bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Educating Nurses on the Use of the Clinical Opiate Withdrawal Scale to Improve Care of Adult Patients Undergoing Buprenorphine Induction
Authors: Uga Cecilia O. , Noe Shelly R. , Lynch Stephanie A. , Summers Linda O.
Published: November 2020

Introduction

Opioid addiction disease has become a global health and social problem complicated by drug misuse and abuse (Pearlman, 2016; Rettig & Yarmolinsky, 1995; Watkins, 2016). Buprenorphine, a partial opioid agonist, is an effective treatment for opioid addiction disease (Loreck et al., 2016). Its induction can trigger severe precipitated withdrawal in opioid-dependent patients whose mu receptors are occupied opioids (American Society of Addiction Medicine, 2015). Knowledge of assessing a patient's level of withdrawal using a validated tool is key to successful transition from other opioids to buprenorphine.

Aim

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of training nurses on the use of the Clinical Opioid Withdrawal Scale (COWS) screening instrument by assessing their confidence in assessing and satisfaction with communicating withdrawal information crucial for patient safety.

Method

Ten registered nurses and three nurse practitioners working at a mental health community service center completed two surveys at three time points (Pre, Post, and Post-90 days). The first survey measured nurses' confidence in assessing, whereas the second survey measured their satisfaction with communicating withdrawal symptoms.

Results

The means' (M) magnitude for both assessment and satisfaction scores increased with time (across Pre, Post, and Post-90). Standard deviations tended to become smaller. Improvements were noted in nurses' confidence in the assessment of and satisfaction in communicating withdrawal symptoms after the intervention.

Conclusion

Participants expressed increased knowledge, confidence, and satisfaction with the COWS screening instrument. Ultimately, the patients benefited from the participants having more experience, education, skills, and confidence in monitoring withdrawal symptoms depicted by aggregate data of COWS screenings postintervention.
Risk Factors of Binge Drinking in Adults Across Gender and Age Groups
Authors: Lee So Young , Chung Jeehae
Published: November 2020

Alcohol consumption has significantly increased in South Korea, with binge drinking looming as a serious issue. This study aimed to identify differences in drinking characteristics and the risk factors of binge drinking across three age groups: young adults, middle-aged adults, and seniors. This study was a descriptive, secondary analysis study based on the data from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2014. In this study, we analyzed data from 5,604 respondents aged 20 years and older using Rao–Scott chi-square and analysis of variance. To analyze the risk factors of binge drinking by gender and age groups, multiple logistic regression analysis was applied. Results indicated that the three age groups were significantly different in terms of sociodemographic characteristics, health-related behaviors, and drinking characteristics. Rates of binge drinking were much higher in young adults in both men and women. The factors influencing binge drinking varied by age group and gender; however, in both men and women, participants who drank alcohol once a month or more showed a significantly higher risk of binge drinking than those who did not across all age groups. Younger initial drinking age and daily smoking were key risk factors of binge drinking among young and middle-aged adults in both men and women. Given the findings from this study, interventions considering the differences in drinking characteristics and risk factors of binge drinking across the age groups as well as focusing on the risk of binge drinking among young adults must be developed in communities and clinical settings.
Empowering Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioners to Expand Treatment Opportunities for Veterans With Opioid Use Disorder
Authors: Jones Jennifer , Tierney Matthew , Jacobs Gabrielle , Chien Shao-Yun , Mallisham Sandra
Published: November 2020

Background

Few veterans with opioid use disorder receive effective treatment despite the Veterans Health Administration's efforts to expand treatment by offering buprenorphine, a medication to treat opioid use disorder (MOUD). An insufficient prescribing workforce contributes to the underutilization of buprenorphine; however, nurse practitioners (NPs) can now obtain a waiver to prescribe this medication. This quality improvement project aimed to expand the prescribing workforce by educating psychiatric mental health NPs (PMHNPs) working in an emergency setting at a Veterans Affairs Health Care System about free MOUD training and empowering them to utilize buprenorphine treatment.

Methods

Eleven PMHNPs were asked for their perception of prescribing buprenorphine. They were asked if they had an MOUD waiver and/or were aware of the free waiver training. The PMHNPs were educated on the importance and process of obtaining the DEA-X waiver, and then a post-intervention discussion was completed to determine if they completed the waiver training.

Results

At baseline, all 11 PMHNPs believed offering MOUD was important, but only three had the waiver to prescribe buprenorphine. After the education, three additional PMHNPs obtained the waiver and 10 planned to have the waiver in the next year. The department is planning to trial offering buprenorphine treatment, and PMHNPs at this facility are privileged to prescribe buprenorphine. In addition, five new PMHNP residents started or completed the training.

