bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A study on the speed of governments’ healthcare response to COVID-19; cases: China, Hong Kong, Korea, Italy, the US, and Iran
Authors: Nourian Farshad , Sarabi Ahmad , Mousavinezhad S.Alireza
Published: October 2020

Background

The spread of the novel COVID-19 virus has raised many questions on the performance of the national and global healthcare systems.
Methods

In this paper, we present the results of a study on how the decision-making speed at the national and city levels on dealing with the spread of the Corona virus has impacted the rate of mortality by means of Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Bubble chart.
Results

We considered variables such as the level of infrastructures in health, Information Technology, and human development in China and 5 other countries as all these factors could affect the rate of mortality in those countries as well. For each country, the data has been collected and analyzed starting with the time when the first patient was detected as a positive case up to three weeks later. For the time of decision-making, the data which could be used to illustrate the delay or promptitude of decisions included date of first death, date of quarantine, and the date of aviation suspension.
Conclusion

Our findings support the hypothesis that the timing of a government’s decision, either proactive or preemptive, along with its level of sophistication in urban and social infrastructures, can impact the mortality rate of contagious diseases such as COVID-19.
Comprehensive Analysis of Gut Microbiota of a Healthy Population and Covariates Affecting Microbial Variation in Two Large Japanese Cohorts
Authors: Park Jonguk , Kato Kumiko , Murakami Haruka , Hosomi Koji , Tanisawa Kumpei , Nakagata Takashi , Ohno Harumi , Konishi Kana , Kawashima Hitoshi , Chen Yi-An , Mohsen Attayeb , Xiao Jin-zhong , Odamaki Toshitaka , Kunisawa Jun , Mizuguchi Kenji , Miyachi Motohiko
Published: October 2020

Background: Inter-individual variations in gut microbiota composition are observed even among healthy populations. As gut microbiota in Japanese populations exhibit a unique composition compared to others, it is informative to conduct large-scale Japanese cohort studies for a comprehensive understanding of the association between healthy gut microbiota and host status. The aim of the present study was to elucidate the integrated and non-redundant factors associated with gut microbiota composition within the Japanese population by 16S rRNA sequencing of fecal samples and questionnaire-based covariate analysis. Results: A total of 1,596 healthy Japanese individuals participated in this study via two independent cohorts, NIBIOHN cohort (n = 954) and MORINAGA cohort (n = 642). Gut microbiota composition was described and the interaction of these microorganisms with metadata parameters such as anthropometric measurements, bowel habits, medical history, and lifestyle were obtained. Thirteen genera, including Alistipes, Anaerostipes, Bacteroides, Bifidobacterium, Blautia, Eubacterium halli group, Faecalibacterium, Fusicatenibacter, Lachnoclostidium, Parabacteroides, Prevotella_9, Roseburia and Subdoligranurum were predominant among the two cohorts. On the basis of univariate analysis for overall microbiome variation, 18 matching variables exhibited significant association in both cohorts. A stepwise redundancy analysis revealed that there were four common covariates, Bristol Stool Scale (BSS) scores, gender, age, and defecation frequency, displaying non-redundant association with gut microbial variance.Conclusions: We conducted a comprehensive analysis of gut microbiota in healthy Japanese individuals, based on two independent cohorts, and obtained reliable evidence that questionnaire-based covariates such as frequency of bowel movement and dietary intake affects the microbial composition of the gut. To our knowledge, this was the first study to investigate integrated and non-redundant factors associated with gut microbiota among Japanese populations.
Pilot Sequence Assisted Channel Estimation in MIMO/SIMO/SISO-OFDM Systems
Authors: Zhou Xiao , Wang Chengyou , Wu Qun
Published: October 2020

For improving the communication system performance in multiple input multiple output- orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (MIMO-OFDM) system, single input multiple output-orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (SIMO-OFDM) system, single input single output-orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (SISO-OFDM) system, this paper introduces a pilot assisted channel estimation method. The proposed method is a combination of pilots and channel estimation based on known channel state information (CSI). First, the pilots are used to maintain the orthogonality characteristics of space time block coding (STBC). By designing the interference-free pilots we estimating the channel, and then with the pre-estimated channel characteristics data is decoded at the MIMO-OFDM system receiver. In this paper, we proposed four kinds of comb-type pilot sequences with interference-free pilots designing among consecutive subcarriers. The proposed pilot assisted channel estimation method in MIMO/SIMO/SISO-OFDM systems could be well adopted with different low and high order modulations. This flexible transmission mechanism can save pilot overhead and has strong anti-interference ability in dynamic channels. Moreover, high-order constellation modulation level will enhance the channel capacity in MIMO/SIMO/SISO-OFDM system. Therefore, it can be used as a candidate technology for 5G or 6G MIMO/SIMO/SISO-OFDM system.
Human Erythrocyte Surface Fucose Expression Increases with Age and Hyperglycemia
Authors: Cao Huan , Bagchi Ananyo , Tampakis Dimitris , Laidvee Irina , Williams Maria , Minter Beverley , Wright Sonja , Antonopoulos Aristotelis , Haslam Stuart M. , Barker Robert N. , Vickers Mark A.
Published: October 2020

