bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Prevalence of Chronic Otitis Media among Undernourished Children
Authors: Shajahan Shehanaaz , Aroor Rajeshwary
Published: May 2020

Objective This study aimed to identify the role of nutrition in the etiology of chronic suppurative otitis media (CSOM) by comparing the prevalence of CSOM between undernourished children with normal children aged between 10 and 12 years.

Materials and Methods A total of 200 children aged between 10 and 12 years studying in government schools were selected for the study. All the children underwent a general and detailed ENT examination in addition to nutritional assessment based on body mass index calculation, using World Health Organization (WHO) Child Growth Standards Chart. The children were divided into two groups: Group A and Group B. Group A consisted of 100 children who were malnourished and Group B consisted of 100 children who were normal. The presence of CSOM in the two groups was noted.

Results and Observations Of the total 200 children, 112 were boys (56%) and 88 were girls (44%). Of the 112 boys, 22 (19.64%) had CSOM and out of 88 girls, 24 (27.27%) had CSOM. Of the total 46 children found to have CSOM, 35 children (76.1%) belonged to Group A and 11 children (23.9%) belonged to Group B.

Conclusion Our study shows that there is a higher prevalence of CSOM among undernourished children than in normal children. High prevalence of CSOM in undernourished children is a preventable health problem that needs health education and active intervention.
Intrathoracic Liver Heterotopia: An Incidental Finding at Autopsy
Authors: Bhat Shubha Padmanabha , Pradeep Aswathy , Laxminarayana Kishan Prasad Hosapatna , Kaliyat Sajitha , Kurian Cherian Philemon , Srinivas Teerthanath
Published: May 2020

Heterotopia is the presence of a particular tissue at a nonphysiological site. The most common sites are gastric, pancreatic, and splenic heterotopias. While liver heterotopias are rare, intrathoracic heterotopias are much more limited. It is usually reported incidentally on imaging investigations or at autopsy. There is a high incidence of malignant transformation of heterotopic livers, and hence resection is always recommended. Here we report a case of heterotopic liver tissue in the right lung in a 42-year-old male, incidentally found at the gross examination of autopsy specimen of the lung.
Neurotrauma in the Time of SARS-COV 2: A Checklist for Its Safe Management
Authors: Salazar Luis Rafael Moscote , Agrawal Deepak , Deora Harsh , Agrawal Amit
Published: May 2020

Neurotrauma is a critical public health problem that deserves the attention of the world health community. The unprecedented pandemic of SARS-COV 2 has led to a tremendous strain on medical facilities including intensive care and availability of blood products. In addition, due to lockdown in most nations and diverting of medical attention elsewhere, neurotrauma has taken a back seat. Despite this, any case of trauma presenting during this time should receive the best possible care. However, it is also imperative to safeguard the health care workers from this infection, too. The number of health care workers losing their lives to this infection is ever rising. We here present a possible workflow using a checklist approach such that errors and cross-infections are minimized and there is no reduction in the level of care received by any trauma case. This article has been written with a special focus on middle-income countries where resources may already be strained due to the sudden case burden. We hope to minimize death “caused” by COVID-19 and “related” to it.
Cross frequency coupling in next generation inhibitory neural mass models
Authors: Ceni Andrea , Olmi Simona , Torcini Alessandro , Angulo-Garcia David
Published: May 2020

Coupling among neural rhythms is one of the most important mechanisms at the basis of cognitive processes in the brain. In this study, we consider a neural mass model, rigorously obtained from the microscopic dynamics of an inhibitory spiking network with exponential synapses, able to autonomously generate collective oscillations (COs). These oscillations emerge via a super-critical Hopf bifurcation, and their frequencies are controlled by the synaptic time scale, the synaptic coupling, and the excitability of the neural population. Furthermore, we show that two inhibitory populations in a master–slave configuration with different synaptic time scales can display various collective dynamical regimes: damped oscillations toward a stable focus, periodic and quasi-periodic oscillations, and chaos. Finally, when bidirectionally coupled, the two inhibitory populations can exhibit different types of θ–γ cross-frequency couplings (CFCs): phase-phase and phase-amplitude CFC. The coupling between θ and γ COs is enhanced in the presence of an external θ forcing, reminiscent of the type of modulation induced in hippocampal and cortex circuits via optogenetic drive.
On the local measurement of electric currents and magnetic fields using Thomson scattering in Weibel-unstable plasmas
Authors: Bruulsema C. , Rozmus W. , Swadling G. F. , Glenzer S. , Park H. S. , Ross J. S. , Fiuza F.
Published: May 2020

We demonstrate the capability of the Thomson Scattering (TS) diagnostic to measure locally the microscopic electron and ion currents in counter-streaming plasmas unstable to the Weibel or current-filamentation instability. Synthetic TS spectra are calculated with particle distribution functions obtained from particle-in-cell simulations and used to accurately reproduce the simulated currents. We show that this technique allows accurate local measurements of the magnetic field, thus opening the way for the complete experimental characterization of the growth rate, saturation, and nonlinear dynamics of electromagnetic instabilities in plasmas. We illustrate the application of this diagnostic to experimental TS data, which yields local measurements of the magnetic field in Weibel-unstable plasmas and indicates that the magnetic energy density reaches ∼1% of the kinetic energy density of the flows, in agreement with previous numerical studies.
Dielectric dispersion and ac conductivity behavior in tin-modified lead zirconate antiferroelectric single crystals
Authors: Jankowska-Sumara Irena , Markiewicz Ewa , Majchrowski Andrzej , Soszyński Andrzej , Podgórna Maria
Published: May 2020

