bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Brazilian Translation, Cross-Cultural Adaptation, Validity, and Reliability of the EMpowerment of PArents in THe Intensive Care 30 (EMPATHIC-30) Questionnaire to Measure Parental Satisfaction in PICUs
Authors: Lessa Alessandra D. , Cabral Felipe C. , Tonial Cristian T. , Costa Caroline A. D. , Andrades Gabriela R. H. , Crestani Francielly , Einloft Paulo R. , Bruno Francisco , Sganzerla Daniel , Matte Maria C. C. , Fiori Humberto H. , Latour Jos M. , Garcia Pedro Celiny R.
Published: October 2020

OBJECTIVES:

To conduct the Brazilian translation, cross-cultural adaptation, validation, and reliability testing of the EMpowerment of PArents in THe Intensive Care (EMPATHIC-30).

DESIGN:

Prospective study.

SETTING:

PICU of a tertiary-care teaching hospital.

PATIENTS:

Parents (n = 141) completed the translated EMPATHIC-30 questionnaire 72 hours after their child’s PICU discharge.

INTERVENTIONS:

None.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS:

The translation and cultural adaptation were performed in accordance with the principles of good practice for the translation and cultural adaptation process for patient-reported outcomes measures. Sentences were adapted according to the Brazilian syntax. Total content validity coefficient was above the established average (> 0.8). Reliability was evaluated with the coefficients McDonald omega and Cronbach alpha. The lowest Cronbach alpha found was 0.47 (CI 95%, 0.35–0.59) in the organization domain, where the lowest response rate was also concentrated. The values of the other domains were as follows: 0.64 (95% CI, 0.55–0.73) for information, 0.77 (95% CI, 0.71–0.83) for care and treatment, 0.72 (95% CI, 0.66–0.78) for parent participation, and 0.72 (95% CI, 0.65–0.79) for professional attitudes. The total internal consistency independent of the domain was 0.90 (CI 95%, 0.88–0.92). With regard to McDonald Omega, values were identified: 0.68 (95% CI, 0.49–0.88) for information, 0.73 (95% CI, 0.61–0.85) for care and treatment, 0.85 (95% CI, 0.47–0.80) for parent participation, 0.85 (95% CI, 0.76–0.93), and 0.72 (95% CI, 0.58–0.86) for professional attitudes.

CONCLUSIONS:

EMPATHIC-30 has been translated and culturally adapted for the Brazilian population. Validation demonstrated an above-average total content validity coefficient, confirming the instrument content validity. A sufficient reliability was observed in both analyzed coefficients. The results support the use of the Brazilian version of EMPATHIC-30 for the evaluation of parents’ satisfaction of children admitted to the PICU.
Blocking mu-opioid receptors inhibits social bonding in rituals
Authors: Charles S. J. , Farias M. , van Mulukom V. , Saraswati A. , Dein S. , Watts F. , Dunbar R. I. M.
Published: October 2020

Religious rituals are universal human practices that play a seminal role in community bonding. In two experiments, we tested the role of mu-opioids as the active factor fostering social bonding. We used a mu-opioid blocker (naltrexone) in two double-blind studies of rituals from different religious traditions. We found the same effect across both studies, with naltrexone leading to significantly lower social bonding compared with placebo. These studies suggest that mu-opioids play a significant role in experiences of social bonding within ritual contexts.
Predicting walking response to ankle exoskeletons using data-driven models
Authors: Rosenberg Michael C. , Banjanin Bora S. , Burden Samuel A. , Steele Katherine M.
Published: October 2020

Despite recent innovations in exoskeleton design and control, predicting subject-specific impacts of exoskeletons on gait remains challenging. We evaluated the ability of three classes of subject-specific phase-varying (PV) models to predict kinematic and myoelectric responses to ankle exoskeletons during walking, without requiring prior knowledge of specific user characteristics. Each model—PV, linear PV (LPV) and nonlinear PV (NPV)—leveraged Floquet theory to predict deviations from a nominal gait cycle due to exoskeleton torque, though the models differed in complexity and expected prediction accuracy. For 12 unimpaired adults walking with bilateral passive ankle exoskeletons, we predicted kinematics and muscle activity in response to three exoskeleton torque conditions. The LPV model's predictions were more accurate than the PV model when predicting less than 12.5% of a stride in the future and explained 49–70% of the variance in hip, knee and ankle kinematic responses to torque. The LPV model also predicted kinematic responses with similar accuracy to the more-complex NPV model. Myoelectric responses were challenging to predict with all models, explaining at most 10% of the variance in responses. This work highlights the potential of data-driven PV models to predict complex subject-specific responses to ankle exoskeletons and inform device design and control.
Magnetic winding: what is it and what is it good for?
Authors: Prior Christopher , MacTaggart David
Published: October 2020

