bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Treatment of SARS-CoV-2-induced pneumonia with NAD+ and NMN in two mouse models
Authors: Jiang Yisheng , Deng Yongqiang , Pang Huanhuan , Ma Tiantian , Ye Qing , Chen Qi , Chen Haiyang , Hu Zeping , Qin Cheng-Feng , Xu Zhiheng
Published: April 2022

The global COVID-19 epidemic has spread rapidly around the world and caused the death of more than 5 million people. It is urgent to develop effective strategies to treat COVID-19 patients. Here, we revealed that SARS-CoV-2 infection resulted in the dysregulation of genes associated with NAD+ metabolism, immune response, and cell death in mice, similar to that in COVID-19 patients. We therefore investigated the effect of treatment with NAD+ and its intermediate (NMN) and found that the pneumonia phenotypes, including excessive inflammatory cell infiltration, hemolysis, and embolization in SARS-CoV-2-infected lungs were significantly rescued. Cell death was suppressed substantially by NAD+ and NMN supplementation. More strikingly, NMN supplementation can protect 30% of aged mice infected with the lethal mouse-adapted SARS-CoV-2 from death. Mechanically, we found that NAD+ or NMN supplementation partially rescued the disturbed gene expression and metabolism caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection. Thus, our in vivo mouse study supports trials for treating COVID-19 patients by targeting the NAD+ pathway.
Neuroimaging evidence of glymphatic system dysfunction in possible REM sleep behavior disorder and Parkinson’s disease
Authors: Si Xiaoli , Guo Tao , Wang Zhiyun , Fang Yi , Gu Luyan , Cao Lanxiao , Yang Wenyi , Gao Ting , Song Zhe , Tian Jun , Yin Xinzhen , Guan Xiaojun , Zhou Cheng , Wu Jingjing , Bai Xueqin , Liu Xiaocao , Zhao Guohua , Zhang Minming , Pu Jiali , Zhang Baorong
Published: April 2022

Alpha-synucleinopathy is postulated to be central to both idiopathic rapid eye movement sleep behaviour disorder (iRBD) and Parkinson’s disease (PD). Growing evidence suggests an association between the diminished clearance of α-synuclein and glymphatic system dysfunction. However, evidence accumulating primarily based on clinical data to support glymphatic system dysfunction in patients with iRBD and PD is currently insufficient. This study aimed to use diffusion tensor image analysis along the perivascular space (DTI-ALPS) to evaluate glymphatic system activity and its relationship to clinical scores of disease severity in patients with possible iRBD (piRBDs) and those with PD. Further, we validated the correlation between the ALPS index and the prognosis of PD longitudinally. Overall, 168 patients with PD, 119 piRBDs, and 129 healthy controls were enroled. Among them, 50 patients with PD had been longitudinally reexamined. Patients with PD exhibited a lower ALPS index than those with piRBDs (P = 0.036), and both patient groups showed a lower ALPS index than healthy controls (P < 0.001 andP = 0.001). The ALPS index and elevated disease severity were negatively correlated in the piRBD and PD subgroups. Moreover, the ALPS index was correlated with cognitive decline in patients with PD in the longitudinal analyses. In conclusion, DTI-ALPS provided neuroimaging evidence of glymphatic system dysfunction in piRBDs and patients with PD; however, the potential of assessing the pathological progress of α-synucleinopathies as an indicator is worth verifying. Further development of imaging methods for glymphatic system function is also warranted.
Modelling the effect of SMP production and external carbon addition on S-driven autotrophic denitrification
Authors: Guerriero Grazia , Mattei Maria Rosaria , Papirio Stefano , Esposito Giovanni , Frunzo Luigi
Published: April 2022

The aim of this study was to develop a mathematical model to assess the effect of soluble microbial products production and external carbon source addition on the performance of a sulfur-driven autotrophic denitrification (SdAD) process. During SdAD, the growth of autotrophic biomass (AUT) was accompanied by the proliferation of heterotrophic biomass mainly consisting of heterotrophic denitrifiers (HD) and sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB), which are able to grow on both the SMP derived from the microbial activities and on an external carbon source. The process was supposed to occur in a sequencing batch reactor to investigate the effects of the COD injection on both heterotrophic species and to enhance the production and consumption of SMP. The mathematical model was built on mass balance considerations and consists of a system of nonlinear impulsive differential equations, which have been solved numerically. Different simulation scenarios have been investigated by varying the main operational parameters: cycle duration, day of COD injection and quantity of COD injected. For cycle durations of more than 15 days and a COD injection after the half-cycle duration, SdAD represents the prevailing process and the SRB represent the main heterotrophic family. For shorter cycle duration and COD injections earlier than the middle of the cycle, the same performance can be achieved increasing the quantity of COD added, which results in an increased activity of HD. In all the performed simulation even in the case of COD addition, AUT remain the prevailing microbial family in the reactor.
Bio-strengthening of cementitious composites from incinerated sugarcane filter cake by a calcifying bacterium Lysinibacillus sp. WH
Authors: Ditta Zerlinda Mara , Tanapongpisit Nantawat , Saenrang Wittawat , Fongkaew Ittipon , Chainakun Poemwai , Seemakram Wasan , Boonlue Sophon , Sata Vanchai , Ekprasert Jindarat
Published: April 2022

