bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Analysis of Merkel cell carcinoma of the eyelid: a population‐based study 1998–2016
Authors: Tadrosse Abanoob , Mikhael Sandra , Tadrosse Marina , Tadrosse Mark , Langer Paul D.
Published: January 2021

Purpose

Merkel cell carcinoma of the eyelid (MCCE) is a rare malignancy. We sought to analyze its epidemiologic and survival trends using a population‐based study.

Methods

The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results US database was used to extract MCCE patient data from 1998 to 2016. Incidence was estimated in number of cases/million/year. Disease‐specific survival (DSS) was conducted using the Kaplan‐Meier method. Multivariate Cox regression analysis was used to calculate hazard ratios (HR).

Results

One hundred eighty‐two cases of MCCE were identified. Forty‐five percent were males and the mean age at diagnosis was 78 years. Racial composition was: non‐Hispanic White, 79.1%; Hispanic, 9.9%; Black, 2.7%; Other, 8.3%. The overall incidence in the time period studied was 0.12. Incidence was not significantly different at the two tail ends of the study—1998–2002 (0.15) and 2012–2016 (0.13) (p = 0.39). Gender did not impact incidence (male: 0.10; female: 0.13; p = 0.20). Incidence significantly differed based on race: Non‐Hispanic White, 0.13; Black, 0.05; Hispanic, 0.18 (p = 0.02). Merkel cell carcinoma of the eyelid (MCCE) incidence statistically differed by age group: 0.02 (45–59 years old), 0.40 (60–74), 0.75 (75–84), 2.60 (85–100) (p < 0.001). Incidence was stable comparing 1998–2002 and 2012–2016 in all age and racial subgroups. Five‐year DSS was similar between 1998–2003 (85.3%) and 2006–2011 (83.3%; p = 0.48). Female gender (HR: 0.8; p = 0.022) and married status (HR: 0.58; p = 0.012) were shown to be favorable prognostic factors.

Conclusions

Overall, MCCE incidence has not changed over the study's time period. Males and females are equally affected, but incidence increases significantly with age. Merkel cell carcinoma of the eyelid (MCCE) incidence is lowest in the black population. Between 1998–2002 and 2012–2016, the incidence of MCCE has been stable among all racial and age groups. Five‐year DSS has not changed during the study's timeframe. Female gender and married status portend favorable prognosis.

Bibliography

Surveillance Research Program, National Cancer Institute SEER*Stat software (www.seer.cancer.gov/seerstat) version 8.3.6.1
Decreased thickness of peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer and ganglion cell complex in patients with Werner's syndrome
Authors: Yokouchi Hirotaka , Oshitari Toshiyuki
Published: January 2021

Purpose

Werner's syndrome is a rare autosomal recessive disorder that is characterized by a premature aged‐appearance, for example, grey hair, scleroderma‐like skin in young adults. It typically starts in the 20–30s followed by age‐related disorders such as juvenile cataracts, diabetes mellitus, atherosclerosis, cancers, and osteoporosis. The purpose of this study was to assess the alterations of the peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (pRNFL) and ganglion cell complex (GCC) in patients with Werner syndrome. The retinal images obtained by spectral‐domain optical coherence tomography (SD‐OCT) from eight patients with Werner's syndrome were compared to those of 10 age‐matched healthy controls.

Methods

Sixteen eyes of eight patients with Werner's syndrome consisting of four men and four women were studied. The 16 eyes of the Werner's patients were compared to 20 eyes of 10 volunteers (five men and five women) who had no high myopia, glaucoma, or other macular disorders as healthy controls. There was no significant difference in the ages (p > 0.05) and the axial length (WS, 23.91 ± 0.85 mm; Control, 23.7 ± 1.04 mm; p > 0.05) between the two groups. We quantified the mean thickness of the pRNFL and the GCC from the OCT images for both groups. The significance of the differences in the findings was determined with the Mann–Whitney U‐test. Statistical significance was defined as p < 0.05.

Results

The mean pRNFL thickness in the Werner's group was 88.1 ± 16.9 μm which was significantly thinner that of the control group at 109.8 ± 13.0 μm (p < 0.05). The mean GCC thickness was 80.8 ± 10.3 μm in the Werner's group which was also significantly thinner than that of the control group at 95.4 ± 5.65 μm (p < 0.05).

Conclusions

The significantly thinner pRNFL and GCC in the Werner's group than the control group indicates that ophthalmologists should consider Werner's syndrome in their differential diagnosis when a similar finding is made in a young individual.
Outcomes of surgical management of intermittent exotropia in a paediatric age group—a retrospective study in a multi‐ethnic metropolitan population
Authors: Qadir Muhammed Omar , El‐Defrawy Hany , Abu‐Ain Mohammad
Published: January 2021

Purpose

Intermittent exotropia is one of the most common types of strabismus in children especially in Asian and South Asian populations. Prevalence of exotropia in this group is estimated to range from 7–18.5× higher than esotropia. Spontaneous resolution is rare and if neglected may lead to loss of Binocular Single Vision (BSV) and negative psychosocial consequences. We aim to evaluate the outcomes of surgical management for intermittent exotropia at a unit in Birmingham (UK), an area unique for its high non‐White ethnic population (43%), majority of who are Asian/South‐Asian.

Methods

Retrospective case notes review of patients diagnosed with intermittent exotropia who underwent strabismus surgery in 2019–2020 by two surgeons using two different surgical approaches with a 3 month follow‐up. Measures included pre‐ and post‐operative visual acuity and stereopsis, surgical indications, near and distance strabismus angle with refractive correction, type of surgery performed and parental satisfaction at follow‐up.

