bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Geochemistry and U–Pb geochronology of the Williams Brook area, Tobique–Chaleur zone, New Brunswick: stratigraphic and geotectonic setting of gold mineralization
Authors: Sánchez-Mora D. , McFarlane C.R.M. , Walker J.A. , Lentz D.R.
Published: January 2021

Gold mineralization at Williams Brook in northern New Brunswick is hosted within the Siluro-Devonian, bimodal, volcano-sedimentary rocks of the Tobique–Chaleur Zone (Wapske Formation). Gold mineralization occurs in two styles: (1) as disseminations (refractory gold) in rhyolite, and (2) in cross-cutting quartz veins (free gold). Dating of the felsic volcanic host rocks by in situ LA–ICP–MS zircon U–Pb geochronology returned ages of 422 ± 3, 409 ± 2, 408 ± 3, 405 ± 2, and 401 ± 9 Ma. Zr/Y of subvolcanic felsic intrusion (<8 for syn-mineralization and >8 for post-mineralization) suggests evolution from transitional to more alkalic affinities. Two mineralizing events are recognized; the first is a disseminated mineralization style formed at ∼422–416 Ma and the second consists of quartz-vein-hosted gold emplaced at 410–408 Ma. Felsic rocks from Williams Brook and elsewhere in the Tobique Group (i.e., Wapske, Costigan Mountain, and Benjamin formations), and the Coastal Volcanic Belt have similar Th/Nb ratios of ∼0.1 to 1, reflecting similar levels of crustal contamination, and similar Nb and Y content, suggesting A-type affinities. These data indicate a similar environment of formation. Regionally, mafic rocks show similar within-plate continental signatures and a E-MORB mantle source that formed from partial melts of 10%–30%. Mafic volcanic rocks from Williams Brook have a more alkaline affinity (based on Ti/V) and derivation from lower percentage partial melting (∼5%). The chemical and temporal variations in the Williams Brook rocks suggest that they were erupted in an evolving transpressional tectonic setting during the oblique convergence of Gondwana and Laurentia.
Inhibitory effect of resveratrol on the pharmacokinetics of ticagrelor in vivo and in vitro
Authors: Wang Peng , Hu Xiao-xia , Li Ying-hui , Gao Nan-Yong , Chen Guo-quan , Chen Jia-le
Published: January 2021

This study was to evaluate the effect of resveratrol on the pharmacokinetics of ticagrelor in rats and the metabolism of ticagrelor in human cytochrome P450 (CYP) 3A4 (CYP3A4) and liver microsomes. Eighteen Sprague–Dawley rats were randomly divided into three groups: group A (control group), group B (50 mg/kg resveratrol), and group C (150 mg/kg resveratrol). After 30 min administration of resveratrol, a single dose of ticagrelor (18 mg/kg) was administered orally. The in vitro experiment was performed to examine the influence of resveratrol on ticagrelor metabolism in CYP3A4*1, human, and rat liver microsomes. Serial biological samples were assayed by validated ultra high-performance liquid chromatography – tandem mass spectrometer methods. For the in vivo study, the area under the concentration–time curve and mean peak plasma concentrations of ticagrelor in group B and C appeared to be significantly higher than the control group, while volume of distribution in terminal phase and apparent clearance of ticagrelor in group B and C were significantly decreased. For the in vitro study, resveratrol exhibited an inhibitory effect on CYP3A4*1, human and rat liver microsomes. The half-maximal inhibitory concentration values of resveratrol were 56.75 μM, 69.07 μM, and 14.22 μM, respectively. Our results indicated that resveratrol had an inhibitory effect on the metabolism of ticagrelor in vitro and in vivo. Further research should focus on the clinical combination of resveratrol with ticagrelor, and ticagrelor plasma concentration should be monitored to avoid the occurrence of adverse reaction.
Stratification in Approximation Fixpoint Theory and Its Application to Active Integrity Constraints
Authors: Bogaerts Bart , Cruz-Filipe Luís
Published: January 2021

Approximation fixpoint theory (AFT) is an algebraic study of fixpoints of lattice operators that unifies various knowledge representation formalisms. In AFT, stratification of operators has been studied, essentially resulting in a theory that specifies when certain types of fixpoints can be computed stratum per stratum. Recently, novel types of fixpoints related to
groundedness
have been introduced in AFT. In this article, we study how those fixpoints behave under stratified operators.

