bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Noise Analysis and Massive MIMO Modelling in VLC for 5G Networks using EKF with SCFDM
Authors: Rajesh Sindhuja , Shankar Arathi R
Published: February 2021

Visible Light Communications (VLC) is the type of communication, which processes high-speed data transmission using the visible Light Emitting Diodes (LED). The VLC acts as an important supplementary that is used to define the hotspots for heterogeneous networks and plays an important role for 5G networks in wireless communications. However, performance of visible light systems is affected by various noises and Allan variance is used to analyze such noises in 5G networks. The Massive Multiple-Input and Multiple-Output (M-MIMO) technique is used for noise modeling which utilizes the mitigation circuit to find whether the noise is white noise, shot noise, random walk noises or typical noises. The existing Kalman Filter approach failed to attain the required bandwidth and higher spectral efficiency. Therefore, to achieve high data rates, the spectral efficient technologies such as Single Carrier Frequency Division Multiplexing (SCFDM) is performed in the research. The Allan Variance is utilized for analyzing the time-series that extracts the noise features of the data and the major noise is verified and considered by the M-MIMO technique. The present research uses the Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) which determines the observation models and the state transition that does not need linear functions to define the states. The proposed SCFDM was constructed based on the VLC for 5G networks that analyzes in terms of Bit Error Rate (BER) and Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR). The proposed SCFDM obtains a high SNR of 14% for the channels with white LED option when compared to the existing methods.
Clinical Outcomes and Independent Risk Factors for 90-day Mortality in Critically-ill Patients Infected with SARS CoV-2: A Multicenter Study in Turkish Intensive Care Units
Authors: Gundogan Kursat , Akbudak Ismail Hakki , Hanci Pervin , Halacli Burcin , Temel Sahin , Gullu Zuhal , Inci Kamil , Bilir Yeliz , Bozkurt Firdevs Tugba , Yildirim Fatma , Simsek Meltem , Yuksel Recep Civan , Eren Esma , Altintas Neriman Defne , Talan Leyla , Elay Gulseren , Guven Goksel , Kara Iskender , Aydin Emre , Yilmaz Seda , Mengi Tugce , Sari Sema , Akbas Turkay , Cinleti Burcu Acar , Ayhan Nazire Ates , Ozbek Deniz Aral , Sahin Taha Koray , Acikgoz Asli , Esbah Ali Umit , Firat Ahmet , Aydemir Ferhan , Gurkok Mehmet Cagatay , Zerman Avsar , Gumus Ayca , Turkoglu Melda , Aydogdu Muge , Ulu Ramazan , Celik Jale Bengi , Balci Canan , Kirakli Cenk , Karakoc Emre , Ozyilmaz Ezgi , Ersoy Ebru Ortac , Ocal Serpil , Sen Irem Akin , Tor Ibrahim Hakki , Comert Bilgin , Ergan Begum , Saracoglu Kemal Tolga , Ergil Julide , Yuksel Ummu Gulsum , Tutar Nuri , Sungur Murat , Topeli Arzu
Published: February 2021

PurposeThere are limited data on long-term outcome of COVID-19 from different parts of the world. The aim of this study was to determine risk factors of 90-day mortality in critically-ill patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 in Turkish ICUs. MethodsPatients with COVID-19 from26 ICUs in Turkey were included in the study. Demographics, clinical characteristics, laboratory variables, treatment, and survival data were recorded. ResultsA total of 421 patients were included. The median age was 67 (IQR: 57-76) years, and 251 patients (59.6%) were men. 90-day mortality rate was 55.1%. Factors independently associated with 90-day mortality were invasive mechanical ventilation (HR 4.09 [95% CI: 2.20-7.63]), lactate level > 2 mmol/L (2.78 [1.93-4.01]), age ≥ 60 years (2.45 [1.48-4.06)]), cardiac arrhythmia during ICU stay (2.01 [1.27-3.20]), vasopressor treatment (1.94 [1.32-2.84]), positive fluid balance of ≥ 600 ml/per day (1.68 [1.21-2.34]), PaO2/FiO2 ratio of ≤ 150 mmHg (1.66 [1.18-2.32], and ECOG score ≥ 1 (1.42 [1.00-2.02]. ConclusionThis study has shown that long-term mortality was high in critically-ill COVID-19 patients in Turkish ICUs. Invasive mechanical ventilation, high lactate level, older age, presence of cardiac arrhythmia, need for vasopressor treatment, positive fluid balance, severe hypoxemia and not having fully-active performance were related with mortality.
In vivo human molecular neuroimaging of dopaminergic vulnerability along the Alzheimer’s disease phases
Authors: Perani Daniela , Sala Arianna , Caminiti Silvia Paola , Presotto Luca , Pilotto Andrea , Liguori Claudio , Chiaravalloti Agostino , Garibotto Valentina , Frisoni Giovanni Battista , D’Amelio Marcello , Paghera Barbara , Schillaci Orazio , Mercuri Nicola , Padovani Alessandro
Published: February 2021

Background

Preclinical and pathology evidence suggest an involvement of brain dopamine (DA) circuitry in Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). We in vivo investigated, if, when and in which target regions, DA signaling and molecular connectivity are damaged along the AD course.

Methods

We retrospectively selected 16 amyloid-positive subjects with mild cognitive impairment due to AD (AD-MCI), 22 amyloid-positive patients with probable AD dementia (AD-D) and 74 healthy controls, all with available [123I]FP-CIT-SPECT imaging. We tested whether nigrostriatal vs. mesocorticolimbic dopaminergic targets present binding potential loss, via MANCOVA, and alterations in molecular connectivity, via partial-correlation analysis. Results were deemed significant at p<0.05, after Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons.

