bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Maxillofacial injury related to an exploding e-cigarette
Authors: La Valle Angelo , O'Connor Rory , Brooks A , Freij Ramzi
Published: January 2021

Electronic cigarettes (also known as e-cigarettes or electronic nicotine delivery systems) were invented in China in 2003 then introduced to the British market in 2007. They remain popular among the public and are deemed to be effective in reducing tobacco smoking (the UK being one of the first countries to embrace them in a harm reduction policy). However, reports in the media of e-cigarettes exploding are of concern, considering the potential functional and psychological impairment that lifelong disfigurement will cause, especially given their uptake among people of any age. We present a case of this rare, but dramatic, effect of e-cigarette use as a warning to the public.
Rare cutaneous manifestation of COVID-19
Authors: Killion Lisa , Beatty Paula Evelyn , Salim Asad
Published: January 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in an incomparable disease burden worldwide. One of the main contributors stems from the multisystem inflammatory syndrome associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection. The numbers of those affected continue to rise with the increasing number of confirmed COVID-19 cases. However, we are yet to fully comprehend the risk factors, disease progression and prognosis for individuals affected. We describe a case of a previously healthy 17-year-old boy who tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus. He presented with a 5-day history of mild influenza-like symptoms, however, quickly required ventilatory support in the intensive care unit. Two months postdischarge, he developed an isolated petechial rash on his palms and soles. His cutaneous presentation was in association with a mixed sensorimotor peripheral neuropathy, debilitating neuropathic pain and intermittent respiratory distress. We postulate that cutaneous manifestations post-COVID-19 could be indicatory of the newly identified multisystem inflammatory syndrome.
An 11-week school-based ‘health education through football programme’ improves health knowledge related to hygiene, nutrition, physical activity and well-being—and it’s fun! A scaled-up, cluster-RCT with over 3000 Danish school children aged 10–12 years old
Authors: Larsen Malte Nejst , Elbe Anne-Marie , Madsen Mads , Madsen Esben Elholm , Ørntoft Christina , Ryom Knud , Dvorak Jiri , Krustrup Peter
Published: January 2021

Objectives

Our large-scale cluster randomised controlled trial aimed to investigate the effects on health knowledge and enjoyment of an 11 week ‘health education through football’ programme for children aged 10–12 years old.

Methods

3127 Danish school children (49% girls) aged 10–12 years from a total of 154 schools located in 63% of the Danish municipalities (69 of 98) took part in the analysis. A 5:1 cluster randomisation was performed at school level for the intervention group (IG) or the control group (CG). The twice-weekly 45 min intervention was the ‘11 for Health in Denmark’ programme, which includes health education, football drills and small-sided games. The health education element focused on hygiene, nutrition, physical activity and well-being. Outcomes: The participants completed a 34-item multiple-choice computer-based health knowledge questionnaire preintervention and postintervention. IG also evaluated whether the programme was enjoyable.

Results

Between-group differences (p<0.05) were observed in overall health knowledge in favour of IG (+7.2% points, 95% CI 6.1% to 8.4%, effect size, ES:0.59), with similar effects for girls (+7.4% points, 95% CI 5.9% to 9.0%, ES:0.57) and for boys (+7.0% points, 95% CI 5.3% to 8.7%, p<0.05, ES:0.51). Marked between-group differences were observed in favour of IG, for health knowledge related to hygiene (IG vs CG:+13.9% points, 95% CI 11.1% to 16.7%, ES:0.53), nutrition (+10.3% points, 95% CI 8.5% to 12.1%, ES:0.53), physical activity (+5.9% points, 95% CI 4.1% to 7.7%, ES:0.36) and well-being (+4.4% points, 95% CI 2.7% to 6.1%, ES:0.28). Both girls and boys gave the programme moderate to high scores for enjoyment (3.6±1.0 and 3.7±1.1, respectively).

Conclusion

Health education through sport, using the ‘11 for Health’ model, was enjoyable for girls and boys aged 10–12 years old, and improved health knowledge related to hygiene, nutrition, physical activity and well-being.
Molecular profiling of advanced non-small cell lung cancer in the era of immunotherapy approach: a multicenter Italian observational prospective study of biomarker screening in daily clinical practice
Authors: Vavala Tiziana , Malapelle Umberto , Veggiani Claudia , Ludovini Vienna , Papotti Mauro , Leone Alvaro , Graziano Paolo , Minari Roberta , Bono Francesca , Sapino Anna , Manotti Laura , Troncone Giancarlo , Pisapia Pasquale , Girlando Salvatore , Buffoni Lucio , Righi Luisella , Colantonio Ida , Bertetto Oscar , Novello Silvia
Published: January 2021

Aims

Heterogeneous implementation of molecular tests in current diagnostic algorithm at a European and international level is emerging as a major issue for efficient lung cancer molecular profiling.

Methods

From May 2017 until October 2017, N=1612 patients referring to 13 Italian institutions were selected, at advanced stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and prospectively evaluated. Principal endpoints were: the percentage of diagnoses performed on cytological and histological material, the proportion of requests for epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutational status, and resistance mutations detected on tissue and/or liquid biopsy samples after first-generation or second-generation tyrosine kinase inhibitors, the proportion of requests for anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) gene rearrangements, ROS proto-oncogene 1 (ROS1) and Kirsten Rat Sarcoma (KRAS) determinations, the proportion of requests for programmed death-ligand1 (PD-L1) evaluation and, finally, the different assays used for the detection of EGFR mutations, ALK and ROS1 gene rearrangements and PD-L1 expression.

