bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Open reduction, Dega osteotomy and proximal femoral osteotomy in delayed diagnosis of developmental hip dislocation: Outcome at 40-year follow-up
Authors: Woźniak Łukasz , Idzior Maciej , Jóźwiak Marek
Published: April 2021

Purpose

Late-diagnosed dislocated hips underwent open reduction, Dega osteotomy, and proximal femoral osteotomy between 1968 and 1988. The objectives of this study are to assess the survival of hips into adulthood, clinical and radiological outcome, patients’ life perspectives and the risk factors of failure.

Methods

An assessment of 67 hips treated when younger than five years (<age 5yr. group) and 71 hips in the group aged older than five years (+age 5yr.) was performed. All cases were evaluated clinically and radiographically, and survival was assessed, considering hip replacement as endpoints for failure (abbreviation HR+ refers to hips that underwent hip replacement surgery; HR- refers to hips that have not been replaced at the follow-up). The fertility rate and the social security disability benefits (SSDB) recipiency percentage were calculated.

Results

The 40-year survival rates were 73% (95% confidence (CI) 71% to 76%) in the <age 5yr. group, 54% (95% CI 51% to 57%) in the +age 5yr. group, 70% (95% CI 67% to 73%) in one-sided dislocations and 57% (95% CI 54% to 60%) in bilateral dislocations. At follow-up, the median Harris hip and Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis scores were 90.0 and 13.0 (<age 5yr. group, HR-), 74.0 and 28.0 (+age 5yr. group, HR-), 90.0 and 16.0 (<age 5yr. group, HR+) and 84.5 and 11.5 (+age 5yr. group, HR+), respectively. The operation normalized the radiological parameters. The correlation between the grade of femoral head avascular necrosis (AVN) at a median 2.6 years after the operation and the grade of osteoarthritis at follow-up was 0.38 (p < 0.001). The fertility rate was 1.54. In total, 16.0% (aged under five years) and 38.5% (aged over five years) of patients were receiving SSDB (p = 0.003).

Conclusion

Early failure risk factors are older age at the surgical procedure, high AVN grade and bilateral hip involvement. Still, the results facilitate hip reposition whenever technically manageable, even in teenagers.

Level of evidence

III
A Combined Approach for a Privacy-Aware Digital Forensic Investigation in Enterprises
Authors: Englbrecht Ludwig , Pernul Günther
Published: April 2021

Stricter policies, laws and regulations for companies on the handling of private information arise challenges in the handling of data for Digital Forensics investigations. This paper describes an approach that can meet necessary requirements to conduct a privacy-aware Digital Forensics investigation in an enterprise. The core of our approach is an entropy-based identification algorithm to detect specific patterns within files that can indicate non-private information. Therefore we combine various approaches with the goal to detect and exclude files containing sensitive information systematically. This privacy-preserving method can be integrated into a Digital Forensics examination process to prepare an image which is free from private as well as critical information for the investigation. We implemented and evaluated our approach with a prototype. The approach demonstrates that investigations in enterprises can be supported and improved by adapting existing algorithms and processes from related subject areas to implement privacy-preserving measures into an investigation process.
Privacy-Enhanced Robust Image Hashing with Bloom Filters
Authors: Breidenbach Uwe , Steinebach Martin , Liu Huajian
Published: April 2021

Robust image hashes are used to detect known illegal images, even after image processing. This is, for example, interesting for a forensic investigation, or for a company to protect their employees and customers by filtering content. The disadvantage of robust hashes is that they leak structural information of the pictures, which can lead to privacy issues. Our scientific contribution is to extend a robust image hash with privacy protection. We thus introduce and discuss such a privacy-preserving concept. The approach uses a probabilistic data structure -- known as Bloom filter -- to store robust image hashes. Bloom filter store elements by mapping hashes of each element to an internal data structure. We choose a cryptographic hash function to one-way encrypt and store elements. The privacy of the inserted elements is thus protected. We evaluate our implementation, and compare it to its underlying robust image hashing algorithm. Thereby, we show the cost with respect to error rates for introducing a privacy protection into robust hashing. Finally, we discuss our approach's results and usability, and suggest possible future improvements.
Under-5 Child Mortality Determinants in Rural-Urban Areas of Bangladesh: Proportional Hazard Models
Authors: Anney Ayesha Siddika , Biswas Soma Chowdhury
Published: April 2021

The People’s Republic of Bangladesh is a South Asian country with a vast population. The early childhood mortality is a noticeable public health problem. The study work aims to determine the factors related to under-5 aged child mortality in both rural and urban areas of Bangladesh; data pulled out from BDHS (Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey)-2014. In rural and urban areas, 5306 and 2454 less than five years aged children born before in 5 years preceding the survey respectively. The Kaplan-Meier log-rank test is applied to determine the risk factors in bivariate analysis to multivariate survival models. In multivariate analysis to find out the risk factors of under-five aged child mortality, the Cox proportional hazard model and the Cox frailty model were employed. Religion, father’s educational level, number of antenatal care visits, multiplicity of birth, child size at birth, place of delivery, total children ever born, number of living children are the significant factors of child mortality in rural, urban areas. The variability among children for mortality is 0.000529 and 0.001225 in rural and urban areas individually. Proper notable attention needed for significant determinants, which may increase child survival.
Data Analysis for Thermal Disease Wearable Devices
Authors: Kim Jinkook , Kim Soohyun
Published: April 2021

