bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Models for Heart Failure Admissions and Admission Rates, 2016 through 2018
Authors: Kruse Clemens Scott , Beauvais Bradley M. , Brooks Matthew S. , Mileski Michael , Fulton Lawrence V.
Published: December 2020

Background: Approximately 6.5 to 6.9 million individuals in the United States have heart failure, and the disease costs approximately $43.6 billion in 2020. This research provides geographical incidence and cost models of this disease in the U.S. and explanatory models to account for hospitals’ number of heart failure DRGs using technical, workload, financial, geographical, and time-related variables. Methods: The number of diagnoses is forecast using regression (constrained and unconstrained) and ensemble (random forests, extra trees regressor, gradient boosting, and bagging) techniques at the hospital unit of analysis. Descriptive maps of heart failure diagnostic-related groups (DRGs) depict areas of high incidence. State- and county-level spatial and non-spatial regression models of heart failure admission rates are performed. Expenditure forecasts are estimated. Results: The incidence of heart failure has increased over time with the highest intensities in the East and center of the country; however, several Northern states have seen large increases since 2016. The best predictive model for the number of diagnoses (hospital unit of analysis) was an extremely randomized tree ensemble (predictive R2 = 0.86). The important variables in this model included workload metrics and hospital type. State-level spatial lag models using first-order Queen criteria were best at estimating heart failure admission rates (R2 = 0.816). At the county level, OLS was preferred over any GIS model based on Moran’s I and resultant R2; however, none of the traditional models performed well (R2 = 0.169 for the OLS). Gradient-boosted tree models predicted 36% of the total sum of squares; the most important factors were facility workload, mean cash on hand of the hospitals in the county, and mean equity of those hospitals. Online interactive maps at the state and county levels are provided. Conclusions. Heart failure and associated expenditures are increasing. Costs of DRGs in the study increased $61 billion from 2016 through 2018. The increase in the more expensive DRG 291 outpaced others with an associated increase of $92 billion. With the increase in demand and steady-state supply of cardiologists, the costs are likely to balloon over the next decade. Models such as the ones presented here are needed to inform healthcare leaders.
Assessment of Impacts of Climate Change on Tile Discharge and Nitrogen Yield Using the DRAINMOD Model
Authors: Golmohammadi Golmar , Rudra Ramesh P. , Parkin Gary W. , Kulasekera Priyantha B. , Macrae Merrin , Goel Pradeep K.
Published: December 2020

The detrimental impacts of agricultural subsurface tile flows and their associated pollutants on water quality is a major environmental issue in the Great Lakes region and many other places globally. A strong understanding of water quality indicators along with the contribution of tile-drained agriculture to water contamination is necessary to assess and reduce a significant source of non-point source pollution. In this study, DRAINMOD, a field-scale hydrology and water quality model, was applied to assess the impact of future climatic change on depth to water table, tile flow and associated nitrate loss from an 8.66 ha agricultural field near Londesborough, in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. The closest available climate data from a weather station approximately 10 km from the field site was used by the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) to generate future predictions of daily precipitation and maximum and minimum air temperatures required to create the weather files for DRAINMOD. Of the 28 models applied by MNRF, three models (CGCM3T47-Run5, GFDLCM2.0, and MIROC3.2hires) were selected based on the frequency of the models recommended for use in Ontario with SRA1B emission scenario. Results suggested that simulated tile flows and evapotranspiration (ET) in the 2071–2100 period are expected to increase by 7% and 14% compared to 1960–1990 period. Results also suggest that under future climates, significant increases in nitrate losses (about 50%) will occur along with the elevated tile flows. This work suggests that climate change will have a significant effect on field hydrology and water quality in tile-drained agricultural regions.
Analysis and Assessment through Mechanical Static Compression Tests of Damping Capacity in a Series of Orthosis Plantar Materials Used as Supports
Authors: Pabón-Carrasco Manuel , Reina-Bueno María , Vilar-Palomo Samuel , Palomo-Toucedo Inmaculada C. , Ramos-Ortega Javier , Juárez-Jiménez José María
Published: December 2020

High plantar pressure is the cause of multiple types of foot injuries and one of the main reasons for patient visits in podiatry and traumatology. Therefore, there is a need to acquire specific tools to address such injuries. The aim of this study was to determine the absorption capacity of selected materials applied as plantar supports and their response to pressure. The study had a cross-sectional design. A total of 21 materials were chosen and different material families were assessed, including ethylene-vinyl acetate, polyurethane foams, and polyethylene foams. Static compression tests were performed to analyze each material. The system is ideally suited for lower-force applications, small components, biomedical applications, and lower-strength materials. Damping was determined using mathematical calculations performed on the study data. It was found that materials with a low Shore A, or soft materials, exhibited worse absorption capacity than harder materials. Ethyl-vinyl acetates had good absorption capacity, polyurethane foams had a poor absorption capacity, and soft materials provided better adaption to impact. The results suggested that damping is not determined by the hardness of the material, and materials within the same family exhibit different damping capabilities.
Environmental Contamination of SARS-CoV-2 in a Non-Healthcare Setting
Authors: Wong Judith Chui Ching , Hapuarachchi Hapuarachchige Chanditha , Arivalan Sathish , Tien Wei Ping , Koo Carmen , Mailepessov Diyar , Kong Marcella , Nazeem Mohammad , Lim Merrill , Ng Lee Ching
Published: December 2020

