bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
[RETRATAÇÃO PARCIAL] Avaliação do potencial da janela OPV para iluminação natural de salas profundas
Authors: Uehara Letícia Karine Seki , Schmid Aloísio Leoni , Perussi Marcelo , Pinto Vinicius Henrique Sezanosky , Oliveira Mylana de
Published: January 2021

A equipe editorial da PARC Pesquisa em Arquitetura e Construção comunica a publicação formal de Retratação Parcial para correção de erros honestos de redação e na metodologia, resultados e discussão do seguinte artigo: UEHARA, Letícia K. S. et al. Avaliação do potencial da janela OPV para iluminação natural de salas profundas. PARC Pesquisa em Arquitetura e Construção, Campinas, SP, v. 10, p. e01904, jan. 2019. ISSN 1980-6809. doi:https://doi.org/10.20396/parc.v10i0.8652752
Perceived Social Support From Family and Peers: The Association With Bullying Behaviours
Authors: Zhang Melody , Wang Ziyu , Persram Ryan J. , Wong Tracy K. Y. , Konishi Chiaki
Published: January 2021

Bullying is a significant concern among parents, educators, and policymakers in which both bullies and victims are at greater risk for later maladjustment. Although the effect of perceived social support from peers on preventing and mitigating bullying behaviours has been extensively studied, less have examined the roles of perceived social support from family and peers simultaneously. This study examined the association between perceived family support and bullying behaviours among Canadian early adolescents and sought to identify the extent to which perceived family support would be comparable to perceived peer support. Adolescent gender and age were controlled to account for potential gender and age differences. Participants included students in grades 4 to 7 (N = 312) who completed measures of perceived social support from peers and family, and bullying behaviours. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses indicated that perceived family support had a significant, negative association with bullying behaviours among early adolescents. Moreover, perceived family support was found to be more significantly associated with bullying behaviours than perceived peer support. Findings corroborate the importance of perceived social support among early adolescents and emphasize a need to not only examine how perceived social support is associated with bullying behaviours, but to account for the significant role of the family during the early adolescence period.
Comparative Analysis of Computed Tomography and Laparoscopy Data in Preoperative Staging of Gastric Cancer
Authors: Silanteva N. K. , Аgababyan T. A. , Kholeva A. A. , Skoropad V. Yu. , Shavladze Z. N. , Ivanov S. A. , Zhavoronkov L. P.
Published: January 2021

Objective: to compare the data of computed tomography (CT) and diagnostic laparoscopy (DL) in the preoperative estimation of the extension of gastric cancer.

Material and methods. Data on 51 patients with a histologically confirmed diagnosis of gastric cancer were analyzed. CT and DL were performed in all the patients at an interval of 1–2 days during their preoperative examinations to determine the stage of a tumor process. Of the 51 patients, 34 (66.7%) were found to have no distant abdominal metastases and underwent radical surgery. CT and DL revealed distant abdominal organ metastases in 17 (33.3%) of the 51 patients. To evaluate the diagnostic efficiency of CT and DL, the investigators calculated the main characteristics (sensitivity, specificity) and auxiliary criteria (accuracy, positive (PPV) and negative (NPV) predictive values.

Results. The findings suggested that the diagnostic efficiency of CT in determining the T category was a sensitivity of 86% and a specificity of 92%; and that of DL was 83% and 87%, respectively. CT in diagnosing a regional lymph node metastasis had a higher sensitivity than DL (88% vs. 63%), but a lower specificity than DL (80% vs. 90%). CT diagnosis of peritoneal carcinomatosis exhibited a sensitivity of 46%, a specificity of 97.4%, an accuracy of 84.3%, PPV of 85.7%, and NPV of 84.1%. The symptoms of peritoneal carcinomatosis were ascites, soft tissue nodules along the peritoneum, diffuse induration and thickening of abdominal tissue planes, and increased mesenteric vascularity.

Conclusion. The combined use of CT and DL is a current algorithm for examining patients with gastric cancer. It makes it possible to obtain complete information about the extension of the process, to increase the accuracy of preoperative diagnosis and to form a group of patients to undergo radical surgery.
Multimodal Diagnosis of Right Ventricular Hamartoma
Authors: Bereznitskiy V. S. , Alexandrova S. A.
Published: January 2021

Primary cardiac tumors occur quite rarely, while the symptoms in patients with this pathology are very nonspecific. The data of physical examination and the results of electrocardiography and radiography are often less informative. In this connection, modern high-tech medical imaging tools play a very important role in the identification and differential diagnosis of this category of space-occupying lesions. The paper describes a case of right ventricular hamartoma diagnosedd in an adult patient with the long-term asymptomatic course of the disease.
Radiotherapy of Malignant Tumors: Photons or Protons? Part 1. Bragg Peak and the Brief Characteristics of a Proton Beam
Authors: Pan’shin G. A. , Tsallagova Z. S. , Izmailov T. R.
Published: January 2021

The first paper of a series of three publications briefly presents the characteristics a proton beam, as well as the information of companies producing noncommercial techniques for photon and proton therapies. The following second and third parts will briefly consider the clinical and economic efficiency of proton versus photon radiotherapy in the treatment of cancer patients and prospects for its development in oncological practice.
Modern Approach in Radiological Diagnosis of Prostate Cancer (Systematic Review of International Clinical Guidelines and Clinical Studies Over 2014–2020)
Authors: Vasilyev A. V. , Mishchenko A. V. ,  Petrova A. S. , Nosov A. K. , Busko E. A. , Danilov V. V. ,  Shevchenko E. Yu.
Published: January 2021

