An Open-Source Algorithm for Correcting Stress Wave Dispersion in Split-Hopkinson Pressure Bar Experiments.

Stress wave dispersion can result in the loss or distortion of critical high-frequency data during high-strain-rate material tests or blast loading experiments. The purpose of this work is to demonstrate the benefits of correcting stress wave dispersion in split-Hopkinson pressure bar experiments under various testing situations. To do this, an innovative computational algorithm, SHPB_Processing.

Recurrent Left-Sided Hepatic Hydrothorax Leading to Liver-Mediated Dyspnea.

Cirrhosis is a common liver condition caused by several etiologies including alcohol use disorder, infectious hepatitis, and metabolic dysfunction associated with liver disease. Although common symptomatic complications of cirrhosis include malaise, gastrointestinal bleeding, and abdominal distension, shortness of breath is a less common phenomenon that may occur. Hepatic hydrothorax (HH) is an uncommon cause of shortness of breath that is believed to be caused by the accumulation of ascitic fluid in the pleural space.

Temporal variations of vaccine hesitancy amid the COVID-19 outbreaks in Hong Kong.

To inform the dynamic adjustments of vaccination campaigns, this study examined the transitions among vaccine hesitancy profiles over the COVID-19 pandemic progression and their predictors and outcomes. The transition patterns among hesitancy profiles over three periods were identified using a latent transition analysis with individuals from a longitudinal cohort study since the emergence of COVID-19 in Hong Kong. Four profiles (i.

Rapid Loss and Recovery of Vision Following Steroid Treatment in Orbital Myositis: A Case Report.

A 65-year-old African American man initially presented to the emergency department complaining of headaches, retro-orbital pressure, decreased vision, white flashes and floaters, and palinopsia of both eyes. After complete evaluation, he was diagnosed with migraine with aura and discharged to home with an ophthalmology follow-up. Upon follow-up with the ophthalmology team, he had developed severe periorbital inflammation, proptosis, chemosis, and vision loss that was greatest on the left side.

The way forward to achieve high COVID-19 vaccination and revaccination coverage in a city amid a period of tranquility.

Background: Amid the current COVID-19 pandemic, there is an urgent need for both vaccination and revaccination ("boosting"). This study aims to identify factors associated with the intention to receive a booster dose of the coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine among individuals vaccinated with two doses and characterize their profiles in Hong Kong, a city with a low COVID-19 incidence in the initial epidemic waves. Among the unvaccinated, vaccination intention is also explored and their profiles are investigated.

Rhabdomyosarcoma-Induced Uterine Inversion.

Nonpuerperal uterine inversion is a rare clinical condition that involves prolapse of the uterine fundus into the uterine cavity and vaginal vault and possibly passed the introitus. The majority of these cases commonly involve benign tumors such as leiomyoma. However, another common cause of nonpuerperal uterine inversion is due to malignancies such as sarcomas.

Effect of prior outbreak work experience to future outbreak responses for nurses in Hong Kong: A cross-sectional study.

Background: During the early phase of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic, health care workers had elevated levels of psychological distress. Historical exposure to disease outbreak may shape different pandemic responses among experienced health care workers.

Aim: Considering the unique experience of the 2003 SARS outbreak in Hong Kong, this study examined the association between prior epidemic work experience and anxiety levels, and the mediating role of perceived severity of COVID-19 and SARS in nurses.

Ocular transmissibility of COVID-19: possibilities and perspectives.

Since the initial outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), extensive research has emerged from across the globe to understand the pathophysiology of this novel coronavirus. Transmission of this virus is a subject of particular interest as researchers work to understand which protective and preventative measures are most effective. Despite the well understood model of aerosol-respiratory mediated transmission, the exact mechanism underlying the inoculation, infection and spread of COVID-19 is currently unknown.

Real-time FPGA-based implementation of the AKAZE algorithm with nonlinear scale space generation using image partitioning.

The first step in a scale invariant image matching system is scale space generation. Nonlinear scale space generation algorithms such as AKAZE, reduce noise and distortion in different scales while retaining the borders and key-points of the image. An FPGA-based hardware architecture for AKAZE nonlinear scale space generation is proposed to speed up this algorithm for real-time applications.

Psychobehavioral Responses and Likelihood of Receiving COVID-19 Vaccines during the Pandemic, Hong Kong.

To access temporal changes in psychobehavioral responses to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, we conducted a 5-round (R1-R5) longitudinal population-based online survey in Hong Kong during January-September 2020. Most respondents reported wearing masks (R1 99.0% to R5 99.

A Novel Hardware-Software Co-Design and Implementation of the HOG Algorithm.

The histogram of oriented gradients is a commonly used feature extraction algorithm in many applications. Hardware acceleration can boost the speed of this algorithm due to its large number of computations. We propose a hardware-software co-design of the histogram of oriented gradients and the subsequent support vector machine classifier, which can be used to process data from digital image sensors.

Detecting Misleading Information on COVID-19.

This article addresses the problem of detecting misleading information related to COVID-19. We propose a misleading-information detection model that relies on the World Health Organization, UNICEF, and the United Nations as sources of information, as well as epidemiological material collected from a range of fact-checking websites. Obtaining data from reliable sources should assure their validity.

Organogenesis and distribution of the ocular lymphatic vessels in the anterior eye.

Glaucoma surgeries, such as trabeculectomy, are performed to lower intraocular pressure to reduce risk of vision loss. These surgeries create a new passage in the eye that reroutes the aqueous humor outflow to the subconjunctival space, where the fluid is presumably absorbed by the conjunctival lymphatics. Here, we characterized the development and function of the ocular lymphatics using transgenic lymphatic reporter mice and rats.

