bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Gut microbiota shape B cell in health and disease settings
Authors: Yu Baichao , Wang Luman , Chu Yiwei
Published: May 2021

Recent accumulating evidence supports the hypothesis that the intricate interaction between gut microbiota and the immune system profoundly affects health and disease in humans and mice. In this context, microbiota plays an important role in educating and shaping the host immune system which, in turn, regulates gut microbiota diversity and function to maintain homeostasis. Studies have demonstrated that intestinal microbiota participates in shaping B cells in health and disease settings. Herein, we review the recent progress in understanding how microbiota regulates B-cell development, focusing on early-life B-cell repertoire generation in GALT and how microbial products, including microbial antigens and metabolites, affect B-cell activation and differentiation to ultimately regulate B-cell function. We also discuss the interaction between gut microbiota and B cells under pathogenic conditions and highlight new approaches that can be applied to treat various diseases.
SARS‐CoV‐2 prevalence and maternal‐perinatal outcomes among pregnant women admitted for delivery: Experience from COVID‐19‐dedicated maternity hospital in Jammu, Jammu and Kashmir (India)
Authors: Gupta Puneet , Kumar Surender , Sharma Shashi S.
Published: May 2021

The impact of SARS‐CoV‐2 infection in pregnant women and their neonates is an area of research interest nowadays. To date, there is limited knowledge about SARS‐CoV‐2 prevalence, maternal and perinatal outcomes of pregnant women at term in middle‐ and low‐income countries. In the present retro‐prospective study, medical records of pregnant women admitted for delivery were reviewed from the largest Covid‐19 dedicated Shri Maharaja Gulab Singh (SMGS) maternity hospital. The SARS‐CoV‐2 screening was carried out for all pregnant women admitted for delivery using RT‐PCR. All neonates born from SARS‐CoV‐2‐positive mothers were isolated and tested for SARS‐CoV‐2 infection. Most of the pregnant women (90.6%) were asymptomatic at the time of admission with a low prevalence (3.4%) of SARS‐CoV‐2. A higher rate of asymptomatic prevalence (86.1%) was found among SARS‐CoV‐2‐positive pregnant women. On the basis of the RT‐PCR result (negative vs. positive), statistically significant differences were found for maternal characteristics, such as mean gestational age (37.5 ± 2.2 vs. 36.6 ± 3.3), medical comorbidity (2.9% vs. 7.4%), and maternal outcomes like the C‐section rate (29.8% vs. 58.3%), preterm delivery (14.6% vs. 28.3), and neonatal outcomes like mean birth weight (2840 ± 450 vs. 2600 ± 600), low Apgar score (2.7% vs. 6.48%), and fetal distress (10.9% vs. 22.2%) among SARS‐CoV‐2 negative and positive cases, respectively. No neonate from SARS‐CoV‐2‐positive pregnant women was found to be positive for SARS‐CoV‐2 infection.
Prevalence and genotype distribution of JC polyomavirus in urine from patients with hematological malignancies in Vietnam
Authors: Bang Nguyen V. , Xuan Nguyen T. , Trung Ngo D. , Thu Nguyen T. , Nam Nguyen Q. , Hai Vu A. , Hang Dinh T. T. , Quyen Le T. B. , Thuong Luong T. H. , Lam Ngo Q. , Thong Nguyen H. , Phuong Nguyen M. , Linh Nguyen T. , Tu Hoang V. , Cuong Le M. , Su Hoang X.
Published: May 2021

JC virus (JCV) causes progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy in immunocompromised patients. The prevalence and genotype patterns of JCV vary between different geographical regions. This study was done to investigate the prevalence and genotype distribution of JCV in patients with hematological malignancies in Vietnam. A total of 48 urine samples were collected from patients with hematological malignancies. DNA was extracted and detection of JCV was by nested‐polymerase chain reaction. Sequence analysis was obtained and a phylogenetic tree was constructed for genotyping of JCV. Twenty‐seven (56.25%) urine samples tested positive for JCV. JCV genotype 7 was only observed in this study. Subtype analysis showed that JCV subtype 7A was the most commonly prevalent, followed by 7B1 and 7C1. Other subtypes were not detected in this population. There were no significant differences associated with age, gender, and biochemical parameters between patients with JCV and without JCV excretion in urine. The present study showed a high prevalence of JCV in the urine of patients with hematologic malignancies. The most common genotype found in this population was JCV subtype 7A.
Phylogenetic characteristics of HIV among female cross‐border travelers in Yunnan province between 2003 and 2012
Authors: Yang Ting , Liang Shuwen , Yang Shuting , Lin Yihan , Dian Ziqin , Zhao Ting , Su Hui , Zhang A‐mei , Liu Jingying , Huang Baoyang , Zhang Yifan , Xia Xueshan , Wang Binghui , Qin Weihong
Published: May 2021

