bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Risk factors of COVID-19 clinical worsening: A retrospective cohort study in COVID-19 referral hospital in west Java, Indonesia
Authors: Soeroto Arto Yuwono , Yudisman Ade , Asriputri Nabila Nauli , Suryadinata Hendarsyah
Published: February 2023

Background: Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is marked as one of the highly pathogenic viruses, resulting in millions of deaths worldwide. Management of COVID-19 in limited resources requires appropriate decisions. Clinical considerations along with simple laboratory parameters that can predict the worsening are needed to determine which patients should be treated more intensively. 

Methods: This is a retrospective cohort study based on the Research Electronic Data Capture (REDCap) registry of COVID-19 patients in Hasan Sadikin General Hospital from April to December 2020. Patients were divided into worsening and non-worsening groups within a 14-day follow-up. Factors affecting these conditions were analyzed.

Results: A total of 537 patients were included in this study, of which 72 patients suffered deterioration. Multivariate analysis showed the significant factors affecting the worsening of COVID-19 patients were age > 60 years (aOR 4.207, 95% CI 2.13-8.32), heart disease (aOR 2.802, 95% CI 1.12-6.99), diabetes mellitus (aOR 3.107, 95% CI 1.43-6.74), respiratory rate > 23x/minute (aOR 3.71, 95% CI 1.87-7.38), and NLR > 3.8 (aOR 2.51, 95% CI 1.21-5.21).

Conclusions: Older age, chronic heart disease, diabetes mellitus, tachypnea, and higher neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) are risk factors for the clinical worsening of COVID-19 and can be useful to predict the worsening outcome and poor prognosis.
Determination of pharmacological activity of bioactives in Allium sativum using computational analysis
Authors: Ouma Stephen , Kagia Richard , Kamakia Faith
Published: February 2023

Introduction: Use of natural products for management of diseases has increased widely due to the belief that natural products are less toxic than conventional medicines. Natural products have been utilised for management of chronic diseases such as diabetes and cancers. Respiratory infections have also been managed using natural products. Allium sativum is one of the natural products that has been utilised in the management of SARS-CoV infections, diabetes and cancer.

Methods: This study was aimed at screening bioactive agents in Allium sativum using computational analysis. The targets of the bioactive agents were predicted using SwissTargetPrediction tools. Molecular docking followed, where the docking energies of the bioactive agents to the targets were generated. The bioactive agents were analysed for pharmacokinetics properties using SwissADME as well as toxicity profiles using the ProTox II webserver. The docking scores, toxicities and pharmacokinetics profiles of the bioactive agents in Allium sativum were compared with those of reference compounds.

Results: All the bioactives showed lower docking scores than the reference compounds. The bioactives, however, showed some activity on specific receptors such as carbonic anhydrases, cyclooxygenase and ghrelin. All the bioactives showed high gastrointestinal tract absorption and none violated Lipinski’s rule of five. Diallyl trisulphide was predicted to be most lethal, with an LD50 of 100mg/kg, while Alliin was the safest, with 8000mg/kg.

Conclusions: In conclusion, bioactives showed lower docking scores than the reference compounds, therefore overall pharmacological activity could be attributed to synergy between the bioactives for a particular receptor.
The identification of high-performing antibodies for Midkine for use in Western blot and immunoprecipitation
Authors: Ayoubi Riham , Southern Kathleen , Laflamme Carl ,   NeuroSGC/YCharOS Collaborative Group
Published: February 2023

Midkine is a secreted protein that acts as a growth factor or cytokine involved in cell survival and inflammatory processes. It accumulates in amyloid plaques, which are hallmarks of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). The reproducibility of Midkine research would be enhanced if the community had access to well-characterized anti-Midkine antibodies. In this study, we characterized 8 commercial Midkine antibodies for Western blot and immunoprecipitation, using a standardized experimental protocol based on comparing read-outs in a knockout cell line and isogenic parental control. We identified many high-performing antibodies and encourage readers to use this report as a guide to select the most appropriate antibody for their specific needs.
The genome sequence of a bird blowfly, Protocalliphora azurea (Fallén,1817)
Authors: Falk Steven ,   Darwin Tree of Life Barcoding collective,   Wellcome Sanger Institute Tree of Life programme,   Wellcome Sanger Institute Scientific Operations: DNA Pipelines collective,   Tree of Life Core Informatics collective, Sivell Olga ,   Darwin Tree of Life Consortium
Published: February 2023

We present a genome assembly from an individual male Protocalliphora azurea (a bird blowfly; Arthropoda; Insecta; Diptera; Calliphoridae). The genome sequence is 874 megabases in span. Most of the assembly is scaffolded into seven chromosomal pseudomolecules, including the assembled X and Y sex chromosomes. The mitochondrial genome has also been assembled and is 15.7 kilobases in length. Gene annotation of this assembly on Ensembl identified 11,936 protein coding genes.
Mistagogia liturgiczna biskupa Jana Bernarda Szlagi. Aspekt biblijny
Authors: Megger Andrzej
Published: February 2023

