bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Predicting Prognosis in COVID-19 Patients using Machine Learning and Readily Available Clinical Data
Authors: Campbell Thomas W. , Wilson Melissa P. , Roder Heinrich , MaWhinney Samantha , Georgantas Robert W. , Maguire Laura K. , Roder Joanna , Erlandson Kristine M.
Published: February 2021

Rationale

Prognostic tools for aiding in the treatment of hospitalized COVID-19 patients could help improve outcome by identifying patients at higher or lower risk of severe disease.

Objectives

The study objective was to develop models to stratify patients by risk of severe outcomes during COVID-19 hospitalization using readily available information at hospital admission.

Methods

Hierarchical ensemble classification models were trained on a set of 229 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 to predict severe outcomes, including ICU admission, development of ARDS, or intubation, using easily attainable attributes including basic patient characteristics, vital signs at admission, and basic lab results collected at time of presentation. Each test stratifies patients into groups of increasing risk. An additional cohort of 330 patients was used for blinded, independent validation. Shapley value analysis evaluated which attributes contributed most to the models’ predictions of risk.

Measurements and Main Results

Test performance was assessed using precision (positive predictive value) and recall (sensitivity) of the final risk groups. All test cut-offs were fixed prior to blinded validation. In both development and validation, the tests achieved precision in the lowest risk groups near or above 0.9. The proportion of patients with severe outcomes significantly increased across increasing risk groups. While the importance of attributes varied by test and patient, CRP, LDH, and D-dimer were often found to be important in the assignment of risk label.

Conclusions

Risk of severe outcomes for patients hospitalized with COVID-19 infection can be assessed using machine learning-based models based on attributes routinely collected at hospital admission.
DeepRank: A deep learning framework for data mining 3D protein-protein interfaces
Authors: Renaud Nicolas , Geng Cunliang , Georgievska Sonja , Ambrosetti Francesco , Ridder Lars , Marzella Dario , Bonvin Alexandre M.J.J. , Xue Li C
Published: February 2021

Three-dimensional (3D) structures of protein complexes provide fundamental information to decipher biological processes at the molecular scale. The vast amount of experimentally and computationally resolved protein-protein interfaces (PPIs) offers the possibility of training deep learning models to aid the predictions of their biological relevance.

We present here DeepRank, a general, configurable deep learning framework for data mining PPIs using 3D convolutional neural networks (CNNs). DeepRank maps features of PPIs onto 3D grids and trains a user-specified CNN on these 3D grids. DeepRank allows for efficient training of 3D CNNs with data sets containing millions of PPIs and supports both classification and regression.

We demonstrate the performance of DeepRank on two distinct challenges: The classification of biological versus crystallographic PPIs, and the ranking of docking models. For both problems DeepRank is competitive or outperforms state-of-the-art methods, demonstrating the versatility of the framework for research in structural biology.
HashSeq: A Simple, Scalable, and ConservativeDe NovoVariant Caller for 16S rRNA Gene Datasets
Authors: Fouladi Farnaz , Young Jacqueline B. , Fodor Anthony A.
Published: February 2021

16S rRNA gene sequencing is a common and cost-effective technique for characterization of microbial communities. Recent bioinformatics methods enable high-resolution detection of sequence variants of only one nucleotide difference. In this manuscript, we utilize a very fast HashMap-based approach to detect sequence variants in six publicly available 16S rRNA gene datasets. We then use the normal distribution combined with LOESS regression to estimate background error rates as a function of sequencing depth for individual clusters of sequences. This method is computationally efficient and produces inference that yields sets of variants that are conservative and well supported by reference databases. We argue that this approach to inference is fast, simple, scalable to large datasets, and provides a high-resolution set of sequence variants which are less likely to be the result of sequencing error.
Multi-Tissue Multi-Compartment models of diffusion MRI
Authors: Frigo Matteo , Fick Rutger H.J. , Zucchelli Mauro , Deslauriers-Gauthier Samuel , Deriche Rachid
Published: February 2021

State-of-the-art multi-compartment microstructural models of diffusion MRI (dMRI) in the human brain have limited capability to model multiple tissues at the same time. In particular, the available techniques that allow this multi-tissue modelling are based on multi-TE acquisitions. In this work we propose a novel multi-tissue formulation of classical multi-compartment models that relies on more common single-TE acquisitions and can be employed in the analysis of previously acquired datasets. We show how modelling multiple tissues provides a new interpretation of the concepts of signal fraction and volume fraction in the context of multi-compartment modelling. The software that allows to inspect single-TE diffusion MRI data with multi-tissue multi-compartment models is included in the publicly available Dmipy Python package.
Metformin protects against insulin resistance induced by high uric acid in cardiomyocytes via AMPK signaling pathways in vitro and in vivo
Authors: Jiao Zhenyu , Chen Yingqun , Xie Yang , Li Yanbing , Li Zhi
Published: February 2021

