bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Direct and indirect healthcare costs of lung cancer CT screening in Denmark: a registry study
Authors: Jensen Manja Dahl , Siersma Volkert , Rasmussen Jakob Fraes , Brodersen John
Published: January 2020

Introduction

A study based on the Danish Randomised Controlled Lung Cancer Screening Trial (DLCST) calculated the healthcare costs of lung cancer screening by comparing costs in an intervention group with a control group. Participants in both groups, however, experienced significantly increased negative psychosocial consequences after randomisation. Substantial participation bias has also been documented: The DLCST participants reported fewer negative psychosocial aspects and experienced better living conditions compared with the random sample.

Objective

To comprehensively analyse the costs of lung cancer CT screening and to determine whether invitations to mass screening alter the utilisation of the healthcare system resulting in indirect costs. Healthcare utilisation and costs are analysed in the primary care sector (general practitioner psychologists, physiotherapists, other specialists, drugs) and the secondary care sector (emergency room contacts, outpatient visits, hospitalisation days, surgical procedures and non-surgical procedures).

Design

To account for bias in the original trial, the costs and utilisation of healthcare by participants in DLCST were compared with a new reference group, selected in the period from randomisation (2004–2006) until 2014.

Setting

Four Danish national registers.

Participants

DLCST included 4104 current or former heavy smokers, randomly assigned to the CT group or the control group. The new reference group comprised a random sample of 535 current or former heavy smokers in the general Danish population who were never invited to participate in a cancer screening test.

Main outcome measures

Total healthcare costs including costs and utilisation of healthcare in both the primary and the secondary care sector.

Results

Compared with the reference group, the participants in both the CT group (offered annual CT screening, lung function test and smoking counselling) and the control group (offered annual lung function test and smoking counselling) had significantly increased total healthcare costs, calculated at 60% and 48% respectively. The increase in costs was caused by increased use of healthcare in both the primary and the secondary sectors.

Conclusion

CT screening leads to 60% increased total healthcare costs. Such increase would raise the expected annual healthcare cost per participant from EUR 2348 to EUR 3756. Cost analysis that only includes costs directly related to the CT scan and follow-up procedures most likely underestimates total costs. Our data show that the increased costs are not limited to the secondary sector.

Trial registration number

NCT00496977.
A prospective cohort study of self-reported computerised medical history taking for acute chest pain: protocol of the CLEOS-Chest Pain Danderyd Study (CLEOS-CPDS)
Authors: Brandberg Helge , Kahan Thomas , Spaak Jonas , Sundberg Kay , Koch Sabine , Adeli Athena , Sundberg Carl Johan , Zakim David
Published: January 2020

Introduction

Management of acute chest pain focuses on diagnosis or safe rule-out of an acute coronary syndrome (ACS). We aim to determine the additional value of self-reported computerised history taking (CHT).

Methods and analysis

Prospective cohort study design with self-reported, medical histories collected by a CHT programme (Clinical Expert Operating System, CLEOS) using a tablet. Women and men presenting with acute chest pain to the emergency department at Danderyd University Hospital (Stockholm, Sweden) are eligible. CHT will be compared with standard history taking for completeness of data required to calculate ACS risk scores such as History, ECG, Age, Risk factors and Troponin (HEART), Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events (GRACE), and Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction (TIMI). Clinical outcomes will be extracted from hospital electronic health records and national registries. The CLEOS-Chest Pain Danderyd Study project includes (1) a feasibility study of CHT, (2) a validation study of CHT as compared with standard history taking, (3) a paired diagnostic accuracy study using data from CHT and established risk scores, (4) a clinical utility study to evaluate the impact of CHT on the management of chest pain and the use of resources, and (5) data mining, aiming to generate an improved risk score for ACS. Primary outcomes will be analysed after 1000 patients, but to allow for subgroup analysis, the study intends to recruit 2000 or more patients. This ongoing project may lead to new and more effective ways for collecting thorough, accurate medical histories with important implications for clinical practice.

Ethics and dissemination

This study has been reviewed and approved by the Stockholm Regional Ethical Committee (now Swedish Ethical Review Authority). Results will be published, regardless of the outcome, in peer-reviewed international scientific journals.

Trial registration number

This study is registered athttps://www.clinicaltrials.gov(unique identifier:NCT03439449).
‘Break the Chains 2015’ community-based HIV prevention campaign for men who have sex with men in Switzerland: non-randomised evaluation and cost analysis
Authors: Frey Kathrin , Lociciro Stéphanie , Blank Patricia , Schwenkglenks Matthias , Dubois-Arber Françoise , Rosenbrock Rolf , Lehner Andreas , Staub Roger , Derendinger Steven , Schmidt Axel , Bize Raphael , Kübler Daniel , Low Nicola
Published: January 2020

Objectives

To study the implementation, effects and costs of Break the Chains, a community-based HIV prevention campaign for men who have sex with men (MSM) in Switzerland, from March to May 2015, which aimed to reduce early HIV transmission by promoting the campaign message to adopt short-term risk reduction followed by HIV testing.

Design

Non-randomised evaluation and cost analysis.

Setting

Gay venues in 11 of 26 cantons in Switzerland and national online media campaign.

Participants

MSM in online surveys (precampaign n=834, postcampaign n=688) or attending HIV testing centres (n=885); campaign managers (n=9); and campaign staff (n=38) or further intermediaries (n=80) in an online survey.

