bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An Empirical Bargaining Model with Left-Digit Bias: A Study on Auto Loan Monthly Payments
Authors: Jiang Zhenling
Published: April 2021

This paper studies price bargaining when both parties have left-digit bias when processing numbers. The empirical analysis focuses on the auto finance market in the United States, using a large data set of 35 million auto loans. Incorporating left-digit bias in bargaining is motivated by several intriguing observations. The scheduled monthly payments of auto loans bunch at both $9- and $0-ending digits, especially over $100 marks. In addition, $9-ending loans carry a higher interest rate, and $0-ending loans have a lower interest rate. We develop a Nash bargaining model that allows for left-digit bias from both consumers and finance managers of auto dealers. Results suggest that both parties are subject to this basic human bias: the perceived difference between $9- and the next $0-ending payments is larger than $1, especially between $99- and $00-ending payments. The proposed model can explain the phenomena of payments bunching and differential interest rates for loans with different ending digits. We use counterfactuals to show a nuanced impact of left-digit bias, which can both increase and decrease the payments. Overall, bias from both sides leads to a $33 increase in average payment per loan compared with a benchmark case with no bias.

This paper was accepted by Matthew Shum, marketing.
Controle de si e cuidado de si: uma reflexão sobre a ciência da nutrição
Authors: Villela Marcela Cristina Elias , Azevedo Elaine De
Published: April 2021

Introdução: a Ciência da Nutrição funda-se sob o paradigma médico cartesiano, baseado na visão biologicista, intervencionista e centrada no especialista. O nutricionista, em sua prática clínica atua de modo prescritivo, punitivo e, configura-se como maneiras de controlar o paciente. Percebe-se atualmente, outras formas de abordar o paciente, da relação entre especialistas e leigos e de praticar a Nutrição Clínica que interessam a esse estudo. Objetivo: esse artigo promoveu uma reflexão crítica de práticas atuais na nutrição clínica. Método: estudo conceitual realizado a partir de uma revisão bibliográfica com autores das áreas da Nutrição e Ciências Humanas e Sociais, com foco na teoria de Michel Foucault, em especial, nos seus conceitos de controle de si e cuidado de si. Resultados: os autores mobilizados alertam para uma crise nas abordagens prescritivas, intensificando a falta de adesão dos interagentes e resultados ineficazes. Entretanto, a atuação do Nutricionista tende a ter maior relevância, visto que as doenças crônicas não transmissíveis ligadas à alimentação aumentam vertiginosamente. Nesse cenário, há diversos fatores que contribuem para a manutenção dessa crise como: a mídia, a cultura da dieta, o sistema agroalimentar e as políticas que atuam como mecanismos de poder e controle. Conclusão: Existem modelos alternativos ao paradigma hegemônico que estabelecem uma relação baseada no cuidado e se fundamentam em princípios como: autonomia, respeito às individualidades e subjetividades e ao papel ativo do interagente, ao profissional cabe ser o facilitador do processo. É imprescindível o desenvolvimento de habilidades e competências humanas não contempladas nos cursos de graduação.
SUSTENTABILIDADE EM PRÉDIOS E OBRAS PÚBLICAS: ANÁLISE EM UMA INSTITUIÇÃO DE ENSINO SUPERIOR
Authors: Mariano Dailleny Chagas de Oliveira , Trigo Aline Guimarães Monteiro , Maruyama Ursula Gomes Rosa
Published: April 2021

O crescimento econômico no mundo atraiu as grandes indústrias e induziu a população a um consumo acelerado. Com isso, houve um desequilíbrio no qual a sociedade passou a conviver com a desigualdade, gerando uma preocupação com a qualidade de vida humana associada à escassez de recursos naturais. Da mesma maneira, as construções começaram a acelerar, sem planejamento e acarretaram diversos tipos de impactos ambientais. Essa situação implicou na necessidade de rever os conceitos a respeito de como as pessoas estão vivendo e consumindo. Os governos optaram por incentivar práticas sustentáveis e buscaram adequar-se a uma relação de melhor custo benefício. Neste contexto, leis são elaboradas e impõem a utilização de recursos renováveis e a redução de materiais, além do incentivo à economia do reaproveitamento. Por isso, este artigo tem como objetivo criar uma agenda de critérios de sustentabilidade para projetos de obras em uma instituição de ensino superior, como o Centro Federal de Educação Tecnológica Celso Suckow da Fonseca (CEFET/RJ), tendo como referência os documentos exigidos pela Administração Pública Federal (IN nº 01/2010 e a Lei nº 111/2011), a partir de uma pesquisa qualitativa e exploratória. Os primeiros resultados, a partir das análises observadas, demonstram que três quartos dos critérios são atendidos. Contudo, torna-se necessário um estudo aprofundado para que todos os critérios, colocados em lei, sejam atendidos e viabilizados durante a concepção do projeto de arquitetura com a participação, em conjunto, das equipes de licitação, de orçamento e dos projetos complementares.
Autologous stem cell implantation with core decompression for avascular necrosis of the femoral head using a new device
Authors: Khan MNH , Abbas K , Ayling EA , Waqas Ilyas M , Dunlop DG
Published: April 2021

Introduction

Autologous stem cell progenitor implantation into necrotic lesions of the femoral head has previously been described as a potential treatment for avascular necrosis (AVN), on the basis that there is a reduced number of functioning stem cells in the marrow within the necrotic segment. We present a case series of patients with AVN that underwent core decompression with autologous stem cell implantation using a new device.

