bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Commentary: “Harvest for the World”: Working locally to grow autism services globally – reflections on Divan et al. (2021)
Authors: Fearon Pasco , Sonuga‐Barke Edmund
Published: March 2021

Autism is associated with complex and diverse needs that vary from individual to individual. Those affected, and their families, often require specialist care and support. These involve educational and clinical skills which are demanding to implement effectively, and costly, in terms of time and money, to deliver. Early screening and intervention approaches, which can improve outcomes, sometimes dramatically, require government prioritisation of investment. A coordinated, evidence‐based approach to screening and support is critical for ensuring that individuals with autism thrive. Autism is, of course, a global phenomenon. Whilst its meaning and significance will inevitably vary from one culture to the next, epidemiological studies report similar presentations and rates across all nations and ethnic/racial groupings. Indeed, the provision of effective services to support people with autism is recognised as a universal human right and a global health priority (Divan et al., this issue). However, although the care needs of people with autism are largely similar across the nations of the world, they will inevitably involve a disproportionate call on the finances of less wealthy nations – and a nation’s ability to meet the needs of people with autism is inevitably constrained by their financial circumstances. Countries with limited resources have very difficult choices to make between competing calls for investment that impact their ability to prioritise services for people with autism. Here we explore the implications of these constraints and the best way to address them in the light of the review by Divan et al.
Application of supercritical fluid extraction for extraction or enrichment of phospholipids in egg and dairy products: A review
Authors: Krishnegowda Rajesh , Ravindra Menon Rekha , Sharma Monika
Published: March 2021

Phospholipids (PLs) are polar lipids that are found in dairy products, egg, and oilseeds. They are amphiphilic in nature and find application in many foods as a functional ingredient. As PLs are distributed in food matrix in dilute form, attempts to concentrate the same by adopting suitable technical interventions have been widely investigated. One of the more successful approaches that have been reported is the application of supercritical fluid extraction (SCFE) to extract PLs using suitable cosolvents. The extraction protocol to extract PLs from dairy products and eggs using SCFE also includes a two‐step process, namely, separation of neutral lipids using neat CO2 followed by subsequent separation of polar lipids from the residue using cosolvent and CO2. This review is an attempt to compile information on dairy and egg PLs extracted using SCFE under varied operational factors. It is expected that the compilation will serve as resource for investigators working in this research area.

Practical Applications

Milk fat processing results in valuable by‐products which can be suitably volarized to increase profitability through processing gains and reduce environmental footprints in dairy industry. The by‐products such as buttermilk, butter serum, ghee residue, and so forth can be tapped as potential sources for phospholipid (PL). Eggs have already been recognized as a good source of PLs, which are reported to have preventive effect on pathogens, cancer protective, anti‐inflammation and cardiovascular disease. Two challenges could be anticipated in the fractionation of PLs from egg and milk by‐products. First, extraction of lipids from substrate which include polar and neutral lipids. Second, separation of neutral and polar lipids from the lipid extract. Conventional methods of extraction involve many solvents for the wide range of lipids to be extracted, which often result in incomplete extraction. Supercritical fluid extraction (SCFE) technique is reported to be useful in extraction and separation of PLs from dairy and egg products. Process intervention strategies and optimization approaches have been undertaken by various researchers to quantify and improve extractability of PLs using SCFE. The paper is a compilation of the scientific information related to extraction of dairy and egg PLs using SCFE, which will serve as a knowledge resource for researchers working in related fields.
The Relationship Between Centric Occlusion and The Maximal Intercuspal Position and Their Use as Treatment Positions for Complete Mouth Rehabilitation: Best Evidence Consensus Statement
Authors: Kattadiyil Mathew T. , Alzaid Abdulaziz A. , Campbell Stephen D.
Published: March 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this Best Evidence Consensus Statement was to evaluate the existing literature relative to two focus questions: How often does centric occlusion coincide with maximal intercuspal position in dentate and partially dentate populations?; and should centric occlusion or maximal intercuspal positions be equivalent for dentate and partially dentate patients undergoing complete mouth rehabilitation?

Materials and Methods

Keywords used in the initial search were: intercuspal position, centric occlusion, centric relation, maximal intercuspal position, prosthodontic rehabilitation, and occlusion. The search was then limited to Systematic Reviews, Randomized Controlled Studies, Meta‐analyses and Clinical Trials.

Results

The initial search strategy related to the selected search terms resulted in more than 15,000 articles. When the subsequent search was limited to Systematic Reviews, Randomized Controlled Studies, and Meta‐Analysis and Clinical Trials, 313 articles were selected for further analysis.