High uric acid (HUA) is associated with insulin resistance and abnormal glucose metabolism in cardiomyocytes. Metformin is a recognized agonist of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and an antidiabetic drug widely used for type 2 diabetes. It can play a cardioprotective role in many pathways. We investigated whether metformin protects against HUA-induced insulin resistance and abnormal glucose metabolism in cardiomyocytes. We exposed primary cardiomyocytes to HUA, and cellular glucose uptake was quantified by measuring the uptake of 2-NBDG, a fluorescent glucose analog, after insulin excitation. Treatment with metformin (10 μmol/L) protected against HUA-inhibited glucose uptake induced by insulin in primary cardiomyocytes, as shown by fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry analysis. HUA directly inhibited the phosphorylation of Akt and the translocation of glucose transporter type 4 (GLUT4) induced by insulin, which was blocked by metformin. Metformin promoted phosphorylation of AMPK, renewed HUA-inhibited glucose uptake induced by insulin and protected against insulin resistance in cardiomyocytes. As a result of these effects, in a mouse model of acute hyperuricemia, metformin improved insulin tolerance and glucose tolerance, accompanied by increased AMPK phosphorylation, Akt phosphorylation and translocation of GLUT4 in myocardial tissues. As expected, AICAR, another AMPK activator, had equivalent effects to metformin, demonstrating the important role of AMPK activation in protecting against insulin resistance induced by HUA in cardiomyocytes. Metformin protects against insulin resistance induced by HUA in cardiomyocytes and improves insulin tolerance and glucose tolerance in an acute hyperuricemic mouse model, along with the activation of AMPK. Consequently, metformin may be an important potential new treatment strategy for hyperuricemia-related cardiovascular disease.
Nrg1/ErbB Signaling-Mediated Regulation of Fibrosis After Myocardial Infarction
Authors: Shiraishi Manabu , Yamaguchi Atsushi , Suzuki Ken
Published: February 2021

RATIONALE

Appropriate fibrotic tissue formation after myocardial infarction (MI) is crucial to maintenance of the heart’s structure. Reparative or M2-like macrophages play a vital role in post-MI fibrosis by activating cardiac fibroblasts. However, the mechanism by which post-MI cardiac fibrosis is regulated is not fully understood.

OBJECTIVE

We investigated the cellular and molecular mechanisms of post-MI fibrotic tissue formation, especially those related to regulation of cellular senescence and apoptosis.

METHODS AND RESULTS

In vivoandin vitroexperiments were used to investigate the molecular and cellular mechanisms through which post-MI fibrosis occurs, with a focus on the role of M2-like macrophages. Microarray analysis revealed that CD206+F4/80+CD11b+M2-like macrophages collected from mouse hearts on post-MI day 7 showed increased expression of neuregulin 1 (Nrg1). Nrg1 receptor epidermal growth factor receptor ErbB was expressed on cardiac fibroblasts in the infarct area. In cardiac fibroblasts in which hydrogen peroxide-induced senescence, M2-like macrophage-derived Nrg1 suppressed both senescence and apoptosis of the fibroblasts, whereas blockade of ErbB function significantly accelerated. M2-like macrophage-derived Nrg1/ErbB/PI3K/Akt signaling, which was shown to be related to anti-senescence, was activated in damaged cardiac fibroblasts. Interestingly, systemic blockade of ErbB function in MI model mice enhanced senescence and apoptosis of cardiac fibroblasts and exacerbated inflammation. Further, increased accumulation of M2-like macrophages resulted in excessive progression of fibrosis in post-MI murine hearts. The molecular mechanism underlying regulation of fibrotic tissue formation in the infarcted myocardium was shown in part to be attenuation of apoptosis and senescence of cardiac fibroblasts by activation of Nrg1/ErbB/PI3K/Akt signaling.

CONCLUSIONS

M2-like macrophage-mediated regulation of Nrg1/ErbB signaling, have a substantial effect on fibrotic tissue formation in the infarcted adult mouse heart, is critical for suppressing the progression of senescence and apoptosis of cardiac fibroblasts.
NUCLEAR RETENTION OF LEPTIN/UPD2 REGULATES ORGANISMAL RESILIENCE TO NUTRIENT EXTREMES
Authors: Poling Michelle E , Sullivan Camille E , Madan Aditi , Kelly Kevin P , Brent Ava E , Dubrulle Julien , Raghavan Prashant , Rajan Akhila
Published: February 2021

Adipokines released from the adipocytes function as a systemic adipometer; they impinge on neural circuits to signal nutrient status. On starvation, adipokines must be retained to signal energy deficit; else, it significantly reduces starvation survival. But how fat cells retain adipokines is unclear. Here, we demonstrate that Atg8, a cell-intrinsic autophagy factor, regulates the starvation-induced acute retention of the Leptin Drosophila ortholog Upd2. We show that on starvation, as a direct consequence of Atg8's lipidation, Upd2 accumulates in the nucleus. We illustrate that Upd2's nuclear retention is critical to fat mobilization and increased starvation resilience. In conclusion, we propose that, during starvation, Atg8's role is not just limited to autophagy but is critical for withholding adipokines in the nucleus to promote starvation resilience.
Impact of COVID-19 restrictions on the postpartum experience of women living in Eastern Canada: A mixed method cohort study
Authors: Dol Justine , Richardson Brianna , Aston Megan , Mcmillan Douglas , Tomblin murphy Gail , Campbell-yeo Marsha
Published: February 2021

Objectives

To (1) compare changes in self-efficacy, social support, postpartum anxiety and postpartum depression in Canadian women collected before (Cohort 1) and during the COVID-19 pandemic (Cohort 2); (2) explore the women felt related to having a newborn during the pandemic; and (3) explore ways that women coped.

