bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Detection of haemoglobin concentration in blood samples using nanophotonic biosensor
Authors: Dinodiya S , Suthar B , Bhargava A
Published: September 2022

A biosensor device using one dimensional photonic crystal is designed for monitoring haemoglobin concentration in blood. Using the transfer matrix approach, the transmission spectra of a multilayered crystal structure (AB)7/ADA/(BA)7is calculated. GaN is utilised as a media with a high refractive index (A), whereas air (B) is employed as a medium with a low refractive index. Here, defect layer (D) is chosen as blood sample. A resonant peak within photonic band gap can be shifted by a change in haemoglobin concentration in transmission spectrum. The sensor has the values of sensitivity, quality factor, figure of merit and detection limit as 439 nm/RIU, ~4.91×105, ~3.29×105/RIU and ~ 3.03 ×10-7RIU respectively.
Performance Investigation of WDM based hybrid RF-FSO Link with Unmanned Aerial Vehicles based Optical Relays
Authors: Verma Deepika , Bosu Rahul , Prince Shanthi
Published: September 2022

The paper presents the design of wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) based hybrid radio frequency-free space optical communication (RF-FSOC) system for high data rate transmission in the scenarios where the direct line-of-sight (LOS) view between the end-to-end communication nodes is unavailable. As such, a simulation model of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) based parallel relaying mechanism incorporating amplify and reflection (AR) technique is presented for establishing a point-to-point FSOC link between UAV and ground base station. Furthermore, the power spectral characteristics of the WDM optical signals modulated by 8-PAM signalling scheme at the transmitter node of the proposed model is simulated and analysed in the Optisystem 16. The simulation results illustrate that the overall link length of the proposed UAV based hybrid system with 1 Gbps data rate and transmitted beam divergence angle of 10 mrad extends upto a maximum range of 200 m in light fog condition.
NABILD: Noise And Blur Invariant Local Descriptor for Face Recognition
Authors: Karanwal Shekhar , Diwakar Manoj
Published: September 2022

Most of the existing local descriptors unable to perform well in front of noise and blur variations. Additionally there are very less descriptors persist in literature which are noise and blur invariant. To remedy this challenge the proposed work launch novel descriptor under noise and blur changes so-called Noise and Blur Invariant Local Descriptor (NABILD). With respect to two artificial noises i.e. Gaussian White Noise (GWN) and Salt & Pepper Noise (SPN) with artificial image blurring, the NABILD is introduced. Precisely NABILD takes essentials of two well performed descriptors with respect to noise and blur variations. The first one is Median Robust Extended LBP based on Neighborhood Intensity (MRELBP-NI) and second one is Multiscale Local Phase Quantization (MLPQ). MRELBP-NI is very effective in controlling GWN and SPN due to the capturing of microstructure and macrostructure information. LPQ is the efficient blur invariant descriptor as it quantizes the phase. By considering the merits of both of these descriptors their features are integrated into one framework called as NABILD. To lower down the feature dimension FLDA is deployed and classification is conducted by SVMs. Experiments on ORL face dataset confirm strength of NABILD against other tested descriptors in noise and blur variations. Various literature methods are also outclassed by NABILD.
Glaucoma Retinal Image Detection and Classification using Machine Learning Algorithms
Authors: Latha G , Aruna Priya P
Published: September 2022

The diseases correlated with retina are categorized into Diabetic Retinopathy (DR) and Glaucoma. Glaucoma is irreversible and one of the leading causes of blindness and it is very important to detect in its early stage because late diagnose will result in permanent vision loss. It is mainly characterized by the malfunctioning of ganglion cells, which changes the structure of the optic nerve head and thickness of retinal nerve fiber layer. Therefore, it is very important to detect the Glaucoma in order to prevent earlier vision loss. In this paper, the Glaucoma disease is detected using various machine learning classification algorithms Support Vector Machine (SVM), Neural Network (NN) and Adaptive Neuro Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS) classifiers. These classifiers are used to classify the source retinal image into either normal or abnormal. The proposed methods are applied and tested on the retinal images which are available from Retinal fundus images for Glaucoma Analysis (RIGA) and High-Resolution Fundus (HRF) dataset. The Glaucoma detection method using ANFIS classifier obtains 97.2% of Precision, 97.3% of Recall and 97.1% Accuracy.
Performance Analysis of CZTSe Kesterite Solar Cell by Adding CZTSSe as BSF Layer
Authors: Benisha Chris A , Pisupati Sricharan , Routray Soumyaranjan
Published: September 2022

Kesterite are chalcogenide materials which is popular for its inexpensive, environment friendly and whose elements are abundantly available. However, its efficiency is less than 12% as it processes high recombination rate. To boost the efficiency of CZTSe kesterite solar cell use of tunable bandgap material CZTSSe as back surface field layer (BSF) prevent the material from these problems. In this analysis, the novel configuration: Mo/CZTSSe/CZTSe/CdS/ZnO/AZO influence of varying compositions S and Se and their parameters are analyzed. The Efficiency, J
sc
and V
oc
of the optimized solar cell is investigated to be 33.83%, 56.29(mA/cm2) and 0.689(V) respectively.
Design of High speed Multiplier using Input Scrambled 5-3 compressor for Error Tolerant image processing
Authors: Maria Dominic Savio M. , Deepa T. , Divya Dharshini P , Sonali K. , Singh Ojaswita
Published: September 2022