Magnetic winding is a fundamental topological quantity that underpins magnetic helicity and measures the entanglement of magnetic field lines. Like magnetic helicity, magnetic winding is also an invariant of ideal magnetohydrodynamics. In this article, we give a detailed description of what magnetic winding describes, how to calculate it and how to interpret it in relation to helicity. We show how magnetic winding provides a clear topological description of magnetic fields (open or closed) and we give examples to show how magnetic winding and helicity can behave differently, thus revealing different and important information about the underlying magnetic field.
Transplacental Transfer of SARS-CoV-2 Antibodies
Authors: Flannery Dustin D. , Gouma Sigrid , Dhudasia Miren B. , Mukhopadhyay Sagori , Pfeifer Madeline R. , Woodford Emily C. , Triebwasser Jourdan E. , Gerber Jeffrey S. , Morris Jeffrey S. , Weirick Madison E. , McAllister Christopher M. , Bolton Marcus J. , Arevalo Claudia P. , Anderson Elizabeth M. , Goodwin Eileen C. , Hensley Scott E. , Puopolo Karen M.
Published: October 2020

We measured SARS-CoV-2 antibody levels in serum samples from 1,471 mother/newborn dyads and found efficient transplacental transfer of SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies in 72 of 83 seropositive pregnant women. Transfer ratios >1.0 were observed among women with an asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection as well as those with mild, moderate and severe COVID-19. Our findings demonstrate the potential for maternally-derived antibodies to provide neonatal protection from SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Computerized Cognitive Training in Cognitively Healthy Older Adults: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis
Authors: Lampit Amit , Gavelin Hanna Malmberg , Sabates Julieta , Launder Nathalie H , Hallock Harry , Finke Carsten , Krohn Stephan , Peeters Geeske
Published: October 2020

Background

Computerized cognitive training (CCT) is a broad category of drill-and-practice interventions aims to maintain cognitive performance in older adults. Despite a supportive evidence base for general efficacy, it is unclear what types of CCT are most likely to be beneficial and what intervention design factors are essential for clinical implementation.

Methods

We searched MEDLINE, Embase, and PsycINFO to August 2019 for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of any type of CCT in cognitively healthy older adults. Risk of bias within studies was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias 2 tool. The primary outcome was change in overall cognitive performance between CCT and control groups. Secondary outcomes were individual cognitive domains. A series of meta-regressions were performed to estimates associations between key design factors and overall efficacy using robust variance estimation models. Network meta-analysis was used to compare the main approaches to CCT against passive or common active control conditions.

Results

Ninety RCTs encompassing 7219 participants across 117 comparisons were included. The overall cognitive effect size across all trials was small (g=0.18, 95% CI 0.14 to 0.23) with considerable heterogeneity (τ2=0.074, 95% prediction interval −0.36 to 0.73), robust to small-study effect or risk of bias. Effect sizes for individual cognitive domains were small, heterogeneous and statistically significant apart from fluid intelligence and visual processing. Meta-regressions revealed significantly larger effect sizes in trials using supervised training or up to three times per week. Multidomain training was the most efficacious CCT approach against any type of control, with greater benefits in a subset of supervised training studies.

Conclusions

The efficacy of CCT varies substantially across designs, independent of the type of control. Multidomain supervised CCT appears to be the most efficacious approach, and should be developed to accommodate for individual needs and remote delivery settings. Future research should focus on identifying the intervention components and regimens that could attenuate aging-related cognitive decline.
Prevalence and Longevity of SARS-CoV-2 Antibodies in Healthcare Workers: A Single Center Study
Authors: Brant-Zawadzki Michael , Fridman Deborah , Robinson Philip A. , Zahn Matthew , Chau Clayton , German Randy , Breit Marcus , Burke Elmira , Bock Jason R. , Hara Junko
Published: October 2020

Understanding SARS-CoV-2 antibody prevalence as a marker of prior infection in a spectrum of healthcare workers (HCWs) may guide risk stratification and enactment of better health policies and procedures.

The present study reported on cross-sectional study to determine the prevalence and longevity of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in HCWs at a regional hospital system in Orange County, California, between May and August, 2020.

Data from HCWs (n=3,458) were included in the analysis. Data from first responders (n=226) were also analyzed for comparison. A blood sample was collected at study enrollment and 8-week follow-up. Information on job duties, location, COVID-19 symptoms, polymerase chain reaction test history, travel since January 2020, and household contacts with COVID-19 was collected. Comparisons to estimated community prevalence were also evaluated.

Observed antibody prevalence was 0.93% and 2.58% at initial and 8-week follow-up, respectively, for HCWs, and 5.31% and 4.35% for first responders. For HCWs, significant differences (p < .05) between negative vs. positive at initial assessment were found for age, race, fever, and loss of smell, and at 8-week follow-up for age, race, and all symptoms. Antibody positivity persisted at least 8 weeks in this cohort. Among 75 HCWs with self-reported prior PCR-confirmed COVID-19, 35 (46.7%) were antibody negative. Significant differences between negative vs. positive were observed in age and frequency of symptoms.

