bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Epidemiology of COVID-19 and applying Non Pharmaceutical interventions by using the Susceptible, Infectious Recovered epidemiological Model in Pakistan
Authors: Wahid Abdul , Khan Amjad , Iqbal Qaiser , Khan Asad , Mohammad Nazar
Published: May 2020

Introduction

The COVID-19 is caused by the virus known as sever acute respiratory syndrome corona virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) having the common symptoms such as Flue, fever, dry cough and shortness of breath. The first case was reported in WUHAN city china in December 2019 and it spread to the whole world, WHO declared as world pandemic on 11thmarch 2020.

SIR Epidemiological Model

The first case in Pakistan was confirmed on 26thFeb 2020 as by the 8thApril 2020 the total no of confirmed cases 4187 with 58 deaths and 467 recoveries throughout the country. The upcoming situation of the COVID-19 in Pakistan is forecasted by using SIR epidemiological, which is one of the mathematical derivative models with great accuracy rate prediction used for infectious disease. This model was introduced in the early 20thcentury.

Results

Pakistan is will be having a heavy burden of patients 80000 plus infected patients 45000 recoveries 10000 hospitalized 3000 ICU and 800 plus deaths in the next 20 days. A complete lock down, social distancing and imposing curfew to keep every person at home can save Pakistan from a very huge number 1000000 infected patients with huge number of causalities with next 2 months.
Serum protein profiling reveals a landscape of inflammation and immune signaling in early-stage COVID-19 infection
Authors: Hou Xin , Zhang Xiaomei , Wu Xian , Lu Minya , Wang Dan , Xu Meng , Wang Hongye , Liang Te , Dai Jiayu , Duan Hu , Xu Yingchun , Yu Xiaobo , Li Yongzhe
Published: May 2020

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a highly contagious infection and threating the human lives in the world. The elevation of cytokines in blood is crucial to induce cytokine storm and immunosuppression in the transition of severity in COVID-19 patients. However, the comprehensive changes of serum proteins in COVID-19 patients throughout the SARS-CoV-2 infection is unknown. In this work, we developed a high-density antibody microarray and performed an in-depth proteomics analysis of serum samples collected from early COVID-19 (n=15) and influenza (n=13) patients. We identified a large set of differentially expressed proteins (n=125) that participate in a landscape of inflammation and immune signaling related to the SARS-CoV-2 infection. Furthermore, the significant correlations of neutrophil and lymphocyte with the CCL2 and CXCL10 mediated cytokine signaling pathways was identified. These information are valuable for the understanding of COVID-19 pathogenesis, identification of biomarkers and development of the optimal anti-inflammation therapy.
The confounded crude case-fatality rates (CFR) for COVID-19 hide more than they reveal - a comparison of age-specific and age-adjusted CFRs between six countries
Authors: Green Manfred S , Peer Victoria , Swartz Naama , Nitzan Dorit
Published: May 2020

Background

The reported crude case-fatality rates (CFRs) vary widely between countries. The serious limitations of using crude COVID-19 CFRs for comparisons between countries have been addressed in the literature but are often overlooked or misunderstood, both in the scientific literature and in the media. In this paper we examined the extent to which age distribution of the cases is responsible for the differences in CFRs between countries.

Methods

Data on COVID-19 were extracted from the reports of individual countries. Overall and age-specific CFRs were available for six countries. The CFRs by country were adjusted for age using the direct method, using the combined age-specific number of cases of all six countries as the standard population.

Findings

The age distribution of the cases varied widely between countries. The crude CFRs varied between 1.6% and 11%. The differences in the age-specific CFRs were much smaller and the age-adjusted rates were much closer than the crude rates. The ratio of the crude CFR for the country with the highest CFR to that with the lowest, was reduced substantially for the age-adjusted rates, from 7.4 to 2.3

Conclusions

The age structure of the cases dramatically impacts on the differences in the crude CFRs between countries. Adjusting for age substantially reduces this variation. Other factors such as the differences in the definition of the denominators, the definition of a case and the standard of healthcare are likely to account for much of the residual variation. It is misleading to compare the crude COVID-19 CFRs between countries and should be avoided. At the very least, comparisons should be based on age-specific and age-adjusted rates.
Lower State COVID-19 Deaths and Cases with Earlier School Closure in the U.S.
Authors: Rauscher Emily
Published: May 2020

This study quantifies the relationship between school closure timing and COVID-19 deaths and cases in the general population in all U.S. states. COVID-19 has higher symptomatic infection rates among the elderly, suggesting school closures could be unrelated to transmission. However, predicting daily cumulative COVID-19 deaths by state, earlier school closure is related to fewer deaths per capita and slower growth in deaths per capita. Results are similar for COVID-19 cases per capita.
Effects of long-termin vivomicro-CT imaging on hallmarks of osteopenia and frailty in aging mice
Authors: Scheuren Ariane C. , Kuhn Gisela A. , Müller Ralph
Published: May 2020

In vivomicro-CT has already been used to monitor microstructural changes of bone in mice of different ages and in models of age-related diseases such as osteoporosis. However, as aging is accompanied by frailty and subsequent increased sensitivity to external stimuli such as handling and anesthesia, the extent to which longitudinal imaging can be applied in aging studies remains unclear. Consequently, the potential of monitoring individual mice during the entire aging process – from healthy to frail status – has not yet been exploited. In this study, we assessed the effects of long-termin vivomicro-CT imaging - consisting of 11 imaging sessions over 20 weeks - on hallmarks of aging both on a local (i.e., static and dynamic bone morphometry) and systemic (i.e., frailty index (FI) and body weight) level at various stages of the aging process. Furthermore, using a premature aging model (PolgA(D257A/D257A)), we assessed whether these effects differ between genotypes.

