bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Use of electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) in lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer persons: Implications for public health nursing
Authors: Blackwell Christopher W. , López Castillo Humberto
Published: May 2020

Smoking and rates of tobacco abuse remain higher in lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) persons. There has been very little scholarly inquiry about the emerging trend of use of electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS; e.g., vaping and eCigarettes [eCigs]) in LGBTQ populations. The purpose of this article is to: (a) explore the most recent prevalence data regarding smoking and tobacco abuse in LGBTQ persons, (b) reveal strategies the tobacco industry has historically used in marketing their products to the LGBTQ community, (c) review data from the few studies evaluating use of ENDS in LGBTQ persons, (d) provide evidence‐based methods public health nurses can employ to discourage use of ENDS in LGBTQ persons by addressing two identified causes of ENDS use in LGBTQ populations (harassment/discrimination in LGBTQ youth and binge drinking in LGBTQ adults), and (5) encourage cessation among those already using ENDS.
Public health nurses’ experiences during the H1N1/09 response
Authors: Devereaux Alana , McPherson Christine , Etowa Josephine
Published: May 2020

Objective

H1N1/09 was the first pandemic flu ever responded to with mass vaccinations. Public health nurses (PHNs) were pivotal in implementing the H1N1/09 vaccination clinics. With the ongoing threat of pandemic influenza and other viral outbreaks, much can be learned from these PHNs’ H1N1/09 experiences. This study's purpose was to explore PHNs’ experiences in the H1N1/09 mass vaccination clinics. Design and Sample: In a qualitative interpretive description, 23 PHNs (16 immunizers, seven supervisors) who worked in a large Canadian municipal public health agency, participated in semistructured interviews.

Results

Three overarching themes were identified. ‘Anticipating an Emergency’ discusses participants’ experiences learning about the pandemic response and their role preparation. ‘Surviving the Chaos’ reflects the challenges of the clinics, particularly during the first few hectic weeks of the response. ‘Persevering Over Time’ encompasses participants’ experiences as they became familiar with clinics’ operations and their own responsibilities.

Conclusions

Participants’ experiences have implications for future public health pandemic planning and research. Key recommendations include to communicate with PHNs in a timely manner about their clinic roles, and to provide PHNs with appropriate training to optimize clinics’ operations. This will help support PHNs in their roles to protect the public and provide quality population care.
Fiscal Responses toCOVID‐19: Evidence from Local Governments and Nonprofits
Authors: Maher Craig S. , Hoang Trang , Hindery Anne
Published: May 2020

The rate of expansion and the breadth of COVID‐19 caught the world by surprise. From the perspective of nonprofit and public entities responsible for service provision, this pandemic is also unprecedented. The authors offer a RISE framework for navigating the fiscal effects of COVID‐19 and rely on recent surveys to assess the response strategies of local governments and nonprofit organizations. They find that many nonprofits were hit fastest and hardest by the pandemic and that local governments are, essentially, trying to figure out their financial condition moving into the next budget cycle.
Lost in the flood?: Agency responsiveness to mass comment campaigns in administrative rulemaking
Authors: Balla Steven J. , Beck Alexander R. , Meehan Elizabeth , Prasad Aryamala
Published: May 2020

This article examines agency responsiveness to mass comment campaigns – collections of identical and near‐duplicate comments sponsored by organizations and submitted by group members and supporters – in administrative rulemaking in the United States. Focusing on 1,049 mass comment campaigns that occurred during 22 Environmental Protection Agency rulemakings between 2012 and 2017, the article develops and assesses expectations regarding responsiveness to campaigns relative to comments submitted outside of campaigns. The analysis demonstrates that, procedurally, the agency references mass comment campaigns in its responses to comments, but cites campaigns at lower rates than other comments. In terms of outcomes, the agency's regulations are generally not consistent with changes requested in comments, a lack of association that holds especially for mass comment campaigns. These patterns suggest that legal imperatives trump political considerations in conditioning agency responsiveness, given that mass comment campaigns – relative to other comments – generally contain little “relevant matter.”
Global burden of sleep‐disordered breathing and its implications
Authors: Lyons M. Melanie , Bhatt Nitin Y. , Pack Allan I. , Magalang Ulysses J.
Published: May 2020

One‐seventh of the world's adult population, or approximately one billion people, are estimated to have OSA. Over the past four decades, obesity, the main risk factor for OSA, has risen in striking proportion worldwide. In the past 5 years, the WHO estimates global obesity to affect almost two billion adults. A second major risk factor for OSA is advanced age. As the prevalence of the ageing population and obesity increases, the vulnerability towards having OSA increases. In addition to these traditional OSA risk factors, studies of the global population reveal select contributing features and phenotypes, including extreme phenotypes and symptom clusters that deserve further examination. Untreated OSA is associated with significant comorbidities and mortality. These represent a tremendous threat to the individual and global health. Beyond the personal toll, the economic costs of OSA are far‐reaching, affecting the individual, family and society directly and indirectly, in terms of productivity and public safety. A better understanding of the pathophysiology, individual and ethnic similarities and differences is needed to better facilitate management of this chronic disease. In some countries, measures of the OSA disease burden are sparse. As the global burden of OSA and its associated comorbidities are projected to further increase, the infrastructure to diagnose and manage OSA will need to adapt. The use of novel approaches (electronic health records and artificial intelligence) to stratify risk, diagnose and affect treatment are necessary. Together, a unified multi‐disciplinary, multi‐organizational, global approach will be needed to manage this disease.
The Long‐Run Dynamics of the Labor Share in Japan
Authors: Fukao Kyoji , Perugini Cristiano
Published: May 2020

