bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Evaluating Drivers of Fintech Adoption in the Netherlands
Authors: Hasan Rashedul , Ashfaq Muhammad , Shao Lingli
Published: August 2021

The development of smartphones and mobile internet technologies has promoted the development of mobile payments worldwide. The core purpose of this study is to ascertain what the main factors are which affect Dutch customers’ adoption and experience of mobile payments. This study first addresses the concepts of mobile payments and customer experience and then explores the current Dutch financial and banking systems, before attempting to understand the recent researches worldwide on mobile payments. Based on quantitative research methods, the study examines the factors that influence the adoption and experience of mobile payments and the impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak on payment methods due to social distancing rules in the Netherlands. It finds that perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, safety and trust are the main factors that affect the adoption of mobile payments, and mobile-payment providers need to improve technical protection and offer some benefits to boost the mobile-payment business. The COVID-19 outbreak has caused the decline of cash payments and the increase of contactless payments in the Netherlands; mobile payments ensure people’s health and help slow down the spread of the virus.
Do Market Conditions Affect the Tracking Efficiency of Exchange-traded Funds? Evidence from Developed and Emerging Markets
Authors: Neto Augusto Ferreira da Costa , Klötzle Marcelo Cabús , Pinto Antonio Carlos Figueiredo
Published: August 2021

This study examines the tracking efficiency of a sample of exchange-traded funds (ETFs) from seven different emerging and developed markets, in bullish and bearish market conditions, using the data from daily closing prices. It seeks to address two major questions. First, do ETFs from both developed and emerging markets have the same behaviour regarding tracking their underlying indexes? Second, is ETFs tracking ability affected by events that could change market conditions from a bullish to a bearish pattern, and vice-versa? Our findings suggest that tracking error appears to be higher in emerging markets when compared to developed markets. Furthermore, tracking error was found to be relatively higher in bearish conditions for developed markets, while this was quite the opposite in emerging markets.
Book review: Esteban Pérez Caldentey, Roy Harrod
Authors: Thomas Alex M.
Published: August 2021

Esteban Pérez Caldentey, Roy Harrod. Palgrave Macmillan, 2019, xix + 455 pp. 87 (HB) 73Ä (ebook).
Quality and Determinants of Primary Education in Rural India
Authors: Das Subhasish , Biswas Amit K.
Published: August 2021

India’s achievement in the elementary level of education has been praiseworthy in terms of enrolment. This article tries to examine whether or not India’s performance is equally impressive from the qualitative perspective. It is based on secondary cross-section state level data on the ability of the students to read (vernacular) and calculate. The study identifies the high and low performing states in India and analyses their performance over the years, especially after the introduction of right to education (RTE) Act, 2009. It also discusses the factors that have positive or negative impacts on the learning outcomes. The analysis unveils retrogression of the quality parameter over the years. The policies have emphasised on steady expansion in enrolment without paying required attention to the standards of learning. The compromise on the quality of primary education diminishes the splendour of India’s achievement in education.
Sarcopenia measured with paraspinous muscle using computed tomography for predicting prognosis in elderly pneumonia patients
Authors: Bae Sung Jin , Kim Keon , Yun Seong Jong , Lee Sun Hwa
Published: August 2021

Background:

In the elderly, diagnostic findings of pneumonia are often atypical. Computed tomography was recommended for the diagnosis of pneumonia in elderly patients. Recently, the usage of computed tomography as a screening tool for pneumonia in emergency departments has increased. Sarcopenia is defined as the loss of skeletal muscle mass and strength with aging. In this study, the association between sarcopenia and prognosis measured through computed tomography was evaluated compared to CURB-65.

Methods:

This study was conducted on patients diagnosed with pneumonia through computed tomography from 1 March 2018 to 31 March 2020. The paraspinous muscle size and attenuation were measured at a level located at the T12 pedicle level on axial computed tomography images. Paraspinous muscle size was presented as paraspinous muscle index. Differences in the prognostic performance among the paraspinous muscle size and attenuation, and CURB-65 were evaluated by the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve.

Results:

A total of 509 patients were included and 132 patients (25.9%) were admitted to the ICU, and 58 patients (11.4%) died in hospital. Paraspinous muscle index was the significant factor for predicting in-hospital mortality and ICU admission. The area under the receiver operating characteristic value of paraspinous muscle index for prediction of mortality was 0.738 and CURB-65 was 0.707. The area under the receiver operating characteristic of paraspinous muscle index and CURB-65 for predicting ICU admission were 0.766 and 0.704, respectively.

