bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The first report of an ‘evergreen Castanopsis type’ wood (Fagaceae) for the Late Miocene–Early Pliocene of Europe (Bulgaria, Blagoevgrad Graben)
Authors: Mantzouka Dimitra , Ivanov Miroslav , Bozukov Vladimir
Published: July 2020

In the present article, the establishment of the species Castanopsis: C. bulgarica Mantzouka, Ivanov, and Bozukov is proposed after the study of a new fagaceous fossil wood stem discovered in 2016 from a new Late Miocene to Early Pliocene plant fossiliferous locality east of Boboshevo town, south‐west Bulgaria. A detailed palaeoxylotomical study of the fossil wood revealed characteristics of the ‘evergreen Quercus type’ (e.g. the gradual porosity of the vessels, the existence of two types of rays: uniseriate and multiseriate aggregate, the oval shape of the solitary vessels outline, the occurrence of tracheids) as well as heterocellular compound‐aggregate rays, typical for Castanopsis. Similarities and differences of the anatomical characteristics/features of the studied specimen with the descriptions of the fossil representatives of Fagaceae (Quercoxylon, Lithocarpoxylon, and Castanopsis) along with its botanical affinities are discussed. A taxonomic list of the Bulgarian fossil fagaceous record of the same age and their nearest living relatives is provided. Emended xylotomical keys with the addition of Castanopsis have been created. Moreover, the presence of evergreen Castanopsis species with heterocellular rays of two distinct sizes in the fossil record of the ‘evergreen oak woods’ is supported.
Noninvasive Risk Stratification After HCV Eradication in Patients With Advanced Chronic Liver Disease
Authors: Semmler Georg , Binter Teresa , Kozbial Karin , Schwabl Philipp , Hametner‐Schreil Stefanie , Zanetto Alberto , Gavasso Sabrina , Chromy David , Bauer David J.M. , Simbrunner Benedikt , Scheiner Bernhard , Bucsics Theresa , Stättermayer Albert F. , Pinter Matthias , Steindl‐Munda Petra , Schöfl Rainer , Russo Francesco Paolo , Simioni Paolo , Trauner Michael , Ferenci Peter , Reiberger Thomas , Mandorfer Mattias
Published: July 2020

Background and Aims

Risk stratification after cure from hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection remains a clinical challenge. We investigated the predictive value of noninvasive surrogates of portal hypertension (liver stiffness measurement [LSM] by vibration‐controlled transient elastography and von Willebrand factor/platelet count ratio [VITRO]) for development of hepatic decompensation and hepatocellular carcinoma in patients with pretreatment advanced chronic liver disease (ACLD) who achieved HCV cure.

Approach and Results

A total of 276 patients with pretreatment ACLD and information on pretreatment and posttreatment follow‐up (FU)‐LSM and FU‐VITRO were followed for a median of 36.6 months after the end of interferon‐free therapy. FU‐LSM (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve [AUROC]: 0.875 [95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.796‐0.954]) and FU‐VITRO (AUROC: 0.925 [95% CI: 0.874‐0.977]) showed an excellent predictive performance for hepatic decompensation. Both parameters provided incremental information and were significantly associated with hepatic decompensation in adjusted models. A previously proposed combined approach (FU‐LSM < 12.4 kPa and/or FU‐VITRO < 0.95) to rule out clinically significant portal hypertension (CSPH, hepatic venous pressure gradient ≥10 mm Hg) at FU assigned most (57.3%) of the patients to the low‐risk group; none of these patients developed hepatic decompensation. In contrast, in patients in whom FU‐CSPH was ruled in (FU‐LSM > 25.3 kPa and/or FU‐VITRO > 3.3; 25.0% of patients), the risk of hepatic decompensation at 3 years following treatment was high (17.4%). Patients within the diagnostic gray‐zone for FU‐CSPH (17.8% of patients) had a very low risk of hepatic decompensation during FU (2.6%). The prognostic value of this algorithm was validated in an internal (n = 86) and external (n = 162) cohort.

Conclusion

FU‐LSM/FU‐VITRO are strongly and independently predictive of posttreatment hepatic decompensation in HCV‐induced ACLD. An algorithm combining these noninvasive markers not only rules in or rules out FU‐CSPH, but also identifies populations at negligible versus high risk for hepatic decompensation. FU‐LSM/FU‐VITRO are readily accessible and enable risk stratification after sustained virological response, and thus facilitate personalized management.
Vaginal calculus in a patient with a mid‐urethral sling mesh exposure
Authors: Pincus Joseph B. , Sand Peter K.
Published: July 2020

The present study reports a case of a patient with a mid‐urethral sling mesh exposure who developed a vaginal calculus on a portion of exposed mesh.
Evaluation of a pharmacist's impact on antimicrobial prescribing in an urgent care center
Authors: Fabian Amy , Blaine Bruce , Linnertz Sara , Conn Kelly M. , Avery Lisa
Published: July 2020

Introduction

The urgent care (UC) setting is an opportunity for pharmacists to promote antimicrobial stewardship (AS).

Objectives

The primary objective is to determine compliance with antibiotic prescribing recommendations for the treatment of urinary tract infections (UTI), skin and soft tissue infections (SSTI), upper respiratory tract infections (URI), and lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI) before, during, and after the presence of an AS pharmacist in an UC.