This study found considerably lower SARS-CoV-2 antibody prevalence among HCWs compared with prior published studies. This may be explained by better safety measures in the workplace, heightened awareness inside and outside of the workplace, possibly lower susceptibility due to innate immunity and other biological heterogeneity, and low COVID-19 prevalence in the community itself. HCWs with initial positive results had persistent positive serologies at 8 weeks. Further research is warranted to investigate factors influencing such lower prevalence in our HCWs.
Scene wheels: Measuring perception and memory of real-world scenes with a continuous stimulus space
Authors: Son Gaeun , Walther Dirk B. , Mack Michael L.
Published: October 2020

Precisely characterizing mental representations of visual experiences requires careful control of experimental stimuli. Recent work leveraging such stimulus control has led to important insights; however, these findings are constrained to simple visual properties like colour and line orientation. There remains a critical methodological barrier to characterizing perceptual and mnemonic representations of realistic visual experiences. Here, we introduce a novel method to systematically control visual properties of natural scene stimuli. Using generative adversarial networks (GAN), a state-of-art deep learning technique for creating highly realistic synthetic images, we generated scene wheels in which continuously changing visual properties smoothly transition between meaningful realistic scenes. To validate the efficacy of scene wheels, we conducted two behavioral experiments that assess perceptual and mnemonic representations attained from the scene wheels. In the perceptual validation experiment, we tested whether the continuous transition of scene images along the wheel is reflected in human perceptual similarity judgment. The perceived similarity of the scene images correspondingly decreased as distances between the images increase on the wheel. In the memory experiment, participants reconstructed to-be-remembered scenes from the scene wheels. Reconstruction errors for these scenes resemble error distributions observed in prior studies using simple stimulus properties. Importantly, perceptual similarity judgment and memory precision varied systematically with scene wheel radius. These findings suggest our novel approach offers a window into the mental representations of naturalistic visual experiences.
Automated tracking ofS. pombespindle elongation dynamics
Authors: Uzsoy Ana Sofía M. , Zareiesfandabadi Parsa , Jennings Jamie , Kemper Alexander F. , Elting Mary Williard
Published: October 2020

The mitotic spindle is a microtubule-based machine that pulls the two identical sets of chromosomes to opposite ends of the cell during cell division. The fission yeastSchizosaccharomyces pombeis an important model organism for studying mitosis due to its simple, stereotyped spindle structure and well-established genetic toolset.S. pombespindle length is a useful metric for mitotic progression, but manually tracking spindle ends in each frame to measure spindle length over time is laborious and can limit experimental throughput. We have developed an ImageJ plugin that can automatically trackS. pombespindle length over time and replace manual or semi-automated tracking of spindle elongation dynamics. Using an algorithm that detects the principal axis of the spindle and then finds its ends, we reliably track the length and angle of the spindle as the cell divides. The plugin integrates with existing ImageJ features, exports its data for further analysis outside of ImageJ, and does not require any programming by the user. Thus, the plugin provides an accessible tool for quantification ofS. pombespindle length that will allow automatic analysis of large microscopy data sets and facilitate screening for effects of cell biological perturbations on mitotic progression.
Soluble Spike DNA vaccine provides long-term protective immunity against SAR-CoV-2 in mice and nonhuman primates
Authors: Seo Yong Bok , Suh You Suk , Ryu Ji In , Jang Hwanhee , Oh Hanseul , Koo Bon-Sang , Seo Sang-Hwan , Hong Jung Joo , Song Manki , Kim Sung-Joo , Sung Young Chul
Published: October 2020

The unprecedented and rapid spread of SARS-CoV-2 has motivated the need for a rapidly producible and scalable vaccine. Here, we developed a synthetic soluble SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) DNA-based vaccine candidate, GX-19. In mice, immunization with GX-19 elicited not only S-specific systemic and pulmonary antibody responses but also Th1-biased T cell responses in a dose-dependent manner. GX-19 vaccinated nonhuman primate seroconverted rapidly and exhibited detectable neutralizing antibody response as well as multifunctional CD4+ and CD8+ T cell responses. Notably, when the immunized nonhuman primates were challenged at 10 weeks after the last vaccination with GX-19, they did not develop fever and reduced viral loads in contrast to non-vaccinated primates as a control. These findings indicate that GX-19 vaccination provides durable protective immune response and also support further development of GX-19 as a vaccine candidate for SARS-CoV-2 in human clinical trials.
Practice modifies the response to errors during a novel motor sequence learning task
Authors: Rachaveti Dhanush , Ranganathan Rajiv , SKM Varadhan
Published: October 2020

The occurrence of an error when performing a motor sequence causes an immediate reduction in speed on subsequent trials, which is referred to as post-error slowing. However, understanding how post-error slowing changes with practice has been difficult because it requires extended practice on a novel sequence task. To address this issue, we examined post-error slowing in a novel glove-based typing task that participants performed for 15 consecutive days. Speed and accuracy improved from the early to middle stages of practice, but did not show any further improvements between middle and late stage of practice. However, when we analyzed the response to errors, we found that participants decreased both the magnitude and duration of post-error slowing with practice, even after there were no detectable improvements in overall task performance. These results indicate that learning not only improves overall task performance but also modifies the ability to respond to errors.
Novel metric for hyperbolic phylogenetic tree embeddings
Authors: Matsumoto Hirotaka , Mimori Takahiro , Fukunaga Tsukasa
Published: October 2020

