bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Light Emitting Diode Therapy Protects against Myocardial Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury through Mitigating Neuroinflammation
Authors: Wang Songyun , Luo Qinyu , Chen Hui , Huang Jingyu , Li Xuemeng , Wu Lin , Li Binxun , Wang Zhen , Zhao Dongdong , Jiang Hong
Published: September 2020

Background. Neuroinflammation plays a key role in myocardial ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury. Previous studies showed that light-emitting diode (LED) therapy might improve M2 microglia activation and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) expression, thereby exerting anti-inflammatory effects. Therefore, we hypothesized that LED therapy might reduce myocardial I/R injury by neuroinflammation modulation. Objective. To explore the effect of LED therapy on myocardial I/R-induced injury and seek the underlying mechanism. Methods. Thirty rats were randomly divided into three groups: Control group (without LED treatment or myocardial I/R, n=6), I/R group (with myocardial I/R only, n=12), and LED+I/R group (with myocardial I/R and LED therapy, n=12). Electrocardiogram was recorded continuously during the procedure. In addition, brain tissue was extracted for BDNF, Iba1, and CD206 analyses, and heart tissue for myocardial injury (ischemic size and infarct size), IL-4 and IL-10 mRNA analysis. Results. In comparison with the I/R group, the ischemia size and the infarct size were significantly attenuated by LED therapy in the LED+I/R group. Meanwhile, the microglia activation induced by I/R injury was prominently attenuated by LED treatment either. And it is apparent that there was also an increase in the beneficial neuroinflammation markers (BDNF and CD206) in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) in the LED+I/R group. Furthermore, the anti-inflammatory cytokines, IL-4 and IL-10, were greatly decreased by I/R while improved by LED treatment in myocardium. Conclusion. LED therapy might reduce neuroinflammation in PVN and decrease myocardium injury by elevating BDNF and M2 microglia.
Targeting Isocitrate Dehydrogenase Mutations in Cancer: Emerging Evidence and Diverging Strategies
Authors: Waitkus Matthew S. , Yan Hai
Published: September 2020

Isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) active-site mutations cause a neomorphic enzyme activity that results in the formation of supraphysiologic concentrations of D-2-hydroxyglutarate (D-2HG). D-2HG is thought to be an oncometabolite that drives the formation of cancers in a variety of tissue types by altering the epigenetic state of progenitor cells by inhibiting enzymes involved in histone and DNA demethylation. This model has led to the development of pharmacologic inhibitors of mutant IDH activity for anticancer therapy, which are now being tested in several clinical trials. Emerging evidence in preclinical glioma models suggests that the epigenetic changes induced by D-2HG may persist even after mutant IDH activity is inhibited and D-2HG has returned to basal levels. Therefore, these results have raised questions as to whether the exploitation of downstream synthetic lethal vulnerabilities, rather than direct inhibition of mutant IDH1, will prove to be a superior therapeutic strategy. In this review, we summarize the preclinical evidence in gliomas and other models on the induction and persistence of D-2HG–induced hypermethylation of DNA and histones, and we examine emerging lines of evidence related to altered DNA repair mechanisms in mutant IDH tumors and their potential for therapeutic exploitation.
Perivascular Adipose Tissue and Vascular Perturbation/Atherosclerosis
Authors: Kim Ha Won , Shi Hong , Winkler Michael A. , Lee Richard , Weintraub Neal L.
Published: September 2020

Atherosclerosis is orchestrated by complex interactions between vascular and inflammatory cells. Traditionally, it has been considered to be an intimal inflammatory disease, characterized by endothelial dysfunction, inflammatory cell recruitment, lipid oxidation, and foam cell formation. This inside-out signaling paradigm has been accepted as dogma for many years, despite the fact that inflammatory cells are far more prevalent in the adventitia compared with the intima. For decades, the origin of adventitial inflammation in atherosclerosis was unknown. The fact that these inflammatory cells were observed to cluster at the margin of perivascular adipose tissues—a unique and highly inflammatory adipose depot that surrounds most atherosclerosis-prone blood vessels—has stimulated interest in perivascular adipose tissue–mediated outside-in signaling in vascular pathophysiology, including atherosclerosis. The phenotype of perivascular adipocytes underlies the functional characteristics of this depot, including its role in adventitial inflammatory cell recruitment, trafficking to the intima via the vasa vasorum, and atherosclerosis perturbation. This review is focused on emerging concepts pertaining to outside-in signaling in atherosclerosis driven by dysfunctional perivascular adipose tissues during diet-induced obesity and recent strategies for atherosclerosis prediction and prognostication based upon this hypothesis.
Elevated Lp(a) (Lipoprotein[a]) Levels Increase Risk of 30-Day Major Adverse Cardiovascular Events in Patients Following Carotid Endarterectomy
Authors: Waissi Farahnaz , Dekker Mirthe , Timmerman Nathalie , Hoogeveen Renate M. , van Bennekom Joelle , Dzobo Kim E. , Schnitzler Johan G. , Pasterkamp Gerard , Grobbee Diederick E. , de Borst Gert J. , Stroes Erik S.G. , de Kleijn Dominique P.V. , Kroon Jeffrey
Published: September 2020

Background and Purpose:

General population studies have shown that elevated Lp(a) (lipoprotein[a]) levels are an emerging risk factor for cardiovascular disease and subsequent cardiovascular events. The role of Lp(a) for the risk of secondary MACE in patients undergoing carotid endarterectomy (CEA) is unknown. Our objective is to assess the association of elevated Lp(a) levels with the risk of secondary MACE in patients undergoing CEA.

