bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Versatile design of compound vastus lateralis muscle and anterolateral thigh musculocutaneous perforator free flaps for customized reconstruction of complex skin and soft tissue defects in the extremities
Authors: He Jiqiang , Wu Panfeng , Zhou Zhengbing , Kalsi Richa , Yu Fang , Qing Liming , Tang Juyu 
Published: September 2020

AbstractBackgroundCompound anterolateral thigh flaps are popular for three‐dimensional reconstruction of complex soft tissue defects. We present our 10‐year experience using compound vastus lateralis (VL) muscle and anterolateral thigh musculocutaneous perforator (ALTP) flaps, and introduce three versatile customizations of this flap for individualized reconstruction of complex three‐dimensional soft tissue defects.MethodsFrom May 2008 to June 2017, compound VL muscle and ALTP flaps were performed in 67 consecutive patients aged 14–75 years (62 men and 5 women). The defects were in either the lower (n = 53) or upper extremity (n = 14), and ranged in size from 8 × 4 cm2 to 25 × 6 cm2. Dead space volume ranged from 4 × 2 × 1 cm3 to 20 × 3 × 2 cm3, and all flaps were harvested from patients' thighs as one of three types. In type A, a single perforator supplied both the skin and muscle components, with the vascular bundle penetrating the muscle component. In type B, a single perforator supplied both skin and muscle components with separate branches to the skin and muscle. In type C, separate vessels supplied the skin and muscle.ResultsIn the 67 patients, 65 flaps survived, and the donor site was closed directly. Vascular compromise occurred in four patients on the first postoperative day. Two flaps were salvaged after emergency re‐exploration. Flap loss occurred in two patients, and these defects were repaired using other flaps. The follow‐up period ranged from 8 to 60 months (mean, 11.9 months). All flaps had satisfactory appearance and texture, and no patients experienced limited hip and knee joint mobility from the donor site operation.ConclusionsCompound VL muscle and ALTP flaps are a reliable option to reconstruct complex defects of the extremities. Identifying three flap types allowed for more precise customization to cover complex defects with limited donor site morbidity.
Inductive wireless power transfer system using multiple coils for rotating propulsive shaft applications
Authors: Hoang Van Ai , Lee Young Chul 
Published: September 2020

AbstractAn induction wireless power transmission (I‐WPT) system using multiple coils has been proposed to drive a wireless sensor system (WSS) that monitors the status of the propulsion shaft. While maintaining a constant transfer voltage, the minimum number of coils and the minimum air gap between coils were extracted through several experiments. The optimized air gap between transmitter (Tx) and receiver (Rx) coils was 3 mm and the number of the Rx and Tx coils was four and six, respectively. The optimized I‐WPT system was installed on the shaft with a diameter of 20 cm and obtained the stable transferred voltage characteristics and output power of 1.75 W with above 75% efficiency in spite of different rotation speed of the shaft.
Compact wideband circularly‐polarized antenna for universal UHF RFID handheld reader
Authors: Zhu Liting , Liu Qiang , Du Guangxing , Li Guolin , Cheng Dong 
Published: September 2020

AbstractA compact wideband circularly‐polarized (CP) RF identification (RFID) handheld reader antenna based on inverted‐F antennas (IFAs) is proposed. The antenna consists of an upper layer of rotationally symmetric radiation structure and lower layer of feed network. Firstly, the feed network is verified by microwave circuit simulation software. Then the antenna is modeled and simulated with the aid of the full‐wave electromagnetic simulation software. Finally, a prototype is fabricated using FR4 plate and its performance of the proposed antenna is validated. The measured impedance bandwidth of 10 dB and the axial ratio (AR) bandwidth of 3 dB are wider than 13%. The peak gain is greater than 2.2 dBic, and the minimum AR is less than 1.1 dB, with the symmetrical and stable radiation patterns. The antenna has the compact size of 60 × 60 × 15 mm3. The proposed antenna can not only meet the requirements of RFID handheld reader applications in universal ultra‐high frequency (UHF) band (840‐960 MHz), but also has the advantages of wideband, small size, lightweight, low cost, and simple structure. Therefore, the design has a good application prospect in the field of Internet of Things.
Assessment of the compound muscle action potential amplitude return time between exercises or tests in the repetitive nerve stimulation test for Lambert‐Eaton myasthenic syndrome
Authors: Oh Shin J. 
Published: September 2020

