bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Barycentric Lagrange interpolation for solving Volterra integral equations of the second kind
Authors: Shoukralla E S , Elgohary H , Ahmed B M
Published: January 2020

An improved version of Barycentric Lagrange interpolation with uniformly spaced interpolation nodes is established and applied to solve Volterra integral equations of the second kind. The given data function and the unknown functions are transformed into two separate interpolants of the same degree, while the kernel is interpolated twice. The presented technique provides the possibility to reduce the solution of the Volterra equation into an equivalent algebraic linear system in matrix form without any need to apply collocation points. Convergence in the mean of the solution is proved and the error norm estimation is found to be equal to zero. Moreover, the improved Barycentric numerical solutions converge to the exact ones, which ensures the accuracy, efficiency, and authenticity of the presented method.
Design and Implementation of an SPO2 Based Sensor for Heart Monitoring Using an Android Application
Authors: Sameh Radwa , Genedy M. , Abdeldayem A , Abdel azeem Mohamed H.
Published: January 2020

The heart is one of the most vital organs in the human body therefore; its wellbeing and health are monitored continuously to determine the medical conditions of patients. The current paper presents a heart rate measuring device, which can also be used to measure oxygen saturation levels, and body temperature. All measured results have been analyzed by an Arduino platform to decide the patient’s health status. The obtained measurements were also monitored using an in-house mobile application with an integrated alarm system acquainted by both the therapist and patient. The design of this device is dependent on many types of platforms such as Arduino, Android and cloud server. This device can help the patients to check their health status and provide suggested course of action.
Optimum Polar Codes Encoder over Binary Discrete Memory-less Channels
Authors: Moussa Karim H. , El-Sakka Ahmed H. , Shaaban Shawki
Published: January 2020

In modern communication systems, there is an increasing need for more capacity-achieving coding schemes to fulfill high data rates demands. Polar codes are very promising candidates to achieve near Shannon’s capacity and improved systems’ reliability due to their polarized channel construction idea which depends on utilizing the good channel in data transmission and consumes the noisy ones in frozen bits transmission as pilots. This paper presented the performance of polar codes for binary-erasure-channel, binary-symmetric channel, and additive-white-Gaussian-noise-channel at various rates and different design parameter to find the optimum ones for these channels. The numerical analysis showed that when the rate increased the system bit error rate performance degrades, while it is improved when the design parameters are optimized for all the studied channels.
Circularly Polarized Flat-Topped Beam Using Concentric Circular Arrays of Microstrip Patches
Authors: Abo El-Hassan M , Hussein K F A , Farahat A E , Awadalla K H
Published: January 2020

A circularly polarized flat-topped beam is synthesized by concentric circular arrays of microstrip patch antennas using the particle swarm optimization (PSO). The beam synthesis is performed by controlling only the magnitudes of excitation of the array elements where all the array elements are excited in phase. To get circularly symmetric radiation pattern, the elements on the same circle are fed with the same magnitude. The numerical investigations show that the obtained beam shape is very close to the desired one with almost no ripples on the flat top. The final antenna design show acceptable performance regarding the impedance matching, the axial ratio and the sidelobe level over the operating bandwidth of the array.
Electromagnetic Simulation of Volume Scattering for Monitoring the Height of Natural Grass using PolSAR Radar Vegetation Index
Authors: Soliman S A M , Farahat A E , Hussein K F A , Ammar A A
Published: January 2020

The present work proposes a new method for monitoring the natural grass height through the fully polarimetric synthetic aperture radar (PolSAR) data. For electromagnetic simulation, the grassland area is modelled as a cloud of random curly strips with high conductivity. The physical problem of electromagnetic scattering of plane waves of vertical and horizontal polarizations from ensemble of random structures representing the grasslands are solved using the electric field integral equation (EFIE) with the method of moments (MoM). The ensemble average of the fully polarimetric backscattering coefficients is calculated and the corresponding radar vegetation index (RVI) is estimated. It is shown that the ensemble average of the RVI is strongly correlated to the average height of the grass model. It is found that the relation between the grass height and the corresponding RVI can be approximated to either linear or quadratic dependence with 95% confidence level.
The Effect of Source and Drain Pocketing on the Performance of Double-Gate Tunnelling Field-Effect Transistor
Authors: Elgamal Muhammad
Published: January 2020

In this paper the digital and analogue performance of double-gate tunnelling FET, DGTFET, is reported, when a pocket of different dielectric is inserted near the source, drain or both. The variation of these pocket lengths and their relative shift to the edge of source or drain region affects device performance. The investigated performance parameters include the ON/OFF ratio, the maximum cut-off frequency, fT, the subthreshold swing, SS, and the ambipolar current, Iambi. With the aid of TCAD simulator, the effect of pocket parameter variation is studied. Our study shows that when the main gate dielectric is hafnium dioxide, the source pocket is favored to be of low dielectric constant and high width. However, for the drain case, it is better to have shorter pockets with a low dielectric constant. The investigation shown here proves that pocketing the DGTFET can enhance its whole performance in terms of investigated parameters.
Power Allocation in 5G mmWave Networks with Massive MIMO and Block Diagonalization
Authors: Fikry M S , Shaaban S , Esmail N , Abdelkarim M
Published: January 2020

