bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A comparative study of effective atomic number calculations for dual‐energy CT
Authors: Liu Tianyu , Hong Guobin , Cai Wenli 
Published: August 2021

AbstractPurpose: Several new formalisms of Effective Atomic Number () have emerged recently, deviating from the widely accepted Mayneord's definition. This comparative study aims to reexamine their theories, reveal their connections, and apply them to material differentiation on dual‐energy computed tomography (DECT).Methods: The first part of this paper is an in‐depth review of several highly cited formalisms. This part includes (1) refuting the claim in Taylor's study that the classic Mayneord's formalism was inaccurate, (2) showing that Mayneord's, Rutherford's, and Bourque's formalisms were equivalent, and (3) explaining the fundamental difference between Taylor's and Bourque's formalisms. The second part of this paper explains how we translated the theories into software implementation and added an open‐source calculation engine to our free research software 3D Quantitative Imaging (3DQI). The work includes developing an interpolation method based on radial basis function to make Taylor's formalism applicable to DECT, and devising a table lookup method to generate map with high efficiency for all appropriate formalisms.Results: Comparing Bourque's and Taylor's formalisms for six common materials over 40 100 keV energy range, it was found that Bourque's values had a weak energy dependence by 0.18% 3.10%, but for Taylor's results this variation increased by a factor of 10. Further comparison showed that at 61 keV, different formalisms fall into two categories—Bourque, Mayneord, Van Abbema (a derivative of Rutherford) for the first category, and Taylor and Manohara for the second. Formalisms within each category produced similar values. For a material consisting of two elements, the two categories of formalisms tended to show a greater discrepancy if the constituent elements had larger difference in . The developed calculation engine was successfully applied to kidney stone classification and colon electronic cleansing.Conclusions: We renewed the understanding of several popular formalisms: Contrary to the conclusion of Taylor's study, Mayneord's power‐law formula is well grounded in theory; Bourque's formalism (based on the average electron microscopic cross‐section) is considered numerically equivalent to Rutherford's, but with the advantage of being mathematically rigorous and physically meaningful; Taylor's formalism (based on the average atomic microscopic cross‐section) is theoretically not suitable for DECT but a workaround still exists; Manohara's formalism should be used with caution due to a problem in its definition of electron cross‐sections. The developed engine in the 3DQI software facilitated accurate and efficient estimate for various DECT applications.
Invertibility of multi‐energy X‐ray transform
Authors: Ding Yijun , Clarkson Eric W. , Ashok Amit 
Published: August 2021

AbstractPurposeThe goal is to provide a sufficient condition for the invertibility of a multi‐energy (ME) X‐ray transform. The energy‐dependent X‐ray attenuation profiles can be represented by a set of coefficients using the Alvarez–Macovski (AM) method. An ME X‐ray transform is a mapping fromAM coefficients tonoise‐free energy‐weighted measurements, where.MethodsWe apply a general invertibility theorem to prove the equivalence of global and local invertibility for an ME X‐ray transform. We explore the global invertibility through testing whether the Jacobian of the mappinghas zero values over the support of the mapping. The Jacobian of an arbitrary ME X‐ray transform is an integration over all spectral measurements. A sufficient condition forfor allis that the integrand ofis(or) everywhere. Note that the trivial case of the integrand equals 0 everywhere is ignored. Using symmetry, we simplified the integrand of the Jacobian to three factors that are determined by the total attenuation, the basis functions, and the energy‐weighting functions, respectively. The factor related to the total attenuation is always positive; hence, the invertibility of the X‐ray transform can be determined by testing the signs of the other two factors. Furthermore, we use the Cramér–Rao lower bound (CRLB) to characterize the noise‐induced estimation uncertainty and provide a maximum‐likelihood (ML) estimator.ResultsThe factor related to the basis functions is always negative when the photoelectric/Compton/Rayleigh basis functions are used and K‐edge materials are not considered. The sign of the energy‐weighting factor depends on the system source spectra and the detector response functions. For four special types of X‐ray detectors, the sign of this factor stays the same over the integration range. Therefore, when these four types of detectors are used for imaging non‐K‐edge materials, the ME X‐ray transform is globally invertible. The same framework can be used to study an arbitrary ME X‐ray imaging system, for example, when K‐edge materials are present. Furthermore, the ML estimator we presented is an unbiased, efficient estimator and can be used for a wide range of scenes.ConclusionsWe have provided a framework to study the invertibility of an arbitrary ME X‐ray transform and proved the global invertibility for four types of systems.
The shifted fracture method
Authors: Li Kangan , Atallah Nabil M. , Rodríguez‐Ferran Antonio , Valiveti Dakshina M. , Scovazzi Guglielmo 
Published: August 2021

