bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Diversity and substrate-specificity of green algae and other micro-eukaryotes colonizing amphibian clutches in Germany, revealed by DNA metabarcoding
Authors: Anslan Sten , Sachs Maria , Rancilhac Lois , Brinkmann Henner , Petersen Jörn , Künzel Sven , Schwarz Anja , Arndt Hartmut , Kerney Ryan , Vences Miguel
Published: June 2021

Amphibian clutches are colonized by diverse but poorly studied communities of micro-organisms. One of the most noted ones is the unicellular green alga, Oophila amblystomatis, but the occurrence and role of other micro-organisms in the capsular chamber surrounding amphibian clutches have remained largely unstudied. Here, we undertook a multi-marker DNA metabarcoding study to characterize the community of algae and other micro-eukaryotes associated with agile frog (Rana dalmatina) clutches. Samplings were performed at three small ponds in Germany, from four substrates: water, sediment, tree leaves from the bottom of the pond, and R. dalmatina clutches. Sampling substrate strongly determined the community compositions of algae and other micro-eukaryotes. Therefore, as expected, the frog clutch-associated communities formed clearly distinct clusters. Clutch-associated communities in our study were structured by a plethora of not only green algae, but also diatoms and other ochrophytes. The most abundant operational taxonomic units (OTUs) in clutch samples were taxa from Chlamydomonas, Oophila, but also from Nitzschia and other ochrophytes. Sequences of Oophila “Clade B” were found exclusively in clutches. Based on additional phylogenetic analyses of 18S rDNA and of a matrix of 18 nuclear genes derived from transcriptomes, we confirmed in our samples the existence of two distinct clades of green algae assigned to Oophila in past studies. We hypothesize that “Clade B” algae correspond to the true Oophila, whereas “Clade A” algae are a series of Chlorococcum species that, along with other green algae, ochrophytes and protists, colonize amphibian clutches opportunistically and are often cultured from clutch samples due to their robust growth performance. The clutch-associated communities were subject to filtering by sampling location, suggesting that the taxa colonizing amphibian clutches can drastically differ depending on environmental conditions.
Artificial intelligence in hospitals: providing a status quo of ethical considerations in academia to guide future research
Authors: Mirbabaie Milad , Hofeditz Lennart , Frick Nicholas R. J. , Stieglitz Stefan
Published: June 2021

The application of artificial intelligence (AI) in hospitals yields many advantages but also confronts healthcare with ethical questions and challenges. While various disciplines have conducted specific research on the ethical considerations of AI in hospitals, the literature still requires a holistic overview. By conducting a systematic discourse approach highlighted by expert interviews with healthcare specialists, we identified the status quo of interdisciplinary research in academia on ethical considerations and dimensions of AI in hospitals. We found 15 fundamental manuscripts by constructing a citation network for the ethical discourse, and we extracted actionable principles and their relationships. We provide an agenda to guide academia, framed under the principles of biomedical ethics. We provide an understanding of the current ethical discourse of AI in clinical environments, identify where further research is pressingly needed, and discuss additional research questions that should be addressed. We also guide practitioners to acknowledge AI-related benefits in hospitals and to understand the related ethical concerns.
Nematic–Isotropic Phase Transition in Liquid Crystals: A Variational Derivation of Effective Geometric Motions
Authors: Laux Tim , Liu Yuning
Published: June 2021

In this work, we study the nematic–isotropic phase transition based on the dynamics of the Landau–De Gennes theory of liquid crystals. At the critical temperature, the Landau–De Gennes bulk potential favors the isotropic phase and nematic phase equally. When the elastic coefficient is much smaller than that of the bulk potential, a scaling limit can be derived by formal asymptotic expansions: the solution gradient concentrates on a closed surface evolving by mean curvature flow. Moreover, on one side of the surface the solution tends to the nematic phase which is governed by the harmonic map heat flow into the sphere while on the other side, it tends to the isotropic phase. To rigorously justify such a scaling limit, we prove a convergence result by combining weak convergence methods and the modulated energy method. Our proof applies as long as the limiting mean curvature flow remains smooth.
Framed sheaves on projective space and Quot schemes
Authors: Cazzaniga Alberto , Ricolfi Andrea T.
Published: June 2021

We prove that, given integers$$m\ge 3$$m≥3,$$r\ge 1$$r≥1and$$n\ge 0$$n≥0, the moduli space of torsion free sheaves on$${\mathbb {P}}^m$$Pmwith Chern character$$(r,0,\ldots ,0,-n)$$(r,0,…,0,-n)that are trivial along a hyperplane$$D \subset {\mathbb {P}}^m$$D⊂Pmis isomorphic to the Quot scheme$$\mathrm{Quot}_{{\mathbb {A}}^m}({\mathscr {O}}^{\oplus r},n)$$QuotAm(O⊕r,n)of 0-dimensional lengthnquotients of the free sheaf$${\mathscr {O}}^{\oplus r}$$O⊕ron$${\mathbb {A}}^m$$Am. The proof goes by comparing the two tangent-obstruction theories on these moduli spaces.
Predictive approaches to guide the expression of recombinant vaccine targets in Escherichia coli: a case study presentation utilising Absynth Biologics Ltd. proprietary Clostridium difficile vaccine antigens
Authors: Hussain Hirra , McKenzie Edward A , Robinson Andrew M , Gingles Neill A , Marston Fiona , Warwicker Jim , Dickson Alan J
Published: June 2021

