bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
HIV, Placental Lesions, and Adverse Perinatal Outcomes
Authors: Maswime, Salome , Pule, Caroline , Mtshali, Zama , Chawana, Richard , Matjila Mushi
Published: September 2021

Africa has the highest number of pregnant women with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). In some studies, HIV has been associated with adverse perinatal outcomes. However, the pathophysiological mechanism leading to adverse fetal outcomes is not known. Maternal vascular malformation, chorioamnionitis, and decreased placental weight have been described as placental features associated with HIV in some studies. The use of antiretroviral therapy has reduced perinatal transmission of HIV and adverse fetal outcomes. However, placental mechanisms associated with HIV and the fetal immune response to maternal HIV infection are poorly understood. Additional research is required to understand whether altered maternal immunity in women living with HIV can trigger fetal responses leading to stillbirth or preterm birth.
Reduced Endometrial Ascension and Enhanced Reinfection Associated With Immunoglobulin G Antibodies to Specific Chlamydia trachomatis Proteins in Women at Risk for Chlamydia
Authors: Liu Chuwen , Hufnagel Katrin , O’Connell Catherine M , Goonetilleke Nilu , Mokashi Neha , Waterboer Tim , Tollison Tammy S , Peng Xinxia , Wiesenfeld Harold C , Hillier Sharon L , Zheng Xiaojing , Darville Toni
Published: September 2021

Background

Previous research revealed antibodies targeting Chlamydia trachomatis elementary bodies was not associated with reduced endometrial or incident infection in C. trachomatis–exposed women. However, data on the role of C. trachomatis protein–specific antibodies in protection are limited.

Methods

A whole-proteome C. trachomatis array screening serum pools from C. trachomatis–exposed women identified 121 immunoprevalent proteins. Individual serum samples were probed using a focused array. Immunoglobulin (Ig) G antibody frequencies and endometrial or incident infection relationships were examined using Wilcoxon rank sum test. The impact of the breadth and magnitude of protein-specific IgGs on ascension and incident infection were examined using multivariable stepwise logistic regression. Complementary RNA sequencing quantified C. trachomatis gene transcripts in cervical swab samples from infected women.

Results

IgG to pGP3 and CT_005 were associated with reduced endometrial infection; anti-CT_443, anti–CT_486, and anti–CT_123 were associated with increased incident infection. Increased breadth of protein recognition did not however predict protection from endometrial or incident infection. Messenger RNAs for immunoprevalent C. trachomatis proteins were highly abundant in the cervix.

Conclusions

Protein-specific C. trachomatis antibodies are not sufficient to protect against ascending or incident infection. However, cervical C. trachomatis gene transcript abundance positively correlates with C. trachomatis protein immunogenicity. These abundant and broadly recognized antigens are viable vaccine candidates.
Intervention to Improve Diarrhea-Related Knowledge and Practices Among Informal Healthcare Providers in Slums of Kolkata
Authors: Mahapatra Tanmay , Mahapatra Sanchita , Datta Chakraborty Nandini , Raj Aparna , Bakshi Bhawani , Banerjee Barnali , Saha Snehasish , Guha Abhijit , Dutta Shanta , Kanungo Suman
Published: September 2021

Background

In the densely populated slums of Kolkata, informal healthcare providers’ (IHP) diarrhea-related knowledge and rationality of practices should be improved to reduce risk of adverse outcome, expenditure, and antimicrobial resistance.

Methods

A multicomponent intervention was conducted among 140 representative IHPs in the slums of 8 wards in Kolkata to assess its impact on their diarrhea-related knowledge and practice. Six intervention modules in local languages were provided (1 per month) with baseline (N = 140) and postintervention (N = 124) evaluation.

Results

Mean overall (61.1 to 69.3; P < .0001) and domain-specific knowledge scores for etiology/spread (5.4 to 8.1; P < .0001), management (6.4 to 7.2; P < .0001), and oral rehydration solution ([ORS] 5.7 to 6.5; P < .0001) increased significantly (at α = 0.05) after intervention and were well retained. Impact on knowledge regarding etiology/spread (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 5.6; P < .0001), cholera (aOR = 2.0; P = .0041), management (aOR = 3.1; P < .0001), ORS (aOR = 2.3; P = .0008), and overall (aOR = 4.3; P < .0001) were significant. Intervention worked better for IHPs who practiced for ≥10 years (aOR = 3.2; P < .0001), untrained IHPs (aOR = 4.8; P < .0001), and pharmacists (aOR = 8.3; P < .0001). Irrational practices like empirical antibiotic use for every cholera case (aOR = 0.3; P < .0001) and investigation for every diarrhea case (aOR = 0.4; P = .0003) were reduced. Rationality of testing (aOR = 4.2; P < .0001) and antibiotic use (aOR = 1.8; P = .0487) improved.

