bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Lesion site and therapy time predict responses to a therapy for anomia after stroke: a prognostic model development study
Authors: Hope Thomas M.H. , Nardo Davide , Holland Rachel , Ondobaka Sasha , Akkad Haya , Price Cathy J. , Leff Alexander P. , Crinion Jenny
Published: February 2021

BACKGROUND

Stroke is a leading cause of disability, and language impairments (aphasia) after stroke are both common and particularly feared. Most stroke survivors with aphasia exhibit anomia (difficulties with naming common objects), but while many therapeutic interventions for anomia have been proposed, treatment effects are typically much larger in some patients than others. Here, we asked whether that variation might be more systematic, and even predictable, than previously thought.

METHODS

18 patients, each at least 6 months after left hemisphere stroke, engaged in a computerised treatment for their anomia over a 6 week period. Using only: (a) the patients’ initial accuracy when naming (to-be) trained items; (b) the hours of therapy that they devoted to the therapy; and (c) whole-brain lesion location data, derived from structural MRI; we developed Partial Least Squares regression models to predict the patients’ improvements on treated items, and tested them in cross-validation.

RESULTS

Somewhat surprisingly, the best model included only lesion location data and the hours of therapy undertaken. In cross-validation, this model significantly out-performed the null model, in which the prediction for each patient was simply the mean treatment effect of the group. This model also made promisingly accurate predictions in absolute terms: the correlation between empirical and predicted treatment response was 0.62 (95%CI: 0.27, 0.95).

DISCUSSION

Our results indicate that individuals’ variation in response to anomia treatment are, at least somewhat, systematic and predictable, from the interaction between where and how much lesion damage they have suffered, and the time they devoted to the therapy.
Transsynaptic N-cadherin adhesion complexes control presynaptic vesicle and bulk endocytosis at physiological temperature
Authors: Dagar Sushma , Gottmann Kurt
Published: February 2021

At mammalian glutamatergic synapses, most basic elements of synaptic transmission have been shown to be modulated by specific transsynaptic adhesion complexes. However, although crucial for synapse homeostasis, a physiological regulation of synaptic vesicle endocytosis by adhesion molecules has not been firmly established. The homophilic adhesion protein N-cadherin is localized at the peri-active zone, where the highly temperature dependent endocytosis of vesicles occurs. Here, we demonstrate an important modulatory role of N-cadherin in endocytosis at near physiological temperature by synaptophysin-pHluorin imaging. Different modes of endocytosis including bulk endocytosis were dependent on N-cadherin expression and function. N-cadherin modulation was mediated by actin filaments, because actin polymerization rescued the knockout induced endocytosis defect. Using super-resolution imaging, we found a strong recruitment of N-cadherin to glutamatergic synapses upon massive vesicle release, which might in turn enhance vesicle endocytosis. This provides a novel, adhesion protein mediated mechanism for efficient coupling of exo- and endocytosis.
Network Propagation-based Prioritization of Long Tail Genes in 17 Cancer Types
Authors: Mohsen Hussein , Gunasekharan Vignesh , Qing Tao , Seay Montrell , Surovtseva Yulia , Negahban Sahand , Szallasi Zoltan , Pusztai Lajos , Gerstein Mark B.
Published: February 2021

Introduction

The diversity of genomic alterations in cancer pose challenges to fully understanding the etiologies of the disease. Recent interest in infrequent mutations, in genes that reside in the “long tail” of the mutational distribution, uncovered new genes with significant implication in cancer development. The study of these genes often requires integrative approaches with multiple types of biological data. Network propagation methods have demonstrated high efficacy in uncovering genomic patterns underlying cancer using biological interaction networks. Yet, the majority of these analyses have focused their assessment on detecting known cancer genes or identifying altered subnetworks. In this paper, we introduce a network propagation approach that entirely focuses on long tail genes with potential functional impact on cancer development.

Results

We identify sets of often overlooked, rarely to moderately mutated genes whose biological interactions significantly propel their mutation-frequency-based rank upwards during propagation in 17 cancer types. We call these sets “upward mobility genes” (UMGs, 28-83 genes per cancer type) and hypothesize that their significant rank improvement indicates functional importance. We report new cancer-pathway associations based on UMGs that were not previously identified using driver genes alone, validate UMGs’ role in cancer cell survivalin vitro—alone and compared to other network methods—using extensive genome-wide RNAi and CRISPR data repositories, and further conductin vitrofunctional screenings resulting the validation of 8 previously unreported genes.