Bacterial expression systems remain a widely used host for recombinant protein production. However, overexpression of recombinant target proteins in bacterial systems such as Escherichia coli can result in poor solubility and the formation of insoluble aggregates. As a consequence, numerous strategies or alternative engineering approaches have been employed to increase recombinant protein production. In this case study, we present the strategies used to increase the recombinant production and solubility of ‘difficult-to-express’ bacterial antigens, termed Ant2 and Ant3, from Absynth Biologics Ltd.’s Clostridium difficile vaccine programme. Single recombinant antigens (Ant2 and Ant3) and fusion proteins (Ant2-3 and Ant3-2) formed insoluble aggregates (inclusion bodies) when overexpressed in bacterial cells. Further, proteolytic cleavage of Ant2-3 was observed. Optimisation of culture conditions and changes to the construct design to include N-terminal solubility tags did not improve antigen solubility. However, screening of different buffer/additives showed that the addition of 1–15 mM dithiothreitol alone decreased the formation of insoluble aggregates and improved the stability of both Ant2 and Ant3. Structural models were generated for Ant2 and Ant3, and solubility-based prediction tools were employed to determine the role of hydrophobicity and charge on protein production. The results showed that a large non-polar region (containing hydrophobic amino acids) was detected on the surface of Ant2 structures, whereas positively charged regions (containing lysine and arginine amino acids) were observed for Ant3, both of which were associated with poor protein solubility. We present a guide of strategies and predictive approaches that aim to guide the construct design, prior to expression studies, to define and engineer sequences/structures that could lead to increased expression and stability of single and potentially multi-domain (or fusion) antigens in bacterial expression systems.
SFTPA1 is a potential prognostic biomarker correlated with immune cell infiltration and response to immunotherapy in lung adenocarcinoma
Authors: Yuan Lu , Wu Xixi , Zhang Longshan , Yang Mi , Wang Xiaoqing , Huang Wenqi , Pan Hua , Wu Yuting , Huang Jihong , Liang Wenyu , Li Jiaxin , Zhu Xiaodi , Wang Shuang , Guan Jian , Liu Laiyu
Published: June 2021

Pulmonary surfactant protein A1 (SFTPA1) is a member of the C-type lectin subfamily that plays a critical role in maintaining lung tissue homeostasis and the innate immune response. SFTPA1 disruption can cause several acute or chronic lung diseases, including lung cancer. However, little research has been performed to associate SFTPA1 with immune cell infiltration and the response to immunotherapy in lung cancer. The findings of our study describe the SFTPA1 expression profile in multiple databases and was validated in BALB/c mice, human tumor tissues, and paired normal tissues using an immunohistochemistry assay. High SFTPA1 mRNA expression was associated with a favorable prognosis through a survival analysis in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) samples from TCGA. Further GeneOntology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses showed that SFTPA1 was involved in the toll-like receptor signaling pathway. An immune infiltration analysis clarified that high SFTPA1 expression was associated with an increased number of M1 macrophages, CD8+ T cells, memory activated CD4+ T cells, regulatory T cells, as well as a reduced number of M2 macrophages. Our clinical data suggest that SFTPA1 may serve as a biomarker for predicting a favorable response to immunotherapy for patients with LUAD. Collectively, our study extends the expression profile and potential regulatory pathways of SFTPA1 and may provide a potential biomarker for establishing novel preventive and therapeutic strategies for lung adenocarcinoma.
Rifaximin use favoured micafungin-resistant Candida spp. infections in recipients of allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation
Authors: Marzuttini Francesca , Mancusi Antonella , Bonato Samanta , Griselli Mario , Tricarico Sara , Casarola Genni , Paradiso Matteo , Ruggeri Loredana , Terenzi Adelmo , Merluzzi Mara , Prigitano Anna , Tortorano Anna Maria , Pitzurra Lucia , Falini Brunangelo , Carotti Alessandra , Velardi Andrea , Pierini Antonio
Published: June 2021