Conclusions

Multicomponent educational intervention resulted in sustainable improvement in diarrhea-related knowledge and practices among IHPs in slums of Kolkata. Policy implications should be advocated along with implementation and scale-up.
T-cell-intrinsic and -extrinsic regulation of PD-1 function
Authors: Sugiura Daisuke , Shimizu Kenji , Maruhashi Takumi , Okazaki Il-mi , Okazaki Taku
Published: September 2021

Cancer immunotherapies that target PD-1 (programmed cell death 1) aim to destroy tumors by activating tumor-specific T cells that are otherwise inactivated by PD-1. Although these therapies have significantly improved the outcomes of patients with diverse cancer types and have revolutionized cancer treatment, only a limited proportion of patients benefits from the therapies currently. Therefore, there is a continued need to decipher the complex biology of PD-1 to improve therapeutic efficacies as well as to prevent immune-related adverse events. Especially, the spaciotemporal context in which PD-1 functions and the properties of T cells that are restrained by PD-1 are only vaguely understood. We have recently revealed that PD-1 function is strictly restricted at the activation phase of T-cell responses by the cis-interactions of PD-L1 and CD80 on antigen-presenting cells, which is critical for the induction of optimal T-cell responses. We also found that the sensitivity to the effects of PD-1 in T cells is essentially determined by T-cell-intrinsic factors. In T cells bearing T-cell antigen-receptors (TCRs) with lower affinity to antigenic peptides, PD-1 inhibits the expression of TCR-inducible genes more efficiently; thereby PD-1 preferentially suppresses low-affinity T cells. Thus, PD-1 function is coordinately regulated by various T-cell-intrinsic and -extrinsic factors that alter the responsiveness of T cells and the availability of PD-1 ligands. Precise and deeper understanding of the regulatory mechanisms of PD-1 is expected to facilitate the rational development of effective and safe immunotherapies.
Genomic epidemiology of persistently circulating MDR Shigella sonnei strains associated with men who have sex with men (MSM) in Belgium (2013–19)
Authors: Fischer Natalie , Maex Margo , Mattheus Wesley , Van den Bossche An , Van Cauteren Dieter , Laisnez Valeska , Hammami Naïma , Ceyssens Pieter-Jan
Published: September 2021

Objectives

Shigella sonnei resistant to first-line antibiotics azithromycin and ciprofloxacin are on the rise globally. The aim of this study was to describe the epidemiology of MDR S. sonnei in Belgium and to identify origins and circulating clusters through WGS.

Methods

We undertook demographic, temporal and geographical analysis of 930 S. sonnei isolates submitted to the Belgian National Reference Centre for Salmonella and Shigella between 2017 and 2019. Phylogenetic analysis of WGS data, genotyping and identification of genetic markers of antimicrobial resistance was performed on 372 Belgian isolates submitted between 2013 and 2019.

Results

S. sonnei was identified in 75% (930/1253) of Belgian Shigella isolates submitted between 2017 and 2019. Overall, 7% (69/930) of isolates were resistant to ciprofloxacin alone, 6% (57/930) showed reduced susceptibility to azithromycin alone, and 24% (223/930) exhibited both. Men were at higher risk of carrying a double resistant S. sonnei strain, compared with women (risk ratio = 8.6, 95% CI = 5.4–13.9). Phylogenetic analysis revealed four independent Belgian clusters of persistently circulating MDR strains, associated with men who have sex with men (MSM) and of the same genotypes as previously described international MSM-related clades. Belgian isolates carried various incompatibility (Inc)-type plasmids, the SpA plasmid and ESBL genes.

Conclusions

In Belgium, S. sonnei isolates from men are much more likely to be resistant to important first-line antibiotics than isolates from women. Multiple co-circulating MDR S. sonnei clusters of different genotypes were identified in the MSM community. Further studies on risk groups are needed for targeted prevention, improved clinical and public health management and antimicrobial stewardship in Belgium.
Considerations of buyer power in merger review
Authors: Angerhofer Tirza J , Blair Roger D
Published: September 2021

In most horizontal merger reviews, the focus is on the potential for increasing monopoly power, which adversely affects the output market through increased price and reduced quantity, quality, and product variety. For the most part, a merger’s effect on the input markets has been ignored. Recently, however, academics and policymakers have called for considering a merger’s potential for creating or enhancing buyer power in one or more input markets. A good deal of this concern has centered on monopsony in labour markets as real wages have stagnated and labour’s share of income has declined. In order to address the monopsony concern in the USA, Senator Amy Klobuchar proposed a bill that would amend section 7 of the Clayton Act to explicitly include monopsony concerns in merger review. In this article, we explore the economic foundation and empirical evidence for this rising tide of concern with particular emphasis on the labour market. We broaden the significance of our analysis by pointing to allegations of monopsonistic abuse outside labour markets. Finally, we discuss practical problems of implementing monopsony considerations in merger review and the benefits to consumer welfare that may arise.
The OneFlorida Data Trust: a centralized, translational research data infrastructure of statewide scope
Authors: Hogan William R , Shenkman Elizabeth A , Robinson Temple , Carasquillo Olveen , Robinson Patricia S , Essner Rebecca Z , Bian Jiang , Lipori Gigi , Harle Christopher , Magoc Tanja , Manini Lizabeth , Mendoza Tona , White Sonya , Loiacono Alex , Hall Jackie , Nelson Dave
Published: September 2021

The OneFlorida Data Trust is a centralized research patient data repository created and managed by the OneFlorida Clinical Research Consortium (“OneFlorida”). It comprises structured electronic health record (EHR), administrative claims, tumor registry, death, and other data on 17.2 million individuals who received healthcare in Florida between January 2012 and the present. Ten healthcare systems in Miami, Orlando, Tampa, Jacksonville, Tallahassee, Gainesville, and rural areas of Florida contribute EHR data, covering the major metropolitan regions in Florida. Deduplication of patients is accomplished via privacy-preserving entity resolution (precision 0.97–0.99, recall 0.75), thereby linking patients’ EHR, claims, and death data. Another unique feature is the establishment of mother-baby relationships via Florida vital statistics data. Research usage has been significant, including major studies launched in the National Patient-Centered Clinical Research Network (“PCORnet”), where OneFlorida is 1 of 9 clinical research networks. The Data Trust’s robust, centralized, statewide data are a valuable and relatively unique research resource.
A cost-effective chart review sampling design to account for phenotyping error in electronic health records (EHR) data
Authors: Yin Ziyan , Tong Jiayi , Chen Yong , Hubbard Rebecca A , Tang Cheng Yong
Published: September 2021

