bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An Empirical analysis of freight train derailment rates for unit trains and manifest trains
Authors: Zhang Zhipeng , Lin Chen-Yu , Liu Xiang , Bian Zheyong , Dick C Tyler , Zhao Jiaxi , Kirkpatrick Steven
Published: April 2022

Rail is a safe and efficient mode of transporting hazardous materials (hazmat). In the past decade, the hazmat traffic transported by unit trains has significantly increased in the United States. As a result, a comprehensive understanding of the safety and risk of hazmat unit trains is important and can contribute to the identification, evaluation, and implementation of risk mitigation strategies. Limited prior research has focused on unit train derailment risk analysis. This paper develops a quantitative analysis of freight unit train derailment characteristics and compares those statistics to non-unit, manifest trains (mixed trains). Mainline freight train derailment data on Class I railroads between 1996 and 2018 were analyzed for hazmat unit trains, non-hazmat unit trains, and manifest trains. Derailment rates, measured by three traffic exposure metrics (train-miles, ton-miles, and car-miles) were estimated and compared. The analyses showed that a unit train has a 30% lower derailment rate in terms of ton-miles and car-miles than manifest trains, while the derailment rate per million train-miles of unit trains is slightly greater than that of manifest trains. Loaded unit trains have roughly four-fold higher derailment rate in terms of train-miles and car-miles than that of empty unit trains. Within loaded unit trains, hazmat unit trains have lower derailment rates than non-hazmat unit trains. Overall, heavier and shorter loaded unit trains tend to have greater derailment rates in terms of all three traffic exposure metrics. A causal analysis was also conducted for the three types of train. Infrastructure causes were the most frequent in all train types and length followed by equipment-related causes. These statistics provided important information for rational allocation of risk mitigation resources to improve rail hazmat transportation safety.
Re-randomisation trials in multi-episode settings: Estimands and independence estimators
Authors: Kahan Brennan C , White Ian R , Hooper Richard , Eldridge Sandra
Published: April 2022

Often patients may require treatment on multiple occasions. The re-randomisation design can be used in such multi-episode settings, as it allows patients to be re-enrolled and re-randomised for each new treatment episode they experience. We propose a set of estimands that can be used in multi-episode settings, focusing on issues unique to multi-episode settings, namely how each episode should be weighted, how the patient's treatment history in previous episodes should be handled, and whether episode-specific effects or average effects across all episodes should be used. We then propose independence estimators for each estimand, and show the manner in which many re-randomisation trials have been analysed in the past (a simple comparison between all intervention episodes vs. all control episodes) corresponds to a per-episode added-benefit estimand, that is, the average effect of the intervention across all episodes, over and above any benefit conferred from the intervention in previous episodes. We show this estimator is generally unbiased, and describe when other estimators will be unbiased. We conclude that (i) consideration of these estimands can help guide the choice of which analysis method is most appropriate; and (ii) the re-randomisation design with an independence estimator can be a useful approach in multi-episode settings.
Analysis and active control of torsional vibration in range extender with internal combustion engine
Authors: Meng Dejian , Liu Hanyang , Zhang Lijun , Xu Jie
Published: April 2022

The noise of extended-range electric vehicles is an industry concern, with the range extender providing the main noise source. Suppressing torsional vibration is important for reducing the noise of the range extender. A new combined model of system dynamics, generator control, range extender control, and active vibration control is proposed. The working state and torsional vibration characteristics of the model were analyzed under typical working conditions for the start, idling, stable operation, and stop stages. Under steady-state working conditions, for example, idling and stable operation stages, the torsional vibration of the range extender is mainly related to the excitation torque fluctuation of the engine, and when switching the operation stage (e.g., from idling to stable operation), it is mainly related to sudden changes in the generator and engine torque. An active vibration control model—including active torque composition controllers for engine torque fluctuation and switching the operation mode—is established. The simulation showed that active control effectively improved the torsional vibration and provided a new concept for controlling torsional vibration.
Compound fault diagnosis of rolling bearing under variable speed based on generalized demodulation transformation and symplectic geometric mode decomposition
Authors: Ma Ping , Zhang Zhou , Zhang Hongli , Wang Cong
Published: April 2022

In this paper, a superior compound fault diagnosis method of rolling bearing under a variable speed is proposed, which is based on the generalized demodulation transformation and symplectic geometric mode decomposition. First, generalized demodulation transformation is performed on a time-varying non-stationarity compound fault signal to smooth the fault components by calculating the characteristic frequency, phase function, and theoretical fault frequency point. Then, a new signal decomposition method is applied to extract component signals of different frequencies from the smoothed fault components, and the frequency of each extracted component signal is obtained. Finally, the frequencies of the obtained fault components are compared with theoretical fault frequencies to perform decoupling and diagnosis of compound fault. The simulation and experimental analysis results show that the proposed method can effectively decouple different fault components of compound fault without using the order tracking, providing a superior solution for the diagnosis of compound fault under a time-varying rotational speed.
Pre- and Perinatal Risk Factors for Child Maltreatment in Military Families Across the First Two Years of Life
Authors: Sullivan Kathrine S. , Richardson Sabrina , Ross Abigail , Cederbaum Julie A. , Pflieger Jacqueline , Abramovitz Lisa , Bukowinski Anna , Stander Valerie
Published: April 2022

