bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Estimation of Whole Blood (WB) using Unscented Kalman Filter in Surabaya
Authors: Muhith Abdul , Herlambang Teguh , Haris Abdul , Rahmalia Dinita
Published: July 2020

As the need for blood transfusion increases, an improved blood stock management for blood transfusion is required. In terms of quality and quantity, blood transfusion is needed by patients with various health problems. Because of that need, it is urgent that the stability of blood stock be maintained to avoid possible excessive blood stock that leads to unnecessary blood disposal. For that purpose, prediction of blood demand is required. One of the blood transfusion units is PMI, a national organization dealing with social concern and humanity field. The objective of this paper is to make estimation of blood demand for PRC and WB at PMI Surabaya using UKF method. The simulation results show that the UKF method is effective with a high accuracy and an error of less than 4%.
Engineering and Technology Challenges of The Energy Usage: An Estimation for Agro-Industrial In Indonesia
Authors: Asnawi Y H , Nuraisyah A , Zulfiandri  , Sari V I , Rahmawati  , Gunawan  , Rahmana A
Published: July 2020

Agro industry is one of strategic industry that supported by a potencial resources from agriculture, fisheries/marine, livestock, farm, and forestry sectors. Energy supply with affordable prices are factors of the agro industry sustainability. The purpose of this study is to ensure the availability of energy in the agriculture industries, the pulp & paper industries, the sugar industries from sugar cane, and the fish canning industries. The stages consist of identifying the needs and availability of raw materials, energy, and formulating the recommendations. A literature study from relevant sources and analysis of efficiency of energy is used to improve the industry competitiveness by using Net Energy Ratio (NER) calculation. Around 38% of the agro industries energy needs are from by-product’s biomass. Biomass fuels that usually using by agro industries are palm shells, wood chips, bagasse, black liquor, or depending on the by-products. Aggregately, agro industries energy needs (2017) amounted to 15,711 million TOE. Based on the capacity, the final energy needs of selected agro industries amounted to 25,818 millions TOE that equivalent to 11% from the national final energy demand of 238.8 millions TOE and 30% of the final industrial sector energy needs of 87 millions TOE in 2025.
Identification of Visual and Thermal Comfort in Classroom
Authors: Seftyarizki Debby , Hakim Abdul Hamid , Razali Makmun Reza
Published: July 2020

As a learning facility which has interaction inside it, a classroom should be comfort in term of visual and thermal. Visual comfort can be obtained by the presence of sunlight through opening. While thermal comfort is the air temperature that influenced by building material used. Room 21 (R.21) of Gedung Kuliah Bersama V (GB V) Universitas Bengkulu (UNIB) is a classroom that mostly used by Architecture Student for receiving lecture from morning until afternoon. To identify the visual and thermal comfort of R.21, computer simulations with Ecotect program was did to get the room lighting and temperature condition in level 60cm above the floor. The result shows that natural light in R.21 GB V UNIB is comfortable enough with 630 lux of average daylight levels. While the temperature in R.21 GB V UNIB is still not comfortable because the average mean radiant temperature is 26,6°C. Visual comfort obtained along with high temperature because R.21 GB V UNIB is located at the corner of the building that have glass window in the east and north of the room.
Transport studies of ionic solutes through chitosan/chondroitin sulfate A (CHI/CS) polyelectrolyte multilayer membranes
Authors: Chandra P Nikhil , Mohan Mothi Krishna
Published: July 2020

Nano scale assembling has led to the capability to directly control and enhance the capabilities and properties of a material through change of its structural makeup at the nano scale. A novel class of functional layers in which various properties can be tunable via in situ modifications of nanostructure through stimuli such as pH, capping, and salt addition provides a promising strategy to develop polyion responsive polyelectrolyte multilayer membranes (PEM’s). The concentration (diffusion dialysis) and pressure dependent (ultrafiltration) studies of solution containing polyvalent ions through the chitosan/chondroitin sulfate A (CHI/CS) multilayers fabricated on ultipore membrane have been studied. The characterization of the bilayer pair was done with analytical instruments like ATR-FTIR, spectroscopic ellipsometry, SEM, AFM and finally TGA for water holding capacity. The characterization of bilayer pairs demonstrated the stability and integrity of bilayer pair. An important bilayer property such as water holding capacity and ion permeability across it was examined and a positive correlation was found with increase in number of bilayers. The possibility of capping a fabricated bilayer with another polyelectrolyte, polyethylene glycol (PEG) was used to examine the extend of efficiency. The permeation rate of ions across bilayers increased with makeup salt concentration was observed with capping. An increase in selectivity was observed with increase in the number of bilayers for Na+/Cu2+, Na+/Ag+ and Na+/Mn3+. 12.5 hybrid CHI/CS-PEG membranes shows a selectivity of 38.52 for Cl−/PO4
3− with a permeation rate of 37.54 × 10–5 cms−1 and 4.23 × 10–5 cms−1 respectively for Cl− and PO4
3−. The transport profile of a model vitamin, ascorbic acid (AA) through CHI/CS multilayers showed the capability of bilayer membrane for selective solute transport.
On the (non)genericity of the Kiselev spacetime
Authors: Semiz İ
Published: July 2020

