bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Bartering as a Blind Spot: A Call to Action from COVID‐19
Authors: Gunia Brian C. , Lewicki Roy J.
Published: September 2020

Bartering is a common form of negotiation, and COVID‐19 may have heightened its occurrence at least temporarily. Yet, bartering has received little attention in the negotiation literature. After defining bartering and describing its relevance and prevalence in the COVID‐19 era, this article suggests that an understanding of bartering would significantly enhance our understanding of negotiation in general. Two broad research questions illustrate the importance of better understanding bartering, with important theoretical, pedagogical, and practical implications.
DNA methylation alterations and their potential influence on macrophage in periodontitis
Authors: Jiang Yiyang , Fu Jingfei , Du Juan , Luo Zhenhua , Guo Lijia , Xu Junji , Liu Yi
Published: September 2020

Objectives

To explore how various methylation mechanisms function and affect macrophages in periodontitis, with an aim of getting a comprehensive understanding of pathogenesis of the disease.

Subject

Alterations in DNA methylation are associated with different periodontitis susceptible factors and disrupt immunity homeostasis. The host’s immune response to stimulus plays a vital role in the progression of periodontitis. Macrophages are key immune cells of immune system. They act as critical regulators in maintaining issue homeostasis with their nature of high plasticity. The altered methylation status of genes may cause abnormal expression of proteins in the progress of periodontitis, thus, exert potential influence on macrophages.

Results

Certain genes are selectively activated or silenced due to the changes in the methylation status, which causes the alteration of the expression level of cytokines/chemokines, signal molecules, extracellular matrix molecules, leads to the change in local microenvironment, affects activation states of immune cells including macrophages, thus influences the host immune response during periodontitis.. This results in differential susceptibility and therapeutic outcome.

Conclusion

DNA methylation alteration may cause aberrant expression level of genes associated with periodontal diseases, thus results in deregulation of macrophages, which supports the prospect of using DNA methylation‐related parameter as a new biomarker for the diagnosis and treatment of periodontitis.
SNHG3/miR‐2682‐5p/HOXB8 promotes cell proliferation and migration in oral squamous cell carcinoma
Authors: Lu Na , Yin Yue , Yao Yuan , Zhang Peng
Published: September 2020

Objective

The potential molecular mechanism underlying the disease progression of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) remains largely elusive. The purpose of the study is to figure out the role and molecular mechanism of homeobox B8 (HOXB8) in OSCC.

Materials and methods

The expression level of HOXB8 in OSCC was validated by RT‐qPCR. The functions of HOXB8 in OSCC cells were identified through loss‐of‐function assays, including CCK‐8 assay, colony formation assay, transwell assay, and immunofluorescence (IF). The upstream miRNA that could directly target HOXB8 was searched out through bioinformatics analysis and luciferase reporter assay. Mechanism experiments were further conducted to predict the long non‐coding RNA (lncRNA) that could positively regulate HOXB8 and compete for miR‐2682‐5p with HOXB8.

Results

HOXB8 was markedly upregulated in OSCC tissues and cell lines. Furthermore, cell proliferation and migration were inhibited due to the shortage of HOXB8. HOXB8 was targeted by miR‐2682‐5p that negatively regulated cell proliferation and migration. Small nucleolar RNA host gene 3 (SNHG3) acted as a sponge for miR‐2682‐5p. Inhibition of miR‐2682‐5p or the overexpression of HOXB8 rescued the effects of SNHG3 silencing on the proliferation and migration.

Conclusion

HOXB8 is regulated by SNHG3/miR‐2682‐5p axis to promote OSCC cell proliferation and migration.
The impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic in managing dental pain: a case report on a foreign body reaction after third molar surgery
Authors: Zachar J. J. , Kanagaratnam R.
Published: September 2020

The COVID‐19 pandemic has become a widespread public health concern. Restrictions to dental health care services have been implemented to reduce the risk of transmission. Managing dental pain can become difficult and challenging for those undergoing mandatory quarantine for 14 days and as a result are unable able to access dental care. They often need to resort to pharmacological intervention such as antibiotics and analgesics for pain relief. This case report presents a returned overseas traveller to Australia who developed dental pain and significant facial swelling while in quarantine. The traveller had recently undergone third molar surgery in another country prior to returning home. Upon release, the patient attended a dental clinic and the cause of pain was due to an iatrogenic foreign body (gauze strip and surgical bur) in the mandibular third molar extraction socket. This case reemphasises the dilemma that foreign bodies can have harmful consequences and can lead to a serious complication without surgical retrieval.
Seed priming with gibberellic acid induces high salinity tolerance in Pisum sativum through antioxidants, secondary metabolites and up‐regulation of antiporter genes
Authors: Ahmad F. , Kamal A. , Singh A. , Ashfaque F. , Alamri S. , Siddiqui M. H. , Khan M. I. R.
Published: September 2020

Salinity is one of the major abiotic stresses that limit productivity of pulse crops all over the world. Seed priming with phytohormone(s) is one of the most promising, authentic and cost‐effective methods to mitigate the deleterious effect of salinity.

The study was conducted to investigate potential of seed priming with gibberellic acid (GA3) to cope up with the adverse effects of salinity (0, 100, 200 and 300 mm NaCl) in pea (Pisum sativum L.) seedlings.