Advances in experimental technologies such as DNA sequencing have opened up new avenues for the applications of phylogenetic methods to various fields beyond their traditional application in evolutionary investigations, extending to the fields of development, differentiation, cancer genomics, and immunogenomics. Thus, the importance of phylogenetic methods is increasingly being recognized, and the development of a novel phylogenetic approach can contribute to several areas of research. Recently, the use of hyperbolic geometry has attracted attention in artificial intelligence research. Hyperbolic space can better represent a hierarchical structure compared to Euclidean space, and can therefore be useful for describing and analyzing a phylogenetic tree. In this study, we developed a novel metric that considers the characteristics of a phylogenetic tree for representation in hyperbolic space. We compared the performance of the proposed hyperbolic embeddings, general hyperbolic embeddings, and Euclidean embeddings, and confirmed that our method could be used to more precisely reconstruct evolutionary distance. We also demonstrate that our approach is useful for predicting the nearest-neighbor node in a partial phylogenetic tree with missing nodes. This study highlights the utility of adopting a geometric approach for further advancing the applications of phylogenetic methods.

The demo code is attached as a supplementary file in a compiled jupyter notebook. The code used for analyses is available on GitHub athttps://github.com/hmatsu1226/HyPhyTree.
Health conditions and the risk of home injury in French adults: Results from a prospective study of the MAVIE cohort
Authors: Rojas Castro Madelyn Yiseth , Avalos Marta , Contrand Benjamin , Dupuy Marion , Sztal-Kutas Catherine , Orriols Ludivine , Lagarde Emmanuel
Published: October 2020

Background

Home injury (HI) is a significant cause of mortality and morbidity in adults of all ages. Health conditions significantly impact HI among old adults, but little is known for other adults.

Study design

Prospective cohort study

Objective

We assessed the associations between health-related factors and HI’s risk in a French study, the MAVIE cohort.

Methods

Poisson mixed models were fitted using health-related data information (diseases, treatments, and disabilities) at baseline and the number of injuries prospectively recorded during the follow-up, adjusting for significant socio-demographics and exposure to a range of home activities. Attributable fractions (AFs) were estimated based on RR estimations measured in the fully adjusted models.

Results

A total of 6,146 dwelling adults aged 15 or more were followed up for 5.1 years on average. Vertigo or dizziness (RR=2.36, 95% CI 1.06 to 5.01) and sciatica or back pain (RR=1.49, 95% CI 1.08 to 2.05) were independently associated with an increased risk of HI. These two groups of conditions showed the most significant associations among people aged 15 to 49, whereas musculoskeletal diseases other than rachialgias and arthropathies were the most significant health-related risk factor in people aged 50 and more. Sciatica or back pain represented the highest-burden of HIs in overall adults (8%) and among people aged 15 to 49 (12%).

Conclusion

Our results suggest that adults with musculoskeletal disorders and vertigo or dizziness symptoms have a higher risk of HI, regardless of age.
Olig3 acts as a master regulator of cerebellar development
Authors: Lowenstein Elijah D. , Rusanova Aleksandra , Stelzer Jonas , Hernaiz-Llorens Marc , Schroer Adrian E. , Epifanova Ekaterina , Bladt Francesca , Isik Eser Göksu , Jia Shiqi , Tarabykin Victor , Hernandez-Miranda Luis R.
Published: October 2020

The mature cerebellum controls motor skill precision and participates in other sophisticated brain functions that include learning, cognition and speech. Different types of GABAergic and glutamatergic cerebellar neurons originate in temporal order from two progenitor niches, the ventricular zone and rhombic lip, which express the transcription factors Ptf1a and Atoh1, respectively. However, the molecular machinery required to specify the distinct neuronal types emanating from these progenitor zones is still unclear. Here, we uncover the transcription factor Olig3 as a major determinant in generating the earliest neuronal derivatives emanating from both progenitor zones. In the rhombic lip, Olig3 regulates progenitor cell proliferation. In the ventricular zone, Olig3 safeguards Purkinje cell specification by curtailing the expression of Pax2, a transcription factor that we found to impose an inhibitory interneuron identity. Our work thus defines Olig3 as a key factor in cerebellar development.
Conduction velocity along the local axons of parvalbumin interneurons correlates with the degree of axonal myelination
Authors: Micheva Kristina D. , Kiraly Marianna , Perez Marc M. , Madison Daniel V.
Published: October 2020

Parvalbumin-containing (PV+) basket cells in mammalian neocortex are fast-spiking interneurons that regulate the activity of local neuronal circuits in multiple ways. Even though PV+ basket cells are locally projecting interneurons, their axons are myelinated. Can this myelination contribute in any significant way to the speed of action potential propagation along such short axons? We used dual whole cell recordings of synaptically connected PV+ interneurons and their postsynaptic target in acutely-prepared neocortical slices from adult mice to measure the amplitude and latency of single presynaptic action potential-evoked inhibitory postsynaptic currents (IPSCs). These same neurons were then imaged with immunofluorescent array tomography, the synaptic contacts between them identified and a precise map of the connections was generated, with the exact axonal length and extent of myelin coverage. Our results support that myelination of PV+ basket cells significantly increases conduction velocity, and does so to a degree that can be physiologically relevant.
What is the evidence for transmission of COVID-19 by children in schools? A living systematic review
Authors: Xu Wei , Li Xue , Dozier Marshall , He Yazhou , Kirolos Amir , Lang Zhongyu , Mathews Catherine , Siegfried Nandi , Theodoratou Evropi
Published: October 2020

Background

It is of paramount importance to understand the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in schools, which could support the decision-making about educational facilities closure or re-opening with effective prevention and control measures in place.

