bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The role of cigarette smoking in periodontal disease and treatment outcomes of dental implant therapy
Authors: Apatzidou Danae Anastasia
Published: August 2022

Tobacco smoking has been implicated in periodontal pathology through various mechanisms, including perturbations of the inflammatory and host responses to putative periodontal pathogens, alterations in the subgingival microbial communities, and a compromised healing potential of the tissues leading to imbalance of tissue homeostasis. This review provides the evidence for the relationship between cigarette smoking and periodontal disease in an attempt to explain possible mechanisms of how tobacco smoking may exert its negative effects on the periodontal tissues via systemic and localized pathways. Early and more recent studies explore cigarette smoking–induced changes in periodontal clinical indices; in subgingival microbial flora by employing traditional detection methods for selected microorganisms, in addition to modern techniques such as deep sequencing and bioinformatics analyses that are able to fully characterize the microbial communities; and in inflammatory and immune responses critically appraising study limitations and differences in study protocol designs. Periodontal treatment outcomes and implant therapy outcomes are reviewed in an attempt to shed light on possible mechanisms for the inferior treatment outcome noted in smokers. The potential harmful effects of passive smoking are also reviewed, providing evidence for the advantages of smoking cessation. Quitting cigarette smoking should be recommended by the dentist, and effort should be made to inform smokers about the negative effects of smoking on the periodontal status and implant therapy outcomes.
Selection history and task predictability determine the precision expectations in attentional control
Authors: Abbasi Hossein , Henare Dion , Kadel Hanna , Schubö Anna
Published: August 2022

Predictive processing frameworks have demonstrated the central role that prediction plays in a range of cognitive processes including bottom‐up and top‐down mechanisms of attention control. However, relatively little is understood about how predictive processes interact with the third main determinant of attentional priority – selection history. In this experiment, participants developed a history of either color or shape selection while we observed the impact of these histories in an additional singleton search task using behavioral measures and ERP measures of attentional control. Throughout the experiment, participants were encouraged to predict the upcoming display, but prediction errors were either high or low depending on session. Persistent group differences in our results showed that selection history contributes to the precision weighting of a stimulus, and that this is mediated by overall prediction error. Color‐singleton distractors captured attention and required greater suppression when participants had a history of color selection; however, these participants gained large benefits when the upcoming stimuli were highly predictable. We suggest that selection history modulates the precision expectations for a feature in a persistent and implicit way, producing an attentional bias that predictability can help to counteract, but cannot prevent or eliminate entirely.
Respiratory admissions before and during the COVID‐19 pandemic with mediation analysis of air pollutants, mask‐wearing and influenza rates
Authors: Ko Fanny Wai San , Lau Louis Ho Shing , Ng So Shan , Yip Terry Cheuk Fung , Wong Grace Lai Hung , Chan Ka Pang , Chan Tat On , Hui David Shu Cheong
Published: August 2022

Background and objective

Decline in hospitalizations for various respiratory diseases has been reported during the COVID‐19 pandemic, but what led to such an observation is uncertain.

Methods

This was a territory‐wide, retrospective cohort study involving all public hospital admissions in Hong Kong from 1 January 2017 to 31 December 2020. Hospital admissions for respiratory diseases, including asthma, COPD and non‐COVID pneumonia, were assessed. COVID‐related admissions were excluded from this study. The time of commencement of the pandemic was taken from the fourth week of January 2020. The associations between air pollutant levels, influenza and mask‐wearing rates with hospital admissions were assessed by mediation analyses.

Results

There were altogether 19,485, 78,693 and 238,781 admissions for asthma, COPD and non‐COVID pneumonia from January 2017 to December 2020. There was a marked reduction in hospital admissions of asthma, COPD and non‐COVID pneumonia (37%, 36% and 12% decrease in average daily admissions, respectively) during the COVID‐19 pandemic compared to before. Air pollutant levels and influenza rate were decreased while mask‐wearing rate was increased. Collinearity of mask‐wearing rates and pandemic year was observed. For COPD, NO2, SO2, PM10 and influenza rates (4%, 11%, 4% and 4% of the total effect, respectively), while for non‐COVID pneumonia, PM10 and influenza rates (11% and 52%, respectively) had significant mediation effect on changes in hospital admissions before and during the COVID‐19 pandemic.

Conclusion

During the COVID‐19 pandemic, a decrease in air pollutant levels and influenza rate had mediation effect on the reduction in hospitalizations of COPD and non‐COVID pneumonia.
Petrology and geochemistry of adakitic intrusions and dykes at Sarcheshmeh porphyry Cu‐Mo ± Au deposit, Iran: Insights into their source
Authors: Maanijou Mohammad , Mostaghimi Mohammad , Riseh Mehdi Abdollahy , Lentz David R. , Sepahi Gerow Ali A.
Published: August 2022

