bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The bifurcation angle is associated with the progression of saccular aneurysms
Authors: Shimizu Kampei , Kataoka Hiroharu , Imai Hirohiko , Miyata Takeshi , Okada Akihiro , Sakai Nobuyuki , Chin Masaki , Iwasaki Koichi , Hatano Taketo , Imamura Hirotoshi , Ishibashi Ryota , Goto Masanori , Koyanagi Masaomi , Aoki Tomohiro , Miyamoto Susumu
Published: May 2022

The role of the bifurcation angle in progression of saccular intracranial aneurysms (sIAs) has been undetermined. We, therefore, assessed the association of bifurcation angles with aneurysm progression using a bifurcation-type aneurysm model in rats and anterior communicating artery aneurysms in a multicenter case–control study. Aneurysm progression was defined as growth by ≥ 1 mm or rupture during observation, and controls as progression-free for 30 days in rats and ≥ 36 months in humans. In the rat model, baseline bifurcation angles were significantly wider in progressive aneurysms than in stable ones. In the case–control study, 27 and 65 patients were enrolled in the progression and control groups. Inter-observer agreement for the presence or absence of the growth was excellent (κ coefficient, 0.82; 95% CI, 0.61–1.0). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that wider baseline bifurcation angles were significantly associated with subsequent progressions. The odds ratio for the progression of the second (145°–179°) or third (180°–274°) tertiles compared to the first tertile (46°–143°) were 5.5 (95% CI, 1.3–35). Besides, the bifurcation angle was positively correlated with the size of aneurysms (Spearman’s rho, 0.39; P = 0.00014). The present study suggests the usefulness of the bifurcation angle for predicting the progression of sIAs.
A retrospective comparative study of local anesthesia only and local anesthesia with sedation for percutaneous endoscopic lumbar discectomy
Authors: Yang Liu , Pan Yu-Lin , Liu Chun-Zhi , Guo De-Xin , Zhao Xin
Published: May 2022

It is still an unsolved problem to achieve both immediate intraoperative feedback and satisfactory surgical experience in percutaneous endoscopic lumbar discectomy under local anesthesia for lumbar disk herniation (LDH) patients. Herein, we compared the analgesic and sedative effects of local anesthesia alone and local anesthesia with conscious sedation in LDH patients during percutaneous endoscopic lumbar discectomy. Ninety-two LDH patients were enrolled and divided into the following groups: control group (Con Group), dexmedetomidine group (Dex Group), oxycodone group (Oxy Group), and dexmedetomidine + oxycodone group (Dex + Oxy Group). Various signs, including mean arterial pressure (MAP), heart rate (HR), pulse oximeter oxygen saturation (SpO2) and Ramsay score, were compared before anesthesia (T1), working cannula establishment (T2), nucleus pulposus removal (T3), and immediately postoperation (T4). Clinical outcomes, including VAS score, operation time, hospitalization period, Macnab criteria, and SF-36 score, were also evaluated. The Dex + Oxy Group showed the most stable MAP and HR at T2 and T3 in all groups. The clinical outcomes, such as VAS, hospitalization period, Macnab criteria, and SF-36 score, have no significant differences among groups (p > 0.05). Local anesthesia combined with conscious sedation is a safe and effective method to improve the surgical experience and achieve satisfying clinical outcomes for LDH patients during percutaneous endoscopic lumbar discectomy.
Dietary antigens suppress the proliferation of type 2 innate lymphoid cells by restraining homeostatic IL-25 production
Authors: Lee Minji , Ko Hyun-Ja , Hong Sung-Wook , Park Jungeun , Ham Seokjin , Kim Mingyu , Kwon Dong-il , Lee Myeong-seok , Roh Tae-Young , Soon Kim Kwang , Lee You Jeong
Published: May 2022

Dietary antigens affect the adaptive immunity of the host by inducing regulatory T cells and IgE-producing B cells. However, their roles in innate immune compartments such as innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) and intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) are unclear. Here, using antigen-free (AF) mice, which are germ-free (GF) mice fed with amino-acid-based diet, we found dietary proteins suppress the development of GATA-3-expressing ILC2s independent of the adaptive immune cells. These cells produce more type 2 cytokines and upregulated proliferation and activation markers such as Ki-67, CD69, and CD25. With this, AF mice had increased expressions of tuft cell-specific transcripts such as Il25, Il33, Dclk1, Trpm5, and Pou2f3 in IECs. Accordingly, expanded ILC2s upregulated IL-17RB, a receptor of IL-25, and their proliferation was blocked by IL-25 neutralizing or IL-17RB blocking antibodies. These results suggest a new dialogue between dietary antigens, IECs, and ILCs in which dietary antigens suppress ILC2 activation and proliferation by restraining homeostatic IL-25 production, potentially limiting type 2 immunity by food antigens.
Quantum computational study of chloride attack on chloromethane for chemical accuracy and quantum noise effects with UCCSD and k-UpCCGSD ansatzes
Authors: Lim Hocheol , Jeon Hyeon-Nae , Rhee June-Koo , Oh Byungdu , No Kyoung Tai
Published: May 2022

