bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Rotational invariant fractional derivative filters for lung tissue classification
Authors: Doddavarapu V. N. Sukanya , Kande Giri Babu , Rao B. Prabhakar
Published: March 2021

A new and powerful rotation invariant fractional derivative convolution neural network model is proposed for the classification of five categories of interstitial lung diseases. Fractional derivative convolution neural network model employs fractional derivative filters for the texture enhancement of the lung tissue patches instead of the raw image, is given as input directly to the convolution neural network. These FD filters are rotation invariant which solves the problem of rotation invariance of lung tissue patterns caused by pose variations of the patient during CT scanning. Also, the problem of the poor performance of most classifiers such as, support vector machine and K‐nearest neighbours caused by an imbalanced dataset is solved, by oversampling the minority categories emphysema and ground glass patches, and under‐sampling the majority category, micronodules patches. The experimental results are executed on the publicly available interstitial lung disease database which shows the fractional derivative convolution neural network model performs better than the state‐of‐art with average F‐score and accuracy noted as 93.32% and 93.33% respectively.
Spectral clustering based on high‐frequency texture components for face datasets
Authors: Liang Zexiao , Guo Shaozhi , Liu Dakang , Li Jianzhong
Published: March 2021

Spectral clustering is one of the most widely used technologies for clustering tasks, which represents data as a weighted graph, and aims to find an appropriate way to cut the graph apart in order to categorize the raw data. The pivotal step of spectral clustering is to find out the accurate information to estimate the relationship of pairwise data, based on which a graph can be constructed. According to the cognition that different faces are distinguished by the edge contour which can be represented by high‐frequency texture components, a novel spectral clustering algorithm via high‐frequency signal of human face, named high‐frequency spectral clustering (HFSC) is proposed. In HFSC, first the local high‐frequency texture components are extracted from samples. Then the relationship of pairwise samples can be estimated with the degree of correlation, which is produced from the image high‐frequency information. The graph will be set up with the correlation information. Subsequently the graph cut will be implemented to achieve the final clustering results. Experimental results show that this algorithm outperforms the state‐of‐the‐art clustering methods on several datasets.
Orthogonal waveform separation in multiple‐input and multiple‐output imaging sonar with fractional Fourier filtering
Authors: Yan Lu , Piao Shengchun , Xu Feng
Published: March 2021

Multiple‐input and multiple‐output (MIMO) imaging sonar can achieve high spatial resolution with a minimum number of elements and improve imaging performance. However, the superposed echoes for the multiple transmitted orthogonal waveforms cannot be separated perfectly using conventional matched filtering, which can severely reduce the quality of underwater acoustic images because of cross‐correlation noise. Herein, an orthogonal waveform separation method based on the fractional Fourier filtering to suppress the cross‐correlation noise between received orthogonal waveforms is proposed for the MIMO imaging sonar. First, the superposed echoes for transmitted linear frequency‐coded waveforms are processed using a fractional Fourier transform. Then, time‐varying fractional Fourier filters are used to separate echoes corresponding to different transmitted waveforms. Subsequently, images are obtained by joint transmit‐receive beamforming for the output of matched filtering with weighting. Finally, the results of numerical simulations and a lake experiment demonstrate that the cross‐correlation noise between the received orthogonal waveforms is effectively suppressed. Moreover, the image becomes sharp and its quality is improved with sidelobe levels lower than −40 dB.
Fault diagnosis of power capacitors using a convolutional neural network combined with the chaotic synchronisation method and the empirical mode decomposition method
Authors: Lu Shiue‐Der , Sian Hong‐Wei , Wang Meng‐Hui , Kuo Cheng‐Chien
Published: March 2021

This study combined a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) with the chaos theory and the Empirical Mode Decomposition (EMD) method for the attenuation fault recognition of power capacitors. First, it built six capacitor analysis models, including normal capacitors, failed capacitors, and normal capacitors attenuated by 20–80%. Then a power testing machine was used for an applied voltage test of the capacitor. The EMD method was combined with the chaos synchronisation detection method to chart the discharge signals of the voltage and current that was captured by a high frequency oscilloscope into a 3D chaotic error scatter plot, as the fault diagnosis feature image. Finally, the CNN algorithm was used for the capacitor fault detection. The advantages of the proposed method are that big data are compressed to extract meaningful feature images, the operating state of the power capacitor can be detected effectively, and faults can be diagnosed according to the electrical signal change of the power capacitor. The actual measurement results showed that the accuracy of the proposed method was as high as 97% and has a high efficiency of noise rejection ability, which indicates that the method could be applied to other power‐related fields in the future.
Sustainability of nutrient management in grain production systems of south-west Australia
Authors: Harries Martin , Flower Ken C. , Scanlan Craig A.
Published: March 2021

