bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Palliative care physicians' preparation and planning for the implementation of the Voluntary Assisted Dying Act in Victoria
Authors: Philip Jennifer , Holmes Alex , Benson Melanie , Boughey Mark , Yoong Jaclyn , Clinch Alexandra , Moran Juli
Published: August 2020

Background

In November 2017, the Victorian Voluntary Assisted Dying (VAD) Act was passed enabling people with a progressive terminal illness to end their life voluntarily. Heated debate abounded including, to some extent within palliative care, which was also challenged with developing processes around the legislation enactment.

Aim

In response, the lead author convened a series of meetings of palliative care physicians to: (i) share ideas about preparations being undertaken within services; and (ii) re‐establish professional cohesion following the divide that the legislation had presented.

Methods

A series of three closed meetings were held between the legislation passage and its implementation, with all Victorian palliative care physicians invited to attend. Meetings were facilitated by an experienced psychiatrist from outside the field.

Results

These meetings proved very valuable as physicians collectively sought to define and respond to challenges, simultaneously reflecting on the personal and professional implications for individuals and the field. Key areas raised including gauging institutional ‘readiness’ for the legislation through staff surveys; the educational role of palliative care staff of the legislation implications; communication skills training; the role (if any) of palliative care in the processes of VAD; and the perceptions of palliative care itself in health services and the community. It was during the processes of discussing challenges and sharing solutions that the attendees appeared to reaffirm their professional interconnections.

Conclusion

A description of the key elements of these discussions may be useful to others who may yet face similar circumstances with the introduction of VAD legislation.
Effectiveness of a couple‐based psychosocial intervention on patients with prostate cancer and their partners: A quasi‐experimental study
Authors: Chien Ching‐Hui , Chung Hsiao‐Jen , Liu Kuan‐Lin , Pang See‐Tong , Wu Chun‐Te , Chang Ying‐Hsu , Huang Xuan‐Yi , Chang Yen‐Hwa , Lin Tzu‐Ping , Lin Wei‐Yu , Chuang Cheng‐Keng
Published: August 2020

Aims

To understand the effectiveness of a couple‐based psychosocial information package (PIP) and multimedia psychosocial intervention (MPI) on patients with prostate cancer and their partners.

Design

A random assignment and quasi‐experimental design were used.

Methods

From August 2015–March 2018, 103 newly diagnosed patients with prostate cancer and their partners were divided into a control group (CG) (N = 50), PIP group (N = 25) and MPI group (N = 28). The CG received usual care, the PIP group received information manuals and telephone counselling for 6‐week and the MPI group received multimedia films and manuals and professional support for 6 weeks. The three groups were posttested 6, 10, 18 and 24 weeks after the pre‐test. The outcome measurements included disease appraisals, emotion status, relationship satisfaction, health‐related quality of life (HRQOL) and satisfaction with MPI.

Results/Findings

Partners in the MPI and PIP groups experienced significant improvements in positive and negative affect or mental HRQOL as compared with the CG. The effectiveness of MPI and PIP on negative affect, mental HRQOL, however, were not statistically significant in patients with prostate cancer. Nevertheless, patients were satisfied with the MPI.

Conclusion

Nurses can provide different types of interventions for partners, depending on personal preferences and available resources.

IMPACT

There is a lack of studies that focus on the effectiveness of couple‐based psychosocial intervention on both the patients with prostate cancer and their partners in Asia. Partners in the multimedia psychosocial intervention group and psychosocial information package group experienced improvements in positive affect, negative affect or health‐related quality of life as compared with the control group. Patients in both intervention groups experienced similar negative affect and health‐related quality of life as compared with the control group. The couple‐based psychosocial interventions can be provided by nurses based on partners’ preferences and available resources.
Inhibition of PTEN activity promotes IB4‐positive sensory neuronal axon growth
Authors: Zhou Li‐Yu , Han Feng , Qi Shi‐Bin , Ma Jin‐Jin , Ma Yan‐Xia , Xie Ji‐Le , Zhang Hong‐Cheng , Fu Xin‐Ya , Chen Jian‐Quan , Li Bin , Yang Hui‐Lin , Zhou Feng , Saijilafu
Published: August 2020

Traumatic nerve injuries have become a common clinical problem, and axon regeneration is a critical process in the successful functional recovery of the injured nervous system. In this study, we found that peripheral axotomy reduces PTEN expression in adult sensory neurons; however, it did not alter the expression level of PTEN in IB4‐positive sensory neurons. Additionally, our results indicate that the artificial inhibition of PTEN markedly promotes adult sensory axon regeneration, including IB4‐positive neuronal axon growth. Thus, our results provide strong evidence that PTEN is a prominent repressor of adult sensory axon regeneration, especially in IB4‐positive neurons.
Diagnostic utility of corneal confocal microscopy in type 2 diabetic peripheral neuropathy
Authors: Wang Meijian , Zhang Cong , Zuo Anju , Li Lili , Chen Li , Hou Xinguo
Published: August 2020

Aims/Introduction

The early pathological changes of diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) are mainly small nerve fiber injuries. Corneal confocal microscopy (CCM) is an easy, rapid, non‐invasive and repeatable technique to detect the damage of small nerve fibers. The purpose of this study was to explore the application of CCM in DPN and other chronic complications of type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Materials and Methods

A total of 220 individuals (48 normal healthy control participants and 172 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus) were included in the study. All participants were assessed and scored for neurological symptoms and neurological deficits, quantitative sensory test, neuroelectrophysiological test, and CCM.

