bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Synthesis of cationic graft modified chitosan and its antibacterial finish on rabbit wool fabric
Authors: Bai Yu Han , Zhang Yi , Zhang Hao , Lu Xue
Published: January 2021

As a natural polymer antibacterial agent, chitosan itself has excellent characteristics, but its application is limited due to its poor solubility. Based on this, using ammonium persulfate ((NH4)2S2O8) and sodium bisulfite (NaHSO3) as redox initiators, a cationic antibacterial monomer was grafted onto chitosan to prepare a new type of modified chitosan. The target product was successfully analyzed by infrared spectrum analysis and XPS energy spectrum analysis. Using polycarboxylic acid as a cross-linking agent and modified chitosan as an antibacterial agent, the rabbit wool fabric was finished, and the finished fabric was tested for antibacterial properties and washing resistance. The effect of graft-modified chitosan with different reaction conditions on the antibacterial finishing fabric, such as the ratio of monomer to chitosan substance, reaction temperature, and the amount of initiator added, was studied. The results showed that the finished rabbit wool fabrics had good antibacterial effects on E. coli, and their antibacterial rates reached 100%, and after 20 washings, the antibacterial rate still reached 100%, with long-lasting antibacterial properties. Considering the cost, the ratio of the amount of the chitosan to the monomer was finally selected as 4: 1 to prepare the modified chitosan.
Experimental and numerical studies of perforated CFRP laminates under quasi-static tensile load
Authors: Yin Dejun , Zheng Jian , Xiong Chao , Yin Junhui
Published: January 2021

Mechanical properties and failure modes of perforated CFRP laminate specimens under quasi-static tensile load were studied by means of experimental test and numerical simulation. Tensile tests of perforated CFRP laminates were conducted on an INSTRON electronic universal testing machine, and the progressive damage model based on 2D Hashin failure criterion was established by using the ABAQUS/Explicit software. The results showed that the discrepancy of ultimate tensile load basis on experimental test and numerical simulation was acceptable, which was less than 6.0 %. The numerical simulation method and results provide a theoretical reference for the design and application of perforated CFRP laminates.
Structural changes of 12Cr1MoVG steel during high-temperature creep
Authors: Pan Jinping , Xu Bo , Zhu Xinwei , Yu Xuefen , Tan Lianjiang
Published: January 2021

Heat-resistant steels are key metal materials for high-temperature and high-pressure boilers of ultra-super critical (USC) power plants. A lot of steels have been designed for heat resistance purposes, among which 12Cr1MoVG steel is a good alternative but has not been studied intensively for its high-temperature creep properties. In the current work, the 12Cr1MoVG steel was subjected to long-term creep at different temperatures. The 20000 h creep rupture stress showed obvious decrease with increasing temperature in the data range. The structural changes of the 12Cr1MoVG steel during the high-temperature creep tests was investigated by analyzing the cavitation and metallographic structure before and after the creep tests. The results indicated that the structural changes had close relationships with the creep behavior and mechanical properties of the steel. This work gives insights into the high-temperature creep study of heat-resistant steels.
Research on ball milling process of Mn powder for ceramic metal welding
Authors: An Baijiang
Published: January 2021

The main content of this experiment is to study the optimal ball milling process of Mn powder by controlling the factors such as ball milling ratio, ball milling time and grinding ball size. In the experiment, the Mn powder was ground by wet ball milling method. Ethanol was used as the medium to set different powder: ball: ethanol ratio. The microstructures of Mn were studied by grinding for 6 h, 18 h and 24 h at 400 r/min. The XRD, Scanning Electron Microscope and particle size analyzer were used to analyze the phase, microstructure and particle size of the powder. The results show that the ratio of the crushing rate of material to the time of ball milling are not related. In the initial stage of ball milling, Mn powder was rapidly crushed and refined, but the particle size gradually stabilized after 18 hours. The grinding ball with smaller diameter is slower to crush, but the particle size of Mn powder is more uniform. When the quality of powder: ball: ethanol =1:1.5:1.5, the obtained Mn powder has the finest particle size and uniform particles, which is the best grinding condition. After ball milling, the average particle size of Mn powder is 2.04 μm.
Synthesis and characterization of Ag nanoflowers with different morphologies
Authors: Li Huiqin , Yan Shaotian , Deng Cui , Dou Shumei , Ren Xinyue
Published: January 2021

In this paper, the chemical reduction method was used to prepare silver nanoparticles with different morphologies and sizes by controlling the proportion of ascorbic acid and silver nitrate at room temperature. In the experiment, the molar ratio of ascorbic acid and silver nitrate was mainly 1:1, 1:2, 1:4, 1:8, 2:1, 4:1 and 8:1 to prepare nano silver. The morphology of silver nanoparticles was observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and the phase content was determined by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The results show that the obtained material is pure silver nanoparticles, and the silver nanoparticles are spherical and multilevel branched.
Surface electric field and adsorption properties of noble metal modified graphene in methane gas
Authors: Huang Xinyu , Li Weijian , Ding Jijun
Published: January 2021