Fomite-mediated transmission has been identified as a possible route for the spread of COVID-19 disease caused by SARS-CoV-2. In healthcare settings, environmental contamination by SARS-CoV-2 has been found in patients’ rooms and toilets. Here, we investigated environmental presence of SARS-CoV-2 in non-healthcare settings and assessed the efficacy of cleaning and disinfection in removing virus contamination. A total of 428 environmental swabs and six air samples was taken from accommodation rooms, toilets and elevators that have been used by COVID-19 cases. By using a reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction assay, we detected two SARS-CoV-2 RNA positive samples in a room where a COVID-19 patient stayed prior to diagnosis. The present study highlights the risk of fomite-mediated transmission in non-healthcare settings and the importance of surface disinfection in spaces occupied by cases. Of note, neither air-borne transmission nor surface contamination of elevators, which were transiently exposed to infected individuals, was evident among samples analyzed.
Detecting the Cool Island Effect of Urban Parks in Wuhan: A City on Rivers
Authors: Xie Qijiao , Li Jing
Published: December 2020

As a nature-based solution, development of urban blue-green spaces is widely accepted for mitigating the urban heat island (UHI) effect. It is of great significance to determine the main driving factors of the park cool island (PCI) effect for optimizing park layout and achieving a maximum cooling benefit of urban parks. However, there have been obviously controversial conclusions in previous studies due to varied case contexts. This study was conducted in Wuhan, a city with high water coverage, which has significant differences in context with the previous case cities. The PCI intensity and its correlation with park characteristics were investigated based on remote sensing data. The results indicated that 36 out of 40 urban parks expressed a PCI effect, with a PCI intensity of 0.08~7.29 °C. As expected, larger parks with enough width had stronger PCI intensity. An increased density of hardened elements in a park could significantly weaken PCI effect. Noticeably, in this study, water bodies in a park contributed the most to the PCI effect of urban parks, while the vegetated areas showed a negative impact on the PCI intensity. It implied that in a context with higher water coverage, the cooling effect of vegetation was weakened or even masked by water bodies, due to the interaction effect of different variables on PCI intensity.
Radiological Assessment of Indoor Radon and Thoron Concentrations and Indoor Radon Map of Dwellings in Mashhad, Iran
Authors: Adelikhah Mohammademad , Shahrokhi Amin , Imani Morteza , Chalupnik Stanislaw , Kovács Tibor
Published: December 2020

A comprehensive study was carried out to measure indoor radon/thoron concentrations in 78 dwellings and soil-gas radon in the city of Mashhad, Iran during two seasons, using two common radon monitoring devices (NRPB and RADUET). In the winter, indoor radon concentrations measured between 75 ± 11 to 376 ± 24 Bq·m−3 (mean: 150 ± 19 Bq m−3), whereas indoor thoron concentrations ranged from below the Lower Limit of Detection (LLD) to 166 ± 10 Bq·m−3 (mean: 66 ± 8 Bq m−3), while radon and thoron concentrations in summer fell between 50 ± 11 and 305 ± 24 Bq·m−3 (mean 115 ± 18 Bq m−3) and from below the LLD to 122 ± 10 Bq m−3 (mean 48 ± 6 Bq·m−3), respectively. The annual average effective dose was estimated to be 3.7 ± 0.5 mSv yr−1. The soil-gas radon concentrations fell within the range from 1.07 ± 0.28 to 8.02 ± 0.65 kBq·m−3 (mean 3.07 ± 1.09 kBq·m−3). Finally, indoor radon maps were generated by ArcGIS software over a grid of 1 × 1 km2 using three different interpolation techniques. In grid cells where no data was observed, the arithmetic mean was used to predict a mean indoor radon concentration. Accordingly, inverse distance weighting (IDW) was proven to be more suitable for predicting mean indoor radon concentrations due to the lower mean absolute error (MAE) and root mean square error (RMSE). Meanwhile, the radiation health risk due to the residential exposure to radon and indoor gamma radiation exposure was also assessed.
Child Protection, Disability and Obstetric Violence: Three Case Studies from Iceland
Authors: Rice James Gordon , Bjargardóttir Helga Baldvins , Sigurjónsdóttir Hanna Björg
Published: December 2020

This contribution is a collective re-analysis of three research projects in Iceland focused on parenting with a disability which draws upon data spanning a twenty-year period. The core purpose of these projects is to understand why parents with primarily intellectual disabilities encounter such difficulties with the child protection system. Our aim with this contribution is to identify, through a longitudinal and comparative framework, why these difficulties persist despite a changing disability rights environment. A case study methodology has been employed highlighting three cases, one from each research project, which focus narrowly on disabled parents’ struggles with the child protection system in the context of the maternity ward. The findings, framed in the concept of structural violence, indicate poor working practices on the part of healthcare and child protection, a lack of trust, and that context is still ignored in favour of disability as the explanatory framework for the perceived inadequacies of the parents. We contend that child protection authorities continue to remain out of step with developments in disability and human rights. The contribution concludes to make a case as to why the concept of obstetric violence is a useful framework for criticism and advocacy work in this area.
Technology Used to Recognize Activities of Daily Living in Community-Dwelling Older Adults
Authors: Camp Nicola , Lewis Martin , Hunter Kirsty , Johnston Julie , Zecca Massimiliano , Di Nuovo Alessandro , Magistro Daniele
Published: December 2020

