bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Pediatric pulmonary actinomycosis: A misdiagnosed case report
Authors: Yilin Zhao , Xinyi Liu , Longwei Sun , Hongwu Zeng
Published: December 2022

Background

Pulmonary actinomycosis is an uncommon kind of bacterial illness caused by actinomycetes, involving the chest wall in extraordinarily rare cases. Due to non-specific clinical signs and perplexing radiological characteristics, this kind of pulmonary actinomycosis is frequently misinterpreted as a malignant tumor or lung abscess.

Case presentation

An 11-year-old child presented with a palpable lump on his left chest and periodic chest discomfort. An irregular soft-tissue mass in the left upper zone with bony destruction was first identified as a malignant small round cell tumor (MSRCT) known as an Askin tumor on post-contrast CT. However, pathological biopsy of the pulmonary lesion through the chest wall revealed actinomycosis.

Conclusion

Pulmonary actinomycosis is an uncommon bacterial illness that has a variety of clinical manifestations, particularly in young patients. A chest lump with nearby “lace-like” rib bone destruction was the distinguishing characteristic of our case. For appropriate treatment and diagnosis, infection with actinomycosis should be considered when observing a similar chest lump. Pathological biopsy, as a valuable diagnostic tool, can help to distinguish between infectious diseases and thoracic tumors. The pathological manifestations of actinomycosis are characterized by inflammatory lesions that range from purulent to granuloma-like inflammatory processes, and second-generation sequencing of alveolar lavage fluid can help to confirm pathogens.
3D printing of bone and cartilage with polymer materials
Authors: Fan Daoyang , Liu Yafei , Wang Yifan , Wang Qi , Guo Hao , Cai Yiming , Song Ruipeng , Wang Xing , Wang Weidong
Published: December 2022

Damage and degeneration to bone and articular cartilage are the leading causes of musculoskeletal disability. Commonly used clinical and surgical methods include autologous/allogeneic bone and cartilage transplantation, vascularized bone transplantation, autologous chondrocyte implantation, mosaicplasty, and joint replacement. 3D bio printing technology to construct implants by layer-by-layer printing of biological materials, living cells, and other biologically active substances in vitro, which is expected to replace the repair mentioned above methods. Researchers use cells and biomedical materials as discrete materials. 3D bio printing has largely solved the problem of insufficient organ donors with the ability to prepare different organs and tissue structures. This paper mainly discusses the application of polymer materials, bio printing cell selection, and its application in bone and cartilage repair.
Towards the polymer nanocomposites based on hairy nanoparticles
Authors: Sharma Aakash , Kruteva Margarita
Published: December 2022

Polymer nanocomposites exhibit versatility in their mechanical and structural features predominantly due to the huge surface area provided by nanoparticles. Interaction of the nanoparticles with polymer matrix selectively dictates the applications suitable for a particular polymer nanocomposite system. Novel hybrid polymer-derived materials based on polymer grafted nanoparticles (NPs) can either be mixed with the polymer matrix or self-suspended without matrix polymer. In both cases superior properties are demonstrated compared to the traditional polymer nanocomposites, most notably by 1) incorporation of NPs into polymers without “mixing problems” and 2) a wide range of the transport phenomena (from solids to viscous fluids). Hence, hairy nanoparticle-based nanocomposites are equipped to handle specific and unique challenges in manufacturing and processing methods. It is known that the transport properties can be tuned by altering the molecular design of hairy nanoparticles (i.e., grafted polymer chemistry, NP concentrations, grafting density, and polymer molecular weight) and matrix polymer (e.g., molecular weight). In this article, we review the 1) most common methods of synthesizing hairy nanoparticle, 2) their microscopic dynamics and structural features and 3) some interesting applications of nanocomposite based on hairy nanoparticles. We discuss the effect of various parameters like nanoparticle size, molecular weight of the polymer etc. on the features of nanocomposites and its implications on the properties.
SeUneter: Channel attentive U-Net for instance segmentation of the cervical spine MRI medical image
Authors: Zhang Xiang , Yang Yi , Shen Yi-Wei , Li Ping , Zhong Yuan , Zhou Jing , Zhang Ke-Rui , Shen Chang-Yong , Li Yi , Zhang Meng-Fei , Pan Long-Hai , Ma Li-Tai , Liu Hao
Published: December 2022