Artykuł podejmuje problematykę mistagogii liturgicznej w nauczaniu biskupa Jana Bernarda Szlagi. Mistagogia jest wprowadzaniem uczestników liturgii w sprawowane misterium oraz procesem formacji życia chrześcijańskiego opartym na doświadczeniu przemieniającej skuteczności zbawczego dzieła Jezusa Chrystusa. W ujęciu Benedykta XVI tworzą ją trzy elementy: objaśnienie obrzędów w perspektywie historiozbawczej, wprowadzenie w znaczenie znaków zawartych w świętych czynnościach oraz powiązanie znaczenia obrzędów z życiem chrześcijańskim. Przeprowadzona w artykule analiza nauczania biskupa Szlagi na temat Eucharystii pozwala na zakwalifikowanie go jako nauczanie mistagogiczne. Charakterystyczną jego cechą jest stosowanie typologii biblijnej oraz języka ikonicznego na każdym etapie wyjaśniania istoty liturgii.
El «Román de Flamenca» y el lenguaje musical de Rosalía. Una propuesta didáctica conforme al Diseño Universal de Aprendizaje (DUA).
Authors: Lores-Gómez Beatriz , Martínez Requejo Sonia , Escorial Santa-Marina Sonia
Published: February 2023

Se presenta una propuesta didáctica para la materia de lengua y literatura en el curso de 3º de Educación Secundaria Obligatoria (ESO) en España acerca de la literatura medieval que incorpora los principios del Diseño Universal de Aprendizaje (DUA) para favorecer la inclusión y conectar con la música popular, concretamente el álbum musical de Rosalía «El Mal Querer» presentado en el año 2018.
Synergies Between Operations Research and Quantum Information Science
Authors: Parekh Ojas
Published: February 2023

This article highlights synergies between quantum information science (QIS) and operations research for QIS-curious operations researchers (and vice versa), and the author challenges the community to discover more.

History: This “Challenge” paper was invited by the Editor in Chief and based on the topics raised by the author at his plenary address at the 2022 INFORMS Computing Society Conference in Tampa, Florida.

Funding: This material is based on work supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Advanced Scientific Computing Research, Accelerated Research in Quantum Computing, Fundamental Algorithmic Research for Quantum Computing. This article has been authored by an employee of National Technology & Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC, under Contract DE-NA0003525 with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).
An LSTM+ Model for Managing Epidemics: Using Population Mobility and Vulnerability for Forecasting COVID-19 Hospital Admissions
Authors: Ray Arindam , Jank Wolfgang , Dutta Kaushik , Mullarkey Matthew
Published: February 2023

Worldwide epidemics, such as corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19), cause unprecedented challenges for society and its healthcare systems. Governments attempt to mitigate those challenges by either reducing healthcare demand (“flattening the curve” by imposing restrictions, e.g., on travel or social gatherings) or by increasing healthcare capacity, for example, by canceling elective procedures or setting up field hospitals. To implement these mitigation procedures efficiently, accurate and timely forecasts of the epidemic’s progression are necessary. In this paper, we develop an innovative forecasting methodology based on the ideas of long short-term memory (LSTM) recurrent neural networks. LSTM models are shown to outperform traditional forecasting models, especially when the relationship between input and output is complex and not available in closed form. However, whereas LSTM models perform well for data that changes dynamically over time, one shortcoming is that they are not directly applicable when the data also includes static, nontemporal components. In this work, we propose an [Formula: see text] model that overcomes this limitation. Our model leverages a private partnership with a mobile data company in order to capture population mobility (using mobility indices derived from mobile device data), which allows us to anticipate an epidemic’s spread early and accurately. In addition, we also leverage a public partnership with a consortium of hospitals. Using hospital admissions (rather than, say, positive caseload) results in an unbiased measure of the severity of an epidemic because patients seek and are admitted to hospital care only when symptoms worsen beyond a critical point. We illustrate the effectiveness of our method on forecasting COVID-19 for a major U.S. metropolitan area where it has aided decision makers of the emergency policy group. Our model improves the predictive accuracy of hospital admission by a factor of 2.5× as compared with competing models in the same analytical space.

History: Accepted by J. Paul Brooks, Area Editor for Applications in Biology, Medicine, & Healthcare.

Funding: This research was funded by a monetary gift from Hillsborough County to establish the Pandemic Response Research Fund at University of South Florida.

Supplemental Material: The software that supports the findings of this study is available within the paper and its Supplemental Information ( https://pubsonline.informs.org/doi/suppl/10.1287/ijoc.2023.1269 ) as well as from the IJOC GitHub software repository ( https://github.com/INFORMSJoC/2021.0027 ) at ( http://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7112004 ).
Search and Predictability of Prices in the Housing Market
Authors: Møller Stig Vinther , Pedersen Thomas , Montes Schütte Erik Christian , Timmermann Allan
Published: February 2023

We develop a new housing search index (HSI) extracted from online search activity on a limited set of keywords related to the house-buying process. We show that HSI has strong predictive power over subsequent changes in house prices, both in-sample and out-of-sample and after controlling for the effect of commonly used predictors, and relate our findings to models of search-induced frictions. Our results imply that search data can be used as an early indicator of where the market is going.

This paper was accepted by David Sraer, finance.

Funding: We acknowledge support from the Danish Finance Institute and from the Independent Research Fund Denmark [Grants DFF 7024-00020B and DFF 7015-00017B].