The use of technology has been suggested as a means of allowing continued autonomous living for older adults, while reducing the burden on caregivers and aiding decision-making relating to healthcare. However, more clarity is needed relating to the Activities of Daily Living (ADL) recognised, and the types of technology included within current monitoring approaches. This review aims to identify these differences and highlight the current gaps in these systems. A scoping review was conducted in accordance with PRISMA-ScR, drawing on PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar. Articles and commercially available systems were selected if they focused on ADL recognition of older adults within their home environment. Thirty-nine ADL recognition systems were identified, nine of which were commercially available. One system incorporated environmental and wearable technology, two used only wearable technology, and 34 used only environmental technologies. Overall, 14 ADL were identified but there was variation in the specific ADL recognised by each system. Although the use of technology to monitor ADL of older adults is becoming more prevalent, there is a large variation in the ADL recognised, how ADL are defined, and the types of technology used within monitoring systems. Key stakeholders, such as older adults and healthcare workers, should be consulted in future work to ensure that future developments are functional and useable.
Accessible Routes Integrating Data from Multiple Sources
Authors: Luaces Miguel R. , Fisteus Jesús A. , Sánchez-Fernández Luis , Munoz-Organero Mario , Balado Jesús , Díaz-Vilariño Lucía , Lorenzo Henrique
Published: December 2020

Providing citizens with the ability to move around in an accessible way is a requirement for all cities today. However, modeling city infrastructures so that accessible routes can be computed is a challenge because it involves collecting information from multiple, large-scale and heterogeneous data sources. In this paper, we propose and validate the architecture of an information system that creates an accessibility data model for cities by ingesting data from different types of sources and provides an application that can be used by people with different abilities to compute accessible routes. The article describes the processes that allow building a network of pedestrian infrastructures from the OpenStreetMap information (i.e., sidewalks and pedestrian crossings), improving the network with information extracted obtained from mobile-sensed LiDAR data (i.e., ramps, steps, and pedestrian crossings), detecting obstacles using volunteered information collected from the hardware sensors of the mobile devices of the citizens (i.e., ramps and steps), and detecting accessibility problems with software sensors in social networks (i.e., Twitter). The information system is validated through its application in a case study in the city of Vigo (Spain).
Independent Map Enhancement for a Spatial Road Network: Fundamental Applications and Opportunities
Authors: Alamri Sultan
Published: December 2020

In many developing cities, the improvement of transport infrastructure is usually accompanied by major road construction and maintenance. This paper presents approaches and opportunities using peer-to-peer updating to improve spatial road networks undergoing construction and maintenance, which in turn will improve traffic flow and benefit cities overall. In many cities, the spatial road network requires maintenance, and these works often require traffic detours. With the current GPS (Global Positioning System) services, there is a noticeable delay in the updating of many spatial road networks. Thus, when a driver plans a trip to a certain location (such as Starbucks), his/her usual route may have changed, but the spatial road network in the GPS has not been updated. This can affect the user in many ways. For example, a trip that usually takes five minutes might now take half an hour, taking into account the additional time required to find alternative roads and possibly encountering more unexpected road closures, until the driver reaches his/her destination. This paper addresses this issue by proposing solutions that offer several advantages including a new peer-to-peer updating mechanism that helps to direct the driver to another route when road changes occur. Moreover, the peer-to-peer updating mechanism can enable the independent monitoring of road conditions and the updating of maps for newly-constructed roads, as well as the analysis of road congestions, traffic density, and people movements at certain times. Note that this work focuses on the conceptual ideas and approaches intended to improve independent maps, and the detailed algorithms have been left for future work.
A Theoretical Proposition for Spatial Data Infrastructure On-Going Improvement
Authors: Maphale Lopang , Smit Julian L.
Published: December 2020

The past three decades have seen technology become ubiquitous and impact on many fields academically and in professional practice. In geo-information, data acquisition and management have manifested through technologies such as global positioning systems, remote sensing, geographical information systems, unmanned aerial vehicles and improved photogrammetric processes. With all these improved technological capabilities, geospatial data collection, processing and dissemination have become possible in greater proportions. To reap from this technological boom, the geospatial information community has come up with a pervasive and network enabling concept called spatial data infrastructure (SDI). Over the years, several countries have embraced the SDI concept to shape policy, build and share geospatial information resources. Some levels of successes have been reported in number of developed countries while developing countries have struggled. For instance, in 2010, SDI state of play assessment results of nine African countries averaged 30.70 over 56 or 0.55 while the SDI readiness index of the same countries averaged 0.50 on an index scale of 0 to 1 in 2016. The 2010 and 2016 assessments concluded that in African countries, SDI development was slow. To address the problem of slow SDI development in Africa, this paper proposes an on-going improvement theoretical approach anchored on the theory of constraints.
Quantitative Proteomic Profiling of Small Molecule Treated Mesenchymal Stem Cells Using Chemical Probes
Authors: Santos Jerran , Dolai Sibasish , O’Rourke Matthew B. , Liu Fei , Padula Matthew P. , Molloy Mark P. , Milthorpe Bruce K.
Published: December 2020

