bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Gaps in the evidence for treatment decisions in cystic fibrosis: a systematic review
Authors: Rowbotham Nicola Jane , Smith Sherie , Prayle Andrew P , Robinson Karen A , Smyth Alan Robert
Published: October 2018

Introduction

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a multisystem disorder. Treatment is complex and evidence for treatment decisions may be absent. Characterising gaps in the research evidence will highlight treatment uncertainties and help prioritise research questions. We systematically identified the evidence gaps for treatment decisions in CF.

Methods

We searched for systematic reviews and guidelines on treatment interventions in CF. Two researchers identified eligible reviews with arbitration from a third. Using a structured framework, we extracted and characterised evidence gaps.

Results

There were 73 reviews and 21 guidelines that met our inclusion criteria. From these, we identified 148 evidence gaps across a range of treatment areas. We found 111 evidence gaps through systematic reviews and a further 37 from guidelines. The reason for an evidence gap could only be reliably characterised for systematic reviews. In most cases, there was more than one explanation—most commonly few or no trials (97/111 evidence gaps). Other important factors leading to evidence gaps were small sample size (49/111), inadequate duration of follow-up (38/111) or intervention (37/111) and factors relating to outcomes (35/111). Evidence gaps from both systematic reviews and guidelines fell into the following categories: Respiratory (91); Gastrointestinal (20); PhysiotherapyandExercise (16); Musculoskeletal (6); Endocrine (4); Basic defect of CF (8); Psychosocial (2); Ears, Nose and Throat (1).

Conclusions

We have compiled an up-to-date list of treatment uncertainties in CF and the reasons for these uncertainties. These can be used as a resource to aid researchers and funders when planning future trials.

PROSPERO registration number

Pre-results; CRD42015030111.
Revolution or redux? Assessing IQOS through a precursor product
Authors: Elias Jesse , Dutra Lauren M , St. Helen Gideon , Ling Pamela M
Published: October 2018

Background

Philip Morris International (PMI) currently claims that its heated tobacco product, IQOS, reduces health risk by reducing users’ exposure to harmful and potentially harmful constituents present in tobacco smoke. Given the tobacco industry’s long history of misrepresenting and obfuscating research, independent assessment of PMI’s claims is important. Analysis of Accord, a failed but strikingly similar precursor to IQOS, may help contextualise PMI’s claims in its Modified Risk Tobacco Product (MRTP) application.

Methods

We analysed previously secret internal Philip Morris (PM) and PMI documents, public communications and MRTP application.

Results

PM marketed Accord as a ‘cleaner’ tobacco product in an attempt to address smokers’ growing health concerns without making explicit health claims. While PM communications asserted that Accord reduced users’ exposure to harmful constituents, company scientists and executives consistently stressed to both regulators and the public that such reductions did not render Accord safer. IQOS’s design and marketing are similar to Accord’s. On the basis of aerosol chemistry data, IQOS reduces user exposure to some compounds compared with Accord but raises them for others.

Discussion

IQOS appears to be a variant of Accord without consistent improvements in exposure to aerosol toxic compounds. In contrast to PM’s past claims for Accord, PMI now claims in its MRTP application that IQOS reduces health risk. This shift in stance is likely not the result of any toxicological difference between Accord and IQOS, but rather a change in the social and regulatory landscape permitting these claims.
Soil consistency and interparticle characteristics of xanthan gum biopolymer–containing soils with pore-fluid variation
Authors: Chang Ilhan , Kwon Yeong-Man , Im Jooyoung , Cho Gye-Chun
Published: October 2018

Biopolymer–soil technology is currently recognized as an environmentally friendly soil improvement method for geotechnical engineering practices. However, concerns exist regarding biopolymer fine-soil applications because the performance of biopolymers is based on an electrical interaction with clay or a pore fluid. Thus, the effect of water content and pore-fluid chemistry on biopolymer behavior in soil must first be clarified in terms of biopolymer applications. In this study, the liquid limits of xanthan gum biopolymer–treated clay–sand mixtures (clayey silt, kaolinite, montmorillonite, and sand) were obtained using three chemically distinct pore fluids (deionized water, 2 mol/L NaCl brine, and kerosene). Xanthan gum has contrary effects to the soil consistency, where the liquid limit can decrease via xanthan gum–induced particle aggregation or increase due to xanthan gum hydrogel formation. The clay-mineral type governed the xanthan gum behavior in the deionized water, while the pore-fluid chemistry governed the xanthan gum behavior in the brine and the kerosene.
Small systems, big challenges: review of small drinking water system governance
Authors: McFarlane Kiely , Harris Leila M.
Published: October 2018