BackgroundReactive oxygen species and other free radicals, together with glucose and its metabolites are believed to play important roles in the aging process. The carbohydrate components of glycosylated proteins are important in mediating cell-cell interactions and a role has been suggested for them in the aging process. Erythrocytes are critical cells in the human body, heavily glycosylated and relatively easily available and so are good candidates to yield insights into how patterns of glycosylation change with age and disease. It has been claimed, based on a periodic acid Schiff assay, that human aging is associated with a decline of erythrocyte surface sialic acids. Plant lectins allow for more specific assays for glycans, including determining the linkage of sialic acids and analysis of single cells by flow cytometry. ResultsSialic acid specific plant lectins, Maackia amurensis lectin II (MAL), binding to α-2,3 linked sialic acids and Sambucus nigra (SNA), α-2,6 sialic acids, were used to show that erythrocyte surface sialic acids have no significant associations with donor age. A combination of storage and cellular aging produces a specific loss of α-2,6 sialic acids. By contrast, erythrocyte surface terminal fucoses increase significantly with age of donor. In order to determine which aspects of aging are important in determining this change, we investigated whether this novel human aging biomarker is associated with higher plasma glucose values, assessed by glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation. Fucose levels were associated with HbA1c levels, but not ROS generation. ConclusionOur study identifies novel glycan-based biomarkers for human aging and disease. The simplicity of lectins are presented here as an attractive tool to study cellular medication in aging and disease.
Effects of Nutrient Solution Management and Environment on Tomato in Small-scale Hydroponics
Authors: Solis-Toapanta Elisa , Fisher Paul R. , Gómez Celina
Published: October 2020

Interest in hydroponic home gardening has increased in recent years. However, research is lacking on minimum inputs required to consistently produce fresh produce using small-scale hydroponic systems for noncommercial purposes. Our objectives were to 1) evaluate the effect of biweekly nutrient solution replacements (W) vs. biweekly fertilizer addition without a nutrient solution replacement (W/O) on final growth, yield, and nutrient uptake of hydroponic tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) plants grown in a greenhouse, and 2) characterize growth over time in a greenhouse or an indoor environment using W. For each environment, ‘Bush Goliath’ tomato plants were grown for 12 weeks in 6.5-gal hydroponic systems. The experiment was replicated twice over time. In the greenhouse, plants were exposed to the following day/night temperature, relative humidity (RH), and daily light integral (DLI) in 2018 (mean ± SD): 31 ± 6/22 ± 2 °C, 67% ± 8%, and 32.4 ± 7 mol·m‒2·d‒1; and in 2019: 28 ± 6/22 ± 3 °C, 68% ± 5%, and 27.7 ± 6 mol·m‒2·d‒1. For both experimental runs indoors, the day/night temperature, RH, and DLI were 21 ± 2 °C, 60% ± 4%, and 20 ± 2 mol·m‒2·d‒1 provided by broadband white light-emitting diode lamps. The W/O treatment resulted in a higher-than-desired electrical conductivity (EC) and total nutrient concentration by the end of the experiment. In addition, compared with the W treatment, W/O resulted in less leaf area, more shoot growth, less water uptake, and similar fruit number—but increased blossom-end-rot incidence, delayed fruit ripening, and lower fruit fresh weight. Nonetheless, the final concentration of all nutrients was almost completely depleted at week 12 under W, suggesting that the applied fertilizer concentration could be increased as fruiting occurs. Surprisingly, shoot biomass, leaf area, and leaf number followed a linear trend over time in both environments. Nonetheless, given the higher DLI and temperature, greenhouse-grown plants produced 4 to 5 kg more of fruit than those grown indoors, but fruit from plants grown indoors were unaffected by blossom-end-rot. Our findings indicate that recommendations for nutrient solution management strategies should consider specific crop needs, growing environments, and production goals by home gardeners.
Nitrogen Fertilizer Management and Cultivar Selection for Cabbage Production in the Southeastern United States
Authors: Ribeiro da Silva Andre Luiz Biscaia , Candian Joara Secchi , Zotarelli Lincoln , Coolong Timothy , Christensen Christian
Published: October 2020

Soil nitrogen (N) is easily leached in cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata) production areas of southeastern United States characterized by sandy soils with low water-holding capacity. Soil N leaching in these areas is increased after rainfall events; consequently, growers increase the fertilizer N application to protect against N deficiencies and yield loss. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of three fertilizer N rates on yield and head quality for common cabbage cultivars used by Florida and Georgia growers during four cabbage growing seasons. Field experiments were conducted in Hastings, FL, in 2016 and 2017, and in Tifton, GA, in 2018 and 2019. A randomized complete block design was used with a split-plot design of fertilizer N rate and cabbage cultivar. Fertilizer N rate treatments consisted of the application of 170, 225, and 280 lb/acre N and were assigned as the main plot. Cabbage cultivars Bravo, Bronco, Bruno, Capture, Cheers, and Ramada were assigned as the sub-plots. Weather conditions were monitored during all growing seasons, and total, marketable, and unmarketable yields, as well as cabbage head polar and equatorial diameters, and core height and width were measured. In Florida, there was a significant interaction for growing season and fertilizer N rate. The Florida 2016 cabbage season experienced 10.5 inches of rainfall, and fertilizer N rates had no effect on cabbage yields. Total and marketable yield averaged 45,391 and 38,618 lb/acre among fertilizer N rates in 2016, respectively. Rainfall accumulated 2.1 inches during the 2017 study in Florida, which was less than the crop evapotranspiration. In response, total and marketable yield were higher for the applications of 225 lb/acre N (51,865 and 49,335 lb/acre, respectively) and 280 lb/acre N (54,564 and 52,219 lb/acre, respectively) compared with the application of 170 lb/acre N (47,929 and 43,710 lb/acre, respectively). In Georgia, there were no significant interactions between production season and fertilizer N rates. In addition, there were no significant main effects of season or fertilizer N rate. Rainfall events accumulated 20.9 and 7.8 inches during the 2018 and 2019 growing seasons, respectively. Total and marketable yields averaged 37,290 and 33,355 lb/acre, respectively for the two growing seasons in Georgia. Cabbage cultivar had no interaction with fertilizer N rate in any location. ‘Cheers’ (52,706 lb/acre) had the highest total yield in Florida, and ‘Ramada’ (38,462 lb/acre) and ‘Bronco’ (39,379 lb/acre) had the highest total yields in Georgia. In conclusion, the application of 225 lb/acre N was sufficient to sustain cabbage yields, but yields of the 170- and 225-lb/acre N treatments were not different when rainfall events exceeded crop evapotranspiration.
Bacteriological assessment of dug well water in rural areas of Bangladesh
Authors: Islam Md. Atikul , Akber Md. Ali , Islam M. M. Majedul , Islam Md. Azharul , Dutta Mukta
Published: October 2020