In this paper, we consider an energy-efficient downlink power allocation problem of a massive multiple-input multiple –output (MIMO) system in cellular networks. We propose a new technique that uses block diagonalization (BD) precoding with massive MIMO in 5G networks that employs milli-meter wave (mmWave) channel matrix to reduce the level of interference. A power allocation algorithm is then introduced by increasing the energy efficiency (EE) of the system to obtain optimal downlink power values using sequential quadratic programming (SQP) algorithm. The results reveal that using BD reduces the interference level and hence, increases the energy.
Parallel implementation for ECCP based on Montgomery ladder algorithm
Authors: Abu Khadra Shaimaa , Abdulrahman Salah Eldin S E , Ismail Nabil A
Published: January 2020

An Elliptic Curve Crypto-Processor (ECCP) is a favourite public-key cryptosystem. It is used for embedded systems due to its small key size and its high security arithmetic unit. It is applied in constrained devices which often run on batteries and have limited processing, storage capabilities and low power. A finite field polynomial multiplier takes the most implementation effort of an ECCP because it is the most consuming operation for time and area. So, it is preferable to optimize this operation especially for light devices where the small area is needed. This research introduces a hardware design for parallel ECCP binary implementation that is based on Montgomery ladder algorithm. This implementation is targeted for GF(2163) and GF(2409) where the executed time are 2.9 μs and 29 μs respectively. The implementation is performed on Xilinx ISE Virtex6.
MANET’s Energy Consumption using proposed Ant-Colony Optimization and Integer Linear Programming Algorithms
Authors: Ashraf Mohamed , Tawfik BenBella S , El Diasty Sherif , Hassan Mohamed
Published: January 2020

Mobile Ad-hoc Network (MANET) is a self-organizing wireless network that communicates without infrastructure and suffering from low power-battery. The challenges of under-optimization have received a great amount of attention from researchers, and Energy Consumption (EC) is the most important of those challenges for them in this field. Therefore, the main objective in finding a route from source to destination is to minimize node EC. Integer Linear Programming (ILP) and Ant Colony Optimization (ACO) are two algorithms that enhance EC and processing time, which are Quality of Service (QoS) requirements. In our paper, we proposed the two algorithms, which are evaluated regarding two criteria: EC and processing time using an experimental study. The optimal route of the proposed ILP is chosen from all possible routes using the minimum EC as an objective function and a set of constraints. The second algorithm is a proposed ACO version, based on ants’ behaviour Looking for a path from their colony to their food source. The two proposed algorithms were implemented and compared according to different criteria (route selection, EC and processing time).
Secure Image Encryption Scheme Based on DNA and New Multi Chaotic Map
Authors: Ismail Abdelfattah Roayat , Mohamed Hager , Nasr Mohamed E
Published: January 2020

Encryption of medical image is very important subject especially in wireless body area networks (WBAN) applications where the devices have many limitations in memory size, energy and computation capabilities. In this paper an image encryption scheme is introduced to be suitable for this limitations. The scheme consists of two phases. Firstly, the patient information (as name, age, ..etc) is hidden in the patient medical image (as x-ray, MRI, ..etc) using Least Signification Bit technique to reduce the capacity of data encrypted and make this information visually unavailable to unauthorized personnel. Secondly, the patient’s medical image is encrypted using DNA coding rules and a new multi chaotic map system. DNA coding improves computational speed and provides large capacity for data transmission while the new multi chaotic map consists by merging Henon, Sin and Ten map (HST) to produces pseudo random sequences with more chaotic characteristics. Results show that this scheme has a good peak signal to noise ratio, low correlation, huge key space, key-dependent pixel value replacement and can resist statistical and differential attacks.
Surface roughness, wear and thermal conductivity of ternary electroless Ni–Ag–P coating on copper substrate
Authors: S Nur Ariffah M , S Nurulakmal M , S Anasyida A , K Shiu E
Published: January 2020

Thermal testing tool used in electronic industries requires a high thermal conductivity and wear resistant coating to ensure efficient thermal transfer over some period of testing cycles. A study on ternary nickel-silver-phosphorus (Ni–Ag–P) coating was carried out by adding silver sulphate into electroless nickel-phosphorus (Ni–P) bath solution with a target to improve thermal conductivity. The results showed that silver can be co-deposited into Ni–P coating but in limited concentration without causing bath decomposition. Cethyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) were added into the bath solution as surfactant to improve the coating surface morphology and roughness. Characterization of coatings were done using atomic force microscope (AFM), scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy dispersive x-ray (EDX), optical microscope, Knoop microhardness tester, pin-on-disc wear tester and hot disk thermal analyser. When the concentration of silver sulphate added was low, coating produced have smoother surface with improved thickness, hardness and wear resistance. Higher concentration of silver sulphate led to bath decomposition thus coatings have rougher surface with reduced thickness, hardness and wear resistance. Thermal conductivity test showed increment in the thermal conductivity value of Ni–P coating from 445.7 W m−1.K to 466.9 W m−1.K with addition of 10 mg l−1 silver sulphate. It is found that co-deposition of silver at low concentration can improve the hardness, wear resistance and thermal conductivity, and as comparable thickness value is possible, ternary Ni–Ag–P showed interesting potential to replace current NiP coating used in thermal testing tool.
Direct combination of carbon structure with optoelectronics crystal: thermal behavior of implanted carbon in lithium niobate crystal at near surface
Authors: Xu Yuhang , Lu Fei , Liu Kaijing , Ma Changdong
Published: January 2020

