bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Fidelity assessment of nurse-led non-pharmacological package of care for knee pain in the package development phase of a feasibility randomised controlled trial based in secondary care: a mixed methods study
Authors: Nomikos Polykarpos Angelos , Hall Michelle , Fuller Amy , Millar Bonnie , Ogollah Reuben , Valdes Ana , Doherty Michael , Walsh David A , das Nair Roshan , Abhishek A
Published: July 2021

Objectives

To evaluate fidelity of delivery of a nurse-led non-pharmacological complex intervention for knee pain.

Setting

Secondary care. Single-centre study.

Study design

Mixed methods study.

Participants

Eighteen adults with chronic knee pain.

Inclusion criteria

Age >40 years, knee pain present for longer than 3 months, knee pain for most days of the previous month, at least moderate pain in two of the five domains of Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index pain scale.

Interventions

Nurse-led non-pharmacological intervention comprising assessment, education, exercise, use of hot/cold treatments, footwear modification, walking aids and weight-loss advice (if required).

Outcome(s)

Primary: fidelity of delivery of intervention, secondary: nurses’ experience of delivering intervention.

Methods

Each intervention session with every participant was video recorded and formed part of fidelity assessment. Fidelity checklists were completed by the research nurse after each session and by an independent researcher, after viewing the video-recordings blinded to nurse ratings. Fidelity scores (%), percentage agreement and 95% Confidence Intervals (CI) were calculated. Two semi-structured interviews were conducted with the research nurse.

Results

Fourteen participants completed all visits. 62 treatment sessions took place. Nurse self-report and assessor video rating scores for all 62 treatment sessions were included in fidelity assessment. Overall fidelity was higher on nurse self-report (97.7%) than on objective video-rating (84.2%). Percentage agreement between nurse self-report and video-rating was 73.3% (95% CI 71.3 to 75.3). Fidelity was lowest for advice on footwear and walking aids. The nurse reported difficulty advising on thermal treatments, footwear and walking aids, and did not feel confident negotiating achievable and realistic goals with participants.

Conclusions

A trained research nurse can deliver most components of a non-pharmacological intervention for knee pain to a high degree of fidelity. Future research should assess intervention fidelity in a routine clinical setting, and examine its clinical and cost-effectiveness.

Trial registration number

NCT03670706.
Risk assessment models for venous thromboembolism in hospitalised adult patients: a systematic review
Authors: Pandor Abdullah , Tonkins Michael , Goodacre Steve , Sworn Katie , Clowes Mark , Griffin Xavier L , Holland Mark , Hunt Beverley J , de Wit Kerstin , Horner Daniel
Published: July 2021

Introduction

Hospital-acquired thrombosis accounts for a large proportion of all venous thromboembolism (VTE), with significant morbidity and mortality. This subset of VTE can be reduced through accurate risk assessment and tailored pharmacological thromboprophylaxis. This systematic review aimed to determine the comparative accuracy of risk assessment models (RAMs) for predicting VTE in patients admitted to hospital.

Methods

A systematic search was performed across five electronic databases (including MEDLINE, EMBASE and the Cochrane Library) from inception to February 2021. All primary validation studies were eligible if they examined the accuracy of a multivariable RAM (or scoring system) for predicting the risk of developing VTE in hospitalised inpatients. Two or more reviewers independently undertook study selection, data extraction and risk of bias assessments using the PROBAST (Prediction model Risk Of Bias ASsessment Tool) tool. We used narrative synthesis to summarise the findings.

Results

Among 6355 records, we included 51 studies, comprising 24 unique validated RAMs. The majority of studies included hospital inpatients who required medical care (21 studies), were undergoing surgery (15 studies) or receiving care for trauma (4 studies). The most widely evaluated RAMs were the Caprini RAM (22 studies), Padua prediction score (16 studies), IMPROVE models (8 studies), the Geneva risk score (4 studies) and the Kucher score (4 studies). C-statistics varied markedly between studies and between models, with no one RAM performing obviously better than other models. Across all models, C-statistics were often weak (<0.7), sometimes good (0.7–0.8) and a few were excellent (>0.8). Similarly, estimates for sensitivity and specificity were highly variable. Sensitivity estimates ranged from 12.0% to 100% and specificity estimates ranged from 7.2% to 100%.

Conclusion

Available data suggest that RAMs have generally weak predictive accuracy for VTE. There is insufficient evidence and too much heterogeneity to recommend the use of any particular RAM.

PROSPERO registration number

Steve Goodacre, Abdullah Pandor, Katie Sworn, Daniel Horner, Mark Clowes. A systematic review of venous thromboembolism RAMs for hospital inpatients. PROSPERO 2020 CRD42020165778. Available fromhttps://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=165778https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=165778
Impact of living with a bilateral central vision loss due to geographic atrophy—qualitative study
Authors: Madheswaran Gopinath , Ramesh S Ve , Pardhan Shahina , Sapkota Raju , Raman Rajiv
Published: July 2021

Objective

Geographic atrophy (GA), a type of dry age-related macular degeneration, affects vision as central vision loss (CVL). The challenges faced due to bilateral CVL in activities of daily living and strategies taken to overcome those challenges are not very well understood in the Indian population. This qualitative study aims to understand the impact on everyday life activities and related adaptive and coping strategies in people with long-standing bilateral CVL due to GA in India.

