bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Case Studies of High-strength Lightweight Concrete Using Expanded Siliceous Aggregate
Authors: Inozemtcev A S
Published: June 2020

Structural lightweight concrete has various applications including the construction of multi-story buildings, bridges, offshore oil platforms and other reinforced concrete structural elements. Structural lightweight concrete also was used in offshore construction. The development of compositions of high-strength lightweight concrete with an average density of 1100-1500 kg/m3 may be in demand for the manufacture of most of the typical concrete products with an ordinary strength 20-35 MPa. This study have shown that granular expanded siliceous aggregates can be used as an alternative to hollow microspheres to obtain high mechanical characteristics of lightweight concrete. Based on the principles of producing high-strength lightweight concrete using the example of “Thermogran” granules the possibility of achieving strength of lightweight concrete of more than 45 MPa with an average density of less than 1600 kg/m3 is shown. In the same time, specific consumption of cement on 1 MPa of concrete strength is 8.1…8.8 kg/MPa.
The novel low cost as-casting Al-based composites with high strength and ductility
Authors: Yun Y L , Pan C , Rui J X , Cheng J L
Published: June 2020

In this paper, three alloys Al81Cu13Si6, Al88Cu8Si4 and Al92Cu5.6Si2.4 were prepared by a simple solidification process. By controlling the alloy composition, different microstructures and mechanical properties have been achieved. The Al81Cu13Si6 alloy with micro-scale binary eutectic compositions embedded in an ultrafine ternary eutectic matrix exhibits the high yield strength (up to 750 MPa) but fails with a brittle fracture. While the Al92Cu5.6Si2.4 alloy with hypereutectic composite structure exhibits the optimum comprehensive mechanical properties with both high tensile strength and ductility. The present results provide a new perspective to prepare Al-based alloy with high strength and ductility by designing the some new composite with optimum microstructure.
Multisite phosphorylation determines the formation of Ska–Ndc80 macro-complexes that are essential for chromosome segregation during mitosis
Authors: Zhang Qian , Hu Liqiao , Chen Yujue , Tian Wei , Liu Hong
Published: June 2020

Ska loading to kinetochore is essential for chromosome segregation during mitosis. Here we show that multisite Cdk1 phosphorylation enables the formation of Ska-Ndc80 macro-complexes, thus loading Ska to kinetochores. This process is facilitated by spindle microtubules.
Impact of place of residence, frailty and other factors on rehabilitation outcomes post hip fracture
Authors: Low Stephanie , Wee Edmund , Dorevitch Michael
Published: June 2020

Background

Following hip fracture surgery, patients from residential care are frequently excluded from inpatient rehabilitation. We aimed to assess the impact of place of residence and other factors such as frailty on rehabilitation outcomes after hip fracture surgery.

Methods

Retrospective cohort study. Outcome measures included Functional Independence Measure efficiency, discharge destination and recovery of pre-fracture mobility. Univariable and multivariable linear or logistic regression analyses were performed.

Setting

One general rehabilitation and two geriatric evaluation and management wards in a large public tertiary teaching hospital.

Participants

A total of 844 patients who underwent inpatient rehabilitation after hip fracture surgery from 2010 to 2018.

Results

There were 139 (16%) patients from residential care. Being from residential care was not an independent predictor of poor outcomes. Premorbid frailty (Clinical Frailty Scale) was the strongest independent predictor of poorer Functional Independence Measure efficiency, inability to recover pre-fracture mobility and return to community dwelling. Dementia and delirium were also independently predictive of poor outcomes across all measures. Age > 90 years was independently predictive of inability to recover pre-fracture mobility and return to community dwelling.

Conclusion

Being from residential care is not independently associated with poor outcomes following inpatient rehabilitation after hip fracture surgery and should not be the basis for excluding these patients from rehabilitation. Major predictors of poorer outcomes include premorbid frailty, dementia, delirium and age > 90 years. If able and motivated, those with potentially reversible functional limitations should be given the opportunity to participate in inpatient rehabilitation as even small gains can have a significant impact on quality of life.
Reducing Dorsal Hump Recurrence Following Push Down-Let Down Rhinoplasty
Authors: Tuncel Umut , Aydogdu Ilhami Oguzhan , Kurt Alper
Published: June 2020

Background

Hump recurrence is a commonly encountered problem following dorsal preservation (DP) rhinoplasty when surgeons are learning the procedure.

Objectives

The aim of this paper was to compare the different methods for the prevention and treatment of dorsal problems following DP surgery.

Methods

One hundred and fifty primary rhinoplasty patients were included in our study. Their noses were classified in terms of both hump shape (V- or S-shaped) and height. All patients had a DP rhinoplasty by either a push-down (PD) or a let-down (LD) technique. The PD method was used for humps <4 mm and the LD for humps >4 mm. Follow-up evaluations were made with physical examination and photographs at 1 week, 3 months, and 12 months.

Results

Mean follow-up was 12.68 [1.78] months. Seventy-eight humps were V-shaped and 72 were S-shaped. PD was used for 67 cases, LD for 83 cases. Eight patients (5.3%, 8/150) had a visible dorsal hump problem after DP surgery. Based on their preoperative hump shape, 3 cases were V-shaped and 5 were S-shaped. All recurrent cases had a preoperative hump deformity >4 mm. The revision procedures were as follows: 4 patients had a PD procedure, 3 had a LD procedure, and 1 patient was treated by classic open resection rhinoplasty.