The 6thcaudal vertebrae of 4 groups of mice (PolgA(D257A/D257A)and PolgA(+/+)) were monitored byin vivomicro-CT every 2 weeks. One group was subjected to 11 scans between weeks 20 and 40 of age, whereas the other groups were subjected to 5 scans between weeks 26-34, 32-40 and 40-46, respectively. The long-term monitoring approach showed small but significant changes in the static bone morphometric parameters compared to the other groups. However, no interaction effect between groups and genotype was found, suggesting that PolgA mutation does not render bone more or less susceptible to long-term micro-CT imaging. The differences between groups observed in the static morphometric parameters were less pronounced in the dynamic morphometric parameters. Moreover, the body weight and FI were not affected by more frequent imaging sessions. Finally, we observed that longitudinal designs including baseline measurements at young adult age are more powerful at detecting effects ofin vivomicro-CT imaging on hallmarks of aging than cross-sectional comparisons between multiple groups of aged mice subjected to fewer imaging sessions.
Walking pattern analysis using deep learning for energy harvesting smart shoes with IoT
Authors: Shah Neel , Kamdar Laxit , Gokalgandhi Drashti , Mehendale Ninad
Published: May 2020

Wearable Health Devices (WHDs) benefit people to monitor their health status and have become a necessity in today’s world. The smart shoe is the type of WHD, that provides comfort, convenience, and fitness tracking. Hence smart shoes can be considered as one of the most useful innovations in the field of wearable devices. In this paper, we propose a unique system, in which the smart shoes are capable of energy harvesting when the user is walking, running, dancing, or carrying out any other similar activities. This generated power can be used to charge portable devices (like mobile) and to light up the LED torch. It also has Wi-Fi-that allows it to get connected to smartphones or any device on a cloud. The recorded data was used to determine the walking pattern of the user (gait analysis) using deep learning. The overall classification accuracy obtained with proposed smart shoes could reach up to 96.2 %. This gait analysis can be further used for detecting any injury or disorder that the shoe user is suffering from. One more unique feature of the proposed smart shoe is its capability of adjusting the size by using inflatable technology as per the user’s comfort.
Pan-cancer identification of clinically relevant genomic subtypes using outcome-weighted integrative clustering
Authors: Arora Arshi , Olshen Adam B. , Seshan Venkatraman E. , Shen Ronglai
Published: May 2020

Molecular phenotypes of cancer are complex and influenced by a multitude of factors. Conventional unsupervised clustering of heterogeneous cancer patient populations is inevitably driven by the dominant variation from major factors such as cell-of-origin or histology. Drawing from ideas in supervised text classification, we developed survClust, an outcome-weighted clustering algorithm for integrative patient stratification. We show survClust outperforms unsupervised clustering in identifying cancer patient subpopulations characterized by specific genomic phenotypes with more aggressive clinical behavior. The algorithm and tools we developed have direct utility toward clinically relevant patient stratification based on tumor genomics to inform clinical decision-making.
Inhibition of 2-Hydroxyglutrate Elicits Metabolic-reprograming and Mutant IDH1 Glioma Immunity
Authors: Kadiyala Padma , Carney Stephen V. , Gauss Jessica C. , Garcia-Fabiani Maria B. , Núñez Felipe J. , Nunez Fernando M. , Alghamri Mahmoud S. , Liu Yayuan , Yu Minzhi , Li Dan , Edwards Marta B. , Moon James J. , Schwendeman Anna , Lowenstein Pedro R. , Castro Maria G.
Published: May 2020

Mutant isocitrate-dehydrogenase-1 (IDH1-R132H; mIDH1) is a hallmark of adult gliomas. Lower grade mIDH1 gliomas are classified into two molecular subgroups: (i) 1p/19q co-deletion/TERT-promoter mutations or (ii) inactivating mutations in α-thalassemia/mental retardation syndrome X-linked (ATRX) andTP53.This work, relates to the gliomas’ subtype harboring mIDH1,TP53andATRXinactivation. IDH1-R132H is a gain-of-function mutation that converts α-ketoglutarate into 2-hydroxyglutarate (D-2HG). The role of D-2HG within the tumor microenvironment of mIDH1/mATRX/mTP53 gliomas remains unexplored. Inhibition of 2HG, when used as monotherapy or in combination with radiation and temozolomide (IR/TMZ), led to increased median survival (MS) of mIDH1 glioma bearing mice. Also, 2HG inhibition elicited anti-mIDH1 glioma immunological memory. In response to 2HG inhibition, PD-L1 expression levels on mIDH1-glioma cells increased to similar levels as observed in wild-type-IDH1 gliomas. Thus, we combined 2HG inhibition/IR/TMZ with anti-PDL1 immune checkpoint-blockade and observed complete tumor regression in 60% of mIDH1 glioma bearing mice. This combination strategy reduced T-cell exhaustion and favored the generation of memory CD8+T-cells. Our findings demonstrate that metabolic reprogramming elicits anti-mIDH1 glioma immunity, leading to increased MS and immunological memory. Our preclinical data supports the testing of IDH-R132H inhibitors in combination with IR/TMZ and anti-PDL1 as targeted therapy for mIDH1/mATRX/mTP53 glioma patients.