One recent application domain of AFT is the field of
active integrity constraints
(AICs). We apply our extended stratification theory to AICs and find that existing notions of stratification in AICs are covered by this general algebraic definition of stratification. As a result, we obtain stratification results for a large variety of semantics for AICs.
Socio-Spatial Comfort
Authors: Lee Bokyung , Lee Michael , Zhang Pan , Tessier Alexander , Saakes Daniel , Khan Azam
Published: January 2021

A well-designed workplace has a direct and significant impact on our work experiences and productivity. In this paper, we investigate how office interior layouts influence the way we socially experience office buildings. We extend the previous work that examined static social formations of office workers by looking at their dynamic movements during informal desk visiting interactions. With a month of video data collected in the office, we implemented a vision-based analysis system that enables us to examine how people occupy space in social contexts in relation to desk configurations. The results showed that both social territoriality and approach path highlight social comfort in human-building interactions, which are different from efficiency or path optimization. From these findings, we propose the concepts of socio-spatial comfort: social buffers, privacy buffers, and varying proxemics to inform a user-centered way of designing human building interactions and architecture.
ShiSha
Authors: Hoppe Adrian H. , van de Camp Florian , Stiefelhagen Rainer
Published: January 2021

The importance of remote collaboration grows in an interconnected world as the reasons to avoid travel increase. The spatial rendering and collaboration capabilities of virtual and augmented reality systems are well suited for tasks such as support or training. Users can take a shared perspective to build a common understanding. Also, users may engage in face-to-face cooperation to support interpersonal communication. However, a shared perspective and face-to-face collaboration are both desirable but naturally exclude each other. We place all users at the same location to provide a shared perspective. To avoid overlapping body parts, the avatars of the other connected users are shifted to the side. A redirected body pose modification corrects the resulting inconsistencies. The implemented system is compared to a baseline of two users standing in the same location and working with overlapping avatars. The results of a user study show that the proposed modifications provide an easy to use, efficient collaboration and yield higher co-presence and the feeling of teamwork. Applying redirection techniques to other users opens up novel ways to increase social presence for local or remote collaboration.
A Gameful Organizational Assimilation Process
Authors: Rapp Amon
Published: January 2021

A central process of virtual organization design relates to how newcomers are assimilated into organizational dynamics. Research on organizational assimilation has traditionally investigated 'serious' organizational contexts. Nonetheless, video games can offer insights on how such assimilation can be effectively supported. In this article, I propose to look at World of Warcraft (WoW) to understand how individuals can be successfully integrated into online organizations. Through an ethnographic research, made up of participant observation and 36 semi-structured interviews, I explore how specific game design elements support organizational assimilation into WoW raiding guilds. This shows how designers elicit extremely engaging organizational dynamics that encourage players to identify with their organizations. Based on these findings, I propose design considerations for gamifying virtual organizations that draw from the structure of WoW raiding guilds.
On the Roughness Analysis of High-Index Silicon Wafers Using KOH-IPA Solutions
Authors: Martínez-Mateo H. E. , De La Hidalga-W F. J. , Zúñiga C. , Moreno M. , Molina J. , Carlos-Ramírez N. , Calleja W.
Published: January 2021

Bulk Micromachining on some stable high-index silicon substrates are ever more interesting because they are opening new possibilities for the development of novel 3D microstructures and surface nanostructures useful for diverse quantum applications. Considering crystallography-oriented etching, several mechanisms are poorly understood and hence, some experimental work leading to 3D device fabrication are being developed and reported without analyzing the morphology evolution. For bulk micromachining, when 3D etching is developed using some anisotropic solution, the structure evolution takes place under a competition of fast-etching planes and unstable facets against slow-etching planes. According to the etchant composition, the resulting surface roughness can be considered as one of the main issues to be addressed. Wet chemical etching on (1 1 4), (1 1 3), and (5 5 12) silicon substrates at 60 °C, using aqueous KOH and KOH+IPA solutions, is carried on this work. The absolute etching rate trends and surface roughness are compared to reported data obtained from (0 0 1) silicon substrates. The overall etching mechanism is analyzed following some crystallographic rules and compared with high-index surfaces obtained from (0 0 1) silicon substrates. According to the best etching conditions achieved on this study, some novel 3D microstructures are presented.
Various Forms of Tuberculosis in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Diseases Treated with Biological Agents
Authors: Krusiński Adam , Grzywa-Celińska Anna , Szewczyk Katarzyna , Grzycka-Kowalczyk Luiza , Emeryk-Maksymiuk Justyna , Milanowski Janusz
Published: January 2021

Although there are undeniable advantages of treatment of the inflammatory bowel diseases, Crohn’s disease, and ulcerative colitis, with biological agents, the increased susceptibility to tuberculosis should not be ignored. Tuberculosis is an infectious disease caused by the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex which includes M. tuberculosis, M. bovis, and M. africanum. Primary tuberculosis is uncommon in the setting of inflammatory bowel disease: reactivation of latent tuberculosis is of greater concern. Consequently, latent infection should be excluded in patients who qualify for immunosuppressive treatments. Apart from the review of the literature, this article also presents three cases of different patterns of tuberculosis that occurred during treatment with infliximab, adalimumab, or vedolizumab. The first case reports a case of tuberculosis presenting as right middle lobe pneumonia. The second case featured miliary tuberculosis of the lungs with involvement of the mediastinal lymph nodes, liver, and spleen. The third patient developed a tuberculoma of the right parietal lobe and tuberculous meningitis. It is important to reiterate that every patient qualifying for a biologic agent should undergo testing to accurately identify latent tuberculosis, as well as precise monitoring for the possible development of one of the various forms or patterns of tuberculosis during treatment.
Nonsingular Terminal Sliding Mode Control of Uncertain Chaotic Gyroscope System Based on Disturbance Observer
Authors: Ma Xin , Sun Yeguo , Zhu Fang
Published: January 2021