Primary and secondary outcome measures

The primary outcome measure was the proportion of MSM at risk of HIV acquisition or transmission who adhered to the campaign message. Secondary outcomes were postcampaign test uptake, knowledge about HIV primary infection and sense of belonging to the gay community.

Results

Campaign staff estimated that they contacted 17 145 MSM in 11 cantons. Among 688 respondents to the postcampaign survey, 311 (45.2%) were categorised as MSM at risk. Of 402/688 (58.5%) MSM who had heard about Break the Chains 2015, MSM categorised as being at risk were less likely to report adherence to the campaign message than MSM not at risk (adjusted OR 0.24; 95% CI 0.14 to 0.42). Twenty per cent of MSM with a defined risk of HIV acquisition or transmission who adopted risk reduction declared having done so because of the campaign. Costs for one MSM at risk to adhere to the campaign message were estimated at USD purchasing power parity 36–55. The number of HIV tests in the month after the campaign was twice the monthly average.

Conclusion

Break the Chains increased HIV testing, implying that community-based campaigns are useful HIV prevention strategies for MSM. Additional interventions are needed to reach MSM at the highest risk of infection more effectively.
Mapping evidence on the implementation of the WHO’s collaborative framework for the management of tuberculosis and diabetes: a scoping review protocol
Authors: Quist-Therson Rita , Kuupiel Desmond , Hlongwana Khumbulani
Published: January 2020

Introduction

The emergence of tuberculosis (TB) and diabetes mellitus (DM) coepidemic threatens the gains made in fighting the prevalence of these two diseases. As a result, in 2011, WHO and the International Union Against Lung Disease launched a framework to address the growing TB-DM coepidemic across the world. The aim of the proposed review study is mapping evidence on the implementation of the WHO collaborative framework for the management of TB-DM using a scoping review.

Methodology and analysis

This study will map literature on the global implementation of the WHO collaborative framework for the management of TB-DM, using Arksey and O’Malley’s scoping review framework. An extensive literature search for the peer-reviewed articles, grey literature, unpublished studies, thesis, studies in the press and a list of references from the selected studies will be conducted to find eligible studies. PubMed, Google Scholar, Web of Science, Science Direct, the EBSCOhost platform (Academic search complete, health source: nursing/academic edition, CINAHL with full text) and the WHO library will be used to source literature. The researcher will perform title screening of articles using keywords in the databases, and two independent reviewers will then screen abstracts and full articles. The screening will be guided by the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The Mixed Method Appraisal Tool V.2018 will be used to examine the quality of studies to be included. The findings will be analysed using the thematic content analysis approach and the results presented in the form of a narrative report.

Ethics and dissemination

The study did not require ethics approval because it is a scoping review protocol. Findings from this study will be disseminated by print and electronic mediums.
Clinical efficacy, safety and tolerability of aliskiren monotherapy: a protocol for an umbrella review
Authors: Zhao Qiyuan , Shen Jiantong , Lu Jingya , Li Fan , Jiang Qi , Wang Yuanyuan
Published: January 2020

Introduction

Aliskiren is a newly developed medicine. As one of the effective renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system inhibitors, its role in lowering blood pressure has been recognised. However, its safety and tolerability still remain controversial. The aim of the paper is to systematically summarise the published studies about the clinical efficacy and side effects of aliskiren monotherapy.

Methods and analysis

A comprehensive review of PubMed, Embase and Cochrane Library databases published from inception until June 2019 will be conducted. The selected articles are meta-analyses that integrated the randomised controlled studies, which evaluated efficacy, safety and tolerability of aliskiren monotherapy. Two people will select eligible articles and extract data independently. Any disputes will be resolved by discussion or the arbitration of a third person. The quality of reporting evidence will be assessed using the AMSTAR 2 tool. Study selection process will be presented using a flowchart. We will re-analyse each outcome with the random effect methods if necessary. If possible, we will also calculate 95% prediction intervals for each random effect estimate, by using Egger’s test to evaluate if the reporting bias existed.

Ethics and dissemination

Ethical approval is not required for the study, as we only collected data from available published materials. This umbrella review will be also submitted to a peer-reviewed journal for publication after completion.

PROSPERO registration number

CRD42019142141.
The I-DECIDED clinical decision-making tool for peripheral intravenous catheter assessment and safe removal: a clinimetric evaluation
Authors: Ray-Barruel Gillian , Cooke Marie , Chopra Vineet , Mitchell Marion , Rickard Claire M
Published: January 2020

Objective

To describe the clinimetric validation of the I-DECIDED tool for peripheral intravenous catheter assessment and decision-making.

Design and setting

I-DECIDED is an eight-step tool derived from international vascular access guidelines into a structured mnemonic for device assessment and decision-making. The clinimetric evaluation process was conducted in three distinct phases.

Methods

Initial face validity was confirmed with a vascular access working group. Next, content validity testing was conducted via online survey with vascular access experts and clinicians from Australia, the UK, the USA and Canada. Finally, inter-rater reliability was conducted between 34 pairs of assessors for a total of 68 peripheral intravenous catheter (PIVC) assessments. Assessments were timed to ensure feasibility, and the second rater was blinded to the first’s findings. Content validity index (CVI), mean item-level CVI (I-CVI), internal consistency, mean proportion of agreement, observed and expected inter-rater agreements, and prevalence-adjusted bias-adjusted kappas (PABAK) were calculated. Ethics approvals were obtained from university and hospital ethics committees.