Methods

Single‐center, retrospective, observational, pre‐ (December 10, 2018‐January 6, 2019), intervention (January 7, 2019‐February 3, 2019), and post‐ (February 4, 2019‐March 3, 2019) study. All nonpregnant, adult patients with a chief complaint consistent with UTI, SSTI, URI, or LRTI were included. Patients transferred to another facility, not seen by a provider, presented for a follow‐up visit, with multiple sites of infection, or treated for a bite, wound, or surgical site infection were excluded. Compliance was a composite end point of guideline adherent antibiotic prescribing, empiric selection, duration, and/or dosage. Secondary outcomes included composite outcome components and subgroup analysis of disease states. Logistic regression was performed to evaluate the intervention and other predictors of compliance.

Results

A total of 1930 patients were screened with 439 440, and 430 patients included in the pre‐, intervention, and post‐groups. Demographics were similar between groups, except for age (P = .001) and influenza diagnoses (P < .001). Likelihood of receiving guideline compliant therapy at pre‐intervention (57%), intervention (69%), and post‐intervention (73%) showed substantial improvement (P < .001). Controlling for background variables, participants were almost two times more likely to receive guideline compliant therapy at intervention than at pre‐intervention (odds ratio [OR] = 1.96, P < .001).

Conclusions

An AS pharmacist's presence in an UC significantly increased compliance with antibiotic prescribing recommendations. The largest impact was in reducing antibiotic treatment of viral infections and optimizing antibiotic dosing.
The effect of a multimodal stewardship approach on antibiotic prescribing for outpatients with acute respiratory tract infections: Order set implementation and education
Authors: Peterson Eric , Fergus Jonathan , Yost Christine , Qu Lihua , Chittick Paul
Published: July 2020

Introduction

Although antimicrobial stewardship initiatives in the outpatient setting have been increasing, the effect of order set implementation on antibiotic prescribing for acute respiratory tract infections (ARTI) has not been fully established.

Objective

This study's objective was to determine the impact of order sets and education on antibiotic prescribing for ARTI in the outpatient setting.

Methods

This was a quasi‐experimental research study conducted from January 2015 through December 2016. The study was conducted at an adult ambulatory care clinic associated with a tertiary care medical center. Order sets and prescriber education were created and implemented to aid in the diagnosis and treatment of ARTI. The primary end point was a composite of antibiotic prescribing frequency for ARTI. Secondary objectives included antibiotic appropriateness, patients requiring follow‐up clinic visits, and development of Clostridioides difficile infection.

Results

A total of 3292 patients were included in the study. Unspecified respiratory tract infection (RTI) was the most common diagnosis. Antibiotic prescribing decreased from 33% to 24% in the postintervention period (relative risk 0.74 [0.64‐0.85], P = <.0005). Antibiotic appropriateness was increased in the postintervention period (70%‐85%, P = <.0005) and significant reductions in clinic revisits were observed in the postintervention group, from 2.3% to 0.2% (odds ratio 15.2 [3.6‐64.1], P = .0002).

Conclusions

Implementation of order sets and education to aid in the management of ARTI at an outpatient clinic resulted in an overall decrease in antibiotic prescribing, improvements in antibiotic appropriateness, and decreased 30‐day clinic revisits. Order sets and education should be considered as a part of a multimodal approach to outpatient antimicrobial stewardship.
In vivo immunotoxicity of Gd2O3:Eu3+ nanoparticles and the associated molecular mechanism
Authors: Zheng Cunjing , Tian Xiumei , Cai Jing , Huang Long , Wang Shunxin , Yang Fanwen , Ma Yanping , Xie Fukang , Li Li
Published: July 2020

The in vivo toxicity of Gd2O3:Eu3+ nanoparticles (NPs) used as dual‐modal nanoprobes for molecular imaging has not been studied, and the corresponding molecular mechanism of immunotoxicity remains unknown. In this study, we investigated the cytotoxicity, in vitro apoptosis, and in vivo immunotoxicity of Gd2O3:Eu3+ NPs. The NPs showed little immunotoxicity to BALB/c mice. We explored the possible role of the phosphoinositide 3‐kinase (PI3K) signaling pathway and found that reactive oxygen species could act as secondary messengers in cellular signaling, inhibiting PI3K expression in the liver. The immune suppression caused by PI3K inhibition helped the mice adapt to stress. The immunotoxicities caused by Gd2O3:Eu3+ and gadodiamide, a commonly used contrast agent, were not significantly different, and the mice were able to tolerate the immunotoxicity caused Gd2O3:Eu3+ NPs in vitro and in vivo experiments. The results suggest that Gd2O3:Eu3+ NPs are sufficiently biocompatible to be used safely in preclinical applications and show promise as bio‐imaging agents. Moreover, the in vivo molecular mechanism of immunotoxicity caused by the Gd2O3:Eu3+ NPs provides a platform for further research on the immunotoxicity of nano‐sized biomaterials.
Docosahexaenoic acid inhibits Ca2+ influx and downregulates CaSR by upregulating microRNA‐16 in pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells
Authors: Liu Jin‐jun , Tang Ming‐ming , Zhu Ming‐li , Xie Cai‐xia , Kang Pin‐fang , Ling Xuan , Zhang Heng , Wang Xiao‐jing , Tang Bi
Published: July 2020

Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is reported to have the potential to ameliorate pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), while the specific mechanism is still obscure. This study aims to investigate the function of DHA in pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMCs) and explore the underlying mechanism. In our study, DHA was used to incubate PASMCs. Cytosolic‐free Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]cyt) was measured using Fluo‐3 AM method. Real‐time polymerase chain reaction was used to detect microRNA‐16 (miR‐16) and calcium‐sensing receptor (CaSR) messenger RNA expression levels. CCK‐8 assay, BrdU assay, and Transwell assay were employed to detect the effects of DHA on proliferation and migration of PASMCs. CaSR was confirmed as a direct target of miR‐16 using dual‐luciferase assay, polymerase chain reaction, and Western blot analysis. It was found that DHA significantly inhibited PASMC proliferation and migration and decreased [Ca2+]cyt. After transfection of miR‐16 mimics, proliferation and migration ability of PASMCs were significantly inhibited, whereas opposite effects were observed after miR‐16 inhibition. [Ca2+]cyt was also inhibited by miR‐16 transfection. DHA then promoted the expression of miR‐16, and the effects of DHA on PASMCs were annulled when miR‐16 was inhibited. CaSR was identified as a direct target of miR‐16. CaSR was inhibited directly by miR‐16 and indirectly by DHA. In conclusion, DHA inhibits the proliferation and migration of PASMCs, and probably ameliorates PAH via regulating miR‐16/CaSR axis.
Evaluation on the separated effect of 13 hemoglobin variants by a new automatic Hba1c analyzer
Authors: Li Rui , Tang Huamei , Kan Lijuan , Xiong Dan , Cheng Xuedi , Xu Yan , Liu Xiancheng , Zhang Xiuming
Published: July 2020

Objective

To evaluate the effect of a new type of automatic glycated hemoglobin analyzer on the separation of abnormal hemoglobin.

Methods

Samples diagnosed as hemoglobin variants by capillary electrophoresis and gene testing were selected, and HbA1c analyzer was used for separation and detection.

Results

A total of 13 hemoglobin variants in 40 samples could be separated from the normal peaks.

Conclusions

The variant mode of hemoglobin HbA1c can identify a variety of hemoglobin variants, and the type of variants can be preliminarily determined according to the retention time and characteristic peak shape of the variants.
Epidemiology and molecular characteristics of the type VI secretion system in Klebsiella pneumoniae isolated from bloodstream infections
Authors: Zhou Mao , Lan You , Wang Siyi , Liu Qingxia , Jian Zijuan , Li Yanming , Chen Xia , Yan Qun , Liu Wenen
Published: July 2020

Background

The type VI secretion system (T6SS) has been identified as a novel virulence factor. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of the T6SS genes in Klebsiella pneumoniae‐induced bloodstream infections (BSIs). We also evaluated clinical and molecular characteristics of T6SS‐positive K pneumoniae.

Methods

A total of 344 non‐repetitive K. pneumoniae bloodstream isolates and relevant clinical data were collected from January 2016 to January 2019. For all isolates, T6SS genes, capsular serotypes, and virulence genes were detected by polymerase chain reaction, and antimicrobial susceptibility was tested by VITEK® 2 Compact. MLST was being conducted for hypervirulent K. pneumoniae (HVKP).

Results

69 (20.1%) were identified as T6SS‐positive K. pneumoniae among 344 isolates recovered from patients with BSIs. The rate of K1 capsular serotypes and ten virulence genes in T6SS‐positive strains was higher than T6SS‐negative strains (P = .000). The T6SS‐positive rate was significantly higher than T6SS‐negative rate among HVKP isolates. (P = .000). The T6SS‐positive K. pneumoniae isolates were significantly more susceptible to cefoperazone‐sulbactam, ampicillin‐sulbactam, cefazolin, ceftriaxone, cefotan, aztreonam, ertapenem, amikacin, gentamicin, levofloxacin, and ciprofloxacin (P < 0.05). More strains isolated from the community and liver abscess were T6SS‐positive K. pneumoniae (P < .05). Multivariate regression analysis indicated that community‐acquired BSIs (OR 2.986), the carriage of wcaG (OR 10.579), iucA (OR 2.441), and p‐rmpA (OR 7.438) virulence genes, and biliary diseases (OR 5.361) were independent risk factors for T6SS‐positive K. pneumoniae‐induced BSIs.

Conclusion

The T6SS‐positive K. pneumoniae was prevalent in individuals with BSIs. T6SS‐positive K. pneumoniae strains seemed to be hypervirulent which revealed the potential pathogenicity of this emerging gene cluster.
Cognitive‐motivational, interpersonal, and behavioral functioning in relationship to treatment and research engagement in forensic patients with ADHD
Authors: Houtepen Jenny A. B. M. , Sijtsema Jelle J. , Van der Lem Rosalind , Scheres Anouk , Bogaerts Stefan
Published: July 2020

Objectives

To provide more insight into treatment and research responsivity in offenders with attention‐deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Method

Via self‐reports and patients' scores on cognitive computer tasks, it was examined whether poorer cognitive‐motivational, interpersonal, and behavioral functioning were related to treatment no‐shows, longer treatment time duration intervals, and no‐show at the research appointment in 52 forensic outpatients with ADHD (Mage = 35.3, SD = 9.38). Treatment adherence was tracked for 10 appointments after research participation.

Results

Regression analyses showed that higher self‐reported impulsivity was associated with research no‐show, and more alcohol use with longer treatment time intervals. Yet, self‐reported delay aversion was associated with fewer treatment no‐shows, and, uncontrolled for alcohol use, impulsivity was associated with shorter treatment time intervals in a subsample of patients.