Results

Of 1325 patients finally included, only 50.8% requests were related to driver mutations with target agents already available in first-line at that preplanned time, while 49.2% were associated with PD-L1, ROS1, KRAS and others. Multiplex genomic assays (such as next-generation sequencing) were considered by all participating centres.

Conclusions

To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study in a ‘real-life daily practice’ involving both pathologists and oncologists evaluating routinely workflow and trends towards improvements in molecular requests. Collected data aim to describe the applied algorithms and evolution of molecular screening for stage IV NSCLC in clinical practice.
High levels of immunosuppression are related to unfavourable outcomes in hospitalised patients with rheumatic diseases and COVID-19: first results of ReumaCoV Brasil registry
Authors: Marques Claudia Diniz Lopes , Kakehasi Adriana Maria , Pinheiro Marcelo Medeiros , Mota Licia Maria Henrique , Albuquerque Cleandro Pires , Silva Carolina Rocha , Santos Gabriela Porfirio Jardim , Reis-Neto Edgard Torres , Matos Pedro , Devide Guilherme , Dantas Andrea , Giorgi Rina Dalva , Omura Felipe , Marinho Adriana de Oliveira , Valadares Lilian David Azevedo , Melo Ana Karla G , Ribeiro Francinne Machado , Ferreira Gilda Aparecida , Santos Flavia Patricia de Sena , Ribeiro Sandra Lucia Euzebio , Andrade Nicole Pamplona Bueno , Yazbek Michel Alexandre , Souza Viviane Angelina de , Paiva Eduardo S , Azevedo Valderilio Feijo , Freitas Ana Beatriz Santos Bacchiega de , Provenza José Roberto , Toledo Ricardo Acayaba de , Fontenelle Sheilla , Carneiro Sueli , Xavier Ricardo , Pileggi Gecilmara Cristina Salviato , Reis Ana Paula Monteiro Gomides
Published: January 2021

Objectives

To evaluate risk factors associated with unfavourable outcomes: emergency care, hospitalisation, admission to intensive care unit (ICU), mechanical ventilation and death in patients with immune-mediated rheumatic disease (IMRD) and COVID-19.

Methods

Analysis of the first 8 weeks of observational multicentre prospective cohort study (ReumaCoV Brasil register). Patients with IMRD and COVID-19 according to the Ministry of Health criteria were classified as eligible for the study.

Results

334 participants were enrolled, a majority of them women, with a median age of 45 years; systemic lupus erythematosus (32.9%) was the most frequent IMRD. Emergency care was required in 160 patients, 33.0% were hospitalised, 15.0% were admitted to the ICU and 10.5% underwent mechanical ventilation; 28 patients (8.4%) died. In the multivariate adjustment model for emergency care, diabetes (prevalence ratio, PR 1.38; 95% CI 1.11 to 1.73; p=0.004), kidney disease (PR 1.36; 95% CI 1.05 to 1.77; p=0.020), oral glucocorticoids (GC) (PR 1.49; 95% CI 1.21 to 1.85; p<0.001) and pulse therapy with methylprednisolone (PR 1.38; 95% CI 1.14 to 1.67; p=0.001) remained significant; for hospitalisation, age >50 years (PR 1.89; 95% CI 1.26 to 2.85; p=0.002), no use of tumour necrosis factor inhibitor (TNFi) (PR 2.51;95% CI 1.16 to 5.45; p=0.004) and methylprednisolone pulse therapy (PR 2.50; 95% CI 1.59 to 3.92; p<0.001); for ICU admission, oral GC (PR 2.24; 95% CI 1.36 to 3.71; p<0.001) and pulse therapy with methylprednisolone (PR 1.65; 95% CI 1.00 to 2.68; p<0.043); the two variables associated with death were pulse therapy with methylprednisolone or cyclophosphamide (PR 2.86; 95% CI 1.59 to 5.14; p<0.018).

Conclusions

Age >50 years and immunosuppression with GC and cyclophosphamide were associated with unfavourable outcomes of COVID-19. Treatment with TNFi may have been protective, perhaps leading to the COVID-19 inflammatory process.
Efficacy and safety of rituximab in peripheral ulcerative keratitis associated with rheumatoid arthritis
Authors: Bonnet Isabelle , Rousseau Antoine , Duraffour Pierre , Pouchot Jacques , Nguyen Chi Duc , Gabison Eric , Seror Raphaele , Marotte Hubert , Mariette Xavier , Nocturne Gaetane
Published: January 2021

Objective

Peripheral ulcerative keratitis (PUK) is a rare but severe ocular complication of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). It can be considered as an ocular manifestation of rheumatoid vasculitis (RV). Our case series aimed to evaluate the efficacy of rituximab (RTX) for PUK occurring in patients with RA.

Methods

Study population were patients with RA-associated PUK treated with RTX 1000 mg on days 1 and 15 at least once after the diagnosis. We identified patients referred to the rheumatology and ophthalmology departments of our hospital between February 2014 and June 2020. We also included patients referred by their specialist after being contacted through the Club Rhumatismes et Inflammation. Demographic data and clinical and biological features were retrospectively collected.

