bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Prevalence and associated factors of diarrhea among under-five children in Debre Berhan town, Ethiopia 2018: a cross sectional study
Authors: Shine Sisay , Muhamud Sindew , Adanew Solomon , Demelash Alebachew , Abate Makda
Published: February 2020

Background

Diarrhea is responsible for 525,000 children under-five deaths and 1.7 billion cases globally and is the second leading cause of death among children under-five every year. It is a major public health problem in low income countries like Ethiopia. The main aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of diarrhea and associated risk factors among children under-five in Debre Berhan Town, Ethiopia.

Methods

A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in 420 parent or caretaker/children pairs in Debre Berhan town between 13 and 18 April 2018. A multi-stage sampling strategy was used to select the study participants. Data were collected using pre-tested and structured questionnaires. Data were entered in Epi-info computer software version 3.5.1 and exported to SPSS Window Version-16 for analysis. Adjusted odds ratio with 95% confidence intervals were used to assess the level of significance.

Results

The two week prevalence of diarrhea among children under-five was 16.4% (69/351). Children aged 7–11 months (adjusted odds ratio (AOR): 4.2, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.2–15.3), being the second-born child (AOR: 3.9, 95%CI: 1.8–8.5), not vaccinated against rotavirus (AOR: 10.3, 95%CI: 3.2–91.3) and feeding children by hand (AOR: 2.5, 95%CI: 1.1–6.1) were significant predictors of diarrhea.

Conclusions

This study revealed that the two weeks period prevalence of diarrhea among children under-five years was 16.4%. Education programs on the importance of vaccination against rotavirus, increasing breast feeding frequency with complementary food after six months and the critical points of hand washing are recommended.
Randomized controlled trials for comparison of laparoscopic versus conventional open catheter placement in peritoneal dialysis patients: a meta-analysis
Authors: Sun Mei-Lan , Zhang Yong , Wang Bo , Ma Te-An , Jiang Hong , Hu Shou-Liang , Zhang Piao , Tuo Yan-Hong
Published: February 2020

Background

The application of laparoscopic catheterization technology in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients has recently increased. However, the advantages and disadvantages of laparoscopic versus conventional open PD catheter placement are still controversial. The aim of this meta-analysis is to assess the complications of catheterization in PD patients and to provide a reference for choosing a PD-catheter placement technique in the clinic.

Methods

We searched numerous databases, including Embase, PubMed, CNKI and the Cochrane Library, for published randomized controlled trials (RCTs).

Results

Eight relevant studies (n = 646) were included in the meta-analysis. The pooled results showed a lower incidence of catheter migration (OR: 0.42, 95% CI: 0.19 to 0.90, P: 0.03) and catheter removal (OR: 0.41, 95% CI: 0.21 to 0.79, P: 0.008) but a higher incidence of bleeding (OR: 3.25, 95% CI: 1.18 to 8.97, P: 0.02) with a laparoscopic approach than with a conventional approach. There was no significant difference in the incidence of omentum adhesion (OR: 0.32, 95% CI: 0.05 to 2.10, P: 0.24), hernia (OR: 0.38, 95% CI: 0.09 to 1.68, P: 0.20), leakage (OR: 0.69, 95% CI: 0.38 to 1.26, P: 0.23), intestinal obstruction (OR: 0.96, 95% CI: 0.48 to 1.91, P: 0.90) or perforation (OR: 0.95, 95% CI: 0.06 to 15.42, P: 0.97). The statistical analysis showed no significant difference in early (OR: 0.44, 95% CI: 0.15 to 1.33, P: 0.15), late (OR: 0.89, 95% CI: 0.41 to 1.90, P: 0.76) or total (OR: 0.68, 95% CI: 0.42 to 1.12, P: 0.13) peritonitis infections between the 2 groups, and there are no no significant difference in early (OR: 0.39, 95% CI: 0.06 to 2.36, P: 0.30), late (OR: 1.35, 95% CI: 0.78 to 2.33, P: 0.16) or total (OR: 1.20, 95% CI: 0.71 to 2.02, P: 0.17) tunnel or exit-site infections between the 2 groups.

Conclusion

Laparoscopic catheterization and conventional open catheter placement in PD patients have unique advantages, but laparoscopic PD catheterization may be superior to conventional open catheter placement. However, this conclusion needs to be confirmed with further large-sample-size, multi-centre, high-quality RCTs.
A case report of an unusual non-mucinous papillary variant of CPAM type 1 with KRAS mutations
Authors: Koopman Timco , Rottier Bart L. , ter Elst Arja , Timens Wim
Published: February 2020

Background

congenital pulmonary airway malformation (CPAM) is the most frequent congenital lung disorder. CPAM type 1 is the most common subtype, typically having a cystic radiological and histological appearance. Mucinous clusters in CPAM type 1 have been identified as premalignant precursors for mucinous adenocarcinoma. These mucinous adenocarcinomas and the mucinous clusters in CPAM commonly harbor a specific KRAS mutation.

Case presentation

we present a case of a 6-weeks-old girl with CPAM type 1 where evaluation after lobectomy revealed a highly unusual complex non-mucinous papillary architecture in all cystic parts, in which both mucinous clusters and non-mucinous papillary areas harbored the known KRAS mutation.