AbstractIntroductionWhen performing postexercise facilitation (PEF) as part of the repetitive nerve stimulation (RNS) test in Lambert‐Eaton myasthenic syndrome (LEMS), it is important to avoid any influence of the previous exercise or RNS test on the compound muscle action potential (CMAP) amplitude.MethodsTo measure the CMAP amplitude return time (ART) to that at rest, a single CMAP was obtained every 30 seconds until the amplitude was within 5% of that at rest in three exercise periods (10, 20, and 30 seconds) and in 10‐second postexercise (PE) 3‐Hz RNS testing with 17 tests in 10 LEMS patients.ResultsAdequate ART between tests is 150 seconds for 10‐second exercise (Ex) and 10‐second PE 3‐Hz RNS test, 120 seconds for 20‐second Ex, and 90 seconds for 30‐second Ex.DiscussionWe recommend 150 seconds as adequate ART between the PEF test and the next test when performing RNS test in LEMS.
Lower urinary tract dysfunction in adult patients with mitochondrial disease
Authors: Feeney Catherine , Gorman Grainne , Stefanetti Renae , McFarland Robert , Turnbull Doug , Harding Christopher , Sachdeva Ashwin 
Published: September 2020

AbstractAimsMitochondrial diseases present with a spectrum of clinical features, usually with multiorgan involvement and are often characterized by a loss of smooth muscle function. Hence, we hypothesized that mitochondrial dysfunction may contribute to lower urinary tract (LUT) dysfunction.MethodsWe performed a prospective cohort study at a single, quaternary, mitochondrial disease referral center, enrolling consecutive adult patients with genetically confirmed mitochondrial disease. Data regarding baseline characteristics and disease burden were gathered. LUT dysfunction was assessed using the International Consultation on Incontinence Modular Questionnaire‐Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms (ICIQ‐LUTS) questionnaire, bladder voiding efficiency (BVE), and bladder diaries. Patients with one or more features of LUT dysfunction were offered urodynamic testing.ResultsA total of 109 patients were included. Twenty‐six percent of patients manifested at least one feature of LUT dysfunction, which was objectively confirmed in all 14 patients who consented to urodynamic investigation. Disease burden, defined by the Newcastle Mitochondrial Disease Adult Scale (NMDAS), demonstrated a linear relationship with ICIQ‐LUTS severity (P = .01), with a statistically significant relationship between NMDAS‐gastrointestinal scores and LUTS scores (P < .001). Limitations include mutational heterogeneity across the patient cohort.ConclusionsThis is the largest study exploring LUT in patients with mitochondrial disease and supports previous smaller studies suggesting LUT dysfunction is underrecognized in patients with mitochondrial disease and impacts considerably on their quality of life. We propose a clinical guideline for identifying mitochondrial disease patients at risk of LUT dysfunction.
Interventions Aimed at Reducing Fasting Times in Acute Hospital Patients: A Systematic Literature Review
Authors: Yip Adela , Hogan Sophie , Carey Sharon 
Published: September 2020