The Sarcheshmeh porphyry copper deposit (PCD) is located in the southeast part of the arc‐related Urumieh‐Dokhtar volcano‐plutonic belt. This PCD was formed by intrusion of a Middle Miocene granodiorite to tonalite stock into the volcano‐sedimentary rocks that are mainly andesite exhibiting Early Tertiary thrusting and faulting. On the basis of geochemistry of intrusive rocks, they are calc‐alkalic and alkali‐calcic suites that are consistent with oxidized I‐type magmas. The Fe2O3/FeO ratio in the Sarcheshmeh PCD is 1 to 3, consistent with a high oxygen fugacity. The igneous rocks of Sarcheshmeh PCD belong to a mature arc, but related to a post‐collision arc setting. Considerable evidence supports adakitic affinities of the Sarcheshmeh rocks, including geochemical values of Sr > 300 ppm (ave., 594 ppm), high ratios of Sr/Y > 20 (ave., 75), La/Yb > 20 (ave., 30), and enrichment of LREE and LILE relative to HREE and HFSE. The adakites of Sarcheshmeh belong to high‐silica adakites (HSA) that can be formed by melting of subducting seawater‐altered oceanic plate, which interact with the mantle wedge then followed by slab break‐off with local transtension in the middle part of the Dehaj‐Sarduieh belt. In rocks of the region, the ratios of Th/Ce > 0.12 and Nb/Zr > 0.05 suggest that the subducting crust has a role in forming different groups of these rocks. Geotectonic discrimination diagrams are used to distinguish between normal arc and slab failure magmatic systems, including Nb versus Y, La/Sm versus Sm/Yb, La/Yb versus Gd/Yb, and Rb versus Nb + Y diagrams. The plutonic rocks of the Sarcheshmeh PCD have characteristics consistent with adakites derived via slab failure, which are obviously metallogenically favorable magmatic systems. Adakitic melts generated rapidly during sinking of a broken slab (into higher temperature mantle), buoyantly migrate through the subcontinental lithospheric mantle (SCLM), which is related to structural evolution of that SCLM with local extension or transpression.
Equality of opportunity and the expansion of higher education in the UK
Authors: Carrieri Vincenzo , Davillas Apostolos , Jones Andrew M.
Published: August 2022

Using nine waves of data from Understanding Society (UKHLS), we study the expansion of higher education in the UK and its consequences for levels of and inequalities in income, physical and mental health. University expansion was characterized by a large increase in the proportion of graduates, with higher rates of graduation among individuals from more advantaged socioeconomic backgrounds. Having controlled for birth cohort and lifecycle effects, there is evidence of significant inequality of opportunity (IOp) in the actual outcomes. However, comparing actual outcomes with counterfactual projections, that freeze the likelihood of university graduation and the joint distribution of graduation and circumstances to the pre‐1963 levels, we do not detect an impact of the expansion of higher education on IOp in income and only small reductions in IOp in physical and mental health.
Resurrecting National Greatness: The Changing Faces of Golden Age in the Balkans
Authors: Malešević Siniša
Published: August 2022

In this paper, I analyze the changing nationalist narratives of golden age in the Balkans. By zooming in on the case studies of the late nineteenth‐ and early twenty‐first‐century South‐East European societies, I explain how and why the images of the mythical past are articulated differently in the two historical periods. I argue that in the nineteenth century golden age rhetoric was mostly a top‐down phenomenon centered on transforming Balkan peasantry into the loyal members of their new nation‐states. By the early twenty‐first century, this process has reached its institutional limits and the golden age narratives have become a bottom‐up phenomenon: the key agents of their creation and dissemination are members of civil society, social movements, and ordinary people. I focus on the structural processes that underpin this change to explain the historical dynamics of nationalisms. The paper is based on the qualitative text analysis using nineteenth‐century and early twentieth‐century archival materials and the documents from the contemporary mass media, official records, educational materials, and popular culture in the Balkans.
Why are there so many species of mining bees (Hymenoptera, Andrenidae)? The possible roles of phenology and Wolbachia incompatibility in maintaining species boundaries in the Andrena proxima‐complex
Authors: McLaughlin Gabrielle , Gueuning Morgan , Genoud David , Frey Juerg E. , Praz Christophe
Published: August 2022

The factors leading to the extraordinary diversity of the bees of the genus Andrena Fabricius, the second most speciose genus among bees, remain largely unknown. To examine the pattern of diversification in this genus, we investigate species boundaries within the controversial Andrena proxima‐complex using a dataset of ultra‐conserved elements and various species delimitation analyses (admixture analyses, BPP, DAPC). Our results confirm the presence of three separate species in this species group (Andrena proxima (Kirby), A. ampla Warncke and A. alutacea Stöckhert) and suggest very low levels of interspecific gene flow. Andrena proxima and A. alutacea are regularly found in sympatry, suggesting an advanced stage of speciation. By contrast, A. ampla shows a parapatric distribution with both other species. Andrena alutacea harbours a unique strain of Wolbachia Hertig, absent in the other two species, which are infected by the two same strains of Wolbachia. In addition, the three species have distinct phenologies, with A. proxima flying earlier in the season and A. alutacea significantly later; the phenology of A. ampla is intermediate. Our results suggest that Wolbachia‐induced incompatibilities and phenological differences maintain species boundaries in this group. The most advanced stage of speciation is observed in the two species showing putatively incompatible strains of Wolbachia and strongly distinct phenologies, A. alutacea and A. proxima. We propose that the smaller differences in phenological differentiation between A. ampla and both other species may explain the observed pattern of parapatric distribution. We discuss how these factors may underlie the high diversification rate observed in other groups of Andrena, a genus characterized by particularly variable and short flying periods.
Immanent Transcendence
Authors: Salas Victor
Published: August 2022