Conclusion

Our analysis extends the spectrum of cancer relevant genes and identifies novel potential therapeutic targets.
The role of IL-1 in adipose browning and muscle wasting in CKD-associated cachexia
Authors: Cheung Wai W , Zheng Ronghao , Hao Sheng , Wang Zhen , Gonzalez Alex , Zhou Ping , Hoffman Hal M , Mak Robert H
Published: February 2021

Cytokines such as IL-6, TNF-α and IL-1β trigger inflammatory cascades which may play a role in the pathogenesis of chronic kidney disease (CKD)-associated cachexia. CKD was induced by 5/6 nephrectomy in mice. We studied energy homeostasis inIl1β−/−/CKD,Il6−/−/CKD andTnfα−/−/CKD mice and compared with wild type (WT)/CKD controls. Parameters of cachexia phenotype were completely normalized inIl1β−/−/CKD mice but were only partially rescued inIl6−/−/CKD andTnfα−/−/CKD mice. We tested the effects of anakinra, an IL-1 receptor antagonist, on CKD-associated cachexia. WT/CKD mice were treated with anakinra (2.5 mg.kg.day, IP) or saline for 6 weeks and compared with WT/sham controls. Anakinra normalized food intake and weight gain, fat and lean mass content, metabolic rate and muscle function, and also attenuated molecular perturbations of energy homeostasis in adipose tissue and muscle in WT/CKD mice. Anakinra attenuated browning of white adipose tissue in WT/CKD mice. Moreover, anakinra normalized gastrocnemius weight and fiber size as well as attenuated muscle fat infiltration in WT/CKD mice. This was accompanied by correcting the increased muscle wasting signaling pathways while promoting the decreased myogenesis process in gastrocnemius of WT/CKD mice. We performed qPCR analysis for the top 20 differentially expressed muscle genes previously identified via RNAseq analysis in WT/CKD mice versus controls. Importantly, 17 differentially expressed muscle genes were attenuated in anakinra treated WT/CKD mice. In conclusion, IL-1 receptor antagonism may represent a novel targeted treatment for adipose tissue browning and muscle wasting in CKD.
Cell Type Hierarchy Reconstruction via Reconciliation of Multi-resolution Cluster Tree
Authors: Peng Minshi , Wamsley Brie , Elkins Andrew , Geschwind Daniel M , Wei Yuting , Roeder Kathryn
Published: February 2021

A wealth of clustering algorithms are available for Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq), but it remains challenging to compare and characterize the features across different scales of resolution. To resolve this challenge Multi-resolution Reconciled Tree (MRtree), builds a hierarchical tree structure based on multi-resolution partitions that is highly flexible and can be coupled with most scRNA-seq clustering algorithms. MRtree out-performs bottom-up or divisive hierarchical clustering approaches because it inherits the robustness and versatility of a flat clustering approach, while maintaining the hierarchical structure of cells. Application to fetal brain cells yields insight into subtypes of cells that can be reliably estimated.
High coverage whole genome sequencing of the expanded 1000 Genomes Project cohort including 602 trios
Authors: Byrska-Bishop Marta , Evani Uday S. , Zhao Xuefang , Basile Anna O. , Abel Haley J. , Regier Allison A. , Corvelo André , Clarke Wayne E. , Musunuri Rajeeva , Nagulapalli Kshithija , Fairley Susan , Runnels Alexi , Winterkorn Lara , Lowy Ernesto ,   The Human Genome Structural Variation Consortium, Flicek Paul , Germer Soren , Brand Harrison , Hall Ira M. , Talkowski Michael E. , Narzisi Giuseppe , Zody Michael C.
Published: February 2021

The 1000 Genomes Project (1kGP) is the largest fully open resource of whole genome sequencing (WGS) data consented for public distribution of raw sequence data without access or use restrictions. The final release of the 1kGP included 2,504 unrelated samples from 26 populations and was based primarily on low coverage WGS. Here, we present a new,high coverage3,202-sample WGS 1kGP resource, sequenced to a targeted depth of 30X using the Illumina NovaSeq 6000 system, which now includes 602 complete trios. We performed SNV/INDEL calling against the GRCh38 reference using GATK’s HaplotypeCaller, and generated a comprehensive set of SVs by integrating multiple analytic methods through a sophisticated machine learning model. We make all the data generated as part of this project publicly available and we envision it to become the new de facto public resource for the worldwide genomics and genetics community.
The local topological free energy of the SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein
Authors: Baldwin Quenisha , Sumpter Bobby G , Panagiotou Eleni
Published: February 2021

The novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 infects human cells using a mechanism that involves binding and structural rearrangement of its spike protein. Understanding protein rearrangement and identifying specific residues where mutations affect protein rearrangement has attracted a lot of attention for drug development. We use a mathematical method introduced in [9] to associate a local topological/geometrical free energy along the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein backbone. Our results show that the total local topological free energy of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein monotonically decreases from pre-to post-fusion and that its distribution along the protein domains is related to their activity in protein rearrangement. By using density functional theory (DFT) calculations with inclusion of solvent effects, we show that high local topological free energy conformations are unstable compared to those of low topological free energy. By comparing to experimental data, we find that the high local topological free energy conformations in the spike protein are associated with mutations which have the largest experimentally observed effect to protein rearrangement.
Genome-wide Detection of Cytosine Methylations in Plant from Nanopore sequencing data using Deep Learning
Authors: Ni Peng , Huang Neng , Nie Fan , Zhang Jun , Zhang Zhi , Wu Bo , Bai Lu , Liu Wende , Xiao Chuan-Le , Luo Feng , Wang Jianxin
Published: February 2021