Conclusions

we found that a KRAS mutation thought to be premalignant in mucinous clusters only, was also present in the other cyst lining epithelial cells of this unusual non-mucinous papillary variant of CPAM type 1, warranting clinical follow-up because of uncertain malignant potential.
Hierarchical structural component model for pathway analysis of common variants
Authors: Jiang Nan , Lee Sungyoung , Park Taesung
Published: February 2020

Background

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have been widely used to identify phenotype-related genetic variants using many statistical methods, such as logistic and linear regression. However, GWAS-identified SNPs, as identified with stringent statistical significance, explain just a small portion of the overall estimated genetic heritability. To address this ‘missing heritability’ issue, gene- and pathway-based analysis, and biological mechanisms, have been used for many GWAS studies. However, many of these methods often neglect the correlation between genes and between pathways.

Methods

We constructed a hierarchical component model that considers correlations both between genes and between pathways. Based on this model, we propose a novel pathway analysis method for GWAS datasets, Hierarchical structural Component Model for Pathway analysis of Common vAriants (HisCoM-PCA). HisCoM-PCA first summarizes the common variants of each gene, first at the gene-level, and then analyzes all pathways simultaneously by ridge-type penalization of both the gene and pathway effects on the phenotype. Statistical significance of the gene and pathway coefficients can be examined by permutation tests.

Results

Using the simulation data set of Genetic Analysis Workshop 17 (GAW17), for both binary and continuous phenotypes, we showed that HisCoM-PCA well-controlled type I error, and had a higher empirical power compared to several other methods. In addition, we applied our method to a SNP chip dataset of KARE for four human physiologic traits: (1) type 2 diabetes; (2) hypertension; (3) systolic blood pressure; and (4) diastolic blood pressure. Those results showed that HisCoM-PCA could successfully identify signal pathways with superior statistical and biological significance.

Conclusions

Our approach has the advantage of providing an intuitive biological interpretation for associations between common variants and phenotypes, via pathway information, potentially addressing the missing heritability conundrum.
DeepTRIAGE: interpretable and individualised biomarker scores using attention mechanism for the classification of breast cancer sub-types
Authors: Beykikhoshk Adham , Quinn Thomas P. , Lee Samuel C. , Tran Truyen , Venkatesh Svetha
Published: February 2020

Background

Breast cancer is a collection of multiple tissue pathologies, each with a distinct molecular signature that correlates with patient prognosis and response to therapy. Accurately differentiating between breast cancer sub-types is an important part of clinical decision-making. Although this problem has been addressed using machine learning methods in the past, there remains unexplained heterogeneity within the established sub-types that cannot be resolved by the commonly used classification algorithms.

Methods

In this paper, we propose a novel deep learning architecture, called (Deep learning for the TRactable Individualised Analysis of Gene Expression), which uses an attention mechanism to obtain personalised biomarker scores that describe how important each gene is in predicting the cancer sub-type for each sample. We then perform a principal component analysis of these biomarker scores to visualise the sample heterogeneity, and use a linear model to test whether the major principal axes associate with known clinical phenotypes.

Results

Our model not only classifies cancer sub-types with good accuracy, but simultaneously assigns each patient their own set of interpretable and individualised biomarker scores. These personalised scores describe how important each feature is in the classification of any patient, and can be analysed post-hoc to generate new hypotheses about latent heterogeneity.

Conclusions

We apply the framework to classify the gene expression signatures of luminal A and luminal B breast cancer sub-types, and illustrate its use for genes as well as the GO and KEGG gene sets. Using , we calculate personalised biomarker scores that describe the most important features for classifying an individual patient as luminal A or luminal B. In doing so, simultaneously reveals heterogeneity within the luminal A biomarker scores that significantly associate with tumour stage, placing all luminal samples along a continuum of severity.
Discovery of inflammatory bowel disease-associated miRNAs using a novel bipartite clustering approach
Authors: Altaf-Ul-Amin Md. , Karim Mohammad Bozlul , Hu Pingzhao , ONO Naoaki , Kanaya Shigehiko
Published: February 2020

Background

Multidimensional data mining from an integrated environment of different data sources is frequently performed in computational system biology. The molecular mechanism from the analysis of a complex network of gene-miRNA can aid to diagnosis and treatment of associated diseases.

Methods

In this work, we mainly focus on finding inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) associated microRNAs (miRNAs) by biclustering the miRNA-target interactions aided by known IBD risk genes and their associated miRNAs collected from several sources. We rank different miRNAs by attributing to the dataset size and connectivity of IBD associated genes in the miRNA regulatory modules from biclusters. We search the association of some top-ranking miRNAs to IBD related diseases. We also search the network of discovered miRNAs to different diseases and evaluate the similarity of those diseases to IBD.

Results

According to different literature, our results show the significance of top-ranking miRNA to IBD or related diseases. The ratio analysis supports our ranking method where the top 20 miRNA has approximately tenfold attachment to IBD genes. From disease-associated miRNA network analysis we found that 71% of different diseases attached to those miRNAs show more than 0.75 similarity scores to IBD.