Conclusions

Review of the literature reveals that most dentate and partially dentate patients do not have coincident centric occlusion and maximal intercuspal position. There is support for coincidence between centric occlusion and maximal intercuspal position as the preferred occlusal relationship in complete mouth rehabilitations. The literature does not report conclusive evidence of adverse prosthodontic outcomes with complete rehabilitations in centric occlusion or maximal intercuspal position in a healthy population. However, there is support for an association between centric occlusion‐maximal intercuspal position discrepancies and occlusal instability as well as temporomandibular joint disorders. Hence, it is concluded that partially and completely dentate patients requiring complete mouth rehabilitation should be restored in centric occlusion.
Too close for comfort? Microgeography of agglomeration economies in the United Kingdom
Authors: Lavoratori Katiuscia , Castellani Davide
Published: March 2021

The issue of whether firm productivity is affected by agglomeration externalities is a longstanding area of research. However, the appropriate geographical level to better detect the effects of agglomeration economies and at which level these externalities work is still unclear. Using detailed firm‐level longitudinal data on 4927 manufacturing firms in the United Kingdom over the period 2008–2016, we investigate the relation between the microgeography of external agglomeration economies and firm productivity. We compare different geographical levels: city‐wide and narrowly defined neighborhoods around a firm. Results from a multilevel (mixed‐effect) model show that urbanization externalities play a role at a higher level of geographical aggregation, such as the city, whereas localization externalities operate at a finer level, within the city and in a closer neighborhood to the firm. Failing to control for more granular levels of geography results in confounding the two types of externalities. We also provide novel evidence that these externalities vary across firm (such as age, size, and productivity) and location (such as population density) characteristics.
Homeostatic sleep and body temperature responses to acute sleep deprivation are preserved following chronic sleep restriction in rats
Authors: Deurveilher Samuel , Shewchuk Stephanie M. , Semba Kazue
Published: March 2021

Chronic sleep insufficiency is common in our society and has negative cognitive and health impacts. It can also alter sleep regulation, yet whether it affects subsequent homeostatic responses to acute sleep loss is unclear. We assessed sleep and thermoregulatory responses to acute sleep deprivation before and after a ‘3/1’ chronic sleep restriction protocol in adult male Wistar rats. The 3/1 protocol consisted of continuous cycles of wheel rotations (3 h on/1 h off) for 4 days. Sleep latency in a 2‐h multiple sleep latency test starting 26 h post‐3/1 was unchanged, whereas non‐rapid eye movement sleep (NREMS) and associated electroencephalogram delta power (a measure of sleep need) over a 24‐h period beginning 54 h post‐3/1 were reduced, compared to respective pre‐3/1 baseline levels. However, in response to acute sleep deprivation (6 h by ‘gentle handling’) starting 78 h post‐3/1, the compensatory rebounds in NREMS and rapid eye movement sleep (REMS) amounts and NREMS delta power were unaltered. Body temperature increased progressively across the 3/1 protocol and returned to baseline levels on the second day post‐3/1. The acute sleep deprivation also increased body temperature, followed by a decline below baseline levels, with no difference between before and after 3/1 sleep restriction. Non‐sleep‐restricted control rats showed responses to acute sleep deprivation similar to those observed in the sleep‐restricted animals. These results suggest that the process of sleep homeostasis is altered on the third recovery day after a 4‐day 3/1 sleep restriction protocol, whereas subsequent homeostatic sleep and temperature responses to brief sleep deprivation are not affected.
Demographic sensitivity to environmental forcings: a multi‐trait, multi‐colony approach
Authors: Sauser Christophe , Delord Karine , Barbraud Christophe
Published: March 2021

Understanding the demographic responses of wild animal populations to different factors is fundamental to make reliable prediction of population dynamics. Both bottom–up processes and top–down regulation operate in terrestrial and marine ecosystems, but their relative contribution remains insufficiently known. In addition, direct weather effects on demographic rates have been overlooked in marine ecosystems and inferences on the demographic effects of environmental drivers were overwhelmingly made from single study sites. Here, we evaluate the relative effects of bottom–up, top–down and weather processes on four vital rates and on population growth rates of a long‐lived seabird, the snow petrel Pagodroma nivea, within three different breeding colonies. We used multistate capture–recapture modelling and perturbation analyses from a matrix population model based on a 36‐year‐long (1981–2017) individual monitoring dataset to quantify the different drivers (predation, climatic and weather covariates) of probabilities of survival, breeding, hatching and fledging according to colony, sex and breeding status of individuals. Results show that bottom–up forces and local weather affected breeding parameters, and that survival was driven by top–down regulation pressure and bottom–up processes. Breeding parameters differed between colonies and survival was sex‐specific. Sensitivity analysis revealed that population regulation was mainly driven by bottom–up processes and that top–down processes played a minor role. However, there were major differences between colonies about the importance of how local weather processes affected population growth rate. Our study brings new insights into the drivers of demographic processes in a marine meso‐predator, and how these drivers vary according to colonies and individual characteristics. We emphasize the importance of considering multiple study sites to make robust inferences on the effects of environmental drivers on wildlife demography. More generally, robust conclusions about the importance of environmental drivers on demography rely on considering multiple causal effects at multiple sites, while accounting for individual characteristics.
Full‐Endoscopic Approach Forchronic Low Back Pain from Baastrup's Disease: Interspinous Plasty
Authors: Lin Wen‐tao , Xie Fa‐qin , Lin Song‐hui , Yang Ruo‐bing , Shen Huan‐wu , Cai Xue‐feng , Chen Wei , Wang Zhi‐yun
Published: March 2021