Frequency and temperature dielectric response and electrical conductivity behavior around the antiferroelectric–paraelectric phase transition temperature were studied in PbZr0.93Sn0.07O3 antiferroelectric single crystals. The contribution of conductive processes to dielectric relaxation for the studied frequency range is discussed, considering oxygen vacancies and electronic transport. The relaxation processes below the transition temperature are associated with short-range polaronic hopping due to the interaction of the charge carriers (trapped electrons) with the distorted crystal lattice. Based on the specific coupling between electrons and phonons in the largely distorted oxygen octahedral sublattice of PbZr1−xSnxO3 crystals, an attempt to explain the formation of the incommensurate phase was undertaken.
Effect of hole blocking layer on V-pit hole injection and internal quantum efficiency in GaN-based yellow LED
Authors: Deng Feng , Quan Zhi-Jue , Xu Yi , Gao Jiang-Dong , Zheng Chang-Da , Wu Xiao-Ming , Zhang Jian-Li , Wang Xiao-Lan , Mo Chun-Lan , Liu Jun-Lin
Published: May 2020

Five types of GaN-based yellow light-emitting diodes (LEDs) with both a V-pit and a hole blocking layer (HBL) have been investigated numerically. The simulation results show that the GaN hole blocking layer in the p region (HBLP) can not only increase the ratio of the hole current via the V-pit, but also increase the electron leakage into the p layer via the flat region, leading to the lower internal quantum efficiency (IQE). Compared to the GaN HBLP, the Al0.5Ga0.5N HBLP is helpful in suppressing the electron leakage via the flat region to the p layer; however, it increases the electron leakage via the V-pits to the p layer, resulting in an unsatisfactory improvement of IQE. In order to settle out this issue, the AlN hole blocking layer in the n region (HBLN) is designed in the sidewall of the V-pit. It is found that the HBLN can not only alleviate the electron leakage via the V-pits to the p layer, more importantly, but also block the hole leakage via the V-pits to the n layer, leading to the improvement of IQE.
Ghost imaging second harmonic generation microscopy
Authors: Wen Xiewen , Adhikari Sushovit , Cortes Cristian L. , Gosztola David J. , Gray Stephen K. , Wiederrecht Gary P.
Published: May 2020

Second harmonic generation (SHG) microscopy is useful for visualizing interfaces and sub-structures within a wide range of materials due to the propensity for SHG to occur in non-centrosymmetric environments. However, since SHG is a nonlinear process generally necessitating small focal sizes for higher peak powers, a raster scanning approach is usually needed to build an SHG image over a significant sample size. While raster scanning is effective, there is a cost in terms of the time needed to acquire the image and, also, some materials cannot withstand the higher optical intensities within the small focal volume. In order to address this, we describe a SHG microscopy approach based on ghost imaging (GI), which enables imaging data to be collected in parallel rather than sequentially as in raster scanning techniques. We experimentally demonstrate the approach and combine GI-SHG with compressive sensing to make further substantial gains in reducing the amount of sampling required for image reconstruction. Furthermore, GI-SHG is shown to have significant advantages for imaging in highly scattering environments, partly because GI is a background-free approach requiring spatial correlations between photons that travel two paths, with one path entirely devoid of sample interaction. This basic property of GI means that only the photons that travel unimpeded through the sample preserve the spatial correlations needed to reconstruct the image, while more scattered photons do not contribute to the overall GI signal. Finally, we compare the image quality and sampling properties of three different reconstruction algorithms used for compressive sensing.
Orientation dependence of dielectric and piezoelectric properties of tetragonal relaxor ferroelectric single crystals by alternate current poling
Authors: Guo Lin , Su Bin , Wang Chenxi , He Xiang , Wang Zujian , Yang Xiaoming , Long Xifa , He Chao
Published: May 2020

Piezoelectric and dielectric properties of [001] and [110]-oriented tetragonal Pb(In1/2Nb1/2)-Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)-PbTiO3 (PIN-PMN-PT) single crystals (SCs) after alternate current poling (ACP) were investigated. Compared with direct current poling (DCP), the piezoelectric and dielectric properties of [001]-oriented samples have no improvement, while the piezoelectric coefficient d33 and free dielectric constant ε33T/ε0 of [110]-oriented samples increase by 32% and 26%, respectively. The domain was observed on (001) and (11¯0) faces of [110]-oriented samples. The enhancement of the piezoelectric performance is attributed to the high density of domain wall, increase of distorted regions between 90° domains, and monoclinic phase. Compared with DCP, both intrinsic and extrinsic contributions enhance after ACP though the Rayleigh analysis. This work indicates that ACP is an effective way to enhance piezoelectric properties of non-polar axis oriented relaxor-PT ferroelectric SCs.
Anodic arc discharge: Why pulsed?
Authors: Corbella Carles , Portal Sabine , Kundrapu Madhusudhan N. , Keidar Michael
Published: May 2020