The structural transformation started in Japan during the last decades of the past century and the institutional adjustments that followed have significantly reshaped personal and functional income distribution patterns. In this paper we investigate the long‐term drivers of the share of output accruing to labor in Japan. Our contribution lies in extending the theoretical SK schedule model by Bentotila and Saint‐Paul to multiple inputs and in providing new empirical evidence on Japan over the period 1970–2012. Results indicate that low‐knowledge‐intensive market services were mainly responsible for the decline in the labor share in Japan over the four decades considered. This was related to technological change and, more importantly, to labor and product market structural and institutional features. These drivers could have significantly contributed to reducing the bargaining power of labor vis‐à‐vis employers and, consequently, the labor share.
Inequality by Population Groups and Income Sources
Authors: Gradín Carlos
Published: May 2020

I discuss a new approach which decomposes inequality into the contributions of population groups by income sources. I estimate a matrix with rows and columns which indicate different population groups and income sources, respectively, with each element indicating the marginal change in the inequality contribution of a group (as measured by the Recentered Influence Function) when an income source is added and with all contributions adding up to overall inequality. The approach can be used to analyze the contributions of groups and sources to the trend in inequality over time (or between distributions), disentangling the effect of changes in the composition of the population by groups and changes in their income distribution by sources. An empirical application characterizes the distributional change in Spain following the Great Recession, highlighting the disequalizing role of the massive increase in unemployment or the equalizing effect of social protection through different population groups.
A Flexible Framework for Hypothesis Testing in High Dimensions
Authors: Javanmard Adel , Lee Jason D.
Published: May 2020

Hypothesis testing in the linear regression model is a fundamental statistical problem. We consider linear regression in the high dimensional regime where the number of parameters exceeds the number of samples (p > n). To make informative inference, we assume that the model is approximately sparse, i.e. the effect of covariates on the response can be well approximated by conditioning on a relatively small number of covariates whose identities are unknown. We develop a framework for testing very general hypotheses regarding the model parameters. Our framework encompasses testing whether the parameter lies in a convex cone, testing the signal strength, and testing arbitrary functionals of the parameter. We show that the procedure proposed controls the type I error, and we also analyse the power of the procedure. Our numerical experiments confirm our theoretical findings and demonstrate that we control the false positive rate (type I error) near the nominal level and have high power. By duality between hypotheses testing and confidence intervals, the framework proposed can be used to obtain valid confidence intervals for various functionals of the model parameters. For linear functionals, the length of confidence intervals is shown to be minimax rate optimal.
Different responses of soil CO2 and N2O emissions to simulated N deposition in forests with divergent N transformation characteristics
Authors: Song Lei , Zhang Jinbo , Jin Guangze
Published: May 2020

CO2 and N2O are important greenhouse gases that are related to soil mineralization–immobilization turnover and nitrification. To explore the responses of CO2 and N2O emissions to N deposition in forests with different N transformation characteristics, CO2 and N2O fluxes were measured in two NH4NO3 fertilized plots. One plot was in a temperate pine plantation in Heilongjiang Liangshui National Nature Reserve (LS) with slow and minimally coupled mineralization–immobilization turnover and a high nitrification rate. The other plot was in a subtropical bamboo forest in the Fujian Daiyun Mountain National Nature Reserve (DY) in China with rapid and coupled mineralization–immobilization turnover but a low nitrification rate. The results showed that CO2 emissions in the DY with a high mineralization rate were greater than those in the LS. Cumulative CO2 emissions were significantly enhanced by N addition in DY, but in LS, they were not affected. The mean N2O fluxes in the control were 0.010 and 0.008 mg N m−2 hr−1 for LS and DY, respectively. High N addition stimulated N2O emissions in both LS and DY, but the response ratio for N2O flux in LS (8.6) was larger than that in DY (2.9). These results suggested that soils with rapid and coupled mineralization–immobilization turnover are beneficial to CO2 emissions and their positive response to N deposition. A high nitrification rate contributed to high N2O emissions and the sensitive response of N2O emissions to N deposition.
Mesophyll CO2 conductance and leakiness are not responsive to short‐ and long‐term soil water limitations in the C4 plant Sorghum bicolor
Authors: Sonawane Balasaheb V. , Cousins Asaph B.
Published: May 2020

