bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
India’s Muslims and Hindu Nationalism
Authors: Gabbay Shaul M.
Published: July 2020

India is in the midst of changing its definition of what it means to be Indian. For the first time since becoming an independent nation in 1947, the government of India has chosen to use religion as a criteria for citizenship. This paper examines the critical importance of this development as it pertains to Muslims currently living in India, as well as for anyone living in South Asia who may wish to seek asylum in India in the future. The paper also examines the significance of the world’s most populous democracy shifting from secular to sectarian governance, a development with local, regional, and global impacts.The immediate effect of using religion as a criteria for citizenship has immediate and far-reaching consequences for India’s minority Muslim population. The criteria also impacts other religious groups in India and the south Asia region. This significant change has already resulted in deleterious effects including mob violence, internal displacement of Indian-born Muslims into newly constructed detention camps, and the expectation of massive deportation of Muslims from India.The findings presented in this paper are based on information obtained from historical sources provided by human rights organizations, government foreign affairs reports, and current references including media, non-government organizations, and political think tanks.
Statistics of Lifetimes for Transient Bursting States in Coupled Noisy Excitable Systems
Authors: Albanbay Nurtay , Medetov Bekbolat , Zaks Michael A.
Published: July 2020

In ensembles of oscillators, intrinsic fluctuations often enable nontrivial dynamics in seemingly simple situations. One of such effects occurs in coupled FitzHugh–Nagumo oscillators subjected to external noise. At the considered parameter values, the global deterministic attractor is the resting state. Additive noise invokes transient bursting: series of intermittent patches of spikes, followed by the abrupt decay to rest. Duration of this transient, small for weak noise, asymptotically diverges when the noise becomes stronger. Remarkably, in repeated trials at fixed parameters, the number of bursts until the ultimate decay strongly varies. Lifetime statistics for this transient in large ensembles of numerical realizations features the exponential distribution. Observations on transient bursting are confirmed by experiments with coupled analog electronic circuits, modeling the FitzHugh–Nagumo dynamics. We relate the exponential character of the distribution to the probability that the system, disturbed by noise, escapes the local attraction basin of the resting state.
Model-Based Design and Optimization of Blood Oxygenators
Authors: He Ge , Zhang Tao , Zhang Jiafeng , Griffith Bartley P. , Wu Zhongjun J.
Published: July 2020

Blood oxygenators, also known as artificial lungs, are widely used in cardiopulmonary bypass surgery to maintain physiologic oxygen (O2) and carbon dioxide (CO2) levels in blood, and also serve as respiratory assist devices to support patients with lung failure. The time- and cost-consuming method of trial and error is initially used to optimize the oxygenator design, and this method is followed by the introduction of the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) that is employed to reduce the number of prototypes that must be built as the design is optimized. The CFD modeling method, while having progress in recent years, still requires complex three-dimensional (3D) modeling and experimental data to identify the model parameters and validate the model. In this study, we sought to develop an easily implemented mathematical models to predict and optimize the performance (oxygen partial pressure/saturation, oxygen/carbon dioxide transfer rates, and pressure loss) of hollow fiber membrane-based oxygenators and this model can be then used in conjunction with CFD to reduce the number of 3D CFD iteration for further oxygenator design and optimization. The model parameters are first identified by fitting the model predictions to the experimental data obtained from a mock flow loop experimental test on a mini fiber bundle. The models are then validated through comparing the theoretical results with the experimental data of seven full-size oxygenators. The comparative analysis show that the model predictions and experimental results are in good agreement. Based on the verified models, the design curves showing the effects of parameters on the performance of oxygenators and the guidelines detailing the optimization process are established to determine the optimal design parameters (fiber bundle dimensions and its porosity) under specific system design requirements (blood pressure drop, oxygen pressure/saturation, oxygen/carbon dioxide transfer rates, and priming volume). The results show that the model-based optimization method is promising to derive the optimal parameters in an efficient way and to serve as an intermediate modeling approach prior to complex CFD modeling.
Development of a Device-to-Image Registration Free Needle Guide for Magnetic Resonance Imaging-Guided Targeted Prostate Biopsy
Authors: Kulkarni Pankaj , Sikander Sakura , Biswas Pradipta , Laha Sumit , Cornnell Heather , Burt Jeremy R. , Bagci Ulas , Song Sang-Eun
Published: July 2020

Significant research has been done in the past decade for the development of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) guided needle guide (NG) systems for prostate intervention. Most of these systems have been restricted to application in the lab environment with lack of progress toward clinical application. Bulky and complex designs can be attributed to this practice. These systems also demand complex technical setup and usage procedures, which require extra technical personnel during the intervention in addition to specialized training for physicians. Moreover, “device-to-image” registration, essential for accurate and precise targeting, further complicates the overall process while increasing total time for intervention. In order to address these limitations, a simplified, MRI-guided, transperineal prostate biopsy NG system was designed and developed for rapid adoption into the clinical environment. The system consists of a NG device and a software toolkit. It does not require any special intraprocedural technical expertise or dedicated training. Also, to simplify and shorten total procedure time, the device uses the unique concept of “fixed coordinate device” eliminating the need for any device-to-image registration making it clinically friendly. To verify the NG design along with the registration free feature, image quality tests and agar phantom-based targeting experiments were performed under the guidance of 3T MRI scanner. The imaging tests resulted in a distortion of less than 1% in presence of the device and an average change of 1.3% in signal-to-noise ratio. For targeting experiments, maximum in-plane error distance of 3.8 mm with a mean of 2.2 mm and standard deviation of 0.8 mm was observed. The results show that an MRI-compatible simplified intervention device without the need of device-to-image registration is technically feasible.
Impact of Turbomachinery Degradation on Performance and Dynamic Behavior of Supercritical CO2 Cycle
Authors: Son Seongmin , Baek Jeong Yeol , Jeong Yongju , Lee Jeong Ik
Published: July 2020

