bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Invasive fungal diseases in patients with new diagnosed acute lymphoblastic leukaemia
Authors: Gründahl Marie , Wacker Beate , Einsele Hermann , Heinz Werner J.
Published: August 2020

Background

Patients with acute leukaemia have a high incidence of fungal infections. This has primarily been shown in acute myeloid leukaemia and is different for acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. Until now no benefit of mould active prophylaxis has been demonstrated in the latter population.

Methods

In this retrospective single‐centre study, we analysed the incidence, clinical relevance, and outcome of invasive fungal diseases (IFD) as well as the impact of antifungal prophylaxis for the first 100 days following the primary diagnosis of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.

Results

In 58 patients a high rate of proven, probable, and possible fungal infections could be demonstrated with a 3.4%, 8.6%, and 17.2% likelihood, respectively. The incidence might be even higher, as nearly 40% of all patients had no prolonged neutropenia for more than 10 days, excluding those from the European Organization of Research and Treatment of cancer and the Mycoses Study Group criteria for probable invasive fungal disease. The diagnosed fungal diseases had an impact on the duration of hospitalisation, which was 13 days longer for patients with proven/probable IFD compared to patients with no signs of fungal infection. Use of antifungal prophylaxis did not significantly affect the risk of fungal infection.

Conclusion

Patients with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia are at high risk of acquiring an invasive fungal disease. Appropriate criteria to define fungal infections, especially in this population, and strategies to reduce the risk of infection, including antifungal prophylaxis, need to be further evaluated.
Evaluation of a commercial Loop‐mediated Isothermal Amplification (LAMP) assay for rapid detection of Pneumocystis jirovecii
Authors: Scharmann Ulrike , Kirchhoff Lisa , Schmidt Dirk , Buer Jan , Steinmann Joerg , Rath Peter‐Michael
Published: August 2020

Background

Various tools are obtainable for the detection of Pneumocystis jirovecii, among them qPCR promising highest sensitivity. A novel molecular method is commercially available, the loop‐mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay.

Objectives

We compared the performance of the LAMP eazyplex® Pneumocystis jirovecii with the RealStar Pneumocystis jirovecii PCR 1.0 qPCR.

Material/Methods

Overall, 162 lower respiratory tract specimens from 146 critically ill patients were investigated. LAMP assay and qPCR were carried out according to the manufacturer's recommendations. Positive results of the LAMP were described as time to positivity (TTP). The limit of detection (LOD) of the LAMP was analysed using 10‐fold serial dilutions of a high positive P jirovecii respiratory sample. For each serial dilution, TTP of the LAMP was plotted against cycle threshold (Ct) values of the qPCR.

Results

The LOD of the LAMP was determined to be approximately 4 × 103 copies/mL. While the LAMP revealed 28 (17%) positive signals from 20 patients, by using qPCR 41 (25%) positive samples from 28 patients were identified. Overall agreement with qPCR was 92%. Five false‐negative, one false‐positive and nine invalid results were detected by the LAMP. Positive and negative predictive values were 96% each, and sensitivity and specificity were 84% and 99%, respectively. There was a low correlation between the TTP and the fungal load.

Conclusion

The LAMP is a time‐saving and easy‐to‐perform method. It can be used as an alternative diagnostic method. However, for quantification purposes the qPCR is still the gold standard.
Halogen exposure injury in the developing lung
Authors: Addis Dylan R. , Molyvdas Adam , Ambalavanan Namasivayam , Matalon Sadis , Jilling Tamas
Published: August 2020

Owing to a high‐volume industrial usage of the halogens chlorine (Cl2) and bromine (Br2), they are stored and transported in abundance, creating a risk for accidental or malicious release to human populations. Despite extensive efforts to understand the mechanisms of toxicity upon halogen exposure and to develop specific treatments that could be used to treat exposed individuals or large populations, until recently, there has been little to no effort to determine whether there are specific features and or the mechanisms of halogen exposure injury in newborns or children. We established a model of neonatal halogen exposure and published our initial findings. In this review, we aim to contrast and compare the findings in neonatal mice exposed to Br2 with the findings published on adult mice exposed to Br2 and the neonatal murine models of bronchopulmonary dysplasia. Despite remarkable similarities across these models in overall alveolar architecture, there are distinct functional and apparent mechanistic differences that are characteristic of each model. Understanding the mechanistic and functional features that are characteristic of the injury process in neonatal mice exposed to halogens will allow us to develop countermeasures that are appropriate for, and effective in, this unique population.
Incorporation of parental phenotypic data into multi‐omic models improves prediction of yield‐related traits in hybrid rice
Authors: Xu Yang , Zhao Yue , Wang Xin , Ma Ying , Li Pengcheng , Yang Zefeng , Zhang Xuecai , Xu Chenwu , Xu Shizhong
Published: August 2020