Results

Corneal nerve fiber density, corneal nerve fiber length and corneal nerve branch density were significantly reduced in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus compared with normal healthy control subjects (P < 0.001, P < 0.001 and P < 0.001, respectively). In the DPN group, corneal nerve fiber density, corneal nerve branch density and corneal nerve fiber length were significantly lower than for patients without DPN (P < 0.001, P < 0.001 and P < 0.001, respectively). Receiver operating characteristic analysis showed that the optimal cut‐off values were 24.68, 39 and 15.315, respectively, in which corneal nerve fiber density and corneal nerve fiber length had moderate sensitivity and specificity.

Conclusion

This study provides more support for the clinical use of CCM to diagnose type 2 diabetes mellitus‐related complications, especially DPN.
Undernutrition is associated with change in severe dental caries
Authors: Shen Anqi , Bernabé Eduardo , Sabbah Wael
Published: August 2020

Objectives

To examine the association of baseline prevalence of thinness or stunting and the incidence of dental caries among preschool children in Liaoning Province, China.

Methods

Children were recruited from 15 kindergartens in Liaoning Province. A total of 772 children were assessed at baseline and follow‐up. The mean age of children at baseline was 50.82 months, and the median follow‐up time was 10.12 months. Anthropometric measurement, dental caries, and questionnaire were assessed overtime, whereas only baseline questionnaire was used in the data analysis. z‐Score for body mass index (BMI)‐for‐age, weight‐for‐age, and height‐for‐age were calculated using World Health Organisation (WHO) Child Growth Standards. Dental caries was assessed according to the fifth WHO Basic Methods for Oral Health Surveys. The presence of pulpal involvement, ulceration, fistula, and abscess (pufa) were used to indicate severe dental caries in deciduous teeth. A structured questionnaire mainly based on the fifth WHO Oral Health Surveys was used to collect sociodemographic and behavior data. Logistic regression was constructed to assess the association between change in severe dental caries and prevalence of thinness and stunting.

Results

There was a positive association between prevalence of stunting and incidence of severe caries in the fully adjusted model [odds ratios 2.88; 95 percent confidence interval (CI): 1.01, 8.27]. Prevalence of thinness showed insignificant positive association with incidence of severe caries.

Conclusions

While undernutrition indicated by stunting appeared to be a risk factor for severe dental caries, it could also be a marker for other determinants of progress of dental caries including socioeconomic factors and lack of use of dental services.
Canine orosomucoid (alpha‐1 acid glycoprotein) variants and their influence on drug plasma protein binding
Authors: Costa Ana P. , Court Michael H. , Villarino Nicolas F. , Burke Neal S. , Mealey Katrina L.
Published: August 2020

Orosomucoid polymorphisms influence plasma drug binding in humans; however, canine variants and their effect on drug plasma protein binding have not yet been reported. In this study, the orosomucoid gene (ORM1) was sequenced in 100 dogs to identify the most common variant and its allele frequency determined in 1,464 dogs (from 64 breeds and mixed‐breed dogs). Plasma protein binding extent of amitriptyline, indinavir, verapamil, and lidocaine were evaluated by equilibrium dialysis using plasma from ORM1 genotyped dogs (n = 12). Free and total drug plasma concentrations were quantified by liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry. From the five polymorphisms identified in canine ORM1, two were nonsynonymous. The most common was c.70G>A (p.Ala24Thr) with an allele frequency of 11.2% (n = 1464). Variant allele frequencies varied by breed, reaching 74% in Shetland Sheepdogs (n = 21). Free drug fractions did not differ significantly (p > .05; Mann‐Whitney U) between plasma collected from dogs with c.70AA (n = 4) and those with c.70GG (n = 8) genotypes. While c.70G>A did not affect the extent of plasma protein binding in our study, the potential biological and pharmacological implication of this newly discovered ORM1 variant in dogs should be further investigated.
Thrice‐beloved Belly of Naples: Nostalgia and privation in George Gissing and Matilde Serao
Authors: Maltz Diana
Published: August 2020

During visits to Italy between 1888 and 1890, George Gissing immersed himself in fictions by Matilde Serao, a journalist, editor, and leading practitioner of verismo (Italian realism), whose stories focused on the travails of the poor of Naples. Partly as a means of practicing his Italian and partly for his own pleasure, Gissing read serial installments of her novels Addio, Amore! (1890) and Il Paese di Cuccagna (1891). The latter novel, translated into English as The Land of Cockayne (or, The Land of Milk and Honey) in 1901, dramatized the damage wrought upon Naples' social and economic life by its state lottery. Swept up by lottery fever, locals forfeit their savings, exploit each other for loans, and ruin one another's lives. Cockayne invites comparisons with Gissing's The Whirlpool (1897), which captured a culture preoccupied with precarious financial investments, and In the Year of Jubilee (1894), which famously satirized the frenzy of the crowd. Yet, upon closer look, these comparisons do not fully hold. Serao's characters are city people, but they are strongly imprinted by a lingering peasant consciousness. Earnest in their domestic roles, these wives and daughters feel none of the troubling temptations of modernity. All of Serao's men and women hold an enduring folk belief in dreams and premonitions, the means by which they choose their lottery numbers. This was likely the source of Gissing's pleasure in the book. While aspects of Cockayne mirror the modernity of his fictions, Serao's Neapolitans evince an older worldview that intrigues him.
Machine learning and image processing approaches for estimating concrete surface roughness using basic cameras
Authors: Valikhani Alireza , Jaberi Jahromi Azadeh , Pouyanfar Samira , Mantawy Islam M. , Azizinamini Atorod
Published: August 2020

