test results indicate that the failure mode of SS reinforced concrete beam can be divided into three stages: elastic stage, cracking stage, and failure stage. The midspan section deformation of SS reinforced concrete beam conforms to the assumption of plane section. Under the same reinforcement condition, the normal section and the oblique section bearing capacities of the SS reinforced concrete beams are significantly higher than those of the ordinary reinforced concrete beams. In addition, the prediction of cracking moment and bearing capacity calculated by ACI 318‐14 and GB 50010‐2010 was also evaluated. The calculation results of the two codes were safe and conservative, and GB 50010‐2010 provided more accurate prediction of cracking moments. Furthermore, to verify the reliability of the test results, finite element models were established and the analytical results corroborated well with the test results.
No Benefit of Hemostatic Drugs on Acute Upper Gastrointestinal Bleeding in Cirrhosis
Authors: An Yang , Bai Zhaohui , Xu Xiangbo , Guo Xiaozhong , Romeiro Fernando Gomes , Philips Cyriac Abby , Li Yingying , Wu Yanyan , Qi Xingshun
Published: June 2020

Background and Aims. Acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding (AUGIB) is one of the most life‐threatening emergency conditions. Hemostatic drugs are often prescribed to control AUGIB in clinical practice but have not been recommended by major guidelines and consensus. The aim of this study was to investigate the therapeutic effect of hemostatic drugs on AUGIB in cirrhosis. Methods. All cirrhotic patients with AUGIB who were admitted to our hospital from January 2010 to June 2014 were retrospectively included. Patients were divided into hemostatic drugs and no hemostatic drug groups. A 1 : 1 propensity score matching (PSM) analysis was performed by adjusting age, gender, etiology of liver disease, Child‐Pugh score, MELD score, hematemesis, red blood cell transfusion, vasoactive drugs, antibiotics, proton pump inhibitors, and endoscopic variceal therapy. Primary outcomes included 5‐day rebleeding and in‐hospital mortality. Results. Overall, 982 cirrhotic patients with AUGIB were included (870 in hemostatic drugs group and 112 in no hemostatic drug group). In overall analyses, hemostatic drugs group had a significantly higher 5‐day rebleeding rate (18.10% versus 5.40%, P = 0.001) than no hemostatic drug group; in‐hospital mortality was not significantly different between them (7.10% versus 4.50%, P = 0.293). In PSM analyses, 172 patients were included (86 patients in each group). Hemostatic drugs group still had a significantly higher 5‐day rebleeding rate (15.10% versus 5.80%, P = 0.046); in‐hospital mortality remained not significantly different (7.00% versus 3.50%, P = 0.304) between them. Statistical results remained in PSM analyses according to the type of hemostatic drugs. Conclusions. The use of hemostatic drugs did not improve the in‐hospital outcomes of cirrhotic patients with AUGIB.
Research on Influence of Different Simulation Methods of Bypass Flow in Thermal Hydraulic Analysis on Temperature Distribution in HTR-10
Authors: Sun Shiyan , Zhang Youjie , Zheng Yanhua
Published: June 2020

In pebble-bed high temperature gas-cooled reactor, gaps widely exist between graphite blocks and carbon bricks in the reactor core vessel. The bypass helium flowing through the gaps affects the flow distribution of the core and weakens the effective cooling of the core by helium, which in turn affects the temperature distribution and the safety features of the reactor. In this paper, the thermal hydraulic analysis models of HTR-10 with bypass flow channels simulated at different positions are designed based on the flow distribution scheme of the original core models and combined with the actual position of the core bypass flow. The results show that the bypass coolant flowing through the reflectors enhances the heat transfer of the nearby components efficiently. The temperature of the side reflectors and the carbon bricks is much lower with more side bypass coolant. The temperature distribution of the central region in the pebble bed is affected by the bypass flow positions slightly, while that of the peripheral area is affected significantly. The maximum temperature of the helium, the surface, and center of the fuel elements rises as the bypass flow ratio becomes larger, while the temperature difference between them almost keeps constant. When the flow ratio of each part keeps constant, the maximum temperature almost does not change with different bypass flow positions.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Cardiovascular Diseases: An Unexpected Alliance
Authors: Romiti Silvia , Vinciguerra Mattia , Saade Wael , Anso Cortajarena Iñaki , Greco Ernesto
Published: June 2020

Cardiovascular disease (CVD), despite the significant advances in the diagnosis and treatments, still represents the leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. In order to improve and optimize CVD outcomes, artificial intelligence techniques have the potential to radically change the way we practice cardiology, especially in imaging, offering us novel tools to interpret data and make clinical decisions. AI techniques such as machine learning and deep learning can also improve medical knowledge due to the increase of the volume and complexity of the data, unlocking clinically relevant information. Likewise, the use of emerging communication and information technologies is becoming pivotal to create a pervasive healthcare service through which elderly and chronic disease patients can receive medical care at their home, reducing hospitalizations and improving quality of life. The aim of this review is to describe the contemporary state of artificial intelligence and digital health applied to cardiovascular medicine as well as to provide physicians with their potential not only in cardiac imaging but most of all in clinical practice.
The Relationship between Side of Onset and Cerebral Regional Homogeneity in Parkinson’s Disease: A Resting-State fMRI Study
Authors: Li Kai , Zhao Hong , Li Chun-Mei , Ma Xin-Xin , Chen Min , Li Shu-Hua , Wang Rui , Lou Bao-Hui , Chen Hai-Bo , Su Wen
Published: June 2020

