bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Management of hard-to-heal leg ulcers with an acid-oxidising solution versus standard of care: the MACAN study
Authors: Strohal Robert , Mittlböck Martina , Müller Werner , Hämmerle Gilbert
Published: September 2021

Objective:

The efficacy of available wound dressings in the treatment of hard-to-heal wounds is limited. A new therapeutic approach using an acid-oxidising solution (AOS) was developed. Its effect on healing progress, tolerability and safety properties were investigated in a clinical study, and compared with standard of care (SOC) wound dressings. The study aimed to demonstrate the non-inferiority of AOS to SOC in terms of wound healing progress.

Method:

This open-label, randomised controlled trial was conducted at two study centres in Austria with patients with either infected or non-infected hard-to-heal leg ulcers of different aetiology. Patients were treated for six weeks either with AOS or SOC wound dressings. Outcome assessments included the percentage of granulation and re-epithelialisation tissue, wound size reduction, changes in wound pH, infection control and wound pain, local tolerability and adverse events (AEs). Healing time and rate were also assessed.

Results:

A total of 50 patients took part. In the AOS group, wounds exhibited higher amounts of granulation and re-epithelialisation tissue, and a faster and more pronounced wound size reduction compared with wounds in the SOC group. In the AOS-treated versus SOC-treated patients, a greater percentage of complete healing of hard-to-heal ulcers was achieved by the end of the study period (32% versus 8%, respectively). Furthermore, the wound pH decreased significantly faster in these wounds (p<0.0001). In all patients with infected leg ulcers, local infection was overcome more rapidly under AOS treatment. In the AOS group, one AE and no serious adverse events (SAEs) were detected versus 24 AEs and two SAEs in the SOC group.

Conclusion:

In this study, AOS proved to be a highly effective treatment to support wound healing in infected or non-infected hard-to-heal leg ulcers of different aetiology. Efficacy was found to be not only non-inferior but superior to SOC wound dressings. Furthermore, tolerability and safety profiles were favourable for AOS.
Not all superabsorbent wound dressings are born equal: theory and experiments
Authors: Gefen Amit
Published: September 2021

Among the advanced wound dressing types, superabsorbent (SA) dressings form an important class of dressings, particularly for the management of medium to highly exuding wounds. However, SA dressings are not all made the same. This educational article describes distinct, common SA dressing designs, which differ fundamentally in structure and composition, and, thereby, in their exudate absorption function and clinical efficacy. The diverse design families of SA dressings, including dressings with an SA polymer-sheet core, versus dressings with an air laid core, where the SA polymer grains are embedded in fluff, relate to different manufacturing processes, production techniques and associated fabrication costs. These fundamental structural and material differences across SA dressing designs from different manufacturers naturally lead to wide variations in the fluid handling characteristics of the products, which are analysed here using both theoretical and experimental bioengineering laboratory approaches. This work is primarily aimed at promoting critical thinking among health professionals who should ask manufacturers to present relevant testing data for an informed clinical decision-making with regards to the choice of the safest and best performing SA dressing for each treated wound case.
An advanced self-care delivery model for leg ulcer management: a service evaluation
Authors: Hallas-Hoyes Laura , Williamson Stephanie , Kerr Andrew , Andrews Trevor , Calladine Leanne
Published: September 2021

Background:

Lower limb ulceration is a common cause of suffering in patients and its management poses a significant burden on the NHS, with venous leg ulcers (VLUs) being the most common hard-to-heal wound in the UK. It is estimated that over one million patients in the UK have lower limb ulceration, of which 560,000 were categorised as VLUs, with a cost burden of over £3 billion each year.

Objective:

The aim of this service evaluation was to assess the effects of implementing a self-care delivery model on clinical outcomes with the intention of limiting face-to-face health professional contact to one appointment every 6 weeks.

Method:

A suitability assessment was conducted and a cohort of patients were moved to a self-care delivery model. Patient data were collected, anonymised and independently analysed, comparing time to healing against data on file from a previous report.

Results:

This highlighted that, in 84 of the 95 patients selected, the VLUs had healed by week 24 on the pathway, a further 10 patients' VLUs had healed by week 42 and only one remaining patient reached 42 weeks without healing.

Conclusion:

These results support the hypothesis that patients with VLUs can self-care and deliver clinical effectiveness. It is recommended that all services explore the possibility of introducing a self-care model for VLU care.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy for paediatric patients: an unintended consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: El Hawa Areeg A Abu , Bekeny Jenna C , Phillips Nituna W , Johnson-Arbor Kelly
Published: September 2021

Objective:

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) is a useful adjunctive treatment for selected complicated wounds, including severe diabetic lower extremity ulcerations and compromised skin grafts or flaps. The Sars-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic has disrupted healthcare delivery, with its effects extending to delivery of HBOT. During the pandemic, paediatric patients in our geographic region who were referred for HBOT faced challenges as centres temporarily closed or were unprepared to treat younger patients. Our monoplace HBOT centre modified existing practices to allow for treatment of these patients. This study aims to outline the steps necessary to adapting a pre-existing HBOT centre for the safe treatment of paediatric patients.