AbstractWe propose a new framework for fracture mechanics, based on the idea of an approximate fracture geometry representation combined with approximate interface conditions. Our approach evolves from the shifted interface method, and introduces the concept of an approximate fracture surface composed of the full edges/faces of an underlying grid that are geometrically close to the true fracture geometry. The original interface conditions are then modified on the surrogate fracture geometry, by way of Taylor expansions. The shifted fracture method does not require cut cell computations or complex data structures, since the behavior of the true fracture is mimicked with standard integrals on the approximate fracture surface. Furthermore, the energetics of the true fracture are represented within the accuracy of the underlying polynomial finite element approximation and independently of the grid topology. The computational framework is presented here in its generality and then applied in the specific context of cohesive zone models, with an extensive set of numerical experiments in two and three dimensions.
Finite elements for Mindlin and Kirchhoff plates based on a mixed variational principle
Authors: Elias Ziad M. 
Published: August 2021

AbstractQuadrilateral finite elements with five displacements per corner node built up from four triangular elements are developed by a discretization of the Mindlin plate bending theory and based on a modified form of the mixed variational principle for stresses and displacements. The modified principle separates the contribution of shear deformation by taking the transverse shear strains as free functions. It also gives discrete element governing equations in a canonical form. Similar elements are developed based on the potential energy formulation. The elements can be readily specialized to the Kirchhoff plate theory. The discrete shear strains are transformed back to normal‐fiber rotations for enforcing general boundary conditions. The discretization procedure uses one‐dimensional polynomials instead of two‐dimensional shape functions. The discretization satisfies continuity for w, and continuity for the transverse shear strains. The Mindlin elements are tested with soft and hard boundary conditions. They are naturally free of shear‐locking. They are also capable of reproducing the boundary layer that occurs with some soft boundary conditions. Mindlin elements results tend to those of the Kirchhoff theory as the thickness decreases. Extensive numerical results are obtained for square plates some of which are compared with exact results or results obtained by other methods.
The iterative multiscale finite element method for sandwich beams and plates
Authors: Dryzek Mateusz , Cecot Witold 
Published: August 2021

AbstractWe present an adaptation of the multiscale finite element method to the analysis of sandwich beams and plates with complex lattice layers. The proposed modification significantly reduces the number of degrees of freedom (even by four orders) due to the anisotropic higher‐order coarse‐scale approximation and the novel shape functions that take into account the microscale boundary conditions. Moreover, the local iterative corrector scheme Nguyen and Schillinger (2019) adapted for the bending‐dominated responses of sandwich structures provides converges of the coarse mesh approximation to the best possible fine‐mesh solution. Several numerical examples are presented to demonstrate the capabilities of the method. We found that the proposed modifications of the shape functions and the higher‐order coarse mesh approximation increase the convergence rate. Finally, we validated the proposed model by comparison of the numerical results with experimental ones for a sandwich panel with a dual corrugated high‐density fiberboard core. Very good consistency of both results was observed.
Multiscale analysis for 3D lattice structures based on parallel computing
Authors: Yan Jun , Huo Sixu , Yu Tao , Zhang Chenguang , Chai Xianghai , Hu Dapeng , Yan Kun 
Published: August 2021