Results

The I-DECIDED tool demonstrated strong content validity among international vascular access experts (n=7; mean I-CVI=0.91; mean proportion of agreement=0.91) and clinicians (n=11; mean I-CVI=0.93; mean proportion of agreement=0.94), and high inter-rater reliability in seven adult medical-surgical wards of three Australian hospitals. Overall, inter-rater reliability was 87.13%, with PABAK for each principle ranging from 0.5882 (‘patient education’) to 1.0000 (‘document the decision’). Time to complete assessments averaged 2 min, and nurse-reported acceptability was high.

Conclusion

This is the first comprehensive, evidence-based, valid and reliable PIVC assessment and decision tool. We recommend studies to evaluate the outcome of implementing this tool in clinical practice.

Trial registration number

12617000067370
4 The silent scream or the menopause
Authors: Barnard Emma , French Wendy
Published: January 2020

A project is being developed between artists and researchers to identify how to reduce loneliness and isolation in the older woman which could be a model for health and well-being clinics to adapt.

Regular sessions with artists and wordsmiths can help to minimise the stress caused by the menopause (add (1 or 2) reference(s) if available). Fears, anxieties and depression are symptoms often experienced with this life stage. Mid-life crisis is an expression that can be an unhelpful way to describe the natural aging of a woman’s body. Negative concepts and poor jokes can add to a woman feeling diminished around the natural process of aging. A regular group might talk and explore these feelings with an artist ready to translate words into pictures, and create with the group a positive collage of loss in this respect. We would see whether looking at poems written by women who have gone through the menopause, finding how to identify with others and their loss, and exploring whether the experiences of others help the individual to feel better about themselves. Would this collaborative approach with women help them to feel more positive about the next life stage and therefore enable them to live a healthier life?
5 A dry and silent world: hidden disabilities
Authors: Barnard Emma , Tucker Abigail , Mozaffari Mona , Teshima Tathyane
Published: January 2020

What is the power of human sensation? How does our ability to hear, salivate and taste affect everyday life? It is typical that patients suffering or surviving head and neck diseases continue to be impaired by disabilities and sensory disorders that are often overlooked by clinicians and patients alike. Not least because our senses of hearing and taste are hidden, by virtue of their anatomy. The theme of ‘hidden disability’ came to the project team in their observations of vulnerable patients, in particular the elderly, those suffering dementia, Sjogren Syndrome and survivors of head and neck cancer. Too readily, aspects affecting the quality of life of these patients are not recognised or even ignored.

Hearing and salivation are taken for granted by the public, by patients and even by clinicians. As such the team recognised a need to raise awareness especially amongst clinicians of the hidden nature of hearing loss and dry mouth amongst vulnerable patient groups.

A dry and silent world: living with hidden disabilities sought to encourage a three-way dialogue between patients, clinicians and academics mediated and documented through art.

A dry and silent world: living with hidden disabilities was a collaboration between King’s College London’s Centre for Craniofacial & Regenerative Biology and Emma Barnard. It was supported by the university’s Culture team.
Presence of cystic endometrial hyperplasia and uterine tumours in older pet pigs in the UK
Authors: Wood Paul , Hall Jon L , McMillan Matthew , Constantino‐Casas Fernando , Hughes Katherine
Published: January 2020

Experience in farm animal referral centres in the UK has shown an increase in the number of pigs being presented for age‐related problems. These include obesity, arthritis, skin disorders, overgrown tusks and overgrown claws. Seven pigs presented over a 7‐year period to two university veterinary teaching hospitals in the UK with clinical signs including behavioural change, abnormal vaginal discharge, inappetence and abdominal distension that was found to localise to the reproductive tract. Histology of the reproductive tract found cystic endometrial hyperplasia (n=7) and uterine tumours (n=4) following ovariohysterectomy (n=4) or postmortem examination (n=3). Tumours identified were leiomyoma (n=1), fibroleiomyoma (n=1) and leiomyosarcoma (n=2).
Addition of sodium alginate and pectin to a carbohydrate-electrolyte solution does not influence substrate oxidation, gastrointestinal comfort, or cycling performance
Authors: Mears Stephen A. , Worley James , Mason George S. , Hulston Carl J. , James Lewis J.
Published: January 2020

Eight well-trained cyclists ingested 68 g·h−1 of a carbohydrate-electrolyte solution with sodium alginate and pectin (CHO-ALG) or a taste and carbohydrate type-matched carbohydrate-electrolyte solution (CHO) during 120 min of cycling at 55% maximal power followed by an ∼20 min time trial. Oxygen uptake, carbon dioxide production, blood glucose concentration, substrate oxidation, gastrointestinal symptoms, and time trial performance (CHO-ALG: 1219 ± 84 s, CHO: 1267 ± 102 s; P = 0.185) were not different between trials.