This study was conducted as a planning stage for development of wearable devices capable of managing the thermal diseases by applying the ICT(Information Communication Technology) in an endeavor to meet the urgent needs for countermeasures amid rapid increase in the number of patients with the thermal diseases caused as a result of global warming. The purpose of this study was to provide the basic data for development of wearable devices allowing the patients to be transported expeditiously to hospitals based on synchronization with medical institutions or enabling the prevention of diseases through the response system for each stage according to the reference values based on the data reflecting physical characteristics of individuals by applying the ICT, so that the thermal diseases can be managed effectively. For that, basic study will be conducted on expanding the role of the devices capable of protecting human lives from various thermal diseases caused by the scorching heat waves, which are affecting countries worldwide and expected to persist in the period ahead, by setting the goals of each stage for the thermal disease management platform and collecting necessary information. Based on the accumulated data, the functions of precise diagnosis and treatment can be expected through more accurate evidences pertaining to the thermal diseases.
Development of Converged Device-Based Exercise Program for Preventing Fall and Increasing Physical Activity for the Elderly
Authors: Kang Sunyoung
Published: April 2021

As the effects of COVID-19, many changes are occurring in the daily life. Breaking away from the temporal and spatial restrictions, the exercise method utilizing converged device in non-contact fashion is emerging. In the present study, home training with utilization of the converged device for fall prevention and improvement of daily life in behalf of the frail elderly has been composed, and execution process designed. Converged device-based exercise program extracted through Delphi analysis is composed of essential 8 types of motion reflecting the performance capability of the frail elderly as the subject, though easy, have been selected. Converged device-based exercise program configured the system in a structure of subject, interface, and administrator for the purpose of utilizing this exercise program. Overall execution process is composed 3 stages, and implemented with the elderly and the trainer being converged via medium. For the overall implementation, the elderly performs the exercise program under leading of the trainer as the administrator. Depending on the condition of the elderly as the subject, the trainer selects the difficulty of exercise, which the elderly performs and implements the exercise program while communicating with the trainer. The converged device-based exercise program that is applicable to the elderly as a digitally vulnerable class is expected to bring about not only fall prevention and increased physical activities but also subsidiary effects of producing digital device-friendly environments for the elderly as a digitally vulnerable class.
A High Autonomous Sea Front Detection Algorithm Based on SAR Data
Authors: Xu Su-qin , Jiang Hao , Li Ting-ting , Yuan Li-ming , Yu Lu , Chen Jie , Chen Biao , Zhang Bao-qiang
Published: April 2021

This paper has proposed a high autonomous sea front detection algorithm based on SAR data. Through the innovative introduction of empirical mode decomposition method, a good image de-trend and de-stripe effect is achieved. By introducing the calculation of the maximum interclass variance, the automatic conversion of binary images is realized; through the use of polynomial fitting method, the independent screening of front information is realized, and the continuity of front detection results is improved. After comparison, it is found that the new algorithm proposed in this paper has greatly improved detection accuracy and autonomy compared with the old algorithm. Finally, a SAR data of the GF-3 satellite on the west side of Taiwan Island is used to test the new algorithm proposed in this paper. The results show that the detection results are highly consistent with the original image in morphology, and the changes in frontal intensity are also very detailed, verifying the accuracy and autonomy of the new method.
Dynamic Recognition and Tracking of Barium Flow Field Based on Deglutition Video
Authors: Qin Guofeng , Zou Jianhuang , Xia Qiufang , Qin Jiahao
Published: April 2021

Dynamic fluoroscopy was used to study swallowing in 84 adult patients. We proposed a method to extract the barium contrast region by improved interframe difference method, and to indirectly determine the position of epigmatous cartilage and cricopharyngeal muscle according to the location of barium meal. The method is easy to understand, and the extraction effect is good, with 85% probability of successful extraction. On the other hand, in order to evaluate the degree of deglutition difficulty, we used calculation to evaluate variables including displacement, duration, residual quantity, etc., except that there were gender differences in variables and external factors, such as illumination, most of the measurement variables had very good reliability. The experimental results showed that the moving target fluid barium was extracted by quantifying dynamic fluorescence deglutition and using gaussian based background subtraction algorithm. We conclude that this approach significantly reduces the time it takes clinicians to examine moving images. This paper describes how to study swallowing disorders by X-ray barium fluoroscopy, explains the application of interframe difference algorithm and background subtraction in deglutiography, and extracts the residual amounts in three locations: oral cavity, epiglottic cartilage and piriform fosse.
Trajectory Data Restoring: A Way of Visual Analysis of Vessel Identity Base on OPTICS
Authors: Lei Jinyu , Chu Xiumin , He Wei
Published: April 2021