Pulsed anodic arc discharge is a novel synthesis method of nanomaterials by means of low-temperature atmospheric plasma. The technique consists in periodically supplying DC power to two vertically aligned electrodes in the form of short unipolar pulses with peak currents of a few hundred Amperes in a helium atmosphere. The pulsed arc plasmas are sustained at frequencies on the order of 1 Hz with around 10% of duty cycle. It constitutes a versatile technique thanks to a series of advantages compared to continuous DC arc processes, in particular, flexibility in the experimental conditions, process stability and repeatability, better utilization of ablating anode material, lower production of macroparticles, and lower thermal loads. Such features are discussed in this article. A brief overview concerning the recent accomplishments of pulsed arc discharge on deposition of carbon nanostructures (graphene and carbon nanotubes) and few-layer flakes of molybdenum disulphide and an outlook on future applications of this method for the discovery of new materials with tailored functional properties are provided.
Incipient fault diagnosis and amplitude estimation based on K–L divergence with a Gaussian mixture model
Authors: Jiang Dongnian , Li Wei , Shen Fuyuan
Published: May 2020

In this paper, a method of incipient fault diagnosis and amplitude estimation based on Kullback–Leibler (K–L) divergence is proposed. An incipient fault is usually regarded as the precursor of a significant system fault, but due to a low amplitude and non-obvious characteristics, it is easy for such a fault to be hidden by disturbance and noise. Based on this and considering the sensitivity of the K–L divergence method in data feature extraction, a method of diagnosing incipient faults is designed. In order to consider the safety performance and lay a foundation for the fault tolerance of the system, an amplitude estimation method for incipient faults is also proposed. By mapping the characteristic change in the residual data to the numerical change in the K–L divergence, the amplitude of the incipient fault can be measured with high sensitivity. Considering the generality of the method, a Gaussian mixture model is used to model the residual data in order to increase the accuracy of fault amplitude estimation. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed method for incipient fault diagnosis and amplitude estimation is verified by experiment.
Analytic guiding center formulas for bounce-transit motion in a concentric circular, finite inverse aspect ratio tokamak geometry
Authors: Stephens Cole D. , Garbet Xavier , Jenko Frank
Published: May 2020

Bounce-transit motion in concentric circular magnetic geometry is typically analyzed in the limit that the inverse aspect ratio, ε, is small. We prove that this approximation is not necessary to study a concentric circular geometry by deriving new analytical formulas while retaining a non-zero ε. We use these formulas to demonstrate that the approximation is robust for ε≲0.3.
Monolithically fabricated tunable long-wave infrared detectors based on dynamic graphene metasurfaces
Authors: Goldflam M. D. , Ruiz I. , Howell S. W. , Tauke-Pedretti A. , Anderson E. M. , Wendt J. R. , Finnegan P. , Hawkins S. , Coon W. , Fortune T. R. , Shaner E. A. , Kadlec C. , Olesberg J. T. , Klem J. , Webster P. T. , Sinclair M. B. , Kim J. K. , Peters D. W. , Beechem T. E.
Published: May 2020

Here, the design, fabrication, and characterization of an actively tunable long-wave infrared detector, made possible through direct integration of a graphene-enabled metasurface with a conventional type-II superlattice infrared detector, are reported. This structure allows for post-fabrication tuning of the detector spectral response through voltage-induced modification of the carrier density within graphene and, therefore, its plasmonic response. These changes modify the transmittance through the metasurface, which is fabricated monolithically atop the detector, allowing for spectral control of light reaching the detector. Importantly, this structure provides a fabrication-controlled alignment of the metasurface filter to the detector pixel and is entirely solid-state. Using single pixel devices, relative changes in the spectral response exceeding 8% have been realized. These proof-of-concept devices present a path toward solid-state hyperspectral imaging with independent pixel-to-pixel spectral control through a voltage-actuated dynamic response.
Exchange interactions and long-range magnetic order in the (Mg,Co,Cu,Ni,Zn)O entropy-stabilized oxide: A theoretical investigation
Authors: Rák Zs. , Brenner D. W.
Published: May 2020

The magnetic structure of the entropy-stabilized oxide (Mg0.2Co0.2Ni0.2Cu0.2Zn0.2)O has been investigated using first-principles methods in combination with Monte Carlo (MC) simulations. Similar to other transition metal oxides with the rock salt structure, such as CoO and NiO, the dominant interaction in this entropic oxide is the antiferromagnetic (AFM) superexchange interaction that takes place between second nearest neighbor cations. This superexchange interaction is responsible for the long-range type-II antiferromagnetic order observed in the material, with ferromagnetic (111) planes coupled antiferromagnetically in the (111) direction. The Néel temperature (TN) is evaluated via MC simulation, where the entropic oxide is modeled by a lattice of randomly distributed strengths of magnetic exchanges obtained from the binary and ternary oxides. The composition dependence of TN suggests that the material becomes paramagnetic when the concentration of nonmagnetic species exceeds 84%. The comparison between the theoretical results and the available experimental data indicates that the magnetic interactions in the entropic oxide can be predicted from magnetic exchange parameters calculated in the binary and ternary oxides.
Acoustic parameters of courtship and human-directed friendly vocalisations in seven species of Neotropical deer in captivity
Authors: Black-Décima Patricia , Hurtado Alejandra M. , Barbanti Duarte J. M. , Santana Mirta
Published: May 2020

Context
Polygynous deer rut vocalisations have been found to be highly conspicuous, typical of the species and important in sexual selection. Information about vocalisations is not available for Neotropical species (subfamily Odocoileinae).