In many works in the literature, the Kiselev spacetime is interpreted as the ‘blackhole surrounded by quintessence’; an interpretation not really tenable. For example, it has recently been pointed out that the expressions ‘perfect fluid’ and ‘quintessence’ are used improperly in most of the articles that build on that spacetime; hence it is not as relevant as many of those authors might think. Here we point out that the original derivation of the Kiselev spacetime involves the use of too many coordinate conditions (equivalently, coordinate definitions conflicting in principle) as well, again strongly restricting its relevance.
The N- or C-terminal cytoplasmic regions of P4-ATPases determine their cellular localization
Authors: Okamoto Sayuri , Naito Tomoki , Shigetomi Ryo , Kosugi Yusuke , Nakayama Kazuhisa , Takatsu Hiroyuki , Shin Hye-Won
Published: July 2020

P4-ATPases contain 10 transmembrane domains, and their N- and C-terminal (NT and CT) regions face the cytoplasm. The NT region of ATP10 and the CT region of ATP11 proteins are responsible for their specific subcellular localization. Importantly, dileucine residues in the NT region of ATP10B were required for its trafficking to endosomes.
Respiratory epidemics and older people
Authors: Doraiswamy Sathyanarayanan , Mamtani Ravinder , Ameduri Marco , Abraham Amit , Cheema Sohaila
Published: July 2020

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been particularly severe on older people. Past coronavirus epidemics namely Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome and the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome have also been severe on older people. These epidemics lasted for only a limited period, however, and have proven short lived in the memories of both the public and public health systems. No lessons were learnt to mitigate the impact of future epidemics of such nature, on older people. This complacency we feel has claimed the lives of many older people during the current COVID-19 global epidemic. The nature of risks associated with acquiring infections and associated mortality among older people in respiratory epidemic situations are varied and of serious concern. Our commentary identifies demographic, biological, behavioural, social and healthcare-related determinants, which increase the vulnerability of older people to respiratory epidemics. We acknowledge that these determinants will likely vary between older people in high- and low-middle income countries. Notwithstanding these variations, we call for urgent action to mitigate the impact of epidemics on older people and preserve their health and dignity. Intersectoral programmes that recognise the special needs of older people and in unique contexts such as care homes must be developed and implemented, with the full participation and agreement of older people. COVID-19 has created upheaval, challenging humanity and threatening the lives, rights, and well-being of older people. We must ensure that we remain an age-friendly society and make the world a better place for all including older people.
Evolutionary dynamics of rDNA clusters on chromosomes of buthid scorpions (Chelicerata: Arachnida)
Authors: Šťáhlavský František , Nguyen Petr , Sadílek David , Štundlová Jana , Just Pavel , Haddad Charles R , Koç Halil , Ranawana Kithsiri B , Stockmann Mark , Yağmur Ersen Aydin , Kovařík František
Published: July 2020

We examined the distribution of genes for major ribosomal RNAs (rDNA) on holokinetic chromosomes of 74 species belonging to 19 genera of scorpions from the family Buthidae using fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). Our analysis revealed differences between the two main evolutionary lineages within the family. The genera belonging to the ‘Buthus group’, with a proposed Laurasian origin, possess one pair of rDNA mainly in an interstitial position, with the only exceptions being the terminal location found in some Hottentotta and Buthacus species, possibly as a result of chromosome fissions. All the remaining buthid ‘groups’ possess rDNA found strictly in a terminal position. However, the number of signals may increase from an ancestral state of one pair of rDNA loci to up to seven signals in Reddyanus ceylonensis Kovařík et al., 2016. Despite the differences in evolutionary dynamics of the rDNA clusters between the ‘Buthus group’ and other lineages investigated, we found a high incidence of reciprocal translocations and presence of multivalent associations during meiosis in the majority of the genera studied. These phenomena seem to be typical for the whole family Buthidae.
A review of transition zones in biogeographical classification
Authors: Hermogenes De Mendonça Lize , Ebach Malte C
Published: July 2020

Transition zones are problematic in biogeographical classification as they represent artificial biotic areas. A review of transition zones into existing biogeographical classifications shows conflicting area taxonomies. While many authors consider transition zones as overlap zones or areas of biotic mixing, only a few have considered excluding them from biogeographical classification all together. One way of incorporating transition zones into a natural classification is by treating them as artefacts of geographically overlapping temporally disjunct biotic areas. In doing so, geographically overlapping biotic areas may occupy the same space but have different boundaries and histories. Temporally disjunct areas do form natural hierarchical classifications, as seen in the paleobiogeographical literature. A revision of each transition zone will determine whether they are artificial areas, areas within their own right or potentially geographically overlapping temporally disjunct regions.
In the blood: biomarkers for amyloid pathology and neurodegeneration in Alzheimer’s disease
Authors: Toombs Jamie , Zetterberg Henrik
Published: July 2020

This scientific commentary refers to ‘Plasma total-tau, neurofilament light chain and amyloid-β levels and risk of dementia: a population-based study’ by de Wolf et al. (https://doi.org/10.1093/brain/awaa054), and ‘Relationship of amyloid-b1–42 in blood and brain amyloid: Ginkgo Evaluation of Memory Study’ by Lopez et al. (https://doi.org/10.1093/braincomms/fcz038), two papers that illustrate these latest developments.
Seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 Among Frontline Healthcare Personnel During the First Month of Caring for Patients With COVID-19—Nashville, Tennessee
Authors: Stubblefield William B , Talbot H Keipp , Feldstein Leora R , Tenforde Mark W , Ur Rasheed Mohammed Ata , Mills Lisa , Lester Sandra N , Freeman Brandi , Thornburg Natalie J , Jones Ian D , Ward Michael J , Lindsell Christopher J , Baughman Adrienne , Halasa Natasha , Grijalva Carlos G , Rice Todd W , Patel Manish M , Self Wesley H
Published: July 2020