Small drinking water systems (SDWS) are widely identified as presenting particular challenges for drinking water management and governance in industrialised nations because of their small customer base, geographic isolation, and limited human and financial capacity. Consequently, an increasing number and range of scholars have examined SDWS over the last 30 years. Much of this work has been technocentric in nature, focused on SDWS technologies and operations, with limited attention to how these systems are managed, governed, and situated within broader social and political–economic contexts. This review seeks to provide a comprehensive overview of the governance dimensions of SDWS by drawing together existing literature relating to SDWS governance and exploring its key themes, research foci, and emerging directions. This overview is intended to provide guidance to scholars and practitioners interested in specific aspects of SDWS governance and a baseline against which researchers can position future work. The review identified 117 academic articles published in English-language journals between 1990 and 2016 that referred to some aspect of drinking water governance in small, rural, and Indigenous communities in industrialised nations. The articles’ content and bibliographic information were analysed to identify the locations, methods, journals, and themes included in research on SDWS governance. Further analysis of SDWS’ governance dimensions is organised around four questions identified as central to SDWS research: what governance challenges are experienced by SDWS, and what are their causes, solutions, and effects? Overall, the review revealed that the SDWS governance literature is piecemeal and fragmented, with few attempts to theorise SDWS governance or to engage in interdisciplinary, cross-jurisdictional conversations. The majority of articles examine North American SDWS, retain a technocratic orientation to drinking water governance, and are published in technical or industry journals. Such research tends to focus on the governance challenges SDWS face and proposed solutions to systems’ performance, capacity, and regulatory challenges. A small but growing number of studies examine the causal factors underpinning these governance challenges and their socio-spatially differentiated impacts on communities. Looking forward, the review argues for a more holistic, integrative approach to research on SDWS governance, building on a water governance framework.
The optimization of electrospray process based on auxiliary electrode
Authors: Liu Y. F. , Zhang Y. , Dai T. T. , Lei T. P.
Published: October 2018

In order to control the charged jet and deposition area of the glass frit in the electrostatic spray system, the nozzles with/without sleeve-type auxiliary electrode are comparatively studied through simulations and experiments. The influence of the voltage applied on the auxiliary electrode and its diameter is analyzed. According to the vector diagram and the distribution of electric field intensity, the optimal values for the applied voltage and the diameter of the auxiliary electrode are determined for the present work, i.e. 1.5 kV and 6 mm, respectively. The experimental results further demonstrate the nozzle with the auxiliary electrode is much better than the one without the electrode, and under the above optimized condition the charged jet can be well controlled to deposit glass frit film on silicon wafer with a line width of 330 μm, which is much more narrow than the conventional nozzle (without the electrode). This work will offer another good way for better control of the deposition during electrostatic spray process.
Multi-band terahertz chiral metasurface with giant optical activities and negative refractive index based on T-shaped resonators
Authors: Chen Hao Ran , Cheng Yong Zhi , Zhao Jing Cheng , Mao Xue Song
Published: October 2018

A novel chiral metasurface (CMS) based on T-shaped resonators is proposed and investigated numerically. The CMS is composed of a periodic array of bi-layered conjugated fourfold T-shaped structure. The retrieved effective electromagnetic (EM) parameters indicate that the multi-band negative refractive index associated with strong optical activity and circular dichroism (CD) effect is realized in terahertz (THz) region. The physical mechanism is illustrated by analyzing the current density distributions. Due to its exotic chiral optical properties, the proposed CMS is useful for the development of THz devices.
Normalized Moment of Inertia-Based Detection Algorithm for Copy-Paste Image Tampering
Authors: Ma Chunbo , Lv Xuewei , Ao Jun
Published: October 2018

Copy-paste tampering is one of the most common image content attacking methods. Considering the low accuracy and high feature dimension of the existing algorithms, a normalized moment of inertia method is proposed in this paper to overcome these defects. In the phase of feature extracting, the algorithm first transforms the tested image using wavelet, and then selects the similar subbands to build overlapped blocks, finally uses Perceived Hash Algorithm (PHA) to make binarization processing for the subblocks and carries out the normalize moment of inertia of the subblocks which satisfy the coarse matching conditions between adjacent two lines after performing dictionary sorting. In feature matching phase, the algorithm first counts the similar subblocks whose shift is above the distance threshold, and then obtains the main shift vectors with specific frequencies, finally performs feature matching according to the difference of the normalized moment of inertia in the neighborhood. Experiment results illustrate that the proposed algorithm with lower feature dimension can efficiently improve the matching speed and accuracy. Furthermore, it has better robustness for some post-processing operations, such as compression, Gaussian Blur, adding Gaussian noise, etc.
General relativistic two-temperature accretion solutions for spherical flows around black holes
Authors: Sarkar Shilpa , Chattopadhyay Indranil
Published: October 2018