Conclusions

This project shows the potential to increase veteran access to MOUD by emphasizing education and empowering PMHNPs to initiate treatment. Providing education regarding the importance of buprenorphine treatment in the emergency setting and delivering information about the free waiver training facilitated workforce preparedness.
The Effect of Breathing Exercise on Nicotine Withdrawal Symptoms, Cigarette Cravings, and Affect
Authors: Klinsophon Thaniya , Thaveeratitham Premtip , Janwantanakul Prawit
Published: November 2020

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of a single bout of controlled deep breathing and a “three-part breathing” exercise on nicotine withdrawal symptoms, cigarette cravings, and affect. A secondary aim was to determine whether autonomic nervous system activity mediates these effects. Twenty-four participants attended one practical session followed by three intervention sessions on 3 separate days: control condition, controlled deep breathing, and three-part breathing. Participants were asked to abstain from smoking for 15 hours before intervention. Nicotine withdrawal symptoms, cigarette cravings, affect, and heart rate variability were assessed preintervention and again on four occasions postintervention: immediately postintervention and every 10 minutes on three more occasions. Results revealed that the three-part breathing exercise resulted in lower negative affect scores relative to control condition and controlled deep breathing immediately after postintervention (p < .05). In addition, high-frequency heart rate variability score was significantly reduced throughout the 30-minute session.
Nurse-Led Body–Mind–Spirit Based Relapse Prevention Intervention for People With Diagnosis of Alcohol Use Disorder at a Mental Health Care Setting, India
Authors: Ng Siu-man , Rentala Sreevani , Chan Cecilia L. W. , Nayak Raghavendra Bheemappa
Published: November 2020

Background

Alcohol dependence is associated with alcohol-related problems and persistent vulnerability to relapse. Despite newer medications, frequent relapses continue to occur. Hence, there is a need to look at holistic approaches to deal with this problem.

Objective

Evaluate the effectiveness of nurse-led body–mind–spirit (BMS)-based relapse prevention intervention on craving and quantity and frequency of alcohol consumption among alcohol-dependent individuals.

Methods

Randomized control trial was adopted, and the study was conducted at a mental health care setting in India. Sixty individuals with alcohol use disorder were randomly assigned to a BMS group (n = 30) and a treatment-as-usual (TAU) group (n = 30) between June 2017 and March 2018. Subjects of both groups were initially assessed for craving and quantity and frequency of alcohol consumption. BMS subjects received seven sessions of BMS intervention and routine treatment at de-addiction wards. The interventions comprise of body, mind, and spirit strategies that aid in handling triggers, accept responsibility for their own well-being and take charge of self health. TAU group subjects received only routine treatment. All the participants were followed up over 3 months postdischarge.

Results

Over 3 months of follow-up, BMS group subjects (vs. TAU group) reported significantly lesser quantity of alcohol consumption (F = 9.74, p < .001, η2 = .144), fewer drinking days (F = 14.04, p < .001, η2 = .195), lower relapse rates (14 vs. 28), and lesser craving (F = 14.01, p < .001, η2 = .195). Regression analysis showed that number of previous attempts (>1) and increased baseline drinking were associated with relapse.

Conclusion

Findings provide evidence of BMS intervention in reducing craving and drinking outcomes among alcohol-dependent individuals in India.
Women of Childbearing Age and Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Prevention
Authors: Mahmoud Khadejah F. , Griffith Kira J. , Hayden Annie , Fogger Susanne A. , Kameg Brayden N. , Mitchell Ann M.
Published: November 2020

It is the position of the International Nurses Society on Addictions that all nurses, in all settings, should be prepared to provide care to patients with alcohol use problems, especially for women of childbearing age.
The Future of Nursing Report Set the Stage for Healthier Hoosiers
Authors: Harper Kimberly J.
Published: November 2020

Since the introduction of the Future of Nursing report in 2011, Indiana nursing has successfully implemented many of the recommendations. This article describes these accomplishments. Notable examples include increasing the diversity of the workforce, placement of nurses on community boards and governmental appointments, promoting the advancement of nursing education, and increasing the number of nurses with baccalaureate degrees. Furthermore, Indiana supports the proliferation of new doctoral programs with a scholarship fundraising program to assist nurses with the cost of their education.
Case Report: Effect of Haploscopic Filter on Contrast Sensitivity Function and Color Vision Tests
Authors: González-Pérez Javier , Rodríguez Daporta Eloy , Mira Jorge
Published: November 2020

SIGNIFICANCE

The options that can help patients with congenital color vision defect, to a better professional and leisure adaptation, are very limited. Different haploscopic lenses can be considered, and their effects need to be investigated in patients with different defects.

PURPOSE

The purpose of this study was to present and discuss the effect of a pair of asymmetric long-pass filters fitted for deuteranopia, with the result of a 60% improvement in distinguishing red-green plates when compared with baseline.

CASE REPORT

We report the case of a 51-year-old man with congenital deuteranopia fitted with haploscopic ChromaGen filters. During the 2-month follow-up, we observed a decrease in left-eye logMAR visual acuity and contrast sensitivity with an increased ability to discriminate the plates of different color vision tests (Ishihara, Farnsworth, and Hardy-Rand-Rittler). The visual outcomes are discussed considering the spectral sensitivity curves of each filter, measured with a spectrophotometric device.

