Explicit simulation of bolted endplate composite beam-to-CFST column connections

This paper explores the use of an explicit solver available in ABAQUS/Explicit to simulate the behaviour of blind bolted endplate connections between composite beams and concrete-filled steel tubular (CFST) columns. Main aspects of the explicit analysis such as solution technique, blind bolt modelling, choice of element type and contact modelling are discussed and illustrated through the simulation of a large-scale test on the considered joint. The mass scaling option and smooth step amplitude are very effective tools to speed up the explicit simulation. Shell elements can be used in modelling the I-beam due to their computational efficiency and accuracy in capturing local buckling effects. With a proper control of the loading rate, the explicit analysis can provide accurate and efficient predictions of the quasi-static behaviour of the bolted endplate composite connections

Wearable multi-channel microelectrode membranes for elucidating electrophysiological phenotypes of injured myocardium

Understanding the regenerative capacity of small vertebrate models has provided new insights into the plasticity of injured myocardium. Here, we demonstrate the application of flexible microelectrode arrays (MEAs) in elucidating electrophysiological phenotypes of zebrafish and neonatal mouse models of heart regeneration. The 4-electrode MEA membranes were designed to detect electrical signals in the aquatic environment. They were micro-fabricated to adhere to the non-planar body surface of zebrafish and neonatal mice. The acquired signals were processed to display an electrocardiogram (ECG) with high signal-to-noise-ratios, and were validated via the use of conventional micro-needle electrodes. The 4-channel MEA provided signal stability and spatial resolution, revealing the site-specific electrical injury currents such as ST-depression in response to ventricular cryo-injury. Thus, our polymer-based and wearable MEA membranes provided electrophysiological insights into long-term conduction phenotypes for small vertebral models of heart injury and regeneration with a translational implication for monitoring cardiac patients

Real-Time Monitoring and Analysis of Zebrafish Electrocardiogram with Anomaly Detection.

Heart disease is the leading cause of mortality in the U.S. with approximately 610,000 people dying every year. Effective therapies for many cardiac diseases are lacking, largely due to an incomplete understanding of their genetic basis and underlying molecular mechanisms. Zebrafish (Danio rerio) are an excellent model system for studying heart disease as they enable a forward genetic approach to tackle this unmet medical need. In recent years, our team has been employing electrocardiogram (ECG) as an efficient tool to study the zebrafish heart along with conventional approaches, such as immunohistochemistry, DNA and protein analyses. We have overcome various challenges in the small size and aquatic environment of zebrafish in order to obtain ECG signals with favorable signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and high spatial and temporal resolution. In this paper, we highlight our recent efforts in zebrafish ECG acquisition with a cost-effective simplified microelectrode array (MEA) membrane providing multi-channel recording, a novel multi-chamber apparatus for simultaneous screening, and a LabVIEW program to facilitate recording and processing. We also demonstrate the use of machine learning-based programs to recognize specific ECG patterns, yielding promising results with our current limited amount of zebrafish data. Our solutions hold promise to carry out numerous studies of heart diseases, drug screening, stem cell-based therapy validation, and regenerative medicine

Internationalisation and development in East Asian higher education: an introduction

It is important to recognise that comparison is not a method or even an academic technique; rather, it is a discursive strategy… Good comparisons often come from the experience of strangeness and absences. (Benedict Anderson, 2016

Spatiotemporal evolution of SARS-CoV-2 Alpha and Delta variants during large nationwide outbreak of COVID-19, Vietnam, 2021

We analyzed 1,303 SARS-CoV-2 whole-genome sequences from Vietnam, and found the Alpha and Delta variants were responsible for a large nationwide outbreak of COVID-19 in 2021. The Delta variant was confined to the AY.57 lineage and caused >1.7 million infections and >32,000 deaths. Viral transmission was strongly affected by nonpharmaceutical interventions

Global patient outcomes after elective surgery: prospective cohort study in 27 low-, middle- and high-income countries.