Sexual transmission is currently the main mode of transmission of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). In this study, 181 HIV‐infected female cross‐border travelers entering Yunnan province were recruited between 2003 and 2012. HIV RNAs were extracted from their frozen serum and gag‐pol gene sequences were obtained for phylogenetic and recombination analyses. In total, 131 gag‐pol gene sequences were obtained successfully, at a rate of 72.4%. The most prevalent subtypes were CRF01_AE, followed by CRF08_BC, subtypes B and C. The other four subjects were classified as undefined subtypes and other recombinants. The subtype distribution of intravenous drug users was significantly different from that of sexually transmitted infections and unknown groups. The genetic distances of subtype B, C, and CRF01_AE strains were all close to the reference sequences from Yunnan province and Southeast Asian countries. Gene diversity and cocirculation of multiple subtypes were observed in female cross‐border travelers, and CRF01_AE was the dominant epidemic subtype. The advantages of these subtype preferences for sexual transmission were obvious in HIV infection and transmission among this population. Our findings also suggest that close attention should be given to the HIV infection status of the female migrant population. In addition, a description of their epidemic characteristics is significant for the surveillance and prevention of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome in the Yunnan province.
The influence of orbital parameters on the North American Monsoon system during the Last Interglacial Period
Authors: Insel Nadja , Berkelhammer Max
Published: May 2021

The response of summer precipitation in the western United States to climate variability remains a subject of uncertainty. For example, palaeoclimate records indicate the North American Monsoon (NAM) was stronger and spatially more extensive during the Holocene, whereas recent modelling suggests a weakened NAM response to increasing temperatures. These illustrate diverging pictures of the NAM response to warming. Here, we examine summer precipitation in the southwestern US related to Last Interglacial insolation forcing. Using a high‐resolution climate model, we find that Eemian insolation forcing results in overall wetter conditions throughout most of the southwestern US, but significantly drier than present conditions over Arizona. The overall wetter conditions are associated with a northward shift of the anticyclonic circulation aloft and increased moisture in the lower and mid‐troposphere during the Eemian. Increased advection of Gulf of Mexico moisture is responsible for increasing precipitation in New Mexico and the northern edges of the NAM region. Drier conditions over Arizona are likely related to reduced local convection associated with reduced vertical moisture transport. These results highlight the spatial complexity of the NAM response to increasing radiative forcing and allow a better understanding of monsoon dynamics and variability in response to a warming climate.
Length of the Cricoid and Trachea in Children: Predicting Intubation Depth to Prevent Subglottic Stenosis
Authors: Propst Evan Jon , Gorodensky Jonah Haskel , Wolter Nikolaus Ernst
Published: May 2021

Objective

Define the length of the subglottis and trachea in children to predict a safe intubation depth.

Methods

Patients <18 years undergoing rigid bronchoscopy from 2013 to 2020 were included. The carina and inferior borders of the cricoid and true vocal folds were marked on a bronchoscope and distances were measured. Patient age, weight, height, and chest height were recorded. Four styles of cuffed pediatric endotracheal tubes (ETT) were measured and potential positions of each cuff and tip were calculated within each trachea using five depth of intubation scenarios. Multivariate linear regression was performed to identify predictors of subglottic and tracheal length.

Results

Measurements were obtained from 210 children (141 male, 69 female), mean (SD) age 3.21 (3.66) years. Patient height was the best predictor of subglottic length (R2: 0.418): Lengthsg (mm) = 0.058 * height (cm) + 2.8, and tracheal length (R2: 0.733): Lengtht (mm) = 0.485 * height (cm) + 21.3. None of the depth of intubation scenarios maintained a cuff‐free subglottis for all ETT styles investigated. A formula for depth of intubation: Lengthdi (mm) = 0.06 * height (cm) + 8.8 found that no ETT cuffs would be in the subglottis and all tips would be above the carina.

Conclusion

Current strategies for determining appropriate depth of intubation pose a high risk of subglottic ETT cuff placement. Placing the inferior border of the vocal cords 0.06 * height (cm) + 8.8 from the superior border of the inflated ETT cuff may prevent subglottic cuff placement and endobronchial intubation.

Level of Evidence

4 Laryngoscope, 132:S1–S10, 2022
Modeling Local Oscillatory Shear Dynamics of Functionalized Polymer Grafted Nanoparticles
Authors: Kadre Diksha , Iyer Balaji V. S.
Published: May 2021

This study examines local oscillatory shear dynamics of spherical polymer grafted nanoparticles (PGNs) composed of a rigid nanoparticle core of fixed radius,  nm, and coronas of varying number of grafted polymer arms, . The grafted polymer arms are end‐functionalized such that the interacting PGNs form labile bonds when their coronas overlap. The effect of PGN structure on local dynamics is examined by imposing controlled oscillatory displacement on simple systems constructed using three identical interacting PGNs with bonded interactions under mechanical equilibrium. The displacement‐induced bond evolution between PGNs in this system is captured employing a master equation for determining probability of finding n bonds between PGNs as a function of oscillation frequency (). A multi‐component model combined with master equation approach is employed for modeling the effect of varying number of grafted arms ( and 1200) and strain amplitude () on the local shear response of the PGN system. The resulting shear response is analyzed using both linear and non‐linear rheological measures obtained using the Chebyshev polynomial framework. The rheological measures thus obtained are found to vary strongly with the number of grafted arms and strain amplitude.
Movement Disorders and Liver Disease
Authors: Mulroy Eoin , Baschieri Francesca , Magrinelli Francesca , Latorre Anna , Cortelli Pietro , Bhatia Kailash P.
Published: May 2021