CONCLUSIONS

This report describes an improvement in the ability to resolve color vision plates after using asymmetric haploscopic filters showing a left-eye decrease in logMAR visual acuity and contrast sensitivity function. Subjects with a history of color vision deficiency might benefit from using haploscopic filters that selectively minimize the transmittance within a specific bandwidth to improve the color discrimination in deutan color vision deficiency. The simultaneous analysis of the color vision outcomes and transmittance spectrum of the haploscopic filters might contribute to a better understanding of the mechanisms behind the claimed efficacy of these devices.
Case Report: Tropheryma whipplei Infection Presenting with Optic Disc Edema
Authors: Kanikunnel Anju M. , Anthony Scott A. , Eleff Eric S.
Published: November 2020

SIGNIFICANCE

Whipple disease is a rare chronic, systemic bacterial infection that predominantly affects the small intestine but also other organs of the body. When left untreated, it can be not only vision threatening but also life threatening because of its central nervous system involvement. Therefore, early detection and treatment are important.

PURPOSE

We report a rare case of unilateral optic disc edema as a critical identifying sign of Whipple disease.

CASE REPORT

An asymptomatic 49-year-old African American man presented for an eye examination and was found to have optic nerve edema of the right eye. His best-corrected visual acuity was 20/20 in the right and left eye. He denied symptoms of diplopia, amaurosis fugax, or eye pain. His medical history was significant for HIV with no recent detectable viral load at the time of his eye examination. The patient denied any other infectious risk factors or changes in medical status. Extensive ophthalmic, neuroimaging, and laboratory investigations were completed as a comprehensive approach to rule out more common etiologies for unilateral optic disc edema. This initial workup yielded no identifying etiology, and the patient was monitored closely with frequent examinations with a retina specialist. Soon after his diagnosis of optic nerve edema, the patient developed new symptoms of chronic diarrhea, weight loss, and fatigue requiring hospitalization. Evaluations by internal medicine and gastroenterology, including serological testing, stool analysis, histological and microbiological analysis, esophagogastroduodenoscopy, and gastrointestinal biopsy, confirmed a diagnosis of Whipple disease that was successfully treated with oral antibiotics.

CONCLUSIONS

Whipple disease is a rare cause of infectious optic nerve edema that may present with other rheumatoid and gastrointestinal symptoms. A comprehensive medical approach for investigating unilateral optic nerve edema is paramount in diagnosing and treating Whipple disease.
Tinnitus and auditory cortex: using adapted functional near-infrared spectroscopy to measure resting-state functional connectivity
Authors: San Juan Juan D. , Zhai Tianqu , Ash-Rafzadeh Angela , Hu Xiao-Su , Kim Jessica , Filipak Charles , Guo Kaiwen , Islam Mohammed N. , Kovelman Ioulia , Basura Gregory J.
Published: November 2020

Objective

Tinnitus, phantom sound perception, arises from aberrant brain activity within auditory cortex. In tinnitus animal models, auditory cortex neurons show increased spontaneous firing and neural synchrony. In humans, similar hyperactivation in auditory cortex has been displayed with functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). Resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) or increased connectivity between brain regions has also been shown in tinnitus using fNIRS. However, current fNIRS technology utilizes infrared (IR)-sources and IR-detectors placed on the scalp that restricts (~3 cm depth IR penetration) signal capture to outer cerebral cortex due to skin and skull bone. To overcome this limitation, in this proof of concept study, we adapted fNIRS probes to fit in the external auditory canal (EAC) to physically place IR-probes deeper within the skull thereby extracting neural signals from deeper auditory cortex.

Methods

Twenty adults with tinnitus and 20 nontinnitus controls listened to periods of silence and broadband noise before and after 5 min of silence to calculate RSFC. Concurrent scalp probes over auditory cortex and an adapted probe placed in the right EAC were utilized.

Results

For standard probes, left and right auditory cortex in tinnitus showed increased RSFC to each other and to other nonauditory cortices. Interestingly, adapted fNIRS probes showed trends toward increased RSFC.

Conclusion

While many areas for the adapted probes did not reach significance, these data using a highly innovative and newly created probe adapting fNIRS technology to the EAC substantiates our previously published data in human tinnitus and concurrently validates this technology as a useful and expanded brain imaging modality.
Cultural evolution and prehistoric demography
Authors: Strassberg Sarah Saxton , Creanza Nicole
Published: November 2020

One prominent feature of human culture is that different populations have different tools, technologies and cultural artefacts, and these unique toolkits can also differ in size and complexity. Over the past few decades, researchers in the fields of prehistoric demography and cultural evolution have addressed a number of questions regarding variation in toolkit size and complexity across prehistoric and modern populations. Several factors have been proposed as possible explanations for this variation: in particular, the mobility of a population, the resources it uses, the volatility of its environment and the number of individuals in the population. Using a variety of methods, including empirical and ethnographic research, computational models and laboratory-based experiments, researchers have found disparate results regarding each hypothesis. These discordant findings have led to debate over the factors that most significantly influence toolkit size and composition. For instance, several computational, empirical and laboratory studies of food-producing populations have found a positive correlation between the number of individuals in a population and toolkit size, whereas similar studies of hunter–gatherer populations have found little evidence of such a link. In this paper, we conduct a comprehensive review of the literature in this field of study and propose corollaries and interdisciplinary approaches with the goal of reconciling dissimilar findings into a more comprehensive view of cultural toolkit variation.