Balancing nutrient inputs and exports is essential to maintaining soil fertility in rainfed crop and pasture farming systems. Soil nutrient balances of land used for crop and pasture production in the south-west of Western Australia were assessed through survey data comprising biophysical measurements and farm management records (2010–15) across 184 fields spanning 14 Mha. Key findings were that nitrogen (N) inputs via fertiliser or biological N2 fixation in 60% of fields, and potassium (K) inputs in 90% of fields, were inadequate to balance exports despite increases in fertiliser usage and adjustments to fertiliser inputs based on rotations. Phosphorus (P) and sulfur (S) balances were positive in most fields, with only 5% returning losses >5 kg P or 7 kg S/ha. Within each of the three agroecological zones of the survey, fields that had two legume crops (or pastures) in 5 years (i.e. 40% legumes) maintained a positive N balance. At the mean legume inclusion rate observed of 20% a positive partial N budget was still observed for the Northern Agricultural Region (NAR) of 2.8 kg N/ha.year, whereas balances were negative within the Central Agricultural Region (CAR) by 7.0 kg N/ha.year, and the Southern Agricultural Region (SAR) by 15.5 kg N/ha.year. Hence, N budgets in the CAR and SAR were negative by the amount of N removed in ~0.5 t wheat grain, and continuation of current practices in CAR and SAR fields will lead to declining soil fertility. Maintenance of N in the NAR was achieved by using amounts of fertiliser N similar to other regions while harvesting less grain. The ratio of fertiliser N to legume-fixed N added to the soil in the NAR was twice that of the other regions. Across all regions, the ratio of fertiliser N to legume-fixed N added to the soil averaged ~4.0:1, a major change from earlier estimates in this region of 1:20 under ley farming systems. The low contribution of legume N was due to the decline in legume inclusion rate (now 20%), the low legume content in pastures, particularly in the NAR, and improved harvest index of lupin (Lupinus angustifolius), the most frequently grown grain legume species. Further quantifications of the effects of changing farming systems on nutrient balances are required to assess the balances more accurately, thereby ensuring that soil fertility is maintained, especially because systems have altered towards more intensive cropping with reduced legume production.
Long-term ditch-buried straw return alters soil carbon sequestration, nitrogen availability and grain production in a rice–wheat rotation system
Authors: Zhai Silong , Xu Chaofan , Wu Yongcheng , Liu Jian , Meng Yali , Yang Haishui
Published: March 2021

Our previous studies indicated that ditch-buried straw return (DB-SR) can improve soil processes in the short term, i.e. increasing microbial metabolic capability, reducing nitrogen leaching loss and promoting soil aggregation. However, it remains unclear how long-term implementation of DB-SR affects soil carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) processes and crop yields. Here, the effects of DB-SR on soil C pool and N availability as well as grain yields were investigated after consecutive application of 6 (rice season) and 6.5 years (wheat season). We found that long-term DB-SR significantly increased rice yields, total organic C, NH4+ and NO3– in the rice soils, as well as enhanced wheat yields, microbial biomass C, microbial biomass N, microbial biomass C/total organic C ratio and microbial biomass C/N ratio, but reduced NH4+ and NO3– in the wheat soils when compared with rotary tillage straw return (RT-SR) and no tillage with straw removal (NT-NS). These findings suggest that long-term DB-SR application has positive effects on grain production, but possibly through different mechanisms in improving soil processes. The yield-increasing effects on rice might result from improvements in soil fertility, whereas increased wheat yields can be ascribed to stimulated soil microbial activity.
Supportive management practice and intrinsic motivation go together in the public service
Authors: Honig Dan
Published: March 2021

Significance

The intrinsic motivation of an agency’s employees can and does appear to change over time, moving in concert with perceptions of management practice. This suggests there are a range of steps managers can take to foster workforce intrinsic motivation. Nonfinancial elements of job design are strongly associated with intrinsic motivation, suggesting even fiscally constrained agencies can substantially influence employee motivation. Work environments may have an even stronger relationship with employee motivation when tasks are more difficult to monitor. Where intrinsic motivation is important to performance, actions which foster intrinsic motivation may be an underutilized way to improve public-agency performance and contribute to citizen welfare.
Bucuti & Tara Resort: Going Beyond Corporate Social Responsibility
Authors: Dodds Rachel , Graci Sonya
Published: March 2021

The Bucuti & Tara Resort is the first carbon neutral hotel in the Caribbean.

Information

© Rachel Dodds
Tourism, Wildlife Conservation and Animal Welfare
Authors: Goodall Jane
Published: March 2021

Jane Goodall – best known for her ground-breaking work on the chimpanzees of Gombe (Tanzania) – has been an influential thinker and writer about wildlife management for many decades. In this short paper, she identifies and summarises some of the critical factors that put wildlife at risk. Quoting from her experience, she illustrates graphically how tourism can either contribute positively to consumer attitudes and conservation efforts or else act as a disruptive, even destructive force.

Information

Adapted from ‘Chapter 9: Tourism, Wildlife Conservation and Animal Welfare’. In: Carr N. and Broom D. M. (eds)
Tourism and animal welfare
, pp. 102-105.