Objectives

Electronic health records (EHR) are commonly used for the identification of novel risk factors for disease, often referred to as an association study. A major challenge to EHR-based association studies is phenotyping error in EHR-derived outcomes. A manual chart review of phenotypes is necessary for unbiased evaluation of risk factor associations. However, this process is time-consuming and expensive. The objective of this paper is to develop an outcome-dependent sampling approach for designing manual chart review, where EHR-derived phenotypes can be used to guide the selection of charts to be reviewed in order to maximize statistical efficiency in the subsequent estimation of risk factor associations.

Materials and Methods

After applying outcome-dependent sampling, an augmented estimator can be constructed by optimally combining the chart-reviewed phenotypes from the selected patients with the error-prone EHR-derived phenotype. We conducted simulation studies to evaluate the proposed method and applied our method to data on colon cancer recurrence in a cohort of patients treated for a primary colon cancer in the Kaiser Permanente Washington (KPW) healthcare system.

Results

Simulations verify the coverage probability of the proposed method and show that, when disease prevalence is less than 30%, the proposed method has smaller variance than an existing method where the validation set for chart review is uniformly sampled. In addition, from design perspective, the proposed method is able to achieve the same statistical power with 50% fewer charts to be validated than the uniform sampling method, thus, leading to a substantial efficiency gain in chart review. These findings were also confirmed by the application of the competing methods to the KPW colon cancer data.

Discussion

Our simulation studies and analysis of data from KPW demonstrate that, compared to an existing uniform sampling method, the proposed outcome-dependent method can lead to a more efficient chart review sampling design and unbiased association estimates with higher statistical efficiency.

Conclusion

The proposed method not only optimally combines phenotypes from chart review with EHR-derived phenotypes but also suggests an efficient design for conducting chart review, with the goal of improving the efficiency of estimated risk factor associations using EHR data.
Toxicological Analysis of Intoxications with Synthetic Cathinones
Authors: Pieprzyca Ewelina , Skowronek Rafał , Czekaj Piotr
Published: September 2021

Synthetic cathinones (SCs) are currently the second largest and the second most frequently seized group of new psychoactive substances. They are sold as replacements for controlled stimulants such as amphetamine, cocaine and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine. Administration of low doses of SCs can cause euphoria and increased alertness, and administration of high doses or chronic use of cathinones can cause serious adverse effects such as hallucinations, delirium, hyperthermia and tachycardia. In the years 2013–2019 in our practice, as many as 16 different SCs were detected in biological materials. This article lists the observed concentrations in 39 fatal and 18 non-fatal cases, in which a single SC as well as an SC in combination with amphetamine or ethyl alcohol were detected and quantified in biological materials. The quantitative analyses were carried out by liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry. The analyzed cases of taking SCs were associated with intoxication (2 cases), fatal intoxication (36), driving under the influence of drugs (10) and other circumstances (9) such as violence, insulting an officer and holding a hostage. Taking SCs has serious side effects that can lead to multiple organ failure and death. Screening for the presence of SCs in biological materials should be part of the routine course of treatment in intoxication cases, both at the stage of clinical diagnosis and at the stage of forensic toxicological analysis. Ethyl alcohol and amphetamine may contribute to increased SC toxicity. These data could be valuable for further interpretation of other results from toxicological analyses.
Pheromone Deployment Strategies for Mating Disruption of a Vineyard Mealybug
Authors: Daane Kent M , Cooper Monica L , Mercer Nathan H , Hogg Brian N , Yokota Glenn Y , Haviland David R , Welter Stephen C , Cave Frances E , Sial Ashfaq A , Boyd Elizabeth A
Published: September 2021

The mealybug, Planococcus ficus (Signoret), is a primary vineyard pest in California and other grape-growing regions throughout the World. Mating disruption programs are commercially available to manage Pl. ficus, but widespread adoption has been limited, in part, by high costs compared with insecticide programs. To improve mating disruption economic effectiveness, different deployment technologies (passive, aerosol, and microencapsulated formulations) were individually examined. Adult male Pl. ficus captures in pheromone traps and categorical ratings of vine infestation or crop damage suggest that all deployment strategies lowered mealybug densities or damage. Using passive dispensers, deployment rates of 310 and 465 per ha lowered Pl. ficus crop damage similar to 615 per ha, a rate commonly used in commercial operations; reduced rates would lower product and deployment costs. Meso dispensers, containing more a.i., deployed at 35 per ha did not have a treatment impact, but a microencapsulated formulation and aerosol canisters lowered male flight captures and/or crop damage. Male mealybug flight activity was greatest from 0500–1100 hr, which coincided with temperatures >16° and <32°C. These restricted times and temperatures suggest programable dispensers might allow pheromone deployment to coincide only with flight patterns. A large field trial using passive dispensers found greater treatment separation after 3 yr of pheromone deployment. Discrepancies in results among vineyards may be related to Pl. ficus density, but combined results from all trials suggest that different deployment technologies can be used to impact Pl. ficus densities and damage, even at reduced rates, especially with continued use over multiple seasons.
Enhanced extracellular α-amylase production in Brevibacillus choshinensis by optimizing extracellular degradation and folding environment
Authors: Yao Dongbang , Zhang Kang , Zhu Xuyang , Su Lingqia , Wu Jing
Published: September 2021

