bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Smallholder adoption of horticultural crops: the case of dragon fruit in Southeast Sulawesi
Authors: Saediman Haji , Mboe Ilham Saediman , Budiyanto Budiyanto , Sarinah Sarinah , Hidrawati Hidrawati
Published: July 2021

Dragon fruit was planted in Indonesia starting in 2000 and has gained popularity since then due to its good taste, high nutrient contents, and many health benefits. The present study aimed to assess the adoption of dragon fruit in South Konawe District of Southeast Sulawesi province. Data collection was done in Pohuto Jaya village in South Konawe District. All dragon fruit growers (30 persons) in the village were taken as respondents. Data were collected through the questionnaire-based interview with the growers and in-depth interviews with agricultural extension officers. Data were analyzed using Cost and Returns analysis and descriptive statistics. Research results showed that dragon fruit production is profitable with high net returns. Farmers perceived several advantages of dragon fruit farming, namely easy to cultivate, shorter time to flowering, harvesting throughout the year, low risk of harvest failure, and reasonable market price. Other farmers were the most important source of information, followed by the social media. Farmers who perceived their skills in dragon fruit cultivation as being good was only 23.3 percent, indicating the importance of improving their knowledge and skills through various means. The local government should provide regular extension services and other supports to improve productivity and sustainability of dragon fruit farming in the district and province as a whole.
Structure and similarities of Understorey Vegetation Communities in the mining area of PT. Indocement Tunggal Prakarsa Tbk. Palimanan Unit, Cirebon
Authors: Nasihin Iing , Kosasih Dede , Herlina Nina , Nurlaila Ai
Published: July 2021

The success of post-mining ecosystem reclamation is determined by a successful succession process. An Understorey is a group of vegetation that grows in the early stages of succession. This study aims to determine the structure and similarity of communities in various types of ecosystems in the mining area of PT. Indocement Tunggal Prakarsa Tbk. Palimanan Unit. The data collection method used line transect with a size of 1 m x 1 m at 7 (seven) locations, namely AKGB, TDP, TLP, AP, ASB, SD, APS. The number of plots is 140 plots. Data collection was carried out in the rainy and dry season. Found as many as 181 species of Understorey. Dominant and index H’ species Commelina benghalensis in Rainy season and Cynodon dactyl on dry season. The similarity of Understorey communities between observation locations in the rainy and dry seasons varies. In the observation of the rainy season, the observation location with the highest community similarity was between AP and SD (48.13%). The lowest community similarity in the rainy season was found between AKGB and APS locations (1.95%). In the dry season observation, the location with the highest similarity was between TLP and AP (74.18%), and the location with the lowest similarity was TDP and TLP (0.18%).
Activity of valerian catalase in Ultisol growing media by adding humic acid
Authors: Proklamasiningsih Elly , Widodo Pudji
Published: July 2021

Ultisols are soil in marginal lands which contain high Al and Fe, allowing the growing plants to have self-defense strategies by increasing catalase enzyme activity. The purpose of this study was to examine the response of valerian to Ultisol growing media by giving humic acid to the activity of the catalase enzyme, and to determine the potential planting medium to increase the activity of the catalase enzyme. The research method used was experimental with 2 factors of factorial completely randomized design (CRD). The first factor is the planting medium which consists of two media types namely (1) Ultisols and (2) Ultisols + organic matter. The second factor is the concentration of humic acid which consists of 4 treatment levels namely 0 g/kg; 4 g/kg; 8 g/kg and 12 g/kg. Of the two factors observed, 8 treatment combinations were produced, each with 3 replications. Parameters observed were catalase enzyme activity and growth parameters. As supporting data, the content of N, P, K, Ca, Mg, S, Mn, Fe, and Al in Ultisols have been analyzed. The results showed that the growing medium had an effect on the catalase enzyme activity. Catalase activity is influenced by the planting medium, plants that experience stress increase the catalase activity. Valerian grown on Ultisol growing media increased catalase activity, whereas those in Ultisol growing media with the addition of organic matter decreased catalase activity.
Distribution and association of Ficus spp in the shrubs area of Gunung Ciremai National Park Indonesia
Authors: Hendrayana Yayan , Supartono Toto , Adhya Ilham , Ismail Agus Yadi , Kosasih Dede
Published: July 2021

The existence of Ficus spp in shrubs areas which is a type of pioneer tree is not widely known so this research aims to obtain information on the distribution and association of Ficus spp. in the shrubs area of Gunung Ciremai National Park. Collecting data using purposive sampling method which then made sample plots with an area of 0.04 hectares each of 73 plots. The results of this study were there were 10 types of Ficus spp, including Ficus hispida, Ficus fistulosa, Ficus variegate, Ficus padana, Ficus septica, Ficus ribes, Ficus calophylla, Ficus benjamina, Ficus ampelas, and Ficus sp. They are spread from an altitude of 726 - 912 m asl. The most individuals found were Ficus hispida (77 individuals) and Ficus fistulosa (67 individuals). Of the 45 pairs there are 10 pairs that are significantly different or associated, 2 are positively associated and 8 pairs are negatively associated. This information is very important for area rehabilitation activities, especially in shrubs areas
Use of faecal pellet count method in estimating population density of mammals in Gunung Ciremai National Park
Authors: Supartono Toto , Adhya Ilham , Hendrayana Yayan , Kosasih Dede , Yudayana Bambang
Published: July 2021