Methods

The records and imaging of patients with AVN of the femoral head treated by a single surgeon were retrospectively reviewed. All patients were treated with core decompression and stem cell progenitor implantation, using the PerFuse system. Preoperatively, demographic information, AVN staging (as per Ficat and Arlet classification) and visual analogue pain scores (VAS) of the hips were recorded. These results were compared with postoperative VAS and imaging, with further review on the progression of AVN.

Results

We treated 14 hips in 13 patients with an average follow up of 12 months. Patients with Ficat I–II were selected for the procedure. The average preoperative VAS was 3.9. Postoperatively, this dropped to 2.6, with over half of patients reporting at least a two-point decrease in pain. Eight of the 14 treated hips showed no radiological progression of the disease, while six showed femoral head collapse requiring total hip arthroplasty (THA) at an average of ten months after treatment.

Conclusion

Our early findings indicate that hip decompression with stem cell progenitor implantation for AVN of the femoral head provides symptomatic relief and may be beneficial in arresting progression of disease using this simple new device.
Warientalism, or the Carrier of Firewood
Authors: Madiou Mohamed Salah Eddine
Published: April 2021

The world, under Donald Trump's presidency, inaugurated a “new” way of dealing with international affairs, one abrupt and unapologetic, making the world into a world of warcraft. Trump came up with a “might is right” rule as a “solution” that proved, because official, to be of such a strong force of influence and legitimization it gained inter/intranational traction, impacting the behavior of both the ruling and “less ruling” circles. In this theoretical essay, I locate the necessity to introduce a new concept, Warientalism, that refers to a discourse of power befitting today's “politics,” and some “politics” of bygone days. It proposes to conceptually define Warientalism, and critically examine its discourse.
Translational Photoacoustic Imaging for Disease Diagnosis, Monitoring, and Surgical Guidance: introduction to the feature issue
Authors: Xia Jun , Lediju Bell Muyinatu A. , Laufer Jan , Yao Junjie
Published: April 2021

This feature issue of Biomedical Optics Express covered all aspects of translational photoacoustic research. Application areas include screening and diagnosis of diseases, imaging of disease progression and therapeutic response, and image-guided treatment, such as surgery, drug delivery, and photothermal/photodynamic therapy. The feature issue also covers relevant developments in photoacoustic instrumentation, contrast agents, image processing and reconstruction algorithms.
Simultaneous imaging of amyloid deposition and cerebrovascular function using dual-contrast photoacoustic microscopy
Authors: Zhou Yifeng , Zhong Fenghe , Yan Ping , Lee Jin-Moo , Hu Song
Published: April 2021

Pathological aggregation of Aβ peptides results in the deposition of amyloid in the brain parenchyma (senile plaques in Alzheimer’s disease [AD]) and around cerebral microvessels (cerebral amyloid angiopathy [CAA]). Our current understanding of the amyloid-induced microvascular changes has been limited to the structure and hemodynamics—leaving the oxygen-metabolic aspect unattended. In this Letter, we report a dual-contrast photoacoustic microscopy (PAM) technique, which integrates the molecular contrast of dichroism PAM and the physiological contrast of multi-parametric PAM for simultaneous, intravital imaging of amyloid deposition and cerebrovascular function in a mouse model that develops AD and CAA. This technique opens up new opportunities to study the spatiotemporal interplay between amyloid deposition and vascular-metabolic dysfunction in AD and CAA.
Distinct patterns of activity in individual cortical neurons and local networks in primary somatosensory cortex of mice evoked by square-wave mechanical limb stimulation
Authors: Bandet Mischa V. , Dong Bin , Winship Ian R.
Published: April 2021

Artificial forms of mechanical limb stimulation are used within multiple fields of study to determine the level of cortical excitability and to map the trajectory of neuronal recovery from cortical damage or disease. Square-wave mechanical or electrical stimuli are often used in these studies, but a characterization of sensory-evoked response properties to square-waves with distinct fundamental frequencies but overlapping harmonics has not been performed. To distinguish between somatic stimuli, the primary somatosensory cortex must be able to represent distinct stimuli with unique patterns of activity, even if they have overlapping features. Thus, mechanical square-wave stimulation was used in conjunction with regional and cellular imaging to examine regional and cellular response properties evoked by different frequencies of stimulation. Flavoprotein autofluorescence imaging was used to map the somatosensory cortex of anaesthetized C57BL/6 mice, and in vivo two-photon Ca2+ imaging was used to define patterns of neuronal activation during mechanical square-wave stimulation of the contralateral forelimb or hindlimb at various frequencies (3, 10, 100, 200, and 300 Hz). The data revealed that neurons within the limb associated somatosensory cortex responding to various frequencies of square-wave stimuli exhibit stimulus-specific patterns of activity. Subsets of neurons were found to have sensory-evoked activity that is either primarily responsive to single stimulus frequencies or broadly responsive to multiple frequencies of limb stimulation. High frequency stimuli were shown to elicit more population activity, with a greater percentage of the population responding and greater percentage of cells with high amplitude responses. Stimulus-evoked cell-cell correlations within these neuronal networks varied as a function of frequency of stimulation, such that each stimulus elicited a distinct pattern that was more consistent across multiple trials of the same stimulus compared to trials at different frequencies of stimulation. The variation in cortical response to different square-wave stimuli can thus be represented by the population pattern of supra-threshold Ca2+ transients, the magnitude and temporal properties of the evoked activity, and the structure of the stimulus-evoked correlation between neurons.
Improved transformation efficiency of group A Streptococcus by inactivation of a type I restriction modification system
Authors: Finn Meredith B. , Ramsey Kathryn M. , Tolliver Hunter J. , Dove Simon L. , Wessels Michael R.
Published: April 2021