The association of movement disorders with structural or functional hepatic disease occurs in three principal scenarios: (1) combined involvement of both organ systems from a single disease entity, (2) nervous system dysfunction resulting from exposure to toxic compounds in the setting of defective hepatic clearance, or (3) hepatic and/or neurological injury secondary to exposure to exogenous drugs or toxins. An important early step in the workup of any patient with combined movement disorders and liver disease is the exclusion of Wilson's disease. Diagnostic delay remains common for this treatable disorder, and this has major implications for patient outcomes. Thereafter, a structured approach integrating variables such as age of onset, tempo of progression, nature and severity of liver involvement, movement disorder phenomenology, exposure to drugs/toxins and laboratory/neuroimaging findings is key to ensuring timely diagnosis and disease‐specific therapy. Herein, we provide an overview of disorders which may manifest with a combination of movement disorders and liver disease, structured under the three headings as detailed above. In each section, the most common disorders are discussed, along with important clinical pearls, suggested diagnostic workup, differential diagnoses and where appropriate, treatment considerations.
Uniform decay rate estimates for the beam equation with locally distributed nonlinear damping
Authors: Cavalcanti Marcelo M. , Delatorre Leonel G. , Domingos Cavalcanti Valéria N. , Gonzalez Martinez Victor H. , Soares Daiane C.
Published: May 2021

In this paper, we study the semilinear beam equation with a locally distributed nonlinear damping on a smooth bounded domain. We first construct approximate solutions, and we show that the aforementioned approximate solutions decay uniformly in the weak phase space by using an observability inequality associated to the linear problem and a unique continuation property. Then, we prove the global existence as well as the uniform decay of solutions for the original model by passing to the limit and using a weak lower semicontinuity argument, respectively.
Optimizing multicontrast MRI reconstruction with shareable feature aggregation and selection
Authors: Liu Xinwen , Wang Jing , Lin Suzhen , Crozier Stuart , Liu Feng
Published: May 2021

This paper proposes a new method for optimizing feature sharing in deep neural network‐based, rapid, multicontrast magnetic resonance imaging (MC‐MRI). Using the shareable information of MC images for accelerated MC‐MRI reconstruction, current algorithms stack the MC images or features without optimizing the sharing protocols, leading to suboptimal reconstruction results. In this paper, we propose a novel feature aggregation and selection scheme in a deep neural network to better leverage the MC features and improve the reconstruction results. First, we propose to extract and use the shareable information by mapping the MC images into multiresolution feature maps with multilevel layers of the neural network. In this way, the extracted features capture complementary image properties, including local patterns from the shallow layers and semantic information from the deep layers. Then, an explicit selection module is designed to compile the extracted features optimally. That is, larger weights are learned to incorporate the constructive, shareable features; and smaller weights are assigned to the unshareable information. We conduct comparative studies on publicly available T2‐weighted and T2‐weighted fluid attenuated inversion recovery brain images, and the results show that the proposed network consistently outperforms existing algorithms. In addition, the proposed method can recover the images with high fidelity under 16 times acceleration. The ablation studies are conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed feature aggregation and selection mechanism. The results and the visualization of the weighted features show that the proposed method does effectively improve the usage of the useful features and suppress useless information, leading to overall enhanced reconstruction results. Additionally, the selection module can zero‐out repeated and redundant features and improve network efficiency.
Analysis and numerical simulation of cross reaction–diffusion systems with the Caputo–Fabrizio and Riesz operators
Authors: Owolabi Kolade M.
Published: May 2021

The evolutionary dynamics of cross‐reaction–diffusion equations of predator–prey type are investigated in the sense of fractional operator. In the models, we replace the classical time and spatial derivatives with the Caputo–Fabrizio and Riesz fractional derivatives, respectively. The nature of the resulting problem (is nonlinear, nonlocal, and nonsingular) do not either admit a closed form solution, while in most cases the analytical solution is too involved to be useful. As a result, there is need to provide a reliable numerical scheme that can approximate these derivatives in time and space. Hence, we formulate an approximation scheme with second‐order convergence rate for the time‐Caputo–Fabrizio fractional operator of order 0 < α ≤ 1 and L1 formula for the Riesz fractional derivative of order 1 < β ≤ 2 in space. As a case study, we consider two examples of strongly coupled cross fractional reaction–diffusion systems describing the interaction between two individual species that prey on the other one. We examine the system for stability analysis and establish the condition for the occurrence of Turing instability. The complexity of the dynamics of time–space cross fractional reaction–diffusion systems is theoretically studied and numerically in one and two dimensions for some instances of fractional orders.
Mask R‐CNN‐based feature extraction and three‐dimensional recognition of rice panicle CT images
Authors: Kong Huihua , Chen Ping
Published: May 2021

The rice panicle seed setting rate is extremely important for calculating rice yield and performing genetic analysis. Unlike machine vision, X‐ray computed tomography (CT) imaging is a nondestructive technique that provides direct information on the internal and external structure of rice panicles. However, occlusion and adhesion of panicles and grains in a CT image sequence make these objects difficult to identify, which in turn hinders accurate determination of the seed setting rate of rice panicles. Therefore, this paper proposes a method based on a mask region convolutional neural network (Mask R‐CNN) for feature extraction and three‐dimensional (3‐D) recognition of CT images of rice panicles. X‐ray CT feature characterization was combined with the Mask R‐CNN algorithm to perform feature extraction and classification of a panicle and grains in each layer of the CT sequence. The Euclidean distance between adjacent layers was minimized to extract the features of a 3‐D panicle and grains. The results were used to calculate the rice panicle seed setting rate. The proposed method was experimentally verified using eight sets of different rice panicles. The results showed that the proposed method can efficiently identify and count plump grains and blighted grains to achieve an accuracy above 99% for the seed setting rate.
Tuning the glass transition of siloxane‐based poly(ionic liquid)s towards high ion conductivity
Authors: Reiter Manuel , Anton Arthur Markus , Chang Jian , Kremer Friedrich , Unterlass Miriam M. , Yuan Jiayin
Published: May 2021