A strategy for optimizing the extracellular degradation and folding environment of Brevibacillus choshinensis has been used to enhance the extracellular production of recombinant α-amylase. First, a gene (bcp) encoding an extracellular protease and another encoding an extracellular chaperone (prsC) were identified in the genome of B. choshinensis HPD31-SP3. Then, the effect of extracellular protein degradation on recombinant α-amylase production was investigated by establishing a CRISPR/Cas9n system to knock out bcp. The effect of extracellular folding capacity was investigated separately by coexpressing extracellular chaperones genes from different sources (prsA, prsC, prsL, prsQ) in B. choshinensis. The final recombinant strain (BCPPSQ), which coexpressed prsQ in a genetic background lacking bcp, produced an extracellular α-amylase activity of 6940.9 U/ml during shake-flask cultivation. This was 2.1-fold greater than that of the original strain BCWPS (3367.9 U/ml). Cultivation of BCPPSQ in a 3-l fermenter produced an extracellular α-amylase activity of 17925.6 U/ml at 72 h, which was 7.6-fold greater than that of BCWPS (2358.1 U/ml). This strategy demonstrates its great potential in enhancing extracellular α-amylase production in B. choshinensis. What's more, this study provides a strategic reference for improving the extracellular production of other recombinant proteins in B. choshinensis.
Association of renal function with the safety and efficacy of cisplatin plus S-1 therapy and docetaxel plus cisplatin plus S-1 therapy in patients with advanced gastric cancer: an exploratory analysis of JCOG1013
Authors: Hironaka Shuichi , Sadachi Ryo , Machida Nozomu , Iwasa Satoru , Yamada Yasuhide , Sasako Mitsuru , Yoshikawa Takaki , Boku Narikazu , Terashima Masanori
Published: September 2021

Background

Although cisplatin and 5-chloro-2,4-dihydropyrimidine (dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase inhibitor contained in S-1) are excreted into the urine, it remains unknown how creatinine clearance (CrCl) affects the safety and efficacy of cisplatin plus S-1 and docetaxel plus cisplatin plus S-1 in patients with advanced gastric cancer.

Methods

Among the 741 participants in JCOG1013 comparing cisplatin plus S-1 with docetaxel plus cisplatin plus S-1, 723 with serum creatinine levels ≤1.2 mg/dL were categorized into A1 (CrCl ≥ 80 mL/min), A2 (60 ≤ CrCl <80) and A3 (CrCl < 60) in the cisplatin plus S-1 arm and similarly B1, B2 and B3 in the docetaxel plus cisplatin plus S-1 arm. The initial dose modification by CrCl was pre-specified in the docetaxel plus cisplatin plus S-1 arm but not in the cisplatin plus S-1 arm.

Results

The numbers of patients categorized as A1/A2/A3 and B1/B2/B3 were 169/136/57 and 170/138/53, respectively. In the cisplatin plus S-1 arm, a lower CrCl was associated with higher incidences of grade 4 leukopenia (P = 0.006), neutropenia (P = 0.002), and grade 3/4 anorexia (P = 0.004) and febrile neutropenia (P = 0.049), whereas there was no association in the docetaxel plus cisplatin plus S-1 arm. No significant differences were observed according to CrCl in the overall survival [median: 15.4/15.5/15.4 months in A1/A2/A3 (P = 0.886) and 15.3/13.7/13.7 months in B1/B2/B3 (P = 0.719)], progression-free survival [median: 7.1/6.8/6.2 months in A1/A2/A3 (P = 0.884) and 7.5/7.2/7.8 months in B1/B2/B3 (P = 0.851)] and response rates [58.9/57.8/46.9% in A1/A2/A3 (P = 0.311) and 62.0/61.5/51.5% in B1/B2/B3 (P = 0.362)].

Conclusions

Renal impairment was associated with severe adverse events in cisplatin plus S-1 therapy but not with the efficacy in cisplatin plus S-1 and docetaxel plus cisplatin plus S-1 therapy.
A Theory of Claim Resolution
Authors: Baker Scott , Kornhauser Lewis A
Published: September 2021

We study claim resolution. A claim consists of a global fact and a local fact. The global fact is observed by the principal and the agent. The local fact is observed by the agent alone. The agent resolves the claim; the principal decides whether the agent is more likely wrong or right. The principal and agent can disagree about the weight to accord each fact or the overall evidence threshold. The agent cares whether the principal follows or ignores her advice. We characterize how the equilibrium varies with the nature of disagreement. Despite lacking commitment power, we find that the principal grants the agent decision-making authority over an interval of global facts. Further, we find that the principal can better motivate an agent who excessively weights the local fact than an agent who excessively weights the global fact. The principal strictly prefers the former to the latter even though either would make the same number of errors if granted complete autonomy. (JEL C7, K0, D7, K4, M4)
Anticipated Adjudication: An Analysis of the Judicialization of the US Administrative State
Authors: Limbocker Scott , Resh William G , Selin Jennifer L
Published: September 2021

