bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Palliative care in hepatocellular carcinoma
Authors: Laube Robyn , Sabih Abdul‐Hamid , Strasser Simone I , Lim Lynn , Cigolini Maria , Liu Ken
Published: July 2020

Hepatocellular carcinoma is a common cancer with a poor prognosis, associated with high economic costs and a significant burden of disease. While it is often asymptomatic in the early stages, patients may experience great discomfort from advanced disease, treatment adverse effects, or decompensation of underlying cirrhosis. Palliative care has the potential to markedly improve quality of life, physical, and psychological symptoms in patients with end‐stage liver disease, and has been shown to prolong survival in some nonhepatocellular carcinoma malignancies. However, this service is underutilized in hepatocellular carcinoma, and referrals are frequently late due to factors such as stigmatization, inadequate resources, lack of education for nonpalliative care physicians and inadequate modeling for integration of palliative and supportive care within liver disease services. In the future, education workshops, population‐based awareness campaigns, increased funding and improved models of care, may improve the uptake of palliative care and subsequently optimize patient care, particularly towards the end of life.
Peripheral neuropathy symptoms in wild type transthyretin amyloidosis
Authors: Wajnsztajn Yungher Fernanda , Kim Arreum , Boehme Amelia , Kleyman Inna , Weimer Louis H , Maurer Mathew S , Brannagan Thomas H
Published: July 2020

To propose a correlation between polyneuropathy and ATTRwt based on retrospective analysis of patients with ATTRwt. We reviewed 151 ATTRwt patients followed by the amyloid cardiac clinic (group A) for symptoms of neuropathy and 12 patients with ATTRwt evaluated in the Neurology Department (group B) with objective measures of neuropathy. Medical history, electrodiagnosis, laboratory and skin biopsies were assessed; 30.5% of group A had neuropathy symptoms. Alternative explanations for neuropathy symptoms were explored, including, age, gender, BMI, diabetes mellitus, B12 deficiency. No difference was observed for BMI, age, gender and spine disease for those with and without neuropathic symptoms (P > .05). All of group B (n = 12) were diagnosed with neuropathy, confirmed by electrodiagnostic testing or skin biopsy, while two patients had not yet developed cardiac symptoms. We observe a higher prevalence of neuropathic symptoms in ATTRwt patients than previously believed. Neuropathic symptoms may precede cardiac symptoms. Our findings suggest a possible causative relationship that requires further investigation.
The Geometry of the roots of the Brachial Plexus
Authors: Wade Ryckie G. , Bligh Emily R. , Nar Kieran , Stone Rebecca S. , Roberts David J , Teh Irvin , Bourke Grainne
Published: July 2020

Diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging (DTI) can be used to reconstruct the brachial plexus in 3D via tracts connecting contiguous diffusion tensors with similar primary eigenvector orientations. When creating DTI tractograms, the turning angle of connecting lines (step angle) must be prescribed by the user; however, the literature is lacking detailed geometry of brachial plexus to inform such decisions. Therefore, the spinal cord and brachial plexus of 10 embalmed adult cadavers were exposed bilaterally by posterior dissection. Photographs were taken under standardised conditions and spatially calibrated in MATLAB. The roots of the brachial plexus were traced from the dorsal root entry zone for 5 cm laterally using a 2.5‐mm2 Cartesian grid overlay. The trace was composed of points connected by lines, and the turning angle between line segments (the step angle) was resolved. Our data show that the geometry of the roots increased in tortuosity from C5 to T1, with no significant differences between sides. The 1st thoracic root had the most tortuous course, turning through a maximum angle of 56° per 2.5 mm (99% CI 44° to 70°). Significantly higher step angles and greater variability were observed in the medial 2 cm of the roots of the brachial plexus, where the dorsal and ventral rootlets coalesce to form the spinal root. Throughout the brachial plexus, the majority of step angles (>50%) were smaller than 20° and <1% of step angles exceeded 70°. The geometry of the brachial plexus increases in tortuosity from C5 to T1. To reconstruct 99% of tracts representing the roots of the brachial plexus by DTI tractography, users can either customise the step angle per root based on our findings or select a universal threshold of 70°.
Maternal Education, Family Formation, and Child Development: The Continuing Significance of Race
Authors: Conwell Jordan A. , Doren Catherine
Published: July 2020

Objective

Family formation patterns and their attendant benefits for children have diverged by maternal education in recent decades, but has there been racial variation in these trends?

Background

Theories of intersectionality and structural racism suggest that relationships between women's educational attainment, family formation, and benefits for children may differ between Black, Hispanic, and White women who have completed the same amount of schooling.

Method

Using longitudinal data on mothers and children from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 2010–11 (
https://nces.ed.gov/ecls/kindergarten2011.asp), descriptive statistics examine racial variation within maternal education groups on a number of family formation characteristics. A series of regression analyses, stratified by maternal education, assess racial differences (by mother's race) in reading scores at school entry among children of same‐education mothers and reveal the extent to which variation in family patterns accounts for such differences.

Results

Black and, to a lesser extent, Hispanic mothers often (although not always) have significantly different family formation patterns compared with same‐education White mothers. Controlling for these family characteristics largely attenuates and sometimes fully reverses significant Black–White gaps in children's school‐entry reading achievement within maternal education groups but does less to account for Hispanic–White gaps.