The objective was to introduce a new endoscopic technique‐interspinous plasty for low back pain from Baastrup's disease; based on clinical manifestations, imaging findings and diagnostic test, to discuss a detailed diagnostic procedure for Baastrup's disease; and to explore the mechanism of interspinous plasty in pain relief. To our knowledge, there is no report about the results of endoscopic lumbar technique for Baastrup's disease. This study described the successful full‐endoscopic surgical treatment for Baastrup's disease, providing a brand‐new therapeutic method for patients. Clinical manifestations, imaging findings, including X‐ray, computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging, and a “positive” diagnostic test with local anesthetic were used to confirm Baastrup's disease in the three included patients. The interspinous plasty procedure, which aimed to recover a physiological gap between the adjacent spinous processes, was performed by full‐endoscopic resection of marginal osteophytes. The removal of local inflamed tissue and reducing inflammation via intraoperative saline irrigation also lead to pain relief. Clinical outcomes included visual analog scale (VAS) for low back pain and the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI). The distance between the adjacent spinous processes was measured from the preoperative and postoperative CT scan. We calculated and recorded the difference between preoperative and postoperative measurements. Technical procedures and advantages of interspinous plasty are introduced. The three patients showed improvement in terms of the postoperative VAS of low back pain (from 8 to 2, from 7 to 1 and from 8 to 2) and ODI (from 68.9% to 33.3%, from 77.8% to 28.9% and from 71.1% to 28.9%, respectively) at the 12‐month follow‐up. Compared postoperative ODI index, the ODI index increased from 26.7% to 33.3% and from 24.4% to 28.9% in two of the cases at the 12‐month follow‐up. At 1 week, CT confirmed an obvious reduction in the marginal osteophytes between the adjacent spinous processes. Compared with those on preoperative CT images, the distance between adjacent spinous processes on postoperative CT was enlarged from 1 to 4 mm, and a repeated CT scan 3 months later reconfirmed little recrudescent osteoproliferation. In selected cases, full‐endoscopic surgical treatment for chronic mechanical back pain as part of the phenomena of Baastrup's disease may be beneficial. The operations in this study were performed under local anesthesia, with satisfactory early clinical outcomes and a low incidence of complications or adverse events. This may be a feasible therapeutic method or an alternative option for patients who cannot tolerate general anesthesia surgery.
A multi‐center experience of ablation index for evaluating lesion delivery in typical atrial flutter
Authors: Maclean Edd , Simon Ron , Ang Richard , Dhillon Gurpreet , Ahsan Syed , Khan Fakhar , Earley Mark , Lambiase Pier D. , Rosengarten James , Chow Anthony W. , Dhinoja Mehul , Providencia Rui , Markides Vias , Wong Tom , Hunter Ross J. , Behar Jonathan M.
Published: March 2021

Background

Anatomical studies demonstrate significant variation in cavotricuspid isthmus (CTI) architecture.

Methods

Thirty‐eight patients underwent CTI ablation at two tertiary centers. Operators delivered 682 lesions with a target ablation index (AI) of 600 Wgs. Ablation parameters were recorded every 10–20 ms. Post hoc, Visitags were trisected according to CTI position: inferior vena cava (IVC), middle (Mid), or ventricular (V) lesions.

Results

There were no complications. 92.1% of patients (n = 35) remained in sinus rhythm after 14.6 ± 3.4 months. For the whole CTI, peak AI correlated with mean impedance drop (ID) (R2 = 0.89, p < .0001). However, analysis by anatomical site demonstrated a non‐linear relationship Mid CTI (R2 = 0.15, p = .21). Accordingly, while mean AI was highest Mid CTI (IVC: 473.1 ± 122.1 Wgs, Mid: 539.6 ± 103.5 Wgs, V: 486.2 ± 111.8 Wgs, ANOVA p < .0001), mean ID was lower (IVC: 10.7 ± 7.5Ω, Mid: 9.0 ± 6.5Ω, V: 10.9 ± 7.3Ω, p = .011), and rate of ID was slower (IVC: 0.37 ± 0.05 Ω/s, Mid: 0.18 ± 0.08 Ω/s, V: 0.29 ± 0.06 Ω/s, p < .0001). Mean contact force was similar at all sites; however, temporal fluctuations in contact force (IVC: 19.3 ± 12.0 mg/s, Mid: 188.8 ± 92.1 mg/s, V: 102.8 ± 32.3 mg/s, p < .0001) and catheter angle (IVC: 0.42°/s, Mid: 3.4°/s, V: 0.28°/s, p < .0001) were greatest Mid CTI. Use of a long sheath attenuated these fluctuations and improved energy delivery.

Conclusions

Ablation characteristics vary across the CTI. At the Mid CTI, higher AI values do not necessarily deliver more effective ablation; this may reflect localized fluctuations in catheter angle and contact force.
A novel MICB allele, MICB*004:02, identified in a western china Uyghur individual
Authors: Wang Zhen Fang , Tursun Mikrban , Liu Qian , Hasim Ayshamgul
Published: March 2021

The novel MICB*004:02 allele differs from the closest allele MICB*004:01by a synonymous mutation in exon 2.
Array-Based Guided Wave Source Location Using Dispersion Compensation
Authors: Downs Andrew , Roberts Ronald , Song Jiming
Published: March 2021