Damage to gut mucosa following conditioning regimens may favour bacterial infections that can trigger graft versus host disease (GvHD) in patients undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Rifaximin, an oral and non-absorbable antibiotic, has been recently proposed as effective prophylaxis to reduce bacterial infections in the gut and consequently acute GvHD in this setting. The present study evaluated safety and outcomes of HSCT patients that were treated with rifaximin prophylaxis at Perugia University Hospital. Rifaximin prophylaxis was introduced as standard of care in HSCT patients in May 2018. We retrieved data from 118 consecutive transplants, and we compared the outcomes of rifaximin-treated patients with historical controls that did not receive antibiotic prophylaxis. While incidences of neutropenic fever, documented bacterial infections, and aGvHD were similar in the two groups, we found an increased frequency of invasive candidiasis and clinically relevant Candida spp. infections in rifaximin-treated patients (5 patients vs 1 patient, 25% [± 0.99%] vs 1% [± 0.01%], p < .0001). Three rifaximin-treated patients experienced life-threating candidemia (2 C. krusei, 1 C. orthopsilosis). Rifaximin was the only factor that increased the risk of Candida spp. infections. Rifaximin could have contributed to microbiome disruption which favoured an outbreak of life-threatening Candida infections. This important complication forced us to halt its use. Larger, prospective studies are needed to assess the impact of rifaximin prophylaxis on incidence of bacterial infections, aGvHD, and survival of HSCT patients.
Correction to: Survival of Group A Streptococcus (GAS) is Enhanced Under Desiccated Culture Conditions
Authors: Menschner Leonhard , Falke Uta , Konrad Peter , Toepfner Nicole , Berner Reinhard
Published: June 2021

The article “Survival of Group A Streptococcus (GAS) is Enhanced Under Desiccated Culture Conditions”, written by Leonhard Menschner, Uta Falke, Peter Konrad, Nicole Toepfner, Reinhard Berner, was originally published electronically on the publisher's internet portal on 2 April 2020 without open access. With the author(s)' decision to opt for Open Choice the copyright of the article changed on 4 June 2021 to © The Author(s) 2020 and the article is forthwith distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0.
3D lidar point-cloud projection operator and transfer machine learning for effective road surface features detection and segmentation
Authors: Li Heyang Thomas , Todd Zachary , Bielski Nikolas , Carroll Felix
Published: June 2021

The classification and extraction of road markings and lanes are of critical importance to infrastructure assessment, planning and road safety. We present a pipeline for the accurate segmentation and extraction of rural road surface objects in 3D lidar point-cloud, as well as a method to extract geometric parameters belonging to tar seal. To decrease the computational resources needed, the point-clouds were aggregated into a 2D image space before being transformed using affine transformations. The Mask R-CNN algorithm is then applied to the transformed image space to localize, segment and classify the road objects. The segmentation results for road surfaces and markings can then be used for geometric parameter estimation such as road widths estimation, while the segmentation results show that the efficacy of the existing Mask R-CNN to segment needle-type objects is improved by our proposed transformations.
Update of the fractions of cardiovascular diseases and mental disorders attributable to psychosocial work factors in Europe
Authors: Niedhammer Isabelle , Sultan-Taïeb Hélène , Parent-Thirion Agnès , Chastang Jean-François
Published: June 2021

Objectives

The objectives of this study were to provide the fractions of cardiovascular diseases and mental disorders attributable to five psychosocial work exposures, i.e. job strain, effort-reward imbalance, job insecurity, long working hours, and bullying in Europe (35 countries, including 28 European Union countries), for each one and all countries together, in 2015.

Methods

The prevalences of exposure were estimated using the sample of 35,571 employees from the 2015 European Working Conditions Survey (EWCS) for all countries together and each country separately. Relative risks (RR) were obtained via literature reviews and meta-analyses already published. The studied outcomes were: coronary/ischemic heart diseases (CHD), stroke, atrial fibrillation, peripheral artery disease, venous thromboembolism, and depression. Attributable fractions (AF) for each exposure and overall AFs for all exposures together were calculated.

Results

The AFs of depression were all significant: job strain (17%), job insecurity (9%), bullying (7%), and effort-reward imbalance (6%). Most of the AFs of cardiovascular diseases were significant and lower than 11%. Differences in AFs were observed between countries for depression and for long working hours. Differences between genders were found for long working hours, with higher AFs observed among men than among women for all outcomes. Overall AFs taking all exposures into account ranged between 17 and 35% for depression and between 5 and 11% for CHD.

Conclusion

The overall burden of depression and cardiovascular diseases attributable to psychosocial work exposures was noticeable. As these exposures are modifiable, preventive policies may be useful to reduce the burden of disease associated with the psychosocial work environment.
A micro-CT-based standard brain atlas of the bumblebee
Authors: Rother Lisa , Kraft Nadine , Smith Dylan B. , el Jundi Basil , Gill Richard J. , Pfeiffer Keram
Published: June 2021

In recent years, bumblebees have become a prominent insect model organism for a variety of biological disciplines, particularly to investigate learning behaviors as well as visual performance. Understanding these behaviors and their underlying neurobiological principles requires a clear understanding of brain anatomy. Furthermore, to be able to compare neuronal branching patterns across individuals, a common framework is required, which has led to the development of 3D standard brain atlases in most of the neurobiological insect model species. Yet, no bumblebee 3D standard brain atlas has been generated. Here we present a brain atlas for the buff-tailed bumblebee Bombus terrestris using micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) scans as a source for the raw data sets, rather than traditional confocal microscopy, to produce the first ever micro-CT-based insect brain atlas. We illustrate the advantages of the micro-CT technique, namely, identical native resolution in the three cardinal planes and 3D structure being better preserved. Our Bombus terrestris brain atlas consists of 30 neuropils reconstructed from ten individual worker bees, with micro-CT allowing us to segment neuropils completely intact, including the lamina, which is a tissue structure often damaged when dissecting for immunolabeling. Our brain atlas can serve as a platform to facilitate future neuroscience studies in bumblebees and illustrates the advantages of micro-CT for specific applications in insect neuroanatomy.
Outcomes of an HCV elimination program targeting the Viennese MSM population
Authors: Jachs Mathias , Binter Teresa , Chromy David , Schalk Horst , Pichler Karlheinz , Bauer David , Simbrunner Benedikt , Hartl Lukas , Schmidbauer Caroline , Mayer Florian , Strassl Robert , Mandorfer Mattias , Gschwantler Michael , Reiberger Thomas
Published: June 2021