Supplemental Material: The online appendix and data are available at https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2023.4672 .
Business Analytics in Healthcare: Past, Present, and Future Trends
Authors: Wowak Kaitlin D. , Lalor John P. , Somanchi Sriram , Angst Corey M.
Published: February 2023

Problem definition: Business analytics (BA) in healthcare research offers numerous valuable insights that can enhance patient care and hospital performance. Consequently, there has been a rapid surge of research in this area. Academic/practical relevance: The objective of this study is to provide a data-driven summary of the extant BA in healthcare literature and a guide for future research. Methodology: Leveraging a topic modeling technique and network analysis, we provide insight into how BA topics change over time. Results: We provide an in-depth analysis of 320 articles from the University of Texas at Dallas journal list and a basic topic model and network analyses for an additional 6,515 relevant articles from PubMed published in top-tier journals across 69 medical subcategories. Our study bridges research in operations management, information systems, healthcare, and analytics by providing a definition of BA in healthcare and a road map for future research. Managerial implications: Our study provides a single source of information into operations- and analytics-related issues, such as wait times, admissions, hospital performance, etc., that scholars and administrators might use to rethink how specific processes are handled in hospitals. In addition, this work highlights how operations management research has addressed clinically important issues such as patient satisfaction, doctor ratings, readmission rates, mortality, efficiency, cost of care, and compliance with protocols of care, as all are represented in our sample. Another key contribution of our study is that we provide an interactive article analysis tool as a web application for scholars in hopes of facilitating research in this area.

Supplemental Material: The e-companion is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/msom.2023.1192 .
Cerebral amyloid angiopathy-related inflammation presenting with a stroke-like episode
Authors: Gaspar Ana Rita , Faustino Catarina , Sousa Mara , Valentim Marta
Published: February 2023

Cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA) is characterised by B-amyloid deposition in the walls of small to medium sized arteries of the cerebral cortex and the leptomeninges. In a significant proportion of patients, CAA is the probable cause of non-traumatic primary cerebral haemorrhage, particularly in those who are over 55 years of age and have controlled blood pressure. Cerebral amyloid angiopathy-related inflammation (CAA-ri) is an uncommon and aggressive subtype of CAA, which is thought to be caused by an immune reaction to the deposits of B-amyloid. It has a variety of presentations that can mimic other focal and diffuse neurological disorders. Radiographically, its classic presentation is asymmetric cortical or subcortical white matter hyperintense foci due to multiple microhaemorrhages on T2-weighted or fluid attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) images. Although definite diagnosis requires brain and leptomeningeal biopsy, diagnostic criteria for probable CAA-ri based on a combination of clinical and radiological features were validated in 2015. We describe a patient with probable CAA-ri mimicking stroke and review the clinical and radiological features important for a proper differential diagnosis between ischaemic stroke (IS) and CAA-ri, and its subsequent appropriate treatment.
The socle of Leavitt path algebras over a semiprime ring
Authors:   UIN Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta, Wardati K.
Published: February 2023

The Reduction Theorem in Leavitt path algebra over a commutative unital ring is very important to prove that the Leavitt path algebra is semiprime if and only if the ring is also semiprime. Any minimal ideal in the semiprime ring and line point will construct a left minimal ideal in the Leavitt path algebra. Vice versa, any left minimal ideal in the semiprime Leavitt path algebra can be found both minimal ideal in the semiprime ring and line point that generate it. The socle of semiprime Leavitt path algebra is constructed by minimal ideals of the semiprime ring and the set of all line points.
Flat portions on the boundary of the numerical range of a 5 × 5 companion matrix
Authors: Saha Mondal Swastika , Ojha Sarita , Birbonshi Riddhick
Published: February 2023

The number of flat portions on the boundary of the numerical range of $5 \times 5$ companion matrices, both unitarily reducible and unitarily irreducible cases, is examined. The complete characterization on the number of flat portions of a $5 \times 5$ unitarily reducible companion matrix is given. Also under some suitable conditions, it is shown that a unitarily irreducible $5 \times 5$ companion matrix cannot have four flat portions on the boundary of its numerical range. This gives a partial affirmative answer to the conjecture given in [3] for $n = 5$. Numerical examples are provided to illustrate the results.
Editors' Note: Welcome!
Authors: Shepherd Craig E. , Short Cecil R.
Published: February 2023

Welcome to the Journal of Technology-Integrated Lessons and Teaching (JTILT). This practitioner-focused journal publishes technology-rich lessons and materials for teachers and teacher education audiences around the world. These lessons and materials differ from other repositories because they

are peer-reviewed,
document the design considerations and context associated with instructional development,
include critical reflections regarding implementation,
are freely available for adaptation, use, and dissemination through a Creative Commons, Attribution-Non-commercial-Share-alike 4.0 International license (CC-BY-NC-SA 4.0).