The imprecise multiplier has received a lot of attention for many high-performance systems used today such as in Image Processing, Microprocessors where multiplication is one of the fundamental operations. In order to shorten the reduction stages of imprecise multiplier which is essential for reducing the critical path delay, complexity and power consumption, higher compressor adders are employed. In this paper, a novel comparison technique for approximation is implemented using a 5:3 compressor which is area, power, and delay efficient. This compressor is used for developing an 8x8 multiplier. Then the proposed 8x8 multiplier and the existing multiplies are compared for various factors including the evaluation analysis of error rate (ER) and normalised error distance (NED). When compared to existing designs, the proposed 5:3 compressor has a better delay of 18%. After image multiplication, the recommended multiplier is utilised to compare PSNR.
A Low-Cost Portable Ventilator Using IoT
Authors: Lakshmi Prabha P , Atluri Kavya , Varughese Nikhil , Roopesh R
Published: September 2022

The demand of ventilators has been increasing dramatically from the past few years due to the spike in the COVID-19 cases globally. Around the World, the abscence of availability of ventilators have taken a lot of lives in just the past couple of years. The use of ventilators has been proven to be helpful from preventing the danger of lung harm through low- quantity airflow and helps us to get the adequate amount of influx of pure air. The ventilators available are expensive and scarce in supply. They are heavy and would normally weigh around 7 to 8 kgs, which makes it inconvenient to carry from place to place due to its enormous size. Our project aims at developing a smart ventilator system using a microcontroller board and sensors based on Internet of Things (IOT). The smart ventilator will be portable and very light in weight, which makes it handy to use and requires no additional expertise to handle it. The usage of the high torque motor enables us to change the pressure as per the requirement. The sensors used collects the temperature and the Pulse oximetry levels and the same is updated on the LCD display.
The Next level of Security Scalable Solution Blockchain (SSSB) in Satellite Communication System
Authors: Sriman B , Sujan Kandregula Venkat Sai
Published: September 2022

Data security is one of the topmost priorities for government organisations and multinational companies. In particular, extremely sensitive data is regularly transferred between different branches of the government and the military. Hacking and interruption of data transmission of such high-level data transfers can pose a huge risk to the security of a country and to its integrity as well. The method that the article proposes has been implemented on a smaller scale for cryptocurrency transactions by the organisation “Blockstream”. This study serves the purpose of exploring a new use case of blockchain technology using satellite communication in order to establish an extremely secure and very high-speed data transmission connection between two parties. In this idea, the required sensitive data that is to be transferred to another party, sends the data through blockchain method of data transfer. This data is sent to the satellite where the satellite behaves as a node of data transmission in this blockchain connection and the private key is also encoded into the satellite software making it impossible in attempting to hack the encryption of the private key. When the satellite receives this data, it verifies the authenticity of the sender and analyses the encryption of the data. Then this data will be transmitted to its designated receiver. Once the data is received, it will be converted from blockchain to the regular data packets and the information can be shared within its local network. In this article, we explore further about the technology that’s being used to implement the connection from about the technology that’s being used to implement the connection from the ground station to the satellite via blockchain in the present day. The results produced by this article will help in attaining uncompromising security and speed of data transmission which will put an end to the tensions faced by higher authorities while sharing highly classified data.
Scintillation properties of ((CH3)4N)3BiCl6 as a novel lead-free perovskite halide crystal
Authors: Subagyo Riki , Arramel  , Diguna Lina Jaya , Ivansyah Atthar Luqman , Witkowski Marcin Eugeniusz , Makowski Michal , Kowal Dominik , Drozdowski Winicjusz , Birowosuto Muhammad Danang , Kusumawati Yuly
Published: September 2022

Two-dimensional hybrid organic-inorganic perovskites (2D-HOIPs) possess intriguing structural properties which makes them promising materials for diverse optical, electronic and scintillation applications. Recently, several classes of hybrid perovskites exhibit potential candidate for radiation detection. However, the scintillation properties of corrugated-type 2D-HOIPs have not been studied so far. In this work, we investigate the scintillation performance of bismuth chloride ((CH3)4N)3BiCl6 perovskites for the lead-free candidate. No strong RL intensity at room temperature is observed due to a strong thermal quenching. A small negative thermal quenching is also observed, which infer the presence of trap states characterized by two activation energies:

E

1

 = 25.71 meV and

E

2

 = 129.27 meV. In addition, low temperature afterglow of ((CH3)4N)3BiCl6 at 10 K is estimated to be 70 s (14.5%) and 1200 s (85.5%). In low temperature thermoluminescence ((CH3)4N)3BiCl6 exhibits a broad band, which is attributed to a quasi-continuous distribution of shallow traps. All these results shed some light on the fundamentals of scintillation properties of bismuth-based perovskites.
A subpolar-focused stratospheric aerosol injection deployment scenario
Authors: Smith Wake , Bhattarai Umang , MacMartin Douglas G , Lee Walker Raymond , Visioni Daniele , Kravitz Ben , Rice Christian V
Published: September 2022