Hybrid breeding has been shown to effectively increase rice productivity. However, identifying desirable hybrids out of numerous potential combinations is a daunting challenge. Genomic selection holds great promise for accelerating hybrid breeding by enabling early selection before phenotypes are measured. With the recent advances in multi‐omic technologies, hybrid prediction based on transcriptomic and metabolomic data has received increasing attention. However, the current omic‐based hybrid prediction has ignored parental phenotypic information, which is of fundamental importance in plant breeding. In this study, we integrated parental phenotypic information into various multi‐omic prediction models applied in hybrid breeding of rice and compared the predictabilities of 15 combinations from four sets of predictors from the parents, that is genome, transcriptome, metabolome and phenome. The predictability for each combination was evaluated using the best linear unbiased prediction and a modified fast HAT method. We found significant interactions between predictors and traits in predictability, but joint prediction with various combinations of the predictors significantly improved predictability relative to prediction of any single source omic data for each trait investigated. Incorporation of parental phenotypic data into various omic predictors increased the predictability, averagely by 13.6%, 54.5%, 19.9% and 8.3%, for grain yield, number of tillers per plant, number of grains per panicle and 1000 grain weight, respectively. Among nine models of incorporating parental traits, the AD‐All model was the most effective one. This novel strategy of incorporating parental phenotypic data into multi‐omic prediction is expected to improve hybrid breeding progress, especially with the development of high‐throughput phenotyping technologies.
Sex as a Risk Factor for Solar Ultraviolet Radiation Exposure?–Dosimetry in Danish Outdoor Workers
Authors: Borup Helene , Mortensen Ole Steen , Grandahl Kasper
Published: August 2020

Solar ultraviolet radiation (UVR) exposure is a known risk factor for the development of skin cancer. Heterogeneity in solar UVR exposure may explain the diversity in skin cancer incidence between men and women. This, however, has not previously been investigated in Danish outdoor workers using UVR dosimetry. The aim of this study was to evaluate sex differences in solar UVR dosimetry in Danish outdoor workers on working and leisure days. A cross‐sectional design was used to collect dosimetry data during the Danish summer season (May to September). Analysis was based on an electronic questionnaire and dosimetry data from 450 outdoor workers (88 women, 362 men). Dosimetry data were reported as standard erythema dose (SED). The daily median SED (Interquartile range) on working days was 1.6 (2.5) in men and 1.5 (2.1) in women while on leisure days it was 0.5 (1.4) in men and 0.6 (1.3) in women. Analysis by multiple linear regression did not show any association between daily median SED and sex on either working or leisure days. In conclusion, solar UVR exposure in Danish outdoor workers did not vary according to sex.
Immunogenicity of HLA‐DR1 and HLA‐A2 peptides derived from Leishmania major Gp63 in golden hamsters
Authors: Silva Larissa Pinheiro , Paciello Mauricio Oviedo , Aviz Teixeira Wéllida Patricia , Rivas Açucena Veleh , Agular Raimundo Wagner Souza , Cangussu Alex Sander Rodrigues , Barbosa Luiz Carlos Bertucci , Marchetto Reinaldo , Giunchetti Rodolfo Cordeiro , Viana Kelvinson Fernandes
Published: August 2020

Aims

This study aimed to evaluate the toxicity and humoral and cellular immune response of three heterologous vaccines against Leishmania infantum, yet containing synthetic peptides from Leishmania major in the experimental model in hamsters.

Methods and Results

Through bioinformatics analyses, two Leishmania major Gp63 peptides were predicted and selected for vaccine formulations. Hamsters were divided into four groups, with each group receiving doses of three vaccine formulations containing HLA‐DR1 or HLA‐A2 peptides plus MontanideTM or both associated with the adjuvant. The animals received three vaccine doses and were evaluated for toxicity after each dose, in addition to being analysed for the production of antibodies and lymphoproliferation on day 211 after the last vaccine dose. Peptides predicted in association with oily adjuvant induced a humoral response and strong lymphoproliferation to Leishmania infantum antigen‐specific stimulation.
A review on South Asian wheat blast: The present status and future perspective
Authors: Yesmin Nabila , Jenny Farhana , Abdullah Hasan M. , Hossain Motaher M. , Kader Md A. , Solomon Peter S. , Bhuiyan Md A. H. B.
Published: August 2020

The outbreak of wheat blast (Pyricularia oryzae, syn. Magnaporthe oryzae) in Bangladesh and India in recent times is a cause of grave concern for future wheat production in South Asian countries. In this review, we focus on the origin and pathology of P. oryzae and its current status and impact on trade of wheat in South Asia. We also consider future directions for efficient detection, monitoring, forecasting, and managing this destructive disease. Proper detection and monitoring are essential for imposing disease management strategies. Cutting‐edge tools such as geospatial modelling and remote sensing technologies based on field observation will be pivotal to efficiently contain and manage the disease. Strong quarantine regulations too are critical in preventing the pathogen movement and are also discussed within. Complementary approaches, such as the induction of systemic resistance by applying plant growth‐promoting rhizobacteria or probiotic bacteria, are also considered here. This review provides a comprehensive summary on the status of wheat blast in South‐East Asia and will provide an important resource for wheat blast research in the affected areas.
Granulomatosis in fish aquaculture: a mini review
Authors: Martínez‐Lara Pablo , Martínez‐Porchas Marcel , Gollas‐Galván Teresa , Hernández‐López Jorge , Robles‐Porchas Glen R.
Published: August 2020