Population data is very necessary in the conservation of a species and area management. However, population estimation often faces obstacles, such as difficulty meeting individual animals directly. The purpose of this study were to identify the types of mammals based on the presence of feces and to analyze the types of mammals whose population estimation can use the pellet count method. Research in the form of experiments was carried out in two blocks by clearing the forest floor measuring 9 m2 with 35 sample plots and the distance between the plots was 100 meters. Observations have also been made on patrol routes and access roads. Data analysis was carried out descriptively. Research has found feces of Felis bengalensis and Paradoxurus hermaphroditus species specifically from sample plots. Apart from these two species, research has recorded the excrement of Sus scrofa, Muntiacus muntjac, and Panthera pardus species on the patrol and access roads. This study shows that it is possible to estimate wildcat and civet populations by using the method of counting the feces in the sample unit in the form of plots. Based on this method, the density of the wildcat was around 0.026 ind/ha and the civet were around 2.8 ind/ha. The combination of sample unit forms (sample plots, paths, patrol lines, and access roads) can accommodate other animal species in population estimation using this method
Production Planning and Inventory Control of Atonic Fertilizer Products Using Static Lot Sizing Method
Authors: Tannady Hendy , Renwarin Joseph M J , Cora Andi Nurhikmah Daeng , Purwanto Edi
Published: July 2021

This research was conducted at one national manufacturer that focus on production and distribution of fertilizer products. The name of the firm is PT OAT Mitoku Agrio (OMA), OMA is a company that works as a registration holder, importer of raw materials, formulators, and marketers of Atonic growth regulators and Metallic organic fertilizers that are widely used by farmers in Indonesia. Economic Order Quantity (EOQ) is one of the calculations method used to determine the quantity of company orders with a predetermined frequency and when is the appropriate time for the firm to make a reorder. This method aims to minimize total inventory cost so that inventory efficiency runs well, thus an optimal number of ordering units can be reached with minimum costs. Based on the results of this study, the EOQ method provides the most optimal order quantity with a most minimum cost.
Direct synthesis of substrate-independent nanoparticles for antibacterial application
Authors: Ye Wei , Wang Nan , Wang Lingren , Liu Sen , Zhang Chao , Liu Jingjing , Xin Jiang , Ding Hongyan
Published: July 2021

In the present study, we designed a substrate-independent antimicrobial nanoparticle (SNP) via self-assembly of poly (acrylic acid) (PAA) and poly (diallyl dimethyl ammonium chloride) (PDDA). The prepared nanoparticle, with a cube structure, as revealed by scanning electron microscope (SEM), maintained structural integrity even after extensive washing. In addition, the SNP was endowed with substrate-independent adhesive affinity to various surfaces by carbodiimide reaction owing to the carboxyl group of PAA. The results of blood compatibility and cytocompatibility demonstrated that the SNP had a limited effect on blood coagulation and cell proliferation. The results of antibacterial tests indicated that the SNP exhibited significant inhibition ability for both gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria, reducing cell amount by 97.2% and 98.2% within 24 h for Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus, respectively. The hemocompatibility and cytocompatibility were attributed to the introduction of carboxyl group, and the significantly antimicrobial property was ascribed to the introduction of PDDA. Furthermore, the SNP maintained outstanding long-term antimicrobial property. In general, it was believed that the designed SNP probably showed potential for applications in various biological and clinical fields.
Synthesis, characterization and CO2 adsorption studies of DABCO based pillared Zn-BDC and Co-BDC metal organic frameworks
Authors: Aamer Ijlal , Iqbal Naseem , Noor Tayyaba , Asghar Aisha
Published: July 2021

This study focuses on pre-synthetic functionalized MOF material normally known as pillared layer MOFs. An additional component DABCO (1,4-diazabicyclo[2.2.2] octane) is added to the MOFs which works as a pillar to produce 3D structured MOFs. Zn-BDC-DABCO and Co-BDC-DABCO were studied for their performance in CO2 capture application. The addition of DABCO turns the 2D-layered metal-BDC lattice into a 3D structure with enhanced performance for CO2 capture. The MOFs were characterized using XRD, SEM, TGA, FTIR, and BET, and the CO2 capture capacity was tested at 25 °C and 0–25 bar. Zn-BDC-DABCO and Co-BDC-DABCO showed a maximum adsorption capacity of 6.3 and 4.4 mmol g−1 CO2.
Bayesian calibration of order and diffusivity parameters in a fractional diffusion equation
Authors: Alzahrani Hasnaa H , Lucchesi Marco , Mustapha Kassem , Le Maître Olivier P , Knio Omar M
Published: July 2021