Brief Summary

Inhibition of 2-Hydroxyglutrate in mutant-IDH1 glioma in the genetic context of ATRX and TP53 inactivation elicits metabolic-reprograming and anti-glioma immunity.
Smartphone-based Sickle Cell Disease Detection and Monitoring for Point-of-Care Settings
Authors: Ilyas Shazia , Sher Mazhar , Du E , Asghar Waseem
Published: May 2020

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a worldwide hematological disorder causing painful episodes, anemia, organ damage, stroke, and even deaths. It is more common in sub-Saharan Africa and other resource-limited countries. Conventional laboratory-based diagnostic methods for SCD are time-consuming, complex, and cannot be performed at point-of-care (POC) and home settings. Optical microscope-based classification and counting demands a significant amount of time, extensive setup, and cost along with the skilled human labor to distinguish the normal red blood cells (RBCs) from sickled cells. There is an unmet need to develop a POC and home-based test to diagnose and monitor SCD and reduce mortality in resource-limited settings. An early-stage and timely diagnosis of SCD can help in the effective management of the disease. In this article, we utilized a smartphone-based image acquisition method for capturing RBC images from the SCD patients in normoxia and hypoxia conditions. A computer algorithm is developed to differentiate RBCs from the patient’s blood before and after cell sickling. Using the developed smartphone-based technique, we obtained similar percentage of sickle cells in blood samples as analyzed by conventional method (standard microscope). The developed method of testing demonstrates the potential utility of the smartphone-based test for reducing the overall cost of screening and management for SCD, thus increasing the practicality of smartphone-based screening technique for SCD in low-resource settings. Our setup does not require any special storage requirements and is particularly useful in assessing the severity of the SCD. This is the characteristic advantage of our technique as compared to other hemoglobin-based POC diagnostic techniques.
Learning-induced plasticity in the barrel cortex is disrupted by inhibition of layer 4 somatostatin-containing interneurons
Authors: Dobrzanski G , Lukomska A , Zakrzewska R , Posluszny A , Kanigowski D , Urban-Ciecko J , Liguz-Lecznar M , Kossut M
Published: May 2020

Learning-related plasticity in the cerebral cortex is linked to the action of disinhibitory circuits of interneurons. Pavlovian conditioning, in which stimulation of the vibrissae is used as conditioned stimulus, induces plastic enlargement of the cortical functional representation of vibrissae activated during conditioning, visualized with [14C]-2-deoxyglucose (2DG). Using layer-specific, cell-selective DREADD transductions, we examined the involvement of somatostatin- (SOM-INs) and vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP-INs)-containing interneurons in the development of learning-related plastic changes. We injected DREADD-expressing vectors into layer IV (L4) barrels or layer II/III (L2/3) areas corresponding to activated vibrissae. The activity of interneurons was modulated during training, and 2DG maps were obtained 24 h later. In mice with L4 but not L2/3 SOM-INs suppressed during conditioning, the plastic change of whisker representation and the conditioned reaction were absent. No effect of inhibiting VIP-INs was found. We report that the activity of L4 SOM-INs is indispensable for learning-induced plastic change.
Pericyte-specific vascular expression of SARS-CoV-2 receptor ACE2 – implications for microvascular inflammation and hypercoagulopathy in COVID-19
Authors: He Liqun , Mäe Maarja Andaloussi , Muhl Lars , Sun Ying , Pietilä Riikka , Nahar Khayrun , Liébanas Elisa Vázquez , Fagerlund Malin Jonsson , Oldner Anders , Liu Jianping , Genové Guillem , Zhang Lei , Xie Yuan , Leptidis Stefanos , Mocci Giuseppe , Stritt Simon , Osman Ahmed , Anisimov Andrey , Hemanthakumar Karthik Amudhala , Räsänen Markus , Mirabeau Olivier , Hansson Emil , Björkegren Johan , Vanlandewijck Michael , Blomgren Klas , Mäkinen Taija , Peng Xiao-Rong , Arnold Thomas D. , Alitalo Kari , Eriksson Lars I , Lendahl Urban , Betsholtz Christer
Published: May 2020

Accumulating clinical observations implicate vascular inflammation as an underlying cause of coagulopathy in severely ill COVID-19 patients and it was recently suggested that SARS-CoV-2 virus particles infect endothelial cells. Here, we show that endothelial cells do not express angiotensin-converting enzyme-2 (ACE2), the SARS-CoV-2 receptor. Instead, pericytes and microvascular smooth muscle cells express ACE2 in an organotypic manner. Pericyte deficiency leads to increased endothelial expression and release of Von Willebrand factor and intravascular platelet and fibrin aggregation, suggesting that pericytes limit endothelial pro-thrombotic responses. That pericytes and not endothelial cells express ACE2 may provide important clues to the pathology of COVID-19, as pericytes are normally shielded behind an endothelial barrier and may get infected only when this barrier is compromised by COVID-19 risk factors.
Protease Activity Profiling Via Programmable Phage Display
Authors: Román-Meléndez Gabriel D. , Venkataraman Thiagarajan , Monaco Daniel R. , Larman H. Benjamin
Published: May 2020