Conclusion

Race continues to have a structural influence on many family and child outcomes, over and above maternal education, particularly for Black mothers relative to same‐education White mothers.
Congenital Heart Disease Long‐term Improvement in Functional hEalth (CHD LIFE): A partnership programme to improve the long‐term functional health of children with congenital heart disease in Queensland
Authors: Eagleson Karen , Campbell Miranda , McAlinden Bronagh , Heussler Helen , Pagel Susan , Webb Kerri‐Lyn , Stocker Christian , Alphonso Nelson , Justo Robert
Published: July 2020

Children who undergo open‐heart surgery in the first year of life for congenital heart disease (CHD) are at high‐risk for impaired development across multiple domains. International recommendations include systematic periodic developmental surveillance into adolescence and the establishment of long‐term follow‐up programmes. This article describes the establishment and evolution of the Queensland Paediatric Cardiac Service neurodevelopmental follow‐up programme – CHD LIFE (Long‐term Improvement in Functional hEalth). Contextualising best practice recommendations to ensure a family‐centred and sustainable approach to understand and support the long‐term functional health needs of high‐risk children with CHD as standard care was needed. We describe the transition from a centralised pilot Programme to the implementation of an integrated statewide approach aimed at delivering consistent high‐level standards of care and a platform to evaluate therapeutic interventions.
Nollywood phenomenon: “The Nollywood phenomenon: Innovation, openness, and technological opportunism in the modeling of successful African entrepreneurship”
Authors: Oguamanam Chidi
Published: July 2020

The Nigerian movie industry, known as Nollywood, has attracted an impressive degree of research interest since its debut in the 1990s, resulting in a dedicated transdisciplinary research niche called Nollywood studies. Nollywood is situated as disruptive of historic and contemporary African movie culture, underscoring Nollywood's significance as a phenomenon “fundamental to Africa's self‐representation.” In this study, we examine Nollywood in relation to its collaborative model of innovation, its unique form of openness and other factors implicated in its creative diffusion as a phenomenon across Africa and its diaspora. We also explore Nollywood's emergence as an unexpected creative force in the world of entertainment. The study evaluates the evolutionary interface between technology and entrepreneurship as a dynamic process in the progress and transformation of Nollywood. Complementing the issue of technology, as a factor in Nollywood's evolution, the study identifies a complex aggregation of other factors, including culture, ethnicity, marketing and entrepreneurial ingenuity, liberal art infrastructure and Nigeria's abundant social capital and how they have coalesced to put entertainment alongside oil and agriculture as one of the highest employers of labour and as a surprising dispenser of economic oxygen in Africa's most populous country and its largest economy. Our starting premise is that Nollywood owes its evolution to technological innovation and many unexplored contextual contingencies. The study also identifies and examines forms of openness in Nollywood, within and outside of existing paradigms, and how they factor into the industry's success. Nollywood operates in a fluid borderline between formal and informal frameworks. In Nollywood, a pragmatic and evolving approach to intellectual property systems and openness reflects aspects of its unique business model with contextual sensitivity and, in a way, advances its transnationalisation, albeit counter intuitively. Nollywood represents a grassroots indigenous entrepreneurial cultural initiative. Our project provides insights into the scalability potential of the Nollywood phenomenon and its cross‐sectoral ramifications for innovation and entrepreneurship on the African continent. The study applies a combination of methodological strategies aimed at eliciting, reifying and drawing substantively on industry practitioners’ voices and perspectives. It taps into stakeholders’ mastery, institutional history, and knowledge of Nollywood's evolution and its modus operandi.
EU‐Australia FTA: Challenges and potential points of convergence for negotiations in geographical indications
Authors: Kneller Elyse
Published: July 2020

Since June 18, 2018, the European Union (EU) and Australia have been negotiating an ambitious and comprehensive free trade agreement (FTA). This paper examines how geographical indications (GIs) are likely to fare in those negotiations, given that Australia and the EU have historically clashed over agricultural policy in international trade and have opposing legal approaches to protecting GIs, apart from wines. Specifically, this paper is concerned with the main challenges facing the EU and Australia on GI‐related matters, as well as the main areas of convergence between both Parties. It begins with an outline of the EU and Australia's current GI legislative frameworks, before exploring both Party's respective interests for including them in the intellectual property chapter of the FTA. Then, it identifies and analyses the main challenges confronting the GI discussions and concludes by determining the main potential points of convergence. This paper is relevant to understand the current relationship between the EU and Australia on GIs, the relative stakes for concluding ambitious GI provisions in the FTA, and the retrospective comparison of GI reform after this agreement has been implemented.
The balance between deterministic and stochastic processes in structuring lake bacterioplankton community over time
Authors: Aguilar Pablo , Sommaruga Ruben
Published: July 2020