The thermal motion mechanism of carbon (C) in lithium niobate (LiNbO3) crystal was briefly studied, which provides experience and direction for the experimental parameters of graphene production by direct implantation of carbon ions into LiNbO3. Thin-film LiNbO3crystal and bulk LiNbO3crystal of z-cut were direct implanted by carbon ions with a dose of 1.14 × 1016cm−2and then annealed at different temperatures, thin-film LiNbO3at 700 °C and bulk LiNbO3at 900 °C. The experimental conditions and parameters of ion implantation and annealing were all the same except the annealing temperature. The samples were characterized by RBS, XRD, EDS and Raman spectrum. The results show that during annealing, the implanted carbon ions aggregate into clusters while moving towards the surface. This behavior prevents the carbon ions from precipitating on the LiNbO3surface, which is not conducive to the production of graphene. The formation of graphene on LiNbO3surface by direct ion implantation can only occur when implanted C dose and annealing temperature lie in a specific range.
Development of SWCNTs-reinforced EPDM/SBR matrices for shock absorbing applications
Authors: Bahadar Ali , Zwawi Mohammed
Published: January 2020

The present research investigates the effects of various concentrations of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) on the viscoelastic and thermomechanical characteristics of styrene-butadiene/ethylene propylene diene polymer (SBR/EPDM) blended polymeric matrices (60:40). Standard elastomeric methods are used to synthesise SWCNTs-reinforced EPDM/SBR nanocomposite blends. The results reveal that high SWCNTs concentrations offer remarkable thermal stability enhancement. SWCNTs reinforced with 0.6 mass% EPDM/SBR become 20% harder, with Tangent Delta values boosted by 70% with maximum cross-linking, elongation enhanced by 38% and tensile strength improved by 35%. With the 38% elongation enhancement, storage modulus is increased by 80%, whereas compressive strain is reduced by 20%. The planned hybrid nanocomposites exhibit viscoelastic characteristics against applied shock, in which the viscous component is associated with spongy structure, whereas the elastic component is associated with spring-like response.
Nerve Blocks Prior to Microfocused Ultrasound Treatment are Safe and Reduce Patient Discomfort
Authors: Polacco Marc A , Butz Daniel R , Bass Rachel , Luu Teresa , Kurum Esra , DiCarlo Agatha , Maas Corey S
Published: January 2020

Background

Microfocused ultrasound with visualization has become one of the more popular nonsurgical facial rejuvenation therapies available. Although the treatment has gained wide acceptance, providing adequate pain relief during the procedure can be challenging.

Objectives

The aim of this study was to test our hypothesis that nerve blocks prior to treatment would be well tolerated and significantly reduce patient discomfort.

Methods

Subjects undergoing microfocused ultrasound were offered the choice of participating in a split face nerve block, bilateral block, or a control group. Nerves targeted included infraorbital, supratrochlear, supraorbital, zygomaticofrontal, mental, great auricular, and cervical plexus. Pain assessment was based on a 10-point Wong-Backer FACES Pain score.

Results

A total of 65 patients were included in the study: 28 in the split face group, 19 in the bilateral block group, and 18 without a block. The mean [standard deviation] pain score of the bilateral block cohort was 3.9 [1.2], and that of the control group was 5.1 [1.7] (P = 0.001). Patients in the split face cohort reported a higher pain score on the unblocked side of the face (7.5 [1.3]) than on the blocked side (2.9 [1.0]) (P < 0.001). The mean pain score for local anesthetic injection was 2.7 and 1.4 for the split face and the bilateral groups, respectively. There were no adverse events.

Conclusions

Nerve blocks are well tolerated and significantly improve patient comfort during microfocused ultrasound treatment without compromising outcomes or increasing adverse events.

Level of Evidence: 2
Randomization-based confidence intervals for cluster randomized trials
Authors: Rabideau Dustin J , Wang Rui
Published: January 2020

In a cluster randomized trial (CRT), groups of people are randomly assigned to different interventions. Existing parametric and semiparametric methods for CRTs rely on distributional assumptions or a large number of clusters to maintain nominal confidence interval (CI) coverage. Randomization-based inference is an alternative approach that is distribution-free and does not require a large number of clusters to be valid. Although it is well-known that a CI can be obtained by inverting a randomization test, this requires testing a non-zero null hypothesis, which is challenging with non-continuous and survival outcomes. In this article, we propose a general method for randomization-based CIs using individual-level data from a CRT. This approach accommodates various outcome types, can account for design features such as matching or stratification, and employs a computationally efficient algorithm. We evaluate this method’s performance through simulations and apply it to the Botswana Combination Prevention Project, a large HIV prevention trial with an interval-censored time-to-event outcome.
Embryology of Styracaceae and implications for the evolution of the integument number in Ericales
Authors: Shinke Ikumi , Tokuoka Toru
Published: January 2020