Due to small footprint and high efficiency, a Supercritical CO2 (S-CO2) power cycle is considered to be one of the promising next-generation power cycles. Although S-CO2 is reported as a powerful cleaning agent, the performance of a power system operating with S-CO2 will also inevitably degrade over time. Previous researchers have shown that turbomachinery deterioration could be a major subject regarding the system performance degradation. Nevertheless, no quantitative evaluation has yet been made so far. In this study, the impact of the performance degradation of the S-CO2 turbomachinery on the overall performance of the system is analyzed quantitatively. The concept of Health Parameter is used to simulate turbomachinery degradation. To quantify the impact, an S-CO2 direct-cycle small modular reactor is selected as a target system. A transient analysis platform is built using a nuclear system safety analysis code and the deep neural network (DNN)-based S-CO2 turbomachinery off-design performance model. System dynamics are evaluated for primary frequency control ability and secondary load-following capability. Results show that the control problems during the transient state can occur when the output fluctuations are large and the performance degradation is severe. It has been confirmed that even control failures of the PID controllers can occur. Therefore, the performance degradation of turbomachinery must be monitored and considered, for an operation strategy for S-CO2 systems.
Multiwave Vibrations in Mistuned Cascades With Tip-Shroud Friction
Authors: Johann Gross , Malte Krack
Published: July 2020

Measurements taken during aero engine tests and in the field showed that flutter vibrations of shrouded blades can feature rich wave content (multiwave flutter vibrations). In a previous work, we demonstrated that this behavior can be explained by the nonlinear interaction of aeroelastically unstable traveling wave modes. The resulting vibrations are quasi-periodic. In this work, we show that the nonlinear modal interaction is not strictly needed, but actually mistuning alone can explain the multiwave form of flutter vibrations. The resulting vibrations are periodic and dominated by only a single mode shape of the mistuned system. However, unrealistically high mistuning intensities are needed to obtain significant contributions of multiple wave forms under the considered strong inter-blade coupling. Thus, we conclude that mistuning cannot explain the rich wave content observed in the measurements. Moreover, mistuning tends to hamper the nonlinear modal interactions and, thus, the occurrence of quasi-periodic multiwave flutter vibrations. This implies that intentional mistuning is not only useful to stabilize flutter but might also play an important role in developing flutter-tolerant blade designs.
Optimal Control and Energy Management for Hybrid Gas-Electric Propulsion
Authors: Richter Hanz , Connolly Joseph W. , Simon Donald L.
Published: July 2020

The paper considers a generic model for a turbofan engine coupled to electromechanical (EM) elements used for energy conversion and storage in electric form. The electromechanical systems apply torque to the engine shafts, allowing for controllable power injection or extraction to and from the engine. The standard proportional-integral (PI) control law used to command fuel flow for turbofan speed regulation is maintained for compatibility with industry practices, leaving the electromechanical torque to be specified. The paper adopts an optimal control approach for this purpose, where a weighted combination of electric energy consumption and fuel consumption is minimized subject to the dynamics of the electrified propulsion system. The solution for the optimal torques is given by linear state feedback plus bias, with gains calculated numerically from engine linearization data. Energy balance equations are derived and used to guide the optimization, evaluate the resulting power distributions, and check for errors. Simulation studies are presented for a chop-burst transient and for a realistic flight mission profile with environmental input variations. The paper shows the economic advantage of operating the engine with the electrified components. Specifically, fuel burn can be reduced in exchange for electric energy, which must be replenished, but at lower cost.
Role of point of care ultrasound in COVID-19 pandemic: what lies beyond the horizon?
Authors: Galluccio Felice , Ergonenc Tolga , Yamak Altinpulluk Ece , Perez Herrero Maria , De la Torre Carpente Maria del Mar , Capassoni Marco , Espinoza Karla , Aragon Benedi Cristian , El-Sayed Abdallah Allam , Orzalesi Vanni , Fajardo Perez Mario
Published: July 2020

The pandemic of COVID-19 requires rapid and easy access to reliable imaging modalities for diagnosis and follow up. Considering the cost-effectiveness of the imaging used, ultrasound is a non-ionizing, portable and bedside imaging modality with a high diagnostic impact in emergencies and intensive care units in pandemics, but it is operator dependent. In our article, we provide a comprehensive review of the role of point-of-care ultrasound in the diagnosis of COVID-19 infection and its impact on the lungs, cardiovascular system, eyes and abdominal organs. Moreover, ultrasound can provide real-time diagnostic and therapeutic interventions, such as the placement of a central catheter and aspiration of pericardial effusion. Awareness of health care professionals in the front-line fighting COVID-19 infection in emergency rooms, clinics, and in intensive care units is important and will help rapid and targeted management decisions.
A slip-spring simulation model for predicting linear and nonlinear rheology of entangled wormlike micellar solutions
Authors: Sato Takeshi , Moghadam Soroush , Tan Grace , Larson Ronald G.
Published: July 2020