Stratospheric aerosol injection (SAI) is a prospective climate intervention technology that would seek to abate climate change by deflecting back into space a small fraction of the incoming solar radiation. While most consideration given to SAI assumes a global intervention, this paper considers an alternative scenario whereby SAI might be deployed only in the subpolar regions. Subpolar deployment would quickly envelope the poles as well and could arrest or reverse ice and permafrost melt at high latitudes. This would yield global benefit by retarding sea level rise. Given that effective SAI deployment could be achieved at much lower altitudes in these regions than would be required in the tropics, it is commonly assumed that subpolar deployment would present fewer aeronautical challenges. An SAI deployment intended to reduce average surface temperatures in both the Arctic and Antarctic regions by 2 °C is deemed here to be feasible at relatively low cost with conventional technologies. However, we do not find that such a deployment could be undertaken with a small fleet of pre-existing aircraft, nor that relegating such a program to these sparsely populated regions would obviate the myriad governance challenges that would confront any such deployment. Nevertheless, given its feasibility and potential global benefit, the prospect of subpolar-focused SAI warrants greater attention.
Decreased Human Immunodeficiency Virus Diagnosis Rates Among Black and Hispanic or Latino Men Who Have Sex With Men in US Jurisdictions Supported by the THRIVE Demonstration Project, 2014–2019
Authors: Iqbal Kashif , Dong Xueyuan , Zhu Weiming , Wiener Jeffrey , Dominguez Kenneth L , Tanner Mary R , Kourtis Athena P , Singh Sonia , Hoover Karen W
Published: September 2022

Background

Black and Hispanic/Latino men who have sex with men (MSM) are disproportionately affected by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). In the Targeted Highly Effective Interventions to Reverse the HIV Epidemic (THRIVE) demonstration project, 7 community collaboratives were developed to provide comprehensive HIV prevention services for these populations.

Methods

We analyzed National HIV Surveillance System data to determine the number of HIV diagnoses for each year from 2014 to 2019 among Black, Hispanic/Latino, and White MSM in 7 THRIVE-eligible Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) that were awarded funding and 12 THRIVE-eligible MSAs that were not awarded funding. We used generalized linear Poisson regression models to estimate adjusted estimated annual percentage changes (EAPCs) with 95% confidence intervals for HIV diagnosis rates controlling for HIV prevalence, viral suppression, HIV testing rates, preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) prescription rates, poverty, education, and insurance status.

Results

We found larger estimated decreases in HIV diagnosis rates in THRIVE jurisdictions compared with non-THRIVE jurisdictions. The adjusted EAPC among Black MSM was −8.2 (−11.7 to −4.6) in THRIVE MSAs compared with −4.2 (−7.8 to −0.4) in non-THRIVE MSAs. The adjusted EAPC among Hispanic/Latino MSM was −8.6 (−12.2 to −4.8) in THRIVE MSAs compared with −2.6 (−5.1 to −0.1)in non-THRIVE MSAs. The adjusted EAPC among White MSM was −7.6 (−12.0 to −3.1) in THRIVE MSAs compared with 5.9 (1.8-10.1) in non-THRIVE MSAs.

Conclusions

The THRIVE community collaborative model was associated with a decrease in HIV diagnoses among Black and Hispanic/Latino MSM. To achieve the goals of the US Ending the HIV Epidemic initiative, effective interventions aimed to increase PrEP use need to be focused on Black and Hispanic/Latino MSM.
Case report on right ventricular mural endocarditis, not diagnosed clinically, but histopathologically after cardiac surgery
Authors: Diaz-Navarro Rienzi A , Kerkhof Peter L M
Published: September 2022

Background

Right ventricular mural endocarditis (RVME) is an extremely rare type of infective endocarditis that can occur even in the absence of predisposing factors. The diagnosis is a challenge when no causative pathogen can be detected.

Case summary

A previously healthy young man was admitted to a local hospital with a diagnosis of prolonged febrile syndrome and treated for acute sinusitis. As complaints returned, he was hospitalized 3 weeks later, where an echocardiogram demonstrated multiple mobile masses in the right ventricle, and a computed tomography scan revealed extensive pulmonary thromboembolism. During surgery, the endocardial masses were excised, and the pathologist considered an inflammatory myofibroblastic tumour. Despite appropriate medication and initial improvements, the complaints persisted, and 2 weeks after the surgery, the patient returned to the hospital. Imaging studies documented reappearance to the previous findings, whereas blood cultures remained negative. During the second surgery, the new masses resembling vegetations were excised, and histologic analysis indicated infective endocarditis. Adjusted medication was given for 30 days. Just before discharge, no vegetations were seen. At follow-up, 5 years later, he was in a healthy condition.