Novelty Inclusion of sodium alginate and pectin in a carbohydrate drink does not influence blood glucose, substrate oxidation, gastrointestinal comfort, or performance in cyclists.
Ankyrin-B p.S646F undergoes increased proteasome degradation and reduces cell viability in the H9c2 rat ventricular cardiomyoblast cell line
Authors: Chen Lena , Choi Catherine S.W. , Sanchez-Arias Juan C. , Arbour Laura T. , Swayne Leigh Anne
Published: January 2020

Ankyrin-B (AnkB) is scaffolding protein that anchors integral membrane proteins to the cardiomyocyte cytoskeleton. We recently identified an AnkB variant, AnkB p.S646F (ANK2 c.1937 C>T) associated with a phenotype ranging from predisposition for cardiac arrhythmia to cardiomyopathy. AnkB p.S646F exhibited reduced expression levels in the H9c2 rat ventricular-derived cardiomyoblast cell line relative to wildtype AnkB. Here, we demonstrate that AnkB is regulated by proteasomal degradation and proteasome inhibition rescues AnkB p.S646F expression levels in H9c2 cells, although this effect is not conserved with differentiation. We also compared the impact of wildtype AnkB and AnkB p.S646F on cell viability and proliferation. AnkB p.S646F expression resulted in decreased cell viability at 30 h after transfection, whereas we observed a greater proportion of cycling, Ki67-positive cells at 48 h after transfection. Notably, the number of GFP-positive cells was low and was consistent between wildtype AnkB and AnkB p.S646F expressing cells, suggesting that AnkB and AnkB p.S646F affected paracrine communication between H9c2 cells differentially. This work reveals that AnkB levels are regulated by the proteasome and that AnkB p.S646F compromises cell viability. Together, these findings provide key new insights into the putative cellular and molecular mechanisms of AnkB-related cardiac disease.
Vortons with Abelian and non-Abelian currents and their stability
Authors: Tallarita Gianni , Peterson Adam , Bolognesi Stefano , Bedford Peter
Published: January 2020

We explore vorton solutions in the Witten’s $$U(1) \times U(1)$$U(1)×U(1) model for cosmic strings and in a modified version $$U(1) \times SO(3)$$U(1)×SO(3) obtained by introducing a triplet of non-Abelian fields to condense inside the string. We restrict to the case in which the unbroken symmetry in the bulk remains global. The vorton solutions are found numerically for certain choices of parameters and compared with an analytical solutions obtained in the thin vorton limit. We also discuss the vorton decay into Q-rings (or spinning Q-balls) and, to some extent, the time dependent behavior of vortons above the charge threshold.
Fluid dynamics study of the $$\varLambda $$ polarization for Au + Au collisions at $$\sqrt{s_{NN}}=200$$ GeV
Authors: Xie Yilong , Wang Dujuan , Csernai Laszlo Pal
Published: January 2020

With a Yang–Mills field, stratified shear flow initial state and a high resolution ($$3+1$$3+1)D particle-in-cell relativistic (PICR) hydrodynamic model, we calculate the $$\varLambda $$Λ polarization for peripheral Au + Au collisions at RHIC energy of $$\sqrt{S_{NN}}=200$$SNN=200 GeV. The obtained longitudinal polarization in our model agrees with the experimental signature and the quadrupole structure on transverse momentum plane. It is found that the relativistic correction (2nd term), arising from expansion and from the time component of the thermal vorticity, plays a crucial role in our results. This term is changing sign and exceeds the first term, arising from the classical vorticity. Finally, the global polarization in our model shows no significant dependence on rapidity, which agrees with the experimental data. It is also found that the second term flattens the sharp peak arising from the classical vorticity (1st term).
Global multiplicity bounds and spectral statistics for random operators
Authors: Mallick Anish , Maddaly Krishna
Published: January 2020

In this paper, we consider Anderson type operators on a separable Hilbert space where the random perturbations are finite rank and the random variables have full support on [Formula: see text]. We show that spectral multiplicity has a uniform lower bound whenever the lower bound is given on a set of positive Lebesgue measure on the point spectrum away from the continuous one. We also show a deep connection between the multiplicity of pure point spectrum and local spectral statistics, in particular, we show that spectral multiplicity higher than one always gives non-Poisson local statistics in the framework of Minami theory.

In particular, for higher rank Anderson models with pure point spectrum, with the randomness having support equal to [Formula: see text], there is a uniform lower bound on spectral multiplicity and in case this is larger than one, the local statistics is not Poisson.
Groups with restricted non-permutable subgroups
Authors: De Mari Fausto
Published: January 2020

A subgroup [Formula: see text] of a group [Formula: see text] is said to be permutable if [Formula: see text] for every subgroup [Formula: see text] of [Formula: see text] and the group [Formula: see text] is called metaquasihamiltonian if all subgroups of [Formula: see text] are either permutable or abelian. It is known that a locally graded metaquasihamiltonian group [Formula: see text] is soluble with derived length at most [Formula: see text] and contains a finite normal subgroup [Formula: see text] such that all subgroups of the factor [Formula: see text] are permutable. In this paper, we describe locally graded groups in which the set of all nonmetaquasihamiltonian subgroups satisfies the minimal condition and locally graded groups with the minimal condition on subgroups which are neither abelian nor permutable. Moreover, it is proved here that a finitely generated hyper-(abelian or finite) group whose finite homomorphic images are metaquasihamiltonian is itself metaquasihamiltonian.
A note on the existence of noninner automorphisms of order p in some finite p-groups
Authors: Fouladi S. , Orfi R.
Published: January 2020