Automatic identification system (AIS) data is a significant analysis and decision-making basis for maritime situational awareness. Because of particular navigation environment and the vulnerability of AIS equipment onboard, results in the phenomenon that numerous vessels share the same Maritime Mobile Service Identity (MMSI) in the AIS data collected in ocean and inland waterway. This kind of mixed trajectory information dramatically affects the judgement of the maritime manager and supervisors. In this paper, the visual analytics combined with the algorithm named Ordering Points to Identify the Clustering Structure (OPTICS) is adopted to realize the separation of vessels sharing same MMSI, which can help analysts to recognize the vessel trajectory information and assess the risk of marine traffic correctly. Firstly, this paper illustrates the application of OPTICS clustering method based on space-time distance in AIS trajectory separation. Secondly, the display and interaction of trajectory information of Vessels sharing the same MMSI in OpenStreetMap map were introduced. Then visual analysis method is applied to optimize the parameters of the algorithm and display the trajectory separation effect corresponding to different settings. In final, various practical situations are discussed, and the empirical test shows that it is feasible in AIS chaos trajectory separation.
El soñador y el vidente. Notas sobre el cine italiano de posguerra, a partir de Deleuze y Zambrano
Authors: Castilla Cerezo Antonio
Published: April 2021

Gilles Deleuze consideró al neorrealismo italiano un «cine de vidente», con lo que quiso decir (como María Zambrano, y contra lo sostenido por André Bazin) que no supuso una nueva forma de realismo, sino una ruptura con este y, por extensión, con la prolongación de las situaciones ópticas y sonoras en esquemas sensoriomotores, en sustitución de los cuales habría dado lugar a situaciones ópticas y sonoras puras. ¿Por qué entonces Zambrano llamó a esta peculiaridad del cine italiano de posguerra «sueño», y no «videncia», como hizo Deleuze? He aquí la pregunta a la que estas páginas quieren dar respuesta.
La confesión: género cinematográfico
Authors: Ferragut David
Published: April 2021

Este artículo tiene por propósito acercarse a la confesión, entendida como género literario, y proponer, a partir de la forma mínima que pueda extraerse, en qué sentido puede ser también un género cinematográfico. Está dividida, por tanto, en dos partes: en la primera se intentará componer un perfil de la confesión en relación con otras formas de escritura, como la filosofía y la poesía, que ocupan en el pensamiento de María Zambrano lugares contrapuestos. En la segunda se comentarán, a partir de lo que se haya establecido, dos películas que presentan la confesión ambigua, errática, de sujetos que revelan sus dudas y certezas: Là-bas (2006), de Chantal Akerman, y Terra de ninguém (2012), de Salomé Lamas.
Fantasmas de algo: «Claros del bosque» y el cine español de la transición
Authors: Losilla Carlos
Published: April 2021

El presente artículo pretende situar el Claros del bosque (1977) de María Zambrano en el momento de su aparición y relacionarlo con el cine español de la Transición, desarrollando la hipótesis de que la muerte de Francisco Franco da lugar a un vacío, a un tiempo sin tiempo, cuyas imágenes fílmicas podrían vincularse con la tradición mística de la que procede el libro.
Vulnerabilidad y sujeto en investigación con seres humanos: una reflexión
Authors: Carreño Rimaudo Susana , Llobeta Bartolomé Enrique
Published: April 2021

Sujeto es la persona que participa en una investigación en salud, brindándose para distintas mediciones que permitirán obtener conocimientos nuevos y el avance de la ciencias de la salud. Algunos sujetos que presentan alguna condición social, económica, cultural, de salud física o mental que les impiden tomar decisiones autónomas se califican como “vulnerables”. En este artículo se revisa el concepto de vulnerabilidad desde las visiones filosófica y normativa, para reflexionar sobre las acciones a tomar para minimizar esa condición. Se analizan las responsabilidades que tienen los actores que intervienen en el diseño, la ejecución y la comunicación de investigaciones y en el contralor ético y regulatorio, en la salvaguarda y protección de los sujetos vulnerables.
¿Existen alternativas a los experimentos con animales?
Authors: Vinardell Martinez-Hidalgo María Pilar
Published: April 2021

Desde hace muchos siglos el ser humano ha venido utilizando los animales para el conocimiento científico y gracias a estos animales se ha avanzado mucho en el desarrollo de terapias, cirugías, etc. Pero actualmente se sabe que no todos los ensayos que se realizan con animales acaban dando lugar a nuevos tratamientos de interés clínico. A pesar de que algunas estadísticas apuntan a una disminución del número de animales utilizados en investigación, la realidad es que todavía se continúan utilizando muchos animales e incluso está aumentado el uso de animales genéticamente modificados. Cuando un investigador se plantea un proyecto en el que se utilicen animales debe buscar alternativas que los reemplacen, reducir el número utilizado y refinar las técnicas para disminuir el sufrimiento animal. En la práctica, muchos investigadores no realizan una búsqueda concienzuda y lo justifican diciendo que no existen alternativas a sus experimentos y que es necesario el uso de animales. En este artículo se presenta cómo realizar esta búsqueda y ejemplos de métodos alternativos de reemplazo, para que no haya excusas a cambiar las metodologías empleadas.
Gobernanza corporativa, capital financiero y empresariado de la construcción en Chile
Authors: Kornbluth Camblor David León
Published: April 2021