Bacterial infections represent the greatest threat for fish culture, especially those causing granulomatous processes. Although there are experimental models used to elucidate the mechanisms of pathogenicity in granulomatous processes, most of these aimed to understand the infection in superior vertebrates like humans; therefore, there is still an urgent need to expand the number of infection models focused on aquaculture. Granulomatous infections are difficult to detect in early stages due to the lack of clinical signs and because these clinical signs have a great similarity to those generated by other pathogenic bacteria. Besides, there is no evidence or reports of granulomatous co‐infections in aquaculture environments which is a plausible scenario either in culture systems or in the wild environment; co‐infections could interfere with a correct diagnosis of any granulomatous disease, as reported for granulomatous infections in terrestrial species. This revision aims to highlight the state of the art in the knowledge of pathogenic bacteria associated with granulomatosis in fish aquaculture as well as analysing this information.
Mitoepigenetics: Methylation of mitochondrial DNA is strand‐biased in bovine oocytes and embryos
Authors: de Lima Camila Bruna , Sirard Marc‐André
Published: August 2020

Global mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) methylation has been recently described in bovine and showed particular signatures in both gametes and embryos. Here, we investigated the distribution of mtDNA methylation through strand‐specific mapping of methylation sites to gain perspective on how epigenetic mechanisms can be involved in mitochondrial function. We demonstrate that in both oocytes and embryos, the frequency of methylation is biased towards the light strand (L‐strand), particularly in the gene bodies and in the region containing the L‐strand promoter (LSP). Methylation is not restricted to CpG nucleotides and is not symmetrical on both strands. This configuration reinforces the hypothesis of a specific epigenetic regulation of mtDNA, which is an important observation for the understanding of how mitochondrial function is regulated.
Stable blow‐up dynamics in the ‐critical and ‐supercritical generalized Hartree equation
Authors: Yang Kai , Roudenko Svetlana , Zhao Yanxiang
Published: August 2020

We study stable blow‐up dynamics in the generalized Hartree equation with radial symmetry, which is a Schrödinger‐type equation with a nonlocal, convolution‐type nonlinearity:
urn:x-wiley:00222526:media:sapm12328:sapm12328-math-0003First, we consider the ‐critical case in dimensions and obtain that a generic blow‐up has a self‐similar structure and exhibits not only the square root blowup rate , but also the log‐log correction (via asymptotic analysis and functional fitting), thus, behaving similarly to the stable blow‐up regime in the ‐critical nonlinear Schrödinger equation. In this setting, we also study blow‐up profiles and show that generic blow‐up solutions converge to the rescaled , a ground state solution of the elliptic equation .

We also consider the ‐supercritical case in dimensions . We derive the profile equation for the self‐similar blow‐up and establish the existence and local uniqueness of its solutions. As in the NLS ‐supercritical regime, the profile equation exhibits branches of nonoscillating, polynomially decaying (multi‐bump) solutions. A numerical scheme of putting constraints into solving the corresponding ordinary differential equation is applied during the process of finding the multi‐bump solutions. Direct numerical simulation of solutions to the generalized Hartree equation by the dynamic rescaling method indicates that the is the profile for the stable blow‐up. In this supercritical case, we obtain the blow‐up rate without any correction. This blow‐up happens at the focusing level , and thus, numerically observable (unlike the ‐critical case). In summary, we find that the results are similar to the behavior of stable self‐similar blowup solutions in the corresponding settings for the nonlinear Schrödinger equation. Consequently, one may expect that the form of the nonlinearity in the Schrödinger‐type equations is not essential in the stable formation of singularities.
Quasi‐stability and upper semicontinuity for coupled parabolic equations with memory
Authors: Aouadi Moncef
Published: August 2020

This current study deals with the long‐time dynamics of a nonlinear system of coupled parabolic equations with memory. The system describes the thermodiffusion phenomenon where the fluxes of mass diffusion and heat depend on the past history of the chemical potential and the temperature gradients, respectively, according to Gurtin‐Pipkin's law. Inspired by the works of Chueshov and Lasiecka on the property of quasi‐stability of dynamic systems, we prove this property for the problem considered in this study. This property allows us to analyze certain properties of global and exponential attractors in a more efficient and practical way. This approach is applied for the first time for coupled parabolic equations. We analyze the continuity of global attractors with respect to a pair of parameters in a residual dense set and their upper semicontinuity in a complete metric space. Finally, we analyze the upper semicontinuity of global attractors with respect to small perturbations of the damping terms.
Kinetic energy of the Langevin particle
Authors: Escudero Carlos
Published: August 2020

We compute the kinetic energy of the Langevin particle using different approaches. We build stochastic differential equations that describe this physical quantity based on both the Itô and Stratonovich stochastic integrals. It is shown that the Itô equation possesses a unique solution, whereas the Stratonovich one possesses infinitely many, all but one absent of physical meaning. We discuss how this fact matches with the existent discussion on the Itô vs Stratonovich dilemma and the apparent preference toward the Stratonovich interpretation in the physical literature.
Associations between physical activity, body composition, and physical fitness in the transition from preschool to school
Authors: Reisberg Kirkke , Riso Eva‐Maria , Jürimäe Jaak
Published: August 2020