Quantum computing is expected to play an important role in solving the problem of huge computational costs in various applications by utilizing the collective properties of quantum states, including superposition, interference, and entanglement, to perform computations. Quantum mechanical (QM) methods are candidates for various applications and can provide accurate absolute energy calculations in structure-based methods. QM methods are powerful tools for describing reaction pathways and their potential energy surfaces (PES). In this study, we applied quantum computing to describe the PES of the bimolecular nucleophilic substitution (SN2) reaction between chloromethane and chloride ions. We performed noiseless and noise simulations using quantum algorithms and compared the accuracy and noise effects of the ansatzes. In noiseless simulations, the results from UCCSD and k-UpCCGSD are similar to those of full configurational interaction (FCI) with the same active space, which indicates that quantum algorithms can describe the PES of the SN2 reaction. In noise simulations, UCCSD is more susceptible to quantum noise than k-UpCCGSD. Therefore, k-UpCCGSD can serve as an alternative to UCCSD to reduce quantum noisy effects in the noisy intermediate-scale quantum era, and k-UpCCGSD is sufficient to describe the PES of the SN2 reaction in this work. The results showed the applicability of quantum computing to the SN2 reaction pathway and provided valuable information for structure-based molecular simulations with quantum computing.
High-resolution computed tomography features associated with differentiation of tuberculosis among elderly patients with community-acquired pneumonia: a multi-institutional propensity-score matched study
Authors: Komiya Kosaku , Yamasue Mari , Goto Akihiko , Nakamura Yuta , Hiramatsu Kazufumi , Kadota Jun-ichi , Kato Seiya
Published: May 2022

While high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) is increasingly performed, its role in diagnosing pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) among elderly patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) has not been fully elucidated. This study aimed to determine HRCT features that can differentiate pulmonary TB from non-TB CAP in elderly patients. This study included consecutive elderly patients (age > 65 years) admitted to two teaching hospitals for pulmonary TB or non-TB pneumonia who met the CAP criteria of the American Thoracic Society/Infectious Diseases Society of America guidelines. After propensity score matching for clinical background between patients with pulmonary TB and those with non-TB CAP, their HRCT features were compared. This study included 151 patients with pulmonary TB and 238 patients with non-TB CAP. The presence of centrilobular nodules, air bronchograms, and cavities and the absence of ground-glass opacities and bronchial wall thickening were significantly associated with pulmonary TB. The negative predictive values of centrilobular nodules, air bronchograms, and cavities for pulmonary TB were moderate (70.6%, 67.9%, and 63.0%, respectively), whereas the positive predictive value of cavities was high (96.6%). In elderly patients, although some HRCT features could differentiate pulmonary TB from non-TB CAP, no useful findings could rule out pulmonary TB with certainty.
Dynamic thresholding for video anomaly detection
Authors: Jia Diyang , Zhang Xiao , Zhou Joey Tianyi , Lai Pan , Wei Yifei
Published: May 2022

Anomaly detection is one of the most important applications in video surveillance that involves the temporal localisation of anomaly events in unannotated video sequences. By learning the normal patterns to generate frames and calculating their reconstruction error relative to the ground truth, a frame can be recognised as being abnormal if the reconstruction error exceeds a threshold. Most existing works use a fixed threshold that computes over all the testing data to determine the anomalies. However, fixed threshold strategy cannot address the challenges brought by the dynamic environment, e.g. changes in illumination conditions. In this paper, a dynamic thresholding algorithm (DTA) is proposed, which is fully data‐driven and capable of automatically determining thresholds such that the developed anomaly detection system can flexibly adapt to different scenarios. The proposed DTA is independent of the backbone network and can be easily incorporated into most existing video anomaly detection models to help identify the appropriate thresholds. On both synthetic and real‐world datasets, the experimental results show that with the proposed DTA, the video anomaly detection methods achieve a better performance considering the changes in dynamic environment.
On second-order radial-asymptotic proto-differentiability of the borwein perturbation maps
Authors: Pham Thanh-Hung , Nguyen Thanh-Sang
Published: May 2022

This paper deals with second-order sensitivity analysis of parameterized vector optimization problems. We prove that the Borwein efficient solution map and the Borwein efficient perturbation map of a parametric vector optimization problem are second-order radial-asymptotic proto-differentiable under some suitable qualification conditions. Some examples are also given for illustrating the obtained results.
Corona and Reproduction, or Why the Corona Vaccination Does Not Result in Infertility
Authors: Braun Anne-Sophie , Feil Katharina , Reiser Elisabeth , Weiss Guenter , von Steuben Thore , Pinggera Germar Michael , Köhn Frank-Michael , Toth Bettina
Published: May 2022

Background As the COVID-19 pandemic persists and new vaccines are developed, concerns among the general public are growing that both infection with the SARS-CoV-2 virus and
vaccinations against the coronavirus (mRNA vaccines) could lead to infertility or higher miscarriage rates. These fears are voiced particularly often by young adults of reproductive age.
This review summarizes the current data on the impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection and corona vaccinations on female and male fertility, based on both animal models and human data.

Method A systematic literature search (PubMed, Embase, Web of Science) was carried out using the search terms “COVID 19, SARS-CoV-2, fertility, semen, sperm, oocyte, male fertility,
female fertility, infertility”. After the search, original articles published between October 2019 and October 2021 were selected and reviewed.

Results Despite the use of very high vaccine doses in animal models, no negative impacts on fertility, the course of pregnancy, or fetal development were detected. In humans, no
SARS-CoV-2 RNA was found in the oocytes/follicular fluid of infected women; similarly, no differences with regard to pregnancy rates or percentages of healthy children were found between
persons who had recovered from the disease, vaccinated persons, and controls. Vaccination also had no impact on live-birth rates after assisted reproductive treatment. No viral RNA was
detected in the semen of the majority of infected or still infectious men; however, a significant deterioration of semen parameters was found during semen analysis, especially after severe
viral disease. None of the studies found that corona vaccines had any impact on male fertility.