Conclusion:

As a method of measuring sarcopenia, paraspinous muscle index was superior to CURB-65 in elderly pneumonia patients. The use of computed tomography in predicting prognosis for elderly pneumonia patients will ease the economic burden.
Constantly on the move Chinese engineers’ job-hopping strategies in information technology work
Authors: Wu Tongyu
Published: August 2021

This article examines Chinese immigrant engineers’ navigation in the highly flexible information technology (IT) industry in the United States and their strategies of utilizing the high-velocity labour market to their advantage. Flexible employment has grown both in prevalence and prominence in the study of the American IT industry. What flexibility theorists fail to attend to, however, is the ethnicised demission of the high-velocity labour market in the IT sector. To address this vacancy, the researcher conducted a 13-month ethnography at a leading internet-services firm in the United States and 66 additional interviews with engineers from eight leading tech companies. The ethnographic work showed that inequality that emerged within the tech firms (e.g. ‘bamboo ceilings’) disadvantaged Chinese engineers’ career development. The ‘bamboo ceiling’ stimulated Chinese immigrants to use the high-velocity labour market to normalize their job-hopping practices, in order to circumvent their career disadvantage. To facilitate their job-hopping, Chinese engineers developed university-based networks. This study concludes that, with help of their university network, Chinese immigrants became the most mobile group in the US tech industry, which further preserved the industry’s flexibility.
The Role of Debriefing in a Community Health Study Abroad
Authors: Steppe Johnathan , White Mary Katherine T. , Keen Diane L. , Blake Barbara J. , Thompson Jon
Published: August 2021

Study abroad experiences offer nursing students the opportunity to develop cultural competence and sensitivity while providing care within the context of a different culture. Debriefing is a strategy that engages students in conversation and active reflection to process emotions, examine personal values, and synthesize knowledge gained from active learning experiences. While debriefing can enhance learning outcomes in study abroad programs, there is currently a paucity of literature that explores its use within the context of study abroad. In this article, we describe a structured debriefing approach we use in an international community health clinical experience. We conclude with a discussion of the lessons we have learned to improve the effectiveness of our debriefing sessions and recommendations for future research.
Ectomesenchymal Chondromyxoid Tumor: A Rare Association With an Asymmetrical Soft Palate Cleft
Authors: Naidoo Sharan , Roode Gieljam J. , Bütow Kurt W. , Meer Shabnum
Published: August 2021

Ectomesenchymal chondromyxoid tumor (ECT) is a rare oral lesion first described by Smith et al. in 1995 . These tumors are typically painless, slow growing and benign masses occurring predominantly on the anterior tongue dorsum. Prior to this seminal report, many ECTs may have been misdiagnosed due to the histological similarities with other lesions. Immunohistochemical stains aid in definitive diagnosis of an ECT. A total of 39 papers since published have reported 96 patients with ECT. Most lesions involve the anterior aspect of the tongue, with only 6 occurring in the posterior tongue and 2 involving the hard palate. ECTs are considered to develop from ectomesenchymal cells of neural crest cells that have migrated to the tongue during embryological development. This paper is of a rare case of ECT of the posterolateral tongue occurring in association with an unusual asymmetrical soft palate cleft. It is postulated that since the tongue develops before the formation of the soft palate, an ECT lesion occurring on the posterior aspect may have a causal contribution to the development of the soft palate cleft.
A Review of Direct Oral Anticoagulants in Patients With Stage 5 or End-Stage Kidney Disease
Authors: Starr Jessica A. , Pinner Nathan A. , Mannis Melanie , Stuart Mary Katherine
Published: August 2021

Objective:

To evaluate the role of oral anticoagulation in patients with stage 5 chronic kidney disease (CKD-5) or end-stage kidney disease (ESKD).

Data Sources:

A literature search of PubMed (January 2000 to July 1, 2021), the Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar databases (through April 1, 2021) was performed with keywords DOAC (direct-acting oral anticoagulant) OR NOAC or dabigatran OR rivaroxaban OR apixaban OR edoxaban AND end-stage kidney disease combined with atrial fibrillation (AF) or venous thromboembolism (VTE) OR pulmonary embolism OR deep-vein thrombosis.

Study Selection and Data Extraction:

Case-control, cohort, and randomized controlled trials comparing DOACs to an active control for AF or VTE in patients with CKD-5 or ESKD and reporting outcomes of stroke, recurrent thromboembolism, or major bleeding were included.

Data Synthesis:

Nine studies were included. Efficacy data supporting routine use of warfarin or DOACs in CKD-5 or ESKD are limited. Rivaroxaban and apixaban may provide enhanced safety compared to warfarin in patients with AF. Data for VTE are limited to 1 retrospective study.

Relevance to Patient Care and Clinical Practice:

Because of the paucity of rigorous, prospective studies in CKD-5 or ESKD, OACs should not be broadly used in this population. It is clear that data regarding efficacy of DOACs cannot be reliably and safely extrapolated from the non-ESKD population. Therefore, use of OACs in this population should be individualized.

Conclusions:

If OACs for stroke prevention with AF are deemed necessary, apixaban or rivaroxaban can be considered. DOACs cannot currently be recommended over warfarin in patients with CKD-5 or ESKD and VTE.
Diagnostic sensitivity of vitrectomy and vitreous biopsy for vitritis
Authors: Kumaran Neruban , Tan Shi Zhuan , Neffendorf James E , Robins Julian J , Dell’Aversana Orabona Giancarlo , Williamson Tom H
Published: August 2021

Purpose:

To investigate sensitivity of diagnostic vitrectomy and vitreous biopsy for patients with vitritis of unknown aetiology.