Results

Nineteen children underwent surgery during this period with a mean age of 7 range (4–12). Eighteen patients had surgery for functional reasons and one for cosmetic. Two patients recovered BSV where previously Frisby negative, remaining patients maintained BSV. The mean preoperative near and distance exodeviation in prism dioptres (PD) was 30.16 and 34.47, respectively. The mean postoperative near and distance exodeviation was 1.53 PD & 5.16 PD, respectively at 3 months. Two patients developed suture granulomas which resolved with steroid drops post‐operatively. No significant difference between the two surgical techniques was noted. In all cases, parents were satisfied with the results.

Conclusions

Outcomes in our multi‐ethnic population have been excellent in terms of improvement in exodeviation and maintenance of BSV. Long‐term follow‐up is required to see how many patients will show evidence of recurrence requiring reoperation and whether ethnicity impacts this.
Association between nutritional guidance or ophthalmological examination and discontinuation of physician visits in patients with newly diagnosed diabetes: A retrospective cohort study using a nationwide database
Authors: Okada Akira , Ono Sachiko , Yamaguchi Satoko , Yamana Hayato , Ikeda Kurakawa Kayo , Michihata Nobuaki , Matsui Hiroki , Nangaku Masaomi , Yamauchi Toshimasa , Yasunaga Hideo , Kadowaki Takashi
Published: January 2021

Aims/Introduction

Discontinuation of diabetes care has been studied mostly in patients with prevalent diabetes and not in patients with newly diagnosed diabetes, whose dropout risk is highest. Because enrolling patients in a prospective study will influence adherence, we retrospectively examined whether guideline‐recommended practices, defined as nutritional guidance or ophthalmological examination, can prevent patient discontinuation of diabetes care after its initiation.

Materials and Methods

We retrospectively identified adults with newly screened diabetes during checkups using a large Japanese administrative claims database (JMDC, Tokyo, Japan) that contains laboratory data and lifestyle questionnaires. We defined discontinuation of physician visits as a follow‐up interval exceeding 6 months. We divided the patients into those who received guideline‐recommended practices (nutritional guidance or ophthalmology consultation) within the same month as the first visit and those who did not. We calculated propensity scores and carried out inverse probability of treatment weighting analyses to compare discontinuation between the two groups.

Results

We identified 6,508 patients with at least one physician consultation for diabetes care within 3 months after their checkup, including 4,574 patients without and 1,934 with guideline‐recommended practices. After inverse probability of treatment weighting, patients with guideline‐recommended practices had a significantly lower proportion of discontinuation than those without (17.2% vs 21.8%; relative risk 0.79, 95% confidence interval 0.69–0.91).

Conclusions

This study is the first to show that after adjustment for both patient and healthcare provider factors, guideline‐recommended practices within the first month of physician consultation for diabetes care can decrease subsequent discontinuation of physician visits in patients with newly diagnosed diabetes.
Metabolically healthy obesity and lipids may be protective factors for pathological changes of alzheimer’s disease in cognitively normal adults
Authors: Huang Shu‐Juan , Ma Ya‐Hui , Bi Yan‐Lin , Shen Xue‐Ning , Hou Xiao‐He , Cao Xi‐Peng , Ou Ya‐Nan , Zhao Bing , Dong Qiang , Tan Lan , Yu Jin‐Tai
Published: January 2021

The associations between obesity and Alzheimer's disease (AD) at different ages have been debated. Recent evidence implied the protective effects of metabolically healthy obesity on AD. We hypothesized that obesity and lipids could mitigate the detrimental impacts of AD pathological changes among metabolically healthy individuals in late life. In this study, a total of 604 metabolically healthy participants with normal cognition were included from the Chinese Alzheimer's Biomarker and LifestylE (CABLE) database. Multiple linear regression models were used to test the associations of body mass index (BMI) or lipids with cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers after adjustment for age, gender, education, and Apolipoprotein E‐ɛ4 (APOE‐ɛ4). The results showed the lower CSF levels of total tau protein (t‐tau: p = .0048) and phosphorylated tau protein (p‐tau: p = .0035) in obese participants than in non‐obese participants, even after correcting for covariates. Moreover in late life, higher BMI was associated with decreased CSF t‐tau (β: −0.15, p = .0145) and p‐tau (β: −0.17, p = .0052). As for lipids, higher levels of total cholesterol (TC) and low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL‐C) were associated with decreased CSF t‐tau (TC: β: −0.16, p = .0115; LDL‐C: β: −0.16, p = .0082) and p‐tau (TC: β: −0.15, p = .0177; LDL‐C: β: −0.14, p = .0225) in obese participants. Furthermore, these associations were only significant in participants with late‐life obesity and APOE‐ɛ4 non‐carriers. Overall, in a cognitively normal population, we found metabolically healthy obesity and lipids in late life might be protective factors for neurodegenerative changes.