Results

We found significant reductions of dopamine transporter density in both AD-MCI and AD-D compared to controls. Dopaminergic deficits were prominent in the major targets of the ventrotegmental-mesocorticolimbic pathway, namely the ventral striatum and the hippocampus, in both clinical groups, and in the cingulate gyrus, in patients with dementia only. Within the nigrostriatal projections, only the dorsal caudate nucleus showed reduced dopaminergic transporter density, in both groups. Molecular connectivity assessment revealed a widespread loss of inter-connections among subcortical and cortical targets of the mesocorticolimbic network only (poor overlap with the control group as expressed by a Dice coefficient < 0.25), and no alterations of the nigrostriatal network (high overlap with controls, Dice coefficient = 1).

Conclusion

Local and system-level alterations of the mesocorticolimbic dopaminergic circuitry characterize AD, already in prodromal disease phases. These results might foster new therapeutic strategies for AD. The clinical correlates of these findings deserve to be carefully considered within the emergence of both neuropsychiatric symptoms and cognitive deficits.
Impact of Covid-19 Disease and National Lockdown on Outcomes of Emergency Surgery. Results From A Retrospective Comparative Cohort Study In A Tertiary Referral Teaching Hospital
Authors: Ciarleglio Francesco Antonio , Rigoni Marta , Mereu Liliana , Cai Tommaso , Carrara Alessandro , Malossini Gianni , Tateo Saverio , Tirone Giuseppe , Johansen Truls E Bjerklund , Benetollo Pier Paolo , Ferro Antonio , Guarrera Giovanni Maria , Grattarola Mario , Nollo Giandomenico , Brolese Alberto
Published: February 2021

BACKGROUND: The aim of this retrospective comparative study was to assess the impact of the COVID-19 related disease on emergency surgery, comparing clinical main outcomes in the period March –May 2019 (Group 1) with the same period in Covid-19 Italian lockdown (March-May 2020, Group 2).METHODS: A comparison (Group 1 versus 2) was performed between the demographic, anamnestic, surgical, clinical and management features.RESULTS: 246 patients were included, 137 in Group 1 and 109 in Group 2 (p=0.03). No significant differences in peri-operative characteristics were registered. A declared delay in access to hospital and SARS-CoV-2 preoperatively infection rates were 15.5% and 5.8% respectively in Group 2. The overall morbidity (OR=2.22, 95%CI=1.08-4.55, p=0.03) and 30-day mortality (OR=1.34, 95%CI=0.33-5.50, =0.68) increased significantly in Group 2. Delayed access cohort demonstrated a close correlation with increased morbidity (OR=3.19, 95%CI=0.89-11.44, p=0.07), blood transfusion (OR=5.13, 95%CI=1.05-25.15, p=0.04) and a 30-day mortality risk (OR=8.00, 95%CI=1.01-63.23, p=0.05). Positive SARS-CoV-2 patients had higher risk of blood transfusion (20% vs 7.8%, p= 0.37), ICU admissions (20% vs 2.6%, p= 0.17) and median LOS (9 days vs 4 days, p= 0.11). CONCLUSIONS: This article provides enhanced understanding of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on patients access to emergency surgical care. Our findings suggest that COVID-19 changed the quality of surgical care with poorer prognosis and higher morbidity rates. A delayed Emergency Department access and a “filter effect” induced by a COVID-fear in the population resulted in only the most severe cases reaching the Emergency Department in time.
Targeting SARS-CoV-2 receptor-binding domain to cells expressing CD40 improves protection to infection in convalescent macaques
Authors: Marlin Romain , Godot Véronique , Cardinaud Sylvain , Galhaut Mathilde , Coleon Severin , Zurawski Sandra , Dereuddre-Bosquet Nathalie , Cavarelli Mariangela , Gallouet Anne-Sophie , Prague Mélanie , Maisonnasse Pauline , Dupaty Léa , Fenwick Craig , Naninck Thibaut , Lemaitre Julien , Gomez-Pacheco Mario , Kahlaoui Nidhal , Contreras Vanessa , Relouzat Francis , Fang Raphael Ho Tsong , Wang Zhiqing , III Jerome Ellis , Chapon Catherine , Centlivre Mireille , Szurgot Inga , Liljeström Peter , Werf Sylvie van der , Pantaleo Giuseppe , Thiébaut Rodolphe , Zurawski Gerard , Levy Yves , Grand Roger Le
Published: February 2021

Controlling the circulation of the recently emerged SARS-CoV-2 in the human populations requires massive vaccination campaigns. Achieving sufficient worldwide vaccination coverage will require additional approaches to first generation of approved viral vector and mRNA vaccines. Subunit vaccines have excellent safety and efficacy records and may have distinct advantages, in particular when immunizing individuals with vulnerabilities or when considering the vaccination of children and pregnant women. We have developed a new generation of subunit vaccines with enhanced immunogenicity by the targeting of viral antigens to CD40-expressing antigen-presenting cells, thus harnessing their intrinsic immune-stimulant properties. Here, we demonstrate that targeting the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein to CD40 (αCD40.RBD) induces significant levels of specific T and B cells, with a long-term memory phenotype, in a humanized mouse model. In addition, we demonstrate that a single dose of the αCD40.RBD vaccine, injected without adjuvant, is sufficient to boost a rapid increase in neutralizing antibodies in convalescent non-human primates (NHPs) exposed six months previously to SARS-CoV-2. Such vaccination thus significantly improved protection against a new high-dose virulent challenge versus that in non-vaccinated convalescent animals. Viral dynamics modelling showed the high efficiency of the vaccine at controlling the viral dissemination.
Blast from the past: Constraints on the dark sector from the BEBC WA66 beam dump experiment
Authors: Marocco Giacomo , Sarkar Subir
Published: February 2021