© CAB International 2018
Extraction of the components of effective mobility in thin films
Authors: Zaytseva E G , Naumova O V , Gutakovskii A K
Published: March 2021

In thin films, we deal with such a physical phenomenon as the coupling-effect. In this study, this effect was used to redistribute charge carriers in silicon-on-insulator thin films to determine the effective mobility near the interface under study. Temperature dependences of mobility were applied to experimental results to extract components of effective mobility related to phonon and interface roughness scattering of the carriers. These components are more suitable to show differences in the interface quality of films than values of effective mobility. The suggested approach can be used for the non-destructive analysis of interface quality in films.
Rosin modified aminated mesoporous silica adsorbed tea tree oil sustained-release system for improve synergistic antibacterial and long-term antibacterial effects
Authors: Qiu Songfa , Gao Fan , Liang Zhijun , Zhong Ximing , Hao Li , Chen Huayao , Zhou Xinhua , Zhou Hongjun
Published: March 2021

Tea tree oil, a natural antibacterial compound, cannot be used effectively because of its volatile nature. In this work, a biocompatible carrier was prepared and loaded with tea tree essential oil. The carrier was prepared via the electrostatic or chemical action of aminated mesoporous silica and sodium rosin for achieving a low volatilization rate of tea tree essential oil. A synergistic antibacterial effect was observed between sodium rosin and tea tree essential oil. This method utilized the positive charge of the amino group and the condensation reaction with the carboxyl group to achieve physical and chemical interactions with sodium rosin. Fourier Transform Infrared, Brunauer–Emmet–Teller, Zeta potential, SEM, TEM, and TG were performed to characterize the structure and properties of the samples. Compared to the electrostatic effect, the chemically modified system exhibited a longer sustained release, and the sustained release curve followed the Korsmeyer–Peppas release model. Also, the antibacterial properties of the chemically modified system exhibited better minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) respectively, the MIC and MBC for E. coli were 0.3 mg ml−1 and 0.6 mg ml−1 respectively, for S. aureus were 0.15 mg ml−1 and 0.3 mg ml−1 respectively. More strikingly, the sample also demonstrated long-term antibacterial performance. Therefore, this work provides a new way for the delivery of volatile antibacterial drugs to achieve sustained-release and long-lasting antibacterial effects.
Porous and nanowire-structured NiO/AgNWs composite electrodes for significantly-enhanced supercapacitive and electrochromic performances
Authors: Zhang Mingang , Xu Xiangdong , Gu Yu , Cheng Xiaomeng , Hu Junjie , Xiong Ke , Jiang Yadong , Fan Ting , Xu Jimmy
Published: March 2021

NiO/AgNWs composite films which specially contain both porous and one-dimensional (1D) nanowire structures are prepared uniformly via a simple chemical bath deposition method. The supercapacitive electrodes constructed by the as-prepared NiO/AgNWs composite films exhibit a high specific capacitance (980 F g−1 at 1 A g−1), much higher than that of the pure NiO films. Particularly, a large optical modulation (84.3% at 550 nm) and short switching times for the coloration and bleaching (5.4 and 6.5 s) are also observed if these NiO/AgNWs films serve as the electrochromic materials. The superior capacitive and electrochromic properties of the NiO/AgNWs composite films are attributed to the large electrochemically effective surface areas and enhanced conductivity induced by the addition of 1D AgNWs, which efficiently shorten the ions/electrons diffusion paths and accelerate the reversible redox reactions. Therefore, the NiO/AgNWs composite films hold a great potential for applications as a novel electrode material in supercapacitive and electrochromic devices.
Study on the microstructure and properties of a phosphor copper ball during its formation process
Authors: Zhang Zhongke , Li Zhao , Zhao Changzhong
Published: March 2021

Microcrystalline phosphor copper balls with a diameter of 28 mm were prepared via continuous extrusion upsetting. Optical microscopy and electron backscatter diffraction were used to study the microstructural evolution of phosphor copper balls during the formation process. In addition, the hardness distribution and tensile properties were tested. The results show that fine dynamic recrystallisation grains and twins were formed after continuous extrusion and that the grains were further refined after upsetting. After continuous extrusion upsetting, there were typical 〈111〉, 〈100〉, and 〈110〉 fibre textures, and the proportions of these three textures in the individual samples were different. The change in microhardness was affected by the microstructure. The increase in the hardness value from casting and continuous extrusion upsetting was owing to pronounced grain refinement. The grain sizes from the centre to the edge were similar, and the grain refinement was more uniform. Notably, the grain size of the extruded rod was still fairly uniform from the centre to the edge in the radial direction. It can be concluded that the continuous extrusion-upsetting phosphor copper anode is more conducive to the formation of black film, that is, it is more suitable for electroplating anode material.
High power ultrashort pulse laser processing using a flexible multibeam approach
Authors: Finger Johannes , Hesker Mario
Published: March 2021

Laser ablation is used as a machining process for several industrial applications. Especially ultrashort pulse laser sources with pulse durations below 10 ps have gained increasing interest as they enable processing of almost any material with very high precision and negligible thermal load for the processed workpiece. However, these precise processes are comparable slow and the limited productivity is the major drawback of this processing technology. Although ultrafast lasers with more and more average output power are developed, such powers cannot be directly transferred into productive high quality processing results, because thermal load increases and cancels out the advantages of ultrafast laser processing. Approaches like fast scanning technologies or beam splitting allow for the use of high average power in principle but decrease flexibility or process efficiency on the other hand. We report on a approach where a matrix of multiple beams is generated out of one beam and all of these beamlets can be switched on and off individually. This scalable approach enables the processing of arbitrary surface structures with high process quality and efficiency. The system in development will be able to use 1 kW average output power with fs pulse duration to significantly decrease processing times for industrial structuring applications. In this report, the approach is presented and the challenges with respect to the design of the corresponding processing optics are described and discussed. Preliminary results about the solutions for the faced issues are presented.
Microplastic pollution monitoring with holographic classification and deep learning
Authors: Zhu Yanmin , Hang Yeung Chok , Lam Edmund Y
Published: March 2021