Method:

A retrospective review was performed to identify patients 18 years of age or younger referred for HBOT during 2020. Patient characteristics, referral indications and HBOT complications were collected. Changes implemented to the HBOT centre to accommodate the treatment of paediatric patients were documented.

Results:

A total of seven paediatric patients were evaluated for HBOT and six were treated. The mean patient age was four years (range: 1–11 years). Referral diagnoses included sudden sensorineural hearing loss, skin flap or graft compromise, and radiation-induced soft tissue necrosis. All patients tolerated HBOT treatment in monoplace chambers without significant complications noted. Enhancements made to our clinical practice to facilitate the safe and effective treatment of paediatric patients included ensuring the availability of acceptable garments for paediatric patients, maintaining uninterrupted patient grounding (in relation to fire safety), and enhancing social support for anxiety reduction.

Conclusion:

The results of our review show that paediatric patients can be safely treated within the monoplace hyperbaric environment.
Nowhere Men and Divine I’s: Feminist Epistemology, Perfect Being Theism, and the God’s-Eye View
Authors: Griffioen Amber
Published: September 2021

This paper employs tools and critiques from analytic feminist scholarship in order to show how particular values commonly on display in analytic theology have served both to marginalize certain voices from the realm of analytic theological debate and to reinforce a particular conception of the divine—one which, despite its historical roots, is not inevitable. I claim that a particular conception of what constitutes a “rational, objective, analytic thinker” often displays certain affinities with those infinite or maximal properties that analytic theologians have taken to be most relevant or essential to their theological conceptions of the divine, and I explore what thinking differently about the former might mean for how we think about the latter and vice versa.
Fault Detection Method of Power Insulator Based on Deep Convolution Neural Network
Authors: Wang Yan , Zhang Weijie
Published: September 2021

Aiming at the problem of low detection accuracy of traditional power insu-lator fault detection methods, a power insulator fault detection method basedon deep convolution neural network is designed. For the training of deepconvolution neural network, the fault detection of power insulator based ondeep convolution neural network is realized by anchor design, loss functiondesign, candidate region selection mechanism establishment and sharingconvolution features. The experimental results show that the fault detectionmethod of power insulator based on deep convolution neural network is moreaccurate than the traditional method, and the detection time is less.
Optimal Combination Control Technology of Demand Side Resources of Distributed Renewable Energy Power Generation
Authors: Zhou Hong-Mei , Chen Yan , Jiang Qi-jie
Published: September 2021

The paper proposes a new unit commitment model that can promote car-bon emission reduction in distributed renewable energy power systems. Themodel first comprehensively considers the optimal combination of low-carbon demand-side resources such as supply-side resources and demandresponse, electric vehicles, and distributed renewable energy power gener-ation. Secondly, the model unit scheduling rules fully consider the carbonemission target and the economic target and propose a fuzzy dual-objectiveoptimization method that can consider the relative priority of the target. Whensolving the optimization model, we improved the particle swarm optimizationalgorithm. We introduced the “cross” and “mutation” operators in the geneticalgorithm to improve the particle swarm algorithm’s global optimizationcapability. The paper verifies the effectiveness of the model and algorithmthrough the analysis of a ten computer system.
Hierarchical Information Fault Diagnosis Method for Power System Based on Fireworks Algorithm
Authors: Haixun Feng , Kenan Yi , Zihang Jia , Huijing Bi
Published: September 2021

Power system fault diagnosis is an important means to ensure the safe andstable operation of power system. According to the specific situation ofChina’s current power grid automation level, a hierarchical fault diagnosismethod based on switch trip signal, protection information and fault record-ing information is proposed. This method can not only diagnose simple faultand complex fault, but also judge fault type and phase, and complete faultlocation, which provides reliable guarantee for operators to quickly removefault and resume operation. The diagnosis method based on this principle hasgood application effect in simulation test.
Generation Method of Power Network Security Defense Strategy Based on Markov Decision Process
Authors: Yang Wang , Dong Liu , Dong Wang , Chun Xu
Published: September 2021

Aiming at the problem that the current generation method of power networksecurity defense strategy ignores the dependency relationship between nodes,resulting in closed-loop attack graph, which makes the defense strategy notgenerate attack path, resulting in poor defense effect and long generationresponse time of power network security defense strategy, a generationmethod of power network security defense strategy based on Markov decisionprocess is proposed. Based on the generation of network attack and defensediagram, the paper describes the state change of attack network by usingMarkov decision-making process correlation principle, introduces discountfactor, calculates the income value of attack and defense game process,constructs the evolutionary game model of attack and defense, solves theobjective function according to the dynamic programming theory, obtains theoptimal strategy set and outputs the final results, and generates the powernetwork security defense strategy. The experimental results show that the proposed method has good defense effect and can effectively shorten thegeneration response time of power network security defense strategy.
The Study of Bio-Fuel Generation and Characteristics Analysis from Jatropha, Karanja and Styrax Officinalis L Seed Cakes
Authors: Deshmukh Minal , Marathe A. B. , Bhutada Dinesh
Published: September 2021