AbstractIn this study, a parallel framework for the multiscale analysis of three‐dimensional lattice structures is developed. The established parallel framework performs the multiscale analysis using the extended multiscale finite element method (EMsFEM) in a parallel environment provided by the portable and extensible toolkit for scientific computation (PETSc), which is a high‐performance parallel scientific computing library. To realize this aim, we developed several modifications of the original EMsFEM method and adopted some routines from PETSc. Through numerical examples, the efficiency and accuracy of the proposed parallel computing framework were verified first. Then, the parallel acceleration ratio and parallel efficiency of the proposed parallel framework were studied. The proposed parallel computing framework shows good efficiency and can be used to deal with the analysis of large‐scale lattice structures.
Exploring the mediating role of flexible working hours in the relationship of supervisor support, job and life satisfaction: A study of female nurses in China
Authors: Dousin Oscar , Wei Chen Xi , Balakrishnan Bamini K. P. D. , Lee Michelle Chin Chin 
Published: August 2021

AbstractAimsTo examine the mediating role of flexible working hours on the relationship between supervisor support, job and life satisfaction among female nurses in China.DesignA cross‐sectional, quantitative study was conducted with online survey questionnaires.MethodsConvenience sampling was implemented with 171 female nurses from two tertiary public hospitals in 2019.ResultsThe mediation analysis demonstrates that flexible working hours significantly and positively mediate the relationship between supervisor support to job (β = 0.775, p < .001) and life satisfaction (β = 0.745, p < .001). In addition, supervisor support and flexible working hours significantly and positively influence job (r = 0.520, p < .01; r = 0.520, p < .01) and life satisfaction (r = 0.487, p < .01; r = 0.487, p < .01). The study suggested that flexible working hours iarean indicator of what supervisor support (r = 0.656, p < .01) is to improve nurses’ job and life satisfaction. The study revealed that flexible working hours and supervisor support are crucial to female nurses who face high demands at both work and home.
Health-Related Quality of Life in Cancer Survivors with Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy: A Randomized Clinical Trial
Authors: Bao Ting , Baser Raymond , Chen Connie , Weitzman Matthew , Zhang Yi Lily , Seluzicki Christina , Li Qing Susan , Piulson Lauren , Zhi W. Iris 
Published: August 2021

Abstract

Background
Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is a common, debilitating adverse effect of neurotoxic chemotherapy that significantly worsens the quality of life of cancer survivors.

Materials and Methods
Survivors of solid tumors with persistent moderate-to-severe CIPN defined as numbness, tingling, or pain rated ≥4 on an 11-point numeric rating scale (NRS) were randomized in a 1:1:1 ratio to 8 weeks of real acupuncture (RA) versus sham acupuncture (SA) versus usual care (UC). We previously reported the primary endpoint (NRS); here we report the following health-related quality of life endpoints: Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy/Gynecologic Oncology Group-Neurotoxicity (FACT/GOG-Ntx), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), and Brief Fatigue Inventory (BFI). For each endpoint, the mean changes from baseline and 95% confidence intervals were estimated within each arm and compared between arms using linear mixed models.

Results
We enrolled 75 survivors of solid tumors with moderate-to-severe CIPN into the study. Compared with baseline, at week 8, FACT/GOG-Ntx, HADS anxiety, and ISI scores significantly improved in RA and SA, but not in UC. Compared with UC, at week 8, FACT/GOG-Ntx scores significantly increased in RA and SA arms indicating improved CIPN-related symptoms and quality of life (p = .001 and p = .01). There was no statistically significant difference between RA and SA. There was no difference in HADS depression or BFI among RA, SA, and UC at weeks 8 and 12.

Conclusion
Acupuncture may improve CIPN-related symptoms and quality of life in cancer survivors with persistent CIPN. Further large sample size studies are needed to delineate placebo effects.