Streptococcus pyogenes or group A Streptococcus (GAS) is a leading cause of bacterial pharyngitis, skin and soft tissue infections, life-threatening invasive infections, and the post-infectious autoimmune syndromes of acute rheumatic fever and post-streptococcal glomerulonephritis. Genetic manipulation of this important pathogen is complicated by resistance of the organism to genetic transformation. Very low transformation efficiency is attributed to recognition and degradation of introduced foreign DNA by a type I restriction-modification system encoded by the hsdRSM locus. DNA sequence analysis of this locus in ten GAS strains that had been previously transformed with an unrelated plasmid revealed that six of the ten harbored a spontaneous mutation in hsdR, S, or M. The mutations were all different, and at least five of the six were predicted to result in loss of function of the respective hsd gene product. The unexpected occurrence of such mutations in previously transformed isolates suggested that the process of transformation selects for spontaneous inactivating mutations in the Hsd system. We investigated the possibility of exploiting the increased transformability of hsd mutants by constructing a deletion mutation in hsdM in GAS strain 854, a clinical isolate representative of the globally dominant M1T1 clonal group. Mutant strain 854ΔhsdM exhibited a 5-fold increase in electrotransformation efficiency compared to the wild type parent strain and no obvious change in growth or off-target gene expression. We conclude that genetic transformation of GAS selects for spontaneous mutants in the hsdRSM restriction modification system. We propose that use of a defined hsdM mutant as a parent strain for genetic manipulation of GAS will enhance transformation efficiency and reduce the likelihood of selecting spontaneous hsd mutants with uncharacterized genotypes.
Behavioral assessment of children and adolescents with Graves’ disease: A prospective study
Authors: Hamed Sherifa Ahmed , Attiah Fadia Ahmed , Abdulhamid Samir Kamal , Fawzy Mohamed
Published: April 2021

Previous studies have identified frequent comorbid neuropsychiatric disorders and conditions in adults with thyrotoxicosis. These studies are scarce or even lacking in pediatric population. This work aimed to study the behavior of children and adolescents with Graves’ disease (GD). This study included 35 children with GD (boys = 15; girls = 25; mean age: 11.45±1.50yrs) and 40 healthy children (boys = 20; girls = 20; mean age: 12.54±1.62yrs). Behavior was assessed using Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). Children with GD were assessed during periods of thyroid hormone elevation (active disease) and normalized thyroid hormones (with anti-thyroid drugs or ATDs). Compared to healthy children, patients during periods of thyroid hormone elevation (74.29%) and normalized thyroid hormones (31.43%) had higher frequencies of behavioral abnormalities and scorings of total CBCL scale (P = 0.01; P = 0.04, respectively) and its subscales’ [Anxious/Depressed (P = 0.02; P = 0.04), Withdrawn/Depressed (P = 0.03; P = 0.04) and Somatic Complaints (P = 0.03; P = 0.127) and Social (P = 0.01; P = 0.225), Thought (P = 0.01; P = 0.128) and Attention (P = 0.01; P = 0.01) problems], indicating internalizing and externalizing problems. The majority of patients had at least two different behavioral problems. Marked improvement was found during period of normalized thyroid hormones (P = 0.001). Correlation analyses showed significant associations between total CBCL scoring and age at onset (P = 0.01; P = 0.001) and lower concentrations of thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) (P = 0.001; P = 0.04) and higher concentrations of free thyroxine (fT4) (P = 0.01; P = 0.02), triiodothyronine (fT3) (P = 0.01; P = 0.03) and thyrotropin receptor antibodies (TRAbs) (P = 0.001; P = 0.01) during periods of thyroid hormone elevation and normalized thyroid hormones, respectively. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that "at presentation" lower concentrations of TSH (P = 0.001; P = 0.03) and higher concentrations of fT4 (P = 0.001, P = 0.01), fT3 (P = 0.01; P = 0.06) and TRAbs (P = 0.001; P = 0.001) were predictors of behavioral problems during periods of active disease and normalized thyroid hormones. We conclude that GD is associated with higher frequencies and severities of anxiety, depression and inattention during periods of thyroid hormone elevation as well as normalized thyroid hormones with ATDs. Therefore, early diagnosis and optimizing management are required to improve children’s social life.
Socio-economic status, resilience, and vulnerability of households under COVID-19: Case of village-level data in Sichuan province
Authors: Ur Rahman Imran , Jian Deng , Junrong Liu , Shafi Mohsin
Published: April 2021