An increase in the level of prostate-specific antigen requires additional examination of the patient in order not to subject him to unnecessary treatment in case of clinically insignificant prostate cancer and, conversely, to carry out the necessary volume of measures in case of clinically significant prostate cancer. The paper presents the modern solutions for effective usage of diagnostic methods in visualization of clinically significant prostate cancer. To assess the advantages and disadvantages of various methods for diagnosing prostate cancer a search of publications for 2014–2020 period was conducted based on the Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed databases. The request included keywords: prostate cancer, multiparametric MRI, multiparametric ultrasound, PSMA PET/CT. We selected 27 articles. The review includes guidelines from the European Association of Urology, the American Urological Society, the American College of Radiology, and one practice recommendation.
Conditional Generative Adversarial for in-Situ Layerwise AM
Authors: Christian Goberta, , Edel Arrietab , Brandon McWilliams
Published: January 2021

Conditional generative adversarial networks (CGANs) learn a mapping from conditional input to observed image and perform tasks in image generation, manipulation and translation. In-situ monitoring uses sensors to obtain real-time information of additive manufacturing (AM) processes that relate to process stability and part quality. Understanding the correlations between process inputs and in-situ process signatures through machine learning can enable experimental-driven predictions of future process inputs. In this research, in-situ data obtained during a metallic powder bed fusion AM process is mapped with a CGAN. A single build of two turbine blades is monitored using EOSTATE Exposure OT, a near-infrared optical tomography system of the EOS M290 system. Layerwise images generated from the in-situ monitoring system were paired with a conditional image that labeled the specimen cross-section, laser-scan stripe overlap and z-distance to part surfaces. A CGAN was trained using the turbine blade data set and employed to generate new in-situ layerwise images for unseen conditional inputs.
Mast Cells Mediate Skin Inflammation in Psoriasis: A Novel Therapeutic Approach with the Anti-inflammatory Cytokines IL-37, IL-38 and IL-1Ra
Authors: Conti Pio , Pregliasco Fabrizio , Bellomo Rosa G. , Gallenga Carla E. , Caraffa Alessandro , Kritas Spyros K. , Lauritano Dorina , Ronconi Gianpaolo
Published: January 2021

Psoriasis (PS) is an autoimmune skin disease mediated by immune cells that typically presents inflammatory erythematous plaques, and it is associated with many comorbidities. PS exhibits excessive keratinocyte proliferation, and a high number of immune cells including macrophages, neutrophils, Th1 and Th17 lymphocytes, and mast cells (MCs). MCs are of hematopoietic origin, derived from bone marrow cells, which migrate, mature and reside in vascularized tissues. They can be activated by antigen provoking overexpression of pro-inflammatory cytokines and release a number of mediators including interleukin (IL)-1 and IL-33. IL-1, released by activated keratinocytes and MCs, stimulates skin macrophage to release IL-36, a powerful pro-inflammatory IL-1 family member. IL-36 mediates both innate and adaptive immunity, including chronic pro-inflammatory diseases such as psoriasis. Suppressing IL-36 results in a noticeable improvement in the treatment of psoriasis. IL-36 is inhibited by IL-36Ra which binds on to IL-36 receptor ligand, but suppression can also occur by binding IL-38 to the IL-36R receptor. IL-38 specifically binds only to IL-36R and inhibits human mononuclear cells stimulated with IL-36 in vitro, sharing the effect with IL-36Ra. Here, we report that inflammation in psoriasis is mediated by IL-1 generated by MCs, a process that activates macrophages to secrete pro-inflammatory IL-36 inhibited by IL-38. In this article we confirm that IL-38 and IL-37 cytokines emerge as inhibitors of inflammation in psoriasis and hold promise of an innovative therapeutic tool.
Approaches to Integrating Metabolomics and Multi-Omics Data: A Primer
Authors: Jendoubi Takoua
Published: January 2021

Metabolomics deals with multiple and complex chemical reactions within living organisms and how these are influenced by external or internal perturbations. It lies at the heart of omics profiling technologies not only as the underlying biochemical layer that reflects information expressed by the genome, the transcriptome and the proteome, but also as the closest layer to the phenome. The combination of metabolomics data with the information available from genomics, transcriptomics, and proteomics offers unprecedented possibilities to enhance current understanding of biological functions, elucidate their underlying mechanisms and uncover hidden associations between omics variables. As a result, a vast array of computational tools have been developed to assist with integrative analysis of metabolomics data with different omics. Here, we review and propose five criteria – hypothesis, data types, strategies, study design and study focus – to classify statistical multi-omics data integration approaches into state-of-the-art classes under which all existing statistical methods fall. The purpose of this review is to look at various aspects that lead the choice of the statistical integrative analysis pipeline in terms of the different classes. We will draw a particular attention to metabolomics and genomics data to assist those new to this field in the choice of the integrative analysis pipeline.
Effectiveness of Surface Treatment With Blasted Bioceramic Materials on Implants Surfaces
Authors: Soo Suet Yeo , Silikas Nikolaos
Published: January 2021