Conclusions

There is a correlation between preoperative hump height and eventual hump recurrence. The complication rate can be decreased with additional technical maneuvers and proper patient selection.

Level of Evidence: 4
LabxDB: versatile databases for genomic sequencing and lab management
Authors: Vejnar Charles E , Giraldez Antonio J
Published: June 2020

Experimental laboratory management and data-driven science require centralized software for sharing information, such as lab collections or genomic sequencing datasets. Although database servers such as PostgreSQL can store such information with multiple-user access, they lack user-friendly graphical and programmatic interfaces for easy data access and inputting. We developed LabxDB, a versatile open-source solution for organizing and sharing structured data. We provide several out-of-the-box databases for deployment in the cloud including simple mutant or plasmid collections and purchase-tracking databases. We also developed a high-throughput sequencing (HTS) database, LabxDB seq, dedicated to storage of hierarchical sample annotations. Scientists can import their own or publicly available HTS data into LabxDB seq to manage them from production to publication. Using LabxDB’s programmatic access (REST API), annotations can be easily integrated into bioinformatics pipelines. LabxDB is modular, offering a flexible framework that scientists can leverage to build new database interfaces adapted to their needs.

Availability and implementation

LabxDB is available at https://gitlab.com/vejnar/labxdb and https://labxdb.vejnar.org for documentation. LabxDB is licensed under the terms of the Mozilla Public License 2.0.

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Screening novel drug candidates for Alzheimer’s disease by an integrated network and transcriptome analysis
Authors: Peng Yonglin , Yuan Meng , Xin Juncai , Liu Xinhua , Wang Ju
Published: June 2020

Motivation

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a serious degenerative brain disease and the most common cause of dementia. The current available drugs for AD provide symptomatic benefit, but there is no effective drug to cure the disease. The emergence of large-scale genomic, pharmacological data provides new opportunities for drug discovery and drug repositioning as a promising strategy in searching novel drug for AD.

Results

In this study, we took advantage of our increasing understanding based on systems biology approaches on the pathway and network levels and perturbation datasets from the Library of Integrated Network-Based Cellular Signatures to introduce a systematic computational process to discover new drugs implicated in AD. First, we collected 561 genes that have reported to be risk genes of AD, and applied functional enrichment analysis on these genes. Then, by quantifying proximity between 5595 molecule drugs and AD based on human interactome, we filtered out 1092 drugs that were proximal to the disease. We further performed an Inverted Gene Set Enrichment analysis on these drug candidates, which allowed us to estimate effect of perturbations on gene expression and identify 24 potential drug candidates for AD treatment. Results from this study also provided insights for understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying AD. As a useful systematic method, our approach can also be used to identify efficacious therapies for other complex diseases.

Availability and implementation

The source code is available at https://github.com/zer0o0/drug-repo.git.

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Tropical principal component analysis on the space of phylogenetic trees
Authors: Page Robert , Yoshida Ruriko , Zhang Leon
Published: June 2020

Motivation

Due to new technology for efficiently generating genome data, machine learning methods are urgently needed to analyze large sets of gene trees over the space of phylogenetic trees. However, the space of phylogenetic trees is not Euclidean, so ordinary machine learning methods cannot be directly applied. In 2019, Yoshida et al. introduced the notion of tropical principal component analysis (PCA), a statistical method for visualization and dimensionality reduction using a tropical polytope with a fixed number of vertices that minimizes the sum of tropical distances between each data point and its tropical projection. However, their work focused on the tropical projective space rather than the space of phylogenetic trees. We focus here on tropical PCA for dimension reduction and visualization over the space of phylogenetic trees.

Results

Our main results are 2-fold: (i) theoretical interpretations of the tropical principal components over the space of phylogenetic trees, namely, the existence of a tropical cell decomposition into regions of fixed tree topology; and (ii) the development of a stochastic optimization method to estimate tropical PCs over the space of phylogenetic trees using a Markov Chain Monte Carlo approach. This method performs well with simulation studies, and it is applied to three empirical datasets: Apicomplexa and African coelacanth genomes as well as sequences of hemagglutinin for influenza from New York.

Availability and implementation

Dataset: http://polytopes.net/Data.tar.gz. Code: http://polytopes.net/tropica_MCMC_codes.tar.gz.

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Adverse Childhood Experiences: Developments in Trauma and Resilience Aware Services
Authors: Spratt Trevor , Kennedy Mary
Published: June 2020

Research has demonstrated conclusively that the experience of adversities in childhood increases the risks for poor outcomes in the domains of physical and mental health and economic and social circumstances across the life course. This has produced a wave of interest in the effects of Adverse Childhood Experiences internationally, with developments in policy across the UK nations reflective of this. The translation of such research and policy development has witnessed the growing dominance of the ‘toxic stress model’ as underpinning the early signalling of troubles in children. Such signals are further conceptualised as the presence of ‘trauma’. It is upon these conceptual pillars that therapeutically orientated services are being built. In this article, we describe these developments, offering as they do, challenges to short-term interventions as well as providing opportunities for social workers to appropriate the developing knowledge base so as to inform more effective ways of working.
Evidence for the Use of Triage, Respiratory Isolation, and Effective Treatment to Reduce the Transmission of Mycobacterium Tuberculosis in Healthcare Settings: A Systematic Review
Authors: Karat Aaron S , Gregg Meghann , Barton Hannah E , Calderon Maria , Ellis Jayne , Falconer Jane , Govender Indira , Harris Rebecca C , Tlali Mpho , Moore David A J , Fielding Katherine L
Published: June 2020

Evidence is limited for infection prevention and control (IPC) measures reducing Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) transmission in health facilities. This systematic review, 1 of 7 commissioned by the World Health Organization to inform the 2019 update of global tuberculosis (TB) IPC guidelines, asked: do triage and/or isolation and/or effective treatment of TB disease reduce MTB transmission in healthcare settings?