To preserve democratic accountability, the actions of federal agencies remain subject to review by elected officials in the legislative and executive branches. Yet given the vast scope and complexity of the modern federal government, elected officials cannot possibly intervene in all agency matters. This leaves the courts to evaluate agency actions. Applying Rosenbloom’s separation of powers theory of public administration to Nagel’s theory of power as anticipated exchange, we expect that agencies become more judicialized in response to the courts’ influence. Leveraging novel data on personnel records, agency litigation, and policymaking from 1996 to 2016, we estimate regression models using ordinary least squares to provide an original and systematic account of the courts’ influence on agency personnel and professionalization. We find that agencies become more judicialized with increased exposure to the courts. Our dynamic comparison of the rise and fall of the number of judge-like policymakers within agencies highlights agency responses to judicial procedural preferences and suggests that federal agencies adopt personnel and processes that respond to the institutional perspectives of all three branches of government.
Sexual Orientation and Organizational Justice in the Federal Service: Exploring Differences through an Intersectional Lens
Authors: Lewis Gregory B , Emidy M Blake
Published: September 2021

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) employees perceive less justice in the federal service than do their heterosexual colleagues. The “double jeopardy” hypothesis suggests that this will be especially true for LGBTs with a second stigmatized identity, but intersectionality theory is less clear about whether being LGBT will have a larger impact on other marginalized groups than on gay white men. Using a series of regression analyses applied to the 2012–15 Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey, we investigate whether differences in organizational justice perceptions between LGBT and heterosexual employees are wider among people with other stigmatized identities. We find strong evidence of compounding effects: LGBT–heterosexual differences in perceptions of organizational justice are larger for women than for men, for people of color than for whites, for employees with than without disabilities, and for those earlier in their careers and at lower levels of the federal hierarchy. Anti-LGBT discrimination disproportionately affects LGBTs in weaker positions in society and the federal service. These findings contribute to the broader fields of public administration and diversity management by incorporating an intersectional framework to understand LGBT perceptions and experiences in public organizations.
All Focus is Contrastive: On Polarity (Verum) Focus, Answer Focus, Contrastive Focus and Givenness
Authors: Goodhue Daniel
Published: September 2021

I develop a general theory of focus and givenness that can account for truly contrastive focus, and for polarity focus, including data that are sometimes set apart under the label “verum focus”. I show that polarity focus creates challenges for classic theories of focus (e.g. Rooth 1992, a.o.) that can be dealt with by requiring that all focus marking is truly contrastive, and that givenness deaccenting imposes its own distinct requirement on prominence shifts. To enforce true contrast, I employ innocent exclusion (Fox 2007), which I suggest may impose a general filter on what counts as a valid alternative. A key, novel feature of my account is that focal targets are split into two kinds, those that are contextually supported and those that are constructed ad hoc, and that the presence of a contextually supported target can block the ability to construct an ad hoc target. This enables a novel explanation of the data motivating true contrast, and enables polarity focus to be brought into the fold of a unified and truly contrastive theory of focus. I then compare the account to theories of verum focus that make use of non-focus-based verum operators, and make the argument that the focus account is more parsimonious and has better empirical coverage.
Strategies to decrease COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy for children
Authors: Zakeri Marjan , Li Jieni , Sadeghi Simin D , Essien Ekere J , Sansgiry Sujit S
Published: September 2021

Objectives

This study aims to understand acceptable strategies to enhance the COVID-19 vaccine uptake among mothers who have no intention to vaccinate their children.

Methods

In a cross-sectional study, using an online survey in March 2021, we evaluated the variables within the Health Belief Model (severity, susceptibility, benefits, barriers and cues to action) along with parents’ sociodemographic characteristics, previous COVID-19 infection, job loss due to COVID-19 pandemic and the presence of healthcare workers among the household. Total number of children in the household and their chronic health conditions were also assessed. Multivariable logistic regression was performed to evaluate the intention to vaccinate children against the COVID-19 and associations with other variables.

Key findings

The survey response rate was 32.30% (595/1842). Most of the participants were White (72.1%), 31–40 years old (55.46%) and married or in a cohabiting relationship (90.25). Out of 595 mothers with 3–15 years old children, 38.32% had no intention to vaccinate their children. Top factors associated with intention were perceived susceptibility (P = 0.002), benefits (P < 0.001), barriers (P < 0.001), cues to action (P < 0.001) and the presence of healthcare workers in the household (P = 0.032). The main barriers were concerns about vaccine safety, efficacy and side effects. The strongest cue to action was enough information being provided followed by doctors’ recommendations.

Conclusions

Strategies to increase vaccination for children lie in the process of convincing parents with providing reliable information on the vaccine safety, efficacy and side effects by paediatricians and other healthcare providers.
Prediction of radiation pneumonitis with machine learning using 4D-CT based dose-function features
Authors: Katsuta Yoshiyuki , Kadoya Noriyuki , Mouri Shina , Tanaka Shohei , Kanai Takayuki , Takeda Kazuya , Yamamoto Takaya , Ito Kengo , Kajikawa Tomohiro , Nakajima Yujiro , Jingu Keiichi
Published: September 2021