We derive limits on millicharged dark states, as well as particles with electric or magnetic dipole moments, from the number of observed forward electron scattering events at the Big European Bubble Chamber in the 1982 CERN-WA-066 beam dump experiment. The dark states are produced by the 400~GeV proton beam primarily through the decays of mesons produced in the beam dump, and the lack of excess events places bounds extending up to GeV masses. These improve on bounds from all other experiments, in particular CHARM~II.
Passive surveillance of African Swine Fever (ASF) in wild boars as an effective tool for prevention, control and eradication of ASF: A new approach
Authors: WELZ MIROSŁAW , POPCZYK BARTŁOMIEJ , NIEMCZUK KRZYSZTOF , BOCIAN ŁUKASZ , JAŻDŻEWSKI KRZYSZTOF , KONOPKA BOGDAN
Published: February 2021

The latest recommendations of the European Commission and the scientific opinions of the EFSA and other bodies define the passive surveillance of ASF in wild boars as a key means of epidemiological surveillance and a basic tool for the eradication of the ASF virus from the natural environment in the areas where this disease occurs, especially in the early stage of its development. The key to eradication is the management of the wild boar population and its reduction to a low and controlled number, so as to diminish the virus pressure in the environment and lessen the risk to pig farms. Wild boar hunting should take place in a planned manner that is adapted to the epizootic situation (as part of centrally managed hunting and sanitary culling). The most intensive hunting should take place in ASF-free areas, with the use of tailored methods and the latest technologies. Periodic hunting moratoria and restrictions on any activity in newly infected zones are necessary. This approach provides for phased eradication of the infectious agent by culling or capturing wild boars, as well as identifying and safely removing their carcasses and remains. When passive ASF surveillance in wild fauna is undertaken, data on the incidence of the disease in wild boars are obtained by the Veterinary Inspectorate without its active participation. The inspectorate is notified of any suspicion or occurrence of the disease, including discoveries of carcasses of animals of susceptible species. Then it acts according to an established plan including clinical examination of suspected or sick animals, anatomopathological examinations and sample collection for laboratory tests. The article describes the use of passive ASF surveillance in wild boars as a tool to prevent, control and combat ASF in Poland.
Seroprevalence of Q fever in small ruminants in the northeast Anatolian region in Turkey
Authors: BAGATIR PERIHAN SERIFOĞLU , OKUMUS BIRAY , OZGEN EDIZ KAAN , ULUCAN MUSTAFA , YANMAZ BERNA , AKTAS OSMAN
Published: February 2021

The aim of our study was to determine the seroepidemiological profile of Q fever in small ruminants in Turkey and to examine its prevalence changes over the years. The study included 573 serum samples taken in 2013 and 472 samples taken in 2017 from animals in mixed herds of sheep and goats from 84 farms in Northeast Anatolia. Phase I and phase II IgG antibodies against Coxiella burnetii in serum samples were investigated by IDEXX ELISA (Q fever Ab Test IDEXX Laboratories, USA) indirect ELISA kits. Seroprevalence of Coxiella burnetii IgG in Artvin, Gümüşhane and Iğdır provinces was 5.6% in sheep, 1.8% in goats and 4.5% in total in 2013. In contrast, it was 24.4% in sheep, 1.1% in goats and 20.1% in total in 2017. According to the total seroprevalence rates calculated by including both sheep and goat population, it was seen that the province with the highest seroprevalence change in these animals was Iğdır with a 7.3-fold increase. Herd-level seroprevalence was 29.4% in 2013 and 57.6% in 2017. According to these results, the C. burnetii IgG seroprevalence nearly doubled after four years. This increase has been evaluated as a major risk for animal and human health as well as for the livestock economy in Northeastern Anatolia, where animal husbandry is intense.
Current Trends in the Therapeutic Strategies for Diabetes Management
Authors: Sivakumar Ponnurengam Malliappan , Prabhawathi Veluchamy , Zarrabi Ali , Akthar Sohail , Prabhakar Pranav Kumar
Published: February 2021

Diabetes mellitus is one of the fastest-growing non-communicable diseases.
Diabetes mellitus is caused due by the destruction of pancreatic β-cell or due to insulin resistance
and characterized by hyperglycemia. Diabetes imposes a very serious economic
crisis as the diabetic drug market is growing very rapidly. Even after very path-breaking
scientific discoveries, the availability of better healthcare infrastructure, and a rise in literacy
rates, the diabetes burden is continuously spreading in various sections all over the
world but more especially in low- and middle-income countries. The recent developments
in scientific discoveries have given several new generations of antidiabetic
medicines such as sulphonylurea, biguanides, thiazolidinedione, α-glucosidase inhibitors.
All these drugs have proved a significant reduction in blood glucose level. There are
some new classes of hypoglycaemic drugs that have also been developed and reported,
such as GLP-1 analogous, DPP-IV inhibitors, amylin inhibitors, and peroxisome proliferator-
activated receptors. There are some active molecules and bioactive substances that
have been purified from herbs and plants, which add value to the war against diabetes.
These phytoconstituents have overturned drug development and lead identification for
drugs against diabetes. The review also focuses on some critical areas of diabetes with
more focus on statin-based diabetes management approach and stem cell therapy based
next generation antidiabetic therapy.
The Link Between Bacterial Inflammagens, Leaky Gut Syndrome and
Colorectal Cancer
Authors: de Waal Greta M , de Villiers Willem J.S. , Pretorius Etheresia
Published: February 2021