An important advantage of guided waves is their ability to propagate large distances and yield more information about flaws than bulk waves. Unfortunately, the multi-modal, dispersive nature of guided waves makes them difficult to use for locating flaws. In this work, we present a method and experimental data for removing the deleterious effects of multi-mode dispersion allowing for source localization at frequencies comparable to those of bulk waves. Time domain signals are obtained using a novel 64-element phased array and processed to extract wave number and frequency spectra. By an application of Auld’s electro-mechanical reciprocity relation, mode contributions are extracted approximately using a variational method. Once mode contributions have been obtained, the dispersion for each mode is removed via back-propagation techniques. Excepting the presence of a small artifact at high frequency-thicknesses, experimental data successfully demonstrate the robustness and viability of this approach to guided wave source location.
Functional Anatomy of the Trimer Apex Reveals Key Hydrophobic Constraints That Maintain the HIV-1 Envelope Spike in a Closed State
Authors: Zhang Peng , Kwon Alice L. , Guzzo Christina , Liu Qingbo , Schmeisser Hana , Miao Huiyi , Lin Yin , Cimbro Raffaello , Huang Jinghe , Connors Mark , Schmidt Stephen D. , Dolan Michael A. , Armstrong Anthony A. , Lusso Paolo
Published: March 2021

Elucidating the structure and function of the HIV-1 outer envelope proteins is critical for the design of an effective vaccine. Despite the availability of many high-resolution structures, key functional correlates in the envelope trimer remain undefined.
Cryptococcus neoformans Coinfection Dampens the TNF-α Response in HIV-1-Infected Human THP-1 Macrophages
Authors: Kalem Murat C. , Humby Monica S. , Wohlfert Elizabeth A. , Jacobs Amy , Panepinto John C.
Published: March 2021

Fungal infections are one of the leading causes of death for people who live with HIV/AIDS. Even though these pathogens are independently well studied, it is still enigmatic how coinfection with HIV-1 and
C. neoformans
alters gene expression and cellular processes, especially in clinically relevant cell types.
Supplemental Material: Evidence of Early Miocene synextensional volcanism and deposition in the northern Calico Mountains, central Mojave metamorphic core complex, southern California, USA
Authors: Murray B.P. , Hames W.E.
Published: March 2021

40Ar/39Ar analytical results.
Obstructive jaundice due to acute acalculous cholecystitis: ‘Mirizzi-like syndrome’
Authors: Sakamoto Takashi , Lefor Alan Kawarai , Takasaki Tetsuro
Published: March 2021

A 78 year-old female status post subarachnoid haemorrhage developed abdominal pain and obstructive jaundice. CT scan showed acute cholecystitis and dilation of the intrahepatic ducts. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiography revealed hepatic duct stenosis due to compression by an enlarged gallbladder. No stones were seen in the common hepatic duct and the cystic duct was patent. An endoscopic retrograde biliary drain was placed to relieve the obstructive jaundice due to acute acalculous cholecystitis. Percutaneous transhepatic drainage was performed to treat the acute acalculous cholecystitis. Hepatic duct stenosis was improved on endoscopic retrograde cholangiography performed 19 days after percutaneous transhepatic drainage. It may be reasonable to treat ‘Mirizzi-like syndrome’ non-operatively.
Spinal cord infarction in a young patient with methamphetamine abuse
Authors: Lee Seek Yang , Looi Irene , Mat Rabi Mahedzan , Mohamed Micdhadhu Mohamed Azlam
Published: March 2021

We report a case of a 20-year-old man who was diagnosed with spontaneous spinal cord infarction after abusing methamphetamine for a year. He presented with sudden onset of bilateral upper and lower limb weakness. His MRI spine showed a long segment of high signal intensity seen predominantly in the anterior spinal cord from medulla to mid thoracic level as well as a pencil-like hyperintensity seen postcontrast suggestive of spinal cord ischaemia or infarct. Thus, he was empirically treated for presumed anterior spinal cord infarction. He then developed autonomic dysfunction and went into respiratory distress, which required invasive mechanical ventilation support. Subsequently, he developed cardiac arrythmia with supraventricular tachycardiac followed by asystole and succumbed to illness on day 9 despite maximal resuscitative efforts. This case report illustrates a rare spinal cord infarction caused by methamphetamine intoxication and the importance of identifying and treating it early.
Management of plantar heel pain: a best practice guide informed by a systematic review, expert clinical reasoning and patient values
Authors: Morrissey Dylan , Cotchett Matthew , Said J'Bari Ahmed , Prior Trevor , Griffiths Ian B , Rathleff Michael Skovdal , Gulle Halime , Vicenzino Bill , Barton Christian J
Published: March 2021

Objective

To develop a best practice guide for managing people with plantar heel pain (PHP).

Methods

Mixed-methods design including systematic review, expert interviews and patient survey.

Data sources

Medline, Embase, CINAHL, SPORTDiscus, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, trial registries, reference lists and citation tracking. Semi-structured interviews with world experts and a patient survey.

Eligibility criteria

Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating any intervention for people with PHP in any language were included subject to strict quality criteria. Trials with a sample size greater than n=38 were considered for proof of efficacy. International experts were interviewed using a semi-structured approach and people with PHP were surveyed online.