In this article, we highlight the fundamental importance of the simultaneous use of dose-volume histogram (DVH) and dose-function histogram (DFH) features based on functional images calculated from 4-dimensional computed tomography (4D-CT) and deformable image registration (DIR) in developing a multivariate radiation pneumonitis (RP) prediction model. The patient characteristics, DVH features and DFH features were calculated from functional images by Hounsfield unit (HU) and Jacobian metrics, for an RP grade ≥ 2 multivariate prediction models were computed from 85 non-small cell lung cancer patients. The prediction model is developed using machine learning via a kernel-based support vector machine (SVM) machine. In the patient cohort, 21 of the 85 patients (24.7%) presented with RP grade ≥ 2. The median area under curve (AUC) was 0.58 for the generated 50 prediction models with patient clinical features and DVH features. When HU metric and Jacobian metric DFH features were added, the AUC improved to 0.73 and 0.68, respectively. We conclude that predictive RP models that incorporate DFH features were successfully developed via kernel-based SVM. These results demonstrate that effectiveness of the simultaneous use of DVH features and DFH features calculated from 4D-CT and DIR on functional image-guided radiotherapy.
Loin Pain Hematuria Syndrome—a case report
Authors: Zeb Ehtisham , O'Connor Adam , Sabri Shariq , Muhammad Karim , Qureshi Nafees
Published: September 2021

Loin pain hematuria syndrome (LPHS) is a rare idiopathic condition. LPHS can present with both unilateral and bilateral loin pain, microscopic or macroscopic hematuria. It is a diagnosis of exclusion. The management options for this condition include pain management with narcotics or opioids, renal denervation, kidney autotransplantation and neurectomy or nephrectomy. However, these treatment modalities are the last resort.
A rare case of primary carcinoma of axillary accessory breast tissue
Authors: Sikdar Oishi , Roy Meghna , Al-Ishaq Zaid , Shinde Veena , Sircar Tapan
Published: September 2021

Carcinomas of primary accessory breast tissue are rare, comprising 0.3–0.6% of all breast cancers and occur most commonly in the axilla. We report the unusual case of a 50-year-old lady with mucinous adenocarcinoma of axillary accessory breast tissue. In this report we review the presentation, key investigations and treatment of this condition.
Curating the Syriac Literary Heritage in Egyptian Monasteries: A Newly Identified Numeral System in Syriac (British Library, add. 14587)
Authors: Forness Philip Michael
Published: September 2021

Syriac manuscripts feature several systems of numerals, and earlier studies have identified three based on the Syriac alphabet. Marginal notes found in the manuscript London, British Library, Add. 14587 preserve a fourth and previously undescribed alphabetic numeral system. After presenting this system and discussing the evidence that led to its identification, this article argues on palaeographic grounds that the late eighth century forms a terminus post quem for the numerals found in this manuscript. Analyses of a donation note and another manuscript further suggest that the numerals were added by a monk or monks from the Syriac tradition residing in Egypt, associated with either a monastery in Upper Egypt or the Monastery of the Syrians (Dayr al-Suryan) in Wadi al-Naṭ. In either case, the alphabetic numeral system found in the margins of this manuscript reflects theefforts of Syriac monastic communities in Egypt to curate the Syriac literary heritage and shape the way others encountered it.
Pandemic-related delay of falciparum malaria diagnosis in a traveller leading to cerebral malaria
Authors: Schubert Lorenz , Thurnher Professor Majda M , Machold Professor Klaus , Tobudic Professor Selma , Winkler Professor Stefan
Published: September 2021

We report the case of a 29-year-old male in whom COVID-19 concerns led to a delayed diagnosis of falciparum malaria. The patient developed symptoms of cerebral malaria with cytotoxic lesions of the corpus callosum in magnetic resonance imaging.
Ureides are accumulated similarly in response to UV-C irradiation and wounding in Arabidopsis leaves but are remobilized differently during recovery
Authors: Soltabayeva Aigerim , Bekturova Aizat , Kurmanbayeva Assylay , Oshanova Dinara , Nurbekova Zhadyrassyn , Srivastava Sudhakar , Standing Dominic , Sagi Moshe
Published: September 2021

Purine degradation products have been shown to play roles in plant response to stresses such as drought, salinity, extended dark, nitrogen deficiency, and pathogen infection. In this study, we used Arabidopsis wild-type (WT) and an Atxdh1-knockout mutant defective in xanthine dehydrogenase1 (XDH1) to examine the role of degraded purine metabolites in the responses to wounding or UV-C stress applied to the middle leaves of the plant. Wounding or UV-C stress in the mutant resulted in lower fresh-weight, increased senescence symptoms, and increased cell death compared to WT plants. In addition, WT plants exhibited lower levels of oxidative stress indicators, reactive oxygen species, and malondialdehyde in their leaves than the mutant. Notably, transcripts and proteins functioning in the purine degradation pathway were regulated in such a way that it led to enhanced ureide levels in WT leaves 24h after applying the UV-C or wound stress. However, different remobilization of the accumulated ureides was observed after 72h of stress. In plants treated with UV-C, the concentration of allantoin was highest in young leaves, whereas in wounded plants it was lowest in these leaves and instead accumulated mainly in the middle leaves that had been wounded. These results indicated that in WT plants treated with UV-C, ureides were remobilized from the lower older and damaged leaves to support young leaf growth during the recovery period from stress. After wounding, however, whilst some ureides were remobilized to the young leaves, more remained in the wounded middle leaves to function as antioxidants and/or healing agents.
Politics of Haya: Embodied Materiality of Piety as Everyday Resistance among British Muslim Women in Ayisha Malik's Fiction
Authors: Saleem Sumera
Published: September 2021