The purpose of the study was to assess the longitudinal associations of physical activity (PA) with body composition and physical fitness (PF) at the 12‐month follow‐up during the transition from kindergarten to school in Estonian children aged 6 to 8 years (n = 147). PA and sedentary behavior (SB) were assessed using the accelerometer. Body composition was measured from triceps and subscapular skinfold thicknesses and PF using PREFIT test battery. SB at the mean age of 6.6 year had negative relation with upper and lower body strength and motor fitness at the mean age of 7.6 year in adjusted models. Light PA (LPA) and moderate PA(MPA) at 6.6 year were positively and SB was negatively associated with fat‐free mass index (FFMI) at 7.6 year after adjustments for confounders [vigorous PA (VPA), total awake wear time, child's sex, age at measurement]. Substituting 5 min/d of SB at 6.6 year with 5 min of VPA was related to higher FFMI at 7.6 year. In adjusted models, VPA at 6.6 year was positively associated with cardiorespiratory fitness at 7.6 year, greater baseline VPA or moderate‐to‐vigorous PA (MVPA) predicted greater upper body strength a year later and LPA, MPA, VPA, MVPA at 6.6 year were positively related to lower body strength at follow‐up. In adjusted analysis greater VPA at 6.6 year was related to better motor fitness at follow‐up. Promoting higher‐intensity PA and reducing SB at preschool may have long‐term effects on body composition and PF in children at the first grade.
The role of women empowerment and labour dependency on adoption of integrated soil fertility management in Malawi
Authors: Mponela Powell , Villamor Grace B. , Snapp Sieglinde , Tamene Lulseged , Le Quang B. , Borgemeister Christian
Published: August 2020

This paper explores the role of women empowerment and labour on enabling farmers to cross two hurdles: adopt and intensify soil fertility management (SFM), coming after six decades of SFM research that disseminated several technologies. Despite the assertion that productivity gains cannot be realized unless drivers of soil degradation are addressed, SFM usage is low. We collected data from a systematically drawn random sample of 238 farmers, representing 30% of farming households in five villages in Malawi's Rift Valley escarpments and analysed using a double‐hurdle model. Descriptive results show that 90% of the respondents used inorganic fertilizers, 72% planted legumes and 57% applied organic manure. The empirical analysis shows that one percentage point increase in dependency ratio reduces probability to apply organic amendments by 0.4 percentage points and erodes the positive influence of increasing labour on application of inorganic fertilizer. As women become increasingly empowered in decision‐making, there are significant trade‐offs: a percentage point increase in women empowerment in agriculture index (WEAI) potentially leads to a one‐third percentage point increase in the area allocated to legumes but reduces the amount of organic manure applied with higher elasticity of two percentage points. Considering the trade‐offs, sustainable intensification could be achieved by harnessing the positive influences while concurrently reducing the negative ones over a decision space. Notably, addressing the negative effect associated with women empowerment on manuring could unlock potentials for integrated SFM as women are already engaged in legume cropping.
American trypanosomiasis (Chagas disease) in solid organ transplantation
Authors: Radisic Marcelo V. , Repetto Silvia A.
Published: August 2020

This review addresses relevant aspects of Chagas disease in the solid organ transplantation setting. This trypanosomiasis was geographically restricted to America, but migration has turned Chagas disease into a global public health concern. Parasite persistence in chronically infected individuals entails the potential of transmission with organ donation and the potential for reactivation under immunosuppression. Prospective monitoring with real‐time PCR or direct methods for detection of parasitemia and treatment of documented episodes of transmission/ reactivation (rather than prophylactic treatment) is the recommended approach for managing patients at risk. Chagas disease is an important cause of terminal cardiomyopathy. Clinical results demonstrate that with adequate monitoring and treatment, patients with Chagas cardiomyopathy benefit from heart transplantation, with long‐term results even better than patients who underwent heart transplantation due to other conditions. Kidney and liver (and possibly other solid organs) transplantation can be safely performed in chronically infected patients with adequate management. Chronically infected patients are also suitable for organ donation (with the exception of the heart and intestines). Although reactivations and transmissions are observed, serious clinical disease is rare, and they are usually successfully managed with benznidazole or nifurtimox.
Secondary syphilis with liver involvement in a liver transplant recipient
Authors: Ferrándiz‐Pulido Carla , Ferrer Berta , Salcedo Maria Teresa , Velasco Marta , Len Oscar , Castells Lluis
Published: August 2020

Syphilis is capable of compromising almost any organ; however, syphilitic hepatitis is a rare manifestation that has been described most often in HIV‐infected patients. Herein, we present a 33‐year‐old male liver transplant recipient who presented with progressive liver dysfunction characterized by mild ALT elevation and rising cholestasis, malaise, skin rash, and alopecia. Skin biopsy was characteristic of secondary syphilis, confirmed by both skin and liver biopsy‐positive immunohistochemical staining for Treponema pallidum. The patient was treated with benzathine penicillin G 2.4 million units IM q week × 3 weeks. Three months later, the patient was asymptomatic and recovered from his general malaise. He showed no skin lesions and demonstrated complete regrowth of the hair on his scalp, beard, and eyebrows. The presence of liver dysfunction with cholestasis in a transplant recipient should alert transplant providers to the possibility of syphilitic hepatitis, particularly in men who have sex with men. Though not an early manifestation, cutaneous signs of secondary syphilis may be a helpful diagnostic indicator in most cases.
South Korea’s outward direct investment and its dyadic determinants: Foreign aid, bilateral treaty and economic diplomacy
Authors: Park Geonwoo , Jung Heon Joo
Published: August 2020

