bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Snake‐Eye Screwing: A Novel Free‐Hand Technique of Pedicle Screw Placement in Cervicothoracic Spine and Preliminary Clinical Results
Authors: Zhu Jian , Sun Kai‐qiang , Lu Lan‐tao , Sun Jing‐chuan , Guo Yong‐fei , Wang Yuan , Kong Qing‐jie , Xu Xi‐ming , Shi Jian‐gang
Published: December 2020

Objective

To propose a novel technique of free‐hand pedicle screw placement in cervicothoracic spine (snake‐eye method) and evaluate the preliminary effects and safety in clinical practice.

Methods

This is a retrospective study and we defined the period of this study as from December 2017 to April 2019 in our institution. Forty patients were included in this study who underwent cervicothoracic internal fixation in our hospital, and all patients undergoing implantation of 200 pedicle screws were divided into two groups. Twenty‐two patients (108 screws) had screw placement using traditional method, while 18 patients (92 screws) had screw placement using snake‐eye method. To reduce the possible selection bias, the patients we recruited in this study was originally performed on by one radiological doctor who was blind to the objective of this study. Patient demographics, including patient age, sex, obesity, smoking, and hypertension, were evaluated to figure out baseline differences between groups. Medical information was recorded including time, accuracy, and immediate (within 30 days after surgery) postoperative complications of pedicle screw placement (including pulmonary embolism or other thromboembolic events, surgical site infection, neurovascular injury, and mortality).

Results

There were 24 males and 16 females, with an average age of 52.2 years (range, 24–77). Finally, a total of 200 screws were successfully inserted in these patients, including fifteen patients with four pedicle screws, four patients with six screws, three patients with eight screws in traditional method group, and 12 patients with four pedicle screws, two patients with six screws, four patients with eight screws in snake‐eye method group. Patient demographic and comparison of two surgery methods are shown in Tables 1 and 2. The data baselines of the two groups were comparable because no impact of the two groups on population characteristics was demonstrated in the presented experiment. Also, we noticed that time and accuracy of the two groups were different with statistical significance at the level of P = 0.05. We observed that immediate (within 30 days after surgery) postoperative complications, including pulmonary embolism (PE), surgical site infection (SSI), neurovascular injury (NI), and mortality, in the two groups did not differ.

Conclusion

This study highlights a safe and effective technique for pedicle screw placement in cervicothoracic spine named snake‐eye method, and this technique may be particularly useful in emergency conditions with limited resources.
Patient Reported Clinical Outcomes of Minimally Invasive Sacroiliac Joint Arthrodesis
Authors: L Schmidt Gary , Bologna Matthew , Schorr Rebecca
Published: December 2020

Objective

To report patient‐reported outcomes of minimally invasive sacroiliac (SI) joint fusion as a case series.

Methods

This study was a retrospective cohort study of patients 18 years of age and older who underwent a minimally invasive SI joint fusion by a single surgeon between 1 January 2013 and 31 December 2015. Routine demographic data, characteristics, and relevant surgical and clinical data were all collected for this group. In addition, patients completed preoperative and postoperative visual analog scale (VAS) and Short Form 36 (SF‐36) questionnaires to assess outcomes. Patient selection for SI fusion was based on short‐term resolution of symptoms (80% or greater relief) with an image‐guided intra‐articular injection of local anesthetic. Routine statistical analysis was performed using the Wilcoxon signed rank test, Fisher's exact test, or χ2 analysis as appropriate.

Results

This study included 19 patients comprising 24 SI fusions, with a mean follow‐up of 58 months. The average patient age was 50 years and the average surgical blood loss was 25 cc. Men comprised 79% of the cohort. The VAS score improved from 7 to 3 (P = 0.0001). SF‐36 physical function, role limitations due to physical health, and role limitations due to emotional health improved to a statistically significant extent. General health was not significantly changed. Every patient showed improvement in their SF‐36 physical function scores (mean 40 preoperatively to 55 at final follow up) and 18 of 19 showed improvement in the VAS score (mean 7 preoperatively to 3 at final follow‐up).

Conclusion

In appropriately selected patients, minimally invasive SI joint fusion results in decreased pain and improved physical functioning of patients, which is sustained for more than 4 years post‐procedure.
MRI in patients with cardiac implantable electronic devices: A comprehensive review
Authors: Deshpande Saurabh , Kella Danesh , Padmanabhan Deepak
Published: December 2020

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has become a commonly used non‐ionizing radiation dependent imaging modality which has an excellent spatial resolution with the capability to provide physiological information. Cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs) are used in modern cardiology with a frequency of 1:50 over 75 years of age and nearly one in three people in this population required MRI during their lifetime. Changes in the CIED structure, electronics, and algorithms paired with changes in the protocol design of MRI have created a relatively safe environment for performing MRI in patients with CIED. Despite their documentation in literature and a guideline document from a professional society, significant skepticism exists in doing MRI in patients with CIEDs.