Herein, we report a simple and versatile synthetic approach towards siloxane‐based poly(ionic liquid)s (PILs) with unusually low glass transition temperatures (Tg) down to −73°C, and thus “liquid‐like” behavior at room temperature. We designed a polydimethylsiloxane‐derived copolymer carrying dialkylimidazolium moieties, and by careful selection of the side‐chain length and the type of anions we were able to manipulate its Tg over a wide range and reach high ionic conductivities (σDC) up to 4.8 × 10−5 S/cm at 300 K. The ionized species make up only a minor fraction (<25 mol%) of the overall repeating units and are supposedly randomly distributed: Yet our results indicate dramatic effects on the thermal properties due to repulsive interactions between ionic and non‐ionic segments.
AlphaFold2 predicts the inward‐facing conformation of the multidrug transporter LmrP
Authors: del Alamo Diego , Govaerts Cédric , Mchaourab Hassane S.
Published: May 2021

As part of the CASP competition, the protein structure prediction algorithm AlphaFold2 generated multiple models of the proton/drug antiporter LmrP. Previous distance restraints from double electron‐electron resonance spectroscopy, a technique which reports distance distributions between spin labels attached to proteins, suggest that one of the lower‐ranked models may have captured a conformation that has so far eluded experimental structure determination.
ACE2‐based decoy receptors for SARS coronavirus 2
Authors: Jing Wenyang , Procko Erik
Published: May 2021

SARS coronavirus 2 is neutralized by proteins that block receptor‐binding sites on spikes that project from the viral envelope. In particular, substantial research investment has advanced monoclonal antibody therapies to the clinic where they have shown partial efficacy in reducing viral burden and hospitalization. An alternative is to use the host entry receptor, angiotensin‐converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), as a soluble decoy that broadly blocks SARS‐associated coronaviruses with limited potential for viral escape. Here, we summarize efforts to engineer higher affinity variants of soluble ACE2 that rival the potency of affinity‐matured antibodies. Strategies have also been used to increase the valency of ACE2 decoys for avid spike interactions and to improve pharmacokinetics via IgG fusions. Finally, the intrinsic catalytic activity of ACE2 for the turnover of the vasoconstrictor angiotensin II may directly address COVID‐19 symptoms and protect against lung and cardiovascular injury, conferring dual mechanisms of action unachievable by monoclonal antibodies. Soluble ACE2 derivatives therefore have the potential to be next generation therapeutics for addressing the immediate needs of the current pandemic and possible future outbreaks.
High‐level field‐evolved resistance to spinosad in Colorado potato beetle, Leptinotarsa decemlineata, in organically managed fields
Authors: Schnaars‐Uvino Kathleen , Baker Mitchell B
Published: May 2021

BACKGROUND

Organic pest management eschews synthetic pesticides and insecticide resistance is rarely studied in organically managed systems. Spinosad is a biologically based insecticide used widely by both organic and conventional growers. Colorado potato beetle, Leptinotarsa decemlineata, is infamous for its ability to evolve resistance to insecticides. Spinosad resistance was surveyed in conventionally managed fields in eastern New York in 2006. In response to grower reports of spinosad failure on two organic farms in 2009, resistance to spinosad was assayed in both conventionally and organically managed fields the following year, and growers were surveyed for their prior spinosad use.

RESULTS

In 2006, spinosad resistance measured as median lethal dose (LD50) varied 9.8‐fold among the eight conventional fields sampled and a laboratory susceptible strain. In 2010, the resistance ratios of LD50 values relative to a laboratory susceptible strain ranged from 17.5 to 40.6 in conventionally managed fields, and from 128.7 to 5750.3 in organically managed fields, a dramatic increase from 2006 with higher resistance ratios in organically managed fields. Organic growers reported much heavier use of spinosad in the years prior to 2010.

CONCLUSION

This is the first report of high‐level resistance to spinosad in Coleopterans. Selection strength due to number of years used and number of applications per season appear to have been the primary factors driving the evolution of resistance to spinosad, highlighting the need for resistance management in organic production, where fewer alternative active ingredients for resistance management are available. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry.
Over 17.6% Efficiency Organic Photovoltaic Devices with Two Compatible Polymer Donors
Authors: Xu Chunyu , Ma Xiaoling , Zhao Zijin , Jiang Mengyun , Hu Zhenghao , Gao Jinhua , Deng Zhengqi , Zhou Zhengji , An Qiaoshi , Zhang Jian , Zhang Fujun
Published: May 2021