In recent years, cervical spondylosis has become one of the most common chronic diseases and has received much attention from the public. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the most widely used imaging modality for the diagnosis of degenerative cervical spondylosis. The manual identification and segmentation of the cervical spine on MRI makes it a laborious, time-consuming, and error-prone process. In this work, we collected a new dataset of 300 patients with a total of 600 cervical spine images in the MRI T2-weighted (T2W) modality for the first time, which included the cervical spine, intervertebral discs, spinal cord, and spinal canal information. A new instance segmentation approach called SeUneter was proposed for cervical spine segmentation. SeUneter expanded the depth of the network structure based on the original U-Net and added a channel attention module to the double convolution of the feature extraction. SeUneter could enhance the semantic information of the segmentation and weaken the characteristic information of non-segmentation to the screen for important feature channels in double convolution. In the meantime, to alleviate the over-fitting of the model under insufficient samples, the Cutout was used to crop the pixel information in the original image at random positions of a fixed size, and the number of training samples in the original data was increased. Prior knowledge of the data was used to optimize the segmentation results by a post-process to improve the segmentation performance. The mean of Intersection Over Union (mIOU) was calculated for the different categories, while the mean of the Dice similarity coefficient (mDSC) and mIOU were calculated to compare the segmentation results of different deep learning models for all categories. Compared with multiple models under the same experimental settings, our proposed SeUneter’s performance was superior to U-Net, AttU-Net, UNet++, DeepLab-v3+, TransUNet, and Swin-Unet on the spinal cord with mIOU of 86.34% and the spinal canal with mIOU of 73.44%. The SeUneter matched or exceeded the performance of the aforementioned segmentation models when segmenting vertebral bodies or intervertebral discs. Among all models, SeUneter achieved the highest mIOU and mDSC of 82.73% and 90.66%, respectively, for the whole cervical spine.
Diversity, mechanisms and beneficial features of phosphate-solubilizing Streptomyces in sustainable agriculture: A review
Authors: Chouyia Fatima Ezzahra , Ventorino Valeria , Pepe Olimpia
Published: December 2022

Currently, the use of phosphate (P) biofertilizers among many bioformulations has attracted a large amount of interest for sustainable agriculture. By acting as growth promoters, members of the Streptomyces genus can positively interact with plants. Several studies have shown the great potential of this bacterial group in supplementing P in a soluble, plant-available form by several mechanisms. Furthermore, some P-solubilizing Streptomyces (PSS) species are known as plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria that are able to promote plant growth through other means, such as increasing the availability of soil nutrients and producing a wide range of antibiotics, phytohormones, bioactive compounds, and secondary metabolites other than antimicrobial compounds. Therefore, the use of PSS with multiple plant growth-promoting activities as an alternative strategy appears to limit the negative impacts of chemical fertilizers in agricultural practices on environmental and human health, and the potential effects of these PSS on enhancing plant fitness and crop yields have been explored. However, compared with studies on the use of other gram-positive bacteria, studies on the use of Streptomyces as P solubilizers are still lacking, and their results are unclear. Although PSS have been reported as potential bioinoculants in both greenhouse and field experiments, no PSS-based biofertilizers have been commercialized to date. In this regard, this review provides an overview mainly of the P solubilization activity of Streptomyces species, including their use as P biofertilizers in competitive agronomic practices and the mechanisms through which they release P by solubilization/mineralization, for both increasing P use efficiency in the soil and plant growth. This review further highlights and discusses the beneficial association of PSS with plants in detail with the latest developments and research to expand the knowledge concerning the use of PSS as P biofertilizers for field applications by exploiting their numerous advantages in improving crop production to meet global food demands.
‘Priming’ protects Piper nigrum L. from Phytophthora capsici through reinforcement of phenylpropanoid pathway and possible enhancement of Piperine biosynthesis
Authors: Indu M. , Meera B. , Sivakumar KC. , Mahadevan Chidambareswaren , Shafi K Mohammed , Nagarathnam B. , Sowdhamini Ramanathan , Sakuntala Manjula
Published: December 2022

Piper nigrum L. (black pepper), a woody perennial spice crop indigenous to India is positioned at the phylogenetically unique basal lineage of angiosperms. Cultivation of this major spice crop is constrained by rampant fungal and viral infections leading to a lack of disease-free planting material. The major disease that poses severe threat to P. nigrum plantations and nurseries is ‘quick wilt’ caused by the oomycete Phytophthora capsici, which affects the leaf, stem, spike, collar and root. In this paper, we report the consequence of priming in modulating Piper nigrum defense against Phytophthora capsici. Glycol Chitosan (GC) was used to infiltrate detached leaves of mature P. nigrum plants. It was observed that pre-treatment of GC for 24 hours resulted in significant reduction of disease symptoms in infected leaves, as evidenced by the marked decrease in the size of lesions, and also delayed the appearance of symptoms up to 72 hpi. Experiments repeated in P. nigrum seedlings under controlled growth conditions indicate that delayed disease symptoms of GC pre-treated leaves do not spread to healthy uninfiltrated leaves suggesting a priming-associated systemic defense response. An ROS-mediated manifestation of Hypersensitive Response (HR) induced by Chitosan was also evident in pre-treated leaves. A corresponding visual indication of increased lignification was observed, which correlated with an enhanced lignin content of GC-treated leaves. Enhanced callose deposition was also apparent in GC infiltrated leaves, establishing a stimulatory effect of GC in triggering HR through ROS production, enhanced lignification and callose deposition. Key genes of the core phenylpropanoid and isoprenoid pathways along with major defense signalling pathway genes of P. nigrum, including pathogenesis-related genes and hormone signalling genes showed significant transcript enrichment consequential to GC treatment. A significant quantitative enhancement in Piperine content was evident in GC-infiltrated leaves. The systemic nature of priming on disease protection was established through experiments conducted in rooted cuttings monitored for 30 days after disease infection. This is the first report that provides strong molecular evidence endorsing the twofold advantage of defense priming in P. nigrum by improving crop protection with a concomitant enhancement in Piperine biosynthesis.
Zygospores of the green alga Spirogyra: new insights from structural and chemical imaging
Authors: Permann Charlotte , Gierlinger Notburga , Holzinger Andreas
Published: December 2022