Breeding economically important C4 crops for enhanced whole‐plant water‐use efficiency (WUEplant) is needed for sustainable agriculture. WUEplant is a complex trait and an efficient phenotyping method that reports on components of WUEplant, such as intrinsic water‐use efficiency (WUEi, the rate of leaf CO2 assimilation relative to water loss via stomatal conductance), is needed. In C4 plants, theoretical models suggest that leaf carbon isotope composition (δ13C), when the efficiency of the CO2‐concentrating mechanism (leakiness, ϕ) remains constant, can be used to screen for WUEi. The limited information about how ϕ responds to water limitations confines the application of δ13C for WUEi screening of C4 crops. The current research aimed to test the response of ϕ to short‐ or long‐term moderate water limitations, and the relationship of δ13C with WUEi and WUEplant, by addressing potential mesophyll CO2 conductance (gm) and biochemical limitations in the C4 plant Sorghum bicolor. We demonstrate that gm and ϕ are not responsive to short‐ or long‐term water limitations. Additionally, δ13C was not correlated with gas‐exchange estimates of WUEi under short‐ and long‐term water limitations, but showed a significant negative relationship with WUEplant. The observed association between the δ13C and WUEplant suggests an intrinsic link of δ13C with WUEi in this C4 plant, and can potentially be used as a screening tool for WUEplant in sorghum.
Effect of attentional focus levels on spontaneous eyeblink rate in horses
Authors: Cherry Rose L. , Adair Henry S. , Chen Thomas , Hendrix Diane V. H. , Ward Daniel A.
Published: May 2020

Objective

Spontaneous eyeblink rate (SEBR) is inversely proportional to the level of attentional focus in humans. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of attentional focus on SEBR in horses.

Procedures

Twenty client‐owned horses (2.5‐23 years of age, five mares, 15 geldings) were evaluated. A GoPro HERO5 Session™ video recorder was attached to the halter and directed toward the eyes. Horses were acclimated for two hours before study commencement. Horses were filmed in five scenarios requiring different levels of attention: alone in a stall ("stall"), stall with an observer ("person"), standing in an arena ("stand"), walking in an arena ("walk"), and trotting in arena ("trot"). Each of the five scenarios was filmed for ten minutes. Video recordings were reviewed, and SEBR (incomplete, complete, and total blinks) was measured for both eyes in each scenario.

Results

The median (25%,75%) total SEBRs (blinks/min) were as follows: STALL: OD‐16.6 (12.4, 24.3), OS‐18.8 (11.5, 26.9); PERSON: OD‐17.7 (14.6, 24.2), OS‐17.4 (13.9, 24.4); STAND: OD‐18.7 (15.1, 24.4), OS‐19.4 (16.2, 24.7); WALK: OD‐40.1 (34.1, 44.8), OS‐40.6 (33.8, 44.7); and TROT: OD‐39.7 (30.3, 44.6), OS‐39.4 (28.6, 45.0). The total SEBRs at walk and trot were significantly greater than SEBR in stationary scenarios.

Conclusions

Despite requiring increased levels of attentional focus, activities involving motion caused increased SEBR in horses. We hypothesize the need for additional tear distribution due to tear evaporation (associated with air movement over the corneas) prevailed over the level of attentional focus to increase the SEBR.
Methodological Preliminaries
Authors: Breen Richard
Published: May 2020

All the country chapters in this volume use the same set of methods, and this chapter explains them in simple and accessible terms. These methods include descriptive statistics for the analysis of absolute mobility, the use of log-linear models for the analysis of relative mobility or social fluidity, and simulations to assess the role played by educational equalization and educational expansion in shaping trends in social fluidity.
Education and Social Fluidity in Contemporary Italy
Authors: Barone Carlo , Guetto Raffaele
Published: May 2020

In this chapter we assess whether changes in educational participation have fostered changes in social fluidity in Italy over the twentieth century. By means of log-linear unidiff models and of multinomial logistic regressions, we show that a significant decline of schooling inequalities during the so-called economic miracle fueled an increase in social fluidity, in a context where the association between education and class destinations weakened only slightly. Direct inheritance also declined to some extent in the postwar period. These equalizing trends occurred for both men and women, but were stronger among women, and involved primarily, though not exclusively, the agricultural classes. However, all these trends have flattened out in the youngest cohorts, where social fluidity is highly inertial. Since the process of occupational upgrading has halted in recent decades, the recent stability of relative mobility involves also the stagnation of absolute mobility.
Early impact of moderate preterm birth on the structure, function and gene expression of conduit arteries
Authors: Lombardo Paul , Nguyen Vivian B. , Flores Tracey J. , Sutherland Megan R. , Nitsos Ilias , Allison Beth J. , Parkington Helena , Tare Marianne , Harding Richard , De Matteo Robert , Schneider Michal , Polglase Graeme R. , Black M. Jane
Published: May 2020

New Findings

What is the central question of this study?

What is the immediate impact of moderate preterm birth on the structure and function of major conduit arteries using a pre‐clinical sheep model?

What is the main finding and its importance?

Postnatal changes in conduit arteries, including a significant decrease in collagen within the thoracic aortic wall (predominately males), narrowed carotid arteries, reduced aortic systolic blood flow, and upregulation of the mRNA expression of cell adhesion and inflammatory markers at 2 days of age in preterm lambs compared to controls, may increase the risk of cardiovascular impairment in later life.