There were different responses to salinity, which induced oxidative stress, higher accumulation of Na+ in shoots and roots and inhibition of photosynthetic traits. However, seed priming with GA3 showed promising effects on physiological traits under salinity stress and alleviated the adverse effects of salinity by inducing the antioxidant system, proline production, total phenol and flavonoid content and regulating ion homeostasis, along with up‐regulation of Na+/H+ antiporters (SOS1 and NHX1).

Plants adapt and prevent high salt accumulation by inducing expression of Na+/H+ antiporter (SOS1 and NHX1) proteins that enhance Na+ sequestration. Thus, seed priming with GA3 is important in alleviation of high salinity stress and can be used as a criterion for developing salt‐tolerant cultivars.
Seed dormancy of Cardiospermum halicacabum (Sapindaceae) from three precipitation zones in Sri Lanka
Authors: Thusithana V. , Amarasekara R. W. K. , Gehan Jayasuriya K. M. G. , Gama‐Arachchige N. S. , Baskin C. C. , Baskin J. M.
Published: September 2020

This study investigated seed germination of Cardiospermum halicacabum, a medicinally important invasive species.

We compared mass, moisture content (MC), dormancy and dormancy‐breaking treatments and imbibition and germination of scarified and non‐scarified seeds of C. halicacabum from a low‐elevation dry zone (DZ), low‐elevation wet zone (WZ1) and mid‐elevation wet zone (WZ2) in Sri Lanka to test the hypothesis that the percentage of seeds with water‐impermeable seed coats (physical dormancy, PY) decreases with increased precipitation.

Seed mass was higher in WZ2 than in DZ and WZ1, while seed MC did not vary among the zones. All scarified DZ, WZ1 and WZ2 and non‐scarified DZ and WZ1 seeds imbibed water, but only a few non‐scarified WZ2 seeds did so. When DZ and WZ1 seeds were desiccated, MC and percentage imbibition decreased, showing that these seeds have the ability to develop PY. GA3 promoted germination of embryos excised from fresh DZ and WZ1 seeds and of scarified WZ2 seeds.

At maturity, seeds from DZ and WZ1 had only physiological dormancy (PD), while those from WZ2 had combinational dormancy (PY+PD). Thus, our hypothesis was not supported. Since a high percentage of excised embryos developed into normal seedlings; this is a low‐cost method to produce C. halicacabum plants for medicinal and ornamental purposes.
Exploring a new breadth of cyclic steps on distal submarine fans
Authors: Fildani Andrea , Kostic Svetlana , Covault Jacob A. , Maier Katherine L. , Caress David W. , Paull Charles K.
Published: September 2020

Research on the depositional record of submarine fans and related turbidite systems has highlighted the importance of channel, lobe and levée–overbank architectural elements as fundamental building blocks. However, many of the characteristics and processes of deposits left by flows traversing those fans remain elusive, because flows seem to be able to go unconfined for long distances. Offshore southern California (USA), the La Jolla Canyon decreases in relief to become an approximately U‐shaped channel across the basin floor of the San Diego Trough. The La Jolla Channel gradually loses confinement and transitions to a network of scours, some of which align to form incipient channels, and fields of bedforms. High‐resolution seafloor topography, CHIRP seismic‐reflection data, sediment cores and hydrodynamic flow analysis are used to explore these features. The focus is on two regions of bedforms: (i) a field of net‐depositional, concentric bedforms across the eastern levée–overbank upstream from the terminus of the La Jolla Channel; and (ii) a linear train of more erosional bedforms approximating an incipient channel adjacent to the present mouth of the La Jolla Channel. These bedforms are interpreted to be among a class of upper‐flow‐regime bedforms called cyclic steps, which were formed by densimetric Froude supercritical turbidity currents that spilled out of the present La Jolla Channel. The high‐resolution data for the La Jolla Fan provide valuable insights into the characteristics of supercritical bedforms likely common to distal submarine fans, as well as on sedimentary processes likely important for submarine fan growth into sedimentary basins. In particular, the pattern of evolution of the La Jolla Fan suggests that cyclic steps with wavelengths on the order of tens of metres to a few hundreds of metres could be fundamentally important for the evolution of the distal submarine fans with relatively low‐relief main channels.
Forest fire susceptibility modeling using hybrid approaches
Authors: Abedi Gheshlaghi Hassan , Feizizadeh Bakhtiar , Blaschke Thomas , Lakes Tobia , Tajbar Sapna
Published: September 2020

Forest fires are considered one of the most highly damaging and devastating of natural disasters, causing considerable casualties and financial losses every year. Hence, it is important to produce susceptibility maps for the management of forest fires so as to reduce their harmful effects. The purpose of this study is to map the susceptibility to forest fires over Nowshahr County in Iran, using an integrated approach of index of entropy (IOE) with fuzzy membership value (FMV), frequency ratio (FR), and information value (IV) with a comparison of their precision. The spatial database incorporated the inventory of forest fire and conditioning factors. As a whole, 41 forest fire locations were identified. Out of these, 29 locations (≈70%) were randomly chosen for the forest fire susceptibility modeling (FFSM), and the remaining 12 locations (≈30%) were utilized for the validation of the models. Subsequently, utilizing FMV‐IOE, FR‐IOE, and IV‐IOE models, forest fire susceptibility maps were acquired. Finally, the modeling ability of the models for FFSM was assessed using an area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUROC) curve. The results manifested that the prediction accuracy of the FMV‐IOE model is slightly higher than that of the FR‐IOE and IV‐IOE models. The incorporation of IOE with FMV, FR, and IV models had AUROC values of 0.890, 0.887, and 0.878, respectively. The resulting FFSM can be effective in fire repression resource planning, sustainable development, and primary warning in regions with similar conditions.
Total phenol, anthocyanin, and terpenoid content, photosynthetic rate, and nutrient uptake ofSolanum nigrumL. andDigitaria sanguinalisL. as affected by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi inoculation
Authors: Rashidi Sakineh , Yousefi Ali Reza , Pouryousef Majid , Goicoechea Nieves
Published: September 2020