Based on COMSOL Multiphysics software, the geometric model of graphene structure is set on the two-dimensional plane, and the thickness of graphene layer is set at 400 nm. The real and imaginary parts of the refractive index of graphene are defined. Then, the Ag and Au films are coated on both sides of graphene to form the Ag/G/Ag and Au/G/Au sandwich structures, respectively. In addition, the electric field modes between 300 nm and 600 nm are obtained by parameterized scanning calculation of the incident wavelength λ. At the same time, adsorption, scattering and extinction spectra are plotted. Results indicated that the maximum field strength of both the Ag/G/Ag and Au/G/Au sandwich structures are nearly doubled as compared to the intrinsic graphene. Finally, the adsorption, scattering and extinction properties are discussed. It is concluded that the resonance absorption peaks can be adjusted and improved by Ag/Au modification. The strongest plasma resonance mode shifts towards high energy. Moreover, Ag/G/Ag has stronger surface plasmon resonance effect than that of Au/G/Au structure.
Electrical properties of heterostructures MnS/n-CdZnTe obtained by spray pyrolysis
Authors: Orletsky Ivan G , Ilashchuk Mariya I , Maistruk Eduard V , Parkhomenko Hryhorii P , Marianchuk Pavlo D , Koziarskyi Ivan P , Koziarskyi Dmytro P
Published: January 2021

The conditions for obtaining diode heterostructures of MnS/n-CdZnTe by the method of spray pyrolysis of MnS alabandite thin films on n-CdZnTe crystalline substrates were investigated. Based on the analysis of the temperature dependences of the I-V-characteristics, the mechanisms of the influence of electronic processes on the forward current in the MnS film are established. The mechanisms of current flow at reverse bias are revealed. The conditions for the formation of the energy barrier at the MnS/n-CdZnTe heterojunction and the influence on its parameters of the energy states at the semiconductor interface are studied. Based on the C-V-characteristics, the peculiarities of the distribution of electrically active impurities in the base region are investigated and the interaction of the alabandite film capacitance with the diffusion capacitance of the heterostructure is revealed. The proposed model of the energy diagram of the heterostructure well describes the experimental results.
EEG signal analysis during Ishihara’s test in subjects with normal vision and color vision deficiency
Authors: Ekhlasi Ali , Ahmadi Hessam , Molavi Amir , Saadat Nia Mohammad , Nasrabadi Ali Motie
Published: January 2021

Color Vision Deficiency (CVD) is one of the most common types of vision deficiency. People with CVD have difficulty seeing color spectra depending on what types of retina photoreceptors are impaired. In this paper, the Ishihara test with 38 plates was used to examine the Electroencephalogram (EEG) of ten subjects with CVD plus ten healthy individuals. The recording was performed according to the 10–20 international system. The C-based software was programmed so that subjects could select the number or path in each test plate in the software options while recording EEG. Frequency features in different frequency bands were extracted from the EEG signals of the two groups during the Ishihara test. Statistically significant differences (P < 0.05) between features were assessed by independent samples t-test with False Discovery Rate (FDR) correction. Also, the K-nearest neighbor classifier (KNN) was used to classify the two groups. The results revealed that the most significant difference between the two groups in the Ishihara test images occurred for the electrodes located in the right temporoparietal areas (P4 and T6) of the brain in the Delta, Theta, Beta1, and Beta2 frequency bands. The KNN classifier, using the signals that reported the greatest statistical difference between the two groups, showed that the two groups were distinguishable with 85.2% accuracy. In this way, images from the Ishihara test that would provide the most accurate classification were identified. In conclusion, this research provided new insights into EEG signals of subjects with CVD and healthy subjects based on the Ishihara color vision test.
Characterizing the loss landscape of variational quantum circuits
Authors: Huembeli Patrick , Dauphin Alexandre
Published: January 2021

Machine learning techniques enhanced by noisy intermediate-scale quantum (NISQ) devices and especially variational quantum circuits (VQC) have recently attracted much interest and have already been benchmarked for certain problems. Inspired by classical deep learning, VQCs are trained by gradient descent methods which allow for efficient training over big parameter spaces. For NISQ sized circuits, such methods show good convergence. There are however still many open questions related to the convergence of the loss function and to the trainability of these circuits in situations of vanishing gradients. Furthermore, it is not clear how ‘good’ the minima are in terms of generalization and stability against perturbations of the data and there is, therefore, a need for tools to quantitatively study the convergence of the VQCs. In this work, we introduce a way to compute the Hessian of the loss function of VQCs and show how to characterize the loss landscape with it. The eigenvalues of the Hessian give information on the local curvature and we discuss how this information can be interpreted and compared to classical neural networks. We benchmark our results on several examples, starting with a simple analytic toy model to provide some intuition about the behaviour of the Hessian, then going to bigger circuits, and also train VQCs on data. Finally, we show how the Hessian can be used to adjust the learning rate for faster convergence during the training of variational circuits.
A novel dataset for analysing sub-national socioeconomic developments in the Indian coal industry
Authors: Pai Sandeep , Zerriffi Hisham
Published: January 2021