:

There is a causal relationship between cancer (including colorectal cancer), chronic systemic inflammation and persistent infections, and the presence of dysregulated circulating inflammatory markers. It is known that aberrant clot formation and coagulopathies occur in systemic inflammation. In colorectal cancer, there is close link between gut dysbiosis and an inflammatory profile. In this review we present evidence of the connection between gut dysbiosis, the entry of bacteria into the internal environment and the presence of their highly potent inflammagenic molecules, such as lipopolysaccharide and lipoteichoic acid, in circulation. These bacterial components may act as one of the main drivers of the inflammatory process (including hypercoagulation) in colorectal cancer. We review literature that points to the role of these bacterial inflammagens and how they contribute to colorectal carcinogenesis. Insight into the factors that promote carcinogenesis is crucial to effectively prevent and screen for colorectal cancer. Early diagnosis of an activated coagulation system and the detection of bacterial components in circulation and also in the tumour microenvironment, could therefore be important, and may also, together with modulation of the gut microbiota, serve as potential therapeutic targets.
Systems Cytogenomics: Are We Ready Yet?
Authors: Iourov Ivan Y. , Vorsanova Svetlana G. , Yurov Yuri B.
Published: February 2021

With the introduction of systems theory to genetics, numerous opportunities for genomic
research have been identified. Consequences of DNA sequence variations are systematically
evaluated using the network- or pathway-based analysis, a technological basis of systems biology
or, more precisely, systems genomics. Despite comprehensive descriptions of advantages offered
by systems genomic approaches, pathway-based analysis is uncommon in cytogenetic (cytogenomic)
studies, i.e. genome analysis at the chromosomal level. Here, we would like to express our
opinion that current cytogenomics benefits from the application of systems biology methodology.
Accordingly, systems cytogenomics appears to be a biomedical area requiring more attention than
it actually receives.
CREB: A Multifaceted Target for Alzheimer’s Disease
Authors: Sharma Vivek K. , Singh Thakur G.
Published: February 2021

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a persistent neuropathological stipulation manifested in the
form of neuronal/synapse demise, the formation of senile plaques, hyperphosphorylated tau tangles,
neuroinflammation, and apoptotic cell death. The absence of a therapeutic breakthrough for AD has
continued the quest to find a suitable intervention. Apart from various candidates, the cyclic AMPprotein
kinase A-cAMP response element-binding protein (cAMP/PKA/CREB) pathway is the most
sought-after drug target AD as the bulk of quality literature documents that there is downregulation of
cAMP signaling and CREB mediated transcriptional cascade in AD. cAMP signaling is evolutionarily
conserved and can be found in all species. cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB) is a ubiquitous
and integrally articulated transcription aspect that regulates neuronal growth, neuronal differentiation/
proliferation, synaptic plasticity, neurogenesis, maturation of neurons, spatial memory, longterm
memory formation as well as ensures neuronal survival. CREB is a central part of the molecular
machinery that has a role in transforming short-term memory to long-term. Besides AD, impairment of
CREB signaling has been well documented in addiction, Parkinsonism, schizophrenia, Huntington’s
disease, hypoxia, preconditioning effects, ischemia, alcoholism, anxiety, and depression. The current
work highlights the role and influence of CREB mediated transcriptional signaling on major pathological
markers of AD (amyloid β, neuronal loss, inflammation, apoptosis, etc.). The present work justifies
the continuous efforts being made to explore the multidimensional role of CREB and related downstream
signaling pathways in cognitive deficits and neurodegenerative complications in general and
AD particularly. Moreover, it is reaffirmed that cyclic nucleotide signaling may have vast potential to
treat neurodegenerative complications like AD.
The Impact of Uncontrolled Hypertension on the Longitudinal Systolic
Function of the Left Ventricle
Authors: Bendiab Nabila Soufi Taleb , Benkhedda Salim , Henaoui Latifa , Tani Abderrahim Meziane
Published: February 2021

Background:

The assessment of the longitudinal component of left ventricular (LV)
function is of major clinical importance for the early detection of LV contractile impairment. The
aim of this study was to determine the impact of uncontrolled hypertension, on LV longitudinal systolic
performance.

Methods:

The study population included 400 hypertensive patients: 271 patients with uncontrolled
blood pressure (BP) and 112 without controlled BP, all patients underwent a complete ultrasound
evaluation with the calculation of the LV mass, evaluation of diastolic function as well as longitudinal
systolic function.

Results:

Conventional echo demonstrated that uncontrolled patients had increased LV mass (P
0.007), LA (left auricular) dimension (P 0.004), left ventricular wall thickness and impairment of
diastolic function (E/E’6 ± 2.1 vs 7.4 ±3.0 P=0.001) while no affection of systolic function could
be detected. By deformation imaging, there was a reduction in longitudinal strain (apical 4 view
-16.2 ±2.9 vs -18.2± 2.6 P 0.02, apical 3 view -17.3 ± 3.3 vs. -18.9 ± 4.1 P 0.01). Similarly, systolic
strain rate (SRsys) and early diastolic SR (SRe) reduced significantly in longitudinal direction.