The aim of this work was to compare the structure and function of the conduit arteries of moderately preterm and term‐born lambs and to determine whether vascular injury‐associated genes were upregulated. Time‐mated ewes were induced to deliver either preterm (132 ± 1 days of gestation; n = 11 females and n = 10 males) or at term (147 ± 1 days of gestation; n = 10 females and n = 5 males). Two days after birth, ultrasound imaging of the proximal ascending aorta, main, right and left pulmonary arteries, and right and left common carotid arteries was conducted in anaesthetized lambs. Lambs were then killed and segments of the thoracic aorta and left common carotid artery were either snap frozen for real‐time PCR analyses or immersion‐fixed for histological quantification of collagen, smooth muscle and elastin within the medial layer. Overall there were few differences in vascular structure between moderately preterm and term lambs. However, there was a significant decrease in the proportion of collagen within the thoracic aortic wall (predominantly in males), narrowing of the common carotid arteries and a reduction in peak aortic systolic blood flow in preterm lambs. In addition, there was increased mRNA expression of the cell adhesion marker P‐selectin in the thoracic aortic wall and the pro‐inflammatory marker IL‐1β in the left common carotid artery in preterm lambs, suggestive of postnatal vascular injury. Early postnatal differences in the function and structure of conduit arteries and evidence of vascular injury in moderately preterm offspring may place them at greater risk of cardiovascular impairment later in life.
Causal analyses to study autonomic regulation during acute head‐out water immersion, head‐down tilt and supine position
Authors: Corbier Christophe , Chouchou Florian , Roche Frédéric , Barthélémy Jean‐Claude , Pichot Vincent
Published: May 2020

New Findings

What is the central question of this study?

Can Granger causality analysis of R–R intervals, systolic blood pressure and respiration provide evidence for the different physiological mechanisms induced during thermoneutral water immersion, 6 deg head‐down tilt and supine position tests that are not accessible using traditional heart rate variability and baroreflex methods?

What is the main finding and its importance?

The Granger analysis demonstrated a significant difference in the causal link from R–R intervals to respiration between water immersion and head‐down tilt. The underlying physiological mechanism explaining this difference could be the variation in peripheral resistances.

Thermoneutral head‐out water immersion (WI) and 6 deg head‐down tilt (HDT) are used to simulate SCUBA diving, swimming and microgravity, because these models induce an increase in central blood volume. Standard methods to analyse autonomic regulation have demonstrated an increase in parasympathetic activity and baroreflex sensitivity during these experimental conditions. However, such methods are not adapted to quantify all closed‐loop interactions involved in respiratory and cardiovascular regulation. To overcome this limitation, we used Granger causality analysis between R–R intervals (RR), systolic blood pressure (SBP) and respiration (RE) in eight young, healthy subjects, recorded during 30 min periods in the supine position, WI and HDT. For all experimental conditions, we found a bidirectional causal relationship between RE and RR and between RR and SBP, with a dominant direction from RR to SBP, and a unidirectional causality from RE to SBP. These causal relationships remained unchanged for the three experimental tests. Interestingly, there was a lower causal relationship from RR to RE during WI compared with HDT. This causal link from RR to RE could be modulated by peripheral resistances. These results highlight differences in cardiovascular regulation during WI and HDT and confirm that Granger causality might reveal physiological mechanisms not accessible with standard methods.
Experiment on percolation for Introductory Physics Laboratories—A case study
Authors: Dziob Daniel , Sokołowska Dagmara
Published: May 2020

In this study, a module for percolation is developed in light of five goals for the Introductory Physics Laboratories formulated by the American Association of Physics Teachers. The module was tested and validated on a group of six first-year physics students. The content was based on an experiment on the percolation of a water network in the course of the dehydration process that used a simplified method of measurement. The students' opinions of the module were recorded and analyzed. That they had learned about the percolation phenomenon was verified through their lab reports and a specially designed survey. The results show that the students had positive opinions of the implemented module, and that it had enabled them to acquire basic knowledge of percolation.
Schrödinger's original struggles with a complex wave function
Authors: Karam Ricardo
Published: May 2020

In this paper, some of Schrödinger's initial struggles with the complex nature of his wave function are outlined. It is shown that he first attached physical meaning only to its real component and even tried to avoid the explicit appearance of the imaginary unit i in his fundamental (time-dependent) equation. This attitude is quite understandable, since he was committed to the classical framework of wave theory, not only ontologically, but also formally. Around one year after the publication of his famous papers on wave mechanics, Schrödinger seems to have accepted that the wave function must be complex and that the physical interpretation is to be related to its absolute square. This is justified by him both due to equivalence considerations with matrix mechanics and in analogy with Maxwell's equations. It is argued that an awareness of the struggles Schrödinger went through to accept a complex wave function can be a relief to students who themselves wonder why ψ needs to be complex when they encounter the topic for the first time.
The Hellmann–Feynman theorem at finite temperature
Authors: Pons Marina , Juliá-Díaz Bruno , Polls Artur , Rios Arnau , Vidaña Isaac
Published: May 2020

We present a simple derivation of the Hellmann–Feynman theorem at finite temperature. We illustrate its validity by considering three relevant examples, which can be used in quantum mechanics lectures: the one-dimensional harmonic oscillator, the one-dimensional Ising model, and the Lipkin model. We show that the Hellmann–Feynman theorem allows one to calculate expectation values of operators that appear in the Hamiltonian. This is particularly useful when the total free energy is available, but there is no direct access to the thermal average of the operators themselves.
Observation of Floquet solitons in a topological bandgap
Authors: Mukherjee Sebabrata , Rechtsman Mikael C.
Published: May 2020

Topological insulators go nonlinear

Whereas solid-state insulators tend to be fixed by material properties, photonic topological insulators can be designed at will to mimic a variety of scenarios and complex interactions. Mukherjee and Rechtsman go beyond the linear optical regime that has been studied to date and show that photonic topological insulators can also exhibit nonlinear optical features (see the Perspective by Ablowitz and Cole). Their array of laser-written waveguides can support solitons, which are also found to exhibit topological features, performing cyclotron-like orbits associated with the topology of the lattice. The nonlinear properties provide a rich playground for further exploration, with the possibility of mimicking other interacting bosonic systems.

