bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Modeling and Analysis of a Digital Hydraulic Actuator for Flight Control Surfaces
Authors: Lopes R. S. , Nostrani M. P. , Carvalho L. A. , Dell’Amico A. , Krus P. , De Negri V. J. 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
This paper presents the design and modeling process of a flight control actuator using digital hydraulics and a performance analysis that compares the proposed solution and the Servo Hydraulic Actuator (SHA) on a fighter aircraft model. The proposed solution is named Digital Hydraulic Actuator (DHA) and comprises the use of a multi-chamber cylinder controlled by on/off valves and different pressures sources provided by a centralized hydraulic power unit, as proposed in the Fly-by-Wire (FbW) concept. The analyses were carried out using the Aero-Data Model in a Research Environment (ADMIRE), which was developed for flight performance analysis. The actuators were modeled using the software Matlab/Simulink® and Hopsan. They were applied to control the aircraft elevons in a flight mission close to the aircraft limits, to evaluate the actuator’s behavior and energy efficiency. The results show a reduction in energy dissipation up to 22.3 times when comparing the DHA with the SHA, and despite the overshooting and oscillations presented, the aircraft flight stability was not affected.
Impact of night travel ban on road traffic crashes and fatalities in Zambia: an interrupted time series analysis
Authors: Hangoma Peter , Moonga-Mukale Kantu 
Published: December 2021

BackgroundThe burden of road traffic crashes (RTCs) and road traffic fatalities (RTFs) has been increasing in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). Most RTCs and RTFs happen at night. Although few countries, including Zambia, have implemented night travel bans, there is no evidence on the extent to which such policies may reduce crashes and fatalities.MethodsWe exploit the quasi-experimental set up afforded by the banning of night travel of public service vehicles in Zambia in 2016 and interrupted time series analysis to assess whether the ban had an impact on both levels and trends in RTCs and RTFs. We use annual administrative data for the period 2006—2020, with 10 pre-intervention and 4 post-intervention data points. In an alternative specification, we restrict the analysis to the period 2012—2020 so that the number of data points are the same pre-interventions and post-interventions. We also carry out robustness checks to rule out other possible explanation of the results including COVID-19.ResultsThe night travel ban was associated with a reduction in the level of RTCs by 4131.3 (annual average RTCs before the policy=17 668) and a reduction in the annual trend in RTCs by 2485.5. These effects were significant at below 1%, and they amount to an overall reduction in RTCs by 24%. The policy was also associated with a 57.5% reduction in RTFs. In absolute terms, the trend in RTFs reduced by 477.5 (Annual average RTFs before the policy=1124.7), which is significant at below 1% level. Our results were broadly unchanged in alternative specifications.ConclusionWe conclude that a night travel ban may be an effective way of reducing the burden of RTCs and RTFs in Zambia and other LMICs. However, complementary policies are needed to achieve more gains.
Effect of complete adherence to antenatal care guideline during first visit on maternal and neonatal complications during the intrapartum and postpartum periods: a prospective cohort study in Northwest Ethiopia
Authors: Seyoum Tewodros , Alemayehu Mekuriaw , Christensson Kyllike , Lindgren Helena 
Published: December 2021

ObjectivesTo examine the relationship between complete of providers’ adherence to antenatal care (ANC) guideline during first visit and maternal and neonatal complications during intrapartum and postpartum periods.DesignProspective cohort study.SettingGondar town public health facilities in Northwest, Ethiopia.ParticipantsA total of 832 pregnant women with gestational age <28 weeks who came for first ANC visit were enrolled and followed up to the first 6 hours of the postpartum periods.ExposureProviders’ adherence to ANC guideline during first visit was the exposure variable. An 18-point checklist was used to record the level of providers’ adherence. Clients who received care from providers who adhered completely to the guideline constituted the ‘exposed group’, and those who did not receive such care constituted the ‘unexposed group’.Main outcomesMaternal and neonatal complications occurred during the intrapartum and postpartum periods.Data analysisNegative binomial regression model was used to analyse the data. The adjusted incidence risk ratio (AIRR) with 95% CI was reported in the final model.ResultsA total of 782 pregnant women were followed up and included in the final analysis (254 in the exposed group and 528 non-exposed). Complete adherence to the guidelines during first visit reduced the risk of neonatal complications (AIRR 0.56; 95% CI 0.39 to 0.79). However, complete adherence to the guidelines was not found to have a statistically significant effect on maternal complications (AIRR 0.84; 95% CI 0.67 to 1.05) during the intrapartum and the postpartum periods.ConclusionsThe group that received care from providers who completely adhered to the ANC guidelines during the first antenatal visit showed significantly improved neonatal outcomes. However, it did not show a significant improvement in maternal outcomes. Hence, focusing on safe motherhood programmes like training that gears provider’s conformity to ANC guideline is quite crucial to improve neonatal outcomes.
Cohort profile: The National Colorectal Cancer Cohort (NCRCC) study in China
Authors: Zhu Yingshuang , Hu Yeting , Kong Xiangxing , Xiao Qian , Pan Zhizhong , Zheng Zhaoxu , Wei Ye , Ziqiang Wang , Wang Da , Chen Jiaqi , Chen Kun , Zheng Shu , Wang Meilin , Wu Xifeng , Ding Kefeng 
Published: December 2021

