bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Corticosteroid therapy for the management of paradoxical inflammatory reaction in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis
Authors: Done Macky M. , Akkerman Onno W. , Al-Kailany Wud , de Lange Wiel C. M. , de Jonge Gonda , Kleinnijenhuis Johanneke , Stienstra Riejanne , van der Werf Tjip S.
Published: April 2020

Background

Paradoxical reaction after the initiation of tuberculosis treatment is defined as increased inflammation following effective antimycobacterial treatment. This is a phenomenon that can severely complicate a patient’s recovery, potentially leading to further morbidity and residual deficits. Paradoxical reaction remains poorly understood regarding its pathophysiology and management. Only a limited number of reports look critically at the available therapeutic options, with evidence of the efficacy of prednisolone therapy being primarily limited to extrapulmonary PR only.

Case

We describe two HIV negative patients who were admitted to our department with pulmonary tuberculosis, presenting with inflammatory patterns attributable to PR and their response to adjunctive steroid therapy.

Discussion and Conclusions

The presented cases further highlight the need for immunological studies and randomized trials for corticosteroid therapy are needed to better understand this phenomenon as well as provide an evidence-base for anti-inflammatory treatment. Furthermore, by means of this case series, we are also able to highlight the potential variability in the symptomatology of the lesser known PR phenomenon, in which we observed a hypotensive shock-like syndrome not previously described in literature.
Global existence of weak solutions for the anisotropic compressible Stokes system
Authors: Bresch D. , Burtea C.
Published: April 2020

In this paper, we study the problem of global existence of weak solutions for the quasi-stationary compressible Stokes equations with an anisotropic viscous tensor. The key idea is a new identity that we obtain by comparing the limit of the equations of the energies associated to a sequence of weak-solutions with the energy equation associated to the system verified by the limit of the sequence of weak-solutions. In the context of stability of weak solutions, this allows us to construct a defect measure which is used to prove compactness for the density and therefore allowing us to identify the pressure in the limiting model. By doing so we avoid the use of the so-called effective flux. Using this new tool, we solve an open problem namely global existence of solutions à la Leray for such a system without assuming any restriction on the anisotropy amplitude. This provides a flexible and natural method to treat compressible quasilinear Stokes systems which are important for instance in biology, porous media, supra-conductivity or other applications in the low Reynolds number regime.
The Rise of Sophisticated Authoritarianism in Southeast Asia
Authors: Morgenbesser Lee
Published: April 2020

This Element offers a way to understand the evolution of authoritarian rule in Southeast Asia. The theoretical framework is based on a set of indicators (judged for their known advantages and mimicry of democratic attributes) as well as a typology (conceptualized as two discreet categories of 'retrograde' and 'sophisticated' authoritarianism). Working with an original dataset, the empirical results reveal vast differences within and across authoritarian regimes in Southeast Asia, but also a discernible shift towards sophisticated authoritarianism over time. The Element concludes with a reflection of its contribution and a statement on its generalizability.
Prediction tool for high risk of surgical site infection in spinal surgery
Authors: Namba Takanori , Ueno Masaki , Inoue Gen , Imura Takayuki , Saito Wataru , Nakazawa Toshiyuki , Miyagi Masayuki , Shirasawa Eiki , Takahashi Osamu , Takaso Masashi
Published: April 2020

Objective:

The incidence of surgical site infection (SSI) is higher in spinal surgeries than in general orthopedic operations. In this study, we aimed to develop a scoring system with reduced health care costs for detecting spinal surgery patients at high risk for SSI.

Design:

Retrospective cohort study.

Patients:

In total, 824 patients who underwent spinal surgery at 2 university hospitals from September 2005 to May 2011.

Methods:

We reviewed the medical records of 824 patients, and we examined 19 risk factors to identify high-risk patients. After narrowing down the variables by univariate analysis, multiple logistic analysis was performed for factors withPvalues <.2, using SSI as a dependent variable. Only factors that showedPvalues <.05 were included in the final models, and each factor was scored based on the β coefficient values obtained. The clinical prediction rules were thereby prepared.

Results:

“Emergency operation,” “blood loss >400 mL,” “presence of diabetes,” “presence of skin disease,” and “total serum albumin value <3.2 g/dL” were detected by multivariable modeling and were incorporated into the risk scores. Applying these 5 independent predictive factors, we were able to predict the infection incidence after spinal surgery.

Conclusions:

Our present study could aid physicians in making decisions regarding prevention strategies in patients undergoing spinal surgery. Stratification of risks employing this scoring system will facilitate the identification of patients most likely to benefit from complex, time-consuming and expensive infection prevention strategies, thereby possibly reducing healthcare costs.
Exploring Firm-Level Antecedents that Drive Motives of Internationalization: A Study of Knowledge Intensive Indian Firms
Authors: Ahsan Faisal M. , Sinha Ashutosh , Srinivasan R
Published: April 2020