Endopeptidases catalyze the internal cleavage of proteins, playing pivotal roles in protein turnover, substrate maturation and the activation of signaling cascades. A broad range of biological functions in health and disease are controlled by proteases, yet assays to characterize their activities at proteomic scale do not yet exist. To address this unmet need, we have developed SEPARATE (SensingEndoPeptidaseActivity viaRelease and recapture using flAnkingTagEpitopes), which uses monovalent phage display of the entire human proteome at 90-aa peptide resolution. We demonstrate that SEPARATE is compatible with several human proteases from distinct catalytic classes, including Caspase-1, ADAM17, and Thrombin. Both well-characterized and newly identified substrates of these enzymes were detected in the assay. SEPARATE was used to discover a non-canonical Caspase-1 substrate, the E3 ubiquitin ligase HUWE1, a key mediator of apoptotic cell death. SEPARATE is a novel methodology to enable efficient, unbiased assessment of endopeptidase activity using a phage-displayed proteome.
Children’s Hospital Los Angeles COVID-19 Analysis Research Database (CARD) - A Resource for Rapid SARS-CoV-2 Genome Identification Using Interactive Online Phylogenetic Tools
Authors: Shen Lishuang , Maglinte Dennis , Ostrow Dejerianne , Pandey Utsav , Bootwalla Moiz , Ryutov Alex , Govindarajan Ananthanarayanan , Ruble David , Han Jennifer , Triche Timothy J. , Bard Jennifer Dien , Biegel Jaclyn A. , Judkins Alexander R. , Gai Xiaowu
Published: May 2020

Effective response to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic requires genomic resources and bioinformatics tools for genomic epidemiology and surveillance studies that involve characterizing full-length viral genomes, identifying origins of infections, determining the relatedness of viral infections, performing phylogenetic analyses, and monitoring the continuous evolution of the SARS-CoV-2 viral genomes. The Children’s Hospital, Los Angeles (CHLA) COVID-19 Analysis Research Database (CARD) (https://covid19.cpmbiodev.net/) is a comprehensive genomic resource that provides access to full-length SARS-CoV-2 viral genomes and associated meta-data for over 30,000 (as of May 20, 2020) isolates collected from global sequencing repositories and the sequencing performed at the Center for Personalized Medicine (CPM) at CHLA. Reference phylogenetic trees of global and USA viral isolates were constructed and are periodically updated using selected high quality SARS-CoV-2 genome sequences. These provide the baseline and analytical context for identifying the origin of a viral infection, as well as the relatedness of SARS-CoV-2 genomes of interest. A web-based and interactive Phylogenetic Tree Browser supports flexible tree manipulation and advanced analysis based on keyword search while highlighting time series animation, as well as subtree export for graphical representation or offline exploration. A Virus Genome Tracker accepts complete or partial SARS-CoV-2 genome sequence, compares it against all available sequences in the database (>30,000 at time of writing), detects and annotates the variants, and places the new viral isolate within the global or USA phylogenetic contexts based upon variant profiles and haplotype comparisons, in a few seconds. The generated analysis can potentially aid in genomic surveillance to trace the transmission of any new infection. Using CHLA CARD, we demonstrate the identification of a candidate outbreak point where 13 of 31 CHLA internal isolates may have originated. We also discovered multiple indels of unknown clinical significance in the orf3a gene, and revealed a number of USA-specific variants and haplotypes.
Roles of the EnvZ/OmpR Two-Component System and Porins in Iron Acquisition inEscherichia coli
Authors: Gerken Henri , Vuong Phu , Soparkar Ketaki , Misra Rajeev
Published: May 2020

Escherichia colisecretes high-affinity Fe3+chelators to solubilize and transport chelated Fe3+via specific outer membrane receptors. In microaerobic and anaerobic growth environments, where the reduced Fe2+form is predominant, ferrous transport systems fulfill the bacterial need for iron. Expression of genes coding for iron metabolism is controlled by Fur, which when bound to Fe2+acts as a repressor. Work carried out in this paper shows that the constitutively activated EnvZ/OmpR two-component system, which normally controls expression of theompCandompFporin genes, dramatically increases the intracellular pool of accessible iron, as determined by whole-cell electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy, by inducing the OmpC/FeoB-mediated ferrous transport pathway. Elevated levels of intracellular iron in turn activated Fur, which inhibited the ferric but not the ferrous transport pathway. The data show that the positive effect of constitutively activated EnvZ/OmpR onfeoBexpression is sufficient to overcome the negative effect of activated Fur onfeoB. In atonBmutant, which lacks functional ferric transport systems, deletion ofompRseverely impairs growth on rich medium not supplemented with iron, while the simultaneous deletion ofompCandompFis not viable. These data, together with the observation of de-repression of the Fur regulon in an OmpC mutant, show that the porins play an important role in iron homeostasis. The work presented here also resolves a long-standing paradoxical observation of the effect of certain mutantenvZalleles on iron regulon.