The differentiation of human adipose derived stem cells toward a neural phenotype by small molecules has been a vogue topic in the last decade. The characterization of the produced cells has been explored on a broad scale, examining morphological and specific surface protein markers; however, the lack of insight into the expression of functional proteins and their interactive partners is required to further understand the extent of the process. The phenotypic characterization by proteomic profiling allows for a substantial in-depth analysis of the molecular machinery induced and directing the cellular changes through the process. Herein we describe the temporal analysis and quantitative profiling of neural differentiating human adipose-derived stem cells after sub-proteome enrichment using a bisindolylmaleimide chemical probe. The results show that proteins enriched by the Bis-probe were identified reproducibly with 133, 118, 126 and 89 proteins identified at timepoints 0, 1, 6 and 12, respectively. Each temporal timepoint presented several shared and unique proteins relative to neural differentiation and their interactivity. The major protein classes enriched and quantified were enzymes, structural and ribosomal proteins that are integral to differentiation pathways. There were 42 uniquely identified enzymes identified in the cells, many acting as hubs in the networks with several interactions across the network modulating key biological pathways. From the cohort, it was found by gene ontology analysis that 18 enzymes had direct involvement with neurogenic differentiation.
Postnatal Smoke Exposure Further Increases the Hepatic Nicotine Metabolism in Prenatally Smoke Exposed Male Offspring and Is Linked with Aberrant Cyp2a5 Methylation
Authors: Lkhagvadorj Khosbayar , Zeng Zhijun , Meyer Karolin F. , Verweij Laura P. , Kooistra Wierd , Reinders-Luinge Marjan , Dijkhuizen Henk W. , de Graaf Inge A. M. , Plösch Torsten , Hylkema Machteld N.
Published: December 2020

Prenatal smoke exposure (PreSE) is a risk factor for nicotine dependence, which is further enhanced by postnatal smoke exposure (PostSE). One susceptibility gene to nicotine dependence is Cytochrome P450 (CYP) 2A6, an enzyme responsible for the conversion of nicotine to cotinine in the liver. Higher CYP2A6 activity is associated with nicotine dependence and could be regulated through DNA methylation. In this study we investigated whether PostSE further impaired PreSE-induced effects on nicotine metabolism, along with Cyp2a5, orthologue of CYP2A6, mRNA expression and DNA methylation. Using a mouse model where prenatally smoke-exposed adult offspring were exposed to cigarette smoke for 3 months, enzyme activity, mRNA levels, and promoter methylation of hepatic Cyp2a5 were evaluated. We found that in male offspring, PostSE increased PreSE-induced cotinine levels and Cyp2a5 mRNA expression. In addition, both PostSE and PreSE changed Cyp2a5 DNA methylation in male groups. PreSE however decreased cotinine levels whereas it had no effect on Cyp2a5 mRNA expression or methylation. These adverse outcomes of PreSE and PostSE were most prominent in males. When considered in the context of the human health aspects, the combined effect of prenatal and adolescent smoke exposure could lead to an accelerated risk for nicotine dependence later in life.
Discovery of Potential Inhibitors for RNA-Dependent RNA Polymerase of Norovirus: Virtual Screening, and Molecular Dynamics
Authors: Ebenezer Oluwakemi , Jordaan Maryam A. , Damoyi Nkululeko , Shapi Michael
Published: December 2020

Noroviruses are non-enveloped viruses with a positive-sense single-stranded RNA (ssRNA) genome belonging to the genus Norovirus, from the family Caliciviridae, which are accountable for acute gastroenteritis in humans. The Norovirus genus is subdivided into seven genogroups, i.e., (GI-GVII); among these, the genogroup II and genotype 4 (GII.4) strains caused global outbreaks of human norovirus (HuNov) disease. The viral genome comprises three open reading frames (ORFs). ORF1 encodes the nonstructural polyprotein that is cleaved into six nonstructural proteins, which include 3C-like cysteine protease (3CLpro) and a viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase. ORF2 and ORF3 encode the proteins VP1 and VP2. The RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) from noroviruses is one of the multipurpose enzymes of RNA viruses vital for replicating and transcribing the viral genome, making the virally encoded enzyme one of the critical targets for the development of novel anti-norovirus agents. In the quest for a new antiviral agent that could combat HuNov, high throughput virtual screening (HTVS), combined with e-pharmacophore screening, was applied to screen compounds from the PubChem database. CMX521 molecule was selected as a prototype for a similarity search in the PubChem online database. Molecular dynamics simulations were employed to identify different compounds that may inhibit HuNov. The results predicted that compound CID-57930781 and CID-44396095 formed stable complexes with MNV-RdRp within 50 ns; hence, they may signify as promising human norovirus inhibitors.
The Effects of Functional Groups and Missing Linkers on the Adsorption Capacity of Aromatic Hydrocarbons in UiO-66 Thin Films
Authors: Shankwitz Jennifer , Speed Daniel , Sinanan Dillon , Szulczewski Greg
Published: December 2020