Military families are exposed to a unique constellation of risk factors, which may impact maltreatment outcomes. The present study examined prospective relationships between demographic, health, birth-related, and military-specific risk factors identified prior to a child’s birth on their risk for maltreatment in the first two years of life. Data from the Millennium Cohort Study, Department of Defense (DoD) operational records and Family Advocacy Program data on met-criteria maltreatment, and Birth and Infant Health Research program data on suspected maltreatment were linked for 9076 service member parents. Discrete time survival analysis showed that preterm birth increased risk of maltreatment while parents’ older age, physical health, and service in the Navy or Air Force decreased risk. Building on DoD’s New Parent Support Program, findings suggest the need for universal and targeted prevention efforts, beginning during pregnancy, which limit or eliminate risk factors for maltreatment in military families.
Lack of Association of rs12702634 in RPA3-UMAD1 With Interstitial Lung Diseases in Japanese Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients
Authors: Higuchi Takashi , Oka Shomi , Furukawa Hiroshi , Shimada Kota , Tohma Shigeto
Published: April 2022

Background:

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is occasionally complicated with interstitial lung disease (ILD). A recent genome-wide association study of ILD in RA reported an association with the polymorphism rs12702634 in RPA3-UMAD1. We conducted an association study of this variant with ILD in Japanese RA patients to replicate this association.

Methods:

Genotyping of rs12702634 was performed in 175 RA with ILD and 411 RA without chronic lung disease.

Results:

No association was detected for rs12702634 with ILD in RA ( P = .6369, odds ratio [OR] 1.13, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.72-1.78). Meta-analysis of these data combined with the data from the recent report showed no significant association ( P = .0996, OR 1.52, 95% CI 0.92–2.49).

Conclusions:

The present study demonstrated no association of RPA3-UMAD1 rs12702634 with ILD in RA, suggesting the heterogeneity of the disease.
The European NUTS-level election dataset: A tool to map European electoral geography
Authors: Schraff Dominik , Vergioglou Ioannis , Demirci Buket Buse
Published: April 2022

Datasets on subnational election results in Europe frequently do not match with regional statistics available for cross-national research, mainly because territorial statistical units change over time and do not map onto the national electoral districts. This hinders consistent comparative research across time. This research note introduces EU-NED, a new dataset on subnational election data that covers national and European parliamentary elections for European countries over the past 30 years. EU-NED’s major contribution is that it provides election results on disaggregated levels of the statistical territorial units used by Eurostat with an unprecedented consistency and temporospatial scope. Moreover, EU-NED is integrated with the Party Facts platform, allowing for a seamless integration of party-level data. Using EU-NED, we present first descriptive evidence on the European electoral geography and suggest avenues of how EU-NED can facilitate future comparative political science research in Europe.
An analysis model accounting for time-dependent shear lag effects in assembled composite bridge decks
Authors: Huang Dunwen , Wei Jun , Peng Hui , Guo Hengliang , Wang Bowen
Published: April 2022

The concrete deck of steel-concrete composite bridges made via prefabricated construction consists of precast slabs and construction joints between the slabs. When the age difference between the longitudinal joint concrete and precast slab concrete (new-old concrete) across a beam section is considered, the time-dependent characteristic of the assembled deck is different from that of the whole prefabricated deck. Based on the virtual work principle, differential equations were established to analyse the influence of the time-dependent characteristics of new-old concrete across a beam section on the shear lag effect of the composite beams. The analysis of examples showed that the proposed model was more accurate than the traditional model, which ignores the concrete age difference across a beam section, especially when analysing the long-term stress of joint concrete. The long-term stress of the joint concrete obtained by the proposed model decreased faster than that obtained by the traditional model with time, which increased the non-uniformity of the distribution of stress along the concrete flange. Overall, the proposed model could reasonably forecast the long-term performance of composite beams with assembled decks, which is beneficial to the life-cycle design and service behaviour analysis of composite bridges.
Study on the low cyclic loading test of a new reinforced tenon precast shear wall under different axial compression ratios
Authors: Lu Yinjie , Wu Dongyue , Peng Xiangdong , Wang Xu , Chen Wei , Wang Shilin
Published: April 2022

Precast shear wall is an important structural form of building industrialization and housing industrialization. In order to improve the seismic performance of precast shear wall, the reinforced tenon is presented to improve the shear performance of precast shear wall joints. In order to grasp the further difference of mechanical properties of reinforced tenon precast shear wall under different axial compression ratios, the low cyclic reversed loading tests were carried out on a cast-in-situ shear wall specimen and two reinforced tenon precast shear wall specimens with different axial compression ratios respectively. According to the test results, the hysteresis characteristics, bearing capacity, steel strain, energy dissipation capacity, rigidity degeneration and other seismic performance parameters of the three specimens were analyzed. The test results show that the failure modes of the three specimens were same, which was compression-bending failure. Connection form of reinforced tenon has good shear resistance. The reinforced tenon precast shear wall with the larger axial compression ratio has the worse ductility, the higher bearing capacity and stronger the rigidity.
“Secondary registrants”: A new conceptualization of the spread of community control
Authors: Leon Chrysanthi S , Kilmer Ashley R
Published: April 2022