Conclusions

These preliminary results indicate that externalizing behaviors increase the risk for nonadherence in forensic ADHD patients, but that cognitive‐motivational problems also motivate patients to be more engaged.
Morphological analysis of Caligus elongatus von Nordmann, 1832 (Copepoda: Caligidae) from the rosy goatfish Parupeneus rubescens (Mullidae)
Authors: Abdel‐Gaber Rewaida , Al‐Quraishy Saleh , Dkhil Mohamed A. , Elamin Maha , Alghamdi Masheil
Published: July 2020

Copepods are a common component of ectoparasite assemblages of all kinds of fish, from all environments and ecosystems. In the present investigation, a total of 80 specimens of the rosy goatfish Parupeneus rubescens were randomly collected from the Arabian Gulf, and then transported to the laboratory in order to be dissected and examined for the presence of copepodid infections. Copepod parasites were recovered from the gills of the infected fish. One copepod species within the Caligidae family was identified and labeled as Caligus elongates von Nordmann, 1832. This copepod species examined using light and scanning electron microscopy to observe the most characteristic generic features. Morphological and morphometric characterizations revealed differences between the identified species and other related copepodid species. Therefore, the present study showed that the rosy goatfish is a new host for this Caligus species and added a new locality record for this infection.
Foliar epidermal micromorphology and its taxonomic significance in Polygonatum (Asparagaceae) using scanning electron microscopy
Authors: Ali Maroof , Bahadur Saraj , Hussain Abrar , Saeed Sara , Khuram Izaz , Ullah Manzoor , Shao Jian‐Wen , Akhtar Naveed
Published: July 2020

In the current investigation, 16 samples of six species of the genus Polygonatum were collected from different geographical regions in China. Leaf micromorphological traits were studied in detail using scanning electron microscopy. About five‐leaf samples were used for each species collected from different geographical regions. A significant variation was found in the foliar epidermal traits such as stomata types and their distribution, epidermal cell shape, anticlinal wall pattern, and various types of trichomes. Polygonal epidermal cells were observed in P. cyrtonema, P. odoratum, P. sibiricum, and P. filipes, rectangular in P. zanlanscianense and P. odoratum and irregular shape in P. filipes and P. zanlanscianense. Straight anticlinal wall pattern was observed in most of the species, but straight to little undulate was observed in P. cyrtonema, P. filipes, and P. zanlanscianense. Similarly, various shape stomata that are, oval, oblong, and elliptical and types that is, paracytic, anomocytic, and actinocytic have been observed. Based on the foliar traits, the P. odoratum and P. sibiricum were found closely related to one another. On the other hand, P. involucratum and P. zanlanscianense shows a strong association. However, P. filipes showed very less similarity with the other five species. Hence this study adds useful information that may be helpful in the further taxonomic classification of the taxa at subspecies level and was found significant in the correct identification and discrimination of the closely related taxa of the genus Polygonatum.
High‐Resolution Breast MRI Reconstruction Using a Deep Convolutional Generative Adversarial Network
Authors: Sun Kun , Qu Liangqiong , Lian Chunfeng , Pan Yongsheng , Hu Dan , Xia Bingqing , Li Xinyue , Chai Weimin , Yan Fuhua , Shen Dinggang
Published: July 2020

Background

A generative adversarial network could be used for high‐resolution (HR) medical image synthesis with reduced scan time.

Purpose

To evaluate the potential of using a deep convolutional generative adversarial network (DCGAN) for generating HRpre and HRpost images based on their corresponding low‐resolution (LR) images (LRpre and LRpost).

Study Type

This was a retrospective analysis of a prospectively acquired cohort.

Population

In all, 224 subjects were randomly divided into 200 training subjects and an independent 24 subjects testing set.

Field Strength/Sequence

Dynamic contrast‐enhanced (DCE) MRI with a 1.5T scanner.

Assessment

Three breast radiologists independently ranked the image datasets, using the DCE images as the ground truth, and reviewed the image quality of both the original LR images and the generated HR images. The BI‐RADS category and conspicuity of lesions were also ranked. The inter/intracorrelation coefficients (ICCs) of mean image quality scores, lesion conspicuity scores, and Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI‐RADS) categories were calculated between the three readers.

Statistical Test

Wilcoxon signed‐rank tests evaluated differences among the multireader ranking scores.

Results

The mean overall image quality scores of the generated HRpre and HRpost were significantly higher than those of the original LRpre and LRpost (4.77 ± 0.41 vs. 3.27 ± 0.43 and 4.72 ± 0.44 vs. 3.23 ± 0.43, P < 0.0001, respectively, in the multireader study). The mean lesion conspicuity scores of the generated HRpre and HRpost were significantly higher than those of the original LRpre and LRpost (4.18 ± 0.70 vs. 3.49 ± 0.58 and 4.35 ± 0.59 vs. 3.48 ± 0.61, P < 0.001, respectively, in the multireader study). The ICCs of the image quality scores, lesion conspicuity scores, and BI‐RADS categories had good agreements among the three readers (all ICCs >0.75).

Data Conclusion

DCGAN was capable of generating HR of the breast from fast pre‐ and postcontrast LR and achieved superior quantitative and qualitative performance in a multireader study.