El texto describe y analiza el proceso de financiarización del empresariado de la construcción en Chile entre 1951 y 2019. Desde un enfoque sociohistórico, se realiza un análisis de contenido documental de las memorias del gremio de la construcción, su sociedad por acciones y revisión de prensa, mostrando su diversificación y constitución como grupo de negocio con preeminencia del sector financiero. Se destaca el accionar del empresariado de la construcción en la constitución de un mercado de capitales que sea favorable a las actividades que desempeña el gremio. Por último, se establecen conclusiones sobre la convivencia de nociones como gremio, sociedad por acciones y grupo de negocio.
Construction of a high-precision vector vortex field
Authors: Miao Yu , Wang Guanxue , Yu Dahai , Guo Ji , Li Ziyan , Gao Xiumin
Published: April 2021

This paper presents a special adjustment method of the vector vortex optical field and constructs a high-precision vector vortex optical field. By applying the Debye vector diffraction method, the regulation laws of optical fields underlying the control of the topological charge, eccentricity parameter, and beam waist are obtained. The results show that these optical parameters have a serious effect on the optical field characteristics, especially that the adjustment of the topological charge can mainly transform the focus area range of the total and longitudinal fields (FWHM of the focal spot) from

0.8

λ

to

3.6

λ

. In the transverse field, by adjusting the eccentricity parameter

B

, the large spot profile gradually dissipates and is replaced by a newer, smaller central vortex field. The FWHM of the vortex field is about

0.3

λ

and contains two bright spots, each of which has a minimum size of

0.12

λ

−

0.13

λ

. The beam waist can significantly alter the beam propagation process. In particular, the specific value of the beam waist can cause the focus spot to split. The research in this paper supplements a new method of precise operation for the field of optical micromanipulation and has practical application significance in related fields.
Quasiperiodic metamaterials empowered non-metallic broadband optical absorbers
Authors: Dong Chao , Shen Ke-Sheng , Zheng Yun , Liu Hong-Chao , Zhang Jun , Xia Shi-Qiang , Wu Feng , Lu Hai , Zhang Xian-Zhou , Liu Yu-Fang
Published: April 2021

Realizing a polarization-insensitive broadband optical absorber plays a key role in the implementation of microstructure optoelectrical devices with on-demand functionalities. However, the challenge is that most of these devices involve the constituent metals, thus suffering from poor chemical and thermal stability and a complicated manufacturing process. In addition, the extreme contrast between the negative (metallic) and positive (dielectric) real parts of the constituent permittivities can cause additional problems in the design of structural devices. Based on these facts, this work proposes a design of planar broadband one-dimensional structure based on Fibonacci geometry. Experimental results show that the proposed planar structure exhibits high absorptivity behavior independent of polarization and angle in the wavelength range of 300-1000 nm. The absorptivity remains more than 80% when the incident angle is 60°. This proof-of-concept represents a new strategy for realizing non-metallic broadband optical absorbers with advantages of polarization-independence, low-cost, and wide-field-of-view and paves the way for light manipulation under harsh conditions.
Wide-band self-collimation in a low-refractive-index hexagonal lattice
Authors: Xia Chun , Kuebler Stephen M. , Martinez Noel P. , Martinez Manuel , Rumpf Raymond C. , Touma Jimmy
Published: April 2021

Wide-angle, broadband self-collimation (SC) is demonstrated in a hexagonal photonic crystal (PhC) fabricated in a low-refractive-index photopolymer by multiphoton lithography. The PhC can be described as a hexagonal array of cylindrical air holes in a block of dielectric material having a low-refractive index. Optical characterization shows that the device strongly self-collimates light at near-infrared wavelengths that span 1360 to 1610 nm. SC forces light to flow along the extrusion direction of the lattice without diffractive spreading, even when light couples into the device at high oblique angles. Numerical simulations corroborate the experimental findings.
An extended catalogue of tandem alternative splice sites in human tissue transcriptomes
Authors: Mironov Aleksei , Denisov Stepan , Gress Alexander , Kalinina Olga V. , Pervouchine Dmitri D.
Published: April 2021

Tandem alternative splice sites (TASS) is a special class of alternative splicing events that are characterized by a close tandem arrangement of splice sites. Most TASS lack functional characterization and are believed to arise from splicing noise. Based on the RNA-seq data from the Genotype Tissue Expression project, we present an extended catalogue of TASS in healthy human tissues and analyze their tissue-specific expression. The expression of TASS is usually dominated by one major splice site (maSS), while the expression of minor splice sites (miSS) is at least an order of magnitude lower. Among 46k miSS with sufficient read support, 9k (20%) are significantly expressed above the expected noise level, and among them 2.5k are expressed tissue-specifically. We found significant correlations between tissue-specific expression of RNA-binding proteins (RBP), tissue-specific expression of miSS, and miSS response to RBP inactivation by shRNA. In combination with RBP profiling by eCLIP, this allowed prediction of novel cases of tissue-specific splicing regulation including a miSS in QKI mRNA that is likely regulated by PTBP1. The analysis of human primary cell transcriptomes suggested that both tissue-specific and cell-type-specific factors contribute to the regulation of miSS expression. More than 20% of tissue-specific miSS affect structured protein regions and may adjust protein-protein interactions or modify the stability of the protein core. The significantly expressed miSS evolve under the same selection pressure as maSS, while other miSS lack signatures of evolutionary selection and conservation. Using mixture models, we estimated that not more than 15% of maSS and not more than 54% of tissue-specific miSS are noisy, while the proportion of noisy splice sites among non-significantly expressed miSS is above 63%.
ARID1A regulates R-loop associated DNA replication stress
Authors: Tsai Shuhe , Fournier Louis-Alexandre , Chang Emily Yun-chia , Wells James P. , Minaker Sean W. , Zhu Yi Dan , Wang Alan Ying-Hsu , Wang Yemin , Huntsman David G. , Stirling Peter C.
Published: April 2021