This work focuses on parameter calibration of a variable-diffusivity fractional diffusion model. A random, spatially-varying diffusivity field with log-normal distribution is considered. The variance and correlation length of the diffusivity field are considered uncertain parameters, and the order of the fractional sub-diffusion operator is also taken uncertain and uniformly distributed in the range(0,1). A Karhunen-Loève (KL) decomposition of the random diffusivity field is used, leading to a stochastic problem defined in terms of a finite number of canonical random variables. Polynomial chaos (PC) techniques are used to express the dependence of the stochastic solution on these random variables. A non-intrusive methodology is used, and a deterministic finite-difference solver of the fractional diffusion model is utilized for this purpose. The PC surrogates are first used to assess the sensitivity of quantities of interest (QoIs) to uncertain inputs and to examine their statistics. In particular, the analysis indicates that the fractional order has a dominant effect on the variance of the QoIs considered, followed by the leading KL modes. The PC surrogates are further exploited to calibrate the uncertain parameters using a Bayesian methodology. Different setups are considered, including distributed and localized forcing functions and data consisting of either noisy observations of the solution or its first moments. In the broad range of parameters addressed, the analysis shows that the uncertain parameters having a significant impact on the variance of the solution can be reliably inferred, even from limited observations.
Healthcare system conversion to a biosimilar: Trials and tribulations
Authors: Lam Simon W , Amoline Kevin , Marcum Christopher , Leonard Mandy
Published: July 2021

Purpose

While biologic medications have transformed the care and management of millions of patients, they are a large financial strain on the healthcare system. Biosimilar medications present a great opportunity to improve care affordability. However, despite streamlined approval processes and the potential for cost savings, the acceptance and adoption of biosimilars have been slow. This descriptive report illustrates the preparation for, challenges of, and execution of an enterprise-wide biosimilar conversion within a large healthcare system. The 3 phases of biosimilar conversion utilized at our institution included selection of a biosimilar, pharmacy and therapeutics (P&T) committee approval, and implementation.

When selecting a biosimilar, clinical data, medication safety, cost, institutional cost savings, payer coverage, patient assistance programs, and additional patient services should be taken into consideration to ensure patient care is not affected. Understanding and endorsement of biosimilar use by physician leadership, care managers, and pharmacists are crucial before implementation. P&T committee approval with clear delineation of the patient population (naive vs experienced), disease states, and whether the biosimilar would be the preferred medication should be obtained. Transparent communication of clear expectations to patients and coordination with the information technology (IT), contracting, and supply chain departments are necessary before the go-live date. Contracting and IT implementations should ideally take potential changes in biosimilar adoption into consideration and have enough flexibility to account for these changes. Planned evaluations of patients’ experiences with the change to the biosimilar should be incorporated as part of the implementation plan.

Conclusion

The barriers to biosimilar adoption are plentiful. Careful planning, clear communication, and coordination with all affected disciplines can ensure successful biosimilar conversion.
Comparative analysis of microRNA expression profiles in the colons of specific pathogen-free mice and germ-free mice
Authors: Aoki Ayako , Aoki Reiji , Yatagai Madoka , Kawasumi Toshiyuki
Published: July 2021

MicroRNAs play an important role in microbiota–host crosstalk. In this study, we compared microRNA expression in whole colons of specific pathogen-free mice and germ-free mice. Forty-eight microRNAs were differentially expressed by more than 2-fold. Gene ontology analysis of the predicted mRNA targets revealed that the majority of the most significant gene ontology terms were related to GTPases and nerves.
Stable Iterative Variable Selection
Authors: Mahmoudian Mehrad , Venäläinen Mikko S , Klén Riku , Elo Laura L
Published: July 2021

Motivation

The emergence of datasets with tens of thousands of features, such as high-throughput omics biomedical data, highlights the importance of reducing the feature space into a distilled subset that can truly capture the signal for research and industry by aiding in finding more effective biomarkers for the question in hand. A good feature set also facilitates building robust predictive models with improved interpretability and convergence of the applied method due to the smaller feature space.

Results

Here, we present a robust feature selection method named Stable Iterative Variable Selection (SIVS) and assess its performance over both omics and clinical data types. As a performance assessment metric, we compared the number and goodness of the selected feature using SIVS to those selected by Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator regression. The results suggested that the feature space selected by SIVS was, on average, 41% smaller, without having a negative effect on the model performance. A similar result was observed for comparison with Boruta and caret RFE.

Availability and implementation

The method is implemented as an R package under GNU General Public License v3.0 and is accessible via Comprehensive R Archive Network (CRAN) via https://cran.r-project.org/package=sivs.

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Role of inflammation in alcohol-related brain abnormalities: a translational study
Authors: Lanquetin Anastasia , Leclercq Sophie , de Timary Philippe , Segobin Shailendra , Naveau Mikaël , Coulbault Laurent , Maccioni Paola , Lorrai Irene , Colombo Giancarlo , Vivien Denis , Rubio Marina , Pitel Anne-Lise
Published: July 2021