Efficient ternary blend organic photovoltaic devices (OPVs) are built based on a D18‐Cl:Y6 host system and star polymer donor PM6 as the third component. A power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 16.89% is achieved in D18‐Cl:Y6 host binary OPVs, with a short‐circuit current density (J
SC) of 25.31 mA cm−2, an open‐circuit voltage (V
OC) of 0.878 V, and a fill factor (FF) of 75.81%. Upon incorporating appropriate PM6 in active layers, the PCE of optimal ternary blend OPVs can be increased to 17.61%, benefiting from a J
SC of 26.35 mA cm−2, a V
OC of 0.871 V, and an FF of 76.82%. Polymers D18‐Cl and PM6 have good compatibility and similar highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) levels, which enable to form D18‐Cl:PM6 alloyed states for efficient hole transport in ternary blend active layers. Meanwhile, trap density in ternary blend active layers is decreased by incorporating PM6, which is conducive to weaken charge recombination in ternary blend active layers. The gradually varied V
OC values of ternary blend OPVs can be well explained from the varied HOMO levels of D18‐Cl:PM6 alloyed states. The results indicate that two compatible polymer donors with similar HOMO levels have great potential in achieving efficient ternary blend OPVs.
Polypyrrole‐Reinforced N,S‐Doping Graphene Foam for Efficient Solar Purification of Wastewater
Authors: Su Lifen , Ning Yuying , Ma Ziqiang , Zhang Yuhao , Liu Chuanlei , Zhang Youli , Miao Lei , Zhou Jianhua , Wu Bin , Qian Jiasheng
Published: May 2021

Solar vapor generation is a sustainable and cost‐effective approach to addressing the issue of water shortage. However, the challenges of solar steam generation still exist for achieving a high evaporation efficiency combined with long‐term stability in the wastewater containing heavy metal ions and wide degrees of acidity and alkalinity (pH = 1–14). Herein, polypyrrole (PPy) loading on the N,S‐doped graphene oxide (N,S‐GO) foam is used for high‐efficiency solar evaporation of treating wastewater. With the advantages of excellent broadband solar absorption ( >97%), extremely low emissivity (0.70), and outstanding hydrophilicity, the N,S‐GO/PPy foam achieves a high evaporation efficiency of 90.5% under 1 sun illumination. More notably, the N,S‐GO/PPy foam has strong adsorption of heavy metal ions (Fe3+, Cu2+, and Cr6+) for treating wastewater synchronously evaporates at higher efficiencies of 94.7–98.4%. Interestingly, the high‐toxicity Cr6+ can be reduced to low‐toxicity Cr3+ effectively by the synergistic effect of N,S‐GO and PPy. In addition, the N,S‐GO foam shows a better long‐term resistance of acidity and alkalinity for 45 days. A new insight is offered into high‐efficiency solar evaporation for treating wastewater and water purification.
Number parsing at a gigabyte per second
Authors: Lemire Daniel
Published: May 2021

With disks and networks providing gigabytes per second, parsing decimal numbers from strings becomes a bottleneck. We consider the problem of parsing decimal numbers to the nearest binary floating‐point value. The general problem requires variable‐precision arithmetic. However, we need at most 17 digits to represent 64‐bit standard floating‐point numbers (IEEE 754). Thus, we can represent the decimal significand with a single 64‐bit word. By combining the significand and precomputed tables, we can compute the nearest floating‐point number using as few as one or two 64‐bit multiplications. Our implementation can be several times faster than conventional functions present in standard C libraries on modern 64‐bit systems (Intel, AMD, ARM, and POWER9). Our work is available as open source software used by major systems such as Apache Arrow and Yandex ClickHouse. The Go standard library has adopted a version of our approach.
A Method for Determining the Power‐Flow Restriction Between the Distribution and Sub‐Transmission Systems that Reduces the Capacity of a Battery Energy Storage System
Authors: Nose Jumpei , Iioka Daisuke , Orihara Dai
Published: May 2021

In recent years, several renewable energy power sources, such as photovoltaics (PVs) and wind power generation, have been introduced. Although the introduced PVs are undergoing improvements in the distribution system, they still encounter several challenges. One of these challenges is an increase in supply and demand fluctuations. Accordingly, the authors are currently researching a microgrid that eliminates the power flow between the distribution and sub‐transmission systems by using a battery energy‐storage system. In this paper, we propose a method for determining the restriction of power flow by solving optimization problems. Furthermore, a sensitivity analysis was performed in this study on the effects of parameters, such as the capacity of PV, load, and required capacity of a battery energy‐storage system, on the power‐flow restriction caused by the optimization problem. Finally, we discuss the results obtained from studying the conditions that enable the reduction in the required capacity of the battery energy‐storage system. © 2021 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.
Change in modifiable dementia risk factors during COVID‐19 lockdown: The experience of over 50s in Tasmania, Australia
Authors: Bartlett Larissa , Brady James J. R. , Farrow Maree , Kim Sarang , Bindoff Aidan , Fair Hannah , Vickers James C. , Sinclair Duncan
Published: May 2021

Introduction

Containment measures implemented to minimize the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) are reported to be negatively affecting mental health, diet, and alcohol consumption. These factors, as well as poor cardiometabolic health and insufficient physical and cognitive activity, are known to increase the risk of developing dementia. COVID‐19 “lockdown” measures may have exacerbated these dementia risk factors among people in mid‐to‐later life.

Methods

We compared longitudinal data from before (October 2019) and during (April‐June 2020) the first COVID‐19 lockdown period in Tasmania, Australia. Participants (n = 1671) were 50+ years of age and engaged in a public health program targeting dementia risk reduction, with one‐third participating in the Preventing Dementia Massive Open Online Course (PD‐MOOC). Regression models were used to assess changes in smoking, alcohol use, body mass index (BMI), diet, physical exercise, cognitive and social activity, anxiety and depression, and management of cholesterol, diabetes, and blood pressure. Where significant changes were noted, the moderating influence of being in current employment, living with others, and completing the PD‐MOOC was tested.