Methods:

Lp(a) concentrations were determined in preoperative blood samples of 944 consecutive patients with CEA included in the Athero-Express Biobank Study. During 3-year follow-up, major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), consisting of myocardial infarction, stroke, and cardiovascular death, were documented.

Results:

After 3 years follow-up, Kaplan-Meier cumulative event rates for MACE were 15.4% in patients with high Lp(a) levels (>137 nmol/L; >80th cohort percentile) and 10.2% in patients with low Lp(a) levels (≤137 nmol/L; ≤80th cohort percentile; log-rank test:
P
=0.047). Cox regression analyses adjusted for conventional cardiovascular risk factors revealed a significant association between high Lp(a) levels and 3-year MACE with an adjusted hazard ratio of 1.69 (95% CI, 1.07–2.66). One-third of MACE occurred within 30 days after CEA, with an adjusted hazard ratio for the 30-day risk of MACE of 2.05 (95% CI, 1.01–4.17). Kaplan-Meier curves from time point 30 days to 3 years onward revealed no significant association between high Lp(a) levels and MACE. Lp(a) levels were not associated with histological carotid plaque characteristics.

Conclusions:

High Lp(a) levels (>137 nmol/L; >80th cohort percentile) are associated with an increased risk of 30-day MACE after CEA. This identifies elevated Lp(a) levels as a new potential risk factor for secondary cardiovascular events in patients after carotid surgery. Future studies are required to investigate whether Lp(a) levels might be useful in guiding treatment algorithms for carotid intervention.
PERL: Pivot-based Domain Adaptation for Pre-trained Deep Contextualized Embedding Models
Authors: Ben-David Eyal , Rabinovitz Carmel , Reichart Roi
Published: September 2020

Pivot-based neural representation models have led to significant progress in domain adaptation for NLP. However, previous research following this approach utilize only labeled data from the source domain and unlabeled data from the source and target domains, but neglect to incorporate massive unlabeled corpora that are not necessarily drawn from these domains. To alleviate this, we propose PERL: A representation learning model that extends contextualized word embedding models such as BERT (Devlin et al., 2019 ) with pivot-based fine-tuning. PERL outperforms strong baselines across 22 sentiment classification domain adaptation setups, improves in-domain model performance, yields effective reduced-size models, and increases model stability.1
Restoration of two Carabidae (Coleoptera) species from the Sistema Ibérico Ranges (North-Central Iberian Peninsula): Nebria (Nebria) urbionensis Arribas, 1991 and Zabrus (Iberozabrus) cameranus Arribas, 1994, bonae species
Authors: ORTUÑO VICENTE M. , ARRIBAS OSCAR
Published: September 2020

Two endemic taxa of the Northern Iberian System have been rescued from synonymy using the study of external morphology by means of morphometric analysis and genital anatomy. The causes that possibly led to these two taxa erroneously being identified as synonyms are analysed in this research. In the case of Nebria (Nebria) urbionensis versus Nebria (Nebria) vuillefroyi, their confused relationship was caused by the handling of incorrectly labelled specimens and the subsequent interpolation of distribution areas, which led to overestimating the extent of N. (N.) vuillefroyi to the detriment of recognizing N. (N.) urbionensis as a valid species. According to the criterion that is defended in this work, both taxa are steno-endemic and, therefore, deserve protection due to their reduced habitats. The principle of authority applied by experts, based on an error, may, in this case, have been amplified and contributed to chronify the error.                The second case under review is Zabrus (Iberozabrus) cameranus versus Zabrus (Iberozabrus) laurae, which in a recent study of genus Zabrus, were subjected to a totally unjustified synonymy. The origin of such a taxonomic decision must be sought in the concatenation of a series of errors: the number and origin of the specimens studied do not adequately justify the statements and conclusions expressed in the text, the use of a single character (internal sac of the aedeagus) while ignoring other morphological characters, an inadequate taxonomic praxis, and the elaboration of conclusions based on the lack of supposedly-derived characters (that is, relying on symplesiomorphies). All of this does not point towards an adequate reconstruction of the genus systematics.                The uni- and multivariate biometric study, together with the morphological features that are contributed in this work (added to those already recognized initially for these species), allow to affirm that, although the taxa in discussion are nearby species and possibly sister taxa, they are perfectly valid: Nebria (Nebria) urbionensis stat. res.; Zabrus (Iberozabrus) cameranus stat. res. In addition to the morphological differences, both species diverge respectively from N. (N.) vuillefroyi and Z. (I.) laurae by 2% of the COI 1 gene sequence. The geographical ranges of Nebria (N.) urbionensis and Zabrus (I.) cameranus are confined to the Sistema Ibérico Septentrional, and are separated by the high Duero Valley from the ranges of N. (N.) vuillefroyi and Z. (I.) laurae, which are located in the Central System.
A new genus and species of mud crab (Crustacea, Brachyura, Panopeidae) from shoreline waters of the western Gulf of Mexico
Authors: FELDER DARRYL L. , THOMA BRENT P.
Published: September 2020