Aims
The objective was to record courtship vocalisations from all Neotropical deer available, looking for differences among species useful for taxonomic identification, characterise the vocalisations according to acoustic parameters and to try to determine functions.

Methods
Four species of brocket deer (red, Mazama americana (n = 9); grey, M. gouazoubira (n = 7); Amazonian brown, M. nemorivaga (n = 3); Brazilian dwarf, M. nana (n = 1)), and one individual each of marsh (Blastocerus dichotomus), white-tailed (Odocoileus virginianus) and taruca (Hippocamellus antisensis) deer were recorded in captivity at two institutions, in conditions of courtship or human interaction. The acoustic analysis was performed with Praat. Data from the first three species of Mazama were analysed statistically with a multilevel model with two layers.

Key results
In the context of courting either females or humans, male deer produced low-intensity, short-duration (0.1–0.3 s) bleats with fundamental frequencies (F0) between 100 and 400 Hz; calls were similar among species. The duration of these calls for Amazonian brown brocket males was significantly longer than for males of the other two species. Females of two species had longer-duration calls than did males, in friendly interactions with humans. F0 differences among species for both friendly and courtship calls were almost significant for males of M. gouazoubira. Individual differences were highly significant for both duration and mean F0. Mean F0 for courtship calls of adult males was not correlated with body size in six of the seven species, in contrast to the theory of acoustic allometry.

Conclusions
The production of male courtship bleats is probably a basic feature of Odocoiline deer and is probably important in sexual selection and female choice. The differences from one species to another are not sufficient for taxonomic use but may be incipient isolating mechanisms between grey and Amazonian brown brocket deer.

Implications
Studies of deer vocalisations have shown their importance in sexual selection and their incredible variety in closely related species and subspecies, but they have dealt mainly with Old World deer. This study fills a gap in our knowledge, as the first on Neotropical deer, which constitute six genera and 17 species and are widely distributed in the Americas. These data are important for future studies on the function and phylogeny of deer vocalisations.
Primary care access barriers faced by immigrant populations in their host countries: a systematic review protocol aiming to construct a conceptual framework using root cause analysis to capture 'what leads to what'
Authors: Turin Tanvir C. , Chowdhury Nashit , Ferdous Mahzabin , Rashid Ruksana , Vaska Marcus , Rumana Nahid , Rahman Nafiza , Lasker Mohammad , Chowdhury Mohammad Z.
Published: May 2020

ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTIONUnderstanding primary care access or health service utilisation challenges among immigrant communities is important for tailoring services to community needs, which is the core of precision population health.
AIMWe aim to inventory the primary care access barriers faced by immigrant communities through a comprehensive systematic review and develop a conceptual framework to explain the barriers, using a root cause analysis approach.
METHODSAcademic databases of primary research articles and grey literature will be searched using appropriate keywords. Relevant information will be extracted into tabular format from finally selected literature. Our proposed approach of framing the barriers to identify the root causes is adapted from the root cause analysis method, which is the process of identifying and understanding the underlying causes to discover the root causes of problems.
RESULTSThe study will produce a systematic, quantified and documented list of the barriers faced by immigrants in a solution-oriented approach.
DISCUSSIONThe proposed research, as a first step towards determining possible mitigation strategies for health-care access by immigrants, will provide the background needed to devise and test tailored interventions to improve future access to health care for immigrants. We will follow the integrated knowledge translation or community engagement knowledge mobilization approach, where we are engaged with community-based citizen researchers from the inception of our programme. We plan to disseminate the results of our review through meetings with key stakeholders and social media outreach, followed by journal publications and presentations on relevant platforms.
Corrigendum to: Deletion of dpy-19 like 2 (DPY19L2) gene is associated with total but not partial globozoospermia
Authors: Alimohammadi Fatemeh , Ebrahimi Nasab Mahya , Rafaee Alemeh , Hashemi Mehrdad , Totonchi Mehdi , Mohseni Meybodi Anahita , Sadighi Gilani Mohammad Ali , Sabbaghian Marjan
Published: May 2020