Objective. Motor symptoms are usually asymmetric in Parkinson’s disease (PD), and asymmetry in PD may involve widespread brain areas. We sought to evaluate the effect of asymmetry on the whole brain spontaneous activity using the measure regional homogeneity (ReHo) through resting-state functional MRI. Methods. We recruited 30 PD patients with left onset (LPD), 27 with right side (RPD), and 32 controls with satisfactory data. Their demographic, clinical, and neuropsychological information were obtained. Resting-state functional MRI was performed, and ReHo was used to determine the brain activity. ANCOVA was utilized to analyze between-group differences in ReHo and the associations between abnormal ReHo, and various clinical and neuropsychological variables were explored by Spearman’s correlation. Results. LPD patients had higher ReHo in the right temporal pole than the controls. RPD patients had increased ReHo in the right temporal pole and decreased ReHo in the primary motor cortex and premotor area, compared with the controls. Directly comparing LPD and RPD patients did not show a significant difference in ReHo. ReHo of the right temporal pole was significantly correlated with depression and anxiety in RPD patients. Conclusions. Both LPD and RPD have increased brain activity synchronization in the right temporal pole, and only RPD has decreased brain activity synchronization in the right frontal motor areas. The changed brain activity in the right temporal pole may play a compensatory role for depression and anxiety in PD, and the altered cerebral function in the right frontal motor area in RPD may represent the reorganization of the motor system in RPD.
Group Controllability of Discrete-Time Time-Delayed Multiagent Systems with Multiple Leaders
Authors: Liu Bo , An Qing , Wu Licheng , Li Rong , Su Housheng , Han Yue
Published: June 2020

The group controllability is a unique distinct perspective and a further generalization of the controllability problem of discrete-time time-delayed multiagent systems (MASs) with multiple leaders. The group controllability concept of discrete-time time-delayed MASs with multiple leaders is proposed, its equivalent augmented system without time delay is reformulated, and the group controllability criteria are obtained in this paper. Numerical simulations are presented finally.
Retinoic Acid Signal Negatively Regulates Osteo/Odontogenic Differentiation of Dental Pulp Stem Cells
Authors: Wang Jiangyi , Li Guoqing , Hu Lei , Yan Fei , Zhao Bin , Wu Xiaoshan , Zhang Chunmei , Wang Jinsong , Du Juan , Wang Songlin
Published: June 2020

Retinoic acid (RA) signal is involved in tooth development and osteogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). Dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) are one of the useful MSCs in tissue regeneration. However, the function of RA in osteo/odontogenic differentiation of DPSCs remains unclear. Here, we investigated the expression pattern of RA in miniature pig tooth germ and intervened in the RA signal during osteo/odontogenic differentiation of human DPSCs. Deciduous canine (DC) germs of miniature pigs were observed morphologically, and the expression patterns of RA were studied byin situhybridization (ISH). Human DPSCs were isolated and cultured in osteogenic induction medium with or without RA or BMS 493, an inverse agonist of the pan-retinoic acid receptors (pan-RARs). Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity assays, alizarin red staining, quantitative calcium analysis, CCK8 assay, osteogenesis-related gene expression, andin vivotransplantation were conducted to determine the osteo/odontogenic differentiation potential and proliferation potential of DPSCs. We found that the expression ofRARβandCRABP2decreased during crown calcification of DCs of miniature pigs. Activation of RA signalin vitroinhibited ALP activities and mineralization of human DPSCs and decreased the mRNA expression ofALP,osteocalcin,osteopontin, and a transcription factor,osterix. With BMS 493 treatment, the results were opposite. Interference in RA signal decreased the proliferation of DPSCs.In vivotransplantation experiments suggested that osteo/odontogenic differentiation potential of DPSCs was enhanced by inversing RA signal. Our results demonstrated that downregulation of RA signal promoted osteo/odontogenic differentiation of DPSCs and indicated a potential target pathway to improve tissue regeneration.
Sacral Reflex Characteristics of Patients with Multiple System Atrophy
Authors: Pan Zhifang , Zhang Xueming , Wang Xun , Deng Binbin , Zhang Wanli , Huang Huanjie
Published: June 2020

Objectives. To observe and analyze the parameters of the sacral reflex and pudendal nerve somatosensory evoked potential (SSEP) in patients with multiple system atrophy (MSA) with respect to factors such as age, disease course, and subtype and provide evidence for the clinical diagnosis of MSA. Materials and Methods. A total of 51 MSA patients and 30 healthy controls were selected from the First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University from May 2013 to November 2015. Electrophysiological sacral reflex detection and SSEP detection were performed using the Keypoint EMG/EP system. The extraction rate, latency, and amplitude of the sacral reflex and SSEP in the MSA group and control group were compared. Results. The sacral reflex latency and amplitude in patients with MSA were statistically different from those of the healthy controls. The latency of sacral reflex increases with the prolongation of the disease course, and the amplitude and initiation rate decrease with the prolongation of the disease course. There was no significant difference in sacral reflex latency and amplitude between MSA patients of different ages and subtypes. There was no significant difference in the latency or amplitude of SSEP between the MSA group and healthy control group. Conclusions. The latency of sacral reflex increases with the prolongation of the disease course, and the amplitude and extraction rate decrease with the prolongation of the disease course. There was no significant difference in the parameters of sacral reflex between young MSA patients and elderly patients. And there was no statistically significant difference between MSA-P subtypes and MSA-C subtypes. This trial is registered with ISRCTNCR2009041.