Over the last decades, tillage, chemical fertilizers, and pesticides have reduced the beneficial fungal population size in arable soils. Though soil inoculation can be a practical way to restore arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) population size, weeds may also be benefited, as well. This study was aimed to evaluate the effect of three AMF species (Funneliformis mosseae, Rhizoglomus fasciculatum, andRhizoglomus intraradices) on photosynthetic rate, secondary metabolites content, reproductive organs percentage and nutrient uptake inSolanum nigrumL. andDigitaria sanguinalisL. weed species.Our results showed species variation in response to AMF inoculation, so that, while inoculation withR. intraradicesfungal species decreased total biomass inS. nigrumplants significantly, it increased total biomass ofD. sanguinalisplants by 26–49%. In addition, inoculation withF. mosseaespecies increased phenol, anthocyanin, and total terpenoid content inS. nigrumplants much more thanD. sanguinalis. Increased photosynthetic rate, secondary metabolites content, and flowering percentage in AMF‐inoculatedS. nigrumplants show the enhanced competitive ability and allelopathic potential of this weed when associated with AMF, which makes it a good competitor against other plant species in the environment.
Temperature Dependence of the Shear-Thinning Behavior o Partially Hydrolyzed Polyacrylamide Solution for Enhanced Oil Recovery
Authors: Kang Pan-Sang , Lim Jong-Se , Huh Chun
Published: September 2020

The viscosity of injection fluid is a critical parameter that should be considered for the design and evaluation of polymer flood, which is an effective and popular technique for enhanced oil recovery (EOR). It is known that the shear-thinning behavior of EOR polymer solutions is affected by temperature. In this study, temperature dependence (25–70 °C) of the viscosity of a partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamide solution, the most widely used EOR polymer for oil field applications, was measured under varying conditions of the polymer solution (polymer concentration: 500–3000 ppm, NaCl salinity: 1000–10,000 ppm). Under all conditions of the polymer solution, it was observed that the viscosity decreases with increasing temperature. The degree of temperature dependence, however, varies with the conditions of the polymer solution. Martin model and Lee correlations were used to estimate the dependence of the viscosity of the polymer solution on the polymer concentration and salinity. In this study, we proposed a new empirical model to better elucidate the temperature dependence of intrinsic viscosity. Analysis of the measured viscosities shows that the accuracy of the proposed temperature model is higher than that of the existing temperature model.
Outcomes in Participants with Renal Impairment from a Phase 3 Clinical Trial for Ceftolozane/Tazobactam Treatment of Nosocomial Pneumonia (ASPECT-NP)
Authors: Huntington Jennifer A. , Yu Brian , Li Linping , Jensen Erin , Bruno Christopher , Boakye Mathew , Zhang Zufei , Gao Wei , Feng Hwa-Ping , Rhee Elizabeth
Published: September 2020

In the phase 3 ASPECT-NP trial (NCT02070757), ceftolozane/tazobactam (C/T) was noninferior to meropenem for treatment of Gram-negative ventilated hospital-acquired bacterial pneumonia and ventilator-associated bacterial pneumonia (vHABP/VABP). Here, we report outcomes in participants from ASPECT-NP with renal impairment (RI). Participants were categorized by their baseline renal function as follows: normal renal function (NRF; creatinine clearance [CL
CR
], ≥80 ml/min), mild RI (CL
CR
, >50 to <80 ml/min), moderate RI (CL
CR
, ≥30 to ≤50 ml/min), and severe RI (CL
CR
, ≥15 to <30 ml/min).
Ecophysiological Study ofParaburkholderiasp. Strain 1N under Soil Solution Conditions: Dynamic Substrate Preferences and Characterization of Carbon Use Efficiency
Authors: Cyle K. Taylor , Klein Annaleise R. , Aristilde Ludmilla , Martínez Carmen Enid
Published: September 2020

Exometabolomic footprinting methods have the capability to provide time-resolved observations of the uptake and release of hundreds of compounds during microbial growth. Of particular interest is microbial phenotyping under environmentally relevant soil conditions, consisting of relatively low concentrations and modeling pulse input events. Here, we show that growth of a bacterial soil isolate,Paraburkholderiasp. 1N, on a dilute soil extract resulted in a multiauxic metabolic response, characterized by discrete temporal clusters of substrate depletion and metabolite production. Our data did not support the hypothesis that compounds with lower energy content are used preferentially, as each cluster contained compounds with a range of nominal oxidation states of carbon. These new findings withParaburkholderiasp. 1N, which belongs to a metabolically diverse genus, provide insights on ecological strategies employed by aerobic heterotrophs competing for low-molecular-weight substrates in soil solution.
Epstein-Barr Virus Episome Physically Interacts with Active Regions of the Host Genome in Lymphoblastoid Cells
Authors: Wang Luopin , Laing Jun , Yan Bingyu , Zhou Hufeng , Ke Liangru , Wang Chong , Narita Yohei , Zhang Zonghao , Olson Matthew R. , Afzali Behdad , Zhao Bo , Kazemian Majid
Published: September 2020