Methods

Prior to the pandemic (October 1, 2019-January 1, 2020), an online survey was conducted with women had given birth within the past six months in one of the three Eastern Canadian Maritime provinces (Cohort 1). A second, similar survey was conducted between August 1, 2020 and October 31, 2020 (Cohort 2) during a period of provincial pandemic response to COVID-19.

Results

For Cohort 1, 561 women completed the survey and 331 women in Cohort 2. Cohorts were similar in terms of age of women, parity, and age of newborn. There were no significant differences for self-efficacy, social support, postpartum anxiety, and depression between the cohorts. Difficulties that women reported as a result of COVID-19 restrictions included lack of support from family and friends, fear of COVID-19 exposure, feeling isolated and uncertain, negative impact on perinatal care experience, and hospital restrictions. Having support from partners and families, in-person/virtual support, as well as self-care and the low prevalence of COVID-19 during the summer of 2020 helped women cope.

Conclusion

While there was no significant difference in pre-pandemic and during pandemic psychosocial outcomes, there were still challenges and negative impacts that women identified. Consideration of vulnerable populations is important when making public health recommendations.

What is already known on this subject?

Previous work has shown the importance of social support in the postpartum transition in developing parenting self-efficacy and decreasing postpartum anxiety and depression. However, during the COVID-19 pandemic, women’s mental health, particularly during the perinatal period, has seen an increases in rates of postpartum anxiety and depression.

What this study adds?

This study is able to compare self-efficacy, social support, postpartum anxiety and depression between two cohorts of postpartum women living in Eastern Canada – pre-COVID-19 pandemic and during. While there was no significant difference in pre-pandemic and during pandemic psychosocial outcomes, there were still challenges and negative impacts that women identified.
Functional Architecture of Executive Control and Associated Event-Related Potentials
Authors: Sajad Amirsaman , Errington Steven P. , Schall Jeffrey D.
Published: February 2021

Medial frontal cortex enables executive control by monitoring relevant information and using it to adapt behavior. In macaques performing a saccade countermanding (stop-signal) task, we recorded EEG over and neural spiking across all layers of the supplementary eye field (SEF). We report the laminar organization of concurrently activated neurons monitoring the conflict between incompatible responses and the timing of events serving goal maintenance and executive control. We also show their relation to coincident event-related potentials (ERP). Neurons signaling response conflict were largely broad-spiking found across all layers. Neurons signaling the interval until specific task events were largely broad-spiking neurons concentrated in L3 and L5. Neurons predicting the duration of control and sustaining the task goal until the release of operant control were a mix of narrow- and broad-spiking neurons confined to L2/3. We complement these results with the first report of a monkey homologue of the N2/P3 ERP complex associated with response inhibition. N2 polarization varied with error likelihood and P3 polarization varied with the duration of expected control. The amplitude of the N2 and P3 were predicted by the spike rate of different classes of neurons located in L2/3 but not L5/6. These findings reveal important, new features of the cortical microcircuitry supporting executive control and producing associated ERP.
Separated and overlapping neural coding of face and body identity
Authors: Foster Celia , Zhao Mintao , Bolkart Timo , Black Michael J. , Bartels Andreas , Bülthoff Isabelle
Published: February 2021

Recognising a person’s identity often relies on face and body information, and is tolerant to changes in low-level visual input (e.g. viewpoint changes). Previous studies have suggested that face identity is disentangled from low-level visual input in the anterior face-responsive regions. It remains unclear which regions disentangle body identity from variations in viewpoint, and whether face and body identity are encoded separately or combined into a coherent person identity representation. We trained participants to recognize three identities, and then recorded their brain activity using fMRI while they viewed face and body images of the three identities from different viewpoints. Participants’ task was to respond to either the stimulus identity or viewpoint. We found consistent decoding of body identity across viewpoint in the fusiform body area, right anterior temporal cortex, middle frontal gyrus and right insula. This finding demonstrates a similar function of fusiform and anterior temporal cortex for bodies as has previously been shown for faces, suggesting these regions may play a general role in extracting high-level identity information. Moreover, we could decode identity across neural activity evoked by faces and bodies in the early visual cortex, right inferior occipital cortex, right parahippocampal cortex and right superior parietal cortex, revealing a distributed network that encodes person identity abstractly. Lastly, identity decoding was consistently better when participants attended to identity, indicating that attention to identity enhances its neural representation. These results offer new insights into how the brain develops an abstract neural coding of person identity, shared by faces and bodies.
Disrupted Surfaces of Porous Membranes Reduce Nuclear YAP Localization and Enhance Adipogenesis through Morphological Changes
Authors: Allahyari Zahra , Casillo Stephanie M. , Perry Spencer J. , Peredo Ana P. , Gholizadeh Shayan , Gaborski Thomas R.
Published: February 2021

The disrupted surface of porous membranes, commonly used in tissue-chip and cellular co-culture systems, is known to weaken cell-substrate interactions. Here, we investigated whether disrupted surfaces of membranes with micron and sub-micron scale pores affect YAP localization and differentiation of adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs). We found that these substrates reduce YAP nuclear localization through decreased cell spreading, consistent with reduced cell-substrate interactions, and in turn enhance adipogenesis, while decreasing osteogenesis.