Coal use needs to rapidly decline in the global energy mix in the next few decades in order to meet the Paris climate goals of keeping global warming well below 2-degrees Celsius. In emerging economies such as India (the second largest producer and consumer of coal) this would entail reducing long-term coal dependency. Prior work has focused on a coal transition in India from a techno-economic point of view, yet little attention has been given to the socio-economic dimensions of this transition. This is in part due to lack of availability of datasets required for such analysis. The first step in understanding the socio-economic dimensions of a coal transition in India is to understand the scale of current socio-economic dependency on coal at the sub-national level. We contribute to this literature by creating a novel dataset comprised of all 459 operational coal mines in India, using multiple Right to Information Act applications (India’s Freedom of Information Act) and then combining this dataset with coal company wise employment factors to estimate direct job numbers at the district level (a sub-administrative unit). We find that coal is produced in 51 districts in 13 states in India with large variations in employment numbers among these districts. While Korba district in Chhattisgarh state is the highest coal producing district, Dhanbad district in Jharkhand state is home to the highest number of coal mining workers. This is the first attempt at understanding the socio-economic dependency on coal at a district level and future work could focus on quantifying other district level socio-economic indicators such as coal related revenues. The new dataset and the results of this paper will be useful for scholars conducting future work on coal transitions and related topics.
‘We have become prisoners of our own age’: from a continuing care retirement community to a total institution in the midst of the COVID-19 outbreak
Authors: Ayalon Liat , Avidor Sharon
Published: January 2021

Background and objectives

during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic in Israel, people residing in continuing care retirement communities (CCRC) found themselves under strict instructions to self-isolate, imposed by the CCRC managements before, during and after the nationwide lockdown. The present study explored the personal experiences of CCRC residents during the lockdown.

Research design and methods

in-depth interviews were conducted with 24 CCRC residents from 13 different CCRCs. Authors performed a thematic analysis of interview transcripts, using constant comparisons and contrasts.

Results

three major themes were identified: (i) ‘Us vs. them: Others are worse off’. Older residents engaged in constant attempts to compare their situation to that of others. The overall message behind these downward comparisons was that the situation is not so bad, as others are in a worse predicament; (ii) ‘Us vs. them: Power imbalance’. This comparison emphasised the unbalanced power-relations between older adults and the staff and management in the setting and (iii) ‘We have become prisoners of our own age’. Interviewees described strong emotions of despair, depression and anger, which were intensified when the rest of society returned back to a new routine, whilst they were still under lockdown.

Discussion and implications

the measures imposed on residents by managements of CCRCs during the lockdown, and the emotional responses of distress among some of the residents, revealed that CCRCs have components of total institutions, not normally evident. This underscores the hidden emotional costs of the lockdown among those whose autonomy was compromised.
Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) and Abdominoplasty: A Holistic 8-Point Protocol-Based Approach to Prevent DVT
Authors: Sforza Marcos , Husein Rodwan , Saghir Reyan , Saghir Noman , Okhiria Renee , Okhiria Terrell , Sidhu Manu , Zaccheddu Renato
Published: January 2021

Background

Plastic surgery as a specialty is afflicted with one of the highest incidence rates of thromboembolic events, with abdominoplasty procedures known to assimilate the greatest rates of deep vein thrombosis (DVT).

Objectives

The aim of this study was to develop a prophylactic protocol to reduce the rate of DVT occurrence postabdominoplasty.

Methods

Over a 7-year period 1078 abdominoplasty patients were enrolled onto a holistic 8-point prophylaxis protocol. For a 4-week period before the operation all patients were required to stop smoking, and to cease hormone replacement therapy and combined oral contraception. All patients were required to have a preoperative BMI of less than 40 kg/m2. Participants were supplied with compression stockings, external pumping devices, and enoxaparin. Individuals with a history of DVT were also required to be 1-year treatment free prior to surgery. Furthermore, the protocol required postoperative ambulation of fit patients within 4 hours.

Results

Between 2008 and 2013, no incidence of DVT was recorded in all 1078 abdominoplasty surgery patients, indicating the potential for this protocol to lead to a significantly lower incidence than any previously published methodology. Previous studies of DVT incidence were reviewd to identify rates statistically significantly similar to our sample, thereby providing conservative incidence rate estimates.

Conclusions

This 8-point DVT prophylaxis protocol is the first noncriteria-based inclusive protocol aimed at preventing abdominoplasty-associated DVT. A holistic and procedure-specific approach to prophylaxis can drastically reduce the occurrence of DVT in abdominoplasty surgery.

With over 116,000 procedures performed annually in the United States, abdominoplasty has become one of the most popular and sought-after surgeries in the plastic and cosmetic field.1 Despite its ever-increasing popularity and the advancement of techniques, abdominoplasty—as with any other surgery—has its complications, including infection, seroma, hematoma, thrombosis, embolism, scarring, and even death. Complication rates as high as 37% have been reported, with some studies reporting a 16% major complication rate.2 One of the most serious and troubling complications for both surgeon and patient is deep vein thrombosis (DVT). With over 1 million patients tested, an estimated 250,000 cases of DVT are diagnosed per year in the United States alone.