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In the name of security: Governmentality apparatus in a multilingual mine in Arctic Finland
Authors: Strömmer Maiju
Published: January 2021

This critical sociolinguistic study explores how mining work is governed in the name of security in a mine in Arctic Finland. Although the mining industry is dominated by multinational corporations, mines themselves tend to be concentrated in peripheries where a mobile and multilingual workforce is recruited. Mining is a high‐risk business: industrial accidents and environmental damage can be severe. Discursive practices play a crucial role in risk management. In this study, the nexus of language, security, and production in mining work is analyzed by applying the Foucauldian concept of ‘governmentality’. The data comprise ethnographic observations, work‐related documents, and interviews collected onsite in 2018‐2019. The analysis illustrates how security and production are interwoven in the mine’s safety program that applies the neoliberal logic of responsibilization and disciplinary strategies of surveillance, supervision and regulations. On a broader level, this governmentality apparatus serves the state in securitizing its economy and population.
CM carbonaceous chondrite falls and their terrestrial alteration
Authors: Lee Martin R. , Daly Luke , Floyd Cameron , Martin Pierre‐Etienne
Published: January 2021

The CM carbonaceous chondrites provide unique insights into the composition of the protoplanetary disk, and the accretion and geological history of their parent C‐complex asteroid(s). Of the hundreds of CMs that are available for study, the majority are finds and so may have been compromised by terrestrial weathering. Nineteen falls have been recovered between 1838 and 2020, and there is a hint of two temporal clusters: 1930–1942 and 2009–2020. Falls are considered preferable to finds to study because they should be near pristine, and here this assumption is tested by investigating their susceptibility to alteration before recovery and during curation. CMs falling on the land surface are prone to contamination by organic compounds from soil and vegetation. Where exposed to liquid water prior to collection, minerals including oldhamite can be dissolved and most fluid mobile elements leached. Within days of recovery, CMs adsorb water from the atmosphere and are commonly contaminated by airborne hydrocarbons. Interaction with atmospheric water and oxygen during curation over year to decadal timescales can produce Fe‐oxyhydroxides from Fe,Ni metal and gypsum from indigenous gypsum and oldhamite. Relationships between the petrologic (sub)types of pre‐1970 falls and their terrestrial age could be due to extensive but cryptic alteration during curation, but are more likely a sampling bias. The terrestrial history of a CM fall, including circumstances of its collection and conditions of its curation, must be taken into account before it is used to infer processes on C‐complex parent bodies such as Ryugu and Bennu.
Presolar stardust in highly pristine CM chondrites Asuka 12169 and Asuka 12236
Authors: Nittler Larry R. , Alexander Conel M. O’D. , Patzer Andrea , Verdier‐Paoletti Maximilien J.
Published: January 2021

We report a NanoSIMS search for presolar grains in the CM chondrites Asuka (A) 12169 and A12236. We found 90 presolar O‐rich grains and 25 SiC grains in A12169, giving matrix‐normalized abundances of 275 (+55/−50, 1σ) ppm or, excluding an unusually large grain, 236 (+37/−34) ppm for O‐rich grains and 62 (+15/−12) ppm for SiC grains. For A12236, 18 presolar silicates and 6 SiCs indicate abundances of 58 (+18/−12) and 20 (+12/−8) ppm, respectively. The SiC abundances are in the typical range of primitive chondrites. The abundance of presolar O‐rich grains in A12169 is essentially identical to that in CO3.0 Dominion Range 08006, higher than in any other chondrites, while in A12236, it is higher than found in other CMs. These abundances provide further strong support that A12169 and A12236 are the least‐altered CMs as indicated by petrographic investigations. The similar abundances, isotopic distributions, silicate/oxide ratios, and grain sizes of the presolar O‐rich grains found here to those of presolar grains in highly primitive CO, CR, and ungrouped carbonaceous chondrites (CCs) indicate that the CM parent body(ies) accreted a similar population of presolar oxides and silicates in their matrices to those accreted by the parent bodies of the other CC groups. The lower abundances and larger grain sizes seen in some other CMs are thus most likely a result of parent‐body alteration and not heterogeneity in nebular precursors. Presolar silicates are unlikely to be present in high abundances in returned samples from asteroids Ryugu and Bennu since remote‐sensing data indicate that they have experienced substantial aqueous alteration.
The geometry of the compound leaf plays a significant role in the leaf movement of Medicago truncatula modulated by mtdwarf4a
Authors: Zhao Weiyue , Bai Quanzi , Zhao Baolin , Wu Qing , Wang Chaoqun , Liu Ye , Yang Tianquan , Liu Yu , He Hua , Du Shanshan , Tadege Million , He Liangliang , Chen Jianghua
Published: January 2021

In most legumes, two typical features found in leaves are diverse compound forms and the pulvinus‐driven nyctinastic movement. Many genes have been identified for leaf‐shape determination, but the underlying nature of leaf movement as well as its association with the compound form remains largely unknown.

Using forward‐genetic screening and whole‐genome resequencing, we found that two allelic mutants of Medicago truncatula with unclosed leaflets at night were impaired in MtDWARF4A (MtDWF4A), a gene encoding a cytochrome P450 protein orthologous to Arabidopsis DWARF4.

The mtdwf4a mutant also had a mild brassinosteroid (BR)‐deficient phenotype bearing pulvini without significant deficiency in organ identity. Both mtdwf4a and dwf4 could be fully rescued by MtDWF4A, and mtdwf4a could close their leaflets at night after the application of exogenous 24‐epi‐BL. Surgical experiments and genetic analysis of double mutants revealed that the failure to exhibit leaf movement in mtdwf4a is a consequence of the physical obstruction of the overlapping leaflet laminae, suggesting a proper geometry of leaflets is important for their movement in M. truncatula.