One major goal in microbial ecology is to establish the importance of deterministic and stochastic processes for community assembly. This is relevant to explain and predict how diversity changes at different temporal scales. However, understanding of the relative quantitative contribution of these processes and particularly of how they may change over time is limited. Here, we assessed the importance of deterministic and stochastic processes based on the analysis of the bacterial microbiome in one alpine oligotrophic and in one subalpine mesotrophic lake, which were sampled over two consecutive years at different time scales. We found that in both lakes, homogeneous selection (i.e., a deterministic process) was the main assembly process at the annual scale and explained 66.7% of the bacterial community turnover, despite differences in diversity and temporal variability patterns between ecosystems. However, in the alpine lake, homogenizing dispersal (i.e., a stochastic process) was the most important assembly process at the short‐term (daily and weekly) sampling scale and explained 55% of the community turnover. Alpha diversity differed between lakes, and seasonal stability of the bacterial community was more evident in the oligotrophic lake than in the mesotrophic one. Our results demonstrate how important forces that govern temporal changes in bacterial communities act at different time scales. Overall, our study validates on a quantitative basis, the importance and dominance of deterministic processes in structuring bacterial communities in freshwater environments over long time scales.
New developments in esophageal function testing and esophageal manifestations of connective tissue disorders
Authors: Akiyama Junichi , Sumida Junko , Nakagawa Kenichiro , Masamune Atsushi , Issariyakulkarn Navapan , Patcharatrakul Tanisa , Shetler Katerina , Kuribayashi Shiko , Uraoka Toshio , Triadafilopoulos George
Published: July 2020

This work summarizes new and emerging metrics and tools in esophageal function testing and their potential clinical impact. Because the diagnostic sensitivity and reliability of conventional impedance‐pH variables are suboptimal, several novel impedance parameters, such as the postreflux swallow–induced peristaltic wave index and the mean nocturnal baseline impedance, as well as mucosal impedance, are entering a validation stage prior to general clinical use. The accurate diagnosis of behavioral disorders in patients with rumination syndrome and supragastric belching using ambulatory multiple intraluminal impedance‐pH can lead directly to behavioral interventions in patients with refractory gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). New provocative measures, such as multiple rapid swallows and the rapid drink challenge, have been developed to overcome the limitations of standard high‐resolution esophageal manometry, aiming at further clarifying esophageal dysmotility. Furthermore, the current diagnostic and therapeutic challenges in patients with esophageal involvement in Sjogren's syndrome and scleroderma, who tend to have severe forms of GERD, are entering a new investigative and clinical phase.
Bronchiolitis and recurrent wheezing are distinguished by type 2 innate lymphoid cells and immune response
Authors: Sastre Beatriz , García‐García María Luz , Cañas José Antonio , Calvo Cristina , Rodrigo‐Muñoz José Manuel , Casas Inmaculada , Mahíllo‐Fernández Ignacio , del Pozo Victoria
Published: July 2020

Background

Recurrent wheezing (RW) is frequently developed in infants that have suffered bronchiolitis (BCH) during first months of life, but the immune mechanism underlying is not clear. The goal was to analyze the innate immune response that characterizes BCH and RW.

Methods

Ninety‐eight and seventy hospitalized infants with BCH or RW diagnosis, respectively, were included. Nasopharyngeal aspirate (NPA) was processed. Cellular pellet was employed to evaluate type 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2) by flow cytometry and mRNA expression assays by semi‐quantitative real‐time PCR (qRT‐PCR). In supernatant, twenty‐seven pro‐inflammatory and immunomodulatory factors, as well as lipid mediators and nitrites, were evaluated by ELISA and Luminex.

Results

Bronchiolitis patients showed higher ILC2 percentage compared with RW (P < .05). Also, ST2+/ILC2 percentage was higher in the BCH group than in the RW group (P < .01). TLR3, IL33, IFNG, IL10, and FLG mRNA levels were significantly increased in BCH vs RW (P < .05). In supernatant, no significant differences were reached, observing similar levels of parameters linked to vascular damage, monocyte activation, and fibroblast growth. Prostaglandin E2 and cysteinyl leukotrienes C4 were evaluated; a significant difference was only found in their ratio.

Conclusion

Bronchiolitis is associated with elevated nasal percentage of ILC2. This cellular population could be the key element in the differential immune response between BCH and RW which share some mechanisms such us monocyte activation, vascular damage, and fibroblast repair. Lipid mediators could play a role in the evolution of the disease later in life through innate lymphoid cells.
TAC4 controls tiller angle by regulating the endogenous auxin content and distribution in rice
Authors: Li Hua , Sun Hongying , Jiang Jiahuang , Sun Xianyou , Tan Lubin , Sun Chuanqing
Published: July 2020

Tiller angle, an important component of plant architecture, greatly influences the grain yield of rice (Oryza sativa L.). Here, we identified Tiller Angle Control 4 (TAC4) as a novel regulator of rice tiller angle. TAC4 encodes a plant‐specific, highly conserved nuclear protein. The loss of TAC4 function leads to a significant increase in the tiller angle. TAC4 can regulate rice shoot gravitropism by increasing the indole acetic acid content and affecting the auxin distribution. A sequence analysis revealed that TAC4 has undergone a bottleneck and become fixed in indica cultivars during domestication and improvement. Our findings facilitate an increased understanding of the regulatory mechanisms of tiller angle and also provide a potential gene resource for the improvement of rice plant architecture.
Fundamentality in metaphysics and the philosophy of physics. Part I: Metaphysics
Authors: Morganti Matteo
Published: July 2020

This is the first part of a two‐tier overview article on fundamentality in metaphysics and the philosophy of physics. It provides an introduction to the notion of fundamentality in metaphysics, as well as to several related concepts. The key issues in the contemporary debate on the topic are summarized, making systematic reference to the most relevant literature. In particular, various ways in which the fundamental entities and the fundamental structure of reality may be conceived are illustrated and discussed. A final brief section looks at the methodological issue of naturalism, paving the way for the survey of fundamentality in the philosophy of physics which is carried out in the second part.
Conceptual engineering as concept preservation
Authors: Lindauer Matthew
Published: July 2020