Of 25 included articles, 19 reported latent TB infection (LTBI) incidence in healthcare workers (HCWs; absolute risk reductions 1%–21%); 5 reported TB disease incidence in HCWs (no/slight [high TB burden] or moderate [low burden] reduction) and 2 in human immunodeficiency virus-positive in-patients (6%–29% reduction). In total, 23/25 studies implemented multiple IPC measures; effects of individual measures could not be disaggregated.

Packages of IPC measures appeared to reduce MTB transmission, but evidence for effectiveness of triage, isolation, or effective treatment, alone or in combination, was indirect and low quality. Harmonizing study designs and reporting frameworks will permit formal data syntheses and facilitate policy making.
Large Universe CCA2 CP-ABE With Equality and Validity Test in the Standard Model
Authors: Li Cong , Shen Qingni , Xie Zhikang , Feng Xinyu , Fang Yuejian , Wu Zhonghai
Published: June 2020

Attribute-based encryption with equality test (ABEET) simultaneously supports fine-grained access control on the encrypted data and plaintext message equality comparison without decrypting the ciphertexts. Recently, there have been several literatures about ABEET proposed. Nevertheless, most of them explore the ABEET schemes in the random oracle model, which has been pointed out to have many defects in practicality. The only existing ABEET scheme in the standard model, proposed by Wang et al., merely achieves the indistinguishable against chosen-plaintext attack security. Considering the aforementioned problems, in this paper, we propose the first direct adaptive chosen-ciphertext security ciphertext-policy ABEET scheme in the standard model. Our method only adopts a chameleon hash function and adds one dummy attribute to the access structure. Compared with the previous works, our scheme achieves the security improvement, ciphertext validity check and large universe. Besides, we further optimize our scheme to support the outsourced decryption. Finally, we first give the detailed theoretical analysis of our constructions in computation and storage costs, then we implement our constructions and carry out a series of experiments. Both results indicate that our constructions are more efficient in Setup and Trapdoor and have the shorter public parameters than the existing ABEET ones do.
Integrating vulture social behavior into conservation practice
Authors: van Overveld Thijs , Blanco Guillermo , Moleón Marcos , Margalida Antoni , Sánchez-Zapata José Antonio , de la Riva Manuel , Donázar José Antonio
Published: June 2020

Vultures are one of the most threatened bird groups globally. Although many of the threats faced by vultures have been identified, the impact of human activities on the social life of vultures has received little attention. In this paper, we emphasize the need to integrate vulture sociality into conservation practice. First, we summarize current knowledge on vulture social behavior, and the evolutionary and ecological roots of their breeding systems. We describe the existence of contrasting gradients in social foraging strategies and hierarchical social structures among colonial and territorial breeders associated with species (and population) reliance on carrion differing in size and predictability. We also highlight the potential role of vulture gatherings in maintaining population-level social structures and for mate-finding given high mate-selectivity. Next, based on this social framework, we discuss the impact of human activities on social foraging, territory structures, resource partitioning processes, and mating dynamics. However, little is known about how disruptions of social habits may have contributed to vulture population declines and/or may impede their recovery. Lastly, we provide directions for future research on vulture socio-ecology that may improve current conservation efforts. We encourage researchers and wildlife managers to pay more attention to natural carrion diversity underlying vulture social system diversity, especially when implementing supplementary feeding programs, and to consider the complex mating and settlement dynamics in reintroduction programs. Overall, we stress that understanding the complex social life of vultures is critical to harmonize their conservation with anthropogenic activities.
A systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the clinical outcomes in COVID-19 patients on angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers
Authors: Grover Abhinav , Oberoi Mansi
Published: June 2020

Introduction

Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) share their target receptor site with the SARS-CoV-2 virus, that may cause ACE2 receptor up-regulation which raised concerns regarding ACEI and ARB use in COVID-19 patients. However, many medical professional societies recommended their continued use given the paucity of clinical evidence, but there is a need for an updated systematic review and meta-analysis of the latest clinical studies.

Methods and results

A search was conducted on PubMed, Google Scholar, EMBASE, and various preprint servers for studies comparing clinical outcomes and mortality in COVID-19 patients on ACEIs and/or ARBs, and a meta-analysis was performed. A total of 16 studies were included for the review and meta-analysis. There were conflicting findings reported in the rates of severity and mortality in several studies. In a pooled analysis of four studies, there was a statistically non-significant association of ACEI/ARB use with lower odds of developing severe disease vs. non-users [odds ratio (OR) = 0.81, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.41–1.58, I2=50.52, P-value = 0.53). In a pooled analysis of six studies, there was a statistically non-significant association of ACEI/ARB use with lower odds of mortality as compared with non-users (OR = 0.86, 95% CI = 0.53–1.41, I2 = 79.12, P-value = 0.55).

