bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Virtual Reality Lab: Realization and Application of Virtual Sound Environments
Authors: Hohmann Volker , Paluch Richard , Krueger Melanie , Meis Markus , Grimm Giso
Published: October 2020

To assess perception with and performance of modern and future hearing devices with advanced adaptive signal processing capabilities, novel evaluation methods are required that go beyond already established methods. These novel methods will simulate to a certain extent the complexity and variability of acoustic conditions and acoustic communication styles in real life. This article discusses the current state and the perspectives of virtual reality technology use in the lab for designing complex audiovisual communication environments for hearing assessment and hearing device design and evaluation. In an effort to increase the ecological validity of lab experiments, that is, to increase the degree to which lab data reflect real-life hearing-related function, and to support the development of improved hearing-related procedures and interventions, this virtual reality lab marks a transition from conventional (audio-only) lab experiments to the field. The first part of the article introduces and discusses the notion of the communication loop as a theoretical basis for understanding the factors that are relevant for acoustic communication in real life. From this, requirements are derived that allow an assessment of the extent to which a virtual reality lab reflects these factors, and which may be used as a proxy for ecological validity. The most important factor of real-life communication identified is a closed communication loop among the actively behaving participants. The second part of the article gives an overview of the current developments towards a virtual reality lab at Oldenburg University that aims at interactive and reproducible testing of subjects with and without hearing devices in challenging communication conditions. The extent to which the virtual reality lab in its current state meets the requirements defined in the first part is discussed, along with its limitations and potential further developments. Finally, data are presented from a qualitative study that compared subject behavior and performance in two audiovisual environments presented in the virtual reality lab—a street and a cafeteria—with the corresponding field environments. The results show similarities and differences in subject behavior and performance between the lab and the field, indicating that the virtual reality lab in its current state marks a step towards more ecological validity in lab-based hearing and hearing device research, but requires further development towards higher levels of ecological validity.
Auditory Measures for the Next Billion Users
Authors: Slaney Malcolm , Lyon Richard F. , Garcia Ricardo , Kemler Brian , Gnegy Chet , Wilson Kevin , Kanevsky Dimitri , Savla Sagar , Cerf Vinton G.
Published: October 2020

A range of new technologies have the potential to help people, whether traditionally considered hearing impaired or not. These technologies include more sophisticated personal sound amplification products, as well as real-time speech enhancement and speech recognition. They can improve user’s communication abilities, but these new approaches require new ways to describe their success and allow engineers to optimize their properties. Speech recognition systems are often optimized using the word-error rate, but when the results are presented in real time, user interface issues become a lot more important than conventional measures of auditory performance. For example, there is a tradeoff between minimizing recognition time (latency) by quickly displaying results versus disturbing the user’s cognitive flow by rewriting the results on the screen when the recognizer later needs to change its decisions. This article describes current, new, and future directions for helping billions of people with their hearing. These new technologies bring auditory assistance to new users, especially to those in areas of the world without access to professional medical expertise. In the short term, audio enhancement technologies in inexpensive mobile forms, devices that are quickly becoming necessary to navigate all aspects of our lives, can bring better audio signals to many people. Alternatively, current speech recognition technology may obviate the need for audio amplification or enhancement at all and could be useful for listeners with normal hearing or with hearing loss. With new and dramatically better technology based on deep neural networks, speech enhancement improves the signal to noise ratio, and audio classifiers can recognize sounds in the user’s environment. Both use deep neural networks to improve a user’s experiences. Longer term, auditory attention decoding is expected to allow our devices to understand where a user is directing their attention and thus allow our devices to respond better to their needs. In all these cases, the technologies turn the hearing assistance problem on its head, and thus require new ways to measure their performance.
Patient and Physician Preferences for Antibiotics in Acute Uncomplicated Diverticulitis: A Delphi Consensus Process to Generate Noninferiority Margins
Authors: Garfinkle Richard , Sabboobeh Sarah , Demian Marie , Barkun Alan , Boutros Marylise
Published: October 2020

BACKGROUND:

Despite the existing evidence, the omission of antibiotics in the management of acute uncomplicated diverticulitis has not gained widespread acceptance.

OBJECTIVE:

This study aims to incorporate the input of both patients and physicians on the omission of antibiotics in uncomplicated diverticulitis to generate noninferiority margins for 3 outcomes.

DESIGN:

This was a mixed-methods study, including in-person interviews with patients and a Delphi process with physicians.

SETTINGS:

North American patients and physicians participated.

PATIENTS:

Consecutive patients undergoing colonoscopy, 40% of whom had a previous history of diverticulitis, were selected.

INTERVENTIONS:

Informational video (for patients) and evidence summaries (for physicians) regarding antibiotics in diverticulitis were reviewed.

MAIN OUTCOMES MEASURES:

Noninferiority margins were generated for time to reach full recovery, persistent diverticulitis, and progression to complicated diverticulitis in the context of a nonantibiotic strategy. Consensus was defined as an interquartile range <2.5.

RESULTS:

Fifty patients participated in this study. To avoid antibiotics, patients were willing to accept up to 5.0 (3.0–7.0) days longer to reach full recovery, up to an absolute increase of 4.0% (4.0–6.0) in the risk of developing persistent diverticulitis, and up to an absolute increase of 2.0% (0–3.8) in the risk of progressing to complicated diverticulitis. A total of 55 physicians participated in the Delphi (round 1 response rate = 94.8%; round 2 response rate = 100%). Consensus noninferiority margins were generated for persistent diverticulitis (4.0%, 4.0–5.0) and progression to complicated diverticulitis (3.0%, 2.0–3.0), but could not be generated for time to reach full recovery (5.0 days, 3.5–7.0).