ARID1A is a core DNA-binding subunit of the BAF chromatin remodeling complex, and is lost in up to 7% of all cancers. The frequency of ARID1A loss increases in certain cancer types, such as clear cell ovarian carcinoma where ARID1A protein is lost in about 50% of cases. While the impact of ARID1A loss on the function of the BAF chromatin remodeling complexes is likely to drive oncogenic gene expression programs in specific contexts, ARID1A also binds genome stability regulators such as ATR and TOP2. Here we show that ARID1A loss leads to DNA replication stress associated with R-loops and transcription-replication conflicts in human cells. These effects correlate with altered transcription and replication dynamics in ARID1A knockout cells and to reduced TOP2A binding at R-loop sites. Together this work extends mechanisms of replication stress in ARID1A deficient cells with implications for targeting ARID1A deficient cancers.
Fat tissue regulates the pathogenesis and severity of cardiomyopathy in murine chagas disease
Authors: Lizardo Kezia , Ayyappan Janeesh P. , Oswal Neelam , Weiss Louis M. , Scherer Philipp E. , Nagajyothi Jyothi F.
Published: April 2021

Chronic Chagas cardiomyopathy (CCC) caused by a parasiteTrypanosoma cruziis a life-threatening disease in Latin America, for which there is no effective drug or vaccine. The pathogenesis of CCC is complex and multifactorial. Previously, we demonstratedT.cruziinfected mice lose a significant amount of fat tissue which correlates with progression of CCC. Based on this an investigation was undertaken during both acute and chronicT.cruziinfection utilizing the FAT-ATTAC murine model (that allows modulation of fat mass) to understand the consequences of the loss of adipocytes in the regulation of cardiac parasite load, parasite persistence, inflammation, mitochondrial stress, ER stress, survival, CCC progression and CCC severity. Mice were infected intraperitoneally with 5x104and 103trypomastigotes to generate acute and chronic Chagas models, respectively. Ablation of adipocytes was carried out in uninfected and infected mice by treatment with AP21087 for 10 days starting at 15DPI (acute infection) and at 65DPI (indeterminate infection). During acute infection, cardiac ultrasound imaging, histological, and biochemical analyses demonstrated that fat ablation increased cardiac parasite load, cardiac pathology and right ventricular dilation and decreased survival. During chronic indeterminate infection ablation of fat cells increased cardiac pathology and caused bi-ventricular dilation. These data demonstrate that dysfunctional adipose tissue not only affects cardiac metabolism but also the inflammatory status, morphology and physiology of the myocardium and increases the risk of progression and severity of CCC in murine Chagas disease.
Distinct transcriptional profiles of Leptospira borgpetersenii serovar Hardjo strains JB197 and HB203 cultured at different temperatures
Authors: Putz Ellie J. , Sivasankaran Sathesh K. , Fernandes Luis G. V. , Brunelle Brian , Lippolis John D. , Alt David P. , Bayles Darrell O. , Hornsby Richard L. , Nally Jarlath E.
Published: April 2021

Background

Leptospirosis is a zoonotic, bacterial disease, posing significant health risks to humans, livestock, and companion animals around the world. Symptoms range from asymptomatic to multi-organ failure in severe cases. Complex species-specific interactions exist between animal hosts and the infecting species, serovar, and strain of pathogen.Leptospira borgpeterseniiserovar Hardjo strains HB203 and JB197 have a high level of genetic homology but cause different clinical presentation in the hamster model of infection; HB203 colonizes the kidney and presents with chronic shedding while JB197 causes severe organ failure and mortality. This study examines the transcriptome ofL.borgpeterseniiand characterizes differential gene expression profiles of strains HB203 and JB197 cultured at temperatures during routine laboratory conditions (29°C) and encountered during host infection (37°C).

Methodology/Principal findings

L.borgpeterseniiserovar Hardjo strains JB197 and HB203 were isolated from the kidneys of experimentally infected hamsters and maintained at 29°C and 37°C. RNAseq revealed distinct gene expression profiles; 440 genes were differentially expressed (DE) between JB197 and HB203 at 29°C, and 179 genes were DE between strains at 37°C. Comparison of JB197 cultured at 29°C and 37°C identified 135 DE genes while 41 genes were DE in HB203 with those same culture conditions. The consistent differential expression ofligB, which encodes the outer membrane virulence factor LigB, was validated by immunoblotting and 2D-DIGE. Differential expression of lipopolysaccharide was also observed between JB197 and HB203.