Discussion

Despite careful examinations, initial treatments according to standard protocols were unsuccessful. At final discharge, the patient reported that a tattoo complication prior to the first hospitalization was treated by antibiotics but that he did not complete the course. This omission in the communication further complicated the diagnostic and management processes, leading to surgical interventions that could have been prevented if the neglected antibiotic course was properly disclosed.
Case report of Loeys-Dietz syndrome presenting with coronary artery aneurysm
Authors: Nickol Jennifer L , Malik Shahbaz A , Yetman Anji T
Published: September 2022

Background

Loeys-Dietz syndrome (LDS) is a heritable disorder that presents with thoracic aortic aneurysm and/or dissection caused by a mutation in one of the transforming growth factor-B receptor or ligand genes. It is associated with widespread familial arterial aneurysm and rupture.

Case summary

We present a case of a 70-year-old male with a family history of heritable thoracic aortic aneurysm disease who presented to the emergency department with chest pain. His presenting electrocardiogram was significant for ST elevation in the inferior leads with complete heart block. Computed tomography-angiography was done to rule out aortic dissection, which was negative for aortic dissection but did reveal 3.9 cm infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysm and 2.7 cm bilateral iliac artery aneurysms. He was then taken for invasive angiography and was found to have aneurysmal dilation of the entire right coronary artery measuring up to 6 mm with 100% occlusion secondary to thrombus in the distal segment. He was found to have obstructive disease in the left anterior descending artery and first and second obtuse marginals (OMs). Genetic testing performed confirmed a pathogenic mutation in the TGFBRI gene (TGFBRI c.934G > A p.Gly312Ser) consistent with the diagnosis of LDS.

Discussion

Although LDS is known to cause arterial aneurysms throughout the arterial tree, there have been no other cases of primary coronary aneurysms reported in this patient population. This case represents the first description of a patient with genetically confirmed LDS presenting with coronary artery aneurysm.
Massive cardiopulmonary cement embolism with cardiac perforation after vertebroplasty: a case series
Authors: Schoechlin Simon , Schröfel Holger , Czerny Martin , Siepe Matthias , Ahlgrim Christoph , Zeller Thomas , Neumann Franz-Josef
Published: September 2022

Background

The prevalence of cement embolism after percutaneous vertebroplasty ranges from 2.1 to 26%, in literature. Even if most cases remain asymptomatic, intracardiac cement embolism becomes symptomatic in up to 8.3% of the cases.

Case summary

We report a case series of two cases with massive cardiopulmonary cement embolism, which lead to perforation of the right ventricle and needed cardiothoracic surgery.

Discussion

As this entity affects different fields of medical specialties and may lead to fatal outcome, we believe that the efforts of better understanding its development, avoidance, detection, and treatment need to be intensified. For this purpose, systematic and interdisciplinary studies to follow up patients after vertebroplasty are needed.
Meta-analysis of the Placebo and Nocebo effects associated with Placebo treatment in randomized trials of lipid-lowering therapies
Authors: Chin Yip H , Lim Oliver , Lin Chaoxing , Chan Yu Y , Kong Gwyneth , Ng Cheng H , Chong Bryan , Syn Nicholas , Chan Kai E , Muthiah Mark D , Siddiqui Mohammad S , Wang Jiong-Wei , Figtree Gemma , Chan Mark Y , Chew Nicholas W S
Published: September 2022

Background

Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of lipid-lowering therapy (LLT) in which the control groups received placebo without background LLT offer unique insights into the placebo and nocebo effects of lipid-lowering RCTs.

Methods and results

Embase and Medline were searched for hyperlipidaemia RCTs with placebo-controlled arms. Placebo arms with background LLT were excluded. A single arm meta-analysis of proportions was used to estimate major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) and adverse events (AE). A meta-analysis of means was used to estimate the pooled mean differences of total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), high-density lipoproteins (HDL) and triglycerides (TG).

A total of 40 RCTs and 37 668 placebo-treated participants were included. The pooled mean changes for TC, LDL, HDL, and TG were −0.019 mmol/L, −0.028 mmol/L, 0.013 mmol/L, and 0.062 mmol/L respectively among placebo-treated participants, indicating a modest placebo effect. The pooled average nocebo effect among placebo-treated participants was 42.62% for all AEs and 3.38% for musculoskeletal-related AEs, 11.36% for gastrointestinal-related AEs, and 6.62% for headaches. Placebo-treated participants in secondary prevention RCTs had a far higher incidence of these nocebo effects than primary prevention RCTs: any AEs (OR 6.76, 95% CI: 5.56–8.24, P < 0.001), and gastrointestinal-related AE (OR 1.23, 95% CI: 1.00–1.51, P = 0.049). No differences in nocebo effects were found between the placebo arms of statin and non-statin trials.

Conclusion

Our meta-analysis of placebo-treated participants in RCTs with no background LLT indicate a modest placebo effect but prominent nocebo effect of musculoskeletal, headache, and gastrointestinal symptoms that was greatest among secondary prevention RCTs. These findings may inform the design of future LLT RCTs.
Identification of candidate sex-specific genomic regions in male and female Asian arowana genomes
Authors: Mu Xidong , Liu Yi , Liu Chao , Zhao Chenxi , Li Ruihan , You Xinxin , Yang Yexin , Wang Xuejie , Hu Yinchang , Shi Qiong , Bian Chao
Published: September 2022

Background

Asian arowana, Scleropages formosus, is one of the most expensive aquarium fish species worldwide. Its sex, however, cannot be distinguished clearly at any development stage, which impedes captive breeding and species protection for this endangered aquarium fish.