This international journal provides a space to share technology integration approaches in all aspects of the teaching profession (e.g., preservice, induction, inservice, professional development, leadership). Thus, JTILT is a venue to highlight, reflect, and continue conversations regarding teaching approaches. It allows teachers, media specialists, technology coordinators, professors, teacher educators, administrators, and other interested individuals to share best practices and glean from others’ work.
Issue Introduction
Authors: Shepherd Craig E. , Short Cecil R.
Published: February 2023

Welcome to the second issue of the Journal of Technology-Integrated Lessons and Teaching (JTILT). This journal publishes international, peer-reviewed, technology-rich lessons, activities, and materials for teachers! These resources are freely available for adaptation, use, and dissemination through a Creative Commons, Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International license (CC-BY-NC-SA 4.0).
‘Mamas If Your Daughters Grow Up to Be Cowboys, So What?’: Women Refiguring Rurality and Class in Country Music
Authors: Nagengast Lillian
Published: February 2023

Drawing on the burgeoning fields of rural studies and working-class studies, this essay examines contemporary country music by female artists. Namely, it considers rurality and class in the music of artists Miranda Lambert, Kacey Musgraves, and Mickey Guyton. While country music scholars have long attended to how rurality and class function in country music by men, country music scholarship has largely disregarded these concepts in the music of female country artists. Whereas male country artists typically reference rurality and the working-class as a means of identification, Lambert, Musgraves, and Guyton reference these social constructs to interrogate, destabilize, and refigure. In crafting multilayered responses to contemporary dialogues on rurality and the working-class, these women not only call attention to country music’s premises, but they also produce variations of rurality and class.
Advancing Children's Rights in Detention
Authors: Kilkelly Ursula , Bergin Pat
Published: February 2023

International children’s rights law has established standards for the treatment of children in detention that are widely accepted. Yet, challenges in their implementation continue to persist around the world. Ireland has been undergoing significant reform in this area, in line with international standards, adopting a child-centred and rights-based model of detention for all children who come into conflict with the law. Drawing on theory and practice, this book analyses Ireland’s experience of translating children’s rights into the practice of detention, providing a model for international reform. The book documents and analyses the changes to Irish law and policy and explains the steps taken and challenges faced in their implementation. Particular focus is placed on the development of Ireland’s national detention facility – Oberstown Children Detention Campus – and the journey it has taken towards a children’s rights approach to detention. The book presents an original model for advancing children’s rights in detention – encompassing children’s rights to Provision; Protection; Participation; Preparation and Partnership. It explores child detention from the international perspective, traces the development of the Irish youth justice and detention systems, tracks the process of change in developing a specialist model of child-centred detention, documents the learning of implementing children’s rights in practice and assessing the international and national influences on change. It considers that the reform of child detention is a gradual and collaborative process requiring a series of interconnected steps and measures. The book presents the learning from a challenging change process which is designed to inform and influence the international application of a rights-based model of child detention.
Afterword
Authors: Kilkelly Ursula , Bergin Pat
Published: February 2023

It is an African proverb that it takes a village to raise a child – a community must share its resources, its knowledge and its wisdom if the potential of the child is to be fulfilled. The same is true of Oberstown in that it took a myriad of influences and influencers over many, many years, to create, shape and implement the vision of rights-based detention for children in Ireland. This book demonstrates that it is possible to put in place a model of child-centred care for children deprived of liberty by explaining the measures, actions and steps required to make it happen. However, we are not naïve enough to think that the Oberstown ‘job’ is done. It will take many more years of hard work and commitment before the change we document here is embedded and the potential of the rights-based approach fulfilled. Nor do we suggest in documenting Ireland’s experience, that this is a case study capable of being replicated anywhere. There are simply too many variables to do justice to a comparative analysis, but we do want to conclude this book with a reflection on where else this could happen. In what circumstances could such a project be a success?...
Optical Interference Coatings 2022: introduction to the feature issue
Authors: Sargent Robert , Sytchkova Anna , Jensen Lars
Published: February 2023

The fifteenth topical meeting on Optical Interference Coatings (OIC) was held June 19–24, 2022 in Whistler, British Columbia, Canada. This feature issue of Applied Optics collects selected papers presented during this conference. The OIC topical meeting takes place every three years and is a pivotal event for the international community working in the field of optical interference coatings. The conference provides premier opportunities for attendees to share knowledge on their new advances in research and development and to build bridges for further collaborations. The meeting topics cover a broad range, from fundamental research, coating design theory, new materials, deposition and characterization technologies to a vast catalogue of applications including green technologies, aerospace, gravitational wave detection, communication, optical instruments, consumer electronics, high power and ultra-fast lasers, and many others.
Generation of robust optical entanglement in cavity optomagnonics
Authors: Xie Hong , He Le-Wei , Liao Chang-Geng , Chen Zhi-Hua , Lin Xiu-Min
Published: February 2023

We propose a scheme to realize robust optical entanglement in cavity optomagnonics, where two optical whispering gallery modes (WGMs) couple to a magnon mode in a yttrium iron garnet (YIG) sphere. The beam-splitter-like and two-mode squeezing magnon-photon interactions can be realized simultaneously when the two optical WGMs are driven by external fields. Entanglement between the two optical modes is then generated via their coupling with magnons. By exploiting the destructive quantum interference between the bright modes of the interface, the effects of initial thermal occupations of magnons can be eliminated. Moreover, the excitation of the Bogoliubov dark mode is capable of protecting the optical entanglement from thermal heating effects. Therefore, the generated optical entanglement is robust against thermal noise and the requirement of cooling the magnon mode is relaxed. Our scheme may find applications in the study of magnon-based quantum information processing.
Axial profiling of interferometric scattering enables an accurate determination of nanoparticle size
Authors: Žambochová Kateřina , Lee Il-Buem , Park Jin-Sung , Hong Seok-Cheol , Cho Minhaeng
Published: February 2023