We study firm level antecedents that drive different motives of internationalization of emerging economy firms. Based on firm's resource based considerations of asset exploitation versus asset augmentation and locational advantages of host countries, we provide a framework to classify the motives of internationalization of emerging economy firms belonging to knowledge intensive industries. Motives of internationalization have been classified into three broad categories – market-seeking, opportunity-seeking, and strategic asset-seeking. We determine motives behind different modes of internationalization – alliances, acquisitions, and greenfield ventures. Drawing upon the adaptability, amalgamation, and ambidexterity (AAA) advantages from the springboard perspective, we find that firm characteristics like R&D investments, availability of financial slack, firm's ownership structure, and family control shape up its motive of internationalization.
Explaining Population Displacement Strategies in Civil Wars: A Cross-National Analysis
Authors: Lichtenheld Adam G.
Published: April 2020

Why do combatants uproot civilians in wartime? In this paper I identify cross-national variation in three population-displacement strategies—cleansing, depopulation, and forced relocation—and test different explanations for their use by state actors. I advance a new “assortative” theory to explain forced relocation, the most common type. I argue that combatants displace not only to expel undesirable populations, but also to identify the undesirables in the first place by forcing people to send signals of loyalty and affiliation based on whether, and to where, they flee. This makes communities more “legible” and facilitates the extraction of rents and recruits. I test these arguments using a novel Strategic Displacement in Civil Conflict data set (1945–2008). Consistent with my expectations, different displacement strategies occur in different contexts and appear to follow different logics. Cleansing is more likely in conventional wars, where territorial conquest takes primacy, while forced relocation is more likely in irregular wars, where identification problems are most acute. The evidence indicates that cleansing follows a logic of punishment. The results for relocation, however, are consistent with the implications of my assortative logic: it is more likely to be employed by resource-constrained incumbents fighting insurgencies in “illegible” areas—rural, peripheral territories. A case study from Uganda based on in-depth fieldwork provides evidence for the assortative mechanism. As the most comprehensive analysis of wartime displacement strategies to date, this paper challenges some core assumptions about a devastating form of contemporary political violence.
Improving use of maternal care services among married adolescent girls: an intervention study in rural India
Authors: Dyalchand Ashok , Pande Rohini Prabha , Kulkarni Gopal , Khale Manisha
Published: April 2020

This study examined the effect of the Safe Adolescent Transition and Health Initiative (SATHI) programme on the use of maternal care services among rural, pregnant adolescents in India. This was an intensive community-based, multi-site intervention project conducted in Maharashtra state between 2008 and 2011. Its aims were to improve the reproductive health of married adolescent girls and avert the adverse consequences of early motherhood. It had a quasi-experimental, case-control, pre-post design to enable rigorous evaluation. This study used cross-sectional data from 644 married girls aged under 19 years at baseline and 802 at endline to assess the maternal care outcomes of antenatal care, delivery and postnatal services and nutrition during pregnancy. Difference-in-differences analysis showed that all outcomes improved significantly in the study sites between baseline and endline, and the improvement in study sites was significantly larger than in the control sites. Multivariate analysis showed a statistically significant dose–response effect of intervention participation for antenatal care, pregnancy nutrition and postnatal care. Study participation was not statistically significantly associated with higher rates of safe or institutional delivery. The analysis suggests that training and supporting community health workers to work with married adolescent girls using interpersonal communication and interacting frequently with them and their families and communities can significantly improve the use of maternal care services among this population. With almost a million community health workers and 200,000 auxiliary nurse midwives at the community level providing primary level care in India, this intervention offers a proven strategy to replicate and scale-up to reach large numbers of married adolescent girls who do not currently use maternal care services.
Fronto-thalamic structural and effective connectivity and delusions in schizophrenia: a combined DTI/DCM study
Authors: Csukly Gábor , Szabó Ádám , Polgár Patrícia , Farkas Kinga , Gyebnár Gyula , Kozák Lajos R. , Stefanics Gábor
Published: April 2020

Background

Schizophrenia (SZ) is a complex disorder characterized by a range of behavioral and cognitive symptoms as well as structural and functional alterations in multiple cortical and subcortical structures. SZ is associated with reduced functional network connectivity involving core regions such as the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and the thalamus. However, little is known whether effective coupling, the directed influence of one structure over the other, is altered during rest in the ACC–thalamus network.

Methods

We collected resting-state fMRI and diffusion-weighted MRI data from 18 patients and 20 healthy controls. We analyzed fronto-thalamic effective connectivity using dynamic causal modeling for cross-spectral densities in a network consisting of the ACC and the left and right medio-dorsal thalamic regions. We studied structural connectivity using fractional anisotropy (FA).

Results

We found decreased coupling strength from the right thalamus to the ACC and from the right thalamus to the left thalamus, as well as increased inhibitory intrinsic connectivity in the right thalamus in patients relative to controls. ACC-to-left thalamus coupling strength correlated with the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) total positive syndrome score and with delusion score. Whole-brain structural analysis revealed several tracts with reduced FA in patients, with a maximum decrease in white matter tracts containing fronto-thalamic and cingulo-thalamic fibers.

Conclusions

We found altered effective and structural connectivity within the ACC–thalamus network in SZ. Our results indicate that ACC–thalamus network activity at rest is characterized by reduced thalamus-to-ACC coupling. We suggest that positive symptoms may arise as a consequence of compensatory measures to imbalanced fronto-thalamic coupling.
Causal relationships between blood lipids and depression phenotypes: a Mendelian randomisation analysis
Authors: So Hon-Cheong , Chau Carlos Kwan-long , Cheng Yu-ying , Sham Pak C.
Published: April 2020

Background

The etiology of depression remains poorly understood. Changes in blood lipid levels were reported to be associated with depression and suicide, however study findings were mixed.