IMPORTANCE

The work presented here solved a long-standing paradox of the negative effects of certain missense alleles ofenvZ, which codes for kinase of the EnvZ/OmpR two component system, on the expression of ferric uptake genes. The data revealed that the constitutiveenvZalleles activate the Feo- and OmpC-mediated ferrous uptake pathway to flood the cytoplasm with accessible ferrous iron. This activates the ferric uptake regulator, Fur, which inhibits ferric uptake system but cannot inhibit thefeooperon due to the positive effect of activated EnvZ/OmpR. The data also revealed importance of porins in iron homeostasis.
A new microcirculation culture method with a self-organized capillary network
Authors: Sugihara Kei , Yamaguchi Yoshimi , Usui Shiori , Nashimoto Yuji , Hanada Sanshiro , Kiyokawa Etsuko , Uemura Akiyoshi , Yokokawa Ryuji , Nishiyama Koichi , Miura Takashi
Published: May 2020

A lack of microcirculation has been one of the most significant obstacles for three-dimensional culture systems of organoids and embryonic tissues. Here, we developed a simple and reliable method to implement a perfusable capillary network in vitro. The method employed the self-organization of endothelial cells to generate a capillary network and a static pressure difference for culture medium circulation, which can be easily introduced to standard biological laboratories and enables long-term cultivation of vascular structures. Using this culture system, we perfused the lumen of the self-organized capillary network and observed a flow-induced vascular remodeling process, cell shape changes, and collective cell migration. We also observed an increase in cell proliferation around the synthetic vasculature induced by flow, indicating functional perfusion of the culture medium. We also reconstructed extravasation of tumor and inflammatory cells, and circulation inside spheroids including endothelial cells and human lung fibroblasts. In conclusion, this system is a promising tool to elucidate the mechanisms of various biological processes related to vascular flow.
A putative new SARS-CoV protein, 3a*, encoded in an ORF overlapping ORF3a
Authors: Firth Andrew E.
Published: May 2020

Identification of the full complement of genes in SARS-CoV-2 is a crucial step towards gaining a fuller understanding of its molecular biology. However, short and/or overlapping genes can be difficult to detect using conventional computational approaches, whereas high throughput experimental approaches – such as ribosome profiling – cannot distinguish translation of functional peptides from regulatory translation or translational noise. By studying regions showing enhanced conservation at synonymous sites in alignments of SARS-CoV and related viruses (subgenusSarbecovirus), and correlating with the conserved presence of an open reading frame and plausible translation mechanism, we identified a putative new gene, ORF3a*, overlapping ORF3a in an alternative reading frame. A recently published ribosome profiling study confirmed that ORF3a* is indeed translated during infection. ORF3a* is conserved across the subgenusSarbecovirus, and encodes a 40–41 amino acid predicted transmembrane protein.
A novel RNA virus,Macrobrachium rosenbergiiGolda virus (MrGV), linked to mass mortalities of the larval giant freshwater prawn in Bangladesh
Authors: Hooper Chantelle , Debnath Partho P. , Biswas Sukumar , van Aerle Ronny , Bateman Kelly S. , Basak Siddhawartha K. , Rahman Muhammad M. , Mohan Chadag V. , Rakibul Islam H.M. , Ross Stuart , Stentiford Grant D. , Currie David , Bass David
Published: May 2020

1

Mass mortalities of the larval stage of the giant freshwater prawn,Macrobrachium rosenbergii, have been occurring in Bangladesh since 2011. Mortalities can reach 100% and have resulted in an 80% decline in the number of hatcheries actively producingM. rosenbergii. To investigate a causative agent for the mortalities, a disease challenge was carried out using infected material from a hatchery experiencing mortalities. Moribund larvae from the challenge were prepared for metatranscriptomic sequencing.De novovirus assembly revealed a 29 kb single-stranded positive-sense RNA virus with similarities in key protein motif sequences to yellow head virus (YHV), an RNA virus that causes mass mortalities in marine shrimp aquaculture, and other viruses in theNidoviralesorder. Primers were designed against the novel virus and used to screen cDNA from larvae sampled from hatcheries in the South of Bangladesh from two consecutive years. Larvae from all hatcheries screened from both years were positive by PCR for the novel virus, including larvae from a hatchery that at the point of sampling appeared healthy, but later experienced mortalities. These screens suggest that the virus is widespread inM. rosenbergiihatchery culture in southern Bangladesh, and that early detection of the virus can be achieved by PCR. The hypothesised protein motifs of MrGV suggest that it is likely to be a new species within theNidoviralesorder. Biosecurity measures should be taken in order to mitigate global spread through the movement of post-larvae within and between countries, which has previously been linked to other virus outbreaks in crustacean aquaculture.
Potential antiviral options against SARS-CoV-2 infection
Authors: Ianevski Aleksandr , Yao Rouan , Fenstad Mona Høysæter , Biza Svetlana , Zusinaite Eva , Reisberg Tuuli , Lysvand Hilde , Løseth Kirsti , Landsem Veslemøy Malm , Malmring Janne Fossum , Oksenych Valentyn , Erlandsen Sten Even , Aas Per Arne , Hagen Lars , Pettersen Caroline H. , Tenson Tanel , Afset Jan Egil , Nordbø Svein Arne , Bjørås Magnar , Kainov Denis E.
Published: May 2020