Implications for Practice
The authors conducted a randomized sham acupuncture- and usual care-controlled clinical trial to evaluate the impact of acupuncture on health-related quality of life outcomes in patients with solid tumors with chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN). Statistically significant improvements in quality of life, anxiety, insomnia, and fatigue were achieved with 8 weeks of real acupuncture when compared with baseline, without statistically significant differences between real and sham acupuncture. These findings suggest that acupuncture may be effective for improving CIPN-related symptoms and quality of life and reducing anxiety and insomnia in cancer survivors with persistent CIPN, with further study needed to delineate placebo effects.
Provider Barriers and Facilitators of Breast Cancer Guideline-Concordant Therapy Delivery in Botswana: A Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research Analysis
Authors: Ralefala Tlotlo , Mokokwe Lebogang , Jammalamadugu Swetha , Legobere Dumelang , Motlhwa Warona S. , Oyekunle Anthony A. , Grover Surbhi , Barg Frances K. , Shulman Lawrence N. , Martei Yehoda M. 
Published: August 2021

Abstract

Introduction
Systemic treatment for breast cancer in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is cost effective. However, there are limited real-world data on the translation of breast cancer treatment guidelines into clinical practice in SSA. The study aimed to identify provider factors associated with adherence to breast cancer guideline-concordant care at Princess Marina Hospital (PMH) in Botswana.

Materials and Methods
The Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research was used to conduct one-on-one semistructured interviews with breast cancer providers at PMH. Purposive sampling was used, and sample size was determined by thematic saturation. Transcribed interviews were double-coded and analyzed in NVivo using an integrated analysis approach.

Results
Forty-one providers across eight departments were interviewed. There were variations in breast cancer guidelines used. Facilitators included a strong tension for change and a government-funded comprehensive cancer care plan. Common provider and health system barriers were lack of available resources, staff shortages and poor skills retention, lack of relative priority compared with HIV/AIDS, suboptimal interdepartmental communication, and lack of a clearly defined national cancer control policy. Community-level barriers included accessibility and associated transportation costs. Participants recommended the formal implementation of future guidelines that involved key stakeholders in all phases of planning and implementation, strategic government buy-in, expansion of multidisciplinary tumor boards, leveraging nongovernmental and academic partnerships, and setting up monitoring, evaluation, and feedback processes.

Discussion
The study identified complex, multilevel factors affecting breast cancer treatment delivery in Botswana. These results and recommendations will inform strategies to overcome specific barriers in order to promote standardized breast cancer care delivery and improve survival outcomes.

Implications for Practice
To address the increasing cancer burden in low- and middle-income countries, resource-stratified guidelines have been developed by multiple international organizations to promote high-quality guideline-concordant care. However, these guidelines still require adaptation in order to be successfully translated into clinical practice in the countries where they are intended to be used. This study highlights a systematic approach of evaluating important contextual factors associated with the successful adaptation and implementation of resource-stratified guidelines in sub-Saharan Africa. In Botswana, there is a critical need for local stakeholder input to inform country-level and facility-level resources, cancer care accessibility, and community-level barriers and facilitators.
Framework for Implementing and Tracking a Molecular Tumor Board at a National Cancer Institute–Designated Comprehensive Cancer Center
Authors: Jain Neha M. , Schmalz Lauren , Cann Christopher , Holland Adara , Osterman Travis , Lang Katie , Wiesner Georgia L. , Pal Tuya , Lovly Christine , Stricker Thomas , Micheel Christine , Balko Justin M. , Johnson Douglas B. , Park Ben Ho , Iams Wade 
Published: August 2021

Abstract

Background
Over the past few years, tumor next-generation sequencing (NGS) panels have evolved in complexity and have changed from selected gene panels with a handful of genes to larger panels with hundreds of genes, sometimes in combination with paired germline filtering and/or testing. With this move toward increasingly large NGS panels, we have rapidly outgrown the available literature supporting the utility of treatments targeting many reported gene alterations, making it challenging for oncology providers to interpret NGS results and make a therapy recommendation for their patients.

Methods
To support the oncologists at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center (VICC) in interpreting NGS reports for patient care, we initiated two molecular tumor boards (MTBs)—a VICC-specific institutional board for our patients and a global community MTB open to the larger oncology patient population. Core attendees include oncologists, hematologist, molecular pathologists, cancer geneticists, and cancer genetic counselors. Recommendations generated from MTB were documented in a formal report that was uploaded to our electronic health record system.