Conclusion

It is concluded that ACEIs and ARBs should be continued in COVID-19 patients, reinforcing the recommendations made by several medical societies. Additionally, the individual patient factors such as ACE2 polymorphisms which might confer higher risk of adverse outcomes need to be evaluated further.
COVID-19 kills at home: the close relationship between the epidemic and the increase of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests
Authors: Baldi Enrico , Sechi Giuseppe Maria , Mare Claudio , Canevari Fabrizio , Brancaglione Antonella , Primi Roberto , Klersy Catherine , Palo Alessandra , Contri Enrico , Ronchi Vincenza , Beretta Giorgio , Reali Francesca , Parogni Pierpaolo , Facchin Fabio , Rizzi Ugo , Bussi Daniele , Ruggeri Simone , Oltrona Visconti Luigi , Savastano Simone ,   the Lombardia CARe researchers, Compagnoni Sara , Fracchia Rosa , Cuzzoli Antonio , Pagliosa Andrea , Matiz Guido , Russo Alessandra , Vecchi Andrea Lorenzo , Fantoni Cecilia , Fava Cristian , Franzosi Cinzia , Vimercati Claudio , Franchi Dario , Storti Enrico , Taravelli Erika , Giovenzana Fulvio , Buetto Giovanni , Garzena Guido , Iotti Giorgio Antonio , Villa Guido Francesco , Botteri Marco , Caico Salvatore Ivan , Cominesi Irene Raimondi , Carnevale Livio , Caresani Matteo , Luppi Mario , Migliori Maurizio , Centineo Paola , Genoni Paola , Bertona Roberta , De Ponti Roberto , Osti Riccardo , Buratti Stefano , Danzi Gian Battista , Marioni Arianna , De Pirro Antonella , Molinari Simone , Sgromo Vito , Musella Valeria , Paglino Martina , Mojoli Francesco , Lusona Bruno , Pagani Michele , Curti Moreno
Published: June 2020

Aims

An increase in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) incidence has been reported in the very early phase of the COVID-19 epidemic, but a clear demonstration of a correlation between the increased incidence of OHCA and COVID-19 is missing so far. We aimed to verify whether there is an association between the OHCA difference compared with 2019 and the COVID-19 epidemic curve.

Methods and results

We included all the consecutive OHCAs which occurred in the Provinces of Lodi, Cremona, Pavia, and Mantova in the 2 months following the first documented case of COVID-19 in the Lombardia Region and compared them with those which occurred in the same time frame in 2019. The cumulative incidence of COVID-19 from 21 February to 20 April 2020 in the study territory was 956 COVID-19/100 000 inhabitants and the cumulative incidence of OHCA was 21 cases/100 000 inhabitants, with a 52% increase as compared with 2019 (490 OHCAs in 2020 vs. 321 in 2019). A strong and statistically significant correlation was found between the difference in cumulative incidence of OHCA between 2020 and 2019 per 100 000 inhabitants and the COVID-19 cumulative incidence per 100 000 inhabitants both for the overall territory (ρ 0.87, P < 0.001) and for each province separately (Lodi: ρ 0.98, P < 0.001; Cremona: ρ 0.98, P < 0.001; Pavia: ρ 0.87, P < 0.001; Mantova: ρ 0.81, P < 0.001).

Conclusion

The increase in OHCAs in 2020 is significantly correlated to the COVID-19 pandemic and is coupled with a reduction in short-term outcome. Government and local health authorities should seriously consider our results when planning healthcare strategies to face the epidemic, especially considering the expected recurrent outbreaks.
A genomic perspective of metal-resistant bacteria from gold particles: Possible survival mechanisms during gold biogeochemical cycling
Authors: Sanyal Santonu Kumar , Reith Frank , Shuster Jeremiah
Published: June 2020

A bacterial consortium was enriched from gold particles that ‘experienced’ ca. 80 years of biotransformation within waste-rock piles (Australia). This bacterial consortium was exposed to 10 µM AuCl3 to obtain Au-tolerant bacteria. From these isolates, Serratia sp. and Stenotrophomonas sp. were the most Au-tolerant and reduced soluble Au as pure gold nanoparticles, indicating that passive mineralisation is a mechanism for mediating the toxic effect of soluble Au produced during particle dissolution. Genome-wide analysis demonstrated that these isolates also possessed various genes that could provide cellular defence enabling survival under heavy-metal stressed condition by mediating the toxicity of heavy metals through active efflux/reduction. Diverse metal-resistant genes or genes clusters (cop, cus, czc, zntand ars) were detected, which could confer resistance to soluble Au. Comparative genome analysis revealed that the majority of detected heavy-metal resistant genes were similar (i.e. orthologous) to those genes of Cupriavidus metallidurans CH34. The detection of heavy-metal resistance, nutrient cycling and biofilm formation genes (pgaABCD, bsmAandhmpS) may have indirect yet important roles when dealing with soluble Au during particle dissolution. In conclusion, the physiological and genomic results suggest that bacteria living on gold particles would likely use various genes to ensure survival during Au-biogeochemical cycling.
Microbial communities of container aquatic habitats shift in response to Culex restuans larvae
Authors: Muturi Ephantus J , Dunlap Christopher , Cáceres Carla E
Published: June 2020