Phylogenetic relationships in Styracaceae are well understood, but embryological characters and the ontogeny of integument(s) are still uncertain in many species. The goals of this study are to evaluate the systematic implications of embryological characters in Styracaceae, clarify the character evolution of the number of integuments and suggest a mechanism for the transition between unitegmic and bitegmic ovules. We examined the embryological characters of four genera and five species of Styracaceae, most of which were shared across taxa. However, Styrax has specific embryological features including bitegmic ovules, a multiplicative and sclerotic outer mesotesta and vascular bundles in the testa, all possible autapomorphies. The other three genera of Styracaceae share a unitegmic ovule, a parenchymatous mesotesta and a seed coat without vascular bundles, possible plesiomorphies with Diapensiaceae and Symplocaceae. The transition from a unitegmic to a bitegmic condition can be interpreted to be caused by a downwards shift of the boundary between the inner and outer integument, due to reduced activity in the subdermal initials and increased activity in the dermal initials of the outer integument at its base.
Adipose-derived stem cells improve grafted burn wound healing by promoting wound bed blood flow
Authors: Fujiwara Osamu , Prasai Anesh , Perez-Bello Dannelys , El Ayadi Amina , Petrov Irene Y , Esenaliev Rinat O , Petrov Yuriy , Herndon David N , Finnerty Celeste C , Prough Donald S , Enkhbaatar Perenlei
Published: January 2020

Background

Researchers have explored the use of adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) as a cell-based therapy to cover wounds in burn patients; however, underlying mechanistic aspects are not completely understood. We hypothesized that ASCs would improve post-burn wound healing after eschar excision and grafting by increasing wound blood flow via induction of angiogenesis-related pathways.

Methods

To test the hypothesis, we used an ovine burn model. A 5 cm2 full thickness burn wound was induced on each side of the dorsum. After 24 hours, the burned skin was excised and a 2 cm2 patch of autologous donor skin was grafted. The wound sites were randomly allocated to either topical application of 7 million allogeneic ASCs or placebo treatment (phosphate-buffered saline [PBS]). Effects of ASCs culture media was also compared to those of PBS. Wound healing was assessed at one and two weeks following the application of ASCs. Allogeneic ASCs were isolated, cultured and characterized from non-injured healthy sheep. The identity of the ASCs was confirmed by flow cytometry analysis, differentiation into multiple lineages and gene expression via real-time polymerase chain reaction. Wound blood flow, epithelialization, graft size and take and the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) were determined via enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and Western blot.

Results

Treatment with ASCs accelerated the patch graft growth compared to the control (p < 0.05). Topical application of ASCs significantly increased wound blood flow (p < 0.05). Expression of VEGF was significantly higher in the wounds treated with ASCs compared to control (p < 0.05).

Conclusions

ASCs accelerated grafted skin growth possibly by increasing the blood flow via angiogenesis induced by a VEGF-dependent pathway.
APOE-ε4 Shapes the Cerebral Organization in Cognitively Intact Individuals as Reflected by Structural Gray Matter Networks
Authors: Cacciaglia Raffaele , Molinuevo José Luis , Falcón Carles , Arenaza-Urquijo Eider M , Sánchez-Benavides Gonzalo , Brugulat-Serrat Anna , Blennow Kaj , Zetterberg Henrik , Gispert Juan Domingo ,   for the ALFA study, Cañas Alba , Deulofeu Carme , Dominguez Ruth , Fauria Karine , Félez-Sánchez Marta , González de Echevarri José M , Grau-Rivera Oriol , Hernandez Laura , Huesa Gema , Huguet Jordi , Marne Paula , Menchón Tania , Milà-Alomà Marta , Minguillon Carolina , Operto Grégory , Pascual Maria , Polo Albina , Pradas Sandra , Sala-Vila Aleix , Soteras Anna , Suárez-Calvet Marc , Tenas Laia , Vilanova Marc , Vilor-Tejedor Natalia
Published: January 2020

Gray matter networks (GMn) provide essential information on the intrinsic organization of the brain and appear to be disrupted in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Apolipoprotein E (APOE)-ε4 represents the major genetic risk factor for AD, yet the association between APOE-ε4 and GMn has remained unexplored. Here, we determine the impact of APOE-ε4 on GMn in a large sample of cognitively unimpaired individuals, which was enriched for the genetic risk of AD. We used independent component analysis to retrieve sources of structural covariance and analyzed APOE group differences within and between networks. Analyses were repeated in a subsample of amyloid-negative subjects. Compared with noncarriers and heterozygotes, APOE-ε4 homozygotes showed increased covariance in one network including primarily right-lateralized, parietal, inferior frontal, as well as inferior and middle temporal regions, which mirrored the formerly described AD-signature. This result was confirmed in a subsample of amyloid-negative individuals. APOE-ε4 carriers showed reduced covariance between two networks encompassing frontal and temporal regions, which constitute preferential target of amyloid deposition. Our data indicate that, in asymptomatic individuals, APOE-ε4 shapes the cerebral organization in a way that recapitulates focal morphometric alterations observed in AD patients, even in absence of amyloid pathology. This suggests that structural vulnerability in neuronal networks associated with APOE-ε4 may be an early event in AD pathogenesis, possibly upstream of amyloid deposition.
Predictive Relevance of Circulating miR-622 in Patients with Newly Diagnosed and Recurrent High-Grade Serous Ovarian Carcinoma
Authors: Vigneron Nicolas , Vernon Mégane , Meryet-Figuière Matthieu , Lambert Bernard , Briand Mélanie , Louis Marie-Hélène , Krieger Sophie , Joly Florence , Lheureux Stéphanie , Blanc-Fournier Cécile , Gauduchon Pascal , Poulain Laurent , Denoyelle Christophe
Published: January 2020

Background

Identifying patients with high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC) who will respond to treatment remains a clinical challenge. We focused on miR-622, a miRNA involved in the homologous recombination repair (HRR) pathway, and we assessed its predictive value in serum prior to first-line chemotherapy and at relapse.