Level of Evidence: 4
Cellinker: a platform of ligand–receptor interactions for intercellular communication analysis
Authors: Zhang Yang , Liu Tianyuan , Wang Jing , Zou Bohao , Li Le , Yao Linhui , Chen Kechen , Ning Lin , Wu Bingyi , Zhao Xiaoyang , Wang Dong
Published: January 2021

Motivation

Ligand–receptor (L–R) interactions mediate cell adhesion, recognition and communication and play essential roles in physiological and pathological signaling. With the rapid development of single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) technologies, systematically decoding the intercellular communication network involving L–R interactions has become a focus of research. Therefore, construction of a comprehensive, high-confidence and well-organized resource to retrieve L–R interactions in order to study the functional effects of cell–cell communications would be of great value.

Results

In this study, we developed Cellinker, a platform of literature-supported L–R interactions that play roles in cell–cell communication. We aimed to provide a useful platform for studies on cell–cell communication mediated by L–R interactions. The current version of Cellinker documents over 3700 human and 3200 mouse L–R protein–protein interactions (PPIs) and embeds a practical and convenient webserver with which researchers can decode intercellular communications based on scRNA-seq data. And over 400 endogenous small molecule (sMOL) related L–R interactions were collected as well. Moreover, to help with research on coronavirus (CoV) infection, Cellinker collects information on 16L–R PPIs involved in CoV–human interactions (including 12L–R PPIs involved in SARS-CoV-2 infection). In summary, Cellinker provides a user-friendly interface for querying, browsing and visualizing L–R interactions as well as a practical and convenient web tool for inferring intercellular communications based on scRNA-seq data. We believe this platform could promote intercellular communication research and accelerate the development of related algorithms for scRNA-seq studies.

Availability and implementation

Cellinker is available at http://www.rna-society.org/cellinker/

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Survival after antireflux surgery versus medication in patients with reflux oesophagitis or Barrett’s oesophagus: multinational cohort study
Authors: Yanes M , Santoni G , Maret-Ouda J , Ness-Jensen E , Färkkilä M , Lynge E , Pukkala E , Romundstad P , Tryggvadóttir L , -Chelpin M von Euler , Lagergren J
Published: January 2021

Background

The aim was to examine the hypothesis that antireflux surgery with fundoplication improves long-term survival compared with antireflux medication in patients with reflux oesophagitis or Barrett’s oesophagus.

Method

Individuals aged between 18 and 70 years with reflux oesophagitis or Barrett’s oesophagus (intestinal metaplasia) documented from in-hospital and specialized outpatient care were selected from national patient registries in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, and Sweden from 1980 to 2014. The study investigated all-cause mortality and disease-specific mortality, comparing patients who had undergone open or laparoscopic antireflux surgery with fundoplication versus those using antireflux medication. Multivariable Cox regression analysis was used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) with 95 per cent confidence intervals for all-cause mortality and disease-specific mortality, adjusted for sex, age, calendar period, country, and co-morbidity.

Results

Some 240 226 patients with reflux oesophagitis or Barrett’s oesophagus were included, of whom 33 904 (14.1 per cent) underwent antireflux surgery. The risk of all-cause mortality was lower after antireflux surgery than with use of medication (HR 0.61, 95 per cent c.i. 0.58 to 0.63), and lower after laparoscopic (HR 0.56, 0.52 to 0.60) than open (HR 0.80, 0.70 to 0.91) surgery. After antireflux surgery, mortality was decreased from cardiovascular disease (HR 0.58, 0.55 to 0.61), respiratory disease (HR 0.62, 0.57 to 0.66), laryngeal or pharyngeal cancer (HR 0.35, 0.19 to 0.65), and lung cancer (HR 0.67, 0.58 to 0.80), but not from oesophageal cancer (HR 1.05, 0.87 to 1.28), compared with medication, The decreased mortality rates generally remained over time.

Conclusion

In patients with reflux oesophagitis or Barrett’s oesophagus, antireflux surgery is associated with lower mortality from all causes, cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, laryngeal or pharyngeal cancer, and lung cancer, but not from oesophageal cancer, compared with antireflux medication.
Sudden cardiac death after implantation of a cardiac resynchronization therapy pacemaker: a case report illustrating that not always less is more
Authors: Vollmann Dirk , Hansen Claudius , Hunold Peter , Lüthje Lars
Published: January 2021

Background

Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) improves symptoms and survival in selected patients with systolic heart failure and ventricular conduction delay. In subjects without prior life-threatening ventricular arrhythmia, clinicians have to select between implanting a CRT pacemaker (CRT-P) or a more complex device with additional defibrillator capability (CRT-D). This individual decision can be challenging in light of the available evidence and the potential risks and benefits.