EBV is associated with ∼200,000 cancers each year.
In vitro
, EBV can transform primary human B lymphocytes into immortalized cell lines. EBV-encoded proteins, along with noncoding RNAs and microRNAs, hijack cellular proteins and pathways to control cell growth. EBV nuclear proteins usurp normal transcriptional programs to activate the expression of key oncogenes, including MYC, to provide a proliferation signal. EBV nuclear antigens also repress CDKN2A to suppress senescence. EBV membrane protein activates NF-κB to provide survival signals. EBV genomes are maintained by EBNA1, which tethers EBV episomes to the host chromosomes during mitosis. However, little is known about where EBV episomes are located in interphase cells. In interphase cells, EBV promoters drive the expression of latency genes, while oriP functions as an enhancer for these promoters. In this study, integrative analyses of published lymphoblastoid cell line (LCL) Hi-C data and our 4C-seq experiments position EBV episomes to host genomes with active epigenetic marks. These contact points were significantly enriched for super enhancers. The close proximity of EBV episomes and the super enhancers that are enriched for transcription cofactors or mediators in lymphoblasts may benefit EBV gene expression, suggesting a novel mechanism of transcriptional activation.
Dengue Virus Targets Nrf2 for NS2B3-Mediated Degradation Leading to Enhanced Oxidative Stress and Viral Replication
Authors: Ferrari Matteo , Zevini Alessandra , Palermo Enrico , Muscolini Michela , Alexandridi Magdalini , Etna Marilena P. , Coccia Eliana M. , Fernandez-Sesma Ana , Coyne Carolyn , Zhang Donna D. , Marques Ernesto T. A. , Olagnier David , Hiscott John
Published: September 2020

Dengue virus (DENV) is a mosquito-borne pathogen that threatens 2.5 billion people in more than 100 countries annually. Dengue infection induces a spectrum of clinical symptoms, ranging from classical dengue fever to severe dengue hemorrhagic fever or dengue shock syndrome; however, the complexities of DENV immunopathogenesis remain controversial. Previous studies have reported the importance of the transcription factor Nrf2 in the control of redox homeostasis and antiviral/inflammatory or death responses to DENV. Importantly, the production of reactive oxygen species and the subsequent stress response have been linked to the development of inflammation and progression toward the more severe forms of the disease. Here, we demonstrate that DENV uses the NS2B3 protease complex to strategically target Nrf2 for degradation, leading to a progressive increase in oxidative stress, inflammation, and cell death in infected cells. This study underlines the pivotal role of the Nrf2 regulatory network in the context of DENV infection.
Supplemental Material: Sabkha dolomite as an archive for the magnesium isotope composition of seawater
Authors: Shalev Netta , al. et
Published: September 2020

Mg isotope measurements details, Supplemental Figures S1 and S2, and Supplemental Tables S1–S4.
Supplemental Material: Integrating zircon trace-element geochemistry and high-precision U-Pb zircon geochronology to resolve the timing and petrogenesis of the late Ediacaran–Cambrian Wichita igneous province, Southern Oklahoma Aulacogen, USA
Authors: Wall Corey , al. et
Published: September 2020

Section S1 (geological setting of Arbuckle rhyolite samples), Section S2 (analytical methods), Section S3 (CL images), Section S4 (data tables), and Section S5 (Concordia diagrams).
Reduction of cardiac iron overload by optimising iron chelation therapy in transfusion dependent thalassaemia using cardiac T2* MRI: a quality improvement project from Pakistan
Authors: Hussain Shabneez , Hoodbhoy Zahra , Ali Fatima , Hasan Erum , Alvi Najveen , Hussain Aijaz , Ishrat Khajista , Ur Rahman Zia , Qamruddin Azizuddin , Parvin Azra , Hasan Babar S
Published: September 2020

Objectives

Cardiac T2* MRI (T2*CMR), for accurate estimation of myocardial siderosis, was introduced as part of a QI collaborative to optimise chelation therapy in order to improve cardiac morbidity in transfusion dependent thalassaemia (TDT) patients. We report the impact of this QI initiative from two thalassaemia centres from this collaborative.

Design and setting

A key driver based quality initiative was implemented to improve chelation in TDT patients registered at these two centres in Karachi, Pakistan. Protocol optimisation and compliance to treatment through training, communication and feedback were used as the drivers for QI intervention. Preintervention variables (demographics, chelation history, T2*CMR, echocardiography and holters) were collected from January 2015 to December 2016) and compared with variables in the post implementation phase (January to December 2019). A standardised adverse event severity for chelators and its management was devised for safe drug therapy as well as ensuring compliance to the regimen. Preintervention and postintervention variables were compared using non-parametric test. P value<0.05 was statistically significant.

Results

100 patients with TDT, median age 17 (9–34) years, were included. An increase or stabilisation of T2*CMR was documented in 82% patients in the postintervention phase especially in patients with severe myocardial iron overload (5.5 vs 5.3 ms, p <0.01). Significantly fewer patients had abnormal echocardiographic findings (3.5% vs 26%, p <0.05) in the postintervention versus preintervention period.