Methylation states of DNA bases can be detected from native Nanopore reads directly. At present, there are many computational methods that can detect 5mCs in CpG contexts accurately by Nanopore sequencing. However, there is currently a lack of methods to detect 5mCs in non-CpG contexts. In this study, we propose a computational pipeline which can detect 5mC sites in both CpG and non-CpG contexts of plant genomes by using Nanopore sequencing. And we sequenced two model plants Arabidopsis thaliana (A. thaliana) and Oryza sativa (O. sativa) by using Nanopore sequencing and bisulfite sequencing. The results of our proposed pipeline in the two plants achieved high correlations with bisulfite sequencing: above 0.98, 0.96, 0.85 for CpG, CHG, and CHH (H indicates A, C or T) motif, respectively. Our proposed pipeline also achieved high performance on Brassica nigra (B. nigra). Experiments also showed that our proposed pipeline can achieve high performance even with low coverage of reads. Moreover, by using Nanopore sequencing, our proposed pipeline is capable of profiling methylation of more cytosines than bisulfite sequencing.
Paip2 associates with PABPC1 on mRNA, and may facilitate PABPC1 dissociation from mRNA upon deadenylation
Authors: Xie Jingwei , Wei Xiaoyu , Kozlov Guennadi , Chen Yu , Menade Marie
Published: February 2021

Poly(A) binding protein cytoplasmic 1 (PABPC1) is an essential translational initiation factor. PABPC1 recognizes proteins through conserved PABPC1-interacting motifs 1 and 2 (PAM1 and PAM2). PABPC1-interacting protein-2 (Paip2) interacts with PABPC1 and modulates its activities. Here, we report that the formation of Paip2/PABPC1 complex protects it from proteasome independent degradation. We also show that PAM2 is critical for Paip2/PABPC1 interactionin vivo, in agreement with the observation that Paip2 requires PAM2 to interact with PABPC1 on mRNA. Lastly, we propose a role for Paip2 in displacing PABPC1 at the final stage of mRNA deadenylation when the poly(A) tail is partly degraded.
Genome wide mapping of DNA lesions by Repair Assisted Damage Detection sequencing – RADD-Seq
Authors: Gilat Noa , Fridman Dena , Sharim Hila , Margalit Sapir , Gassman Natalie R. , Michaeli Yael , Ebenstein Yuval
Published: February 2021

Mapping DNA damage and its repair has immense potential in understanding environmental exposures, their genotoxicity, and their impact on human health. Monitoring changes in genomic stability also aids in the diagnosis of numerous DNA-related diseases, like cancer, and assists in monitoring their progression and prognosis. However, genome-wide maps of DNA damage distribution are challenging to produce. Here we describe the localization of DNA damage and repair loci by Repair Assisted Damage Detection sequencing – RADD-Seq. Based on the enrichment of damage lesions coupled with a pull-down assay and followed by next generation sequencing, this method is easy to perform and can produce compelling results with minimal coverage. RADD-seq enables the localization of both DNA damage and repair sites for a wide range of single-strand damage types. Using this technique, we created a genome-wide map of oxidative DNA damage loci before and after repair. Oxidative lesions were heterogeneously distributed along the human genome, with less damage occurring in tight chromatin regions. Furthermore, we showed repair is prioritized for highly expressed, essential genes and in open chromatin regions. RADD-seq sheds light on cellular repair mechanisms and capable of identifying genomic hotspots prone to mutation.
Initial real world evidence for lower viral load of individuals who have been vaccinated by BNT162b2
Authors: Petter Ella , Mor Orna , Zuckerman Neta , Oz-Levi Danit , Younger Asaf , Aran Dvir , Erlich Yaniv
Published: February 2021

One of the key questions regarding COVID19 vaccines is whether they can reduce viral shedding. To date, Israel vaccinated substantial parts of the adult population, which enables extracting real world signals. The vaccination rollout started on Dec 20th 2020, utilized mainly the BNT162b2 vaccine, and focused on individuals who are 60 years or older. By now, more than 75% of the individuals of this age group have been at least 14 days after the first dose, compared to 25% of the individuals between ages 40-60 years old. Here, we traced the Ct value distribution of 16,297 positive qPCR tests in our lab between Dec 1st to Jan 31st that came from these two age groups. As we do not have access to the vaccine status of each test, our hypothesis was that if vaccines reduce viral load, we should see a difference in the Ct values between these two age groups in late January but not before. Consistent with this hypothesis, until Jan 15th, we did not find any statistically significant differences in the average Ct value between the groups. In stark contrast, our results in the last two weeks of January show a significant weakening in the average Ct value of 60+ individuals to the 40-60 group. To further corroborate these results, we also used a series nested linear models to explain the Ct values of the positive tests. This analysis favored a model that included an interaction between age and the late January time period, consistent with the effect of vaccination. We then used demographic data and the daily vaccination rates to estimate the effect of vaccination on viral load reduction. Our estimate suggests that vaccination reduces the viral load by 1.6x to 20x in individuals who are positive for SARS-CoV-2. This estimate might improve after more individuals receive the second dose. Taken together, our findings indicate vaccination is not only important for individual’s protection but can reduce transmission.
Key metabolic pathways involved in seed primary physiological dormancy maintenance of Korean pine seed
Authors: Song Yuan , Gao Xiaoye
Published: February 2021