Zygnematophyceae, a class of streptophyte green algae and sister group to land plants (Embryophytes) live in aquatic to semi-terrestrial habitats. The transition from aquatic to terrestrial environments requires adaptations in the physiology of vegetative cells and in the structural properties of their cell walls. Sexual reproduction occurs in Zygnematophyceae by conjugation and results in the formation of zygospores, possessing unique multi-layered cell walls, which might have been crucial in terrestrialization. We investigated the structure and chemical composition of field sampled Spirogyra sp. zygospore cell walls by multiple microscopical and spectral imaging techniques: light microscopy, confocal laser scanning microscopy, transmission electron microscopy following high pressure freeze fixation/freeze substitution, Raman spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy. This comprehensive analysis allowed the detection of the subcellular organization and showed three main layers of the zygospore wall, termed endo-, meso- and exospore. The endo- and exospore are composed of polysaccharides with different ultrastructural appearance, whereas the electron dense middle layer contains aromatic compounds as further characterized by Raman spectroscopy. The possible chemical composition remains elusive, but algaenan or a sporopollenin-like material is suggested. Similar compounds with a non-hydrolysable character can be found in moss spores and pollen of higher plants, suggesting a protective function against desiccation stress and high irradiation. While the tripartite differentiation of the zygospore wall is well established in Zygnematopyhceae, Spirogyra showed cellulose fibrils arranged in a helicoidal pattern in the endo- and exospore. Initial incorporation of lipid bodies during early zygospore wall formation was also observed, suggesting a key role of lipids in zygospore wall synthesis. Multimodal imaging revealed that the cell wall of the sexually formed zygospores possess a highly complex internal structure as well as aromatics, likely acting as protective compounds and leading to impregnation. Both, the newly discovered special three-dimensional arrangement of microfibrils and the integration of highly resistant components in the cell wall are not found in the vegetative state. The variety of methods gave a comprehensive view on the intricate zygospore cell wall and its potential key role in the terrestrial colonization and plant evolution is discussed.
Physiological and transcriptome profiling revealed defense networks during Cladosporium fulvum and tomato interaction at the early stage
Authors: Peng Rong , Sun Sheng , Li Na , Kong Lingjuan , Chen Zhifeng , Wang Peng , Xu Lurong , Wang Hehe , Geng Xueqing
Published: December 2022

Tomato leaf mold caused by Cladosporium fulvum (C. fulvum) is a serious fungal disease which results in huge yield losses in tomato cultivation worldwide. In our study, we discovered that ROS (reactive oxygen species) burst was triggered by C. fulvum treatment in tomato leaves. RNA-sequencing was used to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) induced by C. fulvum inoculation at the early stage of invasion in susceptible tomato plants. Gene ontology (GO) terms and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) databases were used to annotate functions of DEGs in tomato plants. Based on our comparative analysis, DEGs related to plant-pathogen interaction pathway, plant hormone signal transduction pathway and the plant phenylpropanoid pathway were further analyzed. Our results discovered that a number of core defense genes against fungal invasion were induced and plant hormone signal transduction pathways were impacted by C. fulvum inoculation. Further, our results showed that SA (salicylic acid) and ABA (abscisic acid) contents were accumulated while JA (jasmonic acid) content decreased after C. fulvum inoculation in comparison with control, and quantitative real-time PCR to detect the relative expression of genes involved in SA, ABA and JA signaling pathway further confirmed our results. Together, results will contribute to understanding the mechanisms of C. fulvum and tomato interaction in future.
Calcium nutrition nanoagent rescues tomatoes from mosaic virus disease by accelerating calcium transport and activating antiviral immunity
Authors: Yan Shuo , Hu Qian , Wei Ying , Jiang Qinhong , Yin Meizhen , Dong Min , Shen Jie , Du Xiangge
Published: December 2022

As an essential structural, metabolic and signaling element, calcium shows low remobilization from old to young tissues in plants, restricting the nutrient-use efficiency and control efficacy against mosaic virus disease. Nanotechnology has been applied to prevent/minimize nutrient losses and improve the accessibility of poorly-available nutrients. Herein, the current study applied a star polycation (SPc) to prepare a calcium nutrition nanoagent. The SPc could assemble with calcium glycinate through hydrogen bond and Van der Waals force, forming stable spherical particles with nanoscale size (17.72 nm). Transcriptomic results revealed that the calcium glycinate/SPc complex could activate the expression of many transport-related genes and disease resistance genes in tomatoes, suggesting the enhanced transport and antiviral immunity of SPc-loaded calcium glycinate. Reasonably, the calcium transport was accelerated by 3.17 times into tomato leaves with the help of SPc, and the protective effect of calcium glycinate was remarkably improved to 77.40% and 67.31% toward tomato mosaic virus with the help of SPc after the third and fifth applications. Furthermore, SPc-loaded calcium glycinate could be applied to increase the leaf photosynthetic rate and control the unusual fast growth of tomatoes. The current study is the first success to apply nano-delivery system for enhanced calcium transport and antiviral immunity, which is beneficial for increasing nutrient-use efficiency and shows good prospects for field application.
A relational identity approach to study the antecedents of family supportive supervision
Authors: Escribano Pablo I.
Published: December 2022