The adsorption of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene isomers, also known as BTEX, from the gas phase into porous thin films of the metal–organic framework UiO-66-X, where X = H, NH2, and NO2, was measured to quantify adsorption capacity. The thin films were grown by a vapor-conversion method onto Au-coated quartz microbalance crystals. The MOF thin films were characterized by IR and Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The thin films were activated by heating under high vacuum and exposed to each gas to calculate the Henry’s constant. The results demonstrate that the functional groups in the organic linker and missing-linkers both play important roles in the adsorption capacity. Several trends can be observed in the data. First, all the compounds in the BTEX family have lower Henry’s constants in the UiO-66-H films compared to the UiO-66-NH2 and UiO-66-NO2 films, which can largely be attributed to the absence of a functional group on the linker. Second, at 25 °C, the Henry’s constants for all the BTEX compounds in UiO-66-NO2 films are larger than UiO-66-NH2 films. Third, the role of missing linkers is addressed by comparing the measured adsorption capacity to ideal pore filling. The results show that the UiO-66-H films are the most defect-free and the UiO-66-NO2 films have the most missing linker defects.
Surveying Potential Vectors of Apple Proliferation Phytoplasma: Faunistic Analysis and Infection Status of Selected Auchenorrhyncha Species
Authors: Fischnaller Stefanie , Parth Martin , Messner Manuel , Stocker Robert , Kerschbamer Christine , Janik Katrin
Published: December 2020

Apple proliferation (AP) is one of the economically most important diseases in European apple cultivation. The disease is caused by the cell-wall-less bacterium ’ Candidatus Phytoplasma mali’, which is transmitted by Cacopsylla picta (Foerster) and Cacopsylla melanoneura (Foerster) (Hemiptera: Psylloidea). In South Tyrol (Italy), severe outbreaks were documented since the 1990s. Infestation rates of AP do not always correlate with the population densities of the confirmed vectors, implying the presence of other, so far unknown, hemipterian vectors. By elucidating the species community of Auchenorrhyncha (Insecta: Hemiptera) at a regional scale, more than 31,000 specimens were captured in South Tyrolean apple orchards. The occurrence of 95 species was confirmed, whereas fourteen species are new records for this territory. Based on the faunistical data, more than 3600 individuals out of 25 species were analyzed using quantitative PCR to assess the presence of AP phytoplasma. The pathogen was sporadically detected in some individuals of different species, for example in Stictocephala bisonia Kopp and Yonk (Hemiptera: Membracidae). However, the concentration of phytoplasma was much lower than in infected C. picta and C. melanoneura captured in the same region, confirming the role of the latter mentioned psyllids as the main insect vectors of AP- phytoplasma in South Tyrol.
Rates and Patterns of First-Time Admissions for Acute Coronary Syndromes across Western Australia Using Linked Administrative Health Data 2007–2015
Authors: Forsyth René , Sun Zhonghua , Reid Christopher , Moorin Rachael
Published: December 2020

Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is globally recognised as a significant health burden, for which the reduction in total ischemic times by way of the most suitable reperfusion strategy has been the focus of national and international initiatives. In a setting such as Western Australia, characterised by 79% of the population dwelling in the greater capital region, transfers to hospitals capable of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is often a necessary but time-consuming reality for outer-metropolitan and rural patients. Methods: Hospital separations, emergency department admissions and death registration data between 1 January 2007 and 31 December 2015 were linked by the Western Australian Data Linkage Unit, identifying patients with a confirmed first-time diagnosis of ACS, who were either a direct admission or experienced an inter-hospital transfer. Results: Although the presentation rates of ACS remained stable over the nine years evaluated, the rates of first-time admissions for ACS were more than double in the rural residential cohort, including higher rates of ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction, the most time-critical manifestation of ACS. Consequently, rural patients were more likely to undergo an inter-hospital transfer. However, 42% of metropolitan admissions for a first-time ACS also experienced a transfer. Conclusion: While the time burden of inter-hospital transfers for rural patients is a reality in health care systems where it is not feasible to have advanced facilities and workforce skills outside of large population centres, there is a concerning trend of inter-hospital transfers within the metropolitan region highlighting the need for further initiatives to streamline pre-hospital triage to ensure patients with symptoms indicative of ACS present to PCI-equipped hospitals.
Role of Adiponectin and Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor in Metabolic Regulation Involved in Adiposity and Body Fat Browning
Authors: Jo Danbi , Son Yujeong , Yoon Gwangho , Song Juhyun , Kim Oh Yoen
Published: December 2020

Obesity, characterized by excessive fat mass, has been emerging as a major global epidemic and contributes to the increased risk of morbidity around the world. Thus, the necessity to find effective therapy and specific regulatory mechanisms is increasing for controlling obesity. Lately, many researchers have been interested in the linkage between obesity and adipokines/myokines, particularly adiponectin and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). However, the role of adiponectin and BDNF in adiposity has not been clearly defined yet. We examined the association of adiposity with adiponectin and BDNF through human study (observational study) with Korean women and in vitro experiments. In the human study, we found a negative relationship between adiposity and circulating adiponectins but irregular patterns in the relationship between adiposity and circulating BDNFs. In the in vitro study using 3T3-L1 adipocytes, adiponectin treatment strongly promoted adipocyte differentiation and the fat browning process, whereas BDNF treatment attenuated adipocyte differentiation and the fat browning process in differentiated adipocytes. Our results demonstrate that adiponectin and BDNF play an important role in regulating fat mass and the expression of fat-browning markers in different ways, and also suggest that circulating adiponectin may be used as an important monitoring index for obesity status.
Intra-Cellular Calcium Signaling Pathways (PKC, RAS/RAF/MAPK, PI3K) in Lamina Cribrosa Cells in Glaucoma
Authors: Irnaten Mustapha , Duff Aisling , Clark Abbot , O’Brien Colm
Published: December 2020