We extend the single-chain slip-spring model developed by Likhtman [Macromolecules 38, 6128 (2005)] to describe the dynamics and rheology of entangled polymers to wormlike micellar solutions by incorporating chain breakage and rejoining, which are the key additional dynamics present in wormlike micellar solutions. We show that the linear rheological properties obtained from this micelle slip-spring model are in good agreement with mesoscopic simulations using the “pointer algorithm” [W. Zou and R. G. Larson, J. Rheol. 58, 681 (2014)] and can be fit to experimental results after an adjustment to correct for the too-high flexibility of the micelles assumed in the slip-spring model. Finally, we use this model to predict the nonlinear rheological properties of entangled wormlike micelles, which are the first predictions that include the effects of entanglements, breakage and rejoining, Rouse modes, and stretch of bead-spring micellar chains with Hookean springs.
Distortion matrix concept for deep optical imaging in scattering media
Authors: Badon Amaury , Barolle Victor , Irsch Kristina , Boccara A. Claude , Fink Mathias , Aubry Alexandre
Published: July 2020

The distortion matrix overcomes aberrations and multiple scattering, thereby enabling ultradeep and wide-field optical imaging.
Cellular sensing of extracellular purine nucleosides triggers an innate IFN-β response
Authors: Dhanwani Rekha , Takahashi Mariko , Mathews Ian T. , Lenzi Camille , Romanov Artem , Watrous Jeramie D. , Pieters Bartijn , Hedrick Catherine C. , Benedict Chris A. , Linden Joel , Nilsson Roland , Jain Mohit , Sharma Sonia
Published: July 2020

Metabolic analysis of ADA2-deficient cells shows that extracellular purine nucleosides trigger cellular innate immunity.
Increased PIP3 activity blocks nanoparticle mRNA delivery
Authors: Paunovska Kalina , Da Silva Sanchez Alejandro , Foster Matthew T. , Loughrey David , Blanchard Emmeline L. , Islam Fatima Z. , Gan Zubao , Mantalaris Athanasios , Santangelo Philip J. , Dahlman James E.
Published: July 2020

PIP3, a bioactive lipid upstream of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway, decreased protein translated from nanoparticle-delivered mRNA.
Turbulence in the Sun is suppressed on large scales and confined to equatorial regions
Authors: Hanasoge Shravan M. , Hotta Hideyuki , Sreenivasan Katepalli R.
Published: July 2020

Helioseismology reveals that turbulence in the Sun is suppressed on large scales and confined to equatorial regions.
3D touchless multiorder reflection structural color sensing display
Authors: Kang Han Sol , Han Sang Won , Park Chanho , Lee Seung Won , Eoh Hongkyu , Baek Jonghyeok , Shin Dong-Gap , Park Tae Hyun , Huh June , Lee Hyungsuk , Kim Dae-Eun , Ryu Du Yeol , Thomas Edwin L. , Koh Won-Gun , Park Cheolmin
Published: July 2020

A 3D touchless display is created where a human finger position is visualized in structural colors of a soft photonic crystal.
Powered knee and ankle prosthesis with indirect volitional swing control enables level-ground walking and crossing over obstacles
Authors: Mendez Joel , Hood Sarah , Gunnel Andy , Lenzi Tommaso
Published: July 2020

Control of prosthesis swing trajectory enables individuals to voluntarily change foot clearance to traverse obstacles.
Brain structural changes in sync with the cycle
Authors: Stevens Jennifer Strafford
Published: July 2020

Neuroimaging and hormone assays over a full menstrual cycle reveal the effects of ovarian hormones on gray matter volumes in a patient.
Engineering Burkholderia xenovorans LB400 BphA through Site-Directed Mutagenesis at Position 283
Authors: Li Junde , Min Jun , Wang Yuan , Chen Weiwei , Kong Yachao , Guo Tianyu , Mahto Jai Krishna , Sylvestre Michel , Hu Xiaoke
Published: July 2020

The segment from positions 280 to 283 in BphAEs is located at the entrance of the catalytic pocket, and it shows variation in conformation. In previous works, results have suggested but never proved that residue Ser283 of BphAE
LB400
might play a role in substrate specificity. In the present paper, we found that the Ser283Met substitution significantly increased the specificity of the reaction of BphAE toward biphenyl, 2,3′,4,4′-CB, 2,2′,6,6′-CB, and 2,3′,4,4′,5-CB. Meanwhile, the Ser283Met substitution altered the regiospecificity of BphAE toward 2,2′-dichlorobiphenyl and 2,6-dichlorobiphenyl. Additionally, this substitution extended the range of PCBs metabolized by the mutated BphAE. BphAE
S283M
and BphAE
p4-S283M
were clearly improved in oxidizing some of the more highly chlorinated biphenyls (3 to 6 chlorines), which are generally very poorly oxidized by most dioxygenases. We used modeled and docked enzymes to identify some of the structural features that explain the new properties of the mutant enzymes. Altogether, the results of this study provide better insights into the mechanisms by which BPDO evolves to change and/or expand its substrate range and its regiospecificity.
3-Hydroxypyridine Dehydrogenase HpdA Is Encoded by a Novel Four-Component Gene Cluster and Catalyzes the First Step of 3-Hydroxypyridine Catabolism in Ensifer adhaerens HP1
Authors: Wang Haixia , Wang Xiaoyu , Ren Hao , Wang Xuejun , Lu Zhenmei
Published: July 2020