AbstractDespite current guidelines recommending fasting from solids for ≤6 hours and clear fluids for ≤2 hours prior to surgery, outdated practices endure; patients fast for unnecessarily prolonged periods because of beliefs regarding aspiration risk upon anaesthesia induction. This literature review aimed to identify and evaluate current interventions aiming to reduce preoperative fasting times for acutely ill hospital patients, summarizing effective interventional strategies and associated outcomes. EMBASE, MEDLINE, PreMEDLINE, and CINAHL were systematically searched. Quality of evidence was assessed using Cochrane risk‐of‐bias tools. Studies, of any type, reporting fasting times as a primary or secondary outcome were included. A total of 1918 potential studies were identified; of these, 16 studies were included. Seven studies investigated the effect of changing fasting protocol on gastric fluid volume/residual gastric volume (GFV/RGV) and gastric pH as surrogate measures for aspiration risk. No significant differences in GFV/RGV and gastric pH due to reduced preoperative fasting were reported, thus no change in aspiration risk. Eight studies documented improvements in patient‐reported outcomes with shorter fasting times. However, this review identified a paucity of studies that trialled interventions to reduce fasting times as the primary aim. These interventions were multimodal and multidisciplinary in nature, incorporating principles of implementation science to successfully achieve significant reductions in fasting times. This review highlights that reducing the preoperative fasting period is safe while improving patient's physical and psychological well‐being. Further high‐quality studies that investigate multimodal interventions, and that utilize implementation science principles, are required in this area.
Weighted target set selection on trees and cycles
Authors: Raghavan S. , Zhang Rui 
Published: September 2020

AbstractThere is significant interest in understanding the dynamics of influence diffusion on a social network. The weighted target set selection (WTSS) problem is a fundamental viral marketing problem arising on social networks. In this problem, the goal is to select a set of influential nodes to target (e.g., for promoting a new product) that can influence the rest of the network. The WTSS problem is APX‐hard. With the goal of generating insights to solve the WTSS problem on arbitrary graphs, we study in this paper the WTSS problem on trees and cycles. For trees, we propose a linear‐time dynamic programming algorithm and present a tight and compact extended formulation. Furthermore, we project the extended formulation onto the space of the natural node variables yielding the polytope of the WTSS problem on trees. This projection leads to an exponentially sized set of valid inequalities whose polynomial‐time separation is also discussed. Next, we focus on cycles: we describe a linear‐time algorithm and present the complete description of the polytope for the WTSS problem on cycles. Finally, we describe how these formulations can be applied to arbitrary graphs.
Minimum color‐degree perfect b‐matchings
Authors: Anapolska Mariia , Büsing Christina , Comis Martin , Krabs Tabea 
Published: September 2020

AbstractThe minimum color‐degree perfect b‐matching problem (Col‐BM) is a new extension of the perfect b‐matching problem to edge‐colored graphs. The objective of Col‐BM is to minimize the maximum number of differently colored edges in a perfect b‐matching that are incident to the same node. We show that Col‐BM is ‐hard on bipartite graphs by a reduction from (3,B2)‐Sat, and conclude that there exists no (2 − ϵ)‐approximation algorithm unless . However, we identify a class of two‐colored complete bipartite graphs on which we can solve Col‐BM in polynomial time. Furthermore, we use dynamic programming to devise polynomial‐time algorithms solving Col‐BM with a fixed number of colors on series‐parallel graphs and simple graphs with bounded treewidth.
Future directions in drone routing research
Authors: Poikonen Stefan , Campbell James F. 
Published: September 2020

AbstractOptimization of routing problems using drones (unmanned aerial vehicles or UAVs) has become an important area of academic research. The purpose of this article is to look to the future and help stimulate drone routing research in directions we hope will prove interesting and fruitful. We discuss opportunities for better modeling of (1) drone capabilities for both existing drones and those likely to be used in the future, (2) constraints on drone performance and operations, (3) different objectives for various drone services, and (4) alternative delivery modes, as well as some areas for methodological advances and some possible new applications. While much of the research to date has leveraged existing TSP (traveling salesman problem), VRP (vehicle routing problem), and arc routing models, we look forward to new contributions from drone research that use better models of more realistic drone types and new drone applications.
Implicit gradient‐enhanced force‐based Timoshenko fiber element formulation for reinforced concrete structures
Authors: Feng De‐Cheng , Ren Xiaodan 
Published: September 2020