This article is part of the theme issue ‘Cross-disciplinary approaches to prehistoric demography’.
Demographic uniformitarianism: the theoretical basis of prehistoric demographic research and its cross-disciplinary challenges
Authors: French Jennifer C. , Chamberlain Andrew T.
Published: November 2020

A principle of demographic uniformitarianism underpins all research into prehistoric demography (palaeodemography). This principle—which argues for continuity in the evolved mechanisms underlying modern human demographic processes and their response to environmental stimuli between past and present—provides the cross-disciplinary basis for palaeodemographic reconstruction and analysis. Prompted by the recent growth and interest in the field of prehistoric demography, this paper reviews the principle of demographic uniformitarianism, evaluates how it relates to two key debates in palaeodemographic research and seeks to delimit its range of applicability to past human and hominin populations.

This article is part of the theme issue ‘Cross-disciplinary approaches to prehistoric demography’.
Modifiable reporting unit problems and time series of long-term human activity
Authors: Bevan A. , Crema E. R.
Published: November 2020

This paper responds to a resurgence of interest in constructing long-term time proxies of human activity, especially but not limited to models of population change over the Pleistocene and/or Holocene. While very much agreeing with the need for this increased attention, we emphasize three important issues that can all be thought of as modifiable reporting unit problems: the impact of (i) archaeological periodization, (ii) uneven event durations and (iii) geographical nucleation-dispersal phenomena. Drawing inspiration from real-world examples from prehistoric Britain, Greece and Japan, we explore their consequences and possible mitigation via a reproducible set of tactical simulations.

This article is part of the theme issue ‘Cross-disciplinary approaches to prehistoric demography’.
MNI-FTD Templates: Unbiased Average Templates of Frontotemporal Dementia Variants
Authors: Dadar Mahsa , Manera Ana L. , Fonov Vladimir S. , Ducharme Simon , Collins D. Louis
Published: November 2020

Standard anatomical templates are widely used in human neuroimaging processing pipelines to facilitate group level analyses and comparisons across different subjects and populations. The MNI-ICBM152 template is the most commonly used standard template, representing an average of 152 healthy young adult brains. However, in patients with neurodegenerative diseases such as frontotemporal dementia (FTD), the high levels of atrophy lead to significant differences between the brain shape of the individuals and the MNI-ICBM152 template. Such differences might inevitably lead to registration errors or subtle biases in downstream analyses and results. Disease-specific templates are therefore desirable to reflect the anatomical characteristics of the populations of interest and to reduce potential registration errors when processing data from such populations.

Here, we present MNI-FTD136, MNI-bvFTD70, MNI-svFTD36, and MNI-pnfaFTD30, four unbiased average templates of 136 FTD patients, 70 behavioural variant (bv), 36 semantic variant (sv), and 30 progressive nonfluent aphasia (pnfa) variant FTD patients as well as a corresponding age matched average template of 133 healthy controls (MNI-CN133), along with probabilistic tissue maps for each template. The public availability of these templates will facilitate analyses of FTD cohorts and enable comparisons between different studies in a common standardized space appropriate to FTD populations.
Prevalence and stability of SARS CoV-2 RNA on Bangladeshi banknotes
Authors: Akter Selina , Roy Pravas Chandra , Ferdaus Amina , Ibnat Habiba , Ul Alam A.S.M. Rubayet , Nigar Shireen , Jahid Iqbal Kabir , Hossain M. Anwar
Published: November 2020

Originating at December 2019 in China, SARS-CoV-2 has emerged as the deadliest pandemic in the history of mankind. Along with direct contact and droplet contaminations, possibility of infections through contaminated surfaces and fomites are being investigated. In this study, we aim to assess the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 viral RNA by real time one-step reverse transcriptase PCR on banknotes being circulating in Bangladesh. We also assessed the persistence of the virus on banknotes spiked with SARS-CoV-2 positive diluted human nasopharyngeal samples. Among the 425 banknote samples collected from different entities, 7.29% (n= 31) were tested positive for targeted genes. Twenty four representative positive samples were assessed for N gene fragments by conventional PCR and sequenced. All the samples carry viral RNA belonged to GR clade, the predominant circulating clade in Bangladesh. In the test of stability, the N gene was detected for up to 72 h on banknotes spiked with nasopharyngeal samples and CT values increases significantly with time (p<0.05). ORF1b gene was observed to be less stable specially on old banknotes and usually went beyond detectable limit within 8 to 10 h. The stability of virus RNA was well fitted by Weibull model and concave curve for new banknotes and convex curve for old banknotes have been revealed. Handling of banknotes is unavoidable; hence these findings implicated that in order to limit SARS-CoV-2 transmission through banknotes proper hygiene practice are needed.
Genetic associations and architecture of asthma-chronic obstructive pulmonary disease overlap
Authors: John C. , Guyatt A.L. , Shrine N. , Packer R. , Olafsdottir T.A. , Liu J. , Hayden L.P. , Chu S.H. , Koskela J.T. , Luan J. , Li X. , Terzikhan N. , Xu H. , Bartz T.M. , Petersen H. , Leng S. , Belinsky S.A. , Cepelis A. , Hernández Cordero A.I. , Obeidat M. , Thorleifsson G. , Meyers D.A. , Bleecker E.R. , Sakoda L.C. , Iribarren C. , Tesfaigzi Y. , Gharib S.A. , Dupuis J. , Brusselle G. , Lahousse L. , Ortega V.E. , Jonsdottir I. , Sin D. D. , Bossé Y. , van den Berge M. , Nickle D. , Quint J.K. , Sayers I. , Hall I.P. , Langenberg C. , Ripatti S. , Laitinen T. , Wu A.C. , Lasky-Su J. , Bakke P. , Gulsvik A. , Hersh C.P. , Hayward C. , Langhammer A. , Brumpton B. , Stefansson K. , Cho M.H. , Wain L.V. , Tobin M.D.
Published: November 2020