Methods

Serum miR-622 expression was assessed in serum prior to first-line platinum-based chemotherapy in a prospective multicenter study (miRNA Serum Analysis, miRSA, NCT01391351) and a retrospective cohort (Biological Resource Center, BRC), and was also studied at relapse. Progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were used as primary and secondary endpoints prior to first-line chemotherapy and OS as a primary endpoint at relapse.

Results

The group with high serum miR-622 expression was associated with a significantly lower PFS (15.4 versus 24.4 months; adjusted HR 2.11, 95% CI 1.2 3.8, P = 0.015) and OS (29.7 versus 40.6 months; adjusted HR 7.68, 95% CI 2.2–26.2, P = 0.0011) in the miRSA cohort. In the BRC cohort, a high expression of miR-622 was also associated with a significantly lower OS (22.8 versus 35.9 months; adjusted HR 1.98, 95% CI 1.1–3.6, P = 0.026). At relapse, high serum miR-622 was associated with a significantly lower OS (7.9 versus 20.6 months; adjusted HR 3.15, 95% CI 1.4–7.2, P = 0.0062). Serum miR-622 expression is a predictive independent biomarker of response to platinum-based chemotherapy for newly diagnosed and recurrent HGSOC.

Conclusions

These results may open new perspectives for HGSOC patient stratification and monitoring of resistance to platinum-based and poly(ADP-ribose)-polymerase-inhibitor-maintenance therapies, facilitating better and personalized treatment decisions.
A Closed-Tube Nested Quantitative PCR Assay for Rapid Detection of Intron 22 Inversions in the Factor VIII Gene
Authors: Jin Shengnan , Shang Qingjuan , Jin Weijiang , Yang Liuqing , Ye Qian , Wang Xi , Zhang Tianran , Hou Mingliang , Liu Yangyang , Han Jiamin , Ding Rongxiu , Luan Ju , Wang Xuefeng , Jiang Minghua , Ding Chunming
Published: January 2020

Background

An inversion of intron 22 in the Factor VIII gene (Inv22) is the causative mutation for 45% of severe hemophilia A cases. Available methods for molecular diagnosis of Inv22 are generally tedious and not ideal for routine clinical use.

Methods

We report here a new method using a single closed-tube nested quantitative PCR (CN–qPCR) for rapid detection of Inv22. This method combines a 12-cycle long-distance PCR (LD–PCR) amplifying the int22h regions, followed by a duplex qPCR targeting two specific regions close to the int22h regions. All reagents were added to a single PCR mixture for the closed-tube assay. Sequential LD–PCR and qPCR was achieved by designing primers at substantially different melting temperatures and optimizing PCR conditions.

Results

Seventy-nine male hemophilia A patients of different disease severity were tested by both the CN–qPCR assay and the standard LD–PCR assay. CN–qPCR successfully made calls for all samples, whereas LD–PCR failed in eight samples. For the 71 samples where both methods made calls, the concordance was 100%. Inv22 was detected in 17 out of the 79 samples. Additionally, CN–qPCR achieved clear separation for 10 female carriers and 10 non-Inv22 females, suggesting the assay may also be useful for molecular diagnosis of female carriers.

Conclusions

This new CN–qPCR method may provide a convenient and accurate F8 Inv22 test suitable for clinical use.
Hair cortisol analyses in different mammal species: choosing the wrong assay may lead to erroneous results
Authors: Jewgenow Katarina , Azevedo Alexandre , Albrecht Mareen , Kirschbaum Clemens , Dehnhard Martin
Published: January 2020

Wild animals are faced with a broad range of environmental stressors and research is needed to better understand their effect on populations. Hormone analysis based on enzyme immunoassays (EIAs) can provide valuable information on adrenocortical activity (stress), and assessment of cortisol in hair may allow the quantification of cortisol production. To validate hair hormone analysis, we compared two EIAs based on antibodies against cortisol-3-CMO-BSA and cortisol-21-HS-BSA for hair glucocorticoid (hGC) measurements in Egyptian mongoose, Iberian lynx, Alpine marmot, Asiatic black bear, spotted hyena and cheetah, with results obtained by liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) measurements. Both EIAs were also characterized by HPLC immunograms. Our results revealed that the cortisol-21-HS EIA measured 2.3- to 12-fold higher hGC concentrations than the cortisol-3-CMO assay. In dependence of the species, high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) immunograms showed that up to 70% of immunoreactivities determined by the cortisol-21-HS constituted of unknown unpolar compounds leading to an overestimation of hGC. The cortisol-3-CMO EIA expressed a better specificity, with 32.1–67.4% of immunoreactivity represented by cortisol and cortisone. The LC-MS/MS analyses (gold standard) revealed that the cortisol-3-CMO EIA also resulted in an (up to 3-fold) overestimation of hGC, but EIA results were correlated with LC-MS/MS in the mongoose, the lynx, the spotted hyena and the marmot. No correlation was obtained for Asiatic black bears. As a result of our study, we strongly recommend to test any cortisol EIA for its specificity towards extracted hair components. In all analyzed species, except the Asiatic black bear, cortisone and cortisol were simultaneously present in hair extracts; consequently, an appropriate EIA should cross-react to these two glucocorticoid hormones and express negligible affinity towards substances with less polarity than corticosterone. Choosing the wrong EIA for hGC analyses may lead to overestimations of hGC or—in the worst case—to results that do not mirror real adrenocortical activity.
How do Twitter users react to TV broadcasts dedicated to vaccines in Italy?
Authors: Gesualdo Francesco , D’Ambrosio Angelo , Agricola Eleonora , Russo Luisa , Campagna Ilaria , Ferretti Beatrice , Pandolfi Elisabetta , Cristoforetti Marco , Tozzi Alberto E , Rizzo Caterina
Published: January 2020