LIMITATIONS:

Patients were recruited from a single institution, and Delphi participants were invited and not randomly selected.

CONCLUSION:

Noninferiority margins were generated for 3 important outcomes after the treatment of acute uncomplicated diverticulitis in the context of a nonantibiotic strategy.
Attitudes Toward Submental Fat Among Adults in the United States
Authors: Shridharani Sachin M. , Baumann Leslie , Dayan Steven H. , Humphrey Shannon , Breshears Laura , Sangha Sara
Published: October 2020

BACKGROUND

Excess submental fat (SMF) can cause submental fullness resulting in negative perceptions of individuals. However, the impact of SMF on perceptions of social traits has not been well studied.

OBJECTIVE

To characterize the impact of SMF on external value judgments in adults in the United States.

METHODS

Respondents completed an online survey in which they reacted to statements about individuals with varying grades of SMF. Attributes were rated on a scale from 0 to 100 with higher scores for more positive attributes.

RESULTS

Similar proportions of respondents (N = 1996) indicated that women and men with double chins were less attractive than those without (91% and 90%, respectively). A double chin was more likely to be noticed on a woman than on a man (78% of respondents). With increasing SMF, individuals were perceived as significantly less likeable, intelligent, happy, active, and easygoing. Those with greater amounts of SMF were rated as significantly less attractive than those with less SMF. For all attributes, male respondents rated all individuals lower than female respondents did.

CONCLUSION

Results from this study provide further evidence of negative perceptions of individuals with SMF. Aesthetics of the submental area, especially SMF, likely impact the overall assessment of attractiveness and social attributes.
Hyperglycemia and arterial stiffness across two generations
Authors: Taimour Soumia , Gottsäter Anders , Jujic Amra , Nilsson Peter M.
Published: October 2020

Objective:

Hyperglycemia and diabetes mellitus associate with arterial stiffness. This observational study aimed to investigate such links in two related generations from a population-based study.

Methods:

Data from 2640 participants in the ongoing Malmö Offspring Study, Sweden, was used. The participants were direct descendants, that is, parents (median age 52.5 years) and children (26.9 years). In linear regressions, arterial stiffness measured through carotid--femoral pulse wave velocity was associated with markers of glucose metabolism (fasting glucose, glycated hemoglobin, skin autoflourescence of Advanced Glycation End products), adjusted for age, sex, smoking, BMI, lipids, SBP and antihypertensive medication. Analysis was first performed in all participants and then separately in each generation. T-tests with diabetes mellitus as the grouping variable were performed for all participants and per generation.

Results:

In all participants, pulse wave velocity was significantly associated with glucose (β = 0.007, P = 0.018) and hemoglobin (β = 0.017, P < 0.001), but not with autoflourescence. Stratified by generation, arterial stiffness was associated with glucose (β = 0.013, P = 0.008) and glycated hemoglobin (β = 0.022, P < 0.001) only in parents. Mean pulse speed differed between participants with and without diabetes in the total group (mean difference 1.7 m/s, P < 0.001), as well as within each generation (parents: 1.3 m/s; P < 0.001, and children: 0.7 m/s; P = 0.040).

Conclusion:

Impaired glucose metabolism and arterial stiffness were significantly associated only in the parental generation, indicating the influence of hyperglycemia on vascular aging. However, carotid--femoral pulse wave velocity differed significantly between participants with or without diabetes mellitus in both generations, suggesting that diabetes might negatively affect arterial stiffness also at a younger age.
Newborn Dried Blood Spots for Serologic Surveys of COVID-19
Authors: Liu Feimei , Nguyen Mytien , Vijayakumar Pavithra , Kaplan Alanna , Meir Amit , Dai Yile , Wang Eric , Walsh Hannah , Ring Aaron M. , Omer Saad B. , Farhadian Shelli F.
Published: October 2020

There is an urgent need for inexpensive, population-wide surveillance testing for COVID-19. We tested newborn dried blood spot (DBS) anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies for all infants born at Yale from March to May 2020, and found that newborn DBS serologies reflect maternal and population-wide infection rates during the study period. This suggests a role for DBS in COVID-19 surveillance in areas where viral testing is limited.
A Drop in Number of Hospitalizations Among Children with Bacterial Infections During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Gavish Rachel , Krause Irit , Goldberg Lotem , Bilavsky Efraim , Kadmon Gili , Livni Gilat , Scheuerman Oded , Levinsky Yoel
Published: October 2020

A significant drop was found in the number of hospitalizations due to bacterial infections among children during the first peak period of COVID-19 in Israel. There was a 77% decrease in serious bacterial infections, and ≥50% decrease in most types of bacterial infections, especially osteoarticular and skin infections, followed by pneumonia and ENT infections.
Improving Neonatal Follow-up: A Quality Improvement Study Analyzing In-hospital Interventions and Long-term Show Rates
Authors: Brachio Sandhya S. , Farkouh-Karoleski Christiana , Abreu Anketil , Zygmunt Annette , Purugganan Oscar , Garey Donna
Published: October 2020

Introduction:

Neonatal follow-up (NFU) clinics play an essential role in the multidisciplinary care of preterm patients. Despite the inherent value of NFU clinics, many clinical programs report poor compliance with follow-up visits. Preterm infants followed with difficulty in the long-term have higher rates of disability and lower IQ scores, even after adjustment of significant perinatal and sociodemographic variables. This quality improvement study aimed to improve the show rate for preterm infants from 60% to 80% at the initial 6-month adjusted age visit by implementing a multilevel education bundle.