Because of their high oil content in the kernel and ability to reduce green-house gas emissions, non-edible Jatropha, Karanja, and Styrax officinalis Lseeds are primarily used in biodiesel production. Outstanding demand forbiodiesel, as well as a huge amount of waste, is growing year after year. Asa result, the research analysis includes the hydrolysis, saccharification, andfermentation of non-edible de-oiled cakes derived from the aforementionedplants. The study research includes the generation of bio-ethanol from non-edible cakes, as well as the de-oiled seed kernel, which is incubated at 200◦C,25◦C, 30◦C, 35◦C, with pH 4, 5, 6, 7, and a holding time of 24 hours toproduce the solid fuel. The compound cake is then fermented for 72 hoursat 28◦C with Saccharomyces cerevisiae with a PH range of 5 to 6, and thesubstrate is autoclaved for 5 minutes at 15 psi pressure. Furthermore, thisresearch study performed centrifuge harvesting at 10,000 rpm for 10 minutesat 4◦C. The study’s findings demonstrate the time-related conversion of sugar(DNSA) and alcohol production (potassium dichromate) treatment, whichoutperforms the prior acid hydrolysis process.
Study on Life-Cycle Energy Consumption and Greenhouse Gases Emission of Battery Electric Passenger Vehicles in China
Authors: Zhang Bo , Lu Qiang , Shen Zheng , Yang Yaokun , Liang Yunlin
Published: September 2021

Based on the localized data of environmental load, this study has establishedthe life cycle assessment (LCA) model of battery electric passenger vehicle(BEPV) that be produced and used in China, and has evaluated the energyconsumption and greenhouse gases (GHGs) emission during vehicle pro-duction and operation. The results show that the total energy consumptionand GHG emissions are 438GJ and 37,100kg (in terms of CO2 equivalent)respectively. The share of GHG emissions in total emissions at the productionstage is 24.6%, and 75.4% GHG emissions are contributed by the operationalstage. The main source of energy consumption and GHG emissions at vehicleproduction stage is the extraction and processing of raw materials. TheGHG emissions of raw materials production accounts for 75.0% in the GHGemissions of vehicle production and 18.0% in the GHG emissions of fulllife cycle. The scenario analysis shows that the application of recyclablematerials, power grid GHG emission rates and vehicle energy consumption rates have significant influence on the carbon emissions in the life cycle ofvehicle. Replacing primary metals with recycled metals can reduce GHGemissions of vehicle production by about 7.3%, and total GHG emissionscan be reduced by about 1.8%. For every 1% decrease in GHG emissionsper unit of electricity, the GHG emissions of operation stage will decrease byabout 0.9%; for every 1.0% decrease in vehicle energy consumption rate, thetotal GHG emissions decrease by about 0.8%. Therefore, developing cleanenergy, reducing the proportion of coal power, optimizing the productionof raw materials and increasing the application of recyclable materials areeffective ways to improve the environmental performance of BEPV.
Data Mining-based Fault Detection Method for Distributed Power Generation Systems
Authors: Wu Huaqin
Published: September 2021

Traditional fault detection methods for power generation systems use cen-tralized fault processing analysis, which leads to long accuracy and responsetime of fault detection. To address these problems, a data mining-baseddistributed power generation system fault artificial intelligence detectionmethod is studied. The depth-first search tree algorithm is used to divide thegrid of distributed generation system. The network structure is modified tolocate fault zones by processing anomaly mining of the system data aftergrid division. The combination of fuzzy logic and wavelet singular entropyis used to complete the detection and identification of system faults. Throughsimulation experiments, it is verified that the response time of the detectionmethod is only 0.016 s, and its detection error rate and false negative rate are1.23% and 1.25%, which are far lower than other methods.
Research on Grid Connected Optimization Scheduling of Micro-grid Utilizing on Improved Bee Colony Method
Authors: Zhang Qiangshan
Published: September 2021