Several specimens of a small panopeid crab from coastal waters of the western Gulf of Mexico were long suspected to represent an undescribed species and are herein designated as representatives of a new genus. While the originally collected specimens from over four decades ago were not of gene-sequence quality, later collections from the same locality produced materials that yielded sequence data for inclusion in molecular phylogenetic studies. Building on results of those analyses, the present taxonomic description draws upon morphology to support the description of a unique species in which especially the male first gonopods differ from those of all other described panopeid genera. To date, the species remains known from only two western Gulf of Mexico sites, both of which are wave-washed intertidal rocky habitats where substrates are heavily burrowed by boring bivalves and sipunculans. While we cannot exclude the possibility that the species was introduced, recurrent collections show its populations to be at very least persistent, the species most likely being a long-overlooked among a confusing hard-substrate assemblage of small panopeid crabs.
Paratelmatobius mantiqueira Pombal & Haddad, 1999 (Anura: Leptodactylidae): New specimens and rectification of the type locality of a rare species from the Serra da Mantiqueira, southeastern Brazil
Authors: ROTENBERG ELSIE , MUSCAT EDELCIO , STUGINSKI DANIEL RODRIGUES , TOLEDO LUÍS FELIPE , DE TOLEDO MOROTI MATHEUS
Published: September 2020

There are currently seven species of small frogs (up to 30 mm in snout-vent length) in the genus Paratelmatobius Lutz & Carvalho 1958 (Frost, 2020). They are all endemic to mountain ranges in the Atlantic Forest, occurring in the Serra do Mar and Serra da Mantiqueira, southeastern Brazil (Santos et al. 2019). Most congeneric species are considered rare and their distribution is restricted to small areas (Domenico et al. 2014; Santos et al. 2020). Paratelmatobius mantiqueira Pombal & Haddad 1999 is one of the most enigmatic species in the genus. It hadn’t been seen from 1953, when the type series was collected, until 2005, when one specimen was found in the municipality of Resende, state of Rio de Janeiro (Vrcibradic et al. 2010). Recently, we found a new population of P. mantiqueira in the state of São Paulo. While reviewing the scattered information available about the species, we noticed inconsistencies related to the species’ type locality. We propose its rectification in this manuscript.
Prioritizing the Surgical Waiting List-Cosine Consistency Index: An Optimized Framework for Prioritizing Surgical Waiting List
Authors: Petwal Hemant , Rani Rinkle
Published: September 2020

This paper aims to examine patient prioritization challenges faced by surgeons attending to patients awaiting surgery and proposes a decision-making framework named PSWL-CCI to prioritize patients in the surgical waiting list. The proposed framework deals with two critical issues: One,
to prioritize patients from the surgical waiting list. Two, to refine and optimize cosine consistency index (CCI) of inconsistent pairwise comparison matrix (PCM) and obtain consistent priorities. The judgment of surgeons on identified parameters in the term of rating helps in determining
priorities from the surgical waiting list. The cosine maximization method (CM), along with the analytic hierarchy process (AHP), is used to evaluate the resulting priority. To improve inconsistent pairwise comparison matrix (PCM), a novel hybrid algorithm HMWCA (Hybrid modified water cycle
algorithm), is proposed and incorporated in PSWL-CCI. The proposed algorithm exploits the feature of three traditional algorithms, namely the evaporation-based water cycle algorithm (ER-WCA), genetic algorithm, and 2-opt heuristic. In this paper, the concept of salt concentration and absorption
introduced into the evaporation rate (ER) that extends ER-WCA to a modified water cycle algorithm (MWCA). MWCA iteratively modifies the entries in PCM until PCM is optimized. The genetic algorithm helps MWCA to determine the evaporation rate and enhance the rate of convergence. The 2-OPT algorithm
improvises the optimal solution. The proposed algorithm is tested with different datasets, and the improved CCI values are validated through paired sample t-test. Finally, the proposed PSWL-CCI framework is validated through a case study of a real patient dataset from an orthopedic
surgery department of a multispecialty hospital in India. The experimental results obtained in this study reveal that the proposed methodology and algorithms significantly improve the CCI values, thus generating optimum priorities for the patients of the surgical waiting list.
Adaptive Weights Integrated Convolutional Neural Network for Alzheimer's Disease Diagnosis
Authors: Wang Xinying , Wang Wanqiu
Published: September 2020