We intend to give an overview of interactions between MRI and CIEDs, including the evidence available in this regard and conclude with the suggestion of a protocol for safely carrying out an MRI in patients with CIEDs.
When All That Is Solid Does Not Melt into Air: Labor, Politics and Materiality in a Bosnian Detergent Factory
Authors: Kurtović Larisa
Published: December 2020

Can futures be assembled out of ruins? This article engages this question through an ethnographic account of a workers’ struggle in northeastern Bosnia‐Herzegovina to restart production in a bankrupted factory almost destroyed by privatization. From 2011 through 2015, workers of Dita organized to challenge liquidation of the factory assets. Their struggle resulted in an unprecedented victory when production was restarted in 2015 and the factory reprivatized in 2017. Workers had to carry out their struggle amidst two opposing pulls: the need to draw attention to the processes of destruction that formed part of postwar privatization, and to simultaneously argue for the factory's continued value and viability. The analysis explores the openings and risks created by the ongoing anthropological debates on the centrality of matter—and especially ruins—to social life at large. It argues that where we locate potential and how we name embattled matter is not merely a theoretical but also a political question.
The Effects of Politics on the Implementation of Government Programs/Projects: Insights from a Developing Economy
Authors: Akwei Cynthia , Damoah Isaac S. , Amankwah‐Amoah Joseph
Published: December 2020

Over the years, Ghanaian governments have invested huge sums of money in programs and projects for socioeconomic development to improve their citizens' well‐being. However, the implementation of most of these programs and projects have failed and been abandoned. There is a lack of research addressing this issue and the specific causal mechanism through which politics and culture shapes these failed implementations and program abandonments. Partisan politics—which demonstrates strong favoritism toward one's preferred political party, adherence to party policies, and reluctance to compromise with political opponents—provides an appropriate framework to clarify the role of politics in programs and projects ineffective implementation and abandonment debates. Drawing on political theory and the partisan politics literature, this study explores the role partisan politics plays in the implementation failure and abandonment of government programs and projects in Ghana. Our analysis reveals three causal factors: political culture, political corruption, and poor planning and implementation, which are shaped by partisan politics in the Ghanaian context. This impacts negatively on the unity and socioeconomic development of the country.

Related Articles

Debrah, Emmanuel. 2016. “Decentralization, District Chief Executives, and District Assemblies in Ghana's Fourth Republic.” Politics & Policy 44 (1): 135‐164. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12146

Kim, Eun Kyung. 2019. “Issue Ownership and Strategic Policy Choice in Multiparty Africa.” Politics & Policy 47 (5): 956‐983. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12327

Mohammed, Abdulai Kuyini. 2013. “Civic Engagement in Public Policy Making: Fad or Reality in Ghana?” Politics & Policy 41 (1): 117‐152. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12003
Autoregressive model for genetic evaluation of longitudinal reproductive traits in Brazilian Holstein cattle
Authors: Silva Hugo Teixeira , Lopes Paulo Sávio , Carvalheira Júlio , Silva Delvan Alves , Silva Alessandra Alves , Silva Fabyano Fonseca , Veroneze Renata , Thompson Gertrude , Costa Cláudio Napolis
Published: December 2020

Reproductive efficiency is major determinant of the dairy herd profitability. Thus, reproductive traits have been widely used as selection objectives in the current dairy cattle breeding programs. We aimed to evaluate strategies to model days open (DO), calving interval (CI) and daughter pregnancy rate (DPR) in Brazilian Holstein cattle. These reproductive traits were analysed by the autoregressive (AR) model and compared with classical repeatability (REP) model using 127,280, 173,092 and 127,280 phenotypic records, respectively. The first three calving orders of cows from 1,469 Holstein herds were used here. The AR model reported lower values for Akaike Information Criteria and Mean Square Errors, as well as larger model probabilities, for all evaluated traits. Similarly, larger additive genetic and lower residual variances were estimated from AR model. Heritability and repeatability estimates were similar for both models. Heritabilities for DO, CI and DPR were 0.04, 0.07 and 0.04; and 0.05, 0.06 and 0.04 for AR and REP models, respectively. Individual EBV reliabilities estimated from AR for DO, CI and DPR were, in average, 0.29, 0.30 and 0.29 units higher than those obtained from REP model. Rank correlation between EBVs obtained from AR and REP models considering the top 10 bulls ranged from 0.72 to 0.76; and increased from 0.98 to 0.99 for the top 100 bulls. The percentage of coincidence between selected bulls from both methods increased over the number of bulls included in the top groups. Overall, the results of model‐fitting criteria, genetic parameters estimates and EBV predictions were favourable to the AR model, indicating that it may be applied for genetic evaluation of longitudinal reproductive traits in Brazilian Holstein cattle.
Senate Representation on Twitter: National Policy Reputations for Constituent Communication
Authors: Russell Annelise
Published: December 2020

Objective

American politics has become more nationalized, and this trend is buoyed by senators’ social media patterns that incentivize connections with an expansive digital constituency. This article examines how U.S. senators reflect and perpetuate this trend of national policy priorities with their constituent communication on Twitter.

Methods

I investigate how senators reflect and perpetuate this era of national policy priorities by using a two‐year data set of tweets to show how senators are using Twitter to articulate a robust policy agenda.