Results

Although friend networks contracted marginally during lockdown, no detrimental effects on modifiable dementia risk factors were noted. Anxiety levels and alcohol consumption decreased, there was no change in depression scores, and small but significant improvements were observed in cognitive and physical activity, smoking, diet, and BMI. Stronger improvements in cognitive activity were observed among people who were cohabiting (not living alone) and both cognitive activity and adherence to the MIND diet (Mediterranean‐DASH diet Intervention for Neurological Delay) improved more for people who participated in the PD‐MOOC.

Discussion

Longitudinal data did not show widespread negative effects of COVID‐19 lockdown on modifiable dementia risk factors in this sample. The results counter the dominant narratives of universal pandemic‐related distress and suggest that engaging at‐risk populations in proactive health promotion and education campaigns during lockdown events could be a protective public health strategy.
Dessins d’enfants, Seiberg-Witten curves and conformal blocks
Authors: Bao Jiakang , Foda Omar , He Yang-Hui , Hirst Edward , Read James , Xiao Yan , Yagi Futoshi
Published: May 2021

Abstract

We show how to map Grothendieck’s dessins d’enfants to algebraic curves as Seiberg-Witten curves, then use the mirror map and the AGT map to obtain the corresponding 4d$$ \mathcal{N} $$N= 2 supersymmetric instanton partition functions and 2d Virasoro conformal blocks. We explicitly demonstrate the 6 trivalent dessins with 4 punctures on the sphere. We find that the parametrizations obtained from a dessin should be related by certain duality for gauge theories. Then we will discuss that some dessins could correspond to conformal blocks satisfying certain rules in different minimal models.
Resurgent analysis for some 3-manifold invariants
Authors: Chung Hee-Joong
Published: May 2021

Abstract

We study resurgence for some 3-manifold invariants when Gℂ = SL(2, ℂ). We discuss the case of an infinite family of Seifert manifolds for general roots of unity and the case of the torus knot complement in S3. Via resurgent analysis, we see that the contribution from the abelian flat connections to the analytically continued Chern-Simons partition function contains the information of all non-abelian flat connections, so it can be regarded as a full partition function of the analytically continued Chern-Simons theory on 3-manifolds M3. In particular, this directly indicates that the homological block for the torus knot complement in S3 is an analytic continuation of the full G = SU(2) partition function, i.e. the colored Jones polynomial.
The distribution of pelvic organ support defects in women undergoing pelvic organ prolapse surgery and compartment specific risk factors
Authors: Payebto Zoua Emmanuel , Boulvain Michel , Dällenbach Patrick
Published: May 2021

Introduction and hypothesis

The objective of our study was to describe the distribution of pelvic organ prolapse (POP) in a population of women undergoing POP reconstructive surgery and to identify compartment-specific risk factors.

Methods

We conducted a retrospective observational study in a cohort of 326 women who underwent POP repair and had a standardized preoperative POP assessment using the Baden-Walker classification. The distribution of POP grade was described for each vaginal compartment. The association between the involvement of each specific compartment and predictors was evaluated with a logistic regression model.

Results

The frequency of significant POP (grade ≥ 2) was 79% in the anterior compartment, 49% in the middle/apical compartment and 31% in the posterior compartment. Combined significant anterior and apical defects were present in 25% of women. Increasing age was a significant risk factor for apical defect (between 60 and 70 years OR = 2.4, 95% CI 1.2–4.6; > 70 years OR = 3.4, 95% CI 1.7–6.6). Previous hysterectomy (OR = 2.2, 95% CI 1.0–4.6) was a significant risk factor for posterior defect.

Conclusions

In a population undergoing POP surgery, anterior compartment involvement is the most common and serious defect and can often be associated with an apical defect, especially in older women. In case of previous hysterectomy, the posterior compartment may be weakened. These findings may help surgeons to select the appropriate POP reconstructive surgery, which often should address both anterior and apical defects.
On the Stability of Periodic Multi-Solitons of the KdV Equation
Authors: Kappeler Thomas , Montalto Riccardo
Published: May 2021

In this paper we obtain the following stability result for periodic multi-solitons of the KdV equation: We prove that under any given semilinear Hamiltonian perturbation of small size$$\varepsilon > 0$$ε>0, a large class of periodic multi-solitons of the KdV equation, including ones of large amplitude, are orbitally stable for a time interval of length at least$$O(\varepsilon ^{-2})$$O(ε-2). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first stability result of such type for periodic multi-solitons of large size of an integrable PDE.
The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on adult diagnostic neuroradiology in Europe
Authors: Smits Marion , Vernooij M. W. , Bargalló N. , Ramos A. , Yousry T. A.
Published: May 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this survey was to understand the impact the Covid-19 pandemic has or has had on the work, training, and wellbeing of professionals in the field of diagnostic neuroradiology.

Methods

A survey was emailed to all ESNR members and associates as well as distributed via professional social media channels. The survey was held in the summer of 2020 when the first wave had subsided in most of Europe, while the second wave was not yet widespread. The questionnaire featured a total of 46 questions on general demographics, the various phases of the healthcare crisis, and the numbers of Covid-19 patients.