Matter falling onto black holes is hot, fully ionized and has to be necessarily transonic. Since the electrons are responsible for radiative cooling via processes like synchrotron, bremsstrahlung and inverse-Compton, the electron gas and proton gas are supposed to settle into two separate temperature distribution. But the problem with two-temperature flow is that there is one more variable than the number of equations. Accretion flow in its simplest form is radial, which has two constants of motion, while the flow variables are the radial bulk three-velocity, electron and proton temperatures. Therefore, unlike single temperature flow, in the two-temperature regime, there are multiple transonic solutions, nonunique for any given set of constants of motion with a large variation in sonic points. We invoked the second law of thermodynamics to find a possible way to break the degeneracy, by showing only one of the solutions among all possible, has maximum entropy and therefore is the correct solution. By considering these correct solutions, we showed that the accretion efficiency increase with the increase in the mass accretion rate. We showed that radial flow onto super-massive black hole can radiate with efficiency more than 10%, if the accretion rate is more than 60% of the Eddington accretion rate, but accretion onto stellar-mass black hole achieve the same efficiency, when it is close to the Eddington limit. We also showed that dissipative heat quantitatively affects the two temperature solution. In the presence of explicit heat processes, the Coulomb coupling is weak.
Optical limiting properties and ultrafast response of three oligomers based on 1,3,5-triazine
Authors: Wang Yaochuan , Wang Yizhuo , Wang Guiqiu , Liu Dajun
Published: October 2018

Three tri-branched oligomers based on 1,3,5-triazine with large two-photon absorption cross-sections and good optical limiting properties were investigated by UV–Visible, femtosecond Z-scan and one/two-color pump-probe measurements. The two-photon absorption cross-section results measured at a wavelength of 800[Formula: see text]nm were found decreasing with the number of fluorene groups in each branches. The optical limiting properties were also investigated and a two-photon absorption mechanism was proposed. One/two-color pump-probe measurements were also used to further investigate the ultrafast responses of these tri-branched oligomers. The ultrafast response results indicated that after excitation, the tri-branched oligomers will first undergo a fast process to form an intramolecular charge transfer state followed by relaxation of the intramolecular charger transfer state of approximately several hundred ps.
TRADE CREDIT NETWORK WITH A GUARANTEE MECHANISM AND RISK CONTAGION
Authors: XIN SUI , LIANG LI
Published: October 2018

This paper establishes a trade credit network with a guarantee mechanism. Based on the established network model, the trade credit network and the guarantee network are visualized. The characteristics of the distributions of both networks and the firm size distribution are then researched. Concurrently, through computer simulations, the risk contagion among firms is analyzed on the basis of the interactions between the trade credit network and the guarantee network. The results are as follows: (1) the degree of the trade credit network takes on a power-law distribution, as does the upper tail of firm size. (2) For the degree distribution of the guarantee network, the test result of the power-law features changes with a varying value of [Formula: see text] based on the test method of Clauset, [Shalizi and Newman Power-law distributions in empirical data, SIAM Rev. 51 (2009) 661–703]. The change in [Formula: see text] directly affects the establishment of the guarantee links, thus affecting the structure of the guarantee network and its power-law features. (3) Finally, the introduction of a guarantee mechanism aggravates the extent of the risk contagion among firms.
R&D DYNAMICS AND FIRM GROWTH: THE IMPORTANCE OF R&D PERSISTENCY IN THE ECONOMIC CRISIS
Authors: PARK HAYOUNG , KANG TAEWON , LEE JEONG-DONG
Published: October 2018

There has been a lot of interest in R&D dynamics, including the persistency and volatility of R&D investment. However, there is a lack of empirical evidence supporting the impact of R&D dynamics on firm growth in the context of an economic crisis. This study examines the effects of R&D dynamics on firm growth during and after the global financial crisis of 2008–2009. Based on firm-level data, we construct a balanced panel for 1,137 firms in the global petrochemical industry. Our findings indicate that firms with R&D persistency show higher growth during and after the crisis, regardless of firm size. R&D persistency has a higher impact on firm growth in large firms than in smaller ones. In addition, R&D persistency has greater influence than the level of R&D investment. Firms should pursue non-cyclical and consistent R&D strategies with a long-term perspective, especially in high uncertainty conditions.
WARMING AND INCOME GROWTH IN THE UNITED STATES: A HETEROGENEOUS, COMMON FACTOR DYNAMIC PANEL ANALYSIS
Authors: LIDDLE BRANTLEY
Published: October 2018

This paper analyzes whether temperature changes influence economic growth in the contiguous 48 US states by employing panel methods that address both heterogeneity and cross-sectional dependence. Ultimately, it is determined that the negative effect of warming (initially proxied by cooling degree days) is restricted to agriculture GDP. But when weathers’ impact was measured by average summer temperature, the negative effect — still mostly restricted to agriculture GDP — was substantially and significantly larger (a finding similar to previous work) and geographically uniform. Yet, the model’s dynamics suggested that the magnitude of the short-run impact was larger (in absolute terms) than the long-run impact.
Theoretical study of modified electron band dispersion and density of states due to high frequency phonons in graphene-on-substrates
Authors: Sahu Sivabrata , Rout G. C.
Published: October 2018