Background

Social media monitoring during TV broadcasts dedicated to vaccines can provide information on vaccine confidence. We analyzed the sentiment of tweets published in reaction to two TV broadcasts in Italy dedicated to vaccines, one based on scientific evidence [Presadiretta (PD)] and one including anti-vaccine personalities [Virus (VS)].

Methods

Tweets about vaccines published in an 8-day period centred on each of the two TV broadcasts were classified by sentiment. Differences in tweets’ and users’ characteristics between the two broadcasts were tested through Poisson, quasi-Poisson or logistic univariate regression. We investigated the association between users’ characteristics and sentiment through univariate quasi-binomial logistic regression.

Results

We downloaded 12 180 tweets pertinent to vaccines, published by 5447 users; 276 users tweeted during both broadcasts. Sentiment was positive in 50.4% of tweets, negative in 37.7% and neutral in 10.1% (remaining tweets were unclear or questions). The positive/negative ratio was higher for VS compared to PD (6.96 vs. 4.24, P<0.001). Positive sentiment was associated to the user’s number of followers (OR 1.68, P<0.001), friends (OR 1.83, P<0.001) and published tweets (OR 1.46, P<0.001) and to being a recurrent user (OR 3.26, P<0.001).

Conclusions

Twitter users were highly reactive to TV broadcasts dedicated to vaccines. Sentiment was mainly positive, especially among very active users. Displaying anti-vaccine positions on TV elicited a positive sentiment on Twitter. Listening to social media during TV shows dedicated to vaccines can provide a diverse set of data that can be exploited by public health institutions to inform tailored vaccine communication initiatives.
Dynamics and ecological distributions of the Archaea microbiome from inland saline lakes (Monegros Desert, Spain)
Authors: Menéndez-Serra Mateu , Ontiveros Vicente J , Triadó-Margarit Xavier , Alonso David , Casamayor Emilio O
Published: January 2020

We characterized the rich Archaea microbiome of shallow inland lakes (Monegros Desert, NE Spain) by 16S rRNA gene tag sequencing covering a wide salinity range (0.1%–40% w/v) along 3 years. Up to 990 operational taxonomic units (OTUs; >97% identity) were detected allocated in 14 major archaeal phyla and heterogeneously distributed along the salt gradient. Dynamics and idiosyncratic ecological distributions were uncovered for the different phyla. A high genetic richness was observed for Woesearchaeota and Pacearchaeota (>370 OTUs each), followed by Halobacteria (105), Nanohaloarchaeota (62) and Thermoplasmata (19). Overall, the distribution of genetic richness was strongly correlated with environmental niche amplitude, but not with occurrence. We unveiled high occurrence for a very rich Woesearchaeota assemblage, and an unexpected positive correlation of Pacearchaeota abundance with salinity at >15% dissolved salt content. The estimated dynamic behaviour (temporal ‘turnover’ rates of presence/absence data) unveiled Thaumarchaeota and Halobacteria as the most dynamic groups, and Aenigmarchaeota and Thermoplasmata as the most stable. The DPANN Pacearchaeota, Woesearchaeota, and Nanohaloarchaeota showed intermediate rates, suggesting higher resilience to environmental perturbations. A rich and dynamic Archaea microbiome was unveiled, including unseen ecological traits for relevant members of the still largely unknown DPANN group, supporting a strong ecological differentiation between Pacearchaeota and Woesearchaeota.
Association Between Characteristics of Injurious Falls and Fall Preventive Interventions in Acute Medical and Surgical Units
Authors: Francis-Coad Jacqueline , Hill Anne-Marie , Jacques Angela , Chandler A Michelle , Richey Phyllis A , Mion Lorraine C , Shorr Ronald I
Published: January 2020

Background

Hospital falls remain common and approximately 30% of falls in hospital result in injury. The aims of the study were the following: (i) to identify the association between fall interventions present at the time of the injurious fall and injurious faller characteristics and (ii) to identify the association between fall preventive interventions present at the time of the injurious fall and the injurious fall circumstances.

Methods

Secondary data analysis of deidentified case series of injurious falls across 24 acute medical/surgical units in the United States. Variables of interest were falls prevention interventions (physical therapy, bed alarm, physical restraint, room change, or a sitter) in place at the time of fall. Data were analyzed using logistic regression and hazard ratios.