Background and aims

Recent reports suggest an increasing incidence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections among MSM (men-who-have-sex-with-men). Early treatment with direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) achieves high cure rates and prevents further HCV transmission. We offered barrier-free HCV screening in the Viennese MSM population and immediate access to DAA treatment.

Methods

In collaboration with gay health specialists, we screened for HCV seropositivity in Viennese MSM between 2019 and 2020. Barrier-free HCV-RNA-PCR tests, transient elastography (TE) and immediate access to DAA treatment were offered.

Results

A total of 310 HCV-seropositive patients were identified. Of those, 145 could be contacted and 109 attended their appointment at our clinic. HIV-coinfection was highly prevalent in our cohort (n = 86/145; 78.9%), while pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) was taken by 21.7% (n = 5/23) of non-HIV patients. Sexual risk behavior and (history of) intravenous drug use was reported by 32.1% and 13.8% of patients, respectively. Most MSM had already achieved sustained virological response (SVR) to previous antiviral treatment (n = 72, 66.1%) or experienced spontaneous clearance (n = 10, 9.2%). Advanced fibrosis was only detected in 3/109 (2.8%) patients. 30 MSM tested positive for HCV-RNA and DAA treatment was initiated in 29 patients – all achieved SVR.

Conclusion

A targeted HCV test-and-treat program revealed a high prevalence of HCV seropositivity among Viennese MSM, potentially associated with high-risk sexual behavior and drug use. Early DAA treatment seems warranted in viremic HCV-MSM as SVR was 100%, which in turn prevents further HCV transmission.
Incompatible strain gradient elasticity of Mindlin type: screw and edge dislocations
Authors: Lazar Markus
Published: June 2021

The fundamental problem of dislocations in incompatible isotropic strain gradient elasticity theory of Mindlin type, unsolved for more than half a century, is solved in this work. Incompatible strain gradient elasticity of Mindlin type is the generalization of Mindlin’s compatible strain gradient elasticity including plastic fields providing in this way a proper eigenstrain framework for the study of defects like dislocations. Exact analytical solutions for the displacement fields, elastic distortions, Cauchy stresses, plastic distortions and dislocation densities of screw and edge dislocations are derived. For the numerical analysis of the dislocation fields, elastic constants and gradient elastic constants have been used taken from ab initio DFT calculations. The displacement, elastic distortion, plastic distortion and Cauchy stress fields of screw and edge dislocations are non-singular, finite, and smooth. The dislocation fields of a screw dislocation depend on one characteristic length, whereas the dislocation fields of an edge dislocation depend on up to three characteristic lengths. For a screw dislocation, the dislocation fields obtained in incompatible strain gradient elasticity of Mindlin type agree with the corresponding ones in simplified incompatible strain gradient elasticity. In the case of an edge dislocation, the dislocation fields obtained in incompatible strain gradient elasticity of Mindlin type are depicted more realistic than the corresponding ones in simplified incompatible strain gradient elasticity. Among others, the Cauchy stress of an edge dislocation obtained in incompatible isotropic strain gradient elasticity of Mindlin type looks more physical in the dislocation core region than the Cauchy stress obtained in simplified incompatible strain gradient elasticity and is in good agreement with the stress fields of an edge dislocation computed in atomistic simulations. Moreover, it is shown that the shape of the dislocation core of an edge dislocation has a more realistic asymmetric form due to its inherent asymmetry in incompatible isotropic strain gradient elasticity of Mindlin type than the dislocation core possessing a cylindrical symmetry in simplified incompatible strain gradient elasticity. It is revealed that the considered theory with the incorporation of three characteristic lengths offers a more realistic description of an edge dislocation than the simplified incompatible strain gradient elasticity with only one characteristic length.
Prognostic value of the pre-operative serum albumin to globulin ratio in patients with non-metastatic prostate cancer undergoing radical prostatectomy
Authors: Aydh Abdulmajeed , Mori Keiichiro , D’Andrea David , Motlagh Reza Sari , Abufaraj Mohammad , Pradere Benjamin , Mostafaei Hadi , Laukhtina Ekaterina , Quhal Fahad , Karakiewicz Pierre I. , Luzzago Stefano , Briganti Alberto , Trinh Quoc-Dien , Parizi Mehdi Kardoust , Tilki Derya , Enikeev Dmitry V. , Shariat Shahrokh F.
Published: June 2021

Purpose

To evaluate the potential predictive value of the preoperative serum albumin to globulin ratio (AGR) for oncological outcomes in patients treated with radical prostatectomy (RP) for clinically non-metastatic prostate cancer (PCa).