This study investigated Microbially Induced Calcite Precipitation (MICP) technology to improve the mechanical properties of cementitious composites containing incinerated sugarcane filter cake (IFC) using a calcifying bacteriumLysinibacillussp. WH. Both IFC obtained after the first and second clarification processes, referred to as white (IWFC) and black (IBFC), were experimented. This is the first work to investigate the use of IBFC as a cement replacement. According to the X-ray fluorescence (XRF) results, the main element of IWFC and IBFC was CaO (91.52%) and SiO2(58.80%), respectively. This is also the first work to investigate the use of IBFC as a cement replacement. We found that the addition of strain WH could further enhance the strength of both cementitious composites up to ~ 31%, while reduced water absorption and void. Microstructures of the composites were visualized using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The cement hydration products were determined using X-ray diffraction (XRD) followed by Rietveld analysis. The results indicated that biogenic CaCO3was the main composition in enhancing strength of the IBFC composite, whereas induce tricalcium silicate (C3S) formation promoting the strength of IWFC composite. This work provided strong evidence that the mechanical properties of the cementitious composites could be significantly improved through the application of MICP. In fact, the strength of IFC-based cementitious composites after boosting by strain WH is only 10% smaller than that of the conventional Portland cement. While using IFC as a cement substitute is a greener way to produce environmentally friendly materials, it also provides a solution to long-term agro-industrial waste pollution problems.
Foregut organ progenitors and their niche display distinct viscoelastic properties in vivo during early morphogenesis stages
Authors: Dzementsei Aliaksandr , Barooji Younes F. , Ober Elke A. , Oddershede Lene B.
Published: April 2022

Material properties of living matter play an important role for biological function and development. Yet, quantification of material properties of internal organs in vivo, without causing physiological damage, remains challenging. Here, we present a non-invasive approach based on modified optical tweezers for quantifying sub-cellular material properties deep inside living zebrafish embryos. Material properties of cells within the foregut region are quantified as deep as 150 µm into the biological tissue through measurements of the positions of an inert tracer. This yields an exponent, α, which characterizes the scaling behavior of the positional power spectra and the complex shear moduli. The measurements demonstrate differential mechanical properties: at the time when the developing organs undergo substantial displacements during morphogenesis, gut progenitors are more elastic (α = 0.57 ± 0.07) than the neighboring yolk (α = 0.73 ± 0.08), liver (α = 0.66 ± 0.06) and two mesodermal (α = 0.68 ± 0.06, α = 0.64 ± 0.06) progenitor cell populations. The higher elasticity of gut progenitors correlates with an increased cellular concentration of microtubules. The results infer a role of material properties during morphogenesis and the approach paves the way for quantitative material investigations in vivo of embryos, explants, or organoids.
Phase separation driven by interchangeable properties in the intrinsically disordered regions of protein paralogs
Authors: Chiu Shih-Hui , Ho Wen-Lin , Sun Yung-Chen , Kuo Jean-Cheng , Huang Jie-rong
Published: April 2022

Paralogs, arising from gene duplications, increase the functional diversity of proteins. Protein functions in paralog families have been extensively studied, but little is known about the roles that intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs) play in their paralogs. Without a folded structure to restrain them, IDRs mutate more diversely along with evolution. However, how the diversity of IDRs in a paralog family affects their functions is unexplored. Using the RNA-binding protein Musashi family as an example, we applied multiple structural techniques and phylogenetic analysis to show how members in a paralog family have evolved their IDRs to different physicochemical properties but converge to the same function. In this example, the lower prion-like tendency of Musashi-1’s IDRs, rather than Musashi-2’s, is compensated by its higher α-helical propensity to assist their assembly. Our work suggests that, no matter how diverse they become, IDRs could evolve different traits to a converged function, such as liquid-liquid phase separation.
Fluorescent Sensors for Water
Authors: Ooyama Yousuke
Published: April 2022

The development of optical sensing methods for the detection and quantification of water in solutions, solids, gases, and products or water on materials surfaces has received considerable attention in recent years from the viewpoint of fundamental studies in photochemistry, analytical chemistry, and photophysics and is eagerly anticipated in industry because of their potential applications to environmental and quality control monitoring systems. Therefore, if we can develop organic fluorescent sensors for water, the fluorescence spectroscopic technique utilizing the fluorescent sensors allows the visualization as well as detection and quantification of water content in samples using a highly sensitive and quick flow analysis based on the changes in wavelength, intensity, and lifetime of photoabsorption and photoluminescence depending on the water content. This chapter provides the fluorescence analysis for the detection, quantification, and visualization of water based on PET (photoinduced electron transfer), FRET (Förster resonance energy transfer), ICT (intramolecular charge transfer), AIEE (aggregation-induced emission enhancement), or SFC (solvatofluorochromism) of newly developed colorimetric and fluorescent dyes and their optical sensing mechanism for the detection and quantification of water content in solvents, and polymer films doped with fluorescent sensors for water as one of the most promising and convenient functional materials for visualizing moisture and water droplets.
Harvesting mechanical energy for hydrogen generation by piezoelectric metal–organic frameworks
Authors: Zhao Shiyin , Liu Maosong , Zhang Yuqiao , Zhao Zhicheng , Zhang Qingzhe , Mu Zhenliang , Long Yangke , Jiang Yinhua , Liu Yong , Zhang Jianming , Li Shun , Zhang Xuanjun , Zhang Zuotai
Published: April 2022