We propose here a theoretical model for the study of band gap opening in graphene-on- polarizable substrate taking the effect of electron–electron and electron–phonon (EP) interactions at high frequency phonon vibrations. The Hamiltonian consists of hopping of electrons upto third nearest- neighbors and the effect substrate, where A sublattice site is raised by energy [Formula: see text] and B sublattice site is suppressed by energy [Formula: see text], hence producing a band gap energy of [Formula: see text]. Further, we have considered Hubbard type electron–electron repulsive interactions at A and B sublattices, which are considered within Hartree–Fock meanfield approximation. The electrons in the graphene plane interact with the phonon’s present in the polarized substrate in the presence of phonon vibrational energy within harmonic approximation. The temperature-dependent electron occupancies are computed numerically and self-consistently for both spins at both the sublattice sites. By using these electron occupancies, we have calculated the electron band dispersion and density of states (DOS), which are studied for the effects of EP interaction, high phonon frequency, Coulomb energy and substrate induced gap.
Innovations in Ventricular Assist Devices for End-Stage Heart Failure
Authors: Miller Robert J.H. , Teuteberg Jeffrey J. , Hunt Sharon A.
Published: October 2018

The number of patients with end-stage heart failure (HF) continues to increase over time, but there has been little change in the availability of organs for cardiac transplantation, intensifying the demand for left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) as a bridge to transplantation. There is also a growing number of patients with end-stage HF who are not transplant candidates but may be eligible for long-term support with an LVAD, known as destination therapy. Due to this increasing demand, LVAD technology has evolved, resulting in transformative improvements in outcomes. Additionally, with growing clinical experience patient management continues to be refined, leading to iterative improvements in outcomes. With outcomes continuing to improve, the potential benefit from LVAD therapy is being considered for patients earlier in their course of advanced HF. We review recent changes in technology, patient management, and implant decision making in LVAD therapy.
Electrochemical Fabrication of Cu2O-Nanowires-based Photo-cathodes for Enhanced Solar Water Splitting
Authors: Hamdani Iqra Reyaz , Bhaskarwar Ashok N.
Published: October 2018

Solar-power driven photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting using semiconductor photoelectrodes is one of the most promising approaches for energy conversion, in terms of production of renewable hydrogen with a minimum carbon footprint. There are, however, enormous challenges to be overcome to obtain sufficient solar water-splitting efficiency, such as over-potential losses due to fast recombination rates of charge carriers, electrode photo-degradation, limited light-harvesting capacities, to name a few. In this work, we report an extensive study on Cu2O based photocathode for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in terms of enhancing its solar-to-hydrogen (STH) conversion efficiency, while using low-cost fabrication methods. We have addressed the inefficiency of Cu2O which mainly arises due to incompatible light absorption and charge carrier diffusion lengths, by fabricating highly reproducible Cu2O-nanowire arrays on Cu substrate. The reported optimal thickness of Cu2O for efficient absorption of sunlight is around 2-4 µm, while the minority charge carrier diffusion length is limited to 200-250 nm only. The nanostructured Cu2O, especially in the form of nanowire arrays, improves its performance through morphology control, by improving the light-harvesting capacity along the full length of wire and providing a shorter diffusion path length corresponding to the radial distance in the wire, towards the electrolyte. We prepared the photocathode by anodizing Cu foil to Cu(OH)2 nanowires at 10 mA/cm2, followed by oxidation to Cu2O nanowires in an inert atmosphere. Experimental measurements showed that the process was highly reproducible and resulted in an increased current density from -0.5 mA/cm2 for planar Cu2O to -82.3 mA/cm2 for Cu2O nanowires, both at 0.9 V cathodic bias. The photocurrent density was enhanced from -0.15 mA/cm2 for planar Cu2O to -5.54 mA/cm2 for the nanowire morphology, while using visible light source in all cases. All the photoelectrodes were reproducible in the regime of 4 µm thicknesses of Cu2O nanowires, oxidized over Cu-foil substrates. The STH efficiency calculated for all the fabricated photoelectrodes was as high as 3.54% ± 0.21%, in comparison to 0.24% for the planar Cu2O photoelectrodes.
Impact of an early clinical exposure project conducted by senior clinical students compared between participating and nonparticipating students
Authors: Vanichnatee Thanapat , Sitticharoon Chantacha , Maprapho Punyapat , Keadkraichaiwat Issarawan , Charoenngam Nipith , Praditsuwan Rungnirand
Published: October 2018

An early clinical exposure project conducted by clinical students aimed to promote direct clinical experience to preclinical students. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of the project on academic achievement and study attitudes and habits between participating and nonparticipating students before ( test 1) and after the project ( test 2) in the second preclinical year and at the end of the first semester of the first clinical year ( test 3), with a subgroup analysis of the first (lowest) to third (highest) tertile of the score. Questionnaires were sent to the first clinical year students at test 3 and asked the information retrospectively at test 1 and test 2 in second year preclinical and currently at test 3, with 83.86% (265/316) being returned. Mean percentile of scores was higher at test 2 compared with test 1 in the first tertile group of participating students. Motivation to study medicine (motivation), realization of application of preclinical knowledge to clinical study (application), understanding of clinical environment (environment), and lesson review after class (review) were higher for participating than nonparticipating students at test 2 and/or test 3. Searching additional study information was higher at test 2 compared with test 1 only for participating students. This project could effectively promote application, motivation, environment, and review for participating vs. nonparticipating students at test 2 and/or test 3. Effortless, intimate, and effective communication between clinical and preclinical students and a direct experience in early clinical exposure might be key success factors.
Reduced uterine perfusion pressure causes loss of pancreatic β-cell area but normal function in fetal rat offspring
Authors: Akhaphong Brian , Lockridge Amber , Jo Seokwon , Mohan Ramkumar , Wilcox Jacob A. , Wing Cameron R. , Regal Jean F. , Alejandro Emilyn U.
Published: October 2018