Hydroxyapatite (HA) and other forms of bioceramics coatings had been reported to stimulate bone healing, which helps in initial implant integration. This study was to evaluate the effectiveness of air blasting with two combinations of bioceramic powders (hydroxyapatite and calcium oxide) on the selected implant surfaces for surface deposition. Five different types of implant disks were tested, namely Commercially pure (Cp), Sandblasted (SB), Sandblasted and etched(SBE), SLActive®, Roxolid®. The studied samples were blasted with apatite abrasive bioceramic powders, 95% Hydroxyapatite (HA)/5% Calcium Oxide (CaO) and 90% Hydroxyapatite (HA)/10% Calcium Oxide (CaO). The surface and elemental differences between the blasted samples were compared using a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS). Results after surface treatment had demonstrated changes in surface morphologies; most evidently on the Cp implant discs. All treated surfaces revealed a non-uniform distribution of the treatment on the surface layer, with dispersed patches of bioceramic powders over the surfaces. The experimental blasting method used in this study has demonstrated the ability to deposit bioceramic materials on different implant surfaces.
Discovery of Simple Blood-Based Test to Predict Early Onset of Alzheimer’s Using Standard Clinical Mass Spectrometry Platforms
Authors: Piccirella Simona , Cristoni Simone , Fowler Christopher , Doecke James , Abate Giulia , Uberti Daniela
Published: January 2021

Despite the increasing number of individuals affected by Alzheimer’s disease (AD) every year, no effective therapy has been developed to treat this neurodegenerative disease yet. The current methods for AD diagnosis are effective for clinical confirmation of the disease only when symptoms become apparent, years after molecular damage started within the patients’ brains. As higher expression of a conformationally altered p53 has been correlated with AD, we developed a mass spectrometry-based method for highly sensitive, specific, and reproducible quantification of a p53 conformational variant in plasma samples of patients with known clinical outcome. In particular, we tested the prognostic performance of an AD-specific 2D3A8-immunoselected p53 peptide (AZ 284™) in different sets of individuals progressing from both cognitively unimpaired (CU) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) patients progressing to AD dementia. Our data showed that quantitative analysis of AZ 284™ is a reliable tool for predicting AD progression up to 6 years prior to dementia onset with AUC >90%. Taken together, these results support the implementation of p53 conformational variant quantification as an affordable and powerful diagnostic tool for early, non-invasive AD diagnosis.
Continuous Practice of Conservation Agriculture for 3-5 Years Reduces Soil Weed Seedbanks Size in Intensive Rice-Based Cropping Patterns
Authors: Hossain Mobarak , Begum Mahfuza , Hashem Abul , Rahman Moshiur , Bell Richard
Published: January 2021

When farmers first shift from conventional tillage (CT) to conservation agriculture (CA) practice the control of weeds may be more difficult due to the absence of tillage. However, in the longer term (3-5 years), CA changes to weed dynamics may alter the weed seedbank. The nature of weed seedbank changes over time in intensively cropped rice-based rotations, that are typical of the Eastern Gangetic Plain, are not well understood. Three long term CA experiments were sampled (at Rajbari after 3 years and Rajshahi after 5 years) for effects of decreased soil disturbance strip planting (SP) and bed planting (BP) at both sites and Zero tillage (ZT) at Rajbari, increased retention of standing residues of previous crops (20 vs 50 %). The weed seedbank in 0-15 cm soil was quantified by assessing emergence from trays a net-house experiment during January-December 2016. The year-round count of emerged weeds revealed the fewest number of weed species (especially broadleaf weeds) and lowest weed density in SP followed by CT, BP, and ZT with 50% crop residues. The SP, BP, and ZT produced a higher number of perennials weeds than annual weeds, which was the opposite of CT. The continuous practice of SP and increased crop residue retention for 3 or more years decreased the size of weed seedbank but increased the relative proliferation of perennial weeds compared to CT. Weed seedbank size in SP was even smaller than BP and ZT.
Systematic Review of Human Poisoning and Toxic Exposures in Myanmar
Authors: Cook Meghan A , Jagpal Pardeep , Hnin Pwint Khin , San Lai Lai , Kyaw Thein Saint Saint , Pyone Thidar , Thit Win Moh Moh , Bradberry Sally M , Collins Samuel
Published: January 2021

The International Health Regulations (2005) promote national capacity in core institutions so countries can better detect, respond to and recover from public health emergencies. In accordance with the ‘all hazards’ approach to public health risk, this systematic review examines poisoning and toxic exposures in Myanmar. A systematic literature search was undertaken to find articles pertaining to poisoning in Myanmar published between 1998 and 2020. A number of poisoning risks are identified in this review including snakebites, heavy metals, drugs of abuse, agro-chemicals and traditional medicine. Patterns of poisoning presented in the literature diverge from poisoning priorities reported in other lower-middle income countries in the region. The expe-rience of professionals working in a Yangon-based poison treatment unit indicates that frequently observed poisoning as a result of substances including pharmaceuticals, methanol, and petroleum products were absent from the literature. Other notable gaps in the available research include assessments of the public health burden of poisoning through self-harm, household exposures to chemicals, paediatric risk and women’s occupational risk of poisoning. There is a limited amount of research available on poisoning outcomes and routes of exposure in Myanmar. Further inves-tigation and research is warranted to provide a more complete assessment of poisoning risk and incidence.
Assessment of Pb(II), Cd(II) and Al(III) Removal Capacity of Bacteria From Food and Gut Ecological Niches: Insights Into Biodiversity to Limit Intestinal Biodisponibility of Toxic Metals
Authors: George Fanny , Mahieux Séverine , Daniel Catherine , Titécat Marie , Beauval Nicolas , Houcke Isabelle , Neut Christel , Allorge Delphine , Borges Frédéric , Jan Gwénaël , Foligné Benoît , Garat Anne
Published: January 2021