Results

Fifty-one eligible trials enrolled 4351 participants, with 9 RCTs suitable to determine proof of efficacy for 10 interventions. Forty people with PHP completed the online survey and 14 experts were interviewed resulting in 7 themes and 38 subthemes. There was good agreement between the systematic review findings and interview data about taping (SMD: 0.47, 95% CI 0.05 to 0.88) and plantar fascia stretching (SMD: 1.21, 95% CI 0.78 to 1.63) for first step pain in the short term. Clinical reasoning advocated combining these interventions with education and footwear advice as the core self-management approach. There was good expert agreement with systematic review findings recommending stepped care management with focused shockwave for first step pain in the short-term (OR: 1.89, 95% CI 1.18 to 3.04), medium-term (SMD 1.31, 95% CI 0.61 to 2.01) and long-term (SMD 1.67, 95% CI 0.88 to 2.45) and radial shockwave for first step pain in the short term (OR: 1.66, 95% CI 1.00 to 2.76) and long term (OR: 1.78, 95% CI 1.07 to 2.96). We found good agreement to ‘step care’ using custom foot orthoses for general pain in the short term (SMD: 0.41, 95% CI 0.07 to 0.74) and medium term (SMD: 0.55, 95% CI 0.09 to 1.02).

Conclusion

Best practice from a mixed-methods study synthesising systematic review with expert opinion and patient feedback suggests core treatment for people with PHP should include taping, stretching and individualised education. Patients who do not optimally improve may be offered shockwave therapy, followed by custom orthoses.
Impact of cellular myocardial infiltration on clinical outcome in non-ischaemic heart failure
Authors: Reichman-Warmusz Edyta , Nowak Jolanta , Kaczmarek Krzysztof , Nowalany-Kozielska Ewa , Wojnicz Romuald
Published: March 2021

Aims

So far, little has been known on whether myocardial inflammatory infiltration influences heart failure (HF) progression. Thus, the aim of this study was to test the impact of intramyocardial infiltration on clinical outcomes.

Methods

Biopsy samples from 358 patients with stable HF secondary to dilated cardiomyopathy were studied. Immunohistochemistry for lymphocyte (CD3) and macrophage (CD68) markers was performed and counted. After a 1-year follow-up, patients were classified as improved based on the predefined definition of improvement. The clinical data were collected from 324 patients (90.5%).

Results

According to the predefined definition of improvement, 133 patients improved (41.0%) but 191 remained unchanged or deteriorated (58.9%). After a 12-month follow-up, the OR with 95% CI of counts of myocardial inflammatory CD68-positive ≥4 cell/high power field (HPF) compared with CD68-positive <4 cell/HPF for lack of improvement was 1.91 (1.65–2.54). However, the number of CD3 positive cell infiltration had no impact on clinical outcome after a 1-year follow-up. In the baseline study, a reasonably negative correlation was found between the number of CD68 positive cells and troponin T (r=−0.39; p<0.001 by Spearman’s r). This was corroborated with a low negative correlation between these cells and myocardial form of creatine kinase (CK-MB) fraction (r=−0.27; p=0.006). There was no correlation between CD3 and CD68 positive cells (Spearman’s r; r=−0.17, p=0.16).

Conclusions

The current results provide evidence that high macrophage counts may be a predisposing factor for HF progression.
Impact of a frequent nearsplice SOD1 variant in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: optimising SOD1 genetic screening for gene therapy opportunities
Authors: Muratet François , Teyssou Elisa , Chiot Aude , Boillée Séverine , Lobsiger Christian S , Bohl Delphine , Gyorgy Beata , Guegan Justine , Marie Yannick , Amador Maria del Mar , Salachas Francois , Meininger Vincent , Bernard Emilien , Antoine Jean-Christophe , Camdessanché Jean-Philippe , Camu William , Cazeneuve Cécile , Fauret-Amsellem Anne-Laure , Leguern Eric , Mouzat Kevin , Guissart Claire , Lumbroso Serge , Corcia Philippe , Vourc'h Patrick , Grapperon Aude-Marie , Attarian Shahram , Verschueren Annie , Seilhean Danielle , Millecamps Stéphanie
Published: March 2021

Objective

Mutations in superoxide dismutase 1 gene (SOD1), encoding copper/zinc superoxide dismutase protein, are the second most frequent high penetrant genetic cause for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) motor neuron disease in populations of European descent. More than 200 missense variants are reported along the SOD1 protein. To limit the production of these aberrant and deleterious SOD1 species, antisense oligonucleotide approaches have recently emerged and showed promising effects in clinical trials. To offer the possibility to any patient with SOD1-ALS to benefit of such a gene therapy, it is necessary to ascertain whether any variant of unknown significance (VUS), detected for example in SOD1 non-coding sequences, is pathogenic.

Methods

We analysed SOD1 mutation distribution after SOD1 sequencing in a large cohort of 470 French familial ALS (fALS) index cases.

Results

We identified a total of 27 SOD1 variants in 38 families including two SOD1 variants located in nearsplice or intronic regions of the gene. The pathogenicity of the c.358–10T>G nearsplice SOD1 variant was corroborated based on its high frequency (as the second most frequent SOD1 variant) in French fALS, the segregation analysis confirmed in eight affected members of a large pedigree, the typical SOD1-related phenotype observed (with lower limb onset and prominent lower motor neuron involvement), and findings on postmortem tissues showing SOD1 misaccumulation.