In order to achieve grid connected optimal dispatch of micro-grid, a improvedbee colony method is put forward to carry out optimization of grid connecteddispatch. Firstly, the optimal scheduling model of micro-grid grid connection,and the overall cost of generating electricity and environmental cost of micro-grid grid connection is used as objective function, and system power balanceconstraint, power constraint of micro power supply, contact line constraintthat interacted with main grid and charge and discharge cycle of batteryare used as constraint conditions. Secondly, the improved bee colony algo-rithm is established through introducing particle swarm algorithm. Finally,a residential area is used as an example, and the optimal dispatch ofmicro-grid grid connection is carried out based on proposed model, andsimulation results showed that the proposed model has higher correctness andefficiency.
‘I feel like we’re really behind the game’: perspectives of the United Kingdom’s intimate partner violence support sector on the rise of technology-facilitated abuse
Authors: Tanczer Leonie Maria , López-Neira Isabel , Parkin Simon
Published: September 2021

Technology-facilitated abuse or ‘tech abuse’ in intimate partner violence (IPV) contexts describes the breadth of harms that can be enacted using digital systems and online tools. While the misappropriation of technologies in the context of IPV has been subject to prior research, a dedicated study on the United Kingdom’s IPV support sector has so far been missing. The present analysis summarises insights derived from semi-structured interviews with 34 UK voluntary and statutory sector representatives that were conducted over the course of two years (2018–2020). The analysis identifies four overarching themes that point out support services’ practices, concerns and challenges in relation to tech abuse, and specifically the Internet of Things (IoT). These themes include (a) technology-facilitated abuse, where interviewees outline their experiences and understanding of the concept of tech abuse; (b) IoT-enabled tech abuse, focusing on the changing dynamics of tech abuse due to the continuing rise of smart consumer products; (c) data, documentation and assessment, that directs our attention to the shortcomings of existing risk assessment and recording practices; and (d) training, support and assistance, in which participants point to the need for specialist support capabilities to be developed within and beyond existing services.
Achieving Gender Equality: Understanding Gender Equality and Health Among Vulnerable Adolescents in the Sustainable Development Goals Era
Authors: Koenig Leah R. , Li Mengmeng
Published: September 2021

This chapter reviews the contributions of the Global Early Adolescent Study (GEAS), a multi-national longitudinal study of disadvantaged urban populations, beginning in the critical early adolescent period.We highlight tools developed to capture gendered dynamics among adolescents, including empowerment and perceptions of gender norms. Initial data collected for the GEAS have contributed to several cross-national findings about adolescent well-being to date. The chapter also outlines the GEAS global research network’s experiences and challenges implementing longitudinal survey research with vulnerable young populations, including cross-cultural ethical issues and participant retention. Finally, we describe how data collected for the GEAS can contribute to the enrichment of policy indicators for vulnerable adolescent populations globally.
Child Well-being Across the Life Course: What Do We Know, What Should We Know?
Authors: Pollock Gary , Goswami Haridhan , Szymczyk Aleksandra
Published: September 2021

Child well-being has an explicit connection with UN Sustainable Development Goals. Progress in tackling these goals require robust evidence, such as can be provided by high quality survey data. Birth cohort surveys are an important source of evidence for policy makers seeking to protect and enhance the lives of children as they grow up. Until now such surveys have been developed independently and in order to compare data in different countries there are many challenges in post-hoc data harmonisation. The merits of collecting national longitudinal data are widely recognised, and yet the current studies are not easily comparable as they contain different questions and are conducted at different times and on different age groups. It is, therefore, time for an input harmonised comparative birth cohort survey. The European Cohort Development Project has been developing the design and business case for such a survey since 2018. This survey will allow a direct comparison of the well-being of children as they grow up across Europe in different national contexts. In the future, researchers the world over will be able to learn from the lived experiences of children and young people as they grow up in a diverse range of European countries.
Conclusion: The Future of Longitudinal Research
Authors: Banati Prerna
Published: September 2021

This chapter summarises findings from the case studies, highlighting key policy lessons as well as successes and failures in research uptake. It discusses the features of an effective policy evaluation model, including what gaps exist and key elements that could be included in such a model. And it explores the future direction for cohorts, with a view to supporting agenda setting for longitudinal research in the coming years.
In Data We Trust
Authors: Kitchin Rob
Published: September 2021

This chapter discusses issues of data quality and veracity in open datasets, using a variety of examples from the Irish data system. These examples include the Residential Property Price Register (RPPR), the Dublin Dashboard project, the TRIPS database, and Irish crime data. There are a number of issues with Irish crime data, such as crimes being recorded in relation to the police stations that handle them, rather than the location they are committed. There are also issues in the standardization of crime categorization, with some police officers recording the same crimes in slightly different ways, and also in timeliness of recording. Moreover, there are difficulties of retrieving data from the crime management software system. In addition to errors, every dataset has issues of representativeness — that is, the extent to which the data faithfully represents that which it seeks to measure. In generating data, processes of extraction, abstraction, generalization and sampling can introduce measurement error, noise, imprecision and bias. Yet internationally, there has been much work expended on formulating data-quality guidelines and standards, trying to get those generating and sharing data to adhere to them, and promoting the importance of reporting this information to users.
Harmonizing Data is Hard
Authors: Kitchin Rob
Published: September 2021