Conclusions/Significance

Investigation of theL.borgpeterseniiJB197 and HB203 transcriptome provides unique insight into the mechanistic differences between acute and chronic disease. Characterizing the nuances of strain to strain differences and investigating the environmental sensitivity ofLeptospirato temperature is critical to the development and progress of leptospirosis prevention and treatment technologies, and is an important consideration when serovars are selected and propagated for use as bacterin vaccines as well as for the identification of novel therapeutic targets.
Delirium researchers’ perspectives of the challenges in delirium biomarker research: A qualitative study
Authors: Amgarth-Duff Ingrid , Hosie Annmarie , Caplan Gideon A. , Agar Meera
Published: April 2021

Background

Despite the prevalence and impact of delirium, its pathophysiology remains unclear. In order to advance this field of research, robust scientific methodology is required, yet quality of reporting in this field of research has been highly inconsistent. Delirium biomarker research poses several challenges, none of which have been documented in the literature before. The aim of this study was to explore the perspectives of delirium researchers about key methodological issues in delirium biomarker research.

Methods

Following a Delphi study with delirium experts resulting in 60 recommendations for reporting delirium biomarker studies, semi-structured interviews with international delirium researchers were conducted. Interviews were audio-taped and transcribed verbatim, followed by thematic analysis of the qualitative data.

Results

Fifteen participants were interviewed between August and November 2019. Most were male (n = 12; 75%), clinician researchers (n = 13; 86%), and had more than ten years’ experience in conducting delirium research (n = 9; 60%). Analysis revealed two major themes and ten sub-themes, outlining key considerations to advance the field of delirium biomarker research. The major themes were: 1) Practical and scientific challenges of delirium biomarker research: stagnation versus driving improved methods and reporting; and 2) Valuing delirium research through investment and collaboration.

Conclusion

Findings identified a range of factors that contribute to the practical and ethical challenges of conducting delirium biomarker research, which have not previously been explicitly acknowledged or reported. A clear vision for collaborative efforts to enhance research quality for improved impact was also presented by the delirium researchers. This work complements the preceding Delphi and together these studies provide an in-depth understanding of what is needed in the field to inform and improve methods and reporting of delirium biomarker research.
Climbing since the early Miocene: The fossil record of Paullinieae (Sapindaceae)
Authors: Jud Nathan A. , Allen Sarah E. , Nelson Chris W. , Bastos Carolina L. , Chery Joyce G.
Published: April 2021

Paullinieae are a diverse group of tropical and subtropical climbing plants that belong to the soapberry family (Sapindaceae). The six genera in this tribe make up approximately one-quarter of the species in the family, but a sparse fossil record limits our understanding of their diversification. Here, we provide the first description of anatomically preserved fossils of Paullinieae and we re-evaluate other macrofossils that have been attributed to the tribe. We identified permineralized fossil roots in collections from the lower Miocene Cucaracha Formation where it was exposed along the Culebra Cut of the Panama Canal. We prepared the fossils using the cellulose acetate peel technique and compared the anatomy with that of extant Paullinieae. The fossil roots preserve a combination of characters found only in Paullinieae, including peripheral secondary vascular strands, vessel dimorphism, alternate intervessel pitting with coalescent apertures, heterocellular rays, and axial parenchyma strands of 2–4 cells, often with prismatic crystals. We also searched the paleontological literature for other occurrences of the tribe. We re-evaluated leaf fossils from western North America that have been assigned to extant genera in the tribe by comparing their morphology to herbarium specimens and cleared leaves. The fossil leaves that were assigned toCardiospermumandSerjaniafrom the Paleogene of western North America are likely Sapindaceae; however, they lack diagnostic characters necessary for inclusion in Paullinieae and should be excluded from those genera. Therefore, the fossils described here asAmpelorhiza heteroxylongen. et sp. nov. are the oldest macrofossil evidence of Paullinieae. They provide direct evidence of the development of a vascular cambial variant associated with the climbing habit in Sapindaceae and provide strong evidence of the diversification of crown-group Paullinieae in the tropics by 18.5–19 million years ago.
Balancing the need for seed against invasive species risks in prairie habitat restorations
Authors: Larson Jennifer L. , Larson Diane L. , Venette Robert C.
Published: April 2021

Adequate diversity and abundance of native seed for large-scale grassland restorations often require commercially produced seed from distant sources. However, as sourcing distance increases, the likelihood of inadvertent introduction of multiple novel, non-native weed species as seed contaminants also increases. We created a model to determine an “optimal maximum distance” that would maximize availability of native prairie seed from commercial sources while minimizing the risk of novel invasive weeds via contamination. The model focused on the central portion of the Level II temperate prairie ecoregion in the Midwest US. The median optimal maximum distance from which to source seed was 272 km (169 miles). In addition, we weighted the model to address potential concerns from restoration practitioners: 1. sourcing seed via a facilitated migration strategy (i.e., direct movement of species from areas south of a given restoration site to assist species’ range expansion) to account for warming due to climate change; and 2. emphasizing non-native, exotic species with a federal mandate to control. Weighting the model for climate change increased the median optimal maximum distance to 398 km (247 miles), but this was not statistically different from the distance calculated without taking sourcing for climate adaptation into account. Weighting the model for federally mandated exotic species increased the median optimal maximum distance only slightly to 293 km (182 miles), so practitioners may not need to adjust their sourcing strategy, compared to the original model. This decision framework highlights some potential inadvertent consequences from species translocations and provides insight on how to balance needs for prairie seed against those risks.
Reporting health services research to a broader public: An exploration of inconsistencies and reporting inadequacies in societal publications
Authors: Gerrits Reinie G. , van den Berg Michael J. , Kunst Anton E. , Klazinga Niek S. , Kringos Dionne S.
Published: April 2021

Introduction

Little is known about the accuracy of societal publications (e.g. press releases, internet postings or professional journals) that are based on scientific work. This study investigates a) inconsistencies between scientific peer-reviewed health services research (HSR) publications and non-scientific societal publications and b) replication of reporting inadequacies from these scientific publications to corresponding societal publications.