This study assessed the bacteriological quality of dug well waters from Jashore district – an arsenic affected area of Bangladesh. A total of 58 dug wells (42 installed by a government organization (GO) and 16 installed by a non-government organization (NGO)) were sampled in the dry and wet seasons. The samples were evaluated for total coliform (TC), faecal coliform (FC) and Escherichia coli (E. coli). Sanitary inspections of the surroundings of the GO-installed dug wells identified the sources of faecal contamination. Both the GO-installed and NGO-installed dug wells had bacterial contamination. The median concentrations of E. coli among the GO-installed and NGO-installed dug wells were, respectively, 41 and 21 cfu/100 ml in the wet season, and respectively 2 and <1 cfu/100 ml in the dry season. In the wet season, 24 and 31%, respectively, of the GO-installed and NGO-installed dug wells were in the high-risk category. All of the dug wells had higher disease burden in the wet season compared to the dry season. The ﬁndings suggest that drinking water from the dug wells is likely to pose health risks to the rural communities.
The Current Application of LC-MS/MS in Pharmacokinetics of Traditional Chinese Medicines (Recent Three Years): A Systematic Review
Authors: Wang Yang , Zhang Lu , Gu Shuang , Yin Zhaorui , Shi Zhe , Wang Ping , Xu Changhua
Published: October 2020

Background:

With significant clinical effects, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been attracting increasing interest of the world’s scientific community. However, TCM contains immense amounts of chemical components. It is a great challenge to objectively evaluate the correlation between the in vivo process and the therapeutic effect of TCM. The purpose of this systematic review was to summarize the recent investigation (from 2017 to 2019) on preclinical pharmacokinetics (PK) of TCM via liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS).

Method:

We reviewed the published articles regarding the PK of TCM by LC-MS/MS. In addition, we summarized information on PK parameter of bioactive components, single herb and traditional Chinese medicine prescriptions.

Results:

The vast majority of literature on preclinical PK of TCM uses single oral administration, the biological matrix is mostly rat plasma, and the main PK parameters include AUC, Cmax, Tmax and T1/2, etc.

Conclusion:

Although LC-MS/MS can be used for high-throughput analysis, the characterization of in vivo processes of TCM still has a long way. With the advantages of high sensitivity, high specificity and simple operation, the increasingly mature LC-MS/MS technology will play an important role in the PK study of TCM.
Targeted Delivery of CRISPR/Cas13 as a Promising Therapeutic Approach to Treat SARS-CoV-2
Authors: Abbaszadeh-Goudarzi Kazem , Nematollahi Mohammad H. , Khanbabaei Hashem , Nave Hossein H. , Mirzaei Hamid R. , Pourghadamyari Hossein , Sahebkar Amirhossein
Published: October 2020

On a worldwide scale, the outbreak of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus
2 (SARS-CoV-2) has led to extensive damage to the health system as well as the global economy.
Hitherto, there has been no approved drug or vaccine for this disease. Therefore, the use of general antiviral
drugs is at the first line of treatment, though complicated with limited effectiveness and systemic
side effects. Given the pathophysiology of the disease, researchers have proposed various strategies not
only to find a more specific therapeutic way but also to reduce the side effects. One strategy to accomplish
these goals is to use CRISPR/Cas13 system. Recently, a group of scientists has used the
CRISPR/Cas13 system, which is highly effective in eliminating the genome of RNA viruses. Due to
the RNA nature of the coronavirus genome, it seems that this system can be effective against the disease.
The main challenge regarding the application of this system is to deliver it to the target cells efficiently.
To solve this challenge, it seems that using virosomes with protein S on their membrane surface
can be helpful. Studies have shown that protein S interacts with its specific receptor in target cells
named Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2 (ACE2). Here, we propose if CRISPR/Cas13 gene constructs
reach the infected cells efficiently using a virosomal delivery system, the virus genome will be
cleaved and inactivated. Considering the pathophysiology of the disease, an important step to implement
this hypothesis is to embed protein S on the membrane surface of virosomes to facilitate the delivery
of gene constructs to the target cells.
COVID-19 and Renal Diseases: An Update
Authors: Bitencourt Letícia , Pedrosa Ana Luisa , de Brito Stephanie Bruna Camilo Soares , Fróes Ana Cláudia Fontoura , de Carvalho Sarah Tayná , Fonseca Giulio Gori , Ferreira Guilherme Costa , Fradico Pollyanna Faria , Simões e Silva Ana Cristina
Published: October 2020

Background:

It becomes increasingly evident that the SARS-CoV-2 infection is not limited to the respiratory system. In addition to being a target of the virus, the kidney also seems to have substantial influence on the outcomes of the disease.