This research focuses on the antecedents of family supportive supervisor behaviors (FSSB) – the support from supervisors that can help employees manage their competing demands across work and nonwork domains. Drawing on theories of relational identity and self-construal, I conceptualize subordinates’ likeability (interpersonal abilities) and competence (task abilities) as antecedents of family supportive supervisor behaviors, and examine whether supervisors’ relational identification with subordinates mediates this relationship. In addition, I also examine the extent to which this mediation depends on the level of relational self-construal of supervisors. Data from 205 subordinates and 84 supervisors from a Chilean private bank and results support the hypothesized mediated moderation model. While supervisors’ relational identification with subordinates fully mediates the relationship between competence and family supportive supervisor behaviors, supervisors’ relational identification with subordinates partially mediates the relationship between subordinates’ likeability and family supportive supervisor behaviors. Further, supervisors’ relational identification with subordinates mediates the relationship between likeability and family supportive supervisor behaviors when supervisors’ relational self-construal is high to medium but not when it is low. Overall, this research offers a novel lens for better understanding subordinates as more than mere recipients of supervisory behaviors.
Energy saving and emission reduction fiscal policy and corporate green technology innovation
Authors: Jin Huan , Yang Jing , Chen Yinying
Published: December 2022

With the increasing prominence of resource and environmental issues, countries around the world are paying more and more attention to the concept of sustainable development. Under this concept, China started to implement a pilot project of “National Comprehensive Demonstration City of Energy Saving and Emission Reduction Fiscal Policy” in 2011 to protect resources and environment through green and low-carbon development. This paper aims to investigate whether and how the pilot policy induces corporate green technology innovation. Based on the data on Chinese listed firms from 2008 to 2019 and the relevant theories of economics, management and organizational psychology, we find that the pilot policy can promote corporate green technology innovation. This indicates that the pilot policy, as an external force, will encourage firms to improve their adaptability through green technology innovation which is one type of organizational change, thus improving their organizational effectiveness. The heterogeneity analyses reveal that the promotion effect of the pilot policy on green innovation is stronger among firms in high-carbon industries, firms in the mature stage and firms that are not state-owned. The mechanism tests find that the credit allocation effect and innovation compensation effect generated by the pilot policy are the key channels to promote green technology innovation. In addition to enriching the research on the evaluation of the effects of the pilot policy, our paper also expands the literature on organizational psychology and organizational change from the perspective of corporate green innovation, offers practical implications for the low-carbon transition of manufacturing industries under the emission peak and carbon neutrality targets, and provides insights for other emerging economies to achieve better resource and environmental protection through the energy saving and emission reduction fiscal policy.
The synergistic effect of carbon performance and technological innovation on corporate financial performance
Authors: Yan Jin , Zhou Hui , Mu Jialin , Zhang Ying , Rahman Airin
Published: December 2022

In order to further implement the goal of “dual carbon” proposed by China’s government, and promote energy enterprises to carry out low-carbon economic transformation, this paper takes listed companies in China’s A-share energy industry from 2014 to 2019 as samples to conduct descriptive statistics, correlation test and regression analysis, and empirically studies the impact of carbon performance and technological innovation on financial performance of China’s energy industry as well as their roles under different property rights. At the same time, the variables were delayed for one period to investigate the sustainability of carbon performance and technological innovation on financial performance and to weaken the endogeneity of the reverse causality between financial performance, carbon performance and technological innovation. The results show that good carbon performance and technological innovation in the energy industry can positively affect the financial performance of enterprises. During the research of interactive relationship, we find that carbon performance and technological innovation have synergistic effect on energy firm’s financial performance, which means technology innovation can significantly positive to adjust the action of carbon performance on financial performance,and carbon performance at the same time can also be positive to adjust the action of technology innovation on financial performance. They mutually promote energy enterprise’s financial performance. Further experimental research among different property- rights-owned enterprises, we found that the synergistic effects of carbon performance and technological innovation on corporate financial performance is much more significant in non-state-owned enterprises, possibly due to private firms’ capital profit-seeking nature. The results will guide and inspire China’s energy enterprises’ low carbon development strategy formulation and implementation under the background of “dual carbon” goal.
The paradoxical effects of social class on career adaptability: The role of intolerance of uncertainty
Authors: Wang Ruimeng , Lin Xinqi , Wang Le
Published: December 2022

Introduction

As a growth background factor, family social class has far-reaching effects on youth career development. However, we have limited understanding of the role and functional mechanisms of social class in career adaptability. Based on the social cognitive theory of social class, we examine the mediating role of intolerance of uncertainty in the relationship between youths’ subjective social class and career adaptability. We also explore the moderating influences of self-esteem.

Methods

Data were collected from a sample consisting of 712 undergraduates (63.2% female) in China.

Results

Results show that subjective social class positively impacts career adaptability via prospective anxiety, and negatively impacts career adaptability via inhibitory anxiety. The intensity of these indirect relationships is contingent on youths’ self-esteem.