Methods

We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to investigate the extent of SARS-CoV-2 transmission in schools. We performed risk of bias evaluation of all included studies using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS).

Results

2,178 articles were retrieved and 11 studies were included. Five cohort studies reported a combined 22 student and 21 staff index cases that exposed 3,345 contacts with 18 transmissions [overall infection attack rate (IAR): 0.08% (95% CI: 0.00%–0.86%)]. IARs for students and school staff were 0.15% (95% CI: 0.00%–0.93%) and 0.70% (95% CI: 0.00%–3.56%) respectively. Six cross-sectional studies reported 639 SARS-CoV-2 positive cases in 6,682 study participants tested [overall SARS-CoV-2 positivity rate: 8.00% (95% CI: 2.17%–16.95%)]. SARS-CoV-2 positivity rate was estimated to be 8.74% (95% CI: 2.34%–18.53%) among students, compared to 13.68% (95% CI: 1.68%–33.89%) among school staff. Gender differences were not found for secondary infection (OR: 1.44, 95% CI: 0.50-4.14, P= 0.49) and SARS-CoV-2 positivity (OR: 0.90, 95% CI: 0.72-1.13, P= 0.36) in schools. Fever, cough, dyspnea, ageusia, anosmia, rhinitis, sore throat, headache, myalgia, asthenia, and diarrhoea were all associated with the detection of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies (based on two studies). Overall, study quality was judged to be poor with risk of performance and attrition bias, limiting the confidence in the results.

Conclusions

There is limited high-quality evidence available to quantify the extent of SARS-CoV-2 transmission in schools or to compare it to community transmission. Emerging evidence suggests lower IAR and SARS-CoV-2 positivity rate in students compared to school staff. Future prospective and adequately controlled cohort studies are necessary to confirm this finding.
Increased brain volume from higher cereal and lower coffee intake: Shared genetic determinants and impacts on cognition and metabolism
Authors: Kang Jujiao , Jia Tianye , Jiao Zeyu , Shen Chun , Xie Chao , Cheng Wei , Sahakian Barbara J , Waxman David , Feng Jianfeng
Published: October 2020

It is unclear how different diets may affect human brain development and if genetic and environmental factors play a part. We investigated diet effects in the UK Biobank data from 18,879 healthy adults and discovered anti-correlated brain-wide grey matter volume (GMV)-association patterns between coffee and cereal intake, coincidence with their anti-correlated genetic constructs. The Mendelian randomisation approach further indicated a causal effect of higher coffee intake on reduced total GMV, which is likely through regulating the expression of genes responsible for synaptic development in the brain. The identified genetic factors may further affect people’s lifestyle habits and body/blood fat levels through the mediation of cereal/coffee intake, and the brain-wide expression pattern of gene CPLX3, a dedicated marker of subplate neurons that regulate cortical development and plasticity, may underlie the shared GMV-association patterns among the coffee/cereal intake and cognitive functions. All the main findings were successfully replicated in the newly-released independent UK Biobank data from 16,412 healthy adults. Our findings thus revealed that high-cereal and low-coffee diets shared similar brain and genetic constructs, leading to long-term beneficial associations regarding cognitive, BMI and other metabolic measures. This study has important implications for public health, especially during the pandemic, given the poorer outcomes of COVID-19 patients with greater BMIs.

Significance statement

We investigated diet effects on the brain structure and its genetic constructs using the UK Biobank data and discovered a causal effect of higher coffee intake on reduced total grey matter volume (GMV) and replicable anti-correlated brain-wide association GMV patterns between cereal and coffee intake. Further, the high-cereal and low-coffee diets shared similar brain and genetic constructs, leading to long-term beneficial associations regarding cognitive, BMI, and other metabolic indicators. Our study has important implications for public health, especially during the pandemic, given the poorer outcomes of COVID-19 patients with greater BMIs.
Evaluating Short-term Forecast among Different Epidemiological Models under a Bayesian Framework
Authors: Li Qiwei , Bedi Tejasv , Xiao Guanghua , Xie Yang
Published: October 2020