This paper investigates economic impacts of COVID-19 on households based on differences in the socio-economic status (SES). We determine the household-level effects of the COVID-19 shock using income sources, types of industries, communities’ resilience, household susceptibility, and relevant policy measures. For this purpose, we used primary data of 555 households collected through snowball sampling technique using an online survey questionnaire from different villages mostly located in Sichuan Province, China. Using step-wise binary logistic regression analysis, we estimated and validated the model. Results suggest the use of SES as a better measure for understanding the impacts of COVID-19 on different households. We find that households with low SES tend to depend more on farmland income and transfer payments from the government. Contrarily, high SES households focus more on business and local employment as sources of income generation. Poor households were less resilient and more likely to fall back into poverty due to COVID-19, while the opposite stands true for non-poor households with high SES. Based on the estimations, policies encouraging employment and businesses complemented with loans on lower interest rates are recommended, which may increase the SES, thus minimizing vulnerability and enhancing the households’ resilience towards poverty alleviation and economic shocks.
TGFβ1, MMPs and cytokines profiles in ocular surface: Possible tear biomarkers for pseudoexfoliation
Authors: Sahay Prity , Reddy Shweta , Prusty Birendra Kumar , Modak Rahul , Rao Aparna
Published: April 2021

Purpose

Pseudoexfoliation (PXF) is a unique form of glaucoma characterized by accumulation of exfoliative material in the eyes. Changes in tear profile in disease stages may give us insights into molecular mechanisms involved in causing glaucoma in the eye.

Methods

All patients were categorized into three main categories; pseudoexfoliation (PXF), pseudoexfoliation glaucoma (PXG) and cataract, which served as control. Cytokines, transforming growth factor β1 (TGFβ1), matrix metalloproteases (MMPs) and fibronectin (FN1) were assessed with multiplex bead assay, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), gelatin zymography, and immunohistochemistry (IHC) respectively in different ocular tissues such as tears, tenon’s capsule, aqueous humor (AH) and serum samples of patients with PXF stages.

Results

We found that TGFβ1, MMP-9 and FN1 protein expression were upregulated in tears, tenon’s capsule and AH samples in PXG compared to PXF, though the MMP-9 protein activity was downregulated in PXG compared with control or PXF. We have also found that in PXG tears sample the fold change of TGF-α (Transforming Growth Factor-α), MDC (Macrophage Derived Chemokine), IL-8 (Interleukin-8), VEGF (Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor) were significantly downregulated and the levels of GM-CSF (Granulocyte Macrophage Colony Stimulating Factor), IP-10 (Interferon- γ produced protein-10) were significant upregulated. While in AH; IL-6 (Interleukin-6), IL-8, VEGF, IFN-a2 (Interferon- α2), GRO (Growth regulated alpha protein) levels were found lower and IL1a (Interleukin-1α) level was higher in PXG compared to PXF. And in serum; IFN-a2, Eotaxin, GM-CSF, Fractalkine, IL-10 (Interleukin-10), IL1Ra (Interleukin-1 receptor antagonist), IL-7 (Interleukin-7), IL-8, MIP1β (Macrophage Inflammatory Protein-1β), MCP-1 (Monocyte Chemoattractant Protein-1) levels were significantly upregulated and PDGF-AA (Platelet Derived Growth Factor-AA) level was downregulated in the patients with PXG compared to PXF.

Conclusions

Altered expression of these molecules in tears may therefore be used as a signal for onset of glaucoma or for identifying eyes at risk of developing glaucoma in PXF.
Physiological and genetic characterization of heat stress effects in a common bean RIL population
Authors: Vargas Yulieth , Mayor-Duran Victor Manuel , Buendia Hector Fabio , Ruiz-Guzman Henry , Raatz Bodo
Published: April 2021

Heat stress is a major abiotic stress factor reducing crop productivity and climate change models predict increasing temperatures in many production regions. Common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is an important crop for food security in the tropics and heat stress is expected to cause increasing yield losses. To study physiological responses and to characterize the genetics of heat stress tolerance, we evaluated the recombinant inbred line (RIL) population IJR (Indeterminate Jamaica Red) x AFR298 of the Andean gene pool. Heat stress (HS) conditions in the field affected many traits across the reproductive phase. High nighttime temperatures appeared to have larger effects than maximum daytime temperatures. Yield was reduced compared to non-stress conditions by 37% and 26% in 2016 and 2017 seasons, respectively. The image analysis tool HYRBEAN was developed to evaluate pollen viability (PolVia). A significant reduction of PolVia was observed in HS and higher viability was correlated with yield only under stress conditions. In susceptible lines the reproductive phase was extended and defects in the initiation of seed, seed fill and seed formation were identified reducing grain quality. Higher yields under HS were correlated with early flowering, high pollen viability and effective seed filling. Quantitative trait loci (QTL) analysis revealed a QTL for both pod harvest index and PolVia on chromosome Pv05, for which the more heat tolerant parent IJR contributed the positive allele. Also, on chromosome Pv08 a QTL from IJR improved PolVia and the yield component pods per plant. HS affected several traits during the whole reproductive development, from floral induction to grain quality traits, indicating a general heat perception affecting many reproductive processes. Identification of tolerant germplasm, indicator traits for heat tolerance and molecular tools will help to breed heat tolerant varieties to face future climate change effects.
Perspectives of compounding pharmacists on alcohol-based hand sanitizer production and utilization for COVID-19 prevention in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: A descriptive phenomenology study
Authors: Baye Assefa Mulu , Ababu Andualem , Bayisa Regasa , Abdella Mahdi , Diriba Edessa , Wale Minyechel , Selam Muluken Nigatu
Published: April 2021