Brain abnormalities observed in alcohol use disorder are highly heterogeneous in nature and severity, possibly because chronic alcohol consumption also affects peripheral organs leading to comorbidities that can result in exacerbated brain alterations. Despite numerous studies focussing on the effects of alcohol on the brain or liver, few studies have simultaneously examined liver function and brain damage in alcohol use disorder, and even fewer investigated the relationship between them except in hepatic encephalopathy. And yet, liver dysfunction may be a risk factor for the development of alcohol-related neuropsychological deficits and brain damage well before the development of liver cirrhosis, and potentially through inflammatory responses. The use of animal models enables a better understanding of the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying liver–brain relationships in alcohol use disorder, and more particularly of the inflammatory response at the tissue, cerebral and hepatic levels. The objective of this translational study was to investigate, both in alcohol use disorder patients and in a validated animal model of alcohol use disorder, the links between peripheral inflammation, liver damage and brain alterations. To do this, we conducted an in vivo neuroimaging examination and biological measures to evaluate brain volumes, liver fibrosis and peripheral cytokines in alcohol use disorder patients. In selectively bred Sardinian alcohol-preferring rats, we carried out ex vivo neuroimaging examination and immunohistochemistry to evaluate brain and liver inflammatory responses after chronic (50 consecutive weeks) alcohol drinking. In recently abstinent and non-cirrhotic alcohol use disorder patients, the score of liver fibrosis positively correlated with subcortical regions volumes (especially in right and left putamen) and level of circulating proinflammatory cytokines. In Sardinian alcohol-preferring rats, we found macrostructural brain damage and microstructural white matter abnormalities similar to those found in alcohol use disorder patients. In addition, in agreement with the results of peripheral inflammation observed in the patients, we revealed, in Sardinian alcohol-preferring rats, inflammatory responses in the brain and liver were caused by chronic alcohol consumption. Since the liver is the main source of cytokines in the human body, these results suggest a relationship between liver dysfunction and brain damage in alcohol use disorder patients, even in the absence of major liver disease. These findings encourage considering new therapeutic strategies aiming at treating peripheral organs to limit alcohol-related brain damage.
Longitudinal Assessment of Coronavirus Disease 2019 Vaccine Acceptance and Uptake Among Frontline Medical Workers in Los Angeles, California
Authors: Halbrook Megan , Gadoth Adva , Martin-Blais Rachel , Gray Ashley N , Kashani Saman , Kazan Clayton , Kane Brian , Tobin Nicole H , Ferbas Kathie G , Aldrovandi Grace M , Rimoin Anne W
Published: July 2021

Background

Sentiments of vaccine hesitancy and distrust in public health institutions have complicated the government-led coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine control strategy in the United States. As the first to receive the vaccine, COVID-19 vaccine attitudes among frontline workers are consequential for COVID-19 control and public opinion of the vaccine.

Methods

In this study, we used a repeated cross-sectional survey administered at 3 time points between 24 September 2020 and 6 February 2021 to a cohort of employees of the University of California, Los Angeles Health and the Los Angeles County Fire Department. The primary outcome of interest was COVID-19 vaccination intent and vaccine uptake.

Results

Confidence in COVID-19 vaccines and vaccine uptake rose significantly over time. At survey 1, confidence in vaccine protection was 46.4% among healthcare workers (HCWs) and 34.6% among first responders (FRs); by survey 3, this had risen to 90.0% and 75.7%, respectively. At survey 1, about one-third of participants intended to receive a vaccine as soon as possible. By survey 3, 96.0% of HCWs and 87.5% of FRs had received a COVID-19 vaccine.

Conclusions

Attitudes toward vaccine uptake increased over the study period, likely a result of increased public confidence in COVID-19 vaccines, targeted communications, a COVID-19 winter surge in Los Angeles County, and ease of access from employer-sponsored vaccine distribution.
The Effects of Co-Viewers on the Viewing Experience
Authors: Tal-Or Nurit
Published: July 2021

Although media consumption often occurs with others, relatively few studies have documented the effect of co-viewing on the viewing experience. Moreover, theories of media effects generally focus on the individual and do not pay attention to group processes. Thus, previous co-viewing research has used various theories related to different aspects specific to each study, making it difficult to comprehend the connections between the studies. The aim of this paper is to propose a comprehensive model of the effects of co-viewing on the experience of watching a narrative text. Based on existing psychological theories that are applied to co-viewing contexts, the model includes the various processes underlying the effects of co-viewing, along with suggested moderators of these processes. While there is empirical evidence supporting some of the effects the model suggests, others have not yet been investigated. Thus, the model presents new directions for future research.
Twenty-five years of cyber threats in the news: a study of Swedish newspaper coverage (1995–2019)
Authors: Boholm Max
Published: July 2021

This paper explores how cyber threats are represented in Swedish newspapers. The sample comprises 1269 articles from three newspapers (Aftonbladet, Göteborgs-Posten, and Svenska Dagbladet) covering 25 years (1995–2019). The study provides a text-near and detailed analysis of the threats covered. The study analyzes these threats along several dimensions: their modality (e.g. unauthorized access or manipulation); to what extent ambiguous themes (e.g. attack, crime, and warfare) are specified in context; how cyber-threat coverage has changed over time; and the event orientation of the coverage, i.e. whether articles address topical events and, if so, which ones. There are five main findings. First, the Swedish newspaper cybersecurity discourse covers multiple threats; in total, 34 themes (present in at least 4% of articles) have been identified. Second, the representation of cyber threats varies in specificity. While generic themes such as attack and warfare are mostly specified in terms of their modality, they sometimes are not, leaving the representation vague. Third, this study, given its general approach, provides insights into media representations of particular cyber threats. For example, this study finds the meaning of “hacking” in the media to be more diversified and nuanced than previously assumed (e.g. as simply meaning “computer break-in”). Fourth, newspaper coverage of cyber threats has changed over time, in both quantity (i.e. the amount of coverage has increased) and quality, as three general trends have been observed: the state-ification and militarization of threats (i.e. increased attention to, e.g. nations and warfare as threats), the organization-ification of threats (i.e. increased attention to, e.g. government agencies and companies as threats), and the diversification and hyping of threats (i.e. cumulatively more threats are added to the cybersecurity discourse, although attention to particular threats is sometimes restricted in time). Finally, parallel to coverage of particular topical events (e.g. the “I love you” virus), newspaper representations of cyber threats largely exemplify “amplification without the event,” i.e. threats are covered without linking them to topical events, as is otherwise typical of news reports. The findings in relation to previous studies of cybersecurity discourse and the implications for informal learning and threat perception are discussed.
Mammographic features are associated with cardiometabolic disease risk and mortality
Authors: Grassmann Felix , Yang Haomin , Eriksson Mikael , Azam Shadi , Hall Per , Czene Kamila
Published: July 2021