Results

We included seven patients (three men and four women, median age 58 years). All but one had a long-standing RA with a median disease duration of 13.9 years (IQR 0–30.2). RA was erosive in six out of seven patients. All patients had rheumatoid factors and anticitrullinated peptides antibodies were positive in six of them. PUK was complicated by corneal perforation in three patients and required surgery. After a median follow-up of 29.8 months (IQR 5–75), corneal inflammation was controlled in all patients. PUK recurred in one patient, 8 months after a single infusion of RTX. 71% of the patients presented a good articular response. No patient developed other manifestations of RV. No serious adverse event related to RTX was observed.

Conclusion

RTX appears to be an efficient and safe therapeutic option in the treatment of RA-associated PUK.
Leveraging a health information exchange to examine the accuracy of self-report emergency department utilization data among hospitalized injury survivors
Authors: Whiteside Lauren K , Vrablik Marie C , Russo Joan , Bulger Eileen M , Nehra Deepika , Moloney Kathleen , Zatzick Douglas F
Published: January 2021

Background

Accurate acute care medical utilization history is an important outcome for clinicians and investigators concerned with improving trauma center care. The objective of this study was to examine the accuracy of self-report emergency department (ED) utilization compared with utilization obtained from the Emergency Department Information Exchange (EDIE) in admitted trauma surgery patients with comorbid mental health and substance use problems.

Methods

This is a retrospective cohort study of 169 injured patients admitted to the University of Washington’s Harborview Level I Trauma Center. Patients had high levels of post-traumatic stress disorder and depressive symptoms, suicidal ideation and alcohol comorbidity. The investigation used EDIE, a novel health technology tool that collects information at the time a patient checks into any ED in Washington and other US states. Patterns of EDIE-documented visits were described, and the accuracy of injured patients’ self-report visits was compared with EDIE-recorded visits during the course of the 12 months prior to the index trauma center admission.

Results

Overall, 45% of the sample (n=76) inaccurately recalled their ED visits during the past year, with 36 participants (21%) reporting less ED visits than EDIE indicated and 40 (24%) reporting more ED visits than EDIE indicated. Patients with histories of alcohol use problems and major psychiatric illness were more likely to either under-report or over-report ED health service use.

Discussion

Nearly half of all patients were unable to accurately recall ED visits in the previous 12 months compared with EDIE, with almost one-quarter of patients demonstrating high levels of disagreement. The improved accuracy and ease of use when compared with self-report make EDIE an important tool for both clinical and pragmatic trial longitudinal outcome assessments. Orchestrated investigative and policy efforts could further examine the benefits of introducing EDIE and other information exchanges into routine acute care clinical workflows.

Level of evidence

II/III.

Trial registration number

ClinicalTrials.govNCT02274688.
G protein coupled receptor kinase 5 modifies the nucleolar stress response activated by actinomycin D
Authors: Sok Vanessa , Jacinto Alec Z. , Peng Natalie , Eldemerdash Mohamed , Le Lysa , Tran Philip D. , Feng Li Feng , Patel Jigisha R. , Gi Michael , Ammon Jane C. , So Christopher H.
Published: January 2021

G protein coupled receptor kinase 5 (GRK5) is localized within the nucleus and moderates functions such as DNA transcription, in addition to its localization at the plasma membrane. In this report, we show that GRK5 modifies the nucleolar stress response activated by the DNA polymerase inhibitor, actinomycin D (ActD). We show an increased sensitivity to the apoptotic effects of ActD on cervical HeLa cells and the breast cancer cell line MDA MB 231 with reduced protein expression of GRK5. We also tested two types of breast cancer cells (MDA MB 231 and MCF7 cells) and found that the rate of response to ActD varied between them because they have innate differences in the protein expression of GRK5. We also found that GRK5 phosphorylates nucleophosmin (NPM1) at T199 before and during the early stages of ActD treatment. Phosphorylation at T199 increases the ability of NPM1 to interact with p14ARF in vitro, which may affect the protein expression levels of p14ARF. We found that the expression levels of p14ARF were lower in the cells transfected with the control shRNA, but higher in cells transfected with GRK5 shRNA. Collectively, this suggests that GRK5 modifies the nucleolar stress response associated with ActD.
Seasonal and diurnal variations of back-calculated layer moduli in flexible pavement and FWD testing guidelines
Authors: Muslim Hamad Bin , Haider Syed Waqar , Chatti Karim
Published: January 2021

Seasonal and diurnal variations can significantly impact falling weight deflectometer (FWD) measurements and, thus, deflection-based parameters such as back-calculated layer moduli. Therefore, it is necessary to evaluate and quantify these effects. The back-calculated layer moduli data from the Long-Term Pavement Performance Seasonal Monitoring Program study were analyzed within each climatic region. The effects of seasonal and diurnal changes were quantified and related to ambient temperatures were related to the development of general measurement guidelines. The HMA layer moduli showed minimal variation during the spring and fall seasons in every climatic region and were consistently higher based on the deflections measured before noon. However, temperature correction, generally applied to the HMA layer moduli, can eliminate the temperature impacts of the FWD measurements. Because the unbound layer moduli are back-calculated from the single measured deflection basins on the surface, temperature and moisture conditions at the time of measurements can affect the material properties. The base and subgrade moduli showed minimal variation within the temperature ranges of the spring and fall seasons. Therefore, such temperature within each climatic region may result in layer moduli values closest to their representative in-field conditions. In addition, the unbound layer showed no effect of time within a day, suggesting that FWD testing can be conducted at any time during the day. Based on the results, the preferred temperature ranges for FWD measurements are 55–70 °F and 65–75 °F in the freeze and non-freeze regions, respectively. FWD measurements can be conducted at any time during the day. The preferred seasons for testing are spring and fall in all climatic regions.
Determination of the asymmetry term strength in the n–A elastic scattering process using a nonlocal optical model
Authors: Sawalha A. , Jaghoub M.I.
Published: January 2021