Abstract Figure
Radiolabeling of Subtracted cDNA Probes by Random Oligonucleotide Extension
Authors: Green Michael R. , Sambrook Joseph
Published: February 2021

In this procedure, synthesis of cDNA is performed in the presence of saturating concentrations of all four dNTPs and trace amounts of a single radiolabeled dNTP. After subtraction hybridization, the enriched single-stranded cDNA is radiolabeled to high specific activity in a second synthetic reaction by extension of random oligonucleotide primers using the Klenow fragment of Escherichia coli DNA Pol I. Because the concentrations of dNTP in the first reaction are nonlimiting, both the amounts and size of cDNA generated are greater than those achieved in standard labeling protocols. The subtractive hybridization step can therefore be performed with higher efficiency. Because the resulting population of cDNA is not vulnerable to radiolytic cleavage, it can be stored indefinitely and radiolabeled to higher specific activity when needed. The protocol works best when the cDNA synthesized in the initial synthetic reaction is full length or close to it. For this reason, synthesis of cDNAs is primed by oligo(dT) rather than random hexanucleotide primers. In contrast, the subsequent radiolabeling reaction is primed by random oligonucleotides, yielding shorter DNA products whose size is ideal for hybridization.
Diffuse cutaneous mastocytosis: Identification of KIT mutation and long‐term follow‐up with serum tryptase level
Authors: Shibata Yuka , Hirota Seiichi , Saito Ikuo , Asahina Akihiko
Published: February 2021

Diffuse cutaneous mastocytosis (DCM) is the least common subtype of cutaneous mastocytotis and is generally more severe than other subtypes. We herein report a case of DCM with the consequence of a long‐term follow‐up. A 4‐month‐old boy visited with a 3‐month history of diffuse erythema that gradually worsened. Darier's sign was positive. The plasma histamine level was 4.95 ng/mL, and the serum tryptase and c‐Kit (CD117) levels were 33.3 and 27.4 ng/mL, respectively. Histopathology of the biopsied specimen showed dermal papillary edema and infiltration of mast cells identified by c‐Kit and toluidine blue staining. Amplification and direct sequencing of genomic DNA extracted from the skin biopsy specimen revealed the presence of a deletion of codon 419 in exon 8 (c.1255_1257delGAC [p. Asp419del]). There was no evidence of systemic infiltration of mast cells in this case, and we started topical corticosteroid and oral antihistamine with the diagnosis of DCM. Diffuse erythema subsided constantly with age in parallel with chronological decline of serum tryptase level, and it is no longer apparent presently at the age of 7 years, leaving only faint brown spots. Blister formation did not occur throughout the course. Our case indicates that spontaneous resolution can be expected even in DCM after a long period of time, and that serum tryptase level serves as a good surrogate marker to monitor the clinical course.
Predictive factors of poor blood collecting flow during leukocyte apheresis for cellular therapy
Authors: Konno Saori , Yanagisawa Ryu , Motoki Noriko , Shimodaira Shigetaka
Published: February 2021

Leukocyte apheresis is necessary in various cellular therapies. However, maintenance of a stable flow rate during leukocyte apheresis is often difficult, even in patients or donors without major problems. Despite this, predictive methods and evidence regarding the reality of the situation are limited. We conducted a retrospective analysis involving adult patients who required leukocyte apheresis for the treatment of neoplasms using WT1‐pulsed dendritic cell vaccine. Monocytes were separated from apheresis products to obtain dendritic cells. All the patients were pre‐evaluated based on laboratory and chest X‐ray findings and subjected to an identical apheresis procedure. The occurrence of poor blood collecting flow during leukocyte apheresis was monitored, and the frequency, clinical information, and associated risk factors were analyzed. Among 160 cases, poor blood collecting flow was observed in 53 cases (33.1%) in a median time of 54 min (range, 2–127 min) post‐initiation of leukocyte apheresis. Owing to difficulty in obtaining higher collecting flow, a longer procedure time was required, and in some cases, the scheduled apheresis cycles could not be completed. Consequently, the number of harvested monocytes was low. Multivariable analysis indicated that female patients have an increased risk of poor inlet flow rate. Furthermore, prolonged QT dispersion (QTD) calculated using Bazett's formula was found to be a risk factor. Although the patients did not present any major problems during leukocyte apheresis, poor blood collecting flow was observed in some cases. Sex and pre‐evaluated QTD might be useful predictors for these cases; however, further prospective evaluation is necessary.
Residential aged care staff awareness of and engagement with dementia‐specific support services and education
Authors: Williams Ruth , Ockerby Cherene , Rawson Helen , Redley Bernice , Hutchinson Alison
Published: February 2021

Objective

To examine residential aged care (RAC) staff awareness of and engagement with dementia‐specific support services and education.

Methods

A cross‐sectional survey of staff (n = 179) from 36 Victorian RAC facilities.