Conclusion:

Although EF was not different between uncontrolled patients and controls, LV longitudinal
strain and strain rate by 2D speckle tracking were lower in the uncontrolled group.
Multi-Class Breast Cancer Classification Using Ensemble of Pretrained models and Transfer Learning
Authors: Singh Sanjay Kumar , Rao Perumalla Murali Mallikarjuna , Khamparia Aditya , Bhushan Bharat , Podder Prajoy
Published: February 2021

Aims:

Early detection of breast cancer has reduced many deaths. Earlier CAD systems
used to be the second opinion for radiologists and clinicians. Machine learning and deep learning
have brought tremendous changes in medical diagnosis and imagining.

Background:

Breast cancer is the most commonly occurring cancer in women and it is the second
most common cancer overall. According to the 2018 statistics, there were over 2million cases all
over the world. Belgium and Luxembourg have the highest rate of cancer.

Objective:

A method for breast cancer detection has been proposed using Ensemble learning. 2-
class and 8-class classification is performed.

Method:

To deal with imbalance classification, the authors have proposed an ensemble of pretrained
models.

Result:

98.5% training accuracy and 89% of test accuracy are achieved on 8-class classification.
Moreover, 99.1% and 98% train and test accuracy are achieved on 2 class classification.

Conclusion:

it is found that there are high misclassifications in class DC when compared to the
other classes, this is due to the imbalance in the dataset. In the future, one can increase the size of
the datasets or use different methods. In implement this research work, authors have used 2 Nvidia
Tesla V100 GPU’s in google cloud platform.
Natural Product as Substrates of ABC Transporters: A Review
Authors: Chen Xuan-Yu , Wang Jing-Quan , Yang Yuqi , Li Jing , Chen Zhe-Sheng
Published: February 2021

Background:

To date, many compounds extracted from natural products have anti-tumor
activity, such as citronellol, ellagitannin-containing pomegranate extract, etc. Evidence from
clinical context shows that multidrug resistance is an obstacle that impedes the effectiveness of natural
products, such as chemotherapeutic agents, paclitaxel and vincristine. Overexpression of ATP-
Binding Cassette (ABC) transporters is the leading cause of MDR. Therefore, it is crucial to investigate
whether these natural products are substrates of MDR-associated ABC transporters,
which may benefit the development of their clinical usage.

Objective:

This review summarizes the latest insight on natural products possessing substrate profile and analyzed some possible regularity to provide direction for future drug discovery.

Conclusion:

The anti-tumor effects of natural products are constantly being explored, but the drug
resistance issues cannot be ignored, which limits their prospects as anti-tumor drugs to a certain extent.
At the same time, some natural products are taken as a daily diet, and their possible role in increasing
the drug resistance of the substrate should arouse the attention of clinical cancer patients.
Extracting Drug Names and Associated Attributes From Discharge Summaries: Text Mining Study
Authors: Alfattni Ghada , Belousov Maksim , Peek Niels , Nenadic Goran
Published: February 2021

Background

Drug prescriptions are often recorded in free-text clinical narratives; making this information available in a structured form is important to support many health-related tasks. Although several natural language processing (NLP) methods have been proposed to extract such information, many challenges remain.

Objective

This study evaluates the feasibility of using NLP and deep learning approaches for extracting and linking drug names and associated attributes identified in clinical free-text notes and presents an extensive error analysis of different methods. This study initiated with the participation in the 2018 National NLP Clinical Challenges (n2c2) shared task on adverse drug events and medication extraction.

Methods

The proposed system (DrugEx) consists of a named entity recognizer (NER) to identify drugs and associated attributes and a relation extraction (RE) method to identify the relations between them. For NER, we explored deep learning-based approaches (ie, bidirectional long-short term memory with conditional random fields [BiLSTM-CRFs]) with various embeddings (ie, word embedding, character embedding [CE], and semantic-feature embedding) to investigate how different embeddings influence the performance. A rule-based method was implemented for RE and compared with a context-aware long-short term memory (LSTM) model. The methods were trained and evaluated using the 2018 n2c2 shared task data.

Results

The experiments showed that the best model (BiLSTM-CRFs with pretrained word embeddings [PWE] and CE) achieved lenient micro F-scores of 0.921 for NER, 0.927 for RE, and 0.855 for the end-to-end system. NER, which relies on the pretrained word and semantic embeddings, performed better on most individual entity types, but NER with PWE and CE had the highest classification efficiency among the proposed approaches. Extracting relations using the rule-based method achieved higher accuracy than the context-aware LSTM for most relations. Interestingly, the LSTM model performed notably better in the reason-drug relations, the most challenging relation type.

Conclusions

The proposed end-to-end system achieved encouraging results and demonstrated the feasibility of using deep learning methods to extract medication information from free-text data.
Una aproximación sistémica al manejo costero integrado de playas turísticas mexicanas
Authors: Jiménez Arenas Olga Lidia , Tejeida Padilla Ricardo , Rojas Ramírez Jorge Armando , Coria Páez Ana Lilia
Published: February 2021

El propósito de esta investigación es mostrar cómo la adopción del concepto manejo costero integrado en la política costera mexicana ha repercutido en la integración interinstitucional. Además, se estudia el influjo de la participación local en la conformación y activación de comités de playas limpias integrados por el gobierno, el sector privado y la sociedad. Puesto que se necesitan estudios locales que permitan evaluar esta política, se seleccionó Puerto Escondido como ejemplo de cambio a partir de las modificaciones en la política costera mexicana. Se usó la metodología de sistemas suaves y se realizó un diagnóstico mediante la visión de los comités de playas limpias. Como resultado se observó que la política costera avanza hacia una integración entre el gobierno y la sociedad, y sin embargo se requieren mecanismos que promuevan una mayor participación social. La presente investigación se limita a interpretar la perspectiva de dichos comités.
Biological Control of Phytopathogenic Fungi by Kluyveromyces marxianus and Torulaspora delbrueckii Isolated from Iraqi Date Vinegar
Authors: Al-Qaysi Safaa A.S. , Abdullah Noor M. , Jaffer M.R. , Abbas Zainab A.
Published: February 2021