Methods

We performed a two-sample Mendelian randomisation (MR) analysis to investigate the causal relationship between blood lipids and depression phenotypes, based on large-scale GWAS summary statistics (N= 188 577/480 359 for lipid/depression traits respectively). Five depression-related phenotypes were included, namely major depression (MD; from PGC), depressive symptoms (DS; from SSGAC), longest duration and number of episodes of low mood, and history of deliberate self-harm (DSH)/suicide (from UK Biobank). MR was conducted with inverse-variance weighted (MR-IVW), Egger and Generalised Summary-data-based MR (GSMR) methods.

Results

There was consistent evidence that triglyceride (TG) is causally associated with DS (MR-IVWβfor one-s.d.increase in TG = 0.0346, 95% CI 0.0114–0.0578), supported by MR-IVW and GSMR and multipler2clumping thresholds. We also observed relatively consistent associations of TG with DSH/suicide (MR-Egger OR = 2.514, CI 1.579–4.003). There was moderate evidence for positive associations of TG with MD and the number of episodes of low mood. For HDL-c, we observed moderate evidence for causal associations with DS and MD. LDL-c and TC did not show robust causal relationships with depression phenotypes, except for weak evidence that LDL-c is inversely related to DSH/suicide. We did not detect significant associations when depression phenotypes were treated as exposures.

Conclusions

This study provides evidence to a causal relationship between TG, and to a lesser extent, altered cholesterol levels with depression phenotypes. Further studies on its mechanistic basis and the effects of lipid-lowering therapies are warranted.
100 Olanzapine/Samidorphan for Schizophrenia: Weight Gain and Metabolic Outcomes in Phase 3 ENLIGHTEN-2 and Subsequent Long-Term, Open-Label Safety Study
Authors: Correll Christoph U. , Newcomer John W. , Silverman Bernard , DiPetrillo Lauren , Graham Christine , Jiang Ying , Du Yangchun , Simmons Adam , Hopkinson Craig , McDonnell David , Kahn Rene
Published: April 2020

Background:

Opioid antagonists may mitigate medication-associated weight gain and/or metabolic dysregulation. ENLIGHTEN-2 evaluated a combination of olanzapine and the opioid antagonist samidorphan (OLZ/SAM) vs olanzapine for effects on weight gain and metabolic parameters over 24 weeks in adults with stable schizophrenia.

METHODS:

This phase 3, double-blind study (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT02694328) enrolled adults 18–55 yo with stable schizophrenia, randomized 1:1 to once-daily OLZ/SAM or olanzapine. Co-primary endpoints were percent change from baseline in body weight and proportion of patients with ≥10% weight gain at week 24. Waist circumference and fasting metabolic parameters were also measured. Completers could enter a 52-week open-label safety extension.

RESULTS:

561 patients were randomized: 550 were dosed, 538 had ≥1 post-baseline weight assessment, and 352 (64%) completed; 10.9% discontinued due to AEs. At week 24, least squares mean (SE) percent weight change from baseline was 4.21 (0.68)% with OLZ/SAM and 6.59 (0.67)% with olanzapine (difference, −2.38 [0.76]%; P=0.003). Fewer patients treated with OLZ/SAM (17.8%) had ≥10% weight gain vs olanzapine (29.8%; odds ratio=0.50; P=0.003). The change from baseline in waist circumference was significantly smaller with OLZ/SAM (P<0.001). Common AEs (≥10%) with OLZ/SAM and olanzapine were weight increased (24.8%, 36.2%), somnolence (21.2%, 18.1%), dry mouth (12.8%, 8.0%), and increased appetite (10.9%, 12.3%), respectively. Metabolic parameter changes were generally small and remained stable with long-term OLZ/SAM treatment.

DISCUSSION:

OLZ/SAM treatment limited weight gain associated with olanzapine. Metabolic parameter changes were generally small, similar between groups over 24 weeks, and remained stable over an additional 52 weeks of open-label OLZ/SAM treatment.

Funding Acknowledgements:

This study was funded by Alkermes, Inc.
108 Warning: Generic Suboxone Not Equal to Name Brand
Authors: Datt Arvind , Hirsch Alan R.
Published: April 2020

Introduction:

On June 14, 2018, the FDA approved generic buprenorphine/naloxone, as an alternative to the brand Suboxone (FDA,2018). A patient who developed acute withdrawal symptoms when switched from Suboxone to generic buprenorphine/naloxone at the same dosage, with resolution with replacement with brand name Suboxone, is presented. Induction of withdrawal with generic buprenorphine/naloxone has not heretofore been described.

Methods:

Case Study: A 39-year-old right handed single male presented with a past medical history of intravenous heroin dependence. He was relapse free for 5 years and without change on Suboxone film 8mg/2mg twice daily, and was provided with prescriptions for the same, which was substituted to generic brand Dr. Reddy’s Lab SA buprenorphine HCl/naloxone HCl 8mg/2mg film. After two days on this, one hour after taking generic buprenorphine/naloxone film, symptoms of withdrawal began as manifest by hot flashes, diaphoresis, cold chills, leg cramping, and nausea without vomiting. These were the same symptoms he experienced during his past inpatient withdrawal from opioids. These symptoms recurred every day for an entire week until switching back to brand name Suboxone, whereupon his withdrawal symptoms resolved.