SummaryIn this paper, an implicit gradient force‐based beam element is developed for analysis of reinforced concrete structures. The element is settled on the framework of Timoshenko beam theory, and adopts force interpolations to construct the element formulation. The sectional constitutive relation is described by the well‐known fiber model, where the multi‐axial softened damage‐plasticity model is used for concrete fibers and the uniaxial Menegotto‐Pinto model is used for steel fibers, thus the axial‐flexure‐shear interaction can be reflected naturally at material level. Furthermore, to overcome the localization issues arisen from strain‐softening responses, the implicit gradient theory is introduced to the element. The weak form of the gradient enhancement is derived and an efficient subscale numerical solution is developed. The implementation of the proposed element is discussed in detail. Finally, a series of illustrative numerical examples are utilized to demonstrate the performance of the proposed element, and the results indicate that the element is able to reproduce accurate and objective responses of reinforced concrete structures under monotonic and cyclic loadings.
Situational analysis on the recovery of patients who have undergone major abdominal surgery
Authors: Udomkhwamsuk Warawan , Vuttanon Nuttamon , Limpakan Sirikan 
Published: September 2020

AbstractAimTo analyse the recovery situation of patients who underwent abdominal surgery.DesignA descriptive study.MethodThis study was conducted among 50 participants: 15 postoperative patients, 16 caregivers, 2 surgeons and 17 nurses in a tertiary hospital in Thailand. The state of patients’ recovery after undergoing major abdominal surgery was analysed using Donabedian's approach.ResultsThe findings showed that hospitals and some organizations do not have a clear policy about clinical care to help patients recover after undergoing major surgery or to prevent the risk of complications following major abdominal surgery. In addition, there were no clinical practice guidelines in use in each ward. Each ward should have a set of guidelines and procedures for assisting with patient recovery. The procedures should be based on nursing care. It is necessary to have a coordinated multidisciplinary care guideline to use with other health professionals to promote the recovery of patients.
Risk factors for the onset of dependence and chronic psychosis due to cannabis use: Survey of patients with cannabis‐related psychiatric disorders
Authors: Matsumoto Toshihiko , Kawabata Toshitaka , Okita Kyoji , Tanibuchi Yuko , Funada Daisuke , Murakami Maki , Usami Takashi , Yokoyama Rie , Naruse Nobuya , Aikawa Yuzo , Furukawa Aizo , Komatsuzaki Chie , Hashimoto Nozomu , Fujita Osamu , Umemoto Aiko , Kagaya Ariyuki , Shimane Takuya 
Published: September 2020

AbstractAimThe objective of the current study was to identify risk factors that affect the onset of dependence and chronic psychosis due to cannabis use.MethodsWe examined clinical genetic factors, psychiatric disorders prior to cannabis use, starting age of cannabis use, duration and frequency of cannabis use, types of cannabis products used, combined use of other psychoactive substances, and the psychiatric diagnosis of 71 patients with cannabis‐related psychiatric disorders who underwent treatment at nine mental health hospitals in Japan. Information was collected from cross‐sectional interview surveys conducted by each patient's attending psychiatrist.ResultsFor the diagnosis of dependence syndrome due to the use of cannabis, we found associations with the number of years of cannabis use and the use of cannabis products with a high Δ9‐tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) content. However, we found no association between diagnosis of residual and late‐onset psychotic disorders and clinical genetic factors, presence of preceding psychiatric disorders, duration and frequency of cannabis use, starting age of cannabis use, or combined use of other psychoactive substances; an association was found only for the absence of use of cannabis products other than dried cannabis.ConclusionThe onset of cannabis dependence was related to long‐term cannabis use and the use of cannabis products with a high THC content. However, chronic psychosis was not associated with total THC intake or psychiatric vulnerability. Thus, unknown factors appear to be involved in the onset of chronic psychosis.
State estimation for a networked control system with packet delay, packet dropouts, and uncertain observation in S‐E and C‐A channels
Authors: Roy Avinash Kumar , Srinivasan K. 
Published: September 2020

