bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Development and initial characterization of a high-resolution PET detector module with DOI
Authors: Li Mohan , Wang Yuli , Abbaszadeh Shiva
Published: October 2020

Organ-dedicated PET scanners are becoming more prevalent because of their advantages in higher sensitivity, improved image quality, and lower cost. Detectors utilized in these scanners have finer pixel size with depth of interaction (DOI) capability. This work presents a LYSO(Ce) detector module with DOI capability which has the potential to be scaled up to a high-resolution small animal or organ-dedicated PET system. For DOI capability, a submodule with one LYSO block detector utilizing PETsys TOFPET2 application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) was previously developed in our lab. We scaled up the submodule and optimized the configuration to allow for a compact housing of the dual-readout boards in one side of the blocks by designing a high-speed dual-readout cable to maintain the original pin-to-pin relationship between the Samtec connectors. The module size is 53.8 × 57.8 mm2. Each module has 2 × 2 LYSO blocks, each LYSO block consists of 4 × 4 LYSO units, and each LYSO unit contains a 6 × 6 array of 1 × 1 × 20 mm3 LYSO crystals. The four lateral surfaces of LYSO crystal were mechanically ground to W14, and the two end surfaces were polished. Two ends of the LYSO crystal are optically connected to SiPM for DOI measurement. Eight LYSO blocks performance including energy, timing, and DOI resolution is characterized with a single LYSO slab. The in-panel and orthogonal-panel spatial resolution of the two modules with 107.4 mm distance between each other are measured at 9 positions within the field of view (FOV) with a 22Na source. Results show that the average energy, timing, and DOI resolution of all LYSO blocks are 16.13% ± 1.01% at 511 keV, 658.03 ± 15.18 ps, and 2.62 ± 0.06 mm, respectively. The energy and timing resolution of two modules are 16.35% and 0.86 ns, respectively. The in-panel and orthogonal-panel spatial resolution of the two modules at the FOV center are 1.9 and 4.4 mm respectively.
On fault feature extraction and diagnosis of vertical mill
Authors: Xu Bo , Sun Yongjian
Published: October 2020

In order to solve the problems of complicated fault diagnosis and poor fault diagnosis of vertical mill operation, this paper proposes a diagnostic method based on fisher and information entropy difference classification. By extracting the fault feature of the anomaly attribute–the maximum value of the attribute, and the possible faults can be determined according to the fault characteristics. Then the information entropy of each sample is calculated, and the entropy difference between normal and fault states is calculated. The normal and fault conditions can be classified by fisher classifier. This method can capture the instantaneous change of the fault and detect the moment when the fault occurs. And the effectiveness of the feature extraction method is verified by experiments.
Discrepancies in the free spectral range (FSR) of one-dimensional (1D) photonic crystal/photonic wire coupled-cavities
Authors: Nawi Mohd Nuriman , Berhanuddin Dilla Duryha , Loncar Marko , Mahdi Mohd Adzir , De La Rue Richard M , Md Zain Ahmad Rifqi
Published: October 2020

We present the simulation and experimental demonstration of a coupled-cavity 1D photonic-crystal/photonic-wire (PhC/PhW) structure that produces multiple resonance wavelengths. The combination of several cavities results in the assembly of a spectral response that exhibits multiple resonance wavelengths and potentially leads to the wavelength control required for wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) applications. By using a structure with three distinct in-line cavities, we have obtained three distinct resonance wavelengths—in conformity with the rule that the number of distinct resonance wavelengths is proportional to the number of cavities. The experimental photonic wire waveguide structure had cross-sectional dimensions of 600 nm (width) × 260 nm (height)—with an embedded photonic crystal (PhC) micro-cavity—all based on a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) platform. The embedded PhC structure was tailored to give resonance wavelengths in the C-band and L-band fiber telecommunication range. With the introduction of tapering in the multiple micro-cavity structure, it was possible to obtain three resonance wavelengths that correspond to WDM wavelengths of 1534.87, 1554.63 and 1594.86 nm—whereas, without tapering, the resonance wavelengths were 1645.60, 1670.76 and 1698.68 nm, respectively. We have observed an asymmetric free spectral range (FSR) situation with un-equal resonance wavelength spacing. The taper regions are also responsible for high optical transmission and lower Q-factor values at resonance. Transmission values of 0.17, 0.47 and 0.43 were obtained, together with Q-factor values of 1179.32, 930.05 and 970.35, respectively, without using tapered sections—while transmission values of 0.45, 0.74 and 0.43 were obtained, together with Q-factor values of 1083.24, 850.10 and 885.22, respectively, using tapered sections. (The normalisation values for the experiments were obtained with respect to an unstructured photonic wire). We have demonstrated that the taper structures used must be designed accurately, in order to maximize the transmission values at the desired resonance wavelengths. The demonstration of fabricated device structures that have measured properties that are in close agreement with predictions obtained using finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) computational software is an indication of the precision of the fabrication process. With the introduction of multiple cavities into the structures realised, the number of resonance wavelengths can be tailored for application as WDM components or other wavelength selective filters, such as arrayed-waveguide grating structures (AWGs) and Bragg gratings.
Future Prospects of Occupational Exposure Modelling of Substances in the Context of Time-Resolved Sensor Data
Authors: Goede Henk , Kuijpers Eelco , Krone Tanja , le Feber Maaike , Franken Remy , Fransman Wouter , Duyzer Jan , Pronk Anjoeka
Published: October 2020