Casting concrete at different ages for new construction and repairing or retrofitting concrete structures requires a sufficient bond between concrete casts. The bond strength between different casts is attributed to surface roughness. Surface roughness can be achieved in many ways, such as water‐jetting or sandblasting. To evaluate the degree of surface roughness, qualitative and quantitative methods are introduced by many researchers; however, several drawbacks are associated with most of these methods, including cost, availability, human errors, and inability to assess old structures from prior inspection records. Two novel industrial implementation methods are introduced in this paper to estimate, quantitatively, the concrete surface roughness from images with sufficient resolution. In the first application method, a digital image processing method is proposed to distinguish the coarse aggregate from cement paste, and a new index is presented as a function of aggregate proportional area to the surface area. In the second application method, data augmentation and transfer learning techniques in computer vision and machine learning are utilized to classify new images based on predefined images during the learning process. Both application methods were related to a well‐established method of 3D laser scanning from sandblasted concrete surfaces. Finally, a brand new set of images of sandblasted surfaces was used to test and validate both methods. The results show that both methods successfully estimate the concrete surface roughness with an accuracy of more than 93%.
Dramatical deformation of basilar artery dolichoectasia related to short‐term recurrent stroke
Authors: Kitagawa Tomomichi , Sakuta Kenichi , Komatsu Teppei , Aoki Ken , Sakai Kenichiro , Ishibashi Toshihiro , Mitsumura Hidetaka , Murayama Yuichi , Iguchi Yasuyuki
Published: August 2020

A 45‐year‐old man presented with an acute pontine infarction with dolichoectasia of the basilar artery. Four days after initiation of antithrombotic therapy, the occurrence of symptomatic subarachnoid hemorrhage was confirmed by brain computed tomography (MRI), with a remarkable shrinkage of dolichoectasia of the basilar artery. Despite the discontinuation of antithrombotic therapy, subsequent multiple ruptures occurred with re‐expanded DBA and the patient died of respiratory insufficiency. Since DBA has an anatomical structural abnormality in a vessel wall, a shape of vessel could dramatically be changed. Because a transformation of DBA diameter could occur in the course of ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke, we need to pay attention to change of DBA diameter.
Land use mix in the neighbourhood and childhood obesity
Authors: Jia Peng , Pan Xiongfeng , Liu Fangchao , He Pan , Zhang Weiwei , Liu Li , Zou Yuxuan , Chen Liding
Published: August 2020

Land use mix (LUM) in the neighbourhood is an important aspect for promoting healthier lifestyles and consequently reducing the risk for childhood obesity. However, findings of the association between LUM and childhood obesity remain controversial. A literature search was conducted on Cochrane Library, PubMed and Web of Science for articles published before 1 January 2019. In total, 25 cross‐sectional and two longitudinal studies were identified. Among them, Geographic Information Systems were used to measure LUM in 15 studies, and perceived LUM was measured in 12 studies. Generally, most studies revealed an association between a higher LUM and higher PA levels and lower obesity rates, although some studies also reported null or negative associations. The various exposure and outcome assessment have limited the synthesis to obtain pooled estimates. The evidence remains scare on the association between LUM and children's weight status, and more longitudinal studies are needed to examine the independent pathways and causality between LUM and weight‐related behaviours/outcomes.
Self‐collection of samples for HPV testing to increase participation in cervical cancer screening by immigrant women: An integrative review
Authors: Elmore Catherine E. , Laughon Kathryn , Mitchell Emma McKim
Published: August 2020

Objective

To examine methods and results of studies assessing self‐collection of cervico‐vaginal samples for human papillomavirus (HPV) testing by immigrant women for insights into how future research using this method with unique subpopulations of women may improve the rates of cervical cancer screening (CCS) compared to current strategies.

Data Sources

Four electronic databases were systematically searched through March 2020, with no limits applied. A manual review of reference lists was also completed.

Study Selection

The search resulted in 63 articles. After removal of duplicates, 36 were reviewed against inclusion criteria. A manual review of reference lists yielded two additional studies. The final sample included 15 relevant publications representing 13 unique empirical studies.

Data Extraction

Data related to study methodology and empirical results were extracted into table form.

Data Synthesis

The methods of the studies were summarized and synthesized, including diversity of participants, community engagement, including collaboration with public health nurses or community health workers. In addition, methods and findings related to the educational components of the studies, and empirical findings related to various cultural groups, were described.