Science
, this issue p.
856
; see also p.
821
Simultaneous observation of nuclear and electronic dynamics by ultrafast electron diffraction
Authors: Yang Jie , Zhu Xiaolei , F. Nunes J. Pedro , Yu Jimmy K. , Parrish Robert M. , Wolf Thomas J. A. , Centurion Martin , Gühr Markus , Li Renkai , Liu Yusong , Moore Bryan , Niebuhr Mario , Park Suji , Shen Xiaozhe , Weathersby Stephen , Weinacht Thomas , Martinez Todd J. , Wang Xijie
Published: May 2020

Electronic and nuclear dynamics in one

Because of the complex, ultrafast interplay between nuclear and electronic degrees of freedom, probing both nuclear and electronic dynamics in excited electronic states within a single time-resolved experiment is a great challenge. Yang
et al.
used ultrafast electron diffraction in combination with ab initio nonadiabatic molecular dynamics and diffraction simulations to study the relaxation dynamics of isolated pyridine molecules after photoexcitation to the S
1
state (see the Perspective by Domcke and Sobolewski). They showed that electronic state evolution and molecular structural changes can be recorded simultaneously and independently by tracing a transient signal in small-angle inelastic scattering and large-angle elastic diffraction, respectively.

Science
, this issue p.
885
; see also p.
820
Structural basis for membrane insertion by the human ER membrane protein complex
Authors: Pleiner Tino , Tomaleri Giovani Pinton , Januszyk Kurt , Inglis Alison J. , Hazu Masami , Voorhees Rebecca M.
Published: May 2020

A membrane protein insertion complex

Membrane proteins make up one-quarter of the human proteome and are required for all aspects of cell-to-cell communication, signaling, and transport. Defects in membrane protein biogenesis underlie a variety of human diseases, and half of all therapeutic drugs target an integral membrane protein. Pleiner
et al.
describe the cryo–electron microscopy structure of the human endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane protein complex, a large oligomeric assembly involved in the biogenesis of membrane proteins in the ER. This structure helps to explain how this complex captures and then inserts nascent proteins into the lipid bilayer, elucidating the molecular details of a fundamental biological process with broad biomedical implications.

Science
, this issue p.
433
Which interventions work best in a pandemic?
Authors: Haushofer Johannes , Metcalf C. Jessica E.
Published: May 2020

We can exploit randomized controlled trials, compartmental models, and spillovers
Breeding a fungal gene into wheat
Authors: Wulff Brande B. H. , Jones Jonathan D. G.
Published: May 2020

An ancient cross-kingdom gene transfer enables wheat resistance to a fungal toxin
Optimizing a Screening Protocol for Potential Extended-Spectrum β-Lactamase Escherichia coli on MacConkey Agar for Use in a Global Surveillance Program
Authors: Jacob Megan E. , Keelara Shivaramu , Aidara-Kane Awa , Matheu Alvarez Jorge R. , Fedorka-Cray Paula J.
Published: May 2020

The increasing prevalence of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing
Escherichia coli
is worrisome. Coordinated efforts to better understand global prevalence and risk factors are needed. Developing lower- and middle-income countries need reliable, readily available, and cost-effective solutions for detecting ESBL
E. coli
to contribute to global surveillance. We evaluated MacConkey agar supplemented with ceftriaxone or cefotaxime as a screening method for accurately detecting and quantifying potential ESBL
E. coli
.
Replication of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 in Human Respiratory Epithelium
Authors: Milewska Aleksandra , Kula-Pacurar Anna , Wadas Jakub , Suder Agnieszka , Szczepanski Artur , Dabrowska Agnieszka , Owczarek Katarzyna , Marcello Alessandro , Ochman Marek , Stacel Tomasz , Rajfur Zenon , Sanak Marek , Labaj Pawel , Branicki Wojciech , Pyrc Krzysztof
Published: May 2020

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) emerged by the end of 2019 and rapidly spread in 2020. At present, it is of utmost importance to understand the biology of the virus, rapidly assess the treatment potential of existing drugs, and develop new active compounds. While some animal models for such studies are under development, most of the research is carried out in Vero E6 cells. Here, we propose fully differentiated human airway epithelium cultures as a model for studies on SARS-CoV-2.
Supplemental material: Geochemical study of Cenozoic mafic volcanism in the west-central Great Basin, western Nevada, and the Ancestral Cascades Arc, California
Authors: Timmermans A.C.
Published: May 2020

Sample locations, GPS coordinates, and geochemical data.
FatalClostridium septicumfebrile neutropenia during adjuvant chemotherapy for early breast cancer
Authors: Moreira-Pinto João , Passos-Coelho José Luís , Lopes Fabio , Ataíde Monica , Oliveira Paulo
Published: May 2020