Results

Senators’ policy‐driven messaging is the dominant style of reputation building on Twitter. Senators are adopting digital styles of representation that prioritize policy, positioning themselves as legislative experts to emphasize salient policies rather than local concerns.

Conclusion

Senators are communicating a policy‐first style of representation that meets the expectations of cultivated policy coalitions, and Twitter offers a birds‐eye view of one source for the public's nationalized attention.
Learning about Islam and Muslims online: Reflections on the design and delivery of a massive open online course (MOOC) 2014–2019
Authors: Gilliat‐Ray Sophie
Published: December 2020

This article evaluates the design, delivery, and main outcomes of Cardiff University's first “Massive Open Online Course” (MOOC) entitled “Muslims in Britain: Changes and Challenges,” delivered to over 20,899 international learners between 2014 and 2019. I explore the design principles underpinning the course and offer a detailed quantitative overview of our learner‐base. The paper examines the experience of course delivery, as well as providing an evaluation of the outcomes arising from the course in the short, medium and long‐term. It also explores some of the distinctive aspects of learning about religion (and Islam, in particular) online as a result of our course, thereby contributing to discussion about the pedagogy of Religious Studies in the digital environment.
A contemporary and historical analysis of the trace element composition of sewage sludge in the United Kingdom
Authors: Liu Jin , Liu Shan , Smith Stephen R.
Published: December 2020

Sewage sludge is the essential by‐product of wastewater treatment and approaching 100% of the sludge generated in the United Kingdom is recycled to agricultural land. In collaboration with three major Water Utility companies in the United Kingdom, a critical statistical analysis of historical and contemporary sludge quality data was completed to demonstrate the long‐term patterns and improvements in the trace element (TE) content of sludge recycled to agriculture since 1989, and to indicate the current status of sludge quality in the United Kingdom. Comparisons with pollutant emission inventory data showed most of the TE concentrations in sludge were strongly linked to declining environmental emissions. A soil accumulation model showed that zinc and copper would be the first to approach their statutory soil limits in the long term and that nickel, cadmium, lead and mercury are no longer significant and, from a practical perspective, could be removed from the regulatory controls on agricultural use.
Perceptions of Career and Technical Education in Montana: How Did A Nation at Risk Effect Workforce Education in the Late 20th Century and Now?
Authors: Ryan Bill
Published: December 2020

Career and Technical Education provides students of all ages with the academic and technical skills, knowledge, and training necessary to succeed in future careers and to become lifelong learners. It marries educational objectives and workforce skill sets identified by industry as critical and in high demand. Demand for employees with these skill sets are critical, yet employers are having an increasingly hard time filling these positions.  Have stigmas and biases created by education policy such as A Nation At Risk, as well as, the resulting education shift from Career and Technical Education as a part of a well-rounded public education to College Preparatory curriculum in high schools created a “four-year or bust” societal norm?
Toric degenerations of cluster varieties and cluster duality
Authors: Bossinger Lara , Frías-Medina Bosco , Magee Timothy , Nájera Chávez Alfredo
Published: December 2020

We introduce the notion of a $Y$-pattern with coefficients and its geometric counterpart: an $\mathcal {X}$-cluster variety with coefficients. We use these constructions to build a flat degeneration of every skew-symmetrizable specially completed $\mathcal {X}$-cluster variety $\widehat {\mathcal {X} }$ to the toric variety associated to its g-fan. Moreover, we show that the fibers of this family are stratified in a natural way, with strata the specially completed $\mathcal {X}$-varieties encoded by $\operatorname {Star}(\tau )$ for each cone $\tau$ of the $\mathbf {g}$-fan. These strata degenerate to the associated toric strata of the central fiber. We further show that the family is cluster dual to $\mathcal {A}_{\mathrm {prin}}$ of Gross, Hacking, Keel and Kontsevich [Canonical bases for cluster algebras, J. Amer. Math. Soc. 31 (2018), 497–608], and the fibers cluster dual to $\mathcal {A} _t$. Finally, we give two applications. First, we use our construction to identify the toric degeneration of Grassmannians from Rietsch and Williams [Newton-Okounkov bodies, cluster duality, and mirror symmetry for Grassmannians, Duke Math. J. 168 (2019), 3437–3527] with the Gross–Hacking–Keel–Kontsevich degeneration in the case of $\operatorname {Gr}_2(\mathbb {C} ^{5})$. Next, we use it to link cluster duality to Batyrev–Borisov duality of Gorenstein toric Fanos in the context of mirror symmetry.
Multiple Regression Analysis of Hip Fracture Risk Assessment Via Finite Element Analysis
Authors: Awal Rabina , Faisal Tanvir R.
Published: December 2020