Conclusion

We successfully identify some miRNAs related to IBD where the scoring formula and disease-associated network analysis show the significance of our method. This method can be a promising approach for isolating miRNAs for similar types of diseases.
Identification of DNA N6-methyladenine sites by integration of sequence features
Authors: Wang Hao-Tian , Xiao Fu-Hui , Li Gong-Hua , Kong Qing-Peng
Published: February 2020

Background

An increasing number of nucleic acid modifications have been profiled with the development of sequencing technologies. DNA N6-methyladenine (6mA), which is a prevalent epigenetic modification, plays important roles in a series of biological processes. So far, identification of DNA 6mA relies primarily on time-consuming and expensive experimental approaches. However, in silico methods can be implemented to conduct preliminary screening to save experimental resources and time, especially given the rapid accumulation of sequencing data.

Results

In this study, we constructed a 6mA predictor, p6mA, from a series of sequence-based features, including physicochemical properties, position-specific triple-nucleotide propensity (PSTNP), and electron–ion interaction pseudopotential (EIIP). We performed maximum relevance maximum distance (MRMD) analysis to select key features and used the Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) algorithm to build our predictor. Results demonstrated that p6mA outperformed other existing predictors using different datasets.

Conclusions

p6mA can predict the methylation status of DNA adenines, using only sequence files. It may be used as a tool to help the study of 6mA distribution pattern. Users can download it from https://github.com/Konglab404/p6mA.
Crohn’s disease: failure of a proprietary fluorescent in situ hybridization assay to detect M. avium subspecies paratuberculosis in archived frozen intestine from patients with Crohn’s disease.
Authors: Greenstein Robert J. , Su Liya , Fam Peter S. , Gurland Brooke , Endres Paul , Brown Sheldon T.
Published: February 2020

Objectives

Although controversial, there is increasing concern that Crohn’s disease may be a zoonotic infectious disease consequent to a mycobacterial infection. The most plausible candidate is M. avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP) that is unequivocally responsible for Johne’s disease in ruminants. The purpose of this study was to evaluate a proprietary (Affymetrix™ RNA view®) fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) assay for MAP RNA. Non-identifiable intestine from patients with documented Crohn’s disease was assayed according to the manufacturer’s instructions and with suggested modifications. Probes were custom designed for MAP and human β-actin (as the eukaryotic housekeeping gene) from published genomes.

Results

Repetitively, false positive signal was observed in our “No-Probe” negative control. Attempts were made to correct this according to the manufacturer’s suggestions (by modifying wash solutions, using recommended hydrochloric acid titration and different fluorescent filters). None prevented false positive signal in the “No-Probe” control. It is concluded that when performed according to manufactures instruction and with multiple variations on the manufactures recommended suggestions to correct for false positive signal, that the Affymetrix™ RNA view® cannot be used to detect MAP in pre-frozen resected intestine of humans with Crohn’s disease.
Bactericidal activity of hexylresorcinol lozenges against oropharyngeal organisms associated with acute sore throat
Authors: Matthews Derek , Adegoke Oluwajoba , Shephard Adrian
Published: February 2020

Objective

For the majority of people with acute sore throat, over-the-counter treatments represent the primary option for symptomatic relief. This study evaluated the in vitro bactericidal activity of lozenges containing the antiseptic hexylresorcinol against five bacteria associated with acute sore throat: Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes, Moraxella catarrhalis, Haemophilus influenzae and Fusobacterium necrophorum.

Results

Hexylresorcinol 2.4 mg lozenges were dissolved into 5 mL of artificial saliva medium. Inoculum cultures were prepared in triplicate for each test organism to give an approximate population of 108 colony-forming units (cfu)/mL. Bactericidal activity was measured by log reduction in cfu. Greater than 3log10 reductions in cfu were observed at 1 min after dissolved hexylresorcinol lozenges were added to S. aureus (log10 reduction cfu/mL ± standard deviation, 3.3 ± 0.2), M. catarrhalis (4.7 ± 0.4), H. influenzae (5.8 ± 0.4) and F. necrophorum (4.5 ± 0.2) and by 5 min for S. pyogenes (4.3 ± 0.4). Hexylresorcinol lozenges achieved a > 99.9% reduction in cfu against all tested organisms within 5 min, which is consistent with the duration for a lozenge to dissolve in the mouth. In conclusion, in vitro data indicate that hexylresorcinol lozenges offer rapid bactericidal activity against organisms implicated in acute sore throat.
16S rRNA sequence data of Bombyx mori gut bacteriome after spermidine supplementation
Authors: Rajan Resma , Chunduri Alekhya Rani , Lima Anugata , Mamillapalli Anitha
Published: February 2020

Objectives

The silkworm Bombyx mori (B. mori) is an important domesticated lepidopteran model for basic and applied research. They produce silk fibres that have great economic value. The gut microbiome plays an important role in the growth of organisms. Spermidine (Spd) is shown to be important for the growth of all living cells. The effect of spermidine feeding on the gut microbiome of 5th instar B. mori larvae was checked. The B. mori gut samples from control and spermidine fed larvae were subjected to next-generation sequencing analysis to unravel changes in the bacterial community upon spermidine supplementation.