Conclusion

To reduce health disparities in CCS, researchers should focus on diverse groups, such as immigrant women, to understand important individual and group‐specific factors that may influence screening, including whether self‐collection of samples for HPV testing along with appropriate education and support for follow‐up will address these factors.
Identification of tea foliar diseases and pest damage under practical field conditions using a convolutional neural network
Authors: Lee Sheng‐Hung , Lin Shiou‐Ruei , Chen Shih‐Fang
Published: August 2020

Lesions of tea (Camellia sinensis) leaves are detrimental to the growth of tea crops. Their adverse effects include further disease of tea leaves and a direct reduction in yield and profit. Therefore, early detection and on‐site monitoring of tea leaf lesions are necessary for effective management to control infections and prevent further yield loss. In this study, 1,822 images of tea leaves with lesions caused by three diseases (brown blight, Colletotrichum camelliae; blister blight, Exobasidium vexans; and algal leaf spot, Cephaleuros virescens) and four pests (leaf miner, Tropicomyia theae; tea thrip, Scirtothrips dorsalis; tea leaf roller, Homona magnanima; and tea mosquito bug, Helopeltis fasciaticollis) were collected from northern and central Taiwan. A faster region‐based convolutional neural network (Faster R‐CNN) was then trained to detect the locations of the lesions on the leaves and to identify the causes of the lesions. The trained Faster R‐CNN detector achieved a precision of 77.5%, recall of 70.6%, an F1 score of 73.91%, and a mean average precision of 66.02%. An overall accuracy of 89.4% was obtained for identification of the seven classes of tea diseases and pests. The developed detector could assist tea farmers in identifying the causes of lesions in real time.
Characteristics of initial symptoms and symptoms at diagnosis in probable dementia with Lewy body disease: incidence of symptoms and gender differences
Authors: Utsumi Kumiko , Fukatsu Ryo , Yamada Ritsuko , Takamaru Yuji , Hara Yuko , Yasumura Shuichi
Published: August 2020

Aim

Although dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) is characterized by a variety of initial symptoms, there are almost no reports of the initial symptoms of DLB assessed in a large number of cases. We retrospectively evaluated the initial symptoms of 234 participants with DLB and DLB‐related symptoms at diagnosis and characterized any gender differences in the symptom profiles.

Methods

This study consisted of 234 participants with probable DLB who met the diagnostic criteria outlined in the Fourth Consensus Report of the DLB Consortium (2017). DLB was confirmed based on several characteristic biomarkers for dopamine transporter imaging with 123I‐N‐omega‐fluoropropyl‐2‐beta‐carbomethoxy‐3‐beta (4‐iodophenyl) nortropane single‐photon emission computed tomography, 123I‐metaiodobenzylguanidine myocardial scintigraphy, and brain perfusion measured with single photon emission computed tomography. In addition, core and supportive clinical features were considered in the diagnosis.

Results

Initial symptoms included cognitive impairment (41.9%) and psychiatric symptoms (i.e. visual and auditory hallucinations, delusions, and depression) (42.3%). Almost half of the women initially presented with psychiatric symptoms, with significantly more women than men presenting with auditory hallucinations. In contrast, men had a significantly higher rate of rapid eye movement sleep behaviour disorder (RBD) than women did. At diagnosis, DLB‐related symptoms differed between men and women, with male patients exhibiting significantly more RBD, parkinsonism, hyposmia, and syncope than female patients. Moreover women presented significantly more often with auditory hallucinations than did men.

Conclusions

Our results indicate that there are gender differences in the initial symptoms of DLB, as well as in the presentation of subsequent symptoms observed at diagnosis. There was a higher incidence of RBD in men, whereas women had a higher incidence of psychotic symptoms.
Is Representation Enough? Racial Disparities in Levels of Force and Arrests by Police
Authors: Headley Andrea M. , Wright James E.
Published: August 2020

The research in representative bureaucracy that examines the extent to which racial congruence impacts bureaucrats’ decisions is mixed. This study adds to this literature by examining the impact of representative bureaucracy on the level of force that police officers use and whether they make an arrest in use of force encounters, while taking into consideration key situational conditions. Using individual‐level data from New Orleans to estimate this impact, the authors find that racial congruence and incongruence impact policing outcomes even in the presence of situational shortcuts that cue decision‐making. The findings show that the benefits of representation are conditional on the outcome. Black officers are less likely to use higher levels of force on Black civilians. Yet both Black and White officers are less likely to arrest White civilians in use of force encounters. This suggests that interactions in which bureaucrats have less discretion (e.g., arrests) may offer limited opportunities for active representation.
Effect of delaying the time of insemination with sex‐sorted semen on pregnancy rate in Holstein heifers
Authors: Guner Baris , Erturk Melih , Yilmazbas‐Mecitoglu Gulnaz , Keskin Abdulkadir , Karakaya‐Bilen Ebru , Cakircali Rabia , Serim Enes , Orman Abdulkadir , Gumen Ahmet
Published: August 2020