This commentary explores the use of high-resolution data from new, miniature sensors to enrich models that predict exposures to chemical substances in the workplace. To optimally apply these sensors, one can expect an increased need for new models that will facilitate the interpretation and extrapolation of the acquired time-resolved data. We identified three key modelling approaches in the context of sensor data, namely (i) enrichment of existing time-integrated exposure models, (ii) (new) high-resolution (in time and space) empirical models, and (iii) new ‘occupational dispersion’ models. Each approach was evaluated in terms of their application in research, practice, and for policy purposes. It is expected that substance-specific sensor data will have the potential to transform workplace modelling by re-calibrating, refining, and validating existing (time-integrated) models. An increased shift towards ‘sensor-driven’ models is expected. It will allow for high-resolution modelling in time and space to identify peak exposures and will be beneficial for more individualized exposure assessment and real-time risk management. New ‘occupational dispersion models’ such as interpolation, computational fluid dynamic models, and assimilation techniques, together with sensor data, will be specifically useful. These techniques can be applied to develop site-specific concentration maps which calculate personal exposures and mitigate worker exposure through early warning systems, source finding and improved control design and control strategies. Critical development and investment needs for sensor data linked to (new) model development were identified such as (i) the generation of more sensor data with reliable sensor technologies (achieved by improved specificity, sensitivity, and accuracy of sensors), (ii) investing in statistical and new model developments, (iii) ensuring that we comply with privacy and security issues of concern, and (iv) acceptance by relevant target groups (such as employers and employees) and stimulation of these new technologies by policymakers and technology developers.
Accurate and efficient gene function prediction using a multi-bacterial network
Authors: Law Jeffrey N , Kale Shiv D , Murali T M
Published: October 2020

Motivation

Nearly 40% of the genes in sequenced genomes have no experimentally or computationally derived functional annotations. To fill this gap, we seek to develop methods for network-based gene function prediction that can integrate heterogeneous data for multiple species with experimentally based functional annotations and systematically transfer them to newly sequenced organisms on a genome-wide scale. However, the large sizes of such networks pose a challenge for the scalability of current methods.

Results

We develop a label propagation algorithm called FastSinkSource. By formally bounding its rate of progress, we decrease the running time by a factor of 100 without sacrificing accuracy. We systematically evaluate many approaches to construct multi-species bacterial networks and apply FastSinkSource and other state-of-the-art methods to these networks. We find that the most accurate and efficient approach is to pre-compute annotation scores for species with experimental annotations, and then to transfer them to other organisms. In this manner, FastSinkSource runs in under 3 min for 200 bacterial species.

Availability and implementation

An implementation of our framework and all data used in this research are available at https://github.com/Murali-group/multi-species-GOA-prediction.

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
MirCure: a tool for quality control, filter and curation of microRNAs of animals and plants
Authors: Ylla Guillem , Liu Tianyuan , Conesa Ana
Published: October 2020

Motivation

microRNAs (miRNAs) are essential components of gene expression regulation at the post-transcriptional level. miRNAs have a well-defined molecular structure and this has facilitated the development of computational and high-throughput approaches to predict miRNAs genes. However, due to their short size, miRNAs have often been incorrectly annotated in both plants and animals. Consequently, published miRNA annotations and miRNA databases are enriched for false miRNAs, jeopardizing their utility as molecular information resources. To address this problem, we developed MirCure, a new software for quality control, filtering and curation of miRNA candidates. MirCure is an easy-to-use tool with a graphical interface that allows both scoring of miRNA reliability and browsing of supporting evidence by manual curators.

Results

Given a list of miRNA candidates, MirCure evaluates a number of miRNA-specific features based on gene expression, biogenesis and conservation data, and generates a score that can be used to discard poorly supported miRNA annotations. MirCure can also curate and adjust the annotation of the 5p and 3p arms based on user-provided small RNA-seq data. We evaluated MirCure on a set of manually curated animal and plant miRNAs and demonstrated great accuracy. Moreover, we show that MirCure can be used to revisit previous bona fide miRNAs annotations to improve miRNA databases.

Availability and implementation

The MirCure software and all the additional scripts used in this project are publicly available at https://github.com/ConesaLab/MirCure. A Docker image of MirCure is available at https://hub.docker.com/r/conesalab/mircure.