Methods:

Data was obtained by a comprehensive and non-systematic search in the PubMed, Cochrane, Scopus and SciELO databases, using mainly the terms “SARS-CoV-2”, “COVID-19”, “chronic kidney disease”, “renal transplantation”, acute kidney injury” and “renal dysfunction”.

Discussion:

The membrane-bound angiotensin converting enzyme 2 is the receptor for SARS-CoV-2, and this interaction may lead to an imbalance of the Renin Angiotensin System (RAS), associated with worse clinical presentations of COVID-19, including acute pulmonary injury, hyperinflammatory state and hematological alterations. In the framework of renal diseases, development of acute kidney injury is associated mostly with immune alterations and direct cytopathic lesions by the virus, leading to higher mortality. As for chronic kidney disease, the patients at a non-terminal stage have worse prog-nosis, while the hemodialysis patients appear to have mild courses of COVID-19, probably due to lower chances of being affected by the cytokine storm. Furthermore, the current scenario is unfavorable to kidney donation and transplantation. The relationship between COVID-19 and immunosuppression in kidney transplantation recipients has been greatly discussed to determine whether it increases mortality and how it interacts with immunosuppressive medications.

Conclusion:

The kidney and the RAS exert fundamental roles in the SARS-CoV-2 infection and more research is required to have a complete understanding on the repercussions caused by COVID-19 in renal diseases.
Computational and Biological Investigations on Abl1 Tyrosine Kinase: A Review
Authors: Sobhia Masilamani Elizabeth , Kumar G. Siva , Mallick Antara , Singh Harmanpreet , Kumar Kranthi , Chaurasiya Meenakshi , Singh Monica , Gera Narendra , Deverakonda Sindhuja , Baghel Vinay
Published: October 2020

Abl1 tyrosine kinase is a validated target for the treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia. It is a form of cancer that is difficult to treat and much research is being done to identify new molecular entities and to tackle drug resistance is-sues. In recent years, drug resistance of Abl1 tyrosine kinase has become a major healthcare concern. Second and third generation TKI reported better responses against the resistant forms, still they had no impact on long term survival pro-longation. New compounds derived from natural products and organic small molecule inhibitors can lay the foundation for better clinical therapies in the future. Computational methods, experimental and biological studies can help us under-stand the mechanism of drug resistance and identify novel molecule inhibitors. ADMET parameters analysis of reported drugs and novel small molecule inhibitors can also provide valuable insight. In this review, available therapies, point mu-tations, structure-activity relationship and ADMET parameters of reported series of Abl1 tyrosine kinase inhibitors and drugs are summarised. We summarise in detail recent computational and molecular biology studies that focus on design-ing drug molecules, investigation of natural product compounds and organic new chemical entities. Current ongoing re-search suggests that selective targeting of Abl1 tyrosine kinase at the molecular level to combat drug resistance in chronic myeloid leukemia is promising.
ASMA: An Advanced Secure Messaging Application
Authors: Gupta Ankur , Prabhat Purnendu , Sharma Arun
Published: October 2020

Background:

User generated digital content, typically from mobile devices, can be of a personal nature. There
have been several instances in which this personal content, including but not limited to, photographs, videos, messages
and personal information has been misused by the recipients. The misuse has ranged from violating privacy through
unauthorized sharing to manipulating/modifying the original content and finally forgery and fraud.

Objective:

To create an Advanced Secure Messaging Application (ASMA) allowing personal digital content to be shared
across mobile devices in a secure, controlled and privacy preserving manner. The application allows the user to explicitly
specify a micro-policy to control the way digital content sent by the user is consumed, shared or modified by the
recipient(s). The users should be able to check the veracity of a shared news item besides controlling group formation and
enforcing content sharing guidelines within a group.

Methods:

A micro-policy based novel mechanism is introduced for exercising fine-grained control over the manner in
which digital content generated by users is shared and distributed among their contacts. Fact-checking is supported by
cross checking the message content against credible news sources.

Results:

Measurements of message throughput show a consistent and manageable overhead, due to a per message micropolicy travelling with the message data compared to traditional message sharing applications. The high user-ratings
received from users in a pilot test establish acceptance of the app and the need for its advanced features. Moreover, the
overheads in implementing additional security features are imperceptible at the user level.