This study investigates the factors that affect South Korean outward foreign direct investment (FDI) in developing countries. Most previous studies focus on monadic factors and do not consider how and to what extent bilateral relationships between South Korea and the host countries affect the investment decisions of Korean firms. The current study finds that interstate factors such as South Korea's international investment treaties with and official development assistance to host countries have positive effects on FDI to these countries, while presidential visits have strong and statistically significant effects on FDI only in countries located in non‐Asian regions, especially the African continent. The findings suggest that the effects of bilateral relations on South Korea's FDI vary depending on the geographic location of the host country.
Comparison of creatine kinase in cerebrospinal fluid collected from the cerebellomedullary and lumbar cisterna in 10 dogs with neurologic disease
Authors: Lampe Rachel , Foss Kari D. , Hague Devon W. , Barger Anne M.
Published: August 2020

Background

Analysis of cerebrospinal fluid CK (CSF‐CK) might be useful as a prognostic indicator in dogs with neurologic disease. Previous studies have mostly analyzed CSF‐CK collected from the cerebellomedullary (CM) cisterna, but CSF collection sites could affect its levels.

Objectives

This is a pilot study aimed to evaluate differences in CSF‐CK concentrations when collected from the CM or lumbar cisterna in dogs presenting with neurologic disease.

Methods

Ten dogs presenting for neurologic disease underwent magnetic resonance imaging and CSF collection from both the CM and lumbar cisterna. Cerebrospinal fluid CK was analyzed within 30 minutes.

Results

Ten dogs were prospectively recruited. Overall, there was no statistically significant difference between CSF‐CK collected from the CM or lumbar cisterna (P = .31). When evaluated by neurolocalization, CSF‐CK was different between sites in dogs with thoracolumbar myelopathy (P = .024), but not in dogs with intracranial or cervical neurolocalization (P = .93). All dogs with thoracolumbar myelopathy had equivocal or higher CK levels at the lumbar collection site compared with levels at the CM collection site.

Conclusions

Cerebrospinal fluid CK values differed depending on the CSF site collection, especially in dogs with thoracolumbar myelopathy. In dogs with thoracolumbar myelopathy, CSF‐CK was likely to be higher when CSF was taken from the lumbar cisterna compared with the CM cisterna. Collecting CSF from the thoracolumbar site could provide better prognostic information than if collected at the CM collection site.
Corneal epithelial inclusion cysts in 12 dogs (13 eyes) from 2010 to 2019: A multicentric retrospective study
Authors: Cassagnes Charles , Cognard Sophie Andree , Nicolier Alexandra , Cazalot Guillaume , Dossin Evelyne , Durieux Philippe , Goulle Frédéric , Michel Julien , Pilorge Philippe , Verneuil Marc , Isard Pierre‐François , Mathieson Iona , Dulaurent Thomas
Published: August 2020

Objective

The aim of this retrospective study was to review the clinical data and outcomes of patients that suffered corneal epithelial inclusion cysts (CEIC).

Animals studied

Thirteen eyes from 12 dogs from multiple private practices in France and Belgium, with a strong clinical of CEIC were included in the study.

Results

The mean age of affected dogs was 9 years. There were 9 females and 3 males. Two out of 12 dogs were Shih Tzus. Where identified, etiology was traumatic. Eleven dogs were affected unilaterally, 1 bilaterally. The cysts were single, bi‐lobulated, or tri‐lobulate, and cyst size ranged from 1 to 6 mm in diameter. Keratectomy alone was performed in seven cases, in conjunction with a conjunctival graft in three cases, a porcine small intestine mucosa graft in two cases, or an amniotic membrane graft in one case. Histopathologic findings were consistent in all eyes with a cyst located in the corneal stroma, composed of a nonkeratinized squamous epithelium delineating a lumen filled with neutrophils and desquamated epithelial cells. Surgery was curative in all cases but one, where the removal was incomplete and recurrence occurred several weeks after the surgery.