An accurate assessment of hip fracture risk requires a proper consideration of parameters affecting the fracture. In general, hip fracture is assessed based on bone mineral density (BMD) and load amount, but hip fracture is an outcome of the interaction of the parameters such as loading directions, bone density, which are often disregarded. Assessing the effect of the parameters individually may not correctly reflect the root cause of the hip fracture. Hence, this research aims at analyzing the significance of parameters and their interaction in assessing the fracture risk. A multiple regression analysis has been conducted considering bone density (ρash), different loading directions during sideways fall, represented by load angle (α) about femoral shaft on the coronal plane and angle (β) about femoral neck (FN) axis on the transverse plane as independent parameters and fracture risk index (FRI) as a dependent parameter. The statistical results showing the significant value of 0.7321 for α, and 0.0001 for β and ρash indicate that the effect of loading direction (α) does not have impact on fracture risk in comparison with the loading direction (β) and ρash. Furthermore, the analysis of the interaction of parameters shows that the impact of β on fracture risk may depends more on bone density.
Niobium ethoxide analyzed by XPS
Authors: Rincón-Ortiz Sergio A. , Rodriguez-Pereira Jhonatan , Ospina Rogelio
Published: December 2020

Niobium (V) ethoxide was characterized by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The specimen is a powder purchased from Sigma Aldrich. The sample was fixed to a stainless-steel sample holder with a copper double-sided adhesive tape. Survey spectra, Nb 3d, O 1s, C 1s, Nb 3p, Nb 4p, O 2s core levels, and valence band spectra were acquired. Results showed how the elements in the niobium ethoxide structure are bonded.
Insights from evaluation of surface cracks in surface-hardened polydimethylsiloxane by means of video analysis
Authors: Schröer Miriam , Scheer Hella-Christin
Published: December 2020

Our study refers to the highly stretchable elastomer PDMS (polydimethylsiloxane), a material used with a wide range of applications. Its basic mechanical properties can be tuned, e.g., by varying the curing conditions; moreover, its surface properties can be tuned by modification techniques. We modified our PDMS by irradiating the samples with an excimer lamp at 172 nm. Such a treatment hardens the elastomer at the surface, and it becomes silicalike; the sample changes to a “quasi” two-layer system with a graded interface. When such samples are stretched, surface cracks occur beyond a critical strain. The increase of crack length with increasing strain is evaluated by means of video screenshots. The impact of the curing conditions is addressed by analyzing samples prepared at different cross-linking temperatures, resulting in differing bulk properties but similar surface properties. Crack length and crack velocity are evaluated with each sample based on single randomly chosen cracks. The results are discussed on the basis of theoretical concepts for channeling cracks in multilayer systems with polymeric substrates. Typically, with applications, random cracks should develop at high strain only and, if present, should propagate slowly along the surface but not into the depth of the sample. Our investigation shows that the mechanical material properties of the substrate are vital with respect to such stable cracking, rather than the surface properties. In particular, the curing conditions chosen for the substrate are essential to reduce cracking, a fact less regarded with applications so far.
Memory-efficient approximate three-dimensional beamforming
Authors: Rypkema Nicholas R. , Fischell Erin M. , Schmidt Henrik
Published: December 2020

Localization of acoustic sources using a sensor array is typically performed by estimating direction-of-arrival (DOA) via beamforming of the signals recorded by all elements. Software-based conventional beamforming (CBF) forces a trade-off between memory usage and direction resolution, since time delays associated with a set of directions over which the beamformer is steered must be pre-computed and stored, limiting the number of look directions to available platform memory. This paper describes a DOA localization method that is memory-efficient for three-dimensional (3D) beamforming applications. Its key lies in reducing 3D look directions [described by azimuth/inclination angles (ϕ, θ) when considering the array as a whole] to a single variable (a conical angle, ζ) by treating the array as a collection of sensor pairs. This insight reduces the set of look directions from two dimensions to one, enabling computational and memory efficiency improvements and thus allowing direction resolution to be increased. This method is described and compared to CBF, with comparisons provided for accuracy, computational speedup, and memory usage. As this method involves the incoherent summation of sensor pair outputs, gain is limited, restricting its use to localization of strong sources—e.g., for real-time acoustic localization on embedded systems, where computation and/or memory are limited.
Social Skill Outcomes Following Physical Activity–Based Interventions for Individuals on the Autism Spectrum: A Scoping Review Spanning Young Childhood Through Young Adulthood
Authors: Colombo-Dougovito Andrew M. , Lee Jihyun
Published: December 2020

Researchers posit that physical activity (PA) settings may provide an increased opportunity for social interaction. However, little consensus exists regarding the construct of social skills. Moreover, little is known about what type or amount of PA is necessary for individuals on the autism spectrum to benefit from this increased interaction. Thus, this scoping review synthesized the components (e.g., design, participants, independent and dependent variables, etc.) and findings of PA-based interventions that included social skill components to identify how interventions have incorporated these skills in different settings. Based on a review of 25 articles, this review revealed a great deal of variability in the types of PA, social skills, and instruments studied, as well as the intensity of intervention delivery in the published findings. No longitudinal studies were identified as a part of the search. These results provide a foundation for the design of effective PA-based interventions that may have an increased impact on the social skills of individuals on the autism spectrum. Future research should employ longitudinal designs to capture the relationship between social skills and PA, as well as to increase the likelihood of capturing change.
The “10 Mentality”: A Longitudinal Case Study of Self-Control Strength in Two Competitive Recurve Archers
Authors: Samuel Roy David , Matzkin Guy , Gal Saar , Englert Chris
Published: December 2020