Background

Globally, the safety of patients and healthcare providers is at risk due to health care-associated infections (HCAIs). World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend using alcohol-based hand rub (ABHR) for hand hygiene in healthcare settings to prevent HCAIs. Irrational use of ABHR will have undesirable consequences including wastage of products, exposure of healthcare providers to infections and emergence of microbial resistance to the alcohol in hand sanitizers. This study aimed to explore the perspective and experiences of compounding pharmacists on production and utilization of ABHR solution for coronavirus disease in 2019 (COVID-19) prevention in public hospitals of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Methods

A descriptive qualitative study using in-depth interview of 13 key-informants serving as compounding pharmacists in public hospitals of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, was conducted. The study participants were identified and selected by purposive sampling. All transcribed interviews were subjected to thematic analysis and transcripts were analyzed manually.

Findings

The compounding pharmacists in this study had a mean age of 30.6 (±3.1) years and nine of the thirteen participants were men. Ten participants believed that the compounding practice in their respective sites followed the principles of good compounding practice. More than half of the participants did not believe that ABHR products were used rationally in health facilities. They argued that users did not have enough awareness when and how to use sanitizers. Most of the interviewees reported that compounding personnel had no formal training on ABHR solution production. Study participants suggested incentive mechanisms and reimbursements for experts involved in the compounding of ABHR solutions.

Conclusion

Three of the compounding pharmacists indicated that ABHR production in their setting lack compliance to good compounding practice due to inadequate compounding room, quality control tests, manpower and equipment. Despite this, most study participants preferred the in-house ABHR products than the commercially available ones. Thus, training, regular monitoring and follow-up of the hospital compounding services can further build staff confidence.
Predicting corporate credit risk: Network contagion via trade credit
Authors: Berloco Claudia , De Francisci Morales Gianmarco , Frassineti Daniele , Greco Greta , Kumarasinghe Hashani , Lamieri Marco , Massaro Emanuele , Miola Arianna , Yang Shuyi
Published: April 2021

Trade credit is a payment extension granted by a selling firm to its customer. Companies typically respond to late payments from their customers by delaying payments to suppliers, thus generating a ripple through the transaction network. Therefore, trade credit is as a potential vehicle of propagation of losses in case of default events. The goal of this work is to leverage information on the trade credit among connected firms to predict imminent defaults of firms. We use a unique dataset of client firms of a major Italian bank to investigate firm bankruptcy between October 2016 to March 2018. We develop a model to capture network spillover effects originating from the supply chain on the probability of default of each firm via a sequential approach: the output of a first model component on single firm features is used in a subsequent model which captures network spillovers. While the first component is the standard econometrics way to predict such dynamics, the network module represents an innovative way to look into the effect of trade credit on default probability. This module looks at the transaction network of the firm, as inferred from the payments transiting via the bank, in order to identify the trade partners of the firm. By using several features extracted from the network of transactions, this model is able to predict a large fraction of the defaults, thus showing the value hidden in the network information. Finally, we merge firm and network features with a machine learning model to create a ‘hybrid’ model, which improves the recall for the task by almost 20 percentage points over the baseline.
Identification of ubiquitination-related genes in human glioma as indicators of patient prognosis
Authors: Wang Lei , Liu Yuelin , Xuan Chengmin , Liu Yong , Shi Hengliang , Gao Yong
Published: April 2021

Ubiquitination is a dynamic and reversible process of a specific modification of target proteins catalyzed by a series of ubiquitination enzymes. Because of the extensive range of substrates, ubiquitination plays a crucial role in the localization, metabolism, regulation, and degradation of proteins. Although the treatment of glioma has been improved, the survival rate of patients is still not satisfactory. Therefore, we explore the role of ubiquitin proteasome in glioma. Survival-related ubiquitination related genes (URGs) were obtained through analysis of the Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx) and the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). Cox analysis was performed to construct risk model. The accuracy of risk model is verified by survival, Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) and Cox analysis. We obtained 36 differentially expressed URGs and found that 25 URGs were related to patient prognosis. We used the 25 URGs to construct a model containing 8 URGs to predict glioma patient risk by Cox analysis. ROC showed that the accuracy rate of this model is 85.3%. Cox analysis found that this model can be used as an independent prognostic factor. We also found that this model is related to molecular typing markers. Patients in the high-risk group were enriched in multiple tumor-related signaling pathways. In addition, we predicted TFs that may regulate the risk model URGs and found that the risk model is related to B cells, CD4 T cells, and neutrophils.
Cross-platform programming model for many-core lattice Boltzmann simulations
Authors: Latt Jonas , Coreixas Christophe , Beny Joël
Published: April 2021