Methods

Pre-operative AGR was assessed in a multi-institutional cohort of 6041 patients treated with RP. Logistic regression analyses were performed to assess the association of the AGR with advanced disease. We performed Cox regression analyses to determine the relationship between AGR and biochemical recurrence (BCR).

Results

The optimal cut-off value was determined to be 1.31 according to receiver operating curve analysis. Compared to patients with a higher AGR, those with a lower preoperative AGR had worse BCR-free survival (P < 0.01) in the Kaplan–Meier analysis. Pre- and post-operative multivariable models that adjusted for the effects of established clinicopathologic features, confirmed its independent association with BCR [hazard ratio (HR) 1.52, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.31–1.75, P < 0.01, HR 1.55, 95% CI 1.34–1.79, P < 0.01, respectively]. However, the addition of AGR to established prognostic models did not improve their discrimination.

Conclusion

While AGR is significantly associated with BCR, in the present study, the clinical impact of AGR was not large enough to affect patient management. Longer follow-up is necessary to observe the true effect of AGR.
Goodness-of-fit test for $$\alpha$$-stable distribution based on the quantile conditional variance statistics
Authors: Pitera Marcin , Chechkin Aleksei , Wyłomańska Agnieszka
Published: June 2021

The class of $$\alpha$$
α
-stable distributions is ubiquitous in many areas including signal processing, finance, biology, physics, and condition monitoring. In particular, it allows efficient noise modeling and incorporates distributional properties such as asymmetry and heavy-tails. Despite the popularity of this modeling choice, most statistical goodness-of-fit tests designed for $$\alpha$$
α
-stable distributions are based on a generic distance measurement methods. To be efficient, those methods require large sample sizes and often do not efficiently discriminate distributions when the corresponding $$\alpha$$
α
-stable parameters are close to each other. In this paper, we propose a novel goodness-of-fit method based on quantile (trimmed) conditional variances that is designed to overcome these deficiencies and outperforms many benchmark testing procedures. The effectiveness of the proposed approach is illustrated using extensive simulation study with focus set on the symmetric case. For completeness, an empirical example linked to plasma physics is provided.
Correction to: Assessment of incentivizing effects for cancer care frameworks
Authors: Haier Jörg , Sleeman Jonathan , Schäfers Jürgen
Published: June 2021

The article “Assessment of incentivizing effects for cancer care frameworks”, written by Jörg Haier, Jonathan Sleeman and Jürgen Schäfers, was originally published Online First without Open Access. After publication in volume 37, issue 4, page 447–450 the author decided to opt for Open Choice and to make the article an Open Access publication. Therefore, the copyright of the article has been changed to © The Author(s) 2020 and the article is forthwith distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0. Open access funding enabled and organized by Projekt DEAL.
The Ontario Integrated Supervised Injection Services Cohort Study of People Who Inject Drugs in Toronto, Canada (OiSIS-Toronto): Cohort Profile
Authors: Scheim Ayden I. , Sniderman Ruby , Wang Ri , Bouck Zachary , McLean Elizabeth , Mason Kate , Bardwell Geoff , Mitra Sanjana , Greenwald Zoë R. , Thavorn Kednapa , Garber Gary , Baral Stefan D. , Rourke Sean B. , Werb Dan
Published: June 2021

The Ontario Integrated Supervised Injection Services cohort in Toronto, Canada (OiSIS-Toronto) is an open prospective cohort of people who inject drugs (PWID). OiSIS-Toronto was established to evaluate the impacts of supervised consumption services (SCS) integrated within three community health agencies on health status and service use. The cohort includes PWID who do and do not use SCS, recruited via self-referral, snowball sampling, and community/street outreach. From 5 November 2018 to 19 March 2020, we enrolled 701 eligible PWID aged 18+ who lived in Toronto. Participants complete interviewer-administered questionnaires at baseline and semi-annually thereafter and are asked to consent to linkages with provincial healthcare administrative databases (90.2% consented; of whom 82.4% were successfully linked) and SCS client databases. At baseline, 86.5% of participants (64.0% cisgender men, median ([IQR] age= 39 [33–49]) had used SCS in the previous 6 months, of whom most (69.7%) used SCS for <75% of their injections. A majority (56.8%) injected daily, and approximately half (48.0%) reported fentanyl as their most frequently injected drug. As of 23 April 2021, 291 (41.5%) participants had returned for follow-up. Administrative and self-report data are being used to (1) evaluate the impact of integrated SCS on healthcare use, uptake of community health agency services, and health outcomes; (2) identify barriers and facilitators to SCS use; and (3) identify potential enhancements to SCS delivery. Nested sub-studies include evaluation of “safer opioid supply” programs and impacts of COVID-19.
Welche Personenmerkmale sagen Medienvertrauen voraus?
Authors: Jakobs Ilka , Jackob Nikolaus , Schultz Tanjev , Ziegele Marc , Schemer Christian , Quiring Oliver
Published: June 2021