Among 249 healthcare personnel who worked in hospital units with COVID-19 patients for 1 month, 19 (7.6%) tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. Only 11 (57.9%) of the 19 personnel with positive serology reported symptoms of a prior illness, suggesting asymptomatic healthcare personnel could be an important source of SARS-CoV-2 transmission.
Independent risk factors for simvastatin-related myopathy and relevance to different types of muscle symptom
Authors: Hopewell Jemma C , Offer Alison , Haynes Richard , Bowman Louise , Li Jing , Chen Fang , Bulbulia Richard , Lathrop Mark , Baigent Colin , Landray Martin J , Collins Rory , Armitage Jane , Parish Sarah
Published: July 2020

Aims

Statins are widely used to prevent cardiovascular events, but little is known about the impact of different risk factors for statin-related myopathy or their relevance to reports of other types of muscle symptom.

Methods and results

An observational analysis was undertaken of 171 clinically adjudicated cases of myopathy (defined as unexplained muscle pain or weakness with creatine kinase >10× upper limit of normal) and, separately, of 15 208 cases of other muscle symptoms among 58 390 individuals with vascular disease treated with simvastatin for a mean of 3.4 years. Cox proportional hazards models were used to identify independent predictors of myopathy. The rate of myopathy was low: 9 per 10 000 person-years of simvastatin therapy. Independent risk factors for myopathy included: simvastatin dose, ethnicity, sex, age, body mass index, medically treated diabetes, concomitant use of niacin-laropiprant, verapamil, beta-blockers, diltiazem and diuretics. In combination, these risk factors predicted more than a 30-fold risk difference between the top and bottom thirds of a myopathy risk score (hazard ratio : 34.35, 95% CI: 12.73–92.69, P across thirds = 9·1 × 10−48). However, despite the strong association with myopathy, this score was not associated with the other reported muscle symptoms (P across thirds = 0.93). Likewise, although SLCO1B1 genotype was associated with myopathy, it was not associated with other muscle symptoms.

Conclusions

The absolute risk of simvastatin-related myopathy is low, but individuals at higher risk can be identified to help guide patient management. The lack of association of the myopathy risk score with other muscle symptoms reinforces randomized placebo-controlled evidence that statins do not cause the vast majority of reported muscle symptoms.
A cross-sectional study of United States family medicine residency programme director burnout: implications for mitigation efforts and future research
Authors: Psenka Tamatha M , Freedy John R , Mims Lisa D , DeCastro Alec O , Berini Carole R , Diaz Vanessa A , Jarrett Jennie B , Steyer Terrence E
Published: July 2020

Background

Academic physician burnout is concerning. Too little is known about factors associated with residency programme director burnout. Continued uncertainty risks adverse outcomes including graduate medical education leadership turnover and negative impact on recruiting and retaining under-represented minority residency programme directors.

Objective

This study assessed symptoms of burnout (emotional exhaustion, depersonalization) and depression along with evidence-based individual and environmental risk factors in a U.S. sample of family medicine residency programme directors.

Methods

The omnibus 2018 Council of Academic Family Medicine Education Research Alliance survey was used to contact programme directors at all Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education accredited U.S. family medicine residency programmes via email. Descriptive data included programme director and programme characteristics, Areas of Worklife (workload, values and control), loneliness (lack companionship, feel left out and feel isolated), burnout (emotional exhaustion, depersonalization) and depressive symptoms. Chi-square tests contrasted descriptive variables with burnout and depressive symptoms. Logistic regression (LR) modelled associations between significant descriptive variables and burnout and depressive symptoms.

Results

The survey response rate was 45.2% (268/590). Programme directors reported: emotional exhaustion (25.0%), depersonalization (10.3%) and depressive symptoms (25.3%). LR models found significant associations with emotional exhaustion (Workload: lacking time and other work-related resources); lack of companionship, depersonalization (North West Central residency region; Workload and lack of companionship) and depressive symptoms (Black/African American ethnicity).

Conclusions

One-quarter of U.S. programme directors report burnout or depressive symptoms. Future research should consider associated variables as possible intervention targets to reduce programme director distress and turnover.
Projection-specific Activity of Layer 2/3 Neurons Imaged in Mouse Primary Somatosensory Barrel Cortex During a Whisker Detection Task
Authors: Vavladeli Angeliki , Daigle Tanya , Zeng Hongkui , Crochet Sylvain , Petersen Carl C H
Published: July 2020