Discussion Neither the animal models nor the human data presented in recent studies provide any indications that fertility decreases after being vaccinated against coronavirus.
However, there is a growing body of evidence that severe SARS-CoV-2 infection has a negative impact on male fertility and there is clear evidence of an increased risk of complications among
pregnant women with SARS-CoV-2 infection. The counseling offered to young adults should therefore take their fears and concerns seriously as well as providing a structured discussion of the
current data.
Celecoxib Lösung zum Einnehmen ist wirksam bei Migräne
Authors: Ruscheweyh Ruth
Published: May 2022

Hintergrund

Celecoxib ist ein NSAR vom Typ der COX-2-Hemmer. Der Vorteil ist die geringere Inzidenz von gastrointestinalen Nebenwirkungen im Vergleich zu unselektiven COX-Hemmern (wie Ibuprofen oder Naproxen). Allerdings wird der Wirkstoff aus Celecoxib-Kapseln nur langsam resorbiert (maximale Plasmakonzentration Tmax nach 2,5 Stunden), was zur Behandlung von Migräneattacken ungünstig ist. Daher wurde eine Celecoxib-Lösung zum Einnehmen entwickelt, mit einer Tmax von 0,7 Stunden.
F-Diagnosen bei 0- bis 20-Jährigen in der ambulanten Behandlung im ersten Jahr der COVID-19-Pandemie
Authors: Berg Gundolf
Published: May 2022

Auf der Grundlage von Daten aus der ambulanten kassenärztlichen und -psychotherapeutischen Versorgung werden Patientenzahlen mit bzw. Häufigkeiten von F-Diagnosen (ICD10) bei unter 21-Jährigen aus dem Jahr 2020 mit den Vorjahreszeiträumen verglichen. Im ersten Jahr der Pandemie zeigte sich ein Rückgang der Häufigkeiten im 2. Quartal bei ansonsten nahezu gleichbleibenden Zahlen. Es zeigte sich eine Verschiebung der Diagnosen mit deutlicher Zunahme von internalisierenden Störungen. Neben Pandemie bedingten Einflüssen müssen auch Fragen der Inanspruchnahme oder begrenzter Ressourcen im Gesundheitssystem sowie allgemeine gesellschaftliche Entwicklungen bei der Interpretation der Daten beachtet werden.
Onkologische Thoraxchirurgie während der COVID-19-Pandemie: eine Fallkontrollstudie zum Risiko für postoperative Komplikationen
Authors: Hassan Mohamed , Le Uyen-Thao , Grapatsas Konstantinos , Passlick Bernward , Schmid Severin
Published: May 2022

Hintergrund Die COVID-19-Pandemie hatte, neben der
offensichtlichen Bedeutung als eigenständige Erkrankung, einen schwerwiegenden Einfluss auf
alle Aspekte der medizinischen Versorgung. In der onkologischen Chirurgie mussten Operationen
verschoben werden oder es kam zu verzögerten Diagnosen onkologischer Erkrankungen, was neben
der Sorge um unzureichende Ressourcen auch in der Unsicherheit bezüglich der perioperativen
Risiken begründet lag. In dieser Studie untersuchen wir die Sicherheit der Durchführung
onkologischer thoraxchirurgischer Eingriffe während der COVID-19-Pandemie.

Patienten und Methoden Es wurden retrospektiv die Ergebnisse der
thoraxchirurgischen Operationen bei onkologischen Patienten am Universitätsklinikum Freiburg
während der 1., 2. und 3. Welle der COVID-19-Pandemie (vom 01.01. bis 30.04.2020 sowie vom
01.01. bis 30.04.2021) untersucht. Als Kontrollgruppe wurden die im gleichen Zeitraum vor der
Pandemie (2018 und 2019) durchgeführten Operationen gewählt. Der primäre Endpunkt war das
Auftreten postoperativer Komplikationen.

Ergebnisse 236 Operationen in der Pandemiekohorte und 227
Operationen in der Kontrollkohorte wurden in die Studie eingeschlossen. Es gab keinen
Unterschied in der Inzidenzrate von postoperativen Minor-Komplikationen (16,1% vs. 18,5%,
p = 0,5395) oder Major-Komplikationen (12,2% vs. 10,13%, p = 0,5563) zwischen der
Pandemiekohorte und der Kontrollkohorte. Es zeigte sich kein erhöhtes Risiko für postoperative
pulmonale Komplikationen in der Pandemiekohorte (Odds Ratio = 1,193, 95%-KI= 0,6515–2,203,
p = 0,8232). Eine COVID-19-Infektion nach der Operation trat bei 5 Patienten der
Pandemiekohorte auf (2,29%). Die postoperative Motilität innerhalb von 30 Tagen waren
vergleichbar zwischen der Pandemiekohorte und der Kontrollkohorte (2 (0,85%) vs. 1 (0,44%),
p > 0,9999). Es gab keine COVID-19-infektionsbedingte Mortalität.