Data description

The changes in gut bacteriota after spermidine feeding is not studied before. B. mori larvae were divided into two groups of 50 worms each and were fed with normal mulberry leaves and mulberry leaves fortified with 50 µM spermidine. The gut tissues were isolated aseptically and total genomic DNA was extracted, 16S rRNA region amplified and sequenced using Illumina platform. The spermidine fed gut samples were shown to have abundance and diversity of the phyla Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, and Actinobacteria.
Tuning high flow concurrency for MPTCP in data center networks
Authors: Huang Jiawei , Li Weihe , Li Qi , Zhang Tao , Dong Pingping , Wang Jianxin
Published: February 2020

In the data center networks, multipath transmission control protocol(MPTCP) uses multiple subflows to balance traffic over parallel paths and achieve high throughput. Despite much recent progress in improving MPTCP performance in data center, how to adjust the number of subflows according to network status has remained elusive. In this paper, we reveal theoretically and empirically that controlling the number of concurrent subflows is very important in reducing flow completion time (FCT) under network dynamic. We further propose a novel design called MPTCP_OPN, which adaptively adjusts the number of concurrent subflows according to the real-time network state and flexibly shifts traffic from congested paths to mitigate the high tail latency. Experimental results show that MPTCP_OPN effectively reduces the timeout probability caused by full window loss and flow completion time by up to 50% compared with MPTCP protocol.
Variation in movement behavior of alligators after a major hurricane
Authors: Strickland Bradley A. , Gastrich Kirk , Mazzotti Frank J. , Massie Jordan A. , Paz Valeria , Viadero Natasha , Rehage Jennifer S. , Heithaus Michael R.
Published: February 2020

Background

Hurricanes can have catastrophic effects on coastal ecosystems. To minimize negative impacts of storms, animals may seek shelter in place, move to a nearby refuge, or evacuate long-distances. Crocodilians can be important predators in estuarine habitats, but little is known about how they respond to extreme weather events. We investigated the movement behaviors of eight acoustically tracked American alligators (Alligator mississippiensis) before, during, and after Hurricane Irma in 2017 within the Shark River Estuary of Everglades National Park, USA. Using tracking data, we compared their movements and habitat use before and after the hurricane to similar timeframes in other years without major storms.

Results

We observed considerable variation in movement tactics and responses to the hurricane. Of eight animals that we tracked, two showed no changes in movement or habitat use throughout the study. Two animals ceased upstream excursions that they were regularly making before the hurricane with one of these animals reducing the distance ranged across the river system. Another animal moved upstream from the lower river to the mid-estuary immediately after the hurricane despite having not done this in the 60 days prior. Two other animals moved from the marsh and mangrove forest habitats to river channels several days after the hurricane. One animal shifted to commuting downstream from its upstream habitat shortly before the storm and continued this behavior for the rest of the 2017 and 2018 wet seasons.

Conclusions

We found considerable variability in behavioral responses to the hurricane, ranging from no discernable changes in movements to one animal exhibiting a complete shift in movement tactics not observed by any animal in the long-term tracking of this population. Our research provides insight into alligator movement behavior and ecology in the context of a major hurricane disturbance.
Can drug-induced sleep endoscopy improve the success rates of tongue base surgery?
Authors: Ha Jong-Gyun , Lee Youngwoo , Nam Jae Sung , Park Jeong Jin , Yoon Joo-Heon , Kim Chang-Hoon , Cho Hyung-Ju
Published: February 2020

Background

The purpose of this study was to determine the therapeutic value of drug-induced sleep endoscopy (DISE) by comparing the outcomes of tongue base surgery based on Muller's maneuver (MM) and those based on DISE in obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) patients.

Methods

Ninety-five patients who underwent the tongue base surgery in combination with palatal surgery for OSA at a tertiary referral hospital between March 2012 and March 2019 were enrolled in this retrospective comparative study. Forty-seven patients underwent MM for surgical decision and 48 patients underwent DISE in addition to MM for surgical decision. Surgical success was defined according to the Sher criteria (postoperative apnea-hypopnea index [AHI] < 20/h and ≥ 50% reduction in preoperative AHI), and AHI improvement (%) was defined as (preoperative AHI-postoperative AHI) × 100/preoperative AHI. For comparison between the MM and DISE groups, p-values were calculated using independent or paired t-tests for continuous variables and using chi-square test for categorical variables.

Results

By comparing the results of MM and DISE, consensus on the tongue base level showed insignificant concordance (kappa = 0.017, p = 0.865), whereas that on the oropharynx level showed fair agreement (kappa =0.241, p = 0.005). AHI, supine AHI, rapid eyeball movement (REM) AHI, non-REM AHI, and nadir oxygen saturation were all significantly improved after the tongue base surgery in both groups. The MM group showed a significant improvement in the Epworth sleepiness scale after the tongue base surgery ( p = 0.014), whereas the DISE group did not ( p = 0.165). However, there was no significant difference in the AHI improvement (MM group = 47.0 ± 32.0, DISE group = 48.3 ± 35.4, p = 0.852) and surgical success (MM group = 42.6%, DISE group = 45.8%, p = 0.748) between the groups. Tonsil grade ( p < 0.05) and occlusion at the oropharynx lateral wall ( p = 0.031) were significantly related to surgical success in the MM group.