We report the case of a 76-year-old female patient with early breast cancer (hormone receptor-positive erbb2 amplified) that had started adjuvant chemotherapy with docetaxel, carboplatin and trastuzumab (TCH). Eight days after the first cycle of TCH chemotherapy, the patient was diagnosed with grade 1 oral mucositis, treated conservatively. The next day she started with nausea, vomiting, chills and fever, followed by a generalised tonicoclonic seizure. She presented to the emergency department with fever, hypotension and mild abdominal tenderness. Grade 4 neutropenia (370 μL/mL) and severe metabolic acidosis were documented. An abdominal CT scan documented extensive ischaemic bowel changes, with gas in portal and mesenteric veins, and pneumoretroperitoneum. Despite broad spectrum antibiotics and fluid resuscitation, she died 4 hours after admitted to hospital. Blood cultures collected on hospital admission eventually grewClostridium septicumbacteria, an extremely rare infection in patient with breast cancer.
Multiple concurrent atypical parathyroid adenomas: a rare occurrence
Authors: Faulkner Jack , Varadharajan Kiran , Choudhury Natasha
Published: May 2020

We present a case of an 80-year-old patient with three concurrent multiple atypical parathyroid adenomas. The patient was managed with bilateral parathyroid exploration and concurrent parathyroidectomy. Postoperative recovery was uneventful. Atypical parathyroid adenomas are a rare entity that are clinically difficult to distinguish from parathyroid carcinoma. Histological characteristics are similar however atypical adenomas lack complete capsular or vascular invasion and cannot be considered malignant. All reported cases of atypical parathyroid adenoma are solitary lesions. We present the first case of multiple concurrent atypical parathyroid adenomas.
Previously undiagnosed neuroendocrine tumour mimicking breast cancer metastasis to the orbit
Authors: Bacorn Colin , Kim Esther , Borowsky Alexander D , Lin Lily Koo
Published: May 2020

Metastatic neuroendocrine neoplasms to the breast are rare and histopathologic overlap with mammary carcinomas has led to misdiagnosis. We present a case of a middle-aged woman with diplopia and a right medial rectus mass. Metastatic breast cancer was initially suspected based on a history of invasive ductal carcinoma. Detailed immunohistochemistry of the orbital biopsy, gallium-68 dotatate positron emission tomography–CT, and reevaluation of her prior breast specimen, demonstrated that her initial breast carcinoma diagnosis was in error and she was ultimately diagnosed with a previously unknown gastrointestinal neuroendocrine tumour metastatic to both the orbit and breast. This case highlights the challenges of differentiating between metastatic neuroendocrine tumours and invasive mammary carcinomas with neuroendocrine differentiation both in the breast and in the orbit. It is important to recognise the overlap so that a primary neuroendocrine neoplasm is not missed, or treatment significantly delayed.
Prevalence of hyperuricaemia in an Eastern Chinese population: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Han Bing , Wang Ningjian , Chen Yi , Li Qin , Zhu Chunfang , Chen Yingchao , Lu Yingli
Published: May 2020

Objectives

In the past decade, China has been characterised by large-scale urbanisation as well as rapid economic growth. The aim of this study was to further investigate the prevalence of hyperuricaemia (HUA) in an Eastern Chinese population.

Design

Cross-sectional study.

Setting

Survey of Prevalence in East China of Metabolic Diseases and Risk Factors China study.

Participants

In this study, 12 770 residents from 22 sites in Eastern China were recruited. Finally, 9225 subjects were included.

Main outcome measures

The serum levels of uric acid (UA), fasting plasma glucose (FPG), glycated haemoglobin and other metabolic parameters were tested. Waist circumference, weight, height and blood pressure were also measured. Questionnaires regarding smoking, drinking, education were collected from the subjects. HUA was defined as serum UA >420 µmol/L for men and >360 µmol/L for women.

Results

The prevalence of HUA in this Eastern Chinese population was 11.3% (9.9, 12.7) overall, 20.7% (17.7, 23.7) in men and 5.6% (4.3, 6.7) in women. The prevalence of HUA in urban subjects was higher than that in rural subjects (12.9 vs 10.8%, p<0.01). The prevalence of HUA was negatively and positively associated with age in men and women, respectively. Residents with high body mass index levels had a higher prevalence of HUA. In the logistic regression analysis, male sex, urban residency, total cholesterol, triglyceride, overweight, obesity, systolic blood pressure and low economic status were independently correlated with HUA.

Conclusions

The estimated prevalence of HUA in this Eastern Chinese population was 11.3% (9.9, 12.7) overall and 20.7% (17.7, 23.7) and 5.6% (4.3, 6.7) in men and women, respectively. HUA has gradually become an important public health issue in China.

Trial registration number

ChiCTR-ECS-14005052.
Estimation of injury costs: financial damage of English Premier League teams’ underachievement due to injuries
Authors: Eliakim Eyal , Morgulev Elia , Lidor Ronnie , Meckel Yoav
Published: May 2020

Background

In individual sports, the effect that injuries have on an athlete’s performance, success and financial profit is implicit. In contrast, the effect of a single player’s injury or one player’s absence in team sports is much more difficult to quantify, both from the performance perspective and the financial perspective.

Objectives

In this study, we attempted to estimate the effect of injuries on the performance of football teams from the English Premier League (EPL), and the financial implications derived from this effect.

Methods

Our analysis is based on data regarding game results, injuries and estimations of the players’ financial value for the 2012–2013 through the 2016–2017 seasons.