The dpy-19 like 2 (DPY19L2) gene is the most common genetic cause of globozoospermia characterised by the production of round-headed spermatozoa without an acrosome. The present study was performed on 63 men with globozoospermia and 41 normozoospermic individuals to evaluate the frequency of the DPY19L2 gene and exons; deletion and genetic changes in exons 1, 5, 7–11, 19, 21 and interval introns; and some epidemiological factors (e.g. varicocele, smoking, drug use, alcohol consumption and a family history of infertility). Homozygous deletion of DPY19L2 was identified in 35% of men with globozoospermia. Exon 7 was deleted in 4.8% of men with globozoospermia in which DPY19L2 was not deleted. No genetic variations were observed within the DPY19L2 exons examined, but five intronic polymorphisms were detected: 1054–77T>C in intron 9, 1131+65T>C and 1131+53A>G in intron 10 and 1218+22T>C and 1218+73T>C in intron 11. There were significant differences in the frequency of 1054–77T>C and 1218+22T>C polymorphisms between the globozoospermic and normozoospermic groups. In addition, there were significant differences between the two groups in sperm count, sperm motility, a history of infertility in the family and varicocele. Based on these findings, DPY19L2 deletion is the major cause of total globozoospermia and there is no association between exons 1, 5, 8–11, 19 and 21 polymorphisms of the DPY19L2 gene in the occurrence of this defect.
Another look at “Cat in the rain”
Authors: Uchida Seiji
Published: May 2020

Hemingway’s “Cat in the rain” has been discussed from various viewpoints, both by literary critics
and by linguists. Among the points in dispute is the issue of whether the cat the American wife saw under the
table in the rain was identical with the big tortoise-shell cat introduced in the final paragraph of the
story. The chapter reconsiders the issue in terms of strong/weak implicatures in relevance theory. I argue
that the interpretation that the cat the hotel owner told the maid to bring to the American wife is different
from the one the wife saw is obtained as a strong implicature and that the identity of the two cats can be
derived from a weak implicature. I also argue that the latter interpretation leads to an interesting
implication: both cats could be the same type of a tortoise-shell cat but not identical.
Humour and irony in George Mikes’ How to be a Brit
Authors: Ruiz-Moneva Maria Angeles
Published: May 2020

Within relevance theory, and contrarily to classical formalist models, it is claimed that
figurative language does not require any special processing route, other than the steps followed in the
addressee’s inferential recognition of the speaker’s communicative intention made manifest through the message
encoded in a certain context. The present paper sets out to analyse humour and irony as used by Mikes in
How to be a Brit as manifestations of figurative language following a relevance-theoretic
approach. It will be shown that the inferential steps followed by the addressee in coping with the message
communicated by the speaker with different degrees of strength can be exploited for the expression of irony
and humour.
Language contact
Authors: Diebowski Jessica
Published: May 2020

This paper examines the effect of language contact on the knowledge of Spanish gender assignment and agreement in adult second language learners and simultaneous bilinguals (heritage speakers of Spanish), all residing in the Geneva area of New York State. The data comes from 27 English-speaking learners of Spanish and 27 bilingual speakers, who completed a grammatical judgment task (GJT) and an oral elicitation production task (OPT). In particular, the paper investigates whether the successful acquisition of gender is dependent on the extent of exposure to the target language. The results show successful acquisition of gender assignment and agreement in all groups. In addition, the findings indicate that the extent to which Spanish is used seems to affect the gender accuracy of Spanish L2 learners as opposed to heritage speakers, who perform at ceiling in the GJT and oral task regardless of the frequency of heritage language (hl) use.
Does extensive L2 exposure trigger L1 attrition of perfective and durative aspect marking in Mandarin Chinese?
Authors: Zhang Shi
Published: May 2020

This study concerns whether extended exposure to a second language would lead to first language (L1) attrition, i.e. changes of L1 linguistic behavior/knowledge. An acceptability judgement task, which examined the perceptive knowledge of perfective and durative aspect marking in Mandarin Chinese, was employed, and the performance of 14 Mandarin-English bilinguals in the UK was examined. The results did not suggest that the bilinguals showed L1 attrition in perceiving perfective/durative aspect marking. The paper also discusses how research on heritage language acquisition could benefit from L1 attrition research.
Metamagnetic transition and reversible magnetocaloric effect in antiferromagnetic DyNiGa compound*
Authors: Ding Yan-Hong , Meng Fan-Zhen , Wang Li-Chen , Liu Ruo-Shui , Shen Jun
Published: May 2020

Rare-earth (R)-based materials with large reversible magnetocaloric effect (MCE) are attracting much attention as the promising candidates for low temperature magnetic refrigeration. In the present work, the magnetic properties and MCE of DyNiGa compound with TiNiSi-type orthorhombic structure are studied systematically. The DyNiGa undergoes a magnetic transition from antiferromagnetic (AFM) to paramagnetic state with Néel temperature T
N = 17 K. Meanwhile, it does not show thermal and magnetic hysteresis, revealing the perfect thermal and magnetic reversibility. Moreover, the AFM state can be induced into a ferromagnetic state by a relatively low field, and thus leading to a large reversible MCE, e.g., a maximum magnetic entropy change (−ΔS
M) of 10 J/kg⋅K is obtained at 18 K under a magnetic field change of 5 T. Consequently, the large MCE without thermal or magnetic hysteresis makes the DyNiGa a competitive candidate for magnetic refrigeration of hydrogen liquefaction.
The new contraceptive revolution: developing innovative products outside of industry†,‡
Authors: Callahan Rebecca L , Mehta Neha J , Nanda Kavita , Kopf Gregory S
Published: May 2020