In den letzten Jahren haben viele Studien untersucht, welche Faktoren das Vertrauen in Medien beeinflussen können. Zu einigen dieser Faktoren gibt es vorläufige wissenschaftliche Erkenntnisse, die eine klare Richtung andeuten, zu anderen ist die Forschungslage eher heterogen. Wir überprüfen daher anhand einer Trendstudie mit Befragungsdaten aus den Jahren 2017, 2018 und 2019 mit je 1200 Befragten, welche Personenmerkmale sich in Deutschland über einen längeren Zeitraum als stabile Einflussfaktoren erwiesen haben. Dazu führen wir blockweise Regressionsanalysen im Zeitverlauf durch. Neben soziodemografischen Faktoren und der Mediennutzung gehören dazu die Einstellungen zu Politik, Verschwörungsglaube und interpersonales Vertrauen. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass alle Gruppen von Variablen mit Medienvertrauen im Zusammenhang stehen, dass ihr Einfluss jedoch unterschiedlich groß ist. In komplexeren Regressionsmodellen wird der Einfluss mancher Variablen vom Effekt anderer Variablen überlagert – dies könnte eine Erklärung für die bislang äußerst heterogene Forschungslage zu beispielsweise dem Einfluss der Soziodemografika auf Medienvertrauen sein. Die Ergebnisse verdeutlichen auch, welche Rezipientinnen und Rezipienten den Medien weniger oder gar nicht vertrauen.
Model-based clustering for random hypergraphs
Authors: Ng Tin Lok James , Murphy Thomas Brendan
Published: June 2021

A probabilistic model for random hypergraphs is introduced to represent unary, binary and higher order interactions among objects in real-world problems. This model is an extension of the latent class analysis model that introduces two clustering structures for hyperedges and captures variation in the size of hyperedges. An expectation maximization algorithm with minorization maximization steps is developed to perform parameter estimation. Model selection using Bayesian Information Criterion is proposed. The model is applied to simulated data and two real-world data sets where interesting results are obtained.
Consumption of Entrained Gases Within Bifilms During a Mg-Alloy Casting Process
Authors: Li Tian , Davies J. M. T. , Luo Dan
Published: June 2021

The formation of entrainment defects, (also known as double oxide film defects or bifilms), caused by the entrapment of a doubled-over surface oxide film containing a small amount of local atmosphere, has been investigated by combining practical experiments using a commercial-purity Mg-alloy under protective gases, with theoretical thermodynamic calculations. Evolution of the entrainment defects was studied, and a double-layered structure of their oxide films was found, which was different from the single-layered structure of the Mg-alloy melt surface films that have been previously reported. A pore gas analyzer was used to analyze the gas trapped within the defects from which H2 and N2 (from the air) were detected. It was found that entrapped gases can be depleted through reactions with the surrounding liquid Mg-alloy, resulting in the oxide films growing together in the melt. Transformation of the entrained gas to solid-phase compounds could reduce the void volume of the defects, thus probably diminishing the negative effect of the entrainment defects on the quality of castings.
Influence of morphology on high-temperature rheological properties of bitumen modified with styrene-butadiene-styrene (SBS) copolymer
Authors: Zhu Jiqing , Lu Xiaohu
Published: June 2021

Different microstructures of the same polymer-modified bitumen (PMB) were obtained by subjecting the bitumen modified with styrene-butadiene-styrene (SBS) copolymer to isothermal annealing at various temperatures. The effects of the morphology on the rheological properties of SBS-modified bitumen were investigated within the high-temperature range. The PMB microstructures were quantitatively evaluated using image analysis. A dynamic shear rheometer was used to measure the rheological parameters of the PMB samples and perform the multiple stress creep and recovery (MSCR) test. A quantitative basis could be established on which to discuss the relationship between the PMB morphology and rheology. The image analysis indicated that conditioning by isothermal annealing evidently led to a difference in the microstructure of the samples. Variation of the thermal history is demonstrated to be a practical way to vary the morphology of the PMB with the same raw materials and formulation. Compared with the two-phase morphology, the single-phase microstructure tended to have a narrower linear viscoelastic (LVE) region of the PMB. Within the LVE region, especially at low frequencies, the homogenous PMB can store more energy when experiencing loadings and is more elastic. Outside the LVE region, based on the MSCR test results, the homogenous morphology could assist in reaching a higher percentage of strain recovery after the creep period.
Detection of Rickettsia raoultii in Dermacentor reticulatus and Haemaphysalis inermis ticks in Slovakia
Authors: Ouarti Basma , Hamzaoui Basma El , Stanko Michal , Laroche Maureen , Mediannikov Oleg , Parola Philippe , Sekeyová Zuzana
Published: June 2021