Yeasts are distributed in all environments and have been reported as potential biocontrol agents against various phytopathogenic fungi. To investigate their enzymatic and biological activities, 32 yeasts were isolated from 15 date vinegar samples. Evaluation of the antagonistic activities of isolated yeasts against the plant pathogens Fusarium oxysporium, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, and Macrophomina phaseolina indicated that there are two yeasts had the highest inhibitory effect against plant pathogens, these yeasts identified as Kluyveromyces marxianus and Torulaspora delbrueckii using traditional and molecular methods. These yeast isolates were tested for fungal cell wall degrading enzymes (in vitro), and results indicated that the yeasts had strong protease and amylase enzyme activity and moderate chitinase and cellulase enzyme activity. The antagonistic activities of each yeast were evaluated using a dual culture technique. The results showed that K. marxianus inhibited the mycelial growth of F. oxysporium, S. sclerotiorum, and M. phaseolina by 70.5, 57.5, and 75.5%, respectively, whereas T. delbrueckii inhibited mycelial growth of F. oxysporum, S. sclerotiorum, and M. phaseolina by 55.3%, 66.2%, and 31.11%, respectively. The biofilm production assay indicated that the tested yeast could form biofilms as a mechanism of antagonistic activity against phytopathogenic fungi.
ABORDAGEM TERAPÊUTICA DOS PACIENTES PEDIÁTRICOS TRANSPLANTADOS CARDÍACOS
Authors: Oliveira Erivan de Souza , Reis Rayssa Priscilla Costa , Pontes Isabelle Barbosa , Barbosa Larissa Moura , Morais Arlandia Cristina Lima Nobre de
Published: February 2021

O transplante cardíaco é uma abordagem cirúrgica, sendo um importante recurso no tratamento da insuficiência cardíaca. O objetivo do presente trabalho foi avaliar a farmacoterapia dos pacientes pediátricos transplantados cardíacos. Trata-se de um estudo descritivo, retrospectivo e com abordagens quantitativas, realizada em um hospital terciário da rede pública do Estado do Ceará. As variáveis analisadas foram: idade, sexo, peso atual, idade e peso quando foi transplantado, tempo de pós-transplante, problemas de saúde preexistentes, prescrição ambulatorial, nome do medicamento, posologia, dose, forma farmacêutica, duração do tratamento e exames laboratoriais. Os dados foram dispostos como frequência absoluta (n) e relativa (%), média e desvio padrão, considerando o intervalo de confiança de 95%. Foram analisados 18 prontuários/prescrições de pacientes com idade de 1 a 18 anos que tinham realizado o transplante cardíaco no hospital da pesquisa. Através dos resultados obtidos, foi observado que 27,8% (n=5) dos pacientes apresentaram alterações nos exames das transaminases (TGO e TGP), 33,3% (n=6) na ureia e creatinina, 50% (n=9) teve anemia após o transplante e todos os pacientes utilizavam as estatinas como medicamento profilático. Através dos resultados obtidos nesse estudo, considera-se o aumento da possibilidade do desenvolvimento de intervenções que alcancem benefícios para os pacientes pediátricos.
QUALIDADE DE VIDA EM MULHERES ACOMETIDAS COM CÂNCER DE MAMA
Authors: MENEZES MAX OLIVEIRA , SILVA LUCIANA DE SANTANA LOBO , Sandes Silvia Márcia dos Santos , Chagas Alaine Vasconcelos , Bittencourt Cíntia da Cruz Santos
Published: February 2021

Este estudo tem como objetivo analisar a qualidade de vida das mulheres acometidas com câncer de mama. Trata-se de uma revisão integrativa da literatura. As bases de dados consultadas foram: BVS, LILACS, Medline, Scielo. Foram inclusos artigos publicados no período entre 2012 – 2017. A amostra foi composta por 17 artigos, os quais foram trabalhados e agrupados em cinco categorias relacionada aos domínios físico, psicológico, relação social, nível de independência e ambiente. Ficou evidente o predomínio de publicações em revistas da área médica, delineamento para estudos de coorte, nível de evidência A2, escritos na língua inglesa. As alterações na QV das mulheres com CA de mama mais prevalentes encontram-se nos domínios físico e psicológico, com ênfase nas facetas dor/desconforto, energia/fadiga e sentimentos negativos, dentre eles a ansiedade e depressão. Assim, ficou evidente que o tema é amplo e subjetivo, pois está relacionado com aspectos individuais e geográficos, bem como metodologias implementadas para avaliação.
EXERCÍCIOS TERAPÊUTICOS EM PRATICANTES DE ATIVIDADES FÍSICAS COM TENDINOPATIA PATELAR: REVISÃO DE LITERATURA
Authors: Ribeiro Lopes Thais , De Melo e Silva Bruno Gilberto
Published: February 2021