Discussion

Our study illustrates the complex and paradoxical effects of social class on career adaptability and has important theoretical and practical implications. This study expands the theoretical perspective by bringing in the social cognitive theory of social class, provides novel insight into the complex interaction between individuals and the environment in youth career development, and should provide inspiration for the design of career intervention programs.
Self-interest or altruism: Entrepreneurs’ military experience and the motivation of corporate philanthropic donations
Authors: Chen Huaichao , Wu Huichao , Li Haiting
Published: December 2022

This study aims to explore the motivation of corporate philanthropic donations through investigating the impact of entrepreneurs’ military experience. Based on the data from the 12th Chinese privately owned enterprises survey, this study finds that entrepreneurs’ military experience has a positive impact on corporate philanthropic donations and the result keeps consistent after a series of robustness tests. Further, corporate financing constraints do not significantly influence the relationship between entrepreneurs’ military experience and corporate philanthropic donations, while return on equity (ROE) strengthens the relationship. Therefore, entrepreneurs with military experience still donate even if their firms suffer from financial constraints. When firms achieve higher ROE, they will donate more. The findings suggest that the donations of firms with military entrepreneurs are more likely to be altruistic, enriching the understanding of the motivation of corporate philanthropic donations.
Ajyal Salima a novel public–private partnership model for childhood obesity prevention in the Arab countries
Authors: Habib-Mourad Carla , Hwalla Nahla , Maliha Carla , Zahr Sarah , Antoniades Karine
Published: December 2022

The prevalence of childhood overweight and obesity among children is on the rise around the world. Meanwhile, comprehensive multi-sectorial approaches have been found to be effective in improving nutritional status among children. Ajyal Salima is a public–private partnership (PPP) school-based nutrition and physical activity intervention program implemented in six Arab countries. Its objective is to promote healthy eating and physical activity habits among 9–11-year-old students. The stakeholders, involved with the implementation of the program, comprised (1) local authorities, ministries of Education and Health, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) as public partners, (2) The American University of Beirut (AUB) as the academic/regional scientific partner, and (3) Nestlé as the private partner. The Ajyal Salima program encompasses four coordinated educational components: classroom sessions, family involvement, food service intervention, and training of trainers. The program's educational material has been culturally adapted to each country's needs, as well as pilot tested. This paper describes the strategies used to build the PPP framework of Ajyal Salima, and the role of each stakeholder. The Ajyal Salima program is an example of a promising and sustainable comprehensive PPP program to address childhood obesity, that can be exported to other countries in the region and globally.
Regional disparity in epidemiological characteristics of adolescent scoliosis in China: Data from a screening program
Authors: Huang Jiaoling , Zhou Xuan , Li Xin , Guo Haibin , Yang Yuqi , Cheong I. O. Hong , Du Qing , Wang Hui
Published: December 2022

Objective

We investigated regional disparities in rates of scoliosis among adolescents in western and eastern China and the dominant factors underlying these disparities.

Methods

This cross-sectional study used data from a school scoliosis screening program conducted in two typical areas: Yangpu District of Shanghai (eastern China) and Tianzhu Tibetan Autonomous County of Gansu Province (western China), during October 2020 to February 2021. Participants included adolescents aged 12–16 years (4,240 in Shanghai and 2,510 in Gansu Province). School scoliosis screening data were obtained on age, sex, height, weight and BMI, and region as well. We screened angles of trunk rotation in level of proximal thoracic (T1–T4), main thoracic (T5–T12), and lumbar (T12–L4) by the forward bend test with scoliometer. An angle of trunk rotation ≥5° was used as the criterion to identify suspected scoliosis.

Results

The proportion of suspected scoliosis was lower in Shanghai (6.9%) than in Gansu (8.6%). Angle of trunk rotation tended to increase with age in Shanghai, peaking at 15 years, but decreased with age in Gansu, and bottomed at 15 years. The angle of trunk rotation in the proximal thoracic, main thoracic, and lumbar part of the spine appeared to be larger in Gansu adolescents and in Shanghai female adolescents. Age was a relevant factor in angle trunk rotation in regression models and interacted with region as well.

Conclusion

We found regional and age- and sex-related disparities in rates of suspected scoliosis.
Drivers of high-cost persistence in rural China: A population-based retrospective study
Authors: Wang Chenzhou , Lu Shan , Zhang Yan
Published: December 2022

Purpose

High-cost patients account for over 70% of total health expenditures in rural China and have become a key focus of health insurers. Persistently high-cost patients constitute a substantial proportion of medical resources. Hence, exploring high-cost persistence (HCP) and what drives it is considered meaningful and necessary.

Patients and methods

A population-based retrospective study was carried out. The annual healthcare utilization data of Dangyang New Rural Cooperative Medical Scheme from 2012 to 2017 were analyzed. Patients in the top 10% of spending in a given year were considered high-cost patients. Persistence level was estimated using Markov matrices. A total of 19,405 patients categorized as high-cost patients in 2016 were divided into two groups according to whether or not they kept high-cost status in 2017. Finally, a multilevel logistic regression model was used in examining the determinants of HCP.