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a common medical imaging technique, which is not harmful to the human body and is often used in the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). We propose an adaptive weighted integrated convolutional neural network (AWI-CNN) to effectively identify patients
with Alzheimer's disease and Mild Cognitive Impairment in this paper. The research data used in this paper are T1-weighted images from ADNI. First, after pre-processing, we obtained the grey matter images of the same individual in the coronal plane, axial plane, and sagittal plane. Second,
we use the improved convolution neural network to train and recognize the three planes. We are using the idea of group decision making to adaptive weighted voting of three planes obtained from Softmax layer. Finally, using the technology of integrated learning, the data of different planes
are integrated to obtain the final recognition accuracy. The results of our experiment achieves higher classification accuracy than many traditional methods: AD versus NC is 99.38% and MCI versus NC is 98.19%.
Application of Cardiovascular Angiography in Diagnosis of Heart Disease Based on Adaptive Tracking Circular Template Technique
Authors: Liu Duqiu , Jia Zheng , Liu Qian , Wu Xuting , Wang Zhenbo , Yu Yujun , Chen Gang
Published: September 2020

Objective: To explore the application value of cardiovascular extraction technique in the complex and/or complex malformation of congenital heart disease (CHD) and the application of deep learning to the diagnosis of medical imaging. Methods: Quantitative description of
cardiovascular lesions and reconstruction of three-dimensional cardiovascular using angiographic images, the cardiovascular representation of the contrast image as a single pixel wide cardiovascular skeleton, using a rotating Gaussian function to enhance the image, using adaptive tracking
circular template pair Enhanced cardiovascular images for cardiovascular extraction. The 360 cases of complex and/or complex malformation were analyzed and their association with clinical examinations such as echocardiography. Results: This group of 360 patients (including 75 cases
of pulmonary atresia with ventricular septal defect, 62 cases of right ventricular double exit, 60 cases of tetralogy of Fallot, 52 cases of single ventricle, 42 cases of aortic dislocation, 15 cases of tricuspid atresia, 6 cases of coronary artery Abnormalities, 5 cases of complete pulmonary
venous malformation, 5 cases of complete endocardial pad defect, 4 cases of common arterial trunk, 3 cases of interventricular complete pulmonary atresia, 7 cases of other cases and 24 cases of postoperative examination) angiography. Compared with ultrasound, the latter was corrected in 34
cases, missed diagnosis in 30 cases, and misdiagnosis in 16 cases of combined malformation. The detection and diagnosis of collateral vessels, coronary artery malformations and branches of pulmonary arteries and their abnormalities in complex and/or complex malformations are superior to echocardiography,
and can measure pulmonary arterial and venous pressures and collateral vessel pressure It is superior to other imaging methods. Conclusions: Cardiac angiography (DSA) is still important for the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of difficult cases of congenital heart disease complex
and/or complex malformation, especially showing the whole appearance and related lesions of the body, lung and coronary branches, as well as measuring pulmonary artery and ventricular pressure.
Analysis of Extrahepatic Obstructive Jaundice Based on Multislice Spiral Computed Tomography
Authors: Liu Yun , Zhao Hongyan
Published: September 2020

Objective: To evaluate the value of multislice spiral Computed Tomography in the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of extrahepatic obstructive jaundice. Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed on 78 cases of extrahepatic obstructive jaundice confirmed by surgery
and clinical analysis. All cases were divided into two groups according to benign and malignant, 41 in benign and 37 in malignant. Twenty of them performed enhanced scanning, and image post-processing was performed. We observe the quantitative and qualitative indicators of CT: the inner diameter
of the common bile duct, the extent of intrahepatic bile duct dilation, the length of the obstruction site from the hilar region; the presence or absence of stones, the location of the mass and the mass, the relationship between the mass and the common bile duct, and the degree of mass enhancement.
Results: All cases clearly showed the obstruction site, and the difference between the obstruction site and the hepatic hilar length was significant between the benign and malignant groups (P < 0.01); while in the malignant group, there was also a statistical difference between
cholangiocarcinoma and pancreatic head cancer and ampulla (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in the common bile duct inner diameter among the groups (P > 0.05). Conclusions: Multi-slice spiral CT is more accurate in distinguishing the location, etiology,
and malignancy of extrahepatic obstructive jaundice. It is of great value in the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of extrahepatic obstructive jaundice.
An employee perspective of human resource development practices in the public sector: the role of organizational and supervisor support
Authors: Mylona Evangelia , Mihail Dimitrios
Published: September 2020

This article adopts an employee-level perspective, which is currently lacking in the public sector literature, and responds to the call for additional research concerning factors that affect public employees’ job attitudes and work behaviours. Based on a survey of civil servants, this study explored the antecedents and outcomes of perceived investment in employee development. Our research demonstrates the significant role of organizational support on employees’ perceptions of development. Furthermore, supervisor support mediated the relationship between organizational support and perceived investment in employee development. This finding sheds light on the role of supervisors as agents who represent or personify the organization. Also, consistent with the job demands–resources model and social exchange theory, we indicate that public employees within a workplace that provides substantial training and developmental incentives are more likely to report greater levels of organizational commitment and organizational citizenship behaviour. Perceived investment in employee development was found to act as an important mediator between the relationships of organizational support and employees’ outcomes, and supervisor support and employees’ outcomes.