In the burgeoning philosophical literature on conceptual engineering improving our concepts is typically portrayed as the hallmark activity of the field. However, Herman Cappelen has challenged the idea that we can know how and why conceptual changes occur well enough to actively intervene in revising our concepts; the mechanisms of conceptual change are typically inscrutable to us. If the ‘inscrutability challenge’ is correct, the practical aspect of conceptual engineering may seem to be undermined, but I argue that endorsing such pessimism would be a mistake. Even if the inscrutability challenge is correct, conceptual engineers often have good reasons to try to preserve existing concepts. I examine several cases where concept preservation is important and draw lessons about this activity for conceptual engineers.
Development of a family resiliency model to care of patients with schizophrenia
Authors: Fitryasari Rizki , Nursalam Nursalam , Yusuf Ah , Hargono Rachmat , Lin Esther Ching‐Lan , Tristiana Rr Dian
Published: July 2020

Families who care for schizophrenia suffer stress and lose the ability to treat. Family stress can be mediated by resilience. Objective: This study aimed to develop a family resilience model based on family‐centred nursing for persons with schizophrenia. This study used a mixed‐method cross‐sectional approach. The population was a family of caregivers for persons with schizophrenia at Mental Hospital in Surabaya, Indonesia. The respondents were 137 families recruited by simple random sampling. Variables include family factors, risk factors, protective factors, patient factors, family stress, family resilience and family ability to care for persons with schizophrenia. The data were collected using questionnaires and then analysed with partial least squares. The statistical results afforded material for focus group discussions with six families and 10 health workers (psychiatrists, psychologists and nurses) in order to improve the model. The result showed family stress was influenced by family factors (path coefficient = −0.145; t = 2.26), risk factors (path coefficient = 0.753; t = 16.7) and patient factors (path coefficient = 0.159; t = 3.23). Family resilience is influenced by risk factors (path coefficient = 0.316; t = 2.60), protective factors (path coefficient = 0.176; t = 2.22) and family stress (path coefficient = 0.298; t = 2.54). Family resilience affects the family ability to treat persons with schizophrenia (path coefficient = 0.366; t = 5.36). The family resilience model increases family capability by 13.4%. The model helps families through stress management by controlling the burden and stigma so that families are able to survive, rise, growing stronger and be better at caring for persons with schizophrenia.
Seroprevalence of Torque Teno Virus in hemodialysis and renal transplant patients in Australia: A cross‐sectional study
Authors: Davis Joshua S. , Chu Ginger , Pathinayake Prabuddhua , Jones Denise , Giffard Phil , Macera Lisa , Choi Peter , Bartlett Nathan W.
Published: July 2020

Introduction

Torque teno virus (TTV) is a non‐pathogenic anellovirus commonly found in the blood of human beings. Emerging data suggest that TTV viral load is proportional to the degree of immunosuppression, but its seroprevalence is unknown in Australia. We aimed to determine the seroprevalence of TTV in an Australian population of renal patients.

Methods

We developed a real‐time PCR to measure TTV viral load, using the TaqMan platform and previously published primers and probes. Following ethics approval and informed consent, we collected blood from hemodialysis patients not receiving immunosuppression, and renal transplant patients. All patients were recruited from a single teaching hospital in New South Wales.

Results

We enrolled 50 hemodialysis and 30 renal transplant patients. 56 (70%) were males, and the mean (sd) age was 61 (16) years. TTV was detectable in plasma of 40/50 (80%) of hemodialysis patients and 28/30 (93%) of transplant patients. The mean TTV viral load was higher in transplant patients than in dialysis patients (6.3 log versus 5.0 log copies/ml, P = .001).

Conclusions

Torque teno virus is prevalent in Australian renal patients and thus may be a useful novel marker to help tailor immunosuppressive therapy in renal transplant patients. Further work is needed to establish TTV seroprevalence in other regions and patient groups, and to investigate whether there is correlation with clinically important events (infection and rejection episodes) in longitudinal studies.
Functional divergence of two duplicated Fertilization Independent Endosperm genes in rice with respect to seed development
Authors: Cheng Xiaojun , Pan Meiyao , E Zhiguo , Zhou Yong , Niu Baixiao , Chen Chen
Published: July 2020

Fertilization Independent Endosperm (FIE) is an essential member of Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 (PRC2) that plays important roles in the developmental regulation of plants. OsFIE1 and OsFIE2 are two FIE homologs in the rice genome. Here, we showed that OsFIE1 probably duplicated from OsFIE2 after the origin of the tribe Oryzeae, but has a specific expression pattern and methylation landscape. During evolution, OsFIE1 underwent a less intensive purifying selection than did OsFIE2. The mutant osfie1 produced smaller seeds and displayed reduced dormancy, indicating that OsFIE1 predominantly functions in late seed development. Ectopic expression of OsFIE1, but not OsFIE2, was deleterious to vegetative growth in a dose‐dependent manner. The newly evolved N‐terminal tail of OsFIE1 was probably not the cause of the adverse effects on vegetative growth. The CRISPR/Cas9‐derived mutant osfie2 exhibited impaired cellularization of the endosperm, which suggested that OsFIE2 is indispensable for early seed development as a positive regulator of cellularization. Autonomous endosperm was observed in both OsFIE2+− and osfie1/OsFIE2+− but at a very low frequency. Although OsFIE1‐PRC2 exhibited H3K27me3 methyltransferase ability in plants, OsFIE1‐PRC2 is likely to be less important for development in rice than is OsFIE2‐PRC2. Our findings revealed the functional divergence of OsFIE1 and OsFIE2 and shed light on their distinct evolution following duplication.
Novel multiple swab method enables high efficiency in SARS‐CoV‐2 screenings without loss of sensitivity for screening of a complete population
Authors: Schmidt Michael , Hoehl Sebastian , Berger Annemarie , Zeichhardt Heinz , Hourfar Kai , Ciesek Sandra , Seifried Erhard
Published: July 2020