Aims

In recent years, microcalcifications identified in routine mammograms were found to be associated with cardiometabolic disease in women. Here, we aimed to systematically evaluate the association of microcalcifications and other mammographic features with cardiometabolic disease risk and mortality in a large screening cohort and to understand a potential genetic contribution.

Methods and results

This study included 57 867 women from a prospective mammographic screening cohort in Sweden (KARMA) and 49 583 sisters. Cardiometabolic disease diagnoses and mortality and medication were extracted by linkage to Swedish population registries with virtually no missing data. In the cardiometabolic phenome-wide association study, we found that a higher number of microcalcifications were associated with increased risk for multiple cardiometabolic diseases, particularly in women with pre-existing cardiometabolic diseases. In contrast, dense breasts were associated with a lower incidence of cardiometabolic diseases. Importantly, we observed similar associations in sisters of KARMA women, indicating a potential genetic overlap between mammographic features and cardiometabolic traits. Finally, we observed that the presence of microcalcifications was associated with increased cardiometabolic mortality in women with pre-existing cardiometabolic diseases (hazard ratio and 95% confidence interval: 1.79 [1.24–2.58], P = 0.002) while we did not find such effects in women without cardiometabolic diseases.

Conclusions

We found that mammographic features are associated with cardiometabolic risk and mortality. Our results strengthen the notion that a combination of mammographic features and other breast cancer risk factors could be a novel and affordable tool to assess cardiometabolic health in women attending mammographic screening.
Sex differences in outcomes after coronary artery bypass grafting: a pooled analysis of individual patient data
Authors: Gaudino Mario , Di Franco Antonino , Alexander John H , Bakaeen Faisal , Egorova Natalia , Kurlansky Paul , Boening Andreas , Chikwe Joanna , Demetres Michelle , Devereaux Philip J , Diegeler Anno , Dimagli Arnaldo , Flather Marcus , Hameed Irbaz , Lamy Andre , Lawton Jennifer S , Reents Wilko , Robinson N Bryce , Audisio Katia , Rahouma Mohamed , Serruys Patrick W , Hara Hironori , Taggart David P , Girardi Leonard N , Fremes Stephen E , Benedetto Umberto
Published: July 2021

Aims

Data suggest that women have worse outcomes than men after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), but results have been inconsistent across studies. Due to the large differences in baseline characteristics between sexes, suboptimal risk adjustment due to low-quality data may be the reason for the observed differences. To overcome this limitation, we undertook a systematic review and pooled analysis of high-quality individual patient data from large CABG trials to compare the adjusted outcomes of women and men.

Methods and results

The primary outcome was a composite of all-cause mortality, myocardial infarction (MI), stroke, and repeat revascularization (major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events, MACCE). The secondary outcome was all-cause mortality. Multivariable mixed-effect Cox regression was used. Four trials involving 13 193 patients (10 479 males; 2714 females) were included. Over 5 years of follow-up, women had a significantly higher risk of MACCE [adjusted hazard ratio (HR) 1.12, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.04–1.21; P = 0.004] but similar mortality (adjusted HR 1.03, 95% CI 0.94–1.14; P = 0.51) compared to men. Women had higher incidence of MI (adjusted HR 1.30, 95% CI 1.11–1.52) and repeat revascularization (adjusted HR 1.22, 95% CI 1.04–1.43) but not stroke (adjusted HR 1.17, 95% CI 0.90–1.52). The difference in MACCE between sexes was not significant in patients 75 years and older. The use of off-pump surgery and multiple arterial grafting did not modify the difference between sexes.

Conclusions

Women have worse outcomes than men in the first 5 years after CABG. This difference is not significant in patients aged over 75 years and is not affected by the surgical technique.
Contemporary trends and in-hospital outcomes of catheter and stand-alone surgical ablation of atrial fibrillation
Authors: Ariss Robert W , Khan Minhas Abdul Mannan , Patel Neha J , Zafrullah Fnu , Bhavsar Krupa , Nazir Salik , Jneid Hani , Moukarbel George V
Published: July 2021

Aims

The contemporary trends in catheter ablation (CA) and surgical ablation (SA) utilization and surgical techniques [open vs. thoracoscopic, with or without left atrial appendage closure (LAAC)] are unclear. In addition, the in-hospital outcomes of stand-alone SA compared with CA are not well-described.