Points for practitioners

When human resources budgets are increasingly restricted, non-monetary motivators can be a feasible alternative to high-cost financial rewards. It is suggested that not only will employee development practices benefit public organizations in terms of better-trained and better-qualified employees, but employees’ perceptions of organizations’ investments in employee development also create a felt obligation among public employees to reciprocate with positive job attitudes and work behaviours.
Prevention of intra-abdominal adhesions by a hyaluronic acid gel; an experimental study in rats
Authors: van Steensel Sebastiaan , Liu Hong , Vercoulen Timon FG , Hadfoune M’hamed , Breukink Stephanie O , Stassen Laurents PS , Lenaerts Kaatje , Bouvy Nicole D
Published: September 2020

Background

In 80% to 90% of the patients intra-abdominal adhesions occur after abdominal surgery, which can cause small-bowel obstruction, chronic abdominal pain, female infertility and difficulty during reoperation. A novel crosslinked hyaluronic acid gel is evaluated regarding its anti-adhesive capacities in an ischemic button model in rats.

Method

51 adult, male Wistar rats from a registered breeder, received eight ischemic buttons each and were treated with hyaluronic acid gel (HA, HyaRegen©), hyaluronic acid carboxymethylcellulose (HA-CMC, Seprafilm©) or no anti-adhesive barrier. After 14 days, the animals were sacrificed and adhesions were scored macroscopically. The number of buttons and organs involved in adhesions were recorded. Per animal, one button with adhesions and one without adhesions was explanted for qPCR analysis. Mann-Whitney U, Fisher’s exact and Wilcoxon signed rank test were used for data analysis. A p-value of 0.05 was considered significant.

Results

Macroscopic evaluation of adhesion formation did not differ between the groups. The number of organs involved in adhesions in the HA gel group was significantly lower compared to HA-CMC (p = .041) and the control group (p = .012). A significantly, 1.36-fold higher clec10a (p = 0.25), 1.80-fold higher cd163 (p = 0.003) and 5.14-fold higher mmp1 expression (p = 0.028) was found in ischemic buttons with adhesions compared to buttons without adhesions.

Conclusion

HA gel application reduces the number of organs involved in adhesions in an ischemic button model, but no overall reduction in adhesion formation was encountered. Macrophage subtype 2 polarization and high mmp1 expression are associated with adhesion formation. Further investigation is needed in the exact pathophysiologic process of adhesion formation and the role of macrophage polarization.
The Fragility of Cryopreserved Insulin-producing Cells Differentiated from Adipose-tissue-derived Stem Cells
Authors: Tokuda Kazunori , Ikemoto Tetsuya , Saito Yu , Miyazaki Katsuki , Yamashita Shoko , Yamada Shinichiro , Imura Satoru , Morine Yuji , Shimada Mitsuo
Published: September 2020

The aim of our study is to determine whether insulin-producing cells (IPCs) differentiated from adipose-tissue-derived stem cells (ADSCs) can be cryopreserved. Human ADSCs were differentiated into IPCs using our two-step protocol encompassing a three-dimensional culture and xenoantigen-free method. Thereafter, IPCs were frozen using three different methods. First, IPCs were immediately frozen at −80°C (−80°C group). Second, IPCs were initially placed into a Bicell freezing container before freezing at −80°C (BICELL group). Third, a vitrification method for oocytes and embryos was used (CRYOTOP group). Cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay showed that cell viability was decreased in all groups after cryopreservation ( P < 0.01). Corroboratively, the amount of adenosine triphosphate was markedly decreased after cryopreservation in all groups ( P < 0.01). Immunofluorescence staining showed a reduced positive staining area for insulin in all cryopreservation groups. Furthermore, 4′,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole and merged immunofluorescence images showed that cryopreserved cells appeared to be randomly reduced in the −80°C group and CRYOTOP group, while only the central region was visibly reduced in the BICELL group. Using immunohistochemical staining, IPCs after cryopreservation were shown to be positive for cleaved caspase-3 antibody in all groups. Finally, insulin secretion following glucose stimulation was significantly reduced in IPCs from all groups after cryopreservation ( P < 0.01). In conclusion, IPCs may be too fragile for cryopreservation with accomplished methods and further investigations for a suitable preservation method are required.
COVID-19 and Indian Economy: Impact on Growth, Manufacturing, Trade and MSME Sector
Authors: Sahoo Pravakar , Ashwani
Published: September 2020

The study aims to make an assessment of COVID-19 on Indian economy by analysing its impact on growth, manufacturing, trade and micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) sector, and highlights key policy measures to control the possible fallout in the economy. The impact of the pandemic across sectors and in different scenarios of complete, extended and partial lockdown, and at different levels of capacity utilization is massive on the Indian economy. India’s economy may barely manage to have a positive growth of 0.5 per cent in an optimistic scenario but also faces the possibility of a 3–7 per cent negative growth in worst case scenarios for the calendar year 2020. The impact is severe on trade, manufacturing and MSME sectors. The likely impact (deceleration) of COVID-19 from best case scenario to worst scenario are as follows: manufacturing sector may shrink from 5.5 to 20 per cent, exports from 13.7 to 20.8 per cent, imports from 17.3 to 25 per cent and MSME net value added (NVA) from 2.1 to 5.7 per cent in 2020 over previous year. The economy is heading towards a recession and the situation demands systematic, well targeted and aggressive fiscal-monetary stimulus measures.
Online probabilistic model class selection and joint estimation of structures for post-disaster monitoring
Authors: Amini Tehrani Hamed , Bakhshi Ali , Yang Tony T.Y.
Published: September 2020