The brain processes sensory information in a context- and learning-dependent manner for adaptive behavior. Through reward-based learning, relevant sensory stimuli can become linked to execution of specific actions associated with positive outcomes. The neuronal circuits involved in such goal-directed sensory-to-motor transformations remain to be precisely determined. Studying simple learned sensorimotor transformations in head-restrained mice offers the opportunity for detailed measurements of cellular activity during task performance. Here, we trained mice to lick a reward spout in response to a whisker deflection and an auditory tone. Through two-photon calcium imaging of retrogradely labeled neurons, we found that neurons located in primary whisker somatosensory barrel cortex projecting to secondary whisker somatosensory cortex had larger calcium signals than neighboring neurons projecting to primary whisker motor cortex in response to whisker deflection and auditory stimulation, as well as before spontaneous licking. Longitudinal imaging of the same neurons revealed that these projection-specific responses were relatively stable across 3 days. In addition, the activity of neurons projecting to secondary whisker somatosensory cortex was more highly correlated than for neurons projecting to primary whisker motor cortex. The large and correlated activity of neurons projecting to secondary whisker somatosensory cortex might enhance the pathway-specific signaling of important sensory information contributing to task execution. Our data support the hypothesis that communication between primary and secondary somatosensory cortex might be an early critical step in whisker sensory perception. More generally, our data suggest the importance of investigating projection-specific neuronal activity in distinct populations of intermingled excitatory neocortical neurons during task performance.
Spare Parts and Design Protection – Different Approaches to a Common Problem. Recent Developments from the EU and US Perspective
Authors: Beldiman Dana , Blanke-Roeser Constantin , Tischner Anna
Published: July 2020

The market for auto spare parts is of major significance to the national economies of countries with automotive industries. Because original manufacturers (OEMs) hold design protection over spare parts, they tend to monopolize the spare parts aftermarket to the exclusion of third-party producers of replica parts. Spare parts producers argue for liberalization of the market. Governments in spare-part producing countries have been open to this approach, whereas most countries with strong automotive industries have so far rejected it. However, at least on the EU front, the legal debate on whether and how to effect this liberalization, which has been ongoing for almost two decades, is getting closer to a resolution.

The German legislator will soon insert a repair clause into the national DesignG on the basis of Art. 14 Design Directive. The new Sec. 40a DesignG will come into force within the first half of 2020 and will be applicable only to designs registered from that point on. The scope of the clause will be limited to form-dependent (i.e. especially must match) parts. This article compares the evolution of the EU position regarding spare parts, including the German draft, and the criticism it received among scholars, to the evolution of the spare parts situation in the US.
Implementation research on sustainable electrification of rural primary care facilities in Ghana and Uganda
Authors: Javadi Dena , Ssempebwa John , Isunju John Bosco , Yevoo Lucy , Amu Alberta , Nabiwemba Elizabeth , Pfeiffer Michaela , Agyepong Irene , Severi Luc
Published: July 2020

Access to energy is essential for resilient health systems; however, strengthening energy infrastructure in rural health facilities remains a challenge. In 2015–19, ‘Powering Healthcare’ deployed solar energy solutions to off-grid rural health facilities in Ghana and Uganda to improve the availability of maternal and child health services. To explore the links between health facility electrification and service availability and use, the World Health Organization (WHO), in partnership with Dodowa Health Research Centre and Makerere University School of Public Health, carried out an implementation research study. The objectives of this study were to (1) capture changes in service availability and readiness, (2) describe changes in community satisfaction and use and (3) examine the implementation factors of sustainable electrification that affect these changes. Data were collected through interviews with over 100 key informants, focus group discussions with over 800 community members and health facility assessment checklist adapted from the WHO’s Service Availability and Readiness Assessment tool. Implementation factors were organized using Normalization Process Theory constructs. The study found that access to energy is associated with increased availability of health services, access to communication technologies, appropriate storage of vaccines and medicines, enhanced health worker motivation and increased community satisfaction. Implementation factors associated with improved outcomes include stakeholder engagement activities to promote internalization, provision of materials and information to encourage participation, and establishment of relationships to support integration. Barriers to achieving outcomes are primarily health systems challenges—such as drug stockouts, lack of transportation and poor amenities—that continue to affect service availability, readiness and use, even where access to energy is available. However, through appropriate implementation and integration of sustainable electrification, strengthened energy infrastructure can be leveraged to catalyze investment in other components of functioning health systems. Improving access to energy in health facilities is, therefore, necessary but not sufficient for strengthening health systems.
The Dental Lamina: An Essential Structure for Perpetual Tooth Regeneration in Sharks
Authors: Fraser Gareth J , Standing Ariane , Underwood Charlie , Thiery Alexandre P
Published: July 2020

Synopsis

In recent years, nonclassical models have emerged as mainstays for studies of evolutionary, developmental, and regenerative biology. Genomic advances have promoted the use of alternative taxa for the study of developmental biology, and the shark is one such emerging model vertebrate. Our research utilizes the embryonic shark (Scyliorhinus canicula) to characterize key developmental and regenerative processes that have been overlooked or not possible to study with more classic developmental models. Tooth development is a major event in the construction of the vertebrate body plan, linked in part with the emergence of jaws. Early development of the teeth and morphogenesis is well known from the murine model, but the process of tooth redevelopment and regeneration is less well known. Here we explore the role of the dental lamina in the development of a highly regenerative dentition in sharks. The shark represents a polyphyodont vertebrate with continuously repeated whole tooth regeneration. This is presented as a major developmental shift from the more derived renewal process that the murine model offers, where incisors exhibit continuous renewal and growth of the same tooth. Not only does the shark offer a study system for whole unit dental regeneration, it also represents an important model for understanding the evolutionary context of vertebrate tooth regeneration.
Ninety-day hospital costs associated with prolonged air leak following lung resection
Authors: Brunelli Alessandro , Chapman Kath , Pompili Cecilia , Chaudhuri Nilanjan , Kefaloyannis Emmanuel , Milton Richard , Tcherveniakov Peter , Papagiannopoulos Kostas , Mitchell Thomas , Bassi Vinod
Published: July 2020

OBJECTIVES

Our goal was to assess the postoperative 90-day hospital costs of patients with prolonged air leak (PAL) including costs incurred after discharge from the initial index hospitalization.