Design, participants, setting and methods

A qualitative study using a semistructured face-to-face interview was conducted on 10 people with bilateral CVL after obtaining written informed consent. The interviews were audio-recorded, and were transcribed verbatim. Thematic analysis was carried out to understand the challenges faced and adaptive methods due to the impact of CVL.

Results

Ten participants (50% male) with a median age (IQR) of 72 (70, 74) years were interviewed. All the participants had best-corrected visual acuity of ≤6/60 in the better eye and reported an absolute central scotoma with the home Amsler chart. Qualitative thematic analysis identified four main themes: challenges in everyday living (difficulty in face identification, reading), challenges with lifestyle and socialisation (driving, cooking, reading for a longer duration, watching TV, socially inactive), psychological implications (depression, poor self-esteem, fear due to poor vision) and strategies to overcome the challenges (voice identification, technology support).

Conclusion

GA has a severe negative impact on the quality of life in people with CVL. Inability to recognise faces was the main reason for dependency on others and being socially disconnected. The findings will help clinicians in providing improved rehabilitative care.
‘Gut health’ and the microbiome in the popular press: a content analysis
Authors: Marcon Alessandro R , Turvey Stuart , Caulfield Timothy
Published: July 2021

Objective

Extensive research and important discoveries on the microbiome have led to a growth in media coverage. This study explores how the microbiome has been portrayed in press sources popular among American and Canadian audiences.

Design

Content analysis.

Methods

Using the FACTIVA Database, we compiled a finalised data set of (N=830) articles from press sources popular among American and Canadian audiences which were published between 1 January 2018 and 11 October 2019 and which contained at least one of the following search terms: ‘microbiome’, ‘microbiota’, ‘gut health’, ‘healthy gut’, ‘unhealthy gut’, ‘gut bacteria’, ‘probiotic’ or ‘probiotics.’ We performed content analysis on the articles to determine how often ideas of the microbiome were presented as beneficial, in which health contexts, and whether actions could be taken to reap stated benefits. We compared this portrayal of benefits with critical portrayals of the microbiome.

Results

Almost all of the articles (94%) described health benefits associated with the microbiome with many (79%) describing actions which could be taken to reap stated benefits. Articles most often described health benefits in more broad, general context (34%) and most commonly outlined actions related to food/drug (45%) as well as probiotic (27%) intake. Only some articles (19%) provided microbiome-related critiques or limitations. Some of the articles (22%) were focused on highlighting specific research developments, and in these articles, critiques or limitations were more common.

Conclusions

Articles discussing the microbiome published for American and Canadian audiences typically hype the microbiome’s impact and popularise gut health trends while only offering a little in the way of communicating microbiome science. Lifestyle choices including nutrition, taking probiotics, stress management and exercise are often promoted as means of reaping the microbiome-related health benefits. The trend of actionable ‘gut health’ is foregrounded over more evidence-based descriptions of microbiome science.
Effects of positive psychology interventions in Arab countries: a protocol for a systematic review
Authors: Basurrah Asma , Lambert Louise , Setti Annalisa , Murphy Mike , Warren Meg , Shrestha Topaz , di Blasi Zelda
Published: July 2021

Introduction

Despite the growing volume of published studies on the effects of positive psychology interventions (PPIs), little is known about their effectiveness outside of Western countries, particularly in Arab countries. As the effectiveness of PPIs in this region remains unclear, a systematic review focusing on this area of research can offer a valuable contribution. Here, we present a protocol for the first systematic review that aims to examine the effects of PPIs on increasing well-being, quality of life and resilience and decreasing depression, anxiety and stress for both health and clinical, child and adult populations in Arab countries.

Methods and analysis

This protocol is carried out in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Protocols guidelines. A systematic literature search for studies up to 30 April 2021 will be conducted in the following electronic databases: PsycINFO, PubMed, Scopus, ProQuest, Dar Al Mandumah and Al Manhal. Experimental/quasi-experimental quantitative studies evaluating the effects of PPIs on healthy and clinical participants of all ages in the 22 Arab countries will be included. Outcomes will include psychological effects of PPIs on dimensions related to well-being (eg, happiness), quality of life, resilience, depression, anxiety and stress. The risk of bias will be evaluated using the Cochrane risk-of-bias tool. A narrative synthesis with tables of study characteristics will be provided. A meta-analysis will be included if outcomes allow; in this instance, subgroups analysis will be conducted, depending on the data gathered, to examine differences in effect sizes based on age group, population type, duration of intervention and type of intervention.

Ethics and dissemination

Ethical approval was not required for the performance of this systematic review. We intend to publish the study in a peer-reviewed journal and share the findings at relevant conferences.

PROSPERO registration number

CRD42020198092.
Protocol for developing a healthcare transition intervention for young people with spinal cord injuries using a participatory action research approach
Authors: Bray Emily Alice , George Ajesh , Everett Bronwyn , Salamonson Yenna , Ramjan Lucie
Published: July 2021

Introduction

While healthcare transition (HCT) interventions are recognised as an important area in paediatric rehabilitation, there has been limited research focusing on young people with spinal cord injuries (SCI). In this study, researchers will collaborate with young people with SCI and their parents/caregivers to develop, implement and evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of a HCT intervention aimed at supporting young people with SCI during their transition from paediatric to adult healthcare services.