Level of Evidence

3

Technical Efficacy Stage

2 J. MAGN. RESON. IMAGING 2020;52:1852–1858.
The flow and moisture fluxes associated with ridging South Atlantic Ocean anticyclones during the subtropical southern African summer
Authors: Ndarana Thando , Mpati Siyabonga , Bopape Mary‐Jane , Engelbrecht Francois , Chikoore Hector
Published: July 2020

Using 38 years of ERA‐Interim reanalyses, this study examines the flow and associated moisture fluxes induced by ridging South Atlantic Ocean anticyclones over South Africa. The flow and moisture fluxes are divided into their geostrophic and ageostrophic components. Composite analysis reveals that ridging high pressure systems are modulated by Rossby wave trains that develop upstream in the middle latitudes near South America and the South Atlantic Ocean near the Greenwich Meridian. The wave trains are similar to those that are associated with tropical temperate troughs (TTTs) and nearly all TTTs are followed by ridging, whilst 20% of the ridging events are linked to TTTs. Composite analysis also shows that ridging‐induced moisture fluxes affecting South Africa originate from different areas of the surrounding oceans at different times during the evolution of ridging highs. In the early stages, moisture enters the country along the southeastern coast through ageostrophic processes from a moisture divergence region located adjacent to the coast and remains largely south of 30°S latitude line. The moisture fluxes have a northeastern orientation on land, following the geometry of the eastern coast. These ageostrophic fluxes contribute to the occurrence of rainfall during the ridging process in the region located between Lesotho and Swaziland. Ridging events are associated with about 60% of rainfall days in summer over southern Africa whilst TTTs contribute about 21% summer rainfall days. During the later stages of the evolution of ridging, geostrophic fluxes enter the southern parts of Mozambique and contribute the accumulation of moisture in that region. The associated moisture divergence region is always located ahead of its ageostrophic counterpart, with a local maximum eventually forming in the Mozambique Channel.
Optical nanoantenna for beamed and surface‐enhanced Raman spectroscopy
Authors: Awasthi Vimarsh , Goel Richa , Agarwal Shilpi , Rai Padmnabh , Dubey Satish Kumar
Published: July 2020

Optical nanoantenna is a key component in plasmonic circuitry, which can receive or transmit an electromagnetic field in the near field of an object (nanomaterials). It has wide range of applications including surface‐enhanced Raman scattering (SERS), photocatalytic reactions, remote SERS, solar cell, plasmonic nanoscopy, and quantum plasmonics. The main challenges in optical nanoantenna research include both fundamental understanding of the underlying physics and issues related to fabrication of low cost, high throughput nanostructures beyond the diffraction limit. The nanoscale feature size of optical antennas limits our ability to design, manufacture, and characterize their resonant behavior. This review investigates the fabrication methods and SERS applications of optical nanoantenna.
Creating effective interrupted time series graphs: Review and recommendations
Authors: Turner Simon L. , Karahalios Amalia , Forbes Andrew B. , Taljaard Monica , Grimshaw Jeremy M. , Korevaar Elizabeth , Cheng Allen C. , Bero Lisa , McKenzie Joanne E.
Published: July 2020

Introduction

Interrupted Time Series (ITS) studies may be used to assess the impact of an interruption, such as an intervention or exposure. The data from such studies are particularly amenable to visual display and, when clearly depicted, can readily show the short‐ and long‐term impact of an interruption. Further, well‐constructed graphs allow data to be extracted using digitizing software, which can facilitate their inclusion in systematic reviews and meta‐analyses.

Aim

We provide recommendations for graphing ITS data, examine the properties of plots presented in ITS studies, and provide examples employing our recommendations.

Methods and results

Graphing recommendations from seminal data visualization resources were adapted for use with ITS studies. The adapted recommendations cover plotting of data points, trend lines, interruptions, additional lines and general graph components. We assessed whether 217 graphs from recently published (2013‐2017) ITS studies met our recommendations and found that 130 graphs (60%) had clearly distinct data points, 100 (46%) had trend lines, and 161 (74%) had a clearly defined interruption. Accurate data extraction (requiring distinct points that align with axis tick marks and labels that allow the points to be interpreted) was possible in only 72 (33%) graphs.

Conclusion

We found that many ITS graphs did not meet our recommendations and could be improved with simple changes. Our proposed recommendations aim to achieve greater standardization and improvement in the display of ITS data, and facilitate re‐use of the data in systematic reviews and meta‐analyses.
Machine Learning Based Radiomic HPV Phenotyping of Oropharyngeal SCC: A Feasibility Study Using MRI
Authors: Sohn Beomseok , Choi Yoon Seong , Ahn Sung Soo , Kim Hwiyoung , Han Kyunghwa , Lee Seung‐Koo , Kim Jinna
Published: July 2020

Objectives

To investigate whether a radiomic MRI feature‐based prediction model can differentiate oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) according to the human papillomavirus (HPV) status.

Study Design

Retrospective cohort study.

Methods

Pretreatment MRI data from 62 consecutive patients with oropharyngeal SCC were retrospectively reviewed, and chronologically allocated to training (n = 43) and test sets (n = 19). Enhancing tumors were semi‐automatically segmented on each slice of the postcontrast T1WI to span the entire tumor volume, after registration of T2WI to postcontrast T1WI; 170 radiomic features were extracted from the entire tumor volume. Relevant features were selected and radiomics models were trained using least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) logistic regression model with 10‐fold cross‐validation, after subsampling of training sets using synthetic minority over‐sampling technique to mitigate data imbalance. The selected features, weighted by their respective coefficients, were combined linearly to yield a radiomics score. The diagnostic performance of the radiomic score was evaluated using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC).