These observations provide a novel insight into the nyctinastic movement of compound leaves, shedding light on the importance of open space for organ movements in plants.
Exploring rule‐following identity at the frontline: The roles of general self‐efficacy, gender, and attitude toward clients
Authors: Keulemans Shelena
Published: January 2021

The way in which street‐level bureaucrats relate to rules has intrigued scholars for decades. This article revisits the classic idea that street‐level bureaucrats' rule‐following identity reflects their personal insecurity and penchant for control. Building on this perspective of emotional needs, we investigate how general self‐efficacy, gender, and attitude toward clients affect this identity. We expect general self‐efficacy to suppress a strong rule‐following identity by stimulating street‐level bureaucrats' internal sense of control. We furthermore expect that this relation is stronger for women bureaucrats and bureaucrats who hold a positive attitude to clients. Contrary to expectations, survey data (n = 1407) show that this identity strengthens as general self‐efficacy beliefs increase. Gender and attitude to clients do not affect this relationship. These findings suggest that rule‐following identity reflects street‐level bureaucrats' confidence in their abilities to work complex rule sets to fulfill task requirements, rather than desire for control or to reduce insecurity.
Detection of citrus psorosis virus by RT‐qPCR validated by diagnostic parameters
Authors: Simeone Melina , Gómez Claudio , Bertalmío Ana , Ruiz Esperanza , Hauteville Claudia , Godoy Suarez Laura , Tito Blas , García Maria L.
Published: January 2021

Citrus psorosis virus (CPsV) is the causal agent of psorosis, an important disease of citrus. Sanitary and certification programmes helped reduce disease damage caused by psorosis and other graft‐transmissible diseases in many citrus‐growing regions. For quarantine and certification programmes, most of these diseases are currently diagnosed using biological indexing (BI) on sensitive indicator plants. In the case of citrus psorosis, CPsV can be detected by molecular methods such as quantitative reverse transcription PCR (RT‐qPCR), which is cheaper and faster than BI, but sensitivity, reliability, and reproducibility of both procedures have not been compared so far. In this work, 128 plants from Argentina and Uruguay were analysed using BI and CPsV detection by the RT‐qPCR assay. Almost perfect agreement between both diagnostic procedures and sensitivity, specificity, and estimated likelihood ratios indicate that RT‐qPCR is equivalent to BI for citrus psorosis diagnosis, thus providing confidence in the quick diagnostic procedure to monitor the sanitary status of citrus trees.
Flagellar beating pattern of male gametes during the fertilization process of the marine green macroalga Bryopsis maxima (Ulvophyceae, Chlorophyta)
Authors: Miyamura Shinichi
Published: January 2021

I studied the flagellar movements and mating behavior of biflagellate gametes produced by the green marine macroalga Bryopsis maxima using high‐speed video microscopy. This procedure allowed me to visualize the very rapid fertilization process in a marine ulvophycean. Discharged male and female gametes always swung their flagella backwards during forward swimming. They swam with a flagellar beat type pattern in which undulatory waves produced at the flagellar bases propagated towards the tips. Each beat cycle lasted 15–20 ms. Male gametes were immediately attracted to the vicinity of female gametes when the two mating types were mixed. As each male gamete swam past a female, it reversed direction towards the female by changing the beat pattern of one of its two flagella. The attraction of male gametes to the female ones was inhibited in calcium‐free seawater in both the presence and absence of 10 mM ethylene glycol‐bis(β‐aminoethyl ether)‐N,N,N′,N′‐tetraacetic acid, a calcium chelator, but attraction recovered in the presence of 10 mM CaCl2, suggesting that Ca2+ is necessary for the attraction response. The initial contact between the two gametes occurred when one of the male flagellar tips encountered a female flagellum. The male gamete kept in contact with the female gamete (i) at the flagellar tips, and then (ii) by anterior cell body contact. Flagella continued to beat and cell bodies oscillated as gametes maintained contact. In the final step, the gametes fused.
What Explains Collaboration in High and Low Conflict Contexts? Comparing Climate Change Policy Networks in Four Countries
Authors: Kammerer Marlene , Wagner Paul M. , Gronow Antti , Ylä‐Anttila Tuomas , Fisher Dana R. , Sun‐Jin Yun
Published: January 2021

Explaining collaboration between actors involved in policy processes is crucial for understanding these processes and their outcomes. The policy science literature has advanced several hypotheses explicating what enables or hinders collaboration. However, only a handful of studies compare these factors across different policy contexts. This paper investigates the role of beliefs and influence in shaping collaboration under conditions of high and low conflict by estimating Exponential Random Graph Models using network survey data on the climate policy domains in four countries. Results show that both beliefs and influence are associated with the formation of collaboration ties in the high conflict contexts of South Korea and the United States, whereas neither are significant in the low conflict contexts of Sweden and Switzerland. By considering the level of conflict, our findings provide a more nuanced understanding of when beliefs and influence shape collaboration patterns.
Blood collection failures from a blood establishment perspective
Authors: Radovčić Marko Karlo , Ljubičić Julijana , Očić Tihomir , Jukić Irena , Vuk Tomislav
Published: January 2021

Objectives

The objective of this study was to show experience of the Croatian Institute of Transfusion Medicine in monitoring and analysing collection failures caused by the venepuncture technique or occurred as a result of adverse reactions and complications experienced by donors during donation.

Background

Collection failures represent one of the leading nonconformities in blood establishments. Apart from being a negative motivating factor for blood donors, they also affect the blood components supply and have a negative financial impact.

Methods

Nonconformity records referring to collection failures were analysed retrospectively over a 6‐year period (2013–2018) with regard to their frequency, causes, donor characteristics (age, gender, number of donations), place of occurrence (blood establishment, mobile sessions) and trends during the analysed period.