METHODS

We performed a retrospective analysis of 982 patients undergoing lobectomy (898) or segmentectomy (78) (April 2014–August 2018). A total of 167 operations were open, 780 were video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery and 28 were robotic. A PAL was defined as an air leak >5 days. The 90-day postoperative costs included all fixed and variable costs incurred during the 90 days following surgery. The postoperative costs of patients with and without PAL were compared. The independent association of PAL with postoperative 90-day costs was tested after adjustment for patient-related factors and other complications by a multivariable regression analysis.

RESULTS

PAL occurred in 261 patients (27%). Their postoperative stay was 4 days longer than that of those without PAL (9.6 vs 5.7; P < 0.0001). Compared to patients without PAL, those with PAL had 27% higher index postoperative costs [7354€, standard deviation (SD) 7646 vs 5759€, SD 7183, P < 0.0001] and 40% higher 90-day postoperative costs (18 340€, SD 23 312 vs 13 102€, SD 10 264; P < 0.0001). The relative postoperative costs (the difference between 90-day and index postoperative costs) were 50% higher in PAL patients compared to non-PAL patients (P < 0.0001) and accounted for 60% of the total 90-day costs. Multivariable regression analysis showed that PAL remained an independent factor associated with 90-day costs (P < 0.0001) along with the occurrence of other cardiopulmonary complications (P < 0.0001), male gender (P = 0.018), low carbon monoxide lung diffusion capacity (P = 0.043) and thoracotomy approach (P = 0.022).

CONCLUSIONS

PAL is associated not only with increased index hospitalization costs but also with increased costs after discharge. Evaluation of the cost-effectiveness of measures to prevent air leaks should also include post-discharge costs.
Quantitative stability and error estimates for optimal transport plans
Authors: Li Wenbo , Nochetto Ricardo H
Published: July 2020

Optimal transport maps and plans between two absolutely continuous measures $\mu$ and $\nu$ can be approximated by solving semidiscrete or fully discrete optimal transport problems. These two problems ensue from approximating $\mu$ or both $\mu$ and $\nu$ by Dirac measures. Extending an idea from Gigli (2011, On Hölder continuity-in-time of the optimal transport map towards measures along a curve. Proc. Edinb. Math. Soc. (2), 54, 401–409), we characterize how transport plans change under the perturbation of both $\mu$ and $\nu$. We apply this insight to prove error estimates for semidiscrete and fully discrete algorithms in terms of errors solely arising from approximating measures. We obtain weighted $L^2$ error estimates for both types of algorithms with a convergence rate $O(h^{1/2})$. This coincides with the rate in Theorem 5.4 in Berman (2018, Convergence rates for discretized Monge–Ampère equations and quantitative stability of optimal transport. Preprint available at arXiv:1803.00785) for semidiscrete methods, but the error notion is different.
Conditional Expectation, Entropy, and Transport for Convex Gibbs Laws in Free Probability
Authors: Jekel David
Published: July 2020

Let $(X_1,\dots ,X_m)$ be self-adjoint noncommutative random variables distributed according to the free Gibbs law given by a sufficiently regular convex and semi-concave potential $V$, and let $(S_1,\dots ,S_m)$ be a free semicircular family. For $k < m$, we show that conditional expectations and conditional non-microstates free entropy given $X_1$, …, $X_k$ arise as the large $N$ limit of the corresponding conditional expectations and entropy for the $N \times N$ random matrix models associated to $V$. Then, by studying conditional transport of measure for the matrix models, we construct an isomorphism $\mathrm{W}^*(X_1,\dots ,X_m) \to \mathrm{W}^*(S_1,\dots ,S_m)$ that maps $\mathrm{W}^*(X_1,\dots ,X_k)$ to $\mathrm{W}^*(S_1,\dots ,S_k)$ for each $k = 1, \dots , m$ and that also witnesses the Talagrand inequality for the law of $(X_1,\dots ,X_m)$ relative to the law of $(S_1,\dots ,S_m)$.
Studies on the role of IS1216E in the formation and dissemination of poxtA-carrying plasmids in an Enterococcus faecium clade A1 isolate
Authors: Shan Xinxin , Li Xin-Sheng , Wang Nannan , Schwarz Stefan , Zhang Su-Mei , Li Dexi , Du Xiang-Dang
Published: July 2020

Objectives

To analyse the role of IS1216E in the dissemination of the phenicol-oxazolidinone-tetracycline resistance gene poxtA in an Enterococcus faecium clade A1 isolate.

Methods

MICs were determined by broth microdilution. The poxtA-positive isolate was typed by MLST. The two plasmids were characterized by PCR, conjugation, S1-PFGE, Southern blot hybridization and WGS analysis. The presence of translocatable units (TUs) was examined by PCR and sequencing.