Case summary

A 76-year-old male with non-ischaemic cardiomyopathy, heart failure New York Heart Association Class III, left bundle branch block (QRS duration 185 ms) and a left ventricular ejection fraction of 30% despite optimal medical therapy was indicated for CRT. In light of the patient characteristics and clinical condition, a CRT-P device was implanted. No complication occurred, and the patient was discharged after an appropriate device function was confirmed. Despite the clinical improvement, he died suddenly without prior symptoms approximately 2 months thereafter. Post-mortem device interrogation provided no evidence for device malfunction and confirmed sudden cardiac death (SCD) due to spontaneous ventricular fibrillation.

Discussion

Patients indicated for CRT often have overlapping internal cardioverter defibrillator indication for the primary prevention of SCD. By weighing individual risks and potential benefits, clinicians have to decide whether to implant a CRT-P (less is more) or a more complex and costly CRT-D device. Despite careful consideration of patient characteristics and clinical conditions, however, SCD can occur in subjects categorized as low risk and implanted with a CRT-P. More data from randomized clinical trials are needed to better support physicians in the often challenging process of selecting the most appropriate device for CRT.
Gene Duplication and Gain in the Trematode Atriophallophorus winterbourni Contributes to Adaptation to Parasitism
Authors: Zajac Natalia , Zoller Stefan , Seppälä Katri , Moi David , Dessimoz Christophe , Jokela Jukka , Hartikainen Hanna , Glover Natasha
Published: January 2021

Gene duplications and novel genes have been shown to play a major role in helminth adaptation to a parasitic lifestyle because they provide the novelty necessary for adaptation to a changing environment, such as living in multiple hosts. Here we present the de novo sequenced and annotated genome of the parasitic trematode Atriophallophorus winterbourni and its comparative genomic analysis to other major parasitic trematodes. First, we reconstructed the species phylogeny, and dated the split of A. winterbourni from the Opisthorchiata suborder to approximately 237.4 Ma (±120.4 Myr). We then addressed the question of which expanded gene families and gained genes are potentially involved in adaptation to parasitism. To do this, we used hierarchical orthologous groups to reconstruct three ancestral genomes on the phylogeny leading to A. winterbourni and performed a GO (Gene Ontology) enrichment analysis of the gene composition of each ancestral genome, allowing us to characterize the subsequent genomic changes. Out of the 11,499 genes in the A. winterbourni genome, as much as 24% have arisen through duplication events since the speciation of A. winterbourni from the Opisthorchiata, and as much as 31.9% appear to be novel, that is, newly acquired. We found 13 gene families in A. winterbourni to have had more than ten genes arising through these recent duplications; all of which have functions potentially relating to host behavioral manipulation, host tissue penetration, and hiding from host immunity through antigen presentation. We identified several families with genes evolving under positive selection. Our results provide a valuable resource for future studies on the genomic basis of adaptation to parasitism and point to specific candidate genes putatively involved in antagonistic host–parasite adaptation.
Pan-Arctic suitable habitat model for Greenland halibut
Authors: Vihtakari Mikko , Hordoir Robinson , Treble Margaret , Bryan Meaghan D , Elvarsson Bjarki , Nogueira Adriana , Hallfredsson Elvar H , Christiansen Jørgen Schou , Albert Ole Thomas
Published: January 2021

Deep-sea marine fishes support important fisheries but estimates of their distributions are often incomplete as the data behind them may reflect fishing practices, access rights, or political boundaries, rather than actual geographic distributions. We use a simple suitable habitat model based on bottom depth, temperature, and salinity to estimate the potential distribution of Greenland halibut (Reinhardtius hippoglossoides). A large presence-only dataset is examined using multivariate kernel densities to define environmental envelopes, which we link to spatial distribution using a pan-Arctic oceanographic model. Occurrences generally fit the model well, although there were gaps in the predicted circum-Arctic distribution likely due to limited survey activity in many of the ice-covered seas around the Arctic Ocean. Bottom temperature and depth were major factors defining model fit to observations, but other factors, such as ecosystem interactions and larval drift could also influence distribution. Model predictions can be tested by increasing sampling effort in poorly explored regions and by studying the connectivity of putative populations. While abundances of Greenland halibut in the High Arctic are currently low, some areas are predicted to be suitable habitat for this species, suggesting that on-going sea-ice melt may lead to fisheries expansion into new areas.
Low antileishmanial drug exposure in HIV-positive visceral leishmaniasis patients on antiretrovirals: an Ethiopian cohort study
Authors: Kip Anke E , Blesson Séverine , Alves Fabiana , Wasunna Monique , Kimutai Robert , Menza Peninah , Mengesha Bewketu , Beijnen Jos H , Hailu Asrat , Diro Ermias , Dorlo Thomas P C
Published: January 2021

Background

Despite high HIV co-infection prevalence in Ethiopian visceral leishmaniasis (VL) patients, the adequacy of antileishmanial drug exposure in this population and effect of HIV-VL co-morbidity on pharmacokinetics of antileishmanial and antiretroviral (ARV) drugs is still unknown.