Results

60% (n = 107) of respondents were aware of dementia‐specific support services, but only 27% (n = 48) accessed services in the previous 2 years. Approximately 77% (n = 137) were aware of dementia‐specific education, with 66% (n = 115) completing education in the previous 2 years. A significantly higher proportion of registered nurses had accessed dementia‐specific support services in the past 2 years compared with enrolled nurses and personal care assistants (P < 0.001).

Conclusion

A relatively large proportion of RAC staff were unaware of available dementia‐specific support services and education. While approximately two thirds accessed such education, only one in four accessed dementia‐specific support services. To optimise the quality of care for people with dementia, strategies to increase awareness of and access to these resources are warranted.
Overexpression of Krueppel like factor 3 promotes subcutaneous adipocytes differentiation in goat Capra hircus
Authors: He Changsheng , Wang Yong , Xu Qing , Xiong Yan , Zhu Jiangjiang , Lin Yaqiu
Published: February 2021

Previous research reported that KLF3 plays different roles in the regulation of adipose deposition across species. However, the exact function of KLF3 in goat subcutaneous adipocyte remains unknown. Here, the goat KLF3 gene was firstly cloned and showed that the mRNA sequence of the goat KLF3 gene was 1,264 bp (GenBank accession number: KU041753.1) and its coding sequence was 1,037 bp, encoding 345 amino acids with three classic zinc finger domains of KLFs family at its C‐terminus. The alignment of the amino acid sequence of KLF3 among various species demonstrated that goat had the highest homology to that of sheep, presenting 99.4% similarity, while the homology similarity to that of mice presented only 93.62% in contrast. Furthermore, KLF3 had highest mRNA level in fat tissue and lowest level in the heart in comparison. Additionally, the mRNA level of KLF3 gradually tended to increase during adipogenesis. Interestingly, overexpression of KLF3 increased lipid accumulation. In line with this, the gain‐of‐function of KLF3 dramatically elevated the mRNA levels of TG synthetic genes and adipogenic maker genes (p < .01) . Moreover, overexpression of KLF3 upregulated all the potential target genes, except for C/EBPα. These results suggested that KLF3 is a positive regulator for subcutaneous adipocyte differentiation in goats.
Back‐fat thickness as a primary index reflecting the yield and overall acceptance of pork meat
Authors: Hoa Van‐Ba , Seo Hyun‐Woo , Seong Pil‐Nam , Cho Soo‐Hyun , Kang Sun‐Moon , Kim Yun‐Seok , Moon Sung‐Sil , Choi Yong‐Min , Kim Jin‐Hyoung , Seol Kuk‐Hwan
Published: February 2021

Predicting aspects of lean meat yield and eating quality of pork based on some particular carcass traits become increasingly important from an economic profitability point of view. The present study aimed to determine the relationship between the back‐fat (BF) thickness with lean meat yield and meat quality traits of crossbred pigs. A total of 220 crossbred pigs [(Landrace × Yorkshire) ♀ × Duroc ♂] reared under identical conditions and harvested at 180 days old were slaughtered and screened for BF thickness. Four BF thickness groups: 12–15, 16–20, 21–25, and 26–30 mm were classified, and longissimus dorsi (LD) muscles from these groups were used to analyze meat quality characteristics. Results showed that increasing BF thickness decreased the lean meat yield and loin lean area. Increasing BF thickness up to 26–30 mm increased intramuscular fat content and pH of LD muscles. The LD muscles of the thicker BF (21–30 mm) groups received significantly higher flavor, juiciness, and overall acceptability scores than those of the thinner back‐fat (12–20 mm) groups. Overall, when all the pre‐harvest factors are kept the same, BF thickness could be considered as a primary index for predicting lean meat yield, and the minimal back‐fat thickness of 21–30 mm is required to improve the overall acceptability of pork meat.
Evolutionary rescue via transgenerational plasticity: Evidence and implications for conservation
Authors: Harmon Emily A. , Pfennig David W.
Published: February 2021

When a population experiences severe stress from a changing environment, evolution by natural selection can prevent its extinction, a process dubbed “evolutionary rescue.” However, evolution may be unable to track the sort ofrapidenvironmental change being experienced by many modern‐day populations. A potential solution is for organisms to respond to environmental change through phenotypic plasticity, which can buffer populations against change and thereby buy time for evolutionary rescue. In this review, we examine whether this process extends to situations in which the environmentally induced response is passed to offspring. As we describe, theoretical and empirical studies suggest that such “transgenerational plasticity” can increase population persistence. We discuss the implications of this process for conservation biology, outline potential limitations, and describe some applications. Generally, transgenerational plasticity may be effective at buying time for evolutionary rescue to occur.
Iberian oak decline caused byPhytophthora cinnamomi: A spatiotemporal analysis incorporating the effect of host heterogeneities at landscape scale
Authors: Cardillo Enrique , Abad Enrique , Meyer Sebastian
Published: February 2021