Results

Isolate E1077 contains the 217661 bp conjugative plasmid pE1077-217 and the 23710 bp mobilizable plasmid pE1077-23. pE1077-217 harbours erm(B), aac(A)-aph(D), aadE, spw, lsa(E), lnu(B), aphA3 and dfrG, whereas pE1077-23 carries a Tn6657-like transposon containing poxtA and fexB. pE1077-23 was apparently formed by an IS1216E-mediated composite transposon–plasmid fusion event, involving a replicative transposition process. Conjugation experiments showed that pE1077-23 is mobilizable by pE1077-217. Moreover, a novel 31742 bp plasmid, pT-E1077-31, was found in a transconjugant. WGS analysis indicated that pT-E1077-31 was formed by the integration of a Tn6657-derived, IS1216E-based translocatable unit, which carried fexB and poxtA, into a copy of pE1077-23.

Conclusions

This study showed the presence of two cointegrate formation events in the formation and spread of a poxtA/fexB-carrying plasmid in E. faecium. One was the integration of a transposon into a plasmid while the other was the integration of a TU into a different site of the same type of plasmid-borne transposon from which it originated. In both events, IS1216E played a major role, suggesting that IS1216E-mediated transposition and translocation processes aid the dissemination and persistence of important antimicrobial resistance genes, such as poxtA, among enterococci.
Cross-lingual Unified Medical Language System entity linking in online health communities
Authors: Bitton Yonatan , Cohen Raphael , Schifter Tamar , Bachmat Eitan , Elhadad Michael , Elhadad Noémie
Published: July 2020

Objective

In Hebrew online health communities, participants commonly write medical terms that appear as transliterated forms of a source term in English. Such transliterations introduce high variability in text and challenge text-analytics methods. To reduce their variability, medical terms must be normalized, such as linking them to Unified Medical Language System (UMLS) concepts. We present a method to identify both transliterated and translated Hebrew medical terms and link them with UMLS entities.

Materials and Methods

We investigate the effect of linking terms in Camoni, a popular Israeli online health community in Hebrew. Our method, MDTEL (Medical Deep Transliteration Entity Linking), includes (1) an attention-based recurrent neural network encoder-decoder to transliterate words and mapping UMLS from English to Hebrew, (2) an unsupervised method for creating a transliteration dataset in any language without manually labeled data, and (3) an efficient way to identify and link medical entities in the Hebrew corpus to UMLS concepts, by producing a high-recall list of candidate medical terms in the corpus, and then filtering the candidates to relevant medical terms.

Results

We carry out experiments on 3 disease-specific communities: diabetes, multiple sclerosis, and depression. MDTEL tagging and normalizing on Camoni posts achieved 99% accuracy, 92% recall, and 87% precision. When tagging and normalizing terms in queries from the Camoni search logs, UMLS-normalized queries improved search results in 46% of the cases.

Conclusions

Cross-lingual UMLS entity linking from Hebrew is possible and improves search performance across communities. Annotated datasets, annotation guidelines, and code are made available online (https://github.com/yonatanbitton/mdtel).
Developmental and hormonal regulation of ubiquitin-like with plant homeodomain and really interesting new gene finger domains 1 gene expression in ovarian granulosa and theca cells of cattle
Authors: Perego Maria Chiara , Morrell Breanne C , Zhang Lingna , Schütz Luis F , Spicer Leon J
Published: July 2020

Ubiquitin-like with plant homeodomain and really interesting new gene finger domains 1 (UHRF1) is a multi-domain nuclear protein that plays an important role in epigenetics and tumorigenesis, but its role in normal ovarian follicle development remains unknown. Thus, the present study evaluated if UHRF1 mRNA abundance in bovine follicular cells is developmentally and hormonally regulated, and if changes in UHRF1 are associated with changes in DNA methylation in follicular cells. Abundance of UHRF1 mRNA was greater in granulosa cells (GC) and theca cells (TC) from small (<6 mm) than large (≥8 mm) follicles and was greater in small-follicle GC than TC. In GC and TC, fibroblast growth factor 9 (FGF9) treatment increased (P < 0.05) UHRF1 expression by 2-fold. Also, luteinizing hormone (LH) and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1) increased (P < 0.05) UHRF1 expression in TC by 2-fold, and forskolin (an adenylate cyclase inducer) alone or combined with IGF1 increased (P < 0.05) UHRF1 expression by 3-fold. An E2F transcription factor inhibitor (E2Fi) decreased (P < 0.05) UHRF1 expression by 44% in TC and by 99% in GC. Estradiol, progesterone, and dibutyryl-cAMP decreased (P < 0.05) UHRF1 mRNA abundance in GC. Treatment of GC with follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) alone had no effect but when combined with IGF1 enhanced the UHRF1 mRNA abundance by 2.7-fold. Beauvericin (a mycotoxin) completely inhibited the FSH plus IGF1-induced UHRF1 expression in small-follicle GC. Treatments that increased UHRF1 mRNA (i.e., FGF9) in GC tended to decrease (by 63%; P < 0.10) global DNA methylation, and those that decreased UHRF1 mRNA (i.e., E2Fi) in GC tended to increase (by 2.4-fold; P < 0.10) global DNA methylation. Collectively, these results suggest that UHRF1 expression in both GC and TC is developmentally and hormonally regulated, and that UHRF1 may play a role in follicular growth and development as well as be involved in ovarian epigenetic processes.
Enzymatic Debridement of Porcine Burn Wounds via a Novel Protease, SN514
Authors: Stone Randolph , Jockheck-Clark Angela R , Natesan Shanmugasundaram , Rizzo Julie A , Wienandt Nathan A , Scott Laura L , Larson David A , Wall John T , Holik Michelle A , Shaffer Lucy J , Park Nancy , Jovanovic Aleksa , Tetens Shannon , Roche Eric D , Shi Lei , Christy Robert J
Published: July 2020