The lamina cribrosa (LC) is a key site of fibrotic damage in glaucomatous optic neuropathy and the precise mechanisms of LC change remain unclear. Elevated Ca2+ is a major driver of fibrosis, and therefore intracellular Ca2+ signaling pathways are relevant glaucoma-related mechanisms that need to be studied. Protein kinase C (PKC), mitogen-activated MAPK kinases (p38 and p42/44-MAPK), and the PI3K/mTOR axis are key Ca2+ signal transducers in fibrosis and we therefore investigated their expression and activity in normal and glaucoma cultured LC cells. We show, using Western immune-blotting, that hyposmotic-induced cellular swelling activates PKCα, p42/p44, and p38 MAPKs, the activity is transient and biphasic as it peaks between 2 min and 10 min. The expression and activity of PKCα, p38 and p42/p44-MAPKs are significantly (p < 0.05) increased in glaucoma LC cells at basal level, and at different time-points after hyposmotic stretch. We also found elevated mRNA expression of mRNA expression of PI3K, IP3R, mTOR, and CaMKII in glaucoma LC cells. This study has identified abnormalities in multiple calcium signaling pathways (PKCα, MAPK, PI3K) in glaucoma LC cells, which might have significant functional and therapeutic implications in optic nerve head (ONH) fibrosis and cupping in glaucoma.
Scapulothoracic Alignment Alterations in Patients with Walch Type B Osteoarthritis: An In Vivo Dynamic Analysis and Prospective Comparative Study
Authors: Lädermann Alexandre , Athwal George S. , Bothorel Hugo , Collin Philippe , Mazzolari Adrien , Raiss Patric , Charbonnier Caecilia
Published: December 2020

Background: Kinematic changes of the scapulothoracic joint may influence the relative position of the glenoid fossa and, consequently, the glenohumeral joint. As the alignment of the scapula relative to the thorax differs between individuals, such variability may be another factor in the development of posterior head subluxation. The purpose of this study was to compare scapulothoracic alignment in pathologic type B shoulders with contralateral healthy shoulders. Methods: Seven adult volunteers with unilateral type B glenohumeral osteoarthritis (OA) underwent bilateral computed tomography (CT) scans of the shoulders and arms. A patient-specific, three-dimensional measurement technique that coupled medical imaging (i.e., CT) and optical motion capture was used. Results: The scapulothoracic distance at the trigonum was 75 ± 15 mm for pathologic shoulders and 78 ± 11 mm for healthy shoulders (p = 0.583), while at the inferior angle, it was 102 ± 18 mm for pathologic shoulders and 108 ± 12 mm for healthy shoulders (p = 0.466). Conclusion: Scapula positioning at a resting position did not differ between pathologic and healthy shoulders. However, pathologic shoulders tended to be limited in maximal glenohumeral motion and exhibited greater anterior tilt of the scapula in internal rotation at 90 degrees, which may be adaptive to the restricted glenohumeral motion.
Open Label Prospective Experience of Supplementation with a Fixed Combination of Magnesium, Vitamin B2, Feverfew, Andrographis Paniculata and Coenzyme Q10 for Episodic Migraine Prophylaxis
Authors: Vikelis Michail , Dermitzakis Emmanouil V. , Vlachos George S. , Soldatos Panagiotis , Spingos Konstantinos C. , Litsardopoulos Pantelis , Kararizou Evangelia , Argyriou Andreas A.
Published: December 2020

Background: To investigate the efficacy and safety of supplementation with a fixed combination of magnesium, vitamin B2, feverfew, andrographis paniculata and coenzyme Q10 in episodic migraine (EM) prevention. Methods: A pilot, single-arm, open-label study was conducted. After a one-month baseline period, the above-described supplementation was introduced in 113 EM Greek patients, who were prospectively followed-up for three months. The primary endpoint was the change in monthly migraine days between baseline period (BSL) and the third month of supplementation (T3). Secondary endpoints included changes in mean intensity of migraine and in days with use of acute migraine medications. Changes in scores of Migraine Disability Assessment questionnaire (MIDAS), Headache Impact Test-6 (HIT-6), Migraine Therapy Assessment questionnaire (MTAQ), Migraine-Specific Quality-of-life questionnaire (MSQ-QOL), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) were also evaluated. Those with ≥50% reduction in monthly migraine days at T3, compared to BSL were considered supplementation-responders. Results: The mean number of migraine days was significantly decreased between BSL and T3 (9.4 ± 3.7 vs. 6.1 ± 3.5; p < 0.001). Likewise, days with peak headache intensity of >4/10 (5.7 ± 3.4 vs. 4.9 ± 3.1; p < 0.001) as well as days using acute headache medications per month (8.9 ± 3.6 vs. 5.7 ± 3.4; p < 0.001) were significantly reduced. At T3, 64 patients (56.6%) were classified as responders. The beneficial effect of supplementation was also associated with significant changes in HIT-6, MIDAS, MTAQ and MSQ-QOL scores. There were no safety concerns. Conclusions: The supplementation we have tested appears to be an effective and well-tolerated preventive approach against EM. A randomized, placebo-controlled study is needed to confirm our results.
Tall Cell Variant versus Conventional Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma: A Retrospective Analysis in 351 Consecutive Patients
Authors: Longheu Alessandro , Canu Gian Luigi , Cappellacci Federico , Erdas Enrico , Medas Fabio , Calò Pietro Giorgio
Published: December 2020