Discussion:

The mechanism whereby the generic buprenorphine/naloxone combination induced withdrawal symptoms is unclear. It appears that this generic version was either not effectively blocking the mu receptors or the naloxone was inducing a withdrawal state. Possibly the porous nature of the film was such that less of the buprenorphine was absorbed through the mucosa. As a result, less was transferred into the bloodstream, across the blood brain barrier, to the nucleus accumbens, and ultimately on kappa opioid/mu receptor (Centerwatch, 2002). Alternatively, a greater amount of naloxone may have been absorbed transmucosally, thus inducing withdrawal. The absorption may have been normal, but the exact milligram dosage may not be accurate with either too little buprenorphine or too much naloxone. On the other hand, this buprenorphine compound may have been pH sensitive, such that it became inactivated upon exposure to the mildly acidic salivary pH. He could have been malingering this response. Again this is unlikely since he was not given a higher dose of buprenorphine/naloxone, rather the same dose of Suboxone as previously prescribed. It is important that physicians be aware of the possibility for acute withdrawal and increased cravings, which can lead to relapse while using this agent. Further investigation of the efficacy of the generic variant and Suboxone as replacement therapy is warranted.
116 An Experimental Study to Assess the Professional and Social Consequences of Tardive Dyskinesia
Authors: Ayyagari Rajeev , Goldschmidt Debbie , Mu Fan , Caroff Stanley N. , Carroll Benjamin
Published: April 2020

Study Objective:

Evaluate the impact of orofacial tardive dyskinesia (TD) symptoms on the professional and social lives of patients with TD.

Background:

TD, a movement disorder affecting the face and extremities, may arise in patients taking antipsychotics. The impact of social stigma on the professional and social lives of patients with orofacial manifestations of TD has not been thoroughly examined.

Methods:

This study is an experimental, randomized digital survey of a general population sample. Three component surveys were developed, corresponding to employment, dating, and friendship domains. For each domain, participants were randomized 1:1 into either a test group (who viewed a video of a scripted interview with a standardized patient actor depicting TD movements) or a control group (who viewed the same actors but without TD movements), and asked about their impressions of the video subject. Actor simulations were validated by physicians familiar with TD and rehearsed to simulate a total Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale score between 6 and 10. Statistical comparison was made using Wilcoxon sign-rank or chi-squared tests for continuous and categorical variables, respectively.

Results:

A total of 800 respondents completed each survey. In all domains, respondents had more-negative perceptions of actors portraying TD movements than of the same actors without movements. Regarding employment, 34.8% fewer respondents in the test group versus the control group agreed that the actor would be suitable for client-facing jobs (P<0.001). Regarding dating, the proportions of respondents who agreed that they would like to continue talking to the actor and who would be interested in meeting them for coffee/drink were 25.0% and 27.2% lower, respectively, in the test group than in the control group (P<0.001). Regarding friendship, the proportions of respondents who rated the actor as interesting and who would be interested in friendship with them were 18.8% and 16.5% lower, respectively, in the test group than in the control group (P<0.001).

Conclusions:

Actors simulating orofacial TD movements were perceived to be statistically significantly less likely to move forward in a job interview, be considered as a potential romantic partner, or be a new friend. This is the first study to quantify the stigma faced by people with TD in a variety of professional and social situations.

Funding Acknowledgements:

This study was funded by Teva Pharmaceuticals, Petach Tikva, Israel.
163 Appreciating Historical Racial and Ethnic Nuance in Developing Novel Approaches to Effective Communication of Mental Illness in the Black Community
Authors: Higgins Napoleon B.
Published: April 2020

There are many barriers to mental health care in the Black Community. These barriers lead to racial disparities in access to treatment and quality of life, along with inappropriate treatment and misdiagnosis in mental and physical health. These disparities directly lead to increased morbidity, mortality and poor mental health in the our communities. Many would question if Black people are not interested in mental health and don’t see it as a needed concern. This talk will address that all cultures are not the same and that there is a fundamental need to address communities on their terms and not make them conform into a "majority culture" approach and perception of mental health care, but rather focus on the individual patient and community needs for mental health care. Often psychiatrists and other mental health professionals are trained in a very academic scientific approach to identification and treatment of mental illness. Too often this model does not fit the needs of all patients due to it not taking into account ethnic differences in communication of mental health and desired outcomes of the patient. This often leads to a lack of understanding on with both sides, the mental health professional and the patient. Too often a patient may see the physician, be given a diagnosis, starts taking a prescription, but then not be able to explain what is their diagnosis, the name of the medication, what it is for, nor what is the medication supposed to do for them. This could lead to unexpected poor outcomes due to the lack of effective communication. This talk will attempt to explain the barriers of communication to the Black community while appreciating and supporting cultural nuance and effective communication. This is needed to help bring mental health to the community in a digestible way and to meet the communities needs on their level. To do this, psychiatry needs to shift it’s focus to understanding cultural characteristics, such as how Black patients may have different cultural needs and may benefit from a unique, customized approach to their mental health. There is a need for psychiatry to take into consideration the spiritual aspects of patients and how many focus not only on needing to improve themselves, but also on how their mental health and behavior are impacting their family and the community as a whole. The traditional model of interview, diagnosis with medication, and follow up for medication adjustment is not fitting all communities leading to the detriment of their mental health.
173 It Smells Fishy: A Case Report and Discussion of Olfactory Reference Syndrome
Authors: Lodhi Shafi
Published: April 2020