Methods:

Participants included neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) physicians, physician extenders, registered nurses, and parents of preterm patients admitted to the NICU who qualified for NFU. Our 75-bed NICU is the regional perinatal center within an urban free-standing children’s hospital. Our bundle included NICU provider education, discharge planning, and parent education. A tracking system was developed to identify qualifying patients to streamline workflow.

Results:

The monthly first visit show rate improved from 60% to 76% during the intervention period. Seventy-five percent of families who received parent education presented for their initial visit, compared to 51% of families who did not receive parent education. In anonymous surveys of families who presented for their initial visits, 95% indicated that bedside education played the most important role in appointment attendance. Interdisciplinary rounds are crucial for reaching all families before discharge.

Conclusion:

Implementing a multidimensional in-hospital education bundle and tracking system is feasible and can improve NFU clinic show rates, but may require dedicated personnel for sustainability.
Tranexamic Acid in Infantile Craniosynostosis Surgery: Friend or Foe?
Authors: Danforth Rachel M. , Cook Julia A. , Bennett William E. , Tholpady Sunil S. , Gerety Patrick A.
Published: October 2020

Background:

Recent studies support the prophylactic use of tranexamic acid during craniosynostosis surgery to reduce blood loss. The study aims to assess national trends and outcomes of tranexamic acid administration.

Methods:

The Pediatric Health Information System database was used to identify patients who underwent craniosynostosis surgery over a 9-year period (2010 to 2018). Search criteria included patients younger than 2 years with a primary diagnosis of craniosynostosis (International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, 756.0;International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, Q75.0) and CPT code for craniotomy (61550 to 61559). Tranexamic acid use, complications, length of stay, and transfusion requirements were recorded. Subgroup analysis was performed for fronto-orbital advancements and single-suture surgery.

Results:

A total of 1345 patients were identified. Mean patient age was 229 ± 145 days. Four hundred fifty-four patients (33.7 percent) received tranexamic acid. Tranexamic acid use increased from 13.1 percent in 2010 to 75.6 percent in 2018 (p= 0.005), and mean blood products per patient increased from 1.09 U to 1.6 U (p= 0.009). Surgical complication rate was higher in those receiving tranexamic acid (16.7 percent versus 11.1 percent;p= 0.004). Tranexamic acid administration was associated with increased transfusion requirements on univariate and multivariate analysis (1.76 U versus 1.18 U; OR, 2.03;p< 0.001). In the fronto-orbital advancement subgroup, those receiving tranexamic acid received more total blood products (2.2 U versus 1.8 U;p= 0.02); this difference was present but not significant within the single-suture group (0.69 U versus 0.50 U;p= 0.06).

Conclusions:

Tranexamic acid use in craniosynostosis surgery has increased dramatically since 2010. However, it was associated with higher transfusion and complication rates in this data set. Optimization of its use and blood loss mitigation in infant craniosynostosis deserve continued research.

CLINICAL QUESTION/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE:

Therapeutic, III.
Plastic Surgeons as Institutional Leaders
Authors: Davis Matthew J. , Abu-Ghname Amjed , Patrinely J. Randall , Başağaoğlu Berkay , Perdikis Galen J. , Reece Edward M. , Hollier Larry H.
Published: October 2020

Background:

Physicians, especially plastic surgeons, are underrepresented in hospital leadership. As such, the steps an aspiring plastic surgeon should take toward assuming a high-level administrative role remain unclear. The authors aim to profile the chief executive officers and surgeons-in-chief at top-ranked U.S. hospitals with the goal of better characterizing the attributes of institutional leaders.

Methods:

Chief executive officers and surgeons-in-chief at top-ranking hospitals in the 2019 to 2020 U.S. News and World Report “Best Hospitals Honor Roll” were included in this study. For each leader, sex, title, degrees, years of experience, total number of publications, practice specialty (for physician leaders), and previous leadership roles in national societies were reviewed. Descriptive statistical analyses were performed.

Results:

A total of 99 leadership positions at 66 institutions were included. Of these, 67 were chief executive officers and 32 were surgeons-in-chief. Overall, 28 of 67 chief executive officers (42 percent) were physicians—23 nonsurgeons and five surgeons. Of all surgeon executives, only two were plastic surgeons, and both were surgeons-in-chief. The “average” physician–chief executive officer had 24 years of experience, no M.B.A., over 100 publications, zero to one fellowship, and was involved in national leadership. There was no difference in professional qualifications (defined as years of experience, business training, number of publications and fellowships, and leadership positions) between nonsurgeon- and surgeon–chief executive officers, or between plastic surgeons and other surgeons in leadership positions.