Results

One hundred sixty-seven responses were received from 48 countries mostly from neuroradiologists (72%). Most commonly taken measures during the crisis phase were reduction of outpatient exams (87%), reduction of number of staff present in the department (83%), reporting from home (62%), and shift work (54%). In the exit phase, these measures were less frequently applied, but reporting from home was still frequent (33%). However, only 22% had access to a fully equipped work station at home. While 81% felt safe at work during the crisis, fewer than 50% had sufficient personal protection equipment for the duration of the entire crisis. Mental wellbeing is an area of concern, with 61% feeling (much) worse than usual. Many followed online courses/congresses and considered these a viable alternative for the future.

Conclusion

The Covid-19 pandemic substantially affected the professional life as well as personal wellbeing of neuroradiologists.
Mechanistic insights into immune checkpoint inhibitor-related hypophysitis: a form of paraneoplastic syndrome
Authors: Kanie Keitaro , Iguchi Genzo , Bando Hironori , Urai Shin , Shichi Hiroki , Fujita Yasunori , Matsumoto Ryusaku , Suda Kentaro , Yamamoto Masaaki , Fukuoka Hidenori , Ogawa Wataru , Takahashi Yutaka
Published: May 2021

Background

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) as a cancer immunotherapy have emerged as a treatment for multiple advanced cancer types. Because of enhanced immune responses, immune-related adverse events (irAEs), including endocrinopathies such as hypophysitis, have been associated with the use of ICIs. Most underlying mechanisms of ICI-related hypophysitis remain unclear, especially for programmed cell death-1 (PD-1)/PD-1 ligand 1 (PD-L1) inhibitors. We hypothesized that ICI-related hypophysitis is associated with paraneoplastic syndrome caused by ectopic expression of pituitary-specific antigens.

Methods

Twenty consecutive patients with ICI-related hypophysitis between 2017 and 2019 at Kobe University Hospital were retrospectively analyzed. Circulating anti-pituitary antibodies were detected using immunofluorescence staining and immunoblotting. Ectopic expression of pituitary autoantigens in tumor specimens was also examined.

Results

Eighteen patients were treated with PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors, and two were treated with a combination of cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen-4 (CTLA-4) and PD-1 inhibitors. All patients showed adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) deficiency and additionally, three showed thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) deficiency, and one showed gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) deficiency. Among these patients, three exhibited anti-pituitary antibodies, two with anti-corticotroph antibody and one with anti-somatotroph antibody. Interestingly, the anti-corticotroph antibody recognized proopiomelanocortin (POMC) and those two patients exhibited ectopic ACTH expression in the tumor, while the patients without anti-corticotroph antibody did not.

Conclusions

We demonstrated 10% of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors-related hypophysitis were associated with the autoimmunity against corticotrophs and maybe caused as a form of paraneoplastic syndrome, in which ectopic expression of ACTH in the tumor was observed. It is also suggested that the pathophysiology is heterogenous in ICI-related hypophysitis.
Feasibility and Safety of the Craniocaudal Approach for Superior Sulcus Lesions of the Thorax
Authors: Koretsune Yuji , Sone Miyuki , Arai Yasuaki , Sugawara Shunsuke , Itou Chihiro , Kimura Shintaro , Kusumoto Masahiko
Published: May 2021

Purpose

To evaluate the feasibility and safety of the craniocaudal approach for superior sulcus lesions of the thorax.

Material and Methods

Between October 2010 and December 2020, the data from 22 consecutive patients who underwent drainage or biopsy using a craniocaudal trajectory were retrospectively reviewed. The craniocaudal approach was applied for patients in which the fluid collection or tumor was limited to the superior thoracic sulcus lesion or otherwise inaccessible owing to intervening structures such as pleural dissemination. The indications for this procedure were drainage in 20 patients and biopsy in 2 patients. Technical success, procedure time, complications, and clinical success were evaluated.

Results

Technical and clinical success were achieved in all patients, and no major complications were found. The median procedure time was 25 min (range 15–40 min). This procedure was performed with fluoroscopic guidance in 11 patients and ultrasound guidance in 11 patients. The routes of needle passage were the first intercostal space (n = 16), the second intercostal space (n = 5), and between the clavicle and the first rib (n = 1).

Conclusion

The craniocaudal approach for superior sulcus lesions might be a safe and feasible option for patients in which the conventional intercostal approach is difficult.

Level of Evidence

Retrospective cohort study. Level 4.
An international survey on AI in radiology in 1041 radiologists and radiology residents part 2: expectations, hurdles to implementation, and education
Authors: Huisman Merel , Ranschaert Erik , Parker William , Mastrodicasa Domenico , Koci Martin , Pinto de Santos Daniel , Coppola Francesca , Morozov Sergey , Zins Marc , Bohyn Cedric , Koç Ural , Wu Jie , Veean Satyam , Fleischmann Dominik , Leiner Tim , Willemink Martin J.
Published: May 2021

Objectives

Currently, hurdles to implementation of artificial intelligence (AI) in radiology are a much-debated topic but have not been investigated in the community at large. Also, controversy exists if and to what extent AI should be incorporated into radiology residency programs.

Methods

Between April and July 2019, an international survey took place on AI regarding its impact on the profession and training. The survey was accessible for radiologists and residents and distributed through several radiological societies. Relationships of independent variables with opinions, hurdles, and education were assessed using multivariable logistic regression.