The metabolic changes that occurred during either cold stratification or after-ripen treatment, and in both dormant seeds and after-ripened seeds either under the dry state or during imbibition have been extensively explored. Much less is known about those present in both dormant seeds and cold stratified seeds during the same period of incubation under favorable germination conditions. Metabolite composition was investigated in both embryo and megagametophyte of primary physiological dormant seeds (PPDS) ofPinus Koreansiscollected at 0 week, 1 week, 2 weeks, 4 weeks and 6 weeks of incubation, and of cold stratified seeds with released primary physiological dormancy (RPPDS) sampled at 0 week and 1 week of incubation, seed coat rupture stage and radicle protrusion stage. Embryo contained higher levels of most metabolites compared to megagametophyte. Strong metabolic changes occurred at 1 week and 4 weeks of incubation in PPDS, with most metabolites were significantly accumulated in 4-weeks-incubated PPDS. A larger metabolic switch was found in RPPDS between 1-week-incubation and seed coat rupture stage. Especially, there was a significant major decrease in the relative levels of most phosphorylated sugars and amino acids. The carbohydrate metabolism, especially pentose phosphate pathway and tricarboxylic acid cycle were more active pathways in the embryos of 4-weeks-incubated PPDS, but the operation rate of most amino acid metabolism was lower compared to 1-week-incubated RPPDS. We suggest that a larger metabolic switch in the embryo of PPDS after 4 weeks of incubation may assist in maintaining primary dormancy.

One-sentence summary

A larger metabolic switch in dormant seeds after 4 weeks of incubation under favorable conditions for germination may maintain primary physiological dormancy of Korean pine seeds.
A novel rubi-like virus in the Pacific electric ray (Tetronarce californica) reveals the complex evolutionary history of theMatonaviridae
Authors: Grimwood Rebecca M. , Holmes Edward C. , Geoghegan Jemma L.
Published: February 2021

Rubella virus(RuV) is the causative agent of rubella (“German measles”) and remains a global health concern. Until recently, RuV was the only known member of the genusRubivirusand the only virus species classified within theMatonaviridaefamily of positive-sense RNA viruses. Other matonaviruses, including two new rubella-like viruses,Rustrela virusandRuhugu virus, have been identified in several mammalian species, along with more divergent viruses in fish and reptiles. To screen for the presence of additional novel rubella-like viruses we mined published transcriptome data using genome sequences fromRubella, Rustrela, andRuhugu virusesas baits. From this, we identified a novel rubella-like virus in a transcriptome ofTetronarce californica(Pacific electric ray) that is more closely related to mammalianRustrela virusthan to the divergent fish matonavirus and indicative of a complex pattern of cross-species virus transmission. Analysis of host reads confirmed that the sample analysed was indeed from a Pacific electric ray, and two other viruses identified in this animal, from theArenaviridaeandReoviridae, grouped with other fish viruses. These findings indicate that the evolutionary history of theMatonaviridaeis more complex than previously thought and highlights the vast number of viruses still to be discovered.
Emergence of corporate political activities in the guise of social responsibility: dispatches from a developing economy
Authors: Siddiqui Javed , Mehjabeen Melita , Stapleton Pamela
Published: February 2021

Purpose

The objective of this paper is to investigate the emergence of corporate political activities (CPAs) in the form of social responsibility in the banking sector in Bangladesh. The use of institutional logics allows the authors to explore not only the motivations underlying this sudden shift in corporate approach towards corporate social reporting (CSR) disclosure but also to investigate whether a logical plurality exists in this new approach.

Design/methodology/approach

The analysis is based on 21 in-depth interviews with policymakers, regulatory bodies and top management and members of boards of directors in the banking sector.

Findings

The findings of this study are both consistent with and different to those of Uddinet al.(2018). While their findings show that Bangladeshi companies engage in CSR activities primarily to demonstrate their allegiance with the ruling political regime driven by notions of traditionalism, this study’s findings show the existence of a logical pluralism across industries in the manner they engage with CSR activities and disclosures. In addition to the dominant market logic, the authors also find the co-existence of community and family logics shaping the nature of CSR disclosures made by banking companies in Bangladesh.

Originality/value

The authors contribute to the accounting and management literature by providing first-hand evidence of the motivations underlying the emergence of CPAs in the context of a developing country. The adoption of an alternative theoretical framework allows the authors to identify the multiple logics that dictate corporate attitude towards CSR engagement and disclosure.
E-farming management system using data mining techniques
Authors: Kaviarasan S. , Vanitha M.
Published: February 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to help farmers and get to sale the products in profit way.

Design/methodology/approach

The project is developed using visual studio code front end, and back end is developed by SQl server configuration.

Findings

The user friendly website to farmers: they can sell the products to customer in direct relationship in efficient manner.

Originality/value

This is the website developed to help farmers which is a good idea to help farmers and increase productivity and profit earning methodology.
Interpreting the industry 4.0 future: technology, business, society and people
Authors: Schiele Holger , Bos-Nehles Anna , Delke Vincent , Stegmaier Peter , Torn Robbert-Jan
Published: February 2021

Purpose

Industrial revolutions have been induced by technological advances, but fundamentally changed business and society. To gain a comprehensive understanding of the fourth industrial revolution (I4.0) and derive guidelines for business strategy, it is, therefore, necessary to explore it as a multi-facet phenomenon. Most literature on I4.0, however, takes up a predominantly technical view. This paper aims to report on a project discussing a holistic view on I4.0 and its implications, covering technology, business, society and people.