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
A brief history of research incampo rupestre: identifying research priorities and revisiting the geographical distribution of an ancient, widespread Neotropical biome
Authors: Miola Deise T B , Ramos Vladimir D V , Silveira Fernando A O
Published: October 2020

Few ecologists and evolutionary biologists are familiar with the ecology and evolution of the campo rupestre, an ancient azonal peinobiome characterized by a fire-prone, nutrient-impoverished, montane vegetation mosaic, home to thousands of endemics and climate refugia. With the goal of providing a synthetic view of the campo rupestre, we provide a brief historical account of the biological research, revisit its geographical distribution and identify knowledge gaps. The azonal campo rupestre is distributed as isolated and naturally fragmented sky islands, mostly in Central and Eastern Brazil and in the Guyana Shield, with significant areas across the Amazon, Cerrado, Atlantic Forest, Caatinga and Pantanal. Our proposal to elevate campo rupestre to the level of biome is expected to improve communication among scientists and consolidate the use of the term campo rupestre in the ecological and evolutionary literature, as is the case for analogous ecosystems, such as kwongan, fynbos, páramos and tepuis. Based on the identification of knowledge gaps, we propose a research programme comprising ten key topics that can foster our understanding of the ecology and evolution of campo rupestre and, potentially, support conservation strategies.
The Hierarchy-of-Hypotheses Approach: A Synthesis Method for Enhancing Theory Development in Ecology and Evolution
Authors: Heger Tina , Aguilar-Trigueros Carlos A , Bartram Isabelle , Braga Raul Rennó , Dietl Gregory P , Enders Martin , Gibson David J , Gómez-Aparicio Lorena , Gras Pierre , Jax Kurt , Lokatis Sophie , Lortie Christopher J , Mupepele Anne-Christine , Schindler Stefan , Starrfelt Jostein , Synodinos Alexis D , Jeschke Jonathan M
Published: October 2020

In the current era of Big Data, existing synthesis tools such as formal meta-analyses are critical means to handle the deluge of information. However, there is a need for complementary tools that help to (a) organize evidence, (b) organize theory, and (c) closely connect evidence to theory. We present the hierarchy-of-hypotheses (HoH) approach to address these issues. In an HoH, hypotheses are conceptually and visually structured in a hierarchically nested way where the lower branches can be directly connected to empirical results. Used for organizing evidence, this tool allows researchers to conceptually connect empirical results derived through diverse approaches and to reveal under which circumstances hypotheses are applicable. Used for organizing theory, it allows researchers to uncover mechanistic components of hypotheses and previously neglected conceptual connections. In the present article, we offer guidance on how to build an HoH, provide examples from population and evolutionary biology and propose terminological clarifications.
Challenges in Social Policy Making for Psychiatric Disability in India: Lessons and Way Forward for Social Workers
Authors: Jagannathan Aarti , Reddy Shanivaram K
Published: October 2020

Social workers have been influential policy makers due to their understanding of the sociocultural–political scenario of the state and core social work values of social justice and social change. In India, the engagement of social workers in policy and political change has been restricted due to various internal and external work challenges. The authors in this article present two case studies of challenges faced by social workers in policy making in India. In the first case, the social worker dons the role of a change agent for setting up a social welfare system based on policy practice for persons with psychiatric disability in the rural community. In the second example, the social worker acts as a policy expert who is a catalyst between the service users (of psychiatric disability in urban community) and the state in influencing disability policy making. The lessons learnt and the way forward from the challenges faced in the two case studies are discussed.
Serum neurofilament light chain uncovers neurodegeneration early in the course of Alzheimer’s disease
Authors: Brier Matthew R , Day Gregory S
Published: October 2020

This scientific commentary refers to ‘Stage-specific links between plasma neurofilament light and imaging biomarkers of Alzheimer’s disease’, by Benedet et al. (doi:10.1093/brain/awaa342).
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Seroprevalence Survey Among 17 971 Healthcare and Administrative Personnel at Hospitals, Prehospital Services, and Specialist Practitioners in the Central Denmark Region
Authors: Jespersen Sanne , Mikkelsen Susan , Greve Thomas , Kaspersen Kathrine Agergård , Tolstrup Martin , Boldsen Jens Kjærgaard , Redder Jacob Dvinge , Nielsen Kent , Abildgaard Anders Mønsted , Kolstad Henrik Albert , Østergaard Lars , Thomsen Marianne Kragh , Møller Holger Jon , Erikstrup Christian
Published: October 2020

Background

The objective of this study was to perform a seroprevalence survey on severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) among Danish healthcare workers to identify high-risk groups.

Methods

All healthcare workers and administrative personnel at the 7 hospitals, prehospital services, and specialist practitioner clinics in the Central Denmark Region were invited to be tested by a commercial SARS-CoV-2 total antibody enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (Wantai Biological Pharmacy Enterprise Co, Ltd, Beijing, China).