We present a novel, hardware-agnostic implementation strategy for lattice Boltzmann (LB) simulations, which yields massive performance on homogeneous and heterogeneous many-core platforms. Based solely on C++17 Parallel Algorithms, our approach does not rely on any language extensions, external libraries, vendor-specific code annotations, or pre-compilation steps. Thanks in particular to a recently proposed GPU back-end to C++17 Parallel Algorithms, it is shown that a single code can compile and reach state-of-the-art performance on both many-core CPU and GPU environments for the solution of a given non trivial fluid dynamics problem. The proposed strategy is tested with six different, commonly used implementation schemes to test the performance impact of memory access patterns on different platforms. Nine different LB collision models are included in the tests and exhibit good performance, demonstrating the versatility of our parallel approach. This work shows that it is less than ever necessary to draw a distinction between research and production software, as a concise and generic LB implementation yields performances comparable to those achievable in a hardware specific programming language. The results also highlight the gains of performance achieved by modern many-core CPUs and their apparent capability to narrow the gap with the traditionally massively faster GPU platforms. All code is made available to the community in form of the open-source project stlbm, which serves both as a stand-alone simulation software and as a collection of reusable patterns for the acceleration of pre-existing LB codes.
Millet-based supplement restored gut microbial diversity of acute malnourished pigs
Authors: Li Xuejing , Hui Yan , Leng Bingfeng , Ren Junli , Song Yanni , Che Lianqiang , Peng Xi , Huang Baojia , Liu Songling , Li Lin , Nielsen Dennis Sandris , Li Yong , Dai Xiaoshuang , Zhao Shancen
Published: April 2021

The tight association between malnutrition and gut microbiota (GM) dysbiosis enables microbiota-targeting intervention to be a promising strategy. Thus, we used a malnourished pig model to investigate the host response and GM alterations under different diet supplementation strategies. Pigs at age of 4 weeks were fed with pure maize diet to induce malnutrition symptoms, and followed by continuous feeding with maize (Maize,n= 8) or re-feeding using either corn-soy-blend (CSB+,n= 10) or millet-soy-blend based (MSB+,n= 10) supplementary food for 3 weeks. Meanwhile, 8 pigs were fed on a standard formulated ration as control (Ref). The effect of nutritional supplementation was assessed by the growth status, blood chemistry, gastrointestinal pathology, mucosal microbiota composition and colon production of short-chain fatty acids. Compared with purely maize-fed pigs, both CSB+ and MSB+ elevated the concentrations of total protein and globulin in blood. These pigs still showed most malnutrition symptoms after the food intervention period. MSB+ had superior influence on the GM development, exhibiting better performance in both structural and functional aspects. MSB+ pigs were colonized by lessProteobacteriabut moreBacteroidetes,FirmicutesandLachnospiraspp. Pearson’s correlation analysis indicated a strong correlation between the abundance of mucosal e.g.,FaecalibacteriumandLachnospiraspp. and body weight, crown-rump length and total serum protein. In conclusion, the malnutrition symptoms were accompanied by an aberrant GM, and millet-based nutritional supplementation showed promising potentials to restore the reduced GM diversity implicated in pig malnutrition.
An outbreak of acute jaundice syndrome (AJS) among the Rohingya refugees in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh: Findings from enhanced epidemiological surveillance
Authors: Mazhar Md Khadimul Anam , Finger Flavio , Evers Egmond Samir , Kuehne Anna , Ivey Melissa , Yesurajan Francis , Shirin Tahmina , Ajim Nurul , Kabir Ahammadul , Musto Jennie , White Kate , Baidjoe Amrish , le Polain de Waroux Olivier
Published: April 2021