Schlussfolgerung Die Durchführung von onkologischen
thoraxchirurgischen Operationen während der COVID-19-Pandemie ist, unter Einhaltung der
entsprechenden Sicherheitsmaßnahmen, sicher und weder mit einer erhöhten Komplikationsrate
noch einer erhöhten Mortalität verbunden.
Wissenschaft im Dienst der Politik
Authors: Wildner Manfred
Published: May 2022

Kong Fuzi (551 bis 479 v. Chr.), „Lehrmeister Kong“, von
den Jesuiten als Konfuzius latinisiert, hat wohl wie kein anderer die
chinesische Kultur beeinflusst. Das moderne China nennt seine weltweiten
Kulturinstitute „Konfuzius-Institute“, vergleichbar den
deutschen Goethe-Instituten. Nach Karl Jaspers bildet die Zeit von 800 bis 200
vor Christus in einer historisch-philosophischen Betrachtung eine Zeitenwende,
die „Achsenzeit“, in welcher in den ostasiatischen, indischen,
orientalischen und okzidentalen Kulturkreisen eine fundamentale Wendung des
Denkens zu beobachten ist, mit Konfuzius und Laotse, Buddha, Heraklit, Sokrates,
Plato, Aristoteles und den biblischen Propheten als bekannten Proponenten 2. Ein zentrales Werk mit Bezug zu Konfuzius
ist das von seinen Schülern gesammelte Lun Yu, die
Gespräche des Konfuzius. Im vierzehnten Kapitel findet sich als 23.
Gespräch eine Aussage zum Fürstendienst: Dsï Lu
fragte, wie man dem Fürsten diene. Der Meister sprach: „Ihn
nicht betrügen und ihm widerstehen.“
1 So kurz es ist, hat es dieses Zitat in sich
– und bietet Konfliktstoff gerade auch in der Gegenwart dieses
großen Kulturraums. Es enthält zum einen die Verpflichtung zur
Aufrichtigkeit und Wahrheit, zum anderen auch die Aufforderung, für
diese Wahrheit einzustehen und sich auch den Vorgesetzten und Mächtigen
zu widersetzen, wenn es erforderlich sein sollte – als notwendige Form
aufrichtigen Dienens: Staatsdienst statt Fürstendienst.
Long-term rundown of plant-available potassium in Western Australia requires a re-evaluation of potassium management for grain production: a review
Authors: Ma Qifu , Bell Richard , Scanlan Craig , Neuhaus Andreas
Published: May 2022

Negative potassium (K) balances on farmlands globally are widespread because fertiliser K input is often less than losses (leaching) and removal of K in hay, straw and grain, which leads to a rundown of plant-available K. When soil K reserves are not large and the plant-available K pools are not well buffered, the risk of K rundown in soils is high. In the south-west of Western Australia, soil K rundown, particularly by continuous cropping or in systems where a large portion of crop biomass is removed, is increasing the prevalence of crop K deficiency even on soils where K was not previously a limiting factor for crop yields. While fertiliser K is required for adequate supply of plant-available K, maximising K use efficiency is also important for cropping profitability and sustainability in dryland agriculture. Plant K uptake and use efficiency can be affected by soil types, crop species and sequences, seasonal conditions, and K management. In water-limited environments, crop K nutrition, especially root access to subsoil K, plays a crucial role in promoting root growth, regulating plant water relations and alleviating biotic and abiotic stresses. Optimised use of both soil and fertiliser K is increasingly necessary to sustain crop yields under stressed conditions in the context of K rundown in soils.
Acceptability of a Fentanyl Vaccine to Prevent Opioid Overdose and Need for Personalized Decision-Making
Authors: Weitzman Elissa R , Kossowsky Joe , Blakemore Laura M , Cox Rachele , Dowling David J , Levy Ofer , Needles Emma W , Levy Sharon
Published: May 2022

Background

The opioid epidemic worsened during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Synthetic opioids (primarily fentanyl) comprise the most common drugs involved in overdose (OD) death. A vaccine that blocks fentanyl from reaching the brain to prevent OD is under development, and insight is needed into its acceptability.

Methods

Using a semi-structured interview guide, persons with opioid use disorder (OUD), family, professionals, and the public were interviewed about attitudes and concerns regarding a fentanyl vaccine. Reactions to fictional clinical vignettes of persons at risk of OUD because of pain and/or substance use histories were collected, analyzed, and quantified for favorability. Interviews were transcribed, coded, and analyzed thematically.

Results

Among N = 64 participants, (70.3% female, average age 32.4 years), attitudes were favorable toward a fentanyl vaccine, with preference for lifelong durability (76% of n = 55 asked). Perceived benefits centered on the potential for a life-saving intervention, suffering averted, healthcare dollars saved, and the utility of a passive harm reduction strategy. Concerns centered on uncertainty regarding vaccine safety, questions about efficacy, worry about implications for future pain management, stigma, and need for supportive counseling and guidance to personalize decision making. Reactions to vignettes revealed complex attitudes toward fentanyl vaccination when considering recipient age, health history, and future risks for addiction and pain.

Conclusions

Positive responses to a fentanyl vaccine were found along with appreciation for the complexity of a vaccine strategy to prevent OD in the setting of pain and uncertain durability. Further research is needed to elucidate operational, ethical, and communications strategies to advance the model.
Giant subaortic left ventricular diverticulum with aortic regurgitation and stenosis
Authors: Hu Rui , Wang Zhiwei , Chen Jinling , Wu Zhiyong
Published: May 2022

A subaortic left ventricular diverticulum (SLVD) represents an extremely rare congenital anomaly. It can be asymptomatic but sometimes develops fatal complications. Treatment has been debated due to limited experience. We present the successful treatment of a giant SLVD with aortic regurgitation and stenosis and ascending aorta dilatation. Our goal is to improve understanding of this rare entity.
A Requiem for Women: Narrative Strategy, Rhetoric, and Ideology in Candrāvatī’s Bengali Rāmāyaṇa
Authors: Bose Mandakranta
Published: May 2022