As of June 2020, the number of people infected with severe acute respiratory coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) continues to skyrocket, with more than 6,5 million cases worldwide. Both the World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nations (UN) has highlighted the need for better control of SARS-CoV-2 infections. However, developing novel virus-specific vaccines, monoclonal antibodies and antiviral drugs against SARS-CoV-2 can be time-consuming and costly. Convalescent sera and safe-in-man broad-spectrum antivirals (BSAAs) are readily available treatment options. Here we developed a neutralization assay using SARS-CoV-2 strain and Vero-E6 cells. We identified most potent sera from recovered patients for treatment of SARS-CoV-2-infected patients. We also screened 136 safe-in-man broad-spectrum antivirals against SARS-CoV-2 infection in Vero-E6 cells and identified nelfinavir, salinomycin, amodiaquine, obatoclax, emetine and homoharringtonine. We found that combinations of virus-directed nelfinavir along with host-directed amodiaquine exhibited the highest synergy. Finally, we developed a website to disseminate the knowledge on available and emerging treatments of COVID-19.
Halobismuth(III) salts with substituted aminopyridinium cations
Authors: Senior Levi , Linden Anthony
Published: May 2020

The crystal structures of six halobismuth(III) salts of variously substituted aminopyridinium cations display discrete mononuclear [BiCl6]3− and dinuclear [Bi2
X
10]4− anions (X = Cl or Br), and polymeric cis-double-halo-bridged [Bi
nX
4

n
]
n− anionic chains (X = Br or I). Bis(2-amino-3-ammoniopyridinium) hexachloridobismuth(III) chloride monohydrate, (C5H9N3)2[BiCl6]Cl·H2O, (1), contains discrete mononuclear [BiCl6]3− and chloride anions. Tetrakis(2-amino-3-methylpyridinium) di-μ-chlorido-bis[tetrachloridobismuth(III)], (C6H9N2)4[Bi2Cl10], (2), tetrakis(2-amino-3-methylpyridinium) di-μ-bromido-bis[tetrabromidobismuth(III)], (C6H9N2)4[Bi2Br10], (3), and bis(4-amino-3-ammoniopyridinium) di-μ-chlorido-bis[tetrachloridobismuth(III)] dihydrate, (C5H9N3)2[Bi2Cl10]·2H2O, (4), incorporate discrete [Bi2
X
10]4− anions (X = Cl or Br), while catena-poly[2,6-diaminopyridinium [[cis-diiodidobismuth(III)]-di-μ-iodido]], {(C5H8N3)[BiI4]}
n
, (5), and catena-poly[2,6-diaminopyridinium [[cis-dibromidobismuth(III)]-di-μ-bromido]], {(C5H7N2)[BiBr4]}
n
, (6), include [Bi
nX
4

n
]
n− anionic chains (X = Br or I). Structures (2) and (3) are isostructural, while that of (5) is a pseudomerohedral twin. There is no discernible correlation between the type of anionic species obtained and the cation or halide ligand used. The BiIII centres always have a slightly distorted octahedral geometry and there is a correlation between the Bi—X bond lengths and the number of classic N—H...X hydrogen bonds that the X ligand accepts, with a greater number of interactions corresponding with slightly longer Bi—X distances. The supramolecular networks formed by classic N—H...X hydrogen bonds include ladders, bilayers and three-dimensional frameworks.
3D long-term recurrent convolutional networks for human sub-assembly recognition in human-robot collaboration
Authors: Wen Xianhe , Chen Heping
Published: May 2020

Purpose

Human assembly process recognition in human–robot collaboration (HRC) has been studied recently. However, most research works do not cover high-precision and long-timespan sub-assembly recognition. Hence this paper aims to deal with this problem.

Design/methodology/approach

To deal with the above-mentioned problem, the authors propose a 3D long-term recurrent convolutional networks (LRCN) by combining 3D convolutional neural networks (CNN) with long short-term memory (LSTM). 3D CNN behaves well in human action recognition. But when it comes to human sub-assembly recognition, the accuracy of 3D CNN is very low and the number of model parameters is huge, which limits its application in human sub-assembly recognition. Meanwhile, LSTM has the incomparable superiority of long-time memory and time dimensionality compression ability. Hence, by combining 3D CNN with LSTM, the new approach can greatly improve the recognition accuracy and reduce the number of model parameters.

Findings

Experiments were performed to validate the proposed method and preferable results have been obtained, where the recognition accuracy increases from 82% to 99%, recall ratio increases from 95% to 100% and the number of model parameters is reduced more than 8 times.

Originality/value

The authors focus on a new problem of high-precision and long-timespan sub-assembly recognition in the area of human assembly process recognition. Then, the 3D LRCN method is a new method with high-precision and long-timespan recognition ability for human sub-assembly recognition compared to 3D CNN method. It is extraordinarily valuable for the robot in HRC. It can help the robot understand what the sub-assembly human cooperator has done in HRC.
Farmers' preferences and willingness to pay for microcredit in Benin: results from in-the-field choice experiments in Benin
Authors: Ogouvide Tchekpo Fortune , Adegbola Ygue Patrice , Zossou Roch Cedrique , Zannou Afio , Biaou Gauthier
Published: May 2020

Purpose

This document analyses farmers' preferences and willingness to pay (CAP) for microcredit, in order to facilitate their access in rural areas.