This article explores how an ethical practice of modesty, represented in Ayisha Malik’s novels Sofia Khan Is Not Obliged (2015), and The Other Half of Happiness (2017), serves as an act of everyday resistance in the context of the issue of gender inequality in postcolonial South Asian Britain. It attempts to understand how religious modalities of agency, shown in the form of wearing hijab, operate against the dominant structures of power. However, drawing on Saba Mahmood’s theorisation of women’s agency in Politics of Piety (2004) as an embodied modality of action rather than simply a synonym for resistance to social norms, this article further argues that the female body in this fiction reshapes the understanding of religious experience through the conception of an embodied materiality of everyday resistance.
Probing the effects of primordial black holes on 21-cm EDGES signal along with interacting dark energy and dark matter–baryon scattering
Authors: Halder Ashadul , Pandey Madhurima
Published: September 2021

21-cm radio signal has emerged as an important probe in investigating the dark age of the Universe (recombination to reionization). In the current analysis, we explore the combined effects of primordial black holes (PBHs), cooling-off of the baryonic matter due to dark matter (DM)–baryon collisions and interaction of DM and dark energy fluid on the 21-cm brightness temperature. The variation of brightness temperature shows remarkable dependence on DM mass (mχ) and the DM–baryon scattering cross-section (σ0). Bounds in mχ–σ0 parameter space are obtained for different possible PBH masses and for different interacting dark energy (IDE) models. These bounds are estimated based on the observed excess ($-500^{+200}_{-500}$ mK) of 21-cm brightness temperature by Experiment to Detect the Global Epoch of Reionization Signature experiment. Eventually, bounds on PBH mass is also obtained for different values of DM mass and for different IDE model coupling parameters. The compatibility of the constraints of the IDE models, in the estimated bounds is also addressed.
ATOMS: ALMA Three-millimeter Observations of Massive Star-forming regions–VI. On the formation of the ‘L’ type filament in G286.21+0.17
Authors: Zhou Jian-Wen , Liu Tie , Li Jin-Zeng , Liu Hong-Li , Wang Ke , Xu Feng-Wei , Kim Kee-Tae , Lee Chang Won , Dewangan Lokesh , Tatematsu Ken’ichi , Li Shanghuo , Liu Xun-Chuan , Tang Mengyao , Ren Zhiyuan , Zhang Guo-Yin , Zhang Chao , Liu Rong , Luo Qiu-Yi , Ristorcelli Isabelle
Published: September 2021

Filaments play an important role in star formation, but the formation process of filaments themselves is still unclear. The high-mass star-forming clump G286.21+0.17 (G286 for short) that contains an ‘L’ type filament was thought to undergo global collapse. Our high-resolution ALMA band 3 observations resolve the gas kinematics of G286 and reveal two sub-clumps with very different velocities inside it. We find that the ‘blue profile’ (an indicator of gas infall) of HCO+ lines in single dish observations of G286 is actually caused by gas emission from the two sub-clumps rather than gas infall. We advise great caution in interpreting gas kinematics (e.g. infall) from line profiles towards distant massive clumps in single dish observations. Energetic outflows are identified in G286 but the outflows are not strong enough to drive expansion of the two sub-clumps. The two parts of the ‘L’ type filament (‘NW–SE’ and ‘NE–SW’ filaments) show prominent velocity gradients perpendicular to their major axes, indicating that they are likely formed due to large-scale compression flows. We argue that the large-scale compression flows could be induced by the expansion of nearby giant H ii regions. The ‘NW–SE’ and ‘NE–SW’ filaments seem to be in collision, and a large amount of gas has been accumulated in the junction region where the most massive core G286c1 forms.
Protruding bullet heads indicating dark matter pull
Authors: Keshet Uri , Raveh Itay , Naor Yossi
Published: September 2021

A clump moving through the intracluster medium of a galaxy cluster can drive a bow shock trailed by a bullet-like core. In some cases, such as in the prototypical Bullet cluster, X-rays show a gas bullet with a protruding head and pronounced shoulders. We point out that these features, while difficult to explain without dark matter (DM), naturally arise as the head of the slowed-down gas is gravitationally pulled forward toward its unhindered DM counterpart. X-ray imaging thus provides a unique, robust probe of the offset, collisionless DM, even without gravitational lensing or other auxiliary data. Numerical simulations and a toy model suggest that the effect is common in major mergers, is often associated with a small bullet-head radius of curvature, and may lead to distinct bullet morphologies, consistent with observations.
A general framework to test gravity using galaxy clusters IV: cluster and halo properties in DGP gravity
Authors: Mitchell Myles A , Hernández-Aguayo César , Arnold Christian , Li Baojiu
Published: September 2021

We study and model the properties of galaxy clusters in the normal-branch Dvali–Gabadadze–Porrati (nDGP) model of gravity, which is representative of a wide class of theories that exhibit the Vainshtein screening mechanism. Using the first cosmological simulations that incorporate both full baryonic physics and nDGP, we find that, despite being efficiently screened within clusters, the fifth force can raise the temperature of the intracluster gas, affecting the scaling relations between the cluster mass and three observable mass proxies: the gas temperature, the Compton Y-parameter of the Sunyaev–Zel’dovich effect, and the X-ray analogue of the Y-parameter. Therefore, unless properly accounted for, this could lead to biased measurements of the cluster mass in tests that use cluster observations, such as cluster number counts, to probe gravity. Using a suite of dark-matter-only simulations, which span a wide range of box sizes and resolutions, and which feature very different strengths of the fifth force, we also calibrate general fitting formulae that can reproduce the nDGP halo concentration at percent accuracy for 0 ≤ z ≤ 1, and halo mass function with ${\lesssim}3{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$ accuracy at 0 ≤ z ≤ 1 (increasing to ${\lesssim}5{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$ for 1 ≤ z ≤ 2), over a halo mass range spanning four orders of magnitude. Our model for the concentration can be used for converting between halo mass overdensities and predicting statistics such as the non-linear matter power spectrum. The results of this work will form part of a framework for unbiased constraints of gravity using the data from ongoing and upcoming cluster surveys.
Learning about comets from the study of mass distributions and fluxes of meteoroid streams
Authors: Trigo-Rodríguez Josep M , Blum Jürgen
Published: September 2021