In this case study, the authors’ aim was to apply the tenets of the strength model of self-control (Baumeister et al., 1998) with two Israeli competitive archers over the 2019–20 season. According to this model, the ability to control the self is based on a finite resource that can become temporarily depleted. Under ego depletion, subsequent self-control acts are executed less efficiently, potentially resulting in lower effort and attentional focus. Recurve archery is a closed, self-paced shooting sport, which requires exerting control over physical and mental elements. Archers’ ability to control their performance sequence is partly dependent on self-control. The two archers practiced (in consultation sessions, training and competitions, and independently) a range of well-established intervention techniques (e.g., self-talk, performance routines, mindfulness) designed to increase their self-control strength and focus on the present shot. Archers self-reported data on their trait and state of self-control and mental states during several performance situations in training and competition. The results indicated a complex self-control—performance relationship, potentially underlined by the athletes’ preperformance mental state, self-control strength, and subjective perceptions of temporarily available self-control resources. The archers’ and the authors’ reflections demonstrate the importance of incorporating self-control training in an idiosyncratic manner to achieve positive performance outcomes.
Mountain Equipment Co-Op, “Diversity Work,” and the “Inclusive” Politics of Erasure
Authors: Laurendeau Jason , Higham Tiffany , Peers Danielle
Published: December 2020

In October 2018, Canadian retailer Mountain Equipment Co-op publicly asked, “Do white people dominate the outdoors?” and acknowledged that their representations were “part of [a] problem.” Relying on Ahmed’s theorizations of diversity work, this paper offers an intersectional interrogation of Mountain Equipment Co-op’s (MEC’s) commitment to including more “diversity” in their representations and considers how both MEC’s statement and their early efforts to diversify simultaneously efface the gendered, ableist, fatphobic, settler colonial and racist structuring of “the outdoors” both in MEC’s practices and in “Canada” more broadly. Our analysis highlights how MEC’s practices continue to reflect and reproduce the appropriation of wilderness for a narrow range of bodies.
Antioxidant Ability of Glutaredoxins and Their Role in Symbiotic Nitrogen Fixation in Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. viciae 3841
Authors: Zou Qian , Zhou Yanlin , Cheng Guojun , Peng Yang , Luo Sha , Wu Hetao , Yan Chunlan , Li Xiaohua , He Donglan
Published: December 2020

Glutaredoxin catalyzes glutathionylation/deglutathionylation reactions, protects SH groups from oxidation, and restores functionally active thiols. Three glutaredoxins exist in
R. leguminosarum
, and their properties were investigated in free-living bacteria and during nitrogen-fixing symbiosis.
The Pediatric Endotracheal Aspirate Culture Survey (PETACS): Examining Practice Variation across Pediatric Microbiology Laboratories in the United States
Authors: Prinzi Andrea M. , Parker Sarah K. , Curtis Donna J. , Ziniel Sonja I.
Published: December 2020

In the absence of evidence-based laboratory guidelines, the workup and interpretation of tracheal aspirate (TA) cultures remains controversial and confusing within the fields of clinical microbiology, infectious diseases, and critical care. Between 22 January and 24 February 2020, we conducted a national, web-based survey of microbiology laboratory personnel in free-standing pediatric hospitals and adult hospitals containing pediatric facilities regarding the laboratory practices used for TA specimens.
Syndecan-1 Promotes Streptococcus pneumoniae Corneal Infection by Facilitating the Assembly of Adhesive Fibronectin Fibrils
Authors: Jinno Akiko , Hayashida Atsuko , Jenkinson Howard F. , Park Pyong Woo
Published: December 2020

Bacterial pathogens have evolved several ingenious mechanisms to subvert host cell biology for their pathogenesis. Bacterial attachment to the host ECM establishes a niche to grow and is considered one of the critical steps of infection. This pathogenic mechanism entails coordinated assembly of the ECM by the host to form the ECM structure and organization that are specifically recognized by bacteria for their adhesion. We serendipitously discovered that epithelial Sdc1 facilitates the assembly of FN fibrils in the corneal basement membrane and that this normal biological function of Sdc1 has detrimental consequences for the host in
S. pneumoniae
corneal infection. Our studies suggest that bacterial subversion of the host ECM is more complex than previously appreciated.
Comprehensive Genomic Investigation of Adaptive Mutations Driving the Low-Level Oxacillin Resistance Phenotype in Staphylococcus aureus
Authors: Giulieri Stefano G. , Guérillot Romain , Kwong Jason C. , Monk Ian R. , Hayes Ashleigh S. , Daniel Diane , Baines Sarah , Sherry Norelle L. , Holmes Natasha E. , Ward Peter , Gao Wei , Seemann Torsten , Stinear Timothy P. , Howden Benjamin P.
Published: December 2020