Ticks are vector arthropods responsible for the transmission of several pathogenic agents that affect both human and animal health worldwide. In this study our objective was to analyse, using molecular tools, the bacterial community of Dermacentor reticulatus and Haemaphysalis inermis ticks collected in south-eastern Slovakia. Using real-time PCR, we identified the presence of Rickettsia spp. DNA at levels of 14/59 (23.72 %) and 29/173 (16.76 %) in D. reticulatus and H. inermis, respectively. In addition, using standard PCR and sequencing, we identified the presence of Rickettsia raoultii DNA in 13 ticks belonging to the two investigated species. Rickettsia raoultii blast results revealed an average identification percentage of 99.62 %. Following the results of this molecular study there is a possibility that D. reticulatus and H. inermis play a potential role in the transmission of R. raoultii. To prove the possibility of validity of this hypothesis, we suggest performing experimental models in future studies. Our results can serve as preliminary data for future transmission models.
Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on hip fractures: the central London experience COVID-related urgent geriatric hip trauma (COUGH) study COVERT ( COVid Emergency-Related Trauma and orthopaedics) collaborative
Authors: Park Chang , Sugand Kapil , Aframian Arash , Morgan Catrin , Pakroo Nadia , Gibbons Charles , Fertleman Michael , Nathwani Dinesh , Bhattacharya Rajarshi , Sarraf Khaled M.
Published: June 2021

Introduction

COVID-19 has been recognized as the unprecedented global health crisis in modern times. The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of COVID-19 on treatment of neck of femur fractures (NOFF) against the current guidelines and meeting best practice key performance indicators (KPIs) according to the National Hip Fracture Database (NHFD) in two large central London hospitals.

Materials and methods

A multi-center, longitudinal, retrospective, observational study of NOFF patients was performed for the first ‘golden’ month following the lockdown measures introduced in mid-March 2020. This was compared to the same time period in 2019.

Results

A total of 78 cases were observed. NOFFs accounted for 11% more of all acute referrals during the COVID era. There were fewer overall breaches in KPIs in time to theatre in 2020 and also for those awaiting an orthogeriatric review. Time to discharge from the trust during the pandemic was improved by 54% (p < 0.00001) but patients were 51% less likely to return to their usual residence (p = 0.007). The odds ratio was significantly higher for consultant surgeon-led operations and consultant orthogeriatric-led review in the post-COVID era. There was no significant difference in using aerosol-generating anaesthetic procedures or immortality rates between both years.

Conclusion

The impact of COVID-19 pandemic has not adversely affected the KPIs for the treatment of NOFF patients with significant improvement in numerous care domains. These findings may represent the efforts to ensure that these vulnerable patients are treated promptly to minimize their risks from the coronavirus.
The proportion, species distribution and dynamic trends of bloodstream infection cases in a tertiary hospital in China, 2010–2019
Authors: Cui Jiewei , Li Meng , Cui Jiemin , Wang Juan , Qiang Xiaofei , Liang Zhixin
Published: June 2021

Background

Recent epidemiological studies on bloodstream infection (BSI) that include the proportion, species distribution and dynamic changes are scarce in China. This study was performed to understand these epidemiological data of BSI over the past 10 years in China.

Methods

Using a prospective nosocomial infection surveillance system, this study was retrospectively performed in one of the largest hospitals in China. The time trend was tested using the Cochran–Armitage trend test in R Programming Language.

Results

From 2010 to 2019, there were totally 9381 episodes of BSI cases out of 1,437,927 adult-hospitalized patients in the hospital, the total proportion of BSI cases was 6.50‰ (6.50 episodes per 1000 adult-hospitalized patients) and the proportion had significantly decreased (8.24–6.07‰, time trend P < 0.001). Among the 9381 episodes of BSI, 93.1% were bacteremia and others were fungemia (6.9%). As the most common species, the composition ratios of coagulase-negative staphylococcus (25.6–32.5%), Escherichia coli (9.8–13.6%) and Klebsiella pneumoniae (5.3–10.4%) had been dynamically increased (all time trends P < 0.05) and the proportion of Pseudomonas aeruginosa had decreased (4.0–2.4%, time trend P = 0.032). However, Staphylococcus aureus (3.3–3.1%) and Acinetobacter baumannii (4.4–4.2%) had not changed significantly (P > 0.05). These common species were consistent with China Antimicrobial Surveillance Network reported in 2018 (2018 CHINET report), but their composition ratios were different. In addition, among bacteremia, the proportion of multidrug-resistant bacteria gradually increased from 52.9 to 68.4% (time trend P < 0.001).

Conclusion

The proportion and species distribution of BSI were dynamically changing along certain trends. These trends deserved more attention from clinicians and researchers.
Racial Disparities in 7-Day Readmissions from an Adult Hospital Medicine Service
Authors: Rambachan Aksharananda , Abe-Jones Yumiko , Fernandez Alicia , Shahram Yalda
Published: June 2021

Background

Health systems have targeted hospital readmissions to promote health equity as there may be racial and ethnic disparities across different patient groups. However, 7-day readmissions have been understudied in adult hospital medicine.

Design

This is a retrospective study. We performed multivariable logistic regression between patient race/ethnicity and 7-day readmission. Mediation analysis was performed for limited English proficiency (LEP) status. Subgroup analyses were performed for patients with initial admissions for congestive heart failure (CHF), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and cancer.

Patients

We identified all adults discharged from the adult hospital medicine service at UCSF Medical Center between July 2016 and June 2019.