Design/methodology/approach

Data are based on a discrete choice experiment with 400 randomly selected farmers from 20 villages of the 7 Benin agricultural development hubs (ADHs). The preference choice modelling was performed using mixed logit (MXL) and latent class logit (LCL) models. Farmers' willingness to pay for each preferred attribute was estimated. The endogenous attribute attendance (EAA) model was also used to capture attribute non-attendance (ANA) phenomenon.

Findings

The results indicate that, on average, farmers prefer individual loans, low interest rates, in kind + cash loans, cash loans, disbursement before planting and loans with at least 10-month duration. These preferences vary according to farmers' classes. Farmers are willing to pay higher or lower interest rates depending on attribute importance. The estimate of the EAA model indicates that, when taking the ANA phenomenon into consideration, people will show stronger attitudes regarding WTP for important factors.

Research limitations/implications

Based on these results from Benin, microfinance institutions (MFIs) in developing countries can, based on the interest rates currently charged, attract more farmers as customers, reviewing the combination of the levels of the attributes associated with the nature of the loan, the type of loan (individual or collective), the disbursement period of funds, the waiting period of the loan and the loan duration. However, the study only considered production credit, ignoring equipment or investment credit.

Practical implications

The document provides information on the key factors that can facilitate producers' access to MFI products and services.

Social implications

Facilitating small farmers' access to financial service will contribute to poverty reduction.

Originality/value

This research contributes to the knowledge of the attributes and attribute levels favoured by farmers when choosing financial products and the amounts they agree to pay for these attributes. The implementation of the results would facilitate small producers' access to financial services; thus contributing to poverty reduction.
The geographical and income differences in the determinants of African sovereign credit ratings
Authors: Botha Ilse , Pretorius Marinda
Published: May 2020

Purpose

The importance of obtaining a sovereign credit rating from an agency is still underrated in Africa. Literature on the determinants of sovereign credit ratings in Africa is scarce. The purpose of this research is to determine what the determinants are for sovereign credit ratings in Africa and whether these determinants differ between regions and income groups.

Design/methodology/approach

A sample of 19 African countries' determinants of sovereign credit ratings are compared between 2007 and 2014 using a panel-ordered probit approach.

Findings

The findings indicated that the determinants of sovereign credit ratings differ between African regions and income groups. The developmental indicators were the most significant determinants across all income groups and regions. The results affirm that the identified determinants in the literature are not as applicable to African sovereigns, and that developmental variables and different income groups and regions are important determinants to consider for sovereign credit ratings in Africa.

Originality/value

The results affirm that the identified determinants in the literature are not as applicable to African sovereigns, and that developmental variables and different income groups and regions are important determinants to consider for sovereign credit ratings in Africa. Rating agencies follow the same rating assignment process for developed and developing countries, which means investors will have to supplement the allocated credit rating with additional information. Africa can attract more investment if African countries obtain formal, accurate sovereign credit ratings, which take the characteristics of the continent into consideration.
Significance of Basal ganglia calcification in Down's syndrome
Authors: Thoms Lesley , Idowu Adelola , Nehra Arjun , Biswas Asit
Published: May 2020

Purpose

There is high incidence of dementia in individuals with Down’s syndrome. Much of the emphasis has been on Alzheimer’s disease as being most prevalent; however, it is apparent that other dementia types are also likely, to which this patient cohort may be predisposed. Specifically, this paper aims to highlight the potential for subcortical dementias in Down’s syndrome, suggesting a role for broader cognitive screening in aging individuals.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper describes a case of a female with Down’s syndrome and mild intellectual disability who presented with early signs of distinctive cognitive impairment and radiological calcification of the basal ganglia.

Findings

An active 42-year-old lady, who was mostly independent of activities of daily living and in part-time employment, presented with a three-year history of progressive cognitive deficit, characteristic of subcortical decline. She had no personal or known family history of mental illness, epilepsy or dementia. Routine blood tests showed chronic renal impairment, mild hypocalcaemia and vitamin D deficiency, managed by her GP. CT scan showed only bilateral basal ganglia calcification.

Originality/value

There is a widespread appreciation for the link between Down’s syndrome and Alzheimer’s disease but lesser consideration of the possibility of subcortical dementias. Given the differential nature and presentation of the two dementias, this case report highlights a need for clinicians to consider both to effectively manage these patients in the longer-term. Screening is discussed as a potential means of achieving this.
Consumers’ attitude towards alternative distribution channels of fresh fruits and vegetables in Crete
Authors: Dhaoui Ons , Nikolaou Kallirroi , Mattas Konstadinos , Baourakis George
Published: May 2020

Purpose

This paper aims to get a better insight into the Cretan consumers’ behaviour towards alternative distribution channels (ADCs) of fresh fruits and vegetables. The main factors affecting the purchase decision are investigated and recorded, demonstrating the value of alternative channels in distributing agro-food products.

Design/methodology/approach

Six independent variables were chosen to represent the factors that motivate consumers’ behaviour towards the use of ADCs. The factors were classified into two groups: socio-economic factors, mainly age, level of education and monthly family income; and personal factors, such as environmental concerns, pros-ocial beliefs and perceived availability.