Conclusion:

ASMA is a highly secure and privacy preserving messaging application as demonstrated by experimental
results and the pilot usability study. It offers novel security and content control features which are not available in existing
mobile messaging applications.
Синтез тонких пленок ниобия на кремнии и исследование их сверхпроводящих свойств в области размерного кроссовера
Authors: Янилкин И.В. , Гумаров А.И. , Рогов А.М. , Юсупов Р.В. , Тагиров Л.Р.
Published: October 2020

Niobium films of 4–100 nm thickness were synthesized on a silicon substrate under ultrahigh vacuum conditions. Measurements of electrical resistance showed a high temperature of the superconducting transition Tc, in the range of 4.7–9.1 K, and extremely small transition widths ΔTc in the range of 260–11 mK. The dependences of Tc and ΔTc on the magnetic field were studied, and superconducting coherence lengths and mean free paths of the conduction electrons were determined for different thicknesses of the synthesized films. A specific effect of the magnetic field on ΔTc was found, which reveals a transition from three-dimensional to two-dimensional superconductivity at thicknesses below 10 nm. The dependences of Tc and ΔTc on the films thickness and the magnitude of the magnetic field are discussed in the framework of existing concepts of superconductivity in thin films of superconducting metals.
Рентгеновская фотоэлектронная спектроскопия наноалмазов, полученных измельчением и детонационным синтезом
Authors: Шарин П.П. , Сивцева А.В. , Попов В.И.
Published: October 2020

The chemical composition and surface state of nanopowder particles prepared by milling natural diamond and detonation synthesis were studied by the method of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. It has been shown that the primary particles of both nanopowders contain mainly carbon and oxygen atoms. The signals in the photoelectronic spectrum from atoms of nitrogen, sulfur, chlorine and metals do not exceed the noise level. It was found that in primary particles of detonation synthesis nanodiamond and nanopowder obtained by grinding natural diamond, the proportions of carbon atoms in the sp3 hybridization state are ~ 46.5 and ~ 67.8%, sp2 hybridization is ~ 26.8 and ~ 17.4% and in the composition of oxygen-containing functional groups ~ 26.7 and ~ 14.7%, respectively.
Changes in the six-minute walk test and foot health status using customised foot orthoses vs sham inserts in an adult flat foot population. A pilot randomised control trial.
Authors: Banwell Helen , Mackintosh Shylie
Published: October 2020

The presence of flexible flat feet is often reported to negatively impact foot health, and endurance during walking. Foot orthoses are commonly prescribed for symptoms associated with flat feet. This study aimed to investigate the impact of individually prescribed foot orthoses on foot health and endurance measures when used in a flat foot population.
 
Methods
This study was a pilot parallel-group single-blinded RCT comparing customised foot orthoses and sham inserts for impact on foot pain, fatigue and function following four weeks of use, and changes in distance travelled measures (m) during the six-minute walk test following four weeks of use and at immediate wear.
 
Results
Thirteen participants were recruited (8 female), seven received foot orthoses and six received sham inserts. The study was underpowered to detect change (range 0.05 to 0.20). A statistically significant difference existed between groups at baseline for foot pain. No statistically significant results were observed for the use of foot orthoses or sham inserts after four weeks of use or at immediate wear. The sham insert group were observed to improve their distance travelled (median increase 23.5 m), and foot pain (VAS) in accordance with minimally importance difference when compared to the foot orthoses group (between group difference 15.5 mm) following four weeks of use, however, large variations in response were observed (IQR 34.7 m and 50.5 mm respectively).
 
Discussion
No significant differences were found between the foot orthoses and sham insert group for foot health or endurance measures following four weeks of use, however, outcomes should be viewed with caution due to small sample size and variation in individual response. Further investigations comparing customised foot orthoses and sham inserts in the adult flexible flat foot population are recommended.
The Tablet-Based, Engagement, Assessment, Support, and Sign-Posting (EASSi) Tool for Facilitating and Structuring Sexual Well-Being Conversations in Routine Prostate Cancer Care: Mixed-Methods Study
Authors: McCaughan Eilís , Flannagan Carrie , Parahoo Kader , Connaghan John , Maguire Roma , Steele Mary , Thompson Samantha , Jain Suneil , Kirby Michael , Brady Nuala , O'Connor Seán R
Published: October 2020

Background

Long-term side-effects associated with different prostate cancer treatment approaches are common. Sexual challenges are the most frequently occurring issues and can result in increased psychological morbidity. It is recognized that barriers to communication can make initiating discussions around sexual concerns in routine practice difficult. Health care professionals need to routinely initiate conversations, effectively engage with patients, and assess needs in order to provide essential support. One proposed method that could support health care professionals to do this involves the use of prompts or structured frameworks to guide conversations.

Objective

This study aimed to assess feasibility, acceptability, and satisfaction with the tablet-based Engagement, Assessment, Support, and Sign-posting (EASSi) tool designed to facilitate and structure sexual well-being discussions in routine prostate cancer care.

Methods

Health care professionals (n=8) used the EASSi tool during 89 posttreatment appointments. Quantitative data were recorded based on program usage and surveys completed by health care professionals and patients. Qualitative data exploring perceptions on use of the tool were gathered using semistructured interviews with all health care professionals (n=8) and a sample of patients (n=10).

Results

Surveys were completed by health care professionals immediately following each appointment (n=89, 100%). Postal surveys were returned by 59 patients (66%). Health care professionals and patients reported that the tool helped facilitate discussions (81/89, 91% and 50/59, 85%, respectively) and that information provided was relevant (82/89, 92% and 50/59, 85%, respectively). The mean conversation duration was 6.01 minutes (SD 2.91). Qualitative synthesis identified the tool’s ability to initiate and structure discussions, improve the “depth” of conversations, and normalize sexual concerns.