We examined how larvae of Culex restuans mosquito influences the bacterial abundance, composition and diversity in simulated container aquatic habitats. The microbiota of Cx. restuans larvae were also characterized and compared to those of their larval habitats. The presence of Cx. restuans larvae altered the bacterial community composition and reduced the bacterial abundance, diversity and richness. Azohydromonas sp., Delftia sp., Pseudomonas sp., Zooglea sp., unclassified Enterobacteriaceae and unclassified Bacteroidales were suppressed while Prosthecobacter sp., Hydrogenaphaga sp., Clostridium sp., unclassified Clostridiaceae and Chryseobacterium sp. were enhanced in the presence of Cx. restuans larvae. Cx. restuans larvae harbored distinct and less diverse bacterial community compared to their larval habitats. These findings demonstrate that Cx. restuans larvae play a key role in structuring the microbial communities in container aquatic habitats and may lower the nutritional quality and alter the decomposition process and food web dynamics in these aquatic systems. The findings also demonstrate that mosquito larvae are highly selective of the bacterial taxa from the larval environment that colonize their bodies. These findings provide new opportunities for more focused studies to identify the specific bacterial taxa that serve as food for mosquito larvae and those that could be harnessed for disease control.
Long-Duration Soil Heating Resulting from Forest Floor Duff Smoldering in Longleaf Pine Ecosystems
Authors: Kreye Jesse K , Varner J Morgan , Kobziar Leda N
Published: June 2020

Prescribed fire is commonly used in southeastern US forests and is being more widely applied in fire-prone ecosystems elsewhere. Research on direct effects of burning has focused on aboveground impacts to plants with less attention to belowground effects. We measured soil heating during experimental burns in longleaf pine sandhill and flatwoods ecosystems in the southeastern US. Soil heating was minimal in frequently burned sites. Where fire had been excluded for several decades, however, we detected substantial soil heating sustained for considerable durations. Long-duration heating was most prominent where accumulated forest floor duff (Oe and Oa organic horizons) was deepest, particularly at the base of mature pines in long-unburned sites. Temperatures potentially lethal to plant tissues (≥60°C) were sustained for several hours as deep as 10 cm near pines in flatwoods sites. Sustained temperatures ≥300°C, when impacts to soil nutrients can occur, were observed for up to 35 min at mineral soil surfaces. Patterns of heating were similar in long-unburned sandhill sites; however, temperatures were generally lower and durations more brief. Heat transfer resulting from smoldering in forest floor duff deserves further attention to predict mineral soil heating, forecast fire effects, and inform restoration efforts in fire-prone ecosystems.
Association Between the Prevalence of Frailty and Doubly Labeled Water-Calibrated Energy Intake Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults
Authors: Watanabe Daiki , Yoshida Tsukasa , Nanri Hinako , Watanabe Yuya , Date Heiwa , Itoi Aya , Goto Chiho , Ishikawa-Takata Kazuko , Sagayama Hiroyuki , Ebine Naoyuki , Kobayashi Hisamine , Kimura Misaka , Yamada Yosuke ,   Kyoto-Kameoka Study
Published: June 2020

Background

Appropriate energy intake (EI) is essential to prevent frailty. Because self-reported EI is inaccurate and has systematic errors, adequate biomarker calibration is required. This study examined the association between doubly labeled water (DLW)-calibrated EI and the prevalence of frailty among community-dwelling older adults.

Method

A cross-sectional study was performed using baseline data of 7,022 older adults aged ≥65 years in the Kyoto-Kameoka Study. EI was evaluated using a validated food frequency questionnaire (FFQ), and calibrated EI was obtained from a previously established equation using the DLW method. Physical and comprehensive frailty were defined by the Fried phenotype (FP) model and the Kihon Checklist (KCL), respectively. We used multivariable-adjusted restricted cubic spline logistic regression analysis.

Results

The prevalence of physical frailty was 14.8% and 13.6% in women and men, respectively. The spline models showed significant reverse J-shaped or U-shaped relationships between the prevalence of physical or comprehensive frailty against the DLW-calibrated EI, respectively. The lowest prevalence of both types of frailty was found at 1,900–2,000 kcal/d in women and 2,400–2,500 kcal/d in men, which corresponded to approximately 40 kcal/d/kg IBW (ideal body weight = 22 × height2) with DLW-calibrated EI. Uncalibrated EI underestimated approximately 20% compared with calibrated EI; underestimated EI were attenuated by calibration approach.

Conclusions

This study suggests that low EI has a greater detrimental effect compared with excessive EI, particularly on physical frailty. Using biomarkers to calibrate EI holds promise for providing accurate energy requirements to establish guidelines used in public health and clinical nutrition.
Co-Designing Technology for Aging in Place: A Systematic Review
Authors: Sumner Jennifer , Chong Lin Siew , Bundele Anjali , Wei Lim Yee
Published: June 2020

Background and Objectives

There is a growing interest to involve older adults in the co-design of technology to maintain their well-being and independence. What remains unknown is whether the beneficial effects of co-designed solutions are greater than those reported for non co-designed solutions. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects and experiences of co-designed technology that support older adults to age in place.