U.S. policies influence worldwide responses to sexual offending and community control. Individuals in the U.S. convicted of sex offenses experience surveillance and control beyond their sentences, including public registries and residency restrictions. While the targets are the convicted individuals, many registrants have romantic partners, children, and other family members also navigating these restrictions. Findings from a qualitative study using written and interview responses from a hard-to-reach group—family members of registrants (n  =  58)—reveal legal and extra-legal surveillance and control beyond the intended target. We argue that family members are “secondary registrants” enduring both the reach of sex offense policies into their personal lives and targeted harms because of their relationship with a convicted individual, including vigilantism and a “sex offender surcharge.” Family members engage in advocacy work to ameliorate sex offense restrictions to counteract their own stigmatization and social exclusion. Conceptually, secondary registration captures the unique and expansive reach of policy, state surveillance, and coercion on registrant family members and raises new concerns about spillover harm. Secondary registration demonstrates an understudied example of the neoliberal penal practice of de-centering the state but with the addition of deep stigmatization and the spread of sovereign and vigilante violence onto families.
In feminism we trust! On how feminist standpoint epistemologies shape journalism practices in two argentine digital newsrooms
Authors: Cabas-Mijares Ayleen
Published: April 2022

In this exploratory study, I conduct a textual analysis of the online content produced by two Argentine feminist news outlets, LatFem and Diario Digital Femenino (DDF) to examine how feminist standpoint epistemologies (FSE) shape news-making. The findings show that these newsrooms showcase features of a strong reflexivity which allows journalists to consider their own position in the social fabric, to contextualize their journalistic practices, and to question instances of systemic discrimination. Furthermore, the use of FSE enables the expression of solidarity and advocacy by reporters. I argue that the intervention to journalism as performed by feminist Argentine journalists and editors yields profound transformations to journalism practice and news content, as FSE destabilize and complicate traditional notions of journalistic objectivity and its role in democratic societies.
Work-family integration and segmentation in the gig economy: An exploratory study on Airbnb hosts' experiences
Authors: de Janasz Suzanne C , Kim Sowon , Schneer Joy A , Beutell Nicholas J , Wong Carol
Published: April 2022

Currently, there are four million hosts on Airbnb worldwide (Airbnb (2021). Although the number of Airbnb hosts keeps on rising, little is known about their experiences, as most studies on accommodation sharing services have predominantly focused on guests’ perspectives. This exploratory study investigates the work-family experiences of Airbnb hosts. Following preliminary interviews, we recruited Airbnb hosts to complete an online survey in which we examined the relationships between hosts’ preference for managing their work-family responsibilities (segmentation vs integration) in relation to work-family conflict, satisfaction, and intention to stay with Airbnb, and life satisfaction. Our results—from 136 respondents—indicated that Airbnb hosts who prefer segmentation (separating work and family) experience higher work-family conflict, which was associated with lower job satisfaction, life satisfaction, and intention to stay, compared to those who prefer integration (mixing work and family). Indirect effects were also found; work-family conflict mediated the relationship between segmentation preference and the studied outcomes. Findings suggest that work-family conflict needs to be re-examined in light of the unique demands associated with the gig economy. This study breaks new ground by investigating the work-family lives of Airbnb hosts, with important consequences for individuals, families, guests, and communities.
A convolutional neural network for pipe crack and leak detection in smart water network
Authors: Zhang Chi , Alexander Bradley J. , Stephens Mark L. , Lambert Martin F. , Gong Jinzhe
Published: April 2022

The implementation of a smart water network (SWN) is viewed as a strategic approach to address many challenges faced by water utilities, such as pipe leak detection and main break prevention. This paper develops a convolutional neural network (CNN)–based model to classify acoustic wave files collected by the South Australian Water Corporation’s (SA Water’s) SWN over the city of Adelaide. The VGGish model (VGG refers to the team who developed the model—Visual Geometry Group) is selected as a suitable transfer learning model to extract features from wave files. The CNN model classifies an acoustic wave file as an anomaly or other background or environmental noise. Identification of a wave file as an anomaly triggers a Siamese CNN model to determine whether it is related to a regular/irregular scheduled event (for example, irrigation system near public parks or water consumption by large buildings). A field investigation is initiated if a wave file is classified as an anomaly and it is not related to a scheduled event. The developed models have been validated using data that is recorded by SWN in Adelaide. This validation data set comprises 1098 wave files, which are recorded by 34 accelerometers and are associated with 32 known leaks. The validation results shown that accuracy of alarms generated by the developed models is 92.44%. The validations confirm the developed models as an effective tool for water pipeline leak and crack detection, which, in turn, enables proactive management of the pipeline assets.
Estimating tread width values for stair design appropriated to people’s comfort and safety needs with adaptive network-based fuzzy inference system
Authors: Diker Fadime , Arslan Mesut , Erkan İlker
Published: April 2022