In previous works, the imaginary surface and (or) the imaginary volume depths of the optical potential were parametrized as linear functions of the projectile’s incident energy and neutron-proton asymmetry (N – Z)/A of the target nucleus. However, the obtained asymmetry strength parameters were not robust nor unique. In this work, we determine values for the strength parameters by simultaneously fitting 38 angular distribution data sets corresponding to neutron elastic scattering off chains of isotopes. For each isotopic chain, we considered the data sets that are measured at the same energy. This minimises the effect of the known energy dependence of the optical model and projects the dependence on the asymmetry term, which in turn leads to more reliable values of the strength parameters. To demonstrate the significance of the obtained strength values, we use the model to predict elastic angular distributions for neutron scattering off nuclei not considered in the χ2 analysis. Our theoretical angular distributions are in good agreement with the measured data and are also comparable to the predictions of local global models. In addition, our predicted total elastic and total reaction cross sections are in fair overall agreement with experiment. An additional result of this work is the determination of a global set of nonlocal parameters that describe neutron elastic scattering off nuclei that fall in the mass range 24 ≤ A ≤ 208 corresponding to incident neutron energies between ≈10–30 MeV.
Freshwater conservation planning in the far north of Ontario, Canada: identifying priority watersheds for the conservation of fish biodiversity in an intact boreal landscape
Authors: Southee F. Meg , Edwards Brie A. , Chetkiewicz Cheryl-Lesley B. , O’Connor Constance M.
Published: January 2021

Freshwater ecosystems show more biodiversity loss than terrestrial or marine systems. We present a systematic conservation planning analysis in the Arctic Ocean drainage basin in Ontario, Canada, to identify key watersheds for the conservation of 30 native freshwater fish, including four focal species: lake sturgeon, lake whitefish, brook trout, and walleye. We created species distribution models for 30 native fish species and accounted for anthropogenic impacts. We used the “prioritizr” package in R to select watersheds that maximize species targets, minimize impacts, and meet area-based targets based on the Convention on Biological Diversity commitment to protect 17% of terrestrial and freshwater areas by 2020 and the proposed target to protect 30% by 2030. We found that, on average, 17.4% and 29.8% of predicted species distributions were represented for each of the 30 species in the 17% and 30% area-based solutions, respectively. The outcomes were more efficient when we prioritized for individual species, particularly brook trout, where 24% and 36% of its predicted distribution was represented in the 17% and 30% solutions, respectively. Future conservation planning should consider climate change, culturally significant species and areas, and the importance of First Nations as guardians and stewards of the land in northern Ontario.
Study of quasi-two-body $$B_{(s)}\rightarrow \phi (f_0(980)/f_2(1270)\rightarrow )\pi \pi $$ decays in perturbative QCD approach
Authors: Zou Zhi-Tian , Yang Lei , Li Ying , Liu Xin
Published: January 2021

In 2017, LHCb collaboration reported their first observation of the rare decays$$B_s \rightarrow \phi (f_0(980)$$Bs→ϕ(f0(980)$$/f_2(1270) \rightarrow ) \pi ^+\pi ^-$$/f2(1270)→)π+π-and the evidence of$$B^0 \rightarrow \phi (f_0(980)/f_2(1270)\rightarrow )\pi ^+\pi ^-$$B0→ϕ(f0(980)/f2(1270)→)π+π-. Motivated by this, we study these quasi-two-body decays in the perturbative QCD approach. The branching fractions,CPasymmetries and the polarization fractions are calculated. We find that within the appropriate two-meson wave functions, the calculated branching fractions are in agreement with the measurements of LHCb. Based on the narrow-width approximation, We also calculate the branching fractions of the quasi-two-body$$B_{d,s}\rightarrow \phi (f_0(980)/f_2(1270)\rightarrow ) \pi ^0\pi ^0$$Bd,s→ϕ(f0(980)/f2(1270)→)π0π0and$$B_{d,s}\rightarrow \phi (f_2(1270)\rightarrow ) K^+K^-$$Bd,s→ϕ(f2(1270)→)K+K-, and hope the predictions to be tested in the ongoing LHCb and Belle II experiments. Moreover, the processes$$B_{d,s}\rightarrow \phi f_2(1270)$$Bd,s→ϕf2(1270)are also analyzed under the approximation. We note that theCPasymmetries of these decays are very small, because these decays are either penguin dominant or pure penguin processes.
Normal ordering normal modes
Authors: Evslin Jarah
Published: January 2021

In a soliton sector of a quantum field theory, it is often convenient to expand the quantum fields in terms of normal modes. Normal mode creation and annihilation operators can be normal ordered, and their normal ordered products have vanishing expectation values in the one-loop soliton ground state. The Hamiltonian of the theory, however, is usually normal ordered in the basis of operators which create plane waves. In this paper we find the Wick map between the two normal orderings. For concreteness, we restrict our attention to Schrodinger picture scalar fields in 1+1 dimensions, although we expect that our results readily generalize beyond this case. We find that plane wave orderedn-point functions of fields are sums of terms which factorize intoj-point functions of zero modes, breather and continuum normal modes. We find a recursion formula injand, for products of fields at the same point, we solve the recursion formula at allj.
A novel solid electrolyte formed by NASICON-type Li3Zr2Si2PO12 and poly(vinylidene fluoride) for solid state batteries
Authors: Gao Jingxiong , Wu Jie , Han Songyi , Zhang Jingze , Zhu Lei , Wu Yongmin , Zhao Jinbao , Tang Weiping
Published: January 2021