In the summer of 2017, an estimated 745,000 Rohingya fled to Bangladesh in what has been described as one of the largest and fastest growing refugee crises in the world. Among numerous health concerns, an outbreak of acute jaundice syndrome (AJS) was detected by the disease surveillance system in early 2018 among the refugee population. This paper describes the investigation into the increase in AJS cases, the process and results of the investigation, which were strongly suggestive of a large outbreak due to hepatitis A virus (HAV). An enhanced serological investigation was conducted between 28 February to 26 March 2018 to determine the etiologies and risk factors associated with the outbreak. A total of 275 samples were collected from 18 health facilities reporting AJS cases. Blood samples were collected from all patients fulfilling the study specific case definition and inclusion criteria, and tested for antibody responses using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Out of the 275 samples, 206 were positive for one of the agents tested. The laboratory results confirmed multiple etiologies including 154 (56%) samples tested positive for hepatitis A, 1 (0.4%) positive for hepatitis E, 36 (13%) positive for hepatitis B, 25 (9%) positive for hepatitis C, and 14 (5%) positive for leptospirosis. Among all specimens tested 24 (9%) showed evidence of co-infections with multiple etiologies. Hepatitis A and E are commonly found in refugee camps and have similar clinical presentations. In the absence of robust testing capacity when the epidemic was identified through syndromic reporting, a particular concern was that of a hepatitis E outbreak, for which immunity tends to be limited, and which may be particularly severe among pregnant women. This report highlights the challenges of identifying causative agents in such settings and the resources required to do so. Results from the month-long enhanced investigation did not point out widespread hepatitis E virus (HEV) transmission, but instead strongly suggested a large-scale hepatitis A outbreak of milder consequences, and highlighted a number of other concomitant causes of AJS (acute hepatitis B, hepatitis C, Leptospirosis), albeit most likely at sporadic level. Results strengthen the need for further water and sanitation interventions and are a stark reminder of the risk of other epidemics transmitted through similar routes in such settings, particularly dysentery and cholera. It also highlights the need to ensure clinical management capacity for potentially chronic conditions in this vulnerable population.
Use of rehabilitation services by persons with disabilities in Brazil: A multivariate analysis from Andersen’s behavioral model
Authors: Medeiros Arthur de Almeida , Galvão Maria Helena Rodrigues , Barbosa Isabelle Ribeiro , Oliveira Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli da Costa
Published: April 2021

Background

For many years, discussions about health care for people with disabilities (PwD) in Brazil have not been treated as a priority; however, based on the advances made at the beginning of this century, new policies have been developed with the aim of improving access of these people to health services. Therefore, the aim of this study was to analyze how individual characteristics and contextual indicators are associated with access to rehabilitation services for PwD in Brazil.

Methods

A multivariate analysis was performed based on data from the National Health Survey 2013, considering access to rehabilitation services by PwD as the primary outcome and individual and contextual factors selected from Andersen’s behavioral model as independent variables. The contextual variables were reduced to two composite indicators (1-primary health care coverage and unfavorable socioeconomic conditions, and 2-economic inequality) from the analysis of the principal components. Poisson regression analysis with robust variance was performed to estimate the prevalence ratio (PR) and the respective 95% confidence interval (95%CI).

Results

Access to rehabilitation services by PwD was more prevalent in people aged 0 to 17 years (PR = 3.28; 95%CI 2.85–3.78), who are illiterate (PR = 1.24; 95%CI 1.09–1.40), whose socioeconomic level is A or B (PR = 1.60; 95%CI 1.35–1.88), who have health insurance (PR = 1.31; 95%CI 1.15–1.49), who have severe limitations (PR = 3.09; 95%CI 2.64–3.62), who live in states with a good offer of Specialized Rehabilitation Centers, both type II (PR = 1.20; CI95% 1.08; 1.33) and type IV (PR = 1.29; CI95% 1.15; 1.44), and who have greater coverage of primary health care, but unfavorable socioeconomic conditions (PR = 1.15; CI95% 1.03–1.28).

Conclusion

The results clarify the social inequities that exist regarding access to rehabilitation services for PwD in Brazil and highlight the need to formulate and implement public policies that guarantee the realization of the rights of these people.
Soil applied potassium improves productivity and fiber quality of cotton cultivars grown on potassium deficient soils
Authors: Hussain Shabir , Ali Hakoomat , Gardezi Syed Tahir Raza
Published: April 2021

Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) is considered as the most valuable cash crop of Pakistan. During last decade, its yield has been declined due to various biotic and abiotic factors. Among abiotic factors, improper use of fertilizers is considered very important specially regarding plant defense and yield. This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of different levels (0, 40, 80 and 120 kg ha-1) of K fertilizer (K2O) on different growth parameters of two commercial Bt cotton cultivars (CYTO-301 and IUB-2013) and one non-Bt cultivar (CYTO-142) during 2016 and 2017. Maximum plant height (124–134 cm), dry matter contents (915–1005%), fruiting point (441–462), bolls per plant (96–139), average boll weight (4.2–5.2 g) and seed cotton yield (2524–3175 kg ha-1) and minimum shedding (43–73%) were observed in plots receiving highest dose of K (120 kg ha-1). The CYTO-103 cultivar was found more responsive to K fertilizer as compared to rest of cultivars (CYTO-142 and IUB-2013). Concluding, ideal dose of fertilizer is very important (120 kg ha-1 in our case) for optimum growth and production of good quality fiber with enhanced seed cotton yield.
Two original observations concerning bacterial infections in COVID-19 patients hospitalized in intensive care units during the first wave of the epidemic in France
Authors: d’Humières Camille , Patrier Juliette , Lortat-Jacob Brice , Tran-dinh Alexy , Chemali Lotfi , Maataoui Naouale , Rondinaud Emilie , Ruppé Etienne , Burdet Charles , Ruckly Stéphane , Montravers Philippe , Timsit Jean-François , Armand-Lefevre Laurence
Published: April 2021

Among 197 COVID-19 patients hospitalized in ICU, 88 (44.7%) experienced at least one bacterial infection, with pneumonia (39.1%) and bloodstream infections (15,7%) being the most frequent. Unusual findings include frequent suspicion of bacterial translocations originating from the digestive tract as well as bacterial persistence in the lungs despite adequate therapy.
Association between central obesity indices and iron status indicators among Qatari adults
Authors: Kerkadi Abdelhamid , Mohsen Ali Reem , A. H. Shehada Alaa , Abdelnasser AbouHassanein Eman , Moawad Joyce , Bawadi Hiba , Shi Zumin
Published: April 2021