Necrotic tissue generated by a thermal injury is typically removed via surgical debridement. However, this procedure is commonly associated with blood loss and the removal of viable healthy tissue. For some patients and contexts such as extended care on the battlefield, it would be preferable to remove devitalized tissue with a nonsurgical debridement agent. In this paper, a proprietary debridement gel (SN514) was evaluated for the ability to debride both deep-partial thickness (DPT) and full-thickness burn wounds using an established porcine thermal injury model. Burn wounds were treated daily for 4 days and visualized with both digital imaging and laser speckle imaging. Strip biopsies were taken at the end of the procedure. Histological analyses confirmed a greater debridement of the porcine burn wounds by SN514 than the vehicle-treated controls. Laser speckle imaging detected significant increases in the perfusion status after 4 days of SN514 treatment on DPT wounds. Importantly, histological analyses and clinical observations suggest that SN514 gel treatment did not damage uninjured tissue as no edema, erythema, or inflammation was observed on intact skin surrounding the treated wounds. A blinded evaluation of the digital images by a burn surgeon indicated that SN514 debrided more necrotic tissue than the control groups after 1, 2, and 3 days of treatment. Additionally, SN514 gel was evaluated using an in vitro burn model that used human discarded skin. Treatment of human burned tissue with SN514 gel resulted in greater than 80% weight reduction compared with untreated samples. Together, these data demonstrate that SN514 gel is capable of debriding necrotic tissue and suggest that SN514 gel could be a useful option for austere conditions, such as military multi-domain operations and prolonged field care scenarios.
Difficulty in differential diagnosis for renal cancer with microscopic papillary architecture: overlapped pathological features among papillary renal cell carcinoma (RCC), mutinous tubular and spindle cell carcinoma, and unclassified RCC. Lessons from a Japanese multicenter study
Authors: Ito Keiichi , Mikami Shuji , Kuroda Naoto , Nagashima Yoji , Tatsugami Katsunori , Masumori Naoya , Kondo Tsunenori , Takagi Toshio , Nakanishi Shotaro , Eto Masatoshi , Kamba Tomomi , Tomita Yoshihiko , Matsuyama Hideyasu , Tsushima Tomoyasu , Nakazawa Hayakazu , Oya Mototsugu , Kimura Go , Shinohara Nobuo , Asano Tomohiko
Published: July 2020

Objectives

In our multicenter study evaluating metastatic papillary renal cell carcinoma (PRCC), 29% of tumors diagnosed as PRCC in collaborative institutes were finally diagnosed as other RCCs under central review. In those tumors, mucinous tubular and spindle cell carcinoma (MTSCC) was the leading histology, followed by unclassified RCC (ucRCC). We focused on those patients with MTSCC or ucRCC.

Methods

We reviewed the processes for the pathological diagnoses of nine tumors and reviewed their clinical features.

Results

All of the MTSCCs and ucRCCs were positive for AMACR, which is frequently positive in PRCC. Mucin was demonstrated in 80% of the MTSCCs, and its presence is important for their diagnoses. One MTSCC was diagnosed as a mucin-poor variant. The presence of spindle cells with low-grade nuclei was suggestive of MTSCC, but the diagnosis of high-grade MTSCC was difficult. Four tumors were diagnosed as ucRCC by histological and immunohistochemical findings. Three of the four tumors were suspicious of ucRCC in the initial review due to atypical findings as PRCC. Sunitinib and interferon-α were effective for one MTSCC patient who survived for >5 years. Two MTSCC patients who were Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center poor risk had unfavorable prognoses. One patient with mucin-poor MTSCC had an indolent clinical course. Two of four ucRCC patients showed durable stable disease with targeted agents (TAs) and survived >3 years.

Conclusion

Some MTSCC metastases progressed very slowly and poor-risk tumors progressed rapidly. Systemic therapies including TAs showed some efficacies. Some patients who have metastatic ucRCC with microscopic papillary architecture can benefit from TAs.
Mark–recapture of individually distinctive calls—a case study with signature whistles of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus)
Authors: Longden Emma G , Elwen Simon H , McGovern Barry , James Bridget S , Embling Clare B , Gridley Tess
Published: July 2020

Robust abundance estimates of wild animal populations are needed to inform management policies and are often obtained through mark–recapture (MR) studies. Visual methods are commonly used, which limits data collection to daylight hours and good weather conditions. Passive acoustic monitoring offers an alternative, particularly if acoustic cues are naturally produced and individually distinctive. Here we investigate the potential of using individually distinctive signature whistles in a MR framework and evaluate different components of study design. We analyzed signature whistles of common bottlenose dolphins, Tursiops truncatus, using data collected from static acoustic monitoring devices deployed in Walvis Bay, Namibia. Signature whistle types (SWTs) were identified using a bout analysis approach (SIGnature IDentification [SIGID]—Janik et al. 2013). We investigated spatial variation in capture by comparing 21 synchronized recording days across four sites, and temporal variation from 125 recording days at one high-use site (Aphrodite Beach). Despite dolphin vocalizations (i.e., echolocation clicks) being detected at each site, SWTs were not detected at all sites and there was high variability in capture rates among sites where SWTs were detected (range 0–21 SWTs detected). At Aphrodite Beach, 53 SWTs were captured over 6 months and discovery curves showed an initial increase in newly detected SWTs, approaching asymptote during the fourth month. A Huggins closed capture model constructed from SWT capture histories at Aphrodite Beach estimated a population of 54–68 individuals from acoustic detection, which overlaps with the known population size (54–76 individuals—Elwen et al. 2019). This study demonstrates the potential power of using signature whistles as proxies for individual occurrence and in MR abundance estimation, but also highlights challenges in using this approach.
Travellers with type 1 diabetes: questionnaire development and descriptive analysis of knowledge and practices
Authors: Flaherty Gerard T , Leong Shan Wei , Finn Yvonne , Sulaiman Lokman Hakim , Noone Chris
Published: July 2020