Long considered one of late scholasticism’s most important thinkers, Francisco Suárez has, paradoxically enough, often been treated only in relation to other medieval authors or as a transitional figure in the shift from medieval to Early Modern philosophy. As such, his thought has often been obscured and framed in terms of an alien paradigm. This book seeks to correct such approaches and examines Suárez's metaphysical thinking as it stands on its own. Suárez is shown to be much more in line with his medieval predecessors who developed their accounts of being to express the theological commitments they had made. Central to Suárez’s account is a fundamental existential orientation, one that many interpreters have overlooked in favour of an understanding of being as reduced to essence or to the thinkable.
Aristotle and the Ontology of St. Bonaventure
Authors: van Buren Franziska
Published: August 2022

Contemporary scholarship on Bonaventure has characterized him as the Neo-platonic foil to the Aristotelianism of his day. The present book, however, shows a Bonaventure who is highly enthusiastic about utilizing the philosophy of Aristotle, and who centers much of his philosophical project around interpreting and understanding the texts of Aristotle. Two goals are central to this book. The first is to shed light on Bonaventure’s greatly understudied ontology and theory of forms, demonstrating how his philosophical system is an important and unique alternative to other medieval Aristotelian systems. The second is to establish, more broadly, how Bonaventure’s interpretation of Aristotle is a resource which should be mined for contemporary efforts in thinking about and reading Aristotle himself.
Optimal Sizing of a Hybrid Renewable Energy System: A Socio-Techno-Economic-Environmental Perspective
Authors: Kushwaha Pawan Kumar , Ray Priyanka , Bhattacharjee Chayan
Published: August 2022

Unprecedented power outages and load shedding significantly impact power supply reliability in a power distribution network. Furthermore, extending grid availability to far-flung regions with higher distribution losses is not economically viable. Therefore, a hybrid renewable energy system (HRES) is developed, and its socio-techno-economic-environmental (STEE) viability in supplying reliable electricity to the village is being examined in this paper. STEE factor-based multi-target optimization and sizing technique are designed using the homer pro software. The factors considered are namely social (land cost, human progress index, and employment generation factor), technical (unmet load, renewable energy portion, duty factor, and excess energy factor), economical (annualized cost of system, cost of energy, and total net present cost), and environmental (carbon emission and particulate matter). Three HRES setups are investigated, with various combinations of photovoltaic (PV), wind turbine (WT), battery (BAT), biogas generator (BG), and diesel generator (DG) and the optimal configuration is selected by STEE performance analysis. Compared to other evaluated setups, the HRES design with PV–WT–BAT–BG–DG is optimal for a consistent power supply. A sensitivity analysis for the optimal setup’s macro-economic variables and component costs is performed to achieve a more feasible optimal setup. Furthermore, the optimal setup’s cost of energy (0.1813 $/kW h) is lower than that of the most recent study in the literature. The closeness of the hybrid optimization of multiple electric renewables (HOMER) results (cost of energy (0.1813 $/kW h), unmet load (2.86 kW h/year)) and particle swarm optimization results (cost of energy (0.1799 $/kW h), unmet load (2.60 kW h/year)) for the optimal HRES setup supports the validity of the HOMER method used in this investigation.
Modeling the Mechanism of Water Flux in Fractured Gas Reservoirs With Edge Water Aquifers Using an Embedded Discrete Fracture Model
Authors: Geng Shaoyang , Li Chengyong , Zhai Shuo , Gong Yufeng , Jing Min
Published: August 2022

The invasion of aquifers into fractured gas reservoirs with edge water aquifers leads to rapid water production in gas wells, which reduces their gas production. Natural fractures accelerate this process. Traditional reservoir engineering methods cannot accurately describe the water influx, and it is difficult to quantitatively characterize the influence of aquifer energy and fracture development on production, which prevents aquifer intrusion from being effectively addressed. We divided the water influx of edge water aquifers in fractured gas reservoirs into three patterns: tongue-like intrusion in the matrix, tongue-like intrusion in fractures, and channel intrusion in fractures. Detailed numerical modeling of the water influx was performed using an embedded discrete fracture model (EDFM) to predict gas production. Because the strength of the aquifer and the conductivity of natural fractures have different effects on water influx, the effects of aquifers and natural fractures on the gas production of wells under the three water influx modes were studied. The results show that tongue-like intrusions lead to a stronger initial gas production of gas wells, which then become weaker after the wells are flooded, and the intrusions such as channeling in fractures cause the gas well to be flooded quickly. However, not all water influxes are unfavorable for gas production. Aquifers with water energy similar to gas formation and natural fractures with weak conductivity can improve the production of gas wells.
Experimental Investigation of Biohythane Performance on Thermal Barrier-Coated Compression Ignition Engine
Authors: Deheri Chinmay , Acharya Saroj Kumar
Published: August 2022