Results

There were 1,033 patients with an injurious fall, occurrence peaked between Day 1 and Day 4, with 46.8% of injurious falls having occurred by Day 3 of admission. Injurious fallers with a recorded mental state change 24 hours prior to the fall were more likely to have a bed alarm provided (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 2.56, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.61, 4.08) and receive a physical restraint as fall prevention interventions (adjusted OR 6.36, 95% CI 4.35, 9.30). Injurious fallers restrained fell later (stay Day 6) than those without a restraint (stay Day 4) (p = .007) and had significantly longer lengths of stay (13 days vs 9 days).

Conclusions

On medical/surgical units, injurious falls occur early following admission suggesting interventions should be commenced immediately. Injurious fallers who had a physical restraint as an intervention had longer lengths of stay.
Geoblocking in EU Copyright Law: Challenges and Perspectives
Authors: Synodinou Tatiana Eleni
Published: January 2020

EU copyright law has attempted to resolve the antithesis between the ideal of the single market and the concept of copyright territoriality through a modest approach, which is based on the axiom of safeguarding copyright territoriality and of the accompanying geoblocking practices. The aim of this article is to critically analyse the EU’s steps towards the circumvention of the principle of territoriality and of geoblocking and to demonstrate that, as the efforts to create a digital single market are intensified, a strict EU geoblocking policy in relation to services offering access to copyright-protected works cannot be retained. The article is divided into three parts. Part one is dedicated to the consequences of the principle of territoriality on European copyright law (II). Part two is dedicated to the steps, both jurisprudential and legislative, which have been taken to move away from the principle of copyright territoriality at the European level (III). Part three is dedicated to the recently adopted Geoblocking Regulation 2018/302, while possible ways to move forward are also analysed (IV).
Fucose Ameliorate Intestinal Inflammation Through Modulating the Crosstalk Between Bile Acids and Gut Microbiota in a Chronic Colitis Murine Model
Authors: Ke Jun , Li Ying , Han Chaoqun , He Ruohang , Lin Rong , Qian Wei , Hou Xiaohua
Published: February 2020

Background

Recurrent intestinal inflammation is frequently associated with aberrant bile acid profiles and microbial community. Fucose exerts a protective effect on commensal bacteria in the case of intestinal pathogen infection. We speculated that fucose might also have certain impact on the microbial ecosystem under the chronic colitis setting.

Methods

To validate our hypothesis, multi-omics examination was performed in combination with microbiomics and metabonomics in a chronic dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) murine model in the presence or absence of fucose. The 16S RNA sequencing was carried out to determine the ileum and colon microbiota. Primary and secondary bile acids, together with the respective taurine and glycine conjugates, were quantified through ultraperformance liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS). Moreover, enzymes involved in regulating bile acid synthesis were also detected. Finally, an experiment was carried out on the antibiotic-treated mice to examine the role of gut microbiota.

Results

Administration of exogenous-free fucose markedly alleviated the inflammatory response in colitis mice. In addition, excessive intestinal bile acid accumulated in DSS mice was decreased in the presence of fucose, along with the restoration of the compromised regulation on hepatic bile acid synthesis. Moreover, the shifts in bile acid profiles were linked with the improved gut microbiome dysbiosis. However, the protective effects of fucose were abolished in mice treated with antibiotic cocktail, indicating that microbiota played a pivotal role.

Conclusions

Findings in this study suggest that fucose ameliorates colitis through restoring the crosstalk between bile acid and gut microbiota.
Ecological risks of demersal fishing on deepwater chondrichthyan populations in the Southern Indian and South Pacific Oceans
Authors: Georgeson L , Rigby C L , Emery T J , Fuller M , Hartog J , Williams A J , Hobday A J , Duffy C A J , Simpfendorfer C A , Okuda T , Stobutzki I C , Nicol S J
Published: January 2020

Risks to deepwater chondrichthyans (sharks, rays, and chimaeras) from fishing are poorly understood, particularly in areas beyond national jurisdiction. We adapted productivity–susceptibility analysis (PSA) and sustainability assessment for fishing effects (SAFE) to assess the vulnerability of 173 deepwater chondrichthyans to various demersal fishing gears in the Southern Indian and South Pacific Oceans. Several species were categorized as being at high or extreme vulnerability, including some deepwater shark species in the Southern Indian Ocean that are reported to be commercially targeted. There was good concurrence between PSA and SAFE results for species categorized as being at high or extreme vulnerability by the SAFE, but as expected there was an overall greater number assessed to be as higher vulnerability using PSA due to its precautionary nature. Our results indicate probable misclassifications in the PSA relative vulnerability rankings, highlighting the value of applying more quantitative tools, such as SAFE, when adequate data are available. Our findings indicate that better catch, effort, and biological information are needed to inform the assessment and management of deepwater chondrichthyans. If targeted fishing of deepwater shark species continues in the Southern Indian Ocean, improved assessments and estimates of sustainable yields are urgently required to mitigate the risk of overexploitation.
Prevalence of the carbapenem-heteroresistant phenotype among ESBL-producing Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae clinical isolates
Authors: Tan Karen , Nguyen James , Nguyen Kevin , Huse Holly K , Nieberg Paul H , Wong-Beringer Annie
Published: January 2020

Objectives

Carbapenem-heteroresistant (cHR) Enterobacteriaceae strains have been reported worldwide; however, the prevalence among clinical ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae isolates obtained from patients with repeated hospital admissions remains largely unknown.