Owing to their high ionic conductivity and excellent flexibility, composite polymer electrolytes (CPEs) have been widely studied in solid lithium metal batteries (SLMBs). In this study, a new solid electrolyte of NASICON-type Li3Zr2Si2[Formula: see text] (LZSP) was prepared by the sol–gel method, and then a new type of CPE membrane containing LZSP and Poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) was synthesized by slurry-casting method. The CPE membrane presented much higher ionic conductivity of 5.66 × 10[Formula: see text] S ⋅ cm[Formula: see text] at 25∘C and stronger electrochemical stability compared to the one without LZSP. In addition, the cells containing the composite electrolyte membrane exhibited considerable rate performance and cycle performance.
Chocola
Authors: Swalens Janwillem , Koster Joeri De , Meuter Wolfgang De
Published: January 2021

Programmers often combine different concurrency models in a single program, in each part of the program using the model that fits best. Many programming languages, such as Clojure, Scala, and Java, cater to this need by supporting different concurrency models. However, existing programming languages often combine concurrency models in an ad hoc way, and the semantics of the combinations are not always well defined.

This article studies the combination of three concurrency models: futures, transactions, and actors. We show that a naive combination of these models invalidates the guarantees they normally provide, thereby breaking the assumptions of programmers. Hence, we present
Chocola
: a unified language of futures, transactions, and actors that maintains the guarantees of all three models wherever possible, even when they are combined.

We describe and formalize the semantics of this language and prove the guarantees it provides. We also provide an implementation as an extension of Clojure and demonstrated that it can improve the performance of three benchmark applications for relatively little effort from the developer.
Association between Optical Coherence Tomography Measurements and Clinical Parameters in Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension
Authors: Nogueira Priscilla Fernandes , Caiado Gustavo Coelho , Gracitelli Carolina P. B. , Martins Fernando Meister , Barros Felipe Chaves Duarte , Matas Sandro Luis De Andrade , Teixeira Sérgio Henrique , Noia Luciana da Cruz , Paulo Danilo Andriatti
Published: January 2021

Purpose. To correlate optical coherence tomography (OCT) measurements with clinical parameters in idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH). Methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 22 patients with IIH and 11 controls. All participants underwent comprehensive ophthalmological examination followed by spectral-domain OCT (SD-OCT) and standard automated perimetry using the 30–2 program of the Humphrey visual field analyzer. Correlations between ganglion cell complex (GCC) thickness and retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness, as measured by SD-OCT, and clinical parameters were assessed using generalized estimating equations. Result. The mean age of the participants was 35.0 ± 10.83 years. The groups were similar regarding age, but were significantly different regarding sex and visual acuity (

p
=
0.001

and

p
=
0.038

, respectively). The GCC was significantly thinner in the IIH group, with a mean of 90.535 ± 9.766 μm compared to 98.119 ± 6.988 μm for the controls (

p
=
0.023

). There was a significant association between GCC thickness and optic disc pallor (

p
=
0.016

) and between edema and visual acuity (

p
=
0.037

). No significant difference was found in RNFL thickness between patients and controls. Conclusion. The GCC was thinner in the patients with IIH compared to the controls, and there was an association between GCC and optic disc pallor. This might suggest a role for OCT parameters when the structural changes that occur in IIH are investigated, possibly guiding clinical decision making.
Gonadotropin Stimulation Has Only a Limited Effect on the Concentration of Follicular Fluid Signalling Proteins: An Antibody Array Analysis
Authors: Bersinger Nick A. , Eisenhut Markus , Stute Petra , von Wolff Michael
Published: January 2021

Objective. The follicular fluid (FF) plays an essential role in the physiology of the follicle and the oocyte. Gonadotropin stimulation affects the FF steroid hormone and anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) concentrations, which has been suggested to be the reason for lower oocyte competence in conventional gonadotropin stimulated in vitro fertilisation (cIVF) compared to natural cycle IVF (NC-IVF). To analyse the effect of gonadotropin stimulation on a broad spectrum of signalling proteins, we ran proteomic antibody arrays on FF of women undergoing both treatments NC-IVF and cIVF. Method. Twenty women underwent one NC-IVF and one cIVF treatment cycle. Follicular fluids of the first aspirated follicle were compared between the two groups using a protein microarray which included antibodies against 224 proteins related to cell signalling and reference proteins. Each of the 40 albumin-stripped, matched-pair samples was labelled in the reverse-dye (Cy3/Cy5) procedure before undergoing array hybridisation. Signal analysis was performed using normalisation algorithms in dedicated software. Five proteins yielding a value of

P
<
0.05

in the array experiment (Cystatin A, Caspase-3, GAD65/67, ERK-1, and ERK-2) were then submitted to quantitative determination by ELISA in the same follicular fluids. Results. Array analysis yielded only a small number of differentially expressed signalling markers by unadjusted