Conclusion

This QI initiative improved the chelation therapy leading to improved cardiac status in TDT patients at the participating centres.
Mycobaterium fortuitumdisseminated infection in an immunocompetent patient without predisposing factors
Authors: d'Incau Stephanie , Vargas Maria-Isabel , Calmy Alexandra , Janssens Jean-Paul
Published: September 2020

MostMycobacterium fortuituminfections described involve direct inoculation through skin lesions. We describe the case of a patient without risk factors who presented with an intracranial mass and a pulmonary infection withM. fortuitum. AsM. fortuitumare rarely pathogens, there is little knowledge about the optimal treatment and outcome of such infections: what is the best mode of administration, what is the best therapy duration and is surgery always required are some of the unanswered questions. In our patient, surgical removal of the mass associated with a 1-year antimycobacterial therapy led to a full recovery. Even thoughM. fortuitumwas rapidly identified in sputum, it was initially considered non-pathogenic and the definitive diagnosis required almost 6 weeks of investigations. New molecular techniques will probably lead to more identifications ofM. fortuitumin the next few years and a better knowledge of their possible pathogenicity and optimal treatment.
Inhaled therapies for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Axson Eleanor L , Lewis Adam , Potts James , Pang Marie , Dickinson Scott , Vioix Helene , Quint Jennifer K
Published: September 2020

Objectives

To integrate evidence from randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and observational studies on the efficacy of inhaled treatments for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease using network meta-analyses.

Methods

Systematic searches MEDLINE and Embase based on predetermined criteria. Network meta-analyses of RCTs investigated efficacy on exacerbations (long-term: ≥20 weeks of treatment; short-term: <20 weeks), lung function (≥12 weeks), health-related quality of life, mortality and adverse events. Qualitative comparisons of efficacies between RCTs and observational studies.

Results

212 RCTs and 19 observational studies were included. Compared with combined long-acting beta-adrenoceptor agonists and long-acting muscarinic antagonists (LABA+LAMA), triple therapy (LABA+LAMA+inhaled corticosteroid) was significantly more effective at reducing exacerbations (long-term 0.85 (95% CI: 0.78 to 0.94; short-term 0.67 (95% CI: 0.49 to 0.92)) and mortality (0.72 (95% CI: 0.59 to 0.89)) but was also associated with increased pneumonia (1.35 (95% CI: 1.10 to 1.67)). No differences in lung function (0.02 (95% CI: −0.10 to 0.14)), health-related quality of life (−1.12 (95% CI: −3.83 to 1.59)) or other adverse events (1.02 (95% CI: 0.96 to 1.08)) were found. Most of the observational evidence trended in the same direction as pooled RCT data.

Conclusion

Further evidence, especially pragmatic trials, are needed to fully understand the characteristics of patient subgroups who may benefit from triple therapy and for those whom the extra risk of adverse events, such as pneumonia, may outweigh any benefits.

PROSPERO registration number

CRD42018088013.
Thymosin alpha 1 in the prevention of infected pancreatic necrosis following acute necrotising pancreatitis (TRACE trial): protocol of a multicentre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group trial
Authors: Zhou Jing , Mao Wenjian , Ke Lu , Chen Tao , He Wenhua , Pan Xinting , Chen Miao , He Chengjian , Gu Weili , Wu Jingyi , Song Jingchun , Ni Haibin , Tu Jianfeng , Sun Junli , Zhang Guoxiu , Chen Weiwei , Xue Bing , Zhao Xiangyang , Shao Min , Liu Yuxiu , Tong Zhihui , Li Weiqin
Published: September 2020

Introduction

Infected pancreatic necrosis (IPN) and its related septic complications are the major causes of death in patients with acute necrotising pancreatitis (ANP). Therefore, the prevention of IPN is of great clinical value, and immunomodulatory therapy with thymosin alpha 1 may be beneficial. This study was designed to test the hypothesis that the administration of thymosin alpha 1 during the acute phase of ANP will result in a reduced incidence of IPN.

Methods and analysis

This is a randomised, multicentre, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. 520 eligible patients with ANP will be randomised in a 1:1 ratio to receive either the thymosin alpha 1 or the placebo using the same mode of administration. The primary endpoint is the incidence of IPN during the index admission. Most of the secondary endpoints will be registered within the index admission including in-hospital mortality, the incidence of new-onset organ failure and new-onset persistent organ failure (respiration, cardiovascular and renal), receipt of new organ support therapy, requirement for drainage or necrosectomy, bleeding requiring intervention, human leucocyte antigens-DR(HLA-DR) on day 0, day 7, day 14, and so on and adverse events. Considering the possibility of readmission, an additional follow-up will be arranged 90 days after enrolment, and IPN and death at day 90 will also be served as secondary outcomes.

Ethics and dissemination

This study was approved by the ethics committee of Jinling Hospital, Nanjing University (Number 2015NZKY-004-02). The thymosin alpha 1 in the prevention of infected pancreatic necrosis following acute necrotising pancreatitis(TRACE) trial was designed to test the effect of a new therapy focusing on the immune system in preventing secondary infection following ANP. The results of this trial will be disseminated in peer-reviewed journals and at scientific conferences.

Trial registration number

ClinicalTrials.gov Registry (NCT02473406).
Effect of COVID-19 lockdown on child protection medical assessments: a retrospective observational study in Birmingham, UK
Authors: Garstang Joanna , Debelle Geoff , Anand Indu , Armstrong Jane , Botcher Emily , Chaplin Helen , Hallett Nutmeg , Morgans Clare , Price Malcolm , Tan Ern Ern Henna , Tudor Emily , Taylor Julie
Published: September 2020

Objectives

To determine any change in referral patterns and outcomes in children (0–18) referred for child protection medical examination (CPME) during the COVID-19 pandemic compared with previous years.