In this paper, we prove that if [Formula: see text] is a finite nonabelian [Formula: see text]-group with [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text], then [Formula: see text] has a noninner automorphism of order [Formula: see text], where [Formula: see text] is the third member of the upper central series of [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] is the minimal number of generators of [Formula: see text]. This reduces the verification of the longstanding conjecture that every finite nonabelian [Formula: see text]-group [Formula: see text] has a noninner automorphism of order [Formula: see text] to the case in which [Formula: see text] for [Formula: see text]. Moreover, as a consequence, we prove that every finite [Formula: see text]-group of order less than [Formula: see text] has a noninner automorphism of order [Formula: see text].
Simultaneous approximation of Birkhoff interpolation and the associated sharp inequalities
Authors: Liu Zehong , Lu Wanting , Xu Guiqiao
Published: January 2020

This paper gives a kind of sharp simultaneous approximation error estimation of Birkhoff interpolation [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text] where [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] is the Birkhoff interpolation based on [Formula: see text] pairs of numbers [Formula: see text] with its P[Formula: see text]lya interpolation matrix to be regular. First, based on the integral remainder formula of Birkhoff interpolation, we refer the computation of [Formula: see text] to the norm of an integral operator. Second, we refer the values of [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] to two explicit integral expressions and the value of [Formula: see text] to the computation of the maximum eigenvalue of a Hilbert–Schmidt operator. At the same time, we give the corresponding sharp Wirtinger inequality [Formula: see text] and sharp Picone inequality [Formula: see text].
α-Derivable digraphs and its application in wireless sensor networking
Authors: Hamidi M. , Ameri R.
Published: January 2020

This paper considers derivable directed hypergraphs by undirected hypergraphs and generates undirected hypergraphs from directed hypergraphs. It tries to enumerate derivable directed hypergraphs and to find an upper bound for it. We introduce a positive relation on directed hypergraphs and derives digraphs via positive equivalence relation. We consider wireless sensor hypernetworks as directed hypergraphs and by clustering directed hypergraphs and positive equivalence relation obtain wireless sensor networks and show by cluster digraphs.
China–Israel Relations: Past, Present and Prospect
Authors: ZHU Zhiqun
Published: January 2020

China needs assistance as it restructures and upgrades its economy. Israel fits the bill as a global powerhouse in technologies and innovation. Besides, China considers Israel a potential node in the Belt and Road Initiative. The United States is concerned about China’s growing investments in key Israeli infrastructure and expanding influence in the Middle East. Israel, like other third parties, is caught between the United States and China as US–China rivalry intensifies.
Market-based Climate Policy in China? The Case of Emissions Trading Systems
Authors: BAARK Erik
Published: January 2020

China recognises the need to reduce carbon emissions in order to avoid negative consequences from climate change in the future. Therefore, the Chinese government initiated seven emissions trading system (ETS) pilots in 2013 and began to develop China’s national ETS in 2017. However, Chinese efforts to implement ETS have encountered legal, institutional and political issues that must be solved so that a national ETS could help to mitigate emissions in China.
Performing the Digital Self
Authors: Papangelis Konstantinos , Chamberlain Alan , Lykourentzou Ioanna , Khan Vassilis-Javed , Saker Michael , Liang Hai-Ning , Sadien Irwyn , Cao Ting
Published: January 2020

Expressions of territoriality have been positioned as one of the main reasons users alter their behaviors and perceptions of spatiality and sociality while engaging with location-based social networks (LBSN). Despite the potential for this interplay to further our understanding of LBSN usage in the context of identity, very little work has actually been done toward this. Addressing this gap in the literature is one of the chief aims of the article. Drawing on an original 6-week study with 42 participants utilizing a bespoke LBSN entitled “GeoMoments,” our research explores the following: (1) the way that territoriality is linked to self-identity; and (2) how this interplay affects the interactions between users as well as the environments they inhabit. Our findings suggest that participants affirmed their self-identity by selectively posting and claiming ownership of their neighborhood through the LBSN. Here, the locative decisions are made related to risk, hierarchies, and the users’ relationship to the area. This practice then led participants to discover and interact with the digital information overlaying their physical environments in a playful manner. These interactions demonstrate the perceived power structures that are facilitated by identity claims over a virtual area. In the main, our results reaffirm that territoriality is a central concept in understanding LBSN use, while also drawing attention to the temporality involved in user-to-user and user-to-place interactions pertaining to physical place mediated by LBSN.
Optimizations in C++ compilers
Authors: Godbolt Matt
Published: January 2020

A practical journey.
Sizing the U.S. student cohort for computer science
Authors: Guzdial Mark
Published: January 2020

The
Communications
Web site, http://cacm.acm.org, features more than a dozen bloggers in the BLOG@CACM community. In each issue of
Communications
, we'll publish selected posts or excerpts.