Based on disturbance observer, this paper develops a nonsingular terminal sliding mode control method for uncertain chaotic gyroscope system. Firstly, fuzzy logic system (FLS) is used to estimate the unknown function; then disturbance observer (DOB) is constructed to estimate the mixed disturbance, which consists of the fuzzy estimation error, external disturbance, and dead-zone input error. Subsequently, by using a nonsingular terminal sliding mode function, the control method proposed in this paper can achieve the sliding mode variable approaching a small neighborhood of zero and reduce chattering phenomenon of the tracking error and controller. Finally, comparative simulation results confirm the effectiveness of the method proposed in this paper.
Cognition and Implementation of Disaster Preparedness among Japanese Dialysis Facilities
Authors: Sugisawa Hidehiro , Shinoda Toshio , Shimizu Yumiko , Kumagai Tamaki
Published: January 2021

Introduction. Few quantitative studies have explored disaster preparedness in dialysis facilities worldwide. This study examined the levels of disaster preparedness and their related factors in dialysis facilities in Japan. Methods. We conducted a mail survey using a self-administered questionnaire for key persons responsible for disaster preparedness in dialysis facilities (N = 904) associated with the Japanese Association of Dialysis Physicians. Levels of disaster preparedness were evaluated by the implementation rates of four domains: (1) patient, (2) administration, (3) network, and (4) safety. Additionally, we focused on cognitive factors related to disaster preparedness, such as risk perception, outcome expectancy, self-efficacy, self-responsibility, and support from the surroundings. Results. A total of 517 participants answered the survey (response rate: 57.2%). Implementation rates differed according to the domains of disaster preparedness. While the average implementation rate of the safety domain was 81.8%, each average implementation rate was 57.9%, 48.3%, and 38.4% for the administration, network, and patient domains, respectively. The study found that self-efficacy and support from the surroundings of the participants were significantly associated with the four domains of disaster preparedness. Alternatively, risk perception and support from surroundings were significantly associated with one particular domain each. Conclusion. Our results suggest that boosting self-efficacy and support from surroundings among key persons of disaster preparedness in dialysis facilities may contribute to the advancement of the different domains of disaster preparedness.
HOVA-FPPM: Flexible Periodic Pattern Mining in Time Series Databases Using Hashed Occurrence Vectors and Apriori Approach
Authors: Javed Muhammad Fasih , Nawaz Waqas , Khan Kifayat Ullah
Published: January 2021

Finding flexible periodic patterns in a time series database is nontrivial due to irregular occurrence of unimportant events, which makes it intractable or computationally intensive for large datasets. There exist various solutions based on Apriori, projection, tree, and other techniques to mine these patterns. However, the existence of constant size tree structure, i.e., suffix tree, with extra information in memory throughout the mining process, redundant and invalid pattern generation, limited types of mined flexible periodic patterns, and repeated traversal over tree data structure for pattern discovery, results in unacceptable space and time complexity. In order to overcome these issues, we introduce an efficient approach called HOVA-FPPM based on Apriori approach with hashed occurrence vectors to find all types of flexible periodic patterns. We do not rely on complex tree structure rather manage necessary information in a hash table for efficient lookup during the mining process. We measured the performance of our proposed approach and compared the results with the baseline approach, i.e., FPPM. The results show that our approach requires lesser time and space, regardless of the data size or period value.
Soil Medium Electromagnetic Scattering Model for the Study of Wireless Underground Sensor Networks
Authors: Banaseka Frank Kataka , Franklin Hervé , Katsriku Ferdinand A. , Abdulai Jamal-Deen , Ekpezu Akon , Wiafe Isaac
Published: January 2021

In recent years, there has been keen interest in the area of Internet of Things connected underground, and with this is the need to fully understand and characterize their operating environment. In this paper, a model, based on the Peplinski principle, for the propagation of waves in soils that takes into account losses attributable to the presence of local inhomogeneity is proposed. In the work, it is assumed that the inhomogeneities are obstacles such as stones or pebbles, of moderate size, all identical and randomly distributed in space. A new wave number is obtained through a combination of the multiple scattering theory and the Peplinski principle. Since the latter principle considers the propagation in a homogeneous medium (without obstacles), the wave number it provides is inserted into the one resulting from the former, the multiple scattering theory. The effective wave number thus obtained is compared numerically with that of Peplinski alone on the one hand and with that of multiple scattering alone on the other hand. The phase velocity and the loss tangent are analyzed against the particle concentration at the low‐frequency Rayleigh limit condition (ka≲0.1) and against the frequency at two particle concentrations (c = 0.2 and c = 0.4), two particle radii (a = 0.55 cm and a = 1.10 cm), and 5% and 50% volumetric water content of the soil. Path losses are also compared to each other to examine the effects on transmission of soil containing obstacles. The results obtained suggest that the proposed model has better accuracy in estimating the wave number than previously used schemes.
High CO Adsorption Performance of CuCl-Modified Diatomites by Using the Novel Method “Atomic Implantation”
Authors: Nguyen Manh B. , Nguyen Tuyen V. , Le Giang H. , Pham Trang T. T. , Le Van Khu , Pham Giang T.T. , Nguyen Tung Ngoc , Tran Quang Vinh , Vu Tuan A.
Published: January 2021