Forecasting of COVID-19 daily confirmed cases has been one of the several challenges posed on the governments and health sectors on a global scale. To facilitate informed public health decisions, the concerned parties rely on short-term daily projections generated via predictive modeling. We calibrate stochastic variants of growth models and the standard SIR model into one Bayesian framework to evaluate their short-term forecasts. In summary, it was noted that none of the models proved to be golden standards across all the regions in their entirety, while all outperformed ARIMA in a predictive capacity as well as in terms of interpretability.
Native structure of flagellar MS ring is formed by 34 subunits with 23-fold and 11-fold subsymmetries
Authors: Kawamoto Akihiro , Miyata Tomoko , Makino Fumiaki , Kinoshita Miki , Minamino Tohru , Imada Katsumi , Kato Takayuki , Namba Keiichi
Published: October 2020

The bacterial flagellar MS ring is a transmembrane complex acting as the core of the flagellar motor. It not only acts as the template for rod and C ring assembly but also houses the type III protein export gate for assembly of the rod, hook and filament. The cytoplasmic C ring, involved in torque generation and rotation switch, is directly attached to the MS ring, and a symmetry mismatch between 26-fold MS ring and 34-fold C ring had been a long puzzle as to whether this would play some role in motor function. Although this puzzle seemed to have been resolved by the recent high-resolution structure of the MS ring with 33-fold symmetry with a variation from 32-fold to 35-fold because the C ring also shows a similar symmetry variation, it still remained ambiguous whether their symmetries are matched in the native motor structure. Here we show that the native MS ring structure formed by full-length FliF is 34-fold with no symmetry variation whereas the C ring has a small symmetry variation, indicating a flexibility in C ring assembly to generate small symmetry mismatches. We also show two conformations of FliF in part of its periplasmic region to form the 34-subunit ring with 23-fold and 11-fold subsymmetries in the inner and middle M ring, respectively, to accommodate the export gate at the center of the M ring.
What Treatment Outcomes Matter Most? A Q-study of Outcome Priority Profiles Among Youth with Lived Experience of Depression
Authors: Krause K. R. , Edbrooke-Childs J. , Bear H. A. , Calderón A. , Wolpert M.
Published: October 2020

Objective

Over the past years, interest in youth perspectives on what constitutes an important outcome in the treatment of depression has been growing, but limited attention has been given to heterogeneity in outcome priorities and minority viewpoints. These are important to consider for person-centered outcome tracking in clinical practice, or when conducting clinical trials targeting specific populations. This study used Q-methodology to identify outcome priority profiles among youth with lived experience of service use for depression.

Method

A purposive sample of 28 youth (aged 16–21 years) rank-ordered 35 outcomes by importance and completed brief semi-structured interviews eliciting their sorting rationales. By-person principal component analysis was used to identify outcome priority profiles based on all Q-sort configurations. Priority profiles were described and interpreted with reference to the qualitative interview data.

Results

Four distinct outcome priority profiles were identified: “symptom reduction and enhanced well-being”; “improved coping and self-management”; “better understanding past and present”; and “less interference with daily life”. All four profiles prioritized outcomes related to improved mood and affect over other outcome concepts. Beyond these core outcomes, profiles differed in the level of importance assigned to learning practical coping skills, processing experiences, finding safe ways to articulate emotions, and reduced interference of depression with life and identity.

Conclusion

As part of a person-centered approach to care delivery, care providers should routinely engage young people in conversation and shared decision-making about the types of change they would like to prioritize and track during treatment, beyond a common core of consensus outcomes.
Methods for detection of clusters of observations with an outlying correlation coefficient value
Authors: Desmet Lieven , Venet David , Trotta Laura , Burzykowski Tomasz , Buyse Marc
Published: October 2020

Multivariate datasets with a clustered structure are the natural framework for, e.g., multicentre clinical trials. We propose a number of methods aimed at detecting clusters with outlying correlation coefficients. While the methods can be used in a variety of settings, we focus mainly on their application to central statistical monitoring of clinical trials. In particular, we consider the issue of detecting centers (or other clusters of patients such as regions) with outlying correlation coefficients for bivariate data in a multicenter clinical trial. It appears that, in that context, the proposed methods perform well, as we show by using a simulation study and a number of real life datasets.
Evaluation of statistical methods used in the analysis of interrupted time series studies: a simulation study
Authors: Turner Simon L , Forbes Andrew B , Karahalios Amalia , Taljaard Monica , McKenzie Joanne E
Published: October 2020

Interrupted time series (ITS) studies are frequently used to evaluate the effects of population-level interventions or exposures. To our knowledge, no studies have compared the performance of different statistical methods for this design. We simulated data to compare the performance of a set of statistical methods under a range of scenarios which included different level and slope changes, varying lengths of series and magnitudes of autocorrelation. We also examined the performance of the Durbin-Watson (DW) test for detecting autocorrelation. All methods yielded unbiased estimates of the level and slope changes over all scenarios. The magnitude of autocorrelation was underestimated by all methods, however, restricted maximum likelihood (REML) yielded the least biased estimates. Underestimation of autocorrelation led to standard errors that were too small and coverage less than the nominal 95%. All methods performed better with longer time series, except for ordinary least squares (OLS) in the presence of autocorrelation and Newey-West for high values of autocorrelation. The DW test for the presence of autocorrelation performed poorly except for long series and large autocorrelation. From the methods evaluated, OLS was the preferred method in series with fewer than 12 points, while in longer series, REML was preferred. The DW test should not be relied upon to detect autocorrelation, except when the series is long. Care is needed when interpreting results from all methods, given confidence intervals will generally be too narrow. Further research is required to develop better performing methods for ITS, especially for short series.
Persistent symptoms after Covid-19: qualitative study of 114 “long Covid” patients and draft quality criteria for services
Authors: Ladds Emma , Rushforth Alex , Wieringa Sietse , Taylor Sharon , Rayner Clare , Husain Laiba , Greenhalgh Trisha
Published: October 2020

Background

Approximately 10% of patients with Covid-19 experience symptoms beyond 3-4 weeks. Patients call this “long Covid”. We sought to document the lived experience of such patients, their accounts of accessing and receiving healthcare, and their ideas for improving services.