Background

In the pandemic, testing for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) by real‐time polymerase chain reaction is one of the pillars on which countermeasures are based. Factors limiting the output of laboratories interfere with the effectiveness of public health measures. Conserving reagents by pooling samples in low‐probability settings is proposed but may cause dilution and loss of sensitivity. Blood transfusion services had experience in performance of high throughput nucleic acid testing (NAT) analysis and can support the national health system by screening of the inhabitants for SARS‐COV‐2.

Methods

We evaluated a new approach of a multiple‐swab method by simultaneously incubating multiple respiratory swabs in a single tube. Analytical sensitivity was constant up to a total number of 50 swabs. It was consequently applied in the testing of 50 symptomatic patients (5‐sample pools) as well as 100 asymptomatic residents of a nursing home (10‐sample pools).

Results

The novel method did not cause false‐negative results with nonsignificantly differing cycle threshold values between single‐swab and multiple‐swab NAT. In two routine applications, all minipools containing positive patient samples were correctly identified.

Conclusions

The new method enables countries to increase the total number of testing significantly. The multiple‐swab method is able to screen system relevant groups of employees frequently. The example in Germany shows that blood transfusion services can support general health systems with their experience in NAT and their high‐throughput instruments. Screening of a huge number of inhabitants is currently the only option to prevent a second infection wave and enable exit strategies in many countries.
25 years of the AMTREAT® process treating high‐strength ammonia liquors
Authors: Bungay Steve
Published: July 2020

Over the last 30 years, a number of biological treatment processes have emerged for treating high‐strength ammonia liquors arising from the dewatering of anaerobic digestate. The AMTREAT® process was the first process to become established and recognised as a viable and reliable process to treat these high‐strength ammonia liquors. The process is a high‐rate activated sludge plant supplied by ACWA Services Ltd. The first full‐scale plant was installed in 1995, treating centrate produced when dewatering anaerobically digested sludge. The process is a compact, high‐rate ammonia treatment system, which has a relatively small footprint compared to conventional activated sludge treatment processes. Originally designed to fully nitrify dewatering ammonia liquors by controlling the environmental conditions of the treatment reactor, the process has evolved first to include alkalinity recovery and subsequently to offer total nitrogen removal. This paper discusses the development of the AMTREAT® process from its initial development in 1992, to the modern day third generation plants which achieve typical achieve ammonia removal exceeding 99% and total nitrogen removal in excess of 80%.
Impaired pulmonary gas exchange efficiency, but normal pulmonary artery pressure increases, with hypoxia in men and women with a patent foramen ovale
Authors: Duke Joseph W. , Beasley Kara M. , Speros Julia P. , Elliott Jonathan E. , Laurie Steven S. , Goodman Randall D. , Futral Eben , Hawn Jerold A. , Lovering Andrew T.
Published: July 2020

New Findings

What is the central question of this study?

Do individuals with a patent foramen ovale (PFO+) have a larger alveolar‐to‐arterial difference in () than those without (PFO−) and/or an exaggerated increase in pulmonary artery systolic pressure (PASP) in response to hypoxia?

What is the main finding and its importance?

PFO+ had a greater while breathing air, 16% and 14% O2, but not 12% or 10% O2. PASP increased equally in hypoxia between PFO+ and PFO−. These data suggest that PFO+ may not have an exaggerated acute increase in PASP in response to hypoxia.

Patent foramen ovale (PFO) is present in 30–40% of the population and is a potential source of right‐to‐left shunt. Accordingly, those with a PFO (PFO+) may have a larger alveolar‐to‐arterial difference in () than those without (PFO−) in normoxia and with mild hypoxia. Likewise, PFO is associated with high‐altitude pulmonary oedema, a condition known to have an exaggerated pulmonary pressure response to hypoxia. Thus, PFO+ may also have exaggerated pulmonary pressure increases in response to hypoxia. Therefore, the purposes of the present study were to systematically determine whether or not: (1) the was greater in PFO+ than in PFO− in normoxia and mild to severe hypoxia and (2) the increase in pulmonary artery systolic pressure (PASP) in response to hypoxia was greater in PFO+ than in PFO−. We measured arterial blood gases and PASP via ultrasound in healthy PFO+ (n = 15) and PFO− (n = 15) humans breathing air and 30 min after breathing four levels of hypoxia (16%, 14%, 12%, 10% O2, randomized and balanced order) at rest. The was significantly greater in PFO+ compared to PFO− while breathing air (2.1 ± 0.7 vs. 0.4 ± 0.3 Torr), 16% O2 (1.8 ± 1.2 vs. 0.7 ± 0.8 Torr) and 14% O2 (2.3 ± 1.2 vs. 0.7 ± 0.6 Torr), but not 12% or 10% O2. We found no effect of PFO on PASP at any level of hypoxia. We conclude that PFO influences pulmonary gas exchange efficiency with mild hypoxia, but not the acute increase in PASP in response to hypoxia.
A Coupled Computational Framework for the Transient Heat Transfer in a Circular Pipe Heated Internally With Expanding Heat Sources
Authors: Hu Chaobin , Zhang Xiaobing
Published: July 2020