Methods:

Retrospective analysis of all vitrectomies and vitreous biopsies, performed at St Thomas’ Hospital, London, UK, for vitritis between February 2001 and February 2019. Patients were identified using the VITREOR database and records were reviewed. Patients were categorised as infectious, non-infectious or masquerade based on final diagnosis. Sensitivity of both diagnostic pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) and vitreous cutter biopsy in each category was investigated. Furthermore, data on gender, age, and method of anaesthesia were also collected.

Results:

In our cohort, 64 patients underwent PPV with a diagnostic sensitivity of 67% (43/64) overall and 60% (18/30), 56% (9/16) and 89% (16/18) for those with infectious, masquerade and non-infectious aetiologies, respectively. In comparison, 96 patients underwent a vitreous cutter biopsy with diagnostic sensitivity of 74% (71/96) overall and 71% (55/77), 67% (4/6) and 92% (12/13) for those with infectious, masquerade and non-infectious aetiologies, respectively. No statistically significant difference in sensitivity was identified between the vitrectomy and vitreous biopsy groups for either aetiology. Patients undergoing vitrectomy were noted to be older ( p = 0.02) and more likely to undergo a general anaesthetic ( p < 0.01).

Conclusions:

Herein we demonstrate similar diagnostic sensitivity of PPV and vitreous cutter biopsy in patients with vitritis of unknown aetiology.
Inadequacies of regulations on supplementary pension plans in Central and Eastern European countries
Authors: Rutecka-Góra Joanna
Published: August 2021

The supplementary occupational and individual pension systems in Central and Eastern European countries (CEE) are poorly regulated while their architecture is very complex. Law on supplementary pensions focuses on ensuring financial security of financial institutions, their liquidity and solvency, as well as on stimulating the development of additional pension protection understood as higher coverage and assets under management. The efficiency guarantees and cost limits have not been implemented and the profitability of such products for individual savers is rarely assessed. The analyses conducted on the regulation of voluntary old-age pension systems in Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and The Czech Republic indicated the main inadequacies of the supplementary old-age provision offered. They relate to the lack of preliminary and regular product assessment, inadequacy of plan design, efficiency and costliness. The recommended changes relate to risk sharing, forms of pension benefits, limits on costs, information policy and transparency.
Emotions in human research ethics guidelines: Beyond risk, harm and pathology
Authors: Olson Rebecca E
Published: August 2021

Drawing on a discourse analysis of emotions in national human research ethics guidelines from Australia, Singapore, the United Kingdom and United States, I argue that such guidelines treat emotions as superfluous, harmful, risky and threats to rational decision-making. Such uncritical appreciation of emotions sees instructions to show ‘respect’ position non-Western participants as ‘the other’, sees directives to consider ‘emotional welfare’ undermine the autonomy of people from ostensibly vulnerable groups, and risks undermining qualitative research’s cathartic potential. These findings underpin a call to revise guidelines to position emotions as part of everyday life; and to encourage researchers to adopt embodied, caring and emotionally reflexive approaches to human research, where researchers draw on guidelines and emotions in deciding how to produce ethical research.
Design of cab seat suspension system for construction machinery based on negative stiffness structure
Authors: Liao Xin , Du Xiaofei , Li Shaohua
Published: August 2021

In order to improve the vibration isolation performance of cab seat and ride comfort of the driver, a seat suspension structure of construction machinery cab is proposed based on negative stiffness structure (NSS) in this paper. The influences of different parameters of suspension system on dynamic stiffness are analyzed. The configuration parameter range of suspension system is obtained. Then, the nonlinear dynamic equation of the seat suspension system is established and the NSS optimization model is proposed. The vibration transmissibility characteristics of suspension structure are analyzed by different methods. The results show that the displacement and acceleration amplitude of optimized seat suspension system are obviously reduced, and the VDV and RMS in the vertical vibration direction for the seat are respectively decreased by 87% and 86%. The vibration transmissibility rate SEAT and the Ttrans are both decreased. Moreover, the peak frequencies of the vibration transmitted to the driver are not near the key frequency values which are easy to cause human discomfort. It indicates that the design of seat suspension system has no effect on the health condition of the driver after being vibrated. The advantages of vibration isolation performance of the designed NSS suspension system are demonstrated, improving the driver’s ride comfort and the working environment.
Systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical outcomes of COVID-19 patients undergoing gastrointestinal endoscopy
Authors: Tan Xiangzhou , Guo Jianping , Chen Zihua , Königsrainer Alfred , Wichmann Dörte
Published: August 2021

Background:

The impact of gastrointestinal endoscopy on COVID-19 infection remains poorly investigated. We herein performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the outcomes of COVID-19 in patients undergoing gastrointestinal endoscopy.

Method:

Ovid Medline, Ovid EMBASE, Ovid the Cochrane Library, and other electronic databases were searched until 30 November 2020 to identify publications with confirmed COVID-19 infection in patients undergoing gastrointestinal endoscopy. The primary outcomes were SARS-CoV-2 transmission, personal protective equipment use, rates of case fatality, complications, and procedural success.