Methods

A sample of HSR publications was drawn from 116 publications authored in 2016 by thirteen Dutch HSR institutions. Societal publications corresponding to scientific publications were identified through a systematic internet search. We conducted a qualitative, directed content analysis on societal publications derived from the scientific publications to assess both reporting inadequacies and determine inconsistencies. Descriptive frequencies were calculated for all variables. Odds ratios were used to investigate whether inconsistencies in societal publications were less likely when the first scientific author was involved.

Results

We identified 43 scientific and 156 societal publications. 94 societal publications (60.3%), (associated with 32 scientific publications (74.4%)) contained messages that were inconsistent with the scientific work. We found reporting inadequacies in 22 scientific publications (51.2%). In 45 societal publications (28.9%), we found replications of these reporting inadequacies. The likelihood of inconsistencies between scientific and societal publications did not differ when the latter explicitly involved the first scientific author, (OR = 1.44, CI: 0.76–2.74); were published on the institute’s or funder’s website, (OR = 1.32, CI: 0.57–3.06); published with no involvement of a scientific author, (OR = 0.52, CI: 0.25–1.07).

Conclusion

To improve societal publications, one should examine both the consistency with scientific research publications and ways to prevent replication of scientific reporting inadequacies. HSR institutions, funders, and scientific and societal publication platforms should invest in a supportive publication culture to further incentivise the responsible and skilled involvement of researchers in writing both scientific and societal publications.
Two-dimensional shear wave elastography and ultrasound-guided attenuation parameter for progressive non-alcoholic steatohepatitis
Authors: Kuroda Hidekatsu , Fujiwara Yudai , Abe Tamami , Nagasawa Tomoaki , Oguri Takuma , Noguchi Sachiyo , Kamiyama Naohisa , Takikawa Yasuhiro
Published: April 2021

Background and aims

We investigated the usefulness of combining two-dimensional shear wave elastography and the ultrasound-guided attenuation parameter for assessing the risk of progressive non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, defined as non-alcoholic steatohepatitis with a non-alcoholic fatty liver disease activity score of ≥4 and a fibrosis stage of ≥2.

Methods

This prospective study included 202 patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease who underwent two-dimensional shear wave elastography, ultrasound-guided attenuation parameter, vibration-controlled transient elastography, the controlled attenuation parameter, and liver biopsy on the same day. Patients were grouped according to liver stiffness measurement using two-dimensional shear wave elastography and the attenuation coefficient, assessed using the ultrasound-guided attenuation parameter: A, low liver stiffness measurement/low attenuation coefficient; B, low liver stiffness measurement/high attenuation coefficient; C, high liver stiffness measurement/low attenuation coefficient; and D, high liver stiffness measurement/high attenuation coefficient.

Results

Two-dimensional shear wave elastography and vibration-controlled transient elastography had equivalent diagnostic performance for fibrosis. The areas under the curve of the ultrasound-guided attenuation parameter for identifying steatosis grades ≥S1, ≥S2, and S3 were 0.89, 0.91, and 0.92, respectively, which were significantly better than those of the controlled attenuation parameter (P<0.05). The percentages of progressive non-alcoholic steatohepatitis in Groups A, B, C, and D were 0.0%, 7.7%, 35.7%, and 50.0%, respectively (P<0.001). The prediction model was established as logit (p) = 0.5414 × liver stiffness measurement (kPa) + 7.791 × attenuation coefficient (dB/cm/MHz)—8.401, with area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, sensitivity, and specificity values of 0.832, 80.9%, and 74.6%, respectively; there was no significant difference from the FibroScan-aspartate aminotransferase score.

Conclusion

Combined assessment by two-dimensional shear wave elastography and the ultrasound-guided attenuation parameter is useful for risk stratification of progressive non-alcoholic steatohepatitis and may be convenient for evaluating the necessity of specialist referral and liver biopsy.
O group is a protective factor for COVID19 in Basque population
Authors: Muñoz-Culla Maider , Roncancio-Clavijo Andres , Martínez Bruno , Gorostidi-Aicua Miriam , Piñeiro Luis , Azkune Arkaitz , Alberro Ainhoa , Monge-Ruiz Jorge , Castillo-Trivino Tamara , Prada Alvaro , Otaegui David
Published: April 2021