Research Design and Methods

We conducted a systematic review to (a) investigate the health and well-being outcomes of co-designed technology for older adults (≥60 years), (b) identify co-design approaches and contexts where they are applied, and (c) identify barriers and facilitators of the co-design process with older adults. Searches were conducted in MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, Science Citation Index (Web of Science), Scopus, OpenGrey, and Business Source Premiere.

Results

We identified 14,649 articles and included 34 projects. Four projects reported health and well-being outcomes; the effects were inconsistent. Co-design processes varied greatly and in their intensity of older adult involvement. Common facilitators of and barriers to co-design included the building of relationships between stakeholders, stakeholder knowledge of problems and solutions, and expertise in the co-design methodology.

Discussion and Implications

The effect of co-designed technology on health and well-being was rarely studied and it was difficult to ascertain its impact. Future co-design efforts need to address barriers unique to older adults. Evaluation of the impact of co-designed technologies is needed and standardization of the definition of co-design would be helpful to researchers and designers.
Stressed from above and stressed from below: dissolved oxygen fluctuations in Lough Hyne, a semi-enclosed marine lake
Authors: Plowman Caitlin Q , Trowbridge Cynthia D , Davenport John , Little Colin , Harman Luke , McAllen Rob
Published: June 2020

Dissolved oxygen (DO) concentrations of the fully marine Lough Hyne, SW Ireland, were sampled in biologically different habitats between 2014 and 2019 to investigate the declining water quality in the marine reserve and the severity of oxidative stress on benthic communities. DO was measured above and below shallow subtidal rocks, in the Rapids connection to the Celtic Sea, in seagrass meadows (Zostera marina), and at various water depths (1–15 m) in the South Basin. DO values above rocks were normoxic to hyperoxic in daytime (7.8–17.3 mg l−1); below rocks were often hypoxic (0.24–2 mg l−1). South Basin sites experienced hypoxia less often than the North Basin, except for the Goleen, presumably due to differential current flow. DO fluctuations occurred in spring (before ephemeral macroalgae proliferate), summer (when algal mats smother the benthos), and autumn (when macroalgae decay). While the Rapids were normoxic, the seagrass meadows below them exhibited periodic DO stress. Labhra Cliff (9–14.5 m) was normoxic to hyperoxic in autumn but experienced suboxic and hypoxic events in summer. Many organisms in Lough Hyne are experiencing periods of hypoxia below their published sublethal limits, the effects of which could be exacerbated by periodic hyperoxia.
EM-FEE: An Efficient Multitask Scheme for Facial Expression Estimation
Authors: Yang Bin , Li Zhenyu , Sun Yingtao , Cao Enguo
Published: June 2020

Human–computer interaction (HCI) has received growing interest in both academic research and the design of information technological applications. Automated facial expression estimation of image is a difficult, yet crucial, problem in the design of HCI system. Although artificial neural network has achieved many remarkable results, few smart wearable devices can benefit from it. Most of these devices are constrained by limited computing and storage capacity. An effective solution is to allow servers to handle multiple tasks simultaneously. Toward this goal, we have been building an Efficient multitask scheme for facial expression estimation (EM-FEE). A multitask neural network is designed to enable the HCI system to accomplish different related tasks at the same time, that is, locating the user’s facial landmarks and estimating facial expressions. Experimental results demonstrate that our proposed scheme outperforms state-of-the-art. Finally, we review the remaining challenges and corresponding opportunities as well as future directions of the design of facial expression estimation systems for smart wearable devices.
Genetic associations between stayability and longevity in commercial crossbred sows, and stayability in multiplier sows
Authors: Poulsen Bjarke G , Nielsen Bjarne , Ostersen Tage , Christensen Ole F
Published: June 2020

Longevity in commercial sows is often selected for through stayability traits measured in purebred animals. However, this may not be justifiable because longevity and stayability may be subject to both genotype by environment interaction (G × E) and genotype by genotype interaction (G × G). This study tested the hypothesis that stayability to service after first parity is more strongly genetically correlated with longevity in commercial herds when stayability is measured in commercial herds rather than multiplier herds. The analysis was based on farrowing- and service-records from 470,824 sows (189,263 multiplier; 281,561 commercial) and 300 herds (156 multiplier; 144 commercial sows). Multiplier sows were either purebred Landrace or Yorkshire and commercial sows were mainly rotationally crossbreds between the two breeds. Commercial longevity was defined as age in days when culled (LongC), and stayability to service after first parity was defined for both commercial sows (StayC) and multiplier sows (StayM). The genetic correlations between LongC, StayC, and StayM were estimated by restricted maximum likelihood using linear mixed models. Genetic parameters were estimated separately for Landrace and Yorkshire. In Landrace, the genetic correlations between LongC and StayC, LongC and StayM, and StayC and StayM were 0.86 ± 0.02, 0.24 ± 0.05, and 0.34 ± 0.06, respectively. In Yorkshire, the genetic correlations between LongC and StayC, LongC and StayM, and StayC and StayM were 0.81 ± 0.03, 0.17 ± 0.05, and 0.18 ± 0.7, respectively. Conclusively, longevity in commercial herds is more strongly correlated with stayability when stayability is measured in commercial herds rather than multiplier herds.
Studies on the In Vitro and In Vivo Metabolic Fate of the New Psychoactive Substance N-Ethyl-N-Propyltryptamine for Analytical Purposes
Authors: Manier Sascha K , Felske Christina , Zapp Josef , Eckstein Niels , Meyer Markus R
Published: June 2020