Methods and results

The National Inpatient Sample 2010–18 was queried for atrial fibrillation (AF) hospitalizations with CA or stand-alone SA. Complex samples multivariable logistic and linear regression models were used to compare the association between stand-alone SA vs. CA and the primary outcomes of in-hospital mortality and stroke. Of 180 243 hospitalizations included within the study, 167 242 were for CA and 13 000 were for stand-alone SA. Catheter ablation and stand-alone SA hospitalizations decreased throughout the study period (Ptrend < 0.001). Surgical ablation had higher rates of in-hospital mortality [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 2.26; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.41–3.61; P = 0.001] and stroke (aOR 4.64; 95% CI 3.25–6.64; P < 0.001) compared with CA. When examining different surgical approaches, thoracoscopic SA was associated with similar in-hospital mortality (aOR 1.53; 95% CI 0.60–3.89; P = 0.369) and similar risk of stroke (aOR 1.75; 95% CI 1.00–3.07; P = 0.051) compared with CA.

Conclusion

Stand-alone SA comprises a minority of AF ablation procedures and is associated with increased risk of mortality, stroke, and other in-hospital complications compared to CA. However, when a thoracoscopic approach was utilized, the risks of mortality and stroke appear to be reduced.
orthofisher: a broadly applicable tool for automated gene identification and retrieval
Authors: Steenwyk Jacob L , Rokas Antonis
Published: July 2021

Identification and retrieval of genes of interest from genomic data are an essential step for many bioinformatic applications. We present orthofisher, a command-line tool for automated identification and retrieval of genes with high sequence similarity to a query profile Hidden Markov Model sequence alignment across a set of proteomes. Performance assessment of orthofisher revealed high accuracy and precision during single-copy orthologous gene identification. orthofisher may be useful for assessing gene annotation quality, identifying single-copy orthologous genes for phylogenomic analyses, estimating gene copy number, and other evolutionary analyses that rely on identification and retrieval of homologous genes from genomic data. orthofisher comes complete with comprehensive documentation (https://jlsteenwyk.com/orthofisher/), is freely available under the MIT license, and is available for download from GitHub (https://github.com/JLSteenwyk/orthofisher), PyPi (https://pypi.org/project/orthofisher/), and the Anaconda Cloud (https://anaconda.org/jlsteenwyk/orthofisher).
The Identification of cDNAs That Affect the Mitosis-to-Interphase Transition in Schizosaccharomyces pombe, Including sbp1, Which Encodes a spi1p-GTP–Binding Protein
Authors: He Xiangwei , Hayashi Naoyuki , Walcott Nathan G , Azuma Yoshiaki , Patterson Thomas E , Bischoff F Ralf , Nishimoto Takeharu , Sazer Shelley
Published: July 2021

Perturbations of the spi1p GTPase system in fission yeast, caused by mutation or overexpression of several regulatory proteins, result in a unique terminal phenotype that includes condensed chromosomes, a wide medial septum, and a fragmented nuclear envelope. To identify potential regulators or targets of the spi1p GTPase system, a screen for cDNAs whose overexpression results in this terminal phenotype was conducted, and seven clones that represent three genes, named med1, med2, and med3 (mitotic exit defect), were identified. Their genetic interaction with the spi1p GTPase system was established by showing that the spi1p guanine nucleotide exchange factor mutant pim1-d1ts was hypersensitive to their overexpression. med1 encodes a homologue of the human Ran-binding protein, RanBP1, and has been renamed sbp1 (spi1-binding protein). sbp1p binds to spi1p-GTP and costimulates the GTPase-activating protein (GAP)-catalyzed GTPase activity. Cells in which sbp1p is depleted or overproduced phenocopy cells in which the balance between spi1p-GTP and spi1p-GDP is perturbed by other means. Therefore, sbp1p mediates and/or regulates the essential functions of the spi1p GTPase system. med2 and med3 encode novel fission yeast proteins that, based on our phenotypic analyses, are likely to identify additional regulators or effectors of the spi1p GTPase system.
hyp Loci Control Cell Pattern Formation in the Vegetative Mycelium of Aspergillus nidulans
Authors: Kaminskyj Susan G W , Hamer John E
Published: July 2021

Aspergillus nidulans grows by apical extension of multinucleate cells called hyphae that are subdivided by the insertion of crosswalls called septa. Apical cells vary in length and number of nuclei, whereas subapical cells are typically 40 μm long with three to four nuclei. Apical cells have active mitotic cycles, whereas subapical cells are arrested for growth and mitosis until branch formation reinitiates tip growth and nuclear divisions. This multicellular growth pattern requires coordination between localized growth, nuclear division, and septation. We searched a temperature-sensitive mutant collection for strains with conditional defects in growth patterning and identified six mutants (designated hyp for hypercellular). The identified hyp mutations are nonlethal, recessive defects in five unlinked genes (hypA-hypE). Phenotypic analyses showed that these hyp mutants have aberrant patterns of septation and show defects in polarity establishment and tip growth, but they have normal nuclear division cycles and can complete the asexual growth cycle at restrictive temperature. Temperature shift analysis revealed that hypD and hypE play general roles in hyphal morphogenesis, since inactivation of these genes resulted in a general widening of apical and subapical cells. Interestingly, loss of hypA or hypB function lead to a cessation of apical cell growth but activated isotropic growth and mitosis in subapical cells. The inferred functions of hypA and hypB suggest a mechanism for coordinating apical growth, subapical cell arrest, and mitosis in A. nidulans.
Cohort Analysis of the Association of Delirium Severity With Cerebrospinal Fluid Amyloid-Tau-Neurodegeneration Pathologies
Authors: Parker Margaret , White Marissa , Casey Cameron , Kunkel David , Bo Amber , Blennow Kaj , Zetterberg Henrik , Pearce Robert A , Lennertz Richard , Sanders Robert D
Published: July 2021