Background: Olfactory reference syndrome (ORS) is a psychiatric condition characterized by the belief that one is emitting a foul body odor. The earliest cases of this disorder were often labeled as variants of schizophrenia. There remains significant controversy over whether this condition represents a manifestation of other psychiatric conditions or if it is a unique disorder in its own right. Through various revisions of the DSM, the disorder has been categorized at times as an atypical somatoform disorder (DSM-III), a delusional disorder (DSM-IV-TR), and an Other Specified Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (DSM-5).

Case History:

We present the case of a 51 year old African American female who initially presented to an emergency room with chief complaint of vaginal odor. She stated that if the odor was not treated, she would commit suicide. Medical workup in the emergency room was unremarkable and no odor was detected. The patient was placed on a psychiatric hold and transferred to the Psychiatric Emergency Room. In the PES, the patient reported that she was afraid of eviction from her apartment due to the “horrible” smell that she was emitting. The patient had presented to multiple emergency departments over the preceding year complaining of vaginal odor. The patient persisted in her belief about this smell despite multiple medical providers informing her that they could detect no abnormal smell. Unconvinced, the patient went to great lengths to treat this odor. When normal showering did not cause the odor to cease, the patient began manually inserting pieces of deodorant into her vaginal canal. This was extracted at an outside hospital after the patient presented for treatment after developing an infection. After discharge, the patient began mixing a household cleaning product containing benzalkonium chloride with bleach and used this mixture for vaginal douching. When even this did not eliminate the perceived odor, she presented to our emergency room stating that if the odor was not treated, she would attempt suicide.

Discussion:

Although ORS has been described since the 1800’s, the first systematic description in the literature was a case series in 1971 by Pryse-Phillips. While ORS has been increasingly reported in the scientific literature, the DSM-5 does not consider it to be a unique clinical entity.

Conclusion/Teaching Point:

This case highlights the importance of clinicians being aware of clinical entities which exist outside the DSM-5. As shown in this case, ORS may lead to severe impairment and even suicidal ideation Despite this, there is a scarcity of literature on evidence based treatments for ORS. It has typically been treated with either a moderate dose SSRI or a low dose antipsychotic, with or without CBT. Given the high level of distress and disability caused by the condition, greater awareness of its existence and greater research on its treatment is certainly warranted.
189 Comparison of Traditional Therapy Versus Biofeedback for Tension Type and Migraine Headaches
Authors: Nathu Ghazala , Nathu Adila
Published: April 2020

The effectiveness of biofeedback therapy in treating headache has been explored in various clinical settings. However, few studies in the literature focused on well- diagnosed patients who failed properly applied analgesic treatment. The aim of the study is to explore whether the combination of biofeedback and analgesics is more effective than analgesics alone in treating patients with pharmacologically uncontrolled tension type headache and migraine. The hypothesis is that the combination of biofeedback and analgesics is more effective than analgesics alone in treating patients with uncontrolled tension type headache and migraine.

Electromyographic and thermal biofeedback was utilized as an add-on treatment for 25 patients whose tension type headache and migraine was pharmacologically uncontrolled. The effect of the combination therapy was compared with the treatment effect of 25 similar patients, who continued receiving pharmacological treatment alone. All the subjects from the two groups were randomly selected from the pool of patients with uncontrolled tension type headache and migraine. The progress of two groups was closely monitored and data was collected for statistical analysis, which consists of Chi Square, non-parametric ANOVA, and Mann- Whitney U test.

Some positive results were observed from the group of patients receiving combination therapy of biofeedback and analgesics, including: reduced use of analgesics, reduced muscle tension, reduced pain score, decrease in intensity, frequency, and duration of headache. These positive outcomes were rarely observed from the comparison group, in which pharmacological treatment was continued alone.

The results indicate that the addition of biofeedback to standard analgesic therapy may be more effective than analgesics alone in treating patients with uncontrolled tension type headache and migraine. Further research is suggested to validate these findings and improve treatment effectiveness.
Is your document novel? Let attention guide you. An attention-based model for document-level novelty detection
Authors: Ghosal Tirthankar , Edithal Vignesh , Ekbal Asif , Bhattacharyya Pushpak , Chivukula Srinivasa Satya Sameer Kumar , Tsatsaronis George
Published: April 2020

Detecting, whether a document contains sufficient new information to be deemed as novel, is of immense significance in this age of data duplication. Existing techniques for document-level novelty detection mostly perform at the lexical level and are unable to address the semantic-level redundancy. These techniques usually rely on handcrafted features extracted from the documents in a rule-based or traditional feature-based machine learning setup. Here, we present an effective approach based on neural attention mechanism to detect document-level novelty without any manual feature engineering. We contend that the simple alignment of texts between the source and target document(s) could identify the state of novelty of a target document. Our deep neural architecture elicits inference knowledge from a large-scale natural language inference dataset, which proves crucial to the novelty detection task. Our approach is effective and outperforms the standard baselines and recent work on document-level novelty detection by a margin of
$\sim$
3% in terms of accuracy.
Relationship Between Precipitation Extremes and Convective Organization Inferred From Satellite Observations
Authors: Semie Addisu Gezahegn , Bony Sandrine
Published: April 2020