BACKGROUND: As global initiatives increase patient access to surgical treatments, there remains a need to understand the adverse effects of surgery and define appropriate levels of perioperative care. METHODS: We designed a prospective international 7-day cohort study of outcomes following elective adult inpatient surgery in 27 countries. The primary outcome was in-hospital complications. Secondary outcomes were death following a complication (failure to rescue) and death in hospital. Process measures were admission to critical care immediately after surgery or to treat a complication and duration of hospital stay. A single definition of critical care was used for all countries. RESULTS: A total of 474 hospitals in 19 high-, 7 middle- and 1 low-income country were included in the primary analysis. Data included 44 814 patients with a median hospital stay of 4 (range 2-7) days. A total of 7508 patients (16.8%) developed one or more postoperative complication and 207 died (0.5%). The overall mortality among patients who developed complications was 2.8%. Mortality following complications ranged from 2.4% for pulmonary embolism to 43.9% for cardiac arrest. A total of 4360 (9.7%) patients were admitted to a critical care unit as routine immediately after surgery, of whom 2198 (50.4%) developed a complication, with 105 (2.4%) deaths. A total of 1233 patients (16.4%) were admitted to a critical care unit to treat complications, with 119 (9.7%) deaths. Despite lower baseline risk, outcomes were similar in low- and middle-income compared with high-income countries. CONCLUSIONS: Poor patient outcomes are common after inpatient surgery. Global initiatives to increase access to surgical treatments should also address the need for safe perioperative care. STUDY REGISTRATION: ISRCTN5181700

The global response: How cities and provinces around the globe tackled Covid-19 outbreaks in 2021

Background: Tackling the spread of COVID-19 remains a crucial part of ending the pandemic. Its highly contagious nature and constant evolution coupled with a relative lack of immunity make the virus difficult to control. For this, various strategies have been proposed and adopted including limiting contact, social isolation, vaccination, contact tracing, etc. However, given the heterogeneity in the enforcement of these strategies and constant fluctuations in the strictness levels of these strategies, it becomes challenging to assess the true impact of these strategies in controlling the spread of COVID-19.Methods: In the present study, we evaluated various transmission control measures that were imposed in 10 global urban cities and provinces in 2021 Bangkok, Gauteng, Ho Chi Minh City, Jakarta, London, Manila City, New Delhi, New York City, Singapore, and Tokyo.Findings: Based on our analysis, we herein propose the population-level Swiss cheese model for the failures and pit-falls in various strategies that each of these cities and provinces had. Furthermore, whilst all the evaluated cities and provinces took a different personalized approach to managing the pandemic, what remained common was dynamic enforcement and monitoring of breaches of each barrier of protection. The measures taken to reinforce the barriers were adjusted continuously based on the evolving epidemiological situation.Interpretation: How an individual city or province handled the pandemic profoundly affected and determined how the entire country handled the pandemic since the chain of transmission needs to be broken at the very grassroot level to achieve nationwide control

Novel Loci for Adiponectin Levels and Their Influence on Type 2 Diabetes and Metabolic Traits : A Multi-Ethnic Meta-Analysis of 45,891 Individuals

J. Kaprio, S. Ripatti ja M.-L. Lokki työryhmien jäseniä.Peer reviewe

Lullaby: A Novel Algorithm to Extract Fetal QRS in Real Time Using Periodic Trend Feature.

Fetal heart rate (fHR) is an important indicator for monitoring of fetal cardiac health and development. The widely-used method based on ultrasound, however, is not continuous and often requires an expert to perform; thus, it is mostly used in clinics during checkups. The advances in wearable technology have paved the way for home assessment of fHR via the extraction of the mothers abdominal electrocardiogram (ECG) acquired by novel patches. Several methods have been developed for such; however, the computation is either too slow for real-time monitoring or too heavy to be performed in a wearable. In this work, we develop and validate the Lullaby algorithm - a novel method for fetal QRS extraction from aECG. The results showed that Lullaby is almost 7 times faster than existing methods with a better F1-score of 0.815, holding promise to transform perinatal monitoring