Conclusions:

Despite possessing adequate qualifications, plastic surgeons are underrepresented in American health care institutional leadership roles. Aspiring plastic surgeon leaders should lean on their peer credibility and experience delivering patient-centered care to succeed in leadership roles.
Using Virtual Augmented Reality to Remotely Proctor Overseas Surgical Outreach: Building Long-Term International Capacity and Sustainability
Authors: Vyas Raj M. , Sayadi Lohrasb Ross , Bendit David , Hamdan Usama S.
Published: October 2020

Background:

Cleft lip affects one in 700 children globally, and the prevalence far surpasses capacity to deliver cleft care in underresourced and endemic regions. A hands-on educational presence is needed to promote overseas surgical autonomy, build overseas capacity, and ensure a sustained clinical and educational infrastructure. The goal of this study was to build and assess an augmented reality educational platform that allows a remote yet virtual interactive presence to transfer cleft surgery knowledge/skills to overseas colleagues.

Methods:

A prospective study assessing a 13-month overseas augmented reality–based cleft surgery curriculum was conducted. Three semiannual site visits engaged two Peruvian surgeons in evidence-based didactics, on-site cleft surgery, and familiarization with the augmented reality platform. During 10 remote augmented reality visits, a surgeon stationed in United States guided the same Peruvian surgeons through cleft surgery. Quarterly assessments of the Peruvian surgeons were performed using visual analogue scale questionnaires.

Results:

Visual analogue scale scores by both the remote and overseas surgeons demonstrated significant, progressive improvement in all facets of cleft lip repair throughout the curriculum. Site visits preferentially built capacity for cleft diagnosis and preoperative counseling (p < 0.001), principles of repair (p < 0.001), repair technique (p < 0.02) and intraoperative decision-making (p < 0.001). Remote sessions preferentially developed understanding of cleft operative design/anthropometry (p < 0.04), cleft anatomy (p < 0.01), and operative efficiency (p < 0.001). At 30-month follow-up, no children with cleft lip required transfer to tertiary care centers.

Conclusion:

A curriculum that combines on-site training and augmented reality–based hands-on remote teaching can build sustained capacity of comprehensive cleft care in underresourced areas.
Impetigo
Authors: Johnson Melinda K.
Published: October 2020

Impetigo is a common superficial bacterial infection of the skin, with a global disease burden of greater than 140 million. Children are more affected than adults and incidence decreases with age. Principal pathogens implicated include Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pyogenes. There are two common variants of impetigo: nonbullous (70%) and bullous (30%). Nonbullous impetigo is caused by S. aureus and S. pyogenes whereas bullous impetigo is caused by S. aureus. The classic appearance of distinctive honey-colored, crusted legions aids in diagnosis, which is most often based on clinical presentation. The disease is generally mild and felt to be self-limited; however, antimicrobial treatment is often initiated to reduce spread and shorten clinical course. Treatment for limited impetigo is topical whereas oral therapy is recommended for extensive cases. Rising rates of bacterial resistance to standard treatment regimens should inform treatment decisions. Complications, while rare, can occur.
Flammeovirga agarivorans sp. nov., an agar-digesting marine bacterium isolated from surface seawater
Authors: Wang Xiaolei , Guo Feng , Tian Peng , Yu Shuangen , Xue Chun-Xu , Wang Wei , Xiao Jiaguang , Niu Wentao
Published: October 2020

A Gram-stain-negative, aerobic, gliding, reddish-orange-coloured, rod-shaped strain, designated SR4T, was isolated from surface seawater sampled at Luhuitou fringing reef (South China Sea). Phylogenetic analyses based on the 16S rRNA gene, phylogenomic analysis of single-copy gene families and whole genome data affiliated it to the genus

Flammeovirga

. It was most closely related to

Flammeovirga yaeyamensis

NBRC 100898T (97.99 % 16S rRNA gene similarity). The genome average nucleotide identity and DNA–DNA relatedness values between strain SR4T and its reference strains were less than 74.2 and 16.3 %, respectively. Growth occurred at 20–35 °C (optimum, 28 °C), pH 6.0–9.0 (optimum, pH 7.0) and in the presence of 1–6 % (w/v) NaCl (optimum, 2–4 %). The dominant fatty acids were C16 : 0, iso-C15 : 0 and C20 : 4
 ω6,9,12,15c. The polar lipid profile of strain SR4T comprised phosphatidylethanolamine, two glycolipids, two aminophospholipids and three unidentified lipids. The major respiratory quinone was MK-7. The DNA G+C content of strain SR4T was 34.20 mol%. On the basis of the polyphasic evidence, strain SR4T is proposed as representing a novel species of the genus

Flammeovirga

, for which the name Flammeovirga agarivorans sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is SR4T (=KCTC 82075T=MCCC 1A17137T).
Sequence analysis of 16S rDNA, gyrB and alkB genes of plant-associated Rhodococcus species from Tunisia
Authors: Dhaouadi Sabrine , Mougou Amira H. , Wu Chao J. , Gleason Mark L. , Rhouma Ali
Published: October 2020