Methods

HIV-VL co-infected patients received the recommended liposomal amphotericin B (LAmB) monotherapy (total dose 40 mg/kg over 24 days) or combination therapy of LAmB (total dose 30 mg/kg over 11 days) plus 28 days 100 mg/day miltefosine, with possibility to extend treatment for another cycle. Miltefosine, total amphotericin B and ARV concentrations were determined in dried blood spots or plasma using LC–MS/MS.

Results

Median (IQR) amphotericin B Cmax on Day 1 was 24.6 μg/mL (17.0–34.9 μg/mL), which increased to 40.9 (25.4–53.1) and 33.2 (29.0–46.6) μg/mL on the last day of combination and monotherapy, respectively. Day 28 miltefosine concentration was 18.7 (15.4–22.5) μg/mL. Miltefosine exposure correlated with amphotericin B accumulation. ARV concentrations were generally stable during antileishmanial treatment, although efavirenz Cmin was below the 1 μg/mL therapeutic target for many patients.

Conclusions

This study demonstrates that antileishmanial drug exposure was low in this cohort of HIV co-infected VL patients. Amphotericin B Cmax was 2-fold lower than previously observed in non-VL patients. Miltefosine exposure in HIV-VL co-infected patients was 35% lower compared with adult VL patients in Eastern Africa, only partially explained by a 19% lower dose, possibly warranting a dose adjustment. Adequate drug exposure in these HIV-VL co-infected patients is especially important given the high proportion of relapses.
Magnetogenesis around the first galaxies: the impact of different field seeding processes on galaxy formation
Authors: Garaldi Enrico , Pakmor Rüdiger , Springel Volker
Published: January 2021

We study the evolution of magnetic fields generated by charge segregation ahead of ionization fronts during the Epoch of Reionization, and their effects on galaxy formation. We compare this magnetic seeding process with the Biermann battery, injection from supernovae, and an imposed seed field at redshift z ≳ 127. Using a suite of self-consistent cosmological and zoom-in simulations based on the Auriga galaxy-formation model, we determine that all mechanisms produce galactic magnetic fields that equally affect galaxy formation, and are nearly indistinguishable at z ≲ 1.5. The former is compatible with observed values, while the latter is correlated with the gas metallicity below a seed-dependent redshift. Low-density gas and haloes below a seed-dependent mass threshold retain memory of the initial magnetic field. We produce synthetic Faraday rotation measure maps, showing that they have the potential to constrain the seeding process, although current observations are not yet sensitive enough. Our results imply that the ad-hoc assumption of a primordial seed field – widely used in galaxy formation simulations but of uncertain physical origin – can be replaced by physically motivated mechanisms for magnetogenesis with negligible impact on galactic properties. Additionally, magnetic fields generated ahead of ionization fronts appear very similar but weaker than those produced by the Biermann battery. Hence, in a realistic scenario where both mechanisms are active, the former will be negligible compared to the latter. Finally, our results highlight that the high-redshift Universe is a fruitful testing ground for our understanding of magnetic fields generation.
Red noise and pulsations in evolved massive stars
Authors: Nazé Yaël , Rauw Gregor , Gosset Eric
Published: January 2021

We examine high-cadence space photometry taken by the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) of a sample of evolved massive stars: 26 Wolf–Rayet stars (WRs) and eight luminous blue variables (LBVs) or candidate LBVs. To avoid confusion problems, only stars without bright Gaia neighbours and without evidence of bound companions are considered. This leads to a clean sample, the variability properties of which should truly reflect the properties of the WR and LBV classes. Red noise is detected in all cases and its fitting reveals characteristics very similar to those found for OB stars. Coherent variability is also detected for 20 per cent of the WR sample. Most detections occur at moderately high frequency (3–14 d−1), hence they are most probably linked to pulsational activity. This work doubles the number of WRs known to exhibit high-frequency signals.
SPOTlight: seeded NMF regression to deconvolute spatial transcriptomics spots with single-cell transcriptomes
Authors: Elosua-Bayes Marc , Nieto Paula , Mereu Elisabetta , Gut Ivo , Heyn Holger
Published: January 2021

Spatially resolved gene expression profiles are key to understand tissue organization and function. However, spatial transcriptomics (ST) profiling techniques lack single-cell resolution and require a combination with single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) information to deconvolute the spatially indexed datasets. Leveraging the strengths of both data types, we developed SPOTlight, a computational tool that enables the integration of ST with scRNA-seq data to infer the location of cell types and states within a complex tissue. SPOTlight is centered around a seeded non-negative matrix factorization (NMF) regression, initialized using cell-type marker genes and non-negative least squares (NNLS) to subsequently deconvolute ST capture locations (spots). Simulating varying reference quantities and qualities, we confirmed high prediction accuracy also with shallowly sequenced or small-sized scRNA-seq reference datasets. SPOTlight deconvolution of the mouse brain correctly mapped subtle neuronal cell states of the cortical layers and the defined architecture of the hippocampus. In human pancreatic cancer, we successfully segmented patient sections and further fine-mapped normal and neoplastic cell states. Trained on an external single-cell pancreatic tumor references, we further charted the localization of clinical-relevant and tumor-specific immune cell states, an illustrative example of its flexible application spectrum and future potential in digital pathology.
Long non-coding RNAs in brain tumors
Authors: Katsushima Keisuke , Jallo George , Eberhart Charles G , Perera Ranjan J
Published: January 2021