Methods and analysis

A participatory action research (PAR) approach will be used to co-develop the HCT intervention with young people with SCI aged 14–25 years and their parents/caregivers. Three phases will be conducted to address the five objectives of this study. Phase 1 will use semi-structured interviews to explore young people and parent/caregivers’ experiences of HCT. In Phase 2a, both young people and parent/caregivers will be co-researchers. They will be included in the analysis of the interviews and will be asked to participate in co-design workshops to inform the development of a prototype HCT intervention. In Phase 2b, using focus groups, feedback on the prototype HCT intervention will be collected. In Phase 3, the refined prototype HCT intervention will be implemented, and young people with SCI and parent/caregivers will evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of the HCT intervention in semi-structured interviews. A reference group, including stakeholders and end users, will be consulted at different time points.

Ethics and dissemination

The study has received ethics approval from Western Sydney University Human Research and Ethics Committee (H14029). The researcher will use the results of this study as chapters in a thesis to obtain a Doctor of Philosophy degree. The findings will be disseminated via publication in peer-reviewed journals and will be presented at local, national or international conferences.

Trial registration number

ACTRN12621000500853
Guideline review: EASL clinical practice guidelines: drug-induced liver injury (DILI)
Authors: Brennan Paul N , Cartlidge Peter , Manship Thomas , Dillon John F
Published: July 2021

The European Association for the Study of the Liver has produced extensive guidelines for the investigation and management of drug-induced liver injury. Here, we provide a commentary and overview of some of the principle disease investigations and management that arise from these guideline recommendations.
Damage control laparotomy in trauma: a pilot randomized controlled trial. The DCL trial
Authors: Harvin John A , Adams Sasha D , Dodwad Shah-Jahan M , Isbell Kayla D , Pedroza Claudia , Green Charles , Tyson Jon E , Taub Ethan A , Meyer David E , Moore Laura J , Albarado Rondel , McNutt Michelle K , Kao Lillian S , Wade Charles E , Holcomb John B
Published: July 2021

Background

Although widely used in treating severe abdominal trauma, damage control laparotomy (DCL) has not been assessed in any randomized controlled trial. We conducted a pilot trial among patients for whom our surgeons had equipoise and hypothesized that definitive laparotomy (DEF) would reduce major abdominal complications (MAC) or death within 30 days compared with DCL.

Methods

Eligible patients undergoing emergency laparotomy were randomized during surgery to DCL or DEF from July 2016 to May 2019. The primary outcome was MAC or death within 30 days. Prespecified frequentist and Bayesian analyses were performed.

Results

Of 489 eligible patients, 39 patients were randomized (DCL 18, DEF 21) and included. Groups were similar in demographics and mechanism of injury. The DEF group had a higher Injury Severity Score (DEF median 34 (IQR 20, 43) vs DCL 29 (IQR 22, 41)) and received more prerandomization blood products (DEF median red blood cells 8 units (IQR 6, 11) vs DCL 6 units (IQR 2, 11)). In unadjusted analyses, the DEF group had more MAC or death within 30 days (1.71, 95% CI 0.81 to 3.63, p=0.159) due to more deaths within 30 days (DEF 33% vs DCL 0%, p=0.010). Adjustment for Injury Severity Score and prerandomization blood products reduced the risk ratio for MAC or death within 30 days to 1.54 (95% CI 0.71 to 3.32, p=0.274). The Bayesian probability that DEF increased MAC or death within 30 days was 85% in unadjusted analyses and 66% in adjusted analyses.

Conclusion

The findings of our single center pilot trial were inconclusive. Outcomes were not worse with DCL and, in fact, may have been better. A randomized clinical trial of DCL is feasible and a larger, multicenter trial is needed to compare DCL and DEF for patients with severe abdominal trauma.

Level of evidence

Level II.
Standardized monitoring of permafrost thaw: a user-friendly, multiparameter protocol
Authors: Boike Julia , Chadburn Sarah , Martin Julia , Zwieback Simon , Althuizen Inge H.J. , Anselm Norbert , Cai Lei , Coulombe Stéphanie , Lee Hanna , Liljedahl Anna K. , Schneebeli Martin , Sjöberg Ylva , Smith Noah , Smith Sharon L. , Streletskiy Dmitry A. , Stuenzi Simone M. , Westermann Sebastian , Wilcox Evan J.
Published: July 2021

Climate change is destabilizing permafrost landscapes, affecting infrastructure, ecosystems, and human livelihoods. The rate of permafrost thaw is controlled by surface and subsurface properties and processes, all of which are potentially linked with each other. However, no standardized protocol exists for measuring permafrost thaw and related processes and properties in a linked manner. The permafrost thaw action group of the Terrestrial Multidisciplinary distributed Observatories for the Study of the Arctic Connections (T-MOSAiC) project has developed a protocol, for use by non-specialist scientists and technicians, citizen scientists, and indigenous groups, to collect standardized metadata and data on permafrost thaw. The protocol introduced here addresses the need to jointly measure permafrost thaw and the associated surface and subsurface environmental conditions. The parameters measured along transects include: snow depth, thaw depth, vegetation height, soil texture, and water level. The metadata collection includes data on timing of data collection, geographical coordinates, land surface characteristics (vegetation, ground surface, water conditions), as well as photographs. Our hope is that this openly available dataset will also be highly valuable for validation and parameterization of numerical and conceptual models, and thus to the broad community represented by the T-MOSAiC project.
Internal erosion: critical hydraulic gradient in one-dimensional vertical seepage and its relation to soil gradation
Authors: Li Maoxin , Fannin R. Jonathan
Published: July 2021