In the present work, a transient heat transfer problem induced by internal combustion of energetic materials was studied. Most of previous studies utilized a lumped-parameter model to predict the parameter distributions of the hot combustion products, which determine the boundary conditions for the transient heat transfer problem. Moreover, the heat exchange between the solids and the fluids was ignored in the combustion model. In order to improve the modeling accuracy, a one-dimensional (1D) two-phase flow model was utilized to predict the fluid fields and the heat exchange was coupled into the combustion model. Based on the commercial software abaqus, the transient heat transfer in the combustion chamber was studied using a finite element method. The meshes near the inner surface were refined to capture the high temperature gradients along the radial direction of the barrel. Results indicate that the coupled model is capable of solving the transient heat transfer problems heated by distributed moving heat sources. The coupled computational framework provides foundations for the study of local wear and erosion of solids in extreme working conditions.
The value of S-Detect in improving the diagnostic performance of radiologists for the differential diagnosis of thyroid nodules
Authors: Wei Qi , Zeng Shu-E , Wang Li-Ping , Yan Yu-Jing , Wang Ting , Xu Jian-Wei , Zhang Meng-Yi , Lv Wen-Zhi , Cui Xin-Wu , Dietrich Christoph F.
Published: July 2020

Aims: To compare the diagnostic value of S-Detect (a computer aided diagnosis system using deep learning) in differentiating thyroid nodules in radiologists with different experience and to assess if S-Detect can improve the diagnostic performance of radiologists.Materials and methods: Between February 2018 and October 2019, 204 thyroid nodules in 181 patients were included. An experienced radiologist performed ultrasound for thyroid nodules and obtained the result of S-Detect. Four radiologists with different experience on thyroid ultrasound (Radiologist 1, 2, 3, 4 with 1, 4, 9, 20 years, respectively) analyzed the conventional ultrasound images of each thyroid nodule and made a diagnosis of “benign” or “malignant” based on the TI-RADS category. After referring to S-Detect results, they re-evaluated the diagnoses. The diagnostic performance of radiologists was analyzed before and after referring to the results of S-Detect.Results: The accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of S-Detect were 77.0, 91.3, 65.2, 68.3 and 90.1%, respectively. In comparison with the less experienced radiologists (radiologist 1 and 2), S-Detect had a higher area under receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), accuracy and specificity (p <0.05). In comparison with the most experienced radiologist, the diagnostic accuracy and AUC were lower (p<0.05). In the less experienced radiologists, the diagnostic accuracy, specificity and AUC were significantly improved when combined with S-Detect (p<0.05), but not for experienced radiologists (radiologist 3 and 4) (p>0.05).Conclusions: S-Detect may become an additional diagnostic method for the diagnosis of thyroid nodules and improve the diagnostic performance of less experienced radiologists.
Staphylococcus aureus Lipase 1 Enhances Influenza A Virus Replication
Authors: Goncheva Mariya I. , Conceicao Carina , Tuffs Stephen W. , Lee Hui-Min , Quigg-Nicol Marlynne , Bennet Ian , Sargison Fiona , Pickering Amy C. , Hussain Saira , Gill Andrew C. , Dutia Bernadette M. , Digard Paul , Fitzgerald J. Ross
Published: July 2020

Influenza A virus (IAV) causes annual epidemics and sporadic pandemics of respiratory disease. Secondary bacterial coinfection by organisms such as
Staphylococcus aureus
is the most common complication of primary IAV infection and is associated with high levels of morbidity and mortality. Here, we report the first identified
S. aureus
factor (lipase 1) that enhances IAV replication during infection via positive modulation of virus budding. The effect is observed
in vivo
in embryonated hen’s eggs and greatly enhances the yield of a vaccine strain, a finding that could be applied to address global shortages of influenza vaccines.
Deconstructing the Soil Microbiome into Reduced-Complexity Functional Modules
Authors: Naylor Dan , Fansler Sarah , Brislawn Colin , Nelson William C. , Hofmockel Kirsten S. , Jansson Janet K. , McClure Ryan
Published: July 2020

The taxonomic and functional diversity inherent to the soil microbiome complicate assessments of the metabolic potential carried out by the community members. An alternative approach is to break down the soil microbiome into reduced-complexity subsets based on metabolic capacities (functional modules) prior to sequencing and analysis. Here, we demonstrate that this approach successfully identified specific phylogenetic and biochemical traits of the soil microbiome that otherwise remained hidden from a more top-down analysis.
Supplemental Material: Late Neoproterozoic–early Paleozoic basin evolution in the Cathaysia Block, South China: Implications of spatio-temporal provenance changes on the paleogeographic reconstructions in supercontinent cycles
Authors: Xue Er-Kun , Wang, Wei , al. et
Published: July 2020