SummaryIn this work, a minimum variance estimator is designed for a networked system with inherent network imperfections in both sensor to estimator (S‐E) and controller to actuator (C‐A) channels simultaneously. The channels are affected by packet delays, dropouts, and uncertain observations. These effects are modeled using five Bernoulli distributed random variables. Correlation of noise at neighboring time caused by random delay is avoided by introducing two additional variables in the augmented stochastic model. The developed augmented stochastic model can handle network imperfections in both the S‐E and C‐A channels simultaneously. A minimum variance recursive linear estimator is designed using an innovation approach and projection theorem. Furthermore, sufficient condition is presented for the existence of steady state property of the proposed estimator. Simulation studies are carried out for the proposed estimator using a numerical example and a single link robot arm. Finally, performance comparison with other popular filters shows the effectiveness of the designed estimator.
Reachable set estimation for neutral Markovian jump systems with mode‐dependent time‐varying delays
Authors: Jiang Xiangli , Xia Guihua , Feng Zhiguang , Jiang Zhengyi 
Published: September 2020

SummaryThis study, under zero initial condition, aims to characterize the reachable set bound for a class of neutral Markovian jump systems (NMJSs) with interval time‐varying delays and bounded disturbances. To begin with, the time‐delays are considered to be mode‐dependent while delay mode and system mode are different. By utilizing free‐weighting matrix method and reciprocally convex combination technique, an ellipsoid‐like bound is characterized for the concerned NMJS with completely known transition probabilities. Based on the provided analytical framework, the case of same delay mode and system mode is also handled. Then, benefitting from a group of free‐connection weighting matrices, the reachable set estimation issue is tackled for the NMJS involving mode‐independent time‐varying delays and partially known transition probabilities. The theoretical analysis is confirmed by numerical simulations.
Clinical Benefit of Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors in Advanced Lung Cancer with EGFR-G719A and Other Uncommon EGFR Mutations
Authors: Sehgal Kartik , Rangachari Deepa , VanderLaan Paul A. , Kobayashi Susumu S. , Costa Daniel B. 
Published: September 2020

Abstract

The optimal management of advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with noncanonical epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations (i.e., exon 19 deletion and exon 21 L858R) is constrained by the heterogeneous behavior of individual uncommon mutations and limited prospective clinical data in this setting. Despite encouraging results with osimertinib from a recently published phase II trial from South Korea, afatinib remains the only currently approved drug for patients with tumors harboring uncommon EGFR mutations (i.e., S768I, L861Q, and/or G719X). When used at the standard dose of 40 mg daily, afatinib is associated with significant rates of treatment-related adverse events, leading to frequent dose reductions and treatment discontinuations. We report a case of a woman with advanced NSCLC harboring EGFR-G719A mutation treated with afatinib (at an off-label pulse dose strategy that merits further evaluation in prospective studies) with sustained partial response for 20 months with manageable expected toxicities. Subsequent disease progression was mediated by off-target pan-EGFR inhibitor (including osimertinib)–resistant KRAS mutation and not by acquisition of EGFR-T790M. We further present the current state of evidence in the literature behind use of first-, second-, and third-generation tyrosine kinase inhibitors and summarize the evolving spectrum of activity ascribed to osimertinib (and newer EGFR inhibitors with a more favorable therapeutic window and intracranial penetration) in this population of patients with advanced NSCLC and uncommon EGFR mutations.

Key Points
Uncommon EGFR mutations characterize a heterogeneous group of patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Afatinib is the only currently U.S. Food and Drug Administration–approved drug for management of advanced NSCLC with uncommon EGFR mutations (S768I, L861Q, and/or G719X). Afatinib treatment at 40 mg daily is associated with high rates of adverse events and dose reductions; alternative strategies including pulse intermittent dosing should be evaluated prospectively. Osimertinib (with favorable safety profile and intracranial penetration) has shown promising results in this population in a phase II trial from South Korea; additional trials are ongoing.