Online selection of the appropriate model and identifying its parameters based on measured vibrational data are among the challenging issues in dynamic system identification. After a severe earthquake, quick monitoring and assessment of structural health status play a crucial role in effective critical risk management for the building owners and decision-makers. The Bayesian multiple modeling approach is a suitable tool for optimal model class selection, which is used in this article mainly for improving data fitting precision, decreasing dimensions of structural unknown vector through removing unnecessary parameters, detecting the occurrence and type of predominant phenomenon related to degradation and pinching, and finally increasing stability and convergence rate of the used identification algorithm. In this study, a reliable and effective time-domain method is proposed for online probabilistic model class selection and joint estimation of structures using the central difference Kalman filter and Bayesian multiple modeling approach. Also, in contrast to existing studies, the performance and efficiency of the proposed algorithm are investigated in nonlinear system identification with a large number of unknowns. The proposed algorithm is implemented on three moment-frame buildings with 8, 54, and 60 unknowns. In addition, a numerical example is provided to analyze the case in which the exact model is not among the plausible models. To verify the performance of the hybrid identification method, robust simulations with synthetic measurement noises and modeling errors were generated using the Monte Carlo random simulation method. The result shows the method can be used to simultaneously select the optimal model class and identify its unknown states and parameters in an online manner.
Turnover and Performance in Full- and Select-Service Hotels
Authors: Dolasinski Mary Jo , Roberts Chris
Published: September 2020

Turnover plays an important role in hotel performance. This study explored turnover and its relationship between three key categories of the balanced scorecard (revenue, profit, and guest satisfaction) using secondary data from a 6-year period for 118 full- and select-service hotels. Analysis revealed strong positive correlations between hourly and management turnover in full-service hotels and positive correlations in 4 of the 6 years in select-service hotels. There was also a modest negative correlation between management turnover and guest satisfaction in 4 of the 6 years.
Validation and utility study of the 10 item brief adult health capital scale (BACHS-10)
Authors: Hanauer Matthew , Svetina Valdivia Dubravka
Published: September 2020

Current methods for assessing health capital are not accessible to clinicians. To increase accessibility, we evaluated a Brief Adult Health Capital Scale (BAHCS-10) using classical and modern testing theories. With 588 clients, we found an adequate fit for the BAHCS-10[Formula: see text], CFIscaled = 0.949, TLIscaled = 0.935, RMSEA = 0.077, and the SRMR = 0.060. We also found evidence of invariance across race but did find significant non-invariance across some items for gender and age. Future researchers should review items displaying noninvariance and develop optimal cut scores for the BAHCS-10 to further support clinician decision making.
Association between quality of life and risk behaviors in Brazilian adolescents: An exploratory study
Authors: de Oliveira Pinheiro Bruno , Monezi Andrade André Luiz , Lopes Fernanda Machado , Reichert Richard Alecsander , de Oliveira Wanderlei Abadio , da Silva Andressa Melina Becker , De Micheli Denise
Published: September 2020

We evaluated the association between risk behaviors and quality of life in 1,081 adolescents classified into the risk behavior (RB) or the non-risk behavior (nRB) group. The data were analyzed with logistic regression models, analysis of variance, and network analysis. The nRB group had higher quality-of-life scores, and having a religion (OR = .42) and better quality of life (OR = .95) significantly reduced the odds of risk behaviors. The network analysis identified that religion, gender, and type of school showed the best centrality and connectivity indices. These data showed a negative association between risk behaviors and lower quality-of-life levels.
Fragility and Insurgency as Outcomes of Underdevelopment of Public Infrastructure and Socio-Economic Deprivation: The Case of Boko Haram in the Lake Chad Basin
Authors: Tayimlong Robert A.
Published: September 2020

2019 marked 10 years since the beginning of the Boko Haram insurgency in Nigeria—a violent conflict that later spilled over to Chad, Cameroon, and Niger, killing over 37000 people and displacing 2.6 million. For over a decade, researchers and policy makers in peacebuilding and development have been trying to understand the drivers of conflict in order to find lasting solutions. Whilst violent conflicts rarely have straightforward explanations, the narrative on the Boko Haram insurgency has been somewhat reductionist, largely addressing the role of religion, and to a lesser extent, other drivers. Moreover, a lot of the literature has focused on Nigeria, for the obvious reason that it was the birthplace of Boko Haram and the epicentre of its activities. As a result of the disproportionate focus on Nigeria, data on the conditions in the affected regions and provinces of Chad, Cameroon, and Niger that facilitated the regional spill over are very minimal. To fill the gap, this article examines the role of the underdevelopment of public infrastructure and socio-economic deprivation as underlying drivers of the insurgency in all four affected countries. Complemented by data from secondary sources, the article builds on primary evidence from field observation, key informant interviews, and focus group discussions in Borno State of Nigeria, the Lake Province of Chad, the Far North Region of Cameroon, and the Diffa Region of Niger, to establish the link between infrastructural development gaps, illiteracy, unemployment, and poverty and the Boko Haram insurgency.
Autopsy study of pulmonary capillary hemangiomatosis with inflammatory cell infiltration into the myocardium
Authors: Omori Taku , Nakamori Shiro , Ohta‐Ogo Keiko , Matsuda Akimasa , Ogihara Yoshito , Yamada Norikazu , Imanaka‐Yoshida Kyoko , Ito Masaaki , Dohi Kaoru
Published: September 2020