Convective organization has the potential to impact the strength of precipitation extremes, but numerical models disagree about this influence. This study uses satellite observations to investigate the link between the mesoscale organization of deep convection and precipitation extremes in the Tropics. Extremes in domain‐averaged precipitation are found mostly over the western Pacific and Indian Ocean warm pools, and they primarily depend on the number of deep convective entities within the domain. On the other hand, extremes in local precipitation are found primarily over land, and they increase with the degree of convective organization. Therefore, this observational study shows evidence for a modulation of the strength of tropical precipitation extremes by the spatial organization of deep convection, especially over land.
An Improved Beta Method for Ice Cloud Property Retrievals: Theory
Authors: Saito Masanori , Yang Ping , Heidinger Andrew K. , Li Yue
Published: April 2020

The beta method has long been used for ice cloud property retrievals with the utilization of thermal infrared observations. The method assumes an idealized cloud that is isothermal and does not scatter radiation, which results in systematic biases in ice cloud property retrievals. We improve the beta method by taking into account, for the first time since the beta method was developed, a nonisothermal cloud layer and the cloud scattering effects. The improved beta method provides almost unbiased cloud optical thickness retrievals for typical cirrus clouds and reduces the systematic biases of effective particle radius retrievals for optically thin clouds. The improved beta method does not involve either Jacobian or iterative radiative transfer calculations. As a result, this method is computationally efficient, robustly applicable to any historical and current spaceborne thermal infrared observations, and capable of processing a large amount of satellite data.
Soil Organic Carbon Redistribution and Delivery by Soil Erosion in a Small Catchment of the Yellow River Basin
Authors: Zeng Yi , Fang Nufang , Shi Zhihua , Lu Xixi , Wang Zhengang
Published: April 2020

Soil erosion modulates the atmospheric CO2 level by affecting the redistribution of young biospheric organic carbon (OCbio) and ancient petrogenic organic carbon (OCpetro) in different order streams. However, the fate of soil organic carbon (SOC) in low‐order stream systems is still uncertain due to the complex influences of terrain, land uses, and anthropogenic disturbances. Here, we used the geochemical properties fingerprinting method and a radiocarbon‐based two‐member mixing model to clarify the source, budgets, and composition of SOC in a low‐order stream catchment in the Yellow River basin. The results showed that the primary source of SOC in the catchment was agricultural activity area, which accounted for 68.5%. After vegetation restoration, the SOC delivery rate and loss rate decreased from 0.38 ± 0.06 to 0.26 ± 0.04 and 0.19 ± 0.06 to 0.14 ± 0.04 t·ha−1·yr−1, respectively. The SOC mobilized by soil erosion in the source area was 1,085.8 ± 170.5 t from 1969 to 2015, and the SOC lost during the transport process was 552.9 ± 170.1 t. The lost carbon was dominated by OCbio, whereas the loss of OCpetro was minimal. Soil erosion can mobilize the OCpetro sequestered in terrestrial ecosystems and deliver it to a river system if it is not intercepted. The oxidation of OCpetro during long‐distance fluvial transport may represent a significant carbon source for atmospheric CO2 on a geological timescale. This study contributes to our understanding of the carbon sink/source issue and quantifies the SOC budgets in stream systems.
Ice Core Record of Persistent Short‐Chain Fluorinated Alkyl Acids: Evidence of the Impact From Global Environmental Regulations
Authors: Pickard Heidi M. , Criscitiello Alison S. , Persaud Daniel , Spencer Christine , Muir Derek C. G. , Lehnherr Igor , Sharp Martin J. , De Silva Amila O. , Young Cora J.
Published: April 2020

Short chain perfluoroalkylcarboxylic acids (scPFCAs, CxF2x+1COOH, x ≤ 3) are persistent compounds formed from atmospheric oxidation of fluorotelomer compounds and chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) replacements introduced as a result of the Montreal Protocol. Understanding sources and impacts of scPFCAs has been limited by observational data. We report multidecadal depositional fluxes for trifluoroacetic acid (TFA), perfluoropropionic acid (PFPrA), and perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA) from two Arctic ice cores. Fluxes of all three scPFCAs increase starting around 1990. Through comparison with chemical transport models and assessment of temporal trends, we observe the importance of CFC replacements in the increased deposition of TFA. Fluorotelomer degradation may contribute to the deposition of PFBA but is insignificant for TFA and PFPrA. Deposition of TFA is expected to increase as new CFC replacement compounds are phased in. This work demonstrates the increased environmental burden of persistent and potentially toxic scPFCAs as a result of global regulation.
Fused Filament Fabrication 3‐D Printing of Reactive Porous Media
Authors: Anjikar Ishan S. , Wales Shelby , Beckingham Lauren E.
Published: April 2020