Interferometric scattering (iSCAT) microscopy has undergone significant development in recent years. It is a promising technique for imaging and tracking nanoscopic label-free objects with nanometer localization precision. The current iSCAT-based photometry technique allows quantitative estimation for the size of a nanoparticle by measuring iSCAT contrast and has been successfully applied to nano-objects smaller than the Rayleigh scattering limit. Here we provide an alternative method that overcomes such size limitations. We take into account the axial variation of iSCAT contrast and utilize a vectorial point spread function model to uncover the position of a scattering dipole and, consequently, the size of the scatterer, which is not limited to the Rayleigh limit. We found that our technique accurately measures the size of spherical dielectric nanoparticles in a purely optical and non-contact way. We also tested fluorescent nanodiamonds (fND) and obtained a reasonable estimate for the size of fND particles. Together with fluorescence measurement from fND, we observed a correlation between the fluorescent signal and the size of fND. Our results showed that the axial pattern of iSCAT contrast provides sufficient information for the size of spherical particles. Our method enables us to measure the size of nanoparticles from tens of nanometers and beyond the Rayleigh limit with nanometer precision, making a versatile all-optical nanometric technique.
Influence mechanism of the particle size on underwater active polarization imaging of reflective targets
Authors: Li Haoxiang , Zhu Jingping , Deng Jinxin , Guo Fengqi , Sun Jian , Zhang Yunyao , Hou Xun
Published: February 2023

Underwater active polarization imaging is a promising imaging method, however, it is ineffective in some scenarios. In this work, the influence of the particle size from isotropic (Rayleigh regime) to forward-scattering on polarization imaging is investigated by both Monte Carlo simulation and quantitative experiments. The results show the non-monotonic law of imaging contrast with the particle size of scatterers. Furthermore, through polarization-tracking program, the polarization evolution of backscattered light and target diffuse light are detailed quantitatively with Poincaré sphere. The findings indicate that the noise light’s polarization and intensity scattering field change significantly with the particle size. Based on this, the influence mechanism of the particle size on underwater active polarization imaging of reflective targets is revealed for the first time. Moreover, the adapted principle of scatterer particle scale is also provided for different polarization imaging methods.
Superinfection exclusion creates spatially distinct influenza virus populations
Authors: Sims Anna , Tornaletti Laura Burgess , Jasim Seema , Pirillo Chiara , Devlin Ryan , Hirst Jack C. , Loney Colin , Wojtus Joanna , Sloan Elizabeth , Thorley Luke , Boutell Chris , Roberts Edward , Hutchinson Edward
Published: February 2023

Interactions between viruses during coinfections can influence viral fitness and population diversity, as seen in the generation of reassortant pandemic influenza A virus (IAV) strains. However, opportunities for interactions between closely related viruses are limited by a process known as superinfection exclusion (SIE), which blocks coinfection shortly after primary infection. Using IAVs, we asked whether SIE, an effect which occurs at the level of individual cells, could limit interactions between populations of viruses as they spread across multiple cells within a host. To address this, we first measured the kinetics of SIE in individual cells by infecting them sequentially with 2 isogenic IAVs, each encoding a different fluorophore. By varying the interval between addition of the 2 IAVs, we showed that early in infection SIE does not prevent coinfection, but that after this initial lag phase the potential for coinfection decreases exponentially. We then asked how the kinetics of SIE onset controlled coinfections as IAVs spread asynchronously across monolayers of cells. We observed that viruses at individual coinfected foci continued to coinfect cells as they spread, because all new infections were of cells that had not yet established SIE. In contrast, viruses spreading towards each other from separately infected foci could only establish minimal regions of coinfection before reaching cells where coinfection was blocked. This created a pattern of separate foci of infection, which was recapitulated in the lungs of infected mice, and which is likely to be applicable to many other viruses that induce SIE. We conclude that the kinetics of SIE onset segregate spreading viral infections into discrete regions, within which interactions between virus populations can occur freely, and between which they are blocked.
Different congenital hydrocephalus–associated mutations in Trim71 impair stem cell differentiation via distinct gain-of-function mechanisms
Authors: Liu Qiuying , Novak Mariah K. , Pepin Rachel M. , Maschhoff Katharine R. , Hu Wenqian
Published: February 2023