Design/methodology/approach

Two consecutive group discussions in form of academic world cafés have been conducted. The first workshop gathered multi-disciplinary experts from academia, whose results were further validated in a subsequent workshop including industry representatives. A voting procedure was used to capture participants perspectives.

Findings

The paper develops a holistic I4.0 vision, focusing on five core technologies, their business potential, societal requests and people implications. Based on the model a checklist has been developed, which firms can use a tool to analyze their firm’s situation and draft their industry 4.0 business strategy.

Originality/value

Rather than focusing on technology alone – which by itself is unlikely to make up for a revolution – this research integrates the entire system. In this way, a tool-set for strategy design results.
A methodology for enterprise-wide risk assessment in small banks and credit union
Authors: Duncan Philippa
Published: February 2021

Purpose

This paper aims to provide an easy to follow, practical guide for small traditional banks and credit unions to conduct an enterprise-wide risk assessment of the financial institution’s anti-money laundering compliance program.

Design/methodology/approach

Information was collected from relevant documents published by global standard setters in the disciplines of anti-money laundering, financial crime prevention and risk management. The data was integrated with common challenges experienced by small financial institutions to produce an application-based guide that practitioners can readily implement.

Findings

Though not a new concept, macro-level financial crises and institutional level financial crimes have influenced the rapid evolution of risk management in financial institutions over the past three decades. Small unsophisticated banks and credit unions are expected to now perform an internal risk assessment. An abundance of information is available on risk assessment, but small institutions remain challenged in finding a turnkey document that is readily actionable to stimulate a less arduous undertaking, especially given the institutions’ limited resources.

Research limitations/implications

The setting reflects small deposit-taking institutions with traditional services. It is tailored for easy understanding and practical use by the institutions.

Originality/value

This could influence small institutions to conduct enterprise-wide risk assessments and formulate and use more specific risk management policies.
Modeling of functionally graded materials to estimate effective thermo-mechanical properties
Authors: Madan Royal , Bhowmick Shubhankar
Published: February 2021

Purpose

Functionally graded materials are a special class of composites in which material are graded either continuously or layered wise depending upon its applications. With such variations of materials, the properties of structure vary either lengthwise or thickness wise. This paper aims to investigate models for effective estimation of material properties, as it is necessary for industries to identify the properties of composites or functionally graded materials (FGM’s) before manufacturing and also to develop novel material combinations.

Design/methodology/approach

Available models were compared for different material combinations and tested with experimental data for properties such as Young’s modulus, density, coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) and thermal conductivity. Combinations of metal–ceramic and metal–metal were selected such that their ratios cover a wide range of materials.

Findings

This study reveals different models will be required depending on the material used and properties to be identified.

Practical implications

The results of the present work will help researchers in the effective modeling of composites or FGM’s for any analysis.

Originality/value

This paper presents a comparison and review of various analytical methods with experimental data graphically to find out the best suitable method. For the first time, the Halpin-Tsai model was extended in the analysis of the CTE which shows good approximations.
Excellent response to secukinumab in an infant with severe generalized pustular psoriasis
Authors: López‐Sánchez Cristina , Falla Lina María , Roé‐Crespo Esther , Arostegui Juan Ignacio , Mozos Ana , Bernal Sara , Iznardo Helena , Baselga‐Torres Eulalia
Published: February 2021

Generalized pustular psoriasis (GPP) represents the rarest form of psoriasis, which may be potentially fatal. In the last decade, (likely) pathogenic variants in the IL36RN, CARD14 and AP1S3 genes have been associated with monogenic GPP forms. Despite these advances, the genetic basis of most patients with GPP remains unidentified. Treatment of GPP patients is often difficult, with no consensus about the best available options to date. We report herein an infant with severe GPP in whom the disease started at the age of 2 months. Genetic investigations identified a heterozygous pathogenic variant in the IL36RN gene associated with a heterozygous variant of uncertain significance in the CARD14 gene. After previous treatment failures with acitretin, cyclosporin and anakinra, treatment with the interleukin‐17 antagonist secukinumab resulted in a dramatic and prompt positive response that persisted at 12‐month follow up. According to our experience, we believe secukinumab can be an effective and safe treatment for pediatric patients with GPP even before 1 year of age.
Vulvar hidradenitis suppurativa: Clinical cross‐sectional study of 25 patients
Authors: López‐Llunell Cristina , Romaní Jorge , Garbayo‐Salmons Patricia , Agut‐Busquet Eugènia
Published: February 2021

Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) involving the vulva is seldom reported in the gynecological or dermatological literature. The aim of this study was to describe the clinical characteristics of HS with vulvar affectation (VHS) and to compare it with patients without vulvar involvement. A cross‐sectional study was conducted in a tertiary academic referral centre in Spain from May 1, 2015 to October 1, 2019. This study included 230 women with HS diagnosed in our hospital, 25 of them had vulvar involvement. In order to clinically characterize patients, demographic factors, comorbidities, clinical features, prescribed treatments and complications were recorded. The VHS group presented later median age of onset and lower body mass index (BMI) (P = 0.048), they mainly belonged to latent class 2 (LC2) and LC3 phenotypes involving groins, perineal and pubic area. A higher incidence of psychiatric disease was found in VHS (32% vs 10.7%). Significant positive association with fistula (P < 0.001), LC2 phenotype (P = 0.014), acne (P = 0.021) and thyroid disease (P = 0.006), and negative association with axillar lesions (P = 0.001) were noted. Ultrasonographical study of vulvar lesions demonstrated that most of them were fistulas with high Doppler signal suggestive of high inflammatory load. In conclusion, VHS is mostly seen in women with later onset and lower BMI and higher incidence of psychiatric disease compared to those without vulvar involvement. It is clinically characterized by the presence of fistulas and barely absent axillary involvement. Early diagnosis and treatment could be essential to prevent complications and quality of life impairment.
Dipeptidyl peptidase‐4 inhibitor‐related bullous pemphigoid: A comparative study of 100 patients with bullous pemphigoid and diabetes mellitus
Authors: Chanprapaph Kumutnart , Pratumchart Nathathai , Limtong Preeyachat , Rutnin Suthinee , Sukasem Chonlaphat , Kungvalpivat Pintusorn , Triamchaisri Siripich , Suchonwanit Poonkiat
Published: February 2021

Dipeptidyl peptidase‐4 inhibitor (DPP4i)‐associated bullous pemphigoid (BP) has been emerging but whether it has genotype or phenotype differences from idiopathic BP (IBP) remains to be determined. We aimed to compare clinical characteristics, genetic susceptibility, laboratory features, disease activity, and outcomes between DPP4i‐associated BP (DBP) and IBP occurring among patients with diabetes mellitus type 2 (T2DM). Medical records of patients diagnosed with BP and T2DM from January 2009 to December 2019 were retrospectively reviewed, and patients were categorized into DBP or IBP groups. Of 100 patients, 23 had DBP and 77 had IBP. There was no difference in the Bullous Pemphigoid Disease Activity Index score between the two groups; however, the score for urticaria and erythema was less in DBP (p < 0.001), indicating a non‐inflammatory phenotype. The HLA‐DQB1*03:01 allele was more commonly present in the DBP than IBP cases (odds ratio = 5.33 [95% confidence interval, 1.11–28.59],p = 0.016). The absolute eosinophil count was significantly lower in the DBP group (p = 0.002). Likewise, eosinophilic spongiosis was found less frequently in DBP cases (p = 0.005). Patients in the DBP group had a significantly higher percentage of complete remission on therapy compared to the IBP counterpart (p = 0.026) after DPP4i discontinuation. Moreover, the mean maximum dosage of prednisolone administrated per patient was significantly lower in drug‐related cases (p = 0.012). In conclusion, our cohort in Thai patients with T2DM confirms the differences between phenotype and genotype characteristics of DBP and IBP. We emphasize the importance of drug discontinuation in all DPP4i‐related cases because doing so may lead to a better disease outcome.
A gradient‐based Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithm for elastic pre‐stack inversion with data and model space reduction
Authors: Aleardi Mattia
Published: February 2021

The main challenge of Markov chain Monte Carlo sampling is to define a proposal distribution that simultaneously is a good approximation of the posterior probability while being inexpensive to manipulate. We present a gradient‐based Markov chain Monte Carlo inversion of pre‐stack seismic data in which the posterior sampling is accelerated by defining a proposal that is a local, Gaussian approximation of the posterior model, while a non‐parametric prior is assumed for the distribution of the elastic properties. The proposal is constructed from the local Hessian and gradient information of the log posterior, whereas the non‐linear, exact Zoeppritz equations constitute the forward modelling engine for the inversion procedure. Hessian and gradient information is made computationally tractable by a reduction of data and model spaces through a discrete cosine transform reparameterization. This reparameterization acts as a regularization operator in the model space, while also preserving the spatial and temporal continuity of the elastic properties in the sampled models. We test the implemented algorithm on synthetic pre‐stack inversions under different signal‐to‐noise ratios in the observed data. We also compare the results provided by the presented method when a computationally expensive (but accurate) finite‐difference scheme is used for the Jacobian computation, with those obtained when the Jacobian is derived from the linearization of the exact Zoeppritz equations. The outcomes of the proposed approach are also compared against those yielded by a gradient‐free Monte Carlo sampling and by a deterministic least‐squares inversion. Our tests demonstrate that the gradient‐based sampling reaches accurate uncertainty estimations with a much lower computational effort than the gradient‐free approach.
The impact of political representation on the provision of public goods and services
Authors: Athias Diloá , Schneider Rodrigo
Published: February 2021

In this paper, we investigate the impact of political representation in Congress in Brazil on the local provision of public goods and services. Relying on a fixed effects model, plus the fact that the electoral system generates some random variation in the political representation across terms and municipalities, we find a positive and significant effect of political representation on health and school outcomes. For instance, in health, the results indicate that one additional seat in Congress representing a municipality decreases the share of low birth weight newborns by 0.06 percentage points. When looking at school outcomes, the share of schools with access to the Internet increases by 0.63 percentage points. Moreover, the results suggest that ‘pork‐barrel’ politics is one potential mechanism explaining this improvement in the provision of public goods and services.
Demand for Imported versus Domestic Fish in Nigeria
Authors: Liverpool‐Tasie Lenis Saweda O. , Sanou Awa , Reardon Thomas , Belton Ben
Published: February 2021