Some individuals have characteristics of both asthma and COPD (asthma-COPD overlap, ACO), and evidence suggests they experience worse outcomes than those with either condition alone. Improved knowledge of the genetic architecture would contribute to understanding whether determinants of risk in this group differ from those in COPD or asthma.

We conducted a genome-wide association study in 8,068 cases and 40,360 controls of European ancestry from UK Biobank (stage 1). After excluding variants only associated with asthma or COPD we selected 31 variants for further investigation in 12 additional cohorts (stage 2), and discovered eight novel signals for ACO in a meta-analysis of stage 1 and 2 studies.

Our signals include an intergenic signal on chromosome 5 not previously associated with asthma, COPD or lung function, and suggest a spectrum of shared and distinct genetic influences in asthma, COPD and ACO. A number of signals may represent loci that predispose to serious long-term consequences in people with asthma.
Atrophy-centered subtyping of mild cognitive impairment
Authors: Kwak Kichang , Giovanello Kelly S. , Styner Martin , Dayan Eran ,   for the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative
Published: November 2020

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is considered as the transitional phase between normal cognitive aging and Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Nevertheless, trajectories of cognitive decline vary considerably among individuals with MCI. To address this heterogeneity, subtyping approaches have been developed, with the objective of identifying more homogenous subgroups and ultimately improving prognostic outcomes. To date, subtyping of MCI has been based primarily on cognitive performance measures, often resulting in indistinct boundaries between the proposed subgroups and limited validity. The degree to which markers of neurodegeneration such as brain atrophy can be used to subtype MCI into biologically and clinically meaningful subgroups remains unclear. Here we introduce and validate a data-driven subtyping method for MCI based solely upon measures of atrophy derived from structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). We trained a dense convolutional neural network to differentiate between patients with AD and age-matched cognitively normal (CN) subjects based on whole brain MRI features. We then deployed the trained model to classify individuals with MCI, as MCI-CN or MCI-AD, based on the degree to which their whole brain gray matter volume resembles CN-like or AD-like patterns. We subsequently validated the model-based subgroups using cognitive, clinical, fluid biomarker, and molecular neuroimaging data. Namely, we observed marked differences between the MCI-CN and MCI-AD groups in baseline and longitudinal cognitive and clinical rating scales, disease-free survival, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) levels of amyloid beta and tau, fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) and amyloid PET. Overall, the results suggest that patterns of atrophy in MCI are sufficiently distinct and heterogeneous, and can thus be used to subtype individuals into biologically and clinically meaningful subgroups.
Epidemiological and Economic Impact of COVID-19 in the US
Authors: Chen Jiangzhuo , Vullikanti Anil , Santos Joost , Venkatramanan Srinivasan , Hoops Stefan , Mortveit Henning , Lewis Bryan , You Wen , Eubank Stephen , Marathe Madhav , Barrett Chris , Marathe Achla
Published: November 2020

This research measures the epidemiological and economic impact of COVID-19 spread in the US under different mitigation scenarios, comprising of non-pharmaceutical interventions. A detailed disease model of COVID-19 is combined with a model of the US economy to estimate the direct impact of labor supply shock to each sector arising from morbidity, mortality, and lockdown, as well as the indirect impact caused by the interdependencies between sectors. During a lockdown, estimates of jobs that are workable from home in each sector are used to modify the shock to labor supply. Results show trade-offs between economic losses, and lives saved and infections averted are non-linear in compliance to social distancing and the duration of lockdown. Sectors that are worst hit are not the labor-intensive sectors such as Agriculture and Construction, but the ones with high valued jobs such as Professional Services, even after the teleworkability of jobs is accounted for. Additionally, the findings show that a low compliance to interventions can be overcome by a longer shutdown period and vice versa to arrive at similar epidemiological impact but their net effect on economic loss depends on the interplay between the marginal gains from averting infections and deaths, versus the marginal loss from having healthy workers stay at home during the shutdown.
Estimating the timing of HIV infection from unmutated sequences
Authors: Pankow Alec , Christian Murray , Smith Natalie , Sheward Daniel J. , Murrell Ben
Published: November 2020