The performance, combustion, and emission parameters of a thermal barrier-coated (TBC) compression ignition (CI) engine were experimentally examined using biohythane (biohydrogen + biomethane) as leading fuel and diesel as secondary fuel. The mixture of supplied fuel was blended with 85–95% biomethane and 5–15% biohydrogen, mixed with the inlet air, and supplied through the intake manifold for both coated and uncoated conditions. Yttria-stabilized zirconia with a thickness of 0.4 mm was used as the top coat on the valves and piston crown over 0.1 mm thickness NiCrAlY bond coat using the plasma spray method. Baseline data were obtained by running the engine with conventional diesel fuel, and the same was compared with dual-fuel operation at constant engine speed and variable loading conditions. Results indicated that 15% biohydrogen enrichment with TBC operation improved the engine brake thermal efficiency (BTE) by 6% compared to diesel-only mode. Further, peak cylinder pressure and heat release rate were improved up to 16.5–20% with TBC and biohythane under dual-fuel mode compared to diesel-only mode. Moreover, the emission characteristics such as hydrocarbon (HC), carbon monoxide (CO), and smoke were reduced up to 16.2, 29.1, and 62.6%, respectively, with TBC and biohythane compared to the base diesel operation owing to low carbon concentration and improved combustion characteristics.
How Do Interfacial Shear and Gravity Affect the Oil Film Characteristics Near an Aero-Engine Bearing?
Authors: Sinha Avick , Brewster Benjamin , Johnson Kathy , Walsh Mike , Hann David
Published: August 2022

Recent demand for reducing carbon emission and for increasing engine efficiency has led aero-engine manufacturers to strive for a better oil flow system. Aero-engine bearing chambers that house the shaft-support bearings are among the most challenging parts of the engine systems and it is imperative to have a proper understanding of the oil flow characteristics inside a bearing chamber to increase the engine efficiency. The present work is focused on experimentally investigating the oil film characteristics near a ball bearing static slot in the co- and counter- current regions at various rotational Reynolds number (Reω), loads and liquid flow rates. The experimental investigation has been carried out over a wide range of engine relevant Reω up to 1.7×106 using high-speed imaging and a long distance microscope. The results show that formation of the oil film on the static elements of the bearing is governed by both gravity and interfacial forces at low Reω but only governed by interfacial forces at high Reω. The nondimensional film thickness ranged from 0.71 to 0.18 and decreases with increasing Reω. A regime map was obtained based on the waviness of the film interface showing three different types of wave. At all conditions investigated all waves were capillary waves. Reω, oil flowrate and gravity were found to have a significant effect on the film thickness (δ) with transitions matching the wave regime map.
Hydrodynamic origin for the suspension viscoelasticity of rough colloids
Authors: Pradeep Shravan , Wessel Alan , Hsiao Lilian C.
Published: August 2022

We report the linear rheology for dense suspensions of sterically stabilized smooth and mesoscopically rough colloids interacting as hard particles. Small amplitude oscillatory measurements reveal that rough colloids at high volume fractions exhibit storage and loss moduli that are orders of magnitude greater than smooth colloids. Frequency-concentration superposition is used to collapse the viscoelasticity data onto a master curve, where shift factors suggest a more elastic microstructure and reduced cage volume for rough particles. A combination of the mode-coupling theory, hydrodynamic modeling, and the activated hopping theory shows that these rough particles with significantly reduced localization lengths tend to become trapped in their glassy cages for extended periods of time. High-frequency data show that rough colloids, but not smooth colloids, display a transition from a free-draining to a fully lubricated state above the crossover volume fraction and, furthermore, exhibit solidlike behavior. Scaling analyses support the idea that lubrication forces between interlocking asperities are enhanced, leading to rotational constraints and stress-bearing structures that significantly elevate the viscoelasticity of dense suspensions. The results provide a framework for how particle surface topology affects the linear rheology in applications such as coatings, cement, consumer products, and shock-absorbing materials.
LLPS of FXR1 drives spermiogenesis by activating translation of stored mRNAs
Authors: Kang Jun-Yan , Wen Ze , Pan Duo , Zhang Yuhan , Li Qing , Zhong Ai , Yu Xinghai , Wu Yi-Chen , Chen Yu , Zhang Xiangzheng , Kou Peng-Cheng , Geng Junlan , Wang Ying-Yi , Hua Min-Min , Zong Ruiting , Li Biao , Shi Hui-Juan , Li Dangsheng , Fu Xiang-Dong , Li Jinsong , Nelson David L. , Guo Xuejiang , Zhou Yu , Gou Lan-Tao , Huang Ying , Liu Mo-Fang
Published: August 2022

Postmeiotic spermatids use a unique strategy to coordinate gene expression with morphological transformation, in which transcription and translation take place at separate developmental stages, but how mRNAs stored as translationally inert messenger ribonucleoproteins in developing spermatids become activated remains largely unknown. Here, we report that the RNA binding protein FXR1, a member of the fragile X–related (FXR) family, is highly expressed in late spermatids and undergoes liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) to merge messenger ribonucleoprotein granules with the translation machinery to convert stored mRNAs into a translationally activated state. Germline-specific
Fxr1
ablation in mice impaired the translation of target mRNAs and caused defective spermatid development and male infertility, and a phase separation–deficient FXR1
L351P
mutation in
Fxr1
knock-in mice produced the same developmental defect. These findings uncover a mechanism for translational reprogramming with LLPS as a key driver in spermiogenesis.
Individual tracking reveals long-distance flight-path control in a nocturnally migrating moth
Authors: Menz Myles H. M. , Scacco Martina , Bürki-Spycher Hans-Martin , Williams Hannah J. , Reynolds Don R. , Chapman Jason W. , Wikelski Martin
Published: August 2022