A hydromechanical envelope that governs the onset of soil erosion by seepage-induced internal instability is examined with reference to theoretical and laboratory stress-gradient paths for one-dimensional upward and downward seepage flow. The method is validated from permeameter test results on glass ballotini. Using the theory, analysis of a database of 22 gradations establishes a semi-empirical relation between attributes of a grain size distribution curve and a stress-reduction factor governing potential for internal erosion. The semi-empirical relation provides a screening tool for susceptibility of a soil to seepage-induced internal instability.
The $$P_{cs}(4459)$$ pentaquark from a combined effective field theory and phenomenological perspective
Authors: Peng Fang-Zheng , Yan Mao-Jun , Sánchez Sánchez Mario , Pavon Valderrama Manuel
Published: July 2021

The observation of the $$P_{cs}(4459)$$

P

cs

(
4459
)

by the LHCb collaboration adds a new member to the set of known hidden-charm pentaquarks, which includes the $$P_c(4312)$$

P
c

(
4312
)

, $$P_c(4440)$$

P
c

(
4440
)

and $$P_c(4457)$$

P
c

(
4457
)

. The $$P_{cs}(4459)$$

P

cs

(
4459
)

is expected to have the light-quark content of a $$\Lambda $$
Λ
baryon ($$I=0$$

I
=
0

, $$S=-1$$

S
=
-
1

), but its spin is unknown. Its closeness to the $${\bar{D}}^* \Xi _c$$

D

¯

∗

Ξ
c

threshold – $$4478\,{\mathrm{MeV}}$$

4478

MeV

in the isospin-symmetric limit – suggests the molecular hypothesis as a plausible explanation for the $$P_{cs}(4459)$$

P

cs

(
4459
)

. While in the absence of coupled-channel dynamics heavy-quark spin symmetry predicts the two spin-states of the $${\bar{D}}^* \Xi _c$$

D

¯

∗

Ξ
c

to be degenerate, power counting arguments indicate that the coupling with the nearby $${\bar{D}} \Xi _c'$$

D

¯

Ξ
c
′

and $${\bar{D}} \Xi _c^*$$

D

¯

Ξ
c
∗

channels might be a leading order effect. This generates a hyperfine splitting in which the $$J=\tfrac{3}{2}$$

J
=

3
2

$${\bar{D}}^* \Xi _c$$

D

¯

∗

Ξ
c

pentaquark will be lighter than the $$J=\tfrac{1}{2}$$

J
=

1
2

configuration, which we estimate to be of the order of $$5-15\,{\mathrm{MeV}}$$

5
-
15

MeV

. We also point out an accidental symmetry between the $$P_{cs}(4459)$$

P

cs

(
4459
)

and $$P_c(4440/4457)$$

P
c

(
4440
/
4457
)

potentials. Finally, we argue that the spectroscopy and the $$J/\psi \Lambda $$

J
/
ψ
Λ

decays of the $$P_{cs}(4459)$$

P

cs

(
4459
)

might suggest a marginal preference for $$J = \tfrac{3}{2}$$

J
=

3
2

over $$J = \tfrac{1}{2}$$

J
=

1
2

.
Maxwell wave packets in de Sitter expanding universe
Authors: Cotăescu Ion I. , Cotăescu Ion
Published: July 2021

We study for the first time the propagation of the packets of plane waves of the Maxwell free field in the de Sitter expanding universe as detected by an observer staying at rest in his proper frame with physical de Sitter–Painlevé coordinates. This observes an accelerate propagation of the wave packet along to a null geodesic, laying out a severe exponential decay and a moderate dispersion, increasing exponentially in time during propagation. The example we give is the usual anisotropic Gaussian packet for which we present a short graphical analysis pointing out the accelerated propagation, decay and dispersion. Moreover, we show that the observer perceives his horizon as a mirror stopping the wave packets prepared on it and reflecting those prepared beyond it.
Thin-shell wormholes in $$(2+1)$$-dimensional F(R) theories
Authors: Bejarano Cecilia , Eiroa Ernesto F. , Figueroa-Aguirre Griselda
Published: July 2021

We construct a broad family of thin-shell wormholes with circular symmetry in $$(2+1)$$

(
2
+
1
)

-dimensional F(R) theories of gravity, with constant scalar curvature R. We study the stability of the static configurations under perturbations preserving the symmetry. We present examples of charged thin-shell wormholes which are asymptotically anti-de Sitter at both sides of the throat. We show that stable solutions are possible when suitable values of the parameters are taken.
Study of plasma dynamics in the HET relying on global thruster characteristics parameterized with discharge voltage
Authors: Szelecka A. , Jakubczak M. , Riazantsev A. , Kurzyna J.
Published: July 2021