An atomic implantation method was used to modify diatomite with CuCl. The CuCl/diatomite samples were characterized by different techniques, including FTIR, XRD, BET, SEM-TEM, EDX, and CO-TPR. Characterization results revealed the formation of CuCl particles of 50–60 nm highly dispersed on diatomite surface. CO adsorption measurements showed that 2CuCl/diatomite exhibits the highest CO adsorption capacity among all CuCl-modified samples with diatomite. Its CO adsorption capacity of 2.96 mmol/g at 30°C is 10 times higher than that of unmodified diatomite (0.29 mmol/g). The CO adsorption on CuCl-modified diatomites was found to fit well with the Langmuir–Freundlich model.
IFIT Proteins Are Involved in CXCL10 Expression in Human Glomerular Endothelial Cells Treated with a Toll-Like Receptor 3 Agonist
Authors: Imaizumi Tadaatsu , Hashimoto Shun , Sato Riko , Umetsu Hidenori , Aizawa Tomomi , Watanabe Shojiro , Kawaguchi Shogo , Matsumiya Tomoh , Seya Kazuhiko , Ding Jiangli , Tanaka Hiroshi
Published: January 2021

Introduction: Various viruses including a novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) can infect the kidney. When viruses invade the glomeruli from the bloodstream, glomerular endothelial cells (GECs) initiate the innate immune reactions. We investigated the expression of interferon (IFN)-induced protein with tetratricopeptide repeats (IFIT) 1/2/3, antiviral molecules, in human GECs treated with a toll-like receptor (TLR) 3 agonist. Role of IFIT1/2/3 in the expression of C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 10 (CXCL10) was also examined. Methods: Human GECs were cultured and stimulated with polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid (poly IC), a synthetic TLR3 agonist. Real-time qPCR, Western blotting, and ELISA were used to examine the expression of IFIT1/2/3, IFN-β, and CXCL10. RNA interference against IFN-β or IFIT1/2/3 was also performed. Results: Expression of IFIT1/2/3 and CXCL10 was induced by poly IC in GECs. The inductions were inhibited by RNA interfering of IFN-β. Knockdown of IFIT1/2/3 decreased the CXCL10 expression. Knockdown of IFIT3 decreased the expression of IFIT1 and IFIT2 proteins. Conclusion: IFIT1/2/3 and CXCL10 were induced by poly IC via IFN-β in GECs. IFIT1/2/3 may increase the expression of CXCL10 which induces lymphocyte chemotaxis and may inhibit the replication of infected viruses. These molecules may play a role in GEC innate immune reactions in response to viruses.
Myopic Retinal Changes Screening: Comparison of Sensitivity and Specificity among 15 Combinations of Ultrawide Field Scanning Laser Ophthalmoscopy Images
Authors: Deng Xuan , Tanumiharjo Silvia , Chen Qianyin , Li Shengnan , Lin Huimin , He Yanqiong , Jiang Junyi , Zhang Jinglin
Published: January 2021

Aim: The objective of the study was to investigate the evaluation indices (diagnostic test accuracy and agreement) of 15 combinations of ultrawide field scanning laser ophthalmoscopy (UWF SLO) images in myopic retinal changes (MRC) screening to determine the combination of imaging that yields the highest evaluation indices in screening MRC. Methods: This is a retrospective study of UWF SLO images obtained from myopes and were analyzed by 2 retinal specialists independently. Five field UWF SLO images that included the posterior (B), superior (S), inferior (I), nasal (N), and temporal (T) regions were obtained for analysis and its results used as a reference standard. The evaluation indices of different combinations comprising 1 to 4 fields of the retina were compared to determine the abilities of each combination screens for MRC. Results: UWF SLO images obtained from 823 myopic patients (1,646 eyes) were included for the study. Sensitivities ranged from 50.0 to 98.9% (95% confidence interval (CI), 43.8–99.7%); the combinations of B + S + I (97.3%; 95% CI, 94.4–98.8%), B + T + S + I (98.5%; 95% CI, 95.9–99.5%), and B + S + N + I (98.9%; 95% CI, 96.4–99.7%) ranked highest. Furthermore, the combinations of B + S + I, B + T + S + I, and B + S + N + I also revealed the highest accuracy (97.7%; 95% CI, 95.1–100.0, 98.6; 95% CI, 96.7–100.0, 98.8; 95% CI, 96.9–100.0%) and agreement (kappa = 0.968, 0.980, and 0.980). For the various combinations, specificities were all higher than 99.5% (95% CI, 99.3–100.0%). Conclusions: In our study, screening combinations of B + S + I, B + T + S + I, and B + S + N + I stand out with high-performing optimal evaluation indices. However, when time is limited, B + S + I may be more applicable in primary screening of MRC.
papel do município na promoção da segurança cidadã
Authors: Lacava Luiza Veronese
Published: January 2021