Conclusions

In the judgment of the tongue base surgery, MM and DISE findings showed poor agreement. DISE might affect the surgical decision on the tongue base surgery in OSA patients; however, there was a lack of evidence regarding the superiority of DISE over MM with respect to the surgical outcomes.
Public or private? Determinants of parents’ preschool choice in India
Authors: Ghosh Saikat , Dey Subhasish
Published: February 2020

Nowadays children aged between 3 and 6 years are mostly attending one of the two major forms of preschool viz. public and private preschools in India. Even though public preschools are free of any financial cost to the parents, their preference is more towards private preschools. Based on a primary sample of 1369 children from 1369 households, this study explores the determinants of parents’ preschool choices between public and private. Acknowledging the possible sample selection bias in dealing with households of only those kids who have attended a preschool, we deploy Heckman sample selection model as our main regression design. Our results show the choice of a type of preschool heavily depends on parent’s socioeconomic status. Economically better off and educationally more aspirant parents prefer private preschool over public preschool in spite of the fact that the former does not provide any other facilities other than education.
Comparison and HPLC quantification of antioxidant profiling of ginger rhizome, leaves and flower extracts
Authors: Tanweer Saira , Mehmood Tariq , Zainab Saadia , Ahmad Zulfiqar , Shehzad Aamir
Published: February 2020

Background

In the present era, the attention of nutritionist diverted towards the bioactive entities present in natural sources owing to the presence of health boosting perspectives against lifestyle related disarrays.

Methods

In this context, different parts of ginger crop i.e. rhizome, leaves and flower of variety Suravi (ID no. 008) were used for the preparation of ginger extracts with 50% methanol, 50% ethanol and water via rotatory shaker for 45 min. After that, different phytochemical analysis and in vitro analyses were carried out to determine the antioxidant potential of these extracts. Lastly, the best selected extracts from each part was quantified through HPLC.

Results

The results of current investigated indicated that ethanol extract proved to have maximum quantity of phytoceutics as compared to methanol and water. The maximum TPC, flavonoids, flavonols, DPPH assay, antioxidant activity, FRAP assay, ABTS assay and metal chelating potential was observed in ginger leaves as 780.56 ± 32.78 GAE/100 g, 253.56 ± 10.65 mg/100 g, 49.54 ± 1.74 mg/100 g, 75.54 ± 3.17%, 77.88 ± 3.27%, 105.72 ± 4.44 μmole TE/g, 118.43 ± 4.97 μmole TE/g and 35.16 ± 1.48%, respectively followed by ginger flowers and ginger rhizome. The lowest antioxidant activity was estimated in ginger rhizome. On the basis of phytochemical profiling and in vitro analyses, ethanol extracts of ginger flowers, leaves and rhizome were selected for the quantification through HPLC.

Conclusion

The findings proved that maximum 6-gingerol was present in ginger leaves (4.9 mg/g) tackled by ginger flowers (2.87 mg/g) and ginger rhizome (1.03 mg/g).
Structure and development of the complex helmet of treehoppers (Insecta: Hemiptera: Membracidae)
Authors: Adachi Haruhiko , Matsuda Keisuke , Nishida Kenji , Hanson Paul , Kondo Shigeru , Gotoh Hiroki
Published: February 2020

Some insects possess complex three-dimensional (3D) structures that develop under the old cuticle prior to the last imaginal molt. Adult treehoppers (Insecta: Hemiptera: Auchenorrhyncha: Membracidae) have one such complex 3D structure, known as a helmet, on their dorsal side. The adult helmet likely forms inside the nymphal pronotum during the final instar nymphal stage.

Previous morphological studies have reported that the adult helmet is a large, bi-layered, plywood-like structure, whereas the nymphal pronotum is a monolayer, sheath-like structure. The adult helmet is much larger than nymphal helmet. Thus, the emergence of the adult helmet involves two structural transitions: a transition from a monolayer, sheath-like pronotum to a bi-layer, plywood-like helmet, and a transition in size from small to large. However, when, how, and in what order these transitions occur within the nymphal cuticle is largely unknown.

To determine how adult helmet development occurs under the nymphal cuticle, in the present study we describe the morphology of the final adult helmet and investigate developmental trajectories of the helmet during the final instar nymphal stage. We used micro-CT, scanning electron microscope and paraffin sections for morphological observations, and usedAntianthe expansaas a model species.

We found that the structural transition (from monolayer, sheath-like structure to bi-layer, roof-like structure) occurs through the formation of a “miniature” of the adult helmet during the middle stage of development and that subsequently, extensive folding and furrows form, which account for the increase in size. We suggest that the making of a “miniature” is the key developmental step for the formation of various 3D structures of treehopper helmets.
Potential applications of unmanned ground and aerial vehicles to mitigate challenges of transport and logistics-related critical success factors in the humanitarian supply chain
Authors: Azmat Muhammad , Kummer Sebastian
Published: February 2020

The present decade has seen an upsurge in the research on the applications of autonomous vehicles and drones to present innovative and sustainable solutions for traditional transportation and logistical challenges. Similarly, in this study, we propose using autonomous cars and drones to resolve conventional logistics and transport challenges faced by international humanitarian organizations (IHOs) during a relief operation. We do so by identifying, shortlisting, and elaborating critical success factors or key transport and logistics challenges from the existing humanitarian literature and present a conceptual model to mitigate these challenges by integrating unmanned ground (UGVs) and aerial vehicles (UAVs) in the humanitarian supply chain. To understand how this novel idea of using UGVs and UAVs could help IHOs, we drafted three research questions, first focusing on the identification of existing challenges, second concentrating on remediation of these challenges, and the third to understand realization timeline for UGVs and UAVs. This lead to the development of a semi-structured, open-ended questionnaire to record the respondents’ perspectives on the existing challenges and their potential solutions. We gathered data form, ten interviewees, with substantial experience in the humanitarian sector from six IHOs stationed in Pakistan and Austria. In light of the feedback for the second research question, we present a conceptual model of integrating UAVs and UGVs in the relief chain. The results of the study indicate that technological advancement in mobility withholds the potential to mitigate the existing challenges faced by IHOs. However, IHOs tend to be reluctant in adapting UGVs compared to UAVs. The results also indicate that the adaptation of these technologies is subject to their technical maturity, and there are no significant differences in opinions found between the IHOs from Pakistan and Austria.
Micro-synchrophasor based special protection scheme for distribution system automation in a smart city
Authors: Kumar Deepa S. , J.S. Savier , S. Biju S.
Published: February 2020