A novel UiO-66-F4 nanosheet MOFs is reported for piezocatalytic water splitting, realizing a high H2 evolution rate of 178.5 μmol g−1 within 5 h under ultrasonic mechanical vibration (110 W, 40 kHz).
Chiens, loups et gènes
Authors: Jordan Bertrand
Published: April 2022

The most significant polymorphism associated with dog size occurs in the region of theIGF1gene and concerns a single base change in a neighbouring lncRNA. The “small” (C) allele of this SNP is mostly found in small modern breeds and canids (foxes, coyotes, jackals) while the “large” (T) dominates in wolves and large dogs. However, the small allele is also present at low level in ancient wolves and is shown to represent the ancestral allele in canids, which has been recently selected in small dog breeds obtained by human selection.
Les granulocytes basophiles et les IgE dans l’autoimmunité
Authors: Tchen John , Charles Nicolas
Published: April 2022

Comprendre les mécanismes physiopathologiques des maladies autoimmunes présentant des auto-anticorps (MAPA) représente un enjeu majeur pour le développement d’approches thérapeutiques innovantes. Sans en connaître précisément les origines, chez certains individus, la perte de tolérance à des antigènes du soi conduit à l’instauration d’une réaction en chaîne autoimmune. Des autoanticorps sont cependant présents dans une large proportion de la population générale sans être associés à une maladie. L’amplification de la production de ces autoanticorps, la formation de complexes immuns circulants et l’activation du système immunitaire inné menant à cette amplification sont des processus centraux dans la pathogénie des maladies auto-immunes. Dans cette revue, nous présentons la contribution de l’immunité de type 2, des granulocytes basophiles et des IgE, dans l’instauration de boucles d’amplification pathogéniques dans les MAPA, en particulier dans le lupus érythémateux disséminé et la connectivite mixte.
Where to next? Navigating neutron diffraction experiments with machine learning
Authors: Piccone Ashley
Published: April 2022

On-the-fly active learning campaign autonomously drives through parameter space, reducing measurements by a factor of five
Sexual behaviour during COVID-19: a repeated cross-sectional survey in Victoria, Australia
Authors: Goller Jane L. , Bittleston Helen , Kong Fabian Yuh Shiong , Bourchier Louise , Williams Henrietta , Malta Sue , Vaisey Alaina , Lau Andrew , Hocking Jane S. , Coombe Jacqueline
Published: April 2022

Background During 2020, the State of Victoria (Australia) experienced two COVID-19 waves. Both resulted in community lockdowns followed by eased restrictions. We examined variation of sexual behaviour in Victorians over time during COVID-19. Methods We conducted a repeated online survey at four timepoints corresponding with two lockdown (LD1, LD2) and two reduced restriction (RR1, RR2) periods in Victoria. A convenience sample of participants aged ≥18 years was recruited via social media and asked about their recent (past 4 weeks) sexual behaviour. Using multivariable logistic regression, we investigated variation in sexual behaviour between surveys. Results A total of 1828 surveys were completed; 72% identified as female, 69% were aged 18–29 years, 90% were metropolitan residents. The proportion reporting recent partnered sex ranged from 54.9% (LD2) to 70.2% (RR1). Across all timepoints, the most common sexual partners were regular (81.5%, n = 842) and 10.8% (n = 111) reported casual partners (e.g. hook-ups). Compared with LD1, respondents were >2-fold more likely to report casual partner(s) during reduced restrictions (RR1: aOR 2.0; 95% CI 1.1–3.7; RR2: aOR 2.8; 95% CI 1.3–5.9). Across all timepoints, 26.6% (n = 486) reported using dating apps. Compared with LD1, dating app use for face-to-face activities (e.g. dates, hook-ups) was >4-fold higher during reduced restrictions (RR1: aOR 4.3; 95% CI 2.3–8.0; RR2: aOR 4.1; 95% CI 1.9–8.8). App use for distanced activities (e.g. sexting, virtual dates) was highest during LD1 (48.8%) than other periods. Conclusions In this convenience sample, self-reported sexual behaviours fluctuated between lockdowns and reduced restrictions. While dating apps may provide a mechanism for virtual connections, this may be temporary until physical connections are possible.
Conserved and divergent chaperoning effects of Hsp60/10 chaperonins on protein folding landscapes
Authors: Sadat Anwar , Tiwari Satyam , Sunidhi S. , Chaphalkar Aseem , Kochar Manisha , Ali Mudassar , Zaidi Zainab , Sharma Akanksha , Verma Kanika , Narayana Rao Kannan Boosi , Tripathi Manjul , Ghosh Asmita , Gautam Deepika , Atul  , Ray Arjun , Mapa Koyeli , Chakraborty Kausik
Published: April 2022