Methods

Heteroresistance was screened by disc diffusion and confirmed by a modified population analysis profiling (PAP) method against ertapenem, imipenem, meropenem and ceftolozane/tazobactam. MIC testing was performed by broth microdilution against carbapenems and a panel of agents with potential activity against ESBL-producing strains.

Results

One hundred and seventy-three ESBL-producing meropenem-susceptible Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates were selected for testing. A total of 519 bacteria/carbapenem combinations were screened by disc diffusion; 84 combinations were identified as cHR. Modified PAP confirmed 70 bacteria/carbapenem combinations as heteroresistant; most (63%, 44/70) confirmed cHR colonies grew within the ertapenem zone of inhibition, followed by imipenem (30%, 21/70), then meropenem (7%, 5/70). In total, one-third of the unique patient isolates (32%, 55/173) were identified as being heteroresistant to at least one carbapenem; of those patients, 16% (9/55) had a carbapenem-non-susceptible isolate on subsequent visits. Only two cHR isolates screened positive for ceftolozane/tazobactam heteroresistance (1%, 2/173), of which one was confirmed heteroresistant by modified PAP. cHR isolates were more likely to be collected from a non-urinary source (e.g. respiratory) compared with non-cHR isolates (31% versus 19%, P = 0.02). MIC distributions of all tested antibiotic agents did not differ between non-cHR and cHR isolates.

Conclusions

Our findings raise concerns for the continued use of carbapenems as first-line therapy for ESBL infections and for the potential selection for strains with full carbapenem resistance.
Carfentanil Use in a Patient Undergoing Treatment for Substance Use Disorder
Authors: Tuzel Tom , Bollini Stephanie Marina , Antara James P , Banks J Fred , Hobbs Gregory A
Published: January 2020

Carfentanil is a synthetic opioid approximately 10,000 times as powerful as morphine. It is not approved for human use. However, cases of death associated with carfentanil have become more frequent in recent years. In this report, the case of a patient with a positive urine test for norcarfentanil (a metabolite of carfentanil) is described. The analytical method leading to the detection is summarized. This is a rarely reported case of survival of carfentanil use. It is unique in the published literature of an account of a norcarfentanil-positive patient concurrently enrolled in a substance use disorder treatment program. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first documented case of a carfentanil exposure in the state of New York.
A novel dynein-type AAA+ protein with peroxisomal targeting signal type 2
Authors: Imanaka Tsuneo , Kawaguchi Kosuke
Published: January 2020

Peroxisomal matrix proteins are imported into peroxisomes in a process mediated by peroxisomal targeting signal (PTS) type 1 and 2. The PTS2 proteins are imported into peroxisomes after binding with Pex7p. Niwa et al. (A newly isolated Pex7-binding, atypical PTS2 protein P7BP2 is a novel dynein-type AAA+ protein. J Biochem 2018;164:437–447) identified a novel Pex7p-binding protein in CHO cells and characterized the subcellular distribution and molecular properties of the human homologue, ‘P7BP2’. Interestingly, P7BP2 possesses PTS2 at the NH2 terminal and six putative AAA+ domains. Another group has suggested that the protein also possesses mitochondrial targeting signal at the NH2 terminal. In fact, the P7BP2 expressed in mammalian cells is targeted to both peroxisomes and mitochondria. The purified protein from Sf9 cells is a monomer and has a disc-like ring structure, suggesting that P7BP2 is a novel dynein-type AAA+ family protein. The protein expressed in insect cells exhibits ATPase activity. P7BP2 localizes to peroxisomes and mitochondria, and has a common function related to dynein-type ATPases in both organelles.
Challenges Associated with Managing a Multicenter Clinical Trial in Severe Burns
Authors: Coates Elsa C , Mann-Salinas Elizabeth A , Caldwell Nicole W , Chung Kevin K
Published: January 2020

Managing multicenter clinical trials (MCTs) is demanding and complex. The Randomized controlled Evaluation of high-volume hemofiltration in adult burn patients with Septic shoCk and acUte kidnEy injury (RESCUE) trial was a prospective, MCT involving the impact of high-volume hemofiltration continuous renal replacement therapy on patients experiencing acute kidney injury and septic shock. Ten clinical burn centers from across the United States were recruited to enroll a target sample size of 120 subjects. This manuscripts reviews some of the obstacles and knowledge gained while coordinating the RESCUE trial. The first subject was enrolled in February 2012, 22 months after initial IRB approval and 29 months from the time the grant was awarded. The RESCUE team consisted of personnel at each site, including the lead site, a data coordination center, data safety monitoring board, steering committees, and the sponsor. Seven clinical sites had enrolled 37 subjects when enrollment stopped in February 2016. Obstacles included changes in institutional review boards, multiple layers of review, staffing changes, creation and amendment of study documents and procedures, and finalization of contracts. Successful completion of a MCT requires a highly functional research team with sufficient patient population, expertise, and research infrastructure. Additionally, realistic timelines must be established with strategies to overcome challenges. Inevitable obstacles should be discussed in the pretrial phase and continuous correspondence must be maintained with all relevant research parties throughout all phases of study.