Introduction

Aspects of power system protection which contributes to mal-operations and blackouts can be improved by supervision of system behavior and response based analysis rather than condition-based or event-based analysis using wide area measurements based on synchrophasor technology. The paper explores the application of micro-Phasor Measurement Unit for time synchronized real-time distribution network monitoring and agile decision support schemes for system prognosis and control.

Case description

The scheme is proposed as part of a project on “Power System Voltage Stability Analysis using synchrophasors in Distribution System of Kerala Grid” at Kerala State Electricity Board Ltd. An actual grid occurrence during the severe tropical cyclone Ockhi, is considered as the base case which motivated the work.

Discussion and evaluation

A voltage stability index (VSI) based special protection scheme (SPS) for radial distribution network at a proposed smart city is presented in the present study. The proposed special protection scheme on actual implementation can use data from proposed local micro-Phasor Measurement Unit. The PMU is proposed to be placed at one of the key nodes of the distribution system network in the city.

Conclusion

The VSI is derived using local phasor values and is used to initiate a Special Protection Scheme for N-1 contingency at the key node, so as to ensure availability of the most essential feeder which provides supply to a hospital campus housing several health institutes of prime importance. The voltage stability index derived is tested and SPS is validated using real-time grid data.
Factors affecting success of biological agents used in controlling the plant-parasitic nematodes
Authors: Abd-Elgawad Mahfouz M. M. , Askary Tarique Hassan
Published: February 2020

Biological control agents (BCAs) are increasingly used against various plant-parasitic nematode (PPN) pests and offer a favorable alternative to hazardous chemical nematicides. Yet, their lack of efficacy, inconsistent field performance, and/or unfavorable economic factors have generally relegated them to a relatively small sector of pesticide market. Efficacy and biocontrol success can be boosted via holistic grasping of soil biological and ecological factors. Therefore, such factors were highlighted to give better directions for their use. Main points discussed currently are considered to affect the transmission success of these BCAs so that their use must be a way forward in crop protection/pest management. These included improved sampling, grasping BCAs interactions with soil biota and ecology, cost-effective use of BCAs, genetic manipulation for better PPN control, grower acceptance and awareness-raising of BCA techniques, and commercial application.
Real-world utilization of EGFR TKI therapies and treatment outcomes in patients with advanced EGFR-sensitizing mutation-positive NSCLC.
Authors: Riely Gregory J. , Lovly Christine Marie , Messina Carlo GM , Bienert Stefanie , Alexander Kimberly , Pao William , Baxi Shrujal , Doebele Robert Charles
Published: February 2020

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Background: In patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (aNSCLC) with non-squamous histology, treatment guidelines recommend molecular testing for EGFR mutations and first-line (1L) EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) in those with sensitizing EGFR mutations. We investigated real-world treatment regimens and outcomes in aNSCLC patients with EGFR-sensitizing mutations from US community oncology clinics. Methods: The Flatiron Health electronic health record-derived database contains deidentified data from > 55,000 aNSCLC patients. Our retrospective cohort included patients diagnosed from Jan-2014 to Mar-2018 who had a positive EGFR test prior to initiation of 1L therapy. Patients with EGFR T790M mutations were excluded. Demographics, clinical characteristics, treatment and survival outcomes were compared between patients receiving 1L EGFR TKIs vs other 1L anti-cancer therapies. Minimum follow-up after initiation of 1L therapy was 4 months. Results: 23,321 patients had non-squamous or NOS histology. Of those, 1107 had sensitizing EGFR mutations detected prior to 1L treatment (median age 70 years, 67% women, 58% Caucasian). 910 (82%) received EGFR TKIs and 197 (18%) received other 1L therapies (including chemotherapy, immunotherapy and anti-VEGF therapy). 2L treatment data were available for 519 patients: 317 (61%) received EGFR TKIs and 202 (39%) received other therapies. In the 1L setting, median treatment duration was longer for patients receiving EGFR TKIs than for those receiving other therapies (8 vs. 4 months, unadjusted HR 1.70; 95% CI 1.45–1.99; p < 0.0001). Median overall survival (OS) was not affected by the type of 1L treatment (21 months vs 20 months, p = 0.55). Conclusions: Real-world examination of treatment patterns and outcomes in US community oncology clinics showed that nearly 20% of aNSCLC patients with non-squamous or NOS histology and EGFR sensitizing mutations prior to initiation of 1L therapy did not receive 1L EGFR TKIs. In those who did, guideline-concordant use of EGFR TKIs was associated with longer 1L treatment duration but no improvement in OS, supporting the generalizability of results from randomized clinical trials.
Novel defatting strategies reduce lipid accumulation in primary human culture models of liver steatosis
Authors: Aoudjehane Lynda , Gautheron Jérémie , Le Goff Wilfried , Goumard Claire , Gilaizeau Julia , Nget Chan Sonavine , Savier Eric , Atif Muhammad , Lesnik Philippe , Morichon Romain , Chrétien Yves , Calmus Yvon , Scatton Olivier , Housset Chantal , Conti Filomena
Published: February 2020