A significant global unmet need for new contraceptive options for both women and men remains due to side effect profiles, medical concerns, and inconvenience of many currently available products. The pharmaceutical industry has largely abandoned early research and development for contraception and will not likely engage to bring new products to the market unless they have been significantly de-risked by showing promise in early phase clinical trials. This lack of interest by big pharma comes at a time when scientific and technological advances in biology and medicine are creating more opportunities than ever for the development of new and innovative drug products. Novel partnerships between the academic sector, small biotechnology companies, foundations, non-government organizations (NGOs), and the federal government could accelerate the development of new contraceptive products. We discuss the challenges and opportunities that we have encountered as an NGO with a mission to develop novel contraceptive products for low- and middle-income countries and how it differs from developing products for higher-income markets. We hope that our experiences and “lessons learned” will be of value to others as they proceed down the product development path, be it for female or male or for hormonal or nonhormonal contraceptives.
Klotho: a link between cardiovascular and non-cardiovascular mortality
Authors: Lanzani Chiara , Citterio Lorena , Vezzoli Giuseppe
Published: May 2020

Klotho is a membrane-bound protein acting as an obligatory coreceptor for fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23) in the kidney and parathyroid glands. The extracellular portion of its molecule may be cleaved and released into the blood and produces multiple endocrine effects. Klotho exerts anti-inflammatory and antioxidative activities that may explain its ageing suppression effects evidenced in mice; it also modulates mineral metabolism and FGF23 activities and limits their negative impact on cardiovascular system. Clinical studies have found that circulating Klotho is associated with myocardial hypertrophy, coronary artery disease and stroke and may also be involved in the pathogenesis of salt-sensitive hypertension with a mechanism sustained by inflammatory cytokines. As a consequence, patients maintaining high serum levels of Klotho not only show decreased cardiovascular mortality but also non-cardiovascular mortality. Klotho genetic polymorphisms may influence these clinical relationships and predict cardiovascular risk; rs9536314 was the polymorphism most frequently involved in these associations. These findings suggest that Klotho and its genetic polymorphisms may represent a bridge between inflammation, salt sensitivity, hypertension and mortality. This may be particularly relevant in patients with chronic kidney disease who have decreased Klotho levels in tissues and blood.
Stable and Unstable Theories of Truth and Syntax
Authors: Mount Beau Madison , Waxman Daniel
Published: May 2020

Recent work on formal theories of truth has revived an approach, due originally to Tarski, on which syntax and truth theories are sharply distinguished—‘disentangled’—from mathematical base theories. In this paper, we defend a novel philosophical constraint on disentangled theories. We argue that these theories must be epistemically stable: they must possess an intrinsic motivation justifying no strictly stronger theory. In a disentangled setting, even if the base and the syntax theory are individually stable, they may be jointly unstable. We contend that this flaw afflicts many proposals discussed in the literature; we defend a new, stable disentangled theory, double second-order arithmetic.
The near-infrared polarization of the pre-planetary nebula Frosty Leo
Authors: Serrano Bernal E O , Sabin L , Luna A , Devaraj R , Mayya Y D , Carrasco L
Published: May 2020

We present a near-infrared imaging polarimetric study of the pre-planetary nebula: Frosty Leo. The observations were carried out in J, H, and K′ bands using the new polarimeter POLICAN mounted on the 2.1-m telescope of the Guillermo Haro Astrophysical Observatory, Sonora, Mexico. The most prominent result observed in the polarization maps is a large and well-defined dusty envelope (35 arcsec diameter in H band). The polarization position angles in the envelope are particularly well ordered and nearly parallel to the equator of the nebula (seen in J and H bands). The nebula presents a known bipolar outflow and the envelope completely wraps around it. Within the bipolar lobes, we find high polarization levels ranging from $60{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$ (J band) to $90{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$ (K′ band) and the polarization angles trace a centrosymmetric pattern. We found the remnants of superwind shells at the edges of the bipolar lobes and the duration of this phase is around 600 yr. The origin of polarization features in the nebula is most likely due to a combination of single and multiple scattering. Our results clearly demonstrate new structures that provide new hints on the evolution of Frosty Leo from its previous asymptotic giant branch phase.
Optical spectroscopy and X-ray observations of the D-type symbiotic star EF Aql
Authors: Stoyanov K A , Iłkiewicz K , Luna G J M , Mikołajewska J , Mukai K , Martí J , Latev G , Boeva S , Zamanov R K
Published: May 2020

We performed high-resolution optical spectroscopy and X-ray observations of the recently identified Mira-type symbiotic star EF Aql. Based on high-resolution optical spectroscopy obtained with the Southern African Large Telescope (SALT), we determine the temperature (∼55 000 K) and the luminosity (∼5.3 L⊙) of the hot component in the system. The heliocentric radial velocities of the emission lines in the spectra reveal possible stratification of the chemical elements. We also estimate the mass-loss rate of the Mira donor star. Our Swift observation did not detect EF Aql in X-rays. The upper limit of the X-ray observations is 10−12 erg cm−2 s−1, which means that EF Aql is consistent with the faintest X-ray systems detected so far. Otherwise we detected it with the UltraViolet and Optical Telescope (UVOT) instrument with an average UVM2 magnitude of 14.05. During the exposure, EF Aql became approximately 0.2 UVM2 magnitudes fainter. The periodogram analysis of the V-band data reveals an improved period of 320.4 ± 0.3 d caused by the pulsations of the Mira-type donor star.
Diagram Complexes, Formality, and Configuration Space Integrals for Spaces of Braids
Authors: Komendarczyk Rafal , Koytcheff Robin , Volić Ismar
Published: May 2020