Significance

Hsp60/10 chaperonins are critical for cellular proteostasis in all kingdoms of life. In this study, we present that Hsp60/10 across different species have differences in the cavity properties and correlatively in their capability to remove entropic traps in folding pathways of GroEL/ES substrates; this is affected majorly by differences in the negative-charge density inside the chaperonin cavity. This dissimilarity leads to a remarkable difference between Hsp60/10 homologs in buffering mutational variations. However, most of them can remove nonnative contacts during folding of their substrates and alter the way the polypeptide chain undergoes hydrophobic collapse. We show that these homologs may have evolved specific modes of folding assistance by modulating cavity properties according to the requirements of their substrates.
Anomalous phase separation in a correlated electron system: Machine-learning–enabled large-scale kinetic Monte Carlo simulations
Authors: Zhang Sheng , Zhang Puhan , Chern Gia-Wei
Published: April 2022

Significance

Phase separation is crucial to the functionalities of many correlated electron materials with notable examples including colossal magnetoresistance in manganites and high-Tcsuperconductivity in cuprates. However, the nonequilibrium phase-separation dynamics in such systems are poorly understood theoretically, partly because the required multiscale modeling is computationally very demanding. With the aid of machine-learning methods, we have achieved large-scale dynamical simulations in a representative correlated electron system. We observe an unusual relaxation process that is beyond the framework of classical phase-ordering theories. We also uncover a correlation-induced freezing behavior, which could be a generic feature of phase separation in correlated electron systems.
The presence and role of the intermediary CO reservoir in heterogeneous electroreduction of CO
2
Authors: Louisia Sheena , Kim Dohyung , Li Yifan , Gao Mengyu , Yu Sunmoon , Roh Inwhan , Yang Peidong
Published: April 2022

Significance

The electroconversion of CO
2
to value-added products is a promising path to sustainable fuels and chemicals. However, the microenvironment that is created during CO
2
electroreduction near the surface of heterogeneous Cu electrocatalysts remains unknown. Its understanding can lead to the development of ways to improve activity and selectivity toward multicarbon products. This work introduces a method called on-stream substitution of reactant isotope that provides quantitative information of the CO intermediate species present on Cu surfaces during electrolysis. An intermediary CO reservoir that contains more CO molecules than typically expected in a surface adsorbed configuration was identified. Its size was shown to be a factor closely associated with the formation of multicarbon products.
Enhancement of parameter-estimation precision by parity-time symmetric operation
Authors: Xu Lan , Wang Qiong , He Zhi
Published: April 2022

We investigate precision of phase estimation without and with decoherence using a non-Hermitian operation, i.e. parity-time (

) symmetric operation. We derive the exact expressions of the optimal quantum Fisher information (QFI) and success probability of phase estimation for an exactly solving model consisting of a qubit interacting with a structured reservoir. Special attention is paid to the two schemes, i.e. pre-and post-

symmetric operations, to show the performance of

symmetric operation on QFI dynamics. By investigation, we find that pre-

symmetric operator process could completely eliminate the effect of decoherence to improve the parameters estimation, while with the help of the post-

symmetric operator process can potentially enhance and preserve the QFI by choosing appropriate non-Hermitian operator parameters.
Successive approximation register ADC single event effects protection and evaluation
Authors: Sanches B. , Bregant M. , Hernandez H. , van Noije W.
Published: April 2022

This work analyses seven different alternatives to implement an ADC based on the successive approximation register (SAR) architecture. The influence of the encoding is taken into account while evaluating the importance of its reset approach. Different protection strategies against single event upsets are addressed, including the comparison of per block and per cell triplication. All versions of the SAR were designed and prototyped in the TSMC 130 nm technology. The die was packaged in an open window QFN64 and irradiated at the LAFN Pelletron particle accelerator, which revealed the impact of the encoding and reset choices in the block cross-section showing improvements of more than a thousand times.
Fish-inspired segment models for undulatory steady swimming
Authors: Akanyeti Otar , Di Santo Valentina , Goerig Elsa , Wainwright Dylan K , Liao James C , Castro-Santos Theodore , Lauder George V
Published: April 2022