3-Hydroxypyridine is an important building block for the synthesis of drugs, herbicides, and antibiotics. Although the microbial degradation of 3-hydroxypyridine has been studied for many years, the molecular mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we show that
3hpd
is responsible for the catabolism of 3-hydroxypyridine. The
3hpd
gene cluster was found to be widespread in
Actinobacteria
,
Rubrobacteria
,
Thermoleophilia
, and
Alpha
-,
Beta
-, and
Gammaproteobacteria
, and the genetic organization of the
3hpd
gene clusters in these bacteria shows high diversity. Our findings provide new insight into the catabolism of 3-hydroxypyridine in bacteria.
Draft Genome Sequence of Bacillus velezensis BZR 336g, a Plant Growth-Promoting Antifungal Biocontrol Agent Isolated from Winter Wheat
Authors: Garkovenko Alexey V. , Vasilyev Ilya Y. , Ilnitskaya Elena V. , Radchenko Vitaly V. , Asaturova Anzhela M. , Kozitsyn Alexander E. , Tomashevich Natalia S. , Milovanov Alexander V. , Grigoreva Tatiana V. , Shternshis Margarita V.
Published: July 2020

Bacillus velezensis
strain BZR 336g is a plant growth-promoting rhizobacterium isolated from a winter wheat rhizoplane from the Krasnodar region in Russia. In this study, we report the genome, including genes with known phenotypic function, i.e., the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites with fungicidal and plant growth-promoting activities. We sequenced and analyzed the complete BZR 336g genome using two different DNA preparation methods to help us better understand the origin of the antimicrobial and antifungal abilities and to weigh the biocontrol properties of this strain.
Genome Sequences of
Synechococcus
sp. Strain MIT S9220 and Cocultured Cyanophage SynMITS9220M01
Authors: Belisle B. Shafer , Avila Paz Andres A. , Carpenter Angelina R. , Cormier Tayla C. , Lewis Adam J. , Menin Linnea S. , Oliveira Daniel R. , Song BuKyung , Szeto Amy , Tchantouridze Elizabeth I. , Watson Kayleigh A. , Yohannes Mary T. , Ahlgren Nathan A.
Published: July 2020

Synechococcus
bacteria are unicellular cyanobacteria that contribute significantly to global marine primary production. We report the nearly complete genome sequence of
Synechococcus
sp. strain MIT S9220, which lacks the nitrate utilization genes present in most marine
Synechococcus
genomes. Assembly also produced the complete genome sequence of a cyanophage present in the MIT S9220 culture.
Announcing the Availability of a Culture Collection of Uranium-Resistant Microbial Assemblages (CURMA) Obtained from Metalliferous Soils of the Savannah River Site, USA
Authors: Agarwal Meenakshi , Rathore Rajesh Singh , Black Allen , Xu Xiaoyu , Seaman John , Chauhan Ashvini
Published: July 2020

Metagenomic assessment provides a comprehensive survey of soil microbiota; however, isolation and characterization of functionally relevant microbiota are required prior to their application(s), such as for metal remediation. Toward this end, we report the availability of a culture collection comprising uranium (U)-resistant microbial assemblages (CURMA) to the scientific community.
Analysis of Draft Genome Sequences of Two New
Pantoea
Strains Associated with Wheat Leaf Necrotic Tissues Caused by Xanthomonas translucens Reveals Distinct Species
Authors: Malette Alexandre , Xu Renlin , Gerdis Suzanne , Chi Sylvia I. , Daniels Greg C. , Harding Michael W. , Tambong James T.
Published: July 2020

We report whole-genome sequences of two new
Pantoea
strains (DOAB1048 and DOAB1050) isolated from necrotic wheat leaves caused by
Xanthomonas translucens
. The draft genome sequences of DOAB1048 and DOAB1050 consist of 52 and 57 scaffolds and have sizes of 4,795,525 bp and 4,962,883 bp with 4,418 and 4,517 coding sequences, respectively.
Draft Genome Sequence of Moraxella bovoculi Strain KZ-1, Isolated from Cattle in North Kazakhstan
Authors: Kuibagarov Marat , Amirgazin Asylulan , Vergnaud Gilles , Shustov Alexandr , Ryskeldina Anara , Ramankulov Yerlan , Shevtsov Alexandr
Published: July 2020