In this study, it is aimed to develop an adaptive network-based fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) model that can estimate tread width values based on the physical characteristics of people and suitable for comfort and safety needs. The input values were obtained by measuring the height, step, and shoe sole lengths of the sample group of 200 people. For the tread width value to be used as output value, a prototype stair model in which different step sizes can be experienced was used. The tread width value obtained by using the test data in the developed ANFIS model was compared with the tread width value obtained from the experimental study. It has been concluded that the ANFIS model developed as a result of the comparison can be used as an efficient tool in estimating the value of stair tread width, which can meet people’s physical comfort needs.
A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials for Intimate Partner Violence: The Effects of the Programs Based on Their Purposes
Authors: Park Sihyun , Kim Sin-Hyang
Published: April 2022

Background: Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a complex global problem that has serious health consequences for victims. Many intervention programs have been introduced for IPV, with various target populations, purposes, designs, and outcomes. However, a consensus has not been reached regarding which type of program has the greatest impact. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the effects of existing interventions on IPV risk and to compare the effects of the interventions based on their purposes and designs. Method: A systematic review and meta-analytic method were utilized in this study. Through a rigorous database search, 13 randomized controlled trials that met the inclusion and exclusion criteria were selected and included in the analysis. Results: The included interventions had a small effect size, which was statistically significant. The couple interventions aiming to reduce the risk of IPV perpetration and victimization simultaneously showed the greatest impact, compared to bystander interventions and interventions targeting either perpetrators or victims. The interventions aiming to reduce the risk of IPV perpetration showed a significant impact on changing gender equality-related knowledge and attitudes, and those aiming to reduce the risk of IPV victimization were effective in increasing knowledge and changing attitudes related to traditional norms, empowerment, and health conditions. The interventions targeting bystanders showed significant effects on increasing bystander-related attitudes and behaviors. Conclusion: Our findings provide strong evidence for future intervention programs for IPV. Long-term research to follow-up actual IPV reductions after interventions will be needed to confirm the findings of this study.
Impact resistance of pre-deformed stab of multi-ply three-dimensional interlock polymeric fabrics
Authors: Li Mengru , Boussu François , Soulat Damien , Luo Jie , Wang Peng
Published: April 2022

The high-performance fibres are employed largely as reinforced polymer fabrics and composites in the flexible and stiff stab-resistant personal protection equipment. To simulate the knife attack on the human body, a new methodology named pre-deformed stabbing is developed to characterise the stab performance taking into account the fabric’s deformations. Three-dimensional warp interlock fabrics (3DWIFs) were manufactured using high-molecular-weight polyethylene (HMWPE) yarns. The forming was performed on the tested 3DWIFs before the stabbing. The stabbing results are influenced by the different mode deformations created during the forming. Based on the in-plane shearing map, three different stabbing locations were chosen. The effect of locations on the stab resistance of 3DWIFs was explored with the same impact energy level. The effect of stabbing localization on the deformed fabric is significant. The shear-locking angle in the location area is critical for the stab resistance of both [0°/90°]8 and [0°/90°, −45°/45°]4 deformed fabrics in the studied cases.
The Data-Driven Myth and the Deceptive Futurity of “the World’s Fastest Growing Games Region”: Selling the Southeast Asian Games Market via Game Analytics
Authors: Wong K.T.
Published: April 2022

This article aims to illuminate how game analytics have discursively shaped the mainstream perception of Southeast Asia as a regional games market through a qualitative analysis of the data and discourses in three market reports by Newzoo, an influential game analytics company that played a pivotal role in pioneering market research about the region. By reconceiving the futurity of Southeast Asia in terms of capitalist temporality, these reports envision the region as a games market of perpetual capitalist growth through data-led approaches. Despite its limitations, the compelling conception of Southeast Asia as “the world’s fastest growing games market” has become a powerful myth that exerts profound influence on how the public conceive the region as a gaming space.
Don’t be a Square: The processing mechanisms characterising the elemental dimensions of width and height
Authors: Liu Yanjun , Townsend James T , Wenger Michael J
Published: April 2022

What are the geometric and information processing characteristics of elementary figures composed of simple physical dimensions? There have been a number of investigations of perception of rectangles, including debate about configurality (e.g., integrality and gestalt properties) as well as the prime perceptual dimensions. Yet, because of ambiguity even in the “right” definition of configurality and an absence of penetrating methodologies, there is still little known concerning the information processing of these patterns. To this end, the present study brings together two separate theory-driven methodologies, general recognition theory (GRT) and systems factorial technology (SFT). The first attacks the problem of dimensional interactions while the latter seeks to uncover process characteristics such as architecture, decisional stopping rules, and workload capacity. The same observers and as much as possible, the same stimuli were used in both approaches. Through our GRT analyses, we found strong evidence for dependencies between the percepts of height and width on both within-stimulus and cross-stimulus bases. Height perception was better with narrow widths and width perception was superior with short heights. In addition, a significant positive within-trial correlation of dimensions was evidenced within squares but not with rectangles. Our SFT initiative uncovered consistent signatures of parallelism paired with super capacity, the latter appearing both through the traditional conditioning on being correct and still present when modest speed accuracy trade-off was accounted for. Thus, the SFT and GRT inferences were quite compatible with a plausible cause of the positive correlations being across-channel facilitatory interactions which led to super capacity processing.
Telomere length and stroke recurrence after ischemic stroke and TIA
Authors: Zhang Xing , Cheng Si , Li Zixiao , Gu Hongqiu , Jiang Yingyu , Li Hao , Meng Xia , Wang Yongjun
Published: April 2022

Background and Objective:

Shortening telomere length (TL), as an indicator of aging, has been associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease and incident stroke. However, there are limited data relating to the association between TL and recurrent stroke.