Conclusions

The EASSi tool was appropriate and acceptable for use in practice and provided a flexible approach to facilitate routine brief conversations and deliver essential sexual well-being support. Further work will be conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of using the tablet-based tool in prostate cancer care settings.
COVID-19 Mobile Apps: A Systematic Review of the Literature
Authors: Kondylakis Haridimos , Katehakis Dimitrios G , Kouroubali Angelina , Logothetidis Fokion , Triantafyllidis Andreas , Kalamaras Ilias , Votis Konstantinos , Tzovaras Dimitrios
Published: October 2020

Background

A vast amount of mobile apps have been developed during the past few months in an attempt to “flatten the curve” of the increasing number of COVID-19 cases.

Objective

This systematic review aims to shed light into studies found in the scientific literature that have used and evaluated mobile apps for the prevention, management, treatment, or follow-up of COVID-19.

Methods

We searched the bibliographic databases Global Literature on Coronavirus Disease, PubMed, and Scopus to identify papers focusing on mobile apps for COVID-19 that show evidence of their real-life use and have been developed involving clinical professionals in their design or validation.

Results

Mobile apps have been implemented for training, information sharing, risk assessment, self-management of symptoms, contact tracing, home monitoring, and decision making, rapidly offering effective and usable tools for managing the COVID-19 pandemic.

Conclusions

Mobile apps are considered to be a valuable tool for citizens, health professionals, and decision makers in facing critical challenges imposed by the pandemic, such as reducing the burden on hospitals, providing access to credible information, tracking the symptoms and mental health of individuals, and discovering new predictors.
Confederated learning in healthcare: training machine learning models using disconnected data separated by individual, data type and identity for Large-Scale Health System Intelligence (Preprint)
Authors: Liu Dianbo , Fox Kathe , Weber Griffin , Miller Tim
Published: October 2020

BACKGROUND

A patient’s health information is generally fragmented across silos because it follows how care is delivered: multiple providers in multiple settings. Though it is technically feasible to reunite data for analysis in a manner that underpins a rapid learning healthcare system, privacy concerns and regulatory barriers limit data centralization for this purpose.

OBJECTIVE

Machine learning can be conducted in a federated manner on patient datasets with the same set of variables but separated across storage. But federated learning cannot handle the situation where different data types for a given patient are separated vertically across different organizations and when patient ID matching across different institutions is difficult. We call methods that enable machine learning model training on data separated by two or more dimensions “confederated machine learning”, which we aim to develop in this study.

METHODS

We propose and evaluate confederated learning for training machine learning models to stratify the risk of several diseases among silos when data are horizontally separated by individual, vertically separated by data type, and separated by identity without patient ID matching. The confederated learning method can be intuitively understood as a distributed learning method with representation learning, generative model, imputation method and data augmentation elements.

RESULTS

Our confederated learning method achieves AUCROC (Area Under The Curve Receiver Operating Characteristics) of 0.787 for diabetes prediction, 0.718 for psychological disorders prediction, and 0.698 for Ischemic heart disease prediction using nationwide health insurance claims.

CONCLUSIONS

Our proposed confederated learning method successfully trained machine learning models on health insurance data separated by two or more dimensions

CLINICALTRIAL
The Advantages of Five-Option Multiple-Choice Items in Classroom Tests of Student Mastery
Authors: Wise Michael Joseph
Published: October 2020

The effectiveness of multiple-choice (MC) items depends on the quality of the response options—particularly how well the incorrect options (“distractors”) attract students who have incomplete knowledge. It is often contended that test-writers are unable to devise more than two plausible distractors for most MC items, and that the effort needed to do so is not worthwhile in terms of the items’ psychometric qualities. To test these contentions, I analyzed students’ performance on 545 MC items across six science courses that I have taught over the past decade. Each MC item contained four distractors, and the dataset included more than 19,000 individual responses. All four distractors were deemed plausible in one-third of the items, and three distractors were plausible in another third. Each increase in plausible distractor led to an average of a 13% increase in item difficulty. Moreover, an increase in plausible distractors led to a significant increase in the discriminability of the items, with a leveling off by the fourth distractor. These results suggest that—at least for teachers writing tests to assess mastery of course content—it may be worthwhile to eschew recent skepticism and continue to attempt to write MC items with three or four distractors.
Atrayentes de piel de tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus (Perciformes: Cichlidae), para reducir el desperdicio de alimento en granjas acuícolas
Authors: Pérez Reyes Carlos Roberto
Published: October 2020

Introducción: La acuicultura ha surgido como una alternativa a la pesca tradicional debido al colapso de las poblaciones de peces por la pesca intensiva en alta mar. Sin embargo, muchas granjas de acuicultura podrían reducir el desperdicio de alimento usando atrayentes químicos para concentrar los peces durante la alimentación. Objetivo: Probar un atrayente de piel de tilapia. Métodos: Se probaron atrayentes con 16159 tilapias maduras e inmaduras en estanques cerrados de agua dulce y agua salada y en estanques al aire libre. Resultados: Con el atrayente, los peces inmaduros se acercaron al alimento más rápidamente que los controles (p<0.05). Los atrayentes extraídos de la piel de desecho reducen la contaminación, no son bioacumulables en los tejidos y utilizan reactivos que no afectan la calidad de la carne porque son altamente solubles en agua. Conclusiones: Se recomienda el uso de atrayentes de piel de tilapia, como cebo pero como aditivo para alimentos, en ambientes controlados. Se necesita más investigación en ambientes abiertos.
Aborto no punible
Authors: Despontin María Inés
Published: October 2020