Conclusion

Corneal epithelial inclusion cysts is a rare condition, secondary to corneal trauma, which can be treated successfully with conventional keratectomy alone or in conjunction with graft procedures.
Online sequential extreme learning machine in river water quality (turbidity) prediction: a comparative study on different data mining approaches
Authors: Zounemat‐Kermani Mohammad , Alizamir Meysam , Fadaee Marzieh , Sankaran Namboothiri Adarsh , Shiri Jalal
Published: August 2020

As a measure of water quality, water turbidity might be a source of water pollution in drinking water resources. Henceforth, having a reliable tool for predicting turbidity values based on common water quantity/quality measured parameters is of great importance. In the present paper, the performance of the online sequential extreme learning machine (OS‐ELM) in predicting daily values of turbidity in Brandywine Creek, Pennsylvania, is evaluated. For this purpose, in addition to the developed OS‐ELM, several data‐driven models, that is, multilayer perceptron neural network (MLPANN), the classification and regression tree (CART), the group method of data handling (GMDH) and the response surface method (RSM) have been applied. The general findings of the study confirm the superiority of the OS‐ELM model over the other applied models so that the OS‐ELM improved the averaged RMSE of the predicted values 9.1, 11.7, 20.5 and 29.3% over the MLPANN, GMDH, RSM and CART models, respectively.
Prevalence of concurrent headache and temporomandibular disorders: a systematic review protocol
Authors: Mnguni Nkazimulo , Olivier Benita , Mosselson Jackie , Mudzi Witness
Published: August 2020

Objective:

The objective of this review is to determine the concurrent prevalence of temporomandibular disorders and headaches in patients.

Introduction:

Temporomandibular disorders affect the temporomandibular joint and associated orofacial structures. It is the second-most common musculoskeletal disorder experienced by adults. Headache is one of the most pervasive neurological disorders and can be an extremely disabling condition. Temporomandibular disorders and headache are known to often occur simultaneously and have a bi-directional relationship due to their close anatomical association.

Inclusion criteria:

The systematic review will include all studies with adult participants (>18 years) experiencing headaches (migraine, migraine with/without aura, tension-type, cervicogenic, and chronic headache) with symptoms of temporomandibular disorders occurring concurrently.

Methods:

An initial search of PubMed will be followed by CINAHL, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials in the Cochrane Library, EBSCO MasterFILE Premier, PEDro, ProQuest Health and Medical Complete, Science Direct, and Scopus. Titles and abstracts of studies will be reviewed, and full text articles will be selected if the inclusion criteria are met. Studies that meet the eligibility criteria will then be assessed by two independent reviewers. Full-text articles will be selected if the inclusion criteria are met. A standardized critical appraisal checklist for studies reporting prevalence data will be used to assess methodological quality and a standardized data extraction tool will be used. The results from the included studies will be analyzed using JBI SUMARI software.

Systematic review registration number:

PROSPERO (CRD42019139689)
Benefits of a College STEM Faculty Development Initiative: Instructors Report Increased and Sustained Implementation of Research-Based Instructional Strategies
Authors: Durham Mary F. , Aragón Oriana R. , Bathgate Meghan E. , Bobrownicki Aiyana , Cavanagh Andrew J. , Chen Xinnian , Trochim William M. , Waterhouse Jonathan K. , Graham Mark J. , Couch Brian A.
Published: August 2020

The Summer Institutes on Scientific Teaching (SI) is a faculty development workshop in which science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) instructors, particularly from biology, are trained in the Scientific Teaching (ST) pedagogy. While participants have generally reported positive experiences, we aimed to assess how the SI affected participants’ teaching practices. Building on a previously developed taxonomy of ST practices, we surveyed SI participants from the 2004–2014 SI classes regarding specific ST practices. Participants’ self-reported use and implementation of ST practices increased immediately after SI attendance as well as over a longer time frame, suggesting that implementation persisted and even increased with time. However, instructors reported implementation gains for some practices more than others. The practices with the highest gains were engaging students in their own learning, using learning goals in course design, employing formative assessment, developing overarching course learning goals, representing science as a process, and facilitating group discussion activities. We propose that the ST practices showing the greatest gains may serve as beneficial focal points for professional development programs, while practices with smaller gains may require modified dissemination approaches or support structures.
Running vacuum in quantum field theory in curved spacetime: renormalizing $$\rho _{vac}$$ without $$\sim m^4$$ terms
Authors: Moreno-Pulido Cristian , Solà Peracaula Joan
Published: August 2020

The $$\Lambda $$Λ-term in Einstein’s equations is a fundamental building block of the ‘concordance’ $$\Lambda $$ΛCDM model of cosmology. Even though the model is not free of fundamental problems, they have not been circumvented by any alternative dark energy proposal either. Here we stick to the $$\Lambda $$Λ-term, but we contend that it can be a ‘running quantity’ in quantum field theory (QFT) in curved space time. A plethora of phenomenological works have shown that this option can be highly competitive with the $$\Lambda $$ΛCDM with a rigid cosmological term. The, so-called, ‘running vacuum models’ (RVM’s) are characterized by the vacuum energy density, $$\rho _{vac}$$ρvac, being a series of (even) powers of the Hubble parameter and its time derivatives. Such theoretical form has been motivated by general renormalization group arguments, which look plausible. Here we dwell further upon the origin of the RVM structure within QFT in FLRW spacetime. We compute the renormalized energy-momentum tensor with the help of the adiabatic regularization procedure and find that it leads essentially to the RVM form. This means that $$\rho _{vac}(H)$$ρvac(H) evolves as a constant term plus dynamical components $${{\mathcal {O}}}(H^2)$$O(H2) and $$\mathcal{O}(H^4)$$O(H4), the latter being relevant for the early universe only. However, the renormalized $$\rho _{vac}(H)$$ρvac(H) does not carry dangerous terms proportional to the quartic power of the masses ($$\sim m^4$$∼m4) of the fields, these terms being a well-known source of exceedingly large contributions. At present, $$\rho _{vac}(H)$$ρvac(H) is dominated by the additive constant term accompanied by a mild dynamical component $$\sim \nu H^2$$∼νH2 ($$|\nu |\ll 1$$|ν|≪1), which mimics quintessence.
Efficient Deep Learning Architecture for Detection and Recognition of Thyroid Nodules
Authors: Ma Jingzhe , Duan Shaobo , Zhang Ye , Wang Jing , Wang Zongmin , Li Runzhi , Li Yongli , Zhang Lianzhong , Ma Huimin
Published: August 2020