This chapter investigates data interoperability and the difficulties in harmonizing data across jurisdictions, using Ireland/Northern Ireland and Metropolitan Boston as case studies. In the wake of the Good Friday Agreement and the peace process in Northern Ireland, cooperation between public sector bodies in the North and South had increased enormously. However, there was a dearth of cross-border datasets to formulate policy and inform decision-making. It quickly became apparent why there were few, detailed cross-border data visualizations and maps — it was very difficult to create single, common datasets. What was needed was data harmonization where agencies worked together to create comparable datasets. Metropolitan Boston has 101 local government departments, which means it has 101 data regimes. What this means is that, with the exception of data required for state/federal reporting, it is impossible to join datasets together to create comparable metro-wide datasets. This has a number of consequences, reducing spatial intelligence about the characteristics and performance of the city-region, fostering back-to-back planning, limiting potential data-driven innovations to urban governance and management, and stifling the benefits of open data.
Hustling for Funding
Authors: Kitchin Rob
Published: September 2021

This chapter focuses on the role of finance and the politics of collaboration, charting the development of the Digital Repository of Ireland (DRI). DRI have been beset with institutional politics concerning its framing, development, and operation. The future funding issue was just the latest example in a long list of fraught exchanges that could be traced back to its original conception and funding mechanism. The DRI was born out of a funding opportunity, but seemed destined to die due to a funding failure. Without a political solution, the data life cycle would turn full circle much more quickly than initially anticipated. Unless there is a means of covering the costs for labour, equipment and other essential inputs, data are not generated or stored, and thus cannot be used or shared. Even in open data projects, the data might be free to use but they were not free to create, or to process and host.
A Matter of Life and Death
Authors: Kitchin Rob
Published: September 2021

This chapter addresses the life of COVID-19 data, how it has been used to reshape our daily lives by directing intervention measures, and how new data-driven technologies have been deployed to try and help tackle the spread of the coronavirus. Specifically, it examines infection and death rates and the use of surveillance technologies designed to trace contacts, monitor movement, and regulate people's behaviour. The use of these technologies raised questions and active debate concerning the data life cycle and their effects on civil liberties and governmentality. Indeed, most of the critical analysis of contact tracing apps focused on its potential infringement of civil liberties, particularly privacy, since they require fine-grained knowledge about social networks and health status and, for some, location. The concern was that intimate details about a person's life would be shared with the state without sufficient data protection measures that would foreclose data re/misuse and ensure that data would be deleted after 14 days (at which point it becomes redundant) or stored indefinitely.
High-brightness LWIR quantum cascade lasers
Authors: Wang F. , Slivken S. , Razeghi M.
Published: September 2021

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A randomized phase I study comparing the pharmacokinetics of a bevacizumab (HD204) biosimilar to European Union- and United States of America-sourced bevacizumab
Authors: Demarchi Martin , Coliat Pierre , Barthelemy Philippe , Schott Roland , BenAbdelghani Meher , Kim Michael , Hii Jocelyn Chung Shii , Feyaerts Peggy , Ang Felicia Rui Xia , Derde Marie Paule , Deforce Filip , Petit Thierry , Schwabe Chris , Wynne Chris , Park Lisa Soyeon , Pivot Xavier
Published: September 2021

Purpose

This first-in-human study was designed to evaluate the pharmacokinetic (PK) equivalence between HD204 and the European Union (EU)-sourced bevacizumab, between HD204 and the United States of America (US)-sourced bevacizumab, and between EU-sourced and US-sourced bevacizumab (NCT 03390673).

Methods

In this randomized, double-blind, 3-way parallel group, single-dose comparative PK study, healthy male subjects were randomized to receive a single 1 mg/kg intravenous dose of HD204, EU-sourced bevacizumab or US-sourced bevacizumab. PK parameters were calculated using non-compartmental methods. PK equivalence was determined using the pre-defined equivalence margin of 0.8–1.25 in terms of AUC(0-∞) for the pairwise comparisons.

Findings

Baseline demographics for the 119 randomized subjects were similar across the three groups. The 90% CIs for the ratio of the geometric means of HD204 to US-sourced bevacizumab, HD204 to EU-sourced bevacizumab, and EU-sourced to US-sourced bevacizumab were all within the interval of 80% to 125% for AUC0-inf, thus demonstrating equivalency in the PK properties for all three treatment groups. Similarly, the ratio of the geometric means for AUC0-last and Cmax were all within the 80% and 125% margins, supporting the robustness of the primary findings. All other PK parameters, including the half-life (t1⁄2) clearance (CL), volume of distribution (Vd) and time of maximum concentration (tmax), were comparable. There was no difference between the 3 treatment arms in terms of vital signs, laboratory tests and adverse events. None of the subjects treated with HD204 had positive ADA results.