Methods:

Patients from the Third China National Stroke Registry who had whole genome sequencing (WGS) were selected. TL was estimated using TelSeq based on binary sequence alignment/map files derived from WGS data. Cox proportional hazards regression models were performed to assess the association of TL with recurrent stroke.

Results:

A total of 8041 patients with ischemic stroke (IS) or transient ischemic attack (TIA) were included. Mean TL was 2.14 ± 0.82 kb. Patients in the lowest tertile of TL had higher incidence of stroke recurrence compared to those in the middle and highest tertile (6.4% vs 5.9% vs 5.2%), but the difference was not longer significant after adjusting for age, sex, cardiovascular risk factors and stroke severity. Similarly, when analyzing TL as a continuous variable, the HR per 1000 bp increase in TL was significant 0.88 (0.79–0.98), but after adjusting for co-variates, was no longer significant (0.91; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.81–1.02). In patients aged > 65 years, but not in younger patients, after adjusting for co-variates, TL was significantly associated with stroke recurrence. Compared to the lowest tertile, HRs (95% CI) after adjustment for all co-variates for the middle and highest tertiles were 0.78 (0.55–1.10) and 0.67 (0.46–0.98), respectively, with p for trend of 0.03. In analyses using TL as a continuous variable, adjusted HR (95% CI) per 1000 bp increase in TL was 0.80 (0.66–0.96). However, there was no significant interaction between TL and age on risk of stroke recurrence ( p for interaction = 0.09).

Conclusions:

In Chinese IS or TIA patients, no independent association was found between TL and risk of stroke recurrence after adjusting for co-variates. We found a possible association in older patients but this needs replicating.
Blast retrofit of one-way reinforced concrete members using externally bonded FRP and FRP anchorage
Authors: Jackson Christopher M. , Jacques Eric , Saatcioglu Murat
Published: April 2022

This paper presents the results of nine as-built and carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) retrofitted reinforced concrete panels subjected to simulated blast loading using a pneumatically operated shock tube. The objective of the study was to characterize the blast response of CFRP retrofitted reinforced concrete panels, with and without supplemental mechanical anchorage applied to the CFRP. The results indicate that retrofitting can significantly increase the strength and stiffness of reinforced concrete flexure members and greatly enhance the displacement time-history response over non-retrofitted members. Debonding of the externally bonded CFRP was the failure mode for all retrofitted members. FRP anchors, designed to prevent or delay debonding failures through mechanical end-anchorage, were found to substantially enhance the performance of panels experiencing critical diagonal crack debonding. However, the FRP anchors were found to have no substantial effect on retrofit performance for the case plate-end interfacial debonding failures. In addition, the displacement time-histories for as-built and FRP retrofitted panel obtained through detail single degree of freedom analysis were found correlate well with those obtained experimentally. Finally, a discussion on the practical considerations of using externally bonded FRP retrofits to resist blast loads and recommendations for protective design are presented.
Association Between Virtual Care Use and Same-Day Primary Care Access in VA Primary Care-Mental Health Integration
Authors: Haderlein Taona P. , Dobalian Aram , Raja Pushpa V. , Der-Martirosian Claudia
Published: April 2022

Introduction:

Same-day referrals from primary care to mental health increase subsequent mental health treatment engagement. VA Primary Care-Mental Health Integration (PC-MHI) clinics offer integrated mental health services embedded in primary care clinics, providing a key entry point to mental health care. Although telehealth use expanded rapidly after the onset of COVID-19, the impact of telehealth on same-day primary care access among new PC-MHI mental health patients is unknown. To address this knowledge gap, we examined associations between telehealth use and same-day primary care access in VA PC-MHI.

Methods:

We examined electronic health record data to identify same-day primary care appointments among PC-MHI patients who initiated care during 3/1/2018 to 10/29/2021. We used logistic regression analyses to evaluate the effect of telehealth on same-day primary care access. Time, demographic characteristics, mental health diagnoses (PTSD and depression), and substance use disorder diagnosis were evaluated as covariates.

Results:

New PC-MHI patients who were seen via telehealth were less likely to receive same-day primary care access than patients seen in person (OR: 0.54; 95% CI: 0.41-0.71; P < .001).