O presente estudo analisa alterações legislativas relevantes nos campos da segurança pública e da segurança cidadã ocorridas no ordenamento jurídico do Estado da Colômbia a partir da década de 1990, que permitiram o aumento do protagonismo e da autonomia municipal na condução de suas políticas de segurança. São analisadas mais detidamente duas políticas implementadas pela cidade de Medellín, parte de um conjunto de medidas responsáveis pela acentuada queda nas taxas de criminalidade na cidade nas últimas três décadas, demonstrada pela redução de mais de 90% dos índices de homicídio entre os anos de 1992 e 2020. Partindo da perspectiva do direito e da política legislativa, e adotando os conceitos de segurança integral e segurança cidadã, a pesquisa tem como objetivo expor um caso de aumento da autonomia de governos locais, explorando a contribuição do município como agente atuante na redução da violência urbana.
Finding the Time for Ancient Novels
Authors: Goldhill Simon
Published: January 2021

This essay looks at the history of the novel, starting from the influential postwar critical insistence on the importance of the novel as a nineteenth-century genre. It notes that this tradition singularly fails to take account of the history of the novel in antiquity–for clear ideological reasons. It then explores the degree to which the texts known as the novel from antiquity, such as Longus's Daphnis and Chloe, Petronius's Satyricon, or Heliodorus's Aethiopica, constitute a genre. Although there is a great deal of porousness between different forms of prose in antiquity, the essay concludes by exploring why the ancient novel, ignored by critics for so long, has now become such a hot topic. It argues that much as the postwar critics could not fit the ancient novel into their histories, now the ancient novel's interests in sophisticated erotics, narrative flair, and cultural hybridity seem all too timely.
Statistical Analysis of Decoding Performances of Diverse Populations of Neurons
Authors: Wendling Kyle P. , Ly Cheng
Published: January 2021

A central theme in computational neuroscience is determining the neural correlates of efficient and accurate coding of sensory signals. Diversity, or heterogeneity, of intrinsic neural attributes is known to exist in many brain areas and is thought to significantly affect neural coding. Recent theoretical and experimental work has argued that in uncoupled networks, coding is most accurate at intermediate levels of heterogeneity. Here we consider this question with data from in vivo recordings of neurons in the electrosensory system of weakly electric fish subject to the same realization of noisy stimuli; we use a generalized linear model (GLM) to assess the accuracy of (Bayesian) decoding of stimulus given a population spiking response. The long recordings enable us to consider many uncoupled networks and a relatively wide range of heterogeneity, as well as many instances of the stimuli, thus enabling us to address this question with statistical power. The GLM decoding is performed on a single long time series of data to mimic realistic conditions rather than using trial-averaged data for better model fits. For a variety of fixed network sizes, we generally find that the optimal levels of heterogeneity are at intermediate values, and this holds in all core components of GLM. These results are robust to several measures of decoding performance, including the absolute value of the error, error weighted by the uncertainty of the estimated stimulus, and the correlation between the actual and estimated stimulus. Although a quadratic fit to decoding performance as a function of heterogeneity is statistically significant, the result is highly variable with low [Formula: see text] values. Taken together, intermediate levels of neural heterogeneity are indeed a prominent attribute for efficient coding even within a single time series, but the performance is highly variable.
Language, Ideology and Identity in Post-Partition Pakistan in the Light of Bausani’s Notion of ‘Islamic Languages’
Authors: Salvaggio Federico
Published: January 2021

The present contribution approaches the linguistic ideas that permeated the post-Partition Pakistani language debate in the light of Bausani’s notion of ‘Islamic languages’. This will help us to try to make sense of the occasionally naive, at times apparently nonsensical, and often non-scientific linguistic arguments that characterized the political discourse of the time in an attempt to clarify the implicit assumptions and ideological charge behind those statements.

Beyond the official discussions, we will seek to understand how Muslim communities in the area developed common cultural representations concerning their sociolinguistic identities and conceptualized affinity and diversity among their languages.

Finally, we will look at the particular case of Bengali, a language that even in the post-Partition period was not partitioned into two distinct language varieties (one for the Muslims and one for the Hindus) and that thus constitutes, in the context of the Indian subcontinent, a sort of ‘exception that proves the rule’.
Multigene phylogeny and morphology reveal a new species, Ophiocordyceps vespulae, from Jilin Province, China

Authors: LONG FENG-YAO , QIN LI-WU , XIAO YUAN-PIN , HYDE KEVIN D. , WANG SHAO-XIAN , WEN TING-CHI
Published: January 2021

Ophiocordyceps is entomopathogenic and is the best studied genus in Ophiocordycipitaceae. Members of Ophiocordyceps and ants form sophisticated interactions. However, taxonomy and evolutionary relationships of this group of pathogens remain unclear. During a survey in Changbai Mountains, Jiling Province, China, a new entomogenous species, Ophiocordyceps vespulae sp. nov. was found as a parasite on wasps (Hymenoptera). The new species is introduced with evidence from morphology and molecular analysis. This species is distinguished from closely related species by white to faint yellow stromata, shorter ascomata and asci, and smaller ascospores. We provide a phylogeny for Ophiocordyceps based on combined LSU, ITS, TEF1α and RPB2 DNA sequence data and the taxonomic status of the species is briefly discussed.
Mallocybe africana (Inocybaceae, Fungi), the first species of Mallocybe described from Africa