Understanding the impacts of porous media properties on geochemical reactions is challenging due to the highly heterogeneous nature of natural samples. This work explores the use of 3‐D printing to create synthetic rock samples with reactive properties mimicking those of natural samples. Here, X‐ray Computed Tomography and 3‐D printing were used to recreate the pore network structure and reactive properties of a Paluxy sandstone. Novel, reactive filaments for 3‐D printing synthetic rock samples were constructed from mixtures of high impact polystyrene and calcite. The distribution and accessible calcite surface area of printed samples were evaluated and compared to values for the real rock sample. Only a small fraction of the total calcite was on the surface of the printed sample, but the accessible calcite surface area was comparable to real samples such that 3‐D printing may be a feasible means of fabricating reactive porous media samples.
Variability of the Subantarctic Mode Water Volume in the South Indian Ocean During 2004–2018
Authors: Hong Yu , Du Yan , Qu Tangdong , Zhang Ying , Cai Wenju
Published: April 2020

An analysis of Argo data reveals that the subantarctic mode water (SAMW) in the South Indian Ocean (SIO), characterized by a vertical potential vorticity (PV) minimum, decreases by 10% in volume from 2004 to 2018. Most of this decrease occurs at the 26.8–26.9 kg m−3 density range which forms southwest of Australia, while a slight volume increase occurs at 26.6–26.8 kg m−3. Further analysis indicates that the weakening of the Mascarene High and westerly winds in the SIO reduces the evaporation‐precipitation, surface heat flux, and Ekman pumping and shoals the mixed layer southwest of Australia, which leads to a volume decrease at 26.8–26.9 kg m−3 in approximately 3 years. West of 90°E, the parameters exhibit the opposite change, leading to a volume increase at 26.6–26.8 kg m−3. This result suggests that surface winds play an important role in the variability of the SIO SAMW volume during the Argo period.
CircGCN1L1 promotes synoviocyte proliferation and chondrocyte apoptosis by targeting miR-330-3p and TNF-α in TMJ osteoarthritis
Authors: Zhu Huimin , Hu Yihui , Wang Chuandong , Zhang Xiaoling , He Dongmei
Published: April 2020

Altered expression of circular RNAs (circRNAs) has been identified in various human diseases. In this study, we investigated whether circRNAs function as competing endogenous RNAs to regulate the pathological process of temporomandibular joint osteoarthritis (TMJOA). High-throughput sequencing of mRNA (RNA seq) was performed to detect the expression of circRNAs in TMJOA and control synovial tissues isolated from humans. The differentially upregulated circGCN1L1 (hsa_circ_0000448) in synoviocyte was validated in vitro and in vivo. Here we demonstrate the interactions between circGCN1L1 and both miR-330-3p and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) through bioinformatics predictions, luciferase report assays, and fluorescence in situ hybridization. mRNA expression profiles of TNF-α-stimulated synoviocyte showed that circGCN1L1 and p65 expressions were upregulated by TNF-α. Moreover, miR-330-3p was negatively correlated with TNF-α secretion. Further, we found that miR-330-3p directly targeted TNF and restrained the production of matrix-degrading enzymes (MMP3, MMP13, and ADAMTS4). Mechanistic studies unveiled that circGCN1L1 in TMJOA synovial tissues and cells may be associated with condylar chondrocyte apoptosis and synoviocyte hyperplasia. Moreover, intra-articular injection of shcircGCN1L1 alleviated TMJOA progression in rat models. Altogether, we elucidated the important roles of a novel circRNA, namely, circGCN1L1, which induced inflammation in TMJ synoviocytes and decreased anabolism of the extracellular matrix (ECM) through miR-330-3p and TNF-α gene. This circRNA may represent a potentially effective therapeutic strategy against TMJOA progression at an early stage.
Intervention of oncostatin M-driven mucosal inflammation by berberine exerts therapeutic property in chronic ulcerative colitis
Authors: Li Heng , Feng Chunlan , Fan Chen , Yang Yang , Yang Xiaoqian , Lu Huimin , Lu Qiukai , Zhu Fenghua , Xiang Caigui , Zhang Zongwang , He Peilan , Zuo Jianping , Tang Wei
Published: April 2020

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic and etiologically refractory inflammatory gut disorder. Although berberine, an isoquinoline alkaloid, has been revealed to exert protective effects on experimental colitis, the underlying molecular mechanism in chronic intestinal inflammation remains ill-defined. This study was designed to uncover the therapeutic efficacy and immunomodulatory role of berberine in chronic UC. Therapeutic effects of oral administration of berberine were investigated in dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced murine chronic UC and the underlying mechanisms were further identified by si-OSMR transfection in human intestinal stromal cells. Berberine significantly attenuated the experimental symptoms and gut inflammation of chronic UC. Berberine treatment could also maintain the intestinal barrier function and rectify tissue fibrosis. In accordance with infiltrations of antigen-presenting cells (APCs), innate lymphoid cells (ILCs), and activated NK cells in colonic lamina propria, increased expression of OSM and OSMR were observed in the inflamed tissue of chronic UC, which were decreased following berberine treatment. Moreover, berberine inhibited the overactivation of human intestinal stromal cells through OSM-mediated JAK-STAT pathway, which was obviously blocked upon siRNA targeting OSMR. The research provided an infusive mechanism of berberine and illustrated that OSM and OSMR intervention might function as the potential target in chronic UC.
Longitudinal relationship of favorable weight change to academic performance in children
Authors: Ishihara Toru , Nakajima Toshihiro , Yamatsu Koji , Okita Koichi , Sagawa Masato , Morita Noriteru
Published: April 2020