Background: The aim of this retrospective study was to investigate clinical and pathological characteristics of the tall cell variant of papillary thyroid carcinoma compared to conventional variants. Methods: The clinical records of patients who underwent surgical treatment between 2009 and 2015 were analyzed. The patients were divided into two groups: those with a histopathological diagnosis of tall cell papillary carcinoma were included in Group A, and those with a diagnosis of conventional variants in Group B. Results: A total of 35 patients were included in Group A and 316 in Group B. All patients underwent total thyroidectomy. Central compartment and lateral cervical lymph node dissection were performed more frequently in Group A (42.8% vs. 18%, p = 0.001, and 17.1% vs. 6.9%, p = 0.04). Angiolymphatic invasion, parenchymal invasion, extrathyroidal extension, and lymph node metastases were more frequent in Group A, and the data reached statistical significance. Local recurrence was more frequent in Group A (17.1% vs. 6.3%, p = 0.02), with two patients (5.7%) in Group A showing visceral metastases, whereas no patient in Group B developed metastatic cancer (p = 0.009). Conclusions: Tall cell papillary carcinoma is the most frequent aggressive variant of papillary thyroid cancer. Tall cell histology represents an independent poor prognostic factor compared to conventional variants.
Cathepsin B Localizes in the Caveolae and Participates in the Proteolytic Cascade in Trabecular Meshwork Cells. Potential New Drug Target for the Treatment of Glaucoma
Authors: Nettesheim April , Shim Myoung Sup , Dixon Angela , Raychaudhuri Urmimala , Gong Haiyan , Liton Paloma B.
Published: December 2020

Extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition in the trabecular meshwork (TM) is one of the hallmarks of glaucoma, a group of human diseases and leading cause of permanent blindness. The molecular mechanisms underlying ECM deposition in the glaucomatous TM are not known, but it is presumed to be a consequence of excessive synthesis of ECM components, decreased proteolytic degradation, or both. Targeting ECM deposition might represent a therapeutic approach to restore outflow facility in glaucoma. Previous work conducted in our laboratory identified the lysosomal enzyme cathepsin B (CTSB) to be expressed on the cellular surface and to be secreted into the culture media in trabecular meshwork (TM) cells. Here, we further investigated the role of CTSB on ECM remodeling and outflow physiology in vitro and in CSTBko mice. Our results indicate that CTSB localizes in the caveolae and participates in the pericellular degradation of ECM in TM cells. We also report here a novel role of CTSB in regulating the expression of PAI-1 and TGFβ/Smad signaling in TM cells vitro and in vivo in CTSBko mice. We propose enhancing CTSB activity as a novel therapeutic target to attenuate fibrosis and ECM deposition in the glaucomatous outflow pathway.
A Screen for Small Molecules to Target Candida albicans Biofilms
Authors: Lohse Matthew B. , Ennis Craig L. , Hartooni Nairi , Johnson Alexander D. , Nobile Clarissa J.
Published: December 2020

The human fungal pathogen Candida albicans can form biofilms on biotic and abiotic surfaces, which are inherently resistant to antifungal drugs. We screened the Chembridge Small Molecule Diversity library containing 30,000 “drug-like” small molecules and identified 45 compounds that inhibited biofilm formation. These 45 compounds were then tested for their abilities to disrupt mature biofilms and for combinatorial interactions with fluconazole, amphotericin B, and caspofungin, the three antifungal drugs most commonly prescribed to treat Candida infections. In the end, we identified one compound that moderately disrupted biofilm formation on its own and four compounds that moderately inhibited biofilm formation and/or moderately disrupted mature biofilms only in combination with either caspofungin or fluconazole. No combinatorial interactions were observed between the compounds and amphotericin B. As members of a diversity library, the identified compounds contain “drug-like” chemical backbones, thus even seemingly “weak hits” could represent promising chemical starting points for the development and the optimization of new classes of therapeutics designed to target Candida biofilms.
Catholic Social Thought and Sustainability. Ethical and Economic Alignment
Authors: Gómez-Bezares Ana María , Gómez-Bezares Fernando
Published: December 2020