Results

A total of 25 950 participants were invited. Of these, 17 971 had samples available for SARS-CoV-2 antibody testing. After adjustment for assay sensitivity and specificity, the overall seroprevalence was 3.4% (95% confidence interval [CI], 2.5%–3.8%). The seroprevalence was higher in the western part of the region than in the eastern part (11.9% vs 1.2%; difference: 10.7 percentage points [95% CI, 9.5–12.2]). In the high-prevalence area, the emergency departments had the highest seroprevalence (29.7%), whereas departments without patients or with limited patient contact had the lowest seroprevalence (2.2%). Among the total 668 seropositive participants, 433 (64.8%) had previously been tested for SARS-CoV-2 RNA, and 50.0% had a positive reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (PCR) result.

Conclusions

We found large differences in the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in staff working in the healthcare sector within a small geographical area of Denmark. Half of all seropositive staff had been tested positive by PCR prior to this survey. This study raises awareness of precautions that should be taken to avoid in-hospital transmission. Regular testing of healthcare workers for SARS-CoV-2 should be considered to identify areas with increased transmission.
Infection Control in the Era of Antimicrobial Resistance in China: Progress, Challenges, and Opportunities
Authors: Zong Zhiyong , Wu Anhua , Hu Bijie
Published: October 2020

More than 3 decades have passed since infection control was implemented nationwide in China in 1986. A comprehensive set of regulations and guidelines has been developed, and almost all hospitals have established infection control teams. However, compliance is variable and is usually suboptimal. The incidence of certain multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs), including carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB) and carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP), is increasing, and associated infections are mainly hospital-acquired in China. Carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa has remained relatively stable, whereas methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and vancomycin-resistant Enterobacter faecium have been decreasing. The spread of CRAB and CRKP in China is largely mediated by dominant high-risk lineages, namely, clonal complex 92 for CRAB and sequence type 11 for CRKP. However, challenges owing to MDROs bring opportunities for rethinking, taking coordinated action, building capacity, changing behavior, and performing studies that reflect everyday situations in the Chinese healthcare system.
Handwashing Sink Contamination and Carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella Infection in the Intensive Care Unit: A Prospective Multicenter Study
Authors: Qiao Fu , Wei Li , Feng Yu , Ran Shasha , Zheng Lan , Zhang Yujing , Xiang Qian , Liu Yan , Wu Xueqin , Duan Xiaofei , Zhang Wensheng , Li Qu , Guo Hua , Huang Wenzhi , Zhu Shichao , Wen Hongxia , Zong Zhiyong
Published: October 2020

Background

Handwashing sinks can become contaminated by carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella (CRK), including carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP) and carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella oxytoca (CRKO), but whether they are major sources of CRK infections remains unknown.

Methods

We performed a prospective multicenter study in 16 intensive care units (ICUs) (9 general and 7 neonatal) at 11 hospitals. All sinks at these locations were sampled to screen CRK. All CRK clinical isolates recovered between 2 weeks before and 3 months after sampling in ICUs with CRK-positive sinks or other participating ICUs at the same hospital were collected. Whole-genome sequencing of all isolates was performed. Isolates of the same sequence type (ST) were assigned to clones by calling single-nucleotide polymorphisms.

Results

Among 158 sinks sampled, 6 CRKP and 6 CRKO were recovered from 12 sinks in 7 ICUs, corresponding to a 7.6% CRK contamination rate. Twenty-eight clinical isolates were collected, and all were CRKP. The 34 CRKP isolates belonged to 7 STs, including ST789 (n = 14, all had blaNDM-5); ST11 (n = 12, 5 belonged to KL64 and 7 to KL47, all had blaKPC-2); ST709 (n = 4, all had blaNDM-5); and ST16, ST20, ST1027, and ST2407 (n = 1 each). One particular ST789 clone caused an outbreak and contaminated a sink. ST11_KL47 sink isolates were likely the source of a cluster of clinical isolates. Two ST11_KL64 isolates belonged to a common clone but were from 2 hospitals.

Conclusions

Contaminated sinks were not the major source of CRK in our local settings. ST789 blaNDM-5-carrying CRKP might represent an emerging lineage causing neonatal infections.
Emergence and Recovery of Ceftazidime-avibactam Resistance inblaKPC-33-HarboringKlebsiella pneumoniaeSequence Type 11 Isolates in China
Authors: Shi Qingyu , Yin Dandan , Han Renru , Guo Yan , Zheng Yonggui , Wu Shi , Yang Yang , Li Shirong , Zhang Rong , Hu Fupin
Published: October 2020

This is the first report of ceftazidime–avibactam resistance caused by the blaKPC-33 mutation through the D179Y variant during the treatment of blaKPC-2-positive Klebsiella pneumoniae-related infections in China. The blaKPC-33-containing K. pneumoniae was susceptible to meropenem–vaborbactam, cefepime–zidebactam, tigecycline, and polymyxin B. The blaKPC-33 gene was located on a 77 551-bp transformable plasmid harboring qnrS1 and blaLAP-2. Detecting blaKPC-33-positive K. pneumoniae clinical strains is important for infection control.
CyberEyes: Cybersecurity Entity Recognition Model Based on Graph Convolutional Network
Authors: Fang Yong , Zhang Yuchi , Huang Cheng
Published: October 2020