For HIV, the time since infection can be estimated from sequence data for acutely infected samples. One popular approach relies on the star-like nature of phylogenies generated under exponential population growth, and the resulting Poisson distribution of mutations away from the founding variant. However, real-world complications, such as APOBEC hypermutation and multiple-founder transmission, present a challenge to this approach, requiring data curation to remove these signals before reasonable timing estimates may be obtained. Here we suggest a simple alternative approach that derives the timing estimate not from the entire mutational spectrum but from the proportion of sequences that have no mutations. This can be approximated quickly and is robust to phenomena such as multiple founder transmission and APOBEC hypermutation. Our approach is Bayesian, and we adopt a conjugate prior to obtain closed form posterior distributions at negligible computational expense. Using real data and simulations, we show that this approach provides accurate timing estimates and credible intervals without the inconvenience of data curation and is robust to complicating phenomena that can mislead existing approaches or cause them to fail entirely. For immediate use we provide an implementation via Google Sheets, which offers bulk analysis of multiple datasets, as well as more detailed individual-donor analyses. For inclusion in data processing pipelines we provide implementations in three languages: Julia, R, and Python.
Characterizing the transmission patterns of seasonal influenza in Italy: lessons from the last decade
Authors: Trentini Filippo , Pariani Elena , Bella Antonino , Diurno Giulio , Crottogini Lucia , Rizzo Caterina , Merler Stefano , Ajelli Marco
Published: November 2020

Background

Despite thousands of influenza cases annually recorded by surveillance systems around the globe, estimating the transmission patterns of seasonal influenza is challenging.

Methods

We develop an age-structured mathematical model to influenza transmission to analyze ten consecutive seasons (from 2010-2011 to 2019-2020) of influenza epidemiological and virological data reported to the Italian surveillance system.

Results

We estimate that 18.4%-29.3% of influenza infections are detected by the surveillance system. Influenza infection attack rate varied between 18.0% and 35.6% and is generally larger for seasons characterized by the circulation of A/H3N2 and/or B types/subtypes. Individuals aged 14 years or less are the most affected age-segment of the population, with A viruses especially affecting children aged 0-4 years. For all influenza types/subtypes, the mean effective reproduction number is estimated to be generally in the range 1.1-1.4 (8 out of 10 seasons) and never exceeding 1.55. The age-specific susceptibility to infection appears to be a type/subtype-specific feature.

Conclusions

The results presented in this study provide insights on type/subtype-specific transmission patterns of seasonal influenza that could be instrumental to fine-tune immunization strategies and non-pharmaceutical interventions aimed at limiting seasonal influenza spread and burden.
Bioelectrical Interfaces with Cortical Spheroids in Three-Dimensions
Authors: Kalmykov Anna , Reddy Jay W. , Bedoyan Esther , Wang Yingqiao , Garg Raghav , Rastogi Sahil K. , Cohen-Karni Devora , Chamanzar Maysamreza , Cohen-Karni Tzahi
Published: November 2020

Three-dimensional (3D) neuronal spheroid culture serves as a powerful model system for the investigation of neurological disorders and drug discovery. The success of such a model system requires techniques that enable high-resolution functional readout across the entire spheroid. Conventional microelectrode arrays and implantable neural probes cannot monitor the electrophysiology activity across the entire native 3D geometry of the cellular construct. Here, we demonstrate a 3D self-rolled biosensor array (3D-SR-BA) integrated with a 3D cortical spheroid culture for simultaneousin-vitroelectrophysiology recording, functional Ca2+imaging, and drug effect monitoring. We have also developed a signal processing pipeline to detect neural firings with high spatiotemporal resolution from the electrophysiology recordings based on established spike sorting methods. The 3D-SR-BAs cortical spheroid interface provides a stable, high sensitivity recording of neural action potentials (< 50 μV peak-to-peak amplitude). The 3D-SR-BA is demonstrated as a potential drug screening platform through the investigation of the neural response to the excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate. Upon addition of glutamate, the neuronal firing rates increased notably corresponding well with the functional Ca2+imaging. Our entire system, including the 3D-SR-BA integrated with neural spheroid culture, enables simultaneous electrophysiology recording and functional Ca2+imaging with high spatiotemporal resolution in conjunction with chemical stimulation. We demonstrate a powerful toolset for future studies of tissue development, disease progression, and drug testing and screening, especially when combined with native spheroid cultures directly extracted from humans.
Seeing the forest through the trees: Identifying functional interactions from Hi-C
Authors: Liu Ning , Low Wai Yee , Alinejad-Rokny Hamid , Pederson Stephen , Sadlon Timothy , Barry Simon , Breen James
Published: November 2020