Method

We held 55 individual interviews and 8 focus groups (n = 59) with people recruited from UK-based long Covid patient support groups, social media and snowballing. We restricted some focus groups to health professionals since they had already self-organised into online communities. Participants were invited to tell their personal stories and comment on others’ stories. Data were audiotaped, transcribed, anonymised and coded using NVIVO. Analysis incorporated sociological theories of illness, healing, peer support, the clinical relationship, access to care, and service redesign.

Results

The sample was 70% female, aged 27-73 years, and comprised White British (74%), Asian (11%), White Other (7%), Black (4%), and Mixed (4%). 27 were doctors and 23 other health professionals. 10% had been hospitalised. Analysis revealed a confusing illness with many, varied and often relapsing-remitting symptoms and uncertain prognosis; a heavy sense of loss and stigma; difficulty accessing and navigating services; difficulty being taken seriously and achieving a diagnosis; disjointed and siloed care (including inability to access specialist services); variation in standards (e.g. inconsistent criteria for seeing, investigating and referring patients); variable quality of the therapeutic relationship (some participants felt well supported while others felt “fobbed off”); and possible critical events (e.g. deterioration after being unable to access services). Emotional touch points in participants’ experiences informed ideas for improving services.

Conclusion

Quality principles for a long Covid service should include ensuring access to care, reducing burden of illness, taking clinical responsibility and providing continuity of care, multi-disciplinary rehabilitation, evidence-based investigation and management, and further development of the knowledge base and clinical services.

Study registration

NCT04435041
Association between early discontinuation of endocrine therapy and recurrence of breast cancer among premenopausal women in a Danish population-based cohort
Authors: Collin Lindsay J , Cronin-Fenton Deirdre P , Ahern Thomas P , Goodman Michael , McCullough Lauren E , Waller Lance A , Kjærsgaard Anders , Damkier Per , Christiansen Peer M , Ejlertsen Bent , Jensen Maj-Britt , Sørensen Henrik Toft , Lash Timothy L
Published: October 2020

Purpose

Premenopausal women diagnosed with estrogen receptor (ER) positive breast cancer are prescribed 5–10 years of endocrine therapy to prevent or delay recurrence. Many women who initiate endocrine therapy fail to complete the recommended course of treatment. In this study, we evaluated the association between early discontinuation of adjuvant endocrine therapy and breast cancer recurrence in a cohort of premenopausal women.

Patients and Methods

We identified 4,503 premenopausal ER+ breast cancer patients who initiated adjuvant endocrine therapy and were registered in the Danish Breast Cancer Group clinical database (2002–2011). Women were excluded if they had a recurrence or were lost to follow-up less than 1.5 years after breast cancer surgery. Endocrine therapy was considered complete if the patient received at least 4.5 years of treatment or discontinued medication less than 6 months before recurrence. Exposure status was updated annually and modeled as a time-dependent variable. We accounted for baseline and time-varying confounders via time-varying weights, which we calculated from multivariable logistic regression models and included in regression models to estimate hazard ratios (HR) and accompanying 95% confidence intervals (CI) associating early discontinuation with breast cancer recurrence.

Results

Over the course of follow-up, 1,001 (22%) women discontinued endocrine therapy. We observed 202 (20%) recurrences among those who discontinued endocrine therapy, and 388 (11%) among those who completed the recommended treatment. The multivariable-adjusted estimated rate of recurrence was higher in women who discontinued endocrine therapy relative to those who completed their treatment (HR=1.67, 95% CI 1.25, 2.14).

Conclusion

These results highlight the importance of clinical follow-up and behavioral interventions that support persistence of adjuvant endocrine therapy to prevent breast cancer recurrence.
Product line design with vertical and horizontal consumer heterogeneity: the effect of distribution channel structure on the optimal quality and customization levels
Authors: Tookanlou Parisa Bagheri , Wong Hartanto Wijaya
Published: October 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to analyze the problem of optimal product line design in marketing channels where consumers are heterogeneous in both horizontal and vertical dimensions.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper develops a model to evaluate when it is preferable for a firm to extend the product line in a vertical or horizontal direction. Consumers are modeled as being vertically heterogeneous with respect to their valuation of quality and horizontally heterogeneous with respect to their preference on the esthetic component of the product. These model characteristics allow us to consider a broader set of product line extension strategies. By considering both a vertically integrated channel and a decentralized channel, this study investigates how channel structure influences optimal product line design. The problem with supplemental numerical analyses is mathematically analyzed.