The pathogenPhytophthora cinnamomiis considered a main driver of Iberian oak decline (IOD), a forest disease which decimates holm oaks (Quercus ilex) and cork oaks (Quercus suber) in a multipurpose, silvo‐pastoral and seminatural ecosystem of 3.1 million hectares in the south‐west of Europe. Little is known about the spatial dynamics ofPhytophthora cinnamomiand how forest stand characteristics affect the IOD epidemic. Here, we analyse IOD spread over several decades in one such ecosystem by means of a multilevel approach based on (a) identification of diseased sites via repeated aerial imagery at landscape scale, (b) confirmation by subsampling of soil and roots, and iii) an epidemic model accounting for host population heterogeneities. We use a 'self‐exciting' spatiotemporal point process with two additive risk components: an epidemic component represents the inoculum pressure from nearby disease foci, and a background component describes sporadic disease transmission over larger distances or from unobserved sources. Both risk components are found to increase over time, and a lagged power‐law spatial kernel provides the best fit for the observed disease pattern. We estimate that 49% of the secondary infections triggered by a primary source occur within a distance of 250 m. Our results also highlight the role of density and diversity of the host population; we find that the rate of sporadic infections in silvo‐pastoral systems (dehesas) is lower than in forests, and higher in mixed stands and shrub encroached oak lands than in pure stands. These results have direct implications for IOD management, for example the estimated spatial kernel may guide the definition of suitable target areas for localized control measures and help to quantify their success. Our results also suggest that silviculture treatments aimed at controlling the density and species composition of oak stands, as well as the abundance of shrubs, are crucial to the containment of IOD.
The ILAE classification of seizures and the epilepsies: Modification for seizures in the neonate. Position paper by the ILAE Task Force on Neonatal Seizures
Authors: Pressler Ronit M. , Cilio Maria Roberta , Mizrahi Eli M. , Moshé Solomon L. , Nunes Magda L. , Plouin Perrine , Vanhatalo Sampsa , Yozawitz Elissa , de Vries Linda S. , Puthenveettil Vinayan Kollencheri , Triki Chahnez C. , Wilmshurst Jo M. , Yamamoto Hitoshi , Zuberi Sameer M.
Published: February 2021

Seizures are the most common neurological emergency in the neonatal period and in contrast to those in infancy and childhood, are often provoked seizures with an acute cause and may be electrographic‐only. Hence, neonatal seizures may not fit easily into classification schemes for seizures and epilepsies primarily developed for older children and adults. A Neonatal Seizures Task Force was established by the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) to develop a modification of the 2017 ILAE Classification of Seizures and Epilepsies, relevant to neonates. The neonatal classification framework emphasizes the role of electroencephalography (EEG) in the diagnosis of seizures in the neonate and includes a classification of seizure types relevant to this age group. The seizure type is determined by the predominant clinical feature. Many neonatal seizures are electrographic‐only with no evident clinical features; therefore, these are included in the proposed classification. Clinical events without an EEG correlate are not included. Because seizures in the neonatal period have been shown to have a focal onset, a division into focal and generalized is unnecessary. Seizures can have a motor (automatisms, clonic, epileptic spasms, myoclonic, tonic), non‐motor (autonomic, behavior arrest), or sequential presentation. The classification allows the user to choose the level of detail when classifying seizures in this age group.
In situ strength analysis of cross‐ply composite laminates containing defects and interleaved woven layer using a computational micromechanics approach
Authors: Rafie Alireza , Madadi Hamidreza , Farrokhabadi Amin , Herráez Miguel
Published: February 2021

The transverse strength of 90° plies located in cross‐ply laminates subjected to transverse tension is investigated numerically. To reach this aim, it is assumed that the transverse cracking is formed by coalescence of fiber–matrix debonding, which propagates along the planes parallel to the fibers. The two‐dimensional finite element model (FEM) investigates the dominant micromechanical damage mechanisms, fiber–matrix debonding, and matrix cracking using the cohesive zone model (CZM) and plasticity, respectively. The numerical simulation is according to the extended computational micromechanics (ECMM) approach, which can be applied as a useful virtual test method instead of performing costly characterization tests. The results obtained from the present study show that the defects such as voids, imperfections, and residual stresses contribute to reducing the in situ strength of 90° plies. In the case of using an interleaved woven layer, the formation of the first transverse crack in unit cells within 90° layer is delayed.
Getting the message right on nature‐based solutions to climate change
Authors: Seddon Nathalie , Smith Alison , Smith Pete , Key Isabel , Chausson Alexandre , Girardin Cécile , House Jo , Srivastava Shilpi , Turner Beth
Published: February 2021

Nature‐based solutions (NbS)—solutions to societal challenges that involve working with nature—have recently gained popularity as an integrated approach that can address climate change and biodiversity loss, while supporting sustainable development. Although well‐designed NbS can deliver multiple benefits for people and nature, much of the recent limelight has been on tree planting for carbon sequestration. There are serious concerns that this is distracting from the need to rapidly phase out use of fossil fuels and protect existing intact ecosystems. There are also concerns that the expansion of forestry framed as a climate change mitigation solution is coming at the cost of carbon rich and biodiverse native ecosystems and local resource rights. Here, we discuss the promise and pitfalls of the NbS framing and its current political traction, and we present recommendations on how to get the message right. We urge policymakers, practitioners and researchers to consider the synergies and trade‐offs associated with NbS and to follow four guiding principles to enable NbS to provide sustainable benefits to society: (1) NbS are not a substitute for the rapid phase out of fossil fuels; (2) NbS involve a wide range of ecosystems on land and in the sea, not just forests; (3) NbS are implemented with the full engagement and consent of Indigenous Peoples and local communities in a way that respects their cultural and ecological rights; and (4) NbS should be explicitly designed to provide measurable benefits for biodiversity. Only by following these guidelines will we design robust and resilient NbS that address the urgent challenges of climate change and biodiversity loss, sustaining nature and people together, now and into the future.
Utilization and development of systematic reviews in management research: What do we know and where do we go from here?
Authors: Rojon Céline , Okupe Adun , McDowall Almuth
Published: February 2021