Fish is among the most important animal‐sourced foods in Africa and is crucial in combatting malnutrition. Fish demand in Africa has far outpaced supply as the import share rose from 16% in 1970 to 39% by 2017. Little is known about who is consuming the imports: rural versus urban, rich versus poor. This is the first fish consumption analysis in Africa distinguishing imported and domestic fish, and within domestic fish, fresh versus traditional‐processed. We analyse three rounds of nationally representative data from Nigeria, disaggregating the richer South from the poorer North, and urban and rural. Frozen (imported) fish accounted for 34% of urban fish consumption in the North (23% for rural), compared with 67% in urban areas in the South (54% for rural). The large difference in frozen fish consumption between regions is due mainly to differences in income and refrigerator ownership. For other fish forms (fresh, dried, smoked), regional differences are far less pronounced. Income and price elasticities confirm that imported fish have become deeply incorporated into fish consumption habits. From a policy perspective, this intensifies concerns about import bills as fish demand grows. However, our elasticity results show that Nigerian consumers are keen to consume fresh fish as incomes increase, and that demand for smoked and dried fish also remains strong at high levels of income. Promoting aquaculture is a promising policy path to reduce import dependence. Domestic capture fisheries remain a major source of fish, making it important to maintain productivity at sustainable levels through better management.
Next‐generation osteometric sorting: Using 3D shape, elliptical Fourier analysis, and Hausdorff distance to optimize osteological pair‐matching
Authors: Fancourt Hayley S. M. , Lynch Jeffrey J. , Byrd John E. , Stephan Carl N.
Published: February 2021

Determining which bilateral bones belong to the same person based on shape and size similarity is called pair‐matching and it is instrumental for sorting commingled skeletons. To date, pair‐matching has popularly been accomplished by visual inspection and/or linear caliper measurements; however, attention is turning increasingly to computational analysis. In this paper, we investigate a fast three‐dimensional (3D) computerized shape‐analysis method for whole‐bone pair‐matching using a test sample of 14 individuals (23 femora, 26 humeri, and 26 tibiae). Specifically, the method aims to find bilateral pairs using, as the shape signature criterion, a single 3D outline that snakes around each bone's perimeter as described by a 3D elliptical Fourier analysis function. This permits substantial 3D‐point‐cloud data reduction, that is, to 0.02% of the starting c.500,000 point cloud or just 100 points, while preserving key 3D shape information. The mean Hausdorff distance (Hd) was applied to measure the distance between each mirrored right‐side outline to every left‐side outline in pairwise fashion (132, 168 and 169 comparisons, respectively). Both thresholds and lowest Hd were investigated as pair‐match criteria, with the lowest Hd producing the best performance results for searches jointly utilizing right‐left and left‐right directions for comparison: true positive rates of 1.00 (10/10), 1.00 (12/12), and 0.92 (11/12) for the femora, humeri, and tibiae, respectively. The computational time to calculate 469 pairwise 3D comparisons on a single stock‐standard Intel® Core™ i7‐4650U CPU @ 1.70 GHz was 5 s. This short data processing time makes the method viable for real‐world application.
The Kings of the Corona Crisis: The Impact of the outbreak of Covid‐19 on Small‐scale Producers in Hungary
Authors: Benedek Zsófia , Balogh Pál Géza , Baráth Lajos , Fertő Imre , Lajos Veronika , Orbán Éva , Szabó Gábor G. , Nemes Gusztáv
Published: February 2021

The Covid‐19 pandemic has fundamentally reshaped our lives. Its effects on the sales and use of marketing channels of small‐scale Hungarian producers are addressed here. Based on the level of proximity, sales channels were classified into three types. Due to local regulations concerning restrictions on movement, it was only impersonal (online) channels that survived, or the opposite type, i.e. very personal ones involving the face‐to‐face meeting of producers and consumers in the private spaces (mostly homes) of one of the parties. Results from the survey of 136 producers reveal that 60 per cent suffered an economic loss due to loss of sales, while 10 per cent increased their sales. Successful producers were those lucky enough to be operating within the fresh fruit and vegetable sector, within which consumer demand increased significantly. The parallel use of several sales channels before the virus outbreak increased subsequent chances of success by increasing the probability that some of the channels would remain operational. Furthermore, successful producers had invested a lot of work pre‐Covid into maintaining private relationships with their customers; a situation that proved vital during times of restrictions. Also, the former moved fast, and were open enough to learn and make use of the opportunities modern technology offered them.
EU Food System Strengths and Vulnerabilities during Covid‐19
Authors: Matthews Alan
Published: February 2021