P

values. Adjustment as a consequence of multiple determinations resulted in the absence of any significant differential marker expression on the array. Five unadjusted differentially expressed proteins were quantified immunometrically with antibodies from different sources. Follicular fluid concentrations of Cystatin A and MAP kinase ERK-1 concentrations were significantly higher in the cIVF than in the NC-IVF follicles, while GAD-2 (GAD65/67) did not differ. The assays for Caspase-3 and MAP kinase ERK-2 did not have the required sensitivities. Conclusion. In contrast to FF steroid hormones and AMH, FF concentrations of signalling proteins are not or only marginally altered by gonadotropin stimulation.
Performance Analysis for Exact and Upper Bound Capacity in DF Energy Harvesting Full-Duplex with Hybrid TPSR Protocol
Authors: Tin Phu Tran , Van-Duc Phan , Nguyen Tan N. , Vu Le Anh
Published: January 2021

In this paper, we investigate the full-duplex (FD) decode-and-forward (DF) cooperative relaying system, whereas the relay node can harvest energy from radiofrequency (RF) signals of the source and then utilize the harvested energy to transfer the information to the destination. Specifically, a hybrid time-power switching-based relaying method is adopted, which leverages the benefits of time-switching relaying (TSR) and power-splitting relaying (PSR) protocols. While energy harvesting (EH) helps to reduce the limited energy at the relay, full-duplex is one of the most important techniques to enhance the spectrum efficiency by its capacity of transmitting and receiving signals simultaneously. Based on the proposed system model, the performance of the proposed relaying system in terms of the ergodic capacity (EC) is analyzed. Specifically, we derive the exact closed form for upper bound EC by applying some special function mathematics. Then, the Monte Carlo simulations are performed to validate the mathematical analysis and numerical results.
Clinical Features and Physical Properties of Gummetal Orthodontic Wire in Comparison with Dissimilar Archwires: A Critical Review
Authors: Schmeidl Krzysztof , Janiszewska-Olszowska Joanna , Grocholewicz Katarzyna
Published: January 2021

Objective. Gummetal is a novel multifunctional alloy which possesses distinctive properties with the potential to refine and amend the efficacy of orthodontic treatment. The objective of this critical literature review was to investigate scientific evidence concerning the mechanical and clinical features of this recently manufactured beta‐titanium orthodontic wire. Materials and Methods. Electronic databases: PubMed, PMC, Google Scholar, Ovid, and Cochrane Library were searched. Studies investigating the properties of Gummetal orthodontic wire including in vitro and clinical studies were selected, validity was assessed, and data was extracted. The risk of bias was assessed by the Cochrane risk of bias Tool 2.0 in a randomized clinical trial. Results and Discussion. Among 322 papers, 13 papers were selected and divided into two groups: prospective double‐blinded randomized clinical trial and in vitro studies. Conclusions. The results of this review should be interpreted with caution because of the heterogeneity of the studies. Only single clinical trial paper was found in the literature. The studies reported different characteristics obtained by various methods; thus, it was difficult to objectively compare the results. Low bending strength, low fatigue limit, and high resilience have been confirmed. Gummetal provides lower force than Nitinol and TMA but higher than Supercable wire. Plastic deformation of Gummetal questions its superelasticity. Friction of Gummetal wire is comparable to SS and CoCr wires. Because of its nontoxic chemical composition, Gummetal might be useful in the initial phase of orthodontic treatment for patients suffering from nickel allergy. Further studies are necessary to assess the usefulness of Gummetal in the clinical practice.
Hermite–Hadamard-Type Inequalities for Product of Functions by Using Convex Functions
Authors: Nawaz Tariq , Memon M. Asif , Jacob Kavikumar
Published: January 2021

One of the many techniques to obtain a new convex function from the given functions is to calculate the product of these functions by imposing certain conditions on the functions. In general, the product of two or finite number of convex function needs not to be convex and, therefore, leads us to the study of product of these functions. In this paper, we reframe the idea of product of functions in the setting of generalized convex function to establish Hermite–Hadamard-type inequalities for these functions. We have analyzed different cases of double and triple integrals to derive some new results. The presented results can be viewed as the refinement and improvement of previously known results.
Experimental Research on Fatigue Properties of X80 Pipeline Steel for Synthetic Natural Gas Transmission
Authors: Yan–hua Li , Hui Feng , Qiang Chi , Fan Fei , Xiong-xiong Gao , Wei-wei Li , Xiao-feng Xu , Hong-yuan Chen , Hua Zhang
Published: January 2021

In recent years, many synthetic natural gas demonstration projects have been put into operation all over the world, and hydrogen is usually contained in synthetic natural gas. X80 is the most commonly used high-grade pipeline steel in the construction of natural gas pipelines. The compatibility between high-grade pipeline steel and hydrogen directly affects safety and reliability of long-distance pipelines. Therefore, in order to study the effect of hydrogen content on fatigue properties of high-grade pipeline steel, fatigue specimens were taken from base metal, spiral welds, and girth weld of submerged arc spiral welded pipes, respectively. Specifically, the total pressure was 12 MPa and hydrogen content was from 0 to 5vol%. Experimental results indicate that the hydrogen significantly increases the fatigue crack growth rate for both base metal, spiral weld, and heat-affected zone of X80 pipeline steel for about ten times compared with reference environment nitrogen, hydrogen would greatly reduce the fatigue life of the X80 pipeline steel, and the fatigue lifetime would decrease with the increase in hydrogen volume fraction. In order to ensure the safe operation of SNG pipeline, the hydrogen content should be controlled as low as possible.
A BERT‐BiGRU‐CRF Model for Entity Recognition of Chinese Electronic Medical Records
Authors: Qin Qiuli , Zhao Shuang , Liu Chunmei
Published: January 2021