Results

We found a statistically significant relationship (r=−0.46, 95% CI −0.6 to −0.28, p=0.001) between the number of days out due to injuries suffered by team members during a season and the place difference between their actual and expected finish in the EPL table (according to overall player value). Moreover, we can interpolate that approximately 136 days out due to injury causes a team the loss of one league point, and that approximately 271 days out due to injury costs a team one place in the table. This interpolation formula is used as a heuristic model, and given the relationship specified above accounts for a significant portion of the variance in league placement (21%), the remaining variance is related to other factors. Calculating the costs of wage bills and prize money, we estimate that an EPL team loses an average of £45 million sterling due to injury-related decrement in performance per season.

Conclusion

Professional football clubs have a strong economic incentive to invest in injury prevention and rehabilitation programmes.
Effects of the Simulation Using Team Deliberate Practice (Sim-TDP) model on
the performance of undergraduate nursing students
Authors: Platt Alan , McMeekin Peter , Prescott-Clements Linda
Published: May 2020

Background

The use of simulation has grown in prominence, but variation in the
quality of provision has been reported, leading to calls for further research
into the most effective instructional designs. Simulation Using Team Deliberate
Practice (Sim-TDP) was developed in response. It combines the principles of
simulation with deliberate practice, therefore, providing participants with
opportunities to work towards well-defined goals, rehearse skills and reflect
on performance whilst receiving expert feedback. This study aimed to compare
the effects of Sim-TDP, versus the use of traditional simulation, on the
performance of second year adult nursing students.

Methods

Using a longitudinal quasi-experimental design, the effects of the two
approaches were compared over a 1-year period. Sixteen groups, each containing
an average of six participants, were randomised into an intervention arm (n=8)
or comparison arm (n=8). Data collection took place at 3 monthly intervals, at
which point the performance and time to complete the scenario objectives/tasks,
as a team, were recorded and analysed using a validated performance
tool.

Results

The independent t-tests, comparing the performance of the groups, did not
demonstrate any notable differences during the three phases. However, in phase
1, the independent t-tests suggested an improvement in the Sim-TDP
participants’ time spent on task
(t(14) = 5.12, p<0.001),
with a mean difference of 7.22 min. The mixed analysis of covariance inferred
that the use of the Sim-TDP led to an improvement, over time, in the
participants’ performance (F(1, 5) = 12.91, p=0.016), and
thus, an association between Sim-TDP and the enhanced performance of
participants.

Conclusion

The results suggest that Sim-TDP, potentially, optimised participant
performance, while maximising the use of Simulation-based education (SBE)
resources, such as simulation facilities and equipment. The model could be of
practical benefit to nurse educators wishing to integrate SBE into their
programmes.
Bi-allelicTTC5variants cause delayed developmental milestones and intellectual disability
Authors: Rasheed Arisha , Gumus Evren , Zaki Maha , Johnson Katherine , Manzoor Humera , LaForce Geneva , Ross Danica , McEvoy-Venneri Jennifer , Stanley Valentina , Lee Sangmoon , Virani Abbir , Ben-Omran Tawfeg , Gleeson Joseph G , Naz Sadaf , Schaffer Ashleigh
Published: May 2020

Background

Intellectual disability syndromes (IDSs) with or without developmental delays affect up to 3% of the world population. We sought to clinically and genetically characterise a novel IDS segregating in five unrelated consanguineous families.

Methods

Clinical analyses were performed for eight patients with intellectual disability (ID). Whole-exome sequencing for selected participants followed by Sanger sequencing for all available family members was completed. Identity-by-descent (IBD) mapping was carried out for patients in two Egyptian families harbouring an identical variant. RNA was extracted from blood cells of Turkish participants, followed by cDNA synthesis and real-time PCR forTTC5.

Results

Phenotype comparisons of patients revealed shared clinical features of moderate-to-severe ID, corpus callosum agenesis, mild ventriculomegaly, simplified gyral pattern, cerebral atrophy, delayed motor and verbal milestones and hypotonia, presenting with an IDS. Four novel homozygous variants inTTC5: c.629A>G;p.(Tyr210Cys), c.692C>T;p.(Ala231Val), c.787C>T;p.(Arg263Ter) and c.1883C>T;p.(Arg395Ter) were identified in the eight patients from participating families. IBD mapping revealed that c.787C>T;p.(Arg263Ter) is a founder variant in Egypt. Missense variants c.629A>G;p.(Tyr210Cys) and c.692C>T;p.(Ala231Val) disrupt highly conserved residues of TTC5 within the fifth and sixth tetratricopeptide repeat motifs which are required for p300 interaction, while the nonsense variants are predicted to decreaseTTC5expression. Functional analysis of variant c.1883C>T;p.(Arg395Ter) showed reducedTTC5transcript levels in accordance with nonsense-mediated decay.

Conclusion

Combining our clinical and molecular data with a recent case report, we identify the core and variable clinical features associated withTTC5loss-of-function variants and reveal the requirement for TTC5 in human brain development and health.
Middle meningeal artery embolization reduces the post-operative recurrence rate of at-risk chronic subdural hematoma
Authors: Shotar Eimad , Meyblum Louis , Premat Kevin , Lenck Stéphanie , Degos Vincent , Grand Teodor , Cortese Jonathan , Pouvelle Arnaud , Pouliquen Geoffroy , Mouyal Samuel , Boch Anne-Laure , Carpentier Alexandre , Sourour Nader-Antoine , Mathon Bertrand , Clarençon Frédéric
Published: May 2020

Background

Embolization of the middle meningeal artery (MMA) has emerged as a potential treatment of chronic subdural hematomas (CSDHs).