Results

On average, about 31.48% of high-cost patients each year still maintained high-cost status in the subsequent year from 2012 to 2017. The elderly (OR = 2.150), families with more non-labor members (OR = 2.307), families applying for subsistence allowances (OR = 1.245), and patients with blood and immune diseases (OR = 2.614) or malignant tumors (OR = 2.077) were more likely to maintain high-cost status. Hospitalization frequency was found to be a mediator.

Conclusion

About one-third of high-cost patients in a given year had persistently high cost status in the subsequent year. Health status and family support were considered the main drivers of HCP. High inpatient service utilization as a mediator was a prominent manifestation of persistently high-cost patients. The accurate identification of persistently high-cost patients is the basis for our management.
DeepCausality: A general AI-powered causal inference framework for free text: A case study of LiverTox
Authors: Wang Xingqiao , Xu Xiaowei , Tong Weida , Liu Qi , Liu Zhichao
Published: December 2022

Causality plays an essential role in multiple scientific disciplines, including the social, behavioral, and biological sciences and portions of statistics and artificial intelligence. Manual-based causality assessment from a large number of free text-based documents is very time-consuming, labor-intensive, and sometimes even impractical. Herein, we proposed a general causal inference framework named DeepCausality to empirically estimate the causal factors for suspected endpoints embedded in the free text. The proposed DeepCausality seamlessly incorporates AI-powered language models, named entity recognition and Judea Pearl's Do-calculus, into a general framework for causal inference to fulfill different domain-specific applications. We exemplified the utility of the proposed DeepCausality framework by employing the LiverTox database to estimate idiosyncratic drug-induced liver injury (DILI)-related causal terms and generate a knowledge-based causal tree for idiosyncratic DILI patient stratification. Consequently, the DeepCausality yielded a prediction performance with an accuracy of 0.92 and an F-score of 0.84 for the DILI prediction. Notably, 90% of causal terms enriched by the DeepCausality were consistent with the clinical causal terms defined by the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) clinical guideline for evaluating suspected idiosyncratic DILI (iDILI). Furthermore, we observed a high concordance of 0.91 between the iDILI severity scores generated by DeepCausality and domain experts. Altogether, the proposed DeepCausality framework could be a promising solution for causality assessment from free text and is publicly available throughhttps://github.com/XingqiaoWang/https-github.com-XingqiaoWang-DeepCausality-LiverTox.
Glucagon-like peptide-1 stimulates acute secretion of pro-atrial natriuretic peptide from the isolated, perfused pig lung exposed to warm ischemia
Authors: Balk-Møller Emilie , Hebsgaard Mathilde M. B. , Lilleør Nikolaj B. , Møller Christian H. , Gøtze Jens P. , Kissow Hannelouise
Published: December 2022

Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) has proven to be protective in animal models of lung disease but the underlying mechanisms are unclear. Atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) is mainly produced in the heart. As ANP possesses potent vaso- and bronchodilatory effects in pulmonary disease, we hypothesised that the protective functions of GLP-1 could involve potentiation of local ANP secretion from the lung. We examined whether the GLP-1 receptor agonist liraglutide was able to improve oxygenation in lungs exposed to 2 h of warm ischemia and if liraglutide stimulated ANP secretion from the lungs in the porcine ex vivo lung perfusion (EVLP) model. Pigs were given a bolus of 40 µg/kg liraglutide or saline 1 h prior to sacrifice. The lungs were then left in vivo for 2 h, removed en bloc and placed in the EVLP machinery. Lungs from the liraglutide treated group were further exposed to liraglutide in the perfusion buffer (1.125 mg). Main endpoints were oxygenation capacity, and plasma and perfusate concentrations of proANP and inflammatory markers. Lung oxygenation capacity, plasma concentrations of proANP or concentrations of inflammatory markers were not different between groups. ProANP secretion from the isolated perfused lungs were markedly higher in the liraglutide treated group (area under curve for the first 30 min in the liraglutide group: 635 ± 237 vs. 38 ± 38 pmol/L x min in the saline group) (p < 0.05). From these results, we concluded that liraglutide potentiated local ANP secretion from the lungs.
Seaweed (Gracilariopsis funicularis) biochar incorporation into a goat manure–food waste vermicompost for optimized vermidegradation and nutrient release
Authors: Katakula Asteria Aili Ndiipohamba , Gawanab Werner , Handura Bethold , Itanna Fisseha , Mupambwa Hupenyu Allan
Published: December 2022