Ultrasonography is widely used in the clinical diagnosis of thyroid nodules. Ultrasound images of thyroid nodules have different appearances, interior features, and blurred borders that are difficult for a physician to diagnose into malignant or benign types merely through visual recognition. The development of artificial intelligence, especially deep learning, has led to great advances in the field of medical image diagnosis. However, there are some challenges to achieve precision and efficiency in the recognition of thyroid nodules. In this work, we propose a deep learning architecture, you only look once v3 dense multireceptive fields convolutional neural network (YOLOv3-DMRF), based on YOLOv3. It comprises a DMRF-CNN and multiscale detection layers. In DMRF-CNN, we integrate dilated convolution with different dilation rates to continue passing the edge and the texture features to deeper layers. Two different scale detection layers are deployed to recognize the different sizes of the thyroid nodules. We used two datasets to train and evaluate the YOLOv3-DMRF during the experiments. One dataset includes 699 original ultrasound images of thyroid nodules collected from a local health physical center. We obtained 10,485 images after data augmentation. Another dataset is an open-access dataset that includes ultrasound images of 111 malignant and 41 benign thyroid nodules. Average precision (AP) and mean average precision (mAP) are used as the metrics for quantitative and qualitative evaluations. We compared the proposed YOLOv3-DMRF with some state-of-the-art deep learning networks. The experimental results show that YOLOv3-DMRF outperforms others on mAP and detection time on both the datasets. Specifically, the values of mAP and detection time were 90.05 and 95.23% and 3.7 and 2.2 s, respectively, on the two test datasets. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed YOLOv3-DMRF is efficient for detection and recognition of thyroid nodules for ultrasound images.
Aplysin Retards Pancreatic Necrosis and Inflammatory Responses in NOD Mice by Stabilizing Intestinal Barriers and Regulating Gut Microbial Composition
Authors: Liu Ying , Cui Xinyue , Gao Ming-Qing , Xue Meilan , Xu Hongwei , Chang Zhishang , Jiang Yushan , Liang Hui
Published: August 2020

Aplysin is a brominated sesquiterpene with an isoprene skeleton and has biological activities. The purpose of this study is to investigate the inhibitory effect of aplysin on spontaneous pancreatic necrosis in nonobese diabetic (NOD) mice and its potential mechanisms. Results showed that NOD mice at 12 weeks of age showed obvious spontaneous pancreatic necrosis, damaged tight junctions of intestinal epithelia, and widened gaps in tight and adherens junctions. Aplysin intervention was able to alleviate spontaneous pancreatic necrosis in NOD mice, accompanied with decreased serum endotoxin levels and downregulated expressions of Toll-like receptor 4 and its related molecules MyD88, TRAF-6, NF-κB p65, TRIF, TRAM, and IRF-3, as well as protein levels of interleukin-1β and interferon-β in pancreatic tissues. In addition, we observed obvious improvements of intestinal mucosal barrier function and changes of gut microbiota in the relative abundance at the phylum level and the genus level in aplysin-treated mice compared with control mice. Together, these data suggested that aplysin could retard spontaneous pancreatic necrosis and inflammatory responses in NOD mice through the stabilization of intestinal barriers and regulation of gut microbial composition.
A Cluster and Process Collaboration-Aware Method to Achieve Service Substitution in Cloud Service Processes
Authors: Hu Qiang , Shen Jiaji
Published: August 2020

Some cloud services may be invalid since they are located in a dynamically changing network environment. Service substitution is necessary when a cloud service cannot be used. Existing work mainly concerned on service function and quality in service substitution. To select a more suitable substitutive service, process collaboration similarity needs to be considered. This paper proposes a cluster and process collaboration-aware method to achieve service substitution. To compute the process collaboration similarity, we use logic Petri nets to model service processes. All the service processes are transformed into path strings. Service vectors for cloud services are generated by Word2Vec from these path strings. Process collaboration similarity of two cloud services is obtained by computing the cosine value of their service vectors. Meanwhile, similar cloud services are classified as a service cluster. By calculating function similarity and quality matching, a candidate set for services substitution is generated. The service with the highest process collaboration similarity to invalid one in the candidate set is chosen as the substitutive one. Simulation experiments show the proposed method is less time-consuming than traditional methods in finding substitutive service. Meanwhile, the substitutive one has a high cooccurrence rate with neighboring services of the invalid cloud service. Thus, the proposed method is efficient and integrates process collaboration well in service substitution.
Type II Half Logistic Kumaraswamy Distribution with Applications
Authors: ZeinEldin Ramadan A. , Haq Muhammad Ahsan ul , Hashmi Sharqa , Elsehety Mahmoud , Elgarhy M.
Published: August 2020