Maternal hypertension during pregnancy is a major risk factor for intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), which increases susceptibility to cardiovascular and metabolic disease in adulthood through unclear mechanisms. The aim of this study was to characterize the pancreatic β-cell area and function in the fetal rat offspring of a reduced uterine perfusion pressure (RUPP) model of gestational hypertension. At embryonic day 19.5, RUPP dams exhibited lower body weight, elevated mean blood pressure, reduced litter size, and higher blood glucose compared with sham-operated controls. In RUPP placental lysates, a nonsignificant change in mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) activity markers, phosphorylated S6 at serine 240, and phosphorylated AKT (at S473) was observed. RUPP offspring showed significantly reduced β-cell-to-pancreas area and increased β-cell death but normal insulin levels in serum. Isolated islets had normal insulin content and secretory function in response to glucose and palmitate. Fetal pancreatic lysates showed a tendency for reduced insulin levels, with a significant reduction in total mTOR protein with RUPP surgery. In addition, its downstream complex 2 targets phosphorylation of AKT at S473, and pAKT at Thr308 tended to be reduced in the fetal RUPP pancreas. Altogether, these data show that RUPP offspring demonstrated increased β-cell death, reduced β-cell area, and altered nutrient-sensor mTOR protein level in the pancreas. This could represent a mechanistic foundation in IUGR offspring’s risk for enhanced susceptibility to type 2 diabetes and other metabolic vulnerabilities seen in adulthood.
Impaired Ability to Suppress Excitability of Antagonist Motoneurons at Onset of Dorsiflexion in Adults with Cerebral Palsy
Authors: Geertsen Svend Sparre , Kirk Henrik , Nielsen Jens Bo
Published: October 2018

We recently showed that impaired gait function in adults with cerebral palsy (CP) is associated with reduced rate of force development in ankle dorsiflexors. Here, we explore potential mechanisms. We investigated the suppression of antagonist excitability, calculated as the amount of soleus H-reflex depression at the onset of ankle dorsiflexion compared to rest, in 24 adults with CP (34.3 years, range 18–57; GMFCS 1.95, range 1–3) and 15 healthy, age-matched controls. Furthermore, the central common drive to dorsiflexor motoneurons during a static contraction in the two groups was examined by coherence analyses. The H-reflex was significantly reduced by 37% at the onset of dorsiflexion compared to rest in healthy adults (P<0.001) but unchanged in adults with CP (P=0.91). Also, the adults with CP had significantly less coherence. These findings suggest that the ability to suppress antagonist motoneuronal excitability at movement onset is impaired and that the central common drive during static contractions is reduced in adults with CP.
SoxGenes Show Spatiotemporal Expression during Murine Tongue and Eyelid Development
Authors: Ishikawa Ryuichi , Kawasaki Maiko , Kawasaki Katsushige , Yamada Akane , Trakanant Supaluk , Meguro Fumiya , Kitamura Atsushi , Kudo Takehisa , Maeda Takeyasu , Ohazama Atsushi
Published: October 2018

The tongue is a critical organ, involved in functions such as speaking, swallowing, mastication, and degustation. AlthoughSoxgenes are known to play critical roles in many biological processes, including organogenesis, the expression of theSoxfamily members during tongue development remains unclear. We therefore performed a comparativein situhybridization analysis of 17Soxgenes (Sox1–14, 17, 18,and21) during murine tongue development.Sox2, 4, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12,and21were found to be expressed in the tongue epithelium, whereasSox2, 4–6, 8–11, 13,and21showed expression in the mesenchyme of the developing tongue. Expression ofSox1, 4, 6, 8–12, and21were observed in the developing tongue muscle.Sox5and13showed expression only at E12, whileSox1expression was observed only on E18.Sox6, 8, 9,and12showed expression at several stages. Although the expression ofSox2,4,10,11, and21was detected during all the four stages of tongue development, their expression patterns differed among the stages. We thus identified a dynamic spatiotemporal expression pattern of theSoxgenes during murine tongue development. To understand whetherSoxgenes are involved in the development of other craniofacial organs through similar roles to those in tongue development, we also examined the expression ofSoxgenes in eyelid primordia, which also contain epithelium, mesenchyme, and muscle. However, expression patterns and timing ofSoxgenes differed between tongue and eyelid development.Soxgenes are thus related to organogenesis through different functions in each craniofacial organ.
Exploring the Influence of Daily Climate Variables on Malaria Transmission and Abundance of Anopheles arabiensis over Nkomazi Local Municipality, Mpumalanga Province, South Africa
Authors: Abiodun Gbenga J. , Njabo Kevin Y. , Witbooi Peter J. , Adeola Abiodun M. , Fuller Trevon L. , Okosun Kazeem O. , Makinde Olusola S. , Botai Joel O.
Published: October 2018