We use rational formality of configuration spaces and the bar construction to study the cohomology of the space of braids in dimension four or greater. We provide a diagram complex for braids and a quasi-isomorphism to the de Rham cochains on the space of braids. The quasi-isomorphism is given by a configuration space integral followed by Chen’s iterated integrals. This extends results of Kohno and of Cohen and Gitler on the cohomology of the space of braids to a commutative differential graded algebra suitable for integration. We show that this integration is compatible with Bott–Taubes configuration space integrals for long links via a map between two diagram complexes. As a corollary, we get a surjection in cohomology from the space of long links to the space of braids. We also discuss to what extent our results apply to the case of classical braids.
Effects of ILeVO Seed Treatment on Heterodera glycines Reproduction and Soybean Yield in Small-Plot and Strip-Trial Experiments in Iowa
Authors: Bissonnette Kaitlyn M. , Marett Christopher C. , Mullaney Mark P. , Gebhart Gregory D. , Kyveryga Peter M. , Mueller Tristan A. , Tylka Gregory L.
Published: May 2020

ILeVO (fluopyram) is a fungicide seed treatment for soybean sudden death syndrome (SDS) that also has nematicidal activity. ILeVO is sold with a base of insecticide Poncho (clothianidin), nematode-protectant VOTiVO (Bacillus firmus), and Acceleron fungicides (metalaxyl, fluxapyroxad, and pyraclostrobin). Yield and reproduction of the soybean cyst nematode (SCN) (Heterodera glycines) on soybean plants grown from seed treated with ILeVO plus the base were compared with those treated with only the base in 27 small-plot experiments and 12 strip-trial experiments across Iowa from 2015 to 2017. To increase the likelihood that yield results were related to effects on SCN, data were used only from 26 small-plot experiments and 12 strip trials in which symptoms of SDS were low or nonexistent. An SCN reproductive factor (RF) was calculated for each experimental unit by dividing the SCN population density at harvest by the population density at planting. ILeVO significantly reduced SCN RF by 50% in one strip-trial experiment and by 36 to 60% in four small-plot experiments but yields were not increased by ILeVO in any of those five experiments. Soybean yields were 2.8 to 3.7 bushels/acre (bu/ac) (188.3 to 248.8 kg/ha) greater with ILeVO in three small-plot experiments but SCN RF was not reduced in those experiments. Also, yield was 1.9 bu/ac (127.8 kg/ha) greater with ILeVO in one strip-trial experiment in 2016 but SCN samples were not collected at harvest from the study to assess the possible effects of ILeVO on SCN reproduction. When strip-trial data from 2015 and 2016 were combined, there was a small but significant 0.8 bu/ac (52.2 kg/ha) yield increase with ILeVO. Overall, the effects of ILeVO on SCN reproduction and soybean yield were variable in these field studies.
Decreasing Admissions to the NICU
Authors: Baker Erika L. , Parker Leslie A. , Alissa Rana
Published: May 2020

Background:

Evidence supports the need to decrease healthcare costs. One approach may be minimizing use of low-value care by reducing the number of unnecessary neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admissions through the use of official neonatal transition beds.

Purpose:

To evaluate whether transition beds decrease unnecessary NICU admissions and estimate the cost savings of this practice change.

Methods:

This retrospective chart review examined the records of all neonates of 350/7 weeks' gestational age and greater with birth weights of 2000 g and more admitted to a neonatal transition bed from January 1, 2017, to December 31, 2017. Outcomes evaluated were number of neonates returned to their mothers and an estimate of dollars saved for a 1-year period.

Results:

A total of 194 neonates were admitted to transition beds, which resulted in 144 NICU admissions averted. Respiratory distress was the most common reason for admission to transition beds. There was a statistically significant difference in length of stay in transition beds between neonates admitted to the NICU and those returned to couplet care after admission to transition beds (135.92 minutes vs 159.27 minutes; P = .047). There was no difference in gestational age based on admission to NICU or returned to couplet care (37.9 weeks vs 38 weeks; P = .772). The estimated cost savings was $3000 per neonate returned to couplet care totaling $432,000 annually.

Implications for Practice:

The use of neonatal transition beds is a potential strategy to decrease unnecessary NICU admissions and reduce low value care.