Results

Six radiomic features, which revealed strong association with HPV status of oropharyngeal SCC, were selected using LASSO. The radiomics model yielded excellent performance on the training set (AUC, 0.982 [95% CI, 0.942–1.000]) and moderate performance on the test set (AUC, 0.744 [95% CI, 0.496–0.991]) for differentiating oropharyngeal SCC according to HPV status.

Conclusions

Radiomics‐based MRI phenotyping differentiates oropharyngeal SCC according to HPV status, and thus, is a potential imaging biomarker.

Level of Evidence

3 Laryngoscope, 131:E851–E856, 2021
Soil Monitor: an internet platform to challenge soil sealing in Italy
Authors: Langella Giuliano , Basile Angelo , Giannecchini Simone , Moccia Francesco D. , Mileti Florindo A. , Munafó Michele , Pinto Francesco , Terribile Fabio
Published: July 2020

This work proposes a new type of web‐based geospatial decision support system—called Soil Monitor—which provides a multidisciplinary operational tool useful for a multi‐stakeholder community to challenge soil sealing. Various technological and technical features of Soil Monitor are presented and discussed with particular reference to the combination of WebGIS with on‐the‐fly geospatial processing based on GPU computing, specifically designed to allow real‐time requests. In addition, we present three quantitative analysis of soil sealing at three different scales. The study at national level illustrated that the type of land use strongly affected soil‐sealing dynamics. Indeed, the class complex cultivation pattern resulted the most fragile land use while forests resulted the most resilient one. The study at province level illustrated the key importance of having on‐the‐fly the map of rural fragmentation for any Italian province. This map—quantifying the landscape integrity of the rural and natural areas—enables to better locate both new green corridors or new urban developments minimizing the environmental impact of human activities. The study at municipality level demonstrated the importance of quantifying a pool of spatial planning indicators and illustrated that (a) the largest urban dispersion occurs in hilly touristic municipalities close to the sea, (b) the increase in soil sealing in rural sites is not related to population growth. As a result, Soil Monitor is deemed useful both to support decision making at different spatial scales and to raise awareness in people, professionals, and experts of other fields. Keywords soil sealing, geospatial decision support system, compute unified device architecture, graphical processing unit computing, urban planning.
Effects of frame beam on structural characteristics of artificial soil on railway cut‐slopes in southwestern China
Authors: Ai Xiaoyan , Sheng Meihua , Su Xiaoqiao , Ai Shenghao , Jiang Xue , Yang Siqian , Huang Zhiyu , Ai Yingwei
Published: July 2020

Cut‐slope restoration technologies commonly used in southwest China mainly include using simple outside soil spray seeding (OSSS) techniques, or OSSS combined with an anchor frame beam. Artificial soil used in OSSS can establish a soil layer suitable for revegetation; the addition of an anchor frame beam not only fixes soil and shallow rock, it also acts to strengthen deep rock. However, there have been few studies on the effects of frame beams on artificial soil structural characteristics on railway cut‐slopes. In order to evaluate the effects of different frame beams on artificial soil structure, soil samples from a natural slope (NS) and three cut‐slopes restored using OSSS with various frame beams (AS, arched slope; DS, diamond slope; and RS, rimless slope) were analyzed. Soil structural characteristics analyzed include particle‐size percentage and cumulative distribution curve of dry‐sieving and wet‐sieving aggregates, structural failure rate, water stability factor, soil particle size distribution (PSD), bias and peak convex coefficients, fractal dimension of PSD (Dm), and fundamental properties. Our results indicate that structural failure rate, water stability factor, fractal dimension of PSD, soil bulk density, total porosity, moisture content, and organic matter are significantly affected by the use of different frame beams. In addition, a difference in wet‐sieving soil aggregates content, PSD, clay and sand particle contents, Dm, and the area difference ΔS of cumulative distribution between AS and DS was evident. Overall, soil structure in cut‐slopes using a diamond frame anchor beam recorded the best levels of recovery after 8 years of ecological restoration.
Spatial variability in macrofaunal diet composition and grazing pressure on microphytobenthos in intertidal areas
Authors: Daggers Tisja D. , van Oevelen Dick , Herman Peter M. J. , Boschker Henricus T. S. , van der Wal Daphne
Published: July 2020

Microphytobenthos forms an important part of the diet of macrofauna (macrozoobenthos) in many intertidal ecosystems. It is unclear, however, whether the dependence of macrofauna on microphytobenthos varies spatially within and among tidal systems. We aim (1) to assess the spatial variability in the importance of microphytobenthos in the diet of macrofauna (i.e., between and within two tidal basins and as function of elevation), (2) to quantify grazing pressure of the macrofaunal community on different potential food sources (microphytobenthos, phytoplankton and terrestrial organic material) for several sites in two tidal basins and (3) to compare microphytobenthic production and summer/autumn grazing of the total macrofaunal community and grazing pressure per feeding type, with potential microphytobenthic production estimated from rates in early spring, when grazing was low. Using a natural stable isotope approach, we identified microphytobenthos as a more important food source for macrofauna than phytoplankton and terrestrial organic material. Microphytobenthos dependency differed between tidal basins for the genera Bathyporeia (sand digger shrimp), Macoma (Baltic tellin), and Peringia (mudsnail) and for sampled individuals of all genera combined, and did not vary as function of elevation. We showed that macrofaunal grazing on microphytobenthos is quantitatively important and, in some cases, approached microphytobenthic production rates in early spring. No positive relation between microphytobenthic production in early spring and macrofaunal grazing in summer/autumn was observed. This suggests that the studied consumer‐resource interactions are coupled on a larger spatial scale (i.e., mesoscale, ≈10 to 100 km), rather than the fine (mm to m) scale.
Shining a Light on Bioorthogonal Photochemistry for Polymer Science
Authors: Boase Nathan R. B.
Published: July 2020