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been found to be central players in the epigenetic, transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression. There is an accumulation of evidence on newly discovered lncRNAs, their molecular interactions and their roles in the development and progression of human brain tumors. LncRNAs can have either tumor suppressive or oncogenic functions in different brain cancers, making them attractive therapeutic targets and biomarkers for personalized therapy and precision diagnostics. Here, we summarize the current state of knowledge of the lncRNAs that have been implicated in brain cancer pathogenesis, particularly in gliomas and medulloblastomas. We discuss their epigenetic regulation as well as the prospects of using lncRNAs as diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets in patients with brain tumors.
Gram-Negative Ventriculostomy-Associated Infections Predict Shunt Dependency in Stroke Diagnoses and Other Brain Injuries
Authors: Unda Santiago R , Mousa Hamad , Labagnara Kevin , Birnbaum Jessie , de Silva Neranjan , Wong Megan , Scoco Aleka N , Haranhalli Neil , Altschul David J
Published: January 2021

BACKGROUND

Several predictors have been studied for shunt dependency after stroke and other brain injuries. However, little is known about the association between ventriculostomy-associated infections (VAIs) and impaired cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) outflow. Moreover, gram-negative (GN) VAIs induce a potent neuroinflammatory process and are clinically challenging to treat.

OBJECTIVE

To assess if GN-VAIs predict ventriculoperitoneal shunt (VPS) dependency.

METHODS

Retrospective analysis of postprocedure infection rates was performed in 586 patients with external ventricle drainage (EVD) placed on site between 2012 and 2018. We collected sex, age, stroke and nonstroke related, location of EVD placement, type of hospital, EVD duration, and EVD exchange.

RESULTS

Among 586 patients requiring an EVD, 55 developed a VAI. Most were caused by gram-positive (GP) pathogens (61.8%). A total of 120 patients required a conversion from EVD to VPS. Patients with VAIs had higher rates of VPS placement (49.09% vs 17.65%, P < .001), whereas patients with GN-VAIs had significantly higher rates of EVD conversion to VPS (77.78% vs 35.29%, P = .012) compared with GP-VAIs. The multivariate analysis showed that GN-VAIs were an independent predictor for shunt dependency (odds ratio = 12.896; 95% CI 3.407-48.82, P < .001). In receiver operating characteristics analysis, those less than 44.5 yr of age and more than 12 d of EVD duration were identified as the best cutoff values to discriminate the development of GN-VAI.

CONCLUSION

Patients who experience a GN VAI are in greater risk of impaired CSF outflow, thus requiring VPS placement.
Savanna on the Nile
Authors: Fuller Dorian Q. , Lucas Leilani
Published: January 2021

This paper provides an overview of changing agricultural systems from the Neolithic to the Post-Meroitic Period in the greater Nubian region. There remain major gaps in the archaeobotanical evidence, and larger samples collected by systematic sieving and flotation are few and far between. Gaps in our knowledge include the initial establishment of the summer, sub-Saharan cereal cultivation system, but other important trends are much clearer, such as the arrival of the classic Egyptian winter cereal cultivation system of Near Eastern origin in the Late Neolithic at least in Lower Nubia; the latter of which complemented established pastoral traditions providing for the emergent political economy. The northward spread of the summer savannah crop system during the first few centuries ce formed the basis for subsequent intensification through the adoption of the cattle-powered saqia. Diversification and intensification through an integration of the summer and winter crop systems along with the development of a cash crop industry facilitated the development of Meroitic state. These processes also may have played an important role in economic changes in the Late Meroitic to Post-Meroitic transition, including the devolution of the Meroitic state. In addition to representing a long-term frontier of overlapping agricultural systems, Nubia was a frontier in cooking traditions, a crossroads between a world of bread in the North and one of liquid preparations, porridges, and beers in the South.
Sophists
Authors: Eshleman Kendra
Published: January 2021

This chapter examines two collective biographies of Imperial sophists: Philostratus’ Lives of Sophists (VS) and Eunapius’ Lives of Philosophers and Sophists (VPS). The VS records the careers of ten classical and forty-one Imperial figures ‘properly called sophists’, along with eight ‘philosophers with a reputation as sophists’. Eunapius improves on Philostratus, as he sees it, by combining Neoplatonist philosophers, sophists, and rhetorically skilled physicians in a single work. As these summaries suggest, sophists made an awkward subject for collective biography. The term is notoriously protean, and the proper relationship of sophistic to other forms of paideia was hotly disputed; disagreement between Philostratus and Eunapius surfaces already in their titles. Unlike rhetoric and philosophy, sophistic had never had a discrete history, and it is unlikely that Philostratus’ subjects thought they belonged to a coherent ‘Second Sophistic’ movement. For both authors, writing biographies of sophists is a charged intervention in the cultural politics of their day. The chapter considers how the cultural histories of sophistic—and, by implication, sophists—produced by each collection work to position sophistic within and against the political history of the Roman Empire; map its outer limits, especially vis-à-vis philosophy; and authorize the author himself.
Political Organizations and Participation
Authors: Vromen Ariadne , Vaughan Michael , Halpin Darren
Published: January 2021