Conclusions:

Despite the potential advantages of using telehealth to increase access, VA patients with an initial PC-MHI visit via telehealth were less likely than patients seen in person to be referred from primary care. Telehealth may adversely affect primary care referrals to mental health services, an outcome that could ultimately reduce specialty mental health care continuity. There is an urgent need to identify strategies to facilitate PC-MHI care coordination in the telehealth context.
Prothrombin G20210A Gene Mutation-Induced Recurrent Deep Vein Thrombosis and Pulmonary Embolism: Case Report and Literature Review
Authors: Elkattawy Sherif , Alyacoub Ramez , Singh Kerry S. , Fichadiya Hardik , Kessler William
Published: April 2022

Inherited thrombophilia is an important cause of venous thrombosis. The Factor V Leiden (FVL) is the most commonly encountered mutation, followed by the prothrombin G20210A gene mutation (PTM). The typical venous thrombotic events (VTEs) associated with PTM mutations are deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolisms (PE). The PTM is inherited in an autosomal dominant pattern with variable penetrance. While heterozygous PTM mutations are more frequent and well documented in the literature, rare cases of homozygous PTM mutations are also reported. In this report, we discuss a 56-year-old male with a past medical history of homozygous prothrombin gene mutation (G20210A) who presented with an unprovoked DVT of the right lower extremity involving both the proximal and distal veins associated with multiple bilateral PEs. This case is unique in terms of the homozygous PTM inheritance, the age at which the patient presented (usually presentation is earlier in life), and the fact that he had a recurrence of both DVT and PE simultaneously.
A Case of Thyroidal Coccidioidal Infection
Authors: Raza Nadia , Heidari Arash
Published: April 2022

Infection of the thyroid gland with Coccidioides immitis is rare. We report a case with disseminated coccidiomycosis involving thyroid gland as a thyroid nodule. Although historical autopsy studies have indicated that coccidioidal involvement of the thyroid gland can infrequently occur as part of disseminated infection, to our knowledge, only less than 10 other cases have been reported. Optimal treatment duration and dosage of medication are uncertain in literature of this rare involvement of thyroid gland with coccidioidomycosis.
A Short Course of Prednisolone in Patients With Moderate Covid 19 Respiratory Failure- Stop the Progression a Case Series
Authors: Ventour Dale , Sieunarine Rheana , Gopaul Chavin
Published: April 2022

Covid 19 positive patients requiring oxygen therapy to maintain saturations above 90% were given a trial of oral prednisolone between 15 and 30 mg until they were weaned to room air maintaining saturations >95%. This treatment resulted in the rapid resolution of worsening respiratory function of 4 Covid 19 positive patients within the High Dependency unit in a tertiary medical center. The cases are from the “first wave” in Trinidad, March 2020. The signs and symptoms of respiratory failure resolved after 72 hours of prednisolone treatment and none of these patients were escalated to non-invasive or invasive respiratory support. The patients were kept for a further 48 hours after the steroids were discontinued to monitor for relapse of symptoms, all patients were discharged home after quarantine. The initiation of a prednisolone steroid trial must be considered in Covid 19 positive patients needing supplementary oxygen therapy or developing worsening shortness of breath. Early Covid respiratory failure responds to a low dose for a short duration and prevents escalation to non-invasive/invasive respiratory support.
‘The Birth of the Virtual Choir’: Exploring the multimodal realisation of the Covid-19 liminal space in a YouTube virtual choir performance
Authors: Kerry Victoria J
Published: April 2022

As countries around the world went into lockdown in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic, people looked for virtual ways of reducing social isolation. Amongst these online interactions, a relatively new phenomenon – the virtual choir – grew in popularity. As part of a wider study on virtual choirs, this study analyses the multimodal performance of, and textual audience responses to, ‘The Birth of the Virtual Choir’, posted on YouTube in June 2020. The study uses a combination of Mediated Discourse Analysis (Norris and Jones, 2005) and the theoretical concept of liminality (Turner, 1974; van Gennep, 1960) as a means of understanding how one performance in this new genre was used to reflect personal crises during the pandemic and enforced lockdowns. It argues that the song mirrors a process of separation, transition and reaggregation in both time and space, consistent with rites of passages and liminal experiences, whereby social actors are isolated, use creative ways to find order to the chaos, then reintegrate into society as changed subjects. It also demonstrates how online creativity and illusion highlighted one choir’s experience on life and lockdowns during the Covid-19 pandemic, many of which appeared to ring true for their wider audience and other virtual choirs being born into the Covid era.
Identification and prognostic analysis of biomarkers to predict the progression of pancreatic cancer patients
Authors: Li Wei , Li Tiandong , Sun Chenguang , Du Yimeng , Chen Linna , Du Chunyan , Shi Jianxiang , Wang Weijie
Published: April 2022

Background

Pancreatic cancer (PC) is a malignancy with a poor prognosis and high mortality. Surgical resection is the only “curative” treatment. However, only a minority of patients with PC can obtain surgery. Improving the overall survival (OS) rate of patients with PC is still a major challenge. Molecular biomarkers are a significant approach for diagnostic and predictive use in PCs. Several prediction models have been developed for patients newly diagnosed with PC that is operable or patients with advanced and metastatic PC; however, these models require further validation. Therefore, precise biomarkers are urgently required to increase the efficiency of predicting a disease-free survival (DFS), OS, and sensitivity to immunotherapy in PC patients and to improve the prognosis of PC.