Congenital hydrocephalus (CH) is a common neurological disorder affecting many newborns. Imbalanced neurogenesis is a major cause of CH. Multiple CH-associated mutations are within the RNA-binding domain of Trim71, a conserved, stem cell–specific RNA-binding protein. How these mutations alter stem cell fate is unclear. Here, we show that the CH-associated mutations R595H and R783H in Trim71 accelerate differentiation and enhance neural lineage commitment in mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs), and reduce binding to mRNAs targeted by wild-type Trim71, consistent with previous reports. Unexpectedly, however, each mutant binds an ectopic and distinct repertoire of target mRNAs. R595H-Trim71, but not R783H-Trim71 nor wild-type Trim71, binds the mRNA encoding β-catenin and represses its translation. Increasing β-catenin by overexpression or treatment with a Wnt agonist specifically restores differentiation of R595H-Trim71 mESCs. These results suggest that Trim71 mutations give rise to unique gain-of-function pathological mechanisms in CH. Further, our studies suggest that disruption of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway can be used to stratify disease etiology and develop precision medicine approaches for CH.
Fibroblast-expressed LRRC15 is a receptor for SARS-CoV-2 spike and controls antiviral and antifibrotic transcriptional programs
Authors: Loo Lipin , Waller Matthew A. , Moreno Cesar L. , Cole Alexander J. , Stella Alberto Ospina , Pop Oltin-Tiberiu , Jochum Ann-Kristin , Ali Omar Hasan , Denes Christopher E. , Hamoudi Zina , Chung Felicity , Aggarwal Anupriya , Low Jason K. K. , Patel Karishma , Siddiquee Rezwan , Kang Taeyoung , Mathivanan Suresh , Mackay Joel P. , Jochum Wolfram , Flatz Lukas , Hesselson Daniel , Turville Stuart , Neely G. Gregory
Published: February 2023

Although ACE2 is the primary receptor for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, a systematic assessment of host factors that regulate binding to SARS-CoV-2 spike protein has not been described. Here, we use whole-genome CRISPR activation to identify host factors controlling cellular interactions with SARS-CoV-2. Our top hit was a TLR-related cell surface receptor called leucine-rich repeat-containing protein 15 (LRRC15). LRRC15 expression was sufficient to promote SARS-CoV-2 spike binding where they form a cell surface complex. LRRC15 mRNA is expressed in human collagen-producing lung myofibroblasts and LRRC15 protein is induced in severe Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection where it can be found lining the airways. Mechanistically, LRRC15 does not itself support SARS-CoV-2 infection, but fibroblasts expressing LRRC15 can suppress both pseudotyped and authentic SARS-CoV-2 infection in trans. Moreover, LRRC15 expression in fibroblasts suppresses collagen production and promotes expression of IFIT, OAS, and MX-family antiviral factors. Overall, LRRC15 is a novel SARS-CoV-2 spike-binding receptor that can help control viral load and regulate antiviral and antifibrotic transcriptional programs in the context of COVID-19 infection.
Enhanced viral infectivity and reduced interferon production are associated with high pathogenicity for influenza viruses
Authors: Li Ke , McCaw James M. , Cao Pengxing
Published: February 2023

Epidemiological and clinical evidence indicates that humans infected with the 1918 pandemic H1N1 influenza virus and highly pathogenic avian H5N1 influenza viruses often displayed severe lung pathology. High viral load and extensive infiltration of macrophages are the hallmarks of highly pathogenic (HP) influenza viral infections. However, it remains unclear what biological mechanisms primarily determine the observed difference in the kinetics of viral load and macrophages between HP and low pathogenic (LP) viral infections, and how the mechanistic differences are associated with viral pathogenicity. In this study, we develop a mathematical model of viral dynamics that includes the dynamics of different macrophage populations and interferon. We fit the model to in vivo kinetic data of viral load and macrophage level from BALB/c mice infected with an HP or LP strain of H1N1/H5N1 virus to estimate model parameters using Bayesian inference. Our primary finding is that HP viruses have a higher viral infection rate, a lower interferon production rate and a lower macrophage recruitment rate compared to LP viruses, which are strongly associated with more severe tissue damage (quantified by a higher percentage of epithelial cell loss). We also quantify the relative contribution of macrophages to viral clearance and find that macrophages do not play a dominant role in the direct clearance of free viruses although their role in mediating immune responses such as interferon production is crucial. Our work provides new insight into the mechanisms that convey the observed difference in viral and macrophage kinetics between HP and LP infections and establishes an improved model-fitting framework to enhance the analysis of new data on viral pathogenicity.
Seroprevalence of anti-Lassa Virus IgG antibodies in three districts of Sierra Leone: A cross-sectional, population-based study
Authors: Grant Donald S. , Engel Emily J. , Roberts Yerkes Nicole , Kanneh Lansana , Koninga James , Gbakie Michael A. , Alhasan Foday , Kanneh Franklyn B. , Kanneh Ibrahim Mustapha , Kamara Fatima K. , Momoh Mambu , Yillah Mohamed S. , Foday Momoh , Okoli Adaora , Zeoli Ashley , Weldon Caroline , Bishop Christopher M. , Zheng Crystal , Hartnett Jessica , Chao Karissa , Shore Kayla , Melnik Lilia I. , Mucci Mallory , Bond Nell G. , Doyle Philip , Yenni Rachael , Podgorski Rachel , Ficenec Samuel C. , Moses Lina , Shaffer Jeffrey G. , Garry Robert F. , Schieffelin John S.
Published: February 2023

Background

Lassa virus (LASV), the cause of the acute viral hemorrhagic illness Lassa fever (LF), is endemic in West Africa. Infections in humans occur mainly after exposure to infected excrement or urine of the rodent-host, Mastomys natalensis. The prevalence of exposure to LASV in Sierra Leone is crudely estimated and largely unknown. This cross-sectional study aimed to establish a baseline point seroprevalence of IgG antibodies to LASV in three administrative districts of Sierra Leone and identify potential risk factors for seropositivity and LASV exposure.