The observation and detection of the microplastic pollutants generated by industrial manufacturing require the use of precise optical systems. Digital holography is well suited for this task because of its non-contact and non-invasive detection features and the ability to generate information-rich holograms. However, traditional digital holography usually requires post-processing steps, which is time-consuming and may not achieve the final object detection performance. In this work, we develop a deep learning-based holographic classification method, which computes directly on the raw holographic data to extract quantitative information of the microplastic pollutants so as to classify them according to the extent of the pollution. We further show that our method can generalize to the classification task of other micro-objects through cross-dataset validation. Without bulky optical devices, our system can be further developed into a portable microplastics detection system, with wide applicability in the monitoring of microplastic particle pollution in the ecological environment.
The Cross-Border Protection of Adults
Authors: Frimston Richard
Published: March 2021

The cross-border protection of adults is an area of Private International Law, in which theory and practice may very often be in rather different places. In Chapters 2 has set out the broad Private International Law concepts likely to be encountered in adult protection. Chapters 3 describes the history and development from Roman law of internal law relating to the protective regimes that have existed and evolved for adults with an impairment and makes some comparisons.
England and Wales
Authors: van Overdijk Claire
Published: March 2021

The territory of England and Wales forms a single jurisdiction covering two of the four countries of the United Kingdom (‘UK’). England and Wales together form the constitutional successor to the former Kingdom of England and follow a single legal system, known as English law.
Finland
Authors: Hellin Markku , van Overdijk Claire
Published: March 2021

Finland formed part of Sweden until 1809. In that year Sweden surrendered its eastern part to Tsarist Russia as a consequence of an unsuccessful war in 1808. In relation to Russia, Finland became an autonomous Grand-Duchy. The autonomy covered, among other things, matters in the sphere of general legislation. Accordingly, the Swedish Civil Code of 1734 remained in force in Finland after 1809 until it was slowly and gradually replaced by Finnish legislation. Finland became independent in 1917 during the aftermath of the Russian Revolution.
Denmark
Authors: van Overdijk Claire , Borch Susanne
Published: March 2021

Denmark is a constitutional monarchy, consisting of Denmark, Greenland, and the Faroe Islands. There is no single unified judicial system, and only Denmark proper is a member of the European Union. The Danish legal system adheres to the civil law tradition. Legal principles are organized into a number of codes, many of which were created through a collaborative Scandinavian effort.
Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, People’s Republic of China
Authors: Frimston Richard , Budge John
Published: March 2021

Under the concept of one country, two systems, even though the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (‘SAR’) is politically part of the People’s Republic of China (‘PRC’), its legal system is distinct from that of the PRC. The SAR has a common law system whilst the PRC has a civil law system. However none of the decisions of the PRC courts affect adults in the SAR. At first instance are various Magistrates’ Courts, Tribunals, the District Court, and the Court of First Instance (‘the FI Court’). Generally, appeals from those Courts and Tribunals are heard by the Court of Appeal (individual Courts and Tribunals may have procedures for self-review for some types of proceedings). The FI Court and the Court of Appeal are collectively called the High Court. Appeals from the Court of Appeal are heard by the Court of Final Appeal, which is the pinnacle of the judicial hierarchy in the SAR.
Italy
Authors: Keene Alex Ruck , Christian Montana
Published: March 2021

Italy is a civil law country. There is a single, state-wide, judicial system, with a number of divisions. Jurisdiction in civil law matters can be divided into contentious, non-contentious, enforcement, and precautionary jurisdictions. The Supreme Court (Corte di Cassazione) is the third and final stage in most civil and criminal law matters. There are twenty-six Courts of Appeals, roughly one per Region. Tribunals, often being the first and lowest jurisdiction stage, are located in most cities within the areas of the Courts of Appeals.
Netherlands
Authors: Frimston Richard , Engelbertink Chanien , Vrenegoor Anneke
Published: March 2021

The Netherlands is a unified kingdom and member state of the EU, with a civil law system. The court of first instance is either the District Court (Rechtbank) or the Sub- District Court (Kantonrechter—‘KR’). KR is part of the District Court.
Portugal
Authors: Frimston Richard , Vítor Paula Távora , Ribeiro Geraldo Rocha
Published: March 2021

Portugal is not part of any federal system, but is a Member State of the EU. The legal system is a civil law one. There are two main categories of courts: Administrative and Fiscal Courts, and Judicial Courts (Judicial Courts of First Instance, Courts of Appeal and the Supreme Court).
Rights Conferred on Shareholders by the Companies ACT 2006
Authors: Joffe QC Victor , Drake David , Richardson Giles , Lightman QC Daniel , Collingwood Timothy
Published: March 2021