Each year, trillions of insects make long-range seasonal migrations. These movements are relatively well understood at a population level, but how individual insects achieve them remains elusive. Behavioral responses to conditions en route are little studied, primarily owing to the challenges of tracking individual insects. Using a light aircraft and individual radio tracking, we show that nocturnally migrating death’s-head hawkmoths maintain control of their flight trajectories over long distances. The moths did not just fly with favorable tailwinds; during a given night, they also adjusted for head and crosswinds to precisely hold course. This behavior indicates that the moths use a sophisticated internal compass to maintain seasonally beneficial migratory trajectories independent of wind conditions, illuminating how insects traverse long distances to take advantage of seasonal resources.
Dynamics of active liquid interfaces
Authors: Adkins Raymond , Kolvin Itamar , You Zhihong , Witthaus Sven , Marchetti M. Cristina , Dogic Zvonimir
Published: August 2022

Controlling interfaces of phase-separating fluid mixtures is key to the creation of diverse functional soft materials. Traditionally, this is accomplished with surface-modifying chemical agents. Using experiment and theory, we studied how mechanical activity shapes soft interfaces that separate an active and a passive fluid. Chaotic flows in the active fluid give rise to giant interfacial fluctuations and noninertial propagating active waves. At high activities, stresses disrupt interface continuity and drive droplet generation, producing an emulsion-like active state composed of finite-sized droplets. When in contact with a solid boundary, active interfaces exhibit nonequilibrium wetting transitions, in which the fluid climbs the wall against gravity. These results demonstrate the promise of mechanically driven interfaces for creating a new class of soft active matter.
Save the Supreme Court and democracy
Authors: Sen Maya
Published: August 2022

The US Supreme Court has been busy. It recently overturned a nearly 50-year-old precedent protecting abortion rights, upheld the right to carry guns outside the home, and hamstrung the Environmental Protection Agency’s ability to regulate emissions—all while signaling an aversion to contemporary empirical evidence and instead favoring “history and tradition.” Although the majority of Americans disagree with many of these decisions, the court has only just begun to reshape the country. When it resumes in October, the court will be poised to outlaw affirmative action, undercut federal regulations regarding clean water, and possibly allow state legislatures to restrict voting rights without oversight by state courts. What explains the court’s shift to an ideological extreme, and what can be done about it?
A Lysozyme Murein Hydrolase with Broad-Spectrum Antibacterial Activity from Enterobacter Phage myPSH1140
Authors: Ramesh Nachimuthu , Manohar Prasanth , Eniyan Kandasamy , Archana Loganathan , Athira Sudarsanan , Loh Belinda , Ma Long , Leptihn Sebastian
Published: August 2022

Bacteriophages and bacteriophage-derived peptidoglycan hydrolases (endolysins) present promising alternatives for the treatment of infections caused by multidrug resistant Gram-negative and Gram-positive pathogens. In this study, Gp105, a putative lysozyme murein hydrolase from
Enterobacter
phage myPSH1140 was characterized
in silico, in vitro
as well as
in vivo
using the purified protein.
Engineering of Cyclodextrin Glycosyltransferase through a Size/Polarity Guided Triple-Code Strategy with Enhanced α-Glycosyl Hesperidin Synthesis Ability
Authors: Chen Hanchi , Liu Yi , Ren Xiangyi , Wang Jiajun , Zhu Linjiang , Lu Yuele , Chen Xiaolong
Published: August 2022

Size/polarity guided triple-code strategy, a novel semirational mutagenesis strategy, was developed in this study and employed to engineer the aglycon attacking site of CGTase. Screening pressure was set as improved hesperidin glucoside synthesis ability, and eight positive mutants were obtained by screening only 32 mutants.
Protein Myristoylation Plays a Role in the Nuclear Entry of the Parvovirus Minute Virus of Mice
Authors: Yang Shuang , Zhou Lixin , Panté Nelly
Published: August 2022

Rodent parvoviruses (PVs), including minute virus of mice (MVM), have the ability to infect and kill cancer cells and thereby possess great potential in anti-cancer therapy. In fact, some of these viruses are currently being investigated in both preclinical studies and clinical trials to treat a wide variety of cancers.
Complete Genome Sequences of Four Macrolide-Resistant Nondiphtheritic
Corynebacterium
Isolates
Authors: Xiaoli Lingzi , Peng Yanhui , Williams Margaret M. , Cassiday Pamela K. , Nobles Sarah , Unoarumhi Yvette , Weil Lauren M. , Shirin Tahmina , Habib Zakir Hossain , Tondella Maria Lucia , Weigand Michael R.
Published: August 2022

This report describes the complete genome sequences of four isolates of the nondiphtheritic
Corynebacterium
(NDC) species
Corynebacterium pseudodiphtheriticum
and
Corynebacterium propinquum
, recovered during investigation of a large diphtheria outbreak in Bangladesh. These data will assist in better delineating the boundary between these related species and understanding their virulence potential.
Suaeda salsa
Root-Associated Microorganisms Could Effectively Improve Maize Growth and Resistance under Salt Stress
Authors: Wang Yongdong , Sun Qinghua , Liu Jiai , Wang Lingshuai , Wu Xiaoliang , Zhao Zhenyi , Wang Ningxin , Gao Zheng
Published: August 2022

This study demonstrates that halophyte root-associated microorganisms can promote crop tolerance to salt stress and clarify the mechanism by which the strains work in rhizosphere soil. The links among salt-tolerant microorganisms, soil, and plants established in this study can inform strategies for improving crop cultivation in salinized lands.
Using Shotgun Sequencing to Describe the Changes Induced by In-Feed Zinc Oxide and Apramycin in the Microbiomes of Pigs One Week Postweaning
Authors: Ortiz Sanjuán Juan M. , Manzanilla Edgar G. , Cabrera-Rubio Raúl , Crispie Fiona , Cotter Paul D. , Garrido Juan J. , Argüello Héctor
Published: August 2022