The genusRhodococcuscontains several species with agricultural, biotechnological and ecological importance. Within this genus, many phyllosphere, rhizosphere and endosphere strains are plant growth promoting bacteria, whereas strains designated asR. fasciansare plant pathogens. In this study, we isolated 47Rhodococcusstrains from a range of herbaceous and woody plant species. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rDNA,gyrB andalkB genes was used to compare our strains with type strains ofRhodococcus. For most of our strains, sequence similarity of the 16S rDNA,gyrB andalkB regions to type strains ranged from 98–100 %. Results of the concatenated gene sequence comparisons identified 18 strains ofR. fasciansand three strains ofR. kroppenstedtii. The remaining strains were unclassified, and may represent novel species ofRhodococcus. Phylogenetic analysis based ongyrB sequences provided a more precise classification of our strains to species level than 16S rDNA sequences, whereas analysis ofalkB sequences was unable to identify strains with orange-coloured colonies to species level.
Aurantiacibacter rhizosphaerae sp. nov., isolated from a rhizosphere mudflat of a halophyte and proposal to reclassify Erythrobacter suaedae Lee et al. 2019. and Erythrobacter flavus Yoon et al. 2003 as Aurantiacibacter suaedae comb. nov. and Qipengyuania flava comb. nov., respectively
Authors: Lee Soon Dong , Kim In Seop
Published: October 2020

A marine alphaproteobacterium, designated as strain GH3-10T, was isolated from the rhizosphere mud of a halophyte (Suaeda japonica) collected at the seashore of Gangwha Island, Republic of Korea. The isolate was found to be Gram-stain-negative, strictly aerobic, catalase- and oxidase-positive, non-motile, short rods and produced orange-coloured colonies. The 16S rRNA gene- and whole genome-based phylogenetic analyses exhibited that strain GH3-10T belonged to the genus

Aurantiacibacter

and was most closely related to

Aurantiacibacter atlanticus

s21-N3T (98.7 % 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity) and

Aurantiacibacter marinus

KCTC 23554T (98.4 %). The major respiratory quinone was ubiquinone-10. The polar lipids consisted of phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, sphingoglycolipid and an unidentified lipid. The major fatty acids were C18 : 1
 ω7c, summed feature 3 (C16 : 1
 ω7c and/or C16 : 1
 ω6c) and C18 : 1
 ω7c 10-methyl. The DNA G+C content was 61.3 mol% (by genome). Average nucleotide identity and DNA–DNA relatedness values between the isolate and its phylogenetically closest relatives, together with phenotypic distinctness warranted the taxonomic description of a new species. On the basis of data obtained by a polyphasic approach, strain GH3-10T (=KCTC 62379T=JCM 32444T) represents a novel species of the genus

Aurantiacibacter

, for which the name Aurantiacibacter rhizosphaerae sp. nov. is proposed. According to phylogenetic coherence based on 16S rRNA genes and core genomes, it is also proposed that

Erythrobacter suaedae

Lee et al. 2019. and

Erythrobacter flavus

Yoon et al. 2003 be transferred to Aurantiacibacter suaedae comb. nov. and Qipengyuania flava comb. nov., respectively.
Adaptive laboratory evolution of Pseudomonas putida and Corynebacterium glutamicum to enhance anthranilate tolerance
Authors: Kuepper Jannis , Otto Maike , Dickler Jasmin , Behnken Swantje , Magnus Jorgen , Jäger Gernot , Blank Lars M. , Wierckx Nick
Published: October 2020

Microbial bioproduction of the aromatic acid anthranilate (ortho-aminobenzoate) has the potential to replace its current, environmentally demanding production process. The host organism employed for such a process needs to fulfil certain demands to achieve industrially relevant product levels. As anthranilate is toxic for microorganisms, the use of particularly robust production hosts can overcome issues from product inhibition. The microorganisms

Corynebacterium glutamicum

and

Pseudomonas putida

are known for high tolerance towards a variety of chemicals and could serve as promising platform strains. In this study, the resistance of both wild-type strains towards anthranilate was assessed. To further enhance their native tolerance, adaptive laboratory evolution (ALE) was applied. Sequential batch fermentation processes were developed, adapted to the cultivation demands for

C. glutamicum

and P. putida, to enable long-term cultivation in the presence of anthranilate. Isolation and analysis of single mutants revealed phenotypes with improved growth behaviour in the presence of anthranilate for both strains. The characterization and improvement of both potential hosts provide an important basis for further process optimization and will aid the establishment of an industrially competitive method for microbial synthesis of anthranilate.
Mining transcriptomics and clinical data reveals ACE2 expression modulators and identifies cardiomyopathy as a risk factor for mortality in COVID-19 patients
Authors: Kaur Navchetan , Oskotsky Boris , Butte Atul J. , Hu Zicheng
Published: October 2020

Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) is the cell-entry receptor for SARS-CoV-2. It plays critical roles in both the transmission and the pathogenesis of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Comprehensive profiling of ACE2 expression patterns will help researchers to reveal risk factors of severe COVID-19 illness. While the expression of ACE2 in healthy human tissues has been well characterized, it is not known which diseases and drugs might modulate the ACE2 expression. In this study, we developed GENEVA (GENe Expression Variance Analysis), a semi-automated framework for exploring massive amounts of RNA-seq datasets. We applied GENEVA to 28,6650 publicly available RNA-seq samples to identify any previously studied experimental conditions that could directly or indirectly modulate ACE2 expression. We identified multiple drugs, genetic perturbations, and diseases that modulate the expression of ACE2, including cardiomyopathy, HNF1A overexpression, and drug treatments with RAD140 and Itraconazole. Our unbiased meta-analysis of seven datasets confirms ACE2 up-regulation in all cardiomyopathy categories. Using electronic health records data from 3936 COVID19 patients, we demonstrate that patients with pre-existing cardiomyopathy have an increased mortality risk than age-matched patients with other cardiovascular conditions. GENEVA is applicable to any genes of interest and is freely accessible at http://genevatool.org.
Mathematical Analysis of COVID-19 Transmission Dynamics with a Case Study of Nigeria and its Computer Simulation
Authors: Agbata B. C. , Emmanuel Ogala , Bashir Tenuche , William Obeng-Denteh
Published: October 2020