Supplemental Materials, including Table S1–S7, exhibit data obtained in this study and collected from previously published work.
Pancytopenia and TTP-like picture secondary to pernicious anaemia
Authors: Chen Peiting , Ramachandran Preethi , Josan Karan , Wang Jen Chin
Published: July 2020

A 21-year-old man presented to the emergency department with generalised weakness, weight loss and decreased appetite for few weeks. He had evidence of severe pancytopenia and haemolysis. His peripheral smear with many schistocytes was suspicious for thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP). He was supported with blood transfusions and daily plasmapheresis. His platelet counts worsened despite 4 days of therapy. Bone marrow biopsy was significant for hypercellular bone marrow with megaloblastic changes. Further workup revealed normal ADAMTS13 level, low vitamin B12, positive intrinsic factor antibodies and high methylmalonic acid. Diagnosis of pernicious anaemia was established and he was started on daily treatment with intramuscular vitamin B12which subsequently improved his symptoms and haematological parameters. This report highlights the importance of checking vitamin B12level in patients presenting with pancytopenia and TTP-like picture before making a diagnosis of TTP.
Lemierre’s syndrome in an intravenous drug user
Authors: Fernandez Daniel , Ahmad Mirza , Decker Gary , Aloysius Mark M
Published: July 2020

A 29-year-old Dominican man with a history of intravenous heroin use and hepatitis C presented with a 5-day history of fever, dyspnoea, haemoptysis, pleuritic chest pain, abdominal pain, haematochezia and haematemesis. Initial physical examination was significant for scleral icterus, generalised abdominal tenderness to palpation, melaena and blood-tinged sputum. Blood cultures grewFusobacteriumspecies. CT scan of the chest revealed multiplebilateralcavitary features in lung fields. At the same time, a neck ultrasound performed demonstrated thrombophlebitis in the right internal jugular vein, confirming the diagnosis of ‘Lemierre’s syndrome’. Treatment was with antibiotics and supportive care for 6 weeks.
Work-related psychosocial risk factors for stress-related mental disorders: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: van der Molen Henk F , Nieuwenhuijsen Karen , Frings-Dresen Monique H W , de Groene Gerda
Published: July 2020

Objective

The objective was to conduct an update of a previously published review and meta-analysis on the association between work-related psychosocial risk factors and stress-related mental disorders (SRD).

Design

Systematic review and meta-analysis.

Data sources

Medline, Embase and PsycINFO were searched for articles published between 2008 and 12 August 2019 and references of a systematic review performed for the period before 2008 were included. Primary prospective studies were included when outcome data were described in terms of SRD assessment or a dichotomous outcome, based on a validated questionnaire, and at least two levels of work-related exposure were reported (exposed vs less or non-exposed). We used GRADE to assess the evidence for the associations between risk factors and the onset of SRD.

Results

Seventeen studies met the inclusion criteria. In total, a population of 73 874 workers from Belgium, Denmark, England, Finland, Japan, the Netherlands and Sweden were included in the meta-analysis of 14 prospective cohort studies. This meta-analysis revealed moderate evidence for associations between SRD and effort reward imbalance (OR=1.9, 95% CI 1.70 to 2.15), high job demands (OR=1.6, 95% CI 1.41 to 1.72), organisational justice (ORs=1.6 to 1.7, CIs 1.44 to 1.86), social support (ORs=1.3 to 1.4, CIs 1.16 to 1.69), high emotional demands (OR=1.6, 95% CI 1.35 to 1.84) and decision authority (OR=1.3, CI 1.20 to 1.49). No significant or inconsistent associations were found for job insecurity, decision latitude, skill discretion and bullying.

Conclusion

Moderate evidence was found that work-related psychosocial risk factors are associated with a higher risk of SRD. Effort-reward imbalance, low organisational justice and high job demands exhibited the largest increased risk of SRD, varying from 60% to 90%.
Artificial intelligence method to classify ophthalmic emergency severity based on symptoms: a validation study
Authors: Ahn Hyunmin
Published: July 2020

Objectives

We investigated the usefulness of machine learning artificial intelligence (AI) in classifying the severity of ophthalmic emergency for timely hospital visits.

Study design

This retrospective study analysed the patients who first visited the Armed Forces Daegu Hospital between May and December 2019. General patient information, events and symptoms were input variables. Events, symptoms, diagnoses and treatments were output variables. The output variables were classified into four classes (red, orange, yellow and green, indicating immediate to no emergency cases). About 200 cases of the class-balanced validation data set were randomly selected before all training procedures. An ensemble AI model using combinations of fully connected neural networks with the synthetic minority oversampling technique algorithm was adopted.

Participants

A total of 1681 patients were included.

Major outcomes

Model performance was evaluated using accuracy, precision, recall and F1 scores.

Results

The accuracy of the model was 99.05%. The precision of each class (red, orange, yellow and green) was 100%, 98.10%, 92.73% and 100%. The recalls of each class were 100%, 100%, 98.08% and 95.33%. The F1 scores of each class were 100%, 99.04%, 95.33% and 96.00%.