Hazardous toxic metals, such as lead and cadmium, and to a lesser extent aluminum, are extensively recognized as detrimental for health following ingestion within food and water, or following inhalation. Gut and food-derived microbes, by interacting with heavy metals, may actively or passively modulate their bioavailability inside the gut, either by adsorption or by sequestration. Such a bioremediation within the gut implies the selection of safe microbes, based on their specific capacities to immobilize metals. We investigated the metal removal ability of 225 bacteria toward the potential harmful trace elements lead, cadmium and aluminum in vitro, using Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry analysis. Interspecies and intraspecies comparisons were addressed and discussed among bacteria from the phylum Firmicutes, which are mostly lactic acid bacteria, including Lactobacillus spp, with some Lactococcus, Pediococcus and Carnobacterium representatives, Actinobacteria as well as Proteobacteria. The effect on mixture of lead and cadmium was also investigated. Although the purpose of such a screening is so far not to elucidate each of the various strain specific- and metal dependent- mechanisms of heavy metal removal, we identified potential bacteria which are able to alleviate Pb(II) and Cd(II) concerns in order to propose performing candidate probiotics for metal xenobiotic bioremediation.
Boletín de Noticias "Entre Patologos" de Alconpat Internacional (V2N3, 2020)
Authors:   Alconpat Internacional, Pérez Mesa Lourdes Bernarda , Zozaya Ortíz Alexia Xiomara ,   Alconpat Internacional, Castro Borges Pedro ,   Alconpat Internacional
Published: January 2021

En este número del Boletín de Noticias (V2N3) se hace un recuento de los eventos realizados en la asociación (Alconpat Internacional) que comprenden los meses de septiembre a diciembre del 2020, entre los cuales se pueden encontrar: actividades de los Alconpat Nacionales; 6 senior webinars organizados por uno de nuestros socios Colectivos; un reconocimiento a la excelencia (reconocimientos SNEM ACI 2020) entregado a uno de nuestros socios activos, El Dr. Pedro Castro Borges; además se realiza un tributo al maestro Harold Muñoz y por último podemos encontrar un calendario de los próximos eventos programados para fechas próximas, esperamos sea de su agrado.
Partial Distal Biceps Avulsion Results in a Significant Loss of Supination Force
Authors: Tomizuka Yoshiaki , Schmidt Christopher C. , Davidson Anthony J. , Spicer Christopher S. , Smolinski Michael P. , Mauro Ryan J. , Delserro Sean M. , Szabo Linsey H. , Smolinski Patrick J. , Miller Mark Carl
Published: January 2021

Background:

Partial avulsions of the short and/or long head of the distal biceps tendon cause pain and loss of strength. The goal of the present study was to quantify the loss of supination and flexion strength following a series of surgical releases designed to simulate partial and complete short and long head traumatic avulsions.

Methods:

Mechanical testing was performed to measure supination moment arms and flexion force efficiency on 18 adult fresh-frozen specimens in pronation, neutral, and supination. The distal biceps footprint length was divided into 4 equal segments. In 9 specimens (the distal-first group), the tendon was partially cut starting distally by releasing 25%, 50%, and 75% of the insertion site. In the other 9 specimens (the proximal-first group), the releases started proximally. Mechanical testing was performed before and after each release.

Results:

Significant decreases in the supination moment arm occurred after a 75% release in the distal-first release group; the decrease was 24% in pronation (p = 0.003) and 10% in neutral (p = 0.043). No significant differences in the supination moment arm (p ≥ 0.079) or in flexion force efficiency (p ≥ 0.058) occurred in the proximal-first group.

Conclusions:

A simulated complete short head avulsion significantly decreased the supination moment arm and therefore supination strength.

Clinical Relevance:

A mechanical case can be made for repair of partial distal biceps tendon avulsions when the rupture involves ≥75% of the distal insertion site.
Hand Atrophy
Authors: Hoppe Blake , LeVan David
Published: January 2021

The purpose of this article is to inform physician assistants how the roles of physician assistants (PAs) and occupational therapists (OTs) can complement one another in evidenced-based evaluation and treatment of patients with hand atrophy. This information can cultivate awareness and communication between practitioners to support client-centered outcomes. Another goal of this article is to review the clinical evaluation of patients presenting with hand atrophy, from a neurology perspective, for PAs practicing in a variety of settings, including primary care, neurology, and orthopaedics. PAs can encounter patients with hand atrophy as a primary or secondary impairment in a variety of neurological, systemic, and musculoskeletal conditions. The differential diagnosis of hand atrophy is large, and physician assistants must be able to clinically differentiate etiologies for appropriate workup and management. Patients with hand atrophy can experience physical, emotional, and psychosocial challenges that affect hand use and recovery of function. Collaboration between the PA and OT can support a holistic approach that focuses on forming a partnership with the patient to achieve their goals.
Long-Term Durability of Cold Weather Concrete : Phase II
Authors: Watts Benjamin E. , Kennedy Danielle E. , Thomas Ethan W. , Bernier Andrew P. , Oren Jared I.
Published: January 2021