The numerous versions of Vālmīki’s original Rāmāyaṇa in different languages and milieus display an almost limitless cultural and ideological variety. Whether purportedly faithful translations or interpretive re-creations, these versions present a vast range of responses to a narrative that has been often transformed to reflect contemporary social and spiritual experiences and positions. A particularly intriguing example of such a transformation is the late 15th c. Bengali Rāmāyaṇa of Candrāvatī, of interest not only because this is the first extant work by a female author in the tradition of Bengali poetry but more importantly because (i) she composed the narrative from a woman’s point of view, and (ii) she converted the original battle narrative into a dirge for the victims of war, especially women. In her poem the validation of war and conquest is set aside, justice is shown to be unjust, and even faith as a spiritual axiom is undermined. Candrāvatī’s literary strategy, including her diction, iterative statements and lyrical forms, replaces the heroic style of the conventional epic with the language of feminine domesticity. The Rāmāyaṇa is thus turned against itself emotionally and ideologically by being reoriented to women’s repeatedly authenticated experience of the world. My essay traces through the literary and ideological processes of Candrāvatī’s poem its assault upon the chains that bind women as victims of justice perverted in the dominant Rāma legend. Whether and how far that assault also affects the integrity of religious faith lends a speculative edge to my enquiry.
Rethinking the Need for Nail Plate Removal: A Comparison of the Risks Between Standard Nail Bed Repair and Nonoperative Management
Authors: Rao Vinay , Akiki Ronald K. , Crozier Joseph W. , Bhatt Reena A. , Schmidt Scott T. , Kalliainen Loree K.
Published: May 2022

Purpose

Nail bed injuries are commonly treated with nail plate removal and repair due to concern for future nail deformity. There is controversy whether this is necessary. We compared the outcomes for adult patients with simple nail bed lacerations who underwent either formal nail bed repair or nonoperative management.

Methods

A retrospective cohort study was performed of adult patients with nail bed lacerations from 2012 to 2019. Nail bed lacerations were diagnosed in patients with fingertip injuries resulting in subungual hematoma greater than 50% or in any subungual hematoma in the setting of a distal phalanx fracture. All patients included had an intact nail plate. Patients were treated with nail bed laceration repair or nonoperatively without nail plate removal. The primary outcome was the development of a nail deformity. Secondary outcomes included infection, fracture nonunion, and patient-reported functional outcomes using the quick Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand score.

Results

Thirty-eight patients with nail bed lacerations were treated nonoperatively, and 40 patients were treated with nail bed repair. The average follow-up time was 4.5 weeks in the office. In addition, 1-year evaluation of patients was performed through telephone interview. The patients in the nonoperative group exhibited no statistically significant difference in the calculated risk for nail deformities compared with the nail bed repair group (13% vs 23%, relative risk = 0.58, P = 0.40, 95% confidence interval = 0.42–1.25). There were no significant differences in secondary outcomes or quick Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand scores between groups.

Conclusions

The authors observed no meaningful difference in the rate of nail deformities in adult patients who underwent nail bed repair compared with those managed nonoperatively.
Pontibrevibacter nitratireducens gen. nov., sp. nov., a member of the family Rhodobacteraceae isolated from seawater of the Indian Ocean and intertidal zone
Authors: Liang Hua-Yang , Sun Cong , Xu Lin , Xu Xue-Wei , Cheng Hong , Wan Yi
Published: May 2022

Two Gram-stain-negative, facultatively anaerobic, non-motile, rod-shaped bacteria, strains h42T and ALG8, were isolated individually from the Indian Ocean and intertidal zone of Zhoushan, China. The results of 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis showed that the sequence similarity between strains h42T and ALG8 was 99.7 %, and the closest related strains were

Monaibacterium marinum

C7T (97.77 and 97.62 %) and

Pontivivens insulae

GYSW-23T (95.31 and 95.45 %). Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences shows that these two novel strains belong to a distinct new lineage of the family

Rhodobacteraceae

in the order

Rhodobacterales

. The average nucleotide identity and in silico DNA–DNA hybridization values between the two novel strains and

M. marinum

C7T and

P. insulae

GYSW-23T were 72.73–78.15 % and 19.70–20.80 %, respectively. The DNA G+C content of strains h42T and ALG8 was 62.36 % and 62.17 mol %. The major fatty acids (>10 %) in strain h42T were C18 : 0, C19 : 0 cyclo ω8c and summed feature 8 (C18 : 1
ω6c and/or C18 : 1
ω7c), and in strain ALG8 were C19 : 0 cyclo ω8c and summed feature 8 (C18 : 1ω6c and/or C18 : 1
ω7c). The predominant isoprenoid ubiquinone of the two novel strains was Q-10; their major polar lipids were identified as diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylcholine, two unidentified glycolipids, an unidentified aminoglycolipid, an unidentified phospholipid and an unidentified lipid. Based on the results of the morphological, physiological, chemotaxonomic and phylogenetic analysis of these two strains, a novel species of a new genus in the family

Rhodobacteraceae

is proposed, named as Pontibrevibacter nitratireducens gen. nov., sp. nov. The type strain and non-type strain of P. nitratireducens are h42T (=KCTC 72875T=CGMCC 1.17849T=MCCC 1K04735T) and ALG8 (=KCTC 82194=MCCC 1K04733).
STEREOLOGICAL EVALUATION OF TISSUE PRESERVATION AFTER NEUROPROTECTIVE TREATMENTS FOR TRAUMATIC SPINAL CORD INJURY
Authors: Reigada David , Soto Vanesa , González-Rodríguez María , Asunción Barreda-Manso María , Soto Altea , Muñoz-Galdeano Teresa , Maza Rodrigo M. , Nieto-Díaz Manuel
Published: May 2022