Delirium is associated with cognitive decline and subsequent dementia, and rises in plasma total tau (tTau) and neurofilament light (NfL), providing links to Amyloid-Tau-Neurodegeneration (ATN) pathophysiology. We investigated whether changes in delirium severity after surgery correlated with changes in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) ATN biomarkers. Thirty-two thoracic vascular surgical patients were recruited into a prospective biomarker cohort study with assessment of delirium severity and incidence (NCT02926417). CSF (n = 54) and plasma (n = 118) samples were sent for biomarker analysis for tTau, phosphorylated tau-181 (pTau) (plasma n = 53), NfL, and amyloid-β 42/40 ratio (Ab42/40-ratio). The primary outcome was the correlation of preoperative to postoperative change in ATN biomarkers with the highest postoperative Delirium Rating Scale-98 score. CSF and plasma biomarkers all increased postoperatively (all p < .05, n = 13 paired preoperative–postoperative samples). Delirium severity was associated with peak changes in CSF tTau (p = .007, r = .710) and pTau (p = .01, r = .667) but not NfL (p = .09, ρ = .491) or Ab42/40-ratio (p = .18, ρ = .394). Sensitivity analysis with exclusion of participants with putative spinal cord ischemia shifted the NfL result to significance (p < .001, ρ = .847). Our data show that changes in tau and biomarkers of neurodegeneration in the CSF are associated with delirium severity. These data should be considered hypothesis-generating and future studies should identify if these changes are robust to confounding.
Racial-ethnic Disparities in Pain Intensity and Interference Among Middle-aged and Older U.S. Adults
Authors: Yang Yulin , Reid M Carrington , Grol-Prokopczyk Hanna , Pillemer Karl
Published: July 2021

Background

This study aims to better understand differing pain experiences across U.S. racial/ethnic subgroups by estimating racial-ethnic disparities in both pain intensity and domain-specific pain-related interference. To address this issue, we use a nationally representative sample of non-Hispanic White, non-Hispanic Black, and Hispanic adults ages 50+ who report recently experiencing pain.

Methods

Using data from the 2010 wave of the Health and Retirement Study (HRS; N = 684), we conducted a series of multivariate analyses to assess possible racial/ethnic disparities in pain intensity and 7 domains of pain interference, controlling for relevant sociodemographic variables and other health problems.

Results

Black and Hispanic participants reported higher pain intensity than White participants after controlling for socioeconomic status (SES) and other health conditions. Both Black and Hispanic individuals reported more domain-specific pain interference in bivariate analyses. In multivariate analyses, Black (vs White) participants reported significantly higher levels of pain interference with family–home responsibilities, occupation, sexual behavior, and daily self-care. We did not find significant Hispanic-White differences in the 7 pain interference domains, nor did we find Black-White differences in 3 domains (recreation, social activities, and essential activities).

Conclusions

Our findings highlight the need for using multidimensional measures of pain when assessing for possible pain disparities with respect to race/ethnicity. Future studies on pain interventions should consider contextualizing the pain experience across different racial subgroups to help pain patients with diverse needs, with the ultimate goal of reducing racial/ethnic disparities in pain.
“We Should Be at the Back of the Line”: A Frame Analysis of Old Age Within the Distribution Order of the COVID-19 Vaccine
Authors: Allen Laura D , Odziemczyk Idalina Z , Perek-Białas Jolanta , Ayalon Liat
Published: July 2021

Background and Objectives

In the fall of 2020, it became clear that the initial doses of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine would be limited, and a priority order would be necessary. This article examines the perceptions of old age in the context of establishing a priority order for the COVID-19 vaccine from the perspective of online newspaper commenters. Two research questions are investigated: (a) How do commenters place older people in line for the COVID-19 vaccine? and (b) What frames and factors do commenters use as reasoning for their proposed position of older adults?

Research Design and Methods

This study involves a frame analysis of 440 online comments on an article published by The New York Times on December 1, 2020 about the U.S. recommendations for distributing the coronavirus vaccine.

Results

Older adults were referenced as belonging to one of the 3 groups: older long-term care residents, older workers, and older adults retired and/or isolating at home. Two frames emerged from the data as criteria for prioritization: social contribution and vulnerability. Older commenters themselves frequently stated that they should be deprioritized so that others can be inoculated earlier.