The recent resurgence of malaria incidence across epidemic regions in South Africa has been linked to climatic and environmental factors. An in-depth investigation of the impact of climate variability and mosquito abundance on malaria parasite incidence may therefore offer useful insight towards the control of this life-threatening disease. In this study, we investigate the influence of climatic factors on malaria transmission over Nkomazi Municipality. The variability and interconnectedness between the variables were analyzed using wavelet coherence analysis. Time-series analyses revealed that malaria cases significantly declined after the outbreak in early 2000, but with a slight increase from 2015. Furthermore, the wavelet coherence and time-lagged correlation analyses identified rainfall and abundance of Anopheles arabiensis as the major variables responsible for malaria transmission over the study region. The analysis further highlights a high malaria intensity with the variables from 1998–2002, 2004–2006, and 2010–2013 and a noticeable periodicity value of 256–512 days. Also, malaria transmission shows a time lag between one month and three months with respect to mosquito abundance and the different climatic variables. The findings from this study offer a better understanding of the importance of climatic factors on the transmission of malaria. The study further highlights the significant roles of An. arabiensis on malaria occurrence over Nkomazi. Implementing the mosquito model to predict mosquito abundance could provide more insight into malaria elimination or control in Africa.
Usefulness of the Adipokines as Biomarkers of Ischemic Cardiac Dysfunction
Authors: Mocan Hognogi Larisa-Diana , Goidescu Cerasela-Mihaela , Farcaş Anca-Daniela
Published: October 2018

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death among both women and men, but there is still a great percentage of misdiagnosis and lack of clearly defined criteria. Advances in biomolecular science have proven the crucial role of inflammation and, more importantly, the role of adipokines in mediating all stages of coronary artery disease. It has also been suggested that regional fat deposits, more precisely from thoracic region, have a major influence on the development of coronary artery disease by creating a local proatherogenic environment. The immune system closely interacts with metabolic risk factors to initiate, promote, and further aggravate the atherosclerotic lesions on the arterial wall all with the “help” of adipokines. So nowadays, research extensively focuses on uncovering biomarkers that would provide an increased chance of detecting subclinical cardiac distress and also add a consistent value to current guideline-imposed risk criteria.
A Ship Domain-Based Method of Determining Action Distances for Evasive Manoeuvres in Stand-On Situations
Authors: Szlapczynski Rafal , Krata Przemyslaw , Szlapczynska Joanna
Published: October 2018

A ship encounter can be considered safe if neither of ships’ domains (defined areas around ships) is intruded by other ships. Published research on this includes optimising collision avoidance manoeuvres fulfilling domain-based safety conditions. However, until recently there was no method, using ship’s domain to determine exact moment when a particular collision avoidance manoeuvre can still be successfully performed. The authors have already proposed such method for give-way encounters. In the paper, documenting continuation of the research, another kind of scenarios is considered. This paper is focused on situations where the own ship is the stand-on one and the target is supposed to manoeuvre. The presented method uses a ship’s dynamics model to compute distance necessary for a manoeuvre successful in terms of avoiding domain violations. Additionally, stability-related phenomena and their impact on possible manoeuvres in heavy weather are taken into account. The method and applied models are illustrated in a series of simulation results. The simulations cover various examples of stand-on situations, including encounters in heavy weather conditions. Discussed manoeuvres may be limited to course alteration or may combine turns with speed reduction.
Revisiting the Black Hole Entropy and the Information Paradox
Authors: Stoica Ovidiu Cristinel
Published: October 2018

The black hole information paradox and the black hole entropy are currently extensively researched. The consensus about the solution of the information paradox is not yet reached, and it is not yet clear what can we learn about quantum gravity from these and the related research. It seems that the apparently irreducible paradoxes force us to give up on at least one well-established principle or another. Since we are talking about a choice between the principle of equivalence from general relativity and some essential principles from quantum theory, both being the most reliable theories we have, it is recommended to proceed with caution and search more conservative solutions. These paradoxes are revisited here, as well as the black hole complementarity and the firewall proposals, with an emphasis on the less obvious assumptions. Some arguments from the literature are reviewed, and new counterarguments are presented. Some less considered less radical possibilities are discussed, and a conservative solution, which is more consistent with both the principle of equivalence from general relativity and the unitarity from quantum theory, is discussed.
Spatial Integration of Somatosensory Inputs during Sensory-Motor Plasticity Phenomena Is Normal in Focal Hand Dystonia
Authors: Terranova C. , Rizzo V. , Morgante F. , Maggio R. , Calamuneri A. , Chillemi G. , Girlanda P. , Quartarone A.
Published: October 2018