Conclusions

We provided support for an AI method to classify ophthalmic emergency severity based on symptoms.
Palindromic Characteristic of Committed Graphs and Some Model Theoretic Properties
Authors: Çevik Ahmet
Published: July 2020

We bring into attention the interplay between model theory of committed graphs (1-regular graphs) and their palindromic characteristic in the domain of formal languages. We prove some model theoretic properties of committed graphs and then give a characterization of them in the formal language domain using palindromes. We show in the first part of the paper that the theory of committed graphs and the theory of infinite committed graphs differ in terms of completeness. We give the observation that theories of finite and infinite committed graphs are both decidable. The former is finitely axiomatizable, whereas the latter is not. We note that every committed graph is isomorphic to the structure of integers. In the second part, as our main focus of the paper and using some of the results in the first section, we give a characterization of committed graphs based on the notion of finite and infinite palindrome strings.
STUDY OF FORMATION OF DEFECTS/DEFECT CLUSTERS IN NICKEL NANOWIRES
Authors: HONEY SHEHLA , ASIM JAMIL , AHMAD ISHAQ , ZHAO TINGKAI , MALEK MAAZA , NASEEM SHAHZAD
Published: July 2020

In this paper, formation of defects/defect clusters in nickel nanowires (Ni-NWs) due to interaction of a 60 kilo-electron-volt (keV) beam of proton (H[Formula: see text] ions is studied. Ni-NWs are exposed to various fluencies of H[Formula: see text] ions ranging between [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text][Formula: see text]ions/cm2. The analysis of pristine and H[Formula: see text] ion-irradiated Ni-NWs samples is mainly done using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques. Stopping range of ions in matter (SRIM) simulation software is employed to verify the production of defect clusters in Ni-NWs theoretically. Furthermore, insight of creation of defects in Ni-NWs due to interaction of low energy H[Formula: see text] ions in keV range is made using the theory of collision cascade effect. The study of defect clusters induced in Ni-NWs under H[Formula: see text] ions beam irradiation is essential for application of Ni-NW-based nanodevices in harsh environment containing plenty of H[Formula: see text] ions such as for use in spacecraft equipped for space missions.
SCAPULAR TAPING IMPROVES FUNCTIONAL THROWING PERFORMANCE AMONG NORMATIVE YOUNG ADULTS: A RANDOMIZED CROSSOVER TRIAL
Authors: Saxena Gaurav , Venkatesan Prem , Harikesavan Karvannan
Published: July 2020

Objective: To assess the effect of scapular taping on the functional throwing performance index and medicine ball throwing performance. Design: A Randomized crossover trial. Setting: Out-patient Physiotherapy department at a university hospital. Participants: Forty-four healthy participants were randomly assigned to scapular and sham taping procedure. Outcome measure: Functional throwing performance index (FTPI) and Medicine ball throw (MBT) were recorded at baseline and following each taping procedure. Results: Analysis of variance with repeated measures on the dependent variable (Index percentage for FTPI and distance in meters for MBT) were used for analysis. Significant improvements were observed following scapular taping ([Formula: see text]) on FTPI and MBT. Post hoc analysis for FTPI and MBT obtained a statistically significant difference between the scapular taping condition to baseline ([Formula: see text]) with a mean difference of [Formula: see text]%; [Formula: see text][Formula: see text]m, respectively. Similarly, scapular taping to sham taping ([Formula: see text]) shown a significant difference of [Formula: see text]% on FTPI and [Formula: see text][Formula: see text]m in MBT. No significant differences were found following sham taping on FTPI and MBT. Conclusion: Scapular taping improves functional throwing performance index and medicine ball throwing performance among normative young adults.
Self-consistent tomography and measurement-device independent cryptography
Authors: Moore I. D. , van Enk S. J.
Published: July 2020

A recurring problem in quantum mechanics is to estimate either the state of a quantum system or the measurement operator applied to it. If we wish to estimate both, then the difficulty is that the state and the measurement always appear together: to estimate the state, we must use a measurement; to estimate the measurement operator, we must use a state. The data of such quantum estimation experiments come in the form of measurement frequencies. Ideally, the measured average frequencies can be attributed to an average state and an average measurement operator. If this is not the case, we have correlated state-preparation-and-measurement (SPAM) errors. We extend some tests developed to detect such correlated errors to apply to a cryptographic scenario in which two parties trust their individual states but not the measurement performed on the joint state.
Multi-User Mobile Sequential Recommendation for Route Optimization
Authors: Xiao Keli , Ye Zeyang , Zhang Lihao , Zhou Wenjun , Ge Yong , Deng Yuefan
Published: July 2020

We enhance the mobile sequential recommendation (MSR) model and address some critical issues in existing formulations by proposing three new forms of the MSR from a multi-user perspective. The multi-user MSR (MMSR) model searches optimal routes for multiple drivers at different locations while disallowing overlapping routes to be recommended. To enrich the properties of pick-up points in the problem formulation, we additionally consider the pick-up capacity as an important feature, leading to the following two modified forms of the MMSR: MMSR-m and MMSR-d. The MMSR-m sets a maximum pick-up capacity for all urban areas, while the MMSR-d allows the pick-up capacity to vary at different locations. We develop a parallel framework based on the simulated annealing to numerically solve the MMSR problem series. Also, a push-point method is introduced to improve our algorithms further for the MMSR-m and the MMSR-d, which can handle the route optimization in more practical ways. Our results on both real-world and synthetic data confirmed the superiority of our problem formulation and solutions under more demanding practical scenarios over several published benchmarks.