Normothermic perfusion provides a means to rescue steatotic liver grafts including by pharmacological defatting. In this study, we tested the potential of new drug combinations to trigger defatting in three human culture models, primary hepatocytes with induced steatosis or isolated from steatotic liver, and precision-cut liver slices (PCLS) of steatotic liver. Forskolin, L-carnitine and a PPARα agonist, all were combined with rapamycin, an immunosuppressant that induces autophagy, in a D-FAT cocktail. D-FAT was tested alone or in combination with necrosulfonamide, an inhibitor of mixed lineage kinase domain-like involved in necroptosis. Within 24 hours in all three models, D-FAT induced a decrease in triglyceride content by 30%, attributable to an up-regulation of genes involved in free fatty acid β-oxidation and autophagy, and a down-regulation of those involved in lipogenesis. Defatting was accompanied by a decrease in endoplasmic reticulum stress and in the production of reactive oxygen species. The addition of necrosulfonamide increased the efficacy of defatting by 8%-12% in PCLS, with a trend towards increased autophagy. In conclusion, culture models notably PCLS are insightful to design strategies of liver graft rescue. Defatting can be rapidly achieved by combinations of drugs targeting mitochondrial oxidative metabolism, macro-autophagy, and lipogenesis.
Meeting report – first discoidin domain receptors meeting
Authors: Auguste Patrick , Leitinger Birgit , Liard Christelle , Rocher Virginie , Azema Laurent , Saltel Frederic , Santamaria David
Published: February 2020

For the first time, a meeting dedicated to the tyrosine kinase receptors DDR1 and DDR2 took place in Bordeaux, a famous and historical city in the south of France. Over the course of 3 days, the meeting allowed 60 participants from 11 different countries to exchange ideas and their new findings about these unique collagen receptors, focusing on their role in various physiological and pathological conditions and addressing their mechanisms of regulation and signalling. The involvement of these receptors in different pathologies was also considered, with emphasis on cancer development and potential therapeutic applications. Here, we summarize the key elements of this meeting.
BioHackathon 2015: Semantics of data for life sciences and reproducible research
Authors: Vos Rutger A. , Katayama Toshiaki , Mishima Hiroyuki , Kawano Shin , Kawashima Shuichi , Kim Jin-Dong , Moriya Yuki , Tokimatsu Toshiaki , Yamaguchi Atsuko , Yamamoto Yasunori , Wu Hongyan , Amstutz Peter , Antezana Erick , Aoki Nobuyuki P. , Arakawa Kazuharu , Bolleman Jerven T. , Bolton Evan E. , Bonnal Raoul J. P. , Bono Hidemasa , Burger Kees , Chiba Hirokazu , Cohen Kevin B. , Deutsch Eric W. , Fernández-Breis Jesualdo T. , Fu Gang , Fujisawa Takatomo , Fukushima Atsushi , García Alexander , Goto Naohisa , Groza Tudor , Hercus Colin , Hoehndorf Robert , Itaya Kotone , Juty Nick , Kawashima Takeshi , Kim Jee-Hyub , Kinjo Akira R. , Kotera Masaaki , Kozaki Kouji , Kumagai Sadahiro , Kushida Tatsuya , Lütteke Thomas , Matsubara Masaaki , Miyamoto Joe , Mohsen Attayeb , Mori Hiroshi , Naito Yuki , Nakazato Takeru , Nguyen-Xuan Jeremy , Nishida Kozo , Nishida Naoki , Nishide Hiroyo , Ogishima Soichi , Ohta Tazro , Okuda Shujiro , Paten Benedict , Perret Jean-Luc , Prathipati Philip , Prins Pjotr , Queralt-Rosinach Núria , Shinmachi Daisuke , Suzuki Shinya , Tabata Tsuyosi , Takatsuki Terue , Taylor Kieron , Thompson Mark , Uchiyama Ikuo , Vieira Bruno , Wei Chih-Hsuan , Wilkinson Mark , Yamada Issaku , Yamanaka Ryota , Yoshitake Kazutoshi , Yoshizawa Akiyasu C. , Dumontier Michel , Kosaki Kenjiro , Takagi Toshihisa
Published: February 2020

We report on the activities of the 2015 edition of the BioHackathon, an annual event that brings together researchers and developers from around the world to develop tools and technologies that promote the reusability of biological data. We discuss issues surrounding the representation, publication, integration, mining and reuse of biological data and metadata across a wide range of biomedical data types of relevance for the life sciences, including chemistry, genotypes and phenotypes, orthology and phylogeny, proteomics, genomics, glycomics, and metabolomics. We describe our progress to address ongoing challenges to the reusability and reproducibility of research results, and identify outstanding issues that continue to impede the progress of bioinformatics research. We share our perspective on the state of the art, continued challenges, and goals for future research and development for the life sciences Semantic Web.
Identification of nutritionally modifiable hormonal and epigenetic drivers of positive and negative growth deviance in rural African fetuses and infants: Project protocol and cohort description
Authors: Moore Sophie E. , Doel Andrew M. , Ong Ken K. , Dunger David B. , Affara Nabeel A. , Prentice Andrew M. , Bernstein Robin M. ,   HERO-G Working Group
Published: February 2020