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Mark Guzdial considers indicators that U.S. K-12 students will study computer science.
Are you sure your software will not kill anyone?
Authors: Leveson Nancy
Published: January 2020

Using software to control potentially unsafe systems requires the use of new software and system engineering approaches.
Review—Insights into the Developments of Nanocomposites for Its Processing and Application as Sensing Materials
Authors: Said Ragab A. M. , Hasan Mohamed A. , Abdelzaher Ahmed M. , Abdel-Raoof Ahmed M.
Published: January 2020

The scope of this review is limited for advanced sensing materials and their applications. New materials, such as, engineered polymers, metals oxides, alloys, chalcogenides, nanostructured and hierarchical carbons regularly propel researchers and engineers to naturally test and compare them to existing sensors of diverse sorts. Nowadays, nanocomposite has ended up one of the foremost prevalent materials with potential applications in various ranges, including batteries with greater power output, flexible batteries, making lightweight sensors, photocatalysis and making tumors easier to see and remove. Furthermore, nanocomposites offer new technology and business opportunities for all sectors of industry. On the other hand, nanocomposites offer new innovation and commerce openings for all divisions of industry, a look through the pages of science and designing writing appears that using of nanocomposites for rising innovations speaks to one of the foremost dynamic regions of advancement all through the areas of life sciences, material science, chemistry, physics and related advances.
The Surface Cell Cooling Coefficient: A Standard to Define Heat Rejection from Lithium Ion Battery Pouch Cells
Authors: Hales Alastair , Marzook Mohamed Waseem , Bravo Diaz Laura , Patel Yatish , Offer Gregory
Published: January 2020

There is no universal and quantifiable standard to compare a given cell model’s capability to reject heat. The consequence of this is suboptimal cell designs because cell manufacturers do not have a metric to optimise. The Cell Cooling Coefficient for pouch cell tab cooling (CCC

tabs
) defines a cell’s capability to reject heat from its tabs. However, surface cooling remains the thermal management approach of choice for automotive and other high-power applications. This study introduces a surface Cell Cooling Coefficient, CCC

surf
which is shown to be a fundamental property of a lithium-ion cell. CCC

surf
is found to be considerably larger than CCC

tabs
, and this is a trend anticipated for every pouch cell currently commercially available. However, surface cooling induces layer-to-layer nonuniformity which is strongly linked to reduced cell performance and reduced cell lifetime. Thus, the Cell Cooling Coefficient enables quantitative comparison of each cooling method. Further, a method is presented for using the Cell Cooling Coefficients to inform the optimal design of a battery pack thermal management system. In this manner, implementation of the Cell Cooling Coefficient can transform the industry, by minimising the requirement for computationally expensive modelling or time consuming experiments in the early stages of battery-pack design.
Laser-Activated Luminescence of BaAl2O4:Eu
Authors: den Engelsen Daniel , Fern George R. , Ireland Terry G. , Silver Jack
Published: January 2020

In this article the laser-activated (LA) luminescence of BaAl2O4 doped with 3 mol% Eu2+ and SrAl2O4 doped with 700 ppm Eu2+ is described. The LA spectrum of BaAl2O4:Eu did not show any emission from Eu2+, but rather luminescence from the Eu3+ ion. This surprising result is explained in terms of ionization of the excited Eu2+ ions (photo-ionization), while the freed electrons are trapped in an excited state of the F-centre: this is considered to be a deep trap. The temperature of the ferroelectric-paraelectric phase transition in BaAl2O4 has been determined at ≈180 °C from the Raman spectra recorded at various temperatures.
Carotid body type I cells engage flavoprotein and Pin1 for oxygen sensing
Authors: Bernardini André , Wolf Alexandra , Brockmeier Ulf , Riffkin Helena , Metzen Eric , Acker-Palmer Amparo , Fandrey Joachim , Acker Helmut
Published: January 2020

Carotid body (CB) type I cells sense the blood Po2 and generate a nervous signal for stimulating ventilation and circulation when blood oxygen levels decline. Three oxygen-sensing enzyme complexes may be used for this purpose: 1) mitochondrial electron transport chain metabolism, 2) heme oxygenase 2 (HO-2)-generating CO, and/or 3) an NAD(P)H oxidase (NOX). We hypothesize that intracellular redox changes are the link between the sensor and nervous signals. To test this hypothesis type I cell autofluorescence of flavoproteins (Fp) and NAD(P)H within the mouse CB ex vivo was recorded as Fp/(Fp+NAD(P)H) redox ratio. CB type I cell redox ratio transiently declined with the onset of hypoxia. Upon reoxygenation, CB type I cells showed a significantly increased redox ratio. As a control organ, the non-oxygen-sensing sympathetic superior cervical ganglion (SCG) showed a continuously reduced redox ratio upon hypoxia. CN−, diphenyleneiodonium, or reactive oxygen species influenced chemoreceptor discharge (CND) with subsequent loss of O2 sensitivity and inhibited hypoxic Fp reduction only in the CB but not in SCG Fp, indicating a specific role of Fp in the oxygen-sensing process. Hypoxia-induced changes in CB type I cell redox ratio affected peptidyl prolyl isomerase Pin1, which is believed to colocalize with the NADPH oxidase subunit p47phox in the cell membrane to trigger the opening of potassium channels. We postulate that hypoxia-induced changes in the Fp-mediated redox ratio of the CB regulate the Pin1/p47phox tandem to alter type I cell potassium channels and therewith CND.
L-type calcium channel contributions to intrinsic excitability and synaptic activity during basolateral amygdala postnatal development
Authors: Zhang Yiming , Garcia Esperanza , Sack Anne-Sophie , Snutch Terrance P.
Published: January 2020