Co-existence of iron deficiency and obesity in adults has been reported in many countries. However, little is known on the association between obesity and iron deficiency in Qatar. This study aimed to investigate the link between abdominal obesity indices and iron status among adults in Qatar. A random sample of 1000 healthy Qatari adults, aged 20–50 years, was obtained from Qatar Biobank study. Body weight, waist circumference, dual x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) parameters and iron status indicators were measured using standard techniques. Multiple regression analysis was used to examine the associations. The prevalence of iron deficiency and anaemia were 35.4 and 25%, respectively. Of the participants with a large waist circumference, 31.7% had anaemia. Ferritin significantly increased with the increase in the android fat to gynoid fat ratio and visceral fat in both genders. Serum iron and transferring saturation decreased significantly with the increase in waist circumference in women. In both genders, C-reactive protein increased with the increase in all obesity indices. Standardized values of waist circumference, android fat, gynoid fat ratio and visceral fat were significantly associated with log transformed ferritin in men and women. Waist circumference was inversely related to serum iron (β:-0.95, 95% CI:-1.50,-0.39) and transferrin saturation (β:-1.45, 95%CI:-2.46, -0.43) in women. In men, waist circumference was positively associated with haemoglobin level (β: 0.16, 95% CI:0.04, 0.29). Central obesity coexists with anaemia among the study population. Elevated central obesity indices were associated with an increase in ferritin concentration. The increased ferritin concentration may be attributed to the increase in inflammatory status as a result of an increase in c-reactive protein concentration associated with central obesity.
Measurement-based evaluation of Google/Apple Exposure Notification API for proximity detection in a commuter bus
Authors: Leith Douglas J. , Farrell Stephen
Published: April 2021

We report on the results of a measurement study carried out on a commuter bus in Dublin, Ireland using the Google/Apple Exposure Notification (GAEN) API. This API is likely to be widely used by Covid-19 contact tracing apps. Measurements were collected between 60 pairs of Android handset locations and are publicly available. We find that the attenuation level reported by the GAEN API need not increase with distance between handsets, consistent with there being a complex radio environment inside a bus caused by the metal-rich environment. Changing the people sitting in a pair of seats can cause variations of ±10dB in the attenuation level reported by the GAEN API. Applying the rule used by the Swiss Covid-19 contact tracing app to trigger an exposure notification to our bus measurements we find that no exposure notifications would have been triggered despite the fact that all pairs of handsets were within 2m of one another for at least 15 mins. Applying an alternative threshold-based exposure notification rule can somewhat improve performance to a detection rate of 5% when an exposure duration threshold of 15 minutes is used, increasing to 8% when the exposure duration threshold is reduced to 10 mins. Stratifying the data by distance between pairs of handsets indicates that there is only a weak dependence of detection rate on distance.
Yield, profitability, and prospects of irrigated Boro rice cultivation in the North-West region of Bangladesh
Authors: Mainuddin Mohammed , Alam Md. Mahbubul , Maniruzzaman Md. , Kabir Md. Jahangir , Mojid Mohammad A. , Hasan Md. Masud , Schmidt Erik J. , Islam Md. Towfiqul
Published: April 2021

The North-West (NW) region of Bangladesh is pivotal for the country’s agricultural development, mainly in producing irrigated Boro rice. However, increasing cost of irrigation water, fertilizers, labour and other inputs, and the spatio-temporal variation in actual yield, market price and profitability of rice, have added uncertainty to the sustainability of Boro rice cultivation. In this study, we evaluated the productivity, profitability, and prospect of Boro rice production using comprehensive field data collected directly from 420 farmers’ fields over two consecutive seasons (2015–16 and 2016–17), across seven geographically distributed locations in the NW region. We also analyzed the risk and return trade of popular Boro rice cultivars using Monte-Carlo simulation. The results show that there were significant (p≤0.05) variations in rice yield between sites, irrigation pump-types, and rice varieties, with Hybrid rice and BRRI dhan29 producing highest yields (6.0–7.5 t/ha). Due to different pricing systems, the cost of irrigation water varied from site to site and from year to year, but always comprised the highest input cost (20–25% of total production). The total paid-out cost, gross benefit, and gross income of rice significantly (p≤0.05) differed between sites, type of irrigation pumps, rice varieties, transplanting dates, and two cropping years. The variations in observed yield and profitability reveal considerable scope to improve rice production systems. Market variation in the price of rice affected overall profitability significantly. Probability and risk analysis results show that Minikit and BRRI dhan29 are the most stable varieties for yield and profitability. Hybrid rice, which has the maximum attainable yield among the cultivated rice varieties, also has the risk of negative net income. Based on the analysis, we discussed ways to improve yield and profitability and the prospect of Boro rice cultivation in the region. The study provides valuable information for policy-makers to sustain irrigated rice cultivation in both the NW region and nationally.