Results

To discover molecular clues to the sex of Asian arowana, we sequenced 26.5 Gb of PacBio HiFi reads and 179.2 Gb of Hi-C reads for 1 male fish and also sequenced 106.5 Gb of Illumina reads, 36.0 Gb of PacBio Sequel reads, and 80.7 Gb of Hi-C reads for 1 female individual. The final male and female genome assemblies were approximately 756.8 Mb and 781.5 Mb in length and contained 25,262 and 25,328 protein-coding genes, respectively. We also resequenced the genomes of 15 male and 15 female individuals with approximately 722.1 Gb of Illumina reads. A genome-wide association study identified several potentially divergent regions between male and female individuals. In these regions, cd48 and cfap52 could be candidate genes for sex determination of Asian arowana. We also found some structural variations in few chromosomes between male and female individuals.

Conclusion

We provided an improved reference genome assembly of female arowana and generated the first sequenced genome of 1 male individual. These valuable genetic resources and resequencing data may improve global aquarium fish research.
Finite volume methods for the computation of statistical solutions of the incompressible Euler equations
Authors: Parés-Pulido Carlos
Published: September 2022

We present an efficient numerical scheme based on Monte Carlo integration to approximate statistical solutions of the incompressible Euler equations. The scheme is based on finite volume methods, which provide a more flexible framework than previously existing spectral methods for the computation of statistical solutions for incompressible flows. This finite volume scheme is rigorously proven, under experimentally verifiable assumptions, to converge in an appropriate topology and with increasing resolution to a statistical solution. The convergence obtained is stronger than that of measure-valued solutions, as it implies convergence of multi-point correlation marginals. We present results of numerical experiments that support the claim that the aforementioned assumptions are very natural and appear to hold in practice.
Rare Manifestation of Sjögren’s Syndrome as Unilateral Facial Paralysis: A Case Report and Literature Review
Authors: Montgomery Emily A , Patel Jagatkumar A , Boone Rachel E , Teixeira Jeffrey C , Vincent Aurora G , Hohman Marc H
Published: September 2022

Herein, we present a unique case of Sjögren’s syndrome (SS) first presenting as facial palsy, as well as a literature review of case reports describing SS-associated facial paralysis. A PubMed search for papers containing the keywords Sjögren’s syndrome or Sjögren’s disease, as well as facial paralysis, facial paresis, facial palsy, or Bell’s palsy, was performed. Articles not in English and cases of SS not involving facial paralysis were excluded. Appropriate articles were reviewed for patient demographics and symptoms of SS, including laterality of facial paralysis, cranial nerve involvement, and comorbid diseases. House–Brackmann grades were annotated based on either assignment by individual case reports or the authors’ descriptions when sufficient details were present. Of 43 peer-reviewed articles found, 14 were both in the English language and provided adequate information on a total of 16 patients with facial paralysis and SS diagnosis. Ultimately, SS and other systemic autoimmune disorders should be considered in the differential diagnosis of patients presenting with insidious onset facial paralysis.
Pitfalls of the site-concordance factor (sCF) as measure of phylogenetic branch support
Authors: Kück Patrick , Romahn Juliane , Meusemann Karen
Published: September 2022

Confidence measures of branch reliability play an important role in phylogenetics as these measures allow to identify trees or parts of a tree that are well supported by the data and thus adequate to serve as basis for evolutionary inference of biological systems. Unreliable branch relationships in phylogenetic analyses are of concern because of their potential to represent incorrect relationships of interest among more reliable branch relationships. The site-concordance factor implemented in the IQ-TREE package is a recently introduced heuristic solution to the problem of identifying unreliable branch relationships on the basis of quartets. We test the performance of the site-concordance measure with simple examples based on simulated data and designed to study its behaviour in branch support estimates related to different degrees of branch length heterogeneities among a ten sequence tree. Our results show that in particular in cases of relationships with heterogeneous branch lengths site-concordance measures may be misleading. We therefore argue that the maximum parsimony optimality criterion currently used by the site-concordance measure may sometimes be poorly suited to evaluate branch support and that the scores reported by the site-concordance factor should not be considered as reliable.
Standardization of Epidemiological Surveillance of Group A Streptococcal Impetigo
Authors: Miller Kate M , Carapetis Jonathan R , Cherian Thomas , Hay Roderick , Marks Michael , Pickering Janessa , Cannon Jeffrey W , Lamagni Theresa , Romani Lucia , Moore Hannah C , Van Beneden Chris A , Barth Dylan D , Bowen Asha C ,   for the Strep A Vaccine Global Consortium (SAVAC) Burden of Disease Working Group, Carapetis Jonathan , Van Beneden Chris , Kaslow David , Cherian Thomas , Lamagni Theresa , Engel Mark , Cannon Jeffrey , Moore Hannah , Bowen Asha , Seale Anna , Kang Gagandeep , Watkins David , Kariuki Sam
Published: September 2022