Design

Retrospective observational study, analysing routinely collected clinical data from CPME reports in a rapid response to the pandemic lockdown.

Setting

Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Trust, which provides all routine CPME for Birmingham, England, population 1.1 million including 288 000 children.

Participants

Children aged under 18 years attending CPME during an 18-week period from late February to late June during the years 2018–2020.

Main outcome measures

Numbers of referrals, source of disclosure and outcomes from CPME.

Results

There were 78 CPME referrals in 2018, 75 in 2019 and 47 in 2020, this was a 39.7% (95% CI 12.4% to 59.0%) reduction in referrals from 2018 to 2020, and a 37.3% (95% CI 8.6% to 57.4%) reduction from 2019 to 2020. There were fewer CPME referrals initiated by school staff in 2020, 12 (26%) compared with 36 (47%) and 38 (52%) in 2018 and 2019, respectively. In all years 75.9% of children were known to social care prior to CPME, and 94% of CPME concluded that there were significant safeguarding concerns.

Conclusions

School closure due to COVID-19 may have harmed children as child abuse has remained hidden. There needs to be either mandatory attendance at schools in future or viable alternatives found. There may be a significant increase in safeguarding referrals when schools fully reopen as children disclose the abuse they have experienced at home.
Awareness, trial and use of heated tobacco products among adult cigarette smokers and e-cigarette users: findings from the 2018 ITC Four Country Smoking and Vaping Survey
Authors: Miller Connor R , Sutanto Edward , Smith Danielle M , Hitchman Sara C , Gravely Shannon , Yong Hua H , Borland Ron , O'Connor Richard J , Cummings K Michael , Fong Geoffrey T , Hyland Andrew , Quah Anne C K , Goniewicz Maciej L
Published: September 2020

Objective

To evaluate heated tobacco product (HTP) awareness, trial and current use among adult cigarette smokers and vaping product users in four countries with varying regulations governing HTP sales.

Design

Data came from Wave 2 of the ITC Four Country Smoking and Vaping Survey, collected from February to July 2018. Respondents were current and former smokers and/or users of vaping products (18 years or older) from Canada (CA; n=3778), England (EN; n=4848), the USA (US; n=2846) and Australia (AU; n=1515). At the time of the survey, only Canada and England permitted the sale of contemporary HTPs (eg, IQOS).

Results

Overall, 30.2% of respondents reported being aware of HTPs (CA=30.4%; EN=31.0%; US=30.2%; AU=27.4%; p=0.346), 2.4% had ever tried HTPs (CA=3.3%; EN=2.4%; US=2.0%; AU=0.9%; p=0.001) and 0.9% currently used HTPs at least monthly (CA=0.8%; EN=1.2%; US=0.7%; AU=0.2%; p<0.001). Trial and current use were higher among those who concurrently smoked and vaped (at least monthly) versus other nicotine use categories (trial: 10.9% v. 1.2%–2.0%, p<0.001; current use: 8.4% v. 0.1%–1.0%, p<0.001). In multivariable analyses, HTP awareness did not differ across countries, whereas odds of trial and current use were lower where HTPs were unavailable. Odds of HTP trial did not differ by regulatory environment when restricting analysis to HTP-aware concurrent smokers–vapers.

Conclusion

Approximately one third of respondents were aware of HTPs, even in the USA and Australia, where contemporary HTPs were not yet on the market. Trial and use were uncommon, except among concurrent smokers–vapers. Restrictions on availability may have limited HTP use generally, but less so for concurrent smokers–vapers.
An alternative response to the off-shell quantum fluctuations: a step forward in resolution of the Casimir puzzle
Authors: Klimchitskaya G. L. , Mostepanenko V. M.
Published: September 2020

The spatially nonlocal response functions are proposed which nearly coincide with the commonly used local response for electromagnetic fields and fluctuations on the mass shell, but differ significantly for the off-shell fluctuating field. It is shown that the fundamental Lifshitz theory using the suggested response functions comes to an agreement with the measurement data for the Casimir force without neglecting the dissipation of free electrons. We demonstrate that reflectances of the on-shell electromagnetic waves calculated using the nonlocal and commonly employed local responses differ only slightly. The Kramers–Kronig relations for nonlocal response functions possessing the first- and second-order poles at zero frequency are derived, i.e., the proposed response satisfies the principle of causality. An application of these results to resolution of the Casimir puzzle, which lies in the fact that the Lifshitz theory is experimentally consistent only with discarded dissipation, is discussed.
Zero-divisor graph of semisimple group-rings
Authors: Paramasivam Krishnan , Sabeel K. Muhammed
Published: September 2020

Let [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text] denote the zero-divisor graph, compressed zero-divisor graph and annihilating ideal graph of a commutative ring [Formula: see text], respectively. In this paper, we prove that [Formula: see text] for a semisimple commutative ring [Formula: see text] and represent [Formula: see text] as a generalized join of a finite set of graphs. Further, we study the zero-divisor graph of a semisimple group-ring [Formula: see text] and proved several structural properties of [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text], where [Formula: see text] is a field with [Formula: see text] elements and [Formula: see text] is a cyclic group with [Formula: see text] elements.
EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE FOR BRAZILIAN FIRMS IN TERMS OF UNIVERSITY–INDUSTRY INTERACTION, PUBLIC FUNDING AND INNOVATION OUTCOME
Authors: PUFFAL DANIEL PEDRO , RUFFONI JANAINA , SPRICIGO GISELE
Published: September 2020