PurposeThe National Colorectal Cancer Cohort (NCRCC) study aims to specifically assess risk factors and biomarkers related to endpoints across the colorectal cancer continuum from the aetiology through survivorship.ParticipantsThe NCRCC study includes the Colorectal Cancer Screening Cohort (CRCSC), which recruited individuals who were at high risk of CRC between 2016 and 2020 and Colorectal Cancer Patients Cohort (CRCPC), which recruited newly diagnosed patients with CRC between 2015 and 2020. Data collection was based on questionnaires and abstraction from electronic medical record. Items included demographic and lifestyle factors, clinical information, survivorship endpoints and other information. Multiple biospecimens including blood, tissue and urine samples were collected. Participants in CRCSC were followed by a combination of periodic survey every 5 years and annual linkage with regional or national cancer and death registries for at least 10 years. In CRCPC, follow-up was conducted with both active and passive approaches at 6, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48 and 60 months after surgery.Findings to dateA total of 19 377 participants and 15 551 patients with CRC were recruited in CRCSC and in CRCPC, respectively. In CRCSC, 48.0% were men, and the average age of participants at enrolment was 58.7±8.3 years. In CRCPC, 61.4% were men, and the average age was 60.3±12.3 years with 18.9% of participants under 50 years of age.Future plansLongitudinal data and biospecimens will continue to be collected. Based on the cohorts, several studies to assess risk factors and biomarkers for CRC or its survivorship will be conducted, ultimately providing research evidence from Chinese population and optimising evidence-based guidelines across the CRC continuum.
STI epidemic re-emergence, socio-epidemiological clusters characterisation and HIV coinfection in Catalonia, Spain, during 2017–2019: a retrospective population-based cohort study
Authors: Sentís Alexis , Montoro-Fernandez Marcos , Lopez-Corbeto Evelin , Egea-Cortés Laia , Nomah Daniel K , Díaz Yesika , Garcia de Olalla Patricia , Mercuriali Lilas , Borrell Núria , Reyes-Urueña Juliana , Casabona Jordi 
Published: December 2021

ObjectivesTo describe the epidemiology of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), identify and characterise socio-epidemiological clusters and determine factors associated with HIV coinfection.DesignRetrospective population-based cohort.SettingCatalonia, Spain.Participants42 283 confirmed syphilis, gonorrhoea, chlamydia and lymphogranuloma venereum cases, among 34 600 individuals, reported to the Catalan HIV/STI Registry in 2017–2019.Primary and secondary outcomesDescriptive analysis of confirmed STI cases and incidence rates. Factors associated with HIV coinfection were determined using logistic regression. We identified and characterized socio-epidemiological STI clusters by Basic Health Area (BHA) using K-means clustering.ResultsThe incidence rate of STIs increased by 91.3% from 128.2 to 248.9 cases per 100 000 population between 2017 and 2019 (p<0.001), primarily driven by increase among women (132%) and individuals below 30 years old (125%). During 2017–2019, 50.1% of STIs were chlamydia and 31.6% gonorrhoea. Reinfections accounted for 10.8% of all cases and 6% of cases affected HIV-positive individuals. Factors associated with the greatest likelihood of HIV coinfection were male sex (adjusted OR (aOR) 23.69; 95% CI 16.67 to 35.13), age 30–39 years (versus <20 years, aOR 18.58; 95% CI 8.56 to 52.13), having 5–7 STI episodes (vs 1 episode, aOR 5.96; 95% CI 4.26 to 8.24) and living in urban areas (aOR 1.32; 95% CI 1.04 to 1.69). Living in the most deprived BHAs (aOR 0.60; 95% CI 0.50 to 0.72) was associated with the least likelihood of HIV coinfection. K-means clustering identified three distinct clusters, showing that young women in rural and more deprived areas were more affected by chlamydia, while men who have sex with men in urban and less deprived areas showed higher rates of STI incidence, multiple STI episodes and HIV coinfection.ConclusionsWe recommend socio-epidemiological identification and characterisation of STI clusters and factors associated with HIV coinfection to identify at-risk populations at a small health area level to design effective interventions.
OptimisAtion of Diagnostic Accuracy in idioPathic inflammaTory myopathies (ADAPT study): a protocol for a prospective diagnostic accuracy study of multimodality testing in patients suspected of a treatable idiopathic inflammatory myopathy
Authors: Walter Hannah A W , Kamperman Renske G , Raaphorst Joost , Verhamme Camiel , Koelman Johannes H T M , Potters Wouter V , Hemke Robert , Smithuis Frank F , Aronica Eleonora , van Leeuwen Ester M M , Baars Paul A , de Visser Marianne , van Schaik Ivo N , Bossuyt Patrick M M , van der Kooi Anneke J 
Published: December 2021

IntroductionIdiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIMs) excluding inclusion body myositis (IBM) are a group of heterogeneous autoimmune disorders characterised by subacute-onset and progressive proximal muscle weakness, which are frequently part of a multisystem autoimmune disorder. Reaching the diagnosis can be challenging, and no gold standard for the diagnosis of IIM exists. Diagnostic modalities include serum creatine kinase activity, muscle imaging (MRI or ultrasound (US)), electromyography (EMG), myositis autoantibody testing and muscle biopsy. Several diagnostic criteria have been developed for IIMs, varying in reported sensitivity and specificity.HypothesisWe hypothesise that an evidence-based diagnostic strategy, using fewer and preferably the least invasive diagnostic modalities, can achieve the accuracy of a complete panel of diagnostic tests, including MRI, US, EMG, myositis-specific autoantibody testing and muscle biopsy.Methods and analysisThe OptimizAtion of Diagnostic Accuracy in idioPathic inflammaTory myopathies study is a prospective diagnostic accuracy study with an over-complete study design. 100 patients suspected of an IIM excluding IBM will be included. A reference diagnosis will be assigned by an expert panel using all clinical information and all results of all ancillary tests available, including 6 months of follow-up. Several predefined diagnostic strategies will be compared against the reference diagnosis to find the optimal diagnostic strategy.Ethics and disseminationEthical approval was obtained from the medical ethics committee of the Academic Medical Centre, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands (2019-814). The results will be distributed through conference presentations and peer-reviewed publications.Trial registration numberNetherlands trial register; NL8764.
Dexamethasone and hiccups: a 2000-patient, telephone-based study
Authors: Ehret Christopher J , Le-Rademacher Jennifer G , Martin Nichole , Jatoi Aminah 
Published: December 2021

ObjectivesDexamethasone causes hiccups in an undefined percentage of patients, and these hiccups are often ignored (‘My doctors just shook their heads like I was joking …’). This study sought to learn the percentage of dexamethasone-treated patients who develop hiccups and to explore patients’ responses to the availability of educational materials on hiccups.MethodsEnglish-speaking, adult outpatients treated with oral, intravenous or epidural dexamethasone 2 weeks prior were contacted by phone and asked about hiccups. Educational materials were offered, and patients were queried on their opinion of the availability of such materials.ResultsOne hundred and twenty-seven patients or 11% (95% CI 9% to 13%) reported hiccups. This percentage was derived from 1186 reachable patients from 2000 total patients. Fifty-four (43%) of those with hiccups desired to learn about educational materials. Of these, 49 completed a single-item, 5-point scale item: 21 (43%) viewed the availability of educational materials ‘extremely helpful,’ providing a 5 rating; 8 (16%) provided a 4; 4 (8%) provided a 3; and 1 (4%) provided a 2.ConclusionsDexamethasone-induced hiccups occur in a small percentage of patients. The fact that most patients responded favourably to learning about the availability of educational materials suggests some have unmet needs.
CUMS and dexamethasone induce depression-like phenotypes in mice by differentially altering gut microbiota and triggering macroglia activation
Authors: Wu Jing , Li Jinhang , Gaurav Chhetri , Muhammad Usman , Chen Yantian , Li Xueyi , Chen Jinghong , Wang Zejian 
Published: December 2021