Moraxella bovoculi
strain KZ-1 was isolated from cattle that had symptoms of infectious bovine keratoconjunctivitis (IBK) in northern Kazakhstan. Here, we report the draft genome sequence of this strain.
Implementing the routine immunisation data module and dashboard of DHIS2 in Nigeria, 2014–2019
Authors: Shuaib Faisal , Garba Abdullahi Bulama , Meribole Emmanuel , Obasi Samuel , Sule Adamu , Nnadi Chimeremma , Waziri Ndadilnasiya Endie , Bolu Omotayo , Nguku Patrick M , Ghiselli Margherita , Adegoke Oluwasegun Joel , Jacenko Sara , Mungure Ester , Gidado Saheed , Wilson Idongesit , Wiesen Eric , Elmousaad Hashim , Bloland Peter , Rosencrans Louie , Mahoney Frank , MacNeil Adam , Franka Richard , Vertefeuille John
Published: July 2020

In 2010, Nigeria adopted the use of web-based software District Health Information System, V.2 (DHIS2) as the platform for the National Health Management Information System. The platform supports real-time data reporting and promotes government ownership and accountability. To strengthen its routine immunisation (RI) component, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) through its implementing partner, the African Field Epidemiology Network-National Stop Transmission of Polio, in collaboration with the Government of Nigeria, developed the RI module and dashboard and piloted it in Kano state in 2014. The module was scaled up nationally over the next 4 years with funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and CDC. One implementation officer was deployed per state for 2 years to support operations. Over 60 000 RI healthcare workers were trained on data collection, entry and interpretation and each local immunisation officer in the 774 local government areas (LGAs) received a laptop and stock of RI paper data tools. Templates for national-level and state-level RI bulletins and LGA quarterly performance tools were developed to promote real-time data use for feedback and decision making, and enhance the performance of RI services. By December 2017, the DHIS2 RI module had been rolled out in all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, and all states now report their RI data through the RI Module. All states identified at least one government DHIS2 focal person for oversight of the system’s reporting and management operations. Government officials routinely collect RI data and use them to improve RI vaccination coverage. This article describes the implementation process—including planning and implementation activities, achievements, lessons learnt, challenges and innovative solutions—and reports the achievements in improving timeliness and completeness rates.
Empowering local communities to make lifestyle changes: is the Health Mela a potential solution?
Authors: Watson Joseph , Satyan Rajbhandari , Gupta Romesh , Myers Martin , Campbell Robert , Macphie Elizabeth
Published: July 2020

Background

Health Melas are community-led public health events held in the North West of England that provide health information and free health checks. This descriptive observational study evaluates whether Health Melas are able to identify undiagnosed cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors in hard-to-reach communities and encourage individuals to make lifestyle changes.

Methods

Attendees ≥18 years at three separate Health Melas in 2016–2017 were invited to participate in screening and counselling for CVD risk factors as part of a Health MOT. Information was collected about demographics, CVD risk factors, blood pressure, total cholesterol, blood sugar and attendees’ feedback. QRISK2 scoring system was used to estimate CVD risk.

Results

375 attendees completed a questionnaire. The highest proportion (36.9%) of attendees were from areas of the lowest Index of Health Deprivation and Disability quintile; 38.8% were of South Asian ethnicity. Of the attendees who were eligible for a free National Health Service Health Check, 9.1% had received one. Overall, 57.5% of all attendees had a QRISK2 score ≥10% (of whom 56.9% were not on statins), 92.2% of attendees believed the Health Mela will help them to make lifestyle changes, 98.2% said they had improved their understanding of their health, and 99.6% thought the Health Mela was useful. 73.6% of those who had received a previous Health MOT reported making lifestyle changes. There was a positive correlation between South Asian ethnicity and QRISK2 score.

Conclusion

This study suggests the Health Melas successfully involve South Asian populations and people from a lower Index of Health Deprivation and Disability. Attendees felt the events were useful, improved understanding of their health needs and encouraged them to make lifestyle changes. High rates of modifiable CVD risk factors were newly identified and a high proportion of attendees were found to be at intermediate to high risk of CVD.
Relationship between labour force satisfaction, wages and retention within the UK National Health Service: a systematic review of the literature
Authors: Bimpong Kweku Andrew Ampadu , Khan Ausaf , Slight Robert , Tolley Clare L , Slight Sarah P
Published: July 2020

Objectives

A systematic review was undertaken to understand the nature of the relationship between the UK National Health Service (NHS) labour force and satisfaction, retention and wages.

Design

Narrative systematic review.

Data sources

The literature was searched using seven databases in January 2020: MEDLINE (1996–present), the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL via EBSCO) (1984–present), Embase (1996–present), PsycINFO (1987–present), ProQuest (1996–present), Scopus (all years) and Cochrane library (all years). We used medical subject headings and key words relating to ‘retention’, ‘satisfaction’ and ‘wages’.

Eligibility criteria for selecting studies

Primary research studies or reviews that focused on the following relationships within the NHS workforce: wages and job satisfaction, job satisfaction and retention or wages and retention.

Data extraction and synthesis

Two independent reviewers screened all titles, abstracts and full texts, with arbitration by a third reviewer.

Results

27 803 articles were identified and after removing duplicates (n=17 156), articles were removed at the title (n=10 421), abstract (n=150) and full-text (n=45) stages. A total of 31 full-text articles were included. They identified three broad themes, low job satisfaction impacting negatively on job retention, poor pay impacting negatively on staff satisfaction and the limitations of increasing pay as a means of improving staff retention. Several factors affected these relationships, including the environment, discrimination, flexibility, autonomy, training and staffing levels.