Methods

In the present study, we first evaluated the highly and selectively expressed targets in PC, using the GeoMxTM Digital Spatial Profiler (DSP) and then, we analyzed the roles of these targets in PCs using TCGA database.

Results

LAMB3, FN1, KRT17, KRT19, and ANXA1 were defined as the top five upregulated targets in PC compared with paracancer. The TCGA database results confirmed the expression pattern of LAMB3, FN1, KRT17, KRT19, and ANXA1 in PCs. Significantly, LAMB3, FN1, KRT19, and ANXA1 but not KRT17 can be considered as biomarkers for survival analysis, univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazards model, and risk model analysis. Furthermore, in combination, LAMB3, FN1, KRT19, and ANXA1 predict the DFS and, in combination, LAMB3, KRT19, and ANXA1 predict the OS. Immunotherapy is significant for PCs that are inoperable. The immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) analysis indicated that higher expressions of FN1 or ANXA1 are correlated with lower ICB response. In contrast, there are no significant differences in the ICB response between high and low expression of LAMB3 and KRT19.

Conclusions

In conclusion, LAMB3, FN1, KRT19, and ANXA1 are good predictors of PC prognosis. Furthermore, FN1 and ANXA1 can be predictors of immunotherapy in PCs.
Imageless navigation for primary total hip arthroplasty: a meta-analysis study
Authors: Migliorini Filippo , Cuozzo Francesco , Oliva Francesco , Eschweiler Joerg , Hildebrand Frank , Maffulli Nicola
Published: April 2022

Background

There has been a growing interest in imageless navigation for primary total hip arthroplasty (THA). Its superiority over standard THA is debated. This meta-analysis compared surgical duration, implant positioning, Harris Hip Score and rate of dislocation of imageless navigation versus conventional THA.

Methods

The present study was conducted according to the PRISMA 2020 guidelines. All the clinical trials comparing imageless navigation versus conventional for primary THA were accessed. In January 2022, the following databases were accessed: PubMed, Web of Science, Google Scholar and Embase. No time constraints were used for the search. The outcomes of interest were to compare cup inclination and anteversion, leg length discrepancy, surgical duration, Harris Hip Score and rate of dislocation of imageless navigation versus conventional THA.

Results

Twenty-one studies (2706 procedures) were retrieved. Fifty-two percent of patients were women. There was between-group comparability at baseline in terms of age, body mass index (BMI), visual analogue scale, Harris Hip Score and leg length discrepancy (P > 0.1). Compared with conventional THA, the navigated group demonstrated slightly lower leg length discrepancy (P = 0.02) but longer duration of the surgical procedure (P < 0.0001). Cup anteversion (P = 0.6) and inclination (P = 0.5), Harris Hip Score (P = 0.1) and rate of dislocation (P = 0.98) were similar between the two interventions.

Conclusion

Imageless navigation may represent a viable option for THA.
DualGCN: a dual graph convolutional network model to predict cancer drug response
Authors: Ma Tianxing , Liu Qiao , Li Haochen , Zhou Mu , Jiang Rui , Zhang Xuegong
Published: April 2022

Background

Drug resistance is a critical obstacle in cancer therapy. Discovering cancer drug response is important to improve anti-cancer drug treatment and guide anti-cancer drug design. Abundant genomic and drug response resources of cancer cell lines provide unprecedented opportunities for such study. However, cancer cell lines cannot fully reflect heterogeneous tumor microenvironments. Transferring knowledge studied from in vitro cell lines to single-cell and clinical data will be a promising direction to better understand drug resistance. Most current studies include single nucleotide variants (SNV) as features and focus on improving predictive ability of cancer drug response on cell lines. However, obtaining accurate SNVs from clinical tumor samples and single-cell data is not reliable. This makes it difficult to generalize such SNV-based models to clinical tumor data or single-cell level studies in the future.

Results

We present a new method, DualGCN, a unified Dual Graph Convolutional Network model to predict cancer drug response. DualGCN encodes both chemical structures of drugs and omics data of biological samples using graph convolutional networks. Then the two embeddings are fed into a multilayer perceptron to predict drug response. DualGCN incorporates prior knowledge on cancer-related genes and protein–protein interactions, and outperforms most state-of-the-art methods while avoiding using large-scale SNV data.

Conclusions

The proposed method outperforms most state-of-the-art methods in predicting cancer drug response without the use of large-scale SNV data. These favorable results indicate its potential to be extended to clinical and single-cell tumor samples and advancements in precision medicine.
Mass recalibration for desorption electrospray ionization mass spectrometry imaging using endogenous reference ions
Authors: Inglese Paolo , Huang Helen Xuexia , Wu Vincen , Lewis Matthew R. , Takats Zoltan
Published: April 2022

Background

Mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) data often consist of tens of thousands of mass spectra collected from a sample surface. During the time necessary to perform a single acquisition, it is likely that uncontrollable factors alter the validity of the initial mass calibration of the instrument, resulting in mass errors of magnitude significantly larger than their theoretical values. This phenomenon has a two-fold detrimental effect: (a) it reduces the ability to interpret the results based on the observed signals, (b) it can affect the quality of the observed signal spatial distributions.