Conclusions

Our results highlighted nearsplice/intronic mutations in SOD1 are responsible for a significant portion of French fALS and suggested the systematic analysis of the SOD1 mRNA sequence could become the method of choice for SOD1 screening, not to miss these specific cases.
Myoedema with pseudohypertrophic hypothyroid myopathy (Hoffman’s syndrome)
Authors: Takkar Aastha , Sachdeva Julie , Vojjala Nikhil , Lal Vivek
Published: March 2021

Myoedema is an under-recognised neurological sign that can help the bedside diagnosis of metabolic or endocrine myopathies. Myoedema together with pseudo-hypertrophy make a likely diagnosis of hypothyroid myopathy, and its identification may avoid unnecessary investigations.
Decrease in hospital admissions for respiratory diseases during the COVID-19 pandemic: a nationwide claims study
Authors: Huh Kyungmin , Kim Young-Eun , Ji Wonjun , Kim Dong Wook , Lee Eun-Joo , Kim Jong-Hun , Kang Ji-Man , Jung Jaehun
Published: March 2021

Non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) have been widely implemented to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. We assessed the effect of NPIs on hospitalisations for pneumonia, influenza, COPD and asthma. This retrospective, ecological study compared the weekly incidence of hospitalisation for four respiratory conditions before (January 2016–January 2020) and during (February–July 2020) the implementation of NPI against COVID-19. Hospitalisations for all four respiratory conditions decreased substantially during the intervention period. The cumulative incidence of admissions for COPD and asthma was 58% and 48% of the mean incidence during the 4 preceding years, respectively.
CrowdAct
Authors: Mairittha Nattaya , Mairittha Tittaya , Lago Paula , Inoue Sozo
Published: March 2021

In this study, we propose novel gamified active learning and inaccuracy detection for crowdsourced data labeling for an activity recognition system using mobile sensing (CrowdAct). First, we exploit active learning to address the lack of accurate information. Second, we present the integration of gamification into active learning to overcome the lack of motivation and sustained engagement. Finally, we introduce an inaccuracy detection algorithm to minimize inaccurate data. To demonstrate the capability and feasibility of the proposed model in realistic settings, we developed and deployed the CrowdAct system to a crowdsourcing platform. For our experimental setup, we recruited 120 diverse workers. Additionally, we gathered 6,549 activity labels from 19 activity classes by using smartphone sensors and user engagement information. We empirically evaluated the quality of CrowdAct by comparing it with a baseline using techniques such as machine learning and descriptive and inferential statistics. Our results indicate that CrowdAct was effective in improving activity accuracy recognition, increasing worker engagement, and reducing inaccurate data in crowdsourced data labeling. Based on our findings, we highlight critical and promising future research directions regarding the design of efficient activity data collection with crowdsourcing.
Person-Centered Predictions of Psychological Constructs with Social Media Contextualized by Multimodal Sensing
Authors: Saha Koustuv , Grover Ted , Mattingly Stephen M. , swain Vedant Das , Gupta Pranshu , Martinez Gonzalo J. , Robles-Granda Pablo , Mark Gloria , Striegel Aaron , De Choudhury Munmun
Published: March 2021

Personalized predictions have shown promises in various disciplines but they are fundamentally constrained in their ability to generalize across individuals. These models are often trained on limited datasets which do not represent the fluidity of human functioning. In contrast, generalized models capture normative behaviors between individuals but lack precision in predicting individual outcomes. This paper aims to balance the tradeoff between one-for-each and one-for-all models by clustering individuals on mutable behaviors and conducting cluster-specific predictions of psychological constructs in a multimodal sensing dataset of 754 individuals. Specifically, we situate our modeling on social media that has exhibited capability in inferring psychosocial attributes. We hypothesize that complementing social media data with offline sensor data can help to personalize and improve predictions. We cluster individuals on physical behaviors captured via Bluetooth, wearables, and smartphone sensors. We build contextualized models predicting psychological constructs trained on each cluster's social media data and compare their performance against generalized models trained on all individuals' data. The comparison reveals no difference in predicting affect and a decline in predicting cognitive ability, but an improvement in predicting personality, anxiety, and sleep quality. We construe that our approach improves predicting psychological constructs sharing theoretical associations with physical behavior. We also find how social media language associates with offline behavioral contextualization. Our work bears implications in understanding the nuanced strengths and weaknesses of personalized predictions, and how the effectiveness may vary by multiple factors. This work reveals the importance of taking a critical stance on evaluating the effectiveness before investing efforts in personalization.
A Scalable Solution for Signaling Face Touches to Reduce the Spread of Surface-based Pathogens
Authors: Rojas Camilo , Poulsen Niels , Van Tuyl Mileva , Vargas Daniel , Cohen Zipporah , Paradiso Joe , Maes Pattie , Esvelt Kevin , Adib Fadel
Published: March 2021

Hand-to-Face transmission has been estimated to be a minority, yet non-negligible, vector of COVID-19 transmission and a major vector for multiple other pathogens. At the same time, as it cannot be effectively addressed with mainstream protection measures, such as wearing masks or tracing contacts, it remains largely untackled. To help address this issue, we have developed Saving Face - an app that alerts users when they are about to touch their faces, by analyzing the distortion patterns in the ultrasound signal emitted by their earphones. The system only relies on pre-existing hardware (a smartphone with generic earphones), which allows it to be rapidly scalable to billions of smartphone users worldwide. This paper describes the design, implementation and evaluation of the system, as well as the results of a user study testing the solution's accuracy, robustness, and user experience during various day-to-day activities (93.7% Sensitivity and 91.5% Precision, N=10). While this paper focuses on the system's application to detecting hand-to-face gestures, the technique can also be applicable to other types of gestures and gesture-based applications.
Multimodal Joint Head Orientation Estimation in Interacting Groups via Proxemics and Interaction Dynamics
Authors: Tan Stephanie , Tax David M. J. , Hung Hayley
Published: March 2021