Recent laboratory results confirm that it is possible to protect concrete from freezing solely using chemical admixtures and indicate that the amount of admixture required may be significantly less than previously recommended. Researchers have also verified that admixture-based freeze protection can produce concrete that is durable to winter exposure for a minimum of 20 years, through petrographic examination of core specimens obtained from past field demonstrations. Freeze protection for concrete using chemical admixtures alone has been an area of active research for 3 decades; however, the most recent methodology recommends very high addition rates of accelerating and corrosion inhibiting admixtures, which result in significant challenges, including slump loss, rapid setting, and potentially excessive temperature rise. As part of a laboratory study, researchers systematically varied the dosage of freeze protection admixtures used in concrete cured in a 23 °F environment. Preliminary findings indicate that a 50% reduction in admixture dose maintained adequate freeze protection and resulted in compressive strengths exceeding those of room-temperature controls at 7 and 28 days. The combination of improved handling, reduced cost, and verified durability associated with the use of admixtures for freeze protection makes a compelling case for broader adoption of this technique in winter operations
ANALISIS SISTEM DINAMIK UNTUK EVALUASI PENCAPAIAN SWASEMBADA BERAS MELALUI PROGRAM UPAYA KHUSUS
Authors: Somantri Agus Supriatna , Luna Prima , Arsanti Idha Widi , Waryanto Budi
Published: January 2021

Upaya Khusus (UPSUS) Padi merupakan kebijakan Kementerian Pertanian dalam upaya mencapai swasembada beras yang diimplementasikan sejak tahun 2015. Apakah kegiatan ini berhasil dan tepat? Analisis sitem dinamik digunakan sebagai alat evaluasi kegiatan UPSUS Padi dengan pendekatan system thinking. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengevaluasi kebijakan UPSUS Padi sejak tahun 2015-2018 menggunakan sistem dinamik. Metodologi penelitian dibangun dengan membuat Causal Loop Diagram (CLD) utama sistem swasembada beras, subsistem yang mendukung swasembada beras, sistem permintaan, dan sistem pencapaian target swasembada beras. Model dinamik tersebut divalidasi, disimulasi, dan direformulasi. Hasil simulasi menunjukkan sistem dinamik dapat dijadikan alat evaluasi kebijakan program UPSUS Padi dengan hasil validasi model bernilai MAPE < 5%, sehingga dapat menggambarkan kondisi sesungguhnya. Hasil simulasi model menunjukkan UPSUS Padi sukses meningkatkan produksi. Bilamana dalam lima tahun target peningkatan indeks pertanaman (IP) dan produktivitas tercapai, maka pada tahun 2022 akan terjadi puncak surplus beras sebesar 25 juta ton. Setelah itu produksi padi akan terus menurun jika hingga akhir tahun 2024 konversi lahan sawah tidak dibendung. Penerapan kebijakan UPSUS Padi perlu didukung oleh kebijakan penerapan mekanisasi untuk pra dan pascapanen, penyuluhan, revitalisasi penggilingan, diversifikasi pangan, dan penekanan konversi lahan. Hasil simulasi dengan memasukkan semua variabel tersebut menunjukkan Indonesia dalam lima tahun ke depan akan surplus 35 juta ton beras sehingga swasembada terus berlanjut.
Maternal Caffeine Consumption and Racial Disparities in Fetal Telomere Length
Authors: Griffin Isabel , Ibrahimou Boubakari , Navejar Natasha , Aggarwal Anjali , Myers Kristopher , Mauck Daniel , Yusuf Korede K. , Wudil Usman J. , Aliyu Muktar H. , Salihu Hamisu M.
Published: January 2021

Background and Objectives: The identification of risk factors for shorter telomere length, especially during fetal development, would be important towards caffeine consumption recommendations for pregnant women on a global scale. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association between caffeine intake and fetal telomere length as well as racial/ethnic differences in telomere length regardless of maternal caffeine consumption status.

Methods: Caffeine intake was measured using a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). Three generalized linear models (GLM) were compared based on binary categorical variables of caffeine levels using data mean value of 117.3 mg as cut-off; the World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations of 300 mg; and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) recommendations of 200 mg. The association between caffeine consumption and telomere length (telomere to single-copy [T/S] ratio) was then assessed.

Results: Among 57 maternal-fetal dyads, 77.2% reported less than 200 mg of caffeine (ACOG) and 89.5% less than 300 mg (WHO). Both WHO and ACOG models found that caffeine intake was significantly and positively associated with longer telomere length (p<0.05); and sodium (p<0.05). Other” race (p<0.001) and “white” race (p<0.001) were also significantly and positively associated with longer telomere length in the same models. Increasing maternal age shortened telomere length significantly in all models (p<0.001).

Conclusion and Global Health implications: Caffeine intake, maternal age, and race may be associated with alterations in fetal telomere length. This indicates that caffeine consumption during pregnancy may have long-term implications for fetal development. The racial/ethnic differences in telomere length found in this study warrant larger studies to further confirm these associations.

Key words: • Telomere • Fetal telomere length • Caffeine • Pregnancy • Maternal-Fetal medicine • Racial/ethnic differences

 

Copyright © 2020 Griffin et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited
Guest Editorial: Artificial Intelligence in the E&P Industry: What Have We Learned So Far and Where to Next?
Authors: Pathak Manas , Cosby Tonya , Perrons Robert K.
Published: January 2021

Artificial intelligence (AI) has captivated the imagination of science-fiction movie audiences for many years and has been used in the upstream oil and gas industry for more than a decade (Mohaghegh 2005, 2011). But few industries evolve more quickly than those from Silicon Valley, and it accordingly follows that the technology has grown and changed considerably since this discussion began. The oil and gas industry, therefore, is at a point where it would be prudent to take stock of what has been achieved with AI in the sector, to provide a sober assessment of what has delivered value and what has not among the myriad implementations made so far, and to figure out how best to leverage this technology in the future in light of these learnings.