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a major cause of permanent disability and its causes and pathophysiological effects are very variables between patients. The assessment of tissue damage extent and neurodegeneration degree correlated with the functional evaluation are the most accepted tools to diagnose and prognose the trauma severity. Animal models of SCI have been used for treatment development and in the present work we evaluate the potency of stereological tools to estimate damage degree for a diagnostic of neural degeneration and locomotor and sensorial disability after SCI and the efficacy of different types of therapeutic strategies.
Allelic gene polymorphisms suspected to diversify the individual early metabolic response upon influenza H3N2 and SARS-CoV-2 infections
Authors: Arnholdt-Schmitt Birgit , Aziz Shahid , Costa José Hélio
Published: May 2022

In this brief report, we point to virus infection time-dependent transcript levels of polymorphic ASMTL genes in human nasal epithelial cells from seven cell origins. Our observations encourage focused top-down and hypothesis-driven studies in support of more efficient allelic genotyping to identify targets for early resilience prediction.
Lymph node-targeted vaccine boosting of TCR-T cell therapy enhances anti-tumor function and eradicates solid tumors
Authors: Drakes Dylan J. , Abbas Abdulraouf M. , Shields Jacqueline , Steinbuck Martin P. , Jakubowski Aniela , Seenappa Lochana M. , Haqq Christopher M. , DeMuth Peter C.
Published: May 2022

While T cell receptor (TCR)-modified T cell therapies have shown promise against solid tumors, overall therapeutic benefits in clinical practice have been modest due in part to suboptimal T cell persistence and activation in vivo, alongside the possibility of tumor antigen escape. In this study, we demonstrate an approach to enhance the in vivo persistence and activation of TCR-T cells through combination with Amphiphile (AMP)-vaccination including cognate TCR-T peptides. AMP-modification improves lymph node targeting of conjugated tumor immunogens and adjuvants, thereby coordinating a robust T cell-priming endogenous immune response. Vaccine combination with TCR-T cell therapy provided simultaneous in vivo invigoration of adoptively transferred TCR-T cells and in situ priming of the endogenous anti-tumor T cell repertoire. The resulting induction of an adoptive and endogenous anti-tumor effect led to durable responses in established murine solid tumors refractory to TCR-T cell monotherapy. Protection against recurrence was associated with antigen spreading to additional tumor-associated antigens not targeted by vaccination. Enhanced anti-tumor efficacy was further correlated with pro-inflammatory lymph node transcriptional reprogramming and increased antigen presenting cell maturation, resulting in TCR-T cell expansion and functional enhancement in lymph nodes and solid tumor parenchyma without lymphodepletion. In vitro evaluation of AMP-peptides with matched human TCR-T cells targeting NY-ESO-1, mutant KRAS, and HPV16 E7 illustrated the clinical potential of AMP-vaccination to enhance human TCR-T cell proliferation, activation, and anti-tumor activity. Taken together, these studies provide rationale and evidence to support clinical evaluation of the combination of AMP-vaccination with TCR-T cell therapies to augment anti-tumor activity.

AMP-vaccination targets the lymph nodes to enhance TCR-T cell therapy resulting in solid tumor eradication and durable protection against recurrence.
A QuantCrit investigation of society’s educational debts due to racism, sexism, and classism in biology student learning
Authors: Nissen Jayson , Van Dusen Ben , Kukday Sayali
Published: May 2022

We investigated the intersectional relationships between racism, sexism, and classism in inequities in student conceptual knowledge in introductory biology courses using a quantitative critical framework. Using Bayesian hierarchical linear models, we examined students’ conceptual knowledge as measured by the Introductory Molecular and Cell Biology Assessment. The data came from the LASSO database and included 6,547 students from 87 introductory courses at 11 institutions. The model indicated that students with marginalized identities by race, gender, and class tended to start with lower scores than continuing-generation, White men. We conceptualized these differences as educational debts society owed these students due to racism, sexism, and classism. Instruction added to these educational debts for most marginalized groups, with the largest increases for students with multiple marginalized identities. After instruction, society owed Black and Hispanic, first-generation women an educational debt equal to 60-80% of the average learning in the courses. These courses almost all (85/87) used collaborative learning and half (45/87) supported instruction with learning assistants. While research shows collaborative learning better serves students than lecture-based instruction, these results indicate it does not repay educational debts due to racism, sexism, and classism.
Sinking a giant: quantitative macroevolutionary comparative methods debunk qualitative assumptions
Authors: Fabbri Matteo , Navalón Guillermo , Benson Roger B. J. , Pol Diego , O’Connor Jingmai , Bhullar Bhart-Anjan S. , Erickson Gregory M. , Norell Mark A. , Orkney Andrew , Lamanna Matthew C. , Zouhri Samir , Becker Justine , Dal Sasso Cristiano , Bindellini Gabriele , Maganuco Simone , Auditore Marco , Ibrahim Nizar
Published: May 2022

Myhrvold et al.1 suggest that our inference of subaqueous foraging among spinosaurids2 is undermined by selective bone sampling, inadequate statistical procedures, and use of inaccurate ecological categorizations. Myhrvold et al.1 ignore major details of our analyses and results, and instead choose to portray our inferences as if they were based on qualitative interpretations of our plots, without providing additional analyses to support their claims. In this manuscript, we thoroughly discuss all the concerns exposed by Myhrvold et al.1. Additional analyses based on our original datasets2 and novel data presented by Myhrvold et al.1 do not change our original interpretations: while the spinosaurid dinosaurs Spinosaurus and Baryonyx are recovered as subaqueous foragers, Suchomimus is inferred as a non-diving animal.
Interest on reserves, bank runs and investment decisions
Authors: Wang Zhan
Published: May 2022

Purpose

This paper aims to study the effects of interest on reserves (IOR) on banks’ behavior in a theoretical framework.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper introduces IOR into both Cooper and Ross (1998) and Cooper and Ross (2002) and conducts quantitative analysis. It thoroughly examines the effects of IOR on banks’ resource allocation decisions under different assumptions.