Pulmonary capillary hemangiomatosis is a rare form of pulmonary artery hypertension; to date, only few descriptions of myocardial pathology in pulmonary capillary hemangiomatosis have been reported in the literature. We report the case of a Japanese female patient who was diagnosed with pulmonary capillary hemangiomatosis combined with acute myocardial inflammation on performing autopsy. She was admitted to our hospital because of acute pneumonia and subsequently suddenly developed severe hypoxemia with breathing difficulty and died 13 days after admission. At autopsy, the histology of the lung was consistent with pulmonary capillary hemangiomatosis. Additionally, a diffuse severe infiltration of inflammatory cells was associated with edema in the myocardium. Myocytolysis was limited and fibrosis was absent. To the best of our knowledge, pulmonary capillary hemangiomatosis with acute myocarditis‐like histological findings has been described for the first time through our case.
UEG framework for the development of high‐quality clinical guidelines
Authors: Boltin Doron , Lambregts Doenja MJ , Jones Fiona , Siterman Matan , Bonovas Stefanos , Cornberg Markus , Khannoussi Wafaa , Doherty Glen ,   Quality of Care Taskforce UEG
Published: September 2020

The 48 national member societies and 17 specialist member societies which operate under the umbrella of United European Gastroenterology (UEG) increasingly develop clinical practice guidelines for both national and international implementation. The methodologies and strategies used in these guidelines vary considerably. The UEG Quality of Care Taskforce aimed to provide a framework for quality guidelines in order to assist member societies in the process of developing guidelines, and to provide a tool for readers of guidelines to critically appraise their quality. We outline the steps necessary to begin the guideline development process, how to build working groups, how to search for evidence, how to grade the quality of the evidence, how to reach consensus on statements and how to write the guideline document. We believe that using this framework will increase the potential to produce a high‐quality guideline which is transparent, independent, reproducible and implementable.
Chorioamnionitis induces enteric nervous system injury: effects of timing and inflammation in the ovine fetus
Authors: Heymans C. , de Lange I. H. , Lenaerts K. , Kessels L. C. G. A. , Hadfoune M. , Rademakers G. , Melotte V. , Boesmans W. , Kramer B. W. , Jobe A. H. , Saito M. , Kemp M. W. , van Gemert W. G. , Wolfs T. G. A. M.
Published: September 2020

Background

Chorioamnionitis, inflammation of the chorion and amnion, which often results from intrauterine infection, is associated with premature birth and contributes to significant neonatal morbidity and mortality, including necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). Recently, we have shown that chronic chorioamnionitis is associated with significant structural enteric nervous system (ENS) abnormalities that may predispose to later NEC development. Understanding time point specific effects of an intra-amniotic (IA) infection on the ENS is important for further understanding the pathophysiological processes and for finding a window for optimal therapeutic strategies for an individual patient. The aim of this study was therefore to gain insight in the longitudinal effects of intrauterine LPS exposure (ranging from 5 h to 15 days before premature delivery) on the intestinal mucosa, submucosa, and ENS in fetal lambs by use of a well-established translational ovine chorioamnionitis model.

Methods

We used an ovine chorioamnionitis model to assess outcomes of the fetal ileal mucosa, submucosa and ENS following IA exposure to one dose of 10 mg LPS for 5, 12 or 24 h or 2, 4, 8 or 15 days.

Results

Four days of IA LPS exposure causes a decreased PGP9.5- and S100β-positive surface area in the myenteric plexus along with submucosal and mucosal intestinal inflammation that coincided with systemic inflammation. These changes were preceded by a glial cell reaction with early systemic and local gut inflammation. ENS changes and inflammation recovered 15 days after the IA LPS exposure.

Conclusions

The pattern of mucosal and submucosal inflammation, and ENS alterations in the fetus changed over time following IA LPS exposure. Although ENS damage seemed to recover after prolonged IA LPS exposure, additional postnatal inflammatory exposure, which a premature is likely to encounter, may further harm the ENS and influence functional outcome. In this context, 4 to 8 days of IA LPS exposure may form a period of increased ENS vulnerability and a potential window for optimal therapeutic strategies.
Characterization of the regulation mechanism of grapevine microRNA172 family members during flower development
Authors: Sun Xin , Wang Mengqi , Leng Xiangpeng , Zhang Kekun , Liu Gengsen , Fang Jinggui
Published: September 2020

Background

Grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.), which has important nutritional values and health benefits, is one of the most economically important fruit crops cultivated worldwide. Several studies showed a large number of microRNAs (VvmiRNAs) involved in the modulation of grape growth and development, and many VvmiRNA families have multiple members. However, the way by which various members from the same miRNA family work is unclear, particularly in grapes.