Results

A total of 5166 collection failures out of 618 251 donations (0.84%) were recorded during the analysed period. The leading cause was haematoma at puncture site (1676, i.e., 32.4%). Collection failures which are primarily attributed to the venepuncture technique or vein selection accounted for 91% of all cases, whereas collection failures which occurred as a result of discontinued punctures due to adverse reactions in donors accounted for 9% of all cases. A much higher frequency of all collection failure types was recorded in female donors, whereas younger donors experienced adverse reactions more frequently (median age of 24).

Conclusion

The analysis and monitoring frequency of collection failures play an important role in planning of staff training activities, work organisation and timely implementation of corrective actions.
COVID‐19 convalescent plasma donor characteristics, product disposition, and comparison with standard apheresis donors
Authors: Lasky Baia , Goodhue Meyer Erin , Steele Whitney R. , Crowder Lauren A. , Young Pampee P.
Published: January 2021

Background

With coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) convalescent plasma (CCP) offering an early treatment option for COVID‐19, blood collectors needed to quickly overcome obstacles to recruiting and qualifying eligible donors. We provide attributes of CCP donors and products and compare to standard donors and products.

Study Design and Methods

Information on CCP donors was gathered from the American Red Cross qualification website through product collection. Data from 2019 for standard plasma/platelet apheresis (SA) and whole blood (WB) donor demographics and SA donations including product disposition and reactions were used for comparison.

Results

Of almost 59 000 donors registering on the website, 75% reported an existing COVID‐19 diagnostic polymerase chain reaction or an antibody test. The majority (56.2%) of 10 231 CCP donors were first‐time donors in contrast to SA or WB donor populations, which were only 3.0% and 30.6%, respectively, first‐time donors. The number of female donors was 12% higher than SA donors. Older (≥ 65 years) and younger (16‐19 years) were comparatively underrepresented in CCP donors. Deferral (10.2%) and Quantity Not Sufficient rates (6.4%) for presenting CCP donations were higher than SA (8.2% and 1.1%, respectively). Human leukocyte antigen antibody reactivity was the highest cause of product loss for CCP donations vs SA donations (9.6% vs 1.3%). Acute adverse events also occurred at a higher rate among both first‐time and repeat CCP donations compared to SA.

Conclusions

CCP donors were more likely to be first‐time and female donors than WB or SA donors. CCP donations had a higher rate of donor adverse reactions, deferrals, and product loss than SA donations.
Total laryngectomy and permanent tracheostomy in six dogs
Authors: Matz Brad M. , Henderson Ralph A. , Lindley Stephanie S. , Smith Annette N.
Published: January 2021

The objective of this report is to describe the surgical technique for total laryngectomy and outcome in six dogs. Laryngeal cancer is an uncommon and challenging clinical problem. Total laryngectomy can provide local disease control but is uncommonly performed. Detailed procedural descriptions are limited and similarly limited information is available regarding patient outcome. Institutional medical records were searched for dogs treated with total laryngectomy. Six dogs were identified. The procedure resulted in postoperative quality of life similar to permanent tracheostomy alone. Surgical margin status was evaluated in five of six cases and was complete in those five. All dogs survived to discharge from the hospital. Complications were mostly related to tracheostomy occlusion or collapse which is recognized as a complication associated with permanent tracheostomy. Patient quality of life was acceptable. Local recurrence was suspected in one dog. Recurrence was not observed in the case with unknown margin status.
Event-Triggered Adaptive Higher-Order Sliding Mode Tracking Control for Steer-by-Wire Systems
Authors: Ma Bingxin , Wang Zezheng , Wang Yongfu
Published: January 2021

The model uncertainty of the steer-by-wire (SbW) system and the limitation of communication bandwidth will have a negative effect on its control performance. For this reason, this paper proposes an event-triggered high-order sliding mode control for uncertain SbW systems. First, to save communication and computing resources, an event-triggering mechanism that depends on the system state is proposed for the SbW system, such that both communication and computing resources can be saved. Second, an event-triggered adaptive higher-order sliding mode (ET-AHOSM) control is proposed for the closed-loop SbW system. The assumptions about the global Lipschitz of nonlinearity and the a priori bounds of the disturbance are no longer required in the control design. Much importantly, the control input continuity can be guaranteed even there is the event-triggering communication in the controller-to-actuator channel. Theoretical analysis shows that the global practical finite-time stability of the closed-loop SbW system can be obtained while avoiding Zeno behavior of the event-triggered control system. Finally, numerical simulation and experiments show that the designed control method can reduce more than 1/2 of the calculation and communication resources while ensuring satisfactory tracking accuracy.
Analytical and Experimental Decentralized Adaptive Control of a High-Degrees-of-Freedom Robot Manipulator
Authors: Bertino Alexander , Naseradinmousavi Peiman , Kelkar Atul
Published: January 2021

In this paper, we study the analytical and experimental control of a seven degrees-of-freedom (7DOF) robot manipulator. A model-free decentralized adaptive control strategy is presented for the tracking control of the manipulator. The problem formulation and experimental results demonstrate the computational efficiency and simplicity of the proposed method. The results presented here are one of the first known experiments on a redundant 7DOF robot. The efficacy of the adaptive decentralized controller is demonstrated experimentally by using the Baxter robot to track a desired trajectory. Simulation and experimental results clearly demonstrate the versatility, tracking performance, and computational efficiency of this method.
Comparison of Blind Diagnostic Indicators for Condition Monitoring of Wind Turbine Gearbox Bearings
Authors: Qi Junyu , Mauricio Alexandre , Gryllias Konstantinos
Published: January 2021