Many aquatic animals swim by undulatory body movements and understanding the diversity of these movements could unlock the potential for designing better underwater robots. Here, we analyzed the steady swimming kinematics of a diverse group of fish species to investigate whether their undulatory movements can be represented using a series of interconnected multi-segment models, and if so, to identify the key factors driving the segment configuration of the models. Our results show that the steady swimming kinematics of fishes can be described successfully using parsimonious models, 83% of which had fewer than five segments. In these models, the anterior segments were significantly longer than the posterior segments, and there was a direct link between segment configuration and swimming kinematics, body shape, and Reynolds number. The models representing eel-like fishes with elongated bodies and fishes swimming at high Reynolds numbers had more segments and less segment length variability along the body than the models representing other fishes. These fishes recruited their anterior bodies to a greater extent, initiating the undulatory wave more anteriorly. Two shape parameters, related to axial and overall body thickness, predicted segment configuration with moderate to high success rate. We found that head morphology was a good predictor of its segment length. While there was a large variation in head segments, the length of tail segments was similar across all models. Given that fishes exhibited variable caudal fin shapes, the consistency of tail segments could be a result of an evolutionary constraint tuned for high propulsive efficiency. The bio-inspired multi-segment models presented in this study highlight the key bending points along the body and can be used to decide on the placement of actuators in fish-inspired robots, to model hydrodynamic forces in theoretical and computational studies, or for predicting muscle activation patterns during swimming.
An investigation on the effect of curing conditions on the mechanical and microstructural properties of the geopolymer concrete
Authors: Chouksey Arti , Verma Manvendra , Dev Nirendra , Rahman Ibadur , Upreti Kamal
Published: April 2022

Geopolymer concrete represents the future of green and sustainable concrete. It has a large impact on the construction industry owing to its better performance than that of conventional Portland cement concrete. This study aimed to identify the effect of curing conditions on the physical, mechanical, and microstructural properties of specimens using ambient curing and oven-curing. In the experimental analysis, we tested slump and setting time for physical properties, density and drying shrinkage for chemical properties, compressive strength, indirect tensile strength, modulus of rupture, Poisson’s ratio, and elastic modulus for mechanical properties, rebound strength, and UPVT for nondestructive and x-ray diffraction, and thermogravimetric analysis for microstructural analysis. After the experimental analysis, it was concluded that the density, Poisson’s ratio, and dry shrinkage were higher for ambient-cured specimens than for oven-cured specimens, whereas the compressive strength, indirect tensile strength, modulus of rupture, and elastic modulus of oven-cured specimens were higher than those of ambient-cured specimens. The nondestructive tests, rebound tests, and UPVT show that the oven-cured specimens are better in quality and strength than the ambient cured specimens. In microstructural analysis, x-ray diffraction showed that the oven-cured specimens had a lower intensity of mineral oxides than the ambient-cured specimens in microstructural analysis. The matrix of the ambient-cured specimens was thermally stable up to 800 °C and retained 92% of its original mass, whereas the matrix of the oven-cured specimens retained 94% of its mass up to 800 °C in the thermogravimetric analysis.
Tribological properties of (Ti, Al)N films with different Al/Ti atomic ratios deposited by magnetron sputtering
Authors: Liu Xiansheng , Li Hongtao , Zhang Chao , Jiang Bailing , Shi Jing , Chang Shiye , Zhu Runkun
Published: April 2022

Magnetron sputtering was used to deposit (Ti, Al)N films with different Al/Ti atomic ratios by changing the current of the Al target and to study their tribological properties. The phase composition, microstructure and elemental distribution of films were characterized by x-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). The influence of the ratio between Al and Ti atoms on the tribological properties and the mechanical properties of the films was analyzed. The conclusions showed that there was a tendency for films to shift from the crystalline to the amorphous state as the Al/Ti atomic ratio increases. Herein, changes in film microhardness were related to the substitution relationship between Ti atoms and Al atoms. Especially, when the Al/Ti atomic ratio was 0.54, coefficient of friction (COF) and specific wear rate were the lowest. Compared with TiN film, (Ti, Al)N films have higher microhardness due to the solid solution hardening caused by the substitution between Al and Ti atoms to produce lattice distortion. These factors make films have excellent tribology performance.
Automorphisms of the loop and arc graph of an infinite-type surface
Authors: Schaffer-Cohen Anschel
Published: April 2022

We show that the extended based mapping class group of an infinite-type surface is naturally isomorphic to the automorphism group of the loop graph of that surface. Additionally, we show that the extended mapping class group stabilizing a finite set of punctures is isomorphic to the arc graph relative to that finite set of punctures. This extends a known result for sufficiently complex finite-type surfaces, and provides a new angle from which to study the mapping class groups of infinite-type surfaces.
Joint non-negative matrix factorization for community structures detection in signed networks
Authors: Zhang Zhong-Yuan , Yan Chao , Cheng Hui-Min , Liu Xin
Published: April 2022

Community structures detection in signed networks is crucial for understanding not only the topology structures of signed networks but also the functions of them, such as information diffusion, epidemic spreading, etc. In this article, we develop a joint non-negative matrix factorization model to detect community structures. Also, we propose a modified partition density to evaluate the quality of community structures, and use it to determine the appropriate number of communities. Finally, the effectiveness of our approach is demonstrated based on both synthetic and real-world networks.
Infection with different human influenza A subtypes affects the period of susceptibility to secondary bacterial infections in ferrets
Authors: Mifsud Edin J , Farrukee Rubaiyea , Hurt Aeron C , Reading Patrick C , Barr Ian G
Published: April 2022