Cybersecurity has gradually become the public focus between common people and countries with the high development of Internet technology in daily life. The cybersecurity knowledge analysis methods have achieved high evolution with the help of knowledge graph technology, especially a lot of threat intelligence information could be extracted with fine granularity. But named entity recognition (NER) is the primary task for constructing security knowledge graph. Traditional NER models are difficult to determine entities that have a complex structure in the field of cybersecurity, and it is difficult to capture non-local and non-sequential dependencies. In this paper, we propose a cybersecurity entity recognition model CyberEyes that uses non-local dependencies extracted by graph convolutional neural networks. The model can capture both local context and graph-level non-local dependencies. In the evaluation experiments, our model reached an F1 score of 90.28% on the cybersecurity corpus under the gold evaluation standard for NER, which performed better than the 86.49% obtained by the classic CNN-BiLSTM-CRF model.
Metabolic traits in brown trout (Salmo trutta) vary in response to food restriction and intrinsic factors
Authors: Archer Louise C , Hutton Stephen A , Harman Luke , Poole W Russell , Gargan Patrick , McGinnity Philip , Reed Thomas E
Published: October 2020

Metabolic rates vary hugely within and between populations, yet we know relatively little about factors causing intraspecific variation. Since metabolic rate determines the energetic cost of life, uncovering these sources of variation is important to understand and forecast responses to environmental change. Moreover, few studies have examined factors causing intraspecific variation in metabolic flexibility. We explore how extrinsic environmental conditions and intrinsic factors contribute to variation in metabolic traits in brown trout, an iconic and polymorphic species that is threatened across much of its native range. We measured metabolic traits in offspring from two wild populations that naturally show life-history variation in migratory tactics (one anadromous, i.e. sea-migratory, one non-anadromous) that we reared under either optimal food or experimental conditions of long-term food restriction (lasting between 7 and 17 months). Both populations showed decreased standard metabolic rates (SMR—baseline energy requirements) under low food conditions. The anadromous population had higher maximum metabolic rate (MMR) than the non-anadromous population, and marginally higher SMR. The MMR difference was greater than SMR and consequently aerobic scope (AS) was higher in the anadromous population. MMR and AS were both higher in males than females. The anadromous population also had higher AS under low food compared to optimal food conditions, consistent with population-specific effects of food restriction on AS. Our results suggest different components of metabolic rate can vary in their response to environmental conditions, and according to intrinsic (population-background/sex) effects. Populations might further differ in their flexibility of metabolic traits, potentially due to intrinsic factors related to life history (e.g. migratory tactics). More comparisons of populations/individuals with divergent life histories will help to reveal this. Overall, our study suggests that incorporating an understanding of metabolic trait variation and flexibility and linking this to life history and demography will improve our ability to conserve populations experiencing global change.
Patients with diabetes mellitus and atrial fibrillation treated with non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants: meta-analysis of eight outcomes in 58 634 patients across four randomized controlled trials
Authors: Plitt Anna , Zelniker Thomas A , Park Jeong-Gun , McGuire Darren K , Ruff Christian T , Antman Elliott M , Braunwald Eugene , Giugliano Robert P
Published: October 2020

Aims

Concomitant atrial fibrillation (AF) and diabetes mellitus (DM) increases the risk of stroke and systemic embolic events (SEE). This meta-analysis assessed the benefit/risk balance of non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs) vs. warfarin, and explored whether there was effect modification by DM or heterogeneity in outcomes between NOACs in patients with and without DM.

Methods and results

We performed a meta-analysis of 58 634 patients from four Phase 3 trials of NOAC vs. warfarin in patients with AF, comparing the primary outcomes of efficacy and safety and six other secondary outcomes in patients stratified by the presence of DM. Interaction testing was used to assess for heterogeneity of treatment effects. A meta-regression was performed to evaluate the influence of baseline characteristics. NOACs reduced the risk of stroke/SEE in 18 134 patients with DM [hazard ratio (HR) 0.80; 95% confidence interval (CI) (0.69–0.93), I2 3.90] to a similar degree as in 40 500 patients without DM [HR 0.82; 95% CI (0.74–0.91), I2 16.33; P-int 0.81]. There was no effect modification of DM on the relative reduction with NOACs vs. warfarin in major bleeding (DM: 0.95, 95% CI 0.75–1.20, I2 43.83; no DM: 0.83, 95% CI 0.55–1.24; I2 87.90; P-int 0.37). Intracranial haemorrhage (HRs 0.51 and 0.47, P-int 0.70) and cardiovascular death (HRs 0.87 and 0.90, P-int 0.70) were significantly reduced by NOACs in the presence or absence of DM.