Authors: AIGNON HYPPOLITE L. , NASEER AROOJ , MATHENY BRANDON P. , YOROU NOUROU S. , RYBERG MARTIN
Published: January 2021

The family Inocybaceae has been poorly studied in Africa. Here we describe the first species of the genus Mallocybe from West African and Zambian woodlands dominated by ectomycorrhizal trees of Fabaceae and Phyllanthaceae. The new species M. africana is characterized by orange-brown fruitbodies, a fibrillose pileus, a stipe tapered towards the base and large ellipsoid basidiospores. It resembles many north and south temperate species of Mallocybe but is most closely related to the southeast Asian tropical species, M. errata. M. africana is widely distributed in West Africa (Benin, Togo, Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast) extending to South-eastern Africa in Zambia. Phylogenetic analyses based on 5.8S rDNA, nLSU and RPB2 sequence data confirm that M. africana is nested within Mallocybe. A complete morphological description and illustrations, including photographs and line drawings, are presented.
A timed tally counter for microscopic examination of thick blood smears in malaria studies
Authors: Nuel Grégory , Garcia André
Published: January 2021

Background

Despite many technological advances for malaria parasite detection (e.g. high resolution image acquisition), microscopic reading of thick blood smear (TBS) remains the gold standard. Even though available in low technology environment, the microscopy of TBS is slow and time consuming. Moreover microscopy may induce errors at many levels and has no quality control.

Methods

A electronic extension of the mechanical tally counter is proposed. In addition to the counting process it includes the process of counting itself that relies on the time elapsed between two successive pressures of the counting button leading to a timed tally counter (TTC). The microscopist performs the reading with the specific instruction starting by counting, in each high power fields, leucocytes first and then parasites. The time-stamp of all pressures of counting buttons are recorded along with the nature of the count. The data are recorded internally in CSV format and are exportable. The detection of HPFs locations and leukocyte/parasite counts per HPFs is performed through a hidden semi-Markov model (with outliers) allowing both to take into account the known distribution of leukocyte per HPFs (using a negative binomial distribution) and the pauses and hesitation of the microscopist during the reading. Parameters are estimated via the expectation-maximization algorithm. Hyper-parameters are calibrated using expert annotations. Forward/backward recursions are used to obtain the HPFs locations.

Results

This approach provides richer data at no extra cost. It has been demonstrated that the method can derive parasites per HPF, leukocytes per HPF, and parasite/leukocyte ratio with robust non-parametric confidence intervals. Moreover a direct digital data entry leads to a less expensive process and decreased time-consuming and error-prone manual data entry. Lastly the TTC allows detecting possible protocol break during reading and prevents the risk of fraud.

Discussion and conclusion

Introducing a programmed digital device in the data acquisition of TBS reading gives the opportunity to develop easily new (possible adaptive) reading protocols that will be easily followed by the reader since they will be embedded directly in the device. With the TTC the reader only has to read HPFs, counting leukocytes first and parasites second, and the counter will beep when the protocol is completed.
A case series of medically managed Candida parapsilosis complex prosthetic valve endocarditis
Authors: Guo Penghao , He Yuting , Fan Rui , Wu Zhongwen , Chen Yili , Huang Yuli , Liao Kang , Chen Peisong
Published: January 2021

Background

In recent years, Candida parapsilosis is recognized as a species complex and is composed of Candida parapsilosis sensu stricto, Candida orthopsilosis and Candida metapsilosis. Candida parapsilosis complex prosthetic valve endocarditis (PVE) is rare and the survival rate is still low despite of optimal therapeutic strategies. In our report, it is novel to report cases as Candida parapsilosis complex PVE at species and identify Candida parapsilosis using MALDI-TOF MS.

Case presentation

A series of 4 cases of Candida parapsilosis complex PVE from our institution was reported. Three were infected by Candida parapsilosis sensu stricto and one was infected by Candida metapsilosis. The condition of two cases got better and the other died.