This paper aims to contribute to the discussion about firm’s innovation, focusing at university–industry interactions (UII), funding and innovation outcomes. The research analysed the data of 325 Brazilian firms that interacted with universities and/or research centres. Regression models were used to evaluate the impact of public funding, types of interactions and innovation outcomes. In addition, the moderation effect of public funds was tested in different types of interactions. The results show that the university–industry interactions based on the use of the university’s knowledge has a positive and significant relationship with firm’s product innovation, and the use of public funding has a negative and significant relationship with a firm’s innovation intensity. It is relevant to note that there are important specificities of the Brazilian context, such as the innovation-related public funding and its effectiveness for the firm’s innovative activities, which contributes to explaining the outcomes.
Power Generation from Salinity Gradient by Reverse Electrodialysis in Silicon Nitride Nanopores
Authors: Ma Jian , Zeng Qingyu , Zhan Lijian , Mo Jingwen , Zhang Yan , Ni Zhonghua
Published: September 2020

Solid-state nanopores have shown great potential in investigating salinity gradient energy generation as a renewable power generator. In this work, various diameter silicon nitride (Si3N[Formula: see text] nanopores were fabricated to investigate the power generation between two potassium chloride solutions with different concentration gradient ratios by reverse electrodialysis. The maximal estimated power density of a Si3N4 nanopore measured experimentally can be high to 16[Formula: see text]649Wm[Formula: see text]. To compare with the single Si3N4 nanopore, multiple nanopores array has also been investigated. The equivalent circuit model of multiple Si3N4 nanopores array generator is quantitatively constructed by massive reproducible experimental data and theoretical derivation. For nanopore array, the osmotic current basically keep a linear growth with the number of the nanopores at every concentration ratio. While, the osmotic voltage is basically independent on the number of nanopore. The power generation circuit of the nanopore array can be regarded as a parallel circuit of multiple nanopores. Power generation from concentration gradients in Si3N4 nanopores could be widely used in a variety of applications like ultra-low power devices and micro-nano electromechanical systems.
Silicon Carbon Nanoparticles Coated with Reduced Graphene Oxide with High Specific Capacity and High-Rate Performance as Anode Material for Lithium-Ion Battery
Authors: Shi Xiangyu , Liu Jifei , Dai Jianfeng , Qi Yufeng
Published: September 2020

Silicon carbon nanoparticles (SCNPs) coated with reduced graphene oxide (rGO) were fabricated by a hydrothermal method and subsequently by a simple heat treatment process. SCNPs/rGO exhibit excellent electrochemical performance which not only attributes the rGO layer to inhibit the volumetric expansion of silicon and reduce the impedance between the active material and lithium ions during the electrochemical process, but also improves the electrical conductivity of SCNPs/rGO. The as-prepared compound was cyclically tested at a current density of 150[Formula: see text]mA/g, with the first charge and discharge capacities of 3152.2[Formula: see text]mAh/g and 3342.7[Formula: see text]mAh/g, respectively. Moreover, the electrochemical performance of SCNPs/rGO was better than SCNPs. The [Formula: see text] values for fresh battery, after 1 cycle and 100 cycles, are 120.9[Formula: see text][Formula: see text], 120.5[Formula: see text][Formula: see text] and 104[Formula: see text][Formula: see text]. Thus, compared with SCNPs, SCNPs/rGO exhibited lower overall impedance values. These results indicate that the addition of graphene layer significantly improved the electrochemical performance of SCNPs electrodes and reduced the internal resistance of the battery.
INDIA–CHINA TRADE IN LIGHT AND HEAVY MANUFACTURING SECTOR: A COMPUTABLE GENERAL EQUILIBRIUM ANALYSIS
Authors: ISMAIL SABA , AHMED SHAHID
Published: September 2020

The trade relations between India and China have been intensified since 2001. The aim of this paper is to examine the effects of tariff reduction by India and China on bilateral imports in light and heavy manufacturing sectors. The results are evaluated in terms of welfare, output, employment and the potential trade flows between India and China in CGE framework using the GTAP-model. GTAP database version 10, covering 141 countries/regions and 65 sectors, with a base year of 2014, have been used. Overall results show that India and China’s trade relation has improved in last two decades, but still there is a lot of untapped potential to bring the welfare gains for both trading partners. This study concludes that deeper integration by tariff reduction on imports of light manufacturing and heavy manufacturing sectors between India and China may not be welfare enhancing for India, however there are substantial welfare gain for China. The study suggests that a well calculated and strategically negotiated tariff reduction in light and heavy manufacturing sectors may create a win–win situation for both partners. The study argues that China should offer a preferential market access to India for mutually beneficial and welfare enhancing engagements for both countries.
Financial inclusion and bank stability controversy: Evidence from South Asian region
Authors: Alvi Muhammad Amir , Rafique Amir , Shehzad Khurram
Published: September 2020

Despite a substantial growth in efficiency and profitability, South Asian region’s well-established banking system is likely to be incapable to grasp wide sections of the population, particularly the deprived ones. Numerous studies revealed that financial inclusion impact bank stability, but no significant empirical study has been made on the economies of South Asian region. The aim of the study is to explore the impact of financial inclusion on bank stability across South Asian region using data from 88 commercial banks from four economies (Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka) over the period of 2012–2018. Results using two-step system GMM suggest that an increase in financial inclusion enhances bank stability across economies of South Asian region. This study contains some significant policy implications to generate real opportunities for financial inclusion to improve bank stability.
Time-Warped Sparse Non-negative Factorization for Functional Data Analysis
Authors: Zhang Chen , Hoi Steven C. H. , Tsung Fugee
Published: September 2020