Findings

The output of the MANOVA tests showed significant results as regards the independent variables (p > 0.05) which disproves the null hypothesis. More specifically, the results of this study showed that consumers’ behaviour towards ADCs is affected by socio-economic factors (age, level of education, monthly family income) and personal factors (environmental concerns, pro-social concerns and perceived availability).

Research limitations/implications

The questionnaire was focussing mainly on three (3) different ADCs: “directly from the producer”, “E-commerce” and “Fair Trade”. Any further research should examine more alternative food networks.

Practical implications

The present study's findings indicate that consumers support ADCs of fruits and vegetables and motivated by ethical stances such as environmental concern and pro-social behaviour. This could develop a new environment and trends not only for consumers but also for entrepreneurs (producers–wholesalers–retailers).

Originality/value

There is limited research concerning ADC of agricultural product in Crete. Thus, findings on consumers’ behaviour with respect to alternative and eventually sustainable distribution channels are a contribution to the literature in the field of sustainable supply chain management. Additionally, this research adds a better understanding of the Cretan consumers’ attitudes towards ADC.
Moral judgments of food wasting predict food wasting behavior
Authors: Misiak Michal , Kruger Daniel , Kruger Jessica Sloan , Sorokowski Piotr
Published: May 2020

Purpose

People consider food wasting behavior to be immoral. However, it is not clear whether people who consider food wasting behavior immoral waste less food. Building on previous qualitative studies, we conducted a large-sample quantitative study. We examined whether people who consider food wasting behavior immoral display food wasting behaviors less frequently and whether they waste less food in general. Furthermore, we explored the reasons that make people consider food wasting behavior immoral and whether they affected food wasting.

Design/methodology/approach

Participants voluntarily (n = 562) completed a set of questionnaires that measured the frequency of their food wasting behavior, the amount of food wasted in the preceding week, and food wasting moral judgments, including scales, which explored the reasons for judging this behavior as immoral.

Findings

We found that people who regard food wasting behavior as immoral displayed food wasting behavior less frequently, but did not waste less food than people who did not consider food wasting behavior immoral. Furthermore, we found that there are two categories of reasons for moral disapproval of food wasting behavior: externally oriented (concern for the environment, social issues, and for future generations) and internally oriented (concern for ones’ financial situation, social approval, and going by traditional norms). However, only people whose moral judgments were motivated by externally oriented reasons wasted food less frequently.

Originality/value

Our findings provide evidence that moral judgments influence food wasting behavior and highlight the importance of the content of moral beliefs for predicting behaviors.
How social norms affect alcohol dependence: the mediating role of perceived benefits and alcohol identity
Authors: Wang Shih-Tse Edward , Liao Yu-Ting
Published: May 2020

Purpose

Although the association between social norms and alcohol dependence has been noted, how social norms cause alcohol dependence remains unclear. This study thus investigated how social norms affect the perceived benefits of drinking and alcohol identity, which in turn affect alcohol dependence.

Design/methodology/approach

Convenience sampling was used, and 452 valid questionnaires were collected from alcohol (specifically, beer) consumers over the age of 18; answers were analyzed through structural equation modeling.

Findings

Social norms positively affected the perceived benefits of drinking and alcohol identity; alcohol identity positively affected alcohol dependence; moreover, alcohol identity fully mediated the effects of social norms and the perceived benefits of drinking on alcohol dependence.

Originality/value

How social norms affect alcohol dependence has rarely been studied; thus, the present study has value for integrating the findings in the lines of research on social norms and alcohol dependence. Based on the study results, the authors recommend that policies aimed at discouraging alcohol dependence should focus on mitigating the social pressure to drink and the perceived benefits of drinking as well as labeling others as drinkers.
Back through the back door? On removing supervisors to reduce hierarchy
Authors: Ingvaldsen Jonas A. , Benders Jos
Published: May 2020

Purpose

This article addresses why movements towards less-hierarchical organizing may be unsustainable within organizations.

Design/methodology/approach

Eschewing hierarchy may prove sustainable if alternative forms of management are acceptable to both employees and managers accountable for those employees’ performance. Developing alternatives means dealing with the fundamentally contradictory functions of coordination and control. Through a qualitative case study of a manufacturing company that removed first-line supervisors, this article analyses how issues of control and coordination were dealt with formally and informally.

Findings

Removal of the formal supervisor was followed by workers’ and middle managers’ efforts to informally reconstruct hierarchical supervision. Their efforts to deal pragmatically with control and coordination were frustrated by formal prescriptions for less hierarchy, leading to contested outcomes. The article identifies upward and downward pressures for the hierarchy’s reconstruction, undermining the sustainability of less-hierarchical organizing.

Research limitations/implications

This study is limited by the use of cross-sectional data and employees’ retrospective narratives. Future research on the sustainability of less-hierarchical organizing should preferably be longitudinal to overcome these limitations.

Practical implications

Unless organizational changes towards less hierarchy engage with issues of managerial control and upward accountability, they are likely to induce pressures for hierarchy’s reconstruction.

Originality/value

The article offers an original approach to the classical problem of eschewing hierarchy in organizations. The approach allows us to explore the interrelated challenges facing such restructuring, some of which are currently unacknowledged or underestimated within the literature.