Implications

HD204 demonstrates equivalent pharmacokinetic profiles compared to those of both US-sourced and EU-sourced bevacizumab. (NCT 03390673).
Effect of food source availability in the salivary gland transcriptome of the unique burying beetle Nicrophorus pustulatus (Coleoptera: Silphidae)
Authors: Ayala-Ortiz Christian O. , Farriester Jacob W. , Pratt Carrie J. , Goldkamp Anna K. , Matts Jessica , Hoback W. Wyatt , Gustafson John E. , Hagen Darren E.
Published: September 2021

Nicrophorusis a genus of beetles that bury and transform small vertebrate carcasses into a brood ball coated with their oral and anal secretions to prevent decay and that will serve as a food source for their young.Nicrophorus pustulatusis an unusual species with the ability to overtake brood of other burying beetles and whose secretions, unlike otherNicrophorusspecies, has been reported not to exhibit antimicrobial properties. This work aims to better understand how the presence or absence of a food source influences the expression of genes involved in the feeding process ofN.pustulatus. To achieve that, total RNA was extracted from pooled samples of salivary gland tissue fromN.pustulatusand sequenced using an Illumina platform. The resulting reads were used to assemble ade novotranscriptome using Trinity. Duplicates with more than 95% similarity were removed to obtain a “unigene” set. Annotation of the unigene set was done using the Trinotate pipeline. Transcript abundance was determined using Kallisto and differential gene expression analysis was performed using edgeR. A total of 651 genes were found to be differentially expressed, including 390 upregulated and 261 downregulated genes in fed insects compared to starved. Several genes upregulated in fed beetles are associated with the insect immune response and detoxification processes with only one transcript encoding for the antimicrobial peptide (AMP) defensin. These results confirm thatN.pustulatusdoes not upregulate the production of genes encoding AMPs during feeding. This study provides a snapshot of the changes in gene expression in the salivary glands ofN.pustulatusfollowing feeding while providing a well described transcriptome for the further analysis of this unique burying beetle.
Tertiary lymphoid structures (TLS) identification and density assessment on H&E-stained digital slides of lung cancer
Authors: Barmpoutis Panagiotis , Di Capite Matthew , Kayhanian Hamzeh , Waddingham William , Alexander Daniel C. , Jansen Marnix , Kwong Francois Ng Kee
Published: September 2021

Tertiary lymphoid structures (TLS) are ectopic aggregates of lymphoid cells in inflamed, infected, or tumoral tissues that are easily recognized on an H&E histology slide as discrete entities, distinct from lymphocytes. TLS are associated with improved cancer prognosis but there is no standardised method available to quantify their presence. Previous studies have used immunohistochemistry to determine the presence of specific cells as a marker of the TLS. This has now been proven to be an underestimate of the true number of TLS. Thus, we propose a methodology for the automated identification and quantification of TLS, based on H&E slides. We subsequently determined the mathematical criteria defining a TLS. TLS regions were identified through a deep convolutional neural network and segmentation of lymphocytes was performed through an ellipsoidal model. This methodology had a 92.87% specificity at 95% sensitivity, 88.79% specificity at 98% sensitivity and 84.32% specificity at 99% sensitivity level based on 144 TLS annotated H&E slides implying that the automated approach was able to reproduce the histopathologists’ assessment with great accuracy. We showed that the minimum number of lymphocytes within TLS is 45 and the minimum TLS area is 6,245μm2. Furthermore, we have shown that the density of the lymphocytes is more than 3 times those outside of the TLS. The mean density and standard deviation of lymphocytes within a TLS area are 0.0128/μm2and 0.0026/μm2respectively compared to 0.004/μm2and 0.001/μm2in non-TLS regions. The proposed methodology shows great potential for automated identification and quantification of the TLS density on digital H&E slides.
Parenting and childhood obesity: Validation of a new questionnaire and evaluation of treatment effects during the preschool years
Authors: Somaraki Maria , Ek Anna , Eli Karin , Ljung Sofia , Mildton Veronica , Sandvik Pernilla , Nowicka Paulina
Published: September 2021

Objectives

Parenting is an integral component of obesity treatment in early childhood. However, the link between specific parenting practices and treatment effectiveness remains unclear. This paper introduces and validates a new parenting questionnaire and evaluates mothers’ and fathers’ parenting practices in relation to child weight status during a 12-month childhood obesity treatment trial.

Methods

First, a merged school/clinical sample (n = 558, 82% mothers) was used for the factorial and construct validation of the new parenting questionnaire. Second, changes in parenting were evaluated using clinical data from the More and Less Study, a randomized controlled trial (RCT) with 174 children (mean age = 5 years, mean Body Mass Index Standard Deviation Score (BMI SDS) = 3.0) comparing a parent support program (with and without booster sessions) and standard treatment. Data were collected at four time points over 12 months. We used linear mixed models and mediation models to investigate associations between changes in parenting practices and treatment effects.