It is well-established that influenza virus infections predispose individuals to secondary bacterial infections (SBIs), which may result in a range of clinical outcomes from relatively mild (e.g. sinusitis and otitis media) to severe (e.g. pneumonia and septicaemia). The most common bacterial pathogen associated with SBI following influenza virus infections is Streptococcus pneumoniae(SPN). Of circulating human seasonal influenza viruses, influenza A viruses (IAV) of both the A(H1N1)pdm09 and A(H3N2) subtypes are associated with severe disease but have differing hospitalisation and complication rates. To study the interplay of these two IAV subtypes with SBI, we used a ferret model of influenza infection followed by secondary challenge with a clinical strain of SPN to determine the severity and the period of susceptibility for SBI. Ferrets challenged with SPN 5 days after infection with A(H3N2) or A(H1N1)pdm09 viruses developed severe disease that required euthanasia. When the time between viral infection and bacterial challenge was extended, A/H1N1pdm09-infected animals remained susceptible to SBI- for up to 10 days after the viral infection. For A(H3N2)- but not A(H1N1)pdm09-infected ferrets, susceptibility to SBI-associated disease could be extended out to 16 days postviral infection. While caution should be taken when extrapolating animal models to human infections, the differences between A(H3N2) and A(H1N1)pdm09 strains in duration of susceptibility to SBI observed in the ferret model, may provide some insight regarding the higher rates of SBI-associated disease associated with some strains of A(H3N2) viruses in humans.
Amino Acid Availability Is Not Essential for Life-Span Extension by Dietary Restriction in the Fly
Authors: Gautrey Sarah L , Simons Mirre J P
Published: April 2022

Dietary restriction (DR) is one of the most potent ways to extend health and life span. Key progress in understanding the mechanisms of DR, and aging more generally, was made when dietary protein, and more specifically essential amino acids (EAA), were identified as the dietary component to restrict to obtain DR’s health and life-span benefits. This role of dietary amino acids has influenced work on aging mechanisms, especially in nutrient sensing, for example, Target of Rapamycin and insulin(-like) signaling networks. Experimental biology in Drosophila melanogaster has been instrumental in generating and confirming the hypothesis that EAA availability is important in aging. Here, we expand on previous work testing the involvement of EAA in DR through large-scale (N = 6 238) supplementation experiments across 4 diets and 2 genotypes in female flies. Surprisingly, we find that EAA are not essential to DR’s life-span benefits. Importantly, we do identify the fecundity benefits of EAA supplementation suggesting the supplemented EAA were bioavailable. Furthermore, we find that the effects of amino acids on life span vary by diet and genetic line studied and that at our most restricted diet fecundity is constrained by other nutrients than EAA. We suggest that DR for optimal health is a concert of nutritional effects, orchestrated by genetic, dietary, and other environmental interactions. Our results question the universal importance of amino acid availability in the biology of aging and DR.
Resolution Feedback: The United Nations Special Conferences in the 1990s and the Millennium Development Goals
Authors: Adachi Kaori
Published: April 2022

There is a broad consensus that existing and preexisting international institutions matter in shaping the design of new international institutions. Previous research has focused on international institutions with binding obligations, with limited understanding of nonbinding agreements such as United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) resolutions. This study explores how the existing UNGA resolutions affect the design of subsequent UNGA resolutions focusing on the case of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The MDGs were presented to the UNGA as a nonbinding agreement consisting of targets found verbatim in the Millennium Declaration that had unanimously been adopted by the UNGA. However, the UNGA continued debating and eventually revised the MDGs. To identify the reason that the MDGs did not obtain immediate approval, this study borrows insights from historical institutionalism. It suggests that policy feedback at the international level could be a mechanism through which prior UNGA resolutions constrained the design of the MDGs. Through an investigation of the history of nongovernmental organization (NGO) involvement in UN decision-making and UNGA official records related to the MDGs, it demonstrates that UNGA resolutions adopted in the 1990s empowered NGOs and motivated them to make the MDGs comprehensively reflect the agreements from the 1990s. The findings indicate that policy feedback could occur at the international level involving NGOs that pursue their goals across borders. Providing resources, international agreements could strengthen the capacities of NGOs and enhance their influence in international politics.
Eva Augusta Vescelius: Life and Music Career Before 1900
Authors: Sevcik Emily E
Published: April 2022

Eva Augusta Vescelius was a prominent woman who contributed to the development of music therapy practice in the United States. From the turn of the twentieth century, she worked to establish the use of music for health, starting with her first public paper presentation in 1900. Vescelius was the first known person in the United States to collectively experiment on the effects of music and health, establish a music therapy practice, found the first music therapy association, and disseminate the first journal dedicated to music therapy. Little is known about Vescelius’s lifetime of experiences before 1900 that contributed to her mark on the development of music therapy. Furthermore, the dominant historical narrative of the professionalization process of music therapy in the United States, which was formally organized nearly a half a century after Vescelius began advocating, has not fully considered the contributions of Vescelius and other founding women. The purpose of this historical study was to expand knowledge about Vescelius’s life before 1900 and what contributed to her career transition as a professional vocalist. The analysis of primary and secondary sources contributed to the development of the presented biography. Results demonstrate the viability of historical research across the entire continuum of music therapy development and provide an expanded narrative of an important female founder. Ongoing historical research about founding women music therapists is needed in order to counter the existing dominant historical narrative that Vescelius and other women before 1950 minimally contributed to the development of music therapy.
Infected cephalhaematoma causing osteomyelitis: case report and literature review
Authors: Baig Mirza Asfand , Boardman Timothy , Ashworth Samantha , Al-Faiadh Wisam , Ahmed Razna , Lavrador José Pedro , Maratos Eleni , Chandler Chris , Bleil Cristina , Zebian Bassel
Published: April 2022