Implications for Research:

Research regarding potential benefits of transition beds including the effect on hospital resources and low-value care at other institutions is needed. Additional research regarding potential benefits to the family including parent satisfaction and the effect of transition beds on rates of breastfeeding and skin-to-skin care is important.
Transcriptomics Curation of SARS-CoV-2 Related Host Genes in Mice With COVID-19 Comorbidity: A Pilot Study
Authors: Su Kunkai , Huang Xin , Xu Kaijin , Du Weibo , Zhu Danhua , Yang Meifang , Yuan Wenji , Li Lanjuan
Published: May 2020

The pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a respiratory disease caused by a novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2, is causing substantial morbidity and mortality. Along with the respiratory symptoms, underlying diseases in senior patients, such as diabetes, hypertension, and coronary heart disease, are the most common comorbidities, which cause more severe outcomes and even death. During cellular attachment and entry of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2, the key protein involved is the angiotensin I converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), which is located on the membrane of host cells. Here, we aim to curate an expression profile of Ace2 and other COVID-19 related genes across the available diabetes murine strains. Based on strictly manual curation and bioinformatics analysis of the publicly deposited expression datasets, Ace2 and other potentially involved genes such as Furin, Tmprss2, Ang, and Ang2 were examined. We found that Ace2 expression is rather ubiquitous in three selected diabetes prone strains (db/db, ob/ob and diet-induced obese). With the most abundant datasets present, the liver shows a medium Ace2 expression level compared with the lungs, pancreatic islets, brain and even T cells. Age is a more critical factor for Ace2 expression in db/db compared with the other two strains. Besides Ace2, the other four host genes showed varied levels of correlation to each other. To accelerate research on the interaction between COVID-19 and underlying diseases, the Murine4Covid transcriptomics database (www.geneureka.org/Murine4Covid) will facilitate the design of research on COVID-19 and comorbidities.
Surgical management of growth hormone-secreting pituitary adenomas
Authors: Zheng Yong , Chen Dong-Ming , Wang Yan , Mai Rong-Kang , Zhu Zi-Feng
Published: May 2020

The endoscopic endonasal transsphenoidal approach (EETA) is the primary treatment for growth hormone (GH) adenoma. This study aimed to investigate the outcomes of EETA in 33 patients with GH-secreting pituitary adenoma (PA).

Thirty-three patients who underwent EETA in Eighth People's Hospital of Shenzhen between January 2013 and December 2017 were included in the comprehensive analysis. Factors affecting the extent of resection and postoperative remission rates were also reviewed.

The total cut rate was 63.6% (21), and the total remission rate was 66.7% (22) in all patients after surgery. The cure rate was 60.6% (20) for 33 patients. The total removal rate and remission rate were significantly different (P = .01, P = .007) for microadenomas, macroadenomas, and giant adenomas. In addition, the total removal rate and remission rate were significantly different (P = .004, P = .007) for patients with noninvasive and invasive GH-secreting PAs. Furthermore, there were significant differences (P = .003, P = .005) in the total removal rate and remission rate of patients with different preoperative GH levels. All patients with hypertension and diabetes mellitus were normalized. Three patients exhibited recurrence after surgery. Several patients suffered from postoperative complications, including transient diabetes insipidus in 3 (9.1%) patients and postoperative transient cerebrospinal fluid leakage in 2 (6.1%) patients.

EETA is an effective therapeutic approach for treating patients with GH-secreting PA with high remission and low complication rates. Therefore, EETA should be considered a primary treatment for patients with GH-secreting PA.
A focused review of cardiovascular guideline related recommendations for the primary care physician in the USA
Authors: Sheikh Omar , Nashawi Mouhamed , Battisha Ayman , Chilton Robert
Published: May 2020

Primary care physicians in the USA serve the critical role of first contact for undiagnosed or mismanaged pathologies as well as providers of continuous care in multiple communities. Their scope of practice is broad from medication reconciliation to coordinating specialty care and even performing office procedures. Primary care physicians in the USA commonly encounter patients with diabetes and associated comorbidities related to prolonged insulin resistance. Mainly these include heart failure exacerbation or major adverse cardiovascular events. The demanding roles primary care physicians serve may render these providers encumbered to navigate through long, verbose and dynamic guidelines related to managing diabetes and cardiac diabetology sequelae. Our aim is to compose current, prominent evidence-based points from American medical societies such as the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association and the American Diabetes Association central to lifestyle modifications, antiplatelet therapy, anti-hyperglycemic and SGLT2-inhibitor utilization, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and heart failure screening in a way that is both succinct and valuable to primary care physicians.
A novel strategy to reduce the readmission rates in congestive heart failure: intermittent empirical intravenous diuretics
Authors: Yetkin Ertan , Cuglan Bilal , Turhan Hasan , Ozturk Selcuk
Published: May 2020

Improvements in the medical management of heart failure have changed the course of the disease. However, mortality rates, hospitalization rates, and treatment costs are not at desired levels. Diuretics have been widely used in the treatment of congestion in heart failure patients. The following case reports represent a special patient group treated and followed by cardiology clinic. Treatment approach of each case report has been tailored on an individual basis depending on the clinical course and hospitalization rates of patients. Authors have highlighted and discussed the common aspects and future perspectives of their cases in which post-discharge intermittent empirical intravenous diuretic administration dramatically improved the clinical status and readmission number due to decompensated congestive heart failure. This is a relatively new and promising approach, which has been thought to cease the recycle of diuretic resistance and silent increase of fluid congestion in patients with congestive heart failure and frequent hospitalization.