Rights are conferred on individual shareholders by a number of provisions in the Companies Act 2006 (CA 2006). These rights may be enforced by an individual shareholder free of any restrictions under the rule in Foss v Harbottle. The principal rights concerned are:
Unfair Prejudice: The Statutory Remedy
Authors: Joffe QC Victor , Drake David , Richardson Giles , Lightman QC Daniel , Collingwood Timothy
Published: March 2021

Introduction: The Statutory Provisions The Companies Act 2006 (CA 2006), s 994(1) provides: A member of a company may apply to the court by petition for an order … on the ground.
Introduction
Authors: Joffe QC Victor , Drake David , Richardson Giles , Lightman QC Daniel , Collingwood Timothy
Published: March 2021

Shareholders—the members of a company—associate on terms and subject to constraints (in part elective and bespoke, in part mandatory and of general application) set out in constitutional documents such as the company’s articles of association and resolutions, in any separate agreements between the shareholders, and in relevant general law, whether statutory in origin, or derived from the principles of common law and equity.
Ancient Monuments and Areas of Archaeological Importance
Authors: Bowes Ashley
Published: March 2021

Statutory protection of ancient monuments has existed since 1882. Today the protection is secured in varying degrees by the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979 (‘the 1979 Act’). Section 61(7) of the 1979 Act defines a ‘monument’ as meaning:
Coping with eccentricities of natural history collection data. A commentary on: ‘Comparing fruiting phenology across two historical datasets: Thoreau’s observations and herbarium specimens’
Authors: Harris Stephen A
Published: March 2021

This article comments on:

Tara K. Miller1, Amanda S. Gallinat, Linnea C. Smith and Richard B. Primack, Comparing fruiting phenology across two historical datasets: Thoreau’s observations and herbarium specimens, Annals of Botany, Volume 128, Issue 2, 23 July 2021, Pages 159–170, 10.1093/aob/mcab019
Comparison of sparse biclustering algorithms for gene expression datasets
Authors: Nicholls Kath , Wallace Chris
Published: March 2021

Motivation

Gene clustering and sample clustering are commonly used to find patterns in gene expression datasets. However, genes may cluster differently in heterogeneous samples (e.g. different tissues or disease states), whilst traditional methods assume that clusters are consistent across samples. Biclustering algorithms aim to solve this issue by performing sample clustering and gene clustering simultaneously. Existing reviews of biclustering algorithms have yet to include a number of more recent algorithms and have based comparisons on simplistic simulated datasets without specific evaluation of biclusters in real datasets, using less robust metrics.

Results

We compared four classes of sparse biclustering algorithms on a range of simulated and real datasets. All algorithms generally struggled on simulated datasets with a large number of genes or implanted biclusters. We found that Bayesian algorithms with strict sparsity constraints had high accuracy on the simulated datasets and did not require any post-processing, but were considerably slower than other algorithm classes. We found that non-negative matrix factorisation algorithms performed poorly, but could be re-purposed for biclustering through a sparsity-inducing post-processing procedure we introduce; one such algorithm was one of the most highly ranked on real datasets. In a multi-tissue knockout mouse RNA-seq dataset, the algorithms rarely returned clusters containing samples from multiple different tissues, whilst such clusters were identified in a human dataset of more closely related cell types (sorted blood cell subsets). This highlights the need for further thought in the design and analysis of multi-tissue studies to avoid differences between tissues dominating the analysis.

Availability

Code to run the analysis is available at https://github.com/nichollskc/biclust_comp, including wrappers for each algorithm, implementations of evaluation metrics, and code to simulate datasets and perform pre- and post-processing. The full tables of results are available at https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4581206.
Climate warming induced a stretch of the breeding season and an increase of second clutches in a passerine breeding at its altitudinal limits
Authors: Mingozzi Toni , Storino Pierpaolo , Venuto Giampalmo , Massolo Alessandro , Tavecchia Giacomo
Published: March 2021

The increase in the average air temperature due to global warming has produced an early onset of the reproduction in many migratory birds of the Paleartic region. According to the “mismatch hypothesis” this response can lead to a decrease in the breeding output when the conditions that trigger the departure from the wintering areas do not match the availability of food resources in the breeding ground. We used 653 brooding events registered during the period 1991–2013 to investigate the link between climatic variables and individual breeding performance of a partially migratory passerine, the Rock Sparrow Petronia petronia, breeding at the altitude limit of its distribution. The laying date (LD) of the earliest first clutch was associated with local spring (minimum) temperatures but did not show a significant trend during the period considered. The LD of the latest first clutch had a positive and statistically significant trend, unrelated to local covariates and resulting in a longer breeding season (∼1.5 days/year). A longer breeding season allowed birds to produce more second clutches, which proportion increased from 0.14 to 0.25. The average breeding success was also positively correlated with the average temperature in July and with the duration of the breeding season. Contrary to expectations, the most important climate-dependent effect was a stretch of the breeding season due to a significant increase of the LD of the latest first-clutches rather than an earlier breeding onset. We show how climate changes act on bird populations through multiple paths and stress the need to assess the link between climatic variables and several aspects of the breeding cycle.
β-blocker and 1-year outcomes among patients hospitalized for heart failure with mid-range ejection fraction
Authors: Wang Bin , Zhang Lihua , Hu Shuang , Bai Xueke , Zhang Haibo , Li Xi , Li Jing , Zheng Xin
Published: March 2021

Aims

The beneficial effect of β-blocker on heart failure with reduced ejection fraction is well established. However, its effect on the 1-year outcome of heart failure with mid-range ejection fraction (HFmrEF) remains unclear.