A prototype of krypton Hall-effect thruster (HET) of 0.5 kW nominal power and a dedicated diagnostic system for ion current collection were designed in the laboratory of plasma space propulsion (PlaNS) of the Institute of Plasma Physics and Laser Microfusion (IPPLM) in Warsaw. The diagnostic system consisting of a collimated Faraday Cup (FC) and a Planar Probe with Guarding Ring, named also Faraday Probe (FP) was intended to capture both temporal and spatial ion current variation, allowing to analyze not only ion current dynamics locally but also to estimate the total ion current value and a plasma jet divergence. Reliable engine operation provided by stability of plasma in a discharge channel of the thruster is unambiguously reflected in the oscillations of the discharge current. The so-called breathing mode, categorized as ionization instability with frequencies in the range of 10–30 kHz, is commonly recognized in the HET’s discharge current. Rising of instabilities makes it difficult to increase the specific impulse effectively by just simply attempting to operate thruster in high-voltage regime because it may result in very irregular thruster functioning and often to ceasing of plasma. Discharge current oscillations should also be strongly reflected in the ion current. Indeed, a similar to discharge current behavior was observed in the recorded FC and FP ion current signals. By changing thruster operating conditions, like discharge voltage and magnitude of B-field, transitions between smooth and oscillating current regimes were examined. Studying the ion current dynamics seems particularly important, since it is predicted that the control of discharge instabilities may be crucial to improve the performance of HETs in the future.
Dynamic Response of High-Speed Train-Track-Bridge Coupling System Subjected to Simultaneous Wind and Rain
Authors: Gou Hongye , Li Wenhao , Zhou Siqing , Bao Yi , Zhao Tianqi , Han Bing , Pu Qianhui
Published: July 2021

The Lanzhou-Xinjiang High-speed Railway runs through a region of over 500[Formula: see text]km that is amenable to frequent winds. The strong wind and rainfall pose a great threat to the safe operation of high-speed trains. To tackle the aforementioned climate challenges, this paper investigates the dynamic response of the high-speed train-track-bridge coupling system under the simultaneous action of winds and rains for the safe operation of trains. Specifically, there are four main objectives: (1) to develop a finite element model to analyze the dynamic response of the train-track-bridge system in windy and raining conditions; (2) to investigate the aerodynamic loads posed to the train-track-bridge system by winds and rains; (3) to evaluate the effects of wind speed and rainfall intensity on the train-track-bridge system; and (4) to assess the safety of trains at different train speeds and under various wind-rain conditions. To this end, this paper first establishes a train-track-bridge model via ANSYS and SIMPACK co-simulation and the aerodynamics models of the high-speed train and bridge through FLUENT to form a safety analysis system for high-speed trains running on the bridge under the wind-rain conditions. Then, the response of the train-track-bridge system under different wind speeds and rainfall intensities is studied. The results show that the effects of winds and rains are coupled. The rule of variation for the train dynamic response with respect to various wind and rain conditions is established, with practical suggestions provided for control of the safe operation of high-speed trains.
On Kenmotsu manifolds admitting η-Ricci-Yamabe solitons
Authors: Yoldaş Halil İbrahim
Published: July 2021

The objective of this paper is to deal with Kenmotsu manifolds admitting [Formula: see text]-Ricci-Yamabe solitons. First, it is proved that if a Kenmotsu manifold [Formula: see text] which admits an [Formula: see text]-Ricci-Yamabe soliton, then the manifold [Formula: see text] is Einstein and is of constant scalar curvature. Then, some important characterizations, which classify Kenmotsu manifolds admitting such solitons, are obtained and an example given which supports our results.
Dimeric derivatives of chlorophyll a with fragments of oligoethylene glycols as spacers between macrocycles: Synthesis, dark and photoinduced cytotoxic activity
Authors: Startseva Olga M. , Pylina Yana I. , Shadrin Dmitry M. , Belykh Elena S. , Shevchenko Oksana G. , Velegzhaninov Ilya O. , Belykh Dmitry V.
Published: July 2021

In the present work, new dimeric derivatives of chlorophyll [Formula: see text] with oligoethylene glycol fragments as spacers between macrocycles were synthesized and their dark and photoinduced cytotoxic activities were studied in experiments in vitro. Dimeric derivatives were found to have a relatively low dark cytotoxic activity. It should be noted that most of the studied dimeric derivatives exhibited photoinduced cytotoxic activity at concentrations that were several times lower than those for dark cytotoxic activity. The photoinduced action of one of the most active compounds, a phorbin-chlorin dimer with the triethylene glycol fragment as a spacer between the macrocycles (13), was analysed in more detail in experiments in vitro. Compound (13) was shown to rapidly enter HeLa cells, however, its cytotoxic effect on these cells develops rather slowly. The results of the analysis of the activity of caspase-3 showed that Compound (13) does not cause apoptosis of HeLa cells. Analysis of the degree of hemolysis of mammalian erythrocytes as a result of exposure to Compound (13) showed that plasma membranes are a probable target of this substance.
Synthesis of antiaromatic tetrabenzodithiaamethyrin
Authors: Okujima Tetsuo , Kozumi Ryohei , Mori Shigeki , Chino Yoshiaki , Takase Masayoshi , Uno Hidemitsu , Kobayashi Nagao
Published: July 2021