The majority of
Staphylococcus aureus
strains causing human disease are methicillin-susceptible (MSSA) and can be treated with antistaphylococcal penicillins (such as oxacillin). While acquisition of the
mec
gene represents the main resistance mechanism to oxacillin,
S. aureus
can acquire low-level resistance through adaptive mutations in other genes. In this study, we used genomic approaches to understand the basis of
S. aureus
adaption to oxacillin and its dynamic at the population level. By combining a genome analysis of clinical isolates from persistent MSSA infections,
in vitro
selection of oxacillin resistance, and genome-wide association analysis on a large collection of isolates, we identified 21 genes linked to secondary oxacillin resistance. Adaptive mutations in these genes were easy to select when
S. aureus
was exposed to oxacillin, but they also came at a substantial cost in terms of bacterial fitness, suggesting that this phenotype emerges preferentially in the setting of sustained antibiotic exposure.
Gut Bacteria Shared by Children and Their Mothers Associate with Developmental Level and Social Deficits in Autism Spectrum Disorder
Authors: Chen Yu , Fang Hui , Li Chunyan , Wu Guojun , Xu Ting , Yang Xin , Zhao Liping , Ke Xiaoyan , Zhang Chenhong
Published: December 2020

Gut microbiota may contribute to the pathogenesis and development of autism spectrum disorder. The maternal gut microbiota influences offspring gut microbial structure and composition.
Phenotypic and Genomic Comparison of the Two Most Common ExoU-Positive Pseudomonas aeruginosa Clones, PA14 and ST235
Authors: Fischer Sebastian , Dethlefsen Sarah , Klockgether Jens , Tümmler Burkhard
Published: December 2020

The ubiquitous and metabolically versatile environmental bacterium
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
can cause infections in a wide variety of hosts, including insects, plants, animals, and humans.
P. aeruginosa
is one of the ESKAPE (
Enterococcus faecium
,
Staphylococcus aureus
,
Klebsiella pneumoniae
,
Acinetobacter baumannii
,
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
, and
Enterobacter
species) pathogens that are the major cause of nosocomial infections in the United States and are a threat all over the world because of their capacity to become increasingly resistant to all available antibiotics. Most experimental work on
P. aeruginosa
has been performed with reference strains PAO1 and PA14, providing deep insight into key metabolic and regulatory pathways thought to be applicable to all
P. aeruginosa
strains.
Cancer of unknown primary
Authors: Lee Michael S , Sanoff Hanna K
Published: December 2020

Cancers of unknown primary (CUPs) are histologically confirmed, metastatic malignancies with a primary tumor site that is unidentifiable on the basis of standard evaluation and imaging studies. CUP comprises 2-5% of all diagnosed cancers worldwide and is characterized by early and aggressive metastasis. Current standard evaluation of CUP requires histopathologic evaluation and identification of favorable risk subtypes that can be more definitively treated or have superior outcomes. Current standard treatment of the unfavorable risk subtype requires assessment of prognosis and consideration of empiric chemotherapy. The use of molecular tissue of origin tests to identify the likely primary tumor site has been extensively studied, and here we review the rationale and the evidence for and against the use of such tests in the assessment of CUPs. The expanding use of next generation sequencing in advanced cancers offers the potential to identify a subgroup of patients who have actionable genomic aberrations and may allow for further personalization of therapy.
Ethically incentivising healthy behaviours: views of parents and adolescents with type 1 diabetes
Authors: Shah Seema , Malik Faisal , Senturia Kristen D , Lind Cara , Chalmers Kristen , Yi-Frazier Joyce , Pihoker Catherine , Wright Davene
Published: December 2020

Background

To assess ethical concerns associated with participation in a financial incentive (FI) programme to help adolescents with type 1 diabetes improve diabetes self-management.

Methods

Focus groups with 46 adolescents with type 1 diabetes ages 12–17 and 38 of their parents were conducted in the Seattle, Washington metropolitan area. Semistructured focus group guides addressed ethical concerns related to the use of FI to promote change in diabetes self-management. Qualitative data were analysed and emergent themes identified.

Results

We identified three themes related to the ethical issues adolescents and parents anticipated with FI programme participation. First, FI programmes may variably change pressure and conflict in different families in ways that are not necessarily problematic. Second, the pressure to share FIs in some families and how FI payments are structured may lead to unfairness in some cases. Third, some adolescents may be likely to fabricate information in any circumstances, not simply because of FIs, but this could compromise the integrity of FI programmes relying on measures that cannot be externally verified.

Conclusions

Many adolescents with type 1 diabetes and their parents see positive potential of FIs to help adolescents improve their self-management. However, ethical concerns about unfairness, potentially harmful increases in conflict/pressure and dishonesty should be addressed in the design and evaluation of FI programmes.
Hearing spiritually significant voices: A phenomenological survey and taxonomy
Authors: Cook Christopher C H , Powell Adam , Alderson-Day Ben , Woods Angela
Published: December 2020