Results

The survey was completed by 1041 respondents from 54 countries. A majority (n = 855, 82%) expects that AI will cause a change to the radiology field within 10 years. Most frequently, expected roles of AI in clinical practice were second reader (n = 829, 78%) and work-flow optimization (n = 802, 77%). Ethical and legal issues (n = 630, 62%) and lack of knowledge (n = 584, 57%) were mentioned most often as hurdles to implementation. Expert respondents added lack of labelled images and generalizability issues. A majority (n = 819, 79%) indicated that AI should be incorporated in residency programs, while less support for imaging informatics and AI as a subspecialty was found (n = 241, 23%).

Conclusions

Broad community demand exists for incorporation of AI into residency programs. Based on the results of the current study, integration of AI education seems advisable for radiology residents, including issues related to data management, ethics, and legislation.

Key Points

• There is broad demand from the radiological community to incorporate AI into residency programs, but there is less support to recognize imaging informatics as a radiological subspecialty.

• Ethical and legal issues and lack of knowledge are recognized as major bottlenecks for AI implementation by the radiological community, while the shortage in labeled data and IT-infrastructure issues are less often recognized as hurdles.

• Integrating AI education in radiology curricula including technical aspects of data management, risk of bias, and ethical and legal issues may aid successful integration of AI into diagnostic radiology.
Detection of liver cirrhosis in standard T2-weighted MRI using deep transfer learning
Authors: Nowak Sebastian , Mesropyan Narine , Faron Anton , Block Wolfgang , Reuter Martin , Attenberger Ulrike I. , Luetkens Julian A. , Sprinkart Alois M.
Published: May 2021

Objectives

To investigate the diagnostic performance of deep transfer learning (DTL) to detect liver cirrhosis from clinical MRI.

Methods

The dataset for this retrospective analysis consisted of 713 (343 female) patients who underwent liver MRI between 2017 and 2019. In total, 553 of these subjects had a confirmed diagnosis of liver cirrhosis, while the remainder had no history of liver disease. T2-weighted MRI slices at the level of the caudate lobe were manually exported for DTL analysis. Data were randomly split into training, validation, and test sets (70%/15%/15%). A ResNet50 convolutional neural network (CNN) pre-trained on the ImageNet archive was used for cirrhosis detection with and without upstream liver segmentation. Classification performance for detection of liver cirrhosis was compared to two radiologists with different levels of experience (4th-year resident, board-certified radiologist). Segmentation was performed using a U-Net architecture built on a pre-trained ResNet34 encoder. Differences in classification accuracy were assessed by the χ2-test.

Results

Dice coefficients for automatic segmentation were above 0.98 for both validation and test data. The classification accuracy of liver cirrhosis on validation (vACC) and test (tACC) data for the DTL pipeline with upstream liver segmentation (vACC = 0.99, tACC = 0.96) was significantly higher compared to the resident (vACC = 0.88, p < 0.01; tACC = 0.91, p = 0.01) and to the board-certified radiologist (vACC = 0.96, p < 0.01; tACC = 0.90, p < 0.01).

Conclusion

This proof-of-principle study demonstrates the potential of DTL for detecting cirrhosis based on standard T2-weighted MRI. The presented method for image-based diagnosis of liver cirrhosis demonstrated expert-level classification accuracy.

Key Points

• A pipeline consisting of two convolutional neural networks (CNNs) pre-trained on an extensive natural image database (ImageNet archive) enables detection of liver cirrhosis on standard T2-weighted MRI.

• High classification accuracy can be achieved even without altering the pre-trained parameters of the convolutional neural networks.

• Other abdominal structures apart from the liver were relevant for detection when the network was trained on unsegmented images.
The fat anchor orchiopexy technique: results and outcomes from 150 cases surgical experience
Authors: Spinelli Claudio , Bertocchini Alessia , Cito Gianmartin , Ghionzoli Marco , Strambi Silvia
Published: May 2021

Purpose

The purpose of the study is to evaluate results and outcomes in a long-time follow-up period, by performing a novel testicular fixation procedure, known as “fat anchor orchidopexy” (FAO), for the treatment of palpable low inguinal undescended testis.

Materials and methods

We retrospectively reviewed all patients who underwent scrotal orchiopexy technique, from May 2013 to May 2019, at the Pediatric Surgery Division of Department of Surgical Pathology, University of Pisa (Italy). FAO (Spinelli’s technique) consists in anchoring the testicles to sub-scrotal fat with a single trans-scrotal incision. All the patients enrolled had history of unilateral or bilateral undescended testis. Data collected included patient’s age, operative times and complications.

Results

A total of 150 children with cryptorchidism were treated using a single trans-scrotal orchiopexy. Of them, 130 patients (86.7%) had unilateral undescended testis and 20 (13.3%) bilateral cryptorchidism. Mean patient’s age was 21 months (range: 14–28 months). All the procedures were planned in a day-surgery setting. Trans-scrotal orchiopexy was successful in all cases and no patients required an additional groin incision. No intraoperatively and postoperatively major complications were observed. Patients’ post-operative pain was mild (mean pediatric visual analog scale = 2). In all cases, the healing process was rapid and no surgical wounds infections were reported during the post-operative period, referring excellent cosmesis results. During a mean 48-month follow-up period, no testicular retraction, recurrence or testis atrophy was reported.

Conclusion

The original Spinelli’s technique (FAO) proves to be a safe and effective method for the treatment of palpable or distal-to-external-inguinal-ring testes. No immediate and delayed post-surgery complications were reported. In all cases, the anchored testicle remained in the scrotal position with normal vascularization. This novel surgical technique could give better options for scrotal fixation in case of low-lying cryptorchid testes.