In this paper, a new distribution with a unit interval named type II half logistic Kumaraswamy (TIIHLKw) distribution is proposed. Its density and distribution functions are presented using alternate expressions. This distribution is obtained by adding an extra parameter in the existing model to rise its ability fitting complex data sets. Some important statistical properties of TIIHLKw distribution are derived. The estimation of the parameters is obtained by numerous well-recognized approaches and simulation study confirmed the efficiencies of estimates such obtained. We apply the related model to practical datasets, and it is concluded that the proposed model is the best by model selection criteria than other competitive models.
A New Chief Editor for Neural Plasticity Growth
Authors: Baudry Michel
Published: August 2020

Neural Plasticity is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Michel Baudry as its new Chief Editor. Dr. Baudry is currently University Professor at Western University of Health Sciences in Pomona, CA. In this Editorial, Dr. Baudry describes some of the journal's journey and current status, and shares his vision and aspirations for its future.
A 5G Beam Selection Machine Learning Algorithm for Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Applications
Authors: Meng Hao , Shafik Wasswa , Matinkhah S. Mojtaba , Ahmad Zubair
Published: August 2020

The unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) emerged into a promising research trend within the recurrent year where current and future networks are to use enhanced connectivity in these digital immigrations in different fields like medical, communication, and search and rescue operations among others. The current technologies are using fixed base stations to operate onsite and off-site in the fixed position with its associated problems like poor connectivity. This open gate for the UAV technology is to be used as a mobile alternative to increase accessibility with fifth-generation (5G) connectivity that focuses on increased availability and connectivity. There has been less usage of wireless technologies in the medical field. This paper first presents a study on deep learning to medical field application in general and provides detailed steps that are involved in the multiarmed bandit (MAB) approach in solving the UAV biomedical engineering technology device and medical exploration to exploitation dilemma. The paper further presents a detailed description of the bandit network applicability to achieve close optimal performance and efficiency of medical engineered devices. The simulated results depicted that a multiarmed bandit problem approach can be applied in optimizing the performance of any medical networked device issue compared to the Thompson sampling, Bayesian algorithm, and ε-greedy algorithm. The results obtained further illustrated the optimized utilization of biomedical engineering technology systems achieving thus close optimal performance on the average period through deep learning of realistic medical situations.
Generative Adversarial Network Technologies and Applications in Computer Vision
Authors: Jin Lianchao , Tan Fuxiao , Jiang Shengming
Published: August 2020

Computer vision is one of the hottest research fields in deep learning. The emergence of generative adversarial networks (GANs) provides a new method and model for computer vision. The idea of GANs using the game training method is superior to traditional machine learning algorithms in terms of feature learning and image generation. GANs are widely used not only in image generation and style transfer but also in the text, voice, video processing, and other fields. However, there are still some problems with GANs, such as model collapse and uncontrollable training. This paper deeply reviews the theoretical basis of GANs and surveys some recently developed GAN models, in comparison with traditional GAN models. The applications of GANs in computer vision include data enhancement, domain transfer, high-quality sample generation, and image restoration. The latest research progress of GANs in artificial intelligence (AI) based security attack and defense is introduced. The future development of GANs in computer vision is also discussed at the end of the paper with possible applications of AI in computer vision.
Service-Learning or Internship: A Mixed-Methods Evaluation of Experiential Learning Pedagogies
Authors: Leary Miriam P. , Sherlock Lori A.
Published: August 2020

Experiential learning pedagogies, including internship and service-learning experiences, are becoming increasingly popular in higher education. An internship engages students with hands-on experiences that enhance their learning or skills within their fields of study. In contrast, service-learning is a type of experiential education in which students participate in service, typically within the community, and reflect on their involvement to gain further understanding of the discipline as well as its relationship to societal needs. To date, no study has directly compared these teaching modalities. Therefore, the present study systematically evaluated a service-learning experience against an internship experience using a mixed-methods model with the primary outcome being student self-efficacy. Sixteen exercise physiology students (13 females) completed a community-based wellness internship with a subgroup (nine students, 7 females) allocated to a service-learning component of internship designed to improve self-efficacy. At the end of the semester, students completed a 15-item online self-efficacy and satisfaction survey. Three focus groups were conducted in which 3-4 participants responded to a series of nine questions that explored their experience. Overall responses to the self-efficacy and satisfaction survey were favorable for both groups, but the internship group was more likely to agree or strongly agree with statements of self-efficacy. Focus groups found that the internship experience reinforced classroom learning, but the ability to work with different populations and ability levels was mentioned only by the service-learning group. Themes from reflective assignments, such as engaging with community members and professional exploration, were evident only in the service-learning group responses. Therefore, the findings indicate that service-learning reflection assignments successfully connect the service experience to relevant course outcomes promoting student development but may not improve self-reported self-efficacy beyond that of a typical internship experience.