The amygdala contributes toward emotional processes such as fear, anxiety, and social cognition. Furthermore, evidence suggests that increased excitability of basolateral amygdala (BLA) principal neurons underlie certain neuropsychiatric disorders. Gain-of-function mutations in neuronal L-type calcium channels (LTCCs) are linked to neurodevelopmental diseases, including autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). While LTCCs are expressed throughout the BLA, direct evidence for increased LTCC activity affecting BLA excitability and potentially contributing to disease pathophysiology is lacking. In this study, we utilized a pharmacological approach to examine the contributions of LTCCs to BLA principal cell excitability and synaptic activity at immature (postnatal day 7, P7) and juvenile (P21) developmental stages. Acute upregulation of LTCC activity in brain slices by application of the agonist ( S)-Bay K 8644 resulted in increased intrinsic excitability properties including firing frequency response, plateau potential, and spike-frequency adaptation selectively in P7 neurons. Contrastingly, for P21 neurons, the main effect of ( S)-Bay K 8644 was to enhance burst firing. ( S)-Bay K 8644 increased spontaneous inhibitory synaptic currents at both P7 and P21 but did not affect evoked synaptic currents at either stage. ( S)-Bay K 8644 did not alter P7 spontaneous excitatory synaptic currents, although it increased current amplitude in P21 neurons. Overall, the results provide support for the notion that alteration of LTCC activity at specific periods of early brain development may lead to functional alterations to neuronal network activity and subsequently contribute to underlying mechanisms of amygdala-related neurological disorders.

NEW & NOTEWORTHY The role of L-type calcium channels (LTCCs) in regulating neuronal electrophysiological properties during development remains unclear. We show that in basolateral amygdala principal neurons, an increase of LTCC activity alters both neuronal excitability and synaptic activity. The results also provide evidence for the distinct contributions of LTCCs at different stages of neurodevelopment and shed insight into our understanding of LTCC dysfunction in amygdala-related neurological disorders.
An Analysis of Societal Determinant of Anemia among Adolescent Girls in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan
Authors: Habib Nazneen , Abbasi Saif-Ur-Rehman Saif , Aziz Wajid
Published: January 2020

Societal determinants of health are of recognized importance for understanding the causal association of society and health of an individual. Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) is a challenging public health problem across the globe instigating from a broader sociocultural background. It is more prevalent among pregnant women, children under the age of five years, and adolescent girls. Adolescent girls are vulnerable to develop IDA because of additional nutritional demand of the body needed for growth spurt, blood loss due to onset of menarche, malnourishment, and poor dietary iron intake. In this study, we explore the societal determinants of anemia among adolescent girls in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), Pakistan. A cross-sectional study was conducted in the Muzaffarabad division of AJK on randomly selected 626 adolescent girls. The data were collected using a pretested self-administered interview schedule comprising mainly closed-ended questions with a few open-ended questions. Descriptive statistics was computed for describing the data, and bivariate regression and logistic regression were used to determine the association of anemia with its societal determinants. Multiple linear regression is used to determine the relationship of different determinants (independent variables) with the hemoglobin level (dependent variable) of the respondents. The prevalence of anemia among adolescent girls is 47.9%, of which 47.7% have mild anemia, 51.7% have moderate anemia, and 5.7% have severe anemia, which reveals that anemia is a severe public health problem among adolescent girls in the study area. The findings aver that anemia occurrence was significantly associated with the respondent’s and her parental education, economic well-being, prevalence of communicable diseases, menstrual disorder, exercise habits, meals regularity, and type of sewerage system.
Optimal Representation of Large-Scale Graph Data Based on Grid Clustering and K2-Tree
Authors: Li Fengying , Yang Enyi , Ma Anqiao , Dong Rongsheng
Published: January 2020

The application of appropriate graph data compression technology to store and manipulate graph data with tens of thousands of nodes and edges is a prerequisite for analyzing large-scale graph data. The traditional K2-tree representation scheme mechanically partitions the adjacency matrix, which causes the dense interval to be split, resulting in additional storage overhead. As the size of the graph data increases, the query time of K2-tree continues to increase. In view of the above problems, we propose a compact representation scheme for graph data based on grid clustering and K2-tree. Firstly, we divide the adjacency matrix into several grids of the same size. Then, we continuously filter and merge these grids until grid density satisfies the given density threshold. Finally, for each large grid that meets the density, K2-tree compact representation is performed. On this basis, we further give the relevant node neighbor query algorithm. The experimental results show that compared with the current best K2-BDC algorithm, our scheme can achieve better time/space tradeoff.
Analysis on Dynamic Response Characteristics of High-Speed Solenoid Valve for Electronic Control Fuel Injection System
Authors: Zhang Jianyu , Liu Peng , Fan Liyun , Deng Yajie
Published: January 2020