Under the pressure of climate change, renewable energy gradually replaces fossil fuels and plays nowadays a significant role in energy production. Among different types of energy sources, wind power covered 14% of the EU's electricity demand in 2018. The Operations and Maintenance (O&M) costs of wind turbines may easily reach up to 20–25% of the total leverised cost per kWh produced over the lifetime of the turbine for a new unit. According to Wood Mackenzie Power & Renewables onshore wind farm operators are expected to spend nearly $15 billion on O&M services in 2019. Manufacturers and operators try to reduce O&M on one hand by developing new turbine designs and on the other hand by adopting condition monitoring approaches. One of the most critical and rather complex assemblies of wind turbines is the gearbox. Gearboxes are designed to last till the end of asset's lifetime, according to the IEC 61400-4 standards. On the other hand, a recent study over approximately 350 offshore wind turbines indicated that gearboxes might have to be replaced as early as 6.5 years. Therefore a plethora of sensor types and signal processing methodologies have been proposed in order to accurately detect and diagnose the presence of a fault. Among others, envelope analysis is one of the most important methodologies, where an envelope of the vibration signal is estimated, usually after filtering around a selected frequency band excited by impacts due to the fault. Sometimes the gearbox is equipped with many acceleration sensors and its kinematics is clearly known. In these cases cyclostationary analysis and the corresponding methodologies, i.e., the cyclic spectral correlation and the cyclic spectral coherence, have been proposed as powerful tools. On the other hand often the gearbox is equipped with a limited number of sensors and a simple global diagnostic indicator is demanded, being capable to detect globally various faults of different components. The scope of this paper is the application and comparison of a number of blind global diagnostic indicators which are based on Entropy (permutation entropy, approximate entropy, samples entropy, fuzzy entropy, conditional entropy, and Wiener entropy), on Negentropy (Infogram), on Sparsity (Sparse-L2/L1, Sparse-L1/L0, and Sparse-Gini index) and on Statistics (mean, standard deviation, kurtosis, etc.). The performance of the indicators is evaluated and compared on a wind turbine dataset, consisted of vibration data captured by one accelerometer mounted on six 2.5 MW wind turbines, located in a wind park in northern Sweden, where two different bearing faults have been filed, for one wind turbine, during a period of 46 months. Among the different diagnostic indicators permutation entropy, approximate entropy, samples entropy, fuzzy entropy, conditional entropy, and Wiener entropy achieve the best results detecting blindly the two failure events.
Can Water Dilution Avoid Flashback on a Hydrogen-Enriched Micro-Gas Turbine Combustion?—A Large Eddy Simulations Study
Authors: Pappa Alessio , Bricteux Laurent , Bénard Pierre , De Paepe Ward
Published: January 2021

Considering the growing interest in Power-to-Fuel, i.e., production of H2 using electrolysis to store excess renewable electricity, combustion-based technologies still have a role to play in the future of power generation. Especially in a decentralized production with small-scale cogeneration, micro-Gas Turbines (mGTs) offer great advantages related to their high adaptability and flexibility, in terms of operation and fuel. Hydrogen (or hydrogen enriched methane) combustion is well-known to lead to flame and combustion instabilities. The high temperatures and reaction rates reached in the combustor can potentially lead to flashback. In the past, combustion air humidification (i.e., water addition) has proven effective to reduce temperatures and reaction rates, leading to significant NOx emission reductions. Therefore, combustion air humidification can open a path to stabilize hydrogen combustion in a classical mGT combustor. However accurate data assessing the impact of humidification on the combustion is still missing for real mGT combustor geometries and operating conditions. In this framework, this paper presents a comparison between pure methane and hydrogen enriched methane/air combustions, with and without combustion air humidification, in a typical mGT combustion chamber (Turbec T100) using Large Eddy Simulations (LES) analysis. In a first step, the necessary minimal water dilution, to reach stable and low emissions combustion with hydrogen, was assessed using a one-dimensional (1D) approach. The one-dimensional unstretched laminar flame is computed for both pure methane (reference case) and hydrogen enriched methane/air combustion cases. The results of this comparison show that, for the hydrogen enriched combustion, the same level of flame speed as in the reference case can be reached by adding 10% (in mass fraction) of water. In a second step, the feasibility and flexibility of humidified hydrogen enriched methane/air combustion in an industrial mGT combustor have been demonstrated by performing high fidelity LES on a 3D geometry. Results show that steam dilution helped to lower the reactivity of hydrogen, and thus prevents flashback, enabling the use of hydrogen blends in the mGT at similar CO levels, compared to the reference case. These results will help to design future combustor toward more stability.
Development and Characterization of Monoolein-Based Liposomes of Carvacrol, Cinnamaldehyde, Citral, or Thymol with Anti-
Candida
Activities
Authors: Miranda-Cadena Katherine , Dias Marisol , Costa-Barbosa Augusto , Collins Tony , Marcos-Arias Cristina , Eraso Elena , Pais Célia , Quindós Guillermo , Sampaio Paula
Published: January 2021

There is an increasing need for novel drugs and new strategies for the therapy of invasive candidiasis. This study aimed to develop and characterize liposome-based nanoparticles of carvacrol, cinnamaldehyde, citral, and thymol with anti-
Candida
activities.
In VitroStudy of the Synergistic Effect of an Enzyme Cocktail and Antibiotics against Biofilms in a Prosthetic Joint Infection Model
Authors: Poilvache Hervé , Ruiz-Sorribas Albert , Cornu Olivier , Van Bambeke Françoise
Published: January 2021