In this article, we formulated a mathematical model for the spread of the COVID-19 disease and we introduced quarantined and isolated compartments. The next generation matrix method was adopted to compute the basic reproduction number (R0) in order to assess the transmission dynamics of the COVID-19 deadly disease. Stability analysis of the disease free equilibrium is investigated based on the basic reproduction number and the result shows that it is locally and asymptotically stable for R0 less than 1. Numerical calculation of the basic reproduction number revealed that R0 < 1 which means that the disease can be eradicated from Nigeria. The study shows that isolation, quarantine and other government policies like social distancing and lockdown are the best approaches to control the pernicious nature of COVID-19 pandemic.
Seroprevalence and risk factor investigation for the exposure ofToxoplasma gondiiamong veterinary personnel in Punjab, India
Authors: Thakur R. , Sharma R. , Aulakh R.S. , Gill J.P.S. , Singh B.B.
Published: October 2020

Toxoplasma gondii, a globally important food borne zoonotic parasite, infects most of the warm blooded animals as well as people. One third of worlds population has been exposed toT. gondiiat least once in their lifetime. Veterinarians and para vets are considered at risk ofT. gondiiexposure. As far as we are aware, occupational exposure ofT. gondiihas not been systematically explored from north India. We determined the seroprevalence ofT. gondiiin veterinary personnel and investigated associated risk factors in Punjab, India. Two hundred and five blood samples collected from veterinary personnel were tested for the presence ofToxoplasmaIgG and IgM antibodies using ELISA. The apparent and true seroprevalence ofT. gondiiwith 95% confidence interval (CI) were estimated. Information about participant demographics, and possible routes of exposure was collected using a self completed questionnaire at the time of blood collection. A veterinary person was consideredToxoplasmaseropositive using a combination of tests in parallel, i.e. if it was positive in either IgG or IgM ELISA. A mixed effects logistic regression model was constructed to evaluate the association of demography, occupational and non-occupational factors withToxoplasmaseropositive status. The apparent and estimated true seroprevalence ofT. gondiiantibodies usingToxoplasmaIgG ELISA was found to be 8.78% (95% CI 5.63% - 13.45%) and 7.36% (95% CI 4.04% - 12.29%), respectively. The apparent and estimated true seroprevalence usingToxoplasmaIgM ELISA was found to be 0.49% (95% CI inestimable - 2.71%) and 0.51% (95% CI inestimable - 2.83%), respectively. After adjusting for other variables in the final model, consuming mutton and owning a cat were associated with large odds of beingToxoplasmaseropositive. We report that occupational risk factors are not associated withToxoplasmaseropositivity in veterinary personnel in Punjab, India. The seroprevalence of toxoplasmosis in veterinary personnel is comparatively low and occupational exposure in veterinary personnel does not enhance risk of getting infected withT. gondiiin Punjab, India.
Trends in suicide rates during the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions in a major German city
Authors: Radeloff Daniel , Papsdorf Rainer , Uhlig Kirsten , Vasilache Andreas , Putnam Karen , von Klitzing Kai
Published: October 2020

Background

It remains unclear whether the COVID-19 pandemic is having an impact on suicide rates. Social distancing, economic insecurity and increasing prevalence rates of mental disorders may cause an increase in risk factors for suicide.

Methods

Data on suicide events in a major city in Germany, and the corresponding life years were provided by the local authorities. For the year 2020, periods without restrictions on freedom of movement and social contact were compared with periods of moderate and severe COVID-19 restrictions. To avoid distortions due to seasonal fluctuations in suicide risk, data from 2020 were compared to data from 2010 to 2019.

Outcomes

A total of 333 suicides were registered and 2,791,131 life years (LY) were spent between 2010 and 2020. Of these, 42 suicides and 300,834 LY accounted for the year 2020.

In 2020, suicide rates (SR, suicides per 100,000 LY) were lower in periods with moderate (SR = 8.5, χ2 = 4.374, p = 0.037) or severe COVID-19 restrictions (SR = 7.0, χ2 = 3.999, p = 0.046) compared with periods without restrictions (SR = 18.0). A comparison with preceding years showed that differences cannot be attributed to seasonal variations. No age- or gender differences were found.

Interpretation

SR decreased during the COVID-19 restrictions; we expect SR to rise in the medium term. Careful monitoring of SR in the further course of the COVID-19 crisis is therefore urgently needed. The findings have regional reference and should not be over-generalized.