Prerequisites for the reliable identification of substances in terms of forensic and clinical toxicology or doping control include knowledge about their metabolism and their excretion patterns in urine. N-Ethyl-N-propyltryptamine (N-ethyl-N-[2-(1H-indol-3-yl)ethyl]propan-1-amine, EPT) is an N,N-dialkylated tryptamine derivative, sold as new psychoactive substance, and supposed to act as a partial agonist at the 5-HT2A receptor. The aims of the presented study were to elucidate in vitro metabolites of EPT after incubations with pooled human liver S9 fraction (pS9) and in vivo metabolites excreted into rat urine. Finally, suitable analytical target compounds should be identified. Analysis of pS9 incubations using liquid chromatography–high-resolution tandem mass spectrometry revealed EPT metabolites formed after N-dealkylation as well as alkyl and aryl hydroxylation and formation of a hydroxy sulfate. Investigations using rat urine after oral dosing showed that the metabolic pathways of EPT shifted from in vitro hydroxylation of the alkyl amine group to an increased in vivo hydroxylation of the indole ring with several N-dealkyl metabolites. A glucuronic acid conjugate after hydroxylation of the indole ring was additionally found in vivo. The parent compound could not be detected in the rat urine samples. Therefore, analytical methods using mass spectrometry should include hydroxy-EPT and two hydroxy-EPT glucuronide isomers for reliable identification.
Quantifying Early-Season Pest Injury and Yield Protection of Insecticide Seed Treatments in Corn and Soybean Production in Ontario, Canada
Authors: Smith Jocelyn L , Baute Tracey S , Schaafsma Arthur W
Published: June 2020

A 4-yr study was conducted comparing the efficacy and value of fungicide-only (FST), neonicotinoid insecticide + fungicide (NST), and diamide insecticide + fungicide (DST) seed treatments for commercial corn Zea mays L. and soybean Glycines max (L.) Merr. production in Ontario, Canada. Plant stand, plant vigor, above- and below-ground insect injury, and yield were assessed on 160 field-scale experiments. Experiments also assessed early-season insect incidence and abundance using newly legislated thresholds for NST use in Ontario and in-season destructive sampling. Wireworms (Coleoptera: Elateridae) and white grubs (Coleoptera: Scarabeidae) were frequently observed at experimental sites; however, thresholds were rarely met and injury levels rarely led to yield loss. Of 129 and 31 corn and soybean sites, 8 and 6%, respectively, had a positive yield response to NST use. Across all sites, yield response of 0.1 and −0.05 Mg ha−1 was observed with NST use in corn and soybean, respectively; however, the costs associated with NST use were recovered at only 48 and 23% of corn and soybean sites, respectively, based on average grain prices and yields during the study. Infrequent incidence of economic injury and the absence of a consistent yield response to NST and DSTs throughout the 4 yr of the study indicate that widespread use of seed-applied insecticides in corn and soybean is unlikely to provide benefit to producers. These data highlight an opportunity for reducing input costs, environmental loading, and nontarget effects without adverse outcomes for Ontario producers.
The Logging Sector in the Lake States of Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin: Status, Issues, and Opportunities
Authors: G C Shivan , Potter-Witter Karen , Blinn Charles R , Rickenbach Mark
Published: June 2020

Coordinated mail surveys of logging businesses in the Lake States of Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin were conducted in spring 2017 to assess the status and capacity of the sector in 2016. Many similarities among logging businesses were noted across the region. Despite the presence of many small logging businesses, much of the volume (58 percent) is produced by a few large producers (13 percent) who seem to have an advantage over their smaller counterparts. Businesses and business owners are aging (average business duration, 27 years and average owner age, 54 years), and the majority are producing below their full operational capacity and achieving break-even profit levels. About one-fourth of the businesses intend to exit the market in the next 5 years, and there is a lack of factors attracting new workforce members into business. Differences exist among states in terms of harvesting systems used, source and method of timber procurement, and transportation strategy adopted.
The CARMA Study: Early Infant Antiretroviral Therapy—Timing Impacts on Total HIV-1 DNA Quantitation 12 Years Later
Authors: Foster Caroline , Domínguez-Rodríguez Sara , Tagarro Alfredo , Gkouleli Triantafylia , Heaney Judith , Watters Sarah , Bamford Alasdair , Fidler Katy , Navarro Marisa , De Rossi Anita , Palma Paolo , Nastouli Eleni , Rossi Paolo , Giaquinto Carlo , Rojo Pablo
Published: June 2020

Background

Strategies aimed at antiretroviral therapy (ART)–free remission will target individuals with a limited viral reservoir. We investigated factors associated with low reservoir measured as total human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) DNA in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) in perinatal infection (PaHIV).

Methods

Children from 7 European centers in the Early Treated Perinatally HIV Infected Individuals: Improving Children’s Actual Life (EPIICAL) consortium who commenced ART aged <2 years, and remained suppressed (viral load [VL] <50 copies/mL) for >5 years were included. Total HIV-1 DNA was measured by quantitative polymerase chain reaction per million PBMCs. Factors associated with total HIV-1 DNA were analyzed using generalized additive models. Age, VL at ART initiation, and baseline CD4% effects were tested including smoothing splines to test nonlinear association.