Conclusions

More attention should be paid to Candida parapsilosis complex PVE and early diagnosis and prompt antibiotic therapy may play a role in the treatment for Candida parapsilosis complex PVE. It is recommended to identify Candida parapsilosis complex at species level and MALDI-TOF MS as an easy, fast and efficient identification method is worth promoting in clinical microbiology
Mental health consequences of COVID-19 media coverage: the need for effective crisis communication practices
Authors: Su Zhaohui , McDonnell Dean , Wen Jun , Kozak Metin , Abbas Jaffar , Šegalo Sabina , Li Xiaoshan , Ahmad Junaid , Cheshmehzangi Ali , Cai Yuyang , Yang Ling , Xiang Yu-Tao
Published: January 2021

During global pandemics, such as coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), crisis communication is indispensable in dispelling fears, uncertainty, and unifying individuals worldwide in a collective fight against health threats. Inadequate crisis communication can bring dire personal and economic consequences. Mounting research shows that seemingly endless newsfeeds related to COVID-19 infection and death rates could considerably increase the risk of mental health problems. Unfortunately, media reports that include infodemics regarding the influence of COVID-19 on mental health may be a source of the adverse psychological effects on individuals. Owing partially to insufficient crisis communication practices, media and news organizations across the globe have played minimal roles in battling COVID-19 infodemics. Common refrains include raging QAnon conspiracies, a false and misleading “Chinese virus” narrative, and the use of disinfectants to “cure” COVID-19. With the potential to deteriorate mental health, infodemics fueled by a kaleidoscopic range of misinformation can be dangerous. Unfortunately, there is a shortage of research on how to improve crisis communication across media and news organization channels. This paper identifies ways that legacy media reports on COVID-19 and how social media-based infodemics can result in mental health concerns. This paper discusses possible crisis communication solutions that media and news organizations can adopt to mitigate the negative influences of COVID-19 related news on mental health. Emphasizing the need for global media entities to forge a fact-based, person-centered, and collaborative response to COVID-19 reporting, this paper encourages media resources to focus on the core issue of how to slow or stop COVID-19 transmission effectively.
The management of metastatic GIST: current standard and investigational therapeutics
Authors: Kelly Ciara M. , Gutierrez Sainz Laura , Chi Ping
Published: January 2021

Gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) is the most common mesenchymal tumor of the gastrointestinal tract. The majority of GISTs harbor gain of function mutations in either KIT or PDGFRα. Determination of the GIST molecular subtype upon diagnosis is important because this information informs therapeutic decisions in both the adjuvant and metastatic setting. The management of GIST was revolutionized by the introduction of imatinib, a KIT inhibitor, which has become the standard first line treatment for metastatic GIST. However, despite a clinical benefit rate of 80%, the majority of patients with GIST experience disease progression after 2–3 years of imatinib therapy. Second and third line options include sunitinib and regorafenib, respectively, and yield low response rates and limited clinical benefit. There have been recent FDA approvals for GIST including ripretinib in the fourth-line setting and avapritinib for PDGFRA exon 18-mutant GIST. This article aims to review the optimal treatment approach for the management of patients with advanced GIST. It examines the standard treatment options available but also explores the novel treatment approaches in the setting of imatinib refractory GIST.
Embedding the United Nations sustainable development goals into energy systems analysis: expanding the food–energy–water nexus
Authors: Niet Taco , Arianpoo Nastaran , Kuling Kamaria , Wright Andrew S.
Published: January 2021

Background

There have been numerous studies that consider the nexus interactions between energy systems, land use, water use and climate adaptation and impacts. These studies have filled a gap in the literature to allow for more effective policymaking by considering the trade-offs between land use, energy infrastructure as well as the use of water for agriculture and providing energy services. Though these studies fill a significant gap in the modelling literature, we argue that more work is needed to effectively consider policy trade-offs between the 17 United Nations sustainable development goals (SDGs) to avoid missing important interactions.

Results

We examine the 17 SDGs individually to determine if it should be included in a modelling framework and the challenges of doing so. We show that the nexus of climate, land, energy and water needs to be expanded to consider economic well-being of both individuals and the greater economy, health benefits and impacts, as well as land use in terms of both food production and in terms of sustaining ecological diversity and natural capital. Such an expansion will allow energy systems models to better address the trade-offs and synergies inherent in the SDGs. Luckily, although there are some challenges with expanding the nexus in this way, we feel the challenges are generally modest and that many model structures can already incorporate many of these factors without significant modification.

Finally, we argue that SDGs 16 and 17 cannot be met without open-source models and open data to allow for transparent analysis that can be used and reused with a low cost of entry for modellers from less well-off nations.

Conclusions

To effectively address the SDGs, there is a need to expand the common definition of the nexus of climate, land, energy, and water to include the synergies and trade-offs of health impacts, ecological diversity and the system requirements for human and environmental well-being. In most cases, expanding models to be able to incorporate these factors will be relatively straight forward, but open models and analysis are needed to fully support the SDGs.
RETRACTED ARTICLE: Lichens reveal the quality of indoor air in Selangor, Malaysia
Authors: Abas Azlan , Mazlan Sytty Mazian , Latif Mohd Talib , Aiyub Kadaruddin , Muhammad Norhayati , Nadzir Mohd Shahrul Mohd
Published: January 2021

Background

Indoor air quality (IAQ) is a concern in kindergartens as children spend much of their time there. Yet, there is a shortage of biological indicators needed for assessing IAQ. Thus, this study evaluated IAQ using transplanted lichen Usnea misaminensis as a biological indicator.

Methods

Lichen samples, collected from Bukit Larut, Perak, Malaysia, were exposed to indoor and outdoor environments in an urban area (Ummi Aiman Kindergarten) and a rural area (Ummi Qaseh Pelangi Kindergarten) for 2 months during August 15 to October 14, 2019. The concentrations of 12 selected elements and the vitality of the lichens were then evaluated.