Findings

In the model without deposit insurance, the results of this paper show that paying IOR facilitates the bank to use the run-proof contract. When the run-admitting contract is adopted, there is a set of conditions under which the bank is indifferent between holding illiquid asset and excess liquid reserves. In the model with deposit insurance, the results show that if the riskless illiquid investment is profitable and available, then paying IOR can hardly influence the bank's resource allocation. If the riskless illiquid investment is limited, then a certain level of IOR could fulfill some monetary targets.

Originality/value

Little research has combined IOR and model of bank runs. It helps to extend the theoretical analysis in this perspective.
Optimal charging plan for electric bus considering time-of-day electricity tariff
Authors: Liu Yuhan , Wang Linhong , Zeng Ziling , Bie Yiming
Published: May 2022

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to develop an optimization method for charging plans with the implementation of time-of-day (TOD) electricity tariff, to reduce electricity bill.

Design/methodology/approach

Two optimization models for charging plans respectively with fixed and stochastic trip travel times are developed, to minimize the electricity costs of daily operation of an electric bus. The charging time is taken as the optimization variable. The TOD electricity tariff is considered, and the energy consumption model is developed based on real operation data. An optimal charging plan provides charging times at bus idle times in operation hours during the whole day (charging time is 0 if the bus is not get charged at idle time) which ensure the regular operation of every trip served by this bus.

Findings

The electricity costs of the bus route can be reduced by applying the optimal charging plans.

Originality/value

This paper produces a viable option for transit agencies to reduce their operation costs.
Growing the community bank in the shadow of national banks: an empirical analysis of the U.S. banking industry, 1994–2018
Authors: Hoskins Jake David , Abadi Sarah
Published: May 2022

Purpose

With rising industry consolidation in the banking industry, it is unclear whether community banks may find more or less market opportunities. This paper aims to investigate how industry consolidation may affect community banks’ market share outcomes. The second goal of this paper is to establish the ways in which community banks may successfully manage market share growth goals that may be antithetical to the principles of being a local brand.

Design/methodology/approach

The empirical analysis is on the US banking industry, spanning the years from 1994 to 2018. This comprehensive panel data set includes county-year level granularity for more than 15,000 banks. Panel regression models that include bank-, county- and year-specific fixed effects are deployed.

Findings

It is found that local brands, operationalized as community banks in this study’s empirical context, are having the most success in consolidated market contexts. When pursuing market share growth, a distribution strategy to saturate a local market is found to be advantageous while expanding across geographies is less advisable for community banks.

Originality/value

The findings shed empirical light on the challenges and opportunities for community banks, thereby contributing to the banking industry literature and to an emerging stream of research on local brand management. By demonstrating the means of which growth can be successfully managed by local brands, the important and largely unanswered question of how a local brand can effectively grow is addressed.
Design and implementation of miniaturized tri-band microwave bandpass filter
Authors: P. Ponnammal , J. Manjula
Published: May 2022

Purpose

This paper is aimed to study the design of a miniaturized filter with tri-band characteristics. In this paper, perturbation is used to realize circuit miniaturization and multi-band by exploiting the inductive property. During this process, vias are added for twofold benefit, namely, circuit miniaturization and enhanced frequency selectivity at high frequency. Thus, with the introduction of the shorting via, the single-band dual-mode bandpass filter is converted into a tri-band filter with a smaller electrical size.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper presents the design and characterization of a miniaturized two-port filter with tri-band operating characteristics. The proposed filter is constructed using a square patch resonator operating at 5.2 GHz with a capacitively coupled feed configuration. A square perturbation is added to the corner of the square patch to achieve diagonal symmetry and to excite dual mode. The perturbation offers a sharp transmission zero defining bandwidth of the proposed filter. In addition, a shorting post is introduced to achieve an 88% size reduction by lowering the operating frequency to 1.8 GHz.

Findings

The prototype filter has insertion less than 1.2 dB and return loss better than 12 dB throughout all the realized frequency bands. The prototype filter is fabricated and the simulation results are validated using experimental measurements. The realized fractional bandwidths of the proposed bandpass filter are 11/5.6/1 at 1.8/4.6/5.85 GHz, respectively. The quality factor of the proposed antenna is greater than 80 and a peak Q-factor of 387 is realized at 5.85 GHz. The high Q-factor indicates low loss and improved selectivity. The rejection levels in the stopband are greater than 20 dB.

Originality/value

The results indicate that the proposed filter is a suitable choice for low-power small-scale wireless systems operating in the microwave bands. The realized filter has the smallest footprint of 0.36λeff  × 0.19λeff where λeff is the effective wavelength calculated at the lowest frequency of operation.
Aroma-taste-texture cross-modal interactions for sugar reduction in yoghurt drink
Authors: Thun Yi Jing , Yan See Wan , Tan Chin Ping , Teoh Wen Xin , Gan Xin Yue
Published: May 2022

Purpose

Prevention of chronic diseases by means of dietary modification can be achieved by consuming healthier foods with lower sugar content. However, reducing sugar content causes significant impact on the sensory quality and consumers’ acceptance towards local healthy products. This study aims to evaluate the effects of cross-modal interactions of Aroma-Taste-Texture (ATT) in yoghurt drink.