Discussion and Implications

The findings may be interpreted as demonstrative of pervasive ageism throughout the pandemic; older commenters’ sacrificial remarks may reflect generativity, internalized ageism, social pressure from online forums, or some combination thereof.
DeepPhasePick: A method for detecting and picking seismic phases from local earthquakes based on highly optimized convolutional and recurrent deep neural networks
Authors: Soto Hugo , Schurr Bernd
Published: July 2021

Seismic phase detection, identification and first-onset picking are basic but essential routines to analyse earthquake data. As both the number of seismic stations, globally and regionally, and the number of experiments greatly increase due to ever greater availability of instrumentation, automated data processing becomes more and more essential. E.g., for modern seismic experiments involving 100s to even 1,000s instruments, conventional human analyst-based identification and picking of seismic phases is becoming unfeasible, and the introduction of automatic algorithms mandatory. In this paper, we introduce DeepPhasePick, an automatic two-stage method that detects and picks P and S seismic phases from local earthquakes. The method is entirely based on highly optimized deep neural networks, consisting of a first stage that detects the phases using a convolutional neural network, and a second stage that uses two recurrent neural networks to pick both phases. Detection is performed on three-component seismograms. P- and S-picking is then conducted on the vertical and the two-horizontal components, respectively. Systematic hyperparameter optimization was applied to select the best model architectures and to define both the filter applied to preprocess the seismic data as well as the characteristics of the window sample used to feed the models. We trained DeepPhasePick using seismic records extracted from two sets of manually-picked event waveforms originating from northern Chile (∼39,000 records for detection and ∼36,000 records for picking). In different tectonic regimes, DeepPhasePick demonstrated the ability to both detect P and S phases from local earthquakes with high accuracy, as well as predict P- and S-phase time onsets with an analyst level of precision. DeepPhasePick additionally computes onset uncertainties based on the Monte Carlo Dropout technique as an approximation of Bayesian inference. This information can then further feed an associator algorithm in an earthquake location procedure.
Recording earthquakes for tomographic imaging of the mantle beneath the South Pacific by autonomous MERMAID floats
Authors: Simon Joel D , Simons Frederik J , Irving Jessica C E
Published: July 2021

We present the first 16 months of data returned from a mobile array of 16 freely floating diving instruments, named mermaid for Mobile Earthquake Recording in Marine Areas by Independent Divers, launched in French Polynesia in late 2018. Our 16 are a subset of the 50 mermaid deployed over a number of cruises in this vast and understudied oceanic province as part of the collaborative South Pacific Plume Imaging and Modeling (SPPIM) project, under the aegis of the international EarthScope-Oceans consortium. Our objective is the hydroacoustic recording, from within the oceanic water column, of the seismic wavefield generated by earthquakes worldwide, and the nearly real-time transmission by satellite of these data, collected above and in the periphery of the South Pacific Superswell. This region, characterized by anomalously elevated oceanic crust and myriad seamounts, is believed to be the surface expression of deeply rooted mantle upwellings. Tomographically imaging Earth’s mantle under the South Pacific with data from these novel instruments requires a careful examination of the earthquake-to-mermaid traveltimes of the high-frequency P-wave detections within the windows selected for reporting by the discrimination algorithms on board. We discuss a workflow suitable for a fast-growing mobile sensor database to pick the relevant arrivals, match them to known earthquakes in global earthquake catalogues, calculate their traveltime residuals with respect to global seismic reference models, characterize their quality and estimate their uncertainty. We detail seismicity rates as recorded by mermaid over 16 months, quantify the completeness of our catalogue and discuss magnitude–distance relations of detectability for our network. The projected lifespan of an individual mermaid is 5 yr, allowing us to estimate the final size of the data set that will be available for future study. To prove their utility for seismic tomography we compare mermaid data quality against ‘traditional’ land seismometers and their low-cost Raspberry Shake counterparts, using waveforms recovered from instrumented island stations in the geographic neighbourhood of our floats. Finally, we provide the first analyses of traveltime anomalies for the new ray paths sampling the mantle under the South Pacific.
1. Ethics, professional conduct, and regulation
Authors: Firth Clare , Seymour Jennifer , Crompton Lucy , Fox Helen , Seabridge Frances , Seymour Jennifer , Smart Elizabeth
Published: July 2021

This chapter begins with a description of how the legal services market has undergone recent change, with the Solicitors Regulation Authority’s (SRA) Principles and Codes of Conduct within the Standards and Regulations replacing the previous outcomes-focused regulation code (OFR Code). It considers what being a member of the profession and a good solicitor means, the Principles, relevant paragraphs of the Codes of Conduct, the Transparency Rules, and the SRA’s Enforcement Strategy currently in force. It explains how the recent changes have widened legal services provision and introduced further flexibility into how solicitors and firms justify their compliance with the regulations. It then looks at the practical application of the principles and paragraphs which are most relevant to readers at this stage of their legal career as a student (covering practical examples relevant to each core legal practice area) and trainee.
4. Introduction to revenue law
Authors: Firth Clare , Seymour Jennifer , Crompton Lucy , Fox Helen , Seabridge Frances , Seymour Jennifer , Smart Elizabeth
Published: July 2021

This chapter provides an introduction to some of the essential principles of revenue law and to the main taxes studied on the LPC. It covers the main taxes; the sources of tax law; who pays tax; the administration of the tax system; and appeals against tax decisions.