BackgroundAlthough the link between gut microbiota and depression has been suggested, changes of gut microbiota vary largely among individuals with depression.AimsExplore the heterogeneity of microbiota–gut–brain axis and new pathogenic characteristics in murine models of depression.MethodsAdolescent female mice were randomly divided into control (CON) group (n=10), chronic unexpected mild stress (CUMS) group (n=15) and dexamethasone (DEX) group (n=15). Mice in the DEX group were gavaged twice a day with 0.2 mg/kg of DEX for 5 weeks, whereas CON mice were given the same amount of solvent. Mice in the CUMS group were exposed to stressors. After behavioural evaluations, all mice were sacrificed for harvesting tissues and blood samples. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was conducted for measuring levels of corticosterone (CORT) and interleukin-1β (IL-1β) in sera, whereas levels of protein expression in colon and hippocampal tissues were examined by western blot. Faecal microbial communities were analysed by sequencing 16S rDNAs.ResultsMice in CUMS and DEX groups exhibited severe depression-like behaviours. Compared with CON mice, CUMS-exposed mice showed a significant increase in both α and β diversity. Prevotellaceae and Desulfovibrio were enriched, whereas Bacilli were decreased in the faeces of mice in the CUMS group. DEX-treated mice had a decrease in the abundance ofClostridium XVIII. Levels of occludin in colon tissue of DEX-treated mice were reduced. Relative to mice in the CON and CUMS groups, DEX-treated mice contained higher serum levels of CORT and IL-1β. Compared with CON mice, mice in the DEX and CUMS groups had higher levels of IL-1β in sera and lower levels of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), Nestin, Synapsin-1 and P2Y12 receptor in the hippocampus.ConclusionsChanges of gut microbiota diversity, intestinal integrity and neuroinflammation in the brain contribute to CUMS-induced depression, whereas pathobionts and excessive immunosuppression with damaged neuronal synapses is a basis of the DEX-induced depression.
ROLE OF MEDIA COVERAGE IN MITIGATING AN EPIDEMIC OUTBREAK: AN OPTIMAL CONTROL MODEL
Authors: KAPOOR ANSHIKA , DEKA ANIRUDDHA , BHATTACHARYYA SAMIT 
Published: December 2021

Flu is an acute respiratory infection caused by the influenza virus. The outbreak usually occurs every year in temperate region during the fall and winter seasons, but it is present year-round in tropics. Perceived risk of infection, affordability and lack of awareness among the population results in a low level of vaccination coverage. To control disease transmission and promote vaccination, public health officials use media coverage to spread awareness on vaccine safety, vaccine coverage, disease prevalence in the population through public health websites, advertisements, and other social media web pages. Media coverage acts as an incentive as it helps to decrease overall transmission potential and also at the same time increases the vaccination coverage in the population. Since the public health department has a limited budget, it needs to make optimum allocation of its effort to reduce the total cost of infection. Our paper investigates the effect of media coverage using SIR model of disease transmission. We look at three possible functional relationships — linear, exponential, and hyperbolic — the way media coverage may affect the disease transmission and vaccination rate. We derive necessary conditions of optimal solution using Optimal Control Theory and Pontryagin Maximum Principle (PMP) to minimize the total cost for infection. Analysis of our paper demonstrates that the cost of optimal management is four times less than the cost of constant control effort, and putting more effort into reducing transmission is optimal rather than an effort to increase vaccination at the beginning of the outbreak. Analysis of the role of media coverage under three different scenarios may help in formulating policies for public health programs in mitigating the influenza outbreak.
Arabic Handwritten Word Recognition Based on Stationary Wavelet Transform Technique using Machine Learning
Authors: Al-Shatnawi Atallah Mahmoud , Al-Saqqar Faisal , Souri Alireza 
Published: December 2021

This paper is aimed at improving the performance of the
word recognition system (WRS)
of handwritten Arabic text by extracting features in the frequency domain using the
Stationary Wavelet Transform (SWT)
method using machine learning, which is a wavelet transform approach created to compensate for the absence of translation invariance in the
Discrete Wavelets Transform (DWT)
method. The proposed SWT-WRS of Arabic handwritten text consists of three main processes: word normalization, feature extraction based on SWT, and recognition. The proposed SWT-WRS based on the SWT method is evaluated on the IFN/ENIT database applying the Gaussian, linear, and polynomial support vector machine, the k-nearest neighbors, and ANN classifiers. ANN performance was assessed by applying the
Bayesian Regularization (BR)
and
Levenberg-Marquardt (LM)
training methods. Numerous
wavelet transform (WT)
families are applied, and the results prove that level 19 of the Daubechies family is the best WT family for the proposed SWT-WRS. The results also confirm the effectiveness of the proposed SWT-WRS in improving the performance of handwritten Arabic word recognition using machine learning. Therefore, the suggested SWT-WRS overcomes the lack of translation invariance in the DWT method by eliminating the up-and-down samplers from the proposed machine learning method.
Polymorphisms in MicroRNA Genes Associated with Schizophrenia Susceptibility but Not with Effectiveness of MECT
Authors: Zhang Danwei , Li Huihua , Ding Kaimo , Zhang Zhen , Luo Si , Li Guohai 
Published: December 2021