Main Measures

The primary outcome was 7-day all-cause readmission back to the discharging hospital.

Results

There were 18,808 patients in our dataset who were discharged between July 2016 and June 2019. A total of 1,297 (6.9%) patients were readmitted within 7 days. Following multivariable regression, patients who identified as Black (OR 1.35, 95% CI 1.15–1.58, p <0.001) and patients who identified as Asian (OR 1.26, 95% CI 1.06–1.50, p = 0.008) had higher odds of readmission compared to white patients. Multivariable regression at the subgroup level for CHF, COPD, and cancer readmissions did not demonstrate significant differences between the racial and ethnic groups.

Conclusions

Black patients and Asian patients experienced higher rates of 7-day readmission than patients who identified as white, confirmed on adjusted analysis.
Tropical ideals do not realise all Bergman fans
Authors: Draisma Jan , Rincón Felipe
Published: June 2021

Every tropical ideal in the sense of Maclagan–Rincón has an associated tropical variety, a finite polyhedral complex equipped with positive integral weights on its maximal cells. This leads to the realisability question, ubiquitous in tropical geometry, of which weighted polyhedral complexes arise in this manner. Using work of Las Vergnas on the non-existence of tensor products of matroids, we prove that there is no tropical ideal whose variety is the Bergman fan of the direct sum of the Vámos matroid and the uniform matroid of rank two on three elements and in which all maximal cones have weight one.
The iconography of vehicle automation—a focus group study
Authors: Richardson Joy , Revell Kirsten M. A. , Kim Jisun , Stanton Neville A.
Published: June 2021

SAE level 2 and 3 semi-autonomous vehicles are widely available but, due to the nature of automation, their in-vehicle displays are required to communicate more complex information to the driver. Examination of interfaces from a variety of manufacturers revealed a clear lack of consistency in the way key information is displayed. Different manufacturers have adopted icons varying in shape and colour to convey the same message. When driving a semi-autonomous vehicle, mode awareness is critical for trust, performance and safety. Standardisation of icons has been shown to have many benefits including opening products up to wider international markets by helping overcome language and cultural barriers, by providing a method of communication which can surpass them. However, the current lack of standardisation in icon design could cause mode confusion and has little cross-vehicle compatibility. To understand the impact of mode confusion on users, a focus group was held in which participants were asked to interpret the meaning of icons from a variety of different driver interfaces. Ambiguity in user interpretations makes the case for the introduction of new ISO standard icons to better support drivers in SAE level 2 and 3 automated vehicles.
Optimising Multi-stakeholder Practices in Patient Engagement: A Gap Analysis to Enable Focused Evolution of Patient Engagement in the Development and Lifecycle Management of Medicines
Authors: Faulkner S. D. , Pittens C. A. C. M. , Goedhart N. S. , Davies E. H. , Manning E. , Diaz-Ponce A. , Jose Vicente Edo Maria , Prieto-Remón L. , Husain L. , Huberman K. , Boudes M. , Subramaniam M.
Published: June 2021

Background

The PARADIGM consortium aimed to make patient engagement in the development and lifecycle management of medicines easier and more effective for all, with the development of new tools that fulfil robustly defined gaps where engagement is suboptimal.

Aims

To generate an inventory of gaps in patient engagement practices and process from existing global examples.

Methods

A large set of criteria for effective patient engagement previously defined via a multi-stakeholder Delphi method, were mapped under fourteen overarching themes. A gap analysis was then performed by twenty-seven reviewers against the resulting forty-six mapped criteria, on a sample of seventy initiatives from global databases.

Results

An inventory of gaps was identified including contextual information as to why the gaps exist. Our work identified general patterns where patient engagement was suboptimal—defined as; fragmented reporting and dissemination of patient engagement activities, and the fundamental principles defined in frameworks or guidance being poorly adhered to in actual practice. Specific gaps were identified for sixteen criteria. Additionally, it was also common to observe primary aspects of a process were addressed for a given criteria (i.e. training for roles and responsibilities) but a secondary context element was lacking (i.e. making training material accessible/understandable/meaningful to all participants).

Conclusion

The results show that the evolution towards meaningful and systematic patient engagement is occurring, yet more importantly they provide clear directional insights to help enhance collaborative practices and co-design solutions. This targeted impact to catalyse a needs-oriented health system that integrates patient engagement at its core is essential.
Native Americans in British Museums
Authors: Davy Jack
Published: June 2021

The accumulated collections of Native American material culture in museums in Britain are vast, and of critical cultural importance. Drawing on interviews with Indigenous American visitors to UK museum displays and collections between 2017 and 2019, this Element highlights the most significant inadequacies of contemporary engagement with Native American visitors and communities, identifying fundamental problems rooted in the ethos of collection management and display. It then explores why two critical crises, one of representation and one of expertise, are together exacerbating these problems, and the damage to relationships and reputation which can result when these crises collide with Indigenous demands for greater agency in museum processes. The final section applies these lessons directly, developing an adaptable policy document, to assist museum staff in effectively and respectfully managing their relationships with Indigenous communities and collections.