Several years since the introduction of systematic review in management research, our paper takes stock of how the methodology has been used thus far to elicit potential areas for improvement and a future best practice agenda. It was our focus to investigate how synthesis methods have been approached and how implications are spelled out for future research, practice and, where relevant, policy. To address this, we conducted a systematic review of systematic reviews published in management research since the early 2000s (N = 391). We found that whilst scholars adopted similar methodological steps, there was variability in focus, with more attention paid to explaining the systematic review methodology protocol and search strategy utilized, than on detailed analysis and synthesis of the included studies’ findings. These aspects should be addressed more explicitly from the outset as an integral aspect of a systematic review protocol to support more refined application of relevant synthesis methods to develop the field. We conclude with a guide for ‘best practice’, including recommendations and published examples where available and an agenda for future refinement.
Development Policy under Fire? The Politicization of European External Relations*
Authors: Hackenesch Christine , Bergmann Julian , Orbie Jan
Published: February 2021

In the past few years decision‐making processes and the normative underpinnings of EU external relations have become subject to intense debate in the European institutions, member states and the wider public. Previous research suggests that there is variation in the extent to which individual domains of EU external relations are politicized and contested. This special issue aims to theorize further and investigate empirically this, using the example of European development policy and its relations with other external policies. We introduce two new mechanisms that drive politicization dynamics. We argue that politicization can be diffused horizontally from one policy field to another, which we call horizontal politicization. We also investigate how the politicization of EU external policies in third countries occurs and influences politicization dynamics in the EU, which we call outside‐in politicization. The introduction to the special issue presents our theoretical approach and summarizes the key findings from the special issue.
The transfer and value of academic inventions when the TTO is one option
Authors: Carayol Nicolas , Sterzi Valerio
Published: February 2021

Although the transfer of professors' inventions is typically performed by an intermediary set up by the university (the technology transfer office), other forms of transfer do coexist in reality. To clarify this situation and its consequences, we develop a model that endogenizes a professor's decision regarding the form of transfer for her invention in which intermediation by the transfer office is only one of two options, the other one being a transfer carried out by the professor herself. The intermediary can reach more potential licensees of the invention, whereas the professor is usually better at mitigating information asymmetry through signaling. In the semiseparating equilibrium of the game, promising technologies are likely to be cherry‐picked and transferred by the professor. This prediction that the transfer mode is influenced by invention quality is tested and confirmed, as are several other predictions, on our sample of 446 UK academic inventors. Specific care is taken to control for other mechanisms of IP assignment, such as those derived from consulting and sponsored research. Insights in terms of policy are drawn from this new perspective focusing on alternative transfer channels, match quality, and information asymmetry rather than on moral hazard.
Dynamic positioning, product innovation, and entry in a vertically differentiated market
Authors: Baron David P.
Published: February 2021

Two firms compete in a market vertically differentiated by the qualities of their products. Each firm produces a single product with profit proportional to product differentiation, and initial product qualities maximize product differentiation. In each period a firm can undertake innovation to increase the quality of its product. Product innovation that widens the quality gap between the firms' products can attract entrants, which can weaken the incentives for innovation. An entrant chooses a product quality in the middle of the quality gap, and its quality is decreasing in the marginal product design cost. Instead of a top dog strategy that makes it a tougher postentry competitor, an incumbent firm uses a smart dog strategy of offering an additional product to forestall entry by narrowing the quality gap. Forestalling entry reduces profit relative to no threat of entry, but the incentive to innovate is preserved by applying an innovation success to the innovator's entire product line. Growth thus is due to new product introduction and innovation by incumbents rather than to creative destruction by entrants. The threat of entry, however, is the cause of the new products, lower prices, and growth.
Lactococcus garvieae isolated from Lake Kariba (Zambia) has low invasive potential in Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus)
Authors: Bwalya Patricia , Hang'ombe Bernard M. , Evensen Øystein , Mutoloki Stephen
Published: February 2021