A tendinopatia patelar (TP), conhecida também como jumper’s knee (joelho de saltador), é uma das afecções mais frequentes do joelho em atletas que realizam regularmente alguma atividade esportiva. Avaliar, a partir de uma revisão de literatura, práticas terapêuticas de cinesioterapia para o tratamento da tendinopatia patelar em atletas que fazem regularmente exercícios esportivos. Trata-se de uma revisão de literatura que visou identificar, selecionar e avaliar criticamente as evidências científicas na intervenção dos exercícios terapêuticos em praticantes de atividades físicas com TP. Para a busca dos estudos, foram utilizadas as seguintes bases de dados: Lilacs, Medline, Scielo, PubMed e PEDro. Foram incluídos estudos originais do tipo ensaios clínicos, relacionados as práticas terapêuticas na TP, indexados nas bases de dados selecionadas previamente, escritos nas línguas portuguesa, inglesa e espanhola no período de 2010 a 2020, com resumos disponíveis e acesso na íntegra por meio online e gratuito. Foram selecionados treze estudos para análise, dos quais mostraram as práticas terapêuticas utilizadas para o tratamento da TP. Como instrumentos para coletas de dados junto ao público alvo, observou-se predominantemente o uso do questionário Visa-P associado ou não à EVA. Desses estudos, seis aplicaram apenas o Visa-P; sete aplicaram o Visa-P associado a EVA. Quanto ao público alvo, em sua maioria foram atletas de ambos os sexos. Observou-se que a fisioterapia é eficaz no tratamento da dor e da função em pacientes com TP, sendo que os exercícios excêntricos e exercícios excêntricos juntos com agachamento com declínio foram os que apresentaram melhores resultados em atletas, mostrando-se superior as outras intervenções fisioterapêuticas associados a exercícios excêntricos, tais como terapias de ondas de choque extracorpórea,  injeções guiadas por imagem de alto volume, injeções de plasma rico em plaquetas, e adesivo trinitrato de gliceril.
HALFLIFE
Authors: shasti
Published: February 2021

This exposition posits art as a form of contagious divination, a glimpse into the multiplicity of possible futures, and an examination of artists' ability to detect momentum towards unavoidable outcomes.

In 2014, I was selected by curator Heather Pesanti to participate in the City of Toronto’s annual Nuit Blanche festival, an overnight public art event spanning twelve hours in multiple neighborhoods that draws over a million people from the surrounding regions.

Spurred by my concerns about the inescapable gravity of mobile electronic media and "viral culture," my work was to be a performance premised on contagion, pointing to the monumental role that electronic media had assumed in mediating our direct experience, and the civic and societal fallout I believed would ensue. Little did I suspect how bizarrely prescient the work would turn out to be.

On October 6th, 2014, one hundred glowing “carriers,” dressed in fluorescent hazmat suits, wearing fluorescent LED-wired helmets in the dodecahedral geometric shape of an adenovirus, dispersed throughout the City of Toronto, each "testing" and “infecting” at least one hundred festivalgoers by marking their faces and hands with “spots” “lesions” and “rashes” using surgical swabs dipped into a beaker of invisible UV-reactive ink. Each "test subject" was then gifted a small UV pen lamp with built-in reactive ink marker and instructed to "infect" and "test" ten others.

It is estimated that HALFLIFE attained an "R-naught" value of ten, and through this performance, affected approximately one hundred thousand people.

Images of the performance went viral on Instagram for seventy-two hours, during which Toronto General Hospital admitted their first and only suspected Ebola case.
Fördjupning i bild GY, projekt samling, Camilla Ranta.
Authors: Camilla Ranta
Published: February 2021

En samling av mitt projekt under kursen ''Fördjupning i bild''.
EYEBALLING THE MOON
Authors: Edit Thoor
Published: February 2021

all about light
FERRY EXPERIMENT: READING LINE AND SOUND | PHYSICAL MOVEMENT LAB
Authors: Greta Pundzaite
Published: February 2021

Ferry Experiment: Reading Line and Sound aims to grasp movement in different artistic elements and trace their interconnection. A sound of a ferry trip Lisbon-Berreiro is recorded as if from two differing ears of a passenger. One traces the movement of detailed noise inside while the other lowers itself to the machinery and gives an impulse of the repetitive swing of moving water. A drawing is created as a result, dismounted to its detail and used together with the sounds as a continuation searching itself in the movement of a body.
for-Wards: Curating a Hyperlocal Compositional Methodological Framework
Authors: Bobbie-Jane Gardner
Published: February 2021

In this exposition, I present the curatorial methods I devised to create a hyperlocal compositional methodology used in the research project, for-Wards. for-Wards is a two-year citywide music programme involving a large-scale artistic partnership to co-create new music within and about forty Birmingham wards.

The curated hyperlocal methodological framework I constructed was used to support the creation of hyperlocal musical works. I use the term ‘hyperlocal’ which is borrowed from the realm of citizen journalism. It infers community-produced news that is extremely localised. Hyperlocal is concerned with events and stories within a specific geographic community (Radcliffe 2012).
Efficacy and safety of ethanol infusion into the vein of Marshall for mitral isthmus ablation
Authors: Lam Anna , Küffer Thomas , Hunziker Lukas , Nozica Nikolas , Asatryan Babken , Franzeck Florian , Madaffari Antonio , Haeberlin Andreas , Mühl Aline , Servatius Helge , Seiler Jens , Noti Fabian , Baldinger Samuel , Tanner Hildegard , Windecker Stephan , Reichlin Tobias , Roten Laurent
Published: February 2021