Prosthetic joint infections (PJI) are frequent complications of arthroplasties. Their treatment is made complex by the rapid formation of bacterial biofilms, limiting the effectiveness of antibiotic therapy.
Limited Multidrug Resistance Efflux Pump Overexpression among Multidrug-Resistant Escherichia coli Strains of ST131
Authors: Camp Johannes , Schuster Sabine , Vavra Martina , Schweigger Tobias , Rossen John W. A. , Reuter Sandra , Kern Winfried V.
Published: January 2021

Gram-negative bacteria partly rely on efflux pumps to facilitate growth under stressful conditions and to increase resistance to a wide variety of commonly used drugs. In recent years,
Escherichia coli
sequence type 131 (ST131) has emerged as a major cause of extraintestinal infection frequently exhibiting a multidrug resistance (MDR) phenotype.
Modulation of Human Beta-Defensin 2 Expression by Pathogenic Neisseria meningitidis and Commensal Lactobacilli
Authors: Wassing Gabriela M. , Ilehag Nathalie , Frey Jonas , Jonsson Ann-Beth
Published: January 2021

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) play an important role in the defense against pathogens by targeting and killing invading microbes. Some pathogenic bacteria have been shown to negatively regulate AMP expression, while several commensals may induce AMP expression.
Ethylzingerone, a Novel Compound with Antifungal Activity
Authors: Rossignol Tristan , Znaidi Sadri , Chauvel Murielle , Wesgate Rebecca , Decourty Laurence , Menard-Szczebara Florence , Cupferman Sylvie , Dalko-Sciba Maria , Barnes Rosemary , Maillard Jean-Yves , Saveanu Cosmin , d’Enfert Christophe
Published: January 2021

Preservatives increase the shelf life of cosmetic products by preventing growth of contaminating microbes, including bacteria and fungi. In recent years, the Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) has recommended the ban or restricted use of a number of preservatives due to safety concerns.
Structural and Biochemical Analysis Reveals a Distinct Catalytic Site of Salicylate 5-Monooxygenase NagGH from Rieske Dioxygenases
Authors: Hou Yan-Jie , Guo Yuan , Li De-Feng , Zhou Ning-Yi
Published: January 2021

Rieske oxygenases are involved in the degradation of various aromatic compounds. These dioxygenases usually carry out hydroxylation of hydrophobic aromatic compounds and supply substrates with hydroxyl groups for extradiol/intradiol dioxygenases to cleave rings, and have been extensively studied. Salicylate 5-hydroxylase NagGH is a novel Rieske monooxygenase with high similarity to Rieske dioxygenases, and also shares reductase and ferredoxin similarity with a Rieske dioxygenase naphthalene 1,2-dioxygenase (NagAcAd) in
Ralstonia
sp. strain U2.
Fecal Microbiota Nutrient Utilization Potential Suggests Mucins as Drivers for Initial Gut Colonization of Mother-Child-Shared Bacteria
Authors: Nilsen Morten , Lokmic Asima , Angell Inga Leena , Lødrup Carlsen Karin C. , Carlsen Kai-Håkon , Haugen Guttorm , Hedlin Gunilla , Jonassen Christine Monceyron , Marsland Benjamin J. , Nordlund Björn , Rehbinder Eva Maria , Saunders Carina Madelen , Skjerven Håvard O. , Snipen Lars , Staff Anne Cathrine , Söderhäll Cilla , Vettukattil Riyas , Rudi Knut
Published: January 2021

The initial bacterial colonization of human infants is crucial for lifelong health. Understanding the factors driving this colonization will therefore be of great importance.
Anaerobic Production of Isoprene by Engineered
Methanosarcina
Species Archaea
Authors: Aldridge Jared , Carr Sean , Weber Karrie A. , Buan Nicole R.
Published: January 2021

A significant barrier to implementing renewable chemical technologies is high production costs relative to those for petroleum-derived products. Existing technologies using engineered organisms have difficulty competing with petroleum-derived chemicals due to the cost of feedstocks (such as glucose), product extraction, and purification.
Dynamic Polyphosphate Metabolism Coordinating with Manganese Ions Defends against Oxidative Stress in the Extreme Bacterium Deinococcus radiodurans
Authors: Dai Shang , Xie Zhenming , Wang Binqiang , Yu Ning , Zhao Jie , Zhou Yulong , Hua Yuejin , Tian Bing
Published: January 2021

The Mn-phosphate complex (Mn-Pi) plays a key role in the cellular resistance of radioresistant bacteria. The evolutionarily ancient polyphosphate polymers (polyphosphate [PolyP]) could effectively chelate Mn
2+
and donate phosphates.
Monitoring Microbial Populations and Antibiotic Resistance Gene Enrichment Associated with Arctic Waste Stabilization Ponds
Authors: Gromala Monica , Neufeld Josh D. , McConkey Brendan J.
Published: January 2021

Given that the microbial communities of Arctic waste stabilization ponds (WSPs) are poorly studied to date, our characterization of multiple WSP systems and time points provides important baseline data that will assist with ongoing monitoring of effluent impacts on downstream aquatic ecosystems in the Arctic. This research also identifies indicator amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) of WSPs that will be helpful for future monitoring for WSP effluent attenuation and demonstrates that WSP microbial communities are enriched in antibiotic resistance genes.
Engineering a Reliable and Convenient SARS-CoV-2 Replicon System for Analysis of Viral RNA Synthesis and Screening of Antiviral Inhibitors
Authors: Luo Yuewen , Yu Fei , Zhou Mo , Liu Yang , Xia Baijin , Zhang Xiantao , Liu Jun , Zhang Junsong , Du Yingying , Li Rong , Wu Liyang , Zhang Xu , Pan Ting , Guo Deyin , Peng Tao , Zhang Hui
Published: January 2021