Results

Forty PaHIV, 27 (67.5%) female 21 (52.5%) Black/Black African, had total HIV-1 DNA measured; median 12 (IQR, 7.3–15.4) years after ART initiation. Eleven had total HIV-1 DNA <10 copies/106 PBMCs. HIV-1 DNA levels were positively associated with age and VL at ART initiation, baseline CD4%, and Western blot antibody score. Age at ART initiation presented a linear association (coefficient = 0.10 ± 0.001, P ≤ .001), the effect of VL (coefficient = 0.35 ± 0.1, P ≤ .001) noticeable >6 logs. The effect of CD4% (coefficient = 0.03 ± 0.01, P = .049) was not maintained >40%.

Conclusions

In this PaHIV cohort, reduced total HIV-1 DNA levels were associated with younger age and lower VL at ART initiation. The impact of early-infant treatment on reservoir size persists after a decade of suppressive therapy.
Rereading Cain, Abel, and Martin Luther King Jr in Charles Johnson’s Dreamer
Authors: Tewkesbury Paul
Published: June 2020

Charles Johnson sets his 1998 novel Dreamer during the Chicago Freedom Movement that Martin Luther King Jr led in 1966. Alongside his fictionalised King character, Johnson imagines a doppelganger, Chaym Smith. Johnson develops the story of Chaym and King by evoking the biblical story of Cain and Abel. The hatred, violence, and injustice that are inherent in the Bible story of the two brothers contrast sharply with the love, nonviolence, and justice that are paramount to the historical King’s theology, and the surprising juxtaposition forces readers to reappraise what they think they already know about both the biblical Cain and the historical King.
Sociodemographic characteristics and spectrum of Malassezia species in individuals with and without seborrhoeic dermatitis/dandruff: A comparison of residents of the urban and rural populations
Authors: Honnavar Prasanna , Chakrabarti Arunaloke , Dhaliwal Manpreet , Dogra Sunil , Handa Sanjeev , Lakshmi P V M , Rudramurthy Shivaprakash M
Published: June 2020

Seborrhoeic dermatitis/dandruff (SD/D) is a common, persistent, relapsing inflammatory condition affecting the areas rich in sebaceous glands. SD/D is widely prevalent in India but Malassezia species implicated are not well studied. To estimate the prevalence and spectrum of Malassezia species causing SD/D and understand the sociodemographic characteristics of SD/D in rural and urban populations, a total of 200 SD/D patients and 100 healthy controls (HC) from both rural and urban backgrounds were enrolled in this study. SD/D severity was clinically graded as mild, moderate, severe, and very severe. The isolates were identified by phenotypic characters and confirmed by ITS2 PCR-RFLP and sequencing of the ITS region of rDNA. Severe (59%) and very severe (71%) form of SD/D was higher in the rural population compared to the urban population (P = .004). The isolation rate of Malassezia was significantly higher in overall SD/D patients scalp (82%) compared to HC (67%) (P = .005). From the scalp of SD/D patients, M. globosa (36.2%) was predominantly isolated followed by M. restricta (31.3%), M. furfur (15.7%), a mixture of M. globosa and M. restricta (12%) or M. arunalokei (4.8%). Similarly, M. globosa (49.3%) was predominately isolated from the scalp of HC followed by M. restricta (22.4%). M. restricta was significantly higher in the scalp of SD/D patients compared to HC and/or nasolabial fold of both SD/D patients and HC (P = .0001). Our findings indicate that M. restricta has a high association with SD/D. More severe disease frequency was observed in the rural population.

Precis

Dandruff is associated with Malassezia restricta and very severe cases are higher in rural population, probably due the poor hygiene. Moderate to severe hair loss and itching were strongly associated with dandruff. Use of soaps to cleanse scalp appears to be better than shampoo in preventing dandruff.
ATAD5 restricts R-loop formation through PCNA unloading and RNA helicase maintenance at the replication fork
Authors: Kim Sangin , Kang Nalae , Park Su Hyung , Wells James , Hwang Taejoo , Ryu Eunjin , Kim Byung-gyu , Hwang Sunyoung , Kim Seong-jung , Kang Sukhyun , Lee Semin , Stirling Peter , Myung Kyungjae , Lee Kyoo-young
Published: June 2020

R-loops are formed when replicative forks collide with the transcriptional machinery and can cause genomic instability. However, it is unclear how R-loops are regulated at transcription-replication conflict (TRC) sites and how replisome proteins are regulated to prevent R-loop formation or mediate R-loop tolerance. Here, we report that ATAD5, a PCNA unloader, plays dual functions to reduce R-loops both under normal and replication stress conditions. ATAD5 interacts with RNA helicases such as DDX1, DDX5, DDX21 and DHX9 and increases the abundance of these helicases at replication forks to facilitate R-loop resolution. Depletion of ATAD5 or ATAD5-interacting RNA helicases consistently increases R-loops during the S phase and reduces the replication rate, both of which are enhanced by replication stress. In addition to R-loop resolution, ATAD5 prevents the generation of new R-loops behind the replication forks by unloading PCNA which, otherwise, accumulates and persists on DNA, causing a collision with the transcription machinery. Depletion of ATAD5 reduces transcription rates due to PCNA accumulation. Consistent with the role of ATAD5 and RNA helicases in maintaining genomic integrity by regulating R-loops, the corresponding genes were mutated or downregulated in several human tumors.