Results:

A total of 18 articles involving 329 patients were included in this systematic review and meta-analysis. The overall basic reproduction rate is 0.37, while the subgroup results from Asia, Europe, and North America are 0.13, 0.44, and 0.33, respectively. The differences in personal protective equipment use between the positive transmission and non-transmission group are mainly in isolation gowns, N95 or equivalent masks, and goggles or face-shields. The rate of case fatality, complication, and procedural success are 0.17 (95% confidence interval = 0.02–0.38), 0.00 (95% confidence interval = 0.00–0.02), and 0.89 (95% confidence interval = 0.50–1.00), respectively. The fatality rate in Europe was the highest (0.23, 95% confidence interval = 0.04–0.50), which is significantly different from other continents ( p = 0.034).

Conclusion:

The risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission within gastrointestinal endoscopy units is considerably low if proper use of personal protective equipment is applied. Similarly, a low fatality and complication rate, as well as a high procedural success rate, indicated that a full recovery of endoscopic units should be considered.
The first case report of primary thyroid teratocarcinosarcoma: An analog to sinonasal teratocarcinosarcoma
Authors: Abayie Akwasi Ofori , Nyarko Kofi Mensah , Bährle Markus , Brütting Alfred
Published: August 2021

Teratocarcinosarcoma is a rare and aggressive tumor usually affecting the sinonasal tract. It arises primarily from the nasal cavity, paranasal sinuses with some reported cases arising from the nasopharynx and oral cavity and commonly referred to as Sinonasal Teratocarcinosarcoma (SNTC). We present the first case of teratocarcinosarcoma as a primary thyroid cancer in a 17-year-old male patient who presented with a rapidly growing anterior neck mass with no symptoms. Physical examination revealed circa 4 cm × 5 cm slightly right sided, non-tender, firm anterior neck swelling. A thyroid ultrasound revealed an enlarged thyroid gland with multiple thyroid nodes. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) of the head and neck showed no sinonasal tract tumor. Thyroidectomy and surgical resection of the tumor was performed. Histological examination revealed teratocarcinosarcoma of the thyroid gland, an analog to SNTC with no primary sinonasal tissue involvement. This implies that, teratocarcinosarcoma can occur in primary tissues other than sinonasal origin contrary to conventional knowledge.
An update on prevention of malaria in travelers
Authors: Agudelo Higuita Nelson Iván , White Bryan Pinckney , Franco-Paredes Carlos , McGhee Miranda Ann
Published: August 2021

Malaria, a parasitic disease caused by protozoa belonging to the genus Plasmodium, continues to represent a formidable public health challenge. Despite being a preventable disease, cases reported among travelers have continued to increase in recent decades. Protection of travelers against malaria, a potentially life-threatening disease, is of paramount importance, and it is therefore necessary for healthcare professionals to be up to date with the most recent recommendations. The present review provides an update of the existent measures for malaria prevention among travelers.
Preparing Job Coaches to Implement Systematic Instructional Strategies to Teach Vocational Tasks
Authors: Wenzel John D. , Fisher Marisa H. , Brodhead Matthew T.
Published: August 2021

Job coaches are not typically trained to implement systematic instructional strategies to teach vocational skills to students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). This study replicated and expanded the evaluation of a job coach behavioral skills training program designed by Brock et al. (2016) to teach participants to implement task analysis, simultaneous prompting, and system of least prompts to teach vocational tasks to students with IDD. We used a multiple probe design with probe conditions across strategies, replicated across three participants, to assess acquisition and generalization. Participants demonstrated mastery of the three instructional strategies in simulated assessments with actors and generalized use of the strategies to teach novel vocational tasks to student interns with IDD. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.
Online Reputation and Stress: Discovering the Dark Side of Social Media
Authors: Amin Faseeh , Khan Mohammad Furqan
Published: August 2021

The research on social media has mostly focused on its utilitarian aspects for both businesses and individuals. With growing embedment of social media in our individual affairs, it is important to study its negative impact on its users. This study provides an important perspective by studying social media user’s concern for online reputation and its relationship with stress which is moderated by social media dependency. This study was conducted on university students in India on a sample size of 350. Using Structural Equation Modeling, the relationship between ‘concern for online reputation’ and ‘social media stress’ was tested which revealed there is a positive relationship between the two variables. The results also suggest positive moderating role played by social media dependency in the relationship between ‘concern for online reputation’ and ‘social media stress’. This study has important implication for sociologist, psychiatrists and psychologists who will be keen to study this domain. Since this study was conducted on university students, it also has implications for parents and guardians who want to keep a check on their wards to prevent them from stress caused by social media usage.
COVID, Its Impact on the Mental Health of Caregivers in Childcare Institutions of South Asian Countries and Their Coping Techniques: Analysis of the Caregivers in Childcare Institutions Using Data from Seven South Asian Countries
Authors: Modi Kiran , Kalra Gurneet , Prasad Leena , Babrakzai Najeebullah
Published: August 2021

Widely across the globe, COVID has placed massive strain on various parameters of life, including child protection, health, education and economic systems. Apart from these visible threats, this situation has an ongoing devastating impact on the mental health and psychological well-being of people. The word of the law enforces care and support for children with disadvantages, disabilities and vulnerabilities on caregivers, Managers and Staff, managing Alternative Care programmes, but the spirit of such child protection laws also underlines the importance of caring for caregivers, especially in childcare institutions (CCIs). The well-being of the caregivers is the cornerstone of every well-functioning childcare institution and other residential care spaces. This article is designed to document the mental health status of caregivers (residential staff staying with children), in residential care spaces in the COVID times and to determine how the new stresses impacted them and the coping patterns they acquired in current situation; across different countries of South Asia, including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