Introduction: Chemical ablation by retrograde infusion of ethanol into
the vein of Marshall (VOM-EI) can facilitate achievement of mitral
isthmus block. This study sought to describe efficacy and safety of this
technique. Methods and Results: Twenty-two consecutive patients (14
male, median age 71 years) with attempted VOM-EI for mitral isthmus
ablation were included in the study. VOM-EI was successfully performed
with a median of 4 ml of 96% ethanol in 19 patients (86%) and mitral
isthmus was successfully blocked in all (100%). Touch up endocardial
and/or epicardial ablation after VOM-EI was necessary in 12 patients
(63%). Perimitral flutter was present in 12 patients (63%) during
VOM-EI and terminated or slowed by VOM-EI in four and three patients,
respectively. Low-voltage area of the mitral isthmus region increased
from 3.1 cm2 (IQR 0-7.9) before to 13.2 cm2 (IQR 8.2-15.0) after VOM-EI
and correlated significantly with the volume of ethanol injected (P =
0.03). Median high-sensitive cardiac troponin-T increased significantly
from 330 ng/L (IQR 221-516) the evening of the procedure to 598 ng/L
(IQR 382-769; P=0.02) the following morning. A small pericardial
effusion occurred in three patients (16%), mild pericarditis in one
(5%) and uneventful VOM dissection in two (11%). After a median
follow-up of 3.5 months (IQR 3.0-11.0), 10 of 18 patients (56%) with
VOM-EI and available follow-up had arrhythmia recurrence. Repeat
ablation was performed in five patients (50%) and peri-mitral flutter
diagnosed in three (60%). Conclusion: VOM-EI is feasible, safe and
effective to achieve acute mitral isthmus block
Auditor Responses to and Prevention of Non-Income-Increasing Misreporting: Evidence from Audit Fees and Restatements
Authors: Pittman Jeffrey A. , Zhao Yuping
Published: February 2021

We document that non-income-increasing (NII) misreporting is important to investors and then investigate whether auditors respond to and prevent different types of NII misstatements. We categorize NII misstatements into those whose correction adversely (i.e., unfavorably) affect financial reports and those whose correction positively (i.e., favorably) affect financial reports. We find that audit fees are positively associated with unfavorable NII misstatements, but not with favorable NII misstatements. We examine whether auditors prevent quarterly misstatements from resulting in annual report misstatements and find that auditors are less likely to prevent both favorable and unfavorable NII quarterly report misstatements from resulting in annual report misstatements, with the audit efficacy being lower for favorable NII misstatements. In sum, our research indicates that auditors do attempt to constrain NII misreporting with greater effort expended on unfavorable NII misstatements.

Data Availability: Data used in this study are available from public sources.

JEL Classifications: M49.
The Informational Value of Segment Data Disaggregated by Underlying Industry: Evidence from the Textual Features of Business Descriptions
Authors: Song Shiwon
Published: February 2021

I examine a fundamental determinant of disclosure quality: how underlying data are disaggregated. For this, I create a measure of industry disaggregation, which is the extent to which segment disclosures are disaggregated based on underlying industries. To identify underlying industries, I apply a deep learning algorithm that extracts textual features from Item 1 business descriptions, in which firms are required to accurately describe their products and services. Industry disaggregation captures the disclosure of underlying industries and the adherence to industry-based disaggregation criteria. Consistent with capital markets being informationally segmented by industry, I find that industry disaggregation is negatively associated with analyst forecast error and dispersion, and positively associated with analyst following and information transfers among analysts and investors. These findings indicate that financial information is more informative, and, thus, of higher quality, when disaggregated by standardized criteria that achieve comparability and match the information-processing strategies of capital market participants.

Data Availability: Data are available from the sources identified in the paper.

JEL Classifications: D89; G14; M41; M48.
The Impact of Partners' Economic Incentives on Audit Quality in Big 4 Partnerships
Authors: Dekeyser Simon , Gaeremynck Ann , Knechel W. Robert , Willekens Marleen
Published: February 2021

Economic incentives are fundamental for understanding auditor behavior. In this paper, we investigate the association between the extent of partners' fee-based compensation, partners' observable net wealth, and audit quality. Using a sample of Belgian Big 4 audit firms and their predominantly private clients, our results suggest a negative association between audit quality and partner fee-based compensation, and a positive association between audit quality and partner observable net wealth. Moreover, our results show that the latter association is most significant when a partner is carrying a lot of debt, which indicates that a partner's financial situation may affect audit quality. The extent of fee-based incentives also varies among partners of the same audit firm. Furthermore, partner and client characteristics differ based on the extent of fee-based compensation. Our findings should be of interest to regulators and audit firms, as they suggest that audit partners' economic incentives significantly affect audit quality.

Data Availability: All data are publicly available from the sources identified in the text.

JEL Classifications: M41; M42; D81.
New indexes for measuring electoral disproportionality
Authors: Arredondo Verónica , Martínez-Panero Miguel , Palomares Antonio , Peña Teresa , Ramírez Victoriano
Published: February 2021

The number of representatives obtained by each political party in an electoral process must be a whole number. So, the percentage of votes for each party usually differs from the corresponding percentage of seats, forcing a certain unavoidable disproportionality. On the other hand, different elements of the electoral system (constituencies, thresholds, etc.) may produce some avoidable disproportionality. Those indexes traditionally used to analyse disproportionality take into account an unreachable exact proportionality as a reference. Instead, our more realistic approach quantifies distortions from a specific allotment, namely the seat distribution obtained when applying a proportional method to the total votes (that is, as if it were a unique constituency, without electoral thresholds or incentives to the winning party). Hence, we measure the avoidable disproportionality associated with such method. Unlike traditional indexes, we propose indexes associated with proportional allotment methods that can be zero in real situations. They are simple to calculate and allow us to decipher the number of seats assigned beyond the inevitable disproportionality which arises from the constraint of whole numbers. We are particularly interested in the indexes associated with Jefferson and Webster methods, which are compared to Gallagher, Loosemore-Hanby and Sainte-Laguë indexes for the results of 55 elections held in several countries.