The performance of the EU food system during the early stages of the Covid‐19 pandemic is examined in this article. The preliminary evidence from the early lockdown period in March to June 2020 supports the view that, apart from some experiences of empty supermarket shelves in the very first days of lockdown caused by hoarding by consumers, the EU food system has been remarkably resilient. EU farmers, processors and retailers have maintained food supplies to EU consumers and adjusted to the shift in demand caused by the lockdowns in the food service sector. Farm prices fell after lockdowns were introduced but, with some notable exceptions, such as flowers, the fall in prices has been limited. Consumer food prices, on the contrary, increased but this seems to have been a temporary phenomenon. The response to the pandemic has revealed the limitations in the EU’s crisis response mechanism particularly where market support may be needed. The argument of some EU leaders that local food systems should be supported as a way of increasing the resilience of the food system to future shocks does not have empirical support. Policies in the future should support firms in building more robust and resilient supply chains and not undermine food security built on misconceptions about how supply chains performed during the Covid‐19 pandemic.
The optimal dose of Protaetia brevitarsis seulensis (Kolbe) for providing protective effects against CCl4‐induced hepatic damage in rats
Authors: Lee Kwang Yeon , Bae In Young
Published: February 2021

Larvae of edible insects Protaetia brevitarsis seulensis (Kolbe) is well known in Korean traditional medicine for improvement of blood circulation. This study focused on the optimal dose of P. brevitarsis larvae for protection against CCl4‐induced hepatic injury in rats. The optimal dose of P. brevitarsis larvae was estimated by intraperitoneal administration of 100, 300, 1,000, or 3,000 mg/kg, once daily for 5 days, to CCl4‐induced hepatotoxicity rats. CCl4 administration showed much higher levels of serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) activities, compared to control groups. Also, histopathological results showed extensive liver lesions, characterized by substantial necrosis, steatosis, and hemorrhage. In addition, an increased prothrombin time (PT) and activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) level and decreased fibrinogen level was observed in the CCl4 groups. In contrast, the treatment of P. brevitarsis larvae showed significant protection against the CCl4‐induced hepatotoxicity reducing the serum AST and ALT activities (P < 0.05); the lowest level of serum AST and ALT activities were observed in the group treated with 100 and 300 mg/mL, respectively. Moreover, the treatment with P. brevitarsis larvae at 100 and 300 mg/mL significantly reduced PT and aPTT values, and increased the fibrinogen level, when compared to the CCl4‐treatment alone (P < 0.05). In intoxicated rats, the doses of P. brevitarsis larvae greater than 300 mg/kg did not enhance its protective action (1,000 mg/mL group) or was not as effective (3,000 mg/mL group). The results indicate that P. brevitarsis larvae revealed a protective effect against CCl4 acute hepatotoxicity including coagulation disorders and the optimum dose was 300 mg/kg.
A liminal lens on integrating refugees into the workplace: Conceptualising a theoretical model
Authors: Loon Mark , Vitale Agata
Published: February 2021

The integration of refugees into workplaces in their destination country remains a global concern. We meet the challenge of this problem by conceptualising a theoretical model using a liminal lens; more specifically, through the three thematic lenses of liminality as process, liminality as position and liminality as place. By addressing the research question; ‘how does a liminal lens provide new insights into refugees' integration into the workplace?’ we make three contributions to extant literature. First, we offer a dynamic perspective of refugees' integration into the workplace. Second, we provide a synthesis that brings together key factors at the micro, meso and macro levels that are germane to refugees' assimilation into the workplace. Finally, we contribute to human resource (HR) literature by showing a more nuanced view of the role of human resource management, specifically how an ambidextrous HR architecture can help firms explore refugees as a talent pool, while exploiting existing talents.
Origin of the Gas Hydrate and Free Gas in the Qilian Permafrost, Northwest China: Evidence from Molecular Composition and Carbon Isotopes
Authors: TAN Furong , LI Yang , DU Fangpeng , LIU Shiming , CUI Weixiong , LIU Zhiwu , GENG Qingming , LU Ping
Published: February 2021

The Qilian permafrost of the South Qilian Basin (SQB) has become a research focus since gas hydrates were discovered in 2009. Although many works from different perspectives have been conducted in this area, the origin of gas from gas hydrate is still controversial. Molecular composition and carbon isotope of 190 samples related to gas hydrates collected from 11 boreholes allowed exploration of genetic type, thermal maturity, biodegradation, as well as gas‐source correlation of alkane gases from gas hydrates and free gases. Results indicate that alkane gases biodegraded after the formation of natural gas. According to differences in carbon isotopes of methane and their congeners (CH4, C2H6, C3H8), the thermal maturity (vitrinite reflectance, VRo) of most alkane gases ranges from 0.6% to 1.5%, indicating a mature to high mature stage. The thermal maturity VRo of a small part of alkane gas (in boreholes DK5 and DK6) is higher than 1.3%, indicating a high mature stage. Alkane gases were mainly produced by secondary cracking, consisting of crude oil‐cracking gases and wet gases cracking to dry gases. Genetic types of alkane gases are primarily oil‐type gases generated from shales and mudstones in the upper Yaojie Formation of Jurassic, with less coal‐type gases originated from the mudstones in the Triassic Galedesi Formation and the lower Yaojie Formation of Jurassic. Carbon dioxides associated with alkanes from gas hydrates and free gases indicate the thermal decomposition and biodegradation of organic matter. The origins of natural gases from gas hydrates and free gases shed light on the evaluation of petroleum resource potential, deeply buried sediments, and petroleum resource exploration in the SQB.