Impetigo is a highly contagious bacterial infection of the superficial layer of skin. Impetigo is caused by group A Streptococcus (Strep A) and Staphylococcus aureus, alone or in combination, with the former predominating in many tropical climates. Strep A impetigo occurs mainly in early childhood, and the burden varies worldwide. It is an acute, self-limited disease, but many children experience frequent recurrences that make it a chronic illness in some endemic settings. We present a standardized surveillance protocol including case definitions for impetigo including both active (purulent, crusted) and resolving (flat, dry) phases and discuss the current tests used to detect Strep A among persons with impetigo. Case classifications that can be applied are detailed, including differentiating between incident (new) and prevalent (existing) cases of Strep A impetigo. The type of surveillance methodology depends on the burden of impetigo in the community. Active surveillance and laboratory confirmation is the preferred method for case detection, particularly in endemic settings. Participant eligibility, surveillance population and additional considerations for surveillance of impetigo, including examination of lesions, use of photographs to document lesions, and staff training requirements (including cultural awareness), are addressed. Finally, the core elements of case report forms for impetigo are presented and guidance for recording the course and severity of impetigo provided.
Standardization of Epidemiological Surveillance of Acute Poststreptococcal Glomerulonephritis
Authors: Miller Kate M , Van Beneden Chris , McDonald Malcolm , Hla Thel K , Wong William , Pedgrift Helen , Kaslow David C , Cherian Thomas , Carapetis Jonathan R , Scheel Amy , Seale Anna , Bowen Asha C , Moore Hannah C , Lamagni Theresa , Rodriguez-Iturbe Bernardo
Published: September 2022

Acute poststreptococcal glomerulonephritis (APSGN) is an immune complex-induced glomerulonephritis that develops as a sequela of streptococcal infections. This article provides guidelines for the surveillance of APSGN due to group A Streptococcus (Strep A). The primary objectives of APSGN surveillance are to monitor trends in age- and sex-specific incidence, describe the demographic and clinical characteristics of patients with APSGN, document accompanying risk factors, then monitor trends in frequency of complications, illness duration, hospitalization rates, and mortality.

This document provides surveillance case definitions for APSGN, including clinical and subclinical APSGN based on clinical and laboratory evidence. It also details case classifications that can be used to differentiate between confirmed and probable cases, and it discusses the current investigations used to provide evidence of antecedent Strep A infection.

The type of surveillance recommended depends on the burden of APSGN in the community and the objectives of surveillance. Strategies for minimal surveillance and enhanced surveillance of APSGN are provided. Furthermore, a discussion covers the surveillance population and additional APSGN-specific surveillance considerations such as contact testing, active follow up of cases and contacts, frequency of reporting, surveillance visits, period of surveillance, and community engagement. Finally, the document presents core data elements to be collected on case report forms, along with guidance for documenting the course and severity of APSGN.
Choices behind the veil of ignorance in Formosan macaques
Authors: Lu Yi-Ta , Hwang Wei-Hsiang , Hsieh Yi-Tsung , Ho Tsung-Yu , Da Zhu Jian- , Yeh Chun-I , Huang Chen-Ying
Published: September 2022

An ongoing debate regarding the evolution of morality is whether other species show precursory moral behavior. The veil of ignorance (VOI) paradigm is often used to elicit human moral judgment but has never been tested in other primates. We study the division of resources behind the VOI in Formosan macaques. Monkeys choose the equal division more often when a conspecific is present than when it is absent, suggesting a degree of impartiality. To better understand this impartiality, we measure a monkey’s reactions to two directions of inequity: one regarding inequity to its advantage and the other to its disadvantage. We find that disadvantageous inequity aversion correlates with the degree of impartiality behind the VOI. Therefore, seemingly impartial behavior could result from a primitive negative reaction to being disadvantaged. This suggests a mechanism to explain a tendency toward impartiality.
Excessive daytime sleepiness mediates the relationship between insomnia symptoms and suicidal behavior in adolescents
Authors: Liu Zhen-Zhen , Jia Cun-Xian , Liu Xianchen
Published: September 2022

Study Objectives

Insomnia symptoms, excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS), and suicidal behavior are prevalent among adolescents. Growing studies have shown that both insomnia symptoms and EDS are associated with suicidal behavior. However, little is known about the pathways between insomnia symptoms, EDS, and suicidal behavior. This study aimed to examine the longitudinal mediating effect of EDS on insomnia-suicidal behavior link in a large sample of Chinese adolescents.

Methods

Participants were 7072 adolescents (Mean age = 14.58 years, 50.0% males) who were surveyed at baseline and were followed up 1 year later in the Shandong Adolescent Behavior and Health Cohort study. A self-administered questionnaire was used to measure insomnia symptoms, daytime sleepiness, sleep duration, social jetlag, suicidal behavior, and adolescent and family demographics.