Findings

The validation of the questionnaire (9 items; responses on a 5-point Likert scale) revealed two dimensions of parenting (Cronbach’s alpha ≥0.7): setting limits to the child and regulating one’s own emotions when interacting with the child, both of which correlated with feeding practices and parental self-efficacy. We administered the questionnaire to the RCT participants. Fathers in standard treatment increased their emotional regulation compared to fathers in the parenting program (p = 0.03). Mothers increased their limit-setting regardless of treatment allocation (p = 0.01). No treatment effect was found on child weight status through changes in parenting practices.

Conclusion

Taken together, the findings demonstrate that the new questionnaire assessing parenting practices proved valid in a 12-month childhood obesity trial. During treatment, paternal and maternal parenting practices followed different trajectories, though they did not mediate treatment effects on child weight status. Future research should address the pathways whereby maternal and paternal parenting practices affect treatment outcomes, such as child eating behaviors and weight status.
Teachers’ mental health during the first two waves of the COVID-19 pandemic in Poland
Authors: Jakubowski Tomasz Daniel , Sitko-Dominik Magdalena Maja
Published: September 2021

Background

Teaching work is stressful, moreover during the pandemic teachers’ stress might have been intensified by distance education as well as by limited access to social support, which functions as a buffer in experiencing stress. The aim of the research was to investigate the relation between distance education and teachers’ well-being, and their close relations and other social relations during the first two waves of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods

The research was conducted in two stages on 285 Polish primary and secondary school teachers who were recruited by means of the chain referral method. The following measures were used: The Depression Anxiety & Stress Scales-21, Berlin Social Support Scales, The Relationship Satisfaction Scale and The Injustice Experience Questionnaire.

Results

The teachers experienced at least mild levels of stress, anxiety and depression, both during the first as well as the second waves of the COVID-19 pandemic in Poland. It has been confirmed that there is a negative relation between relationship quality change and social relations quality change, and stress, anxiety and depression. The variables taken into consideration in the research have provided the explanation for the variation of stress—from 6% in the first stage of the research to 47% in the second stage; for the variation of anxiety—from 21% to 31%; and for the variation of depression—from 12% to 46%, respectively.

Conclusions

The research results show that due to distance work the distinction between professional work and family life might have been blurred, and as a consequence teachers’ well-being could have been worsened. The isolation put on to stop the spreading of the virus might have contributed to changes in social relations, in close relations in particular, and at the same time negatively influenced teachers’ abilities to effectively cope with the crisis situations.
Analysis of potential genetic biomarkers and molecular mechanism of smoking-related postmenopausal osteoporosis using weighted gene co-expression network analysis and machine learning
Authors: Li Shaoshuo , Chen Baixing , Chen Hao , Hua Zhen , Shao Yang , Yin Heng , Wang Jianwei
Published: September 2021

Objectives

Smoking is a significant independent risk factor for postmenopausal osteoporosis, leading to genome variations in postmenopausal smokers. This study investigates potential biomarkers and molecular mechanisms of smoking-related postmenopausal osteoporosis (SRPO).

Materials and methods

The GSE13850 microarray dataset was downloaded from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO). Gene modules associated with SRPO were identified using weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA), protein-protein interaction (PPI) analysis, and pathway and functional enrichment analyses. Feature genes were selected using two machine learning methods: support vector machine-recursive feature elimination (SVM-RFE) and random forest (RF). The diagnostic efficiency of the selected genes was assessed by gene expression analysis and receiver operating characteristic curve.

Results

Eight highly conserved modules were detected in the WGCNA network, and the genes in the module that was strongly correlated with SRPO were used for constructing the PPI network. A total of 113 hub genes were identified in the core network using topological network analysis. Enrichment analysis results showed that hub genes were closely associated with the regulation of RNA transcription and translation, ATPase activity, and immune-related signaling. Six genes (HNRNPC,PFDN2,PSMC5,RPS16,TCEB2, andUBE2V2) were selected as genetic biomarkers for SRPO by integrating the feature selection of SVM-RFE and RF.

Conclusion

The present study identified potential genetic biomarkers and provided a novel insight into the underlying molecular mechanism of SRPO.
The social amplification and attenuation of COVID-19 risk perception shaping mask wearing behavior: A longitudinal twitter analysis
Authors: Hopfer Suellen , Fields Emilia J. , Lu Yuwen , Ramakrishnan Ganesh , Grover Ted , Bai Quishi , Huang Yicong , Li Chen , Mark Gloria
Published: September 2021

Introduction

Twitter represents a mainstream news source for the American public, offering a valuable vehicle for learning how citizens make sense of pandemic health threats like Covid-19. Masking as a risk mitigation measure became controversial in the US. The social amplification risk framework offers insight into how a risk event interacts with psychological, social, institutional, and cultural communication processes to shape Covid-19 risk perception.