Methods and results

We analysed the data of the patients with left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) between 40% and 49% in China Patient-centred Evaluative Assessment of Cardiac Events Prospective Heart Failure Study (China PEACE 5p-HF Study), in which patients hospitalized for heart failure from 52 Chinese hospitals were recruited from 2016 to 2018. Two primary outcomes were all-cause death and all-cause hospitalization. The associations between β-blocker use at discharge and outcomes were assessed by inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW)-weighted Cox regression analyses. To assess consistency, IPTW adjusting medications analyses, multivariable analyses and dose-effect analyses were performed. A total of 1035 HFmrEF patients were included in the analysis. The mean age was 65.5 ± 12.7 years and 377 (36.4%) were female. The median (interquartile range) of LVEF was 44% (42–47%). Six hundred and sixty-one (63.8%) were treated with β-blocker. Patients using β-blocker were younger with better cardiac function, and more likely to use renin–angiotensin system inhibitor and mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist. During the 1-year follow-up, death occurred in 84 (12.7%) treated and 85 (22.7%) untreated patients (P < 0.0001); all-cause hospitalization occurred in 298 (45.1%) treated and 188 (50.3%) untreated patients (P = 0.04). After IPTW-weighted adjustment, β-blocker use was significantly associated with lower risk of all-cause death [hazard ratio (HR): 0.70; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.51–0.96, P = 0.03], but not with lower all-cause hospitalization (HR, 0.92, 95% CI, 0.76–1.10, P = 0.36). Consistency analyses showed consistent favourable effect of β-blocker on all-cause death, but not on all-cause hospitalization.

Conclusions

Among patients with HFmrEF, β-blocker use was associated with lower risk of all-cause death, but not with lower risk of all-cause hospitalization.
Right ventricular remodelling after endo-exclusion during pulmonary valve replacement: evaluation by cardiac magnetic resonance
Authors: Lenoir Marien , Chenu Caroline , Amrous Amine , Casalta Anne-Claire , Guidon Catherine , Aldebert Philippe , Macé Loïc
Published: March 2021

OBJECTIVES

Pulmonary valve replacement (PVR) performed for pulmonary valve regurgitation is the most common indication for reoperation during mid-to-long-term follow-up after tetralogy of Fallot repair. An aneurysmal dilation of the infundibulum is often associated secondary to the infundibulotomy performed in the first operation. The right ventricular outflow tract reconstruction with endo-exclusion aims to exclude the non-contractile segments of the dilated right ventricular. This study intends to assess the safety and efficiency of the endo-exclusion technique.

METHODS

Between January 2010 and December 2018, 86 patients underwent a PVR with (n = 46) or without (n = 40) endo-exclusion. The current study compares the outcomes in terms of survival, reintervention, structural valve deterioration, right ventricular function (volume and right ventricular ejection fraction) and pulmonary valve gradient. The median follow-up time was 4.45 years (1.9 months to 9.87 years).

RESULTS

There was no 30-day mortality. There was no difference in the freedom from reintervention at 7 years (without endo-exclusion, 97%, versus with endo-exclusion, 94%, log-rank = 0.68) or in the freedom from structural pulmonary valve deterioration at 7 years (without endo-exclusion, 94%, versus with endo-exclusion, 89%, log-rank = 0.94). No significant difference was observed in the indexed right ventricular end-diastolic volume (102.2 ± 34 ml/m2 in the PVR without endo-exclusion group and 93.3 ± 22 ml/m2 in the PVR with endo-exclusion group, P = 0.61). No significant difference was observed in the right ventricular function (right ventricular ejection fraction: 46 ± 11% in the PVR without endo-exclusion group and 46 ± 9% in the PVR with endo-exclusion group, P = 0.88).

CONCLUSIONS

PVR with or without endo-exclusion is a safe and effective procedure. PVR with endo-exclusion allows implantation without structural deformation of the valve and therefore excellent short- and medium-term results.
Before the cult of equity: the British stock market, 1829–1929
Authors: Campbell Gareth , Grossman Richard S , Turner John D
Published: March 2021

We analyze the development and performance of the British equity market during the era when it reigned supreme as the largest in the world. Using an extensive monthly dataset of thousands of companies, we identify the major peaks and troughs in the market and find a relationship with the timing of economic cycles. We also show that the equity risk premium was modest and, contrary to previous research, domestic and foreign stocks earned similar returns for much of the period. We also document the early dominance of the transport and finance sectors and the subsequent emergence of many new industries.
When face-to-face interviews are not possible: tips and tricks for video, telephone, online chat, and email interviews in qualitative research
Authors: Saarijärvi Markus , Bratt Ewa-Lena
Published: March 2021

Face-to-face interviews have long been the norm for conducting qualitative interviews in healthcare research. However, the Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated the need to explore alternative methods. This, along with the swift digitalization of healthcare, has led to video, telephone, and online interactions becoming increasingly used. The use of new techniques to carry out interviews through video, telephone, and online applications all come with benefits and drawbacks. In this article, three ways of collecting data through qualitative interviews are described and their uses exemplified through a project investigating the impact of a transition program for adolescents with congenital heart disease.
The accuracy of mean corpuscular volume guided anaemia classification in primary care
Authors: Schop Annemarie , Stouten Karlijn , Riedl Jürgen A , van Houten Ron J , Leening Maarten J G , Bindels Patrick J E , Levin Mark-David
Published: March 2021

Background

Anemia can be categorized into micro-, normo- or macrocytic anemia based on the mean corpuscular volume (MCV). This categorization might help to define the etiology of anemia.