Conclusion

Non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants are more effective and safer than warfarin in AF patients with or without DM. Absent contraindications, NOACs should be the anticoagulation treatment choice in patients with diabetes.
Improving Formal Qualifications or Firm Linkages-What Supports Successful School-to-Work Transitions among Low-Achieving School Leavers in Germany?
Authors: Holtmann Anne Christine , Ehlert Martin , Menze Laura , Solga Heike
Published: October 2020

Many countries have implemented youth (un)employment programmes for low-achieving young people to improve their employment prospects. In Germany, these youths are often channelled into prevocational programmes to prevent them from long-term ‘scars’ by providing a ‘second chance’ to enter apprenticeships (serving as entry into the labour market in Germany). However, the usefulness of these programmes is contested. It remains unclear whether it is (more) useful for young people to invest in education and improve formal qualifications (to send a positive ‘signal’) or to spend more time in firms (e.g. to counteract possible discrimination processes or to generate new network ties). It is also unclear who benefits most depending on previous school-leaving certificates. We address these questions by using rich data from the German National Educational Panel Study and apply entropy balancing as a matching approach to control for selection. We find that both attaining a higher school certificate and spending time in firms improve low-achieving youth’s chances to enter apprenticeships. However, only those who attained a higher-level school certificate are able to enter higher-status training occupations afterwards. Moreover, prevocational programmes are most beneficial for the most disadvantaged.
Gender Bias in Academic Recruitment? Evidence from a Survey Experiment in the Nordic Region
Authors: Carlsson Magnus , Finseraas Henning , Midtbøen Arnfinn H , Rafnsdóttir Guðbjörg Linda
Published: October 2020

Gender disparities in top-level academic positions are persistent. However, whether bias in recruitment plays a role in producing these disparities remains unclear. This study examines the role of bias in academic recruitment by conducting a large-scale survey experiment among faculty in Economics, Law, Physics, Political Science, Psychology, and Sociology from universities in Iceland, Norway, and Sweden. The faculty respondents rated CVs of hypothetical candidates—who were randomly assigned either a male or a female name—for a permanent position as an Associate Professor in their discipline. The results show that, despite the underrepresentation of women in all fields, the female candidates were viewed as both more competent and more hireable compared to their male counterparts. Having children or a stronger CV do not change the overall result. Consequently, biased evaluations of equally qualified candidates to Associate Professor positions do not seem to be the key explanation of the persistent gender gap in academia in the Nordic region.
Reconstruction of three-dimensional biventricular activation based on the 12-lead electrocardiogram via patient-specific modelling
Authors: Pezzuto Simone , Prinzen Frits W , Potse Mark , Maffessanti Francesco , Regoli François , Caputo Maria Luce , Conte Giulio , Krause Rolf , Auricchio Angelo
Published: October 2020

Aims

Non-invasive imaging of electrical activation requires high-density body surface potential mapping. The nine electrodes of the 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) are insufficient for a reliable reconstruction with standard inverse methods. Patient-specific modelling may offer an alternative route to physiologically constraint the reconstruction. The aim of the study was to assess the feasibility of reconstructing the fully 3D electrical activation map of the ventricles from the 12-lead ECG and cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR).

Methods and results

Ventricular activation was estimated by iteratively optimizing the parameters (conduction velocity and sites of earliest activation) of a patient-specific model to fit the simulated to the recorded ECG. Chest and cardiac anatomy of 11 patients (QRS duration 126–180 ms, documented scar in two) were segmented from CMR images. Scar presence was assessed by magnetic resonance (MR) contrast enhancement. Activation sequences were modelled with a physiologically based propagation model and ECGs with lead field theory. Validation was performed by comparing reconstructed activation maps with those acquired by invasive electroanatomical mapping of coronary sinus/veins (CS) and right ventricular (RV) and left ventricular (LV) endocardium. The QRS complex was correctly reproduced by the model (Pearson’s correlation r = 0.923). Reconstructions accurately located the earliest and latest activated LV regions (median barycentre distance 8.2 mm, IQR 8.8 mm). Correlation of simulated with recorded activation time was very good at LV endocardium (r = 0.83) and good at CS (r = 0.68) and RV endocardium (r = 0.58).

Conclusion

Non-invasive assessment of biventricular 3D activation using the 12-lead ECG and MR imaging is feasible. Potential applications include patient-specific modelling and pre-/per-procedural evaluation of ventricular activation.
Infodemia and COVID-19: a text mining analysis
Authors: De Caro W
Published: October 2020

Introduction

Covid-19 epidemic lead a huge use of social media to comment and spread information from the widest sources. Infodemia looks at excessive amount of information circulating, which makes it difficult to orientate communities on a given topic due to the difficulty of identifying reliable sources. Using text mining analysis it is possible to identify what drives public conversation and impact of Covid-19.