Growth retardation (stunting, wasting and poor organ development) among children in low-income countries has major short and long-term health consequences yet very little is known about the nutritional and environmental influences on the key hormonal axes regulating child growth in these settings, nor the tempo and timing of faltering episodes. Here we describe the study protocol and provide a cohort description of the Hormonal and Epigenetic Regulators of Growth (HERO-G) study. This prospective cohort study from rural Gambia, West Africa, followed mothers and children longitudinally from pre-conception, through pregnancy, delivery, and to two years of child age

A total of 251 eligible mother-infant pairs were recruited into the HERO-G study, with 206 (82%) followed up until two years of age. Women were seen at scheduled antenatal appointments at 20, 28 and 36 weeks of gestation, and at delivery, where possible. Between one week and 12 months of age, infants were visited every second day for collection of detailed anthropometry and morbidity data. Infants identified as about to enter a growth faltering episode at these visits entered a more detailed 20-day protocol, with the collection of dried blood spots, anthropometry and body composition. All infants were seen for scheduled clinic visits at 3, 6, 9, 12, 18 and 24 months of age for clinical examination and venous blood draw.

Data from the HERO-G study is being used to explore three major mechanistic pathways influencing growth: 1) genome-wide investigations for signatures of epigenetic effects on any loci that might affect growth; 2) frequent anthropometric measurement coupled with non-invasive monitoring for rapid identification and interrogation of real-time faltering patterns and aetiology; 3) focused measurement of hormones and cytokines that act together in an integrated manner, both in utero and after birth, to coordinate patterns of growth with immune activation, inflammation, and nutritional status.
COPING STRATEGIES FOR MILITARY SERVANTS WITH DIFFERENT LEVELS OF EXPRESSION OF NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCES OF PERFORMANCE OF MILITARY TASKS IN EXTREME CONDITIONS AS THE BASIS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF PSYCHOLOGICAL PROFILES
Authors: Kovaleva Marina
Published: February 2020

The article discusses the possible negative consequences of the stay of militaries in extreme combat conditions, manifested by various types of deviant behavior. The results of an empirical study devoted to identifying the tendency of military personnel to one or another type of deviation, as well as to determining the constructiveness of the complex of coping strategies used to effectively cope in difficult life and combat situations, are described. Statistically significant correlations were revealed and described between the perceptions of behavioral deviations and behavioral strategies by each category of respondents. Based on the data obtained, the “tricks” of psycho-preventive work with each category of military personnel were determined.
The study of methods of self-regulation of the functional states of public servants
Authors: Rogozhin Andrei
Published: February 2020

The relevance of this article is due to industry, organizational transformations and the long-term innovative intensity of labor of civil servants, in these conditions only a person who knows the methods of optimizing functional states and knows how to purposefully and adequately use psychological resources can effectively carry out labor activity.

Object of study - ways to optimize the functional conditions of public servants, contributing to the activation of psychological resources. The subject of the study is the possibility of using methods of optimizing functional states in order to activate the psychological resources of civil servants in conditions of tension of innovative labor. The aim of the article is to identify constructive methods for optimizing and activating the functional states of civil servants.

The research methods were: analysis and systematization of scientific and psychological literature on the research topic; questioning; comparative analysis of study groups; statistical data processing methods.

Based on an empirical study, one of the most common methods for optimizing functional states during a working day is micro-breaks and pauses for tea / coffee, as well as communication by phone and messengers with friends, as well as techniques that have a negative impact on health. Also, gender features were identified in the application of methods for optimizing mental states.

It was revealed that the "resource techniques" of self-regulation (associated with the activation of psychological resources) are used by government officials three times less than the "ordinary" (unfocused and unconscious).

The scientific novelty of the study consists in expanding, supplementing and refining scientific views on the possibility of activating psychological resources and optimizing functional states in conditions of prolonged innovative tension.
Лемкiвскiй язык з перспектывы 30-лiтя
Authors: ФОНТАНЬСКІЙ Генрик
Published: February 2020

Lemko Language from a 30-Year Perspective

From the very moment the Lemko Association was established in 1989, the promotion of Lemko language usage, primarily through schooling, has been one of its most important statutory goals. The publication of the grammar of the Lemko language in 2000, preceded by preliminary descriptions by Miros³awa Chomiak, and soon also the Lemko-Polish and Polish-Lemko dictionary by Jaros³aw Horoszczak is recognized as an act of codification of the modern Lemko language. The paper presents various forms of linguistic activity of the Lemkos in their mother tongue (primarily in the area of mass- and media-communication: publication of original literary works and translations, magazines, Internet sites, radio programs, audiobooks, etc.) that have shaped the modern Lemko language over the past 30 years and have necessitated relevant corrections in its codification. As part of the language revitalization program, the spelling rules are currently being clarified and the most comprehensive monolingual dictionary of the Lemko language so far is ready for publication.