Although there is a growing consensus about the positive relationship between prevention of overweight/obesity and academic performance in children, relevant studies targeting the relationship between underweight and academic performance are scarce. This study aimed to examine the longitudinal relationship of favorable weight change to academic performance in schoolchildren. We analyzed 2-year longitudinal data derived from 197 seventh-grade children aged 12–13 years. Academic performance was assessed using the total grade points of five academic subjects. Body mass index (BMI) was calculated as body weight (kg)/height (m2). A significant interaction effect of baseline BMI and BMI changes over 2 years (B = −0.10, SE B = 0.03, β = −0.40, t = –3.37, p < 0.001) was noted after controlling for confounders such as socioeconomic status, afterschool learning duration, screen time, exercise habits, and cardiorespiratory fitness. When the centered baseline BMI was outside the interval [−2.49, 3.21], the slope of the change in BMI was significant (p < 0.05). Simple slope analyses revealed a positive relationship of weight gain when baseline BMI = mean − 1 SD (B = 0.40, SE B = 0.18, β = 0.31, t = 2.20, p = 0.03) and weight loss when baseline BMI = mean + 1 SD (B = −0.26, SE B = 0.13, β = −0.20, t = −1.97, p = 0.05) to total grade points of five school subjects. A split-group validation was performed and robust results of original analyses were detected (i.e., significant interaction effect of baseline BMI and BMI changes over 2 years (group A: B = −0.11, SE B = 0.05, β = −0.47, t = −2.39, p = 0.02; group B: B = −0.14, SE B = 0.05, β = −0.47, t = −2.78, p = 0.007). Favorable changes in weight status, i.e., weight loss in children with overweight/obesity and weight gain in children with mild underweight/underweight, have a positive influence on academic performance in children independent of socioeconomic factors, learning habits, screen time, exercise habits, and cardiorespiratory fitness.
Oral Administration of Bovine and Porcine Milk Exosome Alter miRNAs Profiles in Piglet Serum
Authors: Lin Delin , Chen Ting , Xie Meiying , Li Meng , Zeng Bin , Sun Ruiping , Zhu Yanling , Ye Dingze , Wu Jiahan , Sun Jiajie , Xi Qianyun , Jiang Qingyan , Zhang Yongliang
Published: April 2020

Breast milk is the most important nutrient source for newborn mammals. Studies have reported that milk contains microRNAs (miRNAs), which are potential regulatory components. Currently, existing functional and nutritional two competing hypotheses in milk field though little date have been provided for nutritional hypothesis. In this study, we used the qRT-PCR method to evaluated whether milk miRNAs can be absorbed by newborn piglets by feeding them porcine or bovine milk. The result showed that miRNA levels (miR-2284×, 2291, 7134, 1343, 500, 223) were significantly different between bovine and porcine milk. Four miRNAs (miR-2284×, 2291, 7134, 1343) were significantly different in piglet serum after feeding porcine or bovine milk. After separated milk exosomes by ultracentrifugation, the results showed the selected milk miRNAs (miR-2284×, 2291, 7134, 1343) were present in both exosomes and supernatants, and the miRNAs showed the coincidental expression in IPEC-J2 cells. All our founding suggested that the milk miRNAs can be absorbed both in vivo and in vitro, which will building the foundation for understanding whether these sort of miRNAs exert physiological functions after being absorbed and provided additional evidence for the nutritional hypotheses.
Simultaneous Inhibition of Glycolysis and Oxidative Phosphorylation Triggers a Multi-Fold Increase in Secretion of Exosomes: Possible Role of 2′,3′-cAMP
Authors: Ludwig Nils , Yerneni Saigopalakrishna S. , Menshikova Elizabeth V. , Gillespie Delbert G. , Jackson Edwin K. , Whiteside Theresa L.
Published: April 2020

Exosome secretion by cells is a complex, poorly understood process. Studies of exosomes would be facilitated by a method for increasing their production and release. Here, we present a method for stimulating the secretion of exosomes. Cultured cells were treated or not with sodium iodoacetate (IAA; glycolysis inhibitor) plus 2,4-dinitrophenol (DNP; oxidative phosphorylation inhibitor). Exosomes were isolated by size-exclusion chromatography and their morphology, size, concentration, cargo components and functional activity were compared. IAA/DNP treatment (up to 10 µM each) was non-toxic and resulted in a 3 to 16-fold increase in exosome secretion. Exosomes from IAA/DNP-treated or untreated cells had similar biological properties and functional effects on endothelial cells (SVEC4-10). IAA/DNP increased exosome secretion from mouse organ cultures, andin vivoinjections enhanced the levels of circulating exosomes. IAA/DNP decreased ATP levels (p < 0.05) in cells. A cell membrane-permeable form of 2′,3′-cAMP and 3′-AMP mimicked the potentiating effects of IAA/DNP on exosome secretion. In cells lacking 2′,3′-cyclic nucleotide 3′-phosphodiesterase (CNPase; an enzyme that metabolizes 2′,3′-cAMP into 2′-AMP), effects of IAA/DNP on exosome secretion were enhanced. The IAA/DNP combination is a powerful stimulator of exosome secretion, and these stimulatory effects are, in part, mediated by intracellular 2′,3′-cAMP.