Results
As of December 2020, we have discussed over 170 patient cases from 77 unique oncology providers from VICC and its affiliate sites, and a total of 58 international patient cases by 25 unique providers from six different countries across the globe. Breast cancer and lung cancer were the most presented diagnoses.

Conclusion
In this article, we share our learning from the MTB experience and document best practices at our institution. We aim to lay a framework that allows other institutions to recreate MTBs.

Implications for Practice
With the rapid pace of molecularly driven therapies entering the oncology care spectrum, there is a need to create resources that support timely and accurate interpretation of next-generation sequencing reports to guide treatment decision for patients. Molecular tumor boards (MTB) have been created as a response to this knowledge gap. This report shares implementation strategies and best practices from the Vanderbilt experience of creating an institutional MTB and a virtual global MTB for the larger oncology community. This report describe a reproducible framework that can be adopted to initiate MTBs at other institutions.
Low concentration of inorganic fullerene tungsten sulfide nanofiller to achieve cost‐effective and significant enhancement on thermal and dynamic mechanical properties of perfluoroalkoxy nanocomposites
Authors: Chen Ding , Bai Zhihao , Feng Chen , Ma Zhiyuan , Wang Nannan , Zhu Yanqiu 
Published: August 2021

AbstractSpecial insulated wires beyond the conventional pure perfluoroalkoxy (PFA) polymers need to be developed to meet the increasing thermal management and mechanical performance requirements. Advanced PFA nanocomposites enhanced by inorganic fullerene tungsten sulfide (IF‐WS2) nanoparticles have been fabricated by melt blending and hot press processes. Benchmarked against the PFA, the presence of IF‐WS2 nanoparticles in the composites resulted in a maximum tensile strength of 21.35 MPa and a maximum elongation at break of 275%, which are 66% and 149% higher than those of pure PFA, respectively. The nanocomposites with 0.5 wt% IF‐WS2 achieved a 17.5% increase in storage modulus, 26.8°C increase in the onset melt temperature, while 1 wt% IF‐WS2 increased the glass transition temperature (Tg) by 3.4°C and the crystallinity (χc) by up to 34.4%. And when the additional amount of IF‐WS2 nanomaterials is 0.25%, the best combination of performance is obtained.
Identification of alkaloidal compounds from leaves and roots of Stephania succifera by HPLC‐QTOF‐MS and prediction of potential bioactivity with PharmMapper
Authors: Wang Shiting , Tian Lulu , Wang Yaqin , He Jiayong , Kang Yun , Shangguan Yan , Qian Wenqi , Yang Ping , Huang Jianming 
Published: August 2021

AbstractIntroductionThe roots of Stephania succifera are used in traditional medicine for the treatment of several diseases. Research on this plant has mainly focused on bioactive alkaloids from the roots, and no previous work on compounds from the abundant leaves has yet been reported.ObjectiveTo identify and compare alkaloidal compounds in S. succifera roots and leaves and to predict the potential bioactivity of some alkaloids.MethodsHigh‐performance liquid chromatography with quadrupole time‐of‐flight tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC‐QTOF‐MS/MS) was employed to identify alkaloidal compounds from S. succifera. The potential targets and bioactivities of most alkaloids were predicted using the PharmMapper server.ResultsFifty‐six alkaloidal compounds, including protoberberine‐, aporphine‐, proaporphine‐, benzylisoquinoline‐, and lactam‐type alkaloids, were identified or tentatively identified in S. succifera roots and leaves based on the HPLC‐MS data. Forty‐one compounds have not been previously reported in S. succifera and eight of them have not been previously reported in the literature. Twenty‐four alkaloidal compounds were found in both roots and leaves. Twelve potential targets with different indications were predicted for some alkaloids.ConclusionComparison of chemical constituents and their potential bioactivities for S. succifera roots and leaves indicated that diverse bioactive alkaloids were present in the leaves as well as the roots. PharmMapper provided new directions for bioactivity screening. This study will be helpful for further understanding the medicinal components of S. succifera and the rational utilisation of plant resources.