Methodology and principal findings

Between 2015 and 2018, over 10,642 participants from Kenema, Tonkolili, and Port Loko Districts were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. Previous LASV and LF epidemiological studies support classification of these districts as “endemic,” “emerging,” and “non-endemic”, respectively. Dried blood spot samples were tested for LASV antibodies by ELISA to determine the seropositivity of participants, indicating previous exposure to LASV. Surveys were administered to each participant to assess demographic and environmental factors associated with a higher risk of exposure to LASV. Overall seroprevalence for antibodies to LASV was 16.0%. In Kenema, Port Loko, and Tonkolili Districts, seroprevalences were 20.1%, 14.1%, and 10.6%, respectively. In a multivariate analysis, individuals were more likely to be LASV seropositive if they were living in Kenema District, regardless of sex, age, or occupation. Environmental factors contributed to an increased risk of LASV exposure, including poor housing construction and proximity to bushland, forested areas, and refuse.

Conclusions and significance

In this study we determine a baseline LASV seroprevalence in three districts which will inform future epidemiological, ecological, and clinical studies on LF and the LASV in Sierra Leone. The heterogeneity of the distribution of LASV and LF over both space, and time, can make the design of efficacy trials and intervention programs difficult. Having more studies on the prevalence of LASV and identifying potential hyper-endemic areas will greatly increase the awareness of LF and improve targeted control programs related to LASV.
An improved poor and rich optimization algorithm
Authors: Wang Yanjiao , Zhou Shengnan
Published: February 2023

The poor and rich optimization algorithm (PRO) is a new bio-inspired meta-heuristic algorithm based on the behavior of the poor and the rich. PRO suffers from low convergence speed and premature convergence, and easily traps in the local optimum, when solving very complex function optimization problems. To overcome these limitations, this study proposes an improved poor and rich optimization (IPRO) algorithm. First, to meet the requirements of convergence speed and swarm diversity requirements across different evolutionary stages of the algorithm, the population is dynamically divided into the poor and rich sub-population. Second, for the rich sub-population, this study designs a novel individual updating mechanism that learns from the evolution information of the global optimum individual and that of the poor sub-population simultaneously, to further accelerate convergence speed and minimize swarm diversity loss. Third, for the poor sub-population, this study designs a novel individual updating mechanism that improves some evolution information by learning alternately from the rich and Gauss distribution, gradually improves evolutionary genes, and maintains swarm diversity. The IPRO is then compared with four state-of-the-art swarm evolutionary algorithms with various characteristics on the CEC 2013 test suite. Experimental results demonstrate the competitive advantages of IPRO in convergence precision and speed when solving function optimization problems.
Study for the validation of the FeetMe® integrated sensor insole system compared to GAITRite® system to assess gait characteristics in patients with multiple sclerosis
Authors: Granja Domínguez Anabel , Romero Sevilla Raúl , Alemán Aurora , Durán Carmen , Hochsprung Anja , Navarro Guillermo , Páramo Cristina , Venegas Ana , Lladonosa Ana , Ayuso Guillermo Izquierdo
Published: February 2023

Objective

To determine the concordance and statistical precision in gait velocity in people with multiple sclerosis (pwMS), measured with FeetMe® (insoles with pressure and motion sensors) compared with GAITRite® (classic reference system of gait analysis) in the timed 25-Feet Walk test (T25WT).

Methods

This observational, cross-sectional, prospective, single center study was conducted between September-2018 and April-2019 in pwMS aged 18–55 years, with Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) 0–6.5 and relapse free ≥30 days at baseline. Primary endpoint was gait velocity. Secondary endpoints were ambulation time, cadence, and stride length assessment, while the correlation between gait variables and the clinical parameters of MS subjects was assessed as an exploratory endpoint.

Results

A total of 207 MS subjects were enrolled, of whom, 205 were considered in primary analysis. Most subjects were women (66.8%) and had relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) (82.9%), with overall mean (standard deviation [SD]) age of 41.5 (8.0) year and EDSS 3.1 (2.0). There was a statistically significant (p<0.0001) and strong agreement (intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) >0.830) in gait velocity, ambulation time and cadence assessment between FeetMe® and GAITRite®.