When one looks at the long arc of AI in the oil and gas industry, a few important truths emerge. First among these is the fact that not all AI is the same. There is a spectrum of technological sophistication. Hollywood and the media have always been fascinated by the idea of artificial superintelligence and general intelligence systems capable of mimicking the actions and behaviors of real people. Those kinds of systems would have the ability to learn, perceive, understand, and function in human-like ways (Joshi 2019). As alluring as these types of AI are, however, they bear little resemblance to what actually has been delivered to the upstream industry. Instead, we mostly have seen much less ambitious “narrow AI” applications that very capably handle a specific task, such as quickly digesting thousands of pages of historical reports (Kimbleton and Matson 2018), detecting potential failures in progressive cavity pumps (Jacobs 2018), predicting oil and gas exports (Windarto et al. 2017), offering improvements for reservoir models (Mohaghegh 2011), or estimating oil-recovery factors (Mahmoud et al. 2019).

But let’s face it: As impressive and commendable as these applications have been, they fall far short of the ambitious vision of highly autonomous systems that are capable of thinking about things outside of the narrow range of tasks explicitly handed to them. What is more, many of these narrow AI applications have tended to be modified versions of fairly generic solutions that were originally designed for other industries and that were then usefully extended to the oil and gas industry with a modest amount of tailoring. In other words, relatively little AI has been occurring in a way that had the oil and gas sector in mind from the outset.

The second important truth is that human judgment still matters. What some technology vendors have referred to as “augmented intelligence” (Kimbleton and Matson 2018), whereby AI supplements human judgment rather than sup-plants it, is not merely an alternative way of approaching AI; rather, it is coming into focus that this is probably the most sensible way forward for this technology.
Geocognitive Technologies Improve Basin- and Petroleum-System Analyses
Authors: Carpenter Chris
Published: January 2021

This article, written by JPT Technology Editor Chris Carpenter, contains highlights of paper SPE 197610, “Application of Geocognitive Technologies to Basin- and Petroleum-System Analyses,” by Paolo Ruffo, Marco Piantanida, SPE, and Floriana Bergero, Eni, et al., prepared for the 2019 Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference, Abu Dhabi, 11-14 November. The paper has not been peer reviewed.

Eni and IBM developed a cognitive engine exploiting a deep-learning approach to scan documents searching for basin geology concepts, extracting information about petroleum system elements (e.g., formation name; geological age; and lithology of source rocks, reservoirs, and seals), and enabling basin geologists to perform automated queries to collect all information related to a basin of interest. The cognitive engine succeeded in identifying the correct formations, lithologies, and geological ages of the petroleum systems with an accuracy in the range of 75 to 90%.

Introduction

While commercial databases often provide summary information about basins that can be extracted easily with queries or even interactive tools, the explorationist needs to integrate such information with more up-to-date and in-depth descriptions of structural and sedimentary events occurring in the basin, descriptions that can be found only in unstructured documents. Key information about basins can be scattered across paragraphs, tables, and image captions of hundreds of technical articles, or can be embedded within pictures. Even when exploiting a traditional search engine with the name of the desired basin, the results can be unsatisfactory: first, not all the results might be relevant; second, many different variants of the basin name are often used within publications. In the optimistic hypothesis that the subset of relevant documents is found by the search engine, all key concepts related to a basin need to be understood by the geologist by careful examination of the paper text and images.

Moreover, even if the published information (structured and unstructured) on a basin is found, there are different opinions expressed by different authors, in addition to the uncertainty of the data itself (such as the age of a formation or the details of the geological evolution of the basin), so that multiple conceptual models of the basin can be drawn from the uncertain and scarce information available. Some of these conceptual models are more probable while others are less probable, but sometimes the latter happen to be economically more valuable. Therefore, recovery of all relevant information about a basin is crucial, but also important is the preservation of differing opinions about the data - what might be termed minority reports.
Digital Transformation Enables Automated Real-Time Torque-and-Drag Modeling
Authors: Carpenter Chris
Published: January 2021

This article, written by JPT Technology Editor Chris Carpenter, contains highlights of paper SPE 199670, “Digital Transformation Strategy Enables Automated Real-Time Torque-and-Drag Modeling,” by Dingzhou Cao, Occidental Petroleum; Don Hender, SPE, IPCOS; and Sam Ariabod, Apex Systems, et al., prepared for the 2020 IADC/SPE International Drilling Conference, Galveston, Texas, 3-5 March. The paper has not been peer reviewed.

Automated real-time torque-and-drag (RT-T&D) analysis compares real-time measurements with evergreen models to monitor and manage downhole wellbore friction, improving drilling performance and safety. Enabling RT-T&D modeling with contextual well data, rig-state detection, and RT-interval event filters poses significant challenges. The complete paper presents a solution that integrates a physics-based T&D stiff/soft string model with a real-time drilling (RTD) analytics system using a custom-built extract, transform, and load (ETL) translator and digital-transformation applications to automate the T&D modeling work flow.