This chapter introduces four core dimensions of contemporary research on political organizations and participation to argue that this is a vibrant area of research within the study of Australian politics. First, there has been a productive debate between traditional understandings of participation—underpinned by dutiful, government-centred norms—and research focused on the emergence of newer forms of participation characterized by individualization, project identities, and issue-based mobilizations. Together, these areas of research show how citizens’ involvement with politics has changed over time. Second, digital communication technologies have provided new avenues for political action and for research, compounding processes of individualization and personalization. Third, in pioneering research, Australian interest organizations have been found to play a central role in Australian political life, particularly as participation preferences shift to project- and issue-based advocacy. Finally, these intersecting processes of normative, technological, and organizational change are evident in the arrival of new hybrid campaigning organizations like GetUp.
Early Modern Forerunners of Terrorism in Europe
Authors: Dillinger Johannes
Published: January 2021

First, this chapter explores political violence in the late Middle Ages and the early modern era. Even though the term terrorism did not exist before the French Revolution, political phenomena that closely resembled various forms of modern-day terrorism have been known and feared since the fourteenth century. The late Middle Ages and the early modern period witnessed the assassinations of numerous princes. The authorities as well as the populace feared organized gangs of criminals in the pay of rival political or religious leaders. These gangs were said to attack the civilian population using arson and mass poisoning in order to destabilize whole states. The fear of the terrorist “state destroyer” was part and parcel of state building from its very beginning. Secondly, the chapter discusses nineteenth-century historiography about early modern political violence. Nineteenth-century historians refused to interpret early modern political crime as terrorism: they either denounced it as lacking any political concept or vindicated it as justifiable resistance.
Unresolved advantages of multipartitism in spatially structured environments
Authors: Zwart Mark P , Blanc Stéphane , Johnson Marcelle , Manrubia Susanna , Michalakis Yannis , Sofonea Mircea T
Published: January 2021

Multipartite viruses have segmented genomes and package each of their genome segments individually into distinct virus particles. Multipartitism is common among plant viruses, but why this apparently costly genome organization and packaging has evolved remains unclear. Recently Zhang and colleagues developed network epidemiology models to study the epidemic spread of multipartite viruses and their distribution over plant and animal hosts (Phys. Rev. Lett. 2019, 123, 138101). In this short commentary, we call into question the relevance of these results because of key model assumptions. First, the model of plant hosts assumes virus transmission only occurs between adjacent plants. This assumption overlooks the basic but imperative fact that most multipartite viruses are transmitted over variable distances by mobile animal vectors, rendering the model results irrelevant to differences between plant and animal hosts. Second, when not all genome segments of a multipartite virus are transmitted to a host, the model assumes an incessant latent infection occurs. This is a bold assumption for which there is no evidence to date, making the relevance of these results to understanding multipartitism questionable.
Breaking Tradition to Bridge Bench and Bedside: Accelerating the MD-PhD-Residency Pathway
Authors: Modrek Aram S. , Tanese Naoko , Placantonakis Dimitris G. , Sulman Erik P. , Rivera Rafael , Du Kevin L. , Gerber Naamit K. , David Gregory , Chesler Mitchell , Philips Mark R. , Cangiarella Joan
Published: January 2021

Problem

Physician–scientists are individuals trained in both clinical practice and scientific research. Often, the goal of physician–scientist training is to address pressing questions in biomedical research. The established pathways to formally train such individuals are mainly MD–PhD programs and physician–scientist track residencies. Although graduates of these pathways are well equipped to be physician–scientists, numerous factors, including funding and length of training, discourage application to such programs and impede success rates.

Approach

To address some of the pressing challenges in training and retaining burgeoning physician–scientists, New York University Grossman School of Medicine formed the Accelerated MD-PhD-Residency Pathway in 2016. This pathway builds on the previously established accelerated 3-year MD pathway to residency at the same institution. The Accelerated MD-PhD-Residency Pathway conditionally accepts MD–PhD trainees to a residency position at the same institution through the National Resident Matching Program.

Outcomes

Since its inception, 2 students have joined the Accelerated MD-PhD-Residency Pathway, which provides protected research time in their chosen residency. The pathway reduces the time to earn an MD and PhD by 1 year and reduces the MD training phase to 3 years, reducing the cost and lowering socioeconomic barriers. Remaining at the same institution for residency allows for the growth of strong research collaborations and mentoring opportunities, which foster success.

Next Steps

The authors and institutional leaders plan to increase the number of trainees who are accepted into the Accelerated MD-PhD-Residency Pathway and track the success of these students through residency and into practice to determine if the pathway is meeting its goal of increasing the number of practicing physician–scientists. The authors hope this model can serve as an example to leaders at other institutions who may wish to adopt this pathway for the training of their MD–PhD students.