The objective of the study was to evaluate the interval from onset of oestrus to time of artificial insemination (AI) to obtain the optimum pregnancy rate with sex‐sorted semen in Holstein heifers. Heifers in oestrus were detected and inseminated only by using heat–rumination neck collar comprised electronic identification tag at the age of 13–14 months. Heifers (n = 283) were randomly assigned to one of three groups according to the timing of insemination at 12–16 hr (G1, n = 97), at 16.1–20 hr (G2, n = 94) and at 20.1–24 hr (G3, n = 92) after reaching the activity threshold. The mean duration of oestrus was 18.6 ± 0.1 hr, and mean peak activity was found at 7.5 ± 0.1 hr after activity threshold. The mean interval from activity threshold to ovulation was 29.4 ± 0.4 hr. The overall pregnancy per AI (P/AI) was 53.0% at 29–35 days and 50.9% at 60–66 days after AI. There was a significant reduction between G1 (13.8 ± 1.4 hr) and G3 (7.9 ± 1.4 hr) related to the intervals from AI to ovulation time. Sex‐sorted semen resulted in significantly higher P/AI at 29–35 days when heifers inseminated in G3 (60.9%) after oestrus than those inseminated in G1 (49.5%) and G2 (48.9%). In terms of fertility, when the temperature–humidity index (THI) was below the threshold value (THI ≤65) at the time of AI, there was a tendency (≤65; 57.2% vs. > 65; 47.1%) for high pregnancy rate. There was no effect of sire on P/AI. In addition, the interaction of the technician with the time of AI was found significant, and three‐way interaction of technician, sire and time of AI was tended to be significant on pregnancy rate. Thus, in addition to delaying the time of insemination (between 20.1 and 24 hr) after oestrous detection, THI and experienced technician were also found to be critical factors in increasing fertility with the use of sex‐sorted semen in Holstein heifers.
Development and psychometric properties of the Functioning and Recovery Scale: a new measure to assess psychosocial functioning after a suicide attempt
Authors: Batterham Philip J. , Poyser Carmel , Gulliver Amelia , Banfield Michelle , Calear Alison L.
Published: August 2020

Objective

Few measures have been developed to assess the efficacy of community‐based suicide prevention and recovery services. The current study aimed to develop a scale to provide accurate assessment and monitoring of functional recovery for people following a recent suicide attempt at The Way Back Support Service in Australia.

Method

The study was conducted in multiple iterative stages: (1) literature review to identify existing scales; (2) structured informant interview with people with lived experience of a suicide attempt; (3) expert survey of researchers, clinicians, and people with lived experience on relevance and acceptability of candidate items; and (4) quantitative survey of the pilot scale to assess psychometric properties.

Results

An 11‐item scale assessing recovery in people who have recently attempted suicide was demonstrated to be a unidimensional measure with sound psychometric properties (α = 0.94). The scale was highly acceptable to researchers, clinicians, and people with lived experience. A short‐form 6‐item scale was also developed.

Conclusions

The Functioning and Recovery Scale is likely to be useful for evaluating suicide prevention programs. No existing scale captures the broad construct of psychosocial functioning with sound psychometric rigor and the involvement of people with lived experience of suicide attempt.
Multi‐kilometre long pathway of geofluids migration: Clues concerning an ophiolite serpentinization setting possibly responsible for the inferred abiotic provenance of methane in thermal water outflows of the South‐West Carpathians (Romania)
Authors: Mitrofan Horia , Marin Constantin , Chitea Florina , Cadicheanu Nicoleta , Povară Ioan , Tudorache Alin , Ioniţă Daniela Elena , Anghelache Mirela‐Adriana
Published: August 2020

Methane occurrences displaying signatures of a possible abiotic origin had previously been reported in the South‐West Carpathians (Romania). Such an accumulation, at Tisoviţa, was intercepted by a well drilled in an ophiolitic rocks massif, whereas in two other localities—situated tens of kilometres faraway—the concerned methane is released via thermal groundwater outflows that are apparently not associated with any ultramafic products. By using groundwater ionic compositions, corroborated with previously published isotopic (13C‐CH4, 2H‐CH4, 3He/4He) and molecular gas analyses, we assessed in more detail the conjectured abiotic provenance of methane, and quantitatively investigated the hypothesis of a progressive mixing between two, abiotic and thermogenic, methane end‐members. The corresponding geofluids behaviour was modelled by hypothesizing a “concealed” ophiolite serpentinization setting (largely similar to that at Tisoviţa), whose abiotic methane production was “diverted” towards remote discharges at ground surface, via a ~20‐km‐long flowpath supposedly generated by recently operating extensional tectonics.
A data model for organizing relative semantics as images to support pedestrian navigation computations
Authors: Fang Zhixiang , Yang Fan , Guan Fangli , Feng Mingxiang , Jiang Yuxin
Published: August 2020

Pedestrian navigation systems often use the relative semantics of pedestrians and their environments to provide navigation guidance. Relative semantics include spatial and visual semantics. However, most navigation data models are based on an absolute reference frame and do not support the organization of relative semantics. To address this deficiency, we propose a pedestrian navigation data model based on relative semantic images that organizes the relative semantics of landmarks and environments directly in the image channels. Using geographic data for a university campus, we compared the data file size, data access time, and memory usage to confirm that the proposed approach outperforms the geodatabase approach in storing and accessing the relative semantic data. Two examples, self‐localization and route guidance, demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed data model. This model can support fast pedestrian navigation on mobile devices in small and medium‐sized areas.
azul: A fast and efficient 3D city model viewer for macOS
Authors: Arroyo Ohori Ken
Published: August 2020