Vermicomposts are organic fertilizer sources that are being promoted; however, their concentrations of macronutrients such as NPK are very low. This study, therefore, evaluated the effects of amending goat manure–food waste mixture with biochar prepared from seaweed (Gracilariopsis funicularis) at 0% (control), 2, 4, 6, and 8% on vermicompost degradation and macronutrient release. After 10 weeks of vermicomposting, the highest pH of 9.06 was observed within the control, whilst the lowest was 8.7 in the 8% treatment. The electrical conductivity showed a positive relationship with the level of biochar incorporation with the highest of 16.5 mS/cm from the 8% treatment, whilst the lowest was within the control with 6 mS/cm. There were no significant differences between treatments on humification parameters; however, there were significant differences in the changes in a C/N ratio with the final C/N ratio of 14.4, 14.9, 16.7, 15.1, and 14.4 for the control, 2, 4, 6, and 8% treatments, respectively. A higher incorporation rate resulted in the higher concentration of potassium with a value of 32.3 g/kg at week 8. The final percentage change in Olsen P was 19, 14.2, 7.3, 4.1, and 3.0% for the 8%, 6%, control, 4%, and 2% treatments, respectively. An optimized level of 6% to 8% biochar incorporation ratio can be recommended. However, the incorporation of G. funicularis biochar does not seem to influence changes in the vermidegradation efficiency, though it can significantly improve the macronutrients such as P, K, and Mg concentrations as well as the macroelement concentrations.
High fidelity simulation of the endoscopic transsphenoidal approach: Validation of the UpSurgeOn TNS Box
Authors: Newall Nicola , Khan Danyal Z. , Hanrahan John G. , Booker James , Borg Anouk , Davids Joseph , Nicolosi Federico , Sinha Siddharth , Dorward Neil , Marcus Hani J.
Published: December 2022

Objective

Endoscopic endonasal transsphenoidal surgery is an established technique for the resection of sellar and suprasellar lesions. The approach is technically challenging and has a steep learning curve. Simulation is a growing training tool, allowing the acquisition of technical skills pre-clinically and potentially resulting in a shorter clinical learning curve. We sought validation of the UpSurgeOn Transsphenoidal (TNS) Box for the endoscopic endonasal transsphenoidal approach to the pituitary fossa.

Methods

Novice, intermediate and expert neurosurgeons were recruited from multiple centres. Participants were asked to perform a sphenoidotomy using the TNS model. Face and content validity were evaluated using a post-task questionnaire. Construct validity was assessed through post-hoc blinded scoring of operative videos using a Modified Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skills (mOSAT) and a Task-Specific Technical Skill scoring system.

Results

Fifteen participants were recruited of which n = 10 (66.6%) were novices and n = 5 (33.3%) were intermediate and expert neurosurgeons. Three intermediate and experts (60%) agreed that the model was realistic. All intermediate and experts (n = 5) strongly agreed or agreed that the TNS model was useful for teaching the endonasal transsphenoidal approach to the pituitary fossa. The consensus-derived mOSAT score was 16/30 (IQR 14–16.75) for novices and 29/30 (IQR 27–29) for intermediate and experts (p < 0.001, Mann–Whitney U). The median Task-Specific Technical Skill score was 10/20 (IQR 8.25–13) for novices and 18/20 (IQR 17.75–19) for intermediate and experts (p < 0.001, Mann-Whitney U). Interrater reliability was 0.949 (CI 0.983–0.853) for OSATS and 0.945 (CI 0.981–0.842) for Task-Specific Technical Skills. Suggested improvements for the model included the addition of neuro-vascular anatomy and arachnoid mater to simulate bleeding vessels and CSF leak, respectively, as well as improvement in materials to reproduce the consistency closer to that of human tissue and bone.

Conclusion

The TNS Box simulation model has demonstrated face, content, and construct validity as a simulator for the endoscopic endonasal transsphenoidal approach. With the steep learning curve associated with endoscopic approaches, this simulation model has the potential as a valuable training tool in neurosurgery with further improvements including advancing simulation materials, dynamic models (e.g., with blood flow) and synergy with complementary technologies (e.g., artificial intelligence and augmented reality).
Parainfluenza and corona viruses in a fallow deer (Dama dama) with fatal respiratory disease
Authors: Dastjerdi Akbar , Floyd Tobias , Swinson Vanessa , Davies Hannah , Barber Andrew , Wight Alan
Published: December 2022

Parainfluenza virus type 3 (PIV-3) and coronaviruses (CoV) are commonly found in respiratory tracts of ruminants and capable of causing clinical disease. Here, we investigated the cause of ill-thrift and sudden death in a five-month-old male fallow deer which occurred in December 2019. The calf was one of the five calves in a herd of 170 deer that, along with three adult hinds, died during a 2-week period. The deer calves were in a shed, sharing airspace with young cattle that had been reported to be coughing. Significant gross pathology was observed in the respiratory and alimentary tracts of the deer calf and histopathology of the lung and trachea was suggestive of likely involvement of PIV-3. Strong and specific cytoplasmic labeling of bronchiolar epithelium and terminal airway, alike those seen with PIV-3 pneumonia in cattle, was observed using a polyclonal bovine PIV-3 antibody. Metagenomic analysis detected a PIV-3 and a CoV in the lung tissue. The PIV-3 L protein gene had the highest sequence identity with those of bovine PIV-3 (83.1 to 98.4%) and phylogenetically clustered with bovine PIV-3 in the genotype C. The CoV spike protein gene shared 96.7% to 97.9% sequence identity with those of bovine CoVs, but only 53.1% identity with SARS-CoV-2 reference virus. We believe this is the first report of PIV-3 and CoV co-infection in fallow deer and their association with fatal pneumonia; major pathology caused by PIV-3.
How Migration Status Shapes Susceptibility of Individuals’ Loneliness to Social Isolation
Authors: Löbel Lea-Maria , Kröger Hannes , Tibubos Ana Nanette
Published: December 2022

Objectives: Our research provides competing hypotheses and empirical evidence how associations between objectively social isolation and subjective loneliness differ between host populations, migrants, and refugees.