ABO blood groups have recently been related to COVID19 infection. In the present work, we performed this analysis using data from 412 COVID19 patients and 17796 blood donors, all of them from Gipuzkoa, a region in Northern Spain. The results obtained confirmed this relation, in addition to showing a clear importance of group O as a protective factor in COVID19 disease, with an OR = 0.59 (CI95% 0.481–0.7177, p<0.0001) while A, B and AB are risk factors. ABO blood groups are slightly differently distributed in the populations and therefore these results should be replicated in the specific areas with a proper control population.
Effect of disclosing the relation between effort and unit reliability on system reliability: An economic experiment
Authors: Makino Ryoji , Akai Kenju , Takeshita Jun-ichi , Kudo Takanori , Aoki Keiko
Published: April 2021

The purpose is to experimentally examine the effect of disclosing the risk probability of each unit in a production system on human behavior and the resulting system reliability. We used an economic experiment based on the theoretical model of Hausken (2002) to evaluate the effect of disclosing the relation between effort and unit reliability. We conducted first the non-disclosed-risk experiment and then the disclosed-risk experiment within subjects in both series and parallel systems. Our experimental results show that disclosing the relation between effort and unit reliability has two positive effects. First, subjects succeeded in improving the system reliability while cutting back on efforts to reduce the risk of their units when the risk probability was disclosed. In each system, the disclosed-risk condition achieves significantly higher system reliability on average than does the non-disclosed-risk condition, although the average level of effort is significantly lower under the disclosed-risk condition than under the non-disclosed-risk condition. Second, disclosing the risk probability simplified the subjects’ decision-making process and reduced its cost because subjects made their decisions on the amount of effort to exert based only on the risk probability information without considering other factors, such as the number of accidents.
Do mothers who delivered at health facilities return to health facilities for postnatal care follow-up? A multilevel analysis of the 2016 Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey
Authors: Ayele Brhane , Woldu Mulugeta , Gebrehiwot Haftom , Wellay Tsegay , Hadgu Tsegay , Gebretnsae Hailay , Abrha Alemnesh , Gebre-egziabher Equbay , Hurlburt Sarah
Published: April 2021

Introduction

Returning to health facility for postnatal care (PNC) use after giving birth at health facility could reflect the health seeking behavior of mothers. However, such studies are rare though they are critically important to develop vigorous strategies to improve PNC service utilization. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the magnitude and factors associated with returning to health facilities for PNC among mothers who delivered in Ethiopian health facilities after they were discharged.

Methods

This cross-sectional study used 2016 Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey data. A total of 2405mothers who gave birth in a health facility were included in this study. Multilevel mixed-effect logistic regression model was fitted to estimate both independent (fixed) effects of the explanatory variables and community-level (random) effects on return for PNC utilization. Variable with p-value of ≤ 0.25 from unadjusted multilevel logistic regression were selected to develop three models and p-value of ≤0.05 was used to declare significance of the explanatory variables on the outcome variable in the final (adjusted) model. Analysis was done using IBM SPSS statistics version 21.

Result

In this analysis, from the total 2405 participants, 14.3% ((95%CI: 12.1–16.8), (n = 344)) of them returned to health facilities for PNC use after they gave birth at a health facility. From the multilevel logistic regression analysis, being employed (AOR = 1.51, 95%CI: 1.04–2.19), receiving eight and above antenatal care visits (AOR = 2.90, 95%CI: 1.05–8.00), caesarean section delivery (AOR = 2.53, 95%CI: 1.40–4.58) and rural residence (AOR = 0.56, 95%CI: 0.36–0.88) were found significantly associated with return to health facilities for PNC use among women who gave birth at health facility.

Conclusion

Facility-based PNC utilization among mothers who delivered at health facilities is low in Ethiopia. Both individual and community level variables were determined women to return to health facilities for PNC use. Thus, adopting context-specific strategies/policies could improve PNC utilization and should be paid a due focus.
Mycobacterial infection-induced miR-206 inhibits protective neutrophil recruitment via the CXCL12/CXCR4 signalling axis
Authors: Wright Kathryn , de Silva Kumudika , Plain Karren M. , Purdie Auriol C. , Blair Tamika A. , Duggin Iain G. , Britton Warwick J. , Oehlers Stefan H.
Published: April 2021

Pathogenic mycobacteria actively dysregulate protective host immune signalling pathways during infection to drive the formation of permissive granuloma microenvironments. Dynamic regulation of host microRNA (miRNA) expression is a conserved feature of mycobacterial infections across host-pathogen pairings. Here we examine the role of miR-206 in the zebrafish model ofMycobacterium marinuminfection, which allows investigation of the early stages of granuloma formation. We find miR-206 is upregulated following infection by pathogenicM.marinumand that antagomir-mediated knockdown of miR-206 is protective against infection. We observed striking upregulation ofcxcl12aandcxcr4bin infected miR-206 knockdown zebrafish embryos and live imaging revealed enhanced recruitment of neutrophils to sites of infection. We used CRISPR/Cas9-mediated knockdown ofcxcl12aandcxcr4bexpression and AMD3100 inhibition of Cxcr4 to show that the enhanced neutrophil response and reduced bacterial burden caused by miR-206 knockdown was dependent on the Cxcl12/Cxcr4 signalling axis. Together, our data illustrate a pathway through which pathogenic mycobacteria induce host miR-206 expression to suppress Cxcl12/Cxcr4 signalling and prevent protective neutrophil recruitment to granulomas.