Whereas previous research in the medical humanities has tended to neglect theology and religious studies, these disciplines sometimes have a very important contribution to make. The hearing of spiritually significant voices provides a case in point. The context, content and identity of these voices, all of which have typically not been seen as important in the assessment of auditory–verbal hallucinations (AVHs) within psychiatry, are key to understanding their spiritual significance. A taxonomy of spiritually significant voices is proposed, which takes into account frequency, context, affect and identity of the voice. In a predominantly Christian sample of 58 people who reported having heard spiritually significant voices, most began in adult life and were infrequent experiences. Almost 90% reported that the voice was divine in identity and approximately one-third were heard in the context of prayer. The phenomenological characteristics of these voices were different from those in previous studies of voice hearing (AVHs). Most comprised a single voice; half were auditory; and a quarter were more thought-like (the rest being a mixture). Only half were characterful, and one-third included commands or prompts. The voices were experienced positively and as meaningful. The survey has implications for both clinical and pastoral work. The phenomenology of spiritually significant voices may be confused with that of psychopathology, thus potentially leading to misdiagnosis of normal religious experiences. The finding of meaning in content and context may be important in voice hearing more widely, and especially in coping with negative or distressing voices.
A systematic reappraisal and quantitative study of the nonmarine teleost fishes from the late Maastrichtian of the Western Interior of North America: evidence from vertebrate microfossil localities1
Authors: Brinkman Donald B. , Divay Julien D. , DeMar David G. , Wilson Mantilla Gregory P.
Published: December 2020

The diversity and distribution of nonmarine teleost fishes in the Western Interior of North America during the late Maastrichtian is documented based on isolated elements from vertebrate microfossil localities in the Hell Creek Formation of Montana, the Lance Formation of Wyoming, and the Scollard Formation of Alberta. A minimum of 20 taxa are recognized based on >1900 abdominal centra and tooth-bearing elements. These include two elopomorphs, six osteoglossomorphs, three ostariophysans, one esocid, six acanthomorphs, and two taxa of unknown relationships. These assemblages differ from late Campanian assemblages in the absence of the Clupeomorpha and the presence of the Perciformes. Within the Hell Creek Formation, we record patterns in the relative abundances of the most abundant taxa leading up to the Cretaceous–Paleogene (K–Pg) boundary. Most notably, acanthomorphs increased in abundance upsection, whereas a group of osteoglossomorphs, represented by Coriops and (or) Lopadichthys, concurrently decreased in abundance. Conversely, some teleosts exhibited more stable or slightly fluctuating relative abundances throughout the formation (Wilsonichthyidae, Esocidae). These late Maastrichtian teleost assemblages are of higher diversity than an early Eocene assemblage from Wyoming preserved under similar taphonomic conditions. This pattern suggests either that lower Cenozoic deposits in the Western Interior are insufficiently sampled or that the K–Pg mass extinction event adversely affected nonmarine teleosts.
Detection of wood decay and cavities in living trees: a review
Authors: Soge Ayodele O. , Popoola Olatunde I. , Adetoyinbo Adedeji A.
Published: December 2020

It has been established that wood decay and cavities in tree stems contribute significantly to tree failures. Several techniques have been reported by researchers for detecting wood decay and cavities in living trees. These techniques are reviewed in this study under two broad categories: invasive and noninvasive methods. The invasive methods include traditional (decay detecting drill, increment borer, and boroscope), radiographic, acoustic, and electrical resistivity techniques. The noninvasive methods comprise microwave scanning, magnetic resonance imaging, X-ray tomography, and traditional techniques involving the use of mallets. Two or more methods are usually combined to investigate the health status of a tree for comparison and validation of results. The prospects and challenges of the various techniques in diagnosing wood decay, cavities, and other structural defects in living trees are reported. This review aims to help researchers in this field identify areas of further work towards the efficient monitoring and management of forest and urban trees.
Temporal propagating network approach to long-term evolutionary process of public opinion
Authors: Cai Shi-Min , Liu Peng-Cheng , Huang Ping
Published: December 2020

Public opinion quickly generated and propagated on online social networks brings huge influences on society and state security. Previous studies mostly analyze its snapshot in a short-term time interval to predict and control the explosive size, but neglect its long-term evolutionary process. In this paper, based on the online social network of Sina Weibo, we trace nine public opinion events in the nearly two-year duration to comprehensively observe the long-term evolutionary processes and characterize the temporal dynamics and propagating networks. The long-term evolutionary processes of public opinion are constructed by quantitatively measuring forwarding sizes at a daily scale. We show their non-Markov temporal dynamics by autocorrelation analysis, which is verified by the heavy-tail interval time distribution of individual forwarding behaviors. Also, the temporally propagating networks are abstracted from individual forwarding behaviors to represent the microcosmic organization of forming public opinion. The topological analysis of aggregating propagating networks shows that the microcosmic organization is generally constructed by a giant connected component and amounts of small connected components with strongly heterogeneous cascade sizes, and the corresponding degree distributions obeys a power law which is shaped by the giant connected component. Furthermore, we compare the follower–followee (i.e. friendship) network with the propagating network to unveil their potential correlation, and find that at large scale they behave a similar connection pattern. This work first projects public opinion into a process-based model to study its temporal dynamics and helps us to better understand the underlying mechanics of forming public opinion.
Structural and spectral properties of the generalized corona networks
Authors: Rajkumar R. , Muthuraman S.
Published: December 2020