Because of difficulty processing the electronic medical record data of patients with cerebrovascular disease, there is little mature recognition technology capable of identifying the named entity of cerebrovascular disease. Excellent research results have been achieved in the field of named entity recognition (NER), but there are several problems in the pre processing of Chinese named entities that have multiple meanings, of which neglecting the combination of contextual information is one. Therefore, to extract five categories of key entity information for diseases, symptoms, body parts, medical examinations, and treatment in electronic medical records, this paper proposes the use of a BERT‐BiGRU‐CRF named entity recognition method, which is applied to the field of cerebrovascular diseases. The BERT layer first converts the electronic medical record text into a low‐dimensional vector, then uses this vector as the input to the BiGRU layer to capture contextual features, and finally uses conditional random fields (CRFs) to capture the dependency between adjacent tags. The experimental results show that the F1 score of the model reaches 90.38%.
[Retracted] Modeling and Research on Human Capital Accumulation Complex System of High‐Tech Enterprises Based on Big Data
Authors: Shen Yanan
Published: January 2021

At present, high‐tech enterprises are mainly organizations engaged in the production, research, and development and service of high‐tech products. The current development of high‐tech industries in various countries in the world is of great significance to improving social productivity and overall national strength. This article mainly introduces the modeling and analysis of the complex system of human capital accumulation in high‐tech enterprises based on big data. This paper proposes a theoretical analysis of corporate human capital data and proposes regression analysis and analytic hierarchy process to calculate and analyze the process of corporate human capital accumulation and collect and analyze the data using questionnaire surveys and other methods. In addition, complex systems were modeled based on big data, and a cloud computing‐based human capital big data analysis platform was established. The experimental results show that complex system modeling based on big data has a positive impact on the human capital accumulation of high‐tech enterprises. For high‐tech companies at different stages of development, the relationship between various types of human capital and corporate performance is inconsistent with the market economy. In contrast, the current salary system of some high‐tech companies still has many drawbacks. The cost of using human resources controlled by the wage system accounts for more than 24%.
Neuroprotective Effect of Turmeric Extract in Combination with Its Essential Oil and Enhanced Brain Bioavailability in an Animal Model
Authors: Banji David , Banji Otilia J. F. , Srinivas Kavati
Published: January 2021

Purpose. The study evaluated the neuroprotective effect and pharmacokinetic profile of turmeric extract and their metabolites in the blood and brain in an aluminum‐induced neurotoxic animal model. Methods. Swiss albino mice received turmeric extract (TE), TE‐essential oil combination (TE+EO) at doses of 25 and 50 mg/kg/day orally, vehicle (control), and a positive control group. Neurotoxicity was induced by injecting aluminum chloride (40 mg/kg/day, i.p.), and the effect of the intervention was studied for 45 days. The pharmacokinetic and behavioral biochemical markers of brain function and brain histopathological changes were evaluated. Results. The AUC 0‐t showed a 30.1 and 54.2 times higher free curcumin concentration in plasma with 25 mg/kg and 50 mg/kg of TE+EO vs. TE, respectively. The concentration of free curcumin in the brain was 11.01 and 13.71‐fold higher for 25 mg/kg and 50 mg/kg of TE+EO vs. TE, respectively. Aluminum impairs spatial learning and memory, which was significantly reversed with TE+EO by 28.6% (25 mg/kg) and 39.4% (50 mg/kg). In the elevated plus maze test, 44.8% (25 mg/kg) and 67.1% (50 mg/kg) improvements were observed. A significant reduction in aluminum‐induced lipid peroxidation was observed. Also, the levels of glutathione, acetylcholinesterase, and catalase were improved with TE+EO. Damage to the hippocampal pyramidal cells was averted with TE+EO. Conclusion. The neuroprotective and antioxidant response confirms the benefits of TE+EO against aluminum‐induced neurotoxicity. The presence of free curcumin and its metabolites in the brain and plasma establishes its improved bioavailability and tissue distribution. Therefore, the benefits of TE+EO could be harnessed in neurodegenerative diseases.
A Rare Case of an Iliac Fracture at the Iliac Fossa Immediately after Salter Innominate Osteotomy
Authors: Wako Masanori , Koyama Kensuke , Fujimaki Taro , Furuya Naoto , Haro Hirotaka
Published: January 2021

This report presents the unusual case of a 5-year-old girl with iliac fracture just after Salter innominate osteotomy for developmental dysplasia of the hip. The iliac fracture was diagnosed two days after Salter innominate osteotomy, and computed tomography (CT) revealed that it was at the extremely thin portion of the iliac wing called the “iliac fossa.” We were able to reduce the fracture by pulling the left leg distally, and after reducing the iliac bone, the ilium was fixed by Kirschner wire from the anteroinferior iliac spine and anterosuperior iliac spine. The patient was in a hip-spica cast for 6 weeks postoperatively and allowed to walk from 3 months after the surgery. At the last follow-up one year after the surgery, bone union was completely obtained, and she had no complications. The cause of the fracture seems to be the stress concentration on the iliac fossa due to the cranked iliac osteotomy line passing through the iliac fossa. The current case indicates the importance of careful evaluation by CT before surgery and ensuring that the osteotomy line does not extend near the iliac fossa.
Will Intellectual Property Rights Policy Increase Foreign Direct Investment and Promote Technological Innovation?
Authors: Hu Debao , Liu Zhengkai , Zhao Jing
Published: January 2021