A 3D numerical simulation model of high-speed solenoid valve (HSV) for electronic control fuel injection system (ECFIS) has been developed. The model has been validated experimentally with acceptable maximum errors of 2% and 8.7% in closure response time and open response time, respectively. Effect of assembly parameters such as residual air gap, maximum lift of valve stem, mass of the moving parts, spring stiffness, and spring pretightening force on dynamic response characteristics of HSV has been analyzed in detail using the simulation model, and influence rules of various parameters on dynamic response characteristics have been established. Moreover, the correlation between interaction factors of main influence factors and dynamic response characteristics of HSV has also been analyzed. It is concluded that residual air gap, maximum lift of the valve stem, and spring pretightening force are the main influencing factors on dynamic response characteristics of HSV, and there are obvious interaction effects between them; when two or three of these main influencing factors are adjusted at the same time, the interaction effects should be considered.
Effects of Diets Enriched in Linseed and Fish Oil on the Expression Pattern of Toll-Like Receptors 4 and Proinflammatory Cytokines on Gonadal Axis and Reproductive Organs in Rabbit Buck
Authors: Menchetti Laura , Barbato Olimpia , Sforna Monica , Vigo Daniele , Mattioli Simona , Curone Giulio , Tecilla Marco , Riva Federica , Brecchia Gabriele
Published: January 2020

Infections of the genital tract can perturb the fertility in humans and animals. Pathogen recognition and activation of innate immunity onset through the pattern recognition receptor activation, such as Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), leading to the production of proinflammatory cytokines and mediators. TLR4 is expressed both on leukocytes and nonimmune cells. Rabbit TLR4 shows great similarity to its human counterpart. Moreover, the TLR4 signalling pathway could be modulated by long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFA). The objectives of this study were (i) to determine the expression levels of TLR4 and proinflammatory cytokines in the reproductive hypothalamic-gonadal axis of the male rabbit and (ii) to evaluate if the n-3 PUFA-enriched diets can modify their expression levels in the tissues and LC-PUFA profiles in seminal plasma. Fifteen rabbit bucks (n=5/experimental group) were fed with different diets: commercial standard (group C), rich in extruded linseed (10%, group L), and in fish oil (3%, group FO) for 110 days. TLR4, TNF-α, and IL-1βmRNA were ubiquitously expressed throughout the hypothalamic-gonadal axis. However, TLR4 mRNA expression was lower in the hypothalamus than the epididymis (P<0.01), seminal vesicles (P<0.01), and pituitary gland (P<0.05). Dietary enrichment in PUFA did not modify the gene expression profile nor the histological characteristics of the tissues. Conversely in seminal plasma, rabbits fed with L and FO had lower n-6 (P<0.05), LC-PUFA n-6 (P<0.05), and n-6/n-3 ratio (P<0.05) but higher n-3 (P<0.001) and LC-PUFA n-3 (P<0.01) compared to the control group. Our study builds a map of the gene expression of TRL4 and proinflammatory cytokines in the reproductive hypothalamic-gonadal axis of the male rabbit, fundamental step for understanding the immune defence mechanisms. Diets enriched in LC-PUFA did not affect basal gene expression but modulated sperm fatty acid composition. Finally, rabbit may be an excellent animal model to study the relationship between inflammation and infertility, and the nutritional modulation of immune functions.
Analysis on the Impact Factors for the Pulling Force of the McKibben Pneumatic Artificial Muscle by a FEM Model
Authors: Tu Qin , Wang Yanjie , Yue Donghai , Dwomoh Frank Agyen
Published: January 2020

Modelling the behaviour of Pneumatic Artificial Muscle (PAM) has proven difficult due to its highly complicated structure, nonlinear nature of rubbery material, and air compressibility. To overcome these limitations, a FEM (Finite Element Method) model using Abaqus and CATIA is derived for the quantitative analysis on the impact of different factors on the pulling force of PAM. In the Abaqus a two parameter Mooney–Rivlin model is utilized to consider the hyper-elastic nature of flexible material. Then both Abaqus and CATIA are used in the parametric design of a 3-Dimensional model of PAM. Furthermore, the FEM model is employed to predict the static force exerted by PAM and the results show that the model is promising. The FEM model produces closer results to the test data for the typical PAM. Nonlinear behaviour of PAM is found to be obvious with an increase in both the contraction and the air pressure, different from the linear curves obtained by the fundamental geometrical model. Nonlinear changes in the PAM force are also observed in the numerical study on the effect of structural factors including initial braid angle, initial diameter, initial wall thickness, and flexible material. Besides, these phenomena can be explained by a connection between mechanical and morphological behaviour of PAMs with the FEM model. Generally, this modelling approach is more accurate compared to the fundamental theoretical model and more cost competitive compared to the empirical methods.
Cat Swarm Optimization Algorithm: A Survey and Performance Evaluation
Authors: Ahmed Aram M. , Rashid Tarik A. , Saeed Soran Ab. M.
Published: January 2020

This paper presents an in-depth survey and performance evaluation of cat swarm optimization (CSO) algorithm. CSO is a robust and powerful metaheuristic swarm-based optimization approach that has received very positive feedback since its emergence. It has been tackling many optimization problems, and many variants of it have been introduced. However, the literature lacks a detailed survey or a performance evaluation in this regard. Therefore, this paper is an attempt to review all these works, including its developments and applications, and group them accordingly. In addition, CSO is tested on 23 classical benchmark functions and 10 modern benchmark functions (CEC 2019). The results are then compared against three novel and powerful optimization algorithms, namely, dragonfly algorithm (DA), butterfly optimization algorithm (BOA), and fitness dependent optimizer (FDO). These algorithms are then ranked according to Friedman test, and the results show that CSO ranks first on the whole. Finally, statistical approaches are employed to further confirm the outperformance of CSO algorithm.