Human head orientation estimation has been of interest because head orientation serves as a cue to directed social attention. Most existing approaches rely on visual and high-fidelity sensor inputs and deep learning strategies that do not consider the social context of unstructured and crowded mingling scenarios. We show that alternative inputs, like speaking status, body location, orientation, and acceleration contribute towards head orientation estimation. These are especially useful in crowded and in-the-wild settings where visual features are either uninformative due to occlusions or prohibitive to acquire due to physical space limitations and concerns of ecological validity. We argue that head orientation estimation in such social settings needs to account for the physically evolving interaction space formed by all the individuals in the group. To this end, we propose an LSTM-based head orientation estimation method that combines the hidden representations of the group members. Our framework jointly predicts head orientations of all group members and is applicable to groups of different sizes. We explain the contribution of different modalities to model performance in head orientation estimation. The proposed model outperforms baseline methods that do not explicitly consider the group context, and generalizes to an unseen dataset from a different social event.
Listen2Cough
Authors: Xu Xuhai , Nemati Ebrahim , Vatanparvar Korosh , Nathan Viswam , Ahmed Tousif , Rahman Md Mahbubur , McCaffrey Daniel , Kuang Jilong , Gao Jun Alex
Published: March 2021

The prevalence of ubiquitous computing enables new opportunities for lung health monitoring and assessment. In the past few years, there have been extensive studies on cough detection using passively sensed audio signals. However, the generalizability of a cough detection model when applied to external datasets, especially in real-world implementation, is questionable and not explored adequately. Beyond detecting coughs, researchers have looked into how cough sounds can be used in assessing lung health. However, due to the challenges in collecting both cough sounds and lung health condition ground truth, previous studies have been hindered by the limited datasets. In this paper, we propose Listen2Cough to address these gaps. We first build an end-to-end deep learning architecture using public cough sound datasets to detect coughs within raw audio recordings. We employ a pre-trained MobileNet and integrate a number of augmentation techniques to improve the generalizability of our model. Without additional fine-tuning, our model is able to achieve an F1 score of 0.948 when tested against a new clean dataset, and 0.884 on another in-the-wild noisy dataset, leading to an advantage of 5.8% and 8.4% on average over the best baseline model, respectively. Then, to mitigate the issue of limited lung health data, we propose to transform the cough detection task to lung health assessment tasks so that the rich cough data can be leveraged. Our hypothesis is that these tasks extract and utilize similar effective representation from cough sounds. We embed the cough detection model into a multi-instance learning framework with the attention mechanism and further tune the model for lung health assessment tasks. Our final model achieves an F1-score of 0.912 on healthy v.s. unhealthy, 0.870 on obstructive v.s. non-obstructive, and 0.813 on COPD v.s. asthma classification, outperforming the baseline by 10.7%, 6.3%, and 3.7%, respectively. Moreover, the weight value in the attention layer can be used to identify important coughs highly correlated with lung health, which can potentially provide interpretability for expert diagnosis in the future.
Engineering Advances in Spray Drying for Pharmaceuticals
Authors: Baumann John M. , Adam Molly S. , Wood Joel D.
Published: March 2021

Spray drying is a versatile technology that has been applied widely in the chemical, food, and, most recently, pharmaceutical industries. This review focuses on engineering advances and the most significant applications of spray drying for pharmaceuticals. An in-depth view of the process and its use is provided for amorphous solid dispersions, a major, growing drug-delivery approach. Enhanced understanding of the relationship of spray-drying process parameters to final product quality attributes has made robust product development possible to address a wide range of pharmaceutical problem statements. Formulation and process optimization have leveraged the knowledge gained as the technology has matured, enabling improved process development from early feasibility screening through commercial applications. Spray drying's use for approved small-molecule oral products is highlighted, as are emerging applications specific to delivery of biologics and non-oral delivery of dry powders. Based on the changing landscape of the industry, significant future opportunities exist for pharmaceutical spray drying.
Living Sociology: On Being in the World One Studies
Authors: Burawoy Michael
Published: March 2021

Living sociology refers to the life of sociology, seen as a field of competing scientific research programs. The dynamism of each program requires, on the one hand, engaging internal contradictions and external anomalies and, on the other hand, extended dialogue among the programs themselves. Living sociology also refers to the life of sociologists as they participate in the society they study. My understanding of these two dimensions of reflexive science—the scientific and the hermeneutic—developed through the interaction of teaching and research. I trace the way I learned the extended case method in Zambia and reformulated it through collaborations with students at Berkeley, arriving at the idea of the scientific research program. I show how I tried to contribute to the Marxist research program by wrestling with anomalies that sprung from my experiences working in factories in the United States, Hungary, and Russia. Finally, I describe how teaching social theory led me to Marxist conversations with structural functionalism and with the work of Pierre Bourdieu as well as prefiguring an extended conversation between W.E.B. Du Bois and the sociological canon.
Pure Uterine Lipoma with a Combined Mucinous Cystic and Brenner Ovarian Tumor in a Postmenopausal Woman: A Case Report and Review of the Literature
Authors: Tohya Toshimitsu , Tominaga Mariko , Honda Tomoko
Published: March 2021