Results

The prevalence of insomnia symptoms and EDS at baseline were 14.3% and 21.1%, respectively. Adolescents with insomnia symptoms or EDS at baseline were more likely to report suicidal behavior at 1-year follow-up compared to adolescents without insomnia symptoms or EDS. Path analyses showed that EDS played a significant mediation role between insomnia symptoms and suicidal behavior (including any suicidal behavior, suicidal thought, suicide plan, and suicide attempt) before and after adjusting for adolescent and family factors, sleep duration, social jetlag, and prior suicidal behavior.

Conclusion

Insomnia symptoms and EDS were associated with increased risk of subsequent suicidal behavior. The association between insomnia symptoms and suicidal behavior was mediated by EDS. These findings highlight the importance of assessment and treatment of insomnia and daytime sleepiness for suicide prevention in adolescents.
Transient oscillation dynamics during sleep provide a robust basis for electroencephalographic phenotyping and biomarker identification
Authors: Stokes Patrick A , Rath Preetish , Possidente Thomas , He Mingjian , Purcell Shaun , Manoach Dara S , Stickgold Robert , Prerau Michael J
Published: September 2022

Transient oscillatory events in the sleep electroencephalogram represent short-term coordinated network activity. Of particular importance, sleep spindles are transient oscillatory events associated with memory consolidation, which are altered in aging and in several psychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders. Spindle identification, however, currently contains implicit assumptions derived from what waveforms were historically easiest to discern by eye, and has recently been shown to select only a high-amplitude subset of transient events. Moreover, spindle activity is typically averaged across a sleep stage, collapsing continuous dynamics into discrete states. What information can be gained by expanding our view of transient oscillatory events and their dynamics? In this paper, we develop a novel approach to electroencephalographic phenotyping, characterizing a generalized class of transient time-frequency events across a wide frequency range using continuous dynamics. We demonstrate that the complex temporal evolution of transient events during sleep is highly stereotyped when viewed as a function of slow oscillation power (an objective, continuous metric of depth-of-sleep) and phase (a correlate of cortical up/down states). This two-fold power-phase representation has large intersubject variability—even within healthy controls—yet strong night-to-night stability for individuals, suggesting a robust basis for phenotyping. As a clinical application, we then analyze patients with schizophrenia, confirming established spindle (12–15 Hz) deficits as well as identifying novel differences in transient non-rapid eye movement events in low-alpha (7–10 Hz) and theta (4–6 Hz) ranges. Overall, these results offer an expanded view of transient activity, describing a broad class of events with properties varying continuously across spatial, temporal, and phase-coupling dimensions.
Sleep, time, and space—fatigue and performance deficits in pilots, commercial truck drivers, and astronauts
Authors: Maki Katherine A , Fink Anne M , Weaver Terri E
Published: September 2022

Sleep is essential for preventing fatigue in occupations that require sustained vigilance. We conducted a scoping review to synthesize knowledge about sleep, fatigue, and performance in pilots, commercial truck drivers, and astronauts. We found 28 studies where researchers objectively or subjectively measured sleep, fatigue, and performance. The research included laboratory-based (simulator) and field-based studies (i.e. real-world missions and a variety of shift-work schedules). Most researchers used actigraphy to measure sleep, and they found that ~6 hrs of sleep was common. The research also demonstrated how sleep duration and quality were negatively affected by schedule irregularity, early-morning start times, and high-risk missions (e.g. extravehicular activities in space). Collectively, the data demonstrated how shorter sleep durations, short off-duty time, and early-morning start times were associated with slower reaction times, more lapses in attention, and premature responses on psychomotor vigilance tests. Considering that few studies included polysomnography and circadian rhythm biomarkers, there remains limited knowledge about the effects of sleep microstructure and circadian rhythm alterations on performance abilities in these occupations. Future neurobiological and mechanistic discoveries will be important for enhancing vigilance, health, and safety for people working in the skies, on the roads, and in space.

This paper is part of the David F. Dinges Festschrift Collection. This collection is sponsored by Pulsar Informatics and the Department of Psychiatry in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.
Ambiguous Policy Paradigms in the Dutch Welfare State: A Gender-Blind Mix of Social Investment and Conservative Care
Authors: Goijaerts Janna
Published: September 2022

Scholars often assume that policies fall harmoniously under the umbrella of one policy paradigm. Policies of the Dutch state conflict on the work–care dimension of the welfare state. The government wants to increase women’s labor participation, while also wanting a bigger slice of care services to be provided by citizens. These inconsistent policies have culminated in the decentralization of long-term care (LTC) in the Netherlands in 2015. I use a multi-level method including a discourse policy analysis and a focus group with a Q-method-inspired exercise to explore the policy paradigms and the policy context of the work–care dimension of the welfare state in the cabinet period of the LTC reform. This study finds that distinctive conservative care ideas color the social investment paradigm in the Netherlands and that different ministries adhere to different paradigms, explaining the inconsistent policies on the work–care dimension of the Dutch welfare state.
Unraveling the pros and cons of various in vitro methodologies for ruminant nutrition: a review
Authors: Vinyard James R , Faciola Antonio P
Published: September 2022