COVID-19 has caused a severe global pandemic. Until now, there has been no simple and reliable system available in a lower-biosafety-grade laboratory for SARS-CoV-2 virologic research and inhibitor screening.
Coronaviruses Associated with the Superfamily
Musteloidea
Authors: Stout Alison E. , Guo Qinghua , Millet Jean K. , de Matos Ricardo , Whittaker Gary R.
Published: January 2021

Among the animal superfamily
Musteloidea
, which includes those commonly known as mustelids, naturally occurring and species-specific alphacoronavirus infections have been observed in both mink (
Mustela vison
/
Neovison vison
) and domestic ferrets (
Mustela putorius furo
). Ferret systemic coronavirus (FRSCV), in particular, has been associated with a rare but fatal systemic disease.
SARS-CoV-2 Infection Severity Is Linked to Superior Humoral Immunity against the Spike
Authors: Guthmiller Jenna J. , Stovicek Olivia , Wang Jiaolong , Changrob Siriruk , Li Lei , Halfmann Peter , Zheng Nai-Ying , Utset Henry , Stamper Christopher T. , Dugan Haley L. , Miller William D. , Huang Min , Dai Ya-Nan , Nelson Christopher A. , Hall Paige D. , Jansen Maud , Shanmugarajah Kumaran , Donington Jessica S. , Krammer Florian , Fremont Daved H. , Joachimiak Andrzej , Kawaoka Yoshihiro , Tesic Vera , Madariaga Maria Lucia , Wilson Patrick C.
Published: January 2021

With the ongoing pandemic, it is critical to understand how natural immunity against SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 develops. We have identified that subjects with more severe COVID-19 disease mount a more robust and neutralizing antibody response against SARS-CoV-2 spike protein.
5-Aminosalicylic Acid Ameliorates Colitis and Checks Dysbiotic Escherichia coli Expansion by Activating PPAR-γ Signaling in the Intestinal Epithelium
Authors: Cevallos Stephanie A. , Lee Jee-Yon , Velazquez Eric M. , Foegeding Nora J. , Shelton Catherine D. , Tiffany Connor R. , Parry Beau H. , Stull-Lane Annica R. , Olsan Erin E. , Savage Hannah P. , Nguyen Henry , Ghanaat Star S. , Byndloss Austin J. , Agu Ilechukwu O. , Tsolis Renée M. , Byndloss Mariana X. , Bäumler Andreas J.
Published: January 2021

An expansion of
Enterobacterales
in the fecal microbiota is a microbial signature of dysbiosis that is linked to many noncommunicable diseases, including ulcerative colitis. Here, we used
Escherichia coli
, a representative of the
Enterobacterales
, to show that its dysbiotic expansion during colitis can be remediated by modulating host epithelial metabolism.
The Canonical Long-Chain Fatty Acid Sensing Machinery Processes Arachidonic Acid To Inhibit Virulence in Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli
Authors: Ellermann Melissa , Jimenez Angel G. , Pifer Reed , Ruiz Nestor , Sperandio Vanessa
Published: January 2021

Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) play important roles in host immunity. Manipulation of lipid content in host tissues through diet or pharmacological interventions is associated with altered severity of various inflammatory diseases.
Temporal bone dysplasia in Coffin-Siris syndrome
Authors: Wauchope Jessica , Leonard Colin , McKinstry Steven , Trimble Keith
Published: January 2021

We report a child, diagnosed with Coffin-Siris syndrome (CSS), with chronic right otorrhoea. CT and DR-MRI were performed to further investigate, diagnose and determine relevant surgical anatomy. CT temporal bones assessment was performed, and the measurements compared with previously published data for normal temporal bone anatomy. These comparisons highlighted various differences which were not initially expected; it showed that there were multiple inner ear abnormalities in addition to middle ear disease. This case highlights the importance of considering temporal bone abnormalities in all children with CSS or any dysmorphia, when they may require mastoid procedures. Reviewing the management of this case provides relevant learning opportunities for both primary, secondary and tertiary care institutions.
Rothia mucilaginosa: a case of septic arthritis in a native knee and review of the literature
Authors: Daoub Ahmed , Ansari Hamza , Orfanos George , Barnett Andrew
Published: January 2021

Rothia mucilaginosais a Gram-positive aerobic coccus usually found in the oral and respiratory tract. Septic arthritis is an uncommon condition, but is an orthopaedic emergency. A rare case of knee septic arthritis due toR. mucilaginosais presented. Patient management and outcomes are discussed, and learning points from this case are outlined to help manage any further cases that may arise.
ATMgermline variants and male breast cancer
Authors: Cunha Renato , Nejo Priscila , Bento Sandra , Vaz Fátima
Published: January 2021

Male breast cancer is rare and has been frequently associated with cancer predisposing variants, particularly inBRCA 1andBRCA 2genes.ATMpathogenic variants may also increase risk for breast and other cancers. However, less than 10 cases relatingATMmutations and male breast cancer have been previously reported. Therefore, risk estimates and surveillance recommendations are not well established. We report a case of a male patient with breast cancer found to be heterozygous for a pathogenicATMvariant after multigene testing. We also review the literature regarding increased cancer risk associated withATMgermline variants, with emphasis on potential recommendations for surveillance and follow-up.