Infected cephalhaematomas are rare and can lead to complications such as sepsis, meningitis and osteomyelitis. We present an infected cephalhaematoma in a neonate with resultant underlying osteomyelitis and a review of the literature. Our patient presented 6 days following birth with a fever and a swelling consistent with cephalhaematoma. He was managed with intravenous antibiotics and early surgical intervention. Imaging demonstrated underlying osteomyelitis. The patient made a full recovery and was discharged home on completing his antibiotic course. On reviewing the literature, it is clear that early diagnosis and treatment with surgical intervention and antibiotic therapy are associated with improved outcome and can reduce the possibility of osteomyelitis developing.
The centre cannot hold: Arrival, margins, and the politics of ambivalence introduction to ‘arrival at the margins’, a special issue of migration studies
Authors: Iskander Natasha , Landau Loren B
Published: April 2022

This special issue calls on scholars to simultaneously centre and unsettle the margin: to recognise the multiplicity of margins as politically generative spaces, frequently contoured by sustained and varied forms of mobility. Taken together, the studies collected in this volume are a call to view margins as vital socio-political spaces and objects of study. They are created, transformed, or maintained through interactions among the multiple ethnic, political, or religious groups within it but also through connections to allies, families, and interlocutors elsewhere that people in the margins draw in. Powerful states, corporations, and other play a role, but the contributors do not presume they are the most significant force at play. To be sure, margins can reflect liminality and suspension, but they are also sites of contentious politics. As space–time compression, multi-localism, economic precarity, and political fragmentation continue apace, margins are decreasingly discrete spaces between, but are instead spaces where lives are made. As sites that help structure engagements among groups—and sometimes within the groups themselves—appear and fade, margins take on varied levels of significance as contestations and convivialities take shape and transform. They are multiple, often intersecting, sometimes geographic and formally demarcated, sometimes largely invisible or unspoken but no less powerful. And they can be anywhere.
Mg(OH)2 nanosheets on Ti with immunomodulatory function for orthopedic applications
Authors: He Yue , Yao Mengyu , Zhou Jielong , Xie Juning , Liang Changxiang , Yin Dong , Huang Shuaihao , Zhang Yu , Peng Feng , Cheng Shi
Published: April 2022

Macrophages play a vital role for guiding the fate of osteogenesis- related cells. It is well known that nano-topography and bioactive ions can directly enhance osteogenic behavior. However, the effects of nano-structure combined with bioactive ions release on macrophage polarization and the following osteogenesis and angiogenesis are rarely reported. Herein, Mg(OH)2 films with nano-sheet structures were constructed on the surface of Ti using hydrothermal treatment. The film presented nano-sheet topography and sustained release of Mg ions. The results of in vitro culture of bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs), including PCR, western blot and flow cytometry suggested that the nano-Mg(OH)2 films were more favorable for macrophages polarizing to tissue healing M2 phenotype. Moreover, air-pouch model confirmed that the nano-Mg(OH)2 film coated Ti would induce milder inflammation and thinner fibrous layer in vivo, compared with untreated Ti. Furthermore, macrophages-conditioned culture mediums were collected from nano-Mg(OH)2 coated Ti group was superior for the osteogenic behaviors of mice bone marrow stem cells and the angiogenic behaviors of human umbilical vein endothelial cells. With harmonious early inflammatory response and subsequently improved osteogenesis and angiogenesis, the nano-Mg(OH)2 coated Ti is promising for orthopedic applications.
NEURIM PHARMACEUTICALS (1991) LTD v GENERICS UK LTD (T/A MYLAN)
Authors:   Court of Appeal
Published: April 2022

H1 Patents — European patents — Pharmaceuticals — Interim injunctions — Proposed generic launch — Expedited trial — Assessment of adequacy of damages — Balance of convenience — Clearing the path — Appeal to Court of Appeal
MERCK SHARP & DOHME LTD v WYETH LLC
Authors:   Patents Court
Published: April 2022

H1 Patents — European patents — Vaccines — Formulations — Use of surfactants — Revocation — Infringement — Validity — Construction — Person skilled in the art — Common general knowledge — Reliance on textbooks and scientific publications — Reliance on other vaccines containing surfactants — Whether claim limited to use in vaccines with identified serotypes only — Added matter — Novelty — Obviousness
Methods for home-based self-applied polysomnography: the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study
Authors: Punjabi Naresh M , Brown Todd , Aurora R Nisha , Patel Sanjay R , Stosor Valentina , Cho Joshua Hyong-Jin , Helgadóttir Halla , Ágústsson Jón Skírnir , D’Souza Gypsyamber , Margolick Joseph B
Published: April 2022

Study Objectives

Along with multiple chronic comorbidities, sleep disorders are prevalent in people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. The goal of this study was to establish methods for assessing sleep quality and breathing-related disorders using self-applied home polysomnography in people with and without HIV.