In this paper, we present a growing complex network model, namely, the generalized corona network (GCN) which is built on a base network and a sequence of networks by using corona product of graphs. This construction generalizes several existing complex network models. We study the structural properties of the special classes of generalized corona networks and show that these networks have small diameter, the cumulative betweenness distribution follows a power-law distribution, the degree distribution decay exponentially, small average path length with the network order, high clustering coefficient and small-world behavior. Further, we obtain the spectra of the adjacency matrix and the signless Laplacian matrix of GCN when the constituting networks are regular. Also, we obtain the Laplacian spectra for all generalized corona networks. In addition, explicitly give eigenvector corresponding to the adjacency and Laplacian eigenvalues. Finally, we derive the spectral radius and the algebraic connectivity of GCN.
On negative energies, strings, branes, and braneworlds: A review of novel approaches
Authors: Pavšič Matej
Published: December 2020

On the way towards quantum gravity and the unification of interaction, several ideas have been rejected and avenues avoided because they were perceived as physically unviable. But in the literature there are works in which it was found the contrary, namely that those rejected topics make sense after all. Such topics, reviewed in this paper, are negative energies occurring in higher derivative theories and ultrahyperbolic spaces, ordering ambiguity of operators in curved spaces, the vast landscape of possible compactifications of extra dimensions in string theory, and quantization of a 3-brane in braneworld scenarios.
Artificial neural network for identification of short-lived particles in the CBM experiment
Authors: Banerjee Arundhati , Kisel Ivan , Zyzak Maksym
Published: December 2020

In high energy particle colliders, detectors record millions of points of data during collision events. Therefore, good data analysis depends on distinguishing collisions which produce particles of interest (signal) from those producing other particles (background). Machine learning algorithms in the current times have become popular and useful as the method of choice for such large scale data analysis. In this work, we propose and implement an artificial neural network architecture to achieve the task of identifying precisely the parent particles from all the candidates arising out of track reconstruction from collision data in the future Compressed Baryonic Matter (CBM) experiment. Our framework performs comparably to the existing computational algorithm for this task even with a simple network architecture.
Application of machine learning algorithms in imaging Cherenkov and neutrino astronomy
Authors: Ruhe Tim
Published: December 2020

Over the last decade, machine learning algorithms have become standard analysis tools in astroparticle physics, used by a variety of instruments and for an even larger variety of analyses. While a few characteristic patterns can be observed, the portability of established machine learning-based analysis chains from one experiment to another, remains challenging, as instrument-specific prerequisites and adjustments need to be addressed prior to the application. The use Boosted Decision Trees and other tree-based ensemble methods, has been established, but also recently been challenged by the overall success of Deep Neural Networks. Machine learning has been applied for particle selection and parameter reconstruction, as well as for the extraction of energy spectra. This paper aims at summarizing some of the most common approaches on the application of machine learning in astroparticle physics and at providing brief overview on how they have been applied in practice.
A review on machine learning for neutrino experiments
Authors: Psihas Fernanda , Groh Micah , Tunnell Christopher , Warburton Karl
Published: December 2020

Neutrino experiments study the least understood of the Standard Model particles by observing their direct interactions with matter or searching for ultra-rare signals. The study of neutrinos typically requires overcoming large backgrounds, elusive signals, and small statistics. The introduction of state-of-the-art machine learning tools to solve analysis tasks has made major impacts to these challenges in neutrino experiments across the board. Machine learning algorithms have become an integral tool of neutrino physics, and their development is of great importance to the capabilities of next generation experiments. An understanding of the roadblocks, both human and computational, and the challenges that still exist in the application of these techniques is critical to their proper and beneficial utilization for physics applications. This review presents the current status of machine learning applications for neutrino physics in terms of the challenges and opportunities that are at the intersection between these two fields.
Analytic continuation of harmonic sums near the integer values
Authors: Velizhanin V. N.
Published: December 2020

We present a simple method for analytic continuation of harmonic sums near negative and positive integer numbers. We provide a precomputed database for the exact expansion of harmonic sums over a small parameter near these integer numbers, along with MATHEMATICA code, which shows the application of the database for actual problems. We also provide the FORM code that was used to obtain the database mentioned above. The applications of the obtained database for the study of evolution equations in the quantum field theory are discussed.
Thermal Reliability of a CMOS-OTA Versus Improving Its Parameters
Authors: Fathabadi Hassan
Published: December 2020

In this study, the relationship between thermal sensitivity of a CMOS operational transconductance amplifier (OTA) and other parameters of the OTA such as gain bandwidth (GBW), DC gain, settling time, slew rate (SR), etc. is analyzed and discussed. For the first time, it is shown that although some techniques such as adaptive biasing and DC gain enhancement can be utilized to improve the transient response of a CMOS-OTA by increasing the input stage’s gain, DC gain, GBW and SR, yet this causes a significant increase in the thermal sensitivities of the CMOS-OTA, so that, the reliability of accurate operation of the CMOS-OTA under variation in ambient temperature effectively decreases. This paper concludes that a reconciliation of the thermal reliability with improvement of the CMOS-OTA parameters should be considered when the CMOS-OTA is designed and implemented. This point is the contribution of this work that has not been considered and addressed in any other works. Simulated results performed using 0.18[Formula: see text][Formula: see text]m SILTERRA CMOS process technology and real experimental results are presented that explicitly verify the theoretical results.