In this research, we demonstrate that business sustainability can be a model to foster in order to reach real development, as it is shown that business sustainability has both an ethical and economic logic. Even though, from an ethical point of view, sustainability can be well-founded on human rights and civic ethics, our goal in this paper has been to sustain and enrich business sustainability based on the Social Doctrine of the Catholic Church, which can be shared in its advises by many non-Catholic people, as it is a rich source of wisdom. We have also studied its economic logic; analyzing why it is justified for sustainable companies to obtain good results, formulating the model to alleviate the agency problem (which allows it to overcome the traditional stakeholder model), studying empirical analyses that demonstrate the good financial performance of sustainable companies, and making a new analysis that confirms the above.
Restructuring the State: Policy Transition of Construction Land Supply in Urban and Rural China
Authors: Yang Renhao , Yang Qingyuan
Published: December 2020

Encountering the articulation of the strongness of local authorities and market forces in China’s development, attention has been paid to the changing central state which recentralised the regulation capability of localities which has more discretional power on resources utilisation, land for example, in the post-reform era. Yet it is still not clear-cut what drives the state rescaling in terms of land governance and by what ways. After dissecting the evolving policies and practices of construction land supply in China with the focus on the roles of state, we draw two main conclusions. First, the policy trajectory of construction land supply entails a complicated reconfiguration of state functions, which is driven by three interwoven relations: land–capital relation, peasant–state relation and rural–urban relation. Second, state rescaling in terms of the governance of construction land provision works via four important approaches: limited decentralism, horizontal integralism, local experimentalism and political mobilisationism. By reviewing the institutional arrangements of construction land provision and the state rescaling process behind them, this article offers a nuanced perspective to the state (re)building that goes beyond the simplified (vertical or horizontal) transition of state functions.
CRISPR-Cas9: A Powerful Tool to Efficiently Engineer Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Authors: Rainha João , Rodrigues Joana L. , Rodrigues Lígia R.
Published: December 2020

Saccharomyces cerevisiae has been for a long time a common model for fundamental biological studies and a popular biotechnological engineering platform to produce chemicals, fuels, and pharmaceuticals due to its peculiar characteristics. Both lines of research require an effective editing of the native genetic elements or the inclusion of heterologous pathways into the yeast genome. Although S. cerevisiae is a well-known host with several molecular biology tools available, a more precise tool is still needed. The clustered, regularly interspaced, short palindromic repeats–associated Cas9 (CRISPR-Cas9) system is a current, widespread genome editing tool. The implementation of a reprogrammable, precise, and specific method, such as CRISPR-Cas9, to edit the S. cerevisiae genome has revolutionized laboratory practices. Herein, we describe and discuss some applications of the CRISPR-Cas9 system in S. cerevisiae from simple gene knockouts to more complex processes such as artificial heterologous pathway integration, transcriptional regulation, or tolerance engineering.
Thermal Analysis of Low-Power Three-Phase Induction Motors Operating under Voltage Unbalance and Inter-Turn Short Circuit Faults
Authors: Adouni Amel , J. Marques Cardoso Antonio
Published: December 2020

Three-phase induction motors are considered to be the workhorse of industry. Therefore, induction motor faults are not only the cause of users’ frustrations but they also drive up the costs related to unexpected breakdowns, repair actions, and safety issues. One of the most critical faults in three-phase induction motors is related to the occurrence of inter-turn short circuits, due to its devastating consequences. The topic of inter-turn short-circuit faults in three-phase induction motors has been discussed over recent decades by several researchers. These studies have mainly dealt with early fault detection to avoid dramatic consequences. However, they fall short of addressing the potential burnout of the induction motor before the detection step. Furthermore, the cumulative action played by an inevitable degree of unbalanced supply voltages may exacerbate such consequences. For that reason, in deep detail, this paper delves into the thermal analysis of the induction motor when operating under these two harsh conditions: unbalanced supply voltages and the presence of the most incipient type of inter-turn short-circuit condition—a short-circuit between two turns only. In this work, the finite element method has been applied to create the faulty scenarios, and a commercial software (Flux2D) has been used in order to simulate the electromagnetic and thermal behavior of the machine for various degrees of severity of the aforementioned faulty modes. The obtained results confirm that the diagnostic tools reported in the literature might not be effective, failing to warrant the required lead time so that suitable actions can be taken to prevent permanent damage to the machine.
Formalization of the Equivalence among Completeness Theorems of Real Number in Coq
Authors: Fu Yaoshun , Yu Wensheng
Published: December 2020

The formalization of mathematics based on theorem prover becomes increasingly important in mathematics and computer science, and, particularly, formalizing fundamental mathematical theories becomes especially essential. In this paper, we describe the formalization in Coq of eight very representative completeness theorems of real numbers. These theorems include the Dedekind fundamental theorem, Supremum theorem, Monotone convergence theorem, Nested interval theorem, Finite cover theorem, Accumulation point theorem, Sequential compactness theorem, and Cauchy completeness theorem. We formalize the real number theory strictly following Landau’s Foundations of Analysis where the Dedekind fundamental theorem can be proved. We extend this system and complete the related notions and properties for finiteness and sequence. We prove these theorems in turn from Dedekind fundamental theorem, and finally prove the Dedekind fundamental theorem by the Cauchy completeness theorem. The full details of formal proof are checked by the proof assistant Coq, which embodies the characteristics of reliability and interactivity. This work can lay the foundation for many applications, especially in calculus and topology.