In this paper, we discuss the effects of intellectual property rights (IPRs) on FDI and indigenous innovation and the overall effects of IPR on the Southern and Northern countries. Our model predicts that tighter IPR is good for FDI and indigenous innovation; however, the effects vary according to the initial resource endowment such as skill level and absorptive capacity. By a game theory model, we also find that tighter IPR benefits both sides if the innovation is the common knowledge to both players, and it improves indigenous innovation and welfare in a short term, but they will emerge in the long run. We also discuss the further direction to an empirical study. Finally, we make the following conclusion: IPR is part of business environment, and tighter IPR in progress is good for boosting welfare of both sides. It is time to build a better environment for IPR, but the cost of patent enforcement policy and the trade barrier must be taken into account.
Analysis on the Influence Mechanism of Cooling Water on Turbocharger and Optimum Coolant Mass Flow Rate Intelligent Prediction
Authors: Lu Chunping , Li Jianyu , Tan Dongli
Published: January 2021

Due to the high speed and high temperature of engine exhaust, the turbocharger bears very high heat load. The heat dissipation of turbocharger is an important factor to determine the service life and performance of turbocharger. In this paper, a mathematical model of the fluid-structure interaction heat transfer of the water-cooled bearing body of turbocharger was established and the cooling performance of a 1.8 L gasoline engine turbocharger was analyzed. The effects of cooling water inlet flow, engine exhaust temperature, cooling water inlet temperature, and wall roughness of cooling water chamber on the cooling performance of important parts of the bearing body were analyzed by the numerical simulation method. In addition, the cooling water flow required by bearing body with a different structure under different working conditions was studied based on the orthogonal test method. The predicted result shows a good agreement with the experiment result, which could provide a reference for relevant production design and cooling strategy. In the range larger than the thickness of laminar flow bottom layer of the cooling water chamber wall, the increase of wall roughness height can enhance the heat transfer between the fluid and the solid.
Recurrence Rate and Risk Factors for the Recurrence of Ovarian Endometriosis after Laparoscopic Ovarian Cystectomy
Authors: Wacharachawana Sornsittipong , Phaliwong Paweena , Prommas Sinart , Smanchat Buppa , Bhamarapravatana Kornkarn , Suwannarurk Komsun
Published: January 2021

The aim of this study was to identify the recurrence rate and risk factors for the recurrence of ovarian endometriosis (OE) after laparoscopic cystectomy. This was a retrospective cross‐sectional study. Subjects were OE cases who underwent laparoscopic ovarian cystectomy at Bhumibol Adulyadej Hospital (BAH). The period of this study was from January 2008 to December 2017. Ovarian histopathology and at least one‐year follow‐up after surgery were the prerequisite requirements. A total of 106 OE cases were included in the study. Subjects were classified into recurrence and nonrecurrence groups. It comprised of 24 and 82 cases, respectively. The mean age of the participant was 32.4 years old. The demographic characters of both groups were comparable. The recurrence rate after laparoscopic OE surgery in the present study was 22.6% (24/106). The average largest diameter of OE in the present study was 54.5 mm. Postoperative medical treatment (OR 3.15, 95% CI 1.14‐8.74, p = 0.02) and postoperative pregnancy (OR 2.86, 95% CI 1.03‐7.93, p = 0.04) were associated factors for recurrence decrement. The recurrence rate of OE after laparoscopic cystectomy was 22.6%. Postoperative medical treatment and postoperative pregnancy were a significant factor that lowered OE recurrence.
Bone Morphogenetic Protein‐7 (BMP‐7) Promotes Neuronal Differentiation of Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cells (BMSCs) In Vitro
Authors: Zhang Heng , Zhang Wen , Bai Guangchao , Gao Lei , Li Kuanxin
Published: January 2021

This study is aimed at investigating the effects of bone morphogenetic protein‐7 (BMP‐7) on the differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) into neuron‐like cells in vitro. The rat BMSCs were isolated and identified, which were divided into the control, empty, recombinant rhBMP‐7 transfection, and Lv‐BMP‐7 transfection groups. BMSCs were induced under different conditions. CCK‐8 assay was performed to detect cell proliferation. ALP was used to detect cell activity. Cellular morphology after induction was observed. Immunofluorescence was conducted to detect the expression and location of nerve cell markers. Quantitative real‐time PCR and Western blot analysis were performed to detect the mRNA and protein expression levels, respectively. The rhBMP‐7 and Lv‐BMP‐7 promoted the proliferation of BMSCs, accompanied with increased ALP activities. Morphological observations revealed that rhBMP‐7 and Lv‐BMP‐7 induced BMSCs to differentiate into neuron‐like cells. Immunofluorescence revealed that the rhBMP‐7 and Lv‐BMP‐7 groups showed positive expression of MAP‐2 and Nfh in BMSCs. MAP‐2 was mainly distributed in the cell body and cellular protrusion, while Nfh was mainly distributed in the cytoplasm and cell protrusion. Positive mRNA and protein expressions of MAP‐2 and Nfh were observed in the cells of the rhBMP‐7 and Lv‐BMP‐7 groups, and the expression levels were significantly higher than the control and empty groups. Both exogenous BMP‐7 (rhBMP‐7) and endogenous BMP‐7 (Lv‐BMP‐7) can induce BMSCs to differentiate into neuron‐like cells highly expressing the neuronal markers MAP‐2 and Nfh.