Results

Increased concentrations of eleven of the twelve elements deposited in the lichen samples in both urban and rural areas were observed. For both areas, the element concentrations in the samples from the indoor environment was lower than those from the outdoor environment, and those in the rural area were lower than those from in the urban area, suggesting the impacts of traffic emissions. The vitality of the lichens showed no significant change in indoor environment, compared to that in outdoor environment, indicating that even exposed to indoor environment, the lichens remained effective biological indicators as same as they were in the outdoor environment.

Conclusions

Lichens are effective biological indicators for both outdoor and indoor environments. Furthermore, outdoor emissions could influence IAQ, which could be problematic in densely populated areas such as kindergartens. Mitigation measures should be taken.
Music, A “Body-Mind Medicine” In Rehabilitation Programs of Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
Authors: MAIEREAN Anca Diana , TONCA Claudia , PERNE Mirela Georgiana  , DOGARU Gabriela , RAJNOVEANU Ruxandra , CHIS Ana Florica , MOTOC Nicoleta Stefania , BORDEA Roxana Ioana
Published: January 2021

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a progressive disease characterized by dyspnea and chronic cough. The main risk factor is cigarette smoking, but there are other ones implicated in the COPD etiology such as air pollution, childhood asthma, aging, chemical exposure, dietary factors, and genetic predisposition. Besides, COPD is associated with several comorbidities that influence prognostic and management, like asthma, lung cancer, obstructive sleep apnea, cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, and depression or anxiety. The management is multidisciplinary and its role is to ease symptoms, prevent complications, slow disease progression, and improve the quality of life. In the last years, many alternative techniques have been implemented such as speleotherapy, halotherapy, muscular training, neuromuscular electrostimulation, acupuncture, thermotherapy, and music therapy. From those, music therapy has become a form of “mind-body medicine” indispensable in rehabilitation programs, whether used actively or passively, and has gained a lot of interest in alternative medicine.

Keywords: COPD, music therapy, alternative medicine,
A Four-Year Observational Study regarding the Characteristics and Causes of the Ischemic Stroke in Young Adults: one center study report
Authors: MUTU Cătălin Cosmin , GHINCEA Marius-Ionuț , SUCIU Corina , SUCIU Vlad
Published: January 2021

Introduction. Stroke is the second cause of mortality worldwide, after the ischemic coronary disease, and the first cause of long term-disability. Recent studies report that ischemic stroke (IS) in young patients is increasing in incidence, even though the overall stroke hospitalization rate is decreasing. Stroke in the young, working individuals significantly affects the quality of life (QoL) and also determines an important, negative economic impact by reducing the workforce. Material and method. The aim of this paper is to present the results of a 4-year observational, retrospective study on all patients between 18-49 years, who suffered from acute IS and were admitted and investigated in the Neurology Clinic of Sibiu and the CVASIC Research Center. Clinical evaluations, imaging investigations, and risk factor evaluations were performed on all patients in order to elucidate the etiology and organize according to the TOAST classification. Results and discussions. 114 patients with ischemic stroke were included in the study. 76% of the subjects fall into the 40-49 age class. In respect to the TOAST classification, most cases of IS were of UE (rural<urban), while the fewest cases of IS were represented by SAA in both populations. The most frequent vascular risk factors were hypertension, dyslipidemia, smoking and thrombophilia. Confirmed cervical arteries dissection caused 2/3 of the severe carotid stenosis and 45,5% of the carotid occlusions. Conclusions. Hypertension, dyslipidemia and smoking are the main risk factors for stroke in young patients. The most common TOAST stroke subtype was stroke of undetermined etiology, followed by stroke of other determined etiology (carotid artery dissection and thrombophilia).

Keywords: ischemic stroke, young patients, vascular risk factors, TOAST classification, disability,
Rehabilitation in Osteoporosis - therapeutic chalenge?
Authors: STANCIU Liliana-Elena , IONESCU Elena-Valentina , OPREA Carmen , ALMĂȘAN Elena-Roxana , VRĂJITORU Andreea-Bianca , ILIESCU Mădălina Gabriela
Published: January 2021

Introduction. Osteoporosis is a disease of the entire skeleton, characterized by decrease bone mass and microarhitectural alterations of bone tissue, which result in increased bone fragility and predisposition to bone fractures. Materials and methods. Accesing standard medical databases: Medline, Embase, Database, Pubmed and the Cochrane Register of Controled Studies to review new pharmacological studies and non-pharmacological terapies in osteoporosis. Statistical analysis performed from the data extracted from the observation sheets from June 2019 to December 2019 by Dr. Liliana Stanciu. Results and discussions. The complex balneo-physical-kinetic treatment is an important link in the treatment of the disabling pathology for the patient, with an important clinical resonance. Conclusion. Osteoporosis is a pathology that decreases the patient’s quality of life. There are complementary therapies to pharmacological treatment with immediate and long lasting results.

Keywords: mud, osteoporosis, balneal, hormones,