This exploratory rapid assessment project aimed to reach out to the registered childcare homes/ institutions, across the South Asian region, with the help of different NGOs, as well as Government mechanisms. The data was collected through purposive sampling and analysed quantitatively where the sample included the selected caregivers of participating CCIs across these nations. This study aimed to synthesize the responses of caregivers across the region; develop an analysis, which may help authorities to rethink, reform and strengthen the current practices, in order to develop approach-centred strategies for improving the well-being of caregivers as this has a direct bearing on the well-being of children in their care. Since the start of the COVID pandemic, for the residential caregivers, the access to external resources, including physical support from professional staff, has become restricted to bare minimum, due to lockdown and quarantine measures. Any interventions to prevent, treat and mitigate the effects of COVID among caregivers needed to be taken at the ground level by the care team management.
Leveraging an Ambulatory Patient and Family Advisory Council to Improve Patient Experience Scores
Authors: Lee Susan Y.
Published: August 2021

Reports have shown that ambulatory primary care practices that include patients and families in their quality improvement efforts have many benefits including better relationships and interactions with patients. In this paper, we describe our experience of involving our patients, family, and staff who are members of or Patient and Family Advisory Council (PFAC) in our quality improvement efforts related to patient experience. For a year, members of the PFAC suggested creative implementations to our office policies and workflow to improve satisfaction scores on the Clinician and Group Consumer Assessment of Health care Providers and Systems survey in key areas: information about delays, wait times in clinic, and convenience of appointments.
Sambalpuri Handloom Weavers’ Livelihood: An Analysis of Western Odisha Clusters, India
Authors: Das Tushar Kanti
Published: August 2021

The study aims to examine the livelihood of Sambalpuri handloom weavers of Western Odisha, India. By using the primary field survey data and analysing both the qualitative and quantitative data, it presents the socio-economic conditions of the weavers. A binary choice model is used to analyse the livelihood of weavers. The analysis shows that although the price of the product is quite high, almost all the weavers are not satisfied with the amount of the emoluments that they receive. The middleman plays a critical role in marketing. But the actual benefits from marketing the Sambalpuri handloom products are going to middleman rather than weavers. It recommends making necessary policies both by the central as well as the state governments to rescue these handloom weavers.
Tesco: Entry and Expansion Strategy in India
Authors: Kar Sanjay Kumar , Bansal Rohit , Mishra Saroj
Published: August 2021

The management was reviewing Tesco’s entry into India and its joint venture Trent Hypermarket Private Limited’s operations. After withdrawal from Thailand and Malaysia, India remained one of the most important retail destinations for Tesco. The management was pondering over the expansion of operations in India. The local leadership was entrusted with developing a Roadmap-2025 with an inclusive store expansion plan to build profitability by delivering high customer value.
Impact of PTPN11 mutations on clinical outcome analyzed in 1529 patients with acute myeloid leukemia
Authors: Stasik Sebastian , Eckardt Jan-Niklas , Kramer Michael , Röllig Christoph , Krämer Alwin , Scholl Sebastian , Hochhaus Andreas , Crysandt Martina , Brümmendorf Tim H. , Naumann Ralph , Steffen Björn , Kunzmann Volker , Einsele Hermann , Schaich Markus , Burchert Andreas , Neubauer Andreas , Schäfer-Eckart Kerstin , Schliemann Christoph , Krause Stefan , Herbst Regina , Hänel Mathias , Frickhofen Norbert , Noppeney Richard , Kaiser Ulrich , Baldus Claudia D. , Kaufmann Martin , Rácil Zdenek , Platzbecker Uwe , Berdel Wolfgang E. , Mayer Jiri , Serve Hubert , Müller-Tidow Carsten , Ehninger Gerhard , Bornhäuser Martin , Schetelig Johannes , Middeke Jan M. , Thiede Christian ,   on behalf of the Study Alliance Leukemia (SAL)
Published: August 2021

The tyrosine-protein phosphatase nonreceptor type 11 (PTPN11) is an important regulator of RAS signaling and frequently affected by mutations in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Despite the relevance for leukemogenesis and as a potential therapeutic target, the prognostic role is controversial. To investigate the prognostic impact of PTPN11 mutations, we analyzed 1529 adult AML patients using next-generation sequencing. PTPN11 mutations were detected in 106 of 1529 (6.93%) patients (median VAF: 24%) in dominant (36%) and subclonal (64%) configuration. Patients with PTPN11 mutations were associated with concomitant mutations in NPM1 (63%), DNMT3A (37%), and NRAS (21%) and had a higher rate of European LeukemiaNet (ELN) favorable cytogenetics (57.8% vs 39.1%; P < .001) and higher white blood cell counts (P = .007) compared with PTPN11 wild-type patients. In a multivariable analysis, PTPN11 mutations were independently associated with poor overall survival (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.75; P < .001), relapse-free survival (HR: 1.52; P = .013), and a lower rate of complete remission (odds ratio: 0.46; P = .008). Importantly, the deleterious effect of PTPN11 mutations was confined predominantly to the ELN favorable-risk group and patients with subclonal PTPN11 mutations (HR: 2.28; P < .001) but not found with dominant PTPN11 mutations (HR: 1.07; P = .775), presumably because of significant differences within the rate and spectrum of associated comutations. In conclusion, our data suggest an overall poor prognostic impact of PTPN11 mutations in AML, which is significantly modified by the underlying cytogenetics and the clonal context in which they occur.
Adaptive Multi-modal Fusion Instance Segmentation for CAEVs in Complex Conditions: Dataset, Framework and Verifications
Authors: Peng Pai , Geng Keke , Yin Guodong , Lu Yanbo , Zhuang Weichao , Liu Shuaipeng
Published: August 2021