Methods

Public perceptions in emergencies is traditionally measured with surveys. However, to have a global sight of the pandemia, Twitter represents a powerful tool which gives real-time monitoring of public perception. The study aimed to: 1) monitor the use of the terms “Covid-19” or “Coronarivus” over time; and 2) to conduct a specific text and sentiment analysis.

Results

Between January 10 and May 8, 2020, over 600 million tweets were retrieved. Of those 600.000 tweets were randomly selected, coded, and analyzed. About 10% of cases were identified as misinformation. Public figures, experts in public health, and virologists represent the most popular sources in comparison to the official government and health agencies. There is a positive correlation between Twitter activity peaks and COVID-19 infection peaks. Text mining analysis was carried out, as well as a content analysis, also in order to identify changing emotions and sentiments during time. This analysis, particularly during the lockdown, clearly shows that participation on social media can potentially have an effect on building social capital and social support.

Conclusions

This study confirms that using social media to conduct infodemic studies is an important area of development in public health arena. COVID-19 tweets were primarily used to disseminate information from credible sources, but were also a source of opinions, emotion and experiences. Tweets can be used for real-time content analysis and knowledge translation research, allowing health authorities to respond to public concerns.

Key messages

Social media is crucial for health information. Infodemia as new way for study health.
The impact of e-Health interventions on promoting Self-Care in Chronic Patients: an Umbrella Review
Authors: Renzi E , Gasperini G , Baccolini V , Marzuillo C , De Vito C , Villari P , Massimi A
Published: October 2020

Background

Promoting self-care is one of the most promising strategies to manage people with chronic conditions and to improve the Public Health System resilience. In this context, the use of e-Health could facilitate self-care promotion, assure continuity of care and save time.

Methods

We performed an umbrella review on Cochrane, Scopus, Medline, PsychInfo, CINAHL to analyse e-Health self-care promoting intervention in patients with Type- 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM), Cardiovascular Diseases (CVD) and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) compared to traditional intervention. AMSTAR-2 was used for quality appraisal.

Results

10 systematic reviews were included for an amount of 376 RCTs and 3 quasi-experimental studies. All the e-Health interventions retrieved were categorized in 4 subgroups: Phone Reminder, Telemonitoring, Psychoeducational intervention supported by PCs/Apps and Combined Intervention. Nurses (271/379 studies) and physicians (149/379 studies) were the healthcare workers mostly involved in the administration of e-Health interventions. T2DM (5 reviews; 175 studies) and CVD (7 reviews; 164 studies) patients gained more progresses in self-management than COPD patients (3 reviews; 8 studies). E-Health appeared effective both in promoting self-management and disease awareness. Globally, all the e-Health interventions seemed to improve Quality of Life and clinical outcomes. Phone reminders were most effective to increase Medication Adherence. All Causes Mortality registered a positive effect through Telemonitoring. Hospital Admission and Cost-Efficacy were explored only by telemonitoring and it did not show differences with traditional intervention.

Conclusions

E-Health is an effective strategy to promote self-care in patients with chronic conditions and to improve quality of life and clinical outcomes. Further research is required to test e-Health intervention in COPD patients and to examine if there is different efficacy among e-Health subgroups.

Key messages

E-Health should be integrated in Primary Care strategies to improve Public Health systems resilience. Nurses, as frontline Primary Health Care workers, should be advised for e-Health administration.
Pneumococcal vaccine and serotype replacement in England: the bias of increased reporting
Authors: Chiavenna C , Presanis A , Charlett A , Ladhani S , De Angelis D
Published: October 2020

Background

Increased incidence of invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) attributable to non-vaccine serotypes (NVT) has been reported in several countries following introduction of PCV7 and PCV13 vaccines, concurrently with a reduction in vaccine-type IPD. Such serotype replacement has, importantly, emerged in England, offsetting the benefit of PCV introduction. We scrutinise most recent findings to assess if the estimated increase in NVT disease might result from surveillance artefacts.

Methods

Using IPD surveillance for 2000-2018, we estimate the impact of PCV7 and PCV13 introduction on age-serotype-specific incidence rates through a synthetic control regression model, building counterfactuals by combining age-specific incidences reported for pathogens unaffected by PCVs.

Results

Following the introduction of PCV7 and PCV13 (pre-2006 vs post-2011), total IPD incidence declined by 57% and by 76% in children younger than 5. PCV7-IPD decreased by 93% in all age groups, whereas PCV13-IPD declined by 68% since PCV13 was introduced. Importantly, NVT-IPD increased by 43% after PCV7, with non-significant statistical increases in most age groups.

Conclusions

Through appropriate statistical modelling, we disentangled the impact of vaccine and improved surveillance on the changes in IPD incidence rates. By controlling for the confounding effects of improved surveillance, we are able to estimate a lower serotype replacement.