Methods

Self-applied polysomnography was conducted on 960 participants in the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study (MACS) using the Nox A1 recorder to collect data on the frontal electroencephalogram (EEG), bilateral electrooculograms, and a frontalis electromyogram during sleep. Breathing patterns were characterized using respiratory inductance plethysmography bands and pulse oximetry. Continuous recordings of the electrocardiogram were also obtained. All studies were scored centrally for sleep stages and disordered breathing events.

Results

Successful home polysomnography was obtained in 807 of 960 participants on the first attempt and 44 participants on the second. Thus, a successful polysomnogram was obtained in 851 (88.6%) of the participants. Reasons for an unsuccessful study included less than 3 h of data on oximetry (34.6%), EEG (28.4%), respiratory inductance plethysmography (21.0%), or two or more of these combined (16.0%). Of the successful studies (N = 851), signal quality was rated as good, very good, or excellent in 810 (95.2%). No temporal trends in study quality were noted. Independent correlates of an unsuccessful study included black race, current smoking, and cocaine use.

Conclusions

Home polysomnography was successfully completed in the MACS demonstrating its feasibility in a community cohort. Given the burden of in-lab polysomnography, the methods described herein provide a cost-effective alternative for collecting sleep data in the home.
Is Skilled Nursing Facility Financial Status Related to Readmission Rate Improvement?
Authors: Clement Jan P. , MacDonald Kristin M.
Published: April 2022

Goal:

We examined whether higher skilled nursing facility (SNF) lagged profitability is associated with a lower 30-day all-cause all-payer risk-adjusted hospital readmission rate. Our aim was to provide insight into whether SNFs with limited financial resources are able to respond to incentives to lower their readmission rates to hospitals.

Methods:

We used data from 2012–2016 to estimate a fixed effects (FE) model with a time trend. Our data included financial data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Healthcare Cost Report Information System SNF cost reports, facility characteristics including the all-cause all-payer risk-adjusted unplanned 30-day readmission rate from the LTCFocus (Long-Term Care Focus) project at Brown University, and county-level market variables from the Area Health Resource File. We also examined the relationship for a shorter time frame (2012–2015) after stratifying the sample by system membership or ownership.

Principal Findings:

SNFs with an increase in the lagged operating margin showed a statistically significant, small decrease (<.01 percentage point) in the risk-adjusted readmission rate. The results were robust for different time periods and model specifications. Fixed effects model estimates for SNFs in the highest quartile of percentage of Medicaid patients (≥73.9%) had a lagged operating margin coefficient that is almost four times as large as the coefficient of the FE model with all SNFs.

Application to Practice:

SNFs have an important role in achieving the national priority of reducing hospital readmissions. The study findings suggest that managers of SNFs should not see low profitability as an obstacle to reducing readmission rates, which is good news given the low average profitability of SNFs. Further, reductions in profitability due to penalties incurred from the recently implemented Medicare Skilled Nursing Facility Value-Based Purchasing Program may not limit SNFs’ ability to lower hospital readmission rates, at least initially. However, policymakers may need to determine whether additional resources to high Medicaid SNFs can lower readmission rates for these SNFs.
Participation in Value-Based Payment Programs and U.S. Acute Care Hospital Population Health Partnerships
Authors: Hearld Larry R. , Karabukayeva Aizhan
Published: April 2022

Goal:

The goal of this study was to describe the prevalence and pattern of population health partnerships by hospitals and examine whether these partnerships were associated with different types of payment model programs.

Methods:

We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of 3,012 U.S. hospitals using data from the American Hospital Association’s Annual Survey, the Area Health Resources File, and the County Health Rankings & Roadmaps data. We ran a multivariable Poisson regression model to examine the relationship between value-based payment designs and the number of population health partnerships. Binary logistic regression models were used to assess whether participation in value-based payment design programs was associated with specific types of population health partnerships.

Principal Findings:

We found that two thirds or more of hospitals used more informal collaborative partnerships with local or state government, faith-based organizations, and local businesses; formal alliances were most common with health insurance companies and other healthcare providers. Accountable care organizations and bundled payment program participation were associated with greater numbers of population health partnerships, whereas hospital ownership of a health plan was not associated with significantly greater numbers of population health partnerships.

Applications to Practice:

Hospitals were engaged in an intermediate number of partnerships (mean = 3.5, out of 8.0 possible), with opportunities for more partnerships with specific types of organizations (faith-based organizations, health insurance companies). Our findings also suggest that certain types of payment models, particularly those that are less capital intensive and entail less extensive organizational transformation on the part of hospitals, may support hospital engagement in population health partnerships. Hospital leaders need to monitor these partnerships continually to determine if they can capitalize on opportunities to play a more prominent role in population health management in local communities.