Lipomatous tumors are rare among uterine mesenchymal tumors. Due to their rarity, information on the clinical development and histological origin are lacking. We report a pure uterine lipoma and present a review of the relevant literature. We encountered a 72-year-old postmenopausal woman who was referred to our hospital. Computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examinations revealed degenerative uterine tumors and a left ovarian cystic tumor with a solid portion. Total hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy were performed, and postoperative histological examination revealed a uterine lipoma and adenomyosis. The cystic portion was a mucinous cystadenoma, and the solid portion was classified as a Brenner tumor. The postoperative course was uneventful, and the patient was discharged and remained well until follow-up. Our observations suggest that imaging examinations are sufficient for the diagnosis of uterine lipomatous tumors. To the best of our knowledge, the coexistence of a pure uterine lipoma and a mucinous Brenner ovarian tumor has not been documented in the existing literature. The histogenesis of uterine lipomas remains unclear. However, our results, and those from the existing literature, indicate that the mesenchymal stem cells surrounding the perivascular tissue may be implicated, because lipomas of the skin are reported to originate from these cells.
Development of Detection Equipment for a Polymerase Chain Reaction with a Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification Reaction
Authors: Weng Wei-Chien , Lin Yu-Cheng
Published: March 2021

In this research, low-cost detection equipment intended to carry out a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) through a loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) reaction is presented. We designed the internal structure with SolidWorks and AutoCAD. The equipment comprised a Raspberry Pi development board, a temperature control module, and a fluorescent optical detection module. The main program, temperature control, florescent signal processing, signal analysis, and screen display were programmed with Java. We applied the digital temperature controller module to obtain precise temperature control of the equipment. The experimental results showed that the heating rate of the testing equipment could reach 65°C within 4 minutes and could be accurately controlled to within 1°C. The duration of the LAMP PCR experiment was found to be significantly shorter than that of the conventional PCR. The results also revealed that with LAMP PCR, the temperature could be accurately controlled within a specific range, and the designed heating tasks could be completed within 15 minutes to one hour, depending on the specimen. The equipment could also correctly read both the positive and negative reactions with fluorescent signals. Thus, the proposed LAMP PCR detection equipment is more sensitive, more stable, and more cost-effective than other conventional alternatives and can be used in numerous clinical applications.
The Prediction Model of Super Large Subsidence in High Water Table Coal Mining Areas Covered with Thick Unconsolidated Layer
Authors: Yan Yueguan , Yan Weitao , Liu Jibo , Guo Junting
Published: March 2021

In mining engineering, after the extraction of underground resources, the maximum surface subsidence is usually less than the mining thickness of coal seam. However, under the condition of thick loose layer, some special phenomena appear in surface subsidence, for example, the maximum surface subsidence value is greater than the mining thickness of coal seam. This special phenomenon cannot be predicted by traditional subsidence prediction methods. To solve this problem, by using the numerical simulation software Fast Lagrangian analysis of continua (Flac), we study the changing rules of subsidence with different strata lithology and unconsolidated layer thickness and reveal the formation mechanism of this law. The results show that the effect of the thick unconsolidated layer on the hard rock is greater than that of the soft rock. When the rock is soft, the unconsolidated layer moves as a whole following the bedrock during the whole mining process. The surface subsidence decreases approximately linearly with the thickness ratio increase of the unconsolidated layer to bedrock. However, when the rock is hard or medium hard, there are supporting structures formed inside the rock stratum, which has supporting effect on the overlying strata. The surface subsidence undergoes three proportional sections, first increases, then decreases, and finally increases with the thickness ratio increase of the unconsolidated layer to bedrock. Combined with these laws, based on the theory that the rock strata space can be completely compressed gradually, we derive the calculation method of surface subsidence under the condition of thick unconsolidated layer and apply it to practice. The results show that the prediction results are consistent with the actual situation and meet the engineering requirements. The research results can provide a reference for the subsidence prediction of similar conditions.
Polymicrobial Necrotizing Fasciitis in a Dog: The Involvement of Macrococcus caseolyticus, Proteus mirabilis, and Escherichia coli
Authors: Acheampong Obed Danso , Enyetornye Ben , Osei Dominic
Published: March 2021

A male mixed breed dog was presented with two large wounds, extending the epidermis, dermis, and fascia: one at the dorsum of the thoracolumbar region and the other at the lumbosacral area. Lesions had extended inconspicuously to the dorsum of thorax affecting a large area, which showed regions with necrotic and crepitating foci after shaving. Based on histopathological and bacterial culture examinations, polymicrobial necrotizing fasciitis (NF) was diagnosed. Using the Bruker MALDI Biotyper identification technique, Macrococcus caseolyticus, Proteus mirabilis, and Escherichia coli were identified. Hitherto, there is no report on these bacteria linking them simultaneously to NF in a dog. In addition, the authors highlight other microbes associated with NF in humans and animals.