Current works of environmental perception for connected autonomous electrified vehicles (CAEVs) mainly focus on the object detection task in good weather and illumination conditions, they often perform poorly in adverse scenarios and have a vague scene parsing ability. This paper aims to develop an end-to-end sharpening mixture of experts (SMoE) fusion framework to improve the robustness and accuracy of the perception systems for CAEVs in complex illumination and weather conditions. Three original contributions make our work distinctive from the existing relevant literature. The Complex KITTI dataset is introduced which consists of 7481 pairs of modified KITTI RGB images and the generated LiDAR dense depth maps, and this dataset is fine annotated in instance-level with the proposed semi-automatic annotation method. The SMoE fusion approach is devised to adaptively learn the robust kernels from complementary modalities. Comprehensive comparative experiments are implemented, and the results show that the proposed SMoE framework yield significant improvements over the other fusion techniques in adverse environmental conditions. This research proposes a SMoE fusion framework to improve the scene parsing ability of the perception systems for CAEVs in adverse conditions.
Acoustics Based Monitoring and Diagnostics for the Progressive Deterioration of Helical Gearboxes
Authors: Lu Kaibo , Gu James Xi , Fan Hongwei , Sun Xiuquan , Li Bing , Gu Fengshou
Published: August 2021

Gearbox condition monitoring (CM) plays a significant role in ensuring the operational reliability and efficiency of a wide range of critical industrial systems such as wind turbines and helicopters. Accurate and timely diagnosis of gear faults will improve the maintenance of gearboxes operating under sub-optimal conditions, avoid excessive energy consumption and prevent avoidable damages to systems. This study focuses on developing CM for a multi-stage helical gearbox using airborne sound. Based on signal phase alignments, Modulation Signal Bispectrum (MSB) analysis allows random noise and interrupting events in sound signals to be suppressed greatly and obtains nonlinear modulation features in association with gear dynamics. MSB coherence is evaluated for selecting the reliable bi-spectral peaks for indication of gear deterioration. A run-to-failure test of two industrial gearboxes was tested under various loading conditions. Two omnidirectional microphones were fixed near the gearboxes to sense acoustic information during operation. It has been shown that compared against vibration based CM, acoustics can perceive the responses of vibration in a larger areas and contains more comprehensive and stable information related to gear dynamics variation due to wear. Also, the MSB magnitude peaks at the first three harmonic components of gear mesh and rotation components are demonstrated to be sufficient in characterizing the gradual deterioration of gear transmission. Consequently, the combining of MSB peaks with baseline normalization yields more accurate monitoring trends and diagnostics, allowing the gradual deterioration process and gear wear location to be represented more consistently.
Conifer: clonal tree inference for tumor heterogeneity with single-cell and bulk sequencing data
Authors: Baghaarabani Leila , Goliaei Sama , Foroughmand-Araabi Mohammad-Hadi , Shariatpanahi Seyed Peyman , Goliaei Bahram
Published: August 2021

Background

Genetic heterogeneity of a cancer tumor that develops during clonal evolution is one of the reasons for cancer treatment failure, by increasing the chance of drug resistance. Clones are cell populations with different genotypes, resulting from differences in somatic mutations that occur and accumulate during cancer development. An appropriate approach for identifying clones is determining the variant allele frequency of mutations that occurred in the tumor. Although bulk sequencing data can be used to provide that information, the frequencies are not informative enough for identifying different clones with the same prevalence and their evolutionary relationships. On the other hand, single-cell sequencing data provides valuable information about branching events in the evolution of a cancerous tumor. However, the temporal order of mutations may be determined with ambiguities using only single-cell data, while variant allele frequencies from bulk sequencing data can provide beneficial information for inferring the temporal order of mutations with fewer ambiguities.

Result

In this study, a new method called Conifer (ClONal tree Inference For hEterogeneity of tumoR) is proposed which combines aggregated variant allele frequency from bulk sequencing data with branching event information from single-cell sequencing data to more accurately identify clones and their evolutionary relationships. It is proven that the accuracy of clone identification and clonal tree inference is increased by using Conifer compared to other existing methods on various sets of simulated data. In addition, it is discussed that the evolutionary tree provided by Conifer on real cancer data sets is highly consistent with information in both bulk and single-cell data.