This article proposes a novel time-warped sparse non-negative factorization method for functional data analysis. The proposed method on the one hand guarantees the extracted basis functions and their coefficients to be positive and interpretable, and on the other hand is able to handle weakly correlated functions with different features. Furthermore, the method incorporates time warping into factorization and hence allows the extracted basis functions of different samples to have temporal deformations. An efficient framework of estimation algorithms is proposed based on a greedy variable selection approach. Numerical studies together with case studies on real-world data demonstrate the efficacy and applicability of the proposed methodology.
Robust Adaptive Linear Discriminant Analysis with Bidirectional Reconstruction Constraint
Authors: Guo Jipeng , Sun Yanfeng , Gao Junbin , Hu Yongli , Yin Baocai
Published: September 2020

Linear discriminant analysis (LDA) is a well-known supervised method for dimensionality reduction in which the global structure of data can be preserved. The classical LDA is sensitive to the noises, and the projection direction of LDA cannot preserve the main energy. This article proposes a novel feature extraction model with
l
2,1
norm constraint based on LDA, termed as RALDA. This model preserves within-class local structure in the latent subspace according to the label information. To reduce information loss, it learns a projection matrix and an inverse projection matrix simultaneously. By introducing an implicit variable and matrix norm transformation, the alternating direction multiple method with updating variables is designed to solve the RALDA model. Moreover, both computational complexity and weak convergence property of the proposed algorithm are investigated. The experimental results on several public databases have demonstrated the effectiveness of our proposed method.
Algebraic optimization degree
Authors: Härkönen Marc , Hollering Benjamin , Kashani Fatemeh Tarashi , Rodriguez Jose Israel
Published: September 2020

The Macaulay2 [5] package AlgebraicOptimization implements methods for determining the algebraic degree of an optimization problem. We describe the structure of an algebraic optimization problem and explain how the methods in this package may be used to determine the respective degrees. Special features include determining Euclidean distance degrees and maximum likelihood degrees. To our knowledge, this is the first comprehensive software package combining different methods in algebraic optimization. The package is available at https://github.com/Macaulay2/Workshop-2020-Cleveland/tree/ISSAC-AlgOpt/alg-stat/AlgebraicOptimization.
Distributed Computing Column 79
Authors: Alistarh Dan
Published: September 2020

In this edition of the column, we have an exciting contribution by Jukka Suomela, who provides an overview of his recent work revisiting a key concept in the theory of distributed computing: locality. Specifically, the column covers Jukka's recent work with Alkida Balliu, Sebastian Brandt, Juho Hirvonen, and Mikaël Rabie which provided new lower bounds for maximal matchings and maximal independent sets, and in the process won the Best Paper Award at the 2019 Symposium on Foundations of Computer Science (FOCS 2019). Jukka's column provides a gentle yet rigorous introduction to the topic, complete with examples, extensions, and open questions. Many thanks to Jukka for his contribution!
Using Round Elimination to Understand Locality
Authors: Suomela Jukka
Published: September 2020

A key concept in the theory of distributed computing is locality: if I am a node in the middle of a large graph, how far do I need to see in order to pick my own part of the solution? A modern, effective technique for studying such questions is called round elimination.
Mucosal Dendritic Cell Subsets Control HIV-1’s Viral Fitness
Authors: Nijmeijer Bernadien M. , Langedijk Catharina J.M. , Geijtenbeek Teunis B.H.
Published: September 2020

Dendritic cell (DC) subsets are abundantly present in genital and intestinal mucosal tissue and are among the first innate immune cells that encounter human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) after sexual contact. Although DCs have specific characteristics that greatly enhance HIV-1 transmission, it is becoming evident that most DC subsets also have virus restriction mechanisms that exert selective pressure on the viruses during sexual transmission. In this review we discuss the current concepts of the immediate events following viral exposure at genital mucosal sites that lead to selection of specific HIV-1 variants called transmitted founder (TF) viruses. We highlight the importance of the TF HIV-1 phenotype and the role of different DC subsets in establishing infection. Understanding the biology of HIV-1 transmission will contribute to the design of novel treatment strategies preventing HIV-1 dissemination.
Pareto-Optimal Reinsurance Revisited: A Two-Stage Optimisation Procedure Approach
Authors: Fang Ying , Wang Lu , Qu Zhongfeng , Yu Wenguang
Published: September 2020

In this paper, based on the Tail-Value-at-Risk (TVaR) measure, we revisit the Pareto-optimal reinsurance policies for the insurer and the reinsurer via a two-stage optimisation procedure. To reduce ex-post moral hazard, we assume that reinsurance contracts satisfy the principle of indemnity and the incentive compatible constraint which have been advocated by Huberman et al. (1983). We show that the Pareto-optimal reinsurance policy exists if the reinsurance premiums can be expressed as an integral form. The proposed class of premium principles encompasses the net premium principle, expected value premium principle, TVaR premium principle, generalized percentile premium principle, and so on. We further use the TVaR premium principle and the expected value premium principle as examples to illustrate the two-stage optimisation procedure by deriving explicitly the Pareto-optimal reinsurance policies. We extend the results by Cai et al. (2017) when the expected value premium principle is replaced by the TVaR premium principle.