Conclusions

Agreement between devices was strong (ICC≥0.800). FeetMe® is the first validated wearable medical device that allows gait monitoring in MS subjects, being potentially able to assess disease activity, progression, and treatment response.
Ensuring confidentiality and privacy of cloud data using a non-deterministic cryptographic scheme
Authors: Dawson John Kwao , Twum Frimpong , Hayfron Acquah James Benjamin , Missah Yaw Marfo
Published: February 2023

The amount of data generated by electronic systems through e-commerce, social networks, and data computation has risen. However, the security of data has always been a challenge. The problem is not with the quantity of data but how to secure the data by ensuring its confidentiality and privacy. Though there are several research on cloud data security, this study proposes a security scheme with the lowest execution time. The approach employs a non-linear time complexity to achieve data confidentiality and privacy. A symmetric algorithm dubbed the Non-Deterministic Cryptographic Scheme (NCS) is proposed to address the increased execution time of existing cryptographic schemes. NCS has linear time complexity with a low and unpredicted trend of execution times. It achieves confidentiality and privacy of data on the cloud by converting the plaintext into Ciphertext with a small number of iterations thereby decreasing the execution time but with high security. The algorithm is based on Good Prime Numbers, Linear Congruential Generator (LGC), Sliding Window Algorithm (SWA), and XOR gate. For the implementation in C#, thirty different execution times were performed and their average was taken. A comparative analysis of the NCS was performed against AES, DES, and RSA algorithms based on key sizes of 128kb, 256kb, and 512kb using the dataset from Kaggle. The results showed the proposed NCS execution times were lower in comparison to AES, which had better execution time than DES with RSA having the longest. Contrary, to existing knowledge that execution time is relative to data size, the results obtained from the experiment indicated otherwise for the proposed NCS algorithm. With data sizes of 128kb, 256kb, and 512kb, the execution times in milliseconds were 38, 711, and 378 respectively. This validates the NCS as a Non-Deterministic Cryptographic Algorithm. The study findings hence are in support of the argument that data size does not determine the execution time of a cryptographic algorithm but rather the size of the security key.
Reported corporate misconducts: The impact on the financial markets
Authors: Ichev Riste
Published: February 2023

This study empirically examines how reported corporate misconducts affect the stock returns of US firms. As the reported misconducts are broadcasted in the newspaper outlets, the cumulative abnormal return (CAR) is -4.1%. Involvement in a reported corporate misconduct gets punished by market participants especially when the act of reported misconduct is blamed on the level of the corporation rather than in involvement of a specific individual, when reported misconducts take place in the home market, and when the linguistic tone used in the newspaper article is negative. Financial penalties imposed, firm size, leverage, revenue growth, and the level of firm foreign exposure are found to have significant impact on the returns during the period of observation. The results suggest that investors recognize the importance to penalize firms in the financial markets when firms act unethically.
Infections in patients with adverse reactions to the use of unknown modeling substances for soft tissue enhancement in Cali, Colombia
Authors: Bonilla Moncada Jennifer , Ríos Carlos Alberto , Castro Claudia Marcela , Leal Aura Lucia , Arturo Jhann Andres , Diaz Katty , Duarte Carolina , Puerto Gloria , Moreno Nancy , Velasco Amelia , Moreno Jaime
Published: February 2023

The infiltration of foreign materials not approved for medical purposes or of modeling substances used in soft tissue to modify the anatomical appearance for aesthetic purposes represents a serious health problem. These procedures lead to the development of delayed complications, including infections. The objective of this study was to characterize infections in patients with adverse reactions to the use of modeling substances in Cali, Colombia. A cross-sectional and descriptive study was used to determine the frequency of bacterial and fungal infections associated with complications from and adverse reactions to the use of modeling substances in 113 patients. We identified microorganisms in 22 patients and a frequency of 68.1% monomicrobial infections and 31.8% polymicrobial infections. The microorganisms identified in our study includedBacillus cereus,Mycobacterium fortuitum, andPseudomonas stutzeri, among other microorganisms. The presence of adverse effects derived from the use of illegal modeling substances has been demonstrated; among these effects, infections occur with high frequency and place the health of the patient at risk and increase problems in health care.
Fraction of plasma exomeres and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol as a predictor of fatal outcome of COVID-19
Authors: Usenko Tatiana , Miroshnikova Valentina , Bezrukova Anastasia , Basharova Katerina , Landa Sergey , Korobova Zoia , Liubimova Natalia , Vlasov Ivan , Nikolaev Mikhael , Izyumchenko Artem , Gavrilova Elena , Shlyk Irina , Chernitskaya Elena , Kovalchuk Yurii , Slominsky Petr , Totolian Areg , Polushin Yurii , Pchelina Sofya
Published: February 2023

Transcriptomic analysis conducted by us previously revealed upregulation of genes involved in low-density lipoprotein particle receptor (LDLR) activity pathway in lethal COVID-19 caused by SARS-CoV-2 virus (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2). Last data suggested the possible role of extracellular vesicles in COVID-19 pathogenesis. The aim of the present study was to retrospectively evaluate parameters of cholesterol metabolism and newly identified EVs, exomeres, as possible predictors of fatal outcome of COVID-19 patients infected by the Alpha and the Delta variants of SARS-CoV-2 virus. Blood from 67 patients with severe COVID-19 were collected at the time of admission to the intensive care unit (ICU) and 7 days after admission to the ICU. After 30 days patients were divided into two subgroups according to outcome—34 non-survivors and 33 survivors. This study demonstrated that plasma low- and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels (LDL-C and HDL-C) were decreased in non-survivors compared to controls at the time of admission to the ICU. The conjoint fraction of exomeres and LDL particles measured by dynamic light scattering (DLS) was decreased in non-survivors infected by the Alpha and the Delta variants compared to survivors at the time of admission to the ICU. We first showed that reduction of exomeres fraction may be critical in fatal outcome of COVID-19.