Background. Surround inhibition is a system that sharpens sensation by creating an inhibitory zone around the central core of activation. In the motor system, this mechanism probably contributes to the selection of voluntary movements, and it seems to be lost in dystonia. Objectives. To explore if sensory information is abnormally processed and integrated in focal hand dystonia (FHD) and if surround inhibition phenomena are operating during sensory-motor plasticity and somatosensory integration in normal humans and in patients with FHD. Methods. We looked at the MEP facilitation obtained after 5 Hz repetitive paired associative stimulation of median (PAS M), ulnar (PAS U), and median + ulnar nerve (PAS MU) stimulation in 8 normal subjects and 8 FHD. We evaluated the ratio MU/(M + U) ∗ 100 and the spatial and temporal somatosensory integration recording the somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs) evoked by a dual nerve input. Results. FHD had two main abnormalities: first, the amount of facilitation was larger than normal subjects; second, the spatial specificity was lost. The MU/(M + U) ∗ 100 ratio was similar in healthy subjects and in FHD patients, and the somatosensory integration was normal in this subset of patients. Conclusions. The inhibitory integration of somatosensory inputs and the somatosensory inhibition are normal in patients with focal dystonia as well as lateral surrounding inhibition phenomena during sensory-motor plasticity in FHD.
Trends for Diarrhea Morbidity in the Jasikan District of Ghana: Estimates from District Level Diarrhea Surveillance Data, 2012–2016
Authors: Tetteh John , Takramah Wisdom Kwami , Ayanore Martin Amogre , Adoliba Ayanore Augustine , Bisung Elijah , Alamu Josiah
Published: October 2018

About 22% of childhood deaths in developing countries are attributable to diarrhea. In poor resource settings, diarrhea morbidities are correlated with poverty and socio-contextual factors. Diarrhea rates in Ghana are reported to be high, with cases estimated at 113,786 among children under-five years in 2011. This study analyzed the trends of diarrhea morbidity outcomes in the Jasikan District of Ghana. A retrospective analysis of records on diarrhea data for a five years’ period (January 2012 to December 2016) was undertaken. There was a total of 17740 diarrhea case reports extracted from District Health Information Management System (DHIMS) II database in an Excel format which was then exported to Stata version 14 for data cleaning, verification, and analysis. Excel version 2016 was used to plot the actual observed cases by years to assess trends and seasonality. There was a period incidence rate of 272.02 per 1000 persons with a decreasing annual growth rate of 1.85%. Declines for diarrhea generally occurred from November to December and increased from January upwards, evidence that most cases of diarrhea in this study were reported in the harmattan season. High incidence of diarrhea was found to be common among under-five children and among females. Decreasing trend of diarrhea incidence which was identified in this research within the five years’ period understudied shows that, by the year 2020, there will be a sharp decline in the incidence rate of diarrhea reported cases in Jasikan District, given improvements in the external environmental conditions in the district, all things being equal.
Complexity and Project Management: A General Overview
Authors: San Cristóbal José R. , Carral Luis , Diaz Emma , Fraguela José A. , Iglesias Gregorio
Published: October 2018

As projects have become more and more complex, there has been an increasing concern about the concept of project complexity. An understanding of project complexity and how it might be managed is of significant importance for project managers because of the differences associated with decision‐making and goal attainment that are related to complexity. Complexity influences project planning and control; it can hinder the clear identification of goals and objectives, it can affect the selection of an appropriate project organization form, or it can even affect project outcomes. Identifying the different concepts associated to project complexity, its main factors and characteristics, the different types of project complexity, and the main project complexity models, can be of great support in assisting the global project management community. In this paper, we give a general overview of how complexity has been investigated by the project management community and propose several ideas to address this topic in the future.
Current Characteristics Analysis and Fault Injection of an Early Weak Fault in Broken Rotor Bar of Traction Motor
Authors: Yin Jintian , Xie Yongfang , Peng Tao , Yang Chunhua , Chen Zhiwen
Published: October 2018

Aiming at the destructive and irreversible problems of the broken rotor bar fault of the traction motor, the current characteristics of the early weak fault of the single bar are analyzed, and the broken rotor bar fault simulation injection is realized on the experimental platform. Firstly, a damage factor from the change rule of the metal resistance value of a rotor bar is defined. By means of such a damage factor, the relationship between the severity of the fracture of a single rotor bar and the phase resistance of the traction motor was obtained. Through the superposition principle, the traction motor in the fault of the rotor bar was regarded as a normal motor in which the reverse current source was superimposed on the fault rotor bar. The characteristic values of the stator current fault component were obtained when the single bar had broken. Finally, the relationship between the fault characteristics component of the stator current and the fracture severity of the single rotor bar was established. On this basis, on hardware-in-the-loop fault injection benchmark of the traction drive control system based on dSPACE, the gradual injection of early weak faults in the early broken rotor bar was carried out and the results were analyzed. The experimental data demonstrated the correctness of the current characteristics analysis and fault injection.
A Causal Model for Safety Assessment Purposes in Opening the Low-Altitude Urban Airspace of Chinese Pilot Cities
Authors: Tang Jun , Yang Wenyuan
Published: October 2018