Methodology

A T&D representational state transfer (REST) application program interface (API) was integrated with an RTD analytics system capable of receiving and processing both real-time (hookload, torque, and rig-state) and digitized (drillstring and casing components, trajectory profiles, and mud-property) well data across multiple platforms. This strategy consists of four parts:

Digital transformation apps, ETL, and translator

Physics-based stiff/soft string T&D model API

Pre-existing data infrastructure

RTD analytics system

The data-flow architecture reveals a flexible design in the sense that it can accommodate different types of T&D models or any other physics-based REST API models (e.g., drillstring buckling or drilling hydraulics) and can be accessed offline for prejob/post-job planning. Drilling engineers can also leverage the RTD systems’ historical database to perform recalculations, comparative analysis, and friction calibrations. The RT-T&D model also can be deployed in a cloud environment to ensure that horizontal scalability is achieved.
Analysis of Torsional Stick-Slip Situations from Recorded Downhole Rotational Speed Measurements
Authors: Cayeux E. , Ambrus A. , Øy L. , Helleland A. , Brundtland S. T. , Nevøy H. , Morys M.
Published: January 2021

The use of recorded downhole rotational speed measurements with a bandwidth up to 9 Hz gives new insights into the conditions under which stick-slip torsional oscillations occur. Observations made while drilling two reservoir sections have shown that, out of all the stick-slip situations identified, 72% of them for one well and 64% for the other well occurred in off-bottom conditions. In these off-bottom conditions, stick-slip was systematically observed while starting the topdrive (TD) until a sufficiently high TD rotational velocity was requested. For these two sections, off-bottom stick-slip was either related to using TD speeds below 120 rev/min or to reaming down during reciprocation procedures. In on-bottom conditions, stick-slip events occurred predominantly when the TD speed was less than 120 rev/min (53 and 32% of the on-bottom cases) but also in association with downlinking to the rotary steerable system (RSS) (23 and 46% of the on-bottom cases), and this, even though the TD speed was larger than 120 rev/min. These on-bottom stick-slip situations did not necessarily occur at a very high weight on bit (WOB) because 98% of them for one well and 46% for the other well took place when the WOB was lower than 10 ton. Downhole measurements have shown that when the drillstring is subject to strong stick-slip conditions, the downhole rotational speed changes from stationary to more than 300 rev/min in just a fraction of a second. Direct observations of downhole rotational speed at high frequency help in discovering conditions that were not suspected to lead to large torsional oscillations. This new information can be used to improve drilling operational procedures and models of the drilling process, therefore enabling increased drilling efficiency.
Influence of 200 years of water resource management on a typical central European river Does industrialization straighten a river?
Authors: Wolf Stefanie Sabine , Esser Verena , Schüttrumpf Holger , Lehmkuhl Frank
Published: January 2021

Background Over the last 200 years, the courses of most European rivers have experienced significant irreversible changes. These changes are connected to different kinds of anthropogenic river use and exploitation, which have varied from running water mills and rafting to large-scale hydroelectric power plants, industrial water withdrawal and flood protection measures. Today, in most developed countries, water quality and ecological river development are important factors in water management. The aim of this study is to evaluate the specific impacts of different time periods during the last 200 years on river courses and their effects on current river management using the example of the 165 km-long German Rur River (North Rhine-Westphalia). The Rur River is a typical central European upland to lowland river whose catchment has been affected by various phases of industrial development.MethodsIn this study, a range of morphological changes over the last 200 years are determined based on historic maps and up-to-date orthophotos. River length, sinuosity, oxbow structures, sidearms and the number of islands are used to investigate human impact. The results are correlated with historic time periods.ResultsThis analysis shows that river straightening increases, especially during the Industrial Revolution, even without direct hydraulic channelization. The period and grade of river straightening have a direct morphodynamic impact on today’s river restorations. Since the Rur River is a typical upland to lowland river, the results show an additional impact by geofactors, such as landform configurations.ConclusionsMorphodynamic development is correlated with five historic periods of industrial development between 1801 and 2019 up to the introduction of the EU - Water Framework Directive (EU-WFD). Each period shows a different influence on the watercourse, which is connected with human intervention. Even if worldwide comparisons show that the five historical phases differ slightly in their timing between regions, they are applicable to other study areas.
Pod pepper vein yellows virus, a new recombinant polerovirus infecting Capsicum frutescens in Yunnan province, China
Authors: Zhao Kuangjie , Yin Yueyan , Hua Mengying , Wang Shaoxiang , Mo Xiaohan , Yuan Enping , Zheng Hongying , Lin Lin , Chen Hairu , Lu Yuwen , Chen Jianping , Peng Jiejun , Yan Fei
Published: January 2021