3D city models are an important research topic within geographic information, but there is still a lack of good tools to work with them in practice. In an attempt to alleviate this problem and to help with our own research, we have developed azul, a free and open‐source macOS 3D viewer that was especially engineered for the visualization of 3D city models. The aim of this article is, first of all, to describe the inner workings of azul as a complete methodology to efficiently visualize 3D city models, and which can be also applied to other hierarchically structured data models, which are becoming more prevalent in geographic information. In addition, the article has three ancillary goals: (a) to present other general‐purpose methods that are useful to efficiently process 3D city models (e.g., robust error‐correcting parsers and data models that can be used with multiple formats); (b) to describe technical issues and problematic aspects related to current 3D city model formats that are known by developers but are not properly documented in the scientific literature; and (c) to foster an open discussion about the best data structures and algorithms to process 3D city models in practice.
Phylogenetic signal of host plants in the bacterial and fungal root microbiomes of cultivated angiosperms
Authors: Wang Boxi , Sugiyama Shuichi
Published: August 2020

Root microbiomes are established through selective recruitment by host plants from pools of potential partners. However, the assembly rules of root microbiomes remain unclear. To elucidate (i) the effects of host plant phylogeny on root microbiome assembly and (ii) which microbial groups affect differences in root microbiome assemblies, the structures of bacterial and fungal root microbiomes from 20 cultivated angiosperms were compared. Surface‐sterilized seeds from each species were sown in identical soil, and DNA was extracted from the plant roots after 7–8 weeks. The bacterial (16S rRNA) and fungal (ITS) communities were then examined using Illumina MiSeq. The phylogenetic distances of host plants and assembly dissimilarities of bacterial microbiomes, but not of fungal ones, were significantly correlated, as were the topologies of the host plant phylogenetic tree and the community dissimilarity tree, thereby confirming the phylogenetic conservation of bacterial root microbiomes. Furthermore, host plant phylogeny mainly affected only a few specific bacterial lineages, including the Betaproteobacteria, Gammaproteobacteria, and Chloroflexi. Burkholderia (Betaproteobacteria) taxa were more abundant in monocots than in dicots, whereas Streptomyces (Actinobacteria) taxa were less abundant. These findings suggest that bacterial root microbiomes have significantly contributed to the functional divergence of angiosperms at higher taxonomic levels.
Recent World Health Organization regulatory recommendations are not supported by existing evidence
Authors: Gjestland Truls
Published: August 2020

The European Region of the World Health Organization (WHO) recently published revised recommendations for transportation noise exposure intended to limit adverse health effects. WHO's newly recommended “safe” limit for aircraft noise exposure is about an order of magnitude lower than the limits currently adopted by most European countries. WHO defines “safe exposure” as the level corresponding to an annoyance prevalence rate of 10% highly annoyed. The revised recommendations are based on a limited selection of post-2000 publications. About half of the cited studies rely on nonstandard questionnaires, respondent selection, and definitions of annoyance prevalence rates which over-estimate annoyance. A re-analysis of a larger and more representative selection of studies that relies on standard procedures shows that no meaningful changes in prevalence rates of high annoyance with aircraft noise have occurred and that existing evidence does not support WHO's revised recommendations.
REVIEWS OF ACOUSTICAL PATENTS
Authors: Fulop Sean A.
Published: August 2020

The purpose of these acoustical patent reviews is to provide enough information for a Journal reader to decide whether to seek more information from the patent itself. Any opinions expressed here are those of the reviewers as individuals and are not legal opinions. Patents are available via the internet at the USPTO website, and also using Google Patents.
Nucleocapsid Protein Precursors NCp9 and NCp15 Suppress ATP-Mediated Rescue of AZT-Terminated Primers by HIV-1 Reverse Transcriptase
Authors: Árquez Moisés A. , Martín-Alonso Samara , Gorelick Robert J. , Scott Walter A. , Acosta-Hoyos Antonio J. , Menéndez-Arias Luis
Published: August 2020

In HIV-1, development of resistance to AZT (3′-azido-3′-deoxythymidine) is mediated by the acquisition of thymidine analogue resistance mutations (TAMs) (i.e., M41L, D67N, K70R, L210W, T215F/Y, and K219E/Q) in the viral reverse transcriptase (RT). Clinically relevant combinations of TAMs, such as M41L/T215Y or D67N/K70R/T215F/K219Q, enhance the ATP-mediated excision of AZT monophosphate (AZTMP) from the 3′ end of the primer, allowing DNA synthesis to continue. Additionally, during HIV-1 maturation, the Gag polyprotein is cleaved to release a mature nucleocapsid protein (NCp7) and two intermediate precursors (NCp9 and NCp15).
Mapping the Efficacy and Mode of Action of Ethylzingerone [4-(3-Ethoxy-4-Hydroxyphenyl) Butan-2-One] as an Active Agent against
Burkholderia
Bacteria
Authors: Rushton Laura , Khodr Ahmad , Menard-Szczebara Florence , Maillard Jean-Yves , Cupferman Sylvie , Mahenthiralingam Eshwar
Published: August 2020