Conclusions

This review highlighted how multiple factors influence NHS labour force retention. Pay was found to influence satisfaction, which in turn affected retention. An increase in wages alone is unlikely to be sufficient to ameliorate the concerns of NHS workers. More research is needed to identify the role of autonomy on retention. A system leadership approach underpinned by data is required to implement bespoke job satisfaction improvement strategies to improve retention and achieve the goals of the NHS Long Term Plan.
M1hottumor-associated macrophages boost tissue-resident memory T cells infiltration and survival in human lung cancer
Authors: Garrido-Martin Eva M , Mellows Toby W P , Clarke James , Ganesan Anusha-Preethi , Wood Oliver , Cazaly Angelica , Seumois Gregory , Chee Serena J , Alzetani Aiman , King Emma V , Hedrick Catherine C , Thomas Gareth , Friedmann Peter S , Ottensmeier Christian Hermann , Vijayanand Pandurangan , Sanchez-Elsner Tilman
Published: July 2020

Background

The role of tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) in determining the outcome between the antitumor effects of the adaptive immune system and the tumor’s anti-immunity stratagems, is controversial. Macrophages modulate their activities and phenotypes by integration of signals in the tumor microenvironment. Depending on how macrophages are activated, they may adopt so-called M1-like, antitumor or M2-like, protumor profiles. In many solid tumors, a dominance of M2-like macrophages is associated with poor outcomes but in some tumor types, strong M1-like profiles are linked to better outcomes. We aimed to investigate the interrelationship of these TAM populations to establish how they modulate the efficacy of the adaptive immune system in early lung cancer.

Methods

Macrophages from matched lung (non-tumor-associated macrophages (NTAMs)) and tumor samples (TAMs) from resected lung cancers were assessed by bulk and single-cell transcriptomic analysis. Protein expression of genes characteristic of M1-like (chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 9) or M2-like (matrix metallopeptidase 12) functions was confirmed by confocal microscopy. Immunohistochemistry related the distribution of TAM transcriptomic signatures to density of CD8+tissue-resident memory T cells (TRM) in tumors and survival data from an independent cohort of 393 patients with lung cancer.

Results

TAMs have significantly different transcriptomic profiles from NTAMs with >1000 differentially expressed genes. TAMs displayed a strong M2-like signature with no significant variation between patients. However, single-cell RNA-sequencing supported by immuno-stained cells revealed that additionally, in 25% of patients the M2-like TAMs also co-expressed a strong/hot M1-like signature (M1hot). Importantly, there was a strong association between the density of M1hotTAMs and TRMcells in tumors that was in turn linked to better survival. Our data suggest a mechanism by which M1hotTAMs may recruit TRMcells via CXCL9 expression and sustain them by making available more of the essential fatty acids on which TRMdepend.

Conclusions

We showed that in early lung cancer, expression of M1-like and M2-like gene signatures are not mutually exclusive since the same TAMs can simultaneously display both gene-expression profiles. The presence of M1hotTAMs was associated with a strong TRMtumor-infiltrate and better outcomes. Thus, therapeutic approaches to re-program TAMs to an M1hotphenotype are likely to augment the adaptive antitumor responses.
Pneumonitis from immune checkpoint inhibitors and COVID-19: current concern in cancer treatment
Authors: Rossi Ernesto , Schinzari Giovanni , Tortora Giampaolo
Published: July 2020

Pneumonitis is a rare but serious adverse event caused by cancer immunotherapy. The diagnosis between COVID-19-induced pneumonia and immunotherapy-induced pneumonitis may be challenging in the era of COVID-19 outbreak. Some clinical symptoms and radiological findings of pneumonitis can be attributed to the coronavirus infection as well as to an immune-related adverse event. Identifying the exact cause of a pneumonitis in patients on treatment with immunotherapy is crucial to promptly start the most appropriate treatment. The proper management of immune checkpoint inhibitors for the risk of pneumonia must take into account a series of parameters. Accurate attention should be payed to symptoms like cough, fever and dyspnea during immunotherapy.
Mental health and suicide in former professional soccer players
Authors: Russell Emma R , McCabe Thomas , Mackay Daniel F , Stewart Katy , MacLean John A , Pell Jill P , Stewart William
Published: July 2020

Introduction

There is growing recognition of an association between contact sports participation and increased risk of neurodegenerative disease, including Alzheimer’s disease and chronic traumatic encephalopathy. In addition to cognitive impairment, a range of mental health disorders and suicidality are proposed as diagnostic features of traumatic encephalopathy syndrome, the putative clinical syndrome associated with chronic traumatic encephalopathy. However, to date, epidemiological data on contact sport participation and mental health outcomes are limited.

Methods

For a cohort of former professional soccer players (n=7676) with known high neurodegenerative mortality and their matched general population controls (n=23 028), data on mental health outcomes were obtained by individual-level record linkage to national electronic records of hospital admissions and death certification.

Results

Compared with matched population controls, former professional soccer players showed lower risk of hospital admission for anxiety and stress related disorders, depression, drug use disorders, alcohol use disorders and bipolar and affective mood disorders. Among soccer players, there was no significant difference in risk of hospitalisation for mental health disorders between outfield players and goalkeepers. There was no significant difference in rate of death by suicide between soccer players and controls.