Methods

The cohort consisted of patients newly diagnosed with anaemia in primary care. Seven aetiologies of anaemia were defined, based on an extensive laboratory protocol. Two assumptions were tested: (i) MCV <80 fl (microcytic) excludes vitamin B12 deficiency, folic acid deficiency, suspected haemolysis and suspected bone marrow disease as anaemia aetiology. (ii) MCV >100 fl (macrocytic) excludes iron deficiency anaemia, anaemia of chronic disease and renal anaemia as anaemia aetiology.

Results

Data of 4129 patients were analysed. One anaemia aetiology could be assigned to 2422 (59%) patients, more than one anaemia aetiology to 888 (22%) patients and uncertainty regarding the aetiology remained in 819 (20%) patients. MCV values were within the normal range in 3505 patients (85%). In 59 of 365 microcytic patients (16%), the anaemia aetiology was not in accordance with the first assumption. In 233 of 259 macrocytic patients (90%), the anaemia aetiology was not in accordance with the second assumption.

Conclusions

Anaemia aetiologies might be ruled out incorrectly if MCV guided classification is used as a first step in the diagnostic work-up of anaemia. We recommend using a broader set of laboratory tests, independent of MCV.
Association between maternal periodontal disease and adverse pregnancy outcomes: an analysis of claims data
Authors: Choi Sung Eun , Choudhary Abhishek , Ahern John M , Palmer Nathan , Barrow Jane R
Published: March 2021

Background

While a number of studies have explored the link between periodontal disease and adverse pregnancy outcomes, both epidemiological studies and intervention trials have reached contradictory results with relatively small sample sizes. Utilizing large-scale claims data, we aim to investigate the association between maternal periodontal disease and adverse pregnancy outcomes.

Objective

Utilizing large-scale claims data, we aim to investigate the association between maternal periodontal disease and adverse pregnancy outcomes.

Methods

Using de-identified claims data from a national commercial insurer in the USA, records of all observed pregnancies from 2015 to 2019 were included in this retrospective cohort study. Adverse pregnancy outcomes, including low birthweight (LBW) of the newborn, preterm birth (PTB) and spontaneous abortion, were primary outcomes. To evaluate the association between periodontal disease and pregnancy outcomes, logistic mixed-effect model was estimated with periodontal disease status, age, existing clinical conditions of mothers and geographic location as covariates.

Results

Out of 748 792 observed pregnancy records, 18.66% resulted in adverse pregnancy outcomes; 5.92% in LBW, 14.46% in PTB and 2.22 % in spontaneous abortion. Adjusting for individual-level risk factors, periodontal disease was significantly associated with maternal complications with odds ratios of 1.19 (95% CI:1.15, 1.24) for any adverse pregnancy outcomes, 1.10 (95% CI:1.03, 1.17) for LBW, 1.15 (95% CI:1.10, 1.19) for PTB and 1.34 (95% CI:1.23, 1.46) for spontaneous abortions.

Conclusions

Maternal periodontal disease may be associated with an increased risk of maternal complications and neonatal morbidity. A timely diagnosis and treatment of periodontal disease during pregnancy should be encouraged by considering oral health as part of routine prenatal care.
Ecological and Evolutionary responses to Antibiotic Treatment in the Human Gut Microbiota
Authors: Pennycook Joseph Hugh , Scanlan Pauline Deirdre
Published: March 2021

The potential for antibiotics to affect the ecology and evolution of the human gut microbiota is well recognised and has wide-ranging implications for host health. Here, we review the findings of key studies that surveyed the human gut microbiota during antibiotic treatment. We find several broad patterns including the loss of diversity, disturbance of community composition, suppression of bacteria in the Actinobacteria phylum, amplification of bacteria in the Bacteroidetes phylum, and promotion of antibiotic resistance. Such changes to the microbiota were often, but not always, recovered following the end of treatment. However, many studies reported unique and/or contradictory results, which highlights our inability to meaningfully predict or explain the effects of antibiotic treatment on the human gut microbiome. This problem arises from variation between existing studies in three major categories: differences in dose, class and combinations of antibiotic treatments used; differences in demographics, lifestyles, and locations of subjects; and differences in measurements, analyses and reporting styles used by researchers. To overcome this, we suggest two integrated approaches: (i) a top-down approach focused on building predictive models through large sample sizes, deep metagenomic sequencing, and effective collaboration; and (ii) a bottom-up reductionist approach focused on testing hypotheses using model systems.
Comparison of long-read sequencing technologies in interrogating bacteria and fly genomes
Authors: Tvedte Eric S , Gasser Mark , Sparklin Benjamin C , Michalski Jane , Hjelmen Carl E , Johnston J Spencer , Zhao Xuechu , Bromley Robin , Tallon Luke J , Sadzewicz Lisa , Rasko David A , Dunning Hotopp Julie C
Published: March 2021