To decrease the time and cost of experiments as well as the use of animals in nutrition research, in vitro methodologies have become more commonplace in the field of ruminant nutrition. Therefore, the objectives of this review are 1) to describe the development of different in vitro methodologies, 2) to discuss the application, utilization, and advantages of in vitro methodologies, 3) to discuss shortcomings of in vitro methodologies, and 4) to describe the potential developments that may be able to improve in vitro methods. Having been used for decades, some in vitro methodologies such as pure, batch, and continuous cultures have been very well documented and utilized to investigate a wide array of different aspects of nutrition, including the effects of different dietary compositions, individual fermentation end products, and impacts on the microbiome of the rumen. However, both batch and pure cultures can result in a build-up of end products that may inhibit fermentation, as they culture ruminal contents or defined strains of bacteria, respectfully. Continuous culture; however, allows for the removal of end products but, similar to pure and batch cultures, is applicable only to ruminal fermentation and cannot provide information regarding intestinal digestion and bioavailability. This information for in vitro can only be provided using an assay designed for total tract digestibility, which is the three-step procedure (TSP). The TSP may be improved by coupling it with cell culture to investigate the absorption of nutrients in both the ruminal and intestinal phases of the methodology; however, the TSP needs further development to investigate all nutrients and the methodologies available for cell culture are still relatively new to ruminant nutrition. Therefore, while in vitro methodologies provide useful data in the field of ruminant nutrition without the continuous use of animals, there is still much work to be done to improve the methodologies to further apply them.
Evolutionary features of a prolific subtype of avian influenza A virus in European waterfowl
Authors: Wille Michelle , Tolf Conny , Latorre-Margalef Neus , Fouchier Ron A M , Halpin Rebecca A , Wentworth David E , Ragwani Jayna , Pybus Oliver G , Olsen Björn , Waldenström Jonas
Published: September 2022

Avian influenza A virus (AIV) is ubiquitous in waterfowl and is detected annually at high prevalence in waterfowl during the Northern Hemisphere autumn. Some AIV subtypes are globally common in waterfowl, such as H3N8, H4N6, and H6N2, and are detected in the same populations at a high frequency, annually. In order to investigate genetic features associated to the long-term maintenance of common subtypes in migratory ducks, we sequenced 248 H4 viruses isolated across 8 years (2002–9) from mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) sampled in southeast Sweden. Phylogenetic analyses showed that both H4 and N6 sequences fell into three distinct lineages, structured by year of isolation. Specifically, across the 8 years of the study, we observed lineage replacement, whereby a different HA lineage circulated in the population each year. Analysis of deduced amino acid sequences of the HA lineages illustrated key differences in regions of the globular head of hemagglutinin that overlap with established antigenic sites in homologous hemagglutinin H3, suggesting the possibility of antigenic differences among these HA lineages. Beyond HA, lineage replacement was common to all segments, such that novel genome constellations were detected across years. A dominant genome constellation would rapidly amplify in the duck population, followed by unlinking of gene segments as a result of reassortment within 2–3 weeks following introduction. These data help reveal the evolutionary dynamics exhibited by AIV on both annual and decadal scales in an important reservoir host.
Phenotypic flux: The role of physiology in explaining the conundrum of bacterial persistence amid phage attack
Authors: Igler Claudia
Published: September 2022

Bacteriophages, the viruses of bacteria, have been studied for over a century. They were not only instrumental in laying the foundations of molecular biology, but they are also likely to play crucial roles in shaping our biosphere and may offer a solution to the control of drug-resistant bacterial infections. However, it remains challenging to predict the conditions for bacterial eradication by phage predation, sometimes even under well-defined laboratory conditions, and, most curiously, if the majority of surviving cells are genetically phage-susceptible. Here, I propose that even clonal phage and bacterial populations are generally in a state of continuous ‘phenotypic flux’, which is caused by transient and nongenetic variation in phage and bacterial physiology. Phenotypic flux can shape phage infection dynamics by reducing the force of infection to an extent that allows for coexistence between phages and susceptible bacteria. Understanding the mechanisms and impact of phenotypic flux may be key to providing a complete picture of phage–bacteria coexistence. I review the empirical evidence for phenotypic variation in phage and bacterial physiology together with the ways they have been modeled and discuss the potential implications of phenotypic flux for ecological and evolutionary dynamics between phages and bacteria, as well as for phage therapy.
Wearable sensing, big data technology for cardiovascular healthcare: current status and future prospective
Authors: Miao Fen , Wu Dan , Liu Zengding , Zhang Ruojun , Tang Min , Li Ye
Published: September 2022

Wearable technology, which can continuously and remotely monitor physiological and behavioral parameters by incorporated into clothing or worn as an accessory, introduces a new era for ubiquitous health care. With big data technology, wearable data can be analyzed to help long-term cardiovascular care. This review summarizes the recent developments of wearable technology related to cardiovascular care, highlighting the most common wearable devices and their accuracy. We also examined the application of these devices in cardiovascular healthcare, such as the early detection of arrhythmias, measuring blood pressure, and detecting prevalent diabetes. We provide an overview of the challenges that hinder the widespread application of wearable devices, such as inadequate device accuracy, data redundancy, concerns associated with data security, and lack of meaningful criteria, and offer potential solutions. Finally, the future research direction for cardiovascular care using wearable devices is discussed.