Conclusions

Among a population of former professional soccer players with known high neurodegenerative disease mortality, hospital admissions for common mental health disorders were lower than population controls, with no difference in suicide. Our data provide support for the reappraisal of currently proposed diagnostic clinical criteria for traumatic encephalopathy syndrome, in particular the inclusion of mental health outcomes.
Pediatric trauma primary survey performance among surgical and non-surgical pediatric providers in a Brazilian trauma center
Authors: Botelho Fabio , Truche Paul , Mooney David P , Caddell Luke , Zimmerman Kathrin , Roa Lina , Alonso Nivaldo , Bowder Alexis , Drumond Domingos , Abib Simone de Campos Vieira
Published: July 2020

Introduction

Trauma is the leading cause of death and disability among Brazilian children and adolescents. Trauma protocols such as those developed by the Advanced Trauma Life Support course are widely taught, but few studies have assessed the degree to which the use of protocolized trauma assessment improves outcomes. This study aims to quantify the adherence of trauma assessment protocols among different types of frontline trauma providers.

Methods

A prospective observational study of pediatric trauma care in one of the busiest Latin American trauma centers was conducted during 6 months. Trauma primary survey assessments were observed and adherence to each step of a standardized primary assessment protocol was recorded. Adherence to the assessment protocol was compared among different types of providers, the time of presentation and severity of injury. The relationship between protocol adherence and clinical outcomes including mortality, length of hospital stay, admission to pediatric intensive care unit, use of blood components, mechanical ventilation and number of imaging exams performed in the first 24 hours were also assessed.

Results

Emergency department evaluations of 64 patients out of 274 pediatric admissions were observed over a period of 6 months. 50% of the primary assessments were performed by general surgeons, 34.4% by residents in general surgery and 15.6% by pediatricians. There was an average adherence rate of 34.1% to the trauma protocol. Adherence among each specific step included airway: 17.2%; breathing: 59.4%; circulation: 95.3%; disability: 28.8%; exposure: 18.8%. No differences between specialties were observed. Patients with a more thorough primary assessment underwent fewer CT scans (receiver operating characteristic curve area: 0.661; p=0.027).

Conclusions

Our study demonstrates that trauma assessment protocol adherence among trauma providers is low. Thorough initial assessment reduced the use of CT scans suggesting that standardized pediatric trauma assessments may be a way to reduce unnecessary radiological imaging among children.

Level of evidence

IV.

Study type

Pediatric and global trauma.
The influence of sleep quality on weight retention in the postpartum period
Authors: Matenchuk Brittany A. , Davenport Margie H.
Published: July 2020

Poor sleep in the postpartum is often treated as an unavoidable consequence of childbirth. This study aims to compare objective and subjective measures of sleep, explore the relationship between sleep and postpartum weight retention (PPWR), and investigate factors that may contribute to sleep quality in the postpartum period. In this cross-sectional cohort, PPWR, sleep quality (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI)), and objective sleep and physical activity (accelerometry) were assessed in 109 women 0–52 weeks postpartum. Anthropometric and demographic data were collected. Gestational weight gain (GWG) was classified as inadequate, appropriate, or excessive according to Institute of Medicine guidelines. Average GWG (33.7 lbs) and PPWR (5.39 lbs) were not different between “good” (PSQI < 6) and “bad” (PSQI ≥ 6) sleepers. Following adjustment, mothers with excessive GWG who were “bad” sleepers had 5.26 higher odds of PPWR ≥ 10 lbs compared with all other combinations of GWG and PSQI. PSQI was not correlated with total sleep time (accelerometer-derived). Light activity and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) were associated with reduced odds of being a “bad” sleeper. The influence of GWG on PPWR was modified by postpartum sleep quality. Both light activity and meeting the MVPA guidelines in the postpartum were associated with higher sleep quality.

Novelty Subjectively rated poor sleep may represent the number of awakenings and wake after sleep onset in postpartum women. Poor postpartum sleep quality increases excessive postpartum weight retention in women with excessive GWG. Women doing light-to-vigorous physical activity in the postpartum are less likely to experience poor sleep quality.
Initial productivity and genetic parameters of three Corymbia species in Brazil: designing a breeding strategy
Authors: Araujo Marcio José de , Lee David John , Tambarussi Evandro Vagner , Paula Rinaldo Cesar de , Silva Paulo Henrique Müller da
Published: July 2020

The survival, initial productivity, and the genetic parameters of Corymbia citriodora subsp. citriodora (CCC), Corymbia citriodora subsp. variegata (CCV), and Corymbia torelliana (CT) were used to develop a breeding strategy for the Corymbia species. Survival, height, and diameter at breast height (DBH) data were assessed 24 and 36 months after planting, and the mean annual volume increment was estimated in three trials. Longitudinal DBH data analysis was applied individually to each trial to identify the best and the poorest families at both ages. The mortality ranged from 5% in CT to 27% in CCC, and the mean annual increment varied from 17.8 to 20 m3·ha−1·year−1 at 36 months after planting. The 36-month narrow-sense heritability [Formula: see text] was high for CCV (0.69 ± 0.17), moderate for CCC (0.41 ± 0.11), and low for CT (0.21 ± 0.09). The genetic parameters indicated the need for different breeding strategies for each species. Selecting the best families while roguing the poor families allowed forward selection of CCC and CCV. It was possible to select good CT trees for hybrid breeding; however, improving the species population requires focusing on increasing the effective size and expanding the genetic variability in the CT population.
Digital soil mapping workflow for forest resource applications: a case study in the Hearst Forest, Ontario
Authors: Blackford Christopher , Heung Brandon , Baldwin Ken , Fleming Robert L. , Hazlett Paul W. , Morris Dave M. , Uhlig Peter W.C. , Webster Kara L.
Published: July 2020