Bioorthogonal chemistry is revolutionizing the fields of biological chemistry and nanomedicine, providing tools to actively probe and perturb native biochemical processes. Photochemistry provides the opportunity to actively and non‐invasively control bioorthogonal reactions, providing sophisticated optochemical tools. Despite the opportunities in bioorthogonal photochemistry, there remain many significant challenges to the clinical translation of current research. This review aims to provide an overview of these challenges and highlight recent examples from the literature that are providing revolutionary solutions to overcoming these barriers. It will highlight new photochemical systems that can be triggered by near infrared light in aqueous solutions and have been demonstrated to function in complex biological systems, including in living animals. It will cover diverse classes of photochemical reactions including photopolymerization, uncaging, conjugation, and photoswitching. The discussion will detail how new approaches are being integrated into polymers or highlight unexploited opportunities. This review intends to showcase how the unique synergy of bioorthogonal photochemistry and polymer science provides vast opportunities in the fields of biomaterials, nanomedicine, and theranostics. This will hopefully provide inspiration to material scientists to integrate bioorthogonal photochemistry into new adaptable materials and ensure translation to solve clinical challenges.
Theoretical Methods of the Size Distribution Function for the Products of Hyperbranched Polymerization
Authors: Hao Tongfan , Zhou Zhiping , Nie Yijing
Published: July 2020

In the theory of hyperbranched polymerization, due to the difficulty of deriving isomers of conformations, the early Flory's probability method and Stockmayer's statistical mechanics method have been rarely used. In this work, a new and easy way to derive the total number of configurations is developed, which can extend the application of the two theoretical methods to obtain the size distribution functions of hyperbranched polymerization. Taking the example of ABg type hyperbranched polymerization, the size distribution functions of the products are respectively deduced by the probability, statistical mechanics, and kinetic method. The same result is obtained, which shows the self‐consistent relationship of these methods and can help people understand the mechanism of aggregation process. These theoretical methods have their own advantages, which can be combined to deal with complex hyperbranched polymerization.
GBA‐Related Parkinson's Disease: Dissection of Genotype–Phenotype Correlates in a Large Italian Cohort
Authors: Petrucci Simona , Ginevrino Monia , Trezzi Ilaria , Monfrini Edoardo , Ricciardi Lucia , Albanese Alberto , Avenali Micol , Barone Paolo , Bentivoglio Anna Rita , Bonifati Vincenzo , Bove Francesco , Bonanni Laura , Brusa Livia , Cereda Cristina , Cossu Giovanni , Criscuolo Chiara , Dati Giovanna , De Rosa Anna , Eleopra Roberto , Fabbrini Giovanni , Fadda Laura , Garbellini Manuela , Minafra Brigida , Onofrj Marco , Pacchetti Claudio , Palmieri Ilaria , Pellecchia Maria Teresa , Petracca Martina , Picillo Marina , Pisani Antonio , Vallelunga Annamaria , Zangaglia Roberta , Di Fonzo Alessio , Morgante Francesca , Valente Enza Maria ,   ITA‐GENE‐PD Study Group
Published: July 2020

Background

Variants in GBA are the most common genetic risk factor for Parkinson's disease (PD). The impact of different variants on the PD clinical spectrum is still unclear.

Objectives

We determined the frequency of GBA‐related PD in Italy and correlated GBA variants with motor and nonmotor features and their occurrence over time.

Methods

Sanger sequencing of the whole GBA gene was performed. Variants were classified as mild, severe, complex, and risk. β‐glucocerebrosidase activity was measured. The Kaplan‐Meier method and Cox proportional hazard regression models were performed.

Results

Among 874 patients with PD, 36 variants were detected in 14.3%, including 20.4% early onset. Patients with GBA‐PD had earlier and more frequent occurrence of several nonmotor symptoms. Patients with severe and complex GBA‐PD had the highest burden of symptoms and a higher risk of hallucinations and cognitive impairment. Complex GBA‐PD had the lowest β‐glucocerebrosidase activity.

Conclusions

GBA‐PD is highly prevalent in Italy. Different types of mutations underlie distinct phenotypic profiles. © 2020 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society
Mitochondria and lipid peroxidation in the mechanism of neurodegeneration: Finding ways for prevention
Authors: Angelova Plamena R. , Esteras Noemi , Abramov Andrey Y.
Published: July 2020

The world's population aging progression renders age‐related neurodegenerative diseases to be one of the biggest unsolved problems of modern society. Despite the progress in studying the development of pathology, finding ways for modifying neurodegenerative disorders remains a high priority. One common feature of neurodegenerative diseases is mitochondrial dysfunction and overproduction of reactive oxygen species, resulting in oxidative stress. Although lipid peroxidation is one of the markers for oxidative stress, it also plays an important role in cell physiology, including activation of phospholipases and stimulation of signaling cascades. Excessive lipid peroxidation is a hallmark for most neurodegenerative disorders including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and many other neurological conditions. The products of lipid peroxidation have been shown to be the trigger for necrotic, apoptotic, and more specifically for oxidative stress‐related, that is, ferroptosis and neuronal cell death. Here we discuss the involvement of lipid peroxidation in the mechanism of neuronal loss and some novel therapeutic directions to oppose it.
Asymptotical stability for complex dynamical networks via link dynamics
Authors: Zhao Ping , Wang Yinhe
Published: July 2020