Eukaryotic genomes are highly organised within the nucleus of a cell, allowing widely dispersed regulatory elements such as enhancers to interact with gene promoters through physical contacts in three-dimensional space. Recent chromosome conformation capture methodologies such as Hi-C have enabled the analysis of interacting regions of the genome providing a valuable insight into the three-dimensional organisation of the chromatin in the nucleus, including chromosome compartmentalisation and gene expression. Complicating the analysis of Hi-C data however is the massive amount of identified interactions, many of which do not directly drive gene function, thus hindering the identification of potentially biologically functional 3D interactions. In this review, we collate and examine the downstream analysis of Hi-C data with particular focus on methods that identify significant functional interactions. We classify three groups of approaches; structurally-associated domain discovery methods e.g. topologically-associated domains and compartments, detection of statistically significant interactions via background models, and the use of epigenomic data integration to identify functional interactions. Careful use of these three approaches is crucial to successfully identifying functional interactions within the genome.
Action Observation Network activity related to object-directed and socially-directed actions in Adolescents
Authors: Lesourd Mathieu , Afyouni Alia , Geringswald Franziska , Cignetti Fabien , Raoul Lisa , Sein Julien , Nazarian Bruno , Anton Jean-Luc , Grosbras Marie-Hélène
Published: November 2020

The Action Observation Network (AON) encompasses brain areas consistently engaged when we observe other’s actions. Although the core nodes of the AON are present from childhood, it is not known to what extent they are sensitive to different action features during development. As social cognitive abilities continue to mature during adolescence, the AON response to socially-oriented actions, but not to object-related actions, may differ in adolescents and adults. To test this hypothesis, we scanned with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) 28 typically-developing teenagers and 25 adults while they passively watched videos of hand actions varying along two dimensions: sociality (i.e. directed towards another person or not) and transitivity (i.e. involving an object or not). We found that observing actions recruited the same fronto-parietal and occipito-temporal regions in adults and adolescents. The modulation of voxelwise activity by the social or transitive nature of the action was similar in both groups of participants. Multivariate pattern analysis, however, revealed that the accuracy in decoding the social dimension from the brain activity patterns, increased with age in lateral occipital and parietal regions, known to be involved in semantic representations of actions, as well as in posterior superior temporal sulcus, a region commonly associated with perception of high level features necessary for social perception. Change in decoding the transitive dimension was observed only in the latter region. These findings indicate that the representation of others’ actions, and in particular their social dimensions, in the adolescent AON is still not as robust as in adults.

Significance statement

The activity of the action observation network in the human brain is modulated according to the purpose of the observed action, in particular the extent to which it involves interaction with an object or another person. How this conceptual representation of actions is implemented during development is largely unknown. Here, using multivoxel pattern analysis of fMRI data, we discovered that, while the action observation network is in place in adolescence, the fine-grain organization of its posterior regions is less robust than in adults to decode the social or transitive dimensions of an action. This finding highlights the late maturation of social processing in the human brain.
Immunofocusing humoral immunity potentiates the functional efficacy of the AnAPN1 malaria transmission-blocking vaccine antigen
Authors: Bender Nicole G. , Khare Prachi , Martinez Juan , Tweedell Rebecca E. , Nyasembe Vincent O. , López-Gutiérrez Borja , Tripathi Abhai , Miller Dustin , Hamerly Timothy , Vela Eric M. , Howard Randall F. , Nsango Sandrine , Cobb Ronald R. , Harbers Matthias , Dinglasan Rhoel R.
Published: November 2020

Malaria transmission-blocking vaccines (TBVs) are a critical tool for disease elimination. TBVs prevent completion of the developmental lifecycle of malarial parasites within the mosquito vector, effectively blocking subsequent infections. The mosquito midgut protein Anopheline alanyl aminopeptidase N (AnAPN1) is the leading, mosquito-based TBV antigen and structure-function studies have identified two Class II epitopes that induce potent transmission-blocking (T-B) antibodies. Here, we functionally screened new immunogens and down-selected to the UF6b construct that has two glycine-linked copies of the T-B epitopes. We established a process for manufacturing UF6b and evaluated in outbred female CD1 mice the immunogenicity of the preclinical product with the human-safe adjuvant Glucopyranosyl Lipid Adjuvant in a liposomal formulation with saponin QS21 (GLA-LSQ). UF6b:GLA-LSQ was immunogenic and immunofocused the humoral response to one of the key T-B epitopes resulting in potent T-B activity and establishing UF6b as a prime TBV candidate to aid in malaria elimination and eradication efforts.
Computational optical sectioning by phase-space imaging with an incoherent multiscale scattering model
Authors: Zhang Yi , Lu Zhi , Wu Jiamin , Lin Xing , Jiang Dong , Cai Yeyi , Xie Jiachen , Zhu Tianyi , Ji Xiangyang , Dai Qionghai
Published: November 2020

Optical sectioning is essential for fluorescence imaging in thick tissue to extract in-focus information from noisy background. Traditional methods achieve optical sectioning by rejecting the out-of-focus photons at a cost of photon efficiency, resulting in a tradeoff between sectioning capability and detection parallelization. Here, we show phase-space imaging with an incoherent multiscale scattering model can achieve computational optical sectioning with ~20 dB improvement for signal-to-background ratio in scattering medium, while maximizing the detection parallelization by imaging the entire volume simultaneously. We validated the superior performance by imaging various biological dynamics inDrosophilaembryos, zebrafish larvae, and mice.
Fish TV
Authors: Sharma Dheeraj
Published: November 2020