Burkholderia
bacteria are opportunistic pathogens that can overcome preservatives used in the manufacture of nonsterile industrial products and occasionally cause contamination. Consequently, new preservatives to prevent the growth of key risk
Burkholderia cepacia
complex bacteria in nonfood industrial products are urgently required. Here, we show that ethylzingerone is active against these problematic bacteria, killing them via a multifactorial mode of action which involves intracellular oxidation.
A Diagnostic Stewardship Intervention To Improve Blood Culture Use among Adult Nonneutropenic Inpatients: the DISTRIBUTE Study
Authors: Fabre Valeria , Klein Eili , Salinas Alejandra B. , Jones George , Carroll Karen C. , Milstone Aaron M. , Amoah Joe , Hsu Yea-Jen , Gadala Avinash , Desai Sanjay , Goyal Amit , Furfaro David , Zimmerman Jacquelyn , Lin Susan , Cosgrove Sara E.
Published: August 2020

Interventions to optimize blood culture (BCx) practices in adult inpatients are limited. We conducted a before-after study evaluating the impact of a diagnostic stewardship program that aimed to optimize BCx use in a medical intensive care unit (MICU) and five medicine units at a large academic center. The program included implementation of an evidence-based algorithm detailing indications for BCx use and education and feedback to providers about BCx rates and indication inappropriateness. Neutropenic patients were excluded.
PPP6C Negatively Regulates STING-Dependent Innate Immune Responses
Authors: Ni Guoxin , Ma Zhe , Wong Jason P. , Zhang Zhigang , Cousins Emily , Major M. Ben , Damania Blossom
Published: August 2020

Cytosolic DNA, which usually comes from invading microbes, is a dangerous signal to the host. The cGAS-STING pathway is the major player that detects cytosolic DNA and then evokes the innate immune response. As an adaptor protein, STING plays a central role in controlling activation of the cGAS-STING pathway. Although transient activation of STING is essential to trigger the host defense during pathogen invasion, chronic STING activation has been shown to be associated with several autoinflammatory diseases. Here, we report that PPP6C negatively regulates the cGAS-STING pathway by removing STING phosphorylation, which is required for its activation. Dephosphorylation of STING by PPP6C helps prevent the sustained production of STING-dependent cytokines, which would otherwise lead to severe autoimmune disorders. This work provides additional mechanisms on the regulation of STING activity and might facilitate the development of novel therapeutics designed to prevent a variety of autoinflammatory disorders.
T3SEpp: an Integrated Prediction Pipeline for Bacterial Type III Secreted Effectors
Authors: Hui Xinjie , Chen Zewei , Lin Mingxiong , Zhang Junya , Hu Yueming , Zeng Yingying , Cheng Xi , Ou-Yang Le , Sun Ming-an , White Aaron P. , Wang Yejun
Published: August 2020

Type III secreted effector (T3SE) prediction remains a big computational challenge. In practical applications, current software tools often suffer problems of high false-positive rates. One of the causal factors could be the relatively unitary type of biological features used for the design and training of the models. In this research, we made a comprehensive survey on the sequence-based features of T3SEs, including signal sequences, chaperone-binding domains, effector domains, and transcription factor binding promoter sites, and assembled a unified prediction pipeline integrating multi-aspect biological features within homology-based and multiple machine learning models. To our knowledge, we have compiled the most comprehensive biological sequence feature analysis for T3SEs in this research. The T3SEpp pipeline integrating the variety of features and assembling different models showed high accuracy, which should facilitate more accurate identification of T3SEs in new and existing bacterial whole-genome sequences.
Precise Species Identification for
Enterobacter
: a Genome Sequence-Based Study with Reporting of Two Novel Species,
Enterobacter quasiroggenkampii
sp. nov. and
Enterobacter quasimori
sp. nov
Authors: Wu Wenjing , Feng Yu , Zong Zhiyong
Published: August 2020

Enterobacter
species are major human pathogens. Precise species identification lays a foundation for microbiology, but the taxonomy of
Enterobacter
is complicated and confusing. In this study, first, we significantly updated the taxonomy of
Enterobacter
by rigorous genome analyses and found that all subspecies assignments of
Enterobacter
were incorrect. Second, we characterized and reported two novel
Enterobacter
species with clinical significance. Third, we curated 1,997
Enterobacter
genome sequences deposited in GenBank and found that the species identification of most
Enterobacter
strains needed to be corrected. Fourth, we found that the most common
Enterobacter
species seen in clinical samples is
Enterobacter xiangfangensis
rather than
Enterobacter cloacae
. Fifth, we identified 14 tentative novel
Enterobacter
and 18 tentative novel non-
Enterobacter
species. This study highlights that updated and curated taxonomic assignments are the premise of correct species identification. We recommend that future
Enterobacter
studies need to use the updated taxonomy to avoid misleading information.
Extreme prematurity, growth and neurodevelopment at 8 years: a cohort study
Authors: Hickey Leah , Burnett Alice , Spittle Alicia J , Roberts Gehan , Anderson Peter , Lee Katherine , Doyle Lex W , Cheong Jeanie Ling Yoong ,   for the Victorian Infant Collaborative Study Group
Published: August 2020

Objective

Infants born extremely preterm (EP, <28 weeks’ gestation) exhibit poorer growth and neurodevelopmental impairment in early childhood compared with their term-born peers. Whether poor growth persists and whether associations of growth with neurodevelopmental functioning have changed in the decades since the introduction of surfactant are not well described. This study aims to (1) compare growth from birth to 2 years then 8 years in children born EP between three different eras, and (2) investigate the associations of growth from birth to 2 years then 8 years with cognitive, academic, executive and motor function at 8 years, and if associations have changed over time.