Design/methodology/approach

Fifteen sugar reduced yoghurt drinks [S, sugar percentage (0%, 2%, 4%); T, stevia dosage (0%, 0.01%, 0.02%); P, pectin dosage (0%, 0.3%, 0.6%)] based on ATT were evaluated by 300 consumer panellists on aroma, taste, texture and overall acceptability on a nine-point hedonic scale while sweetness intensity was measured using a seven-point just-about-right (JAR) scale. Interactions between ATT were determined.

Findings

Significant interaction was found between sugar and stevia, with F14 (4S0.02T0P) rated as sweeter than F4 (0S0.02T0P) (p = 0.003) and higher overall liking score than F11 (4S0T0P) (p = 0.001). Similarly, significant interaction was found between sugar and pectin, with F2 (0S0T0.6P) rated as significantly lower overall liking score and less sweet than F1 (0S0T0P) (p = 0.0001). Likewise, significant interaction was found between stevia and pectin, with F2 (0S0T0.6P) rated as significantly lower overall liking score and less sweet than F1 (0S0T0P) (p = 0.0001). Overall, F5 (0S0.02T0.6P) scored highest in overall liking and closest to the ideal sweetness (JAR = 4) indicating the possibility to apply 100% sugar replacement.

Originality/value

Application from the present study could be great potential solution in developing healthier range products while meeting consumer preference. The present study concluded that interactions of ATT of yoghurt drink will induce desirable changes in sensory and sweetness perception.
Physician‐ versus practice‐level primary care continuity and association with outcomes in Medicare beneficiaries
Authors: Yang Zhou , Ganguli Ishani , Davis Caitlin , Dai Mingliang , Shuemaker Jill , Peterson Lars , Bazemore Andrew , Phillips Robert , Chung Yoon Kyung
Published: May 2022

Objective

To compare physician‐level versus practice‐level primary care continuity and their association with expenditure and acute care utilization among Medicare beneficiaries and evaluate whether continuity of outpatient primary care at either/both physician or/and practice level could be useful quality measures.

Data Source

Medicare Fee‐For‐Service claims data for community dwelling beneficiaries without end‐stage renal disease who were attributed to a national random sample of primary care practices billing Medicare (2011–2017).

Study Design

Retrospective secondary data analysis at per Medicare beneficiary per year level. We used multivariable linear regression with practice‐level fixed effects to estimate continuity of care score at physician versus practice level and their associations with outcomes.

Data Collection/Extraction Method

We calculated clinician‐ and practice‐level Bice–Boxerman continuity of care index scores, ranging from 0 to 1, using primary care outpatient claims. Medicare expenditures, hospital admissions, emergency department (ED) visits, and readmissions were obtained from the Medicare Beneficiary Summary File: Cost and Utilization Segment. Ambulatory care sensitive conditions (ACSC) were defined using diagnosis codes on inpatient claims.

Principal Findings

We studied 2,359,400 beneficiaries who sought care from 13,926 physicians. Every 0.1 increase in physician continuity score was associated with a $151 reduction in expenditure per beneficiary per year (p < 0.01), and every 0.1 increase in practice continuity score was associated with $282 decrease (p < 0.01) per beneficiary per year. Both physician‐ and practice‐level continuity were associated with lower Medicare expenditures among small, medium, and large practices. Both physician‐ and practice‐level continuity were associated with lower probabilities of hospitalization, ED visit, admissions for ACSC, and readmission.

Conclusions

Primary care continuity of care could serve as a potent value‐based care quality metric. Physician‐level continuity is a unique value center that cannot be supplanted by practice‐level continuity.
Sensitivity of two Australian melanoma risk tools to identify high‐risk individuals among people presenting with their first primary melanoma
Authors: Tan Katrina , Lo Serigne N. , Cust Anne E. , Wolfe Rory , Mar Victoria
Published: May 2022

Aims

Regular skin examinations for early detection of melanoma are recommended for high‐risk individuals, but there is minimal consensus regarding what constitutes ‘high‐risk’. Melanoma risk prediction models may guide this. We compared two online melanoma risk prediction tools: Victorian Melanoma Service (VMS) and Melanoma Institute Australia (MIA) risk tools; to assess classification differences of patients at high‐risk of a first primary melanoma.

Methods

Risk factor data for 357 patients presenting with their first primary melanoma were entered into both risk tools. Predicted risks were recorded: 5‐year absolute risk (VMS tool and MIA tool); 10‐year, lifetime, and relative risk estimates (MIA tool). Sensitivities for each tool were calculated using the same high‐risk thresholds.

The MIA risk tool showed greater sensitivity on comparison of 5‐year absolute risks (90% MIA vs 78% VMS). Patients had significantly higher odds of being classified as high or very‐high risk using the MIA risk tool overall, and for each patient subgroup. Using either tool, patients of male gender or with synchronous multiple first primary melanomas were more likely to be correctly classified as high‐ or very‐high risk using 5‐year absolute risk thresholds; but tumour invasiveness was unrelated to risk. Classification differed when using the MIA risk categories based on relative risk.

Conclusions

Both melanoma risk prediction tools had high sensitivity for identifying individuals at high‐risk and could be used for optimising prevention campaigns. The choice of which risk tool, measure, and threshold for risk stratification depends on the intended purpose of risk prediction, and ideally requires information on specificity.