Methods: The analysis uses data of 25,171 participants from a random sample of the German population (SOEP v.35). We estimate regression models for the host population, migrants, and refugees and test five hypotheses on the association between social isolation and loneliness using a Bayesian approach in a multiverse framework.

Results: We find the strongest relative support for an increased need for social inclusion among refugees, indicated by a higher Bayes factor compared to the hosts and migrants. However, all theoretically developed hypotheses perform poorly in explaining the major pattern in our data: The association of social isolation and loneliness is persistently lower for migrants (0.15 SD−0.29 SD), with similar sizes of associations for refugees and the host population (0.38 SD−0.67 SD).

Conclusion: The migration history must be actively considered in health service provision and support programs to better cater to the needs of the different groups.
Prediction of Blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L.) Yield Based on Artificial Intelligence Methods
Authors: Niedbała Gniewko , Kurek Jarosław , Świderski Bartosz , Wojciechowski Tomasz , Antoniuk Izabella , Bobran Krzysztof
Published: December 2022

In this paper, we present a high-accuracy model for blueberry yield prediction, trained using structurally innovative data sets. Blueberries are blooming plants, valued for their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Yield on the plantations depends on several factors, both internal and external. Predicting the accurate amount of harvest is an important aspect in work planning and storage space selection. Machine learning algorithms are commonly used in such prediction tasks, since they are capable of finding correlations between various factors at play. Overall data were collected from years 2016–2021, and included agronomic, climatic and soil data as well satellite-imaging vegetation data. Additionally, growing periods according to BBCH scale and aggregates were taken into account. After extensive data preprocessing and obtaining cumulative features, a total of 11 models were trained and evaluated. Chosen classifiers were selected from state-of-the-art methods in similar applications. To evaluate the results, Mean Absolute Percentage Error was chosen. It is superior to alternatives, since it takes into account absolute values, negating the risk that opposite variables will cancel out, while the final result outlines percentage difference between the actual value and prediction. Regarding the research presented, the best performing solution proved to be Extreme Gradient Boosting algorithm, with MAPE value equal to 12.48%. This result meets the requirements of practical applications, with sufficient accuracy to improve the overall yield management process. Due to the nature of machine learning methodology, the presented solution can be further improved with annually collected data.
Attenuated Isolate Gibellulopsis nigrescens Vn-1 Enhances Resistance against Verticillium dahliae in Potato
Authors: Hao Jianxiu , Wang Dong , Wang Yu , Zhou Hongyou
Published: December 2022

Potatoes are among the four most important staple crops worldwide. Verticillium wilt in potatoes caused by Verticillium dahliae is a devastating disease that is difficult to control. To identify potential avenues for disease control, the pathogenicity of 72 V. dahliae isolates was tested here. We also tested the resistance to the most virulent isolate (Vd-36) induced by the attenuated isolate Gibellulopsis nigrescens Vn-1 in potatoes. Induction of Verticillium wilt resistance in potatoes was strongest when using attenuated isolate Vn-1 to inoculate potatoes with a spore suspension concentration of 1 × 106 conidia mL−1, followed by infection with isolate Vd-36 at 5 d intervals. After incubation of potatoes with the attenuated isolate Vn-1 followed by isolate Vd-36, reactive oxygen species (ROS) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) were produced and accumulated in potato leaves 12 h post-inoculation. The changes in respective defense enzymes, except phenylalanine ammonia-lyase, were consistent with the changes in ROS and H2O2 levels. Furthermore, the content of salicylic acid (SA) in inoculated plants was higher than that in the control, and biosynthesis-related genes StNPR1, StPR1b, StPR2, StPR5 were activated. However, there was no significant difference in the jasmonic acid and ethylene (JA/ET) content between the treatment and control groups. These results demonstrated that the attenuated isolate Vn-1 enhanced resistance to Verticillium wilt by inducing the SA signalling pathway and weakly activating the JA/ET signalling pathways in potatoes.
Response of Soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) and Weed Control with Postemergence Herbicides and Combinations of Cytokinin Mixtures
Authors: Bowman Hunter D. , Hydrick Huntington T. , Bond Jason A. , Allen Thomas W.
Published: December 2022

A field study was conducted in 2015 and 2016 in Stoneville, MS, to evaluate the influence of cytokinin products on soybean injury and weed control when combined with common POST soybean herbicide treatments. Cytokinin treatments included no cytokinin mixture and two formulated cytokinin mixtures (kinetin-1 and kinetin-2) applied at 0.000227 kg ai ha−1. Herbicide treatments were no herbicide, glyphosate at 1.37 kg ae ha−1 alone and in combination with S-metolachlor at 1.42 kg ai ha−1 or fomesafen 0.395 kg ai ha−1. The addition of cytokinin treatments had no impact on soybean injury, plant height, or yield. Glyphosate plus fomesafen provided the greatest level of Palmer amaranth control, between 84 and 67%., 7 days and 28 days after treatment, respectively. Barnyardgrass control with glyphosate plus fomesafen was antagonized by one of two cytokinin products. To prevent possible reductions in herbicide efficacy, tank mixtures with cytokinin products should not be applied to soybean in POST herbicide applications.