Design

Prospective observational cohort studies in the State of Victoria, Australia in three discrete eras: 1991–1992, 1997 and 2005. EP children had weight and head circumference measured at birth, and weight, head circumference and height at 2 and 8 years. Cognitive ability, academic performance, executive function and motor skills were assessed at 8 years, corrected for prematurity.

Results

499/546 (91%) of surviving EP children were fully assessed at 8 years. Growth in children born EP did not differ substantially between eras and associations between growth and neurodevelopment did not change over time. Overall, better weight and head growth from birth to 2 years were associated with improved neurodevelopment at 8 years.

Conclusions

Growth of children born EP has not improved in more recent eras. Better early head and weight growth are associated with improved neurodevelopment in mid-childhood.
Using an open-source tablet perimeter (Eyecatcher) as a rapid triage measure
for glaucoma clinic waiting areas
Authors: Jones Pete R , Lindfield Dan , Crabb David P
Published: August 2020

Background

Glaucoma services are under unprecedented strain. The UK Healthcare Safety
Investigation Branch recently called for new ways to identify glaucoma patients
most at risk of developing sight loss, and of filtering-out false-positive
referrals. Here, we evaluate the feasibility of one such technology,
Eyecatcher: a free, tablet-based ‘triage’ perimeter, designed to be used
unsupervised in clinic waiting areas. Eyecatcher does not require a button or
headrest: patients are simply required to look at fixed-luminance dots as they
appear.

Methods

Seventy-seven people were tested twice using Eyecatcher (one eye only)
while waiting for a routine appointment in a UK glaucoma clinic. The sample
included individuals with an established diagnosis of glaucoma, and
false-positive new referrals (no visual field or optic nerve abnormalities). No
attempts were made to control the testing environment. Patients wore their own
glasses and received minimal task instruction.

Results

Eyecatcher was fast (median: 2.5 min), produced results in good agreement
with standard automated perimetry (SAP), and was rated as more enjoyable, less
tiring and easier to perform than SAP (all p<0.001). It exhibited good
separation (area under receiver operating characteristic=0.97) between eyes
with advanced field loss (mean deviation (MD) < −6 dB) and those within
normal limits (MD > −2 dB). And it was able to flag two thirds of
false-positive referrals as functionally normal. However, eight people (10%)
failed to complete the test twice, and reasons for this limitation are
discussed.

Conclusions

Tablet-based eye-movement perimetry could potentially provide a pragmatic
way of triaging busy glaucoma clinics (ie, flagging high-risk patients and
possible false-positive referrals).
Addressing practical issues of predictive models translation into everyday practice and public health management: a combined model to predict the risk of type 2 diabetes improves incidence prediction and reduces the prevalence of missing risk predictions
Authors: Vettoretti Martina , Longato Enrico , Zandonà Alessandro , Li Yan , Pagán José Antonio , Siscovick David , Carnethon Mercedes R , Bertoni Alain G , Facchinetti Andrea , Di Camillo Barbara
Published: August 2020

Introduction

Many predictive models for incident type 2 diabetes (T2D) exist, but these models are not used frequently for public health management. Barriers to their application include (1) the problem of model choice (some models are applicable only to certain ethnic groups), (2) missing input variables, and (3) the lack of calibration. While (1) and (2) drives to missing predictions, (3) causes inaccurate incidence predictions. In this paper, a combined T2D risk model for public health management that addresses these three issues is developed.

Research design and methods

The combined T2D risk model combines eight existing predictive models by weighted average to overcome the problem of missing incidence predictions. Moreover, the combined model implements a simple recalibration strategy in which the risk scores are rescaled based on the T2D incidence in the target population. The performance of the combined model was compared with that of the eight existing models using data from two test datasets extracted from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA; n=1031) and the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA; n=4820). Metrics of discrimination, calibration, and missing incidence predictions were used for the assessment.

Results

The combined T2D model performed well in terms of both discrimination (concordance index: 0.83 on MESA; 0.77 on ELSA) and calibration (expected to observed event ratio: 1.00 on MESA; 1.17 on ELSA), similarly to the best-performing existing models. However, while the existing models yielded a large percentage of missing predictions (17%–45% on MESA; 63%–64% on ELSA), this was negligible with the combined model (0% on MESA, 4% on ELSA).

Conclusions

Leveraging on existing literature T2D predictive models, a simple approach based on risk score rescaling and averaging was shown to provide accurate and robust incidence predictions, overcoming the problem of recalibration and missing predictions in practical application of predictive models.