From the perspective of large‐scale system, a complex dynamical network can be regarded as the interconnected system with the node subsystem and link subsystem, which implies that the node subsystem and the link subsystem are the two main bodies of dynamical behaviors of network. Therefore, the whole stability of network is influenced by not only the dynamics of node subsystem but also the dynamics of link subsystem. According to the above view, the wholly asymptotical stability (WAS) is defined in this paper for the complex dynamical network with the model of differential equations. The WAS is used to describe the node subsystem achieves asymptotical stability when link subsystem achieves also the asymptotic stability in Lyapunov sense. For the WAS of the complex dynamical network, the corresponding criteria are derived by checking whether certain matrices are Hurwitz. The analysis results show that even if the isolated nodes are not asymptotically stable in Lyapunov sense, employing the dynamics of link can also force the node subsystem to achieve the asymptotical stability. Finally, the simulation examples show the validity of methods in this paper.
A comparative analysis of electromechanical model of piezoelectric actuator through Caputo–Fabrizio and Atangana–Baleanu fractional derivatives
Authors: Abro Kashif Ali , Atangana Abdon
Published: July 2020

The dynamical characteristics of the electrical and mechanical domains are usually detected by means of electromechanical model of piezoelectric actuator; this is because it manages extremely small displacements in the range from 10 pm (1 pm = 10−12 m) to 100 μm. This manuscript is dedicatedly written on the fractional modeling of electromechanical model of piezoelectric actuator through modern fractional definitions, namely, Atangan–Baleanu and Caputo–Fabrizio fractional operators, which are based on capturing the full memory effects with and without Markovian and non‐Markovian properties. The modeled governing partial differential equation of displacement is solved by means of Laplace transform method. The investigated solutions of displacement have been expressed in terms of Fox‐H function and series format for avoiding the involvement of gamma functions. A comparative analysis is performed graphically between solutions obtained from Atangan–Baleanu fractional operator and Caputo–Fabrizio fractional operator. Our results suggest that displacement via Atangan–Baleanu fractional operator dominates than displacement via Caputo–Fabrizio fractional operator for controller design even to bypass the hysteresis effect. Additionally, comparison of both fractional techniques on displacement suggests that the utilization of the frequency domain is much more effective than the displacement via classical approaches.
On the integro‐differential equations with reflection
Authors: Ait Dads Elhadi , Khelifi Safoua , Miraoui Mohsen
Published: July 2020

In this paper, by developing important properties on the composition of functions with reflection, using some exponential dichotomy properties and an application of the fixed‐point theorem, several new sufficient conditions for the existence and the uniqueness of an pseudo almost automorphic solutions with measure for some general‐type reflection integro‐differential equations. We suppose that the nonlinear part is measure pseudo almost automorphic and in which we distinguish the two constant and variable cases for the Lipschitz coefficients of the functions associated with this part. It is assumed that the linear part of the equation considered admits an exponential dichotomy. Finally, an application is given on the very interesting model of Markus and Yamabe.
Boundary layer for 3D nonlinear parallel pipe flow of nonhomogeneous incompressible Navier‐Stokes equations
Authors: Ding Shijin , Lin Zhilin , Wang Cuiyu
Published: July 2020

In this paper, we justify the mathematical validity of the Prandtl boundary layer theory for a class of nonlinear parallel pipe flow of nonhomogeneous incompressible Navier‐Stokes equations. The convergence for velocity is shown under various Sobolev norms. In addition, the higher‐order asymptotic expansions are also considered. And the mathematical validity of the Prandtl boundary layer theory for nonlinear parallel pipe flow is generalized to the nonhomogeneous case.
3D Inception U‐net with Asymmetric Loss for Cancer Detection in Automated Breast Ultrasound
Authors: Wang Yi , Qin Chenchen , Lin Chuanlu , Lin Di , Xu Min , Luo Xiao , Wang Tianfu , Li Anhua , Ni Dong
Published: July 2020

Purpose

Breast cancer is the most common cancer and the leading cause of cancer‐related deaths for women all over the world. Recently, automated breast ultrasound (ABUS) has become a new and promising screening modality for whole breast examination. However, reviewing volumetric ABUS is time‐consuming and lesions could be missed during the examination. Therefore, computer‐aided cancer detection in ABUS volume is extremely expected to help clinician for the breast cancer screening.

Methods

We develop a novel end‐to‐end 3D convolutional network for automated cancer detection in ABUS volume, in order to accelerate reviewing and meanwhile to provide high detection sensitivity with low false positives (FPs). Specifically, an efficient 3D Inception Unet‐style architecture with fusion deep supervision mechanism is proposed to attain decent detection performance. In addition, a novel asymmetric loss is designed to help the network balancing false positive and false negative regions, thus improving detection sensitivity for small cancerous lesions.

Results

The efficacy of our network was extensively validated on a dataset including 196 patients with 661 cancer regions. Our network obtained a detection sensitivity of 95.1% with 3.0 FPs per ABUS volume. Furthermore, the average inference time of the network was 0.1 second per volume, which largely shortens the conventional reviewing time.

Conclusions

The proposed network provides efficient and accurate cancer detection scheme using ABUS volume, and may assist clinicians for more efficient breast cancer screening.