Conclusions

In this study, we have provided an accurate and robust method to identify clones of tumor heterogeneity and their evolutionary history by combining single-cell and bulk sequencing data.
Experimental increase of worker diversity benefits brood production in ants
Authors: Psalti Marina N. , Gohlke Dustin , Libbrecht Romain
Published: August 2021

Background

The reproductive division of labor of eusocial insects, whereby one or several queens monopolize reproduction, evolved in a context of high genetic relatedness. However, many extant eusocial species have developed strategies that decrease genetic relatedness in their colonies, suggesting some benefits of the increased diversity. Multiple studies support this hypothesis by showing positive correlations between genetic diversity and colony fitness, as well as finding effects of experimental manipulations of diversity on colony performance. However, alternative explanations could account for most of these reports, and the benefits of diversity on performance in eusocial insects still await validation. In this study, we experimentally increased worker diversity in small colonies of the ant Lasius niger while controlling for typical confounding factors.

Results

We found that experimental colonies composed of workers coming from three different source colonies produced more larvae and showed more variation in size compared to groups of workers coming from a single colony.

Conclusions

We propose that the benefits of increased diversity stemmed from an improved division of labor. Our study confirms that worker diversity enhances colony performance, thus providing a possible explanation for the evolution of multiply mated queens and multiple-queen colonies in many species of eusocial insects.
A validated generally applicable approach using the systematic assessment of disease modules by GWAS reveals a multi-omic module strongly associated with risk factors in multiple sclerosis
Authors: Badam Tejaswi V. S. , de Weerd Hendrik A. , Martínez-Enguita David , Olsson Tomas , Alfredsson Lars , Kockum Ingrid , Jagodic Maja , Lubovac-Pilav Zelmina , Gustafsson Mika
Published: August 2021

Background

There exist few, if any, practical guidelines for predictive and falsifiable multi-omic data integration that systematically integrate existing knowledge. Disease modules are popular concepts for interpreting genome-wide studies in medicine but have so far not been systematically evaluated and may lead to corroborating multi-omic modules.

Result

We assessed eight module identification methods in 57 previously published expression and methylation studies of 19 diseases using GWAS enrichment analysis. Next, we applied the same strategy for multi-omic integration of 20 datasets of multiple sclerosis (MS), and further validated the resulting module using both GWAS and risk-factor-associated genes from several independent cohorts. Our benchmark of modules showed that in immune-associated diseases modules inferred from clique-based methods were the most enriched for GWAS genes. The multi-omic case study using MS data revealed the robust identification of a module of 220 genes. Strikingly, most genes of the module were differentially methylated upon the action of one or several environmental risk factors in MS (n = 217, P = 10− 47) and were also independently validated for association with five different risk factors of MS, which further stressed the high genetic and epigenetic relevance of the module for MS.

Conclusions

We believe our analysis provides a workflow for selecting modules and our benchmark study may help further improvement of disease module methods. Moreover, we also stress that our methodology is generally applicable for combining and assessing the performance of multi-omic approaches for complex diseases.
Light dominates the diurnal emissions of herbivore-induced volatiles in wild tobacco
Authors: He Jun , Halitschke Rayko , Schuman Meredith C. , Baldwin Ian T.
Published: August 2021

Background

Timing is everything when it comes to the fitness outcome of a plant’s ecological interactions, and accurate timing is particularly relevant for interactions with herbivores or mutualists that are based on ephemeral emissions of volatile organic compounds. Previous studies of the wild tobacco N. attenuata have found associations between the diurnal timing of volatile emissions, and daytime predation of herbivores by their natural enemies.

Results

Here, we investigated the role of light in regulating two biosynthetic groups of volatiles, terpenoids and green leaf volatiles (GLVs), which dominate the herbivore-induced bouquet of N. attenuata. Light deprivation strongly suppressed terpenoid emissions while enhancing GLV emissions, albeit with a time lag. Silencing the expression of photoreceptor genes did not alter terpenoid emission rhythms, but silencing expression of the phytochrome gene, NaPhyB1, disordered the emission of the GLV (Z)-3-hexenyl acetate. External abscisic acid (ABA) treatments increased stomatal resistance, but did not truncate the emission of terpenoid volatiles (recovered in the headspace). However, ABA treatment enhanced GLV emissions and leaf internal pools (recovered from tissue), and reduced internal linalool pools. In contrast to the pattern of diurnal terpenoid emissions and nocturnal GLV emissions, transcripts of herbivore-induced plant volatile (HIPV) biosynthetic genes peaked during the day. The promotor regions of these genes were populated with various cis-acting regulatory elements involved in light-, stress-, phytohormone- and circadian regulation.

Conclusions

This research provides insights into the complexity of the mechanisms involved in the regulation of HIPV bouquets, a mechanistic complexity which rivals the functional complexity of HIPVs, which includes repelling herbivores, calling for body guards, and attracting pollinators.
Adjuvant chemotherapy is an additional option for locally advanced gastric cancer after radical gastrectomy with D2 lymphadenectomy: a retrospective control study
Authors: Chen Lei , Zhang Chenghai , Yao Zhendan , Cui Ming , Xing Jiadi , Yang Hong , Zhang Nan , Liu Maoxing , Xu Kai , Tan Fei , Li Yuzhe , Jiang Beihai , Su Xiangqian
Published: August 2021

Background

This study compared the long-term efficacy of different durations of adjuvant chemotherapy for patients with gastric cancer after radical gastrectomy with D2 lymphadenectomy.