Key messages

Pneumococcal vaccine has been beneficial despite serotype replacement. Adequate statistical methods are needed to disentangle the two phenomena.
Experiences and challenges in collecting survey data in an ethnically diverse social housing area
Authors: Nygaard S , Srivarathan A , Mathisen J , Kristiansen M , Lund R
Published: October 2020

Socio-economically disadvantaged groups are characterised by a higher burden of disease than the background population. Paradoxically, they are often underrepresented in health research. Failing to include socio-economically disadvantaged groups in research impairs the ability to address the social mechanisms creating health disparities. The study describes how we have tried to accommodate identified challenges from the literature in conducting a questionnaire survey in a socio-economically deprived and ethnically diverse social housing area, and which new challenges we identified. The survey is planned before, during and after the structural changes take place. Through innovative approaches, we sought to accommodate identified barriers to reaching participants. The questionnaire was translated from Danish to the seven most prevalent languages in the area, based on data from the national register. A survey corps of native speaking interviewers went door-to-door to perform face-to-face interviews. To encourage participation, we used a recruitment strategy inspired by ethnographic data collection traditions, such as local presence, participation in local activities, and graphic facilitation on invitation letters. Wave 1 and 2 had a response rate of 35% (N = 209) and 22% (N = 132), respectively. 79 respondents participated in both waves. Despite our efforts to accommodate identified challenges such as language, illiteracy, and mistrust, the response rates are low. We identified new challenges in recruiting participants including participation fatigue, frustration with the restructure process, and a feeling of limited individual gain from participation. Many challenges are associated with conducting research among socio-economically disadvantaged groups. Documenting processes and learning from experiences are important steps in including groups with lower socio-economic status in health research in order to address the underlying social mechanisms creating health disparities.
Changes in life expectancy and contribution of causes of deaths and age groups in Belgium, 1997-2018
Authors: Scohy A , Van Oyen H , Renard F
Published: October 2020

Background

Concerns have been expressed about a recent decreasing growth of life expectancy (LE) in some developed countries. This study examines whether a slowing down in the LE increase was observed in Belgium between 1997 and 2018, and describes the contribution of causes of deaths (COD) and age groups to the 2000-2015 change in LE.

Methods

Changes in yearly LE increase were analyzed by linear regression and joinpoint regression analysis. The contribution of age and COD to the change in LE in Belgium was measured with the Arriaga decomposition method using 3-year moving average to reduce random fluctuations over years.

Results

No significant breakpoint was identified. The slope of the linear regression of annual LE changes in men was practically flat (slope = -0.0002, CI: -0.014, 0.013) and slightly, but not significantly, decreasing in women (slope = -0.002, CI: -0.019, 0.015). A larger increase in LE was observed in men compared to women and in people aged 70 years and over compared to younger ages. The COD contributing the most to the increase in LE was ischemic heart disease in men and in women. It was followed by transport accident and lung cancer in men and by cerebrovascular diseases and other circulatory diseases in women. Dementia, Alzheimer, and Parkinson contributed negatively to the LE increase in men and in women. The largest negative contributor was lung cancer in women.

Conclusions

In contrast to neighboring countries, no evidence for a significant stalling of life expectancy were found in Belgium between 1997 and 2018. Progress in reducing the major causes of deaths (cardiovascular diseases, some cancers, and transport accidents) have contributed to the increase of LE, but some COD are impeding further progress, particularly lung cancer in women.

Key messages

No evidence of stalling life expectancy in Belgium between 1997 and 2018. Monitoring causes of deaths is crucial to identify conditions impeding progress in life expectancy.
Translating a whole of system approach to an urban community setting: a realist evaluation
Authors: Maitland N , Wardle K , Haigh F , Allender S , Jalaludin B
Published: October 2020

Introduction

The recent Lancet Commissions report on The Global Syndemic of Obesity, Undernutrition, and Climate Change highlights the need for comprehensive actions to address the global epidemic of obesity. The Campbelltown - Changing our Future project utilised a community led participatory systems mapping approach to develop interventions to address childhood obesity in an urban environment. While there is evidence demonstrating the impact of systems approaches on outcomes, there is limited examples internationally demonstrating what works in which circumstances, for whom and most importantly how.

Methods

A realist evaluation framework was used by project staff to identify key mechanisms that enabled project outcomes. This framework uses four key interrelated concepts: “mechanism”, “context”, “outcome pattern” and “context-mechanism-outcome (CMO) pattern configuration”. Five key underlying properties that influenced the project were analysed using the CMO pattern configuration.

Results

The five key properties that the project team has identified as key influences in the translation of a whole of system approach in an urban community are: endorsement, ways of working, deliberative learning, personality traits and partnerships. These mechanisms enabled over 90 community-led actions to be established.

Conclusions

The five properties work harmoniously together when performed in an enabling context to produce comprehensive, community-led action. Understanding “how” these theories interact and the optimal context provides opportunity for a broader understanding on the process of practical implementation of a whole of system approach.

Key messages

Provides insight into how a practical example of a whole of system approach is implemented. Endorsement, flexible ways of working, deliberative learning, personality traits and partnerships are enablers of systems based participatory approaches addressing obesity within a community setting.