Community Responses during Early Phase of COVID-19 Epidemic, Hong Kong.

During the early phase of the coronavirus disease epidemic in Hong Kong, 1,715 survey respondents reported high levels of perceived risk, mild anxiety, and adoption of personal-hygiene, travel-avoidance, and social-distancing measures. Widely adopted individual precautionary measures, coupled with early government actions, might slow transmission early in the outbreak.

Impact of Hyperoxia and Hypocapnia on Neurological Outcomes in Patients with Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage: A Retrospective Study.

In recent decades, there is increasing evidence suggesting that hyperoxia and hypocapnia are associated with poor outcomes in critically ill patients with cardiac arrest or traumatic brain injury. Yet, the impact of hyperoxia and hypocapnia on neurological outcome in patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) has not been well studied. In the present study, we evaluated the impact of hyperoxia and hypocapnia on neurological outcomes in patients with aneurysmal SAH (aSAH).

Chemistry of Singlet Oxygen with a Cadmium-Sulfur Cluster: Physical Quenching versus Photooxidation.

We investigated the chemistry of singlet oxygen with a cadmium-sulfur cluster, (MeN)[Cd(SPh)]. This cluster was used as a model for cadmium-sulfur nanoparticles. Such nanoparticles are often used in conjunction with photosensitizers (for singlet oxygen generation or dye-sensitized solar cells), and hence, it is important to determine if cadmium-sulfur moieties physically quench and/or chemically react with singlet oxygen.

Toward Understanding in Vivo Sequestration of Nanoparticles at the Molecular Level.

A longstanding and widely accepted bottleneck in the targeted delivery of intravenously injected nanoparticles lies in their clearance by macrophages in the liver and spleen. In this Perspective, we call for deeper understanding of the critical role of endothelial cells in the sequestration of nanoparticles in vivo. In this issue of ACS Nano, Campbell et al.

Copper-Mediated Domino Cyclization/Trifluoromethylation/Deprotection with TMSCF: Synthesis of 4-(Trifluoromethyl)pyrazoles.

A copper-mediated synthesis of 4-(trifluoromethyl)pyrazoles is described. In one step from readily accessible α,β-alkynic tosylhydrazones, a remarkable domino sequence of cyclization, trifluoromethylation, and detosylation takes place to furnish the 4-CF N-H pyrazole cores with good functional group compatibility. The reaction conditions are mild and convenient, at room temperature in air, using the commercially available trifluoromethyltrimethylsilane (TMSCF) as the CF source.

Comparison of clinical efficacy and renal safety of telbivudine and entecavir in chronic hepatitis B patients receiving cytotoxic chemotherapy.

Objective: Limited data is available on the clinical outcomes of telbivudine (LdT) and entecavir (ETV) in pre-emptive antiviral chemoprophylaxis. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical efficacy and renal safety of LdT and ETV in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) who received cytotoxic chemotherapy.

Methods: Altogether 290 treatment-naïve CHB patients undergoing intense chemotherapy were enrolled to receive daily 600 mg of LdT or 0.

Fulminant Pseudomembranous Colitis Presenting as Sigmoid Stricture and Severe Polyposis with Clinical Response to Intracolonic Vancomycin.

Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is the most common cause of antibiotic-associated diarrhea. Severe diseases carry significant morbidities such as septic shock, acute kidney injury, bowel perforation, and mortality. Immunocompromising conditions increase the risk of developing the disease but whether these individuals suffer a more fulminant course or warrant a more potent first-line treatment is still controversial issue.

Comparison of efficacy and renal safety of telbivudine and entecavir in treatment-naive elderly patients with chronic hepatitis B.

Background: Data comparing the clinical outcomes of telbivudine (LdT) and entecavir (ETV) in elderly patients with chronic hepatitis B are limited.

Goals: The aim of the present study was to compare the efficacy and renal safety of LdT and ETV in treatment-naive elderly (≥ 60 years) patients with chronic hepatitis B.

Methods: A total of 33 patients treated with LdT were consecutively enrolled in the study.

Gender-related differences in clinical course of crohn?s disease in an Asian population: a retrospective cohort review.

Context: Data from Asian populations about gender-related differences in Crohn's disease are few. Objectives This study was to analyze the clinical characteristics between women and men affected by Crohn's disease.

Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study to analyze consecutive Crohn's disease patients from Jan 2000 to Dec 2012.

Outcome of nephrostomy balloon dilation for vesicourethral anastomotic strictures following radical prostatectomy: a retrospective study.

To evaluate the efficacy of nephrostomy balloon dilation (NBD) for patients who developed vesicourethral anastomotic stricture (VAS) following radical prostatectomy. NBD was performed in patients who developed VAS following radical prostatectomy. Quality of life (QoL), International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) and maximal urinary flow rate (Qmax) were evaluated.

Role of C-reactive protein in response-guided therapy of pyogenic liver abscess.

Background: Protocols for antibiotic treatment of pyogenic liver abscess (PLA) are usually based on clinicians' own experience without any validation. Our study was to evaluate the clinical implication of C-reactive protein (CRP) in predicting treatment outcome and adequacy of antibiotic therapy of PLA.

Patients And Methods: Patients with PLA in whom white blood cell (WBC) count, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and CRP were checked regularly during the clinical course were included.

Age-related differences in the clinical course of Crohns disease in an Asian population: a retrospective cohort review.

The aim of this study was to compare the clinical characteristics and treatment outcomes of patients with young and adult onset Crohns disease. Among 79 consecutive Crohns disease patients (11 (13.92%) with onset =16 years old), young onset Crohns disease was significantly associated with fever (36.