The newest generation of DNA sequencing technology is highlighted by the ability to generate sequence reads hundreds of kilobases in length. Pacific Biosciences (PacBio) and Oxford Nanopore Technologies (ONT) have pioneered competitive long read platforms, with more recent work focused on improving sequencing throughput and per-base accuracy. We used whole-genome sequencing data produced by three PacBio protocols (Sequel II CLR, Sequel II HiFi, RS II) and two ONT protocols (Rapid Sequencing and Ligation Sequencing) to compare assemblies of the bacteria Escherichia coli and the fruit fly Drosophila ananassae. In both organisms tested, Sequel II assemblies had the highest consensus accuracy, even after accounting for differences in sequencing throughput. ONT and PacBio CLR had the longest reads sequenced compared to PacBio RS II and HiFi, and genome contiguity was highest when assembling these datasets. ONT Rapid Sequencing libraries had the fewest chimeric reads in addition to superior quantification of E. coli plasmids versus ligation-based libraries. The quality of assemblies can be enhanced by adopting hybrid approaches using Illumina libraries for bacterial genome assembly or polishing eukaryotic genome assemblies, and an ONT-Illumina hybrid approach would be more cost-effective for many users. Genome-wide DNA methylation could be detected using both technologies, however ONT libraries enabled the identification of a broader range of known E. coli methyltransferase recognition motifs in addition to undocumented D. ananassae motifs. The ideal choice of long read technology may depend on several factors including the question or hypothesis under examination. No single technology outperformed others in all metrics examined.
Trajectories of Fatigue in Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Authors: Klusmann Birte , Fleer Joke , Tovote K Annika , Weersma Rinse K , van Dullemen Hendrik M , Dijkstra Gerard , Schroevers Maya J
Published: March 2021

Background

Fatigue is one of the most frequently reported symptoms by patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), both during active disease phases as well as during clinical remission. This study addressed whether different trajectories of fatigue over time can be identified among patients with IBD. Subsequently, we compared the demographic and clinical characteristics between trajectories.

Methods

The current study included 849 patients with IBD diagnosed with either Crohn disease (CD; n = 511) or ulcerative colitis (UC; n = 338) who visited the University Medical Center in Groningen (the Netherlands) at least 3 times during a 9-year follow-up. We conducted latent class growth analyses to identify distinct trajectories.

Results

In all patients with IBD (and in the subgroup with CD), we found 5 trajectories for fatigue. In the UC subgroup, we found 4 fatigue trajectories. One trajectory present in both patients with CD (11.45%) and patients with UC (4.75%) was characterized by chronic elevated levels of fatigue across time. Women and parents were more prevalent in trajectories with higher fatigue severity. We also found significant associations among the fatigue trajectories with disease activity and psychological well-being.

Conclusions

The results clearly showed the existence of distinct fatigue paths over time in patients with IBD. Those reporting more chronic elevated levels of fatigue also reported greater disease activity and reduced well-being. Therefore, reducing disease activity may be important for the treatment of fatigue. In addition, given the significant association with well-being, it is possible that reducing fatigue may improve self-reported well-being.
Demographic Factors Associated With Successful Telehealth Visits in Inflammatory Bowel Disease Patients
Authors: Shah Kaustav P , Triana Austin J , Gusdorf Roman E , McCoy Allison B , Pabla Baldeep , Scoville Elizabeth , Dalal Robin , Beaulieu Dawn B , Schwartz David A , Griffith Michelle L , Horst Sara N
Published: March 2021

Background

This study evaluated synchronous audiovisual telehealth and audio-only visits for patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) to determine frequency of successful telehealth visits and determine what factors increase the likelihood of completion.

Methods

Data were collected from March to July 2020 in a tertiary care adult IBD clinic that was transitioned to a fully telehealth model. A protocol for telehealth was implemented. A retrospective analysis was performed using electronic medical record (EMR) data. All patients were scheduled for video telehealth. If this failed, providers attempted to conduct the visit as audio only.

Results

Between March and July 2020, 2571 telehealth visits were scheduled for adult patients with IBD. Of these, 2498 (99%) were successfully completed by video or phone. Sixty percent were female, and the median age was 41 years. Eighty six percent of the population was white, 8% black, 2% other, and 4% were missing. Seventy-five percent had commercial insurance, 15% had Medicare, 5% had Medicaid, and 5% had other insurance. No significant factors were found for an attempted but completely failed visit. Using a multivariate logistic regression model, increasing age (odds ratio, 1.80; 95% CI, 1.55–2.08; P < 0.05), noncommercial insurance status (odds ratio, 1.89; 95% CI, 1.61–2.21; P < 0.05), and black race (odds ratio, 2.07; 95% CI, 1.38–3.08; P < 0.05) increased the likelihood of a video encounter failure.

Conclusions

There is a high success rate for telehealth within an IBD population with defined clinic protocols. Certain patient characteristics such as age, race, and health insurance type increase the risk of failure of a video visit.