El presente artículo intenta poner de manifiesto las vulneraciones a los principios constitucionales del tratamiento actual del tema del aborto no punible en el marco legislativo y jurisprudencial actual y en el de una eventual modificación legislativa. Palabras Claves: Aborto no punible
Resumen fallo “portal de belen”
Authors: Caeiro Eduardo Santiago , Gallo María del Mar
Published: October 2020

Ninguno
Stress-induced carbon starvation in Rhizophora mucronata Lam. seedlings under conditions of prolonged submergence and water deficiency: Survive or succumb
Authors: Kodikara Arachchilage , Loku Pulukkutige , Ranasinghe Pathmasiri , Kanishka Madarasinghe , Dahdouh-Guebas Farid , Koedam Nico
Published: October 2020

The behaviour of carbohydrate metabolism in a plant, particularly its total
starch content, total soluble sugar (TSS) content and their utilisation, is
of great importance in coping with abiotic stress conditions. With this in
mind, we studied total starch and TSS contents, survival, growth, biomass
accumulation and stomatal conductance in Rhizophora mucronata under
conditions of prolonged submergence and water stress for a period of 11
months. The experiment was designed in such a way as to include three
replicates per each treatment level, about 1600 young mangrove plants being
subjected to study in the process. Under conditions of prolonged submergence
and high levels of water stress, a small number of mangrove plants survived
and they were promptly exhausted due to higher starch utilisation rates
(0.75-1.05% dry mass/month). Although TSS content was increased under these
intense stress conditions, it was not matched by increased seedling growth
or biomass production; instead, a significant reduction in growth (i.e.,
~78%) and dry matter content was observed in stressed seedlings as compared
to young plants in the respective controls. It follows that the intense
increase of TSS content might be due to the direct conversion of starch to
soluble sugars in order to produce metabolic energy for tolerance mechanisms
like osmoregulation and root anatomical adaptations under stress conditions.
This indicates that more energy is allocated for plant maintenance than for
growth and biomass production under stress conditions, which might be a good
acclimatory strategy to rescue young mangrove plants at the early phase.
However, stomatal closure under stress conditions may have caused restricted
photosynthesis. Therefore, stress-induced starch degradation may upsurge,
which in turn might lead in the long-run to carbon starvation, a condition
lethal to mangrove seedlings.
Physiological response of Moringa oleifera exposed to bisphenol A
Authors: Cinar Gulcan , Dogan Muhittin
Published: October 2020

The physiological and morphological effects of different concentrations of
bisphenol A (BPA) on Moringa oleifera seedlings were determined in this
study. Significant chlorosis and abscission were observed in leaves exposed
to 50 mg/L of BPA. Photosynthetic pigment levels were affected differently
by varying doses of BPA. Although the total carbohydrate content of seedling
parts was increased by BPA, protein content was lowered by it, except in the
case of roots at 1.5 mg/L of BPA. However, it was determined that the
content of nonprotein sulphhydryl groups of seedling parts did not change
significantly. The total phenolic content of root tissues showed an
insignificant change; however, it was found that phenolic content increased
in the stems and leaves following application of BPA. The content of
hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) in seedling tissues increased with increasing
concentrations of BPA. Statistical analysis indicated that H2O2 content was
significantly correlated with malondialdehyde content. These results clearly
show that the application of BPA causes oxidative stress in seedling
tissues.
Susceptibility of Serbian plum cultivars to indigenous bacterial and Monilinia laxa isolates
Authors: Janakiev Tamara , Unkovic Nikola , Dimkic Ivica , Ljaljevic-Grbic Milica , Stevic Tatjana , Stankovic Slavisa , Beric Tanja
Published: October 2020

The susceptibility of Serbian plum cultivars to pathogens originating from
their phyllosphere was evaluated by inoculating detached young leaves and
mature fruits. The virulence of indigenous isolates of the bacteria
Pseudomonas syringae, Pseudomonas congelans, Erwinia persicina, Clavibacter
michiganensis and Rhizobium nepotum was tested on detached leaves of four
Serbian plum cultivars (Ranka, Pozegaca, Cacanska lepotica and Cacanska
rodna). The Pseudomonas syringae isolates formed intense symptoms within 48
hours on all tested cultivars with severity index values in the range of 41
- 47%. The other isolates had significantly lower severity values or no
symptoms were developed. This study demonstrates for the first time
pathogenicity of Pseudomonas congelans on plum, with symptom intensity not
significantly different from P. syringae after 96 h of incubation. Virulence
of Monilinia laxa isolates was tested on mature fruit of the Cacanska rodna
and Pozegaca cultivars and was detected in both of them. Higher
susceptibility to M. laxa was recorded for the Pozegaca cultivar, with a
fruit infection rate between 43 and 66%. In the case of the Rodna cultivar,
no statistically significant difference in the fruit infection rate was
detected between the four tested M. laxa isolates. These data indicate
significant susceptibility of Serbian plum cultivars to indigenous P.
syringae and M. laxa isolates.
Contribution to study of the pyrophilous fungi of Ukraine
Authors: Dzhagan Veronika , Atamanchuk Alisa , Lytvynenko Yulia , Shcherbakova Yulia , Tsvyd Nadiya
Published: October 2020