Funding

This study was conducted without external funding.
An Empirical Inference of the Severity of Resurgence of COVID-19 in Europe
Authors: Baruah Hemanta K.
Published: October 2020

In Europe the Corona Virus spread had started to retard months ago, but after some time it has started to accelerate again. In this article, we are going to analyze the current COVID-19 spread patterns in Italy, the UK, Germany, Russia, Spain and France. We have found that the current spread has perhaps been underestimated as just the second wave. As per our analysis, as on 7 October the resurgence is much more vigorous than the first wave of spread of the disease. It is going to be most serious in Russia, followed by Italy, Germany and the UK, while in Spain and France the patterns are yet to take inferable shapes.
Modelling the Anatomical Distribution of Neurological Events in COVID-19 Patients: A Systematic Review
Authors: Parsons Nicholas , Outsikas Athanasia , Parish Annie , Clohesy Rebecca , Thakkar Nilam , D’Aprano Fiore , Toomey Fidel , Advani Shailesh , Poudel Govinda
Published: October 2020

Background

Neuropathology caused by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been reported across several studies. The characterisation of the spatial distribution of these pathology remains critical to assess long and short-term neurologicalsequelaeof COVID-19. To this end, Mathematical models can be used to characterise the location and aetiologies underlying COVID-19-related neuropathology.

Method

We performed a systematic review of the literature to quantify the locations of small neurological events identified with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) among COVID-19 patients. Neurological events were localised into the Desikan-Killiany grey and white matter atlases. A mathematical network diffusion model was then used to test whether the spatial distribution of neurological events could be explained via a linear spread through the structural connectome of the brain.

Findings

We identified 35 articles consisting of 123 patients that assessed the spatial distribution of small neurological events among COVID-19 patients. Of these, 91 patients had grey matter changes, 95 patients had white matter changes and 72 patients had confirmed cerebral microbleeds. White matter events were observed within 14 of 42 white matter bundles from the IIT atlas. The highest proportions (26%) of events were observed within the bilateral corticospinal tracts. The splenium and middle of the corpus callosum were affected in 14% and 9% of the cases respectively. Grey matter events were spatially distributed in the 41 brain regions within the Desikan-Killiany atlas. The highest proportions (∼10%) of the events were observed in areas including the bilateral superior temporal, precentral, and lateral occipital cortices. Sub-cortical events were most frequently identified in the Pallidum. The application of a mathematical network diffusion model suggested that the spatial pattern of the small neurological events in COVID-19 can be modelled with a linear diffusion of spread from epicentres in the bilateral cerebellum and basal ganglia (Pearson’sr=0.41,p<0.001, corrected).

Interpretation

To our knowledge, this is the first study to systematically characterise the spatial distribution of small neurological events in COVID-19 patients and test whether the spatial distribution of these events can be explained by a linear diffusion spread model. The location of neurological events is consistent with commonly identified neurological symptoms including alterations in conscious state among COVID-19 patients that require brain imaging. Given the prevalence and severity of these manifestations, clinicians should carefully monitor neurological symptoms within COVID-19 patients and their potential long-termsequelae.
COVID-19 adaptive humoral immunity models: weakly neutralizing versus antibody-disease enhancement scenarios
Authors: Danchin Antoine , Pagani-Azizi Oriane , Turinici Gabriel , Yahiaoui Ghozlane
Published: October 2020

The interplay between the virus, infected cells and the immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 is still under debate. Extending the basic model of viral dynamics we propose here a formal approach to describe the neutralizing versus weakly (or non-)neutralizing scenarios and compare with the possible effects of antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE). The theoretical model is consistent with data available from the literature; we show that weakly neutralizing antibodies or ADE can both give rise to either final virus clearance or disease progression, but the immuno-dynamic is different in each case. Given that a significant part of the world population is already naturally immunized or vaccinated, we also discuss the implications on secondary infections infections following vaccination or in presence of immune system dysfunctions.
The wide spectrum of neuropsychiatric complications in Covid-19 patients within a multidisciplinary hospital context
Authors: Delorme Cécile , Houot Marion , Rosso Charlotte , Carvalho Stéphanie , Nedelec Thomas , Maatoug Redwan , Pitron Victor , Gassama Salimata , Sambin Sara , Bombois Stéphanie , Herlin Bastien , Ouvrard Gaëlle , Bruneteau Gaëlle , Hesters Adèle , Gales Ana Zenovia , Millet Bruno , Lamari Foudil , Lehericy Stéphane , Navarro Vincent , Rohaut Benjamin , Demeret Sophie , Maisonobe Thierry , Yger Marion , Degos Bertrand , Mariani Louise-Laure , Bouche Christophe , Dzierzynski Nathalie , Oquendo Bruno , Ketz Flora , Nguyen An-Hung , Kas Aurélie , Delattre Jean-Yves , Corvol Jean-Christophe
Published: October 2020

Objective

To describe the spectrum of neurological and psychiatric complications in patients with Covid-19 seen in a multidisciplinary center over six months.

Methods

We conducted a retrospective, observational study on all patients showing neurological or psychiatric symptoms in the context of Covid-19 seen in the Department of Neurology and Psychiatry of the APHP-Sorbonne University. We collected demographic data, medical and treatment history, comorbidities, symptoms, date of onset, and severity of Covid-19 infection, neurological and psychiatric symptoms, neurological and psychiatric examination data and, when available, results from cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis, brain magnetic resonance (MRI) imaging, 18-fluorodesoxyglucose-position emission computed tomography (FDG-PET/CT)), electroencephalography (EEG) and electroneuromyography (ENMG).