Bicyclo[2.2.2]octadiene(BCOD)-fused dithiaamethyrin 4 was synthesized via a “3+3” condensation method. Thermal conversion of the BCOD moieties afforded tetrabenzodithiaamethyrin 5. The highly planar structures of 4 and 5 were confirmed by X-ray diffraction studies. The 1H NMR, absorption and MCD spectra, together with TD-DFT calculations revealed that both BCOD-fused and [Formula: see text]-extended dithiaamethyrins have a 24[Formula: see text] antiaromatic character.
Revolution in techniques: temporal
Authors: Anderson David E.
Published: July 2021

This chapter reviews the progress made between the years 1965 and 2000 in temporal techniques and their importance for the study of landforms. The chapter begins with discussion of advances in chronostratigraphy and of the important contributions to geomorphology that came from palaeoenvironmental reconstruction, notably through the study of marine sediments and ice cores. A more detailed discussion then follows of developments and advances in dating methods, grouped by radiometric and radiometric-related, incremental, age-equivalent markers, and relative, with emphasis on the ways in which the new techniques opened up new avenues in the study of landforms.
Genetic Improvement of Data for Maths Functions
Authors: Langdon William B. , Krauss Oliver
Published: July 2021

We use continuous optimisation and manual code changes to evolve up to 1024 Newton-Raphson numerical values embedded in an open source GNU C library glibc square root sqrt to implement a double precision cube root routine cbrt, binary logarithm log2 and reciprocal square root function for C in seconds. The GI inverted square root
x
-1/2
is far more accurate than Quake’s InvSqrt, Quare root. GI shows potential for automatically creating mobile or low resource mote smart dust bespoke custom mathematical libraries with new functionality.
Evolution of Activation Functions: An Empirical Investigation
Authors: Nader Andrew , Azar Danielle
Published: July 2021

The hyper-parameters of a neural network are traditionally designed through a time-consuming process of trial and error that requires substantial expert knowledge. Neural Architecture Search algorithms aim to take the human out of the loop by automatically finding a good set of hyper-parameters for the problem at hand. These algorithms have mostly focused on hyper-parameters such as the architectural configurations of the hidden layers and the connectivity of the hidden neurons, but there has been relatively little work on automating the search for completely new activation functions, which are one of the most crucial hyperparameters to choose. There are some widely used activation functions nowadays that are simple and work well, but nonetheless, there has been some interest in finding better activation functions. The work in the literature has mostly focused on designing new activation functions by hand or choosing from a set of predefined functions while this work presents an evolutionary algorithm to automate the search for completely new activation functions. We compare these new evolved activation functions to other existing and commonly used activation functions. The results are favorable and are obtained from averaging the performance of the activation functions found over 30 runs, with experiments being conducted on 10 different datasets and architectures to ensure the statistical robustness of the study.
Systemizing Interprocedural Static Analysis of Large-scale Systems Code with Graspan
Authors: Zuo Zhiqiang , Wang Kai , Hussain Aftab , Sani Ardalan Amiri , Zhang Yiyu , Lu Shenming , Dou Wensheng , Wang Linzhang , Li Xuandong , Wang Chenxi , Xu Guoqing Harry
Published: July 2021

There is more than a decade-long history of using static analysis to find bugs in systems such as Linux. Most of the existing static analyses developed for these systems are simple checkers that find bugs based on pattern matching. Despite the presence of many sophisticated interprocedural analyses, few of them have been employed to improve checkers for systems code due to their complex implementations and poor scalability.

In this article, we revisit the scalability problem of interprocedural static analysis from a “Big Data” perspective. That is, we turn sophisticated code analysis into
Big Data analytics
and leverage novel data processing techniques to solve this traditional programming language problem. We propose
Graspan
, a disk-based parallel graph system that uses an
edge-pair
centric computation model to compute
dynamic transitive closures
on very large program graphs. We develop two backends for Graspan, namely,
Graspan-C
running on CPUs and
Graspan-G
on GPUs, and present their designs in the article. Graspan-C can analyze large-scale systems code on any commodity PC, while, if GPUs are available, Graspan-G can be readily used to achieve orders of magnitude speedup by harnessing a GPU’s massive parallelism.

We have implemented
fully context-sensitive
pointer/alias and dataflow analyses on Graspan. An evaluation of these analyses on large codebases written in multiple languages such as Linux and Apache Hadoop demonstrates that their Graspan implementations are language-independent, scale to millions of lines of code, and are much simpler than their original implementations. Moreover, we show that these analyses can be used to uncover many real-world bugs in large-scale systems code.
A Facile Process to Fabricate Phosphorus/Carbon Xerogel Composite as Anode for Sodium Ion Batteries
Authors: Deng Changyu , Lu Wei
Published: July 2021