Results

We present a post-acquisition computational method capable of reducing the observed mass drift by up to 60 ppm in biological samples, exploiting the presence of typical molecules with a known mass-to-charge ratio. The procedure, tested on time-of-flight and Orbitrap mass spectrometry analyzers interfaced to a desorption electrospray ionization (DESI) source, improves the molecular annotation quality and the spatial distributions of the detected ions.

Conclusion

The presented method represents a robust and accurate tool for performing post-acquisition mass recalibration of DESI-MSI datasets and can help to increase the reliability of the molecular assignment and the data quality.
Cellulose-mediated floc formation by the activated sludge bacterium Shinella zoogloeoides ATCC 19623
Authors: Gao Na , Dai Jingcheng , Liu Yaqi , Li Shuyang , Wang Jing , Lu Wenxuan , Qiu Dongru
Published: April 2022

Background

Bacterial floc formation plays a central role in the activated sludge (AS) process. The formation of AS flocs has long been known to require exopolysaccharide biosynthesis. We had demonstrated that both expolysaccharides and PEP-CTERM (a short C-terminal domain includes a near-invariant motif Pro-Glu-Pro (PEP)) proteins were required for floc-forming in Zoogloea resiniphila MMB, a dominant AS bacterium. However, the PEP-CTERM proteins are not encoded in the genome of AS bacterium Shinella zoogloeoides ATCC 19623 (formerly known as Zoogloea ramigera I-16-M) and other sequenced AS bacteria strains. The mechanism underlying floc formation of Shinella and related AS bacteria remained largely unclear.

Results

In this study, we have sequenced and annotated the complete genome of S. zoogloeoides ATCC 19623 (aka I-16-M), previously isolated in USA and treated as the neotype for the AS floc-forming bacterium Zoogloea ramigera I-16-M, and another AS strain XJ20 isolated in China. Mariner transposon mutagenesis had been conducted to isolate floc-forming-deficient mutants in the strain ATCC 19623 as previously performed by using Tn5 transposon three decades ago. The transposon insertional sites of multiple mutants were mapped to the gene cluster for bacterial cellulose synthesis (bcs) and secretion, and the role played by these genes in floc-formation had been further confirmed by genetic complementation. Interestingly, the restriction map of this bcs locus-flanking region was highly similar to that of the previously identified DNA fragment required for floc-formation in 1980s. Cellulase treatment abolished the floc-forming phenotype of S. zoogloeoides ATCC 19623 but not that of Z. resiniphila MMB strain. The FTIR spectral analyses revealed that the samples extracted from S. zoogloeoides ATCC 19623 were cellulose polymer.

Conclusion

Our results indicated that we have largely reproduced and completed the unfinished pioneering work on AS floc-formation mechanism, demonstrating that the floc-formation and flocculating capability of Shinella were mediated by extracellular cellulose polymers.
Characterization of microbiome and metabolite analyses in patients with metabolic associated fatty liver disease and type II diabetes mellitus
Authors: Yang Qiuping , Zhang Leisheng , Li Qian , Gu Man , Qu Qiu , Yang Xinglong , Yi Qinghua , Gu Kunli , Kuang Linli , Hao Mei , Xu Jing , Yang Hongju
Published: April 2022

Background

State-of-the-art renewal has indicated the improvement of diagnostics of patients with metabolic associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) and/or type II diabetes mellitus (T2DM) by dissecting the clinical characteristics as well as genomic analysis. However, the deficiency of the characterization of microbial and metabolite signatures largely impedes the symptomatic treatment.

Methods

For the purpose, we retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 20 patients with MAFLD (short for “M”), 20 cases with MAFLD and T2DM (short for “MD”), together with 19 healthy donors (short for “Ctr”). Microbial and metabolite analyses were further conducted to explore the similarities and differences among the aforementioned populations based on feces and blood samples, respectively.

Results

Compared with those in the Ctr group, patients with M or MD revealed multifaceted similarities (e.g., Age, ALP, LDL, BUN) and distinctions in clinical indicators of liver (e.g., BMI, ALT, PCHE, CAP). With the aid of microbial and metabolite analyses as well as bioinformatic analyses, we found that the characteristics of gut microbiota (e.g., abundance, hierarchical clustering, cladogram, species) and lipid metabolism (e.g., metabolite, correlation coefficient and scatter plot) were distinct among the indicated groups.

Conclusions

The patients with MD revealed multifaceted similarities and distinctions in characteristics of microbiome and metabolites with those in the M and HD groups, and in particular, the significantly expressed microbes (e.g., Elusimicrobiota, Berkelbacteria, Cyanobacteria, Peregrinibacteria) and lipid metabolites (e.g., Lipid-Q-P-0765, Lipid-Q-P-0216, Lipid-Q-P-0034, Lipid-Q-P-0800), which would collectively benefit the clinical diagnosis of MAFLD and T2DM.