Results

245 patients were included in the analysis. One-hundred fourteen patients (47%) were admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) and 10 (4%) died. The most frequently reported neuropsychiatric symptoms were motor deficit (41%), cognitive disturbance (35%), impaired consciousness (26%), psychiatric disturbance (24%), headache (20%) and behavioral disturbance (18%). The most frequent syndromes diagnosed were encephalopathy (43%), critical illness polyneuropathy and myopathy (26%), isolated psychiatric disturbance (18%), and cerebrovascular disorders (16%). No patients showed evidence of SARS-CoV-2 in their CSF. Encephalopathy was associated with greater age and higher risk of death. Critical illness neuromyopathy was associated with an extended stay in the ICU.

Conclusions

The majority of the neuropsychiatric complications recorded could be imputed to critical illness, intensive care and systemic inflammation, which contrasts with the paucity of more direct SARS-CoV-2-related complications or post-infection disorders.
Superspreading Events Without Superspreaders: Using High Attack Rate Events to Estimate Nº for Airborne Transmission of COVID-19
Authors: Prentiss Mara , Chu Arthur , Berggren Karl K.
Published: October 2020

We study transmission of COVID-19 using five well-documented case studies – a Washington state church choir, a Korean call center, a Korean exercise class, and two different Chinese bus trips. In all cases the likely index patients were pre-symptomatic or mildly symptomatic, which is when infective patients are most likely to interact with large groups of people. An estimate of N0, the characteristic number of COVID-19 virions needed to induce infection in each case, is found using a simple physical model of airborne transmission. We find that the N0 values are similar for five COVID-19 superspreading cases (∼300-2,000 viral copies) and of the same order as influenza A. Consistent with the recent results of Goyal et al, these results suggest that viral loads relevant to infection from presymptomatic or mildly symptomatic individuals may fall into a narrow range, and that exceptionally high viral loads are not required to induce a superspreading event [1,2]. Rather, the accumulation of infective aerosols exhaled by a typical pre-symptomatic or mildly symptomatic patient in a confined, crowded space (amplified by poor ventilation, particularly activity like exercise or singing, or lack of masks) for exposure times as short as one hour are sufficient. We calculate that talking and breathing release ∼460N0 and ∼10N0 (quanta)/hour, respectively, providing a basis to estimate the risks of everyday activities. Finally, we provide a calculation which motivates the observation that fomites appear to account for a small percentage of total COVID-19 infection events.
Through-scalp deep-brain stimulation in tether-free, naturally-behaving mice with widefield NIR-II illumination
Authors: Wu Xiang , Jiang Yuyan , Rommelfanger Nicholas J. , Yin Rongkang , Liu Junlang , Cai Sa , Ren Wei , Shin Andrew , Ong Kyrstyn S. , Pu Kanyi , Hong Guosong
Published: October 2020

Neural modulation techniques with electricity, light and other forms of energy have enabled the deconstruction of neural circuitry. One major challenge of existing neural modulation techniques is the invasive brain implants and the permanent skull attachment of an optical fiber for modulating neural activity in the deep brain. Here we report an implant-free and tether-free optical neuromodulation technique in deep-brain regions through the intact scalp with brain-penetrant second near-infrared (NIR-II) illumination. Macromolecular infrared nanotransducers for deep-brain stimulation (MINDS) demonstrate exceptional photothermal conversion efficiency of 71% at 1064 nm, the wavelength that minimizes light attenuation by the brain in the entire 400-1700 nm spectrum. Upon widefield 1064-nm illumination >50 cm above the mouse head at a low incident power density of 10 mW/mm2, deep-brain neurons are activated by MINDS-sensitized TRPV1 channels with minimal thermal damage. Our approach could open opportunities for simultaneous neuromodulation of multiple socially interacting animals by remotely irradiating NIR-II light to stimulate each subject individually.
Single Individual Haplotype Reconstruction Using Fuzzy C-Means Clustering With Minimum Error Correction
Authors: Olyaee Mohammad Hossein , Khanteymoori Alireza
Published: October 2020

Evolution of human genetics is one of the most interesting areas for researchers. Determination of Haplotypes not only makes valuable information for this purpose but also performs a major role in investigating the probable relation between diseases and genomes. Determining haplotypes by experimental methods is a time-consuming and expensive task. Recent progress in high throughput sequencing allows researchers to use computational methods for this purpose. Although, several algorithms have been proposed but they are less accurate when the error rate of input fragments increases. In this paper, first, a fuzzy conflict graph is constructed based on the similarities of all input fragments and next, the cluster centers are used as initial centers by fuzzy c-means (FCM) algorithm. The proposed method has been tested on several real datasets and compared with some current methods. The comparison with the existing approaches shows that our method can be a complementary role among the others.
Single-trial dynamics of hippocampal spatial representations are modulated by reward value
Authors: Michon Frédéric , Krul Esther , Sun Jyh-Jang , Kloosterman Fabian
Published: October 2020

Reward value is known to modulate learning speed in spatial memory tasks, but little is known about its influence on the dynamical changes in hippocampal spatial representations. Here, we monitored the trial-to-trial changes in hippocampal place cell activity during the acquisition of place-reward associations with varying reward size. We show a faster reorganization and stabilization of the hippocampal place map when a goal location is associated with a large reward. The reorganization is driven by both rate changes and the appearance and disappearance of place fields. The occurrence of hippocampal replay activity largely followed the dynamics of changes in spatial representations. Replay patterns became more selectively tuned towards behaviorally relevant experiences over the course of learning. These results suggests that high reward value enhances memory retention via accelerating the formation and stabilization of the hippocampal cognitive map and enhancing its reactivation during learning.