Weaning is a critical period for piglets, during which potentially harmful bacteria such as
Escherichia coli
can increase in abundance in the intestine, creating digestive problems and diarrhea. In-feed antibiotics, the most frequent administration route for antibiotics in livestock, and therapeutic doses of zinc oxide (ZnO) help to control diarrhea but prompt secondary problems such as antimicrobial resistance and soil pollution from heavy metals.
Supplemental Material: Hematite geochronology reveals a tectonic trigger for iron ore mineralization during Nuna breakup
Authors: Courtney-Davies Liam , al. et
Published: August 2022

Geochronology data tables and downhole ablation profile for hematite U-Pb analysis. 
Investigating the roles of hyperglycaemia, hyperinsulinaemia and elevated free fatty acids in cardiac function in patients with type 2 diabetes via treatment with insulin compared with empagliflozin: protocol for the HyperCarD2 randomised, crossover trial
Authors: Thirumathyam Roopameera , Richter Erik Arne , Goetze Jens Peter , Fenger Mogens , Van Hall Gerrit , Dixen Ulrik , Holst Jens Juul , Madsbad Sten , Vejlstrup Niels , Madsen Per Lav , Jørgensen Nils Bruun
Published: August 2022

Introduction

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is characterised by elevated plasma glucose, free fatty acid (FFA) and insulin concentrations, and this metabolic profile is linked to diabetic cardiomyopathy, a diastolic dysfunction at first and increased cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. Shifting cardiac metabolism towards glucose utilisation has been suggested to improve cardiovascular function and CVD risk, but insulin treatment increases overall glucose oxidation and lowers lipid oxidation, without reducing CVD risk, whereas SGLT2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) increase FFA, ketone body concentrations and lipid oxidation, while decreasing insulin concentrations and CVD risk. The aim of the present study is to elucidate the importance of different metabolic profiles obtained during treatment with a SGLT2i versus insulin for myocardial function in patients with T2D.

Methods and analyses

Randomised, crossover study, where 20 patients with T2D and body mass index>28 kg/m2 receive 25 mg empagliflozin daily or NPH insulin two times per day first for 5 weeks followed by a 3-week washout before crossing over to the remaining treatment. Insulin treatment is titrated to achieve similar glycaemic control as with empagliflozin. In those randomised to insulin first, glycaemia during an initial empagliflozin run-in period prior to randomisation serves as target glucose. Metabolic and cardiac evaluation is performed before and at the end of each treatment period.

The primary endpoint is change (treatment—washout) in left ventricular peak filling rate, as assessed by cardiac MRI with and without acute lowering of plasma FFAs with acipimox. Secondary and explorative endpoints are changes in left atrial passive emptying fraction, left ventricular ejection fraction, central blood volume and metabolic parameters.

Ethics and dissemination

This study is approved by the Danish Medicines Agency (ref. nr.: 2017061587), the Danish Data Protection Agency (ref. nr.: AHH-2017-093) and the Capital Region Ethics Committee (ref. nr.: H-17018846). The trial will be conducted in accordance with ICH-GCP guidelines and the Declaration of Helsinki and all participants will provide oral and written informed consent. Our results, regardless of outcome, will be published in relevant scientific journals and we also will seek to disseminate results through presentations at scientific meetings.

Trial registration number

EudraCT: 2017-002101.
Cost-effectiveness of implementing HIV and HIV/syphilis dual testing among key populations in Viet Nam: a modelling analysis
Authors: Coomes David , Green Dylan , Barnabas Ruanne , Sharma Monisha , Barr-DiChiara Magdalena , Jamil Muhammad S , Baggaley R , Owiredu Morkor Newman , Macdonald Virginia , Nguyen Van Thi Thuy , Vo Son Hai , Taylor Melanie , Wi Teodora , Johnson Cheryl , Drake Alison L
Published: August 2022

Objectives

Key populations, including sex workers, men who have sex with men, and people who inject drugs, have a high risk of HIV and sexually transmitted infections. We assessed the health and economic impacts of different HIV and syphilis testing strategies among three key populations in Viet Nam using a dual HIV/syphilis rapid diagnostic test (RDT).

Setting

We used the spectrum AIDS impact model to simulate the HIV epidemic in Viet Nam and evaluated five testing scenarios among key populations. We used a 15-year time horizon and a provider perspective for costs.

Participants

We simulate the entire population of Viet Nam in the model.

Interventions

We modelled five testing scenarios among key populations: (1) annual testing with an HIV RDT, (2) annual testing with a dual RDT, (3) biannual testing using dual RDT and HIV RDT, (4) biannual testing using HIV RDT and (5) biannual testing using dual RDT.

Primary and secondary outcome measures

The primary outcome is incremental cost-effectiveness ratios. Secondary outcomes include HIV and syphilis cases.

Results

Annual testing using a dual HIV/syphilis RDT was cost-effective (US$10 per disability-adjusted life year (DALY)) and averted 3206 HIV cases and treated 27 727 syphilis cases compared with baseline over 15 years. Biannual testing using one dual test and one HIV RDT (US$1166 per DALY), or two dual tests (US$5672 per DALY) both averted an additional 875 HIV cases, although only the former scenario was cost-effective. Annual or biannual HIV testing using HIV RDTs and separate syphilis tests were more costly and less effective than using one or two dual RDTs.