China has been gradually relaxing its ban on the use of low-altitude airspace across the country. To guarantee the high reliability of air traffic management (ATM), conflict detection and conflict resolution (CDR) approaches are indispensable to maintain safe separation between neighbouring small fixed-wing aircraft. In this study, we analyse a temporal and spatial integrated strategy for safety assessment purposes in opening the low-altitude urban airspace of Chinese pilot cities. First, we present a detailed mathematical description of the proposed algorithms based on a spatial grid partitioning system (SGPS). For our system, a conflict detection (CD) algorithm is designed to determine if two trajectories pass through the same grid space within overlapping time windows. A conflict resolution (CR) algorithm integrates a proposed time scheduling-based technique (TST) and vertical change-based technique (VCT), which operate under predetermined basic principles. Then, based on our novel CDR algorithms, a causal model is constructed in graphical modelling and analysis software (GMAS) to generate a state space that can provide a global perspective on scenario dynamics and better understanding of induced conflict occurrences. Finally, simulation results demonstrate that the proposed approach is practical and efficient.
Approximation Property of the Stationary Stokes Equations with the Periodic Boundary Condition
Authors: Jung Soon-Mo , Roh Jaiok
Published: October 2018

In this paper, we will consider the stationary Stokes equations with the periodic boundary condition and we will study approximation property of the solutions by using the properties of the Fourier series. Finally, we will discuss that our estimation for approximate solutions is optimal.
Evaluation of Potential Drug-Drug Interactions with Medications Prescribed to Geriatric Patients in a Tertiary Care Hospital
Authors: Shetty Varsha , Chowta Mukta N. , Chowta K Nithyananda , Shenoy Ashok , Kamath Ashwin , Kamath Priyanka
Published: October 2018

Background and Objectives. The drugs most commonly implicated in major potential interactions are those used in the day-to-day clinical management of elderly patients with chronic diseases. This study is planned to evaluate the profile of drug-drug interactions in the medications prescribed to elderly population and also to identify the possible predictors for potential drug-drug interactions in the elderly. Methods. This cross-sectional study included patients aged above 60 years with a minimum of two drugs in the prescriptions. Data were collected from medical prescriptions and patients' medical records. The data collected included demographic characteristics such as age, gender, height, weight, educational status, socioeconomic status, medical history, and medications prescribed. The prescriptions were analyzed for the potential drug interactions using Lexi-Interact™ Online, an online software to check drug-drug interactions. Results. A total of 209 patients were included in the study, among them 104 (49.8%) were males and 105 (50.2%) were females. The mean number of medications received was 6.53 ± 2.15 per prescription. Around 138 (66%) patients received more than six medications. The mean number of potential drug interactions seen in the prescription of these patients was 3.17 ± 2.78. Around 18.2% patients had more than five drug interactions. Major drug interactions were observed in 21.42% of cases. Around 3.02% of drug interactions belonged to risk category X, i.e., to be avoided. Logistic regression analysis showed that age above 70 years was associated with the presence of drug interactions. Increased number of medication was independently associated with the occurrence of drug interactions. The presence of drug interactions was not associated with increased number of comorbidities. Conclusion. A significant number of potential drug-drug interactions were seen in the prescriptions of elderly patients. Increasing age and polypharmacy were identified as the predictors of potential drug interactions.
Software Framework for the Creation and Application of Personalized Bone and Plate Implant Geometrical Models
Authors: Vitković Nikola , Mladenović Srđan , Trifunović Milan , Zdravković Milan , Manić Miodrag , Trajanović Miroslav , Mišić Dragan , Mitić Jelena
Published: October 2018

Computer-Assisted Orthopaedic Surgery (CAOS) defines a set of techniques that use computers and other devices for planning, guiding, and performing surgical interventions. The important components of CAOS are accurate geometrical models of human bones and plate implants, which can be used in preoperational planning or for surgical guiding during an intervention. Software framework which is introduced in this study is based on the Model-View-Controller (MVC) architectural pattern, and it uses 3D models of bones and plate implants developed by the application of the Method of Anatomical Features (MAF). The presented framework may be used for preoperative planning processes and for the production of personalized plate implants. The main idea of the research was to develop a novel integrated software framework which will provide improved personalized healthcare to the patient, and at the same time, provide the surgeon with more control over the patient’s treatment and recovery.
Building Deformation Prediction Based on Ground Surface Settlements of Metro‐Station Deep Excavation
Authors: Li Dapeng , Yan Changhong
Published: October 2018

Building deformations are not only closely related to the distance from the building to metro‐station excavation but also related to the relative positions of the building and metro‐station excavation. Building deformations can be predicted using ground surface settlement profiles. Based on typical geological parameters of Nanjing metro‐station excavation, ground surface settlements were numerically simulated by auxiliary planes perpendicular and parallel to the excavation and by angled auxiliary planes at the excavation corner. Results show that the ground surface settlement profiles in auxiliary planes are closely related to the relative positions of the auxiliary planes and the metro‐station excavation. Partitioning of ground surface settlements was proposed according to the three types of ground surface settlement profiles; furthermore, bending deformation and torsional deformation regularities of surrounding buildings were analyzed, and an estimation method for building settlements was developed. Finally, field‐monitored settlement data of 21 buildings in different zones were compared with the estimated settlement data, and the application of the settlement estimation method to different types of foundations was analyzed. The results of this study can serve as reference for metro‐station deep excavation construction and protection of surrounding buildings.