Sodium ion batteries have become popular due to their low cost. Among the possible anode materials for sodium ion batteries, phosphorus has great potential owing to its high theoretical capacity. Previous research that yielded high capacity and long duration for a phosphorus anode used expensive materials such as black phosphorus (BP) and phosphorene. To take advantage of the low cost of sodium ion batteries, we report a simple and low-cost method to fabricate the anode: condensing red phosphorus on carbon xerogel. Even with a large particle size (∼ 50 m) and a high mass loading (2 mg cm−2), the composite cycled at 100 mA g−1 yielded a capacity of 357 mA g−1 or 2498

mAh

g

P

−
1

based on phosphorus after subtracting the contribution of carbon. The average coulombic efficiency is as high as 99.4%. When cycled at 200 mA g−1, it yielded a capacity of 242 mAh g−1 or 1723

mAh

g

P

−
1

,

with average degradation rate only 0.06% in 80 cycles. Our research provides an innovative approach to synthesize anodes for sodium ion batteries at extremely low cost, with performance exceeding or comparable to state-of-the-art materials, which will promote their commercialization.
Synchronized Operando Analysis of Graphite Negative Electrode of Li-Ion Battery
Authors: Fujimoto Hiroyuki , Murakami Miwa , Yamanaka Toshiro , Shimoda Keiji , Kiuchi Hisao , Ogumi Zempachi , Abe Takeshi
Published: July 2021

Since the rechargeable Li-ion battery was invented in the early 1990s, its performance has evolved continually and Li-ion batteries are now installed in most mobile devices. In these batteries, graphite is used as a negative electrode material. However, the detailed reaction mechanism between graphite and Li remains unclear. Here we apply synchrotron X-ray diffraction, 7Li-nuclear magnetic resonance and Raman spectroscopy to operando analysis of the charge/discharge mechanism of a graphite electrode. The spectrum of the graphite electrode is measured repeatedly during the reaction. The operando dataset obtained is then analyzed synchronously with the composition of x in LiCx estimated from the charge/discharge curves. We propose a synchronized operando analysis method that provides useful information about the behavior of the C–C bond vibration mode and the interactions between Li and carbon atoms due to structural change during the charge/discharge reaction. In addition, we determine details of the intercalation mechanism.
Composition-Balanced Bi-Metallic MOFs Directly Grown on Nickel Foam for High-Efficiency Oxygen Evolution Reaction
Authors: Deng Shangkun , Li Ziliang , Xu Kang , Liu Zhu , Yin Zhuangzhuang , Yu Hai , Lv Jianguo , Yang Lei , Sun Zhaoqi , Zhang Miao
Published: July 2021

In this paper, the electrocatalytic efficiency of bi-metallic organic framework compounds grown on nickel foam (NF) has been enhanced by adjusting the amount of iron and cobalt precursors. A unique wedge-like morphology was observed in Fe-1-Co-1-MOF. The optimized Fe-1-Co-1-MOF (1:1 of molar ratio of iron to cobalt) exhibits superior catalytic activity to oxygen evolution reaction (OER) performance with a lowest overpotential of only 233 mV at a current density of 10 mA·cm−2 and the higher current density of 400 mA·cm−2 can be provided at overpotential of 264 mV. The Tafel slope in alkaline aqueous solutions was 24.4 mV·dec−1. After 10 h of continuous operation, the catalyst showed only a slight loss of current density at 50 mA·cm−2. This success may be attributed to synergy between the bi-metallic organic framework catalyst and the large pores of conductive nickel foam, as well as the synergistic effect between the two phases molecules of the bi-metallic organic framework metal.
The effect of minimal differences in the skin-to-air vapor pressure gradient at various dry-bulb temperatures on self-paced exercise performance
Authors: Bright Felicity M. , Clark Brad , Jay Ollie , Périard Julien D.
Published: July 2021

This is the first study to investigate the effects of dry-bulb temperature (13, 20, 28, and 36°C) on self-paced exercise performance by minimizing differences in the skin-to-air vapor pressure gradient (i.e., evaporative potential) between conditions. Performance was similar in 13°C and 20°C with a matched evaporative potential, whereas it was reduced at 28°C and further impaired at 36°C in association with a large decrease in dry heat loss and moderate reduction in evaporative potential.
Plaque Length Predicts the Incidence of Microembolic Signals in Acute Anterior Circulation Stroke
Authors: Zhao Liming , Zhao Hongqin , Xu Yicheng , Zhang Aijuan , Zhang Jiatang , Tian Chenglin
Published: July 2021

Microembolic signals (MES) of the carotid artery are associated with plaque destabilization and reoccurrence of stroke. Previous studies have focused primarily on the degree of carotid artery stenosis and plaque components, and the relationship between plaque length and microembolic sign has received little attention. We aimed to find the association between carotid plaque length (CPL) and the presence of MES. We conducted a retrospective observational cross-sectional study. A total of 84 acute anterior-circulation ischemic stroke/transient ischemic attack (TIA) patients with carotid artery atherosclerosis were classified into an MES-positive (MES+) group and MES-negative (MES−) group. We measured multiple parameters of carotid plaque size (length, thickness) in each patient and evaluated the relationship between different plaque parameters and occurrence of MES. We found that male, carotid artery stenosis (CAS), CPL, carotid plaque thickness (CPT), and intima-media thickness (IMT) of the carotid artery were each significantly different between two groups (all

P
<
0.05

). The multivariate analysis showed CPL (odds ratio (OR), 1.109; 95% CI, 1.044–1.177;

P
=
0.001

) to be independently associated with the presence of MES. The areas under the ROC curves (AUCs) for CPL for predicting MES were 0.777 (95% CI, 0.640–0.914;