Conclusions

Annual HIV and syphilis testing using dual RDT among key populations is cost-effective in Vietnam and similar settings to reach global reduction goals for HIV and syphilis.
Diagnostic accuracy of urinary antigen tests for pneumococcal pneumonia among patients with acute respiratory failure suspected pneumonia: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Yasuo Shunsuke , Murata Maki , Nakagawa Natsuki , Kawasaki Takeshi , Yoshida Takuo , Ando Koichi , Okamori Satoshi , Okada Yohei
Published: August 2022

Background/objectives

Urinary antigen tests have been used for the rapid identification ofStreptococcus pneumoniaeinfection in patients with pneumonia, thereby leading to earlier targeted therapy than when using conventional diagnostic culture methods. This study aimed to update the knowledge on the diagnostic accuracy of urinary antigen tests forS. pneumoniaeamong patients with acute respiratory failure suspected of pneumonia based on a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Methods

A systematic search was performed using MEDLINE and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials for studies published up to 3 June 2020. Prospective and retrospective cohort studies (in English) that reported on the diagnostic performance of urinary antigen tests versus culture or smear diagnostic methods in adult patients with clinically diagnosed pneumonia were selected and analysed. The QUADAS-2 tool was used to assess the risk of bias, and a bivariate random effects model was applied to perform a meta-analysis of the selected studies.

Results

A total of 2179 studies were screened, of which 30 met the eligibility criteria for quality assessment and meta-analysis. Overall, data from 12 366 patients, including 1548 patients (12.5%) with the target condition and suspected pneumococcal pneumonia, were included in the analysis. The overall quality of the included studies was determined to be serious. The calculated pooled sensitivity and specificity were of 0.66 (95% CI 0.62 to 0.69) and 0.90 (95% CI 0.85 to 0.93), respectively.

Conclusions

The urinary antigen test is useful for achieving a definitive diagnosis ofS. pneumoniaeinfection in patients with pneumonia.
Linkages between health systems and communities for chronic care: a scoping review protocol
Authors: George Nicole C , Radman Dennis , Zomahoun Hervé Tchala Vignon , Boivin Antoine , Ahmed Sara
Published: August 2022

Introduction

Linkages between health systems and communities may leverage community assets to address unmet needs and provide services for improved continuity and coordination of care. However, there are limited examples of specific strategies for such linkages for chronic disease management. Guided by a local need from stakeholders, this scoping review aims to clarify and map methods and strategies for linkages between communities and health systems across chronic diseases, to inform future implementation efforts.

Methods and analysis

The scoping review will be conducted following Arksey and O’Malley’s methodological framework and latest Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) guidelines, with continuous stakeholder engagement throughout. A structured literature search of records from January 2001 to April 2022 will be completed in MEDLINE/PubMed, CINAHL, EMBASE, PsycINFO, in addition to grey literature. Two reviewers will independently complete study selection following inclusion criteria reflecting population (chronic disease), concept (integrated care) and context (health systems and communities) and will chart the data. Data will be analysed using descriptive qualitative and quantitative methods, to map and operationalise the linkages between health systems and communities.

Ethics and dissemination

The scoping review does not require ethics approval as it will examine and collect data from publicly available materials, and all stakeholder engagement will follow guidelines for patient and public involvement. Findings will be reported through a summarising list of considerations for different linkage strategies between health systems and community resources and implications for future research, practice and policy will be discussed and presented. The results will also be used to inform an integrated knowledge translation project to implement community-health system linkages to support chronic pain management.

Registration number

10.17605/OSF.IO/UTSN9.
Prehistoric perspectives can help interpret the present: 14 000 years of moose (Alces alces) in the Western Arctic
Authors: Groves P. , Mann D.H. , Kunz M.L.
Published: August 2022

Rapidly changing climate at high latitudes has triggered a search for bellwethers of ecological change there. If the initial signs of change can be identified, perhaps we can predict where these changes will lead. Large-bodied, terrestrial herbivores are potential candidates for bellwether taxa because of the key roles they play in some ecological communities. Here, we assembled historical, archaeological, and paleontological records of moose ( Alces alces (Linnaeus, 1758)) from the western Arctic and subarctic. The results showed that rather than having recently invaded tundra regions in response to post Little Ice Age warming, moose have inhabited river corridors several hundred kilometres north of the closed, boreal forest since they first colonized North America across the Bering Land Bridge ca. 14 000 years ago. The combination of high mobility, fluctuation-prone metapopulations, and reliance on early successional vegetation makes changes in the northern range limits of moose undependable bellwethers for other biotic responses to changing climate. The history of moose at high latitudes illustrates how understanding what happened in prehistory is useful for correctly assigning significance and cause to present-day ecological changes.
Sentiment Analysis of Chinese Reviews Based on BiTCN-Attention Model
Authors: Zhang Jiajing , Zhang Tingting , Chen Jinlan
Published: August 2022