Pepper vein yellows viruses (PeVYV) are phloem-restricted viruses in the genus Polerovirus, family Luteoviridae. Typical viral symptoms of PeVYV including interveinal yellowing of leaves and upward leaf curling were observed in pod pepper plants (Capsicum frutescens) growing in Wenshan city, Yunnan province, China. The complete genome sequence of a virus from a sample of these plants was determined by next-generation sequencing and RT-PCR. Pod pepper vein yellows virus (PoPeVYV) (MT188667) has a genome of 6015 nucleotides, and the characteristic genome organization of a member of the genus Polerovirus. In the 5’ half of its genome (encoding P0 to P4), PoPeVYV is most similar (93.1% nt identity) to PeVYV-3 (Pepper vein yellows virus 3) (KP326573) but diverges greatly in the 3’-part encoding P5, where it is most similar (91.7% nt identity) to tobacco vein distorting virus (TVDV, EF529624) suggesting a recombinant origin. Recombination analysis predicted a single recombination event affecting nucleotide positions 4126 to 5192 nt, with PeVYV-3 as the major parent but with the region 4126-5192 nt derived from TVDV as the minor parent. A full-length clone of PoPeVYV was constructed and shown to be infectious in C. frutescens by RT-PCR and the presence of icosahedral viral particles.
Pilot Evaluation of an Enzymatic Assay for Rapid Measurement of Antiretroviral Drug Concentrations
Authors: Olanrewaju Ayokunle O. , Sullivan Benjamin P. , Bardon Ashley R. , Lo Tiffany J. , Cressey Tim R. , Posner Jonathan D. , Drain Paul K.
Published: January 2021

Objective: Maintaining adequate drug adherence is crucial to ensure the HIV prevention benefits of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). We developed an enzymatic assay for rapidly measuring tenofovir-diphosphate (TFV-DP) concentrations – a metabolite that indicates long-term PrEP adherence.Setting: The study was conducted at the Madison HIV Clinic at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.Methods: We enrolled adults receiving standard oral PrEP, and individuals not receiving any antiretrovirals. We measured TFV-DP concentrations in diluted whole blood using our novel REverSe TRanscrIptase Chain Termination (RESTRICT) assay, based on inhibition of HIV reverse transcriptase (RT) enzyme. Blood samples were diluted in water, DNA templates, nucleotides, RT, and intercalating dye added, and results measured with a fluorescence reader—stronger fluorescence indicated higher RT activity. We compared RESTRICT assay results to TFV-DP concentrations from matched dried blood spot samples measured by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) using ≥700 fmol/punch TFV-DP as a threshold for adequate adherence (≥4 doses/week).Results: Among 18 adults enrolled, 4 of 7 participants receiving PrEP had TFV-DP levels ≥700 fmol/punch by LC-MS/MS. RESTRICT fluorescence correlated with LC-MS/MS measurements (r=-0.845, p<0.0001). Median fluorescence was 93.3 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 90.9 to 114) for samples <700 fmol/punch and 54.4 (CI: 38.0 to 72.0) for samples ≥700 fmol/punch. When calibrated to an a priori defined threshold of 82.7, RESTRICT distinguished both groups with 100% sensitivity and 92.9% specificity. Conclusions: This novel enzymatic assay for measuring HIV reverse transcriptase activity may be suitable for distinguishing TFV-DP concentrations in blood that correspond to protective PrEP adherence.
Influence of Cytochrome P450 (CYP) 2C8 polymorphisms on the efficacy and tolerability of artesunate-amodiaquine treatment of uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum malaria in Zanzibar
Authors: Pernaute-Lau Leyre , Morris Ulrika , Msellem Mwinyi , Mårtensson Andreas , Björkman Anders , Gil Jose Pedro
Published: January 2021

BackgroundThe antimalarial drug amodiaquine, a commonly used long acting partner drug in artemisinin-based combination therapy, is metabolized to active desethyl-amodiaquine (DEAQ) by cytochrome P450 2C8 (CYP2C8). The CYP2C8 gene carries several polymorphisms including the more frequent minor alleles CYP2C8*2 and CYP2C8*3. These minor alleles have been associated with decreased enzymatic activity, slowing the amodiaquine biotransformation towards DEAQ. This study aimed to assess the influence of these CYP2C8 polymorphisms on the efficacy and tolerability of artesunate-amodiaquine treatment for uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum malaria in Zanzibar.MethodsWe analysed data from 618 children under 5 years of age with uncomplicated P. falciparum malaria enrolled in two randomized clinical trials comparing artesunate-amodiaquine and artemether-lumefantrine in 2002-2005 in Zanzibar. CYP2C8*2 and CYP2C8*3 genotype frequencies were determined by PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism. Statistical associations between CYP2C8*2 and/or CYP2C8*3 allele carriers and treatment outcome or occurrence of adverse events were assessed by Fisher’s Exact test.ResultsThe allele frequencies of CYP2C8*2 and CYP2C8*3 were 17.5% (95% CI 15.4-19.7%) and 2.7% (95% CI 1.8-3.7%), respectively. There was no significant difference in the proportion of subjects carrying either CYP2C8*2 or CYP2C8*3 alleles amongst those with reinfections (44.1%; 95% CI 33.8-54.8) or those with recrudescent infections (48.3%; 95% CI 29.4-67.5), compared to those with an adequate clinical and parasitological response (36.7%; 95% CI 30.0-43.9) (P = 0.25 and P = 0.31, respectively). However, patients carrying either the CYP2C8*2 or CYP2C8*3 alleles were significantly associated with an increased occurrence of non-serious adverse events, when compared with CYP2C8 *1/*1 wildtype homozygotes (44.9%; 95% CI 36.1-54.0 versus 28.1%; 95% CI 21.9-35.0, respectively; P = 0.003). ConclusionsCYP2C8 genotypes did not influence treatment efficacy directly, but the tolerability to AS-AQ may be reduced in subjects carrying the CYP2C8*2 and CYP2C8*3 alleles. The importance of this non-negligible association with regards to amodiaquine-based malaria chemotherapy warrants further investigation.