The paper reports data on pyrophilous ascomycetes collected in 2017-2019
during a mycological survey in the Holosiivskyi National Nature Park (Kyiv,
Ukraine). Sixteen species belonging to the Pezizomycetes were found. Among
them, Tricharina praecox and Octospora similis were collected in Ukraine for
the first time. Substrates, localities, data on general distribution and
some notes about these species are presented. Ecological peculiarities of
all species are briefly discussed.
Carotid disease and retinal optical coherence tomography angiography parameters in type 2 diabetes: The Fremantle Diabetes Study Phase II
Authors: Drinkwater Jocelyn J , Chen Fred K , Brooks Alison M , Davis Brad T , Turner Angus W , Davis Timothy ME , Davis Wendy A
Published: October 2020

Objective:
To use optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) to determine whether retinal
microvascular parameters are associated with carotid arterial disease in people
with type 2 diabetes.

Research design and methods: Community-based
participants underwent detailed assessments including carotid ultrasonography
and OCTA. Ultrasound images were assessed for mean intima-media thickness (IMT)
and the presence of stenosis. OCTA image analysis provided measures of vessel
density, foveal avascular zone area (FAZ), blood flow areas and retinal thickness.
Generalized estimating equations were used to generate the most parsimonious
model for each OCTA variable, then ipsilateral and contralateral carotid
disease related variables added to determine which added significantly.

Results: A total of 474 eyes from 261
participants (mean±SD age
72.0±9.3 years, 57.1% males, median [IQR] diabetes duration 15.4 [11.1-22.4]
years) were analyzed. When carotid variables were added to the most
parsimonious models, the ipsilateral
natural logarithm of common carotid artery IMT (coefficient -2.56 (95%CI: -4.76,
-0.35), P=0.023) and presence of any
ipsilateral stenosis (-0.82 (-1.48, -0.17), P=0.014)
were statistically significantly associated with a lower parafoveal density in
the deep capillary plexus. A mean bifurcation IMT ≥1 mm was associated
with a decreased vessel density in the 300 μm ring surrounding the FAZ (coefficient
-0.79 (-1.50, -0.08), P=0.030)). Contralateral carotid disease-related
variables were also significantly associated with retinal microvascular
parameters.

Conclusions: This is the first study to
show that carotid disease is an
independent associate of retinal microvascular disease assessed by OCTA in type
2 diabetes. Appropriately intensive management of carotid disease may improve the
retinal microcirculation.
Six-months of hybrid closed-loop versus manual insulin delivery with finger-prick blood glucose monitoring in adults with type 1 diabetes: a randomized, controlled trial
Authors: McAuley Sybil A , Lee Melissa H , Paldus Barbora , Vogrin Sara , Bock Martin I de , Abraham Mary B , Bach Leon A , Burt Morton G , Cohen Neale D , Colman Peter G , Davis Elizabeth A , Hendrieckx Christel , Holmes-Walker D Jane , Kaye Joey , Keech Anthony C , Kumareswaran Kavita , MacIsaac Richard J , McCallum Roland W , Sims Catriona M , Speight Jane , Stranks Stephen N , Sundararajan Vijaya , Trawley Steven , Ward Glenn M , Jenkins Alicia J , Jones Timothy W , O’Neal David N , Group the Australian JDRF Closed-Loop Research
Published: October 2020

OBJECTIVE

To investigate glycemic and psychosocial outcomes with hybrid
closed loop (HCL) versus user-determined insulin dosing with multiple daily
injections (MDI) or insulin pump i.e. standard therapy for most adults with
type 1 diabetes.

RESEARCH DESIGN
AND METHODS

Adults with type 1 diabetes using MDI or insulin pump
without continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) were randomized to 26-weeks HCL
(Medtronic 670G) or continuation of current therapy. The primary outcome was
masked-CGM time-in-range (TIR; 70–180mg/dL) during the final 3 weeks.

RESULTS

Participants were randomized to HCL (n=61) or control (n=59). Baseline
mean (SD) age 44.2(11.7)years; HbA1c 7.4(0.9)%, 57(10)mmol/mol; 53%
were women and 51% used MDI. HCL TIR increased from (baseline) 55% (13%) to (26
weeks) 70% (10%) with the control group unchanged: (baseline) 55% (12%) and (26
weeks) 55% (13%) (difference 15%; 95% CI 11, 19%; p<0.0001). For HCL, HbA1c was lower (median [95% CI] difference −0.4% [−0.6, −0.2]; −4mmol/mol
[−7, −2]; p<0.0001) and diabetes-specific positive well-being higher
(difference 1.2, 95% CI 0.4, 1.9; p<0.0048)
without a deterioration in diabetes distress, perceived sleep quality or cognition.
Seventeen (nine device-related) vs. thirteen serious adverse events occurred in
the HCL and control groups respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

In adults with type 1 diabetes 26 weeks of HCL improved TIR,
HbA1c
and their sense of satisfaction from managing their diabetes than those
continuing with user-determined insulin dosing and self-monitoring blood
glucose. For most people living with type 1 diabetes globally, this trial
demonstrates that HCL is feasible, acceptable and advantageous.