Methods

Qualitative content analysis was conducted on 7,024 mask tweets reflecting 6,286 users between January 24 and July 7, 2020, to identify how citizens expressed Covid-19 risk perception over time. Descriptive statistics were computed for (a) proportion of tweets using hyperlinks, (b) mentions, (c) hashtags, (d) questions, and (e) location.

Results

Six themes emerged regarding how mask tweets amplified and attenuated Covid-19 risk: (a) severity perceptions (18.0%) steadily increased across 5 months; (b) mask effectiveness debates (10.7%) persisted; (c) who is at risk (26.4%) peaked in April and May 2020; (d) mask guidelines (15.6%) peaked April 3, 2020, with federal guidelines; (e) political legitimizing of Covid-19 risk (18.3%) steadily increased; and (f) mask behavior of others (31.6%) composed the largest discussion category and increased over time. Of tweets, 45% contained a hyperlink, 40% contained mentions, 33% contained hashtags, and 16.5% were expressed as a question.

Conclusions

Users ascribed many meanings to mask wearing in the social media information environment revealing that COVID-19 risk was expressed in a more expanded range than objective risk. The simultaneous amplification and attenuation of COVID-19 risk perception on social media complicates public health messaging about mask wearing.
Initial overcorrection after surgery for intermittent exotropia in children less than 4 years old: Comparison with older children
Authors: Choi Jinju , Choi Dong Gyu
Published: September 2021

Purpose

While initial overcorrection after exotropia-correcting surgery is widely accepted for a favorable long-term outcome, some have not advocated such overcorrection in younger children owing to concerns regarding rapid deterioration of bifixation ability. This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between initial overcorrection after intermittent exotropia surgery and the surgical outcome in patients aged <4 years.

Methods

In this retrospective study, 391 patients who had undergone surgery for intermittent exotropia were classified into two groups according to the age at surgery: <4 years old (group Y [young], 130 patients) and 4–16 years old (group O [old], 261). The patients were subdivided into three groups according to the angle of deviation at postoperative 1 week: esophoria-tropia (ET) ≥10 prism diopters (PD) (subgroup I), ET 1–9 PD (II), and orthotropia or exophoria-tropia (XT) (III). We compared the surgical outcomes between the two groups and among subgroups; then, we analyzed consecutive esotropia patients.

Results

The mean exodeviation was smaller in the order of subgroup I, II, and III at every postoperative visit (p<0.05) in group Y but showed no difference among subgroups after 2 years in group O. Consecutive esotropia occurred at 1 month, postoperatively, in 6.9% and 2.6% of the patients in groups Y and O (p = 0.133), respectively. However, it persisted in two and one patient in groups Y and O, respectively, until the last visit.

Conclusion

Early overcorrection after intermittent exotropia surgery was a safe and desirable result in terms of motor outcome in children aged under 4 years, as well as for children aged between 4–16 years.
Evaluation of the hepatotoxicity of the novel GPR40 (FFAR1) agonist CPL207280 in the rat and monkey
Authors: Bazydlo-Guzenda Katarzyna , Buda Pawel , Mach Mateusz , Pieczykolan Jerzy , Kozlowska Izabela , Janiszewski Michal , Drzazga Ewa , Dominowski Jakub , Ziolkowski Hubert , Wieczorek Maciej , Gad Shayne Cox
Published: September 2021

GPR40 (FFAR1) is a promising target for the managing type 2 diabetes (T2D). The most advanced GPR40 agonist TAK-875 exhibited satisfactory glucose-lowering effects in phase II and III studies. However, the phase III studies of TAK-875 revealed drug-induced liver injury (DILI). It is unknown whether DILI is a consequence of a specific GPR40 agonist or is an inherent feature of all GPR40 agonists. CPL207280 is a novel GPR40 agonist that improves diabetes in Zucker Diabetic Fatty (ZDF) rats, Goto Kakizaki (GK) rats and db/db mice. In this report, the DILI-related toxicity of CPL207280 was compared directly with that of TAK-875. In vitro studies evaluating hepatic biliary transporter inhibition, mitochondrial function, and metabolic profiling were performed in hepatocytes from different species. The long term toxicity of CPL207280 was studied in vivo in rats and monkeys. Activity of CPL207280 was one order of magnitude lesser than that of TAK-875 for the inhibition of bile acid transporters. CPL207280 had a negligible effect on the hepatic mitochondria. In contrast to TAK-875, which was metabolized through toxic glucuronidation, CPL207280 was metabolized mainly through oxidation. No deleterious hepatic effects were observed in chronically treated healthy and diabetic animals. The study presents promising data on the feasibility of creating a liver-safe GPR40 agonist. Additionally, it can be concluded that DILI is not a hallmark of GPR40 agonists; it is linked to the intrinsic properties of an individual agonist.