Methods

We retrospectively identified 428 patients with stage II–III gastric cancer who underwent D2 gastrectomy between 2009 and 2016. Patients were divided into four groups according to the duration of adjuvant chemotherapy, including 0 week (no adjuvant, group A), 20 to 24 weeks (completed 7–8 cycles every 3 weeks or 10–12 cycles every 2 weeks, group B), and 12 to18 weeks (completed 4–6 cycles every 3 weeks or 6–9 cycles every 2 weeks, group C), and less than 12 weeks (received up to 3 cycles every 3 weeks or 5 cycles every 2 weeks, group D). The chemotherapy regimens included XELOX, SOX, and FOLFOX. 5-year overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) were analyzed.

Results

The 5-year OS rates for groups A, B, C, and D were 52.3, 73.7, 72.0, and 53.3%, respectively, and the 5-year DFS rates were 50.0, 68.0, 65.4, and 50.0%, respectively. OS and DFS were higher in group B than in groups A and D. Similarly, patients in group C were more likely to have higher OS and DFS than those in groups A and D. Meanwhile, there were no significant differences in OS and DFS between groups B and C. The multivariate analysis confirmed with high statistical significance the efficacy of complete courses of adjuvant chemotherapy, and, among them, the similar impact of 4–6/6–9 and 7–8/10–12 cycles, resulting in similar HRs vs Group A (0.52 and 0.42, respectively).

Conclusions

To reduce toxicity and maintain efficacy, XELOX or SOX chemotherapy regimens administered for 4–6 cycles every 3 weeks or FOLFOX regimen for 6–9 cycles every 2 weeks might be a favorable option for patients with stage II–III gastric cancer after D2 gastrectomy. Prospective multicenter clinical trials with adequate sample sizes are necessary to verify these findings.
Genetic predisposition to male breast cancer in Poland
Authors: Szwiec Marek , Tomiczek-Szwiec Joanna , Kluźniak Wojciech , Wokołorczyk Dominika , Osowiecka Karolina , Sibilski Robert , Wachowiak Małgorzata , Gronwald Jacek , Gronwald Helena , Lubiński Jan , Cybulski Cezary , Narod Steven A. , Huzarski Tomasz
Published: August 2021

Background

Breast cancer in men accounts for fewer than 1 % of all breast cancer cases diagnosed in men and women. Genes which predispose to male breast cancer include BRCA1 and BRCA2. The role of other genes is less clear. In Poland, 20 founder mutations in BRCA1, BRCA2, CHEK2, PALB2, NBN, RECQL are responsible for the majority of hereditary breast cancer cases in women, but the utility this genes panel has not been tested in men.

Methods

We estimated the prevalence of 20 alleles in six genes (BRCA1, BRCA2, CHEK2, PALB2, NBN, RECQL) in 165 Polish male breast cancer patients. We compared the frequency of selected variants in male breast cancer cases and controls.

Results

One of the 20 mutations was seen in 22 of 165 cases (13.3%). Only one BRCA1 mutation and two BRCA2 mutations were found. We observed statistically significant associations for PALB2 and CHEK2 truncating mutations. A PALB2 mutation was detected in four cases (OR = 11.66; p < 0.001). A CHEK2 truncating mutation was detected in five cases (OR = 2.93;p = 0.02).

Conclusion

In conclusion, we recommend that a molecular test for BRCA1, BRCA2, PALB2 and CHEK2 recurrent mutations should be offered to male breast cancer patients in Poland.
Demographic and prognostic factors of optic nerve astrocytoma: a retrospective study of surveillance, epidemiology, and end results (SEER)
Authors: Zhang Mingui , Chen Tao , Zhong Yisheng
Published: August 2021

Background

Optic nerve astrocytomas (ONAs) are neurological neoplasms in the central nervous system (CNS), and they have the highest incidence rate among all the tumor types in the visual pathway. In this study, we conducted a Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) -based research to explore the demographic, survival, and prognostic factors of patients diagnosed with ONAs.

Methods

Utilizing the SEER database, we retrospectively evaluated data of patients diagnosed with ONAs of all ages from 1984 to 2016. We used the Student’s t distribution to test variables of patients and various characteristics, and Kaplan-Meier curve to illustrate overall survival (OS) with 95.0% confidence intervals (CIs). We also performed univariate and multivariate analyses to evaluate various variables’ validity on overall survival.

Results

A total of 1004 cases were analyzed, and revealed that age (P<0.001, hazard ratio (HR) = 8.830, 95% CI: 4.088–19.073), tumor grade (P<0.001, HR = 1.927, 95% CI: 1.516–2.450), diagnostic confirmation (P<0.001, HR = 2.444, 95% CI: 1.632–3.660), and histology type (P = 0.046, HR = 1.563, 95% CI: 1.008–2.424) of the tumor were associated with decreased survival.

Conclusions

From this large, comparative study of ONAs, we found that younger age may be considered as a protective indicator, while high-grade astrocytic tumors have a worse prognosis. We also found that diagnostic confirmation and tumor grade were independent prognostic factors in this patient population.