It was a usual day at the Fish TV office. Rajeev Batra, Chief Executive Officer of Fish TV called for an urgent meeting. The agenda of the meeting was to discuss the controversy that had arisen recently. Fish TV had been accused of misleading the consumers by way of false advertisement. According to the reports, the company was trying to sell DVR or Digital Video Recorders by false advertisement. The issue had become so grave that many consumers have even filed a complaint in the consumer forum asking for redressal from the company. Batra decided to pick Garfield's case in the meeting. Garfield and his mother were one of the complainants and Garfield had sent many emails to Fish TV's office, which were ignored by the executives, explaining the problem they were facing. Batra went through the details of the incident and concluded that it had been a service delivery failure from their side. Every member present at the meeting agreed with Batra on this point. However, Batra sought to analyze the incident in detail and pondered over the cause of the problem to look for solutions to get the company out of trouble. He was confused if the company should wait for the things to settle down on their own or if the company should formulate strategies for service recovery. If the company decided to go with the latter, then what possible remedies could the company offer to overcome this situation? Also, to keep the company out of such troubles in future, Batra needed to re-evaluate the advertising strategies of the company.
Raymond Design of Warehouse Operations
Authors: Roy Debjit
Published: November 2020

Raymond was lagging behind in their customer order fulfillment process due to inefficiencies in their warehouse operations. Further, slotting of stock keeping units to the right bins was not in order. As a result, the warehouse capacity was limiting company's growth. This case draws lessons about how warehousing technology and scientific warehouse management practices can significantly improve warehouse pick efficiencies and have a positive impact on other business performance indicators.
National Institute of Indian Medical Heritage, Hyderabad
Authors: Chand Vijaya Sherry
Published: November 2020

Dr. Ala Narayana, Director, National Institute of Indian Medical Heritage, Hyderabad (NIIMH), in late 2011, is considering a review of the progress of the institute since its foundation in 1956, in order to develop a strategy and an action plan for the future. The need for this planning was felt since NIIMH was about to occupy its own premises for the first time in its history, and the mood was one of a ‘new beginning.’ The Director has to keep in mind the mandate of the institute, recent developments like a greater emphasis on digitization, and the support extended by the Department of AYUSH, Government of India since 2008, which had led to significant research and publication in the institute.
Cyclone Hudhud at Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited, Visakhapatnam
Authors: Sandhyavani K. V. , Kumar Arun , Naidu G. Taviti , Dutta Goutam
Published: November 2020

This is a case of a crisis project management which showcases the unpredictable nature of the project and the role of management in handling the crisis. It is the case of a very severe cyclonic storm hitting the city of Visakhapatnam plant during October, 2014. The whole city was devastated and so was the situation in the Steel plant as it was under zero power conditions for around 10 days. This case gives need for managing an integrated steel plant in case of very severe cyclonic storm and documents the sequence of events and managing unforeseen uncertainty using NTCP concepts.
Centurion General Insurance Company
Authors: Sharma Meenakshi
Published: November 2020

The case concerns a situation where a manager finds that a candidate for the new position of supervisor for the Sports and Recreation Centre in the housing colony of the company is someone with whom she has a troubling history. She approaches the General Manager, HR and shares the details of her experiences and her concerns about this person's candidature, requesting that the candidate’s case not be processed further. She presents it as a serious matter with a potential threat to vulnerable women and young girls as the position involves close engagement with the residents of the colony. She provides details of her first-hand experience and familiarity with the candidate to build credibility for her position. However, the boss dismisses her concerns, reminding her that it was all in the past and advises her to move on. She requests him to consult the members of the Executive Committee of the Residents’ Association before taking a decision. He agrees to do so and sends an email to the team. She finds that he treats her concerns summarily in his email and frames the issue very differently from her, presenting a simple choice between two options. The HR manager is worried and wonders if there is anything she can do in the matter. The context would help generate discussion relating to persuasion, framing and managerial communication challenges.
Entrepreneurship and the Liberal Arts: The Making of Ashoka University
Authors: Sud Mukesh , Narayan Priyank , Agarwal Medha
Published: November 2020

In 2006, four successful entrepreneurs decided to establish a world-class mega university. Initially, the project progressed slowly until Vineet Gupta was able to locate a small plot of land in Sonipat, Haryana. Forty-eight hours before the payment deadline, Ashish Dhawan and Sanjeev Bikchandani agreed to invest in their personal capital to kick start the project. They however suggested a pivot in favour of a smaller private liberal arts college. Meanwhile, Pramath Sinha, with prior experience in establishing the Indian School of Business launched a pilot through the Young India Fellowship (YIF). Dhawan and Bikchandani, through their extensive entrepreneurial networks, raised scholarships for the first two batches of the fellowship in the hope of attracting other donors to the board and getting a buy-in for Ashoka University. The team faced a number of challenges: managing the new model of collective philanthropy, recruiting faculty and finding jobs for the first undergraduate batch. At Ashoka University's first graduation ceremony in 2017 they wondered whether this model could revolutionise the higher education space like the IITs and IIMs had done for the country.