Findings

The analysis shows that a horizontal product line extension strategy that offers the customized product can be used as an alternative to a vertical product line extension strategy. If the fixed cost is not too high, offering the customized product with low quality may be preferred to the quality-based segmentation strategy. Furthermore, the analysis shows that the channel structure is influential as the preference for the horizontal product line extension strategy is more pronounced in the decentralized channel than in the centralized channel.

Research limitations/implications

The analysis presented in this paper is limited by the consideration of full market coverage. Further research is needed to see how the results can be generalized to the case with partial market coverage.

Practical implications

The analysis suggests that a firm may consider product customization as part of its product line strategy. Information regarding market characteristics and channel structure is important when deciding on the optimal product line design.

Originality/value

The model reflects a more realistic marketing strategy and channel structure than previous studies that typically consider product line extension in only one direction and focus on the centralized distribution channel. Combining the standard product line extension and customization strategies also represents an important contribution to the literature. These extensions produce interesting new results and insights into a firm’s optimal product line design strategy.
Characteristics of women's basic bodice pattern formation in relation to the anthropometric references
Authors: Kim In Hwa , Han Hyunsook , Shin Su-Jeong Hwang
Published: October 2020

Purpose

The purpose of study is to investigate effectiveness of pattern technique in relation to the use of anthropometric references for drafting women's basic bodice patterns by assessing characteristics of pattern formation, quantification of wearing ease on the transverse plan and actual ease distribution on body forms.

Design/methodology/approach

Three pattern drafting techniques were analyzed, which have different frequency of using direct body measurements for pattern formulation. Ease quantification and wearing ease distribution were evaluated on the two different body forms: a young female body and a heavy woman body. Women's basic bodice patterns were drafted with YUKA CAD and virtually draped on the two body forms with CLO 3D. Rapidform was used to evaluate garment appearance. Areal ease and its distribution were assessed. A deviation map was used for wrinkle analysis.

Findings

Compared to the pattern formation derived from few anthropometric references, patterns using sufficient anthropometric references provided overall better fit for the different body forms. Ease distribution without considering body arcs was found to be a cause of garment fit problems. Patterns with little or no ease caused transverse fine wrinkles and skewed side seams. Pattern techniques those used linear equations caused problems on the bust because the formulation could not reflect bust protrusions in relation to the body torso shape differences.

Originality/value

This study revealed characteristics of pattern formulae and linear equations in relation to anthropometric references and body shapes. The findings may be effective in developing algorithm of the customized pattern formation in the industry.
From global phenomenon to framework for living: using the beautiful game creatively to provide therapeutic care for unaccompanied male adolescents seeking asylum in Ireland
Authors: Hoare Rachel
Published: October 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore, through the composite character of Jaheem, a 16-year-old unaccompanied male from sub Saharan Africa seeking asylum in Ireland (UMSA), the different ways in which football, experienced as a global physical pursuit, a lingua franca and an important site of participation and belonging, can facilitate the development of the therapeutic relationship and the building of coping skills in creative psychotherapy.

Design/methodology/approach

The composite narrative approach draws on notes taken by the author immediately after the psychotherapy sessions of seven UMSA between 2016 and 2019, for whom football became part of the therapy process. The experiences captured in the notes were combined and are re-presented and explored through the composite character of Jaheem.

Findings

Drawing on the different facets of football was a key factor in developing the therapeutic relationship. This progressed naturally into using player images to identify and explore the expression of difficult feelings, using football talk as a lingua franca and exploring experiences through football as a metaphor for life.

Research limitations/implications

The risk of Jaheem not being representative of the seven UMSA was mitigated by the psychotherapist’s expertise in this context which informed her judgement of what to include in a meaningful and representative composite.

Originality/value

Using the rarely used composite narrative approach to capture the potential of engaging with the football theme in a therapeutic setting with UMSA males.
The Spanish paradox: demand growth with productivity stagnation
Authors: Cárdenas del Rey Luis , Fernandez-Sanchez Rafael
Published: October 2020

Purpose

This paper studies one of the most paradoxical facts of the Spanish economic growth during the period 1982–2007: high growth of investment and aggregate demand accompanied by the stagnation of labor productivity, especially from 1994.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors propose two hypotheses: first, that the productive structure neutralized the mechanisms that link investment with productivity, essentially due to the low capital efficiency of the job-creating sectors (JCs); and consequently, investment drove production almost exclusively through employment, generating a trade-off between employment and productivity.

Findings

The econometric results find evidence in favor of both hypotheses applying a time-series methodology (ARIMA) to EU KLEMS data for a period of 25 years and 25 industries of the Spanish economy.

Originality/value

The first contribution of this paper is to offer an interpretation of the phenomenon from a perspective that combines elements of productive supply and aggregate demand, representing a novel contribution to the specialized literature. In addition, the authors show how the Kaldor-Verdoorn law could be neutralized due to employment creation (Okun's law) and the presence of a productivity-employment trade-off.