P
<
0.001

). The cutoff value of CPL for predicting MES was 16.7 mm, with a sensitivity of 88.2% and a specificity of 77.6%. We found that CPL was a meaningful independent predictor of MES. Therefore, CPL may be useful for risk stratification of long and nonstenotic plaques in anterior circulation stroke.
Optimal Atlas Segmentation on CT Images for Diagnosis of Pediatric Mycoplasma Pneumonia
Authors: Cheng Chunhong , Wang Junyan , Li Hongbo , Wang Liang
Published: July 2021

This work aimed to explore the clinical application value of CT imaging technology based on the optimal Atlas segmentation algorithm (OASA) in the diagnosis of pediatric mycoplasma pneumonia (MP). Eighty-eight children with MP were selected and divided into group A (CT image based on the OASA) and group B (chest X-ray) according to the diagnosis methods. The detection rate, image feature performance, and image quality satisfaction of the two groups of children were compared. The results showed that the detection rate of group A was 97.73% and that of group B was 95.46%, and there was no considerable difference between the two (

P

 > 0.05). The pleural effusion detection rate of children in group A was evidently superior to that of X-ray group, while the increased bronchovascular shadows’ detection rate was greatly inferior to that of X-ray group (

P

 < 0.05). Comparison results of nodules’ shadows, patchy shadows, acinar parenchyma shadows, and interstitial infiltration between two groups showed that there was no notable difference (

P

 > 0.05). CT image quality satisfaction (98.50%) was higher versus X-ray (79.46%) (

P

 < 0.05). To sum up, CT images based on the OASA can be adopted in the clinical diagnosis of pediatric MP, and CT images were better than chest X-rays.
Existence and Numerical Analysis of Imperfect Testing Infectious Disease Model in the Sense of Fractional-Order Operator
Authors: Alshehri Hashim M. , Khan Hasib , Khan Zareen A.
Published: July 2021

In the present paper, we study a mathematical model of an imperfect testing infectious disease model in the sense of the Mittage-Leffler kernel. The Banach contraction principle has been used for the existence and uniqueness of solutions of the suggested model. Furthermore, a numerical method equipped with Lagrangian polynomial interpolation has been utilized for the numerical outcomes. Diagramming and discussion are used to clarify the effects of related parameters in the fractional-order imperfect testing infectious disease model.
Effect of Cold Atmospheric Pressure Plasma Coupled with Resin-Containing and Xylitol-Containing Fluoride Varnishes on Enamel Erosion
Authors: Khoubrouypak Zahra , Abbasi Mahdi , Ahmadi Elham , Rafeie Niyousha , Behroozibakhsh Marjan
Published: July 2021

Purpose. Considering the suggested advantages of cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) in increasing the fluoride uptake by the enamel, this study aimed to assess enamel erosion following the application of helium CAP and two types of fluoride varnishes. Methods. The microhardness of 70 bovine enamel specimens was measured using a Vickers hardness tester. The specimens were randomly divided into 7 groups (n = 10): control, CAP (P), resin-containing fluoride varnish (RF), CAP + resin-containing fluoride varnish (PRF), fluoride varnish (F), CAP + fluoride varnish (PF), and erosion (E). The specimens in the control and erosion groups did not receive CAP or fluoride varnish. All specimens underwent erosive challenge 4 times/day using hydrochloric acid and artificial saliva except for the control specimens that remained in distilled water during the course of the study. After 5 days of erosive challenge, microhardness was measured again, and the percentage of microhardness change was calculated. Surface roughness of two specimens in each group was assessed by atomic force microscopy (AFM). Data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA followed by Tamhane’s post-hoc test. Results. The percentage of microhardness change in all groups was significantly higher than that of the control group. All groups showed significantly lower percentage of microhardness change compared with the E group except for the P group; no significant difference was noted in microhardness change of P and E groups. Other experimental groups had no significant difference with each other. Surface roughness was the highest in PRF and the lowest in the F group. Conclusion. CAP application had no significant effect on increasing the enamel resistance to erosion. However, enamel resistance to erosion increased significantly after fluoride varnish application alone or fluoride varnish application combined with CAP. No significant difference was noted between the two types of varnishes in this regard. CAP increased the surface roughness while fluoride varnish application alone decreased the roughness.
Evaluation and Management of Genitourinary Emergencies in Patients with Cancer
Authors: Lipe Demis N. , Mann Phillip B. , Babakhanlou Rodrick , Cruz Carreras Maria T. , Guido Hita A. , Wattana Monica K.
Published: July 2021

Background. Genitourinary emergencies in cancer patients are common. Most cancer treatments are administered in the outpatient setting, and patients with complications often visit the emergency department. However, there is no recent emergency medicine literature review focusing on genitourinary emergencies in the oncologic population. Objective of the review. To increase awareness of common genitourinary emergencies in patients with cancer and enable the prompt recognition and appropriate management of these conditions. Discussion. Genitourinary emergencies in patients with cancer require a multidisciplinary approach to treatment. The most common genitourinary emergencies in patients with cancer are related to infection, obstructive uropathy, hemorrhagic cystitis, and complications associated with urinary diversions. The treatment approach in patients with infections, including viral infections, is similar to those without cancer. Understanding the changes in the anatomy of patients with urinary diversions or fistulas can help with the management of genitourinary emergencies. Conclusions. Familiarization with the uniqueness of genitourinary emergencies in patients with cancer is important for emergency physicians.