Background

Little is known about the awareness of travellers with diabetes about the health effects of international travel. This study aimed to design and validate a questionnaire to examine the travel health knowledge, attitudes and practices of people living with type 1 diabetes.

Methods

A set of 74 items based on a conceptual framework analysis underwent revision and its content validity was established. Items were grouped into three domains. A development study was conducted to establish evidence regarding their factorial structure. A construct validation study was then conducted in which the retained items were tested in an independent sample using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA).

Results

Four factors emerged from our development study and were labelled as pre-travel preparation—insect bites, pre-travel preparation—consultation, insulin and glycaemic control and travel risk behaviour. A CFA confirmed the factorial structure identified in the development study in an independent sample. Each factor loading had a significant (P < 0.001) loading of at least 0.4. The factor correlations ranged between 0.1 and 0.6, indicating good discriminant validity. The highest mean domain score in our sample of 268 participants related to insulin and glycaemic control (6.45), followed by travel risk behaviour (5.21) and pre-travel preparation (4.15).

Conclusions

This valid questionnaire for measuring the degree of preparedness of travellers with type 1 diabetes may prove a useful tool in studies involving travellers with type1 diabetes. Our results suggest that improvements are needed in relation to timely pre-travel consultation and screening for diabetic complications.
The past history of galaxy clusters told by their present neighbours
Authors: Sorce Jenny G , Gottlöber Stefan , Yepes Gustavo
Published: July 2020

Galaxy clusters can play a key role in modern cosmology, provided their evolution is properly understood. However, observed clusters give us only a single timeframe of their dynamical state. Therefore, finding present observable data of clusters that are well correlated to their assembly history constitutes an inestimable tool for cosmology. Former studies correlating environmental descriptors of clusters to their formation history are dominated by halo mass–environment relations. This paper presents a mass-free correlation between the present neighbour distribution of cluster-size haloes and the latter mass assembly history. From the Big Multidark simulation, we extract two large samples of random haloes with masses ranging from Virgo to Coma cluster sizes. Additionally, to find the main environmental culprit for the formation history of the Virgo cluster, we compare the Virgo-size haloes to 200 Virgo-like haloes extracted from simulations that resemble the local Universe. The number of neighbours at different cluster-centric distances permits discriminating between clusters with different mass accretion histories. Similarly to Virgo-like haloes, clusters with numerous neighbours within a distance of about two times their virial radius experience a transition at z ≈ 1 between an active period of mass accretion, relative to the mean, and a quiet history. In contrary, clusters with few neighbours share an opposite trend: from passive to active assembly histories. Additionally, clusters with massive companions within about four times their virial radius tend to have recent active merging histories. Therefore, the radial distribution of cluster neighbours provides invaluable insights into the past history of these objects.
Diffusion Tensor Imaging Tractography for Fornix Identification in Intraventricular Tumor Surgery: A Case Series
Authors: Milton Camille K , Palejwala Ali H , O'Connor Kyle P , McCoy Tressie M , Conner Andrew K , Glenn Chad A
Published: July 2020

BACKGROUND

The proximity of intraventricular or periventricular tumors to critical white matter structures, such as the fornix, poses an operative challenge. In order to avoid significant neurological morbidity, deliberate selection of surgical approach is necessary when planning resection of tumors in this region. We report our initial experience with fornix modeling as an adjunct to standard navigational techniques across multiple pathologies.

OBJECTIVE

To report the feasibility of using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) fornix modeling as an adjunct to standard navigational techniques for surgical treatment of intraventricular and periventricular tumors involving the fornix.

METHODS

Between July 2018 and August 2019, DTI tractography was performed on 12 patients with intraventricular or periventricular tumors involving the fornix. DTI fornix modeling was performed and included as part of the intraoperative navigation in all cases.

RESULTS

The patient group was composed of 6 males and 6 females. The fornix model was delineated in all cases using DTI tractography as described. The mean patient age was 45.7 yr. The 2 most-common tumor pathologies represented in our patient cohort included meningioma and cranipharyngioma, both found in 2 patients. A glioneuronal tumor, low-grade glioma, ependymoma, subependymoma, mixed germ-cell tumor, pituitary adenoma, and renal cell carcinoma metastasis were found in 1 patient each. Case examples of fornix modeling that may be incorporated into standard neuronavigation are presented. No patient experienced new or worsening post-operative memory deficits.

CONCLUSION

DTI tractography for fornix identification is a useful adjunct to standard navigational techniques employed in surgical resection of forniceal involving tumors.