Schizophrenia (SCZ) is a common and complex psychiatric disease associated with hereditary and environmental risk factors. MicroRNAs (miRNAs or miRs) are small, noncoding RNA molecules that endogenously regulate gene expression. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in related miRNA genes are associated with susceptibility of the disorder. We wonder if the SNPs have influence on the effectiveness of modified electroconvulsive therapy (MECT) for SCZ. rs1625579 within miR-137, rs6577555 within miR-34, and rs2296616 within miR-107 were sequenced in 150 cases and 150 controls to check the potential association between the SNPs and SCZ. Our results showed that allele G in rs1625579 (

p
=
0.005

,

adjusted

OR
=
1.379

,

95
%
CI
=
1.108
−
1.634

), allele A in rs6577555 (

p
=
0.014

,

adjusted

OR
=
1.246

,

95
%
CI
=
1.045
−
1.463

), allele G in rs2296616 (

p
<
0.001

,

adjusted

OR
=
1.646

,

95
%
CI
=
1.374
−
1.879

) are positively associated with the disorder risk. MECT courses did significantly decrease the level of the miRNAs, except for the variant of rs2296616 with the AA genotype. Schizophrenic phenotypes assessed by the positive and negative syndrome scale (PANSS) were improved after MECT, and there was no significant relevance observed between the effectiveness of MECT and the variants of these loci. Thus, our findings indicate that polymorphisms within the loci may be involved in the pathogenesis of SCZ, and MECT is effective and unbiased for patients harboring different genotypes of the loci.
Phase Separation Mediates NUP98 Fusion Oncoprotein Leukemic Transformation
Authors: Chandra Bappaditya , Michmerhuizen Nicole L. , Shirnekhi Hazheen K. , Tripathi Swarnendu , Pioso Brittany J. , Baggett David W. , Mitrea Diana M. , Iacobucci Ilaria , White Michael R. , Chen Jingjing , Park Cheon-Gil , Wu Huiyun , Pounds Stanley , Medyukhina Anna , Khairy Khaled , Gao Qingsong , Qu Chunxu , Abdelhamed Sherif , Gorman Scott D. , Bawa Simranjot , Maslanka Carolyn , Kinger Swati , Dogra Priyanka , Ferrolino Mylene C. , Di Giacomo Danika , Mecucci Cristina , Klco Jeffery M. , Mullighan Charles G. , Kriwacki Richard W. 
Published: December 2021

Abstract

NUP98 fusion oncoproteins (FO) are drivers in pediatric leukemias and many transform hematopoietic cells. Most NUP98 FOs harbor an intrinsically disordered region from NUP98 that is prone to liquid–liquid phase separation (LLPS) in vitro. A predominant class of NUP98 FOs, including NUP98–HOXA9 (NHA9), retains a DNA-binding homeodomain, whereas others harbor other types of DNA- or chromatin-binding domains. NUP98 FOs have long been known to form puncta, but long-standing questions are how nuclear puncta form and how they drive leukemogenesis. Here we studied NHA9 condensates and show that homotypic interactions and different types of heterotypic interactions are required to form nuclear puncta, which are associated with aberrant transcriptional activity and transformation of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells. We also show that three additional leukemia-associated NUP98 FOs (NUP98–PRRX1, NUP98–KDM5A, and NUP98–LNP1) form nuclear puncta and transform hematopoietic cells. These findings indicate that LLPS is critical for leukemogenesis by NUP98 FOs.

Significance:
We show that homotypic and heterotypic mechanisms of LLPS control NUP98–HOXA9 puncta formation, modulating transcriptional activity and transforming hematopoietic cells. Importantly, these mechanisms are generalizable to other NUP98 FOs that share similar domain structures. These findings address long-standing questions on how nuclear puncta form and their link to leukemogenesis.
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