Results

In this study, an important conserved VvmiR172 family (VvmiR172s) and their targets were set as a good example for elucidating the interaction degree, mechanism, and spatio-temporal traits of diverse members from the same miRNA family. miR-RACE and Stem-loop RT-PCR were used to identify the spatio-temporal expressions of various members of VvmiR172s; together with RLM-RACE, PPM-RACE, Western blot, transgenic technologies, their interaction degree, and regulation mechanism were further validated. The expression of VvmiR172c was significantly higher than that of VvmiR172a, b, and d and showed a positive correlation with the abundance of VvAP2 cleavage products. These findings indicated that VvmiR172c might be one of the main action factors of the VvmiR172 family in flower development. The ability of VvmiR172c to cleave target genes differed due to divergence in complementary degree with VvAP2 and expression levels of various members. In VvmiR172 transgenic lines, we observed that 35S::VvmiR172c resulted in the earliest and abundant flowering, indicating the strong function of VvmiR172c. In contrast, the non-significant phenotypic changes were detected in the VvAP2 transgenic lines. The qRT-PCR and Western bolt results demonstrated that VvmiR172c plays a major role in targeting VvAP2.

Conclusions

VvmiR172 up-regulated the expression of NtFT and decreased the expression of NtFLC. The up/down regulation of VvmiR172c was the most pronounced. The functions of four VvmiR172 members in grape differed, and miR172c had the strongest regulation on AP2.
Increased creatine demand during pregnancy in Arginine: Glycine Amidino-Transferase deficiency: a case report
Authors: Alessandrì Maria Grazia , Strigini Francesca , Cioni Giovanni , Battini Roberta
Published: September 2020

Background

Creatine (Cr), an amino acid derivative, is one of the most important sources of energy acting as both a spatial and temporal energy buffer through its phosphorylated analogue phosphocreatine (PCr) and creatine kinase (CK). Maternal Cr biosynthesis and metabolism seem to play an important role in pregnancy, as shown in preclinical and in healthy human pregnancy studies. Patients with Arginine:Glycine Amidino-Transferase deficiency (AGAT-d), due to the deficit of the first enzyme involved in Cr synthesis, are at a disadvantage due to their failure to synthesize Cr and their dependence on external intake, in contrast to normal subjects, where changes in Cr biosynthesis supply their needs.

We report the outcomes of a pregnancy in an AGAT-d woman, and the challenge we faced in managing her treatment with oral Cr to ensure optimal conditions for her fetus.

Case presentation

A 22-year-old AGAT-d woman referred to our Institute for the management of her first conception at 11 weeks of fetal gestational age. Sonographic monitoring at 20 w GA indicated a reduction of fetal growth, in particular of the head circumference that was below the 3rd centile. Biochemical monitoring of Cr in biological fluids of the mother revealed a decline of the Cr concentrations, in particular in the urine sample, requiring prompt correction of the Cr dose. At 35 weeks of gestation the patient delivered a male infant, heterozygous for GATM mutation, with normal brain Cr levels; at one year the baby achieved typical developmental milestones.

Conclusions

This rare pregnancy demonstrates that Cr levels in the blood and urine of the mother with AGAT-d decreased since the first months of gestation. The increase of the Cr daily dose administered to the mother seems to have produced beneficial effects also on the fetus.
Machine-learning strategies for testing patterns of morphological variation in small samples: sexual dimorphism in gray wolf (Canis lupus) crania
Authors: MacLeod Norman , Kolska Horwitz Liora
Published: September 2020

Background

Studies of mammalian sexual dimorphism have traditionally involved the measurement of selected dimensions of particular skeletal elements and use of single data-analysis procedures. Consequently, such studies have been limited by a variety of both practical and conceptual constraints. To compare and contrast what might be gained from a more exploratory, multifactorial approach to the quantitative assessment of form-variation, images of a small sample of modern Israeli gray wolf (Canis lupus) crania were analyzed via elliptical Fourier analysis of cranial outlines, a Naïve Bayes machine-learning approach to the analysis of these same outline data, and a deep-learning analysis of whole images in which all aspects of these cranial morphologies were represented. The statistical significance and stability of each discriminant result were tested using bootstrap and jackknife procedures.

Results

Our results reveal no evidence for statistically significant sexual size dimorphism, but significant sex-mediated shape dimorphism. These are consistent with the findings of prior wolf sexual dimorphism studies and extend these studies by identifying new aspects of dimorphic variation. Additionally, our results suggest that shape-based sexual dimorphism in theC. lupuscranial complex may be more widespread morphologically than had been appreciated by previous researchers.

Conclusion

Our results suggest that size and shape dimorphism can be detected in small samples and may be dissociated in mammalian morphologies. This result is particularly noteworthy in that it implies there may be a need to refine allometric hypothesis tests that seek to account for phenotypic sexual dimorphism. The methods we employed in this investigation are fully generalizable and can be applied to a wide range of biological materials and could facilitate the rapid evaluation of a diverse array of morphological/phenomic hypotheses.