Accurate soil information is critically important for forest management planning and operations but is challenging to map. Digital soil mapping (DSM) improves upon the limitations of conventional soil mapping by explicitly linking a variety of environmental data layers to spatial soil point data sets to continuously predict soil variability across a landscape. Thus far, much DSM research has focussed on the development of ultrafine-resolution soil maps within agricultural systems; however, increasing availability of light detection and ranging (LiDAR) data presents new opportunities to apply DSM to support forest resource applications at multiple scales. This project describes a DSM workflow using LiDAR-derived elevation data and machine learning models (MLMs) to predict key forest soil attributes. A case study in the Hearst Forest in northeastern Ontario, Canada, is used to illustrate the workflow. We applied multiple MLMs to the Hearst Forest to predict soil moisture regime and textural class. Both qualitative and quantitative assessment pointed to the random forest MLM producing the best maps (63% accuracy for moisture regime and 66% accuracy for textural class). Where error occurred, soils were typically misclassified to neighbouring classes. This standardized, flexible workflow is a valuable tool for practitioners that want to undertake DSM as part of forest resource management and planning.
Individual tree species identification using Dense Convolutional Network (DenseNet) on multitemporal RGB images from UAV
Authors: Natesan Sowmya , Armenakis Costas , Vepakomma Udayalakshmi
Published: July 2020

Tree species identification at the individual tree level is crucial for forest operations and management, yet its automated mapping remains challenging. Emerging technology, such as the high-resolution imagery from unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) that is now becoming part of every forester’s surveillance kit, can potentially provide a solution to better characterize the tree canopy. To address this need, we have developed an approach based on a deep Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) to classify forest tree species at the individual tree-level that uses high-resolution RGB images acquired from a consumer-grade camera mounted on a UAV platform. This work explores the ability of the Dense Convolutional Network (DenseNet) to classify commonly available economic coniferous tree species in eastern Canada. The network was trained using multitemporal images captured under varying acquisition parameters to include seasonal, temporal, illumination, and angular variability. Validation of this model using distinct images over a mixed-wood forest in Ontario, Canada, showed over 84% classification accuracy in distinguishing five predominant species of coniferous trees. The model remains highly robust even when using images taken during different seasons and times, and with varying illumination and angles.
Optimal Cryptography Scheme and Efficient Neutrosophic C-Means Clustering for Anomaly Detection in Cloud Environment
Authors: Barona R. , Anita E. A. Mary
Published: July 2020

This paper introduces an efficient and scalable cloud-based privacy preserving model using a new optimal cryptography scheme for anomaly detection in large-scale sensor data. Our proposed privacy preserving model has maintained a better tradeoff between reliability and scalability of the cloud computing resources by means of detecting anomalies from the encrypted data. Conventional data analysis methods have used complex and large numerical computations for the anomaly detection. Also, a single key used by the symmetric key cryptographic scheme to encrypt and decrypt the data has faced large computational complexity because the multiple users can access the original data simultaneously using this single shared secret key. Hence, a classical public key encryption technique called RSA is adopted to perform encryption and decryption of secure data using different key pairs. Furthermore, the random generation of public keys in RSA is controlled in the proposed cloud-based privacy preserving model through optimizing a public key using a new hybrid local pollination-based grey wolf optimizer (LPGWO) algorithm. For ease of convenience, a single private server handling the organization data within a collaborative public cloud data center when requiring the decryption of secure sensor data are allowed to decrypt the optimal secure data using LPGWO-based RSA optimal cryptographic scheme. The data encrypted using an optimal cryptographic scheme are then encouraged to perform data clustering computations in collaborative public servers of cloud platform using Neutrosophic c-Means Clustering (NCM) algorithm. Hence, this NCM algorithm mainly focuses for data partitioning and classification of anomalies. Experimental validation was conducted using four datasets obtained from Intel laboratory having publicly available sensor data. The experimental outcomes have proved the efficiency of the proposed framework in providing data privacy with high anomaly detection accuracy.
Ghost problems from Pauli–Villars to fourth-order quantum gravity and their resolution
Authors: Mannheim Philip D.
Published: July 2020

We review the history of the ghost problem in quantum field theory from the Pauli–Villars regulator theory to currently popular fourth-order derivative quantum gravity theories. While these theories all appear to have unitarity-violating ghost states with negative norm, we show that in fact these ghost states only appear because the theories are being formulated in the wrong Hilbert space. In these theories, the Hamiltonians are not Hermitian but instead possess an antilinear symmetry. Consequently, one cannot use inner products that are built out of states and their Hermitian conjugates. Rather, one must use inner products built out of states and their conjugates with respect to the antilinear symmetry, and these latter inner products are positive. In this way, one can build quantum theories of gravity in four spacetime dimensions that are unitary.