It is of great significance for individuals, enterprises, and government departments to analyze and excavate the sentiment in the comments. Many deep learning models are used for text sentiment analysis, and the BiTCN model has good efficacy on sentiment analysis. However, in the actual semantic expression, the contribution of each word to the sentiment tendency is different, BiTCN treats it fairly and does not pay more attention to the key sentiment words. For this problem, a sentiment analysis model based on the BiTCN-Attention is proposed in this paper. The Self-Attention mechanism and Multi-Head Self-Attention mechanism are added to BiTCN respectively to form BiTCN-SA and BiTCN-MHSA, which improve the weight of sentiment words and the accuracy of feature extraction, to increase the effect of sentiment analysis. The experimental results show that the model accuracies of BiTCN-SA and BiTCN-MHSA in the JingDong commodity review data set are 3.96% and 2.41% higher than that of BiTCN, respectively. In the comment data set of DianPing, the accuracy of BiTCN-SA and BiTCN-MHSA improved by 4.62% and 3.49%, respectively, compared with that of BiTCN.
A trial application of particle-induced X-ray emission analysis to microplastic samples collected from the seashore
Authors: Shimizu R. , Hinata H. , Mori T. , Asakawa T. , Satoh M. , Nogami M. , Hitomi K. , Ishii K.
Published: August 2022

Here, we apply 20 MeV particle-induced X-ray emission (PIXE) to elemental analysis of microplastic samples with a diameter of approximately 2 mm, collected from the seashores of the northeastern area of Honshu in Japan. The samples were in a grain form with unwanted elements adhering to their surfaces. The PIXE measurements were conducted in a helium atmosphere. For normalization, the number of K X-rays of the residual gas argon was used instead of the directly measured beam irradiation, and the number of continuous X-rays in the PIXE spectrum was used instead of the mass of each sample. Thirteen elements were identified on the microplastics, among which were toxic chromium and lead. Thus, PIXE analysis is useful for analyzing microplastic samples.
Convergence of a Godunov scheme for degenerate conservation laws with BV spatial flux and a study of Panov-type fluxes
Authors: Ghoshal Shyam Sundar , Towers John D. , Vaidya Ganesh
Published: August 2022

We prove the convergence of the Godunov-type scheme for a scalar conservation law in one space dimension with possibly infinitely many spatial discontinuities, which may have accumulation points. In contrast to the study appearing in Ghoshal, Jana and Towers [Convergence of a Godunov scheme to an Audusse–Perthame adapted entropy solution for conservation laws with BV spatial flux, Numer. Math. 146(3) (2020) 629–659], we do not restrict the flux to be unimodal and allow for the case where the flux has degeneracies due to which the corresponding singular map may not be invertible and hence, the so-called singular mapping technique is not applicable. We present two proofs of convergence depending on the nature of the flux. For fluxes which are piecewise constant in the space variable, convergence is established by proving [Formula: see text] bounds on the finite volume approximations away from the set of spatial discontinuity. On the other hand, if the fluxes are of Panov-type, i.e. [Formula: see text], we prove the convergence by establishing a novel [Formula: see text] property, which in turn implies the existence of [Formula: see text] bounds on the solution. We present numerical examples that illustrate the theory.
A Novel Electrochemical Strategy for Chloramphenicol Detection in a Water Environment Based on Silver Nanoparticles and Thiophene
Authors: Lin Qing-Min , Feng Xiao-Zhen , Chen Fang-Li , Song Ke-Hang , Han Guo-Cheng , Chen Zhencheng , Kraatz Heinz-Bernhard
Published: August 2022

As a synthetic broad-spectrum antibiotic, chloramphenicol (CAP) is widely used in the prevention and treatment of bacterial diseases in aquaculture and animal husbandry, which might lead to severe water contamination and thus threaten our health. Herein, a novel electrochemical strategy for CAP detection is proposed that the sensor was successfully constructed based on the hardly mentioned anodic peak (about −0.56 V) by modifying silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and thiophene (TP) on a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) as synergistic amplification unit with a simple step-by-step electrodeposition technique. Electrochemical methods, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) were applied to characterize the as-prepared sensor. The TP/AgNPs/GCE sensor was used for CAP detection by DPV in the concentration range of 100.0 − 1600.0 μM, the limit of detection (LOD) was 33.0 μM, and the sensitivity was 0.290 μA·μM−1·cm−2. In addition, the sensor has the advantages of simple preparation, low cost, good repeatability, stability and anti-interference. It has been used for the detection of CAP in lake water with a recovery of 101.80–104.85%, and the relative standard deviation (RSD) was lower than 1.22%, which confirms that the sensor has good practicability.
Review—Electrochemical Sensors Used for the Determination of Some Antifungal Azoles
Authors: Tuchiu Bianca-Maria , Stefan-van Staden Raluca-Ioana , van Staden Jacobus (Koos) Frederick
Published: August 2022

Antifungal agents are essential drugs used to treat fungal infections caused by various types of fungi. Due to their mechanism of action, these drugs bear serious adverse reactions, interact with a wide range of other drugs, and negatively impact the environment. Therefore, there is a need for accurate, sensitive, and reliable detection methods to minimize and possibly avoid their potentially negative effects. Even though so far classical methods have proven to be effective in detecting these drugs, some of their disadvantages have led the scientific community to focus its efforts on electrochemical methods, as they are simpler to use, more sensitive, and require a smaller quantity of sample and minimal sample pretreatment. This mini-review focuses on electrochemical sensors developed between 2017 and 2022 to detect and quantify antifungal azoles, highlighting their response characteristics, sensitivity, and applicability in real samples analysis.