Objective

To evaluate the impact on recurrence rate of postsurgical embolization of CSDH in patients with a higher than average risk of recurrence.

Methods

A monocentric retrospective study was performed on retrospectively collected data. From March 2018 to December 2019, embolization of the MMA was proposed as an adjunct postoperative treatment after burr-hole surgery in patients operated for a recurrent CSDH or a CSDH with an independent recurrence risk factor, including antiplatelet therapy, full anticoagulation therapy, coagulation disorder, hepatopathy, or chronic alcoholism. Patients who had undergone postoperative embolization were compared with a historic group of patients operated between March 2016 and March 2018, selected based on the same inclusion criteria.

Results

During the study period, 89 patients (with 74 unilateral and 15 bilateral CSDHs) were included and underwent an embolization procedure, leading to 91 out of a total of 104 MMA being embolized (88%). These were compared with 174 patients (138 unilateral and 36 bilateral CSDH) in the historic control group. One major procedure-related adverse event was registered. Four of the 89 patients (4%) required surgery for a CSDH recurrence in the embolization group, significantly less than the 24 of 174 patients (14%) in the control group (OR=0.28, 95% CI 0.07 to 0.86, p=0.02).

Conclusions

Postsurgical embolization of the MMA may reduce the recurrence rate of CSDHs with a risk factor of recurrence.
Numerical verification of the Concentric Arches model for geosynthetic-reinforced pile-supported embankments: applicability and limitations
Authors: Lee Taehee , van Eekelen Suzanne J.M. , Jung Young-Hoon
Published: May 2020

In this study, a series of three-dimensional finite element simulations of a geosynthetic-reinforced pile-supported embankment design was conducted. The effects of subsoil stiffness, friction and dilation angles of the fill, fill height, pile spacing, surcharge load on the embankment, and anisotropic tensile stiffness of the geosynthetic reinforcement (GR), ground reaction curve, and interfacial responses between the fill material and GR were scrutinized. Numerical results showed how transfer of the vertical load towards the piles (load part A) and the related soil arches change with subsoil stiffness, geometric parameters, and vertical pressure on the embankment. Furthermore, the vertical load transferred through the GR (load part B) is reduced significantly with increasing subsoil stiffness, while the load part carried by the subsoil (load part C) increases. The numerical results showed that the vertical stress distribution on the GR changes from an inverse-triangular shape for low subsoil stiffness to a uniform shape for high subsoil stiffness. This matches perfectly with the Concentric Arches model. For low subsoil stiffness, the tensile strains of the GR are concentrated at the corner of a square pile cap.
Application of neural networks for the reliability design of a tunnel in karst rock mass
Authors: Kovačević Meho Saša , Bačić Mario , Gavin Kenneth
Published: May 2020

This paper offers a solution to overcome time-consuming numerical analysis for the evaluation of the impact of tunnel construction in a complex karst environment by implementing Monte Carlo Simulation (MCS) using a neural network (NN) tool. The rock mass is described using three parameters: Geological Strength Index, the uniaxial compression strength of the intact rock, and the Hoek–Brown parameter for the intact rock m i. By using their probabilistic distribution as an input, a developed neural network NetTUNN produces probabilistic distributions of tunnel crown displacement, rock bolt axial load, and shotcrete uniaxial compression stress. A full MCS is then applied on these NetTUNN outputs to determine the reliability index and probability of failure for the relevant limit states. To demonstrate the potential of NN in tunnel design, a case study of Tunnel Pećine in Croatia is used, where the NetTUNN-assisted MCS assessment served as a benchmark to evaluate approximate reliability assessment techniques. It was shown that the developed NN can be used as an accurate surrogate model for determination of probabilistic distributions of tunnel design parameters. Further, it was shown that approximate reliability assessment techniques generally overestimate the reliability index and underestimate the probability of failure when compared to the NetTUNN-assisted MCS.
RESEARCH ON THE APPLICATION OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN FUND MANAGER IDENTIFICATION
Authors: SONG YUPING , LI ZHENWEI , HAN JING , WANG XIAOCHEN
Published: May 2020

For the selection of fund managers in fund investment, traditional measurement methods were mainly based on descriptive analysis and regression modeling for a small sample of numerical data. They did not make full use of the relevant big data information of fund managers and ignored the nonlinearity between data. As a result, the prediction error was large. In this paper, we use the heterogeneous data of fund managers, such as numerical data and textual data, to fully explore the characteristic factors of fund performance, and further employ the artificial intelligence algorithms including the traditional machine learning models and deep learning model to consider the nonlinear characteristics between the data to identify the style of fund managers. It is found that there is a nonlinear characteristic between the characteristic factor and the performance of the fund. The artificial intelligence algorithm, especially, the deep learning method has a better performance in the classification and prediction of fund managers, especially, after adding text information. The research in this paper has enriched the application of intelligent investment advisor in fund investment to a certain extent, and provided a scientific basis for investors’ choice.