Meteor physics can provide new clues about the size, structure, and density of cometary disintegration products, establishing a bridge between different research fields. From meteor magnitude data we have estimated the mass distribution of meteoroids from different cometary streams by using the relation between the luminosity and the mass obtained by Verniani. These mass distributions are in the range observed for dust particles released from comets 1P/Halley and 81P/Wild 2 as measured from spacecraft. From the derived mass distributions, we have integrated the incoming mass for the most significant meteor showers. By comparing the mass of the collected interplanetary dust particles (IDPs) with that derived for cometary meteoroids a gap of several orders of magnitude is encountered. The largest examples of fluffy particles are clusters of IDPs no larger than 100 μm in size (or 5 × 10–7 g in mass) while the largest cometary meteoroids are centimeter-sized objects. Such gaps can be explained by the fragmentation in the atmosphere of the original cometary particles. As an application of the mass distribution computations we describe the significance of the disruption of fragile comets in close approaches to Earth as a more efficient (and probably more frequent) way to deliver volatiles than direct impacts. We finally apply our model to quantify the flux of meteoroids from different meteoroid streams, and to describe the main physical processes contributing to the progressive decay of cometary meteoroids in the interplanetary medium.
First tidal disruption events discovered by SRG/eROSITA: X-ray/optical properties and X-ray luminosity function at z < 0.6
Authors: Sazonov S , Gilfanov M , Medvedev P , Yao Y , Khorunzhev G , Semena A , Sunyaev R , Burenin R , Lyapin A , Meshcheryakov A , Uskov G , Zaznobin I , Postnov K A , Dodin A V , Belinski A A , Cherepashchuk A M , Eselevich M , Dodonov S N , Grokhovskaya A A , Kotov S S , Bikmaev I F , Zhuchkov R Ya , Gumerov R I , van Velzen S , Kulkarni S
Published: September 2021

We present the first sample of tidal disruption events (TDEs) discovered during the SRG all-sky survey. These 13 events were selected among X-ray transients detected in the 0° < l < 180° hemisphere by eROSITA during its second sky survey (2020 June 10 to December 14) and confirmed by optical follow-up observations. The most distant event occurred at z = 0.581. One TDE continued to brighten at least 6 months. The X-ray spectra are consistent with nearly critical accretion on to black holes of a few ×103 to $10^8\, \mathrm{ M}_\odot$, although supercritical accretion is possibly taking place. In two TDEs, a spectral hardening is observed 6 months after the discovery. Four TDEs showed an optical brightening apart from the X-ray outburst. The other nine TDEs demonstrate no optical activity. All 13 TDEs are optically faint, with Lg/LX < 0.3 (Lg and LX being the g band and 0.2–6 keV luminosity, respectively). We have constructed a TDE X-ray luminosity function, which can be fit by a power law with a slope of −0.6 ± 0.2, similar to the trend observed for optically selected TDEs. The total rate is estimated at (1.1 ± 0.5) × 10−5 TDEs per galaxy per year, an order of magnitude lower than inferred from optical studies. This suggests that X-ray bright events constitute a minority of TDEs, consistent with models predicting that X-rays can only be observed from directions close to the axis of a thick accretion disc formed from the stellar debris. Our TDE detection threshold can be lowered by a factor of ∼2, which should allow a detection of ∼700 TDEs by the end of the SRG survey.
metaGEM: reconstruction of genome scale metabolic models directly from metagenomes
Authors: Zorrilla Francisco , Buric Filip , Patil Kiran R , Zelezniak Aleksej
Published: September 2021

Metagenomic analyses of microbial communities have revealed a large degree of interspecies and intraspecies genetic diversity through the reconstruction of metagenome assembled genomes (MAGs). Yet, metabolic modeling efforts mainly rely on reference genomes as the starting point for reconstruction and simulation of genome scale metabolic models (GEMs), neglecting the immense intra- and inter-species diversity present in microbial communities. Here, we present metaGEM (https://github.com/franciscozorrilla/metaGEM), an end-to-end pipeline enabling metabolic modeling of multi-species communities directly from metagenomes. The pipeline automates all steps from the extraction of context-specific prokaryotic GEMs from MAGs to community level flux balance analysis (FBA) simulations. To demonstrate the capabilities of metaGEM, we analyzed 483 samples spanning lab culture, human gut, plant-associated, soil, and ocean metagenomes, reconstructing over 14,000 GEMs. We show that GEMs reconstructed from metagenomes have fully represented metabolism comparable to isolated genomes. We demonstrate that metagenomic GEMs capture intraspecies metabolic diversity and identify potential differences in the progression of type 2 diabetes at the level of gut bacterial metabolic exchanges. Overall, metaGEM enables FBA-ready metabolic model reconstruction directly from metagenomes, provides a resource of metabolic models, and showcases community-level modeling of microbiomes associated with disease conditions allowing generation of mechanistic hypotheses.