The pathogenesis of Lactococcus garvieae (L. garvieae) was assessed in Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) following administration by two different routes of infection (intraperitoneal versus immersion), using 180 fish divided into three groups. The first group of fish was injected intraperitoneally (IP) with 3 × 105 colony‐forming units (cfu) of L. garvieae; the second group was infected by immersion (IMM) into water containing 9.6 × 105 cfu/ml L. garvieae, and in group 3 (Control), the fish were injected IP with sterile normal saline. Mortalities were recorded daily, and on 3, 5, 7, and 13 days post‐infection (dpi), liver, kidney, spleen, brain and eyes were sampled. The level of infection between groups was assessed by number of mortalities that occurred, pathology/histopathology of internal organs, bacterial re‐isolation and presence of bacteria in situ determined using immunohistochemistry. A significant difference (p < .0001) was observed between L. garvieae re‐isolation from tilapia following administration by IP injection and IMM. Similarly, more clinical signs and mortalities (p < .001) were observed in the IP group compared to the IMM group where no mortalities were observed. These findings suggest that L. garvieae has a low invasive potential in Nile tilapia with intact skin/external barriers and highlights the importance of maintaining fish without cuts or abrasions under field conditions.
Multiple sclerosis, emotion perception and social functioning
Authors: Radlak Bogna , Cooper Clare , Summers Fiona , Phillips Louise H.
Published: February 2021

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) can experience problems in interpreting others’ emotions from faces or voices. However, to date little is known about whether difficulties in emotion perception in MS are related to broader aspects of social functioning. Also, there are few studies reporting the effect of MS on more ecologically valid assessments of emotion perception using multimodal videos. The current study looks at (1) the effect of MS on perceiving emotions from faces, voices and multimodal videos; (2) the possible role of slowed processing and executive dysfunction in emotion perception problems in MS and (3) the relationship between emotion perception and broader social functioning in MS. 53 people with MS and 31 healthy controls completed tasks of emotion perception and cognition, and assessed their levels of social support and social participation. Participants with MS performed worse than demographically matched controls on all measures of emotion perception. Emotion perception performance was related to cognitive measures in those with MS. Also, significant associations were found between emotion perception difficulties in MS and poorer social function. In particular, people with MS who had poorer emotion perception also reported lower levels of social support from their friends, and regression analysis showed that this prediction was maintained even when disease severity and cognitive function were taken into account. These results show that problems with emotion perception in MS extend to more realistic tasks and may predict key aspects of social functioning.
Possible relationship of upper limb arteries, median and brachial to the twelfth meridian of the human upper limb
Authors: Kumaratilake Jaliya , Lucas Teghan , Henneberg Maciej
Published: February 2021

Approximate location of the 12th meridian in the hand and the forearm in relation to median artery and median nerve.
Multiscale structural characterization of the vertebral endplate in animal models
Authors: Wojtków Magdalena , Głowacki Maciej , Pezowicz Celina
Published: February 2021

Research in the field of spinal biomechanics, including analyses of the impact of implants on the stability of the spine, is conducted extensively in animal models. One of the basic problems in spinal implantation is the transfer and distribution of loads carried by the spine on the surfaces of the vertebral bodies. An important factor in proper cooperation of spinal implants with the vertebrae is the endplate (EP), which is why the EP in the animal model used for testing should be as similar as possible to the human EP. Therefore, this study involved multiscale structural and morphometric analyses of the animal models most commonly used in spinal biomechanics research, i.e. pig, ovine, and bovine tail. The tests were performed on 28 lumbar porcine, ovine, and bovine vertebrae. Both cranial and caudal EPs were analysed in three selected areas: anterior, middle, and posterior EPs. The conducted tests included a morphometric analysis of the trabecular bone (TB) layer of the EP as well as microscopic analysis at the mesoscale (total thickness) and microscale (thickness of the individual EP layers). The porcine EP had a characteristic increased circumferential thickness (~3 mm) with a significant narrowing in the central region (50%–60%). The convex cranial ovine EP had a constant thickness throughout the cross‐section and the concave caudal EP showed ~35% narrowing in the central region. The thickest EPs were observed in the bovine tail model with negligibly small narrowing in the central region (~5%). The thickness of the cartilaginous layer in the porcine and bovine models reached up to 1 mm in the peripheral regions and decreased in the central part. The growth plate layer had a similar thickness in all the models. On the other hand, the narrowing of the total thickness of the EPs in the central region was mainly due to a decrease in the VEP thickness. In the ovine and bovine models, the central region of the EP was characterized by large isotropy and trabeculae of mixed or rod‐like shape. By contrast, in the pig, this region had plate‐like trabeculae of anisotropic nature. The porcine model was identified as best reflecting the shape and structure of the human EP and as the best surrogate model for the human EP model. This choice is particularly important in the context of biomechanical research.
Reflex anuria causing acute kidney injury following myomectomy: A case report
Authors: Tahmina Sultana , Daniel Mary , Kalra Sidhartha
Published: February 2021

Reflex anuria is a rare cause of acute renal failure, which may occur following ureteric manipulation or painful stimuli to adjacent organs during pelvic surgery. This condition, relatively unfamiliar to the general gynecologist, should be considered even when no obvious cause of anatomical obstruction is found. We present a case of reflex anuria in a 28‐year‐old woman for two large intramural fibroids. Evaluation did not reveal any organic obstruction of the urinary tract. Bilateral ureteric stenting and other supportive measures resulted in diuresis and improvement of renal function. Stents were removed after 10 days and patient was discharged on the 15th postoperative day with normal renal parameters. Intrarenal arteriolar spasm or ureteric spasm following pelvic manipulation can cause reflex anuria and should be considered in the differential diagnosis of acute renal failure in cases following pelvic surgery.