bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Digital phenotyping for mental health of college students: a clinical review
Authors: Melcher Jennifer , Hays Ryan , Torous John
Published: September 2020

Experiencing continued growth in demand for mental health services among students, colleges are seeking digital solutions to increase access to care as classes shift to remote virtual learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using smartphones to capture real-time symptoms and behaviours related to mental illnesses, digital phenotyping offers a practical tool to help colleges remotely monitor and assess mental health and provide more customised and responsive care. This narrative review of 25 digital phenotyping studies with college students explored how this method has been deployed, studied and has impacted mental health outcomes. We found the average duration of studies to be 42 days and the average enrolled to be 81 participants. The most common sensor-based streams collected included location, accelerometer and social information and these were used to inform behaviours such as sleep, exercise and social interactions. 52% of the studies included also collected smartphone survey in some form and these were used to assess mood, anxiety and stress among many other outcomes. The collective focus on data that construct features related to sleep, activity and social interactions indicate that this field is already appropriately attentive to the primary drivers of mental health problems among college students. While the heterogeneity of the methods of these studies presents no reliable target for mobile devices to offer automated help—the feasibility across studies suggests the potential to use these data today towards personalising care. As more unified digital phenotyping research evolves and scales to larger sample sizes, student mental health centres may consider integrating these data into their clinical practice for college students.
Unified theory of classic mechanics and quantum mechanics
Authors: Li Hong-Xing
Published: September 2020

In this paper, I review one of the most important and interesting parts of my new book “Fuzzy Systems to Quantum Mechanics” (see Ref. 1). Several conclusions in this part are worth introducing here. First of all, the motion of a mass point in classic mechanics has also waviness and the wave function of the motion of a mass point is composed of wave functions of countably infinite microscopic particles. Secondly, based on the waviness of the motion of a mass point we surely know the new conclusion described as the wave-mass-point dualism in classic mechanics. And thirdly, by using the closed relation between the wave-mass-point dualism in classic mechanics and the wave-particle dualism in quantum mechanics, unified theory of classic mechanics and quantum mechanics is naturally formed.
A Two Consequent Multi-layers Deep Discriminative Approach for Classifying fMRI Images
Authors: Mahmoud Abeer M. , Karamti Hanen , Alrowais Fadwa
Published: September 2020

Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI), for many decades acts as a potential aiding method for diagnosing medical problems. Several successful machine learning algorithms have been proposed in literature to extract valuable knowledge from fMRI. One of these algorithms is the convolutional neural network (CNN) that competent with high capabilities for learning optimal abstractions of fMRI. This is because the CNN learns features similarly to human brain where it preserves local structure and avoids distortion of the global feature space. Focusing on the achievements of using the CNN for the fMRI, and accordingly, the Deep Convolutional Auto-Encoder (DCAE) benefits from the data-driven approach with CNN’s optimal features to strengthen the fMRI classification. In this paper, a new two consequent multi-layers DCAE deep discriminative approach for classifying fMRI Images is proposed. The first DCAE is unsupervised sub-model that is composed of four CNN. It focuses on learning weights to utilize discriminative characteristics of the extracted features for robust reconstruction of fMRI with lower dimensional considering tiny details and refining by its deep multiple layers. Then the second DCAE is a supervised sub-model that focuses on training labels to reach an outperformed results. The proposed approach proved its effectiveness and improved literately reported results on a large brain disorder fMRI dataset.
A Persian Medical Question Answering System
Authors: Veisi Hadi , Shandi Hamed Fakour
Published: September 2020

A question answering system is a type of information retrieval that takes a question from a user in natural language as the input and returns the best answer to it as the output. In this paper, a medical question answering system in the Persian language is designed and implemented. During this research, a dataset of diseases and drugs is collected and structured. The proposed system includes three main modules: question processing, document retrieval, and answer extraction. For the question processing module, a sequential architecture is designed which retrieves the main concept of a question by using different components. In these components, rule-based methods, natural language processing, and dictionary-based techniques are used. In the document retrieval module, the documents are indexed and searched using the Lucene library. The retrieved documents are ranked using similarity detection algorithms and the highest-ranked document is selected to be used by the answer extraction module. This module is responsible for extracting the most relevant section of the text in the retrieved document. During this research, different customized language processing tools such as part of speech tagger and lemmatizer are also developed for Persian. Evaluation results show that this system performs well for answering different questions about diseases and drugs. The accuracy of the system for 500 sample questions is 83.6%.
Human Data Model
Authors: Mäkitalo Niko , Flores-Martin Daniel , Flores Huber , Lagerspetz Eemil , Christophe Francois , Ihantola Petri , Babazadeh Masiar , Hui Pan , Murillo Juan Manuel , Tarkoma Sasu , Mikkonen Tommi
Published: September 2020

Today, an increasing number of systems produce, process, and store personal and intimate data. Such data has plenty of potential for entirely new types of software applications, as well as for improving old applications, particularly in the domain of smart healthcare. However, utilizing this data, especially when it is continuously generated by sensors and other devices, with the current approaches is complex—data is often using proprietary formats and storage, and mixing and matching data of different origin is not easy. Furthermore, many of the systems are such that they should stimulate interactions with humans, which further complicates the systems. In this article, we introduce the Human Data Model—a new tool and a programming model for programmers and end users with scripting skills that help combine data from various sources, perform computations, and develop and schedule computer-human interactions. Written in JavaScript, the software implementing the model can be run on almost any computer either inside the browser or using Node.js. Its source code can be freely downloaded from GitHub, and the implementation can be used with the existing IoT platforms. As a whole, the work is inspired by several interviews with professionals, and an online survey among healthcare and education professionals, where the results show that the interviewed subjects almost entirely lack ideas on how to benefit the ever-increasing amount of data measured of the humans. We believe that this is because of the missing support for programming models for accessing and handling the data, which can be satisfied with the Human Data Model.
The Impact of Walking and Resting on Wrist Motion for Automated Detection of Meals
Authors: Sharma Surya , Jasper Phillip , Muth Eric , Hoover Adam
Published: September 2020

This article considers detecting eating in free-living humans by tracking wrist motion. We are specifically interested in the effect of secondary activities that people conduct while simultaneously eating, such as walking, watching television, or working. These secondary activities cause wrist motions that obfuscate those associated with eating, increasing the difficulty of detecting periods of eating. We collected a large dataset of 4,680 hours of wrist motion from 351 participants during free living. Participants reported secondary activities in 72% of meals. Analysis of wrist motion data revealed that the wrist was resting 12.8% of the time during self-reported meals compared to only 6.8% of the time in a cafeteria dataset, whereas walking motion was found 5.5% of the time during meals in free living compared to 0% in a cafeteria. Augmenting an eating detection classifier to include walking and resting detection improved accuracy from 74% to 77% on our free-living dataset (
t
[353] = 7.86,
p
< 0.001). Although eating detection could be improved using more sophisticated machine learning methods or sensor modalities, all approaches would be affected by secondary activities, as they affect the labeling of data itself. Our work suggests that future work should collect detailed ground truth on secondary activities being conducted during eating, as these activities could hold insights into when an eating activity starts or stops in the absence of video-based ground truth.
Use of Model-Informed Drug Development to Streamline Development of Long-Acting Products: Can These Successes Be Translated to Long-Acting Hormonal Contraceptives?
Authors: Li Li , Tran Doanh , Zhu Hao , Balimane Praveen , Willett Gerald , Zhao Ping , Gerrard Stephen E. , Vogelsong Kirsten M. , Wang Yaning , Seo Shirley K.
Published: September 2020

Long-acting contraceptives are the most effective reversible contraceptive methods. Increasing patients’ access to these contraceptives may translate into fewer unintended pregnancies and lead to substantial individual and public health benefits. However, development of long-acting products can be complex and challenging. This review provides ( a) an overview of representative development programs for long-acting antipsychotics as cases for conceptual translation to long-acting contraceptives, ( b) several case examples on how modeling and simulation have been used to streamline the development of long-acting products, and ( c) examples of challenges andopportunities in developing long-acting contraceptives and information on how exposure-response relationships of commonly used progestins may enable regulators and developers to rely on prior findings of effectiveness and safety from an approved contraceptive to streamline the development of long-acting contraceptives. The US Food and Drug Administration is seeking assistance from stakeholders to provide data from studies in which pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic or clinical outcomes of hormonal contraceptives were evaluated and not previously submitted.
Application of the Chloride Susceptibility Index to Study the Effects of Ni, Cr, Mn and Mo on the Repassivation of Stainless Steels
Authors: Ke Huibin , Frankel Gerald S. , Taylor Christopher D.
Published: September 2020

The effects of Ni, Cr, Mn and Mo on the very earliest stages of repassivation of stainless steels are quantified using the Chloride Susceptibility Index (CSI), which is an ab initio-based index for the evaluation of repassivation tendency. The quinary system of Fe-Ni-Cr-Mn-Mo is studied with density functional theory analysis and an electrochemisorption model developed previously by the authors, which are required to determine the CSI. The adsorption energies of O and Cl to different surface configurations are calculated, and then surface coverage maps of different species on the surface are obtained from the adsorption energies based on the Langmuir isotherm. Finally, CSI is calculated for different compositions of stainless steels. It is found that the effect of alloying elements on promoting repassivation of Fe alloys is in the order of Mn > ≈Ni > Cr > Mo when solute composition is less than 28 wt.%. A strong synergy is found between Cr and Mo such that a combination of these two elements at a certain ratio can give an optimal (low) CSI. The usage of CSI for evaluating repassivation tendency of CRAs is validated by experimental measured repassivation potential, which shows a strong monotonic negative relation with CSI.
NFATc3 regulation of collagen V expression contributes to cellular immunity to collagen type V and hypoxic pulmonary hypertension
Authors: Sheak Joshua R. , Jones David T. , Lantz Benjamin J. , Maston Levi D. , Vigil Danielle , Resta Thomas C. , Resta Micaela M. , Howard Tamara A. , Kanagy Nancy L. , Guo Yan , Jankowska-Gan Ewa , Sullivan Jeremy A. , Braun Rudolf K. , Burlingham William J. , Gonzalez Bosc Laura V.
Published: September 2020

Chronic hypoxia (CH)-induced pulmonary hypertension (PH) results, in part, from T helper-17 (TH17) cell-mediated perivascular inflammation. However, the antigen(s) involved is unknown. Cellular immunity to collagen type V (col V) develops after ischemia-reperfusion injury during lung transplant and is mediated by naturally occurring (n)TH17 cells. Col5a1 gene codifies for the α1-helix of col V, which is normally hidden from the immune system within type I collagen in the extracellular matrix. COL5A1 promoter analysis revealed nuclear factor of activated T cells, cytoplasmic 3 (NFATc3) binding sites. Therefore, we hypothesized that smooth muscle NFATc3 upregulates col V expression, leading to nTH17 cell-mediated autoimmunity to col V in response to CH, representing an upstream mechanism in PH development. To test our hypothesis, we measured indexes of PH in inducible smooth muscle cell (SMC)-specific NFATc3 knockout (KO) mice exposed to either CH (380 mmHg) or normoxia and compared them with wild-type (WT) mice. KO mice did not develop PH. In addition, COL5A1 was one of the 1,792 genes differentially affected by both CH and SMC NFATc3 in isolated intrapulmonary arteries, which was confirmed by RT-PCR and immunostaining. Cellular immunity to col V was determined using a trans vivo delayed-type hypersensitivity assay (Tv-DTH). Tv-DTH response was evident only when splenocytes were used from control mice exposed to CH but not from KO mice, and mediated by nTH17 cells. Our results suggest that SMC NFATc3 is important for CH-induced PH in adult mice, in part, by regulating the expression of the lung self-antigen COL5A1 protein contributing to col V-reactive nTH17-mediated inflammation and hypertension.
Retinal ganglion cell defects cause decision shifts in visually evoked defense responses
Authors: Lees Rebecca Nicole , Akbar Armaan Fazal , Badea Tudor Constantin
Published: September 2020

Flight and freezing response choices evoked by visual stimuli are controlled by brain stem and thalamic circuits. Genetically modified mice with loss of specific retinal ganglion cell (RGC) subpopulations have altered flight versus freezing choices in response to some but not other visual stimuli. This finding suggests that “threatening” visual stimuli may be computed already at the level of the retina and communicated via dedicated pathways (RGCs) to the brain.
Fragile X mental retardation protein modulates somatic D-type K+ channels and action potential threshold in the mouse prefrontal cortex
Authors: Kalmbach Brian E. , Brager Darrin H.
Published: September 2020

We demonstrate that fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP), which is absent in fragile X syndrome (FXS), regulates D-type potassium channels in prefrontal cortex L5 pyramidal neurons with subcerebral projections but not in neighboring pyramidal neurons without subcerebral projections. FMRP regulates D-type potassium channels in a protein-protein-dependent manner and rescues action potential threshold in a mouse model of FXS. These findings have implications for how changes in voltage-gated channels contribute to neurodevelopmental disorders.
An Innovative Eigenvector-Based Method for Traffic Light Scheduling
Authors: Soltani-Sarvestani Mohammad Amin , Azimifar Zohreh , Wong Alexander , Safavi Ali Akbar
Published: September 2020

This paper introduces two traffic light strategies to control traffic and avoid traffic jam in urban networks. One strategy is a new traffic light scheduling system, which controls traffic light using local variables (waiting time and number of vehicle on links) but has a global impact on the traffic, using shared variables between neighbour intersections. The proposed traffic light scheduling system is designed based on eigenvector centrality of intersection relation matrix. The intersection relation matrix is a new representation of a junction which indicates the traffic relation between intersection’s links and adjacent intersections. The second contribution is expanding a new dual mode traffic light strategy (namely, Exit Status Traffic Light (ETL)), which notifies the drivers whether they are allowed to exit a street or not. In other words, vehicles are allowed to enter a street in both red and green ETL, but they are not allowed to exit the street for a long time in red ETL (while traffic is heavy in the subnetwork). The ETL gives a chance to relax traffic in a subnetwork and avoid traffic jam. The effectiveness of the proposed strategy is analysed and evaluated by a number of simulations on three-way grid networks. Two-way rectangular grid networks are modelled via a cell transmission model (CTM). The macroscopic fundamental diagram (MFD) and the number of jammed cells are compared with two state-of-the-art methods.
CFD-DEM Simulation of Reverse Circulation Pneumatic Cuttings Removal during Coal Seam Drilling
Authors: Han Xiaoming , Li Peibo , Li Jialiang
Published: September 2020

To solve the problems that the borehole depth is shallow and the borehole formation rate is low during the gas drainage drilling in soft coal seam with current cuttings removal method, a new technology of reverse circulation pneumatic cuttings removal is put forward. The CFD-DEM coupling method is used to establish the simulation model of cuttings-air two-phase flow in drill pipe. The effects of the air velocity for cuttings removal and the mass flow rate of cuttings on the flow characteristics, cuttings removal effect and pressure drop of cuttings-gas two-phase flow are analysed. The results show that the drag force of drilling cuttings becomes larger with the increase of air velocity and the stratified flow characteristic is obvious. The drill cuttings migration ratio is positively correlated with the air velocity for cuttings removal and negatively correlated with the mass flow rate of cuttings. When the mass flow rate of cuttings is constant, the increase of air velocity for cuttings removal leads to the increase of pressure drop in the inner hole of drill pipe. When the air velocity of cuttings removal is constant, the mass flow rate of cuttings and the pressure drop in the inner hole of drill pipe increases. Therefore, the appropriate air velocity should be selected considering the energy consumption during cuttings removal.
Clinical Features of COVID-19 Patients with Diabetes and Secondary Hyperglycemia
Authors: Zhou Wan , Ye Shandong , Wang Wei , Li Sumei , Hu Qinggang , Masaki Takayuki
Published: September 2020

People with diabetes have higher risks of various infections. Therefore, these diabetic patients might be at increased risk of COVID-19 and have a poorer prognosis. Up until now, little is known about critical role in the pathogenesis. This study aims to investigate the clinical characteristics of COVID-19 patients with diabetes and secondary hyperglycemia, as well as to explore the purported mechanisms. 80 confirmed COVID-19 subjects were classified into the euglycemia group, secondary hyperglycemia group, and diabetes group. Severity of COVID-19 was defined based on the diagnostic and treatment guideline for SARS-CoV-2 issued by Chinese National Health Committee. According to the severity of the disease, patients of the mild type and common type were registered as mild cases (patients with minimal symptoms and negative CT findings), while patients of the severe type and critical type were enrolled as severe cases (patients with positive CT findings and different extent of clinical manifestations). Patients in the diabetes group were older than those in the euglycemia group, and most of them were male. In the diabetes group, the proportion of severe cases was 57.14%, which was significantly higher than those in the other two groups, and 32% of the COVID-19 patients diagnosed as severe cases were with diabetes. The CD4+ cell counts in the diabetes group were lower than those in the other two groups, while the levels of LDH and hs-CRP were higher. Compared with the euglycemia group, the CD3+ cell counts and the CD4+/CD8+ ratio were decreased, whereas the levels of IL-6 were increased in the secondary hyperglycemia group and diabetes group, with the diversities in the diabetes group being especially more significant. The Spearman correlation analysis revealed that the presence of diabetes was positively correlated with age, hs-CRP, LDH, IL-6, CD8+ cells, and severity of COVID-19 and negatively correlated with CD3+ cell counts, CD4+ cell counts, and CD4+/CD8+ ratio. Compared with the other two groups, the diabetes group exhibited more diverse and multifocal features in CT imagings. Diabetes is a risk factor for influence of the progression and prognosis of COVID-19 due to ongoing inflammation and impaired immune response.
The Expression Pattern and Regulatory Mechanism of the G0/G1 Switch Gene 2 (G0S2) in the Pathogenesis and Treatment of AChR Myasthenia Gravis (MG)
Authors: Xu Liqun , Li Zhibin , Li Yi , Luo Zhaohui , Luo Yuebei , Xiao Bo , Yang Huan
Published: September 2020

This study is aimed at exploring the expression pattern and methylation level of G0S2 in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of myasthenia gravis (MG) patients with positive acetylcholine receptor (AChR) autoantibodies and revealing the relationship between the G0S2 methylation pattern and MG. The relationship between the NFAT family members and G0S2 was explored to reveal the regulatory mechanism of G0S2 in the pathogenesis and treatment of AChR MG. Moreover, we attempted to demonstrate the potential therapeutic mechanism of tacrolimus in AChR MG. The relative G0S2 expression level in the PBMCs of healthy people was compared with that in the PBMCs of AChR MG patients with quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). The methylation frequency of the G0S2 promoter was detected by bisulfite sequencing PCR (BSP) and pyrosequencing. A dual-luciferase reporter system was used to reveal the relationship between the G0S2 promoter and nuclear factor of activated T cells 5 (NFAT5). The qRT-PCR results showed that G0S2 expression was significantly upregulated in the B cells and CD8+ T cells of AChR MG patients but not in the CD4+ T cells, and these expression differences were significantly associated with a decrease in G0S2 methylation. NFAT5, which was speculated to bind to island 1 (p1) in the G0S2 promoter, may regulate the lymphocyte balance by regulating G0S2 gene expression but failed to affect the methylation of the G0S2 promoter. Tacrolimus therapy-induced methylation and overexpression of NFAT5 could significantly reduce the expression of G0S2 in AChR MG patients. The G0S2 gene was remarkably upregulated in the PBMCs of MG patients. NFAT5 may affect transcription initiation and downregulate G0S2 expression through p1 in the promoter, thus controlling G0S2 gene expression and regulating the lymphocyte balance. Therefore, G0S2 could be an immune regulatory factor in both AChR MG occurrence and treatment with tacrolimus.
A Difference Scheme and Its Error Analysis for a Poisson Equation with Nonlocal Boundary Conditions
Authors: Feng Chunsheng , Nie Cunyun , Yu Haiyuan , Zhou Liping , Rajagopal Karthikeyan
Published: September 2020

The elliptic problem with a nonlocal boundary condition is widely applied in the field of science and engineering, such as the chaotic system. Firstly, we construct one high-accuracy difference scheme for a kind of elliptic problem by tactfully introducing an equivalent relation for one nonlocal condition. Then, we obtain the local truncation error equation by the Taylor formula and, initially, prove that the new scheme can reach the asymptotic optimal error estimate

O

h

2

ln
 
h

in the maximum norm through ingeniously transforming a two-dimensional problem to a one-dimensional one through bringing in the discrete Fourier transformation. Numerical experiments demonstrate the correctness of theoretical results.
Prevalence and Age-Related Changes of Corneal Astigmatism in Patients Undergoing Cataract Surgery in Northern China
Authors: Wu Zhizhong , Liu Caijuan , Chen Zhimin , Mencía-Gutiérrez Enrique
Published: September 2020

Purpose. To examine the magnitude, orientation, and age-related changes of corneal astigmatism of the eyes before cataract surgery. Setting. Hebei Eye Hospital, Hebei, China. Design. A clinical-based retrospective study. Results. The study consisted of 5662 eyes of 5662 consecutive cataract surgery patients with a mean age of 68.26 ± 10.39 (mean ± standard deviation (SD)) years (range 40 to 97 years), and 59.86% of the patients were women. Mean corneal astigmatism was 0.98 ± 0.76 diopter (D) (range 0.00–9.61 D). Corneal astigmatism of 0.50–0.99 D was the most common range of values (30.08%), followed by 1.00–1.49 D (22.15%), ≤0.50 D (21.21%), and 1.50–1.99 D (10.28%). There was a strong U-shaped relation between corneal astigmatism and age (

p

for nonlinearity <.01). With the increase of age, the astigmatism axis gradually changes from with-the-rule (WTR) to against-the-rule (ATR). Moreover, in young patients with age below 65 years, WTR astigmatism was negatively correlated with age, while ATR was positively correlated with age (r = −0.11,

p
=
.001

; r = 0.10,

p
=
.010

, respectively). However, in the old patients with age above and equal to 65 years, all types of astigmatism were positively correlated with age. Conclusion. This study may provide valuable and practical information to surgeons when selecting the appropriate surgical method and toric intraocular lens (IOLs).
Effects of N-Acetylcysteine and N-Acetylcysteine Amide on Erythrocyte Deformability and Oxidative Stress in a Rat Model of Lower Extremity Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury
Authors: Erol Gokhan , Kartal Hakan , Comu Faruk M. , Cetin Erdem , Demirdas Ertan , Sicim Huseyin , Unal Celal S. , Gunay Celalettin , Oz Bilgehan S. , Bolcal Cengiz , Knowlton Anne
Published: September 2020

N-acetylcysteine (NAC) is an antioxidant which works as a free radical scavenger and antiapoptotic agent. N-acetylcysteine-amide (NACA) is a modified form of NAC containing an amide group instead of a carboxyl group of NAC. Our study aims to investigate the effectiveness of these two substances on erythrocyte deformability and oxidative stress in muscle tissue. Materials and Methods. A total of 24 Wistar albino rats were used in our study. The animals were randomly divided into five groups as control (n: 6), ischemia (n: 6), NAC (n: 6), and NACA (n: 6). In the ischemia, NAC, and NACA groups, 120 min of ischemia and 120 min of reperfusion were achieved by placing nontraumatic vascular clamps across the abdominal aorta. The NAC and NACA groups were administered an injection 30 min before ischemia (100 mg/kg NAC; 100 mg/kg NACA; intravenous). Blood samples were taken from the animals at the end of the ischemic period. The lower extremity gastrocnemius muscle was isolated and stored at −80 degrees to assess the total antioxidant status (TAS), total oxidant status (TOS), and oxidative stress index (OSI) values and was analyzed. Results. The erythrocyte deformability index was found to be statistically significantly lower in rats treated with NAC and NACA before ischemia-reperfusion compared to the groups that received only ischemia-reperfusion. In addition, no statistically significant difference was found between the control group and the NAC and NACA groups. The groups receiving NAC and NACA before ischemia exhibited higher total antioxidative status and lower total oxidative status while the oxidative stress index was also lower. Conclusion. The results of our study demonstrated the protective effects of NAC and NACA on erythrocyte deformability and oxidative damage in skeletal muscle in lower extremity ischemia-reperfusion. NAC and NACA exhibited similar protective effects on oxidative damage and erythrocyte deformability.
A Manifold-Based Dimension Reduction Algorithm Framework for Noisy Data Using Graph Sampling and Spectral Graph
Authors: Yang Tao , Fu Dongmei , Meng Jintao , Mrugalski Marcin
Published: September 2020

This paper proposes a new manifold-based dimension reduction algorithm framework. It can deal with the dimension reduction problem of data with noise and give the dimension reduction results with the deviation values caused by noise interference. Commonly used manifold learning methods are sensitive to noise in the data. Mean computation, a denoising method, is an important step in data preprocessing but leads to a loss of local structural information. In addition, it is difficult to measure the accuracy of the dimension reduction of noisy data. Thus, manifold learning methods often transform the data into an approximately smooth manifold structure; however, practical data from the physical world may not meet the requirements. The proposed framework follows the idea of the localization of manifolds and uses graph sampling to determine some local anchor points from the given data. Subsequently, the specific range of localities is determined using graph spectral analysis, and the density within each local range is estimated to obtain the distribution parameters. Then, manifold-based dimension reduction with distribution parameters is established, and the deviation values in each local range are measured and further extended to all data. Thus, our proposed framework gives a measurement method for deviation caused by noise.
Leukocyte Telomere Length and Bladder Cancer Risk: A Large Case–Control Study and Mendelian Randomization Analysis
Authors: Chen Meng , Xu Yifan , Xu Junfeng , Chancoco Haidee , Gu Jian
Published: September 2020

Background:

Leukocyte telomere length (LTL) has been associated with risk of several cancers. The association between LTL and bladder cancer is still inconsistent.

Methods:

In this large case–control study consisting of 2,011 patients with bladder cancer and 2,259 healthy controls of European ancestry, we investigated the associations of real-time qPCR-measured LTL (a retrospective case–control study) and genetically predicted LTL [a Mendelian randomization (MR) study] with bladder cancer risk. Genotypes from 10 LTL-associated SNPs were used as instrumental variables to predict LTL. We used an individual level data–based weighted genetic risk score (GRS) and a summary statistics–based inverse-variance weighting (IVW) method in MR analyses.

Results:

The qPCR-measured LTL was shorter in cases with muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) than those with non–muscle-invasive bladder cancer [NMIBC; ratio of telomere repeats copy number to single gene copy number (T/S): 1.19 ± 0.34 vs. 1.23 ± 0.36, P = 0.081]. Multivariable logistic regression analyses showed long qPCR-measured LTL was associated with a reduced risk of MIBC. In MR analyses, genetically predicted LTL was weakly associated with bladder cancer risk in both the GRS analysis [OR = 1.13, per SD increase; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.73–1.75; P = 0.595] and the IVW analysis (OR = 1.14 per SD increase; 95% CI, 0.75–1.74; P = 0.543).

Conclusions:

There was no strong evidence supporting an association between LTL and bladder cancer risk in European Americans.

Impact:

This is the largest study of LTL and bladder cancer risk. The study showed that LTL does not play an important role in bladder cancer etiology.
Community-Acquired Escherichia coli Bacteremia after Age 50 and Subsequent Incidence of a Cancer Diagnosis: A Danish Population–Based Cohort Study
Authors: Søgaard Kirstine K. , Veres Katalin , Vandenbroucke-Grauls Christina M.J.E. , Vandenbroucke Jan P. , Sørensen Henrik T. , Schønheyder Henrik C.
Published: September 2020

Background:

Community-acquired bacteremia (CAB) with Escherichia coli may signal occult cancer. This might differ between phylogenetic groups.

Methods:

We conducted a population-based cohort study in northern Denmark (1994–2013) to examine whether E. coli CAB after age 50 is associated with incident cancer. We followed patients from their bacteremia diagnosis date to identify subsequent gastrointestinal, hepatobiliary, and urinary tract cancer diagnoses. We calculated 1- and 5-year cumulative cancer incidence. We compared the observed incidence with that expected based on national cancer incidence rates, and computed standardized incidence ratios (SIR) at 0–<1 year and ≥1 year. In a subcohort, we assessed the prevalence of phylogenetic groups.

Results:

Among 2,735 patients with E. coli CAB, 173 later were diagnosed with cancer. The 1-year cumulative incidence of a gastrointestinal or hepatobiliary tract cancer was 1.9%, and the 0–<1-year SIR was 5.44 [95% confidence interval (CI), 4.06–7.14]. For urinary tract cancer, the corresponding estimates were 1.0% and 3.41 (95% CI, 2.27–4.93). All individual cancers occurred more often than expected during the first year following E. coli CAB, but thereafter the relative risks declined toward unity. Still, the ≥1-year SIR for colorectal cancer remained 1.4-fold elevated, and the SIR for liver, pancreas, gallbladder, and biliary tract cancer was 2-fold elevated. The prevalence of phylogenetic groups was similar among patients with and without cancer.

Conclusions:

Gastrointestinal, hepatobiliary, and urinary tract cancer may debut with E. coli CAB.

Impact:

Owing to the high incidence of E. coli bacteremia, cancers missed at the time of bacteremia diagnosis represent a clinically significant problem.
Glioblastoma TCGA Mesenchymal and IGS 23 Tumors are Identifiable by IHC and have an Immune-phenotype Indicating a Potential Benefit from Immunotherapy
Authors: Carrato Cristina , Alameda Francesc , Esteve-Codina Anna , Pineda Estela , Arpí Oriol , Martinez-García Maria , Mallo Mar , Gut Marta , Lopez-Martos Raquel , Barco Sonia Del , Ribalta Teresa , Capellades Jaume , Puig Josep , Gallego Oscar , Mesia Carlos , Muñoz-Marmol Ana M , Archilla Ivan , Arumí Montserrat , Blanc Julie Marie , Bellosillo Beatriz , Menendez Silvia , Esteve Anna , Bagué Silvia , Hernandez Ainhoa , Craven-Bartle Jordi , Fuentes Rafael , Vidal Noemí , Aldecoa Iban , Iglesia Nuria de la , Balana Carmen
Published: September 2020

Purpose:

Molecular subtype classifications in glioblastoma may detect therapy sensitivities. IHC would potentially allow the identification of molecular subtypes in routine clinical practice.

Experimental Design:

Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tumor samples of 124 uniformly treated, newly diagnosed patients with glioblastoma were submitted to RNA sequencing, IHC, and immune-phenotyping to identify differences in molecular subtypes associated with treatment sensitivities.

Results:

We detected high molecular and IHC overlapping of the The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) mesenchymal subtype with instrinsic glioma subtypes (IGS) cluster 23 and of the TCGA classical subtype with IGS cluster 18. IHC patterns, gene fusion profiles, and immune-phenotypes varied across subtypes. IHC revealed that the TCGA classical subtype was identified by high expression of EGFR and low expression of PTEN, while the mesenchymal subtype was identified by low expression of SOX2 and high expression of two antibodies, SHC1 and TCIRG1, selected on the basis of RNA differential transcriptomic expression. The proneural subtype was identified by frequent positive IDH1 expression and high Olig2 and Ki67 expression. Immune-phenotyping showed that mesenchymal and IGS 23 tumors exhibited a higher positive effector cell score, a higher negative suppressor cell score, and lower levels of immune checkpoint molecules. The cell-type deconvolution analysis revealed that these tumors are highly enriched in M2 macrophages, resting memory CD4+ T cells, and activated dendritic cells, indicating that they may be ideal candidates for immunotherapy, especially with anti-M2 and/or dendritic cell vaccination.

Conclusions:

There is a subset of tumors, frequently classified as mesenchymal or IGS cluster 23, that may be identified with IHC and could well be optimal candidates for immunotherapy.
The Performance of Colorectal Cancer Screening in Brazil: The First Two Years of the Implementation Program in Barretos Cancer Hospital
Authors: Guimarães Denise Peixoto , Mantuan Larissa Andreoli , de Oliveira Marco Antonio , Junior Raphael Luiz , Costa Allini Mafra da , Rossi Silvana , Fava Gilberto , Taveira Leonardo Nogueira , Giardina Kelly Menezio , Talarico Thais , Costa Maraisa , Scapulatempo-Neto Cristovam , Matsushita Marcus Medeiros , Véo Carlos Augusto , Fregnani Jose Humberto Tavares , Reis Rui Manuel , Hawk Ernest T. , Mauad Edmundo Carvalho
Published: September 2020

Colorectal cancer is the second most common cancer in Brazil. Yet, a nationally organized colorectal screening program is not implemented. Barretos Cancer Hospital (BCH) is one of the largest Brazilian institution that cares for underserved patients. BCH developed a fecal immunochemical test (FIT)-based organized colorectal cancer screening program to improve colorectal cancer outcomes.

This study aims to present the quality/performance measures of the first 2 years of the FIT-based colorectal cancer screening program and its impact on the colorectal cancer disease stage. Between 2015 and 2017, a total of 6,737 individuals attending the Outpatient Department of Prevention or the Mobile Unit of BCH, which visits 18 cities of Barretos county, ages 50 to 65 years, were personally invited by a health agent/nurse practitioner. Exclusion criteria were personal history of colorectal cancer, adenomatous polyps, inflammatory bowel disease, and colonoscopy, or flexible sigmoidoscopy performed in the past 5 years. European Union (EU) guidelines for colorectal cancer screening programs were evaluated. Overall, 92.8% returned the FIT, with an inadequate examination rate of 1.5%. Among the 6,253 adequately tested, 12.5% had a positive result. The colonoscopy compliance and completion rates were 84.6 and 98.2%, respectively. The PPVs were 60.0%, 16.5%, and 5.6% for adenoma, advanced adenoma, and cancer, respectively. Stage distribution of screen-detected cancers shows earlier stages than clinically diagnosed colorectal cancer cancers reported at BCH and Brazilian cancer registries. Our colorectal cancer screening program achieved desirable quality metrics, aligned with the EU guidelines. The observed shift toward earlier colorectal cancer stages suggests an exciting opportunity to improve colorectal cancer–related cancers in Brazil.
Mortes no trabalho
Authors: Trunckle Yuri Franco , Okamoto Cristina Akemi , Sá Eduardo Costa
Published: September 2020

Introdução: Sabe-se que as estatísticas referentes aos indicadores gerais e específicos relacionados ao trabalho e à sua mortalidade são escassos, o que pode ser em decorrência da carência de computação destes dados, pois uma parcela grande de trabalhadores não se enquadra como segurados da previdência social e, portanto, não é incluída nas estatísticas. Este estudo visa a analisar as taxas de morte relacionada ao trabalho por ramo de atividade, verificando em que ramos a morte é mais prevalente de acordo com o CNAE (Classificação Nacional de Atividades Econômicas) e discutir acerca das possíveis causas correlacionadas.  Objetivos: Analisar e discutir acerca das principais taxas de morte relacionadas ao trabalho por ramo de atividade, no âmbito previdenciário. Método: revisão literária na base de dados Scielo nos meses de outubro, novembro e dezembro de 2019 e análise do Anuário Estatístico de Acidentes do Trabalho de 2017. Resultados: obtém-se, para o ano de 2015, 3,9% de mortalidade. Em 2016, houve leve redução, com 3,7%. Dentre os CNAE com maior mortalidade, no ano de 2015, temos 1.071 (34 mortes), 4.120 (107 mortes), 4.711 (45 mortes), 4.744 (46 mortes), 4.930 (301 mortes), 8.011 (62 mortes). Conclusão: as mortes em decorrência do trabalho mostram maiores índices entre os ramos de Transporte Rodoviário, Construção Civil e Atividades de Vigilância, Segurança e Investigação. Fatores como violência no trânsito e urbana podem ser causas que contribuem diretamente para estes números.
Challenges and Opportunities for the Prevention and Treatment of Cardiovascular Disease Among Young Adults: Report From a National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Working Group
Authors: Gooding Holly C. , Gidding Samuel S. , Moran Andrew E. , Redmond Nicole , Allen Norrina B. , Bacha Fida , Burns Trudy L. , Catov Janet M. , Grandner Michael A. , Harris Kathleen Mullan , Johnson Heather M. , Kiernan Michaela , Lewis Tené T. , Matthews Karen A. , Monaghan Maureen , Robinson Jennifer G. , Tate Deborah , Bibbins‐Domingo Kirsten , Spring Bonnie
Published: September 2020

Improvements in cardiovascular disease (CVD) rates among young adults in the past 2 decades have been offset by increasing racial/ethnic and gender disparities, persistence of unhealthy lifestyle habits, overweight and obesity, and other CVD risk factors. To enhance the promotion of cardiovascular health among young adults 18 to 39 years old, the medical and broader public health community must understand the biological, interpersonal, and behavioral features of this life stage. Therefore, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, with support from the Office of Behavioral and Social Science Research, convened a 2‐day workshop in Bethesda, Maryland, in September 2017 to identify research challenges and opportunities related to the cardiovascular health of young adults. The current generation of young adults live in an environment undergoing substantial economic, social, and technological transformations, differentiating them from prior research cohorts of young adults. Although the accumulation of clinical and behavioral risk factors for CVD begins early in life, and research suggests early risk is an important determinant of future events, few trials have studied prevention and treatment of CVD in participants <40 years old. Building an evidence base for CVD prevention in this population will require the engagement of young adults, who are often disconnected from the healthcare system and may not prioritize long‐term health. These changes demand a repositioning of existing evidence‐based treatments to accommodate new sociotechnical contexts. In this article, the authors review the recent literature and current research opportunities to advance the cardiovascular health of today's young adults.
Stones, Snowflakes, and Insect Eggs
Authors: Zorach Rebecca
Published: September 2020

This paper takes as its broad context the evolution of the place of geometry in ways of thinking about nature and art in early modern Europe. Considering a set of questions about how Nature creates geometric forms, particularly in minerals but also in other kinds of natural beings, the paper explores the concept of “figure” as it appears in Conrad Gessner’s De rerum fossilium, where figure appears as a broad category that cuts across abstract geometry, artifactual images, and shape appearing within natural entities. Gessner is placed within changing ideas about the role of geometry as an intellectual pursuit or, rather, a mechanical property of nature conceived as inanimate and rule-bound.
A new species and two new records of Tagetes (Asteraceae, Tageteae) from La Rioja province, Argentina

Authors: SCHIAVINATO DARIO J. , BARTOLI ADRIANA
Published: September 2020

Tagetes mirandae is described as a new species from La Rioja province in western Argentina. Its distribution area is restricted to Cuesta de Miranda, in the Coronel Felipe Varela department. The new species is closely related to T. pauciloba and T. riojana, but it can be distinguished by morphological characters of inflorescence and florets. We also report two new records from La Rioja province: T. filifolia and T. imbricata.
A new species of pagurid hermit crab assigned to the genus Kumepagurus Komai & Osawa, 2012 (Decapoda: Anomura: Paguroidea) from the Kaikata Seamount, Izu-Ogasawara Arc, Japan
Authors: KOMAI TOMOYUKI
Published: September 2020

A new pagurid hermit crab species is assigned to the genus Kumepagurus Komai & Osawa, 2012, previously represented only by the type species, K. cavernicolus Komai & Osawa, 2012, known only from a marine cave on Ryukyu Islands, northwestern Pacific. The assignment is made because of the lack of an accessory tooth on the maxilliped 3 ischium, the operculiform right chela, the presence of two distal corneous claws on the left chela fixed finger, the simple pereopods 4 and the development and structure of the male sexual tubes on both coxae of pereopods 5, all characteristic to the type species of the genus. However, in contrast to K. cavernicolus, K. kaikata n. sp. lacks pleurobranchs on the thoracomeres 5 and 6, and in this regard, Kumepagurus is unusual in the family Paguridae. The generic diagnosis of Kumepagurus is emended to accommodate the new species, which is readily distinguished from K. cavernicolus by the proportionately shorter antennular and antennal peduncles and the right cheliped structure and ornamentation, in addition to the difference in the gill number.
A new species of Rhodiginus Distant from Australia (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Rhyparochromidae)
Authors: MALIPATIL M. B.
Published: September 2020

Rhodiginus monteithi sp. nov., is illustrated and described as the first representative of the genus Rhodiginus Distant from Australia. The new species is compared with the two Oriental species of the genus, R. ceylonicus ((Lethierry & Severin) from Sri Lanka and R. pullatus Bergroth from the Philippines. A brief discussion about the placement of the genus Rhodiginus in tribe Drymini of the subfamily Rhyparochrominae is provided.
Serum Endocan Levels Predict Angiographic No-Reflow Phenomenon in Patients With ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction Undergoing Primary Coronary Intervention
Authors: Dogdus Mustafa , Yenercag Mustafa , Ozyasar Mehmet , Yilmaz Ahmet , Can Levent Hurkan , Kultursay Hakan
Published: September 2020

No-reflow phenomenon (NRP) is an important problem in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (pPCI). Endocan is synthesized and secreted by activated vascular endothelium, and it has been shown to be related to endothelial dysfunction and inflammation. We aimed to evaluate the relationship between endocan levels and NRP. Consecutive patients (n = 137) with STEMI who had undergone coronary angiography and pPCI were enrolled into the study. The clinical characteristics of the patients were obtained and endocan levels were measured. Endocan levels were significantly higher in the NRP (+) group compared with the NRP (−) group ( P < .001). In multivariate analysis, endocan ( P < .001, OR = 2.39, 95% CI = 1.37-4.15) was found to be an independent predictor of NRP. An endocan value of >2.7 ng/mL has 89.6% sensitivity and 74.2% specificity for the prediction of the NRP (area under the curve: 0.832, P < .001). The present study demonstrated that the endocan level is an independent predictor of the NRP in patients with STEMI